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Business Writing for Hospitality | 9780131715714
ISBN-13: 9780131715714 See more
Author(s): Vivienne J. Wildes,; Peter D. Nyheim
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For courses in hospitality or hospitality communications/writing.
Filled with industry examples, this book provides an orientation to writing in the hospitality field. Starting with a grammar review, the book quickly moves into writing done daily in the various hospitality departments—including food and beverage and lodging. Writing samples relate to each hospitality department and a unique chapter on technology is included. Ideal for both the classroom and the office, this book provides current and future managers with the tools needed to communicate effectively in the hospitality industry.
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subset: commoncrawl


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'Extra" will be around for a while.
The entertainment news mag, which already has 19 seasons under its belt, has been renewed through the 2016-17 season.
Co-hosted by Mario Lopez and Maria Menounos, it airs from The Grove in LA.
or email email@example.com
April 10, 2013 | 4:00am
We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.


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Bright Room Called Day is an early work by Tony Kushner about the rise of the Third Reich in Germany and the rise of Roland Regan. The play compares the Holocaust of the 1930s and 1940s to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.
All the transition music and most underscoring was original. The ethereal other worldy underscore was created by stretching the historical jazz called for in the script to an extreme degree.
The cues were created with Ableton Live and Logic X and played back by QLab.
A surreal world premiere production, about the angst of growing older and becoming a decent human being in this post modern age.
Tectonic Theatre Projection's world premier workshop production about experiencing the world of an autistic person and the lives of people who care for them.
Inspired by the work of composers like Steven Reich, Lukas Ligeti, Brian Eno, and Conlon Nancarrow as well as mathematicians like Wacław Sierpiński and Benoit Mandelbrot. I composed a half hour of original music based on the fractal algorithms of Sierpinski's Triangle, Node Counter Sequencing, and a waveform to MIDI interpolation that triggered a modern player piano live in the concert hall. I also explored various software programs including Ableton Live, MaxMSP and Isadora.
The music was accompanied by original projections by Michael F. Bergmann.
For a more detailed account of the creation process please download my thesis as a PDF here.
Ogres is an experience that is part dance, part puppetry and part play that contains no spoken words. All the stories were based on Japanese folktales like the Dojoji, the Baku, the Kuchisake-onna, and many more. Each story was told through movement and music.
The cues were both remixed found music and original compositions based on modern electronic dance bands like Grimes, Stantigold and Austra.
The cues were played back via Ableton Live, and triggered by QLab. All were built in Ableton Live.
Vieux Carre is a rarely done Tennessee Williams piece that is an autobiographical play about the act of creating. It describes his first year in New Orleans and the people he met living in a boarding house. He subsequently used their personalities to form the archetypes that are found throughout the rest of his work.
The production required original compositions, actors singing live and found historical music to bridge the scenes and to provide dramatic underscoring.
The cues were built in Logic and Ableton Live. All cues were played back by QLab.
As part of the class Sound Design for New Plays at the Yale School of Drama I was given a chance to present work in the Yale Art Gallery that was inspired by and revolved around pieces in the gallery my group chose the Nok Heads found in the African Collection.
We were inspired by their human like features and their arrangement. We saw them as a kind of chorus and set out to find their voices; we settled upon blown bottles, tapping bottles and human hums.
To create four algorithmic pieces that the Nok Head Choir would "sing" I first chose the, D Minor scale, I then assigned a value to the way the computer would play the scale. Sometimes moving up the scale would be weighted higher than moving down. Other times I weighted the first note in the scale the highest and the next note the lowest, Each voice in a single piece had a slightly different weighting, and each piece had a significantly different weight.
The music and projections were accompanied by the printed text posted below.
Far far away in a faraway land
Lay thirty three clay people in a clay people bed
Then one day, some non-clay people came
Shook off ancient muds from the clay people heads
One by one awake again
Free from dusts and clay remains
They flew their lives into our gales
Upright and boldly told their tales
Of states and faces marvelous
Of tribal wars cacophonous
Oft they'd quietly whisper hence
Of artsy folk beyond the fence
Far far away from their faraway land
Stood thirty three clay people in their clay people clan
Then one day, some more non-clay people came
Asked "clay people, what would your sounds be today?"
One by one they sing their song
Humming clinking going strong
Watch their faces light and fade
Join us in their serenade
Let their sounds wash over you
Blur their faces to one hue.
But when they hush and breathe their dreams
Softly bow and take your leave.
Director - Margot Bordelon
Text - Hansol Jung
Music - Matt Otto
Projections - Kristen Robinson
The Fatal Eggs is a science fiction comedic adaptation of the book by Mikhail Bulgakov, involving a red ray that speeds up the process of cells dividing, a distinct lack of chickens, and government intervention. The play illustrates the perils of media's bias, communism and a mob mentality.
Russian and German opera was weaved through out the narrative to set the world and set the emotional journey of the play. The play calls for many different effects, ranging from an overly large boa constrictor eating a woman, a riot, and a slight hum from a light which is the origin of the red ray.
The cues were built in Logic and played back in QLab.
A modern production of Julius Caesar that explores how the modern world of texting, retweeting and the 24 hour news cycle would react to the death of its leader.
Two men play multiple characters living in the present day Belfast hood. Neither Johnny Meister nor The Stitch have any direction in their lives. Both are living on government welfare and still have the same anger and aggression that their forefathers had during "The Troubles" with nowhere to direct it, except at each other.
Each act is a monologue, describing the same drug fueled night through their particular perspectives. Act 1presents Johnny's point of view, Act 2 is The Stitch's culminating in a car crash and fight between these two thugs. Two actors play multiple characters that fill out the story.
In our production the set and lighting were very simple. A series of Florescent tubes divided the wall and bathed both the actors and the theater in their harsh light.
Sound was used to described specific locations and emotional underscoring. We used various leitmotif for important objects like Johnny's Knife and locations like the supermarket to give the audience an anchor point for where they physical were and where each character was in their bender.
I am particularly proud of this show because my work was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award in the Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Production category in 2011.
Original stand alone compositions.
I started taking pictures with my Canon a70 during the summer of 2004. Since then I have moved on to bigger and better cameras and subjects. You can see more of my work at Flickr.


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Video: Lamborghini braces us for the end of Gallardo production
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Lamborghini
A changing of the guard is afoot in the Lamborghini stables. The Italian supercar brand sticks with a particular model for a respectably long period of time, thus any model changeover is cause for attention. First came the gloriously badass Aventador succeeding the Murcielago, which signals that the Gallardo replacement is on the way next. Not one to let any occasion go without its due pomp and circumstance, Lambo released a video entitled "The Final Gallardo."
The clip features various footage from the life of the Gallardo, worked in with a manifesto of sorts regarding Lamborghini's purpose, and how that fits into the Italian way of life. Little is stated about the Gallardo itself, let alone the eventual replacement. Additionally, it is unclear if the video is to celebrate a special "Final Edition," or merely the last Gallardo to roll out of Sant'Agata Bolognese. Until we do see the Gallardo successor, feel free to watch Lamborghini reveling in the sound of its own awesomeness in the video below.
Continue reading Lamborghini braces us for the end of Gallardo production
Lamborghini braces us for the end of Gallardo production originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.aston-martin, cars, celebrities, chevrolet, comparisons, italy, lamborghini, land-rover, mercedes-benz, mitsubishi, permalink, racing, report-abuse, rolls-royce, safety, smart, video, videos, volkswagen, youtube
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Columbia, SC (WLTX) --- South Carolina will be looking for a fifth straight win over rival Clemson Saturday. Also on the mind of the Gamecocks will be the outcome of the Texas A&M - Missouri game. If the Tigers lose to the Aggies, South Carolina will play in the SEC Championship.
A lot to think about as the Gamecocks look for an unprecedented five-game win streak over Clemson.
"This game is always going to be a big game," said quarterback Connor Shaw. "It's the in-state rivalary and the fans, the coaches and players know how big the game is."
Many of the players on USC's current roster have never been on the losing side of a Carolina-Clemson matchup.
"Of course I've never lost to Clemson," said running back Brandon Wilds. "And I don't ever plan on losing to Clemson."


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CBI Recruitment
Find details about CBI Recruitment 2013, Result, Exam Date, Notification, Application Form, Challan, Online apply, Admit Card, Jobs Vacancy 2013, Openings 2013
About CBI : CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) is a governmental agency belonging to Government of India that serves as both a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency.
CBI invites application for the position of Senior Advisor in New Delhi.
Educational Qualification: Candidate should have Bachelor's degree from recognized University or equivalent and 12 years' experience of inspection /vigilance/ operational work in the field of banking.
Position: Senior Advisor
Salary Structure: Rs. 37,400-67,000 /- PM+ Grade Pay Rs.8,900/-
How to apply : Eligible candidate can apply online through official website of CBI i.e. http://www.cbi.nic.in/ .


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Rochesterians love to brag about how many cool things were invented right here in Rochester. The automobile, the automatic voting machine, fuzzy pipe cleaner, The Simpsons LEGO couch gag, Jell-o… hold up… what? You didn't know the Simpsons LEGO couch gag was a product of Rochester? It's true…
Posts Tagged 'Webster'...
Rochester's Contribution to 'The Simpsons'Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
Tags: Bart Simpson, couch gag, Homer Simpson, interview, Interviews, LEGO, Lisa Simpson, Maggie Simpson, Marge Simpson, Mike Battle, Milhouse, Postcards from the Wedge, Rochester, Rochester NY, Spencerport, Springfield Subway, The Simpsons, Webster
Posted in Art + Culture, Interviews, Video | 2 Comments »
Gas Stations Pose Urban Design ChallengeSaturday, May 16th, 2009
On Monday evening, June 8, 2009, the Rochester Regional Community Design Center will go before Rochester's City Planning Commission and appeal the decision to allow a Fastrac gas station to be built on Main Street next to the Main/University Inner Loop on-ramp. Roger Brown, Creative Consultant at RRCDC explains, "Though we don't agree with the Zoning Board's decision to allow a gas station at that site … much of our case will be about the urban design of the building and how it needs to be designed according to the Center City Design Standards for Main Street."
I'll talk more about those "urban design standards" and how you can help. But first, there's a virus spreading across America…
Tags: architecture, Center City, city, city planning, design, design standards, downtown Rochester, Exxon Mobil, eyesore, fast food restaurant, franchise, gas station, infrastructure, Main Street, McDonald's, mixed-use, Monroe Avenue, Monroe County, multi-use construction, ordinance, Pittsford, Rochester Regional Community Design Center, Roger Brown, RRCDC, sidewalks, suburbs, sustainability, urban design, urban planning, urban renewal, Walmart, Webster, zoning
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 2 Comments »


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Agency Name:Clinton County Domestic Relations
Address: 232 East Main Street, PO Box 725, Lock Haven PA 17745
Phone: 570-893-4055
Fax: 570-893-4149
Director: Gerald Rosemilia
Website: www.clintoncountypa.com/domestic.htm
Description: The basic child support enforcement services are locating noncustodial parents, establishing paternity, establishing and enforcing child, spousal and medical support orders, collecting support monies and modifying support orders. The Clinton County Domestic Relations also collects monies in alimony cases when ordered by the Court.
Eligibility requirements: Any dependent spouse or custodian of a child may apply for support.
Costs: Little or no cost for the family


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Thank you for your interest in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. This is the website for Alpha Omicron Kappa (AOK), a chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), located at the Highland Lakes Campus of Oakland
Community College in Waterford, Michigan. This website was designed to provide you with pertinent information about the Society and our chapter. We have included several tabs and links to help you
navigate more efficiently. For more detailed information about our international organization, please visit the Phi Theta Kappa International Website (link at top of page) and for more local regional
information, please visit the Phi Theta Kappa Michigan Region Website (link at top of page). If you would like information on our Alumni Association, and wish to change your membership status to
Alumnus (for male members) or Alumna (for female members), please visit the Michigan Region Alumni Homepage (link at top of page). If you need any other information, please click on the Contact Us tab
(on the left side) so we may assist you with all of your questions. Hope to see you at some of our upcoming chapter events/meetings!


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She doesn't have the experience, just the connections. But worse, the U.S. foreign-policy apparatus is becoming far too concentrated.
The Opinion section is produced by the Editorial Department to foster discussion about key issues. The Editorial Board represents the institutional voice of the Star Tribune and operates independently of the newsroom.


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June 14, 2006 | The International HapMap Project has completed Phase II of its data acquisition and will have a draft paper for publication before the end of the year. The result will be a publicly available trove of information on human genetic variation across populations that will reveal insights into the genetic basis of human disease and individual response to pharmaceuticals.
The official release of the Phase II HapMap data, following full quality control, will occur shortly, with the goal of a draft manuscript publication by the time of the 2006 American Society of Human Genetics meeting in October.
Kelly Frazer, senior vice president of Perlegen Sciences, kicked off the group's third — and probably last — annual meeting, at the Broad Institute, with an update on Phase II of the HapMap Project. The project is typing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 270 anonymous donors, representing Nigeria (Yoruban), Europe, Han Chinese, and Japanese.
The HapMap Project was launched in 2002 by an international alliance of researchers from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, China, Japan, and Nigeria. Nine centers generated the Phase I data, including the Broad Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, UCSF, Illumina, and Perlegen in the United States. Those results were published last year in Nature, and showed that the majority of the 1.3 million SNPs assayed were spaced within 5 kilobases (kb) of each other.
"The Phase I data did indeed accomplish its goal of a common SNP every 5 kilobases of the genome in all three analysis panels," Frazer said. Only 3 percent of inter-SNP distances were greater than 10 kb.
Phase IIFor Phase II of the project, the data were generated exclusively at Perlegen. Frazer explained that all human chromosomes were studied using a single technology, which involved preparing 330,000 long-range PCR primer pairs to amplify the 270 HapMap volunteer DNA samples. Those reagents were then hybridized to Perlegen high-density oligonucleotide arrays.
In all, Perlegen genoptyped 4.6 million SNPs, including every variant in the latest version (Build 122) of the dbSNP database, except those SNPs assayed in Phase I and those in highly repetitive portions of the human genome.
Frazer said that out of 4.6 million attempts, 2.7 million assays were successful. She attributed the lower success rate chiefly to the fact that the Phase I assays employed the best SNPs. Preliminary analysis of the Phase II data reveals that for 60 percent the SNPs, the inter-SNP distance is less than 1 kb. For the combined Phase I and II data, greater than 97 percent of SNPs are spaced less than 5 kb apart, with only 0.6 percent separated by more than 10 kb. All of the data are publicly available at www.hapmap.org.


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FILM & VIDEO: Composer Pro PL & Muse PL with Thomas English – Behind the Scenes
Check it out! DP & Steadicam Operator Thomas English was nice enough to take us behind the scenes in order to show how he uses Composer Pro PL and Muse PL on a video shoot.
While Composer Pro PL and Muse PL are for professional motion picture cameras – we think HD DSLR shooters will also find some great ideas for the SLR mount versions of Composer Pro and Muse.
See more of Thomas's Lensbaby work in the Movie Gallery.
Learn more about Lensbaby PL mount lenses for motion picture cameras.
Learn more about Lensbaby SLR mount lenses for SLR and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras.


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How to Buy a Blackhead Remover
When you are tasked with buying a blackhead remover, it is important to choose a tool that works best for your blackhead situation and prevents your skin from scarring permanently. Some blackhead remover tools work best for large blackheads; whereas other tools may be more ideal if you typically just grow blackheads on the region around your nose. There are currently a variety of blackhead removers on the market you can choose from; such as comedones loop and spoon extractors, blackhead guns or vacuums, and blackhead removal strips.
1Buy blackhead removal strips if your blackheads primarily reside on or around your nose. The strips contain adhesive that will pull the blackheads from your pores, as well as any existing oil, dirt, and dead skin cells that reside in the same area.
- If you have sensitive skin, the adhesive on the blackhead removal strips may cause irritation after you pull the strips away from your skin.
2Buy a blackhead removal gun or vacuum for the safest non-scarring method. A blackhead removal vacuum will use suction to extract the blackhead directly from your pores without damaging your skin.
- Blackhead removal vacuums are available in battery-powered or electrical versions and can usually be purchased from a pharmacy or retail store that specialize in health and beauty products.
3Buy a comedone spoon extractor if you have large-sized or multiple blackheads. A comedone spoon extractor is a tool usually made from stainless steel that you can position against your skin and use to pull blackheads from their roots.
- Look for a spoon extractor that contains holes in the spoon that are large enough to encase your blackheads.
- If your blackheads range in size, purchase a spoon extractor that contains holes of numerous different sizes.
4Buy a comedone loop extractor if you have a small amount of blackheads. A comedone loop extractor works similar to the spoon extractor and is positioned around one blackhead at a time for the extraction process.
- Purchase a loop extractor that has a small loop on one end and a larger loop on the other end if you need to extract whiteheads in addition to blackheads.
- Loop extractors may permanently scar your skin if you do not apply gentle pressure to the tool during the extraction process or use exactly as directed.
5Buy blackhead removal tools from pharmacies or retail stores that specialize in health or beauty products.
- You may also want to perform an Internet search for specialty products that you may not be able to find locally; such as blackhead removal vacuums or comedone spoon extractors.
Give us 3 minutes of knowledge!
- For the best blackhead removal results, steam your face before using any blackhead removal tool to soften and prepare your pores for extraction. Hold your face above a steamer or sink filled with hot water immediately before extracting your blackheads.
- Blackhead remover tools will not prevent future blackheads from forming on your skin. Extractor and remover tools are ideal to purchase if you just want to remove existing blackheads from your skin.
Article Info
Categories: Oily Skin Care
In other languages:
Español: comprar un extractor de puntos negros, Português: Comprar Removedores de Cravos, Italiano: Comprare un Leva Punti Neri, Русский: выбрать инструмент для удаления угрей, Deutsch: Einen Mitesserentferner kaufen
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 181,340 times.


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8th June 2008
Origins of the brain
Complex synapses drove brain evolution
Animal evolution has generated a wide range of species including single-celled animals and multicellular animals including invertebrates and vertebrates (left column, indicating time since common ancestor with humans). All of these animals show behavioural responses to their environment with vertebrates showing the most complex behaviours. Only the multicellular animals having anatomically specialised nerve cells forming their brains.
 The synapses that form the junctions between nerve cells are made of many proteins organised together into 'molecular signal processors' (middle column, Synapse protein complexity). In vertebrates and invertebrates, these proteins control psychological functions including learning and memory.
 Surprisingly, these synapse molecules exist in single-celled animals as a simple set of proteins (where they control response to environment), and this set was built upon to form a larger set used in the brains of invertebrates. This invertebrate set was expanded further in the brains of vertebrate species. The correlation between numbers of nerve cells in the brain of animals and the number of synaptic proteins shows that both contribute to the differences in species (right column).
One of the great scientific challenges is to understand the design principles and origins of the human brain. New research has shed light on the evolutionary origins of the brain and how it evolved into the remarkably complex structure found in humans.
The research suggests that it is not size alone that gives more brain power, but that, during evolution, increasingly sophisticated molecular processing of nerve impulses allowed development of animals with more complex behaviours.
The study shows that two waves of increased sophistication in the structure of nerve junctions could have been the force that allowed complex brains - including our own - to evolve. The big building blocks evolved before big brains.
Current thinking suggests that the protein components of nerve connections - called synapses - are similar in most animals from humble worms to humans and that it is increase in the number of synapses in larger animals that allows more sophisticated thought.
"Our simple view that 'more nerves' is sufficient to explain 'more brain power' is simply not supported by our study," explained Professor Seth Grant, Head of the Genes to Cognition Programme at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and leader of the project. "Although many studies have looked at the number of neurons, none has looked at the molecular composition of neuron connections. We found dramatic differences in the numbers of proteins in the neuron connections between different species."
" This work leads to a new and simple model for understanding the origins and diversity of brains and behaviour in all species: we are one step closer to understanding the logic behind the complexity of human brains. "
Prof Seth Grant
"We studied around 600 proteins that are found in mammalian synapses and were surprised to find that only 50 percent of these are also found in invertebrate synapses, and about 25 percent are in single-cell animals, which obviously don't have a brain."
Synapses are the junctions between nerves where electrical signals from one cell are transferred through a series of biochemical switches to the next. However, synapses are not simply soldered joints, but mini-processors that give the nervous systems the property of learning and memory.
Remarkably, the study shows that some of the proteins involved in synapse signalling and learning and memory are found in yeast, where they act to respond to signals from their environment, such as stress due to limited food or temperature change.
"The set of proteins found in single-cell animals represents the ancient or 'protosynapse' involved with simple behaviours," continues Professor Grant. "This set of proteins was embellished by addition of new proteins with the evolution of invertebrates and vertebrates and this has contributed to the more complex behaviours of these animals."
"The number and complexity of proteins in the synapse first exploded when muticellular animals emerged, some billion years ago. A second wave occurred with the appearance of vertebrates, perhaps 500 million years ago."
One of the team's major achievements was to isolate, for the first time, the synapse proteins from brains of flies, which confirmed that invertebrates have a simpler set of proteins than vertebrates.
Most important for understanding of human thought, they found the expansion in proteins that occurred in vertebrates provided a pool of proteins that were used for making different parts of the brain into the specialised regions such as cortex, cerebellum and spinal cord.
Since the evolution of molecularly complex, 'big' synapses occurred before the emergence of large brains, it may be that these molecular evolutionary events were necessary to allow evolution of big brains found in humans, primates and other vertebrates.
Behavioural studies in animals in which mutations have disrupted synapse genes support the conclusion that the synapse proteins that evolved in vertebrates give rise to a wider range of behaviours including those involved with the highest mental functions. For example, one of the 'vertebrate innovation' genes called SAP102 is necessary for a mouse to use the correct learning strategy when solving mazes, and when this gene is defective in human it results in a form of mental disability.
"The molecular evolution of the synapse is like the evolution of computer chips - the increasing complexity has given them more power and those animals with the most powerful chips can do the most," continues Professor Grant.
Simple invertebrate species have a set of simple forms of learning powered by molecularly simple synapses, and the complex mammalian species show a wider range of types of learning powered by molecularly very complex synapses.
"It is amazing how a process of Darwinian evolution by tinkering and improvement has generated, from a collection of sensory proteins in yeast, the complex synapse of mammals associated with learning and cognition," said Dr Richard Emes, Lecturer in Bioinformatics at Keele University, and joint first author on the paper.
The new findings will be important in understanding normal functioning of the human brain and will be directly relevant to disease studies. Professor Grant's team have identified recently evolved genes involved in impaired human cognition and modelled those deficits in the mouse.
"This work leads to a new and simple model for understanding the origins and diversity of brains and behaviour in all species" says Professor Grant, adding that "we are one step closer to understanding the logic behind the complexity of human brains."
This research was a collaboration between scientists in the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Edinburgh University and Keele University.
Notes to Editors
Publication details
Evolutionary expansion and anatomical specialization of synapse proteome complexity.
Nature neuroscience 2008;11;7;799-806
PUBMED: 18536710; PMC: 3624047; DOI: 10.1038/nn.2135
This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, GSK, Edinburgh University and the e-Science Institute, and the European Molecular Biology Organization.
Participating Institutions
- Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, Keele University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
- Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Division of Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Neurobiology Research Unit, Okinawa, Japan
- Grant lab, Sanger Institute - http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Teams/Team32/
- Genes2Cognition - http://www.genes2cognition.org/
- Institute for Adaptive Evolution, Edinburgh - http://www.anc.ed.ac.uk/
- Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, Keele - http://www.keele.ac.uk/research/istm/
Keele University & Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine
Keele University was founded in 1949 to promote interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary scholarship and makes a distinctive contribution to higher education by emphasising the strength of a broad educational programme. It is the largest integrated campus university in the UK, occupying a 617 acre estate in a central location in rural Staffordshire, between Birmingham and Manchester.
Keele's Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine has grown out of the University's internationally respected strength in biomedical engineering, and has been rated at the highest level of 5 and 5* by the UK national Research Assessment Exercise. The Institute bridges the interface between new advances in basic science and technology with medicine and clinical practice. It takes a truly multi-disciplinary approach to research, with good integration of engineers, mathematicians, biologists, physicists and clinicians, all in a single unit. The Institute has laboratories at the University's main campus and state-of-the-art new facilities for translational research with patients at its hospital campus, part of the Keele Medical School. It currently has over 70 faculty and clinical members, 35 research staff, and around 100 doctoral students.
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, which receives the majority of its funding from the Wellcome Trust, was founded in 1992. The Institute is responsible for the completion of the sequence of approximately one-third of the human genome as well as genomes of model organisms and more than 90 pathogen genomes. In October 2006, new funding was awarded by the Wellcome Trust to exploit the wealth of genome data now available to answer important questions about health and disease.
The Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. We support the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. Our breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. We are independent of both political and commercial interests.


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Eyes Only: Government not always conducted in the 'sunshine'
The Florida Constitution provides that every person has the right to inspect every public record. The provision was added to the Florida Constitution in 1992. This provision, contained in Section 24 of our state Constitution, has created one of the broadest public record laws in the United States.
This is the so-called "Sunshine Law" which suggests that government be conducted in the "Sunshine." The section does however contain a little bit of fine print. Section 24 also provides that the Legislature in its wisdom can exempt certain records from the public view.
Of course, no one really believes that government affairs are always conducted in the "sunshine." In fact, the Legislature has created well over a thousand exceptions to "sunshine." Each legislative session seems to add to the list of exceptions resulting in more clouds and less sunshine.
One interesting exception to the "Sunshine" law concerns economic development records. In 2006, the Legislature created the Innovation Incentive Program. The purpose of the program is to provide financial resources for research and development institutes and for companies defined as innovation businesses, like Jackson Labs.
If a company wishes to relocate to Florida they can get cash grants for the privilege of moving here in exchange for their promises to create jobs and share future revenue based royalties from new inventions. The idea here is to further economic development in Florida and secure a source of high paying jobs for Florida citizens.
The innovation incentive program is run by the governor's Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development (OTTED). An exception to the Sunshine Law provides that upon written request from a private entity, information held by an economic development agency concerning the plans of the entity to relocate to Florida is confidential and exempt from disclosure. This exemption extends to county commissions and to economic development agencies like the Economic Development Council of Collier County. Confidentiality lasts for one year subject to an additional year extension.
Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI), the state's private economic development entity, is directed to evaluate the grant seekers' proposals and recommend to OTTED which entities should receive the grants. Grant applicants approved are sent on to OTTED where they are approved or denied. If approved, OTTED will sign a contract with the applicant. This contract will stipulate how many jobs the applicant must create over what period of time. The contract will also stipulate what happens if the jobs are not created. Approved contracts are sent to the governor, the House speaker, and the Senate president. Final approval is by the Legislative Budget Commission.
Of course it is impossible to know if a specific economic development proposal like the Jackson Labs proposal is a good or bad deal without knowing the contract terms. It is impossible to intelligently petition our elected representatives, be they county commissioners, the governor, or our legislators without knowing what we are talking about. This is a little like buying a car without knowing the price, the make, or the model.
I asked Stewart Doyle, the director of communications for Enterprise Florida, when we could expect to learn the terms of the Jackson Labs deal. He said that it would become public one year after the date of application, or possibly two years later if Jackson requests an extension, or when Jackson Labs decides to make it public. No further info on the deal could be given.
Our government will give us no information on when Jackson Labs applied, no information on contract terms, no information on whether OTTED has recommended approval, no information on when or whether the governor has seen the proposal, no information on whether or when the legislative budget commission will hear the matter. As Doyle explained, "This is for the greater good that confidentiality be maintained…it is necessary to trust our elected officials."
Apparently the answer to the question as to whether Jackson Labs is good or bad for the people of Florida and Collier County can only have a conjectural answer. The First Amendment protects the right of the people to petition their government. This right becomes meaningless when government functions, like the disbursement of our tax dollars, are conducted in secret behind closed doors.
Isn't government in the sunshine wonderful?


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It felt appropriate to talk about this film today of all days. What's Halloween without a little mother-love and murder, courtesy of the great Hitch?
Psycho marks Alfred Hitchcock's first tentative steps into the horror genre. By today's standards, in which the amount of gore and viscera is directly proportional to box-office performance, it's virtually tame. Yet at the time of its production, Psycho was utterly revolutionary. Its success contributed to the decline of the Production Code, loosening the bonds of censorship in Hollywood and leading to more graphic depictions of adult themes on the silver screen.
Psycho stars Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, a young woman from Phoenix who longs to marry her lover, Sam Loomis (John Gavin). They cannot wed, however, until Sam pays his debts. In a weak moment, Marion steals $40,000 from her employer and hits the road to meet Sam at his home across the state, but gets lost during a storm and ends up at the Bates Motel. The proprietor, a nervous young man named Norman (Anthony Perkins), strikes up a conversation with Marion and later spies on her through a peephole in the bathroom as she prepares to take a shower. Marion, who has resolved to return to Phoenix and return the money, is then murdered by an unseen woman, whom we are led to believe is Norman's mother. Norman covers up the crime, but as an investigator, Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam), Marion's sister, Lila Crane, (Vera Miles), and Sam all converge on the motel in search of Marion, "Mother" is far from happy …
The movie has become such legend by this point in time that it's no shock to say that "Mother" has been dead for some time, and "she" is killing people through her seriously disturbed son. People who have never even seen the movie know the truth about Norman Bates, and the surprise element of the film that was so effective upon its release has been diluted over the years.
But what a shock for 1960 audiences! Not only the twist ending; I'll get to that in a moment. But who sitting in the audience for one of the initial viewings of Psycho expected the star of the film, Janet Leigh, to perish with two-thirds of the movie left to go?!? It was unheard of–and it was an absolutely brilliant move on Hitchcock's part (one that would be borrowed extensively in the horror genre in years to come, most blatantly by 1996's Scream, in which Drew Barrymore's character is killed within the first fifteen minutes of the movie). Psycho is truly the most suspenseful movie Hitchcock ever crafted–because if the star of the movie isn't safe, who is? It removes any expectation the audience may have had about who will survive Norman's rampage, making every death and every twist and turn of the plot an utter surprise to viewers. Not for nothing is Psycho a master class in how to construct an effective horror film.
The thing I appreciate the most about Psycho is that Hitchcock is able to convey the absolute horror of Marion's murder without ever once resorting to outright gore. Obviously, the director couldn't have done this even if he had wanted to, considering the limitations of the Code. But the unparalleled shower scene, constructed in a rapid-fire series of cuts and close-ups, only shows one instance in which the knife penetrates Marion's flesh, and it flashes by so quickly that many viewers miss this moment. The horrific nature of the act is suggested more so than laid bare for our viewing; that in itself makes it ten times more effective, at least in my mind (this is, in essence, the issue I have with horror films–you can show me things that will make me want to vomit in my own shoes, but even the most disgusting things shown on screen are no match for what I can imagine in my own head. That's where the true horror lies–in the things we cannot fully see, and thus cannot fully quantify).
As in most of his films, Hitchcock uses symbolism to build the mystique surrounding his characters. First and foremost, he plays with shadows and light to heighten the tension in the film. This extends from the more obvious instances (the darkened house on the hill; the shadows created by Norman's beloved stuffed birds), to such seemingly mundane things as the characters' wardrobes. Much as he did with Grace Kelly in Rear Window, Hitch uses dark and light clothing to depict the shifting attitudes of his female protagonist, dressing Marion in white in her initial appearances in the film, and then putting her black clothing after she steals the money. And speaking of Norman's birds, they are representative of not only his talent as a taxidermist (important considering what he does to his mother's corpse), but of his own stifled ability to "fly from the nest," bound as he is to "Mother's" whims.
Water, too, plays a large part in the film, symbolizing different things to different characters. A rainstorm causes Marion to stop at the Bates Motel, where she is "reborn," in a sense, making the decision to stop running and return to Phoenix to face the consequences of her actions. She then "baptizes" herself in the shower after making the decision to return, cleansing her soul before her untimely demise. And Norman uses water as a cover-up, sinking Marion's car into a swamp, using the water to hide the evidence of his … er, "Mother's" crime.
Though the psychology behind Norman's condition is suspect–it's all Oedipal and Freudian to these people, isn't it?–this film boasts one of the greater twist endings in all of moviedom. That shot of Norman, dressed in his mother's clothes, knife raised to attack Lila just after she's discovered the preserved (and disgusting) corpse of Mrs. Bates, is one of the most chilling scenes in the film. You realize, finally, that this unassuming young man, so devoted to his bat-shit crazy mother, is seriously bat-shit crazy himself. And at the end of the film, after the psychiatrist's rather mundane explanation of Norman's behavior, "Mother's" closing speech about her son's "badness" contains one of the best closing lines ever:
"It's sad when a mother has to speak the words that condemn her own son. But I couldn't allow them to believe that I would commit murder. They'll put him away now, as I should have years ago. He was always bad, and in the end he intended to tell them I killed those girls and that man … as if I could do anything but just sit and stare, like one of his stuffed birds. They know I can't move a finger, and I won't. I'll just sit here and be quiet, just in case they do … suspect me. They're probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of a person I am. I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching … they'll see. They'll see and they'll know, and they'll say, 'Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly …'"
Everything comes together in this movie–a phenomenal story; great performances (particularly from Perkins, whose take on Norman evokes precisely the right mix of sympathy and horror); the black-and-white cinematography (done, by most accounts, as both a cost-cutting measure and to lessen the impact of the bloody scenes), which contributes to an edgy, noir-ish feel that serves to increase the tension; and a killer soundtrack (horrible pun intended). Bernard Herrmann's score is a masterpiece, and the screeching violins accompanying the murderous acts in the film are an excellent counterpoint to the action on screen, ratcheting up the audience's fear and making the film a thousand times more effective than it would have been otherwise.
The impact of the original was lessened, in later years, by a series of unnecessary sequels, all produced after Hitchcock's death in 1977. Perkins, who had become inextricably associated with Norman in the eyes of the viewing public, returned to the role in all three sequels (and even directed Psycho III), and Miles returned as Lila Crane in the first of them. Trust me: if you don't want to see the brilliance of Hitchcock's film tarnished and trampled to death, don't watch the sequels. While Psycho II has an interesting premise, following Norman after his release from the mental institution 22 years after the events of the first film, it quickly delves into shlock. And don't get me started on the last two films in the series; quite simply, they suck. A lot.
Nor, in my opinion, is Gus Van Sant's 1998 shot-for-shot remake of the film worth a look. While some critics have praised Van Sant for the artfulness with which he put his version together, the film is severely lacking, particularly in the performances of Anne Heche (as Marion) and Vince Vaughn (whose Norman never quite connects in the brilliant way Perkins' did). Hitchcock's magical touch is missing, too; the elements of black humor that make his Psycho a creepily fun mixture of suspense and uneasy laughter are missing in Van Sant's take on the material.
No, nothing beats the pure, unadulterated original. One of Hitchcock's finest films, Psycho paved the way for some of the great horror classics to come, all of which have tried to recapture the shocking, scintillating magic of this film, but few of which have even come close.
Then again, I'm rather biased in that respect. :)
This post is part of an ongoing countdown of Hitchcock's twenty greatest films. Psycho is number five on that list. For other entries in this series, check out our category devoted to "Hitch."


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"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." –St. Augustine
I must confess that up until this summer, I had a very limited number of pages in my book – I'd traveled a great deal throughout the US, but never abroad! This summer I had the chance to study at SMU-in-Oxford, my first great adventure across the pond.
One of my favorite classes was Class and Gender in Ancient Societies because, rather than looking at pictures of the Athenian marbles from the Parthenon or ancient Greek and Roman clothing, we took a class trip into London to a plethora of museums to look at these artifacts in person. In addition, instead of thinking about what the Roman understanding of "Londinium" was, as a class we walked (and may or may not have touched – shh!) the remaining ruins of the London wall, built in 200AD.
I anticipated the opportunity to explore London, but even more exciting was the opportunity to travel out of the UK on the weekends. As soon as classes were over, students would pack up and travel to Paris, Dublin, Edinburgh, Venice, or Amsterdam. In order to get the most out of my "Great Adventure Abroad", I visited Paris, Wales, and convinced some fellow students to venture to Barcelona with me on a three-day weekend. I loved the opportunity to expand my horizons and learn about different cultures – the SMU-in-Oxford program allows you to take two classes, a class with an SMU professor, and a tutorial with an Oxford professor, and then pack up and explore another city of interest. Ironically, though SMU-in-Oxford does not have a foreign language requirement, every trip I took involved a language I had never studied, and much adventure and hilarity ensued. In Paris I negotiated dinner at a small café utilizing my few French words and hand gestures, and ended up accidentally ordering three desserts! In Barcelona I looked forward to feeling competent and practicing mi Español, as I consider myself a fluent conversational-Spanish speaker, only to realize too late that everyone in Barcelona speaks Catalan! When we ventured to Wales I didn't even think that they would speak anything other than English, and discovered that signs in Welsh are a little more difficult to navigate. It was a wonderful experience, as I learned while travelling that people are gracious if you are willing to learn – wherever I went I would ask questions and loved immersing myself in the vastly different cultures of the English, French, Spanish, and Welsh.
My absolute favorite part of the trip, though, was visiting some important cites for any Theatre or English major. I explored the Globe theatre and saw what a production would look like in Shakespeare's time, as well as visited Shakespeare's birthplace and burial cite at Stratford-Upon-Avon. We toured the city of Bath, and I thought of Jane Austen (who hated Bath, apparently) visiting herself and writing about Catherine's adventures on the same streets in Northanger Abbey. In London I saw Richard III with Kevin Spacey, and to show true theatre-kid devotion, had to buy standing tickets only and stood for 3.5 hours! One standout moment was visiting C.S. Lewis' home, the Kilns, just a few minutes away from Univ College at Oxford, and sitting on the same bench he and J.R.R. Tolkien would relax and smoke their pipes and dream about Narnia and Middle Earth, respectively.
SMU-in-Oxford was an incredibly defining moment that added chapters and chapters to my life's Book – and I encourage you all to travel abroad while at SMU!


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Writers LIVE! Presents: Laura Lippman
Hagen Ranch Road Branch
Wed, Feb 26, 2:00 pm
This best-selling novelist will talk about her new book "After I'm Gone." A book signing will follow. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library. (90 min.) Preregistration begins Wed, Feb 19, at 10:00 am, by phone, in person, or online at www.pbclibrary.org/writers-live-2014.


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Coastal Blog
March 2013
March 29 2013
Responding to Sandy
Coastal Preservation Beach Dredge & Fill Shoreline Armoring
Almost five months after Hurricane Sandy slammed into the northeast the region is still in recovery mode. It is a real challenge to balance the competing interests of the urgency and importance of rebuilding with thoughtful planning to make the necessary changes to avoid a similar disaster in the future.…
March 29 2013
Sewage Treatment: Moving Off the Coast?
Know Your H20 Wastewater Water Recycling
A combination of required replacement of outdated sewage treatment facilities, climate change adaptation (sea level rise), and integrated water management strategies may be evolving towards movement of sewage treatment facilities away from the coast, as well as water re-use and improved water quality discharge.
March 28 2013
Top Plastic Pollution Bills in California
Legal Rise Above Plastics Bag Bans
The California legislative session started off in full sprint this year, with Senators and Assembly members tripping over themselves to come up with bills that address coastal plastic pollution. At the end of the first quarter, we have several priority pieces of legislation that Surfrider Foundation supports in our efforts…
March 22 2013
New Malibu OFG Helps to Protect Surfrider Beach
Ocean Friendly Gardens Basic Class
This new, high-profile Ocean Friendly Garden at Bluffs Park is just up the hillside from Surfrider Beach, where Surfrider Foundation got its start. Backed by the City and many others, it's a good model for people to draw from: at home, at work, and elsewhere.
March 20 2013
Farewell Friend – In Memoriam of My Travel Mug
My friend of three and half years passed away this morning. He'd been on life support for quite a while, but I made him hold on. There was no one like him so it was hard to let go. We'd been everywhere together on a daily basis. We'd worked to…
March 20 2013
Protecting ocean recreation and surfing
The Surfrider Foundation takes a multi-pronged approach to protecting ocean recreation and surfing. Here we provide an overview of those approaches and we will dive into each one in more detail in subsequent posts.
March 19 2013
EPA articulates the multiple benefits of green infrastructure
Know Your H20 Low Impact Development
Green infrastructure is a cost-effective and resilient approach to our water infrastructure needs that provides many community benefits. As of 2008, the total reported water infrastructure needs for the United States included $63.6 billion for combined sewer overflow control and $42.3 billion for stormwater management. Since only 22% of regulated…
March 13 2013
Surfrider Foundation Sues to Open Martin's Beach to the Public
Martin's Beach in Half Moon Bay, California, is a beautiful stretch of sandy beach that has been enjoyed by locals and visitors for generations. However, locked gates and signs were erected at the entrance to the beach road several years ago. After over two years of outreach and advocacy, the…
March 12 2013
Desalination a drop in the bucket?
Surfrider advocates for holistic water supply management through the exhaustion of multi-benefit water supply solutions before implementation of more energy intensive options such as desalination. Many cities in California are beginning to realize desalination is not the answer!
March 11 2013
Can a First Coast City be the First City in Florida to Refuse Plastic Bags?
Florida is a state that limits 'home rule' when it comes to plastic bags - municipalities are not allowed to enact a plastic bag ban or fee-based ordinance per state law. That did not slow down a group of Flagler College students who are working to eliminate plastic bag litter…
March 10 2013
Senator Vitter Wants To Drill Off Your Coast
Senator David Vitter has introduced legislation to expand oil and gas drilling off every U.S. coastline.
March 08 2013
Desalination verses Conservation: Who wins?
In a recent Southern California article, Surfrider's Joe Geever highlights the multiple benefits of increased water conservation verses the multiple negative impacts of ocean desalination.
March 07 2013
Talks and Walks - An Easy On-ramp to OFG
Ocean Friendly Gardens Lawn Patrol
Whether your chapter is just getting going with OFG or has been at it for awhile, giving talks and leading walks are easy on-ramps for volunteers. A talk can be given to any group, and walks can be lead from any garden.
March 07 2013
Plastic Bag Freedom. HUH?
America's Founding Fathers obviously did not have plastic bags in mind when seeking freedom, but in desperate efforts, some plastic bag proponents are trying to associate plastic bags with freedom. "On Tuesday, Rep. Drew Springer (Muenster) filed HB 2416 "The Shopping Bag Freedom Act" to give retailers and consumers the…
March 04 2013
Want to Find Sewer Spills and Leaks? Ask a Dog
Blue Water Task Force Source Identification Water Quality
A frequent problem in coastal watersheds is detection of high bacteria counts at beaches. Tracking the sources of the bacteria back up rivers, creeks and storm drains is difficult, time consuming and costly. But there may be a better way - using a trained, sewage-sniffing dog. We wrote about the…
March 04 2013
Chasing away the birds
Introducing the Goosinator: a new device that has been developed in the Great Lakes to chase away flocks of geese and gulls from public beaches.
March 01 2013
Surfrider Foundation 2013 Federal Legislative Priorities
Surfrider Foundation has a focused, few legislative priorities at the federal level that bubble up from our 84 grassroots Chapters on the ground. For 2013, our priorities at the national level are Clean Water, Ocean Ecosystems, and our Not the Answer campaign. We are also monitoring for Rise Above Plastics…
March 01 2013
Pollution Source Tracking Guide
Blue Water Task Force Source Identification Water Quality
The City of Santa Barbara and UCSB have developed 2 new resources to help track the sources of water pollution in coastal watersheds.
March 01 2013
Friday Inspiration
It's a beautiful day in Southern California and I'm itching to head to the beach. But, some work needs to be done before I sneak out a little early this afternoon. Going through some emails and files quickly provided some inspiration to keep me fired up: some great outreach from…


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Avatarium – "Avatarium" (2013)
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Review by Matteo Bussotti
It's great to have a band with so much experience like Avatarium put out an album after only 8 months of activity, it means that their creative potential is at their best. You could ask "Why you said "so much experience" if they only formed 8 months ago?", well, my friends, Avatarium members aren't newbies of the musical scene, they're all well formed musicians, and you can feel it in the album. This isn't a work made by some teenagers in their garage, this is some serious Doom. All the songs give a sense of danger, as if you have something terrible waiting for you behind every corner…as Doom music should be. This is not an album to listen light-heartedly, it won't bring you happiness…but I guess that if you're looking for happy music listening to Doom…I think you might be in the very wrong place. I'm not saying, of course, that Doom is a depressive genre, but it's more on the powerful, energetic, dark side, and these are the feelings this album conveys. Continue reading »
Dorthia Cottrell – Windhand
Interview by Matteo Bussotti
"Soma" is simply a great album, which we encourage you to listen. Having already listened to Windhand's work before (their split with Cough) we decided this time to ask directly to their singer, Dorthia, to tell us something about their album. Here are the results! Hi Dorthia! We're extremely pleased to have you here! My first question is about your stunning first album, "Soma". Can you just introduce us to it? Give us an overview, before getting into more specific question?
"Soma" is actually our second album, we put out a self titled album in March of 2012. "Soma" is a little more rock than the first one, however I think its heavier because its got a darker, moodier feel to it. Continue reading »
Windhand – "Soma" (2013)
Label: Relapse Records
Review by Matteo Bussotti
I've already reviewed Windhand, on the occasion of their split-EP with Cough. And I have to say my thoughts about this band haven't changed a bit. No, sorry, they have changed…in better.
"Soma" is clearly a doom metal album, with heavy distorted guitars, slow, defined rhythms, atmospheric, gloomy singing. The result will easily get your attention, and won't let it go for the whole album, even if it's long…more than one hour! Every song is 6 to 8 minutes long, and just when you thought you're through…here come the last two songs, with their 13 minutes length for the first one ( "Cassock" ), and…30 minutes for the second (and last) one, "Boleskine"! Continue reading »
Purson – "The Circle and the Blue Door" (2013)
Label: Rise Above Records/Metal Blade Records
Review by Matteo Bussotti
Have you ever heard of Baroque 'n' Roll? No? Then you don't know about Purson! This band from London really, really put out an excellent album. I don't know how else to define it. Of course, I'll say this from the beginning: for definition, Purson's sound is nothing new, so don't approach this album expecting to hear something that will make your head explode because you've never heard something like this before.
Instead, if you really love 60s and 70s psychedelic rock, you'll fall in love with this album immediately, I warn you. The thing I appreciated the most about "The Circle and the Blue Door" is that every song, every note, every nuance, every rhythm is crafted perfectly to recreate the sound from which Purson get their inspiration. It truly sounds like an album recorded in 1972 and discovered only today. You don't find much dedication in many bands these days, especially when they have to sound like a particular band, or genre. Continue reading »
Samaris – "Samaris" (2013)
Label: One Little Indian Records
Review by Matteo Bussotti
Can we consider "Samaris" as a folk album? I'm saying this because it seems like calm, haunting, relaxed but, in a certain sense, creepy sonorities are what distinguishes Iceland from the rest of the world. Is this kind of music (Do you know Sigur Ròs? You what I'm talking about then) becoming the voice of a nation? I hope so. I really, really hope so.
Samaris' sounds are beautiful, with a strong electronic component, and many ambient sounds which will get you in a relaxed mood and take you on a beautiful trip…full of dangers. There's a small "subtext" across the album: every song may seem harmless, but it gives the feeling that something bad is bound to happen. Like in a horror movie, you wait for something that's going to happen, but you don't know when it'll happen. The result is a beautiful feeling, which really draws you into the album, gently forcing you to listen closely to it. Continue reading »
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AOL News has a new home! The Huffington Post.Click here to visit the new home of Politics Daily!
'I have absolutely no doubt that we will be able to transfer control of this operation to an international coalition,' President Obama said Tuesday.
Obama's marks for his handling of Libya come despite criticism from the left, right and abroad that he waited too long to act against the Gadhafi regime, and that once he did, the mission was not as defined as he promised it would be.
President Obama called Christopher a "skilled diplomat, a steadfast public servant and a faithful American." Christopher also served as a senior adviser to Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.
The president is seeking to strengthen economic ties with the region's growing economies, especially Brazil.
The president warns the Libyan leader that 'the international community will impose consequences' if he fails to order a cease-fire and comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution.
Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, plans to meet with Israel's conservative prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu.
Clinton made it perfectly clear once again: She's through with politics after next year and intends to return to private life.
In contrast to a CNN poll released earlier Tuesday, a survey by the Pew Research Center found Americans split on whether the U.S. should join in enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya. The CNN poll said a majority supported doing so.
A majority of those surveyed in a CNN/Opinion Research poll would also send arms and supplies to the rebels. But there is strong opposition to the U.S. getting involved in air attacks on Gadhafi forces, or introducing ground troops.
Next thing you know they'll be asking for human rights. Talk about a can of worms!
"We've been having this conversation for nearly four decades now." Vowing not to hand reform off to the next administration, Obama said, "I think the American people are tired of that. They're tired of talk."
The president on Friday offered assistance to Prime Minister Naoto Kan and said the U.S. is "ready to help the Japanese people in this time of great trial."
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History Traditions: Hall Golf
By David Sowell
Each year History students create a difference in our lives, bringing to the department a special character that we remember for years. Last year was the "Herd" of more than a dozen women and a solitary man. This year appears to be the year of Museum Studies. Student interest led us to create a POE in History and Museum Studies two years ago. This program built upon the labor of faculty in the Art department who years ago launched a Museum Studies POE with an emphasis in Art History. History students have always benefited from that program, especially the many chances to work helping to mount exhibits in Carnegie. Some wanted the opportunity for a greater emphasis in history—thus the new program of study. The POE requires students to take a range of history courses, with a focus on US history. Students also take a sequence of Museum Studies courses, leading to several practicums. Students have the freedom to shape two concentrations of three courses each. They must participate in an internship and complete a capstone project. This is a wonderful new POE.
Students gave us great advice.
This May, we will graduate four students in History and Museum Studies. At least five of our new first year students have entered into that program. The department is working to accommodate the interests of these students, with an attention to internships and field experiences. We have established a variety of internship opportunities, and now offer two summer fellowships to help students who take unpaid, or poorly paid internships.
Museum Studies serves as an excellent complement to our established programs, which continue to produce outstanding students. Several students are completing the POE in History, and three will graduate with Social Studies Secondary Education teaching certifications.
We are extraordinarily proud that Toni Harr, a secondary education student, has been awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to study and teach in Greece. Well done Toni!
We hope that you enjoy this year's newsletter. Our editor, Heather Kleber, has done a great job. Enjoy!
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History Department News
- Juniata Senior Studying Social Studies and Education Receives Fulbright Fellowship
- Juniata Students Showcase Research at Liberal Arts Symposium
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Tickets were definitely higher for Oakland when I bought mine.
Wow! I never imagined that this little trip would gather so much attention. The guest list is getting pretty long. I would like everyone on the list to give me a heads up (PM) as to your intent. I will have to make sure I have enough room for Thurs. night so please let me know if you are in for that as well.Here is the list of interested parties. LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON BRINGING SOMEONE WITH YOU.Eric E.Kat P.-confirmedCameron Kennedy-confirmedMarc Eldridge-confirmed poss.+1Tyler FisherMatthew Black-confirmedKen Helwig-BPL legend Sat. arrivalAdam CriswellDetails and +1-confirmedNathan Matthews-confirmed Fri. arrivalErik Dietz-confirmedJames Winstead-confirmedDavid Lutz-confirmedDeon Becic-confirmedJim McDaniel-Guest of honor. confirmedDiana Vann-slim chance, but hopefulSteven Paris?Jim Carr-confirmedStephan DoyleJacob D.-confirmed Fri. arrivalMatt Bokariza-confirmedJoshua BillingsOne month away now! Thanks in advance for your help and speedy replies. Once confirmed either way I will edit the above list.
Edited by kthompson on 09/28/2011 22:40:02 MDT.
: )I am in . Talked to Joshua today, he is a maybe.Edit: Thursday arrival
Edited by Kat_P on 09/20/2011 21:12:04 MDT.
Hi, Ken.I would love to come, but I'm still not sure if I'll be back in California by that weekend. If you have to kick me off the list to make sure you'll have room for all of the firm RSVPs, I'll understand. It sounds like a lot of fun.
I definitely want to carpool from the Bay Area (SF), but I am unclear about my work situation on the 20th. I may not be able to leave until after 5:00.
I'm in. Maybe +1
Edited by meld on 09/20/2011 22:01:02 MDT.
Ken I am still a maybe, would like to carpool up Friday and hike in on Sat. I would be coming up Hwy 5 correct?? If so, what highway would I be taking to the trailhead. I am not familiar with this area.Who would like to come up from the Bay Area on a Friday night and hike on Sat with me?BPL legend????
Ken, Unless I get a job I will be going. I'll get in touch with you and see about car pooling.Thanks, Jim.
@Ken H. (et. all)I'm trying to figure out Friday arrival for myself, either join a carpool or start one. I guess I'm pretty solid at this point. I'm thinking that you might be coming by my way (Stockton)?? If it sounds do-able lemme know. I was hoping to get there before dark and hike in to the meadow... but I'll be happy just to get up there, regardless of the timing.I don't mind driving from here if it helps, I even have some Swingin' Utters on my mp3 player :) I know how to get there and think all my dux are now in a row thanks to Ken T.
Edited by JacobD on 09/21/2011 16:10:25 MDT.
Jacob, sounds good, though I don't think we will be going by Stockton, 680 to Hwy 80 to Hwy 505 to Hwy 5 is the fastest way from the Bay Area....maybe we can meet up along the way and go from there??? Pm and lets sort this out. I can leave between 2-2:30 from San Jose and it looks like a 5-7 hours drive.Ken, I have the directions BTW
Hi Ken.I don't know why I was thinking you lived near Los Banos... guess I should have remembered you offered to help shuttle once near the Skyline to the Sea trail. Anyway, maybe I can leave my truck at the BART station in Dublin and meet someone there.PM coming your way...
I'm in Pleasanton and I have room for people in my vehicle.The only problem is I'm not sure yet when I'm heading up there or coming back!I'll keep an eye on the thread and hopefully something works out for everyone.I'm sure it will.
How to get there...Get yourself to HWY 299. This would be in Redding if you are coming via I-5. West of I-5 on HWY 299 you will come to the town of Weaverville and the junction with HWY 3. Take the 3 north.You will pass a boat ramp and cross a bridge in about 15 minutes or so of leaving 299.Immediately after the bridge turn left onto Trinity Alps Rd.Drive slowly through the resort. Follow this road for a short distance until you get to the campground on your left, with the trailhead parking area just beyond.I could supply a GPS coordinate if needed.Please feel free to PM me with any questions also.
Need ride from Berkeley for me, gear, and any kegs we might want to bring along. Anyone ? Also down to go in on a huge rental van and carpool with a 6-12 people from the area.
I believe this is the trail route.Zoom out and you'll see HWY 3 and HWY 299 for driving directions.http://www.hillmap.com/m/agtzbG9wZW1hcHBlcnIQCxIIU2F2ZWRNYXAYuoIHDA
Edited by cobberman on 09/21/2011 17:27:36 MDT.
Thanks Eric! That is the place.http://www.hillmap.com/m/agtzbG9wZW1hcHBlcnIQCxIIU2F2ZWRNYXAYuoIHDACameron. So glad you are coming. Beer, I'm in for some.
Edited by kthompson on 09/21/2011 18:36:32 MDT.
Wow, it seems like the crowd keeps growing.I've been PMing a number of people about carpooling in a zipcar I was going to rent. I'd be able to get a minivan which would probably comfortably fit 6 people + gear(and maybe kegs!!) Probably could cram a 7th person, but it's a decently long drive.However, if this keeps growing I'd be down for going in on a bigger van as well.Here is what seems like a potential list for carpooling/party van from the bay area:Jim McDanielKat PDouglas IdeDavid LutzCameron KennedyMatthiew BlackJoshua BillingsMatt BokarizaMyselfOh, and this is all assuming an after work departure on Thursday night. Probably get to the trailhead late.Anyone else who is interested, chime in and we can figure this all out.I can't wait
Edited by James_W on 09/22/2011 13:09:52 MDT.
If everything works out, and it should, Jacob D. and myself will be Sat. arrivals. Probably mid afternoon???Stoked, I have never been to the Trinity Alps and I am looking forward to this! Bummer that I will not be able to have some of Cameron's beer!!! Damn!
Edited by meld on 09/22/2011 21:31:13 MDT.
Sorry guy's I'm going to have to bail on this one, maybe next time. Whis I could make it, just to many irons in the fire right now. Have fun!
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September-October 2005 Selected Content
Starting a Support Group
A few other moms and I want to start a homeschool group. What are some of the most important issues when starting a group? Are there any specific things that are most helpful or imperative to make one work? Thanks so much. - Katie
Katie, I can tell you about my experience with starting a group 12 years ago and maintaining it until now. I believe our initial success rested on one practice: one member of our small group of maybe five or six families insisted we meet every week on the same day of the week. She said we'd never stay together and become a homeschool group if we didn't make that commitment. And then she opened her house to us over and over again. As we grew to depend on that weekly contact, we found other ways to meet and started setting up more field trips, more activities, and shared the hosting more often. Her insistence on simply making a weekly commitment was the backbone of our group for the first couple of years, though.
Eventually others started finding us and we had to expand our horizons. We shared the burden of holding meetings in additional homes. We met one winter at an indoor playground where we got special rates. We found space in a local Unitarian Universalist church for some activities and paid by donation.
Within a couple of years, we had been together long enough to have a history and annual events that the kids (and moms) looked forward to. More people joined us. We chose a name that reflected our city's heritage as well as our group's structure: Wright Independent Learning Cooperative (WILC).
I have to say we were somewhat picky, though. Many people found me online and joined the group that way. Others came up through La Leche League. I was specific in describing our group and what we would expect from people who joined us. We are a cooperative. We don't provide a service or offer a program like the public schools. Families are required to provide or sponsor at least one activity each year for the group. We aren't religious. While we meet at a church sometimes, we meet for homeschool support, not for religion, and our group isn't sponsored by the church. Sure, we talk about our individual religions as friends, but we don't tolerate proselytizing within the group. We don't all homeschool the same, but most of us are pretty relaxed. To join our e-mail list, a family must attend at least one activity, and they will be taken off the e-mail list if not seen in six months or a year; we aren't just an e-mail list. Anyone who is looking for the kind of group I just described is more than welcome to join us in our activities.
As we got bigger and started to experience behavior issues, fewer people would invite the group into their homes. We started using the church more, and we had to make a list of rules for the kids so that all the parents could be on the same page. Sometimes the moms were more interested in talking together than watching what their kids were doing. Some moms had different expectations and didn't mind if their kids were racing through the halls of the church. One family made a poster with the rules, and we began starting formal activities with a circle where we explained the rules for behavior.
Early on we realized we needed time to plan our activities, so we started holding planning meetings one Saturday a month just for moms (and babies-in-arms) that are 80 percent socializing and 20 percent planning. It doesn't work to plan with lots of kids around. We've met in people's homes, the Bagel Cafe, or the church.
Once a year, usually at the end of August or early in September, we hold our Big Planning Meeting to plan our calendar for the year. For a while it worked to plan month by month, but some activities require more planning and we found the same people were volunteering every month to do all the work. If you're mainly going to meet for socialization, you may not need to plan so far ahead, but the annual meeting has really helped us maintain a solid weekly (or more) schedule. We also found members were more likely to volunteer if they had more lead time before their activity.
Another issue we've tried to deal with, but haven't perfectly addressed, is age differences. For some activities, we've split up the younger and older kids and offered similar, but age-appropriate, activities for each. This can be a problem, though, for a mom who has kids in both groups. Often a mom will ask another mom to oversee her older child while she stays with the younger one.
When the age issue became a problem, we formalized a rule that had always been a practice. Whoever sets up the activity makes the rules and decisions for that activity, and is responsible for setting up and cleaning up. If it's for kids ages eight and up, then that's the way it goes. Someone else can always set up something else for younger kids. Activities with age limits can be difficult for families with kids in various age groups, but families have to figure out a way to make it work. As we've always said, every activity doesn't fit every family. Sometimes what's going on won't fit your family and you can take a week off or see if others who are in the same boat want to get together.
We (finally) sponsored a spin-off group for younger homeschoolers and that helped. We had calls from people with babies and toddlers who were looking for a group. I was even contacted by a newly-pregnant woman who wanted to join. Although we'd like to welcome every family who wants to be with us, we encountered problems when our toddler and preschooler ratio exceeded a comfortable limit. We ended up holding too many activities that only served the youngest members and left out the kids older than eight or so, even if the activity would have been fine for older kids if the younger kids weren't there. It's hard to conduct activities with older kids when there are lots of younger kids running around making noise, crying, dancing, and talking. Age difference is always going to be an issue, but still we try to work on it. If a family has all younger children, it's especially suited to the younger homeschoolers group, and it can move up to WILC when the kids are older.
We also have a teen group with a separate e-mail list and activities, although they still come to the regular activities. Usually the teens just get together and hang out, but they've performed community service and even taken some classes at the local community college together.
We now have a Web site that lists all of our activities for the year. We have some annual events - science fair and other fairs (history, art, sharing), a Christmas party, a moms' Christmas cookie and gift exchange separate from the big one, Back-to-School- and-Out-of-School-Not potlucks in spring and fall at a big park with a shelter. We've had book clubs and a science club and moms' nights out. We do whatever somebody wants to plan that others want to come to.
We're lucky that a small core of original and older members still exists in the group. Although we are definitely a cooperative run by the members, we also have what I would call a form of benign leadership; moms who are willing to speak out about problems, remind us of our own rules, and lead the group in making decisions. I would strongly discourage any group from relying on one person for leadership. To do so is to invite burn-out and contention.
Speaking of contention, yes, we have had times of uncomfortable discord. Usually the issue is brought up on the e-mail list and when we find it's too big to resolve through e-mail and the debate becomes too heated, we meet face-to-face and hammer out some solutions. When leadership of the group belongs to the members, everybody has a stake in working things out.
Of course your group won't look like my group. It will take on its own personality and create its own history. WILC has never been static, as you can see from our evolution. Each year is different and we adjust to those differences and continue supporting and encouraging each other on our homeschool journey. Good luck!
For more information and help in getting your group going see Group News Highlights on page of this issue. Also see: http://www.homeedmag.com/wlcm_groups.html
© 2005, Carol Narigon
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