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The Gender and Diversity in Organizations Division (GDO) is a professional division of The Academy of Management (AOM) whose primary purpose is the development and improvement of member's capabilities for research and teaching on the subjects of gender and diversity in organizations and to promote understanding of the significance of these topics to the study and practice of management. The division provides an outlet for scholarly work on gender and diversity in organizations.
The division's primary objective is to stimulate research, learning, teaching and improved practice in applied settings. The division meets at the annual AOM meeting to present a program that includes competitive paper sessions, forums, open discussions, workshops, panels, lectures, business meetings and social gatherings. The division's secondary objectives include:
The domain of research for GDO includes: Content relating to gender and diversity within and outside organizational boundaries including cultural, societal, and worldwide levels, and to the influence of group relations on the structuring of societies and the production of knowledge. Major topics include theory and research on: Gender and its intersections with race, class, and other institutionalized systems of power; the impact of group diversity on well-being and effectiveness at individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis;the impact of occupational and organizational structures on marginalized and dominant groups; experiences of members of different social groups, including (but not limited to) groups differentiated by gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, religion,culture, (dis)ability, and age; the impact of organizational policies,practices, and discourses on dominant and marginalized groups, including critical examination of seemingly neutral assumptions underlying such policies,practices, and discourses, and their differential impact on these groups; the intersection of work, family, and community in relation to one's social position; institutional and structural barriers to equality and equity across social groups; processes of change that create and foster inclusion, whetherfrom external interventions or from individuals within groups or organizations;the impact of cultural, societal, and national diversity on workers and the workplace; diversity in academia, in general, and in the field of organization studies in particular; cross-national comparative approaches to all of the above.
Learn more about the Gender and Diversity in Organizations Division of the Academy of Management:
Domain Statement Officers Gender and Diversity in Organizations Division Website Connect@AOM GDO Community


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Stats on Family Tree Circles, for all time
Join 207539 others who are connecting with their cousins and common researchers!
FamilyTreeCircles is easy and free.
I am a ceramic artist in Clovis, CA.
I have two sons that have no cousins and all of their grandparents have passed. I began my genealogy research for my sons. The quest for history began Jan 2009. A class in genealogy, books and ancestory.com have been my venues. I wallow in paper and binders that segregate the surnames.
... more...

subset: commoncrawl


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Drinks Discovery: Wang Derm Thai Iced Tea
What is it about Thai iced tea that makes it so perfectly crave-worthy? Is it the subtly floral vanilla note? The deliciously mouth-coating sweetened condensed milk? That beautiful orange fluorescence? The knowledge that it will wash down a steaming plate of pad see ew?
Who cares, as long as I can find a way to have it any time I want?
A recent trip to Chinatown brought that dream to life, with the discovery of Wang Derm's individually bagged Authentic Thai Iced Tea. These fragrant little satchels of vanilla-kissed tea can be brewed and enjoyed hot or chilled; unadulterated or sugared up; with milk or without (sweetened-condensed or otherwise).
I personally find most restaurant versions of this chuggable treat to be too cloying, but these little bags are in heavy rotation among our range of dinnertime drinks—brewed hot with honey, then mixed with a little soy milk and poured over ice. The perfect accompaniment to, say, those coconut shrimp from Tiki week.
Available at Amazon, $6.99 for 20 bags.


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44. BUDDHA: Pay it forward
Gautama Buddha (approx 563BC-483BC) was the original or 'Supreme Buddha' – a spiritual teacher who reached enlightenment and whose teachings Buddhism was founded on. The accepted story is that Gautama was born into a Royal family, but upon leaving the palace and witnessing the poor, sick and dying of India, he turned his back on worldly possessions and went in search of spiritual fulfilment. After years of meditation and studying with priests, Gautama reached enlightenment at age 35 and spent the rest of his life travelling and teaching disciples.
– Thanks to reader Aidan for submitting this quote.
– I am by no means an expert on Buddha so if you have insights on Buddha or his teachings, feel free to share in the comments.
– This quote is disputed on Wikiquotes as not being Buddha's. Everywhere else I searched has him as the author so I went ahead with it.


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(Redirected from Discouragement)Jump to navigation Jump to search
Despair, or depression, is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well-being.
- Alphabetized by author
- Because thou must not dream, thou needst not then despair!
- Matthew Arnold, Empedocles on Etna (1852), Act I, scene ii.
- The very knowledge that he lived in vain,
That all was over on this side the tomb,
Had made Despair a smilingness assume.
- Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812-18), Canto 3, stanza 16.
- Despair is like forward children, who, when you take away one of their playthings, throw the rest into the fire for madness. It grows angry with itself, turns its own executioner, and revenges its misfortunes on its own head.
- Pierre Charron, As quoted in Treasury of Thought : Forming an encyclopædia of quotation from ancient and modern authors (1894) edited by Maturin Murray Ballou, p. 123.
- Despair is the conclusion of fools.
- Benjamin Disraeli, The Wondrous Tale of Alroy, Part 10, Chapter 17.
- There is no despair so absolute as that which comes with the first moments of our first great sorrow, when we have not yet known what it is to have suffered and be healed, to have despaired and have recovered hope.
- George Eliot, Adam Bede (1859).
- Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim.
- Graham Greene, The Heart of the Matter (1948), Book I, Part 1, Chapter 2.
Bid me despair, and I'll despair,
Under that cypress tree:
Or bid me die, and I will dare
E'en Death, to die for thee.
Thou art my life, my love, my heart,
The very eyes of me:
And hast command of every part,
To live and die for thee.
- Robert Herrick, To Anthea, Who May Command Him Anything.
My love is of a birth as rare
As 'tis for object strange and high:
It was begotten by Despair
Upon Impossibility.
Magnanimous Despair alone
Could show me so divine a thing,
Where feeble Hope could ne'er have flown
But vainly flapped its tinsel wing.
- Andrew Marvell, The Definition of Love (1681).
- Me miserable! which way shall I fly
Infinite wrath, and infinite despair?
Which way I fly is hell; myself am hell;
And in the lowest deep a lower deep
Still threatening to devour me opens wide,
To which the hell I suffer seems a heaven.
- John Milton, Paradise Lost (1667), Book IV, line 73.
- Grace Nichols, The Fat Black Woman's Poems (1984), "The Fat Black Woman's Motto on Her Bedroom Door".
- Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving — it doesn't matter,
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow a hundred times,
Come, come again, come.
- Rumi. as quoted in Sunbeams : A Book of Quotations (1990) by Sy Safransky, p. 67
- Variant translations:
Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, idolator, worshipper of fire, come even though you have broken your vows a thousand times,
Come, and come yet again. Ours is not a caravan of despair.
- As quoted in Muslim Narratives and the Discourse of English (2004) by Amin Malak, p. 151
- Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of living, it doesn't matter
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come even if you have broken your vow a thousand times,
Come, yet again, come, come.
- As quoted in Rumi and His Sufi Path of Love (2007) by M Fatih Citlak and Huseyin Bingul, p. 81.
- Only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul's habitation henceforth be safely built.
- Bertrand Russell, A Free Man's Worship (1903).
- If either the absence or the presence of novelty is equally annoying, it would hardly seem that either could be the true cause of despair.
- Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happiness (1930), Chapter 2: Byronic Unhappiness.
- Human life begins on the far side of despair.
- Jean-Paul Sartre, Les Mouches (1943), Act III.
- I shall despair. There is no creature loves me;
And if I die, no soul will pity me:
Nay, wherefore should they, since that I myself
Find in myself no pity to myself?
- William Shakespeare, Richard III (1591), Act V, scene iii.
- Reviewers, with some rare exceptions, are a most stupid and malignant race. As a bankrupt thief turns thief-taker in despair, so an unsuccessful author turns critic.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, in "Fragments of Adonais" in Relics of Shelley (1862) edited by Richard Garnett.
- I believe in evil. It is the property of all those who are certain of truth. Despair and fanaticism are only differing manifestations of evil.
- Edward Teller, as quoted in The Martians of Science : Five Physicists Who Changed the Twentieth Century (2006) by Istvan Hargittai, p. 251.
- Let despair be known
as my ebb-tide; but let prayer
have its springs, too, brimming,
disarming him; discovering somewhere
among his fissures deposits of mercy
where trust may take root and grow.
- R. S. Thomas, in "Tidal" in Mass for Hard Times (1992), p. 43.
- I can endure my own despair,
But not another's hope.
- William Walsh, Song: Of All the Torments.
- Waking among the dead, one wondered if one was still alive. And yet real despair only seized us later. Afterwards. As we emerged from the nightmare and began to search for meaning.
- Elie Wiesel, on his experiences during the Nazi Holocaust, in "Hope, Despair, and Memory" his Nobel lecture (11 December 1986).
- Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair. I remember the killers, I remember the victims, even as I struggle to invent a thousand and one reasons to hope.
Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations[edit]
- Quotes reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 189-90.
- I will indulge my sorrows, and give way
To all the pangs and fury of despair.
- Joseph Addison, Cato, A Tragedy (1713), Act IV, scene 3.
- Despair of ever being saved, "except thou be born again," or of seeing God "without holiness," or of having part in Christ except thou "love him above father, mother, or thy own life." This kind of despair is one of the first steps to heaven.
- Richard Baxter, Saint's Rest, Chapter VI.
- The world goes whispering to its own,
"This anguish pierces to the bone;"
And tender friends go sighing round,
"What love can ever cure this wound?"
My days go on, my days go on.
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning, De Profundis, Stanza 5.
- The name of the Slough was Despond.
- John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress (1678), Part I, Chapter II.
- The nympholepsy of some fond despair.
- Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Canto IV (1818), Stanza 115.
- Darkness our guide, Despair our leader was.
- John Denham, Essay on Vergil's Æneid.
- Night was our friend, our leader was Despair.
- John Dryden, translation of Virgil's Æneid (29-19 BC), Book II. 487.
- Nil desperandum Teucro duce et auspice Teucro.
- Never despair while under the guidance and auspices of Teucer.
- Horace, Carmina, I, 7, 27.
- Stood up, the strongest and the fiercest spirit
That fought in heaven, now fiercer by despair.
- John Milton, Paradise Lost (1667; 1674), Book II, line 44.
- Thus repuls'd, our final hope
Is flat despair.
- John Milton, Paradise Lost (1667; 1674), Book II, line 141.
- Desperatio magnum ad honeste moriendum incitamentum.
- Despair is a great incentive to honorable death.
- Quintus Curtius Rufus, De Rebus Gestis Alexandri Magni, IX, 5, 6.
- O, that this too too solid flesh would melt,
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet (1600-02), Act I, scene 2, line 129.
- They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly.
But, bear-like, I must fight the course.
- William Shakespeare, Macbeth (1605), Act V, scene 7, line 1.
- For nothing canst thou to damnation add
Greater than that.
- William Shakespeare, Othello (c. 1603), Act III, scene 3, line 372.
- Discomfort guides my tongue
And bids me speak of nothing but despair.
- William Shakespeare, Richard II (c. 1595), Act III, scene 2, line 65.
- Oh, break, my heart! poor bankrupt, break at once!
To prison, eyes, ne'er look on liberty!
Vile earth, to earth resign; end motion here;
And thou and Romeo press one heavy bier!
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (1597), Act III, scene 2, line 57.
- Thou tyrant!
Do not repent these things, for they are heavier
Than all thy woes can stir: therefore, betake thee
To nothing but despair.
- William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale (c. 1610-11), Act III, scene 2, line 208.
- No change, no pause, no hope! Yet I endure.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, Prometheus Unbound (1820), Act I, line 24.
- * * * then black despair,
The shadow of a starless night, was thrown
Over the world in which I moved alone.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, Revolt of Islam, Dedication, Stanza 6.
- Alas for him who never sees
The stars shine through his cypress-trees
Who, hopeless, lays his dead away,
Nor looks to see the breaking day
Across the mournful marbles play!
- John Greenleaf Whittier, Snow-Bound, line 204.
Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895)[edit]
- Quotes reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895).
- Mr. Fearing had, I think, a slough of despond in his mind, a slough that he carried everywhere with him, or else he could never have been as he was.
- John Bunyan, p. 191.
- Despair is the damp of hell; rejoicing is the serenity of heaven.
- John Donne, p. 191.
- Disordered nerves are the origin of much religious despair, when the individual does not suspect it; and then the body and mind have a reciprocal influence upon each other, and it is difficult to tell which influences the other most. The physician is often blamed, when the fault lies with the minister. Depression never benefits body or soul. We are saved by hope.
- Ichabod Spencer, p. 191.
- It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent.
- Jeremy Taylor, p. 191.
Fictional Quotes[edit]
- Every man who has rotted here over the centuries has looked up to the light and imagined climbing to freedom. So easy... So simple... And like shipwrecked men turning to sea water from uncontrollable thirst, many have died trying. I learned here that there can be no true despair without hope.
- Bane, The Dark Knight Rises (2012)


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Bush appointee Joseph Moravec says event was 'ridiculous,' but bemoans damage to ousted officials' careers.
The departure of top officials of the General Services Administration under a cloud on Monday shows "why people with good reputations don't want to work in government," said F. Joseph Moravec, who was commissioner of GSA's Public Buildings Service from 2001 to 2005 under the George W. Bush administration.
Moravec said the documented excesses of the GSA's Public Buildings Service 2010 regional training conference in Las Vegas were an "aberration," and called the officials who resigned or were fired or placed on leave as a result "first-class public servants and patriotic Americans."
The GSA inspector general's office on Monday night released a report detailing lavish spending on the Western Regional conference that earlier in the day had prompted the resignation of Administrator Martha Johnson, the firing of public buildings commissioner Robert Peck and senior adviser Stephen Leeds, and the placement of four regional commissioners on administrative leave.
The IG had conducted a lengthy probe after the GSA deputy administrator, Susan Brita, requested that it "investigate allegations of possible excessive expenditures and employee misconduct" in planning the biannual conference, which has been held since the early 1990s. The October 2010 four-day event for 300 GSA employees, preparations for which began in February 2009, cost an unusual $822,751 and featured a clown, a mind reader a bicycle-building training exercise, as well as catering the IG characterized as excessive.
"I'm not condoning this ridiculous bash," said Moravec, who is now a managing director in the Washington office of Easterly Partners Real Estate Advisors. But tarnishing officials' reputations "could happen to any high-level appointee at any agency at any time. The government, like any large organization, doesn't have enough broad accountability, and it wastes money," he said. "So if you want to embarrass someone and you know how to pull the levers, you can do it."
Noting the quick reaction on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers plan hearings targeting GSA waste, Moravec said, "It's witch-hunting time, with lawmakers reading stuff into the record that makes them sound like caretakers of the public fisc. It's predictable."
What makes the situation tough is "no one in government likes GSA because they're always telling them they can't do things," he added.
The fact that Johnson gave President Obama her resignation "reflects wonderfully on her character" since she apparently did nothing wrong, Moravec said. "Political appointees are there to serve not only their country but the president, so resigning is the correct and honorable thing to do if the president is extremely displeased." He said Americans should take a page from the Japanese culture in which the head of an organization takes the blame when something goes wrong.
Moravec also defended the long-standing public service of the four suspended regional administrators: Denver-based Paul Prouty; Auburn, Wash.-based Robin Graf; Fort Worth-based Jim Weller and San Francisco-based Jeff Neely, though he characterized Neely, the infamous conference's chief organizer, as a man who "likes to party, who has a wild side." These people "whose careers are probably over don't deserve it," Moravec said.
But he reserved his strongest language in defense of Peck, his friend and both his successor and his predecessor in the top buildings service job. Peck, he said, has the "utmost integrity and unimpeachable probity."
Moravec said Peck, a former Green Beret and longtime top aide to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., is "a public servant at heart." Peck's agenda at the buildings service was to bring in private sector management ideas on customer service, resource allocation and economies of scale. He also sought to make employees feel empowered to do the job, to promote good morale and to take bold initiative in a bureaucracy designed for deference to rules. "That was the culture he encouraged," Moravec said. "But now people will hear his name and say, 'isn't that the guy who . . . ' He doesn't deserve it."
The Public Buildings Service is a "big commercial real estate operation embedded in the federal government with a portfolio of 375 million square feet. By and large it does a pretty good job," Moravec added. He said the commissioner is "not a CEO. Once the money is appropriated by Congress, it is released to the 11 regions, so he loses control. The power to determine how it is spent is vested in regional commissioners.
In the episode that led to the scandal, all the hotel reservations and planning trips were conducted before Peck was even in government, Moravec noted. So even if Peck knew of the lavish spending, cancellation costs as spelled out in contracts might have cost the government $300,000, which would have been forfeited for nothing, he said.
"It's unfortunate that Bob attended a private party in his suite, but it's part of his job to be part of the bureaucracy," Moravec said.
Years before Peck or Moravec worked at GSA, the agency had developed a culture in which the desire to reward initiative and performance might include an off-site party, Moravec said. "You can't call it a morale-builder because of the rules," but it's an effort to "reward people in government who feel they're paid less than the private sector and who live in a constrained bureaucracy and rarely get rewarded."
Moravec was dismissive of the uproar over the $6,325 that conference planners spent to produce commemorative coins for the event. "This happens at all agencies, and it [originated at] the Defense Department," he said. "All base commanders give them out as a cultural gesture of respect and appreciation and all colonels have a drawer full of them."
Asked who might be confirmed as the next GSA administrator in this election year, Moravec said he had no inside information but praised the new acting administrator, Dan Tangherlini, the former assistant secretary at the Treasury Department and former city administrator for the District of Columbia. "The good news from a citizen's point of view is that the White House has recognized the importance of GSA to the performance of the government," Moravec said, "and is filling the job with someone trusted and who is a demonstrated brilliant public administrator."
NEXT STORY: Viewpoint: Watching the Money


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Women's prisons in Canada are so cramped for space that inmates — some mentally ill or suicidal — have been sleeping in interview rooms without toilets or running water, the Calgary Herald has learned.
The space crunch comes as violence among female prisoners, including self-inflicted injuries, has jumped to disturbing levels.
To counter a growing prison population, authorities have been forced to place inmates in a converted gymnasium and visitor trailers.
"I will acknowledge that these measures are not preferable," Correctional Service of Canada commissioner Don Head, head of the federal prison system, wrote in a June 29 letter to the prisoners' ombudsman and obtained through Access to Information laws.
"There are limited alternatives available within our current infrastructure."
In an interview, Head said the female offender population — which ballooned by 40 per cent during the past decade — has grown much faster than anticipated. He said many judges are now sentencing women to two years plus a day to send them to the federal system instead of provincial jails, which offer fewer programs and services.
However, this trend is unfolding as the women's prison system faces a sharp increase in violence behind prison walls, a decade after the infamous Kingston Prison For Women was closed and the system revamped.
The number of inmate fights, disciplinary problems, assaults on guards and other "incidents" shot up by more than 50 per cent in a one-year period ending April 2010, according to separate prison data obtained through an Access to Information request.
A majority of the incidents, such as the Ashley Smith strangulation death, were self-inflicted injuries, which have more than tripled to 260 from 73 during the past two years.
But the violence was also directed outward. Assaults on staff more than doubled to 34 from 16. Inmate fights climbed to 45 from 37 while assaults on inmates surged 59 from 48.
Experts say the data paints a disturbing picture.
"The more crowded correctional centres become, the more opportunities there are for violence," said correctional investigator Howard Sapers, who serves as the country's prison ombudsman.
Former inmate Carol Ann Borrens agrees. During a six-month stint at Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ont., Borrens says she saw inmates assaulting other inmates in the community-style cottages with no guards present.
"These are people that are in jail culture. They've been in and out all their lives. They're friends, and everybody knows everybody. They run the jails and they are very violent," said Borrens, 62, who was serving time for drug possession.
"It's not a community. It's a violent prison like anywhere else. They're trying to make it seem like everything is hunky dory because you have nice bedrooms."
Head blamed most problems on a handful of inmates who continuously hurt themselves or others.
"Even though the number of women that are involved in those incidents is relatively small, we still have an obligation to try to find some answers to help them out, because there's no question they have significant issues, they have significant problems," he said.
A year-long Herald investigation found other troubling problems in Canada's prison system for women:
n Women are becoming more violent. For example, the number of females incarcerated for violent crimes such as manslaughter, attempted murder and aggravated assault soared by 38 per cent during the past decade.
n Aboriginal women now represent almost a third of all inmates in Canada, but only three per cent of the overall population. They are the fastest-growing prison population in the country.
n Female inmates are causing more problems inside prisons. The number of serious institutional convictions against women already serving time in prison — a serious breach of security, violent behaviour, or harming staff and inmates — rose by 60 per cent over the past decade.
n A small number of violent, high-risk inmates — such as the country's only female dangerous offender, Renee Acoby — are wreaking havoc on prison life for other women, guards say.
n Gang problems are beginning to infiltrate women's institutions, mirroring the trend that swept through men's penitentiaries in the 1990s. Experts and guards say if the issue isn't addressed quickly, street gangs could "infect" prisons.
All this comes as prison officials are preparing for a jump in female inmates streaming into the system.
Laws such as the elimination of 2-for-1 credit for time served awaiting trial and mandatory minimum sentences for violent crimes, as well as eliminating accelerated parole review, are boosting the number of women behind bars.
An omnibus crime bill by the Harper government supporting mandatory sentences for some drug and sexual crimes is also expected to pass this session in Parliament.
"The Correctional Service of Canada has its back right up against the wall when it comes to accommodations," Sapers said in an interview.
Access to Information documents show female inmates in the secure unit for maximum security offenders are being double-bunked to deal with the crowding.
The ombudsman wants the prison service to stop placing inmates from segregation and secure units in cells together.
"Double bunking is not a safe correctional practice, but it is especially problematic in very restrictive correctional environments," Sapers, a former Alberta MLA, wrote in a letter to Head on June 6.
In the Edmonton prison earlier this year, four women were housed in a visiting room during the month of March, according to correspondence between the commissioner and the prison ombudsman.
"The room has no running water, no toilet facilities and no built-in cell call alarm system, nor does it offer the amount of living space, privacy and dignity that is available in a purpose-built cell," wrote Sapers in a letter dated April 20.
"The use of interview rooms and other non purpose-built space to accommodate women offenders (some of whom are mentally ill and/or suicidal) is unacceptable."
And at Grand Valley last spring, prison authorities converted a private family visit unit to a four-bedroom dorm, and retrofitted the gymnasium with up to 40 cubicles.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said in an interview that double-bunking should be used for lower security inmates, and will likely be in place in proposed additional units.
"I'm not adverse to double occupancy cells if the accommodations are appropriate for that," he said.
The prison service plans on adding 144 beds to five women's prisons across the country as part of a $30-million expansion plan.
The expansion focuses primarily on Edmonton Institution for Women and Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ont., which are both getting 44 beds each. The service is also considering other options for housing women, ranging from sending them to a new provincial jail in Manitoba to transfers into mental health facilities.
The service is contemplating transferring women from crowded prisons in Ontario and Alberta to other women's institutions across the country, from B.C. to Nova Scotia.
"In years gone by, when there was only one facility, which was not ideal at all — the Prison for Women — we were able to plan around that, knowing that everybody would come there," said Head.
"Now we have to look at the regional growth and changes in a more consistent way and look at whether there are other options for us, for example for women that may be transferred to one of the other regional facilities."
The regional prisons were built during the late 1990s before the country's only Prison for Women in Kingston, Ont., was closed for good following a violent riot in 1994 and a subsequent scathing report from former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour.
Part of the reasoning behind building the regional facilities was to keep women close to their families.
But with the overcrowding and violence expected to worsen, fears are growing the women's prison system is erasing the progress of the last decade and is reaching a crisis point once again.
"I just find it barbaric," says Coralee Smith, mother of Ashley Smith, who choked herself to death in Kitchener's Grand Valley Institution in 2007 and is the subject of a long-delayed Ontario coroner's inquest.
"I think it's just a pox on Canada, honest to God. I'm so embarrassed about our whole system.
"I'm not just broken-hearted about losing Ashley. I'm just embarrassed to death for this whole country."


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Krankenwagen, Polizei, Feuerwehr, Katastrophenschutz (KatS), Mountain Rescue, Coastguard und Militär VW group.
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Beer and whiskey. Wine and cigars. Are these the domains of men?
Three organizations in South Florida prove ladies know about drinking, too. To nix the notion that women stick to the 'tinis, these groups teach those who don't know as much.
Master sommelier Virginia Philip
Only 25 women in the world are master sommeliers, and only two of them have held the title for best sommelier in the U.S. Virginia Philip is one of them.
She owns the Virginia Philip Wine Shop and Academy in West Palm Beach, and is responsible for the beverage programs at the Breakers' restaurants, as well as the wine list at Stephane's in Boca Raton.
Philip offers some sommelier training at her shop, and oversees a team of five sommeliers at the Breakers. She says only one of those five is a woman.
"When I first got hired at the Breakers, it was a little unusual to have a woman in the sommelier program," Philip recalls. "One of the main reasons you don't see more women is because they get married and have children."
Sommeliers at the Breakers resort guide guests through their dining experiences, recommending wines and beverage pairings. The night and weekend hours make it difficult to cultivate a family life, but Philip says that's not the reason some students have dropped out of her training program.
"The material was a little too aggressive," she says. "It's a lot of information handed to you in a short amount of time."
It can take four to 10 years to complete the four-step master-sommelier program, but most of Philip's customers are more interested in the tastings and cooking classes she holds at the shop.
This month, winery owner Hugh Davies, master sommelier John Blazon and chef Josef Morrera will present pairings and explain the flavors of wines from different regions. An event in December will bring in celebrity chef Norman Van Aken for a champagne pairing during the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival.
While the sessions usually cost $40 to $50, Van Aken's appearance will cost $75. Philip will donate all proceeds to the Gary Sinise Foundation, which benefits veterans. For tickets, go to VirginiaPhilipWineShopAcademy.com.
The Whisky Sisters
Every year, whiskey lovers gather in Fort Lauderdale to taste roughly 100 of the world's best brands of scotch. They light cigars in the lobby and pick carvings from a full-service buffet while they schmooze and compare malts, under the guidance of event organizers who double as whiskey educators.
The grand tasting is put on by the U.S. chapter of the worldwide Scotch Malt Whisky Society. It is spearheaded by Gabrielle Shayne and Lauren Mayer, who host 12 other like events around the country.
At 27 and 29 years old, the sisters have taken charge of their family's Fort Lauderdale-based scotch-importing company. They also own the U.S. SMWS chapter and have launched a career as the Whisky Sisters, tasting guides for high-paying, mostly male clients who don't share their knowledge of the hard Scottish drink.
"What kind of makes me laugh the most is when I have conversations with men, they say, 'You're young, you have no idea what you're talking about,' " Shayne says. "They ask, 'What's the difference between scotch and whiskey?' There's no difference. Scotch is produced in Scotland. Many men don't know that."
The difference between regular, old Glenlivet and the sisters' scotch is its potency. No water is added to SMWS scotch before bottling, so the taste and strength are not diluted.
"Some offerings are 135-proof," Shayne says. "It's like absinthe. It's pure alcohol."
Only members can buy the mega-scotch, and only the ones who act quickly, as the bottles come from single casks and are distributed among SMWS chapters around the world. But the yearly tasting event, the Single-Malt and Scotch Whisky Extravaganza, is open to the public.
This year, the sisters will host the event on Dec. 6 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. For $150, guests will taste and learn about the society's exclusive imports and take home a commemorative snifter. For tickets, go to SingleMaltExtravaganza.com.
The Craft Brewjas
They pour craft beer around South Florida, wearing black T-shirts with the tag line "Wicked women who love beer" beneath a logo of a cauldron. They're out to show people, especially women, that there is a beer for every palate, says the Craft Brewjas' Arwen Lehman.
Lehman started the group as a social beer-drinking club with three friends, but after heavy social media action under the Brewjas' name, she was commissioned to choose the beer list at a South Miami bar.
"I had never thought about it," she says. "I was just doing beer tastings at my house."
Since last summer, the Craft Brewjas have worked with some of Miami's trendiest gastropubs for beer dinners, Oktoberfest events and tap takeovers. They've handled the beer tents at events such as the Burger Beast's Hot Dog Fest at the ArtsPark in Hollywood, always trying to slip some craft-beer knowledge into drinkers' heads.
The group's name is a play on the Spanish word for witch, but the women involved are all but friendly.
"It's definitely not girls-only," Lehman says. "[The group's] focus is around women who love beer, but we also drink beer with men. Really, it's what beer is about — to bring friends together."
Beer geeks in South Florida are creating a growing playground for their kind. Two industrial microbreweries opened this year, and two more are on the way, with a thriving community on social media awaiting their arrival.
"We're seeing a boom right now, and I just really want to make sure that women are staying afloat," Lehman says. "When I hear a woman say, 'I don't like beer,' it pains me because if you give it a chance you will find one you like."
She's working to incorporate the group as a nonprofit, dedicated to "create awareness about craft and artisanal beer." On the Craft Brewjas' Facebook page, Lehman posts updates on beer dinners, tap takeovers, local brewer news, and photos of what she's drinking. Find out where they'll be, and how to get a T-shirt, at Facebook.com/craftbrewjas.


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Click the question to see the answer.
How long does the ShaveTech take to charge?
For the first use, it should be charged overnight. However, after that, please charge 4 hours for every 30 minutes of use.
How long does the ShaveTech battery last?
Once it is fully charged, it will provide sufficient charge for 30 minutes of shaving.
Is there any way to plug my ShaveTech into a wall outlet?
You can use any standard USB Wall adaptor in order to charge the ShaveTech in a wall outlet.
In which position does the power switch need to be placed in order to charge properly?
The power switch must be down, so that it reads "Off" while charging.
What is the operating voltage of the ShaveTech?
The ShaveTech uses an industry-standard USB connection for charging, thereby eliminating any voltage hassles while travling.
How do I properly clean my ShaveTech?
First, make sure that your ShaveTech is unplugged and that the On/Off switch is turned off. Then, remove the cover and detach the outer foil hood. Carefully clean the outer foil, inner blades and shaver body using the cleaning brush. Once completed, place the outer foil hood and the cover back on. Please note that the ShaveTech should not be cleaned with water because it can damage the product.
Can I travel with the ShaveTech in my carry-on luggage?
Yes you can – it is completely safe.
Do you offer ShaveTech carrying cases in various color choices?
Not yet, but stay tuned!
What colors does the ShaveTech come in?
We currently offer black and white.
What is the battery lifetime expectancy?
It is about 300 times of normal charge and recharge cycles.
Is the product waterproof?
The product is not waterproof.
Is the shaving head replaceable?
It is!
What is the lifetime expectancy of the shaving head?
1800 to 2700 minutes of normal use.
Any plans for additional USB rechargeable products?
We are currently developing a new version of a pop-up trimmer on the back. This could be used by both men and women!
What is the proper way to shave with the ShaveTech?
Pull your skin taught and place the ShaveTech at a 90 degree angle to your skin so that the blades can get as close as possible to the hairs. Only use when it is fully charged so that blades are operating at maximum speed. Shave against the direction of the beard growth – change direction as needed since hairs do not all grow in the same direction.
How long is the warranty?
What does RoHS compliant mean?
RoHS compliant means that our ShaveTech products are not produced using certain dangerous substances often used in electronics. For more information, visit http://www.rohscompliancedefinition.com.
How do I contact customer service?


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Investigators seek Alexis' motive in D.C. Navy Yard shooting
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- While no specific reason has been given as to what spurred him to fatally shoot 12 people at Washington's Navy Yard, Aaron Alexis' overall mindset came into sharper focus Tuesday -- including a history of trouble in the Navy and psychological issues.
That past includes a Newport, Rhode Island, incident on August 7, more than five weeks before Alexis was gunned down after single-handedly pulling off America's latest mass shooting.
Describing himself as a Navy contractor, Alexis told police he believed an individual he'd gotten into a verbal spat with had sent three "people to follow him and keep him awake by talking to him and sending vibrations into his body," according to a police report. Alexis said he hadn't seen any of these people, but insisted they'd followed him between three hotels in the area -- the last being a Marriott, where police investigating a harassment complaint encountered him.
There, Alexis told authorities the unseen individuals continued speaking to him through walls and the floor, and that they used "some sort of microwave machine" to send vibrations into his body to keep him awake.
He added, according to the police report, that "he does not have a history of mental illness in his family and that he never had any sort of mental episode." Nonetheless, a police sergeant alerted authorities at Naval Station Newport to Alexis "hearing voices." Reached Tuesday, officials at the base referred CNN to the FBI, which declined to comment.
It's not known if this incident was in any way related to Monday's shooting spree. Still, it and other details offer insights into the shooter and raised questions about whether he could have been stopped.
The Navy moved to discharge Alexis in 2010 due to what two Navy officials described as a "pattern of misconduct," though he ended up leaving the next year on a "general discharge" but maintained his security clearance.
There were also run-ins with police, beyond the Newport incident. In Seattle, for instance, Alexis was arrested in 2004 for shooting out the tires of another man's vehicle in what he later told detectives was an anger-fueled "blackout."
DeKalb County, Georgia, authorities said Tuesday they arrested Alexis in 2008 on a disorderly conduct charge.
And recently, Alexis contacted two Veterans Affairs hospitals around the capital, law enforcement sources told CNN. Two indicated he sought help for sleep-related issues, with another source saying Alexis was "having problems sleeping" and "hearing voices."
Whatever his past, Alexis was a military contractor and was in the Navy's Ready Reserve -- a designation for former military members who don't actively serve in a Reserve unit but who can be called up if the military needs them.
Moreover, he had legitimate credentials to enter the base, Valerie Parlave, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington field office, said Tuesday. He also had a secret security clearance valid through 2017, even after leaving the service full-time in 2011, Navy spokesman John Kirby told CNN.
Should he have? Did the military miss opportunities to prevent Alexis from attacking? And how was he able to get a shotgun onto the naval base?
Those are good question, yet none has a definitive answer.
Investigators scour crime scene, hotel and beyond
The historic Navy Yard will remain closed to all but "essential" Navy employees Wednesday, as it was Tuesday. Even then, it's likely to remain abuzz with investigators methodically modeling bullet trajectories and mapping the scene, according to Parlave.
Federal law enforcement sources say authorities recovered three guns from the scene: a shotgun and two handguns.
Two days before the shooting, Alexis spent "a couple hours" shooting at Sharpshooters Small Arms Range in northern Virginia before paying $419 for a Remington 870 shotgun -- after being approved by the federal background check -- and a small amount of ammunition, the store's attorney, J. Michael Slocum, said.
The two handguns, sources say, may have been taken from guards at the naval base. But how Alexis brought the shotgun in, though, remains an open question, with Washington Mayor Vincent Gray speculating he may have concealed it.
Surveillance video shows Alexis walking into the facility, bringing a bag into a bathroom in Building 197 and coming out with the shotgun, a federal law enforcement official said. It's believed Alexis had the disassembled gun inside the bag.
From there, he headed to a perch overlooking the building's atrium and began firing on those below using 00 buckshot shells, each packed with about a dozen pellets capable of causing tremendous damage, according to the same official.
Parlave said Alexis is believed to be solely responsible for Monday's bloodshed that, in addition to those killed, left eight wounded. Three of them suffered gunshot wounds, one of whom was released Tuesday. Another is Washington police Officer Scott Williams credited with killing Alexis. Still, that doesn't mean authorities aren't looking into others who might have helped Alexis, wittingly or unwittingly, or known something about the plot.
Federal investigators on Tuesday collected Alexis' computer and possessions from the hotel where he spent the last few days of his life, in addition to reviewing surveillance and other tools to see whom he interacted with in three weeks around Washington.
Co-workers have portrayed Alexis of having lived the mundane work life of a well-paid tech contractor given daily per diems that allowed a comfortable stay in an expensive city, a senior law enforcement official said.
Authorities are also appealing for the public's help in a probe U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen estimates could take "weeks and months."
"No piece of information is too small," Parlave said.
'Who was this guy?'
A New York City native -- where both his parents, now divorced, still live -- Alexis worked between 2001 and 2003 at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. His supervisor there, Barry Williams, told CNN he never would have expected such a violent outburst, though Alexis would get easily frustrated over minor things and hold grudges.
Years later, Alexis joined the Navy -- which admitted him knowing of his 2004 arrest, having been apparently "satisfied that it did not preclude granting (secret security) clearance," a senior Navy officer said -- as a petty officer working on electrical systems.
But his four years in service weren't all smooth. He was written up for eight instances of misconduct on duty, a U.S. defense official told CNN, including cases of insubordination, disorderly conduct, unauthorized absences and at least one instance of intoxication.
"He wasn't a stellar sailor, we know that," said Rear Adm. Kirby, adding that the misconduct cases were all "relatively minor." "... None of those (offenses) give you an indication he was capable of this sort of brutal, vicious violence."
Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he feels the infractions "were kind of swept under the rug."
"It is real easy to just pass the buck along to another military base or in this instance, a defense contractor," the Texas Republican said Tuesday. "...There are so many red flags that popped up in this case."
Without a civilian conviction, the offenses weren't enough to produce a general discharge; Alexis was granted an honorable discharge in January 2011 instead. In fact, he remained part of the Navy's Ready Reserve up to his death, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told CNN.
The Experts -- the contracting firm for which Alexis worked for about six months over the past year -- said the last of two background checks it conducted in June on Alexis "revealed no issues other than one minor traffic violation."
Still, did something change more recently? There was the August incident in Rhode Island. And a friend and former housemate, Kristi Suthamtewakul, told CNN's "New Day" she noticed personality changes in Alexis over the last few months, but nothing indicating the potential for such violence.
"Aaron was a very polite, very friendly man," she said.
Among other problems, he had been frustrated about pay and benefits issues after a one-month contracting stint in Japan last year, Suthamtewakul said.
"He got back and he felt very slighted about his benefits at the time," she said. "Financial issues. He wasn't getting paid on time, he wasn't getting paid what he was supposed to be getting paid."
"That's when I first started hearing statements about how he wanted to move out of America," Suthamtewakul said. "He was very frustrated with the government and how, as a veteran, he didn't feel like he was getting treated right or fairly."
Another friend, Texas resident Michael Ritrovato, also said Alexis recently had been frustrated with his employer over pay.
But Ritrovato said his friend never showed signs of aggressiveness or violence, though he played a lot of shooting video games online.
"It's incredible that this is all happening, because he was a very good-natured guy," Ritrovato said. "It seemed like he wanted to get more out of life."
Melinda Downs described Alexis as "very intellectual" and of "sound" mind -- saying if he did hear voices, "he hid it very well." The two spoke as recently as a week ago, at which time Downs said she had no hints of what was to come.
"It is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," she said. "Who was this guy?"


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If there is one thing I've learned as a Momma of boys, it's this:
Boys love dinosaurs.
I've not run into a boy yet that hasn't.
So, when Colin started studying dinosaurs in school a couple of weeks ago, he was thrilled! He's been learning all about them....the names, the different features, the special things about certain kinds.
Most importantly, he's learned what they do and do not eat. He's even learned the big, technical terms for it--herbivores and carnivores.
Today, we had yet another discussion on that very topic.
Colin: "Mom, I know what dinosaurs eat."
Me: "You do? Tell me."
"Some dinosaurs eat plants....
....and some dinosaurs eat other dinosaurs....
.....and some dinosaurs eat Palaeontologists!"
Saturday, May 15, 2010
At least, I thought he knew.....
If there is one thing I've learned as a Momma of boys, it's this:
1 comments:
- Kara said...
That is one I haven't heard :) We have taught the boys all about herbivores and carnivores. That is how we get Carter to eat his meat at dinner sometimes!
- May 16, 2010 at 8:32 PM


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Integrating Earth Observation in your job
Earth Observation is an inherently multipurpose tool. Just as a single picture is said to be worth a thousand words, so many different types of information can be extracted from a single satellite image or data sample and put to a large number of diverse uses.
This means there is no typical Earth Observation user: it might be anyone who requires detailed characterisation of any given segment of our planet, across a wide variety of scales from a single city block to a country, region, or continent, right up to coverage of the entire globe.
Acquiring the most reliable, detailed and up-to-date information available is a basic requirement of good business and effective government. Earth Observation provides a whole new dimension of information, and for this reason is already employed by many thousands of users worldwide.
ESA works to further increase Earth Observation take-up by encouraging development of new applications and services centred on user needs.
Turning science into services
New applications usually emerge from scientific research, which is classed as Category 1 use by ESA. Accredited Category 1 users – known as Principal Investigators – receive Earth Observation products at cost price. For more information on this type of use, read 'How to get Earth Observation data' and consult ESA's Earth Observation Principal Investigator Portal.
Converting basic research and development into an operational service requires the fostering of partnership between research institutions, service companies and user organisations.
ESA's Data User Element programme addresses institutional users tasked with collecting specific geographic or environmental data.
The Data User Element aims to raise such institutions' awareness of the applicability of Earth Observation to their day-to-day operations, and develop demonstration products tailored to increase their effectiveness. The intention is then to turn these products into sustainable services provided by public or private entities.
Complementing Data User Element objectives is ESA's Earth Observation Market Development programme. This provides a supportive framework within which to organise end-to-end service chains capable of leveraging scientific Earth Observation data into commercial tools supplied by self-supporting businesses.
ESA extended its scientific support to researchers and industry in 2008 with the launch of the Support to Science Element (STSE), a new element of the Earth Observation Envelope Programme.
STSE provides scientific support to both future and on-going missions by taking a proactive role in the formulation of new mission concepts and providing multi-mission support to science.
GMES: Improved Intelligence Gathering
ESA is also supporting a suite of operational Earth Observation-based services. These services have been established under the umbrella of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative.
A joint endeavour by ESA and the European Commission, GMES is meant to address perceived deficiencies in European information gathering. It works to bring together information providers and users and establish an independent capacity to gather timely, accurate global data to help carry out European environment and security policies.
As well as improving and co-ordinating the function of ground-based monitoring resources, making GMES happen also means optimising use of existing and future Earth Observation systems.
The set of Earth Observation-based services currently backed by ESA represent a first step in GMES, and are collectively known as the GMES Services Element.
Data yielded from GSE supports the work of a range of scientists, policy makers and implementers within government agencies, non-governmental organisations and key international scientific bodies. The needs of GSE users are also influencing the design of future European satellite systems.
Future activities
If you have an interest in the scope of future ESA activities including Earth Observation, consult the General Studies Programme (GSP), which functions as an Agency 'think tank', with technical experts assessing new technologies, missions and programmes for incorporation within ESA strategy.
For European academics working on advanced technology a mechanism called Ariadna provides an enhanced link with the GSP. Run by the Agency's Advanced Concepts Team, Ariadna is devoted to short, inexpensive studies involving research into radical space technologies, with regular announcements of opportunity posted.


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Review: 'Eye' is a gripping vision
Moxie and Mo`olelo team for beautifully staged take on Morrison story
Pecola Breedlove yearns for two blue eyes, so why does the title of her story offer only one? Maybe because for this haunted young girl, even one eye can seem like too many. She has seen enough for several lives already.
As painful as "The Bluest Eye" can be, this play with the curiously non-plural name is now getting a singularly affecting San Diego production, one that confronts ugliness with its own sometimes brutal beauty.
The ugliness at issue isn't really the physical kind, although that's Pecola's obsession: The dark-skinned girl from a broken and destitute Ohio family believes she'd achieve grace if only God would grant her the fair features of her blond baby dolls.
But her bone-deep notion of being unfit for the gaze of the wider world stems from a legacy of prejudice and inhumanity that has taken physical form for Pecola (Cashae Monya) and her family, if only in their own eyes and minds.
Even Claudia (Lorene Chesley) and Frieda (Marshel Adams), two sisters from a more stable and loving family with whom Pecola comes to live for a time, can't quite explain why they think of the Breedloves as ugly; it's just a feeling that seems to hover about their house.
"The Bluest Eye"
When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through March 3.
Where: Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Rolando District
Tickets: $15-$40 (discounts available)
Phone: (619) 342-7395 or (858) 598-7620
Online: moxietheatre.com or moolelo.net
Playwright Lydia Diamond's searing, forthright and yet at times surprisingly funny adaptation of Toni Morrison's influential (and controversial) 1970 novel isn't the easiest to stage, with its turn-on-a-dime tonal shifts and the way it flits between past and present tense.
But (speaking of plurals) the production succeeds beautifully thanks to the dual efforts of Moxie Theatre and Mo`olelo Performing Arts Co. – two admirably accomplished local companies working together for the first time. (Judging by this show, it should not be the last.)
One sign of the meticulous craft behind director Delicia Turner Sonnenberg's expertly acted production is in the seamless way the piece shifts between dialogue scenes and direct address by the actors. That unusual construction easily could make the show sputter like a flooded engine; here it comes to feel more like rhythmic counterpoint in a piece of minor-key music.
The warmth and sympathy that the writing exudes for even the least likable characters also seems to spur the cast's emotional commitment. Not to lean on the title too much, but so much can be read in the actors' eyes: Monya's, ever-hopeful and open; Chesley's, narrowed and wary; the steely, staring ones of a heart-wrenching Melissa Coleman-Reed, as Pecola's defeated mother; the fluttery, barely visible ones of the arresting Warner Miller as Cholly, Pecola's disturbed father – as if he's some nocturnal being trying to comprehend daylight.
We learn straight off that Pecola, only 11 or so, is carrying Cholly's child. The story essentially revolves around that ugly and hard-to-fathom reality, digging unflinchingly into causes and repercussions while exploring still-relevant issues of race, bias and cultural standards of beauty. (The story takes place in the 1940s.)
While the piece hiccups a bit near its conclusion, it packs a lot of drama and consequence into its 90 or so minutes.
Monya is bravely engaging as Pecola, and has a great foil in Chesley as the more jaded Claudia. (Chesley has a such rich physical vocabulary that she seems almost choreographed). Adams also displays dry wit, and Abner Genece (as the sisters' dad and a fatuous fortune-teller), Kimberly King (as the girls' gruff but loving Mama, among others) and Chelsea Diggs-Smith (as the popular girl Maureen and others) also have strong turns.
George Yé's sound design ranges effectively from folksy music to eerie ambience, and Brian Redfern's rustic set, Luke Olson's understated lighting and Emily N. Smith's period costumes combine to offer a rich sense of place.
In one poignant moment, Claudia wishes Pecola would just "spit the misery out." Pecola, though, is too busy wishing for those blue eyes to see she might have a choice.
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I wanted a new, stylish clipboard for all of my important teacher stuff (and mainly to be able to clip things to a place that I won't loose them the first week!) So, off to Walmart I went and picked up this clipboard for just under $4.
Well, you know I can't leave well enough alone, so, I added my touch! I pulled out some trusty vinyl from my stash, got my cameo all set up, and went to work. I got the inspiration from this fabulous teacher blogger HERE. She was even so kind to tell me what font she used (because it was perfect) so that I could copy her.
I did place the vinyl on the back of the clipboard so that when I write on the clipboard I don't have lumps and bumps. I forgot and cut my name out in pink regularly, but I went back and flipped the text horizontally so that the sticky part would be on the front and I could place it on the back. (not pictured correctly)
I also use drywall tape to transfer my vinyl. Its not as sticky as the transfer tape and I can see through it better. I don't do a ton of vinyl work, but this roll has lasted several years so far.
And here is the finished product. I did also add some black vinyl circles. I used Cricut brand (black and white) and Silhouette brand (pink). Both cut great on the machine, but the Cricut vinyl is thicker and more opaque than the Silhouette brand.
Since the machine was out, I decided to add my name to this caddy to use at my group table.
Thanks for looking. If you have any questions, please let me know! Thanks!


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Times are hard, work is hell and money doesn't come easy. When it comes to choosing which comics make the cut week after week, I have to be very sure that my limited resources are well spent. After all, I'm going to need that money soon enough to hire a creative team!
That's why maintaining a healthy and cost-efficient pull list sometimes seem like more work than actually writing my own comics. Like any other expense in my budget, I have to balance my WANTS and my NEEDS. I know it might sound ridiculous to use the word NEEDS when talking about the purchasing of entertainment items, but I have my reasons.
Essentially, since I hope one day to make a career out of comics, I feel like I need to consider my comic collection like a reference library. Hence, I pick my books according to what I feel I can learn from them. Oh sure, I have my guilty pleasure (I'm looking at you, SUICIDE SQUAD!) and other quirky preferences and allergies, but I treat my comic reading largely as a learning experience. If a title offers me little substance for my buck, off the list it goes.
Up to now, this has been an intuitive process. Once I've tried a book, I know whether or not I'll keep on buying it in the future. However, I thought it would make for an interesting little experiment to try and actually quantify my evaluation of titles. Doing this might help me understand what I like in a comic – and how I would like the comics I write to be. It might also open up new possibilities for trying out comics which I never dreamed of sampling, because I never realized before how close to my tastes they really are. Feel free to sound off in the comments if you think of any!
Now how does this work? As soon as the first previews hit the Web, prospective titles accumulate or lose points based on the criteria listed below. If the final score is positive (that is more than zero), that title will be bought and considered for becoming part of my pull list.
Good points
- Writer in my top 5: +15 – Either Scott Snyder, Warren Ellis, Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka or Nick Spencer
- Good writer: +5 – An established writer reputed to consistently put out good work: Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Mike Mignola, Grant Morrison, and so on
- Hot newcomer writer: +10 – A writer new to the business but who surprised with his first few offerings: Brandon Seifert (WITCH DOCTOR), Nathan Edmondson (WHO IS JAKE ELIS?, THE ACTIVITY), Kurtis J. Wiebe (GREEN WAKE) and so on
- Favorite character: +5 – Batman, Batwoman or Hellboy (but not B.P.R.D.)
- Original premise: +5 – "Original" as in "stands out among the crowd"
- Historical setting: +5
- Literary adaptation: +5 – If it's an adaptation of a literary work set in a historical setting, only count 5 points once.
- ComixTribe or IC Geeks book: +10 – Because I usually personally know at least one of the creators
- Artist in my top 3: +10 – Either J.H. Williams III, Amanda Conner or Ben Templesmith (I don't really care about any other artist enough for it to influence my purchases.)
- Zombie book: +5 – Yeah, yeah, I know…
- Creator-owned title: +5
- Not a super hero book: +5 – Deconstructions of super heroes like POWERS or WATCHMEN don't count as super hero books.
Bad points
- Decades-old DC property: -10
- Green Lantern or Legion of Super Heroes: -20
- Decades-old Marvel property: -15
- X-Men or Fantastic Four: -20
- Any of the Image properties dating back from the 90s: -15
- Anything that LOOKS like it's an Image property dating back from the 90s: -20
- Movie, TV show or video game tie-in: -10
- Artist in the writer's seat: -5 – Unless it's Will Eisner, Terry Moore or Joe Mulvey.
- Rob Liefeld as artist: -20 – Apparently one of the sweetest guys in the business, but… well… it's a matter of taste really. Sorry, Rob!
- Any kind of "event": -10
- Gratuitous excessive gore: -10
- Tries to be CROSSED: -15
- Is CROSSED: -20 – Sorry, Garth, I love ya but I just can't stomach that comic. I promise I'll buy THE BOYS in trades some day!
- Gratuitous excessive swearing: -5
- Gratuitous excessive cheesecake: -5
- Simultaneous gratuitous cheesecake and gore: -20
- Sounds like Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: -10
- Sounds like Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS but IS by Frank Miller: -5 – One exception to this rule: it IS Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS.
However, even if a title passes muster, it might still get cut if it proves itself unable to entertain after a thorough reading. That's when the post-reading criteria come into play:
- Witty dialogue: +5
- Clever plot: +5
- Too wordy: -5
- Not wordy enough: -10
- SyFy Channel-worthy dialogue: -10
- Confusing plot: -5
- Predictable plot: -10
- Issue in which nothing really happens AKA boring plot: -10 – The writing might be good, but never make me buy a comic in which the plot has simply no forward momentum. If I want to spend some time with people standing around being witty, I'll go on Twitter.
- Cheap death or gimmick: -10 – "Don't miss this milestone issue in which Spidey changes his costume!"
- Reversing of cheap death or gimmick: -20 – "Watch out, world! The old Spidey is back!"
Now let's try to apply these to some of the books on my pull list and see if our methodology holds:
Writer in my top 5: +15 (Scott Snyder)
Favorite character: +5 (Batman)
Decades-old DC property: -10
Witty dialogue: +5
Clever plot: +5
Final score: 20 – It's Snyder and it's Batman. That's like mixing peanut butter with choco– no, more like mixing Reeses and sex. Yeah, that's the ticket…
BATWOMAN (the first five issues)
Favorite character: +5 (Batwoman)
Artist in my top 3: +10 (J.H. Williams III)
Artist in the writer's seat: -5
Witty dialogue: +5
Clever plot: +5
Final score: 20 – Another good score. If would have scored even higher if this was the Detective Comics era when Greg Rucka was writing Batwoman (30 in fact).
Favorite character: +5 (Batwoman)
Artist in the writer's seat: -5
Witty dialogue: +5
Confusing plot: -5
Final score: 0 – Pull yourself together, guys! This title has suffered a big blow when J.H. Williams III gave Amy Reeder the drawing duties, not so much because Reeder isn't doing a good job (she's doing a great job!), but because they slacked off in the writing department. I'm rooting for you, Amy!
Hot newcomer writer: +10 (Nathan Edmondson)
Original premise: +5 (the plot follows the actions of a covert ops clean-up crew)
Creator-owned title: +5
Not a super hero book: +5
Witty dialogue: +5
Clever plot: +5
Final score: 35 – A very good score for a very good book from a promising newcomer on the scene.
Hot newcomer writer: +10 (Kurtis J. Wiebe)
Original premise: +5 (If I go into this we'll never be done with this post – just… just trust me, OK?)
Creator-owned title: +5
Not a super hero book: +5
Witty dialogue: +5
Clever plot: +5
Final score: 35 – Same score as THE ACTIVITY and it's not surprising since it's the exaxct same reasons that make me buy this title.
Writer in my top 5: +15 (Greg Rucka)
Decades-old Marvel property: -15
Witty dialogue: +5
Clever plot: +5
Final score: 10 – Despite a very big flaw against it (it's one of Marvel's cash cows), THE PUNISHER is saved by the presence of a very strong writer who knows his craft. Take Rucka out of the equation however and we're down in the negative.
That adds up pretty well. From a purely quantitative viewpoint, our methodology justifies the purchase of these titles. It even warns us about the possibility of dropping a book (BATWOMAN).
Speaking of which, does it work the other way around too? Does it justify why I've already dropped some titles? Let's see…
Good writer: +5 (Grant Morrison)
Decades-old DC property: -10
Confusing plot: -5
Final score: -10 – I'll admit that, for me, this title was coasting on the Grant Morrison brand name even before he introduced the robots and all that. I did like Batman Incorporated however, but to be completely honest, that plot was even more confusing! Oh Batman! Why do you always make things so much better?
Favorite character: +5 (Batman)
Decades-old DC property: -10
Artist in the writer's seat: -5
Sounds like Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: -10
Too wordy: -5
Predictable plot: -10
Final score: -35 – A beautiful book unfortunately sunk by abysmal writing. This is one I REALLY wanted to like.
Original premise: +5
Literary adaptation: +5
Creator-owned title: +5
Not a super hero book: +5
Too wordy: -5
Confusing plot: -5
Issue in which nothing really hapens: -10
Final score: 0 – This book had a premise tailor-made to please (Professor Moriarty comes out of retirement to solve mysteries!) but as issues went by, I had to come to the sad realization that the execution wasn't up to the expectations prompted by the idea. It was a close cut, but I sadly had to let it go.
Good writer: +5 (Alan Moore)
Literary adaptation: +5
Creator-owned title: +5
Not a super hero book: +5
Simultaneous gratuitous cheesecake and gore: -20
Too wordy: -5
Final score: -5 – The pool scene. That would have been a very good moment to IMPLY something had happened. Oh God, the pool scene…
Good writer: +5 (Mark Millar)
Creator-owned title: +5
Gratuitous excessive swearing: -5
Gratuitous excessive gore: -10
Final score: -5 – There's a really good idea in there, buried under all that calculated edginess.
So it works for those too! Am I cocky enough to try and predict the future? There is after all a new title coming out this week that I'll be picking up…
Hot newcomer writer: +10 (Kurtis J. Wiebe)
Original premise: +5
Literary adaptation: +5
Creator-owned title: +5
Not a super hero book: +5
Final score: 30 – And it's not even out yet! If we factor in some posible post-reading criteria, Mr. Wiebe could very well have another winner in my book!
Well that was fun and all, but what about you? Do you have any criteria on which you base your comic purchases? How many points would they be worth if you were to go through with the same neurotic exercise I just did?


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She found out where the matches are held and when, so we had the option of Tuesday night, Friday night (Christmas eve), or Saturday night (Christmas night). The tickets ranged between 1000 and 2000 Baht (about 30 and 60$ for ringside seats).
We were recommended to go with the ringside seats, so that we wouldn't be squished in the standing-room only section with all the Thai men betting and drinking. So Alain, Dad, Leah, and I bought ringside tickets for Christmas eve, starting at 6:30 and finishing at 10:30.
We arrived and were shown to our seats, front row. There was a match of western-style boxing, then the Thai boxing started.
It was quite interesting.
They arrive with their brightly decorated shorts, red or blue, with a ring of flowers around their neck, feet protection, gloves, and bands around their heads and upper arms.
Each match began with the fighters going around the ring in a sort-of dance to the drum music, honoring their teachers and each other, as well as a warm-up. Here is a video I found on Youtube of the Wai Khru (not mine).
(By the way, the music you hear is what they played for each round. As the rounds advanced, the music got faster and faster.)
After that, they removed the ring of flowers and the thing on their head, and the rounds began. It was, if I remember correctly, five rounds of three minutes each.
One poor guy got knocked out and they took him, still dead to the world, off the stage in a stretcher.
<-- They had an exhibition round, where it was more of the old-style costumes and fighting (lots more jumping up in the air) that was only a few minutes.
The match ended around 10:30 pm, and we left to find a taxi.
Alain and I both bought authentic silk Thai boxing shorts. Mine is purple with Muaythai written on the front, and Alain's are blue. No, no way am I posting pictures.
Certainly a Christmas Eve to remember.
It will be my first time back since December 2008.
I must say, I am really starting to miss the United States.
Don't have much planned, mostly shopping and relaxing.
But I keep having this reoccuring dream.
I am at my parents's house in Colorado, and I am packing my suitcase, getting ready to take the plane the next day to come back to France, when all of a sudden I realize...
I haven't had a single bagel in the whole two weeks I have been back!!!
I wake up in a cold sweat and realize that I have not yet left for the US, I still have my exams to live through, and I will surely go to the grocery (yay, Safeway!) my first day back to stock up on Macaroni & Cheese, Starburst, and bagels.
It is very strange, I know.
It's not like I have been super bagel-deprived anyway. Had my fill of bagels while in Thailand (By the way, I'm still sore over the fact that my sister, in Thailand, leads a more American life than I do in France) and can get them regularly at Bagel Story in Aix (about 1.50€ a bagel but still). I can even make them for goodness sake.
So I'm guessing it is not the bagels themselves that are causing these dreams.
I have had this same dream about 3 times now, so it is definitely bugging me.
I guess it must just be a feeling of going back for such a short time, wanting to get my full Americaness in before I leave again for an indefinite amount of time.
I just wanted to leave all my dear readers with this picture from Thailand.
My favorite is the one on the top right.
Our office is the entire first (that is, second to you Americans), and it does a complete circle around the inner courtyard and staircase.
I often went there to escape the accordionists, but as I didn't have my computer nor desk there, it was mainly just to read in quiet.
I never thought I would say this, but it is almost too quiet. I feel somewhat isolated. Good think I am an Engineer and thus anti-social by nature, but still.
I bought a sound card and speakers for my computer so that I can listen to music quietly while I work.
It took me a bit to get used to being in this new space. I had spent almost 3 years where I was before, (started February 4, 2008). Started humming to myself "Nobody likes me, everybody hates me...."
So if you come in the building and hear someone bouncing off the walls saying "Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!" It is probably yours truly. But all in all, I think the move will be good for me. I also need to gain some independence and confidence.
(And I'm already thinking of it as "Megan's Office" not the "meeting room".)
Oh, and what has happened to its usage as an actual meeting room you wonder? There will be a smaller table put in my boss's office (the biggest room where the three of us once were), and this table is being kept where it is. If there is a company-wide meeting, it will be in MY OFFICE, and if they ever need to use and me to be ELSEWHERE, I'll have to go elsewhere. (Though hopefully not near the accordionists nor in the toilets.)
PS The police of Aix will be quite glad I moved too. I called them every single time the accordionists, or their sister/daughter violinist played, which was pretty much every day.
Everybody wins!
PPS Come to think of it, I think I am the opposite of claustrophobic. I like small, enclosed spaces. I especially hate the feeling that someone can sneak up on me. This should be perfect for me.
(picture taken from the balcony of our bedroom)
It continued on for about 200 meters to the right.
Alain, Leah, and I went swimming while Toby ran around spraying everyone with the water gun.
The water was fantastic, BUT
the pool was tiled, and a lot of the tiles were broken or missing. Ever touch a broken tile? Yep. Sharp as broken glass.
I was trying to get out of the pool and sliced my big toe. Both Alain and Leah also cut themselves badly. I was bleeding all over the place, and had to squish back to the townhouse and clean myself up.
After that, I refused to go back in. I like my limbs.
Then I noticed the sign "Be A Ware of loose and broken tiles." I'll say. At least a fourth of the tiles were either missing or broken.
I'm guessing they tiled the pool a long time ago when the complex was built, and haven't bothered to replace the tiles or remove all the tiles and put something more swimmer-friendly like concrete. I'm sure in the US the pool would be condemned.
We had a great time in Thailand, for which I shall dedicate several posts.
First off, I am going to start with the flights, there and back.
Let me preface this by the past two times we have gone to see my family (in Colorado, 2006, 2008) the trips have been hellacious.
Christmas 2006
Christmas 2008
After these above two trips Alain sternly informed me "Never again are we going to your parents' in Colorado for Christmas. Unpredictable weather plus overbooked flights plus two or more connections is a no-can do." He commented that we had a 100% Christmas travel problem rate, which was not looking good. I argued that it was only a 50% rate, as the return trips for those two trips went well, but he said it was the overall trip that counts. I disagreed.
After much arguing, begging, and pleading, I got him to agree to go to Thailand this year, as it will be our last opportunity to go, as my sister and her family are leaving this year. He is not the best of travelers. He was worried that the plane would crash, that he would catch some horrible tropical disease, that he wouldn't be able to get his work done on time, etc.
Anyway, we were scheduled to leave from Marseille on Friday afternoon December 17th, to Munich, then to Bangkok.
When we tried to check in, we were informed that the flights to/from Germany were experiencing delays due to bad weather in Germany. They weren't sure when our flight would leave. We were scheduled for a three-hour layover in Munich, so we had a little leeway, but not too much. There was some confusion as well, because there were two flights Marseille-Munich scheduled about 2 hours apart, and almost the same numbers 2556 and 2558. We decided to wait until we found out whether there was actually going to BE a flight that day before surrendering our luggage. However, due to the similarities of the flight numbers, we almost missed the last check-in for our flight. We were forced to check-in, without being sure we would get out on Friday. I guess if you have to be stuck somewhere, it is better to be stuck at home, but when you have a squirrely traveling companion, it is best to get them en route so that they no longer have a choice of whether they will go or not. At least if we were stuck in Munich we would be almost forced to go on, but if we were stuck in Marseille for a day or two, I would have had that much more trouble to get him on the plane.
We checked in, went through security (next to the noisy Russian on his cellphone for 30 minutes), and got in the puddle-jumper, leaving about 2 hours later than scheduled. It was not the most reassuring plane for bad weather. They tried to stuff the passengers from both flights onto the one plane. I think they succeeded for the most part.
We got to Munich and went through passport control. They saw in my passport that I had been out of the US for awhile, so asked what I was doing here (in Europe). Don't arrest me, it's his fault. I showed him my carte de sejour (luckily I brought it with me), which I guess was acceptable. Alain went through next and was told "I guess you don't need a carte de sejour."
It turns out that our flight to Bangkok was delayed as well. I was hoping we would have some seats around us empty, but no such luck. We were seated in the middle 4-wide row of the huge plane. I was next to some German women who wouldn't shut up. After the meal I asked if they could please lower their voices as it was 1 a.m. and most everyone around was sleeping. They got all huffy and did not.
We arrived on Saturday, around 3 in the afternoon. It was quite a thermal shock, going from the blizzards of Germany to the heat of Bangkok. We got off and followed the hordes to customs. While filling out the customs form I saw the indication "Visa Number". Oh drat. Honey, um, I hope we don't actually need a visa.... Was a bit nervous that we would be sent back to France (for which Alain would never forgive me and I am sure we would never be going anywhere for Christmas again, or maybe just ever.) I guess tourists don't have a problem though because we were waved through without any problems. My sister was there waiting for us, and our luggage even came through!
Our return flight was on New Year's Eve. As I generally despise New Year's, missing this did not bother me.
We were scheduled to leave for the airport at around 9 p.m. for our flight at 11:50 pm. A little before we left, my brother-in-law Larry got a phone call from a buddy (Orlando) of his (whose wife works with my sister Leah). She is American and he is from the Dominican Republic. Her parents, brother and sister-in-law were in town for the holidays, and I guess he needed to get out of the house. In response to the question of what we were going for New Year's Larry told him that an airport run was scheduled and jokingly said he could come along if he had nothing better to do. Orlando accepted (I guess he REALLY needed to get away from his in-laws), so a little after 9, Alain, Larry, Mom, Dad, Orlando, and I piled into Larry's van, and we drove to the airport. It was a bit weird saying goodbye to family with a complete stranger there, but he moved away a bit to give us some privacy.
After our goodbyes, we went through passport control again (on a tourist visa must leave the country within 30 days or else there is a fine), then security, then went to the gate. The plane left a little before midnight, and was still in the ascent at midnight. They didn't make an announcement, or pass around champagne, or anything. No chatty Germans this time, for which I was thankful. I took two sleeping pills, put on my sleep mask and ear plugs, and managed to sleep a bit. On planes, I prefer to put my head forward, either on the tray or else against the back of the seat in front. However, as the person in front put their seat back (and we were in Economy) I couldn't lie straight, so had to lie in a neck-twisting position. Got off the plane (in Frankfurt this time) at 5 a.m. with a stiff neck.
Again through passport control and security, but no customs. I was worried that we should have picked up our luggage then re-checked it, but it made it to Marseille, so I guess not.
We were wandering around the Frankfurt airport, waiting for a damn coffee shop to open, when Alain ran into a former PhD student (Ivan) of his. Ivan is French-American and finished his thesis in October, then moved to Chicago for a post-doc position. He went to Budapest to see his girlfriend for the holidays, and was on his way back to Chicago. Very strange. Ivan didn't have much time before his flight, so they didn't chat long.
We got our flight to Marseille at around 8:30, getting back to Marseille at 10. We got our suitcase and were about to exit the secure area when a controller stopped us. He asked whether we were coming from Bangkok. We looked at each other and said yes. He asked if we had anything to declare. Um, no? He let us go. Alain was terrified that when leaving Bangkok we would get arrested for drugs that someone slipped in our suitcase and that we would be throw into Thai jail for 20 years. When we were stopped, the thought briefly crossed my mind. Noooo!! I'm an American!!! My sister works for the Embassy!!!
We weren't as exhausted coming back from Thailand as we were going. New Year's dinner was moved to the 2nd, at our request. I thought we would be too tired the day we arrived, but it turns out that we were somewhat awake. It always seems easier to adjust going from east to west than west to east (unless you cross the international date line). I wonder why that is?
Anyway, it was our best Christmas travel experience yet.
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Favorite Posts
I picked up my French passport this morning. It has been ready for awhile, I received the text message saying it was available for pick-u...
The above cartoon for kids to color, cut out, and fold into a cube shape. Then the cube is to be placed in the center of the table for remi...
One thing that you learn very quickly when starting to learn french is that absolutely everything has a gender. And you had better know it, ...
Got back from Strasbourg just fine. My wallet however, did not. After my long train trip back home, and being called "sale race" ...
you buy something from Sephora and get "premiér rides" (first wrinkles cream) samples. Sigh. Today is my birthday. The big 3-0. Su...
(all pictures from previous owner) We have three bedrooms, small, medium, and large. The smallest has blue wallpaper, a window over the ba...
What is this? you may ask. A modernist painting? A new Chinese board game? No my friends, it is the Nespresso capsule wall holder at my ...
It has finally happened. I am in desperate need of clothes. And I am not just saying this in the average woman way. I don't really lik...
I am a champion napper. I fully credit military school for honing my ability to sleep anytime, anywhere. Seriously, I firmly believe there...
In a desperate attempt to find something, anything to talk about, I have been going through my unpublished blog posts, trying to find someth...


text:
We need more Christians who will lead lives of repentance, for repentance always challenges pride.
If you're coming to God daily to confess to him how much you have sinned, you will find it hard to pretend that you are holier than everybody else. You'll find it hard to put on airs, to pose as the perfect Christian.
When others accuse you of sin, you won't immediately jump to defend yourself, as if of course you could never do wrong and any accusation must be a misunderstanding. Rather, when someone accuses you of sin, you'll respond by thinking there is a high probability that the accusation is true, and you won't be embarrassed to say, "Oh, yes, I did do that. And I am terribly sorry. Will you forgive me?"
If we are able to humble ourselves before God, we will be humble before men as well. And the church will be far better if there are more of us who are like that.
by John Frame, written in 'Salvation Belongs to our God.'
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind." - 1Peter 3:8
Reflections - ID >


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Super Bowl XLVI may go down in history as the faceoff that spurred more Monday-morning quarterbacking aimed at Clint Eastwood than Tom Brady.
Chrysler's Eastwood-narrated "Halftime in America" ad kicked off an ongoing game of political football over whether the spot touting Detroit's comeback-in-progress and the American spirit was a virtual campaign ad for President Obama – or simply an expensive two-minute pep rally intended to sell cars. Whatever the motives, the flap marks the latest – and perhaps oddest – clash yet between politics and pop culture in an increasingly strange election season filled with unlikely media meldings.
The ongoing GOP debates have been likened to a reality show – and Mitt Romney even compared the President's performance to reality star Kim Kardashian's marriage. The candidates, as we've noted, got an early start on playing the late-night TV comedy circuit, where they are regularly parodied. One comedian (Stephen Colbert) has raised more than $1 million for a Super Pac he's used – so far – to produce satirical political ads for TV and campaign for a former candidate (Herman Cain) in South Carolina. Another comedian (Roseanne Barr) is seeking the Green Party presidential nod (free campaign advice: avoid singing the National Anthem in public).
The "Halftime" Super Sunday ad came just days after Newt Gingrich dropped Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" from his campaign rally playlist and Romney jettisoned K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" following complaints from the songs' creators.
It all feels like something out of 1984 – not in the strict Orwellian sense, but in terms of an earlier watershed year for pop culture bumping up against presidential politics. That's the year Walter Mondale invoked a hamburger commercial catchphrase – "Where the Beef?" – during a Democratic candidates' debate. It's also when Bruce Springsteen demanded Republican incumbent Ronald Reagan stop using "Born in the U.S.A." as a campaign anthem.
There are much stronger echoes of The Gipper in the Eastwood ad, which recalls Reagan's classic 1984 "Morning in America" campaign commercial trumpeting the country's then ongoing return from recession. "It's morning again in America, and under the leadership of President Reagan, our country is prouder and stronger and better," the narrator intoned.
In Sunday's spot, Eastwood's gravelly voice declared: "It's halftime in America. And our second half's about to begin."
You need a scorecard to keep the controversy straight: A legendary actor with outspoken Republican and Libertarian leanings is being accused (most notably by Karl Rove) of echoing a classic political ad from an actor-turned-GOP icon to thank a Democratic president for an auto industry bailout that Eastwood personally opposed.
The reason the old Reagan ad and the new Chrysler spot are effective is because they, at least on the surface, transcend politics to present an image of resilient Americans able to meet challenges and rise from adversity through hard work and determination. It's a message of optimism that's seemingly hard to argue with, as Eastwood noted.
"It was meant to be a message just about job growth and the spirit of America," Eastwood said in statement sent to Fox News' Bill O'Reilly Monday. "I think all politicians will agree with it. I thought the spirit was okay."
Eastwood is essentially presenting the ad as a Rorschach test – it is whatever you see in it. The ad, though, isn't easily categorized – much like Eastwood, a versatile actor and filmmaker known for playing characters ranging from the shoot-first-ask-questions-later cop "Dirty" Harry Callahan to the haunted, aging gunslinger William Munny in the myth-breaking Western "Unforgiven."
Take a timeout to watch the "Halftime" commercial and judge for yourself whose day Chrysler and Eastwood were trying to make:
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.


text:
Intel® WiDi Technology and Intel® Pro WiDi Applications Discontinued Notice
Intel has made the decision to discontinue marketing and development of Intel® WiDi technology and Intel® Pro WiDi applications and related receiver certification program effective immediately. Now that the Miracast* standard is natively supported in the Microsoft Windows* 8.1 and 10 operating system for wireless display capabilities with strong user experience, Intel is redirecting its resources and focus to future areas of growth.
We Recommend the Intel Unite® Solution for You
Intel Unite® solution, a simple, cost-effective, customizable collaboration and wireless content sharing solution that is manageable and more secure. Intel Unite® solution is an open platform, so it works with your existing infrastructure, across many devices and operating systems.


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I don't see the blue one anymore. I only saw that one at the beggining. Nowadays I only see the green/brown/grey one.
Has anyone actually found the cream color Meena Tills?
there's a cream color Meena Tills? y is this not reported on sites like GalacticHunter.com etc? they usually would report variants if it were to be true
has anybody here spotted the meena tillis variation / error reported about on the rebelscum main page? by variation, i mean the light cream colored face version. just wondering if this is a widespread variation or some kind of unintentional production error where only a small amount leaked out.
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text: Get a glimpse inside our community through those who know it best – our residents. Our Meet The Residents series highlights the distinctive stories of those who call Vi home. But becoming part of our community is just the tip of the iceberg – you'll learn about the compelling lives they lead, the accomplishments they've achieved, and the amazing impact they continue to make. It's a chance to take a peek inside the lives of the people you could one day call "neighbor."


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World wide shipping
Free for all orders +250€
Free for all orders +250€
162,00 €
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Let me give you some insight info on why that tiny piece of fabric costs over €150? This is the real reason behind the cost of designer swimwear
Many people do not realize swimwear benefits from specialized treatment. Furthermore, it's common for people to overlook or simply disregard the washing and care instructions found on the inside tags. This almost always leads to the wearer's disappointment and/or dissatisfaction. Regardless of how much you paid for your swimsuit, taking care of your swimwear the right way is will leave you with clean, colorful, beautiful swimwear for years to come.
Ocean is my home


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In buying a home, it is perhaps one of the major investment you'll ever make in your lifetime. If you decide to occupy the house, it can be self gratifying if the house you buy has the ambiance of that "look and feel" of a home.
Read moreYour Basic Guide In Home Buying Based On Philippine Experience


text:
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Yesterday, the boys and I did an outdoor project.
I love the Fall season, and it is actually becoming my favorite season as I get older, over summer. I love the cooler temps, being able to open the windows again and turn off the A/C, and watching the leaves turn beautiful colors. I have recently decorated the front of our house with fall items--mums, pumpkins and gourds, straw bales, scarecrows...you get the idea. Colin and Cameron LOVE drawing with sidewalk chalk, and I thought it would be a great idea to have them help me add a home-made touch to our decorations....a Welcome sign on our sidewalk.
So, we did just that.
I drew the outlines of the letters, and the boys picked out different colors of chalk to color the letters in. Colin colored in the letters, while Cameron.....lets just say he colored everywhere BUT the letters. (Ethan watched intently on a blanket next to me. He, however, became quickly bored of the project and decided to get himself on his belly and over to the side of the blanket where he could try to eat some grass.)
I think their masterpiece turned out great, and we had a lot of fun doing it!


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Posted 9 years ago
(476 items)
This print is Black ink only and the brown dirt looks like it was put on without ink, on cloth. It is 6 by 10 inch.The wood is cherry wood maybe, really loving and hard , the back had wood so the print is yellow from the wood. Also it has a name on back. We have a lot from 1850-1890s f form the wife of a Captain of a Clipper ship They went to China, India and Australia and then around the world for 10 years. This looks like is was from her? I do not know what is called?


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New shoes, new shoes,
Red and pink and blue shoes,
Tell me which would you choose
If they let us buy.
"Choosing Shoes"
Red and pink and blue shoes.
Tell me, what would you choose,
If they'd let us buy?
Pretty pointy-toe shoes,
Strappy, cappy low shoes;
Let's have some to try.
Dandy-dance-by-night shoes,
Perhaps-a-little-tight shoes,
Like some? So would I.
Flat shoes, fat shoes,
Stump-along-like-that shoes,
Wipe-them-on-the-mat shoes,
That's the sort they'll buy.