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Surround Sound Preamplifiers(Print this page)
The MC-12 HD is the industry standard for multi-channel processors for film and music reproduction. The culmination of years of research and design, it combines the best elements of performance, flexibility, and elegance. Sophisticated and powerful, it is exceptionally well equipped to control the most elaborate home theaters. Three zones, twelve configurable inputs, HDMI switching, and automatic room calibration enable the MC-12 HD to easily meet the demands of discerning audio and video enthusiasts.
With the myriad features available in the MC-12 HD, the intuitive user interface provides complete adjustability without being confusing. Access to the listening modes, input & output settings, and speaker adjustments are only a few button-pushes away.
The MC-12 HD provides seamless control of multi-room systems with three completely separate zones. Because each zone is independent, it is possible to watch a DVD in the home theater while listening to a CD in the kitchen and recording a program from a satellite receiver to a digital video recorder.
A glance at the MC-12 HD rear panel reveals an impressive array of inputs and outputs. There are multiple analog inputs, including a 5.1-channel connector for DVD-A or SACD sources. High resolution 24-bit/96kHz analog-to-digital converters can be used to bring these signals into the digital domain for processing or, for audio purists, a true analog bypass can be engaged which keeps the signals in the analog domain from input to output.
Digital audio input is available on one AES/EBU, six S/PDIF coaxial, and six S/PDIF optical connectors. In addition, there are six HDMI input connectors, which are also capable of accepting 7.1-channel, 24-bit/96kHz signals on a single connection. These signals are processed at their native sampling rates through a two-stage phase lock loop, achieving remarkably low intrinsic jitter and high jitter rejection. Lexicon's proprietary Auto Azimuth processing corrects timing and level imbalances in stereo signals, resulting in exceptional channel separation in matrix-encoded sources.
The MC-12 HD has an extensive array of audio outputs including 7 main channels, stereo subwoofers, and a dedicated LFE channel. The MC-12 HD Balanced adds XLR connectors for the Main and Zone 2 audio outputs; useful for installations where long cable runs are required or where there is a high risk of interference.
Each output uses two 24-bit/192kHz digital-to-analog converters operating in dual-mono mode. This design provides an improved signal-to-noise ratio and extended dynamic range, resulting in superior sound quality. High-precision digital crossovers and tone controls avoid the signal distortion their analog counterparts often introduce.
For maximum flexibility, each of the main audio outputs has independent crossover, speaker distance, and output level controls. The crossovers can be adjusted in 10Hz increments from 30 to 120Hz. The MC-12 HD is also THX Ultra2-certified and integrates the processing and enhancements of the THX Ultra2 standard.
Automatic calibration of speaker distances and output levels is available using the rear panel microphone inputs and the optional Lexicon microphone kit. The accurate adjustment of these settings ensures signal arrival times and levels are optimal at the listening position.
An optional automatic digital room EQ system provides the ability to smooth low-frequency response and remove acoustic resonances that interfere with not only bass information, but affect frequency response across the entire audible spectrum.
To handle the increasing number of video sources that output high-definition video using HDMI connectors, the MC-12 HD features six HDMI inputs and one output. Complementing its HDMI switcher, the MC-12 HD includes a broadcast-quality analog video switcher with up-conversion to component video. The ultra-wide bandwidth component video switcher accepts analog component video signals, including all HDTV signals, while a composite and S-video switcher accepts high-quality NTSC, PAL, and SECAM video signals. The MC-12 HD has two composite video inputs, three S-video inputs, and four component video inputs.
Enhanced versions of Lexicon's popular Nightclub, Concert Hall, Church, Cathedral, and Panorama listening modes are available, along with an impressive collection of advanced decoders including Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS 96/24, DTS Neo:6, DTS-ES (discrete and matrix), THX Ultra2, THX Surround EX, and the latest version of Lexicon's own critically acclaimed Logic 7. Plus, when paired with a Blu-ray disc player, it is compatible with all surround formats, including DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD.The MC-12 HD is now available with software version 2.0 which fully supports 8 channels of 24 bit, 96kHz high resolution digital audio over HDMI.
The MC-12HD can pass digital video signals of up to 1080p, and multiple digital audio channels (5.1 channels) at sample rates of up to 96kHz through the HDMI interface.
|5.1 Channel Digital Controller
|Digital/Analog Conversion
|Analog-to-Digital: 24-bit, 96kHz, dual-bit architecture; Digital-to-Analog: 24-bit, 44.1 to 192kHz, multi-bit architecture, operating in dual-mono mode
|Analog Audio Inputs
|Eight stereo pairs (RCA) or five stereo pairs and one 5.1-channel analog input
|Digital Audio Inputs
|Six S/PDIF coaxial (RCA), six S/PDIF optical (including one optical mini jack), one AES/EBU (XLR); coaxial and optical inputs conform to IEC-958, S/PDIF standards
|Video Inputs
|Two composite (RCA), three S-video, and four component video (three RCA, one BNC)
|Main Audio Outputs
|Twelve unbalanced (RCA) and twelve balanced (XLR, MC-12HD Balanced only) connectors for Front L/R, Center, LFE, Subwoofer L/R, Side L/R, Rear L/R, Auxiliary L/R
|Main Video Outputs
|Four composite (RCA, two monitor and two record), four S-video (two monitor and two record), and one component (BNC)
|Frequency Response
|10Hz to 20kHz, +0.1dB/-0.25dB, -0.75dB at 40kHz, reference 1kHz
|Signal-to-Noise Ratio
|108dB minimum, 111dB typical, 22kHz bandwidth
|Dynamic Range
|108dB minimum, 111dB typical, 22kHz bandwidth
|Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)
|Below 0.003% at 1kHz, maximum output level
|Input Sensitivity
|200mVrms (2Vrms for maximum output level) at 0dB input gain
|Maximum Output Level
|150mVrms typical, 6Vrms maximum (RCA connectors) 300mVrms typical, 12Vrms maximum (XLR connectors, MC-12HD Balanced only) Maximum value with full-scale input signal and volume at +12dB
|Input Impedance
|100kOhms in parallel with 150pF
|Output Impedance
|100Ohms in parallel with 150pF (RCA outputs); 50Ohms in parallel with 150pF (XLR outputs, MC-12 Balanced only)
|Power Requirements
|90-250 VAC, 50-60Hz, 90W (universal line input), detachable power cord
|6.73" (171mm) (~four rack units without feet) [balanced version]
|17.3" (440mm) [balanced version]
|14.85" (377mm) [balanced version]
|45lbs (20.5kg) [balanced version]
|Included Accessories
|Optional brackets are available for installation in a standard 19" equipment rack (2 rack units required for MC12HD; 3 rack units required for MC-12HD Balanced.)
2009 Review by Andrew Robinson, HomeTheaterReview.com
2009 Premium Award – AV Controller, Home Theater Tech (China)
2008 "Gear We Love the Most", AVRev.com
2007, Outstanding AV Controller Super AV Award, Sound Concepts (China)
2006 Product of the Year, A/V Components, ElectronicHouse.com
MC-12HD Brochure
Lexicon V1.60 Configuration Utility
MC-12HD V2.00 Software Upgrade
MC-12HD EQ V2.00 Software Upgrade
MC-12HD V2.00 Release Notes
MC-12HD Serial Protocol Definitions
Comparing MC-12HD and RV-5/MV-5 EQ Calibrations
MC-12HD User Guide
MC-12HD EQ User Guide Addendum
MC-12HD with Crestron DM Technical Bulletin
Lexicon Logic7 White Paper
MC12HD V1.25 Software Upgrade
MC12HDEQ V1.25 Software Upgrade


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October 3-5, 2011Princeton Theological Seminary's School of Christian Vocation and Mission
What does it take to be an effective leader in today's church? How can you inspire other leaders in your congregation to rise to the occasion?
This course will assist pastors in inspiring, leading and training other great leaders. To be a "Pastor as Steward" is to move away from a manager model that asks "how?" into a leadership model that asks "what?" This course will teach pastors how to develop a theological "habit of mind" about leadership and engage several proven practices for leading congregations. In addition to exploring ways to adopt a leadership style that empowers lay leaders, each participant will present a one-page summary of a leadership issue confronting his or her congregation. Together, the workshop leader and participants will unravel these case studies, suggest ways for moving forward and create a network for future collaboration.
The leader of this workshop is John W. Stewart, the Ashenfelter Associate Professor of Ministry and Evangelism Emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary. For half of his career he served as a Presbyterian pastor (solo, assistant and senior pastor). The other half was spent as an academician (Hope College, Yale Divinity School and Princeton Theological Seminary). He is the author of two books and several articles on the early Princeton Theologians and has written several articles on current congregational studies and leadership practices. His upcoming book is entitled, Envisioning the Congregation, Practicing the Gospel. None of the above, however, are serious deterrents to his love for fly-fishing in the blue ribbon trout streams of Michigan.
A tentative agenda, including the titles of each session, is available for download as a .pdf here.
The program costs $200, which includes tuition, refreshments, and meals. Affordable on-campus lodging (as low as $55 per night) is available to those who need it. Please read the registration and cancellation policy here. Online registration is now closed. To register, or to ask further questions, please call the Erdman Center Front Desk at 609-497-7990.
Lenten Bible Study Series March 11, 18, 25, and April 1, 8, 2014
Discerning Missional Leadership: A Potential for New Planters Assessment March 12-15, 2014
Sabbath Rest: A Time for Reflection and Renewal April 22-25, 2014
The Princeton Forum on Youth Ministry April 29-May 2, 2014
Transition into Ministry (May Intensive) May 13-16, 2014
© 2014 Continuing Education at Princeton Theological Seminary, 20 Library Place, Princeton, NJ 08542 , (p) 609.497.7990 (f) 609.497.0709 (e) firstname.lastname@example.com
email@example.com | A to Z Index


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Superfund Product Order Form
The Superfund Program is in the process of deploying a new information system, the Superfund Enterprise Management System (SEMS) which is replacing CERCLIS. CERCLIS was frozen as of November 12, 2013. Updated data will become available in early 2014 when SEMS is fully operational.
Related Topics
Please complete the order form by checking the box(es) to indicate which product(s) you would like to receive or order a customized report for a specific site or search across the CERCLIS or RODS databases. Include as much information as possible in order to receive your product(s) in a timely manner. Click "Submit" when you have completed the form.
The following products are available on CD. Please click on the appropriate product name for a description of each product.


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(CNN) - Latinos seem to be shying away from signing up for Obamacare, and advocates believe it's for a few reasons.
They say many Latinos fear deportation and the inability to browse plan options in Spanish.
Many Latinos are also apparently skeptical if it's worth the money.
According to the Commonwealth Fund survey, only 19 percent have looked at health insurance exchanges.
Still, it is unknown how many are actually signing up because almost all state exchanges don't ask for race and ethnicity.
Copyright 2014 CNN. All rights reserved.


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U.S. Navy Ship Searches for Missing Indonesian Jetliner, Land Hunt Continues
Thousands of soldiers, police and volunteers continue their search on land, heading to two points recommended by U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
A U.S. Navy oceanographic survey ship was trying to determine Wednesday if large pieces of metal found off Sulawesi Island's western coast were wreckage from a Boeing 737 that disappeared more than a week ago carrying 102 people.
Meanwhile, thousands of soldiers, police and volunteers continued their search on land and headed to two points recommended by U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
An Indonesian vessel recently found three pieces of debris on the Makassar Strait seabed after local fisherman told authorities they had spotted a low-flying, unstable aircraft in the area but lost sight of it after hearing a loud bang, naval officials said.
The USNS Mary Sears, which has sonar and satellite imagery capabilities, was called in to see if the metal could be the remnants of Adam Air Flight KI-574, which fell off radars in the area during 80 mph winds, said Eddy Suyanto, the search and rescue mission chief.
The debris was roughly 2 1/2 miles from the West Sulawesi provincial capital of Mamuju at a depth of about 4,500 feet, he said.
Rear Admiral Moekhlas Sidik, commander of the Eastern Indonesia Fleet, said the Mary Sears had confirmed one of the objects was "round-shaped metal," but that more readings were needed to identify it.
The pilot of the Adam Air plane, which left Java island for the North Sulawesi provincial capital of Manado on Jan. 1, twice changed course because of rough weather but did not issue a mayday or report technical difficulties, officials said.
With no emergency location signal to guide more than 3,600 soldiers, police and volunteers searching in the island's dense jungles and surrounding seas, teams have fanned out over a nearly 30,000-square-mile area, almost the size of South Carolina.
A U.S. National Transportation Safety Board team arrived late last week and authorities in the United States were viewing satellite imagery of the island, the embassy said.
On Wednesday, searchers combed two areas recommended by U.S. investigators after they analyzed radar data from the day of the disappearance, Suyanto said.
After mistakenly claiming last week that the wreckage had been found with 12 survivors, officials were cautious Tuesday in discussing the discovery of the underwater debris. It could be a sunken ship or something else, Suyanto told reporters.
Three Americans - a man from Oregon and his two daughters - were among the plane's 96 passengers. It was not clear if any other foreigners were on board.
Adam Air is one of about 30 budget carriers that sprang up in Indonesia after the industry was deregulated in 1998. The rapid expansion has led to cheap flights throughout Indonesia, but has raised concerns about maintenance.
News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Aircraft Maintenance Technology" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.
We Recommend
U.S. Navy Ship Needs Another Look in Search for Adam Air
The USNS Mary Sears had confirmed one of the objects at a depth of about 4,500 feet was "round-shaped metal," but that more readings were needed to identify it.
U.S. Navy Survey Ship to Seek Lost Indonesian Plane
The USNS Mary Sears, which has sonar and satellite imagery capabilities, has been called in to see if the metal is part of Adam Air Flight KI-574.
Adam Air Debris Washes Ashore
A Navy ship had detected large pieces of metal on the seabed off Sulawesi, 130 miles north of where the parts of tail, cockpit and debris from the cabin emerged.
Press Release
Wreckage of crashed jetliner found in Indonesia, no bodies or survivors found
Part of a jetliner's tail, food trays and shards of fuselage are pulled from the ocean in northeastern Indonesia.


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Architype works with our clients, through a
uniquely engaging and collaborative process,
to create buildings that:
|are crafted to achieve an elegant simplicity, making them affordable and practical, robust and durable, easy to build and maintain
radically reduce energy consumption and
running costs, minimise carbon emissions
and environmental impact, and are healthy
for occupants
|are uplifting and enriching, celebrate their connection with the external landscape, use natural materials, and are light and airy, calm, refined and humane
|are timeless and long lasting, and being free of applied style are enriched by inhabitation and personalisation, enabling adaption and change over time
By setting passivhaus, the most rigorous energy standard in Europe, as our minimum energy target dramatic reductions in energy consumption of up to 90% can be realised.
Using less energy achieves direct carbon reductions and cost savings, which is more effective than offsetting carbon emissions with expensive micro-renewables.
By providing an industry leading 'soft landings' service, underpinned by rigorous post occupancy evaluation, we support clients in the first two years of occupation to optimise building performance.


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GJ man, 19, dies from snowmobile injuries
Grand Junction man Tim Riley died Wednesday night at St. Mary's Hospital from injuries he sustained two weeks ago while working at the Snowmass Ski Area. Riley, 19, was riding a…
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This article and other exclusive local content now require a subscription. (Learn More)


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Request info
We are still accepting applications for summer - term starts on May 19th
Upcoming prospective student information sessions
»April 24th info session has been CANCELLED and will be rescheduled.
Campus tour • Campus map
Physical location
438 Old Main
Mailing address
Graduate Studies
5000 Abbey Way
Lacey, WA 98503
Office hours
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. M, W, F
9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Tu, Th
MED home •
Admission requirements •
How to apply •
Tuition and fees •
Financial aid and scholarships •
Degree requirements •
Program schedule •
Faculty and staff •
For a detailed explanation of all policies, procedures and requirements,
students should consult the
School of Education Graduate Handbook, ESA students should also consult
ESA-MED handbook, administrator students should also consult the
School administrator program and internship handbook.
A total of 32 to 41 credit hours are required for the degree, depending
on the strand and exit option chosen.
The MED program has four components that students must complete in order
to earn their degree: core requirements, advancement to candidacy,
specialization strands and electives, exit options.
A student working toward a Master of Education degree must apply
for and be accepted as a degree candidate.
To be a degree candidate, the student must meet the minimum
requirements below and the student's advisor must recommend him or
her for advancement to candidacy. Students must also submit a signed
Application for Admission to Candidacy Form to the School of
Detailed course listings for
strands and electives
The MED program offers a thesis or non-thesis option for the
completion of the degree. A practicum and comprehensive examination
is required for the guidance and counseling strand/ESA Certificate
(thesis and non-thesis options). Detailed information about the exit
options can be found in the
School of Education Graduate Handbook.
New students
About us
Master of BusinessAdministration
Master in Teaching
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© 2011 Saint Martin's University Contact:


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Also available in full size! Click the image below for a link to the product page:
The simple style of the Soho Platform Bed - Queen Size allows it to fit into nearly any decor. This bed frame is made from tropical hardwood solids and maple veneer laminates, giving it excellent strength and eye-catching style. The wood of this full bed is finished in a gorgeous dark cappuccino color. This bed frame also features a center support bar and center support legs.


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Anne Hathaway
will.i.am Wants to Make Music with Anne Hathaway
"From 'Rio 1,' I was like, 'She sings like that?!' It would be so amazing to do music outside of an animated film. That would be freaking dope."
Leigh Ann's Best And Worst Dressed
Who do you think was the best dressed at the Oscars? Personally, I think Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawerance stole the night. Both looking amazing. It really should be against that law to be that […]
Style Files: Who Wore What To The Oscars
For the 85th Academy Awards, the red carpet was a mix of strapless gowns, sparkly haute couture and pale colored dresses for fashion's biggest night. Jennifer Lawrence was one of the night's most talked about […]
Michael Stipe, Anne Hathaway Aid In Sandy Relief Auction
Michael Stipe is one of many musicians, celebrities and designers participating in an auction for Sandy Relief. The former R.E.M. frontman is donating bronze cassette sculptures, made of solid bronze with a silver nitrate […]
'Les Mis' Brings One Family To Tears [VIDEO]
For those who wept like babies after watching Les Miserables, just know, you're not alone. A recent video on YouTube shows one family from Long Island, New York that had a lot of trouble keeping […]
Jimmy Fallon And Anne Hathaway Perform Mad Lib Christmas Carols
Jimmy Fallon and Anne Hathaway perform Mad Lib Christmas Carols with hilarious results. Check out the video!
Anne Hathaway Is Married
Sorry guys, Anne Hathaway is officially off the market. People is reporting that the 29-year-old actress tied the knot with Adam Shulman, a 31-year-old actor/designer, over the weekend in Big Sur on the California coast. […]
Anne Hathaway Interested In The Possibility Of Catwoman Spin-Off Film
As long as "The Dark Knight Rises" director Chrisptopher Nolan likes the idea.
Negative Review Of "The Dark Knight Rises" Provokes Death Threats
Looks like fans are taking this movie seriously. The first critic to give "The Dark Knight Rises" a negative review has started receiving death threats.


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Putting REDD+ into practice can involve a broad range of actions that change the management of forest and other lands. Depending on what is done and how, these actions can have different effects on the forest environment and the lives of local people. This report identifies some of the advantages and drawbacks of different options. It aims to assist REDD+ decision-makers and stakeholders in Indonesia, including district-level governments and local communities, to assess the possible outcomes of their choices and to plan for actions that provide multiple social and environmental benefits.Resource Type: Reports
The report, the fifth in UNEP's 'rapid response assessment' series, looks beyond forests and the REDD debates to the potential of natural and agricultural ecosystems to capture and store carbon. It examines the potential for gaining multiple benefits for livelihoods and ecosystem services through managing ecosystem carbon and considers the implications for policy.Resource Type: Reports
This document provides a basis for estimating the probable impacts of different forest cover creation approaches on the ecosystem-derived benefits of biodiversity, water provision, soil conservation and non-timber forest products.Resource Type: Reports
Co‐benefits, often called multiple benefits, are the positive impacts of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) that are additional to emissions reductions. These include ecosystem and social benefits such as biodiversity and non‐timber forest products. Potential co‐benefits from REDD are widely relevant in Tanzania, where forests and woodlands support the livelihoods of 87% of the rural poor (Milledge et al. 2007). Conserving biodiversity also promotes the continued provision of these benefits under environmental change (Campbell et al. 2009), thus increasing resilience to climate change. Depending on where REDD action is taken, the co‐benefits delivered will vary. Simple mapping tools can help identify how carbon, other services and pressures such as fire are distributed and relate to each other.
Here, we map the distribution of carbon stocks in relation to the possible co‐benefits of REDD, alongside other relevant factors. A new map of carbon in Tanzania's ecosystems has been produced for this analysis.Resource Type: Reports
This paper provides an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding relationships between carbon and biodiversity in tropical forests.Resource Type: Reports
This report reviews the current state of knowledge on the biodiversity impacts (both positive and negative) of biofuel production, with an emphasis on the potential influence of current and future government policies. Although the focus is primarily on first generation biofuels, second and third generation biofuels are also discussed. The potential for sustainability criteria to ameliorate biodiversity impacts is also assessed.Resource Type: Reports
©2014 UNEP All rights reserved


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SA Learners Turn To Art And Music To Ward Off Devastating Consequences Of Underage Drinking
21 August 2012
20 August 2012 - Earlier this year, The South African Breweries (SAB), in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and provincial Departments of Education launched a comprehensive programme to tackle the problem of underage drinking in South Africa. Today, the first phase of the programme - which rolled-out in KwaZulu Natal, Mpumalanga and the Free State - comes to an end, having reached an estimated 190 000 learners.
The multi-pronged programmed, called 'You Decide', was designed to demonstrate to teens that the choices they make now can impact on their futures positively or negatively. It included a series of roadshows, curriculum-aligned lessons for teachers, a practical guide for parents, resources for teens and an inter-school competition to consolidate and drive home the messaging.
Today the campaign concludes its first phase with the announcement of the winners of the inter-school competition, which challenged learners in all participating provinces to find creative ways to demonstrate how underage drinking affects their lives and their communities. Learners were encouraged to write and perform poetry, create artwork, sing or rap, record videos or use photos to discover, and demonstrate to their friends, that no one can force them to drink and that the decisions, like the consequences, are their own.
A total of 1 856 entries were received and the top three winning entries as selected by the judges all receive their share of a R60,000 cash prize for their school.
During a ceremony today, first prize was awarded to learners from Fundokuhle High in Pietermaritzburg, who created a comic strip titled 'My life as a teenager'. "The story is about a very rich boy who finished high school and made his parents very proud," said Bheka Mokoena, one of the comic's creators. "But then he joined the wrong crowd when we went on to tertiary studies, and there were bad consequences thereafter."
Second place was taken by Ndengetho High School in Pinetown, where a group of learners created a song about the 'You Decide' programme which beautifully conveyed their thoughts on the important decisions the youth of South Africa faced, and how focusing on studies and not rushing into drinking was what would save their futures.
A learner from Reunion Secondary School came in third place for a drawing reflecting the misuse of alcohol in his streets.
The winning entries along with a selection of the top 40 pieces were included in an exhibition which is visiting communities and shopping centres around the country in August.
"We are thrilled that the programme engaged the learners to the extent that it did," said Robyn Chalmers, SAB Head Media and Communications. "Based on the feedback we've received from teachers and the learners themselves, we believe that we have imparted the message of the seriously negative consequences of underage drinking to those that needed to hear it the most."
As one learner succinctly summed it up after finishing the programme, "You have the power to change the future, so use it wisely. It's your life, your future, so you decide."
For further information, please contact:
Robyn Chalmers
Head of Media and Communications, SAB
Tel: 011 881 8679
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
For the latest SAB news, follow us on:
Twitter: @SABreweries
Facebook: facebook.com/SouthAfricanBreweries
For further information on SAB's responsible drinking campaign, Reality Check:
Twitter: @RealityCheckSAB
Facebook: facebook.com/SABRealityCheck
Notes to editors
The underage programme forms part of SAB's wider strategy to tackle alcohol abuse, which includes targeted interventions such as Alcohol Evidence Centres, the Responsible Trader Programme, the Tavern Intervention Programme and initiatives to tackle Foetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Note, the news release was first published in its local market on 20/08/2012.


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For many teenagers, the first job interviews have little to do with previous experience and credentials. Instead, it is all about making a terrific first impression and selling yourself to your future employer as a dependable, hard-working, and honest kid. Here are a few tips to do just this by putting your best foot forward.
Look good. What you wear says a lot about how serious you take this job and how much you want it. If you show up looking like you just rolled out of bed, then your interviewer will not take you seriously. However, if you show up looking professional and well manicured, your interviewer will know you mean business. No matter what the job is, this principle always applies.
Act confident. No matter how nervous you are feeling as you interview, portray confidence. Shake hands with a firm grip, look your interviewer in the eye, and be friendly. Polite manners and confidence go a long way in forming a favorable impression. If you don't feel confident at all, then fake it until you make it!
Be prepped. Research everything as much as you can. Look at the company, at the position you want, at your interviewer, at current and former workers, and get a feel for how things are done and what the expectations are. This step will set you apart from the competition.
Don't be afraid of questions. This is your opportunity to shine, so take your time and answer thoughtfully, completely, and competently. This will convey a lot about your communication skills. Also, be sure to have a few questions for the interviewer. Asking questions will show your preparation and research and that you are willing to learn anything and everything you can.
Be persistent! More than anything else, this says the most about your determination. Follow up after interviews with a thank you card. Thank your interviewer for their time, express your appreciation for his or her consideration of you, and show that you look forward to discussing future opportunities soon.
Follow these tips and be sure to ask parents, older siblings, or other mentors for their advice. Older adults have experience with these issues and can teach you a lot. Be sure to sponge up all the knowledge you can from every possible resource, then be excited to shine on interview day!


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|ISS Superyacht Industry Summer Regatta 2014 3/18/2014
ISS Superyacht Industry Summer Regatta 2014 Back again after a successful re-launch in the Solent last June. Companies from near and not so near will compete in Fairview Beneteau 37's sailing yachts over two days with a social programme designed to encourage the non-sailors to join in as well.
To see the full Itinerary "Click Here"
For location and cost of Yacht Rental "Click Here"
|Ken Hickling talks about the work the Society is doing 1/10/2014
Ken Hickling, the president of the ISS and other board members talk about the work the society is doing and why being a member (whether a captain, crew or business), makes so much sense if you work within the superyacht industry. Read OnboardOnline.com article by following the link below.
|2014 ISS Board of Directors Election is Underway. 1/3/2014
If you are not a member, please visit www.superyachtsociety.org for membership information. Once you've joined or renewed, we will send you the ballot and complete biographies of the distinguished slate.
Members get to vote on eight nominees that will stand for a three year term.This is your chance to make a difference as a member to vote in your ISS Board of choice. Voting ends on 03 February 2014.
|Nominations for the 2014 ISS Board of Directors Sought 12/11/2013
Nominees may be put forth by ISS members in good standing.
For the 2014 ISS Election, eight board members will be elected for three year terms.
Be a part of the process! Nominate today!
|ISS announces the appointment of its 2014 Officers and Executive Committe 11/26/2013
The International Superyacht Society (ISS) is pleased to announce the appointment of its 2014 Officers and Executive Committee. Officers include the President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary who are distinguished superyacht industry leaders elected by the organization's Board of Directors and who will serve a one-year term at which time they may be re-elected to the same post for not more than three consecutive years.
To see full press release "Click Here"
|ISS Announces Design & Leadership Award Winners 10/31/2013
ISS (International Superyacht Society) is pleased to announce winners of the 2013 Design & Leadership Awards. Representing superlative achievement, the awards were presented last night at the 23rd Anniversary of ISS's Awards Gala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
To see full press release "Click Here"
|ISS Announces Yacht Finalists in the 2013 ISS Design & Leadership Awards 10/23/2013
"Click Here" for FINALISTS - "BEST POWER" 24m to 40m and "BEST POWERr" 40m-65m
"Click Here" for FINALISTS - "BEST POWER" 65m+
"Click Here" for FINALISTS - "BEST REFIT"
"Click Here" for FINALISTS - "BEST SAIL" 24m to 40m and "BEST SAIL" 40m+
|ISS Announces YachtInfo-FLIBS 2013 Seminar Topics 10/22/2013
The International Superyacht Society (ISS)—in association with United States Superyacht Association (USSA) and Young Professionals in Yachting (YPY)—today announces topics for YachtInfo-FLIBS 2013. The event is being held on 1 November 2013 from 1030 – 1830 and features five separate seminars lasting an hour each.
To see full press release "Click Here"
To register "Click Here"
|ISS Announces Topic for Annual Breakfast Presentation 10/21/2013
To Register "Click Here"
ISS Annual Membership Meeting & Breakfast
Wednesday 30 October 2013 * 8:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M.
Feature Presentation
Engaging First-Time Superyacht Clients in Today's Economy
Diane M. Byrne, MegayachtNews.com, Founder and Editor
Leading industry and non-industry executives will discuss finance, promotion lessons from successful tourism and destination marketing and innovative luxury product outreach.
|2013 ISS Design & Leadership Awards Gala Invite 10/16/2013
2013 International Superyacht Society Design and Leadership Awards Gala
THEME: Blue Rendezvous ATTIRE: "Blue" Ties & Evening Wear
For more information and Members Discounts PLEASE CONTACT: Vanessa Stuart +1 (954) 525.6625
email:firstname.lastname@example.com or purchase tickets on shop.superyachtsociety.org


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Monday, December 3rd, 2012 Obituaries in The Daily Standard
Local Obituaries
Joseph "Joe" Greve, 43, Botkins, died at 10:32 a.m. Nov. 30, 2012, at his home. He was born May 4, 1969, in Lima to Joseph B. and Theresa D. Schaub Greve. His father is deceased; his mother survives in New Knoxville. On Apr . . .
Dwayne L. Hoelscher, 33, Fort Recovery, died Dec. 1, 2012, at Mercer County Community Hospital, Coldwater. He was born May 26, 1979, in Coldwater to Carolyn McNeil Hoelscher, who survives in Fort Recovery. Also surviving are . . .
Richard S. Loffer, 82, St. Marys, died Dec. 1, 2012. Miller-Long and Folk Funeral Home, St. Marys, is completing arrangements. . . .
Ina Mae Howell, 98, St. Marys, died at 2:05 p.m. Nov. 30, 2012, at her home. She was born Aug. 5, 1914, in LaFollette, Tenn., to John and Tressie Schrimpsher Webb. Surviving are three daughters, Wilma Jean (Robert) Mahaffey, . . .
Rickey W. Timbs, 57, Celina, died at 3:20 p.m. Dec. 1, 2012, in the emergency department at Mercer County Community Hospital, Coldwater. Miller Funeral Home, St. Marys, is handling arrangements. . . .
Bonnie D. Butcher, 92, Bardstown, Ky., formerly of Portland, Ind. and Coldwater, died Dec. 2, 2012, at Colonial Health and Rehabilitation, Bardstown. She was born March 1, 1920, in Kentucky, to Everett and Olive Choat Armstrong . . .
Weather forecast
for Sunday:
Mostly sunny, mild
for Sunday:
Mostly sunny, mild
Friday, April 18
Friday, April 18


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Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston did not disappoint in his first media session since the team's 41-13 win against Pittsburgh.
The redshirt freshman quarterback was cracking jokes and being goofy, while also providing thoughtful answers.
As teammates have started saying, it was Jameis being Jameis.
With the No. 10 Seminoles (1-0) hosting Nevada (1-1) Saturday at 3:30 p.m., Winston spoke to reporters on Wednesday about a variety of topics, including the Wolf Pack.
Before he did, he apologized to the room about his disheveled hair.
Take a look at some of the highlights ...
Question: Given last week's performance, you've gotten more attention than ever before. What's that like?
Jameis Winston: "It's just been another week, another week of preparation, focusing on Nevada and not focusing on outside things that may bring clutter to the team."
Q: Did you receive many calls from people to congratulate you after the Pittsburgh game?
JW: "Mainly family, my grandma, she was very excited after the game. My mom sent me a text, she sent me a long text message, so it was mostly just love form my family members."
Q: Did anyone surprising reach out to you?
JW: Yes, [former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst] actually Trent Dilfer talked to me. He's like another dad to me. … Strong family, with that Elite 11."
(Winston participated in the Elite 11 high school quarterback clinic, connecting him with Dilfer before enrolling at FSU.)
Q: You had a strong performance against Pitt, but were there things you could have done better?
JW: "There are always things, when you watch film, that you can always do better. …On my naked [rollout], I made a big mistake. I went the wrong way, so that's something, I have to avoid those mental errors."
Q: During high school, youth football, did you always have that ability to stay calm?
JW: "Most people don't like it when things go wrong. The way you have to carry yourself as a quarterback, you can't panic, you don't have time to."
Q: How has the recruiting process helped you for all this attention and hype?
JW: "It helped me to grow. In the recruiting process, you can ask any recruit, it's just so nagging. Constantly … constantly, everyone is asking you questions, but you have no choice. You can either go up, get that filled in your head, that you're a big shot, but you're really not. Because when you come to college the next year, you're going to be a freshman."
Q: Did you see any highlights of Buffalo Bills quarterback [and predecessor at FSU] EJ Manuel on Sunday?
JW: "I watched my boy EJ. One of my friends has the little Sunday NFL [app] and then I have my SportsCenter app, and I was locked in on E.J., I promise you. I texted him, 'great job.' I mean he played against Tom Brady in his first game. That's exciting."
Q: About how many messages did you have on your phone after Monday's game? Was it in the 100s?
JW: "I don't remember. It was probably in the 100s. I was so happy that we won the game, I was too busy talking to everybody on the bus. I was like 'do you remember that play, do all ya'll remember this?' I think my phone froze up, there were that many messages."
Q: Watching game film, what have you seen out of Nevada?
JW: "Nevada is huge. They are some big guys. Actually one player stood out to me, he had a mullet, playing D-end. That was very exciting. I was like 'wow.' But they have a tough defense. Their offense is very fancy, like Clemson, Oregon type."
Q: Who were your favorite quarterbacks growing up?
JW: "Growing up, I was a Vince Young fan, a Michael Vick fan, I was a Tom Brady fan. I like Peyton Manning, but when I was little, I thought the man was a little too good to be true, just the way he did everything. I always liked Tom Brady because he was so fluid, so smooth and then he was the underdog. I always looked at myself as the underdog, even if people held me to this certain type of status. I knew if I was the underdog, I would be able to persevere and get better every day."
Email Brendan at email@example.com. Follow Brendan's FSU coverage on Twitter at @OSFSU


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My disconnect proofing project is still in progress. I have taken in a lot of the advice from this thread.
@ZappaFan: Done. Took me a while until I could afford a decent Maximus, but I see what you mean! That demon is nearly always spawned.
@Seife: Funny enough, that's what I ended up doing. I downgraded to act1 mp0 farming. Sure the drops might not be great, but my loss of dps for life regen is easily offset with the lower mob hp on mp0, the enchantress' ability to one-shot the mobs, and the demon from Maximus actually being able to kill stuff.
@oOmpie: I actually noticed that the life gain from rend is showing up on the character screen as a jump in the life regen number. Test it for yourself.
@Mn_Swe2: Thanks for linking your gear. Sky Splitter seems like a fantastic option for this kind of setup!
As things stand, my dps has dropped by approximately 45%, with a tiny loss in armor, a solid gain in all resist and health. I'm hovering around 70k hp, with life regen at 3426. My character is, though I'm afraid to jinx myself, pretty much immortal in act1 mp0, especially with the enchantress using Maximus. I'm waiting to snag a good Sky Splitter and shoot for 4000 regen before I switch back to act1 mp1 or try act 3 mp0.
Results 11 to 16 of 16
Thread: Disconnect proofing my character
15-04-2013, 08:33 #11
- Join Date
- Apr 2004
- Location
- Bahrain
- Posts
- 2,121
Re: Disconnect proofing my character
15-04-2013, 20:36 #12
America Trade Moderator
- Join Date
- Jun 2003
- Location
- Oldsmar, FL BattleTag ZappaFan-1229
- Posts
- 2,987
08-05-2013, 12:02 #13
- Join Date
- May 2013
- Location
- Slovakia
- Posts
- 1
09-05-2013, 09:02 #14
- Join Date
- Jul 2006
- Location
- Sliedrecht, NL BattleTag o0mpie-2478
- Posts
- 1,487
Re: Disconnect proofing my character
Yes, the Enchantress is the mage style helper in solo play which you meet in Act2.
Maximus is a Legendary two-handed sword which the Enchantress can use. It summons a demon which is great for tanking and actually does quite some damage.
13-05-2013, 10:12 #15
- Join Date
- Apr 2004
- Location
- Bahrain
- Posts
- 2,121
Re: Disconnect proofing my character
Well, since this thread was bumped, I might as well give an update. My disconnect proofing project is ongoing. I believe I could describe my current setup as "going overboard." To date, I have survived several normal disconnects and 3 dangerous ones, including one during a fight with an arcane enchanted boss pack.
Once I reached a decent threshold of life regen (3k+), I found that my character was pretty much unkillable in most situations. However, when he runs into something that outpaces his regen, (like 2 arcane beams while standing on desecrator+plagued), his health would plummet very quickly. To combat this, I started shifting away from fully stacked regen and moving instead to maximizing protection while maintaining some regen. I managed to snag a few lucky drops that gave me a budget to play with.
My final tally of buffed defensive stats is approx:
Armor: 13k (80.5%)
All resist: 1300 (80.5%)
Arcane resist: 1720 (84.52%)
Life Regen: 1580
Health: 76.8k
EHP vs Elites: 5.7 mill
Ehp vs Arcane beams: 7.9 mill
Effective life regen vs Elites: 117.2k per sec
Effective life regen vs Arcane: 162.5k per sec
My damage is where I suffered the most. With Battle Rage(Berserker Rage) and Frenzy(Maniac), I'm not breaking 40k dps. Still, its enough for act1 mp1 and act3 mp0 farming.
13-05-2013, 10:22 #16
- Join Date
- Oct 2009
- Location
- The Netherlands BattleTag Hippotion-2165
- Posts
- 1,029
Re: Disconnect proofing my character
Nice def stats, insane AR
Indeed you use so many slots for regen/armor/ar that DPS suffers. I'm going inbetween, aiming to keep my AR at 900, regen at 1000 while increasing DPS towards 100k DPS. I'm focussing on optimizing affix effectiviness, AR 70-80 is better than single resist 50-60 for example (monk OWE). On some slots it's easier to get high main stats/vit, others are damage slots (rings for example).
It's all getting pretty expensive though, but that only increases the challenge :-)


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Big Gay Race
Click here to sign-up for the Big Gay Race 2013!
Now in its third year, the Big Gay Race 5K has become a symbol of a diverse community of Minnesotans coming together in support of love, commitment, marriage, and family.
Join us as we show our lawmakers that "We've Got Your Back"! Since last year's race, Minnesotans not only came together to vote NO on a hurtful constitutional amendment, but we were also victorious in urging the Minnesota legislature to pass the freedom to marry – which Governor Dayton signed into law on May 14, 2013.
Proceeds from the Big Gay Race 2013 will go to support the efforts of the MN United PAC.
Invite as many of your friends as possible to register for The Big Gay Race on September 28, 2013.
Walkers are welcome, and will probably make up about half of the entire field. So no excuses!
Entry fees:
- $30.00 Regular Registration: Available September 1 – September 27 at 11:00pm.
- $35.00 Race Day registration: Available from 8 – 10 a.m. at the start/finish area
NOTE: We are expecting a very large crowd this year at the Big Gay Race! We are very excited about the enthusiasm and energy that this race will bring to the Saint Anthony Main neighborhood. Please plan ahead to arrive early and take public transit, bike, or carpool to get to the race. Thanks!
Course Description:
The race begins on Main Street under the Central Ave bridge. The out-and-back course runs down historic St. Anthony Main Street and then crosses the Stone Arch Bridge with a fantastic view of downtown Minneapolis. Next, it runs up West River Parkway, turns around, re-crosses the Stone Arch Bridge and ends in Father Hennepin Park. The race is 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) long. Miles 1, 2, and 3 will be marked.
There will be no formal "team" registration for the 2013 Big Gay Race.
Please feel free to run and participate as a team, but each person must register individually.
Water Stop:
There will be one water stop around the halfway point of the course.
Clocks and Timing:
Official results will not be kept. A display clock will be at the finish line, so watch for your time!
Packet Pick Up:
Packet pick up will be available from 8 a.m. at the at the start/finish area (65 Main St. Southeast in Minneapolis).
Transportation and Parking:
For a map of nearby bus stops and parking facilities, please click here.
Please leave your pets at home on race day.
Back to top


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The Mayo Clinic has expanded its presence in the Greater Phoenix area. In addition to its renowned clinic, a new hospital has recently opened and the Mayo Clinic has established a women's health center, plus various neighborhood satellite centers for general health care. The Greater Phoenix area is also home to a multiple-birth center, located at Good Samaritan Hospital, as well as the Arizona Heart Institute.
With its booming economy and vibrant community spirit, the Greater Phoenix area sports 180 golf courses. Phoenix's downtown, revitalized by the completion of new sports facilities, also has new shops, restaurants, brew pubs, and sports bars. Adjacent to the America West Arena, where the NBA and the NHL play, the domed Bank One Ballpark, known as BOB, is now home to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Heard Museum has just opened a new wing, adding to the cultural scene.
Scottsdale keeps building on its reputation as a destination for world-class resorts, serious shopping, and fine dining. Arizona's first Nordstrom has opened in Scottsdale Fashion Square, and the Scottsdale Contemporary Art Museum has been completed.
Tucson is experiencing a downtown renewal that includes a multimillion dollar renovation and expansion of the Tucson Museum of Art, known for its pre-Columbian artifacts and western art.
GREATER PHOENIX hotel news * The financial deal for a long-awaited major downtown Phoenix hotel has been finalized. The $167 million, 31-story Marriott at Collier Place, with 20,000 square feet of meeting space, is scheduled for a 2001 completion.
* Wigwam Resort this year celebrates its 70th anniversary, and its signature Arizona Kitchen restaurant has earned a Mobil Four Star Award for the fourth consecutive year. Sited on 463 acres of Sonoran desert, Wigwam Resort has 331 adobe casitas, three golf courses, and 30,000 square feet of meeting space. The 10,000-square-foot Sunset Point is the Wigwam's 1880s western-style town specifically designed for theme functions. Group activities include a cattle drive.
* Chaparral Suites Hotel Scottsdale is replacing its pavilion with a 23,000-square-foot conference facility. An extensive renovation will be completed in November. The resort has 311 suite-style rooms.
* The 210-room Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North is set to open in December, with 9,400 square feet of meeting space.
* The 270-suite Scottsdale Marriott at McDowell Mountains has opened in North Scottsdale, with 15,000 square feet of meeting space.
* Resort Suites of Scottsdale completed its $12 million expansion and renovation, bringing its total accommodations to 338 rooms and 488 suites. A new 3,600-square-foot open-air pavilion has doubled the function space available for groups.
* The 253-room Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas recently completed a $17 million makeover. It included the addition of a 10,000-square-foot ballroom and conference center, bringing its meeting facilities to over 16,000 square feet.
* The 404-room Scottsdale Plaza Resort is completing a $2 million guest room and suite refurbishment. The resort has 30,000 square feet of meeting space.
* Scottsdale Conference Resort will complete a $2 million renovation this month, which includes a new casita pool deck, meeting room lighting, and soft-goods redecoration throughout all public areas. The resort has 325 guest rooms, 12 golf course casitas, and 50,000 square feet of meeting space.
* Radisson Resort & Spa Scottsdale has been acquired by Meristar Resorts, which will renovate the property's 318 guest rooms and common areas. The resort has 30,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, a 20,000 square-foot area for outdoor functions, and a 20,000-square-foot wellness center.
* Holiday Inn Old Town Scottsdale completed refurbishment of its 206 rooms and added a restaurant, the Brown Derby Roadhouse. The Holiday Inn has 9,000 square feet of meeting space plus additional outdoor function space.
* Carefree Conference Resort in Carefree completed a $13.5 million expansion. The new 10,000-square-foot meeting room brings total meeting space to 30,000 square feet. Other additions include the 800-seat opera house and 66 new guest rooms, for a total of 249 rooms, suites, and casitas.
* The Tempe Mission Palms recently completed an $11 million renovation that included remodeling its 30,000 square feet of meeting space and 4,000 square feet of outdoor patios, as well as installing a high-tech telecommunications and audiovisual infrastructure. The completion of this renovation qualified Tempe Mission Palms to receive certification by the International Association of Conference Centers.
* The 210-room Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel in Tempe reopened after a seven-month, $6.5 million renovation that included expanding its meeting space to 10,000 square feet (capable of hosting up to 300 attendees), rewiring for high-speed Internet access, and adding an Executive Club floor.
* In North Scottsdale, Gainey Suites has opened with 164 one- and two-bedroom suites and studios, and 2,000 square feet of meeting space.
important info Phoenix Civic Plaza Convention Center
* (602) 262-6225
* Fax: (602) 495-3642
* www.ci.phoenix.az.us/civplaza.html
The center has 375,000 square feet of flexible meeting space with up to 43 meeting rooms. Its exhibit space totals 221,000 square feet and includes five
exhibit halls. There is a 28,000-square-foot ballroom with a 5,000-square-foot multipurpose stage. Symphony Hall seats 2,577 and has a fully equipped stage.
Greater Phoenix CVB
* (800) 535-8898
* Fax: (602) 235-4415
* www.arizonaguide.com/phoenix
Total Hotel Tax: 10.625% in Phoenix, 9.875% in Scottsdale, 10.025% in Mesa
TUCSON hotel news * By March 2000, the Sheraton El Conquistador Resort and Country Club will add 25,000 square feet of function space, nearly doubling its size. It will include a 12,000-square-foot ballroom, three 500-square-foot conference rooms, and interior and exterior pre-function areas. Also under way is a $2.1 million, 18-month renovation to the resort's golf courses.
* A five-year, million-dollar renovation and expansion at Lazy K Bar Ranch includes refurbishment of the lodge and all guest rooms. A 6,000-square-foot special events venue is set to open in November.
* Set in the scenic Rincon Mountains east of Tucson, the historic Bellota Ranch, built in 1890, has been renovated. Opened in June, it now operates as a working ranch with about 700 head of cattle. Guests can ride with ranch wranglers as the cattle are driven and rounded up. The main ranch house, which can accommodate up to 24 people, features seven rooms with private baths and an hacienda-style courtyard.
important info Metropolitan Tucson CVB
* (800) 638-8350
* Fax (520) 884-7804
* www.arizonaguide.com/visittucson
Tucson Convention Center
* (520) 791-4101
* Fax: (520) 791-5572
The convention center has 205,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including 120,000 square feet for exhibits, a 22,500-square-foot ballroom, a 2,277-seat music hall, a 9,700-seat arena, and a 511-seat theater.
SEDONA hotel news * The 225-suite Doubletree Sedona Resort opened last December, with a 10,000-square-foot Executive Meeting Center, an 18-hole championship golf course, and a full-service spa.
* Enchantment in Sedona has completed The Village, a cluster of meeting rooms including a 5,000-square-foot ballroom; the Pow Wow Pavilion, divisible into three rooms; and an 8,000-square-foot landscaped terrace. Total meeting space is now 12,000 square feet, with 18,000 square feet of outdoor space. Enchantment added 60 new junior suites near the new meeting space, bringing its inventory to 222 guest quarters.
important info Sedona-Oak Creek Canyon Chamber of Commerce
* (800) 288-7336
Bobbie Logie, Manager of Meeting Services for Carnes Communications, a pharmaceutical education company based in Valley Forge, Pa., held two meetings in Arizona this year. Both groups numbered around 100, including staff and spouses. The first meeting, in January at the Scottsdale Conference Resort, was so successful that Logie booked a second medical education meeting there in May. "Arizona is a good location; it's a geographical fit for a regional meeting," says Logie. Spouses delighted in the opportunity to enjoy shopping in Scottsdale and to book spa appointments.
Attendees tired of meetings that are "indoors and stuffy" enjoy Arizona because of the casual atmosphere and the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities such as horseback riding in the mountains, Logie adds. Scottsdale Conference Resort's outdoor function space and patios were perfect for western-themed entertainment. A lantern-lit country western cookout, complete with checkered tablecloths and cowboy hats, kept guests sitting around the campfire long after dinner was over.
The BONES Society, a national association of orthopedic administrators based in Rosemont, Ill., held its May 1999 annual educational conference at the Pointe Hilton South Mountain Resort in Phoenix. There were 931 attendees. "This was the first time we've used a resort," says Sheila Duda, society manager. "Normally we hold our meetings at downtown hotels. However, the reaction was so overwhelmingly favorable--98% positive in a survey response--that the association is seriously considering coming back."
Duda cites the opportunities to get attendees out of meeting rooms for all-important networking in interesting local venues. The society's opening reception, for example, was held at the new Arizona Science Center in downtown Phoenix, and another party took place at Rawhide, an Old West theme park in Scottsdale. Giving attendees a real taste of Arizona, from the Southwest food to the unique desert environment, added to the overall favorable response, Duda says.
The legendary Wild West. Cowboys and Indians. The roots of Arizona's multicultural, multinational history. All can--and should--be sampled and savored by visitors to the state, from Wild West shoot-outs and cowboy cookouts around a campfire under the stars, to colorful Mexican fiestas and theme parties set at art museums.
* Folks can't get enough of the saguaro-studded Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona and the ambience of the Old West. Exciting inducements for attendees can include vintage train trips, trail rides, desert Jeep and HumVee tours, hot-air balloon rides, and river rafting adventures, both wild and mild.
* Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse is Scottsdale's western theme park. With banquet facilities for groups and an outdoor venue for cowboy cookouts, Rawhide offers staged shoot-outs, a saloon, and specialty stores.
* In Tucson, it's Old Tucson Studios that attracts meeting and incentive groups to its movie-set western streets.
* The Heard Museum, one of the nation's most renowned Native American museums, has recently nearly doubled in size, adding 50,000 square feet of public exhibition space. This cultural treasure of ancient artifacts and Native American art has flexible space for private gatherings accommodating from 50 guests to several thousand. Tours of the exhibits and access to the museum's shops can be offered to those attending private events.


text:
It's Called Beer PongDisagree? Check out this one.
Original release date: July 16, 2008
This design from the BustedTees Archive will be custom printed just for you and therefore cannot be returned or exchanged. It will also ship separately from other BustedTees products.
Unfortunately, no coupons may be applied to this item.


text:
Data Encryption
Encryption uses a mathematical algorithm to scramble readable text that cannot be read unless the reader has the key to "unlock," or convert, the information back to its readable form. This means that your sensitive data cannot be accessed without you providing a password.
It is the easiest and most practical method of protecting data stored or transmitted electronically and is particularly essential with sensitive data.
Even a single failure to encrypt sensitive data, whether through e-mail or via a stolen flash drive or laptop, can result in a security breach with criminal or civil liabilities and irreparable harm to finances and the reputation of the university.
The following items—while not a comprehensive list—are examples of sensitive data:
- Social Security numbers
- Credit card numbers
- Bank account information
- Driver's license numbers
- Patient and student information (HIPAA/FERPA)
- Proprietary research and legal data
ITCS Recommends the Following Data Encryption Tools
Transfer and Store Sensitive Files
IronKey Encrypted Flash Drives. Secure, hardware-encrypted, tamper-resistant and password-protected. You will need to determine your storage capacity needs (e.g. 4GB or 8GB); the basic version is recommended. There are several suppliers of this device including IronKey, NewEgg and CDW-G.
Encrypt a Drive
BitLocker Drive Encryption. Included with all Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise edition PCs, BitLocker encrypts an entire drive rather than individual files. A drive can be password-protected, decrypted or BitLocker can be temporarily suspended at any time by the authorized user. Visit the Microsoft.com BitLocker page for instructions to turn on BitLocker encryption.
Guardian Edge Hard Disk Encryption. Guardian Edge encrypts every file on the hard drive and renders it useless if unauthorized access is attempted, especially important with computer thefts on the rise. Learn more at the Symantec Endpoint Encryption.
TrueCrypt. Available as a free download, this software encrypts data on most any device, including portable—and easily lost or stolen—devices such as laptops, smartphones and flash drives. Visit the TrueCrypt website to learn more.
Encrypt Data Files
WinZip. Good for encrypting, compressing (reducing the file size) and sharing individual files. Learn more at the WinZip website.
Encrypt Email Messages and Attachments
IronPort. If you have to send sensitive information, such as HIPAA or FERPA data, to an entity outside of the ECU network, then IronPort is a solution for your encrypted correspondence. Learn more at the email encryption page.
WinZip. If your email attachment(s) contain sensitive information, then WinZip is a solution for encrypting, reducing the size, and sharing these files. Learn more at the WinZip website.
For additional options or more information, please request a consult through the IT Help Desk at https://ithelp.ecu.edu or 252.328.9866.


text:
Ian and I got burned out, took that cruise, jumped ship and are sipping tequila and young nubile island girls, in a far off land.
What has happened to Ballvalve ?
I have not seen him post for awhile.
Does anyone have a clue ?
Maybe Ian and Ballvalve went on a Carnival Cruse or something.
Ian and I got burned out, took that cruise, jumped ship and are sipping tequila and young nubile island girls, in a far off land.
Last edited by Terry; 07-04-2013 at 11:14 AM.
Last edited by Terry; 07-04-2013 at 12:28 PM.
Last edited by DonL; 07-04-2013 at 12:14 PM.
I'm so glad Don..................
I try to keep this family friendly. So I hope everyone has fun with the family today. And if that's not possible, at least get together with friends.
One this one day, we are a very large family. It's hard to believe that something new was started in 1776.
That was still many generations later then when Europeans stated coming here in boats. It had already been settled using the land bridge on the West, but it was the folks that arrived on the East Coast that set up a new government that we call the United States today. I had parts of my family that landed in 1620 in Plymouth. And here we are almost 400 years later. Wow!
Sue's friend from Egypt wished her a happy 4th on her Facebook.
Even in the Middle East they are happy for our 4th.
He was enjoying what happened there yesterday. (in Egypt)
I just looked that up the Seattle news. Man arrested with a stolen truck and weapons.
I was a little worried being at a big 4th with my son's band playing. By the time of the fireworks there was barely standing room in the park.
Here is the US; we try to keep religion out of politics, hoping that everyone can practice theirs peacefully and with respect for others.
I come from seven kids, all thinking differently, and it can be loud when we get together, but we also enjoy the differences.
Last edited by Terry; 07-24-2013 at 07:12 PM.
Is that sarcasm? "we try to keep religion out of politics" ??? That's a joke right?
The US has always believed in the freedom to practice your religion. There is no State religion here.
We also have freedom of speech.
There are those that would like to impose a religion though. Not by law, but by their opinon. Like somehow they know "best" for others.
Where were you raised?
Last edited by Terry; 07-31-2013 at 04:53 PM.
Have you looked at the writing on a dollar bill? "In God We Trust" ??? And they call that a separation of church and state??? Huh?
Sort of.. A lot more than others that's for sure.. but its not complete freedom anymore..We also have freedom of speech.
Again, go talk to a republican and watch how fast they try to pass laws based on their religions.There are those that would like to impose a religion though. Not by law, but by their opinon. Like somehow they know "best" for others.
I was born and raised in a distant and strange land far far away.. Most folks call it Detroit..Where were you raised?
You guys in Detroilt are taking a beating.I was born and raised in a distant and strange land far far away.. Most folks call it Detroit..
It would be nice start up that place, what with all the housing and stuctures in place already. In the Seattle area, we are way short on roads, and the commute is extending both ways now. Even staggering work hours isn't helping much.
Seattle has the sound on the West, Lake Washington on the East, then you have Bellevue, with Lake Sammamish on the East of that. Add to all of that, a pretty hilly area, and we can barely drive around it anymore.
I think it's strange that religion is used in politics at all. Somebody somewhere, showhow, figured it was a way to sway a vote.
I would like to see votes based more on jobs and living quality. I don't see how religion would figure into that, but somebody always finds a way to stick it in there.
I visited India this Winter, home to many world religions. And they add a few more for good measure. They seem to be pretty easy going about it. Like in the US, there seems to be a temple, church or gathering place on every corner. It was one of my favorite trips I've done.
On the money, I always prefered
E pluribus unum
"Out of many, one"
Last edited by Terry; 07-31-2013 at 07:21 PM.
I'm actually about 90 minutes north of Detroit in farm country.
My vote isn't swayed by religion or jobs or even living quality. My vote goes to the candidate who is most in line with science and logic. Unfortunately, that usually means I have to go with a democrat.. I say it is unfortunate because every time I go to vote, I don't feel like I'm voting for someone I want, I feel like I'm voting against someone I don't want. This is the state of our union now. Republicans and Democrats are so polarized these days they have poisoned everything. The problem is that the media won't give equal coverage to an independent candidate and so they have no chance of winning.
American's think they are voting for the person they want but in fact, your just being given a narrow choice between two candidates the media wants.


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Home > Research > Publications > Annual Reports > 1994-95 Annual Report
Robert McC. Adams
What are treasures? While long privately sought and prized, they have tended to be identified with museums ever since museums had their beginnings as the cabinets of curiosities of princes in the sixteenth century. By any definition, broad or narrow, the Oriental Institute's museum is richly endowed with them. In common usage, treasures are identified with considerable antiquity, with the use of precious or exotic materials, with prodigies of craftsmanship, with canonical art styles, although not necessarily of Western origin, and with a unifying-if not necessarily universally appealing-aesthetic vision. But the term is admittedly imprecise, full of idiosyncrasy and affect. Your treasures are not necessarily mine. Treasures move us in a special, personal way. They enrich our lives and find a permanent niche in our memories.
My own approach to treasures tends to be ideational, contextualizing. I value intellectual and literary treasures more than most aesthetic ones. How can they help us better to understand the larger, determining circumstances behind some important historical episode, or achievement, or enduring challenge with which we and succeeding generations will also have to grapple? What reassurance can they provide on the unity of human values and experience? Can they help us to clarify the distance separating us from those who brought us hither?
But beyond any merely personal view, the larger meaning that treasures hold for all of us is that they are one of many indications of how the past lives in us. Treasures, after all, do not form a frozen, uncommunicative record. They reach out across space and time to fill us with wonder and surmise about the commonality of human aspirations, values, and standards of excellence. Through treasures, tangible or intangible, the past comes alive in our endless reconceiving of it, in the changing lessons we individually and collectively draw from it.
Like history itself, treasures stand uniquely at a place where facts and values meet. They are a testimony to the past, to be sure. But they are also a testimony to the relationship between the past and the future. No man can have in his mind a conception of the future, as Thomas Hobbes wrote three centuries ago. It is only out of our conceptions of the past that we can make a future. Starting from an entirely different perspective, the late, great classicist Moses Finley came to a similar view. All interest in the past, he observed, is a dialogue. But as one of the parties to that dialogue, we can only live and comprehend in a contemporary way. Hence, he rightly concluded, it can only be a dialogue in the present, about the present.
Thus the notion of treasures not only is different in each of us but changes through time-in ways about which most of us are insufficiently reflective. I do not think private collectors' ideas about treasures have changed greatly over the years, for example, but the approach of archaeologists and art historians has definitely done so. To tie the change to a definite moment, one might cite the UNESCO Convention of the early 1970s, to which the U.S. was a signatory, that introduced the idea of national treasures or patrimony and barred the movement of undocumented antiquities from their countries of origin into museum and private collections in western Europe, the U.S., Japan, and other countries. I am sorry to say that the illegal flow into private collections has not been greatly slowed, although the U.S. has done more than most to honor the Convention. But most of the great scholarly museums -the Oriental Institute's museum obviously included-have indeed observed its terms in all their activities.
Of course, the concept of national treasure did not originate in the UNESCO Convention, but merely found its final ratification there. It was a product of the ending of colonialism in the post-World War II period, and the attempt of many new nations that had been fairly systematically looted of their heirlooms earlier to acquire some of the symbols of their new nationhood. The Convention in fact paralleled a gradual tightening up of the terms of division of the findings from legitimate excavations on the part of most of the host countries in the Near East in which the Oriental Institute has worked, to the point where essentially nothing falling under the more traditional, private definition of treasures will ordinarily be granted to the institution conducting the excavations. As this new approach has gradually become recognized and general, so also have scholars' ideas of what constitutes a treasure shifted significantly in a less tangible, more intellectual direction. Publishable plans, photographs, and measured drawings, for example, are now recognized to represent artifactual findings almost as effectively as the objects themselves. The real treasure is to be found in how originally and compellingly they are interpreted.
The fact that there are such changes in view emphasizes that the dialogue we conduct with the past is one that is endlessly renewed as its terms of reference change in ways that are responsive to our times, not some eternal standard. The spirit of enhancing a dialogue with the past, and recognizing the endlessly renewed richness of that dialogue, is one I want to emphasize in speaking to you briefly this evening. Dialogues do not generate themselves, nor can they be sustained if we only flutter endlessly around the same unanswered questions. They advance through disciplined study. Old assumptions are tested and found wanting. New hypotheses are put forward. Eternal truth may forever elude us, but by contemporary standards we reach at least provisional closure. Thus the frontiers of inquiry can advance in new directions that for a time have higher priority. And the process of advancing knowledge in this way is embodied in institutions of our own devising that protect its standards, record and disseminate its attainments, and provide the necessary forum for reaching consensus in order to set new agendas. By any reckoning, the Oriental Institute is one of the world's preeminent institutions where these ends are met for the ancient Near East.
For half my life the Oriental Institute was my primary institutional attachment. Despite having been away from Chicago now for a decade, not only with other administrative responsibilities but with research interests that consequently have turned in other directions, I am more conscious than ever of the coherence and persuasiveness with which the Oriental Institute plays the part of a powerful protagonist in a key sector of our dialogue with the past. Hence it was not only with great pleasure, but with a continuing sense of personal involvement, that I accepted Bill Sumner's invitation to speak on this occasion. But I should make clear that there is no longer much that I can add on the matters of substance at the heart of this great and venerable institution.
Were it not for the irregular but cumulative-and as things remorselessly unfolded, clearly not temporary-foreclosing of field opportunities in the part of the world I came to know and understand best, I doubt very much that I would ever have left. That raises a question that needs to be dealt with as we look back at the Oriental Institute's first seventy-five years and think of the three-quarters of a century that now will follow: The last fifteen years or so have seen the dropping of a good functional equivalent of the Iron Curtain on Western research-in Iran in the late 1970s; in Iraq in the 1980s; the gradual onset of a seemingly permanent state of what it has become fashionable to call "low intensity" war in eastern Turkey; a dangerously growing religious terrorism in Egypt; and an enormously destructive civil war in Lebanon from which a recovery is still in early, tentative stages. What future is there, then, for an institution so committed to the disinterested scholarly study of the ancient past of the Near East as a region?
The answer to that question comes in several parts. First, humanistic studies are not experimental disciplines, in which a drying up of new laboratory findings could quickly destroy them. Many thousands of cuneiform tablets and papyri remain unread in museum collections, fortunately having been acquired in great numbers when conditions were different. Dozens of excavation reports remain "in the pipeline," the fieldwork again having proceeded at a rate that was disproportionate to the size of the permanent staff of scholars who would remain permanently employed to analyze and publish it. Methods of scientific analysis of excavated collections, moreover, continue to advance and offer every prospect of continuing new surprises-and the new perspectives for reinterpretation that will flow from them.
But beyond this, there are many more reasons for hope-indeed, for confidence-in the future. The Cold War has ended in a way that is almost optimal from the viewpoint of allowing the chronically dangerous and destabilizing influence that it long had on Near Eastern politics and economic development to dissipate gradually. Further confrontations with and between local powers no doubt will occur, but without the old ideological stiffening that heightened their pan-regional destructive potential. Difficult as near-term differences remain between Israel and the Palestinians, it seems more clear every day that the movement toward a durable peace is gaining momentum. Granting that misunderstandings, standoffs, and occasional more or less violent disruptions will continue for some time, the likelihood is that this single, most corrosive barrier to more cooperative forms of international scholarship will be of progressively declining importance.
The outlook for the years immediately ahead, in other words, is that we no longer need to wait passively for an onrushing tide to reverse itself. It has already begun to do so. The remaining period of enforced idleness in some areas is likely to be brief enough that the real need now is to take advantage of it urgently and wisely:
- to systematize and complete work on existing backlogs, at all times considering what further lessons and opportunities can be drawn from them;
- to seek out new perspectives from comparative studies, especially by taking a less narrowly defined view of what constituted the ancient Near East as a region of significant interaction, for example by adding the Arabian peninsula, the Caucasus and central Asia, the Indus borderlands, and the Indian Ocean itself to our field of study;
- to refine new interdisciplinary approaches and methods, and acquire the equipment and training to make use of them;
- to keep open such bridges as are possible with scholars from Near Eastern countries, especially younger scholars; and
- to take leadership-something that has been conspicuously lacking in the Near Eastern field generally-in acknowledging the progress that has been made on the old Palestinian problems by drawing Israeli scholars-and now one hopes Palestinian scholars as well-more conspicuously into all aspects of American studies of the ancient Near East, and not merely regionally isolated ones.
We should act upon the confidence, in short, that precisely our superior interdisciplinary capabilities and the new, endlessly changing questions that they encourage us to ask, our continuing flow of splendid graduate students from all parts of the world including the Near East, our unmatched understanding of the enormous potential of bringing together philological and archaeological perspectives in the training of those students, our greater affinity for broad regional and interregional perspectives in the absence of overriding national or ethnic identities, and the strength of the entire infrastructure of unmatched research universities on which we can draw, will in the end reopen the pathways to new knowledge in the field.
The Oriental Institute is not large as research institutes go-certainly not so by the standards of the sciences. But equally certainly, the faculty who are the principal embodiment of it-its major treasures, if you will-are as diverse and independently minded-sometimes ferociously independently minded-as any I can think of.
But along with this independence of outlook (and corresponding durability of differences) goes a durability of vision. This is a quality, I regret to say, that is becoming an anomaly in most fields of research. No doubt the Institute owes a great deal to its founding spirits in this respect: James Henry Breasted had the confidence and courage to lay out what might have seemed to most of us who confront conditions today a hopelessly overambitious program. John D. Rockefeller deeply understood what Breasted's dream presupposed if it succeed, and made it breathtakingly possible for him and the Institute to set out on that great journey. Between them they launched a tradition which has somehow remained a vital part of the credo of this place, even if the outcome of the struggle to find the material resources to sustain it has become increasingly problematical.
Major, lasting increments of new knowledge require that truly great scholars be encouraged to strike out in new directions. Not infrequently interdisciplinary teams have had to be assembled and held together for this purpose, their complementary skills and insights needing to be patiently honed until they fit together and achieve their full potential. Standing out today as monuments of humanistic research among many examples of Institute programs that share the common quality of perhaps having seemed to belong in that hopelessly visionary category at the outset, are the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary and the Epigraphic Survey. A number of splendid archaeological projects are illustrations of another kind. They have led the way in combining new questions with exacting new methods, and hence in transcending narrow descriptions of artifacts and architecture in order to come to grips with ancient institutions, life-ways, and environments.
Taking a long view is a trademark of the humanities. Asking great questions frequently requires team efforts like these, but even more commonly it tends to demand one or more academic lifetimes. There is a danger of intellectual fragmentation and obsolescence in that kind of single-minded devotion, to which the Institute needs to be attentive. But I must concede that greater danger almost certainly lies in the opposite direction. Today consensus is all the rage. Come to an agreement, impose a compromise, don't be caught for long in a minority position as its numbers dwindle, and move on. Never look back. That may be largely because research funding could not keep pace as needs for expensive research apparatus have soared and as the ranks of researchers have multiplied. Dozens and sometimes even hundreds of specialists collaborate on a single project at a great particle accelerator like Fermilab. Here at the Oriental Institute I can only hope you will be able to maintain a proper, long-term balance of individual and team efforts. It has been an important source of your success.
And let there be no mistake: the success has been extraordinary. This body of scholars has cast as long a shadow across the whole length of its field, and for a far longer time, than any comparable institution I can think of in any field. Paradoxically, in view of the vigorous individuality of the views of its faculty, the mark its reputation has left has been on the whole a very consistent one. Not all the qualities that are almost universally associated with the Oriental Institute are without some countervailing drawbacks, but the balance of attributes unquestionably identifies a truly remarkable edifice of scholarship:
- unhurried perfectionism-sometimes with a lot of stress, to be sure, on the unhurried part;
- accompanying this, or perhaps explaining it, is the sense that getting the details of a particular transliteration, translation, or interpretation right, with full mastery of all of the variant readings and parallel occurrences, comes overridingly first-not only before, but often even to the exclusion of, drawing a more inclusive, synthetic, but to that degree also more speculative picture;
- a penchant for the pursuit of primary data, especially through a continuing commitment to fieldwork long after most colleagues elsewhere have settled into a sedentary middle age (the splendid example of the Braidwoods!);
- a respect, even a reverence, for traditional learning of the kind of encyclopedic, truly penetrating knowledge that in the humanities is, on the whole, correlated with-indeed, almost synonymous with-years of dedicated study and hence also age (I acknowledge the tolerance of a great university in repeatedly agreeing, during my own tenure here, to break every rule in order to keep on the active roles a Benno Landsberger, an Arnaldo Momigliano, and many others); and, finally,
- to reemphasize a point made earlier, a quality as unique as it is crucial in the humanities, a commitment to, even a reverence for, the long-term, truly monumental undertaking that lies entirely beyond the capabilities-I am tempted to say, even the imagination-of the Oriental Institute's institutional contemporaries in this country.
This stress on the long-term aspect of truly great humanistic scholarship-perhaps even most scholarship in every field-is crucial. Yet I regret to say that is something that may be slipping away from us, with insufficient notice being taken by public bodies of what is at risk of being lost. As the great American research universities find their freedom of action eroded by increasing cost pressures from every direction, there is less and less that they can sustain on their own initiative. All of them are finding they must rely on the National Science Foundation, and the now seriously endangered National Endowments for the Humanities and the Arts, for an evermore decisive share of the support needed for their faculties' research.
Peer review, competitive peer pressure in assessing not merely the quality but the priority of research programs, is the principle on which those great national programs have to be based. This is an indispensable principle for any competition among heterogeneous scholarly competitors. As the process has been conducted and refined for two generations and more, it deserves as spirited a defense as universities can give it. But it has one fundamental drawback, a tendency to overvalue novelty under the rationale that only the novel can constitute the "cutting edge" of worthwhile discovery.
The federal government finds other ways to provide long-term support for mega-projects-the great accelerators like Fermilab, the mapping of the human genome, the indefinitely extended pursuit of fusion power. But most of academic science, and all of the humanities, are not on this scale. There is some real danger that too large a share of our most vital research, and our best researchers, will succumb to a drift toward shallowness of time-perspective as these pressures intensify.
I have had many occasions to reflect on this during my last decade in Washington. In most respects, the Smithsonian is a very different kind of institution than a research university. On the National Mall in Washington, in effect the U.S. National (complex of) Museums, it is directly and continuously embedded in American life. There is no filter on the constituencies who participate, comparable to the screening that goes on during the matriculation process that defines the standards of admission to a university community. Everybody is free to enter, and indeed welcomed. Every taxpaying citizen can even claim a sense of sharing is its proprietorship-and many do!
The Smithsonian has a primary, direct responsibility for speaking to, and of, this country's diverse cultural as well as scientific composition and traditions, and if people disagree with the way we are doing it we hear from them. Most important, it is much more difficult for the Smithsonian to maintain a stance of scholarly detachment from the immediate demands of our currently polarized political and cultural processes.
But fortunately, there is another side to the coin, a respect in which the comparison with the Oriental Institute becomes more operative. There are a number of first-rate Smithsonian research programs that receive little public attention because their audience typically numbers in the thousands rather than the millions. Yet in a few key areas the Smithsonian has found a way to share with the Oriental Institute the capability for really long-term, committed scholarship. This is true, for example, of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, its laboratories maintained jointly with Harvard University in Cambridge, and its instruments in Arizona-and, soon to open, Hawaii. Or the multidisciplinary Tropical Research Institute in Panama, the greatest of its kind in the world. Or of fundamental work in systematic biology at the National Museum of Natural History, carried out on upper floors while vast crowds mill through the exhibits below. And in our art and history museums as well.
This matter of long-term commitments that are needed to study giant, slow-moving processes-in cosmology, in evolutionary biology, and in human affairs as well-is not one to be passed over lightly. La longue durée has become a watchword for archaeologists as well as historians. In field after field, the lament is heard that scholarship today tends to come in smaller and smaller bites-not only more specialized but foreshortened in scope, ambition, imagination, and synthetic power. To take just the ancient Near Eastern field, I had the pleasure of participating not long ago in a conference on the centenary of William F. Albright's birth, and was struck by the pessimistic tone that was repeatedly and independently sounded in a whole succession of papers: "… a barren theoretical moment"; "… no secret that ancient Near Eastern studies are in danger in American universities"; "… Why this avoidance of interpretation? … Where are the grand designs? Where are the synthetic thinkers?"
I tend to think there is a kind of Gresham's Law operating here, the one that tells us bad money drives out good. Short-term, quickly and neatly completed undertakings, "normal science" in Thomas Kuhn's sense, in the mainstream of their disciplines, are not bad money, to be sure. But in any consensual view that is reached by those who are constrained to carry out these kinds of undertakings only, such proposals have an inordinate rate of success. In a world of scarce resources, that success is at the expense of others whose visionary qualities offer greater prospects of altering our fundamental understandings, but which are correspondingly more needful of long-term support and less assured of immediate success.
Yet it is also true that, in a time of chronically declining resources and soaring needs, a field of scholarship cannot succeed against other claimants by narrowing its reach and influence-by preaching only to declining numbers of the converted. From that perspective, I would like to urge that there is a place for a greater effort to identify-and for a wider audience-the significance of the past for the present. In the present climate of budgetary deficits and resource constraints, it is difficult for me to see how, otherwise, we can prevent the study of ancient Near Eastern civilizations from simply beginning to wither.
This is not a matter of offering a commentary on the massive sea-changes in institutions and relationships that are going all around us today. The University of Chicago is amply provided with other scholars who make this their primary business. But there is room for a greater effort to allow people to see that there was more to the ancient past than the production of timeless artistic monuments that can be left by and large to speak for themselves.
Consider the enormous changes that have gone on in a single generation in the role of women in this society. Was the ancient Near East as totally, almost stereotypically, different as the textbooks usually describe it? What and how do we know about real gender differences-and more importantly, the variability that went on around those norms-in status, role, and behavior? What are the limitations of our sources on the subject?
Or again, consider the tremendous importance we are currently attributing to ethnic and group identities. Has it always been thus? What are the classic problems when elements of human individuality are forced into the straitjacketed stereotypes of group identities? I, personally, will never forget the evocative power of Momigliano's discussions here in this university of the mutual perceptions of Greeks and Jews and Persians as an introduction to the common humanity of Ancients and Moderns.
One could go on at length in this vein-as, indeed, did some of our distinguished forerunners in this venerable institution. What were visions of the Good Life? What were the torments of the Righteous Sufferer? How did the defeated, or the merely wretched, impoverished, and enslaved, apprehend the hierarchies of power, and often the tyranny, from which they generally could not escape? With what resignation or anguish did they come to terms with illness and death? How far, from the other direction, was the written corpus manipulated as a mechanism of social control (as Mario Liverani argues may have happened unconsciously earlier, but by Old Babylonian times may have become a self-conscious intention)?
My sense is that, if we look back with any honesty at the discussions of these and similar themes that were almost an obligatory part of general works on the ancient Near East of, say, two generations ago, we will find ourselves at least faintly uncomfortable. We are no longer so accepting of narrow moral rectitude and prudishness, of a resort to comfortable platitudes. From another direction, we are also more aware of the obscurities, ambiguities, and imperfections of all communications systems that distort or interrupt the purportedly smooth sequence as thought is translated into message, as that is transmitted, received, and interpreted, and as the instruction or intention is finally reflected in some consequent action or response. Our own experience in the world as we know it brings us continuously face to face with such complexity and diversity that we are enmeshed in impossible contradictions of thought and behavior to which those older precepts provide no adequate guide, or even compass. But still more troubling is the fact that today it has become so rare even to try to look at the past in terms of present sensitivities.
The Smithsonian counts some twenty-eight million visitors a year as they enter the doors of its fifteen museums, at our best guess some nine million or so individuals each making several such entries. We know something about visitors, and about how their attitudes are changing. One thing we know is that the public no longer takes the authority of specialists for granted. Now partly, this is a destructive attitude-a corrosive suspicion of all knowledge and of the fruits of education and disciplined work. But it is also partly a valid reflection of the advance of knowledge itself. It is an advance that has brought us face to face with the reflexive as well as contingent character of all of the methods we use and the assumptions we make and the fragile structures of hypothesis we erect on "facts" that for a time we treat as both solid and significant.
Skepticism is the order of the day among modern museum-goers. How do you know that? What are your own biases? Why do you give so much emphasis to such-and-such, and not to the more basic questions that disturb and interest viewers like me? Why can't a museum be a place of dialogue, a forum for the asking of questions and the exchange of views rather than a temple where we can only silently read your ex cathedra pronouncements on your exhibit labels? In archaeology and ancient history, of all subjects, where the empirical base for virtually everything you are telling us is so slender, why can't we learn more about how contingent knowledge is produced, and challenged, and changed?
We must continue to emphasize, in other words, that the Oriental Institute is a museum as well as a research institute. For there to be an effective dialogue with the past, the two functions should be seen as elements in a common design and certainly not be fashioned in isolation from one another. Both are repositories of treasures that can speak to the world. But we should not be surprised or disappointed if, at least in the first instance, the messages the world receives are not the same as the messages we think we are transmitting.
Another issue on which present sensitivities would suggest that more can be said is the environment. We are preoccupied, of course, with the fateful, disturbing place that we humans now occupy in it. Natural resources are not really natural at all, as Carl Sauer once said: they are cultural appraisals. The same is true of the whole, complex ecosystems in which we insert ourselves, then belatedly becoming conscious of the effects of our having done so. What were the selective ways in which the ancients perceived, and used, and misused, both the resources and the larger settings of their environments? We can dispose at once of the idea that the world of the past was benign, and that all that is shortsighted, destructive, and predatory is recent. Then and only then will this aspect of the past begin to live for us.
A special function of studies of the ancient Near East, it seems to me, involves the contribution it can make to the general standards of education of our time. We live in a society that exhibits an absolutely alarming sense of indifference or amnesia even about its own recent past. There is a casual preference for irresponsible myth-making rather than for the rigors and inevitable ambiguities of critical history. Questions of change and continuity are manipulated for partisan ends today, not systematically-and often not honestly-addressed. Looking to the remote past, and especially to a past where continuities were taken on faith even as the content within them may have undergone change without people having recognized the changes, can make a contribution here. It is a way, I would hope, to reawaken an interest in the more responsible study of our own past-not only how it continues to shape our own perceptions, aspirations, and actions, but also how we continuously reshape its meaning.
Revised: July 30, 2007
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