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"It was in a state of disrepair," Tara Morrison, Superintendent of the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site in Washington D.C., explained. "In certain sections taking bricks out, labeling them, numbering them, repairing them, restoring them and putting them back in their exact place. I mean this is the home where he lived from 1922 to 1950."
Meticulous preservation efforts to provide a space for people to learn important pieces of history.
"I see it as a gateway to Black history, to African American history, and it allows the National Park Service to introduce visitors who come to that one site. To opening doors, opening minds to all the National Park Service has to offer in terms of African American history," she said.
This is just one of dozens of sites the National Park Service oversees that focuses on African American history.
"Currently, the National Park Service has 50 sites that interpret African American history and culture," Angel Thompson, project manager of cultural resources at the National Park Foundation, said. The nonprofit provides support to the National Park Service.
"Preserving the historical sites and objects associated with African American history and culture...allows our national park visitors to learn, connect and visit the sites that tell the stories of African American perseverance and resilience," Thompson said.
Part of their preservation work has been done through the African American Experience Fund.
Fund II Foundation Founding Director Robert Smith said in a statement: "Their sacrifices shaped history as well as today and tomorrow, and they deserve our honoring them."
"Even though they're probably better known as these amazing places out west like Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, and Glacier...most of the national parks are focused around our history and culture," Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, said.
"Tuskegee is an example of where we're going to do something different. There, we're really trying to attract visitors to have an experience of what it was like to be a Tuskegee Airman, so we're having a flight simulator," he explained.
From the house of Martin Luther King Jr., to the church in New York where Harriet Tubman's funeral was held, the fund is helping to restore historic sites.
"Carter G. Woodson has been recognized by the National Park Service because of his great work in the rewriting of American history," Dr. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, said. The organization was founded by Woodson. "He recognized that African Americans in 1937 were saying to themselves, it's important for us to not only read about our heroes, to not only learn history in books, but to go to these sites where history was literally made."
And now, people can. The National Park Service and National Park Foundation are also working to put more and more historical sites online for virtual viewing. In the meantime, their preservation work continues for when they can open doors again.
"When we open in 2022, I expect there will be an increased interest not only from the general public but especially from school groups and other organizations who are wanting to increase their understanding of this piece of American history," Morrison said.


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According to Natural Resources Canada, over the past 25 years an average of 7,300 forest fires occurred annually across the country. The total area burned varied but is estimated to be 2.5 million hectares per year—nearly half the size of Nova Scotia.
While it is normal for Canada, which has nine per cent of the world's forests, to experience wildfires during the summer months, in the past five years they have increased to about 8,000 per year and have caused unprecedented devastation for many Canadian communities, especially in British Columbia and Northern Alberta. Fire season is arriving earlier, and the intensity and overall numbers are higher.
The Canadian governments are spending about $1 billion annually fighting wildfires. However, indirect costs may rise to several billion dollars a year as a result of property loss, damaged infrastructure, business and industrial shutdowns, evacuations, health-related expenses, and economic losses in a variety of sectors including tourism, forestry, and energy.
Extreme heat, prolonged drought and an increased build-up of communities in formerly unpopulated areas are major contributing factors causing longer and more severe wildfire seasons. According to meteorologists and environmental experts, the amount of forest burned by wildfire is projected to double by 2050 due to climate change.
What Causes Wildfires?
Wildfires can be started in a variety of ways, but the two main causes of wildfires are natural and human.
Natural Causes of Wildfires
Natural wildfires are almost always caused by lightning strikes, which can produce enough heat to easily ignite leaves, trees or other organic material, especially in dry conditions. Lightning is also usually accompanied by strong winds that can turn a spark into a raging fire. Fires caused by lightning represent 45% of all fires in Canada, but because they occur in remote locations and often in clusters, they represent 81% of total area burned.
Natural conditions that make it more likely for a wildfire to start also increase the risk. With the forecast for longer and hotter summer months in years ahead, the frequency and severity of wildfires will increase as a result of long-term climate change factors.
Human Causes of Wildfires
In Canada, 55% of all fires are caused by humans. They occur in more populated areas and are usually reported and extinguished quickly. Human-caused fires can be classified into accidental or incendiary fires. Some of the accidental causes include unattended campfires, smoldering cigarettes, debris burning, sparks from equipment, fireworks, and in recent years, 'gender reveal' parties. Incendiary causes include arson and illegal or unauthorized burning.
Knowing how to put out a fire is an important skill that may help prevent a wildfire from starting in your area.
How Can I Protect My Property from Wildfires?
While wildfires are hard to predict and control, there are some preventive steps that you can take to protect your property:
· Remove dead vegetation from trees and bushes from your property. Dead vegetation provides the perfect fuel for a fire to spread quickly. Removing it will help decrease the chances that a fire will spread to your home.
· Move firewood away from your house. Having firewood or other combustible materials near your home increases fire risk.
· Clear gutters of twigs and leaves. Wildfires spread quickly and having twigs or leaves in your gutters provides the perfect fuel needed for the fire to spread quickly and close to your home's walls.
· Ensure your home's roof uses class A fire rating materials. While they will not protect you against all fires, they will delay ignition and can withstand fire for longer compared to other roof types.
How to Recover From Wildfire Damage to Your Property
Wildfires spread fast and can cause major damage to your property and home. They can lead to significant damage to the structure of your house and even cause destruction of the foundation. Wildfires can also cause secondary damage throughout your home as a result of odour and soot damage to personal contents, appliances, carpets, furniture, walls, ceilings, roofs and windows.
If you do experience wildfire damage to your home or business, ServiceMaster Restore is ready to help. We will assess your property quickly and work with you to restore what can be restored.
Our team is backed by over 70 years of experience in fire damage remediation, and our restoration experts will help you get your life back to normal as quickly as possible. Call 1-800-RESPOND to reach our disaster response center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

subset: commoncrawl


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Associate Principal Horn
Michael Mayhew
Knight Foundation Chair
Michael Mayhew joined The Cleveland Orchestra as associate principal horn at the beginning of the 1997-98 season. Before joining the Orchestra, he served as assistant principal horn of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and had been appointed principal horn there for the 1997-98 season. Earlier, he was a member of Miami's New World Symphony and performed as substitute horn with the Houston Symphony and with the Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera orchestras.
A native of Denton, Texas, Michael Mayhew holds a bachelor of music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a master of music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston. He has participated in the summer Kent/Blossom Music program. Mr. Mayhew's teachers have included Robert Fries, William Ver Meulen, and Richard Solis, who is now his colleague in the horn section of The Cleveland Orchestra.


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A Hanukkah Story
Today is a very special day. It is both the sixth night of Hanukkah and the birthday of one of the founders of the People's Republic of Rock and Roll. Have you ever seen a founder of the People's Republic of Rock and Roll light a menorah, her eyes wide with innocence and delight? I have. To light, to life, to the ones we love who burn, burn, burn–
Read More


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Achieve outstanding value from your enterprise technology investments with a holistic and strategic approach to technology transformation.
Enterprise technology has to do much more than keep the wheels turning; it is the engine that drives functional excellence and the enabler of innovation and long-term growth.
Working with the leading solutions providers, we can guide your organisation along the implementation life cycle, from setting strategy and design to deployment and optimisation, including solutions for specific functions such as IT, finance and supply chain.


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"Tuff Flags wins hands down as my favorite flag shop from my first order. Prompt, professional and practical, the team was simply amazing. It is rare to find such a responsive team. I strongly recommend Tuff Flags"
-Sean Banks
"I can't say enough nice things about the quality of flags that were bought from Tuff Flags. Quick service and friendly team. Thumbs up to the entire crew."
-Chris Campbell
It's not a secret. We are effective for two reasons.We prioritize the merchandising function of Tuff Flags. ....
For items where you see the 6 month guarantee logo, your products are covered for all construction or material defects from the date of purchase. ....
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By Wayne Barrett
(The Daily Beast) William Donohue, the head of the Catholic League, called on presidential candidate Rick Perry on Wednesday to "have a full break" with Pastor Robert Jeffress, the Dallas minister who introduced and endorsed Texas's governor at the Values Voter Summit last week, and—in case you've forgotten—called Mitt Romney's Mormon faith a "cult" in the process.
Donohue told The Daily Beast that Jeffress' description of Mormonism "bespeaks dramatic ignorance"—but that he was calling for Perry to sever ties "not only for the pastor's comments on Mormonism," but because of the anti-Catholic statements the megachurch pastor made on his Pathway to Victory ministry show last September. On that show, Jeffress likened the Catholic Church to Satan, and called it a "fake religion."
A powerful Catholic voice based in the New York Archdiocese, Donohue's denunciations of another controversial Texas evangelical—Pastor John Hagee—as an anti-Catholic bigot forced 2008 GOP nominee John McCain to reject Hagee's endorsement. (Hagee had called the church "the great whore" and a "false cult.") "I think Rick Perry should follow the lead of McCain," Donohue said in an interview on Wednesday, "and say 'I don't want this guy Jeffress' endorsement.'" Donohue later reconciled with Hagee, who Donohue says came to visit him and apologized for the comments.
"I think Rick Perry should follow the lead of McCain, and say 'I don't want this guy Jeffress' endorsement.'" –William Donahue, head of the Catholic League
Donohue tells The Daily Beast he doesn't think Jeffress is likely to recant his comments on Catholicism. Jeffress, says Donohue, is "in too deep," and "loves to go on TV" making these "despicable statements." Donohue is so respected in evangelical circles that he recently participated in an extended discussion in Washington put together by Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council, the sponsor of last week's Values Voter Summit. One of the only Catholics present, Donohue and 15 to 20 evangelical leaders discussed social policy issues extensively right before the event. He says: "I didn't hear anything off the wall there," though he certainly sensed that some in the group "were leaning toward Perry."Donohue posted a brief statement on the League site today branding Jeffress a "poster boy for hatred, not Christianity." But he did not say anything about Perry until contacted by The Daily Beast.
"Now I find out that Satan infected Catholicism," Donohue added, a reference to the pivotal role Perkins asked Jeffress to play at the summit and Jeffress' prior Catholic attacks. Jeffress called Catholicism "a Babylonian mystery religion spread like a cult" and suggested that it was "the genius of Satan" to make this "counterfeit" religion look like real Christian faiths.
Reached via email on Thursday after this story was published, Catherine Frazier, a spokeswoman for the Perry campaign, said: "Governor Perry does not believe Mormonism is a cult and is not going to be distracted from talking about the issues that truly matter to America, like creating jobs."
Research assistance was provided by Emily Atkin, Matthew DeLuca, Kelly Knaub, Fausto Giovanny Pinto, and Andy Ross.


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Boston Postcard Pack
- Regular price
- $15.00
- Regular price
- Sale price
- $15.00
- Unit price
- per
Our postcards, designed and produced in our Cambridge, MA studio, come in packs of five so you can write a letter or two to your pals and maybe keep one for yourself.
Please note, each pack of five only has one variety of postcard. This pack will have five Boston postcards!
Behind The Scenes
From pen to press - original hand-drawn illustrations are brought to life on our antique presses, one at a time, just for you.
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.


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Privacy Statement
Effective Date: July 11, 2019
Intrinsec Security, Inc. ("Intrinsec") abides by the following principles when handling personal information in electronic form:
- We collect a small amount of personal information about our users in order to provide them with our products and services;
- We limit the sharing or disclosure of this personal information to our business needs or compliance with applicable legal requirements;
- We give users meaningful choices over the use of their personal information;
- We strive to protect the personal information that we hold.
This Privacy Notice provides detailed information on how Intrinsec puts these principles into practice. It describes the Intrinsec policies with respect to the personal information that it collects through its website located at https://intrinsecsecurity.com (Site) and the choices that are available to its users and members. "Personal information" means any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
1. Your consent
Please read this Privacy Notice before you visit the Site or provide personal information on or through the Site. Your use of the Site signifies that you agree will all terms of this Privacy Notice. If you disagree with any part of this Privacy Notice, please do not use the Site.
2. Scope
This Privacy Notice applies solely to personal information that Intrinsec collects through the Site or through electronic communications that you send to Intrinsec at the addresses indicated on the Site.
It does not apply to the websites of third parties, such as vendors, business partners, sponsors, advertisers, etc., to which the Site may link. Intrinsec is not responsible for the content of these websites, their policies or practices, or any product that they may offer. These third-party websites are operated independently from Intrinsec and are not under Intrinsec's control.
If you provide any personal information to or through these third third-party websites, your transaction will be subject to the terms and conditions and the privacy policies of these third parties. We recommend that you review these third-party terms before providing any personal information to them.
3. What information we collect, and how we collect it
Personal information about you
The Site is designed to allow users to browse through it without providing any contact information. However, certain areas of the Site may require or allow for the voluntary submission of personal information, such as name and email address. We collect the personal information that you provide when you contact us.
The Site is not directed to children
Intrinsec does not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are younger than eighteen (18) years old, please do not provide any personal information while using the Site.
Log information
Our server software gathers general information from all Site users. For example, IP address, computer type, screen resolution, OS version, domain name, location, date and time of the visit, page(s) visited, time spent on a page, the website from which the user came, action taken by the user when leaving our Site. Some of this information is provided directly by the user's browser, the remainder is obtained through cookies and tracking technologies.
Registration information Webinars, conferences, and other events offered as a service to our users are provided by Intrinsec or occasionally unaffiliated third-party vendors, which requires that Intrinsec and/or the vendors have access to personal information such as name, company, and email address. When you register for a webinar, conference, or other events that Intrinsec co-sponsors or where Intrinsec is featured, you complete the registration on and through a third-party vendor's site. The information that you provide as part of this registration is collected by the third-party vendor and is subject to the Privacy Policy posted on that third-party vendor's site. Our third-party vendors provide us with this information so that we can keep track of who registers to or attends these events.
4. How we use this information
Intrinsec uses the information that it has collected or received from its service providers as follows:
Fulfillment of requests
We record and use your personal information to respond to your inquiries, register you to our events, and send you the publications or documents that you request.
Administrative communications
We may send you important administrative or transactional information regarding the Site or events to which you have registered.
Other communications
We may use your personal information to send you mailings relating to Intrinsec activities or events that we think may be of interest to you, in accordance with applicable law. You may opt out of receiving these communications as indicated in the Choices section.
Internal business purposes
We may use the collected information for internal business purposes, such as for audits or to track attendance.
Site operation
We use cookies to assign a unique identifier to a user's computer. We may use cookies to recognize returning users or personalize the service that we provide to the user according to the user's interest or location.
Statistical analysis
We use aggregated data about our users' Site usage (which do not identify a specific user), such as the number of users who have visited certain pages of the Sites, or how long users are spending on a particular page, in order to develop statistics on the use of our Site, so that we can understand how our users interact with the Site and improve our Site and the services that we provide through our Site.
5. To whom we disclose personal information
Service providers
We may share personal information with entities that provide services to us, such as communications, database management, event planning, hosting, mailing, and marketing.
Sponsors and business partners
We may share with our sponsors and corporate members the personal information that you provide when filling out forms to obtain documents, white papers, or other research performed by Intrinsec. These business partners use such personal information in accordance with their own privacy policies, which may include use for direct marketing purposes.
Business transfers
In the event of the sale, transfer, or other disposition of any portion of Intrinsec's assets, we may transfer personal information to third parties, in preparation for, or as part of the sale, transfer, or disposition of Intrinsec's assets.
Law enforcement and compliance
We may use or disclose personal information to any third party (a) if we believe that we are required to do so by law; (b) to comply with legal process or respond to requests from governmental or public authorities; (c) to prevent, investigate, detect, or prosecute criminal offenses or attacks on the technical integrity of our Site or network; (d) to enforce our Terms and Conditions; or (e) to protect the rights, privacy, property, business, or safety of Intrinsec, its business partners, employees, members, Site users, or the public.
California privacy rights
Intrinsec does not disclose any personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. Should this practice change, we will allow all users to opt-out from such disclosures.
6. Online Payments
The Site provides the ability to make online payments for products or services that Intrinsec provides for a fee. Intrinsec does not store credit card details. All credit card information and other customer details that are required to process credit card payments are collected directly by the entity that processes online payments on Intrinsec's behalf. Intrinsec does not have access to these data. These data are handled by our service provider, in accordance with its data handling practices. Intrinsec is not responsible for the handling of these data by its service provider.
7. Your Choices
Marketing communications
We may from time to time send you mailings relating to events that we think may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive marketing mailings from us, you may unsubscribe from these mailings by following the unsubscribe instructions in these messages or by contacting us as indicated in How to contact Intrinsec.
8. Cookies and Other Technologies
Cookies are identifiers A cookie assigns a unique identifier to a user's computer and browser. Session cookies are erased when a user closes his browser or logs out. Persistent cookies are stored for a longer period. When a user returns and uses the computer and browser on which a persistent cookie is stored, the cookie allows us to recognize the computer and browser that were used in a prior session. It does not allow us to identify a specific individual.
We may use both "session" cookies and "persistent" cookies on the Site. These cookies are not linked to any contact information or identifying information, thus they do not tell us who you are, but they may identify your device, personal computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, and the like.
We will use the session cookies to keep track of you while you navigate the Site. We will use persistent cookies to enable our Site to recognize you when you visit.
Some cookies enable services that you have specifically asked for. Other cookies are used to remember the choices you made (for example, the size of the font, or the language you prefer) in order to make it easier for you to use our Site when you return. Other cookies collect information about how users use our Site, for example, which pages they visit most often, or how long they stay on a particular page.
We use Google Analytics to analyze the use of this Site. Google Analytics generates statistical and other information about website use by means of cookies, which are stored on users' computers. The information generated relating to our Site is used to create reports about the use of the Site. Google will store this information. Google's privacy policy is available at: http://www.google.com/privacypolicy.html.
If you do not want us to use cookies, you can set up your browser to automatically decline cookies, or to indicate when a cookie is being sent and be given the choice of declining or accepting a particular cookie from a particular website. You can also remove existing cookies from your browser's memory by using the removal method provided by your browser. Most browsers allow you to reject all cookies, whilst some browsers allow you to reject just third-party cookies. For example, in Internet Explorer, you can refuse all cookies by clicking "Tools", "Internet Options", "Privacy", and selecting "Block all cookies" using the sliding selector. However, please note that if certain cookies are blocked, some features of the Site may not operate as intended.
If you have any other questions about cookies and other technologies, please visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org/ or http://networkadvertising.org/ or contact us.
Action tags, Pixel tags, action tags, gif tags, beacons, or similar technologies (tracking technologies) are placed on pages of the Site by Intrinsec or a service provider. They allow the collection of information such as the date or time when a designated page was viewed or how long the user stayed on a specific page. This information is collected in an aggregated format. Users cannot remove or block action tags because they are coded in the programming of the Site, rather than being sent to a browser. However, users can remove any cookie that is associated with the action tag, as explained above.
9. Retention of information
We will retain personal information about you for so long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Notice unless a longer retention period is required by law and/or regulations.
10. Security
Intrinsec seeks to adopt commercially reasonable security measures consistent with industry practice to protect personal information under its control against loss, misuse, and alteration. However, we cannot guarantee the security of our servers, the means by which personal information is transmitted between your computer and our servers, or any personal information that we receive through or in connection with the Site. If you believe that your connection to our Site is no longer secure, please notify us as soon as possible.
We attempt to strike a reasonable balance between security and convenience. Emails are usually sent as unencrypted text. If misrouted or intercepted, an unencrypted email could be read easily. If there is a matter that requires high security or confidentiality, please do not send the related information through email.
11. Crossborder transfers
By using the Site, you acknowledge and consent to the fact that (a) the personal information that you provide to us or that we collect through your our Site may be stored and processed in the United States, Canada, or abroad, which may provide a different level of data protection than that which is provided by your country of residence; and (b) we may, at our discretion, store, and process such data in the United States, Canada, or other countries.
12. Jurisdiction
Intrinsec does not represent or warrant that the Site is appropriate or available for use in any particular jurisdiction. Those who choose to access the Site do so on their own initiative and at their own risk and are responsible for complying with all local laws, rules, and regulations that apply to them.
We may limit access to the Site to any person, geographic area, or jurisdiction that we choose, at our sole discretion.
13. Inquiries and Complaints
If you have any questions, comments, or complaints about this Privacy Notice, or the use, management, or disclosure of personal information collected on or through our Site, please contact us as set forth in the section How to contact Intrinsec.
If you have a complaint, and you are not satisfied with our handling of the disputed matter, or the complaint or dispute cannot be resolved through our internal process, please contact the San Francisco office of the American Arbitration Association, which will assist in the resolution of this matter.
14. California Disclosures
Do Not Track
California law requires that website operators that collect personal information about California residents disclose how they respond to a "Do Not Track" signal. However, because there is not yet a common understanding of how to interpret Do Not Track signals, we do not currently respond to Do Not Track signals, if any, that we might receive from browsers. We will continue to work with the online industry to define a common understanding of how to treat Do Not Track signals.
To learn more about online behavioral advertising, and/or to opt-out of this type of advertising, please visit the Network Advertising Initiative website or the Digital Advertising Alliance website. You can also contact us as indicated in How to contact Intrinsec.
Third-Party Cookies
California law requires that website operators disclose whether third parties may collect personally identifiable information about an individual's online activities. We allow third parties with which we have a separate agreement to use cookies or other technologies to collect information about users' visits to our Site. These third parties may collect information when you view or interact with certain areas of this Site, and may collect information about your interests or preferences so that they can display promotional material tailored to your apparent interest across the Internet.
We do not share with these third parties any information that would readily identify you, such as an email address, but these third parties may have access to information about your devices, such as an IP or MAC address. We do not have access to, or control over, the technologies that these third parties may use to collect information about your interests.
Opt-out of Third Party Sharing
When you fill out a form to obtain a document, white paper, or other CSA research in areas of our Site that are sponsored by Intrinsec or other businesses, we may share this information with our sponsors. We allow you to opt out from such disclosure. If you do not opt-out, these third parties may use the personal information obtained through these forms for their direct marketing purposes.
15. Updates to the Privacy Notice
We update this Privacy Notice from time to time. If the changes are significant, we will post a prominent notice on this Site for a reasonable time to notify you of these changes. Unless, and until, you object in writing, by contacting us as indicated in How to contact Intrinsec, all changes will apply to the existing information about you that Intrinsec already holds, and the personal information collected from the effective date of the revised Privacy Notice.
We encourage you to periodically review this webpage in order to ensure that you are aware of the current Privacy Notice. Your use of our Site following the effective date of any revision will constitute your acceptance of the terms of the updated Privacy Notice.
16. How to contact Intrinsec
If you have any questions, comments, or complaints, regarding this Privacy Notice, or our privacy, security, or data protection practices, please contact us by email at email@example.com.


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***The 7th novel in the Strike series, THE RUNNING GRAVE, is coming in September 2023. Pre-order now and be the first to read it***
'Teems with sly humour, witty asides and intelligence … A pleasure to read' TIMES
Now a major BBC drama: The Strike series
When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days – as he has done before – and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.
But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realises. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were published it would ruin lives – so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him.
And when Quine is found brutally murdered in bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any he has encountered before . . .
A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, The Silkworm is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant Robin Ellacott.
*** The latest book in the thrilling Strike series, TROUBLED BLOOD, is out now! ***
'One of the most unique and compelling detectives I've come across in years' MARK BILLINGHAM
'The work of a master storyteller' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Unputdownable. . . Irresistible' SUNDAY TIMES
'Will keep you up all night' OBSERVER
'A thoroughly enjoyable classic' PETER JAMES, SUNDAY EXPRESS


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MXM Medallia
MXM Medallia are the world's leading experts on Operational Customer Experience management for the health and wellness industry.
We are the world's leading experts on Operational Member Experience Management and the ONLY company that solely focuses on the Fitness/Wellness Industry.
Turn customers' thoughts and feelings into real data and insights, (think economic growth, and resiliency to competitors) to make every customer visit exceptional, and where operational improvements will increase customer loyalty.
Features & Benefits
Access Your Data
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MXM's compelling, intuitive format promotes situational awareness and helps you get things done by surfacing important trends and exceptions. Easily drill-down with just a couple of clicks. It should be simple to find the data you want. We make it easy.
The MXM Software
MXM delivers the data to focus effort on creating spectacular member experiences.
Every day MXM captures feedback that systematically engages everyone: your customers, your frontline, and your leadership.
MXM helps build loyal customers, loyal customers bring friends, loyal customers stay longer, loyal customers spend more money, and loyal customers say great things about you even after they leave.
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Web-based surveys with email invitations and reminders.
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Quick response rates and feedback delivered when you want it.
In English, Spanish, Portuguese, & French.
Customer Recovery: Turn Detractors into Advocated
Flags at-risk customer relationships.
Generates alerts.
Sends email notifications.
Drives' improvement in alert resolution.
Effectively handles' customer complaints.
Data & Permissions


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raik's name is not widely known today. A surprising number of people, however — women in particular — will nod in recognition when told that she wrote The Little Lame Prince and His Travelling Cloak, The 1875 "parable for children and adults" is still being reprinted in both library and cheap editions, although some of the more recent have been simplified for the modern reader. Although never identified primarily as an author of juvenile fiction, Craik wrote for children and young people throughout her publishing career.
The mid-nineteenth century was the first golden era for children's literature. Families were big. The growing middle class kept children at home or at school for a much longer time, instead of sending them to work as soon as possible. Childhood became more and more a separate state, with its own proper interests and pleasures; children were protected from the grown-up world, instead of being expected to go straight from the primer into books with adult characters. And parents were willing to spend money on books — there were, as yet, no children's libraries. For the first time, a large number of books other than works of information and moral instruction were written for children. Craik worked in most of the forms that became important: she wrote didactic stories, fairy tales, fantasy, narratives about commonplace everyday events intended for the very young, and short novels for what she described as "the girl from eight to eighteen." (Advertisement, Is It True?)
Despite the versatility of type, however, the essential content remained constant. The simple stories that Craik wrote for children reveal basic emotional patterns that satisfied her as a writer and a person, and that she repeated — although less obviously — in her books for adults. The sentimental writer's goal is to educate the emotions. Craik did not teach children how to behave by using rational arguments based on commandments. Nor did she try to [79/80] scare them into morality by showing the sufferings of bad children. The sentimental story, instead, promotes habits of feeling; it arouses positive emotions and gives them plenty of exercise so that they will become strong and healthy. If feelings flow freely and automatically along well-worn paths it is not even necessary to tell people how they ought to act in any particular situation; if the right feelings are habitual, the right actions should necessarily follow.
Didactic Stories
Craik published five more-or-less-realistic children's books between 1846 and 1855. In each, the protagonists are thrust into situations where their success depends largely on their own actions — and where, more important, their happiness grows from the way other characters feel about them. With slight differences in emphasis from story to story, the central character (and the reader) is encouraged to be unselfish, thoughtful, honest, and kind; these traits lead both to practical success and to a flow of love and admiration from other people.
The earliest books were learning experiences for the author as well as the readers. Reviewers pointed out that the characters were interesting but the plots "ill-constructed" ("Cola Monti", Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, 24 Nov. 1849, p. 333). Also, like so many women novelists of her period, Craik needed practice in English grammar and syntax; she corrected the text of the early books before letting them be reprinted in later years.
The first book she published, Michael the Miner, was done for the Religious Tract Society in 1846 and was shaped by the tradition of Hannah More: it had details about day-to-day life among the poor so that readers would identify and enough direct moralizing that even the barely literate would be sure to get the point. Michael is a poor boy who uses pluck and hard work to support his family. He is able to foil some ore thieves because of his unspotted reputation; the mine owners believe Michael, despite his lowly status, because everyone knows he has never told a lie.
In How to Win Love, or Rhoda's Lesson (1848) a twelve-year-old farmer's daughter is sullen and antagonistic when her father remarries. She wins love first by patiently accepting help from others when she is ill and then by bravely rescuing a sick tramp and taking care of a baby. Rhoda's primary lesson, as a girl, is to think first of others. In the companion piece for boys, Cola Monti (1849), the essential virtues are hard work and fair play. [80/81]
A Hero (1853) has twelve relatively self-contained episodes, each about long enough for reading aloud or for a child just beginning to read alone. Captain Philip Carew tells his nephews a series of stories that show the difference between foolhardy boldness and the true heroism revealed in forethought, steadiness, and unselfishness. The stories dramatize the everyday events of children's own lives: going on a trip, feeling timid in a new school, learning to row a boat, having a hat snatched and kicked around the schoolyard. This kind of story — now so typical of books for elementary-school children — was not common before the middle of the nineteenth century. It is an analogue to the domestic novel for adults; the middle-class reading public became interested in stories of people like themselves, and the heroes of children's fiction could be children involved in the commonplace incidents of child life.
The Little Lychetts (1855) is an interesting variation of the Cinderella plot. At age thirteen, Eunice Lychett suddenly stops being the richest child in the boarding school and becomes an orphan who has to live with an impoverished farmer and look after a sickly and whining young brother. But even when she was a rich girl, Eunice had been hurt by her inability to conform to the feminine ideal: she is big, awkward, bold, and not much good at music or needlework. When she has responsibility for her brother, Eunice develops maternal-feminine traits — and she also grows painfully aware that she is not likely to be loved because she is physically ugly. She tries to earn her brother's affection with gifts, but he likes the pretty, musical, passive Janie Allardyce much better. Illness and mutual self-sacrifice eventually bring Eunice and her brother together. In the happy ending, both are heading off to Germany to get the professional training that will allow them to have careers.
Despite the division between "boys' books" and "girls' books," the children in these stories tend toward a single-sex ideal. Rhoda and Eunice are active and daring; all the admirable boys are sensitive to others' needs. The union of strength and weakness that is so central to Craik's imagination is apparent in all of them. Michael the Miner has two deaf-mute girls. The nobleman's daughter had been babied for her infirmity and is peevish and uncommunicative; Michael's sister is equally afflicted but self-dependent because she is poor, and she helps and teaches the spoiled rich girl. Both Rhoda and Eunice grow softer and less self-centered when they are confined to bed and realize how much they depend on others. Cola Monti [81/82] functions as both savior and saved; he rescues a poor Italian street boy from starvation and is worshipped by him, and he idealizes the manly Archibald and falls ill of brain fever at the end so that Archibald can nurse him. Illness or helplessness calls forth from people of either sex a love that is essentially maternal; all of the characters feel the strongest emotions toward those who are infants, or ill, or disabled, or helpless. In these children's books Craik's system of ethics rests on the obligation to help and protect those weaker than oneself; she guides her readers to maturity by giving them opportunities to feel the glow of approval and self-approval that comes from taking care of other people.
Fairy Lore
The classic fairy tales from France were published in England soon after 1700, but by 1800 many people considered magic unwholesome. Educators like Mrs. Trimmer warned parents to avoid books that "fill the heads of children with confused notions of wonderful and supernatural events" or stories like "Little Red Riding Hood" that "injure the tender minds of children, by exciting unreasonable and groundless fears" (quoted in Suitable for Children, p. 38). The traditional English tales like "Jack and the Beanstalk" were most often seen only in cheap, crudely illustrated chapbooks. But the serious interest in folklore was spurred by the translation, in 1823, of the stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. By the 1840s and 1850s fairy tales had become a recognized part of children's reading. Not only were the traditional stories of many countries collected and translated, but also, beginning about 1850, English authors began to invent new and original fairy tales, often with moral or allegorical intent.
Craik's Alice Learmont (dated 1852, but advertised for Christmas giving in December 1851) combines invention with traditional folklore, in much the way that Hans Christian Andersen (whose books were translated in 1846) wrote new stories from ideas suggested by the oral tradition. The narrative of Alice Learmont — an infant stolen from the cradle and raised in fairyland — is original, but virtually all of its details come from the popular lore of the border country and the Scottish lowlands. Alice is a descendent of Thomas surnamed Learmont, also known as True Thomas, Thomas the Rhymer, and Thomas of Erceldoune, a thirteenth-century poet who, according to legend and ballad, lived for seven years with the fairies and returned with the power of prophecy. [82/83]
Many of the legendary details about Thomas are incorporated in Alice Learmont. The fairies are not cute little creatures with wings, but inhabitants of the alternate world which, in lowland tradition, overlaps with the human world. The fairies are ageless immortals, the size of a human child, who live under the surface of the earth and ride out, visible to human eyes, on New Year's Eve and other ancient festivals. They owe a tribute to the devil every seven years; they try to have a mortal human available to offer so that they need not sacrifice one of their own kind. They are like humans in form but have no souls: they have no affection, no grief, no fear, and spend their lives in sport and amusement.
Craik's story brings to the surface some of the psychological implications of fairy lore. Alice, born just before dawn on rhe first day of the year, is stolen from the cradle and allowed to return home only on her birthnight at intervals of three and then seven years. Raised by the fairies, she is, like them, self-absorbed and indifferent to others. When she appears in her human mother's cottage, she frisks and plays, criticizes the food she is offered, and has no affection for her family. On the night of her tenth birthday she is briefly touched by her mother's love, but in the end returns gladly — eagerly — to her enchanted pleasures.
But when she reaches the age of fourteen, Alice begins to grow weary of perpetual play. She discovers that her brother Hugh has been captured by the water Kelpie; she wants Hugh to stay in fairyland so that she will have someone from whom to hear the word "love," but finally — for his own good — she shows him the way to escape.
When Alice goes back to her human family again, on the night she turns seventeen, her mother is ill. Alice tends her and in the act of serving another becomes a woman. The fairies come for her; they mock the poverty and ugliness around them and woo Alice with their dance, but she refuses to leave. The fairies return the next evening — they want Alice very badly because the tribute to the devil is due. Alice, fully aware of the danger, nevertheless goes outside to get water for her suffering mother. She is seized and carried away. She can now see that the fairies are ghastly, withered, old creatures absurdly imitating youth. The next time they ride through human lands, Alice calls out to her mother, who holds her fast through all of the transformations and terrors that the fairies [83/84] can devise. Rescued by her mother's love and courage, Alice is at last fully human.
Retelling makes the moral structure more obvious than it appears on first reading. The story is longer and more complex than most traditional fairy tales; characters and scenes are developed with a wealth of circumstantial detail. The outcome is seriously in doubt, even for readers who perceive the message about mother-love; our very awareness of the psychic truth encoded by the pleasure-avid amoral semihumans that live beneath the surface of the visible world makes us realize that the traditional stories do not always have happy endings. It is easy to construct an allegorical reading about the charm of illusion and the thoughtlessness of young people. The ages often, fourteen, and seventeen are obviously related to the physical stages that turn a child into a woman; the rapid change of shapes that Alice goes through in her mother's arms — from beast to snake to bar of red-hot iron — is familiar to the parents of adolescents. The fairies have power only when mortals fail; the rivers one must cross to get to the enchanted pleasures are made up of all the blood and tears shed on earth. Old Thomas the Rhymer remains forever under his spell because "like many another bard, he had worshipped no reality but only the dream of his own poet-heart." (Alice Learmont, in A Hero, Bread upon the Waters, Alice Learmont, chap. 8.)
How, therefore, given the strength of illusion, can a child be turned into a woman? The answer, imposed by Craik's perception of female nature, is to give her a male that she can rescue and a mother she must look after. But the allegory does not intrude. It is essentially a layer of enrichment, an underlying structure that gives cohesion to traditional materials. Alice Learmont deserves to be better remembered than it has been.
The collections of fairy tales continued to swell during the 1850s. Alexander Macmillan asked Craik to edit what he hoped would be the ultimate anthology for his own list. In May 1862 he sent her volumes of Planché and Grimm and advised her to consult the sixty-volume Cabinet des Fées in the British Museum. He asked her to "try by every means to fix on so many of what are clearly the best as would make one volume ... so that our babies unborn shall know they have all the cream of the cream of Fairy lore" (Macmillan, p. 109).
The collection, entitled The Fairy Book (1863), contains thirty-six tales, including most of the ones that have become thoroughly standard and a few that are less familiar. The introduction indicates that Craik decided deliberately to omit the modern, or invented, [84/85] fairy tales; thus there is no Hans Christian Andersen and no "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" (supposed at the time to have been written by Robert Southey).
Unlike many earnest mid-Victorians, Craik did not intrude maxims of bend the stories to her own purposes. ( George Cruikshank's Fairy Library, published in 1853-54, has Cinderella's fairy godmother spouting a lecture on temperance, and Jack retraining the giant to build roads and bridges instead of killing him.) Craik was delighted by the bold and greedy con game of "Puss in Boots," which Cruikshank found so immoral. And although she left out "Bluebeard" — the story most criticized for inducing bad dreams and terrors in the night — she did not try to avoid frightening children. "Little Snowdrop" (now generally known as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"), like the version in Grimm, has the wicked stepmother demand that the huntsman bring back Snowdrop's lungs and liver, a detail glossed over by early translators, who usually had her tell him simply to lose Snowdrop in the forest. She sticks to the abrupt end of "Little Red-Riding-Hood," without bringing any father or woodcutters to kill the wolf and rescue the girl and her grandmother, and preserves the tragic outcome of Madame d'Aulnoy's "The Yellow Dwarf."
On the whole, Craik's versions are very close to their sources. She sometimes makes the language less abrupt, clarifies details, provides transitions to make the stories read more smoothly. She adds some rational explanations of causes and motives; in "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood," for example, she explains that a spindle remains in the palace because the old woman in the tower is "so old and deaf that she had never heard of the king's edict." (The Fairy Book, 1863) She also adds a few human touches. The good fairy puts everyone else to sleep along with the princess because she "might be a good deal embarrassed, especially with a young prince by her side, to find herself alone." At the end of the story the princess's dog makes a fuss because his mistress is paying attention to the prince instead of to him.
The Perrault version of the tale ends with a subsidiary story about the prince's mother being an ogre. Craik, like most recent storytellers, omits this material and concludes, briefly, in her own voice: "Nor — whether or not the day of fairies was over — did the princess ever see anything further of her seven godmothers. She lived a long and happy life, like any other ordinary woman, and died at length, [85/86] beloved, regretted, but, the prince being already no more, perfectly contented." That is as far as Craik went, in The Fairy Book, in the way of adding commentary or revealing an authorial attitude.
Books for the Children Craik Knew
Once Craik was beyond the necessities of the didactic fiction she had sold in her early years, she said that she believed "no 'preaching' should be admissible" in a child's book. ("The Age of Gold", Macmillan's Magazine, p. 297.) After she had godchildren and then, later, an adopted daughter, Craik began to write simple books based on everyday life for and about the children that she knew.
Our Year: A Child's Book in Prose and Verse (1860) is an almanac that provides, for each month, two poems and a narrative suggesting things to see and do. Craik got together with two young collaborators and remembered what they had actually done; they told where to find caterpillar nests or wild strawberries, how to transplant hyacinths, how to make a willow whistle, and the "rules" for some chase-and-tickle games.
Little Sunshine's Holiday (1871) is also, as the subtitle says, "A Picture from Life." There had not been many true nursery stories before 1870; there were rhymes, fairy tales, and alphabets, but not books about the adventures of very small children told in language that preschool listeners could follow. In Little Sunshine's Holiday Craik wrote about taking her daughter to Scotland when she was not quite three years old. It is the kind of story many of us make up or look for to prepare children for new experiences — it tells about packing clothes, riding on a train, taking a bath in a washtub in a strange house, being jealous when Mama picks up someone else's baby, having unfamiliar food for supper, making fishes out of toast and swimming them in Mama's tea. The moral is more for the reader-aloud than for the listener; "Mama" is quietly tolerant of the jealousy and the late-hours crankiness and she's not embarrassed to fish out the security blanket (a tattered bit of flannel from an old apron) so that Sunshine can comfort herself to sleep on the train.
The Adventures of a Brownie (1872) was also written for Dorothy, with simple words and a tone of voice that encourages imaginative play without condoning lies. The Brownie is a foot-high little old man who lives in the coal cellar, is never seen except by the children, and is probably responsible for the noises sometimes heard in the [86/87] walls. He also has a tendency to conspire with the children so that they can do what they want and still be obedient — he shakes down cherries from the tree, for example, when the children have been told not to climb it to get the fruit.
Most of Craik's later poems and short stories for children are marked by an intent to encourage empathy with others' feelings. Some of the earlier romantic tales ("The Italian's Daughter," "Antonio Melidori," "The Half-Caste," "The Last of the Ruthvens") had become juvenile property by the end of the century. But the pieces that Craik wrote later for Chambers's, Good Words for the Young, and Once a Week became much quieter and closer to the life she knew. She did not write stones of action or adventure. She was always against pain and suffering in any form; she wrote about "A Hare-Hunt" from the hare's point of view and, although she had managed to work up a little quiet respect for individual soldiers in essays written during the Crimean War, her writing for children is quite consistently pacifist. In the poem "Waterloo-Day" (Our Year) the children who ask their grandfather for a story get a grim one about how he has been haunted for more than forty years by the shriek of a wounded French soldier that his horse rode down in the press of battle.
Although the stories emphasize empathy and understanding, Craik did not believe one should lie to children. In "Poor Prin" a loving mother tells her children how she drowned her pet dog with her own hands to keep it from going to a bad master. Her father and mother who, as we understand, have troubles of their own, had simply vented their anger on their child by ordering her to take the dog to its new owner instead of explaining their worries and telling her why the dog had to be sold. The story seems designed to help children understand that parents are imperfect, and that sometimes nothing can be done about injustice and unfairness. There are also many portraits of young people — particularly girls — who take heavy responsibility at an early age, and who are proud of their self-sufficiency but denied their youth.
The Multiple Fantasies of The Little Lame Prince
The Little Lame Prince and His Travelling Cloak (1875) is an invented fairy tale or, as Craik called it, a parable. The infant Prince Dolor is crippled soon after his birth. His uncle, the Prince Regent, [87/88] usurps the throne and exiles Prince Dolor to an impregnable tower set in the midst of a wasteland, with only a condemned criminal for companion and nurse. Once Prince Dolor is past babyhood his life becomes intolerably dull and lonely. He wishes desperately for some change — even for death if no other change is possible. A fairy godmother appears and tells him "I cannot alter your lot in any way, but I can help you to bear it" (chap. 3). She gives him a traveling cloak which lets him fly through the air and see — but not touch — the natural world and its people. At first the prince simply enjoys nature and envies everything alive and active; at times, in fact, the contrast makes his own lot harder to bear. Then, from his vantage point above the earth, he begins to see the dirty alleys behind the stately facades and to feel compassion for those who have less than he. Finally, the usurping uncle dies in a revolution. Prince Dolor is restored to the throne and rules his country with wisdom and compassion.
At one level, obviously, the story is an allegory about the imagination (and, perhaps, about the writing of fiction). The magic traveling cloak can provide entertainment, nourish the mind, and comfort the spirit in even the most oppressive physical circumstances. The imagination, however, is not simply for escape. Once Prince Dolor understands that he was born to rule, he uses his magic cloak to examine the unpleasant facts of life instead of seeing only what he wants to see. Human imagination, then, is the key to an empathetic appreciation of all human life, and empathy is the source of human goodness. The story works rather well at that level. The language is simple enough for reading aloud to a child of six or seven. There are enough subsidiary details — incidents of life in the tower, separate journeys in the traveling cloak, minor climaxes of frustration or despair — to make each of the ten chapters a satisfactory unit. Occasional wry comments about the politics and customs of Nomansland, which is, the author says, "much like our own or many another country" (chap. 1), are there to be appreciated by an adult who is doing the reading.
But that level does not account satisfactorily for the way that The Little Lame Prince continues to haunt the memory of many who read it as preadolescent girls. Like the classic fairy tales, the story touches a deeper fantasy. The orphaned and helpless Prince Dolor is a projection of the female situation. He inherits his name and nature [88/89] from his mother, Queen Dolorez, a patient and sad woman, gentle, uncomplaining, dutiful, and totally ignored by the king and court. The godmother and her gift also come to Dolor through the female line. He is crippled only because of superficial worldly customs (a nursemaid drops him while she is arranging her gown for the christening ceremony). He is the rightful ruler of his country, but he is not allowed to take his place because his body is defective. He cannot help himself because he is physically weak and no one pays attention to him. His uncle stays in power illegitimately through trickery disguised as tender (chivalric) care for Prince Dolor's health. He is shut up in a tiny but physically comfortable home where he has no contact with equals, knows about the world only from books, and suffers because he has nothing to do. When he is left alone in the tower and believes he is going to die, he wishes that he "had done something first — something worth doing, that somebody might remember me by" (chap. 9). Despite his perception of the world's ills and his recognition that he, as ruler, could correct some of them, there is no action he can take to alter his own situation. He must wait to be rescued by the convict-nurse — a deviant woman, and therefore not debilitated by social practice — who seizes the opportunity created by a revolution to have Dolor proclaimed king.Even coming into his kingdom does not make Dolor entirely whole. He learns to walk only with crutches and depends on the aid of others. He is a humane king because he lives "in and for other people" (chap. 10). He abolishes capital punishment and makes his dominion clean and healthy, but he never takes a queen; he raises a nephew as his heir. And whether he was happy, the author says, "is a question no human being can decide. But I think he was, because he had the power of making everybody about him happy, and did it, too ..." (chap. 10). Once his heir comes of age, however, Dolor abdicates his throne and takes out his traveling cloak one last time to go to the Beautiful Mountains. "I am tired, very tired," he says to his subjects. "Let me go home" (chap. 10).
Is the power of this female experience of life written into the tale, or has contemporary interpretation put it there? At the beginning of chapter 5, Craik says that "there is a meaning in this story, deeper than that of an ordinary fairy tale . . . But I have hidden it so carefully that the smaller people, and many larger folk, will never find it out. ..." Some of the details suggest the rather specific social conditions of Victorian women's lives. The essential elements [89/90] contain the same fantasy that lies beneath a great deal of Craik's writing for both children and adults: rejection, enforced helplessness, a discovery of inner self-determination which may not alter worldly status but does make life bearable, and compensation found by living for and through others.
Elaine Showalter suggests that the story is "an allegory of Craik herself — cast out of the happy kingdom of the family by her father's desertion, crippled by her female role, and finally redeemed through self-discipline and imagination" ("Dinah Mulock Craik and the Tactics of Sentiment", p. 8). Although that may be the case, the fantasy grows from roots that are widely shared. As a novelist and as a writer for children, Craik's strongest point was not her power of observation but her ability to tap the springs of feeling; she was in touch with sentiments that have moved and continue to move a great many women.
Short Novels
The very short novels that Craik wrote late in her life are what current library practice would call "books for young adults." In 1871 Craik had edited a private journal kept by a girl in her teens during a brief stay in France so that it could be published as Twenty Years Ago. In the preface to that volume Craik says that she had not omitted the girl's sentiments "on love, marriage, and other subjects usually tabooed in girls' books. Why? Girls will think of these things — ay, and talk of them too." (Twenty Years Ago, p. iv.) Craik's novels "for grow-ing-up girls" (Address, signed "The Author of 'John Halifax'", printed as advertisement in Is It True?) are about love, but they are not about finding Prince Charming and living happily ever after. She treated adolescent attachments quite seriously but showed that in the real world even the most perfect love may be unreciprocated or otherwise frustrated, leaving young women with lives to fill through their own resources.
My Mother and I: A Girl's Love-Story, published in Good Words between January and July of 1874, is narrated in the first person by Elma Picardy. Her mother gently nudges her out of the nest by encouraging her to make her own decisions. Elma goes to visit wealthy relatives and grows fond of her cousin Major Conrad Picardy, who is small, gentle, and suffering from the effects of a wound he received in India. Elma is surprised and distressed when another man proposes; she was too naive to recognize the signs of courtship, is confused by her secret and perhaps inappropriate feelings for Conrad, and makes awkward and temporizing plans from day to [90/91] day. Then she goes home to nurse her mother through an ugly and painful disease. She is consoled by learning that she can earn money to look after her mother by teaching the doctor's children, and she accepts as permanent her undeclared love for a man who will not marry because he has a tendency to consumption and because he has already lost the woman he loved when young.
In The Laurel Bush, also published in six installments in Good Words, in 1876, Fortune Williams and Robert Roy are governess and tutor in the same family. They are both reserved and self-sufficient, yet both have, sometimes, a "desperate craving to enjoy" the pleasures other young people seem to have (17, part 1). She waits and waits for him to speak the one word that will acknowledge their feelings, but he is too shy and insecure to do it. He leaves the country, and the letter he promised to write never comes. Fifteen years later she is guardian of two young women whose governess she had been and he returns, also still unmarried, with two orphaned boys he has promised to educate. They become friends but the restraint between them remains; she still has no way of knowing whether he ever loved her. At last it is discovered that he did write; the letter was lost and he took her failure to answer as a sign of rejection. They marry, a sober middle-aged couple subdued by a lifetime of duty and repression. His Little Mother (1881) is about a girl who, from the age often, guides and protects her weak, indecisive male twin. Eventually she also supports his own twin children. She is engaged for years to a college Fellow who is waiting for a living, but she dies at thirty, before the marriage can take place. Although she seems content in her nurturing role — particularly because she has infants to raise — the bitterness breaks through to the surface at times. Dorcas is active, rational, energetic; she teaches herself Greek and math in order to coach Cyprian for Oxford; she is both mother and father to his children. Yet because Cyprian is male, he is the one who may take the Oxford exam, the one their father wants to come out and join him in India, the one who has the means to marry when he wants.Miss Tommy (1884) presents a girl's-eye view of a serene old maid who lives a contented, largely domestic life, filling her time with self-imposed duties. She too had one frustrated, undeclared romance when she was young; in their old age the couple who never married become close and trusting friends because, we infer, the social barriers [91/92] and emotional inhibitions created by sexuality no longer affect them.
Each of these books is essentially a long story rather than a novel: each has an uncomplicated narrative line, a restricted cast of characters, a simple point, and a single pervading emotional effect. Craik's purpose, she said, was to give growing-up girls "a true impression of what life is." (Advertisement, Is It True?) In The Laurel Bush she warns her readers that she is "writing no sensational story. . . . no Deus ex machinâ appears to make all smooth. . . . For I have always noticed that in life there are rarely any startling 'effects' " (part 5). And therefore Craik was very careful not to encourage the idea that finding a man to love was the happy ending for every young girl's life. Rather unlikely plot events do create some of the situations, but it is not primarily the events that separate the heroine from the man she loves. On the contrary, the lovers are kept apart because the author does not supply a dramatic accident to throw them together and overcome their inhibitions. The declarations of love are prevented by shyness, by self-doubt, by insecurity and unsureness, by the very awkwardness that arises from strange and unfamiliar feelings about a person of the opposite sex.
Craik remembered the intense emotions of adolescence. She wrote in one of her essays that "the years between twelve and twenty are, to most, a season anything but pleasant; a crisis in which the whole heart and brain are full of tumult, when all life looks strange and bewildering — delicious with exquisite unrealities, — and agonized with griefs equally chimerical and unnatural." ("In Her Teens", 10, p. 220.) The novels reflect that mood, but they do not invent exaggerated scenes to give readers the release of sentimental tears. The heroines' emotional pains are private; often, indeed, they arise largely from the sense that emotions cannot be shared because there is no one with whom it is safe to share them.
In a sense, then, these adolescent novels provide an outlet for the feelings that young girls had to repress. They seem to encourage the fantasy-belief in a disappointed love as a way to sublimate sexual desires that are not met. Craik rather deliberately used love stories to prepare girls to stand on their own in the world, instead of expecting marriage to be their only destiny. She repeatedly showed young women that even if Prince Charming shows up he may be shy, disinterested, dying, or beset by troubles of his own. Yet Craik also encouraged girls not to be afraid or ashamed of their feelings;[92/93] she did not give them false models of happy spinsters who had never been troubled by the empty spaces in their lives as women.
Craik's fiction grew more conservative in her last years. None of these heroines is as intelligent or accomplished as the important women in her earlier books. Even considered as adolescent fiction, with a relatively simple style and limited aim, the short novels lack the energy and inventiveness of Craik's earlier work. They do, however, reveal the deep sadness and resignation which, late in her life, Craik seemed to feel was the inevitable consequence of woman's lot.
Last modified 16 August 2007


text:
For the memories.
Dear Word Detective: The word "tank" is mentioned so very much in your column, I was surprised to find no origin for it. There are so many uses: a tank-top, an army tank, a gas tank, a tankard, I am sure there are more that I am neglecting. Are all of these tanks related to each other? What is the connection between a tank-top that you wear and your gas tank? — Diana T.
Hey, you're right. After I read your question, I went and searched my website for instances of the word "tank" in my columns and there are scads. Interestingly, none of them (as far as I could tell, given my short attention span for my own work) referred to the military vehicle type of "tank," which is odd. When I was a kid I was mildly obsessed with tanks, and my dream was to have my very own M4 Sherman tank, which may have been one reason I got to know the school guidance counselor so well. But when the Zombie Apocalypse hits, you're all going to realize I was prescient, not nuts. Have fun in your little tin Corollas.
(Hey, I guess it's never too late. This one is only $325,000.)
"Tank" as a noun has all the senses you mention and several more ("think tank" among them), except that there is no apparent connection between "tank" and "tankard," meaning a large mug or cup. "Tankard" comes from the Dutch "tanckaert," from "kantard," which in turn came from the Latin "cantharus" (a kind of deep cup used in Ancient Greece). "Kantard" became "tanckaert" (and then "tankard") probably through a weird, but not unprecedented, transposition of letters.
"Tank" is also a bit weird in that it seems to have both Indian and Portuguese roots. In India, the Gujarati "tankh" (possibly from the Sanskrit "tadaga") means an underground reservoir of water, but the Portuguese "tanque" means "pond" (ultimately from the Latin "stagnum," pond). Whether the Portuguese influenced the Indian word or vice-versa, "tank" first appeared in English in the 17th century meaning "a cistern or storage place for water."
Most of the ways we use "tank" today are, at least tangentially, connected to that original meaning of "a container to hold liquid or similar substances." "Tanks" in that original sense can range from the gas "tank" on your car to the huge "tanks" of natural gas or fuel oil you sometimes see near cities. Scuba divers depend on "tanks" of air, and pet fish depend on their "tanks" of water.
It's when we use "tank" in figurative senses that the word starts to wander away from that literal "container for liquid" meaning. "Tank tops" are called that because they resemble "tank suits," close-fitting women's bathing suits commonly worn in the 1920s in "swimming tanks," what today we call "swimming pools." The term "think tank," today meaning "an organization of purported experts who come up with fancy ways of explaining what everyone already knows," was originally, in the late 1800s, simply slang for "the human brain," also known as "the think box."
The military "tank," a tracked armored vehicle carrying a heavy gun, got its name in 1916, during the First World War. The term "tank" was adopted as a code word for the vehicles while they were being developed in secret by the British Army, but the name stuck after their public debut on the Western Front, probably because early tanks resembled large metal oil tanks.
When we say that something has "tanked," meaning "failed miserably," we're using a phrase which is several steps removed from any real "tank." This slang "to tank" started out in the boxing ring, where a crooked fighter who agreed to intentionally lose a match was said to have "taken a dive" (in this case, literally falling to the canvas floor of the ring). Taking off from the "dive" usage, and with "swimming tanks" in mind, people began speaking of fighters "going into the tank" when throwing a fight, or "being in the tank," i.e., having been bribed to lose.
Sometime in the 1970s, as these "tank" phrases began to be adopted by the general public, they lost their "did it on purpose" meanings and "to tank" came to mean simply "to fail utterly," with no implication of corruption. But there must have been a few old boxing fans left in the early 1990s, because "to be in the tank for" then reappeared in political jargon, with its original meaning of "in the pay of" or "secretly in favor of or committed to" ("NBC is clearly in the tank for Clinton").


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Nanotechnology may be Key to Solar Energy and Energy Storage
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A new study from the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI has found that nanotechnology will bring significant benefits to the energy sector, especially to energy storage and solar energy. Improved materials efficiency and reduced manufacturing costs are just two of the real economic benefits that nanotechnology already brings these fields and that's only the beginning. Battery storage capacity could be extended, solar cells could be produced cheaper, and the lifetime of solar cells or batteries for electric cars could be increased, all thanks to continued development of nanotechnology.
In the study, "Nanotechnology in the sectors of solar energy and energy storage" commissioned by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI found that there is a whole range of nanomaterials which will grow in importance as technology continues to advance. The Technical Report Nanotechnology in the sectors of solar energy and energy storage is available here.
The rise of nanomaterials
A key finding of the study is that technologies where "nano" already plays an important role will be of special interest for industry and research.
The following nanomaterial technologies will be of particular importance: "organic and printed electronics", "nano-coatings", "nano-composites", "nano-fluids", "nano-catalysts", "nanocarbons" and "nano-electrodes". These seven technology profiles form the basis for two comprehensive roadmaps in the technical report.
For example, through the use of nanotechnology the light and energy generation of crystalline silicon solar cells or organic solar cells can already be enabled or significantly increased. Their manufacturing also requires less material and is more cost-efficient.
Energy storage capacity will significantly improve with the use of nanomaterials for lithium-ion batteries. This is by far the most important battery technology for energy storage since the early 1990s. It is especially important in view of the constantly increasing demand for electric vehicles, whose success is also directly linked to battery performance and resulting range extension.
Large-scale application in solar power generation and energy storage
Dr. Björn P. Moller, project leader of this study at Fraunhofer ISI is convinced that everything points to its large-scale application in solar power generation and energy storage, unlike many other fields where nanotechnology has been unable to make a break-through.
Moller said, "It can be assumed that in 2035 the share of fossil fuels in global energy production will have decreased to 75 percent. This implies that renewable energy will need to contribute significantly more to the overall energy generation. It is therefore crucially important that key technologies such as solar cells are further developed with the help of nanotechnology and that energy storage is improved."
"In some areas nanotechnology may even be a key to success. There is great potential for nanotechnology to help to mitigate the intermittency of renewable energy," Moller said.
Role of nanotechnolgy in addressing the energy challenge
"Commissioning this study to evaluate the potential of nanotechnologies and the future role of nanomaterials in addressing the energy challenge helps the IEC to understand the kind of work that it needs to undertake to enable the broad roll out of these technologies," said IEC General Secretary and CEO Frans Vreeswijk.
"Against the backdrop of an anticipated 30% increase of global energy demand by 2035 and the significant expansion of renewable energy coming into the grid, the study has found that nanotechnologies including new nanomaterials, could be a key to successful renewable energy and energy storage integration."
The Technical Report of the study Nanotechnology in the sectors of solar energy and energy storage will be of great use for those planning the use of solar energy and storage, whether they make products, use those products to generate and store electricity, or organize and regulate the use of the electric energy produced.


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This Forum Beta is ONLY for registered owners of D-Link products in the USA for which we have created boards at this time.
One thing I don't see with the 942L is an indicator when the motion detector is triggered, when viewing with the web interface. You can set sensitivity but can't tell if the camera has detected the motion. Other camera web interfaces and also 3rd party software have an alert notification. This is helpful to determine if you have the sensitivity adjusted where you want.
I used to have the 930L and when you set the snapshot to 6 images they all come in one email which is nice. It appears that on the 942L I have now it comes as 6 different emails which can get really annoying. If that could be added it would be much appreciated
I would like a way to turn motion detection on/off easily. Perhaps by using my smart phone. This way I can set it to on when I am leaving my house.
Email Notification - Ability to send email notifications to at least 2 different email addresses (my wife and I).Trigger by option in Snapshot and Video Clip - Option to be able to choose different start/end time ranges for different days (ie. Monday Time Start:1:00am End: 6:00am; Saturday Time Start:6:00am End: 6:00pm)
Hi JavaLawyer,In one of the posts, you were looking for confirmation of the audio noise problem. My 942L constantly transmits an annoying chirping type noise, unlike the noted compaint from the other poster of his only lasting the first five seconds. This chirping type noise is so prevelant that I cannot hear any other sounds coming from the room the camera is in at all.


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Are You at Risk?
High myopia, often referred to as severe nearsightedness, is a condition characterized by a high degree of myopia, resulting in significant difficulty seeing distant objects. While myopia can pose challenges, individuals with high myopia face an increased risk of developing severe eye diseases that can lead to vision loss. Understanding the connection between high myopia and these eye conditions is crucial for early detection and intervention.
Defining High Myopia
High myopia is typically diagnosed when a person's prescription exceeds -6.00 diopters. It often occurs when the eyeball becomes elongated, causing light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it. This structural change sets high myopia apart from mild to moderate myopia.
Serious Eye Diseases Associated with High Myopia
Retinal Detachment
High myopia significantly raises the risk of retinal detachment, a condition where the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye, detaches from its normal position. This separation can lead to vision loss and requires immediate medical attention.
Retinal Tears and Holes
High myopia can lead to the development of retinal tears or holes, which may be precursors to retinal detachment. These issues must be addressed promptly to prevent further complications.
Individuals with high myopia may face a higher risk of developing glaucoma, a group of eye diseases that can damage the optic nerve and result in vision loss. Regular eye exams are crucial to monitor and manage this condition effectively.
While not directly caused by high myopia, individuals with high myopia may experience an earlier onset of cataracts, which cloud the eye's natural lens and lead to decreased vision.
Myopic Macular Degeneration
High myopia can contribute to the development of myopic macular degeneration, a condition affecting the central part of the retina (macula). This can lead to central vision loss, impacting one's ability to see fine details clearly.
Strategies to Reduce Your Risk of Serious Eye Conditions
While high myopia is associated with an increased risk of severe eye diseases, there are steps you can take to reduce this risk:
Get Regular Eye Exams
Routine eye exams are essential for early detection and timely intervention. Your eye care professional can monitor the health of your eyes and address any emerging issues promptly.
Myopia Management
If you or your child has high myopia, myopia management strategies, including orthokeratology (ortho-k) and low-dose atropine, can help slow the progression of myopia and reduce the associated risks.
A Healthy Lifestyle
A balanced diet, regular outdoor time, proper exercise, and lifestyle choices that promote overall health can contribute to better eye health. This can reduce your long-term risk of severe eye conditions.
Protect Your Eyes
If you engage in sports or activities that pose a risk to your eyes, consider protective eyewear to prevent injuries that could exacerbate eye issues.
Myopia Management Articles
- Is Your Child A Candidate for Myopia Management?
- What Treatments Are Used in Myopia Management?
- Does Myopia Run in Families?
- Myopia FAQ
- Scientific Research on Myopia Management
- Ortho-k for Athletes
- Who Is a Candidate for Orthokeratology (Ortho-k)?
- The Link Between High Myopia and Serious Eye Diseases
Myopia Management in Laurie
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Family Eyecare - Laurie: Your First Line of Defence Against High Myopia
The link between high myopia and serious eye diseases underscores the importance of proactive eye care. If you have high myopia or a family history of the condition, regular eye exams and discussions with your eye care professional are vital to safeguard your vision and reduce the associated risks.
Contact Family Eyecare - Laurie to schedule an eye exam, and let us guide you through high myopia and its potential impact on your eye health.


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Who is more "luddite": the individual or the state?
In a recent TED talk, an individual – the robot body of National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden speaking in Vancouver – said he beat the state. He argued that, while the internet enabled states with unprecedented powers to spy, it has also provided individuals with the ability to singlehandedly "win" against the state by exposing such abuse to the public. Snowden's statement highlights the way in which the internet, along with other emerging technologies that promise similar decentralization and power to the individual, could be called a double-edged sword.
The capacity of democratized technology to either free people or control them often seems balanced in such a way that new technologies can be validly heralded as liberators or as enslavers, depending on one's own personal experience with them. However, in spite of this duality, the overwhelming direction does seem to go towards empowering the individual rather than the state. After all, as Snowden so succinctly put it, he did "win". We know the era of powerful states and monolithic corporations dictating the capabilities of the individual is coming to an end, as what could be called a libertarian or DIY culture is taking hold instead. As Kevin Kelly has put it, technology possesses its own will, and a specific preference for greater freedom.
The fear that advanced technology plays only into the hands of elites to the disadvantage of most of the world is quite common among progressives, as has been described by the IEET's James Hughes. In reality, the alarmists who signal dangers and negative political outcomes from emerging technologies are missing a big piece of the puzzle. This piece is already forcing itself on us increasingly in the headlines, showing that our era's defining technologies actually have far more potential to empower and liberate the masses of people now than ever before in history.
Further, the liberation is much more likely to ensue if technologies can advance in a maximally unregulated and un-policed manner. A democratic explosion of liberating technology is possible in the lives of the voiceless and worst-off people in the world, and several emerging technologies could feature significantly in that explosion.
To understand this possibility, it is important to direct our attention to two different kinds of disparity in the world. The first is the inequality that makes the citizens of a country voiceless and powerless in the face of the power of a strong state and massive corporations. The second is the inequality between the weak states or regions and the strong states or regions of the world-economy.
Both of the two arenas suggested above appear to be related. Strong states and corporations benefit exclusively from the system, and find the justification for their power in a global division of labor that says a cherished few can produce things of more value than the other countries. This division of labor exploits the weaker peripheral majority of the world as unrewarded instruments in the global production process, while the high-tech sophisticated work that is maximally profitable remains in the rich minority spaces of strong states and firms. With the club of powerful states and firms essential to the functioning of the world-system, trends that weaken the traditional power of the nation-state or cause rewards to be more equitably distributed are direct threats to the survival of the current global mode of production.
Already, the state is threatened by its inability to control the world of information, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel was mocked for calling "neuland" or "virgin territory." As idiosyncratic as her choice of words may have seemed, it reflects the attitude of many heads of state. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy had already used almost exactly the same meaning when describing the internet. The ongoing digitization of politics may appear to be unrelated to the world-economy, but it is relevant, because it betrays the worsening ability of powerful states to stay in control of decisive technologies in the long term, as we shall see.
Many progressives and critics of modern society see advanced and emerging technologies as inherently benefiting only powerful and elitist goals. However, as James Hughes argues in Citizen Cyborg, much of this view is simply not rational and leans towards a primitivist stance on modern industrial developments. It also adheres to an old-fashioned way of thinking that was true in a time when all the decisive technologies were unwieldy and had to be rigidly controlled or sanctioned by governments and powerful monopolistic firms to even be operated with any efficacy.
In attempting to rein in technology now, states and corporations will increasingly find themselves having to appeal to emotional or outright fabricated security concerns to maintain their profits. As patents and other forms of protection are increasingly circumvented by the geeks, pirates, cyber-idealists, Assanges and Snowdens being created by the internet culture, the only defense for statist and corporate interests will be to call these troublesome individuals security threats. By saying a radical new technology could become a threat, e.g. it could be used by terrorists, it could be hacked, there could be an accident, etc. powerful regimes and firms give themselves a convenient mandate to keep their technologies in their own hands, behind their walls, and prevent them from getting out to empower the public or weaker regimes such as those in the Global South. Regimes in the Global South must be weak for the present world-economy to function, so painting an empowered Global South as a deadly and irresponsible threat is probably going to be increasingly necessary for the Global North to maintain its privileges. By appealing to this narrative, the dominant states and firms will become true "luddites": they are going to smash (discredit) the technologies they don't like, so they get to keep their job (dominating the profitable production processes).
Increased numbers of progressives do overwhelmingly recognize the powerful potential of the internet to empower the public and traditionally weaker sections of global society. In fact, the internet has made a huge impact on the history of protest and the history of dissent, making it indispensable to progressive causes and the alternate media endorsed by progressives. However, progressive support for other areas of the democratization of technology and freedom of world-liberating technologies from regulation and authoritarian policing is very thin (just consider their responses to GM technology).
Reservations held by progressives about emerging technologies are not very consistent with the view of the internet as a useful political instrument. Many lack the understanding that the internet is not a fluke in technology, but part of a larger trend. Progressives would do best to learn the trend set by the internet, and adopt an anarchic view of technology as something that is becoming overwhelmingly liberating and increasingly easy for the common people to conquer and use for themselves.
A number of emerging technologies have high democratic value, being set to liberate and empower people more rapidly than ever in history. From personal computers to 3D printers, nanotechnology and perhaps the salient breakthroughs of synthetic biology, the one thing all the big advancements in emerging technologies today have in common is that they do not have any great need to be monopolized by governments and corporations. Possibly the most important observation of their democratic potential is that these devices all seem to have the potential to copy themselves. Synthetic organisms may be the first man-made products to have this ability, while other man-made things do not. They may not need to be supplied or replaced by any authority or special provider. In theory, such devices could be leaked once and become rapidly available everywhere, just as information can be rapidly pirated and circulated on the internet every day.
The global division of labor, and by extension the massive inequality in terms of rewards in the present world-system, would face an existential threat from the leaking of decisive emerging technologies. World inequality, if it is a product of a large division of labor, would not survive the leaking and decentralization of a generation of advanced self-replicating, redundant manufacturing technologies into the poorer parts of the world-economy.
The last line of defense available to states and massive corporations, to protect against their privileged economic and political positions being damaged by the circulation of self-sustaining technologies, would be for them to rant about security and try to whip up paranoia. If they do so, then the security concerns about emerging technologies will come to be seen by many as the discourse to create authoritarian controls over who can and who can't have something. At that time, there would be no doubt that the true luddites interfering in the inevitable course of technology are the rich and powerful – not the poor and disenfranchised.
To sum up, there is a trend of techno-liberation set to break a number of emerging technologies free. Many remain the apparent trademarks of powerful companies at present, but still they carry powerful democratic potential even as they remain locked in the Pandora's Box of security arguments and fears. People who care about subverting global inequality should not be deterred by such rhetoric.
They should covet emerging technologies, such as synthetic organisms, as a gift and a perfect means of liberation for the poorer parts of the world-economy. This should be pursued without hesitation, in the hope that yet more democratic opportunities like the internet will surface and become available to the world's marginal and oppressed people.
By Harry J. Bentham - More articles by Harry J. BenthamOriginally published on 25 March 2013 in h+ Magazine


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SAPPRFT to Serve People of Disaster Areas2013-7-26 10:21:00 From: http://www.gmw.cn
As some provinces and regions have suffered from serious disasters like earthquakes and floods recently, the State Administration of Press Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) issued an emergent notice on July 23, requiring departments of press and publication in relevant provinces and regions seriously implement arrangements and deployments concerning flood control, drought and earthquake relief. In the notice, some relevant publication units are required to publish or print a number of safety handbooks and wall maps on preventing disasters and reducing damages as soon as possible. These handbooks and wall maps will be delivered to disaster areas immediately to tell the local people knowledge about flood control, drought and earthquake relief, and help them strengthen their capacity for and confidence in disaster relief. The notice also requires the publication units make full efforts in the publication, printing and issuing works of primary and high school textbooks so as to ensure each of them has a textbook during the autumn term. And each institution in the circulation field, especially Xinhua Bookstores at the county level and village level, should organize the supply of books to satisfy demands of people in disaster areas. Total:1 Page: 1