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So this is another of my occasional highly idiosyncratic posts, like previous ones on Progressive Rock, that is difficult to categorize and present. I've been talking lately with one of my moderate liberal friends, David Ropeik. He doesn't like it when I call him a liberal because he is not a partisan, but I don't mean it as a pejorative, insult or provocation. He would surely seem a liberal to most readers of this site, but if more liberals were like him, the world would be a better place. I like David very much personally and I often find him very sensible. In fact, I posted a video conversation with him here about 18 months ago on risk assessment, about which he is very sound.
Lately David has been giving a lot of thought—perhaps too much thought in some ways—about a favorite subject of everyone these days: political polarization in America. He has written a long blog post at BigThink.com about the historic roots of polarization. I think he's been too ambitious and complicated here, and I can quarrel with some of his narrative. However, I am quite keen on two of the frameworks he mentions—the Yale Cultural Cognition Project, which is based on the very useful analytical framework of the late Aaron Wildavsky (one of my academic heroes), and Jonathan Haidt's social science work, which I've also mentioned favorably here before.
Some aspects of this have been on my mind because I've lately been trying to get my head around phenomenology, which I've always found baffling and largely incomprehensible, though I have a suspicion some of it may bear on this question of polarization and what David calls our "tribal instincts." David's whole post is worth a read if you have the leisure, but here's one snippet to give the flavor, along with a BigThink video of him below discoursing about the background of related issues. Now go easy Powerliners! David is a pal and I want to keep him a pal!
Research on the theory of Cultural Cognition has found that our views on issues of the day are in fact only reflections of deeper worldviews about the basic way we prefer society to operate. We adopt views on various issues based not just on the facts but so our views align with those of the groups with which we most closely identify. This helps us feel safe, since as social animals we depend on our group, our tribe, literally for our safety and survival. Agreeing with the group maintains us as a protected member in good standing. And if everyone in our group agrees, that social unity increases our group's influence in the competition with other tribes for setting society's rules. The more powerful and successful our group is, the safer we feel.
Cultural Cognition identifies four basic groups;
- Individualists, who prefer a society that maximizes individual freedom and choice and control. (They prefer less government, i.e. "socialism".)
- Communitarians, who prefer a 'we're all in it together' society that sacrifices some personal liberty in the name of the greater common good. (They prefer a more active role for government.)
- Hierarchists, who prefer a traditional and unchanging society operating by fixed and commonly accepted hierarchies of social and economic class. (They prefer less government butting in and making things fair.)
- Egalitarians, who prefer a more flexible society, unconstrained by traditional fixed hierarchies. (They prefer more government, as an engine of social and economic equity.)
The influence of these underlying worldviews on how we feel about individual issues is profound. Cultural Cognition research has found that these basic group identities are more accurate predictors of our positions on many of the contentious issues of the day than political affiliation, education, religion, or any of the more common demographic identifiers.


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I've been thinking a lot lately about the creative process. Partly because Scott has started this amazing project, after years of talking about it but not doing much of anything. The one thing harder than starting is starting after years of talking about starting. Talking can kill the urge to create. So I'm sort of dying of pride, over here, while my husband works and works and keeps working, like he's a professional. I am a little in awe.
I've also been thinking about it because a reader (hi Sharon!) recently expressed surprise that I struggle with writing. I'm a little embarrassed to even share that with you, because it's kind of ridiculously flattering. It's also woefully inaccurate. So I wanted to reiterate to her, and you guys, that writing is a struggle for me, and always will be. It's the nature of the game. It's always hard, especially if you're doing it right. You're always aspiring to be better than you are, so no matter how much experience you get, it's always an uphill battle. Always, always, always.
Not to mention that whole "inner critic" hooha that anyone creative has to deal with. I am amazingly accomplished at beating myself up. I tell myself I'm too old, that all really talented writers were published much earlier than I ever was, that I don't have enough publications under my belt, that I should have written my novel when I got out of graduate school, that there are X number of writers who left my writing program when I did who are all on their second or third or seventh novel while I'm still not even a third of the way finished with a short story collection. I tell myself blogs are useless, that this site is a waste of time that's taking away from my Precious Writerly Resources. Or I tell myself that I'm just a blogger, as if blogging is somehow less relevant, so I shouldn't bother writing anything else. I tell myself that because I don't have large expanses of time to work I'm never going to reach my full potential. Or just decide that I suck and everyone who hates me is right and I'm never going to blah blah blah blah BLAH. It's a miracle that I get anything done, I'm so busy giving myself a hard time.
But everyone does this. This is how the mind works to stop you from writing. Creating is scary, and your brain wants you to run from scary things. For some reason it forgets about the rewards that come from risk. The brain will also do this for painting, or dancing, whatever creative work you do. I also draw and paint (in an extremely amateurish fashion, mind you) and I've been finding all sorts of reasons not to do either these days. The light in my dining room isn't quite right. I need better materials. My sketchbook is either too large or too small. There's nothing good to draw in my house, and I don't want to leave the house to draw because then people will look at what I'm doing. I can't remember how paints work. Watercolor paper is expensive and don't I need to stretch it, or something? Also my brushes aren't right. I have numerous excellent reasons for never attempting to create any artwork ever again.
Then yesterday I sat down and, while my brain screamed NO! DON'T! STOP!, I sketched for an hour. I sketched my cat, and my foot. Exciting, no? It was crappy and I did some terrible work. When I was done that voice in my head had been reduced, temporarily, to a mouselike squeak. And I felt like a superhero.
The only way to win over that voice is to work despite it. Doing stuff is always better than not doing stuff. Period.
Here's an inspiring talk on creativity by Ira Glass that another lovely reader (hi Erin!) sent me.
In a similar vein comes this anecdote from Art and Fear—which is a brilliant piece of work, by the way, chock full of quotables. A ceramics class is divided into two groups. The first group is graded on quantity: it doesn't matter how good their stuff is, just how many pounds of work they end up with. The second group is graded on quality: it didn't matter how few pots they create, just how perfect the final product is. Can you guess who ends up doing the best work? It's the quantity group: the students who churned out work day after day and learned from their mistakes. Meanwhile, the quality group had wasted time mulling over how they could achieve perfection, so by the end of the class they had "little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay."
It's all about working and working and working some more, no matter how crappy you think it is. You are never the best judge of your work, so shut up and work and don't stop to wonder why it's not a masterpiece. Remember what Voltaire said: "The perfect is the enemy of the good." He probably wrote that after spending an hour whining about how he'd never be as important an Enlightenment figure as that fathead Rousseau .
Don't sit and agonize over how you're not good enough. Don't leave yourself with a pile of dead clay. Start and keep going; if you stop, start again, and keep going.


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Cameron Cullman
|Rye, N.Y.
|High School:
|Hotchkiss School
Cameron Cullman is a freshman in Jonathan Edwards College. Cullman comes to Yale as one of the top junior sailors in the country, especially in the singlehanded Laser class. He started off his distinguished career in the Laser by winning the Smythe Trophy for the U.S. Junior Singlehanded Championship, an especially impressive feat considering Cullman was the youngest winner in history. In 2006, Cullman was the Laser Radial U.S. Champion and a member of the U.S. Laser Radial Youth World Championship team. In 2007, Cullman was the U.S. Youth Team Race Champion. Just prior to joining the Bulldogs, Cullman won the U.S. Youth Championships in the Laser class. Cullman was also a very successful sailor for the Hotchkiss School. In 2006, Cullman took third at the Cressy Trophy for the ISSA High School Singlehanded Championships and was fourth in 2007. He was also the 2008 High School New England Champion in the Laser. In doublehanded sailing, Cullman led the Hotchkiss School to a second-place finish at the New England Championships to qualify for the Mallory Trophy, the high school doublehanded fleet racing national championship. Hotchkiss also placed fourth at the team race New England Championships. He earned the Top Sailor and Top Underclassman Awards at Hotchkiss. At the Hotchkiss School, Cullman was a four-year letterman in sailing as well as serving as the team captain. He also played junior varsity soccer freshman through junior year and both lettered and served as the team captain. Cullman also wrestled his senior year for Hotchkiss, taking fifth place at the Western New England Championships in the 160 pound weight class. Cullman also played junior varsity hockey. Cullman's brother, Hugh, who graduated college in 2008, was an honorable mention All-American sailor at Brown. Outside of sailing, Cullman enjoys skiing.


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A two-year study of more than 1,200 seafood samples by Oceana, an environmental advocacy group, found that a third of seafood sold in grocery stores and restaurants is mislabeled, the group announced Thursday.
DNA testing of seafood samples between 2010 and 2012 found that 33% were mislabeled according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines.
The most commonly mislabeled fish were snapper and tuna.
Of the samples labeled as snapper, 87% were mislabeled. More than 30 different species of fish were found to be substituted for snapper, but the most common were rockfish and tilapia.
Oceana said the most egregious substitution for red snapper was tilefish, one of four fish the federal government warns has high mercury levels.
Tuna was mislabeled 59% of the time and most commonly swapped with escolar, a type of mackerel that contains gempylotoxin, a toxin that can cause gastrointestinal problems.
"Our findings demonstrate that a comprehensive and transparent traceability system – one that tracks fish from boat to plate – must be established at the national level," Oceana said in a statement. "At the same time, increased inspection and testing of our seafood, specifically for mislabeling, and stronger federal and state enforcement of existing laws combating fraud are needed to reverse these disturbing trends. "
The group collected samples from grocery stores, restaurants and sushi venues nationally and found that the highest mislabeling rate -- 52% -- occurred in Southern California.
Of the three retail outlets, sushi venues most frequently mislabeled fish at a rate of 74%.
Oceana advises consumers to ask questions about the seafood they purchase and to be skeptical of low prices. "If the price is too good to be true, it probably is, and you are likely purchasing a completely different species than what is on the label," the group warns.
Peanut Corp. officials indicited in salmonella outbreak


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Class-Action Lawsuit Claims Fruit Roll-Ups Are Unhealthy, Contain Little Fruit
Do phrases like "low fat," "gluten-free," "made with real fruit" and "good source of vitamin C" on the package of a processed fruit snack product make you think that the product is a healthy food? These phrases have all been on the packaging of fruit-like snack substances from General Mills: Froot by the Foot, Fruit Roll-Ups, and Gushers. Marketing copy on the front of a box is no substitute for taking a moment to read nutrition information and ingredients. But that hasn't stopped the Center for Science in the Public Interest from filing a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company tried to make consumers believe that their products were wholesome and fruit-based, not full of trans fats, preservatives, and food coloring.
From the suit:
…Defendant's Fruit Snacks contained trans fat, added sugars, and
artificial food dyes; lacked significant amounts of real, natural fruit; and had no dietary
fiber. Thus, although the Products were marketed as being healthful and nutritious for
children and adults alike, selling these Fruit Snacks was little better than giving candy to
By its deceits, Defendant was able to command a premium price by
misleading consumers about the healthfulness of its Products and, thereby, distinguishing
the Products from similar fruit snack products. Defendant was motivated to mislead
consumers for no other reason than to take away market share from competing products
and increase its own profits.
First clue that a product may not be all that wholesome: its name is spelled "Froot."
Class members are anyone in the United States who has purchased any of these fruitlike substances from General Mills since 2005. They seek damages for: "Unfair, Deceptive and Fraudulent Acts and Practices; Misleading and Deceptive Advertising; Breach of Express Warranty and Unjust Enrichment."
What next? Will someone think that Crunchberries are actual berries? No, sorry, that already happened.
General Mills Fruit Snack Class Action Lawsuit [Top Class Actions]
"Shocked" That It's Not Healthy, Mother Sues Nutella
Alert: Crunchberries Are Not Real Berries
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.


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Mummified Costume Photo 3 of 10
Rate this costume:
9 votes
|1 comment · add a comment
More views: (click to enlarge)
|Costume type:
|Costumes for Adults
This homemade costume for adults entered our 2013 Halloween Costume Contest.
A word from Karen, the 'Mummified' costume creator:
This costume is a gruesome mummy with brain, intestines, ribs and bones hanging out. I wore this to a costume party last weekend (19th October) How I made it: For the brain I layered liquid latex... Read more »


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It's the Windows 8.1 Upgrade tip you've all been waiting for: The ability to download a Windows 8.1 ISO—a file from which you can make DVD- or USB-based bootable media—using your legally acquired Windows 8 (as in 8.0) product key.
Thanks to everyone who wrote in with this tip via email, comments on this site, and Twitter. It's hard to know where the tip originated, but I want to be clear that this is not something I came up with personally, and this workaround is widely available on other sites and blogs as well.
Here goes.
As noted in Windows 8.1 Upgrade Woes, Microsoft provides a handy Upgrade Windows with only a product key page from which you can jump-start the Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 Setup from the web and optionally make an ISO file for later installs. But it inexplicably does not allow you to download the Windows 8.1 ISO—via Windows 8.1 Setup—with a Windows 8 product key. This doesn't make sense since Windows 8.1 is a free update from Windows 8. Why should someone with multiple PCs to upgrade be forced to use the normal Store-based updater, which triggers a 2 GB to 3.6 GB download each time it's used?
Well, I've got good news and bad news.
The good news—great news, really—is that there is a very simple workaround for those Windows 8 users who wish to download a Windows 8.1 ISO. That process is described here.
The bad news? Once you've downloaded that ISO, you still can't use your Windows 8 product key to perform a clean install of Windows 8.1. You can, of course, use it to perform an upgrade from Windows 8, which was the point: Provide a way for users to upgrade multiple PCs from a single download. I have an idea about how the clean install issue can be overcome, but I'm curious if anyone has a fool-proof method.
Still want to grab that Windows 8.1 ISO with your Windows product key? Here's how.
In a web browser, navigate to Microsoft's Upgrade Windows with only a product key page. Then, click the light blue Install Windows 8 button. Windows 8 Setup will run. Input your Windows 8 product key when prompted and Setup will tell you which version of the Windows 8 Setup ISO it will download. (This is based on the PC you're currently using If you start Setup from a 64-bit version of Windows, you will download a 64-bit ISO, for example.) After the download begins, close Setup.
Now, return to that Upgrade Windows with only a product key page. This time, click the light blue Install Windows 8.1 button. Windows Setup will run, as before, but you won't be prompted for your product key. Instead, the Setup ISO will download automatically!
After the download completes, Setup will say that it is "getting files ready" (uncompressing the installer) and then present you with the Install Windows 8.1 phase of the wizard.
Choose Install by creating media and then click Next.
In this next step, choose USB flash drive or ISO file. Personally, I'd choose ISO file even if you intend to install via USB since you can use the free Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool to create USB media at any time, and I like having the ISO file on hand for later use anyway.
Make your choice and click Save. If you selected the ISO option, you will need to provide a save location (your Desktop or whatever) and then Setup will copy the ISO to that location. It will then display a final step in which it displays the product key you previously provided (the Windows 8 one). Click Finish to close Setup.
OK, you've got your ISO file. Now what can you do with it?
Not much, actually, unless of course you do have a Windows 8.1 product key. You can of course create DVD or USB-based Setup media.Windows includes the ability to burn an ISO to DVD disc, or you can use the aforementioned Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool to create USB media.But what you can't do is use that Setup media to upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1. This version of Windows 8.1 Setup prompts for a Windows 8.1 product key, and your Windows 8 product key—from a PC, MSDN/TechNet, or a retail version—will not work.
And that, folks, is what we need to work on next.


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BUY LOXITANE OVER THE COUNTER, IOWA CITY — Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery understood why senior guard Matt Gatens was on the All-Big Ten second team that was selected by the media. LOXITANE recreational, He didn't understand why the coaches only voted Gatens to the third team. Or why Gatens wasn't on the all-defensive team, buy cheap LOXITANE no rx. Buy LOXITANE online cod, "I think the thing that you have to look at is, obviously, LOXITANE dose, Is LOXITANE safe, I thought he was a first-team guy," McCaffery said Tuesday, LOXITANE description. Canada, mexico, india, "I voted him there. I think that's where he belongs, BUY LOXITANE OVER THE COUNTER. He's one of the best five players in this league, kjøpe LOXITANE på nett, köpa LOXITANE online. LOXITANE no prescription, "That said, you look at the first team and say, LOXITANE dangers, LOXITANE maximum dosage, OK, who do you take out, LOXITANE steet value. Online LOXITANE without a prescription, There are a lot of good players in this league. There is just no way around it."
Gatens was Iowa's best defender this season, LOXITANE trusted pharmacy reviews, Taking LOXITANE, which surprised McCaffery that that wasn't acknowledged. BUY LOXITANE OVER THE COUNTER, "Well, he should have been on the all-defensive team," he said. "Yeah, buy LOXITANE without prescription, LOXITANE australia, uk, us, usa, no question about that."
McCaffery also didn't understand why forward Aaron White wasn't a unanimous selection on the all-freshman team.
"Who else would you vote for?" McCaffery said, cheap LOXITANE no rx. LOXITANE used for, "Who is better than the five guys that were on it. I mean, order LOXITANE online overnight delivery no prescription, Purchase LOXITANE online, to me that was the easiest five. If you just look at the league, they're the best five freshmen, BUY LOXITANE OVER THE COUNTER. Without question, purchase LOXITANE. Cheap LOXITANE, There is no debate. There is not a sixth guy who you could look at and say yeah, ordering LOXITANE online, About LOXITANE, I could see him. I don't see it."
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McCaffery appreciates the effort junior forward Eric May has been giving despite his sore back, BUY LOXITANE OVER THE COUNTER.
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"I don't think he's doing great," McCaffery said. "He's really trying. He's better than he was, but he has no explosion, which is what his game is. BUY LOXITANE OVER THE COUNTER, He can get after you defensively and fly down the court in transition, and he can get them into traffic and make a play for a rebound. He's just not able to do that right now.
"So he's given us what he can give us, and I appreciate that. He's a terrific competitor."
May has played just 16 minutes in the last four games. He has not scored — he has only taken one shot — and has just two rebounds.
McCaffery said in Iowa's 65-54 loss at Illinois on Feb, BUY LOXITANE OVER THE COUNTER. 25, May passed up driving to the basket against Illinois center Meyers Leonard, and instead passed the ball.
"He's just not (himself)," McCaffery said. "Like I said, he's lacing them up and giving us some quality minutes, but he's not himself."
McCaffery has signed five players for next season, and has one open scholarship remaining. He has said in the past that he is open to either using the scholarship or banking it for next year's class, when the Hawkeyes have just one available.
McCaffery said the chances of using the scholarship in the spring signing period are "decent."
"We're still looking at some guys," McCaffery said, adding that they are looking at players who can play on the wing.
Asked if he was looking at high school or junior college players, McCaffery said, "Both."
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Charming and friendly bayside suburb with a village ambience and sea breezes.
Situated at the southern end of the Redlands area, it is the departure point for the Southern Moreton Bay Islands. Regular passenger ferry and vehicular barge services depart from Redland Bay for the Southern Moreton Bay Islands.
Sport is a popular pastime for locals and there's an 18-hole golf club, tennis courts, cricket oval, cycling and walking paths and, it's worth noting, one of the most picturesque and popular foreshore trails in the City.
Markets are a popular attraction and there is a vibrant shopping and dining precinct popular with locals and visitors alike.
A boat ramp also makes Redland Bay a popular launch access to Moreton Bay and its multitude of islands and secluded beaches and swimming enclosure.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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Since 2009, Rea Vaya has changed the face of the city; its gleaming stations and unmistakeable buses are a welcome sight for residents who rely on its affordable convenient service.
THE construction of the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit system is one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the City of Johannesburg. Since its launch in 2009, the project has been creating vibrant spaces and connecting previously unlinked economic nodes across the city.
Implemented in stages, the system's Phase 1A and 1B have been successfully completed, with Rea Vaya and the Department of Transport now working closely together to kick off Phase 1C.
Latest traffic/construction update
Notice of temporary road closures during Watt Avenue interchange construction
- Pedestrian Management Plan
- Traffic Management Plan - Diversions
Traffic Management Plan Stage 1A during Watt Ave Construction
- Clarendon Place and Louis Botha Ave between Hillbrow and Orange Grove
- Louis Botha Ave between Orange Grove and Wynberg
- Katherine Street and Marlboro Drive
- Grayston Drive pedestrian-cycling bridge over the M1
Phase 1A
Rea Vaya's Phase 1A started running in 2009, with a trunk route operating between Ellis Park in Doornfontein and Thokoza Park in Soweto, linking with several feeder routes in Soweto. Feeder buses run from Protea Glen to Thokoza Park and from Eldorado Park to Lakeview.
The route covers 325 kilometres of special lanes and intersections, and feeder and complementary buses carry passengers to the trunk route stations.
The inner city circular route travels around the CBD, from Hillbrow and Braamfontein, to Ellis Park in the east and Chancellor House on the western edge of the city.
During the 2010 Fifa World Cup tournament, some 307 000 passengers travelled along the Phase 1A routes.
Phase 1B
The Phase 1B roll-out was completed in February 2014, with routes through Cresta, Windsor West, Parktown, Yeoville, and to and from the University of Johannesburg Soweto, being added.
The route starts in Noordgesig in Soweto, and travels through Pennyville, New Canada, Highgate, Auckland Park and Braamfontein, to Parktown, Metro Centre and Rissik Street in the CBD.
The route has made it possible for commuters to easily reach key public healthcare centres such as the Rahima Moosa, Helen Joseph and Charlotte Maxeke hospitals, as well as educational institutions such as the University of Johannesburg, Wits University, Milpark College, Parktown Boys' High School and Barnato Park High School.
Feeders run to and from Leaglen, Stormhill, Florida, Cresta, Yeoville and Parktown. There are also additional feeders in Soweto from Pimville and Mapetla. These routes are now linked to the Metro Centre Rea Vaya loop, which travels to the inner city via Braamfontein.
Phase 1C
With Phase 1B completed, Rea Vaya's focus has shifted to Phase 1C. Phase 1C will run from: Parktown to Alexandra; then Alexandra to Sandton, with complementary services between the CBD and Ivory Park; and from the CBD to Sunninghill on Oxford/Rivonia roads.
Future plans also include extending the Phase 1C route from Sandton to Randburg by 2018, and possibly extending the trunk route from Soweto Highway to Dobsonville, enabling feeders to service areas such as Braamfisherville.
The Rea Vaya trunk routes from the CBD to Sunninghill via Oxford Road and Ivory Park to Sunninghill will be prioritised after 2018.
The three interchanges will be at Sandton, Alexandra and Westgate, where a number of station modules will be clustered and there will be integration with other modes of transport, including walking and cycling.
Louis Botha Avenue: a major economic hub
A major Rea Vaya priority is transforming Louis Botha Avenue into a major economic hub.
Louis Botha Avenue runs through the north-eastern parts of the city from Hillbrow to Sandton, passing through numerous older suburbs including Orange Grove and Houghton.
As part of its Corridors of Freedom initiative, the City envisions improving existing infrastructure around the avenue, and expanding new infrastructure. Already a busy commercial area, the avenue has experienced urban decay, in part due to illegal businesses such as shebeens.
Protecting Louis Botha Avenue heritage
The new trunk route in the area will pass by a number of Johannesburg heritage spots. Taking this into account Rea Vaya's proposed route and stations will be built to accommodate these iconic destinations, which include the Beacon Royal, the Victory Theatre, the Radium Beer Hall, Doll House, St Hubert Catholic Church and the Alexandra Health Community Clinic.
When completed Phase 1C will comprise 16 kilometres of dedicated trunk routes, three complementary and two feeder routes, and 10 stations, and require 69 articulated buses and 171 standard buses to operate along the route.


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Filthy Scab: Before and After
After this post about Filthy's new touch up yesterday, many of you have emailed for before and after shots to compare.
As you can see, 3 weeks ago in March, when Filthy was in Paris for Vivienne Westwood (in a gold dress with a weird looking gunt which probably means, um, there's a problem that needs to be taken care of soon) the gang bang was written all across her face. Rough.
Last Friday in Miami with Richie Rich (she's in a white tee and freshly cut bangs), Filthy's face seems springier, lifted, the eyes are popping more, and as mentioned yesterday, the only downside is that her crumbling nose became more pronounced. How much do you have to blow to start eroding your bones?
Anyway, photos are attached. Analyse away…
Photos from Wenn.com


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Moderators: IVhorseman, Pwnerade
Warhead wrote:my head burns with War.
stubby wrote:You were inb4beluga.
Robot Monkey wrote:In my opinion, "rapid fire" weapons should roll a D4 (no extra dice on crits) at the beginning of shooting, and then make that many shots.
Warhead wrote:my head burns with War.
Warhead wrote:my head burns with War.
Empire of Luchardsko WIP wiki pageBrikWars 2010 Rules wrote:BrikWars ... stands in pretty direct opposition to many fundamental elements of the LEGO® philosophy, such as "Not Teaching Kids How Funny It Is to Set People on Fire."
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Delaware On-Campus English Graduate Programs
Graduate Schools for English degrees could make the study of literary texts and genres engaging and lively. Most campus English programs require extensive reading on one's own, though classes are often highly interactive.
Students might be challenged to articulate their points of view, persuade others, share feedback and think critically about narratives.
What Degrees Do Graduate Schools for English Offer?
Two of the degrees that Graduate Schools for English might offer are the Masters in English (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in English. A Masters degree or Doctorate in English could stimulate thought, broaden literary knowledge and foster an ability to read closely and write with good penmanship.
Certificates, which some universities may also list, are usually devoted to a singular topic. One example is a Teach English as a Second Language (TESOL) certificate.
About Graduate English Programs
Most English graduate programs explore and interpret a wide variety of texts and genres, and are often flexible enough to study what you want. Participants often consult with an academic advisor to guide them in their choice of course topics.
Graduate students often take part in the forms of scholarship and intellectual exchange that characterize the work of faculty members. Courses at the graduate level in literary fields typically ask students to write long essays (perhaps 20-25 pages) that may make use of students' independent research and reading.
As the authors of these papers, students could be challenged to find lots of sources for information and may start to question and think critically about literary theory. Not to mention, key linguistic and literary skills could come in handy in other liberal arts disciplines such as education, business, marketing and journalism.
Three Things You Might Study in English Graduate Programs
True, not all English Graduate Programs are identical. Interested students might fast forward to a school syllabus before ironing out other details. Nonetheless, here are three (potential, but common) things students might study in a Graduate English Program.
- Literary Analysis – to build knowledge of literary terms and learn to apply them in an analysis of poetry, fiction, and drama
- Literary Theory – to examine the variety of methods for critiquing literature. For example, Aristotle's poetics and more recent trends such as Postmodernism, Feminism, & Eco-criticism
- Academic Writing – to learn to write focused papers with the depth and style that may be expected from PhD programs and academic publishers
O'Net reports that 50% of English Professors have a Masters degree, 47% a Doctorate degree, 4% a Professional degree. i
Masters in English Programs
Graduate Schools for English Masters programs generally award the Master of Arts (MA) degree. Core courses could take students further in their love of language and devotion to the written word to include research, literature and criticism. In tandem, most programs at this level include some type of thesis or project-based work with texts.
Unlike undergrad English, there are no general education courses. A degree plan is all about English in one form or another. Here are a few course topics as examples.
- British Literature
- American Literature
- Modern Rhetoric
- Scientific and Technical Writing
- Editorial Theory
- Seminars in Individual Authors
That said, Masters in English programs may be designed for students who are: (a) present or prospective teachers of English on the secondary or college level, (b) contemplating a PhD in English, and (c) already involved in careers in publishing, business, writing or media.
Students may be able to pursue any of the above interests through a university's areas of emphasis. Some of the common concentrations often include literature (e.g. a specific historical period, author, genre), writing, creative writing and pedagogy.
Admission information varies, since each graduate school has their own standards. That said, applicants have earned a Bachelors degree and may need to submit the following along with official transcripts.
- Résumé
- Personal Statement
- Letters of Recommendation
- GRE General Exam Scores
PhD in English Programs
Graduate Schools for English PhD programs offer terminal research degrees where students may work closely with faculty mentors as research assistants and teaching assistants.
A PhD in English could be a balance of literature, theory, and cultural studies. PhD program requirements may be supported by a wide range of courses and may vary depending on faculty strengths.
4 Focal Points
- Historical Periods of English and American Literature
- Literary and Critical Theory
- Post-Colonial and Global Literatures
- Teaching of Writing
Students may be able to broaden knowledge across these areas and, pursue a major area of expertise. The area chosen by each student could anchor their dissertation work, and are not the same across all schools.
Textual Studies and Digital Humanities, Nineteenth Century Studies, Modern Literature, Medieval and Renaissance Literature are a few possibilities.
Schools do set their own standards for PhD candidates, so it is preferable that applicants refer to individual programs. In some universities, in order to be admitted to a PhD in English program, students may need an MA (and possibly, a record of distinction). Or, be a BA graduate who shows promise for graduate work. Schools may also want to see the following.
- GPA (some schools set the bar at 3.5)
- Writing Sample
- Statement of Purpose
5 Great Reasons to Choose a Campus English Program
You likely don't want to just get some classic titles to read, so start getting excited about what graduate schools for English majors might have up their sleeves.
- Groups. Many university English Departments are home to a variety of groups that bring students and faculty together around a shared scholarly interest. This could be a Modern Reading Group or a Pedagogy Seminar
- Class Sizes. Some graduate schools boast small class sizes and student-teacher ratios where it may be possible to get guidance and mentorship. This is not a given, but should be a detail provided by individual schools and their program descriptions
- Faculty-Driven Research. Faculty may be active scholars who also take pride in teaching at the graduate level. Often, prospective students could read about professors to see what they are interested in or have published
- Concentrations. Each school may have a unique set of emphases to choose from. Whether you long to uncover secret meanings in Shakespeare, or be able to motivate high school students to compose better sentences. Look beyond the hub of compulsory courses to see how to study topics that are meaningful to your professional goals or academic interests
- Live Symposiums. On-campus students may take part in live symposiums and workshops to develop their ability to write well and effectively convey ideas in front of a group of peers and professors
Compare & Apply to Graduate Schools for English
Set some filters to use this directory to your advantage. Choose the degree level – Masters, Doctorate or Certificate.
Refine your preferences with a location choice. For instance, you could search for a Masters in English program in Boston or PhD English programs in Chicago.
Your filters yield a list of partner graduate schools for English degree programs to apply to with the on-page forms. Get started now.
[i] onetonline.org/link/summary/25-1123.00
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Lauren Tatsuno
|Cupertino, CA
|High School:
|Monta Vista
In her junior year, Tatsuno was a steady presence on vault, beam, and floor at every competition. Her shining day was at Brown, when she received a 9.6 on vault, career high 9.8 on beam (1st), and 9.675 (2nd) on floor. She was honored as ECAC Gymnast of the Week after that performance. At ECACs, Tatsuno had the highest vault score and the second highest beam score on the team. Her consistency proved to be a huge benefit for Yale. Tatsuno competed vault, beam, and floor at every competition in her sophomore year. She consistently was among the top scorers for the team on vault and beam. She scored her season high on vault at the Ivy Classic (9.65), where she placed 5th. On beam she often made it onto the podium, including a win at Southern Connecticut and several 2nd place finishes. Her season high was a 9.725 at home against URI. Tatsuno earned a 9.575 on floor three times, one of which placed 9th at the Ivy Classic. As a freshman, Tatsuno quickly asserted her presence in the vault and beam line-ups, competing both events at every meet and often earning one of the team's highest scores. She also made a significant contribution on floor, competing in all but three competitions. Her consistent beam work did not go unnoticed. Tatsuno won the event at several meets and earned a berth to the NCAA Regionals, where she scored a 9.7 and placed 14th. At the ECACs, her 9.575 placed fifth. Tatsuno joined the Bulldogs from West Valley Gymnastics. A consistent Level 10 Region I Championships qualifier, Tatsuno was a contributor to her team's 2003 State championship title. In 2005, she placed 6th in the all-around and 3rd on beam at State and 14th in the all-around at Regionals. Tatsuno graduated from Monta Vista High School.


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Sometimes it just happens, and despite all your best efforts you get stuck with a dull, anonymous car. You can either just accept it and slowly die of ennui poisoning, or you can do something about it. Since I know you all are doers and not die-ers, what's the best thing to do?
There's plenty of routes you could go down — the art car route, the crazy themed car route, or even open yourself up to the incredible freedom having a car you just don't give a shit about gives you. Without the worry, you may take it off-road or on track or just gleefully play pinball with shopping carts in an empty supermarket lot. A boring car could mean freedom.
So, accepting that you have some practical concerns (don't live in an area where you can just cut the roof off, has to get your ass to work, can't kill anyone) what do you do to that boring car? Let's hear some ideas!


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On Saturday, September 29, 1962, the Los Angeles Dodgers squandered an opportunity to clinch the National League pennant when they lost 2-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals. 25-game winner Don Drysdale pitched brilliantly for the Dodgers, limiting St. Louis to 5 hits and no earned runs. But the Cards scored 2 in the second inning thanks to an error by lumbering Frank Howard on a Dal Maxvill fly ball.
Ernie Broglio made the runs stand up by pitching a two hit shut-out. Broglio also contributed an RBI single. It was perhaps his finest single moment as a Cardinal, unless you count being traded a few years later for future Hall of Famer Lou Brock.
Even with the loss, the Dodgers saw their "magic number" drop to 1, with 1 game remaining in the regular season, as the Giants split a doubleheader with Houston. The Giants took the opener, 11-5. Despite a rocky outing, Jack Sanford won his 24th game of the year with the help of strong relief pitching by Stu Miller. But in the nightcap, the Colt 45s chased Juan Marichal in the 5th inning on the way to a 4-2 victory.
The Dodgers, losers now of 3 straight, and 9 of their last 12, could still clinch the pennant by winning on Sunday. And, regardless of the outcome of the Dodgers game, the Giants would need to win to preserve any hope of forcing a playoff series.


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Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Infor reassures customers of financial viability
Infor's CEO, Jim Schaper, has published an open letter to customers to reassure them that their "investments in [Infor's] software, services, and maintenance are safe and secure for the long run."
Reading the letter, one wonders if there is really a recession going on. Schaper reports 94% of customers renew their annual maintenance agreements. In addition, he claims that over the past four quarters 495 former customers were brought back onto maintenance and 2,165 new customers were added.
Concerning Infor's financial viability he writes,We generate significant cash flow and have a solid cash balance. While we have accumulated debt to finance some of our acquisitions, we were fortunate to have financed at the height of the debt markets in 2007, affording us low-interest rates with flexible terms. We are also backed by Golden Gate Capital and Summit Partners, two of the leading private equity funds in the US with over $19 billion of capital under management. Our global scale, leadership position, profitability, current liquidity, and access to additional capital markets make us a viable and a secure partner for the future.My take. I have no reason to believe Schaper is not presenting an accurate picture. If Infor is in relatively better shape than many enterprise software vendors these days, I think the cause is two fold:
On that latter point, Oracle and SAP are in much the same situation. Even though their new deal pipeline is slowing and both vendors are conducting layoffs, both vendors are in pretty good financial shape as their large installed bases can carry them through these hard times.
- As Schaper points out, Infor is still privately-held. Golden Gate and Summit Partners, of course, still want to see results so they can take Infor public at some point. But for right now, Infor doesn't have to worry about Wall Street expectations.
- More significantly, though, I think that Infor's reliance on maintenance revenues is serving it well right now. Although Schaper claims over 2,000 new deals in the past four quarters, I would suspect many of those are small deals for Infor's complementary products or for its smaller ERP systems, such as Lilly or Syteline. Nevertheless, living off maintenance revenues is not a bad place to be right now. It's an annuity business and much more resistent to recession than new license sales are.
So, if I am a customer of any of these vendors, I wouldn't be concerned about their financial viability. But I might be concerned about their ability to support me as they conduct layoffs.
Update, Jan 30. A reader reports a layoff among Infor's professional services staff yesterday. A check with Infor's PR group, however, finds that this number is part of the 5% reduction in force that was reported on December 8. The 5% is being phased, apparently.
Related posts
Layoffs at Oracle, SAP, and Infor
Infor layoffs, Dec. 2008
SAP layoffs, January, 2009
Layoffs at Infor and Sageby Frank Scavo, 1/28/2009 01:53:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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SAP layoffs, January, 2009
SAP co-CEOs Henning Kagermann and Leo Apotheker this morning issued an open letter announcing a layoff of 3000 employees, or 5.8% of SAP's workforce:The global economic crisis forces us to take further actions to help SAP successfully weather the current challenges and emerge stronger. We have just published our preliminary Q4 and Year End 2008 financial results as well as our outlook for 2009. Despite the dramatically deteriorating market conditions since September, we have achieved good results for the entire year. This has only been possible because of the remarkable efforts of all employees, and we would like to express our gratitude to all of you for this. Unlike in past years, which were characterized by double-digit growth rates, the outlook for 2009 is completely different. For this reason, we will have to intensify our cost-savings efforts by implementing additional measures.SAP is to be commended for openly announcing this this reduction in force, along with its intentions for the coming year. This is in contrast to Oracle's practice in layoffs of doing as much as possible without public disclosure, which simply fuels the rumor mill and creates uncertainty among its workforce.
After an exhaustive and thorough evaluation of all options, we have concluded that a reduction in the number of persons employed is necessary. This is not an easy step for us to take, and we are fully conscious of the implications of this decision.
As SAP is a global company, we will consider each region and each line of business at all levels. We are looking for fair solutions according to accepted practice, and we will make this process as transparent as possible. We owe this to our employees. We plan to reduce the number of positions globally from 51,500 to 48,500, taking full advantage of attrition as a factor to reach this goal. In countries with employee representatives we have initiated contact with the relevant employee representative bodies. This should enable us to decrease the annual personnel costs by 300 - 350 million euros in subsequent years. As long as the specific regional legal conditions permit, there will not be a salary round in 2009.
The current action follows a smaller layoff earlier this month in which SAP appears to have let go a smaller number of employees. It's not clear whether those cuts are included in the 3000 number indicated today.
I knew something was up this morning when I check the Spectator's logs and found a surge in Google referrals for "SAP layoffs."
If you have insights on SAP's current action, please email me or leave a comment on this post.
Update: Dennis Howlett has insights on SAP's financial situation, which he thinks is an opportunity for SAP to recharge its Business ByDesign SaaS offering.
Update: A friend, who partners with SAP sales folks in new deals, writes to me and then follows up with a phone call to complain about turnover among SAP sales people, even before the current layoffs. He says that they tend to get moved around a lot, making it difficult for local partners to invest in relationship building. In his view, the current layoffs have just exacerbated this situation.by Frank Scavo, 1/28/2009 07:19:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Software vendor audacity: imposing "gag rules" on clients
Ray Wang blows the whistle on a new practice by some, unnamed, software vendors: onerous conditions in software license agreements that limit the client's ability get outside help. Ray gives two specific examples that he's heard about over the past several months:
- Contracts that limit the client's ability to use outside consultants to help negotiate contacts.
This is the sort of thing that raises my blood pressure. Is there any other type of commercial transaction where the seller would attempt to put these types of restrictions on a buyer? If there is, I would really like to know.
- Contracts that restrict the client from disclosing details about bugs, defects, and contractual breaches to the press, peers, and user groups.
But stepping back for a minute, it reveals some things about these unnamed vendors. On the first point, they must be in a very weak position these days if they feel they need to take outside advisors out of the game. On the second point, the state of their software quality and ability to deliver on promises must be pretty poor if they feel they need to gag their clients.
My advise to buyers is this. Read the draft contract. Any vendor that includes such terms and conditions should be viewed with suspicion. Software vendors are always talking about how they want to be viewed as partners. Well, this is no way to start a partnership.
If you still want to move forward with such a vendor, just say no to these terms. Walk away from the table until these conditions are removed. In this economy, I don't think it will take long.
Obligatory disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, and this post is not legal advice.
Update, Feb. 2: My "cousin Vinnie" gives additional recommendations. I especially like his last point: turn the tables on the vendor and require them to get all of their advisors to sign your NDA.
Related posts
Negotiating enterprise software deals in Q4
Reading the fine print on ERP contracts
SaaS: plan to get out before you get inby Frank Scavo, 1/27/2009 06:03:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Monday, January 26, 2009
Tom Kelly out as Epicor CEO
Epicor announced the departure of Tom Kelly as CEO and board member, but I'm just hearing about it now. According to Epicor's press release, Kelly is leaving "to pursue other interests."
Replacing Kelly will be George Klaus, who held the CEO post from 1996 to February, 2008. This essentially blows the succession plan for Klaus, as Kelly was his designated successor.
Klaus will have his work cut out for him. He takes the reins in the midst of a recession, leading to recent Epicor layoffs at the end of 2008. Although Epicor's most recent forecast is generally in line with analyst expectations, the current business climate is not favorable to a turnaround. Plus, Epicor is still facing another potential bid from Elliott Associates. Epicor fought off a hostile bid from Elliott last year, but the hedge fund is still buying up Epicor shares and currently owns over 10% of the business.
So, why did Kelly leave? If you have insights, please leave a comment, or drop me an email.
Related posts
Epicor's publicity stunt
Fresh round of layoffs at Epicor
Epicor facing unfriendly takeover bid
More layoffs at Epicor
Epicor in transition: revenue up, profits down
More on Epicor's management changes
Layoffs coming at Epicor?by Frank Scavo, 1/26/2009 08:00:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Sunday, January 18, 2009
SAP's Leo Apotheker on Charlie Rose
Enterprise software is not normally a topic for TV news shows, but Charlie Rose takes on the challenge with his interview of SAP co-CEO Leo Apotheker. I'm not a big fan of Rose, but I think he did a great job getting Apotheker to explain ERP in general to a lay audience.
Some points of interest:
There are lots of other interesting points in the interview. I would have loved to see Rose ask about SAP's attempt to raise maintenance fees in a recession and how customers are reacting to that. But Rose is too much of a softball interviewer to take on that subject.
- Much to the pleasure of Apotheker, Rose positions SAP as the leader in enterprise software, with Oracle attempting to catch up. In the interest of equal time, Rose needs to interview Oracle's Larry Ellison. He's done so in the past, but it's been awhile.
- Apotheker shows little respect for open source as a business model, claiming SAP engages in open source development with its partners, even though the software they produce is not licensed as such.
- Apotheker mentions as an aside, that in five years, SAP might be in the hardware business. (Would have loved to see Rose follow up on that one.)
- Rose asks if sales are tight in the current recession. Apotheker says, not really. And, price is not really a factor in selling enterprise software. (If it were my interview I would have followed up to ask why, then, in competitive deals is SAP so willing to compete aggressively on price?)
Andrew Mcafee of the Technology and Operations Management Unit at Harvard Business School shares the interview with Apotheker, and makes some great points as well concerning IT for competitive advantage.
Dennis Byron has his take on the interview. Byron Bennett also has a short summary.
Related posts
Layoffs at Oracle, SAP, and Infor
Crack in the dike for SAP maintenance fee hike
IT spending pull-back: SAP warns on Q3 earnings
SAP in expense-cutting mode
SAP maintenance fees: where is the value?
SAP under the spotlight for "broken promises"
Mad as hell: backlash brewing against SAP maintenance fee hike
Pass the Kleenexby Frank Scavo, 1/18/2009 08:49:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Friday, January 09, 2009
Layoffs at Oracle, SAP, and Infor
Go to latest news on Oracle layoffs, November 2009.
Several sources are reporting to me regarding layoff activity among major enterprise software vendors in January, 2009.
Oracle layoffs: An anonymous source reports this morning, "I just got laid off from oracle today. Layoffs are happening company wide today and will be done by the end of the day."
This follows several days of the Spectator receiving a large number of Google referrals on keywords such as, "Oracle layoffs," "Oracle reduction-in-force," and "Oracle severance pay." The volume of such referrals increased further this morning, consistent with this latest source.Update: My source now reports that the Oracle layoff is company wide and is in the order of 10-15%, depending on the group.SAP layoffs: A source reports that SAP is making some deep cuts in SAP's Strategic Growth Enterprise (SGE) unit (focused on the SMB space).
Update: Another source emails me, "A lot of Oracle layoffs today. Specifically NA Sales, Technology Business Unit, NA Consulting, NA Alliances & Channels, Retail Global Business Unit. Based on discussions with other Oracle employees, the number is around 8,000 globally. Some consolidation of operational groups. No warning at all. Just a call, and the FedEx truck showing up in front of the house an hour or so later."
Several sources reference the 10% number and 8,000 headcount, which would be consistent with Oracle's worldwide employment number of appoximately 84,000.
Update, Jan 13. Computerworld has a good roundup of the Oracle layoff news, including links to the Spectator. Some analysts are doubting the 8000 figure. Oracle could easily end all the speculation, but for some reason just doesn't like making layoff announcements.
Update, Jan. 13. The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed "people familiar with the matter," puts the Oracle layoff count at 500, but only counts employees in North America sales and consulting units. Still, it would indicate that the 8,000 number is well overstated.
Update, Jan. 15. Brian Sommer has a thoughtful piece analyzing Oracle's cost-containment strategy. He tries to get to a more accurate count of layoffs, but can't get confirmation either.Update: a comment on this post indicates 300 sales-related positions were affected in North America.Infor layoffs: A source reports that "Infor just laid off a staggering 85% of their senior managers and executives across UK and Europe." However, I checked with Infor's PR department in North America, which reports the following:
Update: See latest post for SAP layoffs, Jan. 28.While I cannot confirm specific figures, any recent headcount reductions in Europe were part of the initiative you reported on earlier in December -- a worldwide reduction of approximately 5 percent of our workforce.The enterprise software industry is not immune to the cutbacks we are seeing among businesses in general and IT vendors and service providers in particular.
The EMEA region remains a very strategic part of Infor's overall business.
If you have further information or insights into the situation, please leave a comment or email me.by Frank Scavo, 1/09/2009 07:32:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Addressing business continuity issues with SaaS providers
Vinnie Mirchandani writes about the latest attack of traditional software vendors against software-as-a-service (SaaS) vendors: raising concerns about their viability. The argument is that, basically, if a traditional software vendor goes out of business, you still have a working system. But if your SaaS provider goes out of business, you've lost the system itself.
Vinnie thinks SaaS providers should proactively address these concerns, by laying out contingency plans for the worst-case scenario. I agree--and I would take it a step further.
SaaS vendor viability concerns are real and should be top-of-mind for any potential buyer of on-demand services, especially if they are mission critical or even "important but not mission-critical" systems. Vinnie is right that SaaS vendors need to address these concerns--not just as a sales tactic, but as a real issue.
Customers, on the other hand, should augment their internal disaster recovery plans with scenarios involving SaaS outages as well as "vendor-goes-out-of-business" scenarios. Business continuity planning (BCP) and disaster recovery planning (DRP) are well-established disciplines in IT management. Organizations just need to make sure that SaaS is not excluded from the BCP and DRP, just because they are not internal systems.
What are you going to do if your SaaS provider goes belly-up?
Related posts
SaaS: plan to get out before you get inby Frank Scavo, 1/06/2009 05:48:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Monday, January 05, 2009
IT spending in recessionary times
Over at Computer Economics, we've just released our latest forecast for IT spending, based on how IT spending recovered after the past two recessions, in 1990-91 and 2001. We have annual survey data that goes back nearly 20 years and forms the basis for our analysis.
Bottom line: we see see a recovery in 2010.Although the past is not always a precursor of the future, we find evidence that IT spending should rebound more quickly than it did during the tech-led recession in 2000, following a pattern more akin to what occurred after the deep 1990-91 downturn. Our long-range forecast, however, does not anticipate a return to the 1990 boom years, when Internet and Y2K spending produced a bubble that distorted historical patterns. Rather, we anticipate spending should rebound to the more modest rates of recent years.Read the free executive summary, or purchase the full report, IT Spending in Recessions: 2009-2010 Forecast.
Related posts
Computer Economics: 2009 IT Spending Forecast: No Growthby Frank Scavo, 1/05/2009 05:51:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sat down for their first interview since announcing their engagement on Monday.
Turns out - it was a set up.
A mutual friend thought the two would hit it off. After two dates - the pair couldn't get enough.
"It was definitely a set up," explained Markle of their initial encounter last July.
"It was a blind date."
"It's so interesting because we talk about it now and even then because I'm from the States you don't grow up with the same understanding of the royal family," Markle said. "So while I now understand very clearly there's a global interest there, I didn't know much about him."
Markle only had one question for their mutual friend - is he nice?
"Because if he wasn't kind, it didn't seem like it would make sense. So we went and we met for a drink and very quickly into that we said, what are we doing tomorrow? We should meet again," the actress said.
Fast forward a few weeks later, they were camping out together in the African nation of Botswana.
"Then, we were really by ourselves," Prince Harry explained. "We spent about five days out there which was absolutely fantastic. So then we were really by ourselves which was crucial to me to make sure we had a chance to get to know each other."
The couple discussed how they've dealt with being together while the world has their eyes on them.
"I tried to warn you as much as possible but I think both of us were totally surprised by the reaction after the first five or six months," the Prince said.
"I think I can very safely say as naive as it sounds now having gone through this learning curve in the past year and a half I did not have any understanding of just what it would be like," Markle said.
When asked whether she was ready for what was to come, Markle implied that she was and that she saw her relationship with Harry as a "new chapter" in her life.
"I don't see it as giving anything up, I just see it as a change," Markle said. "It's a new chapter."
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Markle was leaving USA Network's "Suits" after seven seasons. Markle says that it was the right time to leave.
"I've been working on my show for seven years. We are very, very fortunate to be able to have that sort of longevity on a series," Markle said. "And for me, once we hit the 100 episode mark I thought you know what I have ticked this box and I feel really proud of the work I've done there. Now it's time to work as a team with you (in reference to Prince Harry)."
The Prince had never watched Markle's show before they met.
"I had never watched 'Suits' and I had never heard of Meghan before and I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her," Harry said." There she was sitting there and I was like, okay I really have to up my game. I've got to sit down and make sure I have a good chat."
Markle revealed her relationship with Prince Harry for the first time publicly in October. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Markle simply said "we're a couple."
"We're in love. I'm sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It's part of what makes it so special, that it's just ours. But we're happy. Personally, I love a great love story," she explained.


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GISBORNE, New Zealand, March 24, 2011 – Top Seeds dominated proceedings on day two of The O'Neill Cold Water Classic Series 2011 with Australian Nic Muscroft, American Nat Young and Spanish surfer Gony Zubizarreta dominating proceedings as the event moved into the early stages of the Round of 96.
Conditions remained unruly on day two of the event with a persistent onshore wind that continued to hamper the quality of the solid 2.0m south swell that is hitting the Gisborne Region.
Nic Muscroft was explosive in his performance attacking the heavy close out sections to post a total heat score of 14.33 out of a possible 20 points.
"I was kinda feeling a bit wobbly, I don't know if any one has mentioned it but the water is really slippery, I don't know what it is" said Muscroft. "I had some wax on my feet and even took a block out with me." he said.
A former World Championship Tour surfer, Muscroft is 100% focused on requalifying to compete in the World Championship events.
"Yeah I am aiming to get into the top 32 by the mid year cut off but you've got to go really good especially in these six stars you have to make the final to make it a keeper."
Nat Young (USA) surfed to the highest heat score of the day posting a near perfect 9.67 point ride in his 17.5 point heat total. Young blazed a big lefthander with two huge forehand turns for his top scoring ride.
Young now faces top seed Adam Melling (AUS) and fellow day two stand out Nic Muscroft (AUS) along with Alex Chacon (AUS) in the next round.
Gony Zubizarreta (SPN) was one of the first top seeds to blow up in his heat dominating his opponents for an easy heat victory. The Spanish surfer was the only European to compete in the round of 96 today posting 16.50 to eliminate Masatoshi Ono (JPN) and James Woods (AUS).
The New Zealand surfers were well represented on day two with Maz Quinn (Gis, NZL) and Billy Stairmand (Rag, NZL) and both moving through to the Round of 48 surfers in the challenging conditions.
Stairmand, the only Kiwi to win an event of this rating (2010), was stoked to be surfing at an international level in New Zealand.
"It is pretty cool having everyone here. All the boys came over from Aussie and picked me up and it is cool to take them around and show them our waves. I am their little tour guide, its cool."
Stairmand won his heat today to progress alongside Tim Macdonald (AUS) who together defeated Chad DuToit (ZAF) and Mason Ho (HAW). He was philosophical about the conditions on offer at Pines on Wainui Beach.
"At least there are waves. It is New Zealand conditions, warm for us, cold for them" said the young natural footer from Raglan who admitted to feeling nerves prior to his heat.
Stairmand was joined by Maz Quinn who despite looking like being eliminated managed to score a 3.33 point ride on his last wave with 30 seconds remaning – enough to squeeze him into second place.
Other Kiwi's still alive include Richard Christie (Gis), Jay Quinn (Gis), Tim O'Connor (Mnt) and Matt Hewitt (Mnt).
Following the launch in New Zealand, the O'Neill Cold Water Classic Series will travel to its northernmost destination – Thurso, Scotland, for the 6 Star ASP World Tour event from April 13 until April 19, before culminating once again at the 6 Star Prime ASP World Tour event, the O'Neill Cold Water Classic Series, California, in Santa Cruz, October 24-30, 2011.
To watch the O'Neill Cold Water Classic LIVE log on to http://www.oneill.com/cwc/ONeill_Coldwater_Classic_Series_Home.html


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Director Peter Ramsey is sitting in his office on the DreamWorks Animation campus in Glendale and recalling a vivid childhood memory. "I remember being in my pajamas in the back of my parents' car at an Inglewood drive-in watching Disney's "Snow White" and being mesmerized," he says. "We didn't get to go to movies a lot when I was a kid, so when we did, it was such an emotional overwhelming experience. That's where I really got that reverence for movies."
For an African American inner-city kid from Crenshaw, the dream of making it big in Hollywood seemed almost as fantastical as the movies he watched. "This was way before there even was Spike Lee or John Singleton on the scene," he says. "It wasn't a case of the doors being open. You just didn't even think those doors existed."
But today Ramsey, 49, who has worked at DreamWorks for more than eight years, is taking on his first major directing role for one of the company's most ambitious projects, the upcoming CG animated feature, "Rise of the Guardians." Set for release on Nov. 21, it will mark the first time a big-budget CG animated film is being directed by an African American.
Based on "The Guardians of Childhood," a series of children's books by celebrated author and illustrator WIlliam Joyce, the film will introduce movie fans to the "the guardians" — a no-nonsense Santa Claus, a rebellious Jack Frost, an intrepid Tooth Fairy and a tough, rambunctious Easter Bunny, who must band together to protect the children of the world when threatened by the dark spirit, Pitch. It has an all-star voice cast including Alec Baldwin, Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law.
"We have been working with Peter for almost a decade, and we have continued to be impressed with his extraordinary gift for storytelling and creativity," says Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO, DreamWorks Animation.
Without any formal training, Ramsey really built his movie career from the ground up.
"I was in my 20s, working in a bookstore, and I had a friend that got me a job painting a mural on a film set. And that's where it started," Ramsey says. "That's when I realized it was possible. But I am completely self-taught. It was all on-the-job training."
Ramsey eventually made his mark as a storyboard artist and went onto work on many live-action films like David Fincher's "Fight Club" and "Panic Room," and Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula" adaptation, before moving into animation at DreamWorks, working on "Shrek the Third" and "Monsters vs. Aliens."
"This definitely feels like home," laughs Ramsey. "The Glendale campus is a great and collaborative place to work. There is a lot of continuity here with people who have worked here for years. There is a lot of respect for your craft. They know what it takes to make great movies, but at the same time we also have a great time doing it."
"What is remarkable is that here is a kid that grew up in the inner city of Los Angeles," says Katzenberg. "The notion of some day being an artist/animator and storyteller and director is an incomprehensible idea; and the fact that he has not only succeeded, but succeeded to the extent he has, is his testament to how talented he is."
Ramsey has been working on "Guardians" for nearly three years. "It's a story about childhood and wonder, but it's also this grand fantasy epic. It's like a superhero movie, but they get their powers from being believed in, and then what happens if that is threatened," says Ramsey. "I think it will surprise people how big the scope of the action and the settings are. If you took the elements of 'Star Wars' and 'Lord of the Rings' and mashed them together, that is the tone of the movie."
Adds Katzenberg: "I think it's among the [most] creative and most original movies that have been made here at DreamWorks."
Ramsey hopes his success will be an inspiration to others. "One of my big hopes is to get out there and talk to kids in connection with the movie," he says, "show them where I started and what they can do."
KATHERINE TULICH writes about film and pop culture for Marquee. She can be reached at email@example.com.


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Jan 19 2018 10227


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I agree, it would be good if FS simply fixed the issue. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sailesh Panchang" <email@example.com> To: "Steve Faulkner" <email@example.com>; <email@example.com> Cc: "Bryan Garaventa" <email@example.com>; "Charles McCathie Nevile" <email@example.com>; "Ian Yang" <email@example.com> Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2013 2:30 PM Subject: Re: Rethinking the necessities of ARIA landmark role "main" and HTML5 <main> element > With reference to Bryan's comment re. JAWS' bug in dealing with form > controls within role=main region and Steve's response with a fix at > http://www.html5accessibility.com/tests/div-landmark.html > > I think it is a bad idea to use role=form within role=main simply to > fix a JAWS'bug. > The issue should be taken up with FS and FS should resolve the issue. > It makes no sense to code > <form role="form" ...> > That's not what WAI-ARIA is meant for. > The FORM element has existed since the dawn of HTML, so why is > role=form required? > Also Refer: http://www.w3.org/WAI/AR/comments/details?comment_id=399 > Sailesh Panchang > > > On 3/24/13, Steve Faulkner <firstname.lastname@example.com> wrote: >> Hi Bryan, >> >> this is a known BUG in JAWS, here is a work around for it: >> >> Annoying JAWS 13 + IE 9 ARIA landmark role on div element >> bug<http://www.html5accessibility.com/tests/div-landmark.html> >> >> with regards >> >> -- >> SteveF >> HTML 5.1 <http://www.w3.org/html/wg/drafts/html/master/> >> <http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/wat-ie-about.html> >> >> >> On 24 March 2013 02:40, Bryan Garaventa >> <email@example.com>wrote: >> >>> ** >>> I have experimented with role="main" in the recent past as well, and >>> it's >>> come up in obscure ways with various clients in the last year as well >>> when >>> trying to diagnose weird accessibility issues regarding ARIA. >>> >>> I understand the theory, and I even tried to implement role="main" on >>> WhatSock.com, but the results were not as good as I hoped from what the >>> intended purpose of the role states it to be. >>> >>> Here is a simple example of this regarding form fields contained within >>> a >>> region with role="main". >>> >>> <div role="main"> >>> >>> <form> >>> >>> <input type="text" title="Full name" /> >>> >>> <input type="text" title="Email address" /> >>> >>> </form> >>> >>> </div> >>> If you are in Forms Mode in JAWS 13 when using IE, you will here >>> "Landmark >>> Region" in addition to every form field label spoken when pressing Tab, >>> and in JAWS 14 you will hear "Region", which is distracting and quite >>> annoying when dealing with forms that involve more than twenty fields in >>> number for instance. >>> >>> I've also noticed strange behaviors when other roles are nested within >>> role="main", as well as when interactive widgets are present such as >>> role="tablist", and many others. Some of the behaviors I've seen include >>> the automatic announcement of everything contained within the region of >>> role="main" when dynamic content changes occur within a localized >>> section >>> of another widget also contained within this broad container. >>> >>> So, after I added role="main" to WhatSock.com, I found all of these >>> issues, and immediately removed it. >>> >>> Since then, I'm not a fan of adding attributes just because there is a >>> specification that promotes it, without performing comprehensive testing >>> to >>> verify it beforehand. >>> >>> This is something I recommend everyone do, because I have diagnosed many >>> website issues that are directly a result of developers adding ARIA >>> attributes to their markup without have any idea how it will impact >>> screen >>> reader interaction and feedback. >>> >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> *From:* Steve Faulkner <email@example.com> >>> *To:* Charles McCathie Nevile <email@example.com> >>> *Cc:* Ian Yang <firstname.lastname@example.com> ; firstname.lastname@example.com >>> *Sent:* Saturday, March 23, 2013 7:14 PM >>> *Subject:* Re: Rethinking the necessities of ARIA landmark role "main" >>> and HTML5 <main> element >>> >>> Hi Chaals, >>> >>> thanks for the detailed reply to Ian, the apparent terseness of my own >>> reply was based on the knowledge of Ian's (Yang) being involved in much >>> of >>> the discussion[1] that occurred on the WHATWG list on the subject, and >>> in >>> fact being the person who triggered my renewed interest in the >>> development >>> of the feature. >>> >>> >My conclusions are that differences in the WHAT-WG version are silly, >>> > but >>> the element as specified in the HTML specification and as commonly >>> >implemented is actually very useful. >>> >>> It should be noted that the differences (with the W3C definition) in how >>> main has been defined in the whatwg spec have not been ignored. I have >>> sought to understand what the reasoning for those differences is [2] and >>> also asked Ian (Hixie) directly on IRC, but have not as yet received any >>> response. >>> >>> [1] >>> http://www.w3.org/Search/Mail/Public/search?type-index=public-whatwg-archive&index-type=t&keywords=maincontent&search=Search >>> [2] >>> http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-whatwg-archive/2013Feb/0172.html >>> >>> with regards >>> >>> -- >>> SteveF >>> HTML 5.1 <http://www.w3.org/html/wg/drafts/html/master/> >>> <http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/wat-ie-about.html> >>> >>> >>> On 24 March 2013 00:33, Charles McCathie Nevile >>> <email@example.com>wrote: >>> >>>> On Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:21:17 +0100, Steve Faulkner < >>>> email@example.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> Hi Ian, >>>>> >>>>> Ian Hixie, he mentioned that the existence of the ARIA landmark role >>>>>> "main" is a mistake >>>>>> >>>>> >>>> I've seen this assertion from him, and discussions about why. I am >>>> unconvinced by the arguments I have seen. I also haven't seen anything >>>> that >>>> reasonably contradicts the data Steve produced to justify the element. >>>> My >>>> discussions with web developers, from small-shop devs to things like >>>> Yandex >>>> with millions of users across dozens or hundreds of services suggest >>>> that >>>> the element makes sense. >>>> >>>> That's very thought-provoking >>>>>> >>>>> >>>> Well, it might be. The original proposal was thought-provoking enough >>>> to >>>> also provoke me into reading other people's thoughts and research and >>>> even >>>> doing a small amount of my own. My conclusions are that differences in >>>> the >>>> WHAT-WG version are silly, but the element as specified in the HTML >>>> specification and as commonly implemented is actually very useful. >>>> >>>> The fact that Ian disagrees with something isn't enough to be >>>> though-provoking on its own. He is clever, and often right. But not >>>> about >>>> everything. Some of his insights into accessibility are very helpful, >>>> and >>>> some of them just suggest that he knows more about other aspects of >>>> HTML. >>>> >>>> >>>> both role=main and now <main> are part of the web platform and >>>>> interoperably implemented across browsers and assistive technology >>>>> >>>> >>>> Yes, and this happened very quickly. That doesn't necessarily mean they >>>> are a good idea, because sometimes the wisdom of the crowd isn't quite >>>> as >>>> clever as we hope, but it suggests that a large proportion of the >>>> relevant >>>> decision makers, who on balance are usually quite smart and quite >>>> thoughtful about what they add to the web, are convinced that the >>>> element >>>> makes sense. >>>> >>>> A major reason for the element is to replace the "skip to main content" >>>> links that are all over the web, for accessibility purposes. While the >>>> use >>>> of those links is a terrible bit of architecture (they only work if you >>>> start from the top of the page and navigate with the keyboard, etc etc) >>>> they are deemed useful enough to include on all kinds of websites whose >>>> designs have been through multiple rounds of usability testing to >>>> ensure >>>> they make sense in practice. >>>> >>>> There have been discussions in all kinds of places. Since Steve was the >>>> big proponent, he can probably provide pointers by digging through his >>>> email archive, but I suggest you look at the mail archives of the W3C's >>>> HTML Working Group[1], the W3C's HTML Accessibility Task Force[2] in >>>> particular. You can also look at things like IRC logs, blog posts, and >>>> so >>>> on. A Yandex search [3] shows a handful of interesting perspectives in >>>> blogs and articles, too. >>>> >>>> [1] >>>> http://lists.w3.org/Archives/**Public/public-html/<http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/> >>>> [2] >>>> http://lists.w3.org/Archives/**Public/public-html-a11y/<http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html-a11y/> >>>> [3] http://yandex.com/yandsearch?**text=html5+main+element&clid=** >>>> 1823140&lr=213<http://yandex.com/yandsearch?text=html5+main+element&clid=1823140&lr=213> >>>> >>>> Note that this is just my personal opinion, and I am not always right >>>> :) >>>> >>>> cheers >>>> >>>> Chaals >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Charles McCathie Nevile - Consultant (web standards) CTO Office, Yandex >>>> email@example.com Find more at http://yandex.com >>>> >>> >>> >> >Received on Monday, 25 March 2013 03:00:11 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 13 October 2015 16:21:47 UTC


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What happens when you take a 4,000lb man-made container filled with potential energy, propel it at 110 feet-per-second and put Earth's biggest fool, man, in the driver's seat? Disaster. One way or another, this always ends in some form of disaster.
The objective of regulatory safety standards is to reduce the risk of injury and death. In other words prevent disaster.
To date, there appear to be three incidents involving a Model S fire. All three incidents involved some form of accident meaning that none of the cars decided to fireball while sitting parked.
Two of the accidents share striking (pun intended) similarities: striking large pieces of metallic road debris at highway speed. In none of these accidents were injuries reported. And as Michael pointed out this morning, buyers seem overjoyed to get back into one of Musk's luxury EVs.
The media, and special interests groups, appear to have concluded two things:
1. NHTSA needs to investigate the Tesla Model S fires
2. Tesla's stock is sinking because of said fires
A Hot Investment
Tesla has won over buyers and investors. Owners love Tesla's products and investors their stock.
I'll quickly take up the stock topic as I'm oblivious on the notion of how business works, let alone speculative investing. My venture know-how is limited to a $500 day-trading game I played in college.
I have no idea what non-GAAP net income or convertible debt is, but looking at this historical graph of Tesla's stock price, I find myself asking how a hockey stick curve such as this can be sustainable for such a young and untested company.
Is Tesla's stock slipping because fires are making investors wary of the product safety or has the fire burned off the glittery sparkle leaving less-attractive things like long term cash flows and losses? Are the flames a finger-snap back to reality for those tanked-up on Tony Spark-iritas? Maybe the stock is self-correcting and isn't a direct result of three fires. Then again where is the fun and link bait in an article titled, "Tesla's stock self corrects after period of market speculation."
Safety & NHTSA
As most of you know, and has been reported, the Model S went through all the required tests that every other automaker is required to participate in and scored very well (amazing, spectacular, better-than-any-other-car-EVER, etc.).
Those tests (see above) include various barrier impact tests and a rollover (car-on-a-rotisserie) examination.
After an EV has gone through the impact tests that simulate typical road-going accidents it is required to adhere to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 305 - Electrolyte Spillage.
"FMVSS No. 305 specifies performance requirements for limitation of electrolyte spillage, retention of propulsion batteries, and electrical isolation of the chassis from the high-voltage system during the crash event. This standard applies to vehicles that use electricity as propulsion power."
This is where things get interesting.
As far as I can tell NHTSA doesn't have a "large piece of metal in the road" testing requirement. The standard for battery survival is based on the battery's condition after the tests administered to every light duty vehicle (described above).
As you can see from the pictures above, the armor plating that protects the Model S' battery packs was barely impacted by traditional impact testing. The report also indicated there was no battery leakage.
But the armor plating isn't tested against direct impact. The car isn't flipped over and stabbed with a metal pipe moving at highway speed. While the fire in both cases was likely caused by thermal runaway, a chemical reaction in a battery leading to fire, the catalyst for that runaway could have been a short circuit. Meaning the batteries aren't to blame, but rather the vulnerability of the armor protecting them.
That raises the question - should there be a standard for hazardous debris and floorboard protrusion in EVs? If the fuel source has moved from the rear of the vehicle to beneath the vehicle should the government consider a new stress test that focuses on direct impact of the underbody?
NOTE: I couldn't find any testing or standard that addresses underbody or hazardous road debris.
Controlling thermal runaway is good, preventing it is better.
While doing a bit of research last night I came across a patent filed in March and published November, 5 by Tesla regarding the subject of batteries and thermal runaway.
The patent titled, ""Hazard Mitigation within a Battery Pack Using Metal Air Cells," deals with how to expend the buildup of gas in a thermal runaway to lower "the risk of collateral damage."
What the patent doesn't speak to is the penetration vulnerabilities of the armor plate protecting the batteries. Ensuring the batteries can vent during a thermal runaway is good, but preventing a thermal incident, say a short circuit caused by a trailer hitch would be an evenwiser investment.
Seeing that the plate that protects the battery is an easily accessible component and wouldn't likely require a large investment to re-engineer or strengthen, I imagine Tesla is exploring options to upgrade, reinforce or redesign the armor to withstand a stronger direct impact.
Another thing to consider is that any change to the batter plate might also impact the planned battery-swapping option.
What does this mean for Tesla, EVs, America? (OK, maybe not America)
If Tesla addresses the issue head on, or at the least publicly states their case why this isn't an issue, they'll get through this without too much pain.
With new technology comes new issues (i.e. could ride height from the first performance EV contributed to a risk in hitting things on the road?).
While I encourage the regulatory body to follow these issues, I hope they'll be cautious to ensure that any action they take isn't seen as an unfounded risk.
If there is a risk associated with having a fuel source under a vehicle, perhaps NHTSA should consider a hazardous debris tests for EVs?
Until we have more information, we can conclude that Tesla's are safe, the company's stock is (likely) overvalued and NHTSA will, eventually, do something.


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Yemeni security officials said that gunmen have attacked a bus carrying nurses from a military hospital in the southern city of Aden, killing eight people, including two women, and wounding around a dozen others.
The attack on Sunday saw militants open fire with Kalashnikov assault rifles, according to three security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The security officials said that they suspect Al-Qaeda's powerful local affiliate was behind the attack.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula regularly targets Yemeni security forces, and has been linked to a number of failed attacks on the United States.