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Monday, 18 March 2013
Why home education is not more popular
I sometimes used to be puzzled why more of the parents we knew didn't just keep their kids at home, rather than sending them to school. After all, they used to moan enough about the shortcomings of the schools! My wife and I gained a good deal of pleasure from hearing those who had been sniffiest about our decision not to send a child to school, later complaining about the fact that schools today seemed to be dreadful and their children were not thriving there. So why don't more parents just educate their own children? I think that there are two main reasons.
First, there is the great confidence trick or swindle perpetrated by teachers; that nobody but a trained professional can undertake the education of a child. This is of course a lot of nonsense. It is perfectly possible for any person of average intelligence to teach physics, chemistry, music, acting, sport and anything else that is wanted. All that is necessary is to download the subject specification and away you go. For this reason, that particular objection holds little water.
The real explanation for the lack of popularity of home education is economic, rather than educational. The thing which makes home education so astonishingly effective is the unlimited, one-to-one tuition which can be provided in a relaxed, domestic setting. For this to be successful, whether by means of direct teaching or purposive conversation, it is necessary to have an adult available at all times who is able to give the child his or her undivided attention. And this is where things get a little tricky.
One of the most obvious differences between our family and those with whom we used to associate was that we were a lot poorer than everybody else we knew. No holidays abroad for us; or for that matter decent cars, new carpets, 48 inch plasma screen televisions, games consoles or any of the other trappings that many families take for granted these days. This is because in order to ensure that our daughter had one adult with her at all times, each of her parents was only working part-time. We took it in turns to spend time with her. Instead of two salaries coming into the family, there was only one. Which meant, in effect, that we had half as much money as most of the other families we knew. As it happened, this presented no real hardship to us. As long as there was enough money for books from charity shops and the occasional weekend in Wales, we were quite happy. True, our televisions have never exceeded fourteen inches, even today, but this has not seemed too important.
For many families, material trappings such as new refrigerators, cars, ipads, clothes and so on, are important. The idea of an income suddenly halved is horrifying to them and so both parents must continue to work so that all these things must be paid for. This means that school becomes a kind of childminding service which enables adults to get on with the serious business of earning money. It is this which prevents most families from even considering home education as an option.
Of course, single parents also home educate, but this creates a new set of economic difficulties. If the mother is on benefits, then the pressure from the Job Centre to find work or training can be pretty intense from when the child is still fairly young. If the parent is not on benefits, then there is an inevitable clash between the need to earn a living and the necessity of providing a child with undivided attention whenever needed.
The American situation is rather different from this country. There, research indicates that much home education takes place in more traditional families, where the father goes out to work, while the mother stays home and looks after the children. This is an ideal arrangement, with the children having unlimited contact with one adult all day long. Families constituted in this way are not as common in this country as they once were and again, this is driven by economic pressures. Couples feel that they need so much stuff these days, that one salary is just not enough to provide it all. It is only by having both parents working that the expected standard of living can be maintained. Of course, the irony is that when asked, children say that they would far rather have their parents' attention than they would expensive holidays or new computers.
23 comments:
- Anonymous18 March 2013 at 01:54
old Webb says-My wife and I gained a good deal of pleasure from hearing those who had been sniffiest about our decision not to send a child to school, later complaining about the fact that schools today seemed to be dreadful and their children were not thriving there.ReplyDelete
You supported crazy old Badman ideas which would have resulted in many children being sent back to dreadful schools?
Your right about being able to teach GCSE physics at home i did and now Peter taking A level physics at college
- Anonymous18 March 2013 at 03:51
Totally agree about the teacher perpetrated swindle that 'only they can teach'. and the exam situation. When I took my son out at age 5 I was asked how we'd do GCSE. My answer that we weren't actually planning to sit them yet didn't go down too well.ReplyDelete
Now we are doing GCSE work, and it isn't any harder to tackle than anything else has been. You read the syllabus, buy the recommended book, and an answer book if they do one, and then you do the work. And after that you turn the liver you dissected into pate...
(Who is slightly nervous because I'm agreeing with you again!)
- Cheshire Cat18 March 2013 at 03:54
Peter, didn't you only home educate little Peter because the school wouldn't give you the time off you wanted to play chess and you had a little hissy fit?ReplyDeleteReplies
- Anonymous18 March 2013 at 07:00
err No we where threatened with truancy prosecution by the LEA solicitor so had no choice but to home educate Peter a candidates FIDE chess master so it was a bit more than just playing the odd game of chess for fun.Delete
Actually, this is an interesting case, because Hampshire interpreted the law eight years ago to mean that flexi-schooling was not allowed. As we have recently seen, lawyers at the Department for Education now agree with this view. Here is the mother's account of the sequence of events:Delete
'so had no choice but to home educate Peter 'Delete
Not entirely true! You could of course have sent him to school full-time instead. You had a choice between sending him to school and home educating him. To suggest that you had no choice is a little strange.
- Anonymous18 March 2013 at 07:51
your wrong Webb again Peter needed offsite chess coaching from a grandmaster which we where paying for and which the head teacher was happy with until the LEA poked its nose in! The county councilor Dr tony Ludow also agreed Peter needed this offsite education to improve his chess and he was very unhappy with LEA answers which forced us to home educate i kept all his letter he wrote agreeing with us!Delete
I think the LEA thought we would back down and not home educate Peter and send him back to school but they got that wrong like most thing they do
'And after that you turn the liver you dissected into pate...'ReplyDelete
Ah yes, the wonders of actually doing biology for GCSE; something many schools do not bother with now, relying instead upon film clips. Liver, kidneys and hearts from the butchers, road kill squirrels and foxes, a shark's head from a fish shop, also an octopus. I remember my daughter's amazement to discover that an octopus actually has a beak, just like a parrot. There were some awkward moments when my wife found that the blender had been used to mash up worms, so that we could extract DNA. And she really put her foot down on the trip to the seaside, where I found a dead seal on the beach and wanted to bring it home to dissect...Replies
- Anonymous18 March 2013 at 04:36
How very unfair of her, Simon. We haven't gone that far, but we do look at the Sunday roast chicken in a new light.Delete
Did you do any genetics experiments? We've been cross-pollinating sweet peas for a couple of years now and are starting to see results that actually look like the text book say they should.
- Cheshire Cat18 March 2013 at 07:48
'err No we where threatened with truancy prosecution by the LEA solicitor so had no choice but to home educate Peter a candidates FIDE chess master so it was a bit more than just playing the odd game of chess for fun.'ReplyDelete
So you did not really want to home educate? You dis so because you were not allowed the time of that you wanted? So my first comment was correct?
- Anonymous18 March 2013 at 07:55
no we did not want to home educate the head agreed to the off site chess coaching which we where paying for and said it was not affecting Peter at school at all when he was away from the class i kept her letter saying this! it was when LEA got involved that it went wrong LEA threaten us with court action over truancy so we home educated which worked out rather well and now Peter at college studying A level physicReplyDelete
- Anonymous18 March 2013 at 23:44
Yes, and that lack of a second income can often continue after the process of home education is complete. Having such a long gap in employment history can mean it is very difficult to find work again when your children fly the nest. This is what some of my friends and I are finding right now. Being able to both work part-time and 'keep their hand in', as it were, as you did, is to be recommended.ReplyDelete
I would slightly disagree with your assertion that any parent of average intelligence can teach any subject to exam level. I like to think of myself as being of slightly higher than average intelligence (perhaps I am deluding myself there!) but Chemistry IGCSE was utterly beyond my comprehension. Luckily, there was an alternative for the child who wanted to study it: a group of HE kids in a study group who employed a tutor to teach it. All did well.
The local AE mafia tell parents that all they need to do is hand the child the textbook and they will sail through the exam. This is a confidence trick equally as cruel as that of the professionals telling parents that they need their specialist assistance. Not all children can study this way. Some need some support from within, or even outside, the family for some subjects.Replies
- Anonymous19 March 2013 at 07:20
"The local AE mafia tell parents that all they need to do is hand the child the textbook and they will sail through the exam."Delete
I hope you don't generalise from you personal experience on this issue. As an autonomously educating family we have frequently made use of various teaching methods be it correspondence courses, tutors, college courses or parents teaching children by working through text books with them. If a child is left to struggle when they would prefer and need help, this is not autonomous education since the child is being coerced!
- Anonymous19 March 2013 at 08:01
'I hope you don't generalise from you personal experience on this issue.'Delete
I don't think I do. I'm not sure I understand why you think I would. How could I? Experience is experience, not law.
- Anonymous19 March 2013 at 17:09
Glad to hear you don't tar all autonomous educators with the same brush based on your personal experiences. Not sure what the law has to do with anything though?Delete
- Anonymous19 March 2013 at 23:47
OK, I'll explain. I gave my personal experiences. I did not say 'because this happens in my area, I believe xyz is automatically true of all AE'ers.'Delete
You expressed the hope that I didn't generalise from my own experiences, for some reason. I assured you that there was no hint of that in what I said.
I do hope that is crystal clear now.
- Anonymous19 March 2013 at 17:12
I read the attacks home educators make on Facebook pages. They are people I want to give a very wide berth.ReplyDeleteReplies
- Anonymous19 March 2013 at 17:24
Can you provide any links?Delete
- Anonymous20 March 2013 at 01:37
Go to the Facebook page for CBeebies and read all the comments about the show "What's the big idea?" https://www.facebook.com/cbeebies?ref=ts&fref=tsDelete
Click on See All beside 'Posts by others' and you will see how home educators attack people.
- Anonymous20 March 2013 at 02:25
If you want links, just take a look at this blog. It is a stellar example of attacks on home educators. Look at the posts and comments about Alison Sauer, Cheryl Moy, Hafod the Witch and Mike Fortune-Wood.Delete
- Anonymous19 March 2013 at 17:16
"I'm not sure I understand why you think I would. How could I?"ReplyDelete
I didn't think that you necessarily would; that's why I didn't say that you were doing this and just expressed the hope that you do not believe that all autonomous educators hold these views. I wanted to make the point that the views you described are not necessarily the views held by all autonomous educators, just in case anyone reading this is unfamiliar with AE. I would hate anyone to believe that AE means no formal teaching and that children are left to struggle by themselves whether they want help or not. Leaving a child to struggle when they want help is the antithesis of AE.
- Anonymous19 March 2013 at 23:49
'Leaving a child to struggle when they want help is the antithesis of AE'. It may well be. However, I did not say that children were wanting help. It is possible that the children were not aware of their need for help. The myth goes; Give the child the textbook and they will learn all they need to know to pass the exam. Tragically, for the children involved, they do poorly and are never entered for exams again.ReplyDeleteReplies
- Anonymous20 March 2013 at 12:52
So these parent's or the child made a mistake about their level of understanding. Why are you so angry about it? Parent's make mistakes every day, and many have far worse consequences. I'm sure it's not a myth thoough, since my children have taught themselves things from books without help from others, as I have too. You really think that failing an exam is a tragedy? What a strange idea about something that happens to most people at least once.Delete


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I'm a bit unsure of how the UGC is governed. Do they have a kind of council made up of the heads of the corporations?If so, how is it decided which corporations sit on the council?Does the general population have any say in government business at all?
New Brittania is said to have 4 main houses but 5 factions are mentioned, is it because the church is not a house per se?
Lovely fluff, enjoyed reading them.Gonna fix the little 'c' in the UGC emblem yet?
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NEW YORK (AP/CBSNewYork) — The Jets have re-signed outside linebacker Bryan Thomas, who missed most of last season with a torn left Achilles tendon, to a one-year contract.
Thomas, 32, will enter his 11th season with the Jets as their longest-tenured player after being the team's first-round pick out of Alabama-Birmingham in 2002. He led Rex Ryan's defense with six sacks in 2010, but was placed on injured reserve last October after getting hurt at Baltimore in Week 4.
Thomas, a solid but never flashy player during his career, became a free agent Tuesday and it was uncertain if the Jets would re-sign him.
It was the first move New York made once free agency began after re-signing nose tackle Sione Pouha on Monday and giving quarterback Mark Sanchez a contract extension Friday.
Good move to bring back Thomas, or was it time for the Jets to move on? Sound off with your comments below…
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The Sydney to Hobart race has been going since 1945 and this year, 94 boats from all over the world competed. It's an egalitarian event, with sailboats as small as 30 feet and as big as 98-feet. The sailboat crews also range from weekend hobby sailors to professionals from the America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race circuits. For most sailors who live in Sydney, it's a dream that they may some day be on one of the boats for this race. My husband is one of them and he hopes he'll get that golden opportunity one day. As with any race, the focus is generally on which yacht crosses the finish line first. Surprisingly, this boat is often not the overall winner. It is a handicap race where a sailboat's finish time is adjusted based on several factors set down in the prevailing rules. So, the fastest boat may not be the overall winner. There are several awards based on finishing times and handicaps. For 2013, Wild Oats XI was the line winner and Victorie was the overall winner. All but 10 boats finished the race.
I'd heard of this race while living in the US because my husband loves to sail. It's a big event in Sydney on Boxing Day with local residents rushing to the many coastline vistas to watch the start of the race and watch as the boats leave Sydney Harbour. News helicopters are on hand and all types of boats wait in a what appears to be an orchestrated aisle in the harbour to see the boats race out to sea. My neighbourhood park is a popular venue with people arriving at the park early in the morning to get a good view for when the race starts at 1pm. I arrived at 12:45 but still had a decent view. Yes, all those "dots" on the water are boats.
In line with the ocean, the summer and sailing, this blog's recipe is Crab Quiche. I love dairy products so it is no surprise that I like a quiche since it combines eggs, cheese and cream into a savoury custard pie. I've found the dairy products here to be excellent. The eggs have a bright yellow/orange yolk, the milk tastes much creamier and I use 1/2 the amount of sour cream I use when I bake because the sour cream is very rich.
Quiche is popular at the cafes and restaurants here. It's very versatile - you can eat quiche alone or make a lunch or dinner out of it with fruit or salad. For dinner, it is nice with a salad, crusty bread and a glass of white wine. It also can be made with many meat and/or vegetable combinations. I have not seen crab quiche since I moved here so I thought I'd share this recipe.
adapted from Gourmet magazine recipe
*please see cooking notes at bottom of blog*
1 Pie Crust (frozen or fresh, see easy pie crust recipe from last blog)
1 small White Onion, chopped fine
1 clove Garlic, chopped fine
3 tbsp Dry Sherry (optional)
4 large Eggs
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 1/4 cups Swiss Cheese, grated
1/2 tsp each, Salt and Paprika
1/4 tsp each, Black Pepper, Dry Mustard, and Nutmeg
1 cup of lump Crab meat, packed
1) Preheat oven to 190 C/ 375 F. Poke pie crust bottom with the fork several times and put in the oven for 15 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, brown onions in a skillet until translucent. Then add garlic and sherry (if using) and stir for 1-2 minutes more. (Be careful; garlic burns easily.) Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3) Remove pie crust from oven. While cooling, grate cheese.
4) In a medium bowl, mix eggs, cream, cheese, seasonings/spices and onion mixtures together well.
5) Add crab meat and stir thorough.The mixture will be very thick.
6) Pour into cooled pie crust.
7) Cook for 45-60 minutes. Quiche should be set and not "jiggly" in the middle.
- CRAB - if you like crab, you'll love this quiche! The synergy of the crab, cheese and spices is delicious. This recipe is very thick with crab. If you'd like smoother texture and less crab, I'd use only 1/2-3/4 cup crab and add 1 additional egg. I also could not find canned crab meat in my local store and had to buy crab meat from my seafood shop. It was $ but delicious.
- SEASONINGS - it is important to use seasonings for this quiche as Crab and Swiss cheese can be bland. I did not have Old Bay nor Seafood Seasoning on hand but was happy with the spices I did use. The sherry adds a nice touch if you already have it.
- OPTIONS - you can add some julienned sun dried tomatoes and/or red capsicum/pepper to the quiche. Just cook them with onions and remove any excess liquid. You can also add herbs - a little chopped parsley, some basil/coriander, a squirt of lemon juice. It can also be spiced up with red chili flakes or a little minced red chili (jar)
Photo and information credits from this blog- wikipedia.org, rolexsydneyhobart.com, theduncanadventures.blogspot.com, silver-mg.com, sailingtrivia.com, henrythorton.com


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In this episode of the Wait Wait… In honor of their 30th anniversary, the 1980s band Huey Lewis and the News is re-releasing their iconic album, Sports.
We've invited Lewis to play a game called "You call yourself a newsman?" Three questions about interesting journalistic mistakes.
Listen to the Story
And now, we reward people for a lifetime of accomplishment with a few minutes of awkwardness. Huey Lewis and the News was unique among the big time bands of the 1980s in that they did not suck.
SAGAL: The band is re-releasing their iconic album Sports, in honor of its 30th anniversary. We are delighted to have Huey Lewis join us now. Huey, welcome to WAIT WAIT…DON'T TELL ME!
HUEY LEWIS: Thank you. Thank you very much.
SAGAL: So Huey Lewis and the News, which was the band you had that went big in the 80s was not your first band, right, you were a working musician for a long time before you hit it big.
LEWIS: Right, yeah, I was in several bands before that. No, that was the first band that I made a paycheck from.
SAGAL: Really? So you had a band called – what was it called, Clover?
LEWIS: We had a band Clover and we made two records, lived in England and disbanded.
SAGAL: And where did the band name come from, Huey Lewis and the News?
LEWIS: Well, we were originally called Huey Lewis and the American Express. But on the eve of the release of our first record, our record label, Chrysalis Records was afraid that we'd be sued by American Express. So we had 24 hours to come up with a new name and…
SAGAL: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. So you had a band name, Huey Lewis and the American Express.
LEWIS: Yeah.
SAGAL: And nobody said to themselves all during that period, as you were recording the record and producing it and getting ready to put it out, nobody said "American Express, American Express, where have I heard that before?"
LEWIS: No, but nobody thought there'd be a problem. I mean…
BOBCAT GOLDTHWAIT: Why didn't you guys sue them?
SAGAL: Where did you come up with the News?
LEWIS: We literally had 24 hours and that's all we could come up with. The Rolling Stones were taken.
SAGAL: Yes, that's true.
LEWIS: You know, what were we going to do?
PAULA POUNDSTONE: Yeah, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, gone.
LEWIS: Gone.
SAGAL: Yeah.
FAITH SALIE: Gay Men's Chorus.
LEWIS: Gay Men's Choir.
POUNDSTONE: I love the name Huey Lewis and the News. I like it much better than American Express actually.
POUNDSTONE: Maybe that's because when I hear American Express, I think uh-oh.
SAGAL: Your music was so much fun, and listening to it now, it doesn't sound dated to me. It still sounds like great, boppy, fun rock and roll, which I was bopping around to back then, and I started bopping again.
LEWIS: Well, you know, we were sort of anachronistic even then in that, you know, our songs do follow that tried and true American popular music formula, like four bars or eight bars, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, verse, chorus. And we were trying to write sort of stuff that would endure whether – you know, that was the object as it were.
SAGAL: Right.
POUNDSTONE: I certainly think you nailed it. I love Huey Lewis and the News. I was so excited to hear you were going to be here.
LEWIS: So sweet.
SAGAL: It is funny, with you on the show and with Paula and Bobcat, it's like the 80s all over again.
LEWIS: That's right, yeah.
GOLDTHWAIT: What was the rumor, maybe it was wrong, but the My Aim is True album…
LEWIS: Right.
GOLDTHWAIT: Were some of your musicians involved in that?
LEWIS: Yeah.
SAGAL: This is Elvis Costello's debut in like '78.
LEWIS: Bobcat knows his stuff.
SAGAL: He does.
POUNDSTONE: I guess.
SAGAL: So your band played on Elvis Costello's first record.
LEWIS: The rhythm section. Four of the six Clovers backed Elvis up on My Aim is True.
SAGAL: But you did not.
LEWIS: I did not. Elvis told me, he said, I got a couple of songs you can play on and we're going to be here for two weeks. So Alex, the lead singer and I, took two weeks off and went to Amsterdam.
SAGAL: Right
LEWIS: And watched movies. And we watched movies in Amsterdam.
SAGAL: That's all you did. I grew up a big Elvis Costello fan, and I always love the trivia that, you know, Huey Lewis plays the harmonica on Elvis' debut record.
LEWIS: Right.
SAGAL: And it didn't occur to me until quite recently that there is no harmonica on Elvis Costello's record.
LEWIS: But the harmonica that is not on Elvis Costello's record is played by me.
SAGAL: That's exciting.
POUNDSTONE: That is so great.
SAGAL: We understand you're an enthusiastic fly fisherman.
LEWIS: I am.
SAGAL: Right and you have a place in Montana and you go fly fishing.
LEWIS: I do. It's where I'm talking to you now.
GOLDTHWAIT: Now, did that have anything to do with your role in "Shortcuts"?
LEWIS: Well, that's very interesting, because…
GOLDTHWAIT: I'm not just pretty, Huey.
LEWIS: Huh?
SAGAL: So hold on, back up, "Shortcuts" is the Robert Altman movie.
LEWIS: No, because the interview or the – you know, I never read for the part or anything. He asked me, Bob Altman asked – he said, you live in Montana, right. I said yeah. He says, do you know how to fly fish?
LEWIS: I said sure, of course, I fly fish all the time.
LEWIS: He said OK, well let ask you a question. He says you go up into a lake and you plan this fly fishing trip forever, and you get up there and it takes you all day to get up there and you get up there just at dark and the fish are biting like crazy.
And you go to take a leak over here and there is a dead body. What are you going to do? I said what do you mean. And the fish are rising are like crazy. I said, well I suppose you're going to fish. He said you got the job.
SAGAL: Really.
SALIE: I have to ask you about something that I loved when I was a teenager, "We are the World."
LEWIS: Right.
SALIE: Can you talk about that day? I mean were you really like – were you guys standing at craft services with, you know, like Bruce Springsteen is on your right and Diana Ross is on your left.
LEWIS: Exactly.
SALIE: What was it like?
LEWIS: It was amazing. It was amazing. I mean, I'm talking to Willie Nelson about golf and Bob Dylan over here says are you guys talking about golf?
He said yeah. And Willie said, yeah, we put the clubs on the bus. And Bob says, man, that's outrageous. He says that's outrageous. I said no, Bob, "Nashville Skyline" was outrageous. This is just golf.
SALIE: In that room, were there like cool kids and not cool kids?
LEWIS: No, but Paul Simon said – it's probably not nice to say. I don't know. Paul Simon said if a bomb drops on this place, John Denver is back on top.
SAGAL: Oh. Bridge over troubled water indeed, Mr. Simon.
GOLDTHWAIT: Wow.
SAGAL: I can't believe that you're there talking to Willie Nelson and you talked about golf.
POUNDSTONE: Honestly.
LEWIS: Ray Charles is playing the piano and I'm listening to him play piano and it's fantastic. And he goes remember this one, Q, he says to Quincy. And Quincy looks at me and says – he says, yeah, Ray, Lyle wasn't even born when we recorded that song.
POUNDSTONE: Wow.
SAGAL: Wow.
POUNDSTONE: Honestly, I thought you were going to say Ray Charles looked at me and said, you play golf, and then…
POUNDSTONE: I thought, geez, that man was amazing.
GOLDTHWAIT: Ray could do it all.
LEWIS: Ray Charles looked at me and said I'm a four.
SAGAL: Yeah.
SAGAL: Well, Huey Lewis, we are delighted to talk to you. We've asked you here to play a game that this time we're calling?
CARL KASELL: You call yourself a newsman.
SAGAL: Your band, Huey Lewis and the News.
SAGAL: Oh, so right, but what about when the news is wrong? We're going to ask you three questions about interesting journalistic mistakes. Answer two right and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners. Carl, who is Huey Lewis playing for?
KASELL: Huey is playing for Renee Fullerton of Cranston, Rhode Island.
SAGAL: Ready to play? Here is…
LEWIS: I'm ready.
SAGAL: You're ready. Here's your first question. The Valley News in New Hampshire published an apology from the editor after a misspelling on the front page. Was it A: a banner headline in November promised "Hard-Hitting Erection Coverage?"
SAGAL: B: they misspelled the name of their newspaper? Or C: they mislabeled page one as Page H?
LEWIS: I'm going to hope it's the erection. I'm going to hope it's number one.
SAGAL: So many men of our generation do, Huey.
LEWIS: Yeah.
LEWIS: Exactly.
SAGAL: No, it was the name of the newspaper. It turns out there's only one S in Valley News.
LEWIS: Wow.
SAGAL: Yeah.
LEWIS: Wow.
SAGAL: They said they felt silly. You have two more chances here. NBC 10 in Rhode Island let's parents send in their kids' birthdays and then shows the names on TV. Which of these names went up last year? A: a 1-year-old named NBCNEWS10 Sucks?
SAGAL: B: a 1-year-old named I-Jahz Fahted?
SAGAL: Or C: a 1-year-old named "Insert Baby Name Here?"
LEWIS: Well, boy that's tough. Logic doesn't work there does it?
SAGAL: No, not much.
LEWIS: Let's see. How about two?
SAGAL: How about two? I-Jahz Fahted? Is that the one you're picking?
LEWIS: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SAGAL: Yeah, that's the one.
SALIE: Yeah.
POUNDSTONE: All right.
SAGAL: I-Jahz Fahted.
POUNDSTONE: Boy.
SAGAL: And, you know, the TV station felt bad. Imagine how the kid felt, going through life with that name.
LEWIS: Exactly.
SAGAL: Last question: one day earlier this year, a headline in Harrisburg, Pa's Patriot News read? A: Headline will go here blah, blah, blah, blah, blah?
SAGAL: B: don't bother reading this column. Seriously. I did. I regret it.
SAGAL: Or C: typesetters are way underpaid?
LEWIS: I'm going to say two.
SAGAL: You're going to go with don't bother reading this…
LEWIS: Don't bother me – yeah, don't bother, yep.
SAGAL: So somebody sort of put in the headline above a column, don't bother, it's awful. Just don't read it.
LEWIS: Right.
SAGAL: That's your choice?
LEWIS: No, no, that's not my choice.
GOLDTHWAIT: Yeah, that'd be a terrible choice.
LEWIS: I think three is my choice.
SAGAL: Typesetters are way underpaid.
LEWIS: Exactly.
SAGAL: You know, when I was a kid…
SAGAL: And watching MTV, I was so happy when one of your videos came on and not, say, Vanilla Ice.
GOLDTHWAIT: Now, a lot of your videos were number…
LEWIS: One.
GOLDTHWAIT: One. One would be a good choice.
LEWIS: Of course they were.
GOLDTHWAIT: Yeah, one would be a good choice.
SAGAL: Is that your choice?
LEWIS: Yeah, no, I really wanted to pick one all along.
SAGAL: I understand that.
SAGAL: Well, you'd be right. The headline said Headline will go here, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
LEWIS: Excellent.
SAGAL: Carl, how did Huey Lewis do on our quiz?
KASELL: Huey had two correct answers, Peter.
KASELL: So he wins for Renee Fullerton. Congratulations.
SAGAL: Well done.
POUNDSTONE: Oh, boy.
SAGAL: Thank you so much.
SAGAL: I got to ask you one last thing before we let you go. In the movie "American Psycho."
LEWIS: Right.
SAGAL: With Christian Bale, there is a scene in which Christian Bale's character…
LEWIS: Yeah.
SAGAL: …gives a remarkably detailed and enthusiastic description of how wonderful your music is.
LEWIS: I know.
SAGAL: Right before he kills somebody with an ax.
LEWIS: Well, just because he has excellent musical taste…
SAGAL: Really.
LEWIS: …doesn't mean he's well adjusted, OK.
SAGAL: That's true.
SAGAL: Well first of all, did they call you up and they say, OK, we want to use one of your songs and this is what we're going to use it for?
LEWIS: Yeah.
SAGAL: And you said?
LEWIS: I said sure.
SAGAL: Absolutely.
SAGAL: Because you didn't mind the fact that this psychopathic murderer was going to be depicted as being…
LEWIS: No, I dug it. I still dig the film. I think it's a good film.
SAGAL: It's a great film. But…
LEWIS: Yeah. Who cares if they're psycho murderers?
SAGAL: Exactly.
LEWIS: They still buy records.
SAGAL: Huey Lewis and the News' album Sports is being re-released for its 30th anniversary. Huey Lewis, thank you so much for all the music.
POUNDSTONE: Thanks, Huey.
SALIE: Bye, Huey.
SAGAL: And thanks for joining us on WAIT WAIT…DON'T TELL ME!
LEWIS: Bye-bye.
Copyright © 2013 NPR.
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text:
The music rehearsal room of the club MV Schwarzach was completed by Hutter acustix in October 2009.
The musicians chose, after exhaustive trials, the selective sound control system which is predestined for this rehearsal room due to its geometrical shape where the ceiling falls lower in the direction of the bandmaster.
The sound is directed towards the bandmaster by selective elements in the sound control system and enables separate perception of the individual instruments, on the one hand from the bandmasters position and on the other hand by the musicians themselves.
Room size: 118 m²
Room height: from approx. 6.0 m – 4.3 m falling away towards the conductor


text:
Balloon centrepieces Balloon centrepieces Melbourne Balloon centrepiece online Balloons for sale Party items 84
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text:
Join the Crime and Safety Committee held at the CNA Offices on Monday at 6:30pm.
We're excited to begin planning for our second annual Spring Clean-up event in the Cleveland Neighborhood. Come and help us plan and turn this into a wonderful community event. See you Monday as we get updates and begin planning!
Crime Updates and Community Concerns (6:30-7:00pm)
Spring Clean Up Planning May 7th (7:00-7:30pm)
If you have any questions please send us a quick reply email or call 612-588-1155
- May 02, 2016 at 6:30pm – 8pm
Cleveland Neighborhood Association
3333 Penn Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55412
United States
Google map and directions
- 12 people are going
Ariah Fine
Who's RSVPing
Larry Wiesner


text:
In this hour, you'll learn about how images can be linked to Web pages and how to add some visual interactivity to a linked image.
Linked images and image mapping have been around on the Web for a long time. These techniques use standard HTML and have been available since around 1993, when the earliest of the visual browsers became available.


text:
Opera House, Manchester
Until Sat 22nd October 2016
Written by Carol Harrison
Directed by Tony McHale
Review by Mark Hazard
Here we go with another bloody 'jukebox musical'. At least we get to hear some classic songs played live. But that's about it. I went to see the show with a friend who actually saw the band live, in the 1960s (and even jumped on their car bonnet once), and she thought this show was rubbish (but she did enjoy hearing the songs, which is something). Opening with a bang, the curtain rises, and the band are in full flow, belting out 'Rolling Over', and getting things off to a cracking start. Tim Edwards looks the spitting (and snarling) image of the young Steve Marriott, and has all the required onstage energy, moves, and barely-contained aggression. The song halts mid-way, as Steve loses his cool, and attempts to smash his guitar over the keyboards, but is frozen mid swing. So, the stage is set, and wandering in from the auditorium like a drunken, lank-haired Denis Waterman (not a pretty sight, I grant you), comes the older Steve (played with music hall gusto by a twinkly-eyed, semi psychotic Chris Simmons). Older Steve is our guide to the story of The Small Faces, and provides a cheery, half-sloshed account of the familiar rags-to-riches tale of four East End kids who came together to create the archetypal 'Mod' band.
The set looks like a 1960s East End back yard, although far more garishly-lit and cheerful, suggesting we're in "gotta sing, gotta dance" OTT musical theatre land. Unfortunately we were. Everything about this show is brash, larger-than-life, with caricature performances, broad humour, and knockabout slapstick. Daniel Beales plays a range of characters, in a variety of (intentionally, one hopes) ill-fitting wigs, and provides some much-needed belly laughs with affectionate portraits of Tony Blackburn, Sonny Bono, and eccentric genius Stanley Unwin. It's all very entertaining, energetic, and easy on the eye, but a little lazy. There's no attempt to understand the various personalities, nor any analysis of their DNA, motivations, or psychology. As expected, the focus is on the multi-talented Steve Marriott, but it's a thinly-sketched character. We're presented with a stereotypically cheeky, impish cockney kid, setting fires in school wastepaper baskets, and larking about at the expense of his education. Marriott is keen to do his own thing – raucous, loud, ear-splitting rhythm 'n blues, and gets a little miffed when ordered by his gangster of a manager, Don Arden (a blustering, menacing Russell Floyd) to sing more commercial 'poppy' stuff such as 'Sha La La La Lee'. The thing is, though, that we never really get in to Marriott's (or anybody else's) head. Simmons' Older Steve is the real star of the show, giving glimpses of darkness, and irrepressible energy, and almost saves the day with a final symbolic/surreal confrontation with his brassy harridan of a mother, Kay (played with Barbara Windsor-esque restraint by writer Carole Harrison) which looks wildly out of place in such a brash circus of a production. This is basically a tribute band evening, which is no bad thing if that's your can of Pepsi Max, but so many shows like this miss huge opportunities. Immense talents like Steve Marriott deserve so much more than a rehash of hit songs, and a perfunctory history lesson. What made the man tick? What's the macro story? Rather than a chirpy, brightly-coloured, Willy Wonka style makeover of an episode of EastEnders, why not dig deeper, and wider? Add some depth. Use the strengths of live theatre. Oh, and we end with a sing-a-long, with Older Steve acting as ringmaster to cajole the audience to their feet for a less than impromptu standing ovation. I stayed sitting, of course.


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Time to start shopping!
item: 5230035
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text:
The Montana Governor's Office of Economic Development is the state's lead organization to help businesses succeed in our state - and we take that mission to heart.
Whether you are interested in locating your business here, starting a new one, or expanding an existing business, we are ready and able to assist you. Let one of our team members answer any questions you have, and direct you to the best resources available to help your venture succeed.
Contact us to get moving on your next big opportunity in Big Sky Country.
This is an exciting time for the state of Montana. We are experiencing strong business and employment growth, increasing wages, and expanding industries. Unemployment levels are nearly a full percentage point below the national average at 4 percent, and more Montanans are at work all across the state than ever before. Over the past few years, Montana has been consistently ranked among the top 10 in the nation for entrepreneurship, business climate, tax fairness, government responsibility, and income growth. Indeed, our state ranks within the top ten in nearly every economic category. While our economy and wages are growing in the private sector, in the public sector we are cutting waste, challenging every expense, aligning with the needs of the private sector, and eliminating unnecessary regulations and red tape.
New numbers from the US Department of Commerce show the Treasure state filled its coffers with $1.5 billion worth of merchandise exports, a better total than in 2013.
"Smart Girls" co-founder Meredith Walker is the keynote speaker at the governor's second Equal Pay Summit April 10 and 11 at Montana Tech.
Montana women leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), women entrepreneurs, and Gov. Steve Bullock, First Lady Lisa Bullock, and Lt. Gov. Angela McLean will also speak.
Governor Steve Bullock and the Montana Ambassadors today announced the 2014 honorees that have made an outstanding contribution to economic development in Montana.


text:
He was just a lil' fellah
Right around this time of year, my wife and I get pretty sad. This is when Paul James was suppose to have been born if he had made it to term. Instead, the little boy who never even saw the light of day now is in a special part of Heaven.
For years my wife never understood why God took Paul James from us. Literally, for decades my wife never understood why. Until recently.
Awhile back... out of nowhere, she quietly sobbed to me, but very matter of factly said "now I know why God took Paul James. If he'd have lived, he would have wanted to be like you and joined the Marines. He would have gone to Iraq and been killed in combat. God knew that I would never have been able to handle that. And that's why God took Paul James as a baby."
And I'm absolutely convinced that The Holy Ghost touched my wife one day and let her know exactly why we lost our son. Like the old saying goes - God never gives us more than we can handle.
It may take days, years... even decades to understand why God does what He does. Maybe not even in this lifetime. But there's a reason for everything.
As I say at the end of my daily Rosary - "Paul James, my son who occupies that special part of Heaven, pray for me son, your father. Pray for your mother, pray for your sister. Pray for all members of your family, son."


text:
Instagram Contest
One complimentary access to all APCO 2016 Professional Development session recordings. Winner will be provided an access code to view or download sessions. Current value $200. We will select one winner for the best photo and one winner for the best video.
Contest Rules
Only followers of @apcointernational will be eligible to win. To enter, snap a photo or video, tag #apco2016 and make sure your Instagram account is not private. All entries must be received starting Friday, August 12, 2016 through 2:00 p.m. ET Wednesday, August 17, 2016 in order to be eligible. Entries received after 2:00 p.m. ET Wednesday, August 17, 2016 will not be included in the selection process. APCO reserves the right to use all photos or videos for future marketing purposes as well as remove any posts that are inappropriate. Winners will be notified through @apcointernational and announced at the Connect & Celebrate Dinner. You do not have to be present to win. There is no limit to the number of entries per entrant during the entry period. The odds of winning a prize depend on the total number of eligible entries received.
The contest is open to attendees and exhibitors registered for APCO 2016. Participation in the promotion/contest constitutes entrant's full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules. No reproduced images will be accepted, it must be an original.
Notification of Winners
Winners will be notified via their Instagram account, on @apcointernational and announced publicly at the Connect & Celebrate Dinner on Wednesday, August 17, 2016. The winners have seven (7) business days after selection to provide a valid email address and contact information to firstname.lastname@example.com. APCO International will respond to winners via e-mail with process to claim prize. If selected winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to claim a prize and/or where applicable an affidavit of eligibility and publicity/liability release is not timely received, is incomplete or modified, prize may be forfeited and an alternate winner may be selected from remaining valid, eligible entries timely submitted. In the event of a dispute regarding who submitted an entry, the entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the Instagram account specified in the entry.
Per Instagram rules, we must mention this is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram's term of use.


text:
See Some Spoiler-y Photos From This Week's SNL Digital Short
You can probably guess where this is headed.
Justin Timberlake is the host, so you can probably guess where this is headed: a "Dick in the Box"–"Motherlover" reunion. (Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson were also spotted filming, so it's probably related to the latter.) TMZ has all the threepeat photos, if you are so inclined.


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Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 126990
system-config-display does not properly configure laptop projector, and emits error
Last modified: 2007-11-30 17:10:45 EST
We are having problems with our hp vp6100 projector resolution
settings when connecting it to our notebooks (ranging in makes and
models from dell to fujitsu-siemens). As soon as we plug it into our
machines, it only offers a 640x480 resolution. It does however
support all resolutions up to 1280x1024 as well as the range of
frequencies that is set for the spesific machines. Also have to
mention that it works without hassles in other operating systems?!
The following fixes were recommended by xorg -
1. edit xorg.conf and comment out the frequency ranges
2. restart with the projector connected
To no avail. We tested both the original xorg.conf and the editted
version, but the projector only offers 640x480.
Sounds like this machine has Intel i8xx video hardware present in
it. Could you please attach your xorg.conf and X server log file
from a failed attempt?
Thanks in advance.
Got the problem fixed on the Fujitsu machines - the machine(s) that
still gives the problem are Dell Laptops.
I've in the mean time gone through your recommendations that has to do
with xpdyinfo and ddcprobe - and the results on the dell are that the
screen size is calculated at 542x406mm. The calculation is correct if
you work at 75x75dpi - but the dpi is far higher though in real terms.
Where can I set these values and try to fix the problem??
ddcprobe failed as the LCD screen probably does not support it...
If there is a real bug present here which we need to investigate,
once you've attached the files I've requested in comment #1 above
I can look into the problem further.
You may wish to join some of the Red Hat or X related mailing lists
however if you require technical assistance or configuration help.
Created attachment 101534 [details]
Xorg log and xorg.conf
please find attached the Xorg.0.log as well as the xorg.conf files as
requested... thx..
Your config file is configured to force it to only use 640x480,
which is why that resolution is the only one you're seeing available.
Please run "system-config-display --reconfig" and generate a new
config file from scratch. Test this file without editing it by
hand, and it should work.
If it doesn't, please attach the new X server config file and log
file as individual uncompressed file attachments, one attachment
per file.
Thanks in advance.
Just to illustrate the problem a bit more clearly, here's the
flawed config file section:
Section "Screen"
SubSection "Display" <-
Viewport 0 0 <-
Depth 16 <-
Modes "640x480" <---- 640x480 right here
EndSubSection <-
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1600x1200" "1400x1050" "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1024x768"
"800x600" "640x480"
Additionally, the log file you've attached, shows it is using
1600x1200x24bit depth. Did you attach the correct log file and
config file above from a non-working setup?
Created attachment 101535 [details]
xconf.py script that causes error
The specific subsection in question was removed in one of the testing sessions,
with still the same results.
I've just rerun system-config-display... resulting in an error -
File "/usr/share/system-config-display/xconf.py", line 412, in ?
NameError: name 'hardware_state' is not defined
I've checked the script - "xconf.py" - hardware_state is also used in other
areas, which do not cause any problems?! I've also checked the script on
another machine (server box) and they are identical - running it causes the
same error... I'm attaching the xconf.py for your input...
That's a bug in system-config-display or it's deps, not an xorg-x11
bug. Reassigning to system-config-display component.
the log file and conf files are both from the same dell laptop giving
the problem and abovementioned error. should I force the resolution
to 1024x768 in xorg.conf, reconnect to the projector and create a new
log file?? the previous log file was copied minutes after we
disconnected from the projector - without any changes to xorg.conf or
the resolution settings....
We need the log and config file from the configuration that is
causing the problem. By examining the log file of the X server
which is not working properly, and comparing it with the config file,
it helps to determine wether it is a legitimate bug, or wether it
is just a configuration issue or limitation of the implementation,
or some other problem.
For ease of viewing, please attach the files as individual
uncompressed files, and we'll review them for troubleshooting
once you've updated the report.
Thanks for the report.
Created attachment 101719 [details]
Xorg conf file
here is the conf file for xorg...
Created attachment 101720 [details]
X - log file
the log file attached is one that was created from booting with the projector
connected. the dell resolution was set at 1024x768...
Can you retest with FC3t3 or the most recent FC2
system-config-display erratum
run system-config-display --reconfig when the projector is attached -
attach the generated config
Does the hardware_state error occur when you do that?
Reporter, please reopen if this is still an issue with FC3 or later.


text:
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text:
Webster M. Smith
, 22, would become the first cadet court-martialed on such charges in the academy's history. Seven female cadets accused him of misconduct ranging from rape to improper touching.
Cmdr. Steven Anderson , who presided over a two-day hearing on the charges last week, issued his report and recommendations to the academy and Smith's attorneys Tuesday.
Rear Adm. James C. Van Sice , the academy superintendent, was reviewing the report and would meet with a legal adviser Wednesday, academy spokesman David French said. The report is confidential, he said, because it is only a series of recommendations that are not binding.
"It seems like a well thought out article," said Lt. Stuart Kirkby , one of Smith's attorneys, who said he received an electronic copy of Anderson's report but would not discuss its contents.
If Van Sice, the academy superintendent, opts to court-martial Smith, the trial likely would be held at the academy, officials said. Van Sice could also dismiss the charges or call for a less serious penalty, such as a special court-martial or an administrative hearing called a captain's mast.
Van Sice has several months to decide, but Anderson suggested last week that time was an issue because many witnesses will graduate this spring and report for assignments around the country.
The most serious charge against Smith, rape, involves a woman whom witnesses described as his on-again, off-again girlfriend. Testimony centered on a night of drinking in Annapolis, Md. One friend testified that the alleged victim passed out and was shocked to learn the next morning that she and Smith had had sex.
Smith remains enrolled at the school, is working on campus and has been barred from contact with other cadets.
The academy, founded in 1876, is the smallest U.S. federal service academy with an enrollment of about 980 cadets. Women represent about 30 percent of Coast Guard Academy cadets, compared to less than 20 percent at the Air Force and Naval Academies and about 15 percent at West Point.


text:
Current Project: Gray Destiny
Players initially control a man named William, who inherits a mansion following the mysterious death of his aunt and uncle, along with the unexplained disappearance of their daughter. What at first seems to be a blessing, may prove to be a curse, however, as upon your arrival you discover that "something terrible" seems to have happened there.
As you cautiously explore the abandoned building in an attempt to discover the truth behind the fate of the family, you will need to "solve puzzles, riddles and follow the clues" to proceed, but must also be aware that "you are not alone in that mansion."
Part of the game takes place in darkness, with just the beam of your flashlight showing the way, though daytime scenes will be playable as well. You'll also have another source of light that is integral to your investigation, as "there are clues, areas, puzzles, enemies and hints only visible when you use your UV light."
The game features some intense scenes involving Quick Time Events to evade, counter, or complete various actions. However, this will not be the main focus of the gameplay, as your wits will be your primary tool in avoiding the entity that haunts the mansion.
The Team
We are a small team of only two developers that work hard towards our goal of becoming an established studio and expanding our team in the future.
We handle everything from creating our assets and models to developing the games, marketing our projects, expanding our fan base and maintain the social media channels.
Most of the times these tasks seem to cause the burnout effect, but we always remember this is our passion and we are driven by it. Each step we take towards completing a project, restores our powers and sparks new ideas in our brains.
Our team is based in Targu Mures, Romania, which is a small town in the center of the country. Although not many people heard about this small town, we are trying to bring it on the gaming industry map.
We hope to succeed in this competitive industry and launch as many titles as we possibly can that will amaze our fans.


text:
2 Broke Girls stars Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs have come to the defense of Lindsay Lohan following rumors suggesting the actress was a "train wreck" while filming her cameo on the hit comedy series.
The Mean Girls star shot a guest spot on the popular sitcom last week (10Mar14), playing an indecisive soon-to-be bride who asks cash-strapped roommates, Dennings and Behrs, to make her wedding cake.
However shortly after shooting, an audience member took to the Internet to write a blog post, calling Lohan's appearance a "train wreck", alleging she repeatedly fumbled her lines and didn't "take the job seriously".
However Dennings has since taken to Twitter.com to shut down the blogger's allegations and praised Lohan for her work, writing, "This article is complete bulls**t. Lindsay was prepared, sweet to everyone, & professional. Not nice to spread lies."
Behrs later adds, "This article isn't true. I second @OfficialKat. @lindsaylohan was kind to everyone, professional and knew her s**t."
Lohan's episode is slated to air on 14 April (14).


text:
By Jeremy Carlisle
During my Grand Rapids, Michigan visit last week, I had the opportunity to take a drive down to nearby Kalamazoo, Michigan to visit the most amazing Air Zoo Museum. Kalamazoo is also the home of someone I came across on Twitter and who has been a valued follower/supporter.
Along with my acquaintance with this valued supporter, I didn't realize that over time how much the aviation community has grown substantially in West Michigan, thanks to Western Michigan University (WMU) and the efforts of the person I am about to introduce. (Also noting the new Aviation High School I saw being installed right next to Ford Airport/GRR shortly before my untimely departure.) Because of the advancement of the aviation community and also my trip to "The Zoo" this past week, I decided to make Josh Blain this week's TUESDAY TWEETER.
Follow him at
|Photo Courtesy of Josh Blain
More about Josh:
Love Aviation, Airlines, and Airplanes. Pilot- CSEL CMEL CSES. Manage social media for AHP and Western Michigan University College of Aviation. AKA: The Flying Nice Jewish Boy.
Thank you Josh for following this website on Twitter. Your support not only to this site but the greater West Michigan Aviation community is greatly appreciated. Have an awesome time at OSH13 and I hope to see, if not fly with you, during the next visit to West Michigan very soon!


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In honor of renown thespian Steven Seagal's birthday we share with you this collection of quotes from my favorite film from the Seagal oeuvre – Hard to Kill.
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In honor of renown thespian Steven Seagal's birthday we share with you this collection of quotes from my favorite film from the Seagal oeuvre – Hard to Kill.
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For his latest director Steven Spielberg returns to the theater of war, but in a far more family friendly way than Saving Private Ryan. War Horse centers around the relationship between a young man (Jeremy Irvine) and his horse, separated by the war, both trying to survive and make it back to each other. If it sounds like Lassie Goes to War, it is, except in this case Lassie is a horse (and Timmy falls into WWI instead of a well).
For the second time in a matter of weeks Spielberg delivers a somewhat disappointing film. War Horse doesn't have the same problem as The Adventures of Tintin, having no real heart at the middle of the story, but it is overly sentimental and far, far too much like a Lassie film than I assume the director planned to make.
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Hollywood's gotten a little ironic as of late. With throwbacks to the cheese of yesteryear – The Expendibles, Piranha 3D and Predators, just in the past two months – the studios have been willing to play with low-brow entertainment while winking at the audience. But like Snakes on a Plane proved, making a bad movie good isn't as easy as it seems, and those aforementioned aforementioned movies worked to varying degrees (godsend Piranha 3D aside).
So how does Machete, a movie with the unpublicized catchphrase "You just fucked with the wrong Mexican," fulfill fanboy dreams of silly cinema? Pretty well, it turns out.
[click to continue…]
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So we tried to record and upload our Groundhog Day episode on actual Groundhog Day, but well… epic fail on our part. At least, we made it to the same month.
Movie Synopsis: Bill Murray plays a cynical weatherman named Phil who is tasked with covering the Groundhog Day festival in Punxatawney PA. Everything seems normal at first. He covers the festival and has to stay in the town for an extra day due to a freak snow storm. However, he wakes up the next day and its… Groundhog Day again. He goes to sleep the next night and its… groundhog day again. The day is repeating itself over and over and over and only Phil can tell.
This is Bill Murray's best role, in my opinion. He gives some depth and character to a role that much have been quite challenging due to the flow of time in the movie (movies are usually filmed out of order). This is a classic that everyone should see more than once. It ironically stands up to multiple viewings quite well. If you haven't seen this, shame on you! Seriously, where have you been? Not knowing about this movie means you have a hole in your soul and you never even realized it!


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Larry Elliott points out that current economic indicators are so poor that Osborne has been presented with an opportunity to rethink bizarre and dangerous coalition strategy:
"the world economy is clearly slowing; both the OECD and the International Monetary Fund are now warning against over-aggressive tightening of policy; Britain's economy is both unbalanced and weakening; and in less than six weeks' time the government is planning to announce the biggest programme of spending cuts since the 1930s. Osborne has now been given a perfect excuse for moderating his plans. If he carries on regardless, he risks making the biggest economic blunder since John Major took Britain into the Exchange Rate Mechanism".
Osborne could reasonably (Osborne, reason? I know I know) argue that since the emergency Budget was announced in June, the economy has deteriorated to such an extent that austerity must be postponed. Probably safe to assume that the media would largely overlook the causation i.e. the Budget is principally to blame for collapsing confidence. That he won't pursue such a strategy confirms (again) the fundamentally ideological nature of the cuts.
Stephen Boyd


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When one or more body parts usually covered by a bathing suit are found to be hanging out of it. Commonly happens at the bottom of water slides or in areas where high surf conditions occur.
Whoa! That water slide was so huge, at the bottom I had to check my boobs to be sure I wasn't having an out of bathing suit experience.
by 3 card Monty June 05, 2009
buy the domain for your foodie blog


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Preview: Scotland v Australia
Off-field drama has elevated Saturday's clash between Scotland and the Wallabies in Edinburgh to new heights.
The Murrayfield Test had been an afterthought in the mind of most rugby supporters who keenly anticipate the encounters in Paris and Dublin on Saturday and Sunday.
However, the suspension of six Wallaby players – dubbed the "Dublin Six" – following a late-night drinking session last week has spiced up the match in no uncertain terms.
Even for a struggling side like Australia, they would have considered Saturday's showdown with the Scots as one of the 'easier' games of their end-of-year tour which has seen them play England (13-20), Italy (50-20) and Ireland (32-15) and concludes against Wales in Cardiff next weekend.
That's no longer the case as the afflicted Australians find themselves in disarray, with an injury to Matt Toomua further compounding their woes.
Despite being shut out by the Springboks last Sunday, the Scots suddenly pose a legitimate threat to a makeshift Wallaby outfit that show eight changes to the team that triumphed over Ireland last weekend.
Scotland have also been somewhat of a bogey side for the Wallabies in recent seasons; Australia have lost their last two outings against Scotland and last defeated the Scots seven years ago.
These facts could weigh further on the psyche of the visitors and coach Ewen McKenzie admits the weekend's match has turned into one of the most important games in his short and tumultuous time at the helm.
"It will be one of our greatest challenges, given we have a bunch of changes," McKenzie told AAP.
"The guys are going to be hungry for different reasons, so if you don't get the best out of them now I don't know when you will.
"This is a test of character for everyone, for all of us, the coaches, the whole lot. It will be an important moment."
Scotland have been forced to do introspection of a different kind this week following their 0-28 humbling by South Africa.
Their problems stemmed from their inability to match the Springboks' physicality and coach Scott Johnson has wielded the axe, making four changes to the pack.
A key man in the Scottish pack, line-out manager Jim Hamilton, will make his 50th Test appearance on Saturday and is determined to mark the milestone with a third consecutive win over the Wallabies.
"It's a massive honour and a huge milestone for me to look back on – it's one I want to be victorious in," Hamilton told BBC Scotland.
"Emotionally, it's going to be huge for me, but getting up for the game is never an issue. It's about making sure we get the detail right and that is all done in training."
The 31-year-old said they've put the disappointment of the Springbok game behind them and have focused on righting the wrongs in training this week.
"We were extremely down. We genuinely went into the game feeling that, if we got things right, we could go on and win," he said.
"Obviously, we saw a very good South Africa team but it was there for all to see – we just didn't get a foothold in the game.
"We lost five of the first six line-outs and they scored from two driving line-outs.
"With the runaway tries they got, it was fairly disappointing and we have to get over that quickly."
Players to watch:
For Scotland: Kelly Brown is back and regains the captaincy, with Johnnie Beattie also coming into the back row. Ross Ford's line-out throwing will come under scrutiny after South Africa dominated the set-piece, where new lock pairing Grant Gilchrist and Jim Hamilton will have to provide stability. Duncan Weir gets another opportunity at flyhalf and will have to give the hosts direction and mark the inform Quade Cooper closely.
For Australia: All eyes will be on the makeshift backline, which sees the return of some old faces, one fresh one and a questionable positional change. Mike Harris will play his first Test of the year at inside centre, with Christian Lealiifano moving into unfamiliar territory at outside centre. That these two are combing in midfield is a major gamble on McKenzie's part. Joe Tomane is back in the starting line-up and will be eager to stretch his legs, while Chris Feauai-Sautia will be out to impress in his run-on debut.
Head to head: The tactical battle between Greig Laidlaw and Will Genia will be tantalising and significant in the territorial stakes. Both men are leaders within their respective camps with complete skill sets and ample experience. Kelly Brown will have to lead by example as he goes up against Michael Hooper, who has been sublime this season. Finally, Jim Hamilton and James Horwill will meet in the line-outs and in the tight loose, which should make for an interesting duel.
Recent results:
2012: Scotland won 9-6, Newcastle
2009: Scotland won 9-8, Edinburgh
2006: Australia won 44-15, Edinburgh
2004: Australia won 31-17, Glasgow
2004: Australia won 31-14, Edinburgh
2004: Australia won 34-13, Sydney
2004: Australia won 35-15, Melbourne
Prediction: The Wallabies have made things difficult for themselves – making the visit to Murrayfield much more complicated than it ought to have been. Fortunately for them, they have been able to retain the pack that outmuscled the Irish and Scotland have just a six-day turnaround from their bruising defeat against the Springboks. The visitors will struggle to find synergy in a patched up backline, but like last weekend, their forwards should get them over the line. Wallabies by seven.
Scotland: 15 Sean Maitland, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Nick De Luca, 12 Duncan Taylor, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 Dave Denton, 7 Kelly Brown (captain), 6 John Beattie, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Moray Low, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Ryan Grant.
Replacements: 16 Pat MacArthur, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Euan Murray, 19 Jonny Gray, 20 Kieran Low, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Ruaridh Jackson, 23 Max Evans.
Australia: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Joe Tomane, 13 Christian Lealiifano, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben Mowen (captain), 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 James Horwill, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Sitaleki Timani, 20 Ben McCalman, 21 Nic White, 22 Nick Phipps, 23 Bernard Foley.
Date: Saturday, November 23
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 18.00 (18.00 GMT; 05.00, Sunday, November 24 AEDT)
Expected weather: Partly cloudy then overcast but no rain. High of 6°C and low of 1°C. Winds from the North West at 8 km/h.
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Pascal Gauzere (France) and Francisco Pastrana (Argentina)
TMO: Geoff Warren (England)
By Quintin van Jaarsveld


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Putting Copper-Infused Products To The Test
Plenty has been done within healthcare organizations across the country to reduce the spread of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Measures such as readily accessible hand-washing sinks have been put in place, and facilities are tracking staff compliance, too. But human processes have limits, says Dr. Gene Burke, vice president and executive medical director, clinical effectiveness, Sentara Healthcare (Norfolk, Va.).
While his organization saw a 10-fold reduction in the incidence rate of HAIs thanks to such approaches, Sentara was looking for even more improvement in its 11 acute care hospitals in Virginia.
In February 2012, as Sentara was getting ready to start construction on a new replacement facility for Sentara Leigh Hospital (Norfolk, Va.), the organization was approached by EOS Surfaces (Norfolk, Va.) and Cupron (Richmond, Va.) about taking part in a research study to measure the efficacy of their antimicrobial copper-infused hard surface and linen products. "We'd pretty much exhausted the reach of human process," Burke says. "Looking for the next step, we thought this was going to be a possible answer, so we agreed to find a way for them to test [these products] in a real-world hospital environment."
Sentara's multi-phased construction project included a new 129-bed tower, so the organization decided to introduce the copper-infused products here while maintaining status quo in the existing wing.
Opening in November 2013, the new tower's patient care areas, including nursing units, visitor lounges, and patient rooms, have been outfitted with copper-infused countertops, bed rails, and bed tables, which have been EPA-approved to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria in less than two hours.
In early 2014, the hospital will also introduce copper-infused hospital gowns, pillowcases, and towels in the new tower. In addition, a smaller study is being conducted at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (Norfolk, Va.), where two side-by-side critical care units that share the same nursing staff will test the fabrics in one unit for six months before switching them to the other unit for another six months.
As part of its evaluation, Sentara will look at infection rates—such as urinary catheter-associated and central line blood stream infections—to see if there's a decrease in their development and whether there's a dip in the number of antibiotics prescribed as a result of HAIs. "It's data that every hospital has about itself, because we all report it to the federal government," Burke says. "That way, two years from now, a hospital out there can take the data they already have, look at this experience, and know this stuff will make a difference or not in their world."
Sentara plans to conduct a year-long study at both facilities and share the data with the industry in early 2015.


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The war of electronic reading devices is at its peak and has taken a strange turn not seen in many other rivalries. Even if you give in and buy an iOS device instead of an Amazon Kindle or Barnes and Noble Nook, you can still be a patron to these companies by using their free iPhone or iPad apps.
Below we'll take a quick look at the three big names in book reading: iBooks, Kindle and Nook. I'll give you my opinion of each based on a number of comparable factors like interface, features and shopping experience so you can decide which is best for you.
We'll start with the app that should be right at home iOS: Apple's own iBooks. Just like the other competitors, this app is free to download and provides plenty of free material so you can thoroughly try it out without committing through book purchases.
Sign Up Process
The iBooks sign up process takes the gold because it simply uses the iTunes account that you needed to download the app in the first place. So you're already signed up and ready to go, even if you've never used the app before.
The iBooks library is shown as a beautifully rendered bookshelf. Sometimes Apple can get pretty lame with their psuedo-realistic interfaces but I think they knocked it out of the park with this one.
If you don't like the book shelf view, you can also view your books in a simple but attractive searchable/sortable list.
Apple wins this battle hands down. As you'll see below, I hated the shopping experience provided by the other apps, which merely send you to Safari and don't even have the courtesy of a built-in webkit browser.
The iBooks store on the other hand, is an in-app feature that looks, feels and operates just like the excellent App Store that you're familiar with.
Kindle and Nook really need to take notes in this area because this is probably the single biggest user experience disparity I came across in my tests.
Reading Experience
The iBooks interface is, not surprisingly, a book. The content is split up into two columns with a crease down the center and an illustrated book frame.
Along the bottom there's a little square and a timeline that allows you to quickly jump to any page of the book. The top left corner holds buttons for the table of contents and library while the top right corner contains options for adjusting the brightness, font size, and typeface along with a search and bookmark feature.
All of the apps that we'll look at today allow you to make a text selection and then perform various actions. iBooks provides a simple popup that gives you the option to cop the word, look it up in the dictionary, highlight a passage, make a note or create a search string.
After using some of the competing apps below, I came to dislike the faux-book interface that iBooks forces you into. It seems a little crowded by comparison and really eats up a lot of valuable screen real-estate. Tapping the center of the screen makes the controls go away, but the frame is still present.
I think it's great that Apple is going all out to simulate the book experience but I really wish they provided users with an alternate, minimal viewing option without the fluff.
The next competitor is Kindle, no small name in electronic reading. Did Amazon honor their good reputation with their iOS app or did they merely spit out an inferior product hoping you'll trash that iPad and pick up an actual Kindle? Let's find out.
Sign Up Process
Before you do anything with the Kindle app, you have to sign up for an account. I was fortunately able to log in with my existing Amazon account so the process was fairly pain free and should only take a minute.
The Kindle library shows book covers in an icon view like iBooks, only on top of an illustration instead of a bookshelf. Also like iBooks, you can view your books in an alternate list form.
I don't like this graphic nearly as much as I liked the Apple bookcase. In fact, it feels like a placeholder image that I should be able to replace with a wallpaper from my iPad's library. Unfortunately, this feature is not present. If Amazon is clever enough to add it in the future, it would instantly remove any qualms people have with the this part of the interface as they could create and share their own bookshelves and other graphics.
The Kindle does have a nice system that lets you "Archive" books that you're finished with. This removes them from your grid but stores them in a different area in case you want to go back and read them later.
As I mentioned above, the store is a huge let down. Tapping the store button in the upper right takes you to Amazon.com in Safari where you can purchase and download books, which in my experience frequently error upon sending them to the Kindle app, forcing you to find the "Manage my Kindle" page to have it re-sent.
Since purchasing books is the primary behavior they want users to engage in, Amazon should take the time to integrate this experience into the app and make it a stellar one.
Reading Experience
Despite the horrible shopping experience, the Kindle app has an excellent reading experience. While you're reading, there's nothing to distract you but a bookmark feature and a home button. Everything else is hidden until you tap the center of the screen to pull it up and there's no annoying book theme like we saw on iBooks.
The hidden controls mentioned above include a basic search feature, a table of contents/extras panel (notes, marks, etc), and a text customization feature that allows you to choose from six different font sizes, three different themes, two different layouts (single or double column) and also includes a slider for adjusting the screen brightness.
Selecting a word in the Kindle app automatically brings up the definition at the bottom (a great feature) with Google and Wikipedia links and the options to make a note or highlight appear over the selection.
As much as I hate going through the process to purchase them, I actually really like reading books on the Kindle. It's a great app that provides a nearly perfect reading experience. My one complaint is that it takes three taps to adjust the screen brightness. E-reader underdog Stanza has a much better process for this and allows you to just slide your finger vertically anywhere on the screen.
The final app in our competition is Nook from Barnes and Noble. The Nook devices are closer to the iPad's rich full color interactivity, let's see how the app fares.
Sign Up
The sign up process for Nook is almost exactly like that of the Kindle, except that many users will likely not have an existing account as they do with Amazon so it tends to take a bit longer.
The Nook library has the largest book icons of the three apps and opts for a solid color rather than a distracting background image. You can rate each book right from this screen and there are some handy book suggestions with the option to download.
The Nook list view blows away that of the other two apps by including lots of information and options all displayed right up front without digging through submenus.
As with the Kindle store, tapping the "shop" button takes you out of the app completely and into Safari. I've already ranted about how poor the experience is with this technique so I won't say much beyond that unless Apple is blocking these developers to from doing so, including an integrated store is an absolute must.
Reading Experience
As with the Kindle app, the Nook reading interface is fairly minimal, this time giving you the ability to hide all on-screen controls. When you tap the center to bring them up, the interface still stays very sleek and efficient.
The default text size feels smaller than the other apps and when you enlarge it, you unfortunately lose the two-column interface. I think they should give the users the option to decide whether or not to view one or two columns instead of forcing them into one or the other.
The other text customization options allow you to choose the line spacing, justification, font, and color scheme. You can even choose from a bunch of pre-built color schemes. Other options include screen brightness and margin.
When you select a word in Nook, you get the option to highlight it, add a note, search the dictionary or look it up on Google/Wikipedia.
I really liked the minimal reading experience and thorough options provided by Nook. Since it was such a similar experience to Kindle, it'll definitely be a close call!
Now comes the part you're really interested in, which should you use? Before I tell you which to download, let's go over the variables and present the winners.
To make this easy, I'll declare iBooks the winner of almost every category. The sign up process is non-existant because we all have App Store accounts, the library is gorgeous and the shopping experienced is unmatched.
However, this competition isn't so easy to call. First of all, despite the visual advantage of iBooks, Nook comes out the clear winner in library functionality. Further, in my opinion, both Kindle and Nook provide a better reading experience than iBooks simply because they don't force you to look at that silly fake book all day.
So which one do I recommend? Predictably, I'm going to tell you to try iBooks first. This isn't because I'm an Apple fanatic but because my reason for not liking it (the book interface) is extremely subjective. You might absolutely love the book frame. If you do, why not go with the reader that wins everywhere else?
If you don't like the book frame, I recommend that you check out Nook. this was a hard choice because I really hate that Nook goes messing with my columns when I adjust the text size. However, Nook has a better library, a super minimal reading interface and more customization options that Kindle.
Further, Nook has a killer feature that I didn't even mention above: book lending. This awesome idea allows you to actually loan digital books to friends (limited to 14 days) just like you would with a real book. Since I'm a cheap skate who hates paying full-price for books when they're free at the library, the ability to just grab a book from a friend really appeals to me. Plus I'm a sucker for innovation and that's simply a stellar feature.
One lame part about Nook is that the iPhone and iPad apps are separate. With the others you get a single universal app and I'm not sure why Barnes and Noble didn't do the same.
Kindle is a really close competitor though so if you like simplicity in your feature set, a two-column reading format and an effortless dictionary feature, skip Nook entirely and download Kindle instead.
What Do You Think?
To sum up, the three popular reading apps are pretty close in features and overall experience. So close that choosing between them is inevitably a matter of splitting hairs. My conclusions are admittedly pretty subjective but I kept my logic clear so you can decide which is best for you depending on what you find important.
Leave a comment below and let us know which book-reading app you can't live without. I intentionally kept this as a battle between the big three but there are plenty of other great apps out there like Stanza that can easily take on these guys in many respects. Let us know what you think!