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Featured image: Claire & Frank walk Culloden Battlefield, grave markers center, memorial cairn right, Outlander Ep105, "Rent," credit: STARZ/Sony Pictures Television
Warning: Possible spoilers from Voyager, book #3 in the Outlander series
The Heart asks Pleasure – first –
And then – Excuse from Pain –
And then – those little Anodynes
That deaden suffering –
And then – to go to sleep –
And then – if it should be
The will of its Inquisitor
The privilege to die –
– Emily Dickinson, 1890
On the cusp of our long-awaited Season 3 of Outlander STARZ, starting this Sunday in the U.S., some readers and viewers renew in their minds, if not through talk, the age-old debate over the quality of a show's adaptation of the book it's based on. But not me.
Since I have yet to enjoy a book in the series more than the first, this season's treatment of book 3 matters less to me than those of the previous two books. By re-watching and closely studying Seasons 1 and 2, I've become accustomed to expecting improvements, surprising differences, and lackluster elements in adaptation, and I'm prepared to accept the show more fully on its own terms, independent from the books.
Admittedly, I found this easier after reading of Diana Gabaldon's endorsement of Season 3, particularly in how closely it follows Voyager. But I never needed exactly identical details to cross the format threshold, anyway; the essence and soul of the story are what matter most to this fan. Besides, absolute mimicry would be both impossible and, if it were possible, a detriment to both book and show. The unique entertainment value of each would decline the more alike they became.
So I won't be re-reading the book for the purpose of comparing and scrutinizing the show's third season, and I advise both book and show fans to refrain from the activity as well. Any dipping back into the longest of the first three books for me will be piecemeal and most likely to satisfy curiosity or just enjoy reading.
As a fan who returned with her husband from an Outlander-focused Scotland vacation almost a year ago, my interests in the series relate more strongly to Scottish cultural authenticity, the romance of the saga's milieu, and the richness of history permeating both series. The people, the places, the times.
During the latter half of our trip, we went to the Culloden Visitor Centre and Battlefield near Inverness and purchased a guidebook there. The impressiveness of the museum, enhanced by my familiarity with the Outlander series and Culloden's role in it, and the sobering experience of walking the battlefield all made a deep impression on me.
Now I've been reading the gargantuan Tolstoy novel War and Peace since May, a month after my president bombed war-ravaged Syria. With lesser eruptions of political violence in my own country and North Korea's recent missile launches escalating Kim Jong-un's threats of nuclear war, the power and propensities of my government and others naturally darken my thoughts these days.
At the intersection of fiction and cultural history, then, my current and greatest interest in Outlander STARZ Season 3's first episode, premiering this Sunday night, is their representation of the Battle of Culloden. With the formidable Sam Heughan leading the cast of Jacobite soldiers, making war look sexy is inevitable, but I hope a healthy dose of realism also accompanies the depiction—a rendering of the oft-obscured losing side of history and the consequences of that loss through the season's first half.
Between the Lines
On the cover of Culloden, the National Trust Scotland's official guidebook to the battle and field, appear two lines of identical length and thickness. Like railroad ties not on a map but in a picture, they recede at one end, seeming to reach forward and down to the right on the surface, toward some common point of interest—where the pages open. Separated by a word, their other ends point at diverging angles to the sky of the background image.
They nonetheless come from the map, these lines, the red above, the blue diving into the brown straw grass of the funereal field. A blue line, a red line, divided by a clash of cultures, red representing the government, blue the rebels. Blue underscores the beige Gaelic word "Cùil Lodair." Red upholds the death knell in beige English type: Culloden.
Red rising into the sky, above the fray, above the dead grass of the haunted moor. Blue sinking into the nameless land of burial, of death from final battle in a year-long, lifelong, centuries-long conflict. A conflict said to have been between either English and Scottish, Highland Gaels and Lowland Scots, Jacobites and Hanoverians, or two peoples in a global power struggle for the imperialist upper hand. Shades of each dichotomy fall on the weathered pages of history, but, the guidebook says, none of these alone is strictly true.
So simple, these two little tracks of primary color. So complicated, turbulent, ironic, intriguing, and dark the history they bespeak. Separation, divergence, oppression, progress, strategy, integration, interdiction, imperialism, diaspora—such abstractions are some of the closest we can come to accurately labeling these mysterious, Hydra-headed developments. Mere words, single words, no better than colors, flags, or battle lines for explanation, inadequate to forge understanding.
The causes are many, serial, circuitous, and complex, rendering king, commoner, historian, novelist, and film-maker alike unable to capture fully the why, the how, and, to some degree, even what made this single battle, the Battle of Culloden, what it was. Despite its being the first British battlefield to see archaeological excavation, as with all of history, no one can ever fully know all of what really happened.
Story and History
Do the details matter? All of them? Every last moment, word, object, event, and item? Recorded history is never 100% true, just as works of fiction, even when not historically based, are never 100% untrue. One could also argue that history itself is an art form, not an exact science. Certain things such as names, events, and objects can be objective elements, fact. The rest is nearly, if not in some ways just, as subjective as the politics and fiction surrounding it. All lines blur at the intersection of life and its representation, where writers and readers or viewers connect.
What is war, after all, but a stamp of failure, the failure of people–clans, nations, and their leaders–to solve problems fairly, honestly, and peaceably? At best, it's a self-serving grab for power and land, glory and good standing. At worst, fratricide, genocide, evil. Occasionally, it is a pure demand for deserved freedom, but that purity is never uniform across the hearts of those who fight. Generally, war is far less romantic than either fiction or history or current events media portrays, though some things do remain worth fighting for.
This was not my war that I should weep for the lost or for those still suffering its reverberations through the collective consciousness. So many conflicts and disasters are not mine, thank God, not ours, yet they merit no fewer tears. I am human and can empathize with my fellow humans.
To paraphrase Tolstoy from War and Peace, which I'm nearly finished reading, history is the habit of focusing on great leaders' military conflicts as defining lands and their peoples, whereas it is the individual person going about everyday life, both in waging war and in tending to private affairs, that has most influence on a country's fate. It is discrete human consciousness and conscience that matter most, not the "hive mind" of collectivism, of self-sacrificing glory and patriotic heroism.
In solemn honor, reverent pride, and moist-eyed commemoration of great public figures, military commanders, and extraordinary patriots credited with ingenious tactics, singular vision or instinct, and pivotal acts of bravery and skill, we write books, erect monuments, fill museums, name streets, and conduct ceremonies.
Yet the greatness of great leaders lies not in their human empathy, but in their ruthlessness, singular focus, and emotionless problem-solving skills. Commanders of armies, Tolstoy claims, cannot allow compassion, mercy—in short, human conscience—to cloud their tactical judgment if they are to be effective warriors. His example is Emperor Napoleon, but the principle applies equally to queens, colonels, dukes, generals, and princes.
It is regular people instead, Tolstoy argues, the common man and woman toiling anonymously and focused on their own lives and families—those who fight, suffer, bleed, and die not for a cause but as a matter of course—who deserve greatest praise and emulation. Better that each does for himself than for the public good; as a result, the public is better served.
Based on direct narrative arguments, characterization, and plot in War and Peace, I think Tolstoy's belief in the importance of these actions lies in how they preserve people's lives, loves, and souls. Let your life be a beacon so that others avoid the grandiose, power-hungry, cruel, machine-like, nationalistic, and imperialistic ambitions that only ever result in countless acts of evil.
It is this individual human lens on infamous past conflict that Outlander, too, affords us. In short, though it flies in the face of conventional military discipline, be like Jamie Fraser. Follow your prince as far as you can, and then when it's clear the cause is lost, save your people if not also yourself.
Adoption and Adaptation
Although they're neither my books nor my monuments, museums, or people, I attend the story. And why? Why do I choose to focus on this history and these people over others, including those one could say are more rightly mine? I cling with a sense of loyalty in having adopted threads of a culture not native to me. Why have I selected Outlander, its stories, and Scotland in which to invest my time, money, energy—in short, my conscious presence as an American?
Why did a science academic from Arizona, with no Scottish heritage and who had never been to Scotland, choose a 250-year-old version of that setting for her first novel? Inspired whimsy as much as anything else. An image of a Highlander in a kilt on an episode of Dr. Who pretty much started it all, along with the desire to learn how to write a novel "for practice," one that became only the first of an international-bestselling series. In short, because she could, and excelled at it.
Now, in more than 35 posts, my blog explores Diana Gabaldon's imagined saga and its Scottish origins.
The following can all be found through this blog's menu tab "Outlander."
- Scotland's Burns and Outlander rival Shakespeare's bawdy
- Adapted Bawdy Lyrics: Outlander TV Series, Episode 114, "The Search"
- Happy Poem-in-Your-Pocket Day!
- Response to Outlander Post, "Episode 115: 'Wentworth Prison' (SPOILERS)"
- Review: Outlander Season 1's Ironic Chilling Effect
- Book Review: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
- 3 Quick Book Reviews: Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, and Voyager
- Outlander, 2015 San Diego Comic-Con: Binge On
- Five-Phrase Friday (9): "Slings and Arrows . . ."
- Five-Phrase Friday (10): Outlander Grammar
- Golden Globes for Outlander Starz!
- Outlander "2": Dragonfly in Amber
- Five-Phrase Friday (36): Comic Relief in Outlander STARZ Ep201
- Five-Phrase Friday (37): No "Callow" Craft
- Outlander STARZ: Season 2 Review, Eps 201 and 202
- Review: Sandringham in Outlander STARZ – Beyond Adaptation
- Live Event Review: Diana Gabaldon Skype Session
- Outlander STARZ: "Faith" and Patience
Posts of our Scotland excursion are linked below and through the far-right, top-menu tab "Scotland" on the Philosofishal home page.
Before the trip:
- Book Review: Fodors Travel Essential Great Britain
- The Labor of Learning to Set Limits
- Five-Phrase Friday (38): Scotland
After the trip:
- Morning Fog, Loch Long, Arrochar – photo, the Trossachs (Oct 11, 2016)
- Scottish Color: A Photo Essay – overview of sensory highlights (Oct 12, 2016)
- The Paps of Jura – sea-and-mountains vista; language lesson (Oct 15, 2016)
- Linlithgow Palace, a.k.a. Wentworth Prison – profile of a lesser-known Outlander STARZ filming site (Oct 20, 2016)
- Famous Poets' Nature Poetry, 5: Of Mice, Men and Rabbie Burns – reading "To a Mouse" & The Writers' Museum (Oct 24, 2016)
- Kurdish in Edinburgh – restaurant review (Nov 4, 2016)
- Dial up the sun – original poem, plus photos, National Museum of Scotland (Nov 9, 2016)
- An Outlander Tourist in Scotland, Part 1 – my take on Outlander tourism, starting with film sites in Central Scotland (Dec 1, 2016)
- An Outlander Tourist in Scotland, Part 2 – Central Scotland cont'd, Glasgow film sites, south to Ayrshire coast, Dumfries & Galloway (Dec 23, 2016)
- An Outlander Tourist in Scotland, Part 3 – wraps up orientation to Highland sites from Perthshire to Ross & Cromarty to Inverness; Outlander STARZ & my museum/field photos of Culloden Visitor Centre, with commentary (Feb 11, 2017)
- An Outlander Tourist in Scotland, Part 4 – story of my trip-planning process, snapshots of our itinerary, our experience, and improvements (Mar 11, 2017)
- Wildlife TV Programs This Week – a heads-up for Wild Scotland on NatGeoWild. See the end section about select Scotland nature and wildlife tourism options with brief descriptions and links to resources. (Mar 27, 2017)
- Review: Slainte Scotland Outlander Tour + Outlander Tourism Resources – (a.k.a. Part 5) our Outlander tour, Slainte Scotland company review, notes on OL sites we visited alone, profiles of most popular OL film sites, list of 40 OL film sites, resources for OL book and inspiration sites, other OL tour co. links, articles on the show, plus how to survive Droughtlander (Apr 11, 2017)
- An Outlander Tourist in Scotland, Part 6 – the final post in the OL tourism series, focused on Scottish and more general travel tips and resources, based on our Scotland trip experiences (Jun 15, 2017)
And I keep coming back to it—because I'm fascinated, captivated, intrigued, provoked in thought and feeling and spirit. It's Gabaldon's masterful storytelling that made all this possible and Outlander STARZ that elevates my interest even further. I write because I want to, because I can, and why the hell not? I daresay Tolstoy would approve.
My husband recently informed me that two Icelandic airlines have started direct flights from Cleveland to Reykjavik. "Wanna go to Iceland?" he asked. My coy reply? "Sure, as long as we can stop in Scotland on the way." We spent our first vacation of any real length and substance since our 2008 honeymoon on a two-week Scottish excursion last fall. Some day, I hope to go back. For our 10th anniversary next year, I cannot think of a better, more romantic way to celebrate than reprising the trip we both so loved.
Outlander Season 3
Until then, there's the third season journey of the STARZ adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's currently 8-novel series called Outlander. The premiere of the TV show's return based closely, we have now been told, on Gabaldon's third book Voyager airs in the United States on Sunday, September 10, 2017. Catch the show on STARZ at 8pm EDT or on the STARZ app.
It's a 13-episode adventure through 1940s-60s Boston, 1960s and 1740s-60s Scotland, and various parts of the Caribbean Sea in the 1760s after our epic romantic heroes Claire and Jamie reunite in an Edinburgh print shop after 20 years and two centuries apart. I know it's a lot of numbers to parse. . . . Stay tuned.
That separation, made possible by Claire's time traveling ability, occurred as a direct result of the Battle of Culloden in 1746. In the Season 2 finale, Claire acknowledges to Jamie her new pregnancy and agrees to keep her promise of going back through the standing stones at Craigh na Dun, taking herself and their unborn child safely back to the future (Sam Heughan's favorite movie, by the way).
While the battle itself is not part of the book's plot, the TV show's premiere features Jamie's version of recalling the battle. The first several episodes then explore the separate, parallel lives of these time- and ocean-divided lovers, wife Claire and husband Jamie, as they struggle to learn to live and find purpose without one another.
As pivotal as it is to Scottish history, so is the Battle of Culloden to the Outlander STARZ drama. And because occasions for artistic representation of the battle are as rare as a total solar eclipse, I've chosen this niche topic as we prepare to watch a fresh rendering of parts of the battle in living color.
I have written previously about the anticipation of a TV representation of the Battle of Culloden in Part 3 of my six-part series An Outlander Tourist in Scotland. Key points are excerpted here:
Culloden Battlefield, a.k.a. Culloden Moor, Inverness-shire. → "The Outlander action is all leading up to the bloody Battle of Culloden in 1746. More than 1,200 [Jacobite Army] men were killed [and nearly as many wounded] in the defeat of the Jacobite [side]." Source: photo caption excerpt. This final battle, while not depicted in the book, will be portrayed in the STARZ show during series 3, which is based on the third book Voyager.
Culloden Visitor Centre stewards, battle and Jacobite scholars, descendants of Scotch soldiers and their families, British historians, Outlander fans, Outlander STARZ cast and crew, and Scots citizens–in short, many, many people no doubt all eagerly anticipate this unique project coming to fruition.
I know it will be unforgettable, and I hope it will bring even more people to this historic site that has long been at the center of Scottish cultural identity and its dramatic transformation.
Previous Reenactments
Although this project is unique, the Battle of Culloden has been depicted in film before. Early during the Vietnam War, the 1960s brought us Culloden, Peter Watkins' 70-minute docudrama, or "mockumentary," of the battle in black and white, told as if modern TV cameras were present interviewing participants in the battle. Although I have not seen it, the film appears to have garnered some very positive reviews and has been described as "seminal" in its style and substance.
There is also The Great Getaway, a recent film about Bonnie Prince Charlie's flight from British justice in the wake of the Jacobite defeat at Culloden, a production in which the battle plays a role. Although a trail of articles tracked its development, I was unable to discover whether this project ever saw the light of day or if it is still forthcoming; if you know anything about it, feel free to leave a comment.
Farther back, in the silent film era, 1923's Culloden Avenged uses that historical turning point as a pretext for a rematch done archery style between the King's Scottish Archers and the Woodmen of Arden in an International Archery Contest. Black and white, 60 minutes.
Beyond explanations and images in history books, there are available at the Culloden Visitor Centre museum dozens upon dozens of first-person accounts, artifacts, letters, poems, reenactment recordings, songs, artwork, and other representations of the battle in part or whole. I don't plan to take my expertise on this subject further than reading all the articles in my Sources section at the end of this post. Perhaps I'll watch Culloden or The Great Getaway at some point in the future, but history books about Culloden I leave to other readers.
Truth in the Balance
If we accept that history is as subjective as fiction, questions about how and how well Outlander, or any production, portrays history pale in importance to other questions focused separately on history and on fiction. We may be tempted to ask whether something has been misrepresented and how that alteration matters, and we are free to do so. The verdict is up to each individual consumer, however, and there should be no criminal indictment, just literary criticism. Art is for everyone to make of what they will.
As long as, and to the extent that, history's facts, to say nothing of its general aura, remain incompletely known and in dispute by the descendants and scholars of opposing sides in the conflict (as well as of purportedly neutral persuasion), the question of accurate representation proves rather subjective, if not altogether moot.
Acknowledging this lack of necessity for accuracy leads us to ask a different kind of question. Which elements of story have the most impact on reader perspective? Should certain aspects carry more weight than others?
If we grant that readers and viewers of the Outlander series love it primarily for one, a few, or many of the following qualities—and these are all present, in my humble opinion—then historical correctness takes a farther seat back in the stretch limo:
- intriguing premise and sweeping scenery
- engaging plot and dramatic conflicts
- compelling ensemble of characters, including seminal villains
- high-quality writing, with sharp turns of phrase and vividly descriptive details
- 20th-century English combat nurse's narrative perspective, intelligence, insight, rash courage, ironic wit, loyalty, compassion, sense of justice (Libra), sharp memory, sharper-tongued sauciness, resourcefulness, ingenuity, medical skills, hardiness, sexual confidence, sense of adventure, large heart, steady determination
- 18th-century Scottish Highlander's physical strength, resilience, hot-headed stubbornness (Taurus), decisive leadership, clever intensity, educated virility, romantic sensibilities, controversial brutishness, forward-thinking adaptability, uncanny intuition, and unimaginable tenderness, i.e., "king of men"
- centuries-spanning heroic couple's beautiful transcendent love and at-times shocking sexual relationship
- sci-fi/fantasy elements of time travel, folk superstition turned real, and the generally supernatural
At any rate, the best fiction, and the best art more broadly for that matter, sets out first to inspire, entertain, intrigue, or provoke thought. It is not, and should not be, the novelist's job to "tell the truth" beyond what is true to the essence of the story itself. It's fine to educate and enlighten, but that's not the top priority with fiction.
Still, as someone whose interest extends beyond Outlander's fiction into the culture and history of the Scottish Highlands, as well as Scotland, the UK, and the Scottish diaspora more broadly, I find value in examining the intersection of history and story.
In Good Faith
Besides the numerous, varied aspects listed above and despite our relieving historical fiction authors of the responsibility for absolute factual precision, this kind of accuracy is no less part of Gabaldon's critical praise. As a former college professor and editor, as well as a keen and tenacious mind, the author has really done her homework. Readers note her extensive, intensive research of settings, customs, clothing, technology, medical expertise, weaponry, household goods, conveyances, animals, plants, and all other specific details she has selected.
In her first volume of The Outlandish Companion, Gabaldon describes her research precepts, what she tells audiences during lectures on the topic of historical fiction, and the process she pursues to balance authenticity with storytelling.
It is true, on the one hand, that a degree of accuracy, plausibility, and internal consistency are essential to author credibility in the telling of a story if the author is going to keep readers interested and not distracted by errors, suspicion, or confusion.
On the other hand, perhaps we should aim to focus our inquiry instead on the fictional representation of historical themes and settings as fiction—how the book series author imagines contextual history in order to serve a fictional story and how the STARZ TV production imagines its own version of Gabaldon's use of history.
For, in truth, despite their impressive efforts to create an authentic milieu, both Gabaldon and STARZ's crew would seem to have made some historico-factual errors toward the end of Dragonfly in Amber (DIA) and in Outlander STARZ Season 2's penultimate episode, "The Hail Mary." In different ways, they both diverge from what the National Trust Scotland official guidebook Culloden represents as accurate historical fact concerning the events leading immediately up to the battle. I'll present each creative choice, compare them to fact, and then discuss implications.
Creative License or Misrepresentation?
Gabaldon changed the timing of the night march. STARZ changed the reason for its being aborted.
In DIA's Chapter 46, Gabaldon writes that the night march, historically represented to have occurred the night before the Battle of Culloden, happened two days earlier than it actually did. I would like to give this highly experienced, research-skilled author of numerous historical novels the benefit of the doubt, but I am curious to learn her reason or reasons for making this rather noticeable change in historical timing.
While STARZ/Moore got the moment of its occurrence correct, they more than implied that it was primarily lack of sufficient troops leading to the attack's delay, rather than solely the projected timing of the army's arrival at the Cumberland encampment in Nairn, that made Lord George Murray turn his troops around and head back to Inverness.
Fact: The night march did occur on April 15, the night before the Battle of Culloden, and those troops that did return came back exhausted, starving (more than they had been), and barely in time to form up for the noon-time battle.
Fact: There was no errant set of lost Prince Charles troops who never showed to meet up with Murray's troops, as represented by the show (perhaps to give Jamie Fraser a larger role in the action?). By 2am on April 16, Murray's lot, delayed instead by darkness, rough terrain and weakened bodies, were still four miles from the encampment and would lose all advantage with the sunrise.
Both of these seemingly unnecessary errors for the story or production create alterations that substantially improve neither dramatic effect nor characterization. Furthermore, pacing could have been preserved in the same way it came out if they'd left well enough alone. An aspect of history that was not in dispute has, under each author, become a thing, so to speak, needlessly increasing potential for controversy where before there was none.
It leads one to wonder whether these differences are accidents or intentional deviations, and if the latter, deviation for what purpose. But the key question is, "Whether purposeful or not, is the misrepresentation problematic, in any substantial way, to either history, story, or present society?"
The answer will, of course, depend on whom you speak with about it. For example, perhaps historians, modern-day Jacobites, Culloden-warrior descendants, fans of Bonnie Prince Charlie, today's nationalistic Scots, and those sympathetic to people they perceive to be oppressed Highland Scots and Gaels will be none too pleased to see even fictional characters and their circumstances casting Prince Charles and his troops in an unfavorable light.
Omitted also from the show and book is the historic fact that, even before the night march, the over-eager prince formed his lines on Culloden Moor on April 15, the day before the battle actually took place, anticipating Cumberland's forces that never arrived. Adding this fact to the fictionalized representation would legitimately portray the troops as being as thoroughly exhausted and unprepared as they really were.
Combine the two false starts of previous-day non-battle and aborted night march, and in some respects Charles Stuart appears even more foolish and the Jacobites more imperiled in the 24 hours leading up to the battle than either Gabaldon or the STARZ crew conveys.
Specifically with respect to those few days prior to the battle, however, the TV adaptation proves more historically accurate than Gabaldon's use of history in the book, and in so doing, the show restores some of the pitiable absurdity of those desperate last moments of build-up to combat.
Perspective and Picking Your Battles
Motives aside and changes in detail considered, what are the effects of each creative choice?
For most readers and viewers, probably none. If you never learned (from a scholarly historical text, for instance) the detailed history of Culloden or the Jacobite Rising of 1745, you wouldn't know what you missed, except that now I've told you.
Those who've paid a little more attention, perhaps visited Scotland, including the Culloden Visitor Centre, as well as some Scotland- or UK-based fans of the show, may notice a vague dissonance between scenes watched and history lessons recalled. Perhaps a few will "mark me" that those sequential details don't wash.
We who notice errors, discrepancies, unintended anachronisms, or timescale flubs in film and television productions, and are bothered by them, can take solace in the fact that almost everybody does it at some point. For story's sake, a production's budgetary constraints, because they feel like it, or because they simply don't know any better, mistakes happen in any endeavor involving human action. Culloden itself is, in a large number of respects, a seminal example of that truth.
Yet again, the Battle of Culloden is "merely days away," as Claire says in ep212 to Black Jack Randall of his day of death, referring to that same fateful date of April 16, 1746. Our first Outlander-filtered experience of the battle will occur on September 10, 2017. Last April marked the 270-year anniversary of the Battle of Culloden, and the final Outlander Season 2 episodes, representing the eve of that battle, aired for the first time last summer.
Now at last come the battle itself and its aftermath through the eyes of our hero Jamie Fraser. His narrative filter replacing Claire's usual perspective (complete with voice-overs), along with the combined writer-producer lens, greatly erodes the importance of accurately representing the events Jamie "reports."
Fictional aims take priority. So, while past error may presage future error (or, in a time-travel story, vice versa?), the author can stand confidently at least behind the acceptable claim, if not the essential trait of fiction, that no character's or narrator's viewpoint is ever equivalent to the author's.
Anyone who reads novels on a semi-regular basis also should know that the narrator is never 100% reliable and, in fact, this is even a large measure of the fun of exploring literature. I'd say the thoughts of a severely injured, exhausted, starving, and love-sick survivor of a major battle having flashbacks of said battle slot him neatly in the category of unreliable limited, first-person narrator, at least in that moment. No offense to James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser.
Characters, if they are realistically drawn, get lots of things wrong—not only details but also the essence of their experiences—with imperfect, incomplete, biased, and sometimes wholly fabricated remembering. Memory, as I learned recently through my memoir writing class, is at best a reconstruction of partially formulated experiences that change in some way inevitably each and every time the mind revisits them. There are no pure, objective memories, and that's just in real life.
With a first-person narrative pervading the fictional Outlander series, and given the degree of detail we are meant to imagine that fiery, intelligent, love-driven Claire recalling for the reader, such a saga, even as a work of fiction, must necessarily allow for the main character-narrator's flawed memory. In other words, yes, sometimes in telling her story, Claire could be almost lying, even to herself, though that's clearly not Gabaldon's overall intention.
It's not only just a story; it's a tale told by a completely manufactured character, who, as some of the best writers and musicians argue, has a mind of its own. Conversely, in a way, we must suspend our disbelief to allow Claire's memory to be far too intact for realism, thanks to Diana's meticulous research and writing.
Lines Blurred and Crossed
Where does all this leave us in our questions on the relationships between history and story in the case of Outlander? Is there a red line on misrepresentation or creative alteration? Has Outlander already crossed that line? In world building, no. In some specific events, actions, and sequences, it's possible.
So, what is a reader or viewer to do with that? My recommendations follow.
Where the creator's conscious intentions of a certain type of portrayal of a historical figure, event, period, or atmosphere are evident, it comes down to a simple choice. As a consumer, you either accept it or withdraw support by refusing to read or watch.
Where accident seems more prominent than purposefulness, you can criticize or chalk it up to fallible humanity. If it's unclear and not easily learned one way or another, then be confused if you must, but reserve harsh judgment for greater, more obvious crimes. With Outlander, Gabaldon and STARZ/Moore got the vast majority of things right.
Truly accurate nonfiction representation of history would mean that the red and blue lines on the battle maps of Culloden (and of most conflicts) should in fact both appear as rainbows, multicolored pixel grids, or gradient color bars with mildly contrasting shade tendencies, rather than starkly contrasting, completely separate, solid, single-color areas. In the end, complete accuracy might be both rare and indecipherable and, thus, practically pointless.
And, besides, if you're already an Outlander fan for any or all the aforementioned non-historical reasons, and some of the historical ones, how likely are you, really, to throw the baby out with the bathwater now?
If I am to keep reading a book or watching a show, you could say my only hard-and-fast rule for soundness beyond good narrative grammar and general readability is internal consistency. By this measure, Gabaldon definitely has a leg up on STARZ and Ron Moore, due to their series of time-scale errors bridging the second half of Season 1 through the opening of Season 2. (The one I don't discuss in the above-linked post is the "typo" on the screen caption to ep201 when Claire, Jamie, and Murtagh land in France: it would have to be 1744, not 1745, folks.)
Producers of the STARZ adaptation chose a different seasonal starting point of autumn instead of spring of the respective years of 1945 and 1743 to start the series, which in itself might not have been problematic. However, perhaps for this reason but probably also others, the time line chips fell (apart a little) from there. But again, just check the IMDB.com entry of your favorite movie or TV show, and you're sure to find errors in the "goofs" section of the page.
Imperfect Fondness
Even knowing all that I've learned through close examination and a little research about both the timescale issues and the pre-Culloden discrepancies, and feeling troubled by them, I don't plan to stop watching the show or reading the books (I'm on book 5 of 8, soon to be 9). That's just how good it all is.
As an English teacher and a student of philosophy, I've always believed in the power of fiction to reveal truths of human nature and to raise valuable life questions. Both book and show of the Outlander saga have proven their worth to me by excelling in this art. I'm also curious to see how closely the story follows the battle in this first Outlander representation of scenes from it. Note that Gabaldon chose not to depict the battle, probably to keep focused on Claire's perspective and to emphasize Jamie's individual story over the larger context, as is fitting.
The book and TV series have made us laugh, gasp, hold our breath, stare in horror or fascination or infatuation, cringe, look away, and generally become obsessed with the story and its characters. Perhaps most of all, Outlander makes us weep, and the battle depiction may indeed prove to be another major trigger for tears–and cringing.
The infamous Battle of Culloden has been talked about in the script since the first season. It is the reason for our heroic couple's separation, and it changed the course of history.
The real, horrific general slaughter of Jacobites in battle, their defeat, and that of the rebellion precipitated the great suffering of Scottish survivors and innocent civilians alike. As part of a campaign of punishing traitors, the Duke of Cumberland allowed government soldiers to hunt down fleeing Jacobites, pillage and burn property, torture, rape, and murder in the hours and days after battle.
Later that year, rebel leaders were executed, others including Prince Charles fled the country, and mass exodus followed. New British laws brought more formal economic and cultural suppression of Highland Gaels, and even Scots who had fought for the government, through decades of humiliating, famine-stricken aftermath. Culloden was the last battle fought on British soil.
Inevitably, then, Culloden in Outlander STARZ will be the ultimate tragedy of the entire series so far, a series that has delivered multiple, regular nightmares and personal tragedies, as well as the most hair-raising encounters, rescues, reunions, and journeys.
Till next time, enjoy—and endure in solidarity—the journeys of mind, heart, and soul that these Outlandish art forms, in their peculiar cross-dialogue, give us all. They fuel our obsession and reward our curiosity with such overarching respect, dedication, talent, hard work, and passion for the Outlander story and its cultural and historical inspirations.
I hope this post has offered fans, those on the fence, and those about to jump off some meaningful perspective on the nexus of culture, history, historical fiction, and artistic adaptation. Perhaps Outlander can teach us something about the nature of truth and fact, the variable gap between efforts and results, the wonder of resilience, the supreme importance of love, or the inescapable folly of war. In art as in life, you cannot control all the outcomes, but the choice of which most valuable lessons or beautiful impressions to take with you is no one's but yours.
And Happy Season 3, Sassenachs! We made it—we conquered the longest Droughtlander yet. Catch the show's return September 10 on STARZ at 8pm EDT or on the STARZ app.
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:
Sampling of Sources Consulted or Considered, a.k.a. Almost a Bibliography
Recent History
Wandering Educators, Dr. Jessie Voigts, 2009: Culloden: From Battle To Exile
BBC News, 2011: Apology sought for "war crimes" in Culloden's aftermath
I wonder if the show's success (2015-17) at all contributed to their story selections:
History Scotland, June 2016: The Battle of Culloden – new research dispels three long-held myths. This article reviews a scholarly publication addressing myths about (1) the choice of battleground, (2) types of weapons the Jacobites used, and (3) identities of the opposing sides involved. Includes video of the professor's views on his findings. The book is Culloden. By Murray Pittock. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. Works by Pittock on Stuart and Jacobite myths listed in NTS's Culloden.
Daily Mail, Richard Gray, April 2016: Holey skull gives a glimpse at the brutality of the Battle of Culloden: 3D model of soldier's remains shows he was shot in the top of the head in 1746 | Daily Mail Online
Daily Mail, Mark Duell, July 2016: Bonny Prince Charlie's vanquished troops were NOT an army of Highland savages | Daily Mail Online
Outlander News
Daily Record, Carla Callaghan, June 2015: Outlander's Sam Heughan on his excitement over Battle of Culloden plot and what writer Diana Gabaldon emails him
Cinemablend, Jessica Rawden, August 2016: Why You Should Be Excited About Outlander Season 3's Battle of Culloden
IGN, Terri Schwartz, April 2016: Outlander: The History vs. Fiction of Bonnie Prince Charlie
Culloden, National Trust Scotland, 2016, official guidebook on sale at Culloden Visitor Centre. Writers/contributors: Lyndsey Bowditch, Dr. Andrew Mackillop, Dr. Tony Pollard. Edited by Hilary Horrocks. See also the "Further reading" section opposite the inside back flap of the guidebook.
The Tears of Scotland, Tobias Smollett, 1746 (referenced in the NTS guidebook).
Culloden, John Prebble, 1961. Pimlico, 2002.
The Outlandish Companion, Diana Gabaldon, 1999. Delacorte Press, Random House.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Novels of the Eighteenth Century, Historicalnovels.info/Eighteenth-Century.html lists 1700s novels in English, including all of Diana's. Sections include British and Irish, Continental Europe, North America, and mysteries in thrillers from these settings.
Scholarly Articles and Books
Joseph Knight: Scotland and the Black Atlantic. Michael Morris. International Journal of Scottish Literature, Issue Four, Spring/Summer 2008. ISSN 1751-2808. Terms used to find this source: "books battle of culloden fiction nonfiction history depictions descriptions explanation"
The "Outlander" Experience: Time-Travel, Literary Tourism and North American Perceptions of the Scottish Highlands, Dr Amy Clarke, (N.d.), University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. Retrieved on Academia.edu. Good bibliography with some selections below.
Bueltmann, T., Hinson, A. and Morton, G. (2013). The Scottish diaspora. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP.
Currie, H. (1997). Diana Gabaldon breaks the rules: best-selling author knew nothing about Scotland before writing Outlander series. Kitchener-Waterloo Record, 31 January.
Devine, T. M. (2004). Scotland's empire, 1600-1815. London: Penguin.
Finlay, R. J. (1994). Controlling the past: Scottish historiography and Scottish identity in the 19th and 20th centuries. Scottish Affairs 9, 124-140.
Gold, J. R. and Gold, M. M. (1995). Imagining Scotland: tradition, representation and promotion in Scottish tourism since 1750. Aldershot: Scolar.
McCrone, D. (1992). Understanding Scotland: the sociology of a stateless nation. London: Routledge.
Fine Art
Painting: An incident in the rebellion of 1745, by David Morier
Culloden Avenged, 1923
The Battle of Culloden (TV Movie 1964) – IMDb
Culloden (The Battle of Culloden) (2003) – Rotten Tomatoes
Epic battle to star in Bonnie Prince Charlie film – The Scotsman (The Great Getaway, 2016)
Historical Movies in Chronological Order. Patrick L. Cooney PhD, Rise Education Resource Center.
Episode 212, "The Hail Mary," Outlander STARZ TV series
Aggregate of Season 1 and 2 episodes


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Ultra Music Festival Dates Announced, Tickets Go on Sale May 21
Talk about planning ahead. Good news, EDM fans, as the Ultra Music Festival dates for 2014 have been announced. The annual dance music event, now in its 16th year, takes place in Miami Friday, March 28 and runs through Sunday, Marcy 30 of next year. Early bird tickets go on sale tomorrow, May 21, at 1PM ET at a price of $149.95.
Get your credit cards out and nab your advance tickets here. They are expected to sell out on the quick so don't delay. This is a different kinda March madness!
As of now, the event is planned for a single weekend, as was always the case in the past. It expanded to a second weekend in 2013. A second weekend is pending, and could be added if the City of Miami approves it.

subset: commoncrawl


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So Sick Social Club (W/ Onyx, Bishop Brigante, Psych Ward, Tom Savini Ox) - Sweet Nothing
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The nation's eyes are again on Iowa this week, as its residents struggle with the aftermath of violent storms and devastating flooding. People from Cedar Rapids to Columbus Junction to Des Moines are dealing with the tragic loss of life and the grim destruction of homes and property.
The catastrophe has understandably eclipsed recent developments in Northeast Iowa, where residents are coping with the fallout from a different kind of trauma: the biggest immigration raid in US history, made by federal officials last month at a Postville, IA, meatpacking plant. Nearly 400 workers—more than one-third of the plant's employees and nearly 10% of the town's population—were taken into custody.
The two phenomena are, of course, very different, especially because the flooding and tornadoes have taken precious lives. But to some Iowans in the Postville area, the immigration raids and their aftermath have felt like a catastrophic event. Postville School superintendent David Strudthoff told the Washington Post [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/17/AR2008051702474.html] that the sudden incarceration of more than 10 percent of the town's population "is like a natural disaster—only this one is manmade."
After the Postville raid, half of the local school system's 600 students were absent. Many businesses were shuttered and churches left empty. And many families and friends were separated. But, unlike this month's terrible storms and twisters, the Postville raid could have happened differently, or not at all.
The rise in federal immigration raids makes for big headlines, and may placate some Americans who are understandably frustrated by our nation's broken immigration system. But, ultimately, the raids are the wrong approach to a complex dilemma: they duck the real problems with our system while upending communities and creating mayhem. And they fail to live up to the ideals that we hold as a country.
When it comes to immigration, most Americans want workable solutions that uphold our national values and move our country forward together. Raids like the one in Postville fail that test on multiple counts. First, the raids are designed for show instead of effective problem-solving. There are some 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States today working America's farms, factories, and small businesses. The idea that these 12 million people can be rounded up and deported or somehow driven out of the country simply defies reason.
Second, the raids have failed to uphold our national values, which include accountability, due process, public safety, and community. Recent raids conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have swept up citizens, legal permanent residents, and undocumented immigrants, often on the basis of race or ethnicity. They are chaotic and disruptive to whole communities and, as a recent study by the Urban Institute found[http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411566_immigration_raids.pdf], they have particularly harmful effects on children and the people and institutions that care for them.
Recent raids around the country have left children stranded at school or daycare, denied many parents access to telephones to communicate with their families, and moved many parents to remote detention facilities out of the states in which they were arrested. In the Iowa raid, those arrested were taken by bus to Waterloo, IA, for processing, some 75 miles away, where they were processed at the National Cattle Congress fairgrounds.
Some readers may have little sympathy for the plight of these parents, or even their kids. If they wanted to avoid this kind of disruption or separation, some will say, they should not have come here in the first place. That response, while perhaps understandable, ignores both the urgent drive of all parents to give their kids a better life, and the reality of the immigrant experience in the United States. America's 12 million undocumented immigrants are a part of our nation's economic engine, and part of the social fabric of many, many communities around the country. They are caregivers and mechanics, laborers and professionals, college students and soldiers. They are among the volunteers fighting Iowa's rising flood waters. They are a part of us.
Accordingly, recent raids have unsettled not only individual workers and their families, but also entire schools, workplaces, congregations, and larger communities. In Postville, Sister Mary McCauley of St. Bridget's Catholic Church asked attendants to light a candle for 20 congregants arrested in the raid. "If we had 400 candles, we would have lit them all," she told the Des Moines Register[http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008806130370].
Third, by focusing on workers, the raids ignore the pervasive employer practices that negatively affect all Americans and our economy. Not one official of the company that owns the Postville plant, Agriprocessors, Inc.[ http://www.agriprocessor.com/], was hauled away or charged that day. This is true despite a string of alleged legal and ethical violations by Agriprocessors that have little to do with immigration but lots to do with unsafe and exploitative labor practices.
According to the Washington Post[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/01/AR2008060101059.html], the Iowa Department of Labor found numerous workplace safety violations at the plant, including improper storage and handling of hazardous chemicals and inadequate training in the use of respirators. Occupational Safety and Health Administration records show workplace incidents that led to five amputations, broken bones, eye injuries, and hearing loss at the plant between 2001 and 2006. An affidavit filed by an immigration agent alleged that a supervisor blindfolded one worker and struck him with a meat hook. The state of Iowa is investigating allegations of child labor law violations at the plant, and the company recently lost a federal appellate court case over whether it could ignore a vote by workers at its Brooklyn distribution center to unionize.
A federal enforcement strategy concerned with public safety and accountability would have focused on these alleged practices which, if true, pose a real threat to economic opportunity within the state. And it would fix our broken immigration system so that immigrant workers can be realistically and fairly held accountable.
The next president should reject headline-grabbing factory raids that exacerbate problems instead of solving them. Instead, he should pursue smarter, more just solutions that serve our country's best interests. A pathway to citizenship for immigrants willing to work, pay taxes and learn English must be combined with measures that hold employers, workers, and other institutions accountable to firm rules that are fairly applied. So long as millions of immigrants live in the shadows, their will be exploitation of the kind that happens in too many meatpacking plants, sweatshops, and corporate farms around the country. That, in turn, hurts all workers and communities.
By offering an earned pathway to citizenship and directing enforcement at employer practices that threaten all workers' health and prosperity—sub-standard wages, dangerous conditions, exploitation, racial discrimination, child labor and fair labor violations—a new administration can promote shared prosperity along with fair, pragmatic, and legal immigration. Disruptive, arbitrary raids should give way to effective approaches that enforce our laws while upholding the fairness, accountability, and protection that are so important to our Democracy.


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The Rapid Response Users Group debuted here Aug. 31 through Sept. 2 amidst much fanfare at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino. More than 330 attendees represented more than 180 current and prospective Rapid customers present by the invitation of Rapid Response.
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Course Information
18-645SV: How to Write Fast Code
The fast evolution and increasing complexity of computing platforms pose a major challenge for developers of high performance software for engineering, science, and consumer applications: it becomes increasingly harder to harness the available computing power. Straightforward implementations may lose as much as one or two orders of magnitude in performance. On the other hand, creating optimal implementations requires the developer to have an understanding of algorithms, capabilities and limitations of compilers, and the target platform's architecture and microarchitecture. This interdisciplinary course introduces the student to the foundations and state-of-the-art techniques in high performance software development using important functionality such as linear algebra kernels, transforms, filters, and others as examples. The course will explain how to optimize for the memory hierarchy, take advantage of special instruction sets, and how to write parallel code for multicore, manycore, and cluster platforms, based on state-of-the-art research. Further, a general strategy for performance analysis and optimization is introduced that the students will apply in group projects that accompany the course. Finally, the course will introduce the students to the recent field of automatic performance tuning.
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The Missouri legislature convenes this Wednesday.
The hallmark issue may be Medicaid expansion. Topics of tax credits and arming classroom teachers are also expected to come up for debate.
Host Don Marsh talked with St. Louis Public Radio's statehouse reporter Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Beacon political reporter Jo Mannies, and University of Missouri – St. Louis political science professor Terry Jones about the upcoming session.
Governor Jay Nixon has already appeared more willing to spar with Republicans than he has in the past. He's taken a stance for Medicaid expansion and against arming teachers, two stances incongruous with Republican leadership.
Although Democratic Governor Jay Nixon is used to a statehouse that's firmly in Republican control, this will be the first time he's dealt with a veto-proof GOP majority.
"Yes, it's veto-proof, but both the senate and the house are just one or two votes above that. The larger the majority, the more difficult it is to keep that majority together," said Terry Jones.
Jones added that the veto-proof majority is somewhat tenuous, and contingent upon almost all Republicans voting in agreement.
St. Louis Public Radio and Beyond November reporter Chris McDaniel contributed to this report.


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Cabbage Disappointing
Discuss anything related to Golden State Warriors basketball here
Moderators: Mr. Crackerz, JREED, Guybrush, 32
- Posts: 2956
- Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 8:41 am
All Star
Why don't the Warriors use Kaleena as the back-up point? He handles the ball well. I think HE is the best shooter on the team. The team places better when he is on the court. Kaleena is better thanCabbage.
I think it's time to start using Azubuike more than Cabbage since he's struggling to find himself in this offense. I liked him from the trade, but he hasn't done well since. I agree with reggie. I think it's time Nellie gives the backup duties to Kelenna.
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uptempo wrote:tHe_pEsTiLeNcE wrote:uptempo wrote:Good topic; however, Cabbage is Baron's backup. As a backup point guard, I don't see what else we can expect of him.
We're all frustrated with the team right now; however, a backup point guard is not going to make a big difference.
he won't make a difference, but that doesn't change the fact that he's playing bad. When we got him we thought he'd be a good player for a backup, and he hasn't been any better than playing monta at PG
Look, Monta is a shooting guard. Monta and Richardson will man that position. Cabbage is Davis's backup. The team needs a rotation that will allow the players to develop in their roles.
I, too, am frustrated with the team; however, before we start pointing fingers at our backup point guard, we need to look at Nelson and his coaching (or lack of) and Mullin.
I'm withholding judgement until after the All Star break.
You just read three posts, totally disregarded on what all three said and continued with your agenda. Nobody is saying he's the reason for our troubles but that doesn't change the fact that he's playing like ****
#32 wrote:[i]First off, I know this is gonna generate a lot of negative feedback from the Sarunas cult that got here with the trade.
Nothing to generate - truth is, Sarunas really s*cks right now. Nothing more to add. If he will play that bad further, he'll go to bench till the end of season and go back to Europe, where, I think, he won't be any star anymore.
Comparing with Calderon. Calderon was Saras' backup in Barcelona, and look at their stats now.
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 3:47 pm
we touched on this in another thread, we had high hopes for him in indiana but it just seems that he's not gonna get used to the nba 3pt. line. sarunas is a great passer, free throw shooter and teammate. that is it.


text: On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 at 7:44pm, George Georgalis wrote > On Sun, Oct 10, 2004 at 12:01:37PM -0400, H.Vidal, Jr. wrote: > >Which SATA drives are considered 'the best' the way, say Seagate drives are > >held in high esteem for SCSI? > > > >And, if anybody likes any particular RAID and/or NAS system, let's hear > >your stories. About 1.4-1.7 Terabyte raw space. > > I've heard these are a good value > http://www.winsys.com/products/flata.php > > If you build your own, the 3com controllers can be had under $400 and are ^^^^ I think you meant "3ware" there... > said to be quite good. I'm booting SATA with a $35 addonics controller on > a workstation -- which I consider as reliable, faster and cheaper than > ATA. But that setup wasn't without difficulty setting up. -- Joshua Baker-LePain Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University


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As if dealing with the passing of associate Randy "Macho Man" Savage wasn't weighing heavily on Ric Flair's mind, The Nature Boy found himself held in contempt of court this week "for failing to repay a loan and autograph photos for a wrestling merchandise company."
Highspots Inc. ... wants Flair to repay the loan and sign 300 photos, or give up a world championship belt he put up as collateral. Flair's agent Melinda Morris Zanoni, told the newspaper this was a simple business dispute and Flair intends to comply with the court order.
Flair could do 90 days in the clink if he doesn't do so.
Flair found in contempt for not paying $35K loan [Charlotte Observer] (H/T Beau, photo from thecoolkidztable.blogspot.com)
Wrestler Ric Flair found in contempt over business loan [News 14]


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the fabric was fine but the cut was way off, so did not fit the opening of the tent at all. So sorry it did not fit, so had to return. Love the Bibler tent and really want the added room.
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Wonderful addition to the next, perfect for the muddy gear you don't want inside. Easy set up too. We like the extra space too.
Hi, I wonder if there is anyone out there...
Hi, I wonder if there is anyone out there who can help? I know that the old BD Lighthouse was built on the same footprint as the Ahwahnee. Does the current Ahwahnee vestibule fit the old BD Lighthouse? I have contacted BD direct, but they gave me a bit of dismissive answer and I don't fancy buying a new tent. Any help gratefully received.
Might not be a perfect fit but it will work


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Notches Pattern Shop is a Retail Stockist for Jalie Sewing Patterns.
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Package includes patterns and instructions to make Jalie's VIOLETA Open-Back Leotard and Dress. Open back leotard with V-waist and yoke. Fabric binding straps cross over the back and can be made with contrast fabric for a WOW factor. The pattern includes a flowy circle skirt that is slightly shorter on the sides and longer in the back to lengthen the leg. Great for Figure Skating and Competition Dance!
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Citi Doubles List of Plausible LBO Targets
Citigroup is gearing up for bigger buyouts.
The firm's credit-research team says it has changed the criteria it uses to find LBO candidates, including raising the threshold for market capitalization to $20 billion, up from $15 billion.
"LBOs are back in style, and are bigger than many expected," the firm writes."They bring with them new capital structures, new investors, and new opportunities."
In hunting for potential buyouts, the firm now takes into account the higher market caps, as well as companies with large insider holdings and strong cash flows that also maintain reasonable debt levels.
The analysis adds 75 new possibilities to their possible LBO candidates, about double their previous list.
The possibilities aren't necessarily considered likely, but based on recent trends a deal involving the companies on the list is "plausible." The list is not an indication that any of them are in buyout talks or would consider one. It's a math game.
By increasing the market capitalization, Citi only added 10 companies, showing that their new thesis is more about capital structures than pure size.
The ten larger companies now on the list are Aetna, Agrium, Cigna, Discover Bank, Gap, Macy's, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and WellPoint.


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Candidates for nearly every kind of elected office are picking up the pace of their campaigns, knocking on doors, sending mailers and meeting with editorial boards all in an effort to convince voters — and those who seek to influence voters — that they're right for the jobs they seek.
The June 3 primary is still six weeks away, but voters will begin receiving their mail ballots in just two weeks, putting even more pressure on candidates to get their messages out.
But what do you — the voters — want? What are you looking for in your representatives — the men and women who at the federal, state and local levels will make countless decisions that affect the economy, job growth, public safety, education, our natural resources and more?
Do you want lawmakers with firm convictions? Or are you looking for men and women who are willing to see the issues from all sides and, if necessary, compromise?
Would you be more inclined to support candidates with expertise in negotiating public pensions? Running a business? Developing environmental regulations? Fighting crime?
What do you think about incumbents? Do you like your lawmaker? Do they deserve another term, or is it time for a new face and fresh ideas?
Do you value a legislator's educational background more than their life experience? Or vice versa?
The editorial board is meeting with candidates all across Southern California right now to determine whom to endorse in select contests.
We know what we're looking for in candidates, but ultimately it's the voters who will decide who's going to Washington, or Sacramento, or City Hall.
If you were to write up a "help wanted" ad for legislators, what would it say?
Let's have some fun with this. Share your ideas — or your help wanted ads — with us.
Email your submissions to email@example.com. Please include your full name and city or community of residence. Also, provide a daytime phone number so we can verify your comment.
Or, if you prefer, share your views in the comments section that accompanies this article online.
We'll publish as many submissions as possible this Sunday.


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A 9/11 Community Interfaith Service of Remembrance, Reflection, and Peacemaking will be held Sunday, September 11, at 4 p.m. in the Maas Auditorium..
The service will include remarks by spiritual leaders from Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and Baha'i faiths; readings and prayers; music by adult, children's, and bell choirs; and dance. A free-will offering will be taken to cover expenses, with remaining funds donated to Hope United for Justice.
People interested in walking together to the service will gather at the Centennial Park gazebo, River Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets, at 3:30 p.m.
The Holland service, sponsored by ten local churches and four organizations, will mark the date in 2001 when planes were crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon, and rural Pennsylvania with the loss of thousands of lives.
Sponsors are the Hope College A. J. Muste Committee, Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony, First Presbyterian, First United Methodist, Baha'i Community of Holland, Maple Avenue Ministries, Grace Episcopal, Hope Church, Interfaith Congregation, Lakeshore Women for Peace, Hope College United for Justice, Third Reformed, Peace Lutheran, and St. Francis de Sales.


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Webinar Recap: The Future of Oil and Gas Production in Colorado
On Thursday, March 7, the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy invited Tom Hunt from the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) to present a webinar on "The Future of Oil and Gas Production in Colorado" as part of the Center's ongoing Policy Workshop Webinar Series on Emerging Issues in Shale Gas Development. CEO, a department within the Governor's office, oversees energy investments and facilitates the growth of the state's energy market and industry.
In his presentation, Mr. Hunt discussed the history of oil and gas production in Colorado and the unique political and environmental considerations required for regulating recent growth in the state's natural gas production, driven primarily by shale gas. Natural gas is a fast moving issue for Colorado, as the state looks to balance the large shale gas reserves now accessible through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing with conventional fossil fuel sources and renewable energy, such as wind. As this energy landscape shifts, CEO faces difficult challenges from private citizens, advocates, local governments, and energy companies. Mr. Hunt touched on these many complexities in his presentation.
You can watch Mr. Hunt's full presentation below, in which he discusses the role of shale gas in Colorado's energy portfolio and how the state has approached regulation of the natural gas industry. You can also download his presentation slides separately here.
The Future of Oil and Gas Production in Colorado 3-7-13 1.00 PM from YCELP on Vimeo.
Colorado's Changing Oil and Gas Landscape
Oil and natural gas exploration is relatively "ancient history" in Colorado. First discovered and tapped in the late 19th century, oil and gas production has followed a boom-bust cycle, but the economies of several of the state's counties, as well as the broader state economy to a certain degree, depend on these energy resources. Traditionally, oil and gas production and drilling has been concentrated in only a few counties. Mr. Hunt highlighted two of these, Weld and Garfield counties, during his presentation.
But while Colorado has been an oil and gas producing state for many decades, the dynamics of natural gas production in the state are rapidly changing. Since 1999, production of both fuels in Colorado has been on the rise with oil growing 125% and gas 83%. In 2009, a hydraulic fracturing operation also first unlocked a large previously inaccessible reserve of natural gas. In the subsequent years, a hydraulic fracturing boom has increased both the intensity of gas production in Colorado and expanded this industry into new areas of the state. These new areas include some of Colorado's most populated towns, including parts of the Denver metropolitan area. As oil and gas production has entered new communities, it has sparked debates and spurred staunch opposition from some citizens and towns dotting the state's new gas regions.
Regulating Natural Gas Development
The changing field of oil and gas in Colorado has forced new considerations of benefits and concerns, regulatory options, and legal issues. Mr. Hunt explained that in its energy-planning role, his office must weigh the interests of all of the state's 5 million residents and the long-term protection of the state's economy and environment. A major factor in this debate is the fact that the oil and gas industry currently employs 40,000 workers in Colorado and is a major economic driver. For example, the state exports (sells) three quarters of the gas that it produces.
Responding to concerns about air quality, health, noise, water scarcity, threats to the state's world-renowned open spaces, and other issues, Colorado has striven to become a national leader in the regulation of natural gas. For example, Mr. Hunt noted that almost half of the policy recommendations contained in the International Energy Agency (IEA)'s 2012 report "Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas" are taken from Colorado state rules. You can find the details of the IEA's report here. Among the policies that Mr. Hunt highlighted are new rules for impact mitigation, safety buffers around residential areas, and transparent communication for operations. These rules require drilling buffers of 500 feet around residential areas and disclosure of hydraulic fracturing fluids, although with exemptions for companies wishing to protect fluid components as "trade secrets." Future steps will include a new interstate partnership coordinating natural gas vehicle programs and investments as well as several air emissions studies.
Colorado's current hydraulic fracturing regulations are largely the result of two hotly debated rulemakings in 2011 and 2012, which involved companies, stakeholder groups, and legislators.
Ongoing Questions for Natural Gas in Colorado
In the complicated future of natural gas production in Colorado, renewable energy and questions about local versus state jurisdiction over gas regulation are likely to take center stage.
Wind and solar energy are among Colorado's rich natural resources, and while these clean energies have traditionally represented a small fraction of the state's energy portfolio, wind in particular is a promising source of current and future revenue and energy. Colorado is ranked 10th in the country for wind production and is home to the North American offices of Vestas Wind Systems, the world's largest wind company. To encourage growth in this industry, Colorado has some of the country's strongest renewable energy policies including a Renewable Energy Portfolio, which diversifies the state's energy and helps build toward a clean energy future. CEO is responsible for balancing renewable energy with natural gas, coal, and other energy resources.
As new communities in Colorado react to new gas production within their boundaries, local legal fights have begun to dominate the debate in Colorado as they have in many other states that are looking to regulate and develop their shale gas resources. Some of Colorado's most politically conservative towns have enacted moratoriums to gas, including two bans in the last few months, but it remains unclear if towns and cities have the legal authority to adopt such protections under Colorado law. In recent years, some states including Pennsylvania have explicitly prohibited such actions by local authorities. In Colorado, the City of Longmont and more recently the City of Fort Collins have adopted hydraulic fracturing bans, and these measures are now battlegrounds in the state debate. Longmont is currently being sued by the Governor to overturn its moratorium.
Next Time in Emerging Issues in Shale Gas Development
The Emerging Issues in Shale Gas Development webinar series will pick up next with a presentation by reporters Scott Detrow and Susan Phillips on "The Community Impacts of Marcellus Shale Gas Development," which will draw on their award-winning coverage of hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania as part of National Public Radio (NPR)'s StateImpact Pennsylvania series. Mr. Detrow and Ms. Phillips's webinar will take place on Friday, March 29, from 12-1:30pm EDT.
To register for this webinar, please click here. As always, the webinar will be free and open to the public, but registration is required to participate.


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Editor, the Record:
Editor, the Record:
Barrett and Pocono elementary schools must not be closed. Elementary school lays the foundation of our children's education. Larger class sizes will limit their opportunities in class and extracurricular activities more students vying for limited positions.
Parents want their children to have the opportunity to shine, not be another number. Teachers will lose jobs, worsening our downward economic spiral. Teachers will be moved, not necessarily teaching their expertise. We lose the close community feeling of knowing our neighbors. With high gas prices, busing is an issue of economics with children having longer commutes, and no new buses in budget. Safety response would be better at the local level in Barrett. Property values will go down as many people come to the area for the school district.
We are not guaranteed that closing these schools will actually decrease our property taxes. Closed schools must still be maintained. Swiftwater Elementary is $30 million in debt. Barrett and Pocono elementary centers need repairs, but the buildings are owned.
New is not always better; quality education with smaller class size and more student opportunity is better. Our children are our biggest asset and we need to weigh their best interest over cost. We must demand that these choices be based on current information quotes.
All this necessary information would need to be gathered before May 29 for the school board to make a proper, factual informed decision. This decision affects our community's children's futures.
We were very lucky to have our daughters begin their foundation of learning at Barrett. Our older daughter was salutatorian and our younger daughter was fifth in her class, having wonderful opportunities in sports and extracurricular activities. Both went on to be successful in college and graduate school. My wish is that my neighbors' children have those same wonderful opportunities.


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Inerested in Losing Weight?
What You Need to Know Before Getting Started
Weight loss can be achieved either by eating fewer calories or by burning more calories with physical activity, preferably both.
A healthy weight loss program consists of:
- A reasonable, realistic weight loss goal
- A reduced calorie, nutritionally-balanced eating plan
- Regular physical activity
- A behavior change plan to help you stay on track with your goals
We want to help you with each of these components.
Keep in Mind
- Calories count
- Portions count
- Nutrition counts
- Even a small amount of weight loss can lead to big health benefits
- Strive to develop good habits to last a lifetime
- Discuss weight loss with your doctor before getting started
Getting Started
- Check your Body Mass Index (BMI) - an indicator of body fat - and see where it fits within the BMI categories.
- Discuss weight loss with your doctor and decide on a goal. If you have a lot of weight to lose, set a realistic intermediate goal, maybe to lose 10 pounds. Remember that even a small amount of weight loss can lead to big health benefits.
- Estimate your calorie needs. Using USDA's online Adult Energy Needs and BMI Calculator, you can determine the number of calories needed each day to maintain your current weight. To lose about 1 pound per week, subtract 500 calories each day from the daily amount. To lose about 2 pounds per week, subtract 1000 calories daily.
- Score your current food intake and physical activity level using MyPlate SuperTracker. Taking a good look at your current habits will help you determine what changes you might make as well as what you are doing right.
How Do I Know Which Weight Loss Plan is Right For Me?
- Keep in mind that you want to develop lifestyle habits that will help you maintain your weight in a healthy range. A short-term "diet" that you "go on" and then "go off" is not the answer to long-term weight management.
- In choosing how to go about losing weight, keep in mind key habits of people who have lost weight and kept in off. These people are called "Successful Losers" by the weight control experts who have studied them.
Key Behaviors of Successful Losers*
- Getting regular physical activity
- Reducing calorie and fat intake
- Eating regular meals, including breakfast
- Weighing themselves regularly
- Not letting small "slips" turn into large weight regain
*From The National Weight Control Registry. See "Long-term Weight Maintenance" in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 82, No. 1, 222S-225S, July 2005.
- If you are considering a commercial weight loss program, read Selecting a Weight Loss Program or Choosing a Safe and Successful Weight-Loss Program.
- Ask your doctor if you should have a referral to a Registered Dietitian (RD). An RD can provide personalized dietary advice taking into consideration other health issues, lifestyle, and food likes and dislikes.
- You might also take a look at our Popular Diets page.
Resources for Healthy Eating
- Shopping: What to Look For
- Sample Reduced-Calorie Menus
- Menu Planner
- Eating Healthy When Dining Out
- Eating Healthy with Ethnic Food
- MyPlate Daily Food Plan
Resources for Healthy Activity
- What is Physical Activity?
- Guide to Physical Activity
- Walking: A Step in the Right Direction
- Active at Any Size
- DHHS Physical Acvitity Guidelines for Americans
- How Many Calories Does Physical Activity Use
Staying On Track with Your Goals
Setting realistic goals and tracking your progress are key to your success. In fact, research has shown that those who keep track of their behaviors are more likely to take off weight and keep it off. A reasonable rate of weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week.
These resources can help you set goals and monitor your progress:
- My Top 5 Goals (MyPlate SuperTracker)
- Physical Activity: Define Your Goals
- Guide to Behavior Change
- MyPlate SuperTracker (use to track food & activity and set goals)
- Exercise Log


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danabrit brauchte ein neues Logo Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 46 Designs von 15 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
Bear Paw Quilts needs a new header graphic for its soon-to-be-launched re-designed website. Business was recently taken over by new owners, and they are overhauling their look.
Bear Paw Quilt
I am the developer/webmaster for a shopping cart for quilt stores. A new client is coming on board, and they need a new look for their new site.
- Header Logo - Needs to be 800px by 200px, square, PSD file. You can see her existing site and header at http://www.bearpawquilt.com but it was designed and approved by the previous owner and so is not very indicative of what the new owner might like. We need something more contemporary and sleek, but maintaining the same general color palette. The new site is built around the colors navy blue (#181425) and tan (#5e4338). A little bit of Dutch blue (something like #7da8ff) or butter yellow (#fcffb1) for accent might be nice, but don't go too crazy with lots of colors. It's a retail quilt fabric site, so the product will lend the site plenty of color all on its own.
- Colors are about the only part we're pretty firm about. Otherwise, feel free to be as creative as you want - we're definitely open to your inspiration!
Folk Art
Finden Sie heraus, wie ein Designwettbewerb funktioniert, oder lernen Sie mehr über unsere Logo-Design-Angebote.


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National Bank Public Welfare Investment Authority (12 CFR 24)
National banks may make investments that are primarily designed to promote the public welfare under the investment authority in 12 USC 24 (Eleventh) and the implementing regulation, 12 CFR 24. This authority allows banks to make investments if those investments primarily benefit low- and moderate-income individuals, low- and moderate-income areas, or other areas targeted by a government entity for redevelopment, or if the investments would receive consideration under 12 CFR 25.23 (the Community Reinvestment Act regulation) as a "qualified investment." Examples of public welfare investments include those supporting affordable housing and other real estate development, providing equity for start-up and small business expansion, and revitalizing or stabilizing a government-designated area.
If you need additional assistance, please call the Community Affairs Department at (202) 649-6420 or contact your District Community Affairs Officer.
Public Welfare Investments Authority and Regulation
Common 12 CFR 24 Questions and Answers are listed here to provide guidance on national bank investments using the public welfare authority or other appropriate national bank authority.
National Bank Public Welfare Investment "At - A - Glance" Charts lists national bank investments made under the 12 CFR 24 authority.
Community Development Investment Precedent Letters
Quick Reference Guide to Public Welfare Investments (PDF) describes the guidelines for community development investments covered by 12 CFR 24. It gives an easy-to-follow list of requirements and examples of how banks make investments.
Regulation W Special Analysis: Impact on Community Development Corporations (CDC) (PDF) provides guidance for national bank public welfare investments under 12 USC 24 (Eleventh) and 12 CFR 24 that: (1) present issues under sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act, and (2) involve a holding company's transfer of an interest in its CDC to one or more subsidiary banks.


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Before I read "The Translation of the Bones" (Scribner) by Francesca Kay, I had three favorite novels on spiritual topics. Now I have four.
Kay's fiercely lyrical yet exceedingly tough-minded novel about a tragedy precipitated by a would-be spiritual awakening is easily fit to join "In This House of Brede" (1969) by Rumer Godden; "Mariette in Ecstasy" (1991) by Ron Hansen; and "Be Near Me" (2006) by Andrew O'Hagan.
The books by Godden, Hansen and O'Hagan — and now Kay — reward rereading on account of their beautiful prose, their complex exploration of religious thought and their subtle understanding of the human yearning after something larger than ourselves, often conducted under a sky "so blue that it made all dreams seem continuous," as O'Hagan writes.
"The Translation of the Bones" is brief, stark and unforgettable.
In a Catholic church in a British city, the priest, Father Diamond, struggles with a fear that he may have too little faith, while a parishioner named Mary-Margaret surely has too much. The story flits in and out of the minds of its characters, including Stella, wife of a wealthy politician; Fidelma, Mary-Margaret's mother, an agoraphobic subsisting on the memory of her lost youth; and Mrs. Armitage, whose soldier son, deployed to Afghanistan, fills her anxious thoughts.
And through it all, as events move inexorably toward an apogee of sorrow, a keen spiritual hunger looms in the air like incense, a regret that most of us are similar to Stella, who "abided by the faith of her upbringing more by default than through conscious option."
Yet what we desire, Stella suspects, are "rhymed customs and calendars, feast days and old beliefs, flowers, magic, miracles and spells. Oak and ash and thorn." Something to console us when the unthinkable happens — which, inevitably, it does.
JULIA KELLER is the Chicago Tribune's cultural critic. She won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.


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Sledding along the Books on Thompson Pass, AK. PHOTO: Mike Basich
By Mike Basich
Everyone is addicted to something. I figured out what mine was the year I skipped spending spring in Alaska. I felt like I needed therapy after missing a season there, even though I live and breath snow everyday in Tahoe, I still need my Alaskan dose of fresh powder lines. So I made it through the year with the shakes and tried to plan out a trip for the spring to AK. Having inheriting some debts and low on cash, I booked a mileage ticket to Anchorage. I didn't care about the rest, I just needed to make sure I made it to the state, and I figured the rest comes as it lays—I was willing to do what ever it took to make it to Thompson Pass outside of Valdez.
I've spend a lot of time there, so I had the phones cracked, electric sockets dialed, and knew the in and outs of how to make it to half the LZs (landing zones) with a sled. My sled was still up there—no car, but that was the least of worries. I talked to Rob Kingwell about getting him up there as well. I really didn't have much of a plan or project goal besides to feed my addiction to the fullest. Rob ended up entering some contest in Alyeska so he was going to make it, I told him I'd be at Thompson pass. Find me. I was lucky enough to start off my trip hitching a ride with Dave Basterrechea and his crew of four. I squeezed my bags in and we headed to Thompson Pass.
After a six-hour drive we arrived at 3:00 a.m. I still had no plan, but I had my sleeping bag. So I crashed in a vacant tent, which ended up belonging to photographer Mark Sullivan. It even had a fireplace. Waking up to blue skies in Alaska is the highest-grade conditions you're going to get. The snow was good and Dave's crew was cool enough to let me hitch a ride on their sled. I have to say even before I strapped on my snowboard my veins were being pumped with fulfillment. We rode all day and getting back around dusk I found a ride into town. I got my sled and ended up picking up the ultimate motor home—a U-haul might not have heat, but it has square footage and you can put your sled in the back. So I got a sweet fourteen-foot U-Haul for $19.95 a day with a loft. Picked up some food and a siphon for getting gas out of the U-Haul for my sled. Yeah, it was a low budget trip. I knew it was going to be cold but again—I didn't care. I bumped into Rob later that night. He ended up hitching a ride with a girl Whitney who became part of our crew for the U-Haul adventure. We planned ten days in AK, with the weather being pretty bad, we added a few more days after shuffling flights around. We had some days in, but a high pressure was coming soon.
The crew: Rob Kingwell, Whitney Bell, and Mike Basich.
Once the weather broke clear we headed straight to the lines I had planned. It was Rob's first real AK-style riding, nice lines and a lot of rocks … with a rock ending my day in pain. I was out for three days at least I figured. Rob and Whitney kept things going riding stuff close to the road as I sat in the U-Haul and shot photos. We still hadn't made it out to the Books, an area I was dying to hit. I asked the two if they'd be into helping me with my sled if we went out there. I couldn't start my sled or dig it out if I got stuck. But I could stand on one leg and give it gas. Our last day we made it to the Books, which made me feel like I was in a small cage in heaven. I could only stand there and point my camera and tell the two they should go ride everything they could. The sunset on our ride back to motel U-Haul was enough for me to feel satisfied. Just being in Alaska is a big enough high. There really aren't words to explain this Alaskan high. Trust me, sleeping on a metal floor in the back of a U-Haul in zero-degree weather is nothing compared to what you get out of it. Will I go back again next year? Well, I'm sure not going to therapy.


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PCI Compliant Hosting
Protecting digital cardholder data requires adherence to all of the PCI DSS data security standards. We undergo annual, independent auditing against all of the PCI DSS protocols required for Level 1 compliance and maintain placement on VISA list of approved vendors. We'll make it easy to stay up to date with patches, and give you options for encrypted offsite backup with real disaster recovery capabilities. Whether you are running your applications in the cloud or on colocated servers, don't take chances on a data breach of cardholder information.
There's no substitute for proactive diligence to avoid penalties and losing consumer trust. Make sure all appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your digital payment information.
PCI Compliant Clouds
Cardholder and other sensitive data can be secure in the cloud - and more highly available - especially when you know the physical location of your data and have evidence of the appropriate safeguards in place.
Our PCI compliant clouds reside in our high-availability, fully redundant infrastructure. They're fully managed by Online Tech staff who are trained in security and compliance regularly. Our clouds, including our hybrid cloud, have encryption built in at the hardware level, which means your sensitive data is protected without sacrificing performance. Putting your applications in the cloud gives you more flexibility with meeting the requirements of offsite backup, and more importantly, more realistic disaster recovery options when the unexpected happens. Find out how safe a cloud can be.
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Nap Time = Play Time [VIDEO]
As adults, we want nothing but a nap. Children are a whole different story. Being put down for a nap is torture to little ones. Any excuse will be found to avoid shutting their tiny eyes for an hour or two in the afternoon. But, what do they do when they are not taking their nap?
This clever parents set up a camera to watch what their son was doing during nap time. They found out that he was doing anything but sleeping.
This little daredevil is having a blast while the parents believe him to be dreaming. Watch the little guy amuse himself during nap time.


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Thanks, Evergreen!
As local chairman of the Evergreen Salvation Army Bell Ringing Campaign, I would like to thank all those people who so generously contributed of their time, energy and money to make the campaign a huge success in the Evergreen community.
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