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Just got back from six days in Ohio, at the Romantic Times Convention.
As usual, I drank too much, said many inappropriate things, annoyed a bunch of people, and had a great time.
The conference was very similar to the dozens of others I've attended. Fans and writers interacted. The panels were pretty much same old same old. It was comforting, and familiar.
And yet, if you looked a bit closer, you noticed there was change coming.
I saw over a dozen Kindles. Two Nooks, two Sony Readers, a Kobo, and three iPads, all in the hands of readers anxious to evangelize them.
I heard, from a prominent industry professional, that mass market returns among the top publishers were at almost 80%.
The line for the ebook seminar was about a hundred yards long.
I heard from a librarian that their Overdrive program (lending ebooks) now accounted for 34% of their loans.
F. Paul Wilson is making just as much money on self-pubbed ebook sales as I am.
And four separate people came up to me and called me a hero.
The "hero" thing took me off guard. The first time it happened, I smiled politely and brushed it off, as I do all compliments.
By the fourth time, I began to realize how much this industry was really changing.
When I was a newbie, I was mystified by the publishing industry. I believed getting published meant being invited into some exclusive club. One with gatekeepers who had strange demands, and where control was out of a writer's hands.
But that dynamic is changing. In a big way.
With the Internet, writers are savvier than ever. They aren't nearly as naive as I was when I got started. They go to conventions, and read blogs, and talk to each other. Agents have blogs of their own, and they explain how this business works, and are happy to answer questions.
In other words, today's newbie is much more informed than newbies from even three years ago.
This makes me wonder.
At RT I talked to several name authors. People who sold more than I do. People who are now very anxious to get their backlists up on Kindle so they can start making money.
But I also talked to a lot of newbies. And these folks are gung-ho about completely forsaking traditional print publishing all together.
I'd always assumed that print publishers would begin to lose market dominance once ebooks took off in a big way, and they'd have to either restructure or die.
But now I'm predicting another death for them.
What is going to happen when authors stop sending their books to publishers?
If I know I can make $100,000 on a self-published ebook in five years of sales, and I have the numbers to back up this claim, why would any informed writer--either pro or newbie--ever settle for less?
The dominance of ebooks is coming. I have no doubt. But I always thought it was the readers who would lead the charge, based on cost and convenience.
Now I'm starting to believe that the ones with the real power are the ones who should have had the power since the beginning of publishing. The ones who create the content in the first place.
The authors.
It's a wonderful, dynamic, empowering time to be an author. For the first time, we can command our own ships.
We're the ones who write the books. We can reach readers without any gatekeepers at all. And we can make money doing it.
The print publishing industry's biggest fear shouldn't be the eventual dominance of ebooks over print.
Their biggest fear should be not having any books to publish in any format, because the authors all wised up.
Monday, May 03, 2010
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The pistol carried by Butler's new mayor has caught the attention of more than just city residents.
Mayor Tom Donaldson, who often carries his .45-caliber Magnum on his side, is the focus of a National Rifle Association video promoting gun rights.
The more than 8-minute video attributed Donaldson's support for gun rights to his election victory in November.
"What you're seeing is people standing up for what they believe in," said Ginny Simone, who made the video for NRANews.com and the website's YouTube channel.
The NRA took interest in the city's election because former Mayor Maggie Stock was a member of the coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
The NRA, which says the mayors group threatens the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, mailed a flier and made automated phone calls to NRA members in the city last year campaigning votes for Donaldson.
Donaldson, who is not a member of the NRA, said he appreciated the support from the organization.
"They put their own money in it," he said. "It's very much appreciated. It got me some votes."

subset: commoncrawl


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|NVIDIA® unified architecture
Fully unified shader core dynamically allocates processing power to geometry, vertex, physics, or pixel shading operations, delivering up to 2x the gaming performance of prior generation GPUs.
GigaThread™ Technology
Massivelymulti-threaded architecture supports thousands of independent, simultaneous threads, providing extreme processing efficiency in advanced, next generation shader programs.
Full Microsoft® DirectX® 10 Support
World's first DirectX 10 GPU with full Shader Model 4.0 support delivers unparalleled levels of graphics realism and film-quality effects.
NVIDIA SLI® Technology1
Delivers up to 2x the performance of a single graphics card configuration for unequaled gaming experiences by allowing two cards to run in parallel. The must-have feature for performance PCI Express® graphics, SLI technology dramatically scales performance on today's hottest games.
NVIDIA® Lumenex™ Engine
Delivers stunning image quality and floating point accuracy at ultra-fast frame rates:
16x Anti-aliasing: Lightning fast, high-quality anti-aliasing at up to 16x sample rates obliterates jagged edges.NVIDIA® ForceWare® Unified Driver Architecture (UDA)
Delivers a proven record of compatibility, reliability, and stability with the widest range of games and applications. ForceWare provides the ultimate out-of-box experience and delivers continuous performance and feature updates over the life of NVIDIA GeForce® GPUs.
OpenGL® 2.1 Optimizations and Support
Ensures top-notch compatibility and performance for OpenGL applications.
NVIDIA® nView® Multi-Display Technology
Advanced technology provides the ultimate in viewing flexibility and control for multiple monitors.
PCI Express Support
Designed to run with the PCI Express bus architecture, which doubles the bandwidth of AGP 8X to deliver over 4 GB/sec in both upstream and downstream data transfers.
Dual 400MHz RAMDACs
Blazing-fast RAMDACs support dual QXGA displays with ultra-high, ergonomic refresh rates–up to 2048x1536@85Hz.
Dual-link DVI Support
Able to drive the industry's large and high resolution flat-panel displays up to 2560x1600.
Built for Microsoft® Windows Vista™
NVIDIA's fourth-generation GPU architecture built for Windows Vista gives users the ultimate experience with the Windows Aero 3D graphical user interface.
NVIDIA PureVideo® HD Technology2
The combination of high-definition video decode acceleration and post-processing that delivers unprecedented picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for movies and video.
Discrete, Programmable Video Processor: NVIDIA PureVideo is a discrete programmable processing core in NVIDIA GPUs that provides superb picture quality and ultra-smooth movies with low CPU utilization and power.PowerMizer 7.0 Technology
The seventh generation of NVIDIA's advanced hardware power management technology intelligently adapts to the user's need for longer battery life and improved performance by reducing notebook power consumption and heat generation for the graphics subsystem.
1 - SLI technology available only on select GeForce 8600M notebook GPUs.
2 - Feature requires supported video software. Features may vary by product.
3 - Requires other HDCP-compatible components.


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If you've been checking out some of the blogs friendly to the Vicarage and Duchy linked helpfully in MMMMMovies' sidebar, then you know there's been an alphabet meme going around lately. (And if you haven't been visiting those sites...what the fuck, dude?) The basic idea was to pick a movie title to represent every letter in the alphabet, and post your painstakingly-researched list.
The response was great and encyclopedic. Among many notable efforts, The Reverend Fred Phantom over at Midnight Confessions offered this estimable entry, Pierre Fournier over at the humbling Frankensteinia offered both a regular and a Frankenstein-themed list, and Empress Kate at Love Train for the Tenebrous Empire amped things up with an all-nunsploitation list.
Well, your ever-lovin' Vicar has never been able to color very well inside the lines, so I picked up the alphabet meme while gleefully ignoring its rules and constructed instead an Amphigorey-style list that only uses an actual title every now and then, in pseudo-poetic form. In my defense--to my knowledge no one tagged me specifically, and hey, I got through the goddamn alphabet, didn't I?
So here goes--not a sonnet this time, but some Vicar-ious Verse in couplet form. Enjoy.
Alaric de Marnac, more evil than sin;
Bladder fx a la The Beast Within;
Curse of the Devil, perfect leap attack;
Diabolik's in Danger, Eva's got his back;
Frankenstein's daughter builds monstrous perversions,
Girl Slaves of Morgana give Gurth fine diversions;
Halloween III, better than I remember,
Inseminoid fucks what he does not dismember;
Jekyll-turned-wolfman, there's one for the ages;
The Karnstein Clan's malady's highly contagious;
Living Dead Girl, such a bittersweet fable;
Meanwhile Malabimba's a little unstable;
Night Train to Terror still has its supporters,
Olaf's sinful dwarfship transcends any borders;
Paul Naschy, the King, with pectorals so mighty,
Queen Hanna and Russ of the Over-filled nightie;
Stella Star rocks the retracting stilettos,
Tourist Trap's workshop: much worse than Gepetto's;
Uwe Boll's unrepresented here, sadly;
Varla will beat up your boyfriends, and badly;
Waldemar's wolf-form has never been beat,
Doctor X's vengance has fly-traps for feet;
Yutte Stensgaard--Lust for a Vamp, Zeta-One;
Ze do Caixao arrives, and the party is done.
With a Zang and an Eep! and a staticky screen
The Vicar is spent..IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Murdering the Meme: The Vicar's Alphabet
If you've been checking out some of the blogs friendly to the Vicarage and Duchy linked helpfully in MMMMMovies' sidebar, then you know there's been an alphabet meme going around lately. (And if you haven't been visiting those sites...what the fuck, dude?) The basic idea was to pick a movie title to represent every letter in the alphabet, and post your painstakingly-researched list.
Posted by The Vicar of VHS at 11:32 AM
Labels: Mad Poetry, Memeage, Non-Review Posts
6 comments:
- Rev. Fred Phantom said...
Excellent! Nice artistic spin on the list. Well played, sir!
- December 2, 2008 at 3:50 PM
- Tenebrous Kate said...
Amazing!!! My nunsploitation alphabet surrenders. Also--your alphabet has 100% more Diabolik, which is always a good thing. APPROVED!
- December 2, 2008 at 3:59 PM
- Samuel Wilson said...
Your list is awesome in an insane sort of way, and I mean that as a compliment. Congratulations on creating a genuine cultural artifact.
- December 2, 2008 at 9:16 PM
- Pierre Fournier said...
Wonderful! For what its worth, consider yourself retroactively tagged!
- December 2, 2008 at 10:03 PM
- The Vicar of VHS said...
Thanks for the comments, everyone!
Rev., Empress, and Pierre, it was your listing prowess that got me thinking about giving the old alphabet a try--what I lack in your encyclopedic knowledge, I hope I made up for in silliness and rhyme. :)
And Sam, thanks for dropping by! "A genuine cultural artifact," huh? I like the sound of that! I may have to use that as a site blurb...or else "Uncle Sam thinks MMMMMovies is 'awesome' and 'insane'!" :D E pluribus kookoo...
- December 3, 2008 at 8:08 AM
- Fred said...
Awesome post Vicar. You used rhyme, provided links to your alphabet citations and did it all while keeping your metre. If I were a poetry prof (and I'm definitely not) I'd give your meme an A.
- December 3, 2008 at 9:26 AM


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In the wake of the shooting at the Los Anegeles International Airport, police and officials have closed various streets and freeways as they investigate the scene.
The 405 Freeway offramps in both directions at Century Boulevard are closed.
Century Blvd. between S. Sepulveda Blvd. and Aviation Blvd. is closed.
The 105 Freeway offramp at Sepulveda Boulevard is closed.
Lincoln Blvd. South between Manchester Ave. and Sepulveda Blvd. is closed.
Traffic is also slow headed south on the 405 freeway from the 90 West to Century Boulevard.


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Register of Deeds
The Register of Deeds office holds records from 1792 to the present. The office records all types of deeds, assignments, releases and other instruments. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions below for information on the services provided by the office of the Register of Deeds.
A message from Ed Stiner, Register of Deeds.
"Welcome to the Jefferson County Register of Deeds website. We live in a beautiful county nestled in the Tennessee valley, a "stone's throw" from the Great Smoky Mountains. With two expansive lakes, close proximity to a metropolitan area, and a rich history, it's easy to see why we've been one of the fastest growing counties in Tennessee!
The citizens of Jefferson County deserve friendly, courteous, and professional service. We strive to offer that type of service on a daily basis to everyone who visits this office.
I hope you find this website convenient and informative. Thank you for visiting!"
Ed Stiner
ED STINER, REGISTER of DEEDS
Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 58
Dandridge, TN 37725
Shipping Address:
202 West Main Street
Dandridge, TN 37725
(865) 397-2918
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Office Hours:
Monday – Friday: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are your records accessible online?
Yes. Beginning September 1, 1998, you may access the records from this office or online by contacting B.I.S. Information Systems at 866-604-3673 or at TitleSearcher.com.
2. Are your records available by fax?
No. We do not have a fax machine. This service would require extra personnel, and we could never recover the cost for this service.
3. How far back do your records date for Jefferson County?
Our records begin in 1792 and include to date and are accessible at the Courthouse. Our records are open to the public and may be inspected during regular office hours. Our office hours are 8:00 am to 4:00 pm from Monday to Friday (except holidays).
4. Is this where I register my deed?
Yes, we record all types of deeds, assignments, releases, powers of attorney, and a variety of miscellaneous instruments.
5. What is the cost for recording my deed?
Warranty deeds are taxed at the rate of $3.70 per thousand dollars of value or consideration, which ever is greater.
Trust deeds are exempt on the first $2,000.00 and taxable at the rate of $1.15 per thousand on the balance of the mortgage.
Most instruments are priced with a minimum of $10.00 for 1 or 2 pages with an additional $5.00 for each page or each instrument included in the document. Every instrument has an additional $2.00 fee for data processing and $1.00 when tax is being collected.
6. How do I get a copy of my survey?
We will need to take a look at your deed to see if there is a plat or survey recorded. Not all properties have a recorded survey, in this case you may want to get a copy of the tax map from the Assessor of Property.
7. What restrictions are on my property?
All properties do not have restrictions except the ones required by the Zoning Office. You will want to look at your deed to see if your restrictions are included or a reference given as to where they are recorded. Most subdivisions do have some restrictions.
8. How many liens are on this property?
You are welcome to search the records in our office or hire an attorney or title company to do your research. We cannot clear the property for you to purchase.
9. I want to divide my property and deed a portion of it to my child. Where do I start?
Contact the Zoning office at (865) 397-4414 for information on dividing property. All new cuts are approved by the Zoning office. Record the plat or survey after their approval.
10. Can you prepare a deed for me?
We are not allowed to prepare deeds and we do not furnish blank forms for any instruments. You should take a copy of your new recorded survey and a copy of your former deed to an attorney to have a new deed prepared. It should be returned to this office for recording.
11. I have a copy of a power of attorney, deed, etc… Can I get this copy recorded?
We must have the original instrument. We cannot record copies.
12. Where can I find my propety value or appraisal information?
You can do a search for your property value and appraisal information at www.assessment.state.tn.us.


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Faces of Gmail: Forum Top Contributors
Usually for Faces of Gmail, we talk to a Googler who works on Gmail. But this month, we're talking to our forum Top Contributors. Top Contributors (TCs) are volunteers who post in the Gmail Help Forum. When we're impressed with the amount they are posting and the quality of their answers, we give them the TC title. We have dozens of Gmail TCs around the world posting in all different languages.
About a month ago, we got to meet some of these wonderful volunteers at the Global Top Contributor Summit. Now you can meet a few of them, too! Below we've included excerpts from a group interview with five of our TCs.
Gmail Forum Top Contributors at the Global Top Contributor Summit in September
|Name: Brett (bkc56)
Location: N. California, US
Favorite Gmail Lab: Message Sneak Peek. It's so useful for quickly dealing with short messages.
Name: John (Deman_Nu)
Location: Woodstock, NY, US
Favorite Gmail Lab: Undo Send. It's amazing how many times I notice something wrong in the seconds after I hit "Send."
|Name: LMckin51
Location: South Carolina, US
Favorite Gmail Lab: Undo Send
Name: Tito Dutta
Location: Kolkata, India
Favorite Gmail Labs: Inserting Image, Add any gadget by URL, Extra Emoji
|Name: wdurham
Location: Hampshire, UK
Favorite Gmail Labs: Sneak Peek, and after years of using Outlook, the Move Icon Column which puts the attachment paperclip in a more obvious place.
What is your Gmail expertise?
Brett: To be in the Gmail help forum is to be always learning. I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I tend to focus on topics like account recovery, account security, missing messages, labels versus folders, and account backup.
LMckin51: I like teaching users how to keep their accounts safe, and how to avoid scams. I also like to help them learn about all the Gmail settings.
What do you like about participating in the forum?
wdurham: It's great to feel you are helping people get more comfortable with Gmail, or solve particular problems they're having. What's even greater is the amount I learn myself each time I help someone solve a problem. Best of all is that "Eureka!" moment, when you spend ages explaining one of Gmail's unique concepts, like labels, and the light suddenly dawns for the user.
Tito: It's a great place to learn new things. The forum has taught me to think deeply. When an asker replies to my post in the forum, it helps me to assess my own answers.
What's your most memorable forum experience?
wdurham: When people give out the wrong email address, the real owners of that address find themselves receiving mail meant for someone else -- like a "wrong number" phone call. Sometimes they don't understand what happened and incorrectly think it's a Gmail problem. I answered one such query a few months back only to have the "someone else" join the thread and ask for her missing mail to be sent on to her because she gave out the wrong address - thus conclusively proving my point!
John: I was helping one woman who had accidentally deleted a number of emails that were important to her. Using search queries, I was able to help her find some of messages she thought she deleted. She emailed to thank me and I was overwhelmed by what she said: "I honestly am warmed to be reminded that there are selfless people helping others that they don't even know. It means a lot! So even if I never find the rest of the emails you've still helped me to feel better."
What are you doing when you're not posting in the forum?
Brett: I have a full-time job as a software engineer plus a wife and four kids. I also play guitar, collect Legos, and watch movies (often sci-fi).
LMckin51: In my spare time I create and maintain websites. I also take photographs at events at my church.
What words of advice do you have for Gmail users?
Tito: Explore Gmail settings pages and Gmail Labs. Use and play with web browser extensions, plugins and and reliable userscripts. And the old rule: if you have any question on Gmail (or anything), don't forget to search in Google first.
Brett: Gmail's servers are very reliable, but it's always a good idea to do regular backups in case you accidentally delete mail you need, or in case your account is compromised by someone getting your password (for example, if you reused your Gmail password on another website and it was stolen from there). Personally, I like Got Your Back as a backup/restore utility. Another resource for exporting and saving your data is Google's Data Liberation Front.
John: Forum posters, please remember that we are volunteers who are here to help you. We recognize that you are often angry or upset when you come to us with serious problems, but it is much easier to help when your posts focus on providing the information we need rather than on your emotions. Feel free to ask questions if you don't understand us and let us know if we misunderstood something about your situation. We also greatly appreciate it when you let us know when your questions have been answered!


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Vancouver CSS JobOctober 19, 2005
Here's a quickie for anyone in town who might be looking for work.
Local web shop Combustion Labs is looking for a CSS developer. The pay is good, the office is beautiful, the team is smart (I ran an afternoon workshop earlier this year that saw a lot of polite nodding and smiling as I went through material that they had learned ages ago) and the benefits are top notch. From their help wanted posting:
Do your influences include Apple, Zeldman, 37 Signals and Stop Design? If so, you have found your new home.
Not to mention the daily catered lunch program. Need I say more? Check out the craigslist ad. (Please direct all inquiries their way. I'm not being paid to post this, I'm curious to see what sort of local response it will generate.)


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'The Walking Dead' Season 5: Behind-the-Scenes Preview Reveals Battered Daryl, Survivors and More!
'The Walking Dead' season 5 will reveal a first look with this coming weekend's "Dead White and Blue" AMC marathon, but the hungry masses needn't wait for a bit of fresh blood from our favorite horror-drama! Find out what has Daryl looking rougher than usual, who survived the finale, and what Lauren Cohan thinks won't make it to TV in two new behind-the-scenes previews of 'The Walking Dead' season 5!
Be wary of some light spoilers for 'The Walking Dead' seasons 4 and 5, but it seems the first behind-the-scenes preview hopefully confirms one of our lingering questions from season 4 finale "A," namely that Tyreese, Carol and Judith weren't on the menu for whatever Terminus was grilling up! Elsewhere, (increasingly bearded) series star Andrew Lincoln teased that the season 5 opener ranks among the most ambitious they've ever attempted, while Lauren Cohan added that some of the material they'd shot might not make it through TV standards.
As for what new trials the Ricktatorship will endure after escaping from the mysterious Terminus? Says Lincoln, "I think a lot of people are trying to work out where they belong in the group this season. It's very much a season about hierarchy." Hopefully Daryl still has a place within the hierarchy, considering Norman Reedus looks especially bruised and beaten up around the set!
Elsewhere, we know of 'The Walking Dead' season 5 that existing stars Christian Serratos (Rosita), Alanna Masterson (Tara) and Andrew J. West (Gareth) have all been upgraded to series regulars, while 'The Wire' star Seth Gilliam joined in a role all but confirmed to be that of comic preacher Gabriel Stokes. The fifth season of AMC's monster-drama is expected to pick up immediately after the events of season 4 finale "A," and will eventually divulge the fates of missing characters Beth, Carol, Tyreese and Judith.
Well, what are you waiting for? Before the Comic-Con 2014 masses devour the cast and crew of 'The Walking Dead,' take a look at season 5 in the new preview videos above and below, and give us your predictions for AMC's monster hit in the comments!


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When The Italian Job was released in theatres in 1969, everyone on the face of the planet wanted to hop into a Mini and drive like a lunatic. Michael Caine's infamous line, "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" became one of the most quoted movie lines ever. And so, this year in cinemas, we're all going to get the chance to see a new, updated version of this classic heist/chase flick which in turn means there's a new video game in the works.
Eidos -- most famous for the enduring Tomb Raider series -- has commissioned U.K. developer Climax to craft a racing title worthy of the film's great license. Coming to PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, and PC, The Italian Job is looking set to nail timed mission-based driving in style. And the best part of this? You get to be the wheelman in a selection of cool motors.
The game kicks off with a selection of different play modes. In story mode you'll get to meet main man Charlie Croker and his accomplices as they set out on a daring mission to take back the gold bullion that was stolen from them. The first few levels involve cruising around Hollywood at high speeds in an old '70s Mini. Drop off a few things, pick up a few things, meet a few people -- you get the idea.
The actual gameplay simply involves driving against the clock, following a blip on your radar to a goal point -- pretty basic stuff. At least until you realize that some of the time limits are tight, and then you'll need to start driving a little more recklessly than before, taking shortcuts wherever you can find them.
After a while, you'll hop into a new 2003 Mini Cooper S which handles substantially better than the old clunker from back in the day. In fact, when you get the hang of the controls -- which are solid enough at the moment -- you'll soon learn how to shift weight around the car enabling stunt driving to take place. Two-wheeled cruising against oncoming traffic is fun! There are multiple paths and routes to explore in the well-defined digital cityscapes, and there are more than a few choice ramps and jumps to hit too.
There's a circuit race option that'll let two players go head-to-head via split screen and also a free-run mode for those gamers who like to do a little sightseeing. Plenty of unlockable cars are attainable in The Italian Job by completing certain tasks from the various modes; these include a security van, cop car, and even the odd muscle motor too.


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Results tagged "retired jerseys"
Following the announcement that the University of Pittsburgh will retire legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald's No. 1 jersey during the season opener at Heinz Field against Florida State on Sept. 2, we asked fans via social media to name their favorite Fitzgerald moments from his incredible career as a Panther.
It couldn't have been easy to select a single moment from the Pitt career of a man who caught a remarkable 34 touchdowns in just two seasons, but the fans did their best.
Here are just a few of the responses we received:
Andrew Young answered with one of Fitzgerald's famous diving catches in blue and gold: "That nasty catch in between three guys at Texas A&M."
Tony DelSardo also chose another full-extension catch. He remembered "seeing Larry Fitzgerald stretch out on a pass against Oregon State in a bowl game for a TD."
Paul Pirozzola recalled a trick play that resulted in one of Fitzgerald's many touchdowns: "The halfback option pass from Kirkley for a TD against Boston College to keep his TD streak alive."
Kirk Domanick responded with "a very underrated catch was the one caught at Temple draped in defenders."
Be there on Monday, Sept. 2 as we retire the jersey of the most prolific wide receiver in Pitt history - Larry Fitzgerald. Continue to share your moments with us on Twitter using #LarryLegend.


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Selling My Soul to the Devil: Osteria di Pinocchio
If I were given two choices, and the choices were a) rip my beating heart from my chest with my bare hands or b) spend an evening in a children's theme restaurant wearing a silly hat and participating in a "guess how many beans are in the jar" competition at the prodding of a microphone-wielding MC dressed as a cricket, I would, of course, choose b).
But only after thinking about it long and hard.
Which is why, when my dear friend Barbara, a bubbly blond mother-of-two-up-for-anything-anytime Aussie (That's how they are Down Under. Mostly because eight of the ten most lethal animals on the planet call Australia home, and you get very Carpe Diem and No Worries, Mate when you know a simple trip up the walk to retrieve the morning paper may end in meeting your Maker.) called me up to say, "Hey, did you hear about the new Pinocchio restaurant for kids in Perugia?!? They wear costumes! They have games for the kids! Let's take the boys on Saturday!" (At least, that's what I think she said. I've known her since 1993 and I still find myself struggling with that strange language she claims is English on the phone. We often revert to Italian.), she was greeted with a long silence. So she gave me a tongue lashing, which she is wont to do when I act like a bludger, need to get off my fat date, stop being a dill and/or drongo and/or knocker, because really, sometimes I make her spit the dummy. Since I don't really understand any of that, but none of it sounds very good, I offered to call and reserve before she called me a whacker for good measure.
This is how it went:
Ring. Ring.
Hello, this is the Talking Cricket. Can you please hold?
Uh, ok. (I hold.)
Hello, sorry about that. How can I help you?
Um, did you just say that you're the Talking Cricket?
Yes, Ma'am.
Uh, ok. I need to reserve for Saturday night. Four adults and four kids.
And will the children be eating on Pleasure Island?
Uh, ok.
I was beginning to rethink my choice of b).
Osteria di Pinocchio
Via Tazio Nuvolari (Pian di Massiano)
But here I am, a few months later, not only about to endorse this place as one of the funnest evenings to be had for a family with kids under about 8, but openly admitting to becoming a bit of a regular. To explain why, let me tell you what Osteria di Pinocchio isn't.
It isn't garish
I had formed a mental picture of an aesthetic which hovered in that nightmarish land between Disneyland ca. 1972 and Chuck E. Cheese ca. 1987. Lots of formica in primary colors, industrial stain-camouflaging carpet, neon lights, and those swivel chairs that are hooked directly onto the table so that both fat people and children can't use them (which, as fate would have it, comprises about 92% of Disneyland and Chuck E. Cheese's combined customer demographic.).
I had forgotten that Pinocchio did not, in fact, originate from a mid-western strip mall, but instead from Tuscany. Lovely, understated, natural wood and period details Tuscany. Really, if you ignore the immense wooden Pinocchio suspended above your head along the length of the ceiling, you could imagine yourself being in any warmly furnished large restaurant in central Italy. Well, you have to ignore the maitre-d' with the cricket antennae headband, as well, but we'll get to him.
Where the interior decorating takes it up a notch is in the separate children's dining room, where the walls are covered with lovely Pinocchio-related reliefs in stained wood and matching child-sized stained wooden tables and chairs. But the effect is both fun and tasteful.
It isn't video-game loud
Okay, I admit that if you are looking for a quiet candle-lit bistrot to stare into each other's eyes for a romantic tête–à–tête, this may not be the place. It's a relatively big restaurant, and most nights the place is hopping.
It's loud.
However, conversation loud is one thing—screaming children and flashing and buzzing arcade game loud is another. As I mentioned above, there is a separate dining room for children (they can choose to eat there or in the main dining room…my kids love the separate dining room, though some shyer types might balk at you being out of sight during dinner), which cuts out the lion's share of screaming and running children, a common sight at most other children-themed places. Also, in keeping with the muted decor, there are no video games in sight. Kids are kept busy by the staff in the children's dining room, who organize sing-alongs, games, story-telling, dancing, and all sorts of stuff to keep them engaged and entertained for the evening. Which means that you are free to enjoy the Holy Grail of any parent's dining experience: an uninterrupted conversation.
The only distraction that can border on annoying is the roughly five minutes of game playing (see bean game above…we have also witnessed trivia quizzes and riddle-solving) led by a loudly mic-ed Pinocchio in the main dining room. But even he grew on me after I actually won the competition one night and took home a nice bottle of Sagrantino di Montefalco for my effort. My hipster smugness goes right out the window when prizes are involved.
It isn't crap food
Your average 6 year old is no gourmand, and most restaurants catering to kids know that. Timeless favorites like greasy pizza, hot dogs, tater tots, and soft-serve ice cream feature prominently on the menu. Your average 6 year old is also no credit card holder and likely won't be footing the bill, however, and–since I am–I would like to eat something resembling something edible (and, to be frank, have my kids eat something that isn't a gateway drug into childhood obesity).
The food here is good. I mean, not life-changingly awesome, but solidly good. Fine pizza (fired in a wood-burning oven), inventive antipasti, nice primi, big honking hunks of meat roasted over wood-coals secondi. A nice selection of fixed menus (I've seen vegetarian, traditional Umbrian, fish and seafood, among others) if your brain has been so fried by parenting that you'd rather not ponder pages of dishes in a foreign language.
The best menu by far is over in the children's room. The kids get a fixed menu, but whoever cooked up the piatto del giorno sure had a lot of fun (and an amazing amount of creativity). My kids have had parmeggiano boats filled with tortellini floating on a green bean sea with a corn sun and a cricket's face made of mashed potatoes with asparagus antennae and a meatball bow-tie. Fun stuff, and they actually ate the asparagus. Makes you want to take up food styling at home.
It isn't a money black hole
So, for your kids to have a healthy meal (ok, with an occasional french fry and some ice cream), unlimited kiddie bar access, and a good three to four hours of awesome fun, it will cost you a whopping €15. Which is pretty much the same thing a regular pizza + drink + dessert will cost you in any run-of-the-mill restaurant in Umbria, but with no entertainment. The price/quality ratio for the regular menu is more than fair: the fixed menus with four courses run €25 (I couldn't finish my vegetarian menu the last time we went) and the alla carte is more than in line with average trattoria prices. The lack of arcade machines or tacked-on entertainment extras means that it's easy to keep an eye on your budget for the evening.
Oh, I forgot to mention the funny hats. They're free.
5 Comments
Melissa Muldoon |
Che carino! Have to confess I avoid Chuck E. Cheese's like the plague, and have successfully done so for the past ten years. Like you, I would probably stick a fork in my eye before darkening that mouse's door! But, wow the Osteria di Pinocchio, as you describe it, sounds lovely. And instead of a slab of greasy pepperoni pizza (typical fare at normal American kid hot spots these days) the food and its presentation looks fanatastic! I tip my tall pointy red hat to the creators of this wonderfully done children's hang out in Perugia and would be a regular too…oh, with child in tow of course!
Patrice |
Oh why aren't my kids little anymore?! I would insist with them but I just can't see my teen son in the hat. Very cute restaurant, the Italians are so creative, put a lot of effort in their ventures and sometimes the results are fiabesche!
Kirill Storch |
Hey good article. Any other suggestions where we can take kids in Umbria?
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We're looking at every NBA Playoff series through the eyes of Free Darko. Here's Free Darko's look at the NBA Finals matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Your author is Bethlehem Shoals.
So we've got our Celtics/Lakers finals, the great window to the past opening up, and skeptics griping about a rigged playoffs. It's Kobe proving he can win without Shaq, and Kevin Garnett looking for that ring to make whole his Hall of Fame career. The ratings will be through the ceiling, which delights Stern and bolsters paranoia, and the level of competition will be high. Those looking to bitch about unfairness get exactly what they want, as do those in favor of big names and entrenched storylines.
Still, this has got to be one of the most misunderstood matchups since disinformation and basketball first came together on the snowy streets of Buffalo in 1973.
I'll be shocked if this hasn't been said already, but where exactly is the fix? Boston and Los Angeles rolled through the regular season and were seeded first in their respective conferences. Unless the entire 82 games, and the key trades that transformed these ailing giants, were also orchestrated in the shadows, here the two best teams made it to the final bracket. Not exactly consistent with the topsy-turvy logic we like prevailing in our postseasons — in March Madness, or the NFL playoffs, a lack of unpredictability is seen as unsettling, false.
Yet after weeks of seven-game series, why wouldn't you expect to see these two standing? I know, Barry was sort of robbed, but so was Fisher on the play before. A team shouldn't ever count on human error falling their way to put them over the top in the playoffs.
What's more, if this whole show had been manipulated from start to finish to stoke ratings and benefit the league's marketing plan, why have we had a ceaseless slog of seven-game battles where the home team won every team, often by a wide margin? Fuck going back to the five-game opening round; 2007-08 made a convincing case for skipping straight to game seven. Still, you couldn't have given fans less incentive to watch games if you'd wanted to. God himself could not have devised a bigger deterrent, one that die-hards — those who can usually be counted on no matter what — were especially aware of. It's telling that the Lakers broke this mold, and the Celtics showed signs in the conference finals.
And then there's the Kobe vs. Garnett battles of the narratives, each supposedly needing more than life itself to capture the crown and validate their respective careers. Kobe's already cheerfully brushing off the questions about how sweet it is to win solo; it's bad PR for him to even go there, but more fairly, his MVP campaign was about bringing a team up with him. In a way, that was more of a moral victory than supreme gunner KB24, sans Shaq champion, would ever have been.
Certainly, this has boosted his stock, his likeability quotient, and quieted some doubters in a way that an Iverson-ian run to the finish line never would have. Not to say that Bryant isn't driven to get this one, but he knows this team is young, and still growing. There's a foundation, and a future, here. When you hear him interviewed, there's a lightness there that speaks to both relief and patience — not traits we usually associate with the Mamba's strategic reserve of venom and power. The suspense level has already been tamped down.
The Garnett hub-bub, I feel, is horribly misplaced. That's not just because I don't like what's happened to his game in Boston (go ahead, get stuck on that sentence), whether it's by design or the grace of old age and wisdom. KG has had some strong games this postseason, and we all know he changed the culture of the Celtics, and suddenly is a hair away from Bill Russell. But really, it's Paul Pierce who could suddenly have his entire career transformed by this Finals' outcome.
That over-emotive Rivers/Pierce embrace at the end of game six told you everything you need to know about the real energy here. Paul Pierce has been a Celtic forever. He's been through ups and downs, but no one's said that KG and Allen were brought on to let Pierce realize his inner dignity. He's a distant third on the sentimental pecking order, which is a complete and total injustice. As a whole, his career makes for great halftime material: Underrated on draft night, almost died from a stabbing, excelling with a relative lack of fanfare, suffered through some doldrums just as Garnett did, dealt with criticism, and now, is the real moral center of this series.
He should be the pride of the Celtics, and as a Los Angeles native, this series couldn't have higher stakes for him. Checks the stats; as Nate Jones reminded me, dude's always energized by playing in front of the city he still loves. Pierce is about to hijack these finals the way Tony Parker so often with the Spurs, making himself into the marquee name when there's a surefire Hall of Famer defining his legacy.
As much as Garnett wants that ring, or feels Green pride, no one sane thinks him any less than one of the Fifty Greatest. It's a slippery slope to handicap would've, could've, but Garnett's tenure in Minnesota is the definition of unassailable, brain-scrambling valor in the face of defeat. He's changed the way positions are thought of, shown a versatility at both ends of the floor that was hitherto unimaginable, brought on the high school revolution (great for any team or player smart about it), and done more for a bad team than any team ever. What's more, he did it in a way everyone can respect, carrying a team without ever fully embracing his role as the number one option, always elevating his cohorts.
The one lasting knock on Garnett, one that's reared its head throughout his career, is his lack of clutch-ness. Certainly, that's come up during these playoffs; KG shows up late just often enough to suggest he could do it more. Yet Garnett just isn't an indomitable scorer, especially not now, when the jump shot's become his main weapon. If the Celtics win, it's not going to be because KG suddenly learned to his game-winners. It would prove, as the Cassell/Sprewell team did with far less, that he's mortal and needs that supplement to turn a Garnett joint into a powerhouse. Kind of like Bill Russell.
Pierce, on the other hand, is that kind of fearless scorer. Always has been, without ever getting the recognition he deserved. And unless he explodes for 40, he's taken for granted on this team. It's all about Allen's slump, or Garnett's shooting late. Who bails them out every single time? Paul Pierce. And why? He's a vastly underrated force who, if he rides this wave of feeling and runs shit at home and away, could once and for all announce his worth to this franchise. A Celtics championship will add to Garnett's resume, complete it in the way it's always deserved. But it's not going to alter our sense of him (as a T-Mac ring would).
But for Pierce, it would insert him into that "greatest Celtics ever" conversation. He'll be the one who counterbalances the MVP, the one making shots down the stretch, and the guy with the ball in his hands when things matter most. No one will blame him if they lose. Hopefully, though, if Boston takes this one, Pierce will finally get his due. Even from those of us who have paid him lip service for years now.


text: I followed the first 3 pages of The Perfect Server – Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Apache2, BIND, Dovecot, ISPConfig 3) which was basically just installation and configuration (easy enough)... I may have substituted some of the configuration of the network file and host file for the second part of the installation which was Multi Server setup. I basically finished off with that. My question is, as I was doing this I noticed there wasn't a mail client installed. Can I after finishing everything and getting it working, still install a mail client on the mail server for access. How do I do them (if you can point me to a guide, I really don't mind reading)?


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New 'Justified' Season 4 Spoilers
As we've been previewing for months, tonight will see the first all-new 'Justified' of 2013 with season 4 premiere "Hole in the Wall," kicking off a season shrouded in mystery and filled with all-new characters. But for as many new angles as each season of 'Justified' adds, what of the core opposition between Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) and Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins)? Find out what 'Justified' season 4 has in store for TV's most gun-slinging rivalry inside!
Will 'Justified' season 4 finally see either Boyd Crowder of Raylan Givens putting bullets into one another? That question may be a ways off according to 'Justified' show-runner Graham Yost, who reveals in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, that the series' two morally opposing leads won't even have cause to interact until the fifth episode of the new season, which kicks off with tonight's "Hole in the Wall."
Instead, Raylan will largely find himself chasing a new mystery tied to a decades-old case along with his own father Arlo (Raymond J. Barry), as well as undertaking a few less-than-savory side-jobs to earn money for his impending child. Says Yost of Raylan's season 4 path:
He's sort of afraid that Winona might not grant him visitation if he's living above a bar, so maybe he should grow up a little bit and get a real place. But of course, the only way he can think of to make extra money is to do things that are not allowed by the Marshals service, like tracking down an out-of-state bail jumper. One of the interesting things about Kentucky is there are no bounty hunters allowed. So, into that vacuum Raylan steps in the first episode to get a guy — and without giving it away, there will be a ripple effect from that later on in the season.
And while Raylan also deals with complications with his new lady Lindsey (Jenn Lyon), Boyd will have issues of his own coming up against a new snake-handling church that attracts worshipers away from his Oxy trade, a church fronted by the charming Preacher Billy (Joe Mazzello) and his sister Cassie (Lindsay Pulsipher). One of Boyd's own will soon find themselves under the thrall of said church, leading to a tense confrontation between Boyd and Harlan's new holy man.
Don't worry about 'Justified's supporting cast either, as Art (Nick Searcy), Rachel (Erica Tazel) and Tim (Jacob Pitts) will get several expanded stories of their own, given the occasional short-changing in earlier seasons. And who couldn't use more Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns)? "We love Jere. We love that character, so Wynn Duffy plays a big part in this season," says Yost. "There's a lot of conflict [with Boyd] but in the fifth episode, you see that they have to work together."
Well, what say you? Are you primed for 'Justified' season 4 to kick off tonight? Watch the latest trailer below, give us your thoughts in the comments, and tune in later for our recap of season premiere "Hole in the Wall!"


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Issues aplenty confronted the Collegiate Commissioners Association during its annual meetings this week in Asheville, N.C. An early signing period for football; NCAA reforms and governance; ongoing legal challenges to the very foundation of college sports.
But amid their serious discussions, rest assured the 31 other Division I conference commissioners found time to raise a few tumblers and light some contraband cigars in honor of Tom Yeager.
And not just because many of Yeager's colleagues have fleeced him on the golf course. And not just because Yeager is, as Horizon League commish Jon LeCrone said, "a prince of a guy."
No, the affection for Yeager extends...


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I recently purchased the upgrade from PocoMail 3.4 to PocoMail 4.1.
I received an E-Mail from BMT Micro with a license code for my upgrade, but when I enter that code in the evaluation version I was instructed to download, I get a rather terse pop up message that tells me that my license code is invalid, that my IP has been logged, and then my web browser opens on the Store Page of the PocoSystems Web site, where I have another opportunity to purchase the program.
I sent a message to support AT pocomail.com on Thursday and have, as yet, received no reply or acknowledgment. I sent another message to BMT Micro on Friday, who replied right away and informed me that they were forwarding my message to support AT pocomail.com.
So here I am on the Public Forum. Is there a fix for this License Code problem?
~ Masked life email addresses ... Eric ~


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President Barack Obama voiced opposition on Thursday to Israeli settlement building but pressed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to drop his demand for a freeze before Middle East peace talks can resume.
After an effusive welcome in Israel, Obama travelled to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where disillusioned Palestinians held out little hope that their moment in the spotlight of a U.S. presidential visit would help revive the peace process.
At a joint news conference with Abbas, Obama said he had "been clear" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington did not consider continued settlement activity to be constructive to "the cause of peace".
But Obama stopped short of calling for a halt to settlement expansion - a demand he had made early in his first term - and signalled his frustration over the failure of Israel and the Palestinians to find a way to resume talks stalled since 2010.
However, he offered no new ideas on how to get the two sides negotiating again at a time when prospects for a peace deal are grim in a region roiled by the West's nuclear standoff with Iran and the bloody civil war in Syria.
"What I shared with President Abbas, and I'll share it with the Palestinian people: if the expectation is we can only have direct negotiations when everything is settled ahead of time, then there's no point in the negotiations," he said.
"My argument is even though both sides may have areas of strong disagreement, may be engaging in activities that the other side thinks is a breach of good faith, we have to push through those things to try to get an agreement," Obama said.
Some 150 Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Ramallah to protest against Obama's visit. They were held back by mass ranks of police who prevented them from nearing Abbas's compound.
A smiling Obama, accompanied by Abbas, was met by mostly stern-faced Palestinian officials along a red carpet - a stark contrast to the broad grins and backslapping during an elaborate welcoming ceremony on Wednesday at Israel's Tel Aviv airport.
Obama, embarking on a second and final four-year term in the White House, has made clear he is not bringing any new peace initiatives but instead has come to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on a "listening" tour.
But he said his new secretary of state, John Kerry, would spend a significant amount of time and energy trying to narrow differences between the two sides as the United States seeks to move them back to the negotiating table.
Abbas reaffirmed his demand for a settlement freeze, but held out the prospect of a broader peace between Israel and other Arab nations if a Palestinian state was created.
"If peace came between us and the Israelis, Israel knows well that all the Arab and Islamic countries, 57 states, will recognise the state of Israel immediately," he said.
As a reminder of the ever-present risks in the region, Iranian state television quoted Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying Tehran would raze Tel Aviv and the city of Haifa if Israel carried out veiled threats to attack Iran.
And Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets into Sderot, a southern Israeli town that Obama visited when running for president in 2008. Police said no one was hurt.
There was no claim of responsibility, and Obama is not going to visit Gaza, which is controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, a rival to the Western-backed Abbas, who condemned the attack.
Obama held talks with Netanyahu on Wednesday and toured the Israel Museum in Jerusalem with him on Thursday, viewing the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls - artefacts that underscore the Jewish link to the Holy Land - and a high-tech exhibit.
The main focus of his initial discussions with Netanyahu appeared to be pressing regional concerns, primarily Iran's nuclear ambitions and the civil war in neighbouring Syria, and winning the hearts of a sceptical Israeli public.
After repeated run-ins with Netanyahu during Obama's first term in office, the mood between the two men appeared to be much warmer, angering Palestinians, who blame the 2010 collapse of U.S.-backed peace negotiations on the Israeli leader's expansion of settlements on land where they want their state.
Obama is also to address the decades-old conflict later on Thursday in a keynote speech to students in Jerusalem.
After the lofty ambitions of Obama's first term, when he appointed a special envoy to the Middle East on his very first day in charge and said peacemaking was a priority, it was clear that the president has now set the bar significantly lower.
"I will consider this a success if, when I go back on Friday, I am able to say to myself I have a better understanding of what the constraints are," he told a joint news conference on Wednesday, standing alongside Netanyahu.
The three-day visit is Obama's first to Israel and the West Bank since entering the White House in 2009, and the inaugural foreign trip of a final four-year term that began in January.
Sporadic protests had flared in the West Bank and Gaza Strip this week, with Palestinians accusing Obama of not doing enough to halt Israeli settlement-building on land seized in 1967.
Posters depicting the U.S. president were defaced in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem earlier this week and anti-U.S. sentiment bubbled up on social media.
This story "President Barack Obama Says Jewish Settlements Issue Must Not Block Peace" was written by Reuters.


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ULS Manual
Thousands of librarians from a wide variety of university libraries make up the University Libraries Section (ULS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). Since its establishment in 1937, ULS has been actively involved in shaping the future of our library and university environments. ULS advances university librarianship, university library service, and the development of university libraries in post-baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. In addition, ULS fosters communication and cooperation with higher education institutions, university administrators and faculty on issues of mutual concern.
The ULS Manual serves as a guide to functioning of the section, the duties of the officers, and an expansion on the basic Governance Procedures.


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Again we had tons of really fabulous links last week, so I had a really hard time trying to pic just a few to feature. If you havn't seen everything, try to go back and see as much as possible, they were all fantastic.
Town and Country Living shared her gorgeous farmhouse kitchen. I love it and the table centerpiece is amazing.
Custom Comforts created this fabulous display on her hutch. I love that beautiful turkey platter.
The Enchanted Oven make these unreal cookies. Can you believe the detail in the frosting.
Walnut & Vine shared this really fun Halloween mantel. Love the witch painting.
Divine Theatre created this unreal exquisite pumpkin. You really need to go see the whole post, the entire carriage is unreal as well as the Princess.
Now I can't wait to see everything you have for this week. Be sure to visit as many as you can, you will be totally amazed and inspired.


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The holidays are over, but to an awful lot of TV viewers Downton Abbey creator/writer Julian Fellowes is Santa Claus and this weekend's season premiere is their most anticipated Christmas present of the year.
Of course, Fellowes did leave fans with a rather unpleasant lump of coal at the end of last year's finale. We'd all been tipped that a major character was going to go to that great Afternoon Tea in the Sky, but virtually no one was prepared for the sudden death of handsome, dashing, pure-hearted Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), hurled from behind the wheel of his AC Ace at the happiest moment of his life: married to Lady Mary and the proud father of a newborn baby.
Matthew's end was no gimmick to tweak ratings. Stevens had unexpectedly told Fellowes he was leaving the show, and the creator had no choice but to come up with a last-ditch plot twist that landed Matthew, fittingly, in his last ditch (Note to Stevens: Good luck in your future endeavors, but did you really give up this gig to play Sir Lancelot in Night at the Museum 3?).
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The good news is Fellowes has promised not to kill anyone off for awhile, so after months of settling for other TV sudsers we can all settle back and enjoy without fear of further visitations from the Grim Reaper. As Season Four opens, it's six months after Matthew's end, and Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is still reeling from the loss of her husband. The family and staff all try to buck her up, but it's the head butler Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) and her grandmother, the Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) who approach her most directly. In some ways, it seems, Season Four is going to spend lots of time tracing Lady Mary's long emotional resurrection. And that crunching you hear on the gravel outside the mansion will likely be a parade of suitors stretching halfway to London.
With Mary sitting in the shadows, this could be a big year for her plain sister Edith, who begins to lead a double life: At home she's still something of a wallflower, but when she visits London to work on her newspaper column she emerges as a virtual fashion plate-and a mighty temptation for her would-be suitor, the married newspaper editor Michael Gregson (Charles Edwards).
The upstairs folks at Downton Abbey have all the money, but it's the serving staff that has truly captured viewers' hearts. As the season begins newlyweds Anna (Joanne Frogatt) and Bates (Brendan Coyle) are happily ensconced in their cottage. But there's a new crisis awaiting them, of course, so their protective fan base can start fretting for their future all over again.
Then there's the matter of the shaky finances of Downton Abbey (the fictional estate; not the series). Matthew's death has again thrown a spanner into the economic works, and patriarch Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) must have some uncomfortable encounters with Matthew's widow, his daughter, Lady Mary.
Downton Abbey is a pretty big house, so there's of course room for new characters, among them Charles Blake (Julian Ovenden), a government economist who may just be the next main man in Lady Mary's life; Lady Cora's new maid Phyllis (Raquel Cassidy), who's been maneuvered into the position by the scheming Thomas (Rob James-Collier); and Jack Ross, a black American Jazz musician who woos Lady Rose (Lily James).
>> Get entertainment and dining discounts with your AARP Member Advantages.
And then there's that ethereal Downton Abbey British-ness that makes it irresistible to so many Americans. All that "good man" and "well, I never!" stuff. Think about it: Would we be binge-watching these folks if Downton Abbey were set on a hillside in, say, New Jersey?
Top Photo: ©Nick Briggs/Carnival Film and Television Limited 2013 for Masterpiece Collection
Bottom Photo: Courtesy Carnival Film & Television for Masterpiece Collection/PBS
Also of Interest
- A Grownup's Guide to Late Night TV
- The Best Books for Grownups – 2013
- Get free assistance with tax-return preparation from Tax-Aide
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CAMPAIGNERS are drawing up the battle lines against an incinerator planned for Micheldever Station.
Micheldever Action Group wants to highlight the impact of a proposed waste incinerator at Micheldever Station, when a city council planning committee considers the proposal at Winchester Guildhall next Thursday.
In a statement it said today: "We wish to emphasise to councillors the full significance of these facts before they vote at the planning meeting next week. It is important that they are not bullied into making the wrong decision."
Clean Power Properties and Network Rail propose the construction of a new waste conversion plant on land above the oil terminal at Micheldever railway station.
Winchester City Council can express its views but the final decision will be taken by the county council.


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Local law enforcement confirmed that a Spencer County High School student brought a firearm to campus Tuesday and that the weapon changed hands sometime during the school day.
Although investigators say the gun was not loaded, bullets were reported to have been with the firearm. No one was hurt as a result and two male students have been charged and taken into custody.
The Spencer County Sheriff's Department is handling the investigation. Sheriff Donald "Buddy" Stump said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon that the father of an SCHS student contacted the sheriff's office around 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, reporting that his child had witnessed another student with a gun at the school.
Investigators were able to gather enough information by around 9 a.m. Wednesday morning and two male SCHS students, one 15 years old and another 16 years old, were apprehended and transported to the Lincoln Village Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Elizabethtown. Stump said the gun did change hands between the two students.
"They were with the gun at the school," Stump said of the bullets Wednesday. "They were with the gun but it was not loaded."
The 16-year-old student faces one charge of possession of a firearm on school grounds and one charge of theft by unlawful taking — firearm. The 15-year-old student faces one charge of possession of a firearm on school grounds and one count of receiving stolen property — firearm. They are felony charges.
Spencer County High School Principal Curt Haun said the parent also came into the school Tuesday morning and reported that his daughter saw the gun on campus Tuesday. Haun said the Taylorsville Police Department and sheriff's department were contacted. Taylorsville Police Chief Toby Lewis said his department did respond to the school and assisted in the initial investigation, however, since the sheriff's department was already involved, the matter was turned over to that agency.
Haun penned a letter to parents/guardians regarding the incident and it was sent home with students Wednesday. The text is available below.
The letter states, "At no time was the weapon loaded or a direct danger to students. The fast action of the TPD and the SCSO brought the incident to a quick and safe resolution. As with all school discipline and law enforcement investigations, details about those involved cannot be released at this time."
Assistant Principal Steven Rucker said it is believed the weapon was not intended to be used on school grounds.
"They asked during the course of the investigation and it was not for school-related purposes," Rucker said.
Haun and Rucker said both the police and sheriff's departments responded quickly and school officials were pleased with the response.
The following is the letter to parents/guardians that is being distributed to students today:
February 27, 2013
Bear Family,
Spencer County Public Schools is committed to establishing and maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for all of our students. Following established protocols and acting on information provided to school administration, a weapon was reported to be on the campus of Spencer County High School on Tuesday, February 26. School officials, in cooperation with the Taylorsville Police Department and Spencer County Sheriff's Office, recovered the weapon at an off campus site and have isolated those involved with the incident.
At no time was the weapon loaded or a direct danger to students. The fast action of the TPD and SCSO brought the incident to a quick and safe resolution. As with all school discipline and law enforcement investigations, details about those involved cannot be released at this time.
Spencer County High School and the Spencer County Public Schools wish to thank our local law enforcement agencies for their prompt and professional handling of this situation. The strong partnership that exists between SCHS and our local law enforcement community continues to provide a safe and secure learning environment for the students of Spencer County.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me at (502) 477- 3255 or via email at email@example.com.
Respectfully Yours,
Curt Haun,
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Abraham Carpenter Jr., a farmer in Grady, Ark., has more insight into human nature than the average sociologist. "Anytime you are going to throw money up in the air," he told the New York Times, "you are going to have people acting crazy."
Carpenter is quoted in an astonishing 5,000-word Times exposé on the federal government's wildly profligate program to compensate minority and women farmers for alleged discrimination. The government rigged the game against itself and in favor of anyone claiming taxpayers' dollars. It was like a gambling house that fixed its slot machines to always come up triple cherries (and pay out other people's money).
The enormous scam was set in motion by a 1997 class-action lawsuit called Pigford v. Glickman, with black farmers alleging that the Department of Agriculture discriminated against them in allocating loans. The Government Accountability Office and the Agriculture Department found no evidence of ongoing discrimination, but that black farmers had been treated unfairly in the past. This injustice became the predicate for officially sanctioned fraud amounting to reparations for non-white, non-male farmers.
The Clinton administration decided on a $1 billion settlement, "more a political decision than a litigation decision," one lawyer told the Times. The presiding judge expanded the definition of claimants to include anyone who had "attempted to farm," and no written complaint of discrimination was necessary. The judge wanted to set up a mechanism to provide "those class members with little or no documentary evidence with a virtually automatic cash payment of $50,000."
He succeeded brilliantly. Staff from lawyers' offices filled out forms for claimants at mass meetings. People filled out applications for their kids. Entire families filled out applications. Most applicants had never received any loans, making it impossible to check the record to verify their claims.
The Times examined 16 ZIP codes in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and North Carolina, and found that "the number of successful claimants exceeded the total number of farms operated by people of any race in 1997, the year the lawsuit was filed. Those applicants received nearly $100 million." In Little Rock, Ark., ten members of one extended family reaped a cool half a million dollars.
Tens of thousands of applicants missed the 1999 deadline of the original suit. Their claims were probably even weaker than the original ones. But as a senator, Barack Obama supported paying the late applicants, and as president, he successfully sought another $1.15 billion for the purpose.
Other groups felt left out of the bonanza. Lawyers at the Justice Department thought that they were winning a court battle with Hispanic and female farmers. That didn't matter. "Political appointees at the Justice and Agriculture Departments," the Times writes, "engineered a stunning turnabout: they committed $1.33 billion to compensate not just the 91 plaintiffs but thousands of Hispanic and female farmers who had never claimed bias in court."
The government settled for another $760 million with Native Americans, even though it appeared to have a strong case. Even with the lure of this cash, the government could only give away $300 million. Another $400 million will go to Native American nonprofits, if appropriate ones can be found. And $60 million to the plaintiffs' lawyers for the service of helping fleece the U.S. government.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told the Times that the blowout means at his department "we celebrate diversity instead of discriminate against it." Couldn't he find a cheaper way to do it? The settlements altogether could cost more than $4.4 billion.
The Pigford case is like something out of a Tom Wolfe novel. It would be hard to invent a more damning fable of modern government. It is a tale of special-interest pleading and of the politicians who give in to it (at first, Barack Obama wanted to pander to rural blacks, then he needed to do catch-up pandering to Hispanics). It is a story of greedy lawyers and hapless bureaucrats. It is equally ludicrous and dismaying. Take a good long look, and then recoil.
— Rich Lowry is the editor of National Review. He can be reached via e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. © 2013 King Features Syndicate


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Tech Sophomore Invited to Present Research at National Conference, Oct. 3, 2008
By Thomas Guengerich
SOCORRO, N.M., Oct. 3, 2008 – New Mexico Tech sophomore Joe Koby (right) was selected to present a research poster at an annual conference in Tennessee.
Koby is a sophomore materials engineering student who graduated from McCurdy High School in Espanola.
He will be presenting his research about the properties of various types of sandstone at the Science & Energy Research Challenge, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Deidre Hirschfeld, professor of materials engineering at Tech, said Koby's selection is an excellent sign that he's doing great work.
"His research is quite compelling," she said. "He's an exceptional student – very bright and personable."
The event was open to any college student who worked for the Department of Energy. Koby recently finished his second summer working at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
"He's one of many New Mexico Tech students who get the unique opportunity of working at Los Alamos," Hirschfeld said. "And he's typical of those students – outstanding."
Koby was pleased to be invited to the SERCh conference, but he didn't seem terribly surprised.
"My mentor, Jim Tencate of LANL, has been putting research posters together for a long time," he said. "I was happy with how this poster came out, and it was pretty validating to be invited."
Koby has high hopes for his research to be published. He said the work to which he has contributed is under review for publication in Geophysics Research Letters, one of the most prominent journals in the field.
Koby has been investigating the various properties of sandstone for two main purposes: to examine how oil might be extracted from oil-rich sandstone deposits.
"Basically, we squeeze it and see how much it squashes," he said. "I could explain it better than that, but it gets pretty technical. Rock behaves very interestingly when you take those measurements."
Koby studied a variety of sandstones with different compositions – some "clean" samples with high quartz content and other "dirty" samples with more clay and dirt.
"To make a long story short, they behave differently, as expected," he said.
Funded by Chevron, Koby and his fellow researchers aimed to find how oil bonds to sandstone and how it might be extracted.
Also of concern to the oil and gas industry is carbon dioxide and how to sequester the toxin. Because sandstone is quite porous, sandstone deposits represent a potential media for trapping and storing CO2, he said.
Koby found an interest in sandstone because it shares properties with plastic explosives, "which I'm way into," he said.
"They behave similarly, but I can study sandstone properties without all the paperwork and security clearances it requires to research explosives," he said. "I've been into explosives as long as I can remember. I was one of the few people in my kindergarten class who knew what nitroglycerine was."
For now, Koby has thrown himself into materials engineering and plans to become a member of the Tech chapter of International Society of Explosives Engineers.


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Arts & Culture
Electrical BananaBy Nicole Rudick
I have always been a poor visualizer. Words, even the pregnant words of poets, do not evoke pictures in my mind. No hypnagogic visions greet me on the verge of sleep. When I recall something, the memory does not present itself to me as a vividly seen event or object. By an effort of the will, I can evoke a not very vivid image of what happened yesterday afternoon, of how the Lungarno used to look before the bridges were destroyed, of the Bayswater Road when the only buses were green and tiny and drawn by aged horses at three and a half miles an hour. But such images have little substance and absolutely no autonomous life of their own. They stand to real, perceived objects in the same relation as Homer's ghosts stood to the men of flesh and blood, who came to visit them in the shades … This was the world—a poor thing but my own—which I expected to see transformed into something completely unlike itself.
So wrote Aldous Huxley just before an afternoon mescaline trip, his first, in 1954. The psychedelic sixties would take Huxley's message to heart, opening new doors of perception while under the influence. But for graphic designer Heinz Edelmann, Huxley's journalistic exploration was mescaline enough. After reading the British novelist's account, Edelmann thought, "Well, I don't need mescaline. I can do that stone cold sober." If you don't know who Edelmann is, have a look at Yellow Submarine: he created the look of the film and designed all the characters.


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Paul Aiken
Photo Courtesy of Chris Heinritz
Paul Aiken
As legend goes, Llloyd Kavich spelled his name with three L's "just for the L of it."
That motto is reflected in many of Kavich's outlandish and lively paintings covering the walls of The Sink on University Hill. Friends and frequent Sink customers remembered Kavich and his penchant for comical paintings Monday after learning that he died last week in Santa Barbara.
Though friends didn't know his exact age, they guessed that Kavich was in his 80s. He first became part of The Sink's 90-year history in 1952 when he and Mike Dormier painted the restaurant's walls with brightly colored, cartoonish scenes and figures.
Their artwork was covered up when The Sink became Herbie's Deli in the 1980s. In 1989, when the deli became The Sink again, Kavich restored his murals to their original boldness. He came back again in 1995 when current owners, brothers Chris and Mark Heinritz, remodeled the restaurant.
Mark Heinritz said Kavich was originally from Omaha and lived for many years in Denver. A friend called The Sink over the weekend to let Mark and Chris Heinritz know that Kavich had died Oct. 17 in Santa Barbara, where he'd been living most recently.
Kavich wore a long beard and never went anywhere without his dog, Streamline. The dog could stand on Kavich's head, dance and say "I love you," Chris Heinritz remembered.
Kavich was outspoken, friends said — if not through his raunchy or politically charged jokes, then through his art.
"He was an irreverent kind of guy," said Mark Heinritz. "He wasn't one to be contained by social norms or conventional thinking. … He picked on everybody equally. If it was funny, it was funny."
Kavich's artwork makes clear that he wasn't afraid to depict anything — paintings about politics, sex, current events and anxiety adorn the walls at The Sink.
"It's sophisticated but a little bit juvenile," said Mark Heinritz. "You've got jokes about nudity and jokes about nematodes. I don't think you can come into The Sink and be here for an extended period of time looking at the artwork and not have it make you think a little bit about something."
Chris Heinritz remembers fondly the night Kavich painted the "Sinkstine Chapel" on the restaurant's ceiling.
In 1995, when the two brothers called Kavich in to paint after remodeling the restaurant, they asked him why he hadn't yet painted them on the restaurant's walls.
"He said, 'Oh, yeah, don't worry about it," Chris Heinritz said. "'I've got a place for you. I'm going to put you up next to God.'"
Kavich added that he needed scaffolding –'like Michelangelo,' so the Heinritz brothers set it up in the front room. The next morning, they looked up and saw themselves painted on the ceiling, right next to God and Adam, in Kavich's reproduction of Michelangelo's famous painting on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
The paintings remind Pat Redman to laugh once a month or so when he eats at The Sink. Redman, who works as a manager down the street from The Sink at Meininger Art Materials, remembers his uncle going to The Sink back in the 1960s. The paintings are part of Boulder's living history, he said.
"It's like walking into an animated comic book," said Redman, 55. "A lot of really bad puns and jokes, which I can't help but enjoy. It really does add to the ambience."
Kavich's murals at The Sink are part of what has drawn University of Colorado students, faculty members and alumni there over the last 50 years. CU Visual Arts Department chairman Kirk Ambrose eats at The Sink twice a month and said the artwork is "pivotal" to creating a sense of community at the university.
"Those murals and drawings give a sense of identity and community to the student community but also the faculty and staff and alumni, which is invaluable," Ambrose said. "There's a way in which the humor of those works are a real contribution to that sense of nostalgia and community as well."
Contact Staff Writer Sarah Kuta at 303-473-1106, firstname.lastname@example.com or twitter.com/sarahkuta.


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The Home of Fashion Film and Live Fashion Broadcasting
And so it arrived - the Jil Sander ticket! #mfw
Backstage @JilSanderOff yesterday http://t.co/X92YvJCE
Report by Lou Stoppard on 22 September 2012.
It's telling that Sander's closing look was a simple white shirt, worn with an equally understated white cocoon skirt. What a final exit to close the most hyped show of the season. But really, there couldn't have been a better choice to epitomise her quiet, yet brilliant, return.
Jil is so back! Long live the queen of minimalism http://t.co/vdW3kQG3
White with iridescent spots and navy looks are my fave #jilsander http://t.co/R5q8jFdP
#jilsander wow! We repeat wow!! #mfw http://t.co/pqUU8hMW
And plastic dots http://t.co/aQUKRii9
New/old JIl: Navy, burgundy, cream, black, long a-line skirts, long tunics and single breast coats. Spacey boots http://t.co/VDFvJ6kT
First look from old new Jil http://t.co/eXiHPAqA
Jil sander returns to #Jilsander this saturday at #MFW. Which promises to be the most long awaited return in fashion .


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Executive Order 12898 requires each Federal agency (and recipients), to the greatest extent practicable by law, to achieve environmental justice as part of its mission by identifying and addressing disproportionately high and adverse effects, of its program, policies and activities on minority populations and low-income populations in the United States.
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I am new to Dog Training and New to field hunting with a dog. My 7 month old Golden is doing fabulous in training. Now, I am in constant pursuit to training Ideas and could use some help.
Pursuit of the day!
Quartering! How do I begin the training to get my dog to quarter? I need him out in front of me, and thus far unable to teach him this. Looking for anyone who has input or a good source that I can read for myself.
PB, I agree Tony only quarters about .50% of the time. He really likes to work in a good wide circle. He will go put to the side smelling the wind. Then he goes out away from me the cuts back across in front me then only part way back to me. He then works another circle. When catches a scent that is when he will slowly quarter to pin down where it is coming from exactly. One thing I would add I can take Tony out of his circle with hand signels or by changing direction. He will quarter for a bit when I change direction.....Bob
That is great advice and I thank you all for replying. I will ponder a few ideas and come up with a plan.. One thing I have learned is to STICK to a plan or it's gone! I just hope my plan is the right one! ( crossing fingers)
I will be interested to see how he does on the first year hunt. That will tell all..
Again, thanks for the input.
One thing to remember is a young dog needs to find a lot of birds. I have about 20 homing pigeons that I use to train young dogs with. I will go out and plant 20 pigeons in a very small field this way the dog will find them one right after another, as the dog gets the idea of what to do I will use less and less pigeons in the same field. After the dog is quartering in this field fairly well I move to a bigger field with more cover and repeat what i did in the small field. if you use homing pigeons you can use them over and over again. Because after you flush them they fly right back home. I have been using the same pigeons for the last 5 years.
I use the same method that Hillbilly does. After the dog is working good with me, I'll have a couple shooters on either side of me walking straight while I zig-zag between them. I'll let the dog work just beyond each shooter before turning it. We'll work our way toward a pair of birds, one on each side of the shooters. I gradually decrease the amount commands and distance of zig-zagging as the dog begins anticipating the turn at the proper range. If the dog turns at the right time by it's self, don't whistle or stimulate with the collar. It doesn't take long for the dog to learn to work the line with minimal commands.
I agree with coolcreek about birds. Nothing makes a good bird dog better than birds, birds and more birds. Whether it's pigeons or game birds, get as many as you can afford in front of your dog.
What are you waiting for? Registration only takes a few minutes and it is completely free. As a registered user you can set up your profile, make friends with other upland hunters, post on our hunting forums and more. Click here to register with Gamebirdhunts.com
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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
University of Utah police are proposing new rules to curb dangerous skateboarding with a policy change that could disallow all recreational riding on campus, including bikes.
"There are plenty of places to skateboard. Streets, sidewalks and parking structures on campus are not the place to do it," said U. police Chief Scott Folsom. Increasingly, young boarders are coming up to campus to speed down the hill to the city, creating potential hazards and at least one collision where a professor was injured, he said.
"A lot of the kids are not trying to hurt somebody, but they can't stop, they're out of control," Folsom said
The U. Board of Trustees is expected to consider the new policy at its May 28 meeting. If approved, the rules could go into effect immediately, though officials say they are envisioning a longer roll-out.
"We've really tried to strike a balance," said Robert Payne, U. associate general counsel. "There were some voices that said 'No more.' We hope it works to tone things down."
The U.'s Academic Senate narrowly approved the new policy this week, following a tie-breaking vote from the president. The faculty body stipulated that police come back in the fall to reconsider whether the language is too harsh.
According to the policy, "any recreational, athletic, or other use of a non-motorized riding device on university premises unrelated to participation in university-related activities is strictly prohibited," except on Bonneville Shoreline Trail paths. Commuting between classes, lectures or other U. activities would be allowed.
Police could confiscate boards if riders don't provide proper ID, and levy fines for further offenses. Riders are now prohibited from going faster than 10 mph or out of control, but police have to witness the offense, making the rules hard to enforce, Folsom said.
Keith Bartholomew, an associate dean in the College of Architecture and Planning, said he's experienced skateboarders being aggressive when he's teaching class outside.
"They are trying to get us to leave their location because we're sitting on benches they grind on," he said. "I'm all in favor of this."
But other professors urged the police not to go too far.
"Do we really want to be driving kids out of a safe place to skateboard on the street? That's a lot worse," said biology professor Gary Rose.
Fellow biology professor Jack Longino said the skaters are part of a vibrant urban campus.
"It makes it seem like a happening place," he said. "I just grin when they go by."
Salt Lake City residents John Coconis and Andy Gionnette rode bikes up to the U. on a recent afternoon looking to eat at an on-campus restaurant.
"I used to ride down the hill a lot," said Coconis, a former student, pointing out a clamp-down could cut off the campus from other city initiatives promoting human-powered transportation, such as bike lanes. "I don't know how they're really going to enforce it."
"It baffles me as to why they have to pass a new law," Gionnette said.
Meanwhile, chemistry graduate student Jeff Cross wondered how students on bikes or skateboards could prove they were legally commuting between classes.
"I would not want to see a ban," he said. "I think they need to do a better job enforcing what they've got."
Twitter: @lwhitehurst


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Thursday Musette
This was taken on my front porch yesterday afternoon.
First, a word about bicycle commuting! I've seen the same commuter several times in the morning, and it's painfully obvious that he's terrified of riding in traffic. Yet, like many fearful cyclists, he does things that may appear to be safer than riding in the travel lane, but in reality just make life more difficult for himself and the rest of us on the road.
I first saw him riding south along Mingo Road. He was in the right hand lane. I would be turning right at the south gate to the maintenance base. I slowed and tucked in behind him at a safe distance. To my surprise, he turned right at the gate, then turned left across the entrance just about where a pedestrian crosswalk would be. At the other side of the exit road, he turned twice again, looked over his shoulder for southbound traffic, and went back into the travel lane!
I muttered - okay - I yelled inside the car with the windows up - "Thou lumpish half-faced horn-beast!" or something similarly Olde English and Anglo-Saxonish. (My thanks to Chris Seildel and the Shakespearean Insult Generator for technical assistance.)
I saw him again this week, trying to cross the entrance at the main gate right before 6AM when the whole world is trying to get through that gate. Traffic arrives from north, south, and east - almost all of it turning west. My hapless commuter cyclist jumped the curb and punched the pedestrian crossing button. He wanted to go south across the gate entrance and continue south on Mingo but heavy traffic prevented him crossing like a pedestrian. Had he taken a place in the travel lane and waited his turn like any other traffic, he would have been under way in a minute or two.
I really want to catch up with this guy and give him my business card. He needs a mentor.
Have I mentioned that it's stinkin' hot? Oh, I have. There's an endless week of 100+ temperatures ahead. My grass is a nice brown color that crackles like potato chips when I walk on it. I'm worried about the trees, though. There's a redbud around the side. An oak tree stands over the south side of the driveway while a pine guards the north. The pine is shedding needles like crazy.
I had an idea to get water to the roots. I punched a couple of small holes in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket and placed it next to each tree, filling the bucket repeatedly through the evening. The oak had about 25 gallons tonight and the pine has had 10 so far. The water trickles out the bottom of the bucket, soaking into the ground with minimal evaporation. I hope it's effective.
I was doing a mod on a computer at work. This one is extensive. It called for the replacement of 6 SRAM chips - static random access memory - and they're kind of a PITA to do. One is nearly touching the lock bar that holds the card in place and it's neighbor is tight up against it, so there's mechanical disassembly to do. Then the card goes onto a hot air desoldering stage. It's cleaner and less stressful than cutting the ICs. After cleaning, the new ICs get soldered in place. They have J-leads that turn under the IC body, and combined with the tight quarters make soldering a pain too.
I thought I had it right when I finished and hooked it up to the test station. As it turned out, I'd managed to solder most of the chips in correctly, only missing a couple of joints.
It's entirely possible for a computer to develop Tourette's syndrome.
I learn something new every day.
Labels: bicycle commuting, computers, humor


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Indoctrination, Not
Education: Rampant Radicalism in the UCLA Graduate
School of Education
On May 16, 2001, the
Diversitistas forced the symbolic repeal of SP-1, and quickly followed
that with their defining triumph, the November 15, 2001 passage of a
new "comprehensive review" admissions system. The process, still
ill-defined at the time of its passage, broke so many precedents that
its full effect would not be understood for many months. ... (more)