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Nothing about Us Without Us: Developing Innovative Technologies For, By, and with Disabled Persons by David Werner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In my search for books about people with disabilities, I came across this, which focuses on physical disabilities. I work with individuals who have intellectual disabilities, but I've heard the phrase this book is named after. I found this guide to have a lot of helpful things to say about the attitudes and approaches to disabilities, and a lot of insight into how different they are in other settings.
Nothing About Us Without Us is about a program in Mexico called PROJIMO, where assistive devices are made for people with physical disabilities. It discusses the various barriers to the use of devices for many of the people they serve, and how they address those issues. The devices are fitted carefully, both to make sure they're doing what they should, and to make sure they'll function in people's everyday lives. The author points out several times that refusal to use a device has many other reasons, other than that the person is simply being stubborn or proud, and addressing the real reason often leads to an improvement in the person's life.
Another lesson learned within the text is of the strength-based approach, where a rehabilitation worker focuses on what a person can do, rather than on the disability. Most of the workers who make items in the PROJIMO workshop are, themselves, disabled, which leads them to insight about why a tool may not be working as well as those who don't use it may want it to. It also helps the people being fitted for devices gain confidence, seeing others like them able to lead full and rich lives thanks to their innovations.
The last section of the book discusses how a disabled child's peers might help that child learn and grow and manage the disability. It discusses the home for young women with intellectual disabilities being tapped to provide daycare services for a severely understaffed state-run home for children with physical disabilities. It shows how young people often bond during their time at PROJIMO, and both benefit from their partnership. It gives an example of a young man feeling needed for the first time in his life because he has the strength to push people's wheelchairs. And it discusses children with no disabilities delightedly playing with their friends to help teach them games that will straighten their limbs or add muscle where they need it.
The book's terminology is sometimes outdated, and it doesn't consistently use people-first phrasing ("a person with a disability" as opposed to "a disabled person"). Some of the words chosen in the text may offend.
Overall, though, I found this an insightful guide into why First World solutions don't work in all settings, and of the unique problems with disabilities facing certain communities. After reading this book, I would strongly advocate that organizations who wish to help people in other settings with disabilities empower their communities to help, instead of stepping in to throw solutions at a problem they may not fully understand.
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Monday, May 27, 2013
Review: The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I consider myself a fan of Jasper Fforde's. I've now read everything he's published in the US, and I've enjoyed rather a lot of it. I like his weird worlds, his twists on reality that are almost plausible, and I like his sense of humor. This being a whole new series, I wasn't sure what to expect. I wound up liking it, though, and plan to read more.
The Last Dragonslayer is about Jennifer Strange, who's (almost) 16 and is a foundling in a world where magic exists. She runs an agency of magic users in the absence of the manager, who vanished in a magical accident. Her replacement, Tiger Prawns, arrives, and through his eyes we learn of the odd world Jennifer lives in, where there's one surviving dragon and magic has been steadily dwindling for years. Then, all of the world's precogs (seers and psychics, basically) have a vision of the world's last dragon dying, and millions of people converge on the dragon's territory hoping to grab a piece of land when the barrier keeping people out drops.
Jennifer is confused for two-thirds of the book, and, because the book is in first-person, that means the reader is, too. She pieces together the puzzle slowly, but all isn't revealed until the very last chapter. The action of the last third makes up for a lot of the confusion of the earlier sections.
I wondered, for most of the book, why the protagonist was female. She has a lot of traditionally masculine traits, and romance never comes into the equation. It would be a spoiler to say why I felt this choice was a masterful one, in the end.
Jennifer is a flawed hero. She takes on too much, says the wrong things at the wrong time, and often trusts the wrong people. She muddles through a lot of the plot, and she lets her anger get the better of her judgment more than once. She also has agency, sensitivity, and a strong sense of who she is.
This book has a lot less of the quirky humor I've come to enjoy in Jasper Fforde's books. There were some jabs here and there, but the book's tone is mostly serious.
It also lacks a lot of the YA trappings, though it is a YA book. There's no bad language or sex. But then, I don't recall a lot in Fforde's other novels. The biggest thing that marks this as YA is the age of the protagonist.
I listened to this book on audio. For the most part, Elizabeth Jasicki's narration was good and clear, and she sounded like a teenage girl. But, narrating dialogue, she often drawled, whispered, or did some combination of the two that quickly became grating. If she narrates the next books, I do hope she finds a better way of narrating dialogue.
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My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I consider myself a fan of Jasper Fforde's. I've now read everything he's published in the US, and I've enjoyed rather a lot of it. I like his weird worlds, his twists on reality that are almost plausible, and I like his sense of humor. This being a whole new series, I wasn't sure what to expect. I wound up liking it, though, and plan to read more.
The Last Dragonslayer is about Jennifer Strange, who's (almost) 16 and is a foundling in a world where magic exists. She runs an agency of magic users in the absence of the manager, who vanished in a magical accident. Her replacement, Tiger Prawns, arrives, and through his eyes we learn of the odd world Jennifer lives in, where there's one surviving dragon and magic has been steadily dwindling for years. Then, all of the world's precogs (seers and psychics, basically) have a vision of the world's last dragon dying, and millions of people converge on the dragon's territory hoping to grab a piece of land when the barrier keeping people out drops.
Jennifer is confused for two-thirds of the book, and, because the book is in first-person, that means the reader is, too. She pieces together the puzzle slowly, but all isn't revealed until the very last chapter. The action of the last third makes up for a lot of the confusion of the earlier sections.
I wondered, for most of the book, why the protagonist was female. She has a lot of traditionally masculine traits, and romance never comes into the equation. It would be a spoiler to say why I felt this choice was a masterful one, in the end.
Jennifer is a flawed hero. She takes on too much, says the wrong things at the wrong time, and often trusts the wrong people. She muddles through a lot of the plot, and she lets her anger get the better of her judgment more than once. She also has agency, sensitivity, and a strong sense of who she is.
This book has a lot less of the quirky humor I've come to enjoy in Jasper Fforde's books. There were some jabs here and there, but the book's tone is mostly serious.
It also lacks a lot of the YA trappings, though it is a YA book. There's no bad language or sex. But then, I don't recall a lot in Fforde's other novels. The biggest thing that marks this as YA is the age of the protagonist.
I listened to this book on audio. For the most part, Elizabeth Jasicki's narration was good and clear, and she sounded like a teenage girl. But, narrating dialogue, she often drawled, whispered, or did some combination of the two that quickly became grating. If she narrates the next books, I do hope she finds a better way of narrating dialogue.
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Sunday, May 19, 2013
Review: Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer trilogy #1) by Robin Hobb
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I decided to try out Calico's Dares with this book. Once again, I'm left wondering what's wrong with me, that I dislike a book other people are gushing with praise over.
Assassin's Apprentice follows a Prince's bastard (through first-person perspective, no less) through his first decade or so of life in a fantasy world. Magic is a talent that mostly royalty and the upper classes possess. If the lower classes have it, it's shameful and something to be avoided or feared.
Fitz, as the narrative calls him (we learn about halfway through that his full name is FitzChivalry Farseer) comes to the king's keep when he's six. He doesn't remember his life before then. He's handed over to the care of his supposed father's servant and carer of horses, hounds, and hawks, Burrich. Though the resemblance between Fitz and Prince Chivalry is unmistakable, no one dares legitimize it. And Fitz grows up, learns to read and to poison people, tries to learn magic and fails, makes friends and loses them, and deals with political machinations.
The world is extremely well-developed. I got the feeling there's a lot more going on in the world than in Fitz's small corner of it. The fantasy elements weren't merely plugged in to serve as fantasy backdrop. It really felt like an organic world that could've evolved in tandem with its magical elements.
Unfortunately, very little is left to implication or hints in the worldbuilding. Fitz's scope of knowledge is too grand, and he crams that all into his story. He's often privy to conversations that make no sense to him, but that he recounts word for word, nonetheless. They turn out to have strong portents later, or they serve to fill in information he doesn't know, but it dragged the story down. I could've done with a lot more summarizing and glossing over.
The book is very light on the action. There are precisely two events with any narrative tension in them, and, for the first, I couldn't understand what the big hurry was, or what he was supposed to do when he got there. It serves to later help him make it home safely from some silly test, but, other than that, I was mystified as to its inclusion.
Had the majority of the book been taken up by the journey to the mountains, I think I would've enjoyed it a lot more. I liked the society we found there, especially the royal family, and I felt like the book finally came alive then. But, that was a small portion of the overall story.
Mostly, this book felt like it was building up to the rest of the story. I do understand that this is the first book in a trilogy, but it failed to draw me in to the rest of the story. It felt too much like we were being held back just so we wouldn't get to the interesting part yet that it sucked all the tension out. I wanted to be done with reading this book, and not because I cared what happened.
I listened to this book on audio, narrated by Paul Boehmer. He also narrated The Way of Shadows, another book about a fantasy assassin I didn't much care for, which may have colored my perception of this book. I had no complaints about his reading, though his pace often felt plodding. I couldn't tell you if that was because of the narrative or if he was reading too slowly.
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Monday, May 13, 2013
Review: Sweet Poison Wine (InCryptid #0.5) by Seanan McGuire.
Sweet Poison Wine by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another InCryptid prequel tale, the fifth in Frances (Brown) and Jonathan Healy's interesting life together. As with three of the previous stories, this is available for download free on the the author's website.
In this installment, Fran and Jonathan are happily married, and spending their honeymoon in Chicago. Because this is a world steeped in cryptid worldbuilding, though, leaving Jonathan's hometown doesn't mean there are no cryptids. The mice only put in a short appearance, but they're there in spirit. Jonathan and Fran's hotel is run by lesser gorgons, and they rescue a man from hungry freshwater sea hags. They're drawn into moonshine and liquor smuggling circles, and, as with all good trials, grow closer and learn things about one another.
As with previous installments, I felt like I was missing out on something, not having read "Flower of Arizona" in Westward Weird, which I plan to remedy as soon as my TBR pile will let me. But the entire story is there, and this is the most dynamic and interesting of the installments. It had the most opportunities for banter, and I felt like this best highlighted the relationship between the newlywed Healys.
One needn't have read the previous InCryptid books for this to make sense. It may save you the heartbreak, actually, of knowing their eventual fate. These stories are a lovely way to remember these characters.
Seanan McGuire has written on her blog that she'll write more InCryptid short stories, which is delightful news. I so enjoy these glimpses into the Price/Healy family past.
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Sunday, May 12, 2013
Review: Married in Green (InCryptid #0.4) by Seanan McGuire
Married in Green by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the fourth InCryptid short story, available for free on the author's website. (The first is part of the Westward Weird anthology, and therefore unavailable.) The stories cover the courtship of Frances Brown and Jonathan Healy, the great-grandparents of the current generation of Price children, whose story is told in the InCryptid books. (So far, that comprises Discount Armageddon and Midnight Blue-Light Special, but there are more on the way.)
This is about Jonathan and Fran's wedding. Fran is very pregnant, and Jonathan has invited her circus family to attend and provide the facility in which they'll be married. But Fran's friend reads her cards, spelling a short life ahead if Fran goes ahead with it.
There's little question about whether she'll marry Jonathan. She's already made up her mind in "No Place Like Home," and any InCryptid reader knows what happens to these two. Still, it's fun to get a closer look at these characters and what went through their minds in their day-to-day living. And any excuse for the mice to celebrate and meet another outsider is a good one.
I'm glad these are available to read. I look forward to more.
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Review: Enchanted: Erotic Bedtime Stories for Women by Nancy Madore
Enchanted: Erotic Bedtime Stories For Women by Nancy Madore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a collection of fairy tales with an erotic spin. The author states in the foreword that she deliberately framed them as common female fantasies, which sets it apart somewhat from other such collections. Overall, it has hits and misses, and is ultimately repetitive and forgettable.
"Beauty and the Beast" posits that Beauty prefers the Beast to his human form, because the Beast is more enthusiastic and well-hung. (It also contains the cringe-worthy, "It's not going to fit!" nonsense.)
"Bluebeard" has a room full of S&M delights, and the wife is punished for her curiosity, but not with her life. The BDSM is actually rather tame.
"Cat and Mouse" has the two protagonists competing in a series of contests, with the final stakes being that Mouse has to marry Cat if she begs him to have sex with her. Many other readers have singled this out as their favorite, but I was rolling my eyes too hard to enjoy it.
"Cinderella" catches up with the princess after she's married, and the fairy godmother has given her magical sneakers that motivate her to pursue what she wants instead of sitting passively by.
"East of the Sun and West of the Moon" seemed the most seamless of the tales; I couldn't remember why the hero of the story had to work so hard to hide himself, if he wasn't sleeping with the heroine. The premise of her working her way through a room of 100 suitors to find her true love was an intriguing one, too.
I was glad "Goldilocks and the Three Barons" changed the species of the homeowners Goldilocks breaks in on, and the story just begged for another too hard/too soft/just right line. It was a creative take.
"Mirror on the Wall" is the first of two Snow White adaptations, this one with the premise there's a spell on the land that makes only artificial beauty seem attractive. Unfortunately, there's a level of detachment in the story that made it difficult to connect to the characters.
"Mrs. Fox" is about a pair of wives who plot to trick their husbands and swap for one night, and they wind up valuing their own husbands all the more for it (though they also have fun).
"Snow White in the Woods" is the second Snow White tale, and this one has the seven dwarfs transformed into princes with a kiss. Snow White can't choose between them, so they don't make her choose.
"The Empress's New Clothes" involves an exhibitionist empress and her clever husband, who commissions a device to allow her to show off all she likes without risking her political career.
"The Goose Girl" changes the relationship between the princess and the maid so that they're in love with one another, and the maid repents for her betrayal by the end of the story. It's a very different kind of happily ever after, and I think it was an improvement over the original tale.
"The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing" has a woman dressing up as a prostitute for her husband, and being treated accordingly. This is the weakest story in the collection, both for the wife's musings about the role of women in society, and the impassive narration.
"The Ugly Duckling" is the least erotic of the stories in the collection, but one of the most enjoyable. Instead of growing into a beautiful swan, the ugly duckling finds a husband who loves her, and winds up happier than the sisters who set out to exploit their beauty.
While the collection does have its high points, I found it overall repetitive, with little variations in the sex scenes. It's entertaining enough, but I can't see myself rereading it.
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Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book has generated a lot of buzz. I usually steer clear of books everyone's talking about, because I tend to intensely dislike books everyone likes. In this case, though, I saw it wasn't universally liked, so I thought it was worth a shot. I'm not sure if I'm glad I read it, but I did get a lot out of it.
Gone Girl is about Nick and Amy Dunne, a married couple about to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary in North Carthage, Missouri, when Amy vanishes from their home. They met in New York City, but moved back to Missouri to be near Nick's ailing mother after Nick and Amy were laid off. Nick blames the internet for the loss of his print journalism job, while Amy seems to be making the most of it. If you go by what's on the surface, anyway.
But of the many themes in this book, the strongest is that you can't trust what's on the surface. It explores the notion that we don't really know one another, and how much of a risk we take when we devote our lives to another person. Nick, it turns out, is selfish and immature and unable to communicate, while Amy is manipulative and toxic. It occurred to me about halfway through the book that these two were meant for each other, and not in a good way.
Within Nick's perspective sections, we're treated to some additional themes about the changing American landscape, misogyny, inheriting the sins of one's parents, and of the best self brought about through strife. Through Amy, we get some commentary about masks and personas, feminism (though her use of feminism only serves her as far as it creates a convenient narrative), and power plays.
What a lot of other reviewers seem unaware of is that both narrators are unreliable, in their own ways. Nick desperately wants the reader to like him, so he explains his actions away to the very end. Amy wants the reader to see how smart and superior she is, so even her emotionally driven choices are justified with philosophical underpinnings. It's a story about masks, so of course the main characters continue to wear masks throughout the book.
I liked neither of the main characters by the end, but I was driven to find out what happens to them. I hoped for a comeuppance, while waiting for certain plot seeds to come to fruition. Gillian Flynn writes cleanly; all of the twists and turns in the narrative are telegraphed well ahead of time.
The ending hit me pretty hard. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was what the narrative called for. It took me a few hours to even figure out if I'd liked it. It certainly wasn't uplifting.
I listened to this book on audio, narrated by Kirby Heyborne and Julia Whelan. It's interesting how their impressions of other characters' voices sounded so similar, and their impressions of the other character's speaking voice even sounded like the other voice actor. That's difficult to pull off in a collaborative audio book, and I thought they did it pretty seamlessly.
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Review: Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages by Dean Koontz
Oddkins: A Fable for All Ages by Dean R. Koontz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I first read Oddkins when I was a kid. I don't remember exactly how old I was, but I must've been at least ten. I remember being frightened, but also very impressed, and absolutely enamored of the illustrations. So, when I saw it was available on Kindle, I picked it up without hesitation.
Oddkins is about a group of stuffed animals who have to go on a journey to find the new toymaker. There are toys bent on stopping them so the toy workshop will go to the forces of evil, instead. Meanwhile, the nephew of the former toymaker and current owner of the workshop spots the animated toys, and is also chasing them to find out of they're real.
The illustrations in the story are lovely, and I recommend the full color versions, if you have a device that can support it. The story, itself, is full of dangers and tension, though the dialogue often sounds wooden or contrived.
Oddkins is written as a middle grade novel, which can make its target age hard to pinpoint. It's too mature for 8-year-olds; it starts with a death, and its references to The Dark One, violent toys, and Nick Jagg are a bit much for that audience. Its use of sentient stuffed animals as the protagonists and a storybook tone makes it a hard sell for the preteen crowd. I would advise any parents considering giving this to their kids read it first and make the call about whether it's too mature or scary. It could be an excellent bedtime story to read to your kids, provided you help your kids understand that it's just a story, and their toys aren't going to come to life to hurt them.
Nostalgia value counts for a lot, and I'm sure I like this as much as I do because I loved it when it first came out. I'm very forgiving of the flaws, and I honestly can't tell if the plot is predictable or I just remembered it that well. If this was a part of your childhood, it may well be worth the investment. If it wasn't, though, I wouldn't blame you one bit for skipping it.
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Monday, May 6, 2013
Review: Erase Me (Positron #3) by Margaret Atwood
Erase Me by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the third installment of the Positron serial story by Margaret Atwood. I'm told there's supposed to be another, but I haven't found any solid details, so I'm left just crossing my fingers. While this was a good episode of an overall serial, it felt incomplete.
This episode has Stan returning to the Consilience prison, where people struggling with crippling debt have sold themselves into a lifetime of living for one month in prison, one month with the illusion of freedom in a gated, self-sustaining community, throughout the year. Stan has found a loophole. Or, rather, his captor has. She works for security, and she's disillusioned with the system. So she's going to free Stan entirely by making it look like he died. At the hands of his cheating wife.
Stan has a good amount of uncertainty in the plan, and Charmaine's heartfelt breakdown over what she has to do is memorable. We're very much with Stan and Charmaine in this installment, where before readers might have felt distanced from their activities.
The parallels to 1984 seem a lot more pronounced in this installment than in the last two. Even some of the language spouted by the spokesman for Positron sounds Big Brotherly.
I hope there's more to the story. Because, while this does resolve the immediate conflict in a satisfying way, I still have a lot of questions about the overall picture. I'll be watching for news of another planned installment.
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Sunday, May 5, 2013
Review: Choke Collar (Positron #2) by Margaret Atwood
Choke Collar by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the second episode in Margaret Atwood's serialized Positron story, about a near-future society where people willingly go to prison to get out of their crippling debt.
Where we last left off, Stan was fantasizing about the sexy note he found under his fridge. He assumes it's written by the woman who lives in the house he shares six months of the year, alternating, with another married couple who have also signed up for the Positron program. He was wrong, and he now finds himself forced to reenact the recorded encounters between his wife and her husband. His cheating wife, meanwhile, is stuck in the prison for an awfully long time, and demoted to laundry folding, to boot.
All is not as it seems, neither in the prison nor Stan's house. He gets a glimpse at a little more of the picture. Any reader, meanwhile, might see shades of 1984 in the world Atwood is positing.
Having read
In Other Worlds
has enhanced my appreciation of this serial novel, but it's not necessary. It clarifies some of the concepts and gets into Atwood's head a bit.
I was glad I picked up the third episode for my Kindle before I started reading this, because the cliffhanger was almost more than I could take.
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Review: Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism by Temple Grandin and Kate Duffy
Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism by Temple Grandin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
For my day job, I help people with disabilities maintain jobs in the community. Some of my co-workers, meanwhile, match people to jobs and try to get them those jobs. We serve a few people with an autism diagnosis, so I thought this might help as a resource. It contains a lot of perspectives I hadn't considered before, and is absolutely packed with vocational information, for such a short book.
Temple Grandin is best known for her autism diagnosis, either because you've seen her HBO-produced movie where she's played by Claire Danes, or because you've read about her in Oliver Sacks' Anthropologist on Mars. She's also a brilliant woman, and has served as something of a translator between the neurotypical and autistic brain.
This book is mostly addressed toward those with mild autism: questions to ask oneself about learning style, talents, and things to start thinking about. The book is divided into short sections about preparing oneself for the working world in various ways, and pointing out factors many neurotypicals take for granted. People with intellectual disabilities aren't prepped for a career the way neurotypicals are, or at least they weren't when Grandin was writing the book a decade ago.
The final section includes details about various professions, including the training and skills needed, how to prepare, and accommodations that may be necessary. Each career is explained through a person who works in that field. I was rather surprised to find that I knew one of the people discussed in that section, and not through my job, but from childhood.
This book seems like it might be useful, especially for kids with a mild autism diagnosis who are in middle school or just entering high school, or for their parents. It raises a lot of good questions to think about when preparing for the wider world, and anyone equipped with this information early on would have a greater shot at success. It discusses a lot of factors I've seen in my capacity as job coach, but it also brings up a lot of things I hadn't thought of. I was glad I read it.
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Review: The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination: Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius, edited by John Joseph Adams
The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination: Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius by John Joseph Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Once again, I've read an anthology, and come away with a mixed impression of the overall work. I loved the story I bought the anthology to read, and it was worth the cost of the book, but not all of the stories stacked up to that one. Here are my impressions of each, in the order they appear in the anthology:
"Professor Incognito Apologizes: an Itemized List" by Austin Grossman
I already knew Grossman could write mad geniuses, having loved his Soon I Will Be Invincible when I read it a couple of years ago. This is told in the form of a letter to the mad scientist's girlfriend, who has stumbled across his lair and discovered his secret identity. 5/5 stars.
"Father of the Groom" by Harry Turtledove
Mad scientist father turns the blushing bride into a literal bridezilla, wreaking havoc on the mall and surrounding suburbs. The men are clever, misunderstood geniuses, while the women are shallow airheads. Sigh. 2/5 stars.
"Laughter at the Academy" by Seanan McGuire
This is the story I bought the anthology for, and, as I said above, it was worth the cost of the book. I read it right before bed, though, which I don't recommend. I had bizarre and vivid dreams. In this, being a mad scientist is about whether one has a mental illness, and this latent tendency is being triggered all over the country by a very clever psychological scientist. 5/5 stars.
"Letter to the Editor" by David D. Levine
A mad scientist has a justification for his evil acts, and writes to tell the media. Creative take, and entertaining. 4/5 stars.
"Instead of a Loving Heart" by Jeremiah Tolbert
The AI trapped inside an ailing robot body has no choice but to do as his master instructs. Does it care what happens to the human race? Or does it have a soul? Typical of a sentient robot story, but I enjoyed it. 4/5 stars.
"The Executor" by Daniel H. Wilson
A mad scientist sets up an impossible test one has to solve before one can inherit his outrageous fortune. Generations later, the family is at one another's throats, still vying for the inheritance, which has grown. A man outside the family squabbles gives it a shot, so his infant daughter will live. Confusing narrative, but I liked the ending. 3/5 stars.
"The Angel of Death Has a Business Plan" by Heather Lindsley
An evil villain makes ends meet by coaching would-be supervillains on their monologues, costumes, and confidence. I liked how smart the character was, and the resolution had me grinning. 5/5 stars.
"Homo Perfectus" by David Farland
A scientist engineers himself to be the perfect man, and tries to find the perfect mate. His chosen candidate is dosed with pheromones, rohypnol, and some other inhibition-lowering substance, wherein she's reduced to a panting, begging animal, and he's too disgusted with her to take advantage. This story made my skin crawl. Creepy and gross. 1/5 stars.
"Ancient Equations" by L. A. Banks
A lonely mad scientist discovers where math and magic intersect, and summons an ancient goddess. Gets exactly what he bargained for. The dark-skinned goddess's use of ebonics wasn't appreciated, nor was her falling in line with the lusty, low-moral stereotype. I liked her attitude, but not the racial stereotypes. 3/5 stars.
"Rural Singularity" by Alan Dean Foster
A reporter goes to New Mexico to investigate a claim of a living two-headed chicken, and discovers a scarily precocious child. As he's planning how he might exploit his discovery, he makes one slip. Disturbing, in a good way. 4/5 stars.
"Captain Justice Saves the Day" by Genevieve Valentine
Tales of a mad scientist's assistant. At the end of the day, everyone has bills to pay. But one doesn't always have to perform one's job at 100%. Brenda's resourcefulness made me chuckle. 5/5 stars.
"The Space Between" by Diana Gabaldon
The longest selection in the anthology, and not worth the pages. If you're a fan of the Outlander series, you'll enjoy this one. I found it pointless, overwrought, and oversexed. 2/5 stars.
"Harry and Marlowe Meet the Founder of the Aetherian Revolution" by Carrie Vaughn
The spunky granddaughter of Queen Victoria investigates a steampunk mad scientist. It had all the elements of a story that should appeal, but it somehow fell flat. Maybe I was still mad about "The Space Between" when I read it. 3/5 stars.
"Blood and Stardust" by Laird Barron
A woman cobbled together by a mad scientist betrays her maker, for very good reason. She's clever, but the story didn't leave me with an overall positive impression. 3/5 stars.
"A More Perfect Union" by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
Mad scientist specializing in political genius helps a promising candidate move up in the world. Forgettable story, and it felt significantly padded. 2/5 stars.
"Rocks Fall" by Naomi Novik
A lower-rung superhero meets an infamous supervillain, and they have a chat while waiting to be rescued. The mad scientist comes off as far more sympathetic than in any of the other stories in this anthology. Good characterization, and even a little touching. 5/5 stars.
"We Interrupt This Broadcast" by Mary Robinette Kowal
Post-WWII mad scientist is dying of TB, and is taking out Washington, DC before he goes using the primitive punchcard computers of his time. Doesn't want his lovely assistant to know he's dying, because he's in love with her. Bittersweet. 4/5 stars.
"The Last Dignity of Man" by Marjorie M. Liu
Alexander Luthor in a world without superheroes, who wants desperately to be the comic book villain so a Superman will emerge. The only story in this anthology with a gay protagonist, and he's sympathetic and redeemable, at that. Entertaining, but excessively gross in parts. 4/5 stars.
"Pittsburg Technology" by Jeffrey Ford
A disturbing little tale about signing up for one minor change in one's life to create a cascade effect that turns one's life around. But, if you're looking for that little change, you can ruin everything. Intriguing concept. 4/5 stars.
"Mofongo Knows" by Grady Hendrix
Supergenius ape foiled by his nemesis is a sideshow attraction in modern America. What happens when his nemesis is no longer around to keep him in check. Felt a bit padded. 3/5 stars.
"The Food Taster's Boy" by Ben Winters
All-powerful despot sets up a young boy to become his nemesis, and spends the days until his return mentally mapping out how their final confrontation will go. Didn't like the dispassionate narration, and felt like the story was ultimately pointless. 2/5 stars.
View all my reviews
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UMKC Roos have new 'bots to fetch books
What you might not expect to find on the main floor of the Miller Nichols Library is a sushi bar.
But there it is, a part of the $70 million renovation going on at the University of Missouri-Kansas City building.
And what you might expect to find there — books — won't be visible.
By the time the entire renovation is completed, only about 200,000 volumes and other materials will remain on open shelves.
So where are all the books?
They are stored away, stacked four stories high in a newly constructed corner of the library with two giant robotic arms to retrieve them.
UMKC has one of only 17 libraries in North America with such a system.
These days, Miller Nichols' second floor, the first to be renovated so far, looks more like the lobby area of a modern urban advertising agency than a college library.
"We want the library to be the students' academic home," said Sharon Bostick, dean of libraries on the campus. "A lot of them spend hours and hours in here. We want them to be comfortable, to want to be here."
Bostick said she likes walking into the main library, seeing students at the café or sprawled snoozing on couches on one end of the floor while on the other, people are engaged in a lecture, film or music presentation.
At the same time, inside glass-enclosed study rooms along the edges of the floor, groups of students use electronic smart boards and computers to work on a class project.
UMKC opened the newly renovated space with the start of classes this fall. The next move is renovation of the third and fourth floors, and a new addition that will stretch northwest toward the Conservatory of Music and Dance.
Bostick said the library went semi-bookless to make room for the students and its growing collection. It had amassed so many books the students were crowded out of the space by the stacks, she said.
"We had to address that. We are considered a large library but not huge," Bostick said.
The biggest innovation is that mechanical retrieving system named Roobot by Roos-cheering students. Roobot is actually two cranelike machines that move back and forth, and up and down, along a shelving structure filled with bins packed with books, explained Mark Mattison, library advancement officer.

subset: commoncrawl


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In 1990, a year before Silence of the Lambs hit theaters, one of my favorite almost-80s slashers hit video. Luther the Geek is a perfectly bizarre, hokey piece of trash that I love. Actually, if you let go of any preconceived notions of what makes a horror film good, Luther is a frickin' freaky clucking, metal-toothed, chicken-head biting monster! Just look at that heinous image on the DVD cover!
But before we get to Luther, let's talk about another freak—Troma president Lloyd Kaufman, who introduces every Troma DVD release. Now, I don't always bother to sit through his intro (I'd much prefer Elvira's camp) but the few times I've left the intro running while I was busy gathering up my popcorn and cherry cola, I've noticed some really "gay" comments being made by Kaufman in his monologue.
Well, I was once again doing my corn and cola gathering last night, and when I came back into the living room, Kaufman has two chicks on screen with him with pasties on their boobs, along with some bearded dude he is talking to about Luther the Geek. When the premise of the film is discussed, the bearded dude says–as he gets down on his knee–that he bites the head off cocks, too. WTF? Kaufman hastily suggests they not go that far but that there are other options. Cut to the pasties chicks to infuse a feeling of heterosexual maleness into the shenanigans. But then we cut back to a rear view of Kaufman, with the bearded dude's hands on his hips, a lot of slurping noise, and Kaufman moaning and groaning as he introduces the movie. Again, WTF???
As if that weren't gay enough, there's even more gayness in the actual movie. Again, there are HUGE boobs, this time on the lead female character. When she showers with her muscular boyfriend, she turns him around, his palms against the tile as he assumes the position so she can "wash his back." But then we get a close-up of his meaty butt as she pokes at his crack with the bar of soap. Have I mentioned…WTF???
Anyway, onto the serious stuff. Luther himself. The film begins with a narrator telling the story of how geeks were sideshow freaks that would bite the heads off chickens. We're taken to 1938 Illinois where a bunch of rowdies are egging on a creepy geek in a cage…until he actually gnaws off a chicken head, at which time the men gasp in horror. A little boy who is watching, mesmerized, falls and hits his head, and when all the men leave, he reaches into the cage and rubs his fingers in the blood pooling from the beheaded chicken's neck and licks his fingers. So immediately you're left thinking "A-ha! He becomes Luther the Geek due to this traumatic childhood experience!"
But then the narrator comes back and says something like, "that's not the kind of geek that this story is about…"
This story is about crazed murderer "Luther," who's out on parole. Luther is a seriously creepy looking bug-eyed guy, and although he's not even hip hop, he has some serious grills that he made himself (sort of like Freddy making his glove in the opening of A Nightmare on Elm Street). The supposedly rehabilitated Luther immediately causes trouble in a grocery store and hops into the first unlocked car he finds to get away. He is conveniently driven to the isolated farm of a woman who doesn't know he's in her backseat.
The brutality and violence begin as soon as the woman starts unpacking her groceries. If this film were remade today, it would most likely be a seriously violent and torturous experience. There are threats of it as the non-speaking, clucking-only Luther ties the woman face-down in her bed after showing quite an interest in her crotch. But soon, the woman's daughter and boyfriend arrive home so Luther hides.
This film seems intent on having every character make one stupid move after another. Daughter has a chance to untie her bound mom from the bed but instead leaves her there because she thinks her boyfriend is going to save the day. Girl then has to hide under bed as Luther returns, and when he leaves again, she stays under there for what seems like HOURS (it goes from daylight to night), her mom STILL tied to the bed!!! Cop comes to house and gets annoyed with mom and tells her to shut up even though she's screaming bloody murder. Cop then leaves mom alone in the house with dead bodies all over the place because Luther has turned on his squad car's sirens. And that's just for starters. Your eyes will be rolling so fast that you'll be seeing double.
But you have to just go with all the idiocy. Because the perfect performance in this film is the portrayal of Luther. Here you have one of those men who never made another film and is genuinely freaky. Who is he??? Does he act and look like this in real life??? How quickly will I drop dead if I ever run into him in the egg aisle of my grocery store???
It might sound stupid, but when Luther goes skulking around the house clucking with his bug eyes darting around, natural lighting effects (aka: no budget) creating genuine dark shadows, you can imagine yourself in that horrific situation. Add to that some excellent gore, an 80s-esque synth score, and some bad chicken puns along the way (including a reference to KFC). Hannibal Lecter may have scored an Oscar, but it's Luther I turn to again and again.


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Friday, February 25, 2011
You Are Invited To attend
Hi pals,
Such exciting news to tell you about.
The Twitter Anipal group is hosting a #nipclubNZEQ benefit specifically to help the animals in New Zealand through the Christchurch SPCA Animal Charity. This is the same one that some of you have already contributed to, but this time we're going Twitter universe wide with it for 3 hours - 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST. Hash Tag is #nipclubNZEQ.
The hosts for the evening are @Rumblepurr (who all of the ladies know over at http://rumble-bum.blogspot.com/2011/02/big-thank-you.html ) and @DashKitten at http://dashkitten.blogspot.com/2011/02/special-announcement-pawty-saturday.html (a sweet kitty. Her mother is @Whskr who makes creative jewelry and dolls). Both Rumbles and Dash Kitten live in New Zealand and know first hand about the important work the ChristChurch RCPA does. They certainly have their hands full now with all the displaced anipals.
This will be such a fun pawty, and we'll be doing good work to help anipals at the same time. The #nipclub Manager, @TheNascarKitty is giving us free use of the #nipclub and providing noms, drinks, barktenders, and DJs. Just take a look at the noms and and drinks at the #nipclub blog http://nipclub.blogspot.com/p/new-zealand.html . Now is your mouth watering like mine is? Oh, by the way, I'll be tending bar with @JinJinDoggy at 4:00 - kicking the event off. I've been known to dance on the bar and offer SMOOCHES to the ladies with each drink
If you are new to Twitter and have trouble following along at parties, M typed up a complete set of instructions for the beginner on how to get set up on Tweet Grid. That post is in the tab at the top of my blog called "How To Use Tweet Grid." Print off a copy from my blog and follow step-by-step.
The theme of the pawty is Lord Of The Rings and/or Hobbit. he he - dat's why I'm dressed in the picture. It's fun to dress up for our parties, but you can always come in your natural fur - just as you are.
See you at the #nipclubNZEQ tomorrow night pals.
6 comments:
- Admiral Hestorb said...
I may indeed. I will send a DM.
- Friday, February 25, 2011
- Brian said...
I will be there!
- Friday, February 25, 2011
- The Island Cats said...
We're gonna try to be there!! What fun!!
- Friday, February 25, 2011
- d'Artagnan Rumblepurr said...
I can't wait till tomorrow!!!
- Friday, February 25, 2011
- Oskar said...
We're going to check it out. Thanks for all of the instructions, we don't know how this works!
Nubbin wiggles,
- Saturday, February 26, 2011
- Father Tom said...
Look out when Rumbles gets everybody dancing on the tables! Can't wait and all for a good cause, too! We'll follow your instructions..!
- Saturday, February 26, 2011
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Hi Jeff, Actually, no, I don't believe Tidy will pass tabs to the output. Your <pre> elements should still be OK, however. By default, Tidy expands these to 8 spaces - which is what the browsers will use as well. So, given that you are displaying with a fixed pitch font in a <PRE> element, all should be well. Now, I presume there is something wrong with the statement above, otherwise you wouldn't have sent your note. Can you send a sample that illustrates the problem? Also, what browser? take it easy, Charlie At 10:56 AM 7/17/2002 -0400, Jeff Ford wrote: >Hi all !! > >Can anyone tell me, please, is there any way to save tabs (\t) ? I.e DO >NOT CONVERT THEM TO SPACES. Its important for us, because we get many >docs, which have tabs inside tags 'pre', and they play important role in >formatting content - many browsers can correct align content in 'pre', if >there tabs and they can't align it, if threre spaces. > >Thanks. > >Jeff Ford.Received on Thursday, 18 July 2002 11:11:54 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 21:38:52 UTC


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In the Characters session on the Story Elements course, we create characters with a bunch of prompts and then check the emerging characters against three criteria. Is the character complex? Real people are contradictory, have mixed feelings, think one thing and do another, behave out-of-character, and have different sides to them. While we're inventing characters, we don't want to make them too smoothed-over and consistent, or they'll end up one-dimensional. Is the character interesting? Most engaging characters have something unusual, interesting, or larger than life about them. Even the most humdrum person is unique and distinctive to themselves. The most contentious question, though, is this: is the character sympathetic? That question comes with a massive caveat.
Whether characters should be sympathetic has always been a matter for argument. Jane Austen wrote about Emma, "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like," and expected that the book's popularity would suffer as a result. Women writers and characters seem to get more flak, for not being likeable: Claire Messud, author of The Woman Upstairs, was told by her interviewer, "I wouldn't want to be friends with Nora, would you?" and Messud rightly flipped:
For heaven's sake, what kind of question is that? Would you want to be friends with Humbert Humbert? Would you want to be friends with Mickey Sabbath? Saleem Sinai? Hamlet? Krapp? Oedipus? Oscar Wao? Antigone? Raskolnikov? Any of the characters in The Corrections? Any of the characters in Infinite Jest? Any of the characters in anything Pynchon has ever written? Or Martin Amis? Or Orhan Pamuk? Or Alice Munro, for that matter? If you're reading to find friends, you're in deep trouble. We read to find life, in all its possibilities. The relevant question isn't 'Is this a potential friend for me?' but 'Is this character alive?'Somewhere along the line, sympathetic and likeable have become confused and we need to separate them out again. Sympathetic means someone you can sympathise with, not the French sympathique (which does mean likeable). In the seed packet, I offer this gloss: "Can we sympathise with your character? What would make us like them more or understand them more? They don't have to be 'nice', but we want to be able to get behind their eyes." That distinction - like them more or understand them more - is important. One student offered the alternative she uses: Can I respect this character? That question works for the strengths and weaknesses of the character she's currently creating, but wouldn't apply to every character. Even returning to the original meaning of a "sympathetic" character doesn't mean every main character should be sympathetic.
A story's personal stakes depend on how much we can sympathise with the character, in this sense. Certain genres rely especially heavily on personal stakes: literary fiction (we'll argue about whether that's a genre another time) and romantic fiction especially. The character's desires and aims are what drive these stories; the degree to which we care about their desires and aims is the degree to which we sympathise with them.
Should your characters be sympathetic? I don't believe that there is an answer; it's not binary. I don't believe in rules, in writing: I believe in principles. I compare it to artists learning about art. Artists don't have to work out the principles of perspective from scratch for themselves; they're allowed to learn them. But you can learn how perspective works and then be Picasso. You don't have to obey principles, only understand how they work. Having a "sympathetic character" is a principle, not a rule: we find out what the principle is, we learn the effects on a story of sympathetic and unsympathetic characters, and then we decide what we want to do, understanding what the effects will be.


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We offer high quality, accessible, inclusive and flexible services. We commit to providing information and resources which will enable people to make informed decisions.
We commit to deliver services that respond to changing needs and demonstrate best possible outcomes. We foster community participation, collaboration, and action.
We work in a supportive environment where knowledge, experience, strengths and skills are shared. We pursue continuous improvement and operate with fairness, honesty and the highest ethical standards.
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Sport & Physical Activity Coordinator – Interior Region
The mission of the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (I·SPARC) is to improve the health outcomes of Indigenous people throughout British Columbia by supporting and encouraging physically active communities. The programs delivered by I·SPARC are designed to build capacity and increase access to sport, recreation and physical activity in First Nations, Métis Chartered Communities, Aboriginal Friendship Centres, schools, and other delivery agencies across the province.
General Description
I·SPARC is seeking a candidate to fill the following full-time staff vacancy: Sport and Physical Activity Coordinator for the Interior Region. Reporting to the Manager, Sport Development & Community Engagement and working closely with the Regional Lead and Coordinating Group of their respective Regional Committee, the primary role of the Regional Coordinator is to engage communities, partners, groups in the design and delivery of community-based, culturally relevant sport, recreation and physical activity programs for Indigenous people throughout the Region. The ideal candidate will possess an extensive background in the areas of sport, recreation and physical activity and have established networks/connections among Indigenous communities and organizations within the Region. Successful applicant will be required to reside in the region (Interior region map available at http://isparc.ca.
Competencies and Requirements
- Post-secondary degree/certificate
- Applied knowledge of Indigenous community issues in BC
- Work experience in the field of sport, recreation, and physical activity
- Event and project management experience
- Strong verbal, written communication and presentation skills
- Exceptional organizational skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft applications (Word, PowerPoint and Excel)
- Demonstrated ability to work independently with limited supervision
- Able to travel throughout the region to promote and support the delivery of programs (requiring a flexible work schedule and a valid driver's license)
- Successful completion of criminal record and vulnerable sector checks
Term: Full-time employment contingent on annual funding
Salary: $46,000 – $50,000 annually (based on a 35 hour work week) which includes a comprehensive health benefit package
Location: Office space will be established in a central location within the Region. The BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) serves as the official Host Agency of I·SPARC. Accordingly, the Regional Coordinator will be employed by the BCAAFC.
To Apply: Please submit a cover letter, resume and three references no later than 5:00 pm PST, Friday, May 3, 2019 via the online application form: https://aboriginalsportbc.wufoo.com/forms/employment-app-regional-coordinator-interior. Cover letter to the attention of Lara Mussell – Director, Sport. All applications are appreciated, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.
Pursuant to section 41 of the BC Human Rights Code, preference may be given to qualified applicants of Aboriginal ancestry.


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- Message from the Chair
- Letter from the Editor
- Awards & Scholarships
- Technical Program
- CINF Technical Program Highlights
- Substance Identifiers, Addressing the Challenges Presented by Chemically Modified Biologics: The Role of InChI & Related Technologies
- Careers in Chemical Information and Cheminformatics Panel Discussion & Brunch
- Wikipedia and Chemistry: Collaborations in Science and Education
- Retrosynthesis, Synthesis Planning, Reaction Prediction: When Will Computers Meet the Needs of the Synthetic Chemist?
- Enabling Machines to "Read" the Chemical Literature: Techniques, Case Studies and Opportunities
- Herman Skolnik Award Symposium 2015 Honoring Jürgen Bajorath
- Scientific Integrity: Can We Rely on the Published Scientific Literature?
- Bi-Society Symposium on Laboratory Safety Information
- Chemical Information Skills: The Essential Toolkit for Chemical Research
- Jean-Claude Bradley Memorial Symposium
- Editor's Corner
- Chemical Structure Association Trust
- Book Reviews
- Committee Reports
- Sponsor Announcements
- Officers & Functionaries
- Contributors to this Issue
- Download the pdf
Scientific Integrity: Can We Rely on the Published Scientific Literature?
Ever since the internet became the primary means of disseminating scientific research, scientific publishing has lurched from crisis to crisis, with seemingly increasing rates of fraud, plagiarism, retraction and selective publications. There are many reasons behind this, including the pressure on researchers to publish, and easier ways for publishers and academics to identify plagiarism. At a time when the ACS has created its statement "Scientific insight and integrity in public policy," it seemed appropriate to organize a symposium on scientific integrity, with a particular focus on the degree to which we can rely on the published scientific literature. This symposium is one of a series on related topics and follows the symposium on data reproducibility organized by Martin Hicks at the spring ACS National Meeting in Denver.
The first speaker of the morning was Chris Leonard from QScience, who was speaking in his capacity as a member of the Committee on Publishing Ethics (COPE). His talk was entitled "Integrity, ethics and trust in scientific research literature." He explained that the new publishing landscape is often defined in terms of technology and the "bells and whistles" that can improve many aspects of a manuscript, but it also offers the potential of a new era of ethics, integrity and reproducibility, especially in peer review and emerging publication areas such as datasets. The price is increased vigilance at the authoring and reviewing stages, but the cost of not doing so is incalculable. Chris explained COPE's role in assisting publishers, editors, and authors in this task.
Our second speaker was Chris Proctor from British American Tobacco (BAT) who spoke on "Policy making at the American Chemical Society: developing a statement on scientific integrity." His presentation examined, from the perspective of a member of the writing committee, how the American Chemical Society created its statement "Scientific insight and integrity in public policy." Acting with integrity is absolutely critical to the scientific process, so much so that this concept has been embedded in government policies around the world. Leading scientific membership associations have in turn created their own policies to support these initiatives and their members in best practice. The second half of his talk focused on the importance of integrity in controversial areas of science, in particular the case of tobacco harm reduction.
The last speaker before the interval was Martin Hicks of the Beilstein Institute whose subject was "publishability." He explained that publishing scientific papers has several functions: registration, certification, dissemination, inspiring innovation and archiving. The scientific community is then expected over time to verify the ideas and results and in the end uncover the objective truth. It is assumed that authors make best efforts to ensure that their submissions are correct, and that the scientific community has the time and resources to concern itself with review, reproduction, and validation. Nowadays, most people are, in principle, able to get access to individual articles that they need, but the amount of information has increased so much that scientists cannot keep up with all the publications in their own area of expertise, except for just skimming through the tables of contents. To maximize their reputation, scientists are expected to publish a certain number of papers per year in journals having a certain minimum Impact Factor. Having a significant new idea is no longer sufficient: the numbers are what matters, behavior adapts to the system, and output is adjusted accordingly. It seems likely that this is also leading to the increase in plagiarism and other unethical behavior. Martin's presentation discussed the effects of this increasingly problematical "publish or perish" paradigm and was illustrated with experiences gained during the publishing of the journals of the Beilstein Institute.
After the interval, Na Qin of Michigan State University gave a librarian's perspective with a presentation entitled "What is the role of peer review in protecting the integrity of scientific research?" Scientific misconduct, such as plagiarism, data manipulation, data fabrication or duplicate publications, occurs with distressing frequency in science communities. The peer review system has long been used as a self-regulation approach to maintain the standards of quality, improve performance, and provide credibility, but fraudulent and flawed research has been published even in peer-reviewed journals, and the number of articles retracted for fraud or error has risen dramatically in the last decade. This presentation considered questions such as "Is detecting scientific misconduct or errors a primary goal of peer review?" and "What is the role of peer review in ensuring the responsible conduct of scientific research?" and addressed the difficulties and limitations of anonymous peer review in detecting irresponsible conduct in scientific research. These include the naturally conflicting concepts from peer review: expertise and objectivity, and the capacity to expose or minimize legal or ethical issues. Na's intention was to start a conversation on whether peer review is, by its nature, ill-equipped to detect scientific misconduct. The practice of sciences involves its own self-corrections, and the peer review system does not replace that. Understanding this can reduce the expense to researchers who try to use or replicate fabricated results.
Next, Rajeev Voleti, ScienceOpen, who was a last-minute replacement for Stephanie Dawson, presented Stephanie's talk entitled "An open, network-based answer to the reproducibility crisis: the ScienceOpen peer review concept." Spectacular failures of the anonymous peer review system, even in highly prestigious journals, paired with research demonstrating extremely low levels of reproducibility in landmark studies, have called the present system of scientific quality assurance into question. To create a more effective, transparent and fairer system that begins to address the question of reproducibility, ScienceOpen was developed to provide a networking and publishing platform. A researcher network forms the basis for public post-publication peer review, and as a transparent network approach, provides more rigorous quality control than two anonymous referees.
Articles submitted to ScienceOpen are published rapidly after an editorial check, followed by an open peer review process. A unique versioning concept allows researchers to continue to improve their published work, based on comments and reviews by scientists in the field. Papers are not marked as approved because information on the reproducibility of experiments comes later than the first expert check, and thus the status of a paper may change. An article published on ScienceOpen is also placed within the wider context of all Open Access publications in its field, as ScienceOpen aggregates content from a variety of sources, opening them up to discussion with the same tools for commenting, sharing, and discovery. With this holistic concept, ScienceOpen provides high-quality open access publishing services, while redefining publishing as one element in a whole suite of communication tools available to the researcher. Scholarly publishing is not an end in itself, but the beginning of a dialogue to move the whole field forward.
The last speaker of the morning was my co-chair and co-organizer of the symposium, Judith Currano, chemistry librarian at the University of Pennsylvania, who discussed "Managing new threats to the integrity of the scientific literature." This paper, co-authored by a professor who edits an online journal, framed the challenges facing scientists at all levels, as a result of the highly variable quality of the scientific literature resulting from the introduction of a deluge of new open access online journals, many from previously unknown publishers with highly variable standards of peer review. The problems are so pervasive that even papers submitted to well-established, legitimate journals may include citations to questionable or even frankly plagiarized sources. Judith suggested ways in which science librarians can work with students and researchers to increase their awareness of these new threats to the integrity of the scientific literature, and to increase their ability to evaluate the reliability of journals and individual articles. Traditional rules of thumb for assessing the reliability of scientific publications (peer review, publication in a journal with an established Thomson-Reuters Impact Factor, and a credible publisher) are more challenging to apply given the highly variable quality of many of the new open access journals, the appearance of new publishers, and the introduction of new impact metrics, some of which are interesting and useful, but others of which are based on citation patterns found in poorly described data sets or nonselective databases of articles. The authors suggested that instruction of research students in responsible conduct of research be extended to include ways to evaluate the reliability of scientific information.
After the lunch break, Cesar Berrios of Faculty of 1000 gave a talk entitled "Towards a more reproducible corpus of scientific literature." Several recent reports and high profile retractions have added to a growing chorus of concern among scientists and laypeople clamoring for a restructuring of the system necessary for reproducibility in science, but the problem is a complex one for which there is no single solution. Some factors that have contributed include: poor training in proper experimental design; increased emphasis on making outlandish statements; and an overreliance on publishing papers in peer reviewed journals with high impact factors for purposes of career progression and tenure. The availability and accessibility of all underlying data necessary to reproduce a study has been identified as integral to solving these issues, yet most traditional journals often have limited space available for each paper. Furthermore, there are numerous technical obstacles in making datasets truly accessible. These issues combine to create a scientific culture where sharing and publishing data ends up low on a researcher's list of priorities, impeding further progress towards reproducible research. F1000Research are addressing some of these challenges. They have implemented several initiatives to provide methods and tools to capture the production of scientific data, and to establish this as an important output of research activity in itself. All F1000Research articles include the underlying data to enable others to attempt to reproduce the findings, and even to reuse the data. Authors are also offered the option to publish data-only papers that include just the data, together with a detailed description of the protocol used to generate the data. In addition, all articles are openly peer reviewed, post-publication, and previous versions of each article are archived. Cesar described how F1000's data policy and transparency in the peer review process allows reviewers and readers to scrutinize the data underlying the conclusions carefully, and to follow the full provenance of each paper, ultimately leading to a more trustworthy corpus of scientific literature.
The next speaker, James Solyst of Swedish Match, described "Extraordinary public access to scientific evidence in the FDA modified risk tobacco product process." Section 911 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act - Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) provides a process for a company to submit scientific evidence demonstrating a product is of lower risk (modified risk) than another tobacco product. A MRTP application must demonstrate that by switching from one product (cigarettes for example) to another product (Swedish snus, for example), a user reduces his or her individual risk, and the switch benefits the health of the overall population. Reducing harm is generally accepted as a good thing, but tobacco use is widely viewed as something to be eliminated. In addition, the tobacco industry has a challenging history of scientific integrity. Thus, the MRTP process is filled with difficult public health issues, and the FDA, which implements the Tobacco Control Act, has had to manage a process that ensures scientific integrity and is consistent with public health goals. One way that this has been accomplished is through extraordinary transparency: specifically, by making all information in an MRTP publicly available (except for confidential business information). This is not the case with other FDA product applications. A current MRTP application for Swedish snus provides a case study that was reviewed by James.
The next two talks before the afternoon interval discussed fraud and integrity in crystallographic journals and databases. Sean Conway (International Union of Crystallography, IUCr) presented "Validation and fraud in small-molecule crystallography." Publishing in crystallography is underpinned by a wealth of structural data. In IUCr journals, submitted data are rigorously checked for correctness and consistency. Even so, the journals have experienced cases of fraud in small-molecule reports. In-house validation software is constantly evolving to guard against a growing variety of egregious errors and fraudulent practice. Ian Bruno of Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC) discussed "Scientific integrity: a crystallographic perspective." The Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) contains over 750,000 experimental determinations of small molecule crystal structures, the majority of which are made available by researchers to support the science published in journal articles. The crystallographic community has, over the years, developed tools that support evaluation of the scientific integrity of crystal structure data and some publishers and journals pay particular attention to this during the peer review process. Once structures are published, CCDC undertakes further scientific processing of the data before including structures in the CSD. This presentation offered a perspective on scientific integrity based on crystal structure data collected over the last half century, and experiences encountered during this time. It also looked at the role domain-specific data centers such as the CCDC can play now, and in the future, to help ensure trust in the results of scientific research.
The last three presentations considered the important roles that publishers play. Ray Boucher from Wiley described "The ways publishers help, maintain, and support responsible research." At all stages of the publishing process, including pre-publication and post-publication, the publisher is engaged in helping to maintain the integrity of the scientific record. The talk covered areas where the publisher is involved, such as publishing workshops and how the next generation are trained; plagiarism and other pre-publication software packages for specific communities; maintaining the quality of peer review; ethics guidelines; bodies such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE); and how issues are dealt with; and an analysis of the process and practice of retractions. The talk illustrated how the publisher supports and promotes the publication of responsible research, and how interaction with the community is key to this process.
The second speaker in this group, Guido Hermann of Thieme, gave a talk entitled "Integrity, trust and reproducibility: how scientific publishers can contribute." Thieme publishes scientific information in various formats: journals, reference works, encyclopedias, monographs and textbooks. Scientists have to rely on the validity of the published information and Guido described how Thieme addresses this issue, the internal procedures and mechanisms to safeguard the quality of their publications, and Thieme's experiences with fraud and plagiarism. The talk considered questions such as "How do we engage our authors, editors, advisors and readers in this process?" and "Are there differences between original research articles, reference works and textbooks?" Guido presented background information, and highlighted some of Thieme's key findings and best practices.
Finally, Richard Kidd of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), presented "The write stuff: scientific integrity and publishing," and considered the responsibilities of a publisher in addressing the questions of scientific integrity, and how is this changing. He described the RSC's principles and practices, and how RSC works with our community worldwide to evolve their approaches. He considered how the increasing push towards the availability of original data makes validation easier, and the exact meaning of "reproducible."
William Town, Symposium Organizer
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Sunday, January 12, 2014
I want to show you a card I made with one image for a new artist (well, new for me!) called Mi Ran.
The image is called Rosie and it´s a freebie in Mi Ran's blog. I colored it with Koh-i-noor aquarelable pencils. I placed it on a dark pink (or fuchsia) cardstock mat cut with scallop square die cut (Sizzix).
I used Poligrafservis dp and fuchsia cardstock. I used a fuchsia ribbon and made a bow and two fuchsia/white paper roses to embellish the card. I didn´t put any sentiment yet as I don´t know who will receive this.
I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Card Makin Mamas: AG
Delicious Doodles: flowers
Crafty Hands: AG
4 crafty chicks: bows
Digi Sketch Challenge: Theme: Flowers
Simply create too: AG
Little Red Wagon : All Purpose Card
Sweet Pea Stampers: AG
Crafting for all seasons: all things bright and beautiful
Penny's paper-Crafty: AG
Just be creative: linky party Sister Act card: AG
Miriam's Crafting : Flowers
ABC Challenge : C is for Colorful
Creative Moments : Anything goes
Natalie and Amy's Challenge: One for the Girlies
Card and Scrap : Use Flowers
Jo's Scrap Shack: No.32 - Anything Goes
Craft-Dee BowZ :Anything Goes and include a HANDMADE BOW
Crafty Hazelnuts patterned paper: AG
26 comments:
Gorgeous colors on this lovely card. Very sweet image.ReplyDelete
Thanks for joining us at the Sweet Pea Stampers.
It´s Beautiful!! When I was little i used to watch a cartoon called Candy Candy, she just reminds me of that!! Lovely card.ReplyDelete
With love from The Netherlands,
Such a beautiful card here Adri, this image is absolutely stunning. I´ve also got it after I saw this on Annie´s site too, and went to check out her site a bit later, and I must agree, I was stunned with what I saw there, she´s such a talented girl, and you´ve used her image really well. Any girl will love this girly card here.ReplyDelete
Beautiful card, wonderful colors! Thanks for joining us at Card and Scrap!ReplyDelete
DT Unni A
Lovely card. Thank you so much for coming over and joining in with our 5th Challenge 'Anything Goes' at CraftyHands Challenge Blog.ReplyDelete
Great Big Huge Hugs
Becca xxx (DT Member)
Hi Ardilla, what a fun and colorful card! :)ReplyDelete
Thanks for joining us at Sister Act Card challenge this week
-Angeline DT
What a fabulous card! I love the bright colors! Thanks for joining us at "Simply Create Too", hope to see you next time again.ReplyDelete
DT-Member SCT
Hi, Ardilla: Like your card especially your adorable image and the colors. Thanks for entering our Challenge #52 – "Anything Goes" & remember you can enter 3 times.ReplyDelete
Simply Create Too Design Team Member
Look at those bright colours! Great card! Thanks for joining us at Little Red Wagon.ReplyDelete
Hello, Ardilla!!! Wow this is so beautiful!! I love your colors! They are really striking! Thank you so much for beautiful card!ReplyDelete
Mi Ran
Very colorful card! Thanks for joining us at Simply Create Too! Angie-DTReplyDelete
Love this, pretty, and bright colors too. Great flowers, that is a nice touch. Awesome image. Thanks for playing our bow challenge at 4 Crafty Chicks!ReplyDelete
Leanne DT@4CC!
- AnonymousJanuary 13, 2014 at 11:43 AM
what a striking card! Great colors and such a cute little bow! Thanks for joining our BOW challenge at 4 crafty chicks this week and hope to see you again!ReplyDelete
Tammy GDT
A Beautiful card!! Thanks so much for joining in the Sweet Pea Stampers"Anything Goes" Challenge and good luck. SueReplyDelete
Such a lovely card, the colouring of the hair is amazing, something I always struggle with! xReplyDelete
Thanks for playing along at Digi Sketch Challenge.
Kelly x
Such a lovely card. Love the veil. Thanks so much for joining us at Crafty Dee Bowz.ReplyDelete
Such a pretty card, thanks playing with DD this weekReplyDelete
Sweet cardReplyDelete
Thanks for joining in this week at Pennys Paper Crafty Challenge
Hugs katie x
- AnonymousJanuary 15, 2014 at 12:23 AM
Lovely image and colouring. Thank you for sharing your card with Creative Moments. Leona (DT)ReplyDelete
You have made a wonderful card here. Thanks for taking part in the Sweet Pea Stampers Challenge this fortnight of "anything goes" and best of luck. We hope to see you back again very soon. Best wishes, Kym, Sweet Pea Stampers Design Team xxxReplyDelete
Love the bright colours. Thanks for sharing your lovely card for the Sweet Pea Stampers 'anything goes' challenge - hope to see you again soon, Hazel, DT xReplyDelete
Back again to thank you so much for joining my Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge for January with your lovely card - hope to see you again soon. xReplyDelete
Gorgeous creation Ardilla, love it! Mi Ran's images are awesome:) So glad to see you playing at Sweet Pea Stampers this time!!ReplyDelete
Very nice creation. I love your use of tulle under her hat. Thanks for joining us at Miriam's Crafting Blog monthly challenge.ReplyDelete
Lovely card. Thanks for joining us at Crafting for all Seasons.ReplyDelete
Fiona x
What fun, bright colors and wonderful coloring! So glad you could join us for the Craft Dee BowZ challenge! ((hugs)) RebeccaReplyDelete
Thanks for taking time to comment. I really appreciate it!!!!
Gracias por usar tu tiempo para comentar. Lo aprecio mucho!!!!


text: Share: Comments Print March 9, 2014 at 5:07 PM The Confidential's 2013-14 All-Pac-12 team Posted by Bud Withers Arizona is clearly the superior team, and the Wildcats reap the big honors in my reckoning for Pac-12 basketball awards, 2013-14. The official league honors are expected to be announced Monday. I went with Nick Johnson of the Wildcats over Kyle Anderson of UCLA for player of the year, breaking what was pretty close to a tie with the season-long prominence of Arizona and Johnson's part in it. Sean Miller of Arizona gets my coach-of-the-year vote, but you could make a pretty good case for Utah's Larry Krystkowiak, who has made Utah a force again. I gave 'Zona's Aaron Gordon the Pac-12 freshman-of-the-year title, with a lot of thought given to Washington's Nigel Williams-Goss. NWG has had a really terrific season, and has seemingly managed to avoid hitting a late wall despite playing heavy minutes. Again, the stature of the team tilted me toward Gordon. Two guys I struggled with leaving off my top three teams: Arizona State's Jahii Carson and Oregon's Joseph Young. Ultimately, in my view, those two third-team spots went to Askia Booker of Colorado and Justin Cobbs of Cal in a close nod. Booker was pivotal to CU as it tried to right the ship without Spencer Dinwiddie, and Cobbs had good scoring numbers, was second in the league in assists, and hit the difficult shot that took out Arizona for the first time Feb. 1. The picks reflect the perimeter-oriented nature of the league this year. But my philosophy is to have at least one big player (and I thought these guys were all deserving), much as any college basketball team would have. First team Kyle Anderson, UCLA. Most versatile player in years in the Pac-12. Nick Johnson, Arizona. Heart and soul of the best team. Delon Wright, Utah. Dynamite player propelled Utes' improvement. Chasson Randle, Stanford. Driving, shooting makes him a tough guard. Jordan Bachynski, Arizona State. Improvement has been off the charts. Second team Dwight Powell, Stanford. Still, always leaves you thinking there's more. Jordan Adams, UCLA. 18-ppg scorer strafed Huskies for 31. Aaron Gordon, Arizona. Needs more offense, but what a force. T.J. McConnell, Arizona. Assists, steals and a lot of direction. Josh Scott, Colorado. 14-and-8 guy one of few quality big men. Third team C.J. Wilcox, Washington. Best pure shooter in the conference. Roberto Nelson, Oregon State. League scoring champ not a great defender. Mike Moser, Oregon. With 13-and-8 contribution, third school was a charm. Askia Booker, Colorado. Was a key for Buffs without Dinwiddie. Justin Cobbs, Cal. Second in assists and a 17-ppg scorer. Player of the year – Nick Johnson, Arizona. Coach of the year – Sean Miller, Arizona. Freshman of the year – Aaron Gordon, Arizona. Defensive player of the year – Jordan Bachynski, Arizona State. Comments


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Lansdowne Borough Council Business Meeting
Wednesday – June 2, 2004
A public hearing was held on June 2, 2004, 7:15 PM in Borough Hall to discuss the Zoning Ordinance overlay. Present were President Council, Mrs. Fryer, Mr. Borgman, Ms. Hill, Mr. Smith and Mr. Wayne. Also in attendance were Mayor Young, Treasurer Asciutto, Borough Manager Forrest, Borough Engineer Bevilacqua, Solicitor Scott, Borough Secretary Henry and Chief Kortan.
Some concerns were expressed by Mr. Wayne. Mr. Wayne stated that certain areas of the ordinance were more restrictive than necessary and not very flexible, citing in particular the restriction of government offices in the business district. He did not feel that government offices should be made to go before the Zoning Hearing Board seeking special exception. Ms. Hill also shared Mr. Wayne's concerns. Mr. Wayne felt it would be better to have a productive building rather than a vacant one. President Council felt this was not beneficial as it obstructed the long term vision of the Borough to regulate less than viable businesses in the Borough. President Council asked for the Economic Development Committee's recommendation. Mr. Wayne stated his Committee and the Community Development Committee would review the ordinance. Mr. Wayne expressed the time frame as being two months for the requested recommendations. President Council asked Borough Council members if the reasons were compelling enough to forestall the ordinance another two months. It was decided to discuss the issue under New Business.
President Council asked if any visitors had comments regarding the Zoning overlay.
Mr. Callaghan asked if the Zoning Hearing Board was independent of Borough Council. Mr. Scott stated that the Board generally gives more weight to Borough Council's opinion because Borough Council has already gone through the deliberative process.
An unidentified visitor asked what businesses would be prohibited or allowed in the C-3 district. Mr. Scott stated that legal adult entertainment has to be allowed due to constitutional law and that a more detailed list is given in the ordinance.However, there is a 200 foot restriction to protect churches, schools and parks from being too close to these types of businesses.
Mr. Smith moved to adjourn the public hearing and reconvene to the regularly scheduled Borough Council Business meeting. Mr. Borgman seconded and the motion carried unanimously. The meeting reconvened at 7:45 PM.
Minutes – Mr. Smith moved to approve the minutes of the May 5, 2004 Business Meeting of Borough Council as submitted by the Secretary. Mrs. Fryer seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Jeff Doyle
176 N. Lansdowne Avenue – Mr. Doyle asked why construction has to start at 7:00 PM through 5:00 AM for the north Lansdowne Avenue sewer project. Mr. Bevilacqua stated that PennDot does this so that traffic is not disrupted during the busier day hours.Mr. Doyle stated that no mention of night work was evident in the contractor's letter to residents. Mrs. Fryer and Mr. Smith stated that they were unaware of the night work decision. Mr. Doyle was also concerned about the impact of the construction to his property. Mr. Forrest will talk with him tomorrow about his concerns.
John Callaghan
13 W. Greenwood Avenue – Mr. Callaghan supported Mr. Doyle's concerns.
Mr. Callaghan asked why a U&O was needed to sell a vacant lot at 167 Owen Avenue and why the buyer has to pay another $50 every 60 days. Mr. Forrest will call him to discuss the matter.
Mr. Callaghan asked why the $3,000 loan was forgiven the LEDC regarding the Arts Festival.He also felt that paying $600 for the Smalley painting in Borough Hall was questionable. President Council stated that the forgiveness will help the LEDC support future arts festivals and that the arts will hopefully have a positive economic impact on the Borough.
Mike Magee
Mr. Magee stated that the Lansdowne Boys and Girls Club has applied for a grant to improve Hoffman Park. He asked that Borough Council permit the installation of a new covered backstop, two new sets of bleachers and a new scoreboard. The improvements have already been unanimously approved by the Park and Recreation Board. President Council asked who owns the equipment and recommended putting a protective covering on the scoreboard. Mr. Magee stated the Borough would own the equipment.
Mr. Borgman moved to permit the installation of the aforesaid equipment in Hoffman Park, seconded by Mr. Smith. The motion carried unanimously.
Edith Bassie
70 Sayers Avenue – Mrs. Bassie stated that the torn tar strip on Sayers Avenue is still not repaired. Mr. Forrest will look into the matter.
Mrs. Bassie stated that Amy Gillespie is doing a wonderful job as Director of the Lansdowne library.
Reports and Discussions
A. Treasurer's Report – Mr. Asciutto had no formal report.
B. Borough Engineer's Report – Mr. Bevilacqua reported that bids will be received on June 15th, 10:00 AM in Borough Hall for the 2004 Road Program. Mr. Bevilacqua stated that the N. Lansdowne Avenue sewer project will be completed by July 3rd. Mr. Bevilacqua reported that final numbers are being reviewed for the County for change orders on the Twentieth Century Club project. The change orders will still keep the original bid in the range of $75,000-$76,000.
Mr. Bevilacqua stated that a meeting is being set up to decide whether the 56 S. Union Avenue project will be awarded to the second low bidder or if it will be re-advertised.
Mr. Bevilacqua stated that he is still waiting for a plumbing proposal for 132 Bartram Avenue.
Ms. Hill asked the status of 231 N. Lansdowne Avenue. Mr. Forrest stated this property will be rehabbed and will try to get more specific information.
C. Solicitor's Report – Mr. Scott stated he had one executive session item.
Mr. Scott stated he is still awaiting a response from Mr. Ferkler's attorney regarding the escrow money.
D. Borough Manager's Report – Mr. Forrest reported that a workshop is being
held on June 29th, 6:00 PM at the Clifton Heights Fire Department regarding the new storm water discharge regulations and requirements.
Mr. Forrest stated that the COG discussed applying for PennDot's new Home Streets Program for Streetscape improvements on Baltimore Avenue from Clifton Heights to the Philadelphia line. The Borough is not in a position to apply at the present time but an application may be submitted to the Delaware County Planning Commission to get another PCDI grant to do concept work.
Mr. Forrest stated that a County grant of $45,000 was received to fund 50% of the multi- municipal open space plan.
E. Police Chief Kortan – Chief Kortan stated that he is ready to offer a final offer of employment as a police officer to Lawrence Albertoli, Jr., to be effective June 17th.
F. Mayor Young – Mayor Young stated that the Helms Award will be presented to Mary Kay Bowden at the next General meeting. Also, Joe Doan will be presented with an 85 year member award by the American Legion.
Mayor Young stated that she would like agenda items for a possible future meeting with Governor Rendell, pending approval. Mr. Forrest asked that the Baltimore Avenue corridor project be emphasized. Mr. Smith asked that tax reform for public education be a prime item.
Mayor Young stated that Senator Williams will get back to her regarding funding for the poetry book.
G. President's Report – President Council had no formal report.
H. Municipal Services – Mrs. Fryer reported on the School Board budget
meeting: $64.6 million budget with a 3.7% increase before grants, 2.2% after grants and a 10.7% tax increase ($220 per household). Mrs. Fryer stated these figures were preliminary. Proposed cuts include eliminating 3 elementary school teachers, 1 special education teacher, 3 reading teachers from Title1 budget, restructuring the central office to eliminate the assistant superintendent, eliminating 2 maintenance workers, 1 administrative assistant, 1 elementary school principal, staff development and no overtime.
A lengthy discussion followed regarding the current problems in the William Penn and statewide educational system. Mrs. Fryer stated that a proactive and leadership role was needed to try and remedy the William Penn school situation. President Council and Mrs. Hill felt that the only way to get the needed attention would be to precipitate a crisis i.e., declare bankruptcy.
Mr. Wayne stated that Borough Council should investigate litigation strategies. Mr. Scott will look into whether options are available to the Borough for litigating in either Federal or State courts.
I. Finance and Administration – Mr. Smith reported that the next Finance Committee meeting will be held on June 7th to discuss the 2002/2003 trash and sewer lien filing.
Mr. Smith stated that three options have been discussed regarding the capital improvement program and asked for comments. President Council stated that before making any decisions he would have to look at the debt service on the $5.5 million bond issue as opposed to what the impact on taxpayers would be if paying for specific items out of the General Fund. President Council asked that the Finance Committee produce an amortization schedule regarding the debt service impact.
J. Community Development – Mr. Borgman reported that his Committee is working on revising the property maintenance code. Mr. Bonenberger stated that specific attention should be given to pages 18 through 31 of Ordinance 1198 regarding the enforcement and administration of the Pennsylvania Construction Code. Mr. Borgman stated he would have the Committee's recommendations for voting purposes by the next business meeting.
Mr. Borgman reported that operating approval from the Zoning Committee has been granted to a new pizza shop and also to a trophy/tee shirt store on S. Wycombe Avenue.
Mr. Borgman stated that the next Committee meeting scheduled for June 13th may be postponed.
K.Public Safety – Ms. Hill reported that the Lansdowne library has received $1,500 from the Giant Food Corporation.
Mayor Young stated that problems still exist with coordinating the Lansdowne library's web site with the Borough's web site. Ms. Hill will investigate the matter.
L.Economic Development – Mr. Wayne reported that the Planning Commission has requested the following changes to the Redevelopment Plan: (a) the funeral home will be targeted for either rehabilitation or redevelopment and may possibly be combined with the site currently occupied by the Laundromat, and (b) the Harkin and Tillman properties will be targeted for both rehabilitation or redevelopment. The Planning Commission will act on the plan's certification at its June 17th meeting.
Mr. Wayne reported that a grant application has been submitted for a community marketing brochure and asked for slogan suggestions.
Mr. Wayne reported that the Main Street application is in progress. The Elm Street grant and the Community Action Agency grant are still pending.
Mr. Wayne reported that the Economic Development Committee has decided to pursue a historic district and will be applying for grant money to help with facade guidance, direction and regulation in the central business district.
Mr. Wayne stated that the next Committee meeting date is undetermined.
Old Business – None
New Business – Mr. Smith moved to approve the bills for the period. Mr. Borgman seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Ms. Hill moved to approve Ordinance No. 1195, an ordinance setting fines for violations of certain parking regulations, deleting certain regulations and creating additional regulations. Mr. Smith seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Borgman moved to approve Ordinance No. 1196, an ordinance prohibiting littering and dumping and regulating the distribution of handbills and establishing penalties for violations thereof. Mrs. Fryer seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Borgman moved to approve Ordinance No. 1197, an ordinance to provide for and regulate the location of certain businesses among the various commercial districts of the borough; the purpose of this amendment is to create retail-friendly C-1 and C-2 commercial districts and to encourage the revitalization of such commercial districts in the borough. Mr. Wayne voiced several objections to the ordinance's restrictive language regarding government offices and theaters. It was decided to table the motion. Mr. Wayne moved to table Ordinance 1197. Mr. Smith seconded and a roll call vote was taken. The motion carried 5-1 with President Council casting the dissenting vote.
Mr. Borgman moved to advertise Ordinance No. 1198, an ordinance providing for the administration and enforcement of the Pennsylvania Construction Code, Act 45 of 1999. Mr. Smith seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Smith moved to approve Resolution No. 2004-11, a resolution establishing an employee deferred compensation program through the Internal City Management Association Retirement Corporation (the "457 Plan"). Mrs. Fryer seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Smith moved to execute an Administrative Services Agreement with the International City Management Association Retirement Corporation for the purpose of establishing an employee deferred compensation program. Mrs. Fryer seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Ms. Hill moved to approve Resolution 2004-12, a resolution increasing fines to $15.00 for violating certain parking ordinances of the Borough of Lansdowne. Mrs. Fryer seconded and the motion carried. Mr. Wayne was absent from the vote.
Ms. Hill moved to appoint Sheila E. Kavanagh to the Library Board, for a three year term expiring 3/31/07, filling the vacancy upon Olivia Neely Gaskins's resignation. Mr. Smith seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Smith moved to approve Resolution 2004-13, a resolution amending a schedule of fees and deposits to be paid to the Borough of Lansdowne for applications and for petitions for hearings before the Borough Council, Zoning Hearing Board and the Planning Commission; and fees and costs for licenses, permits, inspections, agreements, services and materials. Mrs. Fryer seconded and the motion carried unanimously
Ms. Hill moved to extend the deadline for shutting off the current fire siren until such time as the new fire siren is operational. Mrs. Fryer seconded and a roll call vote was taken. The motion carried 5-1 with Mr. Borgman casting the dissenting vote.
Mrs. Fryer moved to adjourn to Executive Session to discuss a litigation matter. Mr. Smith seconded, the motion carried unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 10:28 PM.
There were no motions made upon reconvening into Public Session.
Mr. Smith moved to adjourn the Public Session, seconded by Mr. Borgman. The motion carried unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 10:48 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Ann Henry
Borough Secretary


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text:
There's a Gay-Straight Alliance meeting this Thursday (March 2nd) at lunch in P16!
We will be discussing U.S. President Trump's regulations on transgender students and their facilities in schools, "Moonlight" winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the field trip with Capo's Performing Arts Program to see the Tony Award-winning musical, Fun Home.
Hope to see you there!
If you can't make it, but would like to know more about any of these topics, or just want a safe space to talk, feel free to contact me (Tanner Hurley) or any of our board members through social media. :)


text:
If singapore govt really sincere and honest towards protecting the innocent citizens and upholding justice in this country then bring this guy on to court with all the evidence that it got and let this guy defends himself if he is really innocent or better still let our highly qualified judges decide his fate without prejudice in a court of law with all the facts that it has obtained.
ISA is obsolete and is a tool actually design to serve dictators at the helm to keep them in power until eternity and unworthy of a democratic country like singapore. also by using ISA, it makes a mockery of our judicial system as if the law here cannot be just and impartial towards the authority that it needs to go around it in order to ensure justice prevails.even malaysia has do away with ISA for goodness sake.
ISA is only worthy for communist countries like china and north korea where they usually silent innocent people thru detention without trial or thru firing squad at the beach using rocket launcher.
the way i see it, singapore govt is still afraid of its own shadow.learn from malaysia on how to run a country without ISA and maybe who knows one day our singapore govt will grow up.
if malaysia boleh i believe singapore also boleh.
Source: Rashid Hamid commenting on CNA article on statement by family of Zulfikar Shariff