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Kenneth M. Streit & John T. Chisholm
There are many opportunities to improve the effectiveness of the criminal justice system. Over the past two decades, legislators have focused on ensuring that the punishment component of sentencing is certain and transparent. Although punishment is one goal, another goal should be the reduction of crime, especially in high-crime neighborhoods. While judges in the 1990s increasingly gave lengthy, mandatory sentences on the assumption they deterred more neighborhood crime, another perspective is that certainty of substantial consequences (greater probability of arrest and greater probability of consequences if convicted or probation revoked) could have more widespread deterrence. To reduce crime, it makes sense to incarcerate certain convicted offenders who are likely to be repeat offenders if not confined. Historically, the frequency of criminal activity tops out when people are in their early 20s.1 When criminal arrests are categorized by age group, the span of 18-21 would have the highest rate by far. There are many offenders in their late teens and early 20s for whom society does not have sufficient information at the time of sentencing to impose the best combination of punishment, rehabilitation, and reintegration supervision. Confinement may seem a simple and sufficiently retributive disposition, but it is expensive (at least $2,500 per month). If confinement will not have a substantial effect in deterring a particular defendant or other potential criminals, the money might be better shifted to evidence-based programs delivered by law enforcement and reintegration supervision that reduces crime in neighborhoods.
We argue here for a change in sentencing options that primarily targets offenders between the ages of 17 and 24. People in this age range fall into a gap between Wisconsin's juvenile justice policy, which focuses on accountability and rehabilitation, and Wisconsin's truth-in-sentencing statute, which refuses any consideration of rehabilitation in enforcing its strict requirements for serving 100 percent of ordered confinement time.
Young people have been doing bad – sometimes awful – things for a long time. Because the most heinous crimes are so rarely committed by young offenders, society is especially shocked by an event when the crime is massive but the offender is young and seemingly does not comprehend the severity of the harm done. Society's tendency is to be dumbfounded in trying to explain such situations. For much of the 20th century, they so seldom occurred that society continued to shelter the offender in the juvenile system.
edu kmstreit wisc Kenneth M. Streit, Northwestern 1974, is a professor of law at the U.W. Law School where he supervises students in the Frank J. Remington Center clinical program. He has consulted on juvenile and adult sentencing, community corrections, and prison programs since 1983. From 2002-06, he served as federal court co-monitor implementing the class action settlement for the "Supermax" litigation. He is a member of the State Bar Government Lawyers Division.
wi john.chisholm da gov John T. Chisholm, U.W. 1994, is the Milwaukee County district attorney. He organized his office to work closely with neighborhoods and expanded the Community Prosecution program, formed a Public Integrity Unit and a Witness Protection Unit, helped inaugurate a drug treatment court, and sat on the Racial Disparities Oversight Commission. He serves on the boards of the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission, the Governor's Council on Offender Reentry, and the Washington, D.C.-based Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and chairs the Milwaukee County Community Justice Council. He is a member of the State Bar Criminal Law Section and Government Lawyers Division.
Initially, the jurisdiction of the juvenile system did not allow any youth to be transferred to the adult system for crimes in which they were involved that occurred before the offenders turned 18 . As guns became more accessible to juveniles and firearms-related crimes became more frequent toward the end of the 20th century, the severity of the risk and harm posed by youthful offenders also increased. Following the theory of "old enough to do the crime, old enough to do the time," elected officials made it easier to transfer young offenders to adult systems and then even made doing so presumptive, based on the severity of the offense committed. (Wisconsin has original adult-court jurisdiction for all persons 10 years old and over charged with committing certain offenses.) While society pays special attention to shootings engaged in by younger teens, the increased access to firearms by older teens most likely results in more deaths due to underthinking situations. By underthinking, we refer to the brain mechanism of the combination of external stressors and lack of physical brain maturation whereby risks and future consequences are not factors or are totally overwhelmed by the short-term perceived gains. Underthinking also can cause reckless operation of dangerous items such as cars, motorcycles, and guns and suicide attempts.
There are two major differences between the juvenile and adult systems. The juvenile system assumes that offenders will make fairly rapid developmental improvements with the assistance of appropriate rehabilitation programs. The normal disposition length in juvenile court is one year, with the possibility of annual reviews if the targeted changes have not yet occurred. For the most serious offenses, initial dispositions can be to a multiphase Serious Juvenile Offender Program in which the delinquent can be in secure custody for up to three years (up to the 25th birthday for Class A homicide). But as the Wisconsin Legislature changed the maximum sentences for adults to longer and longer periods, the disparity between the possible confinement times in the juvenile and adult systems grew significantly. This growing disparity led to pressure to make it easier to move even more youth to the adult system.
Another major difference between the juvenile and adult systems is that one system more readily acknowledges that, at the time a judge issues a disposition, it is very difficult to predict how the offender will internalize the changes offered to or imposed on him or her. The juvenile court has many feedback loops and points at which dispositional orders can be terminated ahead of schedule or extended. While there are certainly many teens who go through the juvenile system and almost immediately reappear in the adult system when they reach their late teens, there are many more who seem to sufficiently mature while under juvenile jurisdiction.
For years, people with jobs related to the juvenile system or the adult system have known that the late teens and early 20s are high-risk periods. It is evident to officers assigned to particular neighborhoods and to emergency room staff. It is evident to prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and correctional facility employees. Studies of recidivism often find that, of the dozens of possible variables, age ranks very high as the least controllable but strongest predictor of persons who will violate conditions of supervision or be arrested again. For many years, behavioral researchers identified the factors that correlated with persons in this 15-to-24-year-old age group acting in very high-risk ways.
Beginning in the 1990s, researchers began using magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) to learn more about brain development and activity with living persons. (Prior research was done by pathologists on dead bodies and thus relatively few younger persons could be studied.) The science of MRIs was able to demonstrate that often, long after a person seems to have made the exterior physical transition from child to adult, the brain is still working hard catching up. For many people in this age group, the brain has not yet formed necessary connections that are critical for assessing risk and making "executive decisions" that stop risky behavior or take into account other people. Even though the brain may already have different components such as memory, problem-solving, and social skills, if the executive-decision part of the brain is not yet formed, these other components are not coordinated. Thus, really smart, really nice kids can do really stupid things – especially If urged on by peers.
For decades, both juvenile court and adult court judges have confronted persons in this age group at disposition or sentencing and asked "What were you thinking?" to which many offenders responded by shrugging their shoulders and looking down. The MRI science confirms that the lack of thinking was not a choice but an unobserved physical deficit. To a large extent, sentences are being imposed without the opportunity later to see if this lack of judgment was permanent (such that incapacitation by incarceration might be the only solution) or temporary. Often (but not necessarily always), offenders did not have adult-level thinking and control capacity at the time of the crime and were accompanied by other young people who also shared the lack of capacity to see problems and only had the capacity to see short-term advantage.
Twenty years ago, 17-year-old Christopher Simmons and two younger friends concocted a plan that led them to burglarizing Shirley Crooks' Missouri home and murdering her by binding her and throwing her off a bridge. There are really no facts that can mitigate Simmons' involvement, and he even bragged to other people about planning the crime. His attorney argued that Simmons' young age and impulsiveness were mitigating factors, but the Missouri trial court imposed the death penalty. The case eventually made it to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2005, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the Supreme Court's majority opinion in Simmons' case, finding that evolving standards of decency required a holding that it is cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment to impose the death penalty for crimes committed when the offender was under age 18.2 Although Kennedy and the dissent sparred as to whether the state court trends had established a national consensus, most significant here is that the majority opinion approved of the considerable scientific research about developmental immaturity and diminished responsibility. While Simmons' case involved a person who was a minor at the time of the offense, the science and research presented by the briefs refused to identify a bright-line 18th-birthday cutoff but showed there was a continuum lasting until the early 20s.
While Roper v. Simmons is, perhaps, the most famous recent U.S. Supreme Court statement that "juveniles are different," our proposal is more connected to the 2010 opinion by Justice Kennedy in Graham v Florida.3 At age 16, after committing an offense, Graham was charged as an adult and entered a plea agreement, and the judge withheld adjudication but imposed jail time and probation. Shortly thereafter, Graham was arrested for his alleged involvement in a shooting in which a person was seriously injured. Graham was 18 when he faced a different judge, who sentenced him for violating his initial probation. That judge admonished Graham for not taking advantage of the opportunity he had been given by the first judge to turn his life around. The sentencing judge determined that Graham's escalating pattern of crime showed there were no other sentencing options and he then sentenced Graham to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Kennedy began this opinion, like the one in Roper, by looking to see if there was a national trend or consensus. He noted the Roper holding that "[a]s compared to adults, juveniles have a 'lack of maturity and an underdeveloped sense of responsibility'"; "they 'are more vulnerable or susceptible to negative influences and outside pressures, including peer pressure'"; "and their characters are not as well formed." "These salient characteristics mean that '[i]t is difficult even for expert psychologists to differentiate between the juvenile offender whose crime reflects unfortunate yet transient immaturity, and the rare juvenile offender whose crime reflects irreparable corruption.'"4
Our proposal does not suggest that it would be a violation of the Eighth Amendment to impose lengthy periods of confinement under truth in sentencing (TIS) for teens or young adults who commit very serious crimes. We are not arguing for a totally different sentencing procedure for all younger offenders. Instead, we propose that having a concurrent non-TIS sentencing option would benefit both the public and the court systems by more directly addressing the factors often involved in serious criminal behavior by persons in the 17 to 24 age range.
The proposal would allow a court to impose an indeterminate sentence for persons who were under the age of 24 at the time of the offense. (For indeterminate sentences, judges issue a single total sentence and release is determined by the Parole Commission. The remaining unserved portion is parole time; for serious violations, authorities may revoke the offender's parole and order the offender returned to prison.)
The court would not need to make any special findings in determining whether to issue a TIS or a non-TIS sentence. There would be no entitlement or presumption for a non-TIS sentence requiring additional hearings. There would be no list of crimes that would preclude a non-TIS sentence. In fact, it may be that the intersection of a very serious crime and the youth of the offender is the combination of circumstances for which it is most difficult to predict the eventual public safety situation, after the offender has served a substantial period in prison.
If sentenced to a non-TIS indeterminate sentence, the offender could earn his or her way out of serving the full sentence not only by demonstrating good behavior (the absence of major conduct reports requiring segregation) but also by promptly completing the education and treatment programs identified at the assessment conducted when the person enters prison.
At the time of sentencing, the court would know that the offender would have to serve at least 25 percent of his or her sentence before becoming eligible for parole. The offender would need to serve at least 365 days in prison. Although jail credit would otherwise be credited to the sentence, the jail-credit days would not be counted toward the 365 days. This would allow the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) a full year to both assess and place the inmate and provide time for the offender to complete the highest priority program.
If the offender were sentenced to a non-TIS sentence, the Parole Commission would evaluate whether the offender meets the criteria for release. However, because the court has the option of ensuring lengthy punishment time by imposing specific confinement time through a TIS sentence, the Parole Commission would not be authorized to use the current criteria of "not sufficient time for punishment" if the offender met the other three criteria involving public safety, institutional behavior, and parole plan.
The DOC would be responsible for ensuring that the offender entered programs on a timely basis so that he or she would likely have completed the highest priority programs during the first one-third of the sentence. This is in contrast to TIS offenders, who normally wait lengthy periods and finally receive their highest priority programs immediately before their nonchangeable, scheduled release date. The DOC would not be expected to establish separate facilities or to otherwise separate TIS and non-TIS offenders in residence or programming.
Because TIS would continue to be available for all offenders in this age group, judges would not be restricted from using TIS when that type of sentence is most suited to guarantee punishment, incapacitation, or public safety. The indeterminate-sentencing system that preceded TIS, in the late 1990s, did not provide judges with this level of certainty, and therefore confidence in the parole system was undermined when very serious offenders were allowed to game the system. It is absolutely necessary to retain TIS in conjunction with the non-TIS system so that courts have the tools they need in all situations and that sentencing decisions are made locally and individually rather than globally, based on assumptions or stereotypes.
Prosecutors, too, can support this proposal because it gives them more flexibility, in the following ways.
1) Increased sentencing options would likely lead to quicker and more effective resolution of cases. Younger defendants charged with moderate or serious crimes are often not able to comprehend possible confinement time that adds up to more years than they have been alive. If they are not able to do anything to reduce their time in prison once the court announces the sentence, offenders of this age might have a very difficult time coming to grips with reality during discussions with their attorneys about pre-trial plea negotiations.
2) By differentiating between cases in which the state is open to non-TIS and cases in which the state insists on TIS, the prosecutor gains credibility regarding identifying the most serious threats to public safety. Certainly there might be media or social pressure to treat 100 percent of offenses as TIS situations, but, with reduced resources for prosecution units throughout the state, elected district attorneys will increasingly need to focus their limited resources for the fullest effect.
3) This proposal recognizes that the 17th birthday (or whatever age is authorized for waiver from juvenile court) is a convenient but often artificial marker in terms of protecting public safety. While the prosecutor does not have the same type of direct communication with the individual defendant as do the defense attorney or parents, the prosecutor does have the advantage of access to information that comes across the charging desk and, after assessment, he or she can exercise reasonable discretion as to which accused individuals in this age group are still in the midst of brain development.
4) There are increasingly accurate evidence-based risk-assessment programs that can assist in evaluating risk. Certainly a defendant does not have to submit to such an evaluation before adjudication, but if an evaluation is done and provided to the prosecution, the prosecutor can use the results to evaluate the risks and decide whether they are amenable to risk-reduction programs.
5) This proposal presents the defendant/offender with the opportunity to immediately make decisions about the rest of his life. From the very first day, the inmate has the possibility of making a choice between two paths. Bad behavior and "going with the flow" will have consequences when viewed by the Parole Commission. Completion of tough assignments will also have consequences. The prosecutor and the judge would still be punishing the individual and protecting public safety but also would be challenging the inmate to mature, rather than implicitly saying that nothing that the inmate does matters to them.
6) This system more efficiently spends limited public funds. Assume three crimes of exactly the same type. Assume three different 19 year olds are facing three judges and that there are not enough differences in background information to distinguish them for sentencing purposes. If the courts give exactly the same sentences to the three and it turns out that one could have been safely released in half the time and the third needed twice as much, this would be a very inefficient expenditure of public funds.
This option admits that, in many cases for this age group, not enough can be known at the time of sentencing to determine the right length of sentence from a public safety perspective. It defers to the medical, educational, and business models that allow for making adjustments periodically along the way. (Under "just deserts" sentencing theory, everything is, indeed, known at the time of sentencing. While "just deserts" arguably meets the justice criteria, it does not meet the "reduce crime" criteria.)
7) With this system, probation becomes more credible and accountable. DOC agents will be more credible when threatening revocation if they can tell the offender that the actual length of confinement might be short or long depending on the offender's growth curve.
Our proposal does not make any recommendations regarding whether judges should change their policies regarding imposing and staying sentences and ordering probation.
This proposal would require a legislative change. We do not believe that it is soft on crime; rather, it is more effective and tougher on the offenders who present the greatest threat to public safety. Although it is possible that some offenders may serve less time, it is probable that others would deservedly serve more time. Therefore, we do not believe enough is known at this time to predict cost savings.
This proposal would bridge the canyon between the juvenile and the adult systems. Some observers may argue that there should be a canyon so as to better define and protect the benefits of the juvenile system. Some people may believe that by having a "softer" adult sentence option, prosecutors and courts may tend to increase the number of juveniles waived to the adult system and therefore be deprived of the benefits of strong and effective juvenile programs. That argument can be made, and we do not have a response for those under 17 who might lose as a result. On the other hand, we assert that society should not turn away from the many serious problems experienced by (and caused by) older teens and individuals in their early 20s by going along with the convenience of labeling them full adults and not providing them with any transitional benefits.
1 According to the September 2011 Bureau of Justice Statistics report, the peak year for nonnegligent homicide, robbery, burglary, theft, and weapons violations is age 18. Nineteen is the peak age for drug arrests. Twenty is the peak age for fraud and forgery. Twenty-one is the peak age for aggravated assaults.
2 Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005).
3 Graham v. Florida, 130 S. Ct. 2011 (2010).
4 Id. at 2026.


text: Friday, April 29, 2011 NIH Funds to Support Rehabilitative Research The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will provide approximately $30 million over a 5-year period to fund a network of centers to advance medical rehabilitation research. The Medical Rehabilitation Research Network connects the research community with courses and workshops, research facilities, mentorship, and consultations and with experts at the network centers. The network also provides researchers with small grants to test new ideas. The aim of rehabilitation research is to promote recovery, adaptation, and functioning for patients with disabilities resulting from stroke, spinal cord injury or brain injury, developmental or degenerative disorders, or other persistent physical conditions. The new network provides researchers with access to expertise in such areas as: computer simulations for understanding movement disorders and evaluating how potential interventions might affect those movements techniques for analyzing how genes and molecules influence the recovery process technologies for studying muscle action and function assistance in tracking how well treatments meet the needs of patients expertise in analyzing population data to evaluate the broader impact of rehabilitative treatments and health services robots and sensors to assist patients and help deliver therapeutic treatments the means to assess new rehabilitation technologies and bring new therapeutic devices to the marketplace More information on the network and the recipients is available at this link.

subset: commoncrawl


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California Department of Transportation
March 24, 2011
District 1 – Eureka
Contact: Phil Frisbie, Jr.
Phone: (707) 441-4678
Eureka – The California Transportation Commission (CTC) today allocated $101 million in funding to 90 projects to improve transportation statewide.
"From one end of the state to the other, transportation projects are providing jobs and improving mobility for people and businesses in California," said Caltrans Director Cindy McKim.
Highlights of the project allocations include:
- The CTC approved almost $17.6 million to rehabilitate about 33 miles of Route 175 in Mendocino County and Routes 29 and 175 in Lake County. Work will include paving to improve ride quality and to extend the service life of the existing surface.
The CTC also approved the first phase of the Interstate 805 Managed Lanes North in San Diego County as the ninth design-build project under landmark state legislation (SBX2 4) signed in 2009. The legislation provided for a pilot program for the design-build method of procurement, which combines both design and construction into one contract to expedite the construction process and potentially reduce project costs. The I-805 Managed Lanes North project will be built in five phases at a cost of approximately $615 million. Caltrans anticipates the project will be completed nine months earlier using design-build. The expedited construction schedule will bring more jobs to San Diego County sooner than expected.
For information about all projects that received allocations please visit:
# # # #


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2013 Oscars Red Carpet Fashion – Naomi Watts Glimmers in Asymmetrical Armani Prive
Best Actress nominee Naomi Watts glimmered in a silver Armani Prive dress with an asymmetrical top. It boasted one capped sleeve and looped across her body and was certainly the most unique cut on the 2013 Oscars red carpet.
With a messy yet poufy, blown-back coif, we were able to totally focus on the top half of her dress without her hair getting in the way.
The dress shimmered and the column shape was perfectly paired to the edgy top. And from what she said, her boyfriend, actor Liev Schreiber, even helped pick it out.


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How to Use
the Readings
Inquiry Question
Reading 1: The Creek People
It was around 1680 that English traders started talking and writing about the "Creek" Indians. They first applied this name to the people who lived near Ochesee Creek in northern Georgia, where there was active trading of European manufactured goods for deerskins. Over time these American Indians moved west toward the Chattahoochee River (see Map 1), but the English still referred to them as the "Ochesee Creeks," or simply "Creeks."
European Americans gradually applied the shortened name to American Indians from many different tribes in present-day Georgia and Alabama. Sometimes they divided the Creek into "Lower" and "Upper:" the former applied to those who lived farther south and east, while the latter referred to the people near the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers.
It is not difficult to understand why many European Americans lumped dozens of tribes into one group. These American Indians did live in the same section of the Southeast, a fat "L"-shaped area beginning in northwestern Alabama and extending south to the Florida border and east to central Georgia. They followed a similar lifestyle, relying on farming before the mid-18th century, then focusing on commercial hunting to obtain deerskins for trade. Those called Creek participated in a loose political confederation in which one tribe generally supported another in time of war. Finally, these Indians clearly differed from the region's other powerful tribes, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw. Since European Americans did recognize this last difference, during negotiations the Creek occasionally used the name the British had applied to them to differentiate themselves from other tribes.
Practices little known to European Americans created some unity within the Creek confederacy. Representatives from different towns, or talwas, met regularly to make decisions for the confederacy. Annual festivals and athletic contests brought talwas together. The clan system, which ran throughout the various tribes, also encouraged closer ties. Every child became a part of one of these groups, all of which were named after an element of nature. If a member of the Wind clan, for example, traveled to a different village, the members of the Wind clan there took care of him.
Even with these shared experiences, however, the people European Americans called Creek rarely referred to themselves that way. That word suggested a degree of unity most people did not feel. Even into the 19th century, they generally described themselves as members of one of the region's roughly 50 talwas, or as part of a tribe that composed the Creek: they said they were Coweta, for example, or Alabama or Tuskegee.
Other factors limited unity among the Creek confederacy. First, the constant attempts of Georgia's government to obtain more land tended to divide the Lower Creek, who were generally closer to European American settlement, from the Upper Creek, who lived in Alabama. Second, and perhaps more significant, were culture. There was a deep split between the tribes who considered themselves "Muskogee" and those who did not. Muskogee originally indicated American Indians who had migrated from the west and shared a language, but by the 18th century it referred to a set of cultural practices. Muskogee often saw themselves as superior to non-Muskogee, which created tensions that grew over time. The two factions also lived apart: Muskogees tended to be Lower Creek, while those who followed other practices were generally Upper Creek.
European contact affected the Creek in ways that reached far beyond renaming them. Hernando de Soto's 1539 exploration of the region, the first by a European, set off a dramatic decrease in the native population. Though wars killed some American Indians, most deaths came from European diseases such as smallpox. Although exact figures will never be known, the number of Indians around 1800 may have been only one-fifth its pre-1500 level. This decline drastically reduced their ability to resist the ever-increasing European American population.
Rivalries between European nations also intruded on the Creek. At various times during the 18th century, Britain, France, and Spain all tried to gain the Creek as allies in battles against their European rivals. In 1704, for example, the governor of South Carolina recruited 1,000 Creek soldiers to join the British in destroying Ayubale, Spain's strongest settlement in Florida. By the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the Creek found themselves bordered by the British to the east, the Spanish to the south, and the French to the west.
Even though the Creek occasionally found alliances profitable, overall they refrained from involving themselves in non-Indian conflicts. The Revolutionary War provided an example of this behavior: though they preferred the British, few Creek fought. European officials often gave lavish gifts in order to keep the peace. In the first part of the 18th century, both the French and the British sent the chief of the Coweta frequent shipments of manufactured goods; after 1776, the U.S. and the Spanish each paid Creek leader Alexander McGillivray in the hope of gaining an allies.
The Creek did go to war at times. Sometimes they battled other tribes, particularly the Cherokee, with whom they had a long-running feud. They generally fought European Americans only when they felt threatened, declaring war on the U.S. in 1786 only after white settlers continued to move into territory that treaties had promised to the Creek.
Around the turn of the 19th century, several events increased tensions between and among European Americans and American Indians. Although the Louisiana Purchase supposedly gave the United States control of land from the Atlantic to the Rockies, in reality American authority over the new territory was limited. Frontier families felt threatened both by the British and by Indians, and they believed--often with some justification--that those two worked together to undermine U.S. interests.
The U.S. government thought that the best way to assert its control and protect its citizens was to encourage rapid settlement with loyal citizens. Obtaining the necessary land, however, required dealing with the Indians who lived in that area. Often these negotiations spurred hostilities, since the U.S. frequently forced tribes to give up lands guaranteed by previous treaties.
Thomas Jefferson's policy of "civilizing" American Indians caused further difficulty. Jefferson extended his belief in a nation of small farmers to the Indians and advocated giving each one a small plot of land. American Indians would gradually learn not only to farm like European Americans, but to live like them, including adopting Christianity and English.
Yet the Indians had little interest in Jefferson's proposal. Only a few American Indians completely rejected European culture; most agreed that European foods and technology improved their lives. Pigs, poultry, pears, peaches, horses, guns, and iron tools all gradually became part of daily life. Marriages between white men and Creek women were not uncommon, and some of the children these unions produced even led talwas.
Most Creek wanted to keep traditional ways. Though they might learn English, they generally spoke their own languages. Most preferred their religion and festivals over Christianity. They believed the tribe, not the individual, should control property, and that much of the land should remain as forest. In the woods the Creek could hunt the deer whose skins they traded to the Europeans for manufactured goods. Yet under Jefferson's system, land tribes previously used for hunting would become available for sale to European American settlers spreading west.
Concerns over culture and land extended beyond the Creek. Throughout the Ohio and Tennessee river valleys, tribes discussed with themselves and each other how to respond to pressure from European Americans. In the early 1800s, a movement historians have called "Pan-Indianism" gradually arose. Led by the Shawnee leader Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, also known as the Prophet, it argued that all tribes had to put aside past differences and work together in order to stop further European American expansion. The two men, who were based in what is now Ohio, recruited other tribes to join in armed resistance against further encroachment.
The Creek differed over how to respond to Pan-Indianism. In general the Lower Creek, who had more contact with European Americans, rejected Tecumseh's call. They believed they could continue to adapt to new ways and were not prepared to fight a long war against a much larger population.
Many Upper Creek also turned Tecumseh down, but some wanted to fight. One of their leaders was Red Eagle (William Weatherford), the nephew of a earlier chief who had tried to unify the confederacy in the late 18th century. Like many Creek, he was a mestizo, someone with both European and American Indian ancestors.
Red Eagle and the other Creek followers of Tecumseh became known as "Red Sticks," a name whose basis remains unclear. One possible explanation comes from the Creek practice of categorizing talwas as "white," which meant they supplied peace negotiators, or as "red," which meant they supplied warriors. The red towns counted out sticks as a way to determine the proper date to commence battle. Other historians have suggested that Red Sticks refers to the war clubs Tecumseh's party carried.
During 1813 a civil war began between the Upper and Lower Creek over how to respond to the Europeans. Serious fighting began after a group of Red Sticks who had just visited Tecumseh killed seven European American settlers in Tennessee. To prevent a war with the Americans, the Creek council ordered the murderers hunted down and executed. That action enraged the Red Sticks, who stopped at a Spanish trading post in Pensacola to obtain weapons so they could retaliate against the Lower Creek, whom they held responsible for the council's decision. However, they received no new guns, only powder and shot for those they already had.
A Mississippi militia quickly began to pursue the Red Sticks and surprised them at Burnt Corn Creek. This battle was inconclusive, but the Red Sticks became even angrier when they discovered that among the militia were many Lower Creek. The Red Sticks responded by attacking Fort Mims in southern Alabama, killing 250 people, some of whom were women and children. Although most of the dead were Lower Creek cooperating with settlers and their government, there were enough European Americans among the dead to provide an excuse for state militias and the U.S. government to declare war on the Red Sticks.
The War of 1812 provided further justification for attacking the Red Sticks. Many European Americans, particularly those living near the frontier, saw battles such as the one at Fort Mims as additional examples of European nations stirring up trouble through American Indian allies. They were convinced that it was only a matter of time before the British, as part of their attempt to win the War of 1812, also started passing out weapons to the Upper Creek.
In the fall of 1813, Mississippi and Georgia militias made feeble attempts to put down the Red Sticks. Soon Andrew Jackson organized his Tennessee militia for a full-scale campaign against the Creek. The soldiers had much to fight for: if the Red Sticks were defeated, they would lose their land, which would be sold to new settlers. After two autumn victories, however, the enlistments of many of Jackson's men expired. He therefore had to wait for more troops and supplies.
During the winter Red Stick warriors, along with some women and children, had come to Horseshoe Bend. There they hoped the encircling river, their religious leaders' magic, and a log barricade they had built across the neck of the peninsula would provide them protection.
Questions for Reading 1
1. Was it accurate to refer to "the Creek" as a tribe? Why or why not? What does its use say about British attitudes toward the native population?
2. How did contact with European Americans affect the southeastern Indians?
3. What were some of the important divisions within the Creek confederacy?
4. What gradual developments and immediate events led to the
Creek Civil War?
Reading 1 was compiled from J. Leitch Wright, Creeks & Seminoles: The Destruction
and Regeneration of the Muscogulge People (Lincoln: University of Nebraska
Press, 1992); the National Park Service's visitor's guide for Horseshoe
Bend National Military Park; William C. Sturtevant, ed., Handbook
of North American Indians, vol. 4, History of Indian-White Relations
(Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1988), 35-37.
Reading 1 was compiled from J. Leitch Wright, Creeks & Seminoles: The Destruction and Regeneration of the Muscogulge People (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1992); the National Park Service's visitor's guide for Horseshoe Bend National Military Park; William C. Sturtevant, ed., Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 4, History of Indian-White Relations (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1988), 35-37.


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RealityKings - Lets Talk Turkey - Money Talks - [11-23-2010]
Submitted by Anonymous
- 1:01:58
- 1058
- 2019-05-16 13:29:37
Another week of Money Talks is here and wait till you see what we have in store. You guys have been waiting to see a little more of Havoc well here you go. Watch as Havoc and Molly get trained by a professional MMA fighter and have a reality kings duel for the ages. Meanwhile back in Arizona Havoc finds this busty babe willing to take her top off while she jump ropes. Next Havoc is pushes a cart around L.A. looking for any hungry bystanders. She is giving away pink pussy tacos and pays this one babe to take a bite. For the main show our crew is giving away turkeys on the beach. They are feeling festive and pay a couple to play some turkey toss. Next they find a crew of girls willing to show us some tits and ass for cash. This one beauty walking all by herself is in the holiday spirit and decides to play with our crew. We break her off with some dough and have her take her clothes off and put on this tight lil Indian outfit we have. She looks pretty open so we pull out the big wad off cash and go for the goal. We have this gorgeous girl sucking and fucking all over town in the back of our hummer. We hope that this lil turkey stuffs your appetite this Thanksgiving.
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Alpaca Sock - Dollhouse
Dyed up in the Alpaca Sock (50% Peruvian Wool, 30% Nylon, 20% Superfine Alpaca) base which is very sturdy and has beautiful drape. This yarn feels a bit like Opal yarn to the touch in the beginning but after blocking it becomes softer and lighter. It is not as soft as merino but it has a gorgeous shine and colors look very vibrant. It highlights speckles beautifully also! This base will only be available until I run out of stock so grab yours while you can!
Each skein is dyed individually with professional acid dye so each skein is unique and different therefore don't be surprised if the same color way looks different from base to base and even from one skein to the next!. Even though this is a superwash yarn and can be machine washed I recommend to use cool water with similar colors and then lie flat to dry.
Please note that sometimes colors in the images might vary depending on monitors although I do my best to photograph the yarns accurately.
Alpaca Sock 50/30/20 Peruvian wool/nylon/superfine alpaca
100 gr skein / 438 yards aprox.


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New Hampshire Bans Dodgeball Because Of Bullying Concerns
We hope you enjoyed your childhood, because it's slowly being legislated into dust.
Earlier this week, a New Hampshire school district banned dodgeball out of concern that the game leads to bullying. The Windham (N.H.) School Board voted 4-1 to drop dodgeball and nine other "human target" activities because it believes they encourage violence and a bullying mentality.
The ban was instituted after a parent complained that their middle school student was bullied during a dodgeball game.
"We spend a lot of time making sure our kids are violence free," Windham superintendent Dr. Henry LaBranche said. "Here we have games where we use children as targets. That seems to be counter to what we are trying to accomplish with our anti-bullying campaign."
To illustrate how far down the rabbit hole school districts near Windham are, one even uses some sort of soft foam balls instead of real dodgeballs. How about banning that practice? Getting beaned in the face by a swollen red rubber ball thrown at high velocity is a rite of passage on par with finding out there's no Santa Claus and losing your virginity. All we can do is hope those events don't all happen on the same day.
Bullying is a serious concern. Schools should be sensitive to it and address it. BUT, among other school-related activities that encourage and provide a fertile ground for bullying are getting on the bus; having a communal lunch, playing on the playground, asking kids to dance before they've developed coordination, etc, etc. etc. We're talking about dodgeball, not playing paintball!
Bullies will find another way to bully regardless of how much legislating a school board may do to try to prevent it.


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The ACLU of Wisconsin is using local food pantries as a means to gather data about the impacts of the recently passed voter ID bill. Outspokenly opposed to the voter ID bill in Wisconsin, the ACLU of Wisconsin called the measure the "the worst and most restrictive we've seen," explaining that the bill would "deny potentially thousands of voters the right to freely cast a ballot based on the non-existent problem of so-called voter fraud." When the bill was signed into law on May 26, the ACLU went right to work to prepare a lawsuit like the one they filed recently in Ohio.
Their first step was to gather data. And what better place to find all those "disenfranchised voters" than at a food pantry?
On Friday June 24, Director of Advocacy at the Hunger Task Force Jon Janowski sent an email out to the leaders of over 80 food pantries in Wisconsin to inform them of "a survey project that Hunger Task Force is working on with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)."
The email states:
The ACLU is surveying people all over Wisconsin to assess the impact of Wisconsin's new voter ID law, and they want to hear from people who might be disproportionately impacted by the law's new requirements. We are asking your permission to allow Hunger Task Force staffer Mary Ryan and HTF intern Justice Bowers visit your program in the next month or two to conduct the attached survey.
Hunger Task Force attempted to distance themselves from the controversial left-wing group by stating that "participation in the survey is completely optional," and that "Hunger Task Force takes no position on the ACLU's work and on what the ACLU decides to do with this data – we are simply assisting them in the collection of the data and then passing the data directly to their staff."
In a phone interview with Media Trackers, Dana Hartenstein, Communications Coordinator for the Hunger Task Force, said that Hunger Task Force was "not really in a partnership" with the ACLU but was simply "helping to facilitate the survey." But when asked whether the Hunger Task Force's "facilitation" of a survey conducted by the ACLU for political purposes unrelated to hunger could have an adverse effect on clients or partners, Hartenstein said she would call Media Trackers back. No phone call was returned and subsequent calls to her number went unanswered.
The ACLU's exploitation of a network of food pantries to gather data for political purposes surprises no one. But why the Hunger Task Force would muddy their good work by affiliating themselves with such a polarizing left-wing organization on an issue completely unrelated to hunger is baffling.
Whether one calls it "facilitating" or "partnering," the Hunger Task Force is willingly associating themselves with the ACLU of Wisconsin as they work to undermine and oppose the voter ID law. And it is a sad day when politics and charity can no longer be separated.


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OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 23, 2013) - Outraged at the McGuinty governments' deep cuts to social programs and the recent attack on the democratic rights of education workers, Ottawa community members will be gathering on Wednesday, January 23 for a public town hall meeting. The forum will provide an opportunity for local residents to discuss the impact of job loss and public service cuts in their communities and develop plans to pressure local members of parliament.
The meeting will address local concern about the fact poverty over 15 percent of Ottawa's population are struggling on low incomes and almost one in five children are living in poverty. While unemployment rates in the National Capital Region are lower than most Ontario jurisdictions, higher than average living expenses continue to drive a disproportionate number of families to the brink. However, the impact of cuts is being felt across most income levels. A recent report from the Ontario Common Front revealed that fully 40 percent of Ontario families have seen their incomes stagnate or fall over the last decade, as Ontario's social program funding lags behind every other province by nearly every measure.
"In communities across the province, families are falling further behind because of McGuinty's cuts to vital services and social programs, while corporate tax cuts continue to starve Ontario's economy of $15 billion annually," said Irwin Nanda, Executive Vice-President of the Ontario Federation of Labour. "Struggling families here in Ottawa are right to demand fairness and equity from the Ontario's Liberal government. Investing in jobs, protecting services and safeguarding workers' democratic rights is the only way to prevent a double-dip recession and address rising inequality."
WHAT: Ottawa Community Town Hall Meeting on Economic & Democratic Rights
WHEN: Wednesday, January 23 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm
WHERE: Ottawa City Hall, 111 Laurier Ave. West (Champlain Room)
"Labour and community groups have come together to launch an Ontario Common Front against cuts to jobs and services. We are building partnerships in every community - from Windsor to Ottawa to Thunder Bay," said Nanda. "It is time for the people to start setting the agenda."
The Ottawa town hall is one in a series of regional meetings taking place across Ontario in the lead-up to a protest at 1:00 pm on January 26, outside the Ontario Liberal Leadership. Over 100 buses will travel to the protest in Toronto from every corner of the province, including many locations in the Ottawa region. Community and labour groups have banded together to call on the government to recall the legislature, protect workers' rights and invest in the jobs and services.
For more information, visit: www.ofl.ca/index.php/campaigns/democraticrights
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. Visit www.OFL.ca and follow the OFL on Facebook and Twitter: @OFLabour and SidRyan_OFL.
Contact Information:


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Friday, September 28th 2012, 1:04pm
Friday, September 28th 2012, 1:51pm
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You can turn that valve on manually with the bleeder screw. It's the thing that looks like you can turn it with a screwdriver.
This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "brycenesbitt" (Sep 28th 2012, 9:38pm)
Friday, September 28th 2012, 11:31pm
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Chrissy Teigen got a cooking show!!!!!
Chrissy Teigen's Hungry
Join food fanatic, swimsuit model, and avid blogger Chrissy Teigen as she and husband-to-be John Legend embark on their wedding menu tasting adventure. Chrissy heads to Blackberry Farm, set in the scenic Smoky Mountain foothills, to sample rugged yet refined fare, from braised beef short ribs to slow-simmered blackberry jam. Along the way Chrissy becomes one with her surroundings; she forges friendships with resident sheep, rolls around in mud, and hunts and gathers ingredients for breakfast. Your average wedding preparation? Never. This is over-the-top, delicious, chaotic, and above all else, totally Chrissy.
Premieres February 13, on Cooking Channel.
source: 1 | 2
my queen!!! so excited!!


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Lady Gaga has hit back at Demi Lovato after the singer accused her of glamorizing eating disorders by performing with a vomit artist at the recent South by Southwest festival.
The singer came under fire over her controversial performance at the event in Austin, Texas, earlier this month, when an artist threw up green and black liquid all over her body.
Lovato, who has battled her own eating disorders in the past, publicly criticized Gaga, accusing her of pushing impressionable young fans towards bulimia.
In a series of posts in Twitter.com, she wrote, "Sad… As if we didn't have enough people glamorizing eat disorders already… Putting the word ART in it isn't a free card to do whatever you want without consequences."
Gaga has now responded to Lovato's concerns, insisting she supports the young star in her recovery and didn't mean to address the subject of eating disorders by featuring vomiting in her show.
She tells E! News, "I have struggled with an eating disorder for over 10 years, and I take that very seriously. I take the struggle of others very seriously. I am very supportive of Demi's struggle and her recovery, as well as the recovery of anyone who is suffering from that. But this performance had absolutely nothing to do with any eating disorder, and we never intended for it to be taken that way. I'm really proud of the performance and really stand by the message of rage and pain that we were trying to express in that moment."


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The Central Connecticut women's lacrosse team fell to 1-2 on the season with a loss to Hofstra on Saturday afternoon. Hofstra improved to 3-2 on the season with the 17-5 victory.
Four different players accounted for CCSU's five goals with senior Claire Healy registering two scores. Freshman Alexandra Hooker scored her first career goal with 6:35 left in the first half. The goal was the firs to the game for the Blue Devils and was the last of the first half for either squad.
Hofstra led 12-1 at the half and increased its lead to 13-1 before Healy found the net for the sixth time this season.
Trailing 15-2 the Blue Devils scored three times over a four minute stretch with Healy, senior Amanda Toke and sophomore Madison Hughes finding the net.
The Pride notched the final two goals of the game to take the game 17-5.
Senior Cierra Ward, junior Morgan Tullar, sophomore Falynn McCartney, sophomore Morgan Wallace and Toke all had two ground balls in the game. Toke and McCartney also shared a team-high three draw controls.
The Blue Devils return to action on Wednesday afternoon at Siena.


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HyperX® FURY DDR4 memory
Automatic overclocking up to 2666MHz.
HyperX® FURY DDR4 automatically recognizes the platform it's plugged into and automatically overclocks to the highest frequency published, up to 2666MHz, for hassle-free, plug-and-play functionality. It delivers automatic top-level performance for motherboards featuring Intel's 200 series and X99 chipsets and complements Intel's 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10-core processors for faster video editing, 3D rendering, gaming and AI processing. Available in speeds from 2133MHz–26666MHz, CL14–16 latencies and capacities of 4GB, 8GB and 16GB single modules and 8GB–64GB kits, HyperX FURY DDR4 is a minimal investment in premium components that results in faster speeds, higher performance and enhanced reliability — plus it looks really cool. It stays cool, too, thanks to 1.2V power consumption resulting in less heat, with a lower voltage specification than DDR3. Its stylish, low-profile design complements the look of the latest PC hardware while helping you stand out from the crowd of squared designs.
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State Farm Insurance Agent View Licenses
We are located just South of Walgreens and Scottsdale Learning Center.Map & Directions Contact Us
Mon-Thurs 9:00am to 5:30pm
Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm
After Hours by Appointment
Auto, Home, Business, Property, Life, Health
Banking, Mutual Funds, Annuities
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Mon-Thurs 9:00am to 5:30pm
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Insurance for a home based business might require a small business insurance policy since your homeowners might not adequately protect your operation. Read more
These boating safety tips can help you understand boat safety before you head for the open seas. Test your nautical knowledge. Read more
Too much debt can weigh you down and get in the way of your financial well-being. Read these debt reducing tips to begin saying so long to yours. Read more
State Farm Bank, F.S.B., Bloomington, Illinois ("Bank"), is a Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. NMLS ID 139716. The other products offered by affiliate companies of State Farm Bank are not FDIC insured, not a State Farm Bank obligation or guaranteed by State Farm Bank, and may be subject to investment risk, including possible loss of principal invested. The Bank encourages any interested individual(s) to submit an application for any product(s) offered by the Bank. We also encourage you to obtain information regarding the Bank's underwriting standards for each type of credit or service offered by visiting statefarm.com or by contacting the Bank at 877-SF4-BANK (877-734-2265). Callers who are hearing or speech impaired should dial 711 or use a preferred Telecommunications Relay Service. To apply for a Bank product, you may also see your participating State Farm agent.
Life Insurance and annuities are issued by State Farm Life Insurance Company. (Not Licensed in MA, NY, and WI) State Farm Life and Accident Assurance Company (Licensed in New York and Wisconsin) Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois.
Investors should carefully consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other important information is contained in the fund prospectuses and summary prospectuses which can be obtained by visiting the prospectus page on statefarm.com. Read it carefully. AP2019/01/0054
State Farm VP Management Corp. is a separate entity from those State Farm entities which provide banking and insurance products. Investing involves risk, including potential for loss.
Neither State Farm nor its agents provide tax or legal advice. Please consult a tax or legal advisor for advice regarding your personal circumstances.


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How has the culture of remembrance changed over the years? That is the topic of an interview with Gerd Kühling, a research associate at the House of the Wannsee Conference Memorial and Educational Site in Berlin, and Akim Jah, a research associate at the International Tracing Service (ITS). Together they edited the...learn more
At the International Tracing Service, the position of personal assistant (m/f) to the director is to be filled as soon as possible. The position will initially have a duration of two years. We look forward to receiving your application!learn more
When the International Tracing Service (ITS) contacted them, the eighty-seven-year-old Johanna Aykens-Berens and her son Janwillem Aykens from Amstelveen in the Netherlands immediately got into their car. A wallet in the archive in Bad Arolsen had belonged to a member of their family whom the Nazis had deported to the...learn more
Hans-Peter Klein can't say how many times he's been to the International Tracing Service (ITS) archive. Since the archive opened in 2007, he takes advantage of every opportunity to research the fates of victims of Nazi persecution. In addition to supporting and initiating commemorative projects such as the laying of...learn more
The Bernburg Memorial commemorates the mass murder of sick and disabled persons by the National Socialists. Ute Hoffmann has been its director since 1988. In early November, she spent four days carrying out research at the International Tracing Service (ITS). The Bernburg killing facility, located on the grounds of a...learn more
In November 2016, the American Patricia Donahue travelled to the ITS together with her sister and her cousin. They were looking for information about their grandparents who had been subjected to forced labour and about their grandparents' six children. The past had never been discussed in their family.learn more
Jean-Marie Vinclair knew nothing about his great-uncle Raymond Vinclair, who had been murdered by the National Socialists in July 1944. The family had kept the story a secret all those decades. It was a call from the historian Volker Issmer of Osnabrück that got the ball rolling. Now Jean-Marie Vinclair is shooting a...learn more
As of 2017, the International Tracing Service (ITS) is a project partner of the International Volunteer Program in Germany of "Action Reconciliation Service for Peace" (ARSP). Currently, the International Program in Germany offers about 20 volunteer places. The volunteers come from various countries in Europe, from...learn more
During this year's school project week, the pupils of Christian-Rauch-Schule Bad Arolsen studied in some depth the life journeys of Displaced Persons (DPs) who, after the end of NS-rule, lived in Arolsen, Korbach and the Kassel area for a transitional period. For this purpose, they conducted research work for a week at...learn more
Several institutions of Kassel and the region of Northern Hesse today founded an emergency network to improve the protection of cultural assets in libraries, museums and archives. The International Tracing Service (ITS) is one of the new network's twelve partners.learn more


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Hi everyone, here's an update on the recent work I have been doing on assembly of the quadruped robot design, and also some adventures using the Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio package. I also talk a bit about some experimentation with casting plastic parts using silicone moulds.
As you can see from the picture, the robot is getting near completely assembled now, the only parts remaining are the mounting of the two cameras on the head. No wiring up of servos has been done yet, and the battery pack hasn't yet been mounted (or purchased), but still it's looking more and more complete. The shoulder brackets you can see attaching each leg to the body are actually urethane plastic parts cast in a silicone rubber mould which I made using the original milled plastic version of the shoulder brackets. The milled HDPE version took me about 3 hours to machine, so I was looking for a faster way to make a few of these things. I have never done any plastic casting before, and this is a fairly tricky part to start with I think, as it needed a two part mould and had features like counter sunk holes which I chose to try to include in the casting. The brackets didn't come out as good as I'd hoped, with difficulties around the holes, bubbles in the casting and various imperfections all over and they needed a lot of cleanup, but they are functional.
As an interesting aside, since making these I discovered an interesting company on the net, Shapeways, who have an online 3d printing service where you can upload a 3d model, and get an almost instant quote to have it 3d printed in a choice of a few different materials. If you click on the Gallery and search for AX-12 you can see my parts... Price seems fairly reasonable, so I have actually got an order in for a set of shoulder brackets for the quadruped robot, as a concept test to see if the material is strong enough and whether this could be a good robot prototyping resource.
The feet for the quadruped are a simple design based on half a squash ball (would you believe!) which will give a uniform contact area with the ground during movement. I had originally intended to use some force sensors I have within the feet, however I have instead made a simple variety of the foot which has no sensor at present. During the construction of the feet I did have a good idea (I think) to use a low cost gas pressure sensor and make the squash ball hemisphere airtight - that way force from any direction on the ball will result in a pressure change and should be able to be sensed. That's an idea for the future at the moment.
I have been working recently on desktop software support for the quadruped, specifically Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio services to support the quadruped. Although I don't plan to limit the PC end software to MRDS alone, I did want to evaluate the use of Robotics Studio as a means of simulation (especially to develop some simple walking gaits initially) and also perhaps as a rapid software prototyping platform which might enable me to get some interesting behaviours going quite quickly using services developed by other people linked to the hardware of the quadruped robot via a custom MRDS service I would write. It is early days and still very much a work in progress, especially since C# is not my native tongue yet, but I got a physics simulation going and also a very simple walking motion (using the crawl gait).
Here's a video of the simulation environment running;
The crawl gait I have used is pretty unstable, and it doesn't take much to knock over the robot in the sim. However I intend to improve it by adding some inverse kinematics and a better method of controlling group moves of servos. I also need to add proper support for the differential drive service in MRDS which will enable simple steering and control of the robot using xbox wireless controllers and even the nintendo wiimote. Of course all this is just essentially to demonstrate the capabilities of the robot platform (and have a bit of fun with it) - eventually I would like to implement a brain like hierarchical memory network with the grand aim of teaching it to walk without classical control concepts.


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[THIS WEEK] Well-designed and produced, Block Magazine excels where it treads unexpected territory, writes James Pallister
Despite some repetition, Block magazine still manages to delight, writes James Pallister
Last week I looked at the first issue of new magazine The Modernist, published by Manchester's Modernist Society. This week I thought I'd catch up with the second edition of Block as it approaches its first birthday.
The issue is themed around 'facades', a sufficiently prescriptive yet flexible subject to, as its editorial says, 'wallow
in the pleasures of the overtly superficial, whilst digging a little deeper, throwing the possible readings, constructions, and deceptions behind this traditional front of architecture into relief'.
A respectable list of featured artists fills its 68 ad-free pages, justifying the £10 cover price. Stephen Bates, Francis Terry, Peter Blundell Jones and Sam Jacob appear alongside Foster + Partners, Hans Scharoun and Hilla Becher.
The production is excellent: square bound, full-colour printed with a rich but restrained colour palette and a clean, lively design from art directors Katya and Ellie Duffy. The text is serious, accessible and well referenced, though some of the pieces could have done with a little more brevity.
Features range from historical revisits, such as Blundell Jones on Hans Scharoun's Schminke House and Terry on Sansovino's Library, to an interview with man-of the-moment artist, Pablo Bronstein. Aside from some unfamiliar items including a fantastic period presentation drawing from 1974 of Foster's Willis Faber & Dumas building by Helmut Jacoby and Frank Dickens' Bristow cartoons for the Evening Standard (pictured), there's other material that has been seen before; Alejandro Zaera-Polo's The Politics of the Envelope is reprised in brief, and an essay on recladding Sheffield's Park Hill is one which has popped up before in several journals under different guises.
I suspect this will cut both ways among readers. Some, like me, will be bored by the repetition, others reassured by the bringing together of key stories on one theme in one compendium. For me the charm of Block – and the type of magazine its publishing arrangements affords – is where it takes unexpected turns, as with Julia Chance's piece, The Façade of the Architect', which unpicks the changing way architects use portraiture in marketing their practice. My vote would be for more pieces of this nature. Next issue is themed on 'commerce' – plenty to chew on there – I'm interested to see where they take it.
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Nadejda Iotova
One year ago I started my professional career as a Teen Librarian with the Orange County Public Libraries. I work in the Garden Grove Regional branch in Garden Grove, CA. I am in charge with the collection development, services and programs for high-school students. I am particularly active in advertising our services and programs in the city and in the summer we had our 2 minutes of fame on TV with one of the most successful teen programs!
Moving to public services in a public library was a challenging change from the paraprofessional experience in the technical services of an academic library. For 7 years I was a cataloger at University of California Irvine Libraries. We came to the United States because my husband started teaching math at this university. In my "previous" life, what I call my life and career in my home country Bulgaria, I was a PR manager for private automobile import companies.
I got my MLIS from San Jose State University in 2006. I also have an MA in Journalism from the Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. I have been trying to find something in common between journalism and librarianship, and I believe it is the hunt for information. You can't know everything, but you have to figure out where to find the information.
I have lived in various countries in the world and love learning about their history and culture, and I enjoy friendships with people from different cultures. I love travelling, playing tennis, skiing, walking on the beach. Most of all I love spending time with my cool son!


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My symptoms are as follows, I have pain in my neck located at C5 - C7 & T1. I have stiffness and pain in the left side of my neck with pain going down through my shoulder, under my arm pit, upper arm, and pain, numbness, burning sensations and tingling in my lower arm. Pain in left wrist with numbness in my 4th and 5th fingers and lower part of my hand extending back up my arm. i have a spot about as big as a hand on my back, located just to the right upper portion of my left shoulder. Symptoms began in the middle of the night as pain in my left arm and by noon that day my pain was so intense that I ended up in an emergency room. So far I have been diagnosed as having pericardia inflammation and high blood pressure. When that was ruled out, I was sent from the Cardiologist, to a bone specialist, who sent me to a neurologist, who sent me to my doctor who is sending me to have some physical therapy done. They have done stress tests, EKG, EEG ultrasounds, X-rays and MRI's and a few that I can't remember. All have came back negative. I still have chronic pain, stiffness, burning sensations etc... and have been unable to work for the last six weeks. Still no answer as to what is wrong.....Reply Follow This Thread Stop Following This Thread Flag this Discussion
Recognize the risks associated with Crohn's disease.
Did you know that one in six US adults has high cholesterol?


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The requested research item does not exist. Please return to Research
Compilation piece for CoreNet Hong Kong event (March 2011):
1 Opportunity Emerges from Crisis: Global CRE Survey 2011
2 Workplace: Attracting and Inspiring the Next Generation of Talent
3 Lease Accounting Changes: Brace for Impact!
4 Sustainability: Companies Go Green to Enhance Productivity
5 Partnerships: Making CRE Partnerships Work in Asia Pacific
6 Talent: CRE and the Swiss Army Knife
7 CRE Structures: Better by Design
Please fill out the form to download the report.
15 March 2011


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Questions? 800.462.2263
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The new 14" x 9" Piccolo SFZ (Sforzando) marching snare drum is a full three inches shorter in depth than the standard Yamaha SFZ snare drum. With a short 9" shell depth for a quick snare response, the drum offers a lightweight six-ply birch shell for a clear, articulate projection. The drum shell is manufactured using the unique Yamaha Air Seal System, which ensures the shell starts round and stays round.Renowned for its distinctive sound, wide dynamic range, and explosive rim shot, the SFZ (Sforzando) marching snare drum incorporates structural innovations that permit the use of a high-tension Kevlar® drumhead. Years in the making, the SFZ was developed and perfected in field tests under the rigors of actual use with The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps and numerous indoor percussion ensembles. The design offers powerful projection, precise articulation and durable performance.Maple shells with its performance proven through the numerous DCI championships and High percussion awards won by Yamaha supported marching ensembles, has been chosen for the shells. Original Yamaha high-pressure air bag shell forming technology creates maple shells that exhibit sharp attack and wide dynamic range for complex, expressive sound. The high-pressure air bag shell forming process is an original Yamaha technology that employs evenly distributed air pressure to produce shells that are perfectly round with even thickness throughout. The result is superior tone with excellent attack and projection as well as high durability.For urgent drumhead changes, the strainer system allows for quick and easy removal of the snare assembly. With the use of FiberTech™ snares, a crisp and articulate sound is obtained while ten independently adjustable strands allow for precise tuning control.The butt-side strainer uses aluminum die-cast construction for strength without excess weight, and has vertical adjustment capability for a precise setting of snare height. This also houses the independent adjustment for each FiberTech™ snare gut. The release-side strainer uses parts made of die-cast aluminum and durable nylon for a smooth, noise-free operation. An oversized vertical adjustment knob allows adjustment to snare height even when snares are engaged. For a precise setting of the snare tension, the horizontal adjustment knob is within easy reach of the player.RM-TVHMSA Monoposto CarrierThis snare carrier design features all the latest innovations in adjustability and comfort. The articulating back support (ABS) helps the spine stay aligned and helps distribute the weight of the drum more evenly. The Contour Hinge consists of two pivot points incorporated into the carrier specifically designed to outline both the upper and lower body of the player. The Polycarbonate Abdomen Plate is practically free floating and adds no torque weight from the drum. It also has an extreme range of playing position options, regardless of the players height or drum size. The snare carrier also features a special patented free floating hinge that keeps the drum shell from experiencing any mechanical or sonic stressFeatures:
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During his April, 2011, birthday celebrations, Jagadguru Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji, 61st Shankaracharya of Sringeri Math, kindly consented to an interview for the readers of Hinduism Today and responded to questions about modern Hindu living.
It is the duty of parents to inform and educate their children about our culture from a tender age. For example, as children, we were regularly told stories from the Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata. We took in these stories and their morals and ethics. The glory of God, how He saved and elevated His devotees, the way devotees sought Him--these were etched in our minds. It made us resolve to live the same way, carrying these values, as our ancestors had done before us. Thus, whenever any Western hero is highlighted, we were certain that nobody could be greater than our own Rama. And not just at home. These stories were taught to us in our textbooks when I was in school--Ramayana, etc., as well as stories of the great pilgrim centers of our land. I don't think there are any lessons in our textbooks today that highlight and showcase our culture. This is a very serious setback. If an environment to understand our culture is created at home and school, then elevating our children and making them worthwhile citizens is possible. But the situation is now the diametric opposite. Children do not learn our culture at home or school, and are being instead exposed to alien and contrary cultures through TV and cinema. Under these adverse influences, they are becoming rebellious and treating their parents with disregard.
Haven't these parents come from here, India? Whether they are in America or in London, our culture does not change--praying to God, keeping a tulsi plant in front of the house, touching the feet of parents--these are simple things. The parents have grown up in Hindu culture and should carry it and inculcate it in their children wherever they are.
That depends on the power of the guru. Some gurus speak to devotees. Some of them are in such an elevated state that the mere sight of such a guru makes our life fruitful. These great gurus can transform lives and cleanse people of all sins by just their glance. Chandrasekhara Bharathi Mahaswamiji (1982-1954), the 34th pontiff of Sringeri, is proof of this. Sixty years ago, there was a publication called The Searchlight, published from Patna. Its editor, M. S. M. Sharma, was an atheist who would ridicule anyone who had faith in God. In 1926, one of his friends, a devotee of Sringeri, brought him to have darshan of Guruji. Refusing to adhere to protocol of wearing a dhothi and veshti, he insisted on coming in Western attire. Upon his arrival, Chandrasekhara Bharathi had come out to give darshan to people. Sharma was standing behind him, amused at people's stupidity in bowing to a person simply because he was wearing saffron robes. Guruji turned around, and the moment his eyes fell on Sharma, some intense transformation happened in him. Sharma fell to the ground and prostrated, not knowing what was making him do so. As he wrote later of this experience, "Then the miracle happened. The very glance of the guru in a second removed all my atheism. I fell in surrender and could not get up. Guruji asked me to get up and enquired who I was. I told him I was a sinner and had sought him to elevate me. He asked me to come the next day and I went. It was only then I became a human being. Till then, I was an animal. He did not do anything, just a glance."
Once, when Guru Chandrasekhara Bharathi was on a tour, a Muslim police officer came to see him. He asked the Math officials who received him about the appropriate protocol. The Math officials told him, "You can meet him the same way you would meet your religious head." One approaches the guru in the same way your culture guides you when meeting a respected elder person.
There is a difference between the old days and now. In ancient times, the guru was without duplicity or deceitful motives. He would impart knowledge to the disciples with a pure heart. Thus, there was no room for any suspicion. Now, there is a proliferation of gurus, some of whom wear the saffron robes with the very intent of cheating those who come to them as seekers. It is not wrong for people to be cautious and alert with such people posing as spiritual teachers. Adi Shankaracharya said, "One who has complete knowledge of the scriptures, one who ceaselessly yearns for the good of others, such a person is a guru."
"Reconversion" is a misnomer. Say, for example, that our child leaves home out of some misunderstanding or bad judgment and goes to someone else's house. If we bring him back home, we have just brought him back where he belongs. How can this be reconversion? His leaving home was wrong, but bringing him back home is not wrong.
Because desire is increasing, there is no contentment. As long as man does not have satisfaction, there is no peace. When our wants keep increasing, where is the room for peace? People believe the myth that money can make them great. What use is a big bank account, if there is no peace? Even if I am a millionaire, I can only eat so much. In that case, why employ wrong means to acquire wealth and harm others? If people realize this, they will not take a wrong path. Adi Shankara said, "Take not pride in your wealth, position, power or vitality. None of this is permanent. Believe only in God. Resort only to God."
The primary reason to take sannyas is for the monk's own spiritual development. The seeker, wishing to be free from the bonds of this material world, realizes that sannyas is the only path to attain liberation. Thus, he becomes a mendicant and proceeds along this path by practicing self inquiry and meditation on God and the Self, with dispassion and repetition of the syllable Om. His first aim should be to achieve spiritual elevation. Thereafter, if he gets an opportunity to convey a good message to someone, he should. If someone comes to him with a doubt, and he has the capability to ease their troubles and relieve their doubt, then he should do so. But beyond this, he should not indulge in or get drawn into any material matters. Else, the very purpose of his taking sannyas, to end the cycle of birth and rebirth, is defeated. The renunciate must be completely detached from the material world.
First, give up hatred towards the other. Look at everyone with love and affection. Help others; if not, at least do not harm others. Secondly, never lose faith and belief in God. Believe in Him through whichever name you choose, but never stop believing. Worship God with dedication and devotion, and you will receive His Grace. My complete blessings to Hinduism Today. You have been able to deliver righteous thoughts to people through your magazine. With God's grace, may Hinduism Today prosper.


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The Philippe Professionel used to be one of the favorite handlebars of racers and randonneurs alike. In 1951, Hugo Koblet won the Tour de France with these handlebars.
René Herse's catalogue of the same year shows these handlebars on the Diagonale model (as well as many other bikes):
You even saw them on track bikes!
What makes them special? The long ramps are parallel to the drops. That looks really neat, but more importantly, it provides very comfortable hand positions behind the brake lever hoods. (On track bikes, which don't have hoods at all, the ramps allow the rider to use that position without risking to slide off the bars.) The long drops also enable riders to move their hands around as they ride long distances.
So why don't racers use these handlebars any more? The long parallel ramps get in the way of your wrists when you throw the bike from side to side during an out-of-the-saddle sprint. In the 1940s and 1950s, most professional racers sprinted seated, winding their relatively small gears up to 180 rpm and more. When stages became shorter and leadouts became more common, racers began to use larger gears and sprint out of the saddle. Philippe responded to this change by modifying their Professionel handlebars sometime around 1970, increasing the slope of the ramps a bit, as on this 1970s René Herse Longchamps.
Comfort in the "behind the brake hoods" position is slightly decreased, but you now can throw the bike from side to side. With the shorter stages, hand comfort was less of an issue for professional racers anyhow.
Together with the AVA Randonneur, the two models of the Philippe Professionel are my favorite handlebars. I prefer the 1950s version with the parallel ramps, because I rarely sprint out of the saddle. However, my Alex Singer is equipped with the 1970s version, and even those were very comfortable during the 50 hours of non-stop riding of Paris-Brest-Paris.
After years of having to use old handlebars on my bikes, I was excited when Grand Bois began to offer replicas of my favorite handlebar shapes.
- Grand Bois' Randonneur replicates the old AVA.
- The Maes Parallel is a copy of the 1950s Professionel.
- The Maes 1970s owes its shape to the 1970s Professionel.
- All Grand Bois handlebars are made by Nitto, to their highest "Superlight" specifications.
Grand Bois handlebars have been similar in width to the French originals (40-42 cm), but some North American riders prefer slightly wider handlebars. I finally persuaded Grand Bois to offer a 43 cm-wide Maes Parallel. If that proves popular, we may offer other shapes in wider widths as well.
All images above are by Daniel Rebour.


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I have to share this.
Most of you probably won't get the chance to be slobbered or jumped up on by my dog, Bugsy. There are a few of my clients out there who have. (sorry again everyone! lol)
But as most of my family and friends know, Bugsy never ceases to make you smile. (or really get on your nerves)
Yesterday, I took a photo of Bugsy and its now my new desktop background. I hope you like it…


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Guts Church (yes, that is its real name) in Tulsa Oklahoma had a boxing match today, Guts Fight Night, for the sixth time. Well, tonight things didn't go so well.
This seemingly seeker focused church thought a boxing match would attract people to the church. And, what attracts men more than a boxing match? I guess giving them a car might, but that is for other churches.
Unfortunately, this church didn't do things properly. They didn't get the properly trained referees and medical personnel that are required for a boxing match. And, because of this, one of the boxers died. George Clinkscale died because of this.
Sadly, it will take a death to end this illegal activity. Unfortunately, other churches are still doing things that are almost as stupid.
Churches aren't to have boxing matches to reach people. Instead, the way the Church is supposed to do outreach is by going to the people and sharing the Gospel with them. People need to be told that Jesus died to pay for their sins, not to be invited to attend church or invited to a boxing match. The Church is made up of believers, the Sunday service is for believers, thought unbelievers are welcome, to equip the saints so they can go preach the Gospel.
It seems the church will be sued by the relevant state agencies and likely by the player's family. Pastor Bill Scheer may even go to jail over this.
We should pray for the boxer's family, and the lost people in Guts Church.
Thanks for Phil Johnson of Pyromaniacs for tweeting about this.


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There's Art in That There Oil
The Daily Pic: Josephine Meckseper's new outdoor project collides Texas and New York
Josephine Meckseper's "Manhattan Oil Project" launched today on a vacant lot one block from Times Square. The piece consists of two classic oil pumps, doing their usual up-and-down amid the passing tourists and New Yorkers. (Click on the image to watch a video of the pumps in action.) I love Meckseper's mash-up of Texas and New York. It's a more compelling collision, I think, than the Surrealists' famous "chance encounter of an umbrella and sewing machine on an operating table." (Or do collisions have to be random and uninformative, to work as Surrealism?) Read much more on Meckseper's project in my feature on yesterday's Daily Beast.
For a full visual archive of past Daily Pics visit blakegopnik.com/archive.


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"His hackles went up. What does that mean?" It's such a great question and one that I hear from clients regularly. When the hair on a dog's back goes up (technically called piloerection), it's usually a sign that the dog is aroused or excited in some way. It is an involuntary reaction, just like the goose bumps we humans get, so it's important not to have any expectation of a dog being able to control it. While sometimes aggressive dogs do exhibit piloerection, it is not true that it's necessarily a sign of aggression.
Data are limited on this phenomenon, but as an ethologist trained to observe animals and their behavior, I have noticed some things about it. Based on my experience with many dogs over the years, it seems that different patterns of piloerection are associated with different behaviors, probably because they are associated with different internal emotional states.
Some dogs exhibit a thin line (at most a few inches wide) of hair all along their back to the base of the tail. I associate this pattern of piloerection with a high level of confidence and in my experience, these dogs are more likely to go on offense and behave in an aggressive way than other dogs.
Another common pattern of piloerection is a broad patch of fur (up to 8 or so inches wide) across the shoulders, which does not run more than one-quarter or one-third of the way down the back. I associate this pattern of piloerection with low confidence and I often find that these dogs are somewhat fearful.
The most confusing pattern is when a dog exhibits a patch of hair that is raised at the shoulders and another raised patch at the base of the tail. The hair in between along the back is not raised. This pattern of piloerection often occurs in dogs who are in an ambivalent emotional state and feeling conflicted. Many of the dogs who show this pattern are somewhat unpredictable in their behavior and inclined to be more reactive than other dogs.
Of course, there are many exceptions, but these generalizations apply to the majority of dogs that I see. What have you observed about dogs and piloerection?


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Big Willis Mall
Big Willis Mall is a Dukes, Liberty City-based shopping mall in Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.
Located at Saratoga Avenue and Carrollton Street in Willis, the mall is inaccessible to the player. However, an ATM is available for use on the southwestern corner of the mall's exterior in GTA IV, and the mall is a destination for the Taxi Driver side-mission in GTA Chinatown Wars. Businesses supposedly based in the mall include Al Dente's, Anna Rex, Canyon Megaplex, Didier Sachs, Pill-Pharm, Pizza This, and Ranch.
The name of the mall is a possible joke. It refers to the British slang word, "willy", thus creating amusement due to the word "Big" before "Willis" which refers to a "large penis". Whole name read like "Big Willy Small". The mall is centered on the Jamaica Center shopping complex.


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The dating scene can be tough. It can also be awkward. And creepy. And even racist.
A Tumblr site called Creepy White Guys is a collection of unsettling messages Asian women have been receiving on dating sites like OKCupid.
Messages like:
Docile? Submissive? Bwah?
So clever!
No. Actually. I hadn't. Good thing you did!
This sort of thing—to varying degrees—is true pretty much everywhere, and it's not just white dudes creeping out Asian women. It's about the majority forming preconceived notions about a minority and then acting on them in a very awkward and ultimately supremely creepy way. You see this kind of thing in North America, you see it in Europe, you see it in Asia—you see it all over the globe.
So wherever there's a majority, this is going on in one form or another. Anytime you are not part of the majority, you probably find yourself marginalized with comments about your hair, your eyes, or your skin color as well as stereotypes about your race or nationality.
Creepy White Guys [Tumblr via Angry Asian Man via ShanghaiIst
(Top photo: Alexander Demyanenko | Shutterstock)
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