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When you start a brand new blog, it can be tricky trying to figure out how to get more traffic coming your way. You may sit there and think, "I'm sharing great ideas here, but my mom and husband are the only ones who see them!" It's hard to want so much to share, but not have an audience.
So today I'm going to spread the love a little and give you a few ideas for ways to grow your blog without feeling like a nuisance. The ideas I'm sharing today are in no particular order and definitely are not a comprehensive list, so if you have additional blog-growing ideas, feel free to share them in the comments.
Oh, and I guess I should also say that the things I'm about to share mostly apply to creative blogs, but some of the ideas below (like linking up your e-mail) can be applied to any style of blog.
Submit your tutorials to a round-up style blog
Some of my favorite roundup or "searchable" blogs are One Pretty Thing and UCreate. Both of these blogs are sites that feature multiple tutorials each day. They do a lot of work searching out great tutorials, but both sites also welcome reader submissions via e-mail.
I've had quite a bit of personal experience e-mailing Rachel of One Pretty Thing and I can tell you that she is nothing if not super nice. I haven't yet had any personal experience with Kari on UCreate, but I hear she's super awesome and nice too. While neither of these sites share every single tutorial sent their way, they do feature a lot of them. Yours might be next!
Promote yourself through Flickr groups
Flickr groups. Flickr is a photosharing site where multiple users can upload photos to their own profile or into groups they join. If there's a blog you've made something from using one of their tutorials (or even if it's just something you've made that was inspired by something you saw there) upload pictures of your finished project and post one or two pictures to their Flickr group.
And if you're hoping that this will increase traffic to your blog, go ahead and give a brief description of what's in your photo and then write something like, "Blogged about it here..." with a link to your blog post talking more about what you did. Many bloggers will do round-ups of photos from their Flickr groups and share the things you've made. Give it a try!
And even if you're not featured in a round up, sharing pictures in the Flickr groups of your favorite blogs is a great way to say "Thank you" for all the work they did in sharing the tutorial with you in the first place. Bloggers love nothing more than seeing that what they've shared is useful to and loved by somebody else.
Link your e-mail to your Blogger profile
You're a nice person. You leave happy, encouraging comments on the blog posts you enjoy. So why don't you ever get a nice reply back from the authors of those blogs?
Chances are, the people who write those blogs would love to reply to the nice comments you leave... but they can't! If you haven't linked up your e-mail address to your Blogger profile, there may not be an easy way to get in contact with you. If you'd like to change that, do the following:
- Go to your blog and sign in.
- Click on "customize" up at the top.
- Click on "Dashboard" up at the top.
- Click on "Edit Profile" (second option down next to your profile picture).
- Check the box (third line down) that says "Show my email address."
- Scroll down a little.
- Make sure your e-mail address is entered in in the "Identity" section.
- Scroll all the way down to the bottom.
- Click "Save Profile."
Most bloggers use e-mail reply to respond to questions you may ask in a comment or simply to say "Thanks!" for the kind words you leave.
But being accessable to other bloggers can also be a fun way to network and get to know others in the blogging world. And having bloggy friends can open up a lot of doors to you that you didn't even know existed.
Also, I'll just add this since I know a lot of you are thinking it. If you're worried about your e-mail suddenly getting clogged with spam, you're probably worrying about something that isn't going to happen. While I do have a few friends (although most of them have smaller blogs--go figure) who have problems with spam comments and other possibly blog-related spam, I've never had a problem with it and I've been blogging since 2008. So if that's the only thing holding you back from making these fun connections, I'd say give it a try and see how it goes. Chances are, you won't have any problems.
Edited to add: As per popular request in the comments (okay, so maybe it was just my mom) , you can see the link to my feelings on the good karma of leaving comments HERE.
Be a guest
Okay, we all see people "guest blogging" on another blog all the time, right? But how do they get asked to guest blog in the first place? Well, chances are, a lot of those opportunties to guest blog are coming from people they've made friends with over time. And likely that's because they're open for e-mails and leave lots of nice comments themselves. But every now and then you may see people open up their blog for reader-submitted blog posts/tutorials. When you see an opportunity like this--jump on it! Even if you don't think you're cool enough (I think we all think that--haha) just give it a try. Read their directions carefully and do what's required to submit your post/idea/tutorial and see what happens! The worst that can happen is that they'll say no. But they might jut say yes!
Helping Little Hands. Polly (my big sister) who runs Helping Little Hands is having Reading Month in March and has invited any who wish to participate to submit their idea for a reading activity via e-mail. Guest posts included in Reading Month will get a quick blurb on Polly's blog, but the actual post/tutorial will go up on your own blog. This kind of guest post is the best for getting some new traffic to your blog. If that's something you'd like to participate in, you can read more about it on Polly's blog HERE. And, depending on how things fill up, she may even accept submissions during the month of March. So give it a try!
Be yourself


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I'm finding it harder and harder not to tune out on ebook topics. It's all too broken and I can't fix it.
"How do I use an ebook," one of my faculty asked me this week. "I see them listed in the catalog, but then what?"
Turns out he has and loves his Kindle, but library ebooks are impossible. "Well, you see," I start explaining, "You have to use it on a browser because this particular kind of ebook comes from EBSCO, which doesn't work with your Kindle, and which doesn't actually work with YOUR browser because EBSCO uses its own PDF reader that doesn't work with Firefox on a Mac unless you download this extra plugin that you haven't downloaded yet because otherwise yes, you'll have to download single page by single page and open them in Preview. So let's go find that, and now we have to restart your browser, and shoot… it's still not working. I wonder why. I'll look into that for you. For now why don't we try it in Safari. So yeah, now we know that if you go to Safari, and be sure to log in for off-campus access, and THEN go to the catalog and find your book… shoot… it checked that book out to your other browser that wouldn't open the book. So you'll have to wait until tomorrow and then use Safari and log in for off campus access and find the book in the catalog and click the link. Then it should work."
But this is not actually my definition of "work" unless you mean the kind of work that people pay you to do. But no, this is the kind of "work" that I pay for, and that still isn't easy or fun, even though he owns an ebook reader he loves.

subset: commoncrawl


text: This form is used to prepare your diploma and final transcript. Print your name as it should appear on your diploma. If different from the name we have on file, you must submit a legal document with this application to support your name change. All current University records will be changed accordingly.


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I can't remember any food in my books, but I happen to own the Discworld Cookbook (Nanny Ogg's Cookbook), which includes food mentioned in the novels. So here are the ones that sound yummy or interesting! I actually haven't cooked a lot out of it yet, but I love looking at it 😀
Distressed Pudding – made by Nobby Nobbs' mum and other housewives of Ankh-Morpork! May vary but always contains bread, stewed fruit, treacle and custard. a version of Bread and Butter Pudding.
Strawberry Wobbler – Strawberry jelly, invented by Nanny Ogg herself! As always, it's all in the presentation! Put into a long, thin glass, let it sit until it is firm and then serve with 2 scoops of ice cream.
Bananana Soup Surprise – It sounds kinda gross, banana with vegetable stock? I should actually give it a try! It's more about the presentation- you cut the banana in half and stand it up on a plate before you pour the soup. Surprising, eh?
Primal Soup – Famous at Unseen University and even the gods are fans! It contains lots of different fish, garlic, veg and noodles. I don't think I'd like it very much, as I'm not a big fan of seafood. I like salmon, tuna and fish n chips lol, but hate prawns and lobster.
Mrs. Colon's Genyooin Klatchian Curry – This is a curry made by Morporkians who don't actually have a clue what real curry is about. But they think they know. They've heard about it^^ This recipe is changed and nicer than the one described in the books. It contains peas and raisins!
Englebert's Enhancer – Contains yogurt drink, soda water and vitamin c tablets. Good for hangovers, enjoy^^
Mrs. Gogol's Clairvoyant Gumbo – It is made by the witch Mrs. Gogol who is convinced that it shows her the future^^ It's a stew containing okra, vegetables, herbs, spicy sauce, bourbon and crab meat. If you give me enough bourbon, I can tell you the future as well.
Dried Frog Pills – Popular with Unseen University's Bursar. Made from poisonous frogs. We are going to change it a tiny bit though and use egg white, icing sugar, cinnamon and food colouring.
Sticky Toffee Rat Onna Stick – Okay, so you go into the cellar and get yourself the biggest rat you can find…. haha, just kidding! We are changing the recipe up and use marzipan & other sweets to form a cute little rat instead!
Dwarf Bread – You need a hammer to do the Original^^ But we are just using flour, baking powder, water & black food colouring. We like to keep our teeth, thank you!


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Karen Hesse Interview Transcript
3–5, 6–8
Why did you decide to write about the Dust Bowl?
The story is, I was driving to Colorado with a friend, and fell in love with the plains. But I didn't write about it then. It took another three years of thinking about it, before Out of the Dust really began. I was working on a manuscript called Come on Rain. I read it at my writing group, and a fellow writer asked why the little character in the book wanted it to rain so much. I started thinking about times in this country when people really wanted it to rain. So I came back to the Dust Bowl. Being the writer I am, when I started thinking about the Dust Bowl, I started researching. I became so fascinated by that period of history and the people living then that I put the picture book aside and started writing Out of the Dust.
How did you research the Dust Bowl for your book?
I always start my research in the children's room at the public library in Brattleboro, Vermont. Then I use the footnotes and the bibliographies from those books to find more books. I looked at some very dry — no pun intended — texts to read about growing wheat and living on a farm in that period. I studied the effects of the dust, and what impact it had on farmers and non-farmers living in that area. The impact of anything in history ripples out to touch everyone eventually, so I also studied the effects of dust throughout the world.
Did you use any family history in your research and writing for Out of the Dust?
Well, my parents and grandparents lived through the Depression, but the stories they tell of the Depression are so different from the stories I heard about when researching Out of the Dust. My family's experience was in Baltimore and New York City, and it's completely different from the rural experience of not having enough. I can't even relate the two!
Can this book still be classified as fiction even though you based it on actual events?
Yes, I think you can classify it as a historical novel. It's almost docu-fiction, in that doing the research led me to newspapers from that time period. I didn't speak to many people, but I did read newspapers from that area. And a lot of the events in the book are drawn straight from the newspaper; I just embellished and pulled in the other research to create the book. But a lot of the characters are based on real people I read about. And of course, I created them to be able to carry out the action of the book. I even used some real names of people I read about, people I didn't think would be harmed.
How long did it take you to write Out of the Dust?
From the time I started doing the research until the time I held the finished book in my hand, was about a year and a half.
You mentioned that you studied the effects of dust throughout the world — what did you find out?
Well, one of the things I found out is that ships out at sea — 200 miles out into the Atlantic — could see dust tracing all the way back to the Kansas or Oklahoma prairie. The cost of wheat is determined by the amount of wheat produced in the plains, and during the Dust Bowl only a portion of the wheat survived. And so the price of wheat went up, and that caused a demand for wheat all over.
Where were you and how did you feel when you found out that you had won the Newbery Medal?
I was in my apartment, in Brattleboro, Vermont. When the phone rang, I answered it and found Ellen Fader on the other end of the line. I knew Ellen from lunches and dinners that I had attended with my publishers. When she called, I had no idea what she was calling about. I was ready to be sociable. She said, "I am not calling for social reasons. I am calling for the Newbery committee," and I didn't hear anything else. My heart started beating so fast. I didn't know if I had won an Honor or a Medal. It wasn't until the Today show called that I knew I had won a Newbery Medal. I can't imagine anything more thrilling.
Why did you choose to write Out of the Dust in blank verse?
I enjoy writing poetry. I started my writing career as a poet, so in a way this book allowed me to get back to my roots as a writer. I don't think I ever consciously decided to write this book in blank verse, but when I tried to put my finger on who Billie Jo was, and how she would speak, I realized she lived a very spare life. Everything she did was carefully considered, because it took so much to survive, to get through one day living with parents who were struggling. It seemed as if the only way to get at that spareness was to tell it through poetry.
Why did you make Billie Jo a poet and a pianist?
I guess because I'm both a poet and a musician — although I'm not very good at either, I'm afraid! But the research I did was filled with more than the Dust Bowl. The dust storms were only minor articles — what was going on there was life! There were concerts and plays and schools. Even though everyone was struggling, life was going on. I wanted the reader to understand that you still have to brush your teeth, and you still sing when you're washing dishes — even if you have to pump for the water. So I made Billie Jo connected to the arts, because I wanted the reader to understand that even if people were struggling under such harsh circumstances, they would find a way to keep joy in their lives.
Will you ever write a sequel to Out of the Dust?
I often get asked about writing sequels to my books. One of the things that thrills me most is creating fiction fresh from the ground up. Writing a sequel doesn't hold an attraction for me, because I have already established characters and I don't have the opportunity to create new ones. There is not that same appeal I have as when I am beginning a new book from the ground up. I won't say that I will never do it, but it doesn't have the same appeal for me.
Is there anything you would change about Out of the Dust?
I think that I would have there be even more hope in the earlier part of the book than there is. When I was traveling to New York City to appear on the Today show, right after the award was announced, I reread the book so I would be able to answer their questions. (I hadn't read it in a while.) And I noticed how sad it was! It ends on a note of hope, but I think that if I had to do it again, I would try to make it less bleak in the beginning.
Why did you choose to settle in Vermont?
What a great question! In 1976, at the Bicentennial celebration, my husband and I got into our pickup truck, put shelves on it, and took our two cats, a little bit of clothing, a Coleman lantern, a stove, and a tent. We took off across America. We traveled for six months, camping along the way. Near the end of those six months, we drove into Vermont. We knew we had come home, and I have never regretted it.
We're Vermonters and we wonder if you will be making any local appearances.
Oh, one of the difficult parts of becoming a celebrity is that you could literally spend every day on the road. And then you don't write. So I have made the decision not to appear anywhere for a year following this wonderful Newbery year. I need to take time to fill the well back up again. Then once that happens, and my baby daughter graduates next year — in the spring of 2000 — I am looking forward to seeing students again. But for this year, I am going to stay home in Vermont.
Is it true that your grandfather almost boarded the Titanic?
My grandfather had a ticket for the Titanic, but he was approached by someone who had a little more money. So he sold his ticket and went over on the next boat.
When did you start writing books?
I started writing in grade five. I started writing for children in 1982, when I was thirty years old, but I didn't publish my first book until 1991, so it was a long apprenticeship.
How did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I was following two voices. First was a voice from outside, my teacher's voice, which told me I was good with words and very creative. But you also have to follow your own voice, about what feels right and what doesn't. And when I sat down to write a poem or story, I felt more at home with myself than at any other time. So the two voices together helped me decide.
Did you always want to be a writer once you'd started?
Interestingly, I almost became an actress, but in my freshman year I fell in love and found that I couldn't be in theater and in love at the same time! So I went back to writing.
Who or what inspired you to write? Were there any teachers or mentors who really influenced you?
Oh, yes. As far as teachers, I had one wonderful teacher after another — Mrs. Datinoff and Mr. Ball, in particular. They were so supportive and so encouraging. Then reading books helped me a lot in my pursuit of writing. The one author who was most instrumental to me was Katherine Paterson. I discovered her in the early 1980s when I read Of Nightingales That Weep. I thought, if this is children's literature, I want to be part of it.
Who were your favorite children's authors when you were growing up?
I loved Dr. Seuss. The way he used language just delighted me. The language — the sound of it — is amazing. He was writing as I was growing up and I couldn't wait until the next new book came out. I could drive my librarian crazy. I had this librarian who would feed me books the way a mother feeds children food. Her name is Peggy Coughlin. She eventually went on to the Library of Congress.
Did you read a lot as a child?
Yes, I read a lot. I read at night after the lights were out in the hallway. I would read by the light from the outside. If I got caught, I would get yelled at. But it never stopped me. I would read until I fell asleep every night. And I still do that.
Do you think Dr. Seuss's books inspired you to write poetry?
That is a great question. It's a hard one to answer because the poetry I write doesn't rhyme. In fact, I have a lot of wacky rhyming poetry in my drawers that has never seen the light of day. But I think because of the music of his language, I embraced the opportunity to play with the language the same way. Even if I look at the prose, you can hear the same poetry in it.
Did you read your work to your children when they were growing up?
No, I didn't. I read to them — I'd read them everything I could get my hands on. I'd bring home boxes of picture books and of older books. But when they were little, I was writing novels for older children, and my kids were too young! Since they've reached an age when they're able to articulate things about writing, I read my books to them as I'm working. They are very helpful in assessing my work's strengths and weaknesses. They are tough reads! I still read to them — both my work and other books, too.
Tell us about your writers group. How do you help each other with your work?
Well, there's Liza Ketchum, Bob MacLean, and Eileen Christelow. We meet anywhere from once a week to once a month, and we read what we're working on. Eileen is a picture-book author and illustrator. We look at her art and text as it evolves. I'm not an artist, but I do help her a lot with her text. Bob is also a picture-book author and illustrator. For years he just illustrated books — probably close to 100 — but now he's trying to become an author and illustrator. He's struggling as if he's never published anything before! Finally there's Liza. She writes nonfiction. She wrote a companion piece to one of Ken Burns's documentaries about the West. She also writes young adult and picture books. Liza reads us chapters, we make suggestions, and then she revises them and reads them to us again. That works very well for her, but I'm a bit different. If I gave just one chapter to my writers group, and they didn't love it — which they never do — I would get depressed and not continue. So I write the whole thing and then I read it to them and get their suggestions on the book as a whole. I work a bit differently from the rest of the group.
Where did you get your ideas for Letters From Rifka?
When my grandparents died, I felt as if I had lost something I couldn't replace. I began asking my mother for stories about my grandparents. She didn't have them, but she suggested I ask my great-aunt Lucy. So I did. Lucy couldn't answer my questions about my grandparents either, but she could answer questions about herself. Her story is Rifka's story. Her children had never heard her story. So I urge all students, all people, to gather their family stories — to tape them and ask questions of their family members. I am certain they all have stories to tell.
When researching Rifka's story, how did you feel when you realized that part of your family had to go through such hardships?
That is a hard question to answer. When I write, I really put myself into the shoes of the character. When you are living through a difficult time, you don't always realize how difficult it is. So while I was writing Rifka's story in Rifka's shoes, I didn't have a sense of how difficult it was. It wasn't until afterward that I realized not only what my family went through, but also what thousands of families have gone through. I get mail from people who are leaving countries all over the world and finding asylum in the United States or in Israel . . . and not all of them are Jews. There are conditions existing around the world that affect every religion. These conditions are what drive people from their homes.
How did you come up with the name Rifka?
I have about six baby-naming books — the kinds of books people buy when they're trying to name a child. The books are from different decades and they're organized in different ways — by strengths and definition, by syllable, and by ethnicity. When I named Rifka, I was looking in the ethnic section. I was looking for pronounceability — it drives me crazy when I can't pronounce a character's name. I was also looking for a name with meaning and one that is ethnically correct — Rifka fit all of those things.
What does Rifka mean? What kind of name is it?
I have to pull out the name book! I believe it means "strong," but let me see if I can find it. . . . It's under Israel, and it means "servant of God; binding."
How do you come up with such realistic characters? Do you have any writing tips for character development?
I don't know if I can say how I come up with such realistic characters. I simply try to be as honest as I can to the character I am creating. I try to come up with characters that have a number of dimensions. One of the things I do is use a photograph. I will look at it as I am writing. I will look deeply into the eyes of that child. It's almost as if that child tells me what he or she would actually say.
As far as tips for aspiring writers, the best advice is to read every day. To read not only books you like but books you do not like. I find sometimes that it is more educational to read a book I don't like. Then I notice the themes and the flaws — I am more aware of them. When you read something you love, you tend to read fast, and to be more forgiving of flaws that you find. Then, you don't learn as much about the process of writing.
Do your characters seem real and believable to you?
My characters do feel real to me — so real that when it's time to make dinner or celebrate a holiday, it's hard for me to let the characters go and live for a while. I spent two Christmases working on the book Phoenix Rising. My family really didn't see me during those Christmases, because I was so involved with the characters and it was hard for me to leave them. My children said to me, "Please write a happy book next time!" Which I did!
What do you do if you can't think of anything to write? Are there any rituals that you do that are a bit interesting?
I don't really believe in writer's block. There are times that the writing goes so well that I feel I have been given a gift. Then there are times it goes so slowly, it feels like torture. But I know that if I stay at the computer — if I keep at it with every word and every image — it will be okay. Before long, if you keep at it, you get those days again when it is just beautiful and the words just flow.
What advice do you have for people who want to be writers?
I say go for it! Anyone who wants to write can. The requisites are to read as much as you can, and to write every day. Take it one step at a time. If you look at a whole novel, you will probably think that you could never write something like that. But if you take it apart, sentence by sentence, it becomes doable. Use a diary or a journal. If you feel that you have something to say, you probably do. Just don't give up.
There were about nine years when I submitted work and received not one acceptance. I think a less stubborn person would've given up! But I believed I could do it, and I had friends who were writers who believed I could do it, too. My stubbornness and their faith and encouragement of me kept me going through those nine years of rejection.
Do you think that the rejected stories from your first nine years should be published?
Well, my daughters think they should be published. I've grown a lot. The nine years of rejection were for a reason! I was apprenticing in this field of children's literature. I think that each piece I had written had its merits, but I was still learning. And even though my daughters think those things should be published — especially the humorous ones — I'm not sure I would like to move backwards rather than forwards.
Why did you decide to write Sable?
One summer, as my daughter was preparing to go to camp, she called me and said, "Mom, there is a dog on our back porch." There was this pathetic, half-starved, half-dead dog. We gave the dog some water and told it go home. Of course, it didn't have a home. We put the dog in our car and took it to the Humane Society. They weren't sure if it would live, it was so hungry. After a week the vet decided it would live, and they asked us if we would like to adopt her. We did. The story is based on our dog, Sasha. She is no longer skinny. She is as fat as a sausage. She gets a cookie for anything — absolutely anything! She is a very spoiled, very happy dog.
What inspired you to write your book The Music of Dolphins?
I often listen to "Fresh Air" on public radio. One day, Terry Gross was interviewing a man about wild children. I was listening in my car, and I was so fascinated by the interview that when I arrived at my destination, I wouldn't get out until it was over. I thought that if I was that fascinated, other people would be, too. The book they were discussing is called Genie, by Russ Rymer. So the first thing I did was read that book. Then I dove into research about wild children. I chose to set my book in the community of dolphins because of all the animals I could choose for Mila to grow up with, dolphins have the most complex language and social structure. This gave me the opportunity to have my character return to human society — because of the skills she could learn from the dolphin society.
What kind of research did you do for The Music of the Dolphins?
Endless research. I went to Florida and spent time at a dolphin research facility. I spent time with the Coast Guard; I worked with speech pathologists — and that was all direct. I also did an enormous amount of book research — to study how language is acquired and how dolphins socialize and learn. I wanted to create a really credible scenario, and unless I did my research, I couldn't do that.
Do you think that the story The Music of Dolphins could really happen?
I wouldn't have written the book if I didn't think it could have happened. When I began researching for the book, I met with someone from the Coast Guard — from the Cay Cel Islands. They said it was very possible for someone to hang out there for years and not be detected. The Cay Cel Islands are a series of tiny little islands in the straits between Florida and Cuba. Then when I studied dolphins, I found out that dolphins will occasionally take in a human and protect him or her, under certain circumstances. I also talked to dentists and doctors to find out whether a human could survive on the dolphins' diet. She could, but she wouldn't be overly healthy! Her hair and teeth and skin would beaffected. The limited amount of fresh water would harm her health, but she would survive. Finally, when I had all those ingredients, I knew that I could write the book.
In The Music of Dolphins, why does the type size change throughout the book?
The words are set in a large face at the beginning of the book in order to represent Mila's ability with human language. As her ability improves and she becomes more acquainted with her human nature, the type size grows smaller. As she begins to question human nature, the type size increases again.
What was your favorite book to write and why?
I think my most favorite to write was Lavender— because it practically wrote itself. My aunt, who is so close to me, lives in Maryland, and I live in Vermont. One winter morning, she was on the way to work. She slipped in the driveway and fell, and she broke her leg. She called and no one came. She had to get back into the house and call the ambulance. That same morning, I was sitting at my desk and I couldn't write. She was calling for help from 500 miles away, and I think I heard her. I wrote all the stories I could remember about her, that day, and that became Lavender.
What types of books do you most like to read as an adult?
I love reading children's fiction. I have a stack of books by my bed. I read until I sleep, and I read as soon as I awake. I also read a lot of nonfiction, but mostly I read it for research. I LOVE discovering new things. I feel so fortunate that I have a job that encourages me to read and discover new things.
Did you ever write a completely non fictional book?
No, I haven't. But a lot of people call my work docu-fiction — because I do careful research. Although the character telling the story is fictitious, the world I create is very real. I just don't feel comfortable putting words in the mouths of real people.
How long does it take to write a book?
It all depends on the book, and it all depends on the author. There are some authors who spend their entire lives writing one book. I tend to average about one to two years per book. A lot of time is taken up on just the research — I would say eight to ten months before I even write the first word. In order to make the world real to the reader, I have to make it real to me. Sometimes, as in the case of A Time of Angels, I had trouble finding the voice of the character. So in addition to all the research for that book — on the Spanish flu, World War I, Boston, and Vermont, all during that very early period in the 1900s — I spent time trying to find a way to tell Hannah's story. So that book took a lot longer to write.
Is it hard to support a family on the salary of a writer?
It's pretty hard. Only about five percent of published authors can support their families on their earnings. This has been a glorious year for me, and it's pushed me up into that five percent. But it's very difficult to stay there if you don't continue to write books that are acclaimed and that sell well! So if you want to write in order to be rich, I wouldn't suggest it. But if you want to write because it gives you joy, and it's the only profession you can think of having, then I think it's the most wonderful profession in the world regardless of how little or how much you make!
What will your next book be about?
It is a Dear America book, part of Scholastic's wonderful series of fictitious characters telling their stories during a certain period. My story is set in a lighthouse on Fenwick Island, Delaware, during the beginning of the Civil War. The character Amelia looks from the North to the South, from her spot at the center of the East Coast. All through it, she keeps the light in the lighthouse burning. It's the light of hope in the darkness.
Do you think technology will affect how much kids read in the future? Or how or what they read?
Oh boy! I hope that the technology, whatever it turns out to be, can make reading a more powerful experience for the reader. Books were once a new technology, and they were wonderful. It's possible to imagine a technology where you take in words and experience it the way books do now. Until that happens, I don't think there is a satisfactory technology like a book. A book is an excellent technology — and I don't think it should be forsaken until the new technology is something you can curl up with, and take time with. When you take the words into your brain through your eyes, you take the experience in — in an intimate way. I don't feel that same sense of intimacy with a computer screen.
Do you write by hand or on the computer?
I write on the computer. When I first started writing poetry, I wrote by hand. Then I used a manual typewriter, and then an electronic typewriter. Then I got a Commodore, and I loved it. Now I write on a Compaq Presario, and it fits on my lap. It is warm like a cat, and it purrs like a cat. I love writing that way!
How does listening to your voice help your writing?
When you write, you write a reflection of what you are. Now, I'm not sad about it, but I didn't have an easy childhood — it had a lot of bumps on it. My work reflects the bumps and knocks that I've experienced. I write the kinds of books that I would've wanted as a child. And I like books that have grit and make me feel like I've learned something when I'm finished. I try to write books that will have that effect on readers.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
My daughters! As wonderful as my writing career is — and it is spectacular and has brought me wonderful things, like letters that make me weep — I think the most wonderful thing is having two wonderful, dynamic, independent-thinking daughters!
Do you have any final words for the audience?
I'd like to say how much I appreciate the teachers who read the children's books out there today, who find the value in them and bring it into the classroom. I also want to thank the students who bring everything, every piece of emotion to what they read. They breathe life into the words a writer writes. And so I thank them just for being the most splendid readers.


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Former NYT Editor Rebuts Stephen Jimenez's Claim About Matthew Shepard Story
Author Stephen Jimenez's suggestion that The New York Times Magazine killed a 2004 story he had written about the murder of Matthew Shepard because it was too politically sensitive is false, according to the former Times editor who worked on the story.
Jimenez claimed in the story -- and in a new book -- that Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student murdered in 1998, was not killed in an act of anti-gay hate, but instead as a result of a drug-induced rage. Shepard's murder became a rallying call for the LGBT movement; a hate crimes prevention law named after him was signed into law in 2009.
Paul Tough, who was an editor at the magazine in 2004 and the one Jimenez says reviewed his piece, said the spiking of the story had nothing to do with politics. It just wasn't good enough.
"My recollection is definitely that it was not killed because it was politically sensitive, but that the story just wasn't there for all of the reasons that stories sometimes aren't there," said Tough, now an author himself and Times magazine contributor. "I remember being really interested in the idea and I think the Times Magazine doesn't shy away from controversy and we're interested in new takes on things and the only reason we had assigned the story was this new idea."
"But for whatever reason," Tough added, Jimenez "was a person I think who didn't have a lot of experience in long-form magazine writing. And so the story never got to the level where we could publish it ... it was not killed for political reasons at all."
Shepard truthers in the right-wing media have cited Jimenez's new book, The Book of Matt: Hidden Truths about the Murder of Matthew Shepard, to assail hate crime legislation and the larger push for LGBT rights. But Jimenez's argument is tainted by its reliance on wild extrapolation, questionable and often inconsistent sources, theories that critics of his work are engaged in a "cover-up" of politically sensitive truths, and the dismissal of any evidence that runs contrary to his central thesis.
In the book, Jimenez writes that up until the spring of 2004 he had been working on a Shepard report for The Times Magazine. On page 109 of The Book of Matt, Jimenez claims that after the departure of editor Adam Moss, the magazine killed the story because of its "politically sensitive content" :
Until just a few months before, I had been writing an investigative article about the murder as a freelancer for The New York Times Magazine. With the departure of head editor Adam Moss from the magazine, the story had been killed without explanation. Moss, who had commissioned the piece, is widely regarded as a brilliant and somewhat fearless editor; he also happens to be gay. Although his successors at the magazine commended my strong reporting and said they'd like to work with me on "something else," I surmised that the story's politically sensitive content was the problem.
Reached for comment on the incident, Moss emailed, "[I] don't know anything about it." Gerald Marzorati, the editor who replaced Moss, also did not recall the story.
But Tough dismissed Jimenez's claims of political sensitivity.
"My recollection was that he and I went through a few edits and drafts together but I don't remember what the final sticking point was," Tough said in a phone interview. "He certainly wrote a draft and my recollection is more than one draft, but in the editing process things are never done until they're done. For whatever reason I feel like for us it didn't get to the level of being a complete and publishable story."
Asked about Jimenez's claims of political concern, Tough responded, "I would say his recollection is different than mine. He didn't talk to me about it before, or check in with me before saying that and so I don't think he's got any evidence of that. I understand having a story killed is a sad experience so I'm not surprised that that's his take."
When Media Matters sought Jimenez's reaction to Tough's comments, he did not address the contradiction but rather said only that the "article killed by the Times Magazine became the basis" for a report on ABC's 20/20 that he coproduced later that year, and pointed to "two major journalism awards" that report had won.
But such regard for that piece was by no means universal. The 20/20 report -- criticized by journalists, media scholars, LGBT advocacy group GLAAD, and Shepard's family -- sparked a furor, especially in light of an email indicating that Jimenez had already made up his mind about the case before he and his ABC colleagues began reporting the story.


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NEW YORK, N.Y. – Duke Energy's first-quarter results got a lift from a healthy dose of winter weather and higher retail electric rates, but lower wholesale prices weighed on profits.
The largest U.S. utility posted earnings Friday of $634 million for the first quarter, or 89 cents per share, on revenue of $5.90 billion. The company's results aren't comparable to last year because Duke hadn't completed its acquisition of Progress Energy.
Adjusted to remove acquisition costs and other one-time items, Duke earned $1.02 per share, a penny shy of what analysts polled by FactSet had expected.
Cooler temperatures during the first three months of the year increased demand for electricity compared with last year, which was the warmest winter on record in the U.S. Heating demand in Duke's service territories rose between 36 per cent and 50 per cent, helping to drive higher electricity sales to residential and commercial customers.
Duke, based in Charlotte, N.C., serves 7.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.
CFO Lynn Good said in an interview that the number of new residential customers suggest a pickup in the housing markets in the Carolinas, Florida and Indiana.
Power sales to industrial customers slipped, but Good said that's only because last year's leap year included one extra day of power sales. In fact, Good said, industrial sales inched up 0.5 per cent. Customers who make steel had a relatively weak quarter, but power sales to automotive customers rose, Good said.
"We're optimistic there could be stronger growth in the second half (of the year)," Good said. The company remains on track to meet its earnings expectations for the year, she said.
Wholesale power operations suffered in the quarter, however. Payments that power generators receive from regional grid operators for making their power plants available to the grid, called capacity payments, plummeted for this year. Grid operators found when they held auctions for this capacity that they had more than enough capacity to meet expected demand this year.
Also, the company's overseas operations slipped. Duke's hydroelectric plants in Brazil couldn't produce as much electricity as needed because weather has been drier than normal. Duke had to buy electricity on the wholesale market and then resell it to its customers, raising costs.
Duke CEO Jim Rogers said in an interview Friday he expects things will get better as the year progresses with the company petitioning for higher rates in five of its regions. While the size of the rate hikes isn't assured, Rogers expects regulators to agree to allow rates to rise at least somewhat.
Higher rates in North Carolina that went into effect late last year helped improve Duke's results in the fourth quarter, but there's a chance those rates will be rolled back. The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled last month that regulators did not properly consider the effect of the hike on the state's customers, and has directed them to reevaluate Duke's rate hike request. The state's Attorney General asked a regulatory panel on Monday to abandon the higher rates until the matter is settled.
Rogers noted Friday that the Supreme Court did not take issue with the size of the rate increase, just that it wasn't explained well enough.
Rogers also said Friday that a complex new coal plant under construction in Edwardsport, Ind., that had gone far over budget would begin commercial operation by the end of this month.
Shares of Duke Energy Corp. fell 21 cents to $74.57 in afternoon trading.
Follow Jonathan Fahey on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JonathanFahey .


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Multi Material TCT Holesaw - 498520
Strong, hard-wearing tungsten carbide teeth for long life and performance. Enhanced gullet clearance for rapid waste removal . For plasterboard, bricks, aerated block, wood, plywood, laminate and PVC. Select the correct drill speed by material for cut quality and performance. Compatible with Silverline arbors.
Dispatch Time is normally 2 days, this is the duration in working days that your order will take to leave us, so don't forget to add on the transport time. For Example, If you place an order on Monday morning, we will try to pack and dispatch your order within 2 days. Then your order may take a further 2 - 3 days to get you which will be either Friday or Saturday, But we do ask you allow 14 days for item to reach you, please see delivery below. So please bear this in mind when ordering. If you need it quick just call us with the Stock Code or Ref Number and we will quote you a delivery charge.
We have introduced a tiered pricing method for our delivery charges for UK Mainland only. This we hope will offer you value for money. Our rate are as follows:-
Deliveries outside UK Mainland to Ireland & N. Ireland carry a standard cost of £9.75 no matter how large or small your order.
We do ship our products worldwide but you will have to cantact us for a shipping quote.
|A few more products from Holesaws


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The LightCMS team is hitting the road again and heading to New York City next week for the 8th annual Future of Web Design conference taking place November 3-5 at New World Stages. Follow the Twitter conversation with hashtag #FOWD. If you are planning to go or thinking about going (don't think about it…just go), we would love to meet up with you.
For the fifth consecutive year, LightCMS will be a part of SXSW Interactive, one of the world's largest gatherings of interactive professionals. If you find yourself at SXSW this year, we hope you'll stop by our booth (number 337) in the Austin Convention Center so we can meet you face to face. This year's SXSW Interactive Conference takes place March 8-12 with the Trade Show firing up on March 10th.
The SXSW Trade Show opened yesterday. Day one of the trade show is always the busiest day for us as many of the attendees of the Interactive Conference rush in to check out the trade show booths. Our team was ready and waiting for them.
As we mentioned in a previous post, we're attending and exhibiting at SXSW Interactive again this year. Four of us arrived in Austin on Friday including: Chad Jaggers, Support Director; Matt Sanders, Creative Director; Matt Grimm, Software Engineer and Designer; and myself, Tim Wall, Marketing Director. Here's a typical view of the foyer of the Austin Convention Center.
For four consecutive years, we've been pleased to be a part of SXSW Interactive, one of the largest gatherings of interactive professionals anywhere. We'll be there again in 2012 and, if you find yourself at SXSW, we hope you'll stop by our booth (number 605) in the Austin Convention Center so we can meet you face to face. This year's SXSW Interactive Conference takes place March 9-13, 2012 with the trade show firing up on March 12th.
The tradeshow at SXSW this year was fantastic yet again. We got to share the benefits of LightCMS with hundreds of talented individuals we'd never met before and we also got to eat some awesome food in Austin. One of the great things about the SXSW tradeshow is the diversity of the crowd. We were able to spread the LightCMS love with everyone ranging from designers to ad agencies to educators to charities to film directors and the like.
Once again, the LightCMS road crew is heading south to Austin for SXSW Interactive. This will be our third year exhibiting at the SXSW trade show. Each year, it has proven very productive, and we're looking forward to another great year.


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About this blog
FLEFF Intern Voices
The Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival from the interns' point of view
Monday, March 26, 2012
Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio '14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts.
On Friday, March 30th in Room 220 in the Park School of Communications, a "day of dialogue," FLEFF Lab Friday, will occur. Multiple conversations are scheduled throughout the day, but one you don't want to miss is the How to Get Your Break panel.
I spoke with Steve Gordon, the facilitator of the panel. He is a current Ithaca College professor in the Department of Television-Radio and was previously the Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs for Viacom Productions.
We covered a range of topics in our discussion, but one major point that stuck out to me was how relevant FLEFF was. Gordon talked about his experiences at multiple festivals, including Cannes and Sundance, but said that FLEFF was one of the most unique and intellectual.
Regarding the theme of microtopias, Gordon discussed the idea that it was about expanding already existing environments. It was a different view that made complete sense to me, and I recommend going to visit Gordon during FLEFF Lab Friday and asking him about it!
Regarding the How to Get Your Break panel, Gordon said that the members of this panel are "the best the panel has ever had." With filmmakers Laura Kissel, Jim Miller, and Shelly Niro, along with industry pros Kevin Lee, Carlos Guttierrez, and Rodrigo Brandao, I have to say I agree.
You can see a more extensive schedule of FLEFF events here, FLEFFers. Happy FLEFF to all!


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FERPA Online Library
|MS Word (55 KB)
March 11, 2005
J. Chris Toe, Ph.D.
Strayer University
1133 15th Street, NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
Complaint No. XXXX
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
Dear Dr. Toe:
This is to inform you of our finding in the complaint filed by [Student] (Student) alleging that Strayer University (University) violated rights afforded to her under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g and 34 CFR Part 99. Our letter dated September 8, 2004, notified you that the Student had filed a timely complaint with this Office alleging that [Employee], an employee of the University at its Montgomery County, Maryland campus, accessed the University's computerized database, without the Student's consent, in order to obtain personal information about the Student, such as her name, address, date of birth, height, weight, and drivers license number, for use in filing a personal complaint against the Student with the local police. Your October 4, 2004, response provided the following additional information:
1) [Employee] and the Student had a disagreement on November 17, 2003, regarding student use of the admissions office fax machine. Two days later, on November 19, [Employee] and the Student "exchanged unpleasantries and [Student] allegedly threw a brass business cardholder at [Employee]. [Employee] felt threatened and called the police to report the incident."
2) [ ], Regional Director for the University's Maryland campuses, spoke with the Student on November 19, 2003, and advised her to continue her courses but avoid the admissions office where [Employee] worked. Unfortunately, [Employee] and the Student continued to bother each other and had minor disagreements in early December of 2003.
3) On December 19, 2003, the University convened a meeting to attempt to resolve the situation. In attendance were the Student; [Employee]; [ ], Vice President of Human Resources; [ ], Dean of Student Affairs; [ ]; [ ], Campus Manager of the Montgomery County Campus; [ ], Campus Dean of the Montgomery County Campus; the Student's sister, [ ]; and the Student's attorney. University representatives reviewed all incidents in detail and determined that both [Employee] and the Student demonstrated poor behavior.
4) Shortly after the December 19 meeting, [Employee] dropped the assault charges against the Student. The Student then filed a civil suit against [Employee] in the District Court of Maryland alleging that [Employee] falsely accused her of assault. The Student's civil suit was subsequently dismissed on the merits.
Included with your October 4, 2004, letter were a copy of the following documents:
1) [Employee]'s position description (Admissions Assistant);
2) Event Report prepared by the Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Police dated November 20, 2003, summarizing [Employee]'s assault allegations against the Student;
3) Supplement to the Event Report prepared by the Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Police dated December 16, 2003, indicating that the Student was charged with second degree assault and trial in district court was set for January 30, 2004;
4) Excerpts from the University's 2004 Catalog containing its "Notice of Crime on Campus";
5) Excerpts from the University's 2004 Student Handbook that contains its "Release of Student Information Policy"; and
6) "Dear Students" email dated October 1, 2003, from the University regarding the same "Release of Student Information Policy."
Your October 4, 2004, letter states that the University did not violate FERPA for the following reasons:
1) While University policy is to encourage employees to call 911 if they feel unsafe at any time while on campus, [Employee] did not inform the University prior to filing the police report against the Student. [Employee]'s actions with regard to the criminal complaint were her own and not those of the University.
2) If [Employee] used the University's computer system to assist her in filing this report, these actions were not authorized by the University. However, there is no evidence that [Employee] in fact used the University computer system for this purpose.
3) Even if [Employee] used the University's computer system and was authorized by the University to do so, this action, along with [Employee]'s subsequent redisclosure of information about the Student to the police department without the Student's consent does not violate FERPA because [Employee] was a "school official" with a "legitimate educational interest" as defined under § 99.31 of the FERPA regulations. In particular, [Employee] served as an admissions assistant for the University, and accessing the University's computer system is specified as one of the duties of this position.
4) [Employee]'s actions were also authorized under § 99.31(a)(10) of the FERPA regulations because the Student's alleged assault on [Employee] constituted a "health or safety emergency." You explained that "[t]he safety of the University's students and employees is of the utmost importance and criminal behavior of any form on University property is not tolerated. The University does not hesitate to call the police if it has reason to suspect any person poses a danger to the campus community." The police report filed by [Employee] indicates that [Employee] had a bruise on her right chest from the incident. The investigating police officer found the account sufficiently credible to file a report and issue a warrant for the Student, and the University regards disclosure of basic identifying information about the Student to the police in these circumstances to constitute a "textbook case for a 'health or safety emergency.'"
5) Information that [Employee] provided to the police about the Student was limited to the Student's name; date of birth; estimated height and weight; eye color; hair color; and address. You stated that the University does not maintain information on the height, weight, and eye and hair color of its students and that, therefore, [Employee] likely provided this information based on her own observations.
6) The Student's driver's license number is not indicated anywhere on the police report, as the Student alleged. Further, the University does not maintain this information on its students.
7) The University takes its obligations under FERPA very seriously and makes a concerted effort to educate both students and staff regarding this important legislation. FERPA notices are provided to students as required and requests to restrict the release of directory information are processed by the records department and indicated in the University's computer system. Requests for release of student information are approved by either the University's records department or legal counsel.
In response to follow-up questions from this Office, on February 4, 2005, the
University provided additional information about its directory information policies
and indicated that at some point the Student opted-out of directory information
disclosures. The University noted again that the Student's driver's license
number does not appear in any police reports concerning this matter and clarified
that it does not maintain student driver's license numbers in the computer system
to which [Employee] had access. University did not inquire whether
[Employee] used the University's computer system to access information about the Student during its December 19, 2003, meeting with the Student, and [Employee] is no longer employed by the University.
FERPA provides that an educational agency or institution may not have a policy or practice of disclosing education records, or personally identifiable information from education records other than directory information, without the prior written consent of a parent or eligible [Student], except as provided in § 99.31 of the regulations. 20 U.S.C. § 1232g(b)(1) and (b)(2); 34 CFR § 99.30(a). (An "eligible student" is one who is at least 18 years of age or attends a postsecondary institution. See 34 CFR § 99.3.) "Education records" are defined as records that are 1) directly related to a student; and 2) maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution. See 34 CFR § 99.3. "Disclosure" means "to permit access to or the release, transfer, or other communication of personally identifiable information contained in education records to any party, by any means, including oral, written, or electronic means." See 34 CFR § 99.3.
One of the exceptions to the prior written consent requirement in FERPA allows an agency or institution to disclose certain information that has been designated as "directory information" accordance with § 99.37 of the regulations. "Directory information" includes a student's name, address, date of birth, and other information that generally is not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. See 34 CFR § 99.3 ("Directory information"). However, students have a right to block or opt-out of directory information disclosures under § 99.37(a)(2).
The Student alleged that [Employee] accessed the University's database and obtained personal information including the Student's name, address, date of birth, height, weight, and driver's license number for use in filing the police report in question. This information is considered part of the Student's education records to the extent that the University maintains it in its computerized database or elsewhere.
The Event Report and Supplement prepared by the police department contain the Student's name; address; race; sex; date of birth; estimated height; estimated weight; eye color; length and color of hair; description of facial hair; and description of clothing. Neither document contains the Student's driver's license number. The University stated that it does not maintain information on its students' height, weight, and eye and hair color and, therefore, we conclude that if [Employee] provided this information to the police, it was based on own personal knowledge or observations and not the Student's education records. Similarly, we conclude that [Employee] did not obtain the Student's driver's license number from the University's database and disclose it to the police, as alleged, both because that information does not appear on any of the police reports and because it was not maintained in any system to which [Employee] had access. While [Employee] did have access to the Student's name and race in the University's database, we are unable to conclude that [Employee] obtained and disclosed this information from the Student's education records rather than [Employee]'s own personal knowledge and observations.
The only other information about the Student that appears in the police reports
is her address and date of birth, which are items that could be disclosed without
consent under FERPA as directory information. While we are unable to make a
conclusive determination, we think it likely that [Employee] obtained and disclosed
the Student's address and date of birth from the University's computerized database,
as alleged, because it is undisputed that she had access to that information
and because there is no evidence and little likelihood that she got it directly
from the Student or some other source. Further, even assuming that directory
information could be disclosed without consent for purposes of making a police
report, the University is unable to determine whether the Student opted-out
of directory information disclosures before or after
[Employee]'s alleged disclosures.
As explained below, and apart from any consideration of directory information disclosures, the University's response indicates that it may have a policy or practice of disclosing education records without prior written consent in violation of FERPA. In particular, the University asserted in its defense that:
[E]ven if one assumes that [Employee] accessed the University's computer system and [Employee]'s actions were authorized by the University, the accessing of [the Student's] information by [Employee] and the release of this information to the police do not constitute violations of § 99.30 of the FERPA regulations because [Employee] was a 'school official' as defined by § 99.31 of the FERPA regulations and the disclosure to law enforcement officials was in the context of a 'health and safety emergency' as provided by § 99.31(a)(10) and § 99.36 of the FERPA regulations.
As you noted in your letter, pursuant to § 99.31(a)(1) of the FERPA regulations, prior consent is not required to disclose education records to "school officials" with "legitimate educational interests." In accordance with 34 CFR § 99.7(a)(3)(iii), the University provides annual notification to its students regarding who constitutes a school official and what constitutes a legitimate educational interest. I have enclosed a copy of the FERPA notification sent to the University's students in 2003. This notice provides in relevant part:
A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, financial aid processing agent, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
[Employee] served as an Admissions Assistant for the University. I have enclosed a copy of the University's job description for this position. You will note that accessing the University's computer system is part of these duties. This information should clearly demonstrate that [Employee] was a 'school official' as defined above and that she had a 'legitimate educational interest' to access [the Student's] educational records.
(Emphases added.) As noted above, the University asserts that [Employee]'s actions were also authorized under § 99.31(a)(10) of the FERPA regulations because the Student's alleged assault on [Employee] constituted a "textbook case for a 'health or safety emergency.'"
As explained below, we reject the University's assertion that [Employee]'s actions were authorized under § 99.31(a)(10) as a "health or safety emergency" because the information it presented does not support a conclusion that there was, in fact, an emergency. FERPA allows an educational agency or institution to disclose personally identifiable information from education records, without prior written consent, "in connection with an emergency [to] appropriate persons if the knowledge of such information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other persons." 20 U.S.C. § 1232g(b)(1)(I); 34 CFR §§ 99.31(a)(10) and 99.36.
Congress added this exception to the written consent requirement when FERPA was first amended, on December 13, 1974. The legislative history demonstrates Congress' intent to limit application of the "health or safety" exception to exceptional circumstances --
Finally, under certain emergency situations it may become necessary for an educational agency or institution to release personal information to protect the health or safety of the student or other students. In the case of the outbreak of an epidemic, it is unrealistic to expect an educational official to seek consent from every parent before a health warning can be issued. On the other hand, a blanket exception for "health or safety" could lead to unnecessary dissemination of personal information. Therefore, in order to assure that there are adequate safeguards on this exception, the amendments provided that the Secretary shall promulgate regulations to implement this subsection. It is expected that he will strictly limit the applicability of this exception.
Joint Statement in Explanation of Buckley/Pell Amendment, 120 Cong. Rec. S21489, Dec. 13, 1974. (These amendments were made retroactive to November 19, 1974, the date on which FERPA became effective.)
Section 99.31(a)(10) of the regulations provides that the disclosure must be "in connection with a health or safety emergency" under the following additional conditions:
An educational agency or institution may disclose personally identifiable information from an education record to appropriate parties in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals.
34 CFR § 99.36(a)(emphases added.) In accordance with Congressional direction, the regulations provide further that these requirements will be strictly construed. 34 CFR § 99.36(c).
The Department has consistently interpreted this provision narrowly by limiting its application to a specific situation that presents imminent danger to students or other members of the community, or that requires an immediate need for information in order to avert or diffuse serious threats to the safety or health of a student or other individuals. While the exception is not limited to emergencies caused by terrorist attacks, the Department's Guidance on "Recent Amendments to [FERPA] Relating to Anti-Terrorism Activities," issued by this Office on April 12, 2002, provides a useful and relevant summary of our interpretation (emphasis added):
[T]he health or safety exception would apply to nonconsensual disclosures to appropriate persons in the case of a smallpox, anthrax or other bioterrorism attack. This exception also would apply to nonconsensual disclosures to appropriate persons in the case of another terrorist attach such as the September 11 attack. However, any release must be narrowly tailored considering the immediacy, magnitude, and specificity of information concerning the emergency. As the legislative history indicates, this exception is temporally limited to the period of the emergency and generally will not allow for a blanket release of personally identifiable information from a student's education records.
Under the health and safety exception school officials may share relevant information with "appropriate parties," that is, those parties whose knowledge of the information is necessary to provide immediate protection of the health and safety of the student or other individuals. (Citations omitted.) Typically, law enforcement officials, public health officials, and trained medical personnel are the types of parties to whom information may be disclosed under this FERPA exception....
The educational agency or institution has the responsibility to make the initial determination of whether a disclosure is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals. ...
By way of example, in accordance with these principles we concluded in a 1994 letter that a student's suicidal statements, coupled with unsafe conduct and threats against another student, constitute a "health or safety emergency" under FERPA. However, we also noted that this exception does not support a general or blanket exception in every case in which a student utters a threat. More recently, in 2002 we advised that a school district could disclose information from education records to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, without written consent, where six students had died of unknown causes within the previous five months. These facts indicated that the district faced a specific and grave emergency situation that required immediate intervention by the Department of Health to protect the health and safety of students and others in the school district.
With regard to reports required under state law, in 2000 we advised a state senator about a potential conflict between FERPA and a state law that requires a school to notify the appropriate law enforcement agency immediately if it receives a request for the records of a child who has been reported missing, and then notify the requesting school that the child has been reported missing and is the subject of an ongoing law enforcement investigation. Once again noting that the "health and safety emergency" exception generally does not allow a blanket release of personally identifiable, non-directory information from education records, we concluded that FERPA would allow school personnel to comply with this law
only if the school has made a case-by-case determination that there is a present and imminent threat or danger to the student or that information from education records is needed to avert or diffuse serious threats to the safety or health of a student....In the case of a missing child, we agree that law enforcement officials would constitute an appropriate party for the disclosure assuming that the school has first determined that a threat or imminent danger to the child exists.
May 8, 2000, letter to Pennsylvania State Senator Stewart J. Greenleaf (emphases added.)
In summary, an educational agency or institution may disclose personally identifiable, non-directory information from education records under the "health or safety emergency" exception only if it has determined, on a case-by-case basis, that a specific situation presents imminent danger or threat to students or other members of the community, or requires an immediate need for information in order to avert or diffuse serious threats to the safety or health of a student or other individuals. Any release must be narrowly tailored considering the immediacy and magnitude of the emergency and must be made only to parties who can address the specific emergency in question. This exception is temporally limited to the period of the emergency and generally does not allow a blanket release of personally identifiable information from a student's education records to comply with general requirements under State law.
The police Event Report states that the alleged incident took place on November 19, 2003, but that [Employee] did not report the matter until the following day, November 20. While the University states that its policy is to encourage employees to call 911 if they feel unsafe on campus, there is no evidence that [Employee] called 911 on November 19, while she was still in the Admissions Office. Rather, documentation shows that she chose instead to file a report with the local police the following day, November 20. Further, as stated above, an educational agency or institution has the responsibility to make the initial determination of whether a disclosure is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals. In this case, there is no indication that the University attempted to verify whether [Employee] did indeed disclose information from the Student's education records to the police for "health and safety emergency" purposes and then record the disclosure as required under § 99.32(a)(1) of the regulations. In these circumstances, we decline to find that [Employee]'s disclosure of information from education records, if any, without the Student's written consent was authorized under the health and safety emergency exception.
Another exception to the prior written consent requirement allows "school officials" to have access to a student's education records, without prior written consent, under § 99.31(a)(1) of the regulations, but only if they have a "legitimate educational interest." The University denies that it authorized [Employee] to file a criminal complaint against the Student, and there is no indication that the University was aware of [Employee]'s decision to file the complaint until some time after she had actually done so. However, the University argues that [Employee]'s professional duties as "admissions assistant" include "accessing the University's computer system" and, therefore, even if [Employee] had in fact accessed the Student's records to obtain information about the Student to file a police report, the disclosure would not violate FERPA because of the nature of [Employee]'s professional duties.
The University's own 2003 FERPA notification provides that an official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. FERPA does not allow teachers and other school officials to use their lawful authority (and actual ability) to access a student's education records for anything other than "legitimate educational interests." Indeed, given that it is virtually impossible to use physical or technological safeguards to prevent authorized users from using their access to education records for unauthorized purposes, it is important that an educational agency or institution establish and enforce policies and procedures, including appropriate training, to help ensure that school officials do not in fact misuse education records for their own purposes.
As discussed above, [Employee] had no legitimate interest in accessing the Student's education records to file a police report given that the circumstances did not rise to the level of a "health or safety emergency" under FERPA. Further, we are concerned that the University appears to have a policy or practice of allowing school officials to obtain access to education records in violation of FERPA because of its assertion that a school official who is authorized to obtain access to students' education records for legitimate educational purposes may use that authority to obtain access and disclose information where no legitimate educational purpose or other FERPA exception applies.
In accordance with § 99.66(c) of the regulations, in order to close this investigation the University must ensure that staff, faculty, and other school officials who have access to education records under § 99.31(a)(1) of the regulations understand the limits imposed by FERPA on their access to and disclosure of education records without a student's prior written consent. The University may inform appropriate school officials through training or a written memorandum. Please notify this Office of the date and manner that the University informed school officials of this FERPA requirement. Your voluntary compliance will allow us to issue you a written decision closing this investigation in accordance with § 99.67(b). You may direct your response to Frances Moran of my staff at:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5920
(202) 260-3887
Thank you for your continued cooperation with regard to the resolution of this complaint.
LeRoy S. Rooker
Family Policy Compliance Office
cc: Student


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You guys watch Justfied, right? You should. It's an awesome show.
I was catching up on last week's episode when I heard a familiar voice—a gun thug from Detroit showed up to menace the series' hero, Raylan Givens. The minute he opened his mouth, I thought, "Hey! I know that voice. That's Sam Fisher!"
In truth, it's Michael Ironside, the actor who voices the protagonist of the Splinter Cell franchise. Ironside is a bit of a Hey! It's That Guy, turning up in all manner of film and TV show over the years.
But I'll always know him as the man who gives Splinter Cell stealth-master Sam Fisher his menacing, purring voice. So I was happy to see him on one of my favorite shows, lending a wry layer of humor to what could have been another boring, thuggish part.
Then came the sequence above, in which Ironside's character makes a small but funny Splinter Cell reference. Raylan gets the drop on him, and as he surrenders he remarks, "There was a day when I woulda said nobody could stealth me."
Ha! It's almost too small to count as a real reference, but who in the world uses "stealth" as a verb? Looks like someone on the Justfied writing staff is a Splinter Cell fan.


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Baku - Azerbaijan
2 - 3 October 2001
Regional TIR Seminar in Baku on 2 and 3 October 2001
Seminar Registration and Hotel Reservation
Further Information
Regional TIR Seminar in Baku on 2 and 3 October 2001
The TIR Executive Board and the TIR secretariat, in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Office in Baku and the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan organize a Regional TIR Seminar for countries of the Caucasus, Black Sea Region and the Central Asia which will be held in Baku (Azerbaijan) on 2 and 3 October 2001.
The Seminar will be held by senior experts of the UNECE TIR secretariat with the participation of high-level officials from Customs administrations of some Western European countries sharing with the participants their experience in the application of the TIR Convention during the last 25 years.
The TIR Seminar is designed to address senior officials in Customs administrations responsible for Customs policy and Customs transit procedures. The Seminar is however also open to concerned senior officials in other Ministries, such as the Ministries of Transport, Economy, Commerce and Trade as well as to representatives of the private sector who are involved in Customs transit procedures (national associations of road carriers, Chambers of Commerce, freight forwarders and/or Customs brokers). The International Road Transport Union (IRU), backing up the TIR Customs transit procedure, will also participate in the Seminar.
Participants from the following countries in the region are invited: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Mongolia, Romania, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine.
Attached please find a first provisional programme of the Seminar. More detailed information on the programme of the Seminar, administrative arrangements and on the participating experts will become available in early September. Each participant will be given a free copy of the latest edition of the TIR Handbook. At the end of the Seminar, certificates of attendance will be distributed to all participants. English and Russian will be working languages of the seminar. Full simultaneous interpretation into/from these languages will be provided to allow for easy understanding and efficient discussions.
Seminar Registration and Hotel Reservation
Participation in the Seminar is free of charge for registered participants. Participants are however expected to cover their own travel costs, accommodation and other personal expenses. Each participant at the Seminar must register with the UNECE TIR secretariat prior to the Seminar using a copy of the attached TIR Seminar Registration Form. This form should be returned to the UNECE TIR secretariat as soon as possible.
Some block bookings have been made for Seminar participants at the Conference hotel in Baku at special rates. In order to profit from these rates, participants should sent the attached Hotel Reservation Form directly to the Crescent Beach Hotel in Baku as soon as possible, but not later than 15 September 2001.
Further Information
Should you need any further information on the TIR Seminar in Riga, please contact the TIR secretariat:
Tel: +41-22-917-2433 or +41-22-917-1531
Fax: +41-22-9170039 or +41-22-9170614;
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Postal address: UNECE TIR secretariat, Office 410, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10.
Relevant information is also available on the TIR web site (http://www.unece.org/tir/welcome.html).


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The Cost of Aggressive Sovereign Debt Policies : How Much is theprivate Sector Affected? »
Volume/Issue: 2009/29
Series: IMF Working Papers
Author(s): Christoph Trebesch
Publisher: INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
Publication Date: 01 February 2009
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5089/9781451871760.001
Keywords: Sovereign Default, Reputation Spillovers, debt policies, debt crisis, external borrowing,
This paper proposes a new empirical measure of cooperative versus conflictual crisis resolution following sovereign default and debt distress. The index of government coerciveness is presented as a proxy for excusa...


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What a cool goal; happiness! This means, In my present situation regardless of my past! Im happy! What a great goal; this means happy all the way through! It means 100% in control of this life; how I feel, how I want to feel; what I want to feel like! My choice; not the worlds, not the pasts; mine!
I have allot of Goals! My mind is becoming enriched; and all of this notice without parents or a past that ever supported it! I was in a state of complete despair and ill repair! And now Im talking the way Im talking; its crazy! But its real! Ive earned it! Ive earned my life to come back!
Happiness is such a " Im the creator of my life" thing! It can be what ever I want to be now; as if I was just born and never knew anything else! Live right now; for the moment in this moment! Ive been working hard on positive attitudes! and learning how to use my imagination to create desires and feed them and build them and take care of them, just like taking care of a child; water them feed them plant goals food! And its enriched my mind the way loving parents would have enriched my mind and Im feeling the sunshine of it! its great! Its a start! Ive been working on it for 4 years! and Im beginning to see many benefits of success based positive thinking; think and grow rich concepts and ideas and a way of life!
Being happy, the freedom to " i wanna feel good" " what turns my lights on" " Today is my favorite day" " everything is always working out for me" the universe has got my back"!
Happy has to do with what Im thinking about; it means I have dominant thoughts. I dont focus on the negative.
The cool thing is; Im still at it; and getting more into it! its great! it can be lonely at times; its hard work! Im still learning how to work through the gaps. Gaps are areas I cant get to from here! I have to find pathways set up by God and slowly take action and move down these new smaller journeys to get to the bigger ones! but the universe knows this and I work with the universe on this stuff! and Im learning how to do these things! but it would be great to be happy! it just would! it would be great! It would be great to know I dont have to live by any conditions! I can simply be happy and feel happy and seek happy! I know that when Im happy; this happy frequency will attract other things at its resinating level! This means, I attract more people and places and things that are successful and happy!
The freedom of being happy simply because I dont have conditions; I can do what ever I want! And the first thing a person with the freedom to do what he wants; happiness all the time! how great! And no need or interest for anyone from the past to show up! I dont need the old false best friend or the first girl I loved or the false brothers! or fake goofy goody goody pretenders! I dont need them; I just dont; Im learning about self love!
Self love! Ive been working on it for a while! it was a big mystery for a long time! I realized after I started to receive self love that the contrast to this; I had no love! I had a body full of amnesia and numbness with no notice by anyone ever and no love from anywhere for a very long long time! Im not sure I ever had any love ever! the world did not want me or love me and care if I was born! my body went to sleep, my personality disintegrated and my mind went away; far away! Things are in repair now and Im slowly choosing to show up to self; and its showing!


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A couple of months ago we (I) went to see our favourite Icelandic composer-type guy Ólafur Arnalds at the Southbank Centre and it was magical. Also on the bill was Message To Bears who were equally magical. We've now got a track from the upcoming album for you to stream and it's downbeat, lowkey but subtle and warming at the same time. It's 'Mountains' and you can stream it below:
Message To Bears are/is currently in the process of funding the release of an EP and, equally importantly, a second full-length record. More details available here. So, if you like what you hear, then donate if you want to hear the album in full at some point in the near future.


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VANCOUVER -- A century ago, Lam Lat Tong left his job as a railway cook to start a rubber stamp shop in Vancouver.
Against all odds, the Ho Sun Hing Printing company is still operating. This makes it one of the few local businesses to survive throughout the 100 year history of The Vancouver Sun, so we decided to pay a visit.
It doesn't disappoint. Step inside its lovely Art Deco building at 259 East Georgia and you feel like you're back in 1910 yourself.
Everywhere you look, there are antique printing presses, banks of old-style lead type and stacks of the menus, letterhead and wedding invitations the company has been churning out for decades.
Quality has been the secret to the success of the company, which is still owned and operated by Lam's family. The Wo Fat bakery has been gone for decades, but a box for Wo Fat's legendary bean cakes looks like it's still fresh off the press.
Most of the printing is done by third generation Lams such as Stephen and Peter, but the office remains the domain of the family matriarch, Hilda.
Not for much longer, though. At 79, Hilda is looking to retire, and the family is slowly winding the company down, selling off its presses, furniture and odds and ends.
"We can't operate any more," Hilda says. "That's why we're selling so many things. Nobody wants to pay [premium prices]."
"Nobody wants the quality, invitations with type that is raised, embossed," adds Stephen, 57.
"That's what we used to do a lot of, that high-end work. Nobody does that [any more], nobody wants to pay that kind of money. Things that we used to do are now done on computers."
A couple of tables have been topped with examples of lead type a visitor can pick up for a few dollars apiece. There are also boxes filled with old designs and logos etched into brass, wood or vinyl stamps. The stamps are intricate and delightful, ranging from Buddhas to camels and mermaids.
I pick up a stamp with backward letters and puzzle over what it says.
"Ukrainian cabbage rolls," interprets Stephen. "You get used to [reading backwards] after awhile."
Some of the old presses defy belief. Each comes with a dizzying array of wheels, levers and gears, and collectively they probably pack enough steel to rebuild the Titanic.
Some of the machines are covered in decades of dust, but most are still in running order, ready to be fired up. In fact, a new wave of boutique vintage printing companies in the States have been buying up the company's old presses.
"People from San Francisco and Los Angeles are interested in this machine," says Stephen, running his hand along a 1912 Lanston monotype, which is used to produce lead type.
"This is a really old one, a really rare machine. But it's just sitting here now, we don't need to use it any more. We last used it 20, 30 years ago."
This particular Lanston monotype has been modified to do both English and Chinese characters, which makes it unique. At the back of the shop you can find an example of its work: a complete set of Chinese type, with 8,000 characters.
"This is only one style of Chinese type," he notes.
"If you wanted five styles of type, then you had [to make] 8,000 characters for each style. If you wanted the type a little smaller, you had to do 8,000 characters of smaller type."
Lead type went out of vogue in the '70s, but not at Ho Sun Hing, where nothing ever seems to have been thrown out. They still do menus and letterhead with lead type on a Chandler & Price Platen Press.
"This was the workhorse," Stephen states, patting an ancient machine. "People would change their prices every year or so and you'd print the menus on this.
"Here's a more modern one," he adds, pointing to another model. "We still do a lot of work with it. We converted this machine to hand from automatic. This is 1930s, this machine. The other one is way, way earlier, maybe early 1900s."
Which means the elder platen press dates to the Lam Lat Tong era, a century back. Family lore has it the company was founded around 1910, a decade after he left Kwangtung province in China for British Columbia.
Chinese immigrants after 1885 had to pay a head tax to immigrate to Canada, which meant both Lam Lat Tong and his son Fong Lam paid it. (In China, the family name comes first, in Canada it was flipped around.) Hilda still has the head tax certificate of Fong, her late husband, who paid $500 after he arrived in Canada on Jan. 15, 1920 aboard the Canadian Pacific Ocean liner Empress of Russia.
Nine decades later, Hilda received an official apology and $20,000 from the federal government as reparation for the racist tax. Asked how she feels about the apology, she smiles and says "Well, we got the $20,000 back. [But] at that time, $500 to the head tax is a lot of money. It was all borrowed, too. Every time they earned anything, they [had to send] everything back."
Chinatown was a society unto itself for much of the 20th century. Hilda was born and raised in Vancouver, but has an accent because she rarely spoke English growing up in Chinatown, aside from when she attended Strathcona school.
"We used to live in a little shack on Keefer street, on the lane, when I was first born, before we moved to 315 East Georgia," she recalls.
"That little shack didn't have anything. The toilet was outdoors, in the lane. That's when we were poor, I guess."
The first directory listing for the company was in 1918, when it was Ho Sun Hing Rubber Stamps. But it could well have been operating earlier, because many directory listings of the time simply say "Chinese."
The company's first location was at 205 East Pender, near Main. There is a cabinet photo of a proud Lam Lat Tong posing in front of his business alongside the neighbours who ran Lee's Jewelry and Optical.
In 1920 the company moved to 438 Main, and two years after that relocated to 258 ½ East Pender, where it operated until the company moved to its present location in 1963.
"We rented the [other] place," explains Hilda.
"It was in the basement, and we had to do electrical stuff there, so we said 'Why don't we buy a place and move?' We paid a little over $20,000 [for 259 East Georgia], but we had a to put a lot of stuff in ... electrical, everything. This used to be HY Louie Cash and Carry before us."
Lam Lat Tong founded the business, but Fong Lam was the one that made it a Chinatown staple. He was also active in several Chinese benevolent associations and Chinese Nationalist political organizations – he was on the Central Committee of the Chinese Nationalist Party of the Republic of China (the Kuomintang, which Mao Zedong defeated in 1949 to make China a communist country). A portrait of Chinese Nationalist party leader Chiang Kai-shek still hangs upstairs, two decades after Fong Lam died.
Chinatown boomed in the '50s and '60s, with restaurants and nightclubs along Pender and Main and wholesalers on Keefer and Georgia. There are filing cabinets full of the letterhead and menus the company used to produce for customers like the Smilin' Buddha cabaret (where Jimi Hendrix played as a teenager), The Shanghai Junk (the bar where Cheech and Chong started) and the Ho Inn (the Lams' favourite restaurant, back in the day).
Ho Sun Hing was the first Chinese print shop in Canada, and the company did work all across the country. It also did a lot of work for English-speaking customers, including The Vancouver Sun.
"You should have come a couple of weeks earlier," laughed Stephen.
"You should see all the Sun and Province [newspaper carrier] bags we had here. We just sold the plates to an artist, he just grabbed it and took off."
Some of Ho Sun Hing's presses were purchased from the Sun and Province when the papers got out of hot lead type. Now Ho Sun Hing is slowly melting its lead type for recycling. 0"It's 40 cents a pound now," says Stephen.
There are other treasures in the two-storey, 6,000-square-foot building. Industrial wooden tables with the patina of a century of heavy use. A drop-front desk that's made out of fir, which makes it locally made. Some very old black velvet paintings that used to decorate the living quarters upstairs.
What will become of the building if the print shop closes? It dates to 1909 but has no heritage protection, so it could be knocked down for condos — the city has rezoned "Chinatown south" for residential buildings that go up to 12 storeys. (Both of Hilda's childhood homes were razed in urban renewal schemes in the 1960s, and the company's first two locations have also been demolished.)
On the other hand, it's a beautiful building, the only one of its kind in the city. If you moved all the printing presses out, you'd essentially have a concrete shell with high ceilings, which could make a great restaurant or bar.
"[Chinatown is] losing a lot of its heritage, that's for sure," says Stephen.
"But you know what, the artists and people who come and live here want to keep that [heritage], you can see that. It'll be almost like Yaletown — it's changing, but with a lot of heritage in it.
"Half and half, people who like the old stuff, they like the history here, and also the new stuff."