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The public housing: building communities vs. providing a place to live
For awhile I have been meaning to write about the January piece in the New York Times, "Towers of Dreams: One Ended in Nightmare," which contrasts the failure of the Pruitt-Igoe public housing project in St. Louis (recently the subject of a documentary) and successful "tower in the park" projects, such as the Penn-South housing cooperative in Manhattan.
Of course, there are plenty of examples of successful "high rise" apartment and condominium projects all over the country, from apartment buildings along 16th Street or Connecticut Avenue in DC, to the exclusive condominium buildings on Lake Michigan in Chicago or high-end housing in Manhattan, and comparable housing in those and other cities around the country.
Kennedy-Warren Apartments, Washington, DC.
In short successful housing isn't merely a function of its form--design is not destiny--it's also a function the economic and social mix present within the communities.
We call this demographics, but what if "the demographics" of the tenants aren't favorable to the development of strong public housing communities?
Do we take that for granted, or do we work to build the systems and programs, what we might call the "social infrastructure," that might be needed to seed and build community?
Neal Peirce has a column, "A Nation of Public Housing," about public housing in Singapore. Singapore, known for strong "social control" systems and social engineering (you go to jail for littering, etc.) extends this to their public housing programs.
Most housing in the city-state is publicy provided. There are strict guidelines for getting in--you have to have a job and be married (unless you're 35+ years).
Flickr image by William Cho of The Pinnacle@Duxton housing project in Singapore.
The housing is well designed, but all towers, given the city's population density. From the article:
Plus, Singapore is redefining public housing design in a dramatic fashion. Standing at ground level, one gasps with amazement at the height and drama of the new Pinnacle housing project, opened in 2009 on a prime center-city piece of land.
And why? Soaring upward from ground level are no less than seven 50-story apartment towers. And "not just towers" — the seven as actually linked, made a single community and project, because they're connected by skybridges. One, on the 26th floor, offers residents a children's playground, an outdoor gym, and a quite amazing 800-meter long jogging track. And on the 50th floor, there's a sky garden and 360-degree viewing deck.
It's in the nature of high-rises to be far more impersonal than communities of more human scale. But of one plans high-rises with care — social as well as physical — the results can be highly positive. And as the world — Asia a prime example — adds billions more people, attractive and livable high rises can make a dramatic difference.
There are a variety of unit sizes, and the cost is about 20% of household income, and people can "move up" to larger units or different communities as their households and lives change. Singapore also subsidizes social clubs of all types, and these programs are also present within public housing projects.
The public housing program also confers to the tenant a kind of ownership interest in the apartment that can be sold, which helps build not only the "sense of ownership" that is the heart of US housing policy for owner-occupied housing but financial equity and household wealth.
While public safety systems and penalties reduce the kind of vandalism and decline often associated with public housing in the United States and in Europe, the ability to generate a type of ownership equity (not unlike how "rent to own" programs are used to sell properties in weak real estate markets) means that renters are incentivized to take good care both of their units and their social housing community more generally.
Getting back to the New York Times article, which was taken by people as a defense of modernism, as the writer made the point that the issue with Pruitt-Igoe wasn't modernism per se, but how the project was conceived and executed. From the article:
But he glosses over the "ownership" piece, although he does make the point that the federal housing program was restricted in its ability to develop complete communities in the face of opposition by anti-housing forces nationally and locally, and that by comparison Penn-South is owner occupied and run as a cooperative venture by the tenants while Pruitt-Igoe was managed by outsiders (in this case the local housing authority) as "public housing."
So the Penn-South cooperative used the revenues from the project to reinvest in community-oriented improvements, such as playgrounds, while public housing developments typically don't have that option.
Note also that the point about inclusion of retail is important. This typically is considered illegal as part of federally-supported housing projects, which I think is a mistake. If retail can be sustained as part of a project it should be included, not unlike the little shopping center at the heart of Old Greenbelt in Maryland. After all, as Professor Alex Wall says "commerce is the engine of urbanism." In Penn-South and Greenbelt, retail spaces also generate revenue that supports other civic and community priorities and investments.
While form is important, e.g., the "lessons" learned by Oscar Newman in what he called "Defensible Spaces", I think that the real lesson is that the importance of form is not merely about the physical, but extends to "soft" form issues and includes social, economic, and programmatic elements of form as well.
Without attention to all the elements that construct positive community, negative community can be generated just as easily, generating havoc and deterioration.
1. Commit to the creation of high quality housing that lasts as opposed to value-engineered construction that doesn't last (the money might not be there for rebuilding when the time comes...);
2. Inclusion of civic amenities (playgrounds, etc.) built into the project to build complete communities;
3. Complementary social and community support and development programs;
4. Provision of a variety of housing sizes and places to live;
5. Elements of ownership: tenant has equity position/ownership interest in the property which can be sold/transferred, and contributes to the household wealth portfolio;
6. Depending on the location of the project, integration of retail and other commercial spaces.
Labels: affordable housing, community development, neighborhood planning, public housing, suburban revitalization, urban design/placemaking, urban revitalization


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Vernon Coleman is an entrepreneur.
But, Vernon, 82, just considers himself a hard worker.
In 1933, Vernon and his brother C. Telford Coleman, more commonly known as Ted, started their first business while they were barely out of grammar school.
"We were in business since we were 13 years old," he said.
The Somerset Community Playground was across the road from their home and the boys noticed there was no concession stand. With a bit of enterprising spirit and a lot of hard work, the boys opened a concession stand at the park.
"My brother and I were aggressive," Vernon said. "We built a concession stand out of scrap wood and two-by-fours."
The Depression had a dark grip on the nation, but that didn't stop Ted or Vernon. The boys sold bicycle rides, charging 2-cents per ride around the block.
"Each of us had a bicycle," Vernon said. "One of us would follow the (the customer) to make sure he didn't go any farther than he was supposed to."

subset: commoncrawl


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Pinterest is the mecca of dinner inspiration. You can find a recipe (healthy or not) to suit every craving. Plus, bookmarking dinners and desserts by photo is much more appetizing than saving a link with a recipe name.Where to Start: 23 Ways to Spice Up a Chicken Dinner, which includes our most popular recipe: Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans (shown).
Once you've tried a recipe, let people know how you liked it. In addition to the recipe name, give your review and anything you changed or substituted in the caption of the pin. You can either create a separate board for friends to follow or just add a comment to an existing pin from your Recipes to Try board.Where to start: Real Simple's Weeknight Meals board, including the recipe for Creamy Fettuccine with Corn and Arugula (shown).
Whether you're starting a small redecoration project or a whole-house renovation, Pinterest is a great place to store your inspiration. Pin rooms you'd like to emulate, products you're considering, and color palettes that might work in your space.Where to start: 16 Before-and-After Room Makeovers
Pin products from your favorite retailers so remember to watch for them to go on sale. And pin inspiring outfits to get a better sense of your favorite styles.Where to start: Retro Fashion for the Modern Woman
If you can't ever remember which book you wanted to read next when you're standing at the bookstore or library (or trying to find one more item on Amazon to qualify for free shipping), keep your reading list on Pinterest. You'll be able to see which titles you still need to read at a glance, and leave your reviews in the comments.Where to start: What to Read: Book Reviews from Real Simple Readers
Learn how to do your hair in new and different (but not necessarily difficult) ways, and get tips for making your make up look it's best on Pinterest. And don't forget your nails—look here for the latest mani/pedi trends.Where to start: Five-Minute Beauty Tips and Quick Tips for Knockout Hairstyles
Another blockbuster category on Pinterest—weddings. Get ideas for flowers, dresses, cakes, favors, and more for your big day. The only thing to keep in mind is that you can't make a board private. So if you want elements of your wedding to be a surprise, think before you pin.Where to start: Unique Real Wedding Ideas
Last but not least, it's good to create a kind of "catch-all" board so that you can save things that don't have a home elsewhere. If you find yourself pinning a lot of similar ideas, you can always move them over to a new board later.Where to start: the Simple Tip blog


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One night earlier this year, I had a dream where I was hosting the Readers' Cup State Finals competition in conjunction with my friend and former colleague Reina Phung. Although I had voluntarily assisted SLAV to run the inaugural RC State Finals in 2009, they were no longer able to commit to their role again.
So. taking the dream as inspiration, I talked Reina into assisting me and as a bonus, another friend and former colleague, Jan Connor, came on board as well. We are all part timers with family commitments, so it meant we were able to find the time to meet and plan as well as offer the competition free of charge to schools.
The day of the Readers' Cup State Finals arrived and it was with much excitement that students and teachers arrived, ready for the competition.
It was terrific to see the team signs the students had made identifying them for the judges, but also showing their creativity and individuality.
We began by asking four questions for the following books:
- Ship Kings – the coming of the whirlpool
- Dragon Keeper 4 – blood brothers
Then we had our creative round where teams created a digital interpretation of one of the four books studied. These were all so very different and engaging, showing a wide range of skills and creativity. Videos, interviews, videogames, quizzes and more were shown to an appreciative audience.
Rounds three and four encompassed:
- Coraline
- Diary of a whimpy kid – cabin fever
It was an extremely close competition with the following results (out of a total of 24):
- Gossip Group (23 points)
- Icy Bubbles (22.5 points)
- Razzledazzlers of Jazzmatazzles and 8 Grevillia (21 points each)
- 8 Fern and Computer Nerds ((20 points each)
- Extremely Mad Karate Chimps (18 points)
- Super Cool Crystal Jewel (17 points)
Congratulations to all students and their teachers for their hard work and organisation. We hope to see you all (and a few more teams) back again next year!
Huge thanks to Quantum Victoria and Allen and Unwin for their support. Thanks also to Reina Phung and Jan Connor who helped me organise the day. This enabled the Readers' Cup to be run free of charge for schools.
Some dreams do come true. They may just take a little (or a lot) of work.


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Bayeux, notably in the lexicon because of an extraordinary wall hanging, is about an 18-minute train ride from Caen, where I have spent the last two days. It is a pretty little town imbued with history and no one should dare miss it when traveling about in Normandy. The really good thing about Bayeux is that it did not fall victim to falling bombs during World War II and, in fact was the first place liberated by the Allies. The reached it on the morning of June 7. So its narrow streets must look like they have looked for hundreds and hundreds of years. By the way, the skies were gray and with snow flurries today, underscoring how blessed yesterday's sun shining on those Normandy beaches really was. The town's most famous "resident" had been sent away for safekeeping as things heated up in Europe in the late 1930s, not just to prevent damage but also because the Germans had a proclivity to appropriate works of art which caught their eyes. And the Bayeux Tapestry would catch anyone' eye. Two things most astounded me when I this morning paid a visit to the Great Seminary where the tapestry has been on permanent display since 1842, excepting a short stay in Paris at the Louvre and then during WWII. (Napoleon also had it brought to the Louvre for a while in 1803 when he was running things.) First it is much more gorgeous and colorful and well preserved than I had imagined. I should say that the pictures I took were without flash and the room is quite dim, so they do not begin to reflect the bright colors of the threads. I bought a little book about the tapestry with pictures that look like they were taken for the National Geographic. It is a two-dimensional work that sees to have almost a third dimension. That is because of the thickness of the embroidery against the linen background which gives it a bas relief look and also because of the way its artisan creators used colored threads. For instance, there would seem to be no obvious reason (note that I say obvious) why horses are presented side by side in different colors. But there they are and this trick has the subtle yet undeniable effect of creating depth. This is a gimmick used throughout the expanse of the tapestry and it is something to behold.
The other surprise for me was how thorough and orderly and logical and chronological the tapestry is. With a boost from one of the best audio guides ever (free with admission; such a good idea) following the tapestry narrative is a piece of cake. The music and dialogue begin when you enter the long tunneled room where the tapestry is on display. You don't even have to punch a button as you move along.It plays automatically. Just hit "pause" if you are particularly fascinated with some part of the display. I hit the pause button a lot. Within the tapestry are handy woven numbers that correspond to the commentary and make it incredibly easy to follow. At the beginning we see King Edward (the Confessor, but that is not explained) conversing with his brother-in-law Harold (I wonder how many Jeopardy contestants know his last name—Godwinson). He wanted Harold to slip across the Channel and tell William the Bastard (Ah! But that moniker was soon to change in a mighty big way) of Normandy that Edward had chosen him, William, to become King of England on Edward's death, which was imminent. Shenanigans galore work their way into the images as the story goes forward. Harold, after finally reaching William, tells him the good news and William, not one to take a fellow at his word, persuades Harold to take a sacred oath in the presence of a lot of witnesses. Harold thus swears on a stack of bibles that he will abide by the wishes of the King and not make any trouble. All of this is astonishingly clear as you move along before the tapestry with that handy auto guide. The maneuverings depicted in the early part of the tapestry—it is 70 meters long, about 130 feet) is prefatory, of course, to Harold's renouncing his oath, William becoming furious about it and deciding to do something about it. He did. He had about 400 ships quickly built, hustled up about 10,000 Normans and neighbors looking for a fight, and headed off to straighten things out. Harold had named himself King Harold II the day Edward died while William was still Duke of Normandy. These two principals duked it out at Hastings in October 1066. Harold took a javelin in the eye and died, graphically depicted in the tapestry. The Normans won the day in an epic battle that lasted only a day. The Normans also won the kingdom and now they had a monarch with one the better titles anyone ever had—William the Conqueror.
The tapestry is said to have been completed within about 10 years after Hastings, in time for a really big art fair at the Bayeux Cathedral where William was a member of the congregation. Although it is not clear exactly who wove the thing, the provenance is pretty strong and there is almost unanimous agreement among scholars as to its whereabouts through the centuries since it first was displayed. Not a lot of "tapestry deniers" out there, thank goodness.
So this truly phenomenal work will this century see its 1000th birthday celebrated. It ought to be quite a party.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
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It's a rare week when you can say your future hangs in the balance, but last week was such a one with the hearing of our long-awaited planning appeal.
As a quick recap, we have a plan to turn three acres of pasture land into a small-scale farm based mostly on trees. Based meaning that the trees will provide not just produce but a habitat in which other elements of our system can thrive – such as chicken. We have worked out a plan based on permaculture principles where all systems are integrated with the aim being for zero waste. The human beings in the system are part of that integration, thus waste and consumption flow seamlessly around the whole venture. It's a complex system, but then so is nature, which permaculture aims to echo.
All of this requires us to live on the land, however the local planning department disagrees. So having had our initial planning application turned down, we turned to the planning inspectorate in the hope of having a, er, more considered hearing.
Planning appeals are a little like trials. Both parties have to supply proofs of evidence before the proceedings and the planning inspector presides as judge and jury. It's a painfully formal and dry affair as was evidenced by the posture of some law students who were there to observe as part of their course. Within ten minutes it was clear most of them had lost the will to live – their eyes raised heavenward in despair as the day loomed long before them. The atmosphere wasn't helped by the temperature in the hall, which was very, very cold – in every respect.
Since Gully was the appellant and therefore a witness, I got to speak as a member of the public. I had visualised being coherent, but failed. This is an old problem – under pressure or in confrontational situations, I tend to lose any ability to articulate and end up behaving like a six-year-old. First I start blustering, then I turn to abuse and finally end up in tears – often I do all of these at the same time. My bosom pal, Beth, has the same issues leading to what we term the 'Yeah, but at least I've got friends' syndrome, in fond memory of a particularly inarticulate difference of opinion she once had with a flatmate.
Thus I babbled on incoherently, trying to express to the men in suits how inspiring our vision is, how much our application means to us and how committed we are. The two lucid moments I had came courtesy of Einstein ('madness lies in repeating the same thing over again and expecting different results' and Ghandi ('be the change you want to see'). Apart from that I made an arse of myself whittering on about just not being able to understand the negativity.
And the negativity was palpable. Three of the villagers had tipped up for a nice day out and sat shaking their heads and rolling their eyes whenever they felt the need – as did one of the members of the council team, whom I had expected might have been a little more professional. But aside from all that the gloomy surroundings of Tiverton town hall were beginning to suck all the spirit and hope from me. Our glorious vision was being suffocated by an outpouring of cynicism and dry arguments over DM10s, Core 18s and PP7s. There came a point where I realised that even if I was locked in a padded cell for a week with certain members of the opposition they would still never grasp the essence and spirit of what we are trying to achieve. It was like trying to explain Chopin to someone profoundly deaf.
The next day I was discussing career options with eight-year-old Matty, I was explaining that some people went to university and studied subjects they were either very good at or very interested in and that some studied because they had particular jobs in mind. 'So, for instance,' I explained ' you may want to go to university because you want to work in a planning department and you need a degree that will enable you to get that job.
But,' I added hastily, 'you don't want to do that.'
'Why,' said Matty.
'Because,' I said 'you will lose your soul'.
'What do you mean?' he asked.
I fumbled around in my head for an explanation, then hit upon one. 'Well,' I explained, 'like the dementors in Harry Potter.'
|Planning official
Dementors are not visible to muggles. But they were there that day in Tiverton town hall alright.


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The girlies have not ever played a team sport. Dance has been their only activity. So when we got the call that a friend was forming an all girls T-ball team and they were in need of players to make it a go, we signed the girlies up. It's a very realaxed summer league. No score is kept. Everybody bats every inning. The last batter clears the bases (home run!) so everybody will get a turn to bat last.
They have been having fun at the practices, especially since they end with Popsicles and a play date. Our first game Saturday morning was rained out and rescheduled for Sunday at 6:30. The lighting was beautiful and the evening comfortable.
I think they had a good time!!
We'll be gone (the girlies and I are taking a trip with my mom) and will be back next week.
Broken Arrow Cabin
17 hours ago


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The Commonwealth Games ended Sunday with England winning the overall gold medal race and the country it usurped —Australia —hoping for better things in four years when it will host the multi-sports event that attracts athletes from countries aligned with the former British Empire.
The first gold Sunday went to cyclist Lizzie Armistead in the road race, and the English added another in badminton later in the day to increase its total to 58, nine clear of second-place Australia.
It marked the first time since 1990 that Australia, which won four events on the last day, hadn't led the gold race at the Commonwealth Games. Athletes from Down Under will have a chance to return to first place when the Gold Coast in Queensland state hosts the games in 2018.
The closing ceremony was scheduled for Sunday night in Glasgow, with Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue among the headline acts. Head of ceremonies David Zolkwer promised a party atmosphere: "The show is called 'All Back To Ours.' The title reflects a personal, spontaneous `we don't want this moment to end' feeling."
England 1-2
Armitstead, who finished second in the London Olympics road race and at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, led an England one-two finish in the 98-kilometer (61-mile) race on the wet streets of Glasgow. "Now I can call myself a champ, not a runner-up," Armitstead said. "It was special, something I've always dreamed about."
She finished the seven-lap course in 2 hours, 38 minutes, 43 seconds. Her teammate Emma Pooley, the silver medalist in the time trial on Thursday and who said she plans to retire from cycling, was 25 seconds behind.Ashleigh Pasio of South Africa took the bronze in a photo finish with Australia's Tiffany Cromwell. Both finished 1:11 behind Armitstead.
Linda Villumsen of New Zealand, the gold medalist in the time trial, was fifth. "It was a great course," Armitstead said. "I won the national championships here last year, so I was prepared. I definitely had an advantage knowing the track."
And the rain, which hit the course on several occasions to make conditions slippery for the riders, helped Armitstead. "As soon as it started to rain, I knew that was an advantage, because when you're solo you can keep going fast in the wet," she said.
In the 12-lap, 168-kilometer (104-mile) men's race held through mostly steady rain, Geraint Thomas of Wales, who won bronze in the time trial here and was 22nd in this year's Tour de France, overcame a punctured tire with just under seven kilometers (4.3 miles) remaining to win gold.
Thomas, who led by about 50 seconds when his tire needed to be replaced by his crew, finished in 4 hours, 13 minutes, 5 seconds. Jack Bauer of New Zealand and Scott Thwaites of England had a sprint finish for second, with Bauer edging ahead on the line for silver. Both Bauer and Thwaites were 1:21 behind Thomas.
"It was such a grim day, I felt terrible at the start," Thomas said. "And when I had that puncture, I thought, 'what do I have to do'? But I had a decent enough gap to stay out in front."
Elsewhere on the final day:
In the all-England mixed team badminton final, the husband-and-wife team of Chris and Gabrielle Adcock won the gold medal, beating Chris Langridge and Heather Olver. Michelle Li of Canada won the women's singles gold, beating Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland.
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I love designing children's rooms, and this one was no exception. This room is for a beautiful 3 year old girl with a lot of energy. I wanted to design a bedroom that encouraged imagination, learning, and comfort.
The alphabet wall is the focal point of the room. My client already had the letters for the alphabet, but I gave them new life by painting the old ones new bright colors. I also added a few fabric letters to soften it up a little and add texture. All I needed to hang the alphabet was a measuring tape, a level and a lot of confidence!
I enlisted the help of an extremely talented friend, Kelly Henderson, to hand make some fun and feminine touches to the room. She made some darling wool pillows and the amazing floral band draped on the window treatment in the room. Would you believe that she made all of these from sweaters she found at a thrift store? Genius!
The colorful details really balance the black dresser. I love the character the art work adds to that corner of the room.
I found this rug at PB teen. It's the perfect anchor for this room. Rugs can be a great inspiration source for a room's color palette and provide a soft touch to any space.
This new Puffin book collection of children's classics is so colorful and adds a feel of fantasy and imagination. You can find them here.
all photos taken by Ashlee Raubach


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If you compare the UK Kennel Club's 2004 breed health survey with their 2014 survey, you find that the deleterious effects of inbreeding and selection for defect continue unabated.
As Jemima Harrison notes over on her blog
Across all the breeds, median longevity has dropped by 11 per cent in a decade. Kennel Club registered dogs now live on average to just 10 years old - down from 11yrs 3 months in 2004.
Terrier breeds with special tumbles on health include Bull Terriers, which now die at age 7 instead of 10, and Border Terriers which now die at age 12 instead of 14.
The Labrador, America's favorite dog, is now dead at age 11 years in the UK, as compared to 12 years and 3 months in 2004.
To be honest, within individual breeds, sample size is small, and reporting variances can move a number.
That said, when looked at across ALL breeds, it is very clear that the Kennel Club has woven the basket that makes "basket case" dogs.
Breed-blind show idiots will protest as they always do. Let me see if we can get out in front of that and summarize their position:
I love my doggies, and you are being MEAN by asking questions based on "data" which I am sure is totally biased, or maybe a complete lie put together by "AR" people who hate doggies and are trying to force us to eat wood chips. Doggies forever and ever!!
Dysplasia is not a problem, but a FEATURE, as so many people are old now, and crippled dogs cannot move fast or pull down their crippled owners as easily since it is CRUEL to train doggies. Same with Bulldogs for people with that awful cellulite and diabetes virus. Doggies have to change with the times, and you are wrong, mean, and probably a liberal for even asking about canine health. Doggies forever!!!
Doggie training is cruel, because if you train a dog to obey, you are going to be mean and then you are NOT a doggie lover, but a fascist worse than Hitler.
Why do you admire Hitler?
Why do you hate doggies?
Why do you want to force everyone to eat wood chips?
Does that about cover it?
Ah well, carry on!
The American Kennel Club continues to tumble down the rat hole, with a 75% decline in total canine registrations over the last 35 years.
In fact, AKC dogs now represent less than 12 percent of all the dogs in the U.S., and that number is continuing to decline as Americans are acquiring more dogs than ever.
More than half of all AKC dogs are in the top 10 breeds, with the bottom 50 breeds summing to 1.2 percent of all AKC-registered dogs (which is only 12 percent of all dogs) .
|To put it another way, the rarest 50 AKC Breeds total just 3 out of every 2,000 U.S. dogs.


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Sometimes two best practices can be at odds with each other. It is a best practice to limit the number of posts to mailing lists like the Commons-l. On the other hand, what to do when a best practice is not understood on such a list?
The thread easily goes into a tail spin and this does not help either the usefulness of the list nor does it help promote the best practice that is under consideration. At the same time what is the alternative when the best practice is not yet embedded ?
The great news of the last week is that we will support the TIFF format. TIFF is a format used for storing images including photographs. The one reason why I am so happy with the promissed support of the TIFF format is that it is how GLAM store their digitised collections. They are hesitant in giving us access to their material and one convincing argument for them is that we are happy to get their material as it is complete with all the annotations.
Receiving this material in this way, is a best practice because it provides the provenance that can be compared with how we use citations in Wikipedia. The license that we insist on allows us to make changes to this material but this does not remove the moral obligation to treat this material with respect. This means that we should keep original material separate from the changes we make.
GLAMs typically are sceptical when they hear about out restorations. This changes in appreciation when they learn that we keep a restoration separate from the original and when they see the quality of our restorations. Important for the appreciation of the restorations is that they provide better illustrations then the original material and .. the restorations are just gorgeous.
One final reason why it is good to store the original material is that with this best practice, we provide a believable backup for the material we store as well as the GLAM. The library of Alexandria is not the only resource whose loss is still felt. The Archive of Cologne is a modern example that shows that it does not take war or unrest to lose important resources.
The TIFF support will make the material that we already store visible. That is how we progress from the current situation where we store all the material that we restore in its original format.


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Tuesday, March 16, 2010
21 Weeks for Our Little Guy
I TOTALLY believe, and tell all my friends, that you can be disciplined and healthy during your pregnancy...that you can DEFINITELY exercise and eat well...and that you don't have to become some bagel-eating bum just because you are pregnant.
In my defense, I never said that this is what I AM doing...only that it's what Can be done.
Unfortunately, it appears that the fact that chicken sounds (and tastes) discussing and I want waffles and syrup for breakfast every morning seems to be enough reason for me to just go for it :(.
ANYWAY! Here's myself and my baby boy!
Things with the pregnancy are going very well and I thank the Lord for such an uneventful experience...I have been very blessed! I'm getting more excited every day about meeting our Guy.
I, sometimes, feel a little worried about depression and breastfeeding issues (after he joins us). But, these thoughts always seem to be quickly followed by the understanding that whatever comes, we'll totally get through it...and, honestly, how much worse than Gwendolyn can it get?!
So, I am incredibly hopeful. I actually spend more time wondering if I will survive the crying, screaming and constant whining of my toddler...without permanently losing my mind!
Oh, and here's my butt...
And, here is my precious little Angel...
1 comment:
- Mimi/Mommy/Christy said...
...Ohhhh...My beautiful, bootylicious Jen...I SO treasure you!!!...
- March 22, 2010 at 11:27 AM
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Hello. I stopped blogging well over a year ago, but I've decided to take it up again. Now seems like a good time because there's things going on that I'd like to share with you.
Last weekend I returned from three weeks in Nashville where I got to experience some great music and meet some amazing people. I went last year but I felt like I achieved more this time. Although I only played twice whilst there, I got to speak to a lot of interesting people and it really felt like the first step towards where I want to be. One of the places I played was the legendary Bluebird Cafe, which was especially awesome. I've recorded an EP of 5 songs, which I'm in the process of putting online. There are clips on soundcloud already www.soundcloud.com/emmawinstanley take a listen, tell me what you think. When I figure out how to get them on facebook I'll let you know. (which is www.facebook.com/emmawinstanleymusic if you haven't liked me already).
Whilst I was in Nashville I got my university results, and after deliberating I decided to let my mum open the letter for me. I got a 2.1! So happy with that 🙂
So I guess now comes the inevitable question of 'what am I going to do now?'. In all honesty, I don't have a set plan and I'm glad of that. I've been so inspired recently, by something/someone I will talk about in a minute, that my plan is just to keep writing and book as many shows as I can to let people here my music, and see where it goes from there. Probably local at first but I'd love to just drive around the country with my guitar and play in wherever I can!
So my EP has 5 songs on it, 4 of mine, one a duet I wrote with a good friend Kieron Riley. Who was also kind enough to lend his voice for backing vocals, and did me an awesome photoshoot…thank you! But on counting earlier how many songs I've got including the ones that are in the process of being completed, the total was 10 maybe 11! I didn't realise until then. So why this inspiration? Well I think it's partly with going to Nashville and sort of discovering myself, but also because of an artist called Marina and The Diamonds. Maybe you've heard of her, maybe you haven't. I'll admit I hadn't heard of her until a few months back, and I really wish I'd discovered her 2 years ago when her 1st album came out. But being the type of person I am, if I really like an artist, I go back and listen to older music and read their story etc. And I'm so glad I did. Basically the point I'm at now, is where she was at about 6 years ago…making homemade EPs and playing any venues she could, didn't rate herself as a singer but just had a message to share and knew this is what she wanted to do.
I've been inspired because I regard her as a much more intelligent and original songwriter and performer than a lot of artists around at the moment. And it's not her musical sound that inspires me per se, it's more her style and approach to writing. There wasn't one clichéd love song on the 1st album. Instead she chose to write about issues that mattered; the presentation of females in society, the music industry, gossip in magazines, being your own person etc.
Though she's adapted a new image and her 2nd album is a lot more mainstream, electronic pop, the idea behind the whole thing is amazing and she hasn't lost sight of who she is, despite what people might say about 'selling out'. I won't go into details because it would take too long, but if you're interested she briefly explains it here: Electra Heart Interview. Though I'm not sure you get the full concept from that. In the playlist videos to the right, there's a track-by-track breakdown of the album explaining each song, which is really interesting also.
The reason I'm all hyped up on Marina and writing this blog tonight is because I saw her live last night. Not to exaggerate but definately one of, if not the best live show I've been to. A nice mix of the new album plus all the singles from the first one. For anyone who is a fan or interested, this was the set list and links to the ones I videoed:
Oh No
Mowgli's Road
I Am Not A Robot
The State of Dreaming
Power & Control
Bubblegum Bitch
Starring Role
How To Be A Heartbreaker
Teen Idle
Fear & Loathing
She's definately an artist you have to see live in my opinion, amazing performance.
After the show she came out in the rain to sign autographs as well. I have a lot of admiration for artists like her who are self made musicians who once had nothing or not a lot, and are now especially appreciative of their fans, and she definately is. Can't wait for October, Lonely Hearts Club take 2! 😉
But yeah, her as a person and her music has been inspiring me an awful lot lately, and I've come up with a new bunch of songs, all about personal things that I now feel I've got the confidence to present to the world and hopefully I will get to. It's such a free feeling being out of education for the first time in my life. Knowing I can just work and then in my spare time I literally can just write music all day without the added pressures of uni. Definately glad I went, but glad I've left now to start the next chapter of my life. And I've got a really good feeling about it! 🙂
Thank you for reading. Go listen to Marina if you haven't already! And keep checking back for updates about my songs going online. Also working on some youtube videos of originals and covers! 🙂


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QUESTION: OK...here's my dilemma. I met this guy [recently] When we met, I was under the impression that we were fostering a friendship hence I worked very hard on maintaining the bounderies between a friendship and romantic relationship. I respected his wishes and the only feelings I allowed to progress were of caring and respect.
Here is the dilemma. Four months into our budding friendship, this guy tells me he loves me--twice. The first time he said this I thought maybe it was a slip of the tongue so I ignored it. I attempted to bring it up to him and he acted as though he did not know what I was referring to. Then, the next night we talked again and he stated he loves me again then hung up. Now, at this point I am panicking--big time. I did not know what to think and I did not want to make more out of it than it was. At the same time, I had to know what was going on. Therefore, when we talked again, I brought this issue up. At first he stated that he did not want to answer any of my questions so I may as [well] not ask them. So I did not push the issue. I dropped it. Then he went on to state that he did not want to talk about what I wanted to talk about. So I did not push the issue. I dropped it and attempted to change the subject. Then he stated, "I know what I said and you know what you heard." Still, to respect his wishes, I did not push the issue and proceeded with changing the subject. After that time, I felt him growing a little distant and aggravated with me. I am not one to express myself verbally so I sent him an e-mail and advised him of my reasons for wanting to take everything slow.
From what I have gathered from this GENTLEMAN thus far is quite impressive and very FOREIGN to me. Very foreign. To be straight forward, I question where this GENTLEMAN came from. We have great conversations, we are not sexually involved, he always ask about my day, he encourages me, has a great sense of humor, and to top it off, he is very intelligent and caring. Yet, he has been hurt, and so have I, in the past. I am afraid that if I do allow myself to give into this wonderful man, then I will not be able to appreciate him. It has been a very troubling trend in my family for broken women to attract wonderful men and stomp all over them. I desperately want to break that cycle in respect to my relations with men.
However, I have never seemed to attract a strong, Black man that is honest, has integrity, self-respect, hardworking, genuine, not into being a player, a good father and friend, and going somewhere in life. To top that off, he has said that he loves me. I have fantasized about a man of his caliber saying those beautiful words to me and when it finally happened, all I could do was stand there with a blank face and devoid of emotions and feelings. I want to take it slow for his sake and mostly for my sake. If I ever hurt this man in any respect, I don't think I could live with myself. It is odd that most of the slick, deranged, and counter-productive men have garnered my interest instantly. However, the man of my dreams is standing right here in my face and the only excuse I have is that "I am taking it slow..." What is wrong with me? Am I going crazy?
GARLAND: I don't think you're crazy at all. There is nothing wrong with taking ANYTHING slow when it comes to a developing relationship. If ANYTHING - most folks go too fast! They start dropping the word 'Love' too fast, they start hopping in the bed too fast, and they start having babies too fast! Keep taking it slow.
I think its a little odd though, that this guy was so hush-mouthed when it came to talking about the fact that he said he loved you. This is probably nothing at all, maybe its just a "Garland thing" (which means little to anyone except for me) but if a man tells a woman he 'loves her' then he should speak up about it! It shouldn't be something he's scared to say, or timid about, or trying to whisper! He should SHOUT it out - unashamedly! Proud! Fearing NOTHING! It shouldn't be something thrown calmly and quietly into a conversation about doing one's laundry. And then when asked about it - he shouldn't dodge it like a bullet! He should stick out his chest and wear it like a badge of honor! If this guy is still timid about using 'The L word' because he was hurt in the past - then he still has some healing to do, and he shouldn't use The Word 'till he can say it loud and proud!
My little issue aside - I'm happy for you both. I think taking it slow [and communicating the whole way] will lead you someplace very positive. You say that you both have been hurt before... honestly, almost EVERYONE has been hurt before and I'm sure that in most of those breakups where violence and criminal activity DIDN'T take place, they made us stronger and better in future relationships. And, as far as the romantic histories of the ladies in your family goes, use their actions as a road map for WHAT NOT TO DO! When you see yourself doing things they've done, or saying things they've said, or acting the way they've acted - STOP right in your tracks, back up a little and go in a different direction!!!
Keep taking your time, you and him are on no one's schedule but your own!
Thanks for the E-Mail and let us know how things develop!!!
CHUCK: Wow. Um, let me take a minute. Here we've got a guy who blurts out "I love you," and quickly denies it, like he's divulged some government secret, and a woman who approaches an attentive, intelligent man with as much caution as she would a minefield. What the hell is going on, people? Sometimes personal relationships are as hard to understand as fractal mathematics.
The key to what's holding both of you back is your personal histories. He allowed his declaration of love to stumble out like it did (TWICE!) possibly because he didn't know that you'd reciporocate. Or maybe because a man's not supposed to "tip his hand" like that. And you admittedly have been hurt before, and possess that suspicion that certain women have for guys who are not shady, unfaithful losers. Together, you seem to have enough baggage to fill a cargo hold.
Against all these negatives, though, I'm glad that you guys are trying to find a way to be together.The fact that relationships may have gone bad in the past is no reason to assume things always have to be that way. Be patient and give each other time (even if he tells you he loves you again), and you two may be able to stay together. Keep us posted.


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Category Archives: DM Reporter
First Thoughts
#dontreadthedailymail Day started out as an attempt to parody those well-intended but ultimately futile Twitter protests which happen on a daily basis. #TwitterSilence was my main aim – a valid statement but executed poorly and with a terrifying backlash. I thought that a campaign to ignore something that my audience already ignored, and in doing so draw more attention to it reflected quite well the ultimately futile nature of social media protest. I also quite liked that, as with #TwitterSilence, the very nature of the campaign meant I couldn't be an active participant in it.
I thought the idea was valid, though. The Mail has a reach and reputation far exceeding what it deserves, and much of that is from angry liberals like me pushing it out into the world. I'm always far happier when not thinking about it, so everyone else probably is too. I figured that trying to have a nicer day was a innovative twist on the general opposition to the Mail that usually exists on social media.
September 24th is not only the 3rd birthday of the account, but also my own birthday. If it all went horribly wrong I could have at least taken solace in the joke of having done all of this just to get a day off. I honestly didn't know how it was going to go – die a death, trend all day, cause a backlash, give the DM more hits or provoke debate. It could have just been very meh and gone largely unnoticed.
In the end I think it went pretty well – the website got nearly 6000 views across the 23rd and 24th and we trended the topic a couple of times too. There was plenty of action on the hashtag from people who didn't follow me, and I only picked up about 50 new followers which suggests it was seen as a Twitter thing and not a DMReporter thing.
There was a minor backlash of outrage that we appeared to be telling people how to live their lives, which was inevitable, and a huge number of people pointing out that the Mail was more prominent in their feeds as a result of the hashtag, which is something you just can't avoid. We had some much appreciated tweets or RT's from Mark Gatiss, Rufus Hound, Robert Llewellyn and the masterful Annabel Giles who helped push up the awareness.
Props must go to Daily Mail showbiz reporter Emma Lowe for being cool about the day, and for actually defending it on Facebook.
In retrospect I think a 7 day lead in was too long as it fatigued the idea and that the 'dontread' part of the hashtag was too negative and didn't push the idea across properly. Maybe next year I'll change it to 'ignorethedailymail' instead.
I doubt very much that it had much of an effect on the Mail's click rate for the day – either positive or negative. I have no idea how you would harvest that information anyway, but if anyone on the inside is privy to it then get in touch. Anonymity guaranteed.
Affecting the click rate wasn't the main point anyway; the intention was to give people a nicer day by reducing the Mail's digital reach and if you feel that your day was a little more cheerier and a little less provocative then I'd consider it a win. Lots of people are saying so on Twitter, and that's always nice to read.
I've Storified some of the best tweets here and if you took part yesterday, in any capacity, then thank you. I'm thinking the next campaign should be encourage Lauren Laverne to follow me again. Come back Lauren, I'm sorry for the joke about the Sunderland unemployed, I miss you…
Until next year.
PS: The Short List had a good little feature on the hashtag, you can read it here: http://www.shortlist.com/cool-stuff/the-twitter-index-15
I'm going to have a nicer day today and not read the Daily Mail, and not post jokes about it either. I've outlined a few reasons here. Just in case this idea is weirdly popular and lots of people suddenly rush here with comments, or complaints, or violent death threats I thought I'd say a few things.
- I'm not suggesting anyone should stop buying the Mail if it's their paper of choice. This isn't a preachy behaviour change thing. It's for the rest of us with a morbid fascination based on liberal outrage and who give in to their linkbait. I genuinely think we'll have a nicer day without it.
- Yes, it's ultimately futile – but so are almost all Twitter protests. It doesn't mean the intentions aren't well founded. Consider it an interesting experiment.
- I know I'm preaching to the converted – but that's the point. We all don't buy it but it still infects our conciousness. Let's ditch it, consciously, for the day.
- I am well-aware of the irony of drawing attention to something to ignore it, thankyouverymuch. I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir.
- The internet is a playground, to borrow a phrase, don't take anything too seriously.
Incidentally, if this whole thing flops horribly then I'd appreciate it if you'd disregard this post as the self-inflated windbaggery of a pompous fool.
Have a nicer day.
What I thought would happen was that it would become a mixture of those who got the satire and those that didn't – I thought we'd have some kind of meta-Poe's Law hashtag burst for a while and we'd all learn a lesson about how ridiculous the attacks on benefit claimants really are.
What actually happened was that virtually everyone got the joke immediately, and then promptly ran with it in a way that was far funnier, far more honest and far more sincere than I ever expected.
It actually became rather beautiful, with people sharing their stories and experiences of being on benefits with a sense of humour and self-awareness that could never be found behind a thousand closed doors in Westminster.
It also solidified for me the sensation that the public aren't blind to the divide and conquer tactics of the government, nor the endless negative propaganda being peddled by the papers. When the BBC starts going down the line of asking if Mick Philpott is representational of JSA claimants you know we're in trouble, but the public seem well aware of how bullshitty this all really is. I think everyone did good today.
These are my pick of the tweets –> #banbenefits
A Note on Being Hacked
No, we weren't hacked. It was a joke, what with Twitter being in news over being hacked and all. Thanks to everyone who joined in, willingly or unwillingly. It was a lot of fun.
The roots of this idea came from another parody account I set up a while ago that never really went anywhere, mainly because I didn't have the time to pay attention to it and only a few tweets in it had already begun to feel repetitive.
That account was @protestm0vement and was a direct reaction to @protestmovement who tweet the most backward, illogical, moronic, counter-productive stabs at protest I've ever seen. These are the sort of people whose singular inability to grasp any of the central issues they tweet about actually harm their argument.
Thus when Twitter was hacked it seemed a perfect time to go back to that idea, but with a much larger audience.
There is another point though, which has been a theme of ours for a while – never ever trust anything you read on Twitter. We love our followers very dearly and are genuinely thankful for the attention they give us, but I'm kind of amazed that as many people believed it as they did.
How can we legitimately combat the misinformation and underhanded techniques of the real Daily Mail if something as obviously fake as our 'hack' is taken at face value? We all do it, we all read tweets that seem to justify our pre-existing opinion and we take those tweets as fact – but the truth is that unless there is a link to a verified and legitimate source then it shouldn't be trusted.
We weren't out to make fools of anybody and we're not trolling for more followers – we're just trying to find new ways to keep the account fresh, and poke fun at some other targets in the process. If you did fall for it, though, don't feel bad. Yesterday we tweeted
GAY MARRIAGE: Conservatives insist "it's Adam and Eve, not an all-you-can-eat cock buffet."
…and someone still thought it was real.
Trolling the Daily Mail
Sometimes, during the course of our day writing jokes, we're required to visit the Daily Mail website or use their app. Sometimes, we leave comments. We're not saying it's big, we're not saying it's clever, we're not even saying it's funny… but here are some of them:
I'd love to be able to say there's some kind of conclusion that can be reached from these, but I'm not sure there is. DM readers are, in many cases, quite savvy and they can spot deliberate attempts to mock or offend with ease. Much of it depends on context, and often our deliberate attempts to wind people up are ignored in favour of far worse (and, one assumes, far more serious) comments.
Truth be told – there's very little that we can write that wouldn't be spotted by a moderator that isn't already present somewhere else on the site. It's like going to a KKK rally and trying to be more racist than those present. It just doesn't work.
In other news, we're taking a break for a little while. There's only so long you can stare into the abyss before you realise the abyss is staring back at you, and choking every last semblance of dignity and compassion from your soul. Which, when you think about it, explains Peter Hitchens perfectly.
We'll be back soon enough.
The DMReporters


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Friday, August 5, 2011
Niagara Falls and Ohio
On the way home from Lake Placid we detoured into Canada to check out Niagara Falls. Our new thing this year is integrating some vacation time with races. It's been awesome seeing so many new places this year :) Niagara Falls is amazing! The actual town is very over-the-top and over-priced, but the falls are worth it. After a $16 Grand Slam at Dennys (ridiculous) we headed down to the river and took a great ride on the Maid of the Mist. This is a must-do activity if you are at the Falls.
After a clean exit though border patrol we were back rollin' in the states on our way to Ohio to visit John's family and to celebrate his birthday. Luckily his dad just got a new boat, so we spent a relaxing day on Lake Erie.
The water was surprisingly warm (high 70's) so we even got some good swimming in :)
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Lake Placid
This was my first year making the trip out to Ironman Lake Placid (LP) and it did not disappoint. I chose this Ironman not only for the right timing in the season, but also because of all of the great things I've heard about it. The drive went relatively quick and was super nice in the Timex Ford Edge. The town of Lake Placid is nestled in the woods, surrounded by the Adirondack Mountains, is extremely welcoming, and seems to Love Ironman!
The weather worked out perfectly for race day. Early race morning, for the first time in LP history, the call was made for a non-wetsuit swim with the water temperature up to 77 degrees F. I ditched the wetsuit for a speedsuit and was ready to go! I had a plan for the swim to take it pretty easy and stay with the front women. With ~40 pro's at the swim start I thought it would be a fairly gentle swim start, but I was seriously wrong. This was by far the most vicious first 500m I have ever dealt with. It seemed that everyone was out for blood (for some reason) and battling to get into the perfect position. After having to stop a couple times to choke, I decided to put in a little effort to bust out of this crazy battle zone and try and get out in front to connect with the lead group that was pulling away. The effort was a mostly a success and I lead out a chase group for most of the first loop until catching a straggler from the lead group to draft the rest of the way in. The rest of the swim continued pretty steady. I came out on the feet of Heather W with a decent non-wetsuit swim time. 0: 57:20
T1: This was a little messy….When the call was made for a non-wetsuit swim I threw my calf sleeves into my T1 bag since I had never swam with them on. In hindsight, I would probably swim with them since putting on tight calf sleeves on wet legs is incredibly difficult. They went on (finally) and I ran out of there, frustrated that I had been passed in transition, but ready to have a good bike ride. I looked down on the way to my bike, and oh yeah, still had my speed suit around my waist!! Ahhh. Epic transition fail.
My goal for the bike ride was to ride my own race, not go out too hard, and stay on top of nutrition. My biking still needs some work and is not at the level it needs to be to stick with or pass the leaders. Anyhow, even with this in mind I still went out relatively hard knowing Tyler Stewart would eventually pass, but determined not to let anyone else past me. I finished the first loop still in 3rd place, but was very soon passed and into 4th. My legs felt ok, not amazing, so I was very worried about the second half of the ride. I saw a couple girls within minutes on those little out and backs on the ride and was riding scared and in damage control the rest of the way. I will be adding more long rides to my training so I can stay with it better those last 20 miles rather than just hanging on. I was still climbing well the last bit into LP, but I was out of power for the flats. I came into T2 in 5th, not far off 4th. 5:30
T2: nothing exciting here. Put on some shoes and a visor, shoved a couple things in my pockets, and put on a race belt. Done.
I took off on the run feeling great; not really thinking at the time it was because the first 6 miles are slightly downhill. I was running well, thinking about a high cadence and before long made a pass to move back into 4th. I worked the rest of the run to stay there and keep up a decent pace. I could have probably used another gel or two on the run to keep the steam a bit higher the last 6 miles or so, but luckily I had enough juice to hang on. 3:22
Overall: 9:56, 4th woman. I'm happy with my time, staying steady most of the day, and to be able to easily see areas where I can make up more time in the next IM. This placing moved me up in the Kona Pro rankings, but I am still just a few places away from qualifying for Kona this year. I'm not sure if I'll throw in another IM in hopes of qualifying this year still or just rest up and make a plan for next year….gotta see how recovery goes. Motivation is higher than ever and I can't wait for my legs to get back to normal and get working on that bike!
Friday, July 15, 2011
But from now on I'll likely blog here. Stay tuned for general life ramblings, training and racing stories, and good times.


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Here's a little something to warm you up on these cold days to come!
What you'll need:
1/2 cup instant tea
9 oz jar
1/4 tsp. clove
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Mix all together well. Use a teaspoon of this mix to cup of hot water. Enjoy
Have a warm and lovely day! Love, BJ


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Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma says his country is about to become an oil producing nation, as reported here.
Koroma is committed to striking a balance between natural resource development--Sierra Leone's potential in this regard is enormous--and environmental protection.
Sierra Leone's recovery from a long and particularly horrendous civil war is one of the planet's great peacemaking and peace-preserving success stories. The country is so stable, and the Sierra Leone Army has become so adept at peacekeeping, that it is now able to participate in peacekeeping missions in other countries. Click here to read about the forthcoming deployment of the Sierra Leone contingent of the African Union (AU) mission in Somalia, where Al Qaeda-affiliated, Islamist Al-Shabaab terrorists have been battling pro-government forces who have the support of AU-backed foreign forces.
Koroma is tomorrow's scheduled keynote speaker at the Times CEO Summit Africa conference. Ahmed M. Kamara reports:
Sierra Leone is slowly being transformed into an economic-hub in sub-saharan Africa with rapid developments in the areas of agriculture, mining and tourism. Foreign investors have been engaged in unprecedented ways to help change the economic fortune of this once war-torn state in West Africa. The recent investment by world-class companies like African Minerals has seen the country become one of the largest iron ore producers in the world. The country's entire road network is facing a complete overhaul with new feeder roads being built to enhance trade locally and with neighbouring countries.


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As Execution Nears, Students Reflect on Correspondence with a Death Row Inmate
February 3, 2006
"Evans' influence on Pilisz, from Scranton, Pa., has been so profound that after years of not knowing what to do with her life, she now intends to seek a teaching job in an inner-city school after graduation. "Knowing Vernon and some of the things that have happened in his life has inspired me to work with kids to keep them from getting into things like that," she said.
Reflecting on the impact that Evans has had on her students, Conway remembered a prayer that he told her he repeats often - that God would grant him a period of time when he would know what it means to be a good man.
"Being in prison, and the period of reflection that that has afforded him, he has figured out a way to be the person he wanted to be," Conway said softly. "I told him that I thought in many ways his prayer has now been answered."
Read more here.


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From Blazing Cat Fur:
The following was lifted from Atlas Shrugged - and I think her for letting me steal it:As many of you are aware my legal tussle, the fallout from our victory over Section 13 (1), with Richard Warman continues. Warman is suing for libel, largely for comments made by multiple readers. Trial is approaching in the New Year and anticipated costs will escalate by a very significant degree.
While I take no pleasure in asking for your help I must if we are to continue to fight. If everyone who visits this blog on a daily basis were to donate 20 Dollars our situation would be vastly improved.
Mark Steyn wrote of this battle:
During my battles with the Canadian "human rights" regime, we relentlessly exposed the corrupt relationship between the Commissars and Canada's self-appointed Hatefinder-General, Richard Warman. See here and here, among many other places. I also spoke about him when testifying to Parliament. Almost as soon as the truth about his Nazi website postings became known, Warman began suing. He sued Ezra Levant, with whom I'll be appearing on Saturday, as well as Kate McMillan, Kathy Shaidle, Free Dominion and anyone else who got in his way. At the time, many people asked me why he hadn't sued me, both for columns that appeared in Maclean's and for posts such as this one at SteynOnline.
Well, the reason he didn't sue me is because (a) Maclean's is a corporate entity with very deep pockets and (b) SteynOnline is based in the United States, where no court would give him the time of the day. So considerably more vulnerable Canadians have had to bear the brunt and serve as proxy targets for Warman's shakedown racket. He is now suing Blazing Cat Fur merely for linking to "far-right web site" SteynOnline, and demanding half-a-million dollars for damage to his "reputation".
To make a donation by PayPal please click the Paypal Kitty Treat pic on the sidebar at Blazing Cat Fur or use email - email@example.com.
Donations may also be made via email/interac money transfers, again using firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you wish to make a donation by cheque and send it via the mail:
The cheque must be made payable to "Bersenas Jacobsen In Trust"
You must address the envelope as follows:
Bersenas Jacobsen C/O Blazingcatfur Legal Defense Fund
33 Yonge St., Suite 201
Toronto, ON M5E 1G4,


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An exciting new kid on the block: POPCAANZ (Popular Culture Association of Australia and New Zealand)
Call for Papers (due 1 April):
Papers that explore popular culture and the everyday in relation to issues of religion and secularism are invited for the Religion Area at POPCAANZ's Annual Conference. The conference will take place June 24-26, 2013 in Brisbane Australia.
Please submit a 200-word abstract and short bio to: email@example.com by 1 April.
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Whilst wrangling with the tapestry and a strong desire to maintain the intimate quiet that can be found on Flickr, reading an article in the latest issue (November '05) about how transitory, purposeful, evolving and non-linear dirt roads can be drew me in as a nice analogy to the sort of experience I hope people find when they visit.
Dirt roads are communal creations, immune from the autocracy of engineers. "They evolved," says Vermont's dirt-road expert, Bob Niles, "from a cow path to an ox-cart path to a horse track to a buggy road to an automobile road. And they used what was close by, not what was good...
...A dirt road is alive, echoing and responding to land rather than flattening it, reflecting in its color the soil of farms and back yards. A dirt road is not the triumph of civilization over nature but a calm contentment, a cohabitation...
People ask to be shown the way; to have a variety of rules and regulations for what's OK and what's not strictly defined; to be told how they should be playing, and what's OK to show. This seems like pretty normal behaviour in a group environment. The trouble with anyone other than the person asking the question deciding, creating and defining this information is that it paves a road for people, painting lines and erecting traffic lights. My inclination has always been to give less structure and more flexibility to allow people to operate how they see fit. (Naturally, there are certain tasks that people should expect to be able to do simply, like sign up or change their email address. Highly structured, process-process oriented. Not exploratory or revelatory.)
I guess I just hope it's the case that people actually want to walk down a dirt road, and explore the space it moves through, seeing bits and pieces along the way that they might not have noticed if they were on a highway.
If you're wandering down a dirt road, it may not even be on a map. This plan we all had before called Information Architecture (IA) could have just become a load of wank (or, sorry, brittle). If IA is a load of wank, then this rich, organic, surprisingly accurate social architecture/hive/group mind presents some really interesting challenges for us as a bunch. We're used to dealing with square pegs and although sometimes round, mostly square holes.
I imagine an info-mush built by groups i'm in: social circles, my habitat, recreational pursuits, organisations or individuals I buy from, the fact that I like cooking, or that i'm generally interested in
sleeping in Mondays.
But, when does this info-mush or the constituent communities start to bust, or become beige to me? How do I stay connected to the stuff i'm really interested in? How do I find another road to turn down? And how do I find my way back to that nice one I wandered down last year... or whenever that was... Helpful tools like networks, clusters, friends, tags, long tail-y serendipity of course...
Navigating all this stuff is the trick.


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One of the best days of a novelist's year is the one we print out the finished book. It's great fun the first time you finish, but it's all the sweeter after you've revised it, sent it to your editor and agent, listened to their notes, wrestled with the changes they suggest--which always improve the quality of the work, but that's not the same as saying they're fun--revised it again, and, finally, printed it again.
For me, yesterday was that day. Book the Fifth, tentatively titled FADE OUT, is sitting on my kitchen table, markered up with polishes and minor changes and notes. I've got a couple more days of work on it, and then I'll send it off.
In celebration, I thought I'd post the first few pages. I've not shared it publicly before--hope you enjoy.
He was naked and cold, stiff with it, his veins ice and frost. Muscles carved hard, skin rippled with goosebumps, tendons drawn tight, body scraped and shivering. Something rolled over his legs, velvet soft and shocking. He gasped and pulled seawater into his lungs, the salt scouring his throat. Gagging, he pushed forward, scrabbling at dark stones. The ocean tugged, but he fought the last ragged feet crawling like a child.
As the wave receded it drew pebbles rattling across each other like bones, like dice, like static. A seagull shrieked its loneliness.
His lungs burned, and he leaned on his elbows and retched, face down, liquid pouring in ropes from open mouth, salt water and stomach acid. A lot, and then less, and finally he could spit the last drops, suck in quick shallow lungfuls of air that smelled of rotting fish.
In. Cough it out. In. Out. There. There.
His hands weren't his. Paler than milk and trembling with a panicky violence. He couldn't make them stop. He couldn't remember ever being so cold.
What was he doing here?
Like waking from sleepwalking, he couldn't remember. It didn't matter. The cold was filling him, killing him, and if he wanted to live he had to move.
He rolled onto his side. An apocalyptic beach, water frothing beneath a shivering sky, wind a steady howl over the shoals, whipping the sawgrass to strain its roots. Not another person as far as he could see.
Had to move. His muscles screamed. He staggered upright and tried a tentative step. His thoughts were signals banged down frozen wires; after an eon, his legs responded. His feet were bloody.
One step. Another. The wind a lash against his dripping skin. The beach sloped hard upward. Each step brought muscles a little more under his control. The motion warming them, oh god, warming them to razors and nails, his blood gone acid. He concentrated on breathing, each inhale a marker. Make it to the next one. Five more. Don't quit until twenty. Goddamn you, breathe.
The boulders the ocean had broken to pebbles gave way to those it hadn't yet, broad stones with moss marking the leeward side spaced with pools of dark water where spiny things waited. He stumbled from one rock to the next until he reached the top.
As lonely and blasted a stretch of earth as any he'd seen. Black rocks and foaming sea and sky marked only by the passage of birds. Only. Wait.
He blinked, tried to focus. Two thin dirt tracks led to a splotch of color, a boxy shape, a car. A car!
Legs cramping. Breath shallow. He couldn't force his lungs to take. To draw enough. Air. The shivering easing. Bad sign. His feet tangled and he fell. Inches from his eyes, pale grass spotted and marked by the appetite of insects. The ground wasn't so bad. Almost soft. Easy now. Easy to go.
Crawl. Elbows scraping. Knees. Forearms going blue. Blue berries, blue water, blue eyes.
He reached the trunk, pulled himself up, the metal burning cold. Slouched his way to the door and bent stiff fingers around the handle.
The door opened. He maneuvered around it and fell into the smell of leather. His legs wouldn't move. It took both arms to pull them in, one at a time. Gripping the burnished handle, he yanked the door shut. The wind's laughter died.
There were keys in the ignition. He fumbled for them. They danced away, jingling. Come on, come on, come—
The engine roared to life.
The man turned the heat all the way up and collapsed against the seat.
A soft time. Warm air making his body ache and tingle and finally ease. For awhile the man stared at the ceiling, head lolled back. Content to watch the drifting spots in his eyes. Tiny floating things that he could only see when he didn't try to look at them. He didn't think about where he was, or why, or who the car belonged to and when they might return, or whether they would be happy to find a naked man dripping on the leather seats.
Just cowered like an animal in his den, the doors locked and the heat blasting.
After a long time—how long he had no idea—he felt himself coming back. Surfacing like he was waking from a nap. Words and questions swirling like leaves blown from an October tree, tossed and swirling and never touching the ground.
Gasoline. That was one. Gasoline. What did…
Oh. He straightened, rubbed at his eyes. His muscles weak and languid. The fuel gauge read almost empty. He switched off the ignition.
So. Where was he?
The car was nice. A BMW, according to the logo in the steering wheel, and well-outfitted, supple leather and wood-grain inlays. A pair of Nikes rested on the floorboards on his side. The passenger seat was buried in maps and takeout bags and a soda cup and empty blister packs of ephedrine and gas station receipts and a worn
He opened the whiskey, swallowed half the remainder in a gulp. It burned all the way down in the best possible way.
Now that it wasn't killing him, the world outside the glass had a kind of desolate beauty. Lonely, though. Other than the narrow two-track the car was parked on, there was no sign of people in either direction. And while he hadn't been fully conscious the whole time, he hadn't seen anyone since he'd climbed in the car.
So then…
How had he gotten here?
Where the fuck was here and what was he doing in it?
Easy. Don't panic. The worst is over. You're safe. Just think about what happened. How you ended up here. You…you…
He closed his eyes, jammed them shut. Opened them again. Nothing had changed. Had he been drinking? Drugged? Maybe. So retrace your steps.
You were…
You were…
It was like that terrible moment he sometimes had waking up in a strange environment, in the dark of a friend's living room, or in a hotel somewhere, that period where his brain hadn't come online yet and everything was automatic, just panic and readiness and fear, the tension of waiting for certainty to click, for normalcy to fall like a warm blanket. That moment always passed. It passed, and he remembered where he we was and what he was doing there.
He set the whiskey down, gripped the steering wheel with both hands. Focus. Focus!
Outside, the wind whistled. The trees looked like they'd been on fire, dark black trunks spreading to broad limbs marked by a handful of stubborn orange and yellow leaves, the last embers.
Okay. Easy. Something must have happened. An after-effect of hypothermia, maybe, some kind of shock. Don't try to force it. Tease it, coax it out. Like the floaters in your eyes, you can't drag this front and center. Come at it sideways.
Your brain seems to work. Use it. Where are you?
A rocky beach. Cold. He could taste the salt on his lips, knew this was an ocean. Which one?
The question was crazy, but he ignored that, just focused on answering it. Let one thing lead to the next. The dashboard clock read 7:42. The sun was only a brighter shade of gray above the waves, but it was higher than before. Which made it morning, which made that east, which made this the
Okay. The
Why not. Roll with that. "This is
His eyes fell on a bank envelope curled in the cup-holder. Inside was a stack of twenties, a couple hundred dollars. Under the envelope there was something silver that turned out to be a stainless steel Rolex Daytona. Nice watch. Very nice watch.
What else. He leaned over to open the glove box. There was an owner's manual, three pens, a pack of Altoids, a sealed box of No-Doz, and a large black gun.
He stared. An owner's manual, three pens, a pack of Altoids, a sealed box of No-Doz, and a large black gun. A semiautomatic, he noticed, then wondered how he could know that and not remember where he had been before he woke up on the beach. Or worse, even his own—
Stop. Don't go there. If you don't face it, maybe it's not true.
The trunk.
He stepped out. The wind whipped his naked body, and his skin tightened into goosebumps. His balls tried to retract into his belly. He stepped gingerly to the back of the car on bloody toes.
Would there be a body in there? Handcuffed and shot in the head, maybe, or rolled in a carpet, hair and boots spilling out.
No: it held only a set of jumper cables and a plastic shopping bag with a red bulls-eye on it. He opened the bag. A pair of designer jeans, a white undershirt with pits stained yellow, crumpled boxer-briefs, wadded-up socks. Someone's laundry.
He looked around again. In for a penny.
He shook out the underwear, stepped into it. The jeans were soft and worn, expensive-looking. Too fancy for Target, and dirty to boot. Maybe the Target purchases had been a change of clothes. He wriggled into the shirt then slammed the trunk. Climbed back in the car, the air inside wonderful, stiflingly warm. The sour smell of feet rose as he wriggled into the sneakers.
Then he sat and stared out the window.
How had he known that red bulls-eye was the Target logo? How had he known the watch was a Rolex? Or that Jack Daniels was whiskey, and that he liked whiskey?
How was it that he had been able to count the money, knew
He reached for the owner's manual in the glovebox, careful not to touch the gun. The manual was bound in black leather. Inside the front cover was a registration card and proof of insurance. Both in the name of David Hayden, resident of
He climbed out of the car, walked to the back.
Who wandered away from a sixty-thousand dollar car, unlocked, keys in the ignition? Where would they go in the middle of nowhere?
And the clothes. The shoes fit. The jeans felt familiar.
Calling yourself David Hayden is a start. Try it on, just like the jeans.
David got back in the car, put on his watch, then cranked the ignition and pulled away.