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Turn 3
You dash to the stack of crates on your right, barely avoiding a number of traps that Echelon flings everywhere from some kind of high-tech launcher; like packs of claws and teeth, they land and open wide, electricity arcing between their fangs, ready to rip away an unsuspecting leg. You dodge them, leaping over one, barely avoiding another, sliding into cover behind the crates. You give yourself just enough time to catch your breath and start loading your pistol before you're on your way again, making a mad dash for your ship with your riot shield in place.
But Echelon isn't far behind. He pulls out a block of metal from over his shoulder that folds out and becomes a massive laser weapon. Bracing himself on the ground, he fires at you; you have your shield up as you run, but the weapon burns into it until you have a glowing, red-hot line across the center of your shield. Seemingly discouraged, he starts running towards you, his steps hastened by auto-firing thrusters on the legs of his armor, propelling him to an inhuman velocity.
Your pistol reloaded, you fire one, two shots - both of them ping uselessly off his armor and ricochet into space. Meanwhile, Echelon has caught up with you; you catch just a glimpse of a hideous smile through the bottom of his visor. What happens next happens so quickly that you're hardly able to process it. In one swift move, Echelon plants both his feet on the bottom of your shield, giving it a strong kick that sends you flying backwards, tumbling and sliding as he flips up into the air above. He's brought a particularly menacing combat shotgun to bear; he fires one, two rapid shots at you before he even hits the ground in the low gravity; both of them impact hard on your shield, which you just barely manage to raise in time. Some of the pellets get your arm; you wince with pain and try to focus. This is when you realize that his kick snapped your riot shield cleanly in half.
This guy is completely out of your league. You get back to your feet, holding what's left of your shield to deflect any further shots, and wonder where he is as you continue to dash the final handful of meters toward your ship. Too late, you realize he's right on you again - he rips away your shield and flings it aside. You shoot him in the face with your pistol at point blank, but the small arms fire pings uselessly away (though you manage to leave quite the ding). He levels his combat shotgun at your face - and then looks down at his chest. He barely has enough time to register the bolt - barbed explosive - that's lodged in his armor before it blows, causing him to miss his shot and knocking both of you aside. It's done significant damage to his armor - but you're not there to kill him. You use the opportunity to mad dash the last few meters to your ship and climb inside. Your arms are a blur - before you even have the canopy closed, you take off and fire a railgun round at Echelon. It misses most of him - but gets his leg. Blood mist sprays out into space, drifting away. Echelon doesn't skip a beat and slaps a patch on his leg, using his thrusters to dash his way behind cover... but you're not interested in him anymore. You just want to escape.
And it's not over yet. There are more of Afion's gangsters in the passages out of the asteroids, mostly in monoengine D47-B01 fighters.
You switch to your crossbow, making sure that you have a bolt loaded up - barbed/explosive being the bolt of choice today. When you're done with this, you look up - Brom is already pretty far ahead, and focused pretty hard by Echelon.
A rocket explodes to your left - fired from Afion, it seems. Time to get moving; if you stick around, he'll be sure to hit you. Getting out of cover, you make a flying leap over a number of jawlike traps all across the floor, lined with razor-sharp metallic fangs. You break into a mad dash after Brom, firing your round backwards at Afion. While it misses, the explosion distracts him enough to make him miss his next shot; you count this as a success and return your attention to Echelon.
Catching up with Brom proves to be difficult because he's so far ahead, but as you run, you load another bolt into your crossbow, and fire. It misses completely and sails far out into the open cavern in the asteroid. You hope the next bolt will be better - especially as you get a better glimpse of what's going on with Echelon and Brom. Echelon does a flying flip-kick into the air with a show of rocket-boosted agility, firing multiple shotgun rounds at Brom's now-destroyed shield before he even hits the ground. Brom on the other hand tumbles along the ground, skidding to a stop and clamoring to his feet. Echelon rips his shield away as Brom's bullets ping off his armor and prepares to fire his shotgun right through Brom's helmet...
Taking quick aim, your crossbow bolt flies straight and true, lodging deep into Echelon's high-powered armor. He glances at it, shrinking back in surprise - just before it explodes, causing him to miss the shot; Brom manages to escape and get into his ship, and you follow suit, climbing into yours and taking off, leaving Echelon behind. After the canopy closes over you, you start equalizing the pressure in the cockpit. To your relief, the hissing in your suit subsides. You're still in a lot of pain, but death is no longer on the menu.
But it's not over yet. There are more of Afion's gangsters in the passages out of the asteroids, mostly in monoengine D47-B01 fighters. You remember eyeing them warily as you entered the asteroid; they'll do everything they can to keep you from escaping.
Sat May 27, 2017 11:35 am
Re: BTE Tryout Thread: Brom & Trontos
Have a question? Send me a PM! || I have a Patreon page up for REKT now! || People talking in IRC over the past two hours:


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"Holes in the Heart"
Join Lexington Medical Center cardiologist Robert A. Leonardi, MD, FACC in Sumter on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 for a free presentation called "Holes in the Heart." The event is part of Lexington Medical Center's quarterly patient education series in Sumter, featuring medical topics that are important to our community."Holes in the Heart" will take place on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. inside Sumter Cardiology at 540 Physicians Lane in Sumter.
Lexington Medical Center's full range of cardiac services includes non-surgical closure for "holes in the heart" known as atrial septal defects (ASDs) and patent foramen ovale (PFO).ASD and PFO are congenital heart defects, meaning that people are born with them. Many patients are unaware of these "holes in the heart," which can cause heart failure and have been associated with increased risk of stroke. Dr. Leonardi will discuss the problems these holes can cause, how they are diagnosed, and available treatments.
Affiliated with Duke Medicine, Lexington Medical Center offers comprehensive cardiovascular care with state-of-the-art technology. That includes open heart surgery, catheterizations, angioplasty, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to replace the aortic valve with a catheter instead of open heart surgery, and an electrophysiology program that diagnoses and treats abnormal heart rhythms known as cardiac arrhythmias.
Lexington Medical Center has full chest pain accreditation with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC), demonstrating its ability to quickly assess, diagnose and treat heart attack patients. And, the hospital is a Primary Stroke Center, excelling at treating stroke patients promptly.
Dr. Leonardi is a physician with Lexington Cardiology, a Lexington Medical Center physician practice.
At the patient education presentation, light refreshments will be served. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions. For more information, visit LexMed.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Itchy, scratchy: Leave yeast for bread baking
I love musicals. I know every Rodgers and Hammerstein musical and every obscure song they wrote. If you ever hear me sing Karaoke, you will know what I mean. "I can name and sing that song in 4 notes..."
However, I don't know enough musicals– like Candide– by one of my favorite composers, Leonard Bernstein. Would I have learned it in medical school if he composed a musical Candida?
Candida is a fungal species, aka "yeast." Most vaginal yeast infections are caused by Candida albicans, which for some strange reason always makes me think it should be a province in Canada or a type of tuna fish.
Candida, like many types of bacteria, is pretty often found in healthy people's mouths, GI tracts, and vaginas (well, if you're a woman). Candida normally lives in harmony with bacteria in the body, sort of the way Rodney King would like it, "Can't we, can't we... all get along?"
However, if there's a riot that wipes out some of the bacteria, Candida becomes an imperialist and invades the healthy cells of the body, like the vagina.
This is why women who have taken antibiotics sometimes get a yeast infection following treatment. The antibiotics wipe out bacteria in the vagina, and Candida becomes an imperialist to infect the vaginal lining. (That's also a reason not to douche.)
Yeast infections are pretty common in women: at least 75 percent of women have had at least one infection in their lifetime. Itching is the main problem in a yeast infection, as well as discharge, irritation, burning with peeing, and "a-bad-time-with-da-man."
Usually, a yeast infection is an annoyance, and treatment is as easy as Britney Spears getting married. In fact, most women don't see the doctor because there are plenty of over-the-counter medicines. But what if a woman has repeated yeast infections? Ouch!
Unfortunately, five percent of healthy women have recurrent yeast infections (four or more episodes per year). Increased estrogen levels, caused by birth control pills, pregnancy, and estrogen therapy, can make a woman prone to recurrent yeast infections. Women have more estrogen floating around before their period, so that's why yeast infections most often occur during the PMS phase. And you just thought it was because you were grouchy!
Diabetes, HIV, IUDs, diaphragms, and steroids all can cause recurrent yeast infections as well. Genetically, some women lack vaginal immunity against yeast infections. Studies have also shown that pantyliners, pantyhose that cover the pelvis, and sexual lubricants increase the risk of yeast infections. You know, Madonna wore her panties on the outside. I wonder if she had fewer yeast infections? (That doesn't explain why Michael Jackson wore the thong on the outside, though.)
Yeast infections are not an STD and are not related to sexual activity. I know someone whose mother said, "Young lady, you're having sex, aren't you? How else are you getting these yeast infections?" Little did mom know that her daughter was as virgin as first-press olive oil.
Over-the-counter creams, such as clotrimazole, have a 97 percent success rate. Prescription fluconazole (150mg taken just one time) has a 94 percent success rate. However, if the yeast infection is due to Candida glabrata instead of Candida albicans, the oral medication is less successful. (Sorry, but Candida glabrata sounds like an opera singer to me.)
Boric acid vaginal suppositories tend to work better on glabrata. Acidophilus might be helpful, though it hasn't been proven scientifically.
Talk to your doctor and get an examination. A slide of vaginal secretions seen under the microscope is worth a thousand words. Itching and irritation should be the yeast of your concerns.
Got a medical question? Dr. Hook wants to hear from you.


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Who Was Sylvanus Thayer?
He was more than the man who gave engineering to America. From West Point to Thayer School, he was my hero.
By Nardi Reeder Campion
I fell in love with Sylvanus Thayer the first time I saw him. An Army family, my parents had taken me to West Point, the United States Military Academy, for the graduation of my brother Red. I was nine. We stayed at the old Thayer Hotel — now long gone — a rambling Victorian structure with porches and spittoons. I remember sitting in a rocking chair, gazing up the wide, blue Hudson River, and wondering who Thayer was. I loved his hotel.
Then I saw him. So stylish in his uniform: high-button, long-skirted jacket, tasseled sash at his waist. So handsome: sharp features, wavy hair, erect posture. And so cold — he was chiseled granite. His statue says in bold letters: Colonel Thayer, Father of the Military Academy. No wonder he looked serious.
That night at dinner, I asked Red, "Who was the Mother of the Military Academy?" He threw back his head and laughed. "Colonel Thayer never married," Red told me, "but he raised hundreds of sons while he was Superintendent. "
I wanted to know more. I made my way to the West Point library, where the librarian gave me a book about Sylvanus Thayer. It was slow going. I learned that he graduated from Dartmouth College in 1807 and one year later from West Point. Only one year? I wondered. And why two colleges?
I also read that after Thayer left West Point, he founded the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. "What makes a man into a founder?" I asked Red.
He shrugged. "All I know is Sylvanus Thayer was hipped on engineering and on training young men. He drilled into all his cadets the essentials for a military man: discipline, precision, reliability, and honor. The West Point motto, 'Duty, Honor, Country,' came from him."
I trotted across the Plain for another look at the statue. I asked my brother, "Do you think Sylvanus Thayer had a sense of humor?"
"Not a chance. You can tell by looking at him that he wasn't a laugher. Maybe that's why he accomplished so much."
I studied Thayer's strong face and said to myself, "I bet he had a sense of humor but nobody wrote about it."
Sylvanus Thayer was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, June 9, 1785, the fifth of seven children. His mother, Dorcas, and father, Nathaniel, a sturdy New England farmer whose family had been there for generations, had little money, so they sent their brilliant son to live with his uncle Azariah Faxon and attend school in Washington, New Hampshire. Sylvanus earned his way by helping in his uncle's store, where, fortuitously, he met General Benjamin Pierce, father of future President Franklin Pierce. Both General Pierce and Sylvanus' Uncle Azaria, who had fought in the Revolutionary War, fed Sylvanus' growing fascination with military matters, including the dazzling campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte.
At 16, Sylvanus was teaching school in Washington and preparing for college. What he wanted was a technical education that would prepare him to be an engineer, but at the time no such institution existed in this country. So he pursued the next-best thing: a college that offered advanced mathematics as well as a classical education. In 1803 he entered 34-year-old Dartmouth College.
He quickly distinguished himself on the Hanover Plain as a top student and man of high ideals. He was invited to join United Fraternity, one of Dartmouth's two literary societies, which only opened its ranks to students who displayed "respectability of talents and acquirements, and a fair moral character." His interest in world affairs and his passion for Napoleon stood out, too. He was well-known for being the only student on campus to subscribe to the National Intelligencer, a Washington, D.C., paper that covered foreign events, including the latest news of Napoleon's exploits.
Dartmouth left its mark on Thayer. The College's small classes, daily recitations, and prescribed curriculum — including the humanities — influenced his ideas of what education ought to be. Thayer was exposed to the formal bearing and austere educational leadership of Dartmouth President John Wheelock, a former military officer — and son of College founder Eleazar Wheelock. And like thousands of Dartmouth students who came after him, Thayer developed lifelong friendships with his classmates, including his best friend and roommate George Ticknor, who went on to become a leader in American liberal arts education.
One day in 1807 Thayer received two letters, one telling him he was valedictorian of his class; the other saying his old friend General Pierce had persuaded President James Madison to appoint Thayer to be a cadet at the five-year-old United States Military Academy.
Sylvanus Thayer, 22, never gave his valedictory speech. Instead, with his Dartmouth degree and Phi Beta Kappa key, he left for West Point. Ticknor thought his friend was relieved to forfeit the valedictory address. "He was always modest and shy and would have had difficulty facing an audience composed mostly of ladies," Ticknor explained.
Arriving at West Point, Thayer was surprised at the laxness of the academy. There was no fixed curriculum. Cadets were graduated whenever the professors felt they were ready. Some cadets had been there since the academy opened in 1802. With his classical Dartmouth education, aptitude in math, and natural diligence, Cadet Thayer was graduated in one year.
During the War of 1812, Thayer, a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers, planned and directed the defense of Norfolk, Virginia. Though the British captured many of our coastal fortifications, they were unable to take this one. For this achievement, Thayer was made brevet major. (Brevet means an officer receives higher rank without higher pay. No wonder it's obsolete.)
Despite America's victory, President Madison and Secretary of War James Monroe were alarmed at the educational deficiencies of the Army's officer corps. When Major Thayer expressed interest in spending time abroad expanding his knowledge of military and technical studies, Madison and Monroe provided him with $5,000 to buy books, maps, and "other learning materials" for the nation's struggling young military academy.
Thayer arrived in Europe on June 12, 1815, just three weeks after his hero Napoleon, whom he hoped to see, lost the Battle of Waterloo. Thayer spent two years studying at the French West Point, École Polytechnique, and traveling through Europe collecting military texts. His old Dartmouth friend George Tickner was also in Europe at the time, studying German educational systems for Harvard. Tickner was impressed with German liberalism and freedom. Thayer was impressed with École Polytechnique's strict discipline and academic requirements. This led to lively arguments, the kind that cement relationships.
In 1817 President Monroe ordered Thayer to return to West Point to take over as Superintendent to bring order out of the academy's chaos. Thayer began by weeding out loafers, establishing standards for admission, applying military discipline, creating a student-enforced honor system, and developing a rigorous curriculum centered on engineering. Drawing on his Dartmouth education, studies at Ecole Polytechnique, experience in the Corps of Engineers, and discussions with George Ticknor, Thayer insisted that America's military engineers be educated in the sciences and the humanities. Between 1817 and 1833 he turned West Point into the world's finest military academy and the country's first college of engineering. Carried by West Point graduates to other colleges and universities, Thayer's curriculum became the springboard for technological instruction throughout the country.
In the early 19th century, a college head did it all — appointing trustees and faculty, deciding on courses of study. Thayer also was treasurer, disciplinarian, even director of architectural projects. The Superintendent's quarters he built in 1820 attest to his sense of beauty and keen foresight. Still in use today, the capacious rooms, with fireplaces for heating, are large enough for Superintendents and their families yet to come.
Thayer himself was a kind of military monk. He lived in solitude, attended only by an orderly. He was famous for punctuality, arriving at his office on the strike of the bell and at parties on the precise moment of the invitation. He was equally stringent with the cadets, who received demerits for every instance of tardiness. Nevertheless, the cadets admired him extravagantly.
Thayer had an uncanny memory and knew every cadet by name. He took an interest in each one and amazed them with his knowledge of their activities. Thayer's desk helped in this regard. Large and high in front, the back was built with pigeon holes where Thayer filed each cadet's weekly grades, financial standings, and demerits. When cadets reported to the Superintendent, they were surprised to find their every flaw on the tip of his tongue. Because they could not see behind the partition, they would leave convinced that he knew everything about them. (I say that a man who could dream up such a clever desk must have had a sense of humor.)
During the 16 years Thayer was Superintendent of West Point, he earned the respect and admiration of the cadets, sometimes by being unpredictable. One night the "Supe" ferried across the Hudson to attend a party in Garrison. He was shocked to run into one of his cadets, off-limits. Thayer conversed pleasantly with the illegal visitor. The stunned sinner knew he would be severely punished. Instead, it was the commandant of cadets who received a severe rebuke for permitting such an infraction to occur. The story spread among the cadets like wildfire, increasing their awe of the Superintendent.
He also earned their respect by running West Point as a meritocracy, a revolutionary idea in education at the time. Thayer insisted that privileged students should never be accepted over more talented plebeians. He made continuance at the academy conditional on performance. He dismissed cadets who failed academically or breached the academy's rules. And he avoided favoritism of any sort. When his nephew was admitted to the academy, Thayer called him in to his office. "Sir, your relationship to me is known and I am liable to be suspected of partiality to a relative," Thayer informed him, "therefore, I have prepared your resignation, which you are to sign now. If at any time you commit a serious offense, this resignation will be published by the adjutant at evening parade and you will cease to be a member of the Corps of cadets."
The most famous of the Superintendent's student failures was a cadet named Edgar Allen Poe. Orphaned young, a poet, dreamer, gambler, drinker, Cadet Poe was the worst possible misfit. However, the strict Superintendent granted Poe permission to publish a collection of poems and deducted the 75-cent price from each cadet's pay. Poe lasted seven months before being court-martialed for failure to attend classes, disobedience of orders, and gross neglect of duty. The only good thing the poet ever had to say about West Point was to express admiration for Thayer.
Superintendent Thayer had always demanded a free hand in discharging cadets he believed unsuited to the ideals he had established. When Andrew Jackson became President, everything changed. Thayer would dismiss a man for good reason; then Jackson, for political reasons, would return him by presidential order. Finally, not wanting Jackson's apparent personal animosity toward him to wreak further havoc on the military academy, Thayer resigned as Superintendent. Stunned, every cadet and professor shook his hand in farewell. Then the man who had educated 711 "sons" boarded a boat on the Hudson and quietly took his leave. He never returned.
Sylvanus Thayer returned to active duty in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructing harbor defenses for New England. During the next 30 years his educational and organizational expertise was tapped by several institutions, including Harvard and the University of Virginia. Harvard, Dartmouth, and other colleges awarded him honorary degrees. By 1860 his influence had spread throughout the nation. Seventy-eight West Point graduates were on the faculties of the country's 203 colleges, 40 as math professors and 16 as professors of civil engineering.
When failing health finally induced Thayer to retire from active service in 1863, at the rank of brevet of brigadier general, he returned to his home in Braintree. There he drew up plans for a new addition to education at Dartmouth.
Thayer wanted to establish a civilian school to train engineers, desperately needed in our young country. On April 4, 1867, he wrote to Dartmouth President Rev. Asa Smith: "I hope to be prepared to place in the hands of trustees thirty thousand dollars* … to be applied to the establishment and maintenance of a Department or School of Architecture and Civil Engineering connected with Dartmouth College, the institution in which I was educated and in the prosperity of which as my Alma Mater I feel the deepest interest."
President Smith and Dartmouth's trustees welcomed the proposal, and Thayer proceeded with his plans for a mainly postgraduate engineering program. One of his greatest challenges was finding the right man to lead the new school. Naturally, he turned to a West Point graduate — Dennis Mahan — for help. Mahan, who taught civil and military engineering at the Academy, suggested several qualified Army officers, but none could be persuaded to resign his commission for the smaller salary Thayer's nascent school could offer. Finally in 1870, Mahan suggested a young officer just two years out of West Point: Lieutenant Robert Fletcher. "He is a pious and pure man, one who would harmonize, on all points, with the society at Dartmouth," Mahan wrote Thayer. After meeting Fletcher, Thayer wrote a note of approval to President Smith: "I have sounded him on all points to the best of my ability, resulting in the conviction that he will prove himself to be 'the right man in the right place.' His disposition, morals, principles, & intellectual powers seem to me all we could wish."
Steeped in the education system Thayer had established at West Point, Fletcher understood perfectly the curricular goals and standards Thayer set for his school of civil engineering. The two conferred constantly on the evolving program of study. They developed a preparatory program for prospective students and persuaded President Smith to allow Dartmouth undergraduates to forego German so they would have time to study the advanced mathematics they would need to pass Thayer School's stringent entrance examinations. In 1871 Thayer School admitted its first three students. The sole professor, Fletcher taught every course, a load that should have been shared by three or four instructors. For the next 47 years Fletcher directed Thayer School with the care, devotion, and fortitude worthy of its founder.
On September 7, 1872, General Thayer died at age 87. He was buried in Old North Braintree Cemetery, near his father's grave. President Smith and other illustrious men came for his funeral. Braintree had never seen anything like it: the parade from the church to the cemetery, the somber martial music, the honorary guard firing a salute over the grave. A local boy had brought world renown to their small New England village. Thayer gave the town a generous legacy, too: funds to build a Thayer Public Library and Thayer Academy, a secondary school on the grounds of his own home. Thayer wanted the school to "offer to youth the opportunity to rise, through the pursuit of duty, industry, and honor, from small beginnings to honorable achievements." Once again he was creating a meritocracy, this time one that was coeducational from the beginning.
Over the years Sylvanus Thayer has continued to be part of my life. In the late 1960s my husband, Tom, and I took our children to see the Hall of Fame for Great Americans at New York University. The curving colonnade overlooking the Hudson contained bronze busts of winning candidates. At the time only 93 Americans had been selected for this huge honor. And there, in the Hall of Fame, was my old friend. The handsome bronze bust carried the words: "Sylvanus Thayer, 1785–1872, Duty, Honor, Country." Years later, after Tom and I moved to Hanover, I walked past Dartmouth's engineering school; suddenly I stopped short. There, carved in stone on the front of Cummings Hall was a quote from Sylvanus stating the purpose of the school: "To prepare the most capable and faithful for the most responsible positions and the most difficult service." As I read those words — the civilian equivalent of Duty, Honor, Country — I felt I was back at West Point.
Immersed in Sylvanus Thayer lore for this article, I decided to make a pilgrimage to his grave. I envisioned myself putting flowers on his grave and offering a prayer of thanks to him. When I consulted the Internet for directions to Braintree, I got a shock. Sylvanus Thayer had moved. In 1877, five years after his death, he was disinterred and reburied in the West Point Cemetery (where my brother Red now lies). I took a virtual tour of the cemetery. The General's tombstone is a disappointing oblong block of marble.
I prefer his statue.
— Nardi Reeder Campion's eighth book, a memoir, Everyday Matters: A Love Story, has just been published by University Press of New England.
* Thayer increased the $30,000 to $40,000 in his July 4, 1867 instrument of gift. By 1871, he had given $70,000 to establish the Thayer School.
The Dartmouth Factor: Ecole Polytechnique was not Thayer's only educational model
Many historians point to Sylvanus Thayer's two-year study of French military schools as the inspiration for his instrumental changes to instruction and administration at West Point, including rigid entrance standards and daily graded recitations. But his decision to round out the curriculum with courses in advanced mathematics and humanities may have been influenced by his own alma mater, Dartmouth.
By 1803, when Thayer entered the College, Dartmouth had established itself as an institution with a rigorous four-year liberal arts education. The class day began at 5 o'clock in the morning and ran until 6 o'clock in the evening. There were three classes per day, with breaks for meals, study periods, and prayers. Recitation was the most widely used form of instruction. Instructors asked questions about the assigned reading and students recited what they remembered. With no pre-selected courses of study or majors, all students received a comprehensive education, taking classes in a wide range of subjects. For the first three years, students focused on the Classics: from Greek they learned about art, literature, and science, and from Latin they learned about law. Grammar, logic, and geography were also a part of their studies. In their fourth year, students took courses in metaphysics, theology, natural philosophy, and French, the language in which most scientific texts were published.
Thayer chose Dartmouth in large part because it offered several courses in higher mathematics that were not yet available at other colleges, even Harvard. At Dartmouth Thayer was able to study algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. When he graduated in 1807, as class valedictorian, Thayer was the consummate scholar. He excelled not only in the scientific subjects that would lead to his military calling, but in the humanities as well. His accomplishments demonstrated a belief that a complete education would show him how best to serve his country.
This high regard for a liberal arts education followed him through his successful careers as mathematics professor, soldier, engineer, and ultimately as academic administrator and benefactor. During his 16 years as superintendent of West Point, he encouraged his students to master French so they could translate the foreign texts, giving this country its first books on engineering. Students also studied history, art, moral philosophy, law, and geography to give context to their campaign planning and building projects.
As founder of Thayer School, Thayer wrote out requirements for admission that again emphasized the importance of grammar, geography, and history, along with the requisite background in mathematics and science. He understood that a good education was more than a study of discrete subjects. The ideal curriculum mixed philosophy and theory with skills and practical application. By challenging students to understand the necessary interaction between the two, he hoped "to prepare the most capable and faithful for the most responsible positions and the most difficult service."
— Genevieve Chan
A Man for All Times: The Life of Sylvanus Thayer
Born June 9 in Braintree, Massachusetts.
Moves to Washington, New Hampshire, to live with and work for his uncle Azariah Faxon, a veteran of the American Revolution.
Develops interest in military campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Teaches at Washington District School.
Enters Dartmouth College. Studies the classics and higher mathematics. Develops lifelong friendship with George Ticknor, future distinguished author and Harvard educator.
Named valedictorian, but departs before Commencement to take up appointment to United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point.
Graduates from USMA as second lieutenant in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Teaches mathematics at West Point.
Awarded Master of Arts degree by Dartmouth College.
Fights in War of 1812.
Awarded Brevet Major (promotion without pay increase) for design and erection of Norfolk Harbor.
Travels to Europe to study military operations, works, and schools, particularly France's École Polytechnique.
Appointed Superintendent of West Point by President James Monroe. Within first two years, establishes discipline, standards, and nation's first engineering curriculum and technical library.
Professor George Ticknor, classmate and friend from Dartmouth, requests Thayer's advice on revamping curriculum at Harvard College.
Awarded Brevet of Lieutenant Colonel.
Awarded Master of Arts degree by Harvard College.
President Monroe consults Thayer on administration of the University of Virginia.
Resigns superintendency to prevent President Andrew Jackson's rivalry with him from eroding USMA's standards.
Constructs Boston harbor defenses. Forts Warren and Independence are models of engineering skill, economy, and construction.
President Martin Van Buren's secretary of war invites Thayer to resume charge of USMA. Thayer declines.
Awarded LL. D. by Dartmouth College.
Awarded LL. D. by Harvard College.
Thayer's influence on education felt nationally through the success of his cadets: Seventy-eight USMA graduates teach at the nation's 203 colleges.
Retires from active duty and returns to family home in Braintree.
Donates $40,000 (increased to $70,000 by 1971) to the Trustees of Dartmouth College "for the purpose of establishing … a School or Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering." Outlines a rigorous curriculum for a mainly post-graduate education in civil engineering.
Thayer School of Civil Engineering opens its doors, with Robert Fletcher as sole professor, a Board of Overseers, a program of admission requirements, a curriculum, an endowment, a drawing room, a recitation room, and three students.
Dies September 7 in Braintree.
Thayer Academy, a coed secondary school, established in Braintree from funds bequeathed by Thayer.
Thayer's remains reinterred at West Point.
Thayer statue unveiled at West Point.
West Point presents first annual Sylvanus Thayer Award to recognize outstanding citizens. Future recipients include Bob Hope and astronaut Neil Armstrong.
Thayer elected to New York University's Hall of Fame for Great Americans as the "Father of Technology in the United States."
Thayer School of Engineering celebrates centennial with publication of school's history and Thayer's school-related correspondence.
U.S. Postal Service issues nine-cent Sylvanus Thayer stamp. Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis declares June 9 Sylvanus Thayer Day.
Furthering Thayer's goals, expansion of Thayer School of Engineering begins.
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In addition to robust lien processing, Tow Dawg integrates with WEBFLEET to accomplish the following:
- Receive a call from the customer
- Search TomTom for the GPS coordinates of the call location
- Find nearest available trucks. Display the truck information to the dispatcher with distance and routing time
- Select a truck (and get the truck information) for order processing
- Create an order and send it to the truck
- Monitor Acceptance, Arrival Times, Delivery (hook-up) Times and End Of Delivery
- Update the application and database in real time
- Update the Dispatch and Call Details screens with status of the order
Tow Dawg was created primarily as a means for Dalton Lien Services, Inc. to better support their lien sale clients. Through the years, Tow Dawg has evolved to be an extremely robust and flexible towing software package. Though conceived as a support tool for lien sale processing, Tow Dawg has been refined to the point that many customers throughout the USA find that Tow Dawg is the best software for their business. Tow Dawg is easy to use and flexible enough to accommodate each business, instead of the business adapting to the software.


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What's Up with the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is an anachronistic system used in the United States to elect our president.
It was created to address a series of technical and political problems that were present in the early days of our democracy—most notably, the issues of slow communications (it took tremendous time and effort to get vote tallies back to Washington from distant states) and of suffrage (the idea of a pure popular vote was a hard sell when you had Southern states containing large populations of enslaved African Americans and unenfranchised women). But we've been doing this national election thing for a few hundred years, the suffrage issue is sorted out, and we have good telecommunications—so why do we still have the Electoral College? In a word: Federalism. In a few more words: The framers of our Constitution deliberately set up an indirect democracy.
There are lots of interesting arguments for and against the system, and a few are discussed in the videos below.
In this trio of videos, C.G.P. Grey explains the issues inherent in the Electoral College system, and points out examples of how it has caused arguably unfair results in the past—including four elections in which the candidate who didn't win the popular vote did win the election. (To be clear, under the rules, those candidates won fair and square; the question at hand is whether the rules themselves are fair.) Take a look, and consider the question: Is this system really fair?
Also relevant: The Electoral College Survival Guide; How Do We Break a Presidential Election Tie?; and How Nate Silver Predicted Obama's Win (the first time, anyway).


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Home › Classroom Resources › Lesson Plans
Lesson Plan
Exchanging Ideas by Sharing Journals: Interactive Response in the Classroom
|3 – 5
|Lesson Plan Type
|Standard Lesson
|Estimated Time
|Six 50-minute sessions
|Lesson Author
Magalia, California
Pairs of students respond to literature alternately in shared journals, responding to group read-alouds, independent reading, literature circles, or any instance that pairs of students are exposed to the same texts. After introducing the concept of literature response journals, the teacher models a basic exchange. Students brainstorm possible generic prompts for their journals, then practice an exchange with their partners. As students begin using the journals, mini-lessons are presented on responding to prompts, creating dialogue, adding drawings, and asking and answering questions. Students can choose their own partners, or partners can be teacher-assigned so that less proficient and more proficient writers can be paired.
Sample Literature Response Prompts: Use these sample prompts to facilitate discussion of any work of literature.
Interactive journals are valuable because they motivate students to develop their voices as "active speaker[s] and writer[s]" (303), and this active participation in making meaning of the texts that they encounter leads to deeper comprehension. Furthermore, because of the combination of drawing, writing, and reading, interactive journals are a valuable tool for ELL instruction. Because they allow students to "observe . . . classmates' oral and written interactions around literacy" interactive journals can be used to encourage and support ELL students as they "take more risks with [their] writing topics, content, and skills" (301).
Further Reading
Ruiz, Nadeen T., Eleanor Vargas, and Angélica Beltrán. "Becoming a Reader and Writer in a Bilingual Special Education Classroom." Language Arts 79.4 (March 2002): 297-309.


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This is 40
The Shooting Script
- 14,99 €
- 14,99 €
Descrizione dell'editore
Five years after Judd Apatow introduced us to Pete and Debbie in Knocked Up, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann reprise their roles as the couple in the writer/director's This Is 40, a comedic look at the everyday life of an American family. What emerges is a portrait of the challenges and rewards of marriage and parenthood: sex and romance, career triumphs and financial hardships, aging parents and maturing children and everything in between. This Is 40 captures what it takes for a family to flourish in the middle of a lifetime together, rendered with the unique intimacy of a filmmaker collaborating with his own wife and children.
The Newmarket Shooting Script Book includes: An introduction by writer/actor Lena Dunham written especially for this edition Judd Apatow's answers to "Five Obvious Questions" and an afterword on his writing/directing process The complete screenplay 35 color photographs Complete cast and crew credits


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With "19 Kids and Counting," Mother's Day is an extra-special holiday for Michelle Duggar – but according to People, this year, the reality mom is spending the day in the hospital with daughter Josie Brooklyn.
"This Mother's Day is definitely going to be different because we'll be at the hospital," Michelle told the mag in a story posted on their Web site on Sunday. "This is the first time I've been in the hospital on Mother's Day."
The Duggar family's latest arrival came prematurely, born Dec. 10 after just 25 weeks, and has required medical care including this weekend's stay in the neonatal intensive care unit at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.
However, Michelle said there's still much to celebrate.
"She reached the 6 lb. mark today," she said of Josie, whose original birth weight was just 1 lb., 6 oz. "We're going to have a six pounder party."
Michelle added that she's spoken with other mothers in the unit about "all the blessings."
"It could be a lot worse," she explained. "Our babies are growing, that is not always the case."
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: TV's 'Plus 8' Matriarch Kate Gosselin
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Keepin' It Real With TV's Hottest Reality Stars!
PLAY IT NOW: Preview: '19 Kids & Counting: Josie Comes Home'
PLAY IT NOW: Elizabeth Rodgers' Guide To Going Green For Mother's Day
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Duggar Family - Mother's Day - Parenthood - Reality TV - TV


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Due to the ongoing Pandemic COVID-19 please expect shipping delays by upto 10 business days. Our warehouse teams are working hard to ship the orders as soon as possible.
We appreciate your patience during these times. We will email the tracking details as soon as the orders are shipped. Stay Indoors & Stay Safe. God Bless America.
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Last Updated: Nov 23, 2015
Hands free activation
If this is the first time activating your device, hands free activation automatically starts when you power it on for the first time.
Note: If hands free activation fails, continue to the next guide.
One touch programming
If this is not the first time activating your device, or hands free activation did not complete successfully, use one touch programming.
Note: If one touch programming fails, continue to the next guide.
Manual programming
Only use manual programming if both hands free activation and one touch programming did not complete successfully on your Kyocera Hydro Edge™.
Manually programming your device requires a 6-digit programming code and a 10-digit MSID. If your device was activated via www.sprint.com/activate, these codes may be found in the phone activation confirmation email or on the programming instructions page displayed after the activation was processed.
If this is a new line of service or you don't have these codes, make an appointment at a nearby Sprint Store for assistance getting your device programmed.
Device reset
Only reset your device if it was previously active using a different phone number (MDN).


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Neill Blomkamp and Sharlto Copley came out of nowhere in "District 9," deliver one of the best, smartest and most entertaining genre films of 2010. Looks like their hoping lightning will strike again with a new film called "Elysium."
"Neil is taking meetings all over town. There is a lot of interest from every studio," a source told Deadline. Copley is reportedly attached to star.
While plot details are scant, Blomkamp has in the past that "Elysium" is "violent, very violent, and very unique," adding "it is science fiction and it has many sociopolitical ideas ... wrapped up inside ... a Hollywood action film… the next film takes place 150 years from now. There are two cities that I'm choosing between. They would play as themselves."
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
And top spare you the tedium of googling it yourself, we'll tell you that the title comes from the section of the Underworld in Greek mythology that was the final resting place for heroes. So it's safe to say some folks are gonna die in this one.
Copley, who was the best thing in this summer's "A-Team" adaption, will next be seen starring in the upcoming "Men in Black III."


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March 12th 2013. Senate immigration group: National ID too costly. Erica Werner, Associated Press.
"Senators working on a sweeping immigration bill will likely abandon the idea of a new high-tech ID card for workers because it's too expensive, a key negotiator said.
That means their emerging legislation, which they've promised will crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, likely will seek to expand a little-used system criticized as error-prone and vulnerable to fraud that employers can use to check the legal status of workers, mainly using Social Security numbers.
The system, called E-Verify, is now purely voluntary, and officials with labor and immigrants' rights groups say it would have to be greatly improved before being required nationally.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., members of the bipartisan Senate immigration negotiating group, had championed creation of a biometric ID card instead that would use personal markers such as fingerprints to make it easy for employers to check the status of prospective hires. But Graham said cost estimates came back higher than he expected.
"That seems to have been cost-prohibitive, so we're looking at other ways to achieve the same goal," Graham told reporters this week at the Capitol.
Graham said no final decision had been made on ditching the biometric ID card idea, which had also sparked civil liberties concerns, and he declined to say how much such a card would cost. A study by the University of California, Berkeley Law School's Warren Institute last year estimated start-up costs to the government for such a program would top $22 billion.
For Graham, Schumer and the other six senators trying to finalize an immigration bill by next month, a workable employer verification system is fundamental to legislation that also would secure the border, improve legal immigration and provide eventual citizenship to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already here. The immigration bill signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 is often criticized because it legalized nearly 3 million people while offering assurances that employers would have to verify the legal status of workers, but included no real mechanisms to ensure that happened.
Graham said that no amount of border enforcement would stop the flow of illegal immigrants without measures to keep employers from hiring them.
"If you don't control who gets a job, it doesn't matter how high the fence is," Graham said. "The best virtual fence is an employer verification system."
E-Verify was launched as a pilot program in 1997 and now is used by about 7 percent of employers. It's largely voluntary as a federal program but mandatory in some states. Draft immigration legislation by President Barack Obama, which he has said he'll offer if the Senate group doesn't come to agreement quickly enough, would make E-Verify mandatory nationally, and the Senate group is likely to take the same route.
E-Verify allows employers to electronically submit prospective workers' Social Security numbers or other information to be checked against government databases. Critics say it's error-prone because of mistakes in government records and that it has no reliable way to catch someone who is using a fraudulent Social Security number. Immigrants' rights groups also complain that workers can't easily contest disqualifications and that employers have been known to misuse the program by threatening to run workers through E-Verify if they try to organize a union.
The federal Citizenship and Immigration Services, which helps administer the program, says it's gotten progressively easier to use and more accurate.
"Improving the accuracy of the E-Verify system remains our primary goal," Soraya Correa, an associated director at the agency, told a House hearing last month.
But because of how hard it is for a worker to contest a disqualification, critics say any error rate is too high.
"The error rate is low but when applied to the entire American workforce, every workplace in the U.S., that's a problem," said Emily Tulli, an attorney at the National Immigration Law Center. "Only 7 percent of employers are currently utilizing it so if you think about taking that utilization from 7 percent to 93 percent more, it is problematic."
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposed E-Verify for years as cumbersome and unwieldy, but recently decided to support it as long as certain protections are in place for businesses. Randy Johnson, the Chamber's senior vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits, said the program has improved, and for businesses, it's a reasonable price to pay as part of an overall immigration overhaul. Business supports an immigration overhaul in part because it would ensure a reliable workforce.
Businesses "see this E-Verify system as a necessary slice of the pie to move comprehensive immigration reform forward," Johnson said.
If they do expand E-Verify, senators are expected to endorse ways to make it more reliable and better at detecting ID fraud, such as by expanding the use of photo IDs in the system. For many lawmakers, especially Republicans skeptical of immigration legislation, an airtight employer verification system will be necessary for them to be able to support the bill.
But critics are skeptical that any changes would make the program acceptable.
"The system is still too error-prone," said Chris Calabrese, an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union. "It will prevent lawfully present Americans from being able to work."


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Good Morning,
Today I'm sharing my closet reveal in the latest edition of…
If you recall from my last post in the series, this was my closet before…
And here it is now….
Ahh better, much better. I removed the shelf that was originally at the top of the closet. It was too high to be useful. I added a small closet organization unit from Home Depot and some shoe racks, and that was it. Here are some more pictures…
I know this probably looks like most of your closets on a normal day, so it might not look urber organized to you but it is a vast improvement for me. Nothing fancy or particularly pretty about what I did here but much tidier and that is a big relief for me!
What did I learn in this exercise?
1) My closet is small. Most organization units wouldn't fit in this tiny closet.
2) I have too much stuff. A purge is in order for the new year.
3) I need to see what clothes I have or I don't wear them. After organizing the closet, I'm wearing stuff I forgot I had because I'm seeing it when I get dressed in the morning!
I'll be taking a break on the organizing front until the new year, December is a busy month. But I'll be trying to find Method in my Madness again after the holidays!


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City of TorranceHome Menu
Calendar Month View
Bona-fide Torrance-based, non-profit groups may submit events to be included in the Torrance citywide calendar pending approval. The City of Torrance Citywide Calendar System Administrator (Office of Cable and Community Relations) is responsible for determining which events are appropriate for posting and then approving a calendar entry. The administrator also has the capability to submit the event to other calendars so that your event may be posted on more than one calendar if appropriate. Events must occur within Torrance city limits to be considered for inclusion and submitted within the categories already identified within the calendar. Upon submission, the following information should be included: How To Submit
Mayhem in the A.M. Mystery Book Group
- Date: 07/11/2019 10:00 AM
- Location: Henderson Library
4805 Emerald Street
Torrance, California 90503
Join us to discuss great books of mystery and suspense. This book discussion is free and no registration is required, just read the book prior to the meeting. For more information please call the Henderson Library at 310-371-2075.Return to full list >>


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Robert De Niro made his mark playing outcasts and misfits, but at January's Golden Globe Awards he'll receive the ultimate insider's honor.
De Niro will be given the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the Globes, Kevin Spacey revealed at a press conference today. It will be De Niro's second Globe award -- he previously won a best actor nod for his turn as boxing star Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorcese's "Raging Bull."
The actor, who has stunned and seduced audiences for his immersive approach in such films as "Taxi Driver," "Goodfellas," and "The Godfather: Part II," has also earned two Academy Awards (for "Bull" and "Godfather II") over a career that stretches back to the mid-1960s.
U.S. & World
In the past, the lifetime achievement award has gone to such Hollywood heavyweights as Al Pacino, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Scorsese, himself.
De Niro can expect a gentle ribbing from the host of the Globes -- Ricky Gervais is reprising hosting duties for a second straight year. Gervais appeared to be drinking a glass of beer at one point during this year's Globes and mercilessly skewered the biggest of stars, including Sir Paul McCartney.
It will be interesting to see how he handles the man who played Travis Bickle on De Niro's big night.
Selected Reading: MSNBC.com, Daily Mail, AP.


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Normal, a word that holds a heavy meaning to the human race. It's something we strive to be, something we want our families to be, something we feel we need to be accepted by our peers. But what is normal?
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We specialize in all the processes involved with the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) applications...
How do I get the money? How does it come to me?
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will generally deposit the funds directly into your bank account...
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No. The government wants Canadians living with disabilities to enjoy a similar lifestyle to those...
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Toronto, Ontario M6A 3B6
Phone: 1-888-389-0080 or 416-789-0080
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Spanish chicken
Nutrition and extra info
- kcal701
- fat51g
- saturates14g
- carbs9g
- sugars6g
- fibre2g
- protein53g
- salt0.84g
- 8 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
- 3 onions, thinly sliced
Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…
- 2 tsp paprika
A spice that's central to Hungarian cuisine, paprika is made by drying a particular type of…
- zest and juice 1 lemon
Oval in shape with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile…
- good handful parsley, roughly chopped
One of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, parsley is also popular in European and…
- 150ml stock
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Olive oilol-iv oyl
Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…
Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put all the ingredients into a large, wide ovenproof dish. Mix everything together with your hands and season.
Bake for 45 mins, stirring the onions after 20 mins, until the chicken is golden and the onions tender. Serve with rice.


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A NSFW international teaser trailer has gone online for David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis. The teaser provides the first look at the tone of the film, and more importantly, Robert Pattinson's performance in it. In Cosmopolis, Pattinson plays a newlywed billionaire who ends up losing his bride and his billions in a single day. Even when Pattinson isn't doing Twilight, he's hewed towards romantic dramas with Remember Me and Water for Elephants. However, as Twilight draws to a close, his upcoming films will perhaps provide him with the necessary escape velocity to get away from Edward Cullen. In Bel Ami, he plays a character who fucks his way up the social ladder of 1890s Paris, and in Cosmopolis, his character purposely shoots himself in the hand. I can take or leave Bel Ami, but Cosmopolis looks pretty great, and I'm eager to see Pattinson break free of his famous mopey vampire.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer. The film, based on the novel by Don DeLillo, also stars Sarah Gadon, Kevin Durand, Jay Baruchel, Samantha Morton, Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, and Mathieu Amalric. Cosmopolis will likely open sometime this year. [Update: We've added a new poster for the film after the jump.]
Trailer via Twitch.
Poster via CineRepublic.


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So now the Family History Through the Alphabet challenge has the last Latvian province of the Russian Empire… Vitebsk!
Like Livland, Vitebsk is also divided between different countries in the modern day. Only the northwest portion of Vitebsk is a part of Latvia, now the province of Latgale. The rest of Vitebsk is divided between Belarus and Russia.
Unlike Kurland and Livland, however, Vitebsk was not a Baltic province, and therefore the organizational structure, privileges and rights of the inhabitants were much different. For example, serfdom in Vitebsk only ended when it did in the Russian Empire as a whole – 1861. This is almost 50 years after serfdom was abolished in Kurland and Livland. This also meant that surnames were adopted later than in Kurland or Livland, however, I have read conflicting stories on this. In some places, it appears that surnames were in use earlier than the 1860s, in some cases even earlier than in Kurland or Livland, but this varies from place to place. I wish that my Vitebsk ancestors would have been from a place with earlier surnames!
Another big difference between Vitebsk and the Baltic provinces was organization. Manorial estates did exist in Vitebsk, but instead of individual farmsteads on the estate, something called a "sādža" was more common. I'm not entirely sure how to translate "sādža" – it would be a small cluster of farms, typically with fewer than ten families, according to the sources I've read. In this sense, it seems smaller than the Russian "mir", but probably in some ways analogous. When peasants acquired surnames, it was not uncommon for all members of a "sādža" to get the same surname – often the name of said "sādža".
During agrarian reforms in the early days of the Latvian Republic, many "sādžas" were divided into individual farmsteads ("viensētas"). However, the "sādža" did seem to endure, and if you look at a modern map of Latgale province, you will see the difference in the rural landscape, with one name being associated with several marked farms. A good place to observe this difference on the map is the area around the town of Jēkabpils – in the time of the Russian Empire, right in this place the Daugava river was the border between Kurland and Vitebsk. The town of Jēkabpils (Jakobstadt at the time) was on the south side of the Daugava, and in Kurland province, while the town of Krustpils (Kreuzberg) was on the north side of the Daugava, and in Vitebsk province. If you go to BalticMaps and zoom in on Jēkabpils, and look to the east of the town on both sides of the river, you will see the difference. There are some individual farms on the north side of the river, and some "sādža"-like communities on the south side of the river, but for the most part it is individual farms on the south side and "sādžas" on the north side (see the small farms marked "S.O."? I suspect those are farms associated with the "Strodu Oglenieki" sādža, so I think the letters or initials signify that a farm belongs to a sādža).
Vitebsk was also much more multi-ethnic than the other Latvian provinces, and Latgale remains so to this day. According to the 1897 Census, the three Latvian regions of Vitebsk (Rēzekne, Ludza and Daugavpils), had Latvian populations of 57.9%, 64.2% and 39% respectively. The next biggest ethnic groups were Russians in Rēzekne region (23.9%), Belarusians in Ludza region (20.5%) and Jews in Daugavpils region (20%). The rest of the population included smaller numbers of these groups as well as Poles and Germans. Today, Latgale's population is 46% Latvian, 3.9% Russian, 6.8% Polish, 4.9% Belarusian, and then smaller groups of Ukrainians, Lithuanians and other ethnicities.
Genealogically speaking, Vitebsk is important for two reasons. One, for the people whose families have always lived there, and two, for people trying to trace families that may have moved there from other provinces. After serfdom was abolished, thousands of people, including many from Kurland and Livland, started to move into the Vitebsk province. A number of Latvian colonies were established in the parts of Vitebsk that were not already populated by Latvians. Some of the biggest colonies were Una, Vidreja, Glodnika, Matuševa, Pudiķi and Potašņa.
Vitebsk also hosted many of the First World War refugees that were fleeing hostilities in Kurland, though parts of Vitebsk were also under threat (read my story about my Krustpils ancestors and their First World War experiences here). After the war was over, the authorities in Latgale had their hands full as the first line of action when it came to repatriating all of the refugees who were returning to Latvian territory.
Do you have Vitebsk ancestors? Tips to share on doing research in Vitebsk records? Do share!


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Deep Habits: The Importance of Planning Every Minute of Your Work DayDecember 21st, 2013 · 253 comments
Time Blocking
The image above shows my plan for a random Wednesday earlier this month. My plan was captured on a single sheet of 24 pound paper in a Black n' Red twin wire notebook. This page is divided into two columns. In the left column, I dedicated two lines to each hour of the day and then divided that time into blocks labeled with specific assignments. In the right column, I add explanatory notes for these blocks where needed.
Notice that I leave some extra room next to my time blocks. This allows me to make corrections as needed if the day unfolds in an unexpected way:
I call this planning method time blocking. I take time blocking seriously, dedicating ten to twenty minutes every evening to building my schedule for the next day. During this planning process I consult my task lists and calendars, as well as my weekly and quarterly planning notes. My goal is to make sure progress is being made on the right things at the right pace for the relevant deadlines.
This type of planning, to me, is like a chess game, with blocks of work getting spread and sorted in such a way that projects big and small all seem to click into completion with (just enough) time to spare.
Three Concerns
Sometimes people ask why I bother with such a detailed level of planning. My answer is simple: it generates a massive amount of productivity. A 40 hour time-blocked work week, I estimate, produces the same amount of output as a 60+ hour work week pursued without structure.
Sometimes people ask how time blocking can work for reactive work, where you cannot tell in advance what obligations will enter your life on a given day. My answer is again simple: periods of open-ended reactivity can be blocked off like any other type of obligation. Even if you're blocking most of your day for reactive work, for example, the fact that you are controlling your schedule will allow you to dedicate some small blocks (perhaps at the schedule periphery) to deeper pursuits.
(Another smart strategy in this context is to give open-ended reactive blocks secondary purposes: e.g., "process client requests; if I have downtime during this block, work on project X.")
Sometimes people ask if controlling time will stifle creativity. I understand this concern, but it's fundamentally misguided. If you control your schedule: (1) you can ensure that you consistently dedicate time to the deep efforts that matter for creative pursuits; and (2) the stress relief that comes from this sense of organization allows you to go deeper in your creative blocks and produce more value.
If you're still worried, read Mason Currey's Daily Rituals: very few of the world-famous creatives he profiled adopted a "I'll work when I feel inspired" attitude — they instead controlled their day so they could control their art.
In the context of work, uncontrolled time makes me uncomfortable. If you're serious about working deeply and producing high-end value, it should probably make you uncomfortable as well. Using your inbox to drive your daily schedule might be fine for the entry-level or those content with a career of cubicle-dwelling mediocrity, but the best knowledge workers view their time like the best investors view their capital, as a resource to wield for maximum returns.
253 thoughts on "Deep Habits: The Importance of Planning Every Minute of Your Work Day"
I've bought into this idea. However, I can't get it to work … I know it's me. I'm so bad at estimating how long things will take or I run into technical issues that throws the schedule completely off. Suggestions?
I think the biggest key to time blocking is actually just that, being honest with yourself and knowing how long it will actually take you to do things and planning with that in mind. It takes a while to learn, so what I would suggest is definitely overestimating the amount of time it will take you to do things. When I first started getting the hang of scheduling, I added an extra half hour to each block of time — but still do your best to treat it like you don't have that half hour. It's great because if you manage to make the time you initially thought, you have extra time, and if you do need that extra time you've planned accordingly for it. Also be sure to note down how much time you actually took and how far from your estimate you were for next time. Then you keep tweaking the schedule until you've figured out how much time everything actually takes.
When I first started experimenting with time management systems, I tried a very strict scheduling system. This was an unmitigated disaster which failed completely and derailed me for a long time.
Since then I have found help with other systems, but just recently have come to somewhat similar system as Cal. His system has one fundamental difference to my original failed system: the content is not strictly defined.
One important truth is you cannot fix content and schedule at the same time. It's just human nature we are so poor at predicting how long something will take. Scheduling a day with a sequence of very detailed actions is going to fail. You have to choose which you are going to keep up with: the schedule or the content.
Of course you can define some specific issues you are going to get done during the time block, but you have to leave a lot of flexibility to the content.
Thank you both. @Niko, I am in the content business too, and I think you've hit the nail on the head with regards to CHOOSING either / or. Sure, I have REALIZED that this was the case (unknown unknowns with creating content leading to the impossibility to schedule) but I've not taken the next logical step like you did … to admit it and let the choice drive you. My immediate reaction is that I will schedule the NEXT time block or maybe two, but when the path ahead is murky planning ten steps ahead is pointless and probably counterproductive. Thank you.
I'm a little late to the party but I've found giving myself an extra 15 to 30 minutes for every hour that I think I need helps out a ton. Once you get good at it you probably won't need the "buffer time."
You can use a time tracker app called "Toggle".Use this app for a week,research how much time it took to finish the specific task you're trying to do for each of the 7 days. Then average the time.That's how you can know how much time do you need for specific tasks.
Regarding estimation, human beings regularly underestimate time requirements for the overall task compared to their sum of estimates for the sub-components of the overall task. The simple solution is to break up the task into sub-tasks, and then block in your sub tasks.
Do with open ended time blocks what you will.
Thank you so much for sharing this information and pictures. They help a lot in order to understand your way of blocking.
You said you work 40 hours per week. I was wondering if that was the amount of time you worked while you were a graduate student.
Thanks a lot,
I just read daily rituals. Interesting. Better for a day at the library than a buy since it goes so fast.
I got into this during medical school using a calendar app. I realized that I needed at least two hours of study per hour of lecture to grasp material. So I blocked those off at the beginning of the week. Then I blocked a few extra chunks of "catch up OR relax".
A block is 20 mins work, 5 break 20 work 15 min break. Also, figure travel time and time to set up and organize to get into the work zone.
I would have big 4 hour blocks where I'd get 3 hours of solid work done, but there'd be a lot of time off.
Other students would block off every second and expect to work it all. They wouldn't. They'd burn out. They lived their life lying to themselves, which seemed to get about the same work done in a more stressful way.
Hi Mark,
Would you mind sharing what calendar app you used while in medical school?
Thank you!
As a non-traditional student i'm just starting college at 35. I am very interested from learning from all the pre-health students here who have a lot to balance in order to get into medical school. What works and what doesn't.
have you heard of cram fighter ? When you say calendar app is this what you are referring to? Cram fighter schedules a study plan based on time blocking.
There are several very different tasks that are being targeted within one day. I typically find that having too many of these is hard. The reason is that each of these has a "start-up" cost: it takes 45 minutes just to get into the flow of things and then you stop half an hour later and move to something else?
Structures time is what you must do to increase creativity.
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU5x1Ea7NjQ
This article stresses something that confused me about your book, HTBAHSS. One of the main ideas seems to be to allow large blocks of free time in your schedule which will allow you to increase impressiveness in a pursuit. However these blocks are unstructured by nature, so I found it hard to turn down other pursuits (e.g. social) and stay focused on, say, a programming project. Perhaps time blocking certain weeknights would help high school students, or maybe I missed what you were trying to convey.
Cal's workday seems to end about 6:30, which leaves the rest of the evening for individual pursuits & projects. This means that when high school is out for the day you go right into homework mode instead of hanging with friends or playing video games, etc.
Not being as smart as Cal, my own workday ends about 8ish. If I don't have a project to work on, I'll work on a hobby or do some non-brain work such as making study flash-cards or do the first reading of a novel for school. (I always do two readings: the first is straight through as pseudo enjoyment, the second is where I take notes.) The last thing I do before brain-quiet time is to go over my assignments calendar and flesh out tomorrow's do list.
Planning structure for the do-list is not that hard as math is always the two hours right after school and so on
No school work is done on Saturday, Friday after supper (more or less), or Sunday morning. This leaves enough time for socializing. No socializing on school nights
Once I stopped watching television, I had more time than I knew what to do with
Thanks for sharing, Cal.
I came across your blog very recently, and I enjoy reading and learning from each of your posts.
Regarding the tracking, have you tried doing sort of A/B testing of time tracking vs. no tracking at all? You say, 40 hour week with time tracking equals 60+ hours without. Is it based on the tests you have done? If yes, for how long did you do them? Have you tried alternating time tracking with periods of no-tracking?
I am asking since I was kind of obsessed with tracking my time back a couple of years ago. I gave up doing so after 6 months. That time, the reason was the unpredictability of my deadline-based and event-based schedule. It happened that sometimes when you intentionally break your plans, forget about tracking, and go and do something that just popped up as good opportunity for right now, it might make you even more effective. I tried different things, but I realized that I was spending too much time (at least 30 minutes everyday and 30-40 by the end of each week) on keeping track of every minute and making plans that don't work or work not that good as I expected.
Pomodoro technique's daily sheet is a simple way of achieving this kind of daily time blocking 🙂
Thanks for the post Cal.
I'm glad I found this blog of yours because the contents are really valuable especially for someone going to medical school.
I really need to plan my time well and your methods make the most sense.
Cal, first I want to say that your "So Good" book has changed my work life and added thousands to my bottom line since reading it six months ago–and my work life feels great to boot. So let me know where to send the royalties.
And you wrote something interesting: "In the context of work, uncontrolled time makes me uncomfortable……probably make you uncomfortable as well."
I don't advocate completely uncontrolled time. Yet I would ask–is it possible that complete avoidance of uncontrolled time equates to some fear of the unknown–as there's a great deal of mystery to our existence–I think it healthy to let go into that mystery. Didn't even Einstein have a perspective about this?
Thanks for your tips for improving working productivity. I've leant a lot from your post.
I'm a PhD student in China facing my final paper and thesis writing. They're such a huge task for me. I'm trying to adopt your suggestion to my work and hopefully I can achieve a better result in no long future. Wish you a merry Christmas and happy new year..
Please keep on writing things like this, that help me a lot!!
Best wishes!
Thanks for the information Cal. For those struggling with scheduling and "time blocking", I suggest starting with at least one hour of focus per day. Even this is difficult for a lot of people — yet something that simple can begin to change the course of a person's life/career.
I am currently using GTD as my primary time management approach although recently I have adapted many of the ideas from Len Merson's instant productivity toolkit. I am a professor of microbiology & infectious diseases and have many responsibilities at my college, university, and nationally. I do think I need more structure in my day as the hard, focused work gets pushed to the side all too often with so many "busy" tasks that come my way. So…what does everyone think of GTD and the instant productivity toolkit approaches? Is one better for integrating with time blocking as described by Cal?
These days I use very simple app called Sooner or Later. (Windows Phone, Things for iOS would work too). I have blocks of time that cover 90 percent of my needs: daily 1h fitness block with planned lifting, walking and a reminder of what is the food I should base my diet on, Social 2h block that includes girls, friends and family and 4h Development block for studying and other skills- car driving, financial intelligence, other interests in systems not directly work related. This is 7h a day, on top of my scheduled university lectures. It works, but I may have to block even less during busy days and could block more during free days. I believe people crave 3 things: connection with the wild, with people and with mystery. I accomplish these daily. The Social block helps to avoid compliance – you see people, need to collaborate etc. Value building habits that isolate you are dangerous. The app I use automatically lists these "to-dos" in a very simple manner and I tick them off. I don't block specific time, just the smount invested. I can quickly add specific tasks for the day, like watching football or sending specific email, but most of it is kind of pre-planned. These apps are kind of scary because there is no way to play with detailed plans. You either work or you don't.
Social block helps to bring compliance to your life…"ask yourself are you a capitalist or socialist in your personal life? Are you seeking to avoid the marketplace, head in the sand? Just count off the activites that fill your week. How many of them require you to enlist the freely-given cooperation of others or for your team to best another team in honest competition. Examples of compliance / capitalism in action….
Going out drinking with a bunch of friends
A road trip with buddies
Dating a hot girl
Sparring at your boxing / BJJ class
Winning an argument
Having your work colleagues ask you to lead a project
Many activities which are good for your self-development and good for life-enrichment are also non-compliance / socialist activities.
Reading / studying
Writing a blog
Travelling solo or always with the same friend
Being disciplined about your nutrition
Hitting the gym
Be careful with them. Its good to have a few but if you find you are always staying home to "work on my philosophy" rather than joining your friends at a party then you might have just life-weaseled yourself. Seek the feedback….."
Hey ONDREJ, I was wondering what you mean by "How many of them require you to enlist the freely-given cooperation of others or for your team to best another team in honest competition." Are you speaking of activities that benefit others but don't benefit you, a mix of both, or activities that DON'T go to your deeper pursuit of life such as, for example, building a company, or practicing to be the best basketball player?
How do you keep track of your work from day to day? Other than keeping a tally of hours of deep work, do you keep a more specific record i.e some kind of work/research journal?
Thanks for the article, have a good Christmas,
"my weekly and quarterly planning notes"
Can you share what these are or how you go about making them?
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Make an Inventory sheet of what work you have to get done e.g. a list stating each activity.
Time-blocking then can planned a night before on certain tasks from your A4 inventory sheet of the activities you need to get done before a certain period. After each activity has been completed, just put a line through it on your inventory sheet.
note: this is not Cal's method but something that I personally use.
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I'm quite meticulous in planning my day and have seen the benefits of it. But I don't always put it down on paper which sends me off track depending on my mood. This seems like the perfect cure for such days.
Well said. I was on the same dilemma prior to 'writing things down'. There just to be so many things out there and in as much as how you'd like to remember them all, some just slips off. Writing as proven itself to be a very good tool for keeping tabs of your daily tasks.
Well said. I was on the same dilemma prior to 'writing things down.' There just to be so many things out there that in as much as how we'd like to get them done, some just slips off. So yes, writing is really effective.
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I have a family member whose work requires he make space for walk ins and potential crises. He guarantees he will be in his office in the morning and that if he has out of office duties, he will take care of those in the afternoon. Because it is the only time they are guaranteed to find him, everyone comes in during the morning. This leaves the afternoon open for offsite duties and uninterrupted deep work. Very much fits with your idea of scheduling reactive time in blocks. This model has been successful for him going on 30 years!
Cal, is there a reason you use hard bound books rather than electronic versions of your schedules and ideas?
I have a simple question: how and when do you deal with your co-authors?
As a graduate student I struggle a lot with the following paradox: on the one hand, I would like to immerse more into deep work; on the other hand, the more various co-authors of various papers (at various stages) constantly set my agenda. (The only solution I've been able to come up with is to work more as a single author, yet this reduces direct feedback)
When I look at your (academic) CV, I see all of your papers are co-authored by three, four or five. How and when do you deal with co-authors, while at the same time carving out such huge chunks of deep work?
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This is lovely. Would you make a blocking chart that includes a 3 year-old and a 1 year-old? Thanks!
I have a two and zero year old. I know what you mean. The only time blocking is planned activities e.g. swimming lesson and bed time I.e. shower, brush teeth then bed. Good luck!
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Awesome!! 😀
This tracking time way was probably the greatest thing we can start today, this will help us to improve ourself.. How we use our time relates closely to how we fuel our self-growth.. 🙂
I think this article addresses an important yet under-appreciated problem faced by many people. Especially as it relates to health, time management and prioritization of important versus urgent matters is an ongoing challenge. I personally find it helpful to have a fun, visual platform with which to design my day, called Owaves (www.owaves.com). Hope this is helpful a relevant audience.
I am a teacher, and just recently started to use this method and the autopilot schedule for all the work I have to do when I am not teaching. What a difference this has made. I am having the most stress-free year since I began teaching 11 years ago.
It doesn't have to be perfect. As you practice it more and more, your estimation will improve. Of all of Cal's posts, this one and the autopilot schedule have made the most impact. Now that I am getting control of my time, I can get into the deeper work aspects of my career more consistently.
Thank you, Cal.
Time blocking was covered on Season 2 episode 3 of
Dr WHO.The Doctor was in a bind he needed to save a parallel universe at same time, but of course how can he be in two places at the same time, time blocking. Yes, the obvious answer to a perplexing problem. Of course he only had one hour according to BBC regulations to sort things out, and sort them out he did, Hurray Dr WHO.
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Can someone PLEASE tell me where I can find an Android app for Time Blocking, I have searched and searched, and all I keep finding is time-blocking apps for high school and college "students". I am an adult and want to schedule my time in chunks or blocks, but the student app isn't what I am looking for.
This works!!! BUT, you have to be committed to avoid distractions and focus on ONE activity at a time.
I've actually added a 5 min break every 60 mins, and 15 mins every 2 hours.
As for me 40 hours of work has been turned into 20 hours of work by using this system.
For some tasks which I hate, I add 5 minutes break every 20….
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Dang, this is the opposite of the way I prefer to do things. Such a rigid approach to life!
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https://geon.github.io/estimator might be useful for time blocking.
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This is a very interesting article. I found it simply through Google looking for ways other than time blocking. I've been struggling with that due to the fact that I often can't stick to my schedule.
Fortunately, all the comments here and what is described motivate me to keep going and try it again.
Thanks a lot!
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This seems to not work for me. For one, making a daily schedule is not a trivial task for me-I skimmed one of Cal's books and he said it takes five minutes, but it might easily take me longer to think of everything I need to do in a day, and decide how much time I need to allocate. It is not always obvious how difficult each task is or what the priority of each task should be.
More importantly, I just don't do what's on my schedule. At all. Maybe I have ADD. (I was definitely diagnosed with ADD as a child.) What I've found to work so far is just writing down a list of tasks in order of priority. I then go down the list until I'm done with each task. I don't try to predict how much time I will need for each task. Maybe my problem is that when I try to switch tasks I am very prone to distractions and spending huge amounts of time surfing the web or whatever, so I need to focus on one task for a long time and totally block out distractions to get anywhere.
In the future I may try out bringing some elements of "time blocking" into my daily routine-maybe I will have a few fixed tasks throughout the day. But trying to schedule my entire day has not worked.
My guess right now is that (charitably) this is confusing correlation and causation. The folks with great focus, executive function and planning ability do time blocking and get stuff done. This is not because time blocking is that great for getting stuff done for everyone. It's because it's good for folks who are focused enough to stick to their schedule and they also have an easier time doing it.
Is there any published research or study that supports this method of planning as practical?
Alex, I too find standard motivational and productivity techniques don't work for me.
I've often wondered why, and felt guilt, believing it was lack of effort on my part.
Therefore I appreciate your insight that they work well for people who have the skill and ability to use them, but they don't give you the skill or ability.
I have ADHD-like symptoms and mild autism, and I've yet to find a technique that compensates for my lack of focus and planning ability and allows me to prosper.
If you've found anything helpful, please do let me know.
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Dear Cal,
I use this process extensively (well, at least I try to) after being introduced to it by a friend back in early 2015. How do you deal with asynchronous tasks? I have lots of work that is very important (that I want to send out ASAP so coworkers can work on it) that depends on stuff like pulling data, running a model, etc. that comes back after awhile, but leaves big gaps to work on other stuff (I am a data scientist/software engineer). Would be great to hear your thoughts/thoughts of other smart people who read this blog.
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This method you use is very interesting and a very helpful way to organize your time, I will give it a try! I am starting out with my own blog and I was wondering if you had any advice or tips on blogging? Any advice would really help, thank you!
You've discovered a fantastic blog post! Great information!
I hope you share with your fellow AVID students. 🙂
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Nico's post (response #2 on the first comment) about the content not being strictly defined was super super helpful for me.
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Time blocking is something that I need to start integrating into my school week. Planning specific times when I need to study and work on assignments would improve my school performance. I could also add my work schedule and block out times in the day to workout. I would then be able to appreciate the time that I have off during the day. Rather than procrastinating my work and telling myself over and over that I will do it later. Very interesting post! I'll start time-blocking this week and see how it changes my work performance.
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I can agree with the post so much that we even made a tool to help with this activity, it's called DayPipe.
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Discipline equals freedom.
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Terrific system for a lawyer. I'm a Canadian courtroom lawyer with a very busy practice, and for the past 10 years, I have constantly found myself being pressed for time for trial prep.
I started time blocking a couple weeks ago, following your method, adjusting my schedule daily, as necessary. It was difficult at first, but I stuck with it. I am amazed at how much more I now get done, directly as a result of your method. I can get as much done in a 60 hour week as I could in 90 hours without detailed planning, and to a higher standard. I can't tell you how much of a difference this is making in my personal and professional life. Wish I'd known about your method 10 years ago.
I'm a professor as well whose research is getting more complex to manage. One question I had is how do you setup your weekly and quarterly plans? Any advice on that?
This is one of those one-page wonders; thank you for sharing this essential skill and method – it's very much appreciated Cal!
People often over-egg the pudding for productivity, looking for that deep, complex, step-to-step guide to solving their productivity challenges, when all it really needs is something simple they can do NOW.
To have an effective team means to provide it with the best timetracker. I am sure that every entrepreneur knows how hard it can be without timetracker especially when his team is rather big, I have been using https://tmetric.com/ tracker for my team and strongly believe it is the best variant for it.
Cal, do you apply the same process of planning and time blocking to your personal time?
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