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Alumnae News
I hope all of you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season, and that 2007 is off to a good start for you and yours.
It certainly will be a busy year for the Russell Sage College Alumnae Association. Our Association's Nominating & Awards Committee has selected five outstanding Russell Sage alumnae to be the first recipients of the new Women of Influence award. This award was established
by our Board of Directors to recognize the remarkable achievements of alumnae in their chosen professions and in service to their communities. These awards will be announced in upcoming issues of Connections, and presented at various events throughout the coming months. As you read about the award recipients and what they have accomplished, think about alumnae you know who should be recognized as Women of Influence in the future. Please send that information to the Alumnae Association at [email protected]
This is a very exciting year at Sage. With the INVEST incubator center up and running and projects underway to renovate the Schacht Fine Arts Center and our new athletic facility, Sage is a busy place.
Alumnae Association outreach work has seen a series of regional events that will continue throughout 2007, bringing alumnae together in California, Washington, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rochester, New York City, and of course, the Capital Region. Our Board is updating our strategic plan, in preparation for the transition of Association leadership in July. We also are building a targeted student/alumnae mentor program, to meet the needs of current RSC students. And we continue to be actively involved in the Alumnae Admission Program to recruit well-qualified young women to Sage.
One of our most active AAP volunteers, Susan Moyle Lynch '71, was recognized for her years of work last June at our Annual Meeting, when she was presented with the Association's AAP award. Susan's energy in this endeavor sets the standard for all of us.
At this time of year our Association is very busy with Reunion planning. I am taking a very personal interest in planning for this year, as it is my 40th Class Reunion year (Yikes, I said it in print!) Our Reunion Committee is chaired by Deborah Brownell Foley '95 and Meredith Patik '02. Committee members are: Karin Williams LaBanca '94, Rachel Dinness-Tourtellott '02, Betsy Lukasik Gram '84 and Janice Hurd High '77. They have been hard at work looking at ways to improve the total Reunion experience for alumnae of all ages.
Reunion Class leaders had great input during Leadership Day last fall, and many ideas were generated. Our Association Board members are working with Reunion Class leaders to build enthusiasm with all the "2s" and "7s" for taking part in Reunion. I have said this before, but it bears repeating: Reunion is truly a special experience. I often wonder why all our alumnae do not regularly come back for Reunion. We always have so much fun: we remember, we learn, we laugh and cry, we see old friends and we make new friends, among our own classmates and in other classes. It is one of the most cost effective and enjoyable ways I know to have a real weekend get-away: 2 and 1/2 days, relaxing, talking, singing, doing nothing difficult, and spending time simultaneously in the past and the present. Where else can you get that kind of experience? If you have not done so before, do join us this year!
Mary Ann Oppenheimer '67
President, Russell Sage College Alumnae Association


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These spritz-on stylers will help you squeeze an extra day or two out of a salon blowout—saving you both money (on a return trip to the salon), as well as time (which we all know is priceless).
Launched in 1972, this dry shampoo was one of the original top picks of hairdressers looking to squeeze extra days out of a blowout or style. It also gives hair instant "second day" texture, making it the perfect choice for creating intricate updos—which may explain why it's a favorite of so many Hollywood A-listers, including Sarah Jessica Parker and Rebecca Romijn.
The New York City-based salon's powders come in four hair-matching shades—blondish, white, brown and black—for all-in-one styling, cleansing and tinting.
The celeb stylist's take on dry shampoo features a nozzle to deliver its cleansing powder just where you need it. A fresh lemon verbena scent supplies an authentic "just-washed" effect.
The top runway stylist took the concept of zero washing one step further, creating a lightweight spray-on conditioner that restores moisture, shine and softness. It's the perfect partner to his Refresh Dry Shampoo, of course.
Thought not strictly speaking a cleanser, this powder will lend hair unparalleled texture, allowing you to skip shampooing an additional day—or three!
Schwarzkopfusa.com for salons
The NYC-based colorist re-imagines the spray-on shampoo as a way to temporarily cover up unsightly roots (especially those along the part and around the hairline) allowing you to stretch the time between color appointments. Spray it on (there are four hair color matching shades to choose from), wait 5 minutes and relax. The color promises to stay put until you shampoo it out.
This mist-on hair refresher ($24; Click to Buy) is clinically proven to reduce sebum by 45 percent—without water, natch. In a consumer survey, an impressive 96 percent of testers claimed their hair looked fuller and cleaner after use. Enough said.
Check out even more ways to extend that great salon blowout.
This award-winning shampoo is packed with rice, cornflower, clay and silica powders to absorb oil and other impurities in mere minutes, making it a must-have for quick workouts, long flights and endless days at the office.
This fresh–smelling spritz promises to lend locks mega body and less heat-styling damage (since the dry formula requires no blow drying, curling or ironing to coax hair into a finished look). Just spray on, then brush or style. What could be easier?
First Published Mon, 2011-05-16 11:23
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Currently Heifer Armenia is implementing 22 active projects – 19 in Armenia and 3 in Georgia (regional projects).
The organization places various types of animals such as cows, goats, sheep, beehives, rabbits, chickens, fish, turkeys, buffalos, bull calves, Californian worms, potato seeds, alfalfa seeds, wheat seeds, fruit tree seedlings.
The generous contributions of Heifer donor EED German Church Development Service organization since 2003 allowed Heifer Armenia to sustain its support to the youth projects to enhance the leadership skills of youth from rural communities of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan and create opportunities for them to become empowered and self-sufficient community members, to provide awareness in legal, political and economic spheres affecting the lives of young people.
Heifer Armenia Program Statement of Purpose:
We work for improvement of the socio-economic situation of the vulnerable groups (men, women, boys and girls) through development of rural communities, finding solutions for economic and ecological problems, spiritually renewal and strengthening peace in the region.
Heifer Armenia Program Values
- Peace
- Kindness
- Integrity and honesty
- Responsibility
- Hope in action
- Knowledge and skills
- Efficiency
- Diligence
Vision Statement
Armenia is a network of self-reliant, economically developed, effectively cooperating healthy communities, living in peace and in an ecologically sound environment.
Priority issues that need to be addressed in order to reach the vision are the following:
- Rural development
- Community empowerment
- Youth development
- Partnership and networking
- Regional cooperation
- Knowledge management
- Financial viability


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PALM COAST — Any notions Matanzas had of pulling off an upset in Tuesday night's girls lacrosse first-round play-in playoff game were put to rest in a hurry by Ponte Vedra.
PALM COAST — Griffin Loughlin and Will Burgos scored hat tricks to lead the St. Augustine lacrosse team to its first district tournament win Wednesday night in a close 9-8 victory over Flagler Palm Coast in the District 6 semifinals at Matanzas.
The second semifinal game went to overtime with Matanzas' Gunner Parson scoring a sudden-death goal to beat Menendez 7-6. The Falcons never trailed until the final goal, but gave up a pair of critical scores late in the fourth quarter, including a power-play tally that tied the match with 2:51 to play.
PALM COAST — Dominating offensive play gave Flagler County's girls lacrosse programs decisive wins Tuesday night in bouncing St. Augustine and Menendez in the District 6 tournament semifinals at Matanzas.
Flagler Palm Coast defeated the Yellow Jackets 16-2 in the first game with a wire-to-wire onslaught. The Falcons put up a little bit of a fight in the first half of their match with Matanzas, but Matanzas opened up on Menendez after halftime with five unanswered goals in the first five minutes of the new half to get enough of a cushion for 12-6 win.
Byron Yelverton pitched five solid innings and got enough run support to give Ponte Vedra a 6-2 win over Nease Thursday night — replicating the score the Panthers administered the night before.
The split of the neighborhood season series and District 4-5A baseball was reassuring for the Sharks (7-8) and Yelverton, who have been competitive but have struggled to find wins this season. To do it, they had to get to Nease (12-3) ace Brooks Calvo, who lost his first game of the year on an off night on the hill for the Panthers right hander.
PALM COAST — St. Johns County wrestlers may have been low in numbers in the District 3-2A championships on Saturday, but quality definitely trumped quantity in the end.
St. Augustine may have been the tournament surprise when all three of its championship finalists, Dustin Vara, Dayton Gilbert and David Martinez, walked off with first-place medals to lift the Yellow Jackets to a fourth-place result. Creekside produced two champions with Aaron Galang and Shane Carpenter and placed better than a half dozen more to finish third.
The nip in the air was only part of the chill Ridgeview put on Menendez's game plans Friday night as the visitors pummeled the Falcons 51-14 in the season finale.
The disappointed Senior Night crowd saw Panthers quarterback Josh Moore light up the Falcon secondary for 219 yards and three touchdown passes. Moore also ran for a score for playoff-bound Ridgeview, which overcame four turnovers in the rout of the undermanned and inexperienced Menendez squad.
At the beginning of the football season, Ponte Vedra coach Mike Loyd said he thought Friday night's clash with Menendez might be the game to decide the district championship.
The reality was academic and the game results a vastly different story for both teams.
Wounded Menendez made a valiant effort in the third quarter and came within four points of getting even with Palatka on Thursday night.
But a lackluster first-half effort and a costly turnover in the fourth quarter doomed the Falcons in a 21-10 loss that ended any hopes for a state playoff berth this season. Menendez (2-6, 1-3 in District 4-5A) is basically playing for pride next week and it will be a daunting challenge.
PALM COAST — The Creekside Knights didn't scrape the rust off the armor Friday night and lost a defensive struggle to Matanzas by a 14-7 count at the Pirates' homecoming.
The Knights' defense did their job by holding the Pirates to two hard-earned touchdowns, but the offense turned the ball over four times — twice on downs — and quarterback Adam Sandin was picked off twice. Creekside also missed two chances to score in the first half on missed field goals by the normally sure-footed Tommy Openshaw.
PALM COAST — Ponte Vedra needed a tough push up front and got it in the late stages of Friday night's 28-17 non-district victory over Flagler Palm Coast.
Ahead by only three points and with the Bulldogs feeling some momentum after a touchdown of their own, the Sharks went to their key man in Cole Mazza in a 12-play drive. Behind a nice offensive surge, Mazza got to the 5 on 11 carries before Matt Deegan tossed a touchdown pass to Nate Buckley off play action.
PALM COAST — Menendez used a balanced attack Friday night to pick up its first win of the football season and an important 27-23 District 4-5A victory over Matanzas in a driving rain at Pirate Field.
The Falcons needed the lift after two tough losses to open the season against St. Augustine and Bartram Trail, but Matanzas didn't make it easy. Menendez scored twice on short plays in the third quarter to get the lead, but the key play may have been a fourth-quarter interception by Tyron Gilyard that stopped a late Pirates bid for a comeback.
St. Augustine Record ©2016. All Rights Reserved.


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After ten years of being out of the classroom I'll step back in and take a seat for the next three years. Over the last ten years I've taught numerous classes, and guest lectured in a handful more. However, now I will be on the receiving end of the knowledge. Late last year I decided I was finally going to move forward on a long standing goal of mine, to complete a terminal degree. About five years ago I toyed with the idea, but I soon noticed once "we" hit high school I needed to focus on energy on helping Allison and Brandon get through school first. Then comes baby, but now that the older kids are almost done with school, and Catherine has a few years until she starts I'm going to slip in these three years of doctoral work. Sounds easy, huh?
It's been quite the ride from applying to programs, to taking the GRE and the process of registering for classes. Although I've been on a college campus for the 15 years things have sure changed. Thank goodness for academic advisers, because I honestly feel old when I send emails like "did I submit that application correctly?" or " did I registered for classes correctly?" And I'm pretty sure the student assistants at the financial aid office probably think I'm ancient with all my questions. Thanks goodness for students affairs professionals!
There is a new program starting that I have the pleasure to be a part of in the first cohort of students. Its a program in Student Affairs Leadership, very similar to my masters program, which will be a great extension from that experience. There will be two classes each semester, including summer, for the next three years. I'll complete a dissertation and commence through the experience with 12 other people from institutions all over Georgia. This program is designed for someone who works full time, and was created to give full time professionals an opportunity to go back to school without having to step back from their job. It'll be one week in Athens each May, and once a moth to the Griffin campus for class. The rest of the time it'll be mixed format, online when I'm able to carve out time for school work.
From what I learned studying for the GRE is that I'll really need to carve out the time to read, and do the schoolwork, and to stay ahead as much as possible. During my masters program I was notorious for having papers done well in advance of the deadline, so I'm hoping to maintain this same reputation.
But overall, I'm really excited about being able to start this program, and being fortunate enough to have my employer paying 1/2 the tuition! It'll test my time management skills and being able to balance family and work but I have a super hubby that'll be supporting me through it all! Team Puddin!


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We reached the half way point of our season with our encounter against the red (ummm BLACK!) hot Turner Heating who had won six in a row.
The team was lead by Linda, Lovey, Jonesey The Wizard, as she lead the offense with a 3/3 evening, three singles and two runs scored. Desouza, Rozon, and T-Mobile each collected three hits powering a 19 hit attack.
Lovey pitched a masterful game of which we have grown accustomed. Jonesey also displayed her sheer wizardry by catching a pop in the 3rd inning (1 Steamboat, 2 steamboats, 3 steamboats! Yes in the glove!); and backing that up with a lob toss to 1stwhich surprised EVERYONE! Fear not! A repeat performance for the West Coast audience finished off the 4th inning.
If there is a stronger outfield in the league then Katie, Ines, Catherine, and Sylvie, please introduce them to me. This quartet inspired one another, and the team by making sensational efforts in tracking down would be hits, shutting down our opposition to the tune of 11 hits.
Our infield was equal to the task as it contributed to a couple of twin kills in the 6th and 7th inning.
This was a swift and tight game going to the bottom of the 4th, when Rozon, who is an absolute BEAST, powered a two run double on route to a four run inning.
This game was won by a total team effort. You were all engaged, and supported, and a sheer joy in coaching.
This game was played with great excellence. It proved to be the quickest game since August 8, 2012, when Turner beat The Rockets 9-4 in a 69 ( ) minute contest.
Salut! Bonjour! Elvis has left the building!
Rockets win 8-3
Game time: 64m
GOG: Linda, Lovey, Jonesey, The Wizard
Bonding with the Coach (Desouza style)
Coach "Here, let me open that beer bottle for you!"
Purdon-"You are so good to your girls"
Lisa "Yeah, what am I going to do next year if I am not a Rocket?"
Lisa: you still half the year to play with us, and I will work twice as hard to continue in captivating your heart!
Our follow-up encounter against RLS would equal our efforts the previous night.
The defense was once again our catalyst. We allowed 14 hits, with an opening triple allowed as our only blemish in regards to extra base hits. Rozon was busy at 2nd as she was involved in eight putouts, including another twin kill in the 2nd.
Our quartet of outfielders is as good as ever, as their interchangeability makes us a force against any team in the league.
Katie "Clutch" is buying into the team concept. We are down 1-0 in the 3rd, when she strokes a sweet single to centerfield cashing in Sylvie and Purdon in providing us with a 2-1 lead. We are down 4-3 in the 5th when she strokes a smooth single to centerfield cashing in Lisa to tie the score.
Lisa power was on display as she had a four hit performance including a triple destined with its own postal code was hit to deep left field. Isabelle (Izzy) had a nice night at the dish as she collected a pair of hits.
An exceptional game had us tied 4-all going to the 8th inning.
Our defense took care of the heart of their order as two were stranded which brought us to the bottom of the 8th inning.
With one out Lisa singled to leftfield bringing Katie "Clutch" to the dish. She promptly scorches the ball to Rightfield that is deflected out of bounds allowing Double down DeSouza to score the winning run in a 5-4 thriller.
Salut! Bonjour! Elvis has left the building!
Rockets win 5-4
Game time: 66m
GOG's Katie "Clutch" and Double down DeSouza
This week capped two games played at a brilliant level. We are meshing as a unit, we are taking in the notion of engagement, effort, and energy equals success.
Congratulations to all of you on a job WELL DONE!
The road ahead has us in action for three games Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Monday and Friday are late games, and Wednesday is a 6:30 start at BOURGEAU Park.
Monday-Wednesday MIA: Sylvie Allaire, Lisa, Gina
Friday MIA: Sylvie Allaire, Lisa
Hey! Two weeks before our team bbq hits the terrace at 3 Morgan Road. Robert and I are looking forward in pampering you with some savory birds! We will need extra dishes and so far I see.
Management : Turkeys…Gobble, gobble
Christiane: Coleslaw….oops, je m'excuse, Le CHOU!
Lovey : Rocket cake
Purdon: big-ass wheels of cheese and crackers
Til we meet again,
Have fun, stay young, drink lots of beer, and speak highly of me!
Coach Jimmy
Proud Rocket


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Abhishek Bachchan baby
10 Abhishek Bachchan baby Articles
Aishwarya Rai's baby Aaradhya's face revealed!4 years ago 30
Okay, that's a misleading headline. It's just an eye, actually, but it is perhaps the first publicly available photograph of the infant we all knew… Read Article ▶
Abhishek Bachchan confirms Beti B's name is Aaradhya4 years ago 3
For the first time, the happy papa has mentioned his baby's name...or has he? His filmi career may not have given him many accolades, but Abhishek… Read Article ▶
Abhishek Bachchan gifts baby Aaradhya an Audi!4 years ago 3
The four-month-old can call the car her own... once she starts talking! Aaradhya is one lucky baby. So what if she had to wait four months to get a… Read Article ▶
Aishwarya Rai glows at Riteish-Genelia wedding reception4 years ago 21
While Abhishek attended the couple's wedding, the new mom accompanied her parents-in-law to the reception The wedding reception of Riteish Deshmukh… Read Article ▶
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan loves changing Beti B's nappies4 years ago 1
The Bachchan bahu hasn't appointed a nanny to take care of her newborn's needs We didn't expect that motherhood would be any different for Aishwarya… Read Article ▶
Aishwarya Rai's baby girl's name to begin with 'Aa'4 years ago 18
Almost two months after Beti B was born, the Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan are yet to come up with a name for her. Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek… Read Article ▶
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Ashutosh Gowariker is on cloud nine these days. Having directed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in his ambitious project Jodhaa Akbar and Abhishek Bachchan in… Read Article ▶
Amitabh Bachchan to name Aishwarya's baby in December!5 years ago 7
The Bachchan family has decided to have a small christening ceremony around Christmas Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan are still struggling to come… Read Article ▶
Abhishek Bachchan: Can't wait to have Aishwarya and baby back home!5 years ago 0
Junior Bachchan finally manages to contain his excitement enough to put it into words While granddad Amitabh Bachchan poured his heart out and… Read Article ▶
Baybee Bachchan makes a Twitter debut!5 years ago 0
Her father Abhishek Bachchan and grandfather Amitabh Bachchan are already tweeters. Now the new baby does it....or does it? The power of technology… Read Article ▶


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DOLTON, Ill. — I am now celebrating 50 years working full-time in the dry cleaning business. Just after I graduated from high school in 1962, my dad needed help. I worked a 40-hour week while attending Chicago Teachers College in the business department. After graduating from CTC in 1965 on a trimester plan, I started taking night courses at Roosevelt University; I graduated with a master's degree in accounting in 1967.
I was married in August 1966, and our daughter was born in October 1967. The family business paid three times that of a first-year high school teacher. I chose the dry cleaning business to support my family. It took several years of taking classes part-time but I completed my doctor of business administration degree in 1984. The basics are the same today but the tools are fantastic.
A plan began to develop to expand our business, but it was impossible to do that at our location in Chicago because we were located in two connected buildings in the middle of a city block. Father, I and a contractor buddy of his found a location just outside of Chicago, in Dolton, Ill.
Our location was keyed to the entrance of the I-94 expressway for easy access to the Chicago Loop area for commercial business. We had already expanded into the commercial wholesale business, which helped us financially through the transition of relocating and establishing our new retail base business in Dolton. Grand opening was June 22, 1969. With my second child on the way and retail sales of $15 per week, the financials could only get better, but how fast?
We designed the building to be as big as the lot and village codes would allow. We have easy access to the road and plenty of parking. It was not an ideal location for retail work, but it is a good spot for easy route services, which was our main focus.
We had great help from our conveyor company in designing our plant. I have to credit Ron Terry, Harold Rodin and their crew for being a major influence in layout and design as well as décor. Our huge call office looked like a hotel lobby. The local newspapers and village hall officials, along with Miss Dolton, were on hand on for the grand opening. Dad spent a lot of money and put an enormous amount of time and effort into creating what we are today.
He was a route driver for another dry cleaner that serviced hotels, and one particular hotel executive housekeeper inspired him and sparked the future of our business. Dad made pickups and deliveries to this hotel daily; the housekeeper often complained that the bedspreads were not delivered and blamed him. Dad's only excuse was that they were not ready in the plant for him to deliver. Many times the plant was called, and the office claimed Dad did not take the spreads for delivery. The executive housekeeper believed my father, however, and told him if he ever opened his own dry cleaning business, she would make him a priority.
When we moved to Dolton, we had to clear up a branding issue that had plagued us for years. Dad's first location for his curtain cleaning and dry cleaning business was on Normal Avenue, from which came the name Normal Cleaners. Not long after opening, there was a fire at the plant and he had to relocate. He found another location more conducive to his business but retained the name.
Unfortunately, there was another company with almost the same name—Normal Laundry—and this created confusion for commercial and retail customers. Prior to opening our new plant, I was in charge of changing the name. To retain some sort of familiarity to our customers, I followed a marketing trend of combining words to form a new logo. Our final decision was Norco Cleaners Inc. There was no longer confusion between the two companies' names.
Our 30-foot stand-alone sign near the main road displayed our new logo. The call office was clean, bright and neat. The décor was Mediterranean, with black-and-red flocked wall designs, and the red carpet was spectacular. The counters were custom-made, and the traditional National Cash Register had been adapted for dry cleaning sales. The neon sign featuring 6-foot-tall letters on the upper front of the building looked great, and still does. Customer service representatives wore red smocks with our logo.
Our commercial routes expanded by word of mouth. At that time, one pleased customer, a member of a major executive housekeeping association, told another about us. When employees who were in administrative positions were satisfied with our service, they often recommended us at their new property. Word of mouth remains our primary source of new customers.
We remain dedicated to fine retail dry cleaning, but we have chosen to concentrate on the commercial side of the business. Our retail hours are 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. six days a week; we consider ourselves a "breakfast" retail dry cleaner. Our plant starts operations at 3 a.m. daily to accommodate the commercial routes, and production continues until all work is processed. The retail store closing at 1 p.m. gives us the ability to serve other commercial properties with some of the same employees in the afternoon.
We are now beginning our 44th year in this location. Many things change in our environment. Neighborhoods, politics and regulations transform, and taxes only increase, but keeping a steady focus on where we want to go is critical to success. Being able to change directions, as well as adapt to different markets quickly, is often the key to profits.


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Summer hair will be wildly windswept and tempestuously styled with Products from Shaoé Haircare
The creatures of summer are flaunting untamed manes with wandering waves, tousled topknots and bohemian braids! Giving your hair that styled yet un-styled look will include a little help from the best professional haircare products. Josef & Shaun Settle, owners of the Shaoé Haircare Secret Seven line of professional products, offer summertime trend advice. Josef Settle says, "Haircuts are very textured this summer with more layers and movement throughout the interior of hair. The most popular length is mid-length at the shoulder with edgier, more geometric shaping. Creating volume and texture is easy using our Secret Seven hairstyling products, with a series of decadent ingredients that work to repair the hair with every use."
Windswept Upstyles: Creating easy, sexy summer upstyles or buns will get your hair out of the way on hot days and look alluring for summer nights! Settle says, "The right products will create texture and give a lived-in feel to hair. Our Rejuvenating Bliss Styling Cream is a light hold product that styles hair while it conditions. Run some through wet hair and blow dry with a diffuser. Use your fingers to rake hair back loosely into a high ponytail and lightly twist around the top, creatively leaving pieces out to give a tousled feel. Spray hair with Crème de la Crème Setting Spray for shine and hold. If you braid the hair first, you will have even more waves and texture when you release it later. Run some additional Rejuvenating Bliss through loose waves to finish with effortless volume, shine and softness."
Mermaid Waves: For spiraling siren waves, the Avant Garde Thickening Paste will provide added texture without weighing hair down. Settle says, "Use a small amount of thickening paste on dry hair and twist around a curling iron. Or, use it on wet hair and coil into knots all over the head, letting air dry before releasing." For the healthiest summer hair at the beach or pool, Settle recommends daily moisturizing with their Decadent & Restorative Leave-in Conditioner. The product formula contains Galanga Root, which offers natural sun protection along with decadent moisturizers like French Caviar Oil, African Baobab Oil and South American Aloe Vera. Put it in a spray bottle and spritz hair regularly for deep hydration. You can even use it on your skin!
Beach Braids: Waterfall cascades, fishbone braids, milkmaid plaits and maiden crowns sport a mussed finish this summer. Settle says, "Deconstruct any formal braided style by starting with maximum texture. Run some Radiant Texturizing Hair Polish through to define and accent the hair before braiding. You will want a messy look, yet not a frizzy one!" French braid hair loosely on crown or sides of head, mussing slightly and wrapping ends into a relaxed chignon, untidy top knot or leave loose in a side braid. To create mischievous milkmaid or maiden braids, make a deep asymmetrical side part in hair, plait two or more long braids and wrap around top or back of head. Spritz the hair with setting spray and lightly tug on the braids in random places to loosen, massaging the plaits apart slightly to create a thicker braid with texture. Leave wispy flyaway side pieces loose, or integrate into the braids with pins. Just don't be too neat!
Wild Ponies: A ponytail is the most simple and classic summer hairstyle. Settle says, "For full volume and curls, apply Opulent Curl Shine Cream and let air dry. Use a diffusor or curling iron for more definition and pull hair loosely into a high ponytail." A low ponytail will give a more formal look, perfect for work or night. Use a smoothing product for the perfect blow dry, plus all day humidity control in the summertime. Settle says, "Apply Sophisticated Smoothing Serum before drying, sectioning hair first for more sleekness. Apply Crème de la Crème setting spray for even more environmental control and smooth hair into a low pony. Wrap a hair strand around the elastic to finish, or use a decorative clip." For an origami-like basket weave pony, section the hair at crown of head into two pieces with low side parts separated in front. Pull remaining hair into a low pony and secure with elastic. Smooth top pieces back and overlap, pulling to the sides and tucking under side pieces. Pull side pieces back and fold over ponytail, wrapping underneath for an ultra-sleek and sophisticated summer style.
Full Haircare System: Shaoé Haircare products within the Secret Seven collection include Opulent Curl Shine Cream, Sophisticated Smoothing Serum, Pristine and Purifying Hair Cleanse, Decadent & Restorative Leave-in Conditioner, Avant Garde Thickening Paste, Rejuvenating Bliss Styling Cream, Radiant Texturizing Hair Polish and Crème de la Crème Setting Spray. A unique blend of exotically decadent ingredients from across the globe work synergistically to repair and rejuvenate the hair with every use.
Josef and Shaun Settle are known as nationally respected salon industry platform artists as well as the successful owners of Avant Gard the Salon & Spa and Avant Gard The School in Indianapolis, Indiana. With over 25 years of experience, they are sharply focused on the creation of dynamic hair artistry while also helping train as many other hair designers as possible.
Celebrate V.I.P Style With Shaoé Haircare! The new Shaoé Haircare system offers luxurious opulence for your hair. For a free haircare consultation or more information on Shaoé Haircare System products, call 317-272-1149, 855-YShaoé7 / 855-974-2637 or email: email@example.com. Visit: www.ShaoeHaircare.com.


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On Wednesday, May 7, Cooper Tires challenged a group of "Mommy Bloggers" to come out and drive the Cooper Tire Test Facility wet course and complete the distracted drive demo. The Supermom Ride-n-Drive is designed to share with concerned moms how tire selection does not have to be a daunting task and to give women the confidence to have a discussion with their local dealers about what tire is right for their car and family needs.
After a brief review of the newest tire in the Cooper Tire line, the CS5, the ladies were put to the test on the 14-acre wet pad, driving both a car fitted with the CS5 and the other with Perelli tires of the same quality. After 3 laps in each and multiple drivers spun off course, the numbers and testimonials spoke loudly to the quality of the new CS5. For a fun dry surface demo, former Indy car driver Johnny Unser took all the girls out for some hot laps and drifting on the skid track as well where plenty of screams were heard.
Just what makes this tire so special? For starters, it is made with 4 times more silica than it's previous version, the CS4, to improve wet handling and braking, and providing better fuel economy. Improved siping and perhaps one of the smaller but smarter features is one that most everyone will truly appreciate, the new wear square tire wear indicating system. Now you can easily look at your tires and tell how much life expectancy you have left.
In the afternoon, the ladies again came back to the track to experience a worn tire session. Driving first a car with two worn tires on the back and new CS5 tires on the front. The second run, the tires were reversed with new in the back and worn on the front. This is a simple demonstration of the scenario of what to do when you can not afford a new full set of tires and you can only afford to replace two. It was clear to see that the new tires should always be placed on the rear of the car for safer driving conditions.
Next it was onto the distracted driving course where these moms were put to the test of driving with everyday distractions. Each driver completed the course once without distraction. Then each mom immediately drove again with a crew of passengers demanding the radio station be changed, turn on the air conditioner, throwing toys, lost baby bottle in the back seat, etc... This test dramatically shows how dangerous distracted driving can be as the obstacle course was not so cleanly driven while distracted.
At the end of the day, Cooper Tires knows that 65% of purchases are made by women and realize that women want a safe, dependable quality tire at a great value. This experiment helps to show the Cooper Tire mission of making tires for people not cars. Sharing with women just how it feels to have a tire that you know you can count on, giving them the confidence they need to make smart decisions for their own families.
Follow #CooperCS5 and #Supermom for more photos from the 2014 Supermom Ride-n-Drive.


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Photozone, one of the web's most-trusted resources for SLE camera lens reviews, has just posted an in-depth review of the new Sigma 24-105 f4 OS lens, which is set to directly challenge the camera makers and their higher-priced optics. For serious shooters looking for an all-around solid performer, on paper, is the perfect optic.
So, how does it do in practice? Short answer: rather well.
Optically, the lens is pretty good. In terms of sharpness, the lens excellent right out of the f4 gate in the center but the corners lag noticeably. Remedy to the problem? Stopping down improves the corners a bit. Note: on APS-C format cameras, the corner softness is a much-reduced issue thanks to the smaller chip. Vignetting? It's very prevalent wide open, especially at 24mm. Stopping down does reduce the problem, but the overall trend is for vignetting to remain more prominent at shorter rather than longer focal lengths. Distortion? It's there, but is really no worse than comparable products from other manufacturers. Chromatic aberrations? Overall, they're more prevalent (though by no means obnoxious) at the shorter focal lengths and diminish with stopping down the lens.
Mechanically, the lens uses Sigma's HSM sonic-drive AF technology, which results in silent, virtually instantaneous AF. As for construction quality, the lens uses Sigma's new Thermally Stable Composite as well as metal which, according to Photozone, results in surprisingly good build quality on-par with manufacturer offerings.. Unfortunately, there's no rubber gasket at the mount, so don't go taking this lens out in harsh environments.
If there is one nitpick on this lens, it is its lack of weather-sealing and dual cam design for the inner barrel, which Photozone says could both impact the long-term survivability of the lens.
Overall conclusion? The Sigma 24-105 f4 OS is a good lens, but it doesn't deliver a 'wow' factor, either. When compared to the Canon 24-105 f4L IS, Photozone notes that, in term of performance, it's basically a draw. For Nikon or Sony shooters, though, the Sigma lens could be very. Very interesting.
Want to buy Sigma gear in the Cleveland area? Well, there's Cleveland-based Dodd Camera, with its downtown superstore. In addition, there are many smaller Cleveland metro area chain stores in the Cuyahoga County area, too. Dodd is an authorized Sigma dealer.
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It's been five years since Loui Eriksson last played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
So when the call came from his agent about waiving his no-trade clause to go from the Dallas Stars to the Boston Bruins, Eriksson talked it over with his family and approved the move as quickly as he could.
Eriksson was dealt July 4 with three prospects to the Bruins for forward Tyler Seguin, the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, as well as forward Rich Peverley and a prospect.
"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to playing in Boston," the left-shooting wing said during a conference call Monday. "It's a really good team. You know, the last couple years they've been a really good team, so I'm real excited to go there and play. Everything happened really fast with the trade, but I'm really excited and I'm really looking forward to it. It will be awesome to come there and play. I'm going to try to play my best and try to help them win the Cup."Eriksson's seven seasons in Dallas included a run to the Western Conference Final in 2008. He contributed four goals and eight points in 18 games during that stretch and has four goals and nine points in 22 career NHL postseason games. Eriksson, who will turn 28 years old later this month, joins a team that has made the playoffs six straight seasons, has played for the Stanley Cup twice in three years, and is three seasons removed from winning the Cup.
The 6-foot-2, 196-pound forward saw the Bruins from afar over the years and gained an appreciation for the way they play.
"I've watched some games in the playoffs, and of course I watched many games when they played because I know they're a good team," Eriksson said. "So I know they play a tough sort of style and a good defensive style, so I think that will fit me real well. I like to play that way and I'm just happy to come to a team like Boston. I know it's a really good team to play on."
Though they were nearly successful in their bid for the Cup in 2013, coming up two wins short against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Bruins have undergone a roster overhaul at right wing this offseason. After Seguin and Peverley were traded, Nathan Horton made good on his promise to leave by signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent. Eriksson said he's more comfortable at right wing, so he should fit well into Boston's top-six forwards.
The expectation is he will play either with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron in the place Seguin occupied for much of last season, or skate next to Milan Lucic and David Krejci, who combined with Horton to create one of the League's most potent lines in the playoffs. Eriksson's open to any situation.
"I've played both sides through my whole time I played in Dallas. And I know both sides. But I like to play on the right side and I know I've been talking to [Boston general manager] Peter [Chiarelli] about it and he said he wants me to play on the right side," Eriksson said. "So I think that will be a good fit for me. I know they have real good players, especially Bergeron, and they have Krejci as centermen, and they have a lot of good players to play with. So I don't think it will be any problem to play with those guys because they're going to make me better and I'm going to try to make them better too. So it will be real nice to come and play with them."
Part of where Eriksson plays in the Bruins lineup will be based on where free-agent signee Jarome Iginla fits in and how Eriksson produces. In 48 games last season, Eriksson had 29 points (12 goals). His 0.60 points per game was his least productive average since he scored at an 0.45 pace in 2007-08. He averaged a career-best 0.92 points per game in 2010-11 and as recently as the 2011-12 season averaged 0.87 points per game.
The 2012-13 campaign was frustrating for the Swede.
"It was kind of disappointing for me. It was a tough season for me, actually," he said. "I didn't feel that good through the year. I think I hit the post and out like the whole year. So I'm looking to a rebound year next year and try to make better plays. It was kind of a weird year for me this year too. I was playing on every line, so I didn't find any confidence to play with anyone there. So it was kind of a tough one for me."
Eriksson said he was healthy throughout the season, and now he'll get a fresh start in Boston. It might take a little time to adjust to a new team and a new city, but he's embracing that challenge.
"Yeah, it will be a little different than Dallas. I'm really excited to go there and see all the fans. I know they have a lot of people coming to the games and it's a really good hockey town," Eriksson said. "I heard a lot of good things about Boston, the whole city, and it'll be nice to check it out before everything starts and I'll be ready to play there, and it will be awesome."
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A collection of my photographs and stories, poetry, prose and observations on this life we lead. Incredibly personal, all that I am is held within these pages and this book is the culmination of over thirty years of my passions for both photography and writing.
My work can be viewed on my blog site at www.soulaflame.aminus3.com/
Writing and photography have been first loves of mine since childhood. My Goddess is Mother Nature, my allegiance to little Earth, and I am never happier than when surrounded by the beauty of devastating mountain ranges, flowing rivers, forests of ancient oaks and Douglas firs, and the peaceful splendor of the wilderness where the air is fresh and the sky lights up each night to a myriad of excitable stars as they shine down at me and light my imagination. I feel passionately, I grieve for injustice, I lament the loss of mankind's manners and care for the world he devours and destroys, the animal species he displaces and pushes to extinction. I think, I dream, I live life to the full and treat every day as though it were my last, with happy heart and contented soul. Beauty moves me, caresses me in her hands and cushions me as I bathe in her majesty. All that I am is in my work.
Comment posted.
redtreeme says Subtle detailed photographs complimented with a narrative that encompasses the essence of the story. Wonderful book.
posted at 01:08PM Aug 19 PST
redtreeme says Subtle detailed photographs complimented with a narrative that encompasses the essence of the story. Wonderful book.
posted at 01:08PM Aug 19 PST
SOULAFLAME says Michael, I cannot thank you enough for such a wonderful comment, and also for your support with my work. You are a gentleman, many thanks.
posted at 05:49AM Aug 17 PST
drmono says
Hello Paul, just like to say that your work that I have come to know has always been consistent and well written. This fabulous book reflects your expertise as a writer; it's beautifully presented and very professional.
I wish you success with this venture.
posted at 02:21AM Aug 17 PST
SOULAFLAME says Sachinpk, thanks so much for your wonderful comment and for taking the time to view my book and also vote for me in the Blurb competition. You have made my day. Thanks again, your comment means a great deal to me.
posted at 04:44AM Aug 14 PST
sachinpk says Hi Paul, this is a fabulous compilation of your wonderful work in words and images! I have often admired the same after being introduced to it by my Dad....so here's my sincere vote! You really deserve to WIN!!!!! CHEERS:)
posted at 08:03PM Aug 13 PST
SOULAFLAME says Pavan, my friend, you are one of the most creatively influential forces upon my work who have offered me so much guidance and inspiration, and selflessly offered your vast knowledge to assist me in so many avenues of my learning. I can't even begin to say thank you in a meanigful way that captures my true gratitude. Thanks so much for your support, which is incredibly important and significant to me.
posted at 12:40PM Aug 13 PST
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WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE Published September 18, 2010


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08.06.2009 / The Mavs are ready...
As the end of the summer nears, University of Nebraska at Omaha is already thinking about this fall and the 2009-2010 athletic season. New Director of Athletics Trev Alberts was hired in April and has kept himself busy during his first 100 days in his new position.
One of the top priorities for Alberts coming into the job was the strengthening of the hockey program. He promoted Mike Kemp, the only head coach in program history, to the position of associate athletic director and then hired Dean Blais to succeed Kemp as head coach in June. Blais won NCAA Division I championships in 1997 and 2000 while coaching the University of North Dakota.
Alberts wasn't done with the hockey program, either. Later in June, he negotiated an agreement for the Mavericks to join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association beginning with the 2010-2011 season. UNO will be joining what may be the best conference in college hockey, one that will give the program better exposure to the fertile hockey recruiting grounds of Minnesota.
A sure sign of fall is the start of football season. The Mavericks begin practice on Thursday, August 6, just three weeks from their August 27th season-opener. For the first game, UNO hosts East Central University at Al F. Caniglia Field at 7:00 p.m. UNO was picked to finish in the middle of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in separate preseason polls of the league's coaches and media.
Speaking of UNO football players, former Maverick signal caller Zach Miller was nabbed by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round (180th overall) of the 2009 National Football League draft earlier this year. The speedy 6-4, 245 pounder will be asked to catch balls rather than throw them in the NFL, making the switch to tight end. Miller and the Jags started training camp August 2nd.
Tickets for all UNO fall athletic events including football, volleyball and soccer and hockey this winter can be purchased by calling the UNO ticket office at (402) 554-MAVS or visit their web site www.omavs.com.


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Franziska Weidle is a PhD candidate in anthropology from Göttingen who is doing field work on Korsakow. We, it turns out, are the field. She's a great addition to the non/fictionLab and documentary group, participating in seminars, workshops, supervision and so on. She's started a blog for her field work on Korsakow.
Posts Tagged 'practice'
Errors 101
I'm currently on research leave. This isn't a sabbatical. We don't do sabbaticals. Research leave is competitive so I had to make an outcomes based case for why I was deserving. I have to produce quite a lot of outcomes — the process is akin to a silent auction. The error I have made is that I committed to the Visible Evidence conference, which I fly out for early tomorrow. I'm giving a paper and also organised a roundtable on interactive documentary. What has happened is pretty much the previous three weeks have been dominated by the trip. Bookings, sorting travel, accommodation, money. Writing papers, slides. It is one of those moments where the work expands to fill the time. You want to try to have a good paper, it is an important conference, you're travelling for around 24 hours each way to be there, you sort of want to make it count. But with the three weeks worrying about it, the nearly 8 days away, returning on a Wednesday morning where you know not much will be done for the rest of the week as you wait for your body to rejoin you, it becomes a 4 week hole in my research leave. Yes, I'm doing research, but these aren't the outcomes I said I would do. You can tell I'm stressed, can't you?
Endings (part one)
Softcopy is a material change to writing, perhaps the most significant material change to writing since the rise of popular literacy and the printing press in western Europe. The specificity of this change matters, for what I'm particularly interested in is the implications of this for writing largely because for humanities academic research it is surely the possible changes for how we write that has the most significant implications for us as scholars.
Writing, to repeat a refrain that appears to run my work much like the hook in a pop song, is the site of my research as a practice. It is where the complexity, density, and messiness of ideas and thought and the world happen and are negotiated. As a non-fiction writer (for this is what academic writing is) and a critical theorist I recognise that the traditional academic essay, the sorts of things we normally write and publish (and for that matter read) are as formulaic as those science papers we sometimes mock, and apart from the odd pun and sometimes playful alliteration, a lot of effort is expended (well perhaps not) to tame our writing and thinking so that thought becomes singular and well composed, which in many instances simply means it deports itself in ways that lets it, as writing, stay polite, and calm, and, well, utterly domesticated. We tame or let thought become subdued in our writing as the clamour of ideas–in–themselves get politely sent to, on a good day, a footnote, even in writing that argues for and advocates some sort of multiplicity or other acentred view of some content area.
Humanities academic writing in our traditional but oh so very usual way is then, as in the sciences, a reporting upon what has been found, of what we already know, and in this domestication, which is a mix of the self policing of an academic milieu and the hegemonic reification of the a particular notion of the rational that print (Ong, Stafford) instantiates, we reduce the complex to the simple (even where we use long words and innumerable clauses).
Such a writing, and its form, is intrinsically teleological. To this extent what I'm almost parodying as the canonical humanities academic essay shares this quality with classical realist fiction, in both literature and cinema, for here, too a 'good' story is one that simultaneously presents the illusion that it could really have been, and also that how it ends and its means of arrival are inevitable, 'natural', and rationally understandable. Stories, whether fiction or nonfiction, do not have to do this. That they do this is a consequence of the linear finitude of their material substrates, to wit because there is a last page, because there is a last frame, they have to end. Because they have to end the ending becomes a problem (much like beginnings).
Sightlines, Filmmaking in the Academy
Conference here at RMIT in November. All about filmmaking as a form of academic research. Details available: http://www.rmit.edu.au/mediacommunication/sightlines
Korsakow Workshop – Newcastle
I'm running a Korsakow workshop as part of the Australian Screen Production and Education Research Association annual conference. It's in Newcastle this year. If you're at all interested in seeing the software, and you're attending, please come along. There's a bunch of us also presenting papers at an interactive documentary panel during the conference too.
Korsakow, Field Notes
These are notes from my teaching in 2011, and are the various strategies and things I've learned through using Korsakow that make using the program simpler, or at least easier. They are a mix of tech and conceptual things. Am dusting them off for the new subject and realised worth reprising here.
- Dense nodes. One way to make connections between clouds in your k-film is to use dense (dense in the sense of thickly linked with keywords) nodes that work like 'hubs' that join or connect different clouds together. I've written about this in more detail nearby.
- Export as you go (the quick way). Korsakow now lets you do a low res export, or the usual export to web. A tip. Ignore low res export because if you choose to do this it exports everything, every time. You are much better off setting your compressing settings to the lowest quality, doing an export for the web, and then as you add more media do the web export. That way you get the dialog box that asks you if you want to redo everything or any the new additions. Choose new stuff and things export much much faster. This is also how you can easily test interface changes, and make minor changes to keywords and so on. These changes don't require video to be added or recompressed, so are exported very very quickly and you can then look at the work to see what differences your changes have made.
- NAME YOUR PROJECT. Yes, that is yelling. Why have no title for your project? Why publish it as 'untitled'. It is your work, give it a name. Also the title of a work can do.
- Transcoding. Transcoding is what Korsakow does when you export a project. It takes the media you have added to the project and recodes (recompresses and changes the file format) to FLV using what you have selected under File – Project Settings – Export. This takes ages, literally if you have a lot of video it can take hours. So be prepared for this.
- Export a project but nothing appears. If you load up a project with video, but have not added any keywords in or out ('snuified') the clips, then when you export your project to the web and go to play it there will be nothing visible. Your video will be transcoded, but nothing appears because it needs clips with rules (keywords) attached to build anything.
- Compression settings for export (File – Project Settings – Export). H.264 medium currently provides the best compression options (file size versus quality). If you want to be low rez (compression artefacts, etc) then use the low resolution H.264 project settings.
- Thumbnail videos. Don't use the video you add to provide thumbnails. They are large files and it is very (very) inefficient to use these as thumbnails – people will be downloading something the size of an elephant when it should be a mouse. This matters because we all pay for bandwidth, so please don't expect people to have to pay for elephants to buy a mouse. If you want video thumbnails then compress your video a second time to the size of your thumbnails.
- Start simple. Complex structure is created by the repeated application of simple rules. Use this when thinking about keywords. Don't use 20, use 4, build, export, test. Then think about what changes you might need.
- Korsakow is only for authoring. This means you make content – video, still images, audio, outside of Korsakow using whatever software takes your fancy. What you bring into Korsakow is your media already to go. You don't make video edits in Korsakow (well, in my terms you make edits possible via the keyword link structure, but that's a different kettle of fish entirely to editing a movie in the usual sense of the word). So all the media your bring into your project should already be the right size for your project, the right compression, and in the format and data rate that you want. You NEVER bring in something bigger and then make it smaller within Korsakow (for instance a video that is 1280 x 720 that you then present as 640 x 360). This slows things down since heaps more is being downloaded to be played than necessary, and is, well, the digital equivalent of picking your nose at the dinner table (seriously, that is how uncool it is).
- Use this as part of an iterative process. This means do not think you can plan your Korsakow project on paper, or somewhere else, and then you will just import your media and link according to your plan. You can try to work like this, but that is a bit like thinking you can write music by writing each instrument and not listening to them all together, and not actually playing music while you're writing music. Or it is like writing something in Word, then exporting it as HTML, and then telling yourself that you are writing hypertext. No. You need to work within the medium to be working in that medium. And you need to work in that medium to learn how to work in that medium. You don't learn how to play a piano by reading about it, watching others, watching a DVD, or writing out instructions on paper. You have to play. So it is with Korsakow. But there is more to it than just having to use it to learn it. There is a logic to the tool which you can only use if you work in the tool. So the way to make a project is to add some media, add keywords, export, and play the work. How's it going? What happens? Does it do things you didn't expect? Good things or bad things? This is really much easier to do when the project is small, when you can try things out easily, and then as you develop an understanding of the shape,patterns, and behaviour of your project you can add more media, and keywords, and then export and evaluate the work. This is what I mean by an iterative process. You add some stuff, you evaluate, you make changes. It is built up through small steps, small increments. This might be unusual for mamy of you. In TV you are taught to script, storyboard, and then use that as your plan. In essay writing you prepare an essay plan and use that to build from. Here it is much much more organic. Personally I'd describe it as more like writing a song. Add a line, sing it, fiddle with it a bit more, back to the music. You sort of have an idea of what it is about, or where it comes from, but there is no strict plan or map.
- Do low res exports. Part of this iterative process is to add, keyword, add SNU ratings and so on, and then export to test and see what is going on. (Again, think of this exporting and viewing as what you would do in radio or TV, you do an edit, then you look at the shots, or listen to your piece, with your new edit. You don't just keep editing to the end then check that the edits are OK, same process for making a k-film.) So, exporting can be slow since the Korsakow engine will take your video and audio, and then transcode and recompress it. This is slow work. So for work in progress when you export go into File – Project Settings – Export and choose FLV Low. This will export much more quickly, and yes it will be low quality but this is drafting. The final export or for publication of work in progress you will change the Export settings to a higher quality and re-export. But remember, if you have a lot of material this will take a lot of time. (And this is also why you must always have your original media, if you have moved it, deleted it, renamed it, then there is no way for Korsakow to export and render a better quality version because it can't find the source media.)
- Complexity comes from the iteration of a simple structure (or rule). You build complex structures (patterns) in a k-film not by using a lot of keywords but by defining and applying a simple set of rules, consistently.
- What happens if the source videos are different dimensions? A mess. In a word, well two. The software is designed to support video that, more or less, is at the same dimensions. Being smaller might not be a problem, it might just be presented larger, or you can put a background behind it to make it fill the frame. I suspect (but haven't tested) that the default behaviour will be to fill the video screen you have defined. So if it is a different aspect ratio (which is a much bigger problem than a different resolution) then it will be stretched, or squashed to fix. Work arounds would probably be to use Compressor to crop the video to get it to the right aspect ratio and/or dimensions.
- Read the error messages. Yes, Korsakow is low budget software so you can't export the sort of design, support and so on you get for either very large open source projects (WordPress for example) or commercial software. However, pay attention to error messages you get, while cryptic they usually point to what is going on. For example if you get an error message about a file type being not supported or corrupt it will tell you which file. Remove the file from your project. If the export now completes there is something wrong with the file. There are a lot of examples like, this, so read the error as it does give good clues as to what might be going on.
- Thumbnails can be video or jpegs. Video thumbnails are very cool, because when you mouse into them they play. But this seriously increases the bandwidth demands of your project. If you are going to use video thumbnails then it is essential that they are recompressed to a suitable size and data rate. This means they get recompressed to the size of the thumbnail. You NEVER compress video to, say, 320 x 240 if it is going to be displayed at 160 x 120. Why? Because the larger video requires four times as data as the smaller. It is about bandwidth which becomes about how much data has to arrive at your viewer's computer before they can do anything. The more you can minimise this (the less data that has to arrive) the better off you are.
Affective Knowing and Documentary
Hannah Brasier has started her PhD, and I'm very happily one of her supervisors. Late last year she successfully completed her PhD confirmation, and she's put her slides and some excellent notes on her blog. Towards Affective Knowing in the Diary Film and Interactive Documentary.
Rezine 01
This is a small iBook project that came out of the nonfictionLab symposium held in December. Been working on it over Christmas, amongst cleaning the pool, presents, family and visitors.
Rezine 01: Research Notes Toward Critical Nonfiction Practice (iBook, 157MB).
From the introduction:
The first nonfictionLab symposium kicked off at RMIT University in December 2013 bringing together a sampler of the scholarly work being undertaken by the lab. Or, as we pimped ourselves:
From the essay, film-making, poetry, documentary, vernacular media, digital archives, memoir and design, nonfiction is increasingly a site of creative, theoretical and analytical interest. With keynote speakers, Ross Gibson and Jeff Sparrow, this inaugural nonfictionLab Symposium 2013 seeks to place some markers, critical and adventuresome, across the interdisciplinary domain of nonfiction studies.
Panels sessions include: Guessing games: Interpreting surfaces, subverting perceptions, Experiments with experience: Negotiating memory, observation and imagination, (Dis)placements: Locating perspectives: spectral sites and designs, Patternings: Generating rhythms, rituals and the accidental.
This rezine is the first transitory, possibly ephemeral, quick and dirty research sketch, or field notes, of our work. The intent is to show things in progress, a snap shot collage list of small bibs and bobs that are all on their way to becoming something else. A chap book come digital pamphlet that is an opportunity to begin to describe and argue for the sorts of theoretical and critically engaged creative nonfiction we do. Let's open the black box of research and scholarship and rethink scale, practice, documentation, the rational and poetic.
This is the Bunnings of research, welcome to rezine 01.
Rezine 01: Research Notes Toward Critical Nonfiction Practice (iBook, 157MB).
More Insecurities
My regular and committed correspondent Jeni Thornley, left me this comment the other day (in relation to a post on documentary insecurity):
Interesting…but fiction is also insecure. I really like this essay by Vivian Sobchack (1999) 'Toward a Phenomenology of Non-Fictional Film Experience' because she suggests that there aren't fixed boundaries between fiction and documentary – that it's about spectatorship- and depends on the viewer's experience of a film , how we might view, feel, interpret changing moments in any given film. Thus her famous quote: "One viewer's fiction may be an other's film-souvenir; one viewer's documentary, another's fiction".
Nevertheless, your post has got me thinking – last night I watched "The Outlaw Michael Howe" on ABC TV; it is a tele-movie, a historical period drama about a convict in Tasmania. I have a range of issues with this film which I am grappling with how to address…then today I read it was (part?) funded under Screen Australia's National Documentary Program's Making History Initiative. Well, it may be based on a true story but this does not make it a documentary! and why it received government funding as a documentary concerns me. So obviously I do think there are significant differences in the fiction-non fiction modes of address.
Sobchak's essay is in Collecting Visible Evidence (1999), ed. Michael Renov and Jane Gaines, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999, 241-254.
The insecurity I have begun to think about (in two different ways, one is about centres of indetermination, the other the one that Jeni's responding to) is a way to think about the sorts of willingness of documentary, historically, to play with form and technology. While fiction has done this, documentary seems to be a richer site of technical experimentation, as well as more complicated modes of address. Fiction, in film, might play with story and plot, it might 'break' the fourth wall (Godard of course springs readily to mind), but not that many play with modes of address that, say, Marker did way back in Letter from Siberia (direct address, irony, animation, literal repetition of footage).
Translating this to online, and I think the evidence is showing the documentary is doing much richer things in regards to networked practice than fiction. There is more variety of approaches and work, certainly more experimentation in relation to content, style, form, platform, and so on, than I think has happened in fiction film making. So I was wondering why. Why would nonfiction be more willing than fiction, which after all is celebrated as the place of 'creative' practice, be more conservative in relation to these things.
So my tentative answer comes out of possible worlds theory and those elegant definitions that I Iike (for their pragmatic exactness) where fiction are works about a world, while nonfiction are works about the world. In the former the world has to be internally consistent, and true. So it is true that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father, and that Jedi Knights have light sabres. Just as it is true that Ethan Edwards is a returned soldier from the American Civil War who undertakes a quest to, perhaps, kill his kidnapped niece. These are truth claims, and verifiable as truth claims, but they are truth claims that can be verified because they come from fictional universes with internally coherent rules. Nonfiction, on the other hand, makes claims about our world. They can be contested, but the evidence doesn't come from the fictional world, it comes from outside the text, from the world.
Hence fiction is very secure in itself. Once I set the rules I can do what I like. Unreliable narrator, in a universe where people sprout limbs as required, photosynthesise, and reproduce like fungi. Where if you fall in love you die. It really isn't a problem. So narrative is sovereign, in that solar, regal, absolute way that the idea of sovereign demands. It lets you do whatever you wish, just keep it internally consistent. Nonfiction on the other hand can't do this. The world is always there, bearing witness. I can make all sorts of truth claims, sure, but here narrative is not fiction, narrative is telling and claiming about a world that is external to itself. Here, in spite of how arrogant any nonfiction work wants to be in its claims for certainty and concrete absolute factness, it's test is not internal coherence but the outside. Which is unbounded. This is the reverse of fiction, for fiction always has clear edges – there is no scientific breakthrough that will suddenly render the universe of Star Wars wrong – and so nonfiction can't invest in narrative as sovereign. The world is sovereign here and so narrative becomes unsure of itself. AKA, insecure. As the world is sovereign, and outside, and unbounded, in relation to any nonfiction work, then what I say, and how I say it, can never have the security of fiction, and this insecurity opens up the form to, well, wonderment and experimentation.
So, nonfiction is much more willing to break things, play with things, question. It finds itself having to, because it can never pretend to say enough to create the sort of hermetic universe that is fiction's right.
Some Korsakow Sculpting
Was a beautiful day Saturday. Mid 20s, ms 7 y.o. having a sleep over. Ms A. taken over the dining room with all the furniture moved out and a quilt laid out, mix of new modernism meets Amish. Very impressive piece of work. Real coffee. Spent some time working on the sonnet Korsakow film. It's tricky, this one.
A sonnet is all about structure. That's part of the point. It's a modern sonnet, which means it's free verse, but still following the 3 stanza's of four lines and a closing stanza of two lines structure. I have written the lines, well, more or less as they get edited, fiddled and worried with pretty regularly. I have the video. The video's are very very simple, and repeated – that's just part of the poetry really. But the structure, a sonnet needs to be fourteen lines, not more, not less.
A Korsakow film is all about structure. That's part of the point. It's shape is, essentially, musical (or poetic) and it is music that gives us the richest and simplest vocabulary to deal with repetition, rhythm, chorus and its close friend, the hook. You return, leave, come back again. Repetition, in different guises, is a fundamental architectonic principle here.
And therein lies the trickiness. I could make a simple HTML based work that you progressed through, a line or even a stanza at a time, to its close. However, in using Korsakow I'm interested in something a bit different, where each stanza's line could be read in any order, and so letting the lines of each stanza change in their order each time you view the work. Each stanza is marked by a change in interface, but the problem of how to shape this film so that it works as a sonnet is problematic.
One option is to fake it, and provide a fixed path through each line and video. The last line of the first stanza taking you to the first line of the second stanza, and so on. That is hardly what I'm after, and I can hand code in HTML so don't really need the generative engine that Korsakow provides. So the other option is to let the lines and videos of the first stanza be connected, in any order. This is pretty easy. I could give each clip one life, let it join to the other stanza's, and each time you view it the order would vary simply because each line has the same chance of being connected to another as any other. The problem though is that in Korsakow I can't write Boolean conditions, so I can't provide a rule that would in effect say "if all clips viewed provide a link to stanza 2". So I can provide a link from one clip to stanza two, as a bridge across, but if I wanted to constrain it to only appear as the fourth line, then my concept of letting each line appear anywhere is broken. If I let it appear at any time then you could arrive there after only one or two lines, and then find yourself in stanza two, and then the four line structure of the sonnet disappears.
Similarly, I could let clips be able to appear more than once (what Korsakow describes as 'lives'), but since it doesn't count in accessible ways I also can't write a rule that would say "once any four of these clips viewed, move to stanza two". Now, this would be a better rule, as the rhythms I like and value in these works would be more apparent. With this rule you might read the same line in stanza one twice, and never see one of the other lines until you read the poem a second or third time. I'm very good with that. That is what should happen in these sorts of self organising systems, you read and return and in these changes between readings you learn the shape of the work (and therefore what it's about). But I can't write such a rule.
So at the moment building it is feeling like a bit of a clunky hack. Any of the first four lines are set as start films, so we can begin anywhere. Thinking it through the solution is to have the four lines of a stanza all linked equally to each other (they all share the same in and out keywords in Korsakow). They have only a single life and the interface only allows for one thumbnail to be shown. This means a clip loads in the current stanza, you only get one choice of where to move to next from this clip, but this choice is only constrained by being any of the remaining clips for the current stanza (remaining as with clips only having a single life the current clip cannot be returned as a possible connection). Then every clip in the first stanza also contains a second keyword which links to the second stanza. This second keyword is listed on the second line of the out keyword, and so if the first keyword doesn't match then the second is used. In this way the film is able to cycle through the four lines of the stanza, in any which order, and once four have been viewed it then links to anywhere (as all four clips in the second stanza contain the same keyword that all four clips in the first stanza are pointing out towards) in the second stanza.
(Brief note, the second keyword search is on a line by itself because if you list them like "keywordOne, keywordTwo" on the same line then Korsakow treats this as an 'or' search – so it will search for keywordOne or keywordTwo. This means you end up in the second stanza quickly, whereas listing the keywords on individual lines means the first search is performed, if a match is found, it is selected, if a match does not exist then it performs the next search – I only found that out by testing both options.)
So, that's my current solution, which I think achieves the desire to have a sonnet which has stanzas, where the lines of each stanza can be viewed in varying orders, where the four lines in three stanzas and two lines in a final stanza can all be realised, while still allowing multiple passages. Yes, you have to start again each time, if you want, but, much like the strange prohibition on repetition, poetic networked objects can only be understood through reviewings, the old model of a single, comprehensive (start to finish) reading is not merely redundant here but hermeneutically wrong.