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I spent Thursday with my eight-year-old son, wandering through the Smithsonian American History and Air & Space museums. From the war for independence to the Apollo moon landing, it was a tour through some of the most audacious of American dreams, dared and realized. As we walked along the mall that morning, several times people stopped us and asked for directions to the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. I pointed them in the right direction. That afternoon, we headed toward the memorial ourselves.
The memorial was to be dedicated on the 48th anniversary of King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Hurricane Irene forced a postponement. Yet, as I stood looking at the Memorial, I wondered what Dr. King would say and what he would do if he somehow materialized and looked upon his 30-foot tall granite likeness, and then turned and looked at how far we have gone towards that dream since he died — our how far we have strayed from it. Would his first concerned be violence and divisiveness of our political rhetoric? Would he be concerned about racism so common that we're now asked not to call it racism at all anymore?
No. He would be concerned, deeply so, that the problems he died fighting to correct have worsened since his death. Certainly King would denounce violent acts and violent rhetoric, but he would not fail to underscore the connection to economic violence all around us.
It's easy to forget, but some remember exactly what Dr. King was fighting for when he died. It's easy to forget that what we abbreviate as "The March on Washington," was called "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." It's easy to forget that six months before he died, King began organizing the Poor People's Campaign, which was focused on jobs, income and housing. It's easy to forget that when he was assassinated, King was in Memphis to support the sanitation workers' union. King envisioned a broader phase of the civil rights movement, that put racial injustice in the context of economic justice.
Dr. King would jolt African-Americans out of the "paradox of hope" that leads us to believe we're faring better than we are.
When Barack Obama was pondering a run for the presidency Michelle asked him what he thought he could accomplish. He replied,"The day I take the oath of office, the world will look at us differently. And millions of kids across this country will look at themselves differently. That alone is something." His victory was indeed something. The world certainly looked at America differently, though this had as much to do with who he wasn't—George W. Bush—as what he was, black, among other things.
Polls show that African-Americans indeed look at themselves differently. A January 2010 Pew survey revealed huge optimism. The percentage of black Americans who thought blacks were better off than they were five years before had almost doubled since 2007. There were also significant increases in the percentages who believed the standard-of-living gap between whites and blacks was decreasing.
But for all the ways black America has felt better about itself and looked better to others, it has not actually fared better. In fact, it has been doing worse. The economic gap between black and white has grown since Obama took power. Under his tenure black unemployment, poverty and foreclosures are at their highest levels for at least a decade.
Millions of black kids may well aspire to the presidency now that a black man is in the White House. But such a trajectory is less likely for them now than it was under Bush. Herein lies what is at best a paradox and at worst a contradiction within Obama's core base of support. The very group most likely to support him—black Americans—is the same group that is doing worse under him.
King would hear white Americans' concerns with compassion, not condescension, because he would understand that this economy has done violence to middle- and working-class whites. The recession hit blacks and latinos hardest, but it pulled no punches for most white Americans. Just as he understood that segregation was harmful to whites as well as blacks, King would understand that today's economic inequality harms both black and white. He'd understand that the anger in today's political rhetoric, as then, comes from insecurity and fear about changing times and what it means their communities and families. King would know that today's economic disparities won't change unless there's an economic recovery that includes everyone.
Dr. King's words, invoked during President Obama's inauguration, suggest what he would call us to remember and how he would challenge us today.
"As long as there is poverty in the world I can never be rich, even if I have a billion dollars. As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people in this world cannot expect to live more than twenty-eight or thirty years, I can never be totally healthy even if I just got a good checkup at the Mayo Clinic. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the way our world is made. No individual or nation can stand our boasting of being independent. We are interdependent.
"The ultimate measure of a man or woman is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others. In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother or sister to a higher and more noble life."
But he would not stop there.
- Dr. King would be concerned that an already slow economic recovery is leaving black Americans behind.
- King concerned about the epidemic of black unemployment — that black unemployment is at 16.2%, compared to 9.2% for the general population, 17.5% for black men, and 41% for black youth.
- King would be outraged that one in three black children lives in poverty.
- King would be troubled that black households now have 20 times less wealth than white households.
- King be concerned about the backward mobility happening in the African American communities, as middle class families quickly lose ground in this recession — losing hard won gains, in a fraction of the time it too achieve them.
- King would denounce the attacks on public workers that are hitting blacks and women the hardest.
- King would stand with public workers in Wisconsin, who now have to choose between health insurance and feeding their children.
- Dr. King would be outraged that the "welfare reform" of the 1990s is leaving more people in poverty today.
- Dr. King would scorn a recovery where CEO pay soars 27 percent, while virtually no jobs are created.
- King would denounce the GOP's exploitation of racial and economic anxiety, and denounce Democrats just as loudly for failing to offer much of value to working-class whites.
- King would stand today where he stood then: with working families who are struggling in this recession, losing ground while our government seems content to let it happen.
- Dr. King would deliver the full-throated challenge to the status quo that many Americans are longing to hear.
As Rev. Jesse Jack wrote, Dr. King was not an idle dreamer. He would remind us that he practiced nonviolence — not surrender. He would remind us that he did not rest. He would tell us not to expect "transformational leaders" to deliver the change we hope for. He would remind us that the change we celebrate today was the result of the transformational movement that he and others led. He might even repeat these worse from his last Sunday sermon, "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution":
Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God. And without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation. So we must help time and realize that the time is always ripe to do right.
One of my favorite episodes of one of my favorite shows is "Return of the King," from the first season of "The Boondocks," in which MLK — in the shows "alternate history" — awakens from the coma caused by the gunshot that almost killed him, observes that state of black America and America itself, and expresses his dismay with trademark eloquence. I imagine that today King would be just as dismayed today, and wonder if — as we erect memorials and carve his words into stone — we really paid attention to what he said, let alone understood what he meant.
If King were to arrive at the dedication of his own memorial to find his dream deferred and undefended, he would almost certainly lead those gathered in a march away from it, and to the very steps of the Capitol to demand that our government — not "the government," which sounds like it belongs to someone else, as it's only a few letters short of being "their government" — take action. And he would exhort us not to go back home, sit down, and wait for those demands to be met. He would tell us to go home and get busy helping those in need, and organizing to speak in an ever louder voice until our government hears us. He would tell us to work until we become a movement impossible to ignore.


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Historical Context
Table ofContents
Through the following activities students will explore international as well as local conflicts and discuss conflict resolution.
Activity 1: RebellionThen and Now
Ask students to use U.S. history textbooks to make a list of reasons the colonists rebelled against the British government. Then, ask them to use newspapers, magazines, or news reports to make a list of countries that have recently undergone or are currently undergoing a revolution or change in government. Have the class choose one of these countries. Then divide the students into two groups, and have one group defend the government before the revolution and the other group present reasons why the rebels want change. Ask students from both groups if they find any parallels between America's revolution and what is happening in the world today. Then hold a general classroom discussion about the effectiveness of revolutions as a way to settle serious issues. Ask for other ways. What factors do people need to consider in deciding on the most appropriate--or necessary--course of action to resolve differences?
Activity 2: Community Issues
Explain to students that throughout American history there have been issues that have divided the countryslavery; the need for a strong central government versus the rights of individual states; women's suffrage; desegregation; and relatively recent conflicts such as the Vietnam War, to name just a few. Discuss with them the difference between issues that people simply cannot agree on and issues so serious that they polarize people into fighting camps. Ask students to investigate their own community to find out if there was a significant issue, recent or long ago, that united or divided the local citizens. Then have them work together to prepare a classroom report about this event based on the following questions: What was the issue or problem involved? (If the event was one that divided the community, state both sides of the issue. If it was one that united the community, state who represented the opposite side.) Why was it important to the community? What was the outcome of the event? How was this arrived at? What were the effects of the outcome on the community? Finally, discuss other ways in which the problem could have been solved.

subset: commoncrawl


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A year after his successful directorial debut with "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Brunswick Little Theatre actor/director Ron Lee has reunited several of that show's cast members to produce "Sylvia," a romantic comedy with a decidedly weird twist.
The two-act play by A.R. Gurney, set for March 7 and 8 at Odell Williamson Auditorium, is the story of Greg and Kate, who move to New York City from the suburbs after their children move out. It results in depression for Greg and a newfound freedom for Kate.
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Seeking cyber safety: How companies are keeping hackers at bay
If it sometimes seems that the next big hack has either just happened or is about to, that's because it's generally the case. Indeed, cybersecurity ranks among four global risk factors highlighted by the World Economic Forum for 2018. In the United States, spending on cybersecurity by companies has more than doubled over the past eight years, to $66 billion. In 2017, the average cost of a breach in North America was $1.3 million for large enterprises and $117,000 for smaller operations, according to a report from Kaspersky Lab.
Here's a sampling of the ways in which we're seeing businesses and government entities around the country tackle this growing problem:
- Large companies, particularly in the financial sector, are able to throw many resources into finding a solution:
The St. Louis region is home to Mastercard's operations center, as well as omnipresent financial services firms including Edward Jones and Wells Fargo Advisors. Among that cadre is SixThirty, a global financial technology venture fund and business development program that recognized that the overlap between cybersecurity and financial technology presented an opportunity to create a business development program focused exclusively on cybersecurity startups.
Pervasive digitization has created myriad cybersecurity risks for finance teams everywhere, as Canada's MacEwan University, in Edmonton, Alberta, recently discovered. But the digital age is also changing the three traditional roles involved in financial governance: chief financial officer (or vice-president finance), audit committee and audit partner.
- Healthcare providers are in another industry keenly cognizant of the challenges it faces:
"Ten years ago, hospitals were probably the least aware of the risks in terms of IT of any organization out there. Now they're some of the most [aware], maybe up there with the financial sector," says Jarman Joerres, cybersecurity specialist and principal at Boston area–based MedAcuity Software.
It's particularly important that the healthcare sector keep its patients' records and other sensitive information unassailable; a patient's medical history, captured in an electronic health record, could give a hacker access to credit-card information, which would be similar to a breach at a retailer. But electronic health records also could provide a buyer on the dark web with insurance information for fraudulent billing. That's why electronic medical records bring top dollar on the black market. And it's why health providers must be on alert.
- Cybercrime has also caused major problems in the public sector, which has resulted in some unique deterrents from those in the field:
The nationally recognized Utah Model for local police response to cybercrime was created out of necessity. After high-profile attacks in 2009 and 2012, Public Safety Commissioner Keith Squires determined his agency needed to enhance its cybercrime capabilities. The Utah Department of Public Safety began working with the FBI in its pilot Operation Wellspring program, which grants state and local authorities access to internet crimes data. Within a few years, the Utah Model was born.
- It's not just larger entities that have a pressing need of protection from hacking. A forest of startups has sprung up to help small and mid-sized companies — which don't always have a dedicated IT person on staff, much less one who specializes in cybersecurity — shield themselves from cyberattacks.
Service providers such as Houston-based Alert Logic and Jungle Disk in San Antonio are new companies joining the fray to help these more vulnerable companies with their security needs.
"My biggest concern is the lack of awareness and [the] complacency we see among some small and medium-sized businesses," says Neill Feather, president of Scottsdale-based SiteLock, which provides website security solutions for companies.
A few years ago, a Las Vegas couple who had worked in cyber investigations for the U.S. State Department and the United Nations decided to harness their years of experience and launch Axiom Cyber Solutions, serving small to mid-sized companies.
- The rapid growth in the number of cybercrimes in recent years seems at times daunting to keep astride. For all the startups coming into the field — such as this one that helps stop digital ad fraud — there still are not yet enough experts to combat the problem. Although nearly 750,000 people are employed in cybersecurity positions in the United States, 286,000 openings currently exist, according to CyberSeek, a project supported by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education:
A cybersecurity expert at the Univ. of Washington estimates that there are two open jobs in the state for every person already employed in the field of data protection, a situation that is mirrored nationally.
That chronic shortage of qualified cybersecurity workers is similar in Colorado. Cybersecurity companies are popping up across the state, but in 2017, there were 18,308 employed workers in the state's cybersecurity industry and 9,478 job openings, according to Cyberseek, a workforce and career resource jointly developed by CompTIA and Burning Glass Technologies.
As businesses move away from local systems and into the cloud, the shortage of cybersecurity talent could complicate that effort and is prompting cybersecurity companies to redouble their efforts to identify, recruit and retain qualified employees.
- Hiring an outside firm to help keep hackers at bay is important, but businesses can do quite a bit internally, according to cybersecurity experts. "Employees can be a significant line of defense," says one.


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WWJT? Getting down in our town
Charlottesville is a relatively conservative city. I'm sure some would disagree with that statement, considering our neighbor to the south is Lynchburg. Compared to Jerry Falwell's burg, Charlottesville is a simmering cauldron of sin in the bowels of hell. Nevertheless, I am inclined to call any city conservative that shuts down before midnight on a weekday and/or has deserted streets on Sunday.
Some time had passed since I'd seen the proverbial "hair let down" in this town. So I was pleased to see the hair let down, the skirts hiked up, and the shirts come off at the Frontbutt show at Outback on Saturday, September 7.
If you don't know Frontbutt, then it is about time you make their acquaintance. Why? Because not only do they boast the largest repertoire of '80s and '90s hip hop and rap songs of any local band, but they bring them to life in a way that demands that audiences go berserk.
From the first notes of House of Pain's "Jump Around" to the last notes of TLC's "Waterfalls," they played with unfettered energy. Classic after classic poured from the speakers as Frontbutt remade, remixed, and revamped our generation's new standards into funky rock.
No rap artist was safe, no song could hide. "The Humpty Dance," "O.P.P," "Insane in the Brain," "La Di Da Di," "Wild Thing," "California Love"... on and on and on they went, nailing hit after hit.
Shell-toed Adidas jumping all over the stage, big gold chains, sunglasses, and jogging suits rounded out the spectacle until the defining moment of the evening. The invite was sent to the audience to truly get buck-wild to one of the most controversial songs to hit the media circus: Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back."
The only controversy that night was who got to shake what their momma gave them in front of video cameras there filming the show. All the while, the members of the band never lost their cool. Even with 10 women doing what some have come to refer to as "the nasty" on stage, they still kept their shades on and their Adidas tied.
When it was all over I drove home to my apartment on Tenth Street, only to be startled when getting out my car by the sound of eight gun shots about 200 feet from my house. I stared out my window and thought about my evening: a Frontbutt show and gunshots at 3am.
What would Jerry (Falwell) think?


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October 29, 2007
LOS ANGELES - UCLA Anderson School of Management has appointed Kelly Bean Assistant Dean of the school's Office of Executive Education Programs. Bean, who brings to UCLA Anderson over 10 years of business education experience, most recently served as Executive Director of Executive Education for Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Prior to her Emory appointment, she was the Associate Director of Executive Education at the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.
"We are delighted to welcome such a rising star in executive education to UCLA Anderson," said Alfred E. Osborne, Jr., senior associate dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management. "Kelly Bean has been building programs in corporate and custom executive education for many years and, with all she has accomplished, we expect her to fit right in, kick-off from the foundation of her predecessor, and expand our external presence around the globe."
Describing UCLA Anderson's executive education programs as first-rate, Bean said she is enthused about joining UCLA Anderson because of the critical role executive education plays in the school's overall strategic plan. Bean added that she looks forward to building on the solid foundation established by former executive director Laurie Dowling, and to joining a team of talented people dedicated to providing exemplary client service and innovative programming.
"As business challenges grow in the U.S. and around the world, the need for leadership, strategy, and execution becomes increasingly more important," said Bean. "Together with UCLA Anderson's unparalleled faculty, the Office of Executive Education Programs can fulfill that need with energy, focus, and innovative learning solutions."
With a management background strong in organizational design and development, Bean has created and delivered executive education programs on topics such as management practices, corporate governance, and leadership, to name a few. Her executive education clients have included The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot, Intercontinental Hotels Groups, Chevron/Texaco, and Verizon among others.
Bean has extensive experience in human resources, designing performance management systems, conducting human resources audits, and leading organizational change efforts for major companies. She is also a certified consultant for the Birkman Method, the industry-leading personality assessment process that measures human behavior and occupational strengths.
Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Bean received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Human Resources from the University of South Carolina. She currently serves as a board member and program committee chair for the Human Resource Planning Society in Atlanta, GA., and is active in a variety of professional organizations.
About UCLA Anderson Executive Education Programs
The Office of Executive Education Programs offers an array of intensive certificate programs for executives, managers and other professionals, hosting nearly 2,000 participants annually from some 50 countries. Incorporating the most recent innovations in management education, each program provides perspective on global management, leadership, and strategic thinking - invaluable tools in today's ever-changing information economy. Custom programs can also be designed to meet organizations' specific business objectives. The Office of Executive Education Programs relies heavily on UCLA Anderson's acclaimed faculty which includes some of the most outstanding educators and researchers from the academic and business worlds.
Read an article on Kelly Bean in the Daily Bruin.
About UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management, established in 1935, is regarded among the very best business schools in the world. UCLA Anderson faculty are ranked #1 in "Intellectual Capital" by BusinessWeek and are renowned for their teaching excellence and research in advancing management thinking. Each year, UCLA Anderson provides management education to more than 1,600 students enrolled in MBA, Executive MBA, Fully-Employed MBA and doctoral programs, and to more than 2,000 professional managers through executive education programs. Combining highly selective admissions, varied and innovative learning programs, and a world-wide network of 35,000 alumni, UCLA Anderson develops and prepares global leaders.


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It's easy to be deafened by the giant megaphone of the national presidential dialogue, but voting for president isn't the only decision that Texans are facing.
On Nov. 8, they'll have a chance to vote on 10 amendments to the Texas Constitution.
Here are the amendments and what you should know about them in concentrated form, according to the Texas Legislative Council.
Amendment one: Property tax exemption for the spouses of veterans who die or are disabled
This would make spouses of veterans who die or veterans who are "totally disabled" completely exempt from Texas' property (ad valorem) tax. The law would allow for surviving spouses to move to a homestead of greater value, but they would retain the tax exemption based on the value of the original home.
Amendment two: Increase bonding authority for Texas Water Development Board
The amendment would provide the Texas Water Development Board a sum not to exceed $6 billion in order to implement water, wastewater and conservation projects throughout local Texas governments — especially those hardest hit by the recent drought. This fund is concentrated mostly on implementation and does not include an estimated $30 billion the state will need for long-term water projects, proponents say.
Amendment three: Expansion of the state's Hinson-Hazelwood program to finance educational loans to students
This would allow the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to issue more bonds for loans to students. Even as student debt has recently surpassed credit card debt nationally, the Legislature is making loans more available to students. Opponents contend the state should make available more state grant aid, not loans, to aspiring college graduates.
Amendment four: Expansion of the ability of local governments to issue bonds at the COUNTY level
This amendment would provide counties the same tax and financing powers as cities for transportation, infrastructure and other projects deemed necessary to the revitalize an area. Under current Texas law, counties do not have the power of tax-based financing to fund such projects. Opponents say the law will cause appraisal values to rise, thereby increasing property taxes in a given area.
Amendment five: Removal of a provision requiring local governments to set up a repayment fund for long-term projects that incur debt
This provision would fix what many say limits the ability of counties and cities from entering into contracts without first imposing a tax or other form of repayment fund to pay for the project. The amendment applies specifically to projects of long-term significance. Currently, cities and counties must set up a repayment fund for any project lasting more than one year.
Amendment six: Changing the formulas used to calculate the Permanent School Fund in order to increase school funding/expenditures through the available school fund
This would add the Texas General Land Office's properties when calculating the value of the Permanent School Fund, thereby changing the market value of the fund to allow more money into the Available School Fund for distribution. Proponents say the amendment will increase school funding by allowing the GLO discretionary spending in an amount not to exceed $300 million. Opponents of the amendment say the Permanent School Fund is used for investment and interest revenue meant for distribution through the available school fund. They say the permanent fund's purpose would be defeated by cashing in on a permanent asset for short-term gain.
Amendment seven: Creation of a parks district in El Paso
With 'yes' vote to this amendment, El Paso will be added to the list of counties who can have a parks district paid for by local taxes.
Amendment eight: Tax break for private landowners who engage in water conservation
This amendment would provide property tax relief for "open-space land devoted to water stewardship." Such an amendment would target agricultural land and is meant to encourage water conservation. Proponents say cattleman will have an incentive for minimal grazing on their land, thereby promoting native vegetation growth. Opponents of the amendment say Texas agriculture is already highly subsidized and there is no need for another tax break for large-scale landowners.
Amendment nine: Authorization of the governor to pardon those with deferred adjudications
Although the current law allows the governor to pardon those convicted of crimes, the law does not explicitly state the ability of the governor to pardon those with deferred adjudications or community supervision (probation). These citizens technically have not been convicted of any crime. Opponents say it is unclear if expunction of one's criminal history will result at all because those who wish to remove such crimes from their criminal history will now have to go through the Board of Pardons and Paroles, whose history reveals few pardons.
Amendment ten: Addition of 30 days to the terms of county office-holders who wish to run for another office
Currently, county officials who wish to run for another office must wait until the last year of said office before running for another. This amendment would add 30 days to a county office-holder's term to accommodate for the 2009 Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act, which moved back the filing deadline for candidates 30 days.


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Red Fox
5128 N Albina Ave., 282-2934, redfoxpdx.com. 3 pm-1:30 am daily. Happy hour: Food specials and $1 off beer and well 3-6 pm daily.
Happy hour at Red Fox starts at 3 pm. This is a good thing: Itâs going to be a long night, so it pays to start early. Squeeze onto a wooden bench out front, between the bamboo shoots and itty-bitty planter boxes, or head inside the red-walled pub and sink into one of the black vinyl booths, their fissures sealed with duct tape. Itâs a delightfully convivial place, so ask about the taxidermied fox, or better yet, about the shrine in the back corner. There, on a tiny round table, rests a framed portrait of a man wearing a long curly wig and a vaguely Elizabethan tunic. Next to his distinguished visage is a flower made from an empty can of Rolling Rock. Who is this fellow? His name is Doug, the bar staff will tell you, and heâs a friend of the owner and a man of many trades: Shakespearean actor, fly fisherman, house painter, cat owner, general grump. As you line your belly with some spicy gumbo or a burger laden with pancetta and blue cheese ($9), dream of the day when Doug might stop by.
The Florida Room
435 N Killingsworth St., 287-5658. 3 pm-2 am daily. Happy hour: 50 cents off drafts and wells, food menu $3-$4 3-7 pm daily.
After several Old Germans at Red Fox, a bloody mary will do you well. The Florida Room is not a particularly somber (or sober) place, but it is serious about that particular cocktail. Try one with bacon or hot pepper vodka, or with cucumber gin if youâre going easier on your stomach lining ($5-$8). Portland Community College students play Magic: The Gathering on the patio, too engrossed by their game to notice the giant plate of nachos congealing next to them (in other words, steal some tortilla chips). Or pet the bichon frisé skidding across the patio as its owner languidly sips her PBR. Before you leave, wend your way through the labyrinthine set of turquoise-walled rooms and past all the chintzy gewgaws to the photo booth. Itâs the only thing helping you remember the night.
1004 N Killingsworth St., 206-4252, saraveza.com. 11 am-midnight daily. Happy hour: $1 off drafts 4-6 pm daily, food menu $3.50-$6.75 4-6 pm weekdays.
At comfy beer bar and bottle shop Saraveza, curse the fact that you didnât bring along those PCC friends you just madeâthose lucky bastards get special deals here (11 am-4 pm weekdays). Goodness knows that sipping a Russian River barrel-aged sour (or anything else from one of the nine rotating taps) helps with those Spanish flash cards, though you might end up too distracted by the bottle-cap-topped tables or the Green Bay Packers paraphernalia to do much studying. Make plans to return the second Monday of the month, when your pint is served with a side of free bacon.
Georgeâs Corner Sports Bar
5501 N Interstate Ave., 289-0307. 10 am-2:30 am daily. Happy hour: 50 cents off wells, $1 PBR 4-7 pm weekdays.
Itâs about time to hit a dive, and thatâs what Georgeâs Corner Sports Bar is. The blue-collar regulars are chummy and the beer is cheap ($1 PBRs at happy hour), and you can eat some fine fried chicken while watching a game on one of the barâs many screens. Go find that guy who selected âSuper Freakâ on the jukebox, and youâve got a friend for the rest of the night.
The Old Gold
2105 N Killingsworth St., 894-8937, theoldgoldpdx.com. 4 pm-midnight Monday-Tuesday, 4 pm-1 am Wednesday-Thursday, 2 pm-2 am Friday, noon-2 am Saturday, noon-midnight Sunday. Happy hour: $1 off wells, house wine, micros and sandwiches 4-7 pm weekdays.
Adding kombucha to a drink makes it good for you, right? Thatâs all the excuse you need to skip west to the Old Gold, which does that. Employees from nearby Adidas cluster at wooden booths, with cartoon portraits of baseball greats keeping watch over the bustling space. The drawing style makes senseâthe Old Gold is co-owned by Ezra Caraeff, former music editor at The Portland Mercury.
Once the Old Gold has booted you out, totter back to Georgeâs for the latest last call in town.
Teardrop Lounge
1015 NW Everett St., 445-8109, teardroplounge.com. Happy hour: Food and cocktail specials 4-7 pm weekdays.
One starts off any night with the best of intentions, perhaps at a sleek-surfaced barâmuch favored by airplane magazinesâarranged in concentric rings around the hallowed cocktail station, where bitters line up in a variety that would make Crayola blush. A staid $5 happy-hour highball, perhaps, with 10-year Scotch, soda and Lillet Rose? We will all dazzle the tippling tech startup CEOs with trenchant wit and get marketing jobs that take over our lives, using venture-capital money as kindling for a candle burnt at both ends. Surely no one is foolhardy enough to get the $26 Church and State punch bowl that mixes vodka with green tea and the eggy sacrament of oleo saccharum?
Low Brow Lounge
1036 NW Hoyt St., 226-0200. 3 pm-2:30 am Monday-Saturday. Happy hour: $1 off drinks, food specials 5-7 pm.
After the punch bowl, nobodyâs getting a job with IT Santa Claus. Might as well get back to our own kind, play rounds of Big Buck Safari and Big Buck HD, and sober up with some carb-laden $7 Tits ânâ Tots (thatâs chicken breasts and tater tots, people, nothing legally actionable) at the well-named Low Brow Lounge, the Pearlâs last bastion for the indelicate. Too bad the bar refuses to serve well drinks at an amplitude below face-blistering. All seriousness departs.
1033 NW 16th Ave., 971-229-1455, slabtownbar.net. Noon-2:30 am daily. Happy hour: Noon-7 pm weekdays.
Itâs all fun and games from here on out. Old-school rock venue Slabtown is, as ever, a playtown for putative grown-ups (with occasional all-ages shows served up from the back entrance), with pinball, air hockey, Skee-Ball and Pop-A-Shot. The shows are always inexpensive and almost always local, and loser at air hockey buys pitchers, in a tradition established long ago, in ancient Portland. The barâs jukebox remains, sadly, only as a nonfunctioning relic. But for any itinerant musicians, the bar does offer a vending machine that sells only bass and guitar strings.
1020 NW 17th Ave., 943-2780. 2 pm-2:30 am daily. Happy hour: Food specials, 50 cents off taps and wells 2-6 pm daily.
On to Moonshine, home to the one of the best hidden pinball selections in the cityâhidden doubly because the bar is housed under a sign for a Paymaster check-cashing station and because the long row of games is tucked behind a retaining wall, near the restroom. At the front of the bar, a drawing of the barâs putative owner, Balls the Cat, pees happily, in anatomically disturbing fashion, into a moonshine jug; other jugs are shelved on the walls. Note to self: Order no liquors that come in jugs. Pinball loser buys a gin and tonic, to be drunk on the patio.
Le Happy
1011 NW 16th St., 226-1258, lehappy.com. 5 pm-midnight Monday-Thursday, 5 pm-1:30 am Friday-Saturday. Happy hour: $1 off most drinks 5-7 pm Monday-Thursday.
It is now time for yet another sobering stationâthis one with the feeling of oneâs own living room. Once a raucous home to after-hours food, creperie Le Happy has calmed into a classy-to-casual cocktail-and-date spot with a few screwball touches, such as the wall of decade-old bar-patron photos lining the restroom door. But after a long night at the wells, thereâs nothing more appropriate to ease past the finish line than a $7.50 special featuring a Le Trash Blanc bacon-and-cheddar crepe plus a PBR tall boy, and a rousing board-game session of Thatâs Truckinâ, Santa Barbopoly or Connect 4. And if that 1 am last call is too early, Moonshine still beckons around the corner.
LaurelThirst Public House
2958 NE Glisan St., 232-1504, laurelthirst.com. 4 pm-midnight Monday-Wednesday, 4 pm-1 am Thursday, 4 pm-2 am Friday, 9 am-2 am Saturday, 9 am-midnight Sunday. Happy hour: $1 off micros, $2 PBR pints 4-6 pm weekdays.
A night out in Northeast must begin at the LaurelThirst, because the night always begins there first. Youâll have a beer in your palm by 5 pm, be on the dance floor by 6 and out the door with a good starting buzz and a slight ring in your ears even before the sun has fully set. Nightly free music during happy hourâfrom rootsy party-starters like Lewi Longmire, Jackstraw and Freak Mountain Familyâhas grown this small brick-lined tavern from a quintessential corner bar into a destination, even for less folk-inclined folks. Finding a seat is usually a challenge, but taking a pint out to the sidewalk on a warm early evening is all part of the experience.
Red Flag
344 NE 28th Ave., 232-0507. 4 pm-2:30 am daily.
A sign near the cash register warns, âIf you were born after todayâs date in 1992 or are Mumford & Sons we will not serve you.â Indeed, the indie-rock Red Flag does not take kindly to those who suck. A policy against chart-topping folk-pop acts might not seem particularly welcoming to the pretension-free LaurelThirst crowd, but the often-open booths and lack of live banjos provide a relaxed atmosphere in which to regroup and quaff a stiff whiskey and soda. And, judging by the cardboard cutouts hanging above the pinball machines, if Snoop Dogg or Billy Dee Williams happens to be in your crew, the drinks will be on the house. Just avoid the frozen margarita machine, or your crawl will turn literal in a hurry.
118 NE 28th Ave., 235-2794, beulahlandpdx.com. 9 am-2 am daily. Happy hour: $3 wells, $2 PBR pints, $3.50 micro pints, $1 Old German cans, $1 off all menu items 4-7 pm daily.
Three doors down from Red Flag, the deceptively cavernous Beulahland is where the party revs back up. Although it fancies itself a soccer barâTimbers games and Euro league matchups get equal TV playâdonât worry too much about running into a horde of rowdy hooligans. More likely are fashionably trashed rockers and off-duty bartenders dancing semi-ironically to DJs spinning â80s synth-funk, in between glugs of wacky cocktails made with Ovaltine and pepperoncini. If youâre prone to grumbling about so-called âhipsters,â this is basically the stereotypeâs ground zero. But, hey, at least most hipsters wonât crack a bottle over your head.
The Standard
14 NE 22nd Ave., 233-4181, thestandardpdx.com. 3 pm-2:30 am daily. Happy hour: $1 off wells and drafts, drink specials 3-6 pm daily.
Shoved into a corrugated steel shed behind a pet store right off East Burnside Street, the Standard is the Kerns neighborhoodâs best open secret, which got infinitely better when it replaced the cityâs worst shuffleboard table with the much rarer indoor cornhole beanbag game. At this point, youâre going to need something to coat your stomach. Order a plate of Little Smokies and a Hammâsâthe giant cartoon bear behind the bar commands itâand crawl into the photo booth, because your memories are about to become hazy.
Chopsticks II
2651 E Burnside St., 234-6171, chopstickskaraoke.com. Noon-2 am Monday-Thursday, noon-2:30 am Friday, 5 pm-2:30 am Saturday, 5 pm-2 am Sunday. Happy hour: 3-7 pm daily.
Youâre getting groggy. Your better judgment is turning to vapor. You started the night with music, and you want to end it with music. Actually, scratch that: You want to end music. At Chopsticks II, the art of singing along to Muzak renditions of bygone top-40 hits becomes an orgiastic communal experience. A few karaoke regulars have passable chops, but past midnight or so, every performance devolves into an atonal variation of âDonât Stop Believinâââit doesnât matter what the actual song isâfueled by drinks that hit like a wrench to the teeth. And no, youâre not hallucinating: The Asian guy on the banner near the KJ booth boasting the Engrish slogan âHow Can Be?â has materialized in the flesh to sing âSweet Caroline.â Get up there and help him out. He is your new best friend.
1001 SE Morrison St., 239-7639, holocene.org. 8:30pm-close Wednesday-Thursday, 5 pm-close Friday, 8:30 pm-close Saturday. Happy hour: Free snacks 5-8 pm Friday.
Start at the sweaty Holocene dance club, which, at this hour, is not sweaty, nor a dance club. Rather, itâs a bright warehouselike space on the outer edge of the eastside industrial area. The dance floor is empty even as a DJ spins moderately loud indie rock and patrons here crowd into the narrow bar for free appetizers (âaperitivoâ). On one recent Friday, those free snacks included truffle-oiled popcorn, a radicchio and walnut salad, herbed rice and panna cotta. Happy-hour deals include two strong cocktails: âChord Bloodâ (tequila, mescal, pomegranate, lime and a little too much black pepper, $5) and âNo Nipsâ (bitter Stumptown coffee, hotly alcoholic Lemon Hart 151 rum, amaro and cream, $6). Consider leaving a little in the glass; itâs gonna be a long night.
Cascade Brewing Barrel House
939 SE Belmont St., 265-8603, cascadebrewingbarrelhouse.com. noon-10 pm Sunday-Monday, noon-11 pm Tuesday-Thursday, noon-midnight Friday-Saturday.
Home of the best sour beers in the world, as determined by a New York Times tasting panel helmed by wine critic Eric Asimov, this steel-burnished tasting room is a barrel house where simple brews from Cascadeâs brewery at Raccoon Lodge are made magical by spending a few months in barrels brimming with tiny bacteria. The atmosphere is sterile and the crowd leans toward beer pilgrims and gentlemen of a certain age, so donât commit to anything beyond a few two-ounce tasters (priced between $2 and $3.50), and then make your way to the more friendly environs directly across the street.
Green Dragon
928 SE 9th Ave., 517-0660, pdxgreendragon.com. 11 am-11 pm Sunday-Wednesday, 11 am-1 am Thursday-Saturday. Happy hour: food specials 4-6 pm and 9 pm-close Sunday-Wednesday, 4-6 pm and 10 pm-close Thursday-Saturday.
This green Quonset hut gets points for bigness: Taps, tables and patio space are all plentiful at this Rogue-owned alehouse. Try something from Buckman Botanical, the in-house maker of hopless brews called gruets. Check out the Parnold Almer Kolsch, made with lemon peel and leaves from Steven Smith Teamaker.
White Owl Social Club
1305 SE 8th Ave., 236-9672. facebook.com/WhiteOwlSocialClub. 3 pm-2:30 am daily. Happy hour: 3-6 pm and 1 am-close.
Are you fit for membership to the White Owl Social Club? According to club propaganda, a $25 fee and pledging your soul to âYe Olde Serpent of the Bottomless Pitâ gets you a membership card and a few drink tokens. No membership is required to stop in for a drink, but a taste for Metallica and local liquor helps. Essentially a large-scale spin-off of the studded and shredded Sizzle Pie late-night pizzeria, the White Owl occupies a large space in industrial inner Southeast. There arenât any neighbors to disturb, which is good, because the music is loud and the crowd favors nicotine and leather.
The High Dive
1406 SE 12th Ave., 384-2285, facebook.com/thehighdivepdx. 4:30 pm-close daily. Happy hour: Drink specials 4-7 pm daily.
Just as the name suggests, this is a crisp, clean, better-lit version of a Portland dive bar. That, along with decadent late-night eats at the Cartopia pod next door, make this the perfect place to end your evening. Selection is limited and mixed drinks generally are low power, but youâre too old to end your night in a place where the restroom is too gross to use.
The Driftwood Room
729 SW 15th Ave., 820-2076, hoteldeluxeportland.com. 2-11:30 pm Sunday-Thursday, 2 pm-12:30 am Friday-Saturday. Happy hour: Champagne cocktails, glass or bottle of wine, draft beer, food specials 2-6:30 pm, 9:30 pm-close daily.
Drinkers on Portlandâs west side are increasingly faced with two options: Go to Old Town and sin, or cast your lot with the actually old in a place where all sins have been forgiven many times over. That means Goose Hollow, and the Driftwood Room. Once a candidate for the cityâs smokiest lounge (and still a prime adultery location, since there are no windows and there is an adjacent hotel), it has been retrofitted with mod furnishings and an imaginative cocktail list. Nurse a four-Manhattan sampler tray ($12) for the afternoon until all that poisonous direct sunlight slips away.
Leaky Roof
1538 SW Jefferson St., 222-3745, theleakyroof.com. 11 am-10 pm Monday-Saturday, 11 am-9 pm Sunday. Happy hour: Food specials 3-6 pm.
The Driftwood looks like a preschool next to the Leaky Roof, a bar so established it has its own official-looking road sign pointing the way. Prime time at this restaurantâstarted as a food cart roughly 60 years before people took notice of such thingsâis the early-bird special. Now a reassuringly stable pub (though built, like so many structures in the glen, at three-quarters size), the Roof serves a stocked Irish whiskey shelf to a cast of ancient mariners. On a recent visit, one of them explained at length to the kitchen staff why he became a pescatarian.
Goose Hollow Inn
1927 SW Jefferson St., 228-7010, goosehollowinn.com. 11 am-midnight Sunday-Thursday, 11 am-1 am Friday-Saturday. Happy hour: Wine, beer, cocktail specials 9 pm-midnight Sunday-Monday.
The deck of Bud Clarkâs redoubtable tavern exists in a twilit shade where the time is always 1984, and the owner is conspiring to smash the face of Big Brother by getting himself elected Portlandâs mayor. Far be it from me to shatter that eternityâClark is my landlord, and his family just fixed my door lockâbut the best hour to be here is dusk, when you can take in the air, listen to the jingle of the MAX whisking Intel bachelor parties into Old Town, and get a bit of separation from the man inside carrying around a stuffed puma and asking fellow patrons, âHave you seen my pussy?â He is not quite the âstimulating companyâ promised by the beer coasters, but after enough evenings in City Hall, he will suffice.
1331 SW Washington St., 223-0054, cassidysrestaurant.com. 4 pm-2 am daily. Happy hour: All menu items $6.50 4 pm-6 pm, 10 pm-midnight.
At some point soon, youâll be needing some foodâand, if itâs Saturday, an escape from the army Goose-stepping out of Jeld-Wen Field after a Portland Timbers draw. One can actually eat quite contentedly at any of the three previous stops (Driftwood has a fine Kobe burger, the Roof prepares excellent salmon, and the Goose offers a deservedly celebrated Reuben), but the bar menu at Cassidyâs is a westside secret handshakeâwe only trust you once youâve admitted itâs the best in town. And it gets extraordinarily cheap at 10 pm. Try the pasta shells with pepper jack, and prepare yourself for a final push.
The Commodore
1650 W Burnside St., 224-7606, commodoreloungeandgrillpdx.com. 7 am-2:30 am daily. Happy hour: $2.75 wells 7-11 am.
Most of your earlier stops will be closed by the time you reach this final destination, the nightâs only true dive. Note the address: The Commodore last year was forced out of the apartment building that shares its name, so Italian restaurant Gildaâs could add an eponymous bar. The new location is not so wonderfully lived inâit still resembles nothing so much as an appliance showroomâbut the regulars have come along to enjoy tall boys of Shift ($3.75) along with views of flashing police lights on Burnside. The singularly stacked CD jukebox hasnât made the journey, but the patrons have acquired such refined musical taste that their selections on the Internet juke can inspire a last-call dance party.


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Indian musical traditions: an aesthetic study of the gharanas in Hindustani music
Popular Prakashan, 1987 - Music - 222 pages
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GharanaIts Characteristics
Gharanas and their Ways of Voice Production
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7EPE Abdul Karim Khan achieve aesthetic Agra gharana alapi Alladiya Khan Amir Khan audience Bade Gulam bandish bani-s beauty Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale bhavageet Bhimsen Joshi Bombay cheej classical music created criticism Deodhar dhrupad disciple discussion EALP EBLP 1751 MOAE ECLP elaboration element emotions expression fact factor Faiyaz Khan fast tempo function gayaki Govindrao Tembe Gulam Ali Khan guru Hindi Hindustani Music Hirabai Badodekar Hussein Khan important Indian Music Indore Jaipur Joshi kana-s Khan's Khansaheb khayal Kirana gharana Kumar Gandharva layakari listener literary manner Marathi meaning Mogubai Kurdikar music artists music concerts musical notes musicians musicologists Naththan Khan nature Pandit Patiala performance present principle raga raga-s rhythm-play Seashore's Shankar singer singing slow tempo song style sung swara and laya system of music tala tana thing thumari tion tonal tradition upaj Vamanrao various gharanas Vaze vocal music voice voice-production Western Music words


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Hey I'm looking to play in NJ this weekend - anyone interested? I'm a 5.0 would be looking to play with someone 4.0 and better.
where do you want to play? if i dont go out of town and it's somewhat near me, I'd love to hit.
George where do you live in NJ? i'm sure we could find somewhere near us both. Do you want to email me at firstname.lastname@example.com and we can set it up?
Feel like hitting on Red Clay tomorrow evening at 6pm in Morristown?
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Most Users Are App Freeloaders
When's the last time you treated yourself to a new mobile app? Okay, when's the last time you actually paid for an app? If you're like me, the answer was never. At least not until a few nights ago, when I sprang for an app called "Cholesterol Food Reference." It lists different foods and their cholesterol content. Free apps are okay for following sports or movies, but this is a little more serious and, to me, worth the $2 asking price.
According to a recent ABI Research survey of 2,000 people, more than 70 percent opt for free or cheap apps. What keeps app makers in business are the three percent of users who account for about 20 percent of total spending on apps.
These big spenders shell out about $14 monthly, mostly on business apps or iOS games. They get hooked by the initial app, which may even be free, then end up paying for upgrades. This actually creates a loyalty between app developer and user that serves both well over time. The rest of us get what we pay for. Or don't pay for.
—Larry Greenemeier
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]


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Thursday, March 8, 2007
Simple & Sleek
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35 comments
very nice girl,simple but fantastique¡
let me say that i usually don't comment on women's clothes, but this is just so elegant and timeless!
some may argue that this look is boring, but i love it!
brown, black, neutrals can be so dull, but with the mix of textures, fur, tweed, lace, skirt peeking out beneath the coat… this is elegant, timeless, gorgeous!
Love it! Personally, I don't like the lace poking out under the skirt, but to each her own. That's my only quibble.
beautiful! Now just ditch the cigarette.
Thanks! I was just scrolling down to make such a comment.
I quite like the contast of textures, with the lace showing form beneath the coat.
Simple, sleek, and photographed right in front of Eyebeam and the Graffiti Research Lab.
That does it. I needs to gets me some dark tights.
Not sure about the pumps but I fully enjoy that the bag matches them and that they're not "peeptoes."
Is that over yet? Heaven help us, I hope so.
Seeing her frills below her jacket make me shiver but seeing her smile melts my heart.
She's full of contradictions, this one!
Love it!
She looks so nice, simple, chic, and with style.
love this look. love the sleek hair, the lovely rich-coloured coat and the little bit of the light skirt peeking out is darling and such a great contrast to the dark tights and heavier coat. This is the way to wear a bit of spring when the winter's still here. darling girl.
I agree: Huge YES to this demurely chic daytime outfit; NO to the ciggie.
im not a fan of the siggies but this one is absolute classy! thumbs up,,
i even love her perfectly waxed eyebrows!
Enough with the photos of people smoking.
Do not glorify smoking by taking shots of folks with cigarettes in their hands.
cool pose
she looks so effortless. i love this picture.
There's always a lot of moaning about the smoking but … did you ever think that the reason that Mr Sart photographs so many people with cigarettes is that they're the only people outside during the day when he's wandering around? The non-smokers wearing fab clothes are working instead!
she works at harpers bazaar! she's really sweet. i intern there
Love that the wall says GRL. Love the way she poses with her cig. Everytime you shoot someone smoking, they seem to hide it. So, smoking is bad, but everybody knows that. What you do is capturing people as they are. There's always someone smoking. You can't do none about that.
Is it the lighting, or does the coat's fabric pattern produce that slightly iridescent effect? Either way, pretty cool.
Love it. The lace and the fur collar add just that little bit of intrigue to a basic outfit.
How long are those legs? Quite chic.
How long are those legs? Tres chic.
oh i LOVE this, love!!
The parted hairstyle, that would look matronly on so many young women, adds a certain ladylike charm to her youthful face.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful… Well done Scott!!! Except, I can smell the smoke in Scotland! Oh dear…
Sart, I suggest that you stop posting comments that complain about cigaretters, fur, and other such things. To the folks who continue posting those comments: look, we all know that cigarettes are harmful and fur involves suffering of animals. You aren't really telling us anything new; your spam isn't going to convince anyone; stop beating us over the head with your politics already! There are lots of other places on the web to post your political proclamations.
Love the peek-a-boo lace skirt…adds a tinge of naughtiness to the getup. And the smile…that's something no haute couture can top!
Every single thing is perfect, even timeless; not the least of which is her comfortable smile and the devil in her eyes.
And Sart, don't think I don't know how much the background and the UNBELIEVABLE light (and your skill in seeing it and catching it) make the photo.
And for all the silly Americans who pull at their clothes and hair over the cigarette; please, please, please keep quiet. I would offer that you do ten push ups or meditate to the word "liberty." You'd be doing us both a favor.
- Eminence Grise
No one else will say this, so I will.
This Blog is obviously about stylish souls. Fantastic.
Except, every so often, someone points out that the subjects look great, but are puffing away like trains.
I've noticed that a fair old selection of stylish characters are also smoking. More than a few in fact. Indeed, lots. Even Scott himself noted a while back that people in the 'industry' wear lots of black and, yes, smoke.
Various reasons why, that we can all guess at.
fact is, the issue is a hot topic these days.
For myself, I see ladies smoking and I am conflicted. They can look chic and even cool smoking. Yet I hate the damn thing.
I don't want to step on anyone's choices – but I still feel as if I need remark on it. 'I like her outift… but…'
So give us pathetic complainers a wee bit of room. I am torn sometimes and I have many friends that love their smoking.
We're only human. We devour Sart's pics with all our senses. And that means we imagine ourselves 'there' seeing, feeling, and yes, smelling. And so we knee-jerk our reactions into print.
Means, again, we're just human.
No hating. No preaching. Just thinking out loud.
So, give us a break. Keep looking stylish. And, if you like a smoke, keep doing that too. As Frank Sinatra said, 'I'm for whatever gets you through the night…'
We love you all – smokers included.
What a wonderful comment.
Love it. So elegant and ladylike. Refreshing, like a breeze wafting petals.
Oh my she looks amazing, I want to dress her! I love what is peeking out of her coat, she must be wearing something lovely inside too!


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14/04/2019 | 48:33
Judge Not (Part 15) - Audio
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Sounds True: Insights at the Edge
Tami Simon, Founder and Publisher of Sounds True interviews spiritual teachers, visionary writers, and living luminaries about their newest work and current challenges—the growing edge of their inner inquiry and outer contribution to the world.
Lectures and classes on Vedanta and Yoga given at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society in Boston, USA, by Swami Tyagananda, who is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order. Vedanta means the essence of the Vedas (veda+anta). Although popularly identified with the basic scripture of the Hindus, Vedas are really neither "books" nor essentially "Hindu." By Vedas is meant the accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by enlightened beings. Vedanta stands for spiritual wisdom that transcends borders defined by religion, culture, race and nationality. It is possible to perceive Vedanta as a spiritual tradition that simultaneously respects and transcends all religions. The practices of Vedanta include prayer, worship, meditation, spiritual study, and selfless service. Vedanta respects all spiritual traditions and encourages everyone to learn from the teachings offered by the prophets and teachers of all religions.
Sadhguru, founder of Isha Foundation is a yogi, mystic and spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serve as a reminder that inner sciences are not esoteric philosophies from an outdated past, but a contemporary science vitally relevant to our times.
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Number of skin moles tied to breast cancer risk
Women's disease increase may reflect higher estrogen levels
Sergiy Zavgorodny/Shutterstock
Women who have many moles on their skin are slightly more prone to breast cancer than those without them, two studies find. Skin moles, benign clumps of pigmentation-producing cells called melanocytes, might arise from high levels of hormones in women's blood, which also could facilitate tumor growth, one of the studies suggests.
Although the appearance of moles can be influenced by an individual's genetics, the new studies and earlier work suggest that exposure to estrogen plays a role, too, says Barbara Fuhrman, an epidemiologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Like cells in the breast and elsewhere, melanocytes have receptor proteins that estrogen can bind to, triggering cell activities that include growth.
High mole counts have been linked to uterine tissue overgrowth called endometriosis and to a higher risk of melanoma, the dangerous kind of skin cancer. The new studies, appearing in the June PLOS Medicine,


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WordPress.com has prepared a 2012 annual report for my Real Food Lover blog.
According to WordPress 2012 annual report:
5,000 people attended the Aspen Food and Wine Festival. This blog had about 42,000 views in 2012. If each view were a foodie, this blog would power 8 festivals.
So, Real Food Lover had about 42,000 views in 2012. I published 12 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 203 posts. There were 56 pictures uploaded. That's about a picture per week.
The busiest day of 2012 was 29 February with 396 views. The most popular post that day was What is Tesco Real Food?.
Click here to see the complete report.


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Rush Limbaugh Serving As De Facto Editor Of Gingrich Book
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has canceled the climate change chapter in his upcoming book of environmental essays after Rush Limbaugh and other commentators targeted its author, atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe.
At a recent campaign event, Gingrich told a woman he had cut the climate change section after she expressed concerns about it, citing what she heard from "Rush." "That's not going to be in the book. We didn't know that they were doing that and we told them to kill it," Gingrich says in the video [1] provided by National Journal. The woman replies, "That sounds like a good idea because I thought, why would you want to have somebody like that in there."
By "somebody like that," she was referring to a scientist who, like the vast majority [2] of climatologists, will tell you that human activities are driving climate change. Gingrich's comments came as a surprise to Hayhoe, who said [3] on Twitter that she spent "100+ unpaid hrs" on the project. According to emails reported [4] by the Los Angeles Times, Hayhoe was asked in 2007 to write "a good opening chapter that lays out the facts on global climate change," including "a sense of what needs to happen." She said via email that her chapter did not include specific policy prescriptions. Gingrich's collaborator Terry Maple told the Times that the book will probably be released in 2013.
Hayhoe, an Evangelical Christian [5] who often speaks [6] about climate change to faith-based communities, has noted [7] in the past that "there is a very intelligent, well-planned effort to deliberately try to muddy the waters on this issue." This month, she became the target of that very cohort of activists and commentators.
Following the December 8 L.A. Times article identifying Hayhoe as a contributor to Gingrich's book, Marc Morano, former spokesman [8] for Senator Inhofe [9], spent [10] the [11] past [12] month [13] attacking [14] her [15] on [16] his [17] blog, Climate [18] Depot [19]. Morano also encouraged his readers to contact Hayhoe directly by repeatedly posting [20] her email address.
Chris Horner's [21] American Tradition Institute also filed a request [22] with Hayhoe's employer, Texas Tech University, requesting any emails she sent or received about the book. ATI's tactics of targeting individual scientists previously prompted a formal condemnation [23] from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the country's leading scientific associations. The AAAS resolution criticizing the intimidation of scientists was introduced by [24] Raymond Orbach, who served as a top Energy Department official under George W. Bush.
Morano got a boost from his former boss [25] Rush Limbaugh on December 19, when Limbaugh told [26] his radio audience that "Newt's new book has a chapter written by a babe named Hayhoe," who "believes in man-made global warming." (Limbaugh also uses the word "babe" to undermine women who work [27] in [28] government [29] and [30] media [31].)
Morano later celebrated [19] the news that Gingrich had scrapped Hayhoe's chapter on climate change with the following headline:
The fiasco attests to the influence wielded over the Republican Party by right-wing media and others [32] who reject the scientific consensus that manmade climate change demands our attention. Morano previously said [33] Republican candidates "can believe in the science of global warming ... if you keep your mouth shut about it and you advocate no quote-unquote solution to the problem."
Limbaugh, who we selected as the 2011 Climate Change Misinformer of the Year, [34] has also established a climate denial litmus test, saying "bye, bye, nomination" after Mitt Romney acknowledged the human contribution to climate change. Romney subsequently tweaked [35] his position.
Limbaugh also criticized Gingrich in November for saying, "I actually don't know whether global warming is occurring. The vast majority of the National Academy of Science says it is." Even though Gingrich quickly added, "Science is not actually voted on," Limbaugh responded "Newt, Newt, Newt, Newt. No! ... There isn't any global warming." The news that Gingrich will avoid the topic of climate change in his book is particularly clarifying in light of where he stood a few years ago [36]. Consider these comments from a November 2007 interview [37] with the New York Times:
GINGRICH: I'm trying to say to the Right the environment's too important to neglect. The issues are too serious to walk away from and therefore you've got to drop just screaming "No" and you got to show us what the right solutions are from your standpoint.
For her part, Hayhoe says via email that despite "a marked upswing in the quantity and virulence of the hate mail and other forms of attack" since the summer, she continues to speak publicly about climate science because "there is important information people need to know, in order to make informed decisions." Otherwise, she said, she'd be a bit like a doctor who withheld bad news from a patient for fear of their reaction.
- Posted In
- Environment & Science [38], Climate Change [39]
- Network/Outlet
- Premiere Radio Networks [40]
- Person
- Rush Limbaugh [41], Newt Gingrich [42], Marc Morano [43]
- Show/Publication
- The Rush Limbaugh Show [44], Climate Depot [45]


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Get Away with Glamping
New Zealand is full of scenic, quiet corners perfect for a glamping vacation. Enjoy a luxurious break close to nature.
Five years ago, was 'glamping' even a word? In recent times, the idea of 'glamourous camping' has captured all our imaginations, and is one of the most popular travel trends. There can be few places in the world more suited to glamping than New Zealand. With our sparse population, we have endless hidden corners to set up luxury canvas tents, and fit them out with comfy beds and Egyptian cotton sheets. Bring your own gourmet treats and fine wine, and enjoy the view!
Glamping is a terrific accommodation option to combine with car rental. You can experience the real New Zealand, rubbing shoulders with our natural wonders, without having to fork out for a tiny tent and squishy airbed that you have to dismantle each time you move on.
Liz Henderson is the co-founder of Canopy Camping, a business that partners with land owners in beautiful spots to create a network of glamping sites, which you can book through their website.
Liz explains the rising popularity of glamping, "I think the main appeal is that with the crazy, busy lifestyles we all lead, people crave respite. Glamping deals to this perfectly - the minute you arrive at a site you are forced to slow down - there's no electricity, no screens, in many cases, no mobile phone reception. You can reconnect with each other - without the usual distractions of life. How often to you get the opportunity to sleep in a comfortable bed with top quality linen, in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but canvas separating you from the natural world?"
Canopy Camping has sites from the Tutuakaka Coast in Northland, to Banks Peninsula in Canterbury, and plenty in between. "We've built our business by hunting out the special places and people in New Zealand and 'curating' a collection of unique, out-of-the-ordinary places that we can hand on heart say will be amazing places for guests to stay. Each site is personally selected by us based on standards we've set. We ourselves visit and experience each place, and we work closely with the hosts that run them."
Liz Henderson has advice for those on a New Zealand driving road trip, planning to choose glamping as their accommodation option, "Read the details of each site carefully. All the information about cooking facilities and the set-up is clearly outlined. The key thing is to check your route and make sure you stop for groceries on the way. Don't assume there is going to be a supermarket handy to your destination!" This is good advice for any glamping destination. By definition, glamping is about getting away from it all, and most sites are likely to be off the beaten track. Do your research, and ensure you know the best place to stock up on food and petrol.
A glamping site that is truly unique is available through David and Karen Walmsley's Totally Tarawera company . They offer water-taxi services, guiding, and glamping at Te Rata Bay, on the shores of Lake Tarawera, close to Rotorua. This site is the first to be granted a glamping concession through the New Zealand Department of Conservation, and is accessible only by boat. They have two luxury tents set up at 'Hot Water Beach' (not to be confused with the one on the Coromandel Peninsula)
"We tell people we are the 'real' Hot Water Beach," David says. "There's no waiting for low tide or digging holes. We even offer instructions on how to cook using the geothermal sand there." There's also almost no other people!
David Walmsley sees that glamping appeals to both ends of the travelling spectrum, young people who are keen to enjoy just being in one place on their New Zealand visit, and want affordable accommodation without backpacking, and older folks who are past the rudiments of camping, and appreciate nice beds and fine linen.
The site at Te Rata Bay is special to the Walmsleys. Karen is a direct descendant of famous Guide Sophia Hinerangi, who took tourists to the Pink and White Terraces before their destruction in 1886, and Te Rata Bay is part of her ancestral lands. The glamping concession is only for 6 months of the year, November to April. Get planning now for next summer.
The most important part of glamping is that is in a beautiful and remote location. While you are not roughing it, you are more exposed to the elements than when in conventional housing, a warm layer and thick socks are needed for when the sun goes down. You're not going to get to these magical places on a bus, car hire is really essential to access these prime spots. VroomVroomVroom is the fastest and easiest way to get the best deal on car hire in New Zealand.
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The House of Representatives leaders—namely Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.,)-- named their Farm Bill Conference Committee members who will try to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions.
The House conferees include 17 Republicans and 12 Democrats, including 21 from the House Agriculture committee, reports Agri-Pulse.
The Senate had already named its conferees on August 1. The biggest difference to be resolved will be cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps). The Senate approved $4 billion in cuts while the House approved $40 billion.
For dairy, the Senate approved a voluntary dairy margin insurance program that would require dairy farmers who sign up to curtail production when margins shrink to certain levels. The House passed a margin insurance program without the market stabilization program. Each version passed their respective Houses by more than 2:1 margins, so reconciliation could prove difficulte.
"We commend the leadership of the House of Representatives for taking the next crucial step towards completing a new farm bill, and creating a new and better safety net for dairy farmers," says Jim Mulhern, Chief Operating Officer of the National Milk Producers Federation.
"NMPF will be working in the coming days to remind both the Senate and House conferees of the importance of a balanced and cost-effective dairy program. The Senate's bipartisan Dairy Security Act is the only program designed to both help farmers when they need it most, while also limiting taxpayers' liability through its market stabilization mechanism. Without the market stabilization program, farmers will continue to suffer prolonged periods of poor margins, while taxpayers will subsidize artificially-low milk prices."
But proponents of the House version note that the Congressional budget office has scored it as costing less than the Dairy Security Act, which charges farmers less for the margin insurance.


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I have always found alot of humor in this http://www.startrek.com/watch_episode/jU7ahgNe0xNC3_yDHXb6MV5Z2UftbSkm Gene Roddenberry STAR TREK episode. It's a real in your face " take that religion " if you really look at the hidden message. Take a book about stories and fantasy and ring it around peoples daily lives and they will follow it as law or religion as long as you input some kind of mystery behind it...WHAT'S YOUR TAKE?
Views: 111


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I asked and received permission to share the following story. I was told that was fine, so long as I withheld the student's last name, which I am glad to oblige…
Dear fellow atheists,
I've been having an ongoing issue in my Critical Thinking class that I'm taking this semester at college; it's a private for-profit secular institution. The problem is not so much with the class itself, but with the professor who teaches it. I've brought up the issue casually with my academic department and they have expressed their belief that it is a non-issue. Unless I'm willing to withdraw from the course and have it appear on my transcript, I'm forced to stay in it for the remainder of the term. That's why I'm coming to you in the hope that you could provide me with some coping advice. I'm not kidding; this class is driving me completely insane.
A couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with my professor along with another student during our class break. At one point she asked me to provide an example of a belief I had that I didn't realize I had. Confused by the question, I asked her to elaborate. She gave me her own example of how she used to believe God was a punishing God, but then came to know Him as a loving and caring God. Right off the bat I informed her that I couldn't think of anything as significant as her example, since I personally do not believe in anything supernatural or paranormal. It was then that she moved forward with the conversation by asking me, "You don't even believe in the paranormal?" My adamant stance on the subject clearly bothered her, especially when I stated that many supernatural and paranormal claims could be easily refuted with scientific evidence. My professor's adult son passed away several years ago, and she replied "My son is around me all the time and communicates with me every day". I assured her that I was not intending to take away any personal experience she had.
The next day, she asked a couple of students what we had learned from Chapter 2 of our Critical Thinking textbook. The answer I gave was, "I interpreted the chapter to mean that beliefs are subjective truths and facts are objective truths". For some reason my answer appeared to offend her. Out of all the students' answers, she wrote mine on the board and asked me to give examples of beliefs and facts. I explained to her that my personal opinion on what makes something a "fact" is something that was observable, measurable, and testable. She then brought up the subject of ghosts and EVP recordings, and challenged me to refute the "evidence" shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures provide. "How do you explain the EVP recordings, and the fact that the voices respond directly to the questions!" I'll be honest with you, I truly wanted to laugh and ask her if she seriously thought those shows were conclusive evidence of paranormal phenomena. In fact, I did, I just didn't laugh. I explained to her that these shows were not reliable evidence for anything since they are entertainment programs. EVP's were easily explained away by many sources of interference including the pareidolia effect. But she insisted on reminding me that I still could not prove that they were not, in fact, actual recorded ghost voices. I agreed and ended by saying that it was up to her and anyone else in the class to research natural explanations on their own if they wanted to.
The following week, one of the students felt the need to bring up a story of how she had seen a ghost in her house "last night". Her totally unbelievable and laughable story included the ghost calling out her name, leaving a black hand-print on her shoulder which lasted for two hours (but no photographic evidence), and how her hair floated up in the air. Maybe it was just the way she told it that made it seem so unconvincing, nevertheless the entire class, including the professor, was captivated by her haunting story. So what does the teacher do? She looks right at me and asks me to explain her story. I guess being the only skeptic in the class meant I was the only one capable of dissecting it. "Do you believe her story?" I asked the professor to which she replied with a "yes". I asked her what evidence she had to believe the claim, and she stated, "Because she told me. I have no reason to disbelieve her". I then went into the whole spiel about how all claims are not created equal, such as someone telling you a ghost left a black hand print on their shoulder as opposed to her ordering pizza for dinner last night.
Sadly I never got a chance to provide alternative explanations for the student's claim, as the teacher decided to interject with the story of her "astral projection" experience. She explained how in the middle of the night she awoke only to find that she couldn't move a muscle. She couldn't call out for help and felt completely paralyzed. Her "soul" (or whatever it is she called it) came out of her body and floated around the room and out the front door which is when she woke up. I explained that what she experienced was most likely an episode of sleep paralysis. This was a text-book case of SP in my opinion, and I have had a few episodes myself where I have had similar experiences. I explained to her what sleep paralysis was, both the physiology and psychology of what takes place during an episode. In fact, there was a student in class that worked for a sleep-study center that could back up my claim. Nevertheless, the teacher quickly dismissed my explanation and said that it "explained nothing". She refuted by saying that science gets things wrong all the time and that "some guy in a white lab coat" could not disprove that what she experienced was not astral projection. Her claim was that it may be the current explanation in science but that this could change and eventually scientists would discover that these episodes were actually astral projection all along. I actually refused to counter her argument after 2 hours of going in circles and simply said "Okay".
Now I really don't care what she, or anyone else, believes. Everyone is free to choose whatever explanation makes the most sense to them, even if I do think it's silly to ignore mountains of evidence. Nevertheless, this is a critical thinking class. What should have been a valid discussion of weighing evidence to support a belief was nothing more than the professor feeling that her beliefs were being threatened. Time and time again I reassured her that my intentions were never to disprove anything, only to provide alternative explanations. Throughout the course of the discussion science was ridiculed and only evidence supporting her belief was considered. Not once were any of my explanations validated or considered seriously. The entire experience left me feeling humiliated and aware of the fact that I really AM a minority with my anti-spiritual worldview. "Critical Thinking" has turned into "Magical Thinking", and class time is now about sitting around a campfire telling ghost stories. Am I wrong for feeling just a tad pissed off about that? I actually thought this may have been the one class where skeptical thinking would be appreciated. Clearly I was wrong.
As I mentioned earlier, academics can do nothing about this situation. I can withdraw but having a "W" on my transcript is not something I want. I'm really left with no choice but to tough it out. I haven't really been able to get any useful advice from anyone, and so that's why I'm writing to you. I have five more weeks left of the term and although I don't want to talk about ghosts anymore, I may find myself in a situation again where I am the target of debate. Is there any advice you can give me under these circumstances? My biggest fear is the impressionable minds in this class that are being poisoned with affirmation by the professor that her worldview makes more sense. After all, she is promoting it heavily. I know that confirmation bias and attitude polarization plays a huge part in all of this, but I'm not sure how I can present evidence without the receiver feeling threatened. And personally, I wish that she wouldn't call on me to explain myself if she really doesn't want to know my answers.
Thank you for any help you could provide,
I did offer Maya some advice. And offered to share the story here. She said she will be following comments, so please feel free to post to her here. I can't promise she'll respond, but she will be able to see your notes.


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"This is the best gelato I've ever experienced."
Philip - San Francisco, California
"Your Green Tea Gelato is the nectar of the Gods."
Ralph - Petaluma, California
"Gelato Classico is Venice in a pint."
Susan - Miami, Florida
"I wouldn't serve anything else."
Chris - Pastry Chef
"Blackberry Cabernet Sorbetto - bravo!"
Brittney - Seattle, Washington


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Bristol Rovers starlet Shaquille Hunter is attracting attention from a host of Barclays Premier League clubs including Manchester City and Liverpool reports skysports.com.
The 16-year-old winger has already been called up to Rovers' first-team on a number of occasions this season, and is emerging as one of the Pirates' prized assets.
Reds boss Kenny Dalglish is a known admirer of bright young talent, and is believed to be keeping tabs on Hunter with a view to luring him to Anfield.
However, with up to a dozen top-flight clubs also said to be monitoring the situation, Liverpool will face a fight to secure his signature.
Rovers must now decide whether to cash-in on Hunter before the Elite Player Performance Plan [EPPP] is introduced this summer, which could see the League Two outfit miss out on a bumper sale.
The ruling will set a tariff for young players being sold to clubs, but if Rovers decide to sell now they could command a fee from Liverpool or Manchester City in excess of £1million.


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Some Children's Knits
June 30th, 2014
As you can imagine it gets a little chilly in the evenings so when we were at the 3 wishes faery feat we wrapped up warmer to listen to the great music in the evenings
Here is a matching set I made,knitted tunic, leg warmers and arm warmers
And this is a jumper (blue/green) with hand warmers over them
Then just one barmy step further! (on another night)
Wrist warmers too!
All snug and warm listening to fab music 😀
These sets are great and can be made in almost any colours and last many seasons just ask me if you have something in mind 😀
by Juniper Askew
aem wamers, craft, Crafts, Daughter, fairy, family, Hand warmer, jumper, knit, knitted jumper, knitting, leg warmers, parent, parenting, tunic, wrist warmers, Yarn
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Get in touch through one of my many social media pages or by email to ask questions or tell me about your knitting.


text: We've been a longtime fans of Foxtrot, if for no other reason than identifying with the comic strip as a young, extremely dorky children. Now we have another reason to enjoy Bill Amend's work, because this Sunday's Foxtrot takes a nasty swipe at the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, that law making it illegal to break DRM (even when you've paid for rights to enjoy the content). I for one would hate to see Paige go to jail, even if she can be difficult sometimes. [gocomics via boingboing]


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Talking trade: Money laundering and fraud – the silent side of trade finance
By Alexon Bell, Compliance Solution Director, SAS Fraud & Security Business Unit
Trade finance is vital to the international economy. Indeed, The World Trade Organization (WTO) estimates that 80 to 90% of global trade is reliant on it. It is therefore key that the process runs efficiently and is protected from the machinations of fraudsters and money launderers. Agencies are implementing the latest data management and analytics solutions to tackle the threat, but the roll-out of solutions must accelerate if the problem is to be brought under control.
When trade finance fraud occurs, losses can run into millions of dollars. Fraudsters are enticed by the sums involved and money launderers by the ability to hide and disguise their criminal activities, with little fear of discovery. Both are focused on the fragility of the human control processes and the current reliance on manual processes and paper documents. This, coupled with the complexities of trade, different languages and the multitude of organisations involved, provides criminals with the materials they need to carry out fraud and AML abuse.
Today, we're seeing a growing understanding of the issue, but there isn't a broad understanding of how to tackle it ...
Today, we're seeing a growing understanding of the issue, but there isn't a broad understanding of how to tackle it -- not surprising given the current range of trade finance fraud. One of the most prominent and popular types is the double financing approach. This involves importer and exporter organisations collaborating – either to create false turnover to obtain credit or conduct a 'bust out' where both receive funding for the same trade and then subsequently disappear.
Other commonly used techniques include falsified accounts, disqualified directors, organisations with risky or shared ownership structures. In terms of money laundering, the typical approach involves over-invoicing, under-invoicing, over-shipping, under-shipping or simply shipping empty cargo containers and using this as a means to transfer funds.
To tackle the fraud and money laundering associated with trade finance, the authorities need to process vast volumes of data, much of which is unstructured and not effectively integrated with other information. The problem is compounded by the need to analyse it in granular detail down to the quantity of goods in each container, as well as routes and times used.
Adding to the challenge, the quality of data in trade finance environments is often mediocre. As a result, most organisations struggle to develop a complete picture of operations within a single country, let alone the global perspective needed to understand an organisation's full fraud and AML exposure.
Historically, the difficulties involved in tackling fraud and money laundering in this area have been such that few organisations have addressed it effectively. So how can they rectify this? The vital first step is to apply the latest data management and data cleansing solutions to existing data in order to develop a comprehensive picture of all relevant information.
It's initially a process of exploration and discovery but once relevant data has been captured, data quality methodologies must be applied. Solutions providers have tools that can help this process but that in itself is not sufficient. The banks also need to take responsibility for addressing the issues many of them still have with their data, and put programmes in place to capture better data.
Businesses need to be pragmatic here. They should not wait to get their data perfect. Instead, they should work with what they have right now and use a variety of techniques to improve on their current controls, adding more data and context as new data sources become available to analyse.
Organisations should use technology to enable their compliance and anti-fraud programmes, including visualisation techniques to identify patterns, anomalies and outliers. Money laundering and fraud are all about deception. To combat it effectively, businesses need to make use of third party data sources to gain a complete picture of what's happening; run a multi-dimensional analysis of their data and start to identify areas of interest. In this context, anchoring data into real-world constructs, ships, ports, goods, companies, directors, owners, etc., helps de-mystify the problems and provide meaningful business insight that can be re-used.
Once they understand what their data looks like, they can start to take the necessary steps to monitor and analyse it; delivering a comprehensive end-to-end monitoring system that effectively connects data internally across the organisation and and externally from third party sources, ensuring full consistent and robust risk coverage. A best practice approach needs to focus on multiple stages in the monitoring and control lifecycle, with the ability to add more contextual information -- all residing within a platform able to ingest and process this additional information efficiently.
For this kind of scenario, big data analytical technologies such as Hadoop combined with high-performance analytics tools, become a must. New features such as dynamic data exploration help investigators analyse and identify the problems. In parallel, data scientists can improve detection quality by using hybrid analytics: incorporating business rules and database searching to pinpoint criminal activity known to have occurred. And they can subsequently bring in anomaly detection, text mining, advanced analytics and social network analytics to identify previously unknown or complex transgressions, and map the organisational links between the fraudsters and money launderers.
With these new technologies, controlling alert volumes becomes easier as more contextual analysis can be conducted. This enables a multi-layered alerting approach and the application of more advanced techniques on both higher risk customers and/or high false positive scenarios, in turn helping to manage alert volumes and apply an effective risk-based approach.
Taken together, the capabilities allow compliance teams to pinpoint behaviour that looks suspicious or lies outside typical ways of doing business, take action to prevent trade finance fraud and money laundering and ultimately bring the perpetrators to justice.
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The challenge is to write 30 poems in the course of 30 days.
All poems written in the challenge must be posted here in this thread, but you can submit them too. You also can take poems you wrote on the other challenge threads for the 30 Poems In 30 Days challenge.
If you take the challenge, start the title (subject line) of each entry with "(x-y)" where x is which is the attempt at the challenge it is part of (including those that were unsuccessful) and y is the number of poem in that attempt. You may also add a title to your poem as long as you have the attempt and poem number too.
You may stop and restart the challenge at any time. For example, if you forget on the 17th day to write a poem you can restart at "1" on day 18, which would make it a second attempt of the challenge.
The most important rule is to have fun!