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The first time I remember noticing that a fictional thing was working really, REALLY hard to convince me that their fictional monarchy was good was while I was reading the rulebook and setting guide for the Blue Rose RPG, learning about the world of Aldea. And that made me look back at a lot of other times I've seen fictional works – particularly fantasy – bend over backwards to tell me about how THEIR monarchs are good actually.
To give some background, Aldea is probably the most egregious example – when the old monarch dies, the Golden Hart, a magic deer-god, manifests by magic and "The sovereign of the nation is likewise not determined by birth or conquest but selected by the Golden Hart, the embodiment of the collective will—and wisdom—of the people." Yeah, that's a direct quote from the book. It's uhhhh it's basically the divine right of kings but with a thin veneer of magical direct democracy over it. It's worth noting at this point that Aldea is an absolutely idyllic setting, and the monarchs selected by the Golden Hart are never anything less than just and kind and fair and incredibly capable rulers. The nobility are also not born; they're basically glorified civil servants and becoming a noble requires significant study and a literal morality test given by a magic scepter.
I'll note that none of this is a bad thing. It's a lot better than the alternative you see in most fantasy settings, with "firstborn son" as the heir by default. But I have to wonder – why have a monarch or nobility in the first place? It seems like you could just… not have them. And I know for Aldea, the answer would be that the works they take their inspiration from (the works of Mercedes Lackey and Tamora Pierce, primarily) have monarchies, so therefore they will have monarchies. But also… they could not.
Most high fantasy includes monarchies, of both the good and evil varieties. One of the most archetypal fantasy plots would be to depose the evil king and install the good king in his place. At the end of Game of Thrones this week, Samwell Tarly suggests that hey, maybe instead of having approximately twelve rich people pick out the king, they could try democracy maybe? This gets laughed off and we go with "twelve rich people pick the king", because oligarchy is just SO much better than hereditary monarchy, right? Obviously. Ugh.
As with many things in contemporary fantasy, I think it goes back to Ancient Rome (if you've ever wondered why there's always the decrepit ruins and failing technology of a bygone lost empire… it's because of Rome). In this particular case, I think it goes back to the myth of Cincinnatus.
Myth may not be the right word; we know there was a person named Cincinnatus who served as the dictator (the word had… different connotations then) of Rome when the Republic was under crisis. The legend of Cincinnatus, the very model of civic virtue, is that he assumed power when things were at their darkest and then voluntarily surrendered that power as soon as the crisis had passed, returning to his humble life as a farmer. The idea being that to step back from that kind of power – again, entirely voluntarily – requires a certain greatness of spirit and a kind of civic-minded humility.
It is, as I've implied, probably kind of fabricated or exaggerated a lot. But the myth has taken hold, and it's particularly taken hold in America, where we have our very own mythologized Cincinnatus figure – George Washington. To step down from the Presidency, to serve only two terms and no more, when he almost certainly could have served for life if he chose… again, a certain greatness of spirit. And it's nice and wholesome and certainly convenient to imagine our founder as a kind of Cincinnatus.
This is also the root of the idea that the best ruler is the one who doesn't want it. They certainly beat us over the head with that idea again and again in this last season of Game of Thrones, somehow ending up with Bran? Because he doesn't want… anything, anymore, apparently. And you know, they quote it humorously in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, "anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job," etc. It's funny because we all hate politicians, but is it actually… true? I'm gonna have to go with no on that one.
But it's kind of an infectious idea, right? More than 60 seconds of thinking about the Cincinnatus myth and the unwilling ruler almost immediately reveals it to be basically bullshit, but it's a nice thing to think about. The idea that our rulers might in fact be worthy, especially our founders. The concept is insidious – the ruler who absolutely would step down the minute they felt it no longer necessary to serve… so clearly the fact that they're still in power means that they're still necessary.
Fantasy, much more than any genre except, well, history, is rooted in the past. Fantasy is about mythologizing our own histories, where sci-fi is about finding our future. Fantasy leans so much on the monarchy – specifically the idea of the just king, the honorable king, the unwilling king – because it feeds into our own ideas about our pasts. Not necessarily the truth of our pasts, but the mythologized version of them. And our ideas of our pasts become our visions of ourselves. If we could all but see ourselves as the Cincinnatus, perhaps things would be different. But perhaps, no one ever really was a Cincinnatus, and it's an idea we've given ourselves about the past to justify where we are now.


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Today's output from Blogistan Polytechnic Institute's state-of-the-art HEMMED (High-Energy Meta Mojo Elucidation Detector) machine is a reality check.
Today is voting day in six state senate districts in Wisconsin. The districts comprise 18% of the population of a state of 5,686,986 or about a million people. The total number voting will probably be less than 500,000 people.
What can the votes of 500,000 people tell you about Wisconsin, the Democratic party and the nation? Who knows? You can be certain that you will be told what it means by pundits for the next few days and weeks and months.
Today we vote and quite literally: anything can happen. But what won't happen is Wisconsinites losing resolve if we come up short or Wisconsinites being complacent should we prevail.
The Wisconsin Awakening is real and what happens next will define the reinvigorated progressive movement of the 21st century.
Badgers are still snarling but today they are also voting.
Please join BPI Campus tonight at 8pm Eastern on Evening Focus for a Live Blog of the election returns. Polls close at 9pm Eastern.
From Thursday, August 4th HEMMED In
This is not going to be a treatise on the issues in the state of Wisconsin.
It is not going to be about the class warfare that Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) and his cohorts in the Wisconsin legislature decided to wage on the working people of Wisconsin. It is not going to be about the 14 Democratic state senators who left the state to deny the GOP a quorum and to give Wisconsinites time see the horror of the tea party's vision of Wisconsin. It is not going to be about 150,000 people in a single day showing up at the state capitol in Madison or the hundreds of thousands who showed up day after day to protest the assault by our state government on it's own citizens and our values. It is not going to be about We Are Wisconsin, which is both a group of labor unions working to take back our state and a statement about the solidarity we are feeling. It is not going to be about the long history of progressivism and the union movement and standing up for working people that are Wisconsin traditions.
It is about all of these things. But more than anything it is about the pride I feel that Wisconsin is leading a movement that is pure Wisconsin in its determination and which has sparked a renewal of progressive values throughout the country.
I am bursting with pride because of the excellent candidates our party found, including five women candidates, who were willing to step up and run in this shortened election cycle:
Nancy Nusbaum, former President of Wisconsin NARAL and former Mayor of DePere, WI, is running against Rob Cowles in WI-SD-02.
Sandy Pasch, a member of the Wisconsin state Assembly since 2008, is running against Alberta Darling in WI-SD-08.
Shelly Moore, a former high school teacher who was elected to the National Education Association (NEA) Board of Directors in 2005, is running against Sheila Harsdorf in WI-SD-10.
Jessica King, Deputy Mayor of Oshkosh, WI, is running against Randy Hopper in WI-SD-18.
Jennifer Shilling, a Wisconsin state Assemblywoman since 2000, is running against Dan Kapanke in WI-SD-32.
Fred Clark, a two term Wisconsin state Assemblyman, is running against Luther Olsen in WI-SD-14.
I am thrilled that going into the election on Tuesday, August 9th, we have a strong chance to win back the state senate and create a legislative block to Gov. Walker and provide a check on many of his appointments.
I canvassed in Oshkosh and met Jessica King who promised me that she would stand up for us.
I met Joanne, one of Jessica King's staff, who is going door to door on roller blades in 90+ degree heat to make sure the Jessica King is in Madison standing up for us.
But I did not need to meet two women to know about the spirit and determination of Wisconsin's people.
I see them all the time: the people who work in our school district, who maintain our roads and highways, who staff our hospitals and clinics and run our small businesses. People who are proud of the quality of life here and anxious to pass that on to their children and grandchildren.
This fight is for them. And that Badger snarl is for anyone who dares tell us that We The People are less important than the corporations and special interests.
They are wrong.
And to those who say that the results of this election are not to be taken as any kind of pushback against Republican overreach?
They could not be more wrong.
Recall Repeal Rebuild
Thursday Tuesday to everyone and fist bumps!
The BPI Campus Progressive agenda:
1. People matter more than profits.
2. The earth is our home, not our trash can.
3. We need good government for both #1 and #2.
Return to HEMMED In three days a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for more output from BPI's state-of-the-art HEMMED (High-Energy Meta Mojo Elucidation Detector) machine.
You can follow HEMMED In on twitter at JanF at BPICampus.

subset: commoncrawl


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The UK's Housing Crisis
The Barker Review of Housing Supply
In March 2004 the Barker Review of Housing Supply published its final report. The report was authored by economist Kate Barker and detailed a number of recommendations based on some very thorough and excellent analysis. One of the recommendations was that the UK needed to build around 250,000 new homes every year to prevent spiralling house prices and a shortage of affordable homes. A line in the report's Foreword reads: 'A weak supply of housing contributes to macroeconomic instability, and hinders labour market flexibility, constraining economic growth'.
Read More…


text: Connecting the Dots Connecting the Dots: Top News Stories for Wednesday, June 27, 2012 By Emily Gadek • Jun 27, 2012 (San Jose Mercury News) // Monday's Supreme Court ruling on Arizona's controversial immigration law upheld the mandate for a police officer to ask for a person's immigration papers after stopping them. In California, the law is not so different from Arizona's, but enforcement varies widely and is often up to the discretion of individual officers… Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Thursday, June 21, 2012 By isaac silk • Jun 21, 2012 (Oakland Tribune) // A UCLA Anderson jobs forecast says unemployment in California will remain in the double digits until next year... Connecting the Dots: Top News Stories for Wednesday, June 20, 2012 By Tajha Lanier • Jun 20, 2012 ((LA Times)) // The Supreme Court is set to rule on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care reform act in the coming weeks. If the so-called "individual mandate" is struck down, California stands to lose. State officials worry that California could lose out on as much as $15 billion annually to provide medical care for the nearly 20 percent of the population that is uninsured… Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for June 18, 2012 By Zoe Brezsny • Jun 18, 2012 (SF Bay Guardian) // Creative, artistically minded people are leaving San Francisco in search of affordable housing in the East Bay. Oakland is fast becoming the new hip location for the working class and young artists driven out of San Francisco by sky-rocketing rents. Oakland City Council member Rebecca Kaplan says those moving into Oakland and surrounding East Bay cities are of many different ethnicities including Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Vietnamese... Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Thursday, June 14, 2012 By Tajha Lanier • Jun 14, 2012 (SF Gate) // There's still no BART service between Oakland and San Francisco. An early-morning fire at a West Oakland construction site badly damaged tracks, forcing commuters to buses, ferries, or a Bay Bridge that several people have described as a "parking lot." BART hopes to have at least one track open by later today... Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Wednesday, June 13, 2012 By Emily Gadek • Jun 13, 2012 (Sacramento Bee) // Governor Jerry Brown is quietly moving to cut the number of retirees working for the state, but opponents of his plan say the cuts won't save significant money and will eliminate a pool of affordable and experienced workers... Connecting the Dots: Top News Stories for Tuesday, June 12, 2012 By Fatima Duran • Jun 12, 2012 (Sacramento Bee) // Assembly and Senate Democrat leaders are attempting to block the governor's proposed cuts to programs that benefit the poor. They met with Brown yesterday to outline a budget plan that has a smaller reserve fund and cuts an obsolete high school scholarship. Since Democrats can pass a budget proposal with a simple majority, they have left Republicans at the periphery of the discussion and expect to present their budget plan to the governor Friday… Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for June 11, 2012 By Lisa Ratner • Jun 11, 2012 (LA Times) // High-Speed Rail construction is facing challenges over its environmental impact on both air quality and endangered species. Concerns include the problematic air quality in the San Joaquin Valley where about 1 out of 7 children have been diagnosed with asthma, and federal biologists say 11 endangered species will be impacted. Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for June 7, 2012 By Isaac Silk • Jun 7, 2012 (San Jose Mercury News) // There are still 1 million votes left to tally in the vote for Proposition 29, the San Jose Mercury News projects a loss for the proposed cigarette tax hike. A vast majority of the votes left uncounted come from districts in the southern part of the state, where there was less support for the initiative to raise the state tax on packs of cigarettes to $1... Connecting the Dots: Top News Stories for Wednesday, June 6, 2012 By Ashleyanne Krigbaum • Jun 6, 2012 (SF Gate) // Proposition A, which aimed to break Recology's stronghold as San Francisco's sole waste management company, was overwhelmingly rejected by voters yesterday. The measure would have separated the trash and recycling services for the city into separate district controlled by different companies, which is a common model for most cities in California. Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Tuesday, June 5, 2012 By Ninna Gaensler-Debs • Jun 5, 2012 SF Chronicle // Starbucks has bought the Bay Area based chain La Boulange Cafe and Bakery for $100 million. Starbucks plans to start to replace its current pastry selection with La Boulange products in 2013. There are 19 La Boulange cafes across the Bay Area... Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for June 4, 2012 By Zoe Brezsny • Jun 4, 2012 (Bay Citizen) // More than 75 vocational schools are being investigated after dozens were discovered to be operating without state approval. The schools convicted will be presented with fines of up to $50,000 by the California Bureau for Postsecondary Education... Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Thursday, May 31, 2012 By Ben Trefny • May 31, 2012 (Sac Bee) // Support for the tobacco tax, Prop 29, is slowly going up in smoke – thanks in part to $38 million invested in advertising by tobacco companies R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris... Connecting the Dots: Top News Stories for Wednesday, May 30, 2012 By Emily Gadek • May 30, 2012 (Mercury News) // Chefs across California are squeezing in extra foie gras on their menus and drawing the ire of animal rights groups. A statewide ban on the staple French cuisine made from fattened duck liver goes into effect July 1. The ban was passed back in 2004 to put an end to what some consider the inhumane treatment of ducks raised for the delicacy… Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Tuesday, May 29, 2012 By Fatima Duran • May 29, 2012 Associated Press // The popularity of California's 280 state parks may be a factor in why California legislators are developing bi-partisan legislation to them. Californians camped at 10,000 sites in state parks over the Memorial Day weekend, yet even a quarter of those parks are expected to close this July. Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Thursday, May 24, 2012 By Ninna Gaensler-Debs • May 24, 2012 San Francisco Chronicle // Some investors have reacted angrily to Facebook's debut as a public company, accusing the social networking giant of failing to reveal pertinent financial information in advance of its IPO. Several media outlets have claimed that Facebook gave banks information that would provide unfair advantage over other investors, prompting lawsuits and government inquiries... Connecting the dots: Afternoon edition for Wednesday, May 23, 2012 By Leila Day • May 23, 2012 ((Huffington Post)) // Mariela Castro, the daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro, is in town presenting a paper about transgender Health at San Francisco General Hospital. The 50-year-old sexologist at the Cuban National Center for Sex Education will also sit on a panel at the annual conference of the Latin American Studies Association happening in San Francisco this week… Connecting the Dots: Top News Stories for Wednesday, May 23, 2012 By Katie Styer • May 23, 2012 ((SF Gate)) // The N-Judah Muni line, arguably the busiest in San Francisco, will be closed for nine days for track reconstruction. The light rail line – which serves neighborhoods in the Outer Sunset, Inner Sunset, Haight-Ashbury, Civic Center, Downtown, and the CalTrain Station – is a muse for a local blog and reason for many a Muni gripe in the City. The N makes its final stop this Friday May 25 at 7pm and won't begin again until June 4 at 5am. Connecting the Dots: Afternoon edition for Tuesday, May 22, 2012 By Mary Rees • May 22, 2012 (SF Gate) // Investigators found DNA evidence linking Antolin Garcia-Torres to the disappearance of a 15-year-old Morgan Hill girl. At a news conference, today, Santa Clara Sheriff Laurie Smith said the source of the DNA was not blood. The girl, Sierra LaMar, was last seen on March 16… Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Tuesday, May 22, 2012 By Leila Day • May 22, 2012 (Mercury News) // The Golden State Warriors are expected to announce, today, plans to move the team from Oakland to San Francisco, building a news arena on piers 30 and 32, near the Bay Bridge. The move could happen as early as 2017. The Warriors currently owe $95 million to the city of Oakland for renovations to their current home at the Oracle Arena... Connecting the Dots: Afternoon Edition for Monday, May 21, 2012 By Holly J. McDede • May 21, 2012 (SF Gate) // Solar eclipse blinds driver. Check out that solar eclipse yesterday? It was blindingly beautiful. In fact, a driver in South San Francisco was, she said, "temporarily blinded" when she ran into a mother and daughter crossing the street during the eclipse. In her defense, Grand Avenue has signs warning drivers of glares – even when there aren't any eclipses happening... Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Monday, May 21, 2012 By News Producer • May 21, 2012 (Bay Citizen) // The $68 billion bullet train project, destined to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles, is facing criticism after it was discovered that the light rail authority enacted a new policy to destroy emails after a 90-day period. Five years of emails were deleted in the midst of multiple inquires from local government and opposition groups in search of information on the train's progress. Connecting the Dots: Top News Stories for Thursday, May 17, 2012 By Angela Johnston • May 17, 2012 (San Jose Mercury News) // On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court agreed to hear a case determining whether the State Bar has the authority to allow an undocumented immigrant to practice law. Sergio Garcia, an undocumented immigrant who graduated from Chico State University and a Florida law school, passed the Bar exam in 2009... Connecting the Dots: Afternoon edition May 16, 2012 By Steven Short • May 16, 2012 (Sacramento Bee) // University of California students hissed Vice President Nathan Brostrom this morning at the UC Chancellor's meeting when he stated that administrators have full confidence in Chancellor Linda Katehi. This was the first time the UC Regents have met in Sacramento since 1993... Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Wednesday, May 16, 2012 By Emily Gadek • May 16, 2012 (Mercury News) // The Santa Clara Valley Water District is under investigation after reports that hydraulic oil was spilled into several of the district's reservoirs. The investigation comes as the district is asking voters to go to the polls this November to renew taxes that support its Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection plan... Connecting the dots: Afternoon edition for Tuesday, May 15, 2012 By Leila Day • May 15, 2012 (SF Gate) // The debate continues over naming a U.S. Navy ship after Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Critics of the idea believe that Harvey Milk would not approve of his name on a Navy ship because of his opposition to war, while supporters argue that it would be a global honor for a Navy ship to be given Milk's name. Harvey Milk joined the Navy in 1951, before his political career in San Francisco… Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Tuesday, May 15, 2012 By Holly J. McDede • May 15, 2012 Bay Area News Group // Oakland's Oikos University lost six students in a campus massacre last month – and now students enrolled in the Oikos nursing program may lose their school if they don't improve their test scores within the next two years. Administrators say they're working on it… Connecting the Dots: Afternoon edition May 14, 2012 By Lisa Ratner • May 14, 2012 Los Angeles Times // In order to retain federal funds, California's High Speed Rail project would have to spend $3.5 million daily to meet the 2017 deadline for finished construction of track in the Central Valley. If approved, the project would have the fastest rate of transportation construction known in U.S. history. Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for May 14, 2012 By Irene Florez • May 14, 2012 (Rough and Tumble)//Even though the state budget deficit has ballooned to $16 billion, Capitol insiders expect Gov. Jerry Brown to unveil a revised May budget today which assumes voters will pass a November tax hike that would protect school and public safety funding from cuts. Insiders say that Proposition 98 will play a key role, that the per pupil grant base will increase, cost of living numbers will be adjusted and that the revision will require a pay-down of state debt to schools. Connecting the Dots: Afternoon edition for Tuesday, May 8, 2012 By Ninna Gaensler-Debs • May 8, 2012 California Watch // The Federal Election Committee recently passed a proposal to let consumers trade in loyalty program points for donations to their preferred political candidate. Now, regulators are reviewing Repledge.com, which would would make Republican and Democratic donations made through the Repledge system cancel each other out, redirecting the money to charities... Pages1 2 3 4 next › last »


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teen wolf problems
season one: accidentally changes eye color on lacrosse field season 3b: mass murder in hospital
"I felt like, creatively, there were things I wanted to do differently, and I wanted to explore other avenues of film and TV. I wanted to jum..."
Stiles Fanon that is now Canon 1. Calling Melissa Mom 2. Having the same disease that killed his mother 3. Being possessed by something evil 4. Bisexuality??? TBH at this point I'm just holding out for a fucking Stilinski twin to come out of the woodworks.


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Happy Holidays from Miami!
Happy Holidays from Miami!
The little things that have made me smile lately. I will apologize now, since most of the things that have made me smile lately are food.
That dish above was amazeballs! Cinnamon raisin french toast with pecan butter.
Happy 200th Post!
I didn't go crazy with decorations this holiday like I did with Halloween. Since Luis and I will be headed back home to Miami for Christmas, we kept it simple.
The tree outside our window is back to the way it was when we first moved in, naked! Very wintery looking.
I love the blue glow the lights give off at night.
I also like seeing the kids playing on the playground below look up and stare at our lights. I wish more people decorated their windows, but I do see a few Christmas trees in the windows across from us.
Our in door plant that we bought from Ikea some time ago is playing the role of Christmas tree this year.
As usual, Christmas came early for Luis and I. We have never been good at actually waiting for Christmas Day to open gifts =)
This week Luis has finals, and then we are headed to the mountains in North Carolina to kick back and relax before heading to Miami the following week. I am super excited and can't wait to hug everyone!
What is the holiday season without a night to wander through a garden full of lights?
Our walk through Atlanta Botanical Gardens Christmas light display really got me in the mood for Christmas and excited for all the festive events that happen in December. Then again, it's not everyday you see a million lights on display.
Just seeing the rows of trees covered in lights in the front of the garden got me into the holiday spirit. While standing in line for our tickets, you could smell hot chocolate and marshmallows roasting.
Marshmallows… writing that word bugs me. It's odd to me that it isn't spelled marshmellows, since that is how I say it. I don't say marshmAllows, maybe I should start to pronounce the A, but I digress.
I really loved these gigantic fall leaves (had to be at least 8 or 9 feet long) that were on the wall in the main building before stepping into the garden. I wonder what they were made of? Metal, iron? I want them!
This is the first view of the garden when you walk in. I absolutely loved it, and my most favorite display out of all of the displays in the garden.
How I wish he would smile, he hates me. No, just kidding, but seriously, smile!
This is what happens to the camera when you don't smile, or could it be the person working the camera? I am posting it because I think the crazy streams of dancing lights look pretty neat, and I know my mom would enjoy it. As she says; "that's trippy man".
The garden had so many details, even the sidewalk had lights that shadowed snowflakes.
Looking at the two pictures above, kind of make you feel like your in space surrounded by stars, or is that just me?
After taking a billion pictures in the first part of the garden, Luis and I took a right and went for a stroll on the canopy walk.
Shots from below the canopy walk, looking into the next display in the garden. I believe they call this part Dr. Seuss Land?
Shots while walking on the canopy above the display.
I couldn't decide which shot I liked more so, I put both. I won't tell you how many pictures I actually took of this blue tree since it's ridiculous. Why!? Because, I wanted to focus on one light and have all the other lights come out clear, but still have the view of the red tree in the background. Sounded cool in my head, then again, I am an odd person.
These awesome paths lights were almost throughout the entire outside gardens and gave off a nice romantic glow. Another neat little detail to help guide you to the next display in the garden.
In the courtyard every tree and bush had lights, and they also had fire pits so people can roast marshmallows to make s'mores and have hot chocolate, along with lots of other tasty treats.
All that was missing was a group of Christmas Carolers.
Luis seemed to enjoy the next part of the garden the best, and I wished that I had taken video to post instead of just pictures to give you the full effect.
The Great Lawn had these color-changing lights that were choreographed to holiday music. We stood there for awhile and just got lost in the music and the changing of the colors.
Then off to wander through the edible garden and greenhouses.
It was a nice night. The garden wasn't very crowded and the night wasn't too cold. The next morning I was inspired, and put up snowflake lights in our living room window, and added a few other holiday items around the house. We are not putting up a tree again this year since we won't be in Atlanta for Christmas and after putting up so much stuff for Halloween, I wanted it to be less crowded in our place.
In the holiday spirit, I am entering in a holiday dessert bake off this week. It's being held by our 10th and Home residence, and after winning the Halloween door contest, I would like to keep winning. I will post pictures of my minimal holiday decor and dessert later this week.
How are you getting into the holiday spirit?
Yes! I never thought I would make it. Some months were harder than the others, but I have made it through my first year of blogging! Happy one year to me, to my camera, and my fingers (since they did the typing) =)
Today, one year ago, Luis and I packed up all our stuff and crammed it into a U-Haul trailer attached to our truck. We left Miami at midnight, and because of the 55 mph speed limit with the trailer, we arrived in the parking lot of our new home in Atlanta 15 hours later, on December 1st. Yikes! After the 7 hours it took us to unload all of our stuff, we were officially home.
One year of blogging has equaled 197 posts; 230 comments (thank-you!), has had 9,670 hits, 23 categories, and 2, 578 tags. The person who has commented the most on my blog is my mother (awesome)!
My blog has been featured on two websites; Howell Mill Food Park and Sweet Auburn Curb Market. My pictures from the Mount Mitchell post were used for an art project concerning the geological isolation of Mt. Mitchell by a student at Virginia Commonwealth University.
My top five posts with the most hits are; #5 Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling and Buttercream Frosting, #4 Spring is Coral, #3 Making Sweet Pickles, #2 Little Heart Cakes, and my number one post with the most views is Howell Mill Food Truck Park.
Before we moved to Atlanta I made a list of things I wanted to experience while we were here. Even though it's only been a year, here is a break down of what we have completed so far from the 105 item list.


text:
Course summary
TEF Gold
Aberystwyth University has opted into the TEF and received a Gold award.
If you are interested in the fundamentals of Computer Science, our degree which is accredited by the Chartered Institute for IT (BCS) on behalf of the Engineering Council, allows you to develop the skills needed to solve complex problems that include analysis, design, solution choice and implementation. As a student of this course, you will gain access to dedicated Linux, Mac OS X laboratories and central servers and you will be taught by lecturers who have close links with the industry and software engineering conferences. In addition, you will have access to robotic equipment including Arduino, mobile robots and sailing robots. Our degree will prepare you with a variety of transferable skills and employability skills. As part of your degree, you will be required to take part in a residential set of tasks where you and other students will have work in teams to solve problems. This activity will encourage you to improve your: communication skills, analytical skills, time management, organisational skills, implementation skills, research skills, technical skills and you will have more experience of working independently as well as part of a team. The first year of the course is a very manageable introduction to the field of computer science even for students with no prior experience in the field. You will receive a thorough grounding in web development, computational thinking, software engineering and agile methodologies. The skills and experience you will gain will open access to a variety of career paths including:
- Software design;
- Communications and networking;
- Computer applications;
- Web development;
- IT consultancy and management;
- System analysis and development;
- Computer sales;
- Marketing;
- Education.
Course details
What will I learn? This is an example of what you may study. In your first year you will be introducted to; programming, computer infastructure, web development, problems and solutions. In your second and third year you will discover and undertake the following; our software development lifecyle module ( you will adopt the role of one of the following; project manager, desinger, and you will be required to produce a working software product, following the best current industrial practice at every stage. You will also discover data structures and algorithms; development processes, techniques and technologies, and undertake you individual project.
How to apply
Application deadlines
If your application is completed by the following date, it's guaranteed to be considered:
15 January*If you apply after this deadline, universities or colleges don't have to consider your application if they've filled their spaces, so the sooner you apply, the better!
Application codes
You will need these codes when you add a choice to your application.
|Course code
|Institution code
|Campus name
|Main Site (Aberystwyth)
|Campus code
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
|Further information
|UCAS Tariff
|96 - 120 points
|A level
|Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
|Access to HE Diploma
|Pass in Access qualification in a relevant subject with Merit in 50% of units at level 3.
|International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
|26 - 30 points
|Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
|Aberystwyth University welcomes the Welsh Baccalaureate as a valuable qualification in its own right and considers completion of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate to be equivalent to an A level grade.
Applicants are selected on their individual merits and offers can vary. We allow you flexibility in meeting our entry requirements, and all qualifications that you have already gained, or are working towards, will be considered when reviewing your application. We have an inclusive policy which recognises a broad range of qualifications. The entry requirements listed above represent typical offers for some of the most popular qualifications taken by applicants. If you cannot find the qualifications that you are studying (or have previously studied) please contact our Undergraduate Admissions Office (Telephone: +44 (0)1970 622021; Email: [email protected]) for advice on your eligibility and details of the typical offer you are likely to receive.
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Digital Opportunity - A Review Of Intellectual Property And Growth is the title of the report published in May 2011, commissioned last year by the government from Professor Ian Hargreaves. The Government - indeed, the Prime Minister himself, launching the Review at the same time as his scheme to turn the Old Street roundabout, right by our office, into a hub for digital industries - was concerned that the current intellectual property framework did not adequately promote innovation and growth, and the Review's terms of reference reflected this: many have recognised a more general need for copyright law to be updated, but Prof Hargreaves did not have carte blanche (or the time, or the resources) to cover the whole field. So there's nothing about trade marks (except a mention of counterfeits) and little about designs (although what there is is pretty important). Harder to understand, there's no mention of open source or Creative Commons and no relevant mention of public domain (surprising, given that James Boyle was one of the panel who advised the review). That much I can work out with only the PDF reader's search function to help me - although I know I have to be careful: I asserted on Twitter that it didn't say anything about software patents - which was true, as far as it went, but it does say quite a lot about patents for computer programs.
While it was encouraging to see the Prime Minister getting to grips with this issue early in his term of office, it was hardly a new departure. The previous government commissioned a comprehensive review into our intellectual property laws, and in December 2006 the Gowers Report made 54 recommendations many of which have not been heard of since. The government followed that up with its Digital Britain report. In the last government's final fling, that spawned the Digital Economy Act which amongst other things tries to deal with copyright infringement online. Those provisions were recently subject to a judicial review, which gave them a fairly clean bill of health.
The Hargreaves Report is 123 pages long - not much shorter than the Gowers Report , but with only 10 recommendations, which struck me at first glance as short-changing those of us who have been looking forward to seeing it. But it was a self-imposed target, and to meet it the report makes some pretty sweeping recommendations, incorporating several sub-recommendations, so perhaps there is not such a big difference in the weight of their recommendations. In summary, the recommendations are:
1 Evidence-based policy-making. The Government should ensure that as far as possible the development of the intellectual property system is driven by objective evidence.
2 International priorities. The UK must protect its interests at the international level and in in particular will have to keep an eye on what is happening in emerging economies such as China and India. The UK's position must be based on economic evidence. The UK should also seek to get a unified EU patent court and patent system as a matter of the highest priority. It should also work to make the Patent Co-operation Treaty more effective, in particular by ensuring that international search reports carry greater weight than they sometimes do.
3 Copyright licensing. The review recommends the establishment of a cross sector Digital Copyright Exchange to facilitate access to transparent, contestable and global digital markets. The review suggests that there should be a senior figure appointed to oversee the design and implementation of the proposed exchange by the end of 2012 (yes, the ambiguity is in the Report, but I assume that's not merely the target date for the appointment). The government should support moves by the European Commission to create a framework for cross-border copyright licensing. As a major exporter of copyright works, this will bring benefits that UK.
4 Orphan works. The Review recommends that legislation should be passed to enable licensing of orphan works, establishing an extended collective licensing scheme and a clearance procedure for the use of individual works.
5 Limits to copyright. Over-regulation of activities which do not prejudice the central objective of copyright (providing incentives to creators) should be firmly resisted. The review recommends that the Government should deliver copyright exceptions at the national level, taking advantage of all the opportunities offered within the the EU legislative framework. This will include format shifting, parody, non-commercial research, and library archiving. At the EU level the UK should also promote an exception to support text mining and data analytics, as too much valuable information is locked up in databases. It should push at the EU level to develop a new copyright exception designed to make the legislative framework adaptable to new technologies.
6 Obstructions to innovation. The review recognises that the patent system can be detrimental to innovation, and identifies patent thickets as a significant problem. It recommends the government to take a leading role in promoting international efforts to cut backlogs and to manage the boom in patent applications. Steps should be taken to ensure that patents do not extend into sectors which they do not currently cover, such as non-technical computer programs and business methods, unless there is clear evidence that there will be a benefit. It should also investigate ways of dealing with patent thickets which include working at the international level to establish a fee structure set by reference to innovation and growth goals.
7 Designs. the role of intellectual property in the design industry has been neglected, and the Review suggests that in the next year the Intellectual Property Office should conduct an evidence-based assessment of the relationship between design work and innovation. It will then be better able to evaluate policy at the UK and European level.
8 Enforcement. Hargreaves recommends that the government should have an integrated approach to the enforcement of intellectual property rights, including education and measures to strengthen and "grow" (sorry, I have to make clear that's a quote - that usage really grates, and one does not grow markets like vegetables, one develops them, allows them to grow,even encourages them to do so but they grow themselves) legitimate markets in copyright and other fields. The enforcement regime of the Digital Economy Act will become operational next year and the Review recommends that its impact be carefully monitored and compared with the experience of other countries. Enforcement mechanisms may need to be adjusted as market conditions evolve. To enable rights holders to enforce their rights the government should introduce a small claims track for low value IP claims in the Patents County Court.
9 IP advice to small firms. The Review calls on the Intellectual Property Office to draw up plans to improve smaller companies' access to the IP system. This will involve giving them access to lower cost providers of integrated IP legal and commercial advice.
10 Responsiveness. Finally the Review recommends that the Intellectual Property Office should be given the necessary powers and mandate in law to ensure that it focuses on its central task of ensuring that the UK's intellectual property system promotes innovation and growth through efficient, contestable markets. Specifically, it says that the IPO should be able to issue statutory opinions where they will help to clarify copyright law.
So, quite a wide-ranging menu for the government to choose from (although I guess they shouldn't choose, they should take everything on it). Next I'll consider some of these recommendations in greater detail.


text:
Clue: World Health Day mo.
We have 1 answer for the clue World Health Day mo.. See the results below.
Possible Answers:
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- Lender's letters
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- Borrower's concern, briefly
- Abbr. in car ads
- Busy mo. for the I.R.S.
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- Int. disclosure
- Follower of Mar.
Last Seen In:
- New York Sun - August 13, 2008
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text:
I was hurrying home. It is unwise to linger anywhere in District E3. Dangerously. I knew that a couple of gangs would be roaming the streets now that Institution was out, and it was only a matter of time before the Guards would begin appearing in the streets, on rooftops, poking their long-snouted rifles from the battlements capping the tall walls surrounding our district. The gunshots would follow.Their fights never lasted, the superior technology that graced the Guards ranks left nothing but hole-ridden, fleshy paste when utilized upon the young, hard-headed boys who were either stupid or desperate enough to stir up trouble. The Guards shot to kill. The cracked sidewalk under my very feet must have seen a dozen young rebels face down upon it.
I was almost home. Home. A dull, lifeless gray slab of concrete. Located in the Southwestern corner of District E3, a laberynth of bunker-like stocky buildings. Very square and neat, immensely dull…
Thump. My house was a block away but I heard it. My body froze, unable to accept what was clearly there. The door was cracked, something my mother would never allow. And its frame was crooked… someone had bashed in the door. That someone had my mother. Instantly defrosting, I flew into action. I was through the door in a heart beat, its losened hinges splintered easily facing my headlong charge, and the cheap hunk of wood crashed to the floor. Two heads turned, distracted from their previous engagement of searching my mother's desk. They were not as fast as me. My fist met the first man in the gut, and my efforts were rewarded with a terrifically loud crunch. I took hold of his throat and hurled his ragdollish person with strength I had never known. The second man was just now reacting, momentarily stunned by the gurgling, unintelligable words of his partner. I made out the word alpha as he fended off a hard right hook, and his face became very pale. The meaning of "alpha" concerned me very little at the time. My left fist rocketed into his jaw. He had fallen for my trap: I'm a south paw. A torrent of blood spurted from his mouth has he spun away, crashing to the floor.
Bang. I could feel the slug break the skin, burrow its way into my chest. I stumbled foreward numbly. In his hand was a very peculiar sleevegun. My foot met him square in the nose, and the weapon dropped. I snatched it up as he recoiled. I fired the second round. And the third. Two men were dead in my house, and one woman was going fast. I fell to my mother's side.


text:
|Ford Falcon Made in Argentina
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Ford Falcon Argentina
So if you are looking to buy art, antiques or collectibles from Buenos Aires, Argentina, then check this my web cam for all kinds of items, I can show you my office and any item LIVE, and for more information: Contact me See "artdealer_ar" profile on Yahoo, I'm online now!:You can chat with me using Yahoo Instant Messenger. Email : Email Bob Frassinetti. Read more about items, Press here to see : A Daily up date on Art, Antiques as well as Collectibles from Bob Frassinetti, Art Dealer & Journalist. So if you are interested in any item, from Art, Antiques, passing threw Collectibles and just to mention some like Advertising, Advertising Art, Architectural, Art Deco, Auto Parts, Badges, Banks, Beswick, Bottle, Bottle Openers, Bronze, Button, Calendars, Candy Containers, Carnival Glass, Chandeliers, Christmas, Coca Cola, Corkscrews, Elvis Presley, Ethnic Art, Ethnic Toys, Fans, Fishing, Fishing Reels, Folk Art, Francisco Adaro, Furniture, Lamps and lightning items, the wild 60's and 70's, Garden Furnishing, Girl Scout, Glass Art, Glass Contemporary, Golf, Halloween, Inkwells, Insulators, Ivory, Japanese Woodblock Prints, Jewellery, Judaic, Kitchen, Knife, Lamps, Lighters, Lightning Rod , Majolica, Match Holders, Medical, Motorcycles, Music, Napkin Rings, Nautical, Netsuke's, Nutcrackers, Paintings, Liberato Spisso, born Buenos Aires, Argentina. 14 March 1903, Portrait Artist, Viski, Jean ( Janos ) 1891 - 1961, Old Car, Paper, Paperweights, Pens, Pencils, Pencil Sharpeners, Pepsi Cola, Perfume Bottles, Pewter, Phonographs, Photography, Postcards, Posters, Prints, Radio, Railroad , Records, Steam Tractor, Scientific Instruments, Sewing, Sheet Music, Silver, Souvenirs, Sports, Stero Cards, Stereoscopes, Telephones, Television, Tools, Toys, "The Buenos Aires Toy Museum. Argentina", Tractor, Typewriters, Watch, Weapons, Weather Vanes, Wood Carvings, Wooden, World's Fair, to say Wristwatches. For more information on what we can get you: Email Bob Frassinetti. And see our webzine magazine, The Buenos Aires Art Dealer, Argentina. For information on the subject


text:
You might be surprised to learn that 8 in 10 Americans are in debt, according to a study by CNBC.com. While most people see this as...
You might be surprised to learn that 8 in 10 Americans are in debt, according to a study by CNBC.com. While most people see this as a burden, other people believe it is a necessity, given today's high standard of living. Still, while many Americans have a love-hate relationship with debt, nobody actually enjoys it. When your bills come in at the end of the month, it's stressful to pay off both incoming and existing expenses—and even more stressful when your interest on a loan increases beyond your capacity to afford its payment. Being debt-free is therefore an ideal way of living, as you won't be held back by any outstanding financial obligations. Once you motivate yourself to achieve zero debt, there are tons of unexpected advantages that will make you feel freer than ever before.
Here are four surprising benefits that stem from settling your debt:
1. The Freedom of Choice
Without being burdened by debt, you will no longer feel tied to a financial ball-and-chain. No longer will bills bog you down. Instead, you can now spend money on whatever you choose. Rather than handing over your earnings to a collector, you can choose to do things that you enjoy, like buying a new couch or planning a trip.
2. Stress Relief
Obviously, owing money to someone brings on anxiety. Knowing you have outstanding bills or interests to pay can be extremely stressful with a tight budget. But without having to scrape together all of your earnings to make a payment, you will have a huge weight lifted from your shoulders. You won't have to worry so much about your finances, giving you freedom to breathe and be much less stressed out.
3. Boosted Savings
Since you won't be paying down any interest on loans or outstanding bills, you can instead put that money toward your savings account. This extra cash will be a huge boost to your savings, which is important for things like retirement or emergency funds. Rather than being forced to use your savings to pay your debts, you will not be able to reverse the cycle and bolster your savings account instead.
4. Healthier Relationship with Finances
When you don't have debt, your credit score and other aspects of your financial health will improve, such as your debt-to-income ratio. While you may not be interested in having a high credit score, since you don't want to take on any new loans or credit cards, it's still useful to have good credit. For example, you can avoid paying deposits on things like cell phones or utilities, and even get better car insurance rates.
With so many positives about being debt-free, it's time for you to buckle down, adjust your budget, and find the inspiration to pay off your outstanding debts on time.


text:
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Lots and lots of blue and brown fabrics = two flimsies! WooHoo!
Yes, I'm finished but I don't want to show you the flimsies because I think they will look much better quilted. Some of you have left comments indicating that you were impressed because I was working on two quilt tops at the same time. Don't be so impressed - LOL - this was such an easy pattern therefore quite simple to make two at the same time. :-) I promise to show a picture very soon as I plan to quilt them as soon as I get backings and bindings together.
Did you have a good week end? Did you spend time with your needle and thread? I sure hope so :-)
Thanks for popping in to visit - you always make my day!
In Friendship!
16 comments:
- May Kristin said...
Can't wait to see them finished! Blue and brown works great together! I often use easy patterns, because using an easy pattern often shows off the fabrics and colors a lot more!
- 1:36 AM, February 11, 2008
- Carol said...
Sounds like you had a wonderful sewing time. YIPPEE! Can't wait to see your quilts. I cut several things yesterday, thanks for the motivation.
- 3:05 AM, February 11, 2008
- KC Quilter said...
Can't wait to see your blue & brown quilts!!! I, too, work on several projects at once---Quilters ADD, I think!
- 5:53 AM, February 11, 2008
- Juliann in WA said...
Wow - I go away for a few days and look at what you have done! No needle and thread for me this weekend but certainly there will be time for that this week.
- 6:18 AM, February 11, 2008
- Unknown said...
Now that was a huge tease, announcing that you'd finished the tops and no photo's. I'm going to go and sulk in the corner until you have a photo up....lol...
- 7:24 AM, February 11, 2008
- Jeanne said...
We need a picture or two! How did you get the words blue and brown colored?
Looking forward to seeing what blue and brown creation you have been working on lately.
- 7:34 AM, February 11, 2008
- Libby said...
Ahhhh . . . come on and show us a picture *S*
- 7:51 AM, February 11, 2008
- MARCIE said...
So you are going to keep us guessing! I love brown and blue quilts --can't wait to see yours!
- 8:27 AM, February 11, 2008
- Elaine Adair said...
Same here - Can't wait!
- 9:17 AM, February 11, 2008
- Wendy said...
Ahhh...I want to see your quilts. The simple quilts show off the fabrics we love so much. Blue and brown together is stunning....just a little peek...please. Not much needles and thread for me this weekend.
- 9:53 AM, February 11, 2008
- CONNIE W said...
Quick post to say Happy Monday!
- 12:41 PM, February 11, 2008
- Ginger Patches said...
Wow!! You're finished that's fast!! Hurry up and quilt them I wanna see pictures LOL!!!
- 1:18 PM, February 11, 2008
- Quilts And Pieces said...
Oh I want to see them! They better get quilted soon!
- 6:48 PM, February 11, 2008
- SuBee said...
Darlene your little quilt came today, and I love it!!! Thank you thank you thank you -- now pop over and see "the rest of the story"
- 7:51 PM, February 11, 2008
- Red Geranium Cottage said...
WHAT??? A post without photos?? How can it be???? Are your really there typing????
- 8:18 PM, February 11, 2008
- Perry said...
I admire you for doing 2 quilts at once of the same pattern. I would go nuts and get them all wrong, lol. I have some of those fabrics you are using, and seeing them here makes me remember the quilt I want to do make with them.
- 8:30 PM, February 11, 2008


text:
I do not know about you, but I need a routine every day to keep me on track. I love my morning routine because it gives me the chance to start my day off right, and strong! What do you do daily to get ready for your day? Here is what I do every morning to kick off my day of work, working out, and living a full life.
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I'm now blogging at christinedunne.wordpress.com (Christine Dunne is my new name), so if you're interested in keeping up with my posts, go ahead and bookmark the site. Thanks!
Archive for the 'Blog' category
This blog has moved!October 1, 2011
Friend or coworkerMay 30, 2011
I recently came across this blog post on whether your coworkers are just your coworkers or also your friends. It was actually published on my new company's blog back in 2008. I found the article extremely interesting. I liked how the author personalized the topic by describing her relationship with her coworkers. Here's an excerpt:
Being 24 years old, living in a city, and having come from a company full of 45 year old financial consultants I thought to myself 'self, you are going to work with a bunch of cool 20 somethings and drink beers with them, and hang out, and be friends.' Right, totally. So after a few months, I found myself enjoying this office, these 20 somethings, and the general fun that goes along with hanging out with your co-workers. The problem then becomes, are these people friends? Or are they coworkers?
She goes on to wonder if you can hang out with coworkers in a bar or restaurant (saying all the things friends say to one another in bars and restaurants), and then have a totally professional relationship with them while at work. I've sometimes grappled with this question. I like how the author went on to ask her CEO his opinion, and I like even more his response:
"…in your 20's the people you work with can be very much part of your social network, you spend a ton of time together, usually share similar interests, and are forced in to close quarters. After 29, all bets are off – your life changes, you get married, have kids, then you spend less time worrying about making friends at work and more about managing the friendships you already have [or wondering why you have no friends]."
I really identify with these thoughts. For much of my 20s I spent lots of my free time with coworkers. I mean, it's really easy to just head over to a bar or restaurant after work with your colleagues, especially if you work downtown. You all have a TON to talk about, as you spend so much time together every day. You can gossip about a coworker who's not there, discuss your thoughts on a new work policy, or exchange opinions on the company's evolution.
Now that I'm approaching 30, however, I find myself spending less time with coworkers and more time with friends I already have. Maybe that's because I'm more settled than I was before (I'm engaged, don't have plans to move, etc.), and have built a more balanced, multifaceted life.
To me it makes more sense to cultivate a wide variety of friendships than to largely hang out with coworkers. As you get older, you realize that friends are more than just who you are currently spending time with. They are the people you'll continue to spend time with (or keep in touch with).
Often coworkers are just people you happen to be with at the moment, not people you'll maintain relationships with after leaving the company. So your time is better spent figuring out who your friends are, in all realms of life, and spending time with those people.
My first BzzAgent review: about.meMay 23, 2011
As I mentioned in my last post, I recently started working as a copywriter for a social marketing company called BzzAgent. Also known as a word-of-mouth marketing company, BzzAgent enlists hundreds of thousands of "agents" to discuss brands and products (L'Oreal, Michelin, and Unilever are just a few of its clients).
The agents receive free products, free services, and discounts. I signed up to be an agent (also called a "BzzAgent") to see what's it's all about (you can do so as well). After filling out some surveys, I was invited to the "about.me" campaign. About.me lets you put multiple online profiles (including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Flickr profiles) in one place.
I created an about.me page at about.me/christinelaubenstein. You decide which profiles and/or links you want to include on your page. I added my Twitter, WordPress, LinkedIn, Vimeo, YouTube, and Tumblr accounts (granting about.me access to my posts, updates, videos, etc.), but I declined to allow access to my Facebook info (including profile information, status updates, and friends' photos).
For me, my Facebook page is a relatively private space I don't want strangers to see. I did, however, opt to add a link to my Facebook page (in case someone wants to friend me). You can link to other pages if you'd like, or add other profiles (Blogger, Posterous, Flickr, TypePad, Formspring, Last.fm, Daily Booth, and Instagram).
You can also personalize your background, font colors, fonts, and biography. Other features include statistics about your accounts and about.me page, ideas for promoting your about.me page, and a place to add your favorite about.me pages. I haven't yet used all these features, but I'll still provide my initial thoughts about about.me:
- It's a neat idea. Unless you have your own website/blog, I don't know of any service that lets you list such a wide variety of profiles (LinkedIn, for example, just has fields for three websites, your Twitter account, and your IM screen names). Not to mention the other services don't let you see content from all your accounts.
- I like how you can personalize your page.
- It's good from an SEO standpoint. You can use about.me to submit your about.me page to Bing, Google, and Yahoo. I did this about two weeks ago, and at least for Google my about.me page already appears on the second page of search results when my name is queried. So creating an about.me page can help push down negative links (if you have them, of course).
- I'm not sure sure how much time I'll devote to my page. I have a personal blog and professional website that already allow me to add my Tumblr, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. info. So if I have these sites I've already invested in, why do I need about.me? I guess I could use about.me to have all my content in one place. But at this point, I don't see a huge benefit. Clicking on a link to access my content (at its source) takes one second.
My professional website is in the worksApril 13, 2011
I spent a good chunk of yesterday setting up a professional website. It took me a little while to determine my domain name, register my site, and pick out a web host. For my domain name, I ended up deciding on christinedunne.com, which will be my new name as of September 17. I registered the site with GoDaddy and chose Laughing Squid as a host.
After realizing how much I love WordPress (I've been using it to blog since the fall of 2008), I decided to set up my site with WordPress's blog tool and publishing platform. As I explained in my new site's first blog post, this involved a fair amount of work. But thanks to various online help/tutorials, I figured it out.
I've barely added anything to my site, but I look forward to working on it in the coming weeks.
The origin of this blog's titleDecember 31, 2010
I just added this to my about me section.
Writing about yourselfOctober 24, 2010
I started this blog about a year ago, around when I was leaving my job as a newspaper reporter. I think I realized I still wanted to write and exercise my web publishing skills. Well this blog hasn't exactly been a huge success (I don't update it every day, I'm not focused on one particular topic, and I only get about 30 page views per day), but I'm still going to keep it up. One thing it's done is encourage me to talk about myself.
When you're a traditional news reporter, you're not supposed to inject any opinion or personal anecdotes into your work. Your job is to communicate what's happening and that's it. Well, I did this for five years (first as an intern reporter, then in journalism grad school, and then as a staff reporter).
This was a great experience; however, I feel like I lost some of my spunk. Someone would ask me how I was feeling, or what was new in my life, and I would give some generic answer. I'd say, for example, "Oh, work is good. I like my new apartment, and I'm excited for my upcoming trip to Philadelphia." I wouldn't really go beyond that; I think it was largely because of my job.
Not only was I unable to inject my thoughts into my work, but I also felt like my life wasn't worth talking about. I mean, when you're writing about newsworthy topics like murders and municipal lawsuits and local geniuses, your life seems pretty boring. You're not much different than your common man, so why mention or analyze your mundane experiences?
Well, I haven't become an advocate of talking about myself all the time. Obviously that isn't what people want to hear. But since I stopped working as a reporter I've become more attune to my thoughts and expressing them when the appropriate opportunity presents itself. This blog has helped with that, and I think all this is a good thing.
Photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/subcess/3723699858/sizes/m/in/photostream
How do you feel about "content curation"?September 2, 2010
I recently learned about a relatively new start-up in Cambridge called HiveFire.
This company sells "Curata," a "content curation solution." Basically it's a tool that finds relevant content on the Internet (often in the form of blog posts or articles), aggregates a list of the content, and lets you select which articles you'd like to highlight on your website or blog.
Once you make your selections, the articles' first paragraphs are posted on your site (check out some examples in the "Featured Content Curation Articles" section of HiveFire's blog).
The whole idea behind content curation is that it can save companies time and money. It's not easy updating your site with new content every day, so why not borrow content from other sites instead? Or supplement your original content with borrowed content? That's the philosophy.
Well this begs the question: Is it really ethical to curate content? I guess sites do it to some extent all the time by linking to other articles, or summarizing other articles. But that's not as automated a process as having one tool seek out (like Google Reader), format AND publish the content. Plus, many borrowers don't publish content word for word like Curata does.
I'm not a lawyer and do not know the legal implications of content curation, or at least the type of content curation conducted by Curata. I guess Curata's method is better than automatic publication (there's at least some human effort involved with the selection of the articles). Plus, it can give exposure to other people's content.
But hopefully the content curators are not getting rich off of others' original work. That's what I fear. But at the same time the Internet is an open place where ideas are exchanged and shared all the time. When no one can curate anyone else's content that openness become jeopardized.
I guess I'm sort of conflicted about content curation, or at least the type you can do with Curata. Anyone have any thoughts?
How to write when you don't want toJuly 21, 2010
I thought I would share this blog post I recently wrote for WordStream, a search marketing software company in downtown Boston.
New blog about technical writingApril 27, 2010
Just started a new blog about technical writing. It will document my journey into this new field, as well as news or interesting tidbits about the industry. Enjoy (if this interests you in the slightest)!
Hello, everyone!August 30, 2009
Hello, everyone! My name is Christine Laubenstein, and I'm a 28-year-old resident of Watertown, Mass. I'm also a journalist, and an avid lover of food, movies and French culture.
This blog is an opportunity for me to share my insights into these areas of life, and write about other topics that pique my interest.


text:
This is a couple days late but I think it's okay because every day should be Women's Day! International Women's Day has been one of the only holidays that I was aware of since growing up in China. But it has never meant as much to me as it did this year. Like I mentioned in this post, recent movements resulted in changes in gender dynamics that made me feel empowered and validated. As the society is going through difficult but ultimately necessary changes, I have some much smaller, personal goals as a woman:
- When hit on by a guy, I don't want to automatically resort to the "I have a boyfriend" line because I know it will be the most effective. I don't need to be taken by another man to say no to you!
- At the same time, I want to be more gracious in case I'm being hit on, which doesn't actually happen often anyway. Unless the other person is being rude, I shouldn't feel the need to be defensive and standoffish.
- Be okay with being emotional and insecure sometimes, because that does not mean I'm not strong.
- To fight back when I instinctively feel jealous over other women's success. The society has always pitted women against each other. I'm not proud of it, but I know that it affects me. I need to learn to better support other women's achievements.
- To go a step further, I don't just want to accept other women's successes when I learn of them passively. I want to actively seek out inspiring women and know their stories. I'm lucky because I have incredible women in my family who are intellectual, fierce, and independent, and equally importantly, men who are able to support and nurture these traits with respect. I was off to a great start but I can't stop here.
- I want to become more educated and stay curious. Knowing facts, histories, and arguments for gender issues would give me more confidence and eloquence.
- Stand up to casual sexism with wit. People usually mean no harm when they make casual comments and would not respond well to anger or disappointment. However, a quick, sharp comeback would ease awkwardness and leave a longer impression (in my opinion anyway).
What are your thoughts on these? I'd love to know! Who are some women you admire?


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This owl is at the foot of reclining statue in the lapidary section of Blois Castle but that is all I know.
Ce hibou se trouve au pied d'un homme couché sur le côté dans la section lapidaire du château de Blois mais je n'en sais pas plus.
Judging from the expression on the owl's face, I think he just got kicked by the foot !
At a guess I'd say the sandalled foot belongs to a soldier (dressed in Roman or maybe Greek style). The owl is associated with Athena, one of the deities who protected soldiers.
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Computer chips have stopped getting faster. To keep improving chips' performance, manufacturers have turned to adding more "cores," or processing units, to each chip. In principle, a chip with two cores can run twice as fast as a chip with only one core, a chip with four cores four times as fast, and so on.
But breaking up computational tasks so that they run efficiently on multiple cores is a difficult task, and it only gets harder as the number of cores increases. So a number of ambitious research projects, including one at MIT, are reinventing computing, from chip architecture all the way up to the design of programming languages, to ensure that adding cores continues to translate to improved performance.
To managers of large office networks or Internet server farms, this is a daunting prospect. Is the computing landscape about to change completely? Will information-technology managers have to relearn their trade from scratch?
Probably not, say a group of MIT researchers. In a paper they're presenting on Oct. 4 at the USENIX Symposium on Operating Systems Design and Implementation in Toronto, the researchers argue that, for at least the next few years, the Linux operating system should be able to keep pace with changes in chip design.
Linux is an open-source operating system, meaning that any programmer who chooses to may modify its code, adding new features or streamlining existing ones. By the same token, however, any public distribution of those modifications must be free of charge, which makes Linux popular among managers of large data centers. Programmers around the world have contributed thousands of hours of their time to the continuing improvement of Linux.
Clogged counter
To get a sense of how well Linux will run on the chips of the future, the MIT researchers built a system in which eight six-core chips simulated the performance of a 48-core chip. Then they tested a battery of applications that placed heavy demands on the operating system, activating the 48 cores one by one and observing the consequences.
At some point, the addition of extra cores began slowing the system down rather than speeding it up. But that performance drag had a surprisingly simple explanation. In a multicore system, multiple cores often perform calculations that involve the same chunk of data. As long as the data is still required by some core, it shouldn't be deleted from memory. So when a core begins to work on the data, it ratchets up a counter stored at a central location, and when it finishes its task, it ratchets the counter down. The counter thus keeps a running tally of the total number of cores using the data. When the tally gets to zero, the operating system knows that it can erase the data, freeing up memory for other procedures.
As the number of cores increases, however, tasks that depend on the same data get split up into smaller and smaller chunks. The MIT researchers found that the separate cores were spending so much time ratcheting the counter up and down that they weren't getting nearly enough work done. Slightly rewriting the Linux code so that each core kept a local count, which was only occasionally synchronized with those of the other cores, greatly improved the system's overall performance.
On the job
"That basically tells you how scalable things already are," says Frans Kaashoek, one of three MIT computer-science professors who, along with four students, conducted the research. "The fact that that is the major scalability problem suggests that a lot of things already have been fixed. You could imagine much more important things to be problems, and they're not. You're down to simple reference counts." Nor, Kaashoek says, do Linux contributors need a trio of MIT professors looking over their shoulders. "Our claim is not that our fixes are the ones that are going to make Linux more scalable," Kaashoek says. "The Linux community is completely capable of solving these problems, and they will solve them. That's our hypothesis. In fact, we don't have to do the work. They'll do it."
Kaashoek does say, however, that while the problem with the reference counter was easy to repair, it was not easy to identify. "There's a bunch of interesting research to be done on building better tools to help programmers pinpoint where the problem is," he says. "We have written a lot of little tools to help us figure out what's going on, but we'd like to make that process much more automated."
"The big question in the community is, as the number of cores on a processor goes up, will we have to completely rethink how we build operating systems," says Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau, a professor of computer science at the University of Wisconsin. "This paper is one of the first to systematically address that question."
Someday, Arpaci-Dusseau says, if the number of cores on a chip gets "significantly beyond 48," new architectures and operating systems may become necessary. But "for the next five, eight years," he says, "I think this paper answers pretty definitively that we probably don't have to completely rethink things, which is great, because it really helps direct resources and research toward more relevant problems."
Arpaci-Dusseau points out, too, that the MIT researchers "showed that finding the problems is the hard part. What that hints at for the rest of the community is that building techniques — whether they're software techniques or hardware techniques or both — that help to identify these problems is going to be a rich new area as we go off into this multicore world."
October 1, 2010
This is transition time for Gen-Next, good thing our reliable Linux will still be reliable in this whole new world of multi-cores.
But it needs to get smarter. Not just an operating system but the applications too need to be designed in a multi-core friendly way. We have to use structures like fork-join and immutable objects to increase the parallelabilty of our apps.
As stated in paper "if 25% of a program is serial, then any number of cores can provide no more than 4-times speedup."
So we must design to keep the serialism to minimum.
Like the workload (of MapReduce) spends 3% of its runtime in the kernel with one core, but this rises to 16% at 48 cores.
So it seems that almost every layer in software must be redesigned for multi cores. But thats impracticle. And may not be needed for every algorithm.
But I do want to stress that every program, starting now must be give a high consideration for increasing the parallelism so that every new app can be ready for multi-core world.
Terry A. Davis
October 4, 2010
If you want to see a radically different approach to multicore, see the LoseThos operating system. http://www.losethos.com
In LoseThos, you explicitly assign work to other cores from core 0 making it not SMP.
It doesn't use graphics acceleration, so graphics are done with multicores, which is real-time and very demanding, compared to batch, non-real-time processing.
Lou Gosselin
November 1, 2010
It seems unlikely to me that adding more cores to a shared memory architecture is a scalable solution, it's intrinsically running into a major bottleneck.
Of course we have some tricks to compensate with, such as adding more cpu cache. But even then, we're just shifting the problem down the line. The cache synchronization protocols require either a larger interconnected network to sync with all the remote processors, or a shared bus. Either approach is intrinsically unscalable.
There are two obvious solutions which come to mind:
1. Don't use shared memory (running a cluster of computers in parallel).
2. Abandon x86 memory consistency semantics where atomic operates are guarantied to be atomic across all processors.
Either of these are scalable hardware wise. In my opinion though, solution 2 somewhat defeats the purpose of having a shared memory system in the first place. If the OS and/or app must explicitly synchronize memory accesses anyways, then having shared memory is largely irrelevant.
That leaves solution 1, or having large clusters of separate systems working in conjunction with one another. The goal therefor would be in building an interconnect with extremely low latency, high performance, and guarantied delivery within a local network topology.
So my prediction is that while manufacturers will continue to multiply the cores, the inherent overhead will mean that we eventually abandon the shared memory approach and turn to clusters as the way forward. (Of course by then, they could manufacture entire clusters on a single die. The novice would not really know the difference.)
Roger Davenport
January 5, 2011
The ability to break algorithms into multi-core units is all for nothing if we can't synchronize operations across multiple cores.
Utilizing shared memory for lock storage will eventually (as shown in the above article) need to be solved as the latency to acquire and release resource locks becomes exponentially higher. Read-write locks are very good in this regard because they only necessitate a synchronize on acquire, but even so the problem remains.
I anticipate that we will need to add a synchronized register file - a shared lock cache on-chip from which all locks are acquired and released. There would be no need to jump out into main memory. Furthermore this would reduce MMU operations and cache invalidation/miss problems significantly. New cpu instructions would be required to utilize the locking cache, but of course old code should work as before.
A simple 1Kx64 shared on-chip cache could easily use compare-exchange type operations to support a huge number of application locks (either mutex, read/write or spin). Yes it is a limit, but I'm sure OS developers could build lock paging algorithms to allow for unlimited virtual locks.


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#New Needs
#New Hero
#New luxury
The daily life become more and more busy and we more and more do not have enough time for everything we love. It is like we are lost in everything we have to do, lost in all the expectations we have to meet.
All we need is trusted sidekick to help us take out our best version!
Mrs Hughes redefines British Butler tradition, combining it with modernity, technology and personal approach. It allows you easy to do your home errands without actually doing them yourself. Mrs Hughes is that friendly and polite lady, who is full of energy and ideas. She has the right contacts for any home situation and she is happy to assist you!
Creating an ultimate amenity service, we change the game! Having your own Hughes Home PA is not a luxury, it is an affordable necessity!
Creating Mrs. Hughes happened so natural, because organizing is my power, and helping people is what I want to do! I wanted to create a service, that exceeds customer expectations, gives a new definition of domestic services and simplify urban people's lives.
Mrs Hughes services are inspired of the modern housewife – that one who runs after two or more hares – a loving mother and wife; a top home-chef; a cocktail-enthusiast and chatty party person; the one who is a dedicated workaholic and has successful career; has a fabulous look and knows how to create mood of coziness and comfortable home atmosphere. In short a superhero! And the secret to all this is – organisation and the right contacts for help!


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English denies dividend decision made - Joyce should delete his account
National must explain who is right in the Housing NZ dividend debacle, after Bill English said no decision had been made on a payment for the next two years, in direct contrast to Steven Joyce, says Labour's Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson.
"Mr English contradicted Steven Joyce this morning saying there has been 'no formal decision yet' on Housing NZ foregoing dividends for the next two years.
"This is in direct contrast to Mr Joyce's tweet that the corporation was not paying a dividend for the next two years. His tweet was clearly a panicked response to Labour's policy. Time for Bill English to tell Steven Joyce, 'delete your account'.
"National is in disarray over housing. Mr English this morning said the discussion about the dividend has been going for a year; Mr Joyce claimed it had happened only over the past few weeks.
"This is the latest in a series of panicked responses, including mythical flying squads, $5000 'get-out-of-town' grants that, yet again, the Finance Minister was out of the loop on, and finding $1b for infrastructure loans that wasn't in the Budget.
"The reality is that National has taken over $664m out of Housing NZ in dividends since it's been in government, at a time that waiting lists have gone up and nearly 3000 state houses have been sold. If National had wanted to fix up state housing they should have foregone a dividend years ago.
"While we welcome the apparent adoption of Labour's no dividend policy, there is a lot more that needs to be done to fix the housing crisis.
"National should adopt all of our comprehensive housing policy, including stopping the state house sell-off, turning Housing NZ back into a not-for-profit public service and building thousands of state houses until demand is met.
"If not, they should get out of the way and let the party with the ideas take over," says Grant Robertson.


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Thursday, December 9, 2010
João Silva, photographer wounded in Afghanistan, how you can help...
On October 23rd, accompanying U.S. troops in Afghanistan, while on assignment for The New York Times, photojournalist João Silva lost both of his legs below the knees when he stepped on a land mine.
Friends of João have set up a website to sell his photographs and accept donations with proceeds to benefit him and his family.
You can find the site here: http://joaosilva.photoshelter.com/
The photograph: João Silva
Posted by Harvey's Blog at 9:19 AM
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ROCOR(A) Pilgrimage to Holy Land
A fall pilgrimage to the Holy Land is being organized under Archbishop Andronik. Pilgrims will come from Australia and America. Pilgrims may sign up for either the two week or three week version. The three week pilgrimage runs from October 16 to November 6. The two week variant starts later and ends earlier, running from October 20 to November 3.
To sign up contact Hegumen Andrei. His email is firstname.lastname@example.com.
His telephone 61-3-9402 1812. Reservations must be made soon, so
interested pilgrims should contact Father Andrei immediately.
The itinerary for the trip is:
16 Oct. Tue 10:10pm Australian group arrives to Tel Aviv.
Transfer by bus to the Mount of Olives Hotel.
17 Oct. We 1:00pm Lunch in the Hotel.
After lunch visiting the sites on the Mount of Olives:
Russian Eleon Monastery, "Little Galilee"- appearance of the Lord to
the Apostles after Resurrection
7:00pm Dinner in the Hotel
18 Oct. Thu 8:00am Breakfast in the Hotel.
Bus to St Stephen's gate, then by foot:
House of St Joachim and Anna; The Sheep's pool–Bethesda;
Via Dolorosa – the Way of the Cross; Lithostrotos; Praetorium-prison of
Christ; Russian excavations, The Holy Sepulchre-Church of the
Resurrection of Christ.
3:00pm Lunch in "Petra" restaurant.
Return to the Hotel. Rest.
7:00pm Dinner in the Hotel.
19 Oct. Fri 7:00am Liturgy at the Tomb of the Mother of God in
Visiting the Russian Monastery of St Mary Magdalene.
9:30am Breakfast in the Hotel.
After breakfast visiting the sites of the Mount of Olives:
Place of the Ascension; Pater Noster; Dominus Flevit – "The Lord Wept";
The Garden of Gethsemane.
2:00pm Lunch in "Petra".
Monastery of St Nikodemus, (Prison of the Apostle Peter).
Church of St Stephen near Stephen's gates.
7:00pm Dinner in the Hotel
20 Oct. Sat 8:00am Breakfast in the Hotel
Free day (American group arrives)
6:00pm Dinner in the Hotel
21 Oct. Sun 12am (midnight) By bus to Jaffa gates.
Night Liturgy at the Tomb of Christ
4:30am Return to the Hotel. Rest.
1:00pm Lunch in the Hotel
Depart by bus to Taybeh (Ephraim).
Excursion of the town and brewery.
7:00pm Dinner in the Hotel.
22 Oct Mo 7:00am Breakfast in the Hotel.
8:00am Departure by bus for 4 day trip to Galilee.
Nablus (Sechem) – Jacob's Well. Sebastia (Samaria) – place of burial of
St John the Baptist.
Mount Tabor
Lunch in the hotel in Tiberias
Ride on a boat on the Sea of Galilee
7:00pm Dinner in the hotel in Tiberias
23 Oct Tue 7:30am Breakfast in the hotel in Tiberias
Nazareth: site of the Annunciation at the well. Singing Akathist.
House of St Joseph the Betrothed; Workplace of Joseph.
Zippori (Diocaesarea) – the city of St Joachim and Anna.
Lunch in Nazareth.
Cana of Galilee – first miracle of the Lord.
Magdala – Russian Mission.
7:00pm Dinner in the hotel in Tiberias.
24 Oct We 7:30am Depart by bus for the Jordan River (Yardenit)
Service of Blessing of Water and immersion (in white gowns)
Journey by bus around the Sea of Galilee:
Kursi (land of Gadarenes) – healing of 2 demoniacs;
Capernaum – synagogue and house of St Peter.
Tabgha – miracle of the multiplication of loaves.
Mount of Beatitudes.
Swimming in the Sea of Galilee.
7:00pm Dinner in the hotel in Tiberias.
25 Oct Thu 7:30am Breakfast in the hotel in Tiberias.
Depart for Mount Carmel (Monastery of Stella Maris) – cave of Prophet
Akko – Crusaders' citadel.
Lunch in Caesarea.
Archaeological museum in Caesarea.
Swimming in the Mediterranean sea.
Dinner in the Mount of Olives Hotel.
26 Oct Fri 8:00 Depart by bus for the Jordan River – site of the
Baptism of the Lord.
Immersion (in white gowns). Breakfast.
Mount of Temptation.
Jericho: Russian Mission's garden; Spring of Prophet Elisha.
Lunch in Jericho.
Swimming in the Dead Sea.
Desert Monastery of St Gerasimos.
Qumran – Dead Sea scrolls.
7:00pm Dinner in the Hotel
27 Oct Sat 6:30am Depart by bus for Bethlehem
Liturgy in the Cave of Nativity.
Basilica of the Nativity; Cave of the Infants killed by Herod;
Monastery of Blessed Jerome.
Breakfast in Bethlehem.
Beit Sahur – the field of the shepherds;
Monastery of St Theodosius;
Beit Jala: Monastery of St George, church of St Nicholas.
Lunch in Bethlehem
Hebron: Russian Monastery of the Holy Trinity.
7:00pm Dinner in the Hotel.
28 Oct Sun 8:30am Liturgy.
11:00am departure by bus for 3 day trip to Sinai
(lunch in the bus).
Dinner in St Catherine's Monastery guesthouse.
29 Oct Mo Liturgy in the Monastery of St Catherine.
Tour of the Monastery: Burning Bush; Well of Prophet Moses; Ossuary;
Monastery Museum.
Walk to the cave of St John of the Ladder.
Lunch in the guesthouse.
Vespers in the Monastery; veneration of relics of St Catherine.
Dinner in the guesthouse.
30 Oct Tue 2:00am Early morning ascent of the Mountain Sinai.
8:00am Breakfast in the guesthouse.
9:00am Departure for Petra (Jordan) – ancient city in the rocks.
Lunch in a restaurant on the beach of the Gulf of Aqaba.
Swimming in the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea).
Dinner in Petra (Jordan)
31 Oct Wed Viewing of Petra (Jordan).
Breakfast and lunch in Petra.
After lunch depart for Jerusalem.
Dinner in Jerusalem.
1 Nov Thu 11:00am Lunch in the Hotel.
Depart by bus for the Monastery of St George Hosebite.
Ma'ale Adumim: ruins of the monasteries of St Euthimios and St
7:00pm Dinner in the Hotel.
2 Nov Fri 8:00am Breakfast in the Hotel.
Catamon: Tomb of St Symeon the Godbearer.
Holy Cross Monastery – site where grew the tree of the Cross.
Ein Karem – Meeting of the Virgin Mary and St Elizabeth; Spring of the
Virgin Mary; Birthplace of St John the Baptist; Cave of St John the
2:00pm Lunch in "Petra".
Spring of Siloam
7:00pm Dinner in the Hotel
3 Nov Sat 7:00am Liturgy in Gethsemane (Optional).
8:30am Breakfast in the Hotel.
By bus to Emmaus – appearance of Christ to Luke and Cleopas after
Abu-Gosh – Crusader's church.
Lydda – tomb of St George the Great Martyr.
Jaffa – Russian Mission (church of St Tabitha); Monastery of the
archangel Michael
Ben-Gurion airport (American pilgrims depart).
Dinner in the Hotel.
4 Nov Sun 12am (midnight) By bus to Jaffa gates.
Night Liturgy at the Tomb of Christ.
1:00pm Lunch in the Hotel.
After lunch by bus to Sion:
The Upper Room at Sion – place of the Last Supper; Church of the
Dormition of the Mother of God; Church of St Peter in Gallicantu – place
of Peter's denial; King's David tomb.
7:00pm Dinner in the Hotel.
5 Nov Mon 8:30am Breakfast in the Hotel.
Bethany: Tomb of Lazarus; Bethany Russian School;
Greek Monastery. Bethphagy
1:00 Lunch in "Petra".
Free time after lunch.
7:00pm Dinner in the Hotel
6 Nov Tue 8:30am Breakfast in the Hotel.
The cave of St Pelagia (Mount of Olives).
Free time till dinner.
4:00pm Farewell Dinner in the Hotel.
6:00pm Depart by bus for the airport.
11:05pm Departure (Australian group).
Discuss this Post in our Forum or Comment Below.


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Station Eleven
What happens when civilization as you know it comes to an abrupt end?
In the 2015 Common Reading selected book, Station Eleven, a pandemic called the Georgia Flu wipes out 99.99% of the human race in a matter of weeks. Twenty years later, a band of knife-wielding musicians and tattooed actors help ragtag communities remember what is important. This riveting story moves back and forth in time, taking us from Toronto to British Columbia, from Los Angeles to Michigan, and from Shakespeare to Star Trek. Learn more about the book, Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel.
Get Involved in the Common Reading program:
- Would you like to get your classmates, students, or colleagues involved?
- Are you an instructor interested in receiving a copy of Mandel's book?
- Are you a first-year student starting at UO in fall term 2015 and did not receive a book at your IntroDUCKtion session?
Contact the Office of the Vice Provost to get involved or get a copy of the book: firstname.lastname@example.com.


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In 10,000 years what will be left behind? Something & Son's work Fossil imagines a future landscape where civilisation excavates the ground to reveal a still life of early 21st life captured in fossilised form. The work depicts a house from Oxley Park, a typical modern day neighbourhood in Milton Keynes, that has fossilised through the passage of time, being enveloped by rising water, encroaching deserts and manmade materials that nature has processed and reformed. The house has slowly decayed from the inside out leaving behind an imprint of the anthropocene era.
The sculpture will be the size a house and through tapping into the cities recycling schemes will be made from the materials of time – plastic, concrete and aluminium.


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As you may know, dear reader, my Hearing Ear Dog "Amie" has been living with cancer in her bladder (invasive transitional cell carcinoma) for some time now. In fact, it has been almost 20 months ago that we were given the news that she may only have 2 months to live. Somehow, she has beaten the odds and has survived much longer than expected. All the vet can tell us is "Keep doing what you are doing. I am not sure what it is is, but it seems to be working!" To be honest, I am not sure either.
My wife and I were reflecting on the impact Amie has had on our lives. In addition, how how Amie has changed my personality.
Here are some of the lessons Amie has taught me:
- Praise is Better than Punishment for Changing Behavior. Amie never responded well to being punished. She hated it and would shut down even if I simply raised my voice a bit. But boy did she love praise. Works much better for humans too.
- Don't Yell! I was raised in an Eastern European household in which there was quite a bit of yelling. We were all used to it and thought it was acceptable to fly off the handle once in a while. Well, Amie never liked that, nor did my English wife. However, whenever I had what our family referred to as a UTT (Ukrainian Temper Tantrum), Amie would hide in a corner and shake. Within just a few short weeks of getting Amie, my UTT's dropped off dramatically. And they have stayed low for the 12+ years that Amie has been in our household.
- Virtue of a Simple Life. We can get all hung up on the latest toys and gadgets in life. Oh look, the Joneses next door now have an Acura and a Beemer. But Amie had no use for any of those things. Her favorite toy is a squeaky hedgehog and a tennis ball. Her favorite activity was a walk in the woods. She kept us grounded and humbled.
- Fortitude or Keep your Chin Up Despite Adversity. Despite having herniated a disk in her spine, having cancer, and Idiopathic Vestibular Disease, Amie keeps wagging her tail, and loves our company. Similarly, being deafened may suck, but it clearly is not the end of the world.
- Forgiveness. If I forgot to feed Amie, or didn't take her for much of a walk, she always forgave me unconditionally. So if, for example, someone forgets to speak clearly for me, I try to forgive.
- Identification of Good Character. Amie is so sweet, she loves everybody. There was no one that she hated, she saw good in everyone. Some even overcame their life long fears of dogs after meeting Amie! But still, some folks did not like her. And you know what, these people ended up not being nice people at all. So having Amie saved me time but not wasting energy on these people. On the other hand, there were folks I thought were unsavory characters, but because they took a positive interest in Amie, I also gave them a chance. Turns out they were ok after all.
- Naps are a Good Thing. Amie was always ready to alert me at any time, 24 hours a day. How did she do it? By being well rested! We should all take more naps or at least get a good night's sleep.
- Live Life to the Fullest. A dog's lifespan is much shorter than ours. And there is nothing anyone can do about it. Amie is 14.5 years old now, which is a pretty good life span for a dog. But like all of our lives, it will end. The Existentialists tell us that we could all use a healthy dose of Death Awareness to give us that kick in the butt we all need to get on with Living. Nothing like seeing another creature's life come to its end stages to reinforce that point.
- Adapt. After Amie's back surgery for her herniated disk in her spine, one of her back legs did not have the same strength. But she quickly learned to get up and down stairs by lifting up this weaker leg. For larger flights of stairs, we carried her up, but she didn't complain. So if we need to communicate differently due to our deafness. so what? Wear the damn hearing aid, use the FM system, stop complaining and get on with participating in life.
- Be Sure to Say "I Love You". Ok, Amie can't speak, but she can sure communicate her thoughts. She always ran up to my wife, son, or myself with her tail wagging and gave us kisses. Every single day! You never get bored of being reminded that you are loved.