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Gummy Vitamins—Not Just for Kids!
This blog does not intend to provide diagnosis...
In this article:
- The following supplements are available as gummies:
- Elderberry Gummies
- Gummies for the Immune System
- Hair, Skin and Nails
- Can vegetarians consume gummies?
Difficulty swallowing tablets and capsules is an issue that many encounter. As a result, I have had numerous patients over the years ask for alternatives. I often suggest gummy supplements, which can be chewed—and as a bonus, they can also help those with absorption issues as gummies are more readily absorbed into the body since they are chewed prior to being swallowed. Gummy supplements are a great option for both adults and parents who want to make sure their young children are supplementing their diet with adequate vitamins and minerals.
(Note: Gummy vitamins are usually recommended for those 4 years of age or older due to choking risk.)
The following supplements are available as gummies:
- Multivitamins
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Omega-3 Fish Oil
- Coenzyme Q10
- Melatonin
- Probiotics
- Elderberry
The American Medical Association, the leading medical organization in the world, says that multivitamins should be taken to optimize health. On June 19, 2002, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association made the following recommendation:
"We recommend that all adults take one multivitamin daily. This practice is justified mainly by the known and suspected benefits of supplemental folate and vitamins B12, B6, and D in preventing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis and because multivitamins at that dose are safe and inexpensive"
While a well-balanced diet and daily exercise are crucial to optimizing health, daily stressors and chronic health conditions can add increased metabolic and nutrient demands on your body. These nutrient needs may not always be fulfilled with diet alone. Additionally, many popular prescription drugs can also deplete the body of important vitamins and minerals.
A quality gummy multivitamin provides extra assurance that the body is getting what it needs. If extra nutrients are present, the body will store what it needs and eliminate the additional.
Options available include Adult Gummy Multivitamins, Prenatal Vitamins and Children Gummy Multivitamins.
Suggested Dose: Take as directed on the label
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 (also referred to as cobalamin or cyanocobalamin) is an important nutrient that your body requires to help optimize brain, nerve, and blood health. However, despite its importance, there's plenty of evidence showing that people around the world are deficient in this essential nutrient. Those who have had intestinal surgery, including weight loss surgery, are also at risk for a vitamin B12 deficiency.
Studies demonstrate that up to one in six (17 percent) of those aged 60 and older are deficient in vitamin B12 while upwards to one in 15 (six percent) of those under age 60 are deficient. But, this isn't just a health concern for Americans. In the northern part of China, for instance, a 2014 study showed up to 45 percent of Chinese women were deficient in vitamin B12. This is a problem in many different regions around the world.
Signs and Symptoms of B12 deficiency
Due to vitamin B12's importance to the human body, various problems can occur when a person has low levels. Symptoms include anemia, memory issues, and depression, according to study out of Harvard University.
A vitamin B12 deficiency can result in the following conditions
- Anemia
- Low platelets or elevated number of platelets
- Burning tongue (burning mouth syndrome)
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Loss of balance
- Loss of smell
- Memory loss – Vitamin B12 deficiency is more common in those with dementia
- Numbness and tingling in legs and arms, referred to as "peripheral neuropathy" by doctors. (Neuropathy is common in those with diabetes but may also affect those with prediabetes or no diabetes)
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Suggested dose: 500 to 1,000 mcg per day
Vitamin C
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a crucial vitamin with antioxidant properties. According to a 2009 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, over seven percent of people age six and older were vitamin C deficient based on blood tests. More than half surveyed consumed low amounts. Vitamin C levels are lower in those who smoke.
A few years ago, I diagnosed a 40-year-old patient in my practice with scurvy. The patient was a smoker with a poor diet, who was exhibiting bleeding gums and easy bruising. After the patient's dentist confirmed the absence of gum disease, a blood test confirmed the vitamin C deficiency, which lead to the diagnosis of scurvy. This individual's symptoms improved after a few weeks of vitamin C supplementation.
Vitamin C plays a significant role in collagen formation, the main component of arteries and skin. Collagen is also important to keep one's teeth healthy. Studies show a diet high in foods containing vitamin C are good for the heart. For those who take an iron gummy supplement for anemia, a vitamin C gummy can help increase the absorption of the iron in the small intestine.
Suggested dose: Take between 250 mg to 500 mg daily.
Vitamin D
Worldwide, about four in five patients have a clinical vitamin D deficiency. Thousands of studies over the last decade show health benefits in those with optimal vitamin D levels. The studies tell us that those with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood have a lower risk for heart attacks, breast cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other health complications.
The reason for this common deficiency is that few people spend the required 15 to 20 minutes each day in the sunlight, allowing their face, arms and legs to be exposed to the ultraviolet light. Those with more melanin, which is responsible for skin pigmentation, require up to 30 minutes in the sun per day to generate adequate vitamin D. Those over age 65 years also require more time outdoors to generate vitamin D due to reduced skin elasticity.
A 2017 study from University of San Diego showed that college football players who had lower vitamin D levels were more likely to be injured than those with higher blood levels. But, getting sufficient vitamin D is crucial for all people, not just athletes.
Lower levels of vitamin D in the blood have been associated with increased risk for the following conditions:
- Breast cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Fibromyalgia
- Falls and fractures
- Autoimmune diseases
- High blood pressure
- Heart attacks and strokes
Suggested dose: 1,000 IU to 5,000 IU daily (ask your doctor what is best for you)
Omega-3 Fish Oil
Omega-3 essential fatty acids consist primarily of particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A 2014 study in Nutrition Journal showed that the majority of Americans do not consume enough omega-3 fatty acids. They can be found in a variety of food sources, which include fish (mackerel, cod, and salmon are among the richest), walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, and natto.
A 2017 study in Future Science showed omega-3 oils can reduce inflammation that can lead to heart disease. A 2017 study in Atherosclerosis showed that higher levels of omega-3 in the blood could reduce death from heart disease by 30 percent. This is significant being that one in four deaths in the United States is due to heart disease.
Drug companies manufacture and sell a pharmaceutical grade fish oil, which has been shown to lower triglyceride levels by 50 percent. However, non-pharmaceutical fish oil capsules also appear to provide the same benefit at a fraction of the cost. Fish oil supplements are also available in gummy formulas.
Suggested dose: Take as directed on the label
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 is required for cells to generate energy. This is done primarily, in a part of the cell doctors call mitochondria. Mitochondria is like a "power plant" that generates energy for the human body. If our biological power plants do not generate sufficient energy, fatigue is often a result.
Since the heart is the most active of all organs, it produces and requires the most CoQ10 in order to meet its metabolic demands. However, in those with cardiac disease, higher levels of CoQ10 are frequently desired.
If you have the following, you may benefit from Coenzyme Q10 supplementation:
- Migraine headaches
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Poor memory
- Elevated blood pressure
- Congestive heart failure
- Metabolic disease
- Facial wrinkles
When a Co-enzyme Q10 supplement is taken, the body will convert 90 percent of the CoQ10 into ubiquinol, the active form of the vitamin.
A 2017 study, which reviewed 14 other studies, showed a benefit of CoQ10. The results showed those who took CoQ10 were 31 percent less likely to die from complications of congestive heart failure.
Suggested dose of Coenzyme Q10 gummies is 100 mg to 300 mg per day
Melatonin is the hormone necessary for one to get a good night's sleep. As we age, melatonin levels decrease, which is why those 65 years of age and older frequently have difficulty getting proper sleep. People of all ages who work the night shift (or graveyard shift) frequently have sleeping problems due to disruption of their circadian rhythm, the 24-hour cycle that tells us when to eat and sleep among other everyday behaviors. Ironically, commonly prescribed sleeping medications (ie. zolpidem, temazepam) lower melatonin levels in the body which commonly results in a dependency on the sleeping medication.
Suggested dose: 3 to 5 mg each night of melatonin gummies
Probiotics, the term used to describe healthy bacteria, are also available in a gummy formula. Our intestines require the presence of good bacteria in order to assist with digestion and to help maintain the health of our immune system. Examples of healthy bacteria include lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. Probiotics are frequently taken by those with digestive issues and by those who undergo a course of probiotics.
In addition to digestive benefits, probiotics have been shown to be effective in the prevention of upper respiratory infections and appear to be an up-and-coming treatment for chronic sinus disease. A 2015 study by Cochrane Review showed those taking probiotics were less likely to develop an upper respiratory infection, less likely to need antibiotics, and less likely to miss school when compared to those subjects not taking probiotics.
Suggested dose: 3 billion to 30 billion units daily
Elderberry Gummies
Elderberry(Sambucus nigra L.) has historically been used by many indigenous cultures for upper respiratory infections. A 2016 study concluded that elderberry showed a significant reduction of cold duration and cold severity in air travelers who took the herb. Studies also show elderberry has activity against the influenza virus. Elderberry gummies provide a rich source of this potent antioxidant.
Suggested dose: Elderberry extract 50 mg daily
Gummies for the Immune System
There are also various types of gummies available which help provide immune system support. These gummies include vitamin C, zinc and vitamin D, known to play an important role in helping to strengthen the immune system and fight viruses.
Hair, Skin and Nails
Gummy supplements can also help with hair, skin and nail health—important nutrients for this includes vitamin C and biotin.
Other supplements available on the market include those with iron gummies, fiber gummies, and calcium gummies.
Can vegetarians consume gummies?
Initially, gummies were made using gelatin, meaning that they would not be suitable for those who consume a vegetarian diet as gelatin is derived from animal cartilage. However, there are numerous gelatin-free gummy vitamins now available. If avoiding gelatin is important, one must simply read the label closely.
- Fletcher RH, Fairfield KM. Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults Clinical Applications. JAMA.2002;287(23):3127–3129. doi:10.1001/jama.287.23.3127
- Students show 17% of those 60 and older are vitamin B12 deficient, page 62, accessed October 29, 2017 https://www.cdc.gov/nutritionreport/pdf/Nutrition_Book_complete508_final.pdf
- Dang S, Yan H, Zeng L, et al. The Status of Vitamin B12 and Folate among Chinese Women: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Northwest China. Sengupta S, ed. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(11):e112586. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0112586. Accessed October 17, 2017
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/vitamin-b12-deficiency-can-be-sneaky-harmful-201301105780
- Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Nov;90(5):1252-63. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2008.27016. Epub 2009 Aug 12.
- Heart Advis. 2015 Oct;18(10):10.
- Vitamin D and injury among college football players accessed January 27, 2018. https://timesofsandiego.com/tech/2017/12/21/lack-vitamin-d-factor-athletes-muscle-injuries/
- Papanikolaou Y, Brooks J, Reider C, Fulgoni VL. U.S. adults are not meeting recommended levels for fish and omega-3 fatty acid intake: results of an analysis using observational data from NHANES 2003–2008. Nutrition Journal. 2014;13:31. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-13-31.
- Bäck M. Omega-3 fatty acids in atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Future Science OA. 2017;3(4):FSO236. doi:10.4155/fsoa-2017-0067.
- Atherosclerosis. 2017 Jul;262:51-54. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2017.05.007. Epub 2017 May 6.
- 1 In 4 deaths due to heart disease in the USA. Accessed January 27, 2018 https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
- Lei L, Liu Y. Efficacy of coenzyme Q10 in patients with cardiac failure: a meta-analysis of clinical trials. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders. 2017;17:196. doi:10.1186/s12872-017-0628-9.
- Hao Q, Dong B, Wu T. Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD006895. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006895.pub3
- Krawitz C, Mraheil MA, Stein M, et al. Inhibitory activity of a standardized elderberry liquid extract against clinically-relevant human respiratory bacterial pathogens and influenza A and B viruses. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2011;11:16. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-11-16.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy is naming a ship in honor of the late gay rights leader Harvey Milk, who served in the Navy for four years before he began a career in San Francisco city government.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said Tuesday that Milk displayed tremendous courage fighting for the rights of the LGBT community. The ship is one of a new fleet of replenishment oilers that will be built in San Diego.
Milk's career as a Navy officer, however, ended with an "other than honorable" discharge, due to allegations of fraternization with enlisted personnel.
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Some argue that Milk was forced out of the military because he was gay. A defense official said Tuesday that Milk accepted the other than honorable discharge to avoid possible disciplinary action.
Fraternization with enlisted personnel by an officer is against military regulations — whether they are the same or different genders. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. military was formally ended in September 2011.
Milk became one of the first openly gay candidates elected to public office. He was serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1978 when a former political colleague, Dan White, assassinated him and Mayor George Moscone at City Hall.
Mabus said Milk "offered hope for millions of Americans who were being ostracized and prosecuted just for who they loved."
Speaking in San Francisco during the announcement, Mabus said it was important to honor those like Milk who have fought in a different way, battling — and sometimes dying — for freedom and equality.
Chad Griffin, the president of the advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign, lauded the Navy honor for Milk, calling it "further evidence of the profound progress on LGBTQ equality we continue to make as a nation."
"In his bold and unabashed advocacy, Milk inspired LGBTQ people for generations," Griffin said in a statement.
Five other replenishment oilers will bear the names of civil and human rights leaders: Sojourner Truth, Chief Justice Earl Warren, Robert F. Kennedy, suffragist Lucy Stone and Rep. John Lewis of Georgia.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

subset: commoncrawl


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SpaceEngine is a free space simulation program that allows you to travel through intergalactic space in three dimensions. Starting from Earth, you can journey out into the cosmos and visit all known areas of the Universe. And as for those places where no one has gone before, the computer can simulate that experience for you, too.
Writing in PCWorld, Cassandra Khaw describes the software and how it works:
The list of available functions is rather impressive. According to the description on the SpaceEngine website, SpaceEngine has every type of celestial object known to modern astronomy. It also lets you exercise time control in order to observe the rotation of planets and their orbital movement, view orbital paths, take in the splendors of 3D planetary landscapes and volumetric space models, import your own user add-ons and, most importantly, pilot spaceships. Depending on how much you've wanted to work for NASA, this may be the niftiest component of SpaceEngine.
Not only can you zip through this virtual universe like the Silver Surfer with Free mode, but you can choose between Spacecraft mode and Aircraft mode, both of which utilize inertia to simulate a rigid body in zero gravity. The only thing that SpaceEngine is missing is a contingent of little green men.
As you might have guessed already, the system requirements for SpaceEngine are somewhat hefty. At bare minimum, you'll need a computer that has a 2GHz processor, 2GB of memory, a 512MB video card, and Windows XP.
Read the rest of Khaw's article. And be sure to visit SpaceEngine to learn more, and to download the app.
Image via PCWorld.


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Story highlights
Carney is the second press secretary for President Obama
Josh Earnest will replace Carney at the White House briefing room podium
Obama said that Carney 'is one of my closest friends'
Jay Carney is stepping down as White House press secretary, President Barack Obama announced on Friday.
Obama said Carney told him of his decision in April, and Carney later said he plans to leave the position in mid-June.
The President announced that deputy press secretary Josh Earnest will step into the role.
Obama considers Carney "one of my closest friends."
"He's got good judgment. He has good temperament and he's got a good heart, and I will miss him a lot," Obama said.
Carney previously spent 21 years in journalism, including a stint as Washington bureau chief for Time magazine, and Obama noted that he went from one of those asking the questions to the person behind the podium in the White House briefing room.
He is Obama's second press secretary during the more than five years of his presidency.
Carney took over in 2011 when Robert Gibbs stepped down, and has been Obama's chief spokesman through budget battles with Congress, the 2012 reelection, the rocky Obamacare rollout, the controversy over the Benghazi terror attack, the Edward Snowden NSA leaks, and now the scandal engulfing the Veterans Affairs Department.
"It's been an amazing experience," Carney told reporters.
"In midlife you don't often make a whole new set of friends, and not just friends, but people you would fight by and for under any circumstances and that's certainly what I have been lucky enough to get over these past five and a half years," he said.
Carney said that he's had discussions about what's next for him but hasn't made any firm decisions.
He was a former director of communications for Vice President Joe Biden before ascending to the White House job he has now.
Carney's married to journalist Claire Shipman, a senior correspondent for ABC News.
As for Carney's successor, Obama called Earnest a "straight shooter and a great guy."
He said their history dates to the 2008 Iowa caucus, where Earnest served as Obama's communication's director in the Hawkeye State.
"As you know, his name describes his demeanor," the President said of Earnest.
Shinseki resigns, but will that improve things at VA hospitals?
CNN's Dana Davidsen contributed to this report.


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Va. pol cuts 'host' from abortion post
A Virginia state lawmaker is facing heat after a Facebook post criticizing abortion rights groups in which he called pregnant women a "child's host."
Republican Virginia Sen. Steve Martin edited the post on Monday to read "bearer of the child" instead after he faced flak from abortion rights activists for his comments, but he insists his words are being taken out of context.
Martin posted to his Facebook page last week that he had received a Valentine's Day card from the Virginia Pro-Choice Coalition asking him to reconsider his position against abortion with the tagline, "Don't break our hearts." He criticized the card on his Facebook wall.
"If it's your expectation that I should support such nonsense, I will be breaking your heart," Martin wrote. "You can count on me to never get in the way of you 'preventing' an unintentional pregnancy.' I'm not actually sure what that means, because if it's 'unintentional' you must have been trying to prevent it. And, I don't expect to be in the room or will I do anything to prevent you from obtaining a contraceptive."
He continued: "However, once a child does exist in your womb, I'm not going to assume a right to kill it just because the child's host (some refer to them as mothers) doesn't want it to remain alive."
On Monday afternoon, that sentence was changed to: "I'm not going to assume a right to kill it just because the bearer of the child (some refer to them as mothers) doesn't want it to remain alive."
Virginia abortion rights groups had seized on the comments earlier Monday.
Can't believe this: #antichoice Sen. Martin refers 2 pregnant woman as "host" on facebook page: (h/t @PPAVirginia) pic.twitter.com/AYNyiLmvP8 — NARAL Pro-Choice VA (@NARALVirginia) February 24, 2014
Tell Sen. Steve Martin that women are people - NOT hosts. Take a picture w/ this sign to say #IAmAPerson #prochoice pic.twitter.com/io9lN1iYVl— NARAL Pro-Choice VA (@NARALVirginia) February 24, 2014
Just wow. Hey, Sen. Martin: Pregnant women are women. Not "hosts." via @PPAVirginia pic.twitter.com/94wJWjLet6 — Planned Parenthood (@PPact) February 24, 2014
But Martin said Monday that the groups were twisting his words and that he was parodying their position in calling women "hosts."
"From the beginning was playing their argument back to them. You'll even notice the parenthetical statement that some call them mothers because I consider them mothers not hosts, so that's not my argument that's their argument," Martin told POLITICO. "If you're going to say that it's my body, and if it's in my body for a period of time, I can treat it how I want, then you're the one arguing that you're just a host."
Martin said he changed his post, but he stands by his original words.
"Since they took that out of context, I said alright, I've already made it pretty clear since I said calling them mothers, I changed it to bearer of the children," Martin said. "But I'd be happy to change it back. I think that the way in which they turned that and somehow used this as both a Valentine's card issue and then to turn around say that I'm calling mothers and children who bear children hosts I think is a bit of twisting of the facts"
Martin has been no stranger to controversial remarks about abortion before. Last May, he defended statements from himself and lieutenant governor candidate E.W. Jackson saying that Planned Parenthood kills more black babies than the KKK. He also supported a bill in the state Senate requiring women to have ultrasounds before getting an abortion.
NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Executive Director Tarina Keene called the post a window into the "true" feelings of lawmakers.
"This is a rare glimpse into the true ideology of anti-abortion politicians and their complete disregard for women and families," Keene said. "These callous words show an absolute lack of empathy for women who find themselves in difficult situations and having to make difficult decisions. … This is not just a case of one man putting his foot in his mouth — this is how anti-choice politicians in Virginia really feel, and how they legislate."
Martin's original comments were first reported by The Huffington Post.
The edited post:


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I just logged on to the Sirius website and to my dismay one of the featured blocks on the homepage was reserved for Riley Martin! Intrigued, I clicked the link and now Riley has his own little promo page full of sound bytes.
Riley http://www.sirius.com/servlet/Conten...=1179170724049
I think Riley is funny and all but does this guy really warrant this kind of main page promotion on the Sirius website? Riley is cool in small doses on Howard's Show but his own show is the same thing week after week.


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Missouri Department of Transportation awards contract to fix rockslide
The Missouri Department of Transportation announced Monday it has awarded a $600,000 contract to a Mid-Missouri company to fix falling rock on Highway 63.
Columbia-based Boone Construction Company will work to stabilize a rock bluff on Highway 63 near the Boone and Callaway county line.
MoDOT has kept one lane of Highwy 63 closed near that bluff ever since rocks began falling last week.
Construction crews will begin work on the bluff Tuesday in order to prevent loose rock from falling onto the highway again.
One lane of the highway will remain closed for about a week and crews will have to periodically close Highway 63 throughout the project, which is expected to be completed by May.


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Tag: Bernie Kerik
Former NYC police commissioner Bernard Kerik will self-surrender to a federal prison tomorrow to begin serving a 48 month sentence for crimes related to under-reporting the value of renovations on a personal residence and making false statements on his Homeland Security application.
Bernie has just posted a "farewell" and "thanks" post, It's Time to Move Forward, on his blog. He's prepared to accept his fate, but points out in detail, it's not a fair one.
For nearly three years, I prepared to go to trial to defend myself against substantially the same charges I had already faced in New York State Court. Then, just days before the federal trial was to begin, my bail was revoked and I was imprisoned. The judge threatened to disqualify my legal team, which both he and the government prosecutors had already done twice before and would have sent me back to square one for the third time with my savings now exhausted.
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Journalist Andrew Krieg writes at HuffPo that the feds bullied Bernie Kerik into his plea and the four year sentence imposed by the judge.
My view is that the judge failed to protect Kerik's ability to mount a defense. We're all losers for this lack of fairness because all freedoms depend on justice in the courts. And for those (who often pop up in the comment sections of left-leaning blogs) who express satisfaction at Kerik's sufferings because he's a now-disgraced Republican, let's remember that Big Brother-style government is the issue here. It's not a good idea to applaud air bombing of neighbors.
He likens it to Don Siegelman's case and announces he's helping form "the Justice Integrity Project". The goal: [More...]
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Update: Hundreds of tweets and articles and the first to report on whether Kerik goes to jail immediately or not is Tony Aiello. Kerik was granted a voluntary surrender to the designated prison, he will report May 17.
Update: The Judge sentenced Bernie to four years in prison, more than the Government requested. In other words, he rejected the plea agreement, which called for 27 to 33 months. AP report on reasons the judge went above the guidelines:
Kerik was "the chief law enforcement law enforcement officer for the biggest and grandest city this nation has," Robinson said. The crimes were committed "in the process of attempting to become a cabinet level position in the government of the United States."
Bump and Update: Bernie Kerik's sentencing is set for 10 am ET. I'm following on Twitter and elsewhere and will update with live reports from those on the scene. Federal proceedings are not televised but media is present.
Original Post with details below:
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Former NY Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik is scheduled to be sentenced in a few weeks on his guilty plea to various tax offenses and false statement charges. Both sides filed lengthy sentencing statements yesterday.
Both parties have agreed to a guideline sentence in the range of 27 to 33 months. The Government is clearly hoping for the max of 33 months. Bernie is asking for 27 months.
Having read through the Government's 61 page sentencing memo and Bernie's (234 pages, including many letters), I have to wonder why the Government is making such a big fuss over 6 months. By pleading guilty, he saved the Government an enormous expense of time and resources that would have been required for a trial that would have lasted many months.
The case is largely based on the same conduct to which he pleaded guilty in the Bronx, and received no jail time. [More..]
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Update: Judge says Bernie has done much good in his life and he will consider bail pending sentencing. For now, he will remain in jail.
Jailed former NY Police Commmissioner Bernie Kerik pleaded guilty today to charges he lied to the White House on his application to become Homeland Security chief in 2004, after being nominated for the position by President George W. Bush.
Kerik will also admit to tax evasion. The tax counts were set for trial separately. In all, he will plead to eight charges.
Mr Kerik made the first of eight expected pleas at a court in White Plains, New York state, on Thursday. The admissions are part of a plea bargain designed to head off three pending trials on 15 federal counts. Mr Kerik had previously denied all charges.
The prosecution is recommending a sentence of 27 to 33 months in prison . The plea documents are not yet on the court's website. [More...]
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Former NY Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik will remain at the Valhalla County jail pending his trial on tax fraud and corruption charges. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in his appeal of the trial court's revocation of his bond yesterday afternoon, and then issued its ruling. His trial has been reset for November 9.
His lawyers argued that the lawyer to whom Kerik sent a non-public pleading they were intending to file that contained information received in discovery was entitled to receive it:
Michael F. Bachner, one of Mr. Kerik's lawyers, argued that Mr. Kerik should have been allowed to send documents to Mr. [Anthony] Modafferi because he was an adviser who wrote legal memorandums and offered advice on the coming criminal trial.
In court, Judge Raggi sounded skeptical about that argument and appeared to side with Judge Robinson, who had said that Mr. Kerik attempted to obstruct the jury selection process when he sent the documents to Mr. Modafferi. "I'm not sure how we would find clear errors in Judge Robinson's articulated concerns," Judge Raggi said.
The order is here (pdf).
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Bernie Kerik remains in custody in the Valhalla County Jail. His trial, which was supposed to begin Monday, has been delayed indefinitely. His lawyers filed an appeal today of the court's order revoking his bail.
According to the trial court pleadings on PACER, the reason for revoking Bernie's bail was the Government's assertion that he committed a crime while on release -- criminal contempt, which they allege he committed by providing pleadings discussing non-public information to an attorney who had been advising him on matters related to his criminal case, but who was not a part of his criminal defense team, in violation of the court's 2008 protective order.
The appeal will be heard by a panel of the Second Circuit on Thursday.
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Michael Wolf at Newser has a good take on why the media shouldn't forget about Bernie Kerik.
Reason #1: Rudy Giuliani. The best way to keep Giuliani from becoming Governor of NY is to remind people about him and Bernie.
Like Wolf, I've never met Bernie in person, but was "befriended" by him on Facebook and we follow each other on Twitter. I've read almost every publicly available pleading in his federal case on PACER, starting with those pertaining to the disqualification of his lawyer and ending with the suggested jury instructions filed last week. During the 2008 primaries, I wrote very detailed posts about him and Rudy, Interstate, Larry Ray (more here) and so on. [More...]
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Former NY police commissioner Bernie Kerik was jailed this morning after his bail was revoked by the federal judge presiding over his criminal case, set to start trial next week. The judge said he failed to heed his warning a few weeks ago to monitor his legal defense fund website which was posting non-public documents in an attempt to taint the jury pool:
[prosecutors] discovered non-public documents placed on a Web site affiliated with Kerik's defense. "I fear he has a toxic combination: self-minded focus and arrogance," the White Plains federal judge said. That combination shows Kerik feels "the end justifies the means" and that "the rulings of the court are inconvenient and are to be ignored," Robinson said.
Bernie is likely to be held at MCC Manhattan. I assume, as a former cop, they will have to put him in solitary for his own safety. (Update: ABC News reports he's going to a county facility at Valhalla, NY., where the federal government rents space. )
Revoking bail for non-compliance with a court order? I could see charging or jailing him for contempt of court, but what does leaking sealed case information have to do with his risk of non-appearance in court or being a danger to the community? His lawyer says he will appeal.
(3 comments) Permalink :: Comments
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp announced it has settled the lawsuit filed by Judith Regan for $25 million. (Background here.)
Regan had also accused her former employers of asking her to lie to federal investigators about Bernard Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner who was once her lover, and had tried to smear her.
Regan said the smear campaign stems from her past intimate relationship with Kerik, who was police commissioner under former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and from the political agenda of News Corp.
Sounds like Rudy Giuliani will breathe a little easier tonight.
(8 comments) Permalink :: Comments
For the second time, a lawyer for Bernie Kerik has been disqualified from representing him.
During the federal investigation leading to his Indictment, the Government disqualified long-time Kerik lawyer (and TalkLeft pal) Joe Tacopina. (Background from the Washington Post here.
Today, on the Government's motion, the Court granted a request to disqualify Kerik's chief counsel Ken Breen.
Prosecutors had asked for the ruling in the criminal case against Kerik, arguing that defense lawyer Kenneth Breen was at meetings when Kerik gave his lawyers false information.
The potential conflict is "so severe that no remedial measure will cure it," U.S. District Judge Stephen Robinson said in his ruling from White Plains.
The Judge said the removal was necessary to preserve "both the defendant's right to effective assistance of counsel and the court's need to preserve the integrity of the process."
A new lawyer will require lots of time to get up to speed on the case, putting off a trial date -- possibly until after the November elections. In the unlikely event Rudy is the nominee, that would be a big boost for him.
Here are the Government's request to disqualify Breen, Breen's response and declaration, and another Government response.
(4 comments) Permalink :: Comments
Last month I chronicled the adventures of FBI informant and Bernie Kerik pal Larry Ray. I ended the last post with,
A lingering question is, what did Rudy know about Ray and Bernie (not just Interstate and Bernie) and when did he know it?
The Washington Post addressed that question yesterday. Larry Ray, who is now in jail on a probation violation, contacted WaPo reporters and shared Berie's e-mails (pdfs), photos of himself and Gorbachev in Rudy's office when Rudy was Mayor, as well as other documents previously shared with the feds when he cooperated against Bernie.
(4 comments, 459 words in story) There's More :: Permalink :: Comments
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Originally published in Bloomberg View
As you may know, the latest sports doping "scandal" involves a banned performance-enhancing drug derived from—I am not making this up—deer antlers.
Among the high-profile professional athletes who have used deer-antler spray, according to a recent story in Sports Illustrated, are Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and the golfer Vijay Singh. Needless to say, this "revelation" prompted the usual PED hysteria, followed by the usual sanctimonious, ill-informed condemnations.
"I know that it's obviously illegal, whatever it is," said golfer Bubba Watson, presumably without comic intent. "I love this sport. I would never do that."
Singh, for his part, issued one of the most memorable confessions in the history of sports: "I've used deer-antler spray," he admitted. But he didn't know, he continued, that it may have contained a substance that is banned by the Professional Golfers Association.
Don't worry, Vijay. What we have here, in the words of Millard Baker, who has been studying PEDs for more than a decade and runs the website thinksteroids.com, is "an imaginary steroid scandal."
The banned substance that the Sports Illustrated story identified is known as insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1. It's an anabolic hormone that stimulates muscle growth. It is manufactured synthetically, but it apparently can also be found in microscopic quantities in the velvet of immature deer antlers.
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Does deer-antler spray, in turn, contain trace amounts of IGF-1? Quite possibly. But so do other animal-food products. Sports Illustrated might just as well have rattled off a list of athletes who drink milk. After all, cows are often given bovine growth hormone, which increases the production of IGF-1. For that matter, the FDA allows livestock farmers to inject cattle with synthetic steroids such as trenbolone, a favorite among bodybuilders who are looking to mass up quickly before a competition.
As it happens, the deer-antler controversy is not new. In 2009, the National Football League suspended David Vobora of the St. Louis Rams, who tested positive for a steroid called methyltesterone after using a form of deer antler called The Ultimate Spray. Vobora subsequently had the spray tested, and discovered that it had somehow been contaminated with methyltesterone. (He later successfully sued Sports With Alternatives to Steroids, the company that makes the spray, for $5.4 million.)
But what does this have to do with IGF-1, the banned substance at the center of our deer-antler uproar? Not a whole lot.
You can probably find deer antler at your local natural products store. (That is, if it hasn't already sold out. The Sports Illustrated story evidently created a run on the stuff.) It isn't considered a drug, though it has long been used in Chinese medicine and has more recently become a popular dietary supplement, with aggressive marketing claims that it can help consumers not only build muscle but also slow down the aging process.
The supporting research isn't exactly unequivocal. According to the nonprofit organization Anti-Doping Research, deer antler has been shown in animal tests to increase oxygen uptake, as well as red and white blood cell production. But when it comes to human beings—let alone elite athletes—it hasn't demonstrated much value as a performance-enhancer.
In other words, you're better off getting your IGF-1 elsewhere. And anyway, IGF-1 isn't effectively delivered by pill or spray. It has to be injected.
Yet here we are, in the midst of another steroid scandal, talking about whether it was deer-antler spray that enabled Lewis to come back so quickly from his triceps tear in mid-October and calling Singh "a doper." There's no reason to believe that either of these men benefited from spraying a weird mist under their tongue, just as there's no reason to think there was anything scandalous about them doing so.
Sports Illustrated has been on the PED beat longer than just about anyone. Its first big story on the subject—"Drugs: A Threat to Sport," published in 1969—set the tone for decades of coverage to come. The magazine exposed the widespread use of steroids in college and pro football, "busted" Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson, and published the deathbed claim by former NFL defensive end Lyle Alzado that PEDs had caused his inoperable brain cancer. And I haven't even gotten to Lance Armstrong, let alone baseball's steroid era and Sports Illustrated's all-time favorite villain, Barry Bonds.
The magazine has named names, vilified users and shamed leagues. It has broken more than its share of stories. But along the way Sports Illustrated has often lurched toward a kind of biochemical McCarthyism—whipping up a Reefer Madness frenzy over the startling disclosure that some athletes take substances of dubious merit, while enforcing a garrison mentality about drugs in sports that makes it impossible to have an honest, dispassionate conversation about them. With its deer antler story, reason has certainly been impaled.
Meanwhile, all of the important questions remain unexplored. Are we drawing arbitrary distinctions between substances that are OK and substances that aren't? Would our energy be better spent regulating the use of PEDs in sports, rather than pushing for prohibition, which drives athletes into the arms of fly-by-night operations like Sports With Alternatives to Steroids?
Should we try to learn more about the long-term health risks associated with PED use and abuse—which aren't the same thing—rather than developing expensive testing regimes that are rendered obsolete almost the minute they're put into use? Is there a good reason not to celebrate a drug that can shorten an athlete's recovery from a serious injury, rather than demonizing it as unethical? How is an aging athlete using human growth hormone to extend his career any different from any one of us taking a blood-pressure lowering drug to extend our life?
Instead of answers, we have another steroid scandal with all of the usual histrionics, this one more inexplicable than the last. As Bubba might say: It's obviously stupid, whatever it is.
Jonathan Mahler is a sports columnist for Bloomberg View. A long-time contributor to The New York Times Magazine, he is the author of the best-selling Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning, The Challenge, and Death Comes to Happy Valley. He's @jonathanmahler on Twitter.


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text: The CTO of a Costa Rica-based payment network that U.S. prosecutors allege primarily served the cybercriminal underworld pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of conspiring to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.Mark Marmilev, 35, of Brooklyn, could face a maximum of five years in prison, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.Marmilev was accused of designing and maintaining the systems of Liberty Reserve, a digital currency used by a million people worldwide until it was shut down in May 2013. Prosecutors allege that Marmilev knew Liberty Reserve was transmitting funds that came from criminal activity.Liberty Reserve transmitted US$6 billion worth of transactions from its launch in 2006, mostly with the intent to launder criminal funds from activities such as credit card fraud, identity theft, hacking and narcotics trafficking, the indictment said.The company functioned "as a bank of choice for the criminal underworld because it provided an infrastructure that enabled cybercriminals around the world to conduct anonymous and untraceable financial transactions," prosecutors said.Marmilev was one of seven people indicted. Two others, Vladimir Kats and Azzeddine el Amine, have pleaded guilty to charges and are awaiting sentencing.Liberty Reserve did not require its customers to present identification, allowing them to stay anonymous or use fake names. Third-party exchangers bought and sold credits from Liberty Reserve in exchange for mainstream currency.Those exchangers, mostly in Malaysia, Russia, Nigeria and Vietnam, dealt directly with customers, according to the indictment. That arrangement ensured that Liberty Reserve never collected identifying information on its users.In 2009, Costa Rican authorities pressed Liberty Reserve for a license to operate as a money transmitter. It failed to obtain the license after regulators in the country determined it did not use anti-money laundering controls and had no means to track suspicious activity.It was finally shut down in May 2013 after Liberty Reserve allegedly engaged in various deceptions, including moving money outside of Costa Rica into the accounts of shell companies and claiming it was shutting down its business.Send news tips and comments to firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow me on Twitter: @jeremy_kirk


text:
Written by Sarah
The BAFTAs represent Noomi Rapace's most prominent recognition for her work as Lisbeth Salander in the Millennium Trilogy, specifically The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. If you didn't see the Swedish trilogy, Noomi is amazing. It's a revelation, the once-in-a-lifetime break that catapults an actor into international stardom. And Noomi has capitalized on her Millenium success, landing roles in Sherlock Holmes 2 and the highly-anticipated Aliens spinoff/prequel from Ridley Scott, Prometheus. Noomi also has a project coming up with Ben Kingsley. She's a very busy lady these days.
But award attention has been pretty skint, which is sad as her performance in Dragon Tattoo was amazing. The BAFTAs, though, singled Noomi out and Dragon Tattoo won Best Foreign Language film. It was Noomi's night to shine, which she did, literally, in a metallic dress. She didn't win because Natalie Never is unstoppable, but at least someone recognized Noomi.
God I love Noomi's face so much. So exotic, so strong, and so beautiful without being fake or manufactured. I can't wait to see what she can do in English-language films. Judging by the amount and quality of work being sent her way, industry expectations are riding pretty high. I feel like my girl Noomi can handle it. She's been crafty and deliberate with her choices in her crossover career, careful enough that there's a strategy to how she's rolling out. Care and deliberation usually pay off, especially when combined with talent. Last night, though, was Noomi's moment to be Noomi and show us a glimpse of what she could be in the future.
Photos from Ian Gavan/Gettyimages.com
BAFTA Lisbeth: Noomi Rapace's moment
Written by Sarah


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|Welcome to the
|Welcome to the the ''Nanostructures and Computation'' Wiki at MIT!
|''Nanostructures and Computation'' Wiki
|at MIT!
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Revision as of 01:51, 16 October 2005
This is a Wiki for the Ab-initio Physics groups of John D. Joannopoulos, Steven G. Johnson, and Marin Soljačić at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The purpose of this Wiki is threefold:
- Document the computational software that we have developed for nanophotonics research.
- Give our group members an easy way to post information about their work.
- Provide a place for us to easily list upcoming meetings and events of interest.
In particular, any user of our software is encouraged to help in adding documentation, tips, tricks, and examples — just register for a user name and log in. (Pages specific to our MIT researchers, on the other hand, will generally only be editable by us.)
Free computational software
- MIT Photonic Bands (MPB) — electromagnetic eigenmode solver
- Meep — finite-difference time-domain simulations
- Harminv — extraction of complex frequencies and amplitudes from time series
- libctl — Scheme/Guile-based scripting of scientific code (used as the interface for MPB and Meep).
- h5utils — visualization of HDF5 data files
See also FFTW, our FFT software.
We also have a list of Free nanophotonics software in addition to the programs developed at MIT.
Research at MIT
Currently, most of our research descriptions are in non-Wiki format. See:
Meetings and events
For a list of meetings, seminars, and other upcoming events of interest to us at MIT (not necessarily open to the general public), please see:
How to edit
First, you must take a few seconds to register for a user name and log in; anonymous edits are not permitted on this Wiki. Then, click on the edit button at the top of the page. We use the MediaWiki software, which is the same as the Wiki software that runs Wikipedia — detailed instructions on how to edit and format pages can be found at:
To practice, try editing in the Sandbox.
You can link to a Wikipedia article by prefixing "w:" to a link, as in w:Photonic crystal. Users looking to write general articles not specific to the MIT software should go to Wikipedia instead of here.
MIT users should contact Steven G. Johnson to obtain administrative privileges, so that you can protect pages on your personal work from editing by the general public.


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Punk Planet
Punk Planet was a 16,000 print run punk zine, based in Chicago, IL, that focused most of its energy on looking at punk subculture. In addition to covering music, Punk Planet also covered visual arts and a wide variety of progressive issues -- including media criticism, feminism, and labour issues. The most notable features in Punk Planet were the interviews and the album and zine reviews. The interviews generally ran two or three pages, and focused on the motivations of the artist (or organizer, activist, or whoever) being interviewed.
- This section is incomplete. You can help ZineWiki by expanding it.
The first issue was published in May of 1994 and was created in part as a response to the perception that Maximum Rock and Roll was becoming too elitist. Early issues of Punk Planet were said to be rough and clearly trying to emulate the format of Maximum Rock n Roll, however, the publication certainly developed into a force in its own right. It started as a newsprint punk fanzine that was originally published out of Hoboken, New Jersey but it featured a cleaner, more readable lay-out than many punk-oriented zines of that time. Regular columnists back in '95 included Sinker, Will Dandy, Kim Bae, Darren Cahr, Julia Cole, Jim Connell, Dave Hake, Larry Livermore, Joel McClemore, Slim Moon, Leah Ryan, and Jersey Beat zine's Jim Testa.
Punk Planet reviewed hundreds of underground zines and albums and each issue contained pages upon pages of such reviews. The zine contained left political writing together with its music journalism. Over the years, Punk Planet has dealt with issues of labor, race, gender and sexuality. It was, for example, a stalwart supporter of the anti-globalization and contemporary anti-war movements, and famously challenged the U.S.-led sanctions on Iraq. It has also been said that Punk Planet was a major force in the underground popularization of the "emo" subgenre of hardcore in the middle 1990's. It is said to have covered daring music – not just conventional punk, but any independent artist with a punk ethos. It also contained a fiction section. The zine is said to have retained a sense of community over the years in which the letters section sought to make reader active participants.
After the launching of its website, Punk Planet did not reprint its content online, choosing instead to focus on community interaction and breaking news of interest. Its editor and publisher, Dan Sinker, holds that freelance journalists should retain exclusive digital reprint rights for their work and the zine has discussed this including in a seminar held in November 2006 on intellectual property and copyright issues for independent publishers, artists, zine-makers and students. This was hoped to be a provocative and educational evening for publishers, freelancers, visual artists, zine-makers and students involved in the Chicago independent press community.
On June 18, 2007, an email was sent out to subscribers 30 minutes before a post at punkplanet.com informed the public that after 13 years and 80 issues, Punk Planet's final issue was being sent out. The reasoning pointed to "bad distribution deals, disappearing advertisers, and a decreasing audience of subscribers".
A few hours later, Alan Lastufka made a video eulogy, dedicated to Punk Planet co-editors Dan Sinker and Anne Elizabeth Moore. The video featured Alan, Dan Halligan, Mack (KungFuFlipperBaby on the PP forums), Kevin (KPunk on the PP forums) and M. Brianna Stallings. The video can be watched on YouTube. The Onion's AV Club also commented on its demise.
The Punk Planet website continued to be active for about 2 more years but has also since been shuttered.
- This section is incomplete. You can help ZineWiki by expanding it.
- Daniel Sinker - publisher, co-editor, art director
- Josh Hooten - associate editor, columnist, art director
- Joel Schalit - associate editor, columnist, books editor
- Anne Elizabeth Moore - associate publisher, co-editor
- Joe Meno - contributing editor
- Dave Hofer - reviews coordinator
- Laura Pearson - editorial associate
- Charlie Bertsch - contributing writer
- Jessica Hopper - columnist
- Al Burian - columnist
- Mimi Nguyen - columnist
- Sam McPheeters - columnist
- Kim Bae - columnist
- Lawrence Livermore - columnist
- Slim Moon - columnist
- Janelle Hessig - columnist
Punk Planet #1
Punk Planet #2
Punk Planet #3
Punk Planet #4
Punk Planet #5
Punk Planet #6
Punk Planet #7
Punk Planet #8
Punk Planet #9
Punk Planet #10
Punk Planet #11
Punk Planet #12
Punk Planet #13
Punk Planet #14
Punk Planet #15
Punk Planet #16
Punk Planet #17
Punk Planet #18
Punk Planet #19
Punk Planet #20
Punk Planet #21
Punk Planet #22— first issue with full color, cardstock cover
Punk Planet #23
Punk Planet #24 Art & Design 1 — theme issue
Punk Planet #25
Punk Planet #26
Punk Planet #27
Punk Planet #28
Punk Planet #29
Punk Planet #30
Punk Planet #31
Punk Planet #32
Punk Planet #33
Punk Planet #34— first issue with perfect binding
Punk Planet #35
Punk Planet #36
Punk Planet #37
Punk Planet #38
Punk Planet #39
Punk Planet #40
Punk Planet #41
Punk Planet #42
Punk Planet #43
Punk Planet #44
Punk Planet #45
Punk Planet #46 Art & Design 2— theme issue
Punk Planet #47
Punk Planet #48
Punk Planet #49
Punk Planet #50 The Chicago Issue — theme issue
Punk Planet #51
Punk Planet #52
Punk Planet #53
Punk Planet #54
Punk Planet #55 The Revenge of Print 1— theme issue
Punk Planet #56
Punk Planet #57
Punk Planet #58
Punk Planet #59
Punk Planet #60
Punk Planet #61
Punk Planet #62
Punk Planet #63
Punk Planet #64
Punk Planet #65
Punk Planet #66
Punk Planet #67 Art & Design 3— theme issue
Punk Planet #68
Punk Planet #69
Punk Planet #70
Punk Planet #71
Punk Planet #72
Punk Planet #73
Punk Planet #74
Punk Planet #75 The Revenge of Print 2 — theme issue
Punk Planet #76
Punk Planet #77
Punk Planet #78
Punk Planet #79
Punk Planet #80
- Issues 24, 46 and 67: Art & Design 1, 2, and 3 — theme issue
- For Issue 67, which was the third Art and Design themed issue, the zine covered known and unknown artists and designers working in and around the underground. Included were a poster and comic artist, a painter, a tattoo artist, a graphic designer, a love artist and a prolific designer. Articles included a Midnight street art run, DIY fashion, the art of mapmaking and a story about non profit art organisations that use E bay. The themed issue also contained three limited edition covers by contributing artists.
- Issue 30 and 60 which covered Iraq
- The cover of issue 30 had a bloody and bandaged foot with the writing "The murder of Iraq". It was released in March/April 1999. As noted in the book We Owe You Nothing, this article generated the most mail the zine ever received. The article was a conversation with members of the humanitarian organization Voices in the Wilderness, which delivered medicine and supplies to Iraq in defiance of the economic embargo that was on at that time, and since the US led invasion of Iraq of 1991. Besides painting a grim picture of the death and hardship incurred by Iraqis as a result of the sanctions, the piece is moving in its conveyance of the dedication and sense of outrage that fuels Voices' efforts.
- Thirty three issues later, in issue 63 of 2004, Punk Planet again featured Iraq. In the five years between that issue and the 63rd issue, PP continually returned to Iraq, covering the rehabilitating sanctions, the leadup to war, and life during wartime, but the cover had always been about something else. In the 63rd issue which was a year and a half since Bush declared the war in Iraq as a "mission accomplished", Punk Planet put Iraq back on the cover of the zine with the moving first-person story "Iraq: Live through this". This featured the writing of a 24 year old Iraqi blooger and offered a glimpse into what the war had been like for an average Iraqi. Punk Planet were trying to bring new viewpoints to the situation in Iraq. In addition to the Iraq stories, the issue had articles on living with an eating disorder, a portrait of Latino artist Marcos Raya and a photo essay on illegal immigration.
Punk Planet Books
As of August 2006, Punk Planet has printed 75 issues of their bi-monthly publication, and in the fall of 2004 launched a book publishing arm, Punk Planet Books, in conjunction with the New York-based small press Akashic Books.
- The Boy Detective Fails by Joe Meno (September 2006)
- 100 Posters, 134 Squirrels by Jay Ryan (November 2005)
- Lessons in Taxidermy by Bee Lavender (March 2005)
- All the Power: Revolution Without Illusion by Mark Andersen (September 2004)
- Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno (August 2004)
- We Owe You Nothing: Punk Planet, The Collected Interviews


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Design can be a dynamic force in transforming and, in many cases, saving lives across the globe. Design with the Other 90%: CITIES explores the ways in which design can redress critical issues, from the most basic needs for people living on $2 a day in developing economies, to the challenges resulting from rapid urban growth and the proliferation of informal settlements. Traditionally, professional designers focus on 10 percent of the world's population, but as global conditions change—a predicted two billion people will be living in makeshift communities by 2030—residents are partnering with designers, engineers, architects, and social entrepreneurs to create sustainable solutions to real needs. By presenting over sixty of the most innovative of these utilitarian objects, structures, and systems serving communities around the world, Design with the Other 90%: CITIES challenges conventional notions of architecture and design as much as it advances understanding of the essential role that innovative design can play in addressing today's most pressing local and global issues.
The scope of the exhibition ranges from individual objects—portable vendor stands, large capacity carriers for bicycles, solar lanterns, water filters—to broader strategic and systems-level solutions for farming and irrigation, urbanization and inclusive communities, teaching and education, shelter and housing, clean water and sanitation, and waste recycling. LifeStraw, for example, is a personal mobile water purification tool designed to convert any surface water into drinkable water. Urbanism Manual for Precarious Settlements, developed by the faculty of the Architecture, Design and Urbanism Department at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, provides information not only on how and where best to locate safe new settlements, but also on how to work with local communities, resources, and governments as a guideline for future urbanization. Bicycle-powered cell phone chargers, solar energy devices, and building materials crafted from waste products further reflect the overriding concern with social, economic, and environmental sustainability that informs the exhibition's designs.
The Kemper Art Museum exhibition assimilates elements of two previous exhibitions organized by the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum: Design for the Other 90% (2007) and Design with the Other 90%: CITIES (2011). The unique composite presents a compelling new design: a range of photographic and video documentation, sound tracks, full-scale artifacts, and models and constructions present not only objects and ideas but also on a sensory level the conditions of their need. Comparative information, such as statistical data about geographic locations, population densities, and urban growth rates, is visualized throughout the exhibition to further contextualize the challenges met by these design solutions.
Design with the Other 90%: CITIES is organized by the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's curator of socially responsible design, Cynthia E. Smith. It is adapted for the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum by Peter MacKeith, adjunct associate curator of architecture & design at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum and associate dean and associate professor of architecture at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. It opens September 14, 2012, and remains on view through January 7, 2013.
Exhibition support
Design with the Other 90%: CITIES was organized by
This exhibition's presentation at the United Nations was sponsored by
Generous support was provided by
Additional funding was provided by Procter & Gamble, Deutsche Bank, Smithsonian 2.0 Fund, the Albert Kunstadter Family Foundation, and Smithsonian Institution's Research Opportunity Fund.
Support for the exhibition at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum is generously provided by I-CARES at Washington University in St. Louis; the Charles and Bunny Burson Art Fund at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts; the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; James M. Kemper, Jr.; the David Woods Kemper Memorial Foundation; John and Anabeth Weil; the Hortense Lewin Art Fund; and members of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Further generous support is provided by additional units of Washington University: the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration, the Institute for Public Health, the Center for Social Development, and the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.
The Make a House Intelligent project in St. Louis was made possible by Tarlton Corporation with additional support from Ben Hur Construction Company, John J. Smith Masonry, Kirberg Roofing Company, and Rock Hill Mechanical Corporation.
Accompanying the exhibition are two catalogs published by the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum: Design for the Other 90% (2007) and Design with the Other 90%: CITIES (2011). A free guide to the unique composite exhibition on view at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will also be available.
Educator resources
The Museum's Education department connects special exhibitions with
students of all levels through specialized tours, curriculum plans, hands-on activities, and more. Download the Educator's Guide for the exhibition for more details.
Media links
- Design with the Other 90%: CITIES press release (July 31, 2012)
- St. Louis Public Radio's Cityscape interview with curators Cynthia E. Smith and Peter MacKeith (September 14, 2012)
- St. Louis Beacon's Nancy Fowler interviews Peter MacKeith (September 14, 2012)
- West End Word's Dickson Beall highlights the exhibition (September 26, 2012)
Related event
Marking the 50th anniversary of the Sam Fox School's Urban Design program, the exhibition will serve as a platform for an extensive array of public programs highlighting urban design issues and the expanding areas of global renewable energy and sustainability.


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Poet and cultural geographer Eric Magrane writes about his recent P&W-supported reading in Tucson for the POG: Poetry in Action reading series. POG also announced the Tumamoc Hill Writing project at this event, which will gather Tucson writers to explore Tumamoc Hill, a long term ecological research site and a natural and cultural treasure in the heart of Tucson. You can see Magrane's interview with Paul Mirocha, artist in residence at Tumamoc and his co-presenter at this event, on Magrane's Proximities blog on art, science, and environment, which he writes for the University of Arizona's Institute of the Environment. Find Magrane's Various Instructions for the Practice of Poetic Field Research here.
What happens when we engage the spaces between poetry and science, between art and geography, between place and philosophy? What happens when all those categories get mixed up? I'd call the new arrangements that emerge a hybrid poetic geography, in which different fields of thought and knowledge collapse into each other.
A recent reading that I gave for the experimental poetics series POG: Poetry in Action revolved around these questions. As part of my reading, I surveyed the audience. While I read sections of my poem Symbiosis-Nothing Separate-Lyric Earth, I asked the audience to respond to a survey that I designed for the event. I'd like to share a few of the questions and responses: What is the difference between poetry and science?
live wine // I have no idea. // poetry doesn't prove? // one looks from the inside and the other looks from the outside // nothing // the beat // the observer // use of words to describe the process // prediction // science <--- language ---> poetry // weather // Lichen = algae + fungus; Lichen = poetry + science // everything but "E" // tools
I culled these responses above completely on my own whim. In other words, the results are not generalizable and are completely subjective. (Subjectivity is another question, and exploring where subject-object duality breaks down is crucial to explorations of poetry and science. Poetry, I believe, can be a method to rigorously collapse subject and object in a way that's different from the rigor of science.)
The following quantitatively details the responses to a single question from all thirty-seven completed surveys. (Responses that occurred twice are coded with a 2 x.)
What is the first nonhuman species that comes to mind?
Bird (redbird) // 2 x Snake // 2 x Amoeba // Roses // 2 x Aardvark // Rocks // Bear // 2 x Birds // Stool // Cat // Sea anemone // 2 x Cats // Cypress tree // Robots // Worm // Lemur // Porcupine // Stone people // Crow // Pig // Man and Woman // Palo verde // Rabbit // Nematodes // Liquidamber // Feline // Lizard // Half the people I see on the street // Scissor-tailed flycatcher // Lizards – but I had a gecko // Mesquite // Birds, Dogs a close second
I was very surprised that two people responded both for amoebas and aardvarks! I was struck also by the number of responses that stepped outside of a traditional definition of species to include other matter (Rocks, Stool, Robots, Stone people, Liquidamber). I attribute this to the creative audience and to the embedded vibrant materiality of poetry.
Photo: Eric Magrane reads with Lyric Earth. Credit: Samuel Ace.
Support for Readings/Workshops events in Tucson is provided by an endowment established with generous contributions from the Poets & Writers Board of Directors and others. Additional support comes from the Friends of Poets & Writers.


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Wine Evangelist – A Skype Chat with the Washington Wine Commission
The evangelists for Washington Wine, carrying the wine into tasting room battles around the world and helping raise the awareness for the state – this is the Washington Wine Commissions mantra. The Washington Wine Commission is a state agency that was established in 1987 to raise positive awareness and create demand for Washington wines. More has been written about Washington Wine in the last month than any time in recent memory, if not ever. After a recent article called, Are Washington Wines Coming of Age, I wanted to sit down with the commission to hear firsthand how they are spreading the "good news" of the states wine industry. Ryan Pennington, Senior Communications Manager, sat down for a Skype chat to talk about what's on the commissions agenda, their struggles, and thoughts on the Wine Bloggers Conference.
Ryan covers some great topics in the video but due to time, we didn't get a chance to talk about everything on our agenda. Below are the text responses to a few key questions.
Q: What Success Are You Seeing From Your Efforts?
A: In our past and current national target markets (Austin, Denver, Phoenix, and Chicago), we field consumer research before and after each campaign. In these markets, we've seen an average increase in consumer awareness of Washington State as a premier wine producing region of 169% over the course of each campaign. We've also seen an average increase in consumers who report that they are "extremely likely to purchase" Washington State wines in the future of 191%.
Q: Being from Spokane, I was very disappointed and frustrated when our regional Taste Washington event was canceled. Are there any specific plans in the works to continue to help promote Washington wine on the East side of the state?
A: We absolutely appreciate the local fondness for the Taste Washington event in Spokane. It was a great event for nine years. At the same time, the reaction from wineries (including wineries in Spokane) to the decision to broaden our local marketing in the Northwest (and broaden it both geographically and strategically) has been unanimously positive. We're rolling out our first comprehensive local marketing campaign this fall, including around $100,000 in advertising. This truly is just the beginning. We'll certainly continue to market Washington wines in Eastern Washington, and that marketing will extend beyond just consumer events.
Q: What are the benefits / results you're seeing from your efforts on Twitter and Facebook?
A: Though we've definitely embraced social media, we also know that we've still got a long way to go in this space. We're working right now on several improvements in this regard, including substantial upgrades to our website to better integrate various social media platforms. With that said, we're pleased with the results that we've seen from our social media work so far. Fundamentally, social media is about establishing lasting relationships and engaging in meaningful conversations, and I think we've made great strides toward those objectives over the past couple of years.
Visit the Washington Wine Commission at www.washingtonwine.org or follow them on Twitter @winecommission and Facebook/WashingtonStateWine
Do you have questions for the commission? Leave a comment and Ryan will respond.
Tags: Skype, Wine Business
4 comments on "Wine Evangelist – A Skype Chat with the Washington Wine Commission"
I think Ch. Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest have done a lot to bring Washington wine into the mainstream with many wine consumers. What's even better is that these huge brands have managed to introduce WA wine at entry prices while maintaining- in my opinion- a quality level that is better than California at those price points.
That being said, I'm still amazed at the perception among many that wine comes from California, and maybe a couple Pinots from Oregon. Washington wines are very solid, and I hope the efforts continue to promote it.
Pingback: WA Wine Commission World Class Value Pass – Is It Really a Value? | Drink Nectar
Allan Wright
Great interview. I just got around to watching it now … hard to take 9.5 minutes out of a day, as everyone knows.
I wanted to make sure everyone knew that Ryan himself was the guy most influential in helping us bring the Wine Bloggers Conference to Washington. I enjoyed working with him and appreciate all his help!
Allan Wright
Wine Bloggers Conference


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If remotely true this article about a technique to convert air into gasoline is wild but great. As the BBC video embedded on the link above shows the folks at Air Fuel Synthesis have not, repeat not, solved the core issue which is how much energy is needed to create the fuel. But the hope is that
The fuel is not only viable; … it will be suitable for high-performance vehicles. But the biggest benefit of the fuel is its sustainability. Since burning the fuel only releases the same carbon dioxide that was already in the air to begin with, it is carbon neutral. (That is, so long as the electricity required to make the necessary chemical conversions is sourced from renewable energy like wind or solar.)
Another potential benefit of the fuel is that it will be price-predictable. Gas prices won't fluctuate because the fuel source will be stable.
Science fiction? Perhaps. But there is a market here and if someone breaks through some rather cool outcomes could be in our future. For patent folks, I saw some idea that an oil company would buy up patents just to get this one off the market. I have heard similar claims in energy before. I wonder whether anyone has an example of that in energy? And has anyone argued that a break through for energy would have to be shared a la drug needs?


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Thursday, September 15, 2011
Driving Gloves
No Comments Yet, Leave Yours!
- Susan said...
Very old hollywood glam, for sure!
- September 16, 2011 at 9:27 AM
I am loving Talbots these days. My absolute favorite jeans this season have come from Talbots. I love leather gloves, too. These are lovely.
- September 17, 2011 at 5:59 PM
- designchic said...
I was just in there...wish I'd bought a pair!! So chic ~
- September 18, 2011 at 5:02 PM
- a lovely being said...
YES! A girl after my own heart. I want a vintage Mercedes convertible to wear them with : )
- September 19, 2011 at 1:00 PM
- Juniper and York said...
Oh how I love Cary Grant...So chic.
Being in Manhattan, this makes me really miss driving!
- September 19, 2011 at 4:17 PM
- Virginia Country House said...
So fabulous! This is such a sore point for me. I'm dying for buttery-soft gloves in a zillion colors, especially after the Louis Vuitton Fall runway last year. But it is almost impossible to find thin, UNLINED kidskin gloves. They just don't make them anymore. Silk lined seems to be about as close as one can get. These days wearing gloves means Winter, and that means lining. Driving gloves might be an alternative!
- September 19, 2011 at 10:31 PM
- Mike said...
The picture isn't coming up. I want to see the leather driving gloves!
- October 14, 2012 at 12:34 PM


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Seeking out and responding to FUD is not about slinging mud in the other direction. It's about correcting lies, rumors and bad press. For me, it's about providing an alternative view on things. I just happen to be passionate about Linux in particular, based on my own conversion.
It is interesting to see the tides turning though. The press used to be full of "Microsoft Does It Again!" and "Is Linux Really Ready?" stories. Now, it is Microsoft's turn. Purusing the recent feed headlines on my iGoogle homepage, I found several examples of how the press is starting to switch sides. But then, what can we really expect? Dirty laundry sells.Full story »


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Study: Good Night's Sleep Cleans Out Gunk In Brain
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Here's a reason to get some shuteye: A new study suggests our brains go on a cleaning spree during sleep, flushing out gunk that builds up while we're awake.
Though the cleaning was observed in mice, scientists think it happens in people too.
The findings were reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science and may provide new clues to treat Alzheimer's and other brain diseases.
People who are sleep-deprived have trouble learning and making decisions. But despite decades of research, scientists can't agree on the basic purpose of sleep.
For the study, researchers led by the University of Rochester Medical Center observed the brains of mice while awake and asleep. They found cellular waste flowed faster out of the brains of sleeping mice than awake mice.


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How to Design a Getaway Garden
Push Away the Daisies!
I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with daisies, but if you're going to create an illusion of Bali or the Yucatan, you'll need to ditch the daisies and any other flower that would look out of place in the tropics. Instead of planning traditional 'paint by number' flower beds, use solid masses of foliage to let plants from the region stand out and take center stage!
Use bright colors set against lush greenery, especially the iconic tropical ones like hibiscus, orchids, and heliconias. The large and architectural leaves of palms, bananas and alocasias are also a must, since they instantly transform any space into a tropical garden.
Look to the East... or West.
To make a convincing tropical garden, you'll have to set the stage a little. Make your own 'theme garden' and stick with plants from a certain area! For example, wouldn't it be neat to design a tropical Japanese garden?
You could use the same plants from a temperate Japanese garden, but add tropical plants from southern Japan as focal points! For example, Japanese birds nest fern, loquat, arenga engleri (dwarf sugar palm), and lady palm would be great tropicals from Japan to use. Maybe you could even showcase a little Samurai Orchid in a Japanese pot, or grow a banyan bonsai!
Proper Culture
To create a convincing tropical garden, you'll need more than just plants. You'll need to add the human element too, in the form of hardscaping, accessories, pots, art, and garden architecture. For the aforementioned Japanese tropical look, it would be important to keep a simple and minimal design in keeping with a zen Buddhist mentality. Only then should you break out the stone lanterns!
Want your own spa? Make an outdoor shower worthy of a Balinese spa by laying pavers through river stones, setting up a teak stool, and using a folding bamboo screen to add a little privacy! Plant a lady palm or birds nest fern in the stones to really make it feel like you're showering in the jungle!
Engage the Senses
Imagine a dinner party in your tropical theme garden. Your guests would seat themselves at a dark stained table, taking in the amazing sights of your private resort. As they gaze at the bromeliad centerpiece, scents of jasmine and plumeria would waft into the dining area, enhancing the other worldly experience.
Your guest's nerves would be soothed by the gurgling fountain... by the chirping birds and bleating treefrogs that use your garden as a retreat from the city. Maybe you'd even be playing some samba or bollywood music in the background to add another level of realism to the charade! The great thing about incorporating great sounds into your outdoor room, is that they also mask the noises of city life, keeping you in your 'happy place'.
For more posts on garden design...
13 comments:
regarding engaging the senses: one thing that really transformed our garden this summer was Gardenia. We've had very fragrant plants in the garden like honeysuckle, but Gardenia smells much more tropical. We are trying to overwinter our Kleim's Hardy Gardenia (marginally hardy in zone 8 according to friends).ReplyDelete
Great ideas there, and I find most tropical plants have large leaves. I love to entertain out in our back garden gazebo. Feature lighting is also something to consider. I love those citronella flares.ReplyDelete
That's what we've tried to do at our place - create a resort in the backyard. Guests love it but I miss the waiters bringing drinks and food. Then I'd really feel on vacation.ReplyDelete
Living in the tropical region seemed to drive me to green boredom. Wished I could exchange all the birdnest & staghorn ferns and many palm trees that grows here everywhere - even along the drainsides.ReplyDelete
Hi Steve, this is a very inspiring and informative post. But like James above i also feel like somehow claustrophobic already with the tropical vegetation everywhere, whether in natural habitat or in landscaped grounds. If i can only grow the maples, snowdrops, crocus, grape hyacinths, pansies and wisteria here, maybe the surrounding can be more exciting. haha! It really is difficult to put contentment in us. "in the eye of the beholder" can also be timebound. But i love biodiversity though, even if it is all green!ReplyDelete
By the way, i am very grateful to you for pointing a mistake in posting a bromeliad as a heliconia spp. My apologies for my carelessness and insensitivity. I already put a postscript for it and removed the photo. Thank you very much.
Thank you for the tips RG. This entry is very informational.ReplyDelete
Mmmm, makes me think of a holiday in Asia.ReplyDelete
What about zone 10??? LOL...Just kidding!ReplyDelete
I had made a sitting area out by my okra and eggplants, and after I moved them, I had to move my sitting area around to them...some lighting and sound would be nice out there too! Hehehe. My theme would be hawaiian/tiki I think...would be fun!!!
You made me want to book a trip to the islands!ReplyDelete
Excellent ideas here! I would love to redo my beds now.ReplyDelete
I love tropical everything.....I just put in two more birds of paradise....they love our weather here out of the sun.....colocasia as well. Lots of great ideas here....however, nothing beats living in a subtropical climate:)ReplyDelete
I love gardenia! I have a couple growing in the garden myself, and the glossy coffee like leaves make a tropical statement too!
Amen on the feature lighting and citronella torches! The lights are great for spotlighting the most tropical looking silhouettes.
Thats what husbands are for!
The grass is always greener, unless you live in a tropical rainforest. Then its just too green. :)
You weren't careless or insensitive! Its not that big of a deal... it only highlights how great broms and helis do as companion plants!
Conveniently, okra does look pretty darn tropical for a veggie! Hawaiian theme sounds cool!
You've missed the point! JK!
I love the BOP's too, and they're surprisingly tough providing they aren't too wet in winter. And, no, nothing beats living in a subtropical climate.
Great ideas! they go straight to my book of somedayReplyDelete


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Chimps are smart, but humans are a lot smarter. Until now, there have been two competing ideas to explain why. The general-intelligence theory says that our bigger and more complex brains give us an overall edge. The cultural-intelligence hypothesis, by contrast, says that humans have specific areas of intelligence where we excel; our brains are not just bigger, but also better than those of our nearest evolutionary relatives.
A new study, published Thursday in Science, makes a strong case that the second theory is the right one. A team of anthropologists from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, developed a battery of learning tests they call the Primate Cognition Test Battery, and gave it to 106 chimps, 105 children and 32 orangutans, to compare the groups directly. Says Esther Hermann, a co-author of the paper: "It's the first time anything like this has been done."
The three groups performed about equally well on "physical learning" locating hidden objects, figuring out the source of a noise, understanding the concepts of more and less, using a stick to get something that's out of reach. And indeed, the kids were of an age 2 1/2 years old where it's widely known that they do perform about as well as chimps in such tests. So for example, the scientists would hide a treat of some kind a toy, or some food behind a box, while the test subjects looked on. The kids, chimps and orangs would have to be sophisticated enough to know that the object disappearing from view didn't mean it stopped existing, and had to be able to figure out where it had gone. All three groups did equally well at this sort of thing.
But when it came to "social learning" tasks such as understanding how to solve a problem by watching someone else do it, figuring out someone else's state of mind from their actions, or using nonverbal communication to explain or understand how to find something the kids made monkeys of the apes. In one test, for example, researchers showed both groups how to open up a plastic tube to get at a treat. The children learned by watching, and opened it as the adults did. The apes tended to just chew the tube open. In another, researchers would hide the treat while the test subjects were present. Then the subjects would have to find it, with the only clue being that the scientists would look toward the hiding place. Again, the kids beat the apes soundly.
If the kids had outperformed the apes across the board, on both types of task, it would have supported the "just generally smarter overall" theory. The fact that the children excelled in specific areas suggest it's the other theory that's right that our ability to cooperate and share expertise has allowed us to build complex societies, collaborate and learn from each other at a high level, and use symbolic representation (writing, numerals, imagery) to communicate ideas.
The question of exactly what it is that makes humans special, in short, may be on the way to being solved.


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It was only a matter of time before Sam Worthington went vampire.
Still burning up the screen in "Avatar", and with the part of Perseus in "Clash of the Titans" around the corner, Worthington is in negotiations to star in "Dracula Year Zero," according to Variety.
While very few details of the new project are available, the story explores the origins of the infamous line of blood-suckers, focusing on the Romanian Vlad the Impaler. The film will portray Vlad as an imperfect hero in a tragic love story set in age of war and magic (hence the vampire transformation).
Alex Proyas ("I, Robot") will direct and there's no word on the vampire's love interest.
As we've already seen in "Avatar" and "Terminator Salvation," Worthington has a way with the flawed hero which is sometimes lost in his projects' gaudy box-office results. Whether he's a gung-ho Marine secretly selling out the people he's falling in love with or part-Terminator, you cannot help but like him. Which explains how these juicy parts continue to land at his feet, despite his repeated surprise to be landing these gigs.
The non-girly man Worthington's imposing presence will bring some true teeth to the vampire part missing in certain vampire franchises which shall remain nameless here.


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Welcome to the Animal Adoption/Control section of the Assumption Parish Public Works Department.
The Assumption Parish Police Jury provides a Pet Adoption Program, which provides homes for unwanted dogs that have been abandoned.
If you are interested in adopting a dog, please contact Mr. LeRoy Woods, at (985)369-8905, Monday - Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
The Assumption Parish Police Jury provides Animal Control for only canines(dogs). If you have a complaint concerning a dog, call (985)369-7669 or fill out the online form below.


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This 1996 documentary takes a nostalgic ride through history to present the experiences of Black sleeping-car porters who worked on Canada's railways from the early 1900s through the 1960s. There was a strong sense of pride among these men and they were well-respected by their community. Yet, harsh working conditions prevented them from being promoted to other railway jobs until finally, in 1955, porter Lee Williams took his fight to the union.
Claiming discrimination under the Canada Fair Employment Act, the Black workers won their right to work in other areas. Interviews, archival footage and the music of noted jazz musician Joe Sealy (whose father was a porter) combine to portray a fascinating history that might otherwise have been forgotten.
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In 2014, people born during the baby boom years will be ages 50 to 68. Connecting with someone in their sixties is different than connecting with those in their thirties. They're in a different life stage with different experiences, wants and needs. Marketers continually look for ways to group targeted customers to connect efficiently with them. Here are some general marketing insights to help you to understand better how to connect to the Baby Boomer generation.
1. Increased individualism
Boomer customers are less subject to peer influence than younger customers are. Keeping up with the Joneses is not as important as it once was; thus advertising that invokes social status benefits does not play as well in Boomer markets as in younger ones. Largely freed from worrying about reactions of others, Boomer customers tend toward greater practicality in buying decisions than younger customers.
2. Increased demand for facts
As they age, hyperbole turns them off. If Boomer customers are interested in considering a purchase, they want unadorned facts, and more of them, than they usually wanted earlier in life. Years of buying equip Boomers with knowledge of what to look for and what information is needed for an intelligent purchase.
3. Increased response to emotional stimuli
Boomer customers tend to be quicker than younger customers to reflect emotionally a lack of interest in or negative reaction to an offered product. On the other hand, a positive first impression can become embedded especially deep in the emotions of the Boomers — so much so that the Boomer customer is often more disposed to be a faithful customer than the younger customer.
4. Less self-oriented, more altruistic
Boomer customers tend to show increased response to marketing appeals reflecting altruistic values. This tracks with common middle-age shift toward stronger spiritual values in which concern for others increases. As altruistic motivations become stronger, narcissistic and materialistic values wane in influence.
5. Increased time spent in making purchase decisions
As most people grow older, they experience changes in their perceptions of time but also in its meaning and role in their lives. For example, Boomers often ignore time-urgency strategies in marketing — such as "Offer good until —," "Only three left in stock—etc…" Generally, "time is not of the essence" is a common attitude among Boomers, especially those who have retired.
6. See fewer differences between competing products
Because Boomers tend to be more highly individuated, and less influenced by external influences, perceptions of products are more internally shaped. They typically conclude that there is little difference between products than marketers claim. This contrasts with the tendency of younger customers to assert vigorously the differences between a product they prefer and its competitors — even when clear differences do not exist.
7. See more differences between competing companies
Boomer customers tend to be more responsive to "companies with a conscience" than younger customers are. From a self-interest perspective, they are also more attentive to warranty issues and a company's reputation for honoring its warranties than younger customers.
8. With respect to making discretionary-purchase decisions, Boomer customers tend to:
- Have a decreased sensitivity to price;
- Increased sensitivity to affordability; and
- Sharply increased sensitivity to value.
Boomer customers have more complex ways of determining value than younger customers. Value determination by Boomer customers tends to be an existentialist exercise whereby soul (spiritual) values as well as mind (intellect) and body (tangible) values are combined into the value determination process.
9. Increased price-sensitivity in non-discretionary spending
As they age, many customers develop higher economic "literacy" and skillfully apply it to get the best price. In purchasing "need" items, Boomer customers tend to be more bargain-minded, whereas in purchasing "desire" items, they tend to be more value-minded in a holistic sense.
10. Often project what seems to be contradictory behavior.
Boomers are sometimes characterized as selfish and selfless, penurious and profligate, spontaneous and deliberate, and so on. These conflicting attributes lead some to characterize Boomers as contradictory. For example, a Boomer shopper may be penurious in using cents-off coupons in a grocery store, after which he/she drives off in a Mercedes. This is not evidence of contradictory behavior, but an example of the rules of thriftiness applied to basics, and the rules of whole value applied to discretionary expenditures.
For more insight we suggest the following resources:
- Ageless Marketing, David B. Wolfe
- The Farthest Reaches of Human Nature, Abraham Maslow
- The Mature Mind, Gene D. Cohen
- The Ageing Brain, Gene D. Cohen
- Descartes' Error, Antonio Damasio
- The Psychological Center of Gravity, David B. Wolfe: American Demographics April 1998
- Generation Ageless, J. Smith and Ann Clurman
- The Experience Economy James Gilmore and Joe Pine
- Authenticity, James Gilmore and Joe Pine
- Boomer Customer, Matt Thornhill and John Martin
- The She Spot, L. Witter and L. Chen
- Marketing to Prime Time Women, Martha Barletta
- Marketing to Leading Edge Boomers, Brent Green
- The Hero and the Outlaw, Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson
- From Brand Vision to Brand Evaluation, Second Edition: The strategic process of growing and strengthening brands, Leslie de Chernatony