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The SN 10: Meet the scientists ready to transform their fields
Earlier this year, General Electric asked a brilliant question: What if scientist Mildred Dresselhaus was treated like a celebrity? The idea, aired as a TV commercial, had many of us smiling at the possibility. In the ad, fans stop the nanoscience pioneer in the street to take selfies, a young girl receives a Dresselhaus doll as a birthday gift and a student sends a Millie emoji after acing a...
José Dinneny rethinks how plants hunt for waterJosé Dinneny, 39Plant stress biologistCarnegie Institution for Science10/04/2017 - 13:52 Plants, Genetics, Agriculture
José Dinneny wants us to see plants as stranger things.
"They're able to integrate information and make coherent decisions without a nervous system, without a brain," he points out. Plus, plants find water without sight or touch. For too many of us, however, lawns, salads and pots on a sunny windowsill make...
Jennifer Dionne harnesses light to illuminate nano landscapesJennifer Dionne, 35Materials scientistStanford University10/04/2017 - 13:52 Physics, Materials
To choose her research goals, Jennifer Dionne envisions conversations with hypothetical grandchildren, 50 years down the line. What would she want to tell them she had accomplished? Then, to chart a path to that future, "I work backward to figure out what are the milestones en route," she says.
That long-term vision has led...
M. Ehsan Hoque develops digital helpers that teach social skillsM. Ehsan Hoque, 35Computer scientistUniversity of Rochester10/04/2017 - 13:51 Computing, Technology, Psychology, Science & Society
A growing band of digital characters that converse, read faces and track body language is helping humans to communicate better with one another. While virtual helpers that perform practical tasks, such as dealing with customer service issues, are becoming ubiquitous, computer scientist M. Ehsan Hoque is at the forefront of a more...
KC Huang probes basic questions of bacterial lifeKC Huang, 38PhysicistStanford University10/04/2017 - 13:50 Microbiology, Biophysics
Physicists often ponder small things, but probably not the ones on Kerwyn Casey "KC" Huang's mind. He wants to know what it's like to be a bacterium.
"My motivating questions are about understanding the physical challenges bacterial cells face," he says. Bacteria are the dominant life-forms on Earth. They affect the health of plants and...
David Kipping seeks new and unexpected worldsDavid Kipping, 33AstronomerColumbia University10/04/2017 - 13:49 Astronomy, Exoplanets
By early next spring, astronomer David Kipping hopes to know if the object he's spent his early career searching for is really there.
An astronomer at Columbia University, Kipping is perhaps most known for a project sifting through data from the Kepler space telescope on more than a thousand planets orbiting distant stars. But he's more...
Chong Liu one-ups plant photosynthesisChong Liu, 30Inorganic chemistUCLA10/04/2017 - 13:48 Chemistry, Sustainability, Materials
For Chong Liu, asking a scientific question is something like placing a bet: You throw all your energy into tackling a big and challenging problem with no guarantee of a reward. As a student, he bet that he could create a contraption that photosynthesizes like a leaf on a tree — but better. For the now 30-year-old chemist, the gamble is paying off....
Lena Pernas sees parasitic infection as a kind of Hunger GamesLena Pernas, 30ParasitologistUniversity of Padova10/04/2017 - 13:47 Microbiology, Microbes
Lena Pernas' love of parasites began in childhood, when she was plagued with many virtual infections. One of her favorite pastimes as a 9-year-old was playing The Amazon Trail, an educational computer game set near the South American river. One of the dangers players could encounter was malaria, "and I got malaria a lot," Pernas says. This...
Kay Tye improvises to understand our inner livesKay Tye, 36NeuroscientistMIT10/04/2017 - 13:46 Neuroscience
Here are some of the things Kay Tye relishes: break dancing, rock-climbing, snowboarding, poker, raising her young daughter and son. These adrenaline-fueled activities all require basic skills. But true mastery — and the joy Tye finds in them — comes from improvisation. She boldly steps into a void, a realm where she has to riff, and trusts that a flash of...
Christina Warinner uncovers ancient tales in dental plaqueChristina Warinner, 37Molecular anthropologistUniversity of OklahomaMax Planck Institute for theScience of Human History10/04/2017 - 13:45 Anthropology, Genetics, Archaeology
In a pitch-black rainforest with fluttering moths and crawling centipedes, Christina Warinner dug up her first skeleton. Well, technically it was a full skeleton plus two headless ones, all seated and draped in ornate jewelry. To deter looters, she excavated through the...


text: The deadline for paying off the balance of Glastonbury tickets passed at 11.59pm last night. The vast majority of people who'd paid a deposit have now paid for their ticket in full, but we've decided to offer a 48 hour grace period for those yet to pay the balance.If you haven't yet paid your balance, then you now have until 11.59pm on Tuesday (2nd March) to head to www.seetickets.com/g2010/ and pay the remainder. We will be announcing details of the resale of cancelled tickets soon. Please keep an eye here on the website for the latest news on that.

subset: commoncrawl


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Just Because You Don't Like Something Online, Doesn't Mean We Should Blame Third Parties
from the thinking-through-the-liability deptLast Thursday and Friday were a pair of very interesting conferences about secondary liability in the Bay Area. On Thursday, there was a one day event all about secondary liability, and on Friday there was the (already mentioned) one day symposium all about Section 230 (which is a law having to do with secondary liability) put on by the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University. This is a big and important topic -- even if it may sound boring if you don't follow specific legal issues. As multiple people pointed out at both events, having strong protections against secondary liability are a large part of what allowed the internet to become so successful. Without these kinds of protections, the simple risk of running an internet company would be quite high, and would certainly limit much of what we see online.
However, not everyone appreciates the reasoning behind secondary liability protections, and a trio of (separate) speakers at Friday's event all focused on their own reasons for disagreeing with the basic premise behind Section 230, with two of them even suggesting that the law should be changed. What troubled me was that I think all three were confusing and conflating different ideas, and doing so in a way that puts some basic First Amendment principles at risk.
Ken Zeran
The first was Ken Zeran, who is famous for his role in Zeran vs. AOL -- the seminal lawsuit that more or less helped define the protections offered by Section 230 of the CDA. Zeran, an artist and a journalist, sued AOL after he was subject to a series of bullying attacks via AOL. Basically, someone anonymously posted some offensive comments (basically speaking out in support of Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombings) and included Zeran's phone number. After asking AOL to remove the posts, and having more posts come back, Zeran sued AOL for negligence in failing to remove all such comments. He eventually lost the case, as the court found that AOL, as a third party, was clearly protected under Section 230.
Zeran speaking was a big deal, because for almost fifteen years, he has refused to speak out about the case, turning down all media requests. In fact, he noted that he initially turned down Eric Goldman, who organized this event, but after thinking about it, and realizing who else would be there, he wanted to take part, and read a statement. That statement, however, was quite a doozy. While you can understand why Zeran is upset about Section 230, he seems to have conflated anonymity and the fact that some people do bad stuff online with the idea that (a) anonymity is automatically bad and (b) that anyone who allows anonymity is equally bad.
He called the internet an "engraved invitation for anonymous crime," ignoring the fact that it's really not that anonymous and there are all sorts of tools for uncovering people who have broken the law (something Zeran never did with his own attacker -- who he says he believed was just someone who chose him at random). Zeran did a lengthy bible quote about the "Good Samaritan" in response to the fact that part (c) of Section 230 mentions how it's about protection of "Good Samaritan" efforts. His argument is that Section 230 actually encourages the opposite behavior, in that it encourages service providers to do absolutely nothing to protect people (like himself) online, because they have no liability.
Unfortunately, Zeran is slightly misguided here. He is correct that third parties have no liability, but he is totally misunderstanding the context. Section 230 was put in place due to an earlier court ruling, which said that if a service provider did any editorial work, it could be held liable for the speech of its users. The inevitable result of such a ruling is that service providers would do absolutely no filtering/monitoring whatsoever, because doing any such thing opened them up to liability. What Section 230 does is allow them to monitor and filter what they feel is appropriate, without facing liability. It actually encourages more filtering and monitoring by service providers, by protecting them for their good faith efforts to cultivate the content they host.
From there, Zeran went on to propose an amended version of Section 230, which basically would make any website liable if it didn't take down content when contacted by law enforcement claiming that the content was violating the law. This raised a lot of eyebrows in the room, as it basically hands a ton of power to law enforcement to censor content at will -- something we've noticed law enforcement has a history of violating. Of course, this ignores the fact that Section 230 already does not apply to criminal law violations, so it's difficult to see why his amendment is needed. But making it explicit risks all sorts of dangerous incentives for the government to block expression. Someone in the audience pointed this out, highlighting previous cases of police "protecting friends" by claiming certain claims were violating the law when they were not, and all Zeran could say in response is "well, nothing's perfect." Sure, nothing's perfect, but when you're presenting a law that pretty clearly goes against the First Amendment, you should have a better answer than that.
Zeran, unfortunately, seemed completely oblivious to the idea that his proposed amendment would absolutely be abused to block speech. Mark Lemley, from the audience, pointed out that we already have an example of this with the DMCA's notice-and-takedown procedure for copyright content, and it is abused quite frequently by people seeking to stifle content. Expanding such a regime beyond copyright would almost certainly lead to even greater abuses. Again, Zeran didn't have much in the way of a response beyond "nothing's perfect."
In the end, Zeran was definitely the victim of a tragic circumstance, and as is too often the case in such a situation, his response is to throw out the baby of the First Amendment with the bathwater of abuse. He seems to think that anonymity itself is a bad thing, and spoke out a few times against the concept of anonymity, refusing to acknowledge that anonymity has many positives as well.
Judge Alex Kozinski
Next up in those who are at least, less than enamored with Section 230, was judge Alex Kozinski. Kozinski, as we've mentioned many times before, is an appeals court judge here in the 9th Circuit, and renowned as one of the most entertaining judges on the bench. He's been involved with a few Section 230 rulings, most notably, the Roommates.com ruling, which is one of the very few cases that put a significant limit on Section 230 -- though it's still being argued just how significant that limit is.
He certainly didn't fail to deliver on the entertainment level, tossing out a variety of amusing quips, kicking off with a mention that earlier in the day he'd received an email from Chris Cox -- former Congressional Rep. (and SEC boss) who was an original author of Section 230 -- who was at the event as well, with Cox telling Kozinski that he thought Kozinski got the Roommates ruling right. Kozinski noted that this was sort of like being a Talmud scholar for many years and suddenly receiving a direct message from God saying "it's okay to eat swordfish."
However, he soon drifted into a bit of an anti-230 discussion himself -- which is a bit worrying, considering that he's a judge ruling on cases involving Section 230. It turns out that Kozinski is a bit of a closet luddite. When it was pointed out that many of the wonderful things online are probably only there because of safe harbors like Section 230, he pushed back. He pointed out that the internet really isn't that great, and if he had the option of flipping a switch to turn it off, he's not entirely convinced that he would leave it on. He said he's just not sure it's really done that much good, and that we might be better off without it.
He also made the rather incredible statement, echoing Zeran, asking "where is it written that you have a right to speak anonymously." Of course, many believe that right is embedded within the First Amendment, and many of Kozinski's colleagues on the bench have made that right to anonymous speech pretty explicit in the case law. It's a bit disappointing to see that Kozinski doesn't agree.
Kozinski did point out that many people don't realize what it's like to be the subject of an anonymous internet attack, and people might feel differently if they were. Now, to be fair, Kozinski has been subject to just such attacks, including a highly publicized situation a few years ago in which an anonymous Kozinski-hater got a bunch of attention directed at Kozinski, after discovering that Kozinski had (sloppily) stored a bunch of jokey viral content on a server that he failed to secure, which got twisted into a claim that he had "obscene" content, leading to a rash of misleading press coverage, and an investigation (which eventually cleared him of any wrong doing).
So, perhaps it's understandable that he's not a fan of anonymity online, but like Zeran before him, he seems to conflate anonymity online with "bad activity" online, without acknowledging that plenty of important and valuable speech is made available because it's anonymous. Protecting anonymous speech is quite important, and a federal judge should recognize that. It was pretty disappointing to see judge Kozinski appear to lean the other way.
Nancy Kim
The third in the misguided Section 230 haters was Professor Nancy Kim, who has focused on a very, very small number of websites that have encouraged people to "dish" gossip about others online, and used those as an example of why Section 230 needs wholesale changes. Once again, she seems to think that anonymity automatically means "bad." She even suggested that perhaps sites that allow anonymous comments shouldn't be allowed safe harbors like Section 230's. Beyond just anonymous comment, she seems to dislike "impulsive behavior," suggesting that sites should strive to prevent people from impulsively presenting content, as that, too, is bad.
Like Zeran and Kozinski, Kim seems to be automatically taking a few bad actors, and blaming their bad actions on separate issues (anonymity and impulsive content posting). She also seemed to ignore that there are plenty of non-legal reasons why websites would seek to improve quality of commentary online: because it makes them more credible. She points to some of the "worst" sites like JuicyCampus and AutoAdmit, but doesn't seem to recognize that almost no one took comments on either site seriously, because everyone knew that anyone could write whatever they wanted on those sites, and they were filled with junk that wasn't trustworthy. Instead, she seems to assume that even if the site isn't credible, people automatically believe everything that was written on them. That's just silly. And wrong.
Furthermore, as Cathy Gellis pointed out, Kim (and Zeran) seemed to think that the US government's policy goal should be to promote "culturally beneficial" communication -- but it's not. The government isn't supposed to have a specific role in determining which kind of speech is is okay, and which kind is not. That's the key point behind the First Amendment.
This point was driven home earlier in the day when Paul Alan Levy from Public Citizen was on a panel, and responded to one of many questions asked about "reopening" Section 230 to amend the law. As he pointed out, plenty of people would probably love to "reopen" the First Amendment as well, because they don't like some of the speech enabled by it. However, on the whole, most people who understand and value the First Amendment and the idea of Freedom of Expression recognize that, while it allows speech "we don't like," the end result is that it also enables tons of speech that we do value. The same is true of Section 230. Yes, it allows some "bad" speech to get out there, but there's no way to effectively limit that without causing massive collateral damage as well. Asking to change or hinder Section 230 is no different than asking that we cut back on our free speech rights.
In the end, hopefully these three folks who were skeptical of Section 230 really represent extreme outliers. It certainly appeared that way from the audience, which included a ton of experts in Section 230 who mostly (especially from the Twitter backchannel) were horrified at the suggestions to modify Section 230. However, we should be careful, as there are certainly serious efforts underway to slice up Section 230 and take away this very important tool of free speech. The problem is that most of those attacking Section 230 seem to not understand the basic fact that all it does is make sure liability is accurately placed on those who actually said stuff, rather than a third party. Either that, or as we saw with these three speakers, they seemed to confuse things like anonymity with "bad speech" and assumed that you could somehow use that confusion to carve out "bad speech" without having a serious negative impact on perfectly legitimate speech.
Filed Under: alex kozinski, anonymity, defamation, ken zeran, nancy kim, secondary liability


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Conventional wisdom all along has been that the U.S. Senate race among Republicans will come down to a battle between Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the front-runner, and Ted Cruz, the fiery Tea Party favorite. That's probably still the most likely scenario, although a campaign strategy e-mail from a Dewhurst adviser suggests that former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert may be climbing and could finish in second place.
As reported by Politico, Dewhurst adviser Dave Carney said in an e-mail last week that he assumes Leppert has passed Cruz, the former state solicitor general, and that his TV ads and debate performances have helped him. "Expect the mayor to define and engage Cruz outside of Dallas so he can bury Cruz and finish second," Carney wrote.
"(W)e need to take Leppert seriously," Carney added.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is taking him seriously, describing him in a Saturday endorsement editorial as "an intelligent, hardworking leader who has experienced success in both the public and private sectors."
"Texans need visionary, principled and independent thinkers to represent them in Washington," the newspaper wrote. "If Republicans are looking for a new approach to politics-as-usual in the Capitol, Leppert is their answer."
The question, of course, is whether Leppert, Cruz, Craig James and several lesser-known candidates can keep Dewhurst under 50 percent.
On the Democratic side, the Star-Telegram endorsed former state Rep. Paul Sadler of Henderson.


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A more focused and mature Dez Bryant revealed Tuesday that he has "found" himself and is comfortable with his life.
Bryant's coach is on board with that self-assessment.
Two months after calling Bryant a "really, really good young man," Jason Garrett said Wednesday that the talented Dallas Cowboys wide receiver is "really, really a joy to coach."
Garrett's adverb torture might leave his Ivy League English 101 professor cringing, but it's still refreshing to see the encouraging feedback after Bryant was unfairly branded as a ne'er-do-well over his first three offseasons.
"He has such passion for the game," Garrett added, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "He loves it. He loves his teammates. He loves to play."
Now that Bryant has turned a corner in his career, Garrett puts the onus on the Cowboys' coaching staff to show him just how good he can be. Even after Bryant led all NFL receivers in touchdowns over the second half of the season, Garrett watches the tape and says, "Boy, you can play so much better. So much better."
If that happens, Bryant won't catch any more flak for setting his sights on the NFL's first 2,000-yard receiving season.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.


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Spiral Dynamics ® is a model, which has been developed over the last thirty years to describe the underlying dynamics and stages through which human societies have evolved over the last 100,000 years or more.
Spiral Dynamics® proposes a series of eight nodal levels of social development, which extends to twenty-four when entering and exiting phases are included.
More levels will emerge as we continue to evolve.
Complexity Theory also gives many insights into social evolution.
It may explain the underlying mechanisms by which the Spiral Dynamics levels self organise into higher emergent levels.
An integration of the two systems would give a greater insight into our past as well as our possible futures.
This paper aims to open discussion on two relatively new areas of science and how an integration of their ideas might increase our understanding of societal development.
Post image: http://bit.ly/ArXJl4
Mega bonus:
Via Mhd.Shadi Khudr, Christophe Bredillet


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Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey will announce that she is charging George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, Fox News is reporting via The Washington Post:
It is unclear what charges he will face.
The unarmed Martin, an African-American, was shot and killed in a gated community in Sanford, Fla., by neighborhood watchman Zimmerman, who claims he was acting in self-defense.
Zimmerman's lack of arrest in the case has sparked nationwide protests by civil rights activists who claim race has been a factor in the investigation.
Corey had told reporters on Tuesday that she would hold a news conference about the case within 72 hours. A news release from her office said the event will be held in Sanford or Jacksonville, Fla., the Washington Post reported. While it's unclear what charges Zimmerman may face, first-degree murder is not an option since Corey declined to take the case to a grand jury.
Meanwhile, Zimmerman's attorneys announced earlier they were withdrawing from his case, after being unable to contact him.
Lawyers Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig on Tuesday expressed concern about Zimmerman's emotional and physical well-being, saying he has taken actions without consulting them, according to the Washington Post report. They said they did not know where Zimmerman is.
"You can stop looking in Florida," Uhrig said. "Look much further away than that."


text: Alfonzo Posted September 24, 2012 And now it's officially a series! Way to go :) While everyone is eagerly waiting for the Snakes interview to link in, allow me to remind you all of the Hellbent interview that is waiting in the wings! I don't have many questions to commit to the interview at this stage, unfortuantely, and we're both straining at the leash to get this particular one underway... so wheel them in, people! Questions for Hellbent. PM me! 0 Share this post Link to post


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It is almost Thanksgiving here in the U.S. and the digital scrapbooking world is more than prepared for all those holiday and gratitude-filled layouts. There are a lot of thankful-themed new digi products available right now. Let's go take a look at just some of the newest releases.
Designer Digitals
Designer Digitals has two new whimsical digital collections out this week. Katie Pertiet's kit includes 10 12 x 12 papers, word strip labels, buttons, flowers and a lot more. Her colors are beautiful and traditional – orange brown, red and green. Pattie Knox has also released an adorable new kit. Hers includes both patterned paper and cardstock, cardstock stickers and puffy stickers, along with a bunch of whimsical embellishments – all designed with muted tones of blue, khaki, orange, and green.


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In this new series, we are profiling legal professionals and J.D.s and asking them the hard questions that don't always get answered in law school. For example, how did they find their job? What do they do on a day-to-day basis? And, was law school a worthwhile investment?
Of course, for this series, I had to interview one of my own mentors, Amanda Ellis, Author, Attorney Recruiter/Search Consultant, and Co-Founder of #LawJobChat (our joint project!). Amanda began her career as a bankruptcy attorney where she learned the benefits of waking up at 4:30 am to start work. She transitioned to a career at a large search firm where she found her niche – networking and recruiting. She decided to go off on her own. For the past two years, she's continued her recruiting business and wrote a book entitled, The 6Ps of the BIG 3 for Job-Seeking JDs: 60+ Ways to Get Hired Using Social Networking. She now speaks at law firms and law schools on legal career topics.
RecruiterEsq: Hi Amanda! Thanks for speaking with us. What are the 6Ps of the Big 3?
The 6Ps are the components required to use the Big 3 social networking sites successfully in your job search (or in business development): Purpose, Profile, Privacy, Performance, Practice and Protocol.
How did you decide to write this book?
When I started my own recruiting firm, I started writing a monthly e-newsletter. I frequently wrote about using social networking in your job search. An increasing number of law schools began to read my newsletter and some asked me to speak at their schools. The more I spoke, the more I realized how many people were interested in this subject. And, there was no guide or resource to teach law students how to use the sites. I decided I had to write a book.
I'm glad you did! I'm so proud of you. Who do you think can benefit from this book?
While the examples in the book are from law students and lawyers using the sites, the book is helpful for anyone searching for a job or looking to develop business. I've even had friends share the book with their grandparents who wanted to learn how to use Facebook.
That's funny! You self-published the book. What did you learn from that experience?
Well, I can't say that I would attempt to self-publish another book again while running a recruiting business.
Yeah, I have to admit, I didn't envy you although I was impressed with your pursuit. What is the most common question you hear from law students across the country as you speak about getting hired through social networking?
"There are lawyers on Twitter?!" I hear this statement after each presentation. They are surprised that to learn that there is a legal community on Twitter. The second question I get is, "Is it okay to connect with lawyers even though I've never met them?" I refer them back to the "Purpose" of Twitter (hint: yes, it's okay – the purpose of Twitter is to connect with people you want to get to know).
Are the tips in your book applicable to law firms that want to hire those JDs? Will it teach firms how to identify and recruit laterals or new lawyers?
Absolutely! Law firms can take the same steps to attract candidates from their existing networks. In my book, I discuss several free ways law firms can share job openings on social networking sites, including:
- Facebook Note (page. 126). The Facebook Note allows you to use more characters than a status update. You can also tag friends who may be interested in the position you post in the Note. And, your friends can share the Note so that it appears on their Facebook pages.
- Facebook Marketplace (p. 129). Firms can post job openings in the Facebook classifieds.
- Facebook Firm Page (p. 131). Firms can post job openings on their own Facebook page, and the posting can be shared by fans of the page.
- LinkedIn Group Job Posting (p. 171). Identify the LinkedIn Groups that will contain candidates you are seeking and post jobs in the relevant Groups.
- Facebook or LinkedIn Status Update (p. 174). Firm recruiters and hiring personnel can share job openings in their individual status updates on Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Tweet Job Openings (p. 201). Share your job openings on Twitter.
Great advice. How did you get into recruiting? Why did you decide to leave the practice of law?
I never wanted to be a lawyer – I went to law school because I didn't know what I wanted to do. I always pictured myself in a consulting role of some type. I hated law school but I loved practicing. I loved practicing because I liked the "business" of practicing law. I was very fortunate to have a section head who was a top rainmaker and mentored me about the business side. I began to create a list of career options that would combine business plus law. Recruiting was one of the options and the one I chose.
What were you like in law school? In which activities did you participate?
Ha! One could probably look at my law school activities and tell I would eventually land in a creative role. I was Editor of my law school's yearbook, the Peregrinus. I was also active on the Student Bar Association – Editor of The Writ, Secretary, ABA Representative. I did not participate in traditional activities like moot court – did not interest me.
Did you get your first job through your law firm's career services office or how did you get your first position?
I obtained a job offer through my law school's OCI but ultimately turned the offer down to move to Boston (where I had no contacts or ties – but, thought it would be fun to live in a different part of the country). I gained reciprocity with Boston University and Boston College. Before moving, I applied for a position one of the schools posted. I interviewed and received an offer about a month before taking the bar exam.
That's important to remember that most schools offer reciprocity with their career services, especially if you move to another state or city. In regard to your recruiting business, do you only recruit locally or in specific practice areas?
My focus is (1) all practice areas in Texas and (2) bankruptcy attorneys nationwide.
What is the toughest aspect of being a recruiter?
The roller coaster effect. As you know, you can go from an emotional high to an emotional low in one day. Understanding this concept (and how it feels) is perhaps the hardest concept for new recruiters to grasp.
Do you set goals for yourself – like, "I want to connect with this type of person by X date" or "I'll stay on Twitter for an hour today."
A great boss once told me to create a "Top 7" list – the top 7 things you hope to accomplish each day. I have to do this daily to be productive.
Top 7, eh? I think I may try this. What about rejection or people being mean on the phone? How do you handle that?
Honestly, I can probably count on one hand the number of "mean" people I've encountered either by phone or email. I really don't get many mean replies. When I do, I may vent internally but my external reply is always polite and kind.
What websites to you visit on a daily basis?
Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Above the Law.
What advice do you have for female business owners who want to start their own company?
Don't lose focus of your core business. It's great to branch out and try new things, but make sure 80% of your time is spent on your core business.
Thank you very much for enlightening our readers on what you do!
Amanda Ellis is the Owner of Amanda Ellis Legal Search. She is the author of The 6Ps of the BIG 3 for Job-Seeking JDs: 60+ Ways to Get Hired Using Social Networking and a frequent lecturer on these topics at law firms, law schools, and bar associations nationwide. You can find Amanda on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook and hear one of her presentations at Solo Practice University.


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St Mirren beat Hearts to lift the Scottish Communities League Cup at Hampden Park
St Mirren produced a stirring comeback to beat Hearts 3-2 and lift the Scottish Communities League Cup.
Last Updated: 17/03/13 8:42pm
After conceding early on, an edgy Saints looked set for a third defeat in this competition's final, but Esmael Goncalves' leveller before the break reignited the side sitting just off the foot of the SPL and goals by Steven Thompson and Conor Newton guided them to their first major trophy for 26 years.
It was tough on loser Ryan Stevenson who twice hit the woodwork and whose late second goal in this sizzling contest set up a frantic finale, but the day belonged to the battling team from Paisley.
A delightful chip by Paul McGowan almost gave them the lead (9) but it was Hearts, desperate to add to last year's Scottish Cup success, who dictated for much of the first half and soon got their reward.
After two crunching defensive tackles on the left, the ball fell kindly for Stevenson and the midfielder, banned for the semi-final, turned on the edge of the box before his deflected shot flew past Craig Samson's despairing palms.
The lead was almost doubled with John Sutton's header slamming the right post and with Michael Ngoo and Mehdi Taouil also going close, the Hearts juggernaut kept marauding forward.
The game should have been done and dusted after 36 minutes of one-way traffic, but the contest was blown wide open as St Mirren secured a shock equaliser.
Thompson's pass had Gary Teale through on goal and with keeper MacDonald to beat, the winger selflessly rolled it across for Goncalves to slot in.
The Hearts defence had started to look jittery after the break it was breached again, as Thompson smacked in Paul Dummett's low cross.
Back came Saints as the towering Ngoo, on loan from Liverpool, continued to menace, mis-hitting Taouil's cross from three yards.
Mistakes were on the rise by the tiring sides, but a moment of class had the black and white half of the stadium erupting as St Mirren had a two-goal advantage (66).
Newton burst into the box after a cute one-two with Goncalves and the 21-year-old midfielder, on loan from Newcastle, rifled in the third and his first for the club.
McHattie and Ngoo went close as Hearts fought back and they were handed a lifeline with five minutes left as Stevenson squeezed in his second soon after he saw a shot crash off the bar.
Stevenson again found the woodwork with a rasping drive, but Saints weren't to be denied as their fans celebrated their first silverware since their Scottish Cup final win over Dundee United in 1987 and help erase the memories of losing to nine-man Rangers in the 2010 League Cup final.


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A veteran school administrator is leaving the helm at the Gorham Fayette Local School District, but another is stepping in.
David Hankins, who joined the district as superintendent in 2003, announced in February he would retire at the end of 2007. Russell Griggs was hired to begin duties the first of December to give the two administrators some common time on the job.
This marks the 27th year as a superintendent for Griggs.
He started his career with the Elmwood district before beginning a 14-year stint with the Evergreen district, from 1988 through 2002.
He announced his retirement, but was hired by the Delta district for a one-year interim position—one that ended up lasting three years.
He was next hired by Stryker to serve as a one-year interim superintendent, but that job lasted two years. Now he has a one-year contract with Fayette.
The Fayette position is different in several ways, Griggs said.
"This is the first district that didn't have either severe financial problems, operational problems or major facilities problems," he said.
Fayette's building project is well underway, the district is in a financially stable position and Hankins has left the district operationally sound, Griggs said.
He looks forward to joining the transition to the new school building. He sees the benefits of having the two existing schools merged into a central location, and the new facility should also bolster community pride and spirit.
"I'm looking for a positive experience here in Fayette," Griggs said.


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For the sixth consecutive year, Hope College has been named one of the "101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" in West Michigan.
The competition is a program of the Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA). Hope and the region's other 2011 winners will be recognized during the "West Michigan's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" annual human resources symposium and awards luncheon on Thursday, May 5, at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville.
Each company's entry was evaluated by an independent research firm. The nominated companies were assessed in categories including communication, community initiatives, compensation and benefits, diversity and multiculturalism, employee education and development, employee engagement and commitment, recognition and retention, recruitment and selection, small business and work-life balance.
The winners represent industries as diverse as the automotive, insurance, hospitality, communications and non-profit sectors. They were chosen for their exceptional human resources practices, according to Jennifer Kluge, who is the MBPA chief operating officer and executive vice president, and a veteran human resources manager.
"This year's 101 award recipients stand out from most businesses in that they have exceeded traditional human resource practices to recruit, develop, motivate and retain their employees. They acknowledge the value their employees have on affecting the success of their company," said Jennifer Kluge, MBPA chief operating officer and executive vice president. "We are very impressed by the commitment that they have demonstrated to their employees."
Based in Warren, the MBPA is the largest business organization of small- to medium-sized businesses in Michigan, representing more than 20,000 members who employ more than 200,000 people. Members include attorneys, physicians, architects, accountants, construction companies, banks, retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and the like. Member businesses receive numerous benefits, including free legal and financial consultations; discounted technology, automotive and office products; employee training and recruitment assistance; and competitive insurance rates. The MBPA is a sister association to the Michigan Food & Beverage Association (MFBA).
The "101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" recognition is also presented annually in Metro Detroit, Chicago, Ill., and Atlanta, Ga., in addition to in West Michigan.
Sponsors of the "West Michigan's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Davenport University, Grand Rapids Business Journal, WOOD TV8, WOOD Talk Radio, The Employers' Association, AT & T Michigan, DTE Energy, Spectrum Health, Staples, Rehmann and Progressive AE.