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A Funny
I just found this so funny I had to share. MSN decided to
call its search engine Bing. I don't know who the idiot was who thought
of this one. I know in Chinese Bing means
"disease", so Windows is
admitting what it is? LOL—I just thought this should be shared with
the Linux world.
Dean Hill
Linux on the Desktop, Part II
I am sitting here reading the new Linux Journal that came today (July 2009), and I come across this letter to the editor from Kulmacet titled "Linux on the Desktop?" where he mentions that Linux as a desktop OS has the apps, but lacks the stability. I, like Shawn in the response, am scratching my head. Typically, users feel the opposite. We have the stability, but lack some of the mainstream apps. He goes on basically to mention how Windoze is quirky but at least it works.
Yes, when you buy a fresh new Dell or HP, it just works. Those companies have taken the time in their shops to make sure it does before shipping. But, how many of us out there have built a fresh new rig with Windows? Does it "just work" then? No. You still have to find/install the newest drivers and hope they have them for your version (Vista, XP, 32-/64-bit). Linux is the same way. Sure, you may have to do a little configuring, but you do that in Windows as well. I am currently using a Qosmio X305-Q705 running Fedora 10 64-bit. And when I did a fresh install of Fedora, guess what? Everything worked! Sound, wireless, video—everything. So "Windows just works" is not a great argument. Most computers running Linux have decent support for most devices out of the box. The most I really have to do is occasionally get some wireless drivers or the NVIDIA drivers (which have a Linux version) if I intend to do any heavy gaming. For business, you probably wouldn't need this.
And, regarding those forums mentioned in the letter, in
most cases, those unanswered
problems probably were answered in many other places in those same forums.
It just takes a little looking. For "typical" users, how many
Blue Screens of Death do
you see in Windows compared to kernel panics with Linux? Linux surpasses
Windows in stability by far, no matter your experience level—just my
two cents though.
My experience has been similar to yours. In fact, at first I thought the letter was tongue in cheek, but it looks like the reader had some serious bad luck with Linux. Hopefully, our responses will encourage folks having difficulties with stability to take another look at their hardware, because as you mention, stability is generally one thing Linux gets very right.—Ed.
Unsung Hero
Has anyone thought to check out the World Digital Library? Per the publication The Library of Congress Gazette article published today (May 29, 2009) titled "WDL 1.0 Technical Info", the following might be of interest to the Linux community:
Development time: ~13 months
Lines of code: ~50,000
Test cases written: ~600
Development platform: Linux
Deployment platform: Solaris
Key technologies: Django, Python, MySQL, Solr/Lucene, Squid Nginx, Seadragon
It also provided the following launch-day statistics:
Page views: 7.1 million
Visitors: 600,000
Peak hits/hour: 32 million
When there is a major application being contemplated and the IT folks all say
Windows, maybe this will give them pause. The article did not give a byline
or mention which distribution of Linux, unfortunately.
Paul F. Baltrunas
Sadly, this is one more example of the unsung heroics Linux is responsible for accomplishing. I wish "open-source infrastructure" was a required course for anyone going into the IT field. Unfortunately, the implementation of open source generally is driven by (lack of) finances. Thanks for the information.—Ed.
Disappointed with KDE 4
I recently upgraded from Kubuntu 7.10 to Kubuntu 8.10, and I was amazed to find that KDE had jumped from version 3.5 to version 4.2! I am a really KDE-ish guy, as the first Linux desktop I ever saw was KDE 3.x on Knoppix. As a result, I learned to love KDE. KDE feels like home. I don't hate GNOME. GNOME is a great desktop, and it even starts and runs faster than KDE. But, it is less configurable than KDE, and even though the difference is minor, it's enough for me to use KDE—at least, until KDE 4.x came along.
KDE 4.x is a major recode from the 3 series. For instance, the desktop now has a widget-based setup—widgets go on the desktop, not files. You want a comic strip on the desktop? Sure, it has a widget for that. You want a battery monitor? A dictionary? A clock? A calculator? A 15-piece puzzle? It's got widgets for those too. How exciting—until you remember that "widgets, not files" has "NOT FILES" in it. No more putting icons directly on the desktop, which is great, if you always have wanted a comic strip on the desktop. But, no files directly on the desktop isn't the only bad surprise that comes packed with KDE 4. It also is much less configurable, because so much was recoded, the KDE coders have not had time to re-add all the functions of good-old KDE 3, and the configuration options that go with them are all missing—for example, auto-hiding the Kicker. You can't auto-hide the Kicker in KDE 4 at all, whereas KDE 3 could be set up to hide the Kicker as soon as the mouse left the Kicker and show it again as soon as the mouse hit the bottom of the screen.
Of course, there is a reason for all this. Apparently, the KDE coders felt KDE was getting behind the times, and it was time to upgrade the interface. KDE 4 has good desktop effects, and although I love the effects and interface, for now, KDE does it at the expense of everything else.
Are you ready to give up your favorite file manager, Konqueror, for a new file manager that is missing some of Konqueror's best features? Then, upgrade to KDE 4.
Hopefully, the KDE guys didn't give up good features for good. I'm
on edge for KDE 5, in which, hopefully, all of KDE 3's good features will
have returned. But for now, I am using GNOME, which still has much more
Christian H.
From Afghanistan with Love
I'm currently in the hills of Afghanistan and found that receiving snail
mail is very unpredictable/unreliable. Therefore, being new to the Linux
world, I was looking for quality reading that I could download onto my
laptop. After searching all the Web, I came to the conclusion that your
subscription helped me with the understanding of how Linux operates
compared to the dreaded Windows and Mac environments. I've completely
removed all Windows from my system now.
Special thanks go out to the support in your subscription department as
well! I accidentally subscribed to the print edition, and within minutes
called and received a subscription change. This allowed me to download the
latest digital edition of your magazine. Additionally, I was able to go
to the back editions of Linux Journal and grab all the ones that interested
Again, you guys ROCK!
Thanks for the great service and product!
Stephen Alderete
That's great to hear! Thanks for sending us a note, and if you have a reliable connection to the Internet, be sure to visit our Web site as well. There are lots of things on-line that don't make it into print.—Ed.
Ever Mangle a Configuration File?
Reading the December 2008 issue (five months late!), I was somewhat
amused by the box on page 37 "Regenerating smb.conf in
Debian/Ubuntu". Re-installing a package merely because a
configuration file got mangled seemed rather unnecessary. If I
am experimenting with something new, I will keep a copy
(such as smb.conf-orig). Beyond that, I keep configuration files
under RCS control, so I can turn back the clock to any version I
David Penman
You certainly have best practice in mind when you tweak your config files, but unfortunately many users do not. Sadly, I often fall into that category myself! And don't get me started on how many times I have to ask users, "Do you have a backup?" Thankfully, Linux distributions generally have a way to get back to the defaults when we do silly things.—Ed.
Linux on the Desktop, Part III
In the July 2009 issue's Letters section, Kulmacet commented that Linux was still not a good desktop OS and did not "work" out of the box. When I hear this, I just scratch my head. Maybe the reader was installing an older Gentoo? Ubuntu, OpenSUSE and Fedora are all mainstream distros and install very easily. Recently, a family member asked me to take a look at her computer that took ages to boot up, and then was so slow it was pretty much unusable. I don't have to go into the sordid details of all the viruses, spyware and other junk the scanner turned up. "Can someone just make a system that works and doesn't get all these viruses?", she asked. I backed up the data, wiped the drive and installed OpenSUSE 11.1 with GNOME. After a brief tutorial, off she went. A few months later, I hadn't heard anything and had assumed Windows was re-installed. No, she was very happy, and the system was fast with no viruses. She even installed a new printer, scanner and camera.
Not every user will have this experience, but I have converted quite a
few friends and coworkers to Linux during the past few years. Of course, I use
my knowledge and experience to get them over that fear of the unknown. I am
sure that your readers could share similar experiences.
Like my previous comment, I fully agree with you. The reader last month obviously had an uncommon, and unfortunate Linux experience. Hopefully, we'll all be the encouragement needed to try again!—Ed.
No More Break-Ins
Nice article on the WD MyBook World Edition [see Federico Lucifredi's
"Hacking Your Portable Linux Server" in the July 2009 issue]. I just picked up a copy from the
local computer store and was happy to discover that one doesn't have to
break in anymore. The WD software allows you to open up the system
nowadays. I don't know if that works for all World Editions—in
the MyBook II in the article—however, my guess would be it
works there too.
Hans Kramer
Re: Bad Guys
I let the first letter to the magazine that disturbed me go, but after reading this most recent complaint, I had to write in. However, I in no way am attacking Linux Journal. As a communist and member of the International Socialist Organization, I always find it saddening to read or hear people's distorted understanding of communism. Francis Kohl wrote in to claim Marx is responsible for the "most horrible dictatorships in history" [see the July 2009 issue's Letters]. There are two reasons this is usually a view pushed by people. First, because Marx called for the "dictatorship of the proletariat"; however, this in no way refers to an individual dictator. It is the ruling of the entire proletariat over the bourgeoisie. Second, because many individual dictators have proclaimed themselves Marxists and even have socialist states. But, someone saying something does not make it true, as we see with Kohl's comments.
If you care to blame someone for Pol Pot's abuses, why not blame someone who did influence him? Like Buddha? Pol Pot's Theravada Buddhism is what created his idea of "communism". This Buddhism is why he saw the rural peasants as the revolutionary class and the need to push everyone out of the cities and massacre the "unnecessary" part of the population. This is directly opposed to Marxism!
Stalin was a horrible dictator, and Lenin saw this potential and while sick and dying, called for his removal from power. Stalin already had gained much support in the military by this time, and years later began the terror against those in the party opposing his disgusting regime. Thus, he executed and exiled the few remaining communists, like Leon Trotsky, who escaped to Mexico before being assassinated by a Stalin hit man.
I'm also confused at the fact that no one on the left or right who condemns Marx for these atrocities ever blames capitalist thinkers for the dictators who had "free markets" (like ours), mass privatization and cuts on welfare programs—Augusto Pinochet of Chile, for example. They also don't attack capitalist thinkers for the deaths of millions due to the quest for profit followed by the corporations around the world. This is not to say Marx and Lenin were pacifists or perfect. Both were human and made mistakes in their ideas and actions, and both understood the ruling class would not go away without a fight. If Kohl opposes this, I assume he does not dare to stand to the United States' National Anthem—you know, that song about a bloody revolutionary to overthrow the ruling class and enact progressive measures?
Lastly, there was a letter many months ago [January 2009], in which Gene said he wanted students to learn more Adam Smith and less Karl Marx. I think Gene may want to study some Adam Smith first. Adam Smith was a supporter of a progressive income and estate tax on the rich to "contribute to the public expense"! Read The Wealth of Nations, and you'll see it's clear Smith would be condemned as a socialist if he were a politician in the United States today.
I am always shocked at the large anti-socialist crowd in the Free
Software community, when I see the Internet age and Free Software as great
examples of the potential for communism. Communism is not a bullet in the
back of your head for not sharing, as Eric S. Raymond said in Revolution
OS. I'd be more worried about him and his collection of guns shooting
someone for being on his private property.
Tristan Sloughter
Photo of the Month
Have a photo you'd like to share with LJ readers? Send your submission to firstname.lastname@example.com. If we run yours in the magazine, we'll send you a free T-shirt.


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You're out for a stroll on Mount Royal in the early evening when a family of raccoons appears out of the woods. They meander across the bridle path, stopping pedestrian and cyclist traffic for a few seconds. It's a lovely flash of wilderness in the middle of the metropolis.
You're tempted to say something to the couple walking toward you. But you don't know what language they speak. Besides, you don't know the word for raccoon (raton-laveur). Instead, you smile, they smile, and everyone continues on their silent way.
It's a classic Montreal language moment.
"I read an article once about nodding relationships as a way of communicating without having to decide on the language," says Sherry Simon, a French professor and translator at Concordia University
"The language situation prevents us from doing certain things, like making jokes. Either you make a guess or you can't make the joke."
The author of Cities in Translation and Translating Montreal, Simon has thought a lot about the wonders and woes of Montreal's split linguistic personality.
"Generally speaking, you have a great deal of fluidity and a great deal of tolerance. And also the development of certain kinds of mixed codes, which we are getting more and more familiar with."
Like the friend who told her that instead of saying "hello" or "âllo," she now says "ello" when she answers the telephone.
A staunch supporter of Quebec's French Language Charter – "Montreal must be a French-speaking city" – Simon argues changes in public signage and education led to a more harmonious relationship between Montreal's main language groups.
Just as young anglophones are more capable and confident about their French than their parents and grandparents were, she believes young francophones have fewer hang-ups about speaking English.
"The ideological barriers weren't at work with the younger kids," Simon said. "For a certain generation, English was the bad guy, because English was the historic English of the English Montrealer. That historic English is being lost. The English we now see in Montreal is international English, the English of globalization. That's not an enemy to young people. They have to deal with it.
"That historic English thing is shrinking, but it doesn't mean the English language is shrinking its role in Montreal. And how could it be? The English language is so powerful all over the globe."
Simon's interest in the sociology of language was piqued back in the 1980s and early 1990s, a period when the bleak and antagonistic discourse from politicians and commentators was at odds with what she saw and heard on the streets of her Mile End neighbourhood.
"My perception of Montreal comes of the dark times when the city was so polarized," a period that hit rock bottom for Simon with the "Richler Affair," when Montreal-born writer Mordecai Richler was branded a racist and an outsider after he spoke out against the language laws and the Parti Québécois government.
"I was looking at a neighbourhood that was traditionally an immigrant neighbourhood where French Canadians had lived, where anglos were moving in. There were many mixed couples and I heard lots of languages on the street. I was witnessing something that was just not what was being spoken about on the political front," Simon said.
"I was teaching translation in a French department in an English university and seeing students who had gone to English school or French CEGEP, whose parents were Italian and who spoke three or four languages. I ... became convinced that there was another reality."
For her most recent book, Cities in Translation, Simon looked at four cities – Montreal, Trieste, Calcutta and Barcelona – shaped by the give and take of duelling languages.
"Having grown up in this city, having experienced its tensions, reaping the benefits of living in a double culture, is, for me, an immensely positive experience."
She considers Barcelona, where Catalan and Spanish jockey for the limelight, the city in the world most like Montreal, revved by what Simon likes to call "productive dissonance."
"They are both design cities, creative cities, exciting cities. ... You have the same kind of tension: which language to use, one being the more spoken language. And you have two literary worlds."
One of the big differences, however, is the way writers in Barcelona move easily and often from one language to the other.
"They will write in Spanish newspapers and write Catalan novels. (Here) if somebody writes in English, they write in English. If they write in French, they write in French. There is very little crossover between the two."
While Simon has seen big changes in interaction between anglophone and francophone communities in recent years, she's not ready to say the "two solitudes," the term coined by novelist Hugh MacLennan in 1948, are a thing of the past.
"First, it was immigrant neighbourhoods with French Montreal here and English Montreal there. Then, you had immigrant neighbourhoods, where you had mixtures of everything. These contact zones are getting bigger and bigger. But the whole city has not become mixed," she said.
She likens some of the linguistic overtures that have occurred in recent years to the arrival of the métro.
"When the métro wasn't there, it was hard to get from east to west. The métro burrows underneath and makes things much easier. You have francophones who live in N.D.G. We know all these things. It's more mixed. But to say it's over, I wouldn't say that."
She points this spring's anti-tuition strikes as one example of the way young Montrealers – bilingual anglophones, trilingual allophones, confident, globally minded francophones – are able to transcend language and forge new alliances.
"Bilingualism is never symmetrical. The bad bilingualism of the past was when French-Canadians – I say French-Canadians because they were (called) French-Canadians then – were forced to speak English.
"There is more confidence in French. That's why I am always surprised when these skirmishes break out again. I guess one gets lulled into thinking that things are getting better and that there is a general consensus that things are getting better."

subset: commoncrawl


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Untitled document
A card is selected and remembered. A lighter is borrowed. Introduce your phone, your digital camera, your FLIP HD, or your camcorder. Have the spectator document what is about to happen. So what happens? Imagine being able to light a borrowed lighter, and cause the FLAME itself to form the shape of their chosen card! Imagination? NO. THIS IS ILLUMINATE.Illuminate takes card revelations to a whole new level, as the image of their card forms within the flame of the lighter you just borrowed. Want to document the image? Have the spectator snap a picture! Then offer to send it to them so they have something to have with them always! Illuminate is visual, practical, fun and easy to do! "Try for a moment to realize its potential, and you will then want one!"- Alain Nu, "The Man Who Knows""Mike has a winning combination of high tech and high touch magic. Illuminate is a magical mash up of the primal element of fire, a modern phone-cam, and playing cards."- Jeff McBride, Creator of the Mystery School"Mike Hankins has created a self working, offbeat illusion that anyone can master in minutes. Highly recommended."- Eric JonesRunning Time Approximately: 33min


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MS Excel contains 232 standard worksheet functions accessible via the Function Wizard and Help topics (Counted in MS office 97. Later editions contain some additional functions).
The Analysis Toolpak Add-In adds an additional 93 worksheet functions to the standard available 232 MS Excel 97 functions (+ another 38, mostly Statistical, command functions), also accessible via the standard Function Wizard and related Help topics.
For the less experienced user, it's not always that evident to distinguish them from one another. They all work in a comparable manner and are shown via the Function Wizard as all other standard functions.
This means that ca 30% of the total of 329 possible MS Excel 97 worksheet functions are Analysis ToolPak Add-In Worksheet functions, equaling ca 42% of the standard 232 MS Excel 97 worksheet functions.
Analysis Toolpak functions and Studiotips
One will notice that several MS Excel files contributed or made by Studiotips members make use of one or more MS Excel functions which are integrated in this MS Excel Add-In called Analysis Toolpak (mostly complex math with imaginary values).
With a normal FULL MS Office Installation this Add-In is standard Installed but NOT activated.
If this Add-In is NOT activated while such functions are used by the Author of the Excel File such a spreadsheet will show #NAME error values (sometimes others).
Excel will not recognize this function and will show this error, unable to calculate the related formula and all its dependents.
- Activating the Analysis Toolpak Add-In (English MS Excel edition)
Check via the Menu Tools > Add-Ins > Analysis Toolpak. That checkbox should be checked.
If not, just check it, press OK and the Add-In will be loaded (and standard be loaded every time you start MS Excel until you uncheck it again)
- Installing the Analysis Toolpak Add-In (in most cases it will be installed already)
If the name Analysis Toolpak isn't there (above check) it means it isn't installed.
The Analysis Toolpak is standard on your MS Office CD, and standard installed if you choose complete installation.
If it shouldn't just adjust your installation via your standard related Operating System procedures. You'll notice that MS Office allows to install individual components.
If you feel uncertain and want to know if the Analysis Toolpak Add-In works as it should for you .......
Try this typical Analysis Toolpak formula (English Excel edition):
the result should be 1.
if an error shows then your Analysis Toolpak isn't installed, or installed but not activated. This then means that those 93 MS Excel worksheet functions are not available to you.
Analysis Toolpak functions and different language editions of MS Excel.
This has been a limitation within MS Excel from the very first until and including the current MS Excel editions, even when the much more expensive Multi-Language edition of MS Office is installed.
While standard MS Excel functions are automatically translated and functional in all language versions of MS Excel this is NOT the case for these Analysis Toolpak functions.
This means that e.g. an English made Excel file using such functions opened in a foreign language version of Excel will ALWAYS show this #NAME error (error name in local language of course) independent if the Analysis Toolpak is correctly activated or not.
Practically this means that some files as contributed or linked by the Studiotips members Chris Whealy and Interface, just won't work in other than English MS Excel editions.
When such functions are exclusively used on NON-protected pages, installing the ATPT (Analysis Toolpak Translator) utility designed by Eric Desart can solve this problem, making such files usable in 11 main language editions of MS Excel.
However this utility is designed (for now) that it will NOT adjust Analysis Toolpak functions integrated in protected pages.
This can maybe be a tip for File Authors: If you want accessible pages to be protected put such Analysis Toolpak functions on an unprotected, deep hidden (programmatically) or standard hidden sheet and just enter a reference to the related cell.
Even when integrated in deep hidden sheets the utility will adjust the file for use in the local language edition of MS Excel.
This tool can be found and downloaded via:
Eric's Calculators & Files


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In this inaugural series, industry-leading textile artists design fabric collections exclusively for Hunter Douglas' Design Studio™ suite of products. Kicking it off is New York designer Rebecca Atwood. Her collection features a fresh color palette and showcases her love for innovative watercolor techniques.
Sign up to receive our emails with exciting promotions and on-trend design ideas.


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Short answer: One day, when I was still living in Athens, Bryan Rose and I were having lunch in Schlotzsky's. We started talking about deep life issues, and then Bryan drew a picture on a napkin. God said, "Yep."
Longer answer: We have a tendency to make our lives, faith, and cars far more complicated and full of unnecessary distractions than they need to be.
In life, we tend to get hung up on names – everything from titles (ranging from your level of education to who you're in a relationship with/defined by the company you keep), accolades, activities and interests. It's the age-old example of how when you meet someone in a social setting for the first time, the standard fall-back line is "What do you do for a living," or "What are you majoring in?" This can then lead into a discussion of what various groups, organizations, troupes, or other sundry fellowships one might associate with, and then in turn go on to be a conversation about how you're involved with them. This really starts back in the days of junior and senior high, and then it spills into and through the college experience – and then, this need to fill the pause of when our resting heart rate feels as if it could bring on a coronary attack continues through our lives, as we continue to find other ways and other places to get involved, or find other ways to busy ourselves.
In matters of faith, we tend to either look for the designated formulaic patterns and rituals we are comfortable with (from everything between specific denominational idiosyncrasies to music styles) or we create that formulaic feel, replicating it where and when we can in what we crave. Too many times we find ourselves getting wrapped up in the trappings of being in church, then a small group, then a morning/afternoon social group, then in a leadership position, then going to conferences, then going to seminary…oh, wait; that's probably just my personal cross to bear…but the reality is that many of us would probably rather undergo the literal pain of crucifixion than, as been suggested for us, to be still and know.
In terms of our cars, where we once – if we were lucky – had a cassette deck or CD player (that would be single-disc, kids), we now have the option of having a multi-disc CD player…as well as a GPS system, Bluetooth headset, iDock, dual individual A/C and heating controls, power seats, power windows, DVD players, and rear-view video. It's the rear-view video hat just kills me. Nowadays, you don't even have to turn around to see what you might back into. There's never a "need" to literally look behind you to see what dangers are there, or to see who is behind you tat you might accidentally run over.
(I would like to thank the auto manufactures of the world for giving me the ability to make the metaphor listed above.)
Life…faith…cars…all of these used to be much simpler. And this isn't just looking through rose-colored glasses into the past and pining away for bygone days and less complicated times. We have simply too many distractions placed before us, either by ourselves or by the constraints we allow to distract us.
In our daily lives, it used to be our family and friends that were our priorities. Now, more often than not, we allow extended work days ("I'm just putting in some extra time to catch up"), after-hour commitments and prioritizing "getting ahead" in our jobs – and yes, even volunteering our time and talents to any organization just to let ourselves be seen – that defines many of our lifestyle choices.
Our faith used to be centered on caring for our community and environment, however one wishes to define these two aspects. It used to be about letting our spirit and the Spirit intermingle in times of prayer, meditation and communion with others. Now, for many, it's about doing what you can for your church, and forsaking a Sabbath. It's about finding the five steps or three points to solidify your faith – when in reality there is really only One. It's about finding ways to codify (emergent/emerging/traditional) or qualify the ways in which we worship, aligning it with a movement, association or denomination instead of simply letting our passions, dreams and callings move, motivate and define our spirituality. We're so caught up in giving names to things that we forget that I AM is the only name we need to remember.
In our cars, it's about finding the best satellite radio station or podcast, while simultaneously checking the GPS to see if we're on the right street, while checking the billboards and neon signs we see. Or, we're checking out the cars – to say nothing of the drivers – that pass us, wishing we weren't driving the decade-old faded-in-color Jetta with a sagging roof and detached front bumper. We're comparing others' supposed credentials (if ever the term "street cred" was applicable, this is it) and how nice their cars are, never really paying heed to our own speed, or distance from the vehicle in front of us.
Maybe it's time to stop giving so much validity and value to all these distractions and instead begin to trust our hearts, and the path of our own journeys.
Maybe it's time to strip off the nametags and put away the business cards and day planners…and simply breathe and be. Spend time with family and friends, free from an agenda.
Maybe it's time to again tear down the temple veil after we put it back up…and honor the beauty of redemption. Revel in a simple, pure faith, free from the trappings we impose on it.
Maybe it's time to pull our eyes up from the dashboard…and take an unobscured look at the world around us. Simply and directly…
…look through the windshield.


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Because what I needed was MORE DRESSES: A review of Nordstrom Rack
By Lesley | September 15, 2011
When the opportunity arose to review Nordstrom Rack, I was a little dubious. To be honest, I didn't actually know that they carried plus sizes. Turns out they do, and starting September 15, they'll be carrying more of them in the store where they already exist, and adding plus sizes to 15 additional stores. Yay! See, I've gotten accustomed to all my favorite discount stores (who shall remain nameless) limiting or removing their plus size selection, as so many have done in recent years, so rather than get my hopes up, I tend to presume that I won't find anything to fit me, and sometimes I get to be pleasantly surprised.
There's little to recommend my local Nordstrom Rack as a destination insofar as decor is concerned; the space is purely practical. On arrival, I spent several minutes wandering the big open floor in confoundment, wondering, oh no, maybe they DON'T have plus sizes in this joint. Or maybe they do but there will be three things and I'll hate them all.
I needn't have worried. Once I located the plus racks — which are integrated within the store, and not hidden in a back corner as is typically the case — I spent half an hour picking out cardigans from the racks of separates before I even found the dresses.
Longtime readers know that I don't wear pants, and indeed I don't even wear skirts — dresses and sweaters are my uniform of choice, all year round. Plus size dresses that are both high quality and pretty to look at are a rare resource indeed, rare enough that I usually rely on internet purchases to satisfy both requirements.
So I was pretty shocked when Nordstrom Rack had literal armloads of dresses in my size. (I may even have done a little dance of victory. Maybe.) I tried on ten different dresses, at least. I actually couldn't tell you the last time I was in a store that even had ten different dresses that were both in a size that might fit me AND that I liked as well. It was glorious. They even had great music playing. (These are things I notice when I'm shopping. I have a much better time if I'm singing along — quietly — to "Inbetween Days," I'm just saying.)
While I was greedily savaging the racks of dresses, I overheard an older woman and a younger woman — probably a mom and daughter — walking by. The older woman said, "Do you want to look at dresses?" and the younger replied, "No, summer's almost over anyway." LIKE DRESSES ARE ONLY FOR SUMMER. As if.
I left an hour and a half later (much to the chagrin of my husband, whom I had left waiting in the car while I ran in "for a few minutes") with two dresses, three cardigans, a scarf, and a pair of shoes (which I'm going to have to return because they don't fit — that's what I get for being lazy and not trying them on in the store).
On to the stuff I bought!
Outfit the first:
The dress is by Donna Ricco, one of my favorite dress-makin' brands, in a gorgeous blue-violet watercolor print. It has POCKETS. Who doesn't love a dress with pockets? Cardigan is by Sejour. The scarf is Fossil. I do dig my pattern-mixing.
Outfit the second:
I did not have my photographer on hand for this one, and my tripod is broken, still. Again, with the Donna Ricco dress, this time in an abstract floral in pinks, purples, blues, and white. Folks, I was so happy to find these dresses not at full price, if they'd had ten of them I probably would have bought them all. The cardigan is by Sejour. Belt is my own, as try though I might, I couldn't find any plus-size belts in my local store.
Overall I had a really fantastic experience at Nordstrom Rack, much better than I expected as a jaded and bitter plus-size dress-wearin' lady.
As part of this review, I get to give away a $100 gift card. EXCITING, right? So! To enter, comment below and tell me what you're looking forward to for fall. (It doesn't have to be fashion-related, either — "apple cider donuts" is a perfectly good answer.)
On to the fine print:
Sweepstakes will run from 9/15-10/31. Visit the Promotions & Prizes section. Here are the Official Rules.
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489 Comments
I'm looking forward to wearing coats and the leafs changing colors. Thanks for the giveaway!
songyueyu at gamil
tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/syytta/status/128603144476295169
songyueyu at gmail
Looking forward to long socks and pumpkiny baked goods!
I am looking forward to the cool days and nights and having a fire in our fire pit.
Spending time w/my fam. 🙂
Hot cider, jack o lanterns, sweaters, and warm blankets!!
A colorful fall day can bring an array of change into your daily life. When fall comes, it brings both good and bad changes to daily routines.
When fall hits we go in a state of denial over this new colder, and harsher weather. It adds to our wardrobes, while we still might dare to go outside in shorts, the accompanying tank-tops are now an under layer of the newly installed sweaters. Then the weather plays another trick right after you've conquered the cold, it laughs and decides to change from wind to rain. The leaves dances and gleam while you run to the nearest coffee shop to get off of the now wet stage and into a dryer audience. While the yellows, purples,and reds float on by dreams, of summer float away with the colored gleaming leaves. The change in weather allows for more time to be spent in coffee shops rather then outdoors,as it is to cold and wet to play outside. When its to cold to go out side students enjoy classes more because inside is warm and cozy, allowing for art classes to look out the window and be inspired rather then sad.
At least thats what I think of fall and makes me inspired and excited as the leaves that dance in the wind.
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving! 🙂
I'm really looking forward to cooler weather! I love sweaters and scarves!
Don't think we have a Nordstroms (or Rack) nearby – would love to try it online shopping, though!
I love Halloween and cool weather! A great time to wear jackets!
Love the variety — could use some clothes that are not 5 years old!
I would love a pair of boots and a winter coat.
fall is most definitely here – we had our first snow yesterday, which is what i was looking forward to!
I cannot wait to slip into an old, fuzzy sweater and drink hot chocolate.
I'd like to find a great pair of slacks for the cooler weather.
Thanks for the contest.
I live love love Pumpkin Pie.
I'm looking forward to the cooler weather and changing leaves.
cool nights around the camp fire, all things apple-related and the cooler weather and also looking forward to my favorite shows season premiere's.
I'm really looking forward to apple picking with the kids.
I took forward to apple cider doughnut too but I just love hot apple cider!! I also love apple picking and taking my family to the haunted corn maze!
I'm looking forward to using my fireplace! There's nothing more cozy than curling up by a fire, watching a good scary Halloween movie on TV! 🙂
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Tweet: http://twitter.com/coriwestphal/statuses/130741688548335616
coriwestphal at msn dot com
I always look forward to more beach time in the fall since rainy season is over.
I look forward tyo Halloween dressing up and giving away candy.
i love apple cider and donuts
Oh! I've never heard about Nordstrom Rack AND that they sell cute plus sizes, this is just amazing. Thank you for the post!
I can't wait for it to get cold enough in Vegas to start layering tons of clothes together. That! And I can't wait for some pumpkin pie.
Pumpkin coffee!! 🙂
I look forward to the Halloween costumes and the cooler weather.
Mmmmmm apple cider donuts 🙂
I'm actually looking forward to our local Renaissance Festival!!
I'm looking forward to the cooler Fall temperatures, the beautiful Fall foliage, and all the cold weather fares such as chili, stews, etc.


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Tagged: Kevin Millar
Herman Cain Is Kevin Millar
Inquiring minds of dear readers galore have been BEGGING to know, just who is this Herman Cain. Well, my friends, beg no more. The RSBS interns and I have been doing the necessary research, and we have come to the conclusion that Herman Cain is politics' very own Kevin Millar.
That's right. He's a bumbling, fumbling hick dressed up proper who says stuff just to say stuff, even if it makes no sense.
Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself:
Hate me 'cuz I got the footage to back it up, just don't hate me 'cuz I'm right.
*The above also does not assume Millar might be associated with any sexual harassment… of human beings anyway.


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Americans are on track to replace about 61% of their income in retirement, according to a Putnam survey released Thursday. The survey found that people most likely to succeed are doing three things: participating in a workplace plan, saving at least 10% of their income and working with an advisor.
In fact, households deferring at least 10% of their income to a retirement savings plan are on track to replace 106% of their preretirement income, according to Putnam. Higher income isn't necessarily a factor in retirement success either; 15% of households with income under $50,000 are on track to replace 100% of their income.
"As awareness grows among working Americans that a financially successful retirement may require greater savings discipline, we think a solid understanding of the various factors at play could positively raise their chances of replacing current income in retirement," Edmund Murphy, head of defined contribution for Putnam Investments, said in a statement. "In dissecting the survey's rich pool of data, one variable rises above all others—the level of individual savings is clearly the key driver of future retirement success."
Access to a workplace plan had a significant impact on replacement income. Eligible workers are on track to replace 73% of their income, compared with 41% for workers without access to a plan. Eligible workers who are actually participating could replace 79% of their income.
Almost 40% of workers with an advisor are on track to replace 100% or more of their income, Putnam found. Over all, participants with a financial advisor are on track to replace 80% of their income, compared with 56% for participants investing on their own.
A separate survey by the Investment Company Institute, also released Thursday, confirmed that Americans are prioritizing saving. The report found just 2.6% of participants in a defined contribution plan stopped making contributions in 2012, down slightly from 2.8% in 2011. The number of withdrawals taken last year were also low and remained steady from 2011.
Loan activity was down in 2012, but the report noted that it is still higher than it was four years ago. More than 18% of participants had outstanding loans as of December 2012.
Read the report, "Defined Contribution Plan Participants' Activities, 2012," here.


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I love these photos of Sandra Bullock taking Louis to school the other day. SO cute. And perhaps not unlike conversations we've all had with our parents in the morning…
"When you come home later…"
Fill in the blank with whatever it was that you were looking forward to.
I hated, hated, hated getting dropped off when I was young. I was the kid who cried and wanted to stay home. Louis seems a lot more pragmatic about his ordeal, negotiating there with his ma about what his expectations are when she comes back to pick him up. Will it be ice cream? Will it be a puppy? Will it be a box of new toys from Uncle George Clooney? Clooney and Sandy will be hitting the festival circuit soon in support of Gravity. George and Louis already know each other from when they were shooting the movie in London. Remember this photo of a photo?
Louis's face is hilarious in that picture. And Photo Assumption says George seemed rather fond of him. Now imagine how the flashbulbs will explode if they ever give up a shot of George holding Louis?


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Selected Recruitment ResourcesGay Stewart, "Teacher Recruitment at the University of Arkansas". APS Forum on Education Newsletter, Spring 2007.
Ron Henderson, "Physics Teaching Embraced at MTSU with the help of PhysTEC." APS Forum on Education Newsletter, Fall 2010.
C. Singh, L. Moin, and C. Schunn, Introduction to physics teaching for science and engineering undergraduates J. Phys. Teach. Online 5 (3), 3 (2010).
More on Recruitment »
Information on Recruitment from PhysTEC InstitutionsArizona State University
Ball State University
Boston University
Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, San Marcos
Central Washington University
Chicago State University
Cornell University
Florida International University
Georgia State University
James Madison University
Middle Tennessee State University
North Carolina State University
Seattle Pacific University
SUNY Geneseo
Towson University (Elementary)
Towson University (Secondary)
University of Alabama
University of Arizona
University of Arkansas
University of Central Florida
University of Cincinnati
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Minnesota
University of Missouri-Columbia
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Virginia Tech
Western Michigan University
Recruiting future physics teachers involves personal attention, good advising, well-taught introductory courses, meaningful early teaching experiences, and a coherent, well-designed teacher education program. Teachers-in-Residence can play a key role in this process. In order to recruit teachers, it is also necessary to have a strong program that attracts substantial numbers of majors.
Recruitment Strategies
Challenge misperceptions around the teaching profession. Utilize the myth-busting toolkit provided by the Get the Facts Out (GFO) project. Have an honest conversation and show students that teaching is a fulfilling career, both financially and in job satisfaction.
Increase the number of physics majors in your department. The first step to increasing the number of physics teachers you graduate is to increase the number of physics majors in your department. Many of the same reforms that will make your department more inviting to majors-such as reforming your introductory course-will also help recruit teachers (see below).
Personally invite students to consider teaching. Publicize your program in introductory physics courses as well as other science and engineering courses, departmental open houses, and Society of Physics Students (SPS) meetings. If you feel a particular student would make a good teacher, let him or her know. Recruit your top students.
Send invitations. Send cards to incoming science and math students, and their parents.
Cast your net wide. In addition to physics majors, potential physics teachers include engineering majors, "post-pre-meds," graduate students, local two-year college students, and science and technology professionals in the workforce who are looking for a career change.
Create an environment that values teaching and supports future teachers. Faculty attitudes have a strong influence on students. Encourage your colleagues to adopt and model the attitude that teaching is an intellectually challenging activity worthy of the same degree of respect as physics research.
Model excellent teaching in physics courses. Model engaging, interactive teaching methods in your physics classes. A great intro class can inspire students to continue learning physics and share in the excitement and rewards of teaching.
Provide future teachers with good advising. Make sure all undergraduate advisors in your department know about and promote your teacher preparation program, and can direct their advisees to the right person for more information.
Create an authentic early teaching experience. Learning Assistant programs and other early teaching experiences give talented undergraduates the opportunity to try teaching in a low-stress, low-commitment, highly supported context. Learning Assistant programs also gives prospective teachers the opportunity to gain status within the department.
Expose students to real teachers. An enthusiastic, experienced, and committed teacher can be the best advertisement for a teaching career. This can be a Teacher-in-Residence or local teachers in a Teacher Advisory Group.
Create a four-year physics degree plan that includes teacher certification. Collaborate with your Education School to create a coherent program leading to a physics major and teacher certification program in four years. The course of study should include physics-specific pedagogy training, and should exclude unnecessary or redundant coursework. The burden of paying for additional semesters of school may discourage students from entering a teacher preparation program.
Offer scholarship support. Consider applying for Noyce Teacher Scholarship funding or encouraging your students to apply for a Knowles Science Teaching Fellowship. In addition, AAPT and SPS offer scholarships for future teachers. See Funding - Teacher Scholarships for more information.
Have your graduates recruit future teachers. A well-prepared high school teacher can inspire students to pursue physics teaching in college. You can also invite your graduates to talk to your current undergraduates about teaching careers.
Promote teaching certification as a useful addition to a physics degree. Emphasize that it does not commit students to a lifelong teaching career, and that it shows they have communication skills that make them highly marketable in the workplace.
Form relationships with other departments. Encourage engineering and life science advisors to have their students take physics during freshman or sophomore years, when they still have time to switch majors and career plans.
Develop relationships with local two-year colleges. Two-year colleges are a nearly untapped source of potential future teachers. Articulation agreements can smooth the transition for students entering your program.
Make a website, brochure, or video. Follow the link below to great resource you can adapt for your own program, or use for inspiration.
» View more Recruitment Strategies


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By Chandra Hamilton
As each new talent emerges, toddlers get busy and forget to do lots of things: watch in front of them when moving, pick up toys before stepping on them, and eat. They fight the fork, the spoon, and even self-feeding in an effort to get back to their most important work: play.
Some toddlers make up by nursing even more at night. Sometimes this continues to work for both mother and toddler. Sometimes, however, Mother chooses to night wean.
In this case, night weaning led to day weaning, and soon, my toddler was completely off the breast long before I ever considered the idea.
Our Story
When Ryan was 15 months old, we decided to move. (May I just point out, this is total chaos and I never recommend it!) We packed up everything we owned and drove four hours north. This move from the familiar into the unknown turned my toddler's world upside-down. He didn't know where he was, where any of his toys were, where his dogs were, and most importantly, he didn't understand why Mommy had been less than 100% attentive in the weeks leading up to the move. Since he was mobile, self-feeding, and easily entertained, my attention had been focused on working and packing.
So, slowly but surely, one feeding would slip through the cracks, then another and another.
At the same time, we gave up night nursing. As a family, we decided that Ryan's continued and constant night nursing wasn't working. As he became a busy toddler, he became what I like to call a "full-body" nurser. What I mean by this is that he no longer just nursed with his mouth, he rubbed my belly with his hand, kicked with his feet, and screamed every time I even considered taking him off the breast so I could roll over and sleep myself. When he was an infant, night nursing was a joy. But as he grew more adept with his body, it became a challenge.
One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, my toddler had not asked to nurse and I had not offered in several days. He did take a few weeks to wean completely; it was a gradual and gentle weaning.
But I found myself missing the time we spent together. My baby was gone, and a cranky toddler had replaced him. And though I love the new skills and fun this age provides, I missed my little boy.
I felt rejected — that I was less than the mother I used to be. How can I possibly be an attached parent if I didn't breastfeed past the 16th month? And the guilt — oh, the guilt! I've selectively vaccinated my son — is he now set to get polio since he's weaned? Do I have to skip ahead and vaccinate like crazy to catch up now that he won't be getting breastmilk anymore? These are just a few of the questions bouncing around in my mind.
Nursing had always been my go-to fix for anything Ryan needed. Fell down and bumped your knee? Nurse. Bored and cranky because we've had to wait too long for an appointment? Nurse. Tired and distracted and just need some time to get centered? Nurse.
With weaning, like all transitions, I had to learn how to interact and care for this new person in my life. This independent, yet fragile, little boy still needed my love and support, and I had to figure out some other way to be there for him without offering the breast.
Easing the Transition
Here are a few tips that have worked for us:
- Make up for the missed breastfeeding time by having extra cuddle time — Sleep with your toddler even after the nursing is gone.
- Have special before-bed and wake-up time — that involves singing, cuddling, and the same undivided attention you would have given had you been nursing.
- Consider bottle nursing — If you are comfortable with it, cow's milk or water in a bottle can be tempting enough for some toddlers to allow lap time, even if it is only once a day.
- Pick a special song or two just for boo-boos — When Ryan gets hurt, I pull him onto my lap and sing very softly and close to his ear the same song every time. He seems to get a sense of comfort from this. He knows that he has been upset or hurt before, and by the end of the song everything seems a little bit easier to handle.
- Acknowledge and mourn the passing of one stage, but celebrate and rejoice in this new one — It is okay to feel sad and miss that small bundle who depended on you for everything. It is also normal to feel happy and relieved that you are no longer the only one who can provide this comfort for your child. Allow yourself some time to just stop and feel.
I know that Ryan still loves me, needs me, and can't imagine a day without me. And I know that like all things in life, this too shall pass. Sometimes, though, I wish some things — like breastfeeding — wouldn't pass so quickly!


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Having spent quite a lot of the year in and out of medical facilities for one reason or another the number of gigs attended has been somewhat constrained but having said that much improved on 2015 when I spent a good deal of the time in a plaster cast. In the most part the gigs I did attend were all great. There were a couple of bad evenings caused in the first case by an idiotic club owner and in the second case by a less than perfect sound engineering job, it is not my habit to name names, so I won't, all I would say is that bands deserve more.
Ones I sadly missed due to ill health and diary clashes
- Robert Forster
- The Triffids
- Kim Salmon
Here are the highlights in no particular order, apart from the top four gigs.
- Manchester Jazz Festival – just a general message to say it was much improved this year with some fascinating bands seen especially in the performance space in Manchester Central Library – the price of the beer in the Festival Village is obscene though!
- Soft Machine at The Band on the Wall – OK so we sat in the bar for most of the second set drinking and chewing the fat about music but the first set was pretty memorable and I realised a long held ambition to see this band.
- The Junta at Night and Day – kabuki, mime and beats with El Generallisimo cooking up a techno storm.
- Aidan Cross & Johann Kloos, Poppycock, Taser Puppets and West Coast Sick Line at Dulcimer, Chorlton. A fun packed night with a storming set from the Westies and a slight hiatus while Mr Maxwell found his guitar.
- Moff Skellington, Mr Mouse, Loop-aznavour at The Fenton Leeds – a remarkable evening with a sparse audience but excellent performances from all three protagonists only somewhat ruined by the inability to get out of Leeds via the motorway necessitating a circuitous journey home via Harrogate
- The Eagle, again, for the debut of the much anticipated new band lead by Ian Moss Four Candles , Cambridge rockers, stripped down to acoustic duo for the night, Bouquet of Dead Crows, all the way from Modena Italy Saint Lawrence Verge, and to close the night the ever excellent Poppycock. A rather special evening.
- Sam Smith, Genevieve L Walsh and The Madding Crowd at The Moston Miners Club – a great set from Sam, memorable poetry from Genevieve, and an epic set from The Madding Crowd.
- The Junta, Bouquet of Dead Crows, The Scissors and Kit B at the Eagle as part of Salford Music Festival. Barnstorming sets from all four bands – we need to do this again.
- Taser Puppets, Poppycock, JD Meatyard and West Coast Sick Line as part of Salford Musical Festival also at The Eagle – one of our most successful nights with a good crowd, fine performances, and a stellar set from Mr Meatyard.
- Blaney album launch at Pacifica Cantonese. A great album and a memorable album launch with the added bonus of it being five minutes from where I live. It's been a good year for Ed and he deserves the support he is getting at the moment
and the top four, who all happen to be Australian for some strange reason……
The Necks live at the Band on the Wall – a special performance from an amazing trio of musicians. Unique and breath-taking music bereft of ego and full of invention.
Harry Howard and the NDE with Poppycock at The Eagle – exploding keyboards and horrendous traffic conspired against us but Poppycock were the best I have seen them all year and Harry and co were exceptional given they had a stand in rhythm section with only a couple of days rehearsal.
Dave Graney and Poppycock & Franco Bandini at the Eagle – a long held desire to catch Dave and Clare live was at long last realised. Most of the band were full of germs but still managed to deliver a set packed with classic tunes from across the Graney songbook. The added bonus of seeing Malcolm Ross play the guitar as well.
and my gig of the year….
Dave Graney at the Betsey Trotwood, London – a memorable journey to the capital despite a dodgy knee. A pleasant afternoon drinking with Bob and Jeff in some fine ale houses. A fantastic set from Dave, Clare, Stu and Malcolm covering even more of the Graney songbook topped off by a great tribute to Prince.


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Time is running out at blind auditions on "The Voice" — not just for the coaches to build their teams but for some aspiring pop stars to find their career breakthroughs. And on Monday night, two talented singers in the "40 and up" category did just that.
So did a handful of still-green teenaged hopefuls, too, and a few hardworking vets looking for a milestone of their own.
And with the likes of teenaged would-be Latin pop stars and coffeehouse crooners up against hard-edged country snarlers with deep roots in the industry, Teams Adam, Blake, Shakira and Usher were set for a diverse cast.
U.S. & World
The night's youngest breakthrough artist was Mary Miranda, a Cuban 17-year-old who delivered a graceful, emotive take on the Selena hit "Como la Flor" that instantly caught Shakira's ear — and Usher's, and Blake's. The wannabe Latin pop star was Shakira's to lose, and Shakira knew it as soon as she began complimenting the teen's performance.
"Oh my God, she's crying just hearing Shakira talk to her. We are so screwed!" Blake remarked.
He was right — but he picked up a teenaged protegee of his own with Carolina Glaser, an 18-year-old college student and coffeehouse folk singer from Kansas.
With a willowy, expressive take on the Elton John standby "Tiny Dancer," she immediately won over Blake and Shakira.
"That was so diaphanous at times and so energetic," Shakira told her. "You are the kind of voice I've been waiting for to hear."
But Blake won over Caroline as soon as he recognized the aspiring songwriter's simple, writerly take on the song. "I aspire to be a songwriter," she explained as she chose him — and he said he was "beyond excited" to join forces with her.
He picked up another unusual singer in Grace Askew, a born-and-bred Memphis 26-year-old sporting a beehive and toting a Dobro. She won over Blake with a playful take on the Nancy Sinatra hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" in a style she deemed "bluntry" (that's blues and country).
Blake called her "one of the coolest" performers he'd seen yet on the show. "I am so pumped to have her on my team. I think she's a serious weapon," he said.
But if some of the singers hitting the stage for Monday's blind auditions were looking at their first big shot at a singing career, a slew of others were looking for their second, or third, or fourth.
One of the most sought after was Sasha Allen, a 30-year-old classically trained pianist from New York who had tabled a promising career singing back-up for Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera to raise a family.
"I put my career on hold to be a mom, but now I want to get back into it," she said, saying she was ready to push past singing background vocals. "I've had brushes with success, but it's always been a brush."
But for the coaches, her take on the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice" — a song she chose not for its country origins but for its storytelling element — was anything but.
"We are meant to be together," Blake insisted, while Adam called her singing "magic."
Despite a round of bickering by the coaches over who should land her, she picked Adam.
Adam picked up another team member seeking a late-in-life career restart in 43-year-old Michael Austin, a heavily tattooed deputy sheriff.
"Everybody calls me 'Big Country.' I think it's pretty obvious I'm big and I'm country," the burly 43-year-old said.
His take on Keith Urban's "Somebody Like You" won over Adam and Shakira.
"You know who you are, what you love, what you do, and it is a relief," Adam told him.
But although Shakira lost out on Michael Austin, she won a similarly gritty country vet in Shawna P., a 45-year-old who had paid her dues in Nashville after being inspired as an eight-year-old by seeing Elvis Presley live.
"A lot of people at my age would just given up on their dream by now," she said, calling her chance to perform at blind auditions "Elvis-epic" for her. "I've been singing since most of the people who've tried out have been alive."
She chose to perform the hit "She Talks to Angels" by the Black Crowes. "It's just gritty and raw — kinda like me and the way I sing," she explained.
Both Adam and Shakira were impressed, but even comparing her voice to Janis Joplin's didn't woo Shawna to Team Adam.
"There's nobody like you in this competition, period," Shakira told the singer, who chose to be on Shakira's team.
"I'm representing 40 and up, y'all," she said.
And finally, Usher — who also snagged 28-year-old Jeff Lewis, who performed Usher's own hit "U Got It Bad" — also netted an impressive talent seeking a mid-life career breakthrough.
Ryan Innes, a bearded soul singer from small-town Utah, turned all four coaches' chairs with his soulful take on John Mayer's "Gravity" — only the second singer of the night to win over the whole panel.
"That's the most fun I had listening all day today," Blake enthused.
"You showed a confidence which was really refreshing," Shakira said.
But the aspiring soul singer went with Usher — who was surprised at his luck.
For a night when a few hopefuls got their long-coveted late start on a big-time singing career, a few young, too-green artists had to head home.
Jane Smith, 18, didn't turn any chairs with her take on a Florence and the Machine song. Neither did Matt Cermanski, 19, who sang Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream," which the coaches agreed was out of his vocal range. And Cameron's take on Justin Bieber's "As Long As You Love Me" was marred by how winded his enviable dance moves left him.
Blind auditions are set to wrap up Tuesday night, when the stakes will be even higher for the coaches to finish fleshing out their teams.
"The Voice" airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC at 8/7c.


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Rotatrim trimmers are hand built in England by highly skilled technicians so you can be assured of the absolute highest quality of craftsmanship, accuracy and reliability.


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I think the Clone Wars series/movie has increased our chances of seeing this greatly. Lego is cranking out this tank, so perhaps Hasbro will make one before too long.
I can't say this enough: Hasbro will produce this tank before too long.
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David Saltzberg, PhD. is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA. He received his Bachelor's degree in Physics from Princeton and his doctorate from the University of Chicago. David has partially shifted his research towards neutrino astronomy, using radio detection techniques. He recently completed a scientific balloon mission looking for the electromagnetic pulses from neutrino interactions in the Antarctic Ice. He is also Science Consultant for the television sit-com: The Big Bang Theory.
While David is a scientist, he also has an undergraduate liberal arts education which made him the right person to ask: what does one "do" with a physics degree? He has not only taught many students, but has friends who chose less traditional pursuits. And he advises future educators at a leading university.
So I had high hopes that some very good answers and examples will be given here. But I'm a bit disappointed with the responses.
Why should college students consider majoring in physics?
I think there is only one reason to major in physics, and that is because you really like it. I majored in physics because I always liked my classes and wanted to learn more. Along the way, you meet some really smart people who also love physics in relatively small classes. You work together in labs and generally spend a lot of time together. It is a great way to go through college.
What have your former college classmates and students done (besides doctoral study) after earning their undergraduate degrees in physics?
It is all over the map. Various types of engineering are all possible. I even have one friend that designs robots. Others have gone into science journalism. Another friend with a physics major joined the Air Force and flies planes.
So essentially, the whole question in the topic is covered in this last paragraph. The rest of the article is about physics, funding, education, etc. There is no elaboration on the exact nature of jobs available for an undergraduate physics degree holder. So if I were such a degree holder and hoping that this article tells me a bit more on what jobs I'm qualified for, I'd say that other than some superficial information that is "... all over the map... ", I've learned nothing.
This is sad, because it is not as if such information isn't available. The AIP webpage has a wealth of statistics on the type of jobs such physics degree holders get employed in. So one could be quite specific on the type of jobs available.
But beyond that, when asked on why one should major in physics, is the best that can be answered is that "... you really like it.. "? What happened to the fact that the skills one acquire majoring in it can be quite useful in one's career, be it in science or outside of science?
I think this article missed a tremendous opportunity to produce useful information that students could have used. Instead, it had more emphasis on funding and physics education.


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On days when life gets me down and maybe I don't feel like being an advocate, I come to this page and smile a big smile. Yes, I'm helping you. But YOU are also helping ME. That's what community is all about. Here are some of your kind words.
Thank you for all you do to help those of us struggling with this disease! It is reassuring to hear I am not alone from someone who finds good and bad in your experiences. You help in ways the Dr.'s and textbooks can't.
I come to this blog to feel understood.! It's nice knowing that there are other people who feel exactly the way I do about Celiac Disease!
Thank you for your blog, which brings a sense of sanity to my chaotic world! It is wonderful to know we are not alone and that we can have like-minded people who can say straight up that having celiac disease sucks.
In a time of Omission and Cheerios hawking insta-phonies, I just wanted to say thanks for your tireless work and for keeping your integrity over the years. You are true and passionate celiac disease advocate, and an important voice to celiacs all over the world. Your advice was a lifeline in the early days of my celiac diagnosis in 2014 (after ~20 years of suffering undiagnosed). The gluten free diet is scary and confusing, and it doesn't help that it is misrepresented by predatory money grubbers like Papa Johns or Omission (I'm still holding a grudge because I was badly glutened by their nasty beer when it first came out).
I understand how easy it is to get discouraged by the gluten-free or celiac phonies, the apathetic medical community, the corrupt food industry, and the ignorant celebrities and media. I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that your contributions to the celiac community are appreciated!
I'm at work right now crying while reading your site. I blame you and thank you at the same time. I'm glad to meet a sane individual in the same boat as me. Finally a place where I'm not viewed as 'weird' or 'fanatic' about food. OMG I can exhale.
I applaud you, Gluten Dude, for giving us Celiacs a place where we can chat, complain, celebrate and laugh at our all too real struggles.
Thank you - you beautiful soul. It is the only place where with not an ounce of self pity, we can just say. FUCK THIS.
Every search for a GF food kicked me to a blog, somehow, some way. Your GD site captured my my attention. It was the first non-flowery, realistic and relatable information I saw. Translation: You made no attempt to blow smoke up my shorts about how awesome it is to be a celiac.
Your take on things is amazingly refreshing. I learn more from you than from the dozens (hundreds?) of other gluten free blogs on a regular basis. You done good, Dude!
I just wanted to drop a quick line to say thank you. I was just recently diagnosed via endoscopy, with the blood test several months before that showing very high anti body levels (there was a waiting list to get the endoscopy, hence the delay). In that time however your blog/website and latterly eBook have been an invaluable resource which has allowed me to really hit the ground running once the diagnosis was confirmed. Having some good and honest advice has made the whole experience a lot less daunting.
One of your blogs appeared in the middle of a sea of the usual B.S. and feel-good nonsense about celiac and gluten that is all over the Internet. What a relief to find what you are doing here. I can't believe it. Finally!
I just had to write and tell you how much I appreciate your blunt honesty and fighting voice in the celiac community. While I might not suffer with it, it has been an eye opener to read about just a fraction of what your intimate community faces each and everyday. Hearing the stories and the battles you all have had to face has made me an advocate and given me a desire to fight for you all.
You help people feel less lost/angry/scared/sad. You certainly do help, educate and have me laughing like crazy. You make a huge difference by bringing us all together in this celiac/coeliac "family". Thank you for doing what you do.
I Googled "fuck celiac" and found my way to your blog. Thanks for blazing the trail. My life is better for your efforts.
You make me smile, you make me cry, and you make me mad. But, most of all, you make me grateful that I don't have to figure this all out on my own.
Finding this website was like walking into a house full of old friends and family for me.
Keep rockin' Gluten Dude. You are changing the world for us.
You were a life line for me when I was bewildered, brain foggy and ...sick. Thank you.
Thank you for your website! It is so nice to not be alone through all of this. Your writing is amazing. I was diagnosed with Celiac a few months ago after feeling horrible for 20 years and doctors never knowing what was wrong. Thanks again for all your posts and being a voice for us Celiacs! You've given me some hope.
Thanks for the balanced approach, whether it is funny, sad, angry, silly or loving. We have all been through the emotional roller coaster. I look forward to hearing the real voices of the folks who comment here. You bring out the best in all of us! Thanks Dude!
Thank you for your answers, wisdom, support and humor. I could not live this life without you.
Before discovering you and your amazing followers I honestly thought I was just nuts. Now I know to rest when needed, to not trust something just because it says gf on the label, and most importantly, to advocate and be a voice for myself and this disease. Thank you Gluten Dude! Keep up your awesomeness.
You just made me weep in the frozen food aisle of the grocery store while I wait for yet another prescription for our ever-sickly children! Thank you Dude!!!! You rock!
This place feels to me the same way walking into the back door of my childhood home does...acceptance and understanding from my people!
I know I can't wallow and feel sorry for myself forever but I literally bawled my eyes out reading your blog because someone finally was being honest and understood and wrote the truth. So thank you so much!
Like John Lennon coaxing Prudence from her room, the Gluten Dude asks other celiacs to come out and play. With acerbic wit, candor and a touch of rebellion, he's sharing his journey and he's enticing the celiac community to do the same.
Thank you for all your struggles and your fight for us celiacs. You have given me a better outlook to living with celiac.
Dude...you're the one who annoyingly insisted that gluten free wasn't good enough, a totally unpopular and harsh opinion. And when that finally clicked I started getting better. Seriously, thank you. You are really helping people.
You and your site have saved me from the nut house! It was such a relief to hear other voices and experiences from people I could relate to. Struggling through health issues and trying to eat gluten free can make a person feel a tad…alone. This community makes a person feel like they are apart of a larger family. Your time and effort is truly appreciated!
You have brought us laughter, information and a safe place to rant and vent. You have created a place where we can let it all hang out, and just be ourselves. We all know there is worse than this. But sometimes we just need to be in the company of fellow travelers along this road. You gave that to us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You changed the journey for me.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't say it enough. Your knowledge and honesty is like a life raft in an unknown and terrifying ocean.
I just wanted to say thank you, for being the only RELIABLE voice out there (that I've found). Starting out 5 years ago, I fell into many doctor "recommendations" that were a horrible choice to follow, and suffered for them. I didn't find your blog right away, and went through many trial and errors on what gluten free really meant. I'm so glad I did eventually (last year) stumble upon your blog. Not symptom free by a long shot, but getting there, MOSTLY because of what you share, so again thank you.
Thank you for your blog, your bravery, for sharing all the personal parts of your life that sometimes drive you to the brink of insanity. Thank you for creating a place where I can go to find comfort and solace when I am sick of explaining my disease. Please don't ever stop sharing your stories.
I want to thank you for everything that you have done to make me feel more comfortable about eating gluten-free. This website has made a significant impact on me. I don't feel so alone anymore and even though living with this disease will never be easy, this website makes it somewhat bearable. It makes me feel better that there are others that feel all of the emotions and symptoms that I do. I will forever be grateful for people like you and the rest of the amazing gluten free community. THANK YOU!
Being a "baby" celiac patient (almost 3 months now)...and finding this website has been EXTREMELY helpful to me. The seriousness, the comedy, the information, all of it has helped me transition as smoothly as possible.
You are like tonic to the gut, bubbling with humorous dialogue to cure the sad soul of any celiac needing attention. I am lifted from my moody mornings into hope for our future in a healthy community as I read your lines and the comments they generate.
I just found your website and I wanted to say thanks! Your posts are the most relatable to my own journey that I have found. I really appreciate the time you put in to help your fellow Celiacs.
The blogs, comments and links from you and others in this community have given me much of my life back. Thank you!
You are aaawesome!!! I found your site today and I have literally spent the whole day reading it. I learnt some things that months of online trolling for information has failed to teach me... so thank for the effort that you put into your words; they are short, to the point and funny.
I am so glad I found your website; it has me feel like I'm not alone or 'making thing's up'. Plus it has made laugh, cry & kept me sane so far. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!
God heavens, you are amazing. This site just turned my day around.
Living gluten free is a tough life to live and I think the reality of it that you portray on your blog helps those of us who still struggle with it. Keep up the good work.
I must say that reading what you and my fellow celiacs have to say makes me feel better...less isolated and frustrated. The support on this page is so good for me. Thank you all so much!
I am ever so grateful to have found your site. Your frustrations, humor and encouragement have already helped me tremendously to carry on.
I found you earlier today and I have not laughed and cried so much in one night ever. Thank you so much for what you do!
As the father of a celiac daughter, I absolutely look forward to reading your blog-word-by-word. Every one. You've got such a talent for storytelling, infectiously. Firm, witty and honest.
Thank you for keeping me educated and uplifted….. You have helped me become a better mom
I have met so many wonderful people on your blog including YOU! Thank you for all the hard work and energy you put into making this a place with lots of good information, lots of good people and lots of laughter!
My husband has Celiac disease and your blog is a life saver. Everything you discuss is so spot on. Thank you for all the insight, humor, and perfectly worded content that your blog provides. Is that wrong that we want to be friends with you and your wife (who also seems super cool)?
This is the best Celiac blog I have found. When I just want to scream from frustration, this is the place I come to find joy, peace, positive thinking, sarcasm, laughter, frustration and the will to keep moving forward and to know I have another day of healing behind me.
When I read this blog, it makes me smile and although I wish everyone healing, energy and recovery - it is just so nice to feel normal for a few minutes every day! Thank you, thank you!
Thanks 4 putting into words what many celiacs feel!
This blog just stopped me from going over the edge. Thank you!
I spent 50 years feeling like crap! At about 50 years, I couldn't take it anymore and attempted suicide, which landed me in ICU for 4 days on life support. As tears roll down my face, I think of how much you have helped and encouraged me and others; I thank you for your humor, your wisdom and your knowledge. Every day that I feel well, I have you to thank. Because of you, I now eat unprocessed foods most of the time and the suicidal thoughts are now rare. In essence, you (and this support group) saved my life. I know I am just one person, but I hope you know how important you are to SO many of us!
I came across your Blog today and you had me in tears!!!! Tears of recognition that other people go through these frustrations, tears of laughter through understanding and tears of pain as I go through all of your contributors rants and rages!!! THANK YOU!
You have made me laugh and cry and everything in between and I'm only two weeks into your blog!!!
I want to thank you for being so honest and supporting a gluten free community that uses their knowledge and power for the good of the community. You are fighting the good fight sir and I appreciate you more than my words can really say.
Thank you SO much! Your blog is wonderful; it is such a huge relief to know that you (as well as your followers and guest bloggers) actually understand. It really means so much!
I just want to say that I discovered you about 5 months ago & you have quite literally changed my life. You and your site, along with all the fantastic people who follow you, have educated me in ways you could never know. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I absolutely love your blogs and hearing new peeps stories and lessons. It helps so much! Someone get this dude a badge, a certificate, hell something for all that he does! He is one SuperGlutenDudeman!
Your blog has made me feel understood for that I say THANK YOU
Thank you for your efforts in our community. It makes a ginormous difference to me to have an outspoken, educated and funny voice here on this p-o-s gluten-free roller coaster. I'm just overly and completely impressed by you.
Thanks for your great blog and articles and just everything you do. You bring a bit of hope to my life whenever I feel down and out or tired (which happens a lot).
I don't subscribe to your blog so that you can lie to me or convince me to try different products. I subscribe because your humanity shines through my computer screen and I think you are just like the rest of us……and on any given day that changes.
The morning after I found out I have Celiac Disease, I went to your site for comfort. I laughed and cried because this was where I felt connected. I thank you so much; YOU and Mrs. Dude have helped me cope better than anyone.
There are people in the Gluten Dude community with fantastic knowledge that has helped me a lot and I've only been reading the Dude's blog for a couple weeks. It's an awesome place.
Your latest post is why my son wants to be Gluten Dude when he grows up.
I just want to say that you rock. I ended up staying up most of the night reading your 100 blog posts... Good Stuff. I am definitely sharing with family and friends that tend to not fully get it.
Gluten Dude…….your blog has given me so much info when I started on this gluten-free journey a year and a half ago. It's been rough, but with others sharing what they go through, and how they deal with it, it has made that road easier! Thank you for always giving us information, sharing your experiences, and generally helping us all feel that we aren't crazy!!! I appreciate you, Dude!!! Keep up the good work.
Gluten Dude, you really have impacted our two year ride with Celiac Disease. You reflect such a realistic view on this disease......while no one else understands, you and the people who gather here, make me feel just a little bit less crazy! THANK YOU!!!
I am grateful to bloggers like you for putting some humour into the coeliac discussion. Thanks for your blog, and for making it a little bit cooler to be a coeliac.
Gluten Dude, we are here b/c you have helped us all, made us laugh and we know we are not alone. Thank you.
Great blog. I have a coeliac teen and your stuff is perfect for her, a balance of info and fun. Plus she loves anyone who will take a shot at a Kardashian :) Way to make being a coeliac cool. Thank you!
I want to thank you, Gluten Dude, for creating a safe and welcoming forum. I'm not alone out here and for that I am grateful.
As a direct result of your educational sharing and awareness raising efforts, I am confident that the health of countless lives have already been drastically improved. Best wishes and most importantly, THANK YOU hero!
Thanks Gluten Dude. You rock. You are a hilarious breath of fresh air when I feel like no one (except my mom) understands.
Your website and the Gluten Dude community you have brought together is so POSITIVE and crucial for my health and happiness and knowledge and celiac confidence! Thank you.
This blog has helped me a TON! I live in a very rural area with no local resources for Celiacs. Reading Gluten Dude's blog has helped me feel "normal" – it isn't a happy disease. I appreciate someone speaking honestly and from the heart about the down and dirty of celiac.
Gluten Dude…you have touched so many lives and you have a way of making anyone who finds your blog to feel so understood and a part of a welcoming and supportive community.
I just wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog. I have been diagnosed 10 years....and THIS is what I've been missing.
Thank you! I am just starting month three of a gluten free lifestyle after finally being diagnosed with celiac disease and your blogs have helped to educate me (and my family) and put things in perspective.
I am a well educated researcher on celiac disease; because not only was I diagnosed 4 years ago, so was my husband. This is the only site that has the most credible and the most knowledgeable information on how to handle the disease and the community who promote products as being gluten free. Thank you, from the bottom of our celiac guts, for your time and keeping us informed.
I had to let you know how much help your blog has been in getting my husband to understand better what it is like to have Celiac. For the first time in 14 years I found a place where I feel "normal". Thanks GD.
Dude…Where the hell have you been all my life? Kudos and thanks for all that you do.
I've been gluten free for over a year and your blog was the first one that made me feel normal for a celiac. Thanks for that!
If you would have told me 18 months ago how blessed I would be by stumbling onto Gluten Dude's blog one frustrated day – I would have laughed and said "no way". Now, I sit here reading all these names I have grown attached to and think "HOW WOULD I DO IT WITHOUT THEM?" Their stories resonate with me and I don't feel like the odd woman out.
I would just like to say a big thank you to you, and all of those who comment on the blog. Together you have all educated, made me mad, made me cry and most importantly, made me feel like I'm not alone in all this.
Thank you for your blog. It gives me so much strength whenever i am hurting. You are a shining light.
I just wanted to thank you for hosting such an open, honest, funny, sad, wonderful forum where all of us Celiacs can laugh, cry, commiserate, share, and gain some support in dealing with this disease.