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vi. To Protestant Christianity in Persia
The conversion of Armenians, Assyrians, Jews, Muslims, and Zoroastrians in Persia to Protestantism as the result of missionary activity by foreign societies and national churches is discussed here (for conversion in a broader sense, see Horner, 1981; Lofland and Skonovd; Rambo; Tippett). It began with the arrival in Persia of European and American missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries (see christianity viii). In 1160/1747 a Moravian mission from Saxony visited Persia with the intention of converting Zoroastrians but was forced to withdraw because of political disturbances (Bliss et al., p. 502; Waterfield, pp. 88-89). In 1236-55/1821-39 Swiss missionaries from Basel were stationed in Šūšī (Šūšā) in Qarābāḡ; the best known of them was Reverend K. G. Pfander (1803-65), who visited Persia in 1246/1831 and wrote Mīzān al-ḥaqq and other polemical essays much used by later missionaries among Muslims (Bliss et al., pp. 71, 581-82, 584-85).
In 1242/1827 Dr. Joseph Wolff (1795-1862), a Jew from Bavaria, converted to Christianity in England, visited the Nestorian (Assyrian) Christians in Azerbaijan and wrote a report that piqued the interest of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (A.B.C.F.M.), an organization at that time affiliated with the Congregational Church and several Reformed and Presbyterian denominations (Bliss et al., pp. 27, 582, 787-88). As a result Eli Smith (1801-57) and H. G. O. Dwight (1803-62) made an exploratory visit, which in turn led to the posting of Reverend Justin Perkins (1805-69) and Dr. Asahel Grant, a physician (1807-44), with their wives to Urmia in 1249/1834 and 1250/1835 respectively (Bliss et al., pp. 274, 579). In 1249/1834 Reverend Frederic Haas of the Basel mission and Reverend J. L. Merrick of A.B.C.F.M. had traveled through Persia and Central Asia to explore the possibilities of working among Muslims. Because of Islamic opposition in Isfahan, however, the idea was abandoned (Bliss et al., p. 582).
In southern Persia British missionaries had been at work since the early 19th century. In 1227/1812 Henry Martyn (1781-1812), a chaplain of the East India Company, completed, with the help of Mīrzā Sayyed ʿAlī Khan of Shiraz, a Persian translation of the New Testament; it was intended as a tool for evangelization among Muslims (Bliss et al., pp. 438-39). In 1254/1838 Reverend William Glen, a Scottish missionary who had spent some years in Astrakhan working on a Persian translation of the Hebrew Bible, visited Tabrīz and Tehran to enlist the aid of local scholars in revising his text. This translation was later combined with the Persian New Testament by Martyn and Mīrzā Sayyed ʿAlī Khan to make a complete Bible for Persian readers (see bible vii). In 1285/1869 an Anglican missionary, Robert Bruce (1833-1915), settled in Isfahan (Bliss et al., p. 168). By 1330/1912 there was an Anglican diocese in Persia with the Englishman Reverend C. H. Stileman as bishop (Barrett, p. 389; Waterfield, p. 162). In 1340 Š./1961 Ḥasan Dehqānī Taftī was consecrated the first Persian bishop of Kelīsā-ye osqofī-e Īrān (Episcopal church of Iran).
Although most missionary groups in Persia carried out charitable activities, particularly in education and health care, the primary purpose of the Protestant groups was conversion. Two Protestant denominations, the American Presbyterians and the British Anglicans, have had the longest history of involvement and the most extensive institutional presence in Persia. The Division of Foreign Missions of the Assemblies of God, though a relative latecomer in 1344 Š./1965, was also quite successful in establishing the Assemblies of the Church of Iran (Wilson, p. 172). A supporting role in evangelization was played by the American Bible Society, which distributed bibles through Presbyterian missions (Bliss et al., p. 25), and the British and Foreign Bible Society, which in 1319/1901 maintained in Būšehr an office for distributing bibles (Bliss et al., p. 110).
After abortive efforts by American and Swedish Lutherans to aid the Nestorian missions (Richter, pp. 314-15), in 1328/1910 the American Lutheran churches were granted missionary responsibility for Kurdistan by the Edinburgh World Missionary Conference. The following year missionaries of the intersynodal Lutheran Orient Mission arrived in Sāwj-Bolāḡ (Māhābād). Although they were forced to leave during World War I, in 1317 Š./1938 they reestablished their mission in Arbīl in Iraqi Kurdistan (Bodensieck, I, pp. 114-15; Goddard et al., pp. 385-86, 633).
Most of the other groups that worked in Persia were either small or stayed only a short time or both. Among earlier missionary establishments were the Brethren Church Foreign Missionary Society (Goddard et al., p. 95), the German Christoffel-Blindenmission im Orient (established in Tabrīz and Isfahan in 1304 Š./1925; Goddard et al., p. 159), B. W. Stead's medical dispensary in Kermānšāh (founded in 1323/1905) and an orphanage and industrial farm school at nearby Faramān established by Dr. Stead and her husband in about 1920 (Waterfield, pp. 139-40), and the Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society (established in Zāhedān in 1304 Š./1925; Waterfield, pp. 175-76; Goddard et al., p. 48). During the later Pahlavi period a wide range of evangelical and missionary organizations were working in Persia. They included the American Messianic Fellowship, 1356 Š./1977; the Armenian Missionary Association of America (Goddard et al., p. 41); the Baptist Bible Fellowship International, 1345 Š./1966; the Campus Crusade for Christ (1346 Š./1967; Wilson, p. 203); the Child Evangelism Fellowship, Inc., 1353 Š./1974; Christian Echoes National Ministry (Wilson, p. 224); Christian Missionary Alliance, 1314 Š./1935; Deutsche Orient Mission (Dennis et al., p. 92); Go-Ye Fellowship; Operation Mobilization Send the Light (1343 Š./1964); the Southern Baptist Convention Foreign Mission Board, 1347 Š./1968; and the World-Wide Evangelization Crusade, 1342 Š./1963 (Barrett, p. 390; cf. Wilson, pp. 613-14).
From the beginning of Protestant missionary work in Persia the three main avenues to winning converts were preaching and teaching the faith, medical services, and education at all levels. The first involved distribution of the Bible or portions of the scriptures and Christian literature; radio broadcasts with accompanying correspondence courses; and summer conferences, along with regular worship services, personal evangelism, and revival meetings. Medical services, particularly hospitals and clinics, including those conducted by itinerant evangelists, were humanitarian measures that also generated good will and encouraged conversions. Eventually, however, the high cost of maintaining such services and the development of government and private health facilities led to abandonment of medicine as an adjunct to mission work; the last Presbyterian hospitals to close were those in Mašhad and Tabrīz. Modern education was also first introduced into Persia by missionaries from the West. In particular, two missionary institutions, Alborz College in Tehran, founded by Presbyterians, and Stuart Memorial College in Isfahan, founded by Anglicans, were effective channels for influencing belief and practice. With the growth of nationalism under Reżā Shah (1302-20/1925-41), however, Western educational institutions were taken over by the Persian government or by national churches or were closed (Elder, p. 71; Waterfield, pp. 169ff.). Other missionary activities, particularly those connected with relief and rehabilitation, as well as international Christian efforts of the same kind, were not explicitly aimed at conversion but did enhance the climate for evangelism.
Opposition was, however, strong and consistent in those communities among whom evangelists were active. Furthermore, Assyrian and Armenian Protestants resisted receiving converts from Islam into their congregations; as their services were conducted in Assyrian and Armenian, it would have been difficult for such converts, who spoke Persian or Turkish, to participate in any case. Among Muslims themselves there were strong theological objections to what was viewed as defection from the one true faith (see, e.g., Elder, pp. 47-49).
Conversion among Assyrians. The original purpose of the A.B.C.F.M. mission in Urmia was to revive the ancient Nestorian church, so that it might once again become an agent of evangelization in Asia and particularly among Muslims in Persia (Bliss et al., p. 222; Waterfield, pp. 102-03). Between 1251/1835 and 1287/1870, when the mission was transferred to the Presbyterian church, about fifty missionaries were active. They preached, opened schools, installed a printing press for the production of literature in modern Syriac, engaged in medical work, and trained indigenous Christian leaders (Bliss et al., pp. 31, 582, 720). The hope that these Christians might carry on evangelical work among their former brethren and among other religious groups in Persia was disappointed, however. Initial support from the patriarch and his followers turned to opposition (Waterfield, pp. 104-10), and a group of Presbyterians broke away and formed the Evangelical church in 1271/1855. In 1278/1862 Deacon Isaac (brother of the incumbent Nestorian patriarch), along with three bishops and a large number of priests, deacons, and maleks joined the Evangelical community (International Missionary Council, pp. 61-62).
The work of the Urmia mission continued after the Presbyterian church took over, despite Nestorian opposition, competition from Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox missionaries, and the arrival of the archbishop of Canterbury's mission to the Assyrians (Waterfield, pp. 124-32). At its zenith this group numbered more than 2,000 (cf. Richter, pp. 298-304). On the eve of World War I the Presbyterian church in Azerbaijan encompassed a synod with four presbyteries, but in the subsequent Ottoman invasion of the province the Assyrian community suffered severely (Waterfield, pp. 140-41). Some Assyrians later returned to Urmia; many, however, remained scattered among the larger cities and towns of northern Persia, in each of which a Syriac-speaking Protestant community was formed. In 1312-13 Š./1933-34 they joined with other communities of Protestant converts (including Armenians and Jews, as well as former Muslims and Zoroastrians) to form Kelīsā-ye enjīlī-e Īrān (Evangelical church of Iran).
Conversion among Armenians. In the 19th century the Armenian population of Persia was concentrated in Azerbaijan, Isfahan, Hamadān, and Tehran; it was larger than the Assyrian community, but it included fewer Protestant converts (Horner, 1974, p. 66). In Azerbaijan individual Armenians did convert, but Protestant missionaries originally devoted little attention to the community as a whole, regarding the converts primarily as instruments of evangelization among Muslims. Nevertheless, when conversion of Muslims proved too difficult the Armenian community did become the object of evangelism, particularly in northern Persia (Richter, 319-20, 327). Despite strong opposition from the Armenian apostolic hierarchy (Richter, pp. 319-20), by the end of the 19th century there were six organized congregations, the fruits of a program of schools for Armenian children. In 1285-86/1869 the Church Missionary Society of London sent Reverend Bruce (1833-1912) to Isfahan, where he provided aid to the victims of famine and earned the good will of all religious communities (Richter, p. 329; Waterfield, pp. 147-49). Armenians were the first to be converted, but because the Armenian clergy objected the society shifted its focus to Jews, Muslims, and Zoroastrians and encouraged Armenians to remain within the apostolic church (Waterfield, p. 165). At its peak the Armenian Protestant community numbered fewer than a thousand people.
Conversion among Muslims. The third largest (Horner, 1974, p. 66) group of converts consisted of former Muslims; at one point immediately after World War II they numbered in the hundreds. One very early convert to Protestantism was the Russian orientalist Mīrzā Aleksandr Kāẓem Beg (1802-70), the son of a qāżī in Darband. As a young man he had been converted to Christianity by Scottish missionaries in Astrakhan (Waterfield, pp. 99-100).
Conversion among Jews. In 1260/1844 two missionaries of the London Society for the Propagation of Christianity among the Jews toured Persia from their base in Baghdad, distributing Christian literature among the Jews. At about the same time Presbyterian missionaries in Hamadān began work among Jews, which resulted in a small community of Jewish converts, most of whom later moved to Tehran or emigrated to the West (see iv, above; Waterfield, pp. 112-23; 576; Behraveš, pp. 109-13). The Jewish converts, though few in number, played an important role as leaders of both the Evangelical church of Iran and the Episcopal church of Iran (Waterfield, pp. 121-23).
Conversions among Zoroastrians. Zoroastrians were a small community in Persia and thus received limited attention from missionaries. Only a very few were converted to Protestant Christianity (Barrett, p. 390).
The national churches. In 1317 Š./1938 the Evangelical church of Iran reported thirty-two organized congregations and 2,560 members (Assyrians, Armenians, Jews, and former Muslims and Zoroastrians). At the same time, the Episcopal church of Iran had about 1,200 members, mostly converts from Islam, with a considerable minority of Jews and Armenians (International Missionary Council. pp. 60-66). According to a report in 1950, the Evangelical church in Tehran, then the largest convert church in the Middle East, boasted 815 members, of whom 285 were Assyrians, 260 Armenians, 160 former Muslims, 100 Jews, and 10 former Zoroastrians (Wysham). By 1970 some 14,000 of the quarter-million Christians in Persia were Protestant. The Armenian and Assyrian branches of the Assemblies of God included 450 and 1,700 adult members respectively. The Episcopal church of Iran had 700 adult members, the Evangelical church of Iran 3,000, of whom 55 percent were Assyrian and 21 percent Armenian (Barrett, pp. 388, 390).
It is difficult to identify and assess the causes of religious conversion, though in many instances converts have attested in both their writings and their lives the genuineness of their beliefs; one noteworthy example is the Kurdish doctor Saʿīd Khan, who was converted to Presbyterian Christianity (ca. 1321 Š./1942; Rasooli). In times of political instability, economic despair, or communal misery any source of hope has an appeal. During most of the 19th and 20th centuries Persia suffered under imperialist domination, with all its painful accompaniments. For some Persians Protestant missions from the powerful and affluent West offered escape and a means of emancipation. Furthermore, in Persia, as elsewhere, ethnic and religious minorities have experienced discrimination and deprivation in the course of their history. That some of them have sought the protection and help of more powerful and wealthier communities, like those represented by Western missions, is understandable.
There is no systematic or detailed record of what happened to Persian converts to Protestant Christianity. It seems clear from an examination of missionary literature, however, that some did return to their original religious identifications, owing to family or community pressure, difficulty in securing employment or economic advancement, scarcity of suitable spouses, lack of emotional support in the new community, and so on. Others abandoned all traditional religious ties. Most, however, remained and raised their children within their new communities. Some studied for the ministry or joined church or mission staffs. Others obtained higher education and became successful professionals or entrepreneurs in Persia or abroad, where they often established congregations.
World War II and the immediately following years brought both hardship to the Persian people and opportunity to the missionaries. Political upheaval, economic distress, and social change created an atmosphere favorable to conversion. In the decade preceding the Revolution of 1357 Š./1979, however, Persia experienced unprecedented economic growth, and, despite the large number of Protestant missions at work in the country, conversion was comparatively infrequent (Barrett, p. 388, 390). With the advent of the Islamic Republic the Protestant missionary societies withdrew their personnel from Persia. Three Persian Protestant churches remained: the Evangelical Church of Iran, the Episcopal Church of Iran, and the Assemblies of God. Although internal migration and emigration to the West have strained religious ties, these churches have not only continued but even increased their outreach ministry, and the number of people seeking membership has increased dramatically, according to reports from Presbyterian and Assembly of God congregations in Tehran and from Persian-speaking Protestant groups abroad. Some Persian Muslims may also be making a political statement by seeking to affiliate with Christian groups. The descendants of earlier converts are also still to be found among groups of Persian Protestants in Europe and North America (Richter, pp. 306-07).
All-Persia Intermission Conference 1926, Mission Problems in New Persia, Beirut, 1926.
C. H. Allen, E. E. Grice, and K. E. Nolin, Converts from Islam to Christianity (mimeographed), n.p., 1963.
American Sunday School Union, Nestorians of Persia, Philadelphia, 1848.
R. Anderson, History of the Missions of the ABCFM to the Oriental Churches, 2 vols., Boston, 1872.
C. W. Andrews, Historic Notes of Protestant Missions to the Oriental Churches, Richmond, Va., 1866.
A. J. Arberry, ed., Religion in the Middle East, 2 vols., Cambridge, 1969.
J . S. Badeau, "The Role of the Missionary in the Near East," International Review of Missions, October 1954, pp. 397-403.
D. B. Barrett, ed., World Christian Encyclopedia, Oxford, 1982.
J. Bassett, Persia. Eastern Mission, Philadelphia, 1890.
H. P. Beach, A Geography and Atlas of Protestant Missions I, New York, 1901.
Z. Behraveš, Tārīḵ-e Kelīsā-ye Masīḥ dar Īrān/History of the Church of Christ in Iran, San Diego, Calif., n.d. [1988].
E. M. Bliss et al., eds., Encyclopedia of Missions, 2nd ed., New York, 1910.
Board of Foreign Missions, Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., A Century of Mission Work in Iran (Persia), 1834-1934, Beirut, 1936.
J. Bodensieck, ed., The Encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, 1965.
A. Brown, One Hundred Years, New York, 1936.
A. Bugnini, Église en Iran (mimeographed), Tehran, 1979.
J. F. Coakley, The Archbishop of Canterbury's Assyrian Mission, London, 1985.
F. G. Coan, Yesterdays in Persia and Kurdistan, Claremont, Calif., 1939.
H. B. Dehqani-Tafti, Design of My World, New York, 1959.
Idem, Maṣīḥī wa maṣīḥīyat nazd-e Īrānīān I. Naẓar-ī ejmālī dar tārīḵ, London, 1992.
J. S. Dennis, H. P. Beach, and C. H. Fahs, eds., World Atlas of Christian Missions, New York, 1911.
Ecumenical Missionary Conference, Report of the Ecumenical Conference of Foreign Missions, 2 vols., New York, 1900.
J. Elder, History of the American Presbyterian Mission to Iran, Tehran, n.d. [1962].
D. T. Fiske, The Cross and the Crown. Life of Fidelia Fiske, Boston, 1868.
B. L. Goddard et al., eds., The Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Missions, Camden, N.J., 1967.
J. M. Greene, Historical Sketch of the Mission in Persia, Philadelphia, 1881.
N. A. Horner, Discovering Christianity Where It Began. A Survey of Contemporary Churches in the Middle East and Ethiopia, Beirut, 1974.
Idem, "The Problem of Intra-Christian Proselytism," International Review of Missions, October 1981, pp. 304-13.
Idem, A Guide to Christian Churches in the Middle East, Elkhart, Ind., 1989.
International Missionary Council, The Growing Church, Tambaram Madras Series 2, New York, 1939.
International Review of Mission 72/287, July 1988 (entire issue devoted to "Conversion").
J. Joseph, The Nestorians and Their Muslim Neighbors. A Study of Western Influence on Their Relations, Princeton, N.J., 1961.
T. Laurie, Dr. Grant and the Mountain Nestorians, Boston, 1853.
J. H. Linton, Persian Sketches, London, 1923.
J. Lofland and N. Skonovd, "Conversion Motifs," Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 20, 1981, pp. 373-85.
D. McCurry, ed., The Gospel and Islam. A 1978 Compendium, Monrovia, Calif., 1979.
Mar Aprim, Western Missions and Assyrians, Kerala, 1982.
W. M. Miller, Ten Muslims Meet Christ, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1969.
Missionary Research Library, North American Protestant Foreign Mission Agencies, 5th ed., New York, 1962; 6th ed., New York, 1964.
Idem and Missions Advanced Research and Communication Center (MARC), North American Protestant Ministries Overseas, 9th ed., New York, 1970.
J. I. Parker, ed., Directory of World Missions, New York and London, 1938a.
Idem, ed., Interpretative Statistical Survey of the World Mission of the Christian Church, New York and London, 1938b.
H. M. Perkins, The Life of Justin Perkins D.D., Chicago, 1887.
J. Perkins, Missionary Life in Persia among the Nestorian Christians, Boston, 1861.
L. R. Rambo, "Current Research on Religious Conversion," Religious Studies Review 8, April 1982, pp. 146-59.
J. M. Rasooli, The Life Story of Dr. Sa'eed of Iran. Kurdish Physician to Princes, Peasants, Nobles and Nomads, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1957.
J. A. Richter, History of Protestant Missions in the Near East, London and New York, 1910.
R. E. Speer and R. Carter, Report on India and Persia 1921-1922, New York, 1922.
J. Stewart, Nestorian Missionary Enterprise. The Story of a Church on Fire, Edinburgh, 1928.
D. T. Stoddard, Narrative of the Revival of Religion among the Nestorians of Persia, Boston, 1848.
S. Syrjanen, In Search of Meaning and Identity. Conversion to Christianity in Pakistan's Muslim Culture, Vammala, Finland, 1984.
A. R. Tippett, "Conversion as a Dynamic Process in Christian Mission," Missiology 5, 1977, pp. 203-21.
L. L. Vander Werff, Christian Mission to the Muslims. Anglican and Reformed Approaches in India and the Near East 1800-1938, South Pasadena, Calif., 1977.
R. E. Waterfield, Christians in Persia. Assyrians, Armenians, Roman Catholics and Protestants, London, 1973.
W. A. Wigram, The Assyrians and Their Neighbors, London, 1929.
S. Wilson, ed., Mission Handbook. North American Protestant Ministries Overseas, 12th ed., Monrovia, Calif., 1979.
World Mission Conference 1910, Statistical Atlas of Christian Missions, Report of Commission I, Edinburgh, 1910a.
Idem, Missionary Message in Relation to Non-Christian Religions, Report of Commission IV, Edinburgh, 1910b.
Idem, Mission and Governments, Report of Commission VII, Edinburgh, 1910c.
W. M. Wysham, Evangelizing Moslems in Presbyterian Near East Fields (mimeographed), New York, 1950.
I. M. Yonan, The Beloved Physician of Teheran, Nashville, Tenn., 1934.
Zahrira D'Bahra (Rays of light; 19th-century monthly Syriac paper published in Urmia).
The information reported here is partly derived from personal observations by the author and his colleagues.
(Paul S. Seto)
Originally Published: December 15, 1993
Last Updated: October 28, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. V, Fasc. 3, pp. 238-241
Paul S. Seto, "CONVERSION vi. To Protestant Christianity in Persia," Encyclopaedia Iranica, V/3, pp. 238-241, available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/conversion-vi (accessed on 30 December 2012).


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SoundCloud has stepped up its game another notch. The audio sharing platform has clearly realized that there's a need within producers to have a way to master their music. As a result, they've partnered with Dolby to carve out a new mastering feature with four different options. These alternatives are driven by different tonal outcomes that depend on the creator's taste.
The four modes are:
- Clear Sky: "brighten your mix, manage your dynamics and reign in your low-end"
- Aurora: "for something ethereal, light and wavy"
- Sunroof: "open your mid and high frequencies and bring some life to your transients"
- Thunder: for decibels that make your "car speakers rumble and club systems shake"
Try It Out
Users have the option for a 30-second trial to test out the master they would prefer to utilize. These clips can even be accessed by a non-Pro subscriber for free.
By partnering with Dolby, creators have access to advanced technology that's been perfected through thousands of hours of music analysis and by working with professional engineers to replicate their process.
Once committed, the platform will give an overview of the adjustments made to the existing audio file. There is also a slider that allows the user to decide on the mastering intensity he/she would prefer. A price tag of $4.99 is attached to avail the mastering per track. SoundCloud Pro Unlimited users have the benefit to get 3 free tracks per month, with an attached cost of $3.99 afterwards. Find out more here.
Big Moves For Soundcloud
A series of livestreams have been planned to celebrate the arrival of SoundCloud Mastering. This will involve artists mastering their "forgotten gems, b-sides and demos". Head over to SoundCloud's Twitch channel to witness the first of these on July 14th with rapper Kota the Friend.
The platform's AI Mastering concept is definitely a sustainable and affordable alternative for the average musician or someone starting out. However, it still stands that mastering is a dedicated and complex skill that, at the end of the day, requires years of meticulous focus. This development on a common global platform accessible to all has the potential to start across a fresh new 'man vs machine' debate. This debate will have the results closely monitored by mastering engineers around the globe. Let's wait and watch.

subset: commoncrawl


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34,336 Dojos and growing
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If you are associated with a Martial Arts School, Club or Dojo in Whitesboro, please list it with dojos.info.


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Y The Last Man 57
Originally uploaded by Heidi Meeley
As an adult reader, I have been really happy with the consistently high quality of the Vertigo line of titles. I don't claim to read them all, but there are several that I pick up on a monthly basis. Here is my list:
100 Bullets
American Virgin
Jack of Fables
Y The Last Man
In the past I have picked up Preacher, Invisibles, Sandman, Witchcraft, and several other great titles. For the last decade, this DC imprint has consistently been the source of great enjoyment for me. I think it is partially because the source material is thought provoking and provocative so it appeals to my adult sensibilities. It is a fresh break from the super hero genre to be sure. Many of the books get multiple readings. For example, I have read the Preacher run at least a dozen times, and each time I am struck by the originality of it. When I read the Invisibles, I actually had dreams about it; that is how much it stuck with me.
My favorite title right now is 100 Bullets. I can't stress to you enough how good this book is. Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso are bringing an original vision filled with compelling storylines. I prefer to read the book in trade format simply because there is so much going on and that is how I reccommend it to new readers. Let the story suck you in and see where it takes you. This book is pure excellence.
Y The Last Man has been another winner for me. Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra have a winner on their hands. The concept is a bit insane, but mostly it is genius. An unknown plague wipes out all the men on earth but one- what would the women do? The book goes there without blushing or stuttering. It transports the reader to that planet and takes us along for the journey. This is a book that is almost done (issue 60 is the final one) so trades would work well here also.
Without going into great detail about all the books listed, I just really want to send a big "high five" to the creators involved in making Vertigo one of the best reasons to read comics today. If you are an adult who hasn't read any Vertigo titles, go to your local retailer and pick up a trade to get a taste. You won't regret it.


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Volkswagen is in trouble, with shares dropping over 20 percent after the company admitted to cheating for years on the Environmental Protection Agency's air pollution tests. (Video via Volkswagen USA)
The EPA charged the company with outfitting diesel cars with software that only turned on pollution controls during official tests. (Video via CNBC)
When not being tested, the engines would pollute anywhere between 10 to 40 times the legal limit, according to EPA estimates.
This software was featured in models, such as the Golf, Beetle, Jetta, as well as Audi's A3 line. Sales of all 2015 and 2016 models containing the software have been halted. (Video via Audi USA)
The CEO said in a statement, "I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public."
"Now all of this, of course, hitting just days before the CEO's contract was to be renewed through 2018," Shery Ahn of Bloomberg said.
U.S. officials have said Volkswagen could be hit with fines as high as $37,500 per car, which would total to more than $18 billion.
This video includes an image from Getty Images.


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PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Menlo Security, a global leader in malware isolation, today announced that it has achieved the prestigious ISO 27001 Security Certification, validating that Menlo's security management program is comprehensive and in accordance with internationally recognized standards.
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The Guildford factory is holding an open day on Saturday, 11th May 2019.
The day will be packed with fun for families, historic vehicle enthusiasts and technology buffs.
Claire Barrett, who is one of the event organisers, says: "We intend to roll out the red carpet for our guests. There will be special connecting bus services to and from Woking and Guildford stations, 'build a bus' activities to engage young minds (and adults too), rides around the Slyfield estate on vintage vehicles, some of which will be drawn from our own museum, guided tours of the factory, special attractions and, in general, a fun, festival atmosphere designed to involve all age groups and families."
Make sure to put the date in your diary to not miss your chance of looking behind the scenes at Alexander Dennis!


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Nov 10, 2011
New 'do
I popped the +1 close-up filter on my 50mm and did an arm-length selfie here. To address a comment on my last self-portrait post about how I manage to focus properly: actually, whenever I try these, at least four out of five shots are focused on my nose, hair, mouth, etc. Getting it right on the eyes (especially at f1.2) is just trial and error.
Donning my current choice red: NARS lipstick in Joyous Red. :)
18 comments :
- AnonymousNovember 10, 2011 at 4:46 PM
VAVAVOOOOOOM sassy girl ;)ReplyDelete
Beautiful self-portrait!The make up and hair look amazing!ReplyDelete
so beautiful with the fringe!ReplyDelete
I like it too! :)ReplyDelete
Reminds of me Bjork, or the cover of Norwegian Wood. Have you read his new one yet?
- AnonymousNovember 10, 2011 at 7:27 PM
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that you took this yourself!ReplyDelete
They look incredible on you! I love short bangs and red lipstick. I've been doing that look a lot lately :)ReplyDelete
Japanese make-up your chin is very prettyReplyDelete
so... i am totally on a red lipstick kick right now. i have devoted way too many hours to trying to find the perfect one. i thought about joyous red but heard it had more orange-y tones -- no bueno for my cool-toned skin. :/ReplyDelete
it suits you!ReplyDelete
Sigh. You are so pretty! I love the new fringe. Somehow I missed the announcement, but all the better of a surprise because this shot is amazamazing!ReplyDelete
Beautiful, love your eye make up too!ReplyDelete
gorgeous sp, love th new fringe :)ReplyDelete
Great new cut. Thanks for the tip on focusing. Beautiful shot, the pop of red is lovely. Natural lighting?ReplyDelete
amazing SP. I'd have to shoot 10 images to get one in focus! I love your makeup - beautiful, subtle colors.ReplyDelete
Beautiful shot, I really like your make-up here as well. The red lipstick adds the perfect pop of red.ReplyDelete
Thanks for the tips on focusing!
Beautiful portrait! I have the same focusing problem with selfies.ReplyDelete


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By: Cathy Maxwell
Releasing August 26th, 2014
Avon: Impulse
Fate has brought them together -again.
At one time, Jemma had meant the world to Dane Pendleton, but then she betrayed their young love by marrying another for his title and fortune.
Now Time has turned the tables. Dane is wealthy, respected, knighted and the widowed Jemma has nothing but her pride.
His honor for hers . . .
Dane's name is on the lips of every beauty in London. They whisper he learned "tricks" while he was in the Orient. But has he forgotten Jemma, now Lady Mosby, and what they had once meant to each other? And will he accept her devil's bargain?
In every woman's life, there is that one love who slipped away. The man who makes her wonder "what if?"
But is this a momentary madness or a chance to rekindle a love that could last a lifetime?
Originally appeared in the print anthology THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/07/nightingale-by-cathy-maxwell.html
Copy Received for an honest review
Three StarsNightingale by Cathy Maxwell was an interesting read. The book was definitely a serious and, at times, sad story. It seemed that Dane and Jemma's love story was destined to be one of complications. I had some issues with Dane having to sacrifice so much and giving up so many of his dreams. When Dane and Jemma were young they were in love and hoped for a lifetime of love. Unfortunately, Jemma marries a wealthy and titled man. Dane was neither titled nor wealthy and really just wanted to live a simple life as a vicar with Jemma. After Jemma's choice to marry a wealthy and titled man he changed his plans completely and traveled to India to make himself a wealthy man. Despite the hard ache between them they never stopped asking what if... When they finally have a chance to confront their pasts and their choices some moments are not as romantic and idealistic as they would have liked. Overall, I enjoyed the story and I enjoyed the creativity of the plot. I felt frustration towards both characters at one point in the story but ultimately wanted for them to end up together.
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/07/nightingale-by-cathy-maxwell.html
Buy Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nightingale-Originally-appeared-print-anthology-ebook/dp/B00JTYQIX6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406661266&sr=8-1&keywords=Nightingale+by+cathy+maxwell
Author Info
CATHY MAXWELL spends hours in front of her computer pondering the question, "Why do people fall in love?" It remains for her the great mystery of life and the secret to happiness. She lives in beautiful Virginia with children, horses, dogs, and cats.
Author Links
Website: http://www.cathymaxwell.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maxwellcathy
Excerpt #6
Perhaps he should let Whiting run him through?
The idea had appeal. Dane picked up the glass and drained it of the precious amber liquid.
The footman rapped on the door to signal he had returned with this uninvited guest. Dane pushed both the will and his whiskey glass aside before calling out, "Enter."
The door opened slowly, and the footman, dressed in blue-and-gold livery with a powdered wig on his head, stepped into the room. "Sir Dane, your guest."
He moved back. There was a moment's pause, a space of time, three ticks of the clock, and then the woman walked into the room and Dane stopped breathing.
Before him stood Jemma Carson, the widowed Lady Mosby, looking more beautiful than ever.
Rafflecopter Giveaway (Two Digital Copies of NIGHINGALE)


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Meeting Proposed by the Maoist Communist Party of Italy, Maoist Communist Party of France and with collaboration of supporters of MKP France and with the interventions of the Maoist Movement of Tunisia and Maoist Morrocan Comrades, also all organisations and antimperialist commitees in France and other european countries, and with invitation of organisations and parties of the oppressed countries that have possibility to participate, we are organising a meeting in Paris 15th October.
'From Arab revolts to New Democratic Revolution and the march to socialism and communism'.
It is the first public and open reflection of the Maoist forces on the revolt situations and the task of supporting, particularly support for Maoists in the Arab world, in the context of the general support to all antimperialists forces and peoples in struggle in arab world.
contact for information and participation:
firstname.lastname@example.com Italy
email@example.com France
Democracy and Class Struggle will be Reporting from this important conference
Democracy and Class Struggle will be Reporting from this important conference


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Israeli soldiers will soon have the option of serving in a military dance troupe.
The chief education officer in Israel's armed forces, Brig.-Gen. Eli Shermeister, decided this month to form a dance troupe in which conscripts can spend their mandatory service. The troupe will entertain regular forces much like the military bands that long have been a feature of Israeli life in uniform.
Taking part in the initiative is Ido Tadmor, a renowned Israeli choreographer. Tadmor said the military
wanted to accommodate aspiring dancers for whom getting drafted is a potentially career-killing move.
"Instead of serving in the canteen or the quartermaster's stores, or not enlisting at all, it is preferable and right both for them and for the military for them to contribute of their talent," he told Yediot Achronot on Wednesday.


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Beach days are right around the corner, mamas (fingers crossed)! And we, for one, cannot wait for the sun, popsicles, and beach days! When you have a baby, though, things become a little more complicated. You can't just slather them up with any old sunscreen and head out the door. We are advised not to use sunscreen on babies under 6 months and most toddlers would never make it that easy! That is why I am in love with my Full Body UV Swim Suit by January Baby!
You would think that the market would be flooded with options but its pretty scarce especially when it comes to full body suits, which is a must for babies in order to keep them protected and safe! All January Baby suits have a UPF rating of 50 +, which means the skin is only exposed to 1/50th of the sun's UVA and UVB rays, per The Skin Cancer Foundation. This ensures your little ones will be safe to play in the sun and you will be confident enough to let them.
Some of the great things about this suit is that it covers wrist to ankle but also provides full neck coverage, which is great because my baby, like most has very sensitive skin. The suit is a polyester/spandex blend and comes in a variety of cute bold colors from sizes 6m to 4 years. (In the photos above, Asher is wearing the color navy with an aqua stripe, which I think looks great with his complexion—so flattering)! The suit has an easy to use zip in front, which makes getting a wet squirmy baby in AND out a breeze. The suit does have a lot of room to grow but actually fit snug. Although I currently have to roll up the legs and sleeves quite a bit, it isn't that bothersome since I know he can use it longer.
Overall, we really love our Full Body UV Swim Suit! I actually wish I had one when my first son was born – so those sunny days when we did go out I could have spent a lot less time worrying about him and lot more time enjoying him.
The suit can be purchased online at www.JanuaryBaby.com, Mini Mioche, and Baby on the Hip!
Copyright 2023 Mommy Connections. All Rights Reserved.


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At Warrior Foundation Freedom Station, we're inspired every single day by the military heroes we serve. Meet Mike Spivey, a retired Marine Sergeant turned Paralympian, who shows us what it means to be unstoppable. Mike was among the first warriors to live at Freedom Station I. Today, he is happily married, a proud homeowner, and successful competitive snowboarder. Read our interview with Mike below and learn how you can help him reach his dream of competing in the 2022 Winter Paralympics!
WFFS: You were one of the first residents to move into Freedom Station in 2011, shortly after being injured in Afghanistan. What is your favorite memory about living there?
Mike: Whether it was having barbeques outside or getting together in someone's cottage, we had dinner together almost every night. Many of the residents at the time were from the same unit. We fed off each other's energy and pushed each other to do more – get in the gym, go golfing, get out of the house and enjoy nature. We were also able to talk to each other about the difficult things we'd all just experienced. The more you talk about it, the more you bring it to the surface, so you can process it and deal with it. That camaraderie was so important.
WFFS: You discovered snowboarding during a trip to Colorado and it quickly became a passion of yours. What is it about the sport that you love so much?
Mike: Being on a snowboard feels like freedom. When I'm around big crowds, it's sensory overload. There are so many variables, and you can't control what's happening or what's going to happen. On the mountain, everything else goes away. Even though I'm still aware of the periphery, I know what I can control and fully focus on my task. I also loved having the competition aspect back in my life. Snowboarding is like getting ready for a mission – there are guys right next to you who give you something to strive for – shave off a second here, make a faster turn, have a cleaner run, or reach a certain ranking. Unlike surfing or golfing, which I do to slow down and relax, I love the speed and adrenaline of snowboarding
WFFS: You've just launched a fundraising campaign toward your goal of competing in the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing. What would it mean to you to make it there?
Mike: It would mean everything to me. If I was 20, I would pursue snowboarding for another 20 years, with dreams of making it to the Paralympics five or six times. That is the goal for this sport, and being able to live a life that you love is one everyone hopes to achieve one day. But with me being 39, it would be the pinnacle of my career and represent my retirement as well. All of the hard work and effort I put in for the past 5-6 years has really led up to this moment. It would also be a turning point. I'll be done with competitive snowboarding after this, especially with all the other things I want to accomplish career-wise. I would be shifting gears to work toward supporting the next generation of adaptive athletes.
WFFS: What's next for you? What are your future goals?
Mike: In between race seasons, I've been taking CNC machining classes at a vocational school. My goal is to become a machinist in the automotive industry, working either in San Diego or Colorado. I have my basic certification and will be working on my advanced certification next, which has been slightly delayed due to the pandemic. I hope to complete my robotics certification by 2022. My dream is to operate the robotic arms in manufacturing plants. I'm missing a hand, so I love the idea of working with giant robotic arms!
On the personal side, I'm committed to nurturing the next generation of up-and-coming adaptive athletes and preserving the sport of snowboarding. I'd love to create something similar to Freedom Station up in Colorado for adaptive athletes. The racing season costs about $40,000 a year. Housing will cost you $15,000 if you have a roommate, or $20,000 – $24,000 on your own. If you're a young Paralympian or hopeful, it's really tough to come up with that kind of money. If we could open up a housing residence, we could cut that cost in half. Athletes wouldn't have to rent expensive houses or apartments during peak season.
WFFS: You're an inspiration to many people, having endured a lot of hardship to get to where you are today. What gave you the strength to persevere, even when times were tough? Do you have any advice for people who are chasing their dreams?
Mike: The support of all the friends I've made over the years gave me the strength I needed. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been able to do any of this. There were people who were always there, whom I could always count on. They shared so many nuggets of wisdom and knowledge with me. The programs put in place by nonprofits like Warrior Foundation Freedom Station, and their support, were also important in helping me reach my goals.
Mindset matters. If you look for a problem, you're going to find one. If you look for a solution, you're going to find that too – it just might not be as obvious or easy to see and do. There will always be things that initially hold you back, whether it's money, physical abilities or pure self-doubt. Be stubborn. Don't give up. Remember the reason that you started your dream is to have fun and enjoy life while doing something that you're passionate about.
To donate to Mike's campaign and help him reach the 2022 Winter Paralympics, visit


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Rhizome comes from the Greek rhizoma . Rhizome is often taken as being synonymous with "root"; in botany, a rhizome is a plant structure that grows underground and has both roots (commonly, the part that grows down into the ground) and shoots (commonly, the part that grows up through the ground). The word is associated with postmodern theorists Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, who use the rhizome to describe a process of existence and growth that does not come from a single central point of origin. In A Thousand Plateaus, Deleuze and Guattari name arborescence or the model of the tree as the paradigm for knowledge and practice in the modern Western world; in this model, a small idea—a seed or acorn—takes root and grows into a tree with a sturdy trunk supporting numerous branches, all linked to and traceable back to the original seed. The seed or acorn thus is the beginning point of a coherent organic system that grows vertically and progressively, continually sending out branches that are part of, and identical to, the point of origin. This arborescence, they argue, is the way Western logic and philosophy has worked: in this case, Plato might be the seed and all subsequent philosophies are outgrowths of Platonic thought.
In the postmodern world, however, Deleuze and Guattari argue, the grand narrative of arborescence falls apart. They offer instead the rhizome or fungus, which is an organism of interconnected living fibers that has no central point, no origin, and no particular form or unity or structure. A rhizome does not start from anywhere or end anywhere; it grows from everywhere, and is the same at any point. As such, a rhizome has no center, which makes it difficult to uproot or destroy; you might think of a mold or fungus, which can reproduce from any cell. Postmodern culture resembles this rhizome more than the tree, according to Deleuze and Guattari. An example of this might be the internet, the World Wide Web, which has a rhizomatic structure. It has no point of origin, no central locus, nothing that controls or shapes or organizes it: the web simply grows. You can take out any link or any website (even any web browser) without damaging or changing the internet—it continues to exist without path or pattern.
The rhizome is a-linear, multiple, spread out, all proliferating and without boundaries centres/margins or limits. This is what Deleuze terms a "horizontality" of thought. Rejecting the "Father Principle" or the principle of the otigin.-as-identity, Deleuze and Guattari argue that there is no distinction between the individual and the collective. Traditionally the individual has always been associated with desire and the collective with the law. Deleuze and Guattari instead propose a "social desire." This suggests that desire is always in movement, always constituted by different elements depending upon the situation. This, they suggest, is machine-like rather than a drama (of Oedipal representation). Desire is not lack, which suggests negativity. It is affirmative in its state of movement and change. Thus the "body without organs" (BWO) is constantly in the process of formation, deformation and reformation. The BWO is itself rhizomatic, which loses a point/channel of desire (deterritorialisation) only to start off along a new path like a rhizome's, spread (reterritorialisalion).
Categories: Philosophy


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Established in 1984 as Interac Association, Interac is a Canadian company that facilitates interbank electronic transactions. At the moment, this online payment method is available in Canada only, but there are elaborate plans to expand operations to other regions. Interac boasts over 59,000 ATMs and over 450,000 merchants.
Interac is a popular withdrawal method on many online casinos. Authority sites such as Online Casino Rank recommend this payment solution for several reasons. First, the transaction turnaround is fast. The rates are also affordable. What's more? Interac takes security seriously. It offers safe and secure banking compared to most of the payment methods out there.


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Although women fill almost half of the U.S. jobs in the economy, they fill less than 25 percent of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. This number can be attributed to perceived gender notions, stigma attached to girls wanting to learn "boy" subjects such as science and math or girls deciding to not pursue or ignore their interest in STEM fields if they have one.
Sabina London, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, is getting girls interested in STEM subjects with her organization that offers free summer camps for girls and is slowly expanding to include after-school programs and workshops as well. Since its founding, "STEM You Can!" has over sixty programs located in fifteen states to date.
Lizzy Spangler: How and when did you get the idea for "STEM You Can!"?
Sabina London: My idea to start "STEM You Can!" extends as far back to my sophomore year in high school, when I noticed I was one of only four girls in my honors chemistry class. I was struck by studies that reflect this because many women lack confidence or believe they are incapable of succeeding, they do not enter scientific fields.
I've always liked science, and I have been working in a professional immunology research lab since I was fifteen years old. Often, especially in the beginning, the results I achieved were unexpected and difficult to interpret. I was lucky to be trained by the most amazing mentors, who inspired me to be curious and constantly ask "why" when approaching a scientific problem. Eventually, I found it so fascinating that I wanted other young girls to become as passionate about science as I am.
LS: How hard was it to set up the first "STEM You Can!" camp? How did it go?
SL: Before I ran my first camp in 2013, I spent about a year creating the curriculum, and researching how to make science fun for young girls. In the beginning, it was very difficult to advertise and publicize the program through local middle schools and encourage girls to attend. After seeing how much the girls enjoyed the camp, I had a vision to bring it to as many girls as possible. So for the last four years, I've recruited and provided training seminars for other students to organize free "STEM You Can!" camps in their communities and low-income areas.
The most challenging part of doing this was motivating other students and building their confidence as I trained them to lead their own camps. Today, I am honored to be working with Sam Beard, the president and co-founder of the Jefferson Awards. With the help of the Jefferson Awards Foundation, I am so happy that a single camp I ran in New Jersey has expanded into a national nonprofit network of over sixty free STEM summer camps, workshops and after-school programs in fifteen states.
LS: How has "STEM You Can!" expanded from that first camp?
SL: To date, we have had sixty programs in fifteen states. The majority of our programs are run in low-income communities where families may not be able to afford after-school or summer programs. We have also aligned our curriculum to state standards, and begun training teachers to run these programs in their classrooms.
LS: How does the summer camp run and what kind of things do the girls learn?
SL: Instead of lecturing about different scientific disciplines, I developed a curriculum involving group discussions and hands-on experiments that would demonstrate that what the girls learned had real-life applications. For each day of the summer camp, we cover different topics such as energy and matter, global warming and renewable energy, astronomy, chemistry, engineering and neuroscience.
LS: What's your long-term plan for "STEM You Can!"?
SL: In the next five years, our goal is to impact at least then thousand kids. My dream is to someday see our curriculum in every school across the United States.
LS: In your opinion, why is STEM education so important for girls?
SL: Although women represent half of the U.S. workforce, they make up only 24 percent of STEM careers. As Michelle Obama says, "If we are going to go out-innovate and out-educate the rest of the world, then we have to open doors for everyone." The demand for STEM skills is expected to grow substantially in the next decade. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at the current growth rate, the United States will fall short of at least one million STEM professionals. We need to provide opportunities for absolutely everyone and encourage girls from a young age to be interested in science.
LS: What's your favorite part of "STEM You Can!"?
SL: I always love when the girls come up to me and say, "I wish we could do this in school. This is so cool!" It is an incredible feeling to see their excitement when an experiment works. Four years ago, I would have never imagined that one camp would evolve into an organization in fifteen states. I wouldn't be able to do it without the commitment and motivation of our incredible team of high school and college students.
We now have over a hundred student volunteers who teach in the camps and have committed to over sixteen thousand hours of service. After running the camps, every one of the teen leaders found the experience so rewarding that the following year they not only continued but inspired many of their friends as well. Many of them have also contributed their own ideas to the curriculum. Their passion and dedication has allowed "STEM You Can!" to reach many more kids.


text: > Thinking of stacks, I've often wondered if Haskell would be a good > language for implementing a PostScript interpreter. I actually have the beginning of a PostScript interpreter somwhere... And the core of a Joy interpreter is extremely small. It's pretty much 'foldl compose . map interpretWord'. Of course, I implemented a Joy interpreter in the slightly sugared lambda calculus that lambdabot's @eval module supports so... (Crap, I actually want to find it (the PostScript interpreter) now.)


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text:
If you've ever considered moving to the USVI, or if you know someone that wants to, this book is for you. Desiring Paradise is a true story about two New Englanders who followed their dream. Experience the island from a different perspective – as newcomers trying to survive their first year in Paradise. It's guaranteed to raise your eyebrows.
Desiring Paradise… a true story of succumbing to the dream is an insider's view of moving to the U.S. Virgin Islands, specifically St. John. From the cement mixers that pass as lawn ornaments to the eight-foot high salad fork in the middle of no-where. You'll laugh at the craziness that is St. John while you discover what makes it so special!
The author and her husband are living the dream on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. When not working, they can occasionally be found floating away their free time on one of St. John's many beaches. 253 Pages. Soft cover.
Additional information
|0.2 lbs


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"What famous painting does this remind you of?"
I was sitting in the offices of Spongelab Interactive about a month ago speaking with Jeremy Friedberg, molecular genetics and biotechnology professor, now science education game-guru, and we were discussing the interactive opening image of History of Biology, an expansive mystery game. The image in question, above, contains a large number of portraits. The first I recognized is Charles Darwin in the center. He draws you in and makes you peer at the others. (Click this link to see the image much larger). But despite the deep perspective delineated by the building, I couldn't tell what painting this was inspired from.
Jeremy showed me a number of the original ideas behind this game. In the story, you must find clues to what a missing biologist was working on, and in doing so will go to websites based on clues - and some of those are websites at real research institutions, who have agreed to host hidden pages relevant to the game that propel you forward. It's a blend of cinematic art and interactive riddles that leads you to real institutions.
History of Biology trailer:
It's no secret to illustrators that some of the best work to be undertaken these days is in video game concept art. It's fast paced, requires tremendous research and inspiration even for fictional sf and fantasy. It has twin challenges: illustrators need to be enticingly creative and part of a team vision. The video game industry in North American remained unaffected longer than many other industries by the last recession. Playing games and viewing art both release dopamine in your system, making those engaged in them feel good. The entertainment value of games is not in dispute, but their educational value often is. What Spongelab Interactive seeks to do do is nothing less than game-ify science education - for students, for teachers and even for artist-contributors.
The main purpose of Spongelab's site is for teachers and students to sign up and collect and organize scientific resources, everything from scientific illustrations of plant structures like the one above, to physics-based games about gravity and acceleration. Every resource you explore, every image you organize into your lesson-planning account earns you points to unlock bonus resources. And it's all free. One high school science teacher I introduced to the site excitedly said, "This is what we need: 21st-century learning!" Teachers can organize images, videos and games into lesson plans, right on the Spongelab site, and then track students' progress through the curriculum. The resources are even linked to standard classroom textbooks.
And this is what I discovered at Spongelab: cutting edge education, beautiful professional scientific illustrations, and a commitment to a kind of open-source learning that doesn't hide behind paywalls. All wrapped up in the understanding that if games engage people, then gaming the Spongelab resources will help engage learning.
The SpongeLab offices are decorated with large framed anatomy posters, that had a look of age about them. Jeremy confirmed this, saying they were used in the Toronto District School Board about 30 years ago when we both would have been in grade school. This link to history, not only to the scientific subject matter, but to the educational roots is apropos of Spongelab's efforts.
What about the art? The commissioned illustrations on Spongelab's site do not list each illustrator, which is not uncommon for for some types of projects. However, the gaming nature of Spongelab actually includes the illustrations as well. Scientific illustrators interested in contributing to the site can actually upload images to Spongelab, and are paid a rate determined by how many of the Spongelab community members visit and use the image. There's a page outlining this ambitious idea here.
This idea is potentially revolutionary. Up-and-coming and seasoned biomedical & scientific illustrators alike may wish to take full advantage of this. It's an idea for distributing paid science illustrations I've never heard of before, firmly embedded in the social and gaming culture of the internet, almost completely divorced from the print model. It's immediately apparent from the layout of the Spongelab site that illustrations are not a second thought, open source, tossed in there for embellishment element to the information present. Images are the media that the games and information are presented by. During our discussion, it was apparent Jeremy clearly understands the power of a good, accurate image, and the limitations of metaphors that scientific illustrators often employ.
Game-based learning for students; organized resource accumulation for educators; and paid per use imagery for illustrators - Spongelab Interactive is on the nano-knife edge of a revolution in what should be expected from education.
I realize in this post I still haven't answered Jeremy's little game for me, testing my art history recall ability. What is the interactive-image from History of Biology based on?
"'The School of Athens' by Raphael," Jeremy tells me with a smile.
Both images show groups of learned people from history standing together in imagined conversation, in some cases with others who the decades would have kept separate through life and death. In the case of Raphael's fresco, Greek and Roman scholars converse in a church-structured hall, with Plato and Aristotle in the center.
History of Biology shows Charles Darwin, alone in the centre of the biological tempest as was his shy nature, surrounded by small groups of other naturalists and scientists important to our current understanding. True to the nature of Spongelab, identifying each figure by their stance and personality (and by the conversation they're having when you click on them) isn't just for the fun of the puzzle: correct identification of everyone present enters teachers in a draw to win a free school-wide licence for the game.
1-up for science education.
- -
Soak up some links (if you thought you were getting through this post without sponge-related humour, you were wrong.)
- Spongelab Interactive main site
- History of Biology game site
- Transcription Hero - I didn't mention this above, but wanted to include a link. It's what you think it is!
- Information for teachers
- Information for contributing illustrators
- Spongelab on Twitter
- Spongelab on YouTube
- And see if you can find the site's secret content for thorough visitors! You'll be rewarded.


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I think Daniel Little misunderstands phase transitions here, but it gives me an excellent excuse to talk about the meaning of "emergence". Little says:
What seems to be involved here is a conclusion that is a little bit different from standard ideas about emergent phenomena. The point seems to be that for a certain class of systems, these systems have dynamic characteristics that are formal and abstract and do not require that we understand the micro mechanisms upon they rest at all. It is enough to know that system S is formally similar to a two-dimensional array of magnetized atoms (the "Ising model"); then we can infer that phase-transition behavior of the system will have specific mathematical properties. This might be summarized with the slogan, "system properties do not require derivation from micro dynamics." Or in other words: systems have properties that don't depend upon the specifics of the individual components -- a statement that is strongly parallel to but distinct from the definition of emergence mentioned above. It is distinct, because the approach leaves it entirely open that the system properties are generated by the dynamics of the components.
Well, yes and no. What is being discussed here by Solé are universality classes of phase transitions. Near a phase transition, the correlation length of the order parameter can go to infinity meaning the system becomes "scale free" and depend on some pure numbers (critical exponents). Here's an example with magnetism. Two of the best studied universality classes are the ones containing the Ising model and percolation theory. In plain English what this means is that wildly different systems (with wildly different "micro theories") can have identical behavior (i.e. don't depend on micro theory scales) near a phase transition if they have the same critical exponent.
I should hand the mic to Cosma Shalizi [1]:
... over the last half century or so, the statistical mechanics community has devoted much of its research energy, and its pedagogy, to the theory of phase transitions, such as those between solids and liquids, or liquids and liquid crystals, or between magnetic and non-magnetic materials. ... I don't mean that this is bad for statistical mechanics, because phase transitions are important and the theory developed around them is one of the jewels of the field. But phase transitions have the weird property of "universality". In the vicinity of the critical point, the behavior of the system comes to depend only on a few key parameters, so that any two systems in the same "universality class" are quantitatively similar near the transition, even if they are otherwise as different as chalk and cheese. If what you are interested in is this behavior near the critical point, then, you can get away with analyzing or simulating ridiculously over-simplified models, if only you get their universality class right. The implicit lesson is that details don't matter, and results on toy models should generalize directly to real systems. (Of course, details can matter a lot, even with toy models.) I can't make myself believe it's coincidence that so many of the people active in econophysics come from a background in the theory of critical phenomena.
This represents one way of interpreting "emergence": elements of a macro theory that don't depend on the micro theory are emergent because you are near a phase transition.
Now universality classes aren't just for phase transitions; probability distribution also have universality classes. There's one that many more people are familiar with as well: the Gaussian (normal) distribution universality class. The central limit theorem is directly related to the universality of the normal distribution. There are other distribution universality classes as well [pdf] (related to something I did here).
Instead of universality appearing as you approach a phase transition, the normal distribution appears as the number of samples becomes large regardless of the underlying distribution (well, regardless as long as it has a well-defined mean and variance).
We can say that the normal distribution is "emergent" and the details of the micro system (underlying distribution) don't matter. Coupled with the law of large numbers (that the average of a large number of trials approaches the expected value), this is one of the things I mean when I say something is emergent.
Central limit theorems and the law of large numbers is also one of the ways dimensional reduction can be achieved. Instead of depending on the complex dynamics of the micro theory (at least N-dimensional with N >> 1), the macro theory depends on a smaller number (dimension) of state variables d << N. An example of this is the ideal gas law. The complex properties of the underlying molecules (micro theory) are relevant only as bulk constants to be measured (macro theory).
Let's shift gears to a couple of different types of "emergence" where the details of the micro theory don't matter as much. Near an equilibrium, many complex theories simplify. In physics, near an energy equilibrium, many theories look like a harmonic oscillator (e.g. a pendulum). This applies from plasmons to pogo sticks. I talked about this more here, but the basic idea is a combination of effective field theory and "Taylor expansions" (actually, effective operator expansions). If your system obeys a symmetry, then it will look the same as any system that obeys that symmetry for small enough perturbations around the equilibrium.
There's one more type of emergence that I talk about: macro degrees of freedom or forces that don't exist unless you have more than one of the micro theory degrees of freedom. Examples include nearly all of solid state physics ("electron holes" don't exist without a filled Fermi sphere and phonons don't exist without a lattice), and all of thermodynamics. Entropy does not exist without a large number of degrees of freedom (enough so that the fluctuation theorem isn't significant impact). Therefore entropic (pseudo)forces -- such as the pseudoforce that smooths out a distribution of atoms through diffusion -- do not exist for individual degrees of freedom. I've talked about how sticky prices (nominal rigidity) may be such an entropic force -- it looks like individual prices aren't really sticky at all, but in aggregate they might be.
So here is an incomplete list of emergence mechanisms:
- Unversality classes of phase transitions. Near points of drastic changes from one equilibrium to another, very different complex models can look the same.
- Unversality classes of probability distributions. Complex agents can obey simple equations that are largely independent of the agents when the system is "statistically large".
- Small peturbations around an equilibrium (effective field theory). For example, rational agents are the first order effective theory near an economic equilibrium.
- Entropic forces. Emergent dynamics that derive from a large number of degrees of freedom and entropy maximization that could include things like nominal rigidity.
[1] One complaint Shalizi has about "econophysics" is that this phase transition stuff is just a small part of physics:
Let me also complain that there isn't enough physics: the repertoire of ideas taken from physics is very impoverished. Basically, we see random walks, power laws, and spin systems over and over again.


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On How to Translate 'Poetry is the Diwan of the Arabs'
A couple days ago, as I was Englishing an interview with an author, I asked the brave souls of Twitter whether there was a good way to translate "poetry is the diwan of the Arabs," such that it would be pithy, and yet immediately legible to an Anglophone-only reader:
For full context, the author I'd interviewed was not simply re-iterating this old chestnut, but rather saying that while poetry used to be considered "the diwan of the Arabs," the novel is now ascendant.
I did, naturally, look up a few suggestions before turning to Twitter, but none seemed entirely satisfactory. Some, including this one by Mahmoud Sobh, were more footnote than translation. While it's all wonderful background information, in the end I had a relatively small word count for the interview, and was looking for a compact solution.
A few of the recommendations from translators, librarians, readers, scholars, and authors:
Mariam Aboelezz: "The Archive of the Arabs."
Emily Drumsta: "'register' is an old (if prosaic) solution"
Adam Talib: "Poetry is the record of Arab history (but it's a cliché and not really true and people should stop thinking/saying it!)"
Levi Thompson: "I have used 'record' before."
Norah Alkharashi: "One meaning of 'Diwan' is a collection of poems by one poet. So, in this verse, it cannot mean a book of any sort because it will be redundant. Diwan also can mean a space for exchanging stories and ideas; and thus reaching a mutual collective consciousness. In Arabic architectural tradition is a special type of living rooms. Between a static entity "a book" and a dynamic space exactly falls the metaphor of Diwan here as intended by Abu Feras. I suggest a translation that considers the dynamics of dialectical story telling. E.g: Poetry is Arabs epicus. Poetry is Arabs odyssey."
Peter Torres Fremlin: "'library' maybe? has some of the same metaphorical range in English as 'diwan' is covering in the replies you've gotten"
Yasser Abdellatif: "Diwan means THE book, and the the house or the head-quarter too. Poetry is the House-book of the arabs"
Harald Viesen: "poetry is the (historical) canon of the Arabs"?
George Abdelnour: "Poetry is the Arab's encyclopedia"
Abdel Rahman Sibahi: "Saga?"
Novelist and memoirist Ahdaf Soueif also weighed in. Soueif is also a translator, and I have particularly admired some of the creative decisions she has made to bring Arabic words into English — such as when leaving shaheed/shuhada in transliterated forms in her book Cairo: My City, Our Revolution. However, she suggested rather than giving into my hand-wringing, an attempted English:
"For Arabs, poetry is the medium of choice" would be the rendering. But it's 3 syllables longer … and prosaic.
— Ahdaf Soueif (@asoueif) January 28, 2020
Still, there were several others — including poet Mourid Barghouti — who encouraged me to give in to my essential slothfulness:
Please stay lazy. Diwan it is.
— مريد البرغوثي (@MouridBarghouti) January 27, 2020
Not everyone took the exercise entirely seriously. Elliott Colla gave his "dream Google translation: 'Poetry is the divan Arabs put their feet up on when they want to relax.'" And the brilliant Yasmine Seale added this perfection to the Google-translate version: "Hair is the Arab archive."


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..Day Dates
March 15, 2012 • 30 x 30 Challenge Outfit Post
64 comments
i recently saw these cords at the loft! they are gorgeous! the color is so unique!! love what you paired them with :) you are rocking this outfit challenge, lady!ReplyDelete
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The Tiny Heart
I seriously ADORE you!! LOVE every outfit you put together!! Can I just go ahead and have your wardrobe? ;) Have a great day lovely!!ReplyDelete
**ps snagging your button today!**
XO, Jessica
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xo, Megan
Love your pants! Gorgeous color! I love shopping in Georgetown :)ReplyDelete
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Glad you had a fun day with your boy. :)
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The Other Side of Gray
This outfit is awesome! AND what a good boy... I would have to bring snacks if I did that..ReplyDelete
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Vintage Collar Necklace Giveaway
check you out looking casual, & stylish. sounds like a great guy. i get overwhelmed with all our make-up choices.ReplyDelete
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best wishes from
Sounds like you had an amazing time and I love what you are wearing, those jeans are gorgeous! xxReplyDelete
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Kisses, Lucy:)
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You are beautiful!ReplyDelete
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See Me Rwar
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Missing Amsie Blog
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This easy homemade gravy takes only a few minutes of prep and it's so thick, creamy, and flavorful, your guests will rave over it! This recipe requires no meat drippings at all, so you can make it the day before to save yourself some hassle when cooking the rest of the meal.
I'm so glad you stopped by! We are having a Traditional Thanksgiving Progressive Dinner Blog Hop Style!
12 Fabulous Bloggers are sponsoring this Thanksgiving Dinner. Be sure to visit them all for some great recipes for your holiday table.
For this stop in the progressive dinner, I am sharing a great recipe for easy homemade gravy. This gravy is super-convenient because it requires no meat drippings, so you can make it ahead of time and have one less thing to worry about when you are preparing the meal!
Learning how to make gravy without drippings was a huge relief for me, especially when it comes to hosting big dinners. I have found over the years that the more I can prepare ahead of time, the better off I am, so I always keep this recipe in my back pocket for those times.
Although we focused on Thanksgiving for this progressive dinner, you don't have to wait for a big holiday to enjoy a nice meal with flavorful, delicious make ahead gravy to make it special!
Tips for making easy homemade gravy
- You can change up the flavor for your meal by changing up the broth. Use beef broth to go along with beef dinners, and chicken broth to go along with turkey or chicken.
- Watch the heat to avoid burning.
- Make sure you whisk continuously as you add the broth to avoid lumps.
- Feeding a crowd? Just go ahead and double the recipe!
Looking for some other side dishes for your meal to go with this make ahead gravy recipe?
We love this Easy Crock Pot Garlic Parmesan Bread. There's no kneading required, and it won't take up precious oven space. There's nothing like serving fresh-baked, homemade bread with your meal.
Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts is another great side dish to include. Brussels sprouts get a bad rap sometimes, but I have had a lot of success with this recipe. They come out tender and tasty, and I have received a number of slightly surprised compliments on them!
For something a little more unique, you can check out Quinoa with Artichokes and Chickpeas, which is a delicious combination of flavors and textures, sure to impress your guests.
Don't forget to check out all the other dishes in our amazing progressive Thanksgiving dinner!
This post may contain affiliate links which won't change your price but will share some commission.
Easy Homemade Gravy
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!
And I also invite you to follow me on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, or INSTAGRAM to keep up with what's going on in my kitchen.
📋 Recipe Card
Easy Homemade Gravy
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.4 tablespoons butter
- Add the onion and cook until it just starts to brown.¾ cup chopped onion
- Stir in the flour and cook for about 1 minute.2 tablespoons flour
- Add in the broth and whisk until combined.1 cup chicken or beef broth
- Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
- Reduce heat to medium and stir in the half and half and salt and pepper.1 tablespoon half and half, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- Serve hot.
- If you are serving a beef dinner, use beef broth. For turkey or chicken, use chicken broth.
- For the smoothest gravy, make sure to whisk continuously while adding the broth.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 7-8 days.
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.


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Two pieces by John Dvorak in two weeks? The Macalope knows it's asking a lot of you, but load up on antacids and read on about his latest fever dreams. It's been almost a year since Joe Wilcox said he was leaving Apple and he's still figuring out whose CDs are whose. But he's got a whole new myopic reason for the breakup! Finally, is the iPad mini real? Those wacky Apple rumor sites the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg say "Yes!"
Still crazy after all these years
Last Saturday, the Macalope mentioned how Buzzblog's Paul McNamara coaxed a bitter, self-serving email out of John C. Dvorak (well, really, how hard could that be?) by asking him to explain how he could be so wrong about the iPhone five years ago.
As amusing as that was, it seems to have made John nostalgic for the good ol' days when he trolled Apple fans with abandon.
Dvorak's latest poke in the eye of Apple fans is "Giddyup, Apple!" (it's over at PCMagazine if you're feeling particularly masochistic) and is subtitled "The company is strolling like Microsoft when it should be sprinting like Adobe."
Sprinting like the company that spent a couple of years telling us how Flash was the "real web." Oookay.
We should have had an iPad 3 by now and an iPhone 5 by now.
Just because Apple calls it the "new iPad" doesn't mean… you know, is there really any point in arguing with him?
Apple does not have this luxury because everyone is breathing down its neck, including Samsung, a partner of Apple's. Teardown experts have shown that at least 26 percent of an iPhone is comprised of Samsung parts. Meanwhile, Apple is suing Samsung over its tablet.
And the capital of Nebraska is Lincoln!
And I should mention that many of Apple's "patents" are ludicrous design and process patents. The curved edges and centered screen, for example, are patented.
As opposed to the patents of other companies which are all pure as the driven snow and smell like vanilla.
Samsung is going to calculate what it lost in the court action and I can assure you that someday in the future, when the opportunity is right, Samsung is going to pull the plug on some component. It will make sure that Apple eats at least that much money in lost sales.
And it'll just take those components that it didn't end up selling to Apple and light them on fire because smart business people are really in it for the spite.
Why are we supposed to believe the bizarre revenge fantasies of John Dvorak, PCMagazine? Is there some primer to this lunatic slash fiction? Like maybe a tab of acid?
While the iPhone users are using the once-fashionable, fragile iPhone 4, Samsung is rolling out a line of big screen beauties like the Note and the Galaxy S III.
John Dvorak is a size queen. Surprise.
Who knows what exactly is waiting in the wings when Apple eventually brings out the iPhone 5?
One thing's for certain: No matter what it looks like you'll tell us it stinks and is too late to save the company from ill humors or whatever it is you think is troubling Apple, as if any of these supposed troubles appear in its quarterly results.
To do this right, Apple needs a new phone every quarter.
Oh, is that all? And here the Macalope thought you were going to ask for something unreasonable.
This means four new phones a year with the old ones discontinued or sold off cheap. The Apple fans will buy four phones a year instead of one or two. Business will boom.
As… opposed to how Apple's doing now.
Well, thanks for the advice, John. The Macalope's sure Apple will really take it to heart.
Wait, the heart's not really the right organ. Pancreas? Maybe they'll take it to pancreas. If that.
Posture perfect
Now, correct the Macalope if he's wrong, but didn't Joe Wilcox already write a self-righteous screed about how he wasn't leaving Apple, Apple left him?
Oh, yeah, here's the Macalope's take on that piece from almost a year ago. Apparently Joe's going to leave Apple every year so he can make up a new reason why the company no longer meets his high personal standards.
Last year's reason was because Apple was no longer innovative or inspiring without Steve Jobs. This year it's because Apple's too litigious about people copying its stuff (tip o' the antlers to markbyrn).
The image of do-gooding, trendy Apple is inconsistent with its gruff bullying alter-ego.
There's certainly no denying that Apple's trendy. Just look at the trend lines. As for do-gooding, the Macalope's not sure that's ever been an accurate image.
Well, whatever. Like an in-law who's overstayed his welcome, we're just eager to help Joe pack and be on his way.
I had planned to buy a Linksys router, but Cisco shenanigans compelling users to sign up for Cloud Connect accounts put me off.
Oh, you mean it's complicated finding unicorn companies that never do anything wrong? Who'd have thought it?
Strangely, Apple abdication sends me to Google.
And Google, as we all know, is utterly chaste and pure and would never do anything that could be considered anything less than above-board.
Normally this is where the Macalope would insert "Cough," with a link to something proving how hilariously naive that is, but what's the point, really? Joe's solely fixated on Apple's foibles for some reason and facts would only get in the way of his self-righteous rant.
Look, there are aspects of Apple's control the Macalope doesn't like, either. But the problem with Wilcox's boycot is that in fleeing a company with control issues, he's run into the arms of one with tremendous privacy issues. Which, not surprisingly, he doesn't discuss for a second. Quite the contrary, if you bring them up, that just means you're part of the problem.
Meanwhile, expect more stories about Google, which surely some of you will insist is changing slave masters. Shame on you.
Indeed. Shame on us for not living in your black-and-white world, Joe. Nailed it.
For those of you who enjoy driving to the rumor bank to deposit your fake rumor money which you somehow garner when rumors make that fateful transition from dream to reality, you might want to find your car keys. Because the consensus of opinion seems to have turned on one of our most recent Apple unicorns, the iPad mini.
Yes, this week you couldn't shake your useless, stupid, fat new iPad without hitting a rumor about a svelte, pocketable iPad mini. Rumors are all fun and games until the likes of the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg get in on the game and then they're deadly serious.
Yes, those "people familiar with the situation" have spoken and you should probably start saving up somewhere around $200 to $250 because you know you totally want that middle-sized iOS experience when an iPhone just isn't big enough and an iPad is too big.
This leaves poor Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, who has long questioned the validity of these rumors, now on the outskirts of iPad Miniville standing on a soapbox and haranguing the stream of new entrants into this gold-rush town about its fast and loose lifestyle.
"Why Apple doesn't need a 7-inch iPad"
Kingsley-Hughes makes a good point about the 7-inch tablet space being a race to the bottom, as Amazon and Google try to outbid each other for how much negative margin they can sell a tablet for in the hopes that you'll buy some crap from them. But, then, Apple rarely plays by anyone else's rules (the Apple TV notwithstanding), so one good argument against it doesn't mean Cupertino can't find a way to make it work, either by squeezing suppliers to get it to $200 or just selling it as a better device at $250.
To put it in the phrasing of a countryman of Kingsley-Hughes's, there is more in heaven and Earth, Adrian, than is dreamt of in your philosophy.
Then again, maybe not.
Shakespeare ended cutting that last part in a late edit of Hamlet.
[Editor's Note: In addition to being a mythical beast, the Macalope is not an employee of Macworld. As a result, the Macalope is always free to criticize any media organization. Even ours.]


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Yayasan Chow Kit was incorporated in 2010 but before this, we were a children's programme under Yayasan Salam Malaysia, a local NGO which looked at connecting volunteers and corporates to community projects and community needs.
We were then called, Nur Salam, which literally means 'Light and Peace"- so we were the 'house of light and peace' for children or in other words, a sanctuary.
NurSalam was born out of a need to help and protect the children in and around Chow Kit, who were vulnerable and marginalized. YCK's founder, Dato Dr Hartini, inclusive of Raja Azizan and Kak Arfidah, had worked with the children there for a long time and they knew what the children needed most- a bigger space where very poor and marginalized children could seek refuge, even if it was, for a couple of hours a day, eat and sleep and get involved with basic educational and health activities.The three of us put our heads together, and hatched a plan to find this bigger space..
We partnered with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and the Wilayah Social Department and then engaged with other individuals and corporate bodies and NGO partners. We looked for funding- we asked, begged and did everything ourselves. It was a tough, uphill battle when we first started but we kept at it!
The rest, is history!