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Do you need this vintage? It makes life harder, because remember, you have to pay for it in time, miles of hard work, and honesty. Remember Chen Xiaowang, who abandoned the construction of his family's house, because it cut into the hours he needed to practice his t'ai chi ch'uan. Is the "technical" aikido, for example, of the descendents of Ueshiba, and similarly, I believe, the Daito-ryu of many of the descendents of Takeda, not a worthy pursuit in itself? It certainly can be. As I sit writing this, I am watching a play of light in my room, the sun passing through glass vases and crystal, part of my own lineage, from my grandmother, through my mother to me. Just as this glass is beautiful in its own right, so too, a pursuit of technical genius, of athleticism, of the numerous positive changes of personality that one incurs in the dedicated pursuit of any discipline in the company of like-minded comradesall of this is possible through what aikido has become. And yes, that includes substantial martial virtue as well, as such exemplars as Nishio Shoji, Takeno Takefumi, Kato Hiroshi, and Anno Motomichi amply demonstrate. There is a rich lifetime of knowledge within what each of these menand others like themhave to teach. But what if you desire the vintage itself? And what if you desire exactly what Ueshiba was brewing? What he distilled is among the most rarean elixir brewed from a mixture of wildflowers from the Japanese Alps and blue-haloed mushrooms. It's an acquired taste, like peat smoked Scotch from Islay, or Dutch corenwyn pulled from a block of ice and poured from a stone crock. To make matters more difficult, the bottle into which Ueshiba's vintage has been placed is hard to pour and takes a long time to fill a glass. Still worse, there are only a few people left who even know how to pull the cork, because Ueshiba didn't share exactly how to do so with very many. He just uncorked it himself, each bottle a little different than the one before, and drank a full draught every day, leaving a little in the cup that his guests might choose to sip or not. If they -- or you -- simply want to enjoy the play of light through the glass, tinted by that marvelous brew, then that, too, can be a lifetime's worth. But if it's the vintage you want, I hope I've given you a few hints on how to find it. How about something else? There are numerous other vintages, brandies of various character and depthand there are even some remarkable home-brewers appearing these days, who have cut what may be time-worn, but unessential procedures, and are offering remarkable tastes of their own. You can go to such teachers, and acquire, in full measure, that liquid sun, and if you choose, take it back and pour it within the vessel of aikido that you so love. It will not be Ueshiba's aikido. But it will be yours. The larger issue is this: live your life. What made Ueshiba so wonderful is that the life he lived was undeniably his own. Ueshiba Morihei is deadis there really a need for him to be reborn in you?
Based on conversations with Bill Witt, Bernice Tom, Hans Goto, Wolfgang Baumgartner, Mark Larsen, etc., who all spent considerable time training under Saito: "In all my conversations with the previously listed individuals, I could not find one who acknowledged Saito doing solo exercises, other than ken and jo suburi. No one acknowledged seeing Saito doing funa kogi undo or any of the other "warm up/aiki" exercises that Osensei is seen doing in the historical footage. They all stated Saito was adamant that Osensei said everything one needed for developing aiki is in the suburi, which one should practice daily. I also got the understanding from my conversations that Saito never explicitly described how to do each suburi to the group, other than to demonstrate and make individual corrections. Saito did explain and use analogies to try to clarify key points of techniques when teaching. One of his favorites apparently was referring to the relationship of uke and tori as two limbs of a compass. He did sometimes explain the mechanics of using the weapons, but not in an esoteric fashion. No one recalled observing Saito providing any specific instruction on grounding, or generating and transferring energy within the body. No one recalled a discussion of the role of spinal flexion in accomplishing the transfer, only Saito pointing out that the hips must be and remain solid and settled at the end of a technique. As to partner practice, all of my Iwama trained teachers emphasize each class should begin with tai no henko ho, morote dori kokyu ho, and end with suwariwaza kokyuho. Most also include some form of Ikkyo in the class. Saito was adamant that Osensei's daily practice always included tai no henko, followed by morote dori kokyu ho, and ended with suwariwaza kokyuho. That said you are correct that none of my Iwama trained teachers ever explain that these are the keys to unlocking the "aiki" in aikido or do anything other than to repeat, "Become proficient in katai training before moving to yawarakai training, and then continue to practice fundamentals regularly."[xxv]
In practice, there is a tendency to perform these techniques (ikkajo, nikkajo, etc.) with both uke and nage using physical strength. However, it is best to practice these techniques letting go of physical power and with the intended purpose of softening the joints. When taking ukemi for basic technique as well, you should not fight your partner but rather perform ukemi with the feeling of leading him (emphasis by this writer). Uke should not take ukemi because he is being pushed or forced, instead uke should do so by first inviting and leading. When taking ukemi, if you entrust yourself completely to the movement of your partner, even the slightest bit of unnatural use of physical strength on the part of nage part will effectively send him flying instead.[xxviii]
Use the aikido techniques that are applied to you to open and strengthen your joints. This requires that you have partners who are not out to damage you or rip through any resistance or adhesions, but slowly stretch each and every joint. Imagine your body sheathed in diaphanous membranes of connective tissue, intersecting planes of fascia and tendon. This is true, so it shouldn't be a difficult task. Aikido techniques, properly done, should soften and yet thicken and strengthen this tissue. Your task is to make it hydrated, flexible, and resilient.[xxix]
[i] Hisa, Takuma, Originally published in Shin Budo, November, 1942, The entire article can be read on the Aikido Journal website at http://members.aikidojournal.com/enc...ryu-aiki-budo/ [ii] Amdur, Ellis, Dueling with Osensei: Grappling with the Myth of the Warrior Sage, "The Knights of the Mouldy Rope," Edgework Books, Seattle, WA, 2000, pp., 177 - 203 [iii] I did come close to meeting someone who might have had skills much like those of Ueshiba. I received an introduction to Inoue Noriaki, Ueshiba Morihei's nephew, of whom it was said that his Shinei Taido was the closest in existence to that of Ueshiba in his younger years. The earliest films available, published by Aikido Journal, show him at the age of sixty-nine, well past his prime. Nonetheless, one can see him show a staunch manifestation of earlier aiki-budo. I had several phone conversations trying to negotiate a visit to their dojo, accompanied by Kuroiwa Yoshio, who was familiar with several people in the organization. Inoue had taught foreign students in the 1950's, allegedly members of the American intelligence services. Don Angier described him on a visit to America, where, during a seminar, he was challenged by someone, whom he demolished. Unfortunately, I was told that Inoue previously had a non-Japanese student in the 1960's, who acted so offensively to the members of the dojo that they made a decision to never admit any Western students again. That was one time that I was not able to get inside the gate. [iv] Donn Draeger mischievously told me that he tried repeatedly to get Tohei Koichi to accompany him to meet Wang to "compare notes on ki." He laughingly told me that Tohei invariably had a pressing appointment or other plans. It was something Donn could not resist bringing up every time they met. [v] Dueling with Osensei, Ibid, p. 3 [vi] Paul Anderson, once regarded as the strongest man in the world, decided at one point in his life to become a professional boxer and was almost killed in the ring by a journeyman 190-pound opponent, Atillio Tondo, of no exceptional skill. [vii] Amdur, Ellis, Amdur, Ellis, Hidden in Plain Sight: Tracing the Roots of Ueshiba Morihei's Power, Edgework Books, Seattle, WA, 2009 [viii] I should note that Peter Goldsbury, in a critical read of this article, notes that the advent of the Second World War very possibly had a lot to do with the latter. Among the factors that could have come into play could have been Ueshiba making a radical change in how he viewed teaching and his legacy; the loss of some of his most stellar students, through death, abandonment, or schism; and mental changes due to age and a level of energy that he might have wished to devote to teaching. [ix] Personal discussions with Joshua Lerner. [x] Just so I do not leave any misunderstanding, some Aikido groups do concentrate with remarkable intent on martial rigor, and they produce people who are powerfully effective when required to defend their well-being, even their lives. The post-war Aikikai always had one or two people who were known as "enforcers," who were designated to handle any challenges from outside martial artists. Because of particular circumstances (not that I challenged anyone) when I first joined the Aikikai, I spent my first week being "tenderized" by said individuals at the behest of Ueshiba Kisshomaru. [xi] As I once described in an essay on Aikido Journal where Minegishi Mutsuko stopped me in my tracks, comparing the results of my harsh martial arts training and attitudes and the intimidating, alienated man that resulted, from the warm protective community that had grown up around her. In those days, few people would have considered bringing me soup were they to hear I was ill. [xii] Please note that I am not specifically -- or only -- referring to fighting skills, although this can -- and should - be a vital component of internal training in martial arts. Other benefits significant benefits include health, general physical grace until old age without the damage that intense external training methods can cause and, for some, psychological benefits as well. [xiii] Interview with Jarek Szymanski, http://www.chinafrominside.com/ma/ta...interview.html [xiv] http://www.daitoryu-taiwan.com/buyokan/ [xv] One of my previous xingyi teachers falls in this category. He is simply brilliant, a man who is able to keep absolutely the same physical organization when he is doing a form and when he is in a real fight. But he has had a very difficult time passing on what he knows, in part because he has never found a language that intelligibly describes what he does, and in part, because his art is such an amalgam. [xvi] www.aikiweb.com [xvii] Amdur, Ellis, Hidden in Plain Sight: Tracing the Roots of Ueshiba Morihei's Power, in particular, the chapter, "Aikido is Three Peaches," pp. 154-178. This is particularly true if I am correct in my theory that Ueshiba regarded the larger aikido community as merely energy sources for his "rites" in unifying Heaven and Earth, and that if someone was to be more than such spiritual cannon fodder, they would, as he did, steal what they needed and rise on their own. [xviii] Personal Communication, John Driscoll [xix] Harrison, E.J., The Fighting Spirit of Japan, The Overlook Press, Woodstock, New York, 1982, p. 128. Interestingly, Harrison, earlier in the same paragraph, describes inquiring of these skills to Kikuchi Koji, a sixth dan, and when he asked if Kano himself had such abilities, Kikuchi replied that "he didn't know but that he might have." This means one of several things: 1) he didn't 2) he did, but he kept them close to his vest, either because that was his reserve in case someone wanted to topple him from his perch at the top of the mountain, or he genuinely thought the pursuit of such skills would interfere with the development of judo as a universal activity for the good of society. (See Stanley Pranin and Peter Goldsbury's commentaries on Ueshiba Kisshomaru's post-war aikido as well as descriptions of Tomiki Kenji's distaste at any display of the abilities of aiki that he had, viewing the attempt to attain such rarified skills as interfering with the development of healthy, citizens, graduating from a college aikido club and getting on with life, rebuilding and developing a modern society.) [xx] Amdur, Ellis, Hidden in Plain Sight, ob cit, cited on pages 179-180 [xxi] Paul Wollos, a student of Sagawa-ha Daito-ryu states, "Good breakfalls are required, as many techniques finish with sudden drop (original idea for real situation is to prevent the opponent from taking ukemi)." http://daitoryu-taiwan.com/buyokan/Q&A.htm [xxii] "If you take a lot of rigorous ukemibam! bam! and practice lots of things, you'll eventually come to be able to do it." "Matsuda Kenji: Pursuing the Ultimate Martial Art," Hiden Magazine, translated by Mr. Josh Lerner. There is no doubt that there is a lot to that "lots of things," but nonetheless, it is significant that Sagawa mentions ukemi. [xxiii] Personal Communication, John Driscoll [xxiv] When Stanley Pranin presented Saito with a copy of Ueshiba's book, Budo, a book, published prewar, that he had never seen or even heard of, Saito said, with some emotion that this was the aikido that he worked on with Osensei. Imagine the validation he must have experienced when, after hearing years of carping that his aikido was his own individual interpretation, he found documentary evidence to the contrary in the founder's own hand. Rather than a radical break, what Ueshiba was doing at Iwama was a continuation of the Daito-ryu and aiki-budo that he was doing in the 1930's. [xxv] Personal communication from John Driscoll [xxvi] I have theorized elsewhere that Ueshiba used each training center (Iwama, Shingu, Osaka, Tokyo, etc.) to research a specific aspect of his own training. It is possible that the emphasis on suburi and several dual training exercises at Iwama was part of his own research project: in this case, what could one produce if one emphasized these specific components to the exclusion of any other? [xxvii] I have had a number of personal communications from others who suggest that their teacher, too, falls under the "osmosis" rubric. [xxviii] Citation in Amdur, Ellis, Hidden in Plain Sight: Tracing the Roots of Ueshiba Morihei's Power, ob cit p. 178 [xxix] Hidden in Plain Sight, page 224. I do wish to highlight this, because here we have a single sentence, a kuden, from Ueshiba Morihei that transformed his entire practice. In this light, it is interesting to note that Ueshiba, according to Kobayashi Yasuo, frowned on the Tokyo deshi practicing kokyu-nage techniques. At first glance, this appears to suggest that he thought those techniques were "false," but Kobayashi goes on to say that Ueshiba himself did such techniques (and we can observe such techniques throughout his books and films). Kobayashi goes on to suggest that Ueshiba could really accomplish such waza, whereas the students were merely imitating the outward form. Returning to Ueshiba storming into the dojo, yelling "That's not my aikido," and returning as well to Iwama, with it's repetitions of ikkyo and nikkyo and suwariwaza kokyu-ho, it is possible that what Ueshiba was frustrated about was the attempt to do "aiki" type techniques without sufficient tanren training, specifically kasudori. See Chris Li's translations of three interviews of Kobayashi on his blog - http://www.aikidosangenkai.org/blog/ [xxx] Is it thus possible that the phrase, "There is no winning and losing in aikido" has an entirely different meaning than the standard, "we've risen above competition?" Could that, in fact, be a hint on how to practice, not in some collusive support of the accomplishment of waza, but a working together to mutually forge an "aiki body?" [xxxi] Amdur, Ellis, Dueling with Osensei: Grappling with the Myth of the Warrior-Sage, Chapter 5 [xxxii] Amdur, Ellis, Dueling with Osensei, pp., 103 -110 [xxxiii] I must note that there is another, less attractive version of the conventional uke-nage paradigm: that the teachers who hew most devoutly to this are practicing a kind of human-suburi, their uke (students) responding with no more intelligence than a bokuto. Beyond a doubt, this will develop a particular kind of skill within the teacher -- and I can think of several whom become brilliant using this method. It is my opinion, however, that such a training method is far inferior to the more dynamic interchange when both individuals are simultaneously and consciously studying technique and studying aiki. Furthermore, it requires that one somehow rises to the top to have the opportunity to practice in such a manner, and perhaps, more important, it requires a fundamental disconnect from the humanity of one's training partners. [xxxiv] To give an example of this, one of my friends, an aikido instructor, has an occasional visitor to his aikido dojo, a member of the Takumakai, currently residing in the United States. This man quietly practices with anyone in the dojo, and in open seminars, again, trains with anyone, even rank beginners, and accepts their 5th kyu instruction on proper aikido with equanimity. My friend is the only one who knows his rank and his abilities, and when he has asked him why he accepts low-level practice, much less instruction from anyone, his reply is that he is able to practice what he needs to with anyone. [xxxv] This essay had a number of critical readers. As usual, I do not cite them unless I am directly quoting them, with their permission, as I do not want anyone to demand that they answer for my opinions. I must note that one critical reader was rather dissatisfied with the piece because I did not go into detail about the specific criteria for effective internal training. That was not my purpose. It is, rather, to help sketch out a training paradigm within aikido in which one doesn't have to leave the art, as it exists, while undertaking training in aiki. Furthermore, as a beginner in such training, why listen to me on "how-to" when there are a number of experts teaching in both dojos and seminars who can explain these skills from positions of authority. Aside from both training groups and workshops, I recommend Mike Sigman's essays on his blog http://mikesigman.blogspot.com/ and Zhang Yun's articles as providing clear descriptions of the introductory levels of such training at http://www.ycgf.org/ycgf_home.html


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By Hilary White
LONDON, September 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England, said he was shocked at the furor that arose after he told an audience earlier this year that he thought it "seems unavoidable" that some accommodation for Islamic sharia law would be implemented in Britain. However, Williams' statements evidently were prophetic, as a report in the Sunday Times has revealed that the Islamic law is already operating in Britain, not only in domestic disputes, but also in criminal cases.
The Times said this weekend that the government had officially accepted the existence of sharia law courts to officiate in Muslim civil cases. The rulings of a network of five sharia courts, in London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester with the network's headquarters in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, are now enforceable "with the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High Court."
Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi, a barrister and head of the Muslim Action Committee, told the Times that the Arbitration Act 1996 allows rulings by his Muslim Arbitration Tribunal to be enforced by county and high courts.
"The act allows disputes to be resolved using alternatives like tribunals. This method is called alternative dispute resolution, which for Muslims is what the sharia courts are," he said.
Siddiqi said he expected the courts to handle a greater number of "smaller" criminal cases in coming years as more Muslim clients approach them. "All we are doing is regulating community affairs in these cases," said Siddiqi.
The Times said that these Muslim courts started operating in August 2007 and have dealt with more than 100 cases, ranging from Muslim divorce and inheritance cases as well as six cases of domestic violence, normally a criminal procedure under British law. The Times quoted Inayat Bunglawala, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, who said that since Jewish tribunals operate in Britain, parity should be given to Islamic courts.
Dominic Grieve, the opposition's shadow home secretary, told the Times that courts operating in criminal and family law cases outside the regular system would be "unlawful." "British law is absolute and must remain so," he said.
Melanie Philips, writing on her blog at the Spectator, wrote that "confusion abounds" over the report, because there is "nothing new here at all" and said that the story is "overheated and misleading." Decisions of sharia courts, she said, have always been enforceable under the Arbitration Act.
But, she said, this does not "dispel the serious concern about the spread of sharia law and the scope of these courts." Philips is the author of "Londonistan", a book that examines the incursions of violent Islamic extremists into British society with the assistance of British government and courts.
She said the comparison between Islamic courts and Jewish tribunals were misleading, since the latter operate completely within the framework of British law and do not seek to set up an alternate judicial system.
Moreover, she said, "given the inferior status of Muslim women under sharia, any sharia arbitration in respect of domestic violence can hardly be viewed with equanimity."
"The key point," she said, "is that sharia law is not compatible with English law or the principles of equality and human rights that it embodies. The result … is that Britain is allowing the development of a de facto parallel legal system in Britain, thus destroying our society's cardinal principle of one law for all."
She added, "Indeed, if this continues Britain will break up as a unitary state governed by one law for all … This is the way a society fractures – and then goes under."
Damian Thompson, the editor of the Catholic Herald, wrote on his blog at the Daily Telegraph website that he not only agreed with Dominic Grieve that the idea of a parallel Muslim system of law was "unlawful", but that it is an "outrage."
"There's something creepy about the way the police allow sharia 'courts' to persuade women to withdraw allegations against their husbands."
A BBC Radio 4 report found that the cases covered by these tribunals are not restricted to domestic disputes. Radio 4 quoted a Somalian youth worker who lives in London who said that in one case a group of Somali youths were arrested on suspicion of stabbing another Somali teenager. The victim's family told the police it would be settled out of court and the suspects were released on bail. The matter was considered settled when an unofficial "court" ordered the assailants to compensate the victim's family. Scotland Yard said they had no record of the incident.
In his book Islam in Britain, Patrick Sookhdeo, director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity, wrote, "Sharia courts now operate in most larger cities, with different sectarian and ethnic groups operating their own courts that cater to their specific needs according to their traditions."

subset: commoncrawl


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He would be probably the first to wish you a happy International Geocaching Day. Geo what?
DAVE PREBECK: Geocaching is basically a high tech scavenger hunt.
SIMON: That's Dave Prebeck, president of NOVAGO, the Northern Virginia Geocaching organization.
PREBECK: We have people go out and hide something and then they post the latitude and longitude on a website - geocaching.com is the primary one - and then those of us with GPS's get the latitude and longitude from the site and go out looking for them.
SIMON: Geocaching got started around 2000 when GPS technology was made available to the general public. The very first geocache contained an odd assortment of items, including a few dollar bills, a can of black-eyed peas and a book by Ross Perot. Dave Prebeck teaches classes on geocaching and he offers his students advice, like...
PREBECK: Don't reach into holes in trees without at least rattling something around in there first. Serious. I've seen things run out of holes that have just scared the bejesus out of me.
SIMON: Mr. Prebeck knows a man that was bitten by a copperhead snake. But such dangers don't deter the estimated five million cachers worldwide who are on the hunt for some two million hidden sites.
PREBECK: I actually found a cache on the top of Mount Vesuvius in Italy and, I mean, just being there and seeing that and being part of that was quite an experience.
SIMON: Dave Prebeck sharing his enthusiasm on this International Geocaching Day. Happy geohunting.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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I liked the sound of serving the roasted pork tenderloin with apple gravy on a bed of wild rice cooked in apple sauce. I thought that just plain wild rice might be a little boring so I tweaked it a bit. I cooked the rice in fresh apple cider from the farmers market and chicken stock to give the rice a nice spiced apple and savoury flavour. I also wanted some more vegetables in the meal and the rice was a perfect spot to put them. Onions, carrots and celery form the base of lots of soups and sauces and I thought they would go well with he wild rice. Given the apple nature of the rice so far I thought that adding some sweet raisins would also be nice. Before serving the wild rice I topped it off with some chopped toasted pecans to add a contrasting texture. the apple wild rice turned out great! I really enjoyed the apple flavour of the tender wild rice. I am going to have to think of other flavours that I can add to rice by cooking it in different liquids. Overall the rice had a nice balance of sweet and savoury and it was full of flavour. I could easily eat a bowl of this rice all by itself. This would make a great side dish for many different meals. Printable Recipe
Apple Wild Rice
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 1 carrot (chopped)
- 1 rib celery (chopped)
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1 handful raisins
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable)
- 1 cup apple cider
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 handful pecans (toasted and chopped)
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the garlic, onion, carrot, and celery and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the wild rice, raisins, bay leaf, chicken stock, apple cider, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Simmer covered until the rice is al dente, about 50 minutes. Check at intervals and if it needs more liquid add some.


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CEF6 - Airport |
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Bade, days before her diagnosis…her clothes look baggy.
The signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children usually develop quickly, over a period of weeks. Look for:
- Increased thirst and frequent urination. As excess sugar builds up in your child's bloodstream, fluid is pulled from the tissues. This may leave your child thirsty. As a result, your child may drink — and urinate — more than usual.
- Extreme hunger. Without enough insulin to move sugar into your child's cells, your child's muscles and organs become energy-depleted. This triggers intense hunger.
- Weight loss. Despite eating more than usual to relieve hunger, your child may lose weight — sometimes rapidly. Without the energy sugar supplies, muscle tissues and fat stores simply shrink. Unexplained weight loss is often the first sign to be noticed.
- Fatigue. If your child's cells are deprived of sugar, he or she may become tired and lethargic.
- Irritability or unusual behavior. Children with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes may suddenly seem moody or irritable.
- Blurred vision. If your child's blood sugar is too high, fluid may be pulled from the lenses of your child's eyes. This may affect your child's ability to focus clearly.
- Yeast infection. Girls with type 1 diabetes may have a genital yeast infection, and babies can develop diaper rash caused by yeast.
Resource : http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-1-diabetes-in-children/basics/symptoms/con-20029197


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From the point of view of a Caltrain rider, quality can be defined in terms of just four Metrics That Matter.
- What is the average trip time between my origin and my destination?
- What is the best trip time between my origin and my destination?
- At my origin, how long is the average waiting time between trains that go to my destination?
- At my origin, what is the longest waiting time between trains that go to my destination?
Figuring the Metrics
The four metrics that matter are objective measures that are reasonably straightforward to extract from a timetable. A computer can churn through a timetable to extract the metrics for every possible origin & destination pair, by making a few simple assumptions about rider behaviors as shown in the graphic at left.
For example, we can crunch the current Caltrain timetable (with 90 trains per weekday and 5 trains per peak hour), with the result shown at right. For simplicity, the graphic shows a limited sample of ten stations; simply follow the blue lines to find the intersection of the desired origin and destination, and read off the four metrics. A more complete version of this table is provided below.
Effective Trip Time
The four metrics are useful to consider separately, but ultimately we'd like to compare entire timetables to determine which timetable is better. To do this, we need to consolidate the four metrics that matter into a single "effective trip time" metric for each origin and destination pair. Thus far, the four metrics required very few assumptions and could be quantified quite objectively. As we construct an effective trip time metric, things get a bit more subjective and debatable.
The effective trip time is not the trip time experienced by any particular passenger; rather, it is a single figure of merit that reflects a global average of trip times taken by all passengers between a given origin and destination.
If a passenger showed up randomly, the effective trip time would simply be the average trip time plus 50% of the average wait time. However, most passengers don't show up randomly. They tend to show up before their train, and they also tend to prefer faster express trips. Therefore, we can create a reasonable measure of effective trip time as the sum of:
- 70% of the average trip time
- 30% of the best trip time (to favor express service)
- 20% of the mean wait between trains (far less than the random arrival figure of 50%)
- 15% of the maximum service gap (to penalize very large gaps between trains)
Notice that the effective trip time metric is constructed so as to punish very large service gaps. Due to the speed / frequency trade-off that Caltrain currently must contend with, many smaller stops are severely under-served during rush hour, commonly with gaps of 40 minutes or more, to clear the tracks for Baby Bullets. This is reflected in the table: for example, Palo Alto to 4th & King (the highest traffic and best-served O&D pair) is covered in 47 minutes, but the similar distance between California Ave and 22nd Street (an under-served O&D pair) effectively takes 67 minutes.
Whether or not you agree with the exact weighting used to construct the effective trip time metric, the fact remains that with some optimally chosen weights, the metric is a valid one. The numbers can easily be recalculated using different weighting assumptions.
Measuring the Quality of an Entire Timetable
Now that we have a single number that describes the effective trip time between any given O&D pair, it's time to generalize the approach to encompass all O&D pairs and to construct a single figure of merit that captures the service performance of an entire timetable. Obviously, not all O&D pairs can be served optimally: any timetable is inherently a trade-off between minimizing trip times for most riders at the cost of longer trip times for some riders. Figuring out what works best thus requires ridership weighting.
Ridership weights can be derived from actual weekday ridership data, shown as blue bars in the chart at right (these weights have been scaled such that they add up to one). Unfortunately, actual ridership is not always an exact reflection of underlying travel demand. Some stations suffer from a vicious circle; they have poor ridership in large part because they are poorly served. A good example of such a station is California Avenue in Palo Alto, where average weekday ridership was 1225 riders in 2002 before service was cut to make way for the Baby Bullet, dropping to 891 riders in 2010. This 27% drop occurred at the same time as overall ridership increased by 19%, and is unlikely to have been caused by any shifts in employment or residential patterns in the rather thriving vicinity of this station.
The most desirable approach would be to implement a full-featured ridership model, of the sort that has recently generated so much controversy for the state-wide high-speed rail project. That is unfortunately beyond our means, so we will simply use direct ridership weighting, with some filling in where service currently isn't provided (e.g. Transbay or Atherton).
The ridership weight of an O&D pair is the product of origin ridership and destination ridership (a measure of how many people travel on that O&D pair) and is shown by the light blue circles in the figure at left. Big circles mean heavy ridership, small circles mean light ridership. An optimal timetable will seek to provide the best effective trip time for O&D pairs where a big circle represents heavy ridership.
To construct a single figure of merit for an entire timetable, we first need to come up with a new, ridership-weighted service score for each O&D pair. This score, where higher is better, is the product of origin and destination ridership (the size of the blue circle), divided by effective trip time. Dividing by effective trip time means that shorter trip times increase the score for that O&D pair. Now all that's left to do is to sum up all the O&D service scores, and presto, we've got ourselves a single figure of merit. This allows us to compare timetables and, provided that we agree on the method used to construct that figure of merit, to determine objectively which of two timetables is the better one.
Any disagreements about which is the best timetable can then be reduced to disagreements over the scoring method. Planners tend to fall in love with their favorite solution, so taking the discussion away from the solution and focusing instead on the scoring method allows a dispassionate debate that is less colored by subjective preferences. Indeed, without an agreed-upon scoring framework (clearly defined metrics), comparing timetables is a subjective and useless exercise.
The Great Timetable Shoot-Out
Enough with metrics, are we ready for some fun, or rather, as much fun as can be had with timetables? Let's put three different timetables through their paces, and see how they stack up in terms of service quality.
Contestant #1: today's 90-train-per-day, 5-train-per-hour Caltrain timetable, to which we will assign a score of 100 for the purpose of comparison.
- Input timetable file (tab delimited text)
- Metrics that matter table (318 kB PDF)
- Effective trip time table (35 kB PDF)
- Origin & Destination service score table (539 kB PDF)
- Overall service quality score: 100
- Input timetable file (tab delimited text)
- Metrics that matter table (345 kB PDF) -- also compared with Caltrain 2010 (329 kB PDF)
- Effective trip time table (35 kB PDF) -- also compared with Caltrain 2010 (38 kB PDF)
- Origin & Destination service score table (671 kB PDF)
- Overall service quality score: 147
- Input timetable (tab delimited text)
- Metrics that matter table (342 kB PDF) -- also compared to Caltrain 2010 (328 kB PDF) and compared to Caltrain 2025 (317 kB PDF)
- Effective trip time table (34 kB PDF) -- also compared to Caltrain 2010 (38 kB PDF) and compared to Caltrain 2025 (37 kB PDF)
- Origin & Destination service score table (674 kB PDF)
- Overall service quality score: 145
The secret weapon: the mid-line overtake.
The Trickle Down Effect
With the peninsula being reconfigured to four tracks for high-speed rail, it would be a terrible shame not to take advantage of some of that new track capacity to run better and more efficient local service, providing measurable benefits to local peninsula communities. Better service just might be the sugar coating to make the bitter pill of high-speed rail go down a little bit easier in places like Palo Alto, Atherton, Belmont, or Burlingame. Otherwise, why even bother?


text:
Penn State football slammed with NCAA sanctions
Published 10:51 am Monday, July 23, 2012
INDIANAPOLIS — Penn State football was all but leveled Monday by an NCAA ruling that wiped away 14 years of coach Joe Paterno's victories and imposed a mountain of fines and penalties, crippling a program whose pedophile assistant coach spent uncounted years molesting children, sometimes on university property.
The sanctions by the governing body of college sports, which capped eight months of turmoil on the central Pennsylvania campus, stopped short of delivering the "death penalty" of shutting down the sport. But the NCAA hit Penn State with $60 million in fines, ordered it out of the postseason for four years, and will cap scholarships at 20 below the normal limit for four years. The school also will be on probation for five years.
Any current or incoming football players are free to immediately transfer and compete at another school.
"Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people," NCAA President Mark Emmert said as he announced the penalties at a news conference in Indianapolis.
The sanctions all stem from the case of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted last month of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years. An investigation commissioned by the school and released July 12 found that Paterno, who died in January, and several other top officials at Penn State stayed quiet about accusations against Sandusky in 1998 and 2001.
The NCAA ruling holds the entire school community accountable for failing to protect children.
"Against this backdrop, Penn State accepts the penalties and corrective actions announced today by the NCAA," Penn State President Rodney Erickson said in a statement. "With today's announcement and the action it requires of us, the University takes a significant step forward."
The Big Ten announced that Penn State would not be allowed to share in the conference's bowl revenue during the NCAA's postseason ban, an estimated loss of about $13 million. And the NCAA reserved the right to add additional penalties.
Emmert fast-tracked penalties rather than go through the usual circuitous series of investigations and hearings. The NCAA said the $60 million is equivalent to the annual gross revenue of the football program. The money must be paid into an endowment for external programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims and may not be used to fund such programs at Penn State.
"The sanctions needed to reflect our goals of providing cultural change," Emmert said.
By vacating 112 Penn State victories from 1998-2011, the sanctions cost Paterno 111 wins. Former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden will now hold the top spot in the NCAA record book with 377 major-college wins. Paterno, who was fired days after Sandusky was charged, will be credited with 298 wins.
The scholarship reductions mean Penn State's roster will be capped at 65 scholarship players beginning in 2014. The normal scholarship limit for major college football programs is 85. Playing with 20 less is devastating to a program that tries to compete at the highest level of the sport.
In comparison, the harsh NCAA sanctions placed upon USC several years ago left the Trojans with only 75 scholarships per year over a three-year period.
The postseason ban is the longest handed out by the NCAA since it gave a four-year ban to Indiana football in 1960.
Bill O'Brien, who was hired to replace Paterno, now faces the daunting task of building future teams with severe limitations, and trying to keep current players from fleeing to other schools. Star players such as tailback Silas Redd and linebacker Gerald Hodges are now essentially free agents.
"I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead," O'Brien said. "But I am committed for the long term to Penn State and our student athletes."
Players left a team meeting on campus in State College, Pa., without talking to reporters. Penn State's season starts Sept. 1 at home against Ohio University.
The sanctions came a day after the school took down the statue of Paterno that stood outside Beaver Stadium and was a rallying point for the coaches' supporters throughout the scandal.
At a student union on campus, several dozen alumni and students gasped, groaned and whistled as they watched Emmert's news conference.
"It was kind of just like a head shaker," said Matt Bray, an 18-year-old freshman from West Chester, Pa. "You knew it was coming, but it was hard to hear."
Emmert had earlier said he had "never seen anything as egregious" as the horrific crimes of Sandusky and the cover-up by Paterno and others at the university, including former Penn State President Graham Spanier and athletic director Tim Curley.
The Penn State investigation headed by former FBI Director Louis Freeh said school officials kept what they knew from police and other authorities for years, enabling the abuse to go on.
There had been calls across the nation for Penn State to receive the "death penalty," and Emmert had not ruled out that possibility as late as last week — though Penn State did not fit the criteria for it. That punishment is for teams that commit a major violation while already being sanctioned.
"This case is obviously incredibly unprecedented in every aspect of it," Emmert said, "as are these actions that we're taking today."
Penn State football under Paterno was built on — and thrived upon — the premise that it did things the right way. That it was not a football factory where only wins and losses determined success. Every major college football program tries to send that message, but Penn State built its brand on it.
Paterno's "Grand Experiment" was about winning with integrity, graduating players and sending men into the world ready to succeed in life, not just football. But he still won a lot — a record-setting 409 victories.
The NCAA had never sanctioned, or seriously investigated Penn State. Few, if any, national powers could make that claim.
Southern California, Ohio State, Alabama, all have run afoul of the NCAA. Even Notre Dame went on probation for two years after a booster lavished gifts on players in the 1990s.
The harshest penalty handed down to a football program came in the '80s, when the NCAA shut down SMU's team for a year. SMU football has never gotten back to the level of success it had before the "death penalty."


text:
I thought you'd like a ring side view...hmmm
I'm a "righty" in case you were wondering...
I'm fantasizing I'll lose 10-15 in time for the Sonia Rykiels to arrive at H&M. I'm also fantasizing I'll make it inside the store on Feb 20th...
I'm back at my vertical workstation. Yup I got up off the floor. But it's nice to wake up and immediately start drawing...
My work station when I got home a from Paris a year ago...ahem
At least it doesn't look like this right?
So HAPPY TWENTY TEN EVERYONE!!!
May we all stand on lots of good fortune this year!
Over the holiday, while on the floor, I became a HUGE fan of GLEE. You can play catchup too if you live in the USA and watch episodes 9-13 here or you can just sing along with me...
This ain't a song for the brokenhearted
No silent prayer for the faith departed
And I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my voice when I shout it out loud
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just wanna live while I'm alive


text:
Annoyance? Yes. I'm plenty annoyed.
Javier Vazquez (3.77, 120 ERA+) / Daisuke Matsuzaka (3.94, 114 ERA+)
Vazquez is having his best year since he left the Expos for the Yankees in 2003. Opponents are only hitting .231 against him in 121.2 innings, and his 114 strikeouts rank seventh in the American League. ...
Against the White Sox, Matsuzaka must defuse speculation that his workload has affected his recent performance. Over his past two starts, he has allowed 10 earned runs in 11 innings, including 19 hits and five home runs.


text:
As you may know, I'm a huge Bundt fan. Huge. I think I've made over 10 Bundts on this blog. The American-made Nordic Ware Bundt was trademarked in 1950 and is, in my book, an engineering marvel!
Although some people just don't understand this, I love cake but don't care for frosting. And the Bundt? It's perfect. Even if you put a thick glaze on it, the ratio of cake to frosting is just right. And sometimes, it doesn't need any frosting or glaze at all. Yes, the Bundt rocks. Big time. Let's all just take moment to salute the awesomeness of the Bundt. Thanks.
And you know what? Holy smokes!! This is delicious!
I made mine with sour cream, but you can also use plain yogurt. Dorie suggests a lemon glaze but I skipped that in favor of a simple dusting of powdered sugar. I'm sure chocolate chips and walnuts would be nice additions too.
Nordic Ware says there are 60 million Bundt pans in America. We need to get everyone to make this cake!
Thank you everyone for baking along with me this week! I'm excited to see how you liked it and your variations. And if you couldn't make it this time, I hope you try it out in the future. It's such a pleasure to be part of this group! Bake on TWDers! :) - mary the food librarian
Classic Banana Bundt Cake
Page 190, Baking: From My Home to Yours.
Ingredients: Makes 1 Bundt Cake (14 servings)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
About 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (you should have 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups)
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9- to 10-inch (12 cup) Bundt pan. (If you use a silicone Bundt pan there's no need to butter it.) Don't place the pan on a baking sheet - you want the oven's heat to circulate through the Bundt's inner tube.
Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas. Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (don't be disturbed when the batter curdles), all the sour cream and then the rest of the flour mixture. Scrape the batter into the pan, rap the pan on the counter to debubble the batter and smooth the top.
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 30 minutes - if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool to room temperature.
If you've got the time, wrap the cooled cake in plastic and allow it to sit on the counter overnight before serving - it's better the next day.
Optional Lemony White Icing:
Sift 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar into a bowl and squeeze in enough fresh lemon juice (start with 2 teaspoons and add more by drops) to make an icing thin enough to drizzle down the Bundt's curves.
Half batch or muffins:
If you want 1/2 the recipe and make muffins, Dorie Greenspan wrote it up herself on this 2008 entry on Serious Eats: Banana Cake Big and Small. She added some chocolate to this one. Yield 12 muffins, bake 28-32 minutes


text: Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. In the midst of a monster storm, let's take a moment to contemplate a monster pumpkin. Out in California, John Sach grew a pumpkin weighing just under 1,000 pounds. He calls it Sally, and it won Orange County's annual Pumpkinmania contest. Sach's pumpkin outgrew the runner-up, named Gourdita, which was downright slim at 795 pounds. According to the O.C. Register, Sally's secret is simple - a lot of food and water. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
Please use for sat nav: postcode SS14 3AS
Get the best deal on a used van for sale in Billericay by making your way to Comptons Cars and Commercials Ltd today. You will find every available model listed here on the website, and as all our stock is competitively priced you should have no problem sourcing a pre-owned to suit your budget. Take the opportunity to browse our current range online before contacting a member of the showroom team to find out more. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will be more than happy to answer any questions and provide advice and guidance when necessary. Alternatively, why not pay a visit to our showroom in person and take a closer look at the selection of used models for sale.
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the above vehicles information but errors may occur. Please check with a salesperson.
The representative finance examples shown above are for illustrative purposes only. Fees, rates and monthly payments may change subject to underwriting decision.
Representative APR See Above Examples
*Fees are already accounted for within the payments displayed and are included within the total amount payable.
Finance is available to UK residents aged 18 years or older, subject to status. Terms & Conditions apply. Indemnities may be required. Other finance offers may be available but cannot be used in conjunction with this offer. We work with a number of carefully selected credit providers who may be able to offer you finance for your purchase, commission may be received. We are only able to offer finance products from these providers. Postal Address: Comptons Cars and Commercials Ltd, A127 Arterial Road, Corner Pipps, Hill Road North, Billericay, Essex CM11 2UJ. Find contact details here.
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text:
After two trades, Phillies still lacking power
He filled two holes in a lineup with many, so naturally, the question for Ruben Amaro Jr. was, "What else?"
Ben Revere and Michael Young certainly fill needs. How well, no one is sure. But that duo combined for eight home runs in 2012 and did not regularly hit for extra bases.
"We'd love to add more home runs," Amaro said. "But for me, again, it's about production. If we can produce runs – and I know that Ben can and I know that Michael can – and we have to get production out of the middle of our lineup. The guys we've paid to produce those runs. If we can get complementary [production] from Ben and Michael and get the kind of production we expect out of Ryan [Howard] and Chase [Utley], I think we're going to be fine."
Still, the overwhelming feeling is the Phillies are far from done. Not with the myriad questions in their outfield and a bounty of money to be spent.
Here is the 2012 Phillies' power production broken down by position with National League ranks in parentheses:
What is most interesting are the low ranks in slugging percentage at first base, third base, left field and right field. The corners are where power hitters traditionally reside. Up the middle, the Phillies were about as strong as possible.
The Phillies subtract this:
Shane Victorino: 9 HR, .401 SLG (431 PA)
Hunter Pence: 17 HR, .447 SLG (440 PA)
Placido Polanco: 2 HR, .327 SLG (328 PA)
Ty Wigginton: 11 HR, .375 SLG (360 PA)
Juan Pierre: 1 HR, .371 SLG (439 PA)
Jim Thome: 5 HR, .516 SLG (71 PA)
And what they've added, so far:
Ben Revere: 0 HR, .342 SLG (553 PA)
Michael Young: 8 HR, .370 SLG (651 PA)
The numbers from Carlos Ruiz and Erik Kratz were among the league's best. And, again, it's difficult to assume a repeat performance. Ruiz will miss the first 25 games due to suspension. He produced career-high figures in nearly every offensive category. Kratz wore down late in the season and still has plenty to prove.
Yes, there should be better production from first base in 2013. Remember, though, Howard's slugging percentage has declined in each of the last four seasons. There were red flags before the Achilles injury. Still, he did not play at 100 percent strength last season and the dip in slugging was was 65 points from 2011. There should be some normalization there.
Second base is a crapshoot, and that needs no further explanation.
It's difficult to do worse offensively at third base than the Phillies did in 2012. But notice that Young's numbers from 2012 do not represent a massive upgrade there. That is, unless Young recaptures his power stroke from seasons before.
Jimmy Rollins was one of the most productive shortstops in terms of power last season. He hit his most home runs (23) since 2009 and posted his highest slugging percentage since 2008. The Phillies will need a repeat performance.
The outfield was already in the bottom half of the league in slugging percentage even with four months of Victorino and Pence. Revere has never hit a major-league home run and has a career .323 slugging percentage. So assume centerfield will be near the bottom of the league in both categories for 2013.
And that leaves us with the holes in left and right field. They are the only positions where Amaro can seek an upgrade, and are traditionally power spots in a lineup. Take three available free agents for example:
Josh Hamilton: 33 HR, .583 SLG (582 PA)
Nick Swisher: 25 HR, .478 SLG (631 PA)
Cody Ross: 17 HR, .434 SLG (519 PA)
The Phillies figure to sign one of the aforementioned. They have approximately $20 million (in average annual value) of payroll to spend. They have already traded away four chips from a deep pitching stable. Now it's time to spend money.
They have long been connected to Ross, the demon from October 2010. (Remember that time the Giants barely won a waiver claim?) They are not said to fancy Swisher, perhaps because of his price. That could change.
Hamilton is the white whale. He is seeking a long-term deal out of the Phillies range, but those demands could lower given the lack of a market for the enigmatic slugger. Amaro briefly showed what he thinks of Hamilton last week. With their payroll flexibility, the Phillies could offer Hamilton a short-term, high-value contract.
It fits Amaro's penchant for a big splash. Hamilton's agent, Michael Moye, is among the most private in the business. His client may not be the ideal target, but there is most definitely a fit.
No, the Phillies do not need home runs to win. They need production, as Amaro terms it, and even after two trades it is still lacking.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.


text:
Part of President Obama's 2012 re-election strategy was to run against a do-nothing Congress. But congressional Republicans now appear determined to make that approach harder for him by coming to terms on some Democratic priorities.
The news that a compromise was reached by congressional Republicans and Democrats to extend the payroll tax cut as well as to fund two other policies — additional jobless benefits for some of the long-term unemployed and no payment cuts to doctors who accept Medicare patients — was an indication of how the looming general election has changed the political dynamics in Washington.
At a media availability Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner didn't say directly that there was a new mood of compromise on Capitol Hill. He suggested, instead, that Republicans had chosen to act responsibly because Democrats allegedly weren't:
BOEHNER: So we were not going to allow the Democrats to continue to play political games and raise taxes on working Americans. And so we made a decision to bring them to the table so that the games would stop and we would get this work done.
Boehner added that the House could vote on the agreement by week's end.
What Boehner didn't say but what is most certainly true is that none of the past year's partisan battles over an earlier extension of the payroll tax cut, raising the debt ceiling or continuing to fund the federal government have left Republicans politically better off.
All those fights did was help Congress' approval ratings fall to about 10 percent, give or take a percentage point, while Obama's approval has inched up. Clearly, the prior congressional Republican strategy was creating some electoral vulnerabilities for the GOP.
So there was an obvious incentive for the congressional Republican leadership to shift course to avoid incurring anymore of the political damage of the past year.
There'll still be plenty of disagreements and other issues on which the president will accuse congressional Republicans of intransigence.
Compromise seems next to impossible on Democratic proposals to raise taxes on the wealthy, for instance. And his 2013 budget is just as much of a non-starter as the jobs legislation he proposed last year.
But the congressional Republican leaders are clearly becoming more selective on where they draw the line.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Full List of HacPDX Hackathons
- For the first HacPDX, see below
- For July 2011 HacPDX see HacPDX-II
HacPDX (The Original)
September 25-27 2009
Portland, Oregon, USA
HacPDX is an opportunity to join Portland Haskell hackers in building and improving Hackage libraries and tools. If you've never been, Hackathons are typically not only a good opportunity for experienced devs to work together but also a great way for newcomers to get involved in the community.
Communication Channels
During the event, you can reach us at
irc://irc.freenode.net/##hacpdx +1 503 725 2812 thomas.dubuisson+hacpdx at gmail.com
Also, check the projects page as we update it to see what is happening.
* Calagator : http://calagator.org/events/1250457547
Friday Sept 25 3:30PM to 6:00 PM Saturday Sept 26 10:00AM to 6:00 PM Sunday Sept 27 10:00AM to 6:00 PM
We can work however late, but tentatively let's plan on eating and sleeping.
The Friday times give an opportunity to meet and test your network connectivity, should you so desire. Afterwards we can head out to grab a pint!
We will be in room 86-01 (downstairs) of the fourth avenue building, which is part of Portland State University.
As the building is locked during the weekends, I'll be letting attendees in via the Harrison Street entrance.
You should bring a laptop with wireless (802.11). The room has whiteboards and a projector for any discussions or should anyone wish to give a talk.
- 11Aug09 - Announced HacPDX... only one week later than intended!
Go to the HacPDX Registration page and add your name as an attendee - the selected room can fit a population in the low-twenties well enough and we'll work to acquire the larger room if needed.
Be sure to list any projects in which you're interested!
Getting food might involve a little more of a walk (I'll do some research, feel free to add suggestions if you're a local), but there are many restaurants down town.
[Tim says] nearby options that are open on weekends include but are not limited to:
- Hot Lips Pizza, SW 6th and Hall (2 blocks away)
- Taco Del Mar (next door)
- Baan Thai, SW College and Broadway
- Thanh Long, SW College and Broadway (Vietnamese)
- Chipotle, SW College and Broadway
- Cheerful Tortoise, SW College and Broadway (beer and grease)
Buses 12, 44, and 17 all stop right outside the Fourth Avenue Building. The Yellow and Green Lines of the MAX stop a few blocks away. If you're biking from the east side just take Hawthorne bridge, a left on first, and a right on Harrison - the building is on the corner of Harrison and 4th.
If you want to attend and are coming from outside of Portland feel free to ask for a hand.
- Thomas DuBuisson (irc: TomMD, e-mail: email@example.com)


text:
South Dakota Board of Regents' Effort Certification Policy: BOR Effort Certification Policy
Effort Certification PI Manual -- Each topic on the Table of Contents is linked to the page pertaining to that topic.
Effort Reporting is a critical compliance issue. Signed Effort Reports are considered legal documents in which an individual attests to the accuracy of the effort spent on sponsored projects. Effort reporting is a federally-mandated process by which the salary charged to a sponsored project is certified as being reasonable in relation to the effort expended on that project. Sponsors use these reports to confirm that effort expended by an individual working on the project supported what the sponsor paid.
One of the most common audit findings is that effort reports are certified by individuals with insufficient knowledge of the work performed. Both the Pre-Reviewers (with mandatory review authority) and Certifiers must have direct knowledge and a suitable means of verifying the work performed on the sponsored project.
The responsible employee closest to the effort should certify their own effort reports. However, employees may not always be aware of what project they are working on and from what fund source they are being paid. Therefore, the PI, or someone authorized by the PI, will have the option to act as an alternate certifier in place of the employee.
Effort Certification has three stages known as Periods –- the Pre-Review Period, the Certify Period, and the Post-Review Period. Most of the actions taken on effort reports will be during the first two Periods. The PI will need to approve the effort reports by completing a mandatory review for employees paid on sponsored projects for which they are responsible. Also, they may act as an Alternate Certifier with the optional action of certifying effort reports in place of the employees. Finally, they will need to certify their own effort reports if they were paid on sponsored projects.
It is not recommended that a PI, or anyone else, act as an Alternate Certifier for other faculty members working on their projects. Faculty members should always make every effort to certify their own effort reports.
If you or any of your employees need training on performing roles in the effort certification process, please feel free to contact Karen Williamson either by phone (605.642.6319) or by email: email@example.com.


text:
The City bike is built up. I think it looks great and rides superbly. We may change the name to something like "multi-purpose" or MP frame because it works pretty nicely as an all around bike. I could see this frame being set up with front and rear derailleurs, even drop bars, and used as an all around, go anywhere machine.
The production MP frame will be painted dark gray instead of deep blue; I'll reveal why in my upcoming post about the Rando frame. We are making a couple of minor changes to get the fender lines just right. And we are trying to get the fork bent in a smoother curve. But overall the prototype frame looks pretty good.
Here are a few notes I made in response to various questions and comments I've received:
- The frame is a low trail (39mm), French inspired design, much like our Gentleman semi-custom frame.
- The wheels are 650b. That's really the best choice for riding on bumpy city streets.
- Maximum tire size with fenders is around 44mm.
- Those rear dropouts look funny in photos, as several of you pointed out. In real life they are not so bad. We used them because they are the only readily available short horizontal dropouts with the geometry suited to this frame.
- The reason we used short horizontal dropouts is to allow internal hubs and single speed wheels to be used without the need for a chain tensioner. Longer dropouts would make wheel removal difficult on a fendered bike
- There is a kickstand plate.
- A spring between the kickstand plate and the front of the rear fender allows the fender to flex forward for wheel removal, while maintaining proper fender line.
- Instead of shifter bosses on the down tube, we'll have two cable housing stops under it. I don't think many folks will want to use down tube shifters on this frame and the stops look much cleaner, especially if the frame is set up with internal gearing or as a single speed.
- The tubing is all double butted CR-MO in traditional, not modern oversize, diameters. This makes for a supple and comfortable ride (not to mention the whole planing issue).
- The first production run will be three or four sizes, probably 51, 54, 57, 60. More sizes may be added later.
- The rear brake cable housing is uninterrupted. I think this is the best arrangement on a city bike, I mean MP. You can sit on the top tube at the cafe without fear of bare cable marring the paint, or your work pants. The cable is not run under the top tube so as not to dig into your shoulder when carrying the bike up the steps to your apartment.
UPDATE, New photos, now with fenders! And new, but still high, bars, like a Dutch bike ;<)


text:
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Contemporary art lecture series installation art
Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that often are site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called public art, land art or intervention art; however, the boundaries between these terms overlap.
Installation art can be either temporary or permanent. Installation artworks have been constructed in exhibition spaces such as museums and galleries, as well as public and private spaces. The genre incorporates a broad range of everyday and natural materials, which are often chosen for their "evocative" qualities, as well as new media such as video, sound, performance, immersive virtual reality and the internet. Many installations are site-specific in that they are designed to exist only in the space for which they were created, appealing to qualities evident in a three-dimensional immersive medium. Artistic collectives such as the Exhibition Lab at New York's American Museum of Natural History created environments to showcase the natural world in as realistic a medium as possible. Likewise, Walt Disney Imagineering employed a similar philosophy when designing the multiple immersive spaces for Disneyland in 1955. Since its acceptance as a separate discipline, a number of institutions focusing on Installation art were created. These included the Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, the Museum of Installation in London, and the Fairy Doors of Ann Arbor, MI, among others.
Installation art came to prominence in the 1970s but its roots can be identified in earlier artists such as Marcel Duchamp and his use of the readymade and Kurt Schwitters' Merz art objects, rather than more traditional craft based sculpture. The "intention" of the artist is paramount in much later installation art whose roots lie in the conceptual art of the 1960s. This again is a departure from traditional sculpture which places its focus on form. Early non-Western installation art includes events staged by the Gutai group in Japan starting in 1954, which influenced American installation pioneers like Allan Kaprow. Wolf Vostell shows his installation 6 TV Dé-coll/age in 1963 at the Smolin Gallery in New York.
Installation as nomenclature for a specific form of art came into use fairly recently; its first use as documented by the Oxford English Dictionary was in 1969. It was coined in this context, in reference to a form of art that had arguably existed since prehistory but was not regarded as a discrete category until the mid-twentieth century. Allan Kaprow used the term "Environment" in 1958 (Kaprow 6) to describe his transformed indoor spaces; this later joined such terms as "project art" and "temporary art."
Essentially, installation/environmental art takes into account a broader sensory experience, rather than floating framed points of focus on a "neutral" wall or displaying isolated objects (literally) on a pedestal. This may leave space and time as its only dimensional constants, implying dissolution of the line between "art" and "life"; Kaprow noted that "if we bypass 'art' and take nature itself as a model or point of departure, we may be able to devise a different kind of art... out of the sensory stuff of ordinary life".
The conscious act of artistically addressing all the senses with regard to a total experience made a resounding debut in 1849 when Richard Wagner conceived of a Gesamtkunstwerk, or an operatic work for the stage that drew inspiration from ancient Greek theater in its inclusion of all the major art forms: painting, writing, music, etc. (Britannica). In devising operatic works to commandeer the audience's senses, Wagner left nothing unobserved: architecture, ambience, and even the audience itself were considered and manipulated in order to achieve a state of total artistic immersion. In the book "Themes in Contemporary Art", it is suggested that "installations in the 1980s and 1990s were increasingly characterized by networks of operations involving the interaction among complex architectural settings, environmental sites and extensive use of everyday objects in ordinary contexts. With the advent of video in 1965, a concurrent strand of installation evolved through the use of new and ever-changing technologies, and what had been simple video installations expanded to include complex interactive, multimedia and virtual reality environments".
Art and Objecthood
In "Art and Objecthood," Michael Fried derisively labels art that acknowledges the viewer as "theatrical" (Fried 45). There is a strong parallel between installation and theater: both play to a viewer who is expected to be at once immersed in the sensory/narrative experience that surrounds him and maintain a degree of self-identity as a viewer. The traditional theater-goer does not forget that he has come in from outside to sit and take in a created experience; a trademark of installation art has been the curious and eager viewer, still aware that he is in an exhibition setting and tentatively exploring the novel universe of the installation.
The artist and critic Ilya Kabakov mentions this essential phenomenon in the introduction to his lectures "On the "Total" Installation": "[One] is simultaneously both a 'victim' and a viewer, who on the one hand surveys and evaluates the installation, and on the other, follows those associations, recollections which arise in him[;] he is overcome by the intense atmosphere of the total illusion". Here installation art bestows an unprecedented importance on the observer's inclusion in that which he observes. The expectations and social habits that the viewer takes with him into the space of the installation will remain with him as he enters, to be either applied or negated once he has taken in the new environment. What is common to nearly all installation art is a consideration of the experience in toto and the problems it may present, namely the constant conflict between disinterested criticism and sympathetic involvement. Television and video offer somewhat immersive experiences, but their unrelenting control over the rhythm of passing time and the arrangement of images precludes an intimately personal viewing experience. Ultimately, the only things a viewer can be assured of when experiencing the work are his own thoughts and preconceptions and the basic rules of space and time. All else may be molded by the artist's hands.
The central importance of the subjective point of view when experiencing installation art, points toward a disregard for traditional Platonic image theory. In effect, the entire installation adopts the character of the simulacrum or flawed statue: it neglects any ideal form in favor of optimizing its direct appearance to the observer. Installation art operates fully within the realm of sensory perception, in a sense "installing" the viewer into an artificial system with an appeal to his subjective perception as its ultimate goal.
Interactive installations
Interactive installation is a sub-category of installation art. An interactive installation frequently involves the audience acting on the work of art or the piece responding to users' activity. There are several kinds of interactive installations that artists produce, these include web-based installations (e.g., Telegarden), gallery-based installations, digital-based installations, electronic-based installations, mobile-based installations, etc. Interactive installations appeared mostly at end of the 1980s (Legible City by Jeffrey Shaw, La plume by Edmond Couchot, Michel Bret...) and became a genre during the 1990s, when artists became particularly interested in using the participation of the audiences to activate and reveal the meaning of the installation.
Immersive virtual reality
With the improvement of technology over the years, artists are more able to explore outside of the boundaries that were never able to be explored by artists in the past. The media used are more experimental and bold; they are also usually cross media and may involve sensors, which plays on the reaction to the audiences' movement when looking at the installations. By using virtual reality as a medium, immersive virtual reality art is probably the most deeply interactive form of art. By allowing the spectator to "visit" the representation, the artist creates "situations to live" vs "spectacle to watch". At the turn of a new century, there is a trend of interactive installations using digital, video, film, sound and sculpture.