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Conversations Episode 76 - UDL in the Classroom
For our last show of the season, we discussed Universal Design for Learning and how it works in a classroom. Ira Socol joined us for this important conversation. We will be back in September with some great new topics. See you then!
11:15:55 woodenmask : Morning Lisa
11:16:26 woodenmask : What's the conversation this morning?
11:17:09 Lisa Parisi : UDL in the Classroom
11:18:44 woodenmask : UDL?
11:19:33 woodenmask : Umbrella Dependant Learning?
11:19:50 woodenmask : Ultra Depressing Llamas?
11:20:59 Lisa Parisi : Universal Design for Learning
11:21:17 woodenmask : Ah..
11:21:44 sheila : Hi John!
11:22:25 woodenmask : Hi Sheila. How are you?
11:22:41 woodenmask : Will you be going to Denver?
11:22:57 Lisa Parisi : Not me
11:23:01 Lisa Parisi : No funding this year
11:23:20 sheila : Yes, I'm going to Denver.
11:23:44 woodenmask : I think it will be fun this year.
11:24:55 woodenmask : I might have to go upstairs to listen to the conversation today. I'm watching Padma Lakshmi cooking and, perhaps not surprisingly, I find her more than a bit distracting.
11:25:49 horvathj : Is this the place that I can view the scheduled show "Conversations" today at 11:30am?
11:25:57 sheila : Yes.
11:26:11 sheila : We will start shortly.
11:26:20 sheila : ON ustream today.
11:26:27 Lisa Parisi : Yes horvath. Thank you for joining.
11:26:32 horvathj : Thanks. I'm looking forward to it.
11:30:08 sheila : Welcome all!
11:30:41 Rebecca F. : Hello!
11:30:49 Lisa Parisi : Hello Rebecca. Welcome
11:31:16 Lisa Parisi : Hello all
11:31:30 tarman : Hello
11:31:31 Lisa Parisi : Sound on Ustream today
11:31:58 Lisa Parisi : Refresh ustream window to get audio
11:33:16 jepcke : Wow 76, congrats!
11:34:24 Lisa Parisi : Hello McTeach
11:34:39 McTeach : Good morning, Lisa!!
11:35:40 Ira Socol : Good morning all
11:36:05 psicerwensley : Good Mo-orning Mr Socol...
11:36:33 psicerwensley : That should be spicerwensley BTW - darn typos
11:36:52 hshawjr : Good morning everyone
11:37:20 psicerwensley : Good moring all from sunny Western Australia
11:37:21 sheila : Welcome!
11:38:54 Lisa Parisi : Welcome from Australia. Thanks for staying up for us.
11:40:20 psicerwensley : Who is where? (City, Country if that's not rude - just curious.)
11:40:34 Lisa Parisi : I am on Long Island, in New York, in the US
11:40:41 Lisa Parisi : Welcome back, John.
11:40:46 psicerwensley : Welcome Woodenmask
11:40:50 Rebecca F. : 5th Grade teacher; Northampton PA USA
11:41:01 Lisa Parisi : I too am 5th grade, Rebecca.
11:41:13 sheila : I'm on the seacost in New Hampshire, US - 7th science
11:41:18 stampergr : Like Ira, I am in West Michigan.
11:41:23 psicerwensley : I teach secondary computing, Perth Australia
11:41:25 horvathj : 4th Grade teacher: Northampton, PA - USA
11:41:35 McTeach : Northern California here...7th grade teacher.
11:41:41 tarman : 4th grade3 teacher central Illinois
11:41:51 McTeach : Good morning, Angela!
11:42:03 jepcke : For info on UDL: http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html
11:42:08 woodenmask : 8th (and now 7th) grade Social Studies Teacher in Southern New Hampshire
11:42:11 psicerwensley : Wow! Lot's of primary teachers - but then MOST teachers ARE...
11:42:20 colleenk : Hi all,
11:42:26 kyteacher (Angela) : Good morning!
11:42:31 Ira Socol : https://sites.google.com/site/iradavidsocol/
11:42:35 sheila : HI Colleen
11:42:43 Ira Socol : http://speedchange.blogspot.com/
11:43:34 Lisa Parisi : Hi Colleen
11:44:00 MariaK : Hello Colleen - glad to see you today!
11:44:33 colleenk : Hi Lisa, Maria, Sheila. Glad to be here.
11:45:00 psicerwensley : Thanks for the URLs guys!
11:46:10 horvathj : I agree with that statement as far as allowing students to move about freely.
11:46:40 sr : why not have them sit on fitness balls ..have a few in your classroom
11:46:50 sr : urls???
11:47:17 sr : Hi everyone
11:47:22 horvathj : I like that idea - stability balls would be fun!
11:47:22 Lisa Parisi : Hello
11:47:32 stampergr : Who made the decision that kids have to stay in the seat for 60 consecutiive minutes? ;)
11:47:59 woodenmask : If we gave 8th graders unrestricted freedom to move around at will, I think they'd move down to Mr. Mikes.
11:48:30 Lisa Parisi : They have to stay in the room. They are responsible for learning the curriculum.
11:48:39 sr : I also need to be near a door as well
11:49:27 Ira Socol : And I tend to not want to look at the speaker, that distracts me, so right here we have opposites
11:49:38 kyteacher (Angela) : I'm a front of the room gal myself. Definitely a visual learner.
11:49:52 tarman : Very true it is hard to follow when only using audio
11:49:55 sr : they say we should allow kids to doodle ..helps
11:49:58 McTeach : It's very hard for me to learn in any classroom
11:50:01 sr : while we teach
11:50:11 sr : doodle or fiddle
11:50:14 Ira Socol : I'm "too visual" a learner... if I'm watching, I'm seeing too many things
11:50:34 McTeach : Ira...that's part of my problem also
11:50:37 hshawjr : I do not learn well in the classroom, I am too distractible that is why Distance Learning works so well for me...
11:50:41 psicerwensley : I always liked to chat with mates...
11:50:56 psicerwensley : I am easily distracted
11:51:11 jepcke : have been making a conscious decision not to multi-task and be fully present whatever I'm doing
11:51:22 jepcke : it's not easy (for me)
11:51:33 McTeach : Sitting in a room with too much noise can be physically painful for me; keeps me from learning anything
11:51:33 hshawjr : multi-tasking is the norm in the classroom and many of us and our students do not do well multi-tasking
11:51:39 horvathj : I can't imagine how my 4th grade students would handle an environment like this...trying to listen to the conversation, processing the chat room, seeing visuals. There's a lot of stimulation, but I guess they are use to it...unlike me!
11:51:49 psicerwensley : It helps when the subject (specific to that lesson) is compelling
11:52:00 horvathj : True.
11:52:29 woodenmask : Maria and I can be a bad combination in meetings.
11:52:34 psicerwensley : But it cant always be so - having taught maths and science some bits ARE boring - they're built that way
11:52:47 jepcke : @hshawj just read a blog post about how multi-tasking is not productive, even though we think it is. Not earth-shattering, but had an impact on me to try and not multi-task; particularly at work
11:52:50 hshawjr : Think of how much stimulation teachers provide to each student we move around, talk, show images, use the LCD, talk to students, etc.
11:52:51 McTeach : What if MY needs don't mesh well with my students' needs???
11:53:11 stampergr : I don't think I was even aware there was such a thing as metacognition until I got into my graduate program.....I had always tried to conform to directives by 'experts': keep your desk clear, sit up straight., etc.
11:53:21 MariaK : so true Jonh - we can even send off non verbal comments that feed off each other!
11:53:33 psicerwensley : I like to stimulate with a cool video or demonstration of the skills / knowledge I am trying to convey
11:53:38 hshawjr : @jepcke I think I have seen different arts on that subject and tend to agree we do not multi-task well.
11:53:40 tarman : I think you are correct. Today's students can take in all of these different stimuli better than we can. I watch my own kids listen to music, do their homework, text and whatever else is going on. And they are successful
11:54:21 hshawjr : @tarman is that function of their age vs our age???? Some studies seem to suggest that
11:54:52 Rebecca F. : Muliti-tasking is a challenge for me; take cleaning for example, I just by cleaning one area. I find something belonging in another area. Soon I find myself at the oposite end of the house tearing something else apart.
11:54:59 psicerwensley : But they don't really multitask - they cooperatively single-task to use a computing term - sort of mind time-share condo-like (poor simile)
11:55:07 tarman : Perhaps age or digital immigrants vs digital natives
11:55:13 hshawjr : The control freak teacher always made me want to leave the classroom and I hated to be in there
11:55:13 horvathj : I feel students today are like learning a second language (technology) whereas as an adult I find it quite difficult and not as fluid since I need to process from one language (non-digital) to another (digital).
11:56:31 psicerwensley : Hey yoo! Yes, yoo behind the bike shed! Stand still laddie... (Pink Floyd - I did middle school in Scotland so it still rings true for me - fear and loathing)
11:56:48 horvathj : But don't many teachers seem to have "control" issues. Isn't that a lot of the problem...being able to allow students to guide themselves through their learning while the teacher takes on the role of facilitator?
11:56:50 Rebecca F. : So, not the control freak; I like that term Instructional Tolerance. I do not enjoy being observed by administrators who are control freaks!
11:56:50 kyteacher (Angela) : I am slowly learning what parts of my classroom I need control over for my own sanity & what parts I can turn over to my students. It's a learning process...& I'm finding that with the right structure, I am comfortable turning more & more over to my students.
11:57:14 psicerwensley : That was a poorly written Scots accent for those wondering
11:57:19 Lisa Parisi : I find myself sometimes saying, "You need to do this because I cannot function when you don't."
11:57:30 Lisa Parisi : So it has nothing to do with them but it's all about me.
11:57:45 Lisa Parisi : Like when it gets too loud
11:57:47 hshawjr : Instructional Tolerance is a good term...how much can we and students subject ourselves to in the classroom.
11:57:50 jepcke : @kyteacher Sounds like a nice balance of control and not control. "Gradual relaease" model. :)
11:57:53 psicerwensley : CMS has some cool tools for teachers managing classrooms - to understand what they are doing and why
11:58:43 psicerwensley : Planned ignore for minor misdemeanors, proximity, etc all useful tools in the kitbag
11:59:14 kyteacher (Angela) : I have said something very similar...and there are days when I need more control. I find that my HS students are generally responsive to my "please work with me" days...based on the relationship we have built in the classroom.
12:00:22 psicerwensley : I need control to be effective all teachers do but building relationships and trust is key
12:00:23 hshawjr : @kyteacher that is the big thing the relationships built between students (each other) and the teachers
12:00:36 Lisa Parisi : Yes, Angela, you're right.
12:01:13 psicerwensley : Indeed - some would say the ONLY thing especially if you are a social constructivist (if you have to have an -ism) like me
12:02:33 kyteacher (Angela) : b/c I'm moving from 9th to 11th grade next year, I will have many students for the 2nd time. Interested to see how that will impact my classroom.
12:02:39 hshawjr : Learning to learn is important, but that is not what standardized testing is looking for, what you are talking about is not measureable in our measureable environment today?
12:02:45 Lisa Parisi : I looped with my classes twice.
12:02:52 Lisa Parisi : Big difference.
12:02:58 jepcke : It's those intangibles that are not measured by a test
12:03:11 Rebecca F. : SO TRUE!
12:03:29 horvathj : So at what point do students make the academic gains necessary to graduate when each year they are behind? Why is it that though we as educators can see the progress made each year, though not at the expected level, but the government powers-that-be cannot understand that type of progress?
12:03:31 Ira Socol : on evaluating "that" http://education.change.org/blog/view/evaluate_that_-_schools_for_children
12:03:32 hshawjr : I hate it but it is what it is...In SPED we are not subject to some of the bubble requirements, but....we are still expected to show improvement
12:03:40 psicerwensley : Most of my classes are young adults (15 - 17 year olds) doing vocational units in business and computing - very narrow focus compared to primary teachers
12:04:11 Ira Socol : I can't make eye contact. And usually don't
12:04:58 psicerwensley : I often see kids in years 8,9,11 & 12 - not so much in year 10 for some reason - we are an options subject
12:04:59 hshawjr : I was taught in the military that if you do not, that you are considered untrustworthy and it will affect how others view you
12:05:41 Ira Socol : Why I wore mirrored sunglasses as a cop. Why many do. Hiding the fact that we won't look you in the eye
12:05:57 psicerwensley : Can be a cultural no-no wth our indigienous kids - seen as "shame" - we have about 25% of our kids from Australian aboriginal background
12:06:24 jepcke : @ira Is THAT why cops wear mirrored sunglasses! Never knew.
12:06:46 Ira Socol : yup. It covers up our eye gaze deficits
12:06:51 psicerwensley : Can be very confronting to "eyeball" indigenous youth - seen as a confrontation - can easily escalate
12:07:09 hshawjr : In America we do not have a great deal of cultural sensitivity to other cultures,we require them to conform to our culture or consider them a "different" and look down at them.
12:07:35 psicerwensley : I think EVERYBODY does that - everywhere - other is seen as inferior
12:08:11 hshawjr : @spicerwensley unfortunately true
12:08:53 psicerwensley : It needn't be a problem if we acknowledge this common human frailty (sp.?)
12:10:00 psicerwensley : I think that cultural difference is great - I visited the USA last December and loved the diversity of cultures I saw. Made for great eating - thanks to Yelp!
12:10:01 hshawjr : Ira great point
12:11:30 psicerwensley : How do US schools cope with diversity in the classroom?
12:12:18 Ira Socol : usually badly. Current "fashion" in charter schools beloved by Obama Admin, is to "train kids to be white" (my term)
12:12:23 horvathj : At times it seems to be a taboo subject. I think the more exposure students have to developing an appreciation to other cultures the better.
12:12:42 Ira Socol : So you see this heavy behavioural training in KIPP schools, etc
12:13:19 Ira Socol : luckily, web involvement is really helping among this generation
12:13:39 psicerwensley : Here we try and be incluse but it is hard to reflect the backgrounds of students - usually they don't want the attention but I think it important to expose them to other points of view
12:13:48 colleenk : This is may be a little off-topic but can Ira briefly discuss ways that web sites (specifically math sites) can support UDL practices?
12:14:03 horvathj : Absolutely. I think kids today are more tolerant and accepting of diverse cultures than adults.
12:14:10 Ira Socol : colleenk, I'll do that in a moment
12:14:18 colleenk : Thanks, Ira!
12:14:54 hshawjr : I think that as we are exposed to more and more cultures via the web, our consciousness about other cultures increases.
12:16:04 psicerwensley : That's probably true - I grew up in a very "white bread" neighborhood but now (thankfully) live in a more interesting part of town.
12:16:33 hshawjr : When teachers are allowed to do their job, which a part of is to evaluate the student's progress and be trusted to do it correctly then we will be considered professionals.
12:16:40 jepcke : HOw Diversity in the US classroom is handled depends on the classroom. Not all US classrooms are diverse.
12:17:00 McTeach : Is anyone else having audio issues? Everyone keeps cutting in and out
12:17:01 Rebecca F. : You're doing it to get ready for state testing? lol
12:18:06 kyteacher (Angela) : @jepcke Very true. My classroom is not very diverse in the obvious ways.
12:19:09 kyteacher (Angela) : In many ways, that makes teaching tolerance (for lack of a better word) even more important.
12:19:12 spicerwensley : Back - trying to get the audio feed working - talk louder (just kidding...)
12:19:55 hshawjr : @spicerwensley you just wanted your name spelled correctly :)
12:20:11 spicerwensley : Tolerance and Kindness are such important civil values that aren't explicitly taught in many classrooms (mine included)
12:20:24 colleenk : @Ira So would more open-ended activities be helpful?
12:20:38 spicerwensley : True (I did miss the hyphen out but I usually do online)
12:20:50 jepcke : Is the goal "tolerance" or "acceptance" or "acknowledgement"?
12:21:33 horvathj : I think the goal is multi-layered and should start with knowledge of various cultures and then build to acceptance.
12:22:03 jepcke : I just have an issue with "tolerance" in my opinion, a more negative connotation
12:22:12 kyteacher (Angela) : I try very hard to teach all of those explicitly in my classroom.
12:22:17 horvathj : Plus, acceptance will always be dependant upon student's family views and beliefs.
12:22:30 kyteacher (Angela) : Civilty is a big word in my room.
12:22:36 hshawjr : Seeing the board or images in the front of the classroom for students who need glasses who don't wear or don't have them is a huge problem in the pre-computer math class.
12:22:50 spicerwensley : I think the goal should be understanding but tolerance does have some baggage - though I would like to think of myself as "tolerant".
12:22:58 Ira Socol : Open ended works, Colleen, the goal can't be fixed. Some kids will be there with no effort, others might not get there for years
12:23:19 javer : k
12:23:28 Ira Socol : I don't want to be "tolerated," I want us all to be accepted for who we are
12:24:06 Rebecca F. : Dad-divide, Mom-multiply, sister-subtract, Brother-bring down
12:24:16 horvathj : I agree Ira, but isn't that a utopian view in nature? Hasn't there been thousands of years of intolerance throughout our world?
12:24:22 Lisa Parisi : Relatives - repeat dog-decimal
12:24:23 jepcke : @ira exactly...I tolerate mosquitoes when I want to be outside in the summer...
12:24:31 spicerwensley : I think High School IS different - more focus / less support / less friendly (can be)
12:24:53 Lisa Parisi : @horvath Shouldn't we always be working toward a utopian view?
12:25:17 colleenk : Thanks everyone. Have to leave a little early. Enjoy your Sunday.
12:25:37 horvathj : We should. I can only hope I will be around when it is one day reached.
12:25:43 spicerwensley : We need a better word to reflect the positive of "I am tolerant of others" but not the negative of "I am tolerating your behaviour"
12:25:46 hshawjr : @Lisa - utopian views are great...but they have to be based on reality of the situation.
12:25:50 kyteacher (Angela) : @Ira I agree with the connotations of the word tolerance...but for some, even tolerating those who are different is a big step. We focus on civility...treating one another with respect, etc.
12:25:54 Lisa Parisi : If we all strive for it, it will happen.
12:26:02 jepcke : @horvathj Always room for improvement...will be ever "be there"?
12:26:57 horvathj : I honestly don't know, especially after watching world news.
12:27:33 kyteacher (Angela) : Some rooms have windows? I wish there was enough space, etc. in my room to allow for changes in learning environments.
12:27:44 jepcke : so sad that kids have to be "classified" for teachers to feel comfortable meeting their needs
12:28:07 jepcke : but know that is the reality for most
12:28:07 kyteacher (Angela) : I can barely fit enough desks into the space.
12:28:10 Lisa Parisi : That's why I said I would like to remove classifications.
12:28:13 spicerwensley : Civility and understanding are key but as a minimum students need to follow the "no put downs" "no disrespect" "no personal attacks" that tolerance captures.
12:28:25 Lisa Parisi : Let's just give everyone what they need.
12:28:30 stampergr : @Lisa, I have my own personal "kid is not classified" stories; maddingly frustrating for a parent.
12:28:32 hshawjr : @jepcke sometimes it is more about the teacher having to change how they are in the classroom than accommodating for the student
12:28:57 jepcke : and s many worry about "being classified" as a stamp on the forehead forever
12:29:23 jepcke : IS that how you grade? First ones done get As, next group gets Bs, etc. (snarky)
12:29:41 kyteacher (Angela) : @spicer I use these as a starting point in my classroom: http://ow.ly/1UJ9d
12:29:46 horvathj : @jepcke, That is true. It seems as though once you get "labeled" you wear it for life. Getting unlabled is difficult.
12:30:03 spicerwensley : I don't like to classify kids per se - in my view kids are kids - I try to deal with the individual not the "tribe" be it gang / fashion group (e.g. goth / bogan ) or religion etc (which isn't usually an issue in Australia as we are a godless lot)
12:30:05 jepcke : @hshawjr exactly! and how their administration views accomodations for "non-classified" students
12:30:26 hshawjr : Unfort as we all know that lable is necessary other student doesn't get what they need to be successful in our present system.
12:30:32 McTeach : Angela...I love those!!!! Seriously, can I come sit in your classroom for a month???
12:30:38 jepcke : @spicerwensley...what's a bogan?
12:31:17 spicerwensley : Cool - thx for those dialogue tips they look genuinely useful. I hink kids need to know that there is life after school...
12:31:44 jepcke : Like Cornell College in Iowa is the "one class at a time" school
12:31:57 kyteacher (Angela) : Looking forward to seeing how many students remember them from their freshman year.
12:31:58 jepcke : that model works well for so many
12:32:40 horvathj : I absolutely agree! I haven't found many classes I've taken at during my bachelor classes and graduate courses that differentiate the learning for their students.
12:32:41 spicerwensley : Slow is not the same as stupid - careful studious kids can do REALLY well in life.
12:32:58 McTeach : It's so true!!!!!
12:33:05 McTeach : How did I wind up teaching middle school???
12:33:07 hshawjr : I think that we have to show our students that there are several different ways of teaching and that they have to learn to differentiate their learning sometimes to be successful in other classes. Just like after school there are different types of bosses and they have to learn to work for them too
12:33:26 spicerwensley : Dante's Inferno in the classrooms of high school...
12:34:30 MariaK : I have never liked being in school - ever! But I love to be a learner - love learning. Hmmmm
12:34:49 spicerwensley : I think focus on one or two areas of interest can help students survive. A close circle of friends can really help too - esp. if they want to succeed at school.
12:34:54 McTeach : Maria...I feel the same way!!!
12:35:15 hshawjr : @MariaK I hated school with a passion, but here I am a teacher, trying to show my students how to succeed inspite of being in school is important to me.
12:35:23 Ira Socol : Project-based learning allows interests to lead into "standardized" curricula
12:36:00 Ira Socol : I can study almost every topic, for example, via The Titanic, or space exploration, or flowers, or anything
12:36:06 spicerwensley : I was what we call a squib - I enjoyed school except for English - I always found english a challenge but now I love to write - including poetry and kid's books - go figure.
12:36:23 hshawjr : But cutting and pasting is an important skill, just throw in attributing correctly.
12:36:24 MariaK : I even get frustrated about working in a school - sometimes it just doesn't fit with what i feel.
12:36:25 Ira Socol : harold: me too, another school hater
12:36:31 spicerwensley : Cutting and pasting - sounds like university research methodology :-)
12:36:53 stampergr : Can I share something with the group real quickly?
12:36:56 sheila : :)
12:37:08 McTeach : I love being here on Sundays!
12:37:10 horvathj : This was my first experience with EdTech and a show like this. I've enjoyed the conversation. Thanks for doing this! Have a great summer.
12:37:16 hshawjr : I read most of the book that you linked with me, it did reasonate with some my experiences.
12:37:18 spicerwensley : Have a nice summer holiday... (we have nice winters though - sunny and too dry)
12:37:19 McTeach : Any of you going to be at ISTE?
12:37:37 MariaK : yes - sheila and I will be there
12:37:46 hshawjr : No to ISTE, but going to MLTI in Castine Maine end of July
12:37:49 Rebecca F. : Thank you everyone for taking the time! Much appreciated!
12:37:51 McTeach : YAY! Will look forward to seeing you there!
12:37:52 tarman : Thank you
12:37:53 kyteacher (Angela) : I enjoy stopping in as often as possible.
12:37:58 hshawjr : Thank you :)
12:38:06 Ira Socol : http://speedchange.blogspot.com/
12:38:06 sr : I am inspired by your chats..thanks
12:38:08 MariaK : anyone going to building learning communities - BLC in Boston?
12:38:16 spicerwensley : I am new to UDL =- lots of reading to do...
12:38:18 Ira Socol : https://sites.google.com/site/iradavidsocol/
12:38:24 McTeach : Wish I could, Maria...just too expensive
12:38:33 MariaK : I agree
12:38:35 Lisa Parisi : http://ettconversations.blogspot.com/
12:38:41 sr : every second year ..was there last year
12:38:43 MariaK : I'm going as a presenter
12:38:51 Lisa Parisi : Thank you for coming.
12:38:57 McTeach : That's what I hear! Teryl told me she'd see you there
12:39:01 McTeach : Thank you ladies!!!
12:39:15 spicerwensley : Thanks bye folks - ciao for niao! PeterSW
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text:
Mirantis said it raised $10 million of growth capital from Dell Ventures, Intel Capital and WestSummit Capital. WestSummit Capital is a China-based growth stage investor.
Mirantis Receives $10 million from Intel Capital, WestSummit Capital, and Dell Ventures to Accelerate its OpenStack Game
Mountain View, California, January 10, 2013 – Mirantis, the largest OpenStack® systems integrator, today announced that it closed $10 million in growth capital financing from Dell Ventures, Intel Capital and WestSummit Capital.
Combining its efficient delivery model with the intellectual property that makes building a vendor-agnostic OpenStack cloud simple and predictable, Mirantis is striving to dramatically accelerate the adoption of OpenStack clouds by service providers, SaaS vendors, and enterprises.
The investment will be used to accelerate Mirantis' growth in the OpenStack market. The privately-held company was previously financed through sales revenues. As Mirantis increases its presence in the OpenStack market, it will remain true to its focus of providing a vendor-neutral implementation of OpenStack, free of lock-in hooks or proprietary packaging.
Mirantis was an early OpenStack advocate, since the open source project was introduced in 2010 and recently joined Dell and Intel as founding members of the new OpenStack Foundation. Boris Renski, Mirantis co-founder and executive vice president, was elected to the board of the Foundation, which provides leadership to the community and guidance over development efforts.
"We believe that OpenStack is on its way to becoming a universal control plane for the entire application infrastructure fabric," observed Adrian Ionel, president and CEO of Mirantis. "This phenomenon is transforming the industry. To help accelerate this transformation in a meaningful way, we need strong strategic investors like Dell Ventures, Intel Capital, and WestSummit Capital. We consciously picked investors who aligned with us on vision and our commitment to accelerate OpenStack adoption around the world."
Mirantis has the largest pool of engineering expertise in OpenStack in the market today, and helps service providers, SaaS vendors, and enterprises build and run OpenStack cloud infrastructure. It has provided this expertise to customers in more than 30 OpenStack deployment projects in the past 18 months. Mirantis has helped many early adopters of the OpenStack platform successfully launch production-grade clouds. Customers include organizations such as NASA, WebEx, Gap, PayPal, Internap, and AT&T.
"Mirantis is a true example of the power of OpenStack technology," said Lisa Lambert, vice president of Intel Capital and managing director of the Software and Services sector. "In just a short amount of time, Mirantis has established itself as a key OpenStack systems integrator by helping numerous early adopters realize the value of the open source cloud movement. Intel Capital looks forward to working with its team as it continues to expand its global footprint."
"We see tremendous demand for OpenStack in the APAC market and China in particular. Beijing generates more traffic to the OpenStack.org Website than any other city in the world today, and China hosts some of the largest cloud deployments in the world. With our investment, we aim to help Mirantis establish a stronghold in the APAC market," explained Elise Huang, partner at WestSummit Capital.
"OpenStack is a central component of Dell's cloud strategy and this investment reflects our company's commitment to open source platforms that give our customers more options and flexibility. We recently announced OpenStack as our open source cloud platform of choice for public and private clouds. The partnership with Mirantis demonstrates our commitment to the community and our goal of becoming a leading contributor to OpenStack. Dell continues to make strategic investments that enhance our portfolio and customer value," noted Nnamdi Orakwue, vice president of Dell Cloud.
Mirantis has dedicated developers contributing to OpenStack Quantum LBaaS and helps run the Bay Area OpenStack user group in Silicon Valley. The company also offers a training program to expand the pool of skilled engineering talent and expertise in OpenStack. Mirantis' ongoing 'Boot Camps' have become very popular and are usually sold out.
"Mirantis has been very active in helping promote and grow the OpenStack ecosystem. This is a significant accomplishment for the company. We welcome the activities that prominent Foundation members take together to help accelerate OpenStack adoption," said Jonathan Bryce, executive director of the OpenStack Foundation.
Dell and Intel are active participants in the OpenStack community. WestSummit Capital is a China-based global growth stage technology investment firm that invests in industry-leading technology companies with a substantial presence or strategic interest in China.
About Mirantis
Mirantis delivers OpenStack cloud and open source application infrastructure. Its focus is vendor-independent cloud implementation uncompromised by opaque hooks or proprietary packaging. The company has a unique cost-effective delivery model, founded on years of deep software engineering experience for demanding Fortune 1000 companies. Customers include Cisco, Dell, GE, Agilent, NASA, HP, AT&T, The Gap, Axcient and Nexenta. Mirantis is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with engineering centers in Russia and Ukraine. www.mirantis.com

subset: commoncrawl


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The Denver-based carrier said it simplified its price structure and cut its lowest economy fares by 12 percent. But customers taking advantage of the lower fares will now pay $20 to $50 more for a carry-on bag to store in the overhead bin, depending on whether the traveler books online or pays at the gate. Customers can carry on one personal item at no charge.
Prior to Monday's announcement, Frontier charged a carry-on fee for consumers who purchased on third-party websites.
Those who buy an economy fare will also have to pay additional fees for seats near the front of the plane and with more leg room. Those charges start at $3.
The new fees are "very consumer unfriendly no matter how they try to spin it," said Brian Kelly, founder of ThePointsGuy.com, a website that focuses on frequent-flier issues. "Booking Frontier is likely going to cost you more."
Frontier travelers who buy the fully refundable and higher-cost Classic Plus fares are allowed one free carry-on and one free checked bag and also incur no seat fees.
Frontier, which flies to more than 75 cities in the United States, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico, said in a statement that the "unbundled" economy airfare will allow customers to save by paying only for services they want.
In making the changes, Frontier is taking a page from Spirit Airlines (>> Spirit Airlines Incorporated), the Miramar, Florida-based carrier known for low base fares and extra charges for many other options.
Denver-based Frontier was purchased from Republic Airways Holdings (>> Republic Airways Holdings Inc.) last year by private equity firm Indigo Partners LLC, whose co-founder William Franke is a former Spirit Airlines chairman. Last week, Frontier said Barry Biffle, a former executive vice president of Spirit, had been named its president.
"Spirit is known as an airline that will nickel-and-dime you and they're proud of it," Kelly said. "Frontier is not."
(Reporting by Karen Jacobs in Atlanta; Editing by Diane Craft)


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A well-regarded Republican strategist at a private gathering recently warned, "And just wait until they play that Mormon card." By "they," he meant the Obama campaign and its complicit media cheerleaders.
Lawrence O'Donnell, only days later, gave his viewers a historical tutorial on the Mormon religion, darkly suggesting that we all should be afraid, very afraid. The Democratic governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer, called Mitt Romney's grandfather a "polygamist."
This is actually good news for the Romney campaign.
By making Romney's Mormonism an issue, the Obama campaign has, as trial lawyers like to say, "reopened" the issue of religion. The Romney campaign can therefore revisit the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Obama's close relationship to him. True, Obama apparently severed ties to Wright, but Obama did so only after the very salvation of his first presidential campaign depended upon it.
Wright, Obama's pastor for some 20 years, was described by Obama as his "spiritual advisor." Wright married the Obamas, baptized their children and blessed their home. One of Wright's friends is the anti-Semitic advocate of racial separatism, Minister Louis Farrakhan. "Trumpet Magazine," published by Wright's daughter and formerly promoted on the church's website, once honored Farrakhan in a cover story as a man who "truly epitomized greatness." In the article, Wright lauded Farrakhan as "one of the 20th and 21st century giants of the African-American religious experience."
There is, of course, the infamous YouTube excerpt of Wright shouting: "We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye. ... We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost." And understand, Wright gave this blistering attack against America the Sunday after 9-11!
In his autobiography, "Dreams From My Father," Obama tells of how he met Wright. Obama made an appointment at Wright's church to see the pastor. Wright was late. While waiting, Obama spoke with Wright's assistant, a single mom whose husband had just died. She told Obama that she intended to leave the city and move to the suburbs to escape the violence. She also wanted her son to attend a better school. Her son, she said, would like to join a band, and his current school didn't have one. His future school had a band and free uniforms.
"'He's always wanted to be in a band,' she said softly." When Obama told Wright of his assistant's plans, Wright acknowledged that he tried to talk her out of moving. Why? Wright said that the boy "won't have a clue about where, or who, he is." Astonishing.
Wright said this to a biracial man, the product of a black man and a white woman? Wright said that the assistant's son won't know "who he is"? Didn't Obama's mom send a young Barack back to Hawaii to live with his white grandparents in order to get a premium education at the finest prep school in the state?
All Wright's poor, single mother/assistant wanted was a safer neighborhood where her son would be able to join a band and wear a uniform, an opportunity not afforded at his urban school. Did Obama get up and leave after Wright outed himself as an anti-white racist who did not want the best for the son of his assistant? No. Obama joined his church.
Obama attended Wright's "Audacity to Hope" sermon. Wright talked about war crimes and compared Sharpeville to Hiroshima. Sharpeville? In 1960, the South African apartheid government shot down unarmed protestors in the township of Sharpeville, killing 69 black men, women and children. Most of the dead were shot in the back, and nearly 200 more were wounded. Wright compared a morally justifiable bombing to the apartheid South African government's murder of innocent blacks. Obama remained a church member.
As to Romney's polygamous grandfather, what about polygamy of Obama's father? "Obama's father," wrote The New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof in 2008, "who apparently converted to Catholicism while attending a Roman Catholic school, was also polygamous in keeping with local custom, taking an informal Kenyan wife who preceded Obama's mother but remained a consort ... ."
Why is this relevant? After all, Obama has governed for three years, having shed his pastor. But when Obama instinctively sides with the black professor versus a white Cambridge cop doing his job; when Obama injects himself in the Trayvon Martin case, saying, "If I had had a son, he'd look like Trayvon"; when Obama falsely asserts that blacks and whites "receive very different sentences ... for the same crime," one can reasonably ask to what degree is Obama's worldview colored and shaped by Jeremiah Wright -- his angry, hostile anti-Semitic pastor of more than 20 years.


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21mm bridge width
143mm temple length
Griffin Oval Optical Frame in Black


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Teachers teach the Sunshine State Standards for science in every grade. The county adopted science series, National Geographic, is used in kindergarten through fifth grade. This program is supplemented by hands-on lessons, AIMS activities, manipulatives, and FSA preparatory materials.
Helping Your Child Succeed in Science
(taken from http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/science/part_pg4.html#p4)
Science is not just a collection of facts. Of course, facts are an important part of science: Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (or 0 degrees Celsius), and the earth moves around the sun. But science is much, much more. Science involves:
Observing what's happening;
Classifying or organizing information;
Predicting what will happen;
Testing predictions under controlled conditions to see if they are correct; and
Drawing conclusions.
Science involves trial and error—trying, failing and trying again. Science doesn't provide all the answers. It requires us to be skeptical so that our scientific "conclusions" can be modified or changed altogether as we make new discoveries.
Children Have Their Own "Scientific Concepts." Very young children can come up with many interesting explanations to make sense of the world around them. When asked about the shape of the earth, for example, some will explain that the earth has to be flat because, if it were round like a ball, people and things would fall off it. Presented with a globe and told that this is the true shape of the earth, these children may adapt their explanation by saying that the earth is hollow and that people live on flat ground inside it.
Even older children can come up with unique "scientific" explanations, as in the following examples provided by middle-school students:
"Fossils are bones that animals are through wearing."
"Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun, but I've never been able to make out the numbers."
"Gravity is stronger on the earth than on the moon because here on earth we have a bigger mess."
"A blizzard is when it snows sideways."
Asking Questions.
As mentioned earlier, it's important to encourage your child to ask questions. It's also important to ask your child questions that will get him talking about his ideas and to listen carefully to his answers. Keep in mind that children's experiences help them form their ideas—ideas that may, or may not, match current scientific interpretations. Help your child to look at things in new ways. For instance, in regard to the blizzard, you could ask, "Have you ever seen it snow sideways?" or "What do you think causes it to snow sideways sometimes?"
Such conversation can be an important form of inquiry or learning. Encourage your child by letting him know that it's OK to make mistakes or admit he doesn't know something. Rather than saying, "No, that's wrong," when he gives an incorrect explanation, give him accurate information or help him to find it. Going back to the blizzard, you could ask your child, "How could you check your definition?" "How does the dictionary's definition of "blizzard" fit with what you said about snow moving sideways?"
Knowing that you are willing to listen will help your child to gain confidence in his own thinking and encourage his interest in science. And listening to what he says will help him to figure out what he knows and how he knows it.
Hands-On Works Well. Investigating and experimenting are great ways for children to learn science and increase their understanding of scientific ideas. Hands-on science can also help children think critically and gain confidence in their own ability to solve problems. Young children especially are engaged by things they can touch, manipulate and change; and by situations that allow them to figure out what happens—in short, events and puzzles that they can investigate, which is at the very heart of scientific study. While hands-on science works well, it can also be messy and time consuming. So, before you get started, see what is involved in an activity—including how long it will take.
Less Is More. It's tempting to try to teach children just a little about many different subjects. Although children can't possibly learn everything about science, they do need and will want to learn many facts. The best way to help them learn to think scientifically is to introduce them to just a few topics in depth.
Finding the Right Activity for Your Child. Different children have different interests and will respond differently to science activities. A sand and rock collection that was a big hit with an 8-year-old daughter may not be a big hit with a 6-year-old son.
Fortunately, children whose interests vary greatly can find plenty of science activities that are fun. If your son loves to cook, let him observe how tea changes color when lemon is added or how vinegar curdles milk. Knowing your child is the best way to find suitable activities for him. Here are some tips:
Encourage activities that are neither too hard nor too easy for your child. If in doubt, err on the easy side, because something too difficult may give him the idea that science itself is too hard. Adults often assume that children need spectacular demonstrations to learn science, but this isn't true.
Consider your child's personality and social habits. Some projects are best done alone, others in a group; some require help, others require little or no adult supervision. Solitary activities may bore some children, while group projects may not appeal to others.
Select activities that are appropriate for where you live. Clearly, a brightly lighted city isn't the best place for stargazing.
Allow your child to help select the activities. If you don't know whether she would rather collect shells or plant daffodils, ask her. When she picks something she wants to do, she'll learn more and have a better time doing it.


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'Pepe Sánchez'.
Carlos Enrique Vogt was born in Buenos Aires. He never got any artistic education, but he started working in the field of animation through studio Burone Bruché at the age of 19. Here he worked alongside Anibal Uzál. A year later, Vogt made his debut in comics in the magazine Pancho. His work soon appeared in popular titles like Poncho Negro, Superhombre, O Hazañas. From 1954, he also worked for Editorial Abril, where he drew for 'Rayo Rojo' and 'Misterix'. Between 1959 and 1961, he was present in Oesterheld's Hora Cero magazine. At the time, he illustrated westerns like 'Doc Carson', 'Joe Gatillo' and 'Lucky Yank'.
'Poncho Negro'.
During the early 1960s, the largest part of Vogt's production was for the foreign market. He drew for the British Fleetway agency, as well as the German Bull Press. It is in 1963, when Vogt begins his collaboration with the publishing house Columba, where he created his first memorable works. After several years of making comic adaptations of movies, he teamed up with scriptwriter Robin Wood to create the comedy 'Mi Novia y Yo'. Many series followed until the early 1970s, often in cooperation with scriptwriters like Ray Collins, Alfredo Grassi, Carlos Albiac and Hector German Oesterheld.
Between 1974 and 1978, Vogt was present at the publishing house Record, with contributions to the magazines Skorpio and Corto Maltés. In 1974, he created 'Pepe Sánchez' with Robin Wood, a satirical series in El Tony that was also popular abroad. For the same magazine, Vogt and Wood also created 'Mojado' in 1983. Both series ran until 1997. Vogt's final creation for El Tony was the series 'Maske Thorpo' (1993-1994). Afterwards, Vogt focused on production for the Italian market.
'Pepe Sánchez'.


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12 Cheap Ways To Genuinely Thank Your Employees
Money is not the only or even the best way to motivate your employees.
Money is not the only or even the best way to motivate your employees.
How would you know you've found the right freelancer for the job?
The last ten minutes of your work day play a crucial role in achieving your next day's target.
Here is a compilation of some of the best apps you might need to make you more efficient.
The basics on how to start a business in Australia.
If you're looking for a way to get closer to your goals, then the simplest way is to outwork those around youl
Elon Musk quotes about creating possibilities, work, failure, and building the future.
Don't mess with an employee's vacation.
Are you worried about the increasing number of accidents in your work area? Here are 13 ideas to minimize them.
Is your business lucky enough to have one in their midst?
Pondering over whether or not to leave your full-time job for full-time entrepreneurship? This will help you make the decision.
Salary negotiations can be tricky and nerve-wracking. Here is how to do it right.
Are you expanding your business and setting up a private / shared office space? Here are some tips to get it right.
Are you off to somewhere soon but you've got lots of things to do? Your freelancer has got you covered.
It's not easy being green, but it sure is important. Here is a list of ways that you can make your business environmentally responsible.
Terbitkan artikel di Komuniti Freelancer dan dapatkan lebih banyak pendedahan


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These mustard seeds aren't spicy until they are cracked and mixed with a liquid—generally wine or vinegar. Photo of mustard seeds by Magda Skale | SXC.
Category Main Page
Articles & Reviews
Main Nibbles
Main Page
Articles & Reviews Of Foods From A To Z
Product Reviews
Main Page
Beverage, Books
News & More
July 2009
This is Page 4 of a four-page article. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
Have fun with these mustard facts:
Mustard Popularity
Mustard Uses
This photo, by Glenn Fidler of Seaside, CA, was a
winner in the 2007 Napa Valley Mustard Festival
Mustard Folklore
Thanks to French's Mustard for most of this trivia. Final piece of trivia: French's was introduced in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair.
© Copyright 2005-2023 Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. All images are copyrighted to their respective owners.


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Calorie restriction lets monkeys live long and prosper
Settling a persistent scientific controversy, a long-awaited report shows that restricting calories does indeed help rhesus monkeys live longer, healthier lives.
A remarkable collaboration between two competing research teams — one from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and one from the National Institute on Aging — is the first time the groups worked together to resolve one of the most controversial stories in aging research.
The findings by the collaboration — including Senior Scientist Ricki Colman of the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center and UW–Madison Associate Professor of Medicine Rozalyn Anderson; and NIA Staff Scientist and Nonhuman Primate Core Facility Head Julie Mattison and Senior Investigator and Chief of the Translational Gerontology Branch Rafael de Cabo — were published today (Jan. 17, 2017) in the journal Nature Communications.
In 2009, the UW–Madison study team reported significant benefits in survival and reductions in cancer, cardiovascular disease, and insulin resistance for monkeys that ate less than their peers. In 2012, however, the NIA study team reported no significant improvement in survival, but did find a trend toward improved health.
"These conflicting outcomes had cast a shadow of doubt on the translatability of the caloric-restriction paradigm as a means to understand aging and what creates age-related disease vulnerability," says Anderson, one of the report's corresponding authors. Working together, the competing laboratories analyzed data gathered over many years and including data from almost 200 monkeys from both studies. Now, scientists think they know why the studies showed different results.
The upshot of the report is that caloric restriction does indeed seem to be a means to affect aging. However, for primates, age, diet and sex must all be factored in to realize the full benefits of lower caloric intake.
First, the animals in the two studies had their diets restricted at different ages. Comparative analysis reveals that eating less is beneficial in adult and older primates but is not beneficial for younger animals. This is a major departure from prior studies in rodents, where starting at an earlier age is better in achieving the benefits of a low-calorie diet.
Second, in the old-onset group of monkeys at NIA, the control monkeys ate less than the Wisconsin control group. This lower food intake was associated with improved survival compared to the Wisconsin controls. The previously reported lack of difference in survival between control and restricted groups for older-onset monkeys within NIA emerges as beneficial differences when compared to the UW–Madison data. In this way, it seems that small differences in food intake in primates could meaningfully affect aging and health.
Third, diet composition was substantially different between studies. The NIA monkeys ate naturally sourced foods and the UW–Madison monkeys, part of the colony at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, ate processed food with higher sugar content. The UW–Madison control animals were fatter than the control monkeys at NIA, indicating that at nonrestricted levels of food intake, what is eaten can make a big difference for fat mass and body composition.
Finally, the team identified key sex differences in the relationship between diet, adiposity (fat), and insulin sensitivity, where females seem to be less vulnerable to adverse effects of adiposity than males. This new insight appears to be particularly important in primates and likely is translatable to humans.
The upshot of the report is that caloric restriction does indeed seem to be a means to affect aging. However, for primates, age, diet and sex must all be factored in to realize the full benefits of lower caloric intake.


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Information regarding the following topics is provided for your assistance:
If you remember one thing about loan repayment, remember: always keep in touch with your loan providers.
- Borrowers are required by law to inform loan providers of any changes in their circumstances or status (name change, new address or telephone number, etc.) throughout the life of their loans.
- Failure to do so may lead to late payments, damage to your credit status, garnishment of wages, seizure of federal tax refunds, and possibly a declaration of default, which makes loans due and payable immediately.
- On the other hand, if you anticipate having difficulty in making payments and communicate with your loan provider ahead of time, the loan provider can work with you to explore all of the repayment options available to avoid default or delinquency.
- Remember that loan providers too, would prefer that you avoid default. Again, always keep in touch with your loan providers!
To help you estimate the cost of your loans over different repayment periods, and to show the effects of a variety of repayment options and loan consolidation, many loan providers/servicers and student financial aid organizations include loan repayment calculators among their online services. You may wish to consult the FinAid Website or the website of your own lender/holder/servicer to get an idea of estimated monthly payments based on specified interest rates and repayment periods. While extending the loan repayment period is advisable for borrowers who may be having difficulty meeting their standard monthly loan payments and need to lower them, we would like to draw your attention to the significant rise in interest costs when the length of repayment is increased. Here are some helpful online links for loan repayment:
Lenders and loan servicers may offer repayment incentives on private loans to encourage on-time repayment.
- Contact your lenders or servicers for more information about any incentive programs they may offer.
- Remember, too, that there is no penalty for pre-payment of educational loans.
Some lenders of private educational loans offer Bar Examination loans to credit-worthy borrowers to help cover costs during the study period immediately after graduation.
- Depending on the loan program and your total debt, you may currently apply for up to $15,000.
- Bar Exam loan applications typically must be certified by the Financial Aid Office, and checks are mailed directly to the graduating student.
- Application should be made prior to graduation, but some lenders accept applications after graduation as well. International students may be eligible to apply, depending on the lender.
Please contact your private educational loan lender for applications and for more information about the availability of Bar Examination loans. You may read more about the University's suggested lenders.
Generally, payments of principal and interest on both federal and private educational loans are deferred until six or nine months after a student's enrollment status drops to less than half-time.
- The grace period is six (6) months for Federal Direct Unsubsidized loans.
- Some private educational loans have grace periods of up to nine (9) months.
- The Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan has a six month post enrollment deferment (repayment begins 6 months after a student's enrollment status drops to less than half-time).
Equally important, educational loans only carry one grace period. Therefore, if you had previous educational loans on which the grace period has expired (usually due to taking time between previous education and law school or taking a leave of absence during law school), those loans begin repayment immediately upon graduation or after your enrollment drops to less than half time. In some cases forbearance is available, but you must request it from your loan provider.
While no loan payments are required during the grace period, most student loans accrue interest. Please consult your disclosure statements and/or contact your loan provider(s) for current updated information and terms.
Deferment of federally guaranteed loans is your right under certain circumstances, provided you file the appropriate paperwork with your loan provider(s).
Private educational loan programs are not governed by the deferment provisions for federal loans, but they usually have their own, much more limited, guidelines for deferment and forbearance.
Your loan applications and disclosure statements should list the provisions for loan deferment and forbearance. You also may check with your loan provider to learn what forbearance and deferment options are offered, and how to request them.
If forbearance is granted, it is usually for a limited period of time, and interest either accrues or must be paid during that period. Depending on the loan program, you may contact your loan provider(s) about forbearance for periods of unemployment or economic hardship.
Be sure to request deferment or forbearance as soon as you anticipate needing it, so that your request can be handled in time. If you are delinquent on your loans, loan providers are frequently limited in the forms of assistance they can provide, so do not delay in contacting them.
Though many students think of consolidation as a way to combine all of their loans to facilitate repayment, please note that this is not always the case. You can consolidate federal loans only with other federal loans, so if you have federal and private loans, you cannot combine them all. For borrowers considering loan consolidation, we strongly advise you to visit the Federal Direct Consolidation Loans website for more detailed information and application instructions.
- You should consider consolidation primarily if you are having difficulty in managing your repayment obligations, but only after carefully reviewing the various loan repayment options available to federal loan borrowers.
- Consolidation reduces your monthly payments by increasing your loan repayment period, for as long as 30 years in some cases. But this means you may be paying considerably more in interest charges over the life of the loan if you consolidate.
- The interest rate on a consolidation loan also may be higher than the rate on loans in standard repayment.
There may be other disadvantages to consolidation, including, but not limited to, the possible loss of on-time repayment incentives, and borrowers should contact their lender(s) and/or the Federal Direct Consolidation Loan Program to obtain specific information. We advise that borrowers then carefully consider their options to ensure that consolidation fits into their long-term financial planning.
Note also that the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 contains a section (401) pertaining to Federal Loan Forgiveness for Public Service Employees. The federal loan forgiveness provisions require borrowers to have borrowed Direct Loans or to have consolidated their federal loans through the Federal Direct Consolidation Program. As such, we advise that borrowers carefully consider the available educational loan programs (private versus Direct Graduate PLUS) to ensure that their individual loan borrowing fits into their long-term financial planning. While borrowing through private educational loan programs may provide better loan terms in the short term, it also may limit your options should you decide one day to use the Federal Loan Forgiveness for Public Service Employees program. While we encourage loan borrowers to refer to the detail of the Federal Program in determining all relevant issues, the Financial Aid Office is available to address individual concerns.
The promissory disclosure statements for each of your loans will provide the names of the holders of your loans.
To locate the lender/holder/servicer of a federal loan, you can also check online at the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).


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The REAL Fukushima Danger
The Real Problem …
The fact that the Fukushima reactors have been leaking huge amounts of radioactive water ever since the 2011 earthquake is certainly newsworthy. As are the facts that:
- Scientists have no idea where the cores of the nuclear reactors are
- Radiation could hit Korea, China and the West Coast of North America fairly hard
But the real problem is that the idiots who caused this mess are probably about to cause a much biggerproblem.
Specifically, the greatest short-term threat to humanity is from the fuel pools at Fukushima.
If one of the pools collapsed or caught fire, it could have severe adverse impacts not only on Japan … but the rest of the world, including the United States. Indeed, a Senator called it a national security concern for the U.S.:
The radiation caused by the failure of the spent fuel pools in the event of another earthquake could reach the West Coast within days. That absolutely makes the safe containment and protection of this spent fuel a security issue for the United States.
Nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen and physician Helen Caldicott have both said that people should evacuate the Northern Hemisphere if one of the Fukushima fuel pools collapses. Gundersen said:
Move south of the equator if that ever happened, I think that's probably the lesson there.
Former U.N. adviser Akio Matsumura calls removing the radioactive materials from the Fukushima fuel pools "an issue of human survival".
So the stakes in decommissioning the fuel pools are high, indeed.
But in 2 months, Tepco – the knuckleheads who caused the accident – are going to start doing this very difficult operation on their own.
The New York Times reports:
Thousands of workers and a small fleet of cranes are preparing for one of the latest efforts to avoid a deepening environmental disaster that has China and other neighbors increasingly worried: removing spent fuel rods from the damaged No. 4 reactor building and storing them in a safer place.
The Telegraph notes:
Tom Snitch, a senior professor at the University of Maryland and with more than 30 years' experience in nuclear issues, said "[Japan officials] need to address the real problems, the spent fuel rods in Unit 4 and the leaking pressure vessels," he said. "There has been too much work done wiping down walls and duct work in the reactors for any other reason then to do something…. This is a critical global issue and Japan must step up."
The Japan Times writes:
In November, Tepco plans to begin the delicate operation of removing spent fuel from Reactor No. 4 [with] radiation equivalent to 14,000 times the amount released by the Hiroshima atomic bomb. …. It remains vulnerable to any further shocks, and is also at risk from ground liquefaction. Removing its spent fuel, which contains deadly plutonium, is an urgent task…. The consequences could be far more severe than any nuclear accident the world has ever seen. If a fuel rod is dropped, breaks or becomes entangled while being removed, possible worst case scenarios include a big explosion, a meltdown in the pool, or a large fire. Any of these situations could lead to massive releases of deadly radionuclides into the atmosphere, putting much of Japan — including Tokyo and Yokohama — and even neighboring countries at serious risk.
CNBC points out:
The radioactive leak at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant is far from under control and could get a lot worse, a nuclear energy expert, who compiles the annual "World Nuclear Industry Status Report" warned.
The big danger – and it was identified by Japan's atomic energy commission – is if you lose water in one of the spent fuel pools and you get a spent fuel fire.
CNN reports:
[Mycle Schneider, nuclear consultant:] The situation could still get a lot worse. A massive spent fuel fire would likely dwarf the current dimensions of the catastrophe and could exceed the radioactivity releases of Chernobyl dozens of times. First, the pool walls could leak beyond the capacity to deliver cooling water or a reactor building could collapse following one of the hundred of aftershocks. Then, the fuel cladding could ignite spontaneously releasing its entire radioactive inventory.
Reuters notes:
The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is preparing to remove 400 tons of highly irradiated spent fuel from a damaged reactor building, a dangerous operation that has never been attempted before on this scale.
Containing radiation equivalent to 14,000 times the amount released in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima 68 years ago, more than 1,300 used fuel rod assemblies packed tightly together need to be removed from a building that is vulnerable to collapse, should another large earthquake hit the area.
Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) is already in a losing battle to stop radioactive water overflowing from another part of the facility, and experts question whether it will be able to pull off the removal of all the assemblies successfully.
"They are going to have difficulty in removing a significant number of the rods," said Arnie Gundersen, a veteran U.S. nuclear engineer and director of Fairewinds Energy Education, who used to build fuel assemblies.
The operation, beginning this November at the plant's Reactor No. 4, is fraught with danger, including the possibility of a large release of radiation if a fuel assembly breaks, gets stuck or gets too close to an adjacent bundle, said Gundersen and other nuclear experts.
That could lead to a worse disaster than the March 2011 nuclear crisis at the Fukushima plant, the world's most serious since Chernobyl in 1986.
No one knows how bad it can get, but independent consultants Mycle Schneider and Antony Froggatt said recently in their World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2013: "Full release from the Unit-4 spent fuel pool, without any containment or control, could cause by far the most serious radiological disaster to date."
The utility says it recognizes the operation will be difficult but believes it can carry it out safely.
Nonetheless, Tepco inspires little confidence. Sharply criticized for failing to protect the Fukushima plant against natural disasters, its handling of the crisis since then has also been lambasted.
The process will begin in November and Tepco expects to take about a year removing the assemblies, spokesman Yoshikazu Nagai told Reuters by e-mail. It's just one installment in the decommissioning process for the plant forecast to take about 40 years and cost $11 billion.
Each fuel rod assembly weighs about 300 kilograms (660 pounds) and is 4.5 meters (15 feet) long. There are 1,331 of the spent fuel assemblies and a further 202 unused assemblies are also stored in the pool, Nagai said.
Spent fuel rods also contain plutonium, one of the most toxic substances in the universe, that gets formed during the later stages of a reactor core's operation.
"There is a risk of an inadvertent criticality if the bundles are distorted and get too close to each other," Gundersen said.
He was referring to an atomic chain reaction that left unchecked could result in a large release of radiation and heat that the fuel pool cooling system isn't designed to absorb.
"The problem with a fuel pool criticality is that you can't stop it. There are no control rods to control it," Gundersen said. "The spent fuel pool cooling system is designed only to remove decay heat, not heat from an ongoing nuclear reaction."
The rods are also vulnerable to fire should they be exposed to air, Gundersen said. [The pools have already boiled due to exposure to air.]
Tepco has shored up the building, which may have tilted and was bulging after the explosion, a source of global concern that has been raised in the U.S. Congress.
The fuel assemblies have to be first pulled from the racks they are stored in, then inserted into a heavy steel chamber. This operation takes place under water before the chamber, which shields the radiation pulsating from the rods, can be removed from the pool and lowered to ground level.
The chamber is then transported to the plant's common storage pool in an undamaged building where the assemblies will be stored.
[Here is a visual tour of Fukushima's fuel pools, along with graphics of how the rods will be removed.]
Tepco confirmed the Reactor No. 4 fuel pool contains debris during an investigation into the chamber earlier this month.
Removing the rods from the pool is a delicate task normally assisted by computers, according to Toshio Kimura, a former Tepco technician, who worked at Fukushima Daiichi for 11 years.
"Previously it was a computer-controlled process that memorized the exact locations of the rods down to the millimeter and now they don't have that. It has to be done manually so there is a high risk that they will drop and break one of the fuel rods," Kimura said.
Corrosion from the salt water will have also weakened the building and equipment, he said.
And if an another strong earthquake strikes before the fuel is fully removed that topples the building or punctures the pool and allow the water to drain, a spent fuel fire releasing more radiation than during the initial disaster is possible, threatening about Tokyo 200 kilometers (125 miles) away.
ABC Radio Australia quotes an expert on the situation (at 1:30):
Richard Tanter, expert on nuclear power issues and professor of international relations at the University of Melbourne:
Reactor Unit 4, the one which has a very large amount of stored fuel in its fuel storage pool, that is sinking. According to former prime Minister Kan Naoto, that has sunk some 31 inches in places and it's not uneven. This is really not surprising given what's happened in terms of pumping of water, the aftermath of the earthquake and the tsunami, the continuing infusions of water into the groundwater area. This is an immediate problem, and if it is not resolved there is an extraordinary possibility we really could be back at March 2011 again because of the possibility of a fission accident in that spent fuel pond in Unit No. 4.
Xinua writes:
Mitsuhei Murata, a former Japanese ambassador to Switzerland has officially called for the withdrawalof Tokyo's Olympic bid, due to the worsening crisis at Fukushima, which experts believe is not limited to storage tanks, but also potential cracks in the walls of the spent nuclear fuel pools.
Japan Focus points out:
The spent-fuel pool … was damaged by the earthquake and tsunami, and is in adeteriorating condition. It remains vulnerable to any further shocks, and is also at risk from ground liquefaction.
If a fuel rod is dropped, breaks or becomes entangled while being removed, possible worst case scenarios include a big explosion, a meltdown in the pool, or a large fire.
This is literally a matter of national security – another mistake by TEPCO could have incredibly costly, even fatal, consequences for Japan.
Like Pulling Cigarettes Out of a Crumpled Pack
Fuel rod expert Arnie Gundersen – a nuclear engineer and former senior manager of a nuclear power company which manufactured nuclear fuel rods – recently explained the biggest problem with the fuel rods (at 15:45):
I think they're belittling the complexity of the task. If you think of a nuclear fuel rack as a pack of cigarettes, if you pull a cigarette straight up it will come out — but these racks have been distorted. Now when they go to pull the cigarette straight out, it's going to likely break and release radioactive cesium and other gases, xenon and krypton, into the air. I suspect come November, December, January we're going to hear that the building's been evacuated, they've broke a fuel rod, the fuel rod is off-gassing.
I suspect we'll have more airborne releases as they try to pull the fuel out. If they pull too hard, they'll snap the fuel. I think the racks have been distorted, the fuel has overheated — the pool boiled – and the net effect is that it's likely some of the fuel will be stuck in there for a long, long time.
In another interview, Gundersen provides additional details (at 31:00):
The racks are distorted from the earthquake — oh, by the way, the roof has fallen in, which further distorted the racks.
The net effect is they've got the bundles of fuel, the cigarettes in these racks, and as they pull them out, they're likely to snap a few. When you snap a nuclear fuel rod, that releases radioactivity again, so my guess is, it's things like krypton-85, which is a gas, cesium will also be released, strontium will be released. They'll probably have to evacuate the building for a couple of days. They'll take that radioactive gas and they'll send it up the stack, up into the air, because xenon can't be scrubbed, it can't be cleaned, so they'll send that radioactive xenon up into the air and purge the building of all the radioactive gases and then go back in and try again.
It's likely that that problem will exist on more than one bundle. So over the next year or two, it wouldn't surprise me that either they don't remove all the fuel because they don't want to pull too hard, or if they do pull to hard, they're likely to damage the fuel and cause a radiation leak inside the building. So that's problem #2 in this process, getting the fuel out of Unit 4 is a top priority I have, but it's not going to be easy. Tokyo Electric is portraying this as easy. In a normal nuclear reactor, all of this is done with computers. Everything gets pulled perfectly vertically. Well nothing is vertical anymore, the fuel racks are distorted, it's all going to have to be done manually. The net effect is it's a really difficult job. It wouldn't surprise me if they snapped some of the fuel and they can't remove it.
And Chris Harris – a, former licensed Senior Reactor Operator and engineer – notes that it doesn't help that a lot of the rods are in very fragile condition:
Although there are a lot of spent fuel assemblies in there which could achieve criticality — there are also 200 new fuel assemblies which have equivalent to a full tank of gas, let's call it that. Those are the ones most likely to go critical first.
Some pictures that were released recently show that a lot of fuel is damaged, so when they go ahead and put the grapple on it, and they pull it up, it's going to fall apart. The boreflex has been eaten away; it doesn't take saltwater very good.
Like Letting a Murderer Perform Brain Surgery On a VIP
What's the bottom line?
Tepco has an abysmal track record:
- Engineers warned Tepco and the Japanese government many years before the accident that the reactors were seismically unsafe … and that an earthquake could wipe them out
- The Fukushima reactors were fatally damaged before the tsunami hit … the earthquake took them out even before the tidal wave hit
- An official Japanese government investigation concluded that the Fukushima accident was a "man-made" disaster, caused by "collusion" between government and Tepco and bad reactor design
- Tepco knew right after the 2011 accident that 3 nuclear reactors had lost containment, that the nuclear fuel had "gone missing", and that there was in fact no real containment at all. Tepco has desperately been trying to cover this up for 2 and a half years … instead pretending that the reactors were in "cold shutdown"
- Tepco just admitted that it's known for 2 years that massive amounts of radioactive water are leaking into the groundwater and Pacific Ocean
- Tepco – with no financial incentive to actually fix things – has only been pretending to clean it up. Andsee this
- Tepco's recent attempts to solidify the ground under the reactors using chemicals has backfired horribly. And NBC News notes: "[Tepco] is considering freezing the ground around the plant. Essentially building a mile-long ice wall underground, something that's never been tried before to keep the water out. One scientist I spoke to dismissed this idea as grasping at straws, just more evidence that the power company failed to anticipate this problem … and now cannot solve it."
Letting Tepco remove the fuel rods is like letting a convicted murderer perform delicate brain surgery on a VIP.
Top scientists and government officials say that Tepco should be removed from all efforts to stabilize Fukushima. An international team of the smartest engineers and scientists should handle this difficult "surgery".
The stakes are high …


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MPEG LA, the firm that controls licensing for a number of video and other standards, announced on Thursday that it will never charge any royalties for Internet video encoded using the H.264 standard that Apple favors, as long as that video is free to end-users.
This is great news, even if it's wrapped in some technical language. When you watch video on your Mac (or your iPhone, iPad, or any other device), it's been encoded using one of many standards. Just as with popular audio formats like MP3 and AAC, video formats aim to find the sweet spot between video quality and file size—they want to get as high as they can on the former, and as low as they can on the latter.
Much of the video on the Web these days is presented via Adobe's Flash technology—for example, YouTube's standard, ubiquitous video player. As most iOS users know, Flash video doesn't work with iPhones and iPads. And even on your Mac, watching Flash video requires use of Adobe's Flash plug-in, which many Mac users (including famous ones) find a bit buggy.
As Apple has pointed out, many popular Websites have made the move to support HTML5 video alongside or, in some cases, instead of Flash. HTML5 is the latest and greatest version of the Web's core markup language. The new HTML5 standard makes it possible for Websites to embed video that your computer can play without requiring a third-party plugin (like Flash).
Representatives from browser makers like Apple, Mozilla, and Firefox were involved in the Working Group that advised editor Ian Hickson as he worked on the HTML5 "spec"—the document that governs what is and isn't valid HTML5. (You don't want to know too much about the process of creating these specs; I imagine it's worse than a trip to the sausage factory.) The unfortunate takeaway was this: the big browser developers couldn't agree on which video format the new tag in HTML5 should use: some sided with H.264, others with a format called Ogg Theora.
As Hickson summarized the situation in an e-mail to the Web-standards body WHATWG, Apple refused to implement Ogg Theora in QuickTime—which Safari uses to decode video—"citing lack of hardware support and an uncertain patent landscape." Mozilla and Opera both refused to implement H.264, expressing concerns about its licensing requirements. Google implemented both H.264 decoding (which Apple and QuickTime do support) and Ogg Theora in Chrome, but expressed concern about the quality-per-bit of Ogg Theora video.
Without getting too detailed about all these licensing and patent objections, the gist is simply that video standards are often patented, and the use of those standards requires a license. The MPEG LA group, which owns the H.264 video codec, had declared that it wouldn't charge any royalty fees until 2016, but Mozilla and Opera were worried about what those future costs might be. Should H.264 video become a de facto Web standard in the meantime, the MPEG LA group would be in a position to charge a healthy fee for browser developers to keep using the format.
While Mozilla and others believed that the Ogg Theora format wasn't encumbered by such patents (and potential licensing fees), Apple and Steve Jobs remained unconvinced. Microsoft later announced that Internet Explorer 9 would support H.264 video, and not Ogg Theora.
Thus, Hickson wrote, "I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that there is no suitable codec that all vendors are willing to implement and ship."
That unfortunate sequence of events meant that providers of Web video—and, to a certain extent, their consumers—got the short end of the stick. For full HTML5 video support, media providers now must encode their videos in multiple formats to make all browsers and platforms happy—that's time- and resource-consuming for content producers.
Earlier this year, Google acquired On2, the company that initially developed what later became the Ogg Theora format. Back in May, Google made On2's new format, called VP8, royalty-free to use. That would be a third possible HTML5 video format. Chrome, Firefox, and Opera offer varying levels of support for the VP8; Microsoft announced tentative plans to do so by the time Internet Explorer 9 ships, but Apple was silent on the subject.
All that background brings us back to Thursday's announcement by MPEG LA that it will never charge any royalties for Internet video encoded using the H.264 standard, when the video is free to consumers. That December 31, 2015 expiration date for royalty-free use of H.264 is now history, and anyone can decode Internet video encoded in the format freely, in perpetuity.
There's plenty of reason to rejoice at that, not least because oodles of HTML5 Web video is already using H.264. YouTube uses it in its HTML5 player, and any YouTube video you watch on your iPad or iPhone is encoded in the format. The same is true of Vimeo's HTML5 player, and CNN's, and ESPN's, and Major League Baseball's, and so on. And, of course, if Thursday's announcement means that the Web will soon get even more H.264 HTML5 video, that's more video you can consume with your iPhone and iPad, or other Flash-free mobile devices (which, at present, is many of them).
One hopes that with MPEG LA's announcement, Mozilla and Opera will now feel comfortable supporting the H.264 codec, and HTML5 Web video can standardize on the format. That would mean that it would become easier and cheaper for publishers to create cross-platform, cross-browser HTML5 video; further reduce the Web's reliance on proprietary Flash video; and make Flash-free mobile and desktop video-watching easier for browser makers, publishers, and consumers alike. Of course, folks like Ian Hickson would probably suggest that you never make assumptions about how browser makers will act.
But should Mozilla and Opera offer H.264 decoding in future versions of their browsers, the Web will finally have a universally-accepted, royalty-free, high-quality video codec for use everywhere.


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Discount vitamins online ordering can be easy, efficient and cost-effective. However, there are certain precautions to take. In fact, whether you order discount vitamins online or buy in a store, cheaper is likely not better! Here are some considerations when buying discount vitamins on the internet:
Does the online store value your privacy and confidentiality? Is their privacy policy available to read if you'd like to see it? Be sure your email address wont be sold and they will maintain your personal details in the strictest privacy.
How long have they been in business? You may feel more comfortable with an online store that has been in business for some years.
Does the discount vitamins online store have a way to contact them? Legitimate companies will make it easy to contact them in several ways.
What if youre unhappy with your purchase — do they have a refund policy? A refund policy of at least 30 days is great and even longer is better. If theres no refund policy, stay away.
As for the products, keep in mind that vitamin manufacturers are not regulated. Since buying discount vitamins online is about your health, pay attention to finding the best value, not just the cheapest price. Buying discount vitamins online presents many possibilities, but in general, you'll get what you pay for.
Discount vitamins are a poor value when they consist of cheaper, lower quality ingredients and will not include other beneficial nutrients known to provide major health benefits. These kinds of discount vitamins tend to use high quantities of cheaper ingredients, which can even lead to an unhealthy imbalance of nutrients. In the case of nutrients, more is not always better. And the cheapest part of nutritional supplements are the vitamin and minerals.
When buying discount vitamins online, try to feel comfortable with answers to these questions:
1. Is the price low because cheap, inferior ingredients are used? There can be huge differences in the quality and costs of individual ingredients. Since your health is the issue, priority should be given to quality since the final product is only as good as the raw ingredients used. For example, most beta carotene used in supplements is synthetic and contains only about 3% beta carotene that costs about $60 per kg. However, a much more effective higher potency 98% natural beta carotene costs about $2,800 per kg. The more effective natural form of Vitamin E d-alpha tocopheryl succinate costs more than the synthetic version called dl-alpha tocopheryl.
2. Does the manufacturer conform to pharmaceutical standards in their manufacturing processes? Very few manufacturers do so. High-volume discount manufacturers can cut costs by shortening the mixing time and by mixing at higher speeds. This can mean that the product must be tableted harder, which can result in a vitamin that will be more difficult to dissolve and may pass right through your system unused.


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When Dale Price found out his son's school bus route would be passing their house last school year, he did the only logical thing: put on a costume and wave at the bus as it passed. Of course. He repeated this for 170 school days, never reusing a costume.
Other kids started to take note. "Most of them like it, and we roll down our windows and wave. It's fun," Rain said.
His dad admits it took a lot of effort to keep it up, but said it was "a way of letting him know that we really care about him, but do something a little different." He described it as "a father's way" of saying I love you. […]
Interesting, "or embarrassing," according to Rain. He doesn't plan on thanking his dad at all. "I'm not going to reward him for this; his reward is seeing my embarrassment," Rain said. [DeseretNews via FashionablyGeek]
Dale managed to put all the costumes together using things they already had, loaner costumes from friends and relatives, and less than $50 total on extra items. The family also posted a disclaimer on their site this weekend in response to all the internet killjoys who were whining about costumes being politically incorrect or whatever else the stick lodged in them was telling them to kvetch about. Unfortunately for us (fortunately for Rain?), Dale says he plans to sleep in every morning next school year.
After the jump are some of our favorites (in chronological order) out of the 170 costumes at Wave At The Bus as well as a video compilation of all of them. Great work. We should all chip in and buy this guy a new sandal.
Click to enlarge.
Click to enlarge.
Click to enlarge.
Click to enlarge.


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Use Mac mini with iCloud and Continuity
With iCloud, you can keep your information up to date on all your devices and collaborate with friends and family. Your Mac mini works seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch when you use iCloud and sign in to each of them with the same Apple ID. You can transfer files, share and edit documents, unlock your Mac mini with your Apple Watch, handoff tasks between devices, turn your iPhone or iPad into an internet hotspot, and more.
If you didn't turn on iCloud when you first set up your Mac, open System Settings, click "Sign in with your Apple ID" in the sidebar, then sign in with your Apple ID, or create a new Apple ID if you don't have one. After you are signed in, click iCloud, then turn iCloud features on or off. To learn more, see Set up iCloud features on Mac in the macOS User Guide.
Access your content across devices. With iCloud, you can securely store, edit, and share your documents, photos, and videos across devices to make sure you're always up to date. To get started, see Access your iCloud content on your Mac mini.
Use your Mac mini with other devices. Seamlessly move content between your Mac mini and other devices using Continuity. Just sign in on each device with your Apple ID, and whenever your Mac mini and devices are near each other, they work together in convenient ways. You can start a task—like a FaceTime call—on one device and finish it on another (see Use Handoff on your Mac), use your iPhone as a webcam for your Mac mini (see Continuity Camera on your Mac), copy and paste between devices (see Use Universal Clipboard on your Mac), answer calls or send texts from your Mac mini (see Phone calls and text messages on your Mac), and more.
For a list of system requirements for devices that support Continuity, see the Apple Support article System requirements for Continuity on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. To learn more about using Continuity with your Mac mini, see the Apple Support article Use Continuity to connect your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch or visit All your devices.


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Those of you who read this blog know that a couple of days ago I mentioned that THE GIVER movie would likely be further delayed because the director wanted to do the final Harry Potter movie first.
I had no inkling what a tsunami that would bring on. I have now been alerted that my small bit of non-news is appearing everywhere and as it takes on momentum it also takes on a life of its own bearing no relation to fact. LOWRY SAYS HER FILM HAS BEEN SCREWED BY YATES is a headline someplace. Harry Potter websites have created lengthy postings about it; hundreds of emails have come to me from strangers; I am about ready to change my name and go live in the outback someplace.
I have sent an apology to the film producer, who was extremely gracious....more than I deserved...in her reply.
I think we tend to forget how quickly the internet snaps and gobbles when prey is offered. I should have recalled a time some years back, when the author Susan Cooper, who had lived in my neighborhood for years, married Hume Cronyn and moved away. Shortly thereafter, in describing where I live (Cambridge, MA) to an audience in Charlottesville, Virginia, I mentioned that many writers live in my Cambridge neighborhood. I began to list a few: Robert Parker, Kathryn Lasky, Susan Cooper...then caught myself, and said, No, sorry, I forgot; Susan's gone now.
The next day the word went out...on the internet...that Lois Lowry had announced the death of Susan Cooper.
Of course I wrote Susan a note of apology and she, like the film producer, was also very gracious.
But jeez! Wouldn't you think I'd have learned by now?!
To me, this blog is like a conversation with a few friends. It always has been. I just schmooze about writing, about my dog and my grandchildren, and often people...strangers, but they feel like pals...send comments and it is all cozy, as if we were sipping tea together.
But today it doesn't feel that way. And today I am abjectly apologizing to everyone in the film industry who has been skewered by increasing misrepresentation of what I thought was a minor, fleeting, ad unimportant bit of news from this snowy farm in Maine.