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Copyright © 1996, David M. Mills, All rights reserved world-wide
This is the first of three chapters excerpted from my 1996 doctoral dissertation, Dimensions of Embodiment: Towards a Conversational Science of Human Action.
Part 1 (This page)
Chapter IV: "The Posture of Anticipation: Kelly and Alexander"
considers the value of viewing Personal Construct Psychology and the Alexander Technique from each other's perspective, using John Dewey as the link between them.
Part 2
Chapter V: "Evolution of a Technique and a Teaching Method"
considers the scientific character of Alexander's work. It is based on a paper that first appeared in Marjory Barstow: Her Teaching and Training, Barbara Conable (ed.) 1989.
Part 3
Chapter VI: "Commentary on the Principles Underlying The Alexander Technique"
a brief summary of the central principles underlying Alexander's work with comments.
"The posture of anticipation...silently asks questions, and earnest questions erupt in actions." Kelly, 1969 p.31).
IV.1 Earnest Questions
Our actions, be they verbal, mental, bodily or whatever, be they directed toward ourselves, other people or the physical world, pose "earnest questions" to our world, and thus each action is taken in anticipation of a reply. Every action a person takes, whether an action commonly thought of as thinking, perceiving, moving or even the act of constructing personal meaning, is an act of that person as a whole and thus is expressive of the conditions of the coordination of the whole person. Although methodologies such as, for example Kelly's repertory grids, tend to force us to focus on certain explicitly expressible aspects of a person's construing, we are all reminded from time to time of the deeper dimensions of our conversation with the world. There is open to us a wider sense of construing of a person's situation, which encompasses the whole of their thoughts, feelings and actions in a single field, one which does not take Kelly's phrase, "posture of anticipation," to be merely metaphorical. What has been lacking however has been a practical means of pursuing that wider view. One of my central arguments is that the core of such a means is to be found in the work of F. Matthias Alexander. In this section I will provide a basis for considering Alexander's work from the perspective of Kelly's personal construct theory (and vice versa) in order to produce an approach to a wider view of both bodies of work. I have enlisted John Dewey to act as a bridge between the two.
The germ from which Personal Construct Theory grows, Kelly's Fundamental Postulate, states simply that "a person's processes are psychologically channelized by the ways in which he anticipates events" (Kelly, 1963, p.46). What I want to do is open a fresh consideration of the particular significance of the words "processes" and "psychologically" and the way Kelly explains his use of them. He makes it quite clear that "processes" is intended to refer to the actions of the person as a whole "behaving organism." He goes so far as to say that, "For our purposes, the person is not an object which is temporarily in a moving state but is himself a form of motion" (ibid., p. 48). Regarding the word "psychologically" Kelly means "that we are conceptualizing processes in a psychological manner, not that the processes are psychological rather than something else" (ibid., p. 48). The Postulate does not say that a person's psychological processes are channelized, but that the person's processes, in the sense of the whole of their actions, are channelized in ways which may be construed psychologically. What is being delimited is our way of attempting to construe a person's processes and not the processes themselves.
The whole notion of "Psychology" is based on the observation of "mental" or "psychological facts" which we find it convenient to construe "psychologically" as distinguished from facts which are "physical" or "physiological" and thus more conveniently construed within a system of "natural science" constructs. The ranges of convenience of these alternate construction systems are not, however, exclusive. As Kelly points out, "the events upon which facts are based hold no institutional loyalties" (ibid., p. 10). A person's processes might be fruitfully construed physically, psychologically or both, but the processes themselves are, "something else." In Kelly's terms, it is the constructs and not necessarily the elements that are psychological. Constructs, as the psychological dimensions of whole experience, are the ways in which we may anticipate that an element of experience will be like or not like other elements. The essential point is that we need not construe them as being psychological in order to construe them psychologically. In practice, however, it seems to be rather easy to miss this distinction and to treat personal processes as if they could be sorted into distinct "mental" and "physical" categories (standing, walking, making a tennis stroke, etc. being physical; thinking, perceiving, construing, etc., mental). Of course we may sort them thus, but there is always a price to be paid. It may be convenient to view events in the first set from the perspective of physics, biomechanics, etc. and the second set from a psychological perspective, but we encounter many events which fall in the borderlands between the two realms. Are drawing a landscape from memory, improvising at the piano or making a presentation at a conference, or for that matter, sitting at a computer, composing a doctoral dissertation, mental or physical acts? In regarding these borderland acts, and especially when I, as a living person regard my own acts, the issue becomes not only the value of recognizing that I may construe events in either way, but that "mental-physical" is itself a very pervasive construct which may have become "inconvenient." Constructs are abstractions in that they are drawn from experience and are not prior to it. Yet this abstracting is a two way processelements of experience lead to abstract concepts which become a framework that structures experience. A preferred set of dimensions, that is, an habitual way of anticipating the consequences of my actions, amounts to a constructive "posture." This "posture of anticipation" is a stance taken up by a whole person in relation to their environment and is as physical as it is metaphorical. Every act, including the act of construing, that is, of placing an interpretation on events, is an act of the whole personin other words, meaning is embodied.
To anyone familiar with Kelly's perspective, this may seem obvious. What is called for, however, is a practical way of taking the obvious into account in order to transcend it. Kelly himself asserts the essential scientific humility of his psychology of personal constructs by noting that "no one has yet proved wise enough to propound a universal system of constructs," (ibid., p. 10) and then recognizing the constant need to be careful in our application of our "miniature systems." What an individual person needs is not so much a personal version of a universal system of constructs but a means of continuing the "conversation" about their own meaningboth the "explicitly formulated" or verbally expressible and the "utterly inarticulate" meanings which are embodied in the organization of their actions. This is no easy task. Emphasizing that since "many of one's constructs have no symbols to be used as convenient word handles," it is difficult to bring them within the organization of the "verbally labelled parts of the system," (ibid., p. 110) Kelly notes that this makes it very difficult to be articulate about how one feels or to predict one's future actions. For example,
A person may say that he will not take a drink if he is offered one tomorrow. But when he says so he is aware only of what he can verbally label; he is not fully aware of what it will be like tomorrow when tomorrow's situation actually confronts him. The situation which he envisions is, to be sure, one in which he would not take the drink. But the situation which actually rolls around may loom up quite differently and he may do what he has promised himself and others he would not do. There may be a failure of his structure, or, more particularly, that part of it which is verbally labelled, to subsume adequately certain aspects of the rest of the system. (ibid., p. 110)
It is little wonder that we so often seem to others to be unwilling, and to ourselves, unable to reconstrue our situationor to do very much to change matters. Often the only parts which we can conceive of reconstruing are those parts which we can explicitly become aware of having construed, and so long as the conversation is limited to the verbal or conceptual domain, too much of our construction lies hidden in the inarticulate. We cannot reflect on this unarticulated experience because we lack a language in which to converse about it. Kelly says that the reality of a concept "exists in its actual employment by its user" (ibid., p. 106). But to employ a particular construction is to act out of a commitment to it, not merely to project it into some disembodied abstract space. Meaning, for me, is a relationship between myself and the situation in which I find myself and in which I must act. The construction of meaning has to do not only with the anticipation of events, but with anticipated action. Thus an action is not only a behavioural "experiment," but my engagement in conversation with my world, and an event in my experience is not only the result of an experiment, it is a response. To act out of commitment to a construction is to "live in anticipation" of that response. The task at hand is to find a means of bringing my part in the conversation to a more reflective level. We shall see that Alexander provides a means for meeting just that task.
IV.2 "Body" and "Mind"
In my view John Dewey provides a natural bridge between Kelly and Alexander. Kelly says of Dewey that his "philosophy and psychology can be read between many of the lines of the psychology of personal constructs" (ibid., p. 154). He finds Dewey's view "that we understand events through anticipating them" (ibid., p. 157) beneath his own claim "that our lives are wholly oriented toward anticipation of events" (a claim with which Dewey would have agreed). I have already cited Dewey's biographical statement that his ideas of mind-body etc. required his work with the Alexander brothers "to transform the into realities."
In a talk given to the New York Academy of Medicine in 1927, Dewey discussed what he considered the vital importance of the issue at hand. After lamenting the fact that the mind-body split is so pervasive in our experience that we seem to have no way of even expressing the unity except by such hyphenations as "mind-body," which actually serve to perpetuate the split, Dewey proposed that the way out the trap is to centre our attention on "unity in action." And he felt it vitally important that we do find a way out. The talk was later published under the title, "Body and Mind." (Dewey, 1931, p. 299) He writes,
Thus the question of integration of mind-body in action is the most practical of all questions we can ask of our civilization....Until this integration is effected in the only place where it can be carried out, in action itself, we shall continue to live in a society in which a soulless and heartless materialism is compensated for by a soulful but futile idealism and spiritualism...for materialism is not a theory, but a condition of action...and spiritualism is not a theory but a state of action. (ibid., p. 304)
It is precisely in the practical continuity of human action that Dewey finds the unity of mind and body. Indeed, he finds in the degree of their unity that is evident in our actions, a measure of humanity.
The more human mankind becomes, the more civilized it is, the less is there some behaviour which is purely physical and some other purely mental. So true is this statement that we may use the amount of distance which separates them in our society as a test of the lack of human development in that community. ( ibid., p. 304)
In order to find this unity, or rather this continuity, of mind and body in action, we must be able to distinguish other dimensions of meaning within our actions.
We need to distinguish between action that is routine and action alive with purpose and desire; between that which is cold, and as we significantly say inhuman, and that which is warm and sympathetic; between that which marks a withdrawal from the conditions of the present and a retrogression to split off conditions of the past and that which faces actualities; between that which is expansive and developing because including what is new and varying and that which applies only to the uniform and repetitious; between that which is bestial and that which is godlike in its humanity; between that which is spasmodic and centrifugal, dispersive and dissipating, and that which is centered and consecutive.... What most stands in the way of our achieving a working technique for making such discriminations and applying them in the guidance of the actions of those who stand in need of assistance is our habit of splitting up the qualities of action into two disjoint things. (ibid., p. 305)
It is certainly possible to read Kelly's ideas between the lines here and say that Dewey is speaking for an alternate way of construing the quality of human action. But why do we then seem to be "unwilling to reconstrue" ourselves and our actions in this new way? Dewey points us in Alexander's direction in search of an answer when he refers to Alexander in pointing out that,
Until we have a procedure in actual practice which demonstrates this continuity [of mind and body], we shall continue to engage in some other specific thing, some other broken off affair, to restore connectedness and unity [and thus] increase the disease in the means used to cure it. (Dewey, 1958, p. 296)
IV.3 A New Field of Inquiry
The opening chapter of The Use of the Self, "The Evolution of a Technique," (Alexander, 1932) is Alexander's own account of how he came to develop just such a procedure. In 1890 F.M. Alexander was a young Australian with a promising career before him as an actor and recitationist. He was, however, plagued by one serious, recurring difficultyat some point during an evening on stage, his voice would become hoarse, sometimes so much so that he could scarcely speak by the end of the performance. His doctors could find nothing medically wrong and could advise no treatment beyond rest for his voice. After this happened at one particularly important engagement, young Alexander decided to find out for himself just what was causing his troubles and what he might do to prevent their return. He reasoned that as he only had his vocal difficulty while on stage, there must be something different about the way he used his vocal mechanism in the act of reciting that caused his trouble. His years of patient self-observation opened up what he saw as a "new field of enquiry" about the "psycho-physical" functioning of the human individual as a whole. His investigations produced a set of principles and an evolving method of putting those principles to practical use in daily activity. What Alexander discovered about himself was that his difficulties, and the means for addressing them, could not be separated into distinct categories of mental and physical. He found that every specific act was taken in the context of the functioning of the entirety of his "psycho-physical mechanisms" and thus that the quality of every act was determined by the conditions of the coordination of his whole self. This proved to be equally the case for the "mental" conception of the act to be performed, the "physical" movements made in carrying out that conception and the "sensory appreciation" by which he judged the fit between the two.
He found himself in the midst of a serious dilemma, however. Having become accustomed to performing the act of reciting in his familiar way, his sensory appreciation had become as habituated as had his muscular efforts. Thus even when he had demonstrated that he was not doing what he thought he was doing, it nevertheless "felt right." Worse still, he found that at the "critical moment" of actually initiating some movement, the moment, as he experienced it, of putting his intention to speak into practice, he relied on that very same faulty sensory appreciation to guide his action. These habitual patterns, both the specific patterns which defined acts such as "reciting" and the more general patterns which constituted what he called the "general manner of use" of himself, involved components which interfered with the very coordinating processes which otherwise would have brought about the result he desired. One could suppose that Alexander might have elicited a set of constructs underlying his conception of, for example, the act of reciting, a set of kinesthetic dimensions of how various ways of "using" himself in speaking differed from one another. From the perspective being developed here, however, his construction of any particular act to be performed would be inseparable from his construing of himself in the performance. This would include the interpretation provided by his sensory appreciation and thus would be in large part what might be termed a kinesthetic construction. To be capable of performing an act in a different way was also to conceive of the act itself differentlyand thus to reconstrue himself in the doing. This he found himself unable to do. Indeed, he labelled as a "delusion which is almost universal" the assumption that because we find ourselves able to act at will in carrying out familiar habitual acts, we expect to be equally able to do so when the act we conceive is unfamiliar and counter to our habit. No matter how he might reconstrue the act at a verbal level by telling himself to do it differently, when the moment came and in spite of his best efforts, he carried it out in the familiar way. In fact, he discovered, the situation was worse; it was because of his effort that he found himself trapped in the familiar, and the greater the effort, the more he seemed dominated by his habit and the greater the amplification of the interference with his natural functioning. This is a phenomenon Alexander termed "end-gaining" and it proved to be the root cause of his original vocal problem. Eventually Alexander came to realize that his original hypothesis had been only partially correct on two counts. It was not only his vocal apparatus that was involved, and not just in the act of reciting, but his habitual use of his whole self in every act he performed. It was the malcoordination inherent in his everyday speaking habits, amplified by the effort of "reciting" as he construed it, which resulted in his loss of voice.
How are we to account for this inability to change? The situation is very similar to that in Kelly's example of taking a drink. In effect, when a way of acting becomes habitual all of the constructs used to conceive it become subsumed under the single kinesthetic construct "feels normalfeels not normal" or to use a common alternate label, "feels rightfeels wrong." As Alexander wrote, "The act and the particular feeling associated with it become one in our recognition" (Alexander, 1923, p. 132). We might also say that the associated feeling, as an element of experience, becomes a figure symbol for, and thus hides, the whole system of underlying constructs. The situation is self-perpetuating because continuing to act in commitment to that construction makes extremely unlikely just the sort of "unfamiliar sensory experience" which could provide the basis for significant reconstruction. Kelly refers to habit as "a convenient kind of stupidity which leaves a person free to act intelligently elsewhere." But he adds, "whether he takes advantage of the opportunity or not is another question." (Kelly, 1963, p. 169) In Alexander's view this failure to take advantage is not a matter of mere oversight. When what we hold fixed is just those aspects of our whole functioning which could coordinate our response to changing conditions and requirements, we hold ourselves in that unfortunate state in which our every effort to improve makes our situation worse:
The truth is that so far man has failed to understand fully what is required for changing habit if the change is to be a fundamental one because he has not realized that the establishment of a particular habit in a person is associated in that person with a certain habitual manner of using the self, and that because the organism works as an integrated whole, change of a particular habit in the fundamental sense is impossible as long as this habitual manner of use persists. (Alexander, 1941 p. 93)
It doesn't matter what sort of habit we are speaking of. Chronic muscular patterns, stereotyped reactive behaviours and rigid opinions or "fixed ideas" are all examples of the same phenomenon, and, as Alexander noted,
...the majority of people fall into a mechanical habit of thought as easily as they fall into the mechanical habit of body which is its immediate consequence. (Alexander, 1910, p. 20)
Fixed construction, the inability to reconstrue one's situation, can also be seen as habitual in Alexander's sense. That is, it is just the doingin this case construingin the old way which prevents a person from being able to even fully conceive of, let alone carry out, doing in a new way. More precisely, in Alexander's view, it is the fact that the old way, however obviously unsatisfactory we may know it to be, "feels right" to us. We know we are performing a particular action "our way" by how it feels, and this feeling is a sensory interpretation which we place on our own physical response to our situation. It is itself constructed and constructive. When I am faced with a stimulus from my environment, I respond, in ways channelized by how I have construed the stimulus. What I "feel" is my sensations of my own response. I perceive my own movement. But I also construe the meaning of that feeling (sensory appreciation) and my awareness of "how I feel" becomes itself a stimulus to further response. I had a student once who, after working with me for several minutes, was able to release a good bit of habitual excess tension, particularly across the upper part of her chest. Her movements took on a freedom and quality of softness and grace that were immediately recognizable by her and her friends who were watching. But then she put her hand to her chest and said, "You know what this is." We were all puzzled, wondering what "this" referred to. We were even more puzzled when she continued, "This is defeat." Here was a person who on several occasions in her life had felt a need to be "strong"and had done so in part by means of a certain pattern of pushing and holding up her chest. It had been, unnoticed by her, her way of embodying her concept of strength. The only times when she was without the feeling which she associated with this unconscious push had been on those occasions when her strength had not been enough and someone or something had "defeated" her. Hence, when in the context of an improved general coordination she was able to give up her push, at first the only available interpretation she could find for the absence of the associated feeling was a construal based on past kinesthetic experience. What looked to us like power and freedom, and despite the fact that she "knew" that it was, nevertheless to her "feelings" literally meant "defeat." I have seen many other similar, if usually less dramatic, examples of this sort of kinesthetic conception. The change in, for example, a person's way of standing, is already the embodiment of a reconstrual, and the same context of general coordination within which it was possible also permits a reinterpretation of the meaning of the feelings that the change elicits. My defeated friend was able to recognize her felt interpretation as such. She was able to feel what she felt and at the same time to appreciate that the feeling (or more properly, the meaning she attributed to what she felt) was in essence an opinion she held and was itself open to change. It is often claimed that emotional memories etc. are somehow "stored" in a person's body, and thus can be "released" when changes are made. What I have found in this and similar episodes is that rather than being stored in the tissue these states are embodied in dynamic patterns of movement. Thus to move differently is already to embody a reinterpretation.
This doubly constructive process is elaborative. In principle, it may be either expansive or constrictive depending on the stance taken. To be habitual is, in Kelly's terms, to expect the duplication of events rather than anticipating their replication. It is to see, and respond to, every event as a repeated instance of something already known. Alexander saw it as a failure to recognize the psycho-physical unity of our self in action:
...man's most tragic mistake has been his failure to acquire knowledge of himself as an individual functioning as a psycho-physical whole in his daily activities, for this has deprived him of the key to knowledge which could give him a new technique in living (Alexander, 1941 p. 218).
Whatever insights this discussion might provide into how we trap ourselves in this constrictive choice would be of only mild interest and indeed, would be, in Alexander's opinion, so much "useless philosophical speculation" unless it helped us come into possession of a means for doing something about it, a means for demonstrating the continuity of mind and body in practice. It was the possession of such a means that was Alexander's goal:
...I was concerned with a technique for dealing with the working of the living human organism as a whole, which called for a knowledge of the so-called mental (psychological) and the physical (physiological and anatomical) working of the human organism as an indivisible unity. (ibid., p. 135)
In essence, what Alexander developed was a coherent way of implementing the experimental method in the context of that indivisible unity, a comprehensive method for being a "personal scientist" regarding the "new field of inquiry" of the directing of our own actions, and thus a context within which certain kinds of reconstruing can take place. Among the conditions which Kelly discusses as "unfavourable to the formation of new constructs" is the unavailability of a laboratory, a space in which to "try them out" (Kelly, 1963 p. 169). But a laboratory situation implies that there is not only a space in which to experiment, but also a method of experimenting. If we recognize that when Kelly speaks of anticipating or construing he is not referring to "mental" acts, but to acts performed by the person as a whole in relation to their situation, and if we further take explicit note of the fact that such acts, like any others, involve just that "unity of mind-body in action" to which Dewey referred, then Alexander's work can be seen as providing just the sort of experimental method needed for the laboratory of new constructs. Such a method will prove equally vital whether the matters being reconstrued are those commonly thought of as physical, mental or otherwise.
IV.4 All Together, One After The Other
It is easy to see how a rigid habitual stance also sustains Kelly's other two unfavourable conditions. We find it difficult to reconstrue in a context of "threat." In our ordinary habitual mode, where there has been a reduction to the "feels right vs. feels wrong" construct, any new, unfamiliar experience can only "feel wrong." Thus any unfamiliar new sensory experience is by construction, threatening. Also, if the primary kinesthetic criterion for evaluating the performance of any habitual action is that it feels essentially the same as it always has, we are kinesthetically always preoccupied with "old material." Construing is an abstractive process of interpreting experience in terms of similarity and difference. Habitual action, by focusing us on what feels the same, "marks a withdrawal from the conditions of the present" by attempting to escape their uniqueness. It is as if the dimensions of the familiar so dominate a person's experience that they have no access to the very fresh material in the present conditions which might lead them to a new construction. A common, but nonetheless curious, illustration of this channelling of experience is seen, or rather heard, in the case of phonological differences between languages. In English the letters l and r represent distinct phonemes. Native Japanese speakers have notorious difficulty with the pronunciation of these sounds. The situation is more subtle than it at first appears, however. The "obvious" explanation for the Japanese speakers' difficulty is that their native language does not have a phoneme corresponding precisely with either the English l or r, and thus, if they have learned English later in life, they lack the requisite experience with producing those sounds and therefore often interchange them. Japanese does have a phoneme which does not precisely correspond with either l or r, but, from the English point of view, lies somewhere between them. The influence of their experience with this phoneme in their native language does lead to an imprecision in producing the English sounds. What is most curious, however, is the experience of the native English "listener." It is as though their auditory perception system includes a construct that could be labelled "sounds like lsounds like r." Or rather, if for example hearing the word "around" and thus anticipating the sound of r, there is a simultaneous use of two constructsthe one above and another, "sounds like rsounds not like r." The effect then is that any sound that is not quite the anticipated r sound is perceived as an l. Similarly any imprecise pronunciation of l is perceived as an r. The hearer of course attributes the switching of the phonemes to the speaker. The same switching often occurs when native Spanish speakers pronounce the English b or v, and of course with native English speakers trying to pronounce the Japanese or Spanish phonemes. What is strange is that any sound which is not quite right should always sound like the "wrong" sound. Similarly, any feeling we have in association with our action which does not quite "feel right" tends to feel "wrong" rather than "nearly right."
There are, however, some conditions which are favourable to the formation of new constructs: use of fresh elements, experimentation, and availability of validating data. (ibid., p. 161) Alexander's experimental technique meets each of them. The experimentation, by achieving a means of using aspects of one's physical experience normally frozen in habit as validating data, provides a context within which the fresh elements of unfamiliar sensory experience become possible. Indeed, as I will discuss later, this is precisely what Dewey found most significant about Alexander's work. It is a method for generating new experience, and what is more, a new kind experience.
There is, I believe, one more significant parallel to be drawn between Kelly's insistence that it is only by engaging in the full cycle of experience that we begin to see the significance of a person's construing, and Alexander's insistence that it is only in relation to the use of the self as a psycho-physical whole that any specific act has meaning or utility. In Kelly's case it is not merely the whole of experience that matters, but the whole cycle of experience. To Alexander, an individual is not only "whole," but an organized whole, and it is attention to the organizing principle of the functioning of the whole that is the key to his experimental "new technique in living." For both men there was a clear sense that a person's processes are both integral and sequentialin a phrase Alexander liked to use, "all together, one after the other." The implicit logical structure of these processes is what I refer to as "conductive," and from the present perspective a person's dynamic engagement with that logical structure is an engagement in "conductive reasoning."
It is in this interplay of thought and action, of the ways in which meaning is embodied and bodily action is meaningful, of the all together and the one after the other of our "posture of anticipation," that a view which is both constructive in Kelly's sense and psycho-physical in Alexander's promises to be very fruitful. As a person reflects upon their own construing, the more dimensions of that process that can be brought explicitly into the conversation the better.
Bibliography of Excerpt
Alexander, F.M. (1910) Man's Supreme Inheritance, Methuen, London (Reprinted by Centerline, Long Beach, 1988).
Alexander, F.M. (1923) Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual, Dutton, NY (Reprinted by Centerline, Long Beach, 1985).
Alexander, F.M. (1932) The Use of the Self, Dutton, NY (Reprinted by Centerline, Long Beach, 1984).
Alexander, F.M. (1941) The Universal Constant in Living, Dutton, NY (Reprinted by Centerline, Long Beach, 1986).
Dewey, John (1931) Philosophy and Civilization, Minton, Balch and Co., NY, 1931.
Dewey, J. (1957) Human Nature and Conduct, (reprint of 1922 edition) The Modern Library, NY.
Dewey, J. (1958) Experience and Nature, (reprint of Second edition, 1930) Dover, NY.
Harri-Augstein, S. and Thomas, L. (1991) Learning Conversations, Routledge, London.
Jones, F.P. (1974) "Learning How to Learn: An Operational Definition of The Alexander Technique," Sheldrake Press, London.
Jones, F.P. (1976) Body Awareness in Action, Schocken Books, NY.
Kelly, G.A. (1963) A Theory of Personality: The Psychology of Personal Constructs, Norton, NY.
Kelly, G.A. (1969) "Ontological Acceleration," in Clinical Psychology and Personality: Selected Papers of George Kelly, B. Maher (ed.), Krieger Pub., Huntington, NY, 1979.
Kelly, G.A. (1977) "The Psychology of the Unknown," in D. Bannister (ed.), New Perspectives in Personal Construct Theory, Academic Press, London, 1977.
Weyl, H. (1949) Philosophy of Mathematics and Natural
Science, Princeton U. Press, NJ.
Dissertation Abstract
George Kelly's Personal Construct Theory, especially as subsumed within the "conversational science" paradigm developed by Thomas and Harri-Augstein, is fundamentally a framework for a geometry of personal meaning in which all of the dimensions of distinction within a person's experience are like the dimensions of geometric space. A person's system of constructs is not just a framework for predicting the attributes of future events; it is a coordinate system for navigating the dimensionality of experience. The work of F.M. Alexander is primarily concerned with the "psycho-physical unity of the individual," and thus with the continuity of experience.
The present work has two aims. The first, drawing on the work of Merleau-Ponty and John Dewey, and culminating in the concept of "Conductive Reasoning," is to lay a theoretical foundation for a synthesis of the practical work of Kelly and Alexander. The primary premise is that the act of comprehending is an embodied act, and as such is as subject to the conditions of the coordination of the whole person as is any other act.
The second, practical, aim has been to develop a conversational methodology for dealing with learning in a more fully embodied way. This method of "conductive conversation," formally derived from the "Learning Conversation," evolved from the author's teaching experience with the Alexander Technique.
Appendix 1, "A Conversational Introduction to Conductive Reasoning," is an interactive conversational structure which incorporates a development of these concepts in the context of personal experiments for generating the kinds of experiences from which the reader may draw something of the intended meaning, and some skill in using the conductive conversational tools for exploring embodied dimensions in their own meaning. It is intended as a piece that will stand on its own as a conversational research instrument for personal scientists.
David Mills
6836 21st Av. NE, Seattle, WA 98115, USA
Tel: +1 206-522-3584, e-mail: David Mills
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Former National Football League superstar LaDainian Tomlinson came home October 6. The University High grad, who went on to have stellar college and professional football careers, talked to students at University High and Waco High about the importance of academic performance and positive character traits.
Both schools are implementing the SMART program that is funded by the Tomlinson's "Touching Lives" Foundation. SMART, an acronym for Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training, is a cognitive training program developed by the University of Texas at Dallas Center for Brain Health to help students become more efficient, thoughtful, long-term learners. In short, SMART teaches students how to learn rather than merely what to learn. SMART has proven results. In a previous pilot at a Dallas ISD middle school, 70% of students who participated in SMART are now taking 3 or more Advanced Placement courses.
Tomlinson also stressed to the students the importance of school attendance and showing respect for teachers and classmates.
Lisa Saxenian, assistant principal at Waco High, gives former University Trojan Ladainian Tomlinson some Waco High paraphernalia.

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Sony may ship The Playroom with the PS4 this holiday, Tsubasa Inaba, senior producer at SCEA, has told Polygon.
The Playroom has been used by Sony to demonstrate how the PS4's camera can interact with the DualShock 4, the touch-pad and speaker. Demos include a touch and motion controlled version of Pong and augmented reality robots.
However, the collection has proved so popular that Sony is considering expanding what's offered and bundling it with the new console.
Inaba says that internal developers at Sony hope to create new experiences for the collection, but there's no promise that the increased interest will lead to anything.
Asked by Polygon whether The Playroom will be pre-installed on PS4, Inaba said: "Perhaps. We hope to have a more definitive answer to that question in the next month or two."
The Playroom was previously reported to be a console pack-in after a now removed post on the UK PlayStation website said as much.
The only issue with packing-in The Playroom is that it relies quite heavily on the PlayStation Camera - itself not included as standard with the PS4.
Source: Polygon


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Match These Proud Fathers with Their Jersey Shore Spawn
The members of Jersey Shore's outrageous octet are many things, but are they chips off the old block? We've got four photos of guidos who fathered Jersey Shore stars, and it's up to you to ID the gelato-hocking stars who call them "dad."
Contestant #1 completely forsakes the "T" section of the Gym-Tan-Laundry credo.
Contestant #2 follows only the "T" section of the Gym-Tan-Laundry credo.
Contestant #3 could be a former gorilla juicehead himself.
Contestant #4 looks ready to coach a Little League team in the late '80s.
Check below for the answers.
1) JWOWW (for real)
2) Vinny
3) Snooki
4) Ronnie
'Jersey Shore': Meet the Parents [ONTD]


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Don't forget to load your coupons to your Kroger card: Cellfire and Upromise.
The highlights are below, The rest of the Kroger deals are thanks to Melissa's Bargain Blog.
Kroger has another HOT Mega Sale: buy 10 participating items, get an instant $5 off! (initial prices listed do not reflect the instant $5 discount, final prices do) – you have to buy 10 items to get the final prices!
Balance Bar – $1
$1/3 Balance Bars printable (when you like them on Facebook)
Final Price = $.50 for 3 after promotional discount and coupon!
Del Monte vegetables – $.82
Final Price = $.32 after promotional discount!
Honest Tea – $1.25
$.50/1 Honest Tea printable (should double)
Final Price = FREE after coupon
Hunt's tomatoes – $.92
$.45/3 Hunt's tomatoes or tomato sauce – 1-23 SS (should double)
$1/3 Hunt's tomatoes/tomato sauce – January 2011 All You Magazine
Final Price = $.26 for 3 after coupon and promotional discount! (that's just $.09 each!) – it's $.42/each without the coupon!
Kleenex facial tissue – $1.49
$.50/3 Keleenx tissues – 1-2 SS (should double)
Final Price = $.66/each after coupon and promotional discount (when you buy 3)
**This is a stock up price!
Kraft Singles – $1.49
$1/1 Kraft 2% singles printable
Final Price = FREE after coupon and store promotion!!
Philadelphia cream cheese – $1.49
$.50/2 Philadelphia cream cheese printable (should double)
Final Price = $.98 for 2 after coupons and promotional discount ($.49/each)
Rotel tomatoes – $.86
Buy 3, get 1 free – January 2011 All You Magazine
Final Price = $.58 for four after coupon and promotional discount ($.15 each!) – it's $.36/each without the coupon!
* Curious as to where the coupons are I'm getting? Read the 411 here and the best way to get newspaper coupons here. To obtain coupons, you can check out coupons.com, RedPlum and SmartSource


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The thing is I was really excited but now I am feeling scared and anxious. I hate flying and I am a control freak and I am worrying about storms, sickness even bloody pirates.
People please help me and calm me down.
edited for typos
[This message edited by Tawnee1969 at 12:04 AM, April 11th (Friday)]
Cruise= scopolamine patch; most ships are so stable and they have huge stabilizers
No pirates. Too far removed.
You guys will have a blast!
I know they don't usually but then again the Concordia did.
Please let me know it's wonderful and smooth and safe and I will spend wonderful times with my family and relax and eat like a pig.
This is what I want.
You have more risk of getting into a horrible car wreck than anything bad happening on the cruise. Try not to buy trouble!
Part of the fun is the anticipation. Have you checked out cruisecrtic.com? They have forums specifically for your ship and trip. So much fun to post, meet people, read about excursions and things you can do.
You will have a blast!!!!!
I went on my first cruise back in October. flew to Miami to go. we flew a day ahead of departure date to make sure we got there before the boat left (I detest flying early in the morning...) had to meet DD at the ATL airport on the way to MIA (she flew from Baton Rouge and had never flown, much less been in the ATL airport and tried to figure out where to go next) and I made sure we had at least a 2 hr layover in ATL so we could meet up, eat and not miss our flight.
I am always anxious the first time I do anything!I seem to run all the bad scenarios through my head (hoping to be prepared if the worse happens, so when all goes good- I am pleasantly surprised)
I am usually fine once I get where I am going, but so much was new to me (I have flown a lot, no biggie there) I worried about rough seas, getting to the next stop, getting back on the boat in time of course, it would have been ok to have been left @ Grand Turk... and realizing, I wouldn't be done til I got back home! it was an amazing adventure!
oh, I could feel the ship move -our room was on the 10th deck at the very front of the ship (amazing!) but it was like a gentle rocking- I slept like a baby that week! (and was never seasick)
we had a great time! and the next will be much better-
sorry, that was a bit long.
relax. it will be great!
[This message edited by pmal64 at 10:40 AM, April 11th (Friday)]
Went on my first cruise 2 years ago. The balcony rooms are so nice - we slept with the balcony door open all night. Sound of waves, ocean breezes... heaven.
You will all have a great time. Allow plenty of time for the boarding process, and bring a bottle of water for each of you - those lines can be long. And hot.
Have fun!
And never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be.
― Sarah McMane
I feel a bit better now but I know closer to September I will be shitting my pants again.


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Gastrointestinal Cancer
The Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancer program, part of The Tisch Cancer Institute at The Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, offers the most up-to-date services available for the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and management of gastrointestinal cancers.
Our physicians have significant expertise in the full range of gastrointestinal cancers, including:
- Anal cancer
- Colon cancer
- Colon polyps
- Esophageal cancer
- Liver cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Rectal cancer
- Stomach cancer
We offer a comprehensive, multidisciplinary team approach to patient care. Each of our doctors has a specific area of focus, such as gastroenterology, surgery, or medical oncology. Together, these specialists participate in weekly meetings during which they discuss the best approach to each patient's specific situation. At Mount Sinai, patients do not get just one doctor, but a whole team of expert physicians.
Mount Sinai's Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology practice has been recognized by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI(r)) Certification Program, an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The QOPI(r) Certification Program provides a three-year certification for outpatient hematology-oncology practices that meet the highest standards for quality cancer care.
QOPI certification signifies that an outpatient oncology practice has met core standards in a variety of areas that affect the quality of patient care, including staff training and education, chemotherapy orders and drug preparation, patient consent and education, safe chemotherapy administration, and monitoring and assessment of patient well-being. Mount Sinai is the first site in Manhattan to receive QOPI-certification and is one of only 200 practices currently certified nationwide.
Tel: 800-MD-SINAI (800-637-4624)
To make an appointment, please call (212) 241-4299


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City tests new weapons in fight against potholes; one product is like a bag of Silly Putty
It's that time of the year — when the unsuspecting driver suddenly feels the slam of a pothole beneath the car's wheels, an experience that can be jarring, unpleasant — and expensive.
The city piloted three new pothole filling solutions Thursday, bringing three different companies to Dorchester to test their quick-fix products on a trio of potholes on Bowdoin Avenue. The products will be tested over the course of the next six months to see how they hold up.
Elmo Baldassari, Boston's deputy commissioner of public works, said officials are hoping to see if two of the products — products manufactured by companies called Aquaphalt and Unique Paving Materials —could help his staff permanently repair potholes on nights and weekends, rather than putting in temporary fixes that must be re-repaired weeks or months later.
The products are more expensive than regular asphalt, but are more eco-friendly and can be carried in bags or buckets in the back of a truck without risk of permanent hardening.
"If this product does work like they say it does,'' Baldassari said, "we won't have to come back here in six or seven months, chasing our tails. We could do it once and be done.''
The third company in the pothole-patching competition took a more unusual approach: Their product, called Hole Patch, consists of a Silly-Putty-like material encased in hardy plastic bags, a fix for a few hours or days while crews come out to make a permanent pothole repair. The sack of putty is liquid when left to its own devices, but once it is placed under pressure, such as the weight of a passing car, it instantly becomes a solid. After the pressure subsides, the product returns to being a liquid — which means it is pliable and could be used in different potholes over and over.
"It's meant to be a very quick, temporary fix,'' said Nicholas Barron, co-founder of Hole Patch, as he tossed one of the sacks in the pothole. "It's that easy, just throw and go.''


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"message was sent successfully" but never comes through
Our email form tells the sender their message was sent successfully, however it never makes it to our inbox. I have checked with our spam service who say the emails are not making it to their server (which would make me think they're getting caught up somewhere in between).
I have used Contact Form 7 on other WordPress installs to test sending email to our inbox and it works… But not on our website. Does anyone have an idea what might cause this?
Is there more information I should be giving our spam service which might help them find the messages lost in their filter somewhere?
- The topic '"message was sent successfully" but never comes through' is closed to new replies.


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The Coanda effect, which is central to the performance of the MD Helicopters Notar (no tail rotor) and the tail-boom strakes on many other helicopters, inspired 16-year-old Ethan Chu's design for a helicopter that won him the Igor Sikorsky Youth Innovator Award in the second annual Helicopter 2050 Challenge (http://www.helicopter2050.com).
"I was fascinated with the Coanda effect," Chu said, "and I decided to use it to make my helicopter design more efficient."
The competition challenged youth, ages 9 to 16 years, to envision an environmentally friendly helicopter, with judges rating the designs for concept uniqueness, description detail and creativity of the presentation. Chu's design describes a compact, twin-engine helicopter intended for medical evacuation.
The dome-shaped helicopter, which Chu calls the AH-9 Diamondback, incorporates a high-strength structure, featuring lightweight carbon nanotubes covered with titanium panels, an approach that reduces the helicopter's weight and fuel consumption while increasing its carrying capacity. Two turbofan engines would power a four-blade main rotor. The rotor blades would have symmetrical airfoil cross-sections, providing less drag. Two stub wings under the cockpit would enhance control and stability at high speed.
By channeling engine exhaust along the rotor blades and around the fuselage, Chu's helicopter would use the Coanda effect to provide a cushion of gas for additional lift, further reducing the Diamondback's carbon footprint. A fan would push the air down and out at high speed around the body, creating a low-pressure area around the top of the helicopter, which then creates extra lift. The design also includes space for a medic and two patients.
"We were impressed with the strong scientific reasoning and the good deal of thought that Ethan put into his innovative submission," said Vern Van Fleet, a chief test engineer for Sikorsky Military Systems. "And he never lost sight of the competition theme, which was to produce an environmentally friendly helicopter."
Chu, an 11th grader who plans to be an aerospace engineer, is a member of the Eta Sigma Alpha National Home School Honor Society at his high school in South Bend, Ind. "This competition gave me the opportunity to learn new knowledge and gain new skills," he said.
Chu's award included a trophy, $1,000 and trip to Sikorsky's headquarters in Stratford, Conn. During their visit to Sikorsky, Chu and his father toured the Black Hawk and Seahawk assembly lines and met company rotorcraft designers and engineers.
Sikorsky Aircraft, a division of United Technologies, and By Kids For Kids, an organization that inspires youth invention, innovation and entrepreneurship, sponsor the Helicopter 2050 competition and announced Chu, as the grand-prize winner, and the four other finalists in December.


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BAZIC 8 Color Propelling Crayon (Case of 144)Item#: BAD-102125866 | Model#: 2506-144
Currently Out Of Stock!
You May Consider This Alternative
Product Details
Manufactured by: Bazic Products
Warranty provided by: Bazic Products
UPC No: 20764608025066
Mfg Part No: 2506-144
Box Size:
( Length:17, Width:9, Depth:17)
Shipping Weight: 28.5000 pound(s)
Click here for full warranty and support information
- Bazic Products logos are registered trademarks of Bazic Products. All others trademarks and copyrights mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.


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Whitewater Resort, located in Nelson, B.C., introduced their Powder Plus Card this winter. The card provides discounts on lift tickets, plus it also includes two free ski days, and several more perks. It's perfect for those who missed out buying a season pass or plan on visiting the resort for a week.
The card allows the purchaser to by lift tickets for $5 off on any day of the season. No blackout dates. You also get your first and sixth ski days free. Cardholders also garner additional perks. It can get you discounts in the Whitewater Ski and Rental Shop, or you can take a buddy along for free when you purchase a private lesson.
Adult Powder Plus Cards cost $69. Youth ages 13 - 18 can purchase cards for $55, while juniors ages 7 - 12 pay only $42 for a card.
The cards may be ordered online. They are good for the entire season, but can only be purchased until Mar. 1. Whitewater plans to run its lifts daily through Apr. 5.
The resort will re-open Apr. 10-13 for its end-of-season Beach Party Weekend, featuring a slush cup, dummy downhill, and barbecue.


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To complement my recent article, UN Human Rights Council Discusses Secret Detention Report, in which I explained how, two weeks ago, the UN Human Rights Council had after some delays finally discussed the findings of the Joint Study on Global Practices in Relation to Secret Detention in the Context of Counter-Terrorism, a detailed, 186-page report issued in February (PDF), Im posting the section of the report that deals with US secret detention policies since the 9/11 attacks, in the hope that it might reach a new audience and provide useful research opportunities as an HTML document.
I do, however, urge everyone to read the whole report, because the introduction and conclusions are important, as are the sections establishing the legal approach to secret detention and its historical context, the section detailing current practices in 25 other countries worldwide, and the annexes, which contain government responses to a questionnaire about secret detention, and a number of case studies.
Given the length of this section of the report (pp. 43-89), Im publishing it in three parts. The first, published here, provided an introduction, and dealt with The high-value detainee programme and CIA secret detention facilities, the second looked at CIA detention facilities or facilities operated jointly with United States military in battlefield zones, and the third, published below, looks at Proxy detention sites, Complicity in the practice of secret detention and Secret detention and the Obama administration.
Please note that I have inserted hyperlinks where possible. However, the original report contains footnotes, and not all of these provide links to websites. In most cases, I have added the information contained in the footnotes in square brackets, but for full details, please see the original.
Prepared by Martin Scheinin, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Manfred Nowak, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Shaheen Ali, the vice-chair of the Working Group on arbitrary detention, and Jeremy Sarkin, the chair of the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances.
C. Proxy detention sites
141. Since 2005, details have emerged of how the United States was not only secretly capturing, transferring and detaining people itself, but also transferring people to other States for the purpose of interrogation or detention without charge. The practice had apparently started almost simultaneously with the high-value detainee programme. The British Government transmitted to the experts a summary of conclusions and recommendations of the Intelligence and Security Committee report on rendition (2007), in which it was noted that the Security Service and SIS were
slow to detect the emerging pattern of renditions to detention that occurred during 2002 [The summary was sent in response to a questionnaire on allegations of rendition and detention sent by the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, dated 8 July 2009]. The CIA appears to have been generally involved in the capture and transfer of prisoners, as well as in providing questions for those held in foreign prisons. Beyond that, a clear pattern is difficult to discern: some prisoners were subsequently returned to CIA custody (and were generally sent on to Guantanamo), while others were sent back to their home countries, or remained in the custody of the authorities in third countries.
142. The Government of the United States has acknowledged that some enemy combatants have been transferred to their countries of nationality for continued detention [E/CN.4/2004/3, para. 69]. In its report to the Committee against Torture on 13 January 2006, the Government attempted to deflect criticism of its policy of sending detainees to countries with poor human rights records, including those where they might face the risk of torture, declaring that the United States does not transfer persons to countries where the United States believes it is more likely than not that they will be tortured
The United States obtains assurances, as appropriate, from the foreign government to which a detainee is transferred that it will not torture the individual being transferred [CAT/C/48/Add.3/Rev.1, para. 30. See also the reply of the Government to a general allegation regarding the its involvement in one case of extraordinary rendition transmitted by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, in which it affirmed that the United States does not transport individuals from one country to another for the purpose of interrogation using torture. Furthermore, the United States has not transported individuals, and will not transport individuals to a country where the Government believes they will be tortured (A/HRC/10/9, para. 425)]. Various United Nations bodies, including the experts and the Committee against Torture, have criticized heavily this policy of extraordinary rendition in a detailed way in the past, defining it as a clear violation of international law. They also expressed concern about the use of assurances [See A/HRC/6/17/Add.3, para. 36; A/HRC/4/40, paras. 43 and 50; E/CN.4/2004/3, para. 69; A/HRC/4/41, para. 458 and A/60/316, para. 45; CAT/C/USA/CO/2, paras. 20-21; and A/60/316, E/CN.4/2006/6 and A/HRC/4/40, paras. 52-56].
143. Given the prevailing secrecy regarding the CIA rendition programme, exact figures regarding the numbers of prisoners transferred to the custody of other Governments by the CIA without spending any time in CIA facilities are difficult to ascertain. Equally, little is known about the number of detainees who have been held at the request of other States, such as the United Kingdom and Canada. While several of these allegations cannot be backed up by other sources, the experts wish to underscore that the consistency of many of the detailed allegations provided separately by detainees adds weight to the inclusion of Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, the Syrian Arab Republic, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Djibouti as proxy detention facilities where detainees have been held on behalf of the CIA. Serious concerns also exist about the role of Uzbekistan as a proxy detention site.
1. Jordan
144. At least 15 prisoners, mostly seized in Karachi, Pakistan, or in the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia, claim to have been rendered by the CIA to the main headquarters of the General Intelligence Department of Jordan in Amman, between September 2001 and 2004. They include three men and one juvenile subsequently transferred to Guantanamo via Afghanistan:
145. Also held were Abu Hamza al-Tabuki, a Saudi seized by United States agents in Afghanistan in December 2001 and released in Saudi Arabia in late 2002 or early 2003, and Samer Helmi al-Barq, seized in Pakistan on 15 July 2003, who was kept for three months in a secret prison outside Pakistan, before being transferred to Jordan on 26 October 2003. He was released on bail in January 2008 [Others reportedly held in Jordan are Jamil Qasim Saeed Mohammed, a Yemeni student rendered from Karachi on 23 October 2001, who has not been heard of since; Ibrahim al- Jeddawi, a Saudi seized in Yemen (or Kuwait) in the first half of 2002, who was reportedly transferred to Saudi custody; at least five other men (three Algerians, a Syrian and a Chechen), seized in Georgia in 2002; an Iraqi Kurd, possibly seized in Yemen; and a Tunisian, seized in Iraq. The current whereabouts of all these men is unknown. According to former prisoners interviewed by Human Rights Watch, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, seized with Hassan bin Attash and one of 14 high-value detainees transferred to Guantanamo in September 2006, was also held in Jordan for an unspecified amount of time, as was Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi, seized in Afghanistan in late 2001, who was subjected to multiple renditions. See also para. 146. For Samer Helmi al-Barq, see Amnesty International, submission to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review, February 2009 (PDF)].
2. Egypt
146. At least seven men were rendered to Egypt by the CIA between September 2001 and February 2003, and another was rendered to Egypt from the Syrian Arab Republic, where he had been seized at the request of the Canadian authorities:
The eighth man, Ahmad Abou El-Maati, a Canadian-Egyptian national, was seized at Damascus airport on his arrival from Toronto on 11 November 2001. He was held in the Far Falestin prison in the Syrian Arab Republic until 25 January 2002, when he was transferred to Egyptian custody, where he remained in various detention sites (including in secret detention until August 2002) until his release on 7 March 2004. During the initial period of his detention in Egypt, he was subjected to heavy beatings and threats of rape against his sister. At a later stage during the secret detention phase, he was handcuffed with his hands behind his back practically continuously for 45 days in a solitary confinement cell, which he described as being very painful and which made it hard to use the toilet and wash. He was also subjected to sleep deprivation [Internal inquiry into the actions of Canadian officials in relation to Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati and Muayyed Nureddin, pursuant to an Order in Council dated 11 December 2006. See also Commission of inquiry into the actions of Canadian officials in relation to Maher Arar, report of the fact finder of 14 October 2005].
3. Syrian Arab Republic
147. At least nine detainees were rendered by the CIA to the Syrian Arab Republic between December 2001 and October 2002, and held in Far Falestin, run by Syrian Military Intelligence. All those able to speak about their experiences explained that they were tortured. As in the case of Egypt (see para. 146 above), other men were seized at the request of the Canadian authorities:
148. When Ahmad Abou El-Maati (see para. 146) was held in Far Falestin in the Syrian Arab Republic, he was held in solitary confinement in poor conditions and subjected to ill-treatment, including blindfolding, forced to remove almost all his clothes, beaten with cables, forcible shaving and had ice-cold water poured on him. Abdullah Almalki, a Canadian-Syrian national, also spent time in secret detention in the Syrian Arab Jamahiriya, in Far Falestin, from 3 May to 7 July 2002, when he received a family visit. On 25 August 2003, he was sent to Sednaya prison. He was released on 10 March 2004. He returned to Canada on 25 July 2004 after being acquitted of all charges by the Syrian State Supreme Security court [Internal inquiry, paras. 10-38] .
149. Another Canadian, Muayyed Nureddin, an Iraqi-born geologist, was detained on the border of the Syrian Arab Republic and Iraq on 11 December 2002, when he returned from a family visit in northern Iraq. He was secretly detained for a month in Far Falestin, then released on 13 January 2003 [Internal inquiry, paras. 10-38].
150. In its response to the questionnaire sent by the experts, the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic stated that the country had no secret prisons or detention centres. There were no cases of secret detention, and no individuals had been arrested without the knowledge of the competent authorities. No authorization had been granted to the security service of any foreign State to establish secret detention facilities in the Syrian Arab Republic. A number of foreign individuals had been arrested in the country at the request of other States, and had been informed of the legal basis for the arrests and their places of detention. The above-mentioned States were also informed of whether the individuals concerned had been brought before the Courts or transferred outside of the country. Individuals belonging to different terrorist groups had been prosecuted and detained in public prisons, in compliance with relevant international standards. They would be judged by the competent judicial authorities. Court proceedings would be public and be held in the presence of defence lawyers, families, human rights activists and foreign diplomats. Some would be publicized through the media. The Interpol branch within the Security Service of the Ministry of the Interior was cooperating with international Interpol branches with regard to suspected terrorist and other criminal activities.
4. Morocco
151. At least three detainees were rendered to Morocco by the CIA between May and July 2002, and held in Temara prison, including the following:
5. Pakistan
152. From December 2001 until the summer of 2002, when the majority of the detainees who ended up in Guantanamo were seized, detention facilities in Pakistan, where several hundred detainees were held before being transferred to Kandahar or Bagram, were a crucial component of what was then, exclusively, a secret detention programme. Many of these men, seized near the Pakistani border, or while crossing from Afghanistan to Pakistan, were held in prisons in Kohat and Peshawar, but others were held in what appear to be impromptu facilities, which were established across the country in numerous locations. The then President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, stated that:
Since shortly after 9/11, when many Al-Qaida members fled Afghanistan and crossed the border into Pakistan, we have played multiple games of cat and mouse with them. The biggest of them all, Osama bin Laden, is still at large at the time of this writing, but we have caught many, many others. Some are known to the world, some are not. We have captured 672 and handed over 369 to the United States. We have earned bounties totalling millions of dollars [Pervez Musharraf, In The Line Of Fire: A Memoir, Free Press, 2006].
Since shortly after 9/11, when many Al-Qaida members fled Afghanistan and crossed the border into Pakistan, we have played multiple games of cat and mouse with them. The biggest of them all, Osama bin Laden, is still at large at the time of this writing, but we have caught many, many others. Some are known to the world, some are not. We have captured 672 and handed over 369 to the United States. We have earned bounties totalling millions of dollars [Pervez Musharraf, In The Line Of Fire: A Memoir, Free Press, 2006].
153. Two former prisoners, Moazzam Begg and Omar Deghayes, described their experiences of secret detention in Pakistan to the experts:
Omar Deghayes, a Libyan national and British resident, was arrested in April 2002 at his home in Lahore after a hundred people in black tracksuits surrounded the house. In the presence of an American officer, he was then taken, handcuffed and hooded, to a police station and, shortly afterwards, to an old fortress outside Lahore, where he was held with other men from Palestine, Tunisia, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and Egypt, and beaten and kicked, and heard electroshocks and people screaming. According to his account, the place was run by Pakistanis and appeared to be a maximum security prison for extremist opponents that were traded with different States such as Libya and the United States. He also stated that he was tortured for a month without any contact with the external world, and that the ill-treatment included punching, beating, kicking, stripping, being hit in the back with wooden sticks, and stress positions for up to three days and three nights. In mid-May, two Americans in plain clothes visited, took photographs and asked questions. He was then moved to a place in Islamabad, which looked like a barracks, where he was held incommunicado for one month without access to a lawyer or ICRC, and was interrogated in a nearby house by American officers, who identified themselves as CIA, and, on one occasion, by a British agent from MI6. He said that torture took place in the barracks but not during the interrogations, and that he was subjected to drowning and stress positions, and recalled a room full of caged snakes that guards threatened to open if he did not speak about what he had done in Afghanistan. He then met with British and American officers, who finally acquired him with other detainees, and took him to Bagram, where he was heavily tortured and sexually abused by American soldiers. He was flown to Guantanamo in August 2002, and released in December 2007 [Interview with Omar Deghayes (annex II, case 8)].
Moazzam Begg, a British citizen, moved to Kabul, with his wife and three children, to become a teacher and a charity worker in 2001. After leaving Afghanistan in the wake of the United States-led invasion, on 31 January 2002, he was abducted from a house in Islamabad, where he was living with his family, and taken to a place in Islamabad (not an official detention facility), where those who held him were not uniformed officers and there were people held in isolation. Held for three weeks, he was moved to a different venue for interviews with American and British intelligence officers, but his wife did not know where he had been taken, and he was denied access to a lawyer or consular services. He was then taken to a military airport near Islamabad and handed over to American officers. He was held in Afghanistan and Guantanamo for three years, and was released in January 2005 [Interview with Moazzam Begg (annex II, case 6)].
6. Ethiopia
154. The Government of Ethiopia served as the detaining authority for foreign nationals of interest to United States and possibly other foreign intelligence officers between 30 December 2006 and February 2007 [For allegations in interviews conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation officers, see for example the case of Meshal vs Higgenbotham. See also Human Rights Watch, Why am I still here?: the 2007 Horn of Africa renditions and the fate of those still missing (PDF)]. On 2 May 2007, a number of special procedures addressed the Government of Ethiopia, adding the following details:
In December 2006, the conflict between the militias of the Council of Somali Islamic Courts and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, supported by armed forces of Ethiopia, caused a large flow of refugees seeking to cross the border from Somalia into Kenya. On 2 January 2007, Kenyan authorities announced the closure of the border for security reasons. Since then, it is reported that the Kenyan security forces have been patrolling the border and have arrested a number of those seeking to cross it. Kenya has deported at least 84 of those arrested back to Somalia, from where they were taken to Ethiopia [A/HRC/7/3/Add.1, para. 71].
In December 2006, the conflict between the militias of the Council of Somali Islamic Courts and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, supported by armed forces of Ethiopia, caused a large flow of refugees seeking to cross the border from Somalia into Kenya. On 2 January 2007, Kenyan authorities announced the closure of the border for security reasons. Since then, it is reported that the Kenyan security forces have been patrolling the border and have arrested a number of those seeking to cross it. Kenya has deported at least 84 of those arrested back to Somalia, from where they were taken to Ethiopia [A/HRC/7/3/Add.1, para. 71].
155. The experts interviewed two of those captured between December 2006 and February 2007: Bashir Ahmed Makhtal (mentioned in the Special Rapporteurs communication) and Mohamed Ezzoueck. The latter, a British national, was detained on 20 January 2007 in Kiunga village, Kenya, after crossing the Somali-Kenyan border and then transferred to Nairobi, where he was held in three different locations. Mr. Ezzoueck reported having been detained in Kenya for about three weeks and then transferred to Somalia, where he was held for a few days before being transferred, via Nairobi, back to London. According to his testimony, he was interrogated by a Kenyan army major and Kenyan intelligence service officers, FBI officers and British security services officers, and repeatedly asked about his involvement with terrorist groups, including Al Qaida [Interview with Mohamed Ezzouek (annex II, case 10)]. Mr. Makhtal, an Ethiopian-born Canadian, was arrested on the border between Kenya and Somalia on 30 December 2006 by intelligence agents and held at a police detention centre. He was subsequently transferred by car to a prison cell in Gigiri police station in Nairobi. On 21 January 2007, the Kenyan authorities sent him to Mogadishu. On the following day, he was taken to Addis Ababa by an Ethiopian military plane. He was then held for approximately 18 months incommunicado in Mekalawi federal prison, often in solitary confinement and in poor conditions, then ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court of Ethiopia [Interview with Bashir Makhtal (annex II, case 16)].
156. In a letter dated 23 May 2007, the Government of Ethiopia informed the relevant special procedures mandate holders that the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia had handed over to Ethiopia 41 individuals captured in the course of the conflict in Somalia; most of these detainees had been released. Only eight of the detainees remained in custody by order of the court. The Government also noted that the allegation that there are more than seventy others in addition to those named in the communication is false, as are the allegations that the detainees are held incommunicado, and that they might be at risk of torture [A/HRC/7/3/Add.1, para. 71]. However, in September 2008, Human Rights Watch published a report stating that at least 10 detainees were still in Ethiopian custody, and the whereabouts of others were unknown [PDF].
7. Djibouti
157. The experts received information proving that a detainee in the CIA secret detention programme, Mohammed al-Asad, had been transferred by Tanzanian officials by plane to Djibouti on 27 December 2003 [High Court of Tanzania at Dar es Salaam, criminal application No. 23 of 2004, Abdullah Salehe Mohsen al-Asad vs. Director of Immigration Services ex parte Mohamed Abdullah Salehe Mohsen Al-Asaad counter affidavit, 30 June 2004]. In Djibouti, Mr. al-Asad was detained for two weeks in secret detention, where he was interrogated by a white English-speaking woman and a male interpreter, mostly on his connections to the al-Haramain foundation. The woman identified herself as American. Mr. al-Asads own recollection is consistent with his having been held in Djibouti. One of his guards told him that he was in Djibouti and there was a photograph of President Guelleh on the wall of the detention facility. After approximately two weeks, Mr. al-Asad was taken to an airport in Djibouti, where a team of individuals dressed entirely in black stripped him, inserted an object in his rectum, diapered and photographed him, and strapped him down in a plane. The detention site may have been in Camp Lemonier, which allegedly has been used on a short-term or transitory basis for several detainees being transferred to secret detention elsewhere.
8. Uzbekistan
158. No confirmation has ever been provided by either the Government of the United States or that of Uzbekistan that detainees were rendered to proxy prisons in Uzbekistan. In May 2005, however, the New York Times spoke to a half-dozen current and former intelligence officials working in Europe, the Middle East and the United States who stated that the United States had sent terror suspects to Uzbekistan for detention and interrogation. A United States intelligence official estimated that the number of terrorism suspects sent by the United States to Tashkent was in the dozens. The New York Times also obtained flight logs, showing that at least seven flights were made to Uzbekistan from early 2002 to late 2003 by two planes associated with the CIA rendition programme (a Gulfstream jet and a Boeing 737), and noted that, on 21 September 2003, both planes had arrived at Tashkent. According to the newspaper, the flight logs showed that the Gulfstream had taken off from Baghdad, while the 737 had departed from the Czech Republic. On 14 August 2009, the BBC interviewed Ikrom Yakubov, an Uzbek intelligence officer who has been granted political asylum in the United Kingdom, who stated that the United States had rendered terrorist suspects for questioning to Uzbekistan, but added, I dont want to talk about it as there might be serious concerns for my life in the future to discuss renditions. On 22 August 2009, the story resurfaced once more, when Der Spiegel reported that, in an arrangement between the private security firm Blackwater and the CIA, Blackwater and its subsidiaries had been commissioned to transport terror suspects from Guantanamo to interrogations at secret prison camps in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
D. Complicity in the practice of secret detention
159. After September 2006, the direct role of the CIA in secret detentions seemed to have shrunk significantly, with current and former American Government officials explaining in May 2009 to the New York Times that, in the last two years of the Bush administration, the Government of the United States had started to rely heavily on the foreign intelligence services to capture, interrogate and detain all but the highest level terrorist suspects seized outside the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the newspaper, in the past 10 months,
about a half-dozen mid-level financiers and logistics experts working with Al-Qaida have been captured and are being held by intelligence services in four Middle Eastern countries after the United States provided information that led to their arrests by local security services. Instead of actively detaining persons in secret, the United States and many other countries became complicit in the practice of secret detention. For the purposes of the present study, the experts state that a country is complicit in the secret detention of a person in the following cases:
(a) When a State has asked another State to secretly detain a person (covering all cases mentioned in paras. 141-158 above);
(b) When a State knowingly takes advantage of the situation of secret detention by sending questions to the State detaining the person or by soliciting or receiving information from persons who are being kept in secret detention. This includes at least the following States:
(c) When a State has actively participated in the arrest and/or transfer of a person when it knew, or ought to have known, that the person would disappear in a secret detention facility or otherwise be detained outside the legally regulated detention system. This includes at least the following States:
(d) A specific form of complicity in this context are these cases where a State holds a person shortly in secret detention before handing them over to another State where that person will be put in secret detention for a longer period. This includes at least the following countries:
(e) When a State has failed to take measures to identify persons or airplanes passing through its airports or airspace after information of the CIA programme involving secret detention had already been revealed. The issue of rendition flights was, and still is, the subject of many separate investigations at the national or regional level. Therefore, the experts decided to refrain from going into the details of this issue [See, inter alia, the European Parliament Committee report, 18 June 2009 (PDF); the statement of the Foreign Secretary to the House of Commons on United States rendition flights, 21 February 2008, and Dick Marty,Secret detentions and illegal transfers of detainees involving Council of Europe member states: second report (PDF)].
E. Secret detention and the Obama administration
160. In its response to the questionnaire sent by the experts, the United States stated that:
The Obama Administration has adopted the following specific measures:
These measures cumulatively seek to reaffirm the importance of compliance with the rule of law in U.S. detention practices, to ensure U.S. adherence to its international legal obligations, and to promote accountability and transparency in this important area of national security policy.
161. The experts welcome the above commitments. They believe, however, that clarification is required as to whether detainees were held in CIA black sites in Iraq and Afghanistan or elsewhere when President Obama took office, and, if so, what happened to the detainees who were held at that time. Also, the experts are concerned that the executive order instructing the CIA to close any detention facilities that it currently operates does not extend to the facilities where the CIA detains individuals on a short-term transitory basis. The order also does not seem to extend to detention facilities operated by the Joint Special Operation Command.
162. The experts also welcome in particular the new policy implemented in August 2009, under which the military must notify ICRC of detainees names and identification number within two weeks of capture. Nevertheless, there is no legal justification for this two-week period of secret detention. According to article 70 of the Third Geneva Convention, prisoners of war are to be documented, and their whereabouts and health conditions made available to family members and to the country of origin of the prisoner within one week. Article 106 of the Fourth Geneva Convention (governing the treatment of civilians) establishes virtually identical procedures for the documentation and disclosure of information concerning civilian detainees. Furthermore, it is obvious that this unacknowledged detention for one week can only be applied to persons who have been captured on the battlefield in a situation of armed conflict. This is an important observation, as the experts noted with concern


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The Oklahoma Sooners capped off their pre-NCAA Tournament season with a disappointing loss to the Baylor Bears. Because of this, they dropped a seed (had they won a couple of games in the conference tournament I think they could have potentially been seeded as a four) and drew the North Dakota State Bison.
It has become a tradition amongst those who fill out brackets for March Madness. Everyone wants to find Cinderella, the team that will outperform its seed. A common place to look for the bracket buster is the 5 vs. 12 matchup. It seems every year, a 12 upends its higher-seeded counterpart at least once, and in the days preceding the tournament, there is a scramble to find out which five seed will fall. This year, the Sooners are a hot pick amongst the mavens of the college basketball world to do just that. Which is why when the Sooners take the floor Thursday, they must beware of the Bison.
Previewing North Dakota State
If the media is enamored with North Dakota State, it is for good reason. The Bison went 25-6 on the season and 12-2 in their conference on their way to the league title. They are one of the most efficient teams in the country, ranking number one with a 50.3% field goal percentage. Their effective field goal percentage of 55.0% ranks eleventh, while they are sixth in total shooting efficiency according to teamrankings.com. This efficiency is reflected in their low turnover rate of 13.6%. Simply put: the Bison are not one to make unforced errors.
This is not in the least bit surprising from a veteran-laden team. Led by Summit League Player of the Year Taylor Braun, the Bison start three seniors, as well as one junior, all of who average double figures. Braun is a point guard who could create some matchup problems for the Sooners. At 6-foot-7, Braun is bigger than any guard on the Sooners' roster. Certainly Cameron Clark could handle him, but that would leave post awfully roomy for TrayVonn Wright and Marshall Bjorklund. The two combine for 24.9 points and 9.5 rebounds a game and should not be taken lightly. Still, Braun is the major threat. Not only does he lead the team in scoring with 18.2 PPG, but he also leads in assists (3.9) and rebounds (5.5). He shoots with high proficiency already (61.7 TS%), and, with the height advantage, will certainly have ample opportunity to let it fly. Mike Felt also deserves some recognition. The senior sixth man has proven a lethal weapon in North Dakota State's arsenal, shooting 39.3% from deep this season. When he comes into the game, Oklahoma will need to lock down the perimeter to ensure he doesn't catch fire. Guard Lawrence Alexander must also be watched as he has also shown a tendency to fill it up, and has only gotten better later in the season.
Defensively, the Bison have oscillated. They hold opponents to 67.5 points per contest, but, considering their SOS of 131, that number is hardly telling. They have slipped up, allowing 95 to North Dakota, 85 to Santa Clara, 82 to Towson and IPFW, and 79 to Ohio State. Still, they have shown improvement of late, holding opponents at or under 60 in seven of their last ten games.
The Bison's rebounding numbers are quite deceiving. They rank 278th in the country in offensive rebounding, which may lead one to believe they are mediocre rebounders. However, it is more than likely that they shoot at such a high percentage that there are little offensive rebounds to be had. On the defensive side of the ball, there is drastic improvement; the Bison rank 16th in defensive rebounding percentage. The Bison don't allow for other teams to grab many boards either; they are number one in the country in that category, holding opponents to 28.6 boards a game.
Keys to a Sooner Victory
The Sooners will need to play their style of basketball. It sounds trite, but it's true. The Sooners' run-n-gun, high-scoring, high-possession brand of basketball is the antithesis of what North Dakota State does. The Bison's gameplan is a basketball purist's dream. It is slow and prosaic, but effective. Much of their scoring is done by methodically working the ball in half-court sets. They are patient and don't force much, as evidenced by their high shooting percentages. In order to win, the Sooners need to get the Bison unsettled and stampeding.
Secondly, Ryan Spangler will have to work his tail off. The Bison may prove formidable in the post, but Spangler is energetic enough to combat the Bison bigs. The 6-foot-8 forward led the Big 12 in rebounding for a reason. He went through a stretch during conference play where it seemed a forgone conclusion that he would grab double digits rebounds every game. He has since cooled off, grabbing double digit boards in just two of the last ten games. For the Sooners to stand a chance, Spangler will need to reignite the fire. Bold prediction: if Spangler gets a double-double, the Sooners will assuredly win. If not, the Bison's size may get the best of them.
Jordan Woodard will also be key for the Sooners. All season long, Woodard showed an adroitness, maneuvering past defenders to get to the basket. He received a high reward for this, in the form of foul shots. Still, like Spangler, Woodard has seemed to hit a wall as of late. It may just be his inexperience catching up with him, but the Sooners need Woodard to show the drive he did earlier in the year, now more than ever.
Lastly, the Sooners should not be afraid to let it fly. I don't think this will be much of a problem, the Sooners have been pretty trigger-happy all season. Still, on a big stage, there may be some hesitancy. But three pointers are this team's forte. The Sooners need to work the ball around like they have all season, and find the open shot from deep.
Bottom Line
The Sooners should be wary. North Dakota State is a popular upset pick for a reason. They are efficient and can score in a variety of ways. Not to mention the matchup problems they present. Still, it's not like Oklahoma hasn't seen and beaten teams of better caliber this season. Playing in what is widely considered the deepest conference in the nation, the Sooners were prepped for this type of challenge. If it plays its game, Oklahoma should win.
Tip-off for the game is set for 6:27 PM CST at Spokane Arena in Spokane, WA. It will be televised on truTV.
Wan more Sooner hoops? Follow me on Twitter @ChandlerVessels


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directed by Antonio Campos
In 1974, a female TV news reporter aims for high standards in life and love in Sarasota, Florida. Missing her mark is not an option. This story is based on true events. Christine, starring Rebecca Hall and Michael C. Hall, will have it's world premier at this year's Sundance Film Festival


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Photo designed by VN Designs. Check them out on Twitter: @VNdsgn
After what seemed like an eternity, the Hornets made good on their wish to make a splash in Free Agency. Lance Stephenson agreed to a 3 year, 27 million dollar contract with the Hornets early Wednesday morning.
This move solidifies the Hornets as a playoff contender, and may make them a sexy pick to go deep into the playoffs this year. If Stephenson cuts down on the on court antics, his defense and perimeter game could make for an exciting season. The fact remains that Stephenson is young and talented, and antics or not, his potential was to much to look past.
Stephenson led the league in triple doubles last year with five, and that kind off all around athlete is exactly what this team needed. With all the new parts that have been aquired, the depth and talent of this team is undeniable, now we just have to wait for the season to start to see if the Hornets can put it all together in a year that may be unforgetable!


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School of Limitless Possibility (3rd ad)
School of Limitless Possibility - Forum
Mutants and Masterminds
Estimated Members Requested: 1
As nobody has set out any real issues with the game I am going to just leave things as they are then.
Currently in the process of getting some content established and just posting this ad here to see whether anyone else wants to get involved in playing.
Game Description:
There are many strange stories of paranormal disturbances and disappearances within the area classified as The Bermuda Triangle over many years. However, there is no stranger story than the sudden appearance of a new island 20 years ago. For some unknown reason it has attracted great investment and has become a place of new developments. All sorts of people from across the world have been flocking here to investigate the island and take advantage of the possibilities this island could represent. As people came to this island things started off on a small scale but the population grew and it became nothing more than a big island city home to some of the worlds greatest talents. With this came the development of a huge school at its centre focusing on research & development opportunities as well as education. It is a privately funded school and offers every educational opportunity to those with talent. It is considered a Megaschool due to its size and with its wide array of facilities and labs it caters for all ages and specialisms. Specialists and great talents from across the world have been recruited here.
"Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory. "
Sun Tzu


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Home > Bottles > Cat. No. 2120-0005
Nalgene Large Wide-Mouth Bottle HDPE 2 L (Case of 6)
Normally Ships: 2-5 Business Days
Other Available Sizes
Click on Cat. No. for Ordering Information
Chemical Resistance
The 2120-0005 offers resistance depending on contents according to the following chart.
Nalgene Large Wide-Mouth Bottles are great for a wide range of lab and field uses particularly recommended for storage of dry chemicals or water sampling. Good for use in the freezer to -100°C (-148°F). Chemical resistant HDPE is compatible with a wide variety of lab reagents.
High-density polyethylene with white polypropylene screw closure
Excellent chemical resistance to most acids, bases and alcohols make this a versatile bottle
Can be used in freezer to -100°C (-148°F) for long-term storage
Linerless cap closes the bottle without a liner that can wrinkle, cause leaks and contaminate your solutions
This bottle is not liquid leakproof
Includes: 100 mm polypropylene screw closures


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Maybelline New York Superstay Silky Foundation Reviews
not good at allI bought this foundation not too long ago for when it starts getting hotter and I sweat. I wanted a foundation that would stay on. The coverage is really thick, which some people like, but I do not. It doesn't stay on as it claims either. I not only found it hard to make my skin natural by trying to blend the thick foundation, but after a few hours it started wearing off which made it look very unnatural. I personally do not think this product is good at all. — 9 years, 3 months agoJedi_Princess | 13 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 3 of 3 people said helpful
DisappointedThis is tricky to apply and the coverage is too heavy for me. It does last well, but that's not necessarily a good thing if wearing it isn't pleasant. — 9 years, 3 months agokathryne4 | 141 reviews
Works OkayI have tried this product. Much to my disappointment, it did not go on as smoothly as I would have liked it too. It was hard to get an even amount of both sides out and then try to blend them. I am a girl who likes things to work well and are easy to use. I will pass on this one. — 9 years, 4 months agojuliasmommy4 | 121 reviews
so soFor drug store make up I guess this was average. It was somewhat "greasy" and did not really stay on all day as claimed. The color was nice and the coverage was fine but not SuperStay. — 9 years, 4 months agolimeja | 7 reviews
Good FoundationI have used many brands and I really like this one. I have dry skin and this works great for me. — 9 years, 4 months agokrysnik | 5 reviews
Wonderful!This product really lives up to its name! it is like applying a sheer layer of silk over your skin! — 9 years, 4 months agoAshleykaup | 5 reviews
Great ProductI have tried every foundation on the market and this on is way above the rest. I will never use anything else. You do have to adjust the amount of coverage when you first start using it, but once adjusted, great product. Can be thick but if you learn to use very little it is perfect for oilier skin types (especially as the day wears on). It does last and covers great. Can't be beat, especially considering the price! — 9 years, 4 months agoSandraCorum | 1 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 3 of 3 people said helpful
Not so great...This does not make your skin look natural at all. The consistency is very thick and looks cakey even on a pre moisturizer face. I also noticed it really doesn't last as long as it says. Try to stay away from this cover up, it will make your skin look horrible . — 9 years, 4 months agoashumard | 101 reviews
waste of moneythe coverage was not good at all. It is very thick but seems to just slide right off your face. I ended up with orange blotches of make up all over my face within just a few hours. The same thing happened when my teenage daughter tried it. — 9 years, 4 months agosissylynn1999 | 5 reviews
edvin9its ok — 9 years, 4 months agoedvin9 | 15 reviews
This review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 0 of 1 people said helpful
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My Reasons for Reporting This


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I'm gonna party like it's 1998…
Someone just said "Architect" and "Software Company" in the same article.
The economy must be recovering…
Joel on Software – Bionic Office
The walls between the offices and the workstations are made of high tech, translucent acrylic which glows softly and provides natural light to the interior without reducing privacy.
Power. Every desk has twenty, that's right, twenty outlets. Four of them are colored orange and have uninterruptible power coming off of a UPS in the server closet, so you don't need a UPS in every office.
What? No Foosball table?


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Easy access to mail files from NAB
I added two buttons called "Open Mail File" and "Add Mail icon" to the button bar on the NAB.
This Article Covers
Domino Resources - Part 4
I am always having to either open or add mail files for admin purposes. I usually go into the person's entry in the address book, find the location of the mail file and then open the database using File-Database-Open. I added two buttons called "Open Mail File" and "Add Mail icon" to the button bar on the NAB. Now, all I have to do is highlight the person?s entry and hit the button. I have also hidden the buttons from the everyday user.
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Open Mail File button formula: @PostedCommand([FileOpenDatabase]; MailServer : MailFile; ""; ""; "") Add Mail Icon button formula: @PostedCommand([AddDatabase]; MailServer : MailFile) Hide When formula: @IsNotMember(@UserName;@DbLookup( "":""; "Server1/ACME" ; "Groups" ;"Notes Support";"Members"))


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Idk if its just me by I don't really like the warlock class item it's not as flashy as the titans sash or the hunters cape so I would be nice if something else was tried
Posting in language:
My main pick is a warlock. The lower level armbands are honestly not that great, but later they get more flashy and a little more high profile. Holograms, designs, ect. Though, I'll admit, I've seen some good ideas on here. I like the gauntlet on the right hand, big, bold, lots of space to work with. Go to darksiders, check Death and War's gauntlets out. I also like the idea of the pauldron, but it seems like too much armor to me. You start bringing over into Hunter and Titan territory. The easiest to add, would be particle effects. Like bands of magic or lights that follow or trace or movements, maybe effect light ability colors.
Posting in language: