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Positive parent-child relationships set the stage for children's success in school and in life. Therefore, parents are our most important partners for supporting the development and well-being of young children.
Use the resources on this page to increase your knowledge about parenting programs that are most likely to be effective with families of young children in the settings where you work. Find tips and strategies for how to implement them well.
Watch this brief overview of the Compendium of Parenting Interventions. Learn how it can provide your program, community, network, or state with information to make choices about parenting interventions. These interventions offer families the chance to learn more about their child, reduce family stress, and deepen parent satisfaction.
An Introduction to the Compendium of Parenting Interventions
Additional Resources for An Introduction to the Compendium of Parenting Interventions
Compendium of Parenting Interventions
Explore this collection of evidence-based parenting interventions for programs, states, and child care network leaders. It includes all the information you need to make choices about parenting interventions you can implement in your program.
Implementing Parenting Interventions in Early Care and Education Settings: A Guidebook for Implementation
Learn about the steps and best practices for selecting and implementing a parenting intervention with this easy-to-use tool for programs, states, and child care network leaders. The guidebook is a companion to the Compendium of Parenting Interventions.
Topic: Mental Health
Keywords:Parenting programs
Resource Type:Article
Last Updated: March 1, 2019

subset: commoncrawl


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Badminton: Doubles delight
Baxter and Cann both tumble out in singles
Home hopefuls suffered a disappointing day of qualifying at the Yonex All England Championships as only two doubles pairings made it through.
Mariana Agathangelou and Heather Olver did secure their place in the main women's draw by beating Welsh duo Caroline Harvey and Carissa Turner.
The English pairing, who received a bye in the first qualifying round, triumphed 21-12 21-9 at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena.
"It is always hard to play the All England, being on home turf, so there were some nerves," said Agathangelou, of Jersey afterwards.
"But we knew we were a better pair than those two. We went out and did the job quite well and we are pretty happy."
Back-to-back wins
There was also success for men's pair Andrew Ellis and Dean George, as they progressed in the doubles thanks to back-to-back victories.
They opened up with a 21-10 21-15 result against Vitaly Konov and Dmytro Zavadsky from the Ukraine before knocking out Russians Vitalij Durkin and Alexandr Nikolaenko 21-19 21-18.
However, seven other doubles pairings across all disciplines tumbled out, while there was no joy for either Carl Baxter or Elizabeth Cann in the singles.
Cann started well in the women's event by beating Canadian Anna Rice 22-20 14-21 21-14 but then lost 21-15 21-16 to Linda Zechiri of Bulgaria.
Canadian-born Baxter fell at the first hurdle in qualifying for the men's, though, going down 21-18 24-26 21-16 to Japan's Kazushi Yamada.
Source from Sky SPORTS
Follow @ChauYap
Return from Badminton: Doubles delight to Badminton News & Videos
Return from Badminton: Doubles delight to Badminton Information
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You should check out my beautiful, and oldest, friend's new blog – Holly&Harold
Lizzie and I don't see each other as much as we should, mainly due to my lack of money, but I am excited that I can now follow her life in London a little bit better.
© 2015 Oh Gosh Blog | Em. Kiersten Template designed by Georgia Lou Studios All rights reserved.


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The Urban Spectrum Theatre, now in its 44th year of presenting quality, accessible theatre to the inner city, and providing an opportunity for community residents, particularly young people, to work with more experienced performers, is pleased to announce the remount of the highly successful WARM DARK DUSK.The show played to full houses at the Phoenix Theatre in 2016, and was so well received that the company has been invited as a guest performing company at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul April 12 – 22.
This unique production, produced and directed by the company's artistic director and founder, Judy Cooper Lyle, is a jazz music and dance interpretation of the poetry of Langston Hughes. Original music, and music from the 1920's, '30's, and '40's add to the spice of a selection of Mr. Hughes' pieces in four segments, The Blues, Night Life, Dance, and Love & Sex. A corps of six able dancers, two vocalists, three musicians, and the main character playing Langston Hughes have created a show to remember. Florence Lyle is responsible for the masterful choreography, and Joey Schad directs the music.
Look for us on the cover of TOSCA!


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Introduction: How to Make Awesome Rainbow Cupcakes
This Instructable will show you how to make awesome rainbow cupcakes that not only look good but taste good too! Your friends will only think it took you forever to make these cupcakes. Only you will know that it did not take all day to make them.
Teacher Notes
Teachers! Did you use this instructable in your classroom?
Add a Teacher Note to share how you incorporated it into your lesson.
Step 1: Gather Everything You Will Need in One Place
- White cake mix (make sure it is not yellow or it will distort the colors)
- White frosting
- Water
- eggs or egg substitutes (egg whites)
- Food coloring (green, yellow, red, blue)
- Butter/ vegetable oil/shortening
- Large six tin muffin pan
- Cupcake liners
- Plastic containers to separate batter
- Mixer or spoon to hand mix batter
Step 2: Put the Cupcake Liners in the Cupcake Pan
Put the cupcake liners in the pan and double up on them because they keep the cupcake shape better. You can always take off one or both liners before presenting.
Step 3: Prepare the Cake Mix According to the Directions on the Box
Prepare the cake as per the directions on the box. I substituted egg whites for real eggs.
Step 4: Mix!
Mix all the wet ingredients with the dry mix until smooth but do not over mix. Over mixing will cause the batter to be too dense when baked, it will not bake correctly and will be more like a pudding. Smooth batter also facilitates in mixing in the dye.
Step 5: Time to Add the Food Coloring!
Step 6: Mix the Food Coloring in the Batter
Now this is the fun part because you get to be as creative as you want! Once you have added the food coloring, mix with a fork and add more food coloring as needed. The more food coloring you add the darker the rainbow colors will be.
Step 7: Add the Layers of the Rainbow
Now decide in which order you would like the colors of your rainbow and pour each layer, making sure to cover the previous layer. You can play around with the batter at this point and you can make some layers thicker than others or you can make your layers the same thickness. I tried to make these the same thickness.
Step 8: Now Put the Rainbow Cupcakes in the Oven
Using the baking instructions on your cake box, bake the cupcakes!
Step 9: Check to See If the Cupcakes Are Done Using a Wooden Skewer
Since rainbow cakes are no good to anyone if they are under baked, use a wooden skewer to check to see if they are done. If batter comes off on the wooden skewer bake a few more minutes. If the skewer comes out clean, your cupcakes are done! Take the cupcakes out of the cupcake pan and let them cool.
Step 10: Let's See What the Inside of the Rainbow Looks Like
The layers look great and the taking off the second cupcake liner allows you to really see the nice rainbow patter while the cupcake is still intact. I am showing the cupcake cut in half so that you do not have to "destroy" a perfectly good cupcake. :-)
Step 11: Time to Frost
This is the easiest part. Once and only once the cupcake has completely cooled off, you can start frosting the cupcakes. All you have to do is open the can of frosting and start frosting. I used a dinner knife but any knife will do.
Step 12: Your Rainbow Cupcakes Are Done!
Now that the cupcakes have been frosted, now it is time to dazzle your guests with your fantastic cupcakes!
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33 Discussions
I'm so going to make these next time I make cupcakes! Oh, but did you know this? If you put the icing in an icing bag or a sandwich bag with a hole cut in the corner, it's easier to dole out batter. I've used this technique every time I've made cupcakes and it's never let me down!
if you got the message please sorry about that.
Kwartzkitten, glad you stopped by and I am glad you liked the cupcakes! I did know the tip about icing in a ziplock bag but I have only tried it with icing I have made myself which is a bit more pliable than the stuff I had. I was using a store bought tub of icing and that stuff is SUPER THICK. But now that I think about it, I could microwave a bit of the store bought stuff and THEN put it in a ziplock!
BTW, if you make them, please post a pic!
Okay, no problem! But I realize now that I mistyped. I meant if you put the batter in an icing bag, it was easier to dole out batter. That ought to teach me to proofread more!
Now batter in an icing bag, now that is genius. Thanks for sharing. I'll be doing that next time.
Just glad I could help.
What have you done to Dashie!?
Either way, really awesome.
i like your picture.
rainbow foods are so popular these days :D really awesome!
I guess this doesn't work with chocolate dough? :(
now the very hard decision, rainbow cupcakes or chocolate cupcakes :o
Well, you could mix chocolate in the mixture in the same way the food coloring is added so you'd get swirls of chocolate.
pic3: like a piece of modern art :D
Yes, it does look like modern art. That is, art you can eat. ;-)
im trying them right now will post a pic when there out of the oven :) So excited
That's so cool. Post a picture when you are done!
Yum, looking at this makes my mouth water, I can't wait to try!!
Post a picture and let me know how they are!
Thank you!
A dash of rainbow in every bite.


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"PRAYER: a prayer for the body and soul" is an exhibit presenting two renowned Long Island Artists: sculptures by Lawrence Schloss and paintings by George Schulman. Curated by Bat-Sheva Slavin, Hyams Museum Curator.
Opening Reception Wednesday, September 9, 6-9 PM
Classical music- Christine Smith & cello James Acampora
Hyams Judaica Museum
Temple Beth Sholom, 401 Roslyn Road, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577


text: Can't make it down to one of the many open auditions taking place up and down the country for the new Star Wars film? Not to worry, as Disney are now accepting audition submissions online. Probably a safer bet than stuffing a message in an escape-pod-bound droid and hoping for the best. Star Wars Kid below must have had insider knowledge all those years ago. [Metro]


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Internet-Connected Toys May Be Great Gifts, But Pose Risks To Kids
You're better off gifting building blocks or a traditional doll that doesn't talk back
Unlike the Elf on the Shelf, the popular toy that pretends to watch if kids are naughty or nice, Internet-connected toys are often actually watching and listening to your children — and that should be concerning to many parents.
Toys belonging to the "internet of things" may be popular this holiday season, but they pose several risks to today's youth. Smart dolls like Hello Barbie and My Friend Cayla and robots like the i-QUE have been reported to be at risk of getting hacked or being exploited by manufacturers for marketing purposes.
Children advocacy groups and privacy firms generally advise parents to avoid buying toys that are connected to the Internet. Not only do they put kids at risk, but they also hinder their creativity and development.
"My hot tip is pretty simple, don't buy Internet-connected toys," Josh Golin, executive director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, told Vocativ. "Children have very intimate conversations with dolls in which they reveal personal details about who they are, their parents and other sensitive information."
Golin said these conversations can be recorded by manufactures or unknown entities and sometimes sent to third-parties. Doing that without parents' clear consent violates the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits "unfair or deceptive acts of practices in or affecting commerce."
The CFCC, along with other organizations, recently filed a complaint asking the Federal Trade Commission to take action against toy manufacturers such as Genesis Toys that are recording data without consent and sending it to third parties. Under COPPA, parents should have control over their kids' data and be able to access, review and even delete the data. These organizations are also asking stores like Amazon and Walmart to discontinue one toy, My Friend Cayla, from store shelves.
These issues are not exclusive to just one toy, according to Golin. It's happening all across the industry.
In the past, toys from the company Vtech have also been reported as targets of cyber-attacks. Other toys that can connect to the Internet but have not had reports of being hacked include the Furby Connect, Fisher-Price's Smart Toy Monkey, CognitoToys' Dino and Cloud Pets.
Most of these toy's terms and services are not displayed on the packaging, which leaves parents blindsided. The CFCC's complaint to the FTC also asked for some sort of regulation that forces manufacturers to display their privacy policy on packaging rather than on the app's terms of service — which many people simply don't read.
The CFCC recommends parents opt out of buying "smart" toys and stick to the classics since they don't pose any privacy and security risks and they're just better for the imagination.
"When it comes to toys less is actually more," Golin said. "The best type of toy is 90 percent child and 10 percent toy, which means that it's a toy that kids shape with their imagination."
Susan Linn, founder of the CFCC and lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said the best toys to gift this holiday season are those that promote creativity.
"For young children its best to avoid electronic toys and provide them with toys that really do promote critical thinking and creativity so things like art supplies, blocks and stuffed animals that don't talk back," Lin said. "Once a toy starts talking back a child is deprived from the opportunity to make up their own conversation, voice and personality."
Of course, not all smart toys are bad. Some can help kids learn to code, which is a valuable skill for their future. However, Linn, who has written extensively on commercial marketing effects on children, suggests parents wait until children are eight or nine years old to use coding toys.
"Having a pre-schooler learning to code might sound like a good idea, but it doesn't give them the space to grow," Linn said. "Very young children learn best with all of their senses."
Studies in the past have shown that results for the Torrance Test of Creativity at schools, which is composed of divergent thinking and problem-solving skills, have significantly decreased since 1990. Linn suggest that the results are due to the shift in toy marketing and technology influence.
Parent who still want to buy smart toys for their children, despite privacy concerns, can still try and protect their house from becoming a cyber-attack target. There's hardware and software such as F-Secure, CUJO and the Luma Wi-Fi Router that add an extra layer of security to home networks.


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This week marked the beginning of the spring semester at Kent State, where I teach journalism as a professional in residence. One of the rituals of the first day of class is to go over the syllabus, which, because of required language, reads like a last will and testament.
I spruce it up where I can, and I always include a few thoughts about how we will conduct ourselves for the next 15 weeks:
Whenever you send an email, use proper grammar and punctuation. Also, good manners elevate human exchanges, and they will help you in whatever career you pursue. I'm not worried about this with all of you. In my experience, virtually all students have engaged with respect and thoughtfulness. I recommend this approach as a lifelong practice. ... Every class will be a discussion among writers. Let's not talk over one another. We will engage with civility, always.
This is an unnecessary reminder, really. As I have learned, civility — which, to me, involves using basic manners — is the currency of most millennials. Every group has its outliers, but if I were forced to choose one group of people to be cooped up with during these long days of winter, I'd pick millennials. So, lucky me, here I am.
Civility matters to me, in large part because of who is excluded with the coarsening. Most thoughtful people don't want to be yelled at, and they certainly don't want to feel threatened. They want to be heard.
For about a decade now, I've been moderating public discussions on my Facebook wall. We've built quite a community by agreeing that we will engage with civility. I block anyone who isn't willing to do so. My kitchen, my rules.
Every so often, I post a list of guidelines with a photo of our dog, Franklin, looking over a pair of reading glasses. Mock me if you will, but I'm telling you, nothing gets the public's attention faster than the face of a canine intellectual.
I encourage people to avoid questioning fellow commenters' intelligence, their capacity to learn or the strength of their family's gene pool. I also ask them not to correct other people's spelling or grammar in threads on my wall. As far back as January 2015, I explained that "as the last few months in Washington, D.C., have illustrated, many a fine education is wasted. Learned is not the same as wise."
My Lord, what I didn't see coming.
There's a reason I'm laying out my commitment to civility, and it has everything to do with coverage of recent comments by the president of the United States.
On Jan. 11, Donald Trump sat in the Oval Office and reportedly complained to lawmakers about immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and the whole continent of Africa.
Some news organizations initially struggled over whether they should quote Trump directly as saying, "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?" He also reportedly suggested the U.S. should bring in more people from Norway, which, not remotely coincidentally, is a lot whiter than Haiti, El Salvador and Africa.
A full 24 hours after this was reported, not one Republican in that room had rebutted this account. By the weekend, though, a couple of them sounded like two kids coordinating their story about how the cat got in the dryer.
Uh-uh, they claimed, Trump didn't say "hole." He said "house." How is that any better? More than a whole day later, and that's what they came up with. Nothing like the tick-tick-tick of time to reveal a straight-out lie.
It didn't occur to me that news organizations wouldn't accurately quote the president's racist comment until I woke up Friday morning to NPR's repeatedly referring to it as merely "vulgar." The story on NPR's website used "s***hole." I was one of many on social media who criticized this decision, and I'm glad that NPR rethought its policy.
Still, too much of the discussion about this is turning on whether we're letting Trump debase our discourse. This is not the issue at hand, and I say that as someone deeply committed to civility. It's not our job to protect the American public from the president's racism.
This is the world we're in, not the world we want. Our challenge, as Americans who care about this country, is how to combat the former while working to bring about the latter.
Yes, yes, the children are listening.
Could there be any greater incentive than that?
Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and professional in residence at Kent State University's school of journalism. She is the author of two books, including "...and His Lovely Wife," which chronicled the successful race of her husband, Sherrod Brown, for the U.S. Senate. To find out more about Connie Schultz ([email protected]) and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.


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The fading façade of 33 Main Street, Gorebridge, hints at a once burgeoning local enterprise which was a staple of commercial life in the town throughout both the last decades of the 19th, and the early decades of the 20th Century. Lesser known is the story of how this popular and prosperous family was one of many in the town to be wrought by the horrors and harm of the First World War, a war which would plunge the family and town into sorrow.
Wickham's drapery business, which was active in the village from 1870-1933, is still recognisable from the faded golden lettering above what was formerly the entrance to the premise. Staying at nearby Mullabrach House on Private Road, the family was firmly at the centre of village life; John Wickham was also the postmaster of the neighbouring post office, as his father had been before him. The family were closely involved with other local enterprises, John was a member of the Golf Club, becoming a senior member on its board. The family had also developed a tradition of horse-riding and rearing in the area, and so it comes as no surprise, then, that when the call to arms came both brothers, Thomas and James, would enrol in the Lothians and Border Horse regiment.
James and Thomas were educated at Stobhill Primary School, James then moving on to the Royal High School in Edinburgh where he would become a Prizeman and MacDonald medallist. Afterwards James would receive a preliminary offer from the Civil Service in London, which he would accept but then return North to continue his studies – only then for war to break out.
Unsurprisingly, life at the front was hard for such young men, James, born 1896, was only eighteen when the call came for young men to join the fight, his younger brother Thomas, born in 1900, only sixteen years of age. Stationed in both France and Belgium, James wrote a heartfelt letter home to the drapery for his mother Agnes, yearning for a return home on February 14th, 1916. It read:
'The hum and roar of the Pullman, very pleasing to the sense, acquires a new significance when "over the border". Magic words in days of yore when stout Scottish hearts beat in scornful unison in the hatred of the Sassenach, there still remains an exquisite feeling too deep for words when an exile is once again north of the Cheviots.
Up the Liddel and right through the heart of the Southern Uplands is at all times a region of matchless beauty, but to the Scot, with the mud of Flanders still on his boots, and the flat, watery, cheerless pains in his memory, the beauty is trebled.
But the moment comes when in the grey morning the engine labours as she ascends the Gala Water. Every aspect is known, every bend anticipated. Trivial incidents in childhood years are remembered and magnified. There is a hill over which a tramp seemed hard work, and here a tyre puncture made the road a heartless tyrant. But the hill and the road are now mutely sympathetic. The train is over, and the pull becomes a glide, and you know, without looking, that the Fala Hill is surmounted. Objects become still more familiar and dearer. You are going far too fast now. Would the train slacken speed that the enjoyment be prolonged!
Down in the valley in Borthwick Castle, and, round about, the home of kinsfolk. Then follow the Golf Course, where so many happy days were spent and unappreciated, and then the Mill, where every stick and stone on the winding road are known. One wants to grab the unoffending person in the corner and say to him, "That's 'Our' Mill, 'Our' village," and a world of 'ours', which up to the present have seemed nothing out of the ordinary.
And now in a short hour, which you know will seem endless, you will be home. The word used thoughtlessly before has now a wealth of meaning, indescribable, unfathomable, unlimited; and now that home is about to take a tangible for after those weary months, there descends a peace of mind which this common case is the most perfect ever experienced.
Trooper James B. Wickham
1st Lothian and Borders Horse'
James would never return home to the valley at Borthwick Castle, or the days at the golf course he felt he sorely under appreciated. Five months this heartfelt reminisces home to his mother he would be killed in action. The Dalkeith Advertiser reported the death a week after as follows:
'The village has been plunged into mourning by news from the front of the death of Trooper James B Wickham, of the Lothian and Border Horse, on the evening of 17th July. For two months he had been engaged on observation duty, a work entailing much responsibility, and it was while thus engaged that an enemy shell instantaneously killed him … Trooper Wickham was the second son of Mr and Mrs Wickham, Mullabrach … When war broke out his course of study was arrested, but he obtained short leave to prepare himself for the examination for the Civil Service (2nd Division).'
Like over 100 other residents of the village of Gorebridge who gave their lives throughout the horrifying years of 1914-18, James' name is enshrined on the Stobhill War Memorial. He is buried with headstone at La Laiterie Military Ceremony in Belgium and is further remembered in a memorial at Borthwick Church.
Unlike his brother, Thomas Heyland Wickham would return from the war to the drapery on the Main Street and the family home on Private Road. He would be honoured with both the British Medal and Mercantile Marine Medals – issued to those who had taken part in dangerous voyages during the war. Their mother would cherish the letter received from James shortly before his death, and the enterprise on the Main Street would continue to aid in the thriving economy of a once burgeoning Main Street.


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This Week
Monday: No School - MLK Day
A Look Ahead
January 28 Parent Club General Meeting and special presentation by the counseling staff
Westridge Auction Help Needed!
We are so grateful for their support of our Oktoberfest auction and now we can return the favor! Westridge, Rivergrove and Hallinan Elementaries are looking for LJHS parents to help with their auctions. Volunteers would be selling raffle tickets, helping with silent auction items and check in/out. Click here to find out more about dates and to sign up.
Step up and Give Some Time
Volunteer at Lunch (no commitment, 3 time slots per day to choose from, see link for info)
Volunteer from Home (computer-based tasks, Foundation calling)
Volunteer with Kids (Art Lit, School Store)
Volunteer at Auctions (Westridge, Hallinan, Lakeridge High, Rivergrove)
Volunteer your Ideas (Board positions available, attend Parent Club meetings)
Because it takes a Community.
Only 3 spots left on the hosted February 6th Card-making party at Paper Source - book online, only $20 and 100% benefits LJHS.
There are two new programs for LJHS - Box Tops and eScrip are up and running! All details on our website.
Tri-fold Display Boards for Science Project/Presentations available at The Power House for $4.00. Also available at the front office!
Volunteers needed for the Power House School Store. The last 15 minutes of any lunch would be greatly appreciated. Contact Nilla for more information.


text:
Spend $200 & get free delivery to most of Australia
Click here for all Australian freight rates
- Melbourne 1-3 working days
- Sydney 2-3 working days
- Brisbane 3-5 working days
- Adelaide 3-5 working days
- Perth 5-10+ working days
For express service, call 1800 069 295 for a quote.
International deliveries click here We cannot ship to all countries.
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2010 Chateau Mont-Redon Chateauneuf du Pape
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- Cellar 5 - 6 years (2018-2019)
- Closure: Cork
Opaque black purple red colour with purple red hue. The nose shows good lift with scents of dark raspberry and liquorice to the fore followed by a touch of lavender, some earth and spice. Medium weight the palate possesses flavours of dark raspberry, black cherry, a touch of liquorice, earth and spice. Very fine grained tannins provide the wine with a supple mouthfeel. Medium to long aftertaste of dark raspberry, liquorice, dried meats and spice.
Cellar 5-6 years.
Alc 14.5%
Other Reviews….
This well-known, large (over 250 acres) Chateauneuf du Pape estate has produced some of the greatest Chateauneuf du Papes I have ever tasted, including their 1949 (one of the top 25 wines of my lifetime), 1955 and 1961. This visit was the first time I have had a chance to taste these wines in many years, and it appears a younger generation is making a comeback with their offerings from Lirac and Chateauneuf du Pape.
An exceptionally strong effort, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape should eclipse the quality, longevity and overall character of the 2009. Its dense ruby/purple hue is followed by notes of cassis, kirsch, lavender, pepper and earth. Deep, full-bodied, textured, pure and long with sweet tannins as well as admirable focus and delineation, it will age gracefully for 15 or more years.
91-93 points
Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate


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Asterisk World Miami 2014 in Progress
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Wednesday - 01/29/14
Continental Breakfast
Wednesday - 01/29/14
Using Asterisk to Increase Security and Reduce Emergency Response Times (A Success Story with the Mexican Government)
Juan Carlos Fernandez Busto
-Telecomunicaciones Abiertas de Mexico SA de CV
Due to the increasing insecurity faced by journalists and human rights workers in Mexico, the Mexican Government passed a law in 2012 calling for the rapid implementation of measures to help protect them. In response, Telecomunicaciones Abiertas de Mexico provided an innovative, practical, reliable, and costeffective solution using an Asteriskbased system in conjunction with other technologies. The system was in place and operational by the end of 2012 and has been used successfully to defuse dangerous situations to its users.The system allows the journalists to send alarms of distress from their mobile phones in case of emergency by simply dialing a preprogrammed speeddial number. The alarm activation automatically triggers a series of events and has the capability of notifying family members, colleagues, government officials, and security forces within a matter of seconds. Depending on the device used to send the distress call, the system is capable of distributing the audio of the subscriber or the GPS location of the phone from which the call was made, the latter being extremely useful when dangerous circumstances prevent the subscriber from being able to communicate verbally.This multitechnology system can be applied not only for journalists but also in many types of security or emergency situations. It is only one of the many examples in which Asterisk, when used creatively and in conjunction with other technologies, can provide an endless possibility of stateoftheart applications in response to reallife problems.
Wednesday - 01/29/14
Security Issues in SIP Based VoIP Server
Yeasir Arafat
-Dhakacom Limited
Session Initiation Protocol is a core protocol for real time communication networks, including VoIP. In this paper, the authors ensured security for asterisk based SIP server using linux kernel packet filtering firewall tools know as iptables using port number by allowing and disallowing particular IP address or IP addresses with subnet. To protect the SIP server from external attack rules applied at linux iptables for the useful protocol and with their port number such as SSH port22, SIP port5060, HTTPS port443, TCP, UDP, RTP, ICMP etc. A popular simulation software or network protocol analyzer known as Wireshark is used to describe how the iptables rules worked that applied for above protocols and shows the changes before and after applying rules. This paper also shows the asterisk server monitoring using the Linux kernel log files and asterisk command line interface CLI that shows the successful and unsuccessful SSH login sessions and web based login HTTPS with IP addresses list, SIP register request to the SIP server with user agent IP address and other updates that takes by the Linux kernel.
Wednesday - 01/29/14
How Do You Penetrate the Government to Further Expand VOIP?
Michael Price
-MarketUS, LLC.
Old school bidding is not the way to go. With a GSA contract, you have unlimited revenue opportunities without bidding. This vehicle enables you to provide the government with their mission critical products/services for the next 20 years.
Wednesday - 01/29/14
Asterisk and the Community
David Duffett
Community Director, Asterisk & FreePBX
-Digium, A Sangoma Company
Attend this session to get an update on the Asterisk project where its at, whats coming next along with some key information about the Community around Asterisk and the way it continues to evolve.
Wednesday - 01/29/14
Conference Luncheon
Wednesday - 01/29/14
Award-Winning UC for Your Business or for Your Customers
For years, Switchvox has been changing the way people communicate. The awardwinning unified communications system is the perfect fit for small and medium businesses whether deployed onpremises or in the Cloud. Mobile applications, realtime call control and visibility with the Switchboard and the power to easily integrate 3rd party applications are just the beginning of the robust feature set that has made it the best value in UC. Come learn how Switchvox and Switchvox Cloud can improve your business or how they can become a key driver for your company's growth.
Wednesday - 01/29/14
Asterisk at Berkshire Hathaway Media
Corey McFadden
Founder & President
With more than 68 newspapers and other titles, Berkshire Hathaway Media Group has challenging telecommunications needs. Having selected Asterisk and Digium's Switchvox solution to replace many of its aging legacy systems, BH Media is also growing and evolving its network footprint. Voneto will present a selection of case studies from its work with BH Media, including: Using Switchvox and Asterisk to replace legacy PBX platforms; Transition to a new national VoIP carrier; Enterprise fax server solution based on Digium Fax for Asterisk FFA; And much more!
Wednesday - 01/29/14
Keynote Presentation by IBM
Dr. Angel Luis Diaz
Vice President of Open Technology & Cloud Performance Solutions
-IBM Software Group
Wednesday - 01/29/14
Battle in the Cloud
Wednesday - 01/29/14
ITEXPO Exhibit Hall Grand Opening
Wednesday - 01/29/14
Extended Networking in Asterisk World Pavilion on Expo Floor
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Thursday - 01/30/14
Continental Breakfast
Thursday - 01/30/14
Alcatel-Lucent Presentation
Cassidy Shield
Vice President, Marketing Platforms Business Division
Thursday - 01/30/14
Dr. Satwant Kaur, "First Lady of Emerging Technologies"
Thursday - 01/30/14
CIO Roundtable: Rationalizing the Dataverse – How Big Data is Changing Everything
Tery Howard
Senior VP, CTO
-Miami Dolphins
Shadrach Kisten
VP of IT
-Sesame Workshop/Sesame Street
Ramon Milan
-Carnival Cruise Lines
Herman Nell
Waves of Big Data are crashing over the enterprise, generating opportunities and challenges for CIOs as they seek to manage, interpret, channel and prioritize this new intel in a datadriven economy. This wealth of information means their companies are better informed and better connected than ever, and the winner will be the companies that can effectively mine this information to better meet the needs of internal and external customers. This keynote panel of leading CIOs will discuss what keeps them up at night, what obstacles to technology adoption they face, what hurdles they know they can overcome and what's on their wish list for 2014.
Thursday - 01/30/14
ITEXPO Exhibit Hall Open
Thursday - 01/30/14
Conference Luncheon
Thursday - 01/30/14
Digium Cloud Services Insight
Brian Ferguson
Product Manager, Switchvox
Bryan Johns
Director of Digium Services
It's no secret that Software as a Service is here to stay and Digium is at the forefront of the SasS revolution. 2013 was a landmark year for Digium with the introduction of Switchvox Cloud and the formation of Digium Cloud Services and 2014 promises to be groundbreaking. Come join us for to see how Digium Cloud Services is already changing the industry and what you can expect to see in the coming year.
Thursday - 01/30/14
FreePBX: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Preston McNair
Vice President of Sales, Americas
Find out how FreePBX grew to be more than just an easy way to write config files for Asterisk, to become the most widely adopted Open Source PBX Platform and EcoSystem in the world, we will provide an overview of what the FreePBX project is and a timeline in history of how FreePBX has evolved into what it is today, how our millions of users benefit and review our plans for FreePBX for the next year as well as features and ideas that are being worked on to keep up with the rapid advancements in technology.
Thursday - 01/30/14
Developing Custom Phone Apps
Billy Chia
Training Specialist
Mark Spencer
Founder & CTO
In this session Mark Spencer and Billy Chia will walk you through the ins and outs of developing custom applications for Digium IP Phones and Asterisk. Because Digium IP Phones are designed specifically for Asterisk they expose unique features that tightly integrate your custom IP phone app with your Asterisk Sever. This technical overview will outline the development tools available using reference code from an example application written using Asterisk, AMI, Node.js and the Digium IP Phone JavaScript API.
Thursday - 01/30/14
The Elastix Call Center Protocol Revealed
Eduardo Sellanes
Well take a close look to the open protocol for call centers developed by Elastix. Well start our tour with the definition of the protocol, checking its structure and main features, and end up with practical related examples in PHP programming. If you want to develop applications for callcenter, this conference is focused for you.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Friday - 01/31/14
Continental Breakfast
Friday - 01/31/14
Taking Enterprise Telephony into the Web World
Peter Dunkley
Technical Director
WebRTC is a revolutionary technology that will fundamentally change the way people communicate. It is going to revolutionise enterprise sectors like hosted PBX and callcentres, changing both the way customers contact a business and the systems within a business work. This presentation will provide a highlevel view of what WebRTC is and just as important, what it is not, explain how common enterprise use cases can be supported and improved with WebRTC, and show how platforms built on components like Asterisk can be used for WebRTC.
Friday - 01/31/14
Your IVR -- The Ultimate Money Maker
Allison Smith
CEO/ Telephone Voice Talent
-The IVR Voice.com
IVR Metrics and the analysis of caller satisfaction has a realworld, tangible, and measurable impact on your bottom line. The very design and flow of your phone systems IVR can either cost you money, or help make it and the difference between those extremes is simpler and more subtle than you may think. Allison Smith will share secrets from her world of voicing and recording IVR prompts to help you make your phone tree as effective, efficient, and as profitable as possible.
Friday - 01/31/14
Finding the Money in Real Time Communications
Ben Klang
Founder / Technology Strategist
-Mojo Lingo
The business of providing real time communications services looks almost nothing like it did 20 years ago. With a low barrier to entry, the market very quickly became crowded, and prices fell to the basement. That business model is dead yet many in the industry are still trying to sell it as if its the same old thing. The old ways dont work any more. But how should we sell it, and what should we build?
Friday - 01/31/14
ITEXPO Exhibit Hall Open
Friday - 01/31/14
FreePBX Phone Apps Overview
Tony Lewis
-Schmooze Com Inc.
FreePBX Phone APPS are a suite of phone applications that integrate directly with FreePBX and are compatible with several popular manufacturer devices Aastra, Digium & Yealink. These onscreen applications allow users to control functions and settings directly from their phones. We will review the currently available features such as Call Parking, FollowMe Management, Do Not Disturb, Conference Room Management, Login/logout hot desking and show off some of the upcoming new Apps under development.
Friday - 01/31/14
Win A New Mustang! Drawing in Exhibit Hall. Must Be Present to Win.
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text:
Filoettes, as with sweet fillings, can be filled with a range of savoury fillings. Cured or fresh meats, cheeses or fresh vegetables work really well! Please see below a range of savoury recipes for you to try!
Cottage cheese and cherry tomato
Avocado, salmon and dill
Roasted capsicum puree with sour cream
Salmon, cream cheese and slithered cucumber


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What Makes a Vendor and When is Sponsorship required?
I've seen some confusion on selling parts here, and I want to make sure all of you know why we make sure vendors have a Sponsor account here to sell their goods. I'll field questions in this thread.
First and foremost, we want you to know who sells parts here. Anyone can sell used goods, but if someone is offering new equipment without owning a shop that's a Sponsor on here, then they are violating our rules. Legitimate shops regularly join forums all over the place to get their names out there.
Additionally, it protects our members from fraud. Let's say Mr. Sketchy wants to sell you a new 427. Without being a legitimate vendor, Mr. Sketchy could be a chop shop that takes motors out of Z06s, or Mr. Sketchy could be taking you for a ride on a broken engine without a warranty. If you want legitimate parts, they're going to be sold by people who have a high-profile presence on a forum, be it Camaro5 or any of the other great communities out there. By doing business with a person that isn't a business, you might find great parts, but you'll also find plenty of hacks.
If members don't know that you're a Vendor-Sponsor, how are you supposed to get a profit on Camaro5? Vendor-Sponsors show up in green text. We all know you're here to share your professional knowledge and high-quality parts with members. You'll make money by doing what you already want to do here, talk about Camaros.
Lastly, all forums have rules. Businesses have to follow rules. They know this because they have to file different taxes and follow different laws. Those of you wanting to sell products need to do so legitimately. It protects you as much as it protects our members. Businesses compete. If you want to stand out for your products, you need to compete legitimately. If you don't a guy selling the same part out of the garage is competing with you with less overhead for a lower cost. We can get rid of the garage guy, but we'll have to assume you're the garage guy if you don't advertise like a legitimate business.
I know this post is long-winded. I know it's not exciting news. The idea here is to educate our members and businesses that Camaro5 takes non-vendor sales seriously. I've seen complaints here about great people going elsewhere to sell their parts, and I'm not happy about it; however, if that guy won't participate within the rules that most online communities have, they'll have to keep doing most of their sales locally and not on the wider market, losing out on sales, visibility, and brand recognition.
If you want to sell goods on Camaro5 as a business, please contact Tran, the forum administrator.
RDP Motorsport//GEN5DIY//Cultrag Performance//JPSS//Rodgets Chevrolet//
Operation Demon//Buy at Invoice//RACECARWEAR
warn 145:159 ban
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Navigating the Planning Process …Or Just Hire a Planner
Here at ChicagoStyle Weddings, we try to make the planning process as simple as possible. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as your 10th birthday party — you can't just book a magician and call it a day. Planning a wedding is a process.
Both in our magazine and on our website, we offer a comprehensive 12-month guide to getting it done. Weighing in at a lofty 83 steps, it can be overwhelming. Yes, all of that has to get done, and you should go read through it if you haven't already. But before you do that, read this article, which breaks it into more manageable pieces that you can digest as easily as a delicious slice of lemon chiffon cake.
STEP 1: Find a Consultant.
In the age of DIY, many of you are thinking, "Wedding planner? Nah, I can handle it." You're a grown woman or man, completely capable of taking care of business, but we really recommend hiring a planner.
You probably have a full-time job, but planning a wedding is a full-time job in itself. Can you sacrifice more hours in your day? Rather than sacrificing your precious weekends, hire someone to spend their workday taking care of business.
Find a planner you gel with. You'll be spending a lot of time speaking to this person, so you want to make sure you like how they operate. They should make you feel comfortable and at ease. The last thing you need on your wedding day is someone freaking out while you freak out.
STEP 2: Invest in Color-Coded Binder Tabs.
If you're not the planning type, learn to be. If you are the planning type, let your wildest inner neat freak emerge from its immaculate cocoon. Buy yourself a nice calendar with puppies or beachscapes, and fill in the deadlines for all the major events.
Also, keep track of things as you go. "You need to make sure you have dates and times when you've spoken to someone, when you've showed up at a location, when something was said," says Denise Bonds, Owner of Windermere Elegant Weddings. "Say you had a couple photographers and you liked what each one had. Keep notes of what they offer to keep them straight."
Staying organized will help you stay on budget as well. "There are apps that are available, or use an Excel spreadsheet if you want to go old-school," says Dr. Ramona James, President and CEO of Accent Events. "Be transparent and honest with [your fiancé] about what you're spending on the wedding."
"Know your style and know your budget," says Leanne Valdes, Wedding Planner and Owner of You Name It Events. "The best way is to know where you're coming from, and then you can know where you're going."
STEP 3: Enjoy the Splendid Vertigo of Falling Down the Pinterest Rabbit Hole.
Pin the most gorgeous, opulent things you can find. Determine the aesthetic you're going for and spiral on the Internet for hours. It's totally allowed in the name of research. Having Pinterest boards that illustrate your vision will only make the process easier.
Pin wedding photography you like so you can hand examples of what you're looking for to photographers. Collect artsy centerpieces to share with your florist or recipes to ask your caterer about. If you're pinning a lot of forest nuptials, you know you're headed for some wild vows.
STEP 4: Find that Dress.
Don't put off your gown for too long. Once you know your general look, start shopping. "If a bride can start planning 10 months out, that would be great. Some dresses take six to eight months to come back," says Bonds.
Finding the right dress can set you up for a cohesive look throughout the wedding. "I usually suggest that the bride looks for her dress pretty early on in the process," says Valdes. "A lot of vendors will ask you about your dress. When you meet with the photographer, they might ask because it really speaks to your style."
STEP 5: Knock Out the Big Vendors.
Sure there are a lot of incidentals, but a few vendors take precedence. First of all, nail down your venue. This will help you determine your date so you can eliminate vendors who are booked on that day. Then find your photographer/videographer, caterer, florist, band or DJ, and your cake.
It's a big sea full of vendor fish out there, and a wedding planner can help you navigate the rough waters. If you search the internet for vendors, you'll be inundated with information. Instead of sifting through websites and bios, interviewing potential DJs and florists, and taking a gamble on their work ethic, ask your planner for their list of tried, trusted, and true vendors to get your party started.
"I think the younger group wants to find everything online. They miss great things because of that. There are some great vendors who haven't gotten their stuff out there that way," says Bonds. She recommends couples who opt out of a planner start looking for vendors by word of mouth. Ask friends who have already gotten married, your venue contact, or attend a bridal show.
STEP 6: Enhance Your Natural Beauty.
Girl, you look good. But this is a special day, and we totally understand if you want to glam it up a little. Start with your own stylist and go from there. "Don't be afraid to try and try again," says Valdes. "A lot of brides feel like once they do a trial, they're obligated to use that stylist. Do another trial until you find the right person."
STEP 7: Enjoy the Process.
This is less of a step and more of something to focus on throughout the whole process. When you start to get overwhelmed and worried, keep this little gem from James in mind: "The wedding process is a fun time for brides and grooms. It doesn't have to be so serious. It's going to be a perfect day anyway because you're marrying the person of your dreams."


text: Spain's gradual economic recovery has come to a grinding halt with zero per cent GDP growth in the third quarter of 2010. The country's employment ministry says the lack of growth is a major setback to efforts to cut Spain's unemployment rate of 20 per cent - the highest in the European Union. Barbara Serra reports from Barcelona on the dramatically high number of people struggling to find work in the EU's fifth largest economy. SOURCE: Al Jazeera Business & Economy Europe Spain


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Candida was in a bad car accident, totaling her 2009 Nissan Cube.
It was actually her sons car. And her son had already died while serving in Iraq. The mom had been devoted to keeping the car up while continuing to drive it. The loss of the car was no doubt very painful and emotional as it was a piece of her son which likely gave her some solace.
Her son, Army Spc. Jose Torre was only 21 when he was killed in Iraq in 2011. The vehicle was bought with his Army money.
As Officer John Braggs responded to the accident, he had noticed a Gold star license plate on the Cube. This signified that the car's owner had lost a family member while they served in the military. Braggs father had died in the Vietnam war. After hearing Candida's story, the officer was moved. While the car was declared a total loss, it didn't deter Officer Braggs from doing something spectacular. He took possession of the totaled car and secretly had some auto experts do something quite amazing. Check out what happened in this wonderful video!


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OK, so, Mr. Plait, who I am told is normally super super awesome and does genuinely seem like a nice guy, really irritated the shit out of me during TAM. And I say this with as much respect as possible and I acknowledge that this is my first exposure to him, and that people who know him and his work took what he was saying a bit differently than did I. He was basically saying that skeptics have a tone problem and more flies with honey and stop being assholes.
My level of being incredibly irritated with him for trying to be the Skeptic Tone Police has subsided a bit, partially because I think he didn't mean it the way he said it. I think he was using general language because his argument was a little sloppy, not because he genuinely thinks no one should ever raise their voice in angry disagreement. To me, however, it sounded like he was saying "Christopher Hitchens, PZed and Dawkins have all got to stop being so strident and angry and dickish. Why can't we all just get along?" But, apparently he was saying "The JREF forums are fucking hellish". But I don't read the JREF forums, so I wouldn't know.
I agree that, generally speaking, you should be nice to someone you're trying to convince if you're having an argument with them to convince them. But, and this is important, that's not the only reason you have arguments. Sometimes it's to convince everyone else that you're right, regardless of what the other person thinks. The internet is an amazing place where your arguments are all public. Sometimes humiliating someone who has a stupid point of view has the effect of convincing everyone else that you are right. Particularly if you can do it in a hilarious way. Hitchens made me OK with self-identifying atheist simply because he was such a hilariously snobby jerkface.
The entire speech was somewhat patronizing — here's daddy figure Phil Plait telling us all to mind our Ps and Qs and not be so abrasive because daddy doesn't like that. Pissed me off something hardcore having to sit through him lecturing me about being too mean to people. I felt the same way in a thread over on Pharyngula where people were saying women didn't like how abrasive the skeptics/atheists are. It's not true, I love it, it's entertaining, it's informative, it's fun. I'm not a weak little girl, daddy doesn't get to tell me to play nice with others.
And the fact is most of the people he's talking about are people who are incredibly nice, polite and respectful in person. He's got a problem with their online behavior. And frankly, it's the fucking internet, that's how people are and to fucking yell at a bunch of people who are really into the same thing you are because you don't like the tone they take is a bit much.
AND I take issue with him treating skepticism as something we should be in charge of proselytizing. If I want to have an angry discussion about people hacking off little girls privates and be a complete dick to anyone who disagrees with me, I get to do that. Will that change people's minds, I dunno, but it's my way of dealing with the information and skepticism isn't some fucking religion that has rules. His speech, more than anything, makes me a bit reticent to call myself a skeptic rather than an atheist because it makes me think he wants it to be treated as a religion, and that makes me very squeamish.
I know that this wasn't the first skeptic event for most of the people in the crowd, but it basically was for me… and now I'm quite skeptical of this whole "Skeptic Movement". I'm an uppity ginger, and I'm not joining any "movement" that tells me that who I am is not OK.
And, as I said, I don't think that that was what he intended, I suspect it was at least partially him venting about behavior he witnesses online, and, as he doesn't know me, I'm 80% sure it was not intended as a personal affront. Which is good, because then he'd be guilty of the behavior he's denouncing. And probably he didn't mean it was never OK to raise your voice in a crowded room, but that's sure what it sounded like to me.
Posted on July 13, 2010, in atheism, Politics, Real Life, Religion and tagged atheism, christopher hitchens, don't be a dick, JREF, Phil Plait, PZ Myers, richard dawkins, skepticism, tam, tam8, tone police. Bookmark the permalink. 47 Comments.
I think the instantaneous nature of the Internet makes it inherently a more reactive medium. Combine that with the echo effect it can have of putting 1,000 people into the same conversation simultaneously (structurally impossible in the real world), and the volume of REACTIVE responses (shock, derision, irrational counter-attack, mis-reading) can heat up with such incomparable speed that the type of constructive argument he idealizes can be difficult to even establish. Really – has he never been on a forum before?
And let's face it, there are few people with the conversational judo skills of a Hitchens to come up with a derisive counterattack that actually re-directs the conversation towards a substance of his choosing. And to do it in one sentence. While drunk.
I think requiring people to list their real names on comments would resolve a lot of the Tone issue
Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
ashleyfmiller – Is Patmos Pete a joke, or do you really have to put up with those kind of replies on your blog? Ick.
Anyway, I think I agree with you for the most part – I don't think Phil meant, precisely, what he said. I think what he wanted to say was being rude does not equal winning when you are trying to persuade. But it came across as "don't be rude".
Now, I completely agree with he former, if I am trying to convince some woo-user that what they are practicing is wrong/dangerous, I try to sway them with a friendly tone and rock solid evidence.
However, if I am speaking to/about Ray Comfort, Sylvia Brown, or some idiot who is defending homeopathy, I will be as rude as I please (and I am pleased to be very rude), and I will present rock solid evidence supporting why they are wrong.
One of my favorite sayings is:
Ad Hominem: You're an idiot, and therefore you're wrong.
Not an Ad Hominem: You're an idiot, and here's why you're wrong…
I was trying to find the details for the 'don't be a dick' speech, but the nearest I could find was a commentary on it, with extensive quotes.
I follow Phil on twitter, so it was interesting that he wrote this
"I have read Flim Flam and don't think Randi was a dick. He wasn't being a DB or mean spirited, just strong willed."
(I'm not sure what a DB is) It seems like he is willing to make exceptions in some circumstances (maybe for people he likes, I don't know).
I identify as 'an ex-christian atheist', more so than 'a skeptic'. I have debated on many boards (especially ex-mormon forums) and I know only too well the effect a 'polite conversation' has on peoples attitudes. I also know that any presentation of evidence/facts, that people dont like, will be seen as an attack.
My opinion… sorry Phil… being 'nice' just don't cut it
"I'm an uppity ginger, and I'm not joining any "movement" that tells me that who I am is not OK."
But isn't that exactly Phil's point?! He is saying, quit telling the other side that they are "not ok" (except rudely). Folks seem to be confused about attacking the argument or belief (go for it) and attacking the person (not so much).
The issue is not whether people will see attacking the belief as offensive. They might. They might not, though, because people typically bristle at their person being attacked. The issue, IMO, is that attacking people creates a world where people treat each other as dicks. Whether you do it in the name of religion, or in the name of reason, who cares? Same crap.
Since when does being a dick to someone convinces them to look at their world differently? Does that generally work for you when someone treats you like a dick?
Ah. No, being a dick does not make you automatically unconvincing. However, if you aim to change minds in order to create a better world, doesn't being a dick sabotage that effort? How is a world full of atheistic dicks better than a world full of theistic dicks?
OK, so I am trying to understand more here. Is it ok when you are a white guy to be a dick to a black guy (or a woman), as long as you make it "entertaining and fun"?
Let me clarify that vehement arguing is not dickery in my world. Verbal abuse and underhanded argumentation is.
Where do you draw a line?
(Disclosure: I have enjoyed some good flames back in the day. But what I see nowadays is more in the category of meanspiritedness and crass obstructionism. It ends up damaging the discussion.)
Hm. Well, I wasn't there. What I heard him say via the transcript is… don't be a dick.
And I don't think he was talking one-on-one… and neither am I (though of course I assume it too). I am talking about online forums. Are you counting arguing in a forum a "performance" where dickery is ok?
And where do you draw a line between "a few insults" and verbal abuse?
So, are you saying that being a dick in online forums is par for the course and fine with you? You like busting people's chops there, it's fun and entertaining to stick it to the opposition, and hey… anyone who is saying don't be a dick in an online forum would reduce us all to fluffy bunnies? Am I understanding you right?
Insults privately are verbal abuse, but insults publicly on a forum are not? How so? What is the gist of the difference?
Killing your neighbor in a jealous rage would still be called murder in the old wild west, even if there was nobody to police it. Nah?
(I have never been to JREF but there is an overlap with skeptics on Science Blogs and the attacks there can be pretty intense. And I don't follow PZ. And I used to hang at an atheist forum that was probably the nastiest, rudest, most malevolent forum I've ever been part of… Phil may have spoken of a particular forum, but the behavior in question is widespread, in my experience.)
Oh and one more thing. This is not about "policing." The question Phil raised was, look, we want to show people that our way is better. Are we really accomplishing it by treating people in forums like dicks?
Um. I see we may have reached the point of disutility. Your assuming that I was conflating meanness with murder is, IMO, an attempt at strawmanning me. I was simply doing a riff off your wild west analogy. And frankly, I doubt that the wild west would have much use for the finer distinctions created by our modern legal system. Me killing a neighbor because he was caught kissing my wife back of the old barn would be murder. Which says of course nothing about meanness at all, and was only meant to illustrate that treating people like dicks in an unpoliced system does not somehow automatically make it not dickish.
"C) Someone saying I can never be honest if it's rude is trying to turn everyone into fluffy bunnies."
Aw. Why dontcha just admit you *like* abusing the opposition? LOL!
P.S. Phil spoke of "vitriol and venom." It may not have filtered down to the wider skeptics community yet, but being honest and civil are not exclusionary! Honest… It just takes a little more effort, is all.
Thanks for the review tip. Fabulous! 😀 But notice… Ebert is not being a dick. He nowhere abuses either the actor/hero or the filmmaker. He abuses the movie.
Can you be civil and a dick? Absolutely. It happens all the time. I don't think that Phil needs to craft a precise definition… maybe what's needed is for people who do forums to … er… reflect on what they are doing a bit more. A little bit less of "I am entitled to abuse you because you believe different from me, douchebag!"
Look, have all the vitriol you want, just don't put it in people's coffee, ok? There is a difference between attacking the idea, belief, behavior, presentation, product, etc., and attacking the person.
Clever flames are a pleasure. Ripping some hapless person to shreds is a pathetic ego trip.
Mmm… maybe so. But maybe he assumed people knew?
After all, that's what "ad hominem" means. Attacking the person rather than the argument.
Ashley, thanks for the exchange. I did not mean to sound like a know-it-all with the last. People don't know, and Phil should have been clearer.
Plait's advice is as old as the hills. It's basically the premise of the venerable "How to Win Friends and Influence People", among about a zillion other books. It's there in cultural aphorisms like "You catch more flies with honey" and The Golden Rule. The point isn't that we should all agree or get along necessarily, but that we can present our arguments with some civility. I found this post from Plait's own blog in a list of responses of varying viewpoints. A lot of the negatives focus on vagueness and lack of examples, which I find, like Plait, kind of unnecessary. For either side of the big skeptic arguments, one only has to look to the typical "debate", which is all too often anything but.
Think about it this way: who cheers the jeering when you do it vilely? Only those who already agree with you. It may be cathartic, but the trade-off is a lack of progress. Like the aforementioned Carnegie says (and many many others before him), nothing makes a person defend a viewpoint harder than attacking it. Any convincible audience that may have been one to your side probably won't even be listening to your facts anymore the moment you get vicious. Maybe on Vulcan arguments operate on logic alone, but in the real world, emotion is extraordinarily important.
Actually, it turns out you can catch more flies with vinegar than with honey. True fact.
I think the sort of thing Phil Plait is referring to is posts like this:
(See also: http://scaryreasoner.wordpress.com/2010/08/21/on-being-a-dick/ )
However, fuck what Phil thinks. At some point, the idiots aren't going to listen to what you say, so whether you be a dick or not ends up being irrelevant. It's not as if the majority of them are going to suddenly stop being stupid, so why should we pull out whiny accomodationist bullshit? Pseudoscientific bullshit has fucked up the planet for far too long and deserves no respect whatsoever.
I've been hunting around to find what people think about this whole Don't Be A Dick thing. There's a point to be made that I haven't come across before.
Have you ever made a conscious effort to not be a dick when every fiber of your being is urging you…
Hang on. That was starting to get into an entendre-space I didn't intend to visit. Let's try that paragraph again.
Have you ever made a conscious effort to be respectful when every fiber of your being is telling you that contempt and ridicule are fully justified?
I've tried it on a number of occasions. It doesn't work. Turns out that I'm really, really bad at false respect.
At best, I come over as smug and condescending.
At worst, I just give my opponent a false sense of validation and additional ammunition.
Whereas being a dick can be funny, engaging, peels back the obscurantist baffle-gab, and actually gives the opponent some motivation to provide a clear and direct response. Also? It's much more interesting.
I can't write (or argue) like Carl Sagan. I tried, but I can't. I fuck it up every time.
Much better that I write like Daniel Schealler, and get whatever chuckles I can along the way.
I am casually watching national geographic on extreme universe and as soon as Phil Plait started talking… i just get a feeling he's just an intelligent smart-ass who feel like he needs to put people in their place. – I ended up fast forwarding anything with his face on it. too annoying.
Also, the man's Tone when talking is just annoying as fuck too. really..really ticking me off
I know this is really late, but I have to say something about this one.
Rudeness, snarkiness, etc. can really backfire. Attitudes and tones like this by liberals from the 60s to the 80s (and even today in more liberal metropolitan areas) is precisely what created fertile ground for the anti-liberal/progressive demogoguery of Rush Limbaugh and their ilk to exploit. You ridicule and demean other people, then you get a counterreaction. It also helped fuel the rise of Bush and especially the Tea Party movement. Do I even have to ask about the current atmosphere in the US Congress?
Now I know the snark etc of the 60s to 80s was likely a result of conservative oppressions during the 40s to 60s. However, at this point in time it's far too late to truly assign blame – all sides have dirty hands and lips now. We see the results. People get stubborn and entrenched in their beliefs (of whatever ideology), which impedes progress due to energy wasted in self-righeteous ego battles and hamfisted dramas. If we are to make any progress, SOMEBODY has to make the choice to stop acting like angry baboons with oversized brains (which, btw, is also a great way to further expand peace around the world, via being open minded and open hearted toward others concerns).
Snark and derision, if they should be used, should be used against the bullies only, not against those who happen to side with the bully due to that bully's equally sarcastic defense of their beliefs.
>and I'm not joining any "movement" that tells me that who I am is not OK.
Given that "who you are" is apparently "a dick", I suspect you will not be missed.
It's unclear why anyone should care that you were offended by Plait's talk, given that you are speaking out in favour of grossly offensive, even abusive speech. Presumably you, like those you offend with your abusive speech, should be urged to suck it.
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Registration is now open for 2019-20.
The Junior Deacon Club is an exclusive members-only club for children in the 8th grade and below (due to NCAA rules and regulations). It is a great way for young Deacon fans to get involved with Wake Forest Athletics and begin to earn valuable Deacon Club priority points that will put them at an advantage when they grow up and become a full-fledged Deacon Club member.
Junior Deacon Club Member Benefits:
- Free admission into all regular season home Olympic sporting events
- Free tickets to select football and men's basketball games
- Invitations to exclusive Junior Deacon Club events throughout the year
- Quarterly newsletter
- Birthday wishes from the Demon Deacon
- Custom Junior Deacon Club Membership Card
- Wake Forest "Goodie" items
- Exclusive custom t-shirt
- Welcome letter from the Deacon
- Earn 5 Deacon Club priority points for each consecutive year of membership
In addition to all of the great benefits associated with the Junior Deacon Club, the feature of earning Deacon Club priority points for consecutive years of membership is a great way for parents to help their children lay the foundation for a life-long relationship with Wake Forest Athletics.
For each consecutive year of membership, your child will bank 5 Deacon Club priority points (a $500 value). When your child reaches adulthood and starts their own General Level Deacon Club membership, their account will be credited with all priority points earned while a member of the Junior Deacon Club.
Membership Pricing:
Initial Membership……………………………..$25
NEW Sibling Discount………………………….$15
(each remaining sibling only)
To learn more about the Junior Deacon Club or to join today, please call (336) 758-3255. Sign up online by clicking here.
* To earn priority points for consecutive years of giving, the membership must be renewed each year and cannot lapse. Junior Deacon Club members must continue their memberships in the Student Deacon Club beginning in the 11th grade. Priority points will be applied once the member transitions to a full-fledged Deacon Club General Level membership.


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Metro News
Amtrak train breaks apart in Maryland
Published on
By FLONAD News
Amtrak is investigating after two train cars broke apart early Monday morning in Maryland due to a "mechanical issue," an official said.
The railroad service said no passengers or crew members were injured in the incident, which occurred before 7 a.m. near Havre de Grace, Md.
"We are currently investigating the cause of the car separation, inspecting every Acela trainset, and taking any necessary actions to prevent a reoccurrence," an Amtrak spokesperson told The Hill.
The Federal Railroad Administration said the agency "is aware of the incident and is investigating."
The Acela train was en route from Washington, D.C., to Boston, Mass., when the cars separated. The passengers were then transported to a Northeast Regional train.
The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny over train safety following several Amtrak crashes in recent months.
Last week, an Amtrak train carrying GOP lawmakers to the party's annual retreat hit a garbage truck in rural Virginia, killing one person in the truck. And early Sunday, an Amtrak train hit with a stationary freight train, killing two Amtrak employees.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating both incidents, in addition to a December crash in Washington state that killed three people when a speeding train derailed while traveling across a highway overpass.
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El Pino 323
by Michael Jones.
El Pino 323 has received tons of press since it first opened last year near Aeogae Station, but has recently moved to Noksapyeong. Due to the hype, which is well deserved, we waited for a long time to write our review so we needed a refresher at their new location. So, yesterday we went and enjoyed it even more than we remembered. The new restaurant is on the second floor and is beautifully designed. There is plenty of natural light and the bar is elegant and well-stocked. The new space offers a much different dining experience from the original location and the owners deserve it. Their food is outstanding. Yesterday we ordered Chile Verde (Green Chile) (6,000 won), Tamales (6,000 won), Huarache with Carnitas (14,500 won), and a Carnitas Burrito Bowl (13,800 won). While I was chomping away I kept thinking about the adjectives I would use to write this review and the one word that kept coming to the front of my mind was flavor. Nothing was even remotely dull. I know Mexican cuisine should always be full of flavor, but I've been disappointed by bland Mexican food plenty of times. We started with the Chile Verde and the taste reminded us of the places we went to in Denver, but much better. The slow cooked pork added a fatty creaminess to the tangy tomatillo and spicy chilies. The Chile came with a side of warm maize tortillas which acted as the perfect bowl to mouth delivery system. The Tamale is made of masa and steamed in a corn husk. The inside was warm, creamy, delectable, and comforting. It's not hard to understand why people have been eating Tamales for thousands of years. The Huarache with Carnitas was phenomenal. Yesterday was our first time trying this dish, but it won't be the last. Huarache is a circular piece of fried masa that is topped with various ingredients. Ours was topped with carnitas, cheese, cilantro, salsa, and chilis. The carnitas were tender, smoky, and slightly crispy on the outside. The richness of the pork was complemented by the spiciness of the salsa, fresh cilantro, bitterness of squeezed lemon, and the soft doughy masa. I like to think of this as an open faced sandwich on another level. The burrito bowl was colossal and I was surprised. I'm a huge eater, my friends would probably say that is a vast understatement, but even I was impressed by the portion size. The bowl was piled with carnitas, cilantro, beans and salsa, guacamole, diced onions, rice, and topped with a tortilla. By the way, his salsa and guacamole is without a doubt some of the best I've ever tasted. This bowl is a delightful combination of many amazing ingredients and every bite explodes with contrasting flavors and textures. I could ramble on and on about how great the food is at El Pino 323, but the best thing to do is try it. Chef D is clearly passionate about the recipes he learned from his grandmother and is meticulous in its preparation and presentation. This dedication to preparation, authenticity, and commitment to high quality ingredients makes El Pino 323 a shining example of Mexican cuisine.
Directions: Go to Noksapyeong station, exit 1. Turn left and then either cross the bridge or walk across the street, and turn left (so you're heading in the direction of Kyungridan street). Walk down a little bit and El Pino will be on your right :)
About us:
We're just a couple addicted to great food. We love Anthony Bourdain!
October 2017


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Nepal is a tourists delight, there is something here for every one. For those who can trek for days and live off their backpack, there is the beauty of the Himalayas to explore and cherish the best, the nature has to offer. For those who are short on time and want to be vehicle bound, Kathmandu and Pokhara are the places to explore. This blog is about my days spent in and around Kathmandu with my camera exploring its heritage and spirituality. This is more of a photo essay, in case you want to see a larger view of an image, click on it.
Patan Durbar Square is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of its attraction is the ancient royal palace where the Malla Kings of Lalitpur resided. There is so much to explore and learn here about the rich heritage of Nepal. This place lies in ruins currently due to the massive earthquake of 2015. A massive effort is on to restore its crumbled glory. I just couldn't stop taking photos here, just sharing a handful.
Swayambhunath is an ancient religious architecture atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. The Tibetan name for the site means 'Sublime Trees', for the many varieties of trees found on the hill. Wikipedia
You get birds eye view of Kathmandu Valley from here. There is lot of peace here. Beware of the monkeys and there are lots of steps to climb too.
Buodnath is a stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. Located about 11 km from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, the stupa's massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal. The Buddhist stupa of Boudhanath dominates the skyline; it is one of the largest stupas in the world. Wikipedia
Chandragiri Hill about an hours drive from Kathmandu is 2551 meters above sea level. This hill is connected with both Buddhist and Hindu religions. The hill provides panoramic views of Kathmandu Valley and the Himalayan ranges from Annapurna to Everest on a clear day. A cable car takes you to the top in about 15 minutes.
Bhaktapur is known for its glorious architecture; sky-high temples built in pagoda style – which is believed to be the stairway to the heaven, fine clay pottery, and massive royal courtyards whose existence date back to the 12th century, where devotees, still, celebrate their pre-historic festivals by equal amount of gusto and passion. It is a UNESCO heritage site. The city is about an hours drive from Kathmandu.
…….and that's us enjoying the awesome sunset from roof top of Sambhala Hotel, Kathmandu.
Though Nepal and its towns will take a lot of time to recover from the ravages of the 2015 earthquake, there is a lot see and explore. A blog cannot do justice so I have decided to create a Photo Book on Nepal to include my visit to Kathmandu and Pokhara which will be soon announced on this very website. Best Wishes.


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It was a nightmare in oh so many ways. First, after nearly three months of no rain in Liguria, the world's longest-lasting series of electric storms arrived in the middle of the night on Sunday, Sept. 13. How could this possibly be a problem, I asked myself, as I tossed and turned and fretted over my 11:15 departure on RyanAir the next morning to meet my sister at Prestwick in Scotland. Here's how: the storms just never stopped.
The Captain dropped me at the Pisa Airport in a driving rain, waiting to be sure my flight still looked alright. It did, in spite of the weather, so I cheerfully waved him off for his own adventure exploring some of the golf courses of Bavaria. I got myself checked in and my suitcase sent on its merry way to wherever suitcases go to wait, and I went through security to the 3rd circle of hell where passengers wait for RyanAir flights:
Meanwhile the thunder was booming and the lightening was flashing, and there were few planes coming or going. There were about five flights worth of people waiting to leave, mostly headed for eastern Europe. One very nice man decided to share his country's music with the rest of us, thanks to the large speaker capacity on his laptop. It wasn't bad the first time through; by the third time many of us had grown weary of the now overly-familiar tunes. I was glad, I'm very embarrassed to say, when his flight was canceled and he, his clinging girlfriend and his music left the waiting room. I soon got my reward for such an uncharitable thought: my own flight canceled. It was about 12:30 p.m.
The Captain and I had agreed that if there was a problem with my flight he would return, but he'd left me off at 9:30 and was now well on his way. Besides, for some strange reason I had no cell-phone reception, in spite of the fact that people all around me were feverishly chatting on their phones. First things first: reclaim luggage. That proved easier than expected – because there were so many canceled flights they moved the our luggage to an almost-empty adjacent terminal. Next step – rebook. I took one look at the masses of people crowding around the ticket counter and just knew I couldn't do it. First off, the next RyanAir trip to Prestwick was not the next day, but the day after that, which would mean half my week eaten up in waiting. Secondly, that flight would already have been booked, so there might not be room for me on it anyway. And thirdly, I would have been about 505 in line (had there been a line) to speak to an agent… and for what?
Meanwhile the Captain was driving north, my sister was sitting in Prestwick Airport waiting for me, and my cell phone didn't work. I find situations like this stressful.
I ran to the newsstand in the terminal and bought – lucky me! – the last phone card they had in stock, waited in line for a phone, and finally reached the Captain. After offering to return, an offer I stoutly refused, he took some phone numbers from me and said he would try to get a message to my patient sister. A policeman told me that the TIM (my provider) cell tower had been struck by lightening and was down for a while – that's why there was no phone.
A lucky series of train connections got me back to Rapallo by 7 in the evening, 11 hours after I'd left – but I was still no closer to Scotland. And what of the sister, I hear you ask. Finally on the train I was able to get a cell connection and I called the rental agency in Prestwick from whom we'd arranged a car to ask if they'd seen my sister – they thought they had, and said they'd go look for her. (!) That was my first brush with the incredibly helpful and friendly hospitality that seems to be part of Scots DNA. Not only did they find her, they called me from their phone so I could speak to her; we agreed she would return to her hotel and we'd talk that evening.
So she's safely tucked away in Scotland, and I'm fuming and feeling at sea in Rapallo. I was tired, and the clock just wouldn't stop ticking. So I called our friend JRJ, who knows more than anyone I know about everything, and asked her what she would do if she wanted to get to Scotland the next day. "Easy," she said, "I'd take the train to Milano and take the EasyJet flight to Edinborough." She had several other suggestions as well, but her first proved to be the Key. I feared EasyJet would charge a fortune for a last minute reservation, but no, it was E100, only about E20 more than my RyanAir flight, booked two months before.
I got up at 4 a.m. (travel anxiety), drove my scooter to the station where I left it in an almost empty parking lot, caught the 6 a.m. train to Milano, got on a bus that left immediately for the airport, and arrived in plenty of time. In fact, there was no line for check-in (EasyJet uses the old Milano terminal, which is much smaller and also much less crowded than the big new terminal), and I had enough time to shop for an enormous chocolate bar for my sister.
She was waiting for me, the rental car people had arranged for me to pick up our car in Edinborough instead of Prestwick, and the trip went beautifully from there on (including the driving-on-the-left part: we both survived!).
There is an ugly little post-script to the story. The Captain met my sister and me at the Rapallo train station when we returned from our week in Scotland. I was to drive my scooter home, but… it wasn't there. It's an old, beat-up Gilera, no one is going to steal my scooter… then my eye fell on the sign I've looked at a thousand times and never digested:
(It says No Parking from 6 – 9:30 a.m. on the third Friday of each month because the street cleaners are coming…)
Wouldn't you know that the third Friday of the month happened to be the one I was away! My scoots was towed, and it took over E100 to get it back and pay the fine. Sigh.


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Known for its athletic, high-impact style, Motionhouse gets to grips with the modern world – literally, with dancers moving across buildings and JCBs. Its husband-and-wife founders tell Rachel Elderkin of their future plans
Motionhouse is a dance-circus company known for its high-energy, visually spectacular productions. Its work has included JCB diggers, seen dancers scale the sides of buildings and perform on sets built from giant jenga blocks. It's an impressive resumé for a company that began its life touring duets.
"When we started, we didn't imagine that 30 years later we'd be running this company," says executive director Louise Richards who, along with husband and artistic director Kevin Finnan, has built Motionhouse into the full-time company it is today. "We were just young artists who wanted to make work. So we made a duet and toured it, travelling around in a Volvo Estate."
"We choreographed our first show so that every time we wanted to change the lights we put in a solo. That way, one of us could go off," adds Finnan.
Now, things are very different. This year marks the company's 30th anniversary and, fittingly, it has moved into new premises, Vitsoe, in Leamington Spa, where the company is based. It's a huge, open-plan warehouse filled with light, which Motionhouse shares with a design company. While the designers create and construct, the dancers run through material from different shows. One couple rehearses a duet under Finnan's watchful eye, another pair devises new material, while a third practises lifts.
Motionhouse: Scattered review at Peacock Theatre, London – 'daring feats'
The option to work on multiple productions at once is a huge bonus for a company that currently has two shows touring simultaneously. Charge, the final work in a trilogy that spans 10 years, is coming to the end of its UK tour, while outdoor show Block tours in Australia. "Hopefully this new venue will allow us to develop things even further, working with our sets and with film and media," muses Finnan.
Ever ambitious, it seems part of Finnan's nature to keep striving for bigger and better, a penchant that has, in part, led to the spectacle-driven, large-scale shows that Motionhouse now produces. "I was that kid in school that got shouted at for daydreaming," laughs Finnan. "Now I can make work out of my daydreams."
Watermusic, a large-scale show recently produced for a festival in Denmark, is a spectacular example of those daydreams brought to life. "We took over a whole harbour," explains Finnan. "There were skydivers, ships, cranes, dancers on buildings 150ft up." They even lifted a house out of the water.
The grand vision of such productions filters down into the company's touring work with ambitious sets, interactive digital imagery and high-impact choreography.
"I've always had a sense that theatre is a visual art," Finnan explains. "We wanted to take that aspect and push it and play with it. All these elements become partners in trying to make this 3D, even 4D, experience on stage." To achieve such effects, the sets are in the studio from day one of the creative process, allowing the company to create their work around them.
The company's athletic style, drawing on influences from acrobatics and circus, has been the result not only of its interaction with its sets but also of collaborations with artists and companies. "For The Voyage in 2012, we worked with physical theatre company Legs on the Wall, and more recently with NoFit State Circus for Block, which was a real exchange of skills," says Richards.
Choreographically, Finnan finds that this fusion of art forms offers a wealth of possibilities. "There's a great beauty in circus and we want to unlock that in an emotional context – that's where it's so rich to us."
Motionhouse's high-impact style has helped it grow an enthusiastic following and attract audiences that might not regularly go to watch dance. A recent regional performance attracted an audience of 1,350 on a Wednesday night, something of which Finnan is evidently proud: "Over 30 years we've honed what we're doing, where we want to go and how to reach and engage people. It's been an interesting journey, evolving our understanding of what spectacle is at this point in time."
To focus upon what is attractive to audiences now is a smart and practical way of thinking about dance. While not an approach taken by every company, it's a connection that is perhaps missing from much of the contemporary dance world. "We want those audiences that love dance to see our work, but we also want to attract those who might live up the road from us, who may never have been to dance before," says Finnan.
Motionhouse's desire to engage with the public is rooted in the original ethos of the company. "When we started, 'community work' was the poor relation," explains Richards. "We wanted to show that you could make first-class work that could also be accessible to a broad audience, which reminds people that dance can be for everybody. That still underpins our beliefs today."
1. Artistic director Kevin Finnan was choreographer and movement director of the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
2. In the past year, more than 11,000 people have taken part in one of Motionhouse's learning and participatory activities
3. In 2010, Perfect, a Motionhouse show about time, became a set piece on the GCSE dance curriculum in England and Wales.
4. Artistic director Kevin Finnan was awarded an MBE in 2013 for his services to dance.
5. Shows Traction and Fragile both feature dancers and JCB diggers – a collaboration that began in 2004. Traction was performed as part of the Marseille-Provence European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2013. Motionhouse has made shows for four European City of Culture celebrations, as well as the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
According to Finnan, that ability to connect with audiences has evolved from the company's work on an outdoor festival circuit. "Outdoors, you can see when people start to drift and that transformed the dynamic of our shows. They have accelerated over the last 15 years."
The addition of outdoor work to its touring schedule enabled Motionhouse to exist as a year-round company, a development Richards cites as its "breakthrough".
"Previously, we had a high dancer turnover so the vocabulary we worked with only got to a certain level. Making that long-term commitment meant we were able to push our initial vocabulary and learn from other artists," says Richards.
Its dancers are now able to execute sequences of demanding contemporary dance, as well as lifts, aerial and hand-to-hand work – made possible through their year-round training together.
That shift to full-time contracts not only benefited Motionhouse artistically, but also provided a better work-life balance for its dancers. One is currently expecting her second child. A full-time contract, with maternity benefits, means she can return and carry on with her career. "We want dancers to be able to buy their own homes, to build families, to have their own lives," says Finnan.
Read The Stage review of Broken
It's a model of sustainability that could truly benefit dancers and the art form. In a time of constrained resources, particularly for independent dancers who work on a project-to-project basis, those goals are often unattainable. To achieve them, most are required to turn to other means of financial support, often away from the dance world.
In the experience of Richards and Finnan, it is a case of maximising the resources available. "There are ever fewer full-time contemporary companies," Finnan observes. "To make a new one is going against the tide but the fact we have done that is testament to Louise. We have consistently looked for new outlets to our work, to make ourselves relevant and spread what we do."
That resourcefulness has not only enabled the company to grow, but has also allowed its dancers to be challenged artistically and, importantly, to build a life outside their work. And, after three decades, Motionhouse continues to make enthusiastic plans for the future.
Its 30th celebrations will see it perform "30 lifts for 30 years" around Leamington Spa in August, alongside the continuation of its theatre and outdoor work. There are also plans to begin creating its first family show, plus another large-scale work to be staged in Timisoara, Romania, the European Capital of Culture in 2021. If Finnan's ideas are anything to go by, it looks set to rival the grand scale of Watermusic.
"To me it's not that we got here, it's that we're more successful now than we've ever been and we're doing the work we want to do," Finnan says.
Richards agrees: "I think we're delivering our best work now and I think that's the natural way. There's a pressure these days to deliver your best early in your career. But it takes a number of years to really know what your work is. What we do now is entirely fed by our history and the lessons we've learned, and I'm proud of our dancers and our achievements".
Thirty might be a landmark, but for Motionhouse it's not a resting point.
Executive director: Louise Richards ( pictured left)
Artistic director: Kevin Finnan ( pictured, far left)
Number of performances: 73 (2017-18). Over the last 10 years, the company has performed 1,259 times – an average of 126 performances per year.
Audience figures: Almost 70,000 (2017). Since 2008, nearly 520,000 people have seen the company perform.
Number of employees: 18
Turnover: £750,000-£936,000 per year
Funding levels: Motionhouse is supported using public funding via the National Lottery through Arts Council England
Motionhouse's Block and Charge are touring the UK and Europe


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Justine Jordan explains how your company should treat email, the difference between designing for email and the web, and what you can do to up your open rates.
"At the beginning of 2011 we had about 8% of emails being opened on mobile devices."
"Now we're seeing between 49-52% of email traffic opened on mobile."
"You can create your own mailing system but can run into deliverability problem."
""Blast" is a very bad word in this industry. You never want to send a bomb or a rocket to your customer."
"A transactional or a triggered email is based off a behavior or an activity in your app or product."
"The number one frustration is that a lot of people expect an email to behave like a one page website."
"The technology that an email versus a webpage has to use is very different."
"You'll commonly hear email referred to as 'code like it's 1999.'"
"Stop trying to force email to be a webpage."
"You can't take a page from your website, strip it out, change the content and expect it to look okay."
"Email is also not a website from a strategy and marketing perspective. Email is a driver to the web."
"Half the battle with email is even getting people to open and look at it at all."
"Outlook is actually using Word – which is a word processing program – to read the HTML and display it."
"You just can't expect anything on the web, including email, to look the same as it does in Photoshop."
"People aren't that committed to clicking through on your email. They're not going to work hard to click."
"@BlueHornet: 80% of people would delete email that looked bad on a mobile device. 30% would unsubscribe."
The best way to spread the word is to leave us an iTunes review.Review in iTunes
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