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Dumb and Dumber
A Secret CIA Drone Base, a Blowback World, and Why Washington Has No Learning Curve
Tom Engelhardt
You could, of course, sit there, slack-jawed, thinking about how mindlessly repetitive American foreign and military policy is these days. Or you could wield all sorts of fancy analytic words to explain it. Or you could just settle for a few simple, all-American ones. Like dumb. Stupid. Dimwitted. Thick-headed. Or you could speak about the second administration in a row that wanted to leave no child behind, but was itself incapable of learning, or reasonably assessing its situation in the world.
Or you could simply wonder what's in Washington's water supply. Last week, after all, there was a perfect drone storm of a story, only a year or so late — and no, it wasn't that leaked "white paper" justifying the White House-directed assassination of an American citizen; and no, it wasn't the two secret Justice Department "legal" memos on the same subject that members of the Senate Intelligence Committee were allowed to "view," but in such secrecy that they couldn't even ask John O. Brennan, the president's counterterrorism tsar and choice for CIA director, questions about them at his public nomination hearings; and no, it wasn't anything that Brennan, the man who oversaw the White House "kill list" and those presidentially chosen drone strikes, said at the hearings. And here's the most striking thing: it should have set everyone's teeth on edge, yet next to nobody even noticed.
Last Tuesday, the Washington Post published a piece by Greg Miller and Karen DeYoung about a reportorial discovery which that paper, along with other news outlets (including the New York Times), had by "an informal arrangement" agreed to suppress (and not even very well) at the request of the Obama administration. More than a year later, and only because the Times was breaking the story on the same day (buried in a long investigative piece on drone strikes), the Post finally put the news on record. It was half-buried in a piece about the then-upcoming Brennan hearings. Until that moment, its editors had done their patriotic duty, urged on by the CIA and the White House, and kept the news from the public. Never mind, that the project was so outright loony, given our history, that they should have felt the obligation to publish it instantly with screaming front-page headlines and a lead editorial demanding an explanation.
On the other hand, you can understand just why the Obama administration and the CIA preferred that the story not come out. Among other things, it had the possibility of making them look like so many horses' asses and, again based on a historical record that any numbskull or government bureaucrat or intelligence analyst should recall, it couldn't have been a more dangerous thing to do. It's just the sort of Washington project that brings the word "blowback" instantly and chillingly to mind. It's just the sort of story that should make Americans wonder why we pay billions of dollars to the CIA to think up ideas so lame that you have to wonder what the last two CIA directors, Leon Panetta and David Petraeus, were thinking. (Or if anyone was thinking at all.)
"Agitated Muslims" and the "100 Hour War"
In case you hadn't noticed, I have yet to mention what that suppressed story was, and given the way it disappeared from sight, the odds are that you don't know, so here goes. The somewhat less than riveting headline on the Post piece was: "Brennan Nomination Exposes Criticism on Targeted Killings and Secret Saudi Base." The base story was obviously tacked on at the last second. (There had actually been no "criticism" of that base, since next to nothing was known about it.) It, too, was buried, making its first real appearance only in the 10th paragraph of the piece.
According to the Post, approximately two years ago, the CIA got permission from the Saudi government to build one of its growing empire of drone bases in a distant desert region of that kingdom. The purpose was to pursue an already ongoing air war in neighboring Yemen against al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula.
The first drone mission from that base seems to have taken off on September 30, 2011, and killed American citizen and al-Qaeda supporter Anwar al-Awlaki. Many more lethal missions have evidently been flown from it since, most or all directed at Yemen in a campaign that notoriously seems to be creating more angry Yemenis and terror recruits than it's killing. So that's the story you waited an extra year to hear from our watchdog press (though for news jockeys, the existence of the base was indeed mentioned in the interim by numerous media outlets).
One more bit of information: Brennan, the president's right-hand counterterrorism guy, who oversaw Obama's drone assassination program from an office in the White House basement (you can't take anything away from Washington when it comes to symbolism) and who is clearly going to be approved by the Senate as our the new CIA director, was himself a former CIA station chief in Riyadh. The Post reports that he worked closely with the Saudis to "gain approval" for the base. So spread the credit around for this one. And note as well that there hasn't been a CIA director with such close ties to a president since William Casey ran the outfit for President Ronald Reagan, and he was the man who got this whole ball of wax rolling by supporting, funding, and arming any Islamic fundamentalist in sight — the more extreme the better — to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Chalmers Johnson used to refer to the CIA as "the president's private army." Now, run by this president's most trusted aide, it once again truly will be so.
Okay, maybe it's time to put this secret drone base in a bit of historical context. (Think of this as my contribution to a leave-no-administration-behind policy.) In fact, that Afghan War Casey funded might be a good place to start. Keep in mind that I'm not talking about the present Afghan War, still ongoing after a mere 11-plus years, but our long forgotten First Afghan War. That was the one where we referred to those Muslim extremists we were arming as "freedom fighters" and our president spoke of them as "the moral equivalent of our Founding Fathers."
It was launched to give the Soviets a bloody nose and meant as payback for our bitter defeat in Vietnam less than a decade earlier. And what a bloody nose it would be! Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev would dub the Soviet disaster there "the bleeding wound," and two years after it ended, the Soviet Union would be gone. I'm talking about the war that, years later, President Jimmy Carter's former national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski summed up this way: "What is more important in world history? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some agitated Muslims or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the Cold War?"
That's all ancient history and painful to recall now that "agitated Muslims" are a dime a dozen and we are (as Washington loves to say) in a perpetual global "war" with a "metastasizing" al-Qaeda, an organization that emerged from among our allies in the First Afghan War, as did so many of the extremists now fighting us in Afghanistan.
So how about moving on to a shining moment a decade later: our triumph in the "100 Hour War" in which Washington ignominiously ejected its former ally (and later Hitler-substitute) Saddam Hussein and his invading Iraqi army from oil-rich Kuwait? Those first 100 hours were, in every sense, a blast. The problems only began to multiply with all the 100-hour periods that followed for the next decade, the 80,000th, all of which were ever less fun, what with eternal no-fly zones to patrol and an Iraqi dictator who wouldn't leave the scene.
The Worldwide Attack Matrix and a Global War on Terror
Maybe, like Washington, we do best to skip that episode, too. Let's focus instead on the moment when, in preparation for that war, U.S. troops first landed in Saudi Arabia, that fabulously fundamentalist giant oil reserve; when those 100 hours were over (and Saddam wasn't), they never left. Instead, they moved into bases and hunkered down for the long haul.
By now, I'm sure some of this is coming back to you: how disturbed, for instance, the rich young Saudi royal and Afghan war veteran Osama bin Laden and his young organization al-Qaeda were on seeing those "infidels" based in (or, as they saw it, occupying) the country that held Islam's holiest shrines and pilgrimage sites. I'm sure you can trace al-Qaeda's brief grim history from there: its major operations every couple of years against U.S. targets to back up its demand that those troops depart the kingdom, including the Khobar Towers attack in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 U.S. airmen in 1996, the destruction of two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998, and the blowing up of the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden in 2000. Finally, of course, there was al-Qaeda's extraordinary stroke of dumb luck (and good planning), those attacks of September 11, 2001, which managed — to the reported shock of at least one al-Qaeda figure — to create an apocalyptic-looking landscape of destruction in downtown New York City.
And here's where we go from dumb luck to just plain dumb. Lusting for revenge, dreaming of a Middle Eastern (or even global) Pax Americana, and eager to loose a military that they believed could eternally dominate any situation, the Bush administration declared a "global war" on terrorism. Only six days after the World Trade Center towers went down, George W. Bush granted the CIA an unprecedented license to wage planet-wide war. By then, it had already presented a plan with a title worthy of a sci-fi film: the "Worldwide Attack Matrix." According to journalist Ron Suskind in his book The One Percent Doctrine, the plan "detailed operations [to come] against terrorists in 80 countries."
This was, of course, a kind of madness. After all, al-Qaeda wasn't a state or even much of an organization; in real terms, it barely existed. So declaring "war" on its scattered minions globally was little short of a bizarre and fantastical act. And yet any other approach to what had happened was promptly laughed out of the American room. And before you could blink, the U.S. was invading… nuts, you already knew the answer: Afghanistan.
After another dazzlingly brief and triumphant campaign, using tiny numbers of American military personnel and CIA operatives (as well as U.S. air power), the first of Washington's you-can't-go-home-again crew marched into downtown Kabul and began hunkering down, building bases, and preparing to stay. One Afghan war, it turned out, hadn't been faintly enough for Washington. And soon, it would be clear that one Iraq war wasn't either. By now, we were in the express lane in the Möbius loop of history.
"Stuff Happens"
This should be getting more familiar to you. It might also strike you — though it certainly didn't Washington back in 2002-2003 — that there was no reason things should turn out better the second time around. With that new "secret Saudi base" in mind, remember that somewhere in the urge to invade Iraq was the desire to find a place in the heart of the planet's oil lands where the Pentagon would be welcome to create "enduring camps" (please don't call them "permanent bases"!) — and hang in for enduring decades to come.
So in early April 2003, invading American troops entered a chaotic Baghdad, a city being looted. ("Stuff happens," commented Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in response.) On April 29th, Rumsfeld held a news conference with Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, broadcast on Saudi TV, announcing that the U.S. would pull all its combat troops out of that country. No more garrisons in Saudi Arabia. Ever. U.S. air operations were to move to al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. As for the rest, there was no need even to mention Iraq. This was just two days before President Bush landed a jet, Top Gun-style, on an aircraft carrier off San Diego and — under a White House-produced banner reading "Mission Accomplished" — declared "the end of major combat operations in Iraq." And all's well that ends well, no?
You know the rest, the various predictable disasters that followed (as well as the predictably unpredictable ones). But don't think that, as America's leaders repeat their mistakes endlessly — using varying tactics, ranging from surges to counterinsurgency to special operations raids to drones, all to similar purposes — everything remains repetitively the same. Not at all. The repeated invasions, occupations, interventions, drone wars, and the like have played a major role in the unraveling of the Greater Middle East and increasingly of northern Africa as well.
Here, in fact, is a rule of thumb for you: keep your eye on the latest drone bases the CIA and the U.S. military are setting up abroad — in Niger, near its border with Mali, for example — and you have a reasonable set of markers for tracing the further destabilization of the planet. Each eerily familiar tactical course change (always treated as a brilliant strategic coup), each next application of force, and more things "metastasize."
And so we reach this moment and the news of that two-year-old secret Saudi drone base. You might ask yourself, given the previous history of U.S. bases in that country, why the CIA or any administration would entertain the idea of opening a new U.S. outpost there. Evidently, it's the equivalent of catnip for cats; they just couldn't help themselves.
We don't, of course, know whether they blanked out on recent history or simply dismissed it out of hand, but we do know that once again garrisoning Saudi Arabia seemed too alluring to resist. Without a Saudi base, how could they conveniently strike al-Qaeda wannabes in a neighboring land they were already attacking from the air? And if they weren't to concentrate every last bit of drone power on taking out al-Qaeda types (and civilians) in Yemen, one of the more resource-poor and poverty-stricken places on the planet? Why, the next thing you know, al-Qaeda might indeed be ruling a Middle Eastern Caliphate. And after that, who knows? The world?
Honestly, could there have been a stupider gamble to take (again)? This is the sort of thing that helps you understand why conspiracy theories get started — because people in the everyday world just can't accept that, in Washington, dumb and then dumber is the order of the day.
When it comes to that "secret" Saudi base, if truth be told, it does look like a conspiracy — of stupidity. After all, the CIA pushed for and built that base; the White House clearly accepted it as a fine idea. An informal network of key media sources agreed that it really wasn't worth the bother to tell the American people just how stupidly their government was acting. (The managing editor of the New York Times explained its suppression by labeling the story nothing more than "a footnote.") And last week, at the public part of the Brennan nomination hearings, none of the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is supposed to provide the CIA and the rest of the U.S. Intelligence Community with what little oversight they get, thought it appropriate to ask a single question about the Saudi base, then in the news.
The story was once again buried. Silence reigned. If, in the future, blowback does occur, thanks to the decision to build and use that base, Americans won't make the connection. How could they?
It all sounds so familiar to me. Doesn't it to you? Shouldn't it to Washington?
Tom Engelhardt, co-founder of the American Empire Project and author of The United States of Fear as well as a history of the Cold War, The End of Victory Culture, runs the Nation Institute's TomDispatch.com. His latest book, co-authored with Nick Turse, is Terminator Planet: The First History of Drone Warfare, 2001-2050.
Copyright 2013 Tom Engelhardt


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Oracle, Apple Issue Java Security Patches
Oracle updates Java 7 and issues the final-ever public update for Java 6, while Apple releases its own Java 6 update for OS X users.
11 Security Sights Seen Only At Black Hat
11 Security Sights Seen Only At Black Hat (click image for larger view and for slideshow)
Oracle Tuesday released new emergency patches for Java to fix flaws that are being actively exploited via in-the-wild attacks.
The five new fixes come in the form of Java 7 update 15 and Java 6 update 41. "Due to the threat posed by a successful attack, Oracle strongly recommends that customers apply CPU [critical patch update] fixes as soon as possible," according to the company's release notes.
Oracle said that the Tuesday update comprises its regularly scheduled quarterly critical patch release. While Oracle released an emergency Java update on February 1 that fixed 50 different bugs -- some of which could be used to remotely compromise a vulnerable system -- Oracle said there wasn't time to include all of its February bug fixes in that update. Oracle had also issued a January Java update to fix a zero-day vulnerability being actively exploited by at least four crimeware toolkits.
[ Why do the bad guys do it? Read Cybercrime 2.0: It's All About The Money. ]
Any Java users who didn't install previous updates need now only install the Tuesday release. "Critical Patch Updates for Java SE are cumulative. As a result, organizations that may not have applied the February 1st release will be able to apply the updated Critical Patch Update when it is published, and will then gain the benefit of all previously released Java SE fixes," said Eric Maurice, director of Oracle software security assurance, in a security bulletin. "As usual, desktop users will be able to install this new version from java.com or through the Java auto-update."
According to Oracle, this week's release of Java 6 update 41 is the final public version of Java 6 that it will release, although customers who have a Java 6-related support contract with Oracle may still see updates. "Previously available versions of JDK 6 will remain available to the public through the Java Archive for debugging and testing purposes but Oracle no longer recommends using those in production," according to a note published last year by Henrik Stahl, who's senior director of product management in the Java Platform Group at Oracle.
Oracle's next Java 7 security updates are due in two months. "Note also that Oracle has scheduled a Java SE Critical Patch Update for April 16, 2013, in addition to those previously scheduled in June and October of 2013 and in January of 2014," according to Oracle's security bulletin. "This additional distribution will be used to further accelerate Java security fixes to Java users."
In other Java security news, Apple Tuesday released an update that patches 30 Java flaws in the version of Java 6 that Apple maintains for Mac OS X v10.6.8, Mac OS X Server v10.6.8, OS X Lion v10.7 and later, OS X Lion Server v10.7 and later, and OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 and later.
"While Apple does maintain Java 6 for the Mac, Java 7 is maintained directly by Oracle and Mac users need to go to Oracle to install Java 7," said Wolfgang Kandek, CTO of Qualys, via email.
"On systems that have not already installed Java for OS X ... this update disables the Java SE 6 applet plug-in," according to Apple. "To use applets on a Web page, click on the region labeled 'Missing plug-in' to download the latest version of the Java applet plug-in from Oracle." Note that OS X automatically disables Java if it hasn't been used for 35 days.
Apple's Java update comes on the heels of the company's own systems being compromised by attackers, after employees visited a mobile application development website that had been infected and was used to exploit zero-day flaws present in Java browser plug-ins. Facebook and Twitter were also compromised using the same attack techniques.
Apple's new Java update is designed to spot the malware used by attackers, and "runs a malware removal tool that will remove the most common variants of malware," according to Apple's release notes, which said that "if malware is found, it presents a dialog notifying the user that malware was removed." If the update doesn't spot malware, however, users will see no notification.
Paul Ducklin, head of technology for Sophos in the Asia Pacific region, said in a blog post that from an information security standpoint, the best approach to Java remains to disable it whenever possible. "That stops dodgy Java applets from anywhere on the Web from playing havoc with your computer, whether you're running Windows, OS X, Linux or any other operating system on which Java is supported," he said.
"It's telling, perhaps, that Apple, with this most recent update, seems to have washed its hands permanently of browser-based Java," he said, referring to OS X users of Java 7 now having to obtain their Java updates directly from Oracle.
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Former International Monetary Fund managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who famously faced a sexual assault charge in New York City last year — a charge that was later dropped — is now being questioned by police in France about whether he was a customer of an alleged multinational prostitution ring.
His attorney, though, says Strauss-Kahn has a defense.
"One of Strauss-Kahn's lawyers has said that the former French presidential hopeful never knew that the women at orgies he attended were prostitutes," The Associated Press reports:
"He could easily not have known, because as you can imagine, at these kinds of parties you're not always dressed, and I challenge you to distinguish a naked prostitute from any other naked woman," Henri Leclerc told French radio Europe 1 in December.
From Paris, correspondent Eleanor Beardsley tells our Newscast Desk that Strauss-Kahn allegedly attended "libertine evenings" at hotels in Paris, Washington and New York City.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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The leafy town of Atherton abuts a mere 0.8 mile of the peninsula rail corridor, and yet may turn out to be the greatest friction point for HSR on the peninsula--and possibly anywhere in California. This is not because of technical difficulty, but rather because the town is more willing and able than most to employ legal means to get its wishes: as a first priority, a routing of HSR that is not through Atherton (namely, via the Altamont Pass), and as a last resort, the construction of a tunnel to put Caltrain and HSR completely out of sight.
In an 11-page letter sent to the CHSRA in late 2007, the Town of Atherton detailed its concerns about the HSR project. Refer to Chapter 22, p. 101 of the Bay Area to Central Valley Program EIR/EIS. The letter includes the following claims:
- properties will need to be condemned to build HSR through Atherton;
- partially condemned properties are subject to remainder damages "easily in excess" of the value of the entire property, to compensate owners for noise and visual impacts in perpetuity;
- the remainder of the property may not be condemned unless it is actually needed for the project; condemnation to limit remainder damages is not sufficient to support the taking.
Horizontal Alignment
Despite the controversy around the issue of eminent domain, the Caltrain right of way (see maps for mileposts 27 and 28) is 80 - 85 feet wide and straight as a ruler everywhere along the 0.8 mile section that falls within Atherton town limits. In principle, this is sufficient space to accommodate four tracks, although temporary construction easements may still be required to build the grade separation structures at Atherton's two grade crossings, Fair Oaks Lane and Watkins Avenue.
Trees are highly prized in Atherton, and many large volunteer trees growing on the railroad right of way would have to be removed. Caltrain's electrification EIR identified 80 trees that would need to be removed for a two-track at-grade electrified configuration; a wider four-track arrangement would likely result in even more tree removals.
Vertical Alignment
The existing tracks slope down at a gentle (less than 0.5%) grade to the north, and cross a drainage ditch known as the Atherton Channel at Watkins Ave. The vertical alignment of the tracks through Atherton is intimately linked to the choices made in neighboring Menlo Park, which has several closely-spaced crossings that would require a consistent vertical alignment to be used through both cities. The existing alignment is shown in the figure below, created from Caltrain track survey data.
Even with the program EIR in legal trouble, project-level environmental work is continuing, with the CHSRA's preliminary design alternatives including elevated, at-grade and below-grade variations of the vertical alignment through Atherton.
An elevated alignment, as originally suggested in the program EIR/EIS and as previously studied in neighboring Menlo Park, would raise the tracks about 15 feet and lower the roads by about 5 feet. Pedestrian sidewalks would stay at grade. The tracks would have to be elevated over all six crossings in Menlo / Atherton, as shown in the figure below. Note, the 1% grade specified for freight trains considerably lengthens the northern approach to such an elevated structure.
Putting the tracks in a trench would require lowering the rails by 30 feet, to accommodate tall freight cars under overhead electrification. The solid red line in the figure below shows a trench alignment. The tracks must rise back to grade at the existing Fifth Avenue grade separation to the north, so trains, tracks, poles and overhead wires would be out of sight for only a portion of Atherton. Again, freight-friendly 1% grades are shown.
Atherton's Folly
In the analysis of alternatives process for the San Francisco - San Jose project EIR, the CHSRA requested each city to state its preferred design alternative. Atherton's position is still that the Pacheco Pass HSR routing through Atherton is ill-advised, wasteful, expensive, and adds no transportation value. Should this route be built, however, Atherton proposes a tunnel concept that is ill-advised, wasteful, expensive, and adds no transportation value. An eye for an eye...
A letter from Atherton (see p. 5) states a preference for an unusual two-level stacked tunnel arrangement, with two HSR tracks in a tunnel on the lower level and two Caltrain / UPRR tracks in a trench on the upper level, as diagrammed in the notional cross-section at right. All roads would remain at grade, and the horizontal clearances would "fit well within" the 80 - 85 foot right of way, purportedly allowing trees to be preserved. The vertical alignment for such a tunnel is shown in the vertical profile (above) as a dotted red line. Accounting for the minimum vertical clearances, the HSR tunnel would bottom out about 75 feet below grade, well below sea level. The extensive ventilation head houses, emergency evacuation stairwells and pump houses required to operate such a tunnel are not shown in the diagram.
The claimed benefits of such an arrangement include:
- No property takes and little loss of property value
- No barrier or visual impact, little noise
- Less cost than a twin-bore four-track tunnel
- Upper level usable by diesel freight trains
It remains unclear who would pay for such a pharaonic tunnel structure. While the price of property in Atherton is high, it remains small in comparison to a tunnel. Less easy to quantify is the price of a view and the price of peace and quiet. Are those truly worth $10,000 per linear inch? Atherton should have plenty of MBA's to figure it out.
NOTE: This post will be updated continuously, as warranted by additional information or new events relating to Atherton.


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You wouldn't think grey rubber rain boots would be a fashion statement but you'd be wrong in Paris...
Just stitch on a few odd buttons (grey of course) and you've got a fashion statement par excellance. Or you could mix your metalics...plenty of flats are still out there. Should I buy this one? Pas cher either - maybe 45 or 65 Euros. I forget which. I also forget where I took this picture :(This was the piece de resistance of my GREY research and a "stolen shot" on the Metro too! A bag made entirely of pop can openers!
Tres chic non?
I had Sunday tea with another blogger at Dalloyau.
She's lived in Paris a few years, put forth an interesting point:
Americans come to Paris and desperately want to dress like the French. And Americans desperately want to pass as French. I was of course, wearing my correctly knotted French scarf + a ton of grey/gris, while she was wearing a white cable knit V-neck "tennis" sweater = very AMERICAN! Naturally the whole world wants to dress "FRENCH" but what do you think of this phenomenon?


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If you find an injured bird in your back yard, do you know who to call? The Boulder, Colo., group Animal Watch has developed a free iPhone and iPad application and a website called AnimalHelpNow designed to assist with such an emergency. The app and site only work for locations in Colorado, but its developers hope to expand the program nationally.
"It was clear that someone using the app was likely to be in a stressful and perhaps dangerous situation for either themselves or the animal," says volunteer programmer Frank Vernon. "With that in mind we focused on making the app as simple and straightforward as possible."
Launch AnimalHelpNow and first it figures out where you are, using the device's GPS, or your computer's IP address on the website. Then there are options depending on the situation you're in.
"The app asks a series of simple questions, like whether it's a wild or domestic animal, whether you can transport the animal," Vernon says. "Based on the user's answers, the user's location and the time of day, we filter the possibilities to display the best choices high on the list."
Vernon says for a domestic animal at night or on the weekend, the closest emergency veterinarian pops up. For a wild animal, it could be a local person or group who rehabilitates wildlife, a vet who treats wild animals or a wildlife agency.
The app and website also have links to report animal abuse or neglect and lost or found pets.
"The app is designed to work even when you don't have cell or Internet access," says Dave Crawford, executive director of Animal Watch. "So whether you're driving through a remote area on the eastern [Colorado] plains, hiking a trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, or simply passing through a dead zone on your way to work, you'll still be able to immediately find the help you need."
For now, information is limited to Colorado, but that could change soon. "We hope to expand it across the country," Crawford says. "Technologically, that's fairly easy. The data will be the challenging part."
The key to gathering information about wildlife rehabilitators, agencies and emergency vets in other parts of the country could be allowing anyone to type in new information.
Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.


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59% of the global instances of (BrE) climbing frame are from UK sites
whereas only about 1 in 27 global instances of jungle gym are UKish
1 in 40 instances of mashed potatoes are from UK sites
but 1 in 3 instances of mashed potato are from UK sites
So...is it a British thing to ignore the plural marking on premises?
23% of the world's this premises are on UK sitesIt looks like the British use the singular version to some extent, but probably were not the originators of it, or else we'd probably see them having a greater proportion of the world hits.
24% of the world's these premises are on UK sites
This premises accounts for about 11% of the total this/these premises in the UK.
I also compared .ac.uk sites versus .edu sites as a way of comparing UK and US that avoids the trap of the international .com.
About 3% of this/these premises on .ac.uk sites were this premises.So, it does not seem to be a feature of 'educated' language, but it's more common in BrE academic circles than AmE ones.
About 1.5% of this/these premises on .edu sites were this premises.
So whose form is it? My money was on Australian English, which gives us this window dressing:
Comparing world hits to .au hits gives us:
1 in 19 these premises is AustralianAnd, consistent with these findings, Australians are fairly happy to write the premises is (40%) rather than the premises are.
1 in 4 this premises is Australian
Australians write this premises 37% of the time.
(Feel free to repeat the exercise with New Zealand and South Africa to see if it is general antipodean English--I'm coming down with a severe case of Googler's neck.)
But then I was re-reading Arnold Zwicky's post from last month about this premises (looking at why it is that something with an apparent plural suffix would be treated as a singular), I noticed mollymooly's comment (hello!): 'Irish law treats "premises" as singular, e.g. "any premises or any part of a premises" in S.60(2)b of the Insurance Act'. And, whoa, look at this:
Irish English uses the premises is and this premises nearly twice as often as the premises are and these premises.Which is to say that you only had to read all that about Australian English because I wrote it before reading M's comment. And, to be honest, I'm fairly surprised to find it so close to England, but so far as well. Did the Australians get it from the Irish, or is it arising separately there? Are the proportions in Scotland different from those in England? Those are questions I'm not prepared to answer.
16% (1 in 6) of the this premises on the web are Irish.
1 in 75 of the these premises on the web are Irish.
(God knows, someone new to the blog is going to want to mention math(s) in the comments. Don't do that. Click here instead.)
Oh, and by the way, BOO!


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Sometimes you need an extra push to hit the pavement or treadmill — or to make it through that last grueling mile of training — and the key may simply be loading right songs on your iPod, according to Dr. Costas Karageorghis, author of Inside Sport Psychology and a leading expert on the psychophysical and ergogenic effects of music at Brunel University, in London.
Music has specific motivational qualities that can make you work harder and faster, even when you feel spent. "Music has the propensity to elevate positive aspects of mood such as vigor and excitement, and reduces negative aspects such as tension and fatigue," says Karageorghis, who has created custom workout soundtracks for several U.S. athletes competing in the London Olympics. "It reduces perceived effort, and training to a musical beat can enhance endurance."
Whether you're a casual runner or training for a distance event (if the latter, first check out our tips on training from last week), the right playlist can optimize your performance. Here are Karageorghis' guidelines for putting together a runner's mix that will get you across the finish line:
(MORE: It's Not Too Late to Start: Tips for Training for a Distance Run)
Select tracks with energizing beats
Synchronizing your strides with an upbeat song can subconsciously increase your effort during a workout. In a 2009 study, Karageorghis and his colleagues found that matching training with music significantly boosted exercise efficiency and endurance. For the study, the researchers compared 30 participants working out on a treadmill — some listened to high-energy rock and pop tunes and some did not. Compared with those who worked out in silence, those who synchronized their pace to the songs' tempo improved their endurance by 15%.
Jamming to rhythmic songs also lowers your perceived effort, making you think you're not working as hard as you really are. Upbeat music increases activity in a part of the brain called the ascending reticular activating system, which "psyches" you up when you're running.
"The optimal tempo range is 120 to 140 beats per minute," says Karageorghis. "Our research shows this yields the best psychological outcomes."
By looking up the beats per minute (bpm) of your go-to songs, you can also find the tempo that matches the heart rate you want to achieve during your workout. For example, if you want your heart rate to get to 130 bpm, choose a song whose tempo progressively increases to that beat, Karageorghis says.
(MORE: 50 Olympic Athletes to Watch)
Stick with what you know
A song's cultural impact is a key factor in what makes it motivational. "There's a strong relationship between exposure to a song and you liking it," says Karageorghis. We tend to favor songs the more often we hear them, so pick a song that's already in your music library.
Adding songs you associate with moments of perseverance, either from movies or your personal life, can also give you an extra edge. The "Chariots of Fire [theme song] has been used extensively at the London Olympic games," says Karageorghis. "We've made an association with this song and characters doing heroic feats. When you hear it, it conjures images and thoughts of overcoming adversity and striving towards a goal. So you're conditioned to feel stimulated, inspired and motivated."
One of TIME's own staffers, photo editor Liz Ronk, who is training for a half-marathon in October, says this strategy has already worked for her: "Sometimes I hear songs that are played at races that I would normally never listen to, and I'll download them specifically for my runs just because the song will remind me of that energy."
Don't forget to hit shuffle
If you've had your playlist on repeat for the last two weeks, you may be desensitized to the songs' motivational qualities. "This is why radio stations promote songs by playing them repeatedly, but then play it less and less, so listeners don't develop a negative response to it," says Karageorghis. "Change your playlist at least every couple of weeks so you don't listen to the same track over and over."
(MORE: 5 Common Mistakes You're Making at the Gym)
Try digitally altering your music to boost motivation
To create playlists for professional athletes, including Great Britain's track and field captain, Dai Greene, Karageorghis films them working out at different intensities in order to identify tracks from their music libraries that fit their workouts. Then he tweaks the music to get them working ven harder. "Often I digitally adjust tracks to give a little push of one or two beats per minute," says Karageorghis. "Differences in tempo of up to four beats per minute are indiscernible to non-musicians. You can easily manipulate your favorite tracks slightly. It's a particularly good ploy if you want to give yourself a little jolt or get out of a training slump."
Be choosy about lyrics
"Lyrics can be extremely important, particularly if they carry meaning for the athlete," says Karageorghis. "You will notice a lot of athletes like your own Michael Phelps use music as an integral part of their pre-event routine. He's famed for his rap-centric playlist. In Beijing, he listened to the song "I'm Me" by Lil' Wayne which has strong affirming lyrics as well as being acoustically stimulative."
Find songs with inspiring lyrics that convey what you want to achieve, like "Pump It" by Black Eyed Peas or "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.
(MORE: Do Sports Products Really Enhance Your Workout? Maybe Not)
If you're still unsure where to start, below are sample playlists from Karageorghis and from our three TIME staffers who are training for half-marathons in October (stay tuned for ongoing updates about the training this summer):
Dr. Costas Karageorghis:
- "Eye Of The Tiger" (109 BPM), Surivior
- "Don't Stop Me Now" (154 BPM), Queen
- "Beat It" (139 BPM), Michael Jackson
- "I Like To Move It" (123 BPM), Reel 2 Real feat. The Mad Stuntman
- "Push It" (130 BPM), Salt-N-Pepa
Bryan Walsh, TIME International Senior Editor and Healthland contributor:
- "Available," The National
- "Don't Save Us From the Flames," M83
- "Ready to Start," Arcade Fire
- "Dog Days Are Over," Florence+the Machine
- "All of the Lights," Kanye West
Liz Ronk, LIFE.com Photo Editor:
- "40 Day Dream," Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
- "Celebration Day," Led Zeppelin
- "Paper Planes " M.I.A.
- "No Regrets," Aesop Rock
- "I Can't Turn You Loose," Otis Redding
Liz Grover, TIME Imaging Desk:
- "Is Anybody Out There?" K'NAAN feat. Nelly Furtado
- "Lights," Ellie Goulding
- "Wide Awake," Katy Perry
- "Domino," Jesse J
- "Payphone," Maroon 5
Don't forget to protect your ears when you're jamming on your workout. "Use music judiciously and don't use it too loudly," says Karageorghis. "High-intensity exercises coupled with high-intensity music above about 85 decibels can cause temporary hearing loss," he warns. Stay alert and stay safe.


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All sizes shown are US sizing and measured in inches. Please note this size guide represents standard Velvet sizing and items may vary depending on style and fabrics. Vintage Fringe models shown typically wear size Small.
Velvet by Graham and Spencer began in 1997 as a self-described "aspiration to create fashion forward tee shirts that embodied the laid-back luxe of LA style." At its core, Velvet by Graham and Spencer's line centers around staple jersey cottons and comfortable casual styles; however, they have also expanded their collections to include elements of faux fur, lace, vibrant patterns, cashmere and so much more. Their recent expansion into leather accessories and denim demonstrates their commitment to sourcing and designing quality stylish pieces across a wide range of products and their commitment to being more than just a t-shirt brand. Their recent collections feature a variety of distinctive clothing options incorporating the latest in fashion trends in a stylish and wearable way. We love their commitment to quality as their pieces wear well year after year and their fabrics are sourced from high quality fabrics. As an example, their faux fur collection is often mistaken for real fur and does not look like it is faux fur. Many of their items are made in the USA as another demonstration of their commitment to quality.


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American Vegetarian Association certified Vegetarian food items, are lacto-ovo, allowing consumption of dairy and eggs but not animal byproducts. We may use the same frying oil to prepare menu items that could contain meat. Vegetarian and meat ingredients are handled in common, and cross contact may occur, which may not be acceptable to certain types of vegetarian diets. Neither Taco Bell®, our employees, nor our franchisees nor the AVA assume any responsibility for such cross contact.
Burritos near Statesville, NC
Order Burritos online or visit the Taco Bell® location nearest you at 102 Signal Hill Dr, Statesville, NC
Are you on the hunt for the best burrito in Statesville, NC? Look no further than your local Taco Bell®! Our burritos include Seasoned Beef, Shredded Chicken, Nacho Cheese Sauce, Seasoned Rice, and Refried Beans all wrapped into a delicious tortilla. With our completely customizable burrito menu, you can create the ultimate burritos for you and your friends with all of your favorite ingredients rolled into the perfect package.
At your nearby Taco Bell Statesville, NC, you can find all of your favorite Mexican inspired burritos, from classic bean burritos and chicken burritos to specialty burritos like the Burrito Supreme®. No burrito is complete without a refreshing soft drink so make sure to check out the Taco Bell drinks menu which includes all of your favorites thirst quenchers like Mountain Dew® Baja Blast™ and the Strawberry Skittles® Freeze. From breakfast to late night, Taco Bell serves made-to-order and customizable burritos so you can satisfy your burrito craving throughout the day.
If you're looking for a tasty burrito in Statesville, NC, Taco Bell is nearby at 102 Signal Hill Dr, Statesville, NC! Come inside or visit our drive-thru at the location near you. At many of our restaurants you can also order burritos online and skip our line at your local Taco Bell® restaurant in Statesville. Now that you have found the perfect burrito, it's time to check out our other Mexican inspired foods including our iconic tacos, quesadillas, and nachos.
Prices and items may vary at participating locations and with substitutions. Tax Extra.


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Affordable Website Design Advance, NC
Responsive Website Design, Adaptive Website Design, Organic SEO, Internet Marketing, Advertising
Call us Toll-Free: (800) 596-6619
Anastasia Ad Design, Inc is a web design company with the marketing knowledge, vision, and experience to be expected from a large agency, without the impersonal service or high cost. Our custom designs will not only improve your company's image, but give you the tools to market your services more effectively. Big or small, we've got a design solution when you need it and within your budget. Our Services include affordable website design (WordPress, HTML5, PHP), re-design of existing (not up to "standards") websites, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). One should know that simply a beautiful website is of little value if no one can find your website on the internet; research has shown that most users search for products, services, and information by utilizing Search Engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc). It is becoming critical for any company's website to satisfy the search engine's criteria in order to get noticed. We can accomplish high ranking positions by applying a wide array of appropriate SEO and SEM strategies. We serve clients in Advance with NO Long Term Contracts.
OUR SERVICES: Responsive Website Development, SEO – Paid & Organic, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate Installation, Online Advertising, Logo Development, Corporate Identity, eNewsletters, E-Mail Marketing, Social Media Advertising, Video Editing, Photography. Photo Editing / Retouching, Vehicle Wraps, Print Advertisement (Ads, Brochures, Postcards, Flyers), Large Scale Graphics, Promotional Materials, Printing Services.
OUR PORTFOLIO: WebDesign, Video Editing, Corporate Identity, Logos, Print Advertising, Promotional Materials, Photography, Email Marketing, Online Advertising, Large Scale Graphics, Vehicle Wraps
A Website Development Company with Creativity, Professionalism & Excellent Customer Service
Learn More About Our Team or Our Services. Call us Toll Free 1-800-596-6619 with questions about our Advance, North Carolina, Web Design services or to get a quick quote.
We specialize in designing affordable, quality print materials for small-to-medium sized organizations. Our team focuses on creative and results-driven solutions when you need it and within your budget. We provide each client with the same level of customer service and attention regardless of project size, budget, or requirements.


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Wednesday, March 9th, 2016 at 10:40 am
RESCUR Surfing The Waves: A Resilience Curriculum for Early Years and Primary Schools in Europe, has been published in seven languages in both soft and hard copies. It consists of five manuals, namely a Teachers' Guide, a Parents' Guide, and three Activities Manuals (Early Years, Early Primary, Late Primary). The soft copy includes also mindfulness activities, theme posters and animal cards amongst others. It is strongly recommended that schools and other institutions and agencies interested in implementing the programme, would first receive training in implementation; for this reason only the Teachers' Guide is being made available to the public (please click on the book cover), the other four manuals will be made available during the training. A training team has been set up in each of the six partner countries; for further information on training please contact Professor Carmel Cefai, Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health, University of Malta at firstname.lastname@example.com
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2015 at 9:22 am
Photos and Presentation from the RESCUR Launch Seminar, Greece, 16th December 2015
Monday, December 21st, 2015 at 7:46 pm
Monday, December 21st, 2015 at 8:20 am
Monday, December 21st, 2015 at 8:00 am
Launch of RESCUR program named "Jag vill , jag kan, jag törs!" held at Orebro University, Sweden, on the 24th of November, 2015.


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6 1/2-Year Sentence For 'I Killed A Man' YouTube Confessor
Matthew Cordle, whose "I killed a man" confession on YouTube went viral in September, has been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for driving drunk and causing an accident that killed a 61-year-old man in Ohio on June 22.
Cordle, 22, faced a maximum sentence of about eight years.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge David Fais:
"Sentenced Cordle to six years on [an] aggravated vehicular homicide charge and six months for drunken driving, to be served consecutively. He also had his driver's license suspended for life."
The Dispatch adds that:
"Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien had argued for the maximum sentence of eight years, saying in a memo that while Cordle spoke for nearly four minutes in his viral video, he neglected two simple words: 'I'm sorry.' ...
"Cordle's lawyers countered that he deserved less time, that a hefty prison sentence would not further rehabilitate an already-contrite man and discourage others from taking responsibility for their crimes. ...
"Cordle spoke at the end of the hearing.
" 'There is no fair sentence when it comes to losing a life,' he said. 'It should have been me that night ... instead of an innocent man.' "


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This is not an offer for credit and should be used for estimation purposes only based on the information you provided. You should not base your decision on this estimate alone. Title, registration, tax and other fees, and personal circumstances such as employment status and personal credit history, were not considered in the calculations.
Click here to see video!
Designed to be the ideal travel partner, the Versys®-X 300 is built for adventure. Having a compact and responsive, Ninja®-derived 296cc twin-cylinder engine makes it one of a kind. A lightweight chassis and long-travel suspension provide sporty and nimble handling. Whether commuting or long-distance riding, the Versys-X 300 is your ticket to adventure.
Front - 100/90x19
Rear - 130/80x17
Curb - 385.9 lb.
**Curb weight includes all necessary materials and fluids to operate correctly, full tank of fuel (more than 90 percent capacity) and tool kit (if supplied).
Rear - Uni-Trak® swingarm/5.8 in.


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char **XGetFontPath(display, npaths_return)
Display *display;
int *npaths_return;
char **list;
XSetFontPath can generate a BadValue error.
The XGetFontPath function allocates and returns an array of strings containing the search path. The contents of these strings are implementation-dependent and are not intended to be interpreted by client applications. When it is no longer needed, the data in the font path should be freed by using XFreeFontPath.
The XFreeFontPath function frees the data allocated by XGetFontPath.


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Custom printed promotional flying disks or Frisbees are a highly effective marketing product. Our fantastic variety of custom Frisbees will get customers' heads up and send your brand flying towards success! Our promotional flying discs are perfect for a wide range of events and promotions. They are ideal for any outdoor event and will instantly bring attention to your booth when used as trade show giveaways. With the rise in popularity of ultimate Frisbee, you can expect a lot of interest in your customized flying disks, especially with young adults!
At IASpromotes.com, we have a great selection of styles, sizes and colors of promotional Frisbees. Personalized custom flying disks can be used by almost any organization for corporate business events, school sporting events or as party favors. Ask us for help personalizing yours with a corporate logo, organization name or fun message and you will send your brand on the target.


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Our sweet Daisy endured an overnight-er at the emergency pet clinic, a trip to our regular vet, and numerous tests and procedures at the veterinary specialist. What we thought was a simple tummy problem has turned out to be much more.
Daisy has advanced cancer. She has tumors in her liver and her heart; her tiny puppy heart. She's only eight years-old and this is completely unexpected. She's back home with us now and we are giving her lots of treats and hugs during this time we have left with her.
Read a little more about Daisy here.


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Fine Art America White-Label Partner Program
Use our White-Label Websites to Transform Your Business Into a Profit Making Machine
your own website!
(e.g. shopdeckthewallsart.com)
Earn a 15 - 25% commission on every sale that you generate through your white-label website. Fine Art America fulfills your orders for you and sends you your profits each month!
How it Works
Fine Art America is the fastest-growing art site in the world. We are home to 619,310 of the world's greatest living artists and photographers - with hundreds of new members joining each day. Buyers can browse through our collection of 10,000,000 images - all of which can be purchased as framed prints, canvas prints, greeting cards, and more.
What if you could sell all of those products on your own website... and earn a commission on every single sale?
Now you can!
Here's how it works:
FAA provides you with a white-label website (e.g. shopdeckthewallsart.com). What's a "white label" website? It's our website... with your company name and logo up top! If you have a domain name that you want to use - great! We'll use it. If not, we can provide you with one.
Your new website is customizable. You can change the colors, change the navigation menu, issue press releases, post event announcements, and much more. You can also change the header graphic to include your logo, street address, phone number, and any other information that you want to provide to your visitors.
Your website is perfectly synchronized with FineArtAmerica.com. You'll be offering 10,000,000 images for sale as framed prints, canvas prints, greeting cards, and more. When a new image gets uploaded to FAA, it will instantly appear on your website, too. If an artist deletes an image... changes an image... changes a price... etc... everything will update instantly on your website. Your website and FAA are perfectly synchronized.
When a buyer places an order on your website, FAA takes care of everything for you. We handle the printing, framing, matting, packaging, shipping, and processing the buyer's payment. You don't have to do anything. Thirty days later, we'll send you your profits via check or PayPal (your preference).
You'll earn a 15 - 25% commission on every single sale on your website. The commission percentage is based on your annual sales volume. If your commission percentage is set to 20% and someone buys a stretched canvas print on your website for $300, then you'll earn $60 in profit on that sale.
Wait - this sounds too good to be true. Is there a catch?
No. There's no catch, and there are no hidden fees. Our white-label program is 100% free to join. You get a beautifully designed website featuring millions of prints from the world's greatest artists, and when you make a sale on your website, we pay you a commission. It's that simple.
Fine Art America is actively expanding our sales network, and this is the perfect way to do it.
Getting Started
Getting started is simple. Fill out the form, below, and a representative from FAA will contact you. If your application is approved, you can be up-and-running in less than 5 minutes - yes, really!
Ideal Retail Partners
The Fine Art America Retail Program is perfectly suited to art businesses (e.g. galleries, frame shops, etc.) with an existing website or physical store presence.
Convert "walk out" customers into web customers!
How often does a customer walk into your store... browse for a few minutes... walk out... and never come back again? It probably happens hundreds of times per month... or maybe hundreds of times per week!
What if you could hand a business card to those "walk outs" and say, "If you didn't find what you're looking for, we offer more than two million prints for sale on our website. Each print can be purchased with custom framing and delivered your doorstep with a money-back guarantee."
How much extra revenue can you generate just by handing out business cards with your new URL on them?
Convert web visitors into web buyers!
Right now, can buyers purchase artwork on your existing website?
No - that's a problem... and that's lost revenue.
What happens if you post a link from your existing website over to your new FAA Retail Website? The link could say: "Purchase Prints from Our Online Collection of 2,000,000+ Images".
How many of your web "visitors" will turn into web "buyers"?
What happens if you take your marketing one step further and start sending out e-newsletters promoting your new site?
Create new opportunities for in-store sales!
For the truly adventerous, what happens if you set up an in-store kiosk to allow your buyers to browse through your FAA Retail Website while they're in your store? It doesn't have to be a floor-standing model, as shown on the left. All you need is a computer with an internet connection.
Your buyers can browse through your entire collection of prints... right there in your store.
They can also upload their own digital images and purchase them as framed prints, canvas prints, greeting cards, and more!
We can help you monetize your existing web traffic.
We can help you turn your foot traffic into online buyers.
If your store or your website already attracts a significant number of visitors who might be interested in purchasing artwork, the FAA Retail Program is for you!


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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.
And I'm Audie Cornish.
The Food and Drug Administration unveiled plans today to regulate e-cigarettes for the first time. The agency also wants to regulate other nicotine-containing products. NPR's Rob Stein has more on the FDA's proposals.
ROB STEIN, BYLINE: E-cigarettes look a lot like regular cigarettes, but they're not. They're metal or plastic tubes that heat up a fluid containing nicotine. That produces a vapor that people inhale to get a jolt of the powerful stimulant. But Mitch Zeller, at the FDA, says there's big concerns about these devices.
MITCH ZELLER: We call the current marketplace for e-cigarettes the wild, wild West.
STEIN: The wild, wild West because e-cigarettes have been totally unregulated.
ZELLER: There is no one vouching for the safety of the product. There is no independent regulatory review of any claims that might be made for the products. It is buyer beware.
STEIN: But the FDA wants to change that, and more. The agency already regulates regular tobacco cigarettes. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced plans to start regulating all kinds of related products, including cigars, hookahs, pipe tobacco and liquid nicotine.
MARGARET HAMBURG: It's a huge change because we will have the authority to take critical actions to promote and protect the health of the public.
STEIN: Most of the attention is focused on e-cigarettes because they've suddenly gotten so popular. The FDA's rules would do a bunch of things, mostly aimed at preventing kids from using them: ban selling e-cigarettes to minors, ban giving away free e-cigarettes, prohibit selling e-cigarettes in most vending machines. The FDA would also make e-cigarettes carry warning labels that nicotine is addictive and, the FDA's Mitch Zeller says, for the first time, disclose everything that's used to make them.
ZELLER: It will compel the companies to tell us what's in the vapor, and at what level, so that we can do safety assessments. We can't even tell you what is in the vapor today, let alone what the risk profile of those various compounds are.
STEIN: The FDA is also banning any claims e-cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes without getting the agency's approval first, and requiring companies to submit their devices for scrutiny by FDA scientists. Now, you might wonder what the companies that make e-cigarettes think about all this. Some smaller companies worry the new rules will make it harder for them to compete. But others seem pretty happy, relieved the FDA didn't go further - like try to ban e-cigarettes altogether - and even hopeful the move will end up being an endorsement. Jeff Holman is president of Vapor Corp., an e-cigarette company based in Florida. He's hoping the FDA's move will prompt some cities and towns to change their minds about e-cigarettes.
JEFF HOLMAN: I'm hoping that the FDA's wisdom will be imparted upon local government, and they'll kind of reverse course a little bit and give people the opportunity to use their e-cigarettes in places where they can't use tobacco.
STEIN: Public health advocates are also glad the FDA is finally doing something about e-cigarettes. Many think e-cigarettes could help cut the number of people smoking regular cigarettes. But they've been worried about how safe they are, and how aggressively they're being marketed. Some say it's taken the FDA way too long to step in, and they want the FDA to do way more.
DAVID ABRAMS: There's much more that they need to do, and they need to act urgently.
STEIN: That's David Abrams from the Legacy Foundation, an anti-tobacco group.
ABRAMS: For example, we do think they should be acting quickly to ban candy flavorings in e-cigarettes because we know these candy flavors are very attractive to youth.
STEIN: Abrams and others also want the FDA to try to restrict the marketing of e-cigarettes online and advertising them on TV, especially in ways that appeal to young people. It'll take a while for the FDA's plans to go into effect - years, for some of this. But once it does, the FDA says the government will have the power to take even tougher steps to regulate e-cigarettes, cigars and other products, if it looks like that's the right thing to do. Rob Stein, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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I like the idea of mass migrations of knitters. More colorful than migrating wildebeest. Less liable to poop on your head than migrating birds. Far more pleasant than the roving swarms of locusts or beetles or whatever it is that has been eating the damn leaves in my flower bed. (Oy. Don't even ask, seriously.)
My schedule for the next three weeks may be summarized thus:
- Fly to London.
- Teach in London.
- Play in London.
- Leave London for Southampton.
- Leave Southampton for New York.
- Leave New York for Portland.
- Teach in Portland.
- Leave Portland for Chicago.
This will be a family event. Tom joins me for numbers 3 through 5; Dolores and Harry will be in attendance for the whole shebang.
(Shebang is, don't you think, an almost too-apt description of an undertaking in which Dolores becomes involved?)
Getting ready for all this has turned me into a terrible blogger, and I beg your indulgence. Will you think more kindly of me if I show you some actual knitting? No kidding, actual knitting. A whole shawl, in fact. I was going to wait until after this trip to post about it, but I can't stand it any more. It's been finished for yonks.
Tell you what, I'll show you some of the test photos; the pattern will be for sale via download come August. If you want to see it in person, I have it with me.
It's another in the series named for women in my family. This one's for my mother, so it'll be called Anna. Anna is Giovannina's daughter, Pauline's daughter-in-law and Sahar's mother.
The yarn is Cascade Heritage Silk, about which I do not believe there is yet enough happy screaming. I fell in love with it halfway through Swatch #1; and having completed one project in it I'm already in the mood for another.
This piece taught me something interesting, which is that you cannot sum up your mother in a couple of stitch motifs. Or at least I can't sum up my mother in a couple of stitch motifs. So there's less overt symbolism here than in, say, Pauline; and fewer outside references than in Giovannina.
While I was designing the lace patterns, I tried knitting Things That Spoke of Mother; and every time the results fell short. How could they not? A woman goes through very scary labor in order to bring you into the world, then spends decades dealing with your quirky child self and your weird teenage self and your annoying adult self. She never once complains, she never stops loving you. And then you turn around and say, "Hey, I put everything you are and have done into in this bunch of yarnovers that kind of looks like a flock of doves if you squint." Right.
In the end I set the whole idea of symbolism aside. I just played with the yarn until what was on the needles seemed to bear some kinship to my mother's spirit.
So almost every time I look at this shawl, I see different things. Once it was honeybees–very suitable for a mother who has uncomplainingly spent her life in near-constant motion, making things for other people. Another time, during the knitting, I realized that the little pair of yarn overs that pop up periodically reminded me of her eyes. Especially since they were all over the place. If there is anything that makes me think of my mother, it's all-seeing eyes. She was and is a modern Argus, only she's a hep chick from Detroit and she can dance better.
Mom, I hope you like it. In the end, I admit that I can't sum you up in one shawl. But what the heck. You know the truth. They're all dedicated to you, even when they don't have your name on them.


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Advanced Glass Fusing Workshop on the 17th November 2012
Glass designer & maker Paul Floyd will lead afternoon sessions on glass fusing. The advanced workshop will allow you to explore the techniques of fused glass as a creative medium. Within the workshop you will build on your skills with cutting glass to a pattern and working with coloured sheet glass, frits and powders.
You will create an original piece of glasswork and can make either a panel or a medium sized round/square bowl 20cm diameter. Only 4 people per workshop for maximum individual attention.
- Date: Saturday 17th November 2012
- Time: 1:30pm till 5:00pm
- Costs: £45 (includes all materials and fusing)
- Venue: Transparent Glass Studio, Ruskin Glass Centre, Wollaston Road, Stourbridge, DY8 4HE
Please note: These advanced workshops are for people who have previously attended the taster workshops in glass fusing and would like to further explore fused glass as a creative medium.
For more information and booking contact Paul Floyd on the details below.
Studio: 01384 399412
Email Address: email@example.com