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The sun's out, friends are over and you have a BBQ grilling up some burgers. Whats more could you want from this perfect summer scene? Gadgets thats what - lots and lots of gadgets.
Whether its a quick fry-up with friends, a picnic with pals or a full-blown outdoor rave, we have the gadgets covered. So read on to find out exactly what portable kit you want to bring to a party.
Best for wireless tunes
Gear4 AirZone Series 1
It wouldn't be a decent party if friends didn't have a speaker dock to argue over the pick of the next song. Making use of Apple's still brilliant Airplay tech, the AirZone can play music streamed from any iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, and has a 3.5 mm line in and even an FM radio.
Made specifically for iPod and iPhone certification, using the AirZone to its fullest will mean you'll have to choose your pals according to their brand of smartphone. Expect possible Android squabbles with this one.
Price: £199
Get it here.
Best for a Garden party
Subbuteo Inflatable Soccer Pitch
Those too young to remember Subbuteo should jolly well be ashamed of themselves, though they might get around this retro-cum-ridiculous Inflatable Soccer Pitch a tad quicker than most ageing tabletop flick-to-kick footie aficionados.
It takes four-player gaming to a new level, with "walls" to bounce the ball off and a couple of under-sized goals to pepper during the half-time breaks at Euro 2012.
Measuring 20ft x 12ft - though best used with some space around it - it needs some proper grass underfoot – and a big garden to boot – though as it's more FIFA Street than anything resembling the beautiful game, tarmac could work, too. No word yet on accessories like floodlights, stadium seating or miniature picket fencing.
Price: £295
Get it here.
Best for BBQs
Etón Soulra XL solar-powered iPhone dock
With summer almost in full swing it's time to harvest the power of that 5,505C fireball in the sky. With eight speakers, two mini subwoofers, a 22W amp and an iPhone dock, Etón's Soulra XL is a serious barbeque boombox – and it doesn't have any pesky cables.
Equipped with a large retractable solar panel that draws-in power for around five hours of music at a time, the Soulra XL can play music from an iPhone and charge one up in four hours. Ideal for garden parties and picnics, the Soulra's iPhone dock is stowed beneath a splash-proof glass cover and also features a gel-cushioned carry strap.
Price: £199
Get it here.
Best for cold beer and a sit-down
Gelert @ Surfdome.com Beer Cooler
Maybe it's our age, but we find the worst parties are those with warm beer and nowhere to sit. Solve both conundrums with this ice storage cooler from Gelert @ Surfdome.
Manufactured with a leak-proof liner, this 27cm tall cooler has a zip closure and, best of all, an adjustable carry strap and a padded lid for flaking out on after one too many cans of nicely chilled Skol.
Price: £25
Get it here.
Best for party feet
Cushe Shucoon Slide surf slipper
The sun is out. No wait, it's gone again. Replaced with torrential rain and thunderstorms. Its a shoe-ruining summer, that's for sure. So dodge the muddy trainers with this shoe for all seasons from Cushe.
Built to withstand the vagaries of a British summer, this pair of Shucoon Slide shoes from Cushe is designed with an optional toe cover that can either be pulled-up over your freezing pinkies, or literally stomped all over in the unlikely event of prolonged good weather.
Transforming from shoe to sandal and made from organic cotton and hemp, the soft Shucoon Slide is light and comfy, and they slap together well for easy stowing.
Price: £50
Get it here.
Best for vinyl
Clearaudio Concept MC Turntable
If your party is going to be indoors and all about the music, you'll have sound quality higher up the shopping list than convenience – and that means vinyl. Plus it looks cooler, important to consider should you be trying to impress.
This Concept MC turntable package from Clearaudio matches an awesomely simple yet classy design and smooth outer casing with high-quality components and the promised flawless sound quality.
Not for resting beer cans near, for sure, but best of all, it's idiot-proof. The folk at the Clearaudio factory in Germany have endeavored to deliver a completely finished, fuss-free product, so all adjustments – cartridge alignment, anti-skating and tracking – have already been tweaked to perfection.
Price: £1650
Get it here.
Best for bigscreen gaming
Epson MG-850HD iPad projector with carry handle
Oh, that kind of party … the type where grown men sit around drinking, eating and trying to kill each other on Call of Duty. Pick a wall, aim projector, fire Xbox all over it. Easy. This plug 'n' play PJ from Epson has a HDMI input for hooking-up consoles of any flavour, but its real tricks are built-in speakers and iPad support. The former means there's no need for downright dangerous cables, with the added bonus that the MG-850HD's 10W stereo speakers aren't powerful enough to totally dominate a room.
iPad support comes from a rear-mounted dock that doesn't replicate the screen of its guest, but instead extracts all video files it can find stored on it. The 3LCD projection is only 720p pixels, but in practice that proves more than enough for some casual gaming – and plenty enough for a Wii, of course.
Set-up is easy; the MG-850HD boasts manual horizontal and vertical lens shift levers that get the image dead-on to a screen from almost anywhere in a room, with a 1.2 manual zoom, too. Comes complete with carry handle and bag.
Price: £650
Get it here.
Best for pocket parties
Lil' Wiz mini vibration speaker
Young fools on packed trains might pretend otherwise, but their treble-heavy crimes against commuters only serve to underline that today's super-slim gadgets are an aural disgrace. Created to give a little extra to digital audio stored on devices with Bluetooth, Anthem AVS is selling the Lil' Wiz, a vibrating cone-shaped pocket speaker capable of turning any flat surface into a basic sound system.
Designed to be placed on windows or tables, and without wires or cables, Lil' Wiz uses a Lithium battery that is recharged via USB, and features a 10W speaker capable of 360-degree omni-directional sound (though that does mean sacrificing stereo). Comes in two flavours – the Bluetooth 2.0 version, or the TF model – the latter with a Micro SD Card slot instead of Bluetooth.
Price: £75
Get it here.
Best for showing off party pics
Pico Genie A100 extended battery, projector & speaker for iPhone 4/4S
We've all seen those tiny Pico projectors that, while a nice idea, come with a mess of cables and clutter. Now comes the sleek version – the Pico Genie A100 iPhone sleeve. A miniature projector accessory case that slips around an iPhone 4 or 4S, it creates a 50-inch image on a wall while charging its host.
Great for photos stored on an iPhone, this Pico also works with video. It doesn't project what's showing on your iPhone's screen, but instead uses its own software to fetch and present any photo or video content from a phone or any app that allows for video output – and that means Netflix, YouTube and iPlayer.
It's more a statement than a bona fide breakthrough; the LED-powered projection reaches only 15 lumens, so it only works in a total blackout, and the 640x360 pixel resolution is pretty slight, but on convenience, it's a winner – it even has a built-in speaker and recharges via USB.
Price: £250
Get it here.
Best for getting the party moving
House of Marley Bag of Rhythm
Should the sun go in, it start raining or you just fancy a change of scenery, the House of Marley Bag of Rythm is about the best way to bring the party with you.
Using an iPhone dock or aux input, should you want to use something non-Apple made, to get your tracks going through the speakers is a nice touch. The really good thing about the Bag of Rhythm is how loud and powerful it is, even off batteries. More than enough to keep tunes pumping out to those around you and not be overshadowed by noise from the great outdoors.
The bag itself is removable from the unit and comes in different colours, should you not be a huge fan of the khaki colour. The whole thing is also recyclable, so you get eco brownie points as well.
Price: £239
Get it here.
Like the sound of our party gadgets? Let us know in the comments below ...


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**1/2 (out of four)
To an extent, any look behind the scenes of the adult film industry carries with it a certain level of judgment. You don't often see a documentary about finance that asks white-collar types, "So, how did you wind up in a place like this ordinary office building?"
Obviously, acting in films whose names I can't print here involves a different routine than the usual 9-to-5. At the end of the day, though, it's both a cliche and a generally unrecognized fact that the men and, more lucratively, women with NSFW filmographies and typically alliterative names have families and histories and experiences that all humans have.
In "Aroused," her documentary about gathering 16 current female adult film stars to shoot photos that revise how they're seen by the public, director Deborah Anderson doesn't overdo the US Weekly-esque notion of, "Porn stars—they're just like us!" She doesn't ask Jesse Jane, Kayden Kross or Belladonna about their feelings on traffic or calling the cable company. And while Anderson doesn't work especially hard to challenge her subjects—she doesn't gain insight from the stars after an adult film agent claims the actresses often need therapy and become their onscreen personas offscreen—she absolutely succeeds in framing them as people who are beautiful, rather than objects that are judged.
The film's more positive than the doc "After Porn Ends," in which some former adult film stars express regret and a sense of feeling trapped by their choices. In "Aroused," as the actresses lay in bed, posing and sharing occasionally perceptive nuggets about their general happiness and periodic dissatisfaction toward their work, only someone who comes to the film looking for the titillation it doesn't seek to deliver will see sexuality, rather than the intended sensuality.
It's tough not to wish Anderson, who fortunately moves away from initial, obvious statements about how sex sells, tried harder to get the full story. Allie Haze says she wants to be the best at what she does. How does she define that? Others talk about the challenge of maintaining the look necessary for the role and the disrespect that occurs when, say, people don't ask permission in advance to do something in a scene. In both cases, though, the discomfort on their faces is enough to linger.
Watch Matt on "You & Me This Morning," Friday at 6:55 a.m. on WCIU, the U
Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye's Facebook page.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Crime, Supernatural and Adventure fiction. Obscure, Forgotten and Well Worth Reading.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
An Afternoon to Kill - Shelley Smith
Lancelot Jones is en route to a small town in India where he will take up a teaching post when his plane is inconveniently grounded miles from his destination. The pilot tells him there is a minor mechanical problem and repairs should take only a few hours, perhaps the entire afternoon. Lance decides to take a walk and head to the first building he can see not far off in the horizon. He rings the bell and explains his predicament to the servant who answers. The mistress of the house, Alva Hines, allows him entry and plays hostess to him for the afternoon, providing him with a meal and talking about her love of novels and stories and the power of words to hold sway over the reader. Jones dismisses it all as worthless admitting that he never reads fiction. Alva is taken aback and the subject of books is abandoned. Then Lance says he would much rather learn how Alva came to live in such a remote part of the world. Alva confesses that it is a rather long story. Would her care to hear it all? It might just take the entire afternoon. Lance has little to do but wait until his plane is repaired and he agrees.
This amazing novel is one of those skillful "tale within a tale" books. Alva tells an ever increasingly intricate story that takes us back to the turn of the 20th century. Like the sensation novels of Collins and Braddon that were popular in the late Victorian age Alva's story involves duplicity, treachery, adultery and murder. Or is the mysterious death that takes place in her story a suicide? Much to Lance's surprise he is held rapt and finds himself under Alva's hypnotic storytelling spell, frequently interrupting her with pointed questions. When she concludes her tale Lance confronts her with a startling accusation. The reader I'm sure will follow suit in succumbing to Alva's alluring story and will be as completely surprised as Lance upon reaching the final page.
I am completely under the spell of this fine writer, one of the several I have recently discovered who deserves to be much better known. More Shelley Smith book reviews coming to this blog. Stay tuned for my next foray into Smith's fascinating world when she explores the "Fatal Attraction" theme in her suspense thriller The Crooked Man.
6 comments:
Oh your review has made me want to read this book. He is enroute to India, where does his plane develop a snag: The Indian Subcontinent or somewhere else? Or is this part of the mystery?ReplyDelete
A brilliant book. Anyone who loves Barbara Vine should adore this one. The Victorian episode is a tour de force and the whole thing as a whole just a wonderful example of storytelling.ReplyDelete
Great review John - very much the one Smith book that I really loved and remember very clearly even two decades after I read it.ReplyDelete
I am on vacation right now away from all my books and can't tell you the name of the city, but it is named in the book twice. India has little to do with the story. His pilot tells Lance they have landed in Iran but we are never really sure of where he is nor is the reader told where Alva is living specifically.
When I return home I'll send you a private email about the locations when I can go over the book.
Curt & Sergio-ReplyDelete
I have to say I completely saw through Smith's ruse because of the way the book begins and several clues in the dialog exchanges between Alva and Lance. But it didn't diminish her skill as a storyteller nor the multiple layers that develop as you proceed through the maze. The book is truly a tour de force.
I agree, a genuine classic. Smith's masterpiece.ReplyDelete


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Log in
General Scootering
What do you think?
Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:47 pm
Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 1323
Location: MPLS
Derrick wrote:
I'm NOT a fan of Piaggio's later products. (Post 1973) They went down hill fast!.
What my '74 Super isn't good enough for you? or Trish '76 V90? or my '78 P200? Elitist snob!!
That's it, I'm forming the 'That 70's Scooter Club'
-++-you can't spell jackass with out JKSC-++-
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:44 pm
Joined: 05 May 2005
Posts: 130
Location: St. Paul
Ha! God knows I love my '77, but really, the electrical systems on the 70's bikes royally sucked. It works much better not that it's wired like a 60's bike...
And my only beef with the new vespas is the cost. They're nice bikes, and I'm not trying to dis folks who bought one (I'm really tempted by that big GT as a matter of fact!). But my issue is that the original "scooter concept", as I understood it, was reliable, stylish, LOW COST transportation for "the masses": Workers, students, a middle class family's second "car", or a lower class family's only transportation, etc.
The new Vespas are priced at that "expensive toy" range instead of a "people's vehicle" range.
In that light, the Bajaj and Stella are really more in keeping with the philosophy behind the original Vespas than the new Vespas are. And so are Kymkos, Yamahas, etc. Good values, good bikes.
Just my 2¢.
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:48 pm
Joined: 03 May 2005
Posts: 307
Location: MPLS.
NATE- i sincerely appreciate yer insight. I know a lot of times it's sarcastic, but well informed and in good fun. thanks for yer honesty. I think you were almost 'complimentary' in the last paragraph but maybe it was heavily veiled criticism. either way, right on. sorry if i get on yer case.
DERRICK- same thing goes. You quite obviously know yer shit and John Barber says you're o.k. I'm glad you post here and help people understand what we put between our legs all the time. As for me, please keep it coming. Maybe i should've bought a vespa. Maybe I would have been too scared to take it apart if it was a really nice, classic scooter. Either way no regrets. Next i want a Lambretta, but i wouldn't mind a vintage vespa racer either???
DAVE- dude, i just got back from duluth...you think i'm intimidated by winter? I'm from Minnesota for chrissakes!!! 35 degrees and over with relatively dry roads and i'm down. Besides, my bike likes winter that's why it sleeps outside all year.
I try not to offend, only open a dialouge.
p.s.stellaspeedrules!!!!!(he he)
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:53 pm
Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 812
Location: St. Paul MN USA
jsyx wrote:
DAVE- dude, i just got back from duluth...you think i'm intimidated by winter? I'm from Minnesota for chrissakes!!! 35 degrees and over with relatively dry roads and i'm down. Besides, my bike likes winter that's why it sleeps outside all year.
I try not to offend, only open a dialouge.
p.s.stellaspeedrules!!!!!(he he)
That's cool and I am down wit that. Maybe we should get more people hooked on stellaspeed.com..... :-)
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 6:10 pm
Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 771
Morgan is right on.
In the late 60's our wonderful government (the DOT) started requiring goofy things like brake lights that work when the engine is off and in 1974 they started requiring blinkers on 2 wheeled motor vehicles. Not that blinkers are bad but the way the DOT did things was very messed up.
For example: lobbyists from G.E. got the legislators to write a law requiring sealed beam headlights that are adjustable from the front of the vehicle. So we got those crappy sealed beam head lights on our Vespars and Servetas. (Scooterworks and WCLW are making money selling everyone the eurpean conversions kits now) That's also why we had those stupid looking sealed beams on are cars when the europeans got the nicely stylised head lights on their cars. Why did G.E. do it? It ensured they would sell a shit load of sealed beam headlights in the U.S.
How about the super UGLY Ducati tail lights that are on the late 70's Vespars and Servetas? Ya, you guessed it - the DOT. The tail lights of scooters and motorcycles had to be DOT approved. So it cost the manufacturers money for every different tail light they wanted to get approved for sale in the U.S.. Thus, one UGLY tail light on all models! YA!
Blinkers are a good thing but the Italians manufacturers had had enough of this B.S. by 1974. Plus their sales in the U.S. were dropping. So they slapped the electrical system together as cheaply as possible. Most did not work when they were new. I have done many 12 volt conversions on 70's scooters because the systems were SO CRAPPY.
Is wasn't until the P series came out in the late 70's that Vespar had it figured out.
Also, after 1973 Vespar changed all their badging to BLOCK STYLE. Sorry, but it is UGLY. Unless your into UGLY then it's cool.
Finally, I have never be a fan of the "NOUVO" styling on the P series. It is very hard to improve the styling of the 60's models. Unless your into UGLY then it's cool. Even the new Vespars don't come close to the iconic image of the 60's vespar. Not to mention the simplistic beauty of the 60's model designs.
IMO, this is how and why Vespars went down hill.
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Tom Lindsay
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 7:38 am
Joined: 18 Jun 2005
Posts: 704
Location: Longfellow, Minneapolis
Okay, I'm a dad, a computer guy, and a European Historian, so I'm always willing to admit that I'm not cool and that I don't know what the hell is going on. So in that light,
Why are y'all calling them vespars? I'm sure I'm out of the loop here, but unless I've been transplanted to Boston, I'm pretty sure there shouldn't be an "r" in there...
And, perhaps *because* of my first sentence above, I happen to think the P series looks awesome. Sure, not *sexy* in the way the 60s bikes were sexy, but awesome in a cool retro way. Of course I ride a Stella and one never thinks one's own baby is ugly, so maybe that's my bias. And, I grew up thinking the '84 Corvette, the De Lorean, and other angular beasts of the late 1970s and early 1980s were beautiful.
Curves are sexy and timeless; but curves with angles are *futuristic* according to 1970s design, and that gives them great retro appeal.
Just say hello to dmarquis.
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Tom Lindsay
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:00 am
Joined: 18 Jun 2005
Posts: 704
Location: Longfellow, Minneapolis
Oh, and a couple more acronyms for y'all:
S.M.O.K.E. - Standard Motor Oil Kills Emissions
K.A.B.O.O.M. - Keep Around a Bottle Of Oil Man!
Reading the silly acronyms earlier made me think of Naked Gun...
Just say hello to dmarquis.
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:54 am
Joined: 05 May 2005
Posts: 130
Location: St. Paul
it's all a matter of taste. to me, the p series is a bit like the new volks beetle, an updated version of an older design. the new beetles are cute, but to my taste not as cute as the original beetles. again, just my taste. in a way, the p series was a "futurized for the 80's" version of a design that was originally "futuristic" by 1960's (or even 1940's, if you want to go to the beginning) standards.
the 70's non-P series bikes; sprint/rally/super, were "in-between" the classic 60's bikes and the P series design-wise. and IMO, "in-between" in a beauty contest as well.
but P's (and Stellas) are such great "work horse" scooters. in good working order, they're reliable, tough and fast, and since there's so darn many of them, you don't have to be "precious" with them like you would a perfect GS or something. my old girlfriend had a '81 P200 that I rode a lot, I loved that bike, but a '64-'65 GS160 is way, way prettier.
but just IMO! I really like all the old Vespars.
BTW, Derrick, I think, would be the expert here in "Vespar" and "Mr. Vespar" lore, but as far as I know, "vespar" is a just a silly way of saying "vespa" like if you said it with a cartoon cowboy accent. It also is the kind of thing you see in ads for vespas for sale from owners who don't really know what they've got. I started using it because folks were using it on the BBS. It's fun to say.
And for awhile, Derrick was posting here (or i guess at the old BBS) as "Mr. Vespar", wasn't he? You'll have to ask him about that...
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:25 am
Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 1323
Location: MPLS
jsyx wrote:
that is a sweet scoot. If I had a garage, IT would be a done deal (still not convinced that it's not)...
You don't need a garage just park it inside! Check out this video (sorry I couldn't find a direct link)
Go here
hit media
then videos
then select the video for Fox
-++-you can't spell jackass with out JKSC-++-
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:27 am
Joined: 03 May 2005
Posts: 307
Location: MPLS.
this thread is becoming an excellent history lesson.
i just ordered an acorn style tail light to replace the 'o3 stella eyesore...american DOT standard,,blech. At least they started putting a little chrome around the seal the next couple of years. still big and clunky, and ugly...oh well.
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:38 am
Joined: 05 May 2005
Posts: 130
Location: St. Paul
the '03 stella taillite is gorgeous compared to the nasty motorcycle taillites they forced piaggio to put on the 70's and 80's bikes. yuck! i, too, took that sh*t off and put an acorn-style lite on mine the second season had it...
...so much better...
did you order one of the new, cast pot-metal ones? or a plastic repro? I got the plastic repro now, but i used to have a real '64 acorn lite, but that got wrecked... another story... i'd like to get a new metal one, but sheesh are they xpensive!
are you the josh that works with John and Steph?
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Tom Lindsay
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:46 am
Joined: 18 Jun 2005
Posts: 704
Location: Longfellow, Minneapolis
That's a great video clip! Now if only I could get the music in mp3 format...
Just say hello to dmarquis.
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:07 am
Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 771
Sorry jsyx.
The Stella tail light IS the european version. I think it fits the bike very well. The acorn style will look very out of place on a Stella IMHO. You definitly need a vintage bike if you start tryng to make your Stella look like one. I know people will say " Oh, it's HIS scooter and he should do what ever he likes and that's what scooters are all about, making yours unique and custom and stuff. Blah blah."
Thankfully, Reagan ditched the stupid law that required sealed beams and "approved" tail lights. Now we get the good stuff.
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:23 am
Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 511
Sorry but I disagree, the Stella has a mutant style more modern P style, I think. I got a "european" style that is a little different (more sloped,curvy,etc). Not really different but kinda.
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 11:16 am
Joined: 03 May 2005
Posts: 307
Location: MPLS.
exactly!! Egan!!! mutant is the word!! i got friggin old and new. and yes derrick... ITS MINE!!! an amalgamation of ignorance and creativity!!
sorry about the semantic mistake..always learning from you.
Morgan, yes. I believe we met at the rally. I will say hi to them fer you.
oh yeah, and ASC sells metal ones. i got on one of their ebay closeouts. only $26.
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text:
Let $X$ be a connected affine variety over an algebraically closed field $k$, and let $X \subset Y$ be a compactification, by which I mean $Y$ is a proper variety (or projective if you prefer), and $X$ is embedded as an open dense subset.
I am guessing that it is not always the case that $Y\setminus X$ is a divisor, one could imagine it being a single point with a horrible singularity. But if $Y$ is smooth or even normal, is it the case that $Y\setminus X$ is always a divisor? Does anybody know a proof of such a result?
Thanks, Dan


text:
Today, due to the power of social media, customers are even more likely to share their brand experience with others.
Ever since receiving an implantable device in 2007, I've felt this was also true for patients and their devices. Almost three years have passed since I first heard the names Medtronic, Boston Scientific and St. Jude Medical. But as we advance toward a model of health care in which the active role of the patient is emphasized, we all become invariably more engaged in the co-creation of the brands that help keep us alive.
So, I wasn't surprised to come across this clip in which Dave deBronkart (a.k.a. e-Patient Dave) corroborates this very point. When asked which message he would relay to the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, this is what he had to say:
"Increasingly it's not possible to control the message about your brand, about your product, about its benefits, its side effects. And that if you want to steal a march on the competition, and if you want to fortify your company's foundation, what you ought to be doing is building things on the foundation of the future world in which smart patients who talk to each other become a primary source of information."
Here's some more food for thought. In the clip below, Grant McCracken (anthropologist, blogger and author of "Chief Culture Officer") explains the notion of brand co-creation:
"The old contract in marketing said [that] you load up the cannons, you come up with a very simple message, you say it as loudly as you can and as often as you can until the dimmest person in the world understands that, say, a Ford Fiesta stands for excellence in engineering, or something.Watch:
The new contract in marketing says that this is just irritating for everyone. What we want instead is something closer to a conversation, and the buzzword that people are now using is this notion of co-creation that says that if you want a vital, animated brand you want to bring in people like this guy, in the spot we just saw, to help create that brand, to co-create the brand."


text:
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text:
Lars Tunbjörk is accustomed to seeking out the absurd. And on his first assignment covering U.S. politics, the Swedish photographer, best known for capturing the subtle humor in his native country's suburban landscapes, didn't need to look too hard. The frenzy of candidates, crowds and media that accompanied the Republican caucuses earlier this week in Iowa gave Tunbjörk absurdity by the ballotbox-full. This series of revealing and often humorous photos, commissioned to illustrate TIME's political coverage in the magazine and online, is a remarkable snapshot of American democracy in action. Tunbjörk often arrived early to watch campaign workers set up and stayed long after the the spectacle ended to capture them breaking down the stages. "The people of Iowa work hard during the process and take it very seriously," the photographer says.
With a fresh eye, strong flash and unusual compositions, Tunbjörk captured the personality-driven candidacy of Rick Santorum as he prayed before a plate of nachos in Johnston, Iowa, and discovered Mitt Romney's robotic rhetorical repetition on the trail in Clive and West Des Moines. Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann were also photographed, and Tunbjörk shows the full spectrum of the long days both the candidates and Iowans endure, waiting at events and standing out in the cold during the sometimes grueling caucus process. Under the Iowa big-top, the marvels never cease. "Sweden is such a quiet country," Tunbjörk says. "And this process is such a circus."
Lars Tunbjörk is a Stockholm-based photographer and represented by Agence Vu in Paris and by the Gun Gallery in Sweden and Paul Amador Gallery in New York. He is the author of Vinter (Steidl, 2007) and his next book, L.A. Office (MACK) will be out this spring.
Adam Sorensen is an associate editor at TIME. Follow him on Twitter at @adamsorensen.


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The Minnesota Vikings rallied from a 13-point second half deficit – despite the loss of starting quarterback Christian Ponder to injury – and held off the Washington Redskins on a last second goal line stand to earn their first victory on American soil this season.
Robert Griffin III's fourth down pass to Santana Moss from the Minnesota 4-yard line was incomplete as Moss couldn't gain possession in the corner of the endzone before falling out-of-bounds to give the Vikings a 34-27 victory on Thursday night.
The Redskins scored 17 straight points to take a 27-14 lead in the third quarter. Griffin hit Jordan Reed for an 11-yard touchdown and Logan Paulson for a 1-yard score in the final six minutes of the second quarter. Kai Forbath added a 40-yard field goal just six minutes into the second half to extend the lead but Washington wouldn't score again.
Ponder connected with John Carlson for a 28-yard touchdown to pull within a score and led the Vikings back to the Washington 1-yard line before getting injured diving for the endzone. Adrian Peterson capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 28-27 lead. Matt Cassel replaced Ponder at quarterback and led two field goal drives for the Vikings to give Minnesota a seven-point lead with 3:36 left to play.
But the Redskins would get one more shot. Griffin kept the ball on a read-option on 4th and 1 near midfield to keep their drive alive. The Vikings curiously took a pair of timeouts on defense to stop the clock for the Redskins after Griffin hit Roy Helu across the middle for a 6-yard gain and again after a handoff to Helu moved Washington to the Vikings' 4-yard line. Washington had no timeouts remaining of their own.
Minnesota managed to make it work anyway. Griffin's second down pass to Jordan Reed slipped from his grasp in the endzone and ensuing incompletions to Pierre Garcon and Moss dashed the Redskins' hopes for overtime.
The Vikings only victory prior to Thursday night had come in London against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4.


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Young Worker Leadership Academy teaches youth workplace safety and more
Berkeley--The California Partnership for Young Worker Health and Safety
is sponsoring a three-day Young Worker Leadership Academy, Jan.18-20 to train
and educate California youth about workplace health and safety. The workshops
held at the academy encourage participants to play an active role in spreading
the message of workplace safety to young workers in California.
The academy will bring together six teams of youth, ages 14-17, from several regions of California with specific goals to:
The 3-day leadership training begins with introductions and lively interactive
activities between participants to learn about workplace problems and their
rights on the job.
On day two, participants learn ways to solve problems in the workplace by discussing ideas for policy solutions to help protect and educate youth at work and studying the recommendations of former academy alumni and adult experts before developing their own mission statement. Groups will also go -on location- to observe young workers in different work environments and to learn about common job hazards as well as interview young workers on their workplace safety concerns.
Day three involves a mock planning activity with feedback from a panel consisting of participating mentors. The day concludes with team members selecting a project and outlining plans for their follow-up activity during Safe Jobs for Youth Month in May.
The Young Worker Leadership Academy is a collaboration of the University at California Berkeleys Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP), the University of California Los Angeles Labor Occupational Safety and Health (LOSH) Program and the California Center for Civic Participation.
Sponsors include government agencies and private organizations including the Department of Industrial Relations, the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation, Employers Direct Insurance Company and the California Wellness Foundation.
For more information about the Young Worker Leadership Academies, please visit http://www.youngworkers.org.
Editors note: Young Academy participants and subject matter experts are available for interviews.


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Have respect for the humble paper towel tube. That's the word from a reader named Toby, who supplied me with a long and creative list of uses for paper towel tubes.
From school projects to frugal travel assistance, those cardboard tubes are a pipeline of convenience, with money-saving potential. On vacations, cardboard tubes are invaluable, Toby said.
For example, she stuffs dozens of plastic grocery bags (carefully folded) into the cardboard cylinders. Recycled from past grocery store shopping trips, stored plastic bags are useful for carting around wet bathing suits, dirty clothes and even barf bags during family vacations, Toby said. "You have your portable mess kit," Toby said.
Over 20 bags can be neatly stuffed into a single paper towel tube, which saves valuable space in tight-packed suitcases during family trips. During a recent far-flung, three-week vacation through Iceland, Greenland and Scotland, Toby traveled with nonperishable spices, coffee and other odds-and-ends that were stored in ziplock bags and then tucked into cardboard paper towel tubes.
"This way the [non-perishable items] didn't crush and I was able to store so much," Toby said, who saved money by preparing some of her own meals while staying in rented homes in Europe.
And on the domestic front, she also puts cardboard tubes to work. Children's art projects, school certificates and other paper items are tightly rolled, then stored in the empty paper towel tubes.
It's the same concept commonly used by galleries to carry and mail posters.
"You write the child's name and date on it with a Sharpie. That way it's identified and I have all their art work saved," Toby said.
Filled with artwork and school papers, the tubes are neatly tucked into boxes, cabinets and drawers, thereby saving space and creating an organized system. Likewise, Toby also saves empty egg cartons, plastic milk containers and other items that are in hot demand for school projects.
And after her children are well-stocked, she typically donates left-over materials to various teachers. Recycling of common household items is also a hot topic in the frugal community.
For example, Dawn at http://www.frugalforlife.blogspot.com/ advocates these money-saving recycling tips:
- Create funnels from the top half of plastic bottles
- Use empty butter and whipped topping containers to store food.
- Clean windows with old newspapers (no lint or streak).
And Pat Veretto , another writer, put together a fun list of "Silly Things People Do and Buy."
Her list includes:
- Consumers who toss away large, empty bags of dog food or empty grocery store bags, but then spend cash on boxes of new plastic garbage bags.
- Homeowners who throw away hoses with holes, but later purchase "soaker hoses," which are essentially garden hoses with holes.
- People who buy "planters" for seeds instead off using the bottom half of two-liter soda bottles.
*This post originally ran November 29, 2005


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Transfer news: Gareth Bale 'furious' as Tottenham stall over his move to Real Madrid
Gareth Bale is "furious" with Tottenham's handling of his proposed transfer, Sky sources understand.
Last Updated: 27/08/13 11:02pm
The Wales international was expected to meet up with his Spurs team-mates on Tuesday but he did not turn up and is increasingly frustrated with how the club are dealing with the situation.
Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas is, however, understood to have no issue with Bale over his absence from training on Tuesday and is in touch with the winger over the club's training schedule.
Reports emerged over the Bank Holiday weekend suggesting Real Madrid were not the only club to make an approach for him, with Manchester United also linked with the player.
Bale - who was spotted in central London ahead of a meeting with his representatives on Tuesday - now appears to be losing patience as the clock ticks down towards the close of the transfer window on 2 September, with his world record £86m move to Madrid in the balance.
Following the goalless draw with Chelsea on Monday night, David Moyes was asked if United is the club in question and the Scot responded with "no".
However, with Moyes enduring a frustrating summer in the transfer market so far, it would be a surprise if United do not make any further moves before the transfer window closes next week.
Regarding possible interest in Bale, Moyes told Sky Sports: "I said at the start that Manchester United will always be interested in the best players and we'll always be looking to try and improve the team.
"The owners have given me every opportunity to get who I want so we'll continue to look for those players. It's been tough in this window but we're always looking at the best players."


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The association
Gai association and its initiativesGAiInitiatives
- Il GAI per la mobilità artistica
- Mobility of artists
Opportunities and news
Contests and newsContests
Many opportunities for young artists: education and promotion in art and show fields.News
An up to date sight upon the most interesting news about art and creativity.
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Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Private Universe Project in Science
History of A Private Universe
In 1985, Matthew H. Schneps and Philip M. Sadler of the Science Education Department at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics created A Private Universe, a video program for science teachers. The program opens with a segment in which newly minted Harvard graduates, dressed in caps and gowns, discuss their theories for the causes of the seasons. The Harvard grads, intelligent and articulate, speak eloquently about their ideas, which are, for the most part, erroneous. Through interviews with high school students and teachers, and scenes of classroom activities, A Private Universe demonstrates how a student's preconceived ideas and beliefs can pose critical barriers to learning science, whether the learning environment is a public school or a prestigious private college.
Encouraged by the success of the original video, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics continued the work of A Private Universe by creating the Private Universe Project. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Annenberg Media Math and Science Project, and the Smithsonian Institution, the Private Universe Project has produced a series of interactive teleconferences for teachers, an instructional television series, and a public broadcast series, all of which examine current research on how children learn science and the implications of that research for the classroom.
Origin of the Private Universe Project in Science Workshop
The nine sessions of the Private Universe Project in Science are the edited versions of the nine interactive teleconferences broadcast in the fall of 1994. These teleconferences reached thousands of teachers at sites across the United States, in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Costa Rica. The teleconferences were created to accomplish the following:
The remote site participants were asked to fax, telephone, e-mail, and mail in comments; to send examples of their students' work; and to answer specific questions regarding the content of each teleconference. We received thousands of responses, many of which have been incorporated in the written materials as well as in the final version of the broadcast series on science education.NOTE: Because the workshop tapes are edited versions of live, on-air interactive teleconferences that took place in the fall of 1994, it is important to note that the audiobridge (telephone connection to the studio from the sites around the country) no longer exists and feedback is no longer being gathered.
Format of the Workshop
The teleconferences have been adapted for use as professional development workshops, which can be viewed independently or in sequence. Some elements of the live, on-air teleconferences (i.e., studio site discussions and telephone calls from remote sites), have been retained in the workshop tapes when they are relevant to the topic being discussed. All discussions are built around rare and difficult-to-obtain footage of students discussing their ideas and the question of how students assimilate science concepts. Each program is structured as an experiment that investigates how a student's ideas change or do not change in response to a given teaching strategy.
How To Use This Teacher's Guide
The Teacher's Guide is a print supplement to the video programs. Before viewing each video you may want to review the materials included in the Guide. That way, you will be prepared for the discussions and will be familiar with the theme and goals of each workshop. The Guide also includes educational strategies for you to try in your classroom and resources for you to explore.
The sections entitled "Workshop Activity," "Pre-Workshop Activity," and "Workshop Discussion" are meant to promote and stimulate a dialog among the participants. We have found that in some cases, preparation for the workshop is helpful. Thus, we designate a "Pre-Workshop Activity" that should be completed prior to the intended workshop session.
© President and Fellows of Harvard College
© Annenberg Foundation 2017. All rights reserved. Legal Policy


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francescajoy necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 43 diseños de 15 diseñadores freelance.
I am a woman setting up a parent and toddler group called phonictots. The aim of the group is to teach phonics to children in a fun way alongside their parents. The classes will last approximately 45minutes and will take place once per week. Each week a different letter will be covered. During the class there will be different organised activities such as arts and crafts, music, story telling etc.... The resources will be based on the Letterland characters (http://www.letterland.co.uk) The aim is to teach the letter sounds but to have fun.
3-4 year olds and their parents/carers.
I am looking for a logo which is in the style of a school crest. I have seen one on i stock (number 5617873). It does not have to be this one but this is the strong simple style i am looking for.
Phonic Tots is the name of the group so this would need to be somewhere on the logo.
I would like it to be bold and fun. I would like to use the colours similar to the ones used on the Microsoft flag (ie blue, yellow, green and orange) The main web site is mostly orange so would like it to blend in well.
The groups will be based on two classes depending on ability levels of the children. There will be a caterpillar class and a butterfly class. It would be great if one or both of these could be incorporated into the logo somehow?
The logo will definately need to be available as scaleable vector artwork. I would like to use the logo for stationary, letterheads and business cards etc...and be provided with a format which includes the stationary design.
I would like the logo to have the registered trade mark on it.
Also i would like it to have 'Learning Through Play' underneath or on the scroll under the crest. Whichever looks better.
I intend on using the logo for t-shirts,hats etc....so would very much like it to look like a uniform and therefore the emphasis of it looking like a school crest is very important to me.
Good Luck!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Acolytes of Apple, already enjoying an anticipatory tizzy as they await a big product unveiling next week, got some more fodder for frenzy yesterday from Ian Sherr, Eva Dou and Lorraine Luck of The Wall Street Journal. Sources told the Journal team that Apple is now experimenting with larger screen sizes – some as large as six inches. And if those tests yield a bigger phone, it'll be good news for older Apple fans whose weakening eyesight can make working with the current, 4-inch iPhones a bit of a chore.
Apple wouldn't officially comment on the story, and the Journal report says that any big-screen "phablet" iPhone wouldn't reach the market any time very soon. But technology analysts believe that Apple's lack of a larger-screen phone option has led it to lose some smartphone market share to archrival Samsung. (MarketWatch's Dan Gallagher reported recently on the technological hurdles that have made it tricky for Apple to catch up in the large-display competition.)
Whatever your age, of course, chances are that the "phone" element of your smartphone pales in importance to the access it gives you to the internet, email and social media. One notable survey, featured last year on the website of the U.K.'s Telegraph newspaper, found that phone calls account for less than 10% of the average person's daily smartphone use. That raises an interesting device question – if those numbers reflect your reality, why not use a cheap mobile phone for voice and a big, comfy tablet for everything else? – but we'll leave that discussion for another time.


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Lowara e.HMN 3HM21N22T5RQBE 2.2 kW Horizontal Multistage Pump (3 Phase)
Lowara e.HMN 3HM21N22T5RQBE 2.2 kW Horizontal Multistage Pump (3 Phase)
The e-HM™ is a non-self-priming, end-suction horizontal multistage, high pressure centrifugal pump, with axial threaded inlet and radial threaded outlet. The pumps are close-coupled design and are equipped with non-standard Lowara motors. The e-HM™ is equipped with mechanical seal.
The e-HM™ are highly modular pumps that are fitted with an innovative hydraulic design that secures high efficiency performances and an increased Mean Time Between Failure.
The e-HM™ is available in two different configurations: - "Compact" design for sizes 1HM, 3HM and 5HM up to maximum 6 stages - "Sleeve" design for sizes 1HM, 3HM and 5HM starting 7 stages and above; any models of 10HM, 15HM and 22HM.
The "Compact" design is made of one single piece fabricated stainless steel pump body directly connected to the motor flange. The "Compact" has only one O-ring for the sealing of the casing that clearly reduces the leakages possibilities.
The "Sleeve" design is made of an external stainless steel TIG welded sleeve and of separate suction casing kept together with the mean of an aluminum casted pump bracket and of stainless steel tie rods screwed in the motor flange.
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Delivery Information
Free delivery relates to MOST products on the Website over the value of £100.00 (excluding VAT).
*Unless otherwise stated on individual items*
Products purchased under £100.00 will incur a £6.95 delivery charge.
Standard Delivery Orders over £100.00 (3-5 working days)* - Free shipping for in stock items to mainland UK*.
Next day shipping is only available for stock items which are ordered before 14:00 at a charge of £12.50*. Any orders that are placed after this time will be processed the following day.
Specified delivery times are based on orders placed before 2pm Monday to Friday (excludes Weekends and Bank Holidays) - for more details please see "UK Shipping Charges" below.
Weekend or orders placed on a Bank holiday will be dispatched on the next working day.
*Excludes UK Islands, Republic of Ireland and Scottish Highlands.
During Christmas and New Year our warehouse will be closed. Orders over this period will be dispatched on the first working day after New Year.
Delivery times are subject to change if the item is out of stock with our supplier. There are products on our Website that are not stocked at our warehouse, nor with our manufacturer's UK warehouses, therefore lead times can vary. This is why we recommend you contact us prior to purchasing to check current stock levels and lead times.
If you are not available to take a delivery on the specified date, you must let us know immediately. If we attempt to deliver your order and no-one is in, a re-delivery charge may be incurred.
As we use 3rd party delivery agents, Complete Pump Supplies are unable to guarantee that all deliveries will be the next working day. Complete Pump Supplies will not be liable for any loss of income, loss of profits, loss of markets, loss of reputation, loss of customers, loss of use, loss of an opportunity even if we had knowledge that such damages or loss might arise or for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages or loss howsoever arising.


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Former Glenwood police officer and 2013 Glenwood mayoral candidate Douglas Trent Good has been identified as the man who sustained an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg while waiting in a vehicle for a child in the lower playground parking lot of West Elementary School Friday afternoon. Good was transported from the scene to a metro area hospital by Glenwood Rescue. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening. Good is a certified firearms instructor, providing gun handling instruction to individuals seeking a permit to carry.
The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. after students had been released from classes.
Preliminary reports from law enforcement officers on the scene indicate Good drove his vehicle onto the playground to pick up a child from school. He allegedly shot himself in the leg with a 9mm handgun that was inside the vehicle.
No one else was injured in the incident. A child appearing to be 2 or 3 years old was removed from a child safety seat in the back seat of the vehicle by Glenwood police officers.
A handful of children and parents making after-school pickups were on the playground when the shooting took place.
The Glenwood Police Department and Mills County Attorney's Office are continuing an investigation into the incident.
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California Nails & Day Spa MenuShare
- Gel Manicure
A regular manicure with extremely lasting polish called gel polish. The resulting manicure is durable, lasting anywhere from two to three weeks without a chip.
- Acrylic Nails
A method of nail enhancement to strengthen and lengthen the nails using coats of acrylic resin. Your nails have never looked better!
- Gel Nails
A new option to enhance your nails! Gel Nails instantly strengthens and leaves beautiful results. This is a brush on substance that is thinner than acrylic and looks very natural. The great thing is... it's odorless!
- Spa Manicure
The ultimate manicure! Starts with exfoliation that leaves your hands smooth and soft, followed by a wonderful hand mask, and lastly a relaxing hand and arm massage. 1 hour 15 min.
- Spa Pedicure
Your feet are soaked in a soothing foot bath, then exfoliated to remove dead skin cells, followed by foot and leg aromatherapy message and a refreshing splash. It will surely leave your feet looking pretty and brand new. 1 hour.
- Deluxe Foot Spa
One of our most requested services, this treatment is the ultimate pampering for your feet! 45 minutes of exfoliation with fruit grains, removal of corns/calluses,massaging the legs and feet.
- Paraffin Treatments
These calming treatments will leave your hands and feet feeling baby-soft. A complete manicure/pedicure treatment which starts with exfoliation, then hands/feet are dipped in warm, moisturizing wax wrapped in mittens/booties. Special oils are massaged into the skin until they smooth, silky and rejuvenated. 1 hour 30 min.
- Nail Art/Designs
Delicately hand painted nail art on 1 or 10 of your nails. It's a fun way to express yourself. Using waterbase acrylic paint, it's safe even for kids!
- Aromatherapy Facial
A must for stressed-out or "just want to be pampered" skin. We use 100% pure essential oils blended into the facial massage and mask. Very relaxing. 1 hour
- California Facial
A detoxifying treatment which removes congestion and dead cell build up. Patterned after the classic European facial, this includes deep pore cleansing, a luxurious massage, steaming, mask, toning and hydrating. 1 hour 15 min.
- Express Facial
This is ideal for someone on the run. Basic 5 steps: cleanse, exfoliate, steam, extract and moisturize. 30 min.
- California Facial
A specialized treatment to unclog blocked pores on the back. Detoxifies,scrubs and relieves sore and aching back. 30 min.
- Body Scrub
We use fruity grains to gently scrub off dead skin cells and buildup from lotions. A finale of light massage using scented lotions will leave the skin with a new glow. 1 hour 30 min.
- Body Waxing
A thin layer melted wax is gently applied onto desired area quickly removed with a cloth strip. After a series of treatmenta, hair will grow back slower, finer and softer. We aim to give pain-less waxing by working at your pace.
Full Legs
Half Legs
Upper Lip
- Aromatherapy Massage
A soothing body massage for detoxifying and total relaxation. Using pure imported essential oils, this therapy can strengthen the immune system. Soft music and scented oil burner completes your experience. 1 hour 20 min.
- Fusion Massage
A delightful blend of massage therapies from different parts of the globe. Taking the best of Tui-na (China), Shiatsu (Japan), Classic Swedish Massage, and adding reflexology with acupressure and stretching. This is certainly a treat to rejuvenate your whole body. 1 hour 20 min.
- 1/2 Hour Massage
Ideal for "spot treatments" to relieve troubled and tight achy areas. 30 min.
- Foot & Leg Massage
Using combination Chinese and Swedish Massage, this is a perfect partner with your manicure. 20 min.
- Filipino Hilot
A fresh take on the traditional "hilot" using Dagdagay sticks from our very own Ifugao tribe. Pressure is applied with remarkable precision on different points of the feet. This is followed by nothing less than sigh-enducing Swedish strokes. Derive pleasure from the pressure 1 hour 20 min.
- Mini Manicure
A fun way to groom little fingers! We put on base coat before the polish to protect the nails. 30 min.
- Cupcake Pedicure
Along with this service, a small cupcake is given for the child to enjoy. This is to keep her still and occupied while her toenails are being done. 30 min.
- Milky Way Facial
Milk is one of the safest ingredients to use on young skin. It can even be used for bathing! The natural element gives nourishment as well as brightens the skin. 45 min.
- Diva Massage
Even children need to relax and have quiet time. After the massage they will feel completely rested and rejuvenated! 45 min.
- Glam Girl Nail Art
Water-based acrylic paint used for nail art is safe for children. 30 min.
Other Services
- Sassy Spa Pedicure
- Princess Deluxe Foot Spa
- Just a Polish (polish change)
- Glam Girl Nail Art Design
More Slam Stuff
- Cupcake pedicure cleaning
30 min
- 330
- Sassy spa pedicure
45 min
- 275
- Princess Deluxe foot spa
30 min
- 75
Slam Girl Nail Care
- Mini Manicure
a fun way to groom liuttle fingers! We put on a base coat before the polish to protect the nails. Water-based acrylic paint for nail art is safe for children. 45 min.
- 130
- Cupcake Pedicure
Along with this service a small cupcake is given for the child to enjoy. This is to keep her still and occupied while her toenails are being done. 45 min.
- 140
- Milky Way Facial
Milk is one of the safest ingredients to use on young skin. It can even be used for baths! The natural element gives nourishment as well as brightens the skin. 45 min.
- 350
- Diva Massage
Even children need ot relax and have quiet time. After the massage they will feel completely rested and rejuvenated! 45 min.
- 350


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Where Your Hetch Hetchy Power Comes From
Generating Clean Energy for Vital Services
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission generates clean, renewable hydroelectric, solar and biogas electricity for all of San Francisco's municipal facilities, services and customers, which include:
• SFO • MUNI • hospitals • schools • police stations • fire stations • City tenants • Treasure Island • and, residents and businesses in the redeveloped Hunters Point Shipyard.
Power Content Label
View our 2014 Power Content Label to understand what type of energy we generate and where it comes from.
Power Content Label Archive:
2013, 2012, 2011


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When I came across Winnie Gundeck's artsy-modern jewelry line, Winifred Grace at an editor appointment last week, I fell for it hard. Inside scoop on Winnie and her gorgeous baubles, after the jump.
__STF: What's your hometown?
Winnie:__ I was born in Washington, DC. I've lived in Miami and Atlanta. Currently, I live in Chicago with my husband Benjamin and our dog Guffman.
__STF: How did your line come about?
Winnie:__ As a child, I made hair accessories of feathers, beads, paint and silk flowers that I sold to a local boutique. I was enchanted by the idea of designing and creating things. I spent years pursuing a different career, ended up in graphic design, and then channeled my inner child to start Winifred Grace. My dream came true!
__STF: What are the inspirations for your current collection?
Winnie:__ When I first started, I made mostly one-of-a-kind pieces. My latest collection is going back to my roots—the raw brass and oxidized sterling silver have a vintage feel, each piece rich with history. Organic cuts of glistening Swarovski crystals create an unexpected contrast to muted metals, a modern twist on vintage. There's also an East Indian influence, creating a boho chic vibe.
STF: If I weren't a jewelry designer, I'd be________ (fill in the blank).
Winnie: __An interior designer. It's an addiction.
__STF: What's your #1 tip for our readers on wearing jewelry?
Winnie:__ Mix heirloom pieces with contemporary ones to add richness and depth to your style.
__STF: Do you collect anything? If so, what?
Winnie:__I've been collecting fortunes from fortune cookies for over ten years!
__STF: What's your favorite vacation spot and why?
Winnie:__ Naples, Florida. My parents have had a place right on the beach for 20 years. As soon as I get off the plane, I feel 10 pounds lighter and 10 years younger. No place relaxes me quite as much, and the lush vegetation and the rustling palm fronds serve as endless inspiration.
__STF: What's the one accessory you can't live without?
Winnie:__ Flip-flops.
STF: If I had to compete in Miss America, my talent would be______ (fill in the blank).
Winnie:__ Breakdancing.
STF: I can't believe I ever wore_______ (fill in the blank).
Winnie:__ My brother's best friend's old wrestling booties. I loved how they looked —very Lisa Bonet—but in hindsight it was a Don't.
__STF: What's the best recent movie you're into?
Winnie:__My husband is a filmmaker, and I can honestly say his most recent creation is my current obsession. He just completed a four-year-long documentary project about Guinness World Record breakers. It's genius! Hopefully you will see it in theaters soon.
__STF: You prefer Pepsi or Coke?
Winnie:__ Coke. I am an Atlanta girl after all. In fact, I mix Coke and Diet Coke to make a drink I like to call the Gary Busey!
Thanks, Winnie! __
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You are here
Free Trade Agreements: What You Should Know for Your Small Business Exports
Free Trade Agreements: What You Should Know for Your Small Business Exports
Interested in exporting your small business's goods or services outside the United States? Have you heard of free-trade agreements? Here's what you should know about how they can benefit you in the exporting process.
What is a free-trade agreement?
A free-trade agreement, or FTA, is an agreement between two or more countries where the countries agree to take steps to make trade between the countries' businesses easier and faster. FTAs reduce trade tariffs and non-tariff barriers, such as import quotas, and also cover protections for investors and intellectual property rights.
For the United States, the main goals of trade agreements are to:
- Reduce barriers to U.S. exports
- Protect U.S. interests competing abroad
- Enhance the rule of law in the FTA partner country or countries
Ultimately, it's easier and cheaper for U.S. companies to export to these trading partner markets, because FTAs help create a more stable and transparent trading and investment environment, which reduces risks for you as a small-business exporter.
With which countries does the U.S. have an FTA?
As of January 1, 2014, the United States has 14 FTAs in force with 20 countries:
- Australia
- Bahrain
- Chile
- Colombia
- DR-CAFTA: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, & Nicaragua
- Israel
- Jordan
- Korea
- Morocco
- NAFTA: Canada & Mexico
- Oman
- Panama
- Peru
- Singapore
Other benefits of FTAs
Some other kinds of benefits often found in FTAs are:
- The ability for a U.S. company to bid on certain government contracting opportunities in the FTA partner country
- The ability for a U.S. investor to get prompt, adequate and effective compensation if its investment in the FTA partner country is taken away by the government
- The ability for U.S. service suppliers to supply their services in the FTA partner country
- Protection and enforcement of American-owned intellectual property rights in the FTA partner country
- The ability for U.S. exporters to participate in the development of product standards in the FTA partner country
Learn more at Export.gov and find out what else you should know about exporting by exploring the resources below!
Related Resources
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Katie Murray
Contributor and Moderator


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I pack myself a bento on the days when I'm taking the kids into town and staying at university (where I am no longer a student, but I just can't be bothered driving home when I know I'll need to drive back in a few hours). I just hang out in the student lounge at the Catholic chaplaincy, and find if I have a bento lunch I usually have to eat it before eleven because I just can, and it's so delicous, sitting there tempting me with it's smiley Kitty face. Then I'm hungry by 3, because I ate too soon.
I'm guessing this problem will resolve when I have a job and can't eat whenever I feel like. Should I put less yummy food in my bento? Or make two?
My Japanese/bento blog:
I usually start feeling hungry at about 11.45. That's when I go for my walk, which makes me postpone lunch for another hour or so. And if I had already eaten it before I went, I'd want to buy a pie, or a bread roll or something because the smell in the supermarket would make me hungry again. My scheme works well for me, don't know if it would for you. Also, I'm trying to lose a bit of weight, so I have motivation to postpone eating.
My blog is Food and Shoes
I usually eat pretty early. I eat breakfast around 6:30 am, so I pack small preportioned snacks to have with my morning coffee/tea once I am at the office. This usually helps to keep me from getting too hungry until sometime around 11:30, but I try to hold off on having my lunch until 12 or later. And when I get hungry I distract myself much like bronwyncarlisle, I drink some water and try to find something to read or do at work so I kind of forget that I am hungry already.
I take my bento to uni, so there is no time until the breaks between the first and the second lessons of the day. And that's usually shortly before 12 and until I have found a nice place to eat my bento it is almost 12 and time to eat. And if I get hungry before it is time to eat, I drink something or try to concentrate on what is going on in front of me
Our school lunch time starts quite late (1:30), so if I have a free I eat lunch during lesson 4. I usually have the smaller compartment for break. I have a small apatite but I have a tendency to get lowish blood sugar if I go more than 2 to 3 hours without eating.
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At the end of the season with the detroit pistons and im at the point to resign players, and some how with 5 players contracts expiring I can only spend 8.38 million. For a test I dumped 3 players with very high contract leaving me with 27 million spent total on players with a 70 million cap limit, but still I am limited to signing a player with only 8.38 mil. I can not build a team off of this. I have restarted the dynasty pleanty of times and I just can't work this out. Can someone please help.
I was able to resign players no problem in 2K because they actually had the hard cap. I made the switch to live because I really wanted to give it a chance, but this is just rediculous.


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Unified Workspaces That Go Beyond VDI: Built on Cisco Unified Data Center
Today we introduced release 2.6 of the Cisco VXI Smart Solution, offering enhanced performance user experience and faster ROI, with unified workspaces that go beyond VDI. VXI 2.6 offers new capabilities and enhancements to the underlying platform, spanning Cisco Unified Data Center, Borderless Network, and Collaboration pillars. I invite you to check out posts from Phil Sherburne and Brian Dal Bello to learn more. For now, let me turn your attention to the data center pillar, specifically the advancements that are part of this release, and as amply illustrated in the Cisco Validated Design for VXI.
Reducing the TCO of virtual desktops
With VXI 2.6 we focused significant attention on improving performance, and driving down the cost of deploying end-to-end desktop virtualization through a combination of data center enhancements that are now part of the Cisco Validated Design (CVD) for VXI 2.6. These include:
- The Cisco UCS B200 M3 server blade, based on the Intel Romley- platform delivers continued leadership in virtual desktop density. We recently commissioned a study with Principled Technologies to evaluate B200 M3 performance with virtual desktop workloads – check the results we published for VMware and Citrix based platforms. We've also added the UCS VIC 1240 (mezzanine LOM) to the CVD, offering up to 80 Gbps aggregate bandwidth per Blade Server. Bandwidth management capabilities of the VIC 1240 and its effect on delivering QoS in a mixed workload scenario of virtual desktops and other workload types is covered in detail here. The CVD also includes the Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect, 6296UP, that provides up to 2 Tbps throughput, thereby offering enhanced workload scalability and overall performance
- Support for published shared desktops with XenApp 6.5, including Jabber for Windows. With this feature, we deliver much greater scalability while also extending our industry-leading Jabber solution support to this popular application delivery approach, resulting in a more scalable, cost-effective, superior collaboration user-experience
- Optimizing storage costs is also a key focus area for the release, and VXI2.6 introduces support for a number of capabilities that help reduce storage costs. With VMware vSphere 5, we have Content Based Read Caching (CBRC) addressing performance bottlenecks associated with the high read IOPS found during O/S boot and AV scans. CBRC offers host RAM-based caching to reduce read IOPS to back-end shared storage, improving scalability and overall storage performance and end-user experience.
- With B200 M 3 servers, we support "Tier-0" Solid State Disk (SSD) which enables the storage of Desktop images internally on the server while user data and personalization can be stored on back end shared storage, allowing for better overall performance and reduced dependency and costs associated with back-end shared disks We have also included validated testing of the WhipTail Flash silicon storage array (SSA) offering up to 12TB of flash with 250k IOPS in a 2U array.
Want to learn more about VXI Release 2.6? Check out the following:
And visit our website at www.cisco.com/go/vxi
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.
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On the Record: 10.21.10 EditionPosted by nvr1983 on October 21st, 2010
In addition to our ongoing RTC Interview series there are plenty of other interviews going on across the country and as a way to get you ready for the season and into the minds of the coaches and players we will be bringing you a few of those interviews each week. If you know of any interviews that should be included in the next installment, please send them to email@example.com.
- ACC Media Day Chat – ESPN with an interesting idea of having various coaches and players from the ACC stop by and answer user-submitted questions.
- Q & A with Vernon Macklin – A personal look at the Florida senior center where he talks about stealing Erving Walker's car and scooter and also mentions playing on a four-on-four team with Chandler Parson, Nolan Smith, and Shelvin Mack that went undefeated at a LeBron James camp this summer.
- One-On-Two with Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith – A banal interview with fairly boring answers from the two Duke co-captains. The only somewhat interesting thing is when Singler is asked about his favorite artists and he lists David Garibaldi and Salvador Dali (an artist, but probably not the type that the interviewer expected) as well as Tupac (not the answer that anybody expected from Singler). We also might raise an issue with Smith who lists Jennifer Hudson as his favorite singer "especially when she sang 'One Shining Moment'" unless he is referring to the fact that his team was celebrating when it was being played.
- David Glenn Chats With Chris Collins – Has a link to a radio interview of the Duke assistant coach where he talks about the whirlwind off-season including the World Championships in Turkey, Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry, and Coach K's legacy.
- Pullen his weight at K-State – Jeff Goodman talks to Jacob Pullen, the Kansas State star, about the upcoming season. A solid interview and since we are friends with Jeff we'll assume that it was his editor that came up with the title.
- Selby speaks out – Goodman stops by Kansas where he talks to Josh Selby about being stuck in NCAA eligibility limbo. Read the rest of this entry »


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The bottom line for online threats like phishing, spyware, and hackers is identity theft. ID theft occurs when someone uses your name, Social Security number, credit card number or other personal information without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. That's why it's important for your users to protect their personal information. To find out how to deter and detect identity theft, visit ftc.gov/idtheft.
If personal information is accidentally disclosed or deliberately stolen, taking certain steps quickly can minimize the potential for the theft of identity. OnGuard Online has provided the following tips you can share with your users to help them limit the damage done when personal data has been exposed.
Top FREE Android Productivity Applications A list of 15 of the hottest free Android productivity applications.
10 Steps to an Ergonomic Workstation Steps you can take to improve the ergonomics of your workstation.
Top 10 Well-Compensated Execs of '09 Take a look at technology's top 10 highest-paid executives in 2009.
Related Topics : Symantec, Spyware, Supercomputing, HIPAA, Privacy
One of the best ways to keep corporate identities safe is to practice proper password management. From an IT perspective, this entails determining the types of passwords that are acceptable and where they are housed on the company's systems. ... More >>
A number of new capabilities available in IAM solutions greatly increase security, while improving employees' productivity. ... More >>
The identity and access management (IAM) market is experiencing a renaissance with the emergence of new options for how and where to deploy IAM technology, both on-premises and as a service. ... More >>


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WALTHAM, Mass. — Recent Brandeis University graduate Becca Fischer of San Antonio, Texas, and senior Yael Einhorn of Cherry Hill, N.J., will be representing the United States in volleyball at the upcoming 19th Maccabiah Games in Israel from July 18 to 30.
Fischer, a middle blocker, and Einhorn, a setter, helped the Judges to a 21-14 record this past season, reaching the finals of the ECAC Division III New England tournament. The two tied for the team lead in hitting percentage (.233), with Einhorn also leading the squad in assists (9.09 assists per set, fifth best in the University Athletic Association), while Fischer was second in blocks (71) and fourth in kills (190). Over the past three seasons as teammates, Fischer and Einhorn have led Brandeis to 45 victories and one postseason berth.
Fischer graduated fourth on Brandeis's career list with 310 blocks and with 216 block assists. She is seventh with 94 solo blocks and 14th with a .205 career hitting percentage. Einhorn will enter her senior season fifth in career assists with 2,180, putting her within range of Brandeis's top three in that category. She is also 20th with 106 career service aces.
Also on the team is Jenna Polinsky '06, a middle hitter/opposite from 2002 to 2005. Polinsky ranks among the Judges' top 10 in service aces (5th, 205), digs (6th, 1,133), kills (9th, 908) and blocks (9th, 238). She currently resides in New York City.
The Maccabiah is the world's largest Jewish athletic competition in the tradition and values of Maccabi, emphasizing the centrality of the State of Israel in the life of the Jewish people. The Maccabiah, which takes place every four years in Israel, are often called "the Jewish Olympics". The 2013 Maccabiah will be the largest in history, with over 9,000 athletes representing 71 countries.
For more information on the 2013 Maccabiah Games, visit their web site at http://www.maccabiah.com
Fischer is a 2009 graduate of Thomas C. Clark High School. She is the daughter of Jerome and Suzanne Fischer, San Antonio, Texas.
Einhorn is a 2010 graduate of Cherry Hill High School East. She is the daughter of Martin and Michal Einhorn, Mount Laurel, N.J.


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CPJ Update
November 2007
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists
Five to be honored at 2007 Press Freedom Awards dinner
The Committee to Protect Journalists will honor courageous journalists from Russia, Pakistan, China, and Mexico with 2007 International Press Freedom Awards on November 20. Each has put life and liberty on the line to report on stories of global significance. Dmitry Muratov of Russia, Mazhar Abbas of Pakistan, Adela Navarro Bello of Mexico, and Gao Qinrong of China have reported the news despite death threats, harassment, and imprisonment. Tom Brokaw, former anchor of the NBC Nightly News, award-winning reporter, and best-selling author, will receive CPJ's Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for lifetime achievement. Brokaw has been a member of CPJ's Board of Directors since 1993.
The awards will be presented at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. David Schlesinger, editor-in-chief of Reuters, will be chairman of the black-tie dinner. NBC News anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams will host. To purchase tickets, please contact CPJ's development department at (212) 465-1004 ext. 122.
Dangerous Assignments examines Road to Justice
CPJ urges Colombia's Uribe to retract comments
CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon wrote an open letter to the president on October 11, calling on Uribe to retract his comments publicly, to refrain from engaging in similar attacks in the future, and to ensure that Colombian authorities swiftly investigate the threats against Guillén. "The fact that a well-known journalist was forced to leave the country after Uribe's accusations seriously damages freedom of expression in Colombia," said Simon.
CPJ speaks out on China's press failures
In a resolution adopted October 17, CPJ's Board of Directors said China has failed to live up to its commitment to allow journalists to work freely, a promise its leaders made in their bid to host the Games. The board called on Beijing to release the 29 journalists now in prison for their work. The CPJ board also urged the International Olympic Committee and members of the media to put pressure on the Chinese government to fully meet the pledges it made and allow Chinese journalists the same freedoms that will be afforded to foreign reporters covering the games.
On October 15, Asia Program Coordinator Bob Dietz detailed China's failures in an address to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In his speech, Dietz called on the Chinese government to release the imprisoned journalists and to begin dismantling the country's vast censorship system.
Death toll rises for Iraqi journalists
In explaining the goals of CPJ he says, "I think as much as anything is that we want to make people aware of the importance of a free press, unfettered by government repression. And we want to make people aware that in so much of the world, even in emerging democracies, some of the old practices are still in place." The full interview is available online at MSNBC.com.
CNN pledges additional funding
Coming up
Photography exhibit: CPJ will co-sponsor an exhibition of Iraq war photographs by Molly Bingham at the R Street Gallery in Washington, D.C. The exhibition, which opens with a reception on November 7 and runs until November 24, will be presented along with a Bingham & Connors documentary film "Meeting Resistance." For information, please visit the R Street Gallery Web site.


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The Amazing Rabbis singing Sound of Silence
wait but why about North Korea
I can only imagine that this website is getting a huge amount of traffic. The writer, Tim Urban, creates highly intelligent and laugh-out-loud funny articles on an array of topics. I read an amazing one by him about why my generation is unhappy (I totally got the story he told) and most recently I read a fascinating inside look at the world's black hole—North Korea. I highly recommend giving this piece the time it necessitates considering all the photos, videos and links.
Read the piece to learn why this video is unbelievably disturbing.
And while you're on the site, don't forget to check out the hysterical About page.
The guy leaving a voice mail message about a car accident
Just press play and weep from laughter.
Random people conducting an orchestra
I must say this video seems to confirm all of our suspicion, that orchestras really do not need a conducter all the time.
Improve Everywhere had a small orchestra sit on a sidewalk in New York city and put up a conductor's stand that anyone was invited to come up and use. Sweetness ensued.
Glass gem corn
You won't believe that this is real corn but it is. There are people who are expert glass gem corn growers. It's breathtaking.
Colour footage from the Jewish quarter in Warsaw
I've come to believe that one of the things that inhibits us from getting the Holocaust, or many other events in history, is the lack of colour in the photos of that time.
Here is a short movie with footage of Jews in Warsaw. It's lovely and terribly sad all at once.
National Jew-Graphic Original Film
Such a cute video about Israeli religious and secular.
Kids performing a song with cup for percussion
Click to watch it on Facebook. It's amazing!


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Fortnite daily rewards
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Daily Login Reward for Day Number 213
To get the reward(s) Pure Drop of Rain (15) you will need to login to Fortnite on day 213.
Day: 213
Reward: Pure Drop of Rain (15)
Start DiscussionAbout FortniteFortnite NewsFortnite DiscussionsFortnite FeaturedMissions Tips Book Rewards Daily Rewards Weapon Tiers Ranged Weapons Melee Weapons Traps
Fortnite Details
Date Added
May 31, 2018
Fortnite is a co-op sandbox survival game developed by Epic Games and People Can Fly, published by Epic Games.
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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – UC Santa Barbara senior utilityman Joey Epperson has been named to the 30-man Golden Spikes Award Watch List, it was announced by USA Baseball on Thursday afternoon.
The Golden Spikes Award is given out annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. Almost a month ago, Epperson was named to the 50-man Midseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List, becoming the first Gaucho ever to be nominated for the award.
Past Golden Spikes Award winners include accomplished Major League Baseball stars David Price, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum, Jered Weaver, Pat Burrell, Robin Ventura, Will Clark, and Terry Francona.
He is the one of only four Big West players – and the only hitter – to make the cut on this list. Cal State Fullerton's Thomas Eshelman, Cal Poly's Matt Imhof, and UC Irvine's Andrew Morales were the others.
Heading into UCSB's final home series of the year, Epperson sports the top on-base percentage in the Big West at .487 while also maintaining top-five conference marks in batting average (.384, second), hits (61, second), runs (35, second), hit by pitches (11, fourth), and slugging percentage (.509, fourth).
Semifinalists for the award will be announced on May 27, at which points fans can cast their vote for their favorite player. The winner of the Golden Spikes Award will be announced on July 17.
For more information on this weekend's showdown with Cal State Northridge, click here.
With Gaucho baseball and softball both hosting their final home series of the year this weekend, UCSB is proud to announce Walk Off Weekend. Giveaways, ticket specials, merchandise offers, and discounted food and beverage will all be in store over the weekend as the Gauchos wrap up another campaign. Tickets to all UCSB games can be purchased online here.


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Editor's note: Julian E. Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter," published by Times Books, and editor of a book assessing former President George W. Bush's administration, published by Princeton University Press.
Princeton, New Jersey (CNN) -- Suddenly no one is talking about Congress as the "broken branch" of government any more.
Conservatives are complaining that the 111th Congress did too much, while liberals are boasting about all that was accomplished.
Within the span of a month, the media discussion shifted from the chronic complaints about partisan gridlock to, lo and behold, claims that this was the most productive Congress since the mid-1960s. Everything seems just fine on Capitol Hill.
The recent legislative success will create problems for Senate Democrats when they push for filibuster reform as soon as Congress reconvenes this week. The details of the upcoming reform package are still unknown. Based on most reports, the reforms are rather mild in that they don't attempt to lower the number of senators required to end a filibuster (currently 60).
Senate Democrats consider changes to filibuster rules
Rather, the reforms are expected to focus on increasing the cost of launching a filibuster. Senators would actually have to stand on the floor, Mr. Smith style, and the Senate would be unable to work on other business while a filibuster is taking place. The reforms will probably attempt to end secretive practices such as the "hold," which enables senators to anonymously block legislation from being debated.
Other reforms being discussed include narrowing the scope of votes that can be filibustered and reducing the length of debate after senators have successfully voted for cloture.
Some opponents of reform will certainly ask, given the recent coverage of the historic 111th Congress, whether procedural changes are really needed. Shouldn't senators just leave things alone?
The answer is no. The past three decades of congressional history have been marked by a filibuster frenzy. The most striking characteristic of the modern Senate is that members now assume that 60 votes are required to pass almost any legislation.
Despite all the criticism that has been made about the Senate in previous periods, simple majorities were sufficient to pass most legislation for much of the institution's history. Filibusters have taken place since 1841, but they had been used only rarely before the 1970s.
Whereas senators once reserved filibusters for big issues such as civil rights, now they are willing to filibuster, or threaten to filibuster, everything that comes their way. In short, the filibuster has become a normalized tool of partisan conflict.
Political scientist Eric Schickler found that there was an explosion of obstructionism that occurred in the 1970s and 1980s as senators used filibusters as well as holds.
According to senate.gov, history was made during the 111th Congress when Majority Leader Harry Reid attempted to break more filibusters than in any other recorded year (136, compared with 68 in the 109th Congress or 82 in the 104th). These figures don't capture the full scope of obstruction, as they only record those instances where the Senate majority actually tried to stop the debate.
Many routine decisions were delayed and obstructed because the minority could rely on the filibuster and were willing to use the procedure with high frequency.
Legislation such as the food safety bill, the 9/11 responders bill and the extension of unemployment benefits during a struggling economy historically would not been the kind of proposals to be obstructed. But in this day and age, Republicans were able to extract a huge concession in exchange for unemployment benefits -- the extension of all of the Bush-era tax cuts for two more years.
Other legislation that seemed to have majority support in both chambers languished, such as the DREAM Act and immigration reform.
The nomination process has been stifled as a result of filibusters. This is one issue on which Democrats and Republicans can agree. President Obama has made 28 recess appointments, more than President George W. Bush at this point in his tenure. These are appointments that the president makes while the Senate is in recess, typically done because the White House knows the appointments would be held up in Congress.
Even with the legislation that passed, the new normal of a supermajority requirement for every bill has a profound effect on the quality of the final legislation.
While many commentators have focused on the volume of legislation that passed since President Obama became president, the more important question is how durable the programs will be and whether they will be undermined in the coming years.
The filibuster allowed the Senate minority to substantially weaken and diminish legislation that made it through the chamber. At the height of the Great Recession, the administration significantly scaled back its stimulus bill to levels that many economists warned would be insufficient to really boost the economy.
Equally important, Senate Republicans and a handful of conservative Democrats were able to force major concessions on the health care bill. That included the weakening of cost controls and the decision to have states run the health care exchanges, making the program politically fragile and raising immense challenges for implementation that were avoidable with a stronger bill.
Importantly, the filibuster has usually not produced bipartisan agreement. The concessions have been a one-way street. What we saw during the 111th Congress was that the filibuster allowed the minority to force concessions but then those in the minority often have not been willing to provide a vote in favor of the bill once the changes are made.
Moreover, it is hasty to read too much into the lame-duck session and start singing a bipartisan kumbaya.
After all, the major moments of bipartisan agreement involved the tax cut/unemployment compensation deal, in which the administration wound up paying a huge price that will greatly worsen the long-term deficit, all without a strong stimulative effect. It will also create political opportunities for the GOP to attack the president in the next two years for being fiscally irresponsible.
The case for filibuster reform remains strong.
At a minimum, the Senate should pass reforms that will make the filibuster, and those who filibuster, more visible to the public. But senators must also consider lowering the number of senators required to end the filibuster to 50 or at least to some number lower than the current 60. This is the reform that would have the greatest effect.
Both parties have an interest in creating a system where a supermajority does not remain the norm for passing all significant legislation. Reforming the filibuster would also weaken one of the most powerful tools in partisan combat.
The congressional system creates more than enough opportunities to slow down the process and enable the minority to influence decisions. The rules of the filibuster can and have been changed, just as occurred in 1975 when senators lowered the number required for cloture from two-thirds of those present and voting (up to 67) to three-fifths of the Senate (60).
Both parties should cede some of their power -- Republicans the power they have and Democrats the power they would would want should they lose control of the Senate -- to improve the legislative process for generations to come. That would be historic.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian E. Zelizer.


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Carved carefully into the delicate surfaces of shells, Gregory Halili's magnificent human skulls look like forgotten human fossils, discovered long after the extinction of our species. The New Jersey-based artist draws inspiration from the wild plant and animal life the Philippines, where he lived into his teenage years; his medium, black-lip and gold-lip mother of pearl, are gathered from the shores of the island country. The artist's shimmering skulls are complex bas-reliefs, and his technique, which includes detailed oil painting, is evocative of ancient coins; in the place of hard metal lies a soft partially organic material, and portraits of kings are replaced with ominous skulls.
Halili's skulls are poignantly fragile, far less durable than human bone. A single slip of a tool, and the tender piece is ruined. The shape of the shell lends itself to the humanoid form; encased within its circular bounds, the skull appears like a child in the womb. The shell material that once protected a gastropod with maternal determination, softly frames Halili's expert carving. In this way, the artist forces a collision between birth, the "mother" of pearl, and death, represented here with the skull. Like relics washed ashore, these masterful pieces serve as a memento mori, reminding us of our own mortality, our creation and our inevitable demise. Take a look.
Halili's work will be on view at New York City's Nancy Hoffman Gallery beginning October 30th and through December 13th. He also has an upcoming show at Manila's Silverlens Gallery. (via Colossal)