text: Checkered feather flags are a staple for any racing themed event or special occasion. These feather flags are also a great way to attract attention to your business or store and build a local presence. These checkered flags are designed using 200 denier nylon fabric, a light and versatile flag material, which is both water resistant and light. These flags stand proud with the slightest breeze and are sure to attract attention easily.The checkered feather flags are available in two sizes. The smaller of the two measure 8r' in height and 2.5r' in width. The larger nylon feather flag measures 12r' in height and 2.5r' in width. Both types of flags come with a sewn pole sleeve to accommodate a Super Polereg;. The flags also have a brass grommet near the base for extra secure fastening. The feather flags are proudly made in U.S.A.For other options browse through our entire collection of solid color flags and other Advertising flags. Our message flags and blade flags are also made with the same attention to detail and dedication to quality. See our street banners and advertising message banners for similar products. For a personalized look see our custom product options including the vast range of custom flags, custom banners, custom street banners and more. Contact a customer service representative on (800)628-3524 for any questions and concerns about our products and services.nbsp;


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During the time of Gautama Buddha in Ancient India, there were a few republics along with kingdoms, forming the Mahajapadas. There appears a widespread impression today that the Buddha went against tradition.
In reality, for most of his life, after having been born in the Shakya capital of Kapilavastu, he lived most of his life in the major kingdoms of his day. He was patronized by the kings of his day, including Bimbisara, the king of Magadha.
Perhaps the Buddha favored practicality by choosing to live in the kingdoms, which offered security and a relatively peaceful environment?

subset: commoncrawl


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Here is a fun story involving the magician, Teller. It is from 1997 and details a curious incident involving a time traveling ghost
And here is an article written by Teller about the event.
Teller - Time Travel Hoax
Discuss the historical aspects of magic, including memories, or favorite stories.
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10. Six Gun Gorilla This might be cheating, because is he a cowboy? Well, the story is certainly a space western, the Gorilla wears a poncho, and has two six guns. So...yes? The uncertainty is the only reason he is number ten, and not actually every position on the list. Also he's not a human?… Continue reading Top 10: Cowboys
Blog Cakes
Monsters in Comics
Seeing as that it is Halloween, I couldn't let this opportunity pass by without talking about some of the greatest monsters to ever appear in comics. Now, I'm going to put these in order, but it's kind of arbitrary, isn't it? So don't take it too hard. I'm also going to leave out a lot… Continue reading Monsters in Comics
Friday Review: Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 1
I've been meaning to start this series for some time now, so it's about time I got here. The first volume is an in depth look at the hip hop scene from the mid 70s to 1981, the founding years of hip hop. This is something that I know next to nothing about. So, not… Continue reading Friday Review: Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 1
How to Read Comics
This one is a little tough for me. I've been reading comics for so long, and have read so many, that I often take it for granted that reading comics isn't an inherent ability. But I get asked a lot "how do you read comics?" This question always takes me by surprise, even though you… Continue reading How to Read Comics
Friday Book Review: Daytripper
Is this, you ask yourself, another book I've never read, but definitely should? Why, yes, yes it is. Daytripper is another quality title delivered by Vertigo Comics, written by Fabio Moon and drawn by Gabriel Ba. I think it's important to note that the authors are real life twins. It seems to me this helps their work… Continue reading Friday Book Review: Daytripper
Wabbit Season
As Easter is nigh upon us, let's reflect on something special: rabbits. Yes, comics are an interesting and wild thing, and because of that, I can list of a few very special characters who are giant rabbits. I mean, when else would I make this list? I would be remiss if I didn't take this… Continue reading Wabbit Season
Friday Review: Harvey Kurtzman's Jungle Book
Not to be confused with The Jungle Book, or a comic book adaptation of that work. No, this is something quite different, indeed. I've been meaning to read this book for some time, because I always hear about it while reading about comics. I'm kind of ashamed it took me this long. Kurtzman is one of the… Continue reading Friday Review: Harvey Kurtzman's Jungle Book


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A 911 operator receives a call from someone that is a bit too close to for comfort, but that is not the most terrifying part of it.
Noah Fontenot as 911 Operator
Sherry O'Conner as Mrs. Brumley
Produced by Christina Ashworth
Script Editing by Desdymona & Jessica McEvoy
Script & Music by Johnny Stitches
Art by Christina Ashworth
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Facts You Need To Know About Using a Medical Malpractice Lawyer
If there is any negligence from a hospital or a medical practitioner that you need the assistance of a medical malpractice lawyer. You have to understand that it is the medical malpractice case that you have that will be useless when you will not have the assistance of a medical malpractice lawyer. It is when you will be facing these types of situations than you don't want your cases to end up in the trash.
The very details that the cases have is what a lawyer will be looking into. When it comes to these types of cases that these lawyers already know what to look for and they will see tot that you will get a positive outcome from the case that you have. The next step that you need to so is what these lawyers will be recommending you right after they have determined all of the necessary information needed. They will be able to tell you if the case that you have is really a case of malpractice or not.
You also have to know that it is the fees that you will get when hiring a lawyer that you should not be worrying about. It is a percentage of the compensation that you will get from the case that you have won that they will be asking you. A much better setup is what you will get with this one instead of them charging you with a separate legal fee. It is you that don't have to worry about the fees that you will be paying in case you will not be winning the case that you have. It is when this happens that they will also be doing their best so that they will also get paid for the case that they have represented.
It is when you will be hiring a medical malpractice lawyer that you need to make sure that you will be comfortable working with them. It is when you will do this one that you will also be open to your experience with him. When all of the details of your cars is determined by your lawyer that there is also a higher chance to win the case. Always remember that when you will not be comfortable that there is still another lawyer for you to choose from.
Once it is a medical malpractice lawyer that you will be hiring that they will also be able to know how the cases should be presented. When you will have a lawyer by your side that most f the time, the settlement can be done outside of the court. A case that is dragged for a long time is a thing that most doctors and hospitals don't want to do and that is why they will opt for a settlement right away. When you will lack representation that these doctors will only be giving you a minimum compensation or they will be pushing you as hard as they can.
Lawyers – My Most Valuable Advice


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Silencer Shop Announces its Form 1 Service allowing a user to digitally generate their own Form 1 for submission to the ATF. The interface pulls data from Silencer Shop's database paired with their cutting edge biometric acquisition kiosk to cut through the governmental red tape of 41F. Their system turns a multi-hour bureaucratic headache into essentially a credit card swipe. This is hands down the easiest way to get a Tax Stamp for an SBR, especially for those using an NFA Trust.
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More than a decade ago, President Clinton pledged that every person in America would soon be able to go online "to order up every movie ever produced or every symphony ever created in a minute's time."
Well, we're already well into the next millennium and less than one out of every 10 Americans has a connection capable of those speeds. And it's not just the speed of our connection that's fallen behind. When we can get online in the United States, a free and open Internet is no longer guaranteed.
2009 was a year when the openness of the Internet was debated every where from Obama's White House to your house. As all media -- including TV, radio, newspapers and books -- converge via a digital connection, the controversial issue of who ultimately controls your clicks has taken center stage. Much will be decided in 2010, and 2009 helped set the stage.
The Top 10 Open Internet Moments of 2009 (in no particular order):
Stimulus Plan Embraces Access and Openness
In February, Congress passed a stimulus package including $7.2 billion to help get fast and open Internet to the nearly 40 percent of American homes that don't have it. Buried deep in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act is a line that brought a scowl to the faces of phone and cable industry lobbyists. It required that the billions of federal dollars directed to connect more Americans be spent on services that meet "nondiscrimination and network interconnection obligations." That means that stimulus money -- your money -- cannot be used by powerful Internet service providers to "manage," throttle or re-route you whenever you traverse the Web.
The FCC Pushes for Net Neutrality
Delivering on promises his boss made on the campaign trail, newly appointed Federal Communications Commission Chair Julius Genachowski announced plans for the agency to make Net Neutrality the rule -- giving teeth to efforts to protect the Internet's fundamental openness. The mere suggestion of a rule put the open Internet foes at AT&T, Verizon and Comcast into overdrive. In 2009, their lobbyists flooded lawmakers, regulators and the press with phony claims about the "unintended consequences" of FCC action. Listening to the lobbyists, one might think Net Neutrality was some radically new concoction. Yet it was baked into the Internet's original design by founders like Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Vinton Cerf, to ensure that open networks could foster growth, participation and new ideas on a level playing field. In 2010, The FCC must pass a rule that holds strong to this standard.
Whose 'Internet Freedom' Is it?
Throughout the year Members of Congress engaged in rhetorical jousting over control of a term: "Internet Freedom." Representatives Ed Markey and Anna Eshoo launched the first salvo in July, introducing the "Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009." If passed, the Act would make Net Neutrality the standard, locking in the network's greatest strength: its ability to give everyone a chance to share ideas online without having to gain permission from their ISP. Powerful phone and cable lobbyists began to call in favors on Capitol Hill, turning to "the Maverick" himself to stake their own claim to the frame. Sen. John McCain answered the call, introducing the "Internet Freedom Act," a bill that would stop all FCC efforts to have a public discussion about Net Neutrality. Thanks to the transparency champions at Sunlight Foundation, we learned that McCain had numerous reasons for pushing his version of Internet Freedom: $894,379 to be exact.
Twitter Empowers Protesters. DPI Endangers Them.
Over the summer, Twitter turned into a powerful engine of social justice, as protesters in Iran took to the streets and the Internet to contest President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election. Western journalists were summarily escorted out of the country. Iranian Web activists filled the void, transmitting a stream of Twitter messages and YouTube videos, to let the world bear witness to the horrors unfolding on Tehran's streets. In that moment, the power of open social networks seemed undisputed. But it's a sword that cut both ways: The tools that connect, organize and empower people can also be used to hunt them down. The companies that profited from sales of this Web-spying technology to Iran (notably Nokia-Siemens) found themselves in the crosshairs of human rights advocates, as Iran's government began tracking Web transmissions to locate and imprison protesters. This technology -- insidiously dubbed "Deep Packet Inspection," or DPI -- became a concern back home. It has been widely deployed by ISPs across the country for commercial purposes, but in the wrong hands it can become a dangerous tool for a new era of political repression.
Obama White House Goes 2.0
Obama put open technology to work during his White House run, notably relying on social networks that gave users more control over the campaign message. On the day they settled in at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Obama's open government team began deploying open-source Drupal systems on all of its sites and opening them up to user comments, polling and feedback. They're now betting on the idea that the White House's commitment to open, transparent and participatory governance will filter outward through all executive agencies and departments and beyond. (White House bloggers themselves became targets on Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" after their transparency drive went too far for some, colliding with the secrecy-minded bureaucrats at the NSA).
The Breaching of the Walled Garden
Mobile phone users had been conditioned to accept network blockades, opaque pricing plans and device locks as a natural feature of the wireless landscape. But that changed in 2007 when millions got a stunning glimpse of the new iPhone. It and the other "smart phones" that followed seemed to offer a seamless connection to the Internet. Consumers began to wonder why connecting to the Web via their handheld device should be any different than connecting via a laptop or desktop computer. The simple answer is that it shouldn't. But don't tell that to the cartel of carriers that in 2009 used their lobbyists to stall efforts at the FCC to apply Net Neutrality protections to both wired and wireless connections. Google upped the ante in December, confirming rumors of its plan to release the Nexus One, an unlocked, open-source phone that is a direct challenge to AT&T and Apples' mantra: to own the consumers, you must control their devices.
Open Source Operating Systems May Get Lost in the Cloud
Over the fall, Google released its latest version of the Chrome operating system to the open-source community. Chrome OS runs only Web-based applications, marking a major shift toward Web services, software and applications and away from hard drives weighted down with proprietary software. (Microsoft be warned.) The increased adoption of 'net-centric" computing could lead to a tipping point where the majority of users tap into the Web for virtually all their software needs. But it's a vision of the future that may turn less rosy if we lose control over access to the cloud's distributed architecture. Opening Chrome OS to developers around the world is a good sign, but cloud computing itself is fraught with obstacles to openness -- even in cases where everyone gets to tinker with the code. "A market that evolves toward a cloud-based infrastructure, gives even more power to the Internet service providers who control access to the cloud," warns Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner. "This raises all sorts of market power concerns should ISPs decide to discriminate in favor of some companies and applications in the cloud and slow or filter access to others."
A New Battle for Old Spectrum
2008 ended in a victory for open network advocates when the FCC decided to open up unused chunks of the television spectrum for high-speed Internet services. But that decision on "White Spaces" marked a fundamental shift in how we think about public airwaves -- and caused a rift between the titans of old media (with their cigar-chomping lobbyists at the NAB) and an eccentric coalition of open network proponents, consumer rights advocates and Internet and electronic device companies. In the fall of 2009, the FCC floated the idea of taking back some more of the spectrum now occupied by broadcasters. But this only works for openness if the FCC makes the new spectrum available for unlicensed use and increased competition. Simply handing it to incumbent carriers like AT&T and Verizon is not the solution. The mere suggestion itself triggered the hoarding reflex of spectrum's old guard, who still view the media as a river that flows one way -- from them to you.
Internet Video vs. the Cable Guy
How much control should television viewers be given over what, where, when and how they watch video? It's not a question that's new to media debates, but it took on new meaning in 2009 as more and more high-speed Americans sought to "cut the cord" connecting their TV sets to cable to view video via the Internet instead. Right now, this trend is limited to "early adopters," but if it plays out in both the marketplace and at the FCC, it could radically change the television world as we have come to know it, removing the cable company standing between video content and its audience. "Although not everyone would abandon their cable or satellite subscription," writes The Los Angeles Times' David Lazarus, "it's not hard to imagine more than a few people realizing they can suddenly make do with Internet access alone, eliminating the video portion of monthly telecom bills." Comcast's controversial plan to merge with NBC Universal (marrying video distribution and Internet access with video production) implies that cable giants aren't going to accept this shift without a fight.
National Broadband Plan: Under Construction
It turns out that the United States was the only developed nation without a national strategy to get affordable and fast broadband services into the hands of its citizenry. That status changed with the stimulus package, which tasked the FCC with crafting a national blueprint for getting everybody connected. While the plan isn't due to be delivered to Congress until February, the debate over the shape of the next generation Internet has been furious. Broadband is now an essential service like water, electricity and the telephone, argue public interest advocates (including my organization Free Press). It is essential infrastructure for the 21st century. While the phone and cable duopoly that controls more than 97 percent of fixed broadband home connections would rather see it as a private commodity, to be rationed and controlled in ways that maximize earnings. Whether openness, consumer choice and market competition are fostered by the plan still remains to be seen. We'll know more when it's unveiled to the world in 2010.


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This Sad T-Rex Appreciates Audi's Piloted Driving
September 16, 2016 Leave a comment
If you're a T-Rex, having a normal life around humans would be difficult. For the T-Rex in Audi's new spot from Germany, the struggle is real. He and all of his dinosaur brethren terrify people, and are banned from public transport. Then, his tiny arms cause him to fail at making his bed, and he becomes a viral laughingstock. He becomes depressed, and even participating in sports doesn't work out. Poor guy. But then he discovers Audi's Piloted Driving. No longer are his short arms an impediment…this T-Rex is back. It's a bizarre ad, but great writing and a lovable concept make this one a winner. Well done.


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Jewel Bako
It is a small wonder that NYC contains a restaurant like Jewel Bako. In this age of outsize, sometimes cavernous, Asian restaurants (Ono, Megu, Tao, Matsuri, Nobu, Buddakan), Jewel Bako is refreshingly and arrestingly diminutive. Stepping through the nondescript solid black door into the glittering barrel-vaulted interior is like entering into another world. It as if two tiny tunnels were bored underground and bespeckled with jewels (Jewel Bako means "jewel box"). The two seating areas have bamboo slats that fan upwards toward the ceiling, creating a cozy cylindrical room. What an interesting, and gutsy, design choice to take what was already a tiny, borderline claustrophobic space and enclose it even more with an arched canopy of wood. The opening at the end of the room frames Yoshi Kousaka, a veteran sushi chef, hard at work at the sushi bar behind a backsplash of green marble.
Jewel Bako serves a relatively traditional Edomae-style sushi menu with some modern touches. The excellent selection is invariably fresh and flown in daily from Japan. Real wasabi is prepared with a sharkskin grater. There are a number of other interesting dishes: a king salmon braised with three types of miso, hoba leaf and shiitake mushrooms and exotic Japanese mushrooms "en papillote", steamed in sake and yuzu, and with smoked sea salt and wasabi oil, and a trio of tartares (blue fin tuna, salmon and yellowtail), served with addictive sweet potato chips. Everyone finishes their meal with a wonderful green tea ice cream.
At our first meal at Jewel Bako, an obese foreign couple next to us proceeded to order practically half the dishes on the menu, one after the other. We're not sure what it says about us, but as we saw each of their dishes delivered, we would then proceed to order, and eat, the same dish as well. Jewel Bako can have that effect on you.
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239 E. 5th St.
New York (nr. Third Ave.)
- Yoshihiko Kousaka, Chef
- Sashimi/Sushi
- Japanese
- Best Decor
- Best Service
- Tasting Menu Chef Omakase Tasting Menu: $95
- New York Times : ★ (06/21/2006)
- Michelin Guide : ★ (2015)
- Zagat : 26 Review History...
RECOMMENDED DISHES See All
- Trio of tartares - blue fin tuna, salmon and yellowtail served with sweet potato chips
- Exotic Japanese mushrooms "en papillote" with smoked sea salt and wasabi oil
- Sashimi/Sushi: Fatty Tuna
- Sashimi/Sushi: Scottish Salmon
- Sashimi/Sushi: Scallop
- Green tea ice cream
- Salmon Hchsa Misoyaki - king salmon braised with three types of miso, hoba leaf, and shitake mushrooms


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My post last week about the death knell of science journalism prompted some incredible responses. Here's Larry Moran, putting it more bluntly than I expected, and enunciating an opinion we'd better hope does not prevail:
Seriously, most of what passes for science journalism is so bad we will be better of without it.
Maybe the general public would have been more interested in science if science journalists hadn't been writing so much hype about "breakthroughs" for the past twenty years. Maybe the public would have been more interested in science if so-called "science" journalists hadn't been confused about the difference between science and technology.
Science isn't about what the latest discoveries can do to make your life better. It's about learning how the natural world actually works. It's all about knowledge and not application or politics.
Science journalists have let us down. I say good riddance.
Breathtaking, huh? I seriously hope opinions like this are not very widespread in the scientific community.
Honestly, based upon the foregoing, I have to question whether Larry Moran knows what a science journalist is--or at least, whether we're talking about the same thing. For it seems to me that virtually everything he's complaining about, a real science journalist would complain about as well.
Take the media slights against science described above--the hyping of "breakthrough" findings, the confusion of science and technology, and the swapping of serious science coverage for "feel good" or "news you can use" infotainment fare. Although you will certainly find exceptions, in general these aren't the fault of dyed-in-the-wool science journalists, of the sort that proudly claim membership in the National Association of Science Writers (as I do). In fact, you can bet that within their respective media organizations--when they still were working within them; most of NASW today is freelance--science journalists have fought against many such calls over the years.
And you can also bet that they frequently lost out in those internal battles.
The point is that nobody loves science more than science journalists--and nobody more devoutly wishes to see it covered accurately and widely, so that the "general public" thereby benefits, and comes to appreciate science more thoroughly. So how is it that now, a scientist like Larry Moran won't stand up for these science evangelists in the media, and blames them for a host of failings that, in truth, they themselves most assuredly abhor?
Pascal Lapointe, another commenter on that same thread, and himself a science journalist, makes this observation:
I think, Chris --hoping you're still reading this many days after your original post-- [er, yes] that the comments above are saying indirectly a lot about our problem, as science journalists: we don't have many allies.
Yeah. Maybe the problem is that most people--even most scientists--don't know what a specialized science journalist is. And now, maybe it's too late to change that fact.
In Unscientific America, Sheril and I go into the history of this whole problem--and show how science journalism has struggled virtually from its inception. I think awareness of this broad communication issue is growing, but I also think we have a lot of traditionalists out there who are stuck in an old paradigm for thinking about science, media, and society.
Luckily, there are also innovators. Last week, for instance--before I was felled by a nasty stomach bug, which threw off my reading schedule, of which more soon--I dropped by the office of Princeton's Climate Central. It's a new nonprofit science journalism outlet that has cropped up to fight back against the death of science coverage in the corporate media, and its top public face is Heidi Cullen, whose Weather Channel show "Forecast Earth" was canceled in one of many, many science journalism cutbacks of recent years. Now, Climate Central is creating climate journalism content directly for TV news and other outlets, and involving scientists integrally in ensuring the information is accurate and relevant.
This route--the Climate Central route--is a productive way of fighting back against current trends in the mass media. Kicking science journalists when they're down is...the precise opposite.
P.S.: Just anticipating the comments...this post is not about "framing." It is about the simple empirical fact that science journalism is vanishing today from the mainstream media for broad economic reasons. Now obviously, I have made arguments about "framing" in the past--and these more involve the content and shape of science journalism, as opposed to its mere existence. However, that's an old debate, and I've since moved on. So let's stay on point--the topic is the death of science journalism. Thanks.
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Possible source of confusion:
What appears in the media is called "journalism".
If news about science appears in the media, it is "science journalism".
Science journalism must have been written by a "science journalist".
What Larry and many others are complaining about is the state of science reporting in the media. People who put that crap up in the media are 'science journalists' by definition.
Perhaps good science journalists, like you, Carl, Olivia, etc. should forcefully take the term "science writer", in order to distinguish yourselves from science 'journalism'.
You see, for most people, there is no difference - if it's in the paper, it's journalism written by a journalist (who is ever going to dig through to see what was a press release, what was a wire story, what title was done by an editor?....it's all 'journalism'). Then, people like you are pointed out as "excellent exceptions". But no, really, you are a totally different animal. Just because your stuff shows up in MSM, does not mean it is science journalism which just happens to be better than most - it is a different medium: science writing.
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As a consumer of "science journalism" as practiced by newspapers and large TV stations I am very sorry to say I am closer to Larry Moran than I wish.
The problem isn't specifically science journalists, but they are part of the system and the "system" distorts results, does not understand what people are telling them, shows ridiculous things like a whole Time magazine cover and many articles about "faith and science" recently. It is the people who chose stories, the people who edit, the people who slant. All of this contributes to me thinking that that my time would be better off without this type of coverage.
Where are the "science journalists" ripping into the anti-vaccination movement in Pulitzer prize winning articles? Where is the health coverage that isn't parroting the latest paper result but is actually doing investigative science reporting of a field? Holding office holders to account for their scientific gaffs? Really going after the crap science that is out there and looking at who is behind it and why? When I get a sick feeling in my stomach most of the time from watching the science coverage on news networks and things like the History Channel and Discovery channel, I think the system is really broken.
The only bright spot seems to be some good books, a few magazines (Science News comes to mind) and the internet. I don't know that this situation is science reporters fault, but it is a bad situation. Part of it is that the best science reporting is probably anti-soundbite.
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I can't speak for American scientists, but my experience as the PR (another useless profession... I kid, I kid. Only PR is useless) guy for an academic institution trying to get science journalists to understand the topic under discussion is that despite being professional science journalists (possibly not as specialised as you have in mind), they were uniformly unable to grok the point of most of what was told to them. There were a couple of honourable exceptions, but their copy did not survive the subeditors.
The fact is, in my experience, that the press and visual media are incredibly unsuited to communicating facts, and this is, IMO, a flaw of any attempt to use the media to restore either confidence in, or knowledge of, science. Journalism and public relations have a goal - to impart attitudes and to do so by manipulation of the audience (lectience?).
Science stories must be "sexy", which effectively means they must comply with the standards of drama, conflict, and resolution that the media require. And there are at best less than 20 templates for the narratives that are acceptable and familiar to editors.
I agree with Bora - you are science writers, science communicators, but not science journalists. Journalism itself died with gonzo journalism, when the medium became more significant than the message; science journalism is doubly dead.
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This FriendFeed thread was also very interesting - it also contains links to several interesting posts on the topic.
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We seem to be stumbling on a basic point of definition. Science "writer," science "journalist": I don't distinguish because this is mixing up the type of medium used with the subject matter.
I think the core point is this: Does everybody agree that there is a group of specialized science journalists/science writers whose job it is (or used to be) to cover the scientific community and the knowledge it produces, particularly the articles published in the peer reviewed literature? And that in general, these journalists know more about science than your average reporter, and in fact have been trained to know more?
In other words--do you agree that there is now, or at least used to be, specialization, and that specialized science writers even have their own society, the National Association of Science Writers?
Because then the next question becomes, are these *specialists* the problem with science's treatment in the media? Because it's that question to which my answer is a resounding no.
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These specialists are good. That's what we are saying all along. The problem is that most science news is not written by those specialists, while specialists are mostly relegated to specializes publications (e.g., pop-sci magazines and such). The science news written by idiots is 'push', the quality science writing is, unfortunately, 'pull', i.e., only people interested in science in the first place will look for it and find it.
How do we insert expertise into the 'push' part of the media?
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These people seem to have the right idea:
The "blue ribbon network" especially.
I think the other part is to muckrake and consistently shine a light on the organizations providing disinformation--as Brad Johnson is attempting to do at the Wonk Room. Hopefully, that info eventually gets out to the wider community of media and journalists, although it seems hard to know if you're *really* getting through.
Seems like it might be useful to get reliable numbers on how much the journalistic community "gets" science issues--whether they know the score on controversial issues, and know the best practices for reporting on them.
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Hey Bora,
I'm glad we're agreed about basic terms/concepts. And I'm glad that you support these science specialists in the media--or at least, who used to be *in* the media. Now they're losing their jobs.
So the question becomes, isn't it kinda disturbing to find that even as journalists who care about science are losing their jobs, they're also being slammed by some scientists/science bloggers--without even any attempt to make the intellectual distinction you and I have just made? I mean, you might not like all "specialized science journalists" (maybe this should be my new term) or every piece of specialized science journalism, but surely they deserve better than this.
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I think this conflation is the problem. Critics of science journalism are really criticizing what they see in MSM - the sensationalist, error-rich "news-reporting" about science, then lumping all types and formats of science journalism together with it. Then good science writers like you (and Carl, Dobbs, etc) feel quite rightfully defensive about your profession, as you have just been attacked.
I think we need to make a clear distinction, whatever terms we agree on (e.g., journalist vs. writer, or "beat science journalists" vs. "specialized science journalists") and make people always be clear who they are talking about when criticizing science journalism with a broad brush-stroke.
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For it seems to me that virtually everything he's complaining about, a real science journalist would complain about as well.
Be careful, that sounds an awful lot like the No True Scotsman fallacy.
Actually, Chris, I'm not so sure that Bora agrees with you on the basic terms. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you think the trained specialists have exclusive claim to the name "science journalist." He seems to be arguing (and I tend to agree) that any journalist, specialist or not, who writes about science becomes a science journalist, at least in the eyes of the majority of the lay public.
As for the role of the specialist: if the specialists are responsible for advocating good science writing, yet "frequently lost out in those internal battles," isn't that, in a sense, "let[ting] us down," as Larry put it? Not that that necessarily merits abandoning them, but it may go a ways toward explaining the bitterness.
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Larry Moran's point is always about scientific accuracy, and he always says that science journalists often sacrifice accuracy for the sake of dumbing down the science or sensationalism. But let's leave that point aside for a minute. For me, a "science journalist" should not be restricted to someone whose work is published only in the mainstream media. A science journalist should be anyone whose work reaches a mass audience. To this end, for me Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould are both science journalists of the first caliber. Why restrict science journalism to that published in the mainstream media? In the end it does not really matter where the science is described, as long as it reaches the most number of lay people. With this definition in mind, I do think that professional scientists and science writers like Carl Sagan, Dawkins, James Gleick and Robert Hazen have done a much better job at science journalism than many of those journalists who write about science in the mainstream media.
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I think no one should be above criticism. You yourself made some generalizations about the communication skills of scientists:
With this article, you managed to infuriate some professional scientists. Yet I'm sure you did not mean to say that all scientists are lousy communicators.
In the light of the above, I do not understand why you take almost personally the criticism scientists have directed on the the (generally) naive and inaccurate reporting of science in the main media. I don't think Moran's or ERV:s comments will cause a rain of pink slips for science journalists. If anything, such criticism emphasizes the need of more professionalism in science writing.
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I agree 100% with Coturnix here. Science Journalists are those people who put their name on stories in newspapers or magazines about science, are those reporters who host "science" stories or cover them on TV on whatever channel, even if its something on ESPN about describing how a knee surgery is important or whatever. There are good ones and bad ones, but the ones I see most on TV and when I read mass media are not good. I don't know if you want to create some kind of "mass exposure index" where you could tell that the vast majority of stuff that people see is not from the "good guys" but personally I think that is true.
Whether this is an editorial problem, media problem, whatever, it is also a science journalist problem. They (you) have to eat of course, but in the big picture the results are grim.
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Seriously, most of what passes for science journalism is so bad we will be better of without it.
I seriously hope opinions like this are not very widespread in the scientific community.
As has been discussed here in the past, most of what passes for science journalism is not written by journalists who specialize in science. I think that journalists who specialize in science have done their best to promote a sane view of science - but they have failed. (Despite their best efforts.)
The evidence for the danger of global warming has been growing for decades, has been overwhelming for years - but even the NYT continues to fail to report it in a sane fashion. And as we saw with the recent infamous New Scientist cover, even journalists who specialize in science can mishandle evolution dreadfully. (Fortunately they printed the rebuttal - but already creationists are brandishing the misguided cover at the public.) Given these and other long standing failures of science journalism, such as the anti-vaccine pro-measles craze, I find I agree (except for the last line Chris quotes) with Larry - 'most of what passes for science journalism is so bad we will be better off without it', to borrow his quote. There's an important minority - not included in that 'most', I presume, and usually written by journalists who specialize in science, which will be missed, should it disappear. But it's not clear that it will disappear. Perhaps, as traditional journalism crumbles, these people will find another way to subsidize their blogs - or perhaps not.
But the damage most of what passes for science journalism has done to the public understanding of science, and the reputation of scientists, is a travesty which has gone on for decades, and if it really does go away - I'll be very glad to see it gone.
I've seen in these discussions that some feel people like Larry are eager to throw out the baby along with the bathwater. But given examples such as Angier, Revkin, Flannery, Zimmer, or, for that matter, Mooney, newspapers have not carried their best output - not by a long way. Their best work has been books (which may not be around any longer than newspapers) or blogs. The baby is not in the newspaper side of science journalism. It is not a given that people like these will have no ability to talk to the public without newspapers.
Let's suppose people like these can no longer communicate science to the public after the death of newspapers. I think that would be a severe loss - but given a new podcast, blog, or (should they survive) book popularizing science, would I choose any of the aforementioned science journalists over Dawkins? No. Over PZ Myers? No. Over Phil Plait? No. Over Darren Naish? No. Over Abbie Smith? No. Larry Moran? Maybe. I do not intend to imply the dangerously false dichotomy that the choice is between scientists with blogs and science journalists, and I don't know whether scientists with blogs can replace the few good bits of traditional science journalism for the general public, but I learn more from the work of scientists with blogs. And if popularity is a measure of communication, Phil Plait, PZ Myers, and Richard Dawkins all do very well.
(Unfortunately, I cannot immediately link to any scientific effort to estimate how well a person's understanding of science correlates with the sources of information they rely on. )
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Hi Llewelly,
You raise, in essence, the next set of issues.
Basically, they turn on whether blogs somehow replace newspapers for coverage of science--or not. And whether some of the communicators you've indicated replace the specialized science journalists I've been talking about--who certainly have their faults.
I'd be happy to go there--I have my views, though I'm limited by concerns about scooping our forthcoming book. But first, I'd like to get a bit more consensus here that specialized science journalists are not the problem, so we can stop what I view as the really shortsighted attacks on them--scapegoating, even.
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We agree that science writers like you, Carl, Olivia, Rebecca Skloot etc. are good and not the problem.
One problem is that in many people's minds, especially the newspaper people (but also some in the audience), newspapers = news. That is not true. Death of newspapers does not mean death of news. News will be just as needed and just as consumed once the newspapers are dead.
But just slapping a newspaper onto a website is not enough: medium is the message, and online medium is different enough to require a different way of doing journalism altogether.
Paper, ink, presses, trucks and truck drivers....those things are expensive. Thus, 'real estate' on the printed page is expensive. Thus, someone has to decide who gets to have words (or images, cartoons, obituaries, ads, horoscope,...) printed on that piece of real estate. People who decide this, the pre-publication filters, are called Editors.
Online, the expense is extremely low. Thus, the filtering happens after publication. There is no need for Editors, as everyone and their grandmother can put stuff online, on that cheap real estate. But how do we filter post-publication? Those filters are not developed well enough yet. We still need both technological and social methods for filtering content so out of those millions of pages of text/images/videos only the highest quality rises to the top and becomes widely visible to everyone. This is what Google has been trying to do all along - find algorithms that will bring the best stuff to the top of each search. This is what FriendFeed does in a different way: instead of a technical fix, you get a social fix: seeing stuff that people you trust deem good.
Thus, what is online is a mix of stuff produced by "professionals" (i.e., people indoctrinated by j-schools) and amateurs (who tend to write about the areas of their RealLife expertise). The professionals may write better, in a sense of 'more skillful at using English language', but amateurs' writings are of higher quality due to their expertise on the subject. If you look at the comments people leave all around the Web whenever the "future of journalism" is discussed, the audience prefers the expert amateurs to journalistic professionals, mainly because MSM has lost all credibility with the audience, while many top bloggers have gained a tremendous level of credibility due to their expertise, and due to their lack of j-school training: they never do the HeSaidSheSaid crap.
But, bloggers don't want to replace journalism (I don't want to have the expectation to blog about every latest circadian paper - it's my personal blog and I'll write what I want on it) - they want to help build a new model of online journalism in which professionals will: a) learn the online writing mechanics and ethics, b) become experts (or, due to their previous careers in science, etc., already be experts), and c) do their job honestly, abandoning some of the j-school tropes that led to the MSM loss of credibility. You wrote a book about this - who am I to tell you.
I am looking for something like Ars Technica, or Seed Media Group, or Nature Network becoming prominent PLUS places like HuffPo, TPM, Slate, Salon becoming serious about science and hiring a whole stable of science writers (some originating from journalism, some from science) in order to cover the science by experts.
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I think pretty much everyone has completely missed Chris's point about whether science journalists are responsible for the hype and breakthrough-chasing that appears in newspapers and elsewhere. His point was that they're forced into this mold by editors who have decided this is the way to sell papers (note his use of the term "internal battles"--that's what he means).
Whether we (yes, I'm a science journalist) should or could have resisted more strongly, or quit our jobs on principle is another question. But at least let's talk about the actual issue he raised. BTW, whoever asserted that James Gleick does a better job than science journaliss in the so-called MSM will undoubtedly be horrified to know that Gleick was a reporter for the New York Times, and would undoubtedly still be if Chaos hadn't been such a success.
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I think the point is that Gleick may have been a journalist for the NYT and that his science reporting for the Times may even have been terrible, but the fact is that Chaos did a much better job of science "journalism" than all the reporting; it was extremely engaging and well-written and presented the science accurately to a good approximation. It reached a wider audience than most science journalists hope to during their career. Chris's point that science journalists may have been forced to fit the mold by editors is well-taken. The point that's important to me is simply that the mainstream media has mostly ceased to be the place for model science writing and reporting, even if much of the public still views it that way. Books and blogs are becoming much better in this respect. The criticism is not of the people, it's of the traditional source that they work for as an authority on the best popular scientific writing. As for the fact that science journalism is vanishing from the mainstream media for economic reasons, that's a sad state of affairs indeed. But it still does not excuse the poor quality of science reporting.
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Mainstream newspapers are floundering. They've gotten rid of their book section. And from what you and others have said, their science journalism. I don't read newspapers anymore. Nor do I watch tv news. What for? A bite of fear? A swallow of dread? That doesn't mean that there isn't an appetite and need for information, but that those outlets aren't providing it. I love science journalism and I am out there talking about science blogs to everyone I meet. Amid the helpless doom and gloom, this is a reminder of the wonder of the world. We need that sense of wonder now more than ever. Blogs don't replace more indepth journalism, but have a lot of flexibility to complement it and to generate interest among those people, like me, whose work lies in another field.
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"But first, I'd like to get a bit more consensus here that specialized science journalists are not the problem, so we can stop what I view as the really shortsighted attacks on them--scapegoating, even."
I think that whenever scientists critisize the general quality of science journalism, they should end their comments with a disclaimer: "This does not apply to Specialized Science Journalists"
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I still like to get most of my "science journalism" from books. Maybe some of you have heard of those? One author here especially has written a nice book himself, so he would know what I am talking about. I agree that good books that clearly explain science, usually written by scientists, are far superior to most news articles and short pieces about science.
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This is from a recent Q & A with a fairly prominent reporter at the Washington Post:
Rochester, N.Y.: Shailagh, I doubt you'll take this one but if anyone here will, it's you!
Is there any concern that the lax standards of the editorial page (in particular, its refusal to retract false claims made in a recent George Will column) lessens the prestige of the news division at the Washington Post? Personally, the Post is my favorite paper, but this kind of thing makes it awfully hard to take anything in the paper seriously.
Shailagh Murray: I will post this without comment...but rest assured, all of us in the ailing newspaper business are highly receptive to ideas from readers about how we might improve.
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But first, I'd like to get a bit more consensus here that specialized science journalists are not the problem, so we can stop what I view as the really shortsighted attacks on them--scapegoating, even.
They weren't attacks on people who are good at their jobs. Larry Moran for example attacks scientists who over hype their work & in the process distort the science. Not everyone does it but it is a problem for science as a whole. When he makes that criticism, is it a shortsighted attack on all scientists? Larry as well it should be noted does point to good science writing and Carl Zimmer does get mentioned on his website in a positive light. I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill. The attack was overall of science journalism. Bad science journalism does negatively taint science. There is a cost. Larry is expressing the belief that the cost is too great.
He is dealing with the reality that MSM is beholden to modern capitalism with its eye on short to intermediate term profits. Science coverage is being reduced because of that. What coverage there is must fit into helping turn a profit. That reality it seems is reducing what role there was for specialized science journalists to even more of a niche market. In MSM it means less quantity and lower quality overall. In this scenario, Larry maybe right. The problem is not like Larry pointing this out. It is the system. You have to change that. That is a challenge, much easier to rant against one another liking the talking heads on TV.
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Folks, there's a ton here, and Larry Moran has responded--not with much concession or nuancing of his previous blast at science journalists ("good riddance"), but he does call my book Storm World an act of "sensationalizing."
I want to say a lot of other things, but can we just box for a second, and put to one side, the whole subject of science books? The book industry is in upheaval like the newspaper industry. It is not at all clear that science books are getting better, or faring better, or even what their future is--but there are many reasons for thinking it may not be very rosy.
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It is unfair of Larry to call "Storm World" a sensationalist publication. First of all the book is not purely about science, so it seems misguided to thrash it as a science book. Secondly, hurricanes and global warming are fierce political issues, so the subtitle of the book makes complete sense. It's hardly sensationalism, it's writing about the facts.
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Does anyone else find it curious that what Moran calls "sensationalizing the subject" is the same material that the American Meteorological Society described as "an accurate and comprehensive overview of the evolving debate on the impacts of global warming on hurricanes that illustrates the complexities of this significant scientific problem" when they awarded Chris the J. Battan Author's Award?
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Convenient that comments have turned to the American Meteorological Society, as meteorology is the example I'm drawing on.
Anyone who works in or near meteorology, as I do, gets immediately negative reactions from general public (including scientists in other fields) when they hear that we're in that area. The basis for that negative reaction is the 'meteorologists' that they know -- the people on their nightly TV 'news' show who present the weather. The reality being, most of those who present the weather are not meteorologists. Wanda the weather bunny (i.e., scantily clad woman, popular in many incarnations in the 1970s especially as weather reader) is much better known than Bob Ryan (local TV forecaster and former president of the AMS), and vastly moreso than Jule Charney (one of the people who helped invent modern numerical weather prediction).
The people who really are meteorologists got seriously peeved quite some time back. Their peevishness passed the point of merely saying "we're not one of those", which seems to be where you are at the moment in science journalism, and went on to what to do about it. I don't think they've got great solutions, but a start is the AMS (and NWA) certification process (seal of approval). That is, a process from the professional association to certify that there were some people who viewers/readers could have reason to believe actually knew something about what they were talking about, and could present it reasonably well.
Larry may be doing nothing more than I encounter routinely of equating you (proverbially) to the most commonly-seen practitioners of your profession. So as far as that goes, welcome to the club.
In any case, you have to figure out some responses to your equivalent of the "You people are always wrong." that meteorologists continually get.
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Robert, I think you make a good point.
But I'll also add that, from the point of view of a typical TV viewer, the view that "meteorologist = weather reader" isn't crazy precisely because most of them don't interact with other people who'd be presented to them as meteorologists.
Fair or not, that's how people react -- and it's a perfectly reasonable reaction. It'd be absurd for everyone to just assume they'd never met a "real" practitioner of some field even though they felt as if they had.
Similarly, since nobody explicitly talks about a distinction between science writers and science journalists in mainstream media, why would most people make such a distinction? There's no reason for them to do so, in general.
As a side note, I have noticed stations putting the little AMS logo on-screen when starting their weather segments.
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I wonder how much of the problem is due to expert reading people trying to communicate with the general public. No matter the issue, there are very few times where a reporter's story will satisfy top experts / real specialists in a field. 'Why did they use that word? That phrasing implies more certainty than we have! That is an oversimplification! But what about X ...'
Thus, the "scientists" reading science journalists in general media outlets (read newspapers) often get frustrated over what they perceive as inadequate quality, seeking to hold discussion to standards that are often impossible to expect in a general publication and to a difficult standard for any journalist (journalists have to be, to some degree, 'generalists' ... generalists almost always disappoint / anger specialists). Thus, there is a natural basis for disdain for science journalists ... a disdain that one gets past by thinking about the nature of journalism, an educational process that is not necessarily part of many scientists formation / weltaunschauung.
A different angle ...
I find that good science reporting in the newspaper are among the top items that are likely to be dropped into conversation by someone in the coming days / weeks. They are stories that often have 'stickiness' (in terms of people remembering) and have interest. I wonder what the commercial polling from the newspapers tells them in this regard.
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Jon: The AMS logo is your sign of the certification that I mentioned. It means (unless the station is using it without authorization, which does happen) that the weather segment is presented by an AMS-certified broadcaster. Making the certification public is another part of the AMS response -- it's something viewers can look for.
One of my stranger experiences was watching Pat Sajak on Letterman, and the two of them talking of their days as TV 'weathermen'.
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Siegel: I think I'm going to expand on the idea in a day or two over on my blog. But, in the mean time, ... a couple of thoughts.
First, though, I have to say I've only had one encounter with large scale media, as a scientist, and it was very positive. I think so for both me and the journalist. (Couple more as a runner/coach/club president, also positive.)
What I've heard most from colleagues complaining about their encounters with journalists is not that the full detail of their wonderful science was lost -- most of us realize that the daily paper is not a scientific journal -- but that things which the scientist did say clearly, were important to understanding the significance (or lack) of the topic, and which were explained in commonly-understandable language were ignored. Instead, the journalist (or public affairs office) had a preset story they were going to tell and any bits that didn't 'fit' got lopped off, regardless of what that did to the representation of the science. The scientist's contribution was not information or knowledge, but a name to attribute quotes to. And no care taken to get the quotes correct even as far as they went.
Simplification, I think most scientists (and science journalists), are ok with. And those that aren't don't have my sympathy. Oversimplification, however, is a very serious problem to us. Oversimplification has taken you in to misrepresenting what's up, or, just plain lying about what the understanding is. Some stories, perhaps, just can't be done in 250 words without oversimplification. If so, scientists would, I think, generally be ok with some other story being told -- simply, but correctly. There is certainly a ton of science being done out there. It isn't like there's only one or two science stories a week waiting to be told.
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Reading all this, it remembers me 4 things that non-journalists almost always forget, the first two having been said by Chris, but with not much emphasis:
1) it is easy to blame science journalists, but you are forgetting they do not have a lot of power, and society is partly responsible of it. In the last 30 years, newspapers and TV editors have cut their specialized science news teams (CNN is only the last of a very long list). Their justification: there is no market. And in the vast majority of cases, neither the scientists neither the local universities have complained about it.
2) specialized science journalists are a minority in the journalistic community. They are marginalized in newspapers and TV newsrooms. In fact, the majority are freelancers, which mean they are a) scattered, or b) in the obligation to produce for a living (if they do not produce an article, they are not paid).
Political journalists or sports journalists are much more powerful and when they protest, there voice is more easily heard.
3) forget the myth that scientists can replace specialized science journalists. That will NEVER happen. Because no scientist can do his full-time job AND do the full-time job that is required to write articles each month for science magazines. Yes, this scientist can blog, but a few sentences a day can not replace a many pages articles. And investigations are almost out of the question.
Please note that I am not saying articles are superior to blogs. I am saying these are two different things. We can argue ad infinitum if the loss of specialized science journalists would be compensated by the gain in scientists blogging. Nobody can be sure of that for now. In 30 years, maybe we'll know.
4) And finally, the most important thing some scientists are forgetting when saying something like: :
the damage most of what passes for science journalism has done to the public understanding of science, and the reputation of scientists, is a travesty which has gone on for decades, and if it really does go away - I'll be very glad to see it gone.
Following what I've said in (1 and 2), science journalists, like Revkin and al., could indeed disappear, if no editor wants to pay for it anymore.
But science jerks like your nemesis George Will, are not disappearing, because, there will always be a market for those kind of big mouths. A much, much bigger market than there ever will for scientists who are trying to argue studiously and rigorously, whether in newspapers or in blogs.
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Pascal: Your points 1 and 2 themselves forget about something basic. That is, newspapers (et al.) are not concerned about what the tiny fraction of the population who are scientists have to say about what the papers publish. You think science journalists are a small minority at a newspaper? Do some looking at just how few scientists there are. If science journalists are depending on scientists to save their jobs, they should go back and learn math.
I like good science journalism, and my one encounter with it first hand (story now up on my blog) was quite positive. The reality, unfortunately, is that media outlet owners are deciding that science doesn't sell. Scientists aren't going to change the owners' minds any more than science journalists are. (Now if you have specific ideas for what we can do past 'send a letter to the editor', by all means have at it.)
What would get their attention is science journalists setting up a concern that started making money from stories about science.
In the mean time, it really isn't a question of scientists putting up blogs versus having science journalists write at media outlets. As you say, the media outlets are shutting down their science sections. The question is whether we'll have any science information directly available to the public. For now it looks like there are only a handful of outlets and handful of science journalists that will do it from the media side. The scientists can sit on their hands, or do what they can at blogs.
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Grumbine: Surely, you don't think that scientists are the only one who read science articles in newspapers. But if somebody could take the lead in complaining about the dissappeance of (good) science articles, that should be the local scientist... and the local university: how many of them buy adds in local newspapers?
Because it would have more chance or creating a debate than the ordinary citizen. And it is only if it creates a debate that the editor could change his mind about the absence of market.
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To summarize: Journalism doesn't do boundary conditions.
In science speak: For the most part journalist have difficulty understanding and explaining the limits of applicability of any study
In the newspaper: Nobel prize anticipated
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I feel bad that I don't remember this person's name. With a few well sent emails I could get it but that would take time, and frankly a name isn't that germaine to the post.
I took this photo almost two years ago at a party at party for my brother-in-law James and his girlfriend Chesley. This woman was my other brother-in-law Bill's date. Let's see what I can remember about her . . . I know she lives in Massachusetts, west of 495 I'm pretty sure. She has horses. And kids. I don't remember how many of either though.
We chatted for a while that night, about what I couldn't tell you. It was pretty late – or at least I'd been at the party for a while – by this point. She was certainly pleasant enough but didn't leave a terribly deep impression on me at the time.
Obviously the relationship with her and Bill didn't last or I'd know a lot more about her. Bill has had some pretty memorable girlfriends in the years I've known him. Betty, whose friend Esther made Wendy's wedding dress; and Gosia, who I see from time to time at events around Cambridge.
Well, that's today's face and a few thoughts associated with it. This is much more manageable than when I was trying to do a dozen faces per day. That was just crazy.


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Death Of Salesman 2.0? – By Tibor Shanto
Ah, the poor 21st century sales professional, if he/she is not getting it from their manager, they are being squeezed by what he thought was a "loyal" customer, wringing yet another concession to ensure they keep the business. As if all that were not enough, there is always a sniper, pundit or sales expert ready to threaten their existence and value. One such "end is near" piece was on SellingPower.com, entitled "How Many Salespeople Will Be Left by 2020?"; (http://www.sellingpower.com/content/article.php?a=9452?rnd=324819) according to which the species will be all but extinct by the end of this decade.
While I think it is important for experts and pundits to challenge salespeople to stretch and evolve, to stay on top and ahead of evolving trends and technology, it is also important to keep it real. Since the advent of technology, especially from the start of the last century on, there has been a debate about the impact of technology on selling and sellers. The recurring prediction that sales people will be replaced or diminished in importance by automation seems a favorite among some. Technology no doubt brings levels of efficiency that will make selling different and impact the interaction between sellers and buyers. And while this discussion is important, it also needs to be real. It is important that we pundits help and contribute to the process of evolution, rather than impede or distract with outlandish statements that serve a narrow and self-serving agenda.
The piece starts and builds from a question asked by the author at Sales 2.0 conference, relating to acquiring books from Amazon.com, and interaction with Amazon.com staff.
For me, and for all professional salespeople, the piece has some shortcomings, not the least of which are it fails to address or distinguish the real difference between B2B and B2C; it fails to differentiate between transaction–interaction–purchasing and selling.
If there is the dramatic reduction in the species that the piece suggests, it is almost certainly to come in the B2C camp, not in the B2B. Buying a book from Amazon is as retail as it gets, even more so than the drive through at SONIC℠. There is a great difference between selling and buying, and more so between buying/selling and fulfilment, which is what Amazon does when it comes to books. The book was sold by the author, publisher, pr firm, Oprah, and these days social media, but Amazon, they just delivered it. Most people these days will go in to B&N look at the book, compare and then transact using the fulfilment facilities offered by Amazon, There is no more selling by Amazon there than going to your local Piggly Wiggly® (http://www.pigglywiggly.com/about-us) for a tube of toothpaste. Just look at how Piggly Wiggly® describes itself on their site,"America's first true self-service grocery store was founded in Memphis, Tenn. in 1916 by Clarence Saunders." Not much new there, it has been going for 100 years; the store has just shifted to my screen.
As for the statement: "Gartner, a research organization, predicts that by 2020, 85 percent of interactions between businesses will be executed without human intervention. It is likely that of the 18 million salespeople in the United States, there will be only about 4 million left." Gartner quotes interactions, not sales. EDI has been around for a long time facilitating interactions between business, with the victims being more inventory clerks than B2B sales professionals. Even when you look at concepts like Vendor Managed Inventories, the reduction in bodies have been related to warehouses and accounts-payable staff than in the salespeople who sell the service to begin with.
While we are all impressed with Watson's success, that is a long way from creating demand, generating leads, dealing with all the variables that human interactions involve when it come to risk, money and emotion. I am not sure Watson answered complex questions as much as to chew through reams of data with breakneck speed. Dealing with a buyer afraid to pull the trigger on a change that is good for the company. Or responding and managing to emotionally based "objections" are the same as searching a database at any speed. For an interesting examination of this read a Slate.com piece: "Jeopardy, Schmeopardy, Why IBM's next target should be a machine that plays poker" (http://www.slate.com/id/2285035/) by Chris Wilson, Feb. 15, 2011
Another puzzling aspect to this is that the same people who seem to harp on relationships, and "people buy from people", seem to be the ones supporting the disappearing salesperson view. I don't claim to be an expert, but how does Watson fit into the social-selling world of the future?
An altogether more practical view of the issue was presented by Jeffrey Gitomer, in a piece in his July 5th edition of Sales Caffeine, in a piece titled "Death of a Salesman! How alive are you?" (http://www.gitomer.com/articles/ViewPublicArticle.html?key=ajcdMibak3ORljorhuHgig%3D%3D) He not only distinguishes between retail and B2B, but expands on the impact on the economy should all these salespeople disappear. Rather than discussing how we will be replaced by machines, he outlines the advantage and opportunities presented to B2B salespeople in the future.
The reality is that computers will continue to replace transactions, order fulfilment, and other commercial interactions between companies; they will continue to bring efficiencies to selling in many forms, but when it comes to B2B sales, both for mission-critical and discretionary offerings, they will remain a companion, not a replacement. It is true that salespeople, like the products/solutions they represent, will need to continue to add increasing value if they are to remain in the profession. But for those who do, the future is more than bright and, more importantly, rewarding. For should it come to pass that our ranks are reduced by 75%, the remaining 25%, to quote a friend "will not only be in great demand, but be filthy rich due to our abilities."
I know that as pundits it is our role to deal with issues in an exaggerated fashion to make an important point. To do that, perhaps the question leading to the premise of the article should have been: "How many conference sponsors have bought sponsorship online; how many of you have done that without speaking to a conference rep?"
What's in Your Pipeline?
Tibor Shanto–Principal-Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., is a recognized speaker, author of the award winning book Shift!: Harness The Trigger Events That Turn Prospects Into Customers, and sought-after trainer; his work has appeared in numerous publications and leading websites. Called a brilliant sales tactician, Tibor helps organizations execute their strategy by using the EDGE Sales Process to create the perfect combination of strategy, tactics, skills to ensure execution. Tibor can be reached at email@example.com or + 1416 822-7781. You can read his blog, The Pipeline, with new material three times a week, and follow Tibor on Twitter @Renbor.


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The Gen Run Squad meet for group training SIX days a week; rain, hail or shine!
Sessions are interesting and varied, and designed to cater for all levels of runners. Our members range from casual beginners to seasoned athletes with an array of ambitions; so whatever your ability or training goals, you are guaranteed to get something out of every session.
*All track sessions are run under lights!
MONDAY – 6:45pm – Croydon Athletics Track
Monday evenings are a fun, fast-paced speed session on the track. You will find you push yourself harder when running with others and might surprise yourself with some speed you didn't know you had! For those who have raced the day before, there is always the option of an easy recovery run in company.
TUESDAY – 6:30AM – The Running Company Lilydale
A FREE and social, early morning run, leaving from The Running Company Lilydale – 242 Main Street, Lilydale every Tuesday at 6:30am. Open to the whole community, all ages and abilities, at no cost. Run or walk as we take in the local Lillydale Lake and surrounds. Head torches required during late Autumn and Winter months.
TUESDAY – 6:45pm – Lilydale Lake
Join the Squad for an interval, tempo or fartlek session at the lake. This session is suitable for all levels.
WEDNESDAY – 6:15am – Croydon Athletics Track
For the early risers, this track session offers a great start to the day with a quick spin of the legs as the sun rises. Focusing on technique, pace and speed endurance, you will enjoy your breakfast even more after this session.
WEDNESDAY – 4:15pm – Croydon Athletics Track
Recreational Running training for juniors aged 7-15 years in a fun, supportive and non-competitive environment. Coaching for technique, coordination, fitness, team work and lots of fun!
THURSDAY – 6:30pm – Croydon Athletics Track *FREE SESSION – Gold Coin Donation*
This fully coached, free, weekly Gen Run Community Club initiative; run in conjunction with the Maroondah City Council and in support of Oscars 100, is designed to keep the community moving and provides another fantastic opportunity for you to train under the watchful eye of the Gen Run Squad qualified coaches. All we ask for is a gold coin donation for our charity partners Oscars 100 – an organisation committed to improving the lives of children living with Autism.
Join us every a Thursday evening for alternating Tempo/Time Trials/Speed work on the track. EVERYONE WELCOME!
FRIDAY – 6:15am – Lilydale Lake & Mt Evelyn Athletics Track (alternating)
Not for the faint-hearted – this morning session finds our Squad running the hills before breakfast! With hill repeats, hill loops and hill running technique as the focus, Friday mornings are a sure way to develop gluteal strength and power, to improve speed and stamina on the flat. Flat running options are always available.
SATURDAY – 8am – Lilydale Lake in conjunction with Parkrun
Saturday morning sessions are a free, in-coached, social run for all and sundry. Bring along friends and family, ride the bike, push the pram or walk/run the dog around the lake, participate in Parkrun or head out along the meandering Olinda Creek or Warburton Trails. Gen Runners training for distance events often use this session as part of their long run, with a social catch up for breakfast at a local café to follow.
With the current COVID-19 situation and regulations placed on social gathering, Gen Run Squad group and private training is currently 'on-hold' until further notice.
We are however, very active on our social media sites and encourage you all to partake in our Virtual Zoom Strength Sessions which are open to all and FREE several times a week.
Please feel free to contact us for further information at this time. We are still available to assist with running programs, session setting, and strength improvement.
Stay happy and healthy and 'Keep Running'!


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Fresh ideas and fresh produce at Eats and Treats. Below is just a snap shot of their delicious menu:
Breakfast: Sizzling sausage, bacon and egg.
Lunch: Delicious fillings for sandwiches, paninis and jacket potatoes - Bacon, Brie and cranberry sauce, prawn and marie rose or roasted vegetables (vegetarian option.)
Come and try Jasmine's "special of the day" and fabulous milkshakes.
So dine al fresco and enjoy a special treat at Eats and Treats, located on the ground level by Marks and Spencer.


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Architecture / DESIGN
KAPLINSKI Short Film, Bejamin Seroussi artwork.
KAPLINSKI, Fashion and architecture mix audiovisual artwork. Benjamin Seroussi filmmaker's art piece! I will speak more about him in another post!
A M A Z I N G feelings watching it!
A place called home. Ullanlinna District, Helsinki.
The Creation of the Classic Style Icons, Danish Design. Part 1.
Republic of Fritz Hansen, Furniture Factory, Copenhagen.
FRITZ HANSEN started a Wood Furniture production company of his own in Copenhagen, 1872. In the 30′, Fritz Hansen was a leader in Furniture created in laminate wood. His son, Christian E. Hansen, started experimenting with steam bending beench, new concept. Nowadays,Republic of Fritz Hansen invites a series of new designers to interpret the design philosophy of the actual company.
ARNE JACOBSEN (1902-1971), Arquitect and Designer. Bauhaus Movement.
Arne Jacobsen studied Arquitecture in Paris, 1924. Bauhaus movement was in the air. He totally dominates the fifties at Fritz Hansen. The collaboration started in 1934, when he creates the laminated ANT CHAIR. The Inspiration of the Ant came from Hvidt& Molggard's AX- Series. Arne Jacobsen was and is an admired and outstanding danish designer. His famous artworks in furniture design are ANT Chair, EGG, SWAM Chair and Sofa, Series 7 and Series 3300.
ANT Chair Design, Arne Jacobsen.
SWAN Chair Design, Arne Jacobsen. Fifties.
EGG Chair Design. Arne Jacobsen.
POUL HENNINGSEN (1894-1967). PH. Designer and Writer.
He pretty well invented modern Danish living. His lamps Designs are mostly in every houses of Denmark. His designs are still in production today. His artworks are manufacuring by the company Louis Poulsen. His famous masterpieces are PH Lamp: The lamp is designed with multiple concentric shades to eliminate visual glare, only emitting reflected light, obscuring the light source. PH Artichoke: a chrome inner diffuser also assists in the proper even reflection of the light source.On this structure PH placed 72 copper "leaves" in twelve circular rows with six blades in each row.
WDC 2012, World Design Capital Helsinki.
Nº4. ÖÖ: WAS IT A DREAM?
This year Helsinki is The World Design Capital. It is offering a diverse events around the city. I knew that Martin Gram, managing director of Snohetta Design// Norway and Henrietta Thompson, editor-a -large, Wallpaper//London were coming to Helsinki. I started looking for WDC2012 progamme and finally, I found ÖÖ: Was it a dream? event where this 2 design professionals would talk about Nordic excellent architecture and design. They inspired me a lot. I learnt of their design points of view and artworks.
ÖÖ: Was it a dream? was launched during London Design Festival 2010 a curated experience showroom bringing together design visionaries from Sweden, Denamrk, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Estonia. This May in Helsinki, the event explores the theme of Authentic Luxury: telling the new Nordic Artist and Designers.
KLUVVI Helsinki. Where the conferences took place.
Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion by Snøhetta
Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion by Snøhetta
Craig Dykers, currently with renowned Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta
Platform is a Habitat design initiative.
Sofa designed by Vilhelm Lauritzen and made by Rud Rasmussen, 1942.
'Solaris' striped cabinet by Habitek
Inside Alvar Aalto's former studio in Munkkiniemi
Norwegian National Operahouse Building. Oslo, Snohetta Design.
ÖÖ: Was it a dream! World Capital of Design projects.
I enjoyed 3 conferences about 3 Architecture Studio (Finnish Tuomas Toivonen NOW , Estonian Ralf looke, Salto and Norwegian Martin Gram, Snohetta Design) Helsinki 2012, The world Capital of Design project is coming up…YESS!
I would like to introduce you one of Snohetta Design Project in Oslo! The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet House. Huge white – Frozen Glacier in the middle of the city! Inside the building is full of wooden structures which represents the warm environment.
The conceptual basis of the competition, and the final building, is a combination of this three elements – The wave wall, the factory and the carpet. Snohetta Design.
"The wave wall" Opera and ballet are young artforms in Norway. These artforms envolve in an international setting . The Bjørvika peninsula is part of a harbour city, which is historically the meeting point with the rest of the world.. The dividing line between the ground 'here' and the water 'there'is both a real and a symbolic threshold. This threshold is realised as a large wall on the line of the meeting between land and sea, Norway and the world, art and everyday life.
"The Factory" A detailed brief was developed as a basis for the competition. Snøhetta proposed that the production facitities of the operahouse should be realised as a self contained, rationally planned 'factory'. This factory should be both functional and flexible during the planning phase as well as in later use. This flexibility has proved to be very important during the planning phase: a number of rooms and romm groups have been adjusted in collaboration with the end user. These changes have improved the buildings functionality without affecting the architecture.
"The Carpet" The competion brief stated that the operahouse should be of high architectural quality and should be monumental in it's expression. One idea stood out as a legitimation of this monumentality: The concept of togetherness, joint ownership, easy and open access for all. To achieve a monumentality based on these notions we wished to make the opera accessible in the widest possible sense, by laying out a 'carpet' of horizontal and sloping surfaces on top of the building. This carpet has been given an articulated form, related to the cityscape. Monumentality is achieved through horizontal extension and not verticality.


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Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894 / Edinburgh / Scotland)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
BY sunny market-place and street
Wherever I go my drum I beat,
And wherever I go in my coat of red
The ribbons flutter about my head.
read more >>
- Hits: Number of visitors who read the poem on the given date.
- Posts: Number of visitors who posted the poem to a friend (via e-mail) on the given date.
- Dates that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list.
- Dates, poems and poets that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list. Statistics are generated daily.


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I've been meaning to blog about this since it first turned up on Matthew Paul Turner's blog (subsequently getting mentioned at IO9 and Greenflame). Superheroes are regularly situated at the intersection of religion and science fiction – see Steve Wiggins' recent post on Alien Deities as one example – but not always quite as blatantly religiously as this.
Artist Igor Scalisi Palminteri turned statues of religious figures into statues of superheroes. Click through to see the series, Hagiographies, on Palminteri's Facebook page or via the links above. Below is just one sample. Do come back after you've seen more, and leave a comment to say whether you regard them as super, sacrilegious, both, or something else – and which of them you like best!
On a related note, what do you think the Church of Batmanism would say about them? Take a look at this video of a street preacher in England sharing his faith…and actually making some converts!
HT Rod the Rogue Demon Hunter Formerly of Alexandria and IO9


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Professional Learning
ACLD-approved PLUs
Online PLU Extensions
Clock Hour Sessions
Districts Served
Faculty PD
Student Learning
Tutoring & Enrichment
Unavailable at this time
Teaching & Leading Effectively with the 7 Habits
Standard 1: Planning for Continuous Improvement
Written by Erica J. Williams, NBCT
Suggested Prerequisites:
-You must hold instructional leader certification.
-You must have access to a computer with internet connection.
The purpose of this professional study of
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Steven Covey
is to create more effective leaders who will impact schools and student achievement positively by utilizing the tools of the 7 habits to collaborate, improve relationships, improve personal productivity, guide instructional improvement, lead progressive changes in the school, and motivate students, teachers, parents, and community stakeholders. (You will receive a copy of the book & an LLP reflection journal.)
In addition to your attendance to weekly workshops, you will reflect through journal writing and online blogging in response to discussion questions.
-You must attend, participate in, & complete 3 full-day face-to-face training sessions over the course of 3 weeks.
-You must respond to discussion questions and weekly blogs.
-You must complete ongoing professional reading and journal reflections.
Each session for this PLU will be held in or near Birmingham. After successful completion of this professional study, participants will receive one (1) PLU. This professional study will be offered up to 3 years.
PayPal & credit/debit card payments accepted. Registration fees are to be paid in full via PayPal at www.learninglittlepeople.com or at the initial face-to-face meeting. No late registration permitted.
Educational leaders will be able to:
-respond proactively to situations in their professional & personal lives.
-set measurable team & personal goals.
-apply effective planning & prioritization skills.
-build high-trust relationships.
-communicate viewpoints effectively.
-leverage creative collaboration.
Other PLUs to consider...
Rigor, Relevance, & Relationships: The Standards for Teaching & Learning
Standard 2: Teaching & Learning
Cyberbullying & Internet Safety
Standard 3: Human Resources Development


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Elizabeth Arden PRO in Hoppers Crossing
Family Care Dental and Aesthetics are now stockists and treatment providers of the award winning Elizabeth Arden PRO.
Elizabeth Arden PRO addresses key skin conditions in five simple, concise skincare regimens
- Age Defying
- Problem Prone
- Hydrating
- Sensitive
- Brightening
Elizabeth Arden PRO's proven formulations set another level for performance, utilizing our most advanced understanding of skin science and ingredient technology innovations. Elizabeth Arden PRO is designed to help you reach an enhanced level of skin rejuvenation while combating the cause of skin aging.
To discover the full range of Elizabeth Arden Pro, CLICK HERE.
Professional Peel Treatments
These highly effective professional treatments are designed to maximize and accelerate results from the Elizabeth Arden PRO homecare regimens and are a critical part of the overall skin health benefits.
Hydrating Professional Peel Treatment with Omnilux Revive ™ $110
An introductory peel that helps balance the skin with noticeable results. Designed to exfoliate, hydrate and even the appearance of the skin, this gentle peel is power-packed with skin enhancing benefits! Results are dramatically boosted with the added OmniluxMedical ™ revive LED treatment.
This peel is best performed weekly for 5 weeks for glowing results.
Optimum Results Package $550
Includes $99 'Try Me" Kit to prepare skin with 1 month supply of Cleanser, prescribed Serum/Cream and Triple Action Protector and 1 High Definition Peel Treatment.
High Definition Professional Peel Treatment with Omnilux Revive ™ $150
Prepare to be impressed with high definition results! This is an advanced, intensive monthly peel providing age defying improvements with noticeable results and minimal downtime. This 50 minute procedure intensively exfoliates, plumps and volumizes the appearance of the skin and is followed by and OmniluxMedical ™ LED treatment leaving skin radiant and visibly smoother.


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Just Perspective, LLC
Just Perspective, LLC, an innovative legal media and consulting firm based in Orlando, FL, had a valuable service to offer attorneys and wanted to grow its clientele. Founder Joe Tamborello contacted Trighton Interactive to help him develop an effective marketing strategy.
Trighton's responsive website design – providing optimal searching and viewing experiences for prospective clients and simpler analytics for improving online marketing – turned out to be perfect for the growth Tamborello wanted to achieve.
Law firms seeking an expert consultant to create documentaries for strategic planning of cases and for telling clients' stories in a convincing way can easily find and read about Tamborello's credentials as an attorney and filmmaker. Just Perspective's responsive website responds automatically to the device upon which it is being viewed, making navigation simple. In addition, the website's responsive capabilities make it easy for prospective clients to contact Just Perspective from their mobile devices.


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Former Bears defensive lineman Bryan Robinson was found dead in a motel room late Saturday, the Chicago Tribune reports. He was 41.
He was discovered at the Midpoint Motel in Milwaukee Saturday night, according to the Tribune, and pronounced dead at 10:17 p.m.
Results of an autopsy and toxicology reports are pending, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office told the Tribune.
"We are saddened to hear of the loss of Bryan Robinson," the Bears said in a statement Monday morning. "He will be remembered for the determination and work ethic he displayed on the field over his six years in Chicago.
"The Bears and our fans will always be indebted to him for his game-saving blocked field goal in Green Bay six days after Walter Payton's passing. Our prayers are with Bryan and his family."
Robinson played in the NFL for 14 years, and was with the Bears from 1998 through 2003. He also played for the Rams, Dolphins, and Bengals, and finished his career with the Arizona Cardinals in 2010.
Check back for updates on this developing story.


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Although it seems like websites and digital informative content are all the rage today, traditional print products are still important. That's why we are dedicated to providing affordable quality and premium service in this area. You don't have to choose quality and quantity over affordability. Read on to learn more about our traditional print product offerings below!
Business Cards Charlotte NC
One of our most popular commercial printing services is our business cards. You never know when you might need to have one on hand, which is why we can mass print appealing and affordable business cards at a moment's notice.
Like all of our other services, you have complete control of the design of your business cards. Ours are printed on a standard-sized premium quality card. You have the opportunity to design your own logo, as well as the content and general layout. Once our graphic designers have a detailed idea of what you want your business cards to look like, they will design business cards that adequately satisfy your inspiration and ideas.
With our customizable business cards, you won't ever have to worry about rummaging around for a pen and paper to jot down your information. Instead, you will appear professional and be able to whip out your customized business card whenever you need it.
Brochure Printing Charlotte NC
As a leading printing company in Charlotte NC, brochures are one of our specialties. After all, brochures are a great way to provide your clients with as much information about your business in a condensed, concise, and appealing way.
Although the information you include in your brochures is extremely important, we understand that they will ultimately catch the eyes of potential clients by being visually appealing. This is why you are able to utilize our team of highly trained and experienced graphic designers to help you create the right brochure to promote your unique products and services.
Commercial Printing Charlotte NC
Flyers are another popular traditional print product we offer. Whether you use our flyer service to draw awareness to your business, club, sports team, or event, you can count on us to create intriguing, attractive, and informative print pieces.
Like all of our other printing services, our graphic designers will be your go-to for help on creating an attractive flyer that will be sure to catch the eye of your target audience. Whether you want to print a simple picture or an intricate detailed message we are prepared to provide you with exactly what you need.
Printing Services Charlotte NC
Don't shy away from traditional print products just because we live in a digital age. After all, business cards, brochures, flyers, and traditional print products are still relevant and necessary for business and personal use. That being said, give us a call today at (704) 341-8800 if you have any questions or want more information about any of our traditional print services. If you already have a general inspiration or idea about the traditional print products you want, consider stopping in for a free consultation!


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Archive for March, 2009
Bamboo Jewelry Designs by Molly McGrath
This beautiful necklace and earring designs are created by artist Molly McGrath in her San Fransisco studio. These stunning pieces of jewelry are created using Bamboo and Second-hand Suede Jackets. All of her materials are sustainable and/or recycled. I have a huge fascination with creative earring styles right now, and her Ginkgo Leaf Earring design is fantastic. You can find these pieces at BTC Elements.
Photos via BTC Elements
Fashion Crush: Marni Balloon Bags
I love these large and colorful bags. I found these this weekend on Net-A-Porter. I think they might be a tad expensive especially in these trying times, but that doesn't stop a girl from dreaming. My favorite is the terracotta one, of course.
Photos via Net-A-Porter
3 Ways Good Design Makes You Happy: Ted Talk By Don Norman
Don Norman explores the difference between a designer's intentions and what people actually want and need in a design. He discusses the three emotional cues a well-designed product must hit to be successful. Mr. Norman's TED Talk is truly fascinating. I love his explanation on the effects fear and happiness have on a person, and the primal need we have for happy design.
Video via TED Talks
Funky Sustainable Furniture
Dennis and I are in the market for some funky bookcases for our library, but we hadn't quite found what we are looking for until today. These bookcases were fashioned by the very talented designers of the Brooklyn based studio, Brave Space Design. They concentrate on creating sustainable, multi-functional objects for home and office settings. Dennis and I fancy the Tetrad Flat shelves quite a bit. I love that they come as separate boxes that you can attach in any order you desire. This is exactly what we need in a sustainable design. What more could a girl ask for? You can purchase many of their products at Nimli.com.
Photos via Nimli
Five Beautiful Grungy Site Designs
I love this design style. I am trying to do something like this for RH Frog, but I haven't quite nailed it yet. Here are a few sites that have inspired me during this process. They are absolutely beautiful.
I Love Colors
Free People
Ali Fleski Portfolio Blog
Fashion Find: Rock & Roll Recycled Earrings
These earrings are fantastic! Designer Millie Hilgert creates these beautiful accessories from old vinyl records. Her design is very clever, and I love all the different color choices. I didn't even realize you could change the color of a vinyl record. These earrings are very spring eco chic. I can just see myself wearing my bright yellow dress with those fabulous tangerine vinyl earrings, sipping a cocktail on the seafront. You can get a pair of these fabulous earrings at BTC Elements.
Photos via BTC Elements
Fashion Crush: Spring Dresses
I took a long walk around Brighton this past Saturday. Dennis and I were getting a bit of exercise, and we decided to do a bit of window shopping as well. As we were browsing, this beautiful striped dress caught my eye. I didn't purchase it, but it made me realize that spring is on it's way here. It's time to start replacing my winter wardrobe with my summer and spring ensembles.
I've actually been thinking about this dress for days now. I tried to look for it online, but I wasn't able to find it. Nevertheless, I did find some beautiful summer/spring dresses that cannot be ignored. These bright colors and sassy patterns are so very me.
Vivienne Westwood Anglomania
Zac Posen Picot-Trim Dress
Moschino Broderie Anglaise Dress
City of Angels Dress
Free People
Summer in Tucson Dress
Free People
Coral Way Dress
Afternoon-At-Ease Dress
Musing Moon Dress
Carambola Shift
Krasna Dress
Photos via Free People, Anthropologie and Net-A-Porter