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Seven ate nine? Not if we can help it! Nine-year-olds will love playing and learning with incredible toys and activities that will amuse them for hours. Watch them grow and discover with toys, games, crafts and more.
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Gearing up for school and finding just the right backpack
and all the coolest stuff to fill your pencil case, makes this such a fun time
of year! Let's get ready for a whole school year's worth of possibilities.
Check out our favourite finds to help bring FUN back to school! …
read more...
We're now hiring staff for our brand new location in Winnipeg. Send
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Mastermind Toys in the Terra Losa Shopping Centre is now open.
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Racist Vulcans
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December 25 2011, 10:30 PM
Nerys Ghemor
Vice Admiral
Location: Cardăsa Terăm--Nerys Ghemor
Re: Racist Vulcans
Anwar wrote:
Well, let's be fair here: Spock was a racist and a hypocrite in TOS' TV series; he went on about all of humanity's failings and flaws like they were the worst bastards in space despite constantly encountering beings who were worse, and he kept forgetting that the Vulcans were far worse than humanity EVER was in their past.
It wasn't until TMP that he realized that his general attitude towards things was wrong.
Thank you.
the point I made upthread.
Are you a Cardassian fan, citizen? Prove your loyalty--check out my fanfic universe,
Star Trek: Sigils and Unions
. Or keep the faith on my AU Cardassia,
Sigils and Unions: Catacombs of Oralius
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subset: commoncrawl


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Lizzie Falkenstein's Architecture Portfolio
Work from my undergraduate education at the University of Oregon.
DESIGN PORTFOLIO UNIVERSITY OF OREGON 2011 LIZZIE FALKENSTEIN ` 8380 SW Crestwood Lane Portland, OR 97225 503.734.7678 email@example.com EDUCATION University of Oregon Bachelor of Architecture + Art & Business Minors June 2011 EXPERIENCE Lizbags Portland, OR 06.2010 - Present University of Oregon: Sustainable Cities Initiative Eugene, OR 12.2009 - 06.2010 DesignBridge: Community Design Build Eugene, OR 09.2008 - 06.2010 CBT Architects Boston, MA 06.2009 - 09.2009 PKA Architects Portland, OR 06.2008 - 09.2008 Owner + Founder Editor + Author of SCI Project Documentation Student Volunteer + Project Manager Intern Architect + Model Making Intern Architect PROFICIENCIES Digital Media: Adobe CS5 AutoCAD Microsoft Office Sketchup SolidWorks Softimage Rhino CNC Milling Laser Cutting Hand Media: Metalsmithing Model Making Sewing Slip-Casting Woodworking UNION PARK TAROkit ROCKWOOD BOULEVARD CROP GRESHAM CITY HALL CRINKLE CUPS LIZBAGS UNZIPIT LUMINAIRE Project: Union Park + A New Urban Campus Site: USPS Headquarters: Portland, OR Studio: Thesis 2010-2011 A new University of Oregon campus has the potential to be a primary and lasting keystone element in the city of Portland that not only represents but helps fuel Portland's sense of place. A campus in Portland possesses the potential to substantially assist in the development of Portland urban aspects on a variety of levels and scales. This institutional addition placed near the heart of the city will enhance the city's urban vitality by providing programmatic variability, in regards to its civic function, to a part of the city that is at the beginning of a transition towards becoming a mature mixed-use district. The campus will provide an academic arena that will foster a new intellectual aura in a location, which has been primarily used for routine industrial activities, further enhancing the city's verve. It should exemplify the new ideals of an architectural and planning era which work towards the 'development' of a city by using its existing potential as opposed to mere 'expansion', an unfortunate reality today exemplified by urban sprawl. And perhaps, most importantly, a new University of Oregon campus in Portland can become the flagship of sustainability, providing "the most sustainable city in the country," an iconic, active, public site that represents the city's current and continual efforts towards a sustainable future. The thesis work presented on the following pages focuses on the spaces used for social functions of a campus and how these functions can start to integrate with social functions within the community. This concept is explored at an urban scale and building scale formally, programmatically and most importantly, through its impact on social sustainability. adaptable space for... accommodating a variety of users: indoor and outdoor spaces to... demonstration food flex-space research student ammenities A PLACE THAT INTEGRATES THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY WITH THOSE OF THE UNIVERSITY TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE HUB OF EDUCATION, INNOVATION AND RECREATION. CONNECTING SITE IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS CENTRALIZING SOCIAL AMENITIES CREATING UNIQUE URBAN SPACES exhibition retail park CONTINUING URBAN PARK FABRIC FORM STUDIES Combining the social amenities of the university with those of the community allows for a unique architectural expression. These study models start to explore different ways in which the public and social amenities can be formally expressed and allow visitors and users to know that they are on campus rather than just in the city. The green strips used represent how public green spaces can start to draw people onto the site and move them through or around it. The pink strips study how unique built forms can differentiate themselves from the rest of campus while still moving people through the site. These study models led to investigating ways to use both green spaces and building form to acheive this unique identity. RA AMP ACCESS LAYERING SPACES After establishing the concept of the park blocks ramping up onto the roof to create an urban public park, it was important to understand how this influenced and formed the adjacent interior spaces. Many studies were done to understand how people experiencing the park could start to connect with what is happening inside as well as how interior spaces can start to connect to each other to create a much more transparent and interactive environment. GREEN SPACE PUBLIC PATHWAYS ROOF AMENITIES PROGRAM: SECTION MODEL 1/8" = 1' 0" ROOFTOP PARK STUDENT LOUNGE CLASSROOM Project: TAROkit Site: Locations Around the World Studio: Metropolis Design Competition 2010 TAROkit is a catalyst, a kit of parts, and a response to the pervasive problem of polluted waterways globally. It cleans contaminated drinking water, and offers a versatile housing solution for displaced or impoverished people. It can be applied anywhere a shipping container can go and a wetland can grow. This ecological improvement package restores a basic human right; clean water for third world communities. It provides housing and micro-economic opportunities for people, and re-establishes a dwindling ecosystem essential in alleviating the effects of natural disasters. The pollution of drinking water is a problem for over half of the world's population. Water pollution that results from natural disasters, sewage discharge into bodies of water, and a lack of knowledge about appropriate sanitation techniques, causes 250 million related diseases and 5-10 million deaths a year. In addition to affecting humans, pollution as a result of water-based transit and nutrient loading is causing higher global oceanic temperatures. This significantly alters the lifecycles and causes death in a vast number of marine species. Adapting to meet the global water pollution crisis is rich with ecological, social, and economic opportunities. By plugging into existing maritime transportation networks, and a global surplus of shipping containers TAROkit becomes a ready-to-go ecological improvement package useful nearly anywhere in the world. Far too often shipping containers leave developing countries full of goods and return to those same nations empty. Instead of empty, containers modified for minimal dwelling will be packed with a "wetland starter kit," sufficient to begin the process of restoring habitat, cleaning water and igniting local micro economies. ESTIMATED GDP GLOBAL SHIPPING ROUTES COUNTRIES WITH <40% POPULATION WITH ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER IMPORTED SHIPPIING CONTAINERS ARRIVE AT UNITED STATES PORTS SHIPPING CONTAINERS ARE RELOADED WITH TAROk UNLOADED AND kit SUPPLIES TAROkits ARE EXPORTED AND ARRIVE AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS AROUND THE GLOBE TAROkit OF PARTS: SOLAR PANELS: RENEWABLE ENERGY MODIFIED CONTAINER: SHELTER WETLAND BEDS: CLEAN PHASE II OYSTER BEDS: CLEAN PHASE I Project: Rockwood Boulevard Site: Burnside + SE Stark: Gresham, OR Studio: Fall 2009 This studio focused on community place making in the unique setting of Rockwood, Oregon. The six-acre parcel of land sits on the outskirts of Portland and on the edge of Gresham. Unclaimed by either city, this site lacks its own identity but has the potential to be a town center for a community in need. Much of the surrounding neighborhood consists of residents of Latino and Russian decent as well as people that have been pushed out of Portland due the rising housing prices. The majority of these community members are hard working and desire a neighborhood center that they identify with and be proud of. We were challenged to create our own program combining social and community goals to transform an isolated and distressed site into a vibrant neighborhood. At the heart of the six-acre site is Rockwood Boulevard, a street lined with local businesses creating an atmosphere bursting with activity and unique flavor. The street is small in scale with numerous opportunities for shop owners to customize their storefront, creating a sense of ownership. The design mixes inspirations from other successful community spaces with elements that are uniquely Rockwood to create a meaningful urban center. Rockwood Boulevard facilitates a growing sense of pride among the residents in something as simple as a place to call their own. Rockwood Boulevard is the spark that will initiate the transformation of this area into a community and economic driver. The flavorful and varied architectural aesthetic is paired with environmentally sustainable features creating a Rockwood regional style. The site design facilitates the many functions necessitated by the community and creates a space for interaction between visitors and community members alike. ROCKWOOD DENSITY GEO-PROXIMITY MAX PROXIMITY LAYERING SPACES To create a vibrant new streetscape for the people of Rockwood different spaces are layered and merged to reflect the personalities of its users. Combining places to sit, shop, eat, and live help to create an interactive street that is adaptable to a variety uses and users. These places can be created by something as small as a bench and as large as a building. HO U SIN G HOUSING COMMUNITY CENTER LARGE COMMERCIAL HO U SIN G close proximity to the max station street access access to community space views of mountain peaks medium density housing (+)110,592 ft 35 units per acre tuck under parking a place to safely gather a place for celebrations and events 12,000 ft park covered pavilion playground 16,000 ft community center conference rooms & rental facilities LARGEÂ COMMERCIAL close proximity to the max station supported by large retail & many other small businesses large volumes of pedestrian traffic flavor unlike any other (+) 40,000 ft of small and medium size spaces 50% of parking provided through on-street & off-street surface parking economic ways to travel to work work close to home comfortable places to take breaks variety of jobs offered office 20,000 ft small business (+)40,000 ft large commercial 38,000 ft community services 18,000 ft rain PARK STUDY nfall At the heart of the six-acre site and on the edge of Rockwood Boulevard sits the new Rockwood Park. A place for impromptu soccer games and family barbeques, this park provides numerous amenities to the public that were previously lacking. infiltration through pores in pavers recharge ground water SE Stark Street Burnside Road SE Oak Street Rockwood Boulevard STREET IMPROVEMENTS The streets surrounding and intersecting the new Rockwood development are in desperate need of change. These streets discourage walkability by consisting primarily of large spans of pavement with little greenery and large flows of traffic. By providing wide sidewalks, on street parking, bike lanes, and an abundance of street trees, the area will begin to create a more walkable and energetic community. Project: CROP: Culinary Experience Site: Granville Island, Vancouver B.C. Studio: Spring 2010 Granville Island is a distinct urban playground that encompasses a variety of uses and spaces. The 42.9 acres of land and water draws both locals and tourists from all over Vancouver and is the most popular destination in the city. In 1916 the Canadian Federal Government developed the industrial land that is now Granville Island. The local character and flavor of the island can be seen through its pedestrian dominated streets, distinct architectural style and various iconic destinations. Places such as the Public Market on the Northwest side of the island encompasses the industrial aesthetic with its steel siding and open interior while providing numerous visitors with local produce and food vendors. Grandville Island's variety of uses can also be seen through its local maritime, educational, retail, fine arts and industrial program elements. CROP, the Granville Culinary Experience is located on the east side of the island, which lacks the activity and vibrant character seen on the west side. This new culinary establishment hopes to draw people to the east side while also contributing and complimenting the successful public market and other west side functions. CROP's program integrates the public in the culinary experience through interaction and hands on experiences with activities such as cheese making, wine tasting and cooking. Integrating the existing context and local flavor into this new culinary institute was challenging. Through the use of recycled corrugated metal from condemned buildings on the island and a modern take on the industrial character of the island, CROP is well integrated into its surroundings and contributes to the overall feel of the island. PUBLIC ATRIUM GREEN SPACE PUBLIC VIEWS CULINARY AMENITIES LOCAL TRAFFIC RESPONDING TO THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF GRANVILLE ISLAND The unique character of Granville Island is often described as a contrived industrial aesthetic, imitating the true industrial activities of the island's past. Brightly colored industrial pipes line pedestrian pathways across the island leading to buildings constructed of corrugated steal. Pedestrians dominate the island and are welcomed into markets and artist studios and are encouraged to explore the island from all angles. DAY USE NIGHT USE THIRD FLOOR SECOND FLOOR FIRST FLOOR PROGRAM: RESTAURANT: CULINARY INSTITUTE: RETAIL: HOTEL: SCHOOL LOBBY CULINARY LIBRARY MAIN ATRIUM HOTEL ROOM CULINARY GARDENS RECYCLED FACADE Pieces of recycled corrugated steal were used for the north and south facades, creating unique horizontal bands of glass and panels while also connecting to the existing buildings on the island that use this material. Metal panels on the third floor hotel rooms are designed to fold like an accordion, allowing for users to create privacy or experience the views of downtown Vancouver. Project: Gresham City Hall Site: SE Division + Main: Gresham, OR Studio: Winter 2010 Gresham, Oregon is known as one of the large expanses of suburban sprawl on the outskirts of Portland. The area has very little identity and lacks planning that will start to change this perception. The current City Hall is a few blocks away from the proposed New City Hall, tucked behind a large outdoor shopping mall with little civic presence to the city. The location for the New City Hall would create a strong presence along SE Division Street, a major thoroughfare, allowing for people entering the area to understand that there is forward thinking for the years to come. The New City Hall does not only address the high traffic street running along the north edge of the site, but also embraces the MAX Lightrail line and neighborhood to the south through its ecological landscaping and civic plaza. To create visual connections throughout the site and educate the public about sustainable thinking, a green sweep of plantings that originate at the tip of the civic plaza are continued through the building, turning vertically to create a unique central atrium space for all users to experience. These green strips not only provide visual interest but also help with way-finding and are a major sustainable aspect of the building such as moderating interior temperature, filtering water and aiding in ventilation. The New City Hall is a building that provides its own energy, takes advantage of nature's lighting and wind, collects and treats water, and draws a lush green sweep in from the landscape around it. It is hoped, that with these characteristics the building will be a civic icon for the area and help generate new ideas for the sustainable planning of Gresham, Oregon. GREEN STRIPS PLAZA LAYERS BUILDING WINDOW SYSTEM STRUCTURE FACADE LAYERS MESH SHADING anatomy of: A CIVIC PLAZA D SE CIVIC PLAZA New C nS o i is t t ree Mai ity Hal l nS tree t Div ne Li X A M 1 2 3 4 5 6 Adjacent to transportation networks Place to sit Place to eat, or nap Vibrant activity for all ages Manages water from impervious surfaces Protected from busy traffic INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT URBAN PLANNING DEVELOPMENT MAIN RECEPTION S COUNCIL CHAMBERS IR STA PUBLIC ATRIUM STAIRS CAFE STAIRS POLICE POLICE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PARKS & REC ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES ECON & URBAN RENEWAL OFFICE ATRIUM RECEPTION MTG/SHARED SPACE OFFICE SPACE FIRST FLOOR PLAN N SECOND FLOOR PLAN OFFICE OF GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE S STAIR ROOF TERRACE ROOF GARDEN THIRD FLOOR PLAN OFFICE ATRIUM CONDITIONING STRATEGIES: ENERGY STRATE EVACUATED TUBES PV EMBEDDED GLASS Evacuated tubes on the north wing of the building facilitate the heating of water by the sun. This water is then channeled to the absorbtion chiller to be further heated or transferred nto cool water that can then move into the radiant floor system Horizontal glazing needs shading and has the potential to harvest energy due to its favorable southern orientation without obstruction. PV embedded glass allows the envelope to remain streamlined while facilitating the harvesting of energy. NEED: OPERATIONAL ENERGY ABSORBTION CHILLER Absorbtion chilelrs can both heat and chill water to a level at which it can be used for sinks, showers, or radiant floor systems. It is highly efficient and can be an economical solution when a source of waste heat is available. RADIANT FLOOR Radiant floor systems allow heating and cooling to be more efficient by conditioning concrete masses and allowing the material to re-radiate heat into the space. This system is also based on circulating water rather than air, which improves the overall indoor air quality. MINI COGENERATION PLANT Cogeneration is significantly more efficient traditional energy generation methods. It produces not only energy useful in maintain the building's electricity needs, but it also channels waste heat into conditioning syst reducing overall energy needs as a result o heating and cooling. EGIES: than ning tems, of WATER STRATEGIES: GREEN ROOF Green roofs on the south wings of City Hall direct rainfall and filter it before it makes its way into the collection cisterns or green wall irrigation system. It also reduces urban heat island effect and is a desirable amenity adjacent to the roof terrace. GREEN WALL STRIPS The strips of green wall running along the sides of the atrium are fed by an irrigation system sourced at the roof as well as a secondary collection system in the basement. They are not only part of the water cleaning strategy, but also have valuable benefits to indoor air quality due to the potential for humidifyinf and aiding in ventilation. CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS Constructed wetlands on the south side of the site are an essential step in cleaning stormwater and grey water produced by the building before it enters the municipal system. The water goes through a series of landscaped terraces which remove specific types of water contamination before it reaches the end, significantly cleaner than when it began. G COUNCIL CHAMBERS GREEN WALL TYPOLOGIES anatomy of: A GREEN STRIP DENSE PLANTINGS PLANTING SHELVES LOW-PROFILE STRIP UNION PARK TAROkit ROCKWOOD BOULEVARD CROP GRESHAM CITY HALL CRINKLE CUPS LIZBAGS UNZIPIT LUMINAIRE CRINKLE CUPS These cups were designed in response to the excess amount of plastic used in our society. By slip-casting plastic party cups out of porcelain an excessively used commodity has been made more precious as well as reusable. LIZBAGS Lizbags is the accumulation of many years of goofing around with scissors, pipe cleaners and whatever else could be found around the house. The wide variety of bags offered on www.lizbags.com are designed and made in Portland, Oregon. The prints used and designed to create Lizbags transform commonly drab bags into funky items that express each customers individuality. Over six-hundred bags have been sold so far. UNZIPIT LUMINAIRE Unzipit Luminaire was designed using the function of a zipper to allow users to adjust the level of light. By opening or closing the luminaire more or less light is provided. The fabric panels have been stiffened with wire around the edges, allowing for users to easily control the not only the light but the form as well.


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Netflix phishing scam hitting email inboxes
CLEVELAND - Consumers are being warned about a Netflix scam that is making its way around the web.
The email phishing scam tries to get information from users by asking them to send in credit card information, according to theconsumerist.com.
The email claims to be from Netflix and says there is a problem with your credit card. A .zip file is attached to the email, and the message asks users to download the file, then enter credit car information into the file.
The exact text of the email, according to The Consumerist, says:
"Dear Netflix Member,
Your payment method was declined for one of several reasons, such as insufficient funds or an expired credit card.
To correct the problem, please update your credit card or add a new one in order to be able to use your Netflix account in the future.
This is a reminder to update your credit card as soon as possible.
Please download the form attached to this email, unzip it and open it in a web browser.
Once opened, you will be provided with steps to update your account.
We appreciate your understanding as we work to ensure your account safety.
Netflix Member Service"
Also be careful about strange email attachments, even if the message appears to be from a legitimate source. You can always go to the service's website if you have confusion about your account, rather than just replying to the email.
And if you get this message in your email inbox, simply delete it and save yourself the hassle.


text:
Drake & Rihanna Have Called It Quits — Again
"Rihanna and Drake had another fight," a source said. "He is too in love with her, which has always been the problem. They have been fighting, but that could all change any day now. It is how it always is with them."
Rumors of the on-again-off-again couple's rekindled romance first emerged when they were spotted together in Paris back in February. Although they did their best to avoid ever being photographed together, Rihanna checked out a string of Drake's European concerts, and the couple reportedly shared a number of intimate dinners together.
Neither mega star publicly addressed the latest round of their romance, but observers just chalked it up to a vehement desire for privacy. Both Drake and Rihanna have made the NBA playoff rounds lately, sitting courtside in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and Toronto — just never together. Rihanna also recently threw a star-studded post-Met Gala bash with Drake nowhere to be found. According to another source, the couple are definitely on "yet another break."
It looks like we might just have to wait until Drake's next album to get the details. (Us Weekly)


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- Filed Under
Gibsonburg School District hasn't asked voters for a levy since 1994, but declining state revenue has forced the Sandusky County district's hand and it will be looking for a favorable outcome at the ballot box May 7.
The district has proposed a 10-year, 1 percent income tax on the ballot.
Superintendent Tom Peiffer said the levy, if approved by voters, would generate $975,000 annually for the district, with the money going toward operating expenses. ...


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1987: The House of Love - The German Album / The House of Love
Here's another set of lovingly packaged reissues from Renascent -- Britain's foremost archivists of out-of-print and often painfully overlooked guitar rock -- of The House of Love's self-titled 1988 debut and their super rare 1987 singles collection The German Album (so named due to its original release in, you guessed it, Germany). Two albums that, since their release, deserve to be recognized as touchstones for many popular trends in British pop and rock: from shoegaze to Britpop to whoever the hell NME and Q have plastered all over their covers this month.
The House of Love fit somewhere in between the tail end of The Smiths and the rise of The Stone Roses on the British rock timeline; in fact, the sounds of those two bands present a good basis from which to approach these albums. Less emotive and literate (read: less pretentious) than Morrissey, but more focused and articulate (read: smarter) than Ian Brown, Guy Chadwick's voice seems to melt between the guitars, his oblique lyrics never less than insightful, with hints of political awareness and a philosophical muse poking through the nonchalant façade. It's a side Chadwick shows on "Welt," when he proclaims, "I would like to criticize." However, the band certainly makes it difficult to critique when the results are so pristine, some 20 years on.
While The German Album was never conceived as a whole, it arguably contains a stronger set of songs, largely due to the urgent delivery of the earliest 12-inch singles. The first four tracks — "Destroy the Heart," "Shine On," "Real Animal," and "Nothing To Me" — stand up to any like-minded tracks from the era, recalling the moody anthems of predecessors The Chameleons and Echo and the Bunnymen, especially the latter's work on Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here.
The House of Love, on the other hand, is moodier and slower, just missing classic status by a few cuts. Leadoff track "Christine" is the best song that The Jesus and Mary Chain never wrote, and if you're familiar with that band's first two albums — Psychocandy and Darklands — you probably have an idea of how fucking good it might sound. "Salome" reminds me of The Psychedelic Furs, if Richard Butler's voice had been sanded down to a croon.
In spite of its occasional brilliance, the relative restraint when compared to The German Album forces me to wonder if The House of Love ever should have conceptualized an entire LP. This isn't to say it's bad — far from it, in fact. But at times the band's ambition in the studio is so grandiose it occasionally suffocates the music. The single format, however, gave the band an opportunity to reign in their sound, providing some of the rawness that suited them so well in their early days.
Regardless of its propensity for overproduction, The House of Love still comes out as a beautiful collection of distinctly British pop, a counterpoint to the spare reverb and echo of The German Album. And both — I repeat, BOTH — of these albums belong in any '80s rock collection that runs the gamut from post-punk to shoegaze. Yeah, they're expensive as all hell, and you will probably have to order them online (unless you live in the U.K.), but where's the fun in finding them easily? These are the kind of albums destined to be tracked down and located by obsessives only. They are truly diamonds in the rough, and they probably wouldn't shine as bright if they weren't so hard to come across.
2007: Lee Perry & The Upsetters - Ape-Ology
"This is my brand new song: lightning and thunder, hailstone, brimstone and fire, music, hurricane and tidal wave judgement. Mixed by earthquake, produced by flood." -- Lee Perry
If you are unfamiliar with Lee Perry, your music history class is missing a very important chapter in the lesson plan. Not knowing or understanding the importance of Perry's achievements should be a crime punishable by law, especially if you consider yourself a dub/reggae aficionado. While I admittedly didn't know of him myself until I was informally introduced via the work of Adrian Sherwood in the '80s, I felt a great retroactive shame upon my deflowering -- all those wasted years I spent in the darkness.
Lee Perry is one of the two key figures (alongside King Tubby) in the creation/cultivation of dub, hailed as the innovator of the turntable "scratch" effect and considered the creator of "reggae" due to his production of The Pioneers' "Long Shot Kick the Bucket." This track featured the first example of the reggae rhythm, which was initially so unique that no one knew what to call it, a rhythm that has been described by Perry as feeling as though you're stepping in glue. He additionally produced works for Bob Marley and The Wailers, The Heptones, Junior Byles, and Max Romeo in his self-built studio, The Black Ark. These credentials are surely worth a little more than a passing glance, and amazingly, this is just scratching the proverbial surface (excuse the pun).
This new 2-disc release, Ape-Ology, brings together 1978's Roast Fish, Collie Weed & Cornbread and Return of the Super Ape, as well as 1976's Scratch the Super Ape, with the pot being amply sweetened with seven bonus tracks, including the mixes of the dub plate "From Creation," which appears for the first time ever on vinyl or CD. What most assuredly stretches across these two discs is the sound of a maverick, the soul of an inventor, and the eccentricities of a man who creates, not detracts from, the brilliance. While I am sure by now that most of you Perry newbies are already off to your local shop or are online browsing in quest of this grail, I'll help the doubters along a little by delving into the volumes on offer here.
Disc one:
The first ten tracks of disc one comprise Scratch the Super Ape, presented how Perry had originally intended (as opposed to the Island issuing). The soul present throughout this album is so deep that one needs a life-preserver not to drown in it, most notably present on two highlights that are blessed with the warm, vibrant vocal harmonies of The Heptones: "Dread Lion," with its stumbling beat and trembling bass line (funk-driven to point of sickness), and "Zion Blood," with cooing wordless passages driven by conga. As exceptional as these songs are, no single track suffers under the weight of another; they each establish themselves as utterly essential, as the weighty toast of Prince Jazzbo on "Croaking Lizard" goes lengths in proving. What stands as the most remarkable feat of Super Ape is that each track is as vital today as in '76, refusing to age in spite of any lingering hiss that conspires against it.
The remainder of disc one, the album Roast Fish, Collie Weed and Cornbread, is yet another stunning work. Would it be too ambitious to declare it a masterpiece? Not really. It eagerly displays a broader view of Perry's unique character through stronger, experimental stylings and his unabashed vocals, all backed by The Full Experience. While his voice may not be as developed as The Heptones' or Prince Jazzbo's from Scratch the Super Ape, by utilizing it as an instrument in addition to being a vehicle for lyrics through unique phrasing and wordless noises, he creates his own atmospheric stylings. "Evil Tongue" demonstrates the greatest example of this -- lyrically damning, claustrophobic to the last beat, and thoroughly infectious and demented at every angle. Not to mention "Soul Fire" and the title track, which both feature a striking, authoritative presence. With Roast Fish, Perry delivers an uncompromising, powerful, and sometimes humorous record that observed, questioned, and challenged issues relevant to himself and the culture from which he came.
Disc two:
Disc two houses Return of the Super Ape, which displays another step forward in Perry's production. Ambitiously futuristic and, judging by its initial reception, bordering on the indecipherable, Perry's effects were driving this album with a stronger hand than Scratch and Roast, and it certainly wasn't any less engaging. It was just a different beast -- more sparse and seeming to drift in a vacuum. Take for example the highly twisted vibe of "Bird in Hand," which finds him reaching into a Cab Calloway vocal play. You wonder if Perry was up a tree, his stripes disappearing like yarn unwinding, leaving nothing more than a dancing Cheshire Cat smile; 'twas Brilling and the Slithy Toves,' indeed. The wobbly effect-laden "Jah Jah A Natty Dread" is yet another example of Perry's singularity and futuristic approach that, if released today, would still leave listeners with gaping maws. He was seriously untouchable on this record, with perhaps the only low point being his interpretation of Stevie Wonder-penned, Rufus/Chaka Khan-owned "Tell Me Something Good."
The second disc is rounded out by seven bonus tracks, including four mixes of the aforementioned cult anthem dub plate "From Creation" featuring Clive Hylton, which served as a special for the Coxson International Sound System. With the faith-invested vocals of Hylton, this astonishing track is elevated to breathtaking levels, creating a truly transcendent moment on record. This is followed perfectly with its three heavy dub counterparts. There are also two versions of the "Roast Fish and Cornbread" track from the album of the same name. The "JA Single Mix" is a mere skeletal version of the completed mix, while the "Corn Dub (JA Single Mix)" presents a slightly fuller version. The final track on disc two is the wondrous bass swagger of "OK Corral," featuring U Roy. Reportedly unreleased since its creation in 1970, this track is remarkable on every level.
Admittedly, Ape-Ology does suffer from a lack of fuller liner notes, and the packaging could have been yards better -- just visualize a box set with each disc housed in its own foldout digipak with original art work, full credits, and historical essays... mmmm, delicious -- but if this review was not a convincing enough argument for this collection's essentialness, there is nothing more that I could possibly do to persuade you. Instead, closing this review out will be a list of the astonishing musicians that were present on the three main albums, as they are as equally important as the man himself in the creation of these records, and each deserve a special place in everyone's collection:
Boris Gardiner, Anthony "Benbow" Creary, Earl "Chinna" Smith, Bobby Ellis, Richard "Dirty Harry" Hall, Vin Gordon, Prince Jazzbo, Mikey Richards, Winston Wright, Keith Stirling, Sly Dunbar, Noel "Scully" Simms, Egbert Evans, Herman Marquis, Vin Gordon, The Heptones, The Full Experience, Billy Boy, Geoffrey Chung.
Now to work on getting that monument built...
1975: Emmylou Harris - Pieces of the Sky
Gram Parsons was like a musical Easter Bunny. He jumped onto the scene, and before we even realized what he left for us, he was gone. All we have now is a tiny amount of always-welcome eggs he left for anyone willing to look. From The International Submarine Band to the majority of records made by his main protégé, Emmylou Harris, we find albums and songs that spread a sense of free-wheelin' beauty and life rarely found in any musician's legacy. We find artists who walk the same line as he did -- musicians who stroll down the halls of music history, respectful of the past but determined to have their own songs fill the same jukeboxes; music that fits into his dreams of a glorious stew of past, present rock 'n' roll, country, and R&B he termed "Cosmic American Music."
Ms. Harris walked this very tightrope with her major label debut, Pieces of the Sky, an album as achingly beautiful as a sunrise and as mournful as a sunset. The album feels like you're going to a log cabin home, sitting on rolling acres of land in rural California, drinking a few glasses of wine with Harris, and then sitting back to listen to her beautiful, fragile voice as she mines the playlist in her head. These are songs you can tell she loves, and you never forget it, you never doubt it. And once you feel sufficiently placed within the classics of country and western music, she attempts to pull you toward new ground by following Parsons' lead and goading country music, the large lumbering beast that it is, to a new kind of sound, a sound unafraid of change and rhythm & blues and boys with mop-top haircuts.
The rollicking rendition of Rodney Crowell's "Bluebird Wine" kicks off the album, and it's like a fountain of youth. Which is one of the most surprising and ultimately rewarding aspects of this album. No matter how many classic songs spin by, no matter how respectful everything is to the dusty LPs of yesteryear, this album always sounds fresh and alive. Like a child's first step or a pimply faced kid's first power chord, you get the desire to always keep moving, to stay alive, to keep on truckin' no matter what life throws at you.
Believe me, life got thrown at Emmylou, and this album revels in it. Since she was dealing with the recent death of her aforementioned mentor Gram Parsons, it's no surprise that these ten songs resemble therapy sessions, from the brand new start of "Bluebird Wine," to the depression of "Too Far Gone," to the drunken apathy of "Bottle Let Me Down" (which is, by the way, an awesome version of the Merle Haggard tune). By the time the fourth track of side one begins, you miss Gram yourself. Meanwhile, "Boulder to Birmingham" is such an overwhelmingly gorgeous song that it can't do anything but break your cold hipster heart at least a little.
Harris learned well from Parsons, and it shows. She does what few artists can and swiftly runs through classic songs like Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors" or The Louvin Brother's "If I Could Only Win Your Love" with a loving devotion as only a person who truly needed this music can. She never tries to outdo the originals, yet these renditions are unmistakably hers, and hers alone. Her cover of The Beatles' "For No One" flows by with more sadness and longing and regret than Paul or John could ever muster. It's a cover that adds a freshness to an album that already feels like a winner from track one.
Finally Pieces of the Sky concludes with "Queen of the Silver Dollar," and Harris' crown begins to rest peacefully on her head. Whether that silver dollar is one that picks a couple of her songs on a trusty Wurlitzer or the honky-tonk she sings, she deserves her crown, and this album was the start of her rule.
1970: The Stooges - Fun House
[This review is part of our Take Your Kids to Work Day special]
by James Ubaghs (age 17), brother of [Charles Ubaghs->http://www.tinymixtapes.com/_Charles-Ubaghs_]
How do you begin a review of something as monumental as The Stooges Fun House, arguably their crowning achievement? I don't know how to start that review but I will say this: Fun House is a fucking badass rock and roll album.
In an era of spineless, hollow sentimentally, and nice serious musicians making nice serious music (that's still boring no matter how weird it's trying to be) Fun House makes my little 17 year old mind explode. It's daring, it's innovative while remaining entirely tangible. It makes a tired old genre seem rife with limitless possibilities, and simply put, it rocks.
Opener " Down on the Street" sets the tone for a consistent 37 minutes of raw rock roll. A deceptively simple but violently effective rhythm section stomps along, with Ron Asheton's brilliantly simplistic guitar lines driving it all forward. Iggy Pop gives possibly his best performance ever recorded. His irreverent lyrics "Out of my mind on Saturday night…I feel all right" are delivered with awe inspiring passion and his singing/un-hinged screaming manage to give an untold depth to what could merely be idiotic at the hands of another singer.
No single song stands out like "I Wanna Be Your Dog" on their debut but instead each song complements the album as a whole, constantly building in momentum until it explodes into the savage cacophonous wall (and attached apartment block) of sound in the album closer, " L.A bBues," that escalates the rest of the album to it's logical conclusion.
Sadly they don't make 'em as great as they used to. In fact they never did make them this good, because I have a strong suspicion that punk rock never managed to match the brilliance of this zygote.
Instead of lamenting on this predicament like a poor emo kid steadily carving nice little geometric shapes into the side of my arm I find myself filled with a new urge. Besides the urge to fuck and get wasted, I feel the urge to go out and make my own Fun House. It'll probably amount to nothing but I'm going to do it anyway.
What the hell are you going to do?
[Editor's Note: I'm so proud of my little brother]
1995: Self - Subliminal Plastic Motives
[This review is part of our Take Your Kids to Work Day special]
By Jessica Roth (age 12) and Samuel Roth (age 11), cousins of [Plastique Song->http://www.www.tinymixtapes.com/_Plastique-Song_]
SELF kicks off with "Borateen," a great head banging rave type song, all my friends can dance to it too. Sounding a lot like a young synthesizing Incubus, it plays with many different riffs, which Mike Mahaffey makes it all interesting. Dancing to "Sophomore' is way too easy, it reminds my mom of an old Boston song called "Tribe" but I think it has a little Weezer in it. Lyrics are clear, kids really like that. Something you can sing to a good deal. The layering of Mike's own brand of music is cool, makes me (and my brother) wonder how he'd actually sound in a concert. So much mixing... what would he actually play? What would he choose to bring to the stage? Just push a button.
Track three, "Stewardess" is good. Some super high soft vocals we weren't crazy about and a little too Foo Fighters repetitiveness going on. "So Low" is one of the best tracks on the CD. Got up and danced, listening to it made me feel like I was at a party. Has right amount of high vocals mixed with a crashing rock beat... loved it. This song could be longer. Two songs that didn't do it for me were "Marathon Shirt" and "Lucid Anne." These tracks should be replaced with more of the good stuff, like in "Canon." This track (7) sticks! Listen to this! Teens love this stuff. If Mike wants to sell CDs he needs to keep mixing in this genre.
"Missed the friction" and "super" are just okay, nothing to write home about. "Mother nature's fault" has some great lyrics and pauses in the song that make the track memorable. Twinge of All American Rejects infused in this song, liked it quite a bit. The voice mix sounds cool.
Jazzy swing turn in "Big Important Nothing". This track is funky... not sure what Mike is trying to show us, way out of the pop rock style that the CD is mostly comprised of. More Buble' than Mahaffey. Good tune though. Than back to what the CD is about, "Lost my Senses" rocks out. Partially sounds like my cousin Ben's band Ace and Artemis, which rocks (by the way). More of this please.
Check this CD out by SELF, then check out my favs "So Low," "Canon," "Mother Nature's Fault" and "Lost my Senses".
2007: Joe Meek - Vampire, Cowboys, Spacemen, & Spooks
Think that crack-afro sporting, B-movie actress murderer Phil Spector is crazy? Yeah, I suppose he is, but Joe Meek has him beat across the board. He was a maverick pioneer of independent music, invented way more shit in the studio, and quite probably killed more people than old Phil. After you hear his story though, you'll know he earned it the whole way. Why a major motion picture has yet to be made about him is beyond me. [Editor's note: A play about Joe Meek entitled Telstar: The Joe Meek Story ran in London's West End in 2005.]
Born under the star Robert George Meek in 1929, Joe's life long love (and hate) affair with music began when a brief stint in the Royal Air Force as a radio operator peaked his interest in outer space and the limitless possibilities of electronic sound. In his early twenties, he got a job with the Midlands Electric Board, which allowed him to gather up and begin creating gear, including a disc cutter. From there, he found work as a sound engineer for independent studios and started to make his name in the business, both as an innovative genius and as someone difficult to work with. Being forced out of a lucrative Landsdowne partnership by one Denis Preston would turn out to be something of a blessing in disguise.
In early 1960, Meek co-founded Triumph Records and disappointingly produced his first top 10 single, "Angela Jones" by Michael Cox. The disappointment here is based on the fact that it may have been a number one if the mom & pop pressing plants of the day – to which his self-supported label was completely dependant upon – could have kept ahead of demand. That year, Meek arguably created the first concept album as the guiding force behind the "Outer Space A Music Fantasy" theme for Rod Freeman & the Blue Men's I Hear a New World, which was also remarkably ahead of its time in regards to its use of homemade electronic sound. Triumph did not last long as a label, but important lessons had been learned and new ground was constantly being broken.
It was around the time of Triumph's fizzling when Joe figured out that, since he didn't have the muscle to commercially back a hit, he could find far easier success by signing artists himself then merely leasing their material to major labels for a tidy profit. This shift was convenient since his next and by far most successful enterprise was to build a home studio above a leather-goods store and become more independent than ever while proving himself capable of scoring several UK number one hits. Hell, he basically kicked off the British Invasion by producing the Tornadoes' "Telstar," which was the first British record to hit the top of the US Hot 100, winning an Ivor Novello Award in the process. However, by the time The Beatles started experimenting with psychedelics, the hits started drying up. Meek's unique flavor of Saturday morning Cowboys & Injuns cartoon rock was starting to be viewed as camp by a maturing generation that demanded a socio-political consciousness more relevant to their lives.
Times were changing and he fell into a cycle of drugs, paranoia (believing Decca had microphones in his studio's wallpaper to steal ideas), rage, depression, and obsession with paranormal and occult activities. He believed his hero, Buddy Holly, and others who broke on through to the other side were trying to contact him from beyond the grave; he would record graveyards to try and hear the dead, but instead got a talking cat meowing for help. Having been brought up on charges of homosexuality earlier in the '60s – just being gay was illegal back then – which meant the pigs had free reign to pester and blackmail him, while his finances scattered to the wind under frail legal structures (he was unable to earn any royalties from "Telstar" in his lifetime due to an ultimately failed plagiarism suit). In January of '67, the body of a former associate of Meek was discovered in a suitcase, leaving the police to declare they'd be brutally interrogating all known homosexuals in the UK. With no foreseeable good news on the horizon, Joe shot his landlady and himself with a single-barrel shotgun borrowed from Tornados bassist Heinz Burt on February 3rd, exactly eight years to the day after Buddy Holly went down with Richie Valens in his lap.
During the 245 singles (of which 45 cracked the top 50) and assorted albums he'd put his distinctive stamp on, he basically created the modern methods of compression, echo, reverb, sampling, multiple overdubbing on a two track, and the seemingly obvious process of recording individual pieces of a song separately, then arranging them together into a single composition. This was actually a big step forward from just putting a mic in the middle of a jam and hoping for the best, as was the fashion for the first half century of recording when they had to record directly onto vinyl in one live take.
Vampire, Cowboys, Spacemen, & Spooks is one of a few Meek compilations being released at once, though this one focuses specifically on his purely emotive instrumental work. Joe had very particular views concerning the use of the human voice as a musical instrument. After all, this is the man who walked into a Rod Stewart recording session screaming with his fingers knuckle deep in his ears until Rod stopped singing and left, while refusing to work with the Beatles (whom he considered "just a bunch of noise"), David Bowie, and the Rolling Stones. Aldous Huxley said, "after silence, that which comes closest to expressing the inexpressible is music" and I'm sure Meek would agree. His thematic subject matter certainly clung to the realms of the ineffable, and that sphere is given supreme definition here with some 60 tracks on two CDs.
Many of his most renowned hits are here, including a rare studio mix of the previously mentioned "Telstar" and other Tornados rarities, but the focus of this collection is on creating a whole picture of the man. Half a dozen previously unreleased tracks have now fulfilled their destiny, such as the sweetly sorrowful "Moon Rocket" by Roger Lavern & The Microns – which samples a take off before smoothing out on a rollicking, adventurous beat with a disembodied piano keeping the timing out front – as well as a raucous Animals blues version of "Besame Mucho" by Dave Roland. The lone vocal track (not counting the odd "doo-doo-doo ooooh-aaaah" chorus and the forgettable Dauphine Street Six number "Shenandoah") shows Meek's vision of complimentary vocals with his self-titled orchestra's "Cry My Heart," where at least a three-part harmony hammers home a bleak tale of love lost, but that's a real rarity here. The emphasis is on ideas and themes, not mere words. Tracks like The Thunderbolts' "Lost Planet" and the Moontrekkers' "Night of the Vampire" presuppose electronica, hip-hop and their future fusions with rock in and of themselves alone, and covers like the aforementioned "Besame Mucho" and The Saints' version of "Wipeout" always add something vital and refreshing.
Granted, all 60 cuts can't be winners, but the collection paints a clear picture of a tragically undervalued genius. Being mostly without words, there's not much obstructing our emotional impression of the man and his many achievements in the early-to-mid '60s. He's the reason why these recording have aged so well and, what's more, provide an essential link in the chain for any music fan with an interest in history. Everything in the charts today owes this man a reach-around.


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|The attributable burden of hypertension: focus on CKD.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 21224024 Owner: NLM Status: In-Process
|Hypertension is a worldwide risk factor for premature death and disability from heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and kidney failure. Much is known about the role of elevated blood pressure as a contributor to diseases of the heart and brain, but the risk it confers specifically to the development and progression of kidney disease is less well appreciated. The kidney is unique among the target organs of elevated blood pressure because it both suffers damage and still contributes to the pathophysiologic sustenance of hypertension through many avenues. In this overview, we discuss high blood pressure from an epidemiologic standpoint, placing it in a nephrologic perspective and discuss some of the known and speculative mechanisms that link it to kidney damage.
|Kenneth A Jamerson; Raymond R Townsend
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Publication Detail:
|Type: Journal Article
Journal Detail:
|Title: Advances in chronic kidney disease Volume: 18 ISSN: 1548-5609 ISO Abbreviation: Adv Chronic Kidney Dis Publication Date: 2011 Jan
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2011-01-12 Completed Date: - Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
|Nlm Unique ID: 101209214 Medline TA: Adv Chronic Kidney Dis Country: United States
Other Details:
|Languages: eng Pagination: 6-10 Citation Subset: IM
Copyright Information:
|2011 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
|University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI; and Renal Division, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 48106, USA. email@example.com
Export Citation:
|APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex
|MeSH Terms
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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This property is a very special home conducive to accommodating a large family or entertaining in a warm friendly environment. In 2003, an extensive renovation/remodel and large addition of about 3,100 square feet was done with a very high level of finishes, features and workmanship (see documents). Energy efficient and green building features have updated this home for the 21st century. There is ample room for the extended family and guests with 6 bedrooms/6.5 bathrooms, family room, home theater, exercise room, library and gallery provide many living spaces. This is a home where warm unique character sets it apart from the ''same ole, same ole'' loving homes. Consult Listing Agent as to short term rentability.
It's about the altitude in the High Rocky city of Aspen, which at almost 8,000 feet above sea level, offers a bird's eye view of the world. And it's about the lifestyle. Building on a reputation for its world-class slopes and the best in Colorado luxury homes for sale, Aspen draws not only ski-lovers but also many for its leadership in environmental stewardship.Aspen 소재 최고급 주택들에 대해 자세히 알아보기


text: 6 months after Sandy, thousands still homeless on East Coast Share this story email Share this story «Previous 14 of 19 Photos Next » Read the story « » APTOPIX Superstorm Sandy 6 Months Later Flags decorate a fence Thursday, April 25, 2013, in Brick, N.J., around the burned remains of more than 60 small bungalows at Camp Osborn which were destroyed last October during Superstorm Sandy. Six months after Sandy devastated the Jersey shore and New York City and pounded coastal areas of New England, the region is dealing with a slow and frustrating, yet often hopeful, recovery. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)


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Featured news
Apple fixes 17 Mac OS X flaws
Apple unveiled the year's fifth major security update for Mac OS X to patch 17 vulnerabilities, but fewer than a third could lead to hackers injecting their own code into a compromised system.
The release also marked the first time this year that an operating system security update from Apple did not patch a vulnerability disclosed by the January "Month of Apple Bugs" project.
At Computerworld.
[ Read more ]
Reading our newsletter every Monday will keep you up-to-date with security news.
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Blog: Shop an Exclusive Flash Sale from One of Our Designer Partners!
Fall is almost here, and what better way to celebrate than by getting a head start on the season's shopping? To help you out, we're giving you access to an exclusive flash sale from one of our favorite designer partners, 81 Poppies! Starting today, receive 20% off all new Fall 2013 styles from 81 Poppies.
This exclusive flash sale event is only running for a week, so hurry up before time runs out! Click here to start shopping the gorgeous fall styles, and check our Facebook page every day this week to see our favorite picks from the 81 Poppies Fall 2013 collection!
Happy shopping!


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William (Ned) Friedman
Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Director of the Arnold Arboretum
Harvard University
Courses I teach
Getting to Know Charles Darwin (Harvard University)
Sociobotany (Harvard University)
Courses I have taught
Plant Biodiversity and Evolution (University of Colorado)
Concepts and information from lectures are applied to a hands-on set of laboratory sessions on plant diversity. Labs range from an examination of the diversity of cyanobacteria to the preparation and study of fossils from Carboniferous coal balls. The goal of every lab is to insure that students experience and interact with the actual data that are the basis for the interpretation of evolutionary history and diversification. Each student works with a state-of-the-art digital imaging station throughout the semester to record plant structure through the microscope.
Darwinian Revolution (University of Colorado)
For over a century before the publication of the On the Origin of Species, naturalists, theologians, atheists, horticulturalists, medical practitioners, poets, and philosophers advanced evolutionary concepts for the diversification of life through descent with modification. The early intellectual history of evolutionism is examined by reading and discussing the primary literature itself, as well as Darwin's seminal work, On the Origin of Species.
Graduate Seminar on Pre-Darwinian Evolutionism (University of Colorado)
All of the plant images on this web page were created by students enrolled in Plant Biodiversity and Evolution (EBIO 4500)
© Copyright 2011 President and Fellows of Harvard College


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Item: 2-way fit (road tubeless) version, 26mm front, 30mm rear, 1600g total (claimed), shimano/sram freehub.
Price: $400
Postage Available: No. Pick up (AT) Deagon 4017. You can test ride them on your own bike before buying, I'll have tires and a cassette already on.
Done less than 1000km, probably much less because I started riding a different bike after getting them.
Been sitting around for a year without sealant in but ran with sealant while being used.
Comes with a couple spare pawl springs, skewers, etc.
Will install/show how to install tires, etc.
Contact via PM.


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Points of clarification.
I am an independent agent and deal with all kinds of companies. Concerning your specific issues with Celtic:
The extra $5 bucks. I am going to guess that you elected monthly billing and NOT EFT. There is a handling charge for the former. It is common with all plans of this type from all carriers - execpt for those who will NOT do monthly direct bill. (And there are more than a few of those)
The surcharge is clearly described in the payment options.
Claims handling; Celtic products are medically underwritten, and in most states do not accept most pre-ex conditions. It is a function of how carrier's have to operate within each state's legal guidelines. They may or may not request doctor's records before issuing a policy. They DO check with the Medical Information Bureau (MIB)and a similar national data base of pharmacy records. These two data bases are populated by reports submitted by various companies (Health, Life, Disabilty) and then accessed by members to verify medical history of potential clients. The data base companies do not and can not verify reports.
You have filed a claim within the first year of your policy. Company will need to verify this was NOT a pre-ex, which could potentially disqualify your policy if it is determined there was something you did NOT report on the application. It's called Fraud.
On the other hand, underwriters react to what is in Doctor records, and trust me when I tell you, I have seem many cases where the Dr. records were full of careless errors (The mystery hospital?)
Also, many cases of Dr. CYA - comments to keep them clear and yet now necessariy accurate as to what was told to you.
Last piece of advice - if you are going to buy insurance on-line, then you better consider your self an expert. It is clear from your dissatisfaction statement, you do not know a lot about how companies operate and what laws tie them in knots.
Next time, get a qualified independent agent who can help you through this jungle. From what you have said in your posting, Celtic is following routine procedure on claims adjudication and staying within the confines of state and federal laws.
Your rant while an expression of obvious frustration, is based on a tremedous lack of knowledge. Not your fualt - no one is expected to be an expert in this mess - bnut that is the role you took when you decided to go it on your own.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN -- I received a letter from my former insurance carrier that indicated that they were no longer going to continue having the type of coverage that I had, but offered that we could switch to Celtic as of the first of the year (2012). It sounded great and mentioned also that we were guaranteed coverage and that we could not be refused because of a pre-existing condition.
By the 1st of the year came I had received a letter welcoming me to Celtic insurance along with the following: booklet of the items covered, two cards showing a certificate number, and effective date of 1/01/2012. Also, a billing for the first quarterly premium, which was paid and sent out right away because it was later in December that this information all arrived in the mail. I just found out last week that my policy was terminated on 1/1/2012. They won't really give me a reason why it was terminated. they would only gave a fax number that I could fax an appeal of some sort. I plan to do that, but we all know how that is going to go.
They claim the premium amount paid will be refunded although I have not seen it yet, nor a formal written termination notice. They only told me this over the phone. Apparently, I never had coverage from day one. They were not very forthcoming with me and don't seem to care about their paying customers.


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by Barry Ritholtz - November 15th, 2008, 7:30pm
Whenever you move into a new home, the advice given is to live with it for a few months before making major changes. You need to get a sense of the flow before understanding how to improve it.
That's the plan here. Its been a few weeks since I moved to this URL and WordPress, and I am still learning my way around. By January, I expect to understand better what will and won't work.
Some of the more pressing changes I am planning:
• Header size: Excise the excess. I need to tighten up the size of the header — yeah, there's a lot of dead space I can squeeze out of that. Make it a smaller, tighter, cleaner. I went with the large header cause everyone on Wall Street has dual 20″ monitors. But I know some of you are either on laptops or smaller screens. (You, over there, with the Mac Classic — time to upgrade!)
• Tabs — I like the suggestion of transparent tabs except for the front one. No colors, flush right, not spread out. Since the TBP header is on every page, I can also lose that small tab. Take it down to 5 from 6
• Jobs: Is anyone interested in posting Jobs Wanted/Employee Wanted? (Its free) It was supposed to be a public service. I assumed given the state of Wall Street it would be much more active.
• Flash Intro: I hear you — This seems to really be a killer for some people. I was thinking about moving it to the Cafe (which would then be renamed). Given the multitude of voices there, the concept is very suitable. And since the length of works there tends towards the much longer, those of you who hate it will scrollpass it very quickly.
• TBP Main Header: Which leaves me with the main Header page for the Big Picture. Any Ideas, suggestions, art concepts? Maybe I'll run a contest for the best new header design.
As always, share your cleverest thoughts and constructive insights . . .
Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor implied. If you could repeat previously discredited memes or steer the conversation into irrelevant, off topic discussions, it would be appreciated. Lastly, kindly forgo all civility in your discourse . . . you are, after all, anonymous.
29 Responses to "TBP 2.5"
leftback says:
More changes? I have hardly got used to this one… and now we are doing another redesign… [BR: Not a full blown redesign, just a cleaning up of some of the flaws that have been revealed. And I am coming around to the mass dislike fo the flash header]
The header. Hmm… My philosopy is that less is more. It's really very busy up there. Having a bunch of buttons is OK but you can slide most of em somewhere else.
Oddly enough most of your readers seem to have jobs of some description, but you never know, the jobs feature might be useful to someone. [BR: If it gains no traction, it will go]
What do we like about TBP? Your content is varied, interesting and fresh. So please make it easy to see what's available. I like the way on naked capitalism and infectious greed there is a menu of the most recent 4 or 5 hot stories and the links are in a nice easy accessible place. Same with Mish he has them on the left there so you can see what's up. [BR: Good idea]
Most of us are info junkies and like to scan the latest stories. Also I like to dig back and find the after-market comments on your site – although I am usually busy having a life in the evening – so being able to find the previous day's posts easily is good.
BTW, my girlfriend thinks my Mac Classic is cool, especially the external floppy disk drive, that is so hot. She also likes my turntable with the Depeche Mode albums and the fuzzy dice in my Ford Escort. No wonder I am such a stud.
Its_Science says:
Not to sound like a broken record, but don't forget to address the problems with the embedded videos in Firefox (it's not a problem on other sites). I know I'm not alone on that. If it can't be technically addressed, please just include links to the original content. Thanks.
BR: I'll have tech look into it — but I use Firefox, on a Mac and a Dell, and the embedded videos work fine for me . . .
I have found that Firefox is glitchy with Videos — it may just be a Firefox issue
jefft says:
WordPress is a beast, in my experience, but the more I play with it the better it gets. I'm been using it for about a year, doing several posts a day.
I don't like flash myself, and agree with the previous comment about too much header.
Frankly, I don't visit your site, since I read your feed in GoogleReader, which is infinitely easier for a major internet consumer like me.
I like what you write, and to me, that's numero uno.
Lastly, if it were me, I wouldn't like people dropping into your site at the dashboard. Also, probably should get rid of WordPress ID stuff at bottom of page, and I trust you've locked up your valuables using IP address-controlled access.
pmorrisonfl says:
> main header page for the Big Picture…
I like the new design, and I don't even mind the size… but I detest the time it takes the Flash animation to play. My suggestion is to 'freeze' the thing, just have a static image of the final 'frame' in the timeline. You still get Florida, Uncle Sam, the Rolling Stones, snails, etc… but without the distraction.
[BR: that seems to be the consensus]
KC says:
As for the Job Listings, I assume anyone that gets on this site is coming for the economic insight. You'll never be able to out-do Monster. It's much easier and quicker searching for employees/work with the big online employment sites–if not simply because these sites limit results to the area you're looking for work. Imagine if you DID get a lot of activity in the Job Listings…it'd be tough for anyone to navigate through them all. So I say…no need…but your site is coming along great! I like it a lot. I really like the Cafe idea.
You might even consider a tab just for comments? [BR: Note: There is an RSS feed for comments: feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/comments/feed
And what about Linkfest? I really don't think it'd be hard to find someone to compile a list for you for free. That really was a big highlight of your old old big picture, even though I know you've gotten a lot busier. Or perhaps a wikipedia type linkfest where everyone adds their favorite news links. Then again, I don't think I'd trust where those links go to :) Just some random thoughts.
SharonTW says:
The flash header works on my laptop but it dies on my iPhone. I thought that you were going to create a light PDA friendly version of the site. I might have missed the post linking to that version because I'm still grabbing the site via a link on another blog.
[BR: Check out the RSS feed option, including mobile, here:
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/rss-feeds/ ]
Barry, be kind to your designers, they did a lovely upgrade of the site and in my opinion, as another designer, a simple, clean image for the Big Picture's home page is the best way to go. It's the web, you can swap out images at your leisure. You new logo, the "b" plus, is what will anchor any single images that you throw up here from month to month.
You're building the financial version of the TPM empire for a layperson like me and I love you for it. I'm smarter for your blogging.
David in D says:
Barry, I know this was mentioned in a post last week, but several of us think threaded discussion would make a big difference. I look forward to the changes.
DavidB says:
I agree with KC, I think linkfest definitely needs to come back. Linkfest IS the big picture. It is the star quarterback, the #1 center. Without it the team is unfocused [BR: its a time consuming bear –maybe in the spring]
I think the job area might be lacking in discretion? I don't know if there is a way to address that.
The one thing that was beginning to frustrate me that you seem to have addressed is two or three posts only on the front page before you had to click to 'older entries'. [BR: that glitch was fixed – its now 10 posts on the front page] I know you want to get your clicks per viewer up (which is an industry idealized triviality that you have more than covered with your cafe posts and other tabs), but having more than a few posts on the front page improved scanability and convenience. Remember, many of your readers are here for a quick take on 'the big picture'. Your skill was taking so many viewpoints from so many areas, boiling them down to the most important ones and laying them out for all to see, no holds barred. Some of the things you have done in the changeover seem to be taking the site away from what made it successful. Now that you have a following of TBP junkies it probably won't hurt your readership but it may not continue to draw those types that originally built the site up to what it has become.
Also, I just thought of this. I keep missing the great stuff in digital media because it is off the edge of the page on my 19″ screen. You either need to highlight it more like you do the videos, put it where the book tab is or bring it in to focus with your already stated plan for shrinking everything on top. I could be wrong, it would depend on if your viewers are clicking over there but I keep missing it myself
Otherwise, things are great (:
Liz Tool says:
Campaigning, flu and jury duty have kept me from congratulating and commenting you on your new design. It took some getting used to but basically to catch everything it is easy to click on recent posts then comments on the first post and work my way back.
Thanks for the new "e-mail this"!
It would be nice if on the screen with the post AND the comments there was a place at the bottom to go back or forward a page instead of scrolling back up. That is probably just being nit-picky…
Your header is not too big but it is a suffering the TWO FACES OF EVE syndrome. I think there is a conflict between "professional" (boring and bland) and "personality" (color). Your logo is over powered. I am surprised that it is so underwhelming. (Wondering why you didn't rename the blog at this time since you are upset with persons "stealing" it).
The front page is not consistent with the other pages and it doesn't really make any sense. On every other page the picture is large and seamless but still overwhelms your logo. But the front page I guess is supposed to be several TVs that make up THE BIG PICTURE but they look like several pictures and one doesn't know they are TVs except for the flash in the beginning. It might help if you actually turned them into TVs with borders and some buttons instead of just the boxes on the striped background which is used on the other tabs. Have you thought of having a big TV in the left hand corner with just a little bit of the flash and then your logo comes up on the TV? Then finding a big picture to fill the rest of the header or just leave it blank and that would make your header smaller. [BR: I expect the proportions will get fixed next major upgrade]
The logo is not bad as far as design but it needs to be more sharp or dramatic. If you are set on keeping the little TVs think about using pictures that are more consistent maybe the same 3 or 4 colors instead of the conservative estimate of eleven or twelve that you currently have now.
When I first saw the little TVs I thought that they were put there for a reason..that they were buttons that would take me somewhere else. They could be turned into your tabs if done the right way and that would make your header smaller. If you are going to go the boring and bland route maybe you could put the black and white cartoons in the little TVs. Then you could click on them to make them bigger and just change them once a week. The black and white would make your current logo color scheme look outrageously bold!
I'm not overly fond of the tan and gray. All shades of brown and tan or all shades of black and gray would look better also why does the color fade to white as you go down the blog? A clean site doesn't have to lack color or interest.
AND WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THE DOG? Surely your ego cannot be so big that you would not set aside a square inch with the dog!!! In fact the dog deserves it's own page with several bigger pictures! [BR: Max is coming — its yet another sidebar issue ]
On a final note your blog could just be white with black type or pink polka dots. Your content and sense of humor is what makes the blog and it is excellent.
Fred Krueger says:
Love the blog, but like others, have been reading it exclusively through an RSS reader (newsgator in my case). When I finally went to your actual site for the first time in several years I was horrified. My humble suggestions:
(1) get rid of the color scheme, the huge header and the huge icons. They don't do your site justice. Go with a clean, monochrome look that allows the content to rise to the top
(2) do not require the user to login to post comments. Logging in to a blog is counter-intuitive and error prone (where did i put that easy to remember #56agtlw6 password ?)
(3) get rid of the top ad unit. If are interested in making money with your site (which i am not sure you are) — this is not the answer. Having started and sold two ad networks, and several ad-supported internet ventures, I have some ideas for you, if you want to email me.
philipat says:
I think I was ahead of the curve with my 2 cents-worth (Header too large and too much colour. Remove cour from the tabs and make the header single line rather than double. I also sent you a suggested layout for the header from a site I found in Singapore)
I stick with the above and recommend a wide angle Manhattan skyline, like one of those from here:
One layer, no flash. Superimpose a grapph line to pick out the highs and lows in the skyline.
Final result, a Big (Wide angle) Picture, no flash half the header size and much less busy with colourless tabs but still dramatic, relevant and colourful enough.
flenerman says:
Mr. R, I agree with the commentator from several days ago who said something like, "When you arrived at the old site you had the sense of being THERE." I appreciated the ecletic nature of the page. Nevertheless, I understand your desire for page clicks and I'll adjust. I also understand the log-in requirement for persons wishing to comment, but a 12 character password?! Upper and lower case with symbols?! Come on, you're not guarding State Secrets. You've made it a gazillion to one against anyone hacking my password and ignored the thousand to one chance that he'll break into my home and find it scrawled on my desk along with 10 years of other such reminders. If you allowed us to change our passwords, I'd change mine to TBP like half the rest of your regulars and I'll bet you'd be little worse off.
Mark E Hoffer says:
Liz goes w/: "On a final note your blog could just be white with black type or pink polka dots. Your content and sense of humor is what makes the blog and it is excellent."
I hope you know that's, exactly, the case. Past that, I hope it is the 'p@$sW*rD' thing that has been tamping down on the 'comments'–as noted, above, the current regime seems a little too tight–that balancing act may need to be reweighted..
Also, the 'linkfest' gave you the latitude to give a more 'panoramic' aspect to TBP. And, I hope you're still considering BRIPTV/IP Radio/MP3s..
BR: FNJ will return in the future. The Linkfest is a possibility in the late winter / early spring.
The comment reg, however, is a keeper! I am spending so much less time dealing with Spam, trolls, flame wars, and garbage — its a pleasure.
Barry Ritholtz says:
The linkfest is on hiatus until next year — it was hugely time-consuming, and between the book and the market mayhem, there simply was no time.
If I add another intern or even a blog employee in January, then the linkfest might return.
Meanwhile, every Sunday, we have Prieur du Pleiss
Words from the (investment) Wise
JustOne says:
A couple of comments that I have not seen in a quick look at a few of the comments … hopfully not redundant.
1. I am missing the "train of thought" or mind flow of the old site. It is hard to percieve WHEN videos are posted, relative to other peoples ideas, relative to your ideas, relative to charts, etc. Now one must go to other tabs to see some of the things you post and the order of posting not clear. Perhaps a link on the main page when new material is posted on other pages would help glue it together? Also a key word based index and a date/time index might help find other related articles … perhaps these could be another tab?
[BR: That will be updated shortly — I am still learning Word Press, and have to rely on prgrammers for even the simplest fix]
2. The light gray font used on long quotes is less readable than the indented black font on your old site … at least on my monitors, lighting conditions, etc. Perhaps italics or a different dark font style could set them off rather than a color change?
[BR: Yeah, I noticed that too — I can take that a few shades darker]
3. I also liked the word clouds you posted before. Perhaps a tab to that function would be useful for those that liked it. Also a word cloud on comments might be interesting to see were the most people are commenting. I feel another tab being considered?
[BR: I am slowly adding side bar content. The original plan was to keep it clean, and less busy — but the word cloud will come back — its a WP plug in]
JustOne (or a few) thoughts.
jmborchers says:
I would like to see an index of the posts for at least the last month. It's very difficult to run through old ones right now.
[BR: Another plug in — categories, archives, monthly calendar. Its coming also]
jmborchers says:
TY Barry.
DavidB says:
LOL @ Liz,
The dog has got to be worth a few thousand clicks himself. Not only would he bring people in but the instant they saw him he'd win the loyalty of those folks just because they are dog people. Give him his own update feed and your advertising takes care of itself
You may even want to hire a shill cat too for the opposite side of the pet universe……You better make it a kitten…….fluffy. Don't grab a pic from the web or you'll get busted for sure. Rent one from the pet store. Should only cost you a few bucks. Or you could buy one and then return it the next day complaining of 'leaks'. That won't cost you anything but the hassle of buy 'n return. Get some realistic but staged digital cam home photos. Slap 'em up on a page, you're done. Hello Google top ten
RickMayor says:
To be honest I don't have anything to add on style/format of your new site. I just wanted to reiterate the above comments on how incredibly useful/fun/interesting/entertaining your site and comments are. Totally awesome!
I particularly like your new Cafe site, really great and insightful reads there. Keep up the great work!
Your faithful reader,
a guy called john says:
Don't expect that the content on the other tabs will be found. That's not how your site ever worked before.
Assuming you want to put your posts on the homepage: slightly smaller font, slightly narrower content column, more teaser copy, headlines, etc (a la the quote) in the right column.
Otherwise: Treat your homepage as a traditional homepage, highlighting more of the content, more marketwatch/street.com than blog. Looks like you are moving in that direction through the content expanded content.
BR: The other content will receive more highlighting in the future — note the menus are now defaulted to open in the sidebar.
Barry Ritholtz says:
Here are the RSS feeds —
The Big Picture: No header, no tabs, every post
BP Cafe
Digital Media
Note they behave differently depending upon your browser. Firefox take me to a my Yahoo module add; Safari goes straight to the feed.
Scotty says:
Keep making the gradual improvements — I really like what I have been seeing so far.
The Cafe is brilliant — you should emphasize it more.
Its everything that Seeking Alpha and TheStreet.com are not — its smart, focused, and limited — thats the key.
They are obviously casting the widest net possible, going for max page views, with quality secondary. You are clearly focusing on less being more. I would put a 10 person max on it. (How did you ever get the NBER dating committee / Harvard professor ? Awesome post.)
Mark E Hoffer says:
"The comment reg, however, is a keeper! I am spending so much less time dealing with Spam, trolls, flame wars, and garbage — its a pleasure."
yeah BR, I know, I was, earlier, going to add a line : ~" easy for me to say, I don't have to deal with the admin…"
Your doing a great job, past that, Scotty's comment, above, is a good one, too..
Coruscation says:
I am not sure if you were intending on changing the content with the re-design, but I too miss Barry's link fests. And I subscribed to Barrons because he could find three great stories there every month, and tell me which ones they were on the weekend when I had time to read them.
Could you take the Amazon banner an make it tall, narrow and on the side to get some content into the top 2/3 of my screen ?
New readers might benefit from a short explanation about how to create, maintain an account to comment. And let commenters choose their own password.
Chuck Ponzi says:
Please, threaded comments. Please.
Gabriel says:
Barry, here are some ideas on minor touch-ups.
1. Feeds – should probably move to the bottom – limited use. Also, this one doesn't need to be Open by default (that can save some space). And the user may actually see the Halogen Guides without scrolling down. ;-)
2. Media Reviews – should probably move towards bottom – limited use (but I understand why it's at the top).
3. Some bullets open/close to display lists, but others take you away from the page; there should be some visual clue for the different behavior. Also, some of those bullets are hot and some are not (and among those that are hot, the action is inconsistent).
Order of tabs seems intuitively driven by your traffic statistics. I know I visit Cafe, Video, Media most often. But Book Club may probably be better towards the end.
Order of those tabs should be consistent with the order you choose on the sidebar items, (as much as possible, because there are some additional items on the sidebar).
Just my $.02
Douglas Watts says:
As a graphic designer (going back to smelly Compugraphic machines and hot wax and manual paste-up), I think the new and the old lay-outs are fine. I like the new format. Dropping the side columns of stuff makes the main entries easier to read, in part because the type size is larger. I also like Times Roman as a body type over sans serif. It's easier for the eye. Sans serif types are hard to read as body type. The eye needs those little serifs. This is why you don't see any books or newspapers with body text in sans serif.
Congratulations, Barry. The new design looks nice. And thanks for providing it. I know it took a lot of work.
sellthekids says:
catching up on my weekend reading…
Barry posted: "• Flash Intro: I hear you — This seems to really be a killer for some people."
really? is everyone reading this on an iPhone? otherwise, shouldn't you all be using FireFox and have FlashBlock installed?
i have only seen Barry's flash once…the day he demo'd the site.
ardano says:
Dear Barry:
Didn't read through all the comments, but an easy link/tab from the old "The Big Picture" to the new "Ritholtz.com" TPB might also help. Many of us have both auto fill and an old bookmark on multiple computers and are being sent to the old format…have you considered a way to jump from old to new?
thanks for TPB


text:
Ridgid Deburring Tools
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text:
Shine pair re-teams for Oz-UK Love's Brother
Jane Scott and Jan Sardi, the producer and writer of Australian hit film Shine, are teaming up again for the romantic comedy Love's Brother, except that this time it will also be Sardi's directorial debut. Great Scott Productions' producing partner in the official Australian/UK co-production is Sarah Radclyffe Productions.
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text:
Object Lifecycle in Java Programing
1. Created
2. In use (strongly reachable)
3. Invisible
4. Unreachable
1. Created
The Below Steps will be perform by JVM when an Object creation.
1. Space is allocated for the object.
2. Object construction begins.
3. The superclass constructor is called.
4. Instance initializers and instance variable initializers are run.
5. The rest of constructor body is executed.
The exact costs of these operations depend on the implementation of the JVM, as well as the implementation of the class being constructed. The thing to keep in mind is that these costs exist. Once the object has been created, assuming it is assigned to some variable, it moves directly to the in use state.
2. In Use
Objects that are held by at least one strong reference are considered to be in use. In JDK 1.1.x, all references are strong references. Java 2 introduces three other kinds of references: weak, soft and phantom. and assigns it to some variables.
public class CatTest {
static Vector catList = new Vector();
static void makeCat() {
Object cat = new Cat();
public static void main(String[] arg) {
// do more stuff
When the makeCat method returns, the stack frame for that method and any temporary variables it declares are removed. This leaves the Cat object with just a single reference from the catList static variable (indirectly via the Vector).
3. Invisible
An object is in the invisible state when there are no longer any strong references that are accessible to the program, even though there might still be references. Not all objects go through this state, and it has been a source of confusion for some developers.Listing shows a code fragment that creates an invisible object.
public void run() {
try {
Object foo = new Object();
} catch (Exception e) {
// whatever
while (true) { // do stuff } // loop forever
In this example, the object foo falls out of scope when the try block finishes. It might seem that the foo temporary reference variable would be pulled off the stack at this point and the associated object would become unreachable. After all, once the try block finishes, there is no syntax defined that would allow the program to access the object again. However, an efficient implementation of the JVM is unlikely to zero the reference when it goes out of scope. The object referenced by foo continues to be strongly referenced, at least until the run method returns. In this case, that might not happen for a long time. Because invisible objects can't be collected, this is a possible cause of memory leaks. If you run into this situation, you might have to explicitly null your references to enable garbage collection.
4. <code>Unreachable
An object enters an unreachable state when no more strong references to it exist. When an object is unreachable, it is a candidate for collection. Note the wording: Just because an object is a candidate for collection doesn't mean it will be immediately collected. The JVM is free to delay collection until there is an immediate need for the memory being consumed by the object.
It's important to note that not just any strong reference will hold an object in memory. These must be references that chain from a garbage collection root. GC roots are a special class of variable that includes
* Temporary variables on the stack (of any thread)
* Static variables (from any class)
* Special references from JNI native code
Circular strong references don't necessarily cause memory leaks. Consider the code in Listing A-3. It creates two objects, and assigns them references to each other.
public void buidDog() {
Dog newDog = new Dog();
Tail newTail = new Tail();
newDog.tail = newTail;
newTail.dog = newDog;
An object is in the collected state when the garbage collector has recognized an object as unreachable and readies it for final processing as a precursor to deallocation. If the object has a finalize method, then it is marked for finalization. If it does not have a finalizer then it moves straight to the finalized state.
If a class defines a finalizer, then any instance of that class must have the finalizer called prior to deallocation. This means that deallocation is delayed by the inclusion of a finalizer.
An object is in the finalized state if it is still unreachable after its finalize method, if any, has been run. A finalized object is awaiting deallocation. Note that the VM implementation controls when the finalizer is run. The only thing that can be said for certain is that adding a finalizer will extend the lifetime of an object. This means that adding finalizers to objects that you intend to be short-lived is a bad idea. You are almost always better off doing your own cleanup instead of relying on a finalizer. Using a finalizer can also leave behind critical resources that won't be recovered for an indeterminate amount of time. If you are considering using a finalizer to ensure that important resources are freed in a timely manner, you might want to reconsider.
One case where a finalize method delayed GC was discovered by the quality assurance (QA) team working on Swing. The QA team created a stress testing application that simulated user input by using a thread to send artificial events to the GUI. Running on one version of the toolkit, the application reported an OutOfMemoryError after just a few minutes of testing. The problem was finally traced back to the fact that the thread sending the events was running at a higher priority than the finalizer thread. The program ran out of memory because about 10,000 Graphics objects were held in the finalizer queue waiting for a chance to run their finalizers. It turned out that these Graphics objects were holding onto fairly substantial native resources. The problem was fixed by assuring that whenever Swing is done with a Graphics object, dispose is called to ensure that the native resources are freed as soon as possible.
In addition to lengthening object lifetimes, finalize methods can increase object size. For example, some JVMs, such as the classic JVM implementation, add an extra hidden field to objects with finalize methods so that they can be held in a linked list finalization queue.
The deallocated state is the final step in garbage collection. If an object is still unreachable after all the above work has occurred, then it is a candidate for deallocation. Again, when and how deallocation occurs is up to the JVM.


text:
- Filed Under
A race developed for Position 5 on the Norfork School Board Monday when Denise Weber filed for the slot currently held by Mike Watts, who filed last week.
Lisa House, who currently holds Position 1 on the Mountain Home School Board, filed to run again. No one had filed for Position 3 on the Mountain Home School Board as of late Monday afternoon, including incumbent Ben Strider.
The filing period closes at noon today. ...