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The 5 best writing books no one ever told you about
From 'The Procrastination Equation' to 'Spunk & Bite,' here is a batch to help get you writing and keep your prose clean and clear.
Whenever I read lists of recommended writing books, I'm usually disappointed to find a roundup of the usual suspects: Stephen King, Ann Lamott, William Zinsser, and William Strunk. Not that there's anything wrong with any of these writers or their books. They're all fine. Inspiring, even. Useful.
But I read them all years ago. I'd like some fresh inspiration, thank you very much.
So here's my list. Five authors you probably haven't heard of. Five books that are always filed, ready for action, on my writing bookshelves, if not already in my hands:
1. "Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose," by Constance Hale.
A grammar book that's hip—how's that for a contradiction? People frequently ask me to recommend books about grammar and this is the title I suggest. But I like this book because it covers more than grammar, heading toward style—and because it's both funny and flexible. Hale parses Charlotte Bronte next to Muhammad Ali; she quotes Bob Dylan in her discussion of the verb "lay" and Dr. Seuss in her examination of rhyme and onomatopoeia.
The book also has the best explanation of who vs. whom I've ever seen in print. (pages 163 to 164.) Hale is a former editor of Wired magazine (and the author of "Wired Style" a book that Newsweek described as "The Chicago Manual of Style for the new Millennium").
2. "Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style," by Arthur Plotnik.
This title is not so much a book as it is a daring grudge match against the writing "Bible" and its authors William Strunk Jr. and the incomparable E.B. White.
Written with great wit and divided into eight sections—Flexibility, Freshness, Texture, Word, Force, Form, Clarity, and Contemporaneity – "Spunk & Bite" questions the famous duo's most cherished rules of writing. Plotnik challenges them with such force and verve that, soon, you will begin to see dust motes dancing in the air and cobwebs forming around Strunk's and White's ears.
"Spunk and Bite" is not a "how to write" book—it assumes a basic facility with language—and it's not a manual, despite its excellent and thorough index. It is a book filled with wise advice, many belly laughs, and much inspiration. I re-read it from front to back at least once a year—and I dip into its pages from time to time as a way of recharging my writing batteries.
3. "Weinberg on Writing: The Fieldstone Method," by Gerald M. Weinberg.
Weinberg believes that good material lies all around us and that our job as writers is to collect it for future use. His central and oddly compelling metaphor is that writing is like building a fieldstone wall. That is, you collect "stones" (or stories) as you wander through life and you save them for when you might need them for building (writing). The trick, of course, is to remember to do the collecting and to have a decent retrieval system.
Perhaps one question remains: Can a corporate writer use this method, which might seem a bit airy-fairy? As I read the book, I recalled the time I had to write a speech for a certain nameless CEO. He was one of those impossibly dry individuals, and much as I labored, I couldn't get anything but platitudes from him. The man didn't have a single story (not even about his kids), so I peppered his speech with relevant business-related anecdotes I had gathered on my own. I felt like a bit of a failure at the time, but now I realize I was doing the right thing. Without being conscious of it, I was using fieldstones.
4. "The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life," by Julia Cameron.
I never understood the appeal of Cameron's most successful writing book, "The Artist's Way." But her fame persuaded me to dip into another of her titles. Almost everything about "The Right to Write" (well, apart from its too-cute title with a missing preposition) is wonderful. Even though it's intended for those who'd prefer to fall on the "creative" side of the writing equation, it has many tips that all people who put their fingers to the keyboard can use.
Each of the 43 very short chapters tackles one writing idea and offers an exercise, which you're free to ignore. Most of all, Cameron provides a compelling argument for writing each morning—although I have such unreadable penmanship I can never bring myself to do it by hand, as she suggests. I also like the way she argues for the importance of writing, even if it never goes further than your private notebook.
5. "The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done," by Piers Steel.
So many writers suffer from so-called writer's block that I'm convinced any book on finding your own motivation is, by definition, a writing book.
A professor of human resources at the University of Calgary's school of business, Piers Steel is the world's leading research and speaker on the science of procrastination. He uses his book to explain why so many of us put off everything (from starting a diet, to doing our taxes, to writing) even when we recognize the delay will be bad for us.
He shows how some commonly held assumptions (for example, that perfectionists procrastinate) are simply untrue, and he gives many useful tips for how we can mend our shilly-shallying ways. If you want to stop wasting time and get some writing done right away, this book could be your savior.
Yes, reading about writing can, in itself, be a form of procrastination. But it's also instructive, interesting, and inspiring. Make sure that from time to time you read a new book about writing—and make it one you haven't heard of before.
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Beyond fuel efficiency, aerodynamics affects the driver experience of vehicle handling. The forces and moments on the vehicle affect the grip that the tires have on the road, response of the vehicle to steering inputs, and stability of the vehicle to changes in the road or wind conditions. Vehicle handling attributes are strongly driven by transient effects. The oncoming wind conditions can include transient gusts experienced by the moving vehicle due to prevailing crosswinds, obstacles, and topography near the road, and the wind disturbances caused by other vehicles. The vehicle aerodynamics might indicate sensitivities to certain timescales of transient onset conditions, and could be perceived by the driver as vibrations, undesirable roll and pitch motions, or lack of response to steering inputs. These problems increase significantly at high speeds and are a key design factor for high-performance or luxury vehicles.
Design for vehicle handling requires prediction of the aerodynamic lift on the front and rear tires where they contact the road, as well as the side loads and pitch, roll, and yaw moments that determine vehicle stability. These forces and moments are needed at a range of static crosswind conditions or under dynamic crosswind inputs. Under all conditions, these forces and moments are highly transient for most vehicles due to the strong sensitivities of the underbody and rear wake flow behavior to small fluctuations in pressure or onset flow.
Matching the true road conditions for high-performance vehicles is a major limitation of physical testing using wind tunnels. Realistic effects of vehicle motion and onset flow conditions cannot be included in a wind tunnel test. In a wind tunnel test, expensive moving-ground emulation systems consisting of belts and suction/blowing systems are used to approximate the effect of the vehicle motion on the road, and the effect of onset flow conditions is approximated by testing at a range of static crosswind (yaw) angles. However, wind tunnels are not equipped to accurately measure the transient aerodynamic loads that affect driver perception of vibration, response, and stability. These approximations create major limitations on the aerodynamic development of vehicles for optimizing handling attributes. Vehicle handling must then be assessed very late in the design process using road testing of final-stage prototypes.
The need for accurate prediction of transient forces and moments under dynamic onset conditions is also very challenging for traditional simulation tools. However, PowerFLOW is inherently transient and naturally handles these conditions. Time-accurate pressure fluctuations in the sensitive underbody and rear wake regions are simulated accurately, leading to prediction of transient response. The accuracy of PowerFLOW for handling attributes has been proven through industry validation compared to moving-ground wind tunnel tests with static crosswind conditions. Simulations can then include dynamic onset conditions and the effect of other vehicles — conditions not possible to produce in wind tunnels.
Automotive aerodynamic simulations for vehicle handling attributes are performed with SIMULIA PowerFLOW, including effects of dynamic onset conditions and a realistic road environment. The results are analyzed to compute the forces and moments, distributions of forces and moments, and contributions of each surface panel. You can use time graphs of transient forces and moments to show the transient response of the vehicle. Use transient flow visualizations to understand the flow structures and pressure fluctuations that contribute to the transient response. To further quantify transient effects, you can use SIMULIA PowerSPECTRUM to compute frequency-based analysis of the forces, moments, pressures, and flow structures. The output shows how loads in critical frequency ranges can excite the dynamic response of the vehicle suspension or affect driver perception.


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LONDON (AP) — British police say they have contacted Australian authorities about a possible investigation into an Australian radio station's hoax call to a U.K. hospital.
The callers impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles and received confidential details about the former Kate Middleton's medical information. The call was recorded and broadcast.
The prank took an ugly twist Friday with the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha, a 46-year-old mother of two, three days after she took the hoax call.
Police have not yet determined Saldanha's cause of death, but people from London to Sydney have been making the assumption that she died because of stress from the call.
The disk jockeys involved have been suspended indefinitely.
Australian police Sunday confirmed they had been contacted by London police and said they would cooperate.


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IMF Staff Papers: Vol. 42, No. 3 (September 1995)
- Long-Run Exchange Rate Modeling: A Survey of the Recent Evidence
- Foreign Exchange Hedging and the Interest Rate Defense
- Economic Effects and Structural Determinants of Capital Controls
- Consumption, Income, and International Capital Market Integration
- "Human Capital Flight": Impact of Migration on Income and Growth
- Paradise Lost? Growth, Convergence, and Migration in the South Pacific
- Disequilibrium in the Labor Market in South Africa
- Bank Lending Rates and Financial Structure in Italy: A Case Study
- IMF Working Papers
- IMF Papers on Policy Analysis and Assessment
Economic Effects and Structural Determinants of Capital Controls
- International Monetary Fund. Research Dept.
- Published Date:
- January 1995
Show Summary Details
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1 tablespoon coconut flakes (optional)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Chocolate "pudding"
1 tablespoon coconut flakes (optional)
7 comments:
- sk said...
Have you tried the Nikki's Healthy Cookies recipe on 101 Cookbooks? It's my go-to healthy sweet recipe.
- June 8, 2010 at 11:03 AM
- Amanda Mae said...
mmmm! I have but I forgot about it! I made it once but that was a while ago. I think I need to whip up another batch!
- June 8, 2010 at 11:08 AM
- Caroline said...
Oh my sweet heavens this looks divine!! I always make homemade dark chocolate pudding at christmas time .. you've inspired me to make some for Summer! Love these photos!
- June 8, 2010 at 11:25 AM
- tifanie said...
oh wow. that sounds so yummy. i'll have to try it. :::
- June 9, 2010 at 10:49 PM
- Sara M. said...
Oh I will make this. I know you have a baby to worry about, but remind me please :) wow wow wow I want it now!
- June 10, 2010 at 3:24 PM
- jacqui said...
This sounds amazing! I will have to try it. Have you ever made chocolate avocado mousse? It's really good, it's a little thicker, but I bet if you thinned it a little with some liquid it would smooth it out more like pudding.
- June 11, 2010 at 7:37 AM
- Maxene said...
I've been making a variation on this recipe for some time since I saw it. So easy and incredibly delicious. Never forget the cocoa nibs, but I sometimes add vanilla or maple syrup. Thanks for the post!
- June 17, 2012 at 9:16 PM


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Users / Linux MCE documentation« on: August 25, 2007, 08:46:40 pm »
I recently found out about LinuxMCE and i believe that this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It seems that it is the the software that we have all been waiting for. (However), as with many great open source apps, the documentation leaves a lot to be desired. (at least that i how i feel) does anyone agree??? Vote now and see what other users say about the documentation for the greatest Media Center software to date.


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How to Assess Trouble by Checking Your Spark Plugs
You can actually read your spark plugs for valuable "clues" about how your engine is operating. If your plugs indicate that something is seriously wrong with your engine, ask a professional for an opinion.
To read a spark plug and assess engine troubles, you first have to remove it. Use a spark plug wrench with an extender. Once you get the socket over the spark plug, place your hand over the head of the wrench, grasping the head firmly and pull the handle, hitting it gently with the palm of your hand to get it going.
Once you have the plug in your hand, check out its various parts to look for tell-tale signs of trouble. The following figure can help you identify the different parts of a spark plug.
You should also check the gap between the center electrode and the side electrode. Take your wire or taper feeler gauge and locate the proper wire and slide it into that gap. If the gauge has a lot of room to wiggle around, your old plug may have worn down its center electrode, causing a gap that's too large. If the gauge can't fit between the center and side electrodes, the gap is too small, which means that the spark plug isn't burning the fuel/air mixture efficiently.
Compare the state of your spark plug with the table below to diagnose any problems.
|Probable Causes
|Normal plug
|Brown or grayish- tan deposit on side electrode,
|Everything's fine.
|Just clean and regap the plug.
|Carbon-fouled plug
|Black, dry, fluffy soot on insulator tip and electrodes.
|Overly rich fuel/air mixture, dirty air filter, too much
driving at low speeds, or idling for a long time.
|Switch to "hotter" plug. (The higher the plug number,
the hotter the plug.)
|Oil-fouled plug
|Wet, black, oily deposits on insulator tip and electrodes.
|Oil may be leaking into cylinders past worn pistons or poorly
adjusted or worn valves.
|Clean and regap the plug, or replace it, but find out where the
leak is coming from.
|Burned plug
|Blisters on insulator tip, melted electrodes, burned
|Engine overheating, gap is too wide, wrong or loose plugs,
overly lean fuel/air mixture, or incorrect timing
|Replace the plug.
|Worn plug
|Severely eroded or worn electrodes
|Plug has been in there too long
|Replace the plug.
Check all your spark plugs, but work on only one plug at a time, and don't remove a plug unless the one you just dealt with — or its replacement — is safely back in the engine.
To keep your engine operating efficiently, don't mix plugs in varying states of wear. Either replace all the plugs with new ones or clean and reinstall all the old ones. If you find that a few of your old plugs aren't too worn and are in fairly good shape but you need to replace the others, clean and regap the salvageable plugs and store them in your trunk compartment tool kit for emergencies.
Sometimes you can cure a problem — such as carbon-fouled plugs — by going to a hotter- or cooler-burning plug. You can identify these by the plug number: The higher the number, the hotter the plug. Never go more than one step hotter or cooler at a time.


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Value for New Hampshire (Percent): 1.0%
Data item: Hispanic-owned firms, percent, 2007
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2007 Economic Census: Survey of Business Owners. Updated every 5 years. http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/
The 2007 Survey of Business Owners provides basic economic data on businesses owned by women, men, Hispanics, Blacks, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asians, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and Whites. The survey is based on the entire firm rather than on establishments of a firm. The published data cover number of firms, gross receipts, number of paid employees, and annual payroll.
A firm may operate one place of business or more, such as a chain of restaurants, or have no fixed business location, such as the firm represented by a self-employed carpenter or salesperson. A firm contrasts with an establishment, which is a single physical location at which business is conducted. Most other data from the Economic Census are reported on an establishment basis rather than a firm basis.
Women-owned firms are those owned by sole proprietors who identified themselves as female, or, in the case of firms with multiple owners, where 51 percent or more of stock interest, claims or rights were held by females. Not included as women-owned are publicly held firms, foreign-owned companies, and not-for-profit companies.
Hispanic-owned firms are those where the sole proprietor was Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race, or, in the case of firms with multiple owners, where 51 percent of the stock interest, claims or rights were held by members of those groups. Not included as Hispanic-owned are publicly held firms, foreign-owned companies, and not-for-profit companies.
Race categories represented on the survey questionnaires include American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; and White. Not included in the tabulations for any of these categories are publicly held firms, foreign-owned companies, and not-for-profit companies, although the denominators for each percentage do include these companies.
The race categories and Hispanic subgroups used in the 2007 SBO are consistent with those mandated by the Office of Management and Budget. These standards were developed by both the Executive Branch and Congress.
Detail may not add to total because a Hispanic or Latino firm may be of any race. Moreover, each owner had the option of selecting more than one race and is included in each race selected. Firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each industry and geographic area in which they operate.
Scope and Methodology:
Percent women-owned firms and percent owned by one of the specified groups is determined by dividing the number of firms owned by that group by the number of all firms in the same area. The raw numbers are shown in the link below, or may be accessed through the "Browse more data sets..." page.
These data were obtained from a stratified sample of firms. Estimates are subject to sampling variability. Standard errors are published in the detailed data sets linked below. Data are shown with an "S" where publication standards are not met, such as where the relative standard error of the sales and receipts is 50 percent or more.
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Mother love: stories about births, babies & beyond
Random House Australia, 1996 - Family & Relationships - 306 pages
Birth; a rite of passage in which a woman is transformed from a well-groomed, well-organised, self-centered, carefree, childfree person into the exhausted, poo-wiping, milk-sodden, love -ravaged hero that is a new mother. Gabrielle CareyMotherlove; Births, Babies and Beyond is a wonderful collection of stories and memories from women writing about their own and others' births, their babies, and their lives beyond the moment of childbirth, when the world changed forever. Each of the writers invite the reader into their own unique world of Motherlove, that most extraordinary of loves that only mothers can experience and truly understand. The smells, the pain, the power and powerlessness, the joys, the utter exhaustion and the exhilaration, and the incredible love. Sometimes sad and moving, sometimes practical and funny, these are stories that will enthrall and delight every reader. THE EDITORSydney writer Debra Adelaide is best known for her novel The Hotel Albatross, a wonderful story of love and struggle in a pub in country NSW. THE CONTRIBUTORSDebra Adelaide Mary MoodyAnna Booth Fiona PlaceGabrielle Carey Annette StewartJulie Clarke Pat Mamajun TorresAnna Maria Dell'oso Monica TrapagaSara Dowse Brenda WalkerNoni Hazelhurst Rachel WardAdele Horin Sue WoolfeSALES POINTS***the very first Australian collection of its kind, Motherlove brings together a diverse group of women who offer fascinating depictions of the humanity, passion and struggle of birth.***Motherlove will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign focused on the enormous Mother's Day sales potential of this title.***Point of sale: 24-copy dumpbin.***the perfect Mother's Day present for all Mums, new, experienced or expecting!Only two things were clear after both births: that my body had just performed the most extraordinary miracle, and that I would never be the same again. Noni HazelhurstIt frightens me to think I might have lived the rest of my life without knowing this humbling, extraordinary , secret world: this milky furious love. Anna Maria Dell'oso
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Enjoy the Swinging Sounds of
The Big Band Era
The Big Band Era
Since their founding in 2006 the 17 piece Asheville Jazz Orchestra has become western North Carolina's premier big band. Their mission is twofold. First, through recreating the swing era hits of the 1930s and 1940s the AJO strives to rekindle an awareness of this rich and innovative jazz style. Secondly, the AJO considers it vital to help the big band tradition evolve through performing works by contemporary composers and arrangers. Whether they're playing your favorite big band era hits at a swing dance or performing a brand new composition written by a band member in a formal concert, the AJO is dedicated to both preserving and advancing the uniquely American art form of jazz.
The musicians who perform with the AJO rank among some of the finest jazz musicians in the area. Band members bring their experiences performing with luminary groups such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Mel Tormé, When Swing Was King, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, and Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadian's.


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On November 4th, 1643, Olney was the site of the Battle of Olney Bridge, a skirmish in the First English Civil War. The town has a long history as a lace-making centre, but is best known as the place where the Olney Hymns were written.
John Newton (1725-1807), author of the hymn Amazing Grace was curate of Olney. Some of the family were found in Weston-Underwood in early times. "The church [of Weston-Underwood] is a neat structure, built by Sir John Olney in the 14th century." [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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The Geneva Motor Show has a long history of hosting the most important automotive debuts, and this year was no exception.
The show saw the fastest and most powerful saloon in the Jaguar's history make its European debut – the XFR-S. Powered by the same 550PS 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine as the XKR-S, the new sports-saloon can hit 60mph in 4.4 seconds from a standing start; with a top speed of 186mph.
Jaguar Global Brand Director Adrian Hallmark described it as "…a car of incredible potency…a visceral blend of power, driver involvement and control."
Jaguar 'Bloodline' Convoy
The new 495 PS F-TYPE was joined by classic Jaguar XK 120, C-Type, D-Type and E-Type sports cars in a 'Jaguar Bloodline' sports car convoy to the Geneva Auto Salon. Naturally, the new F-TYPE took pride of place on our stand at the show.
Before they set off from Belgium, 1988 Le Mans 24 hour race-winning driver Andy Wallace put a new Jaguar F-TYPE V8S through its paces with a sprint run at Jabbeke.
In 1953, Jaguar's legendary test driver Norman Dewis drove a modified Jaguar XK 120 to a new world record average speed over a flying mile of 172.4mph at Jabbeke in Belgium.
Sixty years later, with just two miles to explore the F-TYPE's straight-line speed from a standing start, and bring it to a stop again, Wallace took the car to almost 180mph and achieved 0-62mph (0-100km/h) in an impressive 4.2 seconds.
"The original Jabbeke sprint runs marked the start of an exciting chapter in our history," said Adrian Hallmark. "The XK 120 combined seductive design and innovative technologies with incredible sporting performance, as Norman Dewis proved on that famous day in 1953.
"Those core elements of our DNA are embodied in the new Jaguar F-TYPE, and I can think of no more fitting way to pay tribute to the achievement of one of our most famous roadsters than to return to Jabbeke to celebrate the successful test and set a new Jaguar benchmark."
The Geneva Motor Show has a long history of hosting the most important automotive debuts, and this year was no exception.


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Welcome to our step-by-step guide to completing your firm's Annual Return: taking you through each stage of the process, from logging in to the Firms Portal to completing the Valuer Registration Return.
For convenience, the Annual Return is split into sections. When you have completed a section its status will change to 'Ready to Submit'. When all sections have been completed, the 'Submit' button will appear and the return can be submitted to RICS Regulation.
You may find it useful to use the help tips in the Firms Portal as you complete each stage of the Annual Return. Our Rules of Conduct for Firms will also assist in completing the Annual Return.
We already hold some information from when you registered your firm or completed your last Annual Return. Please check the retained answers to ensure the information is still correct.
To complete your Annual Return, enter the Firms Portal:
If your firm holds clients' money, auditors from RICS Regulation will periodically visit your firm.
Firms holding clients' money will be charged an annual regulatory review fee as well as the fee for the clients' money insurance levy. They will receive an invoice based on the information provided in their Annual Return.
This section will enable you to provide generic information in respect of your firm as a whole.
If you wish to provide any additional information, please email email@example.com quoting your firm's registration number.
If your firm sponsors members for valuer registration it will be invoiced for the annual registration fee. You will receive an invoice based on the information provided in your Annual Return.
This section of the Annual Return asks for details of valuation work carried out by your firm and contains the following sub-sections:


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Now, the very powerful Supreme Leader in Iran has been sending a two-part message, saying he supports his negotiators even though he doubts they will succeed. The United States is sending its share of mixed messages, and we're going to talk about that side of the equation now with Cokie Roberts, who joins us most Mondays. Cokie, good morning.
COKIE ROBERTS, BYLINE: Hi, David.
GREENE: So we should remember the administration has been negotiating with Iran here, but Congress deeply skeptical, and top administration officials have been urging lawmakers not to make sanctions on Iran even tighter at this important moment. How is that lobbying effort by the administration going?
ROBERTS: Well, it's tough. The House did pass tougher sanctions on some Iranian oil exports this summer and the Senate is considering the same thing. And as you say, the administration's asking them to wait and see how the talks go before they do that, and today the New York Times has an editorial making the same point. And also a very distinguished ambassador, Ryan Crocker, former ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan, the same thing.
But it's tough because of Israel, and Israel is very nervous about these talks. The U.S. negotiator, Wendy Sherman, was there this weekend reassuring them that no deal was better than a bad deal and that Israel would be consulted. But the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee says...
GREENE: AIPAC, the very powerful pro-Israel lobbying group, yeah.
ROBERTS: That there will be no delay in efforts to impose tougher sanctions. And today you see Marco Rubio, the senator from Florida, agreeing with that in an op-ed in the newspaper Politico. He says don't trust any Iranian officials. Look, David, you're not likely to have any anti-sanctions voters in your district or your state if you're a member of Congress.
And you are likely to have a lot of pro-sanctions voters because of the role of Israel here. And, of course, Israel has a point when it says that the question of nuclear weapons in Iran is an existential one for that state.
GREENE: Well, and you mention, I mean a lot of voters in this country, you know, might support more sanctions on Iran. I mean the backdrop to all of this, as we mentioned, I mean this is the anniversary of the hostage crisis and the takeover of the embassy, American diplomats held hostage for 444 days. That's always made it hard to engage with the regime in Iran over the years.
ROBERTS: Of course. And we had that wonderful movie "Argo" reminding us of that. And look, there have been some horrible experiences with so-called Iranian moderates during the whole Iran-contra Affair. National Security Advisor Bob McFarland went to Iran with a key-shaped cake and a Bible to try to, you know, open negotiations. But even with the sense that you can't trust Iran, voters consistently over the years in polling in this country say talk. Don't bomb. Talk.
Because - and it's not that they trust Iran. It's that they don't want another war in the Middle East, and so that is really - if you talk to the voters as a whole on this, the question of negotiations is very popular. Not that it is something voters are concentrating on at all, of course. It is very far from the top of voter concerns.
GREENE: It's worth asking what voters are concentrating on right now because tomorrow is an election day and in a few states, it's one of the off-year elections where there aren't so many elections happening. But still, you know, what are you looking for?
ROBERTS: Actually, this is what we call the off-off year election and this is really one that is always or usually a harbinger of a big national election to come, which is why we pay such close attention to the Virginia governor's race, the New Jersey's governor's race and the New York mayor's race. If they all go one way, it usually means that's the way the country's going.
This year that's not likely to happen, but it is likely to be something of a referendum inside the Republican Party, with Chris Christie in New Jersey saying if he wins, it shows moderates should dominate, and if Ken Cuccinelli also loses in Virginia, it could be a real blow to the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party.
GREENE: Cokie, it is always good to talk to you. Take care.
ROBERTS: Thanks, David.
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Why you'd want to live in Kirkland
Kirkland is a vibrant waterfront destination with an unparalleled blend of outdoor recreation, art, dining and boutique shopping. Located on the shores of Lake Washington just east of Seattle, no other city in the Puget Sound region has as many waterfront parks and beaches as Kirkland. From adventure and outdoor activities to shopping, strolling and sipping Washington wine with a water view, come explore all Kirkland has to offer.


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Jalopnik likes to keep track of the different police cars around the world. This mainly consists of reporting the new exotic acquired by the Dubai Police Department or an update of the Carabinieri's Lamborghini Gallardo, with the occasional mention of a new domestic police vehicle.
But who am I to question the patrol vehicle decisions of foreign nations? I live in the United States of America, a country whose local police departments own armored personnel carriers even if the town has a population of 1500. And who couldn't stop a man from setting a new cross-country driving record last month.
Therefore, I've decided to mention the follies of our law enforcement agencies at home in their vehicle selection, which no doubt will literally put my name on the radar of police departments across America.
Author's Note: For the love of God, don't actually retort with anything that I suggest (not that I think people actually follow my advice if past lists are any indication). If you feel compelled to, just say them under your breath when the officer walks back to the patrol car.
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Why the choice is debatable: No department needs a hybrid crossover, especially when this one costs over $40,000 before the requisite police equipment. In fact, an Explorer with the police package costs the same. And these aren't only found in Aspen. A few other police forcesuse them to shore up their environmental credentials, even though an Ecoboost Explorer is just as fine.
What you'll want to say: "You're driving the official vehicle of Spongebob Squarepants! My kids LOVE that show. I think it's a good way to connect with the young community since Spongebob breeds so much optimism. How about keeping up that optimism and letting me off with a warning?"
Smart fortwo
Why the choice is debatable: Granted, many of these are used for parking enforcement. But criminals will be tempted to run from the police officer driving a Smart. Because once a car chase moves to the highway, a Smart will have trouble keeping up, giving television news helicopters a reason to interrupt a feature on underwater basket weaving. Provided the good officer can get the transmission to work in his or her favor.
What you'll want to say: "Did you draw the short straw to get that car? How's the transmission on that thing? I'm sure you liked the Crown Vic better. Yeah, my car can outrun yours any day of the week, but since I respect the law, I pulled over. Now can you please let me off with a warning?"
Hummer H2
Why the choice is debatable: OnJalopnik, the Hummer H2 has suffered plenty of vitriol. And it should. The one in the photo was actually bought outright as a police vehicle by an Indian reservation. However, most H2s in police fleets tend to be those seized from drug dealers and then used for drug awareness and recruitment campaigns. As if people take career advice and narcotics information from H2 owners seriously.
What you'll want to say: "Love the H2. You must be the coolest guy on the force. I think it makes you look very authoritative and makes me want to obey the law. Also... Officer, how many times have you actually gone off-road? If it's none, let's go four-wheeling sometime. Can you let me off with a warning?"
Saab 9-5
Why the choice is debatable: Once again, we come back to the inexplicable car preferences of the Aspen Police. Though the police Saabs are no more, as a taxpayer, I'd have questioned the service costs and wondered out loud why they couldn't get a Tahoe, Durango, or Expedition, like other wealthy parts of the country. Then again, this is Aspen, where a Ferrari driver once sued the police force over a speeding ticket, so maybe there were larger issues than complaining about department car choices.
What you'd have wanted to say: "Why hello officer! Did we not meet at the Policemen's Benevolent Association meeting? Well, I'm among their largest contributors. In fact, I think one of those checks probably paid for that wonderful Saab of yours. I would know...I bought it for my daughter. Twice."
Volvo S70
Why the choice is debatable: Now this didn't actually happen in the end, but the California Highway Patrol came very, very close to getting Volvo S70s. Perhaps, the CHP figured they could play up their public safety card while receiving nicer seats and a better stereo. But let's think about what would've happened with S70 patrol cars. TheThrottle Body Control Modules, brakes, steering racks, and strut towers would've suffered with the CHP at the high speeds and stresses placed on the cars, leading to through-the-roof service costs and another sustained raising of taxes.
What you'll want to say: "I'm amazed you managed to catch up at such high speeds without your strut towers breaking. How many brake jobs has your patrol car gone through? Couldn't the CHP have at least bought the wagon? At least I could pick up a good family car at auction. There is no way I am getting out of this ticket, is there?"
Which questionable vehicle choices has your local police department made? And what would you want to say to them about it?
This post originally appeared on my Kinja blog BecauseCAR.
First Hummer photo credit Policecarwebsite.net, Smart car photo credit Autoblog, second Hummer photo credit Policecararchives.org, Volvo photo credit Telstar Logistics, Highlander photo credit James Gillum, Saab photo credit fotki.com.


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Home sweet homes
See the brick Italianate governor's mansion or the Italianate home of the Edwards family or the Greek Revival-style Elijah Iles home or the Georgian-Revival home where the prominent family the Pasfields lived. Six historic houses will be decked out for the holidays in their old-time digs, Dec. 15, between noon and 5 p.m. A half hour Christmas concert at 12:30 p.m. will be performed by Sound Celebration Chorus at Lincoln Home's Visitor Center. Abe and Mary will be visiting locations, 19th century carols sung and many sites will feature activities, interpreters and seasonal refreshments. This year from 1-4 p.m., depending on the weather and for a small fee, visitors can also take a horse-drawn trolley to visit the downtown homes. Tickets may be purchased the day of the event at the Elijah Iles House.
A Historic Christmas
Saturday, Dec. 15, 12-5pm
Lincoln Home, 426 S. Seventh St., 492-4150
Illinois Executive Mansion, 410 E. Jackson St., 782-6450
Elijah Iles House, 628 S. Seventh St., 652-7302
Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site, 603 S. Fifth St., 524-0901
Pasfield House Inn, 525 S. Pasfield, 525-3663
Edwards Place, Springfield Art Association,
700 N. Fourth St., 523-2631


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The second part of my updated Guide to Evaluating Healers with World of Logs focuses on Resto Shaman. Thank you to the amazing Vixsin of Life in Group 5, who reviewed the post and shared her wealth of Shaman knowledge with me.
(This post may be easier to read, with less squishy pictures, over on the guide page).
Here are specific things to look for when analyzing resto shaman logs. It's best to look at specific kills or attempts in order to get meaningful numbers.
Shaman are versatile healers who can do well at either tank or raid healing. They really excel on fights where people are grouped up and they can make the most of spells like Healing Rain and Chain Heal. Though Shaman do not have a huge assortment of healing spells to choose from, they a lot of buffs and cooldowns they need to manage throughout fights.
Healing by Spell
Spell selection – Is the shaman using the appropriate spells?
Resto shaman heals include: Healing Rain, Chain Heal, Greater Healing Wave, Healing Wave, Healing Surge, Riptide, Unleash Life, Earth Shield, Healing Stream Totem, Healing Tide Totem, Restorative Mists (from the cooldown Ascendance) and passive healing from Earthliving and Ancestral Awakening.
Top Spells
A shaman's top spells will vary by fight, assignment and raid size.
In a 25-man raid, a Shaman's top heals will generally be Healing Rain, Healing Stream Totem and Healing Tide Totem. On fights where the raid is tightly grouped Chain Heal will be up there, while Riptide will be higher on fights where people are more spread out. Earthliving and Restorative Mists can also provide a sizable amount of healing.
If the Shaman is assigned to tank heal, you should see more direct heals, like Greater Healing Wave, used.
In 10s, where tank vs. raid healing assignments are less stringent, Shaman will likely cast a variety of both single-target and group healing spells. Because there are fewer people to stack up in 10s, Healing Rain and Chain Heal will not account for as much healing as they do on 25, and you will likely see Riptide and Greater Healing Wave accounting for a lot of healing.
For any assignment you should also see healing from Earth Shield and Unleash Life, though they are unlikely to provide more than a few percent of overall healing.
Spells like Healing Rain and Earthliving will cause Shaman to be fairly high on overhealing, this isn't something to be concerned about.
Notes on specific spells:
Unfortunately, the Healing Done and Buffs Cast tabs don't give much useful information on many important Shaman spells and cooldowns, so use of the Log Browser is often needed. I've provided query strings that you can paste into the Log Browser to find the spells you're looking for. Just remember in each one you need to replace the name "ShamanX" with the name of the Shaman you're evaluating.
Earth Shield
Earth Shield should be up on a target all the time (more information in Buffs Cast section). The shaman's direct heals are more effective on their Earth Shield target.
Healing Surge
Due to the high mana cost, Healing Surge should not be used as a staple heal. When it is used, it should have low overhealing compared to HW or GHW, otherwise the Shaman is wasting mana.
Unleash Life
Unleash Life provides a small, mana-free heal and buffs the Shaman's next direct heal by 30%. Healing Rain is included in this, so you should see Shaman casting Unleash Life before each Healing Rain. If Unleash Life use is low (or absent) there is a problem. Check the number of direct heals for Unleash Life – though use will vary per fight, you should be seeing at least 2 direct heals per minute of fight.
If you want to dive a little deeper, you can also check to see if the shaman is casting Unleash Life before Healing Rain in the Log Browser. Paste the following query (be sure to replace the Shaman's name):
[{"spellNames": ["Healing Rain"], "eventTypes": [6], "sourceNames": ["ShamanX"]}, {"spellNames": ["Unleash Elements"], "eventTypes": [6], "sourceNames": ["ShamanX"]}]
Then you can check the timestamps to see if Healing Rains immediately follow Unleash Elements casts.
Healing Tide Totem
Healing Tide Totem is an optional talent but because it is a very powerful cooldown, it's what most Shaman will use on most fights. You should see a significant amount of healing from it on each fight. The number of heals the totem will do is dependant on haste levels when it is dropped (and is a little buggy, I believe), so there's not an exact number of ticks you can look for. It will generally heal between 25-35 times per use.
HTT has a 3-minute cooldown and Shaman should be trying to get maximum use out of it.
Healing Stream Totem
WoL displays the healing from this very strangely. The Crits and Direct Heals columns are showing the same heals. The Ticks column is showing the number of non-crit heals. To get the total number of ticks from this, you need to add the numbers from the Ticks and Direct Heals columns. Like Healing Tide Totem, the number of times Healing Stream ticks is dependant on haste. You should generally see about 9 ticks per cast.
This is a powerful smart heal with only a 30 second cooldown, so you should see it cast often. If a Shaman's healing is low, not using this spell enough is often the problem.
To see how many times the spell was cast, use the Log Browser, paste the following query:
[{"spellNames": ["Healing Stream Totem"], "eventTypes": [6], "sourceNames": ["ShamanX"]}]
Spirit Link Totem
This is another powerful cooldown that should be used on any fight. It has a 3-minute cooldown. To tell at a glance if it was used, check the general Healing Done tab. It will appear as a pet under the Shaman's name. To see how many times it was used, you're going to have to use the log browser:
[{"spellNames": ["Spirit Link Totem"], "eventTypes": [6], "sourceNames": ["ShamanX"]}]
Stone Bulwark Totem
Stone Bulwark is an optional talent. It has a 1-minute cooldown and should be used often if the Shaman is taking damage. To tell at a glance if it was used, check the general Healing Done tab. It will appear as a pet under the Shaman's name. To see how many times it was used, you're going to have to use the log browser:
[{"spellNames": ["Stone Bulwark Totem"], "eventTypes": [6], "sourceNames": ["ShamanX"]}]
Mana Tide Totem
Mana Tide is another important cooldown, not just for the Shaman, but for the rest of the healers in the raid. The only way to see how many times it was dropped is with the Log Browser. Mana Tide has a 3 minute cooldown and should be used as much as possible.
[{"spellNames": ["Mana Tide Totem"], "eventTypes": [6], "sourceNames": ["ShamanX"]}]
Call of the Elements
Call of the Elements is a talented 3-minute cooldown that resets the cooldowns on all totems will a cooldown of 3-minutes or less. It should be used as much as possible so the Shaman can get in extra uses of Healing Stream and Stone Bulwark, as well as utility totems like Grounding or Tremor on certain fights.
The only way to see how many times it was used is with the Log Browser:
[{"spellNames": ["Call of the Elements"], "eventTypes": [6], "sourceNames": ["ShamanX"]}]
Buffs Cast
This screen will tell you how often a shaman is using their cooldowns, along with the uptime on key abilities.
Earth Shield – Earth Shield should be re-cast whenever it runs out. However, on fights with heavier raid damage, the Shaman may prioritize other spells over refreshing this. Look for uptime of around 80% or higher for raid healers. For tank healers, uptime should be close to 100%.
Ancestral Vigor – Whenever a Shaman heals a target, the target's maximum health is increased. Since the Shaman should always be healing, uptime should be close to 100%.
Riptide – If the shaman is tank healing, Riptide should have an uptime close to 100% overall. You can look at the tank's Buffs Gained screen to see the uptime of Riptide on them specifically. When raid healing, uptime will be lower but should still be around 70% or higher.
Tidal Waves – Tidal Waves triggers when Riptide or Chain Heal is cast. Since Riptide and Chain Heal are two of a Shaman's main spells, you want to see high Tidal Waves uptime. If focused on the tank, uptime should be over 90%. If focused on the raid it will be a bit lower, but should still be over 70-80%.
Earthliving – Every heal has a chance to trigger Earthliving. The only thing to look out for is that there is healing from Earthliving present. If it is absent, or extremely low, the shaman has likely forgotten their weapon enchant or it has run out in the middle of the fight.
Ascendance – This is a major cooldown that copies and distributes all healing done by the Shaman for 15 seconds. It has a 3 minute cooldown, and should be used often.
Spiritwalker's Grace – This spell allows the shaman to cast while moving for 15 seconds. It has a 2 minute cooldown, it should be used on movement-heavy fights.
Astral Shift – If the Shaman didn't spec into Stone Bulwark Totem, they will probably have this. It has a 2-minute cooldown and reduces damage taken by 40% for 6 seconds. It should be used when they're taking a lot of damage.
Ancestral Swiftness – This spell makes your next healing spell an instant cast and has a 1-minute cooldown. If the shaman has this in their spec it should be used frequently.
Elemental Mastery – Another talent on the same tier as Ancestral Swiftness, this increases haste by 30% for 20 seconds and has a 2 minute cooldown. It should be used often.
Ghostwolf – This allows Shaman to move faster and how often/if it's used will depend on the fight. You should see it used on a fight like Blade Lord, but not so much on more stationary fights like Wind Lord. If a Shaman is not using this, they are missing some opportunities to get around/out of bad faster. However, they also shouldn't be using it too often as you can't heal while in Ghostwolf.
Fire/Earth Elemental – If the Shaman is using the talent Prime Elementalist, an Elemental should be dropped once per 5 minutes of fighting (Fire Elemental can be dropped once every 3 minutes if glyphed). *See end of section for for more on this*
Water Shield – Water Shield provides passive mana regen along with mana return when the shaman is hit by an attack or critically hits with a healing spell. If it's up all fight, you won't see it in the Buffs Cast table, but the active mana returns will show up under Power Gains.
Telluric Currents – This is an optional glyph which causes Lightning Bolt casts to restore mana. If the shaman has this glyph you should see mana gained from Telluric Currents under power gains.
Other things to look for:
If the Shaman has specced into Primal Elementalist their Elemental can channel a healing buff onto them. If you check the Buffs Gained tab, you should see the buff Reinforce (if an Earth Elemental is dropped) or Empower (if a Fire Elemental is dropped). This has a maximum uptime of 60 seconds per Elemental cast, the aim is to have it up as long as possible.


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Tips For The Offseason
After a hard year of racing, race cars are ready for a good looking over, a deep cleaning, and some much needed repair work that might not have been evident during the season. This is the time to tear down the car, remove all the mechanical systems, and do a thorough cleaning and inspection.
Let's face it, most racers love the "working on the car" part of racing as much as the actual racing. It represents most of the time spent racing anyhow. So, once the season has ended, it can be a lot of fun to go over the car and make sure it is put in perfect condition to start the new season. If done right, you can end up with a good-as-new car.
You should go through the car in a systematic way, overlooking nothing mechanical that may need some attention, from the replacement of worn parts to the repair of damage from hard racing. Start with the front and work toward the rear.
Preparing the Car For Inspection The first step in this process is to remove the engine, transmission, radiator, exhaust system, fuel tank, and any body parts that will be scrapped. You can proceed to clean the car once those components are out of the way.
We recommend using a portable power washer to remove all the dirt and oils on the frame and body parts. Choose a site outside the garage, where you won't make too much of a mess. Spray around all the tubing on the chassis and under the car, where you have run over someone else's oil. Try to get to the rubber tire pieces that have accumulated during the season.
This thorough cleaning is done not only for appearance purposes, but also to inspect the welds and other joints on the frame and rollcage for any fatigue or cracks. Broken welds, cracked frame members, and broken shock mounts account for lots of on-track failures, and this is a great opportunity to find those flaws.
Front Suspension You should remove all the control arms, steering assembly, spindles, and so on if that wasn't done before the cleaning. Then, lay the parts on the garage floor and carefully inspect each one for any signs of cracking, bending, or breaks at the welded seams.
Remove the Heim joints, ball joints, and idler arm assemblies (on a drag link system) to test for excess looseness and wear. Replace the joints that are worn. Check the steering box or rack for excess play and worn seals. This may be a good time to overhaul the steering or send it back to the manufacturer for a rebuild.
Inspect the engine mounts, front hoop tubing, upper control arm mounts, and any areas where fatigue might have caused cracking or breaking of the metal. Once the inspection is complete and all repairs have been made, it may be a good idea to paint the front clip. If you plan on doing a complete repaint of the car's frame, do the rest of the inspection first.
Shock Mounts While the front of the car is apart, do a close inspection of the shock mounts on the upper mounts as well as the lower control arm. This is one area of high stress that needs attention. If you see signs of cracking or breaking, rethink how the shock is mounted and do some re-engineering to better support the shock to reduce fatigue.
Some typical problems stem from the upper mount flexing on the tubing to which it is attached. Every stock car that uses coilover shocks should have a crossbrace that attaches to the upper shock mount, or as close as possible to it. This brace reduces the flexing and rotational twisting of the tubing where the shock is mounted.
Even with stock spring designs, the shock is still working hard. It is attached to the upper hoop bars. When mounting shocks on stock clip cars, the procedure used for coilover shocks should be employed.
Lower Control Arms The ball joint sockets and the inner mount portions of the lower control arms (or struts) are the most stressed areas of this part, aside from the shock mount. Pay attention to the overall condition of the arm and look for fatigue and cracking around the mounting areas.
Check the arm for straightness as well as fatigue areas. If the car has been in contact with other cars or the walls and the arms have not been replaced, there may be hidden damage. Now would be a great time to order new arms.
Engine Mounts This is another area where there may be hidden damage. Any sudden stops, which may otherwise not cause serious damage, might have bent or cracked the engine mounts. The motor is the heaviest piece bolted onto the car and the mounts are mostly engineered to reduce rotational movement, not fore and aft movement.
Front and rear end hits can cause damage to the motor mounts. A good inspection of these mounts is not possible with the motor in the car, so now is the time to look them over in detail. If you have had to space the motor up a significant distance to avoid having the oil pan scrape, now might be a good time to raise the actual mounts so there is less spacing needed. Doing this secures the engine and causes it to resist fore and aft movement by using fewer spacers.
Driveshaft If the driveshaft is not damaged, then just remove and replace the U-joints. These parts are subject to high stress and are way too cheap to take a chance on failure.
Inspect the yokes and transmission tailshaft. There are high-performance shafts and yokes available now that were not a few years ago. If you are looking for a little more performance, check out some of the new stuff.
Brake System Remove the brake and clutch master cylinders, flush the lines, and rebuild the cylinders. The last thing you need is brake failure, or clutch failure for that matter.
If your brake lines have been banged up or otherwise damaged, you might consider replacement while the car is apart. At least replace the flex lines, which may contain degradable synthetic hose inside the woven stainless steel.
Look over the clutch and brake pedal bushings and replace them if worn where there is excess play. Look over the brake adjuster and clean and lubricate the cable.
Seats, Belts, Window Net For safety purposes, we need to look over the seatbelts and seats. For all the reasons previously given, stress from hard racing might have damaged your seatbelt system.
There should be no fraying or tearing of the material. The mounts must be stress free and not bent from the original location. Check the manufacturer's date on the belts. Each track and/or sanctioning body has rules governing how dated your belts can be.
Inspect your head-and-neck restraint system (you are using an H&N system, aren't you?) and your helmet. We know of one case where a hard hit damaged a helmet because the driver's head moved forward so hard that it dented and cracked the material inside the helmet. Luckily, the driver's HANS Device stopped his head from moving forward to prevent any serious injury, but the helmet was useless afterward.
Don't forget to recheck the fire suppression system to see if it will work properly when needed. The fire bottle is rarely needed, but when it is, things get urgent in a hurry.
Wiring and Switches To ensure your car doesn't stop running at the wrong moment, all wiring and switches must be fresh and free of corrosion. The vibrations that occur during a race can break or loosen the wire connections. Wiring is fairly simple, and it would make good sense to have someone rewire the entire car during the offseason.
Recheck the grommets where the wires pass through the firewall or other panels. Cycle the switches and notice if they feel tight or corroded. Replace the ones that are suspect. Many races have been lost due to a cheap switch or connector.
Crush Panels and Overall Cockpit Sealing The driver's compartment should be isolated from the engine heat, the exhaust fumes, and fire (should the engine or fuel cell catch fire). The panels that mate to the fenders, floor, and rear deck are supposed to be sealed.
Recheck these seams and reseal if necessary. Replace bent or otherwise damaged panels. Now would be the time to add heat barrier material to the panels near the driver to reduce transient heat from the exhaust passing through to the driver.
Rear End The rear end should be removed, and all mounts cleaned and inspected. Replace all grease seals, axle bearings, and pinion bearings where necessary. Check the axle tubes for damage and to see if they are straight. Shock brackets and trailing arm brackets need to be inspected for damage or wear. All Heims should be examined and replaced if worn excessively. Don't forget to look at the third link, or lift arm, too.
Look over the Panhard bar mounting brackets to see if they are bent or cracked. These mounts take a beating, especially when small hits are experienced during a race. Not much attention is given after the race, but we can all remember incidental contact that might have caused some damage.
Fuel Cell After removing the fuel cell, inspect the container for rust or damage that may compromise the cell itself. The fill tube assembly and foam should be removed from the cell. Clean the inside of the cell and get rid of dirt or other foreign material.
The foam should be replaced, and the fuel pickup should be inspected and cleaned. If you have a fuel pump that pushes fuel to the engine, as some cars do, inspect the wiring and general condition of the pump.
Fuel cells have a certain life span. Some newer fuels have been known to eat at the seams under certain conditions. Inspect your cell to make sure this is not a problem. (More information on fuel cell maintenance can be found in the article entitled "Alcohol Maintenance," Feb. '07 Circle Track.)
Rollcage If the body has been removed, the rollcage can be easily inspected. Look closely at all the welds. If the car is older, inspect the inside of the tubing for corrosion, which would weaken them.
If the car is unfamiliar to you, checking the wall thickness of the tubing would be a wise idea. Some racers get carried away with weight issues and might circumvent rules that require a minimum wall thickness for rollbar material. If you find weak or thin tubing, replace it. To not do so may be considered criminal in some courtrooms.
Body Mounts and "Glass" The overall condition of the car's body can be evaluated during this process. Any panels, fenders, rivets, or body mounts that might have been damaged throughout the year can now be replaced. Those who race hard will have some damage to the body parts. Parts made of fiberglass will be weaker as a result. New parts offer more resistance to being "leaned on" in the coming season. Also, loose body parts can ruin your aerodynamic advantage.
If you decide to replace the whole body or parts thereof, take advantage of newer designs of nose pieces, fenders, or hoods. When replacing any of these parts, check to see if a more aerodynamic piece has been developed. Don't settle for last year's design.
The key points to remember are as follows: find any structural or mechanical problems with the chassis or components that are bolted onto the chassis; correct any safety-related problems that involve wear or age of the seatbelts, restraints, fire-suppression system, helmet or seat; and make sure the driver's compartment is sealed properly against heat, carbon dioxide, and fire intrusion.
After each season, go over your race car during the winter months so that when you hit the track again in the spring, it will be just like a new car. You can avoid failures that may have dire consequences if you do this job the right way. And anyway, getting there is more than half the fun.


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How well do you know the Code? Think you can spot violations the original installer either ignored or couldn't identify? Here's your chance to moonlight as an electrical inspector and second-guess someone else's work from the safety of your living room or office.
Joe Tedesco, who has a knack for finding shoddy electrical work, did the dirty work and found this mess. Now it's your turn to identify the violation.
Hint: Clothes closet lighting.
February Winners
Rebecca Ashley, an electrical engineer with Henderson Mill in Parshall, Colo., cited the following sections of the Code when reviewing the February photograph.
- "110.3(A)(1) — This equipment is not listed for this application.
- "110.3(A)(4) — Duct tape being used to insulate the conductors is not acceptable.
- "110.3(A)(7) — This receptacle is not classified for this use.
- "110.3(A)(8) — This application is not safe for persons coming in contact with this equipment.
- "110.3(B) — This equipment is not listed and labeled for this use (UL 498).
- "590.6(A) — A GFCI would be a lifesaver in this application, either tripping because of the moisture or when the user completed the circuit.
- "406.4 — Receptacles shall be mounted in boxes or assemblies designed for the purpose."
David Furi, a master electrician/foreman with Lakepointe Electric in Sterling Heights, Mich., added this to the mix. "It appears that someone has removed the receptacle end of an extension cord set and replaced it with a grounding type duplex receptacle and insulated it with duct tape. The violation is under the 2005 NEC Sec. 590.6(B)(2)(a). It is also an OSHA violation because this cord set should have been tagged and removed from service on the job site."
Joel Van Ravenswaay, an electrician at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., injected some humor into his response. "It looks like the ground isn't moist enough to efficiently grow outlets from seed! Or it could be violations of....
- "406.8 — receptacles placed in damp or wet locations need a box that meets the environment.
- "210.8 — need GFCI protection, assuming this is an outside installation.
- "590.4 — Temporary installations.... This is most likely the culprit, a cutoff extension cord on a construction site for temp power.
"But it looks like there are remnants of duct tape in the dirt, so give them some credit. If you can't do it right, duct tape it!"
'Tell Them What They've Won...'
Correctly identify the Code violation(s) in this month's photo — in 200 words or less — and you could win something to put in your toolbox. E-mail your response to Joe Tedesco at [email protected], and he'll select three winners (excluding manufacturers and prior winners) at random from the correct submissions. Winners will receive a set of insulated hand tools from Ideal Industries, Inc. valued at more than $125.* The set includes 9.25-inch insulated side-cutting pliers, 10-inch insulated tongue-and-groove pliers, and a 0.25-inch 6-inch insulated screwdriver.
* Please allow six to eight weeks for delivery of tools.


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A Parliamentarian
on the Value of Academies
At ASADI IV in London, Patrick Amuriat Oboi, a member of the Parliament of Uganda and its Committee on Science and Technology, delivered a speech entitled "Why Would a Government Want Independent Advice?"
Declaration of Dakar
Participants at the ASADI III conference in Senegal called for continued efforts to improve the scientific basis for policy decisions, especially those related to managing water resources and preventing waterborne diseases. Read the Declaration of Dakar.
Visit SciDev.Net for ASADI news and related international science and health stories.
New Report on Diversity in Human Sexuality
June 10, 2015 -- The Academy of Science of South Africa, one of the partner academies in ASADI, today issued a report titled Diversity in Human Sexuality: Implications for Policy in Africa. The report was released in Durban at the 7th SA AIDS Conference. More info
Nature Article Focuses on Future of Nigerian Science
June 3, 2015 -- Read an interview with Oye Ibidapo-Obe, former president of the Nigerian Academy of Science, who discussed the state of Nigerian science as the leadership of the country changes hands.
Uganda Meeting Marks Culmination of ASADI
Nov. 10, 2014 -- The 10th Annual Meeting of African Science Academies, hosted this year by the Uganda National Academy of Sciences, began today in Kampala. The conference, which will focus on country ownership of Africa's post-2015 development agenda, marks the culmination of the African Science Academy Development Initiative.
'Mindset Shift' Needed for Africa to Take Ownership of Development Agenda
A new report from several African science academies recommends catalysts for giving all sectors of society in Africa a greater stake in and responsibility for the continent's post-2015 development agenda. A mindset shift is needed, the report says, for countries to take greater ownership of development goals such as the Africa Union's Agenda 2063 and the U.N.'s planned Sustainable Development Goals. Read More
IAC Report Evaluates Impact of ASADI
The InterAcademy Council, a multinational organization of the world's science academies, concludes in a new report that ASADI succeeded in increasing the capacity of African science academies. The report also draws on lessons learned during the initiative to make recommendations about the future shape of science academies in Africa. Read More
The Global Impact of Science
A new pamphlet describes how ASADI has fostered collaborations among U.S. and African science academies and how these relationships are helping to advance the global scientific enterprise in a way that benefits society worldwide.
Symposium on Science, Technology, and Innovation for Development in Africa
Aug. 5, 2014 -- At the time of President Obama's U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine hosted a symposium on science, technology, and innovation (STI) in Africa. Read more
Academies Confront Surge in Smoking in Africa
Preventing a Tobacco Epidemic in Africa: A Call for Effective Action to Support Health, Social, and Economic Development (English version, French version), a new report from a committee convened by the Network of African Science Academies, outlines strategies to combat increasing tobacco use in Africa. While tobacco use has declined in high-income countries, it is growing in many developing parts of the world, especially Africa, where, without interventions, it could double within the next 10 years, according to the report.
Ethiopia Hosts Ninth Annual Meeting of African Science Academies
Nov. 10, 2013 -- Leaders of science academies from several African nations gathered in Addis Ababa for the ninth annual meeting of African science academies, hosted by the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, which was founded in 2010 and is a new partner in the African Science Academy Development Initiative. The deputy prime minister of Ethiopia spoke at the opening ceremony for the conference, the theme of which is "biotechnology for Africa's development."
"Hosting the annual meeting of African science academies three years after our own academy was established is an honor, and provides us a unique opportunity to raise awareness of how academies can provide policy advice on a national as well as continental scale."
Professor Demissie Habte, president, Ethiopian Academy of Sciences
'Raising the African Voice' on Climate Change
Nov. 12, 2012 -- The science academies of Africa issued a joint statement at their annual meeting in Lagos, Nigeria, calling on the African scientific community to intensify its study of the impact of climate change. Noting that Africa's contribution of scientific information to understanding climate change has been "meagre" to date, the statement calls for African researchers to step up their observation, modeling, and analyses of the effects of climate change on a regional scale, and to help plan interventions to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change on the continent.
Copyright © 2015 U.S. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. 500 Fifth St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.
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The African Science Academy Development Initiative is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Photos provided by Peter Arnold Inc., U.S. Agency for International Development, World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases.


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Use the form on the right to contact us.
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Six Ways In Which WordPress Could Die
Ever hear that saying, "All good things must come to an end"? All things end, even good things. Even though WordPress is the number one blogging platform across the web today, at some point, it will have to claim a number other than one. So with that in mind on (more…)


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Can you help me with a letter SOthing Dave ? Look please at my post!
Interested in Language
Hello, I`am student from Romania. I wrote here because i need someone who can help me with a homework. I don`t speak english very well, that`s the reason i have to acces this forum. If anyone can help , please do it!
So, this is what i have to do:
Your school is planning a musical concert to give students the chance to perfom in public and raise money for school funds. Information about the concert has been published on the school website, with a request for comments and suggestions. You decide to write to the Principal. Read the web page below and the provision programme on wich you have made notes. Write a letter to the Principal outlining your reactions to the concert and making suggestions with your reason.
Concert Saturday June 15th
Performers of all ages and abilities welcome-take your chance to perform in public. Rehearsals will be held between 10-14 the June(long enough?) so that everyone will be fuly prepared. Just fill in the form and come along.
INSTRUMENT PLAYED:(What about the dancers?)
LEVEL ACHIED:(Why?)
Provisional programme
First half:
Classical music
Classical dance(Boring!Mix them up?)
Second half:
Modern music/groups
Modern dance
Seat prices: ₤10
Students: ₤9(Too expensive/other wayse to raise money?)
Proceeds to school funds
Please help me with this one. Thanks a lot :)
Can you help me with a letter SOthing Dave ? Look please at my post!
Sir you are right but I do not speak English well, I `am a student from Romania, I just need a little help that`s why i need help..Thanks !Just some ideas!
We do not do homework for students. Write the 180-200 word essay and submit it to your teacher. When your teacher gives it back, look at the corrections. If you don't understand them, post the specific sentences or words you have a problem with and then we can help. Your teacher wants to see YOUR work, not our work.
Remember - if you don't use correct capitalisation, punctuation and spacing, anything you write will be incorrect.
How does someone writing your letter for you help you? It may help you get a mark, but you won't have learned anything.
However, you can get tips about writing. Here is one: use short sentences. They are easier to write, so you are less likely to make mistakes. That will help you more than someone writing the letter for you.
Please be aware that I'm neither a native English speaker nor a teacher.
Put your pointer on Resources at the top of the page and click on Letter Writing for further help.


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Enrich security data with operational context for rapid action
BMC SecOps Solutions help organizations combine security and operations data for more accurate and actionable analysis, enabling them to identify blind spots and prioritize and fix the most critical flaws first in any environment.
- TrueSight Vulnerability Management for Third-Party Applications provides a "to do" list to address threats based on policy and impact, using criteria that considers business risk and protects stability.
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Thankful for…the privacy of my patient data
If you happened to have your Thanksgiving meal last week with a person of Greek heritage, you may have heard them toast "Yia mas", that literally means "to our health". And that is exactly what I am thankful for each day, my family's health.
I am also thankful for the health of our wireless business, which is going great thanks to professionals such as doctors, and nurses that want to want to use their personal devices (smartphones and tablets) at work.
At Cisco we have long been talking about how we enable this proliferation of devices in the workplace and how we make it easier for IT to onboard and troubleshoot these "un-managed" devices. We also provide a robust wireless infrastructure that enables these professionals by providing the best possible mobile experience. But the trend of personal devices in the workplace does pose a valid concern: "As more and more doctors start using their personal iPads at work, will my patient data be secure?"
Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to look at some data over the long weekend to better understand how healthcare data breaches occur. This is by no means a scientific analysis, I just crunched some data I downloaded from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website (hss.gov), so the findings are not conclusive, but rather indicative of what is happening. The data represents HIPAA breaches of 500 or more records per incident over the past 2-year period.
Here is what the data says:
- 80% of the incidents affected up to 10 thousand personal records per incident. The median number of individual records affected per incident was 2,204 whereas the average was 48,348.
- Theft and Loss are predominately the two ways personal records are affected, which is rather concerning since mobile devices are both easily lost and also easy to steal. See the breakdown of incidents in the following graph:
The good news, based on this data, is that intentionally malicious incidents (as represented by "hacking") seem to represent a small percentage of incidents and records breached. Also, it is unknown whether the incidents categorized as theft (also malicious), aimed at the information stored in the stolen device, as opposed to the device itself. I would hypothesize for example that a crook breaking into a car to steal an iPad, is more likely interested on the tablet itself, rather than the data that resides on said device. But I guess that depends on the crook's sophistication.
So my next question was to see what devices stored the data that was breached. The table below summarizes the results in a loose grouping of multiple categories provided in the actual data.
Other portable electronic devices, which by the way includes things such as: external hard drives, USB sticks, and the like, ranked 5th in terms of the % of records affected. But what about their frequency of theft or loss?
Well, it turns out that Other Portable Electronic Devices are the top data storage device that is lost, with 39% of the loss incidents and 6.6 times more likely to be lost than laptops. I guess my assumption here would be that employees would be more aware of a $500 personal device as opposed to a corporate device, and would not lose them as much.
On the other hand, laptops are twice as likely to be stolen (36% of theft incidents) than other portable electronic devices (16% of theft incidents). Again possibly signaling that crooks go after more highly valued items, which could potentially even have more information stored in them?
So is there a conclusion? Well, I would think that as healthcare companies are creating their policies regarding what types of devices/roles they allow on their network, it would not make much sense to exclude personal mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) merely on the assumption that they would pose a greater security risk, as the data above shows. Instead, they should reap the benefits of increased productivity and take all precautionary measures to limit exposure.
What are your main security related concerns regarding allowing personal devices on your network?
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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Who would have thought, after 30 years, that Pac-Man would still be chomping away?
In a world where Commander Shepard is killed and later revived by Cerebus, and Liberty City is rife with carjackers and pimps, it's comforting to know there's always a spare energy pellet to give you a boost.
Pac-Man's enduring popularity seems an unlikely story in a world where games are getting more and more complex and violent just to keep ahead of the curve — but three decades ago, that world looked a lot smaller.
In 1979, a 24-year-old staffer at Namco in Japan named Toru Iwatani headed up a small team to create a new video game, one that was novel, in that it wasn't a sports-based game, nor was it a "shooter."
Iwatani came up with Puck-Man, a simple, bare-bones sketch of a head whose sole purpose appeared to be eating and escaping death by ghost — "Puck" being the rough Japanese equivalent to "chomp." It was devoid of real violence and the game could, essentially, continue forever.
By all accounts, it made a small splash when it was released in its homeland, because it wasn't the shooting or racing game that many teens expected.
After its Japanese release, Puck-Man was picked up by Midway for distribution in the U.S. on May 22, 1980, and — with a slight name change to avoid any enterprising teens from vandalizing arcade games by changing the P to an F — the results far exceeded what anyone could have expected for a video game.
"It's fair to say it was a success in Japan, but not (at) the level of magnitude . . . when it reached America and transformed from being a simple video game into a pop-culture phenomenon," says Scott Steinberg, the head of TechSavvy Global, a video-game consulting firm based in Washington State.
"When it hit North America is when it really started to snowball. Even the industry itself was taken aback by the overnight success of the game. It's like an atom bomb floating across the gaming landscape."
Steinberg notes that a game like Pac-Man went a long way in introducing characters to the video-game world, surmising that, without a Pac-Man, it's conceivable there would be no Lara Croft.
"It was the first game to put a face — a personality that you could empathize with — on it and create a form of expression, even if it was simple, comedic terror."
In 1981, Pac-Man proved to be the biggest arcade hit of all time, according to thedoteaters.com, a site that chronicles the history of video games. Pac-Man sold 100,000 units in the U.S. alone, easily smashing the previous record set by Asteroids.
Before long, you couldn't enter a bar, restaurant or bowling alley without seeing Pac-Man.
Trip Hawkins, founder of Electronic Arts, once the world's top publisher of video games, notes how Pac-Man came along at a time when arcades meant big money.
"Coin-operated arcade games had been around since the mid-1970s, and both Atari and Namco were in that business. The public was becoming accustomed to seeing (video-game machines) in arcades and bars and some shops, and they were quite a phenomenon," he says.
"Presumably, Atari realized they could do well by licensing good coin-op games from Namco and others, which no doubt led to the licence to the (home) version of Pac-Man . . . which paled in comparison."
Soon enough, lineups at the arcade to play Pac-Man consisted not just of men and boys, but, for the first time, women. Actual females wanted to play video games!
The creator, Iwatani, later pointed out in interviews that in creating Pac-Man, one of his goals was bringing women to the arcade.
Hawkins recalls seeing how the opposite sex quickly took to the game. "It was . . . pretty cool to see women and girls going gaga over Pac-Man. They had an emotional relationship with Pac-Man probably not seen between women and any prior video games."
In 1981, a sequel came along to lure even more females into the arcade. Midway developed their own version, much to the chagrin of Namco. Her name was Ms. Pac-Man, and she would become the most successful American-made arcade game up to that point, moving 115,000 cabinets. To this day, Ms. Pac-Man games can still be found in many cities.
According to Atari, a whopping seven million cartridges were sold for the 2600 home version of Pac-Man. Another thing that permanently marked the brand in peoples' brains was the incredible amount of merchandising and tie-in deals that emerged. Once a player left the arcade, he could head home to catch the Pac-Man TV show that aired on ABC, or he could turn on the radio and catch Pac-Man Fever, a song that hit No. 9 on the Billboard Charts in 1982. And that night, he might go to bed decked out in his Pac-Man pyjamas . . .
In 2010, gone are the bedsheets and Saturday-morning cartoons, but a telling poll just two years ago by the Davie-Brown index found Pac-Man to be the world's best-known video-game character, edging out — just barely — Nintendo's Mario.
With Pac-Man turning 30 this year, there's no question the game will be celebrated all over again.
Details are scarce and Namco Bandai are keeping an Apple-like lock on information, but one of the most recent releases to come out of the game's camp is a Pac-Man version for the iPad. Released in April, the game has already chomped its way into the top-five apps for the tablet. Pac-Man has already been released through Namco's Museum series for many different consoles.
Other anniversary plans for the title will apparently have to wait until the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in June.
"We're figuring out how Pac-Man fits in the modern world," says Todd Thorson, the director of marketing and public relations for Namco Bandai, the game's original developer. He's well aware that, if the legend is messed with, the outcry will be deafening.
"On one level, people have this absolute nostalgia: 'Don't mess with my Pac-Man,' Thorson said from Santa Clara, Calif. "They want it in its purest form, and there's a power in that purity. With that, though, there are also examples of how Pac-Man does evolve with the world. (We're) figuring out, 'How do you blend that?' "
"I think there are fundamental rules that Pac-Man lives by, and there's lots of room to have variety in there. But there are rules . . . just like any classic character."
Steinberg says there's no doubt video games in general have progressed by leaps and bounds. But no matter how advanced the graphics become, and no matter how many functions the latest console can perform, gamers have to respect an icon.
"Somehow, they really distilled the essence of gaming perfection there: looks great, plays like a charm, completely random every time and, at the end of the day, when I put it down, whether I've spent five minutes or two hours, I don't feel bad about myself," he said, laughing.
"And the next time I want to pick it up, it's not like I have to read a novel's worth of content like Fallout and go, 'Oh where was I?' I know exactly where I was. I was running away from these damn spectres that are chasing me through a maze!"
We've come for your quarters . . .
Five other influential and highly profitable games from the arcade hall.
1. Pong (1972) Table tennis hits the big screen. Manufactured by Atari, it single-handedly headed up the video-game industry. Earliest models were simply black-and-white TVs inside six-foot cabinets.
2. Space Invaders (1978) Guinness World Records lists Space Invaders as the top arcade game. It's the first game to be officially licensed by Atari, and paved the way for shooting games. The game single-handedly forced the Japanese government to quadruple 100-yen coin production. In the late '70s, it was not uncommon to see arcade halls stocking only Space Invaders.
3. Asteroids (1979) Created as Atari's own version of Space Invaders, this game would become Atari's bestselling title. It also created what's known today as the high-score system. Look for an Asteroids feature film from Universal Pictures, tentatively due out in 2012.
4. Berzerk (1980) An early maze game, Berzerk is the result of developer Alan McNeil's twisted dream of being chased by Dalek-like robots. Also an early shooter game_— think Wolfenstein and Doom. Roughly 50,000 units are sold and shipped. A year later, Atari licenses the game for home use to the tune of $4 million U.S.. In both 1981 and 1982, teenage boys suffer from fatal heart attacks after playing Berzerk, and the video games are blamed.
5. Donkey Kong (1981) Biggest-selling arcade game of 1981. Creator Shigeru Miyamoto designed the game because of his love for King Kong. The hero of Kong is a short, fat carpenter named Jumpman. Once he and the game emigrate to America, his career changes to plumbing and his name becomes Mario.