text:
Happy Anniversary, Elaine,
"in our prime and flowering years."
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Happy Anniversary to us
By Michael Leddy at 1:15 PM comments: 0
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
SMiLE is here
Released today on Nonesuch (Wilco's label too). It begins with a wordless prayer and ends with the wordless vocal segment of "Good Vibrations." It journeys from Plymouth Rock to Blue Hawaii, from innocence to experience and back again. It is a work of ambition, humor, and youth. SMiLE is amazing. It is also the number-one-selling item on Amazon.com today. Charleston's Wal-Mart had one copy this afternoon.
By Michael Leddy at 7:12 PM comments: 0
"Intercolleg[i]ate," continued
The misspelled signs that I wrote about last week have disappeared from Fourth Street, and will, I trust, reappear with correct spelling in the near future. Behold the power of blogging? Not really. I wrote to Lou Hencken about the signs and received an immediate reply saying that he'd look into the matter. I will say though that it was writing about the signs here that prompted me to send the email.
By Michael Leddy at 1:31 PM comments: 0
Just one look
I've always loved the end of Odyssey 16. Odysseus and Telemachus are out in the country when Odysseus (in disguise as a beggar) and Telemachus share a private glance in the hut of the swineherd Eumaeus:
Telemachus smiled, feeling his ancestors'This passage from a book review in the Christian Science Monitor just gave me a new way to think about the significance of this scene:
And glanced at Odysseus, avyoiding the
swineherd's eye.
(Lombardo translation)
The critical concept in The First Idea is what the authors call "co-regulated emotional signaling." By this they mean the affectionate back-and-forth between baby and caregiver. Mom and Baby make eye contact, and when Mom smiles at Baby, Baby smiles back.I've always thought of this moment in the Odyssey in terms of the knowing look partners might give each other in a social setting. How interesting though to think of Odysseus and Telemachus as bonding in the way that a father and an infant son would bond. Telemachus is "reborn" as Odysseus's son at the beginning of Odyssey 2. And Odysseus is, almost literally, a new father, having not seen his son in twenty years. His relationship with Telemachus is less than a day old when they share this moment of silent, eye-to-eye, mind-to-mind communication.
It would be simplistic to say that the authors see games of peekaboo and patty-cake as the foundations of civilization—but it would not be completely wide of the mark. It is just this sort of nonverbal "conversation," the authors argue, that was essential to the development of language among early humans and remains essential to each child's learning to talk today.
By Michael Leddy at 9:48 AM comments: 0
Monday, September 27, 2004
I'm the Teacher . . . (brief review)
I just finished an interesting if ultimately disappointing book by Patrick Allitt, professor of history and holder of the Arthur Blank Chair for Teaching Excellence at Emory University. I'm the Teacher, You're the Student: A Semester in the University Classroom recounts the ups and downs of one course, an introduction to modern American history. Despite the stern title (designed, no doubt, to appeal to critics of higher education looking for a report from a hard-liner), Allitt's account too often reveals him to be a happy panderer, dispensing "good" grades to work that by his own admission is outrageously bad while priding himself on his classroom rigor and his refusal to bend to his students' pleas and demands. He seems not to see the contradictions and ironies in his situation. He insists upon good writing, yet appears unsurprised by the ungainly and error-ridden papers he receives all semester long. (And when a student turns in a much-improved essay, he laments that it isn't as "entertaining" as an earlier effort that was filled with mistakes.) Grade inflation, he says, is endemic, but it's too much trouble, he also says, not to go along, what with complaints from parents and pressure from deans. Thus he gives grades of B- to students who deserve (in his judgment) Fs.
I was also put off by Allitt's breezy and inconsistent handling of procedures. His syllabus (included as an appendix) includes no policies regarding late work, yet he complains when he receives pleading, excuse-making emails from students who must feel that with no clear policy, their only hope is to try everything they can to move the prof. He quotes (and mocks) one at length, and gives us his reply, which never tells the student whether she may turn in late work. Another student, having turned in a wholly plagiarized essay, is given the chance to write another essay and receives "the lowest passing grade." That'll teach him, right? Where do grades come from, by the way? "Out of my head," Allitt writes, "but in a rich social context." Quizzes, according to his syllabus, count for 10% of the semester grade, but he gives only two quizzes all semester and decides at the semester's end that "In reality, then, those ten are going to have to be distributed elsewhere." I wonder what a student who took the syllabus seriously and studied hard for those quizzes might say about that.
I like Allitt's habit of asking questions of his students and his emphasis on map-making and drawing as ways to understand the past. His descriptions of teaching with slides make me wish I had had a history prof who made significant use of visual materials. But too often Allitt's attitudes suggest to me everything that I most dislike about academia, not least of which is the sense that college teaching is a really good racket: "It's a great life being a professor: the benefits are major, the irritants minor."
By Michael Leddy at 9:27 PM comments: 3
You can find Daniel Mendelsohn's astute essay on the movie here.
By Michael Leddy at 10:00 AM comments: 0
Sunday, September 26, 2004
SMiLE on NPR
Here is a link to a 15-minute-long NPR piece on SMiLE, with comments from Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks and many musical excerpts. This piece gives a good sense of the scope of SMiLE and tracks the human story (of Brian Wilson's breakdown and fragile recovery) with honesty and respect.
[SMiLE is the traditional spelling, as in the original album-cover art by Frank Holmes.]
By Michael Leddy at 11:03 AM comments: 0
Saturday, September 25, 2004
No job too small
I see more frequent and more exotic homonym errors than I used to. Maybe the most surprising so far is pros for prose. But sometimes even a familiar error stands out for sheer improbability:
"No job to small."That's the motto (in large bold print) on an advertising flyer for a home handyman. My dad received it in the mail and sent it to me recently, sans comment. He knew I'd catch his point.
I'm not one of those people who equate proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation habits with something akin to moral superiority, priding themselves on their rectitude and looking down their noses at everyone else. I do believe though that spelling counts. There could be many reasons why the flyer quoted above came out wrong, and the guy who sent it out might be an ace of home repair. But reader, if you didn't already know that, would "No job to small" persuade you to call him? Does his presentation inspire confidence?
A memory: Before my dad retired as a ceramic tile contractor, he received countless compliments from his customers, not only on his tile work but also on the care with which he prepared his written estimates. Truly, no job is too small to do right, and that includes spelling.
[Note: "No job to small" seems to be a remarkably common mistake. A Google search just turned up 5,950 hits. "No job too small" turned up 34,900 hits. And Leddy Ceramic Tile will now turn up at least one.]
By Michael Leddy at 9:58 PM comments: 2
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Field of dreams?
Walk along the street, and you'll see the signs, three in a row:
Intercollegate Women's Rugby Field.There's a fourth sign on the fence at the south end of a field:
Intercollegate Women's Rugby Field.
Intercollegate Women's Rugby Field.
Intercollegate Women's Rugby Field.Our university is pressed for funds, and making replacement signs with correct spelling might not be the most practical use of money. But these signs make a very clear statement to anyone in or out of the university who sees them—that we either don't know or don't care that they're wrong. Neither possibility reflects very well on a university community.
Another way to look at the problem: Don't the women who play intercollegiate rugby on this field deserve signage that doesn't detract from the dignity of their sport?
By Michael Leddy at 6:17 PM comments: 0
Translators at work and play
Here's the Phaeacian princess Nausicaa in Odyssey 6 asking her father for the wagon so that she can go down to the river and do the laundry.
Richmond Lattimore:
"Daddy dear, will you not have them harness me the"Daddy dear" doesn't ring true to me, and it's not because I'm judging by 21st-century standards. The words don't ring true to me as mid-20th-century American English. "[W]ill you not have them" seems unnecessarily cumbersome; "harness me the wagon" simply awkward.
the high one with the good wheels"
Robert Fagles:
"Daddy dear,Yikes! "Daddy dear" all over again. The ellipsis is Fagles', not mine. In his translations of Homer and Aeschylus (and perhaps elsewhere too) his speakers tend to . . . zone out, for no apparent . . . reason. For me, the cumulative effect is tedious. And would anyone really interrupt such a simple request by adding the words "I wonder"? Why would Nausicaa wonder whether her father would act? Fagles' attempts to suggest natural speech here seem stilted. Still, this translation is less cumbersome than Lattimore's.
I wonder, won't you have them harness a wagon for
the tall one with the good smooth wheels? . . . "
Stanley Lombardo:
"Daddy, would you please hitch up a wagon for me—Now I really hear the voice of a daughter. As a teenaged princess, Nausicaa doesn't need to wonder whether her father will do what she asks. As the father of a daughter myself, it occurs to me to ask: Is Nausicaa making a request, or is she simply telling her father what she expects him to do? Hmm.
A high one that rolls well"
"[H]itch up" is a nice American touch.
Robert Fitzgerald:
"My dear Papà, could you not send the mule cartFitzgerald's version of these lines is my favorite among the four. "My dear Papà" seems just right for a princess addressing her father. Such easy elegance! What a wonderful way to bring the charmed, magical world of the Phaeacians into our language. Fitzgerald is departing from the sense of the Greek with pretty, but pretty wheels do seem right in the Phaeacian world of aesthetic pleasures.
around for me—the gig with pretty wheels?"
By Michael Leddy at 8:10 AM comments: 0
Monday, September 20, 2004
A poem for Hector
The Greek Anthology is a collection of more than 4,000 short poems written over roughly 1,700 years (beginning in 700 BCE). The best source for selections in translation is Dudley Fitts' Poems from the Greek Anthology (1938). Fitts is a brilliant translator and presents the poems in sharp, terse, perennially modern English. If you've read Oedipus in a classroom setting, you've probably read the translation by Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald.
Here is Fitts' translation of an epitaph for Hector, from a poet known as Archias the Macedonian:
Stone, who was his father that lies beneath you?
What was his name? His country? What was his death?
His father was Priam. Ilion his country. His name
Was Hektor. He met death fighting for his land.
By Michael Leddy at 7:55 PM comments: 0
Saturday, September 18, 2004
Cave bling
Our concern with material wealth and status and the Homeric world's preoccupation with τιμη seem to have deep, deep roots. Here are some excerpts from an Ananova news service article, concerning a piece in the British journal New Scientist:
Beads, jewellery and ornaments found at a cave in Blombos, South Africa, are thought to be status symbols dating back up to 77,000 years. Until now it had been thought that an interest in fancy accessories only started around 40,000 years ago.
The New Scientist report says the earliest nomadic hunters were far more civilised than thought previously. And the lust for bling led to an early pecking-order in which people with the right gear seemed more important: "Prestige goods could be the first step on the road to modern civilisation, paving the way for agriculture and urbanisation. No one believes the guy who spends £670,000 on a Bugatti Veyron does so because he needs to travel at 250mph. We all know he is buying an exclusive status symbol. But don't knock it—he is just being civilised."
By Michael Leddy at 10:05 PM comments: 0
WEIU-FM, r.i.p.
Here's the text of a letter to the local paper:
Ten years ago, anyone in our community could tune to WEIU-FM and hear music from the rest of the world. Only listeners who knew WEIU-FM in its glory days can fully appreciate the cultural resource that's been lost in the shift to "Hit-Mix" programming. It's grimly ironic that a university whose mission statement claims a commitment to "free inquiry" in "a diverse world" should feature a radio station whose main selling point is that every song is already familiar. Familiar to whom?WEIU-FM was indeed a local treasure: classical music in the morning, jazz in the afternoon, indie rock and specialty shows on weeknights (world music, country-folk-bluegrass, blues, and hip-hop), free-form shows on weekends. No station in the area (and probably no station in the state of Illinois) provided a comparable range of music. Mi esposa Elaine Fine did the classical programming for many years, and I did a weekly jazz show (and an occasional free-form show) for several years, so to me the end of the real WEIU-FM is a very personal loss.
When I was a teenager, listening to old blues recordings on Columbia University's WKCR-FM changed my musical life. Many EIU students have been introduced to and have grown to love classical music and jazz via WEIU-FM. Now jazz has been cut to a mere four hours a week. Classical music, indie rock, and hip-hop have been eliminated altogether. And so the cultural life of our community moves further toward bland homogeneity.
The whole point of college radio is to provide alternatives to the commercial airwaves, not more of the same. The "Hit-Mix" format makes WEIU-FM an embarrassing anomaly in the world of college radio.
Another WEIU-FM post
Hit and miss
By Michael Leddy at 1:38 AM comments: 1
Thursday, September 16, 2004
The Sims, the gods, and us
From a New York Times article on Sims 2:
Sims 2, a much enhanced version of the life-simulation game from Maxis, is the video-game answer to reality television shows like "The Real World" and "Big Brother." Like these shows, Sims 2 allows the lives of its characters to unfold in moments of chaos and carnality. But unlike television, in which the audience is confined to the role of passive viewer, the game puts you into the action in the role of a god. And not a distant, magnanimous god, but one of those petty Roman gods who amuse themselves by toying with people.I wish the writer had said Greek gods, but you get the idea.
Tip: You can read the full article on the Times site by typing "mediajunkie" (without quotation marks) as both user name and password. The magic word "mediajunkie" will get you into many free news sites that require registration.
By Michael Leddy at 11:14 PM comments: 0
Paris, pretty-boy
"Paris, you desperate, womanizing pretty boy!"
What is Hector really saying when he rebukes his brother in Iliad 3? I got curious enough this morning to look at the Greek.
That sounds scary, but figuring out the Greek is relatively easy, even if (like me) you don't know Greek. There are books that help you to go word by word, and there's a remarkable website, the Perseus Digital Library, where you can zero in on any passage in an ancient Greek or Latin author and click word by word to get a sense of what's said.
For Lombardo's line, I stuck with books. Here's how Hector addresses his brother, word by word (with the Greek words transliterated into our alphabet):
"Duspari, eidos ariste, gunaimanês, hêperopeuta"
The line might be literally translated like this:
"Unhappy Paris, best in figure, mad for women, deceiver"
Duspari = unhappy Paris
eidos = form, shape, figure
ariste = best
gunaimanês = mad for women
hêperopeuta = deceiver
Desperate is an inspired way of bringing Duspari (which sounds like desperate) into English.
Gunaimanes combines the Greek words for women and mad. Paris is literally mad for women. We might say that he's girl-crazy, which would go well with his immaturity, but girl-crazy is probably too light-hearted for the context.
There's no pretty boy in the Greek, but Hector's praise of his brother's looks makes sense only if it's bitter sarcasm. Pretty boy suggests the right sort of contempt. I wonder if the sound of hêperopeuta inspired Lombardo to think of pretty boy.
It's amazing what you can find when you go back to the Greek.
By Michael Leddy at 1:51 PM comments: 2
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Stanley Lombardo interview
3009 and 2601 students: You can find the text of an interview with Stanley Lombardo here.
How did this interview come about? Stanley Lombardo came to our campus in November 2001 as a special guest at a conference for high-school teachers who teach the Odyssey. When he was taking questions (after a great reading of Book 5), he was saying wonderful things about Homer and translation. Later in the day I asked him if he'd ever been interviewed about such stuff. He hadn't. So I asked if he'd like to do an interview. He was very generous with his time, and we were both very happy with what resulted.
I think anyone who's started reading Homer can get something from this interview--you don't have to be an "expert." I'm reluctant to point brand-new readers of Homer to it, but students who've read this interview after reading Homer for a while have told me that they wish they'd read it earlier on. If you read the interview, e-mail me and let me know what you get from it.
For anyone interested in contemporary poetry, Jacket, the home of this interview, is an indispensable resource, edited and published by John Tranter in Australia.
(Thanks to Rachel for showing me how to do italics and links.)
By Michael Leddy at 6:41 PM comments: 0
A place to start
"If you're going to be this uptight and worried about it, you're not going to be a very happy blogger. Just say 'This is my new blog; I'm trying it out. Thanks to my son and daughter. I hope it works out.'"
Good advice.
This is my new blog. Thanks to Rachel and Ben for getting me started (and to Rachel for telling me what to say).
"Orange Crate Art," by the way, is the title song of a 1995 album by Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson. The song was my introduction to each man's music and is, to my mind, one of the great American songs.
By Michael Leddy at 6:05 PM


text: 'Ugly' - The Tomcat Everyone in the apartment complex I lived in knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident tomcat. Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and, shall we say, love. The combination of these things combined with a life spent outside had their effect on Ugly. To start with, he had only one eye and where the other should have been was a hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, his left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one time, and had healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner. Ugly would have been a dark gray tabby, striped type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, and even his shoulders. Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. "That's one UGLY cat!!!" All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave. Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around your feet in forgiveness. Whenever he spied children, he would come running, meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love. If you ever picked him up he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earrings, whatever he could find. One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbor's dogs. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly mauled. I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was apparent Ugly's sad life was almost at an end. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home, I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. It must be hurting him terribly, I thought. Then I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on my ear. Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying, was trying to suckle my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion. At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain. Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards, thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion about what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly. Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures, or talk show specials ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I cared for. Many people want to be richer, more successful, well liked, beautiful, but for me... I will always try to be Ugly. Author Unknown

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint by Edward Tufte
Edward Tufte has a new 24-page pamphlet out called The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint on how to improve your PowerPoint presentations:
In corporate and government bureaucracies, the standard method for making a presentation is to talk about a list of points organized onto slides projected up on the wall. For many years, overhead projectors lit up transparencies, and slide projectors showed high-resolution 35mm slides. Now "slideware" computer programs for presentations are nearly everywhere. Early in the 21st century, several hundred million copies of Microsoft PowerPoint were turning out trillions of slides each year.
Alas, slideware often reduces the analytical quality of presentations. In particular, the popular PowerPoint templates (ready-made designs) usually weaken verbal and spatial reasoning, and almost always corrupt statistical analysis. What is the problem with PowerPoint? And how can we improve our presentations?
I love the cover image.


text:
Create a wall of protection around your business with drywall contractor insurance.
Drywall contractor insurance helps protect your business.
The two biggest risks your drywall contractor business faces are property damage and injury. General liability insurance helps insure against both of these. For example, if one of your employees damages a client's property while installing drywall, general liability insurance may help pay for the damage. Or, if a tool is left out and someone is injured when they trip over it, your general liability insurance may cover the cost of medical treatment or legal costs if you are sued.
Coverage for environmental hazards.
It may not seem as though drywall contractors face risks involving environmental hazards, but there is a significant one for those who are also involved in the removal of walls and ceilings as part of a remodeling process. Older structures may contain lead-based paint and asbestos, both of which require special handling. Environmental impairment liability insurance may help pay for costs associated with clean-up, bodily harm, and property damage.
How is the cost of coverage determined?
There are multiple factors that may play a role in the cost of coverage, such as the type of drywall work you do, where your business is located, as well as the size of your team.
What are the most important coverages for drywall contractors?
General insurance coverages such as business auto, commercial property, general liability, and workers' compensation are essential for drywall contractors.
Protecting your business everywhere you are.
Drywall contractor insurance should include business auto insurance. As a business that travels from job site to job site, it's crucial that your vehicles are covered in case they are involved in an accident. Business auto insurance offers financial protection if one of your company cars or trucks causes property damage or bodily injury. Insurance may also be available for physical damage to one of your own vehicles.
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text:
(NOTE: This isn't a sponsored post and I wasn't reimbursed in any way. I just think it's helpful to get some extra info before spending lots of hard-earned money and wanted to pass along our thoughts)
Check out our stay (list of tips at the end of the post) ...
The main feature of the lodge is the large indoor waterpark and that's where we spent the majority of our time. The passes for the waterpark are included in your room costs and it's only available for use by guests staying at the hotel. (which helps to control the size of the crowds). However, guests are free to use the facilities starting at 1pm on the day they check in and the full rest of the day after their 11am checkout.
When you enter the waterpark there's a large climbing structure in the center. There are all sorts of nets, tunnels, slides and ways to dump and squirt water on those around you. There's also a huge bucket of water that dumps out 1,000 gallons of water on the people below every 5 minutes. (My kids LOVED the pouring water and would run over to stand under it when the warning bell went off)
The large wave pool was also a big hit with my kids. They liked floating on a raft in the middle or being at the edge where the waves were breaking. It was nice to have that beach experience without any sharp shells poking your feet or sand getting in your suit!
There were lots of other fun attractions too ~ floating logs to hop across, a surfing simulator, shallow kids' pool and slides, hot tubs (one for adults and another for kids), and a lazy river.
There were also several large waterslides that I don't have pictures of, although I did ride them each several times! (You can see the resort photos of them HERE.) My son declared the Howling Tornado, with its big drop into a huge funnel, his "favorite ride ever, anywhere!" and I have to agree it was really cool. We also liked the River Canyon Run with its darkened tunnel and flashing lights and the Alberta Falls where you twist and turn down one of two large slides. Even the two smaller water slides off the central climbing area were lots of fun.
While the cost for our whole little trip, even with a Groupon, was a few hundred dollars, it was definitely a fun and memorable trip for the kids and a really special treat. I couldn't afford to go back often, but we'd love to return again at some point.
Now for the tips and a few things worth mentioning...
- If you can arrange it, try to go on a weekday. We stayed Sunday into Monday and the crowds were manageable. The longest lines (approx. 20-30 minutes at times) were for the Howling Tornado, River Canyon Run, and Flow Rider surfing ride. Most of the other areas you could go right into. I've heard it can be much more crowded on weekends.
- Take advantage of the online check in. I didn't and had to wait in a really long line to check in on Sunday afternoon. I noticed that people who had done the online check in were able to go into a much, much shorter line. (info should be in the reservation email).
- Instead of a traditional room key, the plastic wristband you get at check in is somehow electronically coded to give you access to your room. (It's pretty cool, you just pass it in front of your door and it unlocks.) You can also set up your wristband to allow purchases to be charged to your room. It was really nice not to have to worry about keeping track of your wallet or room key while in the water.
- Plan for some of your meals to be outside the lodge. There are several eateries inside but you'll pay amusement park premium prices for your meals. We grabbed lunch before we checked in at one of the restaurants close to the lodge and ate dinner at another restaurant on our 2nd day when we left.
- Pack some snacks for your room. I packed breakfast foods and some snacks so I could keep costs down. You're not supposed to bring outside food into the waterpark area (there is a snack bar), but I did notice several families around us who brought in small snacks and drinks in their bags.
- Try to have someone get down to the waterpark right when it opens to claim a table. My son and I were at the doors right at 9am and were able to stake out a good table to serve as our "homebase" for the day. By 10am, nearly all the tables had been staked out.
- The lodge does provide free towels for use in the waterpark area. They were perfect for the kids, but a little small for an adult. You might one to bring a beach towel of your own if you want to be able to wrap it all the way around you.
- I thought there was plenty to do in the waterpark area for kids of all ages. Because that was the main reason we went, we didn't do many of the other activities in the lodge. However, I noticed lots of kids playing a Magic Quest game with a special wand (costs extra) and that could be a fun alternative to a whole day in the water, especially if you stay for more than one night. There was also an arcade, spa, art room, storytimes and activities in the lobby, and more. I can imagine it would get extremely pricy if you let your kids do all the extras, though.
- I found the place to be clean and well maintained and the staff we dealt with were usually quite friendly and helpful. (I often expect the worst after reading online reviews, but we had no problems.) However, I will admit that the pizza we got at the lodge for dinner was pretty gross, especially considering it cost close to $20.
- The lifeguards in the waterpark were very attentive and I felt comfortable letting my kids (ages 7, 9 and 10) buddy up and go on some waterslides or attractions without me right by their side.
- We stayed in the Loft Fireplace Suite and it was HUGE! It had two double beds, a separate seating area with a pull out couch, a small balcony, a fireplace and stairs leading up to a loft with another double bed and a half bath.
- Since we were planning on staying at the park after checkout at 11, I took most of our belongings out to the car. I rented a locker in the waterpark for $10 to hold our change of clothes, my purse and camera so I'd have quick access to them until we left the resort around 5pm.
I hope you've found this post helpful if you're planning your own trip to a Great Wolf Lodge.


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Ralph Ellison would not allow his National Book Award–winning 1952 novel, Invisible Man, to be made into a movie or play. The writer's estate, however, relented, and here he is, Ellison's nameless African-American narrator, his "hole" outside Harlem relocated to the BU Theatre, beneath a shimmering crown of lights pilfered from Monopolated Light & Power. Are all of the book's 1369 bulbs alight and accounted for? If you felt the urge to count, Teagle F. Bougere, as the self-described socially invisible man, would not be doing his job. And believe me, as his character huddles up with Louis Armstrong and the phantoms of a life's experience of bigotry, quashed opportunity, and political betrayal, the earnest yet incendiary actor is doing his job.
This powerful if sometimes plodding production, a collaboration of the Huntington Theatre Company and Washington DC's Studio Theatre, is just the second outing for Oren Jacoby's stage adaptation, which premiered at Chicago's Court Theatre last year (director Christopher McElroen and Bougere worked on that production as well). At the insistence of Ellison's executor, the adaptation is scrupulously faithful. All dialogue comes from the novel — which proves searingly effective in the abbreviated prologue and epilogue, the latter delivered with a discomforting hint of audience implication by the lead character as he breaches the fourth wall, gearing up for renewed action. Elsewhere the play is strongest when it reaches beyond the historical/political to capture the hallucinatory effect of the novel. This is exemplified by the famed Battle Royal, in which the narrator shows up to deliver a high-school speech to a bunch of white fat cats and is instead inserted into a grotesque display of blindfolded boxing with other young black men.
In this epic if shadowy staging, enhanced by staccato 1930s period projections, Bougere simultaneously suggests the respectful idealism of the youth headed out to college and the cynicism-laced anger of the man biding his time in the urban underbelly. Bougere is ably abetted by an ensemble of nine, the mightiest of whom are Johnny Lee Davenport as power-corrupted "Negro" college President Bledsoe, among other roles, and Jeremiah Kissel as folksily ruthless mentor/organizer Brother Jack. In Ellison's jazz- and jive-influenced, symbol-saturated world, treachery would seem to come in all colors.
INVISIBLE MAN :: Boston University Theatre :: Through February 3 :: $25-$95 :: 617.266.0800 or huntingtontheatre.org
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Big O Tires
Mon - Fri 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Sunday Closed
About Us
The Big O Tires story begins back in 1962, just as America's new love affair with the automobile was hitting high gear. The market for replacement tires was exploding, and independent tire dealers found themselves struggling to compete in the face of low prices offered by major tire manufacturers' own company stores. Big O's founding fathers were a handful of progressive independent tire dealers who decided to band together to form a tire-buying cooperative so that they could secure volume pricing and keep their customers happy. Their concept worked. In the years that followed, The Big O Tires co-op evolved into a full-fledged franchise as it continued to find innovative ways to harness the power of the collective to benefit independent dealerships and their customers.
Almost a half-decade later, Big O Tires has become North America's largest retail tire franchisor, with over 400 independently-owned and operated locations in 20 states, providing customers with a broad range of automotive services in addition to quality tires, wheels and accessories.
In 1996, Big O Tires joined forces with one of the largest and most respected tire marketers in the nation when it became part of the TBC Retail Group, an automotive retail network comprised of some 1,200 Big O Tires, Tire Kingdom, Merchant's and NTB locations spanning 40 U.S. states. Big O's reach was broadened again in 2005, when TBC Corporation was acquired by Sumitomo Corporation of America, the largest wholly-owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sumitomo, one of the world's leading traders of goods and services.
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Teresa Bowne
- Phone: (573) 426-5599
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Carrie Romine
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The academic journal New Balkan Politics (NBP) seeks to publish original, research oriented works, relevant to the field of study. The political crises in Macedonia, jeopardizing the democratic procedures, unsolved issues with the neighboring countries, postponed negotiations with the EU and NATO, interethnic politics and its implication on the security and the stability of the country are the challenging themes for the new issue. Any other paper with comparative relevance to Macedonia and the Balkans, as well as papers in the general field of politics and ethnicity are welcomed.
Submitted papers will be peer reviewed. The language of the manuscripts is English (only by exception manuscripts in the Macedonian language will be accepted). Authors should send their papers to the scientific secretary of the journal Aneta Cekik, Ph.D at the email address: firstname.lastname@example.com
Authors should submit their manuscripts electronically in Microsoft Word Doc format; Times New Roman; 12-point. Manuscripts should not exceed 6000 words, including a 200-300 words abstract, 3 to 6 key words, references and other elements. They should begin with the title of the paper, followed by the name(s) of the author(s), institutional affiliation(s), correspondence address(es) and e-mail address(es). All pages should be numbered. Authors are discouraged from using figures. (If there is sufficient cause to include figures, authors must submit original electronic copies in EPS, TIF, or high-resolution JPG format. If tables are included, they must be created in Word, not Excel).
All submissions must follow the Harvard reference style.
A declaration from the author(s) affirming this is their original work should accompany the submission.
New Balkan Politics (NBP) is the first Macedonian international, peer reviewed journal in the area of Political Sciences, member of Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), EBSCO and Pro Quest. A group of eminent scholars are responsible for the launching of this journal in 2001. Its primary goal is to cover topics in the areas of political theory, ethnic and regional politics and security. NBP is published twice a year in an electronic form: New Balkan Politics (ISSN 1409-9454).
Editor in Chief:
Mirjana Maleska, Ph.D.
Doctoral School of Political Science
Ss.Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje


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The guiding vision for Academic Affairs is that we are continually engaged in developing human potential through the power of learning and community. We are united in the fact that learning is our purpose.
Academic Affairs is comprised of 11 academic areas, with approximately 250 full-time faculty, more than 700 adjunct faculty, 75 full-time administrative and support staff as well as 45 part-time employees.
We have collective responsibility for more than 175 career certificates, certificates of achievement and associate degree programs. This site is designed with the intent to provide relevant information about our operations, activities and priorities.
Academic Deans and Support Areas Programs of Study


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The driving licence system in South African went through an overhaul in 1998 from the old system to the new system. While there have been tweaks to the system over the years, for the majority it's stayed the same. Here's a quick summary of the current system, with equivalent codes from the old system.
When the new system was implemented, everyone who had an old licence of the form Code 8, Code 12 etc. was given an equivalent licence in the new letter format, eg. B, EC etc. To this day people still often refer to having a code 12 licence, although the system is not used in practice.
Learner's Licence
There are three main categories of licences. Light Motor Vehicles, Heavy Motor Vehicles and Motor Cycles. Before you can get either one of these licences, you must first write a learner's licence exam. This is a 1 hour theory exam, to test your knowledge of the rules of the road. There are three different learner's licences available, each one applying to a different vehicle class. These licences are:
Code 1: Motorcycles
Code 2: Light Motor Vehicles
Code 3: Heavy Motor Vehicles
A Heavy motor vehicle is considered any vehicle with a GVM over 3,500kg (3.5 tons), and a light motor vehicle anything below. There was talk 2 years ago about combining learners licences so as not to require people who already have a licence to rewrite their learner's licence, but this was never passed. Currently a Learner's Licence is valid for 2 years. Once you have a learner's licence for a vehicle, you are free to drive that vehicle as long as there is a driver licenced for that vehicle in the passenger seat with you. You may drive on freeways, and have additional passengers. If you want to get your Driver's Licence, you must apply so that your test occurs before your learner's licence expires. If you have a learner's licence for a motorcycle, you may drive by yourself (I've also heard you're not allowed passengers, unsure).
You may only apply for a Code 2 Learner's Licence if you are over the age of 17. For a Code 1 licence you may apply when you are 16 (limited to 125cc). I have heard that you must be 18 before applying for a Code 3 learner's licence.
Driver's Licence
For motorcycles there are two licences available. An A, and a A1 licence. An A1 licence you may hold from the age of 17, and is limited to motorcycles with an engine capacity of 125cc or less. You may only get an A licence once you turn 18, and permits you to drive any motorcycle.
Light motor vehicles have two classes. Either a B (old code 7) or an EB (old code 8). The B licence is the standard driver's licence that most people get. It allows you to drive any Light Motor Vehicle and tow a trailer with a GVM less than 750kg. An EB licence is for the same class of vehicles, but allows you to tow trailers in excess of GVM 750kg. Most people who did their driver's licence before 1998 were automatically upgraded to an EB licence, whereas most new drivers have only a B licence. This limits one from towing certain caravans and boats which can have GVMs higher than 750kg. You must be 18 years old before you take the test for an LMV licence.
Heavy Motor vehicles have four classes. A code C1 (former code 10) which is for vehicles with a GVM between 3.5 and 16 tons and a code C which is for vehicles with a GVM over 16 tons. Drivers with a code C1 licence are permitted to drive vehicles of class B. Drivers with a code C may drive vehicles covered by both the C1 and B codes.
A code EC1 licence holds the same rights as a C1 licence, but with the inclusion of trailers with a GVM in excess of 750 kg. Likewise an EC licence permits the driver to drive vehicles covered by a C licence with a trailer of GVM in excess of 750kg. The holder of an EC licence, in addition to vehicles covered by a C licence, may also drive EC1 vehicles.
In 2010 reports were issued that drivers who obtained a Heavy Duty Vehicle Licence after January 2011 would not be permitted to drive light motor vehicles. This law was never passed.
To obtain a driver's licence, you must hold the appropriate learner's licence and do a practical test for driving that vehicle. The test comprises of a yard test (inclined start and alley docking. Additional three point turn and parallel parking for LMV and additional straight reverse for HMVs). As well as an on the road test, generally along preset routes in general traffic. For each of these you must follow practices specified by the K53 defensive driving system, which has many critics. It is advised that anyone attempting to pass a driving test in South Africa first go for driving lessons with an accredited driving school.
A South African Driver's Licence must be renewed every 5 years.
Professional Driver's Licence
Anyone who wants to drive a motor vehicle for reward (taxi, deliveryman etc.) or anyone driving a Goods Vehicle, or Vehicle able to transport more than 11 people must hold a Professional Driver's Permit. See my article here for more information. A standard PrDP licence is valid for 2 years.
Other things to note
It is possible to hold a licence which is valid for both an LMV or HMV as well as a motorcycle. You will be issued with one card which displays the separate restrictions, dates etc. for each.
Whatever vehicle you do your licence in will be the vehicle that you are given a licence for. If you drive an automatic vehicle, you will not be permitted to drive manual vehicles.
Whenever you renew your driver's licence you will be required to do an eye test, this test will dictate whether you are required to drive a vehicle with or without glasses.
A South African Driver's licence is in the shape of a credit card. Pre-1998, driver's licences were included in your ID book.
Go here to view a table comparing the old and the current driver's licence codes.
Most of the information here I posted from memory. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, if uncertain, please contact your local Traffic Department for assistance.
Source: General Knowledge and the National Road Traffic Act.


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You are interested in new brochures, technical information or manuals? Here you can find them all.
In the field of exhibition building systems, we offer flexible and robust aluminum systems of the highest quality. The range includes thousands of aluminum profiles and frames, as well as a variety of accessories that can be used to efficiently and effectively realize walls, ceilings, rooms, illuminated frames, floors and double-deck stands.
In the field of interior design systems, specially designed Quarter Round Extrusions, Triangular Extrusions, Square Extrusions, 135°-Extrusions, Beam Extrusions, which can be used for the construction of individual and high-quality shop building systems and for the presentation of goods.
Our presentation systems and Display systems are all characterized by a very high quality. We offer Portable exhibit systems, Round welt extrusions, and Flat welt extrusion, Magnet retainer system, Pop-up systems, Banner displays and OCTAlumina, as well as a variety of Literature Racks and Counters etc.
We use our many years technical experience for custom-made walls, rooms, acoustics and lighting frame solutions based on OCTANORM systems. We support our contractors from start to finish with professional project planning as well as competent consulting and execution at the highest quality level.
Our clean room department plans, designs and manufactures clean room walls, ceilings and door systems for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry as well as for semiconductors and the electrical industry. One of our strengths is holistic project management. We advise you individually, take over the complete planning and precise execution – and all this from a single source.
With OCTAdesign and OCTAcad we offer two software tools for designers, technicians, and CAD-beginners, who can quickly, easily and safely plan and manage constructions and booth designs. Our software is constantly being further developed and ideally suited for single use via the flexible subscription plan.
As a quality leader in system components, OCTANORM has been developing and marketing technically sophisticated products in the field of exhibition construction, interior design, presentation, cleanroom and the object area for more than 50 years. We are a partner who is not just a product supplier but a provider of solutions. A partner, who is committed to an efficient and simplified organization of manufacturing and assembly processes. And a partner, who is prepared and willing to deal with his customers at eye level - because we know the market inside out. Worldwide.
The original OCTANORM tension lock – an example of unprecedented sustainability
MAXIMA. The most successful and wide-spread exhibition building system in the world.


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One year ago, on March 18, 2013, the trial of abortion monster Dr. Kermit Gosnell began in Philadelphia. Two months later Gosnell was convicted on three charges of murder, 21 felony counts of performing illegal late-term abortions, and 211 counts of violating the 24-hour informed consent laws.
Gosnell's convictions really just reflected the tip of the iceberg of what was going on in that clinic. Until inspectors showed up in February 2010 as result of investigation into suspected illegal drug prescription use, Gosnell's facility operated uninspected for 17 years. According to the Grand Jury report, the last state inspection, before the 2010 raid, had been in 1993.
Anecdotes of those who worked there suggest the scope of murder, illegal abortions, abuse of women – mostly low income minority and immigrant women – was far beyond what could be adequately documented to stand up for the trial.
The years that Gosnell committed his atrocities with no regulatory oversight, and the challenges to get national media attention to his trial once it began, should provoke extra vigilance today to address the issues involved that still are not getting adequate attention and the extent to which similar abuses are occurring elsewhere.
My organization CURE has invited a coalition of leaders from black pro-life organizations and pastors to Washington this week to sit with representatives from national pro-life organizations and with congressional staff to assess where we are and what needs to be done.
At the conclusion of the Gosnell trial, the chairmen of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Energy and Commerce committees wrote to Attorneys General and leading health officials in all the states.
Attorneys General were asked whether "state and local officials are being stymied in their efforts to protect the civil rights of newborns and their mothers by legal or financial obstacles that are within the federal government's power to address." State health officials were asked how they regulate and monitor abortion clinics to protect the health and safety of women.
We'd like to know the results of these inquiries and how this information can be used to create better policies for protecting women and children.
My colleagues find in their investigations around the nation that Kermit Gosnell was by no means one of a kind. There are more. And, to our dismay, irresponsible and inhumane behavior continues regarding the treatment of women, particularly low-income minority women, in these facilities.
The Grand Jury that investigated Kermit Gosnell speculated why he operated so long without getting attention: "We think the reason no one acted is because the women in question were poor and of color, because the victims were infants without identities, and because the subject was the political football of abortion."
This problem persists.
We must assure that the crimes that Kermit Gosnell committed are prohibited in federal law because they are incompatible with the most fundamental principles of decency of this country.
The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act was signed into law by President Bush in 2002 – after passing in the Democrat controlled Senate unanimously. It outlaws the murder of infants born during late-term abortion procedures.- what Gosnell was doing.
But the law is basically symbolic. It is just a warning shot, because it invokes no criminal or civil penalties when violated. Yes, it's hard to believe that although the federal government recognized, finally, the humanity of every child once it arrives in the world, there is no penalty if that child is not protected from death by murder or intentional neglect.
In the memory of the souls of babies killed by Kermit Gosnell and others, and in the name of the decency of this nation, this should be changed. The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act should be revisited and both criminal and civil penalties included for the intentional destruction of any newborn infant.


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Video: Share files and folders with Microsoft 365 One of the most common workday challenges is organizing OneDrive for work or school and SharePoint documents and sites. Here are some ways you can organize documents and sites in OneDrive for work or school.
Store documents in OneDrive for work or school or in your Team Site library
For information on using OneDrive for work or school and team sites together, which is ideal for small businesses, see Set up Microsoft 365 file storage and sharing.
OneDrive for work or school is your personal document library in Microsoft 365. Files you store in OneDrive for work or school are private by default, but you can share them as needed. Your team site is a site shared by specific people in your organization.
Note: OneDrive for work or school is different from OneDrive, which is intended for personal storage separate from your workplace.
You can store up to 1 TB of data in OneDrive for work or school. For more information about storage limits, see SharePoint Limits.
To go to OneDrive for work or school or your Team Site library, sign into Microsoft 365, and then one of the following:
Select OneDrive in the header, and then click Files in the Quick Launch bar at the side of the screen. .
Select Sites in the header, select the Team Site tile, and then select a Documents library in the Quick Launch bar at the side of the screen.
Note: If your SharePoint site has been customized, you might not have a Quick Launch bar on the side.
To start activities in OneDrive for work or school or your Team Site document library, use the options in the Quick Command bar above the library, or with the ellipses (...) on individual files:
You can:
Create new documents.
Upload documents from your computer.
Sync OneDrive for work or school to your computer for local access to your files.
View and open a selected file in its application.
Share files. See Share files in OneDrive for work or school for more information.
If you right click on a document you'll get a fly-out list of other options such as share, download, delete, move or copy, and get a link to the file. For more tips see Organize files in a library.
Find documents
Most companies create a formidable number of documents, and it can be a challenge to find the ones you need, even the ones you created yourself. Microsoft 365 provides a variety of ways to find the documents you need quickly.
The way you look for documents typically depends on what you know about the document. For example, there are specific places to look if you're following a document, if someone shared a document with you, or if you know a document is stored in OneDrive for work or school or in a team site library.
Other times, you may want to search for a document by name or even just a term that you think appears in the document. In this case you can use the Query Box in OneDrive for work or school to search for:
Documents in your OneDrive for work or school.
Documents that someone has shared with you.
Documents that are stored on a site that you follow.
The Search box is located in the top left or right corner of your OneDrive for work or school,or SharePoint site.
In SharePoint, you can also use the Find a File above the documents, or the Search this site box.
To see a summary of ways to find documents in Microsoft 365, see Find a file in Microsoft 365.
Follow documents to make them easy to find later
When you follow a document, it appears in your Followed Documents list in OneDrive for work or school.
Additionally, if you've entered information about yourself in your profile, such as keywords in the Interests and Ask me about fields, suggestions about documents that might interest you appear in your Followed Documents list. Select Follow under any suggested document to add it to your Followed Documents list.
To follow a document in OneDrive for work or school or a site library:
Right click the document you want to start following.
In the document callout, select Follow. If you don't see Follow, right click the file, click Advanced, and then click Follow.
See a list of documents you've recently opened
OneDrive for work or school lists documents you've opened recently across Microsoft 365, whether they're stored in your OneDrive library or in a team site library. Click Recent in the Quick Launch bar to the left to view your files.
Note: You must be running at least Office 2013 in order to see recent documents.
Set alerts on documents to track changes
You can set an alert on a document in order to be notified about any changes to the document, including if it's deleted. You can specify whether you want to receive alerts by email or text message, and how often.
To set an alert in SharePoint:
Select the document in the library.
Select Files>Alert me>Set alert or Page > >Alert me>Set alert on this document.
Select the options you want in the New Alert dialog box, and then select OK.
For more details on setting alerts, see Create an alert to get notified when a file or folder changes in SharePoint.
Follow sites to make them easy to find later
If you're a member of several team sites in your organization, you may want to start following them for easy access. When you follow a team site, it gets listed on your Sites page. When you follow sites, you can quickly navigate to libraries on these sites from OneDrive for work or school, as described in the next section.
To start following a site:
Go to the site you want to start following.
Select Follow from the right side of the header.
For more information, see Video: Follow a SharePoint site.
Go to document libraries in team sites you're following
In OneDrive for work or school, you can show a list of team sites you're following in Microsoft 365, and then navigate to document libraries on these sites.
In the Quick Action bar, select Site Folders. You see a list of all sites you're following:
Select a site in the list to see the document libraries on the site.
See Also
View and edit your profile in Office Delve
Video: Copy or move library files by using Open with Explorer


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Why you need excellent pest control
Rid your home of uninvited guests today!
The presence of pests in your home can be a major problem. Not only can they be a nuisance, they can also cause damage to your property and health problems for you and your family. That is why it is important to seek professional pest control Cartersville experts who can provide the best advice and service to rid your home of pests.
Our network of professional pest control Cartersville experts have the necessary tools, knowledge, and experience to effectively and safely remove pests from your home. They use advanced methods and the latest technology including insecticides, traps, and other products to ensure the complete removal of pests from your home. In addition, they can provide you with advice on preventative measures to help keep pests away and protect your home for the future.
Hiring professional pest control experts is the best solution for dealing with pest infestations. You can trust our network of local pros to use the most effective and safe methods to rid your home of pests and keep them away in the future. Don't wait and let pests take over your home, contact a professional pest control expert today.
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Call us or complete our estimate form to connect with a local pest control professional. Our experienced professionals have the knowledge and expertise to provide you with a competitive quote for your pest control needs. We take the time to understand the extent of your problem and provide a tailored solution to get rid of the pests in your home or business.
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Why a pest control specialist is right for you
Be On the Lookout For With Pest Control Cartersville…
- You're noticing droppings or evidence of gnawing around your home.
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- Your pets are exhibiting strange behavior, such as sudden scratching or licking, which could be caused by pests.
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Our network of pest control pros are knowledgeable, experienced, and offer competitive prices. Call, or complete our contact form now for a pest control Cartersville estimate today.
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FunBITS: Thunderspace Provides Your Own Private Storm
We often use our iPhones and iPads to kill time, to while away a few otherwise wasted minutes. Checking in on Twitter or Facebook, playing a round or two of Angry Birds, reading a few tech headlines — they might distract you from whatever is happening in the real world, but they aren't necessarily relaxing. It doesn't have to be that way. Have you ever found yourself just sitting, listening to thunder roll across the hills while the rain beats a steady rhythm outside? It's mesmerizing, and touches some deeply seated biological memory, since humans have been hearing these sounds for millennia.
Now, with the Thunderspace iOS app ($0.99), you can lose yourself in a thunderstorm, regardless of the weather. Thunderspace uses clever audio and visual tricks to provide a stunningly immersive experience of nature's chaos, wherever you may be.
While the core concept of Thunderspace isn't unique, its execution is impressive. You may be familiar with other sound-generating apps or the Echoes of Nature albums, which provide looping recordings taken from deep within nature. Thunderspace takes this idea to the next level by using stereoscopic 3D audio and the iPhone's LED flash to fill your room with surprisingly realistic lightning — all wrapped in a beautifully designed interface whose color changes to convey the mood and ambience of each thunderstorm.
Headphones, Please! — Stereoscopic 3D audio has to be heard to be believed. The 3D effect is achieved by recording sounds the same way we all hear: with a pair of special microphones positioned just like two human ears. The microphones capture interaural time and level differences (because sound waves reach each ear at different times and volumes) to make the audio sound shockingly lifelike. Plus, to avoid the obvious repetition that our brains are so good at identifying, Thunderspace's thunderstorms are up to 26 minutes long and seamlessly looped.
Emmy award-winning nature sound recordist Gordon Hempton is responsible for the audio in Thunderspace, and he's done a fantastic job. As a musician and amateur audiophile, I had high expectations while testing the app, and I wasn't disappointed.
The stereoscopic recording technique isn't the only innovative part of Thunderspace: the ingenious use of the iPhone's LED flash to mimic lightning is also unexpectedly immersive. I was skeptical at first — I expected to feel as though people were taking pictures of me. Boy, was I wrong. The timing, intensity, and frequency of the LED use is just right to imply lightning in a dim room — coupled with Thunderspace's remarkable audio, I really did start to drift off into the tempest. Taptanium,
the creators of the app, spent over a week perfecting each thunderstorm, recreating the appropriate delay between lightning and thunder by analyzing the lower frequency spectrum for each clap of thunder to determine how close it was.
Thunderspace provides two thunderstorm recordings (the first two on the following list), with six additional storms available for $0.99 each as in-app purchases. The soundscapes are titled Roof Garden, Waterscape, Desert, Wetlands, Rainforest, Moonlit, Angels, and Wood Frogs. It's easy to preview locked sounds, so you can try before you buy.
I've explored only the stock thunderstorms so far, but I'll be purchasing Moonlit the next time I relax with my headphones. Speaking of which, Taptanium claims to have optimised Thunderspace specifically for playback on Apple's EarPods. This will likely enhance the experience of the app for most people, although I still strongly recommend using high-quality headphones (I like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50S) for optimal listening.
So there you have it. If you want to spend some time relaxing quietly after a hard day at work, you'll enjoy Thunderspace's extraordinary sounds and elegant interface. Also be sure to check out the app's promo video (in HD, if you have the bandwidth) for a glimpse of some more of Taptanium's hard work.


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To balance the light, there is there is the dark. And just as the guys were climbing spiritual mountains of ultra-bliss during 1999, another strand of their improvisation was growing more ominous and abstract. Phish's ambient jamming of Fall '98 focused primarily on the melodic side of things, with push-and-pull, amoeba-like interplay. In 1999, however, buoyed by the release of "The Siket Disc," Phish's abstract jamming—and overall sound—progressed in a much darker direction. The band grew an affinity for sonic layering and dissonant effects, developing what I have called their "millennial" sound. Favoring a drone and hypnotic style of play, Phish moved into their next mini-progression of the late-'90s. Within this context, Trey favored harder-edged guitar work, sheets of sound, and effect-laden soundscapes that veered from his center-stage soloing of years past.
Beginning during Summer Tour while, largely, showing up within single jams, this "millennial" sound became more prevalent and nuanced as Phish moved through their Fall and Winter tours, often dominating the feel of sets and shows all together. Phish music was growing darker in both the downtempo and uptempo realms, a vibe that seemed congruent with the oncoming unknown of 2000 and beyond. As the world crept closer to the turn of the millennium and a potential Y2k disaster, Phish provided an ominous soundtrack to a time filled with shrouded in mystery and speckled with hope.
For today's playlist, I picked a couple jams from each tour in '99 so you can hear the progression of the band throughout the year.
"Bathtub Gin" 6.30.99 II, Bonner Springs, KS
It had been six full months since we had seen Phish—the longest stretch of down time in Phish's career up to that point. And the band greeted us with this 20-minute tour-opening "Bathtub Gin" that touched on their darker, ambient sound that would grow throughout the summer.
"My Left Toe > Velvet Sea > MLT" 7.7.99 II, Charlotte, NC
This choice '99 nugget is dedicated to RJ of Helping Friendly Podcast and our own Albert Walker. This clip seemed way too timely to ignore based on yesterday's Twitter debates.
"Piper" 7.18.99 III, Volney, NY
The Oswego "Piper" covers a wide array of '99-esque feels over a near-half hour, but most of all it is an example of how densely layered and hard-edged their sound had gotten to by the middle of the summer. This would be an example of the developing uptempo millennial jamming, without the pronounced dissonance of late Fall and Winter.
"Stash" 9.9.99 I, Vancouver, BC
This "Stash" was the first jam of Fall "99, in the first set of tour. A tale of dark magic, this jam had the venue buzzing at setbreak.
"Tweezer" 9.9.99 II, Vancouver, BC
This "Tweezer" moves from candy grooves into a seething section of abstract, millennial psychedelia.
"Ghost" 9.12.99 II, Portland, OR
One of my top five "Ghosts," Portland's massive version moves through some hypnotic grooves into a section of abstract darkness.
"Ghost" 10.9.99 I, Albany, NY
A first-set ambient-laced giant from the Knick.
"Sand" 12.3.99 II, Cincinnatti, OH
Having just re-spun this "Sand" yesterday, I was reminded of its quintessentially millennial qualities. A great example of a lot of what I have described.
"Drowned" 12.12.99 II, Hartford, CT
A dark horse piece of scalding, uptempo, late-99 jamming.
"Jam > Bug" 12.17.99 II, Hampton, VA
Most thought the band was prepping the Mothership for liftoff, but they faked everyone out after a five-minute sound sculpture. This was the soundtrack to the Hampton reunion video..


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State epidemiologist: Stop the spread of whooping cough
An infant in Western Alaska died of whooping cough last month. It's the first recorded death from the disease in the state since 2002. The infant was younger than two months, the age when whooping cough vaccinations start. The bacterial infection, which is also known as pertussis is extremely contagious and the number of cases in Alaska started increasing dramatically late last year.
Read More


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PRIVACY POLICY for Ruark.co
This website (the "Website") is the property of Ruark Consulting, LLC, ("Ruark," "we" or "us"). We take the privacy of all visitors to this Website very seriously. Accordingly, this privacy policy (the "Privacy Policy") sets forth our position regarding certain privacy matters. This Privacy Policy covers all "Personal Data" (as defined below) that is shared by you through the use of this Website, including data affirmatively provided by you or collected via the operation of the Website. By visiting and using the Website, you consent and agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.
1. Information We Collect.
In operating the Website we may collect and process the following data about you (collectively, "Personal Data"):
- Information that you provide by filling in forms on our Website, such as when you register to download any software accessed through our Website ("Software"), receive information from Ruark or subscribe to any Website services;
- Details of your use of our Website or any Software, including visits to our Website and the resources you access, the number of times the Software is launched, the device IP address, the version of the Software used, Website traffic data, location data, weblog statistics and other communications data;
- Information that you provide in connection with any support or technical services for the Software;
- Information required by Ruark to (1) audit your Software usage for anti-piracy purposes; and (2) verify a valid registration, and identify if new updates are available for your server or other computing device prior to notifying you to install a new Software update;
- Information about transactions carried out over this Website;
- Products you've viewed: we'll use this to, for example, show you products you've recently viewed
- Location, IP address and browser type: we'll use this for purposes like estimating taxes and shipping
- Shipping address: we'll ask you to enter this so we can, for instance, estimate shipping before you place an order, and send you the order!
- We'll also use cookies to keep track of cart contents while you're browsing our site.
- We will track your location based on your IP address in order to monitor for account reuse and send you promotions applicable to your geographic area (like nearby conferences). To detect your location, we will send your IP address to the geolocation services of usersinsights.com. We will store the country, region, city and coordinates associated with your IP address. We will also store your IP address in a hashed format so we can check it for changes.
- We will track your last login date and number of sessions in order to monitor for account reuse.
- We will track your browser name, browser version and device platform in order to tailor our site better for your viewing experience.
- Information provided to us when you communicate with us for any reason.
- For European Union Residents, information collected and processed is limited to:
- Information that you voluntarily provide by filling in forms on our Website, such as when you subscribe to company emails or other marketing communications. By giving us this information, you consent to this information being collected, used, disclosed, transferred to the United States and stored by us, as described in this Privacy Policy.
- Information that we collect automatically, including the device IP address, location data, browser data and country data. We may collect this information through the use of cookies. Our use of cookies is discussed in more detail below.
2. Use of Your Personal Data.
The Personal Data that we collect and store is primarily used to enable us to provide our services to you, communicate with you per your request, and to enable your access to and use of the Website and/or the Software. In addition, we may use the Personal Data for the following purposes:
- To meet our contractual commitments to you.
- To notify you about any changes to our Website, such as improvements or service/product changes, that may affect our service.
- To allow us to administer the Website;
- To provide you with information requested from us relating to our products or services;
- To improve our products and services;
- To personalize the Website for you.
Further, we may use your Personal Data so that you can be provided with information about goods and services which we consider may be of interest to you. We may contact you about these goods and services by any of the methods that you consented at the time your Personal Data was collected. We use MailChimp as our marketing automation platform. By consenting to receiving our communications, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be transferred to MailChimp for processing in accordance with their privacy policy and terms.
If you do not want us to use your data, you will have the opportunity to withhold your consent to this when you provide your details to us on the Website form on which we collect your data.
Please be advised that we do not reveal Personal Data about identifiable individuals to our customers but we may, on occasion, provide them with aggregate statistical information about those who visit our Website.
3. Use of Cookies.
On occasion, Ruark may gather information about your server or other computing device for our services and to provide statistical information regarding the use of our Website to third parties for analytical purposes, as described below. Such information is statistical data about our visitors and their use of our site and will not identify you personally. It is used by us to analyze how visitors to our Website interact with the Website so that we can continue to develop and improve our Website. We may gather information about your general internet use by using a cookie file that is downloaded to your computer. Where used, these cookies are downloaded to your computer automatically.
All computers have the ability to decline cookies. This can be done by activating the setting on your browser which enables you to decline the cookies. Please note that should you choose to decline cookies, you may be unable to access particular parts of our Website.
4. Storing and Protecting Your Personal Data.
We are committed to ensuring that your Personal Data is secure. In order to prevent unauthorized access to or disclosure of your Personal Data, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the Personal Data we collect online. Ruark operates secure data networks protected by industry standard firewall and password protection systems. Our security and privacy policies are periodically reviewed and enhanced as necessary and only authorized individuals have access to the Personal Data provided by our customers. Ruark will take reasonable technical and organizational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your Personal Data. Ruark will transfer and store all your Personal Data on secure servers which may be managed by third parties. Any Personal Data relating to electronic transactions entered into via this Website will be protected by encryption technology. By submitting your Personal Data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing.
The transmission of Personal Data via the Internet is not completely secure and therefore we cannot guarantee the security of Personal Data sent to us electronically and transmission of such Data is therefore entirely at your own risk. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password so that you can access certain parts of our site or any of our Software, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential.
5. Disclosing Your Personal Data.
We will not disclose your Personal Data to third parties except in certain circumstances:
- Where we used third parties to provide routine support for Ruark's internal operations, including the delivery and receipt of e-mail or other internet-based communications or the creation of online meetings;
- Where we sell any or all of our business and/or our assets to a third party;
- Where we are legally required to disclose your Personal Data; or
- In order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights.
Where Ruark discloses your Personal Data to its agents or sub-contractors for these purposes, the agent or sub-contractor in question will be obligated to use that Personal Data in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.
6. Public Information.
We have public blogs on our Website. Any information you include in a comment on our blog may be read, collected, and used by anyone. If your Personal Data appears on our blogs and you want it removed, contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
7. Data Retention for European Union Residents.
Upon your request, we will provide you with any of your Personal Data. We will retain your Personal Data for as long as you have consented to receiving our communications or until such time as you request that we cease storing your Personal Data. We may also retain and use your information in order to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and prevent abuse.
8. Third Party Links.
You may find links to third party websites on our Website. These websites may have their own privacy policies which you should review. Ruark does not accept any responsibility or liability for third party websites or the privacy policies referenced therein.
9. Hosting.
This Website is hosted by AWS Amazon Personal Data collected by Ruark may be stored by AWS in accordance with the AWS Privacy Notice, which can be found at https://aws.amazon.com/privacy
Your data may also be shared with our other hosting partners:
- Automattic – Privacy Policy – because we filter possible spam comments with Askimet
- Google AMP Cache – Privacy Policy – because you may be viewing our pages through their cache
- Google Fonts – Privacy Policy – because we use their fonts to render these pages
- YouTube – Privacy Policy – because we embed YouTube videos on the site
10. Controlling your Personal Data.
You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your Personal Data in the following ways:
Whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the Website, refrain from opting in to having your Personal Data be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes;
If you have previously agreed to us using your Personal Data for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by notifying us by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com and we will erase it;
If you believe that any Personal Data we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com. We will promptly correct any Personal Data found to be incorrect.
11. Other Information.
If you are a European Union Resident and have an unresolved privacy or personal information collection, use, or disclosure concern that we have not addressed satisfactorily, please contact the EU Data Protection Authorities. For more information on how to contact the EU Data Protection Authorities, please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/article-29/structure/data-protection-authorities/index_en.htm
12. Contacting Us.
We welcome any queries, comments or requests you may have regarding this Privacy Policy. Please do not hesitate to contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you prefer to write to us then our contact address is:
Ruark Consulting
530 Hopmeadow Street
Simsbury, CT 06070
13. Updating this statement.
Ruark may update this privacy policy by posting a new version on this Website. You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are familiar with any changes. Any changes to our Privacy Policy will supersede this version of our Policy.


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Data & Privacy Notice
Our Privacy Policy
In accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), this Data & Privacy Notice explains, in detail, the types of personal data we may collect about you when you interact with us. It also explains how we'll store and handle that data and keep it safe.
We know that there's a lot of information here, but we want you to be fully informed about your rights, and how our firm uses your data. We hope the following sections will answer any questions you have but if not, please do get in touch with us.
Conditions for Processing Data
We are only entitled to hold and process your data where the law allows us to. The current law on data protection sets out a number of different reasons for which a law firm may collect and process your personal data. These include:
Contractual obligations
The main purpose for our holding your data is to provide you with legal services under the agreement we have with you. This agreement is a contract between us and the law allows us to process your data for the purposes of performing a contract (or for the steps necessary to enter in to a contract). We may also need to process your data to meet our contractual obligations to the Legal Aid Agency where you receive legal aid to fund your case or advice.
Legitimate Interests
In specific situations, we require your data to pursue our legitimate interests in a way which might reasonably be expected as part of running our business and which does not materially impact your rights, freedom or interests. This may include to satisfy our external quality auditors or our Regulators.
Legal compliance
If the law requires us to, we may need to collect and process your data. For example, we can pass on details of people involved in fraud or other criminal activity.
In some situations, we can collect and process your data with your consent. For example, when you tick a box to receive email newsletters. When collecting your personal data, we'll always make clear to you which data is necessary in connection with a particular service.
When do we collect your data?
We normally collect your data when you provide it to us or when it is provided to us by others (your opponent's solicitors for example) during your case. You may give us your data by email; through an online web form; over the telephone; face to face; or by post.
What sort of data do we collect?
We collect your name and contact details. This may include asking for and keeping a copy of your passport/driving licence and proof of address.
We may gather details of your age; ethnicity; gender etc. if required to do so by the Legal Aid Agency where you are in receipt of Legal Aid. Where you have Legal Aid, we may also gather financial information from you.
We also collect and hold information about your case or legal problem.
How do we use your data?
We only use your data for the purposes of providing you with legal advice, assistance and where appropriate, representation and for reasons directly associated with those services (i.e. providing information to quality auditors; the Legal Aid Agency etc.).
We may use your data to notify you of our other services but only where we have your consent to do so.
How do we protect your data?
We take protecting your data very seriously. The data you give us may be subject to Legal Professional Privilege and is often extremely sensitive and confidential.
With this in mind we will treat your data with the utmost care and take all appropriate steps to protect it. We have clear data protection and information security policies and procedures in place (along with Regulatory and other legal obligations to keep your data safe) and these are regularly assessed as part of our Quality Standards and compliance processes.
We protect our IT system from Cyber Attack. Access to your personal data is password-protected, and sensitive data is secured by encryption.
We regularly monitor our system for possible vulnerabilities and attacks, and we carry out penetration testing to identify ways to further strengthen security.
How long will we keep your data?
We only keep your data for as long as is necessary for the purpose(s) for which it was provided. Normally this is for 6 years after your case or matter ends (enquiries where we do not take on your case are kept for only 18 months).
This is because we are required to keep client files for that period by our Regulator and/or by the SRA. This also protects you should you be unhappy with our services and want to complain or even due us after your case ends.
For some cases we may decide that it is proper and appropriate to keep data for longer than 6 years, but we will notify you if we believe that your case falls into this category.
Who do we share your personal data with?
We sometimes share your personal data with trusted third parties. We only do this where it is necessary for providing you legal services or for the effective operation of our legal practice.
For example, we may share your data with barristers; experts; translators; costs draftsmen; process servers; secure file storage and destruction companies; auditors; the company that securely hosts our off-site cloud storage servers.
Here's the policy we apply to those organisations to keep your data safe and protect your privacy:
We provide only the information they need to perform their specific services.
They may only use your data for the exact purposes we specify in our contract with them.
We work closely with them to ensure that your privacy is respected and protected at all times.
If we stop using their services, any of your data held by them will either be deleted or rendered anonymous.
Where is your data processed?
Your data is stored and processed within the EEA. If we ever have to share your personal data with third parties and suppliers outside the European Economic Area (EEA) we will seek your specific consent to do so.
The EEA includes all EU Member countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
What are your rights?
You have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation and these include the right to be informed what information we hold about you. In particular, you have the right to request:
access to the personal data we hold about you, free of charge in most cases
the correction of your personal data when incorrect, out of date or incomplete
that we stop any consent-based processing of their personal data after they have withdrawn consent, or object and we have no legitimate overriding interest, or once the purpose for which we hold the data has come to an end
You also have the right to request a copy of any information about you that we hold at any time.
If we choose not to action your request, we will explain to you the reasons for our refusal.
Contact Details
For information on how your information is used, how we maintain the security of our information, and to exercise your rights to access information we hold on you, please contact us. Similarly, if you believe that the information we hold is wrong or out of date, please let us know and we will update it. The person in this firm responsible for data protection is Mr Avender Singh, our Practice Manager on 0208 536 9911 or email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Your right to withdraw consent
Whenever you have given us your consent to use your personal data, you have the right to change your mind at any time and withdraw that consent.
Where we rely on our legitimate interest
In cases where we are processing your personal data on the basis of our legitimate interest, you can ask us to stop for reasons connected to your individual situation. We must then do so unless we believe we have a legitimate overriding reason to continue processing your personal data.
A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
By law, we may not place cookies on your computer without your consent, unless they are strictly necessary to the operation of the service that we provide on the Website.
e.g. We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.
We use Google Analytics to monitor how our website is being used so we can make improvements. Our use of Google Analytics requires us to pass to Google your IP address (but no other information) – Google uses this information to prepare site usage reports for us, but Google may also share this information with other Google services. In particular, Google may use the data collected to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network. Related information:
Google's privacy policy
How Google uses this information
If you have any queries about the cookies that we use, or would like more information, please contact email@example.com
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this policy. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement or policy applicable to the website in question.
The Regulator
If you feel that your data has not been handled correctly, or you are unhappy with our response to any requests you have made to us regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office.
You can contact them by calling 0303 123 1113.
Or go online to www.ico.org.uk/concerns (opens in a new window; please note we can't be responsible for the content of external websites)