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Have your say
Women Beyond Trauma: 'Superb. Inspirational' London workshopWritten by Works for Freedom (20/05/14)
On April 2, Stephanie Covington ran a workshop in London on trauma-informed practice for staff working in women's prisons.
The workshops addressed the negative impact that trauma has on women's mental and physical health, how this can result in coming into contact with the criminal justice system (and other adverse outcomes), and how custody staff should adjust their practice to be trauma-informed.
The workshop was attended by a range of practitioners, from prison officers to health care workers, all keen to learn about and implement gender-responsive services within their area of work. This included from every women's prison in England.
Here are just some of the comments the participants made
'Highlighting the brutal treatment of women offenders saddened me but the positivity of the training inspired me to fight harder to make a difference.' – Magda Nichols, Bedfordshire Probation Trust
'Superb. Inspirational. Helped me to re-connect to why I joined the probation service and the professional Violence Against Women and Girls strategy.' – Mary Doyle, HMP New Hall and West Yorkshire Probation
'The training helped me consider how much my service addresses the histories of the women who we work with.' – Heather Wyant, Cameo Service: HMP Foston Hall
'The training was excellent, and as a serving Prison officer it reinforces everything I try to achieve with the women I work with.' – Emma Guthrie, PIPE: HMP Low Newton
'[The training] makes a daunting subject to work with more simplified and realistic. So fortunate to have attended – wish all staff working with female offenders had the opportunity to get such knowledge.' – Emma Burgin, HMP Foston Hall
'Mindful and thought-provoking, made me consider my practice methods.' – Rachel Lawson, Northumbria Probation
'Exceptional day! Essential training for everyone who works with women and girls at risk. This training needs to be available for all.' – Edwina Grosvenor, Women at Risk Coalition
We'll be carrying further feedback from this event next week.
Lady Edwina Grosvenor: Making our practice trauma informedWritten by Edwina (08/05/14)
The problem with organising an ambitious and inspiring set of events for over 600 people over 2 weeks is what on earth to do next!
Dr Stephanie Covington visited Stirling, Gloucester, Cambridge and London. Individuals were involved from the front line prison officer to our Under Secretary for Justice, Simon Hughes MP, who hosted an evening with Stephanie in the House of Lords.
The feedback we had was encouraging to say the least. It seems that people want to get Trauma Informed and to learn how and why this differs from men to women.
Anyone can do it
It's not about becoming a psychiatrist, it's not about psychoanalysis, it's about being aware of others troubles and how one may act in a sensitive way in order to prevent situations escalating into dangerous ones.
It's about helping to protect the vulnerable women in one's care but at the same time looking after one's own health and happiness at work.
For a woman who may be using a service for the first time it's not only about the smile at reception, the 'how are you today?', 'you look upset, what's wrong? Shall we talk?' but also the physical environment in which that women finds herself.
Is this place of 'help', this place of 'safety' somewhere you would go? Somewhere you would like to be? Is it somewhere you would send or leave your child? If not why should anyone else be expected to go?
Trauma informed practice
Any of us in any profession can benefit from the trauma informed teachings of Dr Covington. She uses the great example of her dentist who realised that she needed to become trauma informed and make her patients feel more at ease on their visits.
Following a training session for staff changes were made immediately. Patients were told that they were free to get up off the chair and to move around whenever they felt like it, they shouldn't feel trapped. A TV was screwed to the ceiling so the patient could watch from the chair whilst being reclined. They were warned before intrusive work into the mouth or if the dentist had to lean over their body. Many of these things are prime triggers for female trauma survivors.
These practices are embedded in evidence based theory. All over the US, states have incorporated this work and have achieved some simply staggering results. We ignore this at our own peril.
Affirming and simple
The teachings were affirming, human, simple, non expensive. They were things that we can and should incorporate into our criminal justice practice and of course beyond in the case of the dentist example.
It is time that practitioners, staff and anyone involved in working with vulnerable women or girls demand the change we need. Lone voices are no good. This change needs to be pushed in each and everyone's organisation and the trauma informed drum needs to be beaten very hard and very loud.
Please help us to make Dr Covington's visit more than a talking shop and be the change you want to see.
Eva Roussou: Brilliant and thought-provokingWritten by Eva Roussou (03/04/14)
Eva Roussou from Together shares her reflections on the two day training session Stephanie Covington recently ran in Cambridge
The two days have been absolutely brilliant and thought provoking. Stephanie was very approachable and friendly and caring, and at the same time absolutely to the point and professional. I found everything in her training meaningful, relevant and understanding of the restrictions that budgets can create, focused on what works and not, what looks good in publications or is attractive to research. Or ticking the evidence base box - she actually said we want VALUES-based services using evidence based material.
Packages that are low cost and can make a difference
She has my absolute respect for creating intervention packages, that have low cost, and that one member of staff can train in and take back to the organisation and share. Also, she put trauma and healing work in an international context, and I think this is something that needs to be heard more in the UK, as things can be a bit introverted here. The approach and cost of Stephanie's interventions for me means that charities, like ours, around the world can use the material and make a difference and this is massively important. For a very reasonable fee we can buy the tools and deliver them as part of our women's interventions.
The importance of senior staff buy-in
An important point: Stephanie mentioned that for organisations to go away from the seminars and make changes to work in a-trauma informed way, she needed senior management to attend, not just practitioners, as changes cannot happen if the people at the top do not understand this perspective. I agreed with this, given that day one had a lot of elements that as manager I went away thinking is this a change we can realistically create, is that something that we can adapt as a service etc. Day two was going through the material, and a presentation from ISIS regarding how they transformed their services. Most organisations had managers there, and some came with their directors too - however perhaps not enough practitioners.
Being systematic
Working in a trauma-informed way is much broader and will require bigger discussions and decisions. Part of Stephanie's approach is actually systemic.
One of the best trainings I've had and massively useful from both practitioner and manager perspective (and especially the latter) - absolutely worth bringing her over.
Linda Bryant: Understanding the trauma behind the crimeWritten by Linda Bryant (26/03/14)
'When I entered the court cell, the young woman, Jess, was sat in the corner staring at the floor. She didn't lift her head. I explained who I was and without any response, she followed me to the interview room, passed the male security staff, her male solicitor, the male drugs worker hurrying down the corridor – and there, in brief responses to my enquiries, Jess painted a picture of a childhood without love and care and a young adulthood of hopelessness - drugs, crime, prison, sleeping on sofas, pills for depression and a partner who did 'love' her but hit her. Repeatedly.'
This story recounted by one of our women practitioners was unique to Jess and our subsequent support was a response to her individual needs. But it is a story all too familiar to the hundreds of women that Together's Criminal Justice services come across every year who have experience of trauma. Women who are stuck in a revolving cycle within the UK's criminal justice, health and social care settings: our prisons, probation offices, homelessness services, refuges, hostels and so on. Women who are vulnerable to further violence and abuse by others. Women who have lost their homes. Women who have had their children taken from them. Women who are hurting and killing themselves through self-harm and suicide.
Recognising the effects of abuse and trauma
As a Forensic Psychologist talking about Jess to colleagues, I may well have referred to her as having a 'history of abuse and trauma'. I'm sure that Jess however, would not have used the word 'trauma' to describe her experiences. I'm also sure that many of the professionals and services Jess had so far encountered in her young life, would not have had the knowledge to identify her experiences or to understand their impact on her behaviour or so-called 'lifestyle' choices.
As professionals working in criminal justice, health and social care services, how can we recognise, acknowledge and support women who have experienced trauma, such as violence and abuse?
Developing trauma-informed practice
A woman may often be reluctant or not ready to disclose, particularly to a professional she has just met, and in a context as stressful as a police station or remand cell. Her traumatic experiences may well be masked (whether intentionally or not) by aggressive or withdrawn behaviours. And even if they aren't, information needs to be elicited in a way that doesn't result in her reliving painful experiences, disclosing too much in an environment that isn't safe for her, or any number of other destructive scenarios.
How do we then ensure that our responses take into account that woman's individual experiences and needs at the point of contact with frontline services?
People often don't present in predictable, easily described ways and there is a fine balance to be struck. Effectively working with women at risk is much more than just acknowledging the existence of a traumatic experience, but it also stops short of tackling trauma head-on when this isn't appropriate. A woman has to be ready and willing to engage with interventions to help her manage and address past, distressing experiences, and this needs to happen in a safe environment and facilitated by a qualified professional. In a criminal justice setting, a crucial first priority is often to deal with urgent practical issues to ensure the woman is safe and in stable circumstances. Working with her to then understand what actions and agencies may improve her situation and wellbeing may be a long process, and one that she should be supported to lead.
Mindful and compassionate approaches
This trauma informed approach underpins the pioneering work of US clinician and trauma expert Dr Stephanie Covington to advocate for, develop and implement gender-responsive environments in both custody and the community.
The programme of events being delivered by Stephanie Covington across the UK over the next month, and convened by our Women at Risk coalition, is timely. We want to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the systemic changes currently being made within our justice, health and social care structures and advocate for this approach to be embedded in existing services and as part of reforms. We are not describing revolutionary new ways of working that require huge investment and training in specialist techniques or therapeutic interventions. We are advocating for the adoption of mindful and compassionate approaches – ones that help us to: see beyond the crime, the anger, the drug-use, the missed appointments, understand that slamming the cell door may provoke shock and re-lived painful experiences, design our services so that women actually choose to use them and feel safe to do so; approaches that in our experience are vital to reducing distress and can have a profound impact on the lives of women at risk.
Prof Nancy Loucks: Trauma-informed practice is for all of usWritten by Prof Nancy Loucks (24/03/14)
Why would an organisation that focuses solely on behalf of families affected by imprisonment want to host a workshop on trauma-informed practice for work with women in the criminal justice system? It may not be an obvious link, but for Families Outside this work is crucial.
Dr Stephanie Covington's series of workshops in the UK starts in Scotland on Monday and Tuesday the 24th and 25th March. As part of the Women at Risk coalition that has organised and sponsored these events, Families Outside is committed to promoting a trauma-informed approach for a number of reasons.
The trauma of separation
First, two-thirds of women in prison in the UK are mothers of dependent children, and the separation of families through imprisonment can be tremendously damaging. Trauma is often a key factor behind women's offending, such as for women who self-medicate to mask experiences of abuse. In recognising and addressing trauma, we are addressing the reasons behind women's offending and consequently reducing future risk.
Applying a trauma-informed perspective
Second, the message of trauma-informed practice is transferable. While the workshop is aimed at practitioners working with women in the criminal justice system, the lessons apply readily to men who have experienced trauma or, in our case, to children and families. Children who have witnessed a parent's arrest, for example, can be highly traumatised by the experience, especially where the arrest was sudden, unexpected, or violent. The experience of visiting prison for these children can force them to re-live this experience, putting them in a noisy and unfamiliar environment surrounded by people who, to them, look like police and who take their family member away from them time and again.
Families Outside is pleased to be part of the Women at Risk coalition and to co-host Dr Stephanie Covington's workshops in Scotland alongside the Scottish Prison Service. Participants should be able to roll out the learning to their colleagues and ensure that front-line practitioners in Scotland are able to use trauma-informed approaches to recognise and support people who have been through such experiences.
Trauma-informed practice is not just important for experts or therapists or people working with women in prison: it's for all of us.
Dr Annie Bartlett: Moving on from past traumasWritten by Dr Annie Bartlett (24/03/14)
There are c.3,850 women in prison in England and Wales today and a further c.19, 000 under probation supervision. As a clinician working in a woman's prison over the last eight years, it is clear to me that many of these women have had unwanted sexual experiences and witnessed and suffered physical violence in childhood. This is often exacerbated by additional trauma and violence in adult life. Clinical teams, probation and prison staff often recognise this. The challenge, for all of us, is knowing both what to do to help the individual woman and how to build services that offer an appropriate institutional response.
Building on existing awareness
We need to capitalise on the existing awareness in prisons that gender sensitive care is important. This approach must be embedded in the way everyone works. That means it is more likely we will avoid reinforcing the kinds of negative experiences women may have had previously. Physical restraint is a distressing but sometimes inevitable component of both prison life and secure hospital care. It must be used carefully. Everyone involved must be mindful of how easy it is for this to resonate with sexual and physical violence from the past. Gender sensitive care means thinking about the ratios and roles of male and female staff; it means remembering that being victimised, with all that so often goes with it, can make it hard to speak up for yourself in a way that works.
Understanding self-destructive behaviour
At an individual level, we have to be good at decoding what is often literally not written, but cut into or inserted into the bodies of women when they self-harm. We need to understand and actively think about why women use drugs and alcohol in self-destructive ways. But part of helping women break free of unhelpful, coping methods is to allow them to decide when is the time and what is the place to work on their past – and to give them a range of options.
It's up to us
Stephanie Covington's visit and the knowledge and experience she can share are timely. She has done much to raise awareness in North America of how trauma affects women's lives and has helped build the vocabulary that allows everyone to think together, out loud. But it is ultimately up to us in the UK to share the work that is already happening, use what has been effective in Canada and the US and then create sustainable initiatives. That is why part of Stephanie's visit will include not only hearing about good practice around the UK but using that as a springboard to a tailored, UK wide, set of interventions.These need to be tested out to see if they appeal to the women, to see if they work and what they cost.
Moving on from past traumas
It is crucial that women at risk or in contact with the CJS, get opportunities to reshape their lives and move on from the traumatic events that have so often damaged their life chances to date. There is a real opportunity right now. I think there is a willingness amongst at least some commissioners of services to support this area of work, which may, as a by-product also reduce re-offending.
Helen Drewery: Circles of Support and AccountabilityWritten by (17/03/14)
Imagine half a dozen people in a room, apparently just having a coffee and talking. They meet perhaps once a week. One of them – and you may not immediately be able to spot which - is a convicted sex offender, recently released from prison. They aren't quite friends, but they have all volunteered to be there and to spend quite a lot of time together over a period of months or even years.
Back in 2003, when I wrote the article in Criminal Justice Matters, this kind of meeting was very rare in Britain, as Quakers and others were still piloting Circles of Support and Accountability. Now there are 14 projects, covering a high proportion of England and Wales, and more are in the development phase. Circles UK supports all of these and ensures high standards are maintained. In 2012/2013, ten years on from my article, 80 individual Circles were provided – and the number continues to grow. The latest news is that the Cabinet Office, through a Rehabilitation Social Action Fund award, is funding a further 74 Circles. And Circles UK is also advising initiatives in the Netherlands, Belgium, Latvia, Bulgaria and Catalonia.
So Circles of Support and Accountability are now available to a much higher proportion of the people who need them than before. Letters still arrive at the office of Circles UK from prisoners who desperately want to have a Circle when they are released. Men (and occasionally women) who are fearful of release, who know they will need a lot of help if they are to avoid slipping back towards offending behaviour. But now those letters have a better chance of a positive answer.
As the concept has spread, some of our tentative conclusions have been proved right. There are enough people with the motivation and the qualities it takes to commit themselves to be Circles volunteers – though some effort still has to be put into finding them. Enough Circles have now run over a long enough period to generate reliable UK-based statistics. These demonstrate clearly that the approach really is remarkably effective. Across the 250 or so Circles which have been provided in the past eleven years there is evidence of just ten reconvictions for sexual offences; a much smaller number than statistically would be expected for this group of medium or high risk offenders. There's plenty more information on the Circles UK website.
In the early days, probation, police and prison staff were understandably nervous about a project which worked with high-risk sex offenders and relied on volunteers. But acceptance of the concept has spread as people have seen the results. Circles projects and Circles UK itself have won awards and plaudits. Lord Ian Blair, former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said 'This isn't an easy ride for the released sex offender, but at least it gives them some hope; and for people (Circle Volunteers) to do that in their spare time is a remarkable thing to do. And I salute them.'
Every Circle has as its key aim 'No more victims' – it is an expression of community commitment to community safety, and a vivid example of what 'ordinary' people can do to with a bit of high-quality support.
Helen Drewery is General Secretary of Quaker Peace and Social Witness, which works with Quakers across Britain to help them to live out their faith in their lives. Helen has worked for the Quakers for nearly 30 years, addressing a wide variety of social justice issues. From 1999 to 2009 she played a key part in bringing Circles of Support and Accountability to this country, including serving as a Trustee of Circles UK.
Dr Stephanie Covington discusses her storyWritten by Stephanie Covington (11/03/14)
In this short video Dr Stephanie Covington talks about what motivated her to work with women in custody.
Speaking of one of her first encounters with women in custody she remarks:
'As I stood there with them I had this thought which was "Why are you in there and I'm out here?". And the next thing that came into my mind was "Privilege".'
Stephanie says that she thinks there are two things that women participating in any of her programmes can learn:
'First, that she is a valuable women. And second, that change is possible. That recovery from addiction and healing from trauma can happen for her.'
Stephanie delivered an ambitious programme of training and awareness raising among policy makers, criminal justice and health workers, ex-prisoners, trauma survivors and activists in Scotland and England in late March and early April 2014.
Watch the video below.
Lady Edwina Grosvenor: from trauma to recoveryWritten by Edwina (10/03/14)
The world's leading expert on trauma in custody, Dr Stephanie Covington, is coming to Britain in late March to kick start a revolution in how we treat female survivors of trauma in custody and in the community.
She will be concentrating on the unique needs of women and to expand on gender responsive policies to show how they may be embedded in practice. She will highlight how the experience of trauma can have acutely adverse effects on the lives of women and girls both in the community and custodial settings and how best to manage these complex problems.
The need for action
As a member of the Women at Risk Coalition it was important to me to see some action on this issue. We can throw as many treatment programs at vulnerable woman as we like. If the people who look after such vulnerable women don't know how to care for them properly then there is little point. The hard work will be undone, damaged women will become more damaged, confrontations can escalate into violence. At such times a little training could go a long way to easing highly volatile situations.
Safer for women in custody, safer for staff
From parliament to the frontline, from Scotland to London, Stephanie Covington will work with policy makers, prison staff, police, probation, charitable organizations, health staff, ex-prisoners and survivors to highlight how trauma manifests itself differently in males and females and how important it is to grasp this issue and to embed it in future policy decisions.
The training she will provide during this time will be the start of a real shift in how people who work with vulnerable women and girls react to the challenging behaviours they face such as acute anger problems, self mutilation and suicide. This will not only help to keep staff safer but will also keep the women and girls safer who are under their care and supervision.
Better practice in prison
In a time where cuts have seen the removal of front line staff we need far more investment in training for those that remain on the front line. There is an important debate to be had about whether women should or should not be in prison, whether they get long sentences or short sentences. It is also imperative that those charged with the care of female survivors of trauma in custody are trained in how their past experiences will affect their behaviour in prison.
For all female trauma survivors it is a journey from trauma to recovery.
Women at Risk Coalition kickstarts revolutionWritten by Works for Freedom (06/03/14)
The Women at Risk Coalition is made up of frontline staff, senior psychiatrists, psychologists, academics and funders who between them have worked in the social care, health and criminal justice systems for many years.
They are united by a commitment to address the epidemic of mental illness among female prisoners and women at risk of criminal justice capture in Britain; an epidemic that more often than not stems from traumatic events earlier on in their lives.
From 24th March to 7th April this year, the Women at Risk Coalition will be working with the world's leading expert on trauma in custody, Dr Stephanie Covington, to deliver an ambitious programme of training and awareness raising among policy makers, criminal justice and health workers, ex-prisoners, trauma survivors and activists.
The impact of trauma
Emotional trauma can have adverse impacts on the lives of women and girls, including leading to involvement in the criminal justice system and prison secure psychiatric accommodation, chronic use of drugs and alcohol, street sex work, homelessness and other poor life trajectories.
In most systems women appear in disproportionately small numbers: five percent of the prison population; a third of the population detained in mental health settings; a third of the single homeless population in contact with services. Their needs, however, are often extreme in comparison with the majority of men in similar systems.
- Women in custody are 5 times more likely to have a mental health concern than women in the general population.
- 78% exhibited some level of psychological disturbance when measured on reception into prison.
- Women account for 31% of all incidents of self-harm despite representing only 5% of the total prison population.
- 1 in 3 women have suffered sexual abuse and over half have suffered domestic violence
- Half have attempted suicide at some point
- However 81% of women are serving a sentence for non-violent offences
The populations recorded in each of these 'systems' overlap; they are essentially the same women.
Starting a revolution
Dr Stephanie Covington, is coming to Britain to kick start a revolution in how we treat female survivors of trauma in both custody and in the community. She will be concentrating on the unique needs of women and to expand on gender responsive policies and practices for women and girls at risk.
From parliament to the frontline, from Scotland to London, she will work with policy makers, frontline staff, the police, former prisoners and survivors of trauma in order to highlight how trauma manifests itself differently in women and girls and how important it is embed a gendered response in policy decisions.
The training she will provide will be the start of a real shift in how people who work with vulnerable women and girls react to the challenging behaviours they come up against, such as anger, risk-taking and self-harm. A wider range of practioners will learn about skills and exercises that can be incorporated into work with women in a variety of settings in order to make sure that women are coming out of prison less likely put themselves in damaging situations.
Taking forward the agenda
Over the coming weeks Works for Freedom will be hosting commentary and analysis on Stephanie Covington's visit by members of the Women at Risk Coalition. They will cover a range of issues, from the why the visit is so important and what the Coalition hopes to achieve, to what they plan to do to take forward this important agenda over the longer-term and how you can get involved.


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A suicide bomber is where a man defecates on a woman's breasts, then wipes the feces off with pages torn from the Quoran.
Linus gave Sally a suicide bomber last night. Needless to say, Sally's Muslim dad is pretty pissed.
by Ol Dirty Fuka May 03, 2010
Trending Now
Top Definition
A person who blows himself up, in order to kill innocent people.
The suicide bomber blew himself... he must be double-jointed.
by scrEEmur December 05, 2003
A man wired with explosives that detonates himself in the name of a certain cause.
Another suicide bomber blew himself up in Tel Aviv today.
by Bungalow Bill March 30, 2002
a dumb fuck who beleives it is right to explode himself to kill innocent people. Normally arabs. They do it to serve "allah" and the kids do it because they are brainwashed and need to earn their family some money for their life. The stupid bastards are paid to do that shit by terrorists which they have eventually become. They are the biggest treat to man-kind and must be terminated.
That stupid suicide bomber blew up after the dumass was shot by a smart soldier. Good work.
by natedoggggggggggg July 07, 2005
cheap fuckers that cant aford a decent bomb with a remote detanator
that suicide bomber must be real proud now he is not even around to celabrate
by jason andregg November 09, 2006
1) The sole Muslim contribution to the world in last 1000 years.
2) An effective method to fight those evil, opressing, unarmed civilians.
3) Attention whoring at its' finest.
2) An effective method to fight those evil, opressing, unarmed civilians.
3) Attention whoring at its' finest.
"Look at me! I'm a suicide bomber!"
by live long and prosper August 26, 2006
When a man takes the used condom off and blows it up, then pops it over the lucky bitches head.
Your mom passed out after a ruff night and so i gave her the old suicide bomber
by The BOMBER March 11, 2003
One who hates his own life so much that he will seperate himself from his penis for Allah (not that he actually had balls to begin with).
"Those suicide bombers put their penis in my vagina and it blew up."
by Rachel Brian and Tracy April 08, 2006

subset: commoncrawl


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My company recently implemented a content filtration system (Websense) which ranges anywhere from mildly irritating to enraging depending on what useful website it's blocking and what program I have to configure proxy settings on in order to get my work done.
As a developer, I'd definitely say that it's caused me to lose a lot of perfectly good time implementing workarounds and generally causing me to lose my "flow" as I work. I'm sure hundreds of other employees at my company have had similar experiences, so it's easy to see the enormity of the number of dollars being thrown away if you figure each interruption can cause developers to lose on the order of 15 minutes of productivity.
Personally, I'd love to see the whole thing removed and have the company trust its employees not to be evil in using resources. Of course, this would probably never fly because the higher ups probably imagine everyone would be on social networking and music sites all day, and that people would be downloading programs loaded with viruses and spyware.
Given all this, is there any non-intrusive automated system (not manually-entered blacklists) out there which will satisfy management and developers at the same time? Preferably one that doesn't yell at me for trying to download Firefox? I'd love to recommend it to our IT department.


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Cheshire field hockey team returns to state title game
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Suppose I didn't have access to a Mac with pages. How can I convert a pages document to a word document using only a windows environment? Is there a freeware converter available?
In addition to the iOS pages app, the iCloud beta is currently being rolled out and come fall, iWork in the cloud will enable anyone on Linux, Windows and Mac to use a modern browser and edit/convert pages documents without needing local software.
This beta started rolling out to people that had brand new iCloud accounts in late July at https://beta.icloud.com and now Apple is slowly rolling out the beta to anyone that logs in to https://www.icloud.com
The actual web apps are the same whether you enter through the beta URL or the normal URL and the only difference between the two is the treatment of the rest of the iCloud icons. The www url has linen and iOS 6 styling and the beta URL has iOS 7 styling without needing Mavericks or iOS 7.
Yes, there is. You can either do it online, with Zamzar, which requires and email address where you'll receive the converted files, or download PagesConverter which apparently does not keep the formatting and you need a .net framework.
Whilst you may not have Pages, there are other means to access it, as follows:
Two viable solutions:
(** That could well include someone here at Ask Different)
Similiarly to bmike's answer, you could use the current version of iCloud (www.icloud.com) to upload your document in
Sorry, I have only access to the French version, so all menus are in French in the pictures, and I'm only guessing the English translations.


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October 29, 2012
Claudia's top five rooftop bars in Cape Town
With summer's arrival in the Mother City, longer days and balmy evenings make staying indoors almost criminal.
Thankfully, there are a number of great rooftop spots in Cape Town where you can enjoy a couple of drinks with friends in the open air – with the added bonus of a great view.
Fun and quirky:
Grand Daddy
The Sky Bar at the Grand Daddy Boutique Hotel is a firm favourite with locals. Sharing the hotel's rooftop with the Airstream Trailer Park (one of the city's quirkiest accommodation options), Sky Bar offers great views of the city skyline and an extensive drinks menu featuring champagne, cocktails or craft beer.
Location: 38 Long Street, Cape Town
Contact: +27 (0)21 424 7247
Website: www.granddaddy.co.za
For the trendsetters:
Tjing Tjing
Located in the heart of Cape Town just off the buzzing Long Street, Tjing Tjing features eclectic décor and a loft-style terrace. Sip on cocktails, Jack Black beer on tap, or choose from the extensive wine list, while you groove along to indie and electronica tunes.
Location: 165 Longmarket Street, Cape Town
Contact: +27 (0)21 422 4920
Website: www.tjingtjing.co.za
The Waiting Room
Trendy to the hilt and loaded with urban cool, the Waiting Room's balcony is a great place to enjoy a drink and take in the view of Long Street and Table Mountain, while you listen to live music and DJs.
Location: 273 Long Street, Cape Town
Contact: +27 (0)21 422 4536
Website: www.facebook.com/WaitingRoomCT
Seafront location:
Wafu's seafront location makes it an instant winner for anyone wanting to sip a cocktail while watching the sunset. Nibble on Asian tapas in this laid-back venue while you take in the panoramic view.
Location: Cnr Beach Road and Surrey Place, Mouille Point
Contact: +27 (0)21 433 2377
Website: www.wakame.co.za
Relaxed and comfortable:
Rick's Café Américain
If it's a casual and comfortable atmosphere you're after, Rick's comes highly recommended. The outdoor deck area is the perfect late afternoon sundowner spot, complete with comfy couches and a misting spray to keep you cool on hot summer days.
Location: Park Road, Gardens
Contact: +27 (0)21 424 1100
Website: www.rickscafe.co.za
Claudia Smargiasso is an e-marketing content writer at Cape Town Travel.


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The 6 Most Ridiculous Superhero Weaknesses
#3. Power Girl: All Natural, Unprocessed Materials
Power Girl is a fan-favorite DC Comics superhero and Superman's sometimes cousin from another reality. She's best known for her strong personality and leadership skills, which are also the key to her popularity.
Pictured: Strong personality and leadership skills.
So her powers are more or less the same as Superman's, minus the vulnerability to kryptonite (since she comes from a different version of planet Krypton). Surely the writers have made up for that power imbalance in a way that makes sense. Right?
The Ridiculous Weakness:
Actually, they replaced it with something even dumber: a weakness to "natural elements." What does this mean, exactly? Well ...
Supergirl #16 (1997)
We have to question the effectiveness of any superhero who can be knocked down with something as simple as a tree branch. In the same comic, she explains that she's vulnerable to "any raw, unprocessed natural material," which would presumably include things like water, dirt or, you know, air. She can stop a bullet, but throw a rock at her face and she's dead. Basically, the whole planet Earth is "earthonite" to her.
Supergirl #16 (1997)
"Thanks, identical twin! Maybe someone should come up with more varied character models!"
The message here is pretty transparent -- take a close look at Power Girl again:
Take your time.
Does she look "all natural" to you? Are the writers telling us that she has so much plastic in her body that the mere presence of something not made out of silicon makes her sick? Maybe not, because they've completely ignored this weakness for the past decade (you're probably starting to see a pattern there).
#2. Thanos: A Desire to Lose
Earlier we said that Thor is the most powerful superhero in comics, but not the most powerful person -- that's because some of these villains aren't even in the same league. Take Thanos, a guy so insanely powerful that at one point he became the "living embodiment of the universe."
We are but microbes in Thanos' butt crack.
Even when Thanos isn't obliterating entire galaxies at whim, he still has other powers like matter manipulation, time travel, teleportation, telekinesis and, oh, immortality. He's also a super-genius in all fields of science, because what the hell, at this point he might as well be. And yet every time, the good guys manage to defeat him and undo the damage. How come?
The Ridiculous Weakness:
"A subconscious desire to lose." Is it just us, or are these getting more and more abstract? Is there a superhero whose weakness is "any action that is described with an adverb?"
Anyway, this means Thanos "arrange[s] for himself to defeated" because deep down he knows he doesn't deserve to win. It's the same reason he can't maintain an erection.
Infinity Gauntlet #5 (1991)
"Stop thinking about me in bed. It's weird."
Surely the mighty Thanos responds to this ridiculous accusation by vanishing the orange person from existence, right? Actually, he sorta stands there mumbling excuses like his mom just found his hidden porn folder.
Infinity Gauntlet #5 (1991)
Sometimes naming the folder "Boring School Stuff" isn't enough, Thanos.
Like the orange guy said, this has happened several times, and the revelation does bring his older stories under new light:
There's also that time he was defeated by a Hostess Fruit Pie (we're guessing).
#1. Captain Marvel Jr.: Saying His Own Name
Captain Marvel Jr. is the junior sidekick of Captain Marvel (duh), and also the inspiration for Elvis' haircut and fashion sense.
He hasn't got much else going for him, sadly.
Captain Marvel gets his powers by shouting the word "SHAZAM," which grants him the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules and the "who the fuck is that guy" of Azamoncules. His junior version, in turn, must say "Captain Marvel" to activate his fantastic powers. He's exactly like Captain Marvel Sr. in every other sense, except for the fact that he's shorter, bluer and ...
The Ridiculous Weakness:
He can't say his own name.
Power of Shazam #14 (1996)
That's his weakness. He can't introduce himself at parties. Or at all.
It's like the small print at the bottom of the contract or the legally required health warning at the end of an ad, except wholly unnecessary and bizarre. If Captain Marvel Jr. says "Captain Marvel Jr." he transforms from a shimmering beacon of muscly justice into a crippled orphan, which can be a huge inconvenience since superheroes tend to fly everywhere (whereas crippled orphans do not). This can lead to uncomfortable situations ...
"... Wolverine. Call me Wolverine."
What's even more ridiculous is that, instead of using the opportunity to ditch his stupid name, modern writers decided to work around this issue by shortening the name to CM3, since he's the third most important member in the Captain Marvel Family (which also includes Uncle Marvel and Hoppy the Marvel Bunny).
Of course, CM3 is a profoundly stupid name, too. His problem now isn't losing his powers, but feeling like a douchebag every time he says it.
Also being mistaken for food supplements.
J. F. Sargent is the managing editor of PCulpa.com. He also teaches poetry to youth in jail, and you can read their work and send them comments here.
For more comic book insanity, check out 6 Superheroes Who Completely Lost Their Shit and 9 Superhero Powers That Would Be More Trouble Than They're Worth.


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Northwest Extreme Late Model Series Back In Action For Race Two Of 2014
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Alyssa Jones)
Banks, Oregon- After a nail biter of a feature at Cottage Grove Speedway the Northwest Extreme Late Model Series will trek north to Sunset Speedway Park on Saturday April 26th for the second race of the season. The show is expected to be a good one as the "Banks Bullring" has produced some memorable features in the past four seasons and will be the first of nine total appearances by the series this year.
Shaun Mayea would pick up the big win in the first round of the 2014 Northwest Extreme Late Model Series season down in Cottage Grove. Brad Martin would finish a respectable second place while Greg Walters completed the evening's podium.
The Northwest Extreme Late Model Series has visited the Banks bullring a total of nineteen times since the organization's inception in 2010 with Greg Walters winning the most at twelve triumphs. Collen Winebarger has three wins while drivers with just one include Terry Ferrando, Jerry Schram, Russ Sell, and Billy Workman Jr.
Pit Gates will open at 2:00 PM, Front Gates open at 3:30, and racing starts at 6:00. Tickets for this event are Adults $12.00, Seniors/Military/Juniors (13-18) $10.00, Youths (Ages 12-6) $5.00, and Children under the age of 5 are FREE and a family pass will be offered for two Adults and up to four Youths for just $35.00. For more information log on to www.sunsetspeedwaypark.com.
Previous Northwest Extreme Late Model Series Winners At Sunset Speedway Park:
2013- Greg Walters on April 27th, Greg Walters on May 4th, Collen Winebarger on June 1st, Collen Winebarger on June 15th, Greg Walters on July 4th, Collen Winebarger on July 13th, Greg Walters on July 27th, Greg Walters on August 3rd, Greg Walters on September 7th
2012- Terry Ferrando on June 16th, Jerry Schram on July 4th, Greg Walters on August 4th
2011- Greg Walters on June 4th, Greg Walters on July 23rd, Greg Walters on August 6th
2010- Greg Walters on May 1st, Russ Sell on June 12th, Billy Workman Jr. on July 17th, Greg Walters on August 7th
Sunset Speedway
Driven by MyRacePassTM
Sunset Speedway | All rights reserved


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What is the difference between idiom and design-pattern? It seems that these terminologies overlap somewhere; where exactly, I don't know. Are they interchangeable? When should I use what?
Here is a list of C++ Idioms. Can I call them design patterns?
Wikipedia defines,
Programming Idiom as a low-level Design Pattern
What does it mean? What does "low-level" mean here?
This question is inspired from another question : Are the some design patterns language dependent?


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Butler County History Center and Kansas Oil Museum will host "Civil Rights Working in Kansas," a presentation and discussion by Gretchen Cassel Eick at 7 p.m. Friday at the museum, located at 383 E. Central.
Members of the community are invited to attend the free program.
To kick off the evening, the museum is hosting a Preview Party, starting at 6 p.m., featuring five new exhibits, a new Web site and new microfilm reader in their research library.
The program is made possible by the Kansas Humanities Council.
Location, ST | website.com


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STEUBENVILLE - Ten inside wireman apprentices finished their five-year apprenticeship program and earned associate degrees from Eastern Gateway Community College.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 246 and the Steubenville Division of the National Electrical Contractors Association celebrated the new apprentices' graduation with a dinner and ceremony at Williams Country Club in Weirton.
The celebration marks the completion of more than 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, accompanied by 1,000 hours of classroom training during the last five years. The 10 moved to journeyman status and all 10 earned enough college credits to be awarded associate degrees of technical studies. This is the fifth group to complete the training and to receive college degrees, officials said.
Article Photos
GRADUATING APPRENTICES — The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 246 and the Steubenville Division of the National Electrical Contractors Association celebrated the graduation of 10 inside wireman apprentices. Completing the program were, seated, from left, L. Tyler Kelley, Stephen Badgley, Christopher Scammell, Lance Lucarelli and Matthew Keller; and standing, Michael Bell, Charles Nemeth, Greg Whiting, Donald Hipkiss and Dustin Crawford. They also received associate degrees from Eastern Gateway Community College.
Anthony Shreve of the NECA Division and Steubenville apprenticeship director praised the journeymen.
He also acknowledged their family members.
The graduating apprentices received certificates of completion from the U.S. Department of Labor and NJATC. Additionally, they were awarded IBEW/NECA class insignia rings and framed journeyman plaques.
New journeymen and college graduates include Stephen R. Badgley of East Liverpool; Michael W. Bell, Steubenville; Dustin R. Crawford, Irondale; Donald S. Hipkiss, Mingo Junction; Matthew M. Keller, Bloomingdale; L. Tyler Kelley, Empire; Lance C. Lucarelli, Rayland; Charles C. Nemeth, Steubenville; Chris J. Scammell, Follansbee; and Greg S. Whiting, Adena.
Laura Meeks, Eastern Gateway president, presented diplomas to the two-year program graduates.
Hipkiss received the John Habash Award for outstanding apprentice. This award is named in honor of long-time apprentice instructor and IBEW leader John Habash of Steubenville.
The award is based on excellence in classroom training, leadership and on-the-job performance. Barkoci will be one of 40 apprentices attending a summer session in Grand Rapids, Mich., this summer to further their knowledge of the electrical construction industry.
Information on apprenticeship and access to skilled electrical craftsman can be obtained by contacting IBEW Local 246 in Steubenville.


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I have a kettle-corn popcorn recipe that I have to pop on the stove as I don't have a popcorn maker and I wouldn't want to add the sugar to the popcorn maker. This makes me wonder what the best way to pop popcorn, in a pot with a lid, over the stove is?
Use a carbon-steel wok! The shape works very well to keep the unpopped kernels in the hot oil, while the popped kernels end up on the cooler sides. I usually use about 2 T of oil and 1/3 c of popcorn to make enough for two people.
If you want to keep with the Chinese theme, Szechuan peppercorn-salt goes extremely well on popcorn! To make it, grind Szechuan peppercorns and kosher salt in a spice grinder.
Use a large heavy-bottomed pot (idealy 3-4 quart size) and place it over medium to medium-high heat until you can hold your hand about 6 inches above the bottom surface and feel the heat radiating off it. At that point add about 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan, tilting to coat the bottom evenly. Drop in a kernel or two and cover. When the kernels pop, quickly add in the remaining, cover and shake the pan on the heat to keep the unpopped kernels on the bottom where they'll heat the best. Cook and shake until the popping stops.
In order to have enough volume for the popped corn, you'll need to do it in batches of about 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels at a time if you're doing a large amount.
All these answers are basically correct. Something to add. I have found that covering the bottom of whatever pan you are using (except the wok or other round bottoms) with kernels (so that the kernels are evenly distributed and there are no kernels on top of one another) just so it is covered, but no more, the volume of corn, once popped, is close to the top.
Also, a neat change of pace for a topping: nutritional yeast ;--)
Put the oil and one or two kernels over medium heat and wait for them to pop. Then add the rest of the kernels and shake the pot back and forth until the popcorn popping slows or stops. You can use a wide range of oils to have different tastes.
Soak the popcorn in water for about 10 minutes, drain, pop - this will help to pop all of the kernels and should make them more fluffy...
1.) I would also suggest using a Whirley Pop Popper on the stove over a standard pot always. The concept of if is exactly the same as what you'd find in a Movie theater. The Whirley Popper gives you the advantage of keeping the kernels moving around so that they can all cook evenly and eliminating the chance of burning them. It takes about 2 minutes from start to finish. Close to the same amount of time for microwave popcorn but better for you and much, much better flavor.
2.) The right kind of kernels are very important. I have found that white popcorn kernels tend to have the most flavor once it has been popped. And the one's I've purchased tend to be larger kernels than most of the yellow kernel corn. Keep in mind, that cheaper is never better when it comes to corn kernels.
3.) The most flavorful and best kind of oil to use is coconut oil, hands down. Why waste your time on vegetable or canola oil when the flavorful essence of the coconut oil truly enhances the flavor of your popped corn? The flavor that it creates even eliminates the need for butter! It actually tastes so good without it.
4.) Last thing is the salt. The right type of salt is paramount to taking your popcorn flavor to the next level. I highly suggest FINE grain popcorn salt, specifically. It will spread more evenly, giving you a higher rate of coverage on your pieces.
I use a very large stainless steel bowl, with a flat bottom placed directly on the burner. Add a tablespoon or so (I don't measure) of your favorite high temp oil (corn and safflower come to mind) along with your popping corn (I think I use between 75 and 100 grams).
Cover the lid with a piece of aluminum foil, poke a bunch of vents in it with a knife, and place over medium high heat. You will need to shake it as it pops so make sure you have some high temp gloves or the like.
Warning: My bowl has been difficult to get totally clean after this... treat those burnt looking scuffs as a badge of honor!
I am making popcorn that is better than popcorn at the movie theater.
Buy a Whirly-pop popcorn popper. It cost me about $15 at Bed Bath and beyond with a coupon. It has an arm that you crank to move the kernels around. It also has vent holes in the lid to let the steam out. Steam will cause the popcorn to get tough and chewy.
My oil is from Sam's Club. It is a butter flavored popcorn oil. About $9 for a gallon.
The salt also comes from Sam's Club. You'll get two containers... enough to last a couple of years for $4.
Use regular old yellow popcorn from the grocery.
Need to butter your popcorn? You'll get some butter flavor from the butter flavored oil? Want more? Put in more oil.
Want real butter on your popcorn without it getting soggy? Then you need to clarify your butter before adding it to your popcorn.
To clarify your butter: 1. Melt it. 2. Put it in the fridge. It will solify again, but separated from whatever water was in there. 3. Drain off the water. 4. You now have clarified butter.
Melt the clarified butter and drizzle on your popcorn. Drizzle, mix, drizzle, mix, drizzle, mix.


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Carbon Fiber Bags
An essential style with valuable materials and bright colors. These are the characteristics of the new Collezione Automobili Lamborghini line for Autumn/Winter 2011. The House of the Bull interprets the coming winter season with a collection of clothing and accessories for men and women that epitomize the perfect blend of style, quality and tradition.
The highlight of the Autumn/Winter Collection is the first-ever line of bags in the world made of sports car grade carbon fiber fabric - an extremely hardwearing, yet lightweight material that has never before been used to create fashion accessories. Three different models of these unisex bags are available: Travel Soft bag, Messenger and Envelope. The bags feature the same material used in the production of Lamborghini's new V12 flagship, Aventador LP 700-4, and as a result are resilient and lightweight.
In addition, other exclusive products, such as the Automobili Lamborghini fountain and ballpoint pens by Omas and the Laptop VX7 Automobili Lamborghini Asus, take on a new orange color reminiscent of the Aventador LP 700-4 in Arancio Atlas. The Autumn/Winter 2011 collection is available at the flagship boutiques in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Melbourne, Berlin, Honk Kong, Chengdu, Chong Qing and Shantou, as well as at the 120 Lamborghini dealerships worldwide and online at the Lamborghinistore.com.


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All Books
|Title :
|The Entropy Effect
|Writers :
|Vonda McIntyre
|Year :
|Rating :
|3.0000 for 1 reviews
|Add your own review
|Reviewer :
|Rating :
|Review :
|(re-print of the original book) Yet again the Enterprise saves the Universe from distruction. Plot holds interest better than many others of similar nature, characterizations are good, not too technical.
|Copyright Graham Kennedy
|Page views : 4,704
|Last updated : 1 Jan 1970


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When speaking in terms of flash specifications, what is flash duration and how does it impact exposure?
Simply, it's the duration the flash is actually on, emitting light.
This doesn't impact exposure per se; as long as the same amount of light is emitted, you'll get the same exposure. But it can affect the result: as the flash duration gets shorter, it has a better ability to freeze motion.
For most photography this won't matter very much. 1/1000s is a typical duration for decent flashguns at full power1, which is more than sufficient to freeze normal motion in a photograph. Other aspects will have much more bearing on the results; flash power, shutter speed, and so forth.
The one example I can imagine where shorter flash durations would be particularly desirable is for high-speed photography.
The duration is exactly that - the amount of time that the flash is lit for. The longer the flash is lit, then the more light can be used to illuminate the scene.
Flash power affects its "guide number" with more powerful flashes having a higher guide number and you can get the same amount of light out of a more powerful flash in a shorter time, which allows you to capture faster moving objects.
Duration is how long the bulb is on, essentially, and so determines how much light is applied to the subject. The duration would then have an impact on freezing a subject, shorter durations able to freeze faster motion. This is very common in high speed photography such as water drops and the like where you apply a very short burst of light to freeze the drop and/or splash at that brief moment.
I use this technique a lot with water drops, my actual shutter is open for a second and I will apply a very short burst of light to freeze the motion. So, clearly, the room needs to be very dark, but now the shutter is irrelevant to stopping the motion, it's all in the light.
One thing I'd add to Matt's explanation would be that when you use high-speed flash sync (available on most same-brand DSLR+flash combinations) to get shorter shutter times below your camera sync speed (X-sync), the flash actually fires multiple times, so you can't use it to freeze fast moving subjects, because all you'd get would be several phases merged together.
Time taken by flash to reach its peak level is flash duration.
For easier understanding -
Let's say a flash was lit for 1 second.(From zero to peak and then back to zero).
Then flash duration = 1/2 second. (From zero to peak).


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World's Longest Yard Sale is 690 miles of deals
Maybe it's the hazy summer heat that convinces us we need to buy that entire box of wrestling action figures—or maybe it's just garage sale fever setting in—but you know you're going to buy them.
If you're a thrifter, flea market master, or you're second-hand-savvy, you might want to sit down. We've found the world's largest four-day yard sale. You're going to need a really big trunk.
Traditionally, the annual 127 Corridor Sale begins the first Thursday of August and goes for four solid days of hardcore thrifting — that means this year's sale starts Aug. 7. The fun begins at Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden, Alabama, and goes for a whopping 690 miles along Route 127, ending in Addison, Michigan.
The World's Longest Yard Sale draws thousands of venders from all over the country. Everyone from local businesses to families dragging all their junk down to the tables for you to pick through, hawk their wares along Route 127.
If you partake, expect to find loads of hand-made jewelry, collectibles, second-hand furniture, weird knick knacks, candles, crafts and plenty of diet-destroying food.
If other people's stuff isn't enough to lure you from the comforts of your air-conditioning, many of the routes along the 127 Corridor Sale include more than 300 roadside attractions, historical sites, waterfalls, hiking trails and plenty of other places to spend your cash.
In its first incarnation, the World's Longest Yard Sale was just a flea market along U.S. 127, created by Fentress County executive Mike Walker in 1987. But over the years the gargantuan sale has expanded and turned into a cultural phenomenon, with people coming from all over the world just to participate.
In a lot of ways, the sale has become a traveling festival, with a community vibe and attendees that come back year after year to participate.
The downside to the whole extravaganza? Loads of traffic, but at least you won't have to slow down to check out all the tables.
If you're attending this year's 127 Corridor Sale, the fun starts bright and early Thursday morning and wraps up on Aug. 10.
Gas up your car, grab your rainy day cash, a get ready to find some treasures! All you have to do is show up and shop!


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Mosaic Computing is a highly reliable, secured and software rich environment. Mosaic Computing is available to every College of Engineering faculty, staff and student from Mosaic workstation in the labs or on the desktop or from remote access to our MosaicAnywhere server pool. This website provides a wealth of resources to enrich your experience with the Mosaic Computing environment.
Helpful Links: Message of the Day (MOTD) Newsletter
Click on the Campus photo below to see the location and details of all Mosaic Labs.


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I am trying hard to use version control but i am so used to old method of editing files directly via FTP that i am feeling confused what to do. So i am thinking of one solution and please help me with this if its possible or not
I have the user folder in Linux VPS system(Single VPS only)
Now that will be linked with
That directory will be version controlled with
repo in the folder
/usr/bin/repo/ so that i can commit the changes.
Now i will have another directory called
/home/user/public_html which will have the contents updated as the commit is done in
/home/user/public_html will be linked with
So that i keep working and editing files in public_html2 via FTP normal and test code as it is but main site is version controlled
Is it possible??


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Anderson University Leads the Palmetto State in Capital One Academic All-District ® HonorsMay 30, 2014
ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson University, along with the University of South Carolina, led the Palmetto State in the number of student-athletes earning Capital One Academic All-District ® honors during the 2013-14 academic year, as nine Trojan athletes captured academic all-district accolades.
Anderson and USC paced the 18 NCAA Division I and Division II institutions in South Carolina that earned an all-district honor, as the Trojans and Gamecocks combined to tally 18 of the 69 all-district accolades garnered by in-state schools. The AU softball team saw three players named academic all-district, while the men's soccer program followed with two honorees, with baseball, men's basketball, men's cross country and volleyball collecting one apiece.
Since the 2009-10 campaigns, Trojan student-athletes have accumulated 19 CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, with three honorees moving on to earn a first -, second- and third-team CoSIDA Academic All-America selection.
The teams, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Capital One has been the entitlement rights holder to CoSIDA's Academic All-America teams programs since 2011.
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
The Capital One Division II and III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures, to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2013-14 DII and DIII Academic All-America® teams program.
2013-14 Anderson University Academic All-District Honorees
Baseball – Nathan Galliford
Men's Basketball – Chandler Hash
Men's Cross Country – Parks Edwards
Men's Soccer – Mattias Schyberg and Lars Zimmerman
Softball – Bri Cason, Laura Jansky, Rebecca Martin
Volleyball – Meghan Cautero
School Honorees
T-1. Anderson 9
T-1. South Carolina 9
3. USC Beaufort 8
4. Wofford 7
5. Newberry 6
T-6. Coastal Carolina 5
T-6. Limestone 5
T-8. Benedict 4
T-8. Clemson 4
T-10. Coker 2
T-10. USC Aiken 2
T-10. Winthrop 2
T-13. The Citadel 1
T-13. Erskine 1
T-13. Francis Marion 1
T-13. Furman 1
T-13. Presbyterian 1
T-13. USC Upstate 1


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If "<i>" is innocuous enough to be allowed in questions and answers, why can't we use it in comments too? Please don't make me memorize a bunch of dippy Markdown syntax just to add a little flavor to my comments.
What is meta?
- Any Stack Exchange user can ask a question
- The community provides support, votes on ideas, and reports bugs
- Your voice helps shape the way Stack Exchange operates
We do allow very limited markdown in comments now. Click the "help" link below the Add Comment button to get comment formatting help.
No HTML, just Markdown in comments, please!
See: http://meta.stackoverflow.com/editing-help/#comment-formatting
I think the idea of a comment should be a quick text entry. If the comments start getting all jacked up with LI and IMG and all of the others, you lose all UI smoothness for the sake of better terms.
Overall, please no...
A markdown for links would be great and helpful, something like A Search Engine
Personally, I'm just sick of having to remember to escape > and < in posts but not in comments.
Okay-- and I'd love to know how to escape asterisks because I've had to resort to using >smile< instead of my usual "asterisk" smile "asterisk"... >sigh<


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$theTitle=wp_title(" - ", false); if($theTitle != "") { ?>
This December, I fell in love with a music duo that has been makin' me Swoon ever since I listened to their latest EP. Timeflies is a genre-bending talent originally hailing from New York and New Jersey but fully got their start in Boston. In fall 2011, the duo released their first album, The Scotch Tape and out of nowhere, flew to #8 on the overall iTunes chart and peaked at #2 on iTunes pop chart. Vanity Fair even named the duo "musical masterminds".
Timeflies consists of Rob 'Rez' Resnick and Cal Shapiro. Rez majored in music and philosophy in school and got an early start in music production while DJing and playing in various bands. He connected with Cal, a singer and free styler rapper. The rest is musical history with an album, a mixtape and EP under their belts, there's no telling where these boys are gonna end up in this coming year.
Two weeks ago, I downloaded their EP One Night and I haven't been able to stop listening to it. I thought I would include my favorite stand-out tracks below for you to check out. If you like what you hear, download the EP on iTunes.


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Showing 1-14 of 14 items found in Shopping
- Sort by:
- <
- 1
- >
Owned by Kevin Denney, this family name means quality. A large selection of jewelry and jewelry repair is offered in-house. Custom orders are also taken.
Fresh flowers, silks, balloons, candy, weddings, delivery.
The 24+ dealers invite you to visit the South Jax Antique Mall behind Kottage Kafe on S. Main. Large variety of antiques, including depression glass, furniture, vintage jewelry, pottery, stoneware, clocks, cameras, glassware & collectibles.
Locally owned jewelry store with a nice selection of gifts and crystal including Waterford.
Southeast area of the Square. Open Wednesday's from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., June through October. Free vendor set-up. Sponsored by Jacksonville Main Street.
Florist offering unique handmade wreaths, bouquets and arrangements. Also feature boutique items including hard to find gifts and purses.
Enjoy the inspiring surroundings of Jacksonville's sewing complex. A beautiful and bright 2500 sq ft showroom is packed with all types of sewing needs, including JANOME sewing machines to try before you buy! Wonderful cabinets fill the room to give you the feel of home! The store's friendly staff will make you feel welcome. The store offers in-house sewing machine repair for most makes and models and classes for all levels of sewers in all types of sewing interest. There are always changes going on at Times Square. After looking at all the variety of things in the showroom, check out the 1250sq ft classroom, where there are several quilts from previous classes on display.
Unique locally owned shop featuring gifts, crafts, holiday decor -- and during the warmer months plants and flowers for your outdoor gardens.
50-plus dealers feature antique furniture, primitives, glassware, etc.
Main Street Trading Co & General Store
Reproduction and antique furniture and accessories. Also a large selection of antique and estate jewelry -- a store with a unique experience.
Specializing in musical instruments, sheet music and hard-to-find music accessories.
An ecclectic boutique featuring hard-to-find posh gifts for everyone in the family. Clothing and accessories. Located in the Transfer Company Shops.
Lincoln Square Shopping Center's Farmers Market. Come early for best selection! Located North of JC Penney's. Occurs June through October.
Stop by and pick up certified organic apples and peaches.
- <
- 1
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The technique I mean is where the profile page will say "You have completed 60% of your profile, fill in your x, y and z to get to 100%". I think this is a very powerful technique but I can't remember what it's called so I can't direct my boss to any articles about it. I think it ends in 'bar'.
The ui control or pattern for this is Completeness Meter (See the ui pattern for this). It's sometimes called a Progress Bar, but that term also has a much more generic use - such as in the case of a download percentage, and less specific to the sort of profile completeness you are talking about.
The underlying concept is that of Gradual Engagement. The profile completion percentage is a motivator to increase the amount of information given to the website, but essentially it's all about gradual engagement. Other terms include progressive disclosure but I prefer gradual engagement - especially since the term has stuck thanks to the likes of Luke Wroblewski - see his pages on this topic - and his preso on why sign up forms must die
This is a form of gamification, too. As users will want to reach 100% completion, like in a game, they will strive to complete their set tasks. Especially if there is some form of reward at the end of the 100%. http://www.dropbox.com do this especially well where they reward their users with extra storage if they complete set tasks and get to 100% completion.
The only reason I'm on stack exchange is to receive badges!! So give this one a vote ;) I'm a newbie you see.
Jakob Neilsen describes this best:
On the Web, usability is a necessary condition for survival. If a website is difficult to use, people leave. If the homepage fails to clearly state what a company offers and what users can do on the site, people leave. If users get lost on a website, they leave. If a website's information is hard to read or doesn't answer users' key questions, they leave. Note a pattern here? There's no such thing as a user reading a website manual or otherwise spending much time trying to figure out an interface. There are plenty of other websites available; leaving is the first line of defense when users encounter a difficulty.


text:
Before the Poison
Before the Poison
William Morrow, Hardcover, 9780062004796, 368pp.
Publication Date: February 1, 2012
Chris Lowndes built a comfortable career composing scores for films in Hollywood. But after twenty-five years abroad, and still quietly reeling from the death of his beloved wife, he decides to return to the Yorkshire dales of his youth. To ease the move, he buys Kilnsgate House, a rambling old mansion deep in the country.
Although Chris finds Kilnsgate charming, something about the house disturbs him, a vague sensation that the long-empty rooms have been waiting for himfeelings made ever stronger when he learns that the house was the scene of a murder more than fifty years before. The former owner, a prominent doctor named Ernest Arthur Fox, was supposedly poisoned by his beautiful and much younger wife, Grace. Arrested and brought to trial, Grace was found guilty and hanged for the crime.
His curiosity piqued, Chris talks to the locals and searches through archives for information about the case. But the more he discovers, the more convinced he becomes that Grace may have been innocent. Ignoring warnings to leave it alone, he sets out to discover what really happened over half a century agoa quest that takes him deep into the past and into a web of secrets that lie all too close to the present.
Peter Robinson's award-winning novels have been named a Best-Book-of-the-Year by Publishers Weekly, a Notable Book by the New York Times, and a Page-Turner-of-the-Week by People magazine. Robinson was born and raised in Yorkshire, but has lived in North America for more than twenty-five years. He now divides his time between North America and the U.K.
-Globe and Mail on Before the Poison


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Do you think a writing can always benefit from the use of a visual illustration? If so, how to find for free or buy an appropriate picture, photo, drawing etc.? What are practical recommendations?
It depends on how you want to use it. If you're just looking for inspiration, Deviant Art is a good place to start, or someplace else if your interests have their own art site. On the other hand, if you're looking for art to put in your story that's going to be different, though believe it or not Deviant Art is a great place for that as well.
Now, if you're just look to put the picture on your website and link back to the artists, they maybe willing to let you use an existing piece for free. On the other hand if your looking to put it in a book things are going to be more complicated.
Quick switch of hats, I used to be an editor and publisher of a small press magazine, Deviant Art was the first placed we looked for artists. We almost never used existing art we found on the site (though there was one cover) but we were always willing to commission something from an artist.
Most quality artists are willing to talk about commissions, but the prices might be more then you expect. Most of our covers cost around $150 each, some more then that, and to be honest we got some fantastic deals.
So, here are some things to keep in mind when you're talking with an artist:
Also, depending where you get published, you might not have say on the illustration for your story. That is usually the editors job...
Yes, illustrations can have a good effect on your writings, just don't turn your book into glance journal.
Basically, your publisher could take illustrating work on himself, but if you want to furnish your book yourself, here are some advices:
1. Find a good image for cover of your book.
This is the most important illustration of your book, perhaps, because it brings readers attention. Pictures suitability really depends on genre. I prefer unusual beauty drawings with a mystery slice like works of Salvador Dali. You can find great book covers here
2. Inspire some picture artists
Present your book to some artists around you, and maybe they'll become inspired so much that will draw or make a photos specially for your work. With our digital era it is not that hard.
3. Look on image art resources (but not image hostings)
This advice should be combined with second. Yes, Flickr and deviantART are here for you. You've found a great picture? Well, just ask an author, and promise to reference him. Most of them will gladly give you rights to use their works free or for a very low fee.
4. Don't use prohibited images even if you liked one very much.
Courts are bad for business.


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Mini Umbrellas
- Overview
While the kids are lounging, keep their delicate skin safe from the sun with our cheerful umbrella.
- 46" diameter, 57" high
- Pole is crafted of FSC-certified, moisture-resistant eucalyptus.
- A polyurethane finish provides unparalleled durability and water resistance.
- Sewn from weather-resistant, ring-spun polyester canvas; imported.
- To learn about our commitment to the environment, watch the president of FSC-US talk about PBK's role in supporting forest stewardship.
- Dimensions & Care
- Rigorously tested to meet or exceed the highest industry safety standards.
- Eucalyptus is a dense, fine-grained hardwood that's rich in moisture-resistant oils.
- Wood is certified sustainably harvested by the Forest Stewardship Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to responsible management of the world's forests.
- Open: 46" diameter, 57" high
- Closed: 5" diameter, 57" high
- Pole: 1" diameter
- Weight: 4.5 pounds
- Brush the umbrella canvas regularly to remove dirt and dust.
- For spot cleaning, sponge lightly with a solution of mild soap and warm water.
- To prevent mildew, be sure umbrella fabric is completely dry prior to storing.
- Do not cover with plastic or similar materials that would trap moisture.
- Clean with a soft, dry cloth.
- Avoid harsh chemicals and abrasives as they may damage the finish.
- Store indoors in cool, dry place when not in use.
- Cover during storage using a proper outdoor cover allowing adequate ventilation without trapping moisture.
- Shipping & Return Info
This is a general shipping item.
View Our Shipping Information
Return Policy
At Pottery Barn Kids, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction is our priority. We carefully inspect your order prior to shipment; upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage. We will arrange for a prompt replacement. If, within 7 days for Quick Ship upholstery and 30 days for all other products, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value.
If your return for Merchandise Credit Cards is greater than $10,000, we will issue $10,000 in Merchandise Credit Cards to you that day, and then mail additional Merchandise Credit Card(s) for the amount in excess of $10,000 to you.
We cannot accept returns on monogrammed, personalized, special-order items, or on items damaged through normal wear and tear. We also cannot accept returns of final-sale items, which are identified by a price that ends in $0.99.
For returns of items purchased from your Pottery Barn Kids registry, we will gladly provide a refund or exchange for the merchandise within 90 days of your event or within 90 days of purchase, whichever date is later.
For assistance, please contact Customer Service at 800.993.4923, 7 days a week, 5:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. PST.
International Returns: Online returns are available only for items that were shipped to the United States. If you would like to return items that were shipped outside the US, please see International Returns and Exceptions.


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Georgia Wildlife Resources Division
2070 U.S. Hwy. 278, SE, Social Circle, GA 30025
A new archery range at Victoria Bryant State Park, located near Royston and Franklin Springs, is now available for archers, bow hunters, youth groups and others interested in perfecting their target skills. It is one of 13 archery ranges currently available on public land in Georgia, and one of two ranges located at a State Park.
The Archery Range at Victoria Byrant consists of two ranges. The first is a static range with four targets that range from 10 – 40 yards in length. Here, archers shoot into large "bow butt" targets that are secured into freestanding target sheds. The second range is a 3-D trail with 20 realistic targets at various distances.
The range will serve as a resource for area archers and bow hunters, for park programming activities and for school groups participating in the National Archery in Schools Program. Users need to bring their own gear. To reduce impact to targets, broadheads are not allowed.
To help the park maintain the range, users will pay a $10 daily ($5 for children 12 and younger) or $100 individual/$150 family annual ($50 for children 12 and younger) fee. Permits may be purchased at the park office.
The development of the range has been a collaborative effort between Georgia Department of Natural Resources State Parks & Historic Sites Division and Wildlife Resources Division. Using funds from the Federal Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program, the Wildlife Resources Division was able to supply materials needed for construction while Victoria Bryant will manage, administer and maintain the range.
Sportsmen and women provide more than $30 million each year through the Federal Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program to fund wildlife conservation in the state through license fees and self-imposed excise taxes collected on the purchase of firearms, ammunition, archery equipment and fishing equipment. Funds are granted on the State level based on several factors, including the number of paid sporting licenses in Georgia.
The Archery Range at Victoria Bryant State Park will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. until sunset. To learn more, visit www.gastateparks.org/VictoriaBryant [1] or call (706) 245-6270. For more information on archery ranges available in Georgia, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/Hunting/ArcheryRanges [2].
[1] http://www.gastateparks.org/VictoriaBryant
[2] http://www.georgiawildlife.com/Hunting/ArcheryRanges


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How do I keep the kitty out of the Christmas tree?
It's been many years since I've had an inside cat during Christmas, so perhaps I've just forgotten. Camry is 8 months old now and when we brought the tree into the house a little while ago she went nuts! She has never been that interested in catnip! I have pulled her out of the middle of the tree about a dozen times, scolded, swatted, and finally locked her in another room. She would climb under the branches and up the trunk while we were stringing the lights, I would grab her by the collar and pull her out, scold her soundly, and she would dash around me and do it all over again. Egads! I think the tree smells great, too, but I'M not climbing up the trunk!
I read that there are things I can spray on the tree (and the poinsettia, etc.) that should repulse her, but so far the home remedies I've found are useless. Any tips? I don't want to be fighting this throughout the holidays. Help!
24 Answers answer
Cats respond well to water. We had a cat that wouldn't stop knocking ornaments off the bottom of the tree one year and a water pistol did wonders. Just a little blast when she would get near the tree. After a few times, she didn't want to be anywhere near the tree anymore.
Most Christmas lights should be rated for outdoor use as well as indoor use, so there shouldn't be any worries about getting a little water on them in the process but you may want to double check just to be sure.
Good luck!
Never had a cat that interested. But we have used the water strategy, just a squirt bottle instead of a water pistol, on the occasional climber.
You don't. You make it as safe as you can. Put a hook in the ceiling and secure the tree to that so it doesn't fall over. Use it for a hanging plant or something the rest of the year. Use unbreakable ornaments or at least ones you don't care about.
Then let kitty have fun. Hopefully she'll get bored with it.
My 13+ lb Sammy likes to do this as well. The 7 lb Diva, not so much.
I ran guy wires (almost invisible fishing line) from near the top of the tree to the walls (attached to hooks in the moulding) so that the tree could not tip over. Then I ignored them and let them climb.
I heard a person once recommend taping it to the wall. At the time I assumed that she meant to tape the cat to the wall but later thought maybe she meant taping the tree to the wall.
Same situation here! I am armed with a squirt bottle. Jake is figuring out that getting near the tree means getting wet. I also kept my favorite/fragile ornaments in the box. No since inviting trouble.
My only other suggestion, is to get a scat mat. They're available in lots of sizes. That would protect the tree while you are not home. Kitty says - don't taze me bro!
Not sure how to keep them out, but like others have said, make sure that tree is secure! The first year we had a kitten and a Christmas tree in the house together, that tree went down in the middle of the night. Nothing like that sound to wake you up, not to mention needing to decorate the tree a second time.
The next year we had wires attached to the wall to secure the tree. We found those wires more of a hazard to the humans in the house, though. The next year my husband modified our tree stand. It is now firmly attached to a large sheet of plywood. We then put a 20-pound weight on the plywood. The tree skirt covers it just fine, and the tree cannot possibly tip over.
You can try feliway, but I don't know how much that will help. Best answer are to attempt the squirt bottle thing, and try to secure the tree so it doesn't fall over.
I second (fifth, whatever) the squirt bottle. If you aren't bothered by the look of it, you might also try spreading some aluminum foil on the floor around the tree -- cats generally hate the feel of it. Of course, that might just encourage the cat to get a running start and take a flying leap into the tree, so do with that what you will. Or possibly set some foil sheets on the lower branches until the cat loses interest.
You don't! I have many pictures of my cats and tree! Sometimes in it, sometimes just near it. We have a small 5 foot tree we put on a table and the secured to the ceiling with a fishing line. Worked well. We don't put fragile ornaments on the tree anymore, nor do we use tinsel (the one kitty eats it, then promptly throws it up). Fortunately the kitties eventually got bored of trying to climb it, but they will still sit next to it or investigate the water dish. Now, it's just my moms cat that sees it. My cats are locked in my room. I'm terrified to think of what my little monsters would do with a tree. I'm pretty sure the Siamese would wreck it in about five minutes flat. One of these days, I'm going to set up a small one just to see how she reacts.
Good luck! Tell Camry I said hi!
@baybei: at least your cat threw up the tinsel. we haven't used it since i was a wee lad, b/c the cat we had then ate some, kept it down, and no one was the wiser until he had sparkly poops dragging behind him still attached by the tinsel.
mom had to follow him with scissors for a day or two.....
I don't remember him ever trying to climb up into the tree, just playing with, trying to eat the low hanging ornaments. of course we have always had artificial trees...
cat we have now, doesn't try to climb up into the tree, but we have caught her "tasting" the pretty led lights..
@earlyre: "and no one was the wiser until he had sparkly poops dragging behind him still attached by the tinsel. "
Eewww! Just eewww!
@baybei: Camry says hi right back at ya!
Just an update.
We banned Camry from the living room over night. As soon as she got out she headed straight for the tree again. As much as possible I've been keeping watch with a spray bottle and have zapped her a few times. [Note: Scientists always seem to say that negative reinforcement like this makes the animal associate the negative action with the behavior, not with the human who administered the action. BALOGNA! Camry watches the spray bottle AND me as she sneaks back toward the tree!)
The good news is that, although Camry is still enamored of the tree, she isn't actually climbing up into it today, just cruising around the bottom, batting at and nibbling the lower branches. Hopefully the novelty is wearing off.
The bad news is that I've discovered that I have a latent sadistic streak and have been enjoying the heck out of zapping the cat with a squirt of water. Do you think this places me on the naughty list?
The water will eventually discourage the cat...keep on spraying and enjoying!
@earlyre: Oh...fun...NOT! Yes, thankfully she throws it up. We still won't use it though, we've switched to those bead garlands that look like mardi-gras beads. It still looks pretty and no worries the cat will be sick.
@belyndag: I just saw a piece on the local morning news show about how to select a tree. The guy who works at the Christmas tree farm said some people prefer Spruce trees because they are more prickly than other types of trees and deter cats from climbing. Doesn't help you this year, but I guess it's something to keep in mind for next year.
@pitamuffin: Wow! Thanks! Now let's see if I can remember that until next year. We always get Frazier Furs, which are probably just an invitation to cats!
@baybei: LOL!!!!
@baybei: Took me a minute to find where I kept this one, but thought you'd like it:
@belyndag: Love that! Totally cattitude there!
The one I posted someone shared on my facebook, I had to share it here because I remembered the trouble you have been having with Camry climbing the tree. I figured it literally explains everything!
I know this was forever ago... but this is for the subscribers to this question I guess.
I was cleaning out the projector with canned air one day and my daughter asked me to stop because I was scaring the cat. The cat was in the other room... Cats HATE canned air.
Instead of spraying water try using canned air (don't spray the cat directly) it's mostly the noise that bothers them (maybe it sounds like a hiss??)
Anyways I like it better than squirt guns because you don't need to aim and you can do it from across the room while sitting down.
@spacezorro: Not too late for me! The tree is gone, but she's still into things she shouldn't be into. Funny coincidence, just yesterday I finally located my missing can of compressed air and was cleaning my laptop. You're right! She was startled every time I shot it at anything! If all it takes is the sound to scare her away from something, this would be a lot cleaner and neater than squirting water at her (and across the furniture). Thanks for the suggestion!


text:
How can I improve the formatting of text using Bb Learn's built-in HTML editor?
1. Paragraphs
- When you first create a "blank page" using Bb Learn's built-in HTML editor (Build Content/Blank Page), immediately go into the code view (click the <> button in the toolbar).
- Delete anything you find there and replace it with the following code:
-
some text

- Then, exit from code view (click the <> button again).
- From this point forward, Bb Learn will create a proper new paragraph each time you hit enter/return.
2. Removing improperly formatted text
- If the text in your document contains incorrect font types or sizes you can first select the text and then click on the "Clear Formatting button to return the text to the default type.
Last updated: Jan 31, 2013


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I have a friend who has written a series of great nursery rhymes. I would like to put these rhymes into a book as a gift for my friend, but I don't want to give up my friend's first publication rights. Is there a service I could use — perhaps like one of those photo publishing books or something along those lines — where I could get the rhymes in a bound book form but without it being considered publication?
If you have art to go with these nursery rhymes, then I'd say go the photobook route already mentioned.
If not, check out using Amazon's Create Space. It's their print on demand service, that people can use to self publish. However, there's nothing saying that you have to offer it for sale -- you can set it up in Create Space, and print out a grand total of one, and have it shipped to you. And it'll only cost you a few bucks for the printing.
Another option may be a place that has an Espresso Book Machine, if there's one near you. The espresso book machine prints out library quality books (paper back), in a matter of minutes, on demand. It's like a giant copier but better. I say "may" because whoever owns it near you may not offer it for people to print their own stuff. The one near me does, and also offers help laying it out and making a cover on a per-hour fee basis. (it does have to be laid out exactly)
Finally, on Neil Fien's excellent idea in the comments of crafting the book by hand. You may not have the time or the tools to do that, but art or graphic design students at a nearby university do. I'm guessing you could commission one of them to do it for a couple hundred bucks, and get something pretty sweet if you make it clear you're commissioning an artwork, not asking them to slap some pages together. It gets even better if it's hand-lettered, not printed.
To track that down, I'd suggest find some classes on binding, materials (paper), or on fonts, and ask the professors for recommendations. Heck, if you're loaded and willing to spend the money, I bet you could get one of the professors would do it.
The more I think about it, the more I like the hand-crafted, hand-lettered idea. That would be a stunning gift!
Is the purpose of doing this for your friend to see their words "in print", or for them to see that someone considers them good? (i.e., you.) Or perhaps it's something else entirely.
Whichever option you choose, you'll have to get the rhymes in shape for printing/publication, if they aren't already. There's no need to hire an editor, not with a print run of one, but I would do some careful proofreading.
However, print runs of nursery rhymes will include illustrations as a matter of course. If you want to simulate a print run, you'll want to do these as well.
You have a few options:
Get the rhymes into bound book form, using a short-run print service.
Do a craft-style "printing" of the book.
This would be where you get a scrapbook from a crafts store, and use it to hold the pages. Call it a "mockup" of the book.
Do a framed print of one of the rhymes.
This is the simplest way to handle this. Pick one of the rhymes, have it illustrated or decorated, and print it out nicely and put it in a frame.


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What are the advantages/disadvantages of using the arithmetic Sharpe Ratio vs the geometric Sharpe Ratio? Is one more correct? Or is one better in certain circumstances?
In addition to John's answer and just to make things clear:
The arithmetic mean is given by
$$\mu_a = \frac{1}{n} \sum_{i=1}^n x_i$$
The geometric mean is given by
$$\mu_g = \sqrt[n]{\prod_{i=1}^n (1+x_i)} -1$$
And we have that
$$\mu_g \leq \mu_a$$
So not only would the geometric sharp ratio be taking into account the "actual" return of the portfolio, but it is also a more conservative measure.
I'm not sure it makes sense to think of one as more correct than another. However, they do have significant differences. It may help to distinguish between ex-post evaluation of a strategy and ex-ante prediction of what the strategy's performance will be.
For simplicity, let's assume the log returns of the strategy are approximately i.i.d. univariate normal and the risk-free rate is a constant. If you were a mean-variance investor deciding between the risk-free rate and the strategy, you would estimate the mean and variance of the log returns, project it to the investor's horizon, and convert the normal to lognormal to obtain the arithmetic returns. So if you were calculating a Sharpe ratio that is consistent with the way it was originated in financial theory, i.e. the slope of the efficient frontier, would be this arithmetic ex ante expected Sharpe ratio.
However, the Sharpe ratio is also used in performance evaluation in different ways. I think one major reason that the geometric version is used is that the numerator will correspond with what the investor actually earned, the CAGR. This might be useful to some people, but personally I prefer to look at the CAGR by itself rather than in the Sharpe ratio. Further, the CAGR is the median of the lognormal distribution under some assumptions. I find it more intuitive to use the mean and keep ex-post consistent with ex-ante, which would bring me back to the arithmetic Sharpe.
Another reason to use the geometric version might be that it avoids the distributional issues with the lognormal distribution (since it has skewness/kurtosis). However, Opdyke (2007) provides the asympototic distribution of the Sharpe ratio under fairly general assumptions.
There are many variants proposed; some useful, some not so much. As an investor, the most important thing is to compare the exact same ratio, calculated in the exact same way, for each prospect. As the prospect/fund the most important thing is to be clear about the statistic you are reporting so your investors make well informed decisions. So let's start with some definitions specific to your question.
The difference is mostly in the use of the average of the excess returns for the period or the compounded returns. Because the log returns are generally smaller, the "Geometric Sharpe ratios" generally suggests a higher number; about 12.5% higher for samples from a uniform distribution. Naturally, it is completely bogus to compare dissimilar ratios...so be sure you know which measure you are digesting.
I think this is a no-brainer. Only log-returns make sense. The average return can only be computed by averaging the sum of individual log returns. Taking the average of standard (relative) returns does not give you an average of the individual returns. Consider a simple case where the value of an investment alternates between 100 and 50 an odd number of times. The standard return series would be: -0.5, 1, -0.5, …1 (-50% and +100%). The average of that sum gives us 0.25 (25%) – nonsense for an investment whose final value is the same as what we started with. The log returns, on the other hand give us alternating log returns of -0.6931, +0.6931, whose average is 0.
The difference between log returns and standard returns goes to zero as we shorten the period over which we evaluate the value of an investment: LN(P(n)/P(n-1)) is approximately equal to P(n)/P(n-1) – 1. Thus there would not be much difference between standard and log returns (and the computed Sharpe Ratio) if daily measurements were made. The scaling of that Sharpe Ratio from daily returns to annual returns is performed by the sqrt of the number of trade days (252), but that, of course assumes the return distribution is iid, which is not really the case.
Andrew W. Lo has a nice paper that considers the scaling of the Sharpe ratio when the return series is correlated ("The Statistics of Sharpe Ratios")
For any real world applications, the difference between the arithmetic and geometric Sharpe ratios is likely to 'fall under the noise floor', i.e. be smaller, typically much smaller, than a standard error. This is even under the generous assumptions of stationarity and absence of omitted variables.
The only correct way is using log returns.
To keep everything consistent, take a arithmetic mean of log returns.
Then calculate it net of the risk free (how do you subtract properly using geometric returns?).
Then divide (how do you do this properly using geometric returns?)
by the standard deviation (how would you calculate this properly with geometric returns?).
A geometric mean is just the tip of the iceberg. Geometric returns implies a bunch of new calculations which are far from standard.
Log returns are the only way to go with time series analysis.
The arithmetic average of +100% in Year 1 and -100% in Year 2 is 0%, but I we all know the result is not a 0% return. So arithmetic returns are absurd to use in any real life context. Maybe in another universe they can serve some purpose.
As a practical example, I have generated a sequence of returns where mean log returns are -12%, while the arithmetic mean is +1.1%.
This can happen with very heavy tailed distributions and, e.g. in evaluating hedge fund performance, the arithmetic return will mask this.
A glance at an equity curve would also highlight the issue so in reality no-one is likely to be fooled.
For unleveraged investing in stocks and indices it will make very little difference, but the arithmetic version is clearly wrong in some cases as it will give a positive sharpe for a series of returns resulting in a large loss of capital.