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Last Updated on July 07, 2021
This Privacy Policy governs the manner in which ABP Pvt. Ltd. (ABP) collects, uses, maintains and discloses information collected from users (each, a "User") in respect of the Sites and Mobile Applications and all internet and mobile based products and services offered by ABP Pvt. Ltd. (www.anandabazar.com, www.telegraphindia.com, www.abpeducation.com)
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ABP Pvt Ltd.
6, Prafulla Sarkar Street
Kolkata 700001


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Gerhard Richter: Atlas
Helmut Friedel
Thames & Hudson
Gerhard Richter has recently celebrated his 80th birthday, and with a major show at Tate Modern, the artist is everywhere. Thames & Hudson's revised collection, Atlas (from the rare and out of print 1997 version) is a survey of photographs, collages and sketches from 1962 to 2006.
This book provides insight into Richter's method and process; giving readers a unique glimpse into the artist's working practice. Atlas was largely compiled by Richter, making it an artefact in its own right by offering an ongoing dialogue between the artist and his work.
Through a chronological timeline, this book explores the development of Richter's work, and the quintessential role that photography and the collection of found images played in his oeuvre. The only downside to this title is that some of the works appear small, however at 862 pages, it would be impossible to produce this many images in large-format. Atlas is an excellent addition to your existing Richter collection.
Shirley Stevenson

subset: commoncrawl


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Then, we grew up, got older and did our own things... Not living with one another sure brought us closer and helped us appreciate one another more.
So, when my bro let me know that he was heading back to school, and just got his very own single apartment, I couldn't wait to give him a hand getting settled in.
College kids aren't always blessed with fabulous incomes, high end living or endless amounts of time to work on their spaces {well, some are I suppose... but that is not the case with this post today}. In fact, my brother has a very limited income, a pet who he considers his best friend and he is ready to study and begin his second year of school full time. That meant finding a super inexpensive apartment that would allow for him leave our parent's nest and to move in with his dog. With limited time and money, he found a place to call his own for the next year, and once he moved in boxes upon boxes of belongings, he was a little overwhelmed with what to do next....
The apartment was a small space in the upstairs of a very very old home. Un-level wood floors, plaster walls, outdated appliances and no separate bedroom ... The perfect candidate for my brother, and a makeover!
A makeover on a budget with a little saved up cash, hand me downs from his big sis, a kind sponsor {more on that later} and a landlord that gave us the thumbs up to paint.
But before we could get started with the projects and painting, we had to have a plan. My brother moved in everything he has accumulated since he was born. That is right, my parents sent him off with boxes upon boxes of items from his childhood, including race tracks, board games, a bin of collected rocks {true story}, Matchbox cars and Lincoln Logs. YAY for my parents having the ability to say goodbye of the things they don't want cluttering up their home... boo to the fact that they ended up in the super small apartment.
Of course, these photos make for super fabulous before pictures, but this is what it was. It is a true vision of what happens when there are no effective storage pieces in place, no planned layout, an overwhelming feeling and too many things in too small of a space.
Let's chat about time. When I returned back from our family vacation, my brother let me know he was going to start school exactly a week later. And we both agreed, that in order for him to thrive and get off to a great start, that the apartment should be done. Cleaned, purged, organized, painted and put back together. Not an easy task, we would need a little help. So, I called in my handy hubs to help, and my parents to play with the kiddos so we could tackle the space in fast forward mode. That is tip number one when tackling any project of this magnitude: Don't do it alone. Ask friends and family to help in any way they can, it is far less overwhelming that way.
The first couple of hours that we got together, we purged down majority of the boxes to just the basics. At first, he had a hard time saying goodbye to things. Then, he wanted to sell everything. It took some convincing to remind him that this was not only a fresh start, but also a small place. That majority of the boxes contained items he hadn't seen in years, and would be OK without. That selling everything would be an extremely time consuming process, and that with school quickly approaching, it may be a better idea to sell some of the larger items that had a little value {his extra TV, some extra seating, etc...}, and donate the rest. He came around. When my hubs and I left the first day, we told him that he had three days to get through every. single. box. Tip number two: Be realistic about your time. Purge items in a way that makes sense and set time limits and goals.
Once items were purged, my brother and I worked over the phone to determine the remaining storage needs, and planned a shopping trip as a bit of a reward for all of the hard work. Items we addressed: bedding, a work area, clothing storage, media storage and a few finishing touches. This of course, is always my favorite part. Tip number three: Reward your efforts. Whether a trip to a local frozen yogurt joint or a shopping trip for a few new items, that hard work purging and condensing deserves a high five!
Although we did a bit of shopping, we also had to be resourceful. Remember, we had a limited budget. We used hand-me-downs, many of his existing furniture pieces, some inexpensive purchases and had very limited time to get uber creative {so not much time to scour thrift stores for the perfect pieces, etc...} Of course, I always love a makeover that is magazine and drool worthy, but this is real life stuff and was intended to be practical and useful.
His landlord was a peach and said we could paint! This was music to my ears, as I knew it would instantly give the place a fresh face lift.
And now for the magical blog after pictures. After a combined 18 hours of work over four different visits, here is what we ended up with:
The tray was a simple white platter that received some vinyl love to bring in a smidge of color.
The entry opens into his kitchen, which was originally the dumping ground for the majority of his belongings.
In this room, I started out by priming and painting his previous oak table. The legs are the same leftover basement wall paint that I also used on the entry dresser {Behr's Reflecting Pool} and the top is chalkboard paint. His favorite colors are black and blue, so I made sure to bring those colors in as often as possible, and no more fun way to go with black, than by using chalkboard paint!
Although in the photos, the table is designed for a quick bite of breakfast or dinner, I imagine him also being able to invite some friends over for games, and using the chalkboard tabletop as an awesome built in way to keep score...
The back corner seemed to be lacking in storage, so I added a floating shelf {also landlord approved, it's always important to check into that before just assuming}.
The shelf and brackets were just a couple of dollars from IKEA, and really use the wall space nicely. The below curtain was my quickie no-sew way of using some of our leftover fabric {from the boy's headboard project}, to conceal his oversized vacuum.
Of course, I wanted to paint the cabinets and add a tile backsplash, but he will most likely only be living there a year and it is a rental, so I had to be selective about how I spent his money.
Another inexpensive shelf above the sink added some additional storage, as did adding a rail to hang his utensils {to free up some counter space}. Sometimes, the small touches, like the soap dispenser, make the biggest differences.
When he moved in, he popped his bed up on slats that were too m m long, used childhood bedding and had a garment rack to store his clothing. After I got my paws on the space, he was left with an armoire closet, a workspace and some inexpensive bedding that made a world of difference!
Since we found a small parson's desk {$50 from Walmart}, another cheapo shelf from IKEA above, doubled his surface/storage space. The top shelf is great for holding all of his school books, allowing him to use the desk for homework.
The bed is on risers to allow for him to gain even more storage. That meant that the few things that did stay, were able to be tucked under his bed, and also stashed in a few bins that were stacked and now double as a hidden nightstand for his lamp {which was a spray painted hand-me-down}.
The bedding was $25 from Target and the throw pillow was a bit of a splurge at around $15, but it made a great deal of difference and added in some nice color. I was quite happy that they had a lot of back-to-college sales and deals.
On the other side of the room, he had some hand-me-down lamps and lacked electronic storage...
The chest of drawers was found on sale at Kirklands and was the perfect "manly" addition, and now houses all of his electronics, movies and games. I think it is by far our favorite item in the whole apartment.
Kirkland's actually worked with me to help "Ace His Space", and sponsored a few of the purchases, including the chest of drawers, more on that in an upcoming post so stay tuned for that and an awesome giveaway coming soon!
There were so many challenges to this space, like baseboard heaters {which can be turned on individually so there is no worrying about the electronics against the one wall}, the lack of built in storage {zero closets in this space}, un-level floors and walls {everything had to be shimmed}, a total of two rooms to act as five different types of spaces {kitchen, dining, office, bedroom and living room} but in the end, it all pulled together. Whew.
The most important part of the process was to be able to provide him with items that he would be able to continue to take with him place after place. Paint was the only thing we did that can't move with him in the future, and that was kindly reimbursed by the landlord.
So, that is what I was up to last week. How about you? Anyone do a complete space overhaul in a very short amount of time or have a pesky younger sibling that you would now doing anything for? What other tips do you have for small space living or organized college life?


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By this point in the spring the air travel industry has a pretty good idea of how many people plan to travel on airplanes this summer, and that projection in turn says some interesting things about consumer confidence and the health of our economy. So we want to hear about your plans. Are they different from last year? Are you planning more air travel? 800-989-8255. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com. You can also join the conversation on our website. That's at npr.org, click on TALK OF THE NATION. Marilyn Geewax, NPR's senior business editor is just back from a briefing by the industry group that generates the summer air travel projection every year and she joins us here in studio 42. Nice to have you with us again.
MARILYN GEEWAX, BYLINE: Hi Neal.
CONAN: And what did you learn?
GEEWAX: This is going to be a reasonably good summer, it looks like. Now, keep in mind the airline industry has just been battered for years. They have had a horrible time in the recession: bankruptcies, losses, mergers. Just one thing after another. But it seems like this year, they sort of figured it out and so have the passengers. They started in 2008 when the recession started deepening to add these fees, you know, the baggage fees that we all find so irritating.
CONAN: We all hate. Yes.
GEEWAX: $25, $35, whatever, and then fees for everything: for Wi-Fi, for leg room, for all these various fees.
CONAN: Soon they're going to charge us for the emergency oxygen.
GEEWAX: Well, there are all kinds of crazy plans for boosting those fees but last year, the fees totaled about $6 billion, and that was their whole profit margin. Basically, they break even on the air fares and they figured out that if they charge enough of those fees, they can actually turn a little bit of a profit. But they need those profits. They're taking that money and they're trying to reinvest in things like new equipment, upgrading customer lounges, the airport terminals need more Wi-Fi. I mean, there are lots and lots of upgrades that have been deferred during the recession and now they're getting enough money in those fees that they're able to start to turn the corner and upgrade the industry.
CONAN: And what does that say about the American economy?
GEEWAX: Well, in all the surveys, really, I've looked at a whole lot of things, various organizations that see where people are heading this summer and it looks like everything is pointing up a little bit. Not gangbusters, not going through the roof, but people do want to travel again this year and that's what this association, the Airlines for America, which is the trade group representing airlines, they're predicting that the number of people getting on planes this year will be about 209 million, and that's the best we've seen since 2008.
CONAN: And that represents an increase of 1 percent, and like a lot of the things in this report, tiny increments.
GEEWAX: Yes. Everything is a matter of, you know...
GEEWAX: ...it's a game of inches for these guys. They don't make a lot of money. They're not attracting the crowds they used to have, you know? In 2007, we had 217 passengers. So, you know?
CONAN: Million, that is.
GEEWAX: Or 217 million passengers. So they're inching back up, getting back to where they want to be but all of it is a tough climb but they're getting there. And I think the overall sense both with the economy and with all the travel segments is that we're reaching kind of a new normal where people have settled into the idea that yes, I'm going to have to pay these fees but I accept that and I'm willing to start to travel again.
CONAN: Let's get some callers on in this conversation of how have your plans changed one summer to the next. Do you plan to travel more by air this summer? 800-989-8255. Email us: email@example.com. And Catherine's(ph) on the line with us from Berkeley.
CATHERINE: Hello. Thank you for taking my call. When we made our decision to travel this summer, we thought about how could we better ourselves? How could we view air travel to increase, like the kid's resumes going to sports camps or music camps or it wasn't just a whimsical trip. It was tied into kind of future advancement, basically. And...
CONAN: An investment.
CATHERINE: Oh, that's just - yeah, yeah. So it's just - and, of course, we would take side trips and see family or do fun things, but it was kind of like we justified it by making these choices based on helping us in the future. Thank you.
CONAN: I like the distinction that you had there between seeing family and doing fun things.
CATHERINE: So yeah, we did make - we are traveling more, but it's making us better somehow.
CONAN: Thinking carefully about it. And I think that's a good point, Marilyn.
GEEWAX: Yes. Neal, this is really, exactly - the sentiment that she's expressing is what a lot of surveys are finding. Like I said, people do kind of want to travel again. It's not so over the top, not all, you know, wild travel and crazy parties. It's not over the top at this point. But it's moving the way the airline industry and the way the travel industry wants. People are much more open this year to the idea of staying in a hotel, going to the beach, whatever, instead of just doing the phrase we heard so much during the peak of the recession, was the staycation where people would just simply stay home and try to have fun.
But they're willing to get out a little bit more this year, and that'll be good for jobs as well, that that should help strengthen the economy in terms of creating jobs for people in the hospitality industry, restaurants and so forth.
CONAN: Let's go next to Thomas, and Thomas on the line with us from Iowa.
THOMAS: Good afternoon. I just want to make a comment. We just arrived back home from a trip to New Zealand, and we don't really have a choice just to drive obviously. But we noticed this time around that, not only the extra fees going up, like carry-on bags and the checked luggage are increasing, but also it's more and more difficult with family, young children. We have two young children. And it used to be where they would let family members on a plane first to get situated and sorted.
Well, now they're even cutting that out, some airlines. It just makes it more difficult than I've ever used to be, and I guess I wasn't quite sure why. It doesn't cost the airline money to let a young family board the plane early, but yet they're eliminating that now.
CONAN: Well, they are selling the privilege to board the plane early.
GEEWAX: Right. That's it. The thing is they are trying to put a price tag on just about anything that you like. If you like to get on early, there's going to be a price for that. If you want more legroom, if you want to take another bag, just about anything that you want, they're going to find a way to stick a price tag on that, that little bit of extra comfort.
CONAN: In the story you filed for our website, npr.org, Marilyn, you noted that Frontier Airlines is going to charge up to $100 for one carry-on bag for any customer who fails to book directly through the website. So your carry-on, not the check bag, your carry-on bag, 100 bucks.
GEEWAX: Boy, that's a tough one. I wonder if that one will stick. The - Frontier says it's going to add that fee for this summer, and we'll see if they can keep up their business. But they want you to come only through their own website, not using third party transactions. That way...
CONAN: Not Expedia or one of those.
GEEWAX: Right. You know, the one at Orbitz or any of those. They want to steer you to their website. And also, they just basically want to discourage you from bringing carry-ons because there has been a real surge, as you can imagine. With all these fees over the years, people have learned to kind of stuff everything into that overhead and then jam it up there and a lot of tussles on flights. It's tough for the flight attendants because there are always people jockeying to get those bags up there.
And if they could discourage that, they would. It's funny, I've seen on websites, there are these wearable luggage companies now where you can get a coat that has really, really big pockets, and you can just sort of try to stick all your luggage onto your body and then walk on to the plane wearing your luggage. So that's a trend.
CONAN: If you want to read Marilyn's - and, Thomas, thanks very much for the call.
THOMAS: You're welcome. Thank you.
CONAN: And if you wanted to read Marilyn's piece she wrote after her return from the A4A Conference, you can go to our website, npr.org, click on TALK OF THE NATION. And let's see if we can get next to - this is Joe, and Joe is on the line with us from San Mateo in California.
JOE: Hi. Thanks for taking my call. I am planning, this year - or this summer rather - to go to Europe. I was awarded a scholarship to study Czech in the Czech Republic for a month. And this is my first time I've really gone out and started pricing tickets, and one thing that struck me in particular was the difference between what the airlines call the fare and then the fee and taxes.
On a flight to Europe where I am trying to do an open-ended ticket, well, multi-city ticket through London and then to Prague, the fare was about $1,700, half of which is what they considered the fare, and then half of which was fees and taxes and so forth, which I thought was kind of interesting. And I, you know, I wonder, you know, if that's different or if that's an increase. Is that something new?
GEEWAX: These fees have been just continually going up, and some of them are new because every time they think of something new that they could charge you a fee for, it shows up. As I said, this trend really began in 2008 as the recession was deepening, and we've seen it growing all the time. Well, one of the big fees is - has to do with change fees. You know, they are now up to as much as $200 to change your fee - it's not even...
CONAN: (Unintelligible).
GEEWAX: ...you know, to change the flight. It's just such a high fee that it's just not worth it anymore. So you end up having to buy a whole new ticket. So that's also another huge source of revenues for the airlines, and all of these things add up. And, of course, governments are looking for new revenue streams, so there are an awful lot of taxes that get added to flights. But, you know, Neal, if you think about it, when you go to a restaurant, there's a sort of a list price on meal.
But then when you find out what the taxes are and the, you know, and then $2 for a cup of coffee or $5, whatever they want to charge, by the time you're all done with it, it's a great deal more than what you were thinking of originally. So I think we see that in a lot of different formats, whether it's going to a movie theatre and finding out you're getting this $6 popcorn, you know? It - every...
CONAN: (unintelligible) more, it's twice as much.
GEEWAX: Right. Well, every industry has its way of boosting its profits because they try to break even on their core business and then make their profits on these add-ons. And that's what we're - the airline industry has figured out. And that's why they're starting to see a little bit of a brighter future for themselves.
CONAN: Joe, have a great trip.
JOE: And can I make this one quick note? Also, our family is also going to go to Wisconsin on an annual trip from the Bay Area and that hasn't changed. And so I guess we're part of the trend that's incrementally increasing our travel.
CONAN: OK. Thanks very much for the call.
JOE: Sure.
CONAN: We're talking with Marilyn Geewax about the projection of this summer's air travel. You're listening to TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.
There's another big variable in this equation for the airlines, Marilyn, and that's the price of fuel and oil prices going down.
GEEWAX: Yes. They've seen some, at least, a better trend line. Remember at the beginning of the year, we are all very concerned about gas - gasoline prices. If you were driving car it was pretty horrifying. And back in February, early March we saw the prices going up, up, up. And now they backed off. I think that's still very high, but it's basically the same story for the airlines.
They were very concerned about the volatility and the rising oil prices. And now, we, sort of, settled into a kind of an - I wouldn't call it a great range. I mean, from the airlines point of view, they certainly wish jet fuel were cheaper, but it sort of stabilized at a level that they feel they can work around as long as they can keep up enough people traveling this summer.
And, of course, one of the things they've been concerned about is the government - if Congress would make life a little bit easier for them. But one of the things they're worried about this spring was the sequestration. You may remember that problem.
CONAN: Sure. And people stopped flying because they were worried about big flight delays.
GEEWAX: Right. That was the situation where Congress was - had ordered some cuts in spending. So they were automatic across the board spending cuts that resulted in the FAA saying that they would have to furlough air traffic controllers. That situation went on for about six days in mid-April.
And what happened was lots of air traffic controllers were at home instead of in the towers. And as a result, there was really - there were lots of flight delays. The industry says there were 7,200 flight delays that affected about 600,000 people. So the big concern there was that, if that continued, if they were going to have both higher jet fuel prices and flight delays, boy, that look kind of scary.
And now, both of those situations seem to have been resolved. Congress took some action, along with White House, they all agreed to ease up on those air traffic controller furloughs. They're still spending cuts but they're just hitting in a different way. So the flight delays have gone away as a result of that. And you're seeing this - just sort of more a stable environment for the airlines.
CONAN: Let's go next to Nonny(ph). And Nonny with us from New Bern in North Carolina.
NONNY: Hi. I was just going to comment that, you know, a lot of people - you might think that the airlines don't care at all about the customer any more, but I just recently found that they're completely the opposite.
We're not planning to travel this summer, but recently my father-in-law had a heart attack and most - my husband and his brother had to travel by air, very suddenly. My brother-in-law went online. His ticket ended up being a $1,000. My husband called the airline explaining his problem. Ended up flying out of a very small town airport, which is typically much more expensive for less than $200. So it's, you know, they were willing to work with us when they knew what was going on.
GEEWAX: Well, that's a good thing about an upward spiral like this, where things get a little bit easier for the airlines and the employees, I think, can feel a little less cranky.
You can imagine, if you were an airline employee in 2008, '09, '10, it was awful. There were lots of layoffs, lots of mergers, lots of bankruptcies. People, you know, it's kind of hard to come and feeling cheaper everyday when your job is in such turmoil. And now that things have, sort of, smoothed out a great deal, what the surveys are showing is that customers would like someone to maybe smile at them. And the workers are a little bit more inclined to smile. So the J.D. Power and Associates did this survey of how people feel about the airlines. And also, you know, there are - they keep track of customer complaints about things like mishandled bags and all that. Every measure that I could find, of customer satisfaction, it looks like things are getting a little bit better. The customers are seeing a few...
CONAN: From a low bar but moving...
GEEWAX: Right. And that's not to say - believe me, I've been on many flights, packed there in, you know, coach class and it's pretty darn miserable, but not as miserable as it used to be.
CONAN: Well, there is a sunny. Nanny, how's your father-in-law doing?
NONNY: He's doing wonderfully great, great. Full recovery.
CONAN: Glad to hear it. And glad to hear that the - your family members got there in time to be with him at the moment of crisis.
NONNY: Thank you.
CONAN: Thanks very much for the phone call. And, Marilyn, so things are slightly less miserable than before.
CONAN: Always good to have you on the program. And a real sunny forecast for this summer.
GEEWAX: It's great to be with you, Neal.
CONAN: Marilyn Geewax is NPR's business editor - senior business editor - excuse me - I wouldn't want to miss that. Tomorrow, it's TALK OF THE NATION: SCIENCE FRIDAY. Ira Flatow will be here. Jennifer Ludden will be your guest host on Monday and Tuesday. We'll see you again on Wednesday. Have a good weekend everybody. It's the TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Cakes For All Occasions
Saturday, August 23, 2008
These are those Wrecks.
Harsh reality, sweet messenger.
Submitter Dan titled it best: "Cake for a Cheerful Nihilist".
Looking on the bright side?
Hey, this one seems familiar...
Feelin' the love.
As a Wrecktacular bonus, go back and read all the cakes in order. Freaky, eh? It's like those ransom notes made from newspaper clippings, only using cakes. Now what's crazier: the fact that these cakes exist, or that I have enough submissions to piece together almost-sentences? :)
Today's Wrecks brought to you by Amber J., Dan B., Kristen P., and James S.
82 comments | Post a Comment
- Lunch Buckets said...
Bad news: delivered on cake! It's an idea whos time has come.
- August 23, 2008 at 6:28 PM
- Girl said...
- August 23, 2008 at 6:47 PM
Geesh, harsh cakes. I'd probably slap someone if I got one of them.
- August 23, 2008 at 6:52 PM
This post = best birthday cake ever! I'm so glad my loving co-workers did not see this post before helping me celebrate Thursday.
- August 23, 2008 at 7:07 PM
- joyce said...
and the same confetti on three of the cakes, too. Yikes. I'd be afraid to eat them...but, then I cry easily.
- August 23, 2008 at 7:21 PM
- ChiTown Girl said...
This was hilarious! I just came across your blog yesterday through another I read, and I immediately put a link to you on my blog. (Hope you don't mind!) Thanks for the giggles!
- August 23, 2008 at 7:46 PM
- Megan said...
Love it!
- August 23, 2008 at 7:51 PM
Yes, mostly just funny. Love how it all goes together. - August 23, 2008 at 8:01 PM
- cookiecrumb said...
I can't believe the gross cakes you keep finding.
Yow! - August 23, 2008 at 8:05 PM
- Unknown said...
I could use at least three, if not five of that last cake. I've got three interlopers right now, and the way things are going, I might need two extra for my actual 18 yo kids.
- August 23, 2008 at 9:50 PM
- Kilroy! said...
Wow, I can't believe anyone would want to have such cakes made! Some of these are just downright mean!
Also, I guess it wasn't just a cold sore after all :P - August 23, 2008 at 10:19 PM
OK, so they were a bit mean, but look at the bright side. They were all spelled correctly and there were no random quotation marks. Bonus points for that!
- August 23, 2008 at 10:21 PM
Is it just me, or is that first cake sitting on someone's butt???
- August 23, 2008 at 10:28 PM
- Lisa said...
Funny to read them in order. Cant believe someone seriously put the word HERPES on a cake. Not sure I would eat it.
- August 23, 2008 at 10:42 PM
Sadly, my first thought was to be impressed that someone got the apostrophe correct in "At least you're pretty"
- August 23, 2008 at 10:52 PM
- Suzie said...
Is the Nobody Loves You cake located on top of someone's butt?
I love your blog by the way. - August 23, 2008 at 11:00 PM
Hilarious! I can always count on you for a GREAT laugh!!!
- August 23, 2008 at 11:17 PM
- Theatre Geek said...
Sorry, that's just not a sentence or even almost a sentence. Those are random phrases joined together. (and I'll keep the last part clean)
"Nobody loves you it just doesn't matter At least you're pretty Sorry about your Herpes Get the Tarnation out . . . No seriously!"
Thankfully, those cakes still fit the blog, though. They are, indeed, wrecks. - August 23, 2008 at 11:27 PM
- Aersi said...
This is hilarious. Sadly, hysterically hilarious.
Kinda makes you wonder what the decorator who pulled that order thought.
PS: Love this blog like crazy! Been reading for a couple weeks now and I can't get enough of it! - August 23, 2008 at 11:31 PM
- Canada said...
"It Just Doesn't Matter". Now I have the chant from "Meatballs" (summer camp movie with Bill Murray) stuck in my head!
- August 23, 2008 at 11:36 PM
I'm speechless. I just wish those people were too!
- August 23, 2008 at 11:55 PM
- The Baroness said...
I liked the "Nobody Likes You" cake. Having it on a cake really gives the message a bright side.
- August 24, 2008 at 1:09 AM
- The Lunar Fox said...
Hahaha. I actually read the cake message from the bottom up to the top, and that creates a lovely little message as well. Quite creepy! LOL
- August 24, 2008 at 1:24 AM
- Lizard said...
I really think that first cake looks like it is on someone's butt. that *is* some crack there, above the shredded denim. Yow.
- August 24, 2008 at 1:34 AM
I, for one, see more than just random phrases. I see not just almost-sentences, but a little story, of sorts.
"Nobody loves you, [but] it just doesn't matter, [and] at least you're pretty -- [still], sorry about your herpes... now get the *** out -- no, seriously!"
Isn't this what you say if you're a depressed woman who feels unattractive and has given up on love, and you're tired of hearing your girlfriend complain about her problems? You tell her: "Yeah, nobody loves you. So what? It just doesn't matter; 'love' is garbage anyway. At least you're pretty, so you can still get men. Sorry about your herpes, though, that'll slow down the sex life a bit... now get the *** out because I can't take any more of your whining. No, seriously. Hey, I've got my own problems and I can't deal with any more of yours. Now get out."
Wow, that came out even more nasty and depressing than I thought it would -- certainly more depressing than I'd think up on my own (I'm more a fluffy romance kind of girl). And of course, that effect is exactly what's so wrecktastic about this series of cakes. - August 24, 2008 at 1:43 AM
- Grace said...
Why is that first cake resting on someone's bum?
- August 24, 2008 at 3:18 AM
So here's my theory:
That second cake isn't actually what the customer ordered. It's another case of foolish icing people misreading the order form or foolish order-form people misinterpreting the phone call, which went as follows.
Customer: "I love rainbows. Please make sure it has a huge, cheesy-looking rainbow on it, and make sure that rainbow ends in purple flowers, because that's what I get in my Lucky Charms, not pots o' gold or nuthin'."
Order person: "Mmmmkay, got it. Rainbows, roses, blah blah blah. What else would you like on it?"
Customer: "Oh, it just doesn't matter. I'm really a big fan of rainbows, you see, and...." - August 24, 2008 at 4:06 AM
- Unknown said...
If someone was going to tell me something that mean, I'd like for it to be on a cake. At least I could then drown my sorrows in icing. Very funny.
And the first cake isn't on someone's but, it's on her lap in the passenger seat of a car. Note cup in cup holder, etc. - August 24, 2008 at 9:30 AM
I think the rainbow "it just doesn't matter" selection is a coming-out cake from an accepting giver. I only got a feather boa for my coming-out and now feel a bit ripped off. :-)
- August 24, 2008 at 10:30 AM
I think it's possible that these were purchased as blank decorated cakes and the messages were done at home. I doubt my local bakery would do these.
- August 24, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Not a butt, the first cake is on someone's legs. They are wearing a jean skirt. You can tell because the girl is sitting in a car (see the gear shift to the left). Of course it's more funny to think of it as a butt, so go ahead. ;)
- August 24, 2008 at 10:52 AM
- n i l e e y said...
talk about being honest! At least you can scrap off the cream...
- August 24, 2008 at 11:02 AM
OK, evidently I am the only one who didn't see the "it just doesn't matter" cake as a non-wreck. Maybe I'm wrong, but with the rainbow at the top, I took the cake as a response to someone having announced they were gay. I thought it was great.
- August 24, 2008 at 11:07 AM
- Unknown said...
Left you an award on my blog
- August 24, 2008 at 11:59 AM
- Unknown said...
The "Nobody Loves You" cake is sitting in someone's lap. Those are legs, not a butt.
...But it's still really hysterical. I'm pretty sure these cakes were jokes...I mean, it'd be terrible if they were serious. Though, admittedly, a friend of my sister's was broken up with via cookies one time. - August 24, 2008 at 12:06 PM
- ZombieCat said...
I, personally, think these cakes are hilarious. I have a pretty sarcastic sense of humor and LOVE the irony of a non-loving statement on a medium usually used to convey a cheesy message of love or happiness. I would laugh my butt off if I got any of these. I also tend to think that most of these statements are the products of some kind of "inside joke". I agree with the rainbow = coming out theory, and the "Get the **** out..." could be for a graduate from his/her parents. I would think it's funny.
- August 24, 2008 at 2:24 PM
- JRM said...
Maybe I'm the only one who has a group of friends with an odd sense of humor, but I could totally see all of these cakes at one of our parties! Then again, I hang out with people who wear t-shirts that say "I like cake" and "Your favorite band sucks".
- August 24, 2008 at 8:48 PM
- Manders said...
:-) Thanks for making me laugh!!
- August 24, 2008 at 9:40 PM
- *~*Cece*~* said...
I'm going to have to remember some of these for the Just b/c occasions. Niiice.
- August 24, 2008 at 10:19 PM
- Dea said...
Because cake makes EVERYTHING better.....
- August 25, 2008 at 11:47 AM
- MARY IN SCOTLAND said...
OMG! These are halarious! What a pick me up for my day! I'm laughing out loud! Thanks!
- August 25, 2008 at 12:15 PM
- Miss A said...
At least you're pretty... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
- August 25, 2008 at 1:18 PM
I so deeply wish I'd taken a picture of the "Burn in Hell Ernie" cake that someone made for a friend of mine.
- August 25, 2008 at 1:43 PM
- CaliGirl9 said...
Cakes-the new break-up/dumping text message!
- August 25, 2008 at 2:43 PM
- Lucas Holt said...
Very funny.
- August 25, 2008 at 3:23 PM
- Martha said...
Even Hallmark doesn't have cards for these "occasions".
- August 25, 2008 at 5:43 PM
- Mr. Nissan said...
the animal cakes are really nice
- August 25, 2008 at 7:28 PM
- Caroline said...
I am so happy that I found your blog! So funny!
- August 25, 2008 at 9:29 PM
- Making Money Fast said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- August 26, 2008 at 5:23 AM
- Ellis said...
They're all so pretty and delicious and heartbreaking.
- August 26, 2008 at 2:58 PM
- NWK said...
I appreciate the no profanity thing, but could you take a look at "sandra's" pic. Not very attractive if you know what I mean.
- August 26, 2008 at 5:06 PM
- Jen said...
@ Nykie - thanks for the heads up. I don't see profile pics when moderating comments, so I had no idea.
@ Sandra, if you'd like to keep posting comments here, could you please change your profile pic? Thanks! - August 26, 2008 at 5:27 PM
- moonlightdancer said...
hah! these are awesome...
- August 27, 2008 at 12:16 PM
- The Wife said...
After having read this the other day, when I saw this comic today (8/27/08) I busted up laughing even harder. Thanks!
http://channelate.com/ - August 27, 2008 at 1:16 PM
- CaliGirl9 said...
My daughter is planning to have a "Nobody Loves You" cake made for her boyfriend to celebrate his first week at his new job. She's positive he will have no problem whatsoever eating it.
She's just twisted like that. She thought that cake was brilliant. - August 27, 2008 at 6:52 PM
- CurlyQ said...
That IS a butt!
- August 27, 2008 at 6:53 PM
- Unknown said...
lol I love the "at least you're pretty" cake.. cracks me up!
- August 27, 2008 at 8:03 PM
I totally loved all the cakes!!!!
http://ozarklivinandlaughin.blogspot.com - August 28, 2008 at 1:41 AM
Get the ____ out...
mountain dew
appendix - August 28, 2008 at 9:43 AM
- S. Lavon said...
This was great!!
- August 28, 2008 at 10:11 AM
- Red Flashlight said...
I'm officially putting Cake Wrecks on my list of art blogs. Why not link to cakelava instead, you ask (which of course you would never)? Well - Cake Wrecks has something more conceptually arty to offer. Don't you think?
This particular entry made me fall off my chair. My husband and his pals once made a "Happy Birthday [expletive deleted]" cake for their 'friend.' I thought he and his buddies were alone in this idiocy! Nice to know he's normal, actually. - August 28, 2008 at 3:05 PM
Those are some of the harshest sayings put on cake I ever seen... - August 28, 2008 at 10:47 PM
- Tev said...
This is actually brilliant... I'm putting you on my blogroll.
- August 29, 2008 at 12:18 AM
- Shannon said...
This post is awesome, and you're so right about reading them backwards!
- August 31, 2008 at 7:17 PM
- macmommy said...
Haha!! Nobody loves you was my favorite. Hopefully these were meant as jokes, though. =0)
- September 1, 2008 at 1:06 AM
hahahahahhaha (wipes tears)
no real tears.
people are cruel!
but those DO look delicious. . . - September 3, 2008 at 12:05 AM
- Eliezer said...
Unfortunately my wife didn't get a picture of it, but when she left her previous job, her boss bought her a cake that had "Good Riddence" on it.
- September 3, 2008 at 5:29 PM
- Jennifer Good said...
I like the black icing on the first one. It seems so dramatic.
- September 4, 2008 at 9:22 PM
- Kate said...
Cake for a cheerful nihilist...I LOVE IT!!! I almost fell off my chair laughing. I want one to take to work.
- September 5, 2008 at 3:01 AM
Hahahahahaahah these are brilliant I actually want a cake like this for my next birthday
- September 8, 2008 at 2:45 PM
- aintshakespeare said...
My God...
it hurts.
wipe tears
read again - September 9, 2008 at 2:41 PM
- heather macleod said...
I'm one of the people who orders these cakes... I might have some pictures to send in.
- September 9, 2008 at 5:26 PM
- Lindsay Welbers said...
The thing is, I don't think I'd even be that upset if I got a cake like this.
I'd be laughing too hard. - September 10, 2008 at 1:41 AM
- Sarah said...
If the "Nobody Loves You" cake isn't mine, it's a big coincidence. The cake was bought at least five years ago, and I'm dying to know where you got the picture! I cried laughing when I saw it here, as I'd completely forgotten about it.
I bought it blank at a grocery store and wrote the message on the way back to work.
"Nobody loves you" is a running joke with my friends. It was for a friend's last day at work, and I wrote that on there because he was whining that we weren't planning a going away party for him. It was well received, and it was a big boost to my day to see it again. - September 10, 2008 at 3:49 PM
The "cake for a cheerful nihilist" reminds me a lot of this xkcd strip:
I would love to get that strip on a cake. (Or a shirt.) - September 14, 2008 at 1:15 PM
When I worked at Friendly's (ice cream store in the Northeast) we had ice cream cakes for sale that our managers could decorate.
Some local college girls came in to get their friend a birthday cake. At first they wanted the message "Happy Birthday [girl's name]" written on it. They changed their mind suddenly and my manager had to write "Happy Birthday Slut Puppy" on the cake instead.
I asked her later if there were any corportate guidelines for acceptable cake decorations (there were not). She then commented, after taking a healthy drag off her cigarette, "I won't put F*** on a cake". That settled that.
If I don't get into grad school, I'm going to commission my husband to get me an "at least you're still pretty" cake. I will eat it in my bathrobe with a side of undiluted rum.
This blog is amazing, way to make a totally random topic interesting to non-bakers like me! - October 3, 2008 at 4:33 PM
- IckleFruity said...
I cried laughing at the 'nobody loves you' cake! It's FANTASTIC!!!
- February 12, 2009 at 7:13 AM
- Melissa (& Billy) said...
I know this is an older post, but it was referenced to recently...
...I nearly inhaled my yogurt when I saw the 'Nobody loves you' cake. Oh, my word. Reminds me of a birthday card I got once: "We couldn't decide what kind of card to get you--one of us wanted a funny card, and one of us wanted a sweet card. So..." *open the card to see flowers and a cute bunny* "Happy Birthday, buttface!" XD
I would love to hear the backstories of some of these! (I think)
WV: Hakedop. I nearly hakedop my Activia from laughing so hard at these wrecks. - May 19, 2009 at 6:46 PM
That's not a butt people, it's a girl wearing a jean skirt and those are her two legs.
- July 20, 2009 at 10:37 PM
- la blonde vénitienne said...
Ahhhhh... The "At Least You're Pretty" Cake was for one of my roommates in college - I think someone stole that picture of her facebook, it was her profile pick for awhile about 3-4 yrs ago.. It was a joke between all my friends to say "At least you're pretty" to one another when someone was going wrong in our lives.. wasn't meant to be mean ever. :)
- July 22, 2009 at 7:37 PM
Funny as always, thanx! - April 1, 2010 at 3:32 PM
- Cupcakes Lady said...
OMG. halarious! Ive done nothing today except laugh. Thanks! xx
- October 7, 2010 at 4:06 PM
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We don't have any copies of Cake Wrecks for sale here, autographed or otherwise. We decided the shipping and handling costs would be too high to make it worth your while. So instead, buy your copies locally or online and then order personalized bookplates: it's cheaper, easier, and I think even looks a bit nicer.
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Dutch Queen Beatrix abdicating, son will be king
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands' Queen Beatrix announced Monday that she is ending her reign after 33 years and passing the crown to her eldest son, who has long been groomed to be king but who will have to work hard to match his mother's popularity.
The widely expected abdication comes at a time of debate over the future of the largely ceremonial Dutch monarchy, but also as calm has descended upon the Netherlands after a decade of turmoil that saw Beatrix act as the glue that held together an increasingly divided society.
"Responsibility for our country must now lie in the hands of a new generation," Beatrix, one of Europe's longest-serving monarchs, said in the simple, televised speech announcing her abdication.
The queen, who turns 75 in just a few days, said she will step down from the throne on April 30. That same day, her eldest son, Willem-Alexander, will be appointed king at an inauguration in Amsterdam. He will be the Netherlands' first king since Willem III died in 1890.
Willem-Alexander is a 45-year-old father of three young daughters, an International Olympic Committee member, a pilot and a water management expert.
Over the years, he has struggled to win the affection of this nation of 16 million, but his immensely popular wife, the Argentine-born Maxima, has helped him gain more acceptance ever since she brushed away a tear during their wedding in 2002.
They are a hard-working couple: Willem-Alexander regularly gives speeches at water conferences, sharing his low-lying nation's centuries of experience battling to stay dry, while soon-to-be Queen Maxima, a former investment banker, has carved out a career as a microfinance expert.
Together, the pair has often been seen cheering on Dutch sportsmen and women at Olympics from Beijing, to Vancouver and London.
"He's known as 'Mister Water,' isn't he? He seems like a reliable person, just like his mother," said Desiree Hoving, an Amsterdam resident. "I don't really have an emotional response to him, but I do think it's nice that Maxima is going to be queen."
Despite regular public appearances, Willem-Alexander is also fiercely private, giving reporters and photographers brief, choreographed glimpses of his family in return for being left in peace the rest of the time.
"He and Princess Maxima are fully prepared for their future roles," Beatrix said. "They will serve our nation with dedication, faithfully preserve the constitution and bring all their talents to the monarchy."
Despite her popularity, Maxima has always carried an air of controversy because her father was an agriculture minister in the military junta that ruled Argentina with an iron fist in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
In a move that may curtail possible protests, the Royal House said that Maxima told Prime Minister Mark Rutte that her parents will not attend the inauguration.
In her brief, prerecorded speech from her Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, Beatrix said she was, "deeply grateful for the great faith you have shown in me in the many years that I could be your queen."
The queen's departure is sure to bring about an outpouring of sentimental and patriotic feelings among the Dutch, most of whom adore Beatrix. In everyday conversation, many of her subjects refer to her simply by the nickname "Bea."
Well-wishers immediately gathered outside the palace Monday.
One of them, Laura Dinkshof, took along a homemade orange banner. "We hope the queen will see it," she said. "It says we were very happy with our queen and we wish her a nice retirement and that we have trust in our new king."
Rutte, a staunch monarchist, said that ever since her coronation in 1980, Beatrix — the nation's oldest-ever monarch — "applied herself heart and soul for Dutch society."
Beatrix succeeded her mother, Juliana, as head of state, and her reign has been marked by tumultuous shifts in Dutch society and, more recently, by personal tragedy.
Observers believe Beatrix remained on the throne for so long in part because of unrest in Dutch society as the country struggled to assimilate more and more immigrants, mainly Muslims from North Africa, and shifted away from its traditional reputation as one of the world's most tolerant nations.
Beatrix was also thought to be giving time for her son to enjoy fatherhood before taking the throne.
The abdication also comes at a time of trial for Beatrix. A year ago, she was struck by personal tragedy when the second of her three sons, Prince Friso, was left in a coma after being engulfed by an avalanche while skiing in Austria.
And even in a job that is mostly symbolic to begin with, the previous government stripped her of one of her few remaining powers: the ability to name a candidate to begin Cabinet formation after the election of the national parliament.
Beatrix's reign began in difficult economic times and there were riots in Amsterdam at her inauguration, as thousands of demonstrators protesting the city's housing shortages fought pitched battles with police just a few hundred meters (yards) from the downtown palace where she was crowned.
But throughout her tenure she was a calming influence on society, particularly in the aftermath of the 2002 assassination of populist politician Pim Fortuyn and the murder two years later of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a Muslim extremist.
Personal tragedies have exposed a softer side of the queen and brought her closer to her subjects.
The 2002 death of her German-born husband, Prince Claus, took a toll on her, and it was apparent how deep her reliance on the quiet man had been: she was filmed leaning heavily, almost hanging, on Prince Friso's arm as they entered the church for her spouse's funeral.
In another blow, a deranged loner tried to slam a car into an open-topped bus carrying members of the royal family as they celebrated the Queens Day national holiday in 2009. The driver killed seven people who had gathered to watch the royals, a brazen attack that shocked the nation.
Friso, who had been such a support after Claus' death, remains in a coma. Late last year, the Royal House said he showed "very minimal" signs of consciousness.
"I think it's a good time for her to leave, with all that happened in her life recently," said 44-year-old Bert Duesenberg of The Hague as he stood at the queen's palace gates. "I also think that Alexander is ready to take over, and he has to do that. It is good news, and it's time for the change."
Associated Press writer Toby Sterling contributed from Amsterdam and Alex Furtula contributed from The Hague.


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About this Collection
Consists of over 47,000 pieces of sheet music registered for copyright during the years 1870 to 1885. Included are popular songs, piano music, sacred and secular choral music, solo instrumental music, method books and instructional materials, and music for band and orchestra.
In 1870 the United States Congress established the Library of Congress as the sole agency for copyright registration and deposit. The law also required that a complete copy of the copyrighted work be deposited in the U.S. Copyright Office. The new law had an immediate effect on the Library's acquisition of music materials:
Before 1870, most of the Library's music holdings were purchased and printed in Great Britain. The material in the copyright collection was almost exclusively the deposited work of American publishers. Almost overnight acquisition by purchase became insignificant, and the source of most of the Library's music holdings changed from England to the United States. America's legislature finally had a music collection made up largely of the product of its own presses...1
Immediately, and for the first time, thousands of music items started pouring into the U.S. Copyright Office at the Library of Congress. Also as a result of the new law, 80 years of accumulated records and deposits were transferred to the Library from the U.S. District Courts. Though the Library's music holdings were substantial it was not until 1896 that the Library's "Music Department", as it was then called, was established. By that time the Library had accumulated some 400,000 music items. The Library was still housed in the U.S. Capitol building, but the following year, in 1897, the collections were moved across the street into the Library's magnificent new building. At the beginning the building was still unfurnished and sheet music was often stacked on the floor.
Over the years Music Division staff selected items deposited for copyright and added them to the Division's classified collections. These were the items by the best known composers of the day, or items that were otherwise thought to be interesting or important. Even so, much music material was left in the Copyright Office and was not transferred to the Music Division until some time in the 1950s. It is those items (published from 1870-85 and not added to the collections) that comprise this online collection.
In 1978 the Music Division and the Copyright Office undertook a project to microfilm and to create brief catalog records for music materials registered and deposited during the years 1870 to 1885. That microfilm has long been available to the public in the Music Division Reading Room as "Microfilm M 3500". The microfilm is also available for sale from the Library of Congress Photoduplication Service. The 441 reels of Microfilm M 3500 served as the source material for scanning for the digital images presented in this online collection. The brief catalog records have been upgraded and converted to USMARC format bibliographic records. These records make up the database used in the online collection.
Though the Music Division possesses many great musical treasures and rarities, it can still be argued that the items deposited for copyright (now numbering in the millions) make up the heart of the collection, and are, in the aggregate, perhaps the greatest treasure of all. They represent a unique record of American music publishing and American popular culture. The Library is committed to responsible stewardship of this legacy. Part of that stewardship is realized with the current project.
Also available online are similar projects covering sheet music from 1820-1860 and the Civil War years.
- For a more complete account of the history of the Music Division and of music copyright deposits see Gillian B. Anderson's article, "Putting the Experience of the World at the Nation's Command: Music at the Library of Congress, 1800-1917" Journal of the American Musicological Society, 42:1 (Spring 1989): 108-49. [Return to text]


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Google, which for years has touted its Android software as "open," has recently taken a much tighter grip over the software, proving once again that "open" is a crock.
And people -- including Google's partners -- are starting to get pissed. Some have already taken it to the Feds.
Google's agreements with Android partners are more "onerous" now than in the past, we recently heard from a Silicon Valley bigwig.
Bloomberg's Ashlee Vance and Peter Burrows just published a good overview of the situation.
Some choice bits:
- Google is totally in control of Android now. No more "willy-nilly" tweaks to Android or "partnerships formed outside of Google's purview."
- Companies who want early access to Android "will need approval of their plans" from Android boss Andy Rubin.
- Google has new "non-fragmentation clauses" that give Google veto power over tweaks that others want to make to Android, or even partnerships that companies want to make.
- Facebook, which -- as we first reported -- is crafting its own version of Android, needs to get approval of its code from Google. That has to be uncomfortable.
- Google has "tried to hold up" some Verizon Android devices that use Microsoft Bing as its search engine. Yikes! Sure sounds anti-competitive.
- Affected companies include top smartphone makers like Samsung, LG, and Toshiba.
- Google plays favorites, and the companies who get access to software early can score big in the market. For those who can't, like Dell, it can suck.
- Some companies have already complained to the Justice Department.
Separately, but indicative of the same problem, Google basically forced Motorola to ditch a contract it had with software maker Skyhook Wireless last year, which forced Skyhook to sue Google. That case is still pending.
So, what to make of all this?
We hear that the "naked" version of Android is still pretty much fair game. But any time you want to even come CLOSE to mentioning the name Google or any of its services -- maps, Gmail, apps, etc. -- near your device, you NEED one of these increasingly "onerous" contracts with Andy Rubin.
And the "naked" Android is getting harder to get ahold of, too -- Google isn't distributing Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" right now because it's not ready for the masses.
From a consumer's perspective, by the way, all of this is probably a good thing. It sounds like it will lead to more consistent, high-quality Android devices. (Inconsistency, fragmentation, and questionable quality are rampant in the Android portfolio.) And it's not like this is an uncommon way of doing business. Microsoft keeps tight control over Windows Phone 7, Apple doesn't even let other companies near iOS, etc.
For the industry, it will probably mean less freedom over what companies can do with Android. Depending on how strict Google is, this could either be okay, a little bad, or really bad. It depends what you want to do with Android, and whether Google sees you as strategically important or competitive. We wouldn't want to be Facebook in this situation.
This is what happens when you rely on another company for your underlying platform. This is why Apple was the only PC maker that could innovate away from Windows. This is why it is good to be the platform maker and not relying on some other company for your software. This is why Zynga could never be bigger than Facebook unless it stopped relying on Facebook. Even if something is promised to you as "open" one day, it might be closed the next day. This happens all the time, so if you get fooled, it's on you.
Google could be making the right move, business-wise -- it depends whether this infuriates any partners enough that they stop working with Google, either going to the Microsoft camp or working on their own operating systems.
But in terms of goodwill and reputation, Google is now dirty. The company talked until it lost its voice about how "open" Android was going to be, and now it is very clear that was B.S.
Why would you trust Google anymore?
Don't miss: Google's Hilarious April Fools Jokes Through The Year


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Baptist Press reports that New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary must cut over $1,000,000 dollars from the budget next year. Dr. Chuck Kelley, President of NOBTS responded to the financial crisis at the seminary, according to BP, in the following manner:
Kelley's plan calls for a 5 percent salary reduction for all faculty and staff members except those who lose medical coverage. The salaries of senior administrators will be reduced by 7 percent. Kelley will receive a 10 percent reduction in salary.
Well done Dr. Kelley. Since your President's salary is the highest salary (as it ought to be), had you simply taken a 7 percent cut, which would have been in line with the cuts of other administrative salaries, you would have received the largest salary reduction in terms of dollar amount. But, you went further. You cut your salary by 3 percentage points more than any other person's salary on the payroll. Your dollar amount reduction will be quite large - significantly larger than anyone else at NOBTS.
We Southern Baptists commend you, Dr. Kelley, for the leadership you have exhibited and the character you have displayed in making such a tough decision.
Well done.
Here's hoping everyone's salaries at NOBTS are fully restored shortly. Were your kind of leadership to be displayed our Convention, our SBC churches would find it very hard to withhold any Cooperative Program funds during tough economic times.
May it be so.
In His Grace,