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Catchings scores 18 as Fever beat Storm, 71-63
Jun 30, 2013, 6:33 PM | Updated: Jul 1, 2013, 1:50 pm
By KAREEM COPELAND
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Tamika Catchings scored 18 points and the defending champion Indiana Fever pulled away in the fourth quarter and beat the Seattle Storm 71-63 on Sunday night.
Shavonte Zellous had 14 points, Karima Christmas scored 12 and Jessica Breland added career-highs of 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the Fever (3-7) win their second straight.
"That was a great team win. A great effort," Catchings said. "I think everybody did a really good job stepping up tonight. Our defense was definitely better in the second half. We did a much better job taking care of the ball and executing offensively."
Zellous' 3-pointer with less than a second left in the third quarter tied the score at 50-all. Indiana then opened the fourth with a 10-2 run to take an eight-point lead with 6:43 remaining. Seattle got no closer than four the rest of the way. Breland and Zellous had four points each during the spurt as Seattle shot 0 for 3 from the field with a turnover during its dry spell.
Indiana's Briann January was hit in the head in the first quarter and left the game. She played the entire second quarter, but was evaluated by doctors at halftime and did not return due to a concussion. January is the seventh player to miss time for the Fever. Six of the team's top seven scorers from 2012 have missed stretches due to injury.
"I've never experienced a season with so many injuries," Fever coach Lin Dunn said. "I've also never experienced a season where so many other people decided to step up.
"What we're trying to prove is that we're not through. Just because we're hurt doesn't mean we're through playing."
With January out, Dunn moved Catchings from power forward to point guard and everyone else adjusted.
"I told (Briann) don't ever leave me out there like that again," Catchings said. "You have a newfound respect for point guards when you have to play it. … You're the quarterback of the whole thing and you get tired fast."
The Fever were a franchise-best 18 for 18 on free throws.
Shekinna Stricklen scored 11 points for the Storm (4-6) while Tina Thompson added nine in her final regular-season trip to Indianapolis. Seattle has lost three in a row.
"Overall we hustled pretty well and moved the ball," Stricklen said. "We got killed on second chance points. They out rebounded us. We got good shots, they just didn't fall."
The Fever picked up their defense in the final period and limited the Storm to 36.4 percent shooting from the field. Indiana won the rebounding contest 34-22, including 12 on the offensive end.
"Indiana hurt us on the offensive boards," Storm coach Brian Agler said. "The offensive boards hurt us and 20 turnovers."
The Fever sprinted out to a 17-4 lead in the first quarter thanks to a pair of 3-pointers and a four-point play by January. The Storm then answered with a 10-0 run after January was hit in the head and left the game at the 4:18 mark of the first quarter.
"It's nothing really new to us anymore," Breland said. "We can sit around and cry about it, but that's not going to help. … We're learning how to overcome stuff like that."
Seattle grabbed its first lead in a physical game with 2:09 left in the second quarter, but neither team pulled away until Indiana in the fourth.
Fever rookie Layshia Clarendon returned from a two-game absence due to a left hip contusion, but doctors limited her minutes.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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South African Journal of Education
On-line version ISSN 2076-3433
Print version ISSN 0256-0100
S. Afr. j. educ. vol.28 n.4 Pretoria Nov. 2008
The impact of role reversal in representational practices in history textbooks after Apartheid
Alta Engelbrecht
History became a mere sub-section in the broad category of social sciences in the (then) new Curriculum 2005, significantly diluting it as a school subject. Yet the rewriting of South African history textbooks after the seminal democratic elections in South Africa during 1994 became a tool to counter the Apartheid stereotypes, previously loaded with strong cultural and political content. The focus during the past 10-12 years in South African historiography, on the reversal of the colonial portrayal of Africans, has resulted in the de-mystification of Eurocentrism in textbooks. New myths and new silences were re-instated and ensured that again only one voice is dominant the voice of black South Africans. Multi-perspectivity, one of the non-negotiable pillars of post-modern historiography, is being disregarded in a country attempting to write a sound report of its past. In this article I address the extent to which white and black role reversal is reflected in representational practices in current South African historiography perspectives. A research group of six academics examined the illustrative material of nine series Grades 4-6 primary school history textbooks to identify the extent of racial representation. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted. Of all the illustrations in the textbooks, 15% depicted whites, 50% blacks, and 35% blacks and whites together. The qualitative findings suggest that so-called 'white history' is marginalized in the exemplars. White role models are downplayed and portrayed only as peripheral figures, making their race indistinct. The "butterscotch-effect" (the light colouring of faces) contributes to the fact that there are no racially marked identities. Learners will therefore have difficulty in identifying with the characters and narrators, especially since attempts to portray multi-perspectivity were found in only two textbooks. The data suggest that Afrikaner nationalist views are being replaced by African nationalist views and that history is again serving an ideological objective by striving to establish a single, simplistic perspective on the past.
"History, despite its wrenching pain,
cannot be unlived, and if faced with courage,
need not be lived again."1
History and history textbooks always have been and still are captured between the poles of romanticised views of nations and distorted images of 'the other' (Chernis, 1990; Cole & Barsalou, 2006; Marsden, 2001; Mazabow, 2003). South African historian, Charles van Onselen, describes the history textbook debate as "a playground for ideologues and politicians" (Polakow- Suransky, 2002:3). A clear example of ideological and political influence is the Afrikaner-centred European perspective in history books that during the Apartheid era promoted the positive influence of whites and omitted blacks, who were at the time seen as obstacles in the path of prosperity (Bam, 1993; De Wet, 2001; Van der Steinen, 1997, Weldon, 2006). When we2 started this study, we were convinced that 10 years after the demise of Apartheid South African history textbooks had not nearly accomplished equal representation of blacks and whites. Our assumption was that blacks were still under-represented. After 1994 there was sensitivity and even denial in regard to history, to the extent that "a debate took place among textbook specialists, teachers and parents on whether the past should be taught at all in schools" (Höpken, 2006:21). The importance of history as a subject was diminished when it became diluted in the (then) new Curriculum 2005 as a sub-section of the social sciences learning area (Asmal, 2007; Mazabow, 2003).
To our minds an article was as good as written, and the data would confirm what we already knew. On engaging with the data, however, we realized the rashness of our assumptions. It seemed that although new players had entered the field (of history textbooks) the game had remained unchanged. We started to contemplate whether the broader image of history was again serving an ideological purpose by striving to establish a single, simplistic perspective of the past.
Research focus
It is well established in the literature that under Apartheid the heroic struggle and survival of the white Afrikaner nation formed the core of the South African history curriculum (Asmal, 2007; Bam, 1993; Weldon, 2006). While the impact of history textbooks on social reconstruction in South Africa (SA) has been assessed by many scholars (Asmal & James, 2001; Dryden-Peterson & Siebörger, 2006; Mazabow, 2003), a reletavely new perspective (Cole & Barsalou, 2006:2) is that after violent conflict history education is usually burdened with many expectations, but "rarely examined for factual contradictions or tested against reality". As part of the ongoing debate on representation in textbooks in SA, we attempted to explicate the ideological change in the collective historical conscience of South Africans since the demise of Apartheid. We use a post-modern theoretical perspective to gauge the extent of white and black role reversal in representational practices, as reflected in current South African historiography perspectives.
In the literature review we compare the historical tradition in South Africa during the Apartheid era to history debates during the past 10-12 years to gain an understanding of the current role of history (and history textbooks) in the new post-Apartheid curriculum and we explain how the research group analysed the illustrations in various series of recently published South Africa primary school history textbooks in order to determine the representational realities.
Conceptual framework
Critical theorists agree that textbooks are socio-cultural agents of formal and hidden curricula (Apple & Christian-Smith, 1991; Giroux, 1981; Jansen, 1997). Bourdillon (1992:19) states: "If knowledge is power, then those that control it, are particularly mighty", yet no report on the past can ever be a single truth it is always only a selective narrative of what happened (Cole & Barsalou, 2006; Dryden-Peterson & Siebörger, 2006; Van der Steinen, 1997). Chase (1996:1) explains:
Historians aspire to tell the truth, without ever believing that they will do so. They are conscious that the evidential base is fallible and deficient, and that their use of it is necessarily selective. However successful their efforts at empathy and sympathetic reconstruction, historians freely acknowledge that their viewpoint is rooted not in the past but in the present.
As a result of distaste for 'grand narratives' many post-modern historiography researchers agree on two matters. Firstly, rewriting history always carries the risk of spreading ideology and thus creating a negative history that can be misused to achieve an exclusive identity (Laspina, 2003; Roberts-Schweitzer, 2006; Sierens, 2000); and secondly, multi-perspectivity in textbooks enables learners to identify with the social worlds represented in such textbooks and at the same time allows them to counter selective perceptions, values and stereotypes (Cole & Barsalou, 2006; Laspina, 2003; McCinney, 2005).
Cole and Barsalou, (2006) warn that history taught in schools in a country that has experienced conflict, is highly susceptible to simplified and biased presentation, but can also enhance social reconstruction, as long as social trust is recreated on the most basic levels. According to Cole and Barsalou, (2006:1) "approaches that emphasize students' critical thinking skills and expose them to multiple historical narratives can reinforce democratic and peaceful tendencies in transitional societies emerging from violent conflict". Mazabow (2003:242), relies on the definition of 'historical consciousness' (formulated by Rüsen in 1993) which entails the "complex, constantly changing correlation between interpretation of the past, perception of the present reality and future expectations" and regards multi-perspectivity as the primary determining element in the educational value of the subject History in a democratic SA.
'Knowledge control' in post-modern historiography is therefore ambiguous. On the one hand the marginalized are encouraged to "empower themselves to transform the present" (Bam 1993:44), and on the other a skills-based multi-perspective dialogue is deliberately sought (Cole & Barsalou, 2006; Dryden-Peterson & Siebörger, 2006; Laspina, 2003). Consequently data analysis and interpretation are also interwoven in this polarisation. We take on cognizance of multi-perspectivity and stereotyping as embedded opposite extremes in post-modern historiography in the interrogation of the data. We attempt to contribute to the literature by investigating whether the focus on Africanisation neutralizes multi-perspectivity in post-history textbooks and, as a result, enforces new stereotypes.
Literature review
Three phases can be distinguished in the SA historiography of the past 10-12 years. The first phase started when 'History from below', as social historiography of the 'ordinary man', replaced the Rankean approach in an attempt to offer different perspectives of the same history (Dryden-Peterson & Siebörger, 2006), i.e. the past was studied as a network of stories through which people gave meaning to their existence, rather than attempting to pinpoint 'the truth' (Bam, 1993; Bundy, 1993; Roberts-Schweitzer, 2006). The so-called History Group, consisting of academics from, among others, the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Cape Town, attempted during the 1980s to move away from nationalist, Rankean historiography (focusing on heroes and historical events) (Van der Steinen, 1997) through which not only were Afrikaner myths created, but the history of the black population was disregarded (Mazabow, 2003; Van der Steinen, 1997). There were also other role players, such as the Education Research Programme of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), who recommended a more critical History that would enable learners to reflect on, evaluate and apply their knowledge (Mazabow, 2003). 'Facing History and Ourselves' (an international organization founded in 1976, delivering classroom strategies and resources) was another role player that assisted a local education project called Shikaya, to help teachers teach new, multicultural civics curricula (Cole & Barsalou, 2006).
The second phase started in the first years after Apartheid was demolished. The sentiment was "It is better not to have history at all than to have that kind of history" (Roberts-Schweitzer, 2006). Through the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), set up by the Government of National Unity in 1995 to help deal with the consequences of Apartheid (Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act, No. 34 of 1995), South Africa underwent literal public therapy in order to de-mythologize her history within herself, resulting in confusion in the South African historical psyche (Cole & Barsalou, 2006; Höpken, 2006). Polakow-Suransky (2002) describes this confusion as follows:
You had a paradoxical situation where a society that was going through a very public ritual about confronting the past was simultaneously abolishing history instruction in its classrooms.
At the same time, the government was criticised for the continued use of history textbooks from the Apartheid era especially in the most impoverished classrooms in South Africa. This was blamed on a lack of funding, but some critics attributed this to an effort to diffuse tension (Polakow-Suransky, 2002).
The third phase started only after the (then new) education minister, Kader Asmal, established a history/archaeology panel to analyse the quality of history teaching and to strengthen the history curriculum. In a speech during which new learning materials were introduced, Asmal (2004:2) set South African history on a new path when he described Apartheid history as the history written by the hunter, and announced that it was now time to hear the history of the lion:
The lion, we have always hoped, will one day have its day The lion will one day rise up and write the history of Africa. We know, very well, the kinds of histories that have been written by the hunter. Those books only serve the hunter's interests We now want to hear the lion's story. We now want to hear the lion's roar.
Asmal's speech provides a directive vision in regard to the future role of history textbooks in South Africa. In the first statement he makes it very clear that the time has come for "the lion's roar" (Asmal, 2004:2), i.e. a process of Africanisation, but he appears to contradict himself:
In our inclusive memory of the South African past, the legacy of leaders such as Paul Kruger or Anton Lembede, belong to all of us. They cannot be owned by any exclusive or sectional interests in our society. They cannot be used to divide us.
There is a discrepancy between Asmal's "inclusive memory" (Asmal, 2004:2) as a goal and the "lion's roar" (Asmal, 2004:2). In an educational context, Africanisation entails replacing the Eurocentric content of the previous curriculum with Africa-related contents (Bundy, 1993; Van der Steinen, 1997). Asmal suggests that African nationalist views and narratives be used to counter Apartheid history, but at the same time he pleads for a synthesized account of the past.
Little has been written on this discrepancy in African historiography (De Wet, 2001; Laspina, 2003; Mazabow, 2003; Pretorius, 2006; Van der Steinen, 1997). According to Bundy (1993), a single African perspective would conceptually lock history into political history, because although it is reactive, thereby rejecting biases, silences and distortions of white supremacist history, it is at the same time characterized by a process of inversion. In this regard Jansen (1989:220) warns that SA should draw heavily on the experiences of other post-colonial states where "change often amounted to exchanging white heroes for black heroes". De Wet (2001) believes that only blacks' views are presented in contemporary South African historiography while whites are severely criticized.
This is supported by Pretorius's (2006:6) view that new stereotypes and untruths emerge in the name of democracy:
With democracy in 1994 there was a need for a new interpretation of the past a democratic interpretation which highlighted the experiences of the different groups more or less affirmative action in history writing. It is important that, in lieu of reconciliation, the pendulum does not swing to the other side. The question is whether the New Big Lie or the New Big Truth is at hand?
The South African nation is as much the product of European intervention as of African tradition (Bundy, 1993; Pretorius, 2006; Van der Steinen, 1997). Dramatically decreasing European content in history textbooks will lead to the elimination of valuable cultural content (De Wet, 2001; Reuter & Döbert, 2002). Representational space for white South Africans should not be confused with moving away from the European model of historiography. Mazabow (2003) warns against letting learners gauge one-sided accounts and over-simplified issues, and encourages them to ask constantly about who has been left out. Laspina (2003) supports an (integrated) West-in-the-Rest, rather than a (separate) West-and-the-Rest approach. The focus now falls on an examination of representational space in the depictions of racial groups in the exemplars.
Research design
The research group examined the illustrative material in nine series of primary school history textbooks on the assumption that the message conveyed by illustrative material is inevitably the message the textbook relays to its readership. Race-patterns portrayed in pictures form part of the reader's active construction of an image of society. Photographs and drawings in textbooks are intended as concrete examples of abstract concepts discussed in the text, and enliven the material, by encouraging students to connect the text to concrete images and features of society (Ferree & Hall, 1990; Homan & Van Praag, 2005).
In South Africa textbooks began playing a reconciliatory role even before Apartheid officially ended in 1994 (Van der Steinen, 1997). For this reason we chose books published from 1987 onward. We chose primary school textbooks for the three reasons emphasized by Cole and Barcelou (2006). In the first place, secondary schools do not treat sensitive issues to the extent that primary schools do. Secondly, there are usually more illustrations in primary school textbooks than in secondary school textbooks. Thirdly, most children in Africa do not continue their education beyond primary school. We limited the data to intermediate phase textbooks because foundation phase textbooks would have been too elementary and senior phase forms part of the secondary school curriculum. We analysed all the series of history textbooks available in our campus library. Two of the sample textbooks were history textbooks combined with other subjects such as geography, entrepreneurship and economics. Four of the nine were complete series (from Grades 4-6), only the Grade 5 and Grade 6 textbooks in one series were available and in four series only the Grade 5 books were available.
All the material in the sample textbooks was coded for race portrayal in terms of the depiction of whites and blacks. We deliberately did not code other races, as we wished to compare the current situation with Apartheid era textbooks when white was the unmodified norm against which to contrast all 'non-whites' (blacks). The coded material was categorized by clustering the different types of texts, e.g. drawings, cartoons, graffiti, maps, photographs, and symbols. This provided a framework for interpreting the data. For instance, considering photographs immediately foregrounds what Stuart Hall calls "truth-value" (1997:82); cartoons imply ridicule or humour and rely on the communication of stereotypes (Lester, 1995; Prosser, 2001), while drawings lend themselves to tokenism, e.g. lightly colouring-in faces (the so-called "butterscotch-technique"), which deliberately makes it difficult for learners to distinguish race.
A quantitative analysis was done of the representation of whites and blacks in the three main visual categories: drawings and sketches, comic strips, and photographs. The coded illustrations were written up in terms of three representational categories: whites, blacks, and blacks and whites depicted together. We then divided the research group members into three working pairs, which examined the categories qualitatively to determine what the illustrations revealed about the 'sense of self' and the 'sense of others'. The first pair examined the textbooks from a technical point of view, considering aspects like layout, use of the butterscotch-technique, and narrators. The second pair investigated the social and cultural tendencies such as the balance between the portrayal of traditional and modern culture, role models and the extent to which learners could identify socially with the illustrations. The third pair determined the representation of race in the books, focusing specifically on colonialism, racism and forms of ethnocentrism. Different checklists, rubrics and criteria were studied and modified to design three tailor-made rubrics for interpreting the material in the sample textbooks according to the principles reflected in contemporary writing on intercultural learning materials. We involved two sets of objective interpreters. Firstly, we used an assistant to check the correctness of the quantitative analysis. Secondly, each of the three pairs examined each other's analysis, which added value to the original data interpretation.
Quantitative findings
Table 1 summarizes the number of white, black, and black and white depictions in the series of textbooks.
A total of 131 (white), 378 (black), and 271 (black and white together) depictions were found in all the textbooks in other words, 15% of all the people depicted were whites, 50% were blacks, and 35% were blacks and whites together. Two interesting tendencies were noted in the quantitative data. Not a single comic strip, photograph or sketch depicting only whites appears in On track with social sciences (Grade 5) (Johannesson et al., 2003; 2004a; 2004b) while illustrations in the book depicting only blacks number 23. In Understanding social sciences (Grade 4) (Reynhardt et al., 2004a) there are no sketches or comic strips depicting only whites in contrast to the 15 that depict only blacks. Only one photograph of a white person appears in Understanding social sciences (Grade 5) (Reynhardt et al., 2004b), i.e. a photograph of Edmund Hillary. Social science matters (Collet et al., 2004) and People in place and time (Ranby, 2001a; 2001b) also contain three times as many representations of blacks than of whites and very few representations of whites and blacks together.
Figure 1 gives a numerical indication of the race representation in the sample. See Appendix for figures.
Qualitative findings
According to the quantitative analysis Looking into the past/Verken die verlede (Clacherty, 1996; Pienaar & Clacherty, 1995; Pienaar et al., 1996a; 1996b), Journeys into human, social, economic and management sciences (Puren et al., 2000; Willemburg & Simpson, 2001; 2002), Pret en presteer: Geskiedenis (Grobler et al., 1996), Saamwerk vir sukses (Duff, 2001) and Shuter's social sciences (Avery et al., 2000) appeared to be the most balanced textbooks in regard to the representation of whites and blacks. On closer inspection it became evident that Journeys into human, social, economic and management sciences (Puren et al., 2000; Willemburg & Simpson, 2001; 2002), Saamwerk vir sukses (Duff, 2001) and Shuter's social sciences (Avery et al., 2000) are in fact not as balanced as we at first believed, as they contain large numbers of butterscotch depictions that influenced the calculation of the number of illustrations. All the characters in Saamwerk vir sukses (Duff, 2001) (even a female British settler) are coloured in (butterscotch), while the narrators in Shuter's social sciences (Avery et al., 2000) are not easily discernable due to the style of the drawings, most of which resemble caricatures, often used in conjunction with the butterscotch effect (Figure 2). Journeys into human, social, economic and management sciences (Puren et al., 2000; Willemburg & Simpson, 2001; 2002) also contains many butterscotch depictions (Figure 3), making it very difficult to distinguish between white and black characters. In this series white people are also shown from behind or in silhouette. This causes the characters to be almost unidentifiable and to appear to be marginal figures rather than main characters.
Only three books seem to be racially 'balanced' while the rest tend to adopt an Africanisation approach. Looking into the past/Verken die verlede (Clacherty, 1996; Pienaar & Clacherty, 1995; Pienaar et al., 1996a; 1996b) and Journeys into human, social, economic and management sciences (Puren et al., 2000; Willemburg and Simpson, 2001; 2002) do not contain the extreme numbers found in Social science matters (Collet et al., 2004) and People in place and time (Ranby, 2001a; 2001b), but contain approximately 50% more illustrations of blacks than of whites.
In On track with social sciences (Johannesson et al., 2003; 2004a; 2004b) there is an interesting phenomenon with regard to illustrations that contain mixed characters. In the 13 (Grade 4) and the 14 (Grade 5) illustrations depicting both races, 27 and 10 whites are depicted, respectively, in contrast to the 54 and 35 blacks.
The covers
From our analysis of the covers it is clear that the expectations created by the covers are not fulfilled in the books and most covers are not at all relevant to the content of the books. Books that were published after the curriculum had been revised in 2002, tend to have geographical rather than historical aspects depicted on their covers.
Expectations in terms of nation-building have not been met in the textbooks under scrutiny. The cover that seems to most successfully promote nation-building is that of Pret en presteer: Geskiedenis (Grobler et al., 1996) (see Figure 4). It contains a picture of former president Nelson Mandela (wearing an ethnic shirt) reading to children of different races. The illustrations inside the book do not echo this cover as they are not stimulating and are of limited variety, with only photographs of places and objects, such as pyramids and dams. The same applies to Social science matters (Collet et al., 2004). Children of all races and a South African flag are depicted, while very few illustrations of people appear inside the book. The cover of Shuter's social sciences (Avery et al., 2000) creates the notion of a racially mixed, colourful book, but the narrators inside are (racially) unidentifiable (see Figure 3) caricatures. The cover of Saamwerk vir sukses (Duff, 2001) (see Figure 5) contains a neutral depiction and appears to be Egyptian or Eastern, whilst critical engagement with the South African situation is evident throughout the book through the use of high quality photographs in ethnic frames. Looking into the past/Verken die verlede (Clacherty, 1996; Pienaar & Clacherty, 1995; Pienaar et al., 1996a; 1996b) (see Figure 6) is the only textbook of which the cover and the content are co-ordinated. The seemingly enthusiastic narrators on the cover become an active part of the 'then and now' in the book, and they often discuss issues or make humorous comments with which learners can identify.
Certain books stand out with regard to enabling learners to identify with the illustrations. The illustrations in Looking into the past/Verken die verlede (Clacherty, 1996; Pienaar & Clacherty, 1995; Pienaar et al., 1996a; 1996b) are by far the most realistic and authentic. There is no butterscotch effect and even the colour nuances are realistic. The sketched characters in the books of all three grades are modern, smiling and dynamic to such an extent that the rainbow nation is effectively portrayed. In the Grade 5 and Grade 6 books the same narrators that appear throughout the books also appear on the covers, so that 35 of the 41 illustrations that depict 'mixed' races, are of narrators (see Figure 6). Stories told by lay people, e.g. Linda Fortuin's recollections of District Six (Pienaar et al., 1996b:130), Wietsie Botes' story about the Great Depression (Pienaar et al., 1996b:140) and Mozane Sestone's story about the Zulu Kingdom (Pienaar et al., 1996b:88), utilize multi-perspectivity, as they focus on the oral tradition of both black and white.
In contrast, we found uninspiring caricatures of narrators in Shuter's social sciences (Avery et al., 2000) (Figure 3) and ubiquitous narrators in Journeys into human, social, economic and management sciences (Puren et al., 2000; Willemburg & Simpson, 2001; 2002) (Figure 2), where the same characters with the same facial expressions create a 'copy and paste' effect throughout the series.
Saamwerk vir sukses (Duff, 2001), Social science matters (Collet et al., 2004) and People in place and time (Ranby, 2001a; 2001b) do not contain narrators. Understanding social sciences (Reynhardt et al., 2004a; 2004b; 2004c), and On track with social sciences (Johannesson et al., 2003; 2004a; 2004b) use interesting, modern and dynamic narrators of all races, although it seems as if a template has been applied. The overall effect is stylized and not authentic.
Role models
The third facet is that of contemporary role models. In the analysis we deliberately disregarded inventors and ancient role models in order to be able to identify present (racially determined) heroes. In Social science matters (Collet et al., 2004) and Pret en presteer: Geskiedenis (Grobler et al., 1996) de-personification, which seems to be a deliberate avoidance technique, is used in the illustrations. Almost no people or role models are shown, only maps and places. Various black role models appear in the remaining books. Depictions of Nelson Mandela appear in almost every book, in some books no fewer than 12 times. In On track with social sciences (Johannesson et al., 2003; 2004a; 2004b) five photographs and eight children's drawings of Mandela are included.
Other black role models from the political arena include Thabo Mbeki, Frene Ginwala, Jacob Zuma, Hector Peterson, Steve Biko, Oliver Tambo, Martin Luther King, Lilian Ngoyi, Yusuf Dadoo and Mohandas Ghandi. Cultural role models are, for instance, the painter Gail Mabasa and in the moral arena, Nkosi Johnson. White role models are limited to four men: erstwhile Springbok rugby captain Francois Pienaar, entrepreneur and billionaire Mark Shuttleworth, former president FW de Klerk and Dr Chris Barnard, who performed the first human heart transplant in 1967. The Grade 6 book contains a large photograph of Hamilton Naki (Figure 7), erstwhile gardener at the Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town, who is said to have been Chris Barnard's main surgical assistant. Naki is depicted as the actual hero behind the scenes although he does not appear on a photograph of the famous heart transplant team in the Grade 4 book (Figure 8).
Colonialism, racism and ethnocentrism
In spite of the few healthy critical photographs dealt with and the multiperspectivity obtained by different narratives of oral history, as discussed, the majority of the illustrative material is one-sided and focuses only on the Africanisation of South Africas history. In most of the history books examined the so-called white history is ignored in the illustrations. For instance, Social science matters (Collet et al., 2004), more than the others, focuses almost exclusively on black farm-, factory-, and city-workers. Van der Steinen (1997) maintains that the new history textbooks portray Africans as actors rather than victims. This is definitely the case in the majority of the textbooks scrutinised: black initiation ceremonies are depicted in photographs and most black people are depicted in professional career roles, while whites are sometimes depicted as unskilled labourers.
Van der Steinens (1997) statement does not apply throughout the sample studied, for example, in Journeys into human, social, economic and management sciences (Puren et al., 2000; Willemburg & Simpson, 2001; 2002) photographs of black street children and AIDS orphans elicit sympathy; a typical racist SA stereotype is also reversed when a white is depicted as the thief who steals from a black person.
All the books in the sample address racism and colonialism. In Social science matters (Collet et al., 2004) racism is addressed directly through a biological comparison between the races. All the books published after 1994, in their stand against racism, contain photographs of the long queues at the polling booths during the first democratic election in SA. In Journeys into human, social, economic and management sciences (Puren et al., 2000; Willemburg & Simpson, 2001; 2002) a photograph of a pamphlet discourages people from voting in Apartheid elections. In People in place and time, (Ranby, 2001a; 2001b:30), colonialists are described in a cartoon as the visitors who didnt go home (Figure 9). The photographs in Saamwerk vir sukses (Duff, 2001) illustrate the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. The impression is created that the photographs were carefully selected to enhance the attempt at critical historical writing. Figures in the photographs are juxtaposed, e.g. two domestic workers looking after a young white boy are sitting on the lawn against a bench with a Whites only/Slegs Blankes sign (Figure 10). All the photographs in the book are contained in colourful ethnic frames that emphasize the rainbow nation approach, as well as the Africanisation of history in SA.
Only one book, namely, Looking into the past/Verken die verlede (Clacherty, 1996; Pienaar & Clacherty, 1995; Pienaar et al., 1996a; 1996b), not only depicts aspects like pass laws, the resistance movement of 1952, the Sharpeville protest and the Soweto uprising, but also white aspects like SAs role in the Second World War, the Great Depression of 1930, and Boer houses burnt down by British soldiers. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival is presented in a comical, innocuous way. Various perspectives are depicted in a sketch of the arrival of the British settlers. The settlers are uncertain and afraid of the future in the interior (Figure 11), while the Khoi captain views them as intruders who want to take his land (Figure 12). Ultimately, it can be said that Eurocentrism has been replaced completely by Africanisation. There is clearly not enough social consensus which allows for a break with old myths glorifying one group and demonizing others (Cole& Barsalou, 2006).
It is understandable that the new historiography will attempt to reverse the strong racial identities that were characteristic of the Apartheid era. The legitimacy of the new state depends on severe critique of the Apartheid curriculum (Chisholm & Leyen-decker, 2008; Jansen, 1989). From the research it is clear that the Apartheid past, colonialism, and Eurocentrism are indeed fully confronted in the new history textbooks. Bearing in mind that peoples history is written explicitly to counter racist and elitist stereotypes and the perversions of Apartheid history, one would expect to find more black than white representations as indeed the quantitative data collected for this article reveal.
The ratio of white and black depictions, however, symbolizes more than that. To have children learn from a textbook in which not a single white person is depicted (On track with social sciences) (Johannesson et al., 2004a; 2004b) is (again) fostering a culture of mono-perspectivity, as is the phenomenon of not being able to distinguish between the races due to the butterscotch depictions in at least three of the series under scrutiny. The data show silences and omissions regarding the history of the whites, their aspirations, and leaders, and new stereotypical messages are deliberately presented to counter Apartheid stereotypes.
Multi-perspectivity in the sense of conflicting depictions that lead to compromise in opinion (Bourdillon, 1992:20) is currently the exception rather than the rule. The qualitative data, especially the conflicting messages relayed by the covers, and the deliberate downplaying of white role models, reflects the confusion in the psyche of South African historiography as described in the literature review. Trying to reconceptualize white-male-Eurocentric history has resulted in a process of Africanisation, thus freezing whites in an otherness with never-changing identities (this time) a reversal of the myth on which Apartheid history was built.
Africanisation as a post-colonial approach to history fails in this sample of history textbooks to fulfil the requirements regarding the three pillars of post-modern history (Bourdillon, 1992; Chase, 1996; Cole & Barcalou, 2006; Mazabow, 2003), i.e. there is no single truth or grand narrative, countering (new) stereotypes and the demand for multi-perspectivity.
Since no single truth exists, and multi-perspective history textbooks are a trademark of post-modernist historiography, the data imply that South African historiography is still struggling to cope with the past and has, despite good intentions, not matured sufficiently during the past decade to offer a balanced report on the past.
1. The Rock Cries Out to Us Today by Maya Angelou. Read at United States presidential inauguration.
2. This article is the product of a research group in the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria. The members are: LD Beukes Head of Department: Social Studies, Lecturer: Geography; BA BA(Hons)(UV) MPhil(RAU) DEd (UJ) LJ de Jager Lecturer: English; BA(Ed)(RAU) MA(Stell) A Engelbrecht Lecturer: Afrikaans; BA(Ed) BA(Hons)(Unisa) MEd(Pret) A Niemann Lecturer: History, Religious Studies; BA(PU) BA(Hons)(Unisa) R Swart Lecturer: Professional Studies BBibl(UV) ATCL HOD(Unisa) CN van der Westhuizen Head: Teaching Practice BA BA(Hons) HOD(Pret) MA DLitt et Phil(Unisa)
Apple MW & Christian-Smith LK (eds) 1991. The politics of the textbook. New York: Routledge Roland. [ Links ]
Asmal K 2004. Keeping memory alive, shaping our future: The ten-year celebration of freedom. Address by the Minister of Education, 31 March. Cape Town: Centre for the Book. [ Links ]
Asmal K 2007. Keynote address: Interrogating the History Curriculum after ten years of OBE, SASHT Conference, KwaZulu-Natal, 21-22 September. Asmal K & James W 2001. Education and Democracy in South Africa today. [ Links ]
Avery P, Dalton D, Naidoo V & Prinsloo G 2000. Shuters social sciences. Grade 5. Learners book. Pietermaritzburg: Shuter & Shooter Publishers. [ Links ]
Bam J 1993. Considerations for a new history curriculum for secondary schools in South Africa. MEd dissertation. Cape Town: University of Cape Town. [ Links ]
Bourdillon H (ed.) 1992. History and social studies methodologies of textbook analysis. Report of the Educational Research Workshop held in Braunschweig, Germany, 1114 September 1990. Amsterdam: Swets & Zeitlinger. [ Links ]
Bundy C 1993. What makes a nation happy? Historiographical change and the implication for textbooks. Paper delivered at the Sparkling Waters seminar on school history textbooks for a democratic South Africa. Rustenburg, South Africa. [ Links ]
Chase M 1996. Stories we tell them? Teaching adults history in a post-modern world. Paper presented at the Annual SCUTREA Conference, 24 July, Tetley Hall, University of Leeds. [ Links ]
Chernis RE 1990. The past in the service of the present: A study of South African history syllabuses and textbooks 1839-1990. PhD thesis, University of Pretoria. [ Links ]
Chisholm L and Leyendecker R 2008. Curriculum reform in post 1990s Sub Saharan Africa. International Journal of Educational Development, 16:195-205. [ Links ]
Clacherty G 1996. Looking into the past. Standard 2/Grade 4. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman. [ Links ]
Cole EA & Barselou J 2006. Unite or divide? The challenges of teaching history in societies emerging from violent conflict. United States Institute of Peace, Special Report 163, June: 116. [ Links ]
Collet J, Maclagen E & Thraves P 2004. Social science matters. Grade 5 Learners book. Cape Town: Cambridge University Press. [ Links ]
De Wet C 2001. Die uitbeelding van swart mense in SA geskiedenishandboeke. Acta Academica, 33:99-129. [ Links ]
Dryden-Peterson S & Siebörger R 2006. Teachers as memory makers: Testimony in the making of a new history in South Africa. International Journal of Educational Development, 26:394-403. [ Links ]
Duff J 2001. Saamwerk vir sukses. Mens, sosiale, ekonomiese en bestuurswetenskappe. Graad 5. Leerdersboek. Kaapstad: Kagiso Education. [ Links ]
Ferree MM & Hall EJ 1990. Visual images of American society: Gender and race in introductory sociology textbooks. Gender & Society, 4:500-533. [ Links ]
Giroux HA 1981. Ideology, culture and the process of schooling. London: Falmer. [ Links ]
Grobler JEH, Dhladhla E & Bagwandeen DR 1996. Pret en presteer: Geskiedenis. Graad 5 (Standerd 3). Pretoria: Via Afrika. [ Links ]
Hall S (ed.) 1997. Representation. Cultural representations and signifying practices. London: Sage. [ Links ]
Homan HDI & Van Praag ET 2005. Tijd voor kwaliteit. WOII in projecten. Edudesk: Parel. [ Links ]
Höpken W 2006. Textbooks and conflicts: Experiences from the work of the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research. Paper read at the World Bank, 24-26 March, Washington DC. [ Links ]
Jansen J 1989. Curriculum reconstruction in post-Colonial Africa: A review of the literature. International Journal of Education Development, 9:219-231. [ Links ]
Jansen JD 1997. Critical theory and the school curriculum. In: Higgs P (ed.). Metatheories in educational theory and practice. Sandton, South Africa: Heinemann. [ Links ]
Johannesson B, Potenza E, Ranby P & Versfeld R 2003. On track with social sciences. Grade 4. Learners book. Cape Town: Phumelela Publishers. [ Links ]
Johannesson B, Potenza E, Ranby P & Versfeld R 2003. On track with social sciences. Grade 5. Learners book. Cape Town: Phumelela Publishers. [ Links ]
Johannesson B, Potenza E, Ranby P & Versfeld R 2003. On track with social sciences. Grade 6. Learners book. Cape Town: Phumelela Publishers. [ Links ]
Laspina JA 2003. Designing diversity: globalization, textbooks and the story of nations. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 25:667-696. [ Links ]
Lester PM 1995. Visual communication: Images with messages. California: Wadsworth. [ Links ]
Marsden WE 2001. The school textbook: Geography, history and social studies. London: Woburn Press. [ Links ]
Mazabow G 2003. The development of historical consciousness in the teaching of History in South African schools. PhD thesis. Pretoria: University of South Africa. [ Links ]
McCinney C 2005. Textbooks for diverse learners. A critical analysis of learning material used in South African schools. HSRC Research Monograph. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council. [ Links ]
Pienaar J & Clacherty G 1995. Verken die verlede. Standerd 2/Graad 4. Kaapstad: Maskew Miller Longman. [ Links ]
Pienaar J & Clacherty & Ludlow 1996a. Verken die verlede. Standerd 3/Graad 5. Kaapstad: Maskew Miller Longman. [ Links ]
Pienaar J & Clacherty & Ludlow 1996b. Verken die verlede. Standerd 4/Graad 6. Kaapstad: Maskew Miller Longman. [ Links ]
Polakow-Suransky SS 2002. Historical amnesia? The politics of textbooks in post- South Africa. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA. [ Links ]
Pretorius F 2006. Onbillike regstellende aksie in SA geskiedskrywing. De Vrye Afrikaan, 19 Mei. [ Links ]
Prosser J 2001. Image-based research. Philadelphia: Routledge Falmer. [ Links ]
Puren BJ, Heidmann M & Simpson KM 2000. Journeys into human, social, economic and management sciences. Grade 4. Learners book. Cape Town: Nasou. [ Links ]
Ranby P 2001a. People in place and time. Grade 5. Learners book. Swaziland: Macmillan Boleswa Publishers. [ Links ]
Ranby P 2001a. People in place and time. Grade 6. Learners book. Swaziland: Macmillan Boleswa Publishers. [ Links ]
Reuter LR & Döbert H 2002. After Communism. Transformation of education in Germany and South Africa. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. [ Links ]
Reynhardt JH, Morare MW, Koekemoer M & Koekemoer S 2004a. Understanding social sciences. Grade 4. Learners book. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman. [ Links ]
Reynhardt JH, Morare MW, Koekemoer M & Koekemoer S 2004b. Understanding social sciences. Grade 5. Learners book. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman. [ Links ]
Reynhardt JH, Morare MW, Koekemoer M & Koekemoer S 2004c. Understanding social sciences. Grade 6. Learners book. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman. [ Links ]
Roberts-Schweitzer E (ed.) 2006. Promoting social cohesion through education. Washington D.C.: World Bank. [ Links ]
Sierens S 2000. Us Them Ours: Points for attention in designing inter-culturally sound learning materials. Gent: Steunpunt Intercultureel onderwijs, Universiteit Gent. [ Links ]
Van der Steinen LK 1997. Three decades of SA school history textbooks: Historiographical influence, change and continuity from the 1970s to the 1990s. MEd dissertation, University of the Free State. [ Links ]
Weldon G 2006. A comparative study on the construction of memory and identity in the curriculum of post-conflict societies: Rwanda and South Africa. Available at http://www.centres.ex.ac.uk/historyresource/journal111/. Accessed 19 May 2008. [ Links ]
Willemburg BJ & Simpson KM 2001. Journeys into human, social, economic and management sciences. Grade 5. Learners book. Cape Town: Nasou. [ Links ]
Willemburg BJ & Simpson KM 2002. Journeys into human, social, economic and management sciences. Grade 6. Learners book. Cape Town: Nasou. [ Links ]
Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria. She is an Afrikaans language specialist and is currently working on a doctorate investigating representation in Afrikaans, Dutch, and Flemish textbooks. Her research interests are stereotyping and textbooks.
Carol van der Westhuizen is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria. Previously a prose and methodology specialist, she currently teaches research methodology and is head of teaching practice. She publishes in the fields of research methodology, mergers, gifted education, and literature.
Alta Niemann is Lecturer in the Department of Social Studies Education at the University of Pretoria and has lectured in History at tertiary level for the past 17 years. Her research interests are History teaching in schools and mergers in higher education.
Lizette de Jager is Lecturer in English at the University of Pretoria. She is currently working on a doctoral thesis on Misunderstanding in the classroom: the relationship between the oral proficiency of teachers and the learning experience. Her research interests are linguistics, specifically intercultural and cross-cultural pragmatics, Natural Semantic Metalanguage, mergers in higher education, and textbook analysis.
Ronel Swart is Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria and is involved in undergraduate teacher training and the professional development of education students. She is currently completing a Masters dissertation on Toward a prospectus for Freirean pedagogies in South African environmental education classrooms: theoretical observations; curricular reflections. Her research interests are critical pedagogy and the work of Paulo Freire.
Lukas Beukes is Head of the Department of Social Studies Education at the University of Pretoria. He has been involved in teacher training for the past 27 years. He holds a doctorate in Environmental Education and Methodologies and this is also his research focus. His other research interests include mergers in higher education.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Filter by Topic
- (-) Remove Experiments filter Experiments
- (-) Remove Processes filter Processes
- Theories (1) Apply Theories filter
Julia Barlow Platt's Embryological Observations on Salamanders' Cartilage (1893)
In 1893, Julia Barlow Platt published her research on the origins of cartilage in the developing head of the common mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) embryo. The mudpuppy is an aquatic salamander commonly used by embryologists because its large embryonic cells and nuclei are easy to see. Platt followed the paths of cells in developing mudpuppy embryos to see how embryonic cells migrated during the formation of the head. With her research, Platt challenged then current theories about germ layers, the types of cells in an early embryo that develop into adult cells.
Format: Articles
Subject: Experiments, Theories, Processes
The Meselson-Stahl Experiment (1957–1958), by Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl
In an experiment later named for them, Matthew Stanley Meselson and Franklin William Stahl in the US demonstrated during the 1950s the semi-conservative replication of DNA, such that each daughter DNA molecule contains one new daughter subunit and one subunit conserved from the parental DNA molecule. The researchers conducted the experiment at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California, from October 1957 to January 1958.
Format: Articles
Subject: Processes, Experiments


text:
Jun 5, 2010
Anyway go by and have a look. You will surely get a chuckle and probably know someone like that in your own life. If it is you then I suggest you don't tell anyone.
6 comments:
Lori-I did go look at this site and it does not surprise me at all. I have been working with Jane Q. Public for a long time. The only thing that helps is a good sense of humor!ReplyDelete
I'm biting my tongue on this one. Let is loose, and who knows what gems might spill. It's a great site, and I go to it when I need to know that many many other customer service reps have it worse then me.ReplyDelete
Very funny! Is it bad when I hang up on a computerized call center? I can't stand that they phone with a computer and make me wait for a real person to be able to politely end the call with :)ReplyDelete
Oh, this one touches home big time! I get so angry when they call even though we are on the national do not call list. I just got one this morning and asked please don't call anymore. There's just no end to it!ReplyDelete
I have no patience for those calling my home.ReplyDelete
I am referring to the people who call in to my work or other peoples work.
My tolerance for abuse is dropping very quickly.
I do keep my sense of humour though.
But wait! Lori said CSR... Customer Service Rep! That's someone that you call for help, not a telephone solicitor? There's a ton of in-bound call centers and those people shouldn't be treated the same as those who call you. After all, when you call someone.... shouldn't you be at least nice?ReplyDelete
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate every one of them and respond to all.


text:
Pro-Mill Wax Milling Tools
The Solid Carbide Pro-Mill is a new tool designed to perform multiple jobs without having to do a tool change. It is a combination Profile tool and End Mill. The profile angle lets you engrave or carve just like you would using a regular Profile tool, but where the profile angle ends there is a 2 flute end-mill that allows you to keep cutting, drilling or slotting. It has a very long reach. From the tip of the profile to the end of the flutes on the end-mill is about 1 inch or 25mm. We offer it in the profile angles list below. Please specify tip size when ordering.
The Included angle is always 2x's the side angle


text:
Prefer using folder to manage your music files?
Always hard to find the song you want to play in stock music player?
This app is for you!
EZ Folder Player is an alternative music player based on folder structure.
* Simple and easy to use.
* Supports Shuffle / Repeat one / Repeat All.
* Provides 4×1 and 4×2 widgets.
* Support 3rd party Equalizer on Android 2.3 and above.
* Support notification control on Android 3.0 and above.
* Support lock screen control on Android 4.0 and above.
How to use:
* Browse to your music folder and choose which music file you want to start playing.
* You can also play a folder with all it's sub-folders by click the folder icon.
* You can modify the initial folder in settings.
* If you use any Task Manager or Task Killer, please
make sure this player and Gallery app are not in the auto kill list.
- If you want to help translate this app, please email me.
• Bug fixes and performance improvements.!
EZ Folder Player v1.3.18 [Paid] / Mirror
EZ Folder Player v1.3.16 [Paid] / Mirror


text:
An orchestral composition with a cinematic and epic feel to it. The repetitive violins in the beginning eventually get joined by the cellos, then turning into a calm and mysterious woodwind piece. Then the epic horns come in and together with the choir they create an adventurous feel. Romantic strings continue the piece, eventually turning into a mellow and mysterious ending.
A perfect track for movie trailers, films, games and other projects. Download now and get a high quality .WAV file included!


text:
Display Drivers
|Date Updated
|Updated By
|Usage Information
An incomplete HowTo on updating LinuxMCE to the latest display drivers and configuring them manually. It could use your help, so if something is different in your situation, please add it.
Note that this should normally not be necessary unless you have specific wishes or trouble getting your display to work properly.
If the graphical environment cannot start you are likely to see a text screen blinking, this makes it very hard to login, if this is the case you can reboot into "recovery mode" by pressing [Esc] when GRUB tells you to during the boot process and then select it from the menu you will be presented with. Before you get started on the below, you will want to (from recovery mode) issue this command "cat /proc/interrupts" and make sure your video card is not sharing an interrupt with another device, such as a NIC (network interface card). If it is, you could run into a lot of issues. Your output should look something like this, with your Video Card not sharing an interrupt, as reflected below in line 21 where the Nvidia stands alone:
19: 38492811 0 IO-APIC-fasteoi eth0
20: 2 0 IO-APIC-fasteoi ehci_hcd:usb2
21: 10938712 0 IO-APIC-fasteoi nvidia
ATI Chipsets
The two main ways to install the ATI drivers are described in the Ubuntu Feisty Installation Guide.
For more information see also the Unofficial ATI Linux Driver Wiki and you might want to have a look at AtiProprietaryDriver in the MythTV wiki as well since LinuxMCE depends on it for viewing TV. MythTV in turn relies heavily on the support of certain features by the graphics drivers. The ATI drivers turn out to be a bit "challenged" in this area to say the least.
Installing The ATI Driver
Here's the procedure I use for setting up an ATI X1250 MD. Currently the the AVwizard in 0710 does not configure ATI cards properly so you need to to do some manual steps to get things working.
Step 1
Add the MD in the normal way (ie plug it into the network and let it add itself). Let it reboot and then it should run the AVwizard. Choose the options you want - output connector, resolution, refresh.... UI2 with Overlay etc etc and complete the wizard. Now the screen will return to a console screen and will after 5-10 mins will try to run the setup Wizard... but the setup Wizard will run very slowly and the video of 'Sarah' will not play smoothly. This is because the ATI drivers are not installed yet and the X driver is set to 'vesa'.
Step 2
From another machine ssh into the partially installed MD using Konsole from the KDE Desktop or a terminal app like Putty under Windows XP. Do the following from the console;
sudo su - <return> ssh moonNN <return> (**where the NN is the device number for the MD we're configuring**)
Alternatively do the following from the MD/Core you are configuring;
Now login using the login you created when you installed your system ie When you ran the DVD installer or CD installer. Now we're logged into the MD we are configuring as 'root' and we can install the ATI drivers and configure Xorg.conf;
Firstly make sure our sources.list is up to date:
apt-get update <return>
Now lets install the ATI driver and packages;
apt-get install linux-restricted-modules-generic restricted-manager <return>
Answer 'Y' to installing new packages then do the following steps;
apt-get install xorg-driver-fglrx <return> depmod -a <return>
So far so good... now we have the ATI drivers installed! (the current driver in the repos is not the latest ATI release an updated driver will be packaged soon though). Now we have to configure Xorg to use it! Do the steps below;
I use the console text editor 'joe' below but you can use whichever you prefer ('nano' is installed by default for example);
joe /etc/X11/xorg.conf <return>
Now you are editing the xorg.conf of your MD and the only change you need to make is to the 'Device' section. In the 'Device' section you will see a line thats says;
Driver "vesa"
Driver "ati"
Change the string 'vesa' (or ati) to 'fglrx' which is the name of the ATI driver. The updated driver line should look like below;
Driver "fglrx"
Now save the changes you have made to xorg.conf.
Now reboot the MD from the console with;
reboot <return>
The MD will now reboot normally and the setup wizard will run again.... but this time the video and the Ui will run smoothly as the ATI driver is installed and confgured.
Currently the ATI driver will not support UI2 with transparency but it will support UI2 with overlay very nicely indeed. There are two small caveats to running UI2 with Overlay currently with the ATI driver in that the 'Compass Rose' on screen menu for selecting DVD chapters, Lighting levels etc etc and the 'Zoom & Aspect ratio' screen when playing Video do not draw correctly - the bit maps for the menus do not display but the menus do work.
NVidia Chipsets
If you are here, trying to update your driver because video is not working, remember that there is a bug with some Nvidia cards that makes graphical output always appear on the DVI plug, not the VGA plug. If you have a display attached to the VGA port on your adapter, buy a DVI to VGA converter plug before putting yourself through a lot of pain!
Legacy Drivers
With legacy drivers the AVWizard might crash because it could not load the nvidia-legacy kernel module. It is unclear why kdm will start and not the AVWizard. A quick fix is to set the Driver option for the video card in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file to vesa. Go through the AVWizard and then change it back. Another option is to edit /etc/modprobe.d/aliases and add alias nvidia nvidia-legacy. Don't forget about this line when you switch to a newer card.
Latest Drivers
There are several ways to install nVidia drivers, the way described here is meant as a guide to install the very latest drivers from the nVidia website. Note that this way will bypass the LinuxMCE (Kubuntu) packaging system, possibly removing and/or overwriting some of it's files.
1. Go to a console (text) terminal by holding [CTRL]-[ALT] and pressing the [F1] key simultaneously (Press [CTRL}-[ALT]-[F7} to return to the desktop.), log in with the user account you have created during the Kubuntu install and become root, if you haven't done so already.
<you>@dcerouter:~$ sudo -s
2. Download the latest linux drivers from NVidia (depending on your hardware, one of versions: 1XX.XX.XX, 1.0-96xx or 1.0-71XX), if you haven't done so already. When you have found the URL for downloading the package on the nvidia site you could download it like this:
root@dcerouter:~# wget http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/<version>/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-<version>-pkg1.run
3. Go to runlevel 1 to stop the currently running X-server.
root@dcerouter:~# telinit 1
4. Execute the installer and follow instructions. a) Ignore the warning about runlevel 1 and b) don't bother looking for "precompiled kernel interfaces" (drivers).
root@dcerouter:~# sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-<version>-pkg1.run
5. The installer will attempt to remove old legacy drivers. If it cannot, you may receive X errors (Eg. Error: API mismatch). The solution is to manually remove or disable the legacy drivers.
nano /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common
Disable the NVIDIA linux-restricted kernel modules (nvidia, nvidia_legacy) by changing the DISABLED_MODULES line to read:
DISABLED_MODULES="nv nvidia_new"
6. Now it needs to be configured. The recommended and most convenient way is to use the AVWizard. For more advanced setup, or if the AVWizard for some reason is unable to set your up your screens to your liking, you can configure the X-server manually by editing the xorg.conf file directly.
** Update - Do a "sudo cat /proc/driver/nvidia/version" and make sure it reads something similar to this, matching the newest drivers you just installed: NVIDIA UNIX x86 Kernel Module 180.29. The "nvclock" utility is useful for monitoring GPU overheating
Note: My media director wouldn't launch X after I completed these steps. I had to run sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-<version>-pkg1.run again from tty3. To get to tty3, press ctrl-alt-F3.
Still getting API mismatch? Try following the details here;
Intel Chipsets
There is a renewed interest in the Intel graphics chipsets since Intel released the drivers under the GPL. Currently the Intel driver still cannot support UI2 with Alphablending but they will support UI2 with Overlay very nicely and video performance is excellent. LinuxMCE versions after Beta4 have full support for configuring the Intel driver in the AVwizard.
From LinuxMCE-0710 Beta4 onwards LinuxMCE will install the newer intel driver by default - so the instructions below are only useful if your still running LinuxMCE-0704.
For LinuxMCE-0704
You will want to make sure you are using the newer intel drivers from http://packages.ubuntu.com/gutsy/i386/xserver-xorg-video-intel/download for i386. These replace the older i810, etc. drivers and should cover all the modern intel chipsets. The name for this driver is 'intel' and would replace the older 'i810' drivers.
If you're using i810 driver make sure you add Option "LinearAlloc" "8160" to xorg.conf or video players will crash with X11 error: BadAlloc.
From man i810:
Option "LinearAlloc" "integer" Allows more memory for the offscreen allocator. This usually helps in situations where HDTV movies are required to play but not enough offscreen memory is usually available. Set this to 8160 for upto 1920x1080 HDTV support. Default 0KB (off).
potential problem
there can be a problem with some intel drivers, like the gma 3100. see bug/gma3100driver for further informations
Via Chipsets
Use the Openchrome or Via Unichrome drivers. The Via Unichrome drivers can be downloaded from [2]
The proprietary Via Unichrome driver works best with Linux MCE. Unfortunately this driver has intentionally been stripped of support for most GLX extensions. This driver does not support alpha blending which is a prerequisite of UI2. Via licenses the full featured driver to system integrators, such as Fiire. This licensed driver is not publicly available. Additionally there is a known incompatibility issue with the licensed driver and Linux MCE 0710.
On April 08, 2008 Via announced a new open source initiative to help develop open drivers for certain video chipsets [3]. This press release echos sour notes with many developers who have heard this tune many times before. No useful information or code has been released to date, striking yet another all to familiar chord in the open source community [4].
HOW-TO VIA Openchrome driver for xorg:
For VIA CX700M2 UniChrome PRO II Graphics (1" VIA units) or mainly via graphics:
shell into your box and do the following:
apt-get -y install build-essential automake1.9 libtool x11proto-* libgl1-mesa-dev makedepend libxxf86vm-dev libexpat1-dev libexpat1 libxmu-dev xtrans-dev libpng12-dev libxcomposite-dev libxfixes-dev libxdamage-dev libxrandr-dev libxrender-dev libstartup-notification0-dev libgconf2-dev subversion xserver-xorg-dev libdrm-dev libxvmc-dev
cd /usr/src svn checkout http://svn.openchrome.org/svn/trunk openchrome cd openchrome* ./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr make make install
Now we have to edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf and change the device driver to via openchrome:
vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Go to
Section "Device"
and change
Driver "vesa"
Driver "openchrome"
save and test the compiled new driver with a:
and if your xwindow comes up, you can reboot and have fun
Other Chipsets
Please help out by adding more if you can.
The recommended and most convenient way is to use the AVWizard. For more advanced setup, or if the X-server (and thus also the AVWizard) is unable to start, you can configure the X-server manually by editing the xorg.conf file directly.
Getting started
Start by making a backup copy of the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file (even if it doesn't work it might contain settings you could need). In this example we will start from scratch and edit the configuration file step by step to get the main display setup.
Some of these steps require that there will be no X-server active on the system, the easiest way to achieve this is to boot in rescue-mode, just hit [Esc] when Grub tells you to during the startup of your machine and select the right line from the menu. Another way is to go to a text-mode console (aka. terminal) with [CTRL]-[ALT]-[F1], log in, become root and issue the command:
telinit 1
This wil stop the running X-server and drop you into rescue mode as well.
One of the advantages is that now you can start and stop the X-server by hand with an alternative configuration file and without having to reboot or even start an entire desktop environment.
Generating a template
These instructions were originally written for ATI chipsets, so they might need to be adjusted and updated a bit. Not all of the specific options may be relevant for your chipset.
While there is no (other) X-server running you can create a template configuration file by running:
X -configure
This will create a file called xorg.conf.new in your home directory, test it with the following command and hit [CTRL]-[ALT]-[Backspace] when done:
X -config ~/xorg.conf.new
Within a few seconds a gray bitpattern should show up with an 'X' shaped mouse cursor. If the screen is distorted or reports the refresh rate to be out of range then you will either have to specify the proper refreshrate limitations for your screen or insert "modelines" for the resolution(s) you want to use (see below).
When you're satisfied you can overwrite /etc/X11/xorg.conf with this file to make it the default (you did make a backup didn't you?), once you have done that you can use "startx" to test and have the use of your desktop as well. This should at least be enough to allow the use of a graphic configuration tool (like the AVWizard for instance) to set up your display further. More advanced manual configuration options can be found below.
Here is an example of such a generated file:
Section "ServerLayout" Identifier "X.org Configured" Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0 InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer" InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard" EndSection Section "Files" RgbPath "/etc/X11/rgb" ModulePath "/usr/lib/xorg/modules" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc" FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1" FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi" FontPath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType" EndSection Section "Module" Load "extmod" Load "record" Load "xtrap" Load "dri" Load "glx" Load "dbe" Load "GLcore" Load "type1" EndSection Section "InputDevice" Identifier "Keyboard0" Driver "kbd" EndSection Section "InputDevice" Identifier "Mouse0" Driver "mouse" Option "Protocol" "auto" Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice" Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5 6 7" EndSection Section "Monitor" Identifier "Monitor0" VendorName "Monitor Vendor" ModelName "Monitor Model" EndSection Section "Device" ### Available Driver options are:- ### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False", ### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz" ### [arg]: arg optional #Option "ShadowFB" # [<bool>] #Option "DefaultRefresh" # [<bool>] #Option "ModeSetClearScreen" # [<bool>] Identifier "Card0" Driver "vesa" VendorName "ATI Technologies Inc" BoardName "ATI Radeon Xpress 1200 Series" BusID "PCI:1:5:0" EndSection Section "Screen" Identifier "Screen0" Device "Card0" Monitor "Monitor0" SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 1 EndSubSection SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 4 EndSubSection SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 8 EndSubSection SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 15 EndSubSection SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 16 EndSubSection SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 24 EndSubSection EndSection
Note that the only thing really specific to my setup in this config file is BusID, if you only have one graphics adapter in your system this value can be omitted, otherwise the value(s) can be found with:
X -scanpci
Where each card will need it's own Device Section in the config file. The "VendorName" and "BoardName" settings are just labels and serve no real purpose other then being able to identify this particular device, which is usefull if you have more then one.
We'll be using this sample configuration as a starting point in the other examples below, the comments (lines starting with # can be safely removed as well as the "Display" subsections for the colordepths we don't plan on using.
Refresh rate / ModeLine
The easiest way to sort this problem is to let the X-server figure this out by not specifying the limits of your screen. However this often fails, leaving you with an unusable display. Simply look up your screen's refresh rates in the documentation and add them like this:
Section "Monitor" Identifier "Monitor0" VendorName "Monitor Vendor" ModelName "Monitor Model" HorizSync 27-102 # kHz VertRefresh 50-160 # Hz EndSection
Alternatively you could specify a "ModeLine" for each resolution you want to use. By using ModeLines you have much finer controll over the timings of the output signal generated by your videocard. The drawback is that the timing values can be hard to get right.
Search the web for a "modeline generator", and many of these will include instructions on how to add the modeline, but briefly, you just add it to the "Monitor" section. Read the wikipedia entry to learn how to use modelines.
- http://koala.ilog.fr/cgi-bin/nph-colas-modelines
- http://xtiming.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/xtiming.pl
- http://www.bohne-lang.de/spec/linux/modeline/
- http://amlc.berlios.de/
- http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Working_with_Modelines
If one modeline doesn't work perfectly, try another, perhaps from another generator, because they can vary so much.
Using the wrong timings could in some (nowadays rare) occasions damage the hardware of your screen, so if it looks garbeled don't leave it like that for hours on end but hit [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[←Backspace] and readjust your settings. Most modern screens however simply report that the signal is out of range if this happens.
Colordepth and resolution
Specify the colordepth and resolution(s) you would like to use, like this:
Section "Screen" Identifier "Screen0" Device "Card0" Monitor "Monitor0" DefaultDepth 24 SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 24 Virtual 1600 1200 Modes "1600x1200" "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480" "512x384" "400x300" "320x240" EndSubSection EndSection
As most people will only be using 24 bits anyway, I have removed the other redundant subsections. "Virtual" is the size of your desktop and "Modes" are physical resolutions, you can flip through these by holding [CTRL]-[ALT] and pressing the plus or minus on the numeric keypad. These are just examples, most people will only want to specify the resolution they actually use.
DRI device permissions
This section is needed to have the X-server set the proper permissions on the DRI device during startup. Simply add it to the end of the /etx/X11.xorg file if it isn't there already.
Section "DRI" Mode 0666 EndSection
Chipset driver
Change "vesa" to "fglrx" (or "ati", depending on which drivers you installed earlier), as shown below, the old line is left as a comment in this example for clarity, but it's better to remove it as some scripts seem to find it confusing. For Nvidia chipsets use nvidia or nv as the driver names (instead of fglrx).
Section "Device" Identifier "Card0" # Driver "vesa" Driver "fglrx" VendorName "ATI Technologies Inc" BoardName "ATI Radeon Xpress 1200 Series" BusID "PCI:1:5:0" EndSection
If your X-server was running you will have to restart it completely for the changes to take effect, the easiest and most thorough way to do this is to reboot.
Physical display size
Like specifying the refresh rate his is optional but sometimes necessary, most of the time it is either detected or some sane defaults are used but sometimes it isn't, which can result in unreadable font sizes.
Section "Monitor" ... DisplaySize 155 95 EndSection
Where you have to replace the numbers with the physical width and height of your screen in millimeters (1" = 25mm), feel free to try mine, however these are for a small touchscreen.
Disable composite
Aparently the ATI fglrx driver does not yet support composite with DRI. So if you are using the fglrx driver, disable it by adding this to the end of the /etx/X11.xorg file if it isn't there already.
Section "Extensions" Option "Composite" "Disable" EndSection
Additional options
To be continued, I don't think this is enough to get UI2 completely (either mode) going yet. Feel free to jump in anytime...
Things still to sort out amongst others (i.e. what is it, do we need it and what are the settings if any):
Section "Module" Load "i2c" Load "bitmap" Load "ddc" Load "freetype" Load "int10" Load "vbe" Load "speedo" Load "type1" Load "dbe" Load "glx" Load "v4l" EndSection
Section "ServerFlags" Option "AIGLX" "off" EndSection
Section "Extensions" Option "Composite" "Disable" # Option "RENDER" "true" EndSection
Option "PseudoColorVisuals" "off" Option "OpenGLOverlay" "off" Option "VideoOverlay" "off" Option "DesktopSetup" "clone"
TV-out options, 2nd display, etc.
The AVWizard crashes X-windows
Try setting the #Chipset_driver option to vesa, run the AVWizard again and then change the driver back to what it was.
Black screen
- Screen is black, after install seemed to go okay. You may have even seen the Kubuntu splash screen. See AVWizard on how to select the proper output.
- One problem on nvidia-cards could be that it does not detect the right monitor.
- Go to Console 1 ([Ctrl]+[Alt]+1) and edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf (nano -w /etc/X11/xorg.conf). Find the section ::Device with the driver nvidia add the line
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "XXX"
- where XXX is CRT, CRT-0, CRT-1, DVI-0, DVI-1, ...
- Save and exit (nano: Ctrl+x) and restart the computer. In my case it was "CRT-1".
- Go to Console 1 ([Ctrl]+[Alt]+1) and edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf (nano -w /etc/X11/xorg.conf). Find the section ::Device with the driver nvidia add the line
X-windows won't start
Reboot into rescue-mode if needed (hit [Esc] when Grub tells you to), and restore a working copy of your /etc/X11/xorg.conf, or edit it by hand to fix the problem. Test it with the command "X" and press [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[←Backspace] simultaneous to quit (alternative: use "startx" and get the full desktop, if any), then reboot when it works and you're done.
Signal out of range
See #Refresh rate / ModeLine above.
Microscopic fonts in KDE
See #Physical_display_size above.
If the above does not work, probably Xorg is calculating the DPI value in the wrong way. This can be verified by having a look at the file /var/log/Xorg.0.log related to the MD with this issue searching for the line containing "DPI set to (x , y)",where x and y are values that apply to the specific display.
If those values are too small, fonts will be displayed accordingly (i.e, VERY small)
A workaround is to force Xorg to startup with a given DPI value.
To achieve this the following steps are required:
- edit the file /usr/pluto/bin/Start_X_Wrapper.sh on your MD where you are facing the font problem
- find the line beginning with xinit
- add "-dpi 96" (without quotes) at the end of this line
- save the file and reboot MD
Obviously it is possible to set DPI to something different than 96, according to specific needs.
Please note that after an LMCE update the startup script may be replaced by new ones, so the above workaround may have to be re-applied in order to keep fonts at the desired dimension.
LinuxMCE keeps reconfiguring my display settings
Add a line containing exit to the top of the /usr/pluto/bin/Xconfigure.sh file. After you do this you may experience difficulties running the AVWizard again, if so remove this line and add it back again after the wizard is finished.
For LinuxMCE 710 simply comment out the line that says
. /usr/pluto/bin/X-CleanupVideo.sh
This is the command that gets run that modifies the xorg.conf file on startup. This is different than above because if you put exit at the top your display will not get initialized. And as above if you want to run the AVWizard you will need to uncomment this line.
See also
- MythTV wiki
- MythTV Experience [5]
- X_Configuration_Scripts


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Joseph M. Martin Sheet Music
Joseph M. Martin
Recognized for his many choral compositions, both sacred and secular, Joe's compositions are published by many publishers including Shawnee Press, GlorySound and Harold Flammer. Joe is Director of Sacred Publications for Shawnee Press, overseeing the editorial and creative direction of the company. Besides composing, he has been a featured solo pianist with symphony orchestras throughout the U.S. and Mexico.
About Joseph M. Martin
Joseph Martin, a native of North Carolina, earned his bachelor of music degree in piano performance at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Subsequently he earned a master of music degree in piano performance at the University of Texas, Austin. Joe taught for five years in the Piano Pedagogy Department of the University of Texas.
He is a member of the staff of Shawnee Press, Inc. as Director of Sacred Publications, with responsibilities for overseeing the editorial and creative direction of the company and also coordinating the recording and production aspects of future sacred publishing efforts.Joe has performed solo piano recitals and has been the featured artist with symphony orchestras in the United States and Mexico. As winner of the Nina Plant Wideman Competition, he performed with the Guadalajara Symphony Orchestra. His solo recital in Ex-convento del Carman was broadcast nationally throughout the country. He continues to perform in concert, although now he is devoting his efforts to playing in churches and for conferences of church musicians.
His first solo piano recording, American Tapestry, released by GlorySound, a division of Shawnee Press, Inc., was nominated for a Dove Award. His other albums Songs of the Journey, Celtic Tapestry and A Christmas Tapestry have been enormously popular in the sacred and secular markets.
Recognized throughout the United States for his many choral compositions, both sacred and secular, Joe's music is published by Shawnee Press; GlorySound and Harold Flammer Music, sacred divisions of Shawnee Press, Inc.; and Mark Foster Music as well as by other publishers. Over 750 compositions are currently in print and the list continues to grow.
Along with Mark Hayes and David Angerman, Joe has co-authored a fully graded, progressive piano method for the Christian student called Keys for the Kingdom. His major works include 12 choral cantatas and Song of Wisdom, a choral tone poem based on the best-selling children's book, "Old Turtle." His music can be heard in such diverse locations as Carnegie Hall in New York City; the Mel Tillis Theatre in Branson, Missouri; and in hundreds of worship services in churches across the United States and Canada. He continues to surprise audiences with the variety and scope of his compositions and arrangements.
Joseph lives in Austin, Texas with his children Jonathan and Aubrey and his wife, Sue.


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Sweeping analysis of research reinforces media influence on women's body image
As France's parliament considers a landmark bill that would outlaw media images glamorizing the extremely thin, psychology researchers are reporting some of the most definitive findings yet on how these images affect women.
In the May issue of Psychological Bulletin, University of Wisconsin-Madison postdoctoral researcher Shelly Grabe and psychology professor Janet Hyde describe a sweeping analysis of 77 previous studies involving more than 15,000 subjects. In it, they found that exposure to media depicting ultra-thin actresses and models significantly increased women's concerns about their bodies, including how dissatisfied they felt and their likelihood of engaging in unhealthy eating behaviors, such as excessive dieting.
Although on one level the results seem obvious, Grabe believes many people still resist the idea that a societal influence, like the media, can have a real impact on how women view themselves. When individual experiments have found this relationship in the past, she explains, critics have often dismissed them for focusing on groups of particularly body-conscious women, such as college students, or exposing test subjects to unusually racy photos.
Grabe and Hyde, in contrast, analyzed data from every well-designed study on the topic they could find, thus avoiding much of this criticism.
"We've demonstrated that it doesn't matter what the exposure is, whether it's general TV watching in the evening, or magazines, or ads showing on a computer," says Grabe. "If the image is appearance-focused and sends a clear message about a woman's body as an object, then it's going to affect women."
The effect also appears to be growing. The researchers' analysis reveals that, on average, studies conducted in the 2000s show a larger influence of the media on women's body image than do those from the 1990s, says Grabe.
"This suggests that despite all our efforts to teach women and girls to be savvy about the media and have healthy body practices, the media's effect on how much they internalize the thin ideal is getting stronger," she says.
The results are troubling because recent research has established body dissatisfaction as a major risk factor for low self-esteem, depression, obesity, and eating disorders, such as bulimia. At the same time, women's displeasure with their bodies has become so common that it's now considered normal, says Grabe. She hopes that wider recognition of the media's role will encourage people to see the issue as a societal one, rather than as a problem of individual women as it's viewed now.
"I think we need to consider how we're using media images as a culture to share the values we think are important, and the effect that has on our well-being, " she says.
The approach Grabe and Hyde took in their study, called meta-analysis, offers a way to quantitatively examine an entire body of research at once. In their case, this meant 77 carefully selected studies of the effects of appearance-focused media images on women's body dissatisfaction, investment in their looks, adoption of the thin ideal, and eating behaviors and beliefs. The analysis also included controlled, experimental studies, in which these effects were tested directly, and investigations that correlated body concerns with women's self-reported consumption of media.
In simple terms, the meta-analysis placed test subjects from every study into two groups: those who were exposed to media images portraying women's bodies and the thin ideal, and those who weren't. It then asked whether differences existed between the two and the magnitude of the differences.
In the end, the researchers did find a significant difference, with women who were exposed to media reporting less satisfaction with their bodies. Notably, this difference was also seen across all four measures of body image concerns.
So, what's the answer? The French government may try to control the media, but don't women also need to learn to be a little less concerned with their looks?
Grabe replies that the issue lies not with our attraction to images of beauty or with women's desire to emulate them, but with what we've come to define as beautiful: bodies that are unnaturally and unhealthily thin.
"I want to stress that it's totally normal for women to want to be attractive," says Grabe. "But what's happening in our society is that many women are striving toward something that's not very realistic or obtainable, and that leads to a lot of health consequences."
Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison


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The story of the Hipster Grifter is finally winding down. She's in jail awaiting extradition. Today's last bits of news are Doree Shafrir's update, and this clip of Kari offering spelunking in her "cavernous vagina."
Doree, who made Kari Ferrell what she is today, gets a little insight on the next legal step from Kari's bail bond agent:
"She has the option to waive extradition. If she does that, then she's saying, `Yeah, I have charges in another state.' If she chooses to fight it and waive extradition, she'll go through the Philadelphia process and it's hell. She'll just do extra time."
I imagine she'd want to get out of Philly just like everyone else! Why not just go straight to SLC and save herself all that time in Philly lockup? Alas, why she went there to surrender remains a mystery. As does her offer of spelunking facilities. The world will have to wait...and wonder.


text: Application Privredna komora Vojvodine does not collect or transmit any user's personal information, with the exception of technical information included in HTTP requests (such as your IP address). No personal information is used, stored, secured or disclosed by services this application works with. If you would like to report any violations of this policy, please contact our support.


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Google was hit by privacy complaints in 14 E.U. countries Tuesday over its new terms of service that allow user photos and comments in advertising.
Google started featuring the names and photos of users in so-called "shared endorsements" on Nov. 11. This means that if a user, for instance, follows a computer manufacturer on Google+, that user's name, photo and endorsement could show up in ads for that computer.
Those changes to Google's terms of service violate European data protection law, according to privacy advocate Simon Davies, who lodged the complaints.
"On the basis of my initial assessment it appears that the changes will substantially violate Data Protection law," he wrote in the complaint. He asked data protection authorities to investigate and seek the immediate suspension of the changes pending the outcome of the investigation.
His complaint was filed with the data protection authorities of Norway, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland.
One of the problems with Google's changes is that when users signed up for a Google+ account they were not informed that in order to use other Google services in the future, their data would be used for commercial purposes outside the Google+ environment, Davies wrote, adding that this violates the principle of purpose limitation.
"The general position is that the ground rules shouldn't be changed half way through the match. Google acquired the data under one condition, and I'm asserting that it cannot change the purpose of that data after the fact," he said.
This goes for the shared endorsements policy but also for YouTube comments, he said. "Not only are users now required to disclose their identity in order to interact on YouTube, but they are, by default, liable to have those comments and views construed as product endorsements in a generally visible publicly and identifiable format," he wrote in the complaint. It would be difficult to imagine how Google could reasonably move data from a site such as YouTube to an open advertising platform when there is no mention made in its privacy policy of such a shift, he added.
Furthermore, Google's opt-out mechanism creates another substantial data protection issue, because opt-out mechanisms in principle do not deliver users' consent according to Europe's privacy watchdog the Article 29 Working Party, Davies said.
Users can opt out of the shared endorsements program in some countries. In Germany however, it seemed that the check box for the use of profile information in ads is unchecked by default for existing and newly created accounts, according to a test conducted by the office of the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information in October, after Google announced its terms of service changes but before they went into effect earlier this month.
Even though there was a default opt-out setting in Germany in October, Davies said he wanted to test the purpose limitation principle, so he filed his complaints with the authorities in Berlin and the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information.
While the complaint focuses primarily on the shared endorsements policy, it is also relevant to a number of other recent policy changes made by the company, Davies wrote. The initiative should be seen in the broader context of other changes recently made to Google's terms of service that require users to log in or to create a Google+ account before being permitted to leave comments on YouTube, he said.
Currently, Google is also being investigated by a number of data protection authorities over changes to its policies that allow Google to share personal data across all its products and services. The data protection issues and violations highlighted in Davies' complaint go to the heart of many of the aspects already under investigation, he said, adding that the shared endorsements policy is made possible only through company-wide amalgamation of personal data.
Davies hopes the DPAs are able to resolve these matters swiftly to ensure that Internet users continue to enjoy the benefits of online interaction as well as protection of their privacy and personal information.
Google did not respond to a request for comment.


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BERLIN – German police say at least 30 children have been injured, some of them seriously, after a bus they were traveling in overturned on a southern highway.
A Bavarian police spokesman says the driver appeared to have lost control of the bus during a sudden hailstorm near the town of Freising on Wednesday afternoon.
Ulrich Poepsel said police sent "anything with a siren" to the site of the accident including several helicopters that ferried the injured children to nearby hospitals.
He says the bus was registered in the German town of Dachau and was taking children home from a holiday trip.
Poepsel said the overturned bus caused a second crash involving several vehicles for which casualty figures were still unclear.


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August 10, 2015
This post originally appeared on UNFPA's website here. Reposted with permission.
BARATUKU/KIRYADONGO, Uganda – Two brave South Sudanese refugees are defying expectations and speaking frankly about their decision to use family planning. After surviving conflict and enduring a perilous journey to Uganda, they are unwilling to allow social pressure to interfere with their families or their futures, they said.
"I would like to return to school and complete my education," Mary Acon, 24, told UNFPA. "I will not conceive when I am not ready."
Family planning is often discouraged in South Sudanese communities. Yet South Sudan has one of the highest maternal death rates in the world, as well as a high fertility rate – an average of 5 children per women – that increases the risk of life-threatening pregnancy complications.
Conditions for women deteriorated even further after violence erupted in South Sudan in December 2013. Over 600,000 people have since been forced to flee the country – including Ms. Acon's family.
"I came to Uganda in January with my husband and breastfeeding six-month-old baby," Ms. Acon said. Her son almost did not make it.
"During the journey, my son got very ill, and we had to find some medication for him. He was my first child, and I was worried that I would lose him."
Fortunately, her son recovered, but illnesses were commonplace among the refugees. "When I arrived here, there were many ailments in the settlements," Ms. Acon said in Baratuku, the northern refugee settlement where she lives.
She decided to become a clinical officer, a mid-level health worker trained to perform routine medical and surgical procedures. "I thought becoming a clinical officer would be one way to halt this situation and be able to help my people."
To ensure she can pursue her studies, and to protect her health during the uncertainty of their displacement, Ms. Acon relies on family planning information and contraceptives provided by the Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development (ACORD), with support from UNFPA.
Family planning will also help her work after her studies are finished, allowing her to better provide for her family. "I come from a culture where family planning is not recommended," she said. Still, "my husband is very supportive because he knows there are benefits."
She added, "We cannot predict the future, so it is important that we plan wisely for it. And family planning can help us do that."
Irene Ayo, living in the Kiryadongo refugee settlement in south-western Uganda, also uses family planning. She has seen first-hand how lack of access to contraceptives can hamper women's and girls' prospects.
"I am 20 years old, born in a very big family of 35 siblings," Ms. Ayo told UNFPA. "My father had 18 wives, and my mother was the second to last one… Because we were a big family, we always lacked the basics in life, especially school needs… That is one of the reasons I decided to go on family planning."
She initially encountered opposition. "At first I was discouraged by my friends, who said using contraceptives is not good for women as it could make one sterile," she said, describing a common – but incorrect – belief about family planning.
But Ms. Ayo persisted. She received family planning counselling from social workers with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), whose work in Kiryadongo is supported by UNFPA. "They gave me different options," she said, and chose a contraceptive method that best worked for her.
"I have completed my senior [term], and now I'm waiting to go to university while the girls who rejected family planning conceived, became teenager mothers and dropped out of school."
Today, she works with IRC as a peer educator, promoting safe choices and healthy practices in her community – including family planning. "I encourage other girls and women to use it so as to plan their futures," Ms. Ayo said. She also teaches people about preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs). "I also use condoms, not just for family planning but as a way of protecting myself from STIs, including HIV/AIDS."
She has big plans for the future. "I still want to continue with my studies," she said. And later, "when the time is right, I will have children."


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For a number of children born of geek parents, the WowWee Tribot is sure to make an appearance underneath a Christmas tree this year. By New Year's, though, this toy will surely make its way to the back of a closet to sit unused until spring cleaning. It's a shame to let such an interesting robotics platform go to waste, so [haltux] sent in a nice guide to unlocking the motor controller of this talking robot.
The 'legs' of the WowWee Tribot have three omnidirectional wheels mounted 120 degrees apart. We've seen this drive system before, so getting a pre-built platform out of the toy box is pretty interesting.
[haltux] found three H-bridges inside the Tribot and connected the direction and enable pins for each motor directly to an Arduino. The build was a success, and the new robot platform scurried along the floor. There are also rotary encoders on the Tribot, but these run at 12 Volts. [haltux] said he'll cover these in a future post, and we're waiting to see it.