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After years of wanting to go but never finding the opportunity to do so, I decided to finally visit the Stripmuseum in Groningen. "Stripmuseum" means "Comics Museum, so don't get any funny ideas. Then again, I feel like there's a greater acknowledgement of nudity in Dutch comics compared to especially American comics, and so maybe the joke isn't too out of place.
The museum is fairly small but it's easy to spend a few hours there. The first exhibit that greets visitors is the work of Don Lawrence, a British artist who drew the fantasy comic Storm before passing away. Apparently it has always targeted a primarily Dutch audience, to the extent that the later artists who continued the work have all been Dutch. Another early introduction is artist Don Kriek, creator of Gutsman, not to be confused with a certain Robot Master.
There are a lot of comics samples to look at, going from the earlier days of Dutch comics, such as Tom Poes to ones that have been around for ages such as Suske en Wiske, Agent 327, and Franka, as well as more recent works like Dirkjan and Sigmund. It also touched on properties that may not be "Dutch" or even "Dutch-language" necessarily but have left a mark such as Tintin and Donald Duck. As I can't really read Dutch, I'm sure that my experience was somewhat limited (though remedied to an extent by an English-language pamphlet), and I can only imagine that people who are literate in the language could spend an even longer time there.
One thing I found interesting was that there was a small section dedicated to "Dutch manga." Given some of the arguments and disagreements that people get into in terms of what "is" or "isn't" manga, it's kind of fascinating to see the Stripmuseum just outright state that, yes, there can be such a thing as Dutch manga, and that it operates under a somewhat different visual grammar. Though my experience with Dutch comics history is pretty shallow at this point (most of the museum information was new to me), I wonder if this ability to accept native-produced material as "manga" is but the newest step in a long line of appropriation, and I mean that in the best way possible. Not only is there the example of Donald Duck (where the magazine named after him is the longest-running Dutch comics magazine ever), but Dutch artists even took the American comics character Perry Winkle, renamed him "Sjors," and paired him with a kid from Africa, essentially turning it into an entirely different work.
I also thought it was notable that Sjors & Sjimmie has been drawn by a number of artists over the years, especially because Sjimmie's design started off as quite racist but was changed significantly over time. Another interesting fact I learned is that Mark Retera, the artist of Dirkjan, was inspired by Gary Larson of The Far Side. Seeing as The Far Side is one of my favorite comics ever, I feel like I should give Dirkjan a shot.
If you're ever in the Netherlands, give it a shot, though I must warn that the train ride can be pretty long if you're traveling from one end of the country to the other. It was also my first time in Groningen and that city is beautiful. Maybe I should stop by there again just to take a look. It reminds me a bit of Los Angeles mixed with Amsterdam.
Out all Japanese foods there are two I feel particularly attached to. The first is curry rice, which is an extension of my general love of curry. The second is the more divisive fermented soybean product known as nattou. I ate it a lot when I lived in Japan, and it's a food which I find fulfilling in a way few others are.
Nattou is often times considered one of those culture shock foods, the thing that's served to scare foreigners away, and although it's not on the same level as, say, durian or surstroeming (SPELL CHECK), nattou is indeed generally an acquired taste. The problem with that, of course, is that, even if people want to try it and potentially grow to aprpeciate nattou, there may not be many opportunities to do so. In the Netherlands there are Japanese communities such as the one in Amstelveen, but it may be inconvenient to travel there.
Amazingly, I've discovered a company which produces and delivers nattou in the Netherlands. Nattodan is a company interested in spreading nattou as a health food, and is actually capable of shipping nattou directly to your door step (provided you live in a Dutch town or city of course). I just recently received my first delivery, which costed me 32 euros for 900 grams' worth. It's fairly steep, especially compared to prices in Japan or even a larger city with a decent Japanese population like New York City or Los Angeles, but it does have that delivery convenience in its favor, and it does come with a freezable gel pack which I'll probably keep for future use for other things.
In terms of taste it's definitely nattou. I've been told that I'm a poor judge of whether an exotic food is safe for normal people to consume, but if I had to describe why I like nattou it's because it has this combination of a savory and nutty flavor which mixes tremendously well with rice. It's somewhat known for its smell, being a fermented product and all, but I know that Nattodan has taken efforts to make it less pungent compared to the nattou you'd normally be able to find in Japan. I enjoy the smell so it doesn't bother me either way, but keep in mind that the scent isn't entirely gone. The delivery also didn't come with the bit of spicy mustard and soy sauce which usually accompany Japanese-made nattou packs. It's not necessary, but it's one of those things that can make eating nattou more pleasant for some.
If you're living in the Netherlands and you're just curious about nattou and its many mysteries, give it a shot. Due to delivery costs it's not "worth" it to only buy one or two packs, but of course it's not a food people are guaranteed to like. So, my advice is to hold a party or something, possibly themed around Japanese foods, and just order some so you and your friends can all try it out. Call it a dare, call it a culinary adventure, but see if nattou is right for you.
This past weekend I was able to attend my very first ever "Riichi Mahjong Tournament" (quotes and capitalization used to convey my sense of awe), and to put it simply, I had a blast. I managed to do well at the tournament, and accomplished a number of things I can feel some sense of pride in. On the other hand, I made a number of mistakes that are a sign of my own greenness in competition. I'll be trying to make this post fairly accessible, but keep in mind that I'll be throwing a bunch of terms around, so it may wind up being obtuse for those unfamiliar with mahjong.
One thing that I realized while playing with the USPML over the last couple of years or so is that my mahjong stamina is not so great, and knowing that each day of competition would last many hours I tried to make up for it as best I could. I ate balanced breakfasts (making sure to include one egg for protein content) but also tried to avoid overeating (an easy problem for me to fall into), I took effort to stay hydrated, and I avoided overly sugary snacks in order to prevent a sugar crash at crucial points. I think it worked out okay in the end, though I still felt a sense of fatigue after a while which I think compromised my play.
In general, I'm not much of a tournament person for games at all (in my life, I've attended one Guilty Gear XX tournament, a handful of Smash Bros. tournaments, and some online Pokemon stuff back in the day), but I have to say that it was genuinely fun and exciting. This offline tournament was an intense experience with a really fun social component, both outside the game talking to fellow players, as well as inside the game. I think on some level riichi mahjong feels especially social because the rules, however daunting they may be for players to learn, encourage a high level of interactivity where you have to battle your opponents machinations as well as your own greed and cowardice. I might even go as far as to call mahjong a kind of window into people's souls because of how the luck component combined with the potential decisions one makes in response to them shows how people may end up responding to situations beyond their or anyone else's control. Go watch Akagi, and Akagi's comment about someone being "weak against coincidence" makes that much more sense.
Interestingly, unlike the USPML which consists of mostly young folks who were exposed to mahjong through anime, the Dutch mahjong scene consists of older people (most at least 40 and up I would reckon), who came to it after playing other forms of mahjong. Talking to some, they had started to tire of the other formats and found riichi more exciting and interesting. I've never played other forms so I can't agree or disagree, but I feel like I can see where they're coming from given the interactivity of riichi mahjong. There was also a smaller contingent of international European players who just do this sort of thing semi-regularly, a world for which I hold a tiny bit of envy.
As for my accomplishments (which I hope you'll let me bask in until I get smashed the next time), I played through nine full east-south (hanchan) matches and managed to avoid getting 4th in every single game. I even had a game where I was in dead last at the end of the east round (I was down 20,000 points!) and was able to surge back with some well-timed risky play to take first by the end. On the other hand, I actually misread one tile for another which cost me a round, drew from the wrong part of the wall at one point, and even dealt into a super obvious hand because I had too much tunnel vision while playing that round.
The tournament used the European Mahjong Association's "Riichi Competiton Rules" (or RCR), and it made for a somewhat different dynamic compared to playing on the Tenhou ladder. The most obvious peculiarity of the European rules is the restriction of closed tanyao only (which means people cannot steal tiles to make this normally very basic hand) in combination with the presence of red 5s, tiles which can easily bolster your score and can turn weak hands into monstrous ones, but the one that caught my attention the most was the points system. Normally, you begin with a set of points (on Tenhou it's 25,000) and whoever has more points by the end wins a match, and there is the added risk where if you go under zero points the game ends with you in dead last. However, with RCR there are no default starting points and everything is counted in terms of the points gained or lost. What this ends up meaning is that it is impossible to go bankrupt, and you can lose 1 billion points and still be able to play in subsequent rounds, though your morale might be shot.
The reason this was done, I think, was so that no one felt left out early in the tournament and everyone could play as much mahjong as possible. Supporting this was the fact that the format of the tournament was almost but not quite a round robin tournament, in the sense that it was not an elimination tournament like you'd see in Saki or Starcraft where 64 players/teams enter and then 32 advance and so on. Instead, everyone got the chance to play nine games (with time limits), so everyone wound up playing roughly the same amount of mahjong overall, whether they got 1st place or dead last. It's quite a different format, but because it fosters enjoyment I like it all the same.
There was a second factor to the scoring system as well, what is known as "Uma" or the amount of points you gain or lose at the end of a match. In the most recent incarnation of the European rules, you get added to your existing score +30,000 points for a 1st place finish, +10,000 for 2nd, -10,000 for 3rd, and -30,000 for 4th. Thus, if in a game the 4 players wound up getting 10,000 points, 1000 points, -1000 points, and -10,000 points respectively, the final score of that session would be 40,000/11,000/-11,000/-40,000, and then you carried your score to subsequent matches. Thus, if the same results happened again to each player, they would end up with 80,000/22,000/-22,000/-80,000 going into their 3rd game. The gap isn't entirely insurmountable, but the more 4th place finishes you have, the tougher it gets, which is why I was glad to not have any.
As a result of this format, your placement in a match alone doesn't matter as much as your place in a match alongside your points earned, which is different from other forms of riichi mahjong. In my case, I was in a game where I was practically guaranteed 2nd place at the end of a match, and was in potential range to get 1st so I took a risk and went for a hand and ended up dealing in and losing 8,000 points. While I still got the 10,000 point bonus for being 2nd, I would've had an additional 8,000 added to my total score if only I had played it safer. Similarly, if you're in 4th and there's no chance for you to take 3rd place, do you try to get as close to 3rd as possible to mitigate the damage, or do you just play safe in case you end up falling even more, and what would've been a big loss is now a gigantic one?
Mahjong, especially in this particular tournament style, is a funny thing in terms of competitiveness because you really have to decide what's more important, your chance at claiming a top spot (or even the top spot), or being satisfied with where you are and not wanting to fall further. If you're in 2nd in the overall tournament ranking with 1st place is 50,000 points ahead of you but 3rd through 10th place all nipping at your heels, do you avoid risks and try to hold onto your 2nd place position as much as possible, or do you take a chance and aim for 1st with the likely possibility that you'll crash and burn and fall 10, maybe even 15 places? Which do you value more? It's an interesting psychological test, I think, and I realize in hindsight that every time I imagined myself getting a top spot I ended up doing worse. Maybe it's a lesson I need to learn better.
So overall, I'm more than glad I decided to participate. If I get the chance to attend another one, I most likely will.
When it comes to comics, the Netherlands is an interesting country. Situated close to Belgium and France, the Dutch have had close ties with that bande dessinée (Franco-Belgian comics) culture, particularly when it comes to the Flemish comics, but they've also developed a comics culture all their own. While I'd learned about this a fair deal before, when I went to the Dutch comics festival "Stripfestival Breda" this past month, I was able to see it much more clearly.
Taking place in the city of Breda and spread across different locations near the center of town, Stripfestival Breda is a two-day event to celebrate comics. There, you could buy comics from a variety of venders, get your picture taken with your favorite characters (whether that means cosplay by fans or actual people hired to dress up), and even meet the artists responsible for all of these comics. Each location specialized in a certain area, such as one for events and awards, though I didn't attend all of them due to time constraints and other inconveniences such as my lack of Dutch fluency. Instead, I primarily looked at the industry area, located in a theater, and the self-published area, located in the city's Great Church (every Dutch city seems to have one).
The industry locale was the epicenter of the festival, and companies from both inside and outside of the Netherlands were there. They had plenty of books to sell, but what I found to be most impressive is that in a lot of cases, not only were the artists themselves there, but they were offering free sketches. The biggest booth was the Eppo booth, home of a variety of Dutch comics both classic and new (and in some cases the comics have run long enough to be both), which housed about 8-10 artists each with their own lines. With big names in Dutch comics such as Martin Lodewijk of Agent 327, as well as Jorg de Vos and Roman Molenaar, the artists behind Storm (which is available in English), it was a collection of heavy hitters, but amazingly the lines were short enough that I could get multiple sketches in well under an hour.
Martin Lodewijk
In fact, by my estimation, the combined lines between all of the Eppo artists was about as long as a line for Fred Gallagher (Megatokyo) at Otakon. This isn't to say knock either Fred or the Dutch artists, but just to say that I was amazed by how accessible these artists were.
Interestingly, the most popular comic among young Dutch kids is an Italian series called Geronimo Stilton. I don't know much about it other than the fact that it features an anthropomorphic journalist mouse who goes on adventures, or whether it's doing well in the US, but its success was clear as kids line up to take photos with a real Geronimo Stilton, Disneyland-style.
There was definitely a French/Belgian presence as well, though I didn't spend much time with them, and there were vendors selling a huge variety of comics, including (what I assumed to be) old, hard-to-find items. Many of the vendors sold comics with some erotic content, but there didn't seem to be any particular separation or shame in it. In some cases they were shrink-wrapped, in some cases they weren't.
There was some presence for manga and American comics, especially the life-sized Iron Man statue, the anime fan artists who I've seen at the Dutch anime cons, and the requisite maid cafe, though they definitely weren't the main focus. Asking one vendor of superhero comics about the status of American comics in the Netherlands, he told me that The Walking Dead is quite popular.
The independent/alternative comics area was quite a different experience from the hustle and bustle of the industry location, though I think that may have had to do with the fact that it was held in an old-fashioned gothic-style church and featured many art pieces which I might call not very church-like at all. Featured here were many comics which strayed from convention, featuring really erratic character designs and strange subject matter, the artists were not just comics makers but sometimes contemporary art scene artists as well. Items were generally more expensive for the alternative comics than they were for the industry items, but often times not by much.
I spoke to one artist, who told me that his favorite comic was the one that had the sold the least because it wasn't really to Dutch tastes. Intrigued, I asked him what he meant by Dutch tastes, because I don't have anywhere near as keen a sense for European comics as I do for American and Japanese, he mentioned that it had to do with round, cartoonish characters with big feet and so on. It's something I'll have to do more research on.
In the end, what probably stood out to me most was the fact that gender and age distributions seemed very even. I saw people from five-years-old to fifty-year-sold both male and female lined up at booths, whether it was to buy comics or to meet the artists or their favorite characters, often times for the same series. It made me realize how much comics is a thing for all ages in the Netherlands.
As promised in my con report, here are the doodles I did while in the drawing room at Anime 2012. My favorite one is the creepy cult leader hitting on the lady.
Nattou, that Japanese food which divides families and shatters nations but which I love immensely, is hard to come by in the Netherlands, so when a friend said he knew a way to get some, I knew what had to be done. Upon receiving it, I had a strange epiphany, to combine it with another food which embodies cultural adaptation and assimilation: The McKroket.
The McKroket is a sandwich from McDonald's available only in the Netherlands, taking the Dutch fondness for fried meaty goop and shaping it into a disc suitable for bunnery. Just as a word of advice, be careful when eating all krokets and kroket-like products, as the ragout can and will burn your tongue if you bite in too suddenly.
Anyway, I opened up my pack of nattou, added the soy sauce and mustard, and gave it a mighty stir before placing some on top of the kroket part of the sandwich. With the top bun back on my culinary Frankenstein monster was complete.
And you know what? It was fantastic. I know 99% of people reading won't believe me, even the people who do like nattou, but I am completely serious when I say I would do this again if given the opportunity. It is a complex mix of savory flavors between the ragout and the strong nuttiness of the nattou, and the combination of the crunchiness of the fried crust and the chewiness of the fermented soy beans made each bite strangely satisfying, hough keep in mind that I find nattou itself to be a purveyor of contentment, so your mileage may vary.
I guess if you're in Japan, you could just buy some nattou and put it on a croquet pan but it wouldn't be quite the same. Maybe you should fly to Europe just to do this.
One day I went to the supermarket with a mission: buy a relatively inexpensive cereal because I'd been eating out too much. That quickly went out the window once I laid my eyes on this:
Now I'm not much of a Hello Kitty fan, and I have never been a collector of Hello Kitty merchandise, but the combination of the very existence of this cereal and the fact that its full name is actually "Hello Kitty Fruity Chocs" meant I had to try it at least once.
According to the box it is chocolate cereal outside with strawberry-flavored inside, which is kind of surprising given that the cereal actually isn't that sweet. I probably won't buy it again, but I'm definitely keeping the box.
The city of Leiden has an annual outdoor market called the "Japanmarkt" (Japan Market), where people and booths gather along one of the canals of the city in order to celebrate all things Japanese. I actually went last year but forgot to bring my camera, so I made sure this year not to forget and to also actually report on the danged thing because it's pretty cool overall.
Held this year on May 25th, Japanmarkt is not terribly different from any of the Japan-themed festivals I've attended back in the US, but what is very clear is that the festival reflects to some degree the unique history the Netherlands has with Japan. Back when foreigners were for the most part not allowed in Japan, it was the Dutch merchants who were the rare exception. Moreover, the first Japanologist, Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold, was a German living in Leiden, and his old house is now a Japanese museum on the same street as Japanmarkt. And of course, there are a good amount of Dutch anime fans mixed in there, creating this convergence of Japan-loving generations that's different from an anime convention. That said, there were actually anime con booths there as well.
Food was a popular item, and for my part I tried two things in particular. The first was a curry (for charity!). The second was something that could only have come out of a Dutch-based celebration of Japanese culture.
If you don't know takoyaki, they're essentially fried chewy balls of batter stuffed with bits of octopus and covered in savory sauces, a kind of convenient comfort food (and quite delicious if I do say so myself). There was a takoyaki stand at Japanmarkt, but it had a twist, mixing the concept of takoyaki with that of "poffertjes," tiny pancake-like snacks typically served with powdered sugar.
These "takoyaki poffertjes" were something I felt I could never get elsewhere, their uniqueness compelling me to try them out. I can't complain.
At one of the tables which was selling manga, I overheard a girl helping her friend out by finding volumes of My Girlfriend is a Geek (Fujoshi Kanojo). I don't often see people interested in those otaku/fujoshi romance manga, especially ones giving lists to their friends to hunt down those books wherever possible, so that put a bit of a smile on my face.
Getting anime and manga merchnadise in the Netherlands is actually not that difficult I've learned, particularly when you live closer to the bigger cities. Though a lot of material is in Dutch, because a lot of people here know how to read in English already a lot of it is also imported from the US. I could be in worse situations.
That said, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss New York City and the amazing amount of access I can get with just a short train ride. When I think about how to spend a summer day in New York for me, it involves going to Kinokuniya first, followed by Bookoff (or vice versa), and then moving on to eat at Go Go Curry. They're all around the same area so it also makes for an enjoyable walk. The sheer weight of my bookbag as it's stuffed with manga is also a strangely pleasant and familiar feeling, and even reminds me of my high school days. It's even more fun to relax on the train ride back, preferably with friends, just sharing everything we got while simultaneously peeling off layers of Bookoff price tags (those things tend to accumulate as the same book gets resold over and over).
Perhaps the New York routine is special mainly because it's where home is. Probably if I gave myself more time here (and actually went to Amstelveen), I could build up a similar routine, but for now I'm content to wait for the moments I go back.
This past weekend was my second time attending the unambiguously named "Anime Con" over in Almelo, the Netherlands, only unlike last year I managed to go for more than one day. Truth be told, I had originally planned on skipping out this year for various reasons, but when I saw the guest list it seemed like a must. Not only was anime and manga scholar with a particular fondness for Tezuka Helen McCarthy attending, but there was Initial D opening/ending band m.o.v.e. as well. Another prominent guest was Dutch comics artist Martin Lodewijk, but I was not able to see him because he was only able to attend on Friday (which I skipped out on).
Located near the German border, the train ride to Almelo for me altogether took about two and a half hours, something I felt I should have remembered from the last time I did it, but somehow seemed strangely new. I was unable to procure a hotel at or near the venue, but taking the train back and forth ended up costing less money (and even less than a similar trip by Amtrak back in the US), and it gave me a lot of time back and forth to read manga and even to draw, which I hadn't done in a long time. So, even aside from the actual convention itself, fun was had. Also quite fortunate was that the weather in Almelo was excellent, and if I hadn't had to pass through wind and rain to get there I would've thought it to have been a waste to wear a jacket.
Before I get into the con itself, I do want to note that there are some interesting parts of the event which didn't change too much from last year like the game room and the maid cafe, so I'll refer you again to last year's report.
Now I am the type of con-goer who loves to attend panels, and it was very clear to me that Anime Con this year had made a concerted effort to insert more panels into its programming. There were humorous panels, quiz shows, and a number of informative ones, including a Vocaloid panel. Not being terribly interested in Vocaloid myself normally, I walked in on it half an hour after it had begun in order to be around for the next panel, only to realize that in my ignorance I had missed out on what may have been the best Vocaloid panel ever.
Normally, Vocaloid panels seem to be more celebrations of Hatsune Miku and friends, but this panel was actually run by motsu, the rapper from m.o.v.e. Known for such sage wisdom as "I got no impression/ This town made by the imitation/ Wanting your sensation/ In this silly simulation/ I wanna rage my dream," from the little I caught of it, the whole hour was a little bit of history about Vocaloid and a lot about how it works as a music-making program and its limitations, like how Vocaloids are bad at that double-consonant often found in Japanese, the "kk" in Tekkaman for instance. The band has somewhat close ties to the program, as not only was his fellow bandmate yuri was made into the celebrity Vocaloid "Lily," but the guy as an active musician uses the program himself, even posting on Nico Nico Douga under the name "Nicormy."
We learned that motsu likes to use the Gackt-based Vocaloid "Gackpoid," and that there was originally some trouble with Vocaloid Lily because of yuri's relatively deeper voice and how the program is better-suited for high-pitched tones a la Hatsune Miku. He also gave some tips for working around the program's limits, like using the hi-hat (the cymbal?) from a drum machine in order to simulate a "ssst" sound, another weakpoint for Vocaloids, or using a "bend down" to improve the sound of Vocaloid rapping. Even though I don't know music and had to look up some of these terms after, I really regret not being in there earlier.
Right after the Vocaloid panel was Helen McCarthy's talk on "kawaii" and its origins, tracing it back more generally to a biological human tendency to want to protect doe-eyed creatures be they babies or kittens, as well as more directly how the styles we associate with Japanese cuteness were the result of an intermingling between Japanese and Western cultures. For instance, Helen pointed towards Betty Boop as an influence on kawaii, a mix of cute and sexy and facial proportions which resemble a traditional idea of attractveness in Japan, and talked about the French artist Peynet, whose romantic drawings of Parisian life still persist today.
Of particular note for me was her brief discussion of the artist Macoto Takahashi, whose "Makoto Eyes" (see above) would clearly become an influence on 60s and 70s shoujo manga. In fact, I had to ask Helen about the clear lineage into shoujo, and what might have caused a decline in those types of sparkling eyes, to which she replied that it likely has to do with how the painstaking detail of Makoto Eyes, which can take hours to draw precisely, conflicts with the hectic work schedule of a manga artist.
The last panel I attended was "The Future of Comics is Manga." Held on the last day of the convention, it drew what I felt was a surprisingly large crowd based on my experience with American conventions, and I have to wonder if there are actually proportionately more anime con attendees interested in industry and creator discussions compared in Dutch conventions. On the panel were Helen McCarthy, Japanese manga and video game pixel artist curently living in the Netherlands Aoki Noriko, writer for the Dutch anime magazine Aniway Rik Spanjers, and Dutch comics writer Sytse Algera. The discussion went to various places, from how it's faulty to say that comics never appealed to adults around the world and that it's more an issue of the comics industry not being able to hold onto those readers to the comparatively low salary that most manga artists make, which has to be tempered by an actual passion and enthusiasm for creating comics.
Somewhat unfortunately, the Q&A session turned into primarily a discussion of piracy and copyright, from downloads to doujinshi to everything in between. While I felt that it was in certain ways a fruitful discussion, and everyone agreed that creators cooperating with fans had definite benefits, it also pushed aside all other potential questions. Moreover, a lot of the discussion had to do with artists feeling that they're being slighted by downloads, and I feel that when you have a panel comprised of mostly artists and creators it skews the discussion in a certain direction, just as a panel of mostly editors might, or a panel of mostly fanfiction writers. All in all, though, it was quite informative.
The Concert
While I'm aware of the fact that m.o.v.e. has performed at at least one anime convention in the US, given my current living situation and the sheer size of the United States it was actually easier for me to go to Anime 2012 to see them than if I were still back in the US and they had visited another state.
Last year I had attended a portion of the Aural Vampire concert, but had to leave early. This year I decided to stay for the full thing, which almost didn't happen because the concert started 45 minutes late. In spite of not getting home until 1am as a result, it was still really great, with m.o.v.e. playing up the crowd and throwing in their Initial D songs alongside some of their non-anime-related work.
I am no regular concert attendee, so I can't say if this is anything truly special or not, but I was pretty amazed that the singer yuri actually sounds better live than she does in official recordings. I don't have the proper musical vocabulary to describe what I mean, but she actually comes off as more powerful on-stage than in music videos. motsu meanwhile rapped up a storm, and in some ways it's even more special to hear live than yuri's strong vocals.
There were also some technical difficulties with the microphones during the concert, but m.o.v.e. handled it very well with the help of a supportive crowd. When mics would stop working, the two would share one, and at one point the DJ Remo-con (who also deserves respect) passed over his personal headset to motsu so he could continue.
As might be expected, motsu actually has excellent English (he was even occasionally switching to English in the vocaloid panel prior), and was definitely not working from a script when talking to the audience. My favorite moment was probably when motsu asked if we wanted "A CAT FIGHT" or "ANOTHER KIND OF FIGHT." Remo-con responded with a cat paw gesture. At another point, motsu also asked what kind of beat we want, giving "flamin'" as one option. Naturally, there was only one choice.
Artist's Alley
Unlike many of the Dutch cons I've attended the artist's alley this time around was somewhat separate from the dealer's room. I've spoken about this many times before, but I'm still interested in the fact that most of the artists in the alley seem to prioritize making full books, either by themselves or in collaboration with others, as opposed to buttons and other trinkets (though those were still around). I have to wonder if it has anything to do with the Netherlands' own strong tradition when it comes to publishing (it was known for having very good freedom of publishing centuries back), though that connection may be too tenuous.
An interesting element of this convention's artist's alley was that there was this peculiar collectible card game available, where you actually buy cards based on the amount of things you buy in the artist's alley, which you could use to create an actual deck. I didn't buy too much from the alley, so I couldn't experience the game firsthand, but it was apparently the idea of the people running the Manga Kissa (manga cafe) at this convention and many others, and who actually currently have a permanent location in Utrecht.
I also got a chance to talk Aoki Noriko, the Dutch-resident Japanese artist, who is also apparently a huge fan of Saint Seiya given her personal portfolio. As we talked, she mentioned some of the difficulty going from traditional media to digital, which is a topic I'm always interested in. In the end, I bought the comic above and left with a thank you, though looking back I regret not asking her more about her work in video games, as she did sprite graphics in the 8-bit and 16-bit era.
Speaking of art, ever since Nishicon 2011 I've been really enjoying the idea of a drawing room at conventions, a place which provides free paper and drawing tools so that people can go nuts. Like at Nishicon, the room was run by "Mangaschool," the group which also ran various drawing tutorials and workshops throughout the convention. I feel like sometimes the best thing to do to get away from the hustle of a con while still being a part of it is to just sit down and draw, to let the mind wander through the hand. Also robots are cool.
I don't have a proper scanner on me at the moment so while I'd like to share the drawings I made at the convention, I'm going to save it for a separate post in about a month. Look forward to it!
Also on display at the convention were various anime design work and storyboard pages from a wide variety of shows. I've included some below for your enjoyment:
Sakura contemplates revenge
Sadly she was not singing the Panty & Stocking opening
While I may not be the best judge of the long-term progress of "Anime Con," I noticed many improvements compared to last year, especially in terms of varying the kinds of things that are available to do. Theaterhotel Almelo may only be able to hold 3000 people, but I certainly felt their energy as fans.


text:
Staff Writer
Ted King
Claudia Elizabeth Taylor, 32, Tahlequah, was in Mayes County District Court Monday,
She was charged as a result of a Sept. 13 car chase and manhunt. She was in the car with Dustin Shirrel, Tahlequah.
Shirrel ran away on foot after the car crashed into a tree. Shirrel was hiding in a field along Oakwood Drive behind the Wal-Mart when he was shot three times and killed.
Taylor is charged with eluding or attempting to elude police, possession of a stolen vehicle and driving without a license.
Taylor who was held over for a week at $500,000 bond was formally arraigned Monday. Taylor, who said she had been beaten by Shirrel and forced to drive the car at gunpoint, pleaded not guilty. The case was set on the preliminary hearing sounding docket Nov. 8. Bond was lowered to $20,000.
Taylor allegedly was driving a stolen 2001 Hyundai Sonata on Sept. 13, belonging to Phyllis M. Wilson. She was being pursued by Grand River Dam Authority Police Officer Tyler Brown after fleeing from a routine traffic stop.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
ALJ Shaw Grants Motion To Terminate Investigation In Certain Video Analytics Software (337-TA-852)
Posted On: December 3, 2012 by: Eric Schweibenz
On November 27, 2012, ALJ David P. Shaw issued Order No. 7 in Certain Video Analytics Software, Systems, Components Thereof, and Products Containing Same (Inv. No. 337-TA-852).
According to the Order, ALJ Shaw granted a joint motion filed by Complainant ObjectVideo, Inc. ("ObjectVideo") and Respondent PELCO, Inc. ("PELCO") to terminate the investigation as to PELCO based on a settlement agreement.
After reviewing the confidential and non-confidential versions of the agreement, ALJ Shaw granted the motion filed by ObjectVideo and PELCO and the terminated the investigation in its entirety.


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MAC Makeup Wholesale is like shining bright gold
posted by changyous
Fri, 04/26/2013 - 1:29am
But what brand of MAC Eye Lashes is good? Which one is right for you? Today let Jane recommend this several monochromatic for you, let you put one's heart and soul into draw a perfect eye makeup! MAC Eye Lashes in the condensed color soft cream formula, can be color and pearl powder wrapped in efficient extension of oil, which is a soft touch cream texture, with excellent color effect, MAC Eye Lashes has the incomparable ductility and obedient, gently touch, sparkle luster.
Summer make-up launched a new golden yellow color, the MAC Makeup Wholesale is like shining bright gold, can instantly brighten eyes, healthy skin with sun shine! The women on the foundation of the pursuit of increasingly high, not only to natural concealer, should build the nude make-up makeup, MAC Makeup Wholesale also to protect the skin, and keep skin moist, so it does not appear the phenomenon of floating powder. So what brand of liquid foundation is good? Jane recommended 2 good foundation for you, let you make MAC Makeup Wholesale!
The gloss and transparency white shape crystal, with pearl luster sensation MAC Makeup Sale. Optical whitening complex contains pores brightening ingredients and pores of hidden ingredients, combined with vitamin C, E, minerals and hyaluronic acid skin care ingredients, MAC Makeup Sale create moisturize skin texture. The scent is light, easy to evenly, very bright, good ductility, very moisturizing, but white is very natural. With a transparent sense, good makeup effects. MAC Makeup Sale is used the liquid foundation like most! A little oil, even powder all province.


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Ask The Webmistress
I am happy to answer any drupal-related questions as best I can here.
twitter feed
Hi Katherine
On your original demo there was what looked to be a twitter feed on the bllix site.
There seems to be several ways to get twitter integrated, some simple and others requiring a whole load of modules ctools - oauth and all with critical dependancies.
Could you tell us what modules you used? and any hints
Something to watch for with sub themes
Hi Katherine
Inspired by your session and having a day to play, I moved my old wordpress site to one side and have had a go at installing Drupal on my home page.
it's all going real well, other than worth warning folk to make sure that if they are using the Zen + Austin theme that they make sure they are compatible. I spent a horrid two hours having downloaded the latest production versions only to find that the latest Austin production theme is not comparable with the latest Zen theme ;) I know RTFM (read the fine material)
Loved the talk and learnt a lot.
I am glad you enjoyed it and
I am glad you enjoyed it and are inspired to dive in!
Thanks for pointing that out. You need to make sure you are using the correct version of the subtheme for your version of Zen. I used Zen 6.x-2.0 and the dev version of Austin - 6.x-2.x-dev.
Katherine Druckman is webmistress at LinuxJournal.com. You might find her on Twitter or at the Southwest Drupal Summit
Austin + Zen theme region (lack) of inheritance
Hi Katherine
I feel like such a newbie ;) I have installed Austin6.x-2.x-dev and Zen 6.x-2.0 as ../sites/all/themes/zen and ../sites/all/themes/austin and both themes show up just fine as per the demo. Following your recipe, when I make the Austin theme the default however I loose the right and left side bar regions and the menu structure. It all returns when I make zen the default Not sure what the hell I am doing wrong ;)
Oh and for fun I lost the login box but a web search told me to use http://name-of-your-site.com/?q=user and it let me back in.
Having fun none the less
Any advice appreciated in advance. Following a recipe is a great way to learn!
Thanks in anticipation
post on themes
Hi Katherine
Just delete that last post. Because my hosting site does not allow ssh or telnet I am having to unpack and push from a windows box. Reloading the themes solved it all.
Oh good. I was having
Oh good. I was having trouble coming up with an explanation for that, so I am glad you got it working. I guess all the files didnt copy over before? No ssh sounds like a huge inconvenience. :-/
Katherine Druckman is webmistress at LinuxJournal.com. You might find her on Twitter or at the Southwest Drupal Summit
Thanks again, Katherine! I'd be happy to learn more about your WYSIWYG setup so that non-html users can create stories/pages with Drupal.
I will write up something
I will write up something asap.
Katherine Druckman is webmistress at LinuxJournal.com. You might find her on Twitter or at the Southwest Drupal Summit
Scholar module in Drupal
So what are the capabilities of the Drupal Scholar module? I'm at a university, and we're moving to Drupal for cms, and the idea is that I can use Drupal Scholar module to post my research websites.
Let me have a look at it and
Let me have a look at it and get back to you.
Thanks for attending!
Katherine Druckman is webmistress at LinuxJournal.com. You might find her on Twitter or at the Southwest Drupal Summit
Linux has become a key foundation for supporting today's rapidly growing IT environments. Linux is being used to deploy business applications and databases, trading on its reputation as a low-cost operating environment. For many IT organizations, Linux is a mainstay for deploying Web servers and has evolved from handling basic file, print, and utility workloads to running mission-critical applications and databases, physically, virtually, and in the cloud. As Linux grows in importance in terms of value to the business, managing Linux environments to high standards of service quality — availability, security, and performance — becomes an essential requirement for business success.
Sponsored by Red Hat
If you already use virtualized infrastructure, you are well on your way to leveraging the power of the cloud. Virtualization offers the promise of limitless resources, but how do you manage that scalability when your DevOps team doesn't scale? In today's hypercompetitive markets, fast results can make a difference between leading the pack vs. obsolescence. Organizations need more benefits from cloud computing than just raw resources. They need agility, flexibility, convenience, ROI, and control.
Stackato private Platform-as-a-Service technology from ActiveState extends your private cloud infrastructure by creating a private PaaS to provide on-demand availability, flexibility, control, and ultimately, faster time-to-market for your enterprise.
Sponsored by ActiveState
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text:
Huntington National Bank
206 Employee Reviews (View Most Recent)
"Huntington is a great company to own shares of, not the best to work at."
Pros – Plenty of access to senior level management to learn from.
Cons – Pay, hours, zero perks (literally), lots of turnover, I dont know anyone who has transitioned roles internally - everyone is hired for positions externally, the company overall doesn't value employees - this is evident by the very high turnover rate, long hours, and low pay.
Advice to Senior Management – Having a higher emphasis on employee satisfaction would result in less turnover, which results in more efficiency/productivity. Less money would be spent on hiring/training people who will need at least six months to get up to the speed of the individual who left.
No, I would not recommend this company to a friend
"Former Employee Review"
I worked at Huntington National Bank
Pros: -great people, good training, comfortable atmosphere Cons: -all depends on your manager at the branch level Advice to Senior Management: -listen to employees Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend More
"Good experience"
I have been working at Huntington National Bank full-time for more than a year
Pros: Growing company allows some movement within the organization Cons: Unusual turnover for a stable bank Advice to Senior Management: Review your hiring process Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend More


text:
What is the base of your irrigation system?
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*Not available with backorder/drop-ship items. See Shipping Policy
PVC pipe by the foot is ideal for installations or repairs. Whether you need long sections of pipe for installing new sprinkler systems or shorter segments for repairing broken or damaged mainlines and lateral lines, we have the PVC you need. Choose from Class 200, Schedule 40, and Class 315 PVC pipe to fit your project. Our PVC pipe is for in-store pickup only, but you can order in advance over the phone or place your order in-store. Stop by our showroom and pick up your PVC pipe today!


text:
St. Croix Coral Reef 5-Mile Swim Just Around the Corner -- October 5, 2005
ST. CROIX, October 5. OPEN-WATER swimmers still have time to sign up for the 10th Annual St. Croix Coral Reef 5 Mile Swim on October 23. All levels and ages are welcome. There is also a fun division. Last year Misty Hyman, 2000 Olympic gold medalist in the 200 butterfly, swam in the race and liked St. Croix so much she now lives there and works at The Buccaneer Hotel where the race finishes. The hotel offers a 25% discount to all race participants and guests. Airline tickets are still a good deal. All proceeds go to The Nature Conservancy. For more info visit www.swimrace.com.
Subscribe to Swimming World Magazine TodayDownload The Current Issue of Swimming World Magazine


text:
WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? A question I cringe everytime I hear it, and one I'm asked way too often while covering breaking news through out Baltimore. It's usually followed by a group of officers laying hands on me and trying to physically remove me from an area.
It'd be one thing if this was taking place at some fancy cocktail event, while dressed in my characteristic attire (all black, leather vest, hat, barefoot or open sandals, year round), I'm typically not on VIP guest lists. But to be routinely challenged, in public space, by public servants, is something I find deeply disturbing.
Nearly 20 years ago, I first got involved involved with independent, street journalism. I've been fortunate to see my work appear far and wide, around the world. Always controversial, back then, to protect the privacy of my family and myself, I typically published anonymousy, or under one assumed name or another. Some people knew my face, few knew my real name.
Strange as it may seem, I've had less issues with access then than I do now. I must have missed the memo given to cops, informing them that constitutional rights, for non-main-stream journalists, had been suspended in Baltimore.
When police walk past everyday citizens, standing around gawking at a scene, and single me out because of a camera hanging from my neck, or a clearly visible press pass, we got a problem. A BIG PROBLEM!
Having worked with, around and among all sorts of law enforcement, from various agencies, in this country and others, I have never seen a group having more issues with the presence of a camera than Baltimore's finest. What gives?
The issue is not unique to Baltimore City either. Surrounding counties making up the Baltimore metro are just as guilty. In the last month, I've been challenged by Baltimore County and Howard County too.
Based on numerous accounts, Prince Georges County, Maryland State Police, and even Montgomery County Police have been guilty of this same egregiously unsettling behavior.
While I could write a book on this subject; and all the ways it's fundamentally wrong, what a waste of resources it is to have cops hassling journalists instead of crime, the bad blood it breeds between folk like myself and the police; for now, I'll keep it brief. After all, I have to save something for the book.
When some poorly trained, over aggressive, lack of civil rights comprehending cop, tries to push me around, simply because I'm reporting on a story. Not only is it a nuisance, it's a violation of the highest law of the land; the Constitution of The United States. The work I do is not a priviledge, it's a constitutionally protected endeavor.
Simply put; The First Amendment gives the press the right to publish news, information and opinions without government interference. Gathering of said information included. This also means people have the right to publish their own newspapers, blogs, websites, etc.
Has the time arrived to begin pressing charges against individual officers for infringement and suppression of First Amendement rights? Would making a good example of one and taking it all the way to the fullest extent allowable send a clear message to police agencies? There needs to be better training for law enforcement in dealing with media and to understand it's vital role in a free and democratic society?
What do you think?


text:
Kudlow: Please, Can We Just Grow the Economy?
If you are looking for a magic bullet, that would be a good place to start.
Larry Kudlow, a maximum friend of this blog, has been on fire lately. Great, great stuff. Here is some more:
Whether inflation comes roaring back remains to be seen. But I think the Fed's balance-sheet expansion and the rise in M2 — even during a period of falling velocity — could be a longer-run inflation problem.
What's the best way to curb this problem? Grow the economy, and produce plenty of new goods and services that will absorb the new money without inflation. I know folks have heard this from me before. But the best antidote for inflation — or sagging asset values in housing, stocks, and business — would be to slash the corporate tax rate, create a capital-gains tax holiday, and flatten the tax-rate structure for real pro-growth tax reform.
Contrary to what Obama is doing, let's start rewarding producers and investors across the board, for all income levels. That will grow the economy, stop inflation, rescue housing, and reignite the stock market. And let's keep the dollar steady while we undertake tax reform.
I believe it's called supply-side economics. That's out of favor now in Washington — isn't it? Me: And that, my friends, is how you boost housing and stocks and jobs and incomes. Grow the bloomin' economy. The Fed recently projected long-term U.S. growth at around 2.7 percent. That is too slow by at least half a percentage point. We don't need a housing policy or a jobs policy. We need a growth policy.


text:
World news in brief, 2/29
Supplies ferried to crippled cruise ship
NAIROBI — Helicopters ferried food, phones and flashlights Tuesday to more than 1,000 passengers and crew stuck aboard a disabled cruise ship that was being towed to the Seychelles Islands through waters prowled by pirates.
Those aboard the Costa Allegra, a sister ship of the cruise liner that capsized off Italy last month, faced more stifling days and nights before the vessel docks in the tropical paradise.
The stricken liner was expected to reach the main Seychelles island of Mahe on Thursday, the Italian cruise operator said.
Fire erupted Monday in the ship's generator room, knocking out power to its engines, lights and air conditioning.
16 Shiites pulled from bus, then slain
MANSEHRA —Gunmen wearing military uniforms stopped a convoy of buses in northern Pakistan on Tuesday, ordered selected passengers to get off and then killed 16 of them in a grisly sectarian attack, police and a lawmaker said.
The victims were Shiite Muslims, a minority in Pakistan that is frequently targeted by extremists from the majority Sunni community, said lawmaker Abdul Sattar. A spokesman for a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, a Sunni militant group, claimed responsibility for the killings.
The incident in the remote Kohistan region was the latest in a spasm of violence in the country in recent weeks that has demonstrated the resilience of militant networks.
Surgeons remove tumor from Chavez
CARACAS — Doctors successfully extracted a tumor from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's pelvic region and he was stable and recovering in Cuba on Tuesday with family at his side, his vice president announced.
"President Chavez is in good physical condition," Vice President Elias Jaua told the main chamber of the National Assembly, prompting a standing ovation and cries of "Onward, comandante!"
"A total extraction of the diagnosed pelvic lesion was performed, removing also the tissue surrounding the lesion," Jaua said, reading a statement from the office of the presidency. "There were no complications related to the local organs."
Serbia candidacy for EU supported
EU foreign ministers are recommending that Serbia be allowed to become an official candidate for membership in the 27-nation bloc after Serbia reached a key agreement with its former province of Kosovo.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt tweeted congratulations to Serbia after a meeting of the EU's 27 foreign ministers.
Nicolai Wammen, minister of European affairs for Denmark, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said Serbia had fulfilled the conditions demanded by the bloc.
"Candidate status will open a new era for EU-Serbia relations ... and for the future opening of accession negotiations," EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule said.


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State Police are investigating a Thursday night robbery at the Arby's fast food restaurant at 5526 State Route 7 in Oneonta, where a masked man was videotaped by surveillance cameras.
Police said today the robber appears to be the same man who robbed the nearby Convenience Express store, at 5374 State Route 7, Saturday night.
At 9:25 p.m. Thursday night, troopers said the robber strode into the Arby's restaurant, handed a note to a cashier and said he had a gun, though no weapon was displayed, police said.
The man was described as wearing "a full face mask," work gloves and a dark hooded sweatshirt with Monster & Fox racing logos across the chest. He is of medium build and his estimated height is six feet to six foot two inches tall, troopers said.
Police said the description of the clothing — including the distinctive Monster & Fox sweatshirt — as well as the man's physical description matches that of the Convenience Express robber.
After being handed cash by the cashier, the man left the Arby's from a door facing to the east and fled in an unknown direction. No vehicle was observed, police said.
Police did not disclose how much money was taken. Oneonta Police, the Otsego County Sheriff's Department and the town of Oneonta constable assisted, troopers said. Anyone with information about the robberies is urged to call State Police at Oneonta at 432-3211.


text:
August 1, 2014
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New contests - August 25, 2010
Jill Maxwell
Posted: Wed 6:45 AM, Aug 25, 2010
Jill Maxwell
: Appliance of Your Choice Sweepstakes – Six random drawings (3 are done, next is September 3) for one Kenmore Appliance valued at up to $3,800. Follow the on-screen instructions to register. One entry per household per day.
Project Runway
: You're In or You're Out Sweepstakes – Grand prize of $10,000 in cash and weekly prizes of L'Oreal and Garnier gift baskets. Deadline for entry is October 28, 2010.
: Frosted Mini-Wheats Resolution of the School Year sweepstakes ends September 5, 2010. It's been going on a while with lots of winners. The Prize is $250 in Back to School cash with hundreds of winners.
: Elle has multiple contests ranging from a $15 bottle of moisturizer to $100 massage oil candles to a trip to New York City with a hair makeover. Enter the ones you want or enter them all! Always remember to read the rules!
DIY Network
: Here's another that has multiple sweepstakes. A vacation home, an Italian Adventure, or the "Product of the Day".
Redbook Magazine
: Probably the best places for contests and sweepstakes are the magazine web sites. They all seem to have multiples and change them on a regular basis. As soon as one expires, another appears! Redbook has items like 5 pairs of Bandals sandals, a $50 gift card to Chili's, an Electrolux Under the Counter wine cooler, or a 2 night stay for 2 in New York City. The one thing to be careful of on these sites – if you don't want to subscribe to the magazine, make sure you read everything!
Glamour Magazine
: Glamour only has about 3 active sweepstakes. They have old ones still listed. The three they have are for a $500 American Express gift card, a "boyfriend sweater", and an Elaine Turner clutch purse.
Estee Lauder
: Each month, someone will win a $350 shopping spree to esteelauder.com. Each monthly sweeps begins on the first day of the month and ends on the last.
: Join the Ridgid Filter Club and be eligible for a $500 gift card. This is one my hubby would enter! The gift card is a Home Depot gift card.
Read More Blogs
Members can get a $10 Sam's Club gift card
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text:
> Research/Data
> Research to Practice Initiative
> Publications
Children's Voice Article
The Child Welfare Workforce Gets Wired
By Robin Anderson
In Texas, a child protective services (CPS) worker named Mitch is busy in his home office, answering e-mails, checking in with his supervisor, and phoning to confirm appointments as he begins a routine work day. At midmorning, he leaves for a court appearance for one case and a home visit for another, then stops by a local physician's office for a report on a child he brought in for a medical examination. Before the day is over, he's back in his home office updating his files.
Lucy, a Maryland foster care caseworker, grabs her Palm Pilot as she leaves her home to begin a full day of foster home visits. Because her personal digital assistant (PDA) carries all of her files, Lucy is able to go directly to the nearest foster home rather than first driving to her office 45 miles away.
At her first stop, Lucy warmly greets the foster mother and the foster child, Michael. As Lucy takes her seat, she pulls out her PDA and expandable keyboard and prepares to take notes. Before leaving, she gets a smiling Michael to pose for a picture holding his pet rabbit.
Mitch is one of hundreds of staffers taking part in the teleworking program in urban Harris County (Houston), Texas, while Lucy is participating in the Social Worker Palm Pilot Program in rural Cecil County, Maryland. Each program helps public child welfare agencies make the most of technology to increase staff efficiency and create a more flexible, satisfying work environment.
The innovative use of new technology has altered work life and service delivery in both Cecil and Harrison Counties. These models demonstrate how public social service agencies have found ways to use time more efficiently and incorporate greater convenience and flexibility into the work environment.
For more information, contact Dephine Baldon, Program Coordinator, Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, Region 6, at 713/767-2703, or Nick Ricciuti, Director, Cecil County DSS, at 410/996-0100.
Harris County's teleworking program began as a pilot project, Delivering Accountable Services from Home (DASH), in 1999, after the local CPS office sustained severe storm damage. By the time building repairs were complete, however, teleworking had become more than just a temporary solution to the loss of office space, but rather a way to increase job satisfaction and flexibility by allowing caseworkers to work from home.
CPS staff had the option of working from home or remaining in the office. Those who participated in DASH received a combination phone/fax/printer, a laptop computer, and training in maintaining a secure, functional home office. Teleworking caseworkers access information from home via computer, just as they would in the office. They also can use a telecenter at the Harris County Department of Social Services (DSS), with desks, phone lines, computer ports, and space for meetings, conferences, supervision, and messages.
On a typical day, a teleworker can wake up, grab a cup of coffee, turn on the computer, and begin working. Workers call the telecenter to report when they will be leaving their home offices for court appointments or client visits. An administrative assistant at the telecenter records caseworkers' schedules. Teleworkers notify the telecenter as soon as they return home, then use their laptops to complete the paperwork associated with their appointments.
"DASH provides workers with an opportunity for flexibility and decreased travel time," says CPS supervisor Evelyn Peters. "You have a lot of control." While other people are sitting in rush hour traffic twice a day, Peters sits comfortably in her home working on her laptop. Being home-based also provides workers with plenty of "protected" time for case recording, which may be more difficult with the interruptions of an office environment.
As a supervisor, Peters manages six caseworkers through daily telephone calls and monthly meetings. During the DASH pilot, 95% of caseworkers said the quality of supervision they received was exceptional or very good. In fact, 95% of DASH caseworkers and 100% of DASH supervisors said they worked well as a unit.
Evaluation showed DASH was associated with greater stability and job satisfaction. Job turnover for caseworkers decreased from 25% to 9% during the pilot, job satisfaction increased from 38% to 76%, and caseworkers said they were better able to balance their work and personal lives. "I can now find a middle ground [between work and] being a mom," says CPS investigator Cathy Stevenson. "I have the best of both worlds."
The evaluation of the pilot program primarily addressed job satisfaction and peer support; Harris County DSS is now evaluating the impact on client outcomes. Based on the DASH evaluation's positive findings, the agency replicated the teleworking model in its Adult Protective Services and Child Care Licensing sections in 2001. The newer programs are under evaluation, and the agency predicts positive results consistent with those found for DASH.
Social Worker Palm Pilot Program
During a conversation in a parking lot, Cecil County (Maryland) Department of Social Services (DSS) Director Nick Ricciuti and Bill Duffy, the agency's Chief of Information Management, contrived a way to improve case management using a computer. Neither expected the idea would have such positive results for workload management and service delivery.
Cecil County DSS purchased 40 PDAs and attachable keyboards in 2001, upgrading the equipment as the technology has improved. Each caseworker receives a PDA with a connected digital camera. Computers are linked to the agency's central database.
Each PDA contains all the necessary case-specific data and forms for a social worker's entire caseload. The information on the PDA can be downloaded at anytime to a desktop database accessible to the entire agency. Caseworkers use the PDAs to complete intake and assessment forms, take notes, and file reports. All information can be saved as part of the electronic client file.
The digital cameras allow workers to take photos of children they visit, documenting their contact and recording developments, and engaging the children as they pose for pictures and see the instant results. "The kids love to have their picture taken," says caseworker Nancy Reasin. "They like to [pose] with their boyfriends or girlfriends, their cars, or their pets." With a current photo, caseworkers also have an edge when searching for a child who may have run away.
The PDAs offer workers several benefits, including less time in the office and more time spent with children and families. At the start of the project, caseworkers spent 50% of their time completing paperwork in the office; by the end of the pilot, caseworkers had decreased office time to 23%. Caseworkers said PDAs made it easy to review case information and increased the accuracy of their notes.
Supervisors say the database system allows for better guidance and direction of social workers. Supervisors and upper management can quickly access cases from the database and easily find up-to-date material, rather than searching workers' desks for written notes they may not have yet transferred to the case record. Another benefit, according to social work supervisor Kim Reisinger is that PDAs make case management mobile. Time spent waiting in court was time lost, but now caseworkers can use that time to catch up on case recording.
Robin Anderson is a former intern with CWLA's Research to Practice Initiative.
* Each program highlighted by the Research to Practice Initiative (R2P) is supported by research. For more information on the levels of research, visit the R2P website at www.cwla.org/programs/r2p, or e-mail R2P at email@example.com.
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