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Back in August I traveled to Arusha, Tanzania with writer Bettina Rühl to photograph Edward Loure for GEO Magazine. Mr Loure is protecting lands for communities of pastoralists and hunter-gatherer throughout Tanzania. Thanks to Christian Gogolin for the assignment.
Sadiq Khan for Politico EU /
I had the pleasure of photographing Sadiq Khan in London for Politico EU. Thanks to Tim Ball for the assignment.
A Conversation with Leica UK /
I had the chance to speak with Leica UK while in London.
A Fall Update /
Masai Agriculture -- The European Union /
In July, I was commissioned for The European Union to photograph one of their many projects which funds a dairy cooperative and livestock marketplace in Southern Kenya. Thanks to Conni Bongarts for the assignment.
Outside Magazine - Team Rubicon /
Right before I left for Kenya, I had an assignment to spend a few days with Jake Wood and the rest of Team Rubicon on assignment in Detroit with Outside Magazine. I was amazing to be in such inspiring company, check out this month's issue for the story. Thanks to Amy Silverman for the assignment.
Kenya's Controversial Infrastructure /
My first commission for National Geographic in Kenya. Thanks to Patrick Witty and Nicole Werbeck for the assignment.
The Fight for New York /
For the past month or so I have been covering politics in New York City for Getty Images ahead of the April 19th primary. This is a quick edit of that work. Big thanks to Sandy Ciric and Pierce Wright for the assignments. All images copyright Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images.
Thanks for Another Great Year! /
One Officer, in a Sea of Blue, Saying Goodbye /
My recent work for the New York Times.
West Point Boxing For The New York Times /
I recently covered a story for The New York Times on the amount of concussions from mandatory boxing classes at military academies in the United States. Writer David Phillips and I were given access to boxing class and showed around campus. Thanks to Maura Foley for the assignment.


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subset: commoncrawl


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The TW:eed Project keeps on growing, with new volunteers, researchers and student projects!
Becky Bennion is an undergraduate at The University of Cambridge. She has recently started a summer placement at The University Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge. She is working on Early Carboniferous sharks, with a special focus on the preparation of rock samples to reveal shark teeth and bones. Her work is helping to reveal some really exciting new fossils! I recently caught up with her to find out how she has been getting on and ask her some questions.
How did you become interested in the project?
I've been fascinated by fossils my entire life, and have spent a lot of my childhood collecting specimens from the beaches near Whitby where I live. This love of the natural world led me to Cambridge where I am currently an undergraduate studying Natural Sciences.
I really wanted to gain useful experience this summer with fossil preparation and analysis, so I asked Jenny Clack during a practical class if she had anything she could offer. To my surprise she said yes, and here I am!
What do you hope to achieve in your work placement this summer?
I hope to find some interesting specimens which will be of use to the project in the long term!
It's incredibly exciting to be working with material which no one has looked at before.
What has been your most exciting discovery to date?
I was lucky enough to accompany the team for a week's fieldwork in the Scottish borders at the end of June. Whilst there we visited a new locality and I spotted some pieces of bone sticking out of part of the cliff, which was incredibly exciting! Although there hasn't been time to analyse the specimen yet, I'm hoping it will be significant to the project.
My summer project itself consists of preparing rock samples with acid, then analysing the chondrichthyan (shark) fossils which remain. So far we have found hundreds of fragments of teeth and other bones, including a few unusual teeth which we weren't expecting!
Becky preparing specimens in the lab to extract fossils
Becky examining specimens under the microscope
Fantastic work Becky!
Until next time


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This refers to sex that occurs between two individuals who once had a relationship, whether married or girlfriend-boyfriend, but who are no longer affiliated. Auld lang syne sex occurs when one or both of the people involved enjoyed the sexual aspect of the relationship, even if they broke up or grew apart.
Jeremy and Jessica had their differences, and ultimately divorced. However, they still got together from time to time for some auld lang syne sex. They figured that they had really terrific sex with each other; and, since they had once been married, it was really okay.
by evil pop tart December 11, 2009
buy the domain for your art blog


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Show Summary Details
Quick Reference
(d. 910 (ah 298).
Sūfī teacher, who influenced al-Hallāj, and who laid the foundations of much of the development of Sufism. From his instructors he received his strong insistence that ...
Subjects: Religion.
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No current or recent warnings.
Long Sutton to Newborough, including Sutton St James, Leverington, Wisbech St Mary, and Thorney
Region: Anglian
Counties covered: Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire
Watercourses covered: The Wash, Tidal River Welland, Tidal River Nene
The area bounded in blue on the map shows the area covered by flood alerts and warnings for Long Sutton to Newborough and surrounding areas.
Icons on the map show nearby level monitoring stations. They are not necessarily related to this particular flood warning area.
No current or recent warnings.
No current or recent warnings.


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Twenty Reasons to Do Drugs, As Taught by Sundance Drama I Melt With You
Wherein Jeremy Piven and company get very, very high.
At Sundance, the Channing Tatum–Katie Holmes crime drama Son of No One has gotten a lot of press for its audience walkouts, but if anything could top it when it comes to moviegoer exodus, it would have to be the press screening for I Melt With You. Starring Thomas Jane, Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven, and Christian McKay as four friends who rent a beachside house for a week to do drugs, cry and scream about their midlife crises, and do more drugs, it spurred nearly 50 people to go for the exits while the remaining press and industry folks indulged in unintentional laughter not seen since last year's so-bad-it's-good screening of Twelve (still, the movie sold to distributor Magnolia Pictures today). Maybe those walkouts were turned off by the movie's constant drug-taking, which is so immense that the characters may have more lines of coke than lines of dialogue? Here are twenty of the film's most convincing reasons to get high.
• Because you're 44.
• Because women, am I right?
• Because you have to earnestly deliver the line, "You fuck lots of women. But have you ever ... truly ... loved one?"
• Because it will help you make more convincing dinosaur noises while eating lobster with your high friends.
• Because Jeremy Piven has just commanded, "Pass the blow, you fucking idiot."
• Because you're in a car.
• Because you're on a pier.
• Because you want to indulge in unabashed "I'm so high right now" dancing.
• Because your son calls your ex's new beau "Daddy."
• Because you've just taken your shirt off for no reason.
• Because you want to talk about Cheryl Tiegs and you're looking for just the right word to describe the way her nipples make you feel (said word is "Ga-GONG!").
• Because you wrote a New York Times best seller once and have never been able to follow that up, and your good looks, full head of hair, and gym-perfect body simply cannot compensate for your dashed dreams.
• Because you're a morally questionable doctor who gives away prescriptions like they were candy, and your good looks, full head of hair, and gym-perfect body simply cannot compensate for your dashed dreams.
• Because you're under investigation from the SEC, and your good looks, semi-convincing hair restoration, and gym-perfect body simply cannot compensate for your dashed dreams.
• Because it will help the 20-year-old girls you've invited over (including Sasha Grey) find you attractive.
• Because a clip from the Challenger explosion was randomly spliced into the movie (for art).
• Because your sister died.
• Because your boyfriend died.
• Because your friend died and is decomposing in the bathroom.
• Because you're in a movie that's 122 minutes long (!!!), two-thirds of which is comprised of "we're so high right now" montages where the camera shakes, the shutter speed varies, and the audience beats a hasty retreat.


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Adam Fleischman is a busy man with seven Umami locations throughout California, the launch of Umamicatessen downtown and recent announcements of the chain's expansion to Westwood (this summer) and the Grove.
With the restaurateur's roots already established in Westwood Village, 800 Degrees opened in January with a Chipotle-style pizzeria concept. Fleischman's newest venture on Westwood Boulevard is "U-Mini," a test lab for Web and app ordering, tablet-only customer service and other "fine dining, fast food" elements, i.e., no waiters (good luck with complaints). By summertime, there will be three popular burger joints within a one-mile radius (Five Guys, In-N-Out, U-Mini).
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Customers can order in advance and have food waiting for them on VerTerra, biodegradable, disposable dinnerware. The 1,200-square-foot space in Westwood Village will have 45 seats and the menu will be an edited version of the original with new test products.
The Grove also has posted a coming-soon announcement for Umami (in its traditional incarnation), which will arrive "before summer 2012". And it's rumored that three additional locations will pop up in Anaheim, Laguna Beach and Costa Mesa this year.
Follow Squid Ink at @LAWeeklyFood and check out our Facebook page. Follow the author at @Glutton_In_LA.


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Today we'll be talking about the "Yes, but…" philosophy of gaming. The first time I've heard of this was in Exalted, when people were discussing how to run a game where the players were meant to be able to deconstruct a setting the moment they hit the table. Exalts were demigods, divinely powered humans given the means to enact sweeping changes to Creation the moment they were exalted by the gods.
Given the sheer nature of the game, it was a slight paradigm shift. Suddenly, rather than Level 1 characters who fought rats for experience points, the basic starting character was more than able to hurl an Ox-Cart onto a group of guards, or easily dispatch of a sorceror terrorizing a village by summoning a demon to wale on them.
Many GMs didn't exactly know how to deal with this, and were therefore forcing their tried and true methods: throw bigger opponents. Just to somehow even the odds, GMs were throwing lesser gods, elemental dragons, and entire armies at new characters, just to somehow reassert the older philosophy of gaming. Same old stuff… bigger scale.
In reaction to this, a group of other GMs realized that the power level of the player characters was deliberate. Rather than fight this sudden increase of power by slapping down even more points on the villains, these GMs figured that the game was all about the consequences. It enabled large scale change because it was about What Happens Next.
And so the same goes for Scion. As children of the Gods, even starting Scions can pick up a car and swat some gangbangers with it if properly motivated. With the change in setting to a modern-day one, a whole new can of worms opens. Religious persecution or worship, Advertising opportunities, Politics, the Military, the Media… people hoping to become children of gods too, strange secret sex cults revolving around these godlings, hoping that perhaps their children might bear the spark of greatness too. These are the things that spring forth from the actions of the players.
The game is bigger than them not because the monsters are huge (which they are), or just because of combat. The game is big because all of a sudden the world is watching the Scion's every move, judging them, worshipping them, emulating them.
At it's very core, the "Yes, but…" mentality of running is one that revolves around permission:
"I swat the guy with a backhand that twists his head around thrice and declare myself the new President of this country!"
"Sure." the GM answers, but then follows up with the complications of ruling a country, other ambitious scions doing the same to others, and the power struggles that happen next. Rebel Scions might believe that it is not their place to do this, while others realize that the first was on to something… if they can hold the title.
It's the complications that fuel these stories and games, and I feel that this is the path that would suit me best in Scion. Given the nature of the characters, and the players, this should prove to be very interesting indeed as they struggle to push the agendas of their parents, all while balancing their personal lives, public appearances, and how they handle the mortals that stand in awe of them.


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One Guess What I'm On My Way To Do
This bright and lovely morning. And thank you again for dressing me
for it. I tried to pretend on the street just now that I am the lady
who exits the house with my hair and make-up like this on any given
day. I think even passers-by must know it's not true.
How are you looking and feeling today?
PS Exciting post, I know.


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The Exped Transit 40 Bag is a hybrid bag for traveling near and far. This midsized bag is lightweight while still providing plenty of space for clothing and toiletries for your next trip. The inside of the bag opens wide for stuffing with pants, shirts, socks and especially clean undies. Please don't forget those. The mesh pockets secure smaller items, super handy for quick location of your dopp kit. The two exterior pockets secure small items as well, great for accessing your passport or wallet in a jiffy. Carry by the handles or mount the straps on to carry like a backpack and get on your way.
So sorry, but only 4 items are allowed for comparison, so we're comparing the first 4. I blame the gnomes and so should you.
Would you like to compare the products you have selected now?


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DALLAS (Reuters) - Defensive end Michael Sam, hoping to become the first openly gay athlete to play in a regular season game in the National Football League (NFL), was signed Wednesday to the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, the team said.
Coach Jason Garrett told a news conference the rookie from Missouri would be a member of the 10-man practice squad. Sam was cut last week by the St. Louis Rams, who had drafted him in the seventh and final round of the NFL draft in May.
"We have had nothing but good reports about him from our people and people in St. Louis," Garrett said. "We just want to give him a chance to come in and see if he can help our football team."
The 6-feet-2 (1.88 m), 260-pound (118 kg) Sam became the first openly gay player to be selected in the NFL draft.
But despite his success at Missouri, talent evaluators have said Sam might struggle in the NFL - perhaps too small to play regularly on the defensive line and not athletic enough to play as a linebacker.
"He was a very good player in college. His track record speaks for itself," Garrett said.
Each NFL team has a 10-member practice squad that helps them prepare for games. When teams face injuries, they often look to practice squad players to fill out their game-day rosters as short-term help.
Sam, a Texas native, could prove to be a useful backup for the Cowboys because of their 4-3 scheme and a desperate need for help on defense, which was the bottom-ranked unit in the NFL in the 2013 season.
There is currently only one openly gay player in North America's four major professional sports leagues - Jason Collins, who joined the NBA's Brooklyn Nets last season.
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin; Editing by Bill Trott)


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3. Feedback Elimination
Notch Filters & Dynamic Feedback Rejection
One of the inherent dangers in amplifying acoustic instruments is that of feedback. While some manufacturers have attempted physical remedies - thinner bodies and sound-hole covers for instance - these all have a detrimental effect on the sound of the instrument, and the main means of tackling the problem today are electronic.
Most feedback occurs at a specific frequency, typically a howl at an identifiable pitch. Most electronic feedback solutions therefore involve some form of EQ to remedy the situation. The standard frequency bands of most equalisers, however, are far too wide to reduce feedback without seriously affecting basic sound quality thats what theyre for, after all.
Seek and Destroy
The device required is a notch filter: a very narrow, high rejection EQ band.
While fixed or manually variable notch filters have their uses, most feedback is unpredictable, occurring at different frequencies depending on the instrument, venue and gain structure. Dedicated feedback elimination works by continually analysing the incoming signal, and then varying the frequency, width and gain reduction of the notch filter in order to eliminate any feedback detected. By this means, the filter frequency can usually be extremely narrow, with little other audible effect on the signal.
Some amps also feature a manually activated notch filter which can be set to reduce the known resonant frequency of your instrument, usually in the region of 120Hz.
Phase Reversal
Another technique for dealing with feedback involves simply inverting the phase of the amplified signal. The reason this works is due to the very nature of feedback: the guitar resonates in response to sound from the speakers - if a certain frequency is highly resonant, it will be heavily present in the amplified signal, which will cause the guitar to resonate even more at that frequency, and so on in a vicious circle. When this happens, it happens very quickly the effect increases with every cycle until limited by the maximum gain of the amplifier. Inverting the phase of the amplified signal means that any vibration of the guitar body at that frequency is discouraged by the amplified signal, because at any given time it is pushing or pulling in the other direction. In the real world, the efficacy of this method depends on many factors including the distance and angle between the guitar and amp, but it remains an interesting technique and is featured on some acoustic amps.
High-Pass Filter
Very low frequency feedback can be suppressed with a simple high-pass filter. This is usually set with a cut-off frequency of around 80Hz to eliminate any low frequency feedback, mains hum and guitar body noise below the guitars musical range (the guitars open low E string has a frequency of 82.4Hz).
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Basics
- 3.Feedback Elimination
- 4.Speaker Types


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Client in the spotlight: WEMO
When shopping for the best Augmented Reality (AR) solution, no two clients are the same. However, they often do have similar questions and concerns. Here, we share the journey of one of our clients, WEMO, before they decided to work with TWNKLS. Together with WEMO, specialist in designing and building high output machine lines for forming [...]Read more


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Expertise in Microsoft office especially in Powerpoint. I will try to make the slides looks exciting.


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Lamine Dark Bronze Bedside or Desk Lamp, 25.75" - Contemporary Metal Base with Swing Arm and Dark Bronze Finish. The Bottom Foot Has An Oxidized Bronze Finish. The Suspended, Round, Beige, Linen Lampshade Pivots to Allow Greater Lighting Control. Houses 1) 100 Watt Bulb.
Height (top of finial): 25.75"
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Product: Uttermost, Lamine Dark Bronze Desk Lamp


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Lance Armstrong Tweets About His New Nissan LEAF
Photo: Lance Armstrong
Looks Pretty Sweet!Lance Armstrong, uber-cyclist, crime fighter, and electric car early-adopter, has just tweeted that his new Nissan LEAF electric car has arrived. He sent a pic (see below for a bigger version), and it looks good. A nice change from the blue paint that almost all LEAFs have had so far.
Image: Twitter screen grab
Lance has said before that one of the reasons why he likes EVs so much is because he has to ride his bike behind gas and diesel vehicles, and he's sick and tired of breathing their fumes. Check out the ad he made for Nissan:
Via Twitter
More on Lance Armstrong
ESPN's Tony Kornheiser on Cyclists: "Run 'em down!" Lance Armstrong Responds. [Updated]
Lance Armstrong First in Line for a Nissan LEAF
Bikes to Fight Crime? A Lance Armstrong Story...


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The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame will induct six individuals whose leadership and service have brought distinction to Arkansas agriculture.
Leroy Isbell, 89, of Humnoke (Lonoke County), owner and operator of Isbell Farms. Isbell pioneered zero grading of rice fields in Arkansas that led to tremendous water savings and many other benefits for agriculture. As a result of zero grading his rice fields and being the first to harvest Japanese rice varieties in the United States, Leroy and his son Chris were recognized as 1996 Rice Farmers of the year by Rice Farming Magazine.
Formal induction will be during the 26th annual induction luncheon, 11:30 a.m., March 7 at the Ambassador Ballroom of the Little Rock Embassy Suites Hotel. Luncheon tickets are $35 each and are available by calling (501) 228-1470 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Others to be inducted include former Congressman R. Marion Berry, 71, of Gillett (Arkansas County); O.H. "Doogie" Darling, 85, of Fordyce (Dallas County); Rueben H. Johnson, 83, of Magazine (Logan County); Keith Lusby, 65, of Prescott (Nevada County); and J. Keith Smith of Hot Springs (Garland County).
The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and Arkansas Farm Bureau. It was originated in 1987 by Paul Harvel, C.R. Sawrie and Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce to tell of the state's agriculture industry, and to recognize past and current leaders who have given selflessly to the farm industry, their communities and to economic development in the state.


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Only 1 available
Natural Moldavite--From Chlum--3.62 Grams--Moldavite - a fire that became our earthThis beautiful stone is rare, found only in the Southern areas of the Czech Republic. It is named after the area in which it is found, near the Moldau River (called the Vltava in Czech). While scientists differ in theories regarding Moldavite's origin, nearly all agree its formation coincides with the crash of a large meteorite approximately 14.8 million years ago in what is now the Bohemian plateau. The rock metamorphosed by the force and flame of the impact - creating a strewn field of Moldavite in the two, mostly rural, areas of Bohemia and Moravia. Farmers often turned up the stones when plowing their fields, while other specimens worked their way to the surface after heavy rains. More recently collectors have "mined" for gem grade and museum quality specimens by sifting and digging through loose sands and gravels. Moldavite has a very rich history, prized since the Stone Age and used not only for arrowheads and cutting tools, but as a spiritual talisman and amulet of good fortune, fertility and protection. It was found in the archeological site of the Venus of Willendorf, the oldest known, Paleolithic statue of a deity on Earth. The 'stone of the heavens' has also been linked to legends of the Holy Grail, the tablet of the philosophers stone, and is believed to be an emerald that fell from the sky out of Lucifer's crown before he was cast from Heaven. In Czech lore, it was given as a betrothal gift to bring harmony to marital relations, and for centuries has been used for jewelry, religious items and for spiritual transformation. As a symbol of transformation and high vibration, Moldavite is a great stone to work with on a personal and collective level in your healing work, practices, and meditations. A powerful Chakra opener and activator - particularly resonating with the Heart, Third Eye, and Crown Chakras. Although its energy tends to first move to wherever it is most needed in the physical and etheric bodies, it will settle and center in the heart. ~"An ethereal glass of amazing delicacy and grace, extracting light from the heights and descending to the earth - ready to serve humankind.""Through the Stars I come. I bring the chalice covered with the shield. Within it I bring a treasure, the gift of Orion.""Hold it to the light and darkness will flee"**Perfect to be crafted into a beautiful pendant, and worn close to the heart**A perfect piece for the altar


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Here at disinformation we mostly live with our trolls as a part of online life, but Twitter has decided to try to silence them. Via RT:
Is Twitter allowing too much freedom? What helped move revolutions along in the Middle East, has a flip side of cyberbullying and abuse, especially of those in the spotlight. Now Twitter is taking its first step towards censorship.
The news was broken by Twitter's Dick Costolo who was speaking to the Financial Times. As the FT put it, the site's chief executive "became visibly emotional" as he described his frustration in tackling the problem of 'horrifying' abuse, while maintaining the company's mantra that 'tweets must flow'. Anonymous and unpunished, irresponsible twitter-users find the site ideal for expressing all kinds of extremist, racist and sexistopinions. Celebrities are among those most vulnerable, with curses and bullying clogging up their '@connect' section, offending many and disrupting conversations, often turning them into hate-fights.
To stop the 'hate speech' anarchy, Twitter is considering starting off by blocking the very possibility of replies from so-called 'non-authoritative' users, marked out by the absence of a profile picture, followers or bio information, as FT.com reports. This is the first step, but there might be more to come…
[continues at RT]
Latest posts by majestic (see all)
- Stephen Colbert on Messrs. Trump and Jones - Feb 23, 2017
- Why I Hate Thanksgiving - Nov 24, 2016
- Jesus Was an Alien - Nov 22, 2016


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Quick Reference
A novel by William Godwin, published 1799. Godwin tells the story of Reginald St Leon who has discovered the philosopher's stone and the alchemical grails of immortality and the secret ...
Subjects: Literature.
Related content in Oxford Index
Reference entries
William Godwin (1756—1836) philosopher and novelist
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Photograph taken by renowned photographer James Blakeway. President Rutherford B. Hayes signed the order establishing this light in 1879. The 40-foot cast-iron tower is located in Maine on a rocky island referred to as "the Nubble" off the eastern point of Cape Neddick . The white bucket suspended on a line across the channel was used to transport supplies and is now used to transport maintenance equipment. The lighthouse was automated in 1987. The town of York now manages the surrounding property, having received more than 300 unsolicited offers from people wanting to be live-in caretakers.
Size: 13 1/2 in. x 40 in.
This fine art print is reproduced on pH neutral heavy art stock with UV resistant ink.
This item is available framed or just as the print. Please choose framed or unframed from the drop down menu. Unless an option is selected we will ship the unframed print.
Ships UPS ground the same or next business day of order.


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Record-Breaking Supercomputer Powered by Nvidia and Eurotech
Record-Breaking Supercomputer Powered by Nvidia and Eurotech
Meet "Eurora," the world's fastest and most efficient supercomputer thanks to NVIDIA's new Tesla GPU K20 accelerators and Eurotech's advanced Aurora hot water cooling technology.
Built by Eurotech, an Italian company which has been focusing on embedded computer systems and utilizing pervasive computing paradigms to develop greener and smarter solutions, Eurora broke the record last Wednesday at CINECA, Italy's largest and most powerful supercomputing center. The reported sustained performance "reached 3,150 megaflops per watt" according to NVIDIA's press release, beating the Beacon, the previous record holder in supercomputer efficiency as recorded by Green500, by 651 megaflops, roughly 25%.
Eurora's key systems specs, as listed on NVIDIA's blog, include:
- 64 compute nodes,
- 2 Intel Xeon E5-series CPUs + 2 Tesla K20 GPU accelerators per compute node,
- 110 teraflops Linpack performance,
- and 34.7 kilowatts.
Eurora was developed as a prototype by CINECA, the non-profit supercomputing center in Bologna. It combines the 128 NVIDIA Tesla GPUs, which are built on Kepler, NVIDIA's high performance computing architecture (HPC) with Eurotech's Aurora hot water cooling technology. Eurora is able to use less energy, thus cutting back on CO2 emissions, by not having to rely on air conditioning to cool its system which uses more energy.
CINECA is planning on using Eurora to advance computational science research working with the PRACE members part who are part of the PRACE 2IP project. The scientists are hoping that the supercomputer will help them develop their research faster, as many studies that involve advanced computer simulations require massive amounts of power and energy. The research that Eurora will help progress will range from life sciences to astrophysics.
Eurotech has estimated that Eurora's cost savings will add up to $500K over five years for the CINECA research center, eliminating over 1,500 tons of CO2 emissions and cutting down 2.5 million kilowatt-hours.
Kasia Lorenc is a contributor to Tom's IT Pro. Combining her love of IT and marketing, she currently serves as the Director of Technology and Search Marketing for Zacuto USA in Chicago.
See here for all of Kasia's Tom's IT Pro articles.


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It is an EDP, parfum, meaning not a toilette and is much more lasting than a cologne or a toilette.
That can last three (3) years on the shelf. I hoping it would even with our harsh climate.
Because of the bottle's intricate design it had to be protected with this kind of packaging.
And it is quite worth it.
As you can see, there is a big pearl and 'bee' wings.
I bring this thing around everywhere. To the office, to lunches out with my dad and even to my last trip outside of the country! LOL. I keep it in my carry on and wrapped in not one but two bubble wrap bags. It is an EDP but the scent is very very light that my nose gets used to it like asap so i don't smell it on me after a while. But people who don't wear it or smell it often say that it's still there.
I will always have a hard time describing scents. For me either strong like grandma's perfume or like lolo's pomade. During my time it was Revlon's Charlie, Avon's Sweet Honesty, yung roller ball hehehe, Anais Anais, Jordache, Jovan, and Fahrenheit, pag mayaman naka Tresor or Chanel No 5. Personally, i liked Banana Republic, it was mild because even in the 90's and early 20k. i like smelling mild perfumes/colognes.
Marc Jacobs has mastered choosing the right mild scent to bear his name. Honey is one of them.
- what's not to like? it is love at first sight packaging is cute not pushy not too pa-teen (maybe for college and young office girl type)
- the scent it smells like you just took a bath but not overwhelming
- scent is NOT overwhelmingly sweet but not too overwhelmingly citrus either - i don't know what musky smells like, when I read or hear musky i think the scent of male animals leave to advertise to the opposite sex that they're there.
- i like the smell of honey and i like how the honey scent on here is not overwhelmingly sweet ^_^
- one spritz goes a long way for a decent scent for a good 4-6 hours
- can bring along on my carry on on flights since it's not aerosol, so yey!
- available in the Philippines for a while now
not much, it's a Marc Jacobs and I really can't contest the prices of his scents in the Philippines, suffice to say that if you want to buy online you better choose your seller really well. When buying Marc Jacobs' scents you have to know that most of his scents are really mild and when you get your product by courier you may think that you got sold old stock.
If you want not to worry about that then I must suggest that you check it out at the department store FIRST.
I also suggest that you get this at a reliable seller or at the department store supplied by Coty Philippines as this is already about a year old, faker people may have already begun making fakes of this! Always buy orig!
This was my perfume for this year's spring and summer what was yours?


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Revenues of £4.8bn and a 23pc leap in operating profits to £345m – or £1.9m a day. For many FTSE chiefs, waking up to unveil their half-year results, such figures would signal a good day ahead.
But for Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, the numbers – relating to its British Gas's household energy business – marked the start of a day spent defending himself against accusations of profiteering. The reaction in some quarters was, he admitted, "disappointing".
But questions about how those huge profits stack up for Britain's biggest residential energy supplier were perhaps also inevitable, as Which? executive director Richard Lloyd argued.
"Many people are struggling with rising energy costs and, when they see suppliers announcing big profits, they're bound to question whether they're paying a fair price for their energy," he said.
British Gas may have cut its electricity prices by 5pc in January, but that followed price rises of 18pc for gas and 16pc for electricity last August.
Consumer Focus calculates it leaves the average annual energy bill for a British Gas customer 12.7pc higher than January last year.
Centrica has already warned of likely further price rises this year, saying in May that "the trend for retail energy costs remains upwards".
"Hard-pressed consumers will be shocked to see such a big rise in profits when British Gas has been warning of the need for price increases," said Audrey Gallacher, director of energy at Consumer Focus.
So how does Mr Laidlaw combat accusations that struggling consumers are funding handsome profits?
Centrica's top line of defence yesterday was to point to "higher residential energy consumption, compared to the exceptionally mild weather and unusually low levels of profitability in the first half last year".
But the figures show it's not just that. Total gas consumption rose 3.5pc, but revenues from gas rose 21pc. Centrica admits that about 18pc of the increase in revenues is down to "higher average tariffs" – in other words, bill increases.
It's a similar picture in electricity, where consumption actually fell 0.1pc in the period, yet revenues rose 10pc.
But Mr Laidlaw was at pains to point out that higher revenues and higher bills do not translate to a huge leap in profit margins.
British Gas residential's operating margin in the first half of 2012 was 7.2pc; in the same period last year it was 6.9pc.
"The bottom line here is a 7pc margin before tax," he said. "If you compare that with 2011, where we lost money in the second quarter, clearly it's a stronger margin. But if you compare to the previous year, it was 8.9pc, and before that 7pc. There is nothing exceptional in this."
He added: "This business has a big social responsibility. If it got to a level where we felt profits were unacceptably high, we would reduce prices – even if we were the cheapest prices out there and gaining customers. But we are a long way from that."
Mr Laidlaw, however, declined to specify what would constitute an unacceptable profit. He insisted that the focus should be on the "sensible margin" level that Centrica needs in order to fund huge investments, such as the £1.4bn joint investment in the North Sea it announced this week, creating up to 4,000 jobs.
But if the margin has remained relatively static, why have bills risen so much?
A large chunk of it, according to Centrica, is down to rising wholesale gas costs, which increased by about £600m in the six-month period.
Consumer Focus said that wholesale prices have fallen, but Centrica insists wholesale prices for the coming winter remain higher than they did at the same time last year, and it must buy its supplies well in advance.
Bills have also risen to cover a £100m increase to transmission and metering costs, which are set by the energy regulator.
And Consumers are also paying for a £150m increase in social and environmental levies – which are determined by the Government and used to pay for things such as wind farm subsidies.
"We are collecting a lot of levies from the consumer for the Government," said Mr Laidlaw. "I absolutely understand everybody is feeling the pressure at the moment.
"Saying to people: 'This offshore wind programme, it's going to mean this much on the bill' – that's not a popular message, or one that governments generally like to give. We end up putting it on the bill, and we then get the opprobrium for it."
Unfortunately for Centrica, such levies are only forecast to increase in coming years, while analysts predict that rising commodity costs could well prompt it to implement another household price hike this year.
Centrica is attempting to explain this cost breakdown to customers through a new format of bill.
But with consumer groups yesterday demanding it rule out any price hikes this year, it may be some time before Mr Laidlaw can look forward to a sympathetic reaction to a British Gas profit rise.


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Quick Reference
(fl Bruges, c. 1489). South Netherlandish painter. He is named from double portraits (Florence, Uffizi), identified by Warburg in 1902 as Pierantonio Bandini Baroncelli, successor of Tommaso Portinari of the Medici bank in Bruges, and his wife Maria Bonciani. The Master was a contemporary of both the Master of the Legend of St Lucy and the Master of the Legend of St Ursula (i) and worked in a style close to that of Hans Memling and rather reminiscent of that of Petrus Christus. His manner is dry and rather austere, with static figures painted under harsh lighting. The rest of the Master's small oeuvre is grouped around this portrait pair and a Female Saint (?Joan of Valois) with a Donor and Two Women (U. London, Courtauld Inst. Gals). The donor in the latter may be Giacomo di Giovanni d'Antonio Loiani of Bologna, who married a Flemish woman. A panel with the Annunciation (Antwerp, Kon. Mus. S. Kst.), attributed by Hulin de Loo to the Master of the Baroncelli Portraits and comparable to a similar Annunciation (Brussels, Mus. Royaux A. & Hist.), has now been given to an anonymous master of c. 1500.
From The Grove Encyclopedia of Northern Renaissance Art in Oxford Reference.
Subjects: Renaissance Art.
Related content in Oxford Index
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- Photo credits: fotogrph.com
- Something broken or wrong with this freebie? Report a Problem
Retro Music Player UI
Here is a user interface design for the retro music player inspired by Dieter Rams. The download includes the fully editable layered PSD with resizable vector shapes.
- Designer
- pkwiatkowski
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Makeup Artists
Resident makeup guru Laura Unter takes time out to tell us about doing a degree in Makeup at the renowned London College of Fashion.
We catch up with professional nail technician Joanna Webb and find out her tops tips for achieving flawless nails
We caught up with award winning makeup artist Fiona Tanner to find out about working in the industry.
Professional makeup artist Salina Thind tells us how she got into makeup and what her favourite products are.
If you would like to become a makeup artist there are a number of different paths you can take to achieve that goal.
If you are serious about having a career as a makeup artist you should have some professional training.


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In two more days, 2014 will be behind us. Here's a look at the last 12 months, through the words of newsmakers from in and around the Northland.
"Lee Hull represents integrity. He obviously is very intelligent. … He has a marvelous reputation. I've never heard anything but praise for Judge Hull and how he handles himself and the courtroom."
Platte County Commissioner Beverlee Roper, speaking when the county courthouse was named for Owens Lee Hull, a retired circuit court judge.
"What we do is try to give the award to someone who is really fighting for social justice and equal rights. ... Susan McCann is working, leading marches and demonstrations all over the city against payday loans and to increase the minimum wage."
Cecelia Robinson, describing the Invictus Award for Social Justice, given this year to McCann, pastor of Grace
Episcopal Church in Liberty.
"The question is very simple. Should we expand or not? Do you want to buy this?"
Kansas City Councilman Russ Johnson, talking about the proposed expansion of the city's streetcar system. Later in 2014, residents south of the Missouri River rejected a new taxing district for the
"There's a need for it right now, but with further development there will be a greater need."
Sheila Tracy, president of the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, talking about
$2 million in improvements
to Englewood Road.
"I want to sincerely apologize for what happened during the football game between our two schools. ... I apologize that your season came to an abrupt end. I do hope that you are doing better and your concussion has finally subsided and any other trauma you might have endured ... has also gone away."
Platte County High School football player Colin Byrd, 18, speaking to Winnetonka High School player Jake Rosebaugh after Byrd pleaded guilty in court to misdemeanor assault. The previous October, prosecutors alleged, Byrd twisted off Rosebaugh's helmet and struck Rosebaugh in
the head with it.
"Bullying is bullying no matter what the age, and it doesn't go away when people get out of high school."
Deb Babbitt, a Kansas City, North, social worker who has given more than a dozen
presentations on bullying against older adults.
"I think we saved taxpayers money, and anytime you can do that, that is good."
Gene Owen, Clay County's western commissioner,
commenting on approval of the county budget.
"It is unfortunate for the taxpayers ... that their county commissioners are cutting the office that is charged with alerting the citizens of government waste, inefficiency and impropriety."
Clay County Auditor Sheila Ernzen, whose budget was cut severely by commissioners, They were also criticized for
cutting the parks budget.
"We have never had a conversation with them as to why they wanted to go into a different direction. It is unfortunate."
Tony Reinhart, board
chairman of the Clay County Economic Development Council, saying the council was caught off guard when the County Commission ended a
relationship with the council that dated to 1967.
"For me, it's made in heaven."
Northland resident Steve Elliott, commenting on the new Flintlock Flyover overpass at Missouri 152 and Interstate 35.
"We think the court will determine that the decision of the commission was proper."
Mike Keleher, an attorney representing Platte County, after opponents sued over the County Commission's approval of plans for Chapel Ridge, a 351-lot residential development on 143 acres near Missouri 45 and Route K. The litigation is continuing.
"Whatever it takes, we're going to do it. We're not going to tolerate this."
Clay County Presiding
Commissioner Pamela Mason, after a second violent incident at the Kansas City Zoo
involving crowds of rowdy youths on one of the zoo's free days. Mason was speaking as chairwoman of the Kansas City Zoological Tax District
"I've done just about everything else for the county. I figured I might as well be county counselor for a change."
Former county prosecutor and associated circuit judge Don Norris, upon his
appointment as Clay
County counselor.
"My daughter really gets a kick out of it, because she gets kind of queen-of-the-day status."
Bob Howard, a volunteer for the Watch DOGS — Dads of Great Students — organization at Chinn Elementary School in Kansas City.
"It was an appalling waste of the taxpayers' money."
Luann Ridgeway, Clay
County's eastern commissioner, after the county dropped a lawsuit to recoup money spent on removing a wall built in 2006 between workers for the county clerk and auditor.
"There have been times when Democrats were definitely in the lead, and right now Republicans are, but we feel very sure that we will be back."
Pauli Kendrick, chairwoman of the Platte County
Democratic Central Committee, when her party fielded no candidates for county posts in the November election.
"We have to remember that all of our buildings are public buildings. It's important for us to have space for people like the Boy Scouts, civic groups or others."
Kansas City Police Maj. Roger Lewis, speaking of the Police Department's desire to replace the decades-old North Patrol Division headquarters.
"We built what the people wanted, and I firmly believe the Platte County population wants to be fit and healthy."
Platte County Parks and Recreation director Brian Nowonty, talking about an $8.4 million upgrade to the Platte County Community Center South in Parkville.
"We still face an uphill climb to convince the public that we need a new terminal."
Kansas City Councilman Ed Ford, after a citizens task force recommended a new single terminal to replace the three-terminal arrangement at Kansas City International Airport.
"They didn't listen to the public who showed up at the meetings."
Dan Coffey, a member of a political action group called Citizens for Responsible Government. He opposes the single-terminal airport concept.
"I tell my story to all types of people to give them a better view. To look at me, you may not think I have schizophrenia. I'm a person first. It's no different than having diabetes."
Elizabeth Wilson of Kansas City, North, one of many people in the area who are working to remove the stigma of
mental illness.
"Our sunsets and sunrises are incredible, and the view of the river is picturesque. The new park is in a perfect location."
Tom Hutsler, chairman of the Main Street Parkville Association, about Platte County's first off-leash dog park in Parkville.
"There are probably thousands upon thousands of cases (nationally) every year that police and prosecutors never learn about."
Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd, talking about "sextortion" crimes after charging a 22-year-old Kansas City man with threatening to post nude photos of a 16-year-old girl if she didn't have sex with him.
"The district apologizes for any inconvenience that this may have caused those affected."
Park Hill School District Superintendent Scott Springston, announcing that a data security breach may have compromised the personal information of more than 10,000 people.
"In other cities the mood changes the day it opens. ... You build the first line, and the demand for it accelerates."
Kansas City Councilman and Northland resident Dick Davis, speaking about streetcars after voters nixed a taxing district to build upon the city's starter line. He formerly led the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority.
"There was a guy charged with fighting at the casino. He bit one of the police officers. And when he actually discovered (in court) that he was in Clay County, he started to cry."
Kevin Baldwin, a defense attorney in Liberty, commenting on sentencing disparities between more lenient Jackson County and its northern
"Law enforcement should be thinking beyond the home front. We want to feel safe and secure."
Parkville Police Chief Kevin Chrisman, speaking about a new Missouri law that, if Kansas agrees, would allow area law enforcement agencies to forge mutual aid agreements with their Kansas counterparts.
"We were in awe of them. They had the tightest horn section in town."
Winnetonka High School graduate Charles Cottitta, talking about the 1970s-era band Blackwater Junction, which held a reunion concert at Paul & Jack's Tavern in North Kansas City.
"It's gone from being an eyesore to a place where people walk their dogs and take their children to play. It's completely changed the landscape, literally and figuratively."
Anna Hazen, speaking about the new Chouteau Parkway, which replaced Chouteau Trafficway from Missouri 210 north to Interstate 35. The parkway includes a landscaped median, rain gardens, landscaping and
walking trails.
"The shore is bold and rocky immediately at the foot of the hill. From the top of the hill, you have a perfect command of the river."
Platte County Parks and Recreation director Brian Nowotny, who portrayed explorer William Clark at one of the county's 175th anniversary events. The words came from Clark's journal.
"(He) had a big pile of manure in his hands, and he thought the jail committee was the way to deal with it."
James Roberts, the onetime chairman of the Platte County jail committee, alleging that an unnamed county commissioner tried to use the committee to solve a funding problem with new police radios. The committee, formed to address potential crowding in the jail, recommended diverting money from the parks department to fund the radio system, but county leaders raised taxes instead.
"I wouldn't call it a logical process."
Platte County Commissioner Beverlee Roper, speaking of the jail committee's work.
"If you'd told me at the end of junior year that I would have gotten this, I would have told you you were crazy."
Liberty High School senior Mary Mwaura, who was crowned homecoming queen.
"I'm so disappointed in the leadership and how this matter was handled."
Former Smithville City Councilman Todd Justice, commenting on the suspension of Smithville High School Principal Rudy Papenfuhs, who eventually resigned after being accused of crossing boundaries with students. His supporters said he was unduly punished for caring about students and trying to help them.
"I love to lower taxes as much as anybody. I also like to balance budgets."
Luann Ridgeway, Clay County's eastern commissioner, who voted against cutting the county's general fund property-tax levy. She was outvoted.
"It's always difficult to defeat an incumbent. But there's also an old saying that friends come and go, and enemies accumulate. That's doubly true for prosecutors, who naturally pick up foes by prosecuting members of their own community."
Platte County prosecutor Eric Zahnd, talking about the defeat of longtime Cass County Prosecutor Teresa Hensley.
"Our motto is 'A place where exceptional farmers live, work, play and grow.'"
Peaches Cunningham, one of the founders of the Farmer's House Market, a nonprofit Weston area farm where young adults with disabilities
can work.
"It is mediocre at best."
Clay County Sheriff's Lt. Will Akin, saying coverage can be spotty with the new public safety radio system. County officials say they need to spend about $600,000 to
replace older equipment.
"There is nothing more disappointing than waking up Christmas morning and finding very little."
Platte County Sheriff's
Capt. Mark Holland, about the annual Shop With a
Deputy program.
"The world was different in 2006."
Banker Bob Regnier, talking about land at Missouri 45 and Interstate 435 in Parkville that's burdened by yearly bills for road and sewer improvements conceived in 2006. He said the costs are scaring off


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Obsessive Adrian Gonzalez Trade Watch: His Shoulder is Jacked Up
Here's a bit of a surprise on the Adrian Gonzalez front: he was dealing with a serious labrum issue last season. It makes his numbers all the more impressive, of course, but it puts the beginning of his 2011 season in doubt.
Adrian had his labrum repaired two weeks ago. He will start shoulder surgery rehab on Wednesday. He won't be able to swing a bat for 4 or 5 months.
His shoulder bothered him all season. He stopped trying to hit home runs because of the shoulder pain. Gaslamp Ball.
Four or five months from the end of October is the end of February or the end of March. The 2011 season, for the Chicago Cubs anyway, begins April 1. That's got to put a serious dent in the offseason trade market for Gonzalez, given that he'll not be able to play for at least a couple weeks into the season, short of a quick recovery. And even then, his effectiveness could take some time to come back (assuming it does come back). We'll have to keep close tabs on his recovery.
Whether it will affect the Cubs' designs on trading for Gonzalez is yet unknown. A reliable source (that's right, I have sources now) indicates that Jim Hendry has made at least some contact with the Padres since the offseason began. Presumably, the conversation turned to Gonzalez at some point, and his shoulder would be one of the first things discussed.


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Pierce Brothers
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October 07, 2017
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Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammad Al- Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah held a meeting with the supervisory committee in-charge of the national campaign for collection of unlicensed weapons, in order to discuss the latest developments and updates of the campaign. According to a press statement issued by Ministry of Interior, the minister listened to the mechanism followed for running the campaign during its first phase, the deadline of which is soon approaching, the practical plans and field activities such as inspection of vehicles on the roads for confiscating unlicensed weapons, ammunition and fireworks. The meeting was attended by the Assistant Undersecretary for Criminal Security Affairs Major General Abdulhameed Al-Awadi, Director General of Weapon Investigations Department Major General Faraj Al-Za'abi and other officials.
Sheikh Mohammad praised the spirit of cooperation shown by all citizens, expatriates, governmental bodies, ministries and press media, which had contributed to the success of the campaign. He indicated that only 5 days of the grace period remain for citizens and expatriates to hand over their unlicensed weapons, ammunition and fireworks without being held legally accountable.
He also held discussions with experts from Weapon Investigations Department regarding the reports issued so far of the results of the campaign.
According to these reports, about 3,250 different weapons and more than 8 tons of ammunition were surrendered during this grace period, while more than 3,800 weapon licenses were issued. Sheikh Mohammad provided useful recommendations during the meeting and urged the committee to double their efforts to ensure the success of the campaign in all aspects. Meanwhile, Interior Ministry's Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Training Major General Sheikh Faisal Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah announced that Saad Al-Abdullah Academy for Security Sciences on June 14, 2015 started receiving secondary school certificate holders and their equivalent for the non-commissioned officers course (batch 45) and the commissioned officers course for degree holders (batch 27). The final date for submitting applications is Sunday, June 28, 2015.
Sheikh Faisal called on applicants fulfilling the specified conditions to register for the four-year training program to earn bachelor's degree in security sciences with the rank of lieutenant. He noted the first registration process should be done online via Interior Ministry website www.moi.gov.kw
Undersecretary of National Guard Brigadier Hashim Rifai has issued a decision for the release of all National Guard officers who were detained on disciplinary grounds, reports Al-Seyassah daily. The decision was based on directives of the Supreme National Guard Council to release the officers in consideration of the sufficient time they served in detention and in honor of the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.
In another development, Kuwait Armed Forces held a graduation ceremony in honor of graduated from Batch 71 of the basic military course under the patronage of Commander of Armed Forced Major General Khalid Al- Sabah and in the presence of Colonel Mohammad Al- Dhufairi and Colonel Mohammad Al-Khurainij, reports Al-Seyassah daily. With the completion of the course, the graduates will be able to enroll in various sectors of the army.
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
"Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours. But grief comes from losing something you've already had."


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YWO > Community Forum > 8 Poor Excuses For Poorer Writing
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I've been critiquing short stories and chapters for a long time, now. I've had a few good and bad experiences. I have, at least in real life, a reputationf for being brutally honest; I think that's fine, because I also have a reputation for being helpful, thoughtful, and constructive. Sometimes, though, people mistake my brutal honesty for an attack, or harshness with no purpose other than to offend. This means I've also had a handful of people challenge my criticisms.
I've already talked about what I think the proper etiquette for responding to criticism you don't agree with is (hint: the answer is "don't") but not everyone shares this view. Some people just can't get by in their day without pointing out why they disagree with me. They could just smile, and nod, and ignore my advice, and everyone's a winner--I think I've helped someone think about their writing, and the writer remains confident in their abilities--but instead they have to answer that incessant, nagging feeling that tells them they have to be right about everything at the end of the day.
And sometimes it's okay. Sometimes I agree with what people say when they defend themselves. Once an author pointed out to me that I misread a single word and it literally changed how I read the rest of the story, and I admit to that mistake. But more often than not, like nine times out of ten, it just seems like these people are making excuses, trying to explain away why they don't have to improve their writing, and why they can just keep doing what they're doing. Most of the time, their logic is terrible.
So, rather than explain it to them every single time they argue against me, I wanted to compile a list of the worst excuses I've ever seen, and explain why the logic is poor. This way, if it happens again, I can point that author here and be on my merry way.
Note: I'm not saying the critic is always right, just that, if you use one of the following arguments, you're probably not thinking critically about your own writing. So, without any more hesitation, here's a guide/rant about 8 Poor Excuses for Poorer Writing:
1. "There Are All Kinds of Different Styles"
Recently I read a short story that was nothing but telling, and explained to the author why telling does not make for an interesting story. One of the author's excuses was that writing everywhere is different, and there are all kinds of different writing styles. This author then told me I would be "baffled" if I read more, and then suggested books to compare how different styles can be. And if you are reading this and know who you are, you basically lost any right to not be called out when you rudely suggested I'm not well-read enough to understand that, gee golly, books are different.
Aside from the rudeness, this author is absolutely right. There are millions of authors writing even more books each with their own voice and style and quirks and whatnot. Most of them are pretty good, too.
Why the author was silly to point this out was that none of that has anything to do with what I criticized. What I said was "this story has a lot of telling, and it made it boring to read, because telling in general isn't very immersive." What the author heard was "You can't write like this. You can only write like this." To the author, my criticism--and, let's be real, Showing VS. Telling is one of the most basic pieces of advice that, if you've never heard, you've not been taking your craft seriously enough--was trying to take over her voice, to manipulate her style, to take away what was writing to her. But, really, what I was doing was responding to her individual piece. If she had written an engaging, immersive story that had telling in it, I probably wouldn't have noticed. That's because the advice goes in this direction: "I find this story boring, it must be because there's so much telling." and not "there's so much telling in this story, therefore this story is boring."
This anecdote represents every author who uses style as a catch-all to excuse sloppy or amateurish writing. Authors mistake the fact that there's lots of different styles to mean instead that every style is good. Not only is this not true, but it's the equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and humming until people stop criticizing you. The fact is, there are some ultimate standards to what makes good writing; it varies, and there are no hard and fast rules, but something that shows us a scene rather than just sums up a series of events is more likely going to be entertaining based on the way we as an audience engage with written material. And if you're still going to argue that anything can work, imagine if I handed you a story full of spelling errors so bad you couldn't even understand what I was saying. Am I allowed to say it's good because there are a lot of styles in the world? Because it's the same logic.
Ultimately, you are free to do anything you want in your writing, as long as you do it well. How do you know if you do it well? If someone reads it and likes it. If someone reads it and finds it boring, or can explain to you other reasons they didn't like it, then obviously what you were going for didn't work for them. You can either be a mature author and say "yes, I should try this again, but in a different way that might actually be good to read," or you can be a special snowflake and say "no, it's the reader's fault my story isn't good, I'm never changing."
Note: This isn't to say that you should always take a critic's opinion as absolute rule. Please see the guide I linked to at the beginning to read more about that.
2. "This Classic Author Did It!"
We've all been there: you've been talking about what makes an effective opening to a story, pointing out how most agents/publishers find opening with the weather boring/cliche when someone comes in with "it was a dark and stormy night."
The argument, if you've never encountered it, is that a famous author wrote a classic that every school has to read, that kept the author's name in canon for centuries, and basically redefined literature, and they did whatever you're telling the writer to not do. If X can do it, why can't they?
There are three fundamental problems with this argument.
1) If you can write like X author, what are you doing here?
2) That author is decades/centuries/possibly millenia old. Things change. Things change within a year. The contemporary publishing industry is a quickly changing beast that looks for something new all the time, and to base your concept of what "good writing" is on something that was popular 200 years ago is just a recipe for failure. It's important, I believe, to be aware of classic authors, how they wrote, and what made/makes them popular, but if you're going to emulate writers you should be emulating recent ones who represent what a modern reader is looking for.
3) The point of a cliche is that it's been done to death. Pointing out other authors who have done the same thing as you is just cementing the fact that what you're writing is cliche and should be avoided. Sure, the "dark and stormy night" opening is good, but it was one of the first to work with that (not to mention that it also sets tone and atmosphere, but that's a different guide).
Again, it comes down to this: if you can make it work in your story, then do it. But since you're hypothetically defending yourself against a reader who pointed it out as having a negative effect on your writing, it obviously isn't working and instead of defending your writing like a one-armed boxer with no depth-perception you should be examining your own writing and questioning how you can improve it.
3. "This Modern Literary Author Did It!"
This defense is the exact same as the previous one, only it makes a bit more sense for the author to compare themselves to a modern author. That's fine. The key word, here, is "Literary."
But, first off, I just have to reiterate: If you can write like "Insert Modern Literary Author" then we wouldn't be having this discussion.
Where this defense falls apart is that Literary Fiction is kind of its own monster. The focus in Literary Fiction isn't so much on compelling narrative, but on the writing itself. This would, theoretically, lend itself more to the kind of "everyone's got their own style" argument that some people defend themself with, and in a lot of ways it does, but at the same time if the point of literary fiction is to be interesting and new in your style, why are you comparing yourself to someone else? If Example Modern Literary Author already did it, why did you?
Plus, the experimentation with literary style still has to be something good, and readable. How do you know if something is good and readable? Easy: You have people read it. And if they come back to you and say "this wasn't readable" you don't get to say "but X did it!" You get to say "clearly I didn't achieve what I was trying to accomplish, and need to try again."
REDUX: Not to mention, just because it's published it's not automatically good. Published authors make mistakes all the time, or have people who don't like their books. Or maybe that writer is the exception; sure, s/he got away with a chapter of passive telling, but that's out of the thousands of unpublished authors who tried the same thing and failed. Just because one person did it doesn't mean it's good.
By now, you should have realized that "if it works, do it; if it doesn't, accept it" is the main theme of this guide.
4. "This Isn't Really Traditional/Complete"
These are really several defenses, but they follow the same logic and have the same problems. Basically, after you've given the author a detailed Line-by-Line and an hour or two of your time, they turn around and say something along the lines of "well, this isn't really the final copy" or "this isn't your traditional kind of story."
First off, refer to #1 to see why "this isn't your traditional story" is a stupid argument. Also, if you post your "non-traditional" writing in the "Short Stories" or "Novels" section of the forum, and not the "Experimental/Other" section, then you're the only one to blame. If you wanted us to critique your work like you were experimenting with something, you should have put it in the right section.
But anyway, this defense is a bit different from the previous ones because it's not about arguing your writing is actually really good and the reader is stupid, but instead about excusing the writing because it's not finished.
To which I say: Why did you upload it, then?
Why are you sharing a draft/outline/summary of your story? We don't want to see that. We want to see what you consider a finished product. We're not here to critique your ability to poop out a draft in half an hour, your skill at outlining events in a story, or your talent at summing up ideas. We're here to help you improve your writing. The only one of those that actually shows off your writing is the early draft, and even then that's like judging a violin solo by how well the violinist tunes his instrument.
Remember: YWO is a forum for sharing the best of your work and getting critical feedback so you can improve. The more effort you put into your work, the harder you work at it, the more useful and therefore valuable the feedback will be. YWO is not a journal where you get to keep your literary ideas and practice attempts. Keep that to yourself, and when you have something worth showing, show it.
I honestly think that everyone who says "oh, this is just a first draft" or "this is just an outline, that's why there's so much telling and it skips over events really quickly" is lying, that they're backpeddling just so they don't have to admit that their writing is not that great. And if that's the case, you don't have to make excuses. We're here to improve; everyone has to start somewhere.
5. "You Obviously Missed The Point"
Imagine I'm telling you a joke. I'm stuttering, and pausing a lot, and I'm a bit quiet so you miss an important set-up; at one point I accidentally jump forward to the punchline, and then spend ten minutes trying to remember how I was supposed to get there. When I finish, I look at you and you're stone-faced, and looking for the nearest exit. You definitely aren't laughing.
Now imagine I said, "you obviously didn't get the joke, stupid."
Suddenly it's your fault that the joke wasn't funny. It's unfair, right? Clearly it wasn't funny because I did a terrible job telling the joke.
It's the same thing when an author tells a critic that they missed the point of their story.
Now, obviously, sometimes it is the reader who just misses the point. Sometimes they just don't get the joke no matter how well it was delivered. But "you obviously missed the point" is probably one of the rudest responses to a critique I've ever seen, even if the author is right.
The problem is that, again, it becomes the reader's fault that the story is bad when that just doesn't make sense. If I didn't get the point, that's probably your failing. Look at your story. Imagine it like a joke. Do you set up the punchline effectively? Is the punchline clear? Is the joke punchy enough that it doesn't take forever to get to the punchline? Is the timing perfect? If the answer to all of those questions is an honest yes, then I probably just missed what you were going for. You have to at least consider the possibility you did something wrong before you start blaming the reader.
The point is, it's not my job to search for the "point" of your story; it's your job, as the writer, to direct the reader to your "point."
6. "I'm Only Writing For Myself Anyway"
That stopped being true the second you posted your work on a public forum.
7. "I Did That On Purpose."
One time, in real life, I told an older man in a writing class I was in that I thought his story had a lot of extraneous detail that distracted from the advancement of the narrative. It took him a page and a half to describe the main character coming home because he described everything from the trolley the character took, the contents of his backpack, and the history of his neighbours. After I told him this, he smiled, laughed a little, and said, "Well, see, I did that on purpose."
Let's get this straight right now: Just because you do it on purpose doesn't meant it's good.
This excuse gets to the core of the issue behind many of these defenses. The author believes that because they've put an ounce of thought into their writing it's okay, as if all writing is some accidental smear of words on paper (I don't know about you guys, but everything I do in my writing is on purpose). But, again, it only works if it works, and you only know it works when other people read it and respond. That older man should have realized, after I made my comment and half the class agreed to feeling the same way, that maybe he should reconsider what he did on purpose. If everyone else in the class had said they actually like the extraneous detail, then, sure, it probably worked the way he intended, but then that's getting pretty close to another excuse...
8. "But So-And-So Liked It!"
This, I think, is the hardest one to convince anyone of. I mean, if you have ten readers, and nine like something and one person dislikes it, surely you should side with those nine people, right?
But here's the thing: Who, exactly, is telling you they liked it?
One time I received a lengthy response from a writer who said that they had people on Wattpad who had also read their chapters and were asking for even more, and that she was basically going to disregard my opinions (I really don't understand why people tell critics this, and why they don't just keep it to themselves). "Sure," I thought, "If she's getting that good of a response then I can see why she'd side with them."
Then I looked up her story on Wattpad and read the comments she'd receieved (if this guide isn't evidence enough that I hold a grudge, then this proves it). Basically, she was getting a bunch of one-line responses along the lines of "So good! Can't wait to read more!" One or two made an attempt at criticism, but all their criticisms were about lines from the start of the story. If this writer had bothered to look into who was giving her this feedback, she'd have seen that most of them posted several critiques in a five or ten minute span, so they couldn't possibly be reading the stories with as critical an eye, or even at all. What was happening was that people were looking to get her to read their stories as well, so that their view counts could go up.
This is called bias. These people wanted something from her--maybe positive feedback on their own writing, maybe just a +1 on their story's views--so they wrote nice things to entice her. You catch more flies with honey than spice, or however that proverb goes, after all.
Other people reading your stories might be biased too. You shouldn't put any stock into the opinions of your friends or family unless you're absolutely sure of their objectivity. They want to help you, but they also don't want to hurt your feelings, to make things awkward between the two of you, so they sugarcoat it and tell you that you're a great writer.
Or maybe they're here on YWO, and they give you a line or two that shows they've read it, but all they have to say about it is "great job! Loved it!" You could listen to those people, sure, and maybe they really did love it, but how much are you improving if you just accept that your stories right now are perfect? And if someone can come in and point out areas where your writing is weak, and explain to you why your writing is weak, do you not think that deserves some, if not more, attention? Or would you rather just surround yourself with Yes Men?
Don't listen to these people. Listen to the person who spent an hour commenting on every line or paragraph of your story. Listen to the person who explained to you what the problem was with what they didn't like. Listen to the person who has nothing to lose or gain from giving you a critique.
Now, of course, I have no way of knowing what kind of comments you're receiving outside of YWO. You could be getting great advice, in which case by all means ignore what I have to say. The question is: how do you determine good advice?
It's really up to you. You're the writer, you get to decide what's good for your story and what's not important. Of course, that means there's a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. Are you going to be the kind of writer who uses any of these excuses to defend their writing? Or are you going to be the writer who parses each criticism given to them and decides whether it applies or not? The trick is to not have a knee jerk reaction against negative criticism. Don't assume, just because someone doesn't like your story, that they're attacking you. Their comments are probably going to be the most helpful because, while positive feedback is a good indicator of what you're doing well, negative criticism is the only way you'll improve in areas you're weak (And I promise you, you have weaknesses in your writing. Everyone does).
And, ultimately, I don't even understand the point of this defense. Why should I care if other people liked it? I didn't like it. Just because they liked it doesn't mean I have to. It's not going to change my mind, so why did you bother telling me?
Conclusion: Why Defending Your Writing Is An Exercise in Futility
"If it works, do it" is pretty much the only rule in writing that is a steadfast rule. It translates better to "if you can get away with it, try it." But the point of this guide is to get across that if someone notices you doing it, you aren't getting away with it. That doesn't mean you have to cut something completely, it just means you have to go back to the drawing board and see how you can try and do it better.
The problem comes when writers don't want to admit that maybe their writing isn't as good as they think it is, and decide to defend their writing. You can explain to me all you want why your story is all telling, or why you didn't follow the basic conventions of grammar, or whatever. I'm not going to listen. I read your story, and I didn't like your story, and if I was just reading it in my spare time that would be the end of story; instead, I'm spending even more time giving you constructive criticism and my reward is to be ignored on the point of being insulted.
But at the end of the day: It's not my job to like your story, it's your job to make me like your story. You make me like your story with good writing, not by trying to validate it after I've decided I already don't like it.
If you ever do become a published author, you're not going to be able to explain to every single reader that you did something on purpose, or that you're a special snowflake. When you get bad reviews that prevent you from ever making a sale to a publisher again, you won't be able to tell them how much your mother liked your book or how you're emulating Tolkien. You'll be able to post blogs and comments on online reviews, maybe, but that just makes you look worse (just google "Authors Behaving Badly" to understand)
That's assuming you can ever get published. Because if your attitude is "my style is unique" you probably won't get far. Literary agents and editors won't even have time to laugh at you, because they'll take one look at your writing, toss it into the form rejection pile with the hundreds of other authors who think they're unique, and move on. If you're not willing to think critically about your own writing and how to improve it, then you're never going to improve.
So please, if you receive harsh criticism, at the very least don't respond to it. If you don't agree with it, you don't have to take it, but you're just being rude if you turn this into an open battle against someone's opinions, an open battle that, at the end of the day, you will lose because a reader didn't like what they read and no amount of argument is going to change that.
But what you should really do is stop making excuses and accept that maybe you actually have room to improve.
(Disclaimer: I acknowledge that this is on a case by case basis. Sometimes people just don't know what they're talking about in a critique and, like I said, it's your job to figure out who to listen to. That still doesn't give you the right to openly disregard that person, because they probably meant well. If you are harassed, or receive such criticisms as "this is stupid, you're a terrible writer" i.e things that are harsh without being constructive, pay no attention to these comments and report them to a moderator. You're still allowed to feel safe on this forum.)
P.S I'm thinking of writing a guide on either Setting or Dialogue. Which would you guys rather see?
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Thank God, we needed this. I hate hearing that it's the reader's job to interpret-- or that any interpretation works, so it's not the author's burden to be clear. (Mostly in poetry.)
I'd be more interested in dialogue.
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I'm just going to call everyone in my seminar who tries to explain their story to me and why it's actually brilliant, poor and futile.
And also Dialogue please.
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We should note that there is a difference between defending your piece and trying to clarify it. If someone doesn't understand something about your writing, you are allowed to tell them what you were going for. You're likely to get some more useful advice that way instead of just, "I don't know why you did this/what you were going for." Knowledge is power. The more the critter knows about your piece the better their advice will be. This is why I like to put down some things I worry over and things I want people to focus on as a kind of prefix to the story. However, you should not be using a prefix to explain concepts/ideas/scenes/etc. that you didn't feel like fleshing out in the body of your story. That's lazy!
I'd prefer to see dialog, though I think both could be useful. Also, if you don't mind, I'd like to have some input with the dialog section since dialog is often my favorite part of writing and is pretty high up there with reading. And apparently I'm not too shabby at it.
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Ah, some criticism of criticism of criticism. And the replies are hence criticism of criticism of criticism of criticism!
When someone says something about my work and I disagree with it, I know that either they must be right or they're trying to write the thing for me (at which point I ignore what's being said).
Remember: when people tell you somethings wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong. - Neil Gaiman
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This is really very useful. It's made me change my outlook on critiques now.
And, yes, I'd be interested in hearing about dialogue, though even setting would be useful.
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YES! Yehehes! I am referring all of those You-know-what-you're-just-being-mean-and-my-mommy-liked-it newbies HERE!
Very good points. Of course, i do acknowledge that brutality avails nothing if it's not helpful.
I would say Setting just to be different but that wouldnt change anything, so dialogue. And Setting. i hope you plan on doing both.
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Hmm. I agree with the excuses. I find it so annoying when that happens, but I noticed that you think that if the writer disagrees with the critique, they should just say nothing. That's ridiculous. I'm new to this site so I don't know if writers here cry often and respond badly to critiques, ill respond based on my experience at university, at a literary agency and in other online writing communities. I literally made this account just to reply to this thread and explain why you're wrong.
I like having a discussion about the pieces with the writer. I don't mind if they say they disagree with me as long as they're not disrespectful about it. Sometimes through discussion we resolve the problem. For example I might say something doesn't work and suggest something but they disagree with my suggestion but are prompted to do something else. I actually prefer interaction rather than "yes you're right thanks." The most promising writers want to engage in discussion of the craft (in my experience)
I think if someone isn't being like "no it's perfect, you're wrong" and are actually saying something along the lines of "I get that it doesn't work but I don't like your suggestion/disagree with your reason why because...", that's absolutely reasonable. It sounds like you're just upset because you don't like to be disagreed with.
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I think you're right, that working with someone who has given you a negative criticism is the best way to improve your writing, and perhaps I am just tired of having people use one of these eight excuses on me (well, yes, that's exactly why I made this thread, obviously). I love getting messages from people I have given a negative criticism wanting to know how I think they could improve points I was especially critical of. However, what I think you are suggesting isn't quite what this thread is criticizing.
You bring up an example of someone who disagrees with a specific suggestion you make but is prompted to do something else about it. That's great that you can have that interaction. That person may have disagreed with you about how you suggested they should write their story, but it doesn't sound like they disagreed with you about your whole critique, otherwise they wouldn't have recognized that something didn't work.
Imagine if that person hadn't said "I get that it doesn't work." What if they had just said "You're wrong" (thereby becoming the subject of this guide). Maybe they offer an explanation, but, like I said in the guide, an author won't be there to defend his work all the time, and I don't know about you but it takes a good explanation to make me decide I liked a piece I didn't like at first. That person, in my opinion, has responded when they didn't need to respond and the only thing they've achieved is to reveal how immature at dealing with criticism they are.
So I get what you're saying, and I agree with you, but I think we're talking about two different monsters here. You think it's okay to disagree with suggestions to fix a criticism, and I'm saying it's not okay to openly disagree with someone's general criticism, because nothing good can come from it.
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Pro-tip: because my first instinct is to procrastinate anything I see as an obligation or responsibility, asking me for a critique is a good way to make sure I never give you a critique.
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