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Press release submitted by Iowa American Water
Iowa American Water shares tips during Fire Prevention Week
Water Infrastructure Crucial to Effective Fire Protection
DAVENPORT, IA (Oct. 8, 2012) – In honor of Fire Prevention Week, October 7-13, 2012, Iowa American Water is reminding consumers about the importance of water infrastructure for fire protection, and providing tips for helping to maintain hydrants.
According to FEMA, fire-related deaths have dropped significantly, from about 12,000 in 1974 to 3,245 in 2006, and the number continues to decrease. Water infrastructure plays a critical role, for example, the increasing nationwide availability of highly pressurized hydrants allows emergency workers to extinguish blazes with increasing speed and effectiveness.
"Water service providers play a critical role in helping local firefighters safeguard communities," said Randy Moore, Iowa American Water president. "A full range of water systems are required to deliver water to hydrants and to ensure that adequate pressure and volume are consistently available. Iowa American Water invests about $10 million annually to make infrastructure improvements that benefit its customers, including needed upgrades to hydrants, booster stations and other systems that are critical to fire protection."
Moore notes that it's important for customers to know that a portion of their water bill helps to maintain the pipes, pumping equipment, and other systems that are needed to ensure water systems are at the ready to fight fires. "In addition to supporting fire protection, investing in water infrastructure helps maintain high-quality, reliable drinking water supplies, and also ensures economic growth and vitality for communities," he added.
Consumers can also play a role in helping to keep fire hydrants dependable and in good working order through the following tips:
Keep fire hydrants clear of debris. Although they're usually located curbside, avoid parking trash bags and recycling buckets too close.
Give hydrants breathing room. Don't plant flowers or shrubs next them.
Mow around fire hydrants. If weeds or grass are enveloping them, make sure to trim around them during yard work.
If you have a fire hydrant on or near your property, please take a few minutes to clear away the snow so it is visible in the event of an emergency. Remember, quick access to fire hydrants benefits everyone.
If a fire hydrant appears damaged, is overflowing or the snow flag is missing, don't assume the authorities know about it. Report the situation, including the hydrant's location, to the local fire department immediately.
For your safety and that of others, never park in front of or within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, even just for a few minutes.
Iowa American Water maintains over 7,300 fire hydrants in its service communities inspecting all of them on an annual basis. In addition, the company maintains over 825 miles of water main in Clinton and the Iowa Quad Cities.
More information can be found on the company's website at www.iowaamwater.com and on its Facebook page.
About Iowa American Water
Iowa American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water services to approximately 200,000 people. Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in more than 30 states and parts of Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.
Silvis, IL Details
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Mark your calendar for the 2013 Minneapolis Home and Garden Show, February 27th to March 3rd at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
Get inspired by the latest products and trends in home decor, kitchen, bath, and outdoor living!
Visit homeandgardenshow.com for more information.
WFTC-TV11358 Viking DriveEden Prairie, MN 55344Phone: (952) 944-9999Fax: (952) 942-0455

subset: commoncrawl


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Sanergy wins NCIIA's inaugural Sustainable Practice Impact Award
Submitted by tim on Tue, 04/02/2013 - 14:35
Congratulations to Sanergy, winner of NCIIA's first Sustainable Practice Impact Award, given last week at our annual conference. Sanergy is focused on providing hygienic, accessible, affordable sanitation for everyone in Nairobi's urban slums. Read Sanergy's blog post thanking NCIIA and the Lemelson Foundation for the award. We wish them the best in the future!
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Letters to the Editor
The Editor:
A recent news article published in a Bellingham newspaper related about the complaints from Washington state farmers who appear to be less than happy with the U. S. border patrol setting up temporary check-stops around the various counties. The farmers report they are having a difficult time obtaining enough workers to manage their farm operations and they're worried it will frighten off future applicants to work for them.
Having lived for many years on the southern Arizona border, this is an issue with which I am quite familiar. We must support our homeland security operations programs in all aspects of their operations to maintain and secure safety and security within our U.S. borders for all legal residents.
The lack of a business' ability to hire adequate numbers of employees does not give them permission to participate in violating federal laws. If the employer requires additional workers and there are not enough legal U.S. residents to fulfill that need, there are programs in place to import temporary workers legally. When employers hire workers without carefully determining if the applicants are legally entitled to work and live in the U.S., they could be violating the federal law themselves.
I was married to an American of Mexican ancestry for many years and we never had a problem with any of the U.S. Border Patrol check-stops nor their attending personnel. We were grateful they were on the job and trying to maintain safety and security for all. Remember, one of the people involved in the September 11, 2001 tragic disasters came through the Peace Arch port of entry.
So, when you're out there doing your shopping, running your errands, eating in the restaurants, etc. and you happen to see one of the U.S. Border Patrol or U.S. Customs and Immigration agents, walk up to that agent, offer to shake his or her hand and thank them for their service to this great country; do that with a sincere smile!
Claire FitzGerald
Birch Bay
Publisher's Note: All 19 hijackers entered the U.S. by airplane. Source: National Commission on Terrorists Attacks Upon the United States.
The Editor:
The members of American Legion Post 86 would like to thank The Northern Light for promoting the pig roast for the legion. Thanks also to Chris, the volunteers and the Silver City Band. We had a great time and a good turnout. See you next year.
John Hocks
Birch Bay
The Editor:
I want to thank the coat contributors, individuals as well as our local churches in Blaine and Birch Bay for making our annual winter coat drive such a success. At the Blaine Food Bank on Tuesday and Friday mornings this last week we gave out a total of 243 coats to needy infants, children, and adults.
And a special, deep felt thanks to the volunteers who worked long hours both days and got soaked on Friday: Jeane Austin, Caroline Hodgins, and Mary Rebman. Because of them many will be warmer as our weather turns raw.
Brent Brentnall, director,
Community Assistance Program
The Editor:
I wish publicly to thank Bellingham musician Ray Downey for composing a work titled "Peace Arch." The Glacier Bay Brass Quintet will introduce it in the Whatcom Museum on Sunday, October 26, at 2 p.m. I had no idea Downey had composed this piece until he phoned me Saturday evening and disclosed it. I was greatly surprised.
Just how it came about is, for me, quite interesting. Downey discovered my long-deceased website (www.vigil4peace.com). At the time I created it, about 20 community peace enthusiasts had formed a group interested in adopting Pugwash, Nova Scotia, as Blaine's sister city. However, after the city council rejected our proposal, the group disbanded.
"Peace Arch," composed for brass instruments, is written in four movements titled: "Proclamation," "Rally," "Vigil," and "Festival."
Downey was apparently impressed with the statement that declared "Promoting Peace" our city's official theme, hence "Proclamation," title of the first movement. "Promoting Peace" was unanimously adopted by the Blaine city council and proclaimed on February 9, 1998.
"Rally," the second movement, takes me back to September 21, 2006, when I rented our performing arts center and invited Dr. Eleanor Stebner, J.S. Woodsworth chair of the Humanities at Simon Fraser University, to speak. I had hoped to annualize the International Day of Peace that was Jeremy Gilley's dream. About 40 people attended the rally. It was never annualized.
"Vigil" brings me to the rally's theme, "Vigil for Peace." Stebner's speech, "Follow the Gleam," reflected it.
"Festival," the final movement, summarizes all that was represented during the prior three movements.
I've lived a long time in Blaine, but nearly every time I lit a candle, somebody blew it out. And now I'm out of wax. Still, Ray Downey and "Peace Arch" light up my life. Many thanks, Ray!
Richard Clark
The Editor:
As a licensed provider for adult family homes with developmentally disabled residents here in Whatcom County, I strongly urge voters to vote against Initiative I-1029.
Sure, at a glance, without being in the system, it would appear to protect our elderly and developmentally disabled residents and family members – don't be fooled!
Our caregivers already must: 1) pass two extensive background checks before ever being alone with a resident; 2) take 28 hours (minimum) of revised fundamentals of care giving; 3) take CPR and first aid every two years; 4) take minimum of 24 hours of in-house training; 5) take continued education classes yearly; and most importantly, they are all mandated reporters. Simply put – if they so much as "suspect" abuse or neglect, they legally are mandated to report to the state, and ask questions later. Yes, if they so much as suspect – not know – merely suspect.
Our caregivers are wonderful, compassionate and kind. They're not in this business because of the wages. Many cannot afford to continue on to become a nurse as they are limited due to the cost of living. Initiative I-1029 would be a huge financial burden on them. Vote no on I-1029.
Teresa Pfister
Birch Bay
The Editor:
Amidst the worst financial crisis since Jimmy Carter and the great depression, the tax and spend liberals that run this city are again reaching into your pocket to take more of your money. The problem is you people are going to roll over like a bunch of lap dogs and accept this as standard practice, which you have done for years.
When I sat on this council for eight years I never voted for any increase unless I could see absolute definite proof that it was justified, which only happened twice in my years on council.
I have been preaching this same message for nearly two decades and yet you all just roll over and accept it. Then you have the rant of Mr. Rutter who has never been right on an issue ever.
Look at the people investigating this financial crisis Chris Dodd (D) and Barack Obama (D) they got the largest kickbacks in contributions from Fannie & Freddie and let us not forget that idiot Barney Frank (D) as well, and how do you think Obama is going to pay for all his wonderful gifts he promised you, he will have to raise taxes. Just look at how the governor of this state has plunged us into a $3.2 billion shortfall.
The same is happening right here in this city where they are spending your money before they even have collected it, and coming back again to reach into your pockets and take more.
I have seen bigger crowds at a funeral then I have seen in business activity in this town. I can assure you that if I were running this town you people would at least be getting back $1,000 for every man and woman and child in this city without sacrificing anything.
Everywhere in this country cities and towns are tightening their budgets except in this city where they're going to raise your taxes to continue on spending like a drunken sailor.
It is time you people get a grip on reality and rein in this tax and spend council and management of this city or there will be more of you on the food bank lines.
David White
The Editor:
It is an honor to be part of an education system under Terry's leadership.
Her continued leadership is critical for the success of our children/our future. Choose Terry Bergeson in November!
I am in my 20th year as an educator in Washington schools. I have been a K-12 teacher, a coach, a union representative, an elementary principal and currently am director of curriculum, instruction and assessment. Yep, I work with the WASL.
Terry Bergeson has had an amazing impact of exponential success for students and support for teachers in our schools. The evidence of her success is countless. Kids are first and foremost in her mind.
Washington state schools have a reputation for being one of the best systems in the country. She has high expectations of what our schools can be and what our students can become and she fights for the resources we need to reach those expectations.
She's a learner, and wants to know more about what we're doing right so she can help other schools implement successful model programs and services. Terry has walked in our shoes as a teacher/administrator at the local district level. She's accessible- she's one state elected official who is just a phone call away. There is no question that our students are leaving school better prepared for life than they were 12 years ago when she was first elected superintendent. She's fought for more resources for schools in every single legislative session since she's been state superintendent.
Terry is not afraid to buck the status quo – when the status quo isn't getting the job done for our kids. Achievement is at an all-time high in our public schools – our children are getting a better education, and learning more relevant skills than ever before. Choose what is best for kids. Choose Terry!
Written with pride in what Terry has done for children in Washington state.
Deb Cummings
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters should be limited to 10 names. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.
send your letter to:
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Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.
Please email letters to firstname.lastname@example.com


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The NYPD is looking for the suspect that raped and robbed a woman in Queens early Friday morning.
Authorities say the 52-year-old victim was leaving the R train at 63rd Drive and Queens Boulevard station in the Rego Park section when the suspect started to ask for her name. The victim didn't give the suspect her name and stepped inside the Rite Aid near the station.
Police say the suspect followed her inside the store and began to harass her before leaving the store. When the victim left the store the suspect was waiting outside for her and followed her as she walked in front of 63-45 Saunders Street.
The suspect then grabbed her, threw the victim down a flight of stairs and raped her. Police say the suspect stole the victim's cell phone and purse.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital.
Police describe the victim as a Black man in his 20's, 5'7" tall with a mustache. The suspect told the victim his name was Junior. The NYPD released a video surveillance of the suspect entering the Rite Aid.
Anyone with information in regards to this rape is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
KMSP-TV11358 Viking DriveEden Prairie, MN 55344
Phone: (952) 944-9999Fax: (952) 942-0455


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A friend to entropy and an anarchist at heart
by John MacBeath Watkins
S. was a tall woman, in her private life a sort of den mother for anarchists with whom she shared a house. Some time after she started working for me, she began dating a cousin of mine who I'd never previously met, and eventually she married him.
So, I suppose whatever forces shape our fate must have Intended that she be part of my cohort. I thought of her recently, when I asked my business partner where something was.
"Why do men always ask women where things are?" she replied.
That was an easy one.
"Because you move them."
She had, in fact, tidied away the object in question, and knew exactly where it was in precisely the way I did not. And that is one of the many great things about Jamie. She generally knows where she puts things.
Not so with S. And this was a problem, because of the way I tend to organize things.
If I want to be able to find something, I do the obvious thing: I leave it out in plain sight. This tends to lead to a bit of clutter, with the most often-used items on top.
S. wanted a neat work environment. To her, this meant less clutter. The way she achieved less clutter was in the obvious way: She put things out of view. Unfortunately, once things were out of view, she seemed to think the problem was solved, and actually finding the object next time it was needed was not a high priority for her unless it was something she used.
I came to view this in terms of entropy. Entropy isn't just a good idea, it's the law, and it clearly states that the universe is going from a higher state of organization to a lower state of organization.
My system of organization acknowledges this. My environment is in a state of apparently increasing disorder, and yet, for the most part, I can find things. The system S. used involved the expenditure of energy, which is entropy itself, to bring the environment to a state of greater disorder, in which information about where things were was destroyed, which is entropy again.
Now, it is possible for a system of putting things out of sight to preserve this information, even for it to preserve information better than my somewhat sedimentary system of piles. You would, for example, put stuff under "S" for "stuff," and other stuff under "O" for "other stuff."
This was not the method S. employed. Her method was to expend energy to destroy information, and I cannot help but think that on some level, she did so as a friend to entropy, an anarchist at heart.
The Self-conscious mythology of literature (The Strangeness of being human, cont'd)
by John MacBeath Watkins
There was an age of myth, when we explained the world to each other by telling stories about the gods. There was an age of fable, when we explained morality to each other by telling folk stories that belonged to the culture.
And there is the age of literature, when we know who wrote the story, and make it their property.
In the age of myth, we told each other stories that were supposed to be true, and didn't know where they came from. During the age of fable we understood them as parables. In our age of literature, we understand them as personal insight.
We regard all as contributing to our understanding of the nature of human nature, but by stages, they have become more tenuously connected with socially constructed truth, and more subject to our self-conscious understanding. We ask ourselves, is this a story we can accept as telling a truth about humanity, or do we reject it? Rejecting the myths was not optional during the time those religions were active. People lived in societies where the truth of the history of the gods was too socially accepted.
To reject the story of a fable, we would have to say that we disagree with the culture, not with the gods. To disagree with an author, we have only to disagree with one individual. The judgments of the author and the reader are those of individuals, with the social acceptance mediated by markets -- which books people talk about, and buy, or feel left out because they haven't read.
We have other ways of understanding human nature, such as the more rigorous storytelling of science, the unreliable narrators of our families and friends explaining themselves as best they understand themselves, or the frantic efforts of our news sources trying to attract our attention to fragments or figments of information or gossip they think we might like to know.
But it is literature which works the most like mythology, transporting us into stories and allowing us to experience things that have not happened in our own lives. It instructs us or subverts us in ways mere facts do not, influencing the emotional armature on which we hang our facts and shape them into our beliefs.
As our culture has changed, we've become more self-conscious of the process. We may choose to judge a book by its author. We might decide that if Ayn Rand could live off Social Security in her old age, perhaps the philosophy she pushed, which would claim only the morally inferior "takers" would need a safety net, was not even something she could live by.
Or we may say to ourselves, "J.D. Salinger seems so deep when I was so shallow, such a sallow youth, but now that I'm in the working world I have put aside that juvenile cynicism and taken up the more useful and manipulative cynicism of Dale Carnegie."
The ability to do this makes our emotional structure more malleable than we would be if the stories we based our lives on were eternal verities handed to us by the gods, as if the clay of our feet never hardens. This gives us an adaptability our ancestors never knew or needed, but what is the cost? Do we become chameleons, taking on the coloration of our social surroundings to better camouflage our true selves, or do we change our true selves at a pace never before seen in human history?
I suspect the latter. We are bombarded with stories, on television, in games, in books, even, for the dwindling few, in magazines. We grow by accepting them into ourselves, or set boundaries by rejecting them, and we are constantly reshaped, little by little, meme by meme.
On the persistence of print and absorbing information (publishing in the twilight of the printed word and the strangeness of being human)
by John MacBeath Watkins
I've been reading
The Shallows
, a 2011 book by Nicholas Carr about how the internet is rewiring our brains, and in the midst of this alarmist text on how much shallower we shall become because of the internet, I've found a cause for hope.
You see, the PewResearch Internet Project has found that younger people are more keenly aware of the limitations of the internet then their elders.
I am not a digital native. You might call me an internet immigrant, or even a digital alien. I've come to use the internet quite a lot, but I'm keenly aware that much of what we know isn't there. It's in books, or in peoples' heads.
But on this issue, as on so many others, I find that young folks today are in better agreement with me than my own generational cohort. From the report:
Despite their embrace of technology, 62% of Americans under age 30 agree there is "a lot of useful, important information that is not available on the internet," compared with 53% of older Americans who believe that. At the same time, 79% of Millennials believe that people without internet access are at a real disadvantage.
I think that's a very realistic assessment. The internet makes it easy to find the information on it, but there's a lot that just isn't there.
And there is also the issue of what you want to read on the screen. In
At Random
, Bennett Cerf's memoir of his life in the publishing business, he noted that prior to the introduction of television, fiction outsold non-fiction about three to one. After its introduction and subsequent ubiquity, that reversed.
But when I looked at Amazon's list of top-selling e-books recently, there wasn't a non-fiction book in the top 40. The Barnes & Noble list of the top-selling hardcover and paperback books shows five of the top 10 being non-fiction.
It would appear that peoples' reading habits are adapting to the reality of reading things on a screen which can also be used to go on the internet and buy things or roam around the infosphere. It is Carr's contention that silent reading, which invites us into the private contemplation of the information and thinking of the author better than the public performance of reading aloud, has been with us for about a thousand years. Printed books invited us into this quite, private world, while reading on a device connected to the internet invites constant interruption. A text littered with links, GIFs, and videos invites cursory and distracted reading.
But stories were performed by a storyteller or a cast of actors long before silent reading came about. We can immerse ourselves in stories without thinking deeply, let them wash over us and sweep us away without trying to interpret or challenge their thinking. That seems to be the sort of thing we are willing to read on the screen, partly because the experience of being transported into the story makes lower demands on our intellect.
It seems odd that the newest technology is best for the sort of mythopoetic storytelling where we don't consciously absorb information, while books that demand our use of instrumental logic are best read on paper. Mr. Carr has himself noted that while e-books are now about a third of the market for new books, they are only about 12 percent of the sales of his own, somewhat intellectually demanding books.
Perhaps this is only a pause in the twilight of the printed word, until e-publishers work out the interface a little better. But I found when I was reading
A Course in General Linguistics
on line, I wasn't getting as much out of it as I did when I got a paper copy. The text was not interspersed with links, and the copy I got in book form had the distraction of marginalia, but I found it easier to immerse myself in a text I needed to read critically and contemplatively when it lay before me on paper.
Now, you might think that the young, more adapted to reading on the screen, would simply read more of the sort of short, punchy stories about who was showing side boob at the Oscars and watching cat videos and porn, but according to the Pew study, they are more likely to have read a book in the past year.
Some 43% (of millenials) report reading a book--in any format--on a daily basis, a rate similar to older adults. Overall, 88% of Americans under 30 read a book in the past year, compared with 79% of those age 30 and older. Young adults have caught up to those in their thirties and forties in e-reading, with 37% of adults ages 18-29 reporting that they have read an e-book in the past year.
Interestingly, e-books seem to have caught on with older adults first, perhaps because you can adjust the type size in an e-book.
But for now, e-books seem to have unexpectedly plateaued, and printed books persist.
Religion as an interface: The Strangeness of being human cont'd.
by John MacBeath Watkins
One of the
most popular posts
on this blog explores the roots of religion, and the need we have for a mythopoetic understanding of the world. Scot Adams, blogger and cartoonist of the Dilbert strip, says that religion is not a bad interface with reality.
And it strikes me that as we've made our machines more compatible with us, we've made them more artistic and poetic. I do not speak machine language, but I am able to communicate with my computer through my simple faith that when I reverently click an icon, the file will open.
On rare occasions, I have to use the command line to communicate in a more concrete way with my computer, and sometimes I even have to open the back and stick in more memory. But I don't really understand the machine in the way my nephew Atom Ray Powers, a network administrator, does, nor do I understand the software the way his brother, Jeremy, a programmer does. And neither has studied assembler code, which my uncle Paul learned after he was injured out of the woods as a logger.
It's as if we are replicating the way people perceive the world. The graphical user interface gives us a visual, metaphorical understanding of how to face the reality of the computer, just as religion gave us a metaphorical, poetic, and often visual way of interacting with the reality of the world. The command line gives us greater control of the computer, just as technology gives us
the control of nature
. Science attempts to learn how the world really works, at deeper and deeper levels, similar to knowing how the transistors work and how to read machine language..
The fact that computer scientists, who started at the scientific end of things, felt a need to make the interface more metaphorical and even artistic tells us something about how humanity interacts with the world. The intuitive approximation is vital if we are not to be overwhelmed with detail. It is sometimes said that
ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny
, because every fetus goes through phases of looking like a primitive fish, then a salamander, and eventually takes on human form. It would appear that the same thing happens cognitively.
Those of us, like myself, who follow the methods of the metaphorical interface in our daily lives often seek guidance from computer gurus. And those gurus, when they are not repairing malfunctioning machines or recalcitrant code, operate their computers in the symbolic realm made possible by the GUI.
We seem to have some difficulty doing this in our world of faith and science. This is usually because each side insists that its way of understanding the world is
, therefore the other cannot be truth. But a model of an atom isn't what an atom really looks like, because an atom is smaller than a visible light wave. All of our understanding is metaphor and artistic license at some level. In my view, we have understandings at different levels.
Now, perhaps I've offended some religious people by saying religion is metaphor. But all sacred texts were written to be understood by people, not by gods. All of our understanding is metaphor. "
For now we see through a glass, darkly
" a biblical passage says. We understand the world by telling stories about it, and deciding which best describe it. Sometimes, as with math, the stories can be very precise, and the grammar quite rigorous, but they are stories none the less.
On the spell of the spiritual and the mechanism of philisophy
by John MacBeath Watkins
The Guardian has an interesting article on the failure of anglophone philosophy
. In it, Roger Scruton argues that the analytic philosophy of English-speaking philosophers has taken philosophy out of realms where it might be relevant to peoples' lives.
Scruton says:
Academic philosophers in the English speaking world still regard philosophy as Locke defined it in the 17th century, as "the handmaiden of the sciences": it doesn't explore the world beyond science but the limits of science, with the result that philosophy doesnt really intrude into the public world. In the early 20th century were were caught up by the movement to form analytical philosophy, based in the study of logic, the foundations of mathematics, the syntax of ordinary language, the validity of arguments, something very formal. So when people have a big question, especially now since the decline of the orthodox religions, they don't turn to philosophy for the answer but try to formulate it in whatever technical words have been bequeathed to them, and when a scientist comes along and says "I have the answer", or even "there is no question", they think "this guy knows what he's talking about, I'd better lean on him".
The French, he notes, did not fall into this trap. Sartre was willing to address the great moral questions, even if the morality of his actions in World War II might be a little questionable (he gained his teaching position during the war because Vichy law eliminated a Jew from that position, and chose not to be active in the resistance.)
But Scruton fails to note that many people don't look to science for their answers. Some turn to religion, some turn to New Age gurus. Both reflect a backlash against the Enlightenment ideas reflected in modern philosophy. Most modern philosophy (yes, even the French) is unwilling to deal with the spiritual feelings people have.
Part of the problem is that people tend to believe in the spiritual in an a priori manor., and will interpret any attempt to analyze it as an attempt to destroy it, to reduce it to the physical world. Any logical and analytical approach to the spiritual that does not treat the existence of the spiritual as an accepted fact and a realm not readily explained by the physical world will be seen as the reductive destruction of the spiritual, equivalent to trying to understand the Mona Lisa by turning it to powder and doing chemical analysis of the molecules.
Any attempt to find the part of the brain that needs to believe in god will receive this reception. My own attempts to understand the spiritual in terms of the ethereal parallel world of symbolic thought have been received this way. As an agnostic, I am open to the possibility of the existence of a spiritual world but not convinced of it. And I have to wonder, if we could understand the spiritual world, would that be tantamount to its reductive destruction?
In my series of posts on
the strangeness of being human
, I have stuck with trying to explain what I can, which has restricted me to the physical and analytical. I remain skeptical of those who claim a special knowledge of the spiritual world, because so many have been shown to be frauds, but I respect the impulses and the work of sincere ministers of many faiths. For many people, faith has been a support for them spiritually, psychologically, morally, and socially. Scot Adams, long a vocal atheist, said on his blog recently:
In recent years I've come to see religion as a valid user interface to reality. The so-called "truth" of the universe is irrelevant because our tiny brains aren't equipped to understand it anyway.
As a pragmatist, I find this appealing. Were I a Christian, I might find it appalling, for the same reason the Catholic Church found Pascal;s Wager appalling: It does not accept the truth of religion as its reason for practicing religion.
Yet in many ways, worrying about the truth of religion is a modern luxury. If you lived in most societies for most of the history of religion, the penalty for failing to believe in the God or Gods of your people was death, ostracism, or incomprehension by your fellows. The notion that religion should have to justify itself was uncommon until recently. Socrates was charged with undermining the young's faith in the gods, and condemned to death. Society was punishing him, not for proving the gods did not exists, but for raising the question of how we might logically confront religion.
Thomas Aikenhead
was executed in Scotland in 1697
for the same thing. Thomas Hobbes might have lost his life on a charge of blasphemy for claiming God exists, but is a material being, had he not had protection from the king, who he had tutored.
Although Aikenhead was the last person in the United Kingdom executed for blasphemy, the last successful
prosecution in the UK for blasphemy
was in 1977. The law has since been repealed.
There are parts of the world where the law says you can still lose your life for leaving the established religion, although in the best-known cases governments have backed off.
But even for the unchurched, the spell of the spiritual has an appeal that the logical mechanisms of philosophy cannot address. This is an interesting problem, because for centuries, philosophy was taught in Europe at Christian institutions. In fact, if you wanted to be educated in Europe after the rise of Christianity, for centuries you had to take orders.
This led to exactly the sort of reductive logic chopping we now see in our more materialistic philosophy. Schoolmasters were ridiculed for arguing how many angels could dance on the head of a pin (my view is, all of them or none of them, depending on whether angels have a sense of rhythm -- after all, they are as immaterial as the question.)
So the problem of the relevance of academic philosophy is not a new one. One of the aspects of the academic environment is that to be wise, you must specialize, so that you may know more about something than anyone else. That specialization takes you away from the big questions. Another is that the trap of irrelevance is not always obvious. The question of whether angels had a material presence interested some philosophers, and the thought experiment about them dancing on the head of a pin was a thought experiment intended to illustrate it.
The real trap was in failing to understand that in the grand sweep of things, whether angels had a material presences was irrelevant to the important questions of how we should live. The conversation became attenuated because those involved did not realize that they had lost the plot.
And if philosophy leaves the questions of how we should live our lives to the soft science of psychology or the realm of new=age gurus, it will be irrelevant to the questions they attempt to answer. Perhaps these questions are not the ones modern philosophy wishes to deal with, but if so, people will continue to ask, what is it for?
Scruton thinks the notion that philosophy is the queen of the sciences makes it beholden to the sciences, but that is wrong. Philosophy is the mother of the sciences, having spun them off. There was a time when naturalists called themselves "natural philosophers." It was philosophers who first examined the basic questions of physics, math, and astronomy.
Philosophy should not now turn its back on its children, but should integrate them, and show how they affect the way we live. But it seems to me that philosophy is the child of the spiritual rather than its queen or mother. We first tried to understand the world in a poetic and mythic way, and only later brought our problem-solving logic to bear on those understandings. It is much harder for the spirtual's logical child to understand its parent, because its business has been to supplant mythic understanding with logical understanding.
But it can talk about the questions the spiritual attempts to answer. After all, the Buddha had little to say about the gods, nor did Confucius. The question is, will academic philosophy reward such efforts, or view it as an enterprise left to some other field of study?
On the illusion of the self: The Strangeness of being human #27
By John MacBeath Watkins
As we discussed in an
earlier post,
Julian Jaynes introduced the intriguing concept of the origins of consciousness in the bicameral mind. He supposed that brains worked differently until about 1200 BC, that the part of the brain that produces hallucinations was speaking to us with the irresistible compulsion of the voices of the gods.
This represented a different sort of mind than we now experience, a mind without the metaphorical self-narrating person in our heads.
This brings up several questions. Jaynes claims that only the mentally ill still hear voices from that part of the brain, which is not much used by modern humans. But surely the part of the brain responsible for these hallucinations existed prior to human culture. What role did it play before that, and what role does it play in the style of perception used by animals other than man? Is it part of a system of perception for a spiritual world that is real, or the source of the invention of the spiritual?
I propose that the supposition of the breakdown of the bicameral mind is unnecessary. Psychologists refer to a healthy psyche as a well-integrated personality. This recognizes that a personality is made up of many motivations, often conflicting - the self who wants sweets and the self who wants to be slender, the self who wants children and the self who is selfish, the self who aspires to goodness and the self who cheats on its spouse. Some of us avoid conflicts by compartmentalizing. Some actually fragment into different personalities.
There was a case a few years ago in which a man was accused of raping a woman with multiple personality syndrome. What had happened was that the accused had started having sex with the woman's adult personality, then asked to speak to her little girl personality. The woman had consented to have sex in one personality, but not in the other - in fact, that personality was incapable of consenting to sex. The man was convicted, but the conviction was overturned.
That the woman had shattered into several personalities is considered pathological, but what if a single, well-integrated personality is as much an hallucination as the gods were? Does that mean that neither is real, or that both are real, or something in between?
I propose that both are ways of constructing reality. Scott Adams says that religion is a pretty good interface with the world, and I suspect that for many people it is. Think of it as a graphical user interface. The real world of computers is a world of 1s and 0s, but this is not a way of thinking about computers that enables us to work smoothly with them.
Similarly, the world we perceive is one of differing amplitudes and frequencies of light and sound, of the atoms we are composed of interacting with the atoms of other objects. Who knows, it may even be one of our spirit interacting with other spirits, though I see no particular need to suppose this. We have several levels of perception, memory, and constructing all the evidence of our senses into a narrative that "makes sense" of our lives. The product of all this is a useful interface, a sort of useful illusion of the world.
When societies became larger and needed coordination beyond the clan level, we developed institutions and patterns of behavior that made that possible, resulting in the great age of religion, which gave societies a sort of group mind.
This group mind gave us a structure that allowed stable societies of great size to develop, but it was not adaptable. As Jaynes pointed out, in the Iliad, there are almost no references to individuals having motivations that were not the gods dictating their actions. The later Ulysses is all about one clever, adaptable individual making his way through changing circumstances that his gods did not issue instructions for.
About the same time,
the great age ofprophecy
began, and for about a thousand years, new religions told people how to act as individuals. And those religions focused on human prophets, less than on ethereal gods. Mohammed gave the word of God to Muslims, Jesus gave the world of God to Christians, and while Siddhartha had no brief agains the Hindu gods, his followers focus on his teaching more than on worshiping those gods.
Each, in his own way, taught people not to be selfish. It may have been literally unthinkable in the age of myth to be selfish, but in a world where adaptable individuals made their way, it was an ever-present danger.
An it is a danger. Any society that relies for its survival on people having and raising children requires some level of self-sacrifice. Any society that needs to defend itself from aggressive neighbors requires it as well.
We live in a transitional era, when adherents of the prophets are worried about the relentless rise of unbelief, when prophets of the Singularity are trying to invent an entirely material god, when atheism is no longer the creed that dare not speak its name. Reason rules our world more than myth, although often, it is motivated reasoning that seeks out desired conclusions.
But what role does reason really play? Often, our reason justifies things we already want to do, but have not consciously acknowledged. What if, when we spoke to the gods to get our guidance, the same thing was happening there as happens when we talk to ourselves?
If Jaynes was right about the literary evidence pointing to a different sort of mind prior to 1200 BCE, it may be that it was a different way of integrating a personality than our current mode, rather than a completely different way of using our brains.
The strangeness of being human is a series of posts about the way language makes us human, giving us abstract categories we use to think and memes that make up much of what we are.
Night of the unread: Why do we flee from meaning?
The conspiracy of god, the well-intentioned lie, and the strangeness of being human
Spiritual pluralism and the fall of those who would be angels
Judging a book by its author: "Fiction is part confession, part lie."
What to do when the gods fall silent, or, the axis of ethics
Why do we need myths?
Love, belief, and the truth we know alone
"Bohemians"-- The Journey of a Word
On being a ghost in a soft machine
On the illusion of the self
A 4th helping of notes on a novel in 1940s noir
by John MacBeath Watkins
I woke with an aching head, and found there was a heavily-built character sitting on the bed with me. A stitched-up scar ran up his swarthy face to the missing eye, and his remaining eye was dead, completely devoid of human emotion.
But he was my teddy bear, and I loved him.
"You're undercover?" she whispered.
"Yes," I said.
"Well, you look about as inconspicuous as Herman Cain at a Republican convention."
"The streets were dark with something more than night," Chandler said.
Demonic males: Failure of a narrative
by John MacBeath Watkins
On July 25, 2014, ESPN host Stephen Smith brought an uproar on his head with the comment that women should not "provoke" men to anger, shifting the blame for domestic violence.
And he was quite properly pilloried for the comment. There is no excuse for beating your mate. Shifting the blame from men to women is wrong, not just because it's blaming the victim, but because blame is not a useful framework for solving the problem.
Because there is another issue here. The consistent narrative about domestic violence is that the problem is
demonic males
, and the solution is controlling those demons.This seems obvious from the fact that most people hurt in domestic violence incidents are women.
Logically, the real hell should be two men living together.
And, in fact, according to
a Centers for Disease Control study,
gay men report that 26% have, in their lifetimes, been subject to violence from a domestic partner. That's a shockingly high number. But it's not the highest number. For lesbians, the figure is 44%. For straight couples the figure was 29% for men, 35% for women.
This is the opposite of the expected result. The more women are involved in a relationship, the more violent that relationship becomes. It is an astounding, disturbing result that has received far too little attention.
Now, there are several possible explanations for this. It could be that women are more likely to report having been hit. This is possible, but I submit that this is not about police reports, these people participated in a survey that allowed them anonymity. I believe the numbers. In any case, why would straight men be more eager to report domestic violence than gay men? And why would lesbians be more eager to report than straight women?
Another possibility is that men are beating up lesbians. After all, not all lesbians start out in lesbian relationships. I'm sure that happens, but a psychologist I know told me years ago that a deplorable amount of domestic violence happens in lesbian couples.
A 1949 comic, for sale
.There are other possibilities. Some people fight with their mate as a prelude to sex. I've never understood that one, but I know it exists.
Maybe there is something wrong with the CDC's sampling or the wording of their questions, but I doubt it. I do think the survey opens a window on a deeply emotional issue, and may even point a way to making peoples' lives less violent.
There is a more disquieting possibility, that women are more subject to violence because they are seen as more vulnerable, even by other women. That would be a more intractable problem. It would also fail to explain why straight men report being hit more than gay men.
If this is the problem, the solution would be to decrease the perception of female vulnerability, a rather difficult bit of cultural engineering.
It is possible that what we are teaching women in our culture about conflict resolution is working badly, especially when dealing with other women.
That is an intriguing possibility, because if conflict resolution styles is a problem, teaching better techniques could benefit any couple having this problem. You'd have to teach both parties, and not everyone would be willing, but lesbian, straight or gay, you'd be better off.
There are a number of stereotypes about this. The woman who enforces her will with a rolling pin. The woman who won't tell the guy what he's done wrong, but expects him to know, for example. I know nothing about the validity of the stereotypes, and I doubt that's the sort of thing that leads to most domestic violence, but having never been involved in domestic violence, I don't know what problems lead to it from personal experience. Is it score settling? Naked competition for power within the relationship?
I don't know, but someone must find out.
We'd have to open our minds to a new approach. I would suggest teaching kids conflict resolution, before their patterns are set. You could ask them what they would do in certain circumstances, and what would likely result, and explore alternatives. If 26% of those in all-male relationships are subject to domestic violence, it's clear men need this. If 44% of women in all-female relationships are subject ot domestic violence, women could use it even more.
Part of the problem with the notion of demonic males is that it focused on who was to blame, just as the problem with what Mr. Smith said was its focus on shifting blame. If we shift the focus to how to resolve domestic conflicts without violence, everyone could benefit. After all, most couples of all types manage to avoid violence.
The proper strategy for selling ebooks (publishing in the twilight of the printed word continued)
by John MacBeath Watkins
When Amazon sells an ebook published by Hachette, the proceeds are divided as follows: 30% to Amazon, 52.5% to the publisher, and 17.5% to the author. The two companies are now at odds over the fact that Amazon wishes to discount books more heavily.
They have also proposed the
authors should get more
-- 35% instead of 17.5%. Only, that wouldn't come out of the Amazon share, it would come out of the publisher's share. So far, the company under attack, Hachette, has had very vocal backing from its authors, who are deprived of part of their income because Amazon is refusing to sell their books. The tactic in suggesting that the publishers give authors a bigger share is an attempt to drive a wedge between authors and their publisher -- let's you and him fight. It's a free lunch for Amazon, which would not dream of giving authors more money out of their share.
And in Germany, Amazon is
trying to get a 50% share of the ebook price
My question is, why should Amazon be getting even 30%? The cost of delivering ebooks is minimal, while many of the marketing costs are borne by the publishers.
Suppose you could plug the title of a book into a search engine and pull up a variety of booksellers offering the book at a lower price than Amazon's. The publishers would have greater influence over a large group of independent booksellers than they do over Amazon. They might find themselves paying as little as 15% or even less to such competing sellers.
The reason this hasn't happened is that publishers worry about losing control over the perception of value of their products. What is needed is the agency model -- they wholesale books to an agent who then sells them.
Ah, you say, but that has been tried. Not, I answer, in the way that I propose. The publishers tried to ally themselves with Apple and set a higher price than Amazon wanted to charge.
I say they should fully commit to ebooks, and under-price Amazon. They were tripped up by the fact that they colluded with Apple to have high prices. Well, don't collude. Set prices that cover the cost of finding, editing, and promoting the book, plus a reasonable markup, and try to sell a lot of copies. Don't negotiate what margin the seller gets, just sell them the book and let them set the retail price. The company that can keep its overhead low while effectively promoting itself and the books can make money with a lower percentage of the price. With competing companies selling the books, the one who can make money on the smallest margin will have the lowest price.
No doubt a company like Google could build such a marketplace quickly that would be highly automated and have minimal costs. Or maybe someone wearing bunny slippers and working in their basement will find the key. The big problem is overcoming Amazon's marketing muscle, so I would expect either a well-funded startup or a fairly large existing company to take this on.
Amazon has a large and increasing overhead connected with delivering physical objects. A company with lower overhead could charge less for ebooks.
It has now become evident that not everyone wants an ebook. They seem to be best for leisure reading. For absorbing information, print books still have an edge. There is still, therefore, a place for bookstores and experts on the physical delivery of books such as Amazon.
This is not too different from the mass-market paperback revolution of the 1940s and '50s. Suddenly, news agents who had never sold books before were selling paperbacks with lurid covers. More people read more books, and publishers found that what had been a carriage trade became a mass market. The process was very well documented in one of my favorite books,
Two-bit culture:
the Paperbacking of America
But even during the paperback revolution, the business was one of distributing books through centralized organizations. Most publishers did not own printing plants, let alone warehouses and trucks to take the books to the many independent bookstores that peppered the land, which meant more middle men were needed. With ebooks, that lack doesn't matter, and in fact, becomes an advantage, because it means lower overhead.
Still more notes for a novel in 1940s noir
by John MacBeath Watkins
A ricochet zinged off the rock we hid behind.
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Product Information
**Please note: We do not take returns of costumes after October 15.
The Prince Charming Dog Costume is so elegant and plush, your little pup will believe he is a Prince. The thick, blue heavy-brushed velveteen cotton fabric with the golden satin fabric makes a regal combination. The over puffy cap sleeves in rich contrasting colors makes this, the perfect costume for your little prince. There is detail trim work on the body showing off the beautiful craftsmanship. With the right Princess, your Prince is ready for the costume ball in high style. Snap fasteners at the chest keeps this secure and comfortable. The matching gold crown with jewels tops off the majestic elegance of this impressive costume.
Sizing Information:
Size 0: 7.25" Length, 9.25-10.75" Chest, 5.5-6.75" Neck
Size 1: 8" Length, 10.5-12" Chest, 6.5-7.5" Neck
Size 2: 9.25" Length, 12-14" Chest, 7.5-8.75" Neck
Size 3: 10.75" Length, 14-16" Chest, 8.75-10.5" Neck
Size 4: 12.5" Length, 16-18.5" Chest, 10.5-12" Neck
Size 5: 14" Length, 18.5-20.5" Chest, 12-13.5" Neck
Size 6: 16" Length, 20.5-23.25" Chest, 13.5-15" Neck
Measuring Guide:
Back: Measure length of pet's back from the base of the neck to the base of the tail.
Neck: Measure the circumference of the pet's neck for a snug, not tight fit.
Chest Girth: Measure the broadest part of the chest and add 2" for ideal fit.
Note: If the dog has a stout build, select one size larger.
Important Sizing Note: The following measurements are the dimensions of the actual product, not of the pet they fit. After measuring your pet, make sure all measurements fit within the following dimensions (with a little room to spare in the chest and neck).Size 0


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Information for Current Graduate Students
Have questions about who to ask? Or how to finish? These pages include a variety of information for/about being a current graduate student in the Department of Geography.
Graduate Studies Committee:
The Graduate Studies Committee deals with graduate admissions, recruitment and awards; graduate budget; and graduate affairs (advising, TA policies and grievances, strategic issues).
Typically, the GSC is typically comprised of 4 faculty members (one from each subarea), 2 graduate students (chosen by the graduate student community), and the Graduate Director.
The Committee roster for 2013-14 is:
- Jim Burt, chair
- Matt Turner (People/Environment)
- Jack Williams (Physical Geography)
- Keith Woodward (Human Geography)
- A-Xing Zhu (Cart/GIS)
- Sharon Kahn, Graduate Director
- Neslihan Atatimur, Graduate Student
- Mario Bruzzone, Graduate Student


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Fergalicious Adele Silk Ballet Flat
Compare at $40.00
Find It In Store
Item # dsw12prod4290038
Simple and sweet, the Fergalicious Adele is a cute complement to your casual attire. This charming little ballet flat has a layered bow detail for some flirty and feminine appeal.
- Textured silk fabric upper
- Layered satin bow accent
- Round toe
- Synthetic sole
- Imported
- View more Women's Fergalicious Shoes
By: lpisowic
July 16, 2014
By: YoungAtHeartGrandma
Location: Minnesota
May 31, 2014
Gift from Darling Daughter and I love them
"I enjoyed these so much I purchased them in two additional colors. I have the turquoise, navy and black. I hit my 60s this year and have not worn ballet flats since childhood (!) so they took a while to get used to. (Having less arch support than other types of shoes). My perception is that they have better than average soul cushion than other ballet flats I tried on. I can wear them for several hours barefoot, but do admit a little sock liner aids in comfort. I wouldn't do Disneyland in these, but they're the best ballet flats I tried on!"
By: Tanzen
Location: Minnesota
May 26, 2014
"I ordered these for my bridesmaids. Cute and comfy-- my girls have a variety of different feet types, but all liked the fit. Some of them did want the shoes a little early so they can break them in before the big day. A little greener than the picture, but that's fine because the dresses are gray."
By: Goldiegw
Location: Jamaica
May 21, 2014
Cute but narrow
"I really love these flats but they run narrow. Still I would recommend them"
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Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Last updated 1 hour ago
Hedge Funds Care's Annual New England Golf Classic
Monday, June 10, 2013 | Boston, MA
Aug 25 2014 | 11:21am ET
As many of you know, FINalternatives was recently acquired by the owners of Futures magazine, a firm called The Alpha Pages LLC. Today marks the soft-launch of a new sister site for both publications. As its name suggests, The Alpha Pages will cover all types of alternative investments, going far beyond the more well-known ones such as hedge funds and private equity. Read more…
The Federal Reserve keeps baby-stepping toward a "normalization" of monetary policy. But just what is normal?
Senator Paul sat down in the debut series of the Alpha Pages Interview to discuss the broken tax code, regulation surrounding Bitcoin, and his plans for the 2016 Presidential election.


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Optics InfoBase
> Journal of Optical Technology
Between additive and subtractive color mixings: intermediate mixing models
Use of spectroscopy for assessment of color discrimination in animal vision
Optimization of spectral printer modeling based on a modified cellular Yule–Nielsen spectral Neugebauer model
High resolution molecular spectroscopic system assisted by an optical frequency comb
Spectroscopic characterization and laser performance of Pr,Mg:CaAl12O19
Formaldehyde laser-induced fluorescence imaging with a multi-band transmission filter
Hyperspectral all-sky imaging of auroras
Pulse shaping based two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy in a background free geometry
Tunable, continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator with more than 1W output power in the orange visible spectrum
Optical evaluation of ink prints made with heat-treated alder and birch
Goniospectrophotometric space curves of diffraction gratings and their applicability as appearance fingerprints
Benthic effects on the polarization of light in shallow waters
Dispersion-free continuum two-dimensional electronic spectrometer
Three-visible-light wave combiner based on photonic crystal waveguides
Measurement of thickness distribution, optical constants, and roughness parameters of rough nonuniform ZnSe thin films
LED-based spectrally tunable light source with optimized f itting
In vivo quantification of the scattering properties of tissue using multi-diameter single fiber reflectance spectroscopy
Fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy of tissue autofluorescence in normal and diseased colon measured ex vivo using a fiber-optic probe
Use of colloidal quantum dots as a digitally switched swept light source for gold nanoparticle based hyperspectral microscopy
Photochromism and near-infrared persistent luminescence in Eu2+-Nd3+-co-doped CaAl2O4 ceramics
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A chance for basketball fans in Central Indiana to catch some professional basketball will not happen after all.
Late Saturday night, the Indy Pro Am announced that their "King Of The Castle" game against the Rio All Stars would be canceled, citing the uncertain results of NBA Labor talks in New York between players and owners.
A release from Indy Pro Am stated that players "Were advised to prepare for the NBA and NBPA reaching an agreement; leading to today's cancellation."
This game was expected to feature NBA players Mario Chalmers, Shelvin Mack, Jeff Teague, Brandon Rush, Lance Stephenson and John Wall.


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I just acquired a used Vixen Great Polaris DX and have two problems:
1. The dec clutch when loosened doesn't disengage from the motor; the motor is still engaged.
2. the dec axis is a little tight and uneven. Rotating by hand takes a little more oomph than it should. Rotating it through the range the resistance is uneven.
On the clutch: I don't exactly understand how the clutch is supposed to work. If I knew that, it would help me trouble shoot it. (To make it more confusing, I have a regular GP, and 3 versions of Vixen clutches around here!)
I can't see how the clutch and brass gear is mounted to the shaft. Is the the gear on the shaft supposed to slip when the clutch is loosened. Or the whole brass attatchment? I removed the motor and tried to remount it. No luck.
On the someone stiff axis. Is that likely to be an adjustment of the worm gear, of the friction surfaces deeper in?
Thanks for any clues, ideas thoughts.
I found Astronomy Boy's site, with a section on "Improving the CG-5 Mount. This is a tutorial with pictures and tips, that goes on for several pages. I assume this is similar to the GP mounts. If someone knows of any other links, that would be nice.
Astronomy Boy, Improving the CG-5 mount
..and I found this, there is a link on the left a little more than halfway down
Regreasing the GPDX
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Late last week the number of objects stored in Amazon S3 reached one trillion (1,000,000,000,000 or 1012). That's 142 objects for every person on Planet Earth or 3.3 objects for every star in our Galaxy. If you could count one object per second it would take you 31,710 years to count them all.
We knew this day was coming! Lately, we've seen the object count grow by up to 3.5 billion objects in a single day (that's over 40,000 new objects per second).
Our customers have taken advantage of S3's relatively new object expiration feature and have used it to delete over 125 billion objects since we released it at the end of last year. In other words, even though we've made it easier to delete objects, the overall object count has continued to grow at a very rapid clip.
Sunil Kumar of OpsLine, formerly of Animoto, told us that "We really love the feature for deleting multiple objects, but the icing on the cake was the object expiration feature. It's amazing how S3 keeps thinking up and launching features that make our lives even easier."
On behalf of the Amazon S3 team, I'd like to thank you for all of the amazing ways that you've found to put S3 to use. We really enjoy hearing and reading about your applications.
-- Jeff;


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Funeral services for Gayla Beck McKnight will be held Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 11 a.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Minden. Officiating will be Rev. Buster Bailey. Interment will follow at Gardens of Memory in Minden.
The family will receive friends today (Friday, March 15, 2013) from 5 until 7 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Minden.
Gayla was born August 5, 1959 in Minden and entered heavens gates March 13, 2013 in Minden.
Her father, James "Pete" Beck; mother, Carolyn Sanders; and stepfather, Alfred Sanders preceded her in death.
She is survived by her husband, Sid McKnight of Taft, California; father of her children, Randy Shelley of Minden; daughters, Kristi Kaspar and husband, Terry of Bellevue, Nebraska, Rayla Shelley and Lay Trotter of Minden; stepdaughter, Marci McKnight of Houston, Texas; stepson, Matthew McKnight and Jessica of Taft, California; sisters, Lynn Harvey and husband, Michael of Westeaton, New York and Karen Miller of Jefferson, New York.
She is also survived by brothers, Jimmy Beck and wife, Velda Lowery of Sweeny, Texas and Stephen Beck and wife, Caroline of Birmingham, Alabama; lifelong best friend, Debra Prince and husband, Eddie of Heflin; grandchildren, Autumn, Aidan and Ethan Kaspar, Jayden, Laya and Jaxon Trotter, and Acen McKnight; her beloved dogs, Lil' Bit and Charlie.
Pallbearers will be John Thompson, Eddie Prince, Rick Shelley, Dustin Prince, Ricky Pullman, and Joseph Beck.
Honorary pallbearers will be her precious grandchildren.


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My funny friend Kimbo from A Girl and a Glue Gun is celebrating her birthday this week. I've joined in with 38 other bloggers to bring you a HUGE craft supplies giveaway. Before you see what we chose, I wanted to share the top 10 Craft Supplies I Can't Live Without! Some of them are very inexpensive and there's one that is more of an investment… Check out my [Read More...]
50 Staycation Ideas for Southern California + $500 Giveaway
It's officially summer- woohoo! The time of year when people head out of town to explore and create memories with the family. Are you planning on going on summer vacation? I've teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers for this Summer Vacation Giveaway! You can enter the giveaway below and use it however you like. Our family is doing a lot of traveling in our area for baseball. [Read More...]
the Ultimate Camping Giveaway
If you love SUMMER, INSTAGRAM, & CAMPING – then this post was written for you! I collaborated with some of my favorite friends on Instagram to completely outfit one family with everything they would need for Camping Experience! One LUCKY Family Will Win…. THIS INCLUDES: A 6-person/2-room TENT, 4 Sleeping Bags, 4 Air Mattresses, 4 Camping Chairs, a Camping Grill, 2-Burner Griddle, a Portable Cooler, a Coleman Lantern, a Camping [Read More...]
Happy Mother's Day Printable + Giveaway!
Mother's Day is this week! Woot woot. Have any fun plans to celebrate? Need some gift ideas? I've got you covered. Today's gift idea is really simple. To make this all you need is a cute jar with a straw and lid, gift card of your choice, candy and the free download . You can buy a set of cups online or I found some at Marshall's. Stick the [Read More...]
4 Ingredient Rice Cooker Rice Pudding + Giveaway
I know, I know— I'm walking on shaky ground with the post. Rice Pudding is a love it or hate it kind of thing. I happen to love it. Josh happens to not. But that's the glory of being the one who usually cooks- I get to make what I want. This 4 Ingredient Rice Cooker Rice Pudding is the easiest version of rice pudding that I've seen. It takes [Read More...]
the Queen Bee Market & $700 Value Giveaway
Raise your hand if you know that I own and run the Queen Bee Market. It's the other hat I wear a few times a year and something that I'm passionate about. The next one is fast approaching and I'd love to see you there if you are local. (or even if you're not!) Download a flyer to keep for yourself or to forward to a friend. You can check [Read More...]
Spring Spruce Up Giveaway!
Spring is here and now it's time to spruce up your home. I've joined in with some fun friends to bring a giveaway to you! It's an easy entry – just follow the sites below on Instagram. All sites are awesome and have pitched in to make this giveaway possible. The Spring Spruce Up Giveaway P.S. If you don't have an IG account. Go make one. It's free and [Read More...]
Super Cute Pillows for a Full Year!
Everyone loves a surprise in the mail right? I know I could use something (anything!) other than bills in my mailbox. The winner of today's giveaway will be getting Happy Mail every month for the next year!! We have joined together with some amazing bloggers and the fantastic shop, Michelle Dwight Designs to give one (very) lucky reader A Year's Worth of Pillows. Are those not great? The winner will get [Read More...]
Easy Gift Ideas: Interchangeable Printable Quotes with Frames
I'm always on the hunt for inexpensive gift ideas that are simple to make. Today's project has all of those qualities- simple, inexpensive and the perfect gift for someone throughout the year. Bonus- there's a giveaway included from my favorite Cut It Out Frames below! A little back story- for Christmas I put together an ornament gift that had interchangeable quotes to use throughout the year. They turned out cute [Read More...]
Over 36 Yards of Fabric – Woohoo!
There is nothing we love more than fabric! (except maybe caramel….or a good bean and cheese burrito :) We have combined forces to give one lucky reader the MAMA JAMMA of GIVEAWAYS! We are talking over 36 yards of delicious fabric goodness!!! Sugar Bee Crafts || Delia Creates || Lolly Jane || Eighteen 25 || The Sewing Rabbit || Polka Dot Chair || The 36th Avenue || Kiki and Company [Read More...]
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Here for the first time ever are simple and explicit instructions on how to deep throat a penis. Position is important; you'll want to in position where you can extend and straighten your neck by slightly tilting your head back. This helps line up your throat with your mouth allowing the penis to slide in deep. The best position for beginners is with the receiver lying on his back with the giver lying on the stomach along side. You can prop yourself up on your elbows.
The penis must be THOROUGHLY LUBRICATED! I can't stress this enough. An erect penis will slide much easier along the tongue and into the throat if it is well lubricated. Once you're in position, slightly tilt your head back and extend the tip of your tongue just past your bottom lip. Flatten the back of your tongue just as you would if a doctor were using a tongue depressor to look in your throat. (Extending your tongue helps flatten the back of your tongue. Force your throat open as you would if you were yawning. (contrary to popular belief, you don't 'relax' your throat muscles to perform deepthroat. Forcing the back of your tongue down and your throat open will counter the gag reflex and create a larger opening for the penis to enter)
Now, take a deep breath and slowly slide the length of the penis into your mouth and along your tongue. When you feel the urge to gag, pause and hold the penis there as long as possible then withdraw it. Repeat this process as many times as you can. Eventually you'll be able to take the penis in deeper and deeper until you can take the entire length of it across your tongue and down your throat
One thing to remember is when you get to the point where the head actually enters the throat, you may feel a little resistance and will need to give a little extra 'push' to get the penis fully in. It may help to use your tongue to pull the penis in deeper. When you reach the point where you feel the gag reflex, pause for a moment, then, without removing the penis from you mouth, extend your tongue out a little further, then pull your tongue back in your mouth, pulling the penis along with it.
You contact lens wearers will no doubt remember the difficulty you had overcoming the involuntary urge to blink the first few times you tried to put in your lenses, but with practice and patience it became very easy to do. The same applies to deep throating! Be patient and practice the technique as often as possible.
After you've learned to take in the entire length, you can begin working on some 'advanced techniques' that will add even more pleasure. Some of these techniques are letting you partner ejaculate with the entire length of his penis in your throat.
If you don't like the taste of cum, this is a great technique because the head of his penis will be well past the taste buds on the back of you tongue when he ejaculates. You'll also be able to perform a 'throat massage' on his penis while it's in your throat.
This technique will drive your partner wild with passion as your throat muscles massage his penis. This is accomplished by actually making a swallowing motion while the entire length of his penis is deep in your throat. You'll also be able to lick his balls while he's in your throat.
If you've never been deepthroated, you're probably wondering what it really feels like. Most men report that they feel a 'pleasurable ring of tightness' around the circumference of the penis just below the head with the most pleasurable sensation focused on the underside of the penis where the head joins the shaft. Remember: lubrication, extend tongue, flatten back of tongue, force throat muscles open, go slow and be patient!
While learning deepthroat, it's better that the giver maintain the 'superior' position, i.e. where the giver controls the depth and frequency of penetration. After you've become very comfortable with taking a penis deep in your throat, you'll be able to accept a more passive roll and let your partner control the depth. An excellent position for this is you lying on your back with your head hanging off the edge of the bed. Your partner will be able to put his penis in as deeply as he wishes in this position. This position provides an excellent view of your neck and throat for your partner. One of the most exciting visual aspects of deepthroat is your partner can watch your neck and throat expand and bulge as the penis slides in deep.
While learning to perform deepthroat, it's best of you are fully relaxed before starting. Take a nice, long, hot, bath. Listen to some soft music Drink a glass of wine. Have you partner give you a long sensual body massage....or do whatever relaxes you the best. The more relaxed you are when you begin, the easier it will be to learn the deepthroat technique.
As related earlier, lubrication is extremely important. Saliva will do, but there are other lubricants you can buy that are slicker and will last longer. The best I've found is, believe-it-or-not, Albolene, a make-up remover! It's completely odorless and tasteless and in non toxic. It has been used in the adult film industry for years as a sexual lubricant.
It can be purchased at any large drug-store. Another trick the adult film stars who perform deepthroat use is spraying a topical anesthetic on the back of the tongue and throat to deaden it. The most commonly used is 'Lidocaine' spray. Lidocaine is available by prescription only! Lidocaine is what a physician uses to deaden the tongue and throat when they use an 'endoscope' to look in to your stomach.
Lidocaine is also prescribed for people with very sore throats and those with canker sores in the mouth. An over the counter equivalent is 'Axon', a type of aerosol sore throat spray. from the spammer, thanks n***a!
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Animal (Explicit, Single)
by Juvenile
Released: Jul 2005
Label: Atlantic Records
Backed by the always-excellent beatwork of Cash Money maestro Mannie Fresh, New Orleans mainstay Juvenile drops another clutch single. "Animal" finds Juve flexing his mumble-mouth madness over percolating percussion and freaky funk synthesizers, while jungle and wildlife sounds add to the tropical, animal kingdom vibe.
Welcome to Rhapsody
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Customer Reviews for Bamboo Privacy Window Blinds
"Natural, Beautiful Quality"
By dave from los angeles, CA
The blinds are nicely patterned. The instructions were a bit too simple, but I had very little trouble setting it up because I can figure out these kind of things pretty quickly. As long as you are a good handyman or woman, I think you'll be alright. And customer service was available to help, so it was good.View this product
"Worthwhile purchase"
By ChelsRDH from Inwood, WV
I bought these and they look wonderful. The only regret I have is that I didn't opt to put a liner on the panel because at night when our lights are on you can still see through them and into our home. The panels were very accurate to the measurements I provided.View this product


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Video | November 27, 2012
Servo-driven blister machine for quick change-overPACK EXPO 2012: The TF2 blister machine from Pharmaworks features a format size of 300 mm by 60 mm, a new, reengineered feeder, servo-driven independent stations, and front-loading tools for quick change-over.
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MADISON, WI - A former sheriff's deputy and drug task force leader has been accused of mishandling task force funds. Timothy Madson, a former Jefferson County Sheriff's Department sergeant and supervisor of the Jefferson County Drug Task Force, has been charged with one felony count of theft and one felony count of misconduct in public office. An initial appearance has been scheduled for January 7, 2013, at 1:15 p.m. in Jefferson County Circuit Court.
According to the Criminal Complaint, Madson served as the supervisor of the Jefferson County Drug Task Force from 2003 until late 2011. During that time, Madson filled out multiple expense reports claiming hundreds of case-related expenses during the course of his employment. As a result of these expense claims, Madson received more than $20,000 in reimbursement from task force funds. Madson's expense claims were in excess of any claims made by the case officers on the task force. On his expense forms, Madson attributed those expenses to case-related work, but based upon statements from other officers on the task force, Madson was the supervisor and wouldn't have performed work on cases that required reimbursement. Madson was in charge of disbursing funds from the task force accounts to the investigators and also was responsible for approving expense claims, and therefore was in a position to fraudulently claim expenses himself and receive those funds in excess of his lawful authority.
The theft count is a class G felony, punishable by a fine of not more than $25,000 or imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or both. The misconduct in public office charge is a Class I felony, punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than three years and six months, or both.
A criminal complaint is a document accusing a person of a violation of criminal law. A defendant enjoys a presumption of innocence. The prosecution must prove its allegations at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.
Assistant Attorney General David W. Maas is representing the State. This investigation was conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice -- Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) at the request of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.
A copy of the criminal complaint is available at the following link:


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Stunning ocean and downtown views paired with casual American cuisine make the Promenade Café one of Long Beach's most popular family-friendly restaurants.
Perfect for a satisfying breakfast, quick lunch or casual dinner, the Promenade Café specializes in gourmet burgers, seasonal salads and comfort food classics like fish & chips, macaroni & cheese and of course, meatloaf.
Hours: Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner - SUN – THURS: 6:30AM – 10PM; FRI - SAT: 6:30AM– 11PM
Parking: $7 with validation (up to 3 hours)
Reservations: Reservations are not necessary
More information: Call 562-499-1600
Directions: Click here for directions to the Queen Mary.
Promenade Café can accommodate groups for 15 or more during breakfast, lunch and dinner and is perfect for a casual get together, meeting or celebration.


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You're leaving Wedding Paper Divas to see the Deal of the Day at our parent site, Tiny Prints.
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"This is perfect for our style. I love the design and the color.The only thing I would suggest is the part where the fold is. if it could be readjusted so that the entire card would fold perfectly. The ones I got shows a little bit of white when you fold the card."
"We were so pleased with this product experience! Customer support via phone and email was always willing to help answer all our questions. We had numerous revisions due to last minute changes in some of the bridal party. When we opened the box with the final product delivered my first thought was "the preview does not do this justice"! It was wonderful, beautiful, gorgeous, great quality paper and will make a lasting keepsake for our daughters wedding. Thanks WeddingPaperDiva's!"
"I was able to customize the program to incorporate what was important to the wedding party including the meaning of double happiness. The guests loved it!"


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Abbey Mirror
Our Abbey mirror adds a highly decorative garnish to any room you place it in.
Available in two sizes, each one boasts an elegant carved-effect wooden frame that brings to mind the beauty of hand-made decorations.
The frame comes in four colours: antique-gold, antique-silver, black and white.
Dimensions: 111 x 81 cm.
Useful info:
- Abbey mirror
- Carved-effect wooden frame
- Two sizes available
- Four elegant colours
- See below for more in our range of mirrors
Florence Ornate Large Mirror - 117 x 86.5 cm
Intricate, delicate, striking – this ornate mirror will not only add depth a brightness to your home, but a splash of classical style as well.
The intricate baroque frame is embellished with a series of intertwined organic sections that create a fabulous border of visual texture - all finished in the chic colour choice of black, cream, gold and silver.
Size: 117 x 86.5 cm; weight: 10 kgs
A smaller version of this mirror is available to add separately (see item number ETJDM).
measures 91 x 61 cms.
Useful info:
- Florence ornate mirror
- Large size
- Intricate baroque frame
- Choice of elegant colours
Abbey Mirror - 166 x 79 cm
Our Abbey mirror adds a highly decorative garnish to any room you place it in.
This mirror boasts an elegant carved-effect wooden frame that brings to mind the beauty of hand-made decorations.
The frame comes in four colours: antique-gold, antique-silver, black and white.
Mirror is designed to stand against a wall - it measures 166 x 79cm.
Useful info:
- Abbey mirror
- Carved-effect wooden frame
- Four elegant colours
French Over Mantle Mirror - 106.7 x 76.2 cm
This opulent mirror has a French boudoir inspiration and flaunts an intricate carved effect frame.
Measuring 106.7 x 76.2 cm, the mirror will add a bold statement above your mantelpiece and is available in several classy colours, including black, cream, gold and silver.
Useful info:
- French over mantle mirror
- Dimensions: 106.7 x 76.2 cm
- Carved effect frame
- More mirrors available separately
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Bonjout Boudoir Mirror
- In Stock
23 reviews
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Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Bonjout Boudoir Mirror - 99 x 73 cm
Beautifully designed ornate mirror from Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.
The highly detailed frame comes in a choice of colour options, each of which will add opulence to any wall in your home.
Useful info:
- Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Bonjout boudoir mirror
- Size: 99 x 73 cm
- More Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen homewares available separately
We're proud to offer a diverse selection of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen ranges. From bold decorative pieces to dramatic furniture, each one flaunts the same level of personality as Laurence himself. Visit our Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen brand store to see the full collection.Colours: French White, Lacquer Black, Posh Gold, Antique Silver.
Sunni Mirror - 74 cm
Bask in the stylish rays of this sun-shaped mirror that boasts a classy, carved-effect.
Measuring 74 cm in diameter, it's available in two colours (gold and silver) and has a timeless design that will blend with any style of room, whether classic or contemporary.
Useful info:
- Sunni mirror
- Sun-shaped design
- Carved-effect
- Diameter: 74 cm
- Colours: Gold, Silver
- More mirrors available separately
Constellation Carved Mirror - 96 cm
Who wouldn't want this beautiful constellation themed round mirror in their orbit. A pretty decorative mirror that's available in metallic gold or silver this is perfect in bedrooms, bathroom suites and lounges alike.
Each mirror is individually painted and hand finished, each with its own unique quality and detail - the final item is one of a kind.
This chic round mirror has a total diameter of 96 x 96 cm.
Useful info:
- Constellation Mirror
- Orbital frame detail
- 96 cm diameter total
- Gold or silver colours
HOME COLLECTION Marseille Over Mantle Mirror
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4 reviews
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Marseille Overmantel Mirror - 119 x 90 cm
Give your room a splash of luxurious classical French style with this stunning carved effect overmantel mirror – Marseille.
Adorned with intricate floral embellishments and featuring a detailed carved mirror frame, this beautiful piece has a straight base to sit flush with your mantel.
This overmantel mirror measures 119 x 90 cms, and is available in three glorious colours – gold, silver or white.
Useful info:
- Marseille overmantel mirror
- French classical style
- Straight base to sit on mantel
- 119 x 90 cms
- Choice of 3 colours
Classic solid wood French style mirror with a delicate beaded detail.
H 81, W 56 cm.Colours: Gold, Silver.
Beautiful round Cameo mirror frame.
Diameter: 84 cm.Colours: Gold, Silver.
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Enchanted Round Mirror
- In Stock
1 review
- Delivery
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Carved-Effect Round Wall Mirror
The fairest of them all, this beautiful carved-effect round mirror from Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's new collection is a luxurious statement piece for your home.
With a stunning floral design in black or gold, this enchanting round mirror is the key to transforming your room or hallway into an inviting space. The carved style of this wall mirror has that one-of-a-kind artsy appeal and the gorgeous petal frame adds a decadent decorative quality.
The ultimate luxurious interior design statement, this mirror will reflect light around your room beautifully.
Useful info:
- Round mirror from Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
- Floral design with petal frame
- Carved design; luxurious piece
- Size: 82 cm diameter
- PU resin
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Glitterati Mirror
- In Stock
3 reviews
- Delivery
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Glitterati Mirror - 95 cm height
With the Glitterati mirror, designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen takes shabby chic to dramatic new heights.
The decorative and ornate frame has an elegant shape that features five shaped mirrors, while a distressed finish provides a classic appeal that will look as though it's been hanging on your wall for many years so that it blends in seamlessly with the surrounding furniture and colour scheme.
The gold coloured finish provides a little more opulence, and at 95cm in height and 120cm in length. The Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen mirror will add a bold, eye-catching addition to any room in your home.
Useful info:
- Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Glitterati mirror
- Decorative and ornate
- Distressed finish
- Gold colour


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The Zero Theorem
Terry Gilliam's first science fiction film since "12 Monkeys" is an inventively designed but oddly inert satire on technology, God and the future of humankind.
Terry Gilliam's first science fiction film since "12 Monkeys" is an inventively designed but oddly inert satire on technology, God and the future of humankind.
It's not surprising that Smith's characterizations and dialogue lack subtlety given the type of broad comedy that Smith has practically made his brand. But somehow,…
"The Ballad of Narayama" is a Japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. What a space it opens…
Patrice Leconte's "Monsieur Hire" is a tragedy about loneliness and erotomania, told about two solitary people who have nothing else in common. It involves a…
"Life Itself" is set to debut in London as part of the Dogwoof Weekender.
"Life Itself" opens at many more venues, including the Gene Siskel Film Center.
An FFC reviews the gentle, sweet "The Lunchbox."
An FFC comments on domestic violence in film and her life.
An FFC reviews the gentle, sweet "The Lunchbox."
An FFC comments on domestic violence in film and her life.
A TV review of ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" and "Black-ish".
An interview with legendary film critic David Thomson about the latest edition of "The New Biographical Dictionary of Film."
With its off-the-shelf title, I had worked up less than a white-hot enthusiasm to see "Hit & Run," but it's a lot more fun than the title suggests. How many chase comedies have you seen where the hero's sexy girlfriend has a doctorate in nonviolent conflict resolution? Her counseling would have been invaluable to the U.S. marshal (Tom Arnold) in an early scene where he attempts to shoot his own SUV.
There's a lot of funny stuff, but the most unexpected comes from Arnold, who has been uneven, to say the least, in his movies. His marshal, named Randy, works with the Federal Witness Protection program and is assigned to protect a likable guy named, yes, Charlie Bronson (Dax Shepard). We meet Charlie in the arms of his sweet girlfriend, Annie (Kristen Bell); they live in a bucolic northern California town, where she teaches in a local college. She has no idea he's a witness who needs protecting.
Good news brings trouble. Annie gets an interview to start the nation's first nonviolent conflict resolution department at a prestigious Los Angeles university. L.A. is, alas, the last place Charlie wants to go, and the very place where he most needs protection. Annie's boss (Kristin Chenoweth) orders her to go for the interview, because she's too good for her current job. Charlie's love overcomes his fears, and he's determined to drive her to L.A. himself, no matter the risk.
This introduces his slab-sided 1967 Lincoln Continental with a customized 700-hp engine. This classic car is necessary for the same reason all classic cars are used in movies: Most contemporary cars look generic. I learn that Dax Shepard is a car fan and used mostly his own cars in the movie, which is a brave gesture in the name of art, because the movie's vehicles have alarming experiences.
Shepard (TV's "Parenthood") wrote the movie, co-directed it, starred, did stunt driving and in general is responsible for it. He also recruited his real-life girlfriend, Kristen Bell, to share the lead. IMDb reports the movie took only 10 weeks from plot outline to the martini shot, and most of the actors deferred their salaries. I mention that only because few action comedies are made with this much organization and precision. The plot grows complex, characters shuttle in and out, and everyone seems to be having a good time. I got the sense that it was a happy shoot, as if they knew it was going well; most action movies have characters who seem to be exhausted or victims of tunnel vision.
Among the other characters who speed things along is Gil (Michael Rosenbaum), Annie's intensely jealous former boyfriend, and Gil's brother, Terry (Jess Rowland), a gay cop who joins in a chase I'm not sure he completely understands. Terry has a cell-phone app that I suspect is now being written into a dozen other movies. It's called Pouncer, and he explains it with pride to his female partner. If you have it activated, it sends out pings to other nearby gay people, who display as little targets on a map. This app is an excellent reason not to use your iPhone while driving.
In the way Charlie gradually reveals his past to Annie, he's like a kid caught shoplifting. She loves him, she appreciates him for speeding her to L.A., but how many shocking revelations is he going to make? They work convincingly together, and the movie is ever so much better than a film titled "Hit & Run" has any right to be.
As we mourn Abrams' macho Star Trek obliteration, it's a good time to revisit that most Star Trek-ian of accomplishme...
This message came to me from a reader named Peter Svensland. He and a fr...
A photo gallery offering snapshots from The Ebert Dinner at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.
Part ten in Scout Tafoya's The Unloved series tackles "The Village."