text:
In which issues concerning the profession of philosophy are
bitched griped about
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Interview Successes
Unfortunately, I don't have any (true) story about the time I hit it out of the park, but I have had a couple of interviews that went well enough that I didn't think it was crazy to imagine that I'd get the flyout or the offer. One interview with a Ph.D.-granting department focused on my research (of course). They said they wanted to talk about my writing sample, but what they really wanted to talk about were all the deeper issues that didn't specifically come up in my writing sample but which were hiding slightly under the surface. All the assumptions you have to make in order to get to the point where my question comes up. So, if my writing sample was a defense of utilitarianism from the Organ Harvest objection (it wasn't), they wanted to talk about whether there was any such thing as moral permissibility, in the first place, at all. The nice thing about it is that I was familiar with these deeper issues, thought they were really interesting, had thought about them a lot, and had a near-final draft of a paper in which I respond to exactly the arguments they were pushing. And so I was able to present what I considered to be cogent, well-thought-out responses to their questions. (The paper has since come out in a pretty good journal.) I thought the discussion went really well, and I was really bummed when I didn't get the on-campus. I'm still not sure what, if anything, I did wrong there. In all honesty, I'm not sure I have it in me to give a better interview than that.
--Mr. Zero
*I was trying to think of what the opposite of a "fuck-up" is, and it seemed that it would have to be `fuck-down.' But I didn't think that a post called "Interview Fuck-Downs" would attract the kind of attention I was looking for. So I went with the more pedestrian 'successes' as a clearer alternative.
62 comments:
Did you ask them for feed-back? Do you sometimes/always ask for feed-back on unsuccessful applications? When you get it, is this feed-back useful?
- December 13, 2011 at 12:52 PM
- Mr. Zero said...
No, I've never done that. I didn't realize it was something people do. I always figured that communications like that from unsuccessful applicants would not be welcomed. Is that something people do?
- December 13, 2011 at 12:57 PM
I've been strongly advised to do it - obviously, in cases when I had at least been shortlisted for an interview. So far, I haven't learned a tremendous amount of new stuff, but it did not hurt either and it can be a good way to infirm or confirm one's (worst?) suspicions...
- December 13, 2011 at 12:59 PM
I've been strongly advised to specifically NOT ask for feedback.
If there's something blatantly wrong about you or your application that it would be a problem anywhere, someone else (adviser, colleagues, etc) will be able to tell you about it. If, on the other hand, there reason for dismissing you was specific to them, you gain nothing from learning about it that will help you elsewhere. When the space between getting a job and not getting a job is really a matter of the search committee's opinion, you don't win by asking them about it.
- December 13, 2011 at 1:46 PM
Anon 12:52 here. Right, it must be a cultural difference here. I live (and apply) in continental Europe. Nobody but me has ever seen any of my applications before sending them. Nobody at the uni that granted my PhD ever gave any advice to future graduates concerning the market (or even concerning publishing.) Actually, the only person who ever gave me this kind of advice was my last boss. Under these circumstances, asking may be a source of valuable info.
- December 13, 2011 at 1:59 PM
I was told not to ask for feedback. because it was unlikely that I would get any meaningful response. If I asked too soon, they wouldn't tell me, because I might still be on the list. If I waited until they hired someone to ask, they'd have forgotten much of what happened during my interview. So I've never asked. But I don't see what harm it can do to ask.
Two bits of anecdotal evidence re: interview success.
When I finally got my job, I was told that what the committee really liked was how genuine I seemed in the interview. I came across as very honest and open, and they felt they knew exactly who they would be getting.
A friend described a similar experience. He was frustrated after several unsuccessful years on the market and ready to leave philosophy. He had one more Central APA interview. He thought, "fuck it," and just "told the truth," as he put it. He wasn't worried about how he came across during the interview, because he had one foot out the door of philosophy anyway. He just decided to be himself. He got that job, and was later told that the committee loved his relaxed manner, and felt the interview was more like a really interesting conversation about his work.
So you know that scene at the end of Tin Cup, where McAvoy just keeps trying to hit the green over the water? That's the sweet spot for some of us.
- December 13, 2011 at 2:11 PM
I don't have anything helpful to add to the discussion, except how about "Interview Fuck Yeahs."
- December 13, 2011 at 2:24 PM
One important lesson from Mr. Zero's original post is this: it's possible to do exceptionally well in an interview and still not make the cut. The university in question can probably afford to bring 2-5 candidates to campus. They're probably interviewing 10-20 people at the APA. You may be amazing. They may really, truly love you. The sad truth is that they may love other candidates just a little bit more. In this profession, hiring departments suffer from an embarrassment of riches--there are a lot of awfully good candidates out there.
In other words: don't think that you did something wrong if you don't get an on-campus interview.
And in other news, I suggest that the opposite of 'fuck-up' is 'modestly and graciously abstain'. I fear that's insufficiently crass for this blog, though.
- December 13, 2011 at 2:34 PM
The opposite of a fuck up is an epic win.
(WV scracc. As in "I've got to scracc my bocci")
- December 13, 2011 at 2:47 PM
Fuck-up to success story. I had a phone interview after the APA. Arrangements were made but due to a time zone screw-up, I was still looking after my 3 month old baby when they called. My husband was due home to look after the baby in another 45 mins!!! I conducted the first half of the interview juggling my screaming baby and attempting to answer questions about my dissertation. They were polite and said perhaps they could call back in a day but I refused. Luckily my husband arrived home early and I finished the rest of the interview OK in peace. I thought I had totally screwed my chances. They called for an on-campus interview the next day and I got the job. Got tenure 2 years ago.
- December 13, 2011 at 3:00 PM
- Prof. Kate said...
Success, part one of two:
In a lovely other-end-of-the-rankings moment, contra the Carleton College story in Fuck-Ups,
I interviewed at a small gem of a public liberal arts college a decade ago (hi, St. Mary's of Maryland!). In the meeting with the administrators, I commented, "Hey, I see you guys cracked the Top 100 in the US News and World Report rankings." Since they were a young, struggling public with an endowment of just a few million, they LOVED when I said that. They were very happy to note their progress as an increasingly recognized pocket of awesomeness. But yeah, I interviewed at Carleton once, too, and they did not seem keen on mention of their comparatively elite status.
Success, part two: I arrived late to St. Mary's campus (not my fault, it was Bush's inauguration day), sat down to a dinner that had already started, and was promptly asked by the chair, "Your writing sample mentions philosophers who were in some sense ecologically aware and in other ways fascists, and I was wondering, like WHO, for instance?" So I went right to the card-carrying Nazi member credited with inspiring deep ecology: "Well, Heidegger, for one." And the man to my right, the most senior member of the department, looked afronted and said, "Heidegger was the most important philosopher of the 20th century." Blast, I thought, I've literally been here five minutes and blown it. Immediately after dinner was my job talk: I improvised (fuck it, why not? I've BLOWN it!) that "sure, one could take the Nazi's side, like my friend Alan, here," and waved at the senior scholar. And he laughed! He laughed so awesomely! They hired me days later.
Moral: Sometimes you can semi-fuck-up, and still succeed, as long as the department is filled with pretty cool cats.
wv: polog (heh)
- December 13, 2011 at 3:01 PM
The last time I chaired a search committee, I ended up having several conversations with unsuccessful candidates who wanted feedback on their applications, interview(s), and/or general candidacies. I made every effort to be obliging, honest (within reason), and helpful while at the same time trying to be warm and considerate. (I don't know if I succeeded, but I tried.)
That said, I would not recommend that candidates ask to have such conversations. First, it's extremely unlikely that we'll be able to tell you straight out why your candidacy was unsuccessful. (How do you tell someone that one of your colleagues is a douchebag or lacks good sense? or that it was practically a flip of the coin? or that they made a horrifically bad impression on the Dean? or...and so on...you get the idea.) It's a hideously unpleasant conversation to have with an unsuccessful candidate, and for the most part, one that is extremely unlikely to provide any useable information.
But the main reason was suggested by Filosopher above: In nearly all cases, we would have been thrilled to offer any of the candidates we brought to campus the job. And probably the same is true for nearly all the candidates we interviewed at the APA. So the real answer is, "Hell, you were great! You deserve the job here more than I do. But we had to choose someone and, for reasons I wish were significantly more explicable (to me), but just aren't, we didn't choose you."
- December 13, 2011 at 3:23 PM
Annon 2:34
I would be very surprised if anyone is interviewing 20 people. That is a crazy ammount. 10 even seems to be on the high end. I'm on a sc now. We are interviewing 3. That is admittedly low. But most places it is 7--12. None of this l, i know, affects the point you are making.
- December 13, 2011 at 6:54 PM
I got an interview and went to update the wiki. The job isn't even there to update. ??
- December 13, 2011 at 7:05 PM
I just had a good laugh over David Stove's classic article: "The Intellectual Capacity of Women".
- December 13, 2011 at 7:42 PM
- Jeff Wisdom said...
I was on the market in 2010. I interviewed with a total of four schools, which netted me three fly-outs. Two of the three schools offered me a job afterward. More importantly, the search committees at each of these schools were comprised of genuinely decent people. So take heart, job candidates: despite the horror stories you've read, some search committees will be kind to you when they interview you. And (loosely paraphrasing Socrates), if the people that interview you are wise, they will not mistreat you. If they are unwise, their opinion of you doesn't matter.
- December 13, 2011 at 7:50 PM
In response to 3:23pm: Being on a search committee puts you in a rare epistemic position. If you interviewed candidate X, then you are one of a very small number of people who have actually seen candidate X give a real interview (as against a mock interview, which is a very different animal). So, I think, if you want candidate X to succeed in future interviews, then you can provide invaluable help by giving honest feedback. At the same time, you're obviously under no obligation to give such feedback. It's a favor (and a big one), not a duty.
- December 13, 2011 at 9:33 PM
Perhaps I'm an idiot, but I don't intend to be preparing any canned answers to canned questions for interviews.
And if I'm asked canned questions, I'll assume they're not looking for canned responses. In fact, I think charity requires that one assume this.
Furthermore, it seems to me that it should be pretty easy to detect whether or not the interviewee is giving a canned response they've planned in advance. If I was asking that kind of canned question, I'd probably be looking to rule OUT candidates who respond with canned answers.
Worse, I'd wonder why this candidate wasted so much time on trying to predict questions that might be asked in order to appear to be a good interviewee, rather than spending that time on producing good philosophy or working on teaching philosophy better, etc...
Work on being a good person and a good candidate, not a "good" interviewee. Then go be that good person and good candidate.
- December 13, 2011 at 10:01 PM
I just want to register that I think Scott H. is giving terrible advice.
You *must* prepare answers to questions, since there are (kinds of) questions that are sure to come up. You only have a short time to convey info, and ad libbing often conveys far less info than prepared answers.
My advice:
Do not memorize prose. It feels artificial to recite it, and search committees will know the answer is "canned". Instead, memorize outlines -- literally bullet point you answers, and organize your thoughts. This way, you can ad lib the *way* you say it, without having to ad lib content on the fly.
Worked for me anyway.
- December 14, 2011 at 3:55 AM
On interview feedback:
It is less awkward, and potentially more informative, if someone on your committee or your placement director does the asking, esp. if they know someone at the searching department.
My committee and PD were happy to do this for me, and while its quite true that social niceties, self protection, and the fact that a lot of candidates may be highly qualified can limit what is learned, there is still the potential for useful feedback. Even if they pay attention, people in your program can't see you as others see you, esp. when the others are at different sorts of programs.
I occasionally get asked for feedback when on an SC, and I don't regard this as an imposition, even when I don't have anything useful to say.
- December 14, 2011 at 5:22 AM
What is a "Placement Director"? Because my graduate program didn't have any such. I hear it's really helpful (provided the right person is in the position).
- December 14, 2011 at 10:16 AM
Here's my success story. When I was on the market I obsessively read whatever material I could find about the whole job search process. This was before blogs like this existed (late 90's / early aughts), and so I mainly found generic things about academic interviews. One piece of advice, which I've seen here too, was to read some material written by the faculty who will interview you. It's basic obvious advice. So, I did it. For both conference interviews and flyouts, I read everything I could get my hands on. I did this for everyone, including Deans and other administrators who had been out of research for a while. (I should add that none of these were top research schools, but most had some research component). Anyway it served me well. In surprisingly many cases the interviewers seemed genuinely pleased--even a bit startled in some cases--that I had read their work, and I suspect this shot me to the top of a few lists. I ended up with a few offers and a job I am happy with.
- December 14, 2011 at 10:25 AM
I am torn. I want to agree with Scott H. for the sole reason that I am also a "Scott H." (Solidarity!) But I think that there is some merit to 3:55's criticism. (Although saying it is "terrible advice" is perhaps overstating things.)
It is really quite important to spend a great deal of time considering, and even rehearsing, various possible answers to certain standard questions (questions that any candidate should expect to be asked). For example, you will want to have practiced answering the question "What is your dissertation about?" hundreds of times. No joke.
The more you practice answering these questions, the more likely it is that your answers in an actual interview will be both natural sounding and articulate.
- December 14, 2011 at 12:52 PM
- zombie said...
10:16 -- in my grad dept, the "placement advisor" was the faculty member assigned for the year to assist jobseekers with the process. The year I first went on the market, it was a completely incompetent junior faculty who really couldn't have been less helpful. I ended up getting help and advice by going around him and reaching out to other professors.
But many schools also have a career office/service to help grads find jobs, and a placement director might also be someone there.
- December 14, 2011 at 12:57 PM
- Mr. Zero said...
Because this thread has started to cool off, I would like to formally request additional stories of fuck-downs. I realize, of course, that it is easier to fuck an interview up than it is to fuck it down, and so it's only natural that the fuck-ups thread be the longer of the two. But I think there are a lot of good fuck-down stories out there that haven't been told. It doesn't have to be the world's greatest interview; you don't even have to have gotten the flyout; it just has to have been a good interview.
We want to hear about your fuck downs, Smokers.
- December 14, 2011 at 1:58 PM
So I interviewed at Wellesley a few years ago and had a really fun interview. I knew going in that I had little chance of landing the job (I don't come from a Leiterific school), but the interview was really well done. They had actually looked up and read old publications of mine (including some published stuff from my undergrad days!) and had detailed and thoughtful comments and questions. We had a wonderful philosophical debate about a host of topics (both in and out of my AOS). btw, the faculty who interviewed me were both super-friendly and *much* smarter than me. I didn't get an on-campus but was happy just to have such a good philosophical discussion.
- December 14, 2011 at 2:28 PM
2:28 - I interviewed with Wellesley last year and had pretty much the same experience as you. I wanted that job so badly. Like you, I'm not Leiterific, but I believed I would get an on-campus, right up to the moment I found out I wasn't getting one.
- December 14, 2011 at 2:44 PM
I was lucky enough to get several interviews (and later several offers) my first year on the job market. I don't remember all of the details from my interviews, mostly because it was such a whirlwind process, but here are a few of the things that either I think helped my interviews go well and/or was told by interviewers went well:
I think I was pretty successful at just being myself during my interviews. One of the things that helped me do this was that I continually reminded myself that I only wanted them to hire me if they wanted to hire me. That may sound stupid, but I wanted to make sure that my interviewers got a sense of who I was, not some alter-interviewee-version-of-myself. I maintained an "if it is meant to be it will be, if not, then not" attitude.
I made eye contact with each interviewer several times throughout each interview. I genuinely was interested in what they had to stay and tried to really listen to them so that I could understand what they were asking.
When it wasn't clear what someone was asking, I asked them to clarify their questions, sometimes asking if they meant XYZ.
When I didn't know how to answer a question right away, I paused for as long as I needed (as I do when giving a talk or teaching) before answering. And if I was genuinely perplexed or hadn't read whatever it was someone was referring to, I said as much. I know at least a few times I happily acknowledged that I had thought about QRS issue in that way and would be sure to think some more about it.
I followed up (by email) with anyone who had suggested I look at a particular author/paper/book and/or who helped me think about something in a new way.
I offered multiple explanations to tough questions, pausing to ask if I was making sense along the way. (I was later told by one interviewer that because of this they could tell right away that I would be a good teacher, which was important since this came from someone at a SLAC.)
I did my research in advance and asked specific questions about whatever school I was interviewing at. Since my work has an interdisciplinary aspect to it, I often asked how common it is for professors in different departments to collaborate with each other, about a specific interdisciplinary program on campus, and/or how many joint majors they have.
I smiled a lot and tried to be genuinely friendly. Given that I am a very optimistic, outgoing person, this was pretty easy for me.
This is more relevant to on campus interviews, but I asked questions about things that would pertain to my personal life (housing, food, etc.), but tried to maintain appropriate boundaries. When I felt uncomfortable answering a question (e.g., that seemed like it was probing about whether or not I want children), I said as much and steered the conversation elsewhere.
(The only thing I kick myself for is when I was hit on by someone on the hiring committee and didn't say anything about it... but then again I got the offer and the reason I didn't say anything was that I worried it would undermine my chances.)
- December 14, 2011 at 4:18 PM
I had an interview once for a position that involved running a center for ethics while teaching a course a semester. The job was in a place I'd always wanted to live, and I really wanted it, despite the administrative side. The job was advertised as a 12 month position, and when asked in the interview if I was ok with this kind of a job, for some reason I got confused and asked, "You mean, I'd have to worry about sick days?" The interview ended abruptly.
- December 14, 2011 at 6:24 PM
This is an old tale told by an idiot signifying little if not nothing, but I'm 1-for-1 on interviews. Tenured for years now.
And as I found out years later--that was against an internal candidate who was almost assured to have the job.
What happened? Well these were days in which candidates sometimes were flown out together (as still happens in Europe). So as it happened I met another candidate on the plane going to the interview! Only later did I know we two were used as window-dressing for the internal candidate.
And we three things for candidacy were (can you hear the seasonal tune in your head?) all taken to lunch together too.
I was the last interview after lunch. A committee member approached me prior to the interview--"I'm not able to sit in on your interview due to an emergency--but I'm voting for you because you were the only interesting person at lunch". (And--I ordered one local-brew beer at lunch BTW--part of the impression I made as it turned out.)
Well that inspired me. I just was myself, as I was at lunch, and let fly at the interview--no pretension, no posturing, enthusiastic about the location and position, and even made jokes (about myself). So--here I am, an excellent second-class tenured philosopher with a satisfying career.
On the flight back from the interview, I changed planes in Chicago. I literally ran into Bo Derek (apologetically) feverishly trying to make my connection.
Got a job and ran into Bo Derek in one day. Not bad.
- December 14, 2011 at 6:53 PM
I had an interview with almost 20 SC members in the room, and I could only less about 8 of them. Really, I could only have a normal conversation with about 3, but I could probably make eye contact with a few more than that. It started out very awkward, with questions from people who couldn't see me and who I could not see.
Then one guy, sitting closest to me, the only one I could really see, starting asking really interesting and fast paced questions about my writing sample. he was asking really technical things about a particular subfield that no one else was in a position to know anything about.
I tried for a while to respond in a way that attempted to render the issue comprehensible to the many invisible and puzzled people in the room. But after five minutes, I realized it was a disaster, and I could eiher answer the superinteresting questions, or do the interview properly for all involved. I gave up on the interview.
And this one guy and I proceeded to have probably the most interesting discussion (certainly the most fast paced, which I enjoy) on my writing sample I have yet had with anyone. It was twenty minutes of totally fucking awesome.
Turns out the rest of the committee just wanted to watch that show. They complimented us both afterwards. I got a flyout, although not the job offer. When that piece comes out, there will be a warm thank you to that one committee member for his contribution.
- December 14, 2011 at 9:14 PM
My success story:
I got a job, and one I'm happy with. And to be honest, at the time, I couldn't have told you why. That is, I felt as good about this interview as I felt about others, for jobs I was not offered. (In fact, the job I got was the only one I had a campus interview for, which surprised me because I felt I nailed all the interviews - but one - equally.)
I was later told that the pool was strong (of course; I know the market situation), but the decision was easy. We were all equally qualified, but the SC felt I was a better fit. They liked my energy, and the way I interacted with faculty and students. And to be honest, I don't recall doing anything special on that front.
One cannot underestimate fit.
- December 14, 2011 at 10:04 PM
If you ask for feedback, you are not likely to get an honest response. In the event there was something specifically bad in your interview or materials, the SC will not want to invite a defensive conversation (or lawsuit!) over the specific point. In the event there was just a better candidate who won out, you won't get any more than the vague consolations of a standard PFO. Even roundabout questions such as "how could I have improved my presentation?" are unlikely to yield anything useful.
- December 15, 2011 at 1:05 AM
I got a job that I didn't think I could get. I knew (academia is a small place) that there was an internal candidate who had been promised the job. I was being flown out, so I thought, to give an impression of a fair contest. I almost didn't go, so much had I been told that the job belonged to the other philosopher. As I was deciding whether to go or not (it was a long flight, away from the family, I'd have to cancel three days of classes (I had a VAP), and so forth) I got contacted by another school wanting to fly me out. I decided to use the school with an internal candidate as 'batting practice' as it were. I figured that if they were going to use me, then I'd use them just to have a warm up for the next interview, where I had a shot.
I went to the interview convinced that I couldn't get the job and it really was like batting practice. I was relaxed, comfortable, I taught as good of a class as I have ever done, presented my research better than I'd ever done before (I was able to move between profound and funny and back, which I don't usually do), and I was positively charming the whole day. I got back on the plane, having enjoyed meeting the department but mostly happy and confident that I could do well on the next interview. The next thing I heard from the university was when the provost needed to schedule an telephone appointment with me, but he was in China, so timing was difficult. At that point, I realized that something was up. I got the job, accepted it, and cancelled the interview with the other school (who insisted I come down anyway - nothing succeeds like success! - but for personal, family reasons the earlier job was far preferrable and I took the initial offer).
I wonder how I would have done had I not known about the internal candidate. I performed as well as I did, in part because of how relaxed I was because I was sure that I wasn't getting the job.
My two cents: Getting a job means being better than the competition, by whatever metric the committee values, for that one day in front of that one group of people.
- December 15, 2011 at 8:31 AM
After a flyout interview that went very well, I was the highly favored second choice. Alas, I did not get the job. When the chair of the department called me and told me I was really talented, it was a hard choice (which I appreciated), but that the department was offereing the position to another candidate, he offered something strange and I wonder if anyone else has ever heard of this. He offered to write a letter for my application file - a letter of recommendation - to say how impressed he'd been with my file and what a great philosopher I was. I stammered 'Thank you' and told I'd be in touch if I needed his help, but for the life of me can't think this would be useful or helpful. It would seem to come across as 'Well, that philosopher is good, really good, but not quite good enough for us. I think he'd suit you nicely, though."
Has anyone ever heard of this? Am I missing the point of this letter? Did I miss out by not taking him up on the offer (if it matters, he's not famous nor is the school particularly)?
- December 15, 2011 at 8:38 AM
- zombie said...
There seems to be a running theme here: the more relaxed you are, the better you do in interviews. My success story: I had a fly-out to a school that was pretty far down on my list of places I wanted to be, mostly for geographical reasons. I had already been told I was the only candidate getting a fly-out. These things combined to make me pretty relaxed the whole time. I found the department to be exceptionally friendly, liked the school, and found the area really charming. I was offered the job, got a great offer, and asked for more time to think about it because I had another fly-out pending. I ended up taking the job and withdrawing from the other search.
So, the moral is, relax. Meditate, or drink some chamomile tea, or something. But REMAIN CALM.
- December 15, 2011 at 9:19 AM
I agree with the point about being relaxed: when I applied for my current job, I already had another job (and was trying to move because it was a better situation for my partner). That took some of the pressure off. Also, I was convinced another finalist (who I knew), was certain to get the job, since he had co-authored a paper with the chair of the search committee. I figured he had the inside track. But I went to the campus visit (there was no APA interview), thought of it as good practice, had a lot of fun talking about my research, meeting people, etc.
And then, much to my surprise, I got the offer.
- December 15, 2011 at 10:25 AM
There seems to be a running theme here: the more relaxed you are, the better you do in interviews.
Given the literature on confabulation, I wouldn't bet on this.
- December 15, 2011 at 10:54 AM
I have a question regarding an APA interview that I'm hoping will be a success:
I've been investigating the department website. In doing so, I have become greatly curious how a certain faculty member teaches a certain course required for majors, due to its Herculean description in the course catalog. (This is also a course that I might very well be asked to teach, were I to get the job.)
At what point -- before, during, or after the interview -- is it appropriate to contact this professor and say, "I'm really curious how you design a course that even remotely meets the course description. Could I see a copy of your syllabus? What books do you use? Etc."
- December 15, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Anon 11:39: This seems like the perfect "do you have any questions" question! You could note that you saw X course was taught and that you have an interest in teaching it. How is it typically done? You might ask the question generally, without targeting the faculty member who normally teaches it. And I guess mentioning that you are interested in teaching it should be contingent upon whether you have a reasonable expectation that they'd like you to do so, so you don't step on any toes.
- December 15, 2011 at 12:18 PM
- zombie said...
I would be careful about saying that you're interested in teaching the course. Some people can be very territorial about their courses.
- December 15, 2011 at 3:37 PM
I just accepted (today) a tenure-track asst. prof. job offer at a great school, in a great location, with an great salary, amazing travel budget, etc - with a research teaching load.
I'm floored. I never expected this, particularly before the APA!
I did my fly out a couple weeks ago, and it went amazing. Here's what went down:
The first night I flew in, the SC took me out to dinner at a really nice place. The dinner went great -- over 3 hours, just me and the SC. We laughed, we told stories, we had great wine, we talked research, we talked teaching, we talked about everything. But then I realized: this is just the start, TOMORROW is the real test.
The next day was nuts. It started at 8am with a 1-on-1 interview with a prof in the dept. That went for 30 mins and he then escorted me to another prof. for another 30 min. interview, which she then took me down the hall to another, and so on. This went on, ALL MORNING, non-stop, without a break, from 8am until 12:00. At 12:00, rather than a break, I had to go IMMEADIATELY into the class I was teaching to their students. I scrambled to pull out my notes and handouts as I started doing my thing. The class went very well, except that I think I spoke too fast. (I found out later, I was the students top choice.)
From that talk I went right to a lunch meeting with another fac member. From that, I was back to the grinder of 1-on-1 (and occasional 2-on-1) interviews until 4pm, at which time I was brought into another room and told to go straight into my 90 minute job talk with the entire dept!
The job talk went fantastic. I knew my shit, was able to answer some tough questions, and at a couple points conceded some very good points (I think they liked this). I had researched my butt off for the interview, so I drew in some of the various faculty member's research and connect it to what I was presenting or how I was responding to questions on the fly.
They called me the next week and said I was their # 1 choice and they were willing to do whatever it took to hire me. I was completely shocked, but also didn't know what to make about their timing demand before the APA. They were very forthright about it: They wanted to get me before I had other offers. Given the hellishness of the market, my mentors and I decided I should absolutely, unquestionably take the "bird in the hand" offer, rather than turn it down and risk the very likely possibility of not getting anything or a lessor offer. They made me a very strong offer. So we accepted. (Today, officially.)
What went well in the interview? Well, I was relaxed (or tried to be, even though it was grueling). I was personable and friendly and tried to act like a colleague or peer with each faculty member, not a grad student. I was confident, I think, but not overbearing and also deferential towards the faculty's very impressive work, and I tried to be humble in criticism and really reflect on various discussions, rather than just give canned, prepared answers. With the students, I was dynamic and had a lot of energy. I think energy is key - and being interesting. I had the choice to teach on what I wanted, so I picked a very interesting topic.
Finally, I think the main reason I was insanely lucky to land this was because of the hard work I've been doing the past 4 years:
-I've got 7 journal articles and book chapters, a couple of them in very strong journals
-I have a book forthcoming from a top academic press
-I have several smaller pubs, like reviews and conference proceedings
-And I've presented a LOT, at all kinds of conferences, all over the world.
So, the real moral of the story is:
PUBLISH! And THEN go kick ass when you get an interview.
(One last note: I'm NOT from a top 10 Leiter school. I'm also only ABD and defend in the Spring, and this is my 1st year on the market.)
- December 17, 2011 at 1:02 AM
Wow, congrats to 1:02 AM.
You wrote a book before you finished your dissertation? Huh. Is that common?
- December 17, 2011 at 8:07 AM
"-I've got 7 journal articles and book chapters, a couple of them in very strong journals
-I have a book forthcoming from a top academic press
-I have several smaller pubs, like reviews and conference proceedings
-And I've presented a LOT, at all kinds of conferences, all over the world."
Well, if this is what one needs to do *prior to defending* in order to get a job, I think we're all pretty much FUCKED!
- December 17, 2011 at 9:05 AM
To answer 8:07,
No I didn't write a book before I defended my dissertation.
I got a book proposal accepted for publication from a top academic press before I defended my dissertation! There's a big difference! :) Now I can say it's under-contract and forthcoming on my CV, but the thing is not anywhere near done yet.
(And much/most of it IS my dissertation or is drawn from work related to my dissertation.)
- December 17, 2011 at 9:50 AM
- zombie said...
Congratulations, Anon 1:02!
- December 17, 2011 at 8:29 PM
To Anon 1:02:
Congratulations. That's awesome.
I do hope you realize how lucky you are, however. Like you, I'm ABD at a non-Leiterrific school. I've also published seven or so articles in top journals in my area, and I have presented at a lot of conferences, some of them fairly prestigious. In spite of this, I think my efforts on the job market this year may not be rewarded. Admittedly, I don't have a book deal, which is a *huge* deal (again, congrats, that's awesome).
But I think it's important to realize that the advice you give doesn't automatically lead to a job. There's still a lot of luck involved, even if you've done everything right.
So when you advise up-and-coming graduate students, please let them know that, while they obviously should publish, the job market might still eat them up and spit them out.
- December 18, 2011 at 2:11 PM
I tend to agree with 9:05 - most of us may be f-ed. I mean is it common for an ABD to have that many publications prior to defending? I just think it is unreasonable for the profession to expect this of people. But I guess it just really may be that much of a buyer's market out there. God help me.
- December 18, 2011 at 2:22 PM
- zombie said...
Anon 1:02 is an outlier -- most ABDs don't have nearly that many pubs, or a book deal. Which is a substantial ingredient of 1:02's success. But I have no doubt that 1:02 also interviewed well. I don't know what program 1:02 is in, but they seem to have done a good job getting her/him ready for the job market.
I suspect many philosophy grads are ill-served by their depts when it comes to providing substantive advice about getting published. I got nothing on that score. I got very little substantive advice about the job market, applications, dossiers, etc. I don't know how these things are done in other departments, but my sense is that some provide more support than others. Jeff McMahan appears to rock as the placement advisor at Rutgers, if their placement record is any indication.
- December 18, 2011 at 8:43 PM
Not to knock super-star's impressive record, but seven articles in good journals is a lot more impressive than a book deal. In fact, a single article in a top 10-5 article is generally more impressive than a book contract. Books are easy are much easier to get accepted than articles, far, far easier no matter the publisher.
- December 19, 2011 at 5:30 AM
Here's a perspective to balance against 1:02's self-report. I'm not on a search committee this year, but I have been several times in the recent past. And my research-oriented department is hiring this year (not in my area). I can say with great confidence that from our point of view you do not need to publish while in graduate school. I'm pretty sure every member of my department shares the view that it is pernicious to expect graduate students to publish.
We think graduate school is simply not the place to be developing work directly for publication. We did not ourselves publish in graduate school. We were all churning out top-tier publications by the time we were half-way through the tenure-track, but we did not even try to publish anything earlier. We shudder to imagine the garbage that we would have tried to published -- and perhaps succeeded in publishing! -- had we felt pressured to publish earlier. And here's the point: we don't want younger philosophers to have to act differently.
If we have two writing samples from ABDs or new Ph.Ds that seem equally good, it really doesn't matter from our point of view that one but not the other of them has been accepted for publication. Really. It does not matter.
Of course, anyone who is a year or more past the Ph.D. should be trying to publish. We would expect a publication or two from someone who is, say, three years past the Ph.D. All the anxieties expressed in this thread do make sense in that scenario. So by all means write your dissertation with an eye to potential publications. Prepare to begin submitting stuff as soon as you defend. But don't -- please don't! -- let the pressure to publish directly guide your graduate education.
Alas, other departments apparently don't share our sensibility. So maybe you shouldn't follow this advice. We think that's a real loss. We think the hyper-professionalization of philosophy -- undergraduates are now trying to publish, in order to get a leg up on the competition in grad-school applications! -- is a real loss for philosophy. An education in philosophy just doesn't work like that.
We wish our colleagues in other departments could see the damage they're doing when they valorize publishing by ABDs. (Consider how hard you work educating anonymous young philosophers in your referee's reports! Wouldn't it be better if you could devote those energies to your own graduate students?)
- December 19, 2011 at 5:56 AM
- Unknown said...
Anon 1:02
- December 19, 2011 at 7:09 AM
In response to 5:56, I'm a grad student at a top leiter deparmtent this year, and your advice is consistent with what we're generally told; don't worry about publishing in grad school, give your work time to mature, etc.
I didn't really follow that advice, and I have to say I'm happy I didn't. While my writing sample isn't published, I do have a few publications from work that didn't end up going into my dissertation (I thought it might, but ended up going in a different direction) in very good journals, and I'm pretty sure that's been helping me on the market this year.
What's sad is that you (and the faculty at my department) might be totally right about what would be best for the profession, but that doesn't mean that it's in the interest of individual graduate students to follow that advice.
- December 19, 2011 at 12:07 PM
I just have to respond to Anon 5:30.
I think what you just said is total nonsense.
Books are hard to publish. The only people who say they aren't are people who have never published a book with a top (or even mid-level) press.
A book with a solid university press (Cambridge, Oxford, Chicago, MIT, Princeton, Harvard, etc.) is worth far more than one, two, three, or even four articles in top journals.
- December 19, 2011 at 12:40 PM
The problem is that publishing in good-quality journals is the easiest way to prove to hiring committees that you can publish in good-quality journals. Journals should adopt a rule against publishing grad students' work. That's the only way I see to nip this collective action problem in the bud. You're not going to get grad students to voluntarily abstain from trying to publish, given the huge incentive to do so.
- December 19, 2011 at 1:52 PM
Anon. 1:02 here.
Sorry for the delay, I'm generally in a tequila induced haze most days. (And, yes, I do plan on getting drunk at the Smoker since I'm happily now cancelling my APA interviews.)
I'll respond to a few questions, except those that would break my anonymity. (As to the "where" question, I'll only say that I haven't posted anything about it on the Phylo Wiki, and I don't see it on there. There's a lot more out there than just what's shown on the wiki!)
First, to Anon. 9:05. No, I don't think everyone is fucked if you haven't published a crazy amount pre-defense. But I DO think that in this market you need to have published at least something good.
To others:
-- I agree that I got insanely lucky. I was not expecting this kind of good fortune and was hoping for a job, any job. There is so much incredible amounts of luck involved with all this that it's absurd. (From pubs themselves, to the timing of your specialty with job hiring, etc., etc.). I will say that, yes, Zombie is right, I think I did very well in the interview. (They flew out 5 candidates -- I was the top choice, even though the others all had, I was told, better schools and impressive pubs.) A lot of that was hard work and preparation for the interview (as mentioned above), and a lot of it was just my personality type, I think. In general, I tend to interview well. That's actually why I published so much -- because I knew if I could just get an interview, I'd have a chance.
-- I also agree that it should NOT be the case that grads should have to publish BEFORE they defend or go on the market. It's a ridiculous situation. BUT THAT IS REALITY. YES, you are right, most of the people on SCs didn't pub before they were on the market -- and they didn't have to. How nice for them. But I was given very good advice from my program, very early on: "You shouldn't have to publish -- in a better world you wouldn't have to publish. This is a crappy reality. But in this market, if you want a job (especially since the school in non-Lieterific), you NEED to publish." I don't like the reality of this. But that's the situation now. The game has changed!
-- Finally, I wholeheartedly agree that my peer-review journal articles are much more important (AND MUCH HARDER TO DO) than landing a book deal.
- December 19, 2011 at 2:19 PM
To Anon. 12:40 (this is Anon 1:02 again): I disagree.
My book deal is a with a top academic publisher (one that you mentioned). Granted: IT'S NOT DONE YET! But it is under contract. And, yes, it was a hell of a lot of work just to get a contract.
BUT... publishing in a top-tier peer-reviewed journal is an insanely hard thing to do.
Which is "worth" more? I have no idea. But a top-tier peer-reviewed journal article is just a crazy hard thing to pull off. The acceptance rates are so insanely low that, well, everytime anyone gets on it's borderline like winning the lottery. That's why I view my (best) journal articles as more important.
- December 19, 2011 at 2:34 PM
I agree with 12:07pm over against 5:56am's advice.
I am at a Leiter top-3 dept, and have heard advice like that from 5:56am. And the spirit of the advice is correct insofar as lots of my colleagues have gotten great jobs at top-25 depts with having published nothing or almost nothing.
But the problem is that even if one's work is good enough to get the attention of SCs at such depts, it seems perfectly clear that the job applicants with papers forthcoming in the very best journals get more in the way of interviews and flyouts. If your writing sample is as good as A's, but A's writing sample is forthcoming in Mind (and yours isn't), that's going to sway most SCs toward A (and often away from you).
Anecdotal: I've recently learned that 2 other job applicants from top-10 depts, who work in my AOS, each have a paper forthcoming in Phil Review! (in addition to other awesome-looking pubs). And they're getting interviews with/flyouts to top jobs that I'm not getting.
Now of course, it doesn't follow from this that they got these *because* of their pubs; indeed, they may have gotten similar attention from SCs even without such publications. But it's hard to imagine that such publications did not count heavily in their favor with SCs; and it's similarly hard to imagine that I might not be faring better if I also had a paper coming out in Mind/Nous/Phil Review etc. (even though I do have 3 pubs in great journals).
I think advice like 5:56's was more apt (when given to those getting PhDs from the top-10ish depts) before the economic downturn; these days, the competition appears to be so fierce that it can only help you to have pubs in good journals.
- December 19, 2011 at 2:57 PM
OK, I'd like to note something that should be a given, but perhaps isn't.
So I have been on two search committees. I know several who have also served on multiple search committees. We all work at a variety of schools (top research, SLAC, teaching heavy small state school, etc.).
Yes, publications can matter. Of course. And where you have published also matters. Of course. But what seems to get lost in the conversation is that *what* you publish also matters. When looking at application files, you may be judged based on what you are working on. Sometimes, if you know someone with fewer publications getting interviews you are not getting, it may be that SC are more interested in that person's research. Yes, you may work in the same area, but that person's research may be more interesting to us. And yes, we have actually used this as a criterion in our meetings.
I'm sure you all know this already, but it bears repeating for those who seem to think that our evaluation of CVs stops at counting lines or scanning for journal name. We very often care what it is you are working on, and not just which top journals decide to publish your work.
- December 19, 2011 at 5:39 PM
I just want to weigh in on the articles vs book issue.
I'm looking at two CV's. One has 4 articles in excellent journals. One has a book on Oxford UP. Everything else being equal, 4 articles (or 3, or maybe just 2) probably wins. I have no idea what the basis for 12:40's remarks might be.
(Of course, there's still something ridiculous about this. What is it for all other things to be equal? For the thought experiment to work, I've got to imagine that the quality, draw, and impact of the scholarship is "equal," and I have no idea what that really means or how I'd ever arrive at such a determination. I've been on SC's and fortunately I've never had to pretend like I could make such judgments.)
- December 19, 2011 at 7:14 PM
2:19, you write "As to the 'where' question, I'll only say that I haven't posted anything about it on the Phylo Wiki, and I don't see it on there. There's a lot more out there than just what's shown on the wiki!" Why didn't you post anything to the wiki? Perhaps doing so now (at least immediately) would threaten your anonymity, given all the things you've said here. But why not post to the wiki prior to your commenting here (and then be more careful in what your comments say about you and the position)? That would have been helpful to the many job-seekers who are holding out (false) hope for the job you were fortunate enough to land.
- December 19, 2011 at 7:55 PM
In response to this: "There's a lot more out there than just what's shown on the wiki!" I'd just like to express a bit of skepticism. I applied to a bunch of jobs--almost everything I was eligible for in the JFP, along with some stuff from the chronicle of higher ed, and the philjobs site. While I'm not sure that literally every job I applied for is listed on the wiki, I am sure that every job I am excited about is listed on the wiki. If there were a lot of attractive jobs that weren't listed there, I'd be surprised.
- December 19, 2011 at 9:18 PM


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Today we profile a unique literary gathering, AquaPhone Festival, that takes place on both banks of the Danube. It not only features literature from Hungary and Slovakia but also acts as a cultural bridge between the nations that have been isolated from each other's shared histories by totalitarian rule. It serves as a powerful symbol against the rising tide of xenophobia, as a conversation with Karol Frühauf reveals.
it could be done by us just shouting
just talking to each other over the water
and not by me going over to you by boat
you going angling? I'd shout into the wind
and your voice would echo across the water
no! I'm going angling! oh, right! I'd shout
all right I thought you're going angling
— From 'Modalities of Crossing' by Dániel Varró, translated from the Hungarian by Peter Sherwood
From the southwestern part of the Danubian Hills, poetry drifts above the waves of the Danube. Lines of verse bounce from one side of the river to the other, hard on each other's tails yet in accord, dissolving in the air.
lehetne az is hogy csak kiabálunk
hogy csak beszélgetünk a víz fölött
és nem megyek át hozzád ladikon
horgászni mész? kiáltanám a szélbe
és hangod visszaringna a vizen
nem! horgászni megyek! ja! kiabálnám
ja jól van azt hittem horgászni mész!
— From 'az átkelés módozatai' by Dániel Varró
Someone is reciting poetry. It takes a while for the words, carried by sound waves, to cross the river. This is how poetry behaves when a poem is recited aloud above a river. The author of this year's poem, "Modalities of Crossing," is the wonderful Hungarian poet and children's writer, Dániel Varró.
dá sa aj tak že si len zakričíme
len si nad vodou pohovoríme
a neprejdem za tebou cez lávku
ideš na rybačku? volal by som do vetra
a tvoj hlas by sa na vode prihojdal
nie! idem na rybačku! aha! volal by som
aha dobre myslel som že na rybačku!
— From 'možnosti prepravy' by Dániel Varró, translated from the Hungarian into Slovak by Eva Andrejčáková
Varró's poem is read out in several languages: first in Hungarian (the poet's native tongue), then in Slovak, and finally in German. You have to wait patiently for the lines to reach you from the far shore before you can send your version back by the same route. The extraordinary dialogue is accompanied by live cello, saxophone, and clarinet. There is no wind, the June sunshine is reflected in the water, bathing the majestic domes of the basilica in the distance in its soft light. This is what the AquaPhone festival is like.


text:
#1 The Behghazi Lie - A Timeline of Events
- Join Date
- Apr 2005
- Location
- Bavaria
- Posts
- 9,152
April 5, 2011: Special envoy Christopher Stevens arrives in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to forge ties with the forces battling Moammar Gadhafi. President Obama appoints him as ambassador to Libya on May 22, 2012.
March, 2012: State Department Regional Security Officer Eric Nordstrom sends a cable to Washington asking for additional diplomatic security agents for Benghazi, later says he received no response. He does so again in July, with the same result.
April 6: Two fired Libyan security guards throw an IED over the consulate fence.
May 22: An Islamist attack on the Red Cross office in Benghazi is followed by a Facebook post that warns now we are preparing a message for the Americans. Another Facebook posting a month later highlights Stevens daily runs in Tripoli in an apparent threat.
June 6: Unknown assailants blow a hole in the consulates north gate described by a witness as big enough for 40 men to go through. Four days later, the British ambassadors car is ambushed by militants with a rocket-propelled grenade.
July: Anti-Islam video Innocence of Muslims posted on You Tube.
Aug. 14: SST team leaves Libya. Team leader Lt. Col. Andy Wood has testified that Stevens wanted them to stay on.
In the weeks before Sept. 11, Libyan security guards are reportedly warned by family members of an impending attack. On Sept. 8, the Libyan militia tasked with protecting the consulate warns U.S. diplomats that the security situation is frightening.
Sept. 10: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri calls on Libyans to avenge the death of his Libyan deputy, Abu Yahya al Libi, killed in a June drone strike in Pakistan.
Sept. 11: Protesters converge on the U.S. embassy in Cairo, scale its walls and replace the U.S. flag with the Islamist banner. The protests eventually spread to 20 countries around the world. That night, Republican candidate Mitt Romney criticizes an embassy statement denouncing the video before the events unfolding in Libya are known to the world. Late that night, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says in a statement that some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet.
Sept. 12: Media outlets report that Stevens and three other Americans have been killed in an attack by well-armed militants. Obama denounces an outrageous and shocking attack without mentioning the video or terrorism. Reuters reports for the first time that some administration officials believe the assault bears the hallmarks of an organized attack.
Sept. 13: White House spokesman Jay Carney says the protests were seeing around the region are in reaction to this movie.
Sept. 14: Carney says the administration had no actionable intelligence about a pending attack.
Sept. 16: Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, does the rounds on the Sunday talk shows and says the video is the proximate cause of the assault in Benghazi. Our current best assessment, based on the information that we have at present, is that, in fact, what this began as, it was a spontaneous not a premeditated response to what had transpired in Cairo, Rice tells ABC. That same day, interim Libyan president Mohamed Magarief insists on CBS that it was planned, definitely.
Sept. 19: National Counterterrorism Center director Matthew Olsen testifies before the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the assault was a terrorist attack but goes on to call it an opportunistic attack in which armed militants took advantage of an ongoing protest.
Sept. 20: CBS reports that witnesses in Benghazi say there was no protest prior to the armed assault against the consulate. Magarief tells NBC the same thing on Sept. 26. Also on Sept. 20, Obama at a town hall meeting says: What we do know is that the natural protests that arose because of the outrage over the video were used as an excuse by extremists to see if they can also directly harm U.S. interests.
Sept. 21: Clinton says what happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack, highest official until then to say so.
Sept. 25: In his address to the U.N. General Assembly, Obama doesnt mention terrorism but makes repeated references to the video. Asked about Clintons statement on ABCs The View show, the president skirts the issue by saying: Were still doing an investigation, blames extremist militias.
Sept. 27: Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says its clear that there were terrorists who planned that attack.
Oct. 6: In a letter to Senate Republicans demanding an explanation for the shifting rhetoric, Rice lays the blame on the intelligence community, says she relied solely and squarely on the information the intelligence community provided to me and other senior U.S. officials.
Oct. 9: Senior State Department officials for the first time acknowledge that there was never any protest in Benghazi during a background call with reporters. They say linking the attack to the video was not our conclusion, suggesting theyre blaming intelligence officials.
Oct. 10: Lt. Col. Andy Wood and Eric Nordstrom testify at a House oversight committee hearing on security lapses in Libya. They say their requests for more security were denied by their superiors in Washington, testimony confirmed by cables made public by chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).
Oct. 11: During the vice presidential debate, Biden says, We werent told they wanted more security there. He also denies responsibility for the administrations shifting explanation: The intelligence community told us that. As they learned more facts about exactly what happened, they changed their assessment.
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Then there's this:
Col. David Hunt has persuaded me that the attack was followed in real time not merely by the State Department but more than a hundred people in the White House situation room as well as in similar facilities within DoD and intelligence agencies. Logs [would have been] kept noting what officials entered these facilities, when they were notified, what decisions were requested/made, what was said by officials, etc., etc.
Col. Hunt paints this picture based not on direct knowledge but on his extensive knowledge of how these government agencies conduct crisis management operations. Obviously, in a six hour crisis there was plenty of time for all the various crisis management facilities to come on line, something that Col. Hunt depicts as happening pretty much instantly.
This is really creepy..........
" Like Shaking Hands With Dead Fish "
Woods says that shaking President Obamas hands at his sons memorial service was like shaking hands with a dead fish.
It just didnt feel right, he says of his encounter with the commander in chief. And now that its coming out that apparently the White House situation room was watching our people die in real time, as this was happening, Woods says, he wants answers on what happenedand why there was no apparent effort to save his sons life.
Four boxes keep us free: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.
- Join Date
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I heard people say the same thing about Clinton when he visited us in Kuwait in 1994.
10-31-2012, 06:34 PM(snip)
Woods says that shaking President Obamas hands at his sons memorial service was like shaking hands with a dead fish.
It just didnt feel right, he says of his encounter with the commander in chief. And now that its coming out that apparently the White House situation room was watching our people die in real time, as this was happening, Woods says, he wants answers on what happenedand why there was no apparent effort to save his sons life.
Sic Hacer Pace, Para Bellum.
Before you can do things for people, you must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the people!
Okay, I said I wouldn't have been surprised that an attack was spurred by a youtube video, but in all realism, what do some people think happens? A video goes up on the net and suddenly several armed militias, who would otherwise not have been doing anything, get together and knock over an embassy?
I have only one question, to which I'm pretty sure I already know the answer, are we hunting any of the attackers who got away?Allah is a god of peace! That's why all his followers want to commit mass murder.
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- Apr 2005
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- Bavaria
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Thanks tx. It's always good to have things all in one place.Good men sleep peaceably in their beds at night because
rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
Real superheroes don't wear capes. They wear dog tags.
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text:
The Chew: Rachael Ray's Secret Caesar Spaghetti
After 20 or so books and around 12 years on television, there isn't a whole lot that Rachael Ray hasn't told us about her family's traditional dishes. In fact, the only real secrets Rachael even had to share were some shortcomings her family had concerning food: Rachael can't make a cup of coffee to save her life and, somehow, she and her mother always seem to light bread on fire when it's being made. All weaknesses aside, Rachael decided to show us some strengths in other areas featuring flavors she and her family have always favored with her caesar spaghetti recipe.
Rachael Ray's Secret Caesar Spaghetti Recipe
Caesar Spaghetti Ingredients:
- Salt
- 1 pound Spaghetti
- 1/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (plus more for drizzling)
- 6 Anchovy fillets (drained)
- 4 large Garlic cloves (grated or finely chopped)
- 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (eyeball the amount)
- 2 medium heads Escarole (washed)
- 1 Lemon (halved)
- freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg (to taste)
- 2 large Egg yolks
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano
Rachael Ray's Secret Caesar Spaghetti Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, salt the water.
- Add the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente, according to package directions.
- Heads up: you need to reserve about 1 cup of the starchy cooking water just before draining.
- While the pasta is cooking, put a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the extra-virgin olive oil.
- Add the anchovies and cook until they've melted into the oil, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic. Rachael uses a truffle shaver to shred the garlic, because it gets it nice and thin.
- Stir 1 minute then add in Worcestershire – this is to make it taste as much like a caesar salad as possible.
- Shred the escarole and add several handfuls at a time, wilting the greens in the garlic oil.
- Dress the greens with lots of pepper and a little nutmeg, then squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the pan.
- Add the reserved starchy cooking water to the eggs in a small bowl and beat together to temper them.
- Turn off the heat and add the drained pasta and the egg mixture.
- Stir to combine.
- Add half of the cheese and toss vigorously for 1 minute.
- Dress the pasta with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and transfer to a serving dish.
- Pass the remaining cheese at the table


text:
Recent News
May 02, 2014
Bacai Inc. Issues Voluntary Worldwide Recall of LiteFit USA
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services received information regarding a recall of 13165 lot (lot number is found next to the expiration date) of LiteFit USA, to the retail and consumer level.
This product is used as an herbal diet supplement and is packaged in plastic bottles of 30 softgels. Sample analysis by the FDA has revealed that this product contained sibutramine. Risk Statement: Sibutramine is a controlled substance that was removed from the market in October 2010 for safety reasons. The product poses a threat to consumers because sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients and may present a significant risk for patients with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or stroke. This product may also interact, in life-threatening ways, with other medications a consumer may be taking.
Bacai is voluntarily recalling all LiteFit USA distribute by Bacai from June 26, 2013, to March 27, 2014 to the retail and consumer level. To date, Bacai has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall. The affected LiteFit USA lots include the following lot number 13165, Expires: May 2017. LiteFit USA was distributed worldwide to wholesalers, retailers, and through the Internet. Bacai is notifying its distributors and customers by mail and is arranging for return and refunds of all LiteFit USA sold in the U.S. Consumers/distributors/retailers that have product which is being recalled should stop using and return it to the place of purchase.
Consumers with questions regarding this recall can contact Bacai by 714-775-0050 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. PDT.
The full recall can be found at: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm395538.htm?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.


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Betta Aggression Lab
Students in the Ichthyology class at Washington College, taught by Dr. Martin Connaughton, observed and experimented with male Betta fish and their displays of aggression. Students learned the different signs of aggression (opercle expansion, lateral display, approach, fin spreading, etc.) that a male might exhibit in order to intimidate an opposing male, an object outside the tank, or even its own reflection. After observing their behavior, students developed their own experiments to determine the impact of factors such as fish size, fish color, and opercle size on the fish's display of aggression.


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Weekend deadly in Colorado mountains, risk rises with more snow, wind this week
The weekend was tragic in Colorado's high country, and conditions are expected to make things riskier in the next few days. Another round of heavy snow and high winds will roll from the mountains to the plains overnight and Monday morning.
Saturday, Bob Mydans, a 64-year-old assistant U.S. attorney in Denver, died while snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park. This morning on Flattop Mountain in the park, a 54-year-old woman from Estes Park was found unresponsive off a snowshoeing trail. Her name has not been released.
Early this afternoon, a 15-year-old girl from Wellesley, Mass., was killed when she skied into a tree on an expert run at Copper Mountain. Later in the afternoon two people were killed when a plane from Texas went down short of the runway in a snowstorm at Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Hayden.
With several more weeks to go in the snow season, Colorado is at 13 ski- and snowboarding-related deaths. The record, set in 2008, is 17.
With up to 10 inches of snow expected in the northern and central mountains from a low pressure system passing over the state tonight and tomorrow, more people will test the powdery slopes and gorgeous backcountry.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center in Boulder said today that the risk of a slide is "considerable" across most of the state's mountains, except in the northern San Juans, where the risk is rated "high."
"Colder temperatures and moderate winds will generate some tender wind slabs on Monday, which will trend the avalanche danger upward," according to the center's forecast.
With weeks to go before the end of the snow season, Colorado has already exceeded its 10-year average of 5.5 avalanche deaths a year. The state picked up its sixth fatality when 37-year-old Australian Andre Hartlief was killed in an avalanche on Wolf Creek Pass in Mineral County,
The message is clear: be careful.


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Blueberry & coconut pudding
Nutrition and extra info
- Freezable
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal708
- fat52g
- saturates36g
- carbs54g
- sugars36g
- fibre6g
- protein9g
- salt0.68g
- 50g caster sugar
- 50g soft butter
Butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…
- 1 large egg
The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…
- 50g self-raising flour
- 50g desiccated coconut, plus 2 tsp
- 50g crème fraîche, plus extra to serve
- zest and juice 1 lemon
Oval in shape, with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile fruits…
- 180g punnet of blueberries
Blueberries are one of the few edibles native to North America and credited with being…
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Beat the sugar and butter until pale and creamy, then beat in the egg. Stir in the flour, coconut, crème fraîche and lemon zest.
Put most of the blueberries in a baking dish (about 18cm square-ish) and squeeze over the juice from half the lemon. Dollop on the cake mixture and scatter over the remaining blueberries and 2 tsp coconut. Bake for 35-40 mins until golden, risen and the sponge is cooked. Serve with a dollop more crème fraîche.


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Frederick the Great
Frederick Friedrich Frederica Wilhelm Hohenzollern also known as Frédéric, Fred 2, F Da G, and Old Fritz was the most famous ruler of Prussia, the second most famous being Gordon Brown. He was born in 1712 in Berlin. His father, Fred Friedrich Freddie Wilhelm I, was King of Prussia and East Anglia, and probably suffered from Mad Cowbell Disease. His mother was Sophia, the sister of a George.
Early life[edit]
Young Fred spent most of his childhood trying to keep out of the way of his angry father, who may have contracted the aforementioned Mad Cowbell Disease when he slaughtered and ate a cow which had been sent to him by Margaret Thatcher as a present for his 13th birthday. Frederick would secretly meet his tutors in a barn which he had assembled himself from a kit from IKEA, some firewood and that brown plasticene you get in primary school. Angry King Fred I did not approve of his son learning French, Latin and how to play the flute. Fred I thought that everyone should be in the Prussian army, unless they were the enemy, which in 18th century Prussia comprised Austria, John Major, Terry Wogan and a long-horned merino sheep. Frederick's tutors became used to hiding in wheelie bins upon the approach of king Fred I. Eventually Frederick and his 2 friends, Hello Kitty and someone named Keith, decided to do a runner to Milton Keynes whereupon they planned to steal one of the concrete cows and post it to the king back in Prussia, in the hope that he would eat it and ultimately die. However, the plan went wrong when the Sat-Nav on the cart horse failed due to the horse being startled by David Icke standing in the middle of a cornfield waving his arms about like a windmill, shouting "This isn't Wiltshire!" The horse then stampeded through the wall of a defunct rhubarb warehouse, in which a rave was taking place, where the tyrant king was high on Smarties after eating 80 blue ones and dancing to Belgian psychedelic trance. This escapade ended badly for Hello Kitty who was then drugged by Fred I with his remaining 3 blue Smarties, locked in David Icke's time machine and transported to the year 2012, whereupon he found himself in Peterborough as a BSM driving instructor. It is not known what fate befell Keith, although there is a rumour that he sailed to Cornwall, invented the Prussian pasty (ingredients: turnip, ox, mashed potato and a lot of tokay) and became the ancestor of John Prescott.
Life in Prussian Army[edit]
When King Fred I died after being bitten by a hedgehog that was in a blue-Smarties induced rage, Frederick became Ruler of Prussia and immediately sacked the entire army which consisted of men who were 7 foot tall and wore thermal underpants, woolly hats and nothing else. He then enlisted all the staff of ASDA who were too short to reach the pickled vegetable shelf, Nicholas Parsons and some bloke from daytime tv. Frederick II then led his forces to invade Iceland, which should have been Silesia but Nicholas Parsons was holding the map upside-down. After conquering Iceland and looting all the frozen sausage rolls and chocolate fudge gateaux, our Fred then thought about invading the Orkney Islands but was scared off by tales of giant mutant longhorn sheep and Gordon Brown wandering about in a kilt, who at a full moon would transmogrify into an 11-foot tall Teletubby with 6 antennae that could pick up any station except Yorkshire.
Next, Frederick led his army - which had now been joined by 14 members of So Solid Crew, Bill Oddie and Orville the Annoying Green Duck - to the unchartered territory known as East Anglia. Frederick did much to improve East Anglia, such as opening 9,438 fish & chip shops (our Fred being a big fan of the potato); digging a large hole in the middle of Norfolk to stop flooding, and teaching the locals how to read.
Fred needed more recruits for his army after 3 members of So Solid Crew got eaten by a rogue wild boar, and Bill Oddie, driven potty by eating far too much horseradish, thought that he was a spoonbill and proceeded to build a nest on top of a mobile phone mast near Blakeney Point. He sent his remaining forces out to capture anyone who was under the age of 104 and didn't smell like 500 pairs of unwashed socks. This was not very successful, as the only people to meet these requirements were a silent order of monks and a 3-month-old baby. Undeterred, Frederick then led his forces onto Holland, sailing there in a longboat and an inflatable dinghy, where he then ordered that all the windmills be used to generate energy for a new industrial-sized potato shredder, whereupon the potato would be turned into Smash and packaged by robots from the planet Nibiru.
Friendship With Voltaire[edit]
Upon returning to Berlin, Frederick was surprised to see a tramp sleeping on a bench in his Potsdam palace garden. The tramp identified himself as none other than Voltaire, who had been thrown out of his home in Paris by his wife after spending most nights at a Ministry of Sound nightclub dancing with George Michael and Anne Widdecombe. Frederick invited Voltaire to stay at his palace "for a few weeks" which actually turned into 10 years. Frederick and Voltaire spent much of their spare time composing drum & bass tracks, Frederick working on the musical parts by using 2 dustbin lids, an Alpine Horn and a sitar, with Voltaire doing the vocals. The constant howling of Frederick's Italian Greyhounds, and his cat, Katte II, attracted the attention of passers-by, so he and Voltaire's drum 'n' bass set was soon joined by Johann Sebastian Bach on the vuvuzela and Osama bin Laden on the triangle.
Argument With Voltaire[edit]
Constant vibrations from the loud music began to destroy some of the rococo decorations in the palace. One day while Frederick was outside polishing his late father's collection of Margaret Thatcher figurines, Voltaire set to work replacing the broken rococo with Shredded Wheat and banana peel. Frederick did not notice until about 2 weeks later, when there was a strange smell emanating from the ceiling of his dining hall. He then banished Voltaire to the cowshed. However, he let Voltaire back in after he stood under Frederick's bedroom window at 2am singing Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do", accompanied by Osama on the triangle and Katte II's caterwauling.
Punch-up with Voltaire[edit]
Voltaire was somewhat older than our Fred, and Fred was not too happy at having to cut Voltaire's toenails with a sword, help him walk to the toilet at the other side of the palace, and push him in a wheelchair to his Wednesday evening club for geriatric Enlightenment philosophers. One evening when Frederick went to collect Voltaire from his evening shenanigans, Voltaire was disco-dancing to the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" with Frederick's childhood friend, Hello Kitty's, 128 year old granny. This proved to be too much for Frederick, who promptly punched Voltaire so hard that his superglued wig fell off onto a lit candle and the building burnt down. Frederick then had to host the Geriatric Enlightenment Philosophers' club in his palace, often the din being so loud that Frederick would retreat to the wine cellar with his ipod nano.
Some Other Stuff[edit]
Frederick was married for about 8 minutes to Nora Batty, on the orders of his despot father. She then went to live in a log cabin in the Black Forest. When he wasn't punching philosophers and invading small countries, Frederick spent his time hoping that David Icke would return in his time machine and take Frederick with him to the 21st Century, so he could be re-united with Hello Kitty. It is not known if he ever achieved his goal, although some historians point to the "FRED WOZ 'ERE' graffiti on the outer wall of the Peterborough BSM offices as proof that he did indeed travel in time, although presumably to a year earlier than 2012. This may have been because David Icke was worried about letting the Illuminati Reptilians take over the world while he was stuck in a traffic jam in Peterborough.
- Frederick was inspired to invent the daisy-wheel printer after Voltaire got his wig caught in a mangle
- He also invented the sink plunger after Voltaire got his hand stuck in a jam jar of 5 thaler coins
- One of his favourite foods was bacon and chilli flavour Pot Noodle


text:
Musical preparation:
Bohumil Gregor
Stage director: Marián Chudovský
Sets and Costumes: Adolf Born
Chorus preparation: Milan Malý
Chorus master: Pavel Vaněk
Choreography: Daniel Wiesner
National Theatre Orchestra
National Theatre Chorus
Ballet of the National Theatre Opera
Antonín Dvořák's two most successful operas, The Devil and Kate, and Rusalka, are based on fairy-tale motifs. Blending folk and humorous with lyrical and fantasy elements is one of the typical (and still very popular) traits of Czech dramatic creation. The theme of this charming fairy-tale opera is taken over from Božena Němcová's folk tale of the same name about the brazen and fearless Kate, the wily shepherd Jirka and the duped devil Marbuel. Dvořák created a masterly patchwork of contrasting scenes – folksy, breezy, fiendishly fervent and courtly noble. Owing to the inspired invention with musical motifs and orchestra instrumentation, The Devil and Kate is a thoroughly original work from beginning to end, one that surpasses Dvořák's previous operas in many respects. Adolf Born's exquisite sets and costumes bear the hallmark of this original and popular artist.
The opera is staged in Czech original version and English subtitles are used in the performance.
Approximate running time, including intermissions:
2 hours, 45 minutes, two 20-minute intermissions
Premiere: September 21, 2003
Photo: Hana Smejkalová


text:
New Mexico Genealogical Society
50th Anniversary Conference
October 15-16, 2010
Marriott Pyramid North
515 San Francisco Road NE
Albuquerque, NM
Save by registering early!
- Affordable conference registration!
- Affordable banquet!
- Exceptional speakers, speaking on local genealogy and history:
* Paul Hutton
* Al Regensberg
* Robert J. Torrez
* Richard Melzer
* Rick Hendrix
- Nationally recognized speakers such as:
* Krysten Baca of Ancestry.com
* Jim Greene of FamilySearch.org
* Bennett Greenspan, President of FamilyTreeDNA
- Network with genealogists from around the state and around the country!
- Visit the Land of Enchantment!
For more information, click on this link: www.nmgs.org


text:
HerbalGram 72 includes articles on Medicinal Plants of Montenegro; Echinacea Morphology, Molecular Systematics and Phytochemistry; Stinging Nettle and Saw Palmetto for Prostate Health; Herbal Medicines for Low Back Pain; and more.
American Botanical Council, 6200 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78723 Phone: 512-926-4900 | Fax: 512-926-2345 | Email: email@example.com
The information on this site is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional. The American Botanical Council does not endorse or test products, nor does it verify the content or claims made, either implicit or explicit. ABC does not accept responsibility for the consequences of the use of this information or its most up-to-date accuracy. ABC is an independent, nonprofit, tax-exempt research and education organization under IRS section 501(c)(3). All text, images and content Copyright © 2016 American Botanical Council, unless otherwise noted.


text:
paragraphAbout Foxtons
Whether you're a tenant searching for a home to rent or a landlord with a property to let, getting the right estate agent to help you through the process is one of the keys to success.
Here are just some of the reasons why you should demand more from your estate agent and choose Foxtons:
· Your home is unmissable. All of our properties are listed on four leading websites and in over 60 interconnected offices across London and the Home Counties. That's more than any other London agent - and means we connect more tenants with homes than anyone else.
· Your team of specialists. A team of local experts is on hand to help you all the way through the letting and renting process. From expert valuers, agents for viewings and dedicated property managers, you'll get the support you need - all as standard.
· Feel in total control. We're here to make your life easier. Renters can save their favourite properties online and get alerted when similar properties become available before everyone else. And landlords can see how many people have viewed their property, accept or reject offers and sign important documents online, all in real time.
· You deserve the very best estate agent. More than 2,500 of our customers have given us a five-star rating on Trustpilot, so you can trust us to do an outstanding job.
Check out our available properties
You can see the properties we're currently marketing for rent by clicking the button below:View properties


text:
A guy from Thailand is selling his collection of Final Fantasy games. Normally, not so big a deal, but this isn't your average collection, since it includes over 70 titles.
eBay seller undkodlor is offloading Final Fantasy games from the Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, DS, PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, GameCube, Wii, Xbox 360, PC, mobile phones and even the rare Final Fantasy game on the MSX. There is also some other stuff like soundtracks and calendars going out the door.
Among that haul are some very limited editions and bonus offers, including one of my personal favourite consoles, the white GameCube released for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.
Before anyone says "that's still not worth $US15,000", remember: something is worth what somebody else is willing to pay for it. And there's no telling how many rich kids, rap stars or pro athletes have both a Final Fantasy itch and a spare $US15,000 lying around...
Final Fantasy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Collections [eBay, via Game Swag]


text:
Blue Whale
Blue Whale
10x10 This is a Giclee print, which is a high quality, professionally printed reproduction of my original art. It is printed with archival quality pigment-based inks on archival quality rag paper. This print is available in a variety of sizes. Please contact me for pricing.
Add To Cart


text:
Over the past three decades, Bernard Tapie has periodically hit the headlines in France in roles ranging from working-class hero to capitalist villain. A self-made businessman with a square jaw and sharp tongue, Tapie was already a national figure in 1992 when President François Mitterrand made him a government minister. Three years later he was in disgrace, stripped of political office and jailed for several months after being convicted of rigging a soccer match involving the Marseille club he owned.
Tapie, 70, is in the headlines once again, and as usual, he has come to personify a French obsession. This time, it's not about sport or class or political swagger, but about the internal workings of government, and in particular the clubby and opaque nature of decisionmaking at the highest echelons of the state.
At issue is a 2008 arbitration proceeding that awarded Tapie €403 million ($526 million) in compensation for a dispute with the former state-owned bank Crédit Lyonnais. Prosecutors say the arbitration was rigged against the state and in Tapie's favor and have brought fraud charges against a number of those allegedly involved, including Stéphane Richard, the current CEO of France Télécom. At the time, Richard was the chief of staff of Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, the current managing director of the International Monetary Fund. (Lagarde has been questioned in connection with the case but not charged; Richard denies wrongdoing.)
(MORE: What's Europe Got Against Google? France Threatens Fines Over Privacy)
Tapie himself was released from custody on June 28 after four grueling days of questioning by magistrates. He was formally charged with fraud later in the day. He had collapsed on the first day of questioning and spent the week giving depositions from a bed in the Hôtel Dieu hospital near the Palace of Justice. He has defended himself vigorously, going so far as to publish a book on June 27, which is a lengthy description of his version of events — and strenuous denial of any wrongdoing. "No, I didn't steal the money that was attributed to me! No, I didn't receive any beneficial treatment!" he writes.
This new Tapie affair is taking place at a time when several other long-running political-corruption scandals are reaching a climax, and just as the government of President François Hollande is putting in place a slew of legislative measures designed to clean up public life. Among other changes: creating a new government agency that will oversee matters of political transparency, monitoring and vetting members of Parliament and other elected officials who will be required to submit declarations of their assets. However, after a revolt by members of Parliament on June 25, these declarations will not be made public; they will only be accessible to the staff of the new agency, a change of plan that has been roundly criticized, including by Transparency International. The legislation still needs to pass the French Senate.
France has lagged behind many other European countries and the U.S. in its efforts to control conflicts of interest and shine a public light on political dealings. While the nation has an array of penalties for criminal wrongdoing of politicians and civil servants, it has so far paid less attention to prevention of conflicts, according to a 2010 government commission that suggested a number of remedies that form the core provisions of the new legislation. But France is also different from many other countries in that the top echelons of government and business are dominated by graduates of just two prestigious but very small graduate colleges, the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale d'Administration, both of which were set up to educate the nation's ruling elite. Fewer than 500 young men and women graduate from these two schools each year, but they go on to hold many of the top positions in both government and the business world. Already back in the 1960s, an American business professor, David Granick, noted in a comparative study the "amazing" degree to which old school ties played a determining role in French society. The result is a series of closed networks that tend to make government decisions relatively opaque.
Richard of France Télécom is a product of this system, as are several of those implicated in one of the other long-running party-financing scandals, involving a Lebanese businessman, Ziad Takieddine, who confessed to prosecutors that he illegally funded the presidential campaign of former Prime Minister Édouard Balladur in 1995 using kickbacks from arms contracts he had helped to negotiate with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, according to testimony published by Le Monde on June 26.
Tapie himself frequently rails against this system, positioning himself as the little guy taking on the entrenched powers, a sort of latter-day Robin Hood, French-style. "I was robbed by the 'big guys,' the rich and the powerful, and in the end I made them pay back," he writes in his book, Un Scandale d'Etat, Oui! Mais Pas Celui Qu'ils Vous Racontent (Yes, It's a State Scandal, but Not the One They're Telling You).
(MORE: The Anglo Invasion: France Debates Teaching Courses in English)
The controversy is an old one, dating back to 1983 when Tapie sold Adidas, the sportswear manufacturer, to Crédit Lyonnais. Tapie alleges that Crédit Lyonnais tricked him over the price and then went on to sell Adidas to another buyer for twice what it paid him. That version of events is strongly contested by former senior Crédit Lyonnais officials, including Jean Peyrelevade, who was chairman of the bank from 1993 to 2003. According to widespread leaks in the French press, prosecutors have been focusing on why the case went to arbitration at all and whether that arbitration was rigged. Peyrelevade, for one, has characterized the arbitration proceedings as "a gigantic manipulation." Tapie writes in his book that he believes the ulterior motive of the critics of the arbitration is political, an attempt to attack Nicolas Sarkozy, who was then President and who met with Tapie on several occasions at the time. Tapie started his political career on the left but switched allegiance to Sarkozy in 2007, and remains loyal to him.
Whatever the outcome of the case, the Tapie affair has brought to light a number of apparent anomalies. Several of the participants in the arbitration hearing who were supposed to be neutral turned out to have had some prior relationship to Tapie that they allegedly didn't declare. They include Pierre Estoup, the principal arbitrator, who has been charged with fraud.
It remains to be seen how long it will take for the Tapie case to come to trial. One thing is certain: the combative entrepreneur is a street fighter who is still scrapping for a fight, even from his hospital bed. The bigger question is whether the long drawn-out affair will help push French politics into a more transparent future.
MORE: The G-8 Clamps Down on Tax Evasion, but Critics Say Plan Falls Short


text:
Calendar | Community
| Family & Friends in the Armed Forces
| Milestones
Community Action |
Humane Society | YMCA
60th anniversary
James and Margaret Blane
Send a link to a friend
[April 14, 2014] SAN
James and Margaret Blane are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.
They were married April 18, 1954, in Mason City.
They are the
parents of Sandy and Jeffery (and Diana) Blane, grandparents to
Brianne (and Adam) Cozart and Danielle Blane, and
great-grandparents of Paxton Cozart.
Their children request a card shower in honor of this
monumental occasion. Greetings may be sent to the couple at P.O.
Box 184, San Jose, IL 62682.
forms are available online! Print out yours, fill it out,
bring it or send it in to
Lincoln Daily News. We welcome your
pictures, black-and-white as well as color. This free
service is extended to all of our readers. Your announcement will
be posted online. Anyone, anywhere can read it! Aunt Betty in
Florida, Uncle Bob in Alaska and Cousin Frank in Fiji can read your announcement in Lincoln Daily News!
here for the engagement announcement form.]
here for the wedding announcement form.]
here for the anniversary announcement form.]
here for the birth announcement form.]
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text:
Drill Sergeant Mindstrong
Nintendo weekly releases – Mini Golf, The Living Planet
Nintendo has sent over its list of downloads for the week, and it includes a Golf, cutting paper, experiments, and mind games. Sounds like a normal Saturday night down at the local doesn't it? WiiWare gets three games this week and Virtual Console gets SimEarth: The Living Planet. DSiWare gets BoxLife. Here's the list: Drill […]
Drill Sergeant Mindstrong headlines
Drill Sergeant Mindstrong latest


text:
This time of the year is notoriously known for ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and the SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV. This year Cometic took part in assisting AccuAir Suspenison in the build of a Subaru STi that is currently on display just out front of the central hall. Cometic is displaying in booth #20346, stop by and ask them about the quality parts used in this awesome build! Here are a couple shots of the car and below is a little note from Keith Ozzimo of AccuAir Suspension: "Good Afternoon,
Here are a few quick cell phone photos of our SEMA vehicle! If you are at the show this week, be sure to stop by our booth (21355) and check out our widebody Audi. The Subaru is located directly out front of the central hall, and to the right of the giant Car Crazy booth if you would like to take any photos. Otherwise, I will be providing everyone with high resolution photos we have taken, as well as a video link once we return from Vegas. The Subaru was also filmed and photographed by the SEMA video crew as we entered the show for their YouTube and webpage video, so I will forward the link as soon as it is available to me.
We can't wait to kick off the new 2013 season & put our STI to the test - and we greatly appreciate all of the support up to this point! My hope is that our product feature video will completely exceed your expectations this year! I will be sure to keep everyone updated on any progress, events and car show exposure!
Thanks again for all of your contributions!
-Keith Ozzimo"
Here is a video to learn more about AccuAir Suspension:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mmd_eHYmMY


text:
Brikesh Singh has now spent almost three weeks in the tree-house in the forest and in support of his protest activists in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore have climbed and occupied trees. In Delhi, the activists climbed trees outside the Union Coal Minister's office and stayed on the trees for the entire day. All these activities have one purpose- protecting our forests from being destroyed for coal. Brikesh is inspired by all the support from individuals signing the petition.
Greenpeace activist Brikesh Singh lived in a tree on the the fringes of Tadoba-Andhari forest for one month and also became a CNN IBN citizen journalist during this time.
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