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Ben Tatar represented Critical Bench.com at the 2012 Arnold Sports Festival. Below I ask him a few questions about the trip and share some of his pics.
CB: What was different or better about this year's Arnold?
BT: The night life was better this year. At night I hung out with celebrities, NFL players, the Bengals Cheerleaders (including my good friend from the Bengals, Alyson Jordan) and there was a million different things to do all at once. There were also new things to attend like the Lexen Xtreme Powerlifting Competition. Crowd control was better this year and my relationships with the people I know have grown.
CB: What was the big event from the Arnold that people couldn't stop talking about at the after parties?
BT: It seemed like everyone who went to Party with the Pro's competed in some event and did very well. Most people had their own success stories to share and celebrate! It's always good seeing people from all over the world at the Arnold. The world is pretty big, and it's a good place for people to unite.
CB: List some of the celebrity stars who were at this year's Arnold.
BT: Some of the big name celebrity superstars that were at this year's Arnold were Carmen Electra, Randy Couture, Chuck Norris, Mario Lopez (from Saved by the Bell,) Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Angle, Rob Gronkowski, Matt Hughes, Rob Terry, Buster Douglas (who beat Mike Tyson), Roy Jones Jr., Larry Fitzgerald, Brian Shaw, Frankie Edgar, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, Ronnie Coleman, Sean Sherk, The Incredible Hulk, Mark Henry, and Alyson Jordan. There were more, I just listed 20 that came to mind. It's been cool getting to work and party with the stars.
CB: Lots of celebrities. Any new faces that were a big hit with the crowds?
BT: Lexi Kaufman–Lexi Kaufman is a magazine cover model. She was also a very well liked booth girl and is constantly making headlines as a professional competitor. At the Arnold she won 1st in Bikini class A.
Amanda Adams–Amanda Adams is constantly making magazine headlines and she is a booth girl star at every expo from FIBU in Germany to the Olympia in Vegas. Amanda is always a delight and she comes to every event with her A-Game.
Tiffany Tillinger— Tiffany won Brian Cannone's Fitness Atlantic competition, and she now she is also a BSN Allstar! I have known Tiffany for many years, and it has been great watching her rise to the top! Special shout out to her husband Sean Larson who I previously interviewed.
Heather Morris–Heather works every event from conventions to the Super Bowl. She is on many different TV shows (ranging from Bikini Destinations to various TV shows on Spike.) She can be found in many different magazines and on different magazine covers.
Shiloe Steinmetz–I have seen Shiloe at all the big events over the last few years. Shiloe has 25 titles under his belt ranging from various regional titles all the way to two-time Team Universe Heavyweight National Champion. Also, I want to give a shout out to the girls who worked with him, April Lynn and Holly Schrader who work for different big companies every year and who worked with Shiloe this year.
Jenna Renne Webb–Jenna is constantly making magazine covers. She has become so popular that every company wants her to work for them. Jenna is one of the most loved Diva's in modern day fitness. It was great seeing her again.
Miss USA, Marie Lynn–Marie Lynn has just won Miss Connecticut USA. It was good seeing her.
Sean Sherk–I interviewed Sean Sherk when he became the FIRST ever UFC Light weight champion! Sean was with Carmen Electra at the Arnold, and he will go down as one of the greatest wrestling champions in UFC history. Check out our interview.
Alyson Jordan–The Bengals got voted as the hottest Cheerleaders in the NFL (Over the Dallas Cow-girls) and of all the Bengal Cheerleaders, she was selected to be on the Bengals calendar cover. We have have become great friends, and she was the judge of the cheer leading competition. She is always traveling and doing media and charity extravaganzas. We partied every night.
Brad "the Wolverine" Dunn–Brad "the Wolverine" Dunn is one of the best strongman competitors in the world. He is a member of Natural Freak and is respected in the United States, Europe and all over the world.
Mary Schmitt–Mary and I go way back. I helped her get started in the industry years back when she did booth work with Muscle Werks. She is now a sponsored athlete who is doing interviews with Absolute Fuel. She has really made it big and her fan base is now huge!
Chanel Jones–Chanel Jones interviews hardcore athletes. She also works with Bad Ass Nutrition with Carmen Electra.
Rob Terry–When it comes to modern day professional Wrestling Entertainment, Rob Terry is a genetic freak.
Santana Anderson–Santana Anderson is constantly winning professional bodybuilding competitions all over Canada. He worked the Arnold with Fusion nutrition with rising star Jaclyn Wilson.
The Arnold had lots of rising stars and famous celebrities. It also had lots of greats in the industry whom I've known for a long time. People like Mindi Smith who has won Critical Bench Diva search competitions and then went on to do well in Miss Olympia competitions. There's Courtney Hodges who was a Maxim model and now does lots of charity events. She has been a successful spokesperson for Met-RX throughout the years. Another example is Jeremy Hoornstra who dominates the bench press every single year and is a draw every single year. It has been good knowing so many people, who have not only succeeded at their passions but also have depth as people.
CB: Who got the "freak" award?
BT: There was powerlifter Ed Russ who is 5'11 and over 400lbs. This man has squatted well over 1000 pounds and he was the thickest freak there by far.
Another was Brian Shaw. He is 6'9 and 460lbs. He also won the 2011 World's Strongest Man competition. Shaw was the biggest person there of over 100,000 athletes height and weight wise. He was also the 2011 World's strongest man champion. To put it in perspective, Shaw is bigger than the Big Show from the WWE. Shaw is 25 pounds heavier than the Big Show, two inches shorter, much leaner and over twice as strong! Shaw is the world's largest athlete.
Then there were other freaks walking around with their whole faces tattooed, anything is possible at the Arnold!
CB: What was the expo area like this year?
BT: Well, every aisle you walk down is a surprise. You never know what talent or friend you will see next. Everyday there's different people, and there are always extravaganza's going on from the Animal Cage (where people get to lift with the best in the world) to the main Expo stage (where different competitions from strongman to ping pong are going on throughout the day). There are just millions of different things going on, and I'm just happy to be connected to it all! It was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to next time and I hope everyone works hard for the 2013 Arnold–The Arnold's 25th Anniversary.


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The I Have No Desire To Be Seen, Just Paid! patch is 2.5" x 3.5". There is adhesive on the back for ironing on. You can also sew on or use a heat press.
- Premium Quality Embroidered Patch.
- Easy application and fun decorations for apparel and clothing. Great for patching holes in clothing, bags, etc. Add a creative touch to clothing, hats, vests, jackets, jeans, gloves, shirts, backpacks, costumes, gym bags, school bags and much more.
- Patch Iron-on instructions listed below and also included in package. Fun decorative / motif iron-on, glue-on or sew-on Premium Quality patches for all ages!
1. Preheat iron to max heat setting (cottons) for 3 minutes.
2. Pretest your fabric for heat tolerance at this setting by doing a single pass with the iron on the garment.
3. Place the appliqué on your surface, cover the appliqué with a cotton cloth or Teflon sheet.
4. Iron for 30 seconds while applying pressures, especially on the edges of the garment.
5. Turn garment inside-out, and, with your heated iron, apply pressures for 30 seconds to the back of appliqué.
6. Remove the iron. Let the appliqué cool for about 5 minutes.
7. Sew patch edges after ironing to ensure a secure hold.
Patches can be washed GENTLY when attached to a garment. If you machine wash, it is best to turn the garment inside out, secure or close any zippers, hooks and/or other items that could snag the patch threads during washing. Wash on the gentle cycle in cold water. Let air dry. If you only iron the patch on, the adhesive may loosen as a result of machine washing. We highly recommend sewing on the patch or the corners of the patch if you are ironing it on.
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"It is only when a man tames his own demons that he becomes the king of himself if not of the world."
Joseph Campbell.
Joseph Campbell advises you to "follow your bliss".
Joseph Campbell wanted to get above, or transcend, the world that most of us experience.
He wanted to tune in to the divine and experience bliss or rapture.
Joseph Campbell wrote:
"If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.
"Wherever you are - if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time."
(Joseph Campbell - Wikipedia)
Joseph Campbell lived most of his life in an apartment in a building on Waverly Place and Gay Street overlooking New York City's Sheridan Square and Christopher Street.
It can be argued that some people do not need to go on a journey, as they have already tuned in to the divine.
What would people who are 'tuned into the divine' look like?
The American academic Abraham Maslow studied mentally healthy people instead of people with serious psychological problems.
According to Maslow, mentally healthy people have such qualities as:
Goodness and kindness
Joseph Campbell, in The Hero With a Thousand Faces, wrote:
"Instead of clearing his own heart the zealot tries to clear the world."
In other words, avoid being a fundamentalist.
As Jesus said - see your own faults, rather than the faults of others.
Joseph Campbell, in The Hero With a Thousand Faces, wrote:
"The agony of breaking through personal limitations is the agony of spiritual growth.
"Art, literature, myth and cult, philosophy, and ascetic disciplines are instruments to help the individual past his limiting horizons into spheres of ever-expanding realization.
"As he crosses threshold after threshold, conquering dragon after dragon, the stature of the divinity that he summons to his highest wish increases, until it subsumes the cosmos.
"Finally, the mind breaks the bounding sphere of the cosmos to a realization transcending all experiences of form - all symbolizations, all divinities: a realization of the ineluctable (unable to be avoided) void."
The VOID can be seen as being an absence of the selfish personality or self.
Understanding the void means understanding that we are all brothers and sisters.
Emptiness: The Most Misunderstood Word.
Joseph Campbell, in The Hero With a Thousand Faces, wrote the following:
"Perhaps some of us have to go through dark and devious ways before we can find the river of peace or the highroad to the soul's destination."
"Wars and temper tantrums are the makeshifts of ignorance; regrets are illuminations come too late."
"As Freud has shown, blunders are not the merest chance. They are the result of suppressed desires and conflicts. They are ripples on the surface of life, produced by unsuspected springs. And these may be very deep - as deep as the soul itself.
"The blunder may amount to the opening of a destiny."
"Dream is the personalized myth ... in the dream the forms are quirked by the peculiar troubles of the dreamer."
"God is love."
Labels: Abraham Maslow, dreams, God, hero with thousand faces, hero's Journey, inner demons, Joseph Campbell, the divine, the void


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Listen to a New Version of Alabama's 'Angels Among Us,' Remixed in Light of the Connecticut School Shooting
As we all try to make sense out of the Connecticut school shooting tragedy – not that I think any of us ever will be able to – we all look for things to help us cope. I put together this quick mix of 'Angels Among Us' by Alabama for you, in hopes it can help you deal with this traumatic event.
'Angels Among Us' was first released by Alabama in 1993 as a Christmas single, off their album 'Cheap Seats.' The song itself is about how we can all help each other get through tragedies such as this.
Sample lyric:
I believe there are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with a light of love
Using news audio, we've highlighted the song's relevance to the horrific shootings in Newtown, Conn. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the children and families affected by this awful tragedy.
Use the player below to listen:


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Wearing Your Rank: The Importance of Martial Arts Belts
Students around the world study martial arts, many from early childhood through late adulthood. Practicing a martial arts lifestyle is often a demonstration of perseverance, determination and grit that requires both physical and psychological commitment. Your level of achievement is most often referred to as your rank.
When you study martial arts, the rank you have earned is often indicated by the color of belt you are authorized to wear with your uniform. In most styles of practice, you begin your journey toward martial arts achievements wearing a white belt. Reaching the coveted rank of black belt is a significant milestone that takes years of dedicated practice. As you achieve higher ranks while working toward this goal, you change belts. The color of belt you wear with each advancement has special meaning and signifies your experience and progression.
History of the Belt Ranking System
Perhaps you've been told in the past that the belt ranking system came from an ancient tradition of students of martial arts never washing their belts. According to this myth, beginning students were given white belts to signify the newness of their practice. As they studied, practiced and developed their skills over time, their belts would become soiled and stained with sweat, dirt and blood. Once their belts yellowed, darkened and finally became black, the students were said to be masters.
Gaining a new belt is a major accomplishment for martial artists of all ages and disciplines. Many times, schools/dojos hold a special ceremony where advancing students are presented with their new belt.
First off, can we all take a moment to acknowledge that this is really gross? In reality, the initial purpose of martial arts belts was simply to hold up students' pants! Using belts as part of the ranking system didn't evolve until the late 1880s, when the founder of judo, Jigoro Kano, introduced the concept in Japan. By the early 1900s, the idea had spread throughout many styles and schools around the world. Today, most forms of martial arts practice incorporate some form of colored belt ranking system to track students' progress.
What the Belt Colors Mean
There aren't any universal standards governing how martial arts belt colors are defined. Each form of martial arts has its own traditions, rules and explanations, and there can be many variations even within the same style. However, regardless of how the rainbow in between them is colored, it is widely accepted that your first belt is white and your belt signifying mastery is black. Kano called this the Dan ranking system, and there are many levels of mastery beyond the first Dan black belt. In fact, the International Martial Arts Federation recognizes 10 levels. Reaching the degree of tenth Dan can take a lifetime to achieve.
In Japanese tradition, the color white symbolizes death, while black symbolizes life. This relates to martial arts because you are invited as a white belt student to sacrifice your previous lifestyle for devotion to your practice. You are then reborn to conquer your fears and embrace your new life. In Korean tradition, white symbolizes the beginning of the life cycle, with black representing culmination.
While they vary across disciplines, the colors in between signify various stages of growth and development. A common sequence of advancement by color is white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, black, and red.
The martial arts belts at some schools are awarded in solid colors. In other schools, belts can also include stripes. Stripes are sometimes used to show "in-between" phases of training. For example, a white belt with a yellow stripe could mean that the student has been progressed beyond a standard white belt, but is not quite ready for a full yellow belt.
Why Your Belt Color Matters
As you advance in rank and replace a lower-ranking belt with a new color, your school may recognize your achievement with a belt tying ceremony. Whether or not this formality occurs, becoming eligible to wear a belt of a higher-ranking color indicates a rite of passage of which you can be proud.
In some schools, your belt rank determines which types of training you are eligible for. For example, some schools may not let students spar until they have reached a certain rank. Here, an orange-belt child spars with a purple belt.
Earning rank advancements means that you have demonstrated competence at increasingly more difficult levels of skill. It also means that you are setting an example of leadership for students who have not yet reached your level of accomplishment. If you are working toward a black belt, you can track how far away you are from this goal with the color of your belt, and you can look for guidance from fellow students who are further down the path. As you get closer to reaching your first Dan, the martial arts belt colors you see in your school can be a source of motivation and inspiration, pushing you ahead toward mastery.


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Wil Wheaton has a post on his blog today about Zoë Keating, and how NPR used her music without permission or credit.
I discovered Zoë's music last year via Amanda Palmer (she's featured on a couple tracks of Amanda's solo album) and fell instantly head over heels in love. Here, watch & listen:
She does fancy digital loops of her cello and creates this gorgeous, layered one-woman symphony. She should be in Apple ads or something, for all their fusion of music and technology.
Wil has more info on the NPR stuff including quotes from Zoë. I hope it was an honest oversight and that they'll rectify it, and I hope through the wonder of the internet and word of mouth more people will discover a wonderful musician.
You can buy Zoë Keating's music on iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, or from her website. I have both the full album and the EP and I listen to them often, they are phenomenal and I highly recommend them for music while writing, painting, or doing whatever artistic endeavor suits your fancy. They're also brilliant for simply sitting & listening, too.
Listen, buy, spread the word.


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12 Years Ago: Lou Reed and Metallica Perplexed the Music World With 'Lulu'
The strange collaboration between Metallica and Lou Reed on the artsy, outré, double-album Lulu remains as perplexing today as polarizing.
Metallica had only just returned to their fans' good graces with 2008's Death Magnetic, the band's heaviest, fastest, most musically gripping offering since 1988's …And Justice for All. And then, without warning, or seemingly, forethought, they committed to working with Reed on a spontaneous, loosely structured jam album coupled with a lofty literary theme. Titled Lulu, the disc came out on Nov. 1, 2011 in North America, and was quickly lambasted by critics and fans.
But maybe the hostility Lulu inspired merits a certain praise. Not since Reed's unlistenable 1975 album Metal Machine Music had listeners reacted with such hostility to one of his albums. And Metallica fans were more unhappy about Lulu than they had been with 2003's much-derided St. Anger. The hostility didn't come because Reed's style of singing was incompatible with Metallica's tight rhythms – Metallica's trademark style of riffing was largely absent. The real problem with Lulu was that it sounded like both Reed and Metallica were in free-writing mode, firing off endless stream of consciousness volleys and then hitting record.
Lou Reed & Metallica, "Brandenburg Gate"
Take the bizarre way Reed opens up the albums with "Brandenburg Gate," which starts with Reed strumming acoustically before pontificating, "I would cut my legs and tits off when I think of Boris Karloff and Kinski in the dark of the moon."
On "Little Dog," Reed gets more descriptive, and not really in a good way: "A puny body and a tiny d---, a little dog can make you sick / If you got the money you can go to the top, the female dog don't care what you got / As long as you can raise that little doggie face to a cold-hearted p---- you could have a taste."
Music aside, James Hetfield must have felt downright silly when he dove into Reed's lyrics on "Pumping Blood." Maybe he thought he was conveying something deep – he sure sings with passion and authority – but it's unclear just what the hell his vocals meant: "I am the view, I am the table! / I am the view, I am the table, I am all this! / I am the root, the progress, the aggressor! / I am the table! / I am the ten stories, I am the table! / I am, I am, I am/ I am!" Needless to say, countless memes popped up declaring James Hetfield as a table. It was even briefly listed as one of his professions on Wikipedia.
Lou Reed & Metallica, "Pumping Blood"
The failure of Lulu isn't the sole fault of Reed. Metallica's riffs lack memorable, cutting exclamations, and the songs don't build, peak and climax so much as they just start, plod and end. Lulu's lack of tight, thought-out riffs is likely a result of the speed at which the album was created. Metallica and Reed got together at HQ Studios in San Rafael, Calif., on April 2011 to start working on ideas, and by June 2011 they had completed 87 minutes of challenging, divisive music.
"I think we did a sensual thing," Reed told the UK Telegraph of the collaboration soon after it was finished. Then he elaborated, expressing how seriously he took the project and how genuinely great he thought it was. "Music is magical, it can make you feel good, it can make you feel bad, and then you put some serious words to it, not just 'I got released from rehab this week, yay,'" he said. "In my conceit, I thought what if Tennessee Williams had got a crack at this? Can't it be A Streetcar Named Desire that's a rock record? Why isn't anyone doing it? Instead of writing the trash that is out there. I wanted to do something on that level, always. I came close on Berlin. Pretty close. But this one, for me, from beginning to end, this is it!"
"Turning your back on structure, you are opening up a world of possibilities," Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said in the same interview. "For Metallica, to have the luxury of that kind of impulsiveness with somebody who speaks our own language was the reward in itself."
The history of Lulu dates back to 2009 when Metallica and Reed performed "Sweet Jane" and Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat" together at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert. Inspired by the chemistry they felt together, the two artists started talking about a full-scale collaboration. Originally, Metallica were going to record a batch of Reed's previously unreleased songs. The demos they considered working with included tracks for a production called Lulu, which was based on two provocative early 20th century morality plays by Frank Wedekind, Erdgeist (Earth Spirit) and (Büchse der Pandora) Pandora's Box. In the story, the character of Lulu becomes a prostitute, is sold into slavery and is killed by Jack the Ripper. Ultimately, Metallica and Reed decided to focus solely on Lulu to create a full-fledged collaboration.
"It offered us an incredible opportunity to do something that had no boundaries around it," Ulrich told The Guardian. "We could concentrate on playing. That's why it seemed so effortless. We've never been part of a particular movement or adhered to a particular style people want from us."
Lou Reed & Metallica, "The View"
From the moment the first single "The View" came out on Sept. 27, 2011, it became clear that Lulu was a "particular style" Metallica fans didn't want to hear. Lulu debuted at No. 36 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 13,000 copies. It was Metallica's lowest charting release since 1984 when Ride the Lightning entered at No. 48; conversely, it was Reed's highest release since Sally Can't Dance hit No. 10 in 1974.
Metallica and Lou Reed performed five songs from Lulu -- "Iced Honey," "The View," "Mistress Dread," "Dragon and "Junior Dad" -- for a televised promotional concert in Cologne, Germany. They also performed "Iced Honey" on the British TV show Later With Jools Holland. A video for "The View" was shot by Darren Aronofsky, and was poorly received. There was no further promotion.
Not everyone reacted so badly to Lulu. The late David Bowie apparently thought it was one of Reed's greatest albums. During a speech, Reed's widow Laurie Anderson gave at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 18, 2015, she talked about Lulu and Bowie's reaction to it. "One of his last projects was his album with Metallica. And this was really challenging, and I have a hard time with it," she said. "There are many struggles and so much radiance. And after Lou's death, David Bowie made a big point of saying to me, 'Listen, this is Lou's greatest work. This is his masterpiece. Just wait, it will be like Berlin. It will take everyone a while to catch up.'"
Looking back at Lulu, Ulrich was surprised by how bitter Metallica fans reacted. "It was a little more spiteful than probably anyone was prepared for because it got very personal, especially against Lou," Ulrich told me in 2012. "He is such a sweet man and has got such a soft, gentle side. I am aware of the fact that sometimes that doesn't necessarily come across to journalists who he sometimes has a difficult time with. But I primarily know Lou from making music and hanging out with him and eating dinner with him and playing and he's a very gentle soul. He has a very sweet, innocent, almost childlike approach to a lot of things. So when people start hammering him the way they did it was a little surprising and a little difficult."
Ulrich added that he's proud of Lulu, but accepts that it was, perhaps, too far out of the comfort zones of many of Metallica's fans. "I understand it's not easy. I understand -- when Metallica sit and do this impulsive riffing on the floor well outside of traditional sound structures, and then you've got Lou Reed borderline speaking or reciting very abstract poetry about German bohemian characters from 150 years ago – I understand that can be a difficult thing for some people to embrace."
At the same time, Ulrich said that projects like Lulu are necessary for Metallica to continue to develop and explore as artists. "Whether people don't like it or not is really secondary to the fact that they've gotta let us run amok with this stuff once in a while," Ulrich said. "To sit there and be what everybody wants us to be would f--kin' kill us. And I don't want that."
Loudwire contributor Jon Wiederhorn is the author of Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends, co-author of Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal, as well as the co-author of Scott Ian's autobiography, I'm the Man: The Story of That Guy From Anthrax, and Al Jourgensen's autobiography, Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen and the Agnostic Front book My Riot! Grit, Guts and Glory.


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Why Isn't Russia an Aircraft Carrier Superpower?
A needed history lesson.
Historically a land power, the Soviet Union grappled with the idea of a large naval aviation arm for most of its history, eventually settling on a series of hybrid aircraft carriers. Big plans for additional ships died with the Soviet collapse, but Russia inherited one large aircraft carrier at the end of the Cold War—that remains in service today. Although many of the problems that wracked the naval aviation projects of the Soviet Union remain today, the Russian navy nevertheless sports one of the more active aircraft carriers in the world.
History of Russian Naval Aviation
The Soviet Union made several efforts at developing aircraft carriers early in its history, but a lack of resources, combined with a geography that emphasized the importance of land power, made serious investment impossible. During the Cold War, the first naval aviation success were Moskva and Leningrad, a pair of helicopter carriers designed primarily for antisubmarine warfare. These ships, ungainly in appearance, displaced 17,000 tons, could make about thirty knots, and each carried eighteen helicopters. Moskva entered service in 1967, Leningrad in 1969. The Moskvas were succeeded by the Kiev class, much closer to true aircraft carriers. Displacing 45,000 tons, the four Kievs (each built to a slightly different design) could make thirty-two knots and carry a combination of about thirty helicopters and Yak-38 VSTOL fighters.
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All of these ships left service at the end of the Cold War; the Moskvas and one of the Kievs were scrapped, two Kievs ended up as museums in China, and one was eventually reconstructed and sold to India as INS Vikramaditya. In the 1980s, the Soviet Union laid down its first two true carriers, although only one was completed before the collapse of the country.
Current State of Russia's Carrier Force
At the moment, Russia's only aircraft carrier is the troubled Admiral Kuznetsov. A ski jump carrier, the Kuznetsov displaces some 60,000 tons, can theoretically make thirty knots, and carry a combination of forty-or-so helicopters and jet fighters. Kuzentsov was commissioned in 1990; a sister remained an incomplete hulk for many years until it was purchased by China and eventually finished as Liaoning. In addition to helicopters, Kuznetsov operates MiG-29K and Su-33 fighter bombers. Like previous Russian carriers, Kuznetsov sports a heavier missile armament than most Western ships.
Unfortunately, hiccups with Kuznetsov have also made it difficult for Russia's naval aviators to remain practiced and effective. The ship has suffered multiple breakdowns over its career, including significant issues with its engines and recovering aircraft. Many of these difficulties came as consequence of the dramatic decline of maintenance funding at the end of the Cold War, but some was the inevitable result of inexperience with the platform type. Admiral Kuznetsov has engaged in several prestige cruises, but its most notable service came in 2016 off of Syria. After a much publicized journey to the Mediterranean, Kuznetsov conducted combat operations for two months. The operations had more of a publicity impact than a real military effect, and Kuznetsov lost two aircraft (one MiG-29K and one Su-33) to accidents. The carrier is currently in refit.
To support Kuznetsov, Russia attempted to purchase a pair of French assault carriers, but the conquest and annexation of Crimea forced France to cancel the sale. These ships would have served as amphibious platforms with antisubmarine (ASW) capabilities, but also would have given the Russian navy experience with relatively large, technologically advanced vessels. Indeed, part of the deal would have allowed Russia to construct two Mistrals to French specifications in its own yards, which would have provided a major boon to Russian shipbuilding.
Strategic Rationale
Russia has a unique maritime geography, with four fleets operating from four coasts practically incapable of offering mutual support. During the Soviet period, carriers supported the fleet of nuclear ballistic missile submarines, offering air and ASW protection for the bastions in which these subs patrolled. This mission allowed the carriers to de-emphasize strike capabilities in favor of more defensive weaponry. More recently, the Russian navy has used Admiral Kuznetsov primarily as a vehicle for influence and prestige. Along with the nuclear battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy and a few other ships, Kuznetsov is a visible manifestation of Russian naval power, forcing other nations to take note of Russian interests. As the Syria mission suggests, in the future Russia may focus more on developing strike capabilities in order to project power further.
The Future
Russia has cancelled more carriers than most countries have contemplated. In the 1970s the Soviet Union considered the 72,000-ton Orel-class nuclear aircraft carrier, but opted instead for the Kievs and the ships that would eventually become Kuznetsov and Liaoning. The Soviets laid down an 80,000-ton carrier named Ulyanovsk in 1988, but scrapped the incomplete ship when the Cold War ended.
Russian defense planners often announce projects as a means of gaining resources and prestige, rather than as part of a plan to build anything in particular. At one point, President Dmitri Medvedev suggested that Russia would build and operate six aircraft carriers by 2025; obviously, that's not going to happen. But there is an existing plan for the Project 23000E Shtorm carrier, a 100,000-ton nuclear-powered supercarrier employing EMALS catapults and a variety of other modern technologies. The carrier would presumably fly MiG-29K fighters, although the age of that aircraft would suggest the need for a replacement. The ability of Russia to build this ship under current circumstances is in deep question, however.
The aviation capability of the Russian navy is dangling by a thread. Kuznetsov is old and in poor condition, and no carrier is even close to be laid down. The Russian surface fleet has not received a great deal of attention in the latest military modernization plans, and the Russian shipbuilding industry has not constructed a warship the size and sophistication of Kuzentsov since… well, Kuznetsov.
That said, the Kremlin seems to view aircraft carriers as an important contributor to national prestige. The Russian navy took great pains to get Kuznetsov into position to support operations in Syria, and despite the embarrassment associated with that, has now pushed the carrier into a major refit. If the Kremlin determines that it needs a carrier to keep pace with France, Britain, China and India, it will need to begin seriously considering how to build or acquire such a ship. It is not inconceivable that Moscow may consider ordering a carrier from Chinese yards in the future, however profound a reversal that might seem. Otherwise, Russia needs to start solidifying its construction timelines soon.
Robert Farley, a frequent contributor to the National Interest, is author of The Battleship Book. He serves as a Senior Lecturer at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. His work includes military doctrine, national security, and maritime affairs. He blogs at Lawyers, Guns and Money and Information Dissemination and The Diplomat.
Image: Wikimedia Commons


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Title 18.2. Crimes and Offenses Generally
Chapter 7. Crimes Involving Health and Safety
§ 18.2-251. Persons charged with first offense may be placed on probation; conditions; substance abuse screening, assessment treatment and education programs or services; drug tests; costs and fees; violations; discharge.
Whenever any person who has not previously been convicted of any criminal offense under this article or under any statute of the United States or of any state relating to narcotic drugs, marijuana, or stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic drugs, with the exception of any misdemeanor conviction for possession of marijuana, or has not previously had a proceeding against him for violation of such an offense dismissed as provided in this section, except a dismissal of a misdemeanor offense for possession of marijuana, pleads guilty to or enters a plea of not guilty to possession of a controlled substance under § 18.2-250, the court, upon such plea if the facts found by the court would justify a finding of guilt, without entering a judgment of guilt and with the consent of the accused, may defer further proceedings and place him on probation upon terms and conditions. If the court defers further proceedings, at that time the court shall determine whether the clerk of court has been provided with the fingerprint identification information or fingerprints of the person, taken by a law-enforcement officer pursuant to § 19.2-390, and, if not, shall order that the fingerprints and photograph of the person be taken by a law-enforcement officer.
As a term or condition, the court shall require the accused to undergo a substance abuse assessment pursuant to § 18.2-251.01 or 19.2-299.2, as appropriate, and enter treatment and/or education program or services, if available, such as, in the opinion of the court, may be best suited to the needs of the accused based upon consideration of the substance abuse assessment. The program or services may be located in the judicial district in which the charge is brought or in any other judicial district as the court may provide. The services shall be provided by (i) a program licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, by a similar program which is made available through the Department of Corrections, (ii) a local community-based probation services agency established pursuant to § 9.1-174, or (iii) an ASAP program certified by the Commission on VASAP.
The court shall require the person entering such program under the provisions of this section to pay all or part of the costs of the program, including the costs of the screening, assessment, testing, and treatment, based upon the accused's ability to pay unless the person is determined by the court to be indigent.
As a condition of probation, the court shall require the accused (a) to successfully complete treatment or education program or services, (b) to remain drug and alcohol free during the period of probation and submit to such tests during that period as may be necessary and appropriate to determine if the accused is drug and alcohol free, (c) to make reasonable efforts to secure and maintain employment, and (d) to comply with a plan of at least 100 hours of community service for a felony and up to 24 hours of community service for a misdemeanor. Such testing shall be conducted by personnel of the supervising probation agency or personnel of any program or agency approved by the supervising probation agency.
Upon violation of a term or condition, the court may enter an adjudication of guilt and proceed as otherwise provided. Upon fulfillment of the terms and conditions, and upon determining that the clerk of court has been provided with the fingerprint identification information or fingerprints of such person, the court shall discharge the person and dismiss the proceedings against him. Discharge and dismissal under this section shall be without adjudication of guilt and is a conviction only for the purposes of applying this section in subsequent proceedings.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, whenever a court places an individual on probation upon terms and conditions pursuant to this section, such action shall be treated as a conviction for purposes of § 22.1-315. The provisions of this paragraph shall not be applicable to any offense for which a juvenile has had his license suspended or denied pursuant to § 16.1-278.9 for the same offense.
Code 1950, § 54-524.101:3; 1972, c. 798; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1976, c. 181; 1979, c. 435; 1983, c. 513; 1991, c. 482; 1992, cc. 58, 833; 1993, c. 410; 1997, c. 380; 1998, cc. 688, 783, 840; 2000, cc. 1020, 1041; 2001, cc. 430, 450, 827; 2007, c. 133; 2009, cc. 813, 840; 2011, cc. 384, 410; 2014, cc. 674, 719; 2017, cc. 695, 703; 2019, cc. 782, 783; 2020, cc. 740, 741, 1285, 1286; 2024, cc. 785, 811.


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Career advise from award-winning author Lisa Quast
Article originally posted here
It was a moment in my career that I will never forget. I had accepted a new job at a different company and when I went into my boss's office to quit, with resignation letter in hand, he offered me a higher salary if I would remain in my current job.
Even if you think this would never happen to you, it is best to prepare in advance so you'll feel comfortable with your response, which should always be: "No, thank you." Surprised that I'm telling you to decline your manager's counteroffer? Here's why…
If you followed the process I explained in a previous blog (Job Seekers: Consider This – Before You Change Jobs) – to analyze the reasons WHY you want to change jobs – then you'd already have identified the issues that were within your manager's or your ability to control. And you'd already have worked through ways of fixing those issues.
-If you felt you were underpaid, you'd have asked your boss for a raise.
-If you were bored in your job and wanted more challenging work, you would have discussed this with your manager and asked him or her to assign you to projects or tasks that will broaden and deepen your work experience.
-If a lengthy commute was lowering the quality of your life, you'd have negotiated to work from home a few days a week.
Whatever the reasons were for wanting to change jobs, you would have analyzed them and made every attempt to fix the issues that were possible to fix. So what does that leave you? Issues that weren't fixable – the deal-breakers. They were the reasons you went out and found a new job that better fits your career requirements or goals. So why would you suddenly want to stay in your job just because your boss offered you more money?
If you previously couldn't get a raise from your boss when you provided proof that you are underpaid, ask yourself: "Why is my manager offering me a raise now that I'm resigning?" If you weren't valuable enough to be given a raise before, why would your boss be willing to give you more money now? Most likely, it is not because you've suddenly become a more valuable employee. It's because your manager doesn't want to deal with the work disruption your departure could create.
Let me state that one more time to be sure you understand… it is not because you've suddenly become a more valuable employee. It is because your manager doesn't want to deal with the work disruption your departure could create.
Don't waiver on your decision to change jobs. You took the time to identify your reasons for leaving. You worked to fix all the issues that were within your control. There were issues that weren't fixable and these were your deal-breakers. Because you couldn't change the deal-breakers, you found a new job that was a better match to your career goals and aspirations. Don't let your ego or feeling flattered that you're being offered more money cloud your judgment or cause you to make a bad decision. You already did your homework, so feel secure about the process you went through to seek a different job.
If you begin to second-guess your acceptance of the new job and consider accepting your manager's counteroffer, think about what else would change if you stayed (besides receiving more money). Review each of your reasons for wanting to switch jobs and take an honest look at your deal-breaker issues. Will they somehow magically disappear if you accepted the counteroffer? Nope. So look your boss in the eyes, smile nicely, and say "No, thank you" to that counter offer.
"Lisa Quast, author of the award-winning book Your Career, Your Way"


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For a software update, please download the following file:
For a software update, please download the following zipped file: update 7096 . After unzipping the file, please run CD_start.exe. | |
Version 188.8.131.52 (Windows) – since May 15, 2012 with the following innovations:
Foodtimer – modified function:
If the Foodtimer button is pressed again, the feeding pause can be aborted.
Can be used with Win8
- since Aug.01.2011
Additional applications at "pulse only"
"ramp" - Setting of a time-delayed start by speed delay. Produces a low-noise gentle start of the pump.
"random flow" - Upon activation, a random alternating pulse frequency is used in a range of 0.5 to 3 seconds.
Additional applications at "interval" and "sequential"
"min. flow for switched off pumps"- The circulation pumps are not switched on and off alternately, but the pumps are set variably between a selectable output and the minimum output (30 per cent).


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We All Politicize History
By Robert Jensen
Published in Academe Blog, January 12, 2013 · January, 2013
Here's an interesting question for historians: Why do ideologues never seem to be aware of their own ideology?
Such is the case with the recent report from the Texas Association of Scholars and the National Association of Scholars' Center for the Study of the Curriculum, "Recasting History: Are Race, Class, and Gender Dominating American History?"
The groups' answer to the title's question is "yes," which is hardly surprising given the NAS' longstanding critique of scholars who raise questions about the mythology of American greatness.
Based on an examination of the assigned readings for all 85 sections of lower-division American history courses at the University of Texas at Austin (where I've been a professor in the School of Journalism for 20 years) and Texas A&M, the report concludes that:
all too often the course readings gave strong emphasis to race, class, or gender (RCG) social history, an emphasis so strong that it diminished the attention given to other subjects in American history (such as military, diplomatic, religious, intellectual history). The result is that these institutions frequently offered students a less-than-comprehensive picture of U.S. history.
I share the NAS' concern that research and teaching have become so specialized that insufficient attention is paid to the big picture. But the key question is, what kind of big picture should be painted? Here I part company with the conservative politics of the group—the mythology of American greatness is, in fact, mythology, and good research and teaching should challenge myths. As is the case with all imperial powers, the United States' record includes not only examples of greatness but also some of the most barbaric crimes in recorded human history.
Scholars can, and should, argue those points, based on "reasoned scholarship and civil debate," as the NAS advises. But such debate should begin with the recognition of the obvious: in attempts to understand humans and human societies, everyone has a politics and everyone's politics matter.
That's why the final recommendation of the "Recasting History" report—that we "depoliticize history"—is so troubling. Do the report's authors not recognize their own political position? Apparently they do not get the humor in ideologues decrying the ideology of others.
Political biases are, of course, present throughout any course in the humanities and social sciences, no matter whether a professor acknowledges them or not. From decisions about what topics to cover, to the list of readings, to the framing of lectures and discussions—teaching is always political, if by that one means that judgments about the nature of power in a society affect what, and how, one teaches. To recognize that all research and teaching have a politics is not to claim that the work of professors is nothing but politics, in the sense of proselytizing. Quality research and reasoned argument are important, but the value of our work is heightened, not diminished, when the political nature of that work is understood and acknowledged.
That's as true of those who accept the status quo as those who challenge it. The issue is not whether teaching reflects political judgments, but whether one can defend those judgments on intellectual grounds. There may be no final consensus among faculty members on how a course should be structured or taught, but we faculty members can collectively sharpen our understanding and improve our practice by discussing these matters.
In that discussion, it is absurd for one side to claim it speaks from a neutral position, outside or above politics. In its final "depoliticize history" recommendation, the NAS report argues:
The root of the problem is that colleges and universities have drifted from their main mission. They and particular programs within them, increasingly think of themselves as responsible for reforming American society and curing it of prejudice and bigotry. When universities and university programs consider it necessary to atone for, and help erase, oppressions of the past; one way in which they do so is by depicting history as primarily a struggle of the downtrodden against rooted injustice. This pedagogical conception may be well-intended, but it is also a limited and partisan one, and history teaching should not allow itself to become imprisoned within a narrow interpretation. A depoliticized history would provide a comprehensive interpretation of American history that does not shortchange students by denying them exposure to intellectual, political, religious, diplomatic, military, and economic historical themes.
And what of the politics of this "depoliticized history"? Apparently, the political goal of the NAS to escape the prison of the narrow interpretation is not political. Or maybe it's a political judgment in the service of transcending politics. Or maybe it just doesn't make any sense to take a partisan position and claim that one isn't partisan.
The report continues:
The dominance of race, class, and gender themes in history curricula came about through disciplinary mission creep. Historians and professors of United States history should return to their primary task: handing down the American story, as a whole, to future generations.
It would be interesting to find how the report's authors came to understand the "disciplinary mission" of history (maybe it was revealed to them in a vision), but—sorry to have to repeat myself—any description of the mission of history has an underlying politics.
I don't know if NAS scholars actually believe there is an "American story" that can be told from a neutral point of view, or whether this is merely a cynical debating tactic. But if we are going to address the very real problems facing the contemporary university, attempts at imposing ideology by claiming to be beyond ideology aren't likely to help clarify problems or help generate solutions.


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Yahoo issues another warning in fallout from hacking attacks
LONDON (AP) -- Yahoo is warning users of potentially malicious activity on their accounts between 2015 and 2016, the latest development in the internet company's investigation of a mega-breach that exposed 1 billion users' data several years ago.
Yahoo confirmed Wednesday that it was notifying users that their accounts had potentially been compromised but declined to say how many people were affected.
In a statement, Yahoo tied some of the potential compromises to what it has described as the "state-sponsored actor" responsible for the theft of private data from more than 1 billion user accounts in 2013 and 2014. The stolen data included email addresses, birth dates and answers to security questions.
The catastrophic breach raised questions about Yahoo's security and destabilized the company's deal to sell its email service, websites and mobile applications to Verizon Communications.
The malicious activity that was the subject of the user warnings revolved around the use of "forged cookies" - strings of data which are used across the web and can sometimes allow people to access online accounts without re-entering their passwords.
A warning message sent to Yahoo users Wednesday read: "Based on the ongoing investigation, we believe a forged cookie may have been used in 2015 or 2016 to access your account." Some users posted the ones they received to Twitter.
"Within six people in our lab group, at least one other person has gotten this email," Joshua Plotkin, a biology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said. "That's just anecdotal of course, but for two people in a group of six to have gotten it, I imagine it's a considerable amount."
Plotkin said in a telephone interview that he wasn't concerned because he used his Yahoo email for messages that were "close to spam." In the message he posted to Twitter , he joked that "hopefully the cookie was forged by a state known for such delicacies."


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Folder 1610. Provost's General Office Files - John and Mary R. Markle Foundation - correspondence, information booklet, 1970-1971
Scope and Contents
The largest subseries in the E. Grey Dimond collection is that of the Provost's files for the UMKC School of Medicine. The files trace all aspects of the school's development and its programs. Also included are many materials pertaining to Kansas City General Hospital and Truman Medical Center, with which the school is affiliated.
- 1970-1971
- From the Series: Dimond, E. Grey (Edmunds Grey) (1918-2013) (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Materials in this record group (series) are stored onsite and offsite. Items stored onsite require a minimum of 1 business day to retrieve them for use. Any items stored offsite will list a Location number and will require a minimum of 2 business days to retrieve them for use. Researchers interested in consulting any of the materials are advised to contact UMKC University Archives.
From the Series: 84 Linear Feet (84 boxes)
Language of Materials
From the Series: English
Repository Details
Part of the University of Missouri-Kansas City University Archives Repository
UMKC University Archives
UMKC University Libraries
800 E 51st Street
Kansas City MO 64110 United States


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Oviyam is a web based DICOM Viewer. Using standard DICOM protocols patient lists can be queried, particular series or studies retrieved and be displayed as JPEG images in your browser. Oviyam will work with any DICOM server that supports WADO (Web Access to DICOM Persistent Objects).
Oviyam is a free download and is pre-packaged for deployment with JBoss.
The source is triple licensed under MPL 1.1/GPL 2.0/LGPL 2.1.
Oviyam is built using the dcm4che toolkit and script.aculo.us framework.
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In 2020, Peter N. Stearns revisited this essay with "Why Study History? Revisited" in Perspectives on History.
By Peter N. Stearns
People live in the present. They plan for and worry about the future. History, however, is the study of the past. Given all the demands that press in from living in the present and anticipating what is yet to come, why bother with what has been? Given all the desirable and available branches of knowledge, why insist—as most American educational programs do—on a good bit of history? And why urge many students to study even more history than they are required to?
Any subject of study needs justification: its advocates must explain why it is worth attention. Most widely accepted subjects—and history is certainly one of them—attract some people who simply like the information and modes of thought involved. But audiences less spontaneously drawn to the subject and more doubtful about why to bother need to know what the purpose is.
Historians do not perform heart transplants, improve highway design, or arrest criminals. In a society that quite correctly expects education to serve useful purposes, the functions of history can seem more difficult to define than those of engineering or medicine. History is in fact very useful, actually indispensable, but the products of historical study are less tangible, sometimes less immediate, than those that stem from some other disciplines.
In the past history has been justified for reasons we would no longer accept. For instance, one of the reasons history holds its place in current education is because earlier leaders believed that a knowledge of certain historical facts helped distinguish the educated from the uneducated; the person who could reel off the date of the Norman conquest of England (1066) or the name of the person who came up with the theory of evolution at about the same time that Darwin did (Wallace) was deemed superior—a better candidate for law school or even a business promotion. Knowledge of historical facts has been used as a screening device in many societies, from China to the United States, and the habit is still with us to some extent. Unfortunately, this use can encourage mindless memorization—a real but not very appealing aspect of the discipline. History should be studied because it is essential to individuals and to society, and because it harbors beauty. There are many ways to discuss the real functions of the subject—as there are many different historical talents and many different paths to historical meaning. All definitions of history's utility, however, rely on two fundamental facts.
History Helps Us Understand People and Societies
In the first place, history offers a storehouse of information about how people and societies behave. Understanding the operations of people and societies is difficult, though a number of disciplines make the attempt. An exclusive reliance on current data would needlessly handicap our efforts. How can we evaluate war if the nation is at peace—unless we use historical materials? How can we understand genius, the influence of technological innovation, or the role that beliefs play in shaping family life, if we don't use what we know about experiences in the past? Some social scientists attempt to formulate laws or theories about human behavior. But even these recourses depend on historical information, except for in limited, often artificial cases in which experiments can be devised to determine how people act. Major aspects of a society's operation, like mass elections, missionary activities, or military alliances, cannot be set up as precise experiments. Consequently, history must serve, however imperfectly, as our laboratory, and data from the past must serve as our most vital evidence in the unavoidable quest to figure out why our complex species behaves as it does in societal settings. This, fundamentally, is why we cannot stay away from history: it offers the only extensive evidential base for the contemplation and analysis of how societies function, and people need to have some sense of how societies function simply to run their own lives.
History Helps Us Understand Change and How the Society We Live in Came to Be
The second reason history is inescapable as a subject of serious study follows closely on the first. The past causes the present, and so the future. Any time we try to know why something happened—whether a shift in political party dominance in the American Congress, a major change in the teenage suicide rate, or a war in the Balkans or the Middle East—we have to look for factors that took shape earlier. Sometimes fairly recent history will suffice to explain a major development, but often we need to look further back to identify the causes of change. Only through studying history can we grasp how things change; only through history can we begin to comprehend the factors that cause change; and only through history can we understand what elements of an institution or a society persist despite change.
The Importance of History in Our Own Lives
These two fundamental reasons for studying history underlie more specific and quite diverse uses of history in our own lives. History well told is beautiful. Many of the historians who most appeal to the general reading public know the importance of dramatic and skillful writing—as well as of accuracy. Biography and military history appeal in part because of the tales they contain. History as art and entertainment serves a real purpose, on aesthetic grounds but also on the level of human understanding. Stories well done are stories that reveal how people and societies have actually functioned, and they prompt thoughts about the human experience in other times and places. The same aesthetic and humanistic goals inspire people to immerse themselves in efforts to reconstruct quite remote pasts, far removed from immediate, present-day utility. Exploring what historians sometimes call the "pastness of the past"—the ways people in distant ages constructed their lives—involves a sense of beauty and excitement, and ultimately another perspective on human life and society.
History Contributes to Moral Understanding
History also provides a terrain for moral contemplation. Studying the stories of individuals and situations in the past allows a student of history to test his or her own moral sense, to hone it against some of the real complexities individuals have faced in difficult settings. People who have weathered adversity not just in some work of fiction, but in real, historical circumstances can provide inspiration. "History teaching by example" is one phrase that describes this use of a study of the past—a study not only of certifiable heroes, the great men and women of history who successfully worked through moral dilemmas, but also of more ordinary people who provide lessons in courage, diligence, or constructive protest.
History Provides Identity
History also helps provide identity, and this is unquestionably one of the reasons all modern nations encourage its teaching in some form. Historical data include evidence about how families, groups, institutions and whole countries were formed and about how they have evolved while retaining cohesion. For many Americans, studying the history of one's own family is the most obvious use of history, for it provides facts about genealogy and (at a slightly more complex level) a basis for understanding how the family has interacted with larger historical change. Family identity is established and confirmed. Many institutions, businesses, communities, and social units, such as ethnic groups in the United States, use history for similar identity purposes. Merely defining the group in the present pales against the possibility of forming an identity based on a rich past. And of course nations use identity history as well—and sometimes abuse it. Histories that tell the national story, emphasizing distinctive features of the national experience, are meant to drive home an understanding of national values and a commitment to national loyalty.
Studying History Is Essential for Good Citizenship
A study of history is essential for good citizenship. This is the most common justification for the place of history in school curricula. Sometimes advocates of citizenship history hope merely to promote national identity and loyalty through a history spiced by vivid stories and lessons in individual success and morality. But the importance of history for citizenship goes beyond this narrow goal and can even challenge it at some points.
History that lays the foundation for genuine citizenship returns, in one sense, to the essential uses of the study of the past. History provides data about the emergence of national institutions, problems, and values—it's the only significant storehouse of such data available. It offers evidence also about how nations have interacted with other societies, providing international and comparative perspectives essential for responsible citizenship. Further, studying history helps us understand how recent, current, and prospective changes that affect the lives of citizens are emerging or may emerge and what causes are involved. More important, studying history encourages habits of mind that are vital for responsible public behavior, whether as a national or community leader, an informed voter, a petitioner, or a simple observer.
What Skills Does a Student of History Develop?
What does a well-trained student of history, schooled to work on past materials and on case studies in social change, learn how to do? The list is manageable, but it contains several overlapping categories.
The Ability to Assess Evidence. The study of history builds experience in dealing with and assessing various kinds of evidence—the sorts of evidence historians use in shaping the most accurate pictures of the past that they can. Learning how to interpret the statements of past political leaders—one kind of evidence—helps form the capacity to distinguish between the objective and the self-serving among statements made by present-day political leaders. Learning how to combine different kinds of evidence—public statements, private records, numerical data, visual materials—develops the ability to make coherent arguments based on a variety of data. This skill can also be applied to information encountered in everyday life.
The Ability to Assess Conflicting Interpretations. Learning history means gaining some skill in sorting through diverse, often conflicting interpretations. Understanding how societies work—the central goal of historical study—is inherently imprecise, and the same certainly holds true for understanding what is going on in the present day. Learning how to identify and evaluate conflicting interpretations is an essential citizenship skill for which history, as an often-contested laboratory of human experience, provides training. This is one area in which the full benefits of historical study sometimes clash with the narrower uses of the past to construct identity. Experience in examining past situations provides a constructively critical sense that can be applied to partisan claims about the glories of national or group identity. The study of history in no sense undermines loyalty or commitment, but it does teach the need for assessing arguments, and it provides opportunities to engage in debate and achieve perspective.
Experience in Assessing Past Examples of Change. Experience in assessing past examples of change is vital to understanding change in society today—it's an essential skill in what we are regularly told is our "ever-changing world." Analysis of change means developing some capacity for determining the magnitude and significance of change, for some changes are more fundamental than others. Comparing particular changes to relevant examples from the past helps students of history develop this capacity. The ability to identify the continuities that always accompany even the most dramatic changes also comes from studying history, as does the skill to determine probable causes of change. Learning history helps one figure out, for example, if one main factor—such as a technological innovation or some deliberate new policy—accounts for a change or whether, as is more commonly the case, a number of factors combine to generate the actual change that occurs.
Historical study, in sum, is crucial to the promotion of that elusive creature, the well-informed citizen. It provides basic factual information about the background of our political institutions and about the values and problems that affect our social well-being. It also contributes to our capacity to use evidence, assess interpretations, and analyze change and continuities. No one can ever quite deal with the present as the historian deals with the past—we lack the perspective for this feat; but we can move in this direction by applying historical habits of mind, and we will function as better citizens in the process.
History Is Useful in the World of Work
History is useful for work. Its study helps create good businesspeople, professionals, and political leaders. The number of explicit professional jobs for historians is considerable, but most people who study history do not become professional historians. Professional historians teach at various levels, work in museums and media centers, do historical research for businesses or public agencies, or participate in the growing number of historical consultancies. These categories are important—indeed vital—to keep the basic enterprise of history going, but most people who study history use their training for broader professional purposes. Students of history find their experience directly relevant to jobs in a variety of careers as well as to further study in fields like law and public administration. Employers often deliberately seek students with the kinds of capacities historical study promotes. The reasons are not hard to identify: students of history acquire, by studying different phases of the past and different societies in the past, a broad perspective that gives them the range and flexibility required in many work situations. They develop research skills, the ability to find and evaluate sources of information, and the means to identify and evaluate diverse interpretations. Work in history also improves basic writing and speaking skills and is directly relevant to many of the analytical requirements in the public and private sectors, where the capacity to identify, assess, and explain trends is essential. Historical study is unquestionably an asset for a variety of work and professional situations, even though it does not, for most students, lead as directly to a particular job slot, as do some technical fields. But history particularly prepares students for the long haul in their careers, its qualities helping adaptation and advancement beyond entry-level employment. There is no denying that in our society many people who are drawn to historical study worry about relevance. In our changing economy, there is concern about job futures in most fields. Historical training is not, however, an indulgence; it applies directly to many careers and can clearly help us in our working lives.
Why study history? The answer is because we virtually must, to gain access to the laboratory of human experience. When we study it reasonably well, and so acquire some usable habits of mind, as well as some basic data about the forces that affect our own lives, we emerge with relevant skills and an enhanced capacity for informed citizenship, critical thinking, and simple awareness. The uses of history are varied. Studying history can help us develop some literally "salable" skills, but its study must not be pinned down to the narrowest utilitarianism. Some history—that confined to personal recollections about changes and continuities in the immediate environment—is essential to function beyond childhood. Some history depends on personal taste, where one finds beauty, the joy of discovery, or intellectual challenge. Between the inescapable minimum and the pleasure of deep commitment comes the history that, through cumulative skill in interpreting the unfolding human record, provides a real grasp of how the world works.
Related Resources
October 21, 2018
The Well-Rounded History Graduate: Professional, Citizen, Human
October 21, 2018
What Employers Want: Thoughts from a History BA in Business
October 21, 2018


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You've all walked past the famous (and recently restyled) Question Board, affectionately known as QB, at some point. You may have marveled at QB's magical powers of research and punnery. Now, as the leaves turn, the weather gets colder, and movie critic fingers tap out best-of lists, we've got a list of our own: the three best answers from Question Board, plus a surprise!
(Looking for the full text of these QB winners? Visit the QB archive!)
Let's start with what QB is best known for. No, it's not hilarious references. It's using library resources! There are a few contenders for the best use of library resources, but last year, QB answered a question about the wide, weird world of jean shorts, and came out the other side with more knowledge than you can shake a sewing needle at. QB personally told the bloggers here at the UGL that this research is a particular point of pride for QB. Let's take a look at the question, shall we?
"Dear QB: Why do most women consider denim shorts (or 'jorts') on males to be unfashionable? Is this a psychological or neurological phenomenon? Also, are there any known health effects associated with wearing denim shorts?"
QB was able to answer this question with style galore, although without wearing a pair of jorts:
"Dear Fashion Forward:
QB was quite pleased to get your question. Not having legs, QB has never worn a pair of jorts, although QB suspects they may be quite comfortable. To start with, QB thought it might be wise to get some background information on denim in general…"
The fully-covered answer can be found here on the QB website. But QB isn't just known for looking good while doing research; QB is also a pun machine. Let's take a look at the answer to this burning question:
"Dear QB: There are so many squirrels on this campus – but where is all their poop?!"
QB's answer began as such:
"Dear Scatman,
While squirrels may be ubiquitous on the UIUC campus, credible, scholarly information about their defecation habits is most definitely not. QB searched long and hard through the resources available in the University of Illinois library system and was unable to come up with even the faintest whiff of research on the subject…"
You can find the entire punfully entertaining answer revealed here. And if you're looking for more squirrel info, QB has sent this squirrel to the reference librarians pretty often, and seems to find it funny.
In the land of the library there live many very proud nerds of all kinds. We here at the blog would like to give QB a shout-out for musically nerding it up while answering this question:
"Dear QB: Did the Obama's political allies assassinate Tupac in order to prevent Tupac's presidency?"
QB responds thusly:
"Dear Conspiracy Theorist,
QB applauds your keen eye in looking back at 1996… the year that saw the death of Tupac Shakur on September 13th…work your way through biographies of all the major players (the libraries here on campus have books on Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, and Suge Knight…"
Such research (found in its complete form here)! And presented in such beautiful style!
This brings us to our surprise: the podcast. Didn't you know we have podcasts? You've been missing out! Hear all the voices of QB on iTunes here and subscribe to listen to QB's magnificent answers. Don't have iTunes? No problem—QB makes sure that there is always a podcast up and ready online, right above the text of QB's answer. Our favorite (and one of QB's as well) answers the age old question:
"Dear QB: How come you can't keep your eyes open when you sneeze? Is your body protecting your eyes from popping out?"
Find the podcast here and listen to your heart's content.
So there you have it: QB's top three answers—and a magnificent podcast to boot. Visit QB on the lower level of the UGL anytime for more thoughtful answers, or check out QB on the UGL website. If you've got your own questions, don't be shy—ask QB! QB is ready and raring to answer your most pressing and random questions. Anything you've ever wondered about but were too confused or embarrassed to look up yourself – QB can handle it for you.
Got a research question? QB is a busy board answering all your trivia questions. Try the Undergraduate Library Research Desk on the upper level or use our Ask-A-Librarian service online!
Special thanks to guest blogger Zoe Weinstein.


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Dave Carroll from the Sons of Maxwell had his Taylor guitar mishandled by United Airlines about a year ago. They didn't want to fess up, so he got even by writing a song as well as a creating a video. In a matter of a week or so, the video has had over 3 million views and counting.
Don't underestimate the power of Social Media. It can be a powerful tool, but it can also work against you of you are on the receiving end. The lesson here is to deal with Customer Service issues promptly, but also ensure that you are constantly monitoring what's being said online about your company and your brand .
Here's the Video.United Breaks Guitars I can't seem to get the tune out of my head.
Here is also his official statement from an undisclosed warehouse in Nova Scotia
Update: Dave Carroll has added 2 follow up since United Breaks Guitars debuted in 2009:
United Breaks Guitars 2
United Breaks Guitars 3
The United Airlines Saga Continues…


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Welcome to Stockholm! This beautiful city, built on 14 islands, is often called The Venice of the North. Where else can you fish or swim in the city centre? The abundance of nature makes it a true haven, with architecture ranging from medieval to modern.
Ask a Stockholmer where they are from, and they will most probably say the name of their closest subway station. Being a city practically on water, it is best getting around its many narrow streets and alleys on public transport. Furthermore, the subway stations separate the different parts of the city.


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Abstract: This thesis paper contains a descriptive analysis of works produced by the author for the 2010 M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition at the Weatherspoon Art Museum which runs from May 2nd through June 6th, 2010. The pieces included in the exhibition challenge prevailing assumptions about materials, their uses, and hierarchies of value while embracing notions of the physical and spiritual value of labor in creating a tangible sense of place.
Explorations in labor and material as makers of place.PDF (Portable Document Format)3273 KBCreated on 5/1/2010Views: 1761
Email this document to


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Here's what you need to know about Chequers country estate - where Boris Johnson is recovering from coronavirus
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is recuperating at his official country retreat after being discharged from hospital on Sunday (12 Apr).
Mr Johnson spent three nights in intensive care at St Thomas' Hospital in central London after his coronavirus symptoms worsened.
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Hide AdHaving now been discharged, he is taking some time off from the top job and recovering at the Chequers estate, with Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State Dominic Raab deputising in his absence.
Where is the Chequers estate?
Chequers is a country residence in the Chiltern Hills, close to the village of Ellesborough in Buckinghamshire, around 40 miles north west of central London.
Who owns the estate?
The house and its 1,000 acre estate was bequeathed to the nation in 1917 by Sir Arthur Lee to whoever holds the office of Prime Minister.
The property is used as a retreat from the bustle of Downing Street, with Lloyd George being its first prime ministerial occupant in 1921.
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Hide AdIt is run and managed by an independent trust and is maintained by an endowment administered by the trustees.
The Trust also receives an annual grant-in-aid from public funds towards maintenance and staffing costs, amounting to £882,000 in 2018/19.
What is the estate used for?
The estate was intended to draw the Prime Minister away from Downing Street to spend two days a week "in the high and pure air of the Chiltern hills and woods", according to the Chequers Estate Act 1917.
The thinking behind the Act was that it would better the health of the country's rules, enabling Prime Minister's to better run the country.
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Hide AdHow long will Boris Johnson be staying?
The Prime Minister will spend time at the Buckinghamshire mansion while he recovers from a seven-night spell in hospital with coronavirus.
Speaking of his experience, Mr Johnson admitted "things could have gone either way", after being treated in intensive care for three nights.
He has since been reunited with his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds as he takes some time to recuperate.
Who else has stayed at Chequers?
The Chequers estate has been the site of many historical moments, including playing host to Sir Winston Churchill.
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Hide AdChurchill wrote some of his most famous radio speeches during his stay amid the Second World War, penning the words in the mansion's Hawtrey room.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron described the estate as a "good place for thinking away from London" to French president Francois Hollande during a visit in 2015.
More recently, the estate was used by former Prime Minister Theresa May as the location for a crunch 2018 Cabinet meeting to agree her new Brexit proposals.
In the following days, senior ministers - including then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson- resigned after disagreeing with the plans.
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Hide AdVisitors have also included the Queen, US President Donald Trump, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, along with a string of celebrities, such as Elton John, David Bowie and Bryan Adams.
Show your support for the incredible work being done by those working on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis. Join our Facebook group and follow the dedicated Instagram page to read stories of everyday heroism and share your own messages.
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.
In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this website, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.
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With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.
Thank you, and stay safe.


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Jaded Chaos - a fresh new webcomic from Dev and Kayzi, following the exploits of a group of geeky girls, and the adventures or disasters which they encounter. Magneto Doodles is fun too. :) GeekWomyn - Beginner or guru, this site provides the resources necessary to help you create your own presence on the web! Geek Icon: A cool little site by a cool geeky iconic chick, ARJ! Tabbycat's Littlerbox: Who can resist a tabbycat? A fun site by a fun geeky chick! Subgenius 3D: Nitrozac added this cool link to the Popess Lilith von Fraumench's Subgenius Art Gallery's 3D section. Get yer red/blue glasses out! IXSLUTS!: |
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