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Vox Amplification has announced the release of Amphones, active
headphones that feature integrated AmPlug micro amps and can be
plugged directly into an electric guitar or bass.
Designed in conjunction with headphone specialists Audio
Technica, Amphones, will give guitarists the chance to enjoy
late-night or private practice sessions as well as being able to
listen to their recordings or other music without switching
Four Amphones models are available:
• "AC30" reproduces the sound of the classic VOX AC30
• "Twin" simulates the sound of a famous US-made clean combo
• "Lead" covers lead guitar sounds ranging from UK-made amps to
US-made high-gain boutique amps
• "Bass" models VOX's classic AC100 bass amp with a wide-range
design to accommodate a variety of tonal possibilities
The VOX amPlug Series of palm-sized headphone guitar amplifiers
enables musicians to easily plug their amPlug into any guitar, and
attach a pair of headphones to achieve high quality guitar sounds
anywhere. Now, amPhones make it even easier for you. While the
amPlug required the user to provide the headphones, the amPhones
are headphones that have the amPlug technology already built in!
Just plug in your instrument, and enjoy serious guitar/bass sound
and superb comfort. amPhones are created using headphone technology
from Audio-Technica, the name you trust for headphones. amPhones
can also be used as conventional headphones when the amplifier
simulator is switched off. You can connect your guitar/bass to
these headphones, or use them for listening to music. amPhones are
what you need, whether you're practicing by yourself in your room,
or listening to your portable audio player on the way to the
studio. amPhones are a must-have item for any VOX enthusiast.
Choose from four different versions
amPhones come in four models: the "AC30" faithfully reproduces
the sound of the classic VOX AC30 amplifier, the "Twin" simulates
the sound of a famous US-made clean combo amp, the "Lead" covers
lead guitar sounds ranging from UK-made amps to US-made high-gain
boutique amps, and the "Bass" models VOX's classic AC100 bass amp
with a wide-range design to meet the needs of today's modern
electric bass players. Each uses a completely analog design in
order to faithfully model the circuit response of the original amp,
and will satisfy even the most critical listener.
Numerous high-quality effects are
The amPhones series contains numerous effects that add variety to
the sound. The "AC30," "Twin," and "Lead" provide
reverb/chorus/delay, and "Bass" provides a compressor. Each effect
is adjustable, giving you sound with superb presence that will
bring out your best performances.
Also usable as headphones
When you disconnect your guitar/bass and power-off your amPhones,
they will function as a conventional set of headphones that offer
the superb sound quality that you would expect from VOX. The
headphones themselves are made by Audio-Technica, the name you
trust in headphones. You'll enjoy optimum sound quality and a
comfortable fit that will not produce listener fatigue, even during
extended listening sessions. Their folding design allows easy
portability, and the extension cable and adaptor plug are also
included, making these units an excellent choice for their
stand-alone headphone functionality.
Consumer channels
More and more these days, headphones are used by many music lovers
as a "must have" accessory and fashion statement. Introducing the
iconic Vox brand into this segment will allow Vox to be "seen and
heard" in mainstream consumer markets as well as existing music
industry channels.
The VOX Amphones will be available mid-fall 2012 for a U.S.
street price of $99.99.
For more info, visit Vox
The eye-catching looks of these 10-watt combos are also classic VOX and include a black basket-weave, leather-look, a worn Union...
(PRESS RELEASE): Throughout the history of the brand, VOX has produced a number of custom amplifiers for guitarists, each with...
Korg and Vox have announced a range of new products today including a new amp, a new wah and two...
(PRESS RELEASE): The classic AC4C1 and AC15C1 amplifiers along with the best selling Pathfinder are now available in striking Red...
The quintessence of VOX! The new V847, wrapped in the Union Jack.
VOX wah wah pedals have been an integral...
VOX Popular Custom Colour Model Range Extended -
Custom Series Guitar Amplifier
The popular custom colour models have been joined...
Vox Introuce Modeling Guitar Amplifier with Built-In
Rhythm Patterns -
Introducing the new MINI5 Rhythm - the incredibly...
AC Custom Introduce the AC15 Custom -
First introduced in 1958, the AC15 combo has been the amp of choice...
AC Custom Unveils Limited Edition Cream and Purple Custom Series -
The popular custom colour models have been joined by...
Three Tube Stomp Effects & Two Analog Stomp
Effects -
Tone Garage captures the pure essence of analog...
Beatles Vox Guitar Sells for $408,000 at
Auction -
A custom made Vox guitar played by both John...
Custom Built Vox Played by The Beatles to go Under the
Hammer -
A custom Vox guitar played...
Classic Teardrop and Phantom
body shapes return with onboard amps and practice


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I would like to everyone who participated and donated their time for the Team Kyle Hall golf tournament. Thank you to the town of Gypsum, Jeff Shreeve, Jeff Kingston, Gypsum Creek Golf Course and all the staff, Sheriff Joe Hoy, The Olde Gypsum Printer, Hugo and Jacki Benson, Lew Gibbs of Sto-N-Lock #21 in Gypsum; Jon Jon Asper and son Jason, Lori McCole and Brandon, John and Kris O'Neil, Cathy Dumont, Jill and Robert Baron, Susan Shreeve, Jeff Shroll, Daryn, Kim, Madison, Samantha and Abby Arnold, Deena Ezzell, Emile Vazques, Jacque Laman, Jill Buttermore, Kevin Brubeck, Bonnie Collard, Cindy Schwartz, Laura Huges, Lisa Vasquez, Erica and Heath Mosness, the Gypsum Chamber of Commerce, Tiffany Myers, Eagle County Sheriff's Department, Tom Edwards, Jessie Mosher, Avon Police Department.And a tremendous thank you to all of Kyle Hall's friends and family who came together to help organize this golf tournament and were so generous with their time to help make the day a wonderful and successful event: Jean Wilson, Beth Hall and Jason, Cathy Dumont, and Robert and Jill Baron. A special thank you to all of the silent auction donors which included: Sherry Cusson — Eagle Embroidery, Jeff Meek — Two Valley Tire and Hole in One Sponsor, Deena Ezzel — Simply Massage, Ryan Murray — Red Canyon Caf, Kuttin' Korner, InKahoots, Mark Toth, Western Eagle County Ambulance District, Mike Kelly — Mountain Handyman, Eagle Liquor Mart, Bonnie Collard, Spring Creek Floral, Jennifer Kirkland, Sandy Alfred, Jill andRobert Baron, Alpine Laser Clinic, Amie Meek and Zorianna Foster, Kyle's Friends at the District Attorney's Office, Wild West Day,Wine or Wort H.B.S., Kevin Brubeck — Edward Jones, Charlie Wick — Edward Jones, June Nestor and Family — The Liquor Store-Gypsum, Magpies, Eagle County Jail, Christie Lodge, Agave, Castle Peak Grille, Montana's Cantina & Grill, Pazzo's Pizzeria, Patti and Bob Roth — The Dirty Dog, Crossfit Venture, Pazzo's Pizzeria, First Bank of Eagle, Joe Bajza — Joe's Wallboard, Carolyn Samelson, Venture Sports, Steve and Patti Taylor, Orrison Distributing — Roy Buttermore, Mountain Beverage, Miller Visual Arts, Cathy Dumolt — Mary Kay Products, Kerri Young — Hair by KerriThank you for all of your help. Pam SchultzGypsum
Back to: News
October 31, 2012
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OCT 09, 2013 - The Independent
A Must Read - Share
The astronomical fee Real Madrid paid for Gareth Bale has been widely criticised, but former player Roberto Carlos has said that he cannot understand the furore surrounding the Welshman's £86m price tag.
Editor's Picks
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Huntsville Tornado, Nov. 15, 1989 - Southern Region Disaster Survey
|Huntsville, Alabama, was struck by a deadly tornado around 4:30 pm on Wednesday, November 15, 1989. From an initial touchdown point on the Redstone Arsenal, the storm cut a destructive, 18.5-mile swath on its northeast trek across the southern sections of Huntsville. Plowing through businesses and heavily populated residential areas of the city, the tornado left a tragic legacy; 21 dead, 463 injured and damage estimated at 100 million dollars. Twelve of the 21 fatalities occurred in automobiles as many persons were homeward bound during the afternoon rush hour. The storm was rated an F4 on the Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale.
Historically, tornadoes are no strangers to persons in north Alabama, where Huntsville and Madison County are located. The region felt the destructive power of the April 3-4, 1974, Super Outbreak and records show that Madison County has had 25 tornadoes from 1950 through October, 1989.
Anyone listening to the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) or monitoring the commercial broadcast media should have been aware that November 15th was expected to be a severe weather day. The Zone and Local Forecasts issued during the early morning, Tuesday, November 14, mentioned the possibility of severe thunderstorms on Wednesday. Subsequent forecasts and statements marked with increasing certainty the ominous nature of the events to come.
The National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC) issued a Public Severe Weather Outlook at 9:30 am Wednesday and highlighted the unusually strong potential for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the Tennessee Valley. The Birmingham Forecast Office followed with a Special Weather Statement at 10:50 am with the headline, "MAJOR SEVERE WEATHER THREAT POISED FOR ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA!".
A Tornado Watch was in effect for Madison and adjacent counties from 12:30 pm to 8:00 pm. Soon after the issuance of the watch, emergency management officials, storm spotters and the NWS staff at Huntsville placed into effect a coordinated plan of action in accordance with established procedures.
Beginning at 12:45 pm, WSO Huntsville issued warnings for the west part of its county warning area (see Figure 19) as an intense squall line moved into northwest Alabama. Storm spotters reported large hail and intense straight-line wind associated with this squall line.
At the time the tornado struck Huntsville, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in effect for Madison County. That warning, issued at 4:13 pm, was changed to a Tornado Warning at 4:35 pm based on a report relayed through the amateur radio spotter network of a tornado touchdown in the city.
Critical weather information was disseminated in a timely fashion over the NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) and NWR and by many media outlets in Huntsville and adjacent areas providing the public with frequent weather updates on radio and "crawls" and live "cut-ins" on television. Links with spotter groups and emergency management and law enforcement officials worked well.
Some persons in the path of the tornado felt they were not adequately warned. Either they did not hear the Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Madison County or, if they did, the warning did not raise their level of concern for destructive weather clearly associated with a tornado. Yet, many others called in to local radio talk shows to say they knew well in advance that severe weather was likely for the area. Tragically, many motorists were caught on congested streets and highways in the nearly pitch black conditions of the on-rushing storm. Undoubtedly, many never saw the tornado, making escape virtually impossible with such little time to react. There were, however, several accounts of persons leaving their vehicles as the storm approached but most stayed in them.
Although the Jones Valley Elementary School was virtually destroyed by the storm, the timely actions of the principal and a teacher in charge of the Extended Daycare Program probably spared the lives of 37 children and several other teachers. Acting in accordance with the principal's instructions, the teacher directed the children, accompanied by the other teachers, to a safer location under the stairwell on the first floor of the school. Several workmen who were painting in the teachers lounge, ran to the children and shielded them with their bodies as the storm struck.
The Survey Team believes the following findings and recommendations can serve as a means to highlight the strengths of the warning system and to identify areas where improvements are still possible.


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Is West Broadway due for a revival?
MAYA RAO | Updated 8/5/2014
Once a vibrant hub of activity in Minneapolis, the street is now home to rundown empty storefronts and fast-food restaurants.
Interactive map: The people, scenes and places of West Broadway Avenue by Maya Rao
More than 20,300 cars a day drive through the eastern entrance to West Broadway Avenue, passing a Taco Bell, a Wendy's, and two ramshackle buildings alongside the enormous facade of Kemp's dairy plant.
Nearby, a chain-link fence on a bridge over I-94 and a strip club offer an uninviting entrance to the neighborhood.
Once among Minneapolis' most important thoroughfares, W. Broadway is still waiting for a revival to take hold.
City officials and developers are targeting empty spaces along the North Side corridor as debates are playing out at City Hall and in the local neighborhoods about whether those are the kind of fixes Broadway truly needs.
Already, the city has poured $14.3 million into the area over the last five years and several new projects are underway. But many of the challenges facing the area highlight why the neighborhood has struggled. There is little consensus on what to tear down and what to preserve, and some economy-rattled community leaders are growing frustrated with the slow pace of progress.
While Kemp's wants to bulldoze the vacant structures, an old White Castle and Vietnamese market, to expand its parking lot, critics contend that would make the neighborhood even less friendly. Council Member Blong Yang is leading an effort to have the city designate the White Castle a historic structure, slamming shut the chance for a new parking area.
"The last thing we need is more surfacing parking lots," said Alissa Luepke-Pier, a planning commissioner who lives in north Minneapolis.
In the blocks to the west, rows of rundown shops — including a tax service, barbershop, DVD store and grocer — sit opposite a Burger King, a shopping mall with a large parking lot fronting the street, and a dilapidated car dealership with broken windows.
Tim Baylor, who owns a McDonald's in the shopping center, has unveiled plans to tear down the stores west of Cub Foods through Emerson Avenue N. and build a massive development over those three blocks with 254 luxury apartments, 86,000 square feet of commercial space, 45,000 square feet of office space and 679 parking spaces.
"I've been on the avenue for 16 years and haven't seen anything happen — I'm just trying to make it happen," said Baylor, who acknowledged that his team of investors has not developed projects on a similar scale.
He said they have agreements with more than half of the 22 property owners and hope to break ground in a year.
Luepke-Pier and others worry the project will damage the historic character of Broadway.
But Yang, who represents the neighborhood on the council, said the city should reward people who want to come in and take on these types of projects.
When he looks at the storefronts on Broadway, Yang said, he tries to take a more personal view of preservation efforts: "I'm just saying to myself, 'If it was gone, would I miss it?' "
Soon after taking office, Mayor Betsy Hodges described appealing and inviting urban thoroughfares as a priority, inviting citizens to imagine Franklin Avenue as an American Indian cultural corridor, East Lake Street as a destination for food and culture, and Broadway as a retail and residential route linked by streetcar to downtown.
She and city leaders are already working on a revival of Nicollet Mall downtown after Minnesota legislators approved $21.5 million in May for renovations.
Yet Broadway has struggled to land the same turnaround that Lake and Franklin did years ago, which was buoyed by community leadership and immigrant entrepreneurs.


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Old Cars Show in Mornington
A couple of weeks ago Ira and I visited a collectible cars show at the Mornington's racecourse. There were lots of beautiful old cars and we had lots of fun.There were also quite a few photographers taking shots of these beauties. But from my photographic perspective, I didn't want to simply photograph the cars as I am sure there are already many photos of each model that was showcased there. So instead I tried to look at the event not as "this is a car show, so I... more


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And the love affair with David Davis continues…
I have something of a love/hate relationship with the Guardian Comment is Free site. Sometimes the articles are so arty-farty that I just close the browser in disgust and go hammer up some drywall to feel manly again. Sometimes the articles provide an interesting insight into just how batshit crazy some members of the government are. And sometimes the articles are penned by otiose former Tory cabinet ministers, leading me to wonder who would ever call the Guardian a progressive newspaper. Maybe just a hate/hate relationship then.
David Davis is leading the charge against the Secret Intelligence Service, by claiming that there is 'a prima facie case to answer' over the torture of Binyam Mohammed. Admirable though that may be, it is of course a political hitjob on the government penned under the rather patronising title, "We did things differently in my day, Mr Miliband." The very title begs the raised eyebrow and sardonically toned question, "Oh did you really, you condescending bag of wind?" The answer to which is, unsurprisingly, no.
It was in fact a Tory government which was in power whilst the security services colluded in murder in Northern Ireland, for example. Or a Tory government which was in power when this country sold weapons to torturers, murderers and terrorists. In the case of the government of Saddam Hussein, I seem to recall that the arms sales flagrantly breached the rules laid down by Geoffrey Howe when he was Foreign Secretary. Not the same as in your day, Mr. Davis? I respectfully disagree.
That's not to suggest that our current Foreign Secretary won't deserve everything he gets when the truth about Binyam Mohammed comes out. He deserves it for other things too, such as the continuing arms exports to Israel, where those weapons are being used in shocking fashion. For the love of smeg, let us not pretend however that Davis would ever suspend the arms trade; we make too much money out of it. It's difficult even to see a Conservative government standing up after the World Trade Centre attacks and not committing to apprehending terrorists with any means necessary: torture, extraordinary rendition, illegal detention and so on.
Except the Conservatives didn't face these pressures. Their party was a wreck, at the time. This is the problem with allowing frontline politicians to pen their own op-ed pieces. Nuggets like this are left out of David Davis' ridiculously self-conscious portrayal of himself as the defender of all that is lawful. It is time for the David Davis love-in to end, before we wake up one morning and see the real face of the person we went to bed with – and realise that, having exchanged rhetorical frippery for actual power, he and his Tory mates are not who the liberal intelligentsia wants them to be.
Jade Goody, Russell Brand and Hegemony
I've heard it said that there's a special irony to blog articles complaining about the Jade Goody story. By complaining about it, apparently we're vindicating and perpetuating the rather nauseating circus surrounding the whole issue. I think such logic is bollocks, of course, because the mainstream media – TV, radio, newspapers, blogs belonging to all the aforementioned and others – would have merrily continued to spout crap regardless of what a few poxy political bloggers decided to say.
Nor, by continuing to talk about the whole thing, are we somehow justifying what has to be one of the most grotesque hypocrisies of modern celebrity journalism. A woman, ridiculed for being, well, let's face it, a bit thick, subsequently bullied for being a bit racist and then beatified for getting cancer, getting married and dying, leaving millions to her kids. And probably to her thug husband, though I am not going to bother checking that up, since I already feel dirty just writing about this subject.
Why, I hear the masses cry, do you bother writing about it then? Why not go back to reading some pretentious wank by Sartre, of the type I am disposed to moan about on this blog? These are good questions, and the answer is that not five minutes ago, I spotted a ridiculous article on the BBC website titled, "Star dubs Jade 'Primark Princess'" and then I made the mistake of reading it. Thankfully we don't allow firearms in this country or I reckon I'd feel compelled to hunt down Russell Brand and kill him, earning myself a British Comedy Award for services rendered.
Brand came up with the following wank, which outdoes any Existentialist for pretentious fuckwittery…
One of the charges often levelled at Jade was that she was just a normal girl with no trade or practiced skills. Well people didn't care and our heroes are not prescribed to us, we have the right to choose them and the people chose Jade. Fame has long been bequeathed by virtue of wealth and birth and this was the first generation where it was democratically distributed by that most lowbrow of modern phenomena – Reality Television…When Big Brother 3 made her famous she was vilified in the paper and bullied in the house but through her spirit she won people back round and became a kind of Primark Princess with perfumes and fitness videos and endless media coverage – because people were interested in her.
Now, it's easy at this point to simply become choked with rage at the notion of Jade Goody being anyone's hero but I actually have a serious political point to make. Brand has bought in, hook-line and sinker, to the notion that fame is now in the gift of 'the people', perhaps thanks to the concept of telephone voting, such that it can be 'democratically distributed' on the basis of individual likes and dislikes, which we in turn presume to be beyond reproach precisely because they are individual and we're all entitled to our own opinions.
Except there's nothing democratic about any of this. Our very likes and dislikes are not formed in a world with infinite choice. Our choices, especially in the matter of subjects covered by the media, are limited to the options offered by the industry that exists for the purposes of creating and extolling celebrity. Even when we make a conscious choice not to be interested in something, its transmutation into a cultural meme means that few of us can escape it, howsoever we wall ourselves off.
Consider the fascination with Jade in the same terms as the fame of the Beatles or any other mega-star. This sort of unreasoning adulation (or its opposites) is part of a form of cultural production that grew into existence alongside the first truly mass media. This cultural production is not merely, however, an attempt to pander to popular prejudices – quite the opposite. Men like Max Clifford have the contacts and the resources to convince the media that the public should/will be interested, and in turn the media whip up a frenzy.
When one section of the media works itself into a lather, the very fact of commenting on commentary extends this unhealthy attitude all across the nation. It is almost a textbook example of some of the processes which Nick Davies describes in his book, Flat Earth News. It is not new. Other, perhaps worthier, subjects have their place in the media usurped by this story on the basis that editors know we'll succumb to the same frenzy-whipping techniques which have succeeded in the newsroom.
Brand's point about Jade's personality is therefore dead wrong. The whole charade has nothing to do with the personality or qualities of Jade Goody. It is not the case that the punters are simply 'choosing' the Jade Goody story out of an infinite list of stories they could be interested in. For a couple of days last week, it was the only story and received coverage in every medium imaginable. Similarly, the media themselves aren't interested in Jade's qualities or personality – and they were quite happy to demonize her in the past.
In fact, the celebrity cancer theme is readily exploited because people are basically caring, and because many thousands of people get cancer. It's a problem with which our society is familiar. Russell Brand himself, foppish shithead though he is, is a clear example of how cancer as a theme can cause people to relate to the story of Jade Goody. The terminal illness, the kids, the last-minute wedding – all are eminently marketable, and I suspect the wedding and Jack's release from prison were dreamed up by Clifford for that purpose.
Had it not been Jade Goody, however, it would have been someone else. Brand's attribution of public interest to Jade's normality, and his claim that this marks Jade down as different ("authentic" or "accessible") from Posh Spice-Beckham, J-Lo or Jennifer Aniston, are therefore rubbish. Actually, Brand's contention ignores that there was a well connected PR firm dedicated to insinuating Jade into the popular consciousness, to making her appear authentic and accessible, even though thousands of normal people die from cancer each year, people who can't afford Max Clifford's rates.
It may be revealing that the 'Primark Princess' (or People's Princess or any other populist epithet) is what the PR gurus have arrived at as the best vehicle for commercial exploitation, but we must remember that the audience in this process is essentially passive. The audience can applaud or shout its dissent – but even for the dissenters, there's a marketing angle to be played. Some of the more high-brow papers and blogs denounced Jade, denounced the media circus around her and so on and so forth.
It would surprise me not a bit if Max Clifford's PR firm was behind a few of those as well. This should tell us something about the concept of Hegemony, which this blog wrestles with quite a bit. Hegemony entails not merely the exploitation of labour for the purposes of extracting surplus value, it also entails the exploitation of the basic oppositional drives between the classes, a contained subversion manifesting itself as populism but never actually challenging the inequalities that this populism implicitly or explicitly rejects.
Who the f**k is Daniel Hannan?
So apparently the following video on YouTube has gone viral; in fact tonight I got invited to a Facebook group set up here in Canterbury declaring that Britain needs more politicians like Daniel Hannan. The video in question shows Hannan having a go at Gordon Brown. Why people are applauding this intrigues me, bearing in mind some of the things Hannan is actually attacking.
He says that all the other nations enduring recession took the opportunity of the good years to reign in their expenditure, whereas Britain didn't. Presumably this means that Hannan would have preferred that instead of PFI-PPP measures designed to keep government expenditure down, we should have had no hospitals, no new schools and a collapsed public transport infrastructure.
Don't get me wrong, it's fine to attack PFI-PPP, but the only direction from which this guy is smacking about the already Right-wing Labour leadership is further Right. Anyone who thinks that a demand to cut yet more money from the public spending budget is impressive needs to go back and do politics 101 all over again – or perhaps spend a few months living on the dole and then weigh in.
Unsurprisingly this is far from Hannan's background, being yet one more privately educated, Oxbridge oik that the Tory Party have found fitting to promote to the European Parliament. So what, exactly, is there to applaud? Gordon Brown is a crap Prime Minister and I love having a go at his awful policies and the ignorant twits he surrounds himself with, but Daniel Hannan's attack is only to point out that actually the public purse could have been strip mined more effectively in search of industries to privatise.
Like the railways, that ever-present reminder of Tory successes. Oh, wait a minute…
So, Daniel Hannan can fuck right off.
Get off the stage, Pat McFadden
In an article explaining why Labour is doomed, Alix Mortimer roundly castigates our up and coming wannabe parliamentarians – so many of whom richly deserve it, being second rate wannabes. However, for my liking Alix spends far too little time on the shower of bastards we already have at the top of the Party. Example was given to this sentiment by today's headlines from the BBC – turns out business minister Pat McFadden has been complaining that the Unions don't talk up Labour's achievements enough.
My query is this: why should they? Sure, Labour may have thrown one or two sops to the Unions but the overriding message of Tony's 1997 takeover was "business as usual". And so it was – the crippling restrictions on industrial action remain in place. The Labour Party leadership remains inert on the subject of outsourcing, the appalling conditions faced by immigrant labour and many of the other issues which are holding back an activist agenda on the part of many sections of the Trades Union movement.
The minimum wage was great – in fact, I benefitted from it – but it's not enough. The point of New Labour was to suggest that there would be no radical change to life in Britain, a jettisoning of 'outdated' policies and ideologies that threatened to actually up-end the balance of power in the UK between the ruling and the ruled. And now Labour apparatchiks want us to talk up their achievements of the past, right when the whole economic system is telling us that the achievements of the past are but molehills compared to what we need?
Bugger that for a game of soldiers.
Talking up the achievements of the past – such as campaign to celebrate the 60th anniversay of the NHS – is only relevant when the achievements of the present can be lightly dismissed. Labour is stuck in the mud, with no policy – especially on things like civil liberties – which the Tories can't claim to match, so of course they're going to want banal puff pieces talking up what Labour has done so far. The problem is, vast chunks of what Labour has done is disastrous – such as the privatisations – and they're still at it!
That's why at his TUC speech, Pat McFadden was met by a protest of CWU members at the proposed changes to the Royal Mail.
Gushing bullshit about "Labour's achievements" are more often the preserve of silly, politics-lite wannabes such as Miranda Grell than cabinet ministers – and this should tell us something about how desperate Labour leaders have become. Whether the "NHS at 60" nonsense (an NHS which, incidentally, is increasingly privatised, increasingly inefficient – whether on hygiene or learning disabilities) or the rubbish from the Guardian about which "old Labour" figure ministers most liked, it's time to stop talking about the achievements of the past.
There's a bloody election coming up – right now would be a good time to tell us what Labour is seeking a mandate for after the next Parliament. But to actually tell that story will be to excite no one because the answer is more of the same: more dubious centralisation, ever more invasive laws on privacy and the internet, continuing privatisations, a country working longer hours than anywhere in Europe with a lower Quality of Life score and with health and transport networks that need massive investment and planning.
Except Labour just spent the money on bailing out banks, which, it turns out, are reluctant to actually change their policies. And this despite an opposition which is caught between the hammer of its own pro-market rhetoric and the anvil of popular suspicion that actually all avowed capitalists are rat bastard scavengers who should be hanged.
Barack Obama and the Internet for Activists Conference
An excerpt at Liberal Conspiracy from the Fabian book about Obama gives me the perfect opening to return to last Saturday's conference, "Internet for Activists." I was speaking at it, on a panel with one of Obama's many net campaign managers, some anonymous chap from the anti-scientologist movement and an anti-deportation activist. My speech focussed on Liberal Conspiracy's efforts as regards the defence of women's rights during the HFE Bill debates, but in the course of my summation I also introduced a wider question about activists.
Surely, I thought, the sort of campaign that we individuals want is one built and run by, and accountable to, activists. I contrasted that vision to the reality of Obama's election machine – though (inevitably) a dissenting view can be found from the Obama campaign manager who attended. Obama may have at one stage been an activist, but when he ran for President, he was a US Senator. Obama was actually backed by banks such as Goldman-Sachs to the tune of almost a million dollars – and they weren't the only ones.
Wall Street executives "bundled" for Obama, throwing big events which were used to collect in staggering amounts of money. Names from Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan Chase can also be found on Obama's list of donors – not to mention that several figures were tapped by the great man to help put together his administration. Because nothing says activist or accountable like investment bankers on the payroll. In this, the Democrats actually outdid the Republicans for a change – these companies gave more to Obama.
The book about Obama, and the wave of American political change he's riding, misunderstands the relationship between activists and power. It discusses MoveOn.org as a group that linked up over common issues – and that's great. It can exert pressure through the media, it can provide a forum for debate free from the jingoistic distortions of the Republicans and it can highlight information neglected by the mainstream – but only in the crudest way possible can sites like that hold any individual politician to account for the power they wield.
Say that in four years, America is mired still further in economic crisis and Obama hasn't turned it around. A group like MoveOn.org could tell it like it is and provide these wonderful services which activists need, but that won't mean a better Democrat in power – it'll mean a Republican. Online campaigning and record levels of individual donations, even if these things are put to use through the ultimate individualisation – the Primary, will not have changed Obama's record in office, the same way they didn't stop the Iraq War or Clinton's impeachment.
Our "Internet for Activists" conference didn't discuss these things at all – I didn't want to pick a fight when I was only there at someone else's request, to tell a particular story about a particular campaign. I did, however, outline my basic view of praxis – in this case the interrelation between our online war of counter-contextualisation against the mainstream media, and our relationship with a specific political movement. It is the question of that relationship which is at issue when we talk of Obama as an activist.
To begin with, I need to define what political movement I'm talking about. My goal is to knit together a movement, potentially numbering in the millions, who will not just put individuals into government but will collectively redraw government from the ground up. This is the goal of every socialist revolutionary – what CLR James described as the Paris mob taking a hand. I feel justified in using my vision as paradigm here because Obama used a lot of rhetoric which is appropriate to such a notion of grassroots, collective politics.
Yet my goal is not the same as Obama's goal. There are many things about Obama of which I approve, but he's not interested in expanding the power of a grassroots, collective movement. People were invited to do their bit for him, whether via MyBO or the millions of dollars in individual online donations – but that's not grassroots on the basis that between Obama and those people there is no real connection other than that they share some of his ideas. There is no accountability.
To respond that these people will have the chance to de-select Obama in four years is to ignore the nuance of politics. Most of us who consider ourselves on the Left would rather have Obama than any Republican. So this leaves the grassroots, those activists who give of themselves, with little real clout. As in the UK, the grassroots can be taken for granted in electoral politics because they can't vote for the other side – however bad Labour gets, the Conservatives are always going to be worse.
In America, through the primary system, they can choose between candidates – but the millions of people involved in campaigning are tied to individual politicians, not to each other. The relationship is heirarchical, not associative.
When, at the conference, I demanded a movement led by activists, this is what I was referring to, which seems to have escaped Karin Robinson in her rebuttal (linked to above). Barack Obama is not John Kennedy, no one is pretending that he is – but the absence of a politically dynastic family background doesn't make Obama any more "of" the people, much less a one man government "by" the people. Within American politics, there is no provision for government by the people except 2-, 4-, or 6-yearly elections.
In between times, activists have no power to control their elected officials. Moreover, even when it comes to elections, there is the power of the media to consider. Without an organised, activist-led, accountable movement, the way is open for politics to become simply another form of marketing. This is the problem I have with Sunny in the comments section of the LibCon article; when we are relying on people like Glenn Greenwald to "hold Obama's feet to the fire", we forego our own need to do that.
The problem is, we have no way to do that.
Labour has had fights about this issue since the 1918 constitution. Conference, the united body of Labour activists and their representatives, regularly came into conflict with the PLP, led by a Labour Prime Minister. The result was a defeat for the activists – the PLP flouted the desires of Labour Party members. When activists were in the ascendant, the Labour Party moved sharply to the Left; when activists were weak, the Party bureaucracy fought back, divesting conference of much power.
Hence Labour is now in its current impasse; power in the Party is held by the Party bureaucracy – the PLP, the Trades Union leadership and so forth. Activists are not the arbiters they should be – since upon activists rests the greatest responsibility for the movement as a whole. Moreover, its with an activist-led movement that lies the only chance to escape politics as marketing and an endless series of talking heads. This is something we share with our American and European cousins, and this is why I made a dig at the Obama campaign.
Mind-boggling power? Balls on Education
Following a request to write out some of my views on Ed Balls' latest proposals, I read the following Guardian article. It outlines proposals from the apprenticeships, skills, children and learning bill that would give the Secretary of State huge amounts of control over precisely what is taught in a classroom. The guidance notes accompanying the bill apparently state that the Secretary could specify which authors and their works had to be studied in order to pass an English literature-based GCSE or A-level.
Presumably, since I was asked by a homeschooler, I'm supposed to defend the rampant centralisation of education. I am, of course, not going to. It is a frightening thought that for a government that continues to make noises about empowering communities, the man in charge of DCSF seems intent on grabbing an insane amount of power. Despite claims that it would only be used to counteract something like the scrapping of Shakespeare, one wonders if this government actually believes its own communitarian rhetoric.
As it stands, the system is far from perfect. Each exam board carries its own restrictions on what can and can't be studied, meanwhile Chief Examinations Officers have a nice little sideline in pawning their mutterings on a given subject because they know what's going to be on the exam. This power is set to increase in certain subjects as coursework options – ranging from 'a local study' to pretty much anything – are gradually phased out. Again, I'm mostly talking about history, since it is what I know.
The choice by heads of department as to what exam boards are followed is largely based on what pupils will score highly in, and what the department staff can actually teach. Important subjects such as the French Revolution therefore have no chance of a look-in, since they are perceived as more difficult to grasp by pupils and many staff in history departments simply aren't qualified to teach them. Not to impugn other subjects such as the Risorgimento, German unification or Russia under Stalin and Khrushchev, of course.
I am just as guilty of this as any teacher – I'd rather eat my own liver than teach a course on the Suffragettes. Not because I am against women's rights or women's history, but simply because I find the whole course boring. Yet imagine the question of what is taught being removed from the classroom environment – in such an environment, the preferences and skills of the teachers and pupils are important. Teaching at A-level would go from being responsive to classroom needs to dependent upon some arbitrary opinion of the Secretary of State.
Frankly that would be disastrous.
Do I think there's a sinister element about the whole thing? No. Rhetoric about 1984 is far from my mind – more important is focussing on the hypocrisy of the government and the needs of students. That said, the apparatus will be in place to restrict the study of certain books – and none of the new apparatus addresses the rather appalling ability of independent schools to teach whatever they want – whether it's true or false or questionable. The state system isn't perfect at addressing that – but there are means towards improvement.
Bearing in mind that Shakespeare will never be scrapped from the English Lit syllabus, made even less likely by the fact that numerous English departments now do Shakespeare outreach to make it cross curricular (this equals orgasmic bliss for SLT), what I want to know is this: for what reason does Ed Balls really want this power? For those who hysterically scream about "state worshipping fascists" the answer might seem obvious, but normally for powers such as this there are obvious reasons – and right now, there are none that I can see.
Calling time on long working weeks
The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Labour government, SNP and UKIP all agree: the idea of the European working time directive is a bad idea. It is European federalism run amok, health and safety gone barmy and infringes the right of individuals to work for however long they want. It may be all those things, but from a social-democratic perspective it can also be considered as an issue around which to reorganize a unionized, full-time workforce, capable of wresting greater concessions from employers.
First of all, the idea that any of us mere mortals who survive (rather than wax super-wealthy) on our wages want to work more than 48 hours a week is just a tad ludicrous. I love my job, but it's a constant bugbear of the teaching profession that we spend 8am-4pm working in school and then go home to do marking, planning and resource our lessons. I for one would rather have additional time to relax, to socialize, to spend with family, to get involved in politics and so forth – and I doubt I'm the only one.
Probably one of the major sources of illness, increasingly touted over the last ten years, is stress. In turn, stress bears a direct correspondence to having to work ever longer hours – and this has an effect on the risk to your general health. Working hours have been gradually increasing since (surprise, surprise) the 1980s – some four million people worked longer than 48 hours a week in 2002, which is an increase of 350,000 on 1992 and which today is potentially higher still. Britons work the longest hours in Europe.
Politicians denouncing the idea of the European Working Time Directive have pointed towards junior doctors and firefighters as among the groups who might 'suffer' from decreased working hours. Indeed, the major political parties have agreed that it's a scandal that someone might be denied overtime opportunities simply because of some bureaucrat in Brussels. This looks at the whole issue upside down; isn't it more scandalous that we should be compelled to work longer than 48 hours a week to feel a little affluent?
With regard to the firefighters in particular, part-time firefighters have long been the way the government has aimed at using to quell the power of the FBU, the union for full-time firefighters. If indeed we were going to limit the length of time people could work, it could only result in the employment and training of more full-timers, which is to be applauded for multiple reasons. One, it'll help union efforts to get a fair pay deal and two, it might begin to reverse the stress-inducing labour 'flexibility' which employers use to cut wages, terms and conditions.
The whole notion of "post-Fordism" and the flexible labour market are markers not of an inevitable and linear historical progression from one form of production to another. Quite the opposite: they are the physical manifestation of a weak socialist movement. We failed to stop them being implemented, and we have so far failed to reverse them – but as opposition to the European Working Time Directive demonstrates, employers and politicians are likewise afraid that behind this issue lies an attempt to do just that.
Perhaps this seems an unlikely ascription since politicians mask their fear with talk of productivity, and making business competitive. That sort of language is essentially the same as pitting British against foreign workers in a race to the worst terms and conditions – after all, such terms and conditions (by the logic of those talking 'productivity') would make Britain infinitely competitive. In France, the whole campaign by Sarkozy was fought on just this issue, without consistent, substantive opposition from the Parti Socialiste, I may add.
If we could organise to push against these combined ideological and practical obstacles when it comes to organisation of workplaces and the basic politico-economic struggles, we might begin to get traction on some of our other issues. Claude Carpentieri writes an interesting article over at Liberal Conspiracy, asking why the Left is always on the back foot and declaring that the national political agenda is currently set by the newspapers. I think this perspective is grossly flawed, but it originates at a correct starting point; Left weakness.
Our weakness isn't that tabloids "boo and hiss" about subjects such as welfare, social workers, foreigners and 'political correctness', or that Left newspapers fall over themselves to praise the British Army in Iraq, but our weakness causes those things. By being disorganised when it comes to achieving practical concessions from bosses we can see, or re-shaping the labour market to make it more open to strong unions, we're forever gifting the initiative to the other side. Socialists and trades unions are liable to get denounced whatever we do, so we may as well give the tabloids something good to rant about.
By simple virtue of being organised and instituting our own ideas and practices (Gramsci's hegemony to the rescue!) we'll begin limiting the effects of tabloid journalism, whatever they say. Indeed, by attempting to re-shape the labour market after a fashion we find more conducive to our aims, we may find that we rebuild the NUJ and the printers' unions from without. That day is a long way off, of course, but our fightback can start by a twofold push – first for the working time directive opt-out to be cancelled, and secondly for a labour-friendly reorganisation of those services likely to be affected.
Stretching far beyond merely the firefighters, this sort of issue takes in the entire workforce – and the General Council of the TUC would need to co-ordinate efforts between different unions. The effects, however, would be far reaching and the gains might reverse some of the last thirty years of union failures, just as laissez faire orthodoxy is being reversed.


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By Sgt. Michael J. MacLeodSeptember 26, 2011
FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- A unit of special operations soldiers here will soon have its first team-based behavioral health program, one borrowed from the airborne community.
The July hire of behavioral science officer, Maj. Terry Matz, by the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) signals recognition that special operations forces can also benefit from a mental health program to prevent suicides and other high-risk behaviors.
Formerly with the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, Matz brings with her the High Risk Management Team concept, which is based on a treatment-team model familiar to healthcare providers.
An HRMT is comprised of all the behavioral health resources available to a battalion commander, including a behavioral science officer (Matz), physician assistant, unit behavioral health advocate, master resiliency trainer, legal expert, chaplain, military family life consultant (MFLC), battalion leadership, and of course, a high-risk soldier's company commander and first sergeant.
At least once a month, the team meets for 2-3 hours so that the battalion and company commanders can have intelligent conversations about the needs and welfare of high-risk soldiers with subject matter experts present, and together they can develop a comprehensive mitigation plan.
"Civil affairs is unlike any other experience I've had in the Army," said 95th CA brigade surgeon, Lt. Col. John Maza, a West Point graduate and former artillery officer.
"By working by, with and through host-nation structures, civil affairs enables a joint/inter-agency effort that leverages the confluence of interests in U.S. government agencies and complementary capabilities. CA forces are uniquely able to leverage the critical juncture of the theater special operations command, U.S. embassy and host nation."
CA soldiers spend considerably more time deployed than at home, with a dwell-time ratio of 0.7:1, according to Maza, who came to the brigade in 2010. Additionally, CA soldiers typically deploy in four-person teams on missions of varying frequency, length and locale. Personally, Maza has been to 60 countries, mostly on deployments but sometimes on vacation, with the average trip lasting 1-2 months but occasionally up to a year.
While CA soldiers are generally older and tend to manage their own issues, they still are subject to many of the same stresses that occur in general-purpose forces, according to Maza.
"Everyone belongs to a family. Everyone has to deal with finances. There may be legal issues that go on with our soldiers. As a soldier gets older and gains more experience with increased number of deployments, they may have more medical issues to deal with," he said.
Faced with a frenetic pace, Maza was concerned there was a propensity to "lose someone in the cracks" without dedicated and active behavioral-health support within the brigade, he said.
By the Army's plan, the five-year-old 95th CA was not allotted a social worker until 2013. As with other units lacking a team approach to behavioral healthcare, mitigation for high-risk soldiers was "stove-piped" between various supports, making overall treatment difficult to track.
Due to the apparent need, Maza petitioned for and received Matz, and with Matz came HRMT.
"What impressed me most about the program was the commander's involvement," said Maza, who observed an HRMT meeting at Matz's former brigade, 1/82.
"They were actively managing high-risk soldiers to avoid negative incidents and to be aware of what was going on with all facets of that soldier's life -- medical, legal, family support, spiritual," said Maza. "This is what I mean by treating the whole soldier as a multi-faceted individual with many different things impacting on his or her life that commanders need to be aware of in total, versus stove-piping individual bits of information to the leaders. Company commanders were able to articulate all these to the battalion commander and command sergeant major. The battalion commander has 800 soldiers, but he knew who the company commander was talking about in each case. And all the support SMEs -- chaplain, legal, PA, social worker -- were all in one room ready to assist."
What began as a Suicide Risk Management Team program pushed down from the 25th Infantry Division on her unit's last deployment quickly morphed into a more-inclusive High Risk Management Team, said Matz, a self-described "Air Force brat" who has over 15 years of experience in social work.
"We found we had so many other risks that, if we can be effective at this level, why not just make mental health better," she said.
In particular, soldiers in the brigade were having a hard time transitioning from deployment settings to garrison, she said, and many company commanders didn't grasp what support systems were already in place. They were holding onto a lot of information at company and below level. The challenge for Matz was to get that pushed up to a level where all the brigade assets could be brought to bear for soldiers in need.
"It's the ones we identify at the lower level that have the best chance of getting better," she said.
Once HRMT was in place, the battalions began tracking all kinds of risk factors: who had a family advocacy case prior to deployment, who had or was expecting a new baby, who was having financial or legal problems. One battalion even put motorcycle riders in HRMT so they could track who had not had a safety course.
"What this forces people to do is to know their soldiers," said Matz. "We spend so much time taking care of our vehicles, and taking care of our weapons, and taking care of all these other things, but we are not taking care of each other."
First Sergeant Danny Boivin agrees. He is the senior noncommissioned officer of Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, one of 1/82's maneuver elements. With 21 years of service, he too sees the immediate stressor as pace of deployments.
"Things are going so fast that people aren't getting down to the lower enlisted and checking on them as much as we used to," said Boivin, who came to the 82nd in 2009. "We don't have time to grow these soldiers up to be proficient leaders like we once did."
The Army is changing that, with 9-month deployments and longer dwell times, but in the meantime, leaders must work with what they have, he said.
Boivin's battalion commander, Lt. Col. James R. Salome, is one who has seen firsthand the payload that can accompany mental health breakdown, and it's not always suicide.
Salome was the operations officer of the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment when it was deployed just southwest of Baghdad, Iraq, in 2006. That March, a handful of soldiers posted at a remote and dangerous checkpoint, feeling isolated and abandoned by their leadership, raped a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murdered her family in an incident known as the Mahmudiyah killings.
According to Salome, his battalion commander cared for his soldiers immensely but didn't have a good way to demonstrate that care.
"While in garrison, we teach people to shoot, move and communicate so they know how to do it when they deploy, right?" he asked. "How do I demonstrate how I care for them and their families? I have to show them now."
Now commander of 1-504, Salome's HRMT meets twice a month. His high-risk list is color coded: soldiers new to the list are in yellow, the difficult-to-remove are red; greens are success stories. From August 2010 to March 2011, he and his team moved 67 soldiers into green.
"One of the things lacking in that unit in Mahmudiyah was trust," said Salome. "Getting that many people into the green builds trust. The soldiers know the command cares. If you know people are there to help you solve your problem, maybe you are more apt to come and say, 'I need some help.'"
HRMT is about increasing resiliency and preventing soldiers' issues from degrading their own readiness, while doing so in the most efficient and productive manner, he said.
Prior to HRMT, a company commander and first sergeant could spend 15 minutes with each expert independently; now they spend 15 minutes with all six experts in one room. Additionally, because battalion leadership is present, they don't have to guess whether they're doing the right thing, said Salome.
The team considers what's best for the soldier and for the Army.
"We had a soldier who had issues for a very long time," Salome explained. "We considered options that were best for him, best for the Army, and best for both: we could try to get them into an advanced treatment program in Bethesda, pursue legal action, or assign him to the Warrior Transition Unit, which is what we ultimately did."
The team is careful not to violate a soldier's legal rights. For instance, chaplains and MFLCs cannot disclose their conversations with a soldier. Names are kept on a separate, secured list from mitigation plans.
"I believe anyone can do their job if they are focused," said Salome. "I can eliminate distractions for the company commander, first sergeant, platoon leader, platoon sergeant and squad leader by focusing on high-risk soldiers. For the energy I put into it, it is worth that investment."
As a preventive program, the success of HRMT as a preventer of suicide is difficult to track, but what healthcare professionals can do is to track negative incidents such as positive urinalysis, DUIs, addiction treatment program enrollments, and legal issues. One of Matz's first tasks at 95th CA was to measure baselines for these high-risk indicators.
No soldier in 1/82 identified as high risk has committed suicide. On the other hand, a medic who was not identified did. The system isn't perfect, Matz concedes, but for most soldiers, it seems to work.
Capt. Brian James, commander of 1-504th's Company B, said the program has tangibly helped at least 10 of his soldiers and by extension, their families, in the last six months.
For James, the fight is personal. His grandfather, a war veteran who suffered terrible pain for many years, intentionally overdosed on pain medication, leaving bitterness and anger in James' father to this day, he said.
"For me as a commander to be able to, on a biweekly basis, have the concentrated efforts of all of our enablers -- my boss, the chaplain and PA -- all focused in one spot has really been great because everyone's on the same page. For every soldier who's been on there, we've come up with a good plan of action and gotten them taken care of in what's best for the paratrooper and what's best for the unit."
As a company first sergeant, HHC's 1st Sgt. Boivin is at times like a father to his men, but as with all good fathers, there is no shortage of tough love.
"I believe the program that Maj. Matz intended was a great thing," said Boivin. "I think we've morphed it a little too much. When people get an Article 15 [disciplinary action], we put them on the HRMT worksheet. I don't think that's necessary. I want to put the right people in that program and watch them closely.
"For instance, we have a domestic violence kid," explained Boivin. "People may give him a clinical diagnosis. I will tell you straight up, in this case, he's just an immature kid who doesn't have a clue, and he needs to be brought up because he probably didn't have a father that taught him anything. He just needs one-on-one counseling, a big brother. That's my opinion."
"Maybe we sit him down one on one and talk to him as a man, not as a soldier. No, he doesn't address me by my first name -- I can't let that happen. When he leaves, sometimes I think he's gotten more out of that than going to see a psychologist."
Boivin is first to admit that companies just don't have the time or resources to fix every soldier, and that the HRMT is a useful tool in their suicide prevention arsenal. Awareness is the primary tool, he said, and on that, everyone agrees.
"Recently we had a soldier who was contemplating suicide," he said. "The great thing was, his friends were picking up the vibes based on what the Army taught them. It worked. It was perfect."
Matz describes herself as an Army wife (her husband is an Apache pilot in the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade), mother of two teens, and a "stress baker" who makes lots of cookies and breads when she is stressed.
"I'm a little bit of an old lady," she admitted. She enjoys being a member of the Garden Club of Raeford and likes quiet things away from work. No one is exempt from learning the life lesson of balancing stress, she said.
Matz began her career with the elderly, many of whom were chronically ill. Many were veterans.
"Working with the elderly, I could certainly see where people 'go.' I saw how important relationships are to us in old age, and if we don't have those relationships built, how that can affect who we are as a person, not just with anger, but also depression and other mental illnesses," said Matz.
HRMT is ultimately about identifying those soldiers whose nurturing bonds are flagging and doing something about it with concentrated effort, she said.
"We have maintenance meetings for our stuff. This is maintenance for people. That's all it is."


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iOS7– What Does It Mean for Your Branded Apps?
The highly anticipated iOS7 was finally revealed at Apple's WWDC earlier this month. The latest version of Apple's mobile operating system is the most significant update since the original iPhone. From the features available in the beta version, iOS7 appears to be a healthy step forward and a rather small leap into the future. We took a look at what's new in the latest update and what might impact branded apps.
The most noticeable change of iOS7 is obviously the UI overhaul from Apple's Jony Ive, who now oversees the design of both hardware and software. Apple finally moved on from a UI that has been around for the last 10 years. The new and trendy flat design further emphasizes Apple's minimalistic aesthetics. Gradient and drop shadows are greatly reduced and contained. The change may impact current branded apps' look and feel, as they may appear dated.
Overall, the application functionality that was introduced in iOS7 is par for the course with Apple. They leverage what others are already doing and just do it a touch better by making it more intuitive. Control Center, Camera Filters, iTunes Radio, iOS in the Car—all of these features have been available in various ways in the market, but now Apple adds their own spin on them. Apple has also added behind-the-scenes functionality for developers to engage with users in several new ways that brands can leverage.
What you should be taking advantage of?
Brands can now take advantage of some great features such as being able to add a URL to a user's Safari Reading List, Peer-to-Peer Connectivity (without Internet required) for seamless data exchange between devices, Passbook improvements such as embedded data, built-in code scanner, and expiration dates. Each of these new features opens doors for brands to engage with their customers and provides brands with tools to increase communication channels. For instance, if users are reading your blog roll using Safari Reading List, you could allow them to add in their own Reading List so they can continue to read through the posts when they return to their home computer or tablet. Other interesting new features including Popular Near Me in the App Store may give national brands regional insights.
What do I need to do to make my app ready for iOS7?
The most important thing is to get your app ready for the UI. This can be extra challenging depending on a few variables:
1. Do you need to support iOS6 and iOS7?
Due to the difference in design aesthetics between iOS6 and iOS7, supporting both versions will require extra effort. It will depend on your knowledge of your app's core users and your resources to determine if you should support both versions for your branded app.
2. Is your development team already using "Auto Layout"?
If you believe that you need to support both iOS6 and iOS7, first make sure you identify why and establish a roadmap for when you will drop iOS6 support. This helps you validate the effort necessary to support both, as it is going to dramatically increase the effort moving forward. For some, it is absolutely necessary and for others it is more of a nice-to-have. It is important to know that iOS users traditionally update quickly, the adoption rate for iOS6 after one month was 60%, and we expect to see this number increase for iOS7. A good indication is that the developers crashed the iOS7 beta download server in the first hour of release. With the release of iOS7, the OS fragmentation is expected to be mild, making long-term support for both iOS6 and iOS7 less critical.
If your application already uses Auto Layout, the development tool that automatically adjusts the layout to user's viewing device resolution and orientation, your transition to the iOS7 will be fairly straightforward. If not, we recommend you evaluate whether you should start. The biggest reason why you should start is that now with iOS7 the user has the ability to change their text sizing, and your application in turn will be expected to respect this by updating the layout to support the desired text size. If you are using "Springs and Struts" or programmatic layout, then you will need to spend considerable time manipulating the views in order to get your layouts right. This can of course also affect the decision you make to support iOS6.
Our recommendation
Since it is inevitable that your apps need to support iOS7 at some point, we recommend that you prepare for the switch early. Switch your application development over to Auto Layout if not already using it and get ready for the new UI. This is going to be the happy path for all things iOS moving forward. Making the effort now is going to prove itself beneficial both to your users and to your budget long-term. The added benefit with being cutting edge is that you get the new features exposed to your users and in turn keep the brand relevant. It is also important to note that the official iOS7 release will be sometime this fall, which is not so far before the holiday season. Having an updated app design with new features and properly displayed content will greatly please your users and have a positive impact on your business.


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Top Definition
Australian, n , cans; tins of beer.
Hundereds of empty tinnies littered the floor of my house.
od uživatele herbie 31. srpen 2004
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
In New Zealand, a small amount ($20 worth) of weed wrapped in tin-foil for easy selling to small-time druggies.
"Where's the nearest tinny house? I need to buy some green!!"
od uživatele Alex 12. březen 2005
Tins of beer i.e Tennents
You up for drinking some tinnys tonight taggy at Glashie?
od uživatele Jon Simpson 30. duben 2006
Weed wrapped up in tin foil.
"Sup cuzz, gotta ne tinnies?"
od uživatele CYPSKING 22. říjen 2008
a bowl made out of aluminium foil, mostly used to smoke weed out of
dude quick we need a tinny make one quick
od uživatele poor man bowl, 11. říjen 2008
when someone is really lucky. Wins/does/scores unexpected achievements.
Bro, james just won $80 bucks on the pokies first spin. He's such a tinny bastard.
od uživatele durrys 23. březen 2014
Greg managed to down his tinny in under 2 seconds.
od uživatele Nathan 28. březen 2004


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• PBS Ombudsman Michael Getler is displeased with his network's attempt to limit Current's reporting of an incident at its Annual Meeting last week. In a May 19 column, Getler criticized PBS staff for attempting to prevent a Current reporter from photographing a Forecast the Facts protester who took the stage at the meeting. The protester was escorted out by security. The PBS staffer's efforts to discourage Current's coverage were "clearly wrong," Getler said.
Getler also took issue with Anne Bentley, PBS head of corporate communications, for responding that the network's procedure is "for communications staff to manage interactions with reporters."
"The handcuffing of a protester in the lobby of a major hotel is a news story — not a PBS story — and taking pictures of the event is part of that news story," Getler wrote. "To say that 'our procedure is for communications staff to manage interactions with reporters' and to 'wait until a PR staff member could arrive' is like telling someone not to take pictures of an airplane crashing until the company PR person arrives."
• The Poynter Institute has unveiled a new strategic plan calling for a redesigned website, expanded online courses and new positions including an "innovator in residence," an endowed chair in digital journalism and a "digital innovator." It may begin leasing space in its St. Petersburg, Fla., headquarters to generate revenue.
• "I am a totebag," proclaims a WXXI totebag via Twitter. "As such, I can carry anything. Except things larger than a totebag." It's part of the Rochester, N.Y., pubcaster's whimsical approach to fundraising. "It's just a fun little project to get the community engaged while letting them know we're in pledge," spokesperson Kristin Tutino told Current. The tote bag has been traveling around town with a station photographer in tow and has gained more than 130 followers since Friday.
Just became self aware. Where am I? What are all these totebags doing here? pic.twitter.com/TR0rbnJeck
— WXXI Totebag (@wxxitotebag) May 16, 2014
• The Network Operations Center master-control hub in Jacksonville, Fla., officially opened for business this week. The hub will house broadcast operations for 11 public television stations in Florida, Georgia, Texas and Illinois, backed by a $7 million grant from CPB. In 2012, the project was known as the Jacksonville Digital Convergence Alliance.


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Week 2 Tale Of The Tape: Denver Broncos At Kansas City Chiefs
This may not be the season that Peyton Manning wants to put in the time capsule. No player is immune from the aging process, and Manning has been through the wars.
Week 1 Tale Of The Tape: Minnesota Vikings At San Francisco 49ers
The Vikings are attracting a lot of attention as a team that has a chance to be one of the most improved teams in the league, and if that is going to happen, Teddy Bridgewater has to continue to develop.
Week 1 Tale Of The Tape: Philadelphia Eagles At Atlanta Falcons
There's no doubt that Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is the NFL's version of the Mad Scientist.
Week 1 Tale Of The Tape: Baltimore Ravens At Denver Broncos
The Ravens struggled to find their consistency during the regular season last year, but they still made the playoffs and nearly beat the New England Patriots in the divisional playoffs.
Week 1 Tale Of The Tape: Cincinnati Bengals At Oakland Raiders
Andy Dalton has certainly had his problems in the postseason, but the Bengals have been one of the most consistent regular-season teams, having made the playoffs each of the last four years.
Week 1 Tale Of The Tape: Detroit Lions At San Diego Chargers
The Lions took a big step forward and made the playoffs last year, and one of the primary reasons for that success was the improvement demonstrated by Matthew Stafford.


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They're tons of fun, sometimes mischievous, and the cutest part of your Christmas card every year. We're not talking about your kids, but about the family pet, who can often be hard to leave behind for a day, let alone for an entire vacation. So why not plan a trip where you can take the little rascal with you?
We've rounded up a list of five destinations that will please both people and pets, with tips on how to get there, where to stay, and the best bets for two- and four-legged fun.
San Francisco: This eclectic and compact city boasts 1,000 acres of green space, and many of its top attractions welcome dogs, so you won't have to leave him in the hotel room to see the sites.
Portland, Ore.: This mecca of microbrews and trendsetting facial hair is also one of the dog-friendliest cities in the U.S., with the most off-leash dog parks per capita (32).
Boston: Well-behaved dogs on leashes can ride the T (Boston's subway system) outside of rush hour, and smaller pets in carriers can travel on your lap anytime.
Chicago: In neighborhoods like Lincoln Park and Bucktown, it seems like almost everyone has a dog. Venture out to these popular areas and dine among the locals on a dog-friendly patio, or hit the downtown hot spots with your pet in tow.
Myrtle Beach: Dogs on leashes are allowed on the beach in this seaside South Carolina town before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m. through Labor Day, and anytime September-April.
Check Fly.com for the best fares to all of these destinations, and learn everything you need to know about pet plane travel on the Fly.com blog.
Please go to your email and confirm your subscription.


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It's a major stretch of highway that many of us travel daily. But over the weekend, two people were traveling with an illegal substance.
Abbeville Police Dept. Public Information Officer Chad Sowell said, "In that vehicle, they arrested 26-year-old Laforest Bell and 22-year-old Echo Michelle Rachford of Dothan."
Authorities say around 9PM Saturday evening police made a routine traffic stop at the intersection of Highway 431 and 27 in Abbeville.
While doing so, they reportedly found 500 ecstasy pills on Bell.
"[Highway] 431 is a huge traffic corridor for drug trafficking running back and forth from Atlanta to Florida and parts in between Alabama," Sowell continued.
Both Bell and Rachford were arrested and placed in the Henry County Jail.
Bell is charged with a misdemeanor count of giving a false name to an officer and trafficking a controlled substance.
Rachford is charged with a felony count of trafficking a controlled substance.
Authorities say Saturday night's incident is proof officials continue to crack down.
"We have awesome interdiction officers that continue to work 431, [and] continue to make significant drug busts," Sowell added.
And, that's something many area residents are grateful for.
Henry Co. Resident Darrell Watford said, "Anytime you take drugs off the street it takes them out of the hands of kids and adults."
Authorities say Rachford has posted her $10,000 dollar bond.
Bell still remains in the Henry County Jail with a $755,000 dollar bond.
Officials say the two were traveling back to Dothan from Atlanta.


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Morning MoneyBeat Europe: The Second Quarter Starts With a Bang
Good Morning Europe
U.S. indexes started 2014′s second quarter in some style, with special plaudits due the S&P 500, which managed yet another all-time high Tuesday, and their European counterparts are expected to share a bit of that cheer.
Wall Street was pleased by a report suggesting that the manufacturing sector was picking up, and that some of the year's early, weak numbers might indeed have been down to nasty weather rather than anything more sinister.
However, there's not a lot on the European data slate likely to boost the mood. The latest look at factory gate prices in the European Union will rate a long look given the current obsession with fighting deflation. That said, the European Central Bank's monetary policy decision is looming Thursday, and investors may not feel much like heroics in the runup.
By David Cottle
Market Snapshot: U.S. stocks (Tuesday close) DJIA up 0.5%, Nasdaq up 1.6%, S&P 500 up 0.7%. Nikkei ends Wednesday up 1%. June FTSE now up 0.1%, June S&P up 0.2%. Brent crude down four cents at $105.58. Gold up $2.20 at $1282.20. EUR/USD now at $1.3809, above $1.3793 late Tuesday in New York. USD/JPY at ¥103.76, up from ¥103.65. Ten-year T-note yields 2.77%, Bund 1.58% and Gilt 2.73%.
Watch For: European Union February producer prices, third estimate of fourth quarter GDP. U.S. ADP employment report.
What you may have missed from MoneyBeat:
PMIs Give ECB an Excuse to Stand Pat: If the European Central Bank needs an excuse to do nothing for now, other than wait and watch, it need look no further than the euro zone's latest batch of manufacturing purchasing managers' surveys.
Shhhh! The Euro Crisis is Sleeping: The darkest gut-wrenching days of the euro crisis are behind us. But few are ready to declare it dead.
Mac the Knife Strikes At BHP Billiton: The mining giant's softly-spoken chief executive Andrew McKenzie is getting ready for a significant pruning.
M&A Boutiques Step Up to Challenge Major Banks: M&A boutiques are set for their biggest share of activity on record in the first quarter as they continue to muscle onto their giant competitors' turf.
From The Wall Street Journal:
Turkish Opposition Cries Vote Fraud Amid Crackdown: Turkey's opposition charged that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party rigged weekend elections in some districts, as the premier's post-victory promise of a crackdown on his enemies appeared to already be having an effect.
Earthquake Hits Near Northern Chile: A powerful earthquake struck off the northern coast of Chile late Tuesday, leading to at least five deaths, and prompting Chilean officials to evacuate the country's northern coast after a tsunami was generated.
NATO Officials Don't See Russia Shift: Foreign ministers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ordered the alliance's military brass Tuesday to quickly craft a plan in response to the Ukraine crisis that could include redeploying forces closer to Russia.
U.S. Gambit on Mideast Peace Talks Falters: The Obama administration's campaign to forge a Middle East peace agreement appeared near collapse Tuesday, despite a U.S. move to negotiate the release of a convicted American spy in a last-gasp effort to win more concessions from Israel.
GM's Barra Criticizes Failure to Fix Switch: General Motors Chief Executive Mary Barra on Tuesday confronted what is proving her biggest challenge running the nation's largest auto maker: The troubled legacy of the Old GM culture.
Pimco Fund Sees March Outflow: Bill Gross hasn't yet stemmed the flow of money out of the world's largest bond fund.
Greece to Sell Long-Term Bonds: Greece is planning to issue its first long-term bond since it was bailed out by its euro-zone partners and the International Monetary Fund almost four years ago, the country's finance minister said Tuesday.
New French Premier Revisits Deficit: One of the first economic tasks facing France's new prime minister, Manuel Valls, who took office on Tuesday, will be to lead a renewed offensive against the European Union's prescription of austerity and argue that the country deserves more time to fix its public finances.
Turkish Drug Exporter Ozay Draws U.S. Criticism: From its headquarters on the Asian side of Istanbul, Ozay Pharmaceutical Co. bills itself as an exporter of drugs, cosmetics and medical devices to 70 countries. In recent years, according to U.S. federal prosecutors, the family-owned company has developed a particular specialty: shipping illegal cancer medications to the U.S.


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It's hard to find much fault with the current BMW M3, but it seems engineers at BMW's M GmBH division are still seeking ways to improve upon their muscular machine. Their latest pursuit may lie with heft, as a lightweight M3 sedan concept sedan is set to debut this June.
There is little official information so far, but BMW says the car will be lighter and more powerful than a standard M3. That means a curb weight below 3700 pounds, and power outputs that reach above the standard M3's 414 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. At this stage, it's unknown if the car will also include any suspension or brake upgrades.
The concept is said to split the difference between the standard, 414-horsepower M3 and the Europe-only, 444-horsepower M3 GTS. For those who don't commit BMW specs to memory, the GTS is a hardcore track car, with a roll cage in place of the rear seats, no climate control or sound system, adjustable suspension, and stronger brakes. It's powered by an enlarged, 4.4-liter version of the M3's V-8 that produces 444 horsepower and 324 pound-feet of torque. The mostly hand-built car tips the scales at just 3370 pounds, versus about 3700 for a standard car.
The car is scheduled to debut at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring race this June, at which time we should receive more information on if and when the car will enter production. The M3 GTS is confined to the European market, and BMW spokesman Dave Buchko confirmed to us that the lightweight model also will not be sold in the U.S.
Source: BMW


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Intralymphatic Injection of Immunogenic Material in Afferant Lymphatic Vessel:
A Method of Choice
by Guy Juillard, M.D., Professor
After thousands of intralymphatic injections of immunogenic material in dogs and mostly in humans the safety of this method was so stunning that we applied it to the treatment of allergic diseases which had resisted other modalities of allergens administration.
The legacy left to the scientific community for thought is threefold:
A method of choice, safe, effective for treatment of allergic diseases.
A method which should be resurrected for immunotherapy of cancer, as the vaccines can now be much more effective with adjunction of dendritic cells and even cytokines (e.g. gmcsf) to the irradiated tumor cells.
An observation worth of attention: the protection against viral infections (possibly including HIV), by relatively safe and inexpensive administration of agents which boost the immune system in a non specific way: if intralymphatic injections of irradiated tumor cells can do it, why not other ways (cytokine, cytokine patches, etc.),however we think that the direct stimulation of lymphnodes may be unique in achieving a boost of the immune system capable of protecting against all viruses.
I. Allergic Diseases
Juillard, GJF and Bubbers, JE, "Experimental Intralymphatic Immunotherapy (ILI) of Canine Allergic Disease". Federation Proceedings, Vol. 42, No. 3, March 1, 1983.
"Privately owned dogs with allergic disease who had failed conventional veterinary therapy were treated by the Intralymphatic administration of allergen vaccines in an attempt to determine the efficacy of this route of administration in desensitizing the dogs to environmental allergens and thus ameliorating their disease. Intralymphatic infusion of allergen suspensions resulted in primarily a plasma cell proliferation which was first histologically observable 48 hours after injection, peaked on day 5, and subsided after day 20. Contralateral control nodes showed no reaction. In contrast to allergen vaccines, infusion of xenogeneic cellular vaccines was observed to induce primarily a lymphoblastic reaction. Of the 14 dogs which have undergone Intralymphatic immunotherapy (ILI) for allergic disease, 8 (57%) went into complete remission for periods of 2 months to 2 years. Relapse of disease in these responder dogs was successfully treated by renewal of ILI. Four dogs (28%) had only partial remissions in which their lesions improved without complete clearance. Two of the 14 dogs (14%) were non-responsive to ILI. Thus, this form of therapy has been shown to be clinically effective in treating canine allergic disease after conventional therapy had failed in the majority of dug studies. It is hypothesized that the intralymphatic route of vaccine infusion can be more effective than intradermal injection in inducing blocking antibody production, thus decreasing allergic disease."
Photos of canine before and after Intralymphatic Immunotherapy (ILI) injections (Fig. 1 and 2):
Fig. 1: Loss of hair before intralymphatic immunotherapy
Fig. 2: Re-growth of hair after intralymphatic immunotherapy
Fig. 3: Plasma Cell Reaction of injected lymphnode with allergens
Fig. 4: Afferant lymphatic vessel identified
Fig. 5: Intralymphatic injection in progress
II. Cancer
G. Juillard, P. Boyer, H. Niewisch and M. Hom, "Distribution and consequences of cell suspensions following intralymphatic infusion". Bull. Cancer (Paris), 66(3): 217-228, 1979.
The fate and consequences of intralymphatic injections of cells was investigated in dogs. The distribution of intact radiolabeled cells was determined in vivo by whole body gamma scanning. Comparison of distributions resulting from intralymphatic, subcutaneous, intradermal and intravenous routes of administration showed that the distribution and duration of radiolabel in various organs varied with the route of administration. Following intralymphatic injection, radiolabel was concentrated in first echelon lymph nodes draining the site of injection and was retained in these nodes for over 4 weeks.
Histologic studies showed intense cortical and paracortical lymphopoiesis to be associated with the retention of intralymphatically injected tumor cells by first echelon lymph nodes. Serial histologic examination of lymph nodes from intralymphatically injected inbred beagles revealed that the consequent lymphopoiesis persisted for 5 weeks. In vitro evaluation of peripheral blood and lymph node lymphocyte cytotoxicity of the injected cells indicated that retention and nodal lymphopoiesis was associated with the development of direct lymphocyte cytotoxicicity.
The effects of concomitant tumor burden, cytotoxic drugs and ionizing radiation were also investigated and suggest that the therapeutic potential for use of the intralymphatic routes has not yet been realized.
Juillard GJ, Boyer PJ, Yamashiro CH, "A phase I study of active specific intralymphatic immunotherapy (ASILI)". Cancer, 41:2215-2225, 1978.
Twenty-one patients with advanced malignancies who had exhausted or refused conventional modalities of treatment were entered in a Phase I toxicology trial of active specific intralymphatic immunotherapy (ASILI). The patients were immunized with 1 X 10(7) to 1.2 X 10(8) viable autochthonous or allogeneic irradiated tumor cells intralymphatically each month and received no other antineoplastic treatment. To date, 274 intralymphatic injections have been performed and except for one case of bacterial lymphangitis, no adverse side effects have been observed. ASILI did not significantly alter peripheral blood lymphocyte count, absolute E-rosette forming cell levels, or EA-rosette forming cell levels. PHA reactivity of peripheral blood lymphocytes increased slightly in all but one patient tested. Seven out of nine patients who had not had delayed hypersensitivity to recall antigens developed positive reactions following ASILI. Sixteen out of twenty patients tested also developed reactivity to their immunizing cells after treatment. Objective regression (greater than 50% reduction of tumor mass) was observed in five out of nineteen evaluable patients. Six patient showed stabilization of tumor growth and eight patients continued to progress under treatment.
Fig. 6: Initial lymphatic injection of tumor cell vaccine.
Fig. 7: Complete regression of tumor with return of eye in place (Squamous cell ca left maxillary orbit)
Fig. 8:Example of Lymphoblastic reaction of injected lymph node
III. Protection against Viral Infections
G. Juillard, D. Padua, D. Canlapan, and Wm. McBride, "Resistance to Common Viruses during Intralymphatic Injections of Tumor Cells Vaccines: Correlation with Circulating Cytokines". Am J Clin Oncol (CCT), 18(3): 226-230, 1995.
Patients with advanced malignancies who received intralymphatic injections of irradiated tumor cells suspensions ("vaccines") were unexpectedly found to be resistant to common viral diseases; 17 patients with a documented past history of viral infections who have been observed for 48 to 148 months (median 108 months), were analyzed. The resistance to viruses was found to correlate closely with the presence, in the serum, of certain cytokines. Specifically, the interleukins, -2, -6, -8 and interferon-gamma, at low but sustained levels appeared to be possibly responsible for the nonspecific protection against viral infections obtained by intralymphatic injections of cellular material. These findings suggest that viral infections in normal or immunosuppressed individuals at particular risk might be prevented by treatments aimed at attaining very modest levels of certain cytokines.
Scholarly contributions, articles and other references from the author:
- Juillard G, Boyer P, Snow H: Intralymphatic Infusion of Autochthonous Tumor Cells in Canine Lymphoma. Int. J. Radiat. Onc. Biol. Phys., 1:497-503, 1976.
- Boyer PJJ, Juillard G, Yamashiro C, McCarthy T: Characterization of Immune Responses to Tumor Cells Following Intralymphatic Immunization. Proc. Am. Assoc. Cancer Res., 17:69, 1976.
- Juillard G, Boyer PJJ, Yamashiro C, Snow H, Weisenburger T, McCarthy T, Miller R: Regional Intralymphatic Infusion (ILI) of Irradiated Tumor Cells with Evidence of Systemic Effects. Cancer, 39:126-130, 1977.
- Juillard G, Boyer PJJ: Intralymphatic Immunization: Current Status. European J. Cancer, 13:439-440, 1977.
- Juillard G, Boyer PJJ, Yamashire CH: A Phase I Study of Active Specific Intralymphatic Immunotherapy. Year Book of Cancer, p. 289, 1979
- Bubbers JE, Paman RL, Juillard G: Induction of Canine In Vitro Reactivity to Alloantigen Following Intralymphatic Immunization. Bulletin du Cancer (Paris), 68(4):332-337, 1981.
- Weisenburger T, Jones P, Ahn S, Irie R, Juillard G: Active Specific Intralymphatic Immunotherapy (ASILI) in Metastatic Malignant Melanoma: Evidence of Clinical Response. J. Biol. Response Modifiers, 1:57-66, 1982.
- La Lanne CM, Juillard GJF, Gionni J, Verschoore J, Pinto J, Thyss A, Aubanel D, Aubanel JM, Namer M, Blaive B, Schneider M: Intralymphatic Injections of Humoral Cells in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung. La Presse Medicale, 12(38):2396, 1983.
- Juillard GJE, Bubbers JE: Experimental Intralymphatic Immunotherapy (ILI) of Canine Allergic Disease. Federation Proceedings of the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Societies for Experimental Biology, 42(3):441, 1983.
Author Contact Information: Guy J.F. Juillard, M.D. - firstname.lastname@example.com


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Rasputina Shirtwaiste Fire Lyrics
Last updated: 05/19/2003 10:12:55 PM
Once it started
the frail and fainthearted
just withered to the floor
Oh so sadly
we examined hands burned badly
by that which no man fears more
#1 the terrible flames of all that remains
of my little shirtwaiste fire
My best friend was alone in the alcove
does anyone see her there?
such a sweet face trapped in a staircase
by the smell of her own burning hair
Repeat #1
#2 glow baby glow as the embers have died there
nobody knows what we saw inside there
twisting and burning the girls fine young bodies
yes we're burning can you help us please
yes we're begging we're on bended knees
oh my little shirtwaiste fire
Girls work hard for small rewards
or invitations to dine
or one kind word from one who loves them
but what i have earned is mine
Repeat #1
Repeat #2
Thanks to email@example.com for submitting Shirtwaiste Fire Lyrics.
Click here to submit the Corrections of Shirtwaiste Fire Lyrics


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Baker Park Disc Golf Open
Ledgestone Insurance Series Event
June 30, 2012
Baker Park Disc Golf Course
Kewanee, IL
Registration begins at 8 a.m.
Players Meeting 9:30 a.m.
Tee off 10 a.m.
Two rounds of 20 holes from concrete tees.
Field limited to 80 players
PDGA Sanctioned Event
$45 Professional Divisions: Men, Women, & Masters
$35 All Advanced Divisions
$30 Intermediate
$25 Recreational and Novice
Minimum 3 players per division for age protected, women, and juniors.
Non-current PDGA members will pay an extra $10 fee
Come on out for Bakers first Sanctioned Tournament.
You can contact Wes Jacobson on facebook for more details.
Online Registration:
http://illinoisdiscgolf.com/LISregistra ... rOpen.html


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University of Pennsylvania undergraduates who currently receive financial aid are eligible to apply for fellowship funds to participate in a Penn Summer Abroad program. Recipients are selected with consideration to academic standing, financial need, and demonstrated motivation for participating in a study abroad program.
William A. Levi Travel Fellowship: for all programs
Call 215-746-7075 or write to email@example.com


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William Lowell Putnam Competition
Math Department
On Saturday December 1st , university students across North America will take part in the 73rd Annual William Lowell Putnam Competition. Described by Time Magazine as the world's toughest math test, students compete both in teams and individually to tackle tricky math problems that require clever and creative solutions. High scorers win cash prizes and invitations to top graduate schools (not to mention bragging rights).
Interested participants are encouraged to contact Dr. Tom Baird at firstname.lastname@example.com, or to show up at one of the two remaining practice sessions taking place Nov. 19 and Nov. 26 from 5-8pm in room HH3026.
Nov 21st, 2012


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Party Pics: Soft opening party at new Dallas club LeVu
Photo: Jerry McClure/Special Contributor
Charlie Korrel, Hunter Woodlee, Chris White, Chris Schleiss, Luis Sanchez Jason Treu, Ashley Pitts, and Walt Moore check out Dallas' new nighltife destination, LeVu, at the soft opening party on Friday, Nov. 9, 2012.
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