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Tin Story
An episode dedicated to the plucky adventures of the items held within Ian's tin box. Think Toy Story, but with a tin.
So, we have the 3 whistles (3 Amigo's)… and some amps (Can one be called Adam, y'know, like, 'Adam Amp') and other associated 'characters'… ummm
The tin falls over and the items (they're not toys so what do we call them??) make a trek to meet the contents of Dawn's hand bag. Think Grease: The T-Birds and Pink Ladies.)
Oh dear, what started as a vaguely interesting idea has gone to ruin… More musical episodes, please! We need a theme song. Every sitcom has a theme song! "He's my Bruzzer"?
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Law Enforcement and Justice Administration
WIU Home > COEHS > LEJA > Faculty Staff
LEJA faculty portray a diverse group with varying ethnic and educational backgrounds. The majority of the faculty have prior practitioner experiences. It is the diversity that strengthens the program and delivery of course work and services that underscore the School. LEJA strives for excellence with their faculty and is committed to hiring and maintaining a diverse faculty, which benefits our students, the University, and the field of criminal justice. The College and the University have recognized several LEJA faculty members for their commitment to excellence in the classroom. LEJA faculty members also invest their time and expertise by serving on Departmental, College, and University committees. Many of the faculty additionally serve on community committees and participate as board members on state and national advisory boards in varying aspects of the criminal justice profession. Faculty members also contribute to the criminal justice field by providing new knowledge through research and scholarly activities, by providing training and research seminars, and by providing technical assistance to agencies in the profession.
LEJA faculty members research their respective fields of expertise and attend seminars periodically and integrate new information into their course work. This is particularly critical in the law courses that are offered to our students. Since the criminal justice system revolves around court decisions at the state and federal level, it is paramount that LEJA professors research new court decisions and integrate them into their courses. Of equal importance are the changes in technology which impact classroom lectures and activities. Over 90 percent of the LEJA professors enhance their courses through the use of varying technologies and several faculty members have been recognized by the University for integrating technology within the classroom. Most of the LEJA professors have participated in a variety of technology workshops offered by WIU's Center for Innovation, Teaching and Research and/or have participated in state and national training seminars.
Faculty Profiles
- Dean C. Alexander
- C. Suzanne Bailey
- Chris Bitner
- Kenneth A. Clontz
- Glenn R. Daugherty
- Delores Hurley
- Richard J. Janoski
- Todd Lough
- Anthony McBride
- Barry S. McCrary
- Thomas E. Meloni
- J. Gayle Mericle
- Bonny M. Mhlanga
- Ron Morgan
- Jill Joline Myers, Director
- John (Jack) R. Schafer
- Glen Schwartz
Vladimir A. Sergevnin
- Jeffrey Swanson
- H. Scott Walker
Part-Time Faculty
- Curt Barker - firstname.lastname@example.com
- Donald E. Bytner - Macomb Fire Chief (retired)
and WIU LEJA Faculty (retired)
- Shawn Cisna - firstname.lastname@example.com
- Zachary Franklin - firstname.lastname@example.com
- Joseph E. Henning - Fire Chief, Quincy, Illinois
- Joanne Kurt-hilditch - email@example.com
- Eric Lenardt - email@example.com
- Susan Nichols - email@example.com
- Matthew Poulter - firstname.lastname@example.com
- Joel Twomey - email@example.com
Professor Emeritus
Office Staff
- Connie Lincoln - Office Manager
- Lura Krueger - Office Support Associate

subset: commoncrawl


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Congratulations to Fireflight!
Harmony of Hearts is proud to announce that Firelight is the winner of the 2012 Song of the Year award! Each year Cross International gives a special award to the writer or music artist who has best conveyed the mission of our ministry in a current song. Our goal is to inspire more Christian artists to share this vital Gospel message to their listeners worldwide. Previous winners have been "Follow You" by Leeland, "Keep Changing the World" by Mike's Chair, and "I refuse" by Josh Wilson. This year, Fireflight's song "Proof of our Love" demonstrated the heart for the poor that we look for in contestants, and when the voting was over, emerged a winner. The lyrics in this song resound strongly with Jesus' call to get out into the world and help the poor. The verses and chorus go: "So far away from the lives we lead each day. Love as voices hunger, and there's no shelter from danger. All this love we talk about, talking won't put food into their mouths. Don't look away, don't look away Why don't we do something? Why don't we do something? (If we say that we love them?) Don't turn away, don't turn away Let's open up our eyes, bring our faith to life. (This is proof of our love.) This is proof of our love. Harder to see than the problems we perceive. We're sickness, fast on our apathy and there's no way to the suffering. All this hope we talk about, wishing won't help those who go without." Congratulations to Fireflight!
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WYSIWYG (whiz-EE-wig)
Stands for: What You See Is What You Get
The Connect by Email system is easy to use because it was developed with the user in mind.
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- Everything is built into the email. No need for attachments.
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Empower your message with stunning visuals.
Think about every email you get each day. It's safe to say well over 90% are boring with plain text and poorly attached pictures. Stand out with custom-designed headers, templates and built-in images.
Connect by Email annually takes home awards for design excellence in email marketing. When you combine our design skill with our technological savvy, you get:
- Templates that work. We test all our templates in the most popular email providers (Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail, Apple Mail, etc.).
- A view on the internet link at the top of each email serves as a fail-safe option, ensuring your customers can clearly view your message regardless of email provider.
- Connect by Email design templates automatically create plain-text versions of each email, suitable for even the most archaic of email programs. Your message will be received.
Segmentation and Scheduling
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Strategically send your email any time of day. Need to reach customers across time zones or overseas? Time your delivery to reach any audience the time they are most likely to read your message. Our built-in tools can help :
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- Send to multiple lists, or break up your emails with pertinent information for subscribers based on their preferences with custom fields


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Pro Football Weekly's mock draft 1.0: QBs dominate; Browns, Broncos and Colts pass on Saquon Barkley
Editor's note: Eric Edholm is a senior writer at ProFootballWeekly.com, a publication that pioneered independent draft analysis 50 years ago. For the most in-depth scouting reports available, click on the prospects' names below in the mock draft.
Quarterbacks have gone 1-2-3 in the NFL draft only twice since the merger — in 1971 and 1999. Never have they gone with the first four picks. The first scenario is a possibility; the second can't be ruled out.
Following the dramatic trade moving the New York Jets up to the third overall pick, and the Indianapolis Colts sliding to No. 6, it sets up the possibility of quarterbacks going with each of the first three picks in the 2018 NFL draft — and possibly with the fourth overall selection if the Cleveland Browns move down from that spot. Either way, the Denver Broncos have to be QB candidates as well at the No. 5 spot, even after they signed Case Keenum.
Here's how things line up less than five weeks from Round 1 of the draft in this post-free agency mock draft.
1. Cleveland Browns — USC QB Sam Darnold
The way teams are aggressively seeking quarterbacks this year, the Browns can't afford to get cute and pass on a QB here. So why Darnold? General manager John Dorsey has said he wants a winner with physical traits, intangibles and accuracy. Darnold checks those boxes, even after taking a step back statistically last season, and he can wait in the bullpen until he's ready while Tyrod Taylor starts.
2. New York Giants — UCLA QB Josh Rosen
Everything new GM Dave Gettleman has done to this point suggests the Giants are building around Eli Manning for one more run in his twilight. The Giants also currently have only five selections and a lot of holes to fill. That would suggest a pick of Saquon Barkley or Quenton Nelson, ready-made non-quarterbacks, or a trade down. Expect the Giants to field calls for this pick.
However, with the Jets moving to No. 3, can the Giants afford to pass on Rosen? Gettleman told NFL Network that the Giants "can't make a mistake" on this pick if they stay here, so we'll give them the QB most ready to adjust to the NFL. If not the Giants, another team might try to move up for Rosen (or possibly Wyoming's Josh Allen) here.
3. New York Jets (from Colts) — Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield
Jets GM Mike Maccagnan has attended the pro days of all the top quarterbacks (Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield) and plans to attend Josh Allen's on Friday. It stands to reason following the dramatic trade that one of them will be a Jet. Teddy Bridgewater is on a one-year deal. Josh McCown will be a highly paid mentor. Plus, teams don't mortgage so much in a trade for, say, a running back.
If there ever was a player born to play just off Broadway, it's Mayfield. He has the guts to handle the spotlight and is a good fit with offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates, who has been lauded for working with highly confident QBs (think Jay Cutler) in the past. Rosen also fits the mold too, if he's here.
4. Cleveland Browns (from Texans) — Florida State DB Derwin James
Our first stunner. As noted above, the Browns could deal this pick to a team seeking QB help. But it would involve passing on Saquon Barkley — and others. This possibility for general manager John Dorsey might not make Browns fans happy.
Cleveland isn't bent on using a top pick on a runner and instead would consider one of the elite do-it-all defensive backs — either James or Minkah Fitzpatrick — if it stays here. The Browns also would have a shot at one of them if they slid down a few picks.
Why James over Fitzpatrick? He's a bit longer and more athletic and has perhaps more of a take-charge personality who can help change the culture. Both players are fantastic.
[Batter up: Join a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for free today]
5. Denver Broncos — Notre Dame OG Quenton Nelson
Much like how John Elway preemptively pivoted to sign QB Case Keenum when it became clear Kirk Cousins wasn't coming to Denver, it appears the Broncos are exploring trade-down options. Sure, they could draft Josh Allen (whom they coached at the Senior Bowl) and develop him behind Keenum. But isn't Allen what Paxton Lynch was hailed to be a few years ago?
If they stay here, Nelson is about as sure a pick as they can make. The Broncos' offensive line has been bad since John Fox got fired, and a Nelson-Garett Bolles combo could give them a nice foundation on the left side. If the Broncos move down, they might target a wide receiver, but there's not one worth taking this high.
6. Indianapolis Colts (from Jets) — North Carolina State DE Bradley Chubb
What a dream scenario for general manager Chris Ballard, who boldly moved down and still would get a top-five talent. Why Chubb here over Saquon Barkley? The Colts can use one of their three second-round picks on a running back. The dropoff from Barkley to other top-50 backs isn't as massive as from Chubb to any pass rusher available in Round 2. The Colts would have a hard time passing on a charismatic, high-energy, high-production QB hunter to help out the young secondary.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Penn State RB Saquon Barkley
This pick, for months, has come down to whichever top-rated defensive player was remaining on the board. But in this unexpected scenario, the Bucs shouldn't be afraid to pivot if they feel Barkley is special. Tampa was too pass-heavy last season, and the RB production (long run of 36 yards, long catch of 34) was brutal. After passing on Dalvin Cook last year, the Bucs would be getting a more athletic runner and receiver here.
8. Chicago Bears — UT San Antonio DE Marcus Davenport
The Bears still have a few notable needs, even after a productive free agency cycle. Pass rusher might be the biggest one among them. General manager Ryan Pace's past three first-round picks (all top-11 selections) have all been high-upside players with elite athleticism who might not be ready to make major contributors immediately. That's Davenport to a tee.
Aaron Lynch can be the bridge rusher for one year until the 21-year-old project is ready to flourish. The Bears won't find any rushers with Davenport's upside in lower rounds.
9. San Francisco 49ers — Virginia Tech LB Tremaine Edmunds
The sudden uncertainty of Reuben Foster's status following two offseason arrests might increase the need to get linebacker help, even as his legal process is plays out. Besides that, Edmunds fits the prototype of the long, freakishly athletic defender the 49ers seek. He turns 20 in May and can develop into one of the draft's best overall players. If Foster escapes trouble, there's no problem finding room for both of them on the field at the same time.
10. Oakland Raiders — Ohio State CB Denzel Ward
The Raiders badly need cover corners, and pairing Ward with his former OSU teammate (Gareon Conley) could upgrade the secondary in a jiffy. Seeing Ward here on the board is surprising until you remember that the other corner from that 2016 Buckeyes secondary, Marshon Lattimore, stunningly fell to No. 11 a year ago.
New Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther could use Ward in the slot to start and move him outside in time. Another consideration here would be a big body up front who can free up Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin, which is why Vita Vea was considered here.
11. Miami Dolphins — Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick
An unexpected slide for Fitzpatrick benefits the Dolphins, who suddenly would have some long, athletic and aggressive DBs to combat Tom Brady and two possible first-round QBs landing with the other AFC East teams. And yes, the Dolphins will look seriously at drafting a quarterback of their own.
Short of that happening, they land a top-10 player in Fitzpatrick who can play safety, slot corner and even a dime LB spot. Defensive back isn't a huge need with Reshad Jones, T.J. McDonald, Cordrea Tankersley and Xavien Howard in place. But the Dolphins need to stop overreaching for needs and take difference-makers. If they go linebacker, Georgia's Roquan Smith would be an excellent choice, too.
12. Buffalo Bills (from Bengals) — Wyoming QB Josh Allen
It's not hard to imagine head coach Sean McDermott falling for a guy like Allen, who has big hands and cold-weather experience, plus the arm to cut through the Western New York winds. But it's equally as hard to imagine Allen being a realistic Year 1 option, so Bills fans might have to get used to the idea of A.J. McCarron running the show while Allen is groomed.
Allen is a project, but here's the salty rub: The Bills likely won't be able to get him here at No. 12. This mock reflects the player who makes the most sense for Buffalo, but it almost certainly must trade up for him. An expensive project at that.
13. Washington Redskins — Washington NT Vita Vea
The Redskins have hosted a bunch of free-agent defensive linemen this offseason but have signed none of note. That's not good news for one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL last season, so even if they add veteran DL help, more is needed. Vea is a massive run stuffer who fits the bill for what's missing up front. Pair him with Jonathan Allen and Matthew Ioannidis up front, and there will be improvement. The Redskins recently re-signed Mason Foster and Zach Brown, so an inside linebacker feels unlikely here.
14. Green Bay Packers — Iowa CB Josh Jackson
The Packers traditionally have sought ballhawks and playmakers at corner, and even with a reshuffled front office and a new defensive coordinator, those things still hold true. They also haven't shied away from projects with the size and athletic template they seek at the position. That's Jackson, who has only one year of starting experience but intercepted eight passes. He's long enough to play press-man under coordinator Mike Pettine and hits the athletic benchmarks the Packers desire.
15. Arizona Cardinals — Alabama WR Calvin Ridley
The Cardinals are in no-man's land in the draft and with their roster. Their team was one of the oldest in the NFL last season, have Larry Fitzgerald nearing the end, let Tyrann Mathieu go for nothing and swapped out Carson Palmer for Sam Bradford. What's the vision here?
Let's assume they realize the dearth at receiver, and drafting Ridley would give them a sophisticated talent who can be a WR2 in Year 1 and take over that mantle for Fitzgerald in 2019. The other receivers on the roster: J.J. Nelson, Chad Williams, Brittan Golden, Rashad Ross and Carlton Agudosi. That's not so hot.
16. Baltimore Ravens — Iowa C James Daniels
Seeing Calvin Ridley go a pick earlier might not make the Ravens happy, but general manager Ozzie Newsome — in what's likely his final draft in command — can go back to his roots to find offensive help. Iowa head coach (and former Browns/Ravens assistant) Kirk Ferentz and Newsome go way back, so Newsome likely would get excellent insight on Daniels, an underclassman who has Pro Bowl potential.
Free agency and retirement gutted the Ravens' offensive line over the past few seasons, so Daniels likely would be pegged to start immediately. Baltimore's drafts have been defense-heavy in recent seasons, especially at the top.
17. Los Angeles Chargers — Georgia LB Roquan Smith
Smith falling this far would be just shy of a miracle, as he might be one of the eight or 10 best pure football players in this draft class. The Chargers could use a tone-setter inside who can play three downs, even if Smith is on the small side. He's the type of player whom the Chargers might be willing to move up a few spots to get, similar to what they did a few years ago to land Melvin Gordon.
18. Seattle Seahawks — Michigan DT Maurice Hurst
The Seahawks' molting continues with one of the best interior rushers in this draft class. The concern with Hurst is that his health status is unclear following a heart issue that was detected at the NFL scouting combine. If he's cleared, Hurst should be a top-25 selection — and he'd fill the void left by the free-agent departure Sheldon Richardson. The Seahawks have dipped into the Wolverines' program for three draft picks the past three years.
The Seahawks are more likely to trade down from this spot. They don't currently pick after this spot until the fourth round (selection No. 120), so look for them to field trade calls and try to nab Hurst — or another top defender — a bit lower.
19. Dallas Cowboys — Boston College DE Harold Landry
Maurice Hurst might be on the Cowboys' radar as well, and there are some receivers and offensive linemen who could interest them. Short of that they could help the pass rush with a player such as Landry, whose value is down after the projected top-10 pick entering last season wasn't the same player in 2017 because of an ankle injury.
Yes, they took Taco Charlton a year ago in Round 1, but the Cowboys might need to buttress the possible loss of Demarcus Lawrence in 2019 if he has another big season and outprices himself in Dallas. The same could be said for offensive guard Zack Martin, but expect him to get an extension before Lawrence (two back surgeries, one big season so far) does.
20. Detroit Lions — Florida DT Taven Bryan
The Lions need to find pressure any way they can. Bryan might not be a polished run defender, and his overall game requires refinement in general. But his interior rush skills are fantastic, and new head coach Matt Patricia should take a shining to the Wyoming-born son of a Navy Seal and find a role for him. The NFC North suddenly is loaded with QB talent, and the Lions have to be far better at sacking all that talent.
21. Cincinnati Bengals (from Bills) — Alabama LB Rashaan Evans
Moving out of the upper part of the draft, the Bengals still might wait to fill their biggest need at center. Instead, they fill another potential void at linebacker. The Bengals could move on from Vontaze Burfict following his positive PED test, and free-agent signing Preston Brown can play inside and outside.
So can Evans, whom head coach Marvin Lewis and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin were on hand to watch at Alabama's pro day. There was a lot of chatter about Reuben Foster going to the Bengals last year, but Evans would bring some of the same skills, minus the off-field issues.
22. Buffalo Bills (from Chiefs) — Georgia OG Isaiah Wynn
This pick belongs to the Bills — for now. They might be forced to relinquish it in any trade up to secure a QB. But if they keep it (or can find a way to move up from one of their two second-round picks) they might want to find an interior blocker such as Wynn, a college left tackle who could be a Day 1 starter at guard in the NFL.
23. Los Angeles Rams — Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch
Another trade-down candidate (notice a theme here?), the Rams figure to upgrade their run defense one way or another this offseason following the trade of Alec Ogletree. Undersized Mark Barron is good at what he does, but Wade Phillips needs a bigger between-the-tackles linebacker to fill in the leaks. Vander Esch has only one year of starter's tape but has flashed tremendous upside in his 256-pound frame.
24. Carolina Panthers — Colorado CB Isaiah Oliver
They tried to fill their starting cornerback job opposite James Bradberry through free agency, but signee Bashaud Breeland failed his physical and the deal was voided. Oliver might be a better option. His extremely long arms and good athleticism can be used to combat the NFC South's king-sized receivers: Julio Jones, Michael Thomas and Mike Evans.
25. Tennessee Titans — Alabama NT Da'Ron Payne
They can upgrade inside. Payne anchored one of the country's best run defenses, and the Titans actually stopped the run well last season. But Payne would give Mike Vrabel a Rock of Gibraltar in the middle to help free up Jurrell Casey a bit and let the Titans have some different combinations up front. This isn't a huge need, but Payne would be great value at this stage of Round 1.
26. Atlanta Falcons — Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk
Not sure there's a defensive lineman here the Falcons might consider. Instead, they take Kirk, who fills the much-needed slot role. Mohamed Sanu is a very reliable role player, but Kirk would give them an added dimension. This front office respects the Alabama program greatly, and when Crimson Tide DBs Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ronnie Harrison were asked who the toughest player they faced was, they both said Kirk. He can help give the Falcons' stagnant return units a boost and supplant a very replaceable Andre Roberts there. Maryland WR D.J. Moore is another name to watch.
27. New Orleans Saints — South Dakota State TE Dallas Goedert
Something tells me the Saints won't end up picking here. There have been whispers for weeks they could try to move up and see what it takes to take a QB such as Baker Mayfield. Short of that, landing an athletic tight end such as Goedert would make sense. They tried hard to bring back Jimmy Graham and overspent badly on Coby Fleener.
The Saints, who have gone defense in three of four first-round picks the past three drafts, could give Drew Brees another big target in his twilight. For a small-school prospect, Goedert can still be useful right away. The Saints were shockingly bad on third downs last year, especially late in the season.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers — Oklahoma State QB Mason Rudolph
Just a gut feeling here. Ben Roethlisberger's contract runs out after the 2019 season as he creeps into his late 30s. Yes, they drafted Joshua Dobbs last year, but the Steelers might want to double up there. Head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert were at Rudolph's pro day, and new Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner is steeped in the spread offense — a derivation of which Rudolph ran at OSU.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars — Louisville QB Lamar Jackson
Another gut feeling here … and another (mini) QB run at the bottom of Round 1. Blake Bortles' contract extension allows the team to bail on him in a year or two if things go south — just long enough for Jackson to be ready. He'd be a fun player in a system featuring Leonard Fournette and Dede Westbrook, and the Jaguars can continue adding receivers to help stretch the field and showcase Jackson's fascinating skills. It just needs a little time to percolate.
30. Minnesota Vikings — Texas OL Connor Williams
Great value here. Williams could be groomed as the heir at either tackle spot or inside at guard. He's a gnarly competitor who fits the mold of a Mike Zimmer-coached team and could be a steal coming off an injury-plagued 2017 season. The Vikings know they must protect their biggest investments. That would be Kirk Cousins.
31. New England Patriots — Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey
The Patriots might have options to replace Nate Solder, but none is making anyone salivate. They can't assume 2017 draft pick Tony Garcia can come back from blood clots (and losing 40 pounds) and be ready to take that job. Likewise, Cole Croston is an unknown and LaAdrian Waddle and Cameron Fleming remain unsigned. McGlinchy is a good clone for Solder: a tall but flawed former tight end who is respected by teammates and coaches alike.
32. Philadelphia Eagles — Stanford S Justin Reid
Another trade-down candidate, the Eagles aren't slated to pick again until Round 4 and finances are tight. At this spot, they could go with a running back such as Derrius Guice or Sony Michel, or a tight end such as Mike Gesicki to add a little juice to the offense. Safety isn't the most pressing need, but Reid might be good insurance for Malcolm Jenkins, who turns 31 next season and has a salary-cap hit approaching $10 million in 2019.


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Your Custom Text Here
Reclaimed crate timbers (maple, oak), aluminium. (H) 850 mm x (L) 445 mm x (W) 530 mm.
The design process for this piece was focused on exploring the structural requirements that are universal for chairs. It involved experimenting with triangulation and testing the limitations of timber as a structural material, emphasized by the use of narrow sections.
The chair is made from a minimal amount of wood. A sleek, light frame has been created through hand-cut joinery and the laser-cut aluminium brackets that connect the back of the seat to the rest of the frame. The nail holes have been filled with resin.
Stack of Crates CabinetReclaimed crate timbers including maple, elm, white oak and poplar. (H) 1300mm x (W) 780mm x (D) 400mm.
David has produced items for a number of CFC competitions over the years and sees the chal-lenge of utilising recycled timber from such a source as a sometimes frustrating but ultimately rewarding exercise. He considers part of that challenge as seeking to make something that has a connection to the source and/or previous use of the timber. He believes that some "warts and all" honesty with the inherent flaws such material brings is important and that those flaws will emphasise the hidden treasures of grain and colour which are revealed as the timber is sawn and dressed and the work unfolds.
This year he has focused directly on the design of the pallets themselves. The doors and sides of the cabinet are arranged horizontally as a stack of four pallets. Recesses in the bottom of each mimic the cut outs for fork lift tines in the main members. Between these, smaller side protrusions provide representation of the cross boards that attach to the top and underside of the pallets" main members.
David is a recently retired engineer and long time VWA member.
Decisions on the Run
Reclaimed crate timbers. leather, steel. (H) 320 mm x (W) 390 mm x (D) 110 mm
Driven by the anxiety felt when given too much choice in everyday life, this work explores chance as a humorous way of resolving indecision by removing the options to uncontrollable chance processes.
The work draws from traditional fine woodworking techniques, and Solomon's own experience with indecision. Using traditional fine woodworking techniques, she aims to show the impor-tance of the decision being made by the participants, even while the question being answered by the work is trivial and every day. This tension between the highly crafted object and the trivial decision being made gives the decision importance, while also pointing to the absurdity of the situation in which this object would and has been used.
A cabinet of two compartments, with a marquetry detail on the doors depicting two iconic Australian native birds, the Crimson Rosella and Sulphur Crested Cockatoo.
Alex was a hobby woodworker for many years before attending the Sturt School of Wood in 2002. He retired from a full-time career as a Hydrographer in 2004 and now works almost full-time as a woodworker, making mainly boxes and small furniture on commission and for galleries.


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2012 Legislation
The OPERS staff has prepared this summary of 2012 pension legislation for our members. The 2012 session of the Oklahoma Legislature adjourned on May 25, 2012. This was a relatively light year, in terms of legislation directly impacting OPERS and our members. In this legislative update, we focus on three bills signed into law by Governor Mary Fallin.
House Bill 2321
Rounding of service credit eliminated for new members
HB 2321 eliminates rounding of service credit for members who joined OPERS on or after November 1, 2012. The bill states the number of years of credited service used in calculating retirement benefits shall be based on actual years and months of credited service without rounding up or down. Members who joined OPERS prior to November 1, 2012, are not impacted by this new provision.
House Bill 2322
Step-Up Program offered to elected officials
Last year, Senate Bill 794 provided that newly elected officials after November 1, 2011, are subject to the same contribution rates and benefit computation factors as state and local government members of OPERS. This year, HB 2322 went further to allow elected officials to begin participating in the "Step-Up" Program just as state and local government members are allowed to do. The Step-Up program allows members to pay an additional contribution, currently 2.91%, for an increased benefit computation factor of 2.5%.
House Bill 2939
I.T. consolidation and participation in the Oklahoma Teachers' Retirement System
This bill affects a relatively small number of members impacted by the 2011 Information Technology Consolidation and Coordination Act. HB 2939 provides state employees who are (or were) members of the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma and are transferred pursuant to the Information Technology Consolidation and Coordination Act may elect to continue their participation in the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma in lieu of participating in OPERS.
Any transferred employee who wishes to make this election must do so in writing within thirty (30) days of the effective date of this act. If a transferred employee who has already begun participating in OPERS elects to return to the Teachers' Retirement System, OPERS will transfer the service credit and contributions to the Teachers' Retirement System for any credit that accrued after the initial transfer. The election to continue or return to participation in the Teachers' Retirement System is irrevocable and effective until the employment with the Office of State Finance is terminated.
For more detailed information on these and other bills before the Legislature, please visit the Oklahoma State Legislature's Bill Search page. Simply enter the bill number and you will gain access to a wealth of information, including the full text of the bill, amendments, actions taken, and voting history. We hope you find this information helpful in tracking the activity of retirement legislation.
Click on the links below for past legislation.
2017 Legislation
2016 Legislation
2015 Legislation
2014 Legislation
2013 Legislation
2012 Legislation
2011 Legislation
2010 Legislation
2009 Legislation
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2006 Legislation


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This article analyses how works of art that make use of or refer to digital technology can be approached, analysed, and understood aesthetically from two different perspectives. One perspective, which I shall term a 'digital' perspective, mainly focuses on poetics (or production) and technology when approaching the works, whereas the other, which I shall term a 'post-digital' perspective, focuses on aesthetic experience (or reception) when approaching the works. What I tentatively and for the purpose of practical analysis term the 'digital' and the 'post-digital' perspectives do not designate two different sets of concrete works of art or artistic practice and neither do they describe different periods. [i] Instead, the two perspectives co-exit as different discursive positions that are concretely expressed in the way we talk about aesthetics in relation to art that makes use of and/or refers to digital technology. In short: When I choose here to talk about a digital and a post-digital perspective, I talk about two fundamentally different ways of ascribing aesthetic meaning to (the same) concrete works of art. By drawing on the ideas of especially Immanuel Kant and Dominic McIver Lopes, it is the overall purposes of this article to analyse and compare how the two perspectives understand the concept of aesthetics and to discuss some of the implications following from these understandings. As it turns out, one of the most significant implications is the role of the audience.
Why aesthetics?
Why focus on aesthetics in the first place? Why not just investigate and interpret the concrete works of art? The radical answer to that question is: Because a work of art does not exist in itself. By this I mean that whenever we assume that we talk about a specific work of art, we really talk about a number of different, culturally constructed phenomena depending on who 'we' are. Whether we take as an example a piece of net art or a marble sculpture it can be considered, for instance, as pure conceptualization on the side of the artist (Kosuth), as significant form (Bell), as good or poor social/cultural critique (Adorno), as that which is accepted by the art institution (Bourdieu) etc.
Therefore, it is impossible to essentially pin down a specific work of art as something that exists as one clear-cut object/phenomenon/process/action/relation ready for 'pure' interpretation and analyses. In other words, all discussions on concrete works of art are based (sometimes unknowingly) on certain theoretical points of departure – even if the focus of the discussions themselves are down to earth and do not seemingly involve theory. Hence, I insist on focusing on aesthetics in the following comparative analysis of the digital and the post-digital perspective, not because it is the right way to consider works of art, but because it is – as the article shall demonstrate – a relevant issue that the digital and the post-digital perspectives approach fundamentally differently.
A brief note of clarification: The article distinguishes between 'aesthetics' (aesthetic theory in general) and its subcategories 'poetics' (relates to the practice of creating works of art and, hence, an aesthetics of production) and 'aesthetic experience' (relates to a concrete experience governed by judgement of taste, and, hence an aesthetics of reception).
A digital perspective on aesthetics
Three aspects characterize the digital perspective's notion of aesthetics: cross-disciplinarity, technological essentialism, and artistic creation.
A digital perspective challenges the borders between traditional institutions and disciplines, and, hence, does not seem to distinguish between, for instance, 'art' in a strictly institutional sense, 'aesthetic artefacts' in a broader sense, and 'cultural artefacts' insofar as, overall, these terms are used more or less synonymously to describe new experiments or practices that make use of digital technology. As an example of this characteristic Stephen Wilson's book Information Arts carries the subtitle: Intersections of art, science, and technology. Wilson states that 'Information Arts can be seen as an investigation of these moving boundaries [between art and techno-scientific inquiry] and the cultural significance of including techno-scientific research in a definition of art' (18).
A significant advantage of a digital perspective's ability to transgress disciplinary borders is that the perspective looks beyond the narrow institutional confinements of Art with a capital A when focusing on aesthetics – thus, it is possible to consider themes like, for instance, 'surveillance', 'gaming' or 'artificial life' in manners that cut across different disciplines (like social science, engineering, art etc.)
Technological essentialism
Perhaps as a result of the refreshingly unorthodox cross-disciplinarity, the second characteristic of the digital perspective is that digital technology in itself is placed at the centre of attention. This means that digital technology and media are the elements that fixate the meaning of a digital perspective – or constitute it – whereas art and aesthetics do not play central roles. Therefore, when art or aesthetics are considered from a digital perspective these concepts are subsumed – along with other cultural/social/political modes of expression – under the primacy of digital technology and not as governing concepts in themselves. For example, the majority of survey books on new media art or digital art are organised either as descriptions/analysis of individual artists or works or according to technological subgenres like 'video art, 'network art', 'interactive art', 'telepresence' etc. (see, for instance Rush; Giannetti; Tribe and Jana; Paul; Shanken; Wilson, Art + Science Now). Consequencely, considered from a digital perspective, analyses and debates on the role of new technology in art have an overall techno-essentialist character in the sense that questions asked basically centre around: What is "interactive", or "networked", or "digital" (etc.) art?
Though the above questions are good and relevant, they lack one important component that it is highly appropriate to investigate, that is: According to whom? Or in other words: From which specific subject position are such questions asked? From the position of the artist, the curator/critic, the user, the implied audience or the actual audience? By not explicating which subject positions are addressed when carrying out analyses of new art forms, the results of those analyses are staged as virgin born truths radiating from the works of art. As a result, attempts to critically investigate tendencies across different works of art do not distinguish between the specific technical features applied in a work of art and what is actually encountered by the average member of the audience.
Art404: Five Million Dollars, 1 Terabyte
Consider, for instance, the work 5 Million Dollars, 1 Terabyte by Art404, which consists of a black terabyte hard drive exhibited in a vitrine. No matter how hard we look, smell, taste, listen or touch the hard drive, we will never be able to extract the most important feature about this work of art – the decisive factor that transforms the terabyte from a dull object of everyday life and that potentially gives rise to aesthetic experience for the audience: The fact that this particular hard drive contains illegally downloaded material worth five million dollars. The only way of becoming aware of this crucial piece of information is by reading the catalogue text or visiting Art404's website. Thus, in reality there is a gap between the experience gained from actually encountering the work in the gallery and from reading about it. This gap is not really addressed when applying a digital perspective on aesthetic research, since such a perspective interprets the works of art according to technological features and does not pay attention to the different subject positions of the artist (who knows what the technical properties of the work) and the audience (whose knowledge about the technical properties sometimes – like in the case of 5 Million Dollars, 1 Terabyte – stems from para-texts rather than from first-hand encounters with the work).
Especially the subject position of the audience seems to be neglected in the digital research discourse insofar as audience experiences are assumed in aesthetic analyses to be identical to the artist's intention, curatorial/critical framing, or theoretical accounts of technical characteristics and potentials of new art types. Considered from the digital perspective, if the use of a specific technology in a work of art is considered to have interactive, or critical, or alienating potentials it is more or less automatically assumed that the audience/users' experiences correspond to those potentials without paying much attention to the fact that different contexts and subject positions invite different aesthetic considerations.
Artistic creation
Whereas a digital perspective does not focus on the audience when considering the aesthetics dimensions of a work, it pays significant attentions to the subject position of the creator (and this is the third characteristic of the digital discourse). Thus, the focus of attention is the very important work done by artists who explore new media and technology in line with an avant-garde tradition. As Morten Breinbjerg states in relation to the practice of live-coding artists using ixi software: '[They see] new technology as a way of subverting, or at least getting around, the historical understanding of music, as well as the constraining practices of music composition and production present in commercial music software' (164). As such the process of artistic experiment and creation can be said to serve an aesthetic and/or cultural purpose instead of a functional one. A similar focus on the process of artistic creation is detectable in Ian Bogosts' notion of 'carpentry', which describes craftsmanship as a way of alternative thinking or a philosophical practice (see Andersen, Pold, and Riis in this APRJA-volume).
The focus on poetics – what the artists actually do, what programmes are written, what hacks are carried out, which components are combined in a specific design? – is of importance because this is what physically creates the work. Without the craftsmanship of the artist there would be no work. But this applies to all works and not exclusively to works that make use of and/or refer to new media or technology. The question is if what the artists do in a process of creation automatically equals aesthetic experience of an audience? This is where a digital perspective on aesthetics lacks an important dimension. The tendency to consider poetics as synonymous to aesthetic experience means that if an audience is to gain any aesthetic experience by encountering the work this is automatically assumed to happen only insofar as the audience is able to place him- or herself in the subject position of the creator and to understand what the creator actually does, or did, during the creation of the work.
As insightfully accounted for by Florian Cramer, two overall practices of aesthetics are at work in relation to new media art: One is in accordance with aesthetic theory as formulated by Burke and Lyotard (and Kant one may add) and includes '"hacks" and intentional crudeness of software and hardware design' whereas the other is governed by 'neo-pythagorean beauty ideals, […] white-hat hacker culture, […and…] human/computer interface designs of mainstream, high-tech media lab arts' (Cramer, 122). A digital perspective, as well as a post-digital one, both relate to the former understanding of aesthetics. But as suggested, a digital perspective does so from the point of view of a poetics of technology more than from a point of view of aesthetic experience in a Kantian sense.
Cramer (with reference to Burke) mentions as cases of sublime aesthetic 'pleasure and pain of hardware and software interfaces, terror of the desktop, obscurity of the API, and suddenness of operating system crashes' (122), which, in my opinion, are all excellent examples of possible aesthetic experiences because they can be related to an act of reception, and as such represent what I term a post-digital perspective. But when Cramer continues by describing the practices involved in such effects as 'technological and media aesthetics' (123), the perspective changes. By talking of 'technological and media aesthetics' – admittedly, the devil lies in the detail – Cramer implicitly draws the contours of an aesthetics that is defined by technology and media. I would argue that Cramer is here dealing with poetics (if specific kinds of artistic creation are considered crucial) or art forms/genres (if specific characteristics defining for instance 'hacker art' are considered to be crucial), but not with aesthetic experience.
The tendency to understand aesthetics in a technologically pre-fixed manner is commented on by Carsten Strathausen:
The nascent aesthetics of new media is variously named "rational aesthetics", (Claudia Gianetti) or "info-aesthetics" as well as "post-media aesthetics" (Lev Manovich) or "techno-aesthetics" (Peter Weibel) […] "Rational," "info-," or "techno-" aesthetics is thus informed by the history of science and engineering rather than that of philosophy and politics. Its heroes are Boscovich, Boole, Turing, and Bense instead of Aristotle, Kant, Hegel, or Adorno.
(Strathausen, 59)
In his article, Strathausen points to and criticizes a tendency to replace one discourse of aesthetics (the classic) with another, new discourse which is closely tied to the subject matter of digital technology. The problem with this replacement is that aesthetics, then, becomes certain properties of a work instead of being a philosophical perspective applied to a work (and its technical properties). In this sense, aesthetic research within a digital perspective is governed by techno-essentialist focus, which is both unavoidable and important when exploring the poetics of new digital technologies or media in their emergence. It is, however, important to acknowledge that this is a matter of poetics, which limits aesthetics experience to the subject position of the creator and leaves out an audience.
A post-digital perspective on aesthetics
If a digital perspective on aesthetics takes as its point of departure technological poetics, a post-digital perspective takes a post-technological and post-media point of departure. The post-digital perspective is not anti-technological or pre-digital, since it does not seeks a romantic return to a stage before new technologies and media entered the realm of art. On the contrary, a post-digital perspective on art can be considered a sub-category of a more general post-media discourse (see Quaranta) in the sense that it fully acknowledges the ubiquitous presence of digital technology in art and the fact that new media and technology may facilitate or prompt aesthetics experience.
A significant potential of applying a post-digital perspective on works of art, as well as on other objects or phenomena, is that it considers the aesthetic potentials of works that make use of new media and technology without automatically subjecting aesthetic experience to technology or equating it with poetics. Hence, within a post-digital perspective we may ask the 'naïve' questions to the field of contemporary art, such as: Are new media or technologies of aesthetic relevance in a work if they go unnoticed by the audience? And vice versa: What are the aesthetic potentials of para-textually fictional stories about the presence of digital media/technology in a work? In short: Does it make any difference in terms of aesthetic experience (not poetics) whether the terabyte in 5 Million Dollars, 1 Terabyte actually includes the illegal files or not (as long as we believe the story)? And how do we elaborate on the fact that the same work of art potentially gives rise to different kinds of aesthetic experiences depending on which subject positions (artist, curator/critic, user, audience) engage with the work and in what manners (as intended by someone else or not)?
Kantian distinctions
In order to investigate such aesthetic questions thoroughly it is necessary to insist on upholding Immanuel Kant's significant distinction between the subject positions of the creator and that of an audience (Kant §48): First, Kant describes how aesthetic taste is at work on the side of the creator when the artist creates his work insofar as he 'checks his work [against manifold examples from art or nature]; and after many, often toilsome, attempts to content taste he finds the form which satisfies him.' Kant then crucially states: 'But taste is merely a judging and not a productive faculty'. In other words: Even when the artist judges his own work during its production, he does so by stepping back from the work, 'after he has exercised and corrected it', in order to create the distance necessary for passing an aesthetic judgement of taste, before stepping towards the work to once again correct it. Kant, thus, distinguishes between two different subject positions, between which the artist oscillates: That of the immediate creator and that of the contemplative judge, of which only the latter, according to Kant, is able the pass an aesthetic judgement of taste on the work. Hence, in Kant, aesthetic experience is always implicitly an act of reception – even when it is part of an overall production process.
Now, the fact that Kant defined aesthetic experience as a matter of reception in 1790 does not automatically render it relevant today. After all, why should we still insist on a separation between the creating artist and the audience when, for instance, the fields of new media art and relational aesthetics in many cases are characterised by participation and interactivity that result in extensive co-creation? For instance, the Ars Electronica Prix category of 'Digital Communities' consists of works in which such a distinction between artist and audience may seem absurd, since the digital communities function collectively in the participants' everyday life.
One example could be the 2013 Golden Nica winner El Campo de Cebada, the name of an enclosed city square in Madrid, where residents and the council work together – in the physical place and via online social media – to define the use of the square (Leopoldseder et al. 200-203). No artist or artists group is credited for this genuinely collective project. Now, participating in El Campo de Cebada may (or may not) result in aesthetic reflective judgements among the individuals who engage in the project on an everyday basis in Madrid, as accounted for above with reference to Kant, but the moment the project is framed by Ars Electronica as an outstanding work a non-creating audience is created for the project and it becomes an object for potential aesthetic experience to that audience too.
In fact, the very act of presenting or exhibiting the project within an art (or at least cultural) institutional framework, like Ars Electronica, renders the prime purpose of El Campo de Cebada one of prompting aesthetic experience rather than immediate function – even if it is the functional dimensions that, contemplated from the point of view of an audience subject position, prompt aesthetic experience. Whereas in Madrid the square is inhabited, in the context of Ars Electronica it is 'exhibited', and this sole act of exhibiting automatically installs El Campo de Cebada as an object for potential reflective aesthetic judgement of taste by subject positions that differ from the work's immediate producers. Hence, at least three different subject positions are at work in the case of El Campo de Cebada: The active participants that create the phenomenon, the active participants that step back to contemplate the phenomenon (who in flesh and blood are identical to the first position), and the audience at Ars Electronica who contemplates the project that is presented to them. The ability to distinguish between these subject positions, and between poetics and aesthetic judgement of taste, when analysing the aesthetic potentials of phenomena like El Campo de Cebada is one important reason why Kantian aesthetics is highly relevant today.
The split of the audience: user and audience
Another reason is that, especially in the realm of so-called interactive art, the overall audience subject position is often divided in two, since – as lucidly accounted for by Dominic Lopes – in interactive art we may distinguish between the 'user' (who explores a work by generating displays in a prescribed manner) and the 'audience' (who explore a work by watching users generate displays by interacting with a work). Similar distinctions have been made between 'visitors' and 'shy visitors' to exhibitions of interactive art (Scott et al.), and audience members acting as 'object signs' and 'meta signs' respectively when experiencing digital art (Qvortrup). Thus, in many cases we may add yet another subject position to the three detected above in relation to El Campo de Cebada, because the overall category of audience is often split into (at least) two different subject positions.
The difference between Lopes' two different subject positions of user and audience can be illustrated with reference to the work OCTO P7C-1 (exhibited at Transmediale 2013). The work (produced by the Telekommunisten group) consisted of a spectacular, seemingly chaotic, network of yellow plasic tubes that criss-crossed the entire main venue of the Transmediale Festival, and worked as an 'Intertubular Pneumatic Packet Distribution System', that enabled visitors to communicate between different locations on the festival by way of sending written notes or small objects through the tube system.
OCTO P7C-1 at Transmediale 2013
In the exhibition, Lopes' term 'users' describes those visitors who engaged actively with OCTO P7C-1 by, for instance, writing/drawing/crafting messages for the postal tubes or sending/receiving such messages by communicating commands to the OCTO-staff working the distribution centre. The distinctive sound accompanying each packet's travel through the tube system, the messages, the conversations between users and OCTO-workers etc. are all different kinds of audible, visual and sensual displays generated by the user and enabling him/her to gradually explore physical and semiotic dimensions of the work (and potentially gain aesthetic experience from it).
In addition to the user who acts in accordance with a prescribed manner staged by the creators of the work, the subject position of what Lopes terms 'audience' is of relevance when investigating aesthetic implications of a work like OCTO P7C-1. The audience do not engage directly with the work like the users do, but they watch how users interact with OCTO P7C-1 and they observe how users' interaction with the work generates displays. As such, the audience explores the work, too, albeit in a different manner than users (and may gain aesthetic experience from the work). Exploring a work, one physical person may (at different times) hold the different subject positions of both user and audience.
One reason that a digital perspective leaves out the equation the subject position that Lopes calls 'audience', is that the potential aesthetic reflective judgement with this subject position does not fit a techno-essentialist view on new media art. Another reason could be that the subject position of the audience is sometimes (falsely) considered to be passive and uncritical (Philipsen). The fact remains, however, that an audience may experience what might be intended by the artist or described by a curator as an 'interactive, networked installation' in a very non-interactive, non-networked manner. And even 'users', who do interact actively with a work, may have aesthetic experiences that differ from the technologically defined ones at work in the poetics of a digital perspective. While we may think that such misinterpretations present a problem, in the sense that something has gone wrong in the course of communicating fully the essence of the work to the audience, this article will conclude by pointing out why such 'glitches' in aesthetics experience are valuable and why a digital perspective on art to a large extent ought to support it.
Conclusion: Two paradoxes
First of all, to challenge the close interpretative connection between creator, technical properties of the work, and audience that governs a digitally oriented discourse is in perfect accordance with Roland Barthes' account of the birth of the reader and the Death of the Author and with Michel Foucault's subsequent distinction between author – in flesh and blood – and author function – as an important, yet virtual, character (Barthes; Foucault). When Barthes and Foucault articulated the radical break between artist and audience, the work was simultaneously transformed to text. This transformation – from work to text – actually fits very well with a digital perspective, since it is the very same kind of transformation strategy that the digital perspective focus on when it pays attention to the poetics of creative hacks on phenomena and artefacts that, according to a more traditional point of view, belong to established domains of – for instance – engineering, art, politics, science, etc. And this is why it is a strange paradox that the digital perspective does not seem to allow the same post-structural practice of active reading to unfold with regard to the works of art that it, so to speak, adopts (or monopolizes) as the digital perspective's own by incorporating them in books and exhibitions on 'digital art' or 'new media art'.
Apart from the theoretical critique of a digital perspective or digital discourse on art – that it does not do justice to the post-structural ideas of separating and acknowledging the functions of different subject positions – another paradox related to the concrete artistic practices is at work in the digital discourse. Namely that especially when it comes to works of art that make use of new media and technologies, it seems obvious that the cultural and institutional uncertainties surrounding the works may in fact boost the potentials of 'readers' gaining aesthetic experiences from encountering such works, due to the lack of an overall concept by which the works might be comprehended rationally. A comparison will elaborate on the matter: Oil paintings are conventionally framed and pinned down as 'works of art' that we are meant to appreciate as such. Due to traditional institutional framings of those concrete works of art, they have been categorized as an established art form, 'fine art painting', which makes it harder to read them freely as texts. Kantian aesthetics insists that the subject's aesthetic judgement of taste is governed by reflective rather than determined relation to the object encountered (Kant §4), but this principle may be compromised when the object is fixed by one specific institutional framing established over a long period.
In contrast to paintings or sculptures, many of the objects, designs, events, phenomena, hacks, etc. considered in a digital perspective have tremendous potential for prompting aesthetic experience due to the institutional and cultural ambiguity they (still) possess. It seems, therefore, paradoxical when survey books, analyses, critics or curators account for the aesthetic characteristics of such works by subsuming them under determined technological categories and reducing them to a specific poetic matter.
Thus, one significant advantage of applying a post-digital perspective on works – including works that happen to make use of or refer to digital technology – is that it enables us to approach works as texts; that is, in a more open and critical manner 'from the outside' than if approached from a digital perspective, whose strength lies in analysing matters of poetics and technology 'from the inside'. Specifically, a post-digital perspective allows us to acknowledge the subject positions of an audience when we conduct aesthetic research and analysis.
[1] Hence, my notion of a post-digital perspective bears no resemblance with Kim Cascone's use of the term 'post-digital' as synonymously to glitch in computer music. In fact, Cascone's approach belongs to what this article terms a digital perspective insofar as Cascone considers contemporary music practice from the point of view of artistic creation in which digital computer technology plays a crucial role.
Work cited
Adorno, Theodor. Aesthetic Theory. London: Continuum. 1997 [1970]. Print.
Andersen, Christian, Søren Pold, and Moten Riis. "A Dialogue on Cassette Tapes a their Memories." APRJA 3.1 (2014). Web <http://www.aprja.net/?p=1627>
Barthes, Roland. "From Work to Text." Image, Music, Text. 1999 [1977]. New York: Hill and Wang: 155-164. Print.
Barthes, Roland. "The Dearth of the Author." Image, Music, Text. 1999 [1977]. New York: Hill and Wang: 142-148. Print.
Bell, Clive. Art. [print 1914]. www.gutenberg.org/ebook/16917 (29 Jan. 2014). E-book.
Bourdieu, Pierre. The Rules of Art. Palo Alto (CA.): Stanford University Press. 1996. Print.
Breinbjerg, Morten. "Poesis of Human-Computer Interaction: Music, Materiality and Live Coding." Interface Criticism – Aesthetics Beyond Buttons. Eds. Christian Ulrik Andersen and Søren Pold. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press. 2011: 162-177. Print.
Cascone, Kim. "The Aesthetics of Failure: 'Post-Digital' Tendencies in Contemporary Computer Music". Computer Music Journal 24.4 (2000): 12-18. Print.
Cramer, F.: "What is Interface Aesthetics or What Could It Be (Not)?" Interface Criticism – Aesthetics Beyond Buttons. Eds. Christian Ulrik Andersen and Søren Pold. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press. 2011: 117-129. Print.
Leopoldseder, Hannes; Christine Schöpf, Gerfried Stocker (eds.). CyberArts 2013. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz. 2013. Print.
Foucault, Michel. "What is an Author?" [1969]. The Foucault Reader (ed. Rabinow) London: Penguin. 1991: 101-120. Print.
Giannetti, Claudia. Ästhetik des Digitalen, Berlin: Springer. 2004. Print.
Kant, Immanuel. Critique of Judgment. [1790] Dover: Dover Publications. 2005. E-book.
Kosuth, Joseph. Art after Philosophy [1969]. Web <www.ubu.com/papers/kosuth_philosophy.html>
Lopes, Dominic McIver. A Philosophy of Computer Art. London: Routledge. 2010. Print.
Paul, Christiane. Digital Art. New York: Thames & Hudson. 2008. Print.
Philipsen, Lotte. "The Myth of Emancipation through Interaction – On the relationship between Interactive Dimensions and Emancipating Potentials of Contemporary (Digital) Art." Nordic Journal of Aesthetics 43. 2012: 18-32
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Qvortrup, Lars. "Det gode digitale kunstværk." Digitale verdener. Ed. Ida Engholm and Lisbeth Klastrup. Copenhagen: Gyldendal. 2004: 119-142. Print.
Rush, Michael. New Media in Art. New York: Thames & Hudson. 2005. Print.
Scott, Susie et al. "Goffman in the Gallery: Interactive Art and Visitor Shyness." Symbolic Interaction. 36.4 (2013): 417-438. Online Journal.
Shanken, Edward (ed.). Art and Electronic Media. Paris: Phaidon. 2009. Print.
Strathausen, Carsten. "New Media Aesthetics." After the Digital Divide?. Eds. Koepnick and McGlothlin. London: Camden House. 2009. Print.
Tribe, Mark and Jana, Reena. New Media Art. Cologne: Taschen. 2006. Print.
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Wilson, Stephen. Art + Science Now. New York: Thames & Hudson. 2010. Print.
www.telekommunisten.net/octo/ (29 Jan. 2014). Website.


text:
1lb 4oz (575g) Strong bread flour
1/4 oz (8g) Salt.
1oz (28g) Skimmed milk powder
3/4oz (22g) Trex (or lard)
1oz (28g) Fresh yeast
3/4 oz (20g) (or dried Yeast)
1/4 oz (8g) Caster sugar
111/2 oz (326g) water.
Note: If using dried yeast, use part of measured water to rehydrate.
Do not use fast acting type yeast.
Dough Temperature (D.T.) 29C
Bulk Fermentation Time (B.F.T.) 30 min
Yield 14 rolls at 56g (2oz)
Baking Temperature 240C, fan 220C, 460F.
Baking Time 10-12 minutes.
- Sieve the flour, salt and milk powder together into a mixing bowl.
- Add the fat and rub in to disperse evenly.
- Place the yeast and sugar into a separate basin.
- Measure the correct amount of water at the required temperature.
- Add half to the yeast and sugar, stir to disperse.
- Add the remaining water to the dry mix.
- Start to mix together either using your hands or a spatula, pouring in the yeast/sugar water as you mix (make sure that there is no residue left in the basin) As the dough is formed, turn out onto the work top.
- Continue mixing to form a clear developed dough (for further information on mixing/developing a dough click here)
- When fully developed, place in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and allow to stand for 30 minutes (B.F.T.) in a warm, draught free area. TURN ON THE OVEN.
- The dough is now ready to be processed.
- Divide the dough into 112g (4oz) pieces and then split each piece into two giving 56g(2oz) units. Alternatively you can scale all at 56g(2oz) to start with.
After scaling the dough, mould into round balls (round up). Cover with a cloth to avoid skinning. It is good practice to set the units in rows and set in order to ensure strict rotation(the first piece of dough you rolled up will be the first that you shape
Rest for 8-10 minutes.
(Intermediate proof)
Moulded dough set on bench in uniform rows,ready for shaping.
(1) Knot. Starting with the first piece of dough, roll out to a long thin strand about 16 cm (6in) in length. Simply tie this strand into a knot. Place onto a lightly greased or baking paper lined (warm) baking tray.
Note: By rolling out the dough piece to 20cm (8in) long a Rosette can be formed, take one tail of the Knot over and the other under, fixing both in the centre
(2) C Scroll and S Scroll Roll out the dough piece to a long thin strand about 16cm (6in) in length.
For the C scroll, turn both ends of the strand inwards, to meet in the middle, thus forming a C shape. For the S scroll simply roll the two ends opposite to each other to form the S shape. Place on to the pre warmed, lightly greased or baking paper lined tray, allowing enough space for expansion of each dough piece.
(3) Cottage. Take a rounded piece of dough and pinch of one third, Re-mould to form two balls of dough. Allow to rest for about one minute and then place the smaller portion on top of the large piece. Push a finger down through the middle to fix the two pieces together. These rolls can be notched or left plain. (If notching, it is best to egg wash first.)
Place onto the pre-warmed ,lightly greased or baking paper lined baking tray, allowing space for expansion.
(4) Three strand plait . Roll out the dough piece to a long thin strand about 16cm (6in) long and then divide into three. Roll the ends a little thiner and then join one end of the three strands together. To plait, bring outside right strand to centre then outside left strand to centre and then repeat until finished. Place onto prepared tray ready to be Egg washed, leaving room for expansion.
(5) One Strand Plait .
Roll out the dough piece to a long thin strand about 20cm (8in) long.
Form the shape of a number 6.
Bring the long tail under and through the loop.
Twist the bottom loop from left to right, then bring the remainder of the tail through the bottom loop.
Place onto prepared baking tray ready to be Egg washed, leaving room for expansion
(6) Plain round or Finger rolls.
Simply re round the scaled dough pieces, (it is important that they are re-rounded for the second time after having Intermediate proof. and place on prepared tays.
For the finger rolls only partly re-round and finish by gently shaping into finger shape using the centre of the top of your palm (at the point where the fingers join the palm).
When all the shaping has been carried out the rolls should be placed onto a warmed lightly greased or baking paper lined tray,evenly spaced, allowing for expansion The rolls are then Egg washed.
Tip: To make Egg wash, crack one egg into a basin and add half an egg shell of water, mix thoroughly .
To improve the appearance and flavour and give even more variety some rolls can be finished with seeds such as Poppy or Sesame seeds.
The rolls now need to be PROVED for approx 30 minutes.Idealy they need to be kept at 38-40C (100-104F) in humid conditions.
To do this place the tray carefully into a large plastic/polythene bag (bin liners are ideal) and keep in a warm draught free area. Make sure the covering does not touch the rolls at any time.
See our "Shoe-Rack" Prover opposite --------------------->
After 30 minutes carefully remove from the bag, taking care not to let the rolls touch the covering and avoid "banging/knocking" the tray. Place into the pre-heated oven and bake for approx 10-12 minutes
When baked, remove from the oven and carefully slide/take off the baking tray immediately and place onto a cooling wire. Take care not to burn yourself and also not to damage the rolls.


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One of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
1A sheet, quantity, or thickness of material, typically one of several, covering a surface or body.'arrange a layer of aubergines in a dish'
coating, sheet, coat, surface, film, covering, blanket, skin, veneer, thicknessView synonyms
- 'Depending on various factors, you might need to place a layer of base material on top of the subgrade.'
- 'Arrange a layer of fish, skin side down, at the bottom.'
- 'The glass is 1.5 inches thick with a layer of material sandwiched in between to further improve blast resistance.'
- 'Like your eyelashes, so blond they were only noticeable when you blinked and the top row met the bottom in a layer of double thickness.'
- 'In all cases, evaporation from the pots was minimized by covering the exposed surface with a layer of filter paper.'
- 'Once the desired quantity of trees had been installed, a layer of geotextile material was deposited on top to keep contaminants out of the stream.'
- 'Repeat until you have 3 layers of pumpkin filling, finishing with a layer of lasagne sheets.'
- 'These tissues then provide a layer of insulation between the body core and the surface.'
- 'Then an insulator material is layered over the base, followed by a layer of superconducting material.'
- 'Over that there was a layer of soft black material, open at the front to show the red dress beneath.'
- 'It was a layer of slime that coated every surface, reducing all materials to the same revolting color and dimming the lights to an anemic yellow.'
- 'I hope you're aware that these walls are only a layer of sheet rock and a bit of plaster!'
- 'Cut the pasta sheets to size and arrange a layer of pasta over the base of the dish.'
- 'In fresh, unhomogenized milk the droplets of fat float to the surface, forming a layer of 'top of milk'.'
- 'Most polishes and waxes leave a layer of wax on surfaces to protect finish.'
- 'Then they covered the surface with a layer of hydrogen atoms.'
- 'Thatch is a layer of fibrous material, which if it becomes too deep, prevents proper drainage of rain.'
- 'It has the same sidecut as the original, with changed graphics and a layer of metalic material.'
- 'Further, the ionization of the gas by the electrons removes the need to coat the sample with a layer of conductive material.'
- 'In the case of a wall like this, because it's very densely packed, and then it is coated with a layer of plaster inside and outside, it's a zero fire hazard.'
- 1.1 A level of seniority in the hierarchy of an organization.'a managerial layer'
- 'The bureaucratic layers between the U.S. forces and the secretary of defense were severed.'
- 'But opponents of 'regionalisation' say it would merely add an extra layer of expensive bureaucracy and unwanted politicians.'
- 'Many of these efforts focused on flattening the hierarchical structure or reducing the number of layers in the organization.'
- 'There are essentially four layers of hierarchical division within the Commission bureaucracy.'
- 'At the moment it is just levels and layers of bureaucracy.'
- 'Keep the number of reporting layers within your organization to a minimum.'
- 'Just another electioneering pack of lies designed to mislead people into enabling yet a further layer of politicians to line their pockets at our expense.'
- 'In consequence, there exists a whole layer of senior IT decision-makers devoted to the skills of managing the relationship.'
- 'Second, the structure of the Council is explored, with a view to identifying those individuals who together constitute the various layers of the Council hierarchy.'
- 'Choose a protégé you can learn from, too - someone who may give you some insight into different layers of your organization.'
- 'Now as boss, he invites discussion and says he is always trying to remove layers of hierarchy.'
- 'In the two and a half years since Seattle this movement has grown in numbers, involving significantly greater layers of organised workers, and has deepened its critique of capitalism.'
- 'Finally, a complex system typically consists of multiple layers of organization, with each level complementing or comprising a higher level.'
- 'Firstly, practices are small organisations with fewer layers of bureaucracy than most hospitals.'
- 'Taxes are traditionally collected at the lowest administrative level and each layer in the hierarchy can keep a cut of the taxes.'
- 'In recent years this has been achieved by removing layers of managers to create flatter organizations.'
- 'Instead, they were handled several layers down in the organization by people with clear and strong incentives to maximize revenues.'
- 'Some might conclude that such programmes may add bureaucratic layers and burden to an already overtaxed system.'
- 'The North East voted against a Regional Assembly because it would be an expensive layer of government with no power to alter local laws for local people.'
- 'There are few layers of hierarchy, there is a simple, unified chain of command, and there is little horizontal differentiation.'
2in combination A person or thing that lays something.'the majority of fish are egg-layers'
- 'The actor is a former asphalt layer who is renowned in television circles for his singing voice.'
3A shoot fastened down to take root while attached to the parent plant.'they can be increased from cuttings and layers'
verb[with object]
1Arrange in a layer or layers.'the current trend for layered clothes'
- 'Not only do I save time, but the flavours are layered into the dish, building towards the finish.'
- 'Some people search for caribou through binoculars, others take turns napping in a crawl space that is layered with mattresses and sleeping bags.'
- 'Fortunately many dishes that are layered, filled, or stuffed can be assembled a day ahead of the party.'
- 'Although I had allowed myself on more than one occasion to daydream and imagined myself in the lovely silk layered clothes of a lady.'
- 'Check out the way I've layered the clothes on Dougie.'
- 'A bell-sleeved tunic was layered over a leotard vest.'
- 'Pastilla is a layered pastry dish combining almonds and shredded meat.'
- 'Have you ever layered bananas with dried dates, poured cream over them and left them to chill for a couple of hours so that the dates become soft and sticky?'
- 'Bed linens are draped, layered and pleated in three grand monochrome compositions that achieve the stately sublimity of religious art.'
- 'Sometimes they are made into a thick porridge like polenta, left to set and cut into shapes, layered in a dish with cheese and baked in the oven.'
- 'Once that's all done, turn the heat down or off, whilst you layer sliced potatoes on top.'
- 'Clothes that can be layered with a variety of colors and styles work great.'
- 'The tantalising pomme Anna consisted of Charlotte potatoes sliced, layered and caramelised with rosemary butter.'
- 'On the day of the study, subjects wore what they normally wore to work: rubberized apron, gloves and boots layered above cotton clothes.'
- 'Anything that can be layered allows you to adapt easily to weather changes.'
- 'They store for several months if you layer them with pickling salt in a covered jar in the refrigerator.'
- 'The essential ingredients are sponge cake soaked in sherry or white wine, rich custard, fruit or jam, and whipped cream, layered in a glass dish in that order.'
- 1.1 Cut (hair) in overlapping layers.'her layered, shoulder-length hair'
- 'At the moment her hair was layered, and light brown with hot pink tips.'
- 'He had long, straight, layered brown hair and green eyes.'
- 'His hair was layered and flipped out in different directions.'
- 'She watched as a woman entered the room, pushing layered gold-brown hair away from her face.'
- 'Alex had shoulder length, layered blonde hair and perfectly shaped eyebrows that came with a set of perfect brown, cat-like eyes.'
- 'Find and inspect some pictures of people with curly, layered hair.'
- 'I layered my hair, I wore clogs, I floated around in gauzy peasant shirts and played my folk guitar.'
- 'Her long, black hair was layered and strewn seductively over her shoulders and back.'
- 'Abby had flared out layered blonde hair with red highlights throughout and steaming brown eyes.'
- 'He had layered red hair, the longest parts reaching just past the nape of his neck, which flipped around his head in a semi-messy manner.'
- 'The first female had layered blond hair and glittering green eyes.'
- 'She had long layered black hair, which looked bluish purple in some light.'
- 'She twirled her fingers in his long, artfully layered auburn hair.'
- 'She has short, red, layered hair that stops just below her ears.'
- 'Other than the cut, they also layered my hair all over the back to give it more body but left the front layers long and without any tapering in order to better frame my face.'
- 'Ashlee's hair is layered to just below her shoulders.'
- 'Tilting my head, I saw Gabby along with the whole squad of Freshmen cheerleaders, all seemingly identical with their uniforms, long nails, pouty lips, and layered hair.'
- 'Her hair was perfectly layered and moved beautifully around her throughout the episode!'
- 'My formerly straight hair was now layered and somewhat puffy.'
- 'I pulled a brush through my long and layered black hair.'
2Propagate (a plant) as a layer.'a layered shoot'
- 'Because it required excessive care and patience, air layering was used only by the highly trained plantsman.'
- 'Rather than buying more plants, Eva propagates her own by layering.'
- 'One of the easiest ways to propagate shrubs is by layering - bending down a branch so it roots directly in the soil.'
- 'Raise new plants from seeds or cuttings, and by layering, and provide support with trellises, pergolas and other structures.'
- 'If you're planning to share this shrub with a friend, you can layer it directly into a pot.'
- 'He keeps his going to get a second crop by layering it.'
- 'Propagation can be done by air layering but patience is required as it may take awhile before layered segments root and can be removed from the parent plant.'
- 'In most cases you are advised to leave the layering until the plant is in growth the following year.'
- 'Some plants propagate naturally by layering, but sometimes plant propagators assist the process.'
- 'To propagate, follow the same procedure as with red currants - take cuttings in late fall or early spring, or propagate by layering.'
- 'Autumn is a good time to propagate shrubs by layering, a simple technique that can also be done in spring.'
- 'Autumn or early spring is a good time to start layering a shrub.'
- 'It is also propagated by layering, divisions and by seed which it sets in profusion.'
Middle English (denoting a mason): from lay + -er. The sense 'stratum of material covering a surface' (early 17th century) may represent a respelling of an obsolete agricultural use of lair denoting quality of soil.
Further reading
Top tips for CV writingRead more
In this article we explore how to impress employers with a spot-on CV.


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Zipset #3 Extreme baby Oil Rubdown | 294 Images | 00:22:20 Total Video Runtime | 321 MB
Megan looks the best she ever has in this set. She also does one of the best baby oil rubdowns that she ever has as well. This one is HARD to top :)
Megan starts the video off by giving us some leggy ass poses. She looks fantastic in those platform heels... she cannot wait to start touching herself... she bends over and gets a chunk of ass in her hands... and then here comes the other hand from underneath... all up in her ass crack... yum yum!
She is already down on her hands and knees... you know... doggie style... and my camera is right behind her at ASS LEVEL :) Now Megan extends her left leg out nice and long... and she runs her hand all the way up it form her heels to her ass... oh man you should see that calve muscle when my camera pans past it!
I got my camera lense so close to her pussy you could smell how sweet it must be... then Megan grabs a chunk of ass meat... lifts it... and drops it... watch the jiggle wave!
Now... Megan is on her back on the mattress... I stand over her with the camer right above her crotch... she tightens her panties... slides and hand down into them... and then I pan up to her face... and the little bitch is holding her bottle of baby oil next to her face with a cute smile.
She pours it down her inner thigh... my lense tracks the drips running down her leg... she starts rubbing it in... ah it's getting hot in there now! Megan takes her itme teasing us as she rubs the baby oil into her legs and thighs... then... you know her... she loves her ass more than we possibly could... and there she goes... baby oil running all down her ass cheeks... her hand rubbing it in... her hand goes under the panties and gets a swipe or two of her tight little asshole...
Ok... so now she has to get her legs ALL oiled up... she pours baby oil onto her toes while still in the platforms... that was hot... I dunno why... it just was. She gets her legs all shined up and then she lies back onto her back.
My camera is so close to the action there were droplets of baby oil on my lense. (of course I cleaned my lense and continued) Now Megan's legs are open... and my camera is trained on her crotch. I dunno when she did it... but somehow she got her panties soaked already. Her pussy is literally on display through her now somewhat sheer white baby oil soaked panties! Yum yum!
Now Megan gets on her knees... with her ass still facing the camera. I got the up angle... she thongs her panties up her ass crack... and um... starts to rub ASS! If I did not know any better... I bet Megan could rub her ass crack in the privacy of her apartment and have an orgasm :)
Now Megan sits on her ass... and we have sheer top baby oiled tit view... not for long though... she pulls the top up over her chest like a little tramp and starts rubbing her tits. Spreading her fingers making us HOPE for a nip slip. Dang... not this time!
She lies back and you can see her pink nipples through that sheer top perfectly! Looks hot! Almost nude actually! Oh... she has the top up over her tits again and she is rubbing her nipples. She is trying to slip a nip again. Ok... there was ALMOSt a full nip slip and an oops out of Megan's mouth.
Now standing... Megan starts to rub her ass again and tease us by pulling her panteis down a bit. She manages to get a few swipes up and down and that juicy pussy as well.
Now Megan gets down on her knees and pulls her panties down to her knees :)... she bends over like a dog ready to be fucked and does the old hand thong. It doesn't matter though... just seeing her there in that super compromising position is hot enough! It is pretty fucking hot watching Megan's hand literally wipe her own naked ass... WOW!
Back to the side shot of her ass... more rubbing... more crotch touching and swiping. Oh wiat... now her hand goes down the back of her panties. Her middle finger could be IN her ass for all I know. Godam this shit is hot! More baby oil gets poured... it's running down her ass cheek like rain water on a window.
Own this set like Megan's owned that bottle of baby oil... you should!
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Federal Park Staffers Defy Presidential Order, Tweet Climate Change Warnings
More CO2 in the atmosphere 'than at any time in the last 650,000 years,' said park's Twitter feed
Unnamed employees at the Badlands National Park in South Dakota were lifted to hero status by the mainstream media recently when they defied a presidential blackout on social media by using the park's Twitter account to tweet climate change facts.
After President Donald Trump issued a ban on social media use by the Department of the Interior, which runs the park system, someone from the national park went to Twitter to warn people about the dangers of the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
"Today, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than at any time in the last 650,000 years" was tweeted along with the hashtag "#climate."
The tweet has since been deleted.
The incident caused a new flare-up in the ongoing debate over climate change policy. While they get less mainstream media coverage, some climate experts say posts like those from federal park staffers set off false alarms.
"Rising CO2 in the atmosphere will benefit the Earth," said William Happer, a Princeton physics professor, in an email.
The nonprofit CO2 Coalition states that higher levels of carbon dioxide are helping make green plants more drought-resistant and have led to a significant greening of the planet over the last few decades.
The carbon dioxide levels "during the past tens of millions of years have been much closer to starvation levels … when many plants die, than to the much higher levels that most plants prefer," according to a 2015 report released by the CO2 Coalition.
What's the significance of rising levels of carbon dioxide on the atmosphere?
"That's like asking, what's the significance of having more humans on Earth than ever before?" said Roy Spencer, a climatologist, principal research scientist at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and former NASA scientist. "Increasing atmospheric CO2 might well be good for life on Earth. It has caused global greening, increased crop productivity, and probably some portion of the relatively benign warming we've experienced. It cannot be demonstrated to have caused any significant change in severe weather of any kind."
John Christy, a climate scientist and professor of atmospheric science and director of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama-Huntsville, said carbon dioxide is a natural component of the atmosphere and the building block of life on Earth. Christy said in past times, carbon dioxide levels were up to 10 times higher than they are today.
"The question is whether this returned CO2 might affect the climate in a way that is a problem," Christy said in an email. "Our research indicates the rising CO2 concentrations are not having much impact on the global temperature and no impact on weather events such as droughts/floods/tornadoes/hurricanes etc."


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OTTAWA—NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair signalled Wednesday he would not support the Keystone XL pipeline project or any north-south oil or gas transmission project unless western petroleum resources were first available to the east.
Mulcair hailed the re-election of U.S. President Barack Obama as a victory for "progressive" political forces and policies, adding, "I'm convinced we'll see now" a carbon cap-and-trade system to help limit "greenhouse gas" emissions.
Mulcair suggested the prospect of continued political logjams in the U.S. congress was diminished by Obama's victory: "I think that the beginning of this second term really does open up a whole new era."
But whereas Conservatives are hopeful that Obama will soon act to approve the Keystone XL pipeline to move Alberta oilsands crude to U.S. refineries and markets once the state of Nebraska puts forward an alternate route, the NDP hopes the project remains on a backburner.
Last fall, Obama turned down the project proposed by Calgary's TransCanada Corp. over U.S. environmental concerns, but left open the possibility the XL pipeline could be revisited in the coming year.
Mulcair said the priority for any Canadian government should lie elsewhere, adding any government he would lead would focus on the "sustainable development" of western oil resources.
He said the Conservatives should concentrate on ensuring Canadian "energy security needs," promoting Canadian jobs, and better oil prices for this country's producers.
Mulcair declined to say "No," when it comes to Keystone XL, but left little doubt where he stands.
"We're saying that as a matter of priority we should be bringing our petroleum products from west to east, taking care of Canada's own energy security first and foremost. Anything else after that can be discussed, but as a matter of priority the NDP would try to work with partners in the private sector and with the provinces to make sure that we can do that: add the value here, add the jobs here, move product from west to east as a priority before adding more lines to the south, that's the way we would do it."
While he acknowledged it is up to the American government to approve projects on its own soil, Mulcair said "objective, outside analyses conclude that Keystone represents the export of 40,000 Canadian jobs."
"We're sending it south in the rawest possible form," said Mulcair, without getting the benefit of jobs, nor getting a good price for the oil because of a current glut in U.S.
"A 10-year supply to the U.S. is a 100-year supply for Canada," he told reporters. "We have an obligation as a state to take care of our own energy security for the future. We're not doing that. We should be adding the jobs in Canada. We should be moving the product from west to east, always subject to a rigorous environmental review.
"But as a principle of sustainable development, no other country is doing what Canada's doing right now and it's a big mistake."


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1) As predicted, this month was indeed all about movement. Once Sprout learned to lift his body up, he spent a little while using a unique and painful method to get around: he would get up on all fours, and then fall forward onto his face. Then he would get up on all fours again, and fall forward a few more inches...and so on. After a few days of this, he started Army crawling a little bit - sort of slithering around on the floor without lifting himself much. Then a few days later, he began combining the two movements: he started getting a few forward movements on all fours, and then would plop back down and Army crawl.
2) By the beginning of November, about two weeks after his first attempts, the baby was legit crawling. Apparently he's an overachiever though, because as soon as he got crawling mostly down, he started trying to stand by pushing his arms against the floor and doing a sort of downward-facing dog yoga pose. Within a week, he managed to pull himself up to a standing position in the crib, and is now working on other, more slippery surfaces. It should be noted that even at this stage, he still hasn't fully mastered sitting - he periodically just tips over and bumps his head for no apparent reason.
3) In other developments, Sprout also enjoys kissing his Mama. Unfortunately, this is a rather rough form of affection - he grabs at the hair on either side of my face, and jerks my head forward until he can slobber on my cheek. His excited, huge grin makes this experience worth the lost hair I then have to pick out of his chubby clenched fists.
4) Sprout was never particularly cooperative with diaper changes, but this month he's taken the wiggling to a new level. It now requires either two people to hold him still, or one person with a dazzling new toy or inventive noise. Otherwise, forget it, the kid twists and turns and twists and turns, making a five minute diaper change last about six times longer than necessary.
5) Fuzzy has been bringing home cold after cold from preschool, and then giving said cold to Sprout. This is bad on a lot of levels, not the least of which is that the child struggles like a feral animal whenever a tissue comes near his nose. Paradoxically, tissues also happen to be his favorite snack - if a box is left unattended somewhere in Sprout's reach, he will lunge toward it, grab a tissue, and quickly stuff it in his mouth while chewing energetically.
6) We've been slowly introducing Sprout to solid foods, prompted by an interest on his part: when he sees us eating now, he will smack his lips like an old man missing his dentures, while pointedly staring at whatever delectable object we are putting in our mouths. So far, he's liked almost every baby food we tried, although, par for the course, he quickly grows bored and refuses to eat more than an ounce or so.


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Smoking Cessation—No ifs, ands, or butts!
Dr. Marcia Nelson, M.D., M.S.
Consultant Internist
It is difficult to describe the magnitude of suffering smoking has inflicted on us all. Although smoking rates are decreasing in many parts of the developed world, it is alive and well in China. Businessmen often pass out cigarettes to be sociable, and give cartons of cigarettes as gifts. To refuse this is to be rude. Many of my patients tell me it is too easy and cheap NOT to smoke in China, but they will definitively quit when they move back home.
Indeed, it is a very addicting habit, but I have yet to meet a patient who tells me that they regret quitting. Most wish they had done it sooner. No one ever reflects back on their life and wishes they would have smoked more. There is nothing good about smoking. Who would every willingly choose bad breath, brown teeth, brown nails, premature aging, heart and lung problems, strokes and aneurysms, cataracts, weak bones, allergies, birth defects, cancer, early death, all at a great financial expense? And then add the risk of fire-related injures and death. Smoking can make people around you sick, even your children. The risk of smoking-related disease increases with the amount a person smokes. Quitting smoking is the absolute best (and cheapest) things you can do for your health. There is no amount of tobacco that is safe. This goes for chewing tobacco and cigars.
Of course everyone knows this. Quitting is hard work, but there are ways to help. The good news is that now there are more options, even in Shanghai, than ever to quit. And the sooner you quit, the sooner and bigger the health benefits are. You will save your life, save your health, save your looks, save your loved ones, save your money, and save your freedom (from addiction).
You can do it!
Keeping in close contact with your doctor often helps a person quit. Sometimes prescription medications and/or nicotine replacement helps. You should definitely talk to your doctor if quitting makes you gain weight or feel depressed.


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A Staples Flyer has gone out showcasing the discounts for Black Friday. Staples has the 16GB BlackBerry PlayBook listed for $199, which is a savings of $300. This is the lowest price from a retailer so far. Rumor is the 32GB PlayBook will only be $50 more ($249.99) and the 64GB PlayBook at $399. Will you plan to pickup a PlayBook for yourself, friend or family member this holiday season?
via CB


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- Creative
- Animation
- Film Production
- Fine Art
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Music Production
- Photography
- UI/UX Design
- Writing
I know that this project is suppose to be about "your city", but I fell in love with Seattle the first time I visited.
I'm a Vancouverite and I enjoy travelling to different locations outside of North America. I've only been to Seattle one other time for a school trip years ago, but over the summer I decided to make my way down just for a day.
It started off by getting on the Amtrack in the early morning and then exploring the downtown district by the afternoon. My day ended with a late night Greyhound bus back up to Vancouver.
Even though I visted the most tourist filled locations, I hope to capture sights from a perspective of a person who has been captivated by the city.
Hope you enjoy.
Images captured on my iPhone 5s


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In just a few short years, state legislatures and education agencies across the country have sought to transform American public education by passing a series of laws and policies overhauling teacher tenure, introducing the use of standardized test scores in performance evaluations and expanding charter schools, the New York Times reports. Such policies are among those pushed by StudentsFirst, the advocacy group led by Michelle A. Rhee, the former schools chancellor in Washington. Ms. Rhee has generated debate in education circles for aggressive pursuit of her agenda and the financing of political candidates who support it. In a report issued Monday, StudentsFirst ranks states based on how closely they follow the group's platform, looking at policies related not only to tenure and evaluations but also to pensions and the governance of school districts. The group uses the classic academic grading system, awarding states A to F ratings…
StudentsFirst gives 12 states failing grades on school policies
By staff and wire services reports
January 7th, 2013