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Counselor Blog
February 22, 2012
According to Jeffrey Leiken, MA, after the first day at camp, you'll be able to tell which campers will be your challenging ones and which campers will be everyone's favorites.
The key to being a truly great counselor, though, is to be able to recognize "the masses in the middle."
Leiken writes:
"[Truly great counselors] are careful to ensure that they focus their attention, time, and energy on these kids too. They do this even though these kids are not necessarily as easy to connect with (you'll often have to do more work to engage them) and even though it is easy to justify not putting the extra 'over and above' time in with them because they seem to be doing fine."
Make sure ALL your campers feel special this summer, and you will be that special counselor for them!
Learn about other smart techniques you can use from day one in Jeffrey's article "Heightened Awareness Camp Counseling: Going Beyond Great."
February 16, 2012
Hanging out with kids all day as a camp counselor can be pretty amazing. But doing your job well means you need to be prepared!
In ACA's Entry-Level Program Staff Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) course, you will learn the foundation of being a great counselor. Topics covered include:
- What is youth development?
- How do you develop a program plan?
- Why is evaluation important?
- How do you prevent bullying?
- How can you best handle emergencies?
- What can you do to form strong bonds with coworkers and participants?
- And more
If you have more experience in a camp setting, check out the Experienced Program Staff or Middle Manager courses.
Show your boss that you want to be a great employee! You earn 15 continuing education credits for participation in the course, and it's online, so you can complete it at your own pace BEFORE camp even starts!
All CAQs are based on ACA's 13 core competencies, which are the guideposts of great camp experiences — so you know you're getting the best in education. Learn more about all of the CAQ courses.
February 10, 2012
Lots of us have a great time working at camp as a summer job, and then we go on to become teachers, journalists, nurses . . . you name it!
But what if you realized that you wanted to have camp as a career?
Cass Morgan, an ACA research assistant and current PhD candidate at the University of Utah, explains the path she has taken to get a career in camp. Cass' early experience was probably a lot like yours — she started out as a camper and then became a counselor.
Watch this video to learn what inspired Cass to pursue a career in camp, what you should expect if you're interested in being a camp professional, and the opportunities you can take advantage of to help you get there.
Top 5 Tips from Cass
- Stay current on necessary certifications, and take advantage of professional development and networking opportunities.
- In college, take courses that will help you learn administration and marketing skills. Also, take recreation-specific courses that will teach you program planning, leadership, and camp management.
- Get experience at different camps to gain a better understanding of the profession. Work with varying camp models, types of campers, types of staff, and settings.
- Research shows just how important the camp experience is to the development of children and youth, so be proud of the work you are doing.
- If you are passionate about working with kids through a camp experience, you CAN have a career in camp!
February 7, 2012
Guest post contributed by Karen Parson
It may be the middle of winter, but it's not too early to begin thinking about which summer camp is best for you. There are a lot of camps out there and each has different goals and activities. Choosing which summer camp is right for you is more than a matter of selecting the summer camp closest to you.
Here are ten steps to follow to make sure that you find the right summer camp:
- Decide what your expectations are. You likely have some expectations for what you expect the camp experience to be like. Does the camp focus on outdoor skills? Making friends? Having fun? Consider if you'd like to work at a camp with a certain philosophy or world view. If you are a past summer camper yourself, think about the aspects of camp that you enjoyed and what you didn't like.
- Talk with your family and friends about what they want. While your ideas are generally the most accurate, it's good to talk with others as well. This will help you focus on what's most important, and additional concerns or ideas might surface as you talk with other people.
- Make a list of potential camps. Once you have a good idea about where you want to work, go out and scour the Web for a list of camps and application materials. At this point, don't rule anything out, just make a list of all the possibilities. For example just because you live on the West Coast of the United States doesn't mean you can't consider a summer camp in Texas or a summer camp in New York. After you make a list, try and categorize the camps into areas of interest. For example, outdoor camps or camps that focus on art, science, or music. If you have a particular interest or a certain skill, place those types of camps at the top of your list in those categories.
- Compare the activities that each camp offers. Will there be crafts? Horseback riding? Interpretive dance? What steps does the camp take to ensure that you and the kids you counsel will be able to participate in activities? Look at what each camp offers carefully.
- Research other camp features. Activities are not the only thing that can make or break a camp experience, however. You should also look at each camp's size, location, ratio of counselors to campers, safety features, average age of campers and counselors, and accommodations. At this point, you can start narrowing down your options to the camps that suit you best.
- Ask for reviews from past counselors. If you know other counselors who attended the camp recently, that's great. Ask a lot of questions, and make sure that they tell you about what they liked and didn't like about the camp. If you don't know anyone who personally attended the camp, ask for references directly from the camp itself and read online reviews to get a full picture about what you can expect.
- Take a tour of the camp. If possible, arrange to take a tour of the camp before you commit to work for them. The winter months are great for planning trips like this.
- Look at wages. Wages do, of course, matter, but keep in mind that wage is not always an indication of which camp is best. Consider the price in context of what the camp actually offers — activities, number of days, meals, benefits, and working atmosphere.
- Make a decision with loved ones about which camp is best. With all of these considerations in mind, and in consultation with your friends, mentors, and family, decide which camp is right for you.
- Apply to the camps you like most. Many camps have open application periods for most of the year. Now that you have decided on the perfect camp, don't lose your opportunity by waiting too long to apply. Go ahead and sign up through the camp's Web site or by calling them directly.
If you follow all these steps, you can feel good knowing that you have carefully weighed all the options and that your decision is a good one when applying to work as a summer camp counselor.
Karen Parson has worked at many Texas summer camps in her career and currently works with Camp Cho-Yeh in Livingston, Texas.
February 3, 2012
Here are the top 5 reasons why you should attend the *free* webinar, "Developing Your Personal Brand," next Wednesday, 2/8 at 7:30 p.m. EST:
5. You will learn the secrets behind what makes companies like Google and Apple so strong.
4. You will learn how to inspire potential employers by crafting a compelling story of your past experiences and interests.
3. You will create a unique brand identity that sets you apart from other job candidates.
2. You will understand how to be your authentic self while tailoring your personal "pitch" and brand to specific career opportunities.
1. You could be the next Oprah or Bill Gates!
January 23, 2012
Resumes, cover letters, and interviews . . . oh my!
Just like Dorothy and Toto, you too can find out more about the "man behind the curtain" — your hiring manager, the Wizard of Jobs!
On Wednesday, January 25th, from 7:30-9:00 p.m. ET, join us for an insider's look into the mind of a hiring manager.
Lauren Moxey, a director on Teach For America's admissions team, will share from her extensive firsthand experience reviewing and interviewing thousands of applicants to Teach For America over the past few years (in fact, Teach For America had more than 48,000 applicants to their program last year alone!). Specifically, she will discuss best practices for excellent resumes, cover letters, and interviews.
Join us on Wednesday and, like the scarecrow, you too can become the wisest of them all in the land of Jobs!
View the other upcoming free career development webinars in this series.
Guest post contributed by Teach for America's Molly Ellenberg
January 19, 2012
Take the time this month to thank your mentors from school, sports, and camp!
While the spirit of mentoring is being celebrated all month long, January 26 has been officially designated "Thank Your Mentor Day."
Find out how to honor your mentors in creative ways.
Finally, ACA would like to offer a BIG THANK YOU to you, for the difference you make in the lives of your campers! Because of Camp…® stories, favorite summer memories, and a liftetime of skills learned at camp would not be possible without CAMP COUNSELORS!
January 12, 2012
What makes a good resume?
How can you be a more effective leader?
What is your "brand," and how can you market yourself to others?
The job world can be tough these days, but luckily, you've got experience from a camp job on your side!
Learn how to get the job you want from the skills you learned at camp in a new webinar series presented by ACA and Teach for America. Designed specifically for frontline staff and young adults, this series will show you your potential as a 21st century worker — and how to maximize it!
Resume and Interview Workshop
January 25, 2012, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. ET
Developing Your Leadership Potential
February 1, 2012, 7:30 – 8:45 p.m. ET
Developing Your Brand Identity
February 8, 2012, Time TBA
(Registration and description coming soon)
These webinars are FREE for ACA members; so if you haven't yet, take advantage of ACA's free year-long membership offer. There are no strings attached, just a year of professional development resources and perks.
Make this the year you focus on your career goals. Register today!
Check out all the upcoming webinars in ACA's e-Institute, part of ACA's Professional Development Center.
January 4, 2012
Peg recently wrote in her blog about "Quiet Space" and giving kids a chance to reflect on their own thoughts — especially at camp.
In a recent opinion article in The New York Times, author Pico Iyer reflected that:
The average American teenager sends or receives 75 text messages a day, though one girl in Sacramento managed to handle an average of 10,000 every 24 hours for a month. Since luxury, as any economist will tell you, is a function of scarcity, the children of tomorrow [. . .] will crave nothing more than freedom, if only for a short while, from all the blinking machines, streaming videos, and scrolling headlines that leave them feeling empty and too full all at once.
What does this say about the value of a camp experience?
At camp, children are allowed to disconnect from the digital world and soak up the wonder of nature. They are given "the luxury" of quiet space to feel a genuine connection with what's inside them — not the external (or is that "eternal"?) buzzing from an iPhone.
What do you think? Does going to (or working at) camp —"roughing it" without technology — actually provide you with a valuable luxury?
December 19, 2011
In this guest blog by Sarah Horner Fish, executive director at Tom Sawyer Camps in Pasadena, California, you'll learn how to make a lasting impression when applying and interviewing for summer jobs. Visit ACA's Job site for more information about working at camp or to find job postings!
The word is out. A job at a summer camp is one of the best ways to spend your summer! You will learn excellent real life skills and make a significant difference in the lives of others. It most likely will be one of the hardest jobs you have ever had, but at the same time, it will help you grow in so many ways. Many of our past camp counselors say their job at camp was hands down the best job they have ever had. And with the unemployment rate where it is, hiring managers at summer camps get to be even more selective than ever . . .
Here are some tips to help you stand out through the interview process and get hired for one of the best jobs ever.
#5 Make a Great First Impression!
Believe it or not, the first impression you make can really help (or hurt) your chances in getting hired. Here are a few simple things you can do to make sure you make a great first impression.
Arrive on time . . . and that means at least ten minutes prior to your interview start time. Arriving early for an interview shows the hiring manager that you will also be on time for your job. (And planning to arrive early will help you if you run into some unexpected traffic on the way.)
Smile! Shake the interviewer's hand! Use eye contact and use their name when greeting them. We expect you to be a little nervous (that's actually a good thing), so take a deep breath and take these easy steps to help yourself stand out.
#4 Be Creative!
We once had an applicant who sent in a plastic bag filled with "Magic Pixie Dust" with her application, to emphasize her imagination and creativity. We were so impressed before we ever even met her, and her story about the Magic Pixie Dust during the interview sealed the deal. She thought outside of the box and took a unique risk that paid off. Going above and beyond, whether it is with your application or during your interview, will leave a lasting impression that will give you the edge in a close decision.
#3 Be Professional!
It's easy to give you a list of what NOT to do in your interview, but instead I am going to tell you what to do.
Turn your cell phone off (and then double check that it is off . . . again).
Spit out your chewing gum. (It's silly I even have to say this, but I bet one in five applicants is chewing gum when he or she arrives to their interview. Ugh.)
Dress professionally. Yes, you are applying to work outside with kids, but looking professional and sporty is different than looking like you just threw on your old t-shirt and shorts. Look at yourself in a mirror. Brush your hair, and yes, guys, you need to shave.
Be excited about the job! Your genuine enthusiasm for this position is critical. An experienced interviewer can sense when an applicant isn't overly thrilled about the job. ("My parents are making me get a job this summer" is not the answer your potential boss is looking for.) Make sure you really want the position and that you really, really like children. Your sincere interest will come through your answers and body language, and will once again help you stand out against the other applicants.
#2 Be Prepared!
This seems simple, but I am often surprised how some applicants seem unprepared for their actual interview. Our "warm up" questions are pretty standard, so when we get an applicant who is stumped by the question "so why would you make a great camp counselor?" it tells us that the applicant has not done any preparation for the interview (and perhaps has not even thought about the job they are applying for). Take a guess at what some of the questions might be, and think of your answers beforehand. Make a list of what your strengths are and why the camp should hire you. Talk about kids in the interview, and why you are motivated to work with them. Ask a friend to do a mock interview with you to get practice.
Check out the camp's Web site before the interview; this is a great way to learn about the program, their philosophy, and the goals of their program. Use this information in your interview, whether you are asking a question about the program or commenting on how the camp matches your goals for working with kids.
And make sure to have your own list of questions for the interviewer . . . by doing so, it shows you have done a little homework about the job and the camp. Not all applicants do this, so by doing your own research, it will help you stand out.
#1 Be Confident!
It's time to put away the modesty and talk confidently about yourself. It is a competitive market right now, so you need to find a way to stand out! It's okay to say that you are hard working and that you work well with others (or whatever your strengths may be). Let the interviewer know how you will bring value to the job (read #2 again . . . be prepared).
Thank the interviewer at the end of the interview (again, shake their hand, make eye contact and use their name) . . . and it's not too old fashioned to pull out a piece of stationary and send a follow-up thank you note.
About the Author
Sarah Horner Fish is the executive director of Tom Sawyer Camps (TSC) in Pasadena, California. She is responsible for all of TSC's programs and oversees the staff, training, and operations. Sarah has been a camper, junior counselor, precamp counselor, summer day camp counselor, and assistant day camp director during her more than thirty-five years at TSC! Sarah works year round at camp doing many different jobs, including the hiring, enrolling and training of staff.
December 12, 2011
Now is the time to look for that summer job!
Check out this link on ACA's Job site: Summer Job Search Tips.
Explore available summer job opportunities at ACA's Summer Jobs @ Camp site.
Do you have questions related to your job search? Send your job question to email@example.com, and we'll work on posting something helpful from the experts right here on the Counselor Blog.
December 8, 2011
Because of Camp . . . ® so much is possible!
I have you seen ACA's Because of Camp . . . ® video yet?
Check it out today and think about how camp has impacted your life! And look for the video clip to play in theaters this holiday season. Let us know if you see it!
November 21, 2011
Professional Development and Networking at ACA's 2012 National Conference
Special Opportunities
Student Camp Leadership Academy — Southeast (SCLA — Southeast)
Feb. 21–23
Learn about camp as a profession, and connect with college students and camp professionals.
Emerging Professionals in Camping (EPIC)
Feb. 21, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Christopher Thurber and Steve Maguire will lead a discussion on the challenge of developing camp's leadership through the years. Don't miss the social event Tuesday night!
Atlanta Attractions
November 17, 2011
Recently, Matt MacPherson, a Recreation and Sports Management major at Indiana State University, had the opportunity to attend SCLA Midwest. Read about Matt's experiences at SCLA, what he learned about the importance of networking and professional development, his reaction to SCLA, and why he would recommend the experience to others. If you live in the West or Southeast, be on the lookout for more information about YOUR chance to attend SCLA.
Camping is a beautiful part of this life and it is going to take motivated and interactive people to take camping into a bright and effective future.
A Career in Camp
Leaves, trees, and changing weather. Those are just some of the attributes that people most likely think about when illustrating the outdoors. An outdoor setting provides a beautiful scenic landscape at certain times (depending on where you may be) and also brings about many external senses all together for a complete satisfaction of the mind. Who would ever imagine that this beautiful landscape that we are all imagining is the same type of environment that people can have a career in? Let's go even further — how about a career in outdoor camping?
This is what a group of college students, camp professionals, and I experienced this past weekend at Camp Henry Horner, located in Ingleside, Illinois. Gordie Kaplan, the field office executive of ACA, Illinois, was the leader of the Student Camp Leadership Academy (more commonly known as SCLA). As I was personally preparing for the weekend, I did not know exactly what to expect. I was thinking I'd share a weekend with a lot of people from different states and that we were going to be in large groups having speed networking opportunities with many camp professionals that were available.
My Experience
Well, I was close with my thoughts. There were people from different states that came together and there were camp professionals. There was just one huge difference from my first initial reactions: this was not a large group. Nine potential camp professionals (including myself) attended for this extensive weekend, and there were also a various amount of current camp directors that ranged in different ages and experience. Although I was caught off guard by the small group of people, my first encounter with another participant — Justin, who attends the University of Northern Iowa — helped me feel at home. After my first general conversation with him, I realized that although this was not going to be a large group, this was going to be a rich, informative weekend.
Gordie Kaplan, who had recently arrived back from China from the International Camping Fellowship Conference, was leading this opportunity to grow, connect, and learn more about the camping community. Thanks to the organized leadership of Gordie, we had a great opportunity to learn more about things like the realities of the camp market, networking, sources that deal with camp related material, and how to organize an effective resume and professional portfolio. These workshops, along with many other growing opportunities provided for a safe, fun, and learning weekend that was full of growth and potential.
Realities and Some Good Advice
My personal reaction with the SCLA weekend was different from a lot of the other participants. I remember sitting down with the group in a circle, and we were talking about how we were feeling about the weekend on a scale from one to five. Most of the people were saying four or five for the most part, but I personally said a two or three. I was having a weekend that was similar to a roller coaster ride. The weekend had its high points, but it also gave me a real look at the difficult task of resume building and the hard work that must go into running a successful camp.
Gordie provided a piece of advice that I will hold onto for the rest of my camp career: "Take this information only with a grain of salt." Do not take everything as fact for the market as a whole, but take it as a piece of advice that a person can either take or leave behind. We all have to find our own way in the camp market, and we'll do this by making connections and gathering experience. My weekend after looking at this was so much better. I enjoyed connecting with all of the college students as well as the camp professionals. I enjoyed developing new relationships with people, especially with Dale Adkins from the University of Western Illinois — who I consider a great mentor and role model.
SCLA and Camp in the Future
Would I want to attend another SCLA? Although it just happened last weekend, I would love to return to SCLA next year and learn even more about the camp market. I am currently looking for a camp to work at for my final summer while in college that could potentially form a networking relationship for the future, and possibly a relationship with that camp for the long run. From this SCLA, I am looking forward to connecting more with my new mentor and role model Dale, as well as Gordie and the other camp professionals and college students. I would personally recommend SCLA to any of my friends that would like to learn more about camp and grow as a professional. Camping is a beautiful part of this life and it is going to take motivated and interactive people to take camping into a bright and effective future.
Thanks, Matt, for your sharing your SCLA experience!
November 14, 2011
Interviews are way to showcase your personality and skills. Before any interview, it's important to take some time to think about yourself and how you handle responsibilities (both on and off the job). Prepare yourself to answer questions in a clear, concise, and confident way.
Here's an insider's look at what camp directors consider when they are preparing for your interview: what questions they might ask, and what they are looking for in your responses.
Answering Unexpected Questions
In Stephen Maguire's November/December 2010 Camping Magazine article, "Recruiting, Interviewing, and Hiring to Ensure the Best of the Best," he offers these two "must-ask," non-typical questions. It's important to have a good idea of who you are, what you like, and what you know in order to answer unexpected questions.
How would you respond to the following?
- Always start with this question: "So, what do you think of kids?" I know it seems super simple, but you can begin to eliminate people immediately with this one simple question. If they don't come up with answers like: "Kids are awesome. They do something different every day. I love being a role model for them. They're funny," and so on, you know you have your answer. I have legitimately interviewed candidates and gotten responses to this question like: "They're OK," or, "I hadn't really thought about it before." Really? You hadn't really thought about it? You want to work with kids and spend eight weeks in the woods with them and you "haven't really thought about it"? Simple question; big results.
- Always finish with this question: "If you could build a house out of totally edible products, what you build it out of and why?" Great question. What are you asking this for? I've found it to be a great test of creativity and reflective thought. I've also found it to be a great test of flexibility. I've had some candidates who can't come up with an answer. They are simply stumped. And one time I had a gentleman who I hired on the spot, when in less than five seconds he blurted out, "Bamboo." I'm thinking to myself: "Bamboo? What the heck?" So I asked: "Why Bamboo?" His response: "It's an edible product, although not very tasty to humans, and it's incredibly strong." He was interviewing for my camp wilderness adventure leader position. Hired!
Think about Past Experiences
Bob Ditter shares his expert advice on interviewing in the September/October 2011 article, "Truth and Consequences: Interviewing Skills for Camp Professionals." Ditter explains that "the best predictor of future performance is past performance."
With that in mind, think about your responses to the following:
- Tell me about a time when you put the needs of another or others ahead of your own. Probing Questions: What was the situation? What was the relationship between you and the person/people? How did you handle the situation? What did you learn? How did it go?
- Tell me about a time when you took a stand for (or stood up for) something you believed in, but that was an unpopular position. Probing Questions: What was the stand you took? What was the principle or who was the person you stood up for? What did you do and say? What resistance or negative feedback did you encounter and how did you handle it? What was the outcome? Looking back on it, what is your thought about what you did or didn't do? What did you learn about yourself from this situation?
- Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a friend or an employer or an authority of some kind (teacher, parent, coach). Probing Questions: What was the conflict? Who was involved? What did you do? What was the outcome? What did you learn from the situation?
- Tell me about a project in school or something you've had to do around the house / some job you've had / volunteer position where it took much more effort than you originally thought it would. Probing Questions: What was the situation? How did you deal with it? What things did you actually do or say that helped you through? What was the outcome?
Start looking for your dream summer job now at ACA's Jobs site! Click here to find year-round job postings.


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Just received this from the AdSense crew so no doubt it is in the official blog.
"We're all about numbers and international launches this week, so we're excited to tell you that we've recently launched our (sweet) 16th AdSense Help Forum, this time in Hebrew. If you're a Hebrew-speaking publisher, visit the new forum to ask your questions about the AdSense program or share your advice with other publishers. You may also see occasional posts from a Google representative nicknamed AdSensePro.
With the ever-growing number of forums in a wide variety of languages, now's a great time to join the AdSense community in your language! Our forums are also available in Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish."
The Original Search Marketing Event is Back!
SES Denver (Oct 16) offers an intense day of learning all the critical aspects of search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search advertising (PPC). The mission of SES remains the same as it did from the start - to help you master being found on search engines. Register today!

subset: commoncrawl


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Cross Country
Cross Country Travels to NCAA Great Lakes Regional Campionships in Toledo
Nov. 11, 2011
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State cross country team will continue its championship season on Saturday, Nov. 12, when it travels to the 2011 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships in Toledo, Ohio. Action begins at noon with the men's 10k race, followed by the women's 6k race at 1:15 p.m. ET.
The meet will be contested on the campus of the University of Toledo at the Ottawa Park Golf Course.
The top-two teams from each of the nine regionals automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, which are held November 21 in Terre Haute, Ind. 13 at-large teams will also receive qualifying bids.
Individually, the top-four student-athletes that are not part of a qualifying team will receive invitations to compete in the NCAA Championships, along with two at-large selections. Also, the top 24 runners in each race will receive All-Region honors.
NCAA Regionals History - Men
Last year, Grosskopf placed 13th overall with a time of 30:39.1. Grosskopf earned all-region honors for the second-consecutive year and earned a berth in the NCAA Championships race as an individual.
NCAA Regionals History - Women
Last year, Emily MacLeod recorded the Spartans' third-consecutive first-place finish with her time of 20:42.70. MacLeod became the first Spartan in program history to win the regional race in back-to-back years. She also earned USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Athlete of the Year honors for her performance for the second time in as many years. As a result of the team's success, MSU earned an automatic bid to its 12th-consecutive NCAA appearance.
Post Season Honors
Director of cross country and track & field Walt Drenth was named Big Ten Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the second-straight year, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Additionally, freshman David Madrigal was tabbed Big Ten Men's Freshman of the Year for only the fourth time in program history, and first since 2000.
Where We Rank
On the men's side, MSU is currently eighth in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes regional rankings.
Conference Recognition
Last Time Out
Sophomore Julia Otwell paced the women individual with her sixth-place finish. Otwell turned in a personal-best time of 20:30. Otwell was joined by classmate Sara Kroll and senior Carlie Green for most of the race. As a result of Otwell's finish, she earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.
For the men, freshman David Madrigal paced the Green and White with his time of 24:37, placing him for 24th overall.
As a team, MSU placed eighth overall with a score of 191. Claiming its 13th-straight conference crown was Wisconsin with 17 points.
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How to cope with day job / school stress
May 13, 2009
Help me deal emotionally with a bad case of academic jealousy.
As those who've read some of my previous posts, I am working on an MLS. after having received a Ph.D. in classical history (B.A. in classical studies). I failed at the job search for classicist/ancient history positions. I now feel at a disadvantage in my MLS. program because, not having studied library science in college, I am encountering most of these subjects for the first time. I also don't have time to get into subjects in the same depth as students who are not working, or working short hours on the campus. I work 30 hours a week and I commute to campus (about 60 to 90 minutes depending on the time of day).
I realize that the shoe is on the other foot and some students in my ancient history doctoral program probably felt the same way about having to learn ancient Greek, if they hadn't had it in college. In my doctoral program I had a fellowship and did T.A. work-study, but many of my fellow students were also working their way through their program by teaching or unrelated jobs. So I don't expect any particular sympathy.
I do need advice on how to manage my emotions. I have been stuffing them down, telling myself at my day job that it isn't about me, I am a merely ancillary person who can be let go at any time. The school where I am the MLS.-less librarian is a special education school and so the real work with the students has a heavy dose of therapy and social work. There is a high level of background chaos due to the students' problems.
I have no skills or training in therapy/social work/SE teaching and feel basically useless. I have done all kinds of things that were not in the job description per se in order to make myself useful, including applying for and obtaining grants for the library (many students are in a lower-income category), updating the nonfiction collection, and fixing the catalog. I feel both chronically guilty (that I am not a social work-type person) and underappreciated. There isn't any way that I could do my homework at work.
I did fine in my MLS courses last semester and one of them this semester. But a course on information structure (cataloging, but also databases and a heavy dose of information architecture theory) has left me feeling stupid, as if something bad has happened to my brain in the nine years since my Ph.D. I am good at reading, synthesizing written material, writing, ancient and modern languages, and recall. I do not have a particularly abstract or philosophical turn of mind; when I get abstract, it's political.
In the cataloging class I am feeling jealous (because the final exam and term paper are approaching and I'm stressed out) of those students who are getting the concepts better than I am, because they have been exposed to these concepts longer or have more abstract minds, even though many other students are also having trouble. I am getting worried about my future library job search (it's the end of my first year). I thought I wanted to work in an academic library, but now I am afraid that the competition will be too stiff.
In short, I'm feeling psyched out and burned out. I am afraid to take some time off either from my day job (because I can't count on getting another) or from the MLS. program (past the prerequisites, you basically have to take the courses as they are offered and can't count on them being offered again soon).
I need emotional self-management tips and especially on managing feelings of perfectionism, jealousy, and anger. I apologize for turning AskMe into therapyfilter, but I don't have a personal therapist and I can't vent most of this to my parents or to other students.
posted by
bad grammar
Work & Money
(16 answers total)
9 users marked this as a favorite
I am doing a PhD in a field that I didn't study in undergrad. After the 1st year or so, it all evens out with those that had undergrad study.
And in fact, some of the people who had studied this field as undergrads felt so compelled to act like they know the material, it clouded their ability to ask questions.
The other students are stressing out just as much about the paper and final exam as you are, but they aren't "allowed" to show it.
Stop thinking about what your classmates think and focus on doing what you want to do and what your advisor thinks. Work hard and no one can really judge you.
posted by
on May 13, 2009
Just try to avoid thinking about it. Whenever you start to think about these issues, put them out of mind and try to spend your time studying the material if you find yourself drifting back to these thoughts. Don't dwell. At some point, this will all be past you.
posted by
on May 13, 2009
Surely you learned this in your PhD program and just forgot along the years: comparing yourself to your peers will make your life hard and may even prevent you from obtaining the degree. EVERYONE has something that they bring to the table, including you, and all of those things are valuable, together. No one person can succeed in life without the interactions they have with many other people, on a variety of levels.
That being said, there is a girl in my PhD program (pharmacology) who had her law degree, then just decided to go into science. She literally pretty much started from scratch. I have no idea what sort of emotions she had along the way, but I've always sort of envied her. She can approach the subject completely free of bias, and more importantly, completely free of self-deprecation because she forgot something she was "supposed" to know. She doesn't know what she is "supposed" to know. I can't imagine how freeing that must be.
posted by
on May 13, 2009 [
1 favorite
I suggest you talk to your program adviser and your information structure instructor soon about your worries about your competency in the class as well as your career options in the future. I struggle with similar issues in academic perfectionism and tend to think I'm always at the bottom of the pack or out of my depth. It has taken a couple of professors pulling me aside and telling me that I had to stop destructive habits like turning work in late (because I was freaking out) because they genuinely liked my work and wanted to hear more from me. Trust your professors to give you the honest truth, and then promise yourself that you will give as much weight to their perspective as you give to your own negative perspective.
Also, your credentials and PhD tell me that you are smart, dedicated, and hardworking. You are of a very, very small percentage of people with PhD's in this country. It's difficult for me to imagine an employer passing your application over without a glance (although I am not a library looking to hire). Again, I think this is a great conversation to have with your program director who has seen many students come through your program and knows what you will have to offer.
Hang in there and give yourself a pat on the back for all of your hard work!
posted by
Mouse Army
on May 13, 2009 [
1 favorite
I think the most practical way to manage these sorts of feelings is to
them without getting
swept up
in them. Notice when you're feeling jealous -- you may even explicitly think to yourself "oh, look, there I go feeling jealous again" -- and then simply let it go at that. Don't berate yourself for your jealousy. Don't tell stories in your head about how other students have it easier, or how you were once one of those students who had it so easy. Just notice, and let it go.
The thing to keep in mind is that
all feelings pass
. They
ebb and flow. You're not going to be overwhelmed forever; you're just overwhelmed right now. You're not defined by your anger; you're just feeling angry right now. If you have a negative feedback loop running in your head, you can counteract it with something both positive and realistic (my own mantra in times like this is "whatever happens, I can handle it."). Developing this kind of internal monologue regarding difficult or painful feelings is, I've found, a good way to keep them from ballooning up into being bigger than they really are.
posted by
on May 13, 2009 [
4 favorites
I'd just concentrate on doing the best work that I could without comparing myself. Frankly, unless you're in a really unusual LIS program, most of the students
have studied any of this in undergrad.
My program has a ton of distance students who are working full time jobs on top of the classes they're taking, so maybe your program has others in the same situation as you? If so, it might help to get in touch with some of them and talk about their coping strategies.
If I remember your earlier post correctly I suspect that most of the problem is that you're completely burnt out at your day job. Is there any way you can work somewhere else? Become a full time student with an assistantship at a campus library?
posted by
on May 13, 2009
Seconding scody.
It also strikes me that you have a very strong internal critic. Look at what you said:
I have been stuffing them down, telling myself at my day job that it isn't about me, I am a merely ancillary person who can be let go at any time.
While that may be true, it is also true that you are doing the best you can with the students with the tools that you have and that you have provided some amazing additional services (like getting grants!) those go above and beyond what anyone might expected when they hired you. Your principal should love you. And if he/she doesn't, you should at least appreciate yourself for using the skills that you do have to bring something extra to job.
The best way that I know of to learn how to deal with your internal critic is with the techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy. I strongly recommend that you check out a copy of David Burn's
Feeling Good
. While the book targets depression, there are several chapters that directly teach the skills of mastering the internal critic.
posted by
on May 13, 2009 [
1 favorite
The only reason your classmates would have experience is if they already work in a library. Cataloguing is universally confusing, deliberately at times. At that stage of my program, I felt like I had made a terrible mistake and didn't know when it would make sense to me. But then it clicked, and I got through ok.
Agree with MsMolly that being overworked at your day job can really contribute to this. I did another course a couple of years ago while in a management role, and the stress was huge. The last thing I wanted to do was evaluate record management systems and filing nomenclature which looked like gobbledygook to my overworked brain.
You will get through this, and you will be a valuable asset on the academic job market - that PhD will sell you. And unless you have a strange career like mine, once you leave the class you're troubled by now you may never need to think those topics again. As long as you pass, the rest doesn't matter.
posted by
on May 13, 2009
Hmm, can't tell from your profile whether you're in the USA, but I was most surprised by the fact that you're encountering people who have a bachelor's in library science. Most library skools are graduate-level only. So maybe the other students don't have the leg up you believe they do.
At any rate, three points:
-As some of the other posters have mentioned, this might not be about library school (or managing your emotions about it) specifically. Have you considered seeing a career counselor, or a general counselor, at your school? They probably see these sorts of problems often.
-Depending on how mobile you are, your PhD could come in mighty, mighty handy in the library world. Many academic libraries, in fact, only hire librarians with at least a master's in another subject. Certainly a PhD in classical history would be an asset in a history or museum library. Most important, you're not the typical English or education major that saturates the library world-- something that's an asset for libraries who want to diversify the subject specialties among their staff.
-Cataloging is very easy to feel stupid at. I'm a decent librarian, but a horrible cataloger myself. Good catalogers are a different breed. Don't beat yourself up-- at least one dimension of librarianship is very difficult for almost everyone.
Good luck!
posted by
on May 13, 2009
When you get to the root of it all, it's really a fear of failure, a need to be liked by your peers, an envy for something you lack (forgetting what all
have that 'they' don't). There's actually a few things in
this old thread
that might be useful. It's one of those things that's easy to see what you're doing and what you
be doing -- it's just actually changing the thoughts that are difficult. Best of luck to you!
posted by
Gerard Sorme
on May 13, 2009
I`m answering primarily from a background of having experienced academic jealousy myself.
The most important thing that you wrote in your post is this:
I do need advice on how to manage my emotions. I have been stuffing them down...
Looking at the rest of your post, I felt that most of it could be traced back to this one statement. My own struggle with ignoring my emotions was finally resolved when I was honest with myself about my feelings and thoughts, and the reason they were emerging. Writing it down helped the most, it helps to parse out the real origin of the emotion.
Most of the time the problem wasn`t what was actually happening around me or the people I was comparing myself to, but rather what I perceived myself as being capable of doing or creating or succeeding at. I was merely using the situation and people around me to "confirm" false beliefs I held about myself and the world. One book I found useful was "Feeling Good," which focuses on changing belief and thought patterns. Or simply journaling may work for you.
Try not to run away from your feelings or avoid them. The quicker you can tackle what is holding you back, the better. You may even find that part of the anxiety you are feeling is related to the fact that the path you`ve chosen may not be the best fit for you, and you may be better off in a related field of study. If it`s any consolation, most of the people I was jealous of in school aren`t doing any greater things than I am 5 years later. In fact some of them are jealous of me for going off the beaten path of my profession. Good luck.
posted by
on May 13, 2009
Librarian here.
I now feel at a disadvantage in my MLS. program because, not having studied library science in college, I am encountering most of these subjects for the first time.
Practically no one in an MLS program has had a single class in library and information science before entering the program, unless they got an LTA (library technical assistant) associate's degree in a community college somewhere. Very few people in grad school have gone that route.
The school where I am the MLS.-less librarian is a special education school and so the real work with the students has a heavy dose of therapy and social work. There is a high level of background chaos due to the students' problems.
I have no skills or training in therapy/social work/SE teaching and feel basically useless. I have done all kinds of things that were not in the job description per se in order to make myself useful, including applying for and obtaining grants for the library (many students are in a lower-income category), updating the nonfiction collection, and fixing the catalog.
It sounds as if you're getting valuable library experience on your job, possibly much more relevant than many of your fellow students are getting in their graduate assistant positions. If your employers needed people with therapy/social work/SE teaching experience and/or training, they should have required it for the position and/or provided training as part of the job.
But a course on information structure (cataloging, but also databases and a heavy dose of information architecture theory) has left me feeling stupid, as if something bad has happened to my brain in the nine years since my Ph.D.
...or it's not being taught well...
...many other students are also having trouble.
Let's sum up here. You're spending a lot of time working at a job in an institution which seems to be about as different from your previous academic experience as it can possibly be and still be called a "school"; you're going above and beyond the job requirements and still giving yourself grief because your employer didn't adequately prepare you for the social-work aspect of it; and you're stressing over a class that everyone else seems to be stressing over as well. Hard on yourself much?
The best thing that you can do, I think, is to connect with your fellow students as much and whenever your schedule will allow. I myself had the cataloging class from hell, and participating in student bitchfests about it helped me cope when it became obvious that the problems were not going to be fixed any time soon. I also think that your fellow students would be impressed with you, both by your background and by your current job experience; at least, this professional librarian of many years' experience is.
posted by
Halloween Jack
on May 13, 2009
I am getting worried about my future library job search
Before Easter dinner this year I was watching The Masters tournament with my father in law, and one of the (retired pro golfer) commentators mentioned a piece of advice he'd gotten long before from some older, more famous golfer: (paraphrasing) 'When you putt, don't try to look like anybody else.'
You're you, and you're fine. Treat yourself like an intellectual athlete. Eat well, get enough sleep, and put your special talents to work. Leave the spectating to somebody else.
posted by
on May 13, 2009 [
1 favorite
Thank you, everyone. The cataloging class will be over soon. I will look into Burns and even see if my workplace has any similar books (they have a big psychology collection) as soon as I have a little free time to digest anything else. It is indeed a problem of inner self-talk. Any spiritual advice would be OK too, as long as it isn't Christian. I don't hate Christians but there's just too much going on there.
posted by
bad grammar
on May 13, 2009
The thing to keep in mind is that all feelings pass. They all ebb and flow. You're not going to be overwhelmed forever; you're just overwhelmed right now.
Moreso if it's finals. When I'm busy and sleep-deprived like I'm wondering whether you might be, and my mind starts going down channels like you describe, I just stop them and say "look, you're overworked and tired. Everything is fine, it just doesn't look like it right now. Now is not the time to analyze yourself or your life. Just hang in there, get more sleep next month, and then you can decide if [you really hate your job, you're truly struggling in your classes, etc.] For now, it's enough just to keep going."
posted by
on May 14, 2009
A few more comments:
- The MLIS degree exposes you (or should) to a bunch of different things: some practical, some theoretical, some detail-based, some big-picture based. No one's equally good at all of them.
Use the time while you're getting your degree to figure out which ones you enjoy, and which ones you're good at, and to build skills in those areas.
- Treat the stuff you're struggling with (and *lots* of people struggle with cataloging) as a good chance to learn about other areas of library work, but don't stress unduly about it. Your GPA will not matter much at all in hiring (as long as you graduate, anyway).
- Get support from your work:
Even though you're ancillary, they should have some sort of ongoing professional development resources that you could join in on, especially if you take the tack of "I really want to be able to help more than I am." It often won't cost them anything to have one additional person sit in on an existing workshop, for example, that they're already providing for other staff. And someone could definitely provide you with a reading list and other resources about the theory and tools used by the school.
- Competition (at least in the US) for academic library jobs is fierce.
That said, your Ph.D will help set you apart, and there's stuff you can do that will help: as you move through the program, pick projects and skill sets that will fit well with your long-term goals, and build a portfolio you can easily show to prospective employers. Document the stuff you've done at your current job that's applicable. (teaching students how to find resources, creating programs, creating policies or designing practices, managing resources, working with teachers on specific projects, etc.) Doing it as you go along is a lot less painful than doing it later.
Also consider other kinds of schools: I work as a librarian at an independent (private) high school: your degree background and existing library experience would make you a good candidate for a number of positions (and again, in the US, you generally don't need teaching certification for private schools.)
- Building technology skills is increasingly important in the library field - see what you can piece together from personal interests, school projects, and projects for work. Integration of different kinds of tools, or using online Web 2.0 resources to encourage interaction between library users and the collection are big topics right now. The more you can demonstrate skills/ability to learn/willingness to play around with different tools, the better off you'll probably be.
posted by
on May 15, 2009
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This is the best chili ever! I double the tomato sauce and add a dash of Worchestershire Sauce. I have small kids so I cut the cayenne pepper in half. The frigid and cheese are pure genius!
Playoff Chili
Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Allen Henderson
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- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (14 1/2-oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 (12-oz.) bottle beer
- 1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (16-oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (16-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 14 (1 1/4-oz.) bags corn chips
- Garnishes: chopped onion, shredded Cheddar cheese, sour cream
- 1. Cook ground beef and next 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium heat 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in diced tomatoes with green chiles and next 9 ingredients, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour and 45 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes. Add kidney beans and black beans; cover and cook 15 minutes.
- 2. Cut corn chip bags open at one long side. Spoon 1/2 cup chili on chips in each bag. Garnish, if desired.
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text:
New Howard Theatre
102-12 159th Road,
Howard Beach,
1 person favorited this theater
I always wondered why Howard Beach never had any movie theatres. Well it did — an ad in a December 1958 Long Island Press lists it at 159 Road. It was showing "Sayonara" and "Forbidden Desert". It also Tuesday night as being "Ladies Dish Night".
Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
Theatre is now a butchers shop/pork store. Theatre closed sometime in 1964. Theatre marqueee remained intact until early 1970's when the butcher took over spot. Last film to play was "The Prize" . One Sheet stayed in the showcase window till the space was refitted for the foodstore. IMDB shows release date for "The Prize" of 12/63. Pix probably made subrun by mid-64.
The short subjects mentioned by Johnny D were part of a series entitled "Race Night," which was originally produced by Andrew L. Stone in 1933 to boost theatre attendance during the Depression. Members of the audience holding a ticket corresponding to the number worn by the winner of the race would get a prize. These shorts were reissued many times and were shown at kiddie shows as "Race Matinee." Two episodes, one called "Relay Race" and the other "Bicycle Race," are in the collection of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
The final film at this theatre was The Prize AND Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter.
The word on the street in Hwd Bch was that the owner ran away with the money and that's why it closed.
How it stayed open at all is a made man's mystery. Adult tickets were 35 cents. there was no parking and the theatre was pretty much hidden from all except those who lived in Hwd Bch. That said, the only other movie house nearby was a 20 minute ride away!
I grew up in Howard Beach in the 1950's and early 1960's and remember both the old and new Howard Theater. It probably dated back to the teens or twenties when Howard Beach boomed as a resort destination. The theater apparently was designed for live performances (perhaps vaudeville) as well as movies. The old Howard had a big metal marquee hanging over the sidewalk with sockets for hundreds of small lights, all long gone by my time. There was a wide lobby with a box office window on the far left-hand side. I think there was a balcony, but if so it was never open during my time. The proscenium area had curtains, the front edge of a stage, and a small orchestra pit.
A local family took over about 1957 and renovated the theater as the New Howard. The marquee was replaced with a more modern one set flush against the wall. The box office was moved to the center of the entrance area which was covered with pink and white tile that had a hint of Hollywood glitter in it. I don't remember much of the interior renovations except for a new heating/air conditioning system. Some attempt was made to book films earlier in their release, but we still had to go to the Crossbay or Lefferts to catch a really new film (I remember going to the Lefferts for "Some Like it Hot†in 1959 and "Psycho†in 1960).
The Howard was a popular place for Saturday matinees, filled with boisterous kids patrolled by a licensed matron. The floor was always sticky with candy and the movie screen often blemished by projectiles. For all its faults, a local movie house such as this provided an essential element in the experience of growing up in America during that time.
The Howard Theatre is listed in the 1941 edition of Film Daily Yearbook with a seating capacity of 525.
The bulk of the theatre is now occupied by a body shop. I had some business there about nine years ago. On the wall of the shop was a press clipping from a local newspaper, possibly the old The Long Island Press. The article was a description of opening night of The Howard Beach Theatre. It described the silent movie which was shown and the orchestra which provided the accompaniment for the film.
I was in that theatre as a kid. I remember the dirt! I also remember that the owners wanted to show a purportedly imprudent movie. The pastor of Our Lady of Grace, the local Catholic church, mentioned it in his homily one Sunday and encouraged the parishoners to stop the showing of filth in our neighborhood. That was either Fr. Hardy, or Fr. Harrigan, I forget which.
After that mass, my mom took me to Stals Bakery which was across the street from the theatre for some kaiser rolls. That was a Sunday tradition in my house. I just remember being afraid of the crowd and the commotion in front of the theatre.
Lost Memory, any photos?
Fr. Hardy and Fr. Harrigan didn't want filth in the movie theaters, they wanted it all in the rectory where it belonged! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Low blow Saps! It ain't funny either. I feel that I have to defend both of these men because they have both passed on and can not here to defend themselves. They were both straight as arrows and were the models of morality and what you would expect in a Catholic priest. Fr. Hardy lived and worked in the pre air conditioning days. His Summertime masses were held with the church doors and windows open. The rectory doors were open too. He had a little dog who would amble over in the Summer from the rectory, and lie down near the altar just to watch his boss work. He was a nice man and a good leader.
Fr. Harrigan was a bit of an iconoclast. No shades of gray for him, all black and white. The truth is saying what is, is and what is not, is not. There were no little white lies for that man. I have a feeling that he would have been the first to hang any priest who touched a kid, or was not true to his vows. In reviewing the nature of these pastors, I suspect that it was Fr. Harrigan who blew up over that New Howard Beach Theater movie.
There was another time that Sonny's Clam Bar on Cross Bay Blvd. placed and ad in the Long Island Press for topless waitresses. Fr. Harrigan announced that one from the pulpit too. That was THE END of Sonny's big plan to turn Cross Bay into slime street. That would have killed Howard Beach as a viable community too.
Fr. Harrigan would just not join in on the modern slippery slope to moral decay which we are now firmly set upon in our contemporary moral crisis. To my mind, that was a good thing.
I grew up in Howard Beach, and never knew this theater existed, although it was a bit before my time. The building can be seen here, in the 8th photo down: View link
It's at the far end of the street (left side) with the dark red awnings.
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater


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a place for zinesters - writers and readers
"The Murky Realm," a biographical sketch of a tragic union with some creative engineering...
My parents never should have gotten married. But even though my father was gay and my mother was chemically imbalanced, this was the 60s, when single men in their forties did not identify as queer and people with personality disorders were rarely diagnosed, much less treated. And marriage was inexorable. The tragedy, of course, is that five children came out of this…
Added by Kelly Dessaint on May 9, 2013 at 4:48pm — No Comments
Piltdownlad #5 is "The Detour Guide"
Piltdownlad is a personal narrative zine. Each issue is centered around an autobiographical story. In this issue it's "The Detour Guide," which continues the story from issue #2: "Women Got Me Drinking." So there are more…Continue
Added by Kelly Dessaint on August 15, 2012 at 12:00pm — No Comments
Today I Started Slogging Again - Can truth and fiction coexist in the perzine?
The Nasty Oh-Dear - A true narrative
2012 LA Zine Fest - What and who I…
Added by Kelly Dessaint on June 22, 2012 at 2:00pm — 1 Comment


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Thank you – great post. I do think that some members are confused about the difference about posting a discussion and making a comment. I'm not sure how but I think that LinkedIn could be improved by making a clearer distinction, particularly for but not just, new members. Thanks for the post.
Uո post ƿlein de bon sens


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Don't-Miss Privacy Stories
Remains of the Day: No matter where you go
Location tracking: it's the story that just won't stop. (Tracking you, that is--won't stop tracking you.) Now it's gotten Apple in hot water both at home and abroad, but what, Steve worry? Nah.
The Macalope Weekly: A river in Egypt
Guess who's in Dellnial? (Yeah, it's Dell.) And can we turn up the crazy on the iPhone tracking scandal? Maybe to 11? Finally, stop ragging on the PlayBook, you guys!
iPhone location tracking draws fire, shrugs
Tech analysts differ on the seriousness of the iPhone location-tracking controversy.
Remains of the Day: Location, location, location
Members of Congress have many questions about iPhone location logging, and they're not afraid to ask. Elsewhere, Greenpeace has reengaged Apple, Cupertino may be handing out supercharged iPhones, and the prevalence of cheap games may be--surprise--hurting expensive games.
Opinion: Don't panic over iOS location logging
News that the iPhone keeps a log of your location has spread faster than a YouTube video of a cat playing the trombone, but Dan Moren thinks that the panic is out of proportion.
Dropbox addresses privacy concerns
After updating its terms of service, cloud-storage service Dropbox found itself under fire for privacy and security issues, raising the question of who exactly has access to your files.
Researcher: Apple iPhone location tracking has been no secret
A computer forensics expert says iOS data locations logs are neither new nor nefarious.
FTC calls out Google's Chrome over Do Not Track
FTC Chairman Jon Liebowitz singled out Google for not adopting "Do Not Track," the privacy feature that lets consumers opt out of online tracking by Websites and advertisers.
iPhone revealed to track, log users' locations
A report by a pair of data scientists reveals that the iPhone keeps a log of where it's been, which can be easily accessed on a user's home computer.
Remains of the Day: Crazy talk
If you're going to walk the crazy walk, you'd better talk the crazy talk. Microsoft loses a valuable cloud player, Apple doesn't want to know what you're surfing on the Web, and one man makes, bakes, and takes the whole crazy cake.
Kerry, McCain introduce online privacy bill
Privacy advocates criticized a bill introduced Tuesday that focuses on online data collection.
Researcher: Police increasingly peeping at e-mail, instant messages
Law enforcement organizations are making tens of thousands of requests for private electronic information from companies such as Sprint, Facebook and AOL, but few detailed statistics are available, according to a privacy researcher.
Tax prep maker warns customers of Epsilon e-mail hack impact
Intuit has warned users of its tax preparation software to be aware of identity theft scams in the wake of a major breach at marketing firm Epsilon.
Swiss court says Google's Street View breaks privacy rules
A Swiss court has said that Google is breaching citizens' right to privacy with its Street View service.
UberSocial fixes direct-message privacy bug
UberSocial has fixed a bug in its Twitter software for mobile phones that put some users' privacy at risk.
Privacy ArticlesNext Page


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Inaba (Persona 4)Talk5
this wiki
Inaba (稲羽, Inaba) is a rural town in Japan and the central area in which Persona 4 takes place. It is where Yu Narukami moves to when his parents went to work overseas, leaving him in the care of his maternal uncle. Not long after settling into Inaba, strange murders began to happen that took the usually quiet town by storm. Most of the town's younger population consider the town "boring" and in the "middle of nowhere", which is a theme of the game, although some are able to take pride in this aspect, finding it relaxing and peaceful. Inaba is surrounded by rolling hills, crops and riverbanks, and it tends to rain quite often.
According to an old man who often stands near the Tatsuhime Shrine, Inaba's history began as a coal mining town. The influx of miners was the reason why Inaba managed to develop into the kind of town it is today. It may be traveled to by train stopping at the Yasoinaba train station, preceding stations being Higashi Inaba and Hibari. The closest city to Inaba is Okina City, where the protagonist and his friends occasionally travel to.
Key LocationsEdit
The local high school where the protagonist and his newfound friends attend. Attendance is mandatory on weekday mornings, and is explorable after school.
The shopping complex whose food court is where the protagonist's investigation team assembles, calling it their "Special Headquarters." This is also where they enter the Midnight Channel, via the large TV in the Junes electronics section. Accessible during weekdays after school, and on weekend afternoons.
The street where most of Inaba's family businesses are located, but the majority of the shops are closed, due to the overwhelming success of Junes. Accessible on weekdays after school, and on weekend afternoons.
The main path to reach Yasogami High School, whose river bed is where the protagonist can fish. Accessible on weekdays after school, and on weekend afternoons and evenings.
The protagonist's temporary home in the town. When he returns here, time passes automatically to evening.
Added in Persona 4 Golden, the protagonist and his friends spend their summer vacation here. It is a location fairly far from Inaba, and can only be accessed via scooter.
- Persona 3 Portable's storyline for the Female Protagonist includes an event which involves the Gekkoukan High Sports Club (depending on the player's choice of joining Tennis or Volleyball earlier in the game) going to Inaba to train alongside the Yasoinaba High School's Sports Club. The event references and foreshadows a few events leading to Persona 4, including the cameo of a middle-school aged Yukiko Amagi.
- The town's name is a reference to the legend of the Hare of Inaba. However, the demon Hare of Inaba itself does not appear in the game. It might also possibly be a reference to one of the characters in Megami Ibunroku Persona and its remake Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, Masao Inaba.
- Inaba is based off the Japanese city of Fuefuki (笛吹市, Fuefuki-shi), in the Yamanashi prefecture.
- The Yasoinaba Station is based on real-life Isawa Onsen Station.[1]


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I'm off to Goa tomorrow. I honestly can't wait to get out of the city. 4 days of sun and beach … :)
See ya next week. Have a great weekend y'all.
Or maybe it's day 4. Eitherway, here's the update:
* I'm feeling way better.
* I've been walking around the house quite a bit.
* When I stood yesterday I was a little hunched (got operated on my stomach) but today I'm standing straighter and taller.
* The pain's pretty much non existent (or maybe that's because of the pain patch I have stuck to my body) and the discomfort (from the stitches) is minimal.
* I've also lost 8 pounds since saturday (woo). Drinking only liquids can do that to you.
* I'm going to attempt to drive tomorrow, cos I'm sick of being home bound. So even if it's a short drive, I'm going to get the hell out.
This is probably going to be my last post op update. Now that I'm feeling better, and more importantly I'm alive (heh), I don't think there's any need for personal updates. So if you got any questions just ask.
Again, thank you for the love, support and messages. It means a lot.
I got discharged this morning.
All my stats were finally normal and they let me go home. I havent eaten in a few days, and i'm finally allowed some soup tomorrow. So woo.
Thank you for all the messages, replies, fan mail and emails. I've read each and every one of the messages from my hospital bed. I won't be able to message everyone back, but really, big thank you.
So yeah, I think i'll be back to posting something pretty today. Being home, in my own bed, feels good.
I can only type a little bit, I have IV drips on both hands.
* the surgery went well.
* my oxygen levels were really low yesterday, but im okay now.
* I was completely out of it yesterday. Between the anaesthesia, morphin and other medicines, I was an absolute mess. I was also in excruciating pain all of yesterday.
* the nurses and hospital staff have been so unbelievable nice.
* i get to go home tomorrow morning.
okay thats it. i cant type anymore. the needles in my veins hurt.
So, I checked myself into the hospital a few hours ago. I'm undergoing surgery tomorrow morning at 8am. I can't go into details about my surgery, but they said some crap about general anaesthesia, stopping my lungs and then I officially zoned out and didn't hear the rest.
My current thoughts:
* hospital food sucks.
* the nurses so far have been really nice.
* woo sleeping pills.
* these hospital pants were not made for tall girls. They're so unbelievably short on me.
* thank god for free wifi at the hospital.
So yeah, thats my update right now. If all goes well I'll post tomorrow…. ? If not, well, lets not go there right?
I'm off to Bangalore today. I'll probably be posting sporadically, but who knows.
Have a great weekend everyone. I'll be back Tuesday.
One of my oldest friends is getting married and I got to put Mehndi (henna) on my hands today. The back of my hand is not done yet. I'll post pictures of that tomorrow when I get it done at the official Mehndi party.
(photo via instagram. Username: "karishma")
my summer plans keep getting more and more complicated. i might have to go turkey (istanbul) for a wedding which means i might have to forego my plans of going to london. #fuckery. this summer is going to drain all my savings.
Just found out I might be going to China in August.


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What does CRAFT mean in Farming & Agriculture?
This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand CRAFT in the Miscellaneous field in general and in the Farming & Agriculture terminology in particular.
Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training
Find a translation for CRAFT in other languages:
Select another language:
What does CRAFT mean?
- craft(n.)
- an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, esp. manual skill.
Discuss this CRAFT abbreviation with the community:
Use the citation below to add this abbreviation to your bibliography:
"CRAFT." Abbreviations.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2014. Web. 20 Sep. 2014. <http://www.abbreviations.com/term/374532>.
CRAFT also stands for:
- Cannot Remember A Fxxxx Thing
- Childrens Rights Abused Funds And Trades
- Clinical Research Affiliates Funding Trials
- Coaching Running Administering Forensics Tips
- Collaboration Relationship Assessment Fulfilment And Transformation
... and 10 more »
Nearby & related abbreviations:
Alternative search:
- Search Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training on Amazon.com
- Search Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training on Google


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A Modern, Indoor Take On the Seesaw
Design News
Louise Campbell takes us back to the playground with her upholstered Seesaw. Designed for Erik Jørgensen, the piece is meant to encourage balance and interaction.
• An Indoor Seesaw by Louise Campbell | Design Milk
(Image credits: Brahl Fotografi)
1 Comment
Well balance: I use my exercise ball as my desk chair. Bad for typing, good for the back.


text: All partners at Union Square Ventures and at Benchmark, all principals and managing directors at Lerer Ventures, everybody at Shasta Ventures, all partners and principals at General Catalyst, the entire investment team at Khosla Ventures, the entire investment team at Matrix Partners. (Previously on 100percentmen: Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners, Andreessen Horowitz.) (That's seven out of the ten most powerful venture capital firms, according to these guys, and then some.)


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It's a 5 Column (main content, 2 sidebars and 2 top sections), widget-ready fixed width theme in soothing Creme and Brown colors featuring an author box, author info page, gravatars and with Custom Archives, Sitemap and full width No Sidebars page templates. Tested in Firefox, Opera, Safari, IE6 and IE7. It's read for the new Wordpress 2.7 comment threading feature while still being compatible with older versions. And of course it's valid XHTML 1.0 and CSS 2.1 right out of the box.
Weblogtoolscollection News » New Wordpress Themes
Wasteland - Free WP Theme
This is an awesome theme! Thank you!
This topic has been closed to new replies.


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OverviewRespond to this Ad
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Posted in: Pittsburgh Roommates
DescriptionRespond to this Ad
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Cool Idea: Garage Door Façade
When architect Bill Peterson decided to renovate his 16-foot-wide brownstone in Manhattan's East Village, he was determined not to be drastically modern. He wanted to maintain some of the circa-1869 building's history, but at the same time, wanted to use new technologies. The result? Trickery.
He built a façade for the structure's second floor, which can be raised like a garage door in just a few minutes, opening up to its modern living room. The feature offers a Manhattanite a rare thing: private outdoor space (well, semi-private). For safety, an ultra clear glass barrier was installed as a barrier. And to keep bugs and heat out, an air curtain wall system shooting high velocity air from the ceiling was used. Pretty clever, eh? Since the revealing façade is on the second floor, pedestrians can't really see in, and the trees across the street block some neighbors from seeing inside. But really, it's a living room, not a bedroom, so who really cares? See a photo of the living room with "the door" closed.


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Finding a Real Estate Agency in Middlefield
Coldwell Banker Real Estate Agencies in Middlefield, Ohio Help Turn Your Dream of Homeownership into Reality
Coldwell Banker has 3 real estate offices in Middlefield, OH to serve the home buying and selling needs of the Middlefield community. Collectively, our Middlefield real estate agencies staff 53 real estate agents, each equipped with the local knowledge of Middlefield and sophisticated tools to help you sell your home or buy the home of your dreams.
Find an expert Middlefield real estate agent to help you navigate the home buying or selling process today.
Real Estate Offices Near Middlefield
Middlefield Real Estate Agents


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The smart way to negotiate almost anything
Be nice. It's a lot easier for store clerks or anyone else to give you what you want if they like you.
This post comes from Kimberly Palmer at partner site U.S. News & World Report.
Roxana Popescu, a freelance writer in San Diego, decided to give herself a challenge: She would ask for something every day for a year.
That's interesting for two reasons: First, women tend to avoid asking for things, especially money-related things such as raises. Second, retailers have become more open to negotiation in the wake of the recession. So asking for things is more important than ever.
Popescu documents her efforts on her blog, The Daily Asker, where she has shared her many successes, including negotiating the price of her wedding dress, her fees for clients, and a phone system at Best Buy. I recently chatted with Popescu about her strategies and advice for people who still find themselves overcome with awkwardness when they try to negotiate. Excerpts:
When is it easiest to score a deal? Hotels are often willing to cut rates if they're not at capacity or upgrade you if it's no cost to them, for example if they have empty rooms when you check in. The other biggie is retail, especially small establishments, where you're dealing directly with the owner or manager. Post continues after video.
For restaurants, think volume: When you're spending more than the average bill -- say, takeout for a birthday party, or reserving a room for a private party -- you have a lot of negotiating power. Either ask for a break on the price or see if they'll throw in some extras, like a birthday cake. At chains, now I always ask: Are there any coupons I don't know about? Occasionally, the waiter or counter employee will whip something out.
Any advice on how to increase the odds of success? Consider what resources these establishments can offer at no cost to them, and in return give them something they value that costs you nothing: loyalty, gratitude, promise of repeat business, mentioning their brand to your 500 Twitter followers.
Is there some secret to negotiating? If not, why don't more people do it? Believe it or not, there's no secret. But maybe that's the secret. So many people think it takes training, guts, savoir faire. Really, all that's required is the awareness that you can ask and a belief that you should. In my first year of daily asking, I had a 73% "yes" rate. As a total beginner. No reason anyone else couldn't hit that same mark.
But here's some tactical advice: Always try to make a genuine personal connection; it's a lot easier to indulge someone you like, isn't it? But remember that some situations require a harsher or bolder approach. And that's OK, too.
Do you ever get turned down? A tag on the blog is called "Ouch." So, yes! But the best thing that can happen to an aspiring asker is to get rejected a lot. Ask for crazy, ridiculous things -- and notice that the world didn't stop turning on its axis. Life goes on. No one but you and your mama cares that deeply about what you say or do. That freedom is what helps move past the awkwardness.
Sometimes I still hesitate -- but now it's not "What will she think of me?" Rather, "Is this a fair thing to request?"
Tell us about this yearlong experiment in daily asking.Can you share some high and low points? Low: Moments of doubt and sheer exhaustion and repeated failure.
Highs: Asking for my first raise (and getting it!), asking a random New Yorker for travel advice and ending up having dinner with him and a friend, naming someone's kitten, scoring a free airline travel voucher, and watching other people start to ask.
You wrote about negotiating your way into your dad's ICU hospital room. Do these lessons go beyond money? The biggest rewards had nothing to do with money. The thousands of dollars I saved or earned by negotiating are worthless compared to those hours I got to spend with him after that surgery. The real message that I'm trying to spread is that asking, if done with an engaged brain and heart, isn't selfish. It's simply a way to express a want or a need and identify corresponding resources or opportunities.
Ideally, both parties will improve their position (material, professional, personal, psychological) in that exchange.
More from U.S. News & World Report and MSN Money:
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A charcuterie master shares his process for cold-smoking meat at home.
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text:
- Actors: Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla
- Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, NTSC
- Language: English
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 6
- Rated: NR (Not Rated)
- Studio: Eagle Vision USA / Stone Stanley Entertainment
- DVD Release Date: May 10, 2005
- Run Time: 492 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,096 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?.


text:
The differences between a geek and a nerd
Curious about how people use "geek" and "nerd" to describe themselves and if there was any difference between the two terms, Burr Settles analyzed words used in tweets that contained the two. Settles used pointwise mutual information (PMI), which essentially provided a measure of the geekness or nerdiness of a term. The plot above shows the results.
In broad strokes, it seems to me that geeky words are more about stuff (e.g., "#stuff"), while nerdy words are more about ideas (e.g., "hypothesis"). Geeks are fans, and fans collect stuff; nerds are practitioners, and practitioners play with ideas. Of course, geeks can collect ideas and nerds play with stuff, too. Plus, they aren't two distinct personalities as much as different aspects of personality. Generally, the data seem to affirm my thinking.
Or maybe pop culture (geek) versus education (nerd).
12 Comments
Hmm… Looks like I'm an outlier in this data set.
I'm a practitioner/academic/idea-person… yet I think of myself as a "data geek" not a "data nerd."
Still… nice chart!
Possibly because there's still a greater stigma attached to being a nerd than being a geek.
Personally, I've always preferred "geek" to "nerd", and I'm definitely an idea man, not a gadget man.
My rule of thumb for distinguishing between geeks and nerds is that the defining characteristic of a geek is enthusiasm, whereas the defining characteristic of a nerd is pedantry. Or, to put it another way, geeks obsess while nerds profess.
Oh. Well, I've always thought of myself as a nerd, even though I obsess. I don't like the word "geek" because it also means the circus freak who eats anything (like biting through the necks of live chickens). To me, that definition always plays in my head when I hear the word, and it give it connotations I suppose other people don't think about.
According to the dictionary, perhaps, but it seems like an odd concern since that's not what the word means to any people who, you know, actually speak English. Dictionaries are useful but are not authoritative. The spoken language is.
I also note that I think my comment classifies as "nerdy"
Weaton? As in Joss Whedon? Does this graph imply a lot of "geeky" "fans" out there misspelling the man's name? Or perhaps just one mention of that spelling in otherwise associated terms?
It's interesting just how dramatically having coloured the words can skew the way the graph is interpreted. We *don't* have an abrupt dichotomy between the usage of 'geek' and the usage of 'nerd'. The points are just displayed in a different colour depending whether their nerd score is higher than their geek score or not. But the terms cluster around a line that looks pretty much one-to-one. Take, for example, 'gamer' near the top right; 'gamer' is both very nerdy and very geeky.
If we were to display the same words, but coloured on a continuous scale from red (much more nerdy than geeky) to yellow (much more geeky than nerdy) then most of the graph would be orange (both!).
That means that common usage often *doesn't* distinguish very much between 'nerd' and 'geek'.
And the next interesting thing to look at is the words that *are* far from that midline. On the 'nerd' side – sciences and maths, generally – but also the stuff that is very nerdy without being geeky, seems like stuff that's going to appear much less often in tweets. By contrast, the limited collection of stuff that is geeky without being nerdy, looks like terms that would crop up in a greater number of tweets – unfortunately we don't *actually* have a third dimension displayed here (the usual would be larger font for more common terms.)
I conclude that geeks and nerds are closely related :-) and many people don't draw a distinction.
I'm all over the place! Nerd by training, geek by pop culture preferences.
Granted location of #ipod and #linux, and mutual location relationshsip among others… Guys, your geek is actually hipster. Since when apple and other _consumer_ stuff became a symbol of knowledge, wisdom, etc? This graph is ill wrong…


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Free agent first baseman Kendrys Morales remains on the market. A switch-hitting power hitter who smacked 23 home runs last season for the Seattle Mariners, any number of teams could use his production. Today his agent, none other than Scott Boras, took to the media waves to discuss what a "hot commodity" his client is, his go-to move to get his guys paid.
Per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports:
Kendrys Morales is being pursued by NL teams as well as AL teams, according to agent Scott Boras. @FOXSports1
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 18, 2013
Teams are concerned about Morales's limitations defensively, which might deem the supposed interest from NL teams to be hogwash. There is an additional snag for any team that signs Morales: because he declined a qualifying offer from the Mariners it will cost his new team a draft pick.
It is at this time of year that we believe what Scott Boras has to say at our own risk, but even with these nuances, one would assume that a bat like his would not last much longer. The Mariners have moved on from Morales, leaving interested teams like the Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles, and whichever mystery NL team is involved to vie for his services.
Tags: Kendrys Morales