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Okay, okay, so we left it to part three to get onto the 'music' section of a record label interview, but Constellation is a pretty special case. Here we bring the final part of the transcript of Andrzej Lukowski's interview with founders Don Wilkie and Ian Ilavsky, conducted for a piece in the final issue of Plan B magazine.
Plan B: Ooooookay. The 'Constellation sound'. Your early roster was undeniably quite heavy with the type of instrumental music that people tend to call 'post-rock'. To what do you attribute this? And furthermore is your problem with the post-rock tag rooted in the fact the literal connotations are daft/pretentious? Or that it's not a sound idea to try and homogenise that music?
CST: The music-making in Montreal in the mid-Nineties that excited and inspired us was first and foremost punk rock in spirit and practice, i.e. governed by a do-it-yourself ethic in the fullest and most committed sense, largely driven by untrained and/or self-taught musicians (or trained musicians who were trying to unlearn and escape their training!) and generally guided by an oppositional stance artistically, socially and economically.
At the same time, we found particular common cause with musicians who were sensitive to the risk of overreaching and/or being reductive on any of these fronts. We were drawn to musicians who had an analysis: who were politically sensitive and thoughtful, who felt instinctively that making 'art' or seeking self-expression and creative collaboration and cultural community needed to be forged from and anchored by critique and idealism in delicate and tender balance.
The only truly binding artistic and social ideas were self-sufficiency and autonomy fueled by the pooling of resources, shared labour and constructive co-dependence. The only binding political idea was TO HAVE AN ANALYSIS, to recognise that culture and economics were following a regressive and darkening logic on many levels, and to enact some sort of response to that beyond simple escapism and getting your kicks while you could. It was precisely not an identification based on genre or sound or style.
So for example, aesthetic experimentation for its own sake, or any tendency towards artistic hermeticism, was as distrusted as the notion that politically and socially committed punk rock had to follow overt or well-worn tropes, musically, culturally or otherwise. We fell into natural alliance with musicians who were exploring the fault lines between received and established genres, and who resisted received and established hierarchies of authorship, leadership, careerism, management, etc.
If that's a definition of post-rock, then so be it – if post-rock was meant to highlight an approach to music-making on all levels, not merely some (hopelessly broad) set of formal aesthetics, then we'd have been all for it. In which case it really had nothing to do with 'instrumental' music per se, and in fact would have been no more an aesthetic descriptor than a socio-political one.
This is precisely why we found ourselves railing against the post-rock tag almost as soon as it got stuck on Constellation – because by 1998 the term had entered such general currency and was being tossed around so lazily as to be rendered utterly banal. It was doing nothing to expand critical discourse about independent, experimental music in its potential for redefining and reorganising processes surrounding means of production and terms of engagement. Neither was it saying anything about anger or soul or hope or deconstruction and reconstruction with a deeper meaning or purpose.
Post-rock had become an empty signifier, a genre that could only fairly be said to encompass some caricature or straw man, a strictly aesthetic category that categorized nothing. It not only failed to say anything constructive about any particular work or group unfortunate enough to earn the label, but generally conspired against a more meaningful engagement with the specifics of any such work on aesthetic grounds (much less the larger productive forces or cultural positions that might be foregrounding it). With good reason, we read 'post-rock' as mildly to moderately pejorative and derogatory.
Of course all this coincided with a broader cultural trend, viz. the renewed proliferation of indie music of all sorts through the late Nineties – what will probably go down as the last golden age of independent labels, who filled every gap (and seemed to continually invent new gaps to then fill!) with stupendously diverse and interesting sounds while major labels preoccupied themselves with the threat of file-sharing and lawsuits against Napster. A pretty great time to be a dedicated music fan, as you could check out just about anything you wanted with P2P technology, get a handle on all manner of obscure and previously pretty damn inaccessible recordings, and buy really good sounding albums in lovely jackets by contemporary artists made in DIY studios on low budgets.
Meanwhile, music, lifestyle and fashion mags were similarly proliferating and trying to track all of this; music reviews got shorter, cramming as many thumbnail reviews as possible into the back pages. In a lot of these mags, one or two short paragraphs was the norm, and if you wasted the first paragraph spinning your wheels around the term post-rock, that was pretty much it. If we had a dollar for every review of a Constellation album that came out between 1999 and 2002 that exhausted most of its precious square inch of column space referencing Godspeed You! Black Emperor and foreshadowing 'another' post-rock record from the label, leaving literally a sentence to actually engage with the work itself, we'd be rich.
And in case this all sounds like sour grapes, ultimately it isn't. While the irony of suffering from one empty steamroller review after another tasted bitter indeed, it was pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Constellation was obviously both helped and hurt by the post-rock tag, It brought undeniable attention to our releases, and connected us with genuine fans who consistently engaged with and immersed themselves in the albums we put out. We carried on tons of email correspondence in those early years, generating some terrific dialogue about the extra-aesthetic themes we cared about, directly with articulate and interested fans and mostly micro-indie zinesters, student thesis writers, and fellow-travelers trying to get their own thing going. That pretty much meant it all.
Video: Godspeed You! Black Emperor: 'Storm' (live)
Plan B: I think it's safe to say that Godspeed You! Black Emperor still stand as the act that first comes to mind when people think of Constellation. When did you first become aware of them? What were your first impressions, both musically and personally? Presumably their ethics/politics were a major appeal in signing them?
CST: We got to know members of the band in 1996, just as they were expanding into the large formation. Efrim was living in the Hotel2Tango loft space and was starting to put on shows there.
We started talking at first just to make sure we didn't work at cross-purposes (Constellation still being in performance space search mode at that time). We pretty much started attending H2T events right away and helped out up there however we could – monitoring the door, running the sound board, cleaning up. The band was still a somewhat rotating cast – I think the first time we saw them there might have been 14 players, and they played behind a slowly rotating crossbar stretched with canvas upon which the 16mm film loops were being projected. It was a wall of sound, amazing and powerful but much less differentiated than what they would rapidly evolve towards in the ensuing year.
Those early performances were closer to massive, immersive drone pieces, full off overtones and weaving lines and galloping drums, but wrapped in white and pink noise.
PB: There was a period in the late-Nineties/early Noughties (I'm particularly thinking of the NME cover) where it looked like something approaching a 'popular' breakthrough might occur with Godspeed. How was that period? Did it impact on the label at all?
It is fair to say that Constellation and Godspeed both felt the band had achieved popularity beyond all expectations. The notion of a further 'breakthrough' pretty much implied a commercial logic that was anathema to the band.
We believe the band broke through in the best possible way: on their own terms from beginning to end, without once having recourse to a manager or a lawyer or an accountant or a publicist, treated straight up and totally ethically by both Kranky and us, with an indie label profit split on record sales and recoupable costs kept very low since the albums required nominal marketing dollars.
They were absolute masters of their own success, they set their own agenda and their own limits every step of the way, they rocked very fucking hard right to the end and quietly dispersed and moved on to other things without fanfare.
PB: Clearly the old stereotype of the 'Constellation sound' no longer holds, but would you say there is there a particular type of artist? Compared to, say, Merge or Arts & Crafts you still harbour a large number of acts who utilise non-conventional instrumentation/song structures, and who have little likelihood of or desire to achieve chart success... is there a sense that you exist as an appropriate environment for acts of that ilk, in that you understand their needs better than other indies?
CST: A question that could have a very long and complicated answer but suffice to say that if 'understanding needs' equates in any way with being interested in artists and music that is not pre-destined and pre-determined to achieve chart access, then sure. But on that level, we're no different than thousands of small labels. For more than that, the question is likely better asked of the artists themselves.
Video: Evangelista: 'Pissing' (live)
PB: When and why did you start looking outside of Montreal for your bands? Who contacted who in the cases of Carla Bozulich/Evangelista and Vic Chestnutt?
CST: To clarify, we've released records by bands outside of Montreal since our very early days. The first Do Make Say Think album was our fifth release and they have always resided in Toronto, which is about a five-hour drive from Montreal. Other Toronto projects (Polmo Polpo/Glissandro 70) followed before we released anything from further afield, and more (Sandro Perri/Eric Chenaux/Lullabye Arkestra) have followed since. So fairer to call our historical emphasis regional.
As with just about anywhere, the kinds of music being made here tends to go in cycles, and for a period of a couple of years, our existing regional roster kept us busy while new stuff that was happening in Montreal and Toronto was just not happening for us, whether due to timing, or because it didn't feel like stuff that would make a good fit for the label. We didn't go searching per se outside the region, but we had become more open to the idea of working with far-flung artists.
We first met Carla in the earliest days of Constellation. Sofa opened a few Geraldine Fibbers' shows on the east coast and Jessica (Silver Mt Zion) did some time as a touring member of the Fibbers. We maintained sporadic contact with her and Nels, and Carla decided at some point to come to Montreal to record a new record at the Hotel2Tango. She was without a label at the time and after hearing the recording, it made a lot of sense. We loved the music, and with a pile of musicians affiliated with Constellation featured on the recording, the association was not much of a stretch. It could not have been a more natural way to open the door for a geographically remote addition to the roster.
Likewise with Vic. Early records of his were among some of the first that we bonded over in the pre-Constellation days. New York filmmaker Jem Cohen, who we've been friends with since his work with Godspeed, has also been a friend of Vic's forever, and a massive fan of his work. It was his brainchild to bring Vic to Montreal to record with players here (along with Guy Picciotto from Fugazi).
North Star Deserter, the first record to come out of that collaboration, was not of interest to New West (Vic's record label at the time), and so it just fell into our laps like a precious gift. A second stunning record is just getting mastered, and a more satisfying collaboration we cannot imagine.
Other international projects followed: The Dead Science, a brilliant artrock trio from Seattle sent us an essentially finished little masterpiece, Villainaire, and have since blown us away as a live band repeatedly. Tindersticks (another very longstanding favourite of ours) began working with us when we licensed for North America their latest very wonderful album The Hungry Saw.
One thing all of these artists all have in common is having worked with multiple record labels throughout their careers, so at the very least, they all have some sense of what they want from a label relationship. Whether or not we're a good home for them is best left for them to assess, but we can say that we are definitely honoured to have them.
PB: Could you quantify the relationship between Constellation and Hotel2Tango as a recording space and Efrim Menuck as a producer? Do bands come to you wanting 'that Efrim Menuck sound'?
CST: We became friends with Efrim just as Constellation was starting. He and a few others were starting to host live shows at the old Hotel2Tango space, and Godspeed was shape shifting into the large band it would become. The bands he has since been part of have made ten albums to-date for Constellation (a sixth of our catalogue), and he has been part of many others as an engineer and/or musician. He and Thierry Amar from Godspeed began setting up a recording studio at the old H2T in 1999 and by 2001 it was pretty full on, with a proper control room and tracking room. Howard Bilerman joined forces with H2T at this time, having previously run his own studio in town.
Constellation and the Hotel2Tango studio bought a building three years ago, which sits across the street from the old Hotel location (still in use as a multi-disciplinary space, with artist studios, two rehearsal rooms, a silkscreen studio and a guitar repair shop).
Constellation inhabits the upper floor of the new digs and the studio is on the ground floor (along with Harris Newman's Grey Market Mastering). Radwan Moumneh joined the H2T as an engineer when the move to the new locating took place.
Just to be clear: H2T is a completely separate entity, owned and operated by the aforementioned four engineers.
Constellation obviously has a close and long-standing relationship with the studio – without doing the math, we would guess that roughly 75 per cent of the records we've released have been recorded at the Hotel, by Efrim, Thierry, Howard, and/or Radwan. While we can sometimes help Constellation bands get access to what is a very busy studio, we mostly leave it to them to figure out who they want to work with. If they don't know, we can always give them samples of records recorded by everybody who works in the studio. It's important to understand that the studio works pretty non-stop, and the vast majority of groups recording there have nothing to do with Constellation. What they might ask for in terms of 'sound' is not really anything we're privy to.
Video: Clues: 'Perfect Fit' (live)
PB: Onto the new crop: Unicorns were a vastly loved band, but would not seem likely candidates for Constellation-hood. Or is that being narrow-minded? Anyway, how did Clues come to you?
CST: In our opinion, Clues is a perfect fit. We met Alden only after the Unicorns had disbanded, and that meeting came more as result of some of the social/political activism that he was involved with.
Having made a bit of a personal connection, and then knowing he was working on a project, Don saw an early show (with a different line-up) that definitely suggested some great musical ideas were flowing. We started talking and it eventually became clear (we think to both parties) that we might be good for each other.
We subsequently saw a show with what was mostly the current band configuration and we both loved it. More talking ensued, this time including Brendan and Nick and Lisa and Ben, and we collectively decided to go ahead. Because a lot of the recording that eventually made its way on to the record happened during the December holidays, Don was able to spend a large amount of time in the studio, which was incredibly fulfilling on a musical level, but also allowed some serious bonding to happen.
So, we can say without qualifiers, Clues are making music that is very exciting to us, they're making it in ways that make sense to us, their ways of going about being a band are ways we can get behind, and they are a seriously sweet group of people with sympathetic politics.
PB: So talk to me about your relationship with Sam Shalabi, whose record Against The Day you recently put out under the name Land Of Kush. I get the impression he is something of a pillar of the Montreal artistic community..?
CST: Your impression is correct. Sam is among the best-known, best-loved and most admired musicians in our corner of the community. He has played in countless local projects, some well-known outside the city (The Shalabi Effect) and others that might play a single gig every few years. All of the Shalabi Effect stuff and material under Sam's own name have been released on Alien8.
For the past few years, he has been composing for large ensembles, usually commissioned and performed a single time. These performances are always fantastic, and he has continued to raise the bar each time. We started to harass him a while ago to commit something to tape, but he has mostly chosen to perform a piece and move on.
In June of 2008, his orchestra (having taken on the name of Land Of Kush) debuted a new piece as part of Suoni Per Il Popolo, an annual festival that runs in Montréal throughout the month of June. The venue was at capacity, the 30-piece orchestra spilled off the stage and occupied the front third of the venue's floor, and with Shalabi conducting and playing, the band delivered a truly mesmerising performance. And this time we were not rebuffed; Sam was into recording it, and the full orchestra membership was able and willing.
The result was Against The Day, a record we are incredibly proud to have released. Sam and another version of the band (Egyptian Light Orchestra) debuted yet another great piece later last year (at the 2008 version of Pop Montreal) that has also been recorded and will likely see the light of day early in 2010. We think this one has (many) legs.
PB: Elfin Saddle - a band who moved cross country from British Columbia at the opposite end of Canada - seem to have been gradually pulled to you as if by gravity... what drew you to them/them to you?
CST: Our relationship with these lovely people is still pretty fresh. We had each seen them on separate occasions in different spaces over the past year or so, and they charmed the pants of us. At that time, they were still relative newcomers to Montreal, having recently moved from Canada's west coast where Jordan and Emi first met (Emi was born and raised in Japan).
Their first record (Gigantic Mother/Wounded Child) as Elfin Saddle came out on a small and short-lived imprint called Kill Devil Hills, run by Dante DeCaro of Wolf Parade, another west coast denizen. When we found out they were looking for a new home, we invited them by for a chat and were left very inspired, not only by their sweetness, but also by their brilliant work as visual artists and film makers.
On their new record, they've upped the ante with the addition of Nathan Gage (Shapes & Sizes) on double bass, and Ringing For The Begin Again is a splendid affair.
You can find part one (History+Context) here and part two (Politics) here. This concludes the interview with Ian and Dom; something special extra may follow in the next few days, pending the interview subject's permission...


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Friday, January 27, 2012
Mega Edition of Five Feature Friday #23!
24 comments:
- AnonymousJanuary 27, 2012 at 3:14 PM
Incredible features. Woot for my Tattered Tiques homegirls! :)ReplyDelete
I am so honored that you are featuring my fireplace screen project! Thank you so much! You made my day!ReplyDelete
Such amazing pieces...I love them allReplyDelete
Katie; THx so very much for featuring my table. I'm honored to be among such a group of talented bloggers. HeatherReplyDelete
Great features Katie! Happy weekend!ReplyDelete
Oh Em Gee! I am totally jealous of that craft table by Being Brooke. In fact all these features are great! Makes me wanna ditch my current house and buy bigger, more beautiful house to start over!!ReplyDelete
Great features! Thanks!ReplyDelete
Stacey of Embracing Change
Katie, always love your features, Love the blue stenciled piece from Sweet Girl Expressions. KathyReplyDelete
Great features! Cant wait to look closer!ReplyDelete
AWESOME features! Love it!!!ReplyDelete
XO, Aimee
You're so welcome Jody and Heather!!ReplyDelete
Katie, thank you for the feature. Wow, what great posts...I need to hop over to the others now and check those out.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 27, 2012 at 7:31 PM
Thanks for showing off our stairs! We love them! So excited to be one of your picks! Thanks!ReplyDelete
You're welcome Anne! They look great!ReplyDelete
Thank you so much for featuring me! I can see why you couldn't narrow it down to only five... They're all amazing!ReplyDelete
Humbled to be among such talented ladies! Thank you, Katie, for featuring my wall. You rock!ReplyDelete
What a great round-up, and thank you SO much for the feature! I'm so honored!ReplyDelete
Thank you for featuring my blue flowered cabinet!...so many great choices!! - KatieReplyDelete
Ooh, great compilation of projects! I'll definitely have to go check some of these out!ReplyDelete
You're welcome Maria!!ReplyDelete
WOW~ these are some awesome features!!!! i love those shelves!ReplyDelete
Two words- FREAKIN' AWESOME!ReplyDelete
loved them all!
Do you host a party? Or just do features????ReplyDelete
I can't seem to find a link party if you do...but if you do would you add it to my weekly list? http://raisingoranges.blogspot.com/p/i-participate-in-following-link-parties.html so I don't miss out next week :)
WoW! What cool pieces!! I'm in love with that chevron slipcovered chair!!ReplyDelete
I love all your sweet comments! If you don't hear back from me, make sure your no-reply setting is disabled! I always write back!

subset: commoncrawl


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Autism. That six-letter word is one of the most feared among new parents. We hear so much about it -- everything from probable causes to possible cures. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what to believe. And with 1 in 88 children being diagnosed, it's impossible to ignore. So The Stir is here to help clear up any confusion and questions you may have. We have reached out to autism experts across the country to figure out the facts from fiction. It's a must-read for every parent.
The Claim: Vaccines Cause Autism
There has been a lot of debate in recent years over whether vaccinations can lead to autism. The fear is so widespread, many new parents are reluctant to have their kids inoculated against dangerous diseases.
FALSE. Any so-called research backing up that assertion is absolutely untrue, says Dr. Patricia McGuire, a behavioral and developmental pediatrician with over 30 years of experience working with autism patients.
More from The Stir: 10 Best Blogs From Parents of Autistic Children
"The original report which started it all has been found to be false on many levels resulting in the removal of the article from the Lancet, and the lead investigator losing his medical license," she adds. "Countries around the world have been doing both prospective and retrospective research which have found no link. Even changing how the vaccines are made has made no difference."
The Claim: You Can Give Your Child a Blood Test to Detect Autism
Much like the testing for other diseases, many parents believe that autism can also be detected in the blood.
FALSE. However, one could be available in the near future. A blood test for autism is still in development. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital are hard at work researching it at this very moment. Until then, doctors must rely on developmental tests for speech and language, and observations of social skills and behavior.
The Claim: The Cause of Autism is Unknown
For decades, experts have said that the root cause of autism is unknown, but studies suggest that there may be a genetic link, pollution, and perhaps even a mother's bout with depression can play a part. So many parents are left wondering if there really isn't a known cause.
TRUE. "Autism spectrum disorders do not have a cause," says Dr. McGuire. "Rather there are a multitude of factors that can funnel down to the final phenotype or presentation which we call autism. There are now several genes as well as several chromosomal mutations which have been associated with autism. Down's Syndrome, tuberous sclerosis and Fragile X have higher rates of autism. So does having agenesis of the corpus callosum, which is missing the bridge between the two sides of the brain. In addition, extreme prematurity has been associated with an increased risk of autism, felt to be due to the disruption of normal development through exposure to the outside world too soon."
The Claim: More Boys Than Girls Have Autism
According to the CDC, 1 in 54 boys will be diagnosed compared to 1 in 252 girls. How is this possible?
TRUE. "That's understood to be true, but we do not know why," says Dr. Kimberly Williams, a Pediatric Neuropsychologist and Clinical Psychologist. "We know that four times as many boys have Autism than girls. Recently a newly discovered autism-risk gene, identified as CACNA1G which sits on chromosome 17, which is found more frequently in boys than in girls. Why that's so is still not clear but the scientists suggest it plays a role in boys' increased risk of the developmental disorder.
A Pregnant Woman Can Prevent Her Baby From Becoming Autistic
With the increasing rate of autism diagnosis, many expectant women are wondering what they can do to keep their unborn child from developing it.
TRUE: "We are seeing the benefit of folic acid supplements in decreasing the risk of autism with a suggested decrease of risk by 40%," explains Dr. McGuire. "This is not hard and fast since it needs to be further researched. It also applied only to the most severe form of autism, not PDD, NOS or Asperger's Syndrome. So far, no other changes in the mother's prenatal diet have been found to increase or decrease the risk of autism. There also hasn't been an associated link with cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs. There may be some increased risk with gestational diabetes, which also shows some increased risk of language, motor, and learning problems in the offspring."
The Claim: The Age of the Parents Influences Autism
New studies suggest that older mom and dads run a greater risk of having a kid with autism, leaving an entire subset of parents fearing the worst.
TRUE. "They have actually found increased risk for advanced paternal and maternal age," says Dr. McGuire. "The recent report on the grandfather's age did also bring up the question about males in the spectrum having a harder time finding a mate due to social skill problems, and thus fathering children later in life. The thought is that with increasing age, there is a risk of mutations occurring in the sperm or egg, some of which may lead to autism."
But, adds Patricia Wright, National Director of Autism Services for Easter Seals, "It is important to note that this research indicates increased risk for autism, not a cause of autism."
The Claim: There Is Only 1 Type of Autism
Some parents have wondered if there is really such a thing as an autism spectrum.
FALSE. "This is a complex question," says Dr. Williams. "As it stands today, Autistic Disorder has a subset of criteria that a child must present in order to be considered Autistic. But there is more. Collateral information must be considered such as family genetics, child developmental history , how the child performs in many cognitive areas. Autistic Disorder currently falls under the rubric of Pervasive Developmental Disorder, which includes Autism and four other development disorders. There is a Vast amount of difference in children with these pervasive developmental disorders ranging from those with severe cognitive deficits and no language, to those who are amazing prodigies, intellectually gifted, and have good communication skills. Most consistent across all types of pervasive developmental delays is that children have difficulty with aspects of social skills development and higher level pragmatic communication skills."
The Claim: There Is a Cure for Autism
Some doctors and parents say a gluten-free diet is the key to curing autism. Could diet really be the answer?
FALSE: "Diets don't cure autism," asserts Dr. McGuire. "There is a subset that has significant GI problems whose behavioral symptoms may lessen if their digestive issues can be gotten under control, but they still have the core problems. Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder having many etiologies as to its development. Because of this, a cure is unlikely. Some people have talked about prenatal gene surgery in the future, but with the variety of genes involved and the role of gene/environment interaction, this makes it hard."
What other questions about autism do you have?
Image via Olesia Bilkei/shutterstock; Lisa Williams/Flickr


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I had become somewhat alienated from the rest who were basking in the presence of the cat.
Not for long. Till the cat one morning brought in a dead mouse. Three weeks after the solar event.
The ginger cat brought it and laid it before my work mate.
It was as though the cat had burst open the silent terror that was stalking me out into the open. Like the pollens cast into the air hay fever of disquietude broke out in general. It showed up in the looks of workmates. I thought the word 'plague' expressed nicely from the responses it drew on them.
I examined the situation. The cat had introduced into our world something strange. A mouse. Despite my forebodings it was as natural the cat. But the thing it had in its mouth was dead!
Death was a mystery! It was a weird puzzle, far stranger than mind games that were part of our exercise. A dead mouse with blood oozing from the puncture marks could not be wiped off at the end of a game. The neck broken remained askew; the puncture marks where the claw had talked its prey showed blue coloring.
I was jolted out of my reverie.
'We are contaminated!' the cry went up and the hubbub brought the boss to investigate. He dared not come anywhere near as he did at the first time. He called me to his cabin and said,' You are the exterminator. The cat must be put out.'
I shuddered. A scream escaped. I remember the gurgle within seeking release. MEEOOW! It caught the boss look at me with horror. With great control I managed to say,'Killing the cat will not solve the problem. We are all doomed'. The boss had an inkling of the changes in my tone and in my working.' He nodded and said in a reconciliatory tone.' We shall work this all out. Steady, X-101.'
He pressed a button that seemed to beam invisible waves into me. My motor became somewhat detached from the program that went on in its steady hum,on standby motors. It made me unwind literally. I became slowed and by the time I became aware of my surroundings I was before a medical warden from M-GW section. He looked at me with a friendly gaze. He said, 'Nothing fundamentally wrong.' He laid out the X-ray photo of my mechanical parts. Against the chrome tubes and coils of wire sheathed in indestructible cables the imprint of the cat was unmistakable.
Δ ΙΕ and it was as bright as it showed on the cat first time it entered into our world. There was something in its strange luminosity. The command signal was on the action mode. Am I to be an exterminator? Did that command overrule the command of my boss? I could not decide which.
I felt as though violated. Was the cat playing games with me? I suspected some malignant purpose. From which quarter, I could not tell. I had to find out. I suspected I was part of a deadly mind game into which I was part of the solution. I had to make my moves so I was neither for the cat nor for the androids.
Was I laboring under some delusion? I had to find out.
The warden in the end concluded,'Undue influences. So it looks to me.' He certified that I was to take things pretty easy for a while.
Undue influences? It could have meant so many things. I went to the boss and said,' I require a change of scene.' He agreed on condition that I disposed off the cat in whichever manner I chose. He knew that the cat had taken undue advantage of me that I dared not kill it.
Anticipating his train of thoughts I told him of my hunch that the cat had some mysterious bond with the three cadavers in the lab.
He made it easier for me. 'I could transfer the mummies into a chamber. It shall be at the bay from where we send our cargo to HQ or to any other direction'.
You shall have three days to decide. 'Let the cat take you where it will or kill it and remove them all to a place you choose.'
He got up before it could sink in and asked me to inspect the Dispatch Bay. I had never been to that part of the mother ship. There was a secret and exclusive entry for the Grand masters who made the Council. There were crates that piled up on the hold. Automatically these were being shifted by a mechanical arm into a pod. Teleportation was conducted a matter of course. He showed me the operation and the controls. There were various switches and controls by adjusting these to any longitude and latitude to the known star objects could be teleported.
Next two days I stalked the cat and got to know its routine. Everytime it went in the lab it walked about the cadavers three times and then took its crouching position before the air vent. From within I felt I was part of whatever that went on between the cat and some outside agency.
What surprised me was it had certain vibrancy and power in its movements as it climbed from there.
I decided against the kill while in the ship. It had to be at the end I solved the puzzle the cat posed. I was dead certain those three body bags were part of the puzzle.
I was the exterminator. I had to finish the job for which I was best qualified for. The cat had overshot the limit and the terror of the unknown was raking up the even tenor of the ship. It was another androidrama. It was a nightmare and I had to exterminate it.
What about the androida?The cat had forged a bond with me through her.
I shall leave it alive till I got it out. It was upset for great many. It didn't matter if I was ignored by androids and androidas on account of my decision. Androida X-103 sulked because she knew I intended it harm.
In a way she was about to lose me as well.
(2 be cont'd)


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First Things FirstBy Paul A. Eisenstein
Case Study: How Ford Motor Co. Got Back on Track
After decades snug in the role of the perennial No. 2 in the U.S. auto industry, Ford Motor Co. suddenly seemed intent on overtaking its longtime rival, General Motors Corp., when Australian Jacques Nasser was named Ford CEO in 1999. An unabashed admirer of General Electric's "Neutron Jack" Welch, the cocky and confident Nasser billed himself as an agent of change. It was clear he not only wanted to pass the struggling GM in terms of global car sales volume, but also ease Ford's vulnerability to the recurrent downturns that regularly cripple the auto industry.
Nasser spent billions to acquire brands such as Volvo and Land Rover, and even more on an array of businesses ranging from repairs to recycling. But Nasser, like many top corporate executives in the heady days of the late 1990s, seemed even more enamored with the then-emerging world of "e-"and put into place a $1 billion Internet strategy that seemed, at times, to lay more emphasis on the Internet than it did on automobiles.
"We've entered a world where you measure speed in gigahertz and pipeline bursts, not horsepower," Nasser declared at the January 2000 North American International Auto Show. Framed by a giant video image of himself, Nasser stood at center stage in Detroit's cavernous Cobo convention center, surrounded by a quartet of boxy concept vehicles. Dubbed "24.7," they looked like they'd just rolled out of a Nintendo game. Their plain-vanilla exteriors enveloped high-tech instrument panels featuring an array of telematic technology, including voice-activated navigation, organic LCD video displays and mobile Internet access.
"Go back 100 years, Henry Ford put the world on wheels. Today," said Nasser, "Ford Motor Company will put the Internet on wheels."
But the bravado didn't stop there. A couple of days later, Nasser announced the launch of Ford's Wingcast telematics unitwhich would allow consumers to use their cars as Net portals, ready to tap into the information superhighway from the road. Nasser also formed joint ventures with an array of high-tech partners ranging from Qualcomm Inc. to Yahoo!, and even announced planswith Yahoo! founder Jerry Yang at his sideto give every Ford employee a computer and Internet access.
In addition, Ford, its stock price at an all-time high of nearly $64 a share, and its already fat profits looking to grow even larger with the spoils of the New Economy, took to the Web with a passion. It helped found the B2B auction site, Covisint, with crosstown rivals General Motors and DaimlerChrysler. It also moved aggressively to begin retailing its cars online, and boldly moved to sell factory-direct to consumers, bypassing dealers and their hefty markups.
Accelerate to the present. What once seemed so inevitable has taken on the ring of futility. Ford dissolved the Wingcast venture last June and has curtailed the computer giveaway. The Yahoo! partnership has quietly expired, while its standalone ConsumerConnect unitthe figurehead of its old aggressive, five-prong Internet sales strategyhas been downsized and absorbed into Ford's traditional marketing groups.
And after running afoul of state franchising laws and angry retailers, the automaker has handed its online retailing operation over to dealersthough Ford insists the Web is paying off handsomely with sales leads it wouldn't be getting otherwise.
Meanwhile, Ford's stock price is stuck in low gear, averaging around $9 in recent months. Its market share is sliding, from 23.2 percent to 21.5 in 2002. Earnings are also depressed, with worldwide automotive operations reporting a third-quarter loss of $243 million, compared with a loss of $877 million for the same period in 2001. True, the red ink is diminishing, but at press time, Ford's 2002 earnings were expected to fall way short of Wall Street expectations. Embarrassing vehicle recalls, meanwhile, have tarnished an image honed by years of advertising that "Quality is Job One," and the company is eliminating thousands of jobs and shuttering five factories to get costs back in line.
Indeed, things are not going quite as planned for the automaker as it approaches the celebration of its 100-year anniversary on June 16. With CEO Bill Ford, the first Ford family heir at the helm in more than two decades, the automaker has launched a "back to basics" campaign designed to help it regain its footing.
What Went Wrong at
What Went Wrong at Ford
What happened? "Ford allowed costs to balloon out of control," says Wall Street auto-industry analyst David Bradley of J.P. Morgan Securities. "It spent too much time and money becoming enamored with the Internet instead of making good cars and trucks. It wanted to own the entire customer experience via online Web sites, but customers simply weren't ready, and Ford took its eye off the ball." Adds analyst Joseph Phillippi, president of AutoTrends, a New Jersey-based auto industry research firm: "Vehicle prices were way out of line with what the marketplace was willing to pay. They cost too much to build, and when the economy nosedived, fewer people were willing to pay premium prices."
According to the latest Harbour Report, an often-quoted measure of North American automotive manufacturing productivity, Ford's legacy production systems and high marketing and incentive costs contributed to low profits-per-car across the Big Three. Even with manufacturing improvements, GM posted only a modest pre-tax profit of $337 per vehicle in 2002, while Ford lost $1,913 per vehicle.
Information is, once again, central to Ford's strategy. But this time, says CIO Marv Adams, who was recruited away from Bank One Corp. two years ago by Ford to "rationalize" IT, there's a new discipline now about what is hot and what's not. There is no way to solve the auto industry's "very complex problems," Adams says, referring to Nasser's grand plan, "by devising some Internet veneer that you can throw in front of it all."
To truly get Ford back on track now, Adams says, the automaker needs to "focus on using the great capabilities of the Internet and other technologies" that are far less flashy and obvious. "All IT work now is targeted toward improving quality and reducing the resources required to deliver new products" by up to $700 per vehicle, says Nick Smither, director of global IT business operations.
"Someone on my staff recently asked me what the headlines about Ford would be in The Wall Street Journal five years from now," Adams says, "and I said the headlines would be all about how Ford has transformed itself." The story, Adams hastens to add, would say nothing about IT, "yet every single area that would make Ford competitive again, from marketing to manufacturing," would be IT-driven. Or so Adams hopes.
First Things First
First Things First
Cutting out-of-control costs has been the critical first step back to health, says Ford Chief Operating Officer Nick ScheeleAdams' boss and CEO Ford's top deputy. Adams has begun to deliver: Over the last 18 months, Adams has cut about $250 million and plans to cut another $200 million from the IT budget by the end of 2004.
A critical piece of that strategy has been dubbed Project Edisonafter the legendary inventor and longtime friend of company founder Henry Fordand aims to standardize the company's IT backbone. The goal? To centralize and simplify, in such ways as moving more work "onto larger, more standard servers" and maximizing the productivity of existing systems.
Project Renaissance, another Ford program, will have Ford running counter to industry trends by shrinking what Ford outsources dramatically, taking back from outside contractors most of its IT operations. The goal: Keep more tech smarts inside the company, where you can develop, control and pay less for highly skilled workers who, in better times, could charge much more for their services.
"When Marv came here two years ago, he judged correctly that IT is a core competency that everybody has to have, and we've outsourced too many of those competencies," says COO Scheele. "So we're stopping shadow IT, and making [Adams] the IT czar in charge of all IT development, software, spending and hardware. It's a significant change from what we had before."
In mid-2001, Adams says, most of Ford's IT work was, "sprinkled across approximately 200 different suppliers." Adams is hiring skilled IT workers away from some of these vendors and is using them on programming and Web-hosting projects and to create new collaboration and knowledge sharing systems to streamline and speed up the business.
This insourcing strategy is controversial inside the industry. Sue Unger, Adams' counterpart at DaimlerChrysler AG, says she questions the need to increase the corporate headcount. But Adams' strategy has plenty of defenders, including Greg Moran, Ford's director of applications development, who says "it's difficult" with the high turnover at vendors to get skilled contract employees "who are aligned with your strategic challenges. With a stable base of Ford employees, we can build that knowledge base over time."
Adams' timing couldn't be better. Says veteran industry analyst Maryann Keller: "It's a perfect time to hire people with IT skills now, when they're more available." According to Moran, the premium paid to outside vendors and freelance tech workers in the auto industry is high compared with other industries. "It costs less to provide those services yourself rather than pay someone else a premium to do it for us," Moran says. Ford has already saved $12 million in manpower costs in the past year as a result of Project Edison, he says, and will save more as Ford moves closer to its 70 percent insourcing goal.
Ford quality is also high on the critical list: Embarrassing glitches and defects have plagued products like the subcompact Focus, which faced six recalls before it was rolled out nationally in 1999. Ford rivals GM and DaimlerChrysler are outpacing Ford on quality improvements, and industry analysts believe this is contributing to Ford's slowing sales and sliding market share. "Quality is a cost in Ford's case, and shareholders and employees are suffering from it," says analyst Keller. Though Ford improved product quality by 13 percent in 2002, according to product ratings firm J.D. Power and Associates, GM improved by 30 percent and DaimlerChrysler by 27 percent during the same period. Says Brian Walters, director of product research at J.D. Power: "Most of that 13 percent improvement came in 2002, which suggests things are turning around, but this is an industry built on continuous improvement, so Ford has got to work twice as hard now to keep improving."
Quality in the Slow
Quality in the Slow Lane
To meet the quality challenge, Adams has rolled out Project Execution. At Ford's truck plant in Louisville, Ky., one of several producing the F-Series pickup, for example, he's using a quality verification system, a wireless monitoring system that tracksvia barcoding, software and sensorsa vehicle as it makes its way through assembly. The idea is to make sure that no assembly steps are left undone, and that each vehicle passes a series of performance and quality tests along the way. Should something be missed, an electronically controlled gate won't let it out of the plant.
Adams is also creating a business analytics system to gather and analyze data coming from a variety of sources, including Ford's warranty processing offices, emergency call centers and 6,000 dealers. By "mining that data," Adams says, problems that might have long gone unnoticed "we can now often flag" before they get far into the assembly process.
Ford is also pushing ahead to use IT more to boost collaboration, especially on the product development side, where more of the process is going digital. There's no way to make the process entirely electronic, cautions designer Pat Schiavone, whose new version of the best-selling F-Series pickup truck will hit the road in 2003. "You can't really choose a design off a computer screen. It's something you still have to get to really see." But the number of clay, wood and fiberglass models can be sharply reduced, and far fewer running prototypes are necessary, since it's becoming easier to simulate real-world testing on the computer.
Not only does that mean cost savings, but it also speeds time to market. Example: The new Ford GT sports car. Modeled after the legendary GT40 that Ford successfully campaigned on the European racing circuit 30 years ago, its 500-plus horsepower V-8 will push the new two-seater to speeds approaching 200 miles an hour. But this GT was designed with speed in mindthe first virtually designed vehicle on the Ford product lot.
Not long ago, an automaker like Ford would need four to five years to transform a concept vehicle into a production car, but the GT project, thanks to IT collaboration technology, is on course to break the production speed barrier: Unveiled in concept form at the North American International Auto Show in January 2002, it didn't get the formal go-ahead until nearly three months later. Yet a running prototype was ready in November, and the first customers will start taking delivery in June 2003. The GT "has been virtually designed and virtually engineered," says Chris Theodore, Ford vice president of product development.
The use of computer-aided design, engineering and manufacturing systems "has been extremely successful in improving the productivity of product development," says Theodore, not just with the GT, but for a variety of new vehicles that will come to market over the next few years.
Another plus of going digital? Dozens of prototypes might be crash-tested before finding an acceptable design that meets federal safety and fuel efficiency regulations. With the GT, Ford will crash just one prototypeand then only to validate its computer-rendered results for skeptical government regulators.
Yet on all of these projects, Adams is just getting started. Keenly aware that rivals are also getting hip to the in-house power of the NetChrysler, for example, already uses Net-powered scanners to track warranty claims and fix defective partsAdams wants to apply the quality and cost-cutting drive to IT projects and to suppliers as well.
The automaker's new product design portal looks just like any internal Ford home page, but it is intended to work like a doorway to most of the data and services an engineer needs to design vehicles, "and it's accessible anywhere in the world," says Smither, who until recently ran Ford's IT operations for product development.
Another critical goal of Adams' work is to share quality and cost goals with purchasing managers. There's been plenty of talk in the auto industry about the build-to-order conceptNasser had envisioned a day when a buyer could hit a button to order a custom-configured Ford Mustang online, then transmit a slew of information directly to the dealer who would deliver it, the finance and insurance units that would underwrite it, the factory that would build it, the suppliers that would provide its components and the Ford designers brainstorming future models.
Adams doesn't buy any of that, at least for now, saying he doesn't foresee any immediate plans to produce cars directly to customer orders. That's realistic, industry analysts contend, since nearly 19 out of 20 U.S. buyers will gladly settle for what's on the dealer's lot. But there's still a critical need to smooth out the order process and to drive in discipline that ensures Ford builds and delivers a vehicle on time and at budget. CEO Bill Ford sees it as part of Adam's job to help take $700 out of the cost of producing a cara companywide goal, but one that Adams thinks IT will have the most influence on achieving.
And while Adams is backing off some of the flashiest bits of Ford's failed Net strategy of yore, some of the lessons of the Nasser-era are being applied: Wingcast is gone, but the automaker is putting telematic systems on fleet vehicles that will provide operators the ability to track performance and, if necessary, schedule servicing.
The online ConsumerConnect unit has effectively disappeared, but now that the FordDirect.com retail site is being run by dealers, it is having a measurable impact on sales. "It is very efficient and has reached the goals we sought far earlier than we thought," notes Scheele. It is now generating 10,000 sales a month from Net leads, and Ford says it sold 100,000 vehicles this way last year60 percent of those from leads it wouldn't have gotten otherwise.
And last but not least, Ford, like many companies, is investing heavily in Web-based communications systemsbut for inside the company, this timeto improve the efficiency of Ford's workers, all the way up to the top tiers of management.
Ford is a major client of Northwest Airlines, which dominates the Detroit air hub, and Ford operates a fleet of its own aircraft at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. It takes a toll, especially when senior executives are consistently out of reach. But these days, Scheele can reach more people in less time, thanks to a worldwide leadership team videoconference scheduled every Monday morning. The automaker now operates more than 500 video conferencing sites worldwide, and over the next two to three years, its goal is to reach into virtually every office and conference room in the company.
"We will start moving our traditional videoconferencing into the IP space," says George Surdu, Ford's director of technical services, "and go to Voice over IP in telephony. The age of connecting two PCs over the Internet will allow us to get very sophisticated at a very cost-effective price."
Can Adams pull it all off? No question that the bulk of Adams' IT strategy, he says, is "correction mode"for now. But Adams also believes that Ford can and must get IT strategy in better sync with business goals before Ford can start moving to more sophisticated real-time marketing and production systemsthe key to more cost savings and sales gains. That sounds about right to Ford critics. "The message is that Ford has now recommitted itself to making and selling better cars, and that's a good thing," says analyst Phillippi.
Adams is more analytical. "We've recognized that the higher ROI comes from technology that's deeply integrated into the core operating systems, practices and processes of the companynot a strategy that puts an Internet veneer in front of things that still need to be fixed," Adams says. "For us and most corporations, the real Internet revolutionnew, information-enabled ways to make, buy, market and sell productshas really just begun."
Paul A. Eisenstein is publisher of TheCarConnecton.com, an automotive news Web site. His work has appeared in some 60 media outlets, including CIO Insight and The Economist. Debra D'Agostino contributed to this report. Comments on this story can be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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I am feeling a bit confused about what the FTC expects for bloggers when it comes to disclosing if the post is sponsored (meaning someone paid you to write it) or if you received a product in exchange for a review.
My understanding has always been that you need to make a disclosure statement for any and every post that contains such content. But I've been hearing lately that having a "disclosure policy" on your blog somewhere (perhaps it is one of your tabs) is sufficient. Is this really true?
I find it to be a bit ethically questionable, for example, to have keywords linked back to a particular site, and that site paid you to do it, but you don't disclose this in the post, itself. Ethics aside, though, is that permissible in the eyes of the FTC as long as you have a blanket disclosure policy on your site?
This need for clarification is because a particular sponsored post company I work with repeatedly sends me offers, but they almost always state that I cannot disclose that the post is sponsored in the post, itself. When I questioned them about this practice, they stated what I mentioned above about just having a general disclosure policy. I have been declining all the offers, thinking that they were all in violation. But am I incorrect?
Views: 32
You should definitely be disclosing the relationship and I've seen people say that a general disclosure is NOT good enough. Try reading some of Susan Getgood's posts on the topic. It's enlightening and I think it'll answer your questions.
(There are related posts at the bottom that give more details as well.)
It's very possible that company will get in trouble with the FTC for that. In fact, I'd honestly be tempted to report them if they're trying to skirt the FTC rules. The FTC is more interested in making sure companies comply than they are worried about the individual bloggers.
I would not work with a company who specifically says not to disclose it in the post. FTC compliant or not, that seems shady to me. I think they should be disclosed. Now, I know a general disclosure works some of the time so if YOU felt it didn't need to be disclosed than I wouldn't harp on it because ultimately that it is your decision to make. But, since you feel it should be disclosed and the company is saying not to disclose it... not a good sign. At the least, it needs to be up to the blogger who is actually posting the material.


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Welcome to Mt. Pleasant Bible Church
A place where love and fellowship meet Biblical truth and obedience to our Lord.
Worship Services:
- Drive-in worship service Sundays at 11 AM.
- Drive-in
- Park anywhere in the church field
- Stay in your vehicle
- Tune in to FM 104.7
Created by Full of Eyes | www.fullofeyes.com
Who We Are:
The Message:
Created by The Bible Project | www.thebibleproject.com
Who We Are:
- We're independent: That means we are not part of any denomination or religious association of churches. The membership, under the guidance of the Bible and the Holy Spirit of God, decide what we are and what we believe.
- We're friendly: One of the touchstones of our church is caring and sharing with one another. We have frequent times to get to know one another and we're there to help one another when problems arise.
- We're Bible believers: That means we accept the Bible as God's message to us. We don't believe that we need to add any particular traditions or spin on the Bible to find the truth.
- We're a worshipful church: We believe that the experience of knowing God and walking with Him produces a definite and powerful effect on our lives. We love to sing and praise the Lord, and we believe that is good for us!
- We're an active church: Worship and work are not left to a select few leaders, but are in the hands of those who are willing to be used by the Lord. We are happy to hear from volunteers, and interested in new ideas of how to reach out to our church family and our community with Christ's love.
- We're a grace church, not a works church: That means we believe God's forgiveness is available to anyone who will turn from sin to Him and accept Jesus' sacrifice on the cross personally. We don't say you have to do certain things or give certain amounts in order to win God's approval or ours.
- We're a community church: We've been a part of this community since it's beginning. For 135 years we've been proclaiming Christ and serving the community right here. And we're also a place where people can find community.
The Message:
Created by The Bible Project | www.thebibleproject.com


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Lesson 14: The Vicissitudes in the Life of Man
The Reason for Variation in the World of Creation
Certainly you will have heard of the spacecraft "Apollo", a perfect example of the marvellous progress man has made in science and technology. It took man above the clouds, beyond the atmosphere, and allowed him to set his feet on the surface of the moon, thus opening the door to a world hitherto unknown to him.
Looking at the design of this space-craft, we see a huge mass of nuts and bolts, large and small, and various delicate and complex instruments; the command module, the main craft, the lunar landing module, landing and take-off equipment, fuel tanks, telecommunication and navigational apparatus, power sources, safety devices and sufficient stores of food, water and other necessities. Each of these parts has its own role. Obviously, if it were not for these various parts, Apollo would never have come into existence, and it would not have been able to overcome the difficulties facing man on his way to the moon.
This example shows us that in a whole whose parts are connected with each other and in harmony, variety cannot be avoided.
Now let us look at the world of existence, to discover that diversity here is neither pointless nor without reason. Without doubt, the beauty and complexity of this world is due to the variety of its parts, and we cannot call this diversity meaningless or unjust.
In the last lesson we showed that injustice exists where all have the same right to use something equally, but distinction is made between some and others. However, the parts of the world had no existence before they were created, and so they had no pre-existent rights which would enable us to say that the existence of distinctions between them constitutes an injustice In fact, the world of creation owes its existence to variety, and if there had not been any variety there would not have been any universe, there would have been just one big uniformity. It was this variety that brought into existence atoms, solar systems, galaxies, trees, plants and animals.
Turning now towards variety in human life, we see that diversity in man is not an exception to this general principle of variety. If we look at diversity in human ability, intelligence and memory and ask why they are not the same in all humans, we must ask before this why plants and minerals do not have these superior faculties. Then we can see that neither of these questions can be properly discussed, because such questions can only arise when rights are being trampled on. In this case, neither of these two conditions existed prior to creation that a distinction between them should be seen as an injustice.
Another point to notice is that God demands from everyone according to his ability and responsibility, and no one is asked to do more than his bodily and mental powers enable him. This is justice itself.
For example, if a headmaster gives the examination of the most advanced class to one of the lower classes this is an injustice. However, if he gives the easy questions to the lower class and the difficult questions to the advanced class, then no on can complain that there had been an injustice. Instead, he would be regarded as just by any meaning of the word.
Therefore, if all existent things are regarded from the same point of view, and their responsibilities were all the same, to make a distinction as regards their creation would be an injustice. But we know that responsibilities are proportional to the individual's capabilities, and thus there is no injustice. For example, if a small screw in a machine has to do the same work as the largest cog, there would be injustice; but if each part must work according to its design and possibilities, then there is no injustice.
Moreover, we believe that God is Wise and that He does nothing for no reason or for no good purpose, and we believe that the world has a special design so that no speck can come into existence without reckoning or design, as we explained in detail previously when we showed how nothing is without its place and its use. If, in some cases, something appears useless or without a function, it is in fact because of the limited nature of our minds. Not knowing something does not mean it does not exist.
We can conclude from this that all the variations in things have some good purpose, and that they are all perfectly useful and necessary in the system of the universe, although we may not be able to understand this by our restricted thinking.
It may be objected that all individuals may have the same characteristics, talents and abilities, but that because of the needs of society they are forced to divide their labour among themselves. The answer to this is that if this were the case, those who seek an easy life would choose the easier occupations and the difficult.
1. What is a perfect example of the progress man has made in science and technology?
2. What makes the world have beauty and complexity?
3. Can we call this diversity meaningless or unjust?
4. What would happen if we had no variety and no universe?
5. Is the diversity in man and expectation to the general principal of variety?
6. Are memory an intelligence the same in all humans?
7. Does God demand from everyone accordingly?
8. Would there be any injustice if each part of something must work according to its design?
9. What can we conclude from all the variations in things?
10. Why are individuals forced to divide their labour amongst themselves?


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Cee-Lo Green - Bright Lights, Bigger City
The official video for Cee-Lo Green's "Bright Lights, Bigger City" from The Lady Killer album out now!
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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Tom Cruise sat down with Oprah Winfrey on Friday – and this time, there was no jumping.
The actor, joined by "Knight & Day" co-star Cameron Diaz, joined "The Oprah Winfrey Show" live on Friday for his first appearance in the studio since May 23, 2005, when he hopped on Oprah's couch to declare his love for then-girlfriend (and now-wife) Katie Holmes.
However, five years later, Tom's still ready for action – he told Oprah he did his own stunts in his latest film.
"Pretty much every single one," he said, including motorcycle scenes and a running of the bulls in Austria.
"We had to wait for the bulls to pass us, you feel the vibration, the people screaming," Tom said. "I can't hear Cameron, I tell her to just hold on, she's squeezing me around the ribs, and I can't breathe."
However, Tom told Oprah that life off the set is less crazy and more content.
"I feel good, life is very good, very happy. [My] kids growing up and [I] love my wife… It's been 5 years we've been together, Suri is 4," he said.
Of his and Katie's recent charity song-and-dance to "Damn Yankees" song "Whatever Lola Wants" – their first public performance together – Tom said he'd do anything with his wife.
"Whatever she wants to do, I'm up for it," Tom told Oprah. "It was fun."
He added that daughter Suri is also a decision-maker – with regards to her wardrobe!
"She just likes to dress herself and wear whatever she wants to wear," he said of the 4-year-old fashionista. "I'm not gonna tell her different. She's got great taste, too, she tells me what to wear."
Though Tom's other daughter, Isabella, is 17, Tom said he's not the kind of dad to worry about whom she's dating.
"I'm pretty easy," he said. "Whoever she likes, it's cool. She's a good girl. Bella has a very strong sense of herself."
Son Connor, 15, is following his father's footsteps in the acting world – he played a young Will Smith in "Seven Pounds" and will star in '80s remake "Red Dawn."
"He's a natural!" Tom said. "[Late director Stanley] Kubrick was on me the whole time, I was like, 'No, no, no.' I waited, if he wanted to do it, he has raw, natural talent."
"What grade would you give yourself?" Oprah asked of his parenting skills.
"A++," Tom joked. "I think, no, being a parent everyday, it's like, 'How am I doing?' I'm lucky, my kids are really loving."
Tom previously made a return appearance to "Oprah" (but not her studio) in May 2008, when the pair spent the day at Tom's Telluride, Colorado home.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Adorable Suri Cruise!
VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Queen Of TV Talk — Oprah Winfrey
PLAY IT NOW: New Trailer: Tom Cruise & Cameron Diaz In 'Knight And Day'
PLAY IT NOW: Katie Holmes On Suri's Fashion & Tom's 'Knight & Day' Stunt
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Tom Cruise - Oprah Winfrey - Katie Holmes - Movies - Cameron Diaz


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Cutting yourself some slack as a parent
View David Palmiter, PhD, ABPP 's video on Cutting yourself some slack as a parent...
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David Palmiter, PhD, ABPP
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Dr. David Palmiter is a professor of Psychology and Counseling at Marywood University, the President of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association (2012-2013), a practicing and board-certified clinical psychologist with over 20 years experience, a Public Education Coordinator for the American Psychological Association, author of an award winning parenting book (times three), dad (of 3.0 children; 3.5 if you count the neurotic dog) and husband (of over 22 years to Dr. Lia Richards-Palmiter, who says she has 4.0 children as she counts David). Dr. Palmiter has over three dozen professional publications to his credit, has given over 200 continuing education workshops around the country and has completed over 300 public education projects, including for outlets such as the LA Times, US News and World Report, USA Today, Wall St. Journal and O Magazine. A central aspect of his professional mission is to put air under the wings of parents as they try to raise happy and self-actualized children.


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Welcome to the CRG Discussion Forum!Forum registration problems: Make sure you enter your email correctly and you check your spam box first. *Then* email KurtS2@gmail for help.Classified ads are not allowed on the forum.
Here's a '67 for the list. Just pulled the tank last weekend on my '67 LOS 11A car. Code is 42 9D which doesn't seem quite right given the number 9. Could it be upside down and should be a 6?. Referencing some other posts - the other 11A car listed (40 6N) I believe is very close in production to mine - so go figure?
Hi Mike. I remembered you from some postings last summer when I picked up the car and you mentioned they were born close together. My trim tag corner code is D671 and the production run # is LOS 8461. So very close. I've been picking thru the car off/on all winter - and will be sure to stay in contact as these cars I'm sure have a lot in common. Chris


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16 May 2010
5:03 PM | Posted by K.Dingfelder | Edit Post
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One Noobaggedon problem solved, knowing what new skills you just learned at the trainer.
Another Noobaggedon event caused. I will never need this with my one and only toon… Right?
Problem Solved.
My noob complaint was that when you learn new skills (generally because you have just hit a new level with new skills and talent points), visit the trainer and madly select and learn all those new skills…
You have nice flashing tabs on your spell book, but as soon as you open the tab, the flashing stops and their is no indication of what amongst the myriad of skills is new.
Enter Learning Aid.
Learning Aid is for all those times when you've just leveled up, retalented, or learned a new trade skill and you've had to page through your spellbook looking for all those new icons.
When you learn a new ability, or a new rank of an existing ability, Learning Aid pops up a window with the new ability icon in it, ready to be dragged to your Action Bar.
My new Noobaggedon moment.
I'm 80, so when am I actually going to use this mod?
So even though I know about it, I haven't downloaded it, and I haven't installed it, but….
After playing a fire Mage for 3 years, I respec'd (dual) to Arcane.
It's crap, and there weren't any new spells in my cluttered spell book.
Sure I bought some, but I couldn't find them (and I was cursing my other mods again)
Doh! I know so little about Arcane, I wish I installed this mod first!
Stoopid Arcane!
Noobaggedon and Out!
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Happy or unhappy and why?
Happy or unhappy and why?
I bought my Roadster Sport in February ... and love it so much that I now have a deposit down on the Model S. My understanding is that about half of current Roadster owners have also put deposits down for the Model S. That speaks volumes to both how happy we are with the Roadster and how well we have been treated as customers.
No problems that I'm aware of, other than a tendency for trips to the grocery store taking about twice as long as normal ... because of all the people who stop and want to know more about the car. I also find myself taking the long way home on many occasions.
I did the same thing as Bonnie, I bought a Roadster and was so impressed with the car that within a month I placed a reservation for a Signature Series Model S.
I waited 15 months in 2008 and 2009 for a Roadster, but the economy forced me to wait until May of 2011 to get my Roadster. I must say that I am completely happy!
Note that many people suggested that I simply wait for the Model S, and that made a lot of sense financially. However, I now own 3 two-seater sports cars, and so it should be obvious why I purchased a Roadster instead of the Model S. For me, a 4-door luxury car holds no interest, even though I am sure it will be popular with more people than even the roadster.
There is something about a small, agile, aerodynamic sports car that really seems perfect to me. Sometimes, the laws of physics make us compromise between two conflicting ideals, but with the Tesla Roadster nearly every design choice enhances both its 'green' factor and its 'race' performance.
I think that there are absolutely no problems that are inherent to electric cars. I suppose range is an inherent issue, but I rarely find myself needing to drive for more than 4 hours. When I do drive for more than 4 hours, the electric will force me to stop for longer and rest more - probably making the next leg of my journey safer. We probably won't find 18-wheeler electrics, even though many trains are electric. But for regular passenger cars that are not carrying cargo on the freeways, electric should be free from problems.
Every problem I can think of with the Roadster (high price, small trunk, low seating position, only two passenger, non-standard charging, etc--all stuff that I could see before I bought the car) will be fixed by the Model S.
I have had my Roadster now for 10 weeks and love it. In the past driving was a chore, something I did but never looked forward to. Now I look for reasons to drive the Roadster. When I need to drive I find myself taking the Tesla 9 out of 10 times. I have found the Tesla to be quite solid and performs like a dream.
Hm, maybe we need a new topic here:
Driven to Drive (My Roadster)!
Harrowing tales of obsessive owners, leaping into their cars and speeding off in all directions ...
i am totally happy with my 2011 roadster. great car. great company. great service. great stores! great people. good stock to own as well.
symbol is TSLA.
it is amazing to be in this family. when i can afford an S, i'll definitely get one! for now, i'll be cruising in my roadster number 1229! follow our car club at:
www.palmspringscruisinassociation.com. and come see us sometime.
chargers available in this area, and at my home. text me or phone me at 760-617-7666. i have yet to meet an unhappy tesla owner. enjoy.
for those with iphone, here are two apps that list charger locations:
EVCharger, and, recargo. i use them both. i like them both. i endorse them both. i don't know if they work on other phones. i have an iphone.
I have had my Roadster for just over a year, and 9,000 miles. I live in the Northeast (Mass in winter and Maine in summer). I too love driving my car, and was amazed how well it handled in the snow. My big disappointment was that my wife felt I should not drive it in the middle of winter. The snow banks were so high I could not see out of the driveway in my explorer, and she though I would get run over in my Roadster.
Unfortunately she's probably right.
You need a flag (or flashing light) that you can raise above the snow banks to make it apparent someone is moving toward the road.
Another nice feature would be a very tall periscope that could be removed once you're out on the road.


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A hundred years ago next week, superconductivity was discovered. Now we know electric charge can flow through ultra-cold objects without resistance. How better to celebrate this anniversary than with an awesomely crazy idea about ultra-hot superconductors forming in deep space?
Physicists have a pretty good handle on how regular, low-temperature superconductors work. When certain materials are cooled to close to absolute zero, all the electrons condense, effectively forming a single entity through which charge can flow almost instantaneously. One of the big goals of modern science is to understand how higher-temperature superconductors work and perhaps one day create room-temperature superconductors, but French physicist Maxim Chernodub has a new theory that makes all those ideas look positively boring.
His idea is that superconductivity can suddenly arise in a vacuum with no materials present at all, as long as there is an incredibly strong magnetic field. The strength of the field and the temperature of the immediate area defy comprehension - Chernodub suggests this form of superconductivity would survive in temperatures of at least a billion degrees. For the sake of comparison, even the most massive stars don't reach temperatures much higher than 50,000 degrees.
Of course, we can't be talking about a pure vacuum, or there would be nothing around to carry the charge. Thankfully, the universe is definitely not a pure vacuum, and quantum mechanics tells us that it's full of virtual particles that momentarily pop in and out of existence.
Chernodub imagines a scenario in which an up quark and down antiquark pop into existence and form what's known as a rho meson. Under normal circumstances, this meson is too unstable to survive for long, but we're about as far away from normal circumstances as it gets. In the presence of a very strong magnetic field, the rho mesons would move along the lines of the field, which would lend it greatly added stability.
And here's where the superconductivity would kick in - the newly stable rho meson's spin would then interact with the field, lowering its effective mass to zero. This would create superconductivity and allow resistance-free movement for charge, all without any actual materials being present.
For any of this to work, there needs to be a phenomenally strong magnetic field, reaching strengths of about 10^16 tesla. For the sake of comparison, Earth's most powerful magnets can only reach about 30 T, and the most magnetized object in the known universe, a special type of neutron star known as a magnetar, still only reaches 10^10 T. So what could possibly form such a strong field?
As always seems to be the case, the answer is the Large Hadron Collider. Chernodub thinks a near collision between two lead ions - which, as they move, create magnetic fields - could, for one incredibly tiny fraction of a second, create a magnetic field of the required power, and this in turn would create an instant of vacuum superconductivity. So, as bizarre as this idea undoubtedly is, it's actually within the realm of experimental science, if only just barely.
Chernodub suspects vacuum superconductivity might have played a role in the early universe. In the primeval cosmos, he speculates that there were magnetic fields in excess of 10^16 T, and the periods of vacuum superconductivity were responsible for creating the mysterious large-scale magnetic fields that we now observe in the universe.
Via Physics World.
Image by Stephen Coburn/Shutterstock


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The traditional Bose-Einstein condensation in an ideal quantum Bose gas occurs in momentum space, when a macroscopically large number of bosons condense onto the ground state. It is becoming increasingly clear over the last decade that condensation can also happen in real space (and even in one dimension) in the steady state of a broad class of physical systems. These are classical systems, generally lack a Hamiltonian and are defined by their microscopic kinetic processes. Examples include traffic jams on a highway, island formation on growing crystals and many other systems. In this lecture, I'll discuss in detail two simple models namely the Zero-range process and the Chipping model that exhbits condensation in real space. Lecture-II
I'll introduce a generalized mass transport model that includes in iteself, as specail cases, the Zero-range process, the Chipping model and the Random Average process. We will derive a necessary and sufficient condition, in one dimension, for the model to have a factorised steady state. Generalization to arbitrary graphs will be mentioned also.
We will discuss, in the context of the mass transport model, the phenomenon of condensation. In particular we will address three basic isuues: (1) WHEN does such a condensation occur (the criterion) (2) HOW does the condensation happen (the mechanism) and (3) WHAT does the condensate look like (the nature of fluctuations and lifetime of the condensate etc.)? We will see how these issues can be resolved analytically in the mass transport model.


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#3 – Fan
Posted on January 6, 2006 at 9:46 am by Chris
We always had a couple big box fans in my house when I was a kid. They were great for cooling off on hot days but I liked them for other reasons. Chopping up pencils was a main one. Strips of paper were better though… it wasn't as loud so you were less likely to get in trouble. And I could never get tired of putting my face right up to the fan and talking like a robot. My dad, on the other hand, tired of this quickly. The knobs on the top of the fan never seemed to last very long. We usually needed a pair of pliers to change the speed on most of them.Tags: fan, injury
0 thoughts on "#3 – Fan"
Anyone who's been a kid and been near a box fan has to have done that. Anyone who didn't do that needs to find a box fan, or even a smaller rotary fan and talk through it, just to get that experience. Anyone who doesn't go do that needs to stick his tongue in the spinning fan blades. Cuz then the can amuse everyone else….for not amusing themselves….
oh man. that's great.
I've done this. Not with a fan, with an exercise bike, one of the old ones where the fan was encased in plastic. I used to chop up uncooked spagetti in it, too. I was 4, gimme a break @_@
When I was little i used to turn the lawnmower on and throw pvc pipe into the blades.
…pvc pipes and a lawnmower…now THAT'S enertainment!
i used to put my toung on the center of a fan when i was a kid
i never did anything with a fan when i was a kid. i do now though 🙂
we are so grown up
We are so grown up…we are so grown up…hmmm…quite…
We are? o.o
I had old box fans too. I think I did the robot voice, but our fan's blade was plastic, so the pencil thing never happened. I did tie balloons to the front though. I also turned it on it's side and levitated napkins. I haven't seen one in years though.
I just did the spagetty thing a few minuts ago with my metal fan but i put it under my sheets so the spagetty would not fly evrywhere
Once, at my grandparents' house I was talking into the fan with my face right in it and the motor burned out. I was out of that room so fast…
We have a couple of box fans. They helped up when we lived in an apartment WITHOUT air conditioning.
haha i loved talking into fans, and still do, even though society is screaming at me GROW UP, i still cant help but do what pleases me. i used to play golf in my block of flats, and hit the darn ball with a 5 iron until the ball came whooshing at myself. i stopped when i hit a car with it.
I think what was meant here was that it's best not to get 'involved' with a 'fan.' Or, maybe, to acknowledge them at all… whatever, I've always prefered the broad-bladed oscillators. They's got a gentler touch.
most classic of all biffs
ive jus found out about this comic yesterday an im lovin it!! ll
I a-am y-ou-r f-a-t-h-e-r
10 reference points at stake here!
Wayne's World
REALLY?! Awww….
Love the old comics… This really allows you to see how his style improved.
i like getting some friends in a small room and throwing bottle lids at fans so they ricochet off and hit people. we stayed up all night doing it once with a few handfulls of lids
I remember that when I was a kid, I tried sticking a whole bunch of crap in my parents fan. One day, I stuck a pencil in, not knowing that the plastic blades had a crack in one of them. Next thing I know, a chunk of one of the blade broke off, whipped out, and imbedded itself in the ceiling.
Hindsight is always 20/20…XD
reference is from tommy boy. Give me my ten points.
Lumanaru, just be happy the plastic blade didn't embed itself in you. I love those fans, for the way they affect your voice.
How for to grow up?
Now that Biff is rich and famous, maybe he'll also find out it's not cooler inside a fan?


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Homeowners Insurance May Provide Off-premises Protection, But Policy Limits Differ, Says I.I.I.
February 21, 2013
New York Press Office: (212) 346-5500; firstname.lastname@example.com
NEW YORK, February 21, 2013 — Whether you are downsizing to a smaller home, safeguarding heirlooms after a death in the family or just cannot let go of those old mementos, storage units can provide a useful solution for dealing with extra belongings. While storage units may be the answer to de-cluttering your home, adequate insurance coverage is the answer to protecting your belongings, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).
"If an item is valuable enough that you are willing to pay for storing it, the item should be financially protected with the proper amount and type of insurance," said Loretta Worters, vice president for the I.I.I. "Even in the best managed storage facilities, theft, fire and other disasters can and do occur. That's why before signing a rental agreement, it is important to find out what types of losses will be covered by the storage facility and whether supplemental insurance may be needed."
The Self Storage Association notes that one out of every 10 households in the U.S. currently rents some kind of storage unit, including portable on demand storage (PODS).
Most storage facilities require that you maintain insurance for the full replacement cost of the contents of your storage room and ask to see a copy of your homeowners or renters policy. One way to satisfy your insurance obligation is by purchasing insurance through the storage facility. However, most storage facilities limit the value of property that can be stored in a unit, basing it on the size and the amount of your rent (usually up to about $20,000). If your property is worth more than the assigned amount, some storage facilities will allow you to increase the assigned value of the property in your unit. There are also exclusions including art, antiques, jewelry, furs, watches, money, securities and other documents of value. Be sure to check your homeowners or renters insurance policies first to determine whether your contents may already be covered.
Standard homeowners and renters insurance policies that include off-premises protection provide coverage for property in storage facilities from theft and damage from fires, tornadoes and other disasters listed in the policy. Much like storage facility insurance, homeowners and renters policies do not cover damage caused by flooding, earthquakes, mold and mildew, vermin or poor maintenance. Some insurers may limit the off-premises coverage for personal possessions to 10 percent of the overall amount of homeowners insurance you have. Other insurers may offer higher coverage limits for personal possessions stored off-premises, so check with your insurance agent or company representative before renting a storage unit. Also keep in mind that insurance through your home or renters policy will be more comprehensive than storage facility insurance and is regulated by your state insurance department.
If you intend to store valuable property such as art, antiques, jewelry or furs, there may be dollar restrictions under your standard homeowners or renters insurance policy for theft. Ask your insurance professional about adding a floater or endorsement to your policy in order to fully cover these items. There are also specialized storage facilities available for these types of items, as they often need to be kept at specific temperature and humidity levels. Small items such as jewelry can also be kept in a bank safe deposit box; insurers will generally charge less to cover an item stored at a bank.
One of the best ways to substantiate the value of your personal property is to create a detailed home inventory of all your possessions, including those in storage. If your property is stolen or damaged, an inventory can help speed the claims process and substantiate your loss. It will also help you determine how much insurance to buy to adequately protect your possessions.
To make creating your inventory as easy as possible, the I.I.I. has free Web-based home inventory software, Know Your Stuff®. The program walks you through your home room by room and allows you to enter important data such as purchase price, serial numbers, etc. You can also upload photos and scanned receipts and appraisal forms. The software includes secure online storage so you can access your inventory anywhere, anytime. If you have an iPhone, you can also download the Know Your Stuff® – Home Inventory mobile app in the iTunes App Store (or search for "iii inventory"). If you have an Android phone, it is available through the Google Play Store. Information about your belongings can be entered either through the mobile app or the Web-based software and your data will automatically synchronize between the two.
The I.I.I. offers the following tips for choosing a storage company:
- Look for a secure facility. Fencing that secures the entire property and access control are the very minimum that a storage business should offer.
- Consider the safety of the immediate area surrounding the facility. Does the storage building have onsite security features such as 24-hour video surveillance cameras and coded security pads to access the building? If so, does the code work only for your floor or for the entire facility? Are there video cameras throughout the building or just at the entrance? An informed manager should have the answers you need.
- Look for a unit with climate control options. This will ensure your appliances and furniture are not in a harmful environment. Very high or low temperatures, as well as dampness can quickly cause damage. And make sure that rising ground water from snow or rain is unable to penetrate your storage unit.
- Select a company that offers insurance along with their space. If you do not already have coverage your renters or homeowners insurance, look for a storage company that offers insurance, and make sure you fully understand how their insurance will cover any potential damage. Find out about the facility's procedures in cases such as fire, flood, etc. and keep in mind that any facility should also have their own insurance to cover damages or injuries that occur on their premises.
- Check that the storage facility is clean and well-maintained. If a storage facility is not routinely and thoroughly cleaned, there is a good possibility no one is monitoring for bugs and rodent infestations. Verify that the facility has a permanent, reliable pest extermination contract in place before you trust them with your belongings.
- Investigate the reputation of the storage company. Check with friends and neighbors who may be familiar with the facility, or ask the storage company for referrals.
The I.I.I. has a full library of educational videos on its You Tube Channel. Information about I.I.I. mobile apps can be found here.
Insurance Information Institute, 110 William Street, New York, NY 10038; (212) 346-5500; www.iii.org
Article Source: http://www.iii.org