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Nate Kreuter considers the realities of rejection -- and dealing with rejection -- in academic careers.
Eric Anthony Grollman offers 101 suggestions.
Leaders of UAW union that represents U. of California teaching assistants push for Israel boycott, but some members say this action endangers their academic freedom and the movement to unionize grad students.
University of Warwick backs down on charges that led to punishment of influential professor for nine months.
It shouldn't be surprising that the recent conference at St. John's College, in Santa Fe, entitled "What is Liberal Education For?" should have turned into an occasion for blaming a host of difficult challenges currently faced by the humanities and the liberal arts on critical theory and political correctness. I wasn't there, but that seems to be one of the conference's main preoccupations as reported by Inside Higher Ed in an article entitled "Doing Themselves In?" After all, St. John's, with its great books curriculum, is known for proudly embracing a traditional approach to a liberal arts education. And that's great. The country needs institutions of higher learning that take diverse approaches to humanistic education.
However, it's depressing to see such a thoroughly discredited argument being made in late 2014. The idea put forward by one the conference's major speakers, John Agresto, that the liberal arts are "dying" because of critical theory and the politicization of faculty, is not only overblown. It recycles an old and faulty argument that should have been set aside years ago
What is the evidence for Agresto's claim? According to the Inside Higher Ed article, he cites "worrisome statistics," including that "English, long a go-to concentration, now accounts for just 3 percent of majors nationwide." Like similar claims, Agresto's are misleading. For one thing, English has never been a "go-to concentration." English majors since 1975 have never counted for more than 4.4 percent of all majors. This hardly makes English a "go-to concentration."
And while his claim suggests there has been some kind of steep fall-off in English majors over the last four decades, that just isn't so. In 1975, as I just noted, English majors constituted 4.4 percent of all majors. In 1980-81, years in which the U.S. experienced an economic recession, that number understandably fell a bit to 3.4 percent. However, by 1995-96, as the economy recovered, it was back up to 4.2 percent, and by 2002-03 it was holding pretty steady at 4.0 percent. There was another small dip in 2007-08 (3.5 percent) and by 2010-11, even with the great recession, it was hanging on at 3.1 percent. If these statistics are any indication, with the economy improving they will go back up a bit.
As an English professor I wish more students were majoring in English, but the fluctuations in the index Agresto cites are hardly all that dramatic. More importantly, the downturns correlate much more strongly with economic recessions in the early 1970s, the early 1990s, and between 2008 and 2010 than they do with the rise of critical theory or an interest in humanities scholars and their students in the relationship between history, philosophy, literature, religion, the arts, and political and social justice issues. It's a simple fact that the evidence for claims like Agresto's that critical theory and political correctness have ruined the liberal arts and humanities just don't hold water. They substitute weak statistical evidence for what are really ideological polemics.
As many researchers I cite in my recent book on the humanities crisis have pointed out, critics of the contemporary humanities like Agresto use 1970 – the historical high point of humanities majors – as the point from which they chart a decline. But enrollments in the humanities have held steady between 1984 and 2010 at about 6.5 percent, with a few upticks between 1988 and 1996. As Ben Schmidt rightly observes "the overall pattern gives the lie to arguments that claim the humanities are being eroded by things like ethnic studies or a departure from the classics. Students aren't any less interested in majoring in history or English now than they were at the moment deconstructionism hit American shores."
And while the number of English majors has fallen at some Ivy League institutions, according to Scott Saul ("The Humanities in Crisis? Not at Most Schools") nationwide humanities majors in English, foreign languages and literatures and the arts have held steady at between 9.8 and 10.6 percent over the last two decades. He notes that according to Humanities Indicators, a project of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the share of bachelor's degrees earned in the humanities has stayed remarkably steady between 1987 and 2010 (10 percent in 1987, and about 11 percent in 2010, with some brief fluctuations up during the overall period). Saul echoes Schmidt in pointing out that these statistics suggest that "we must straighten out one of the great misconceptions that has circulated around humanities professors: that we are a trendy lot, 'tenured radicals' wrenching the curriculum into irrelevance as we impose the latest theoretical paradigm upon it."
If the liberal arts and humanities are in trouble, and in many ways they are, these troubles have little to do with the development of new theories, methodologies, and subject matters. Indeed, such developments ought to be welcome in higher education. Those of us who teach literature, history, religious studies, and the arts are professors, after all, professionals whose work is expected by our colleagues in the natural and social sciences to be theoretically and methodologically rigorous. It's a myth that the sciences have theories and methods and the humanities don't, and it's a mistake to scapegoat theory and professionalization for the current plight of the humanities and liberal arts.
Inside Higher Ed reported that, according to Agresto, in order to "save the humanities" from the pernicious effects of critical theory we must instill "critical thinking skills." However, it makes no sense to claim the liberal arts are about critical thinking, and then to trash critical theory, which teaches critical thinking. Humanism was about nothing if it wasn't about critiquing the status quo. And how can the liberal arts be blamed for causing their own ruin by connecting questions about the human to the world of politics and social justice when humanism has always been all about raising questions about political and social agency? Traditionalists like Agresto and Andrew Delbanco, a professor of English at Columbia University who has frequently advocated for a traditional approach to the humanities that eschews critique, too often seem to want to seal the liberal arts off from such issues (and worse still, to protect them from constructive criticism). In doing so they're actually undermining the very tradition they claim to defend.
The big problem here is that critics like Agresto and Delbanco don't spend enough time analyzing the real plight of the liberal arts and humanities. That plight has a lot more to do with a set of economic and institutional problems that threaten colleges and universities everywhere. It's just that the fallout from these problems has hit the humanities disproportionately hard because we're in a weaker position than the natural and social sciences to stake a claim for the centrality of the subjects we research and teach at a time when the traditional liberal arts model for measuring the value of a higher education has begun to shift to a corporate one.
The corporatization of higher education represents a dramatic shift toward seeing higher education as vocational training, an educational experience geared to credentialing, in which the value of courses and programs are defined narrowly in terms of their practical vocational utility. It's not surprising that these developments have hit the humanities particularly hard, that our disciplines are so vulnerable in an age that increasingly puts the educational emphasis on computational, technological, and mechanical skills at the expense of a broad-based education in history, philosophy, and the arts. If the value of education is increasingly being measured by trustees and legislators too ready to replace a liberal arts model of higher education with a vocational training model of higher education, then it's no wonder the humanities seem to be in crisis.
This means that defending the integrity of the humanities today ought to have little if anything to do with bashing theory or calling for a return to "tradition" (on the drawbacks of arguments based on tradition, see Judge Richard Posner's brilliant analysis in his recent decision on gay marriage in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.). That's simply indulging in ideological battles that distract us from our real problems. Engaging those problems means defending the integrity of higher education. It means resisting the marginalizing of faculty voices in academic and curricular matters, resisting the institution of managerial structures at colleges and universities that lead to bloated bureaucracies and an over investment in non-curricular matters broadly related to "student life" at the expense of investing in more tenure-track faculty, more classrooms, and more support for a broad liberal arts education. But at the same time it means finding a way to articulate the value of a humanities education that stresses both our traditional commitment to the intangible -- rewards that Agresto and Delbanco rightly point out come from studying philosophy, history, literature and the arts -- while also stressing what is new and innovative about the humanities in the 21st century, and the transferable skills they impart to students.
I don't think it will do to simply fall back on well-worn, boilerplate defenses of the humanities that characterize their value narrowly in terms of the inner journey they promote and the big questions they pose, as a place where we can help our students to discover the meaning of life and to find themselves. Such defenses are too often elegiac -- laments for the passing of what often looks like an overly narrow, idealized, or even sentimental vision of what the humanities were, one that simply feeds the idea they're a little quaint and outdated. Don't get me wrong. I embrace the idea that studying the humanities has a value for its own sake, and I'm deeply committed to the idea that the liberal arts ought to be a place where our preoccupation with the practical and the utilitarian can be submitted to constructive critical scrutiny.
But I believe that in the 21st century we need to present a broader, more nuanced, innovative and forward-looking vision of the humanities, and that such a vision need not be seen as a betrayal of what we have always been doing. We need to characterize the value of the humanities in a way that stresses not just the inner nourishment they can bring, but the reading, analytical, research, writing, and critical thinking skills humanities courses teach our students as well, skills that are manifestly transferable to a range of employment opportunities (for more on this argument see the article I co-authored with Gerald Graff, "Fear of Being Useful").
And crucially, it also means stressing the innovative, even transformative work that has unfolded in the humanities over the last 30 or 40 years, work that has served to reshape our understanding of the human and to challenge our ideas about liberty, agency, responsibility, social justice, and the relationship between humans, technology, and the biosphere in which we all live. We do a disservice to ourselves when, in explaining what we do in the humanities, or in defending their value, we play down or disparage the innovative role that theory has had in deepening, enriching, and challenging our understanding of the human, especially in the attention it has insisted we pay to the complex ways in which social and political power flows through cultural forms and shapes human subjectivity. Our challenge is not simply to defend the humanities, but to defend a new humanities, one in part defined by a critique of the very humanism that historically defined the humanities in the first place. It simply won't do to pretend that the last 30 or 40 years never happened, or worse still, to blame productive innovation during those years for challenges that are in reality economic and institutional.
Paul Jay is professor of English and a fellow at the Center for Interdisciplinary Thinking at Loyola University Chicago. The Humanities "Crisis" and the Future of Literary Studies, his book, was published in July by Palgrave-Macmillan.
Melanie Sinche writes that there may finally be momentum for gathering data crucial to helping doctoral students understand their opportunities.
Patrick Iber, working off the tenure track, considers the basics on how those who have tenure-track security should treat those who don't.
Melissa Dennihy offers advice on how to juggle the tasks.
Sixty years ago this month, the U.S. Post Office declared a small journal called ONE: The Homosexual Magazine, published in Los Angeles, to be obscene and thus unlawful to distribute through the mail. All copies of the latest issue were seized and presumably destroyed.
The editors -- having already endured a letter-writing campaign from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that tried to get them fired from their day jobs -- cannot have been that surprised by the postal service's move. Still, the characterization of ONE as "cheap pornography" (in one judge's words) was ludicrous. Recent issues had included articles on police entrapment, Walt Whitman, and attitudes toward homosexuality in Britain throughout history. The editors also published a sonnet by William Shakespeare and a salute to the "history-making TV appearance [of] Curtis White of Los Angeles [who] personally stated that he is a homosexual."
By no stretch of the imagination was it fair to call ONE obscene. At worst, it was feisty. But that was much the same thing at a time when "homosexuals were virtually without constitutional rights," as Walter Frank put it in Law and the Gay Rights Story: The Long Search for Equal Justice in a Divided Democracy (Rutgers University Press). The turning point came when the Supreme Court overruled the USPS ban on ONE in 1958. The decision was little-noticed at the time -- and it doesn't even register as a blip in the general public's historical memory, in which the gay rights struggle began, more or less, with Stonewall.
The Supreme Court decision ran to one sentence and cited the Court's ruling in Roth v. United States, two years earlier. The author of Law and the Gay Rights Struggle is co-chair of the Law and Literature Committee of the New York County Lawyers Association, and takes for granted closer familiarity with Roth v. U.S. than most non-jurists will possess. (I could have told you that the plaintiff was Samuel, a publisher of girlie magazines, and not Phillip, the novelist -- though not much more.) But upon looking up the decision, it's fairly easy to spot what has to have been the crucial passage with respect to ONE:
"Obscene material is material which deals with sex in a manner appealing to prurient interest. The portrayal of sex, e.g., in art, literature and scientific works is not itself sufficient reason to deny material the constitutional protection of freedom of speech and press. Sex, a great and mysterious motive force in human life, has indisputably been a subject of absorbing interest to mankind through the ages; it is one of the vital problems of human interest and public concern."
That it is. And a major strategy of early gay-rights advocates was to insist on the "absorbing interest to mankind through the ages" part with respect to same-sex desire. (Hence the Shakespeare sonnet in ONE.)
Frank's purview is narrower, and a lot more democratic. He focuses on the seven decades following the end of World War II – a period in which the struggle for equality moved ever more in the direction of grassroots activism and demands for respect in everyday life. Identifying the illustrious gay dead gave way to more mundane but urgent priorities, like securing hospital visitation rights and protection from housing discrimination.
About half of Law and the Gay Rights Story consists of a succinct overview of how gay and lesbian communities and institutions took root within, and against, "a society that had simply decided to place certain people beyond its protection." In a provocative formulation (I mean that in a good way) Frank writes that "discrimination itself could remain in the closet because gays themselves were not willing to come forward in sufficient numbers or with sufficient energy to contest it."
A couple of generations of historians have studied how that situation changed – how the numbers and energy accumulated, and began to make a breach in a system that had effectively limited gays and lesbians to two choices, celibacy or criminality. Frank draws on and synthesizes the social and cultural historians' work without claiming to go beyond it.
He does build in a distinctive periodization, however, by dividing the past few decades of gay-rights struggle into three phases or waves. The first and longest subsumes everything from ONE to Stonewall to the assassination of Harvey Milk: a cycle of growing confidence and assertiveness, coming to an end around the point when reports of a "gay cancer" emerged in 1981. His second period is defined by the AIDS crisis, in which government neglect and anti-gay political sentiment made the gay struggle largely defensive. A third wave, beginning in the early 1990s and continuing through the present, has seen something of a revival of the first period's vigor but an even more remarkable growth of acceptance of claims for legal equality -- with the Supreme Court defining as unconstitutional both anti-sodomy laws and the Defense of Marriage Act's definition of marriage to exclude same-sex couples.
In recent years, Frank writes, "concepts of freedom and equality began to overlap in a way they did not in the first phase, when gays were fighting for the right to celebrate themselves without fear and to be allowed some measure of dignity…. The equality that gays have been fighting for in this [most recent] phase concerns all the freedoms that most people take for granted, including the freedom to marry. As that argument has taken hold, the tide of public opinion has shifted, and with it the terrain on which the battle has been fought."
In other remarks, the author seems perfectly aware of the potential for backlash. Consider the point of view expressed by a voter regarding an anti-gay ballot initiative: "I don't think being gay is right. It's immoral. It's against all religious beliefs. I don't agree with gays at all, but I don't think they should be discriminated against."
Frank cites this arresting blend of sentiments in a context suggesting that it demonstrates a slow growth of tolerance in seemingly inhospitable circumstances. That's one way to look at it. But politics is always a struggle to shift the terrain on which the battle is being fought, and reversals do occur. That said, I'd like to imagine that the person who contributed to ONE under the name Herbert Grant is still alive and well. In 1954, he wrote an article that might well have been the last straw for the authorities. In it, he proposed that same-sex couples be allowed to marry.
Conference coming up? Mandi Stewart offers tips for making the most of it.
Inside Higher Ed
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Washington, DC 20036
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Copyright © 2017


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Protesters in Egypt are upping the pressure on President Hosni Mubarak to go.
The biggest demonstrations so far were held on Tuesday, with hundreds of thousands packing the streets of Cairo.
To add to it all, America has called on those in charge of Egypt to get a move on and change the way the country is run.
The protests have now entered their third week - and show little sign of weakening, as Sonali's been finding out...

subset: commoncrawl


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J Schatz Egg Banks
Such a great gift for the new baby. The best part is that it will grow with them because it isn't babyish. Great quality and craftsmanship, too. A winner!
I love the ceramic pieces from this Etsy shop. All their ceramics work have a lovely surface dent.
What a lovely, quiet little box. Its lacquered wood with a natural finished wood lid.Tags: home, accessories, office, style, home decor, bedroom, decor, living, handmadeAdded 9 Years Ago from CB2
I really like the Milkii bottles and have something very special planned for them- syrup.Added 9 Years Ago from Kathleenhills
Pretty nice, huh? I could have used this yesterday when I was making bread.Added 9 Years Ago from Labourandwait
In my pursuit to decrease the plastic kitchen storage, I've found this air tight enamel container to keep all my tasties fresh.Added 9 Years Ago from Labourandwait
Eventually I want to minimize the plastic storage in my home. Especially the kitchen storage. This enamel container is just what I had in mind.Added 9 Years Ago from Labourandwait
This egg tray is made of porcelain and is the solution to my tater tot/ fish sticks condiment problem. Now I can have my A-1, ketchup, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, hot sauce and tartar sauce all at once. Or you could use it to p... This egg tray is made of porcelain and is the solution to my tater tot/ fish sticks condiment problem. Now I can have my A-1, ketchup, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, hot sauce and tartar sauce all at once. Or you could use it to put your paperclips, push pins, tacks and other desk stuff in.Tags: home, food, accessories, style, eating, home decor, dining, living, whiteAdded 9 Years Ago from Scp
I really like Perch's products. You can fill this bowl with your favorite nuts.Tags: home, office, style, entertaining, bowls, home decor, ceramic, living, coffee tablesAdded 9 Years Ago from Perchdesign
Its good to prepared for cuts, knicks, scapes and scratches.Added 9 Years Ago from Blueribbongeneralstore
The net is a really great touch to this ceramic egg vase.
Unusual porcelain vase with a curious texture. I like it!
I'd love to be able to grown my own small batch of vegetables. These are ideal for people with minimal gardening space.
This is exactly what I need, since I don't have the ideal space for planting herbs and vegetables.
I'd love to own a whole collection of Heath ceramics. These salt and pepper shakers come in selection of colored glazes. Check them out.
This beautiful ceramic pice has a simple and refined look suitable for the home or office, inside or outside, rustic or modern decor.Added 9 Years Ago from Perchdesign
Here's a stout version of Perch's ceramic Mason containers.
Another stunning piece out of Paul Smith's fine china collection.
Paul Smith's collection of striped bone china is absolutely lovely! Hand painted with liquid gold leaf detailing.
Oh how I ADORE you! Site product description: Thomas Goode, recognised by connoisseurs as the best fine bone China producer in the world, brings us Paul Smith china, made to original Victorian values. The multi stripes are ach... Oh how I ADORE you! Site product description: Thomas Goode, recognised by connoisseurs as the best fine bone China producer in the world, brings us Paul Smith china, made to original Victorian values. The multi stripes are achieved on the fine bone china by a way of slide lithographing, which is fired and fuses to the surface of the wares. The finer details are then expertly hand painted and glazed. The gold used on the detailing is a liquid gold leaf (28%), equivalent of 22 carat gold.
Here's an unusual and unique coin bank. Wonderful!
These pieces were featured in Nov./ Dec. issue of Martha Stewart's Blueprint magazine. Handmade stoneware vessels with cork lids for pouring varios liquids and beverages.Added 9 Years Ago from Papernstitch
This is without a doubt getting wishlisted! Simple, modest and beautiful.Added 9 Years Ago from Papernstitch
These unusual vessels are stoneware. They would look good wherever you put them.Tags: home, accessories, style, gifts, home decor, decor, living, white, corkAdded 9 Years Ago from Papernstitch
Soup can be a pretty cumbersome dish to serve, store and eat. Thats why I love this bowl. The lid keeps your soup hot and even has a little niche for your spoon.
It's actually a money egg. Its adorable and you literally have to crack it open to get your money.
These striped bowls can be used to serve snacks or just hold your tiny odds and ends.
Heres another cute piggy bank, this time in white.
I love this piece!
This owl jewelry box is amazing and a bit disturbing. I think its the eyes. It's always the eyes.


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Looks like you sent this twice. Again file a JIRA issue and I'll start debugging the problem. Please give us some sample data that shows this error and if possible a test case to isolate the problem so we can fix it rapidly.
Here's something that might help:
If you use the testcase archetype and then modify the test case to contain the dataset in the server that reproduces this search bug then we can get on it fast.
Just add the tarball of your test project to the JIRA issue you create for this as an attachment.
HiI have installed 1.0.1 version of apache DS. I successfully connected to it. When I use filter:- (cn=Marek) - ok- (!(cn=*)) - ok- (!(cn=Marek)) - Failed to resolve primary name for 188.8.131.52 in user index lookup [Root exception is javax.naming.NamingException: OID '188.8.131.52' was not found within the OID registry]It is written in documentation at http://directory.apache.org/apacheds/1.0/242-ldap-operations-searching.html that "not" operator is suported, but I see that it is partially supported.Am I doing anything wrong or is it a system bug?RegardsMarek


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Hi there
Iam wondering if this is also will work ?
i search but i did not found anything about the vfat option in the kernel
So my question is this also in de kernel ??
"The DiskOnChip uses the VFAT file system, so your kernel needs to support vfat. Mount it using the
"-t vfat" option. "
thank you
Eric van Dijk


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News By Tag
Industry News
News By Place
Industry News
SKF celebrates 100 years of manufacturing in Luton
In February 2010, the Luton based engineering company SKF will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in the UK.
SKF was originally founded in Sweden in 1907, but quickly opened its first overseas sales office in London in 1910. The following year the company came to Luton, choosing a site on Leagrave Road to build a manufacturing facility for the production of bearings. These products are used in almost every piece of equipment with rotating parts; for example, in industrial machinery, printing presses, mining and quarrying systems, and in cars, trains and aircraft.
Today, SKF is recognised as a global knowledge engineering company, with a wide range of products, of which bearings manufactured in the UK continue to form a key part. These products are now produced at the company's purpose built Sundon plant and UK headquarters, which opened in 1936 – production at the Leagrave site ceased in 1977.
The Sundon factory currently produces spherical and CARB toroidal roller bearings for heavy industrial applications;
In addition, SKF has a number of other facilities across the UK; in Aberdeen for the delivery of maintenance strategy and services to the offshore oil and gas sector; in Gloucester for the manufacture of high performance bearings in the aerospace sector; and 11 centres across the UK for the production of custom engineered sealing solutions.
Phil Burge, UK Marketing Manager, believes that, "Although SKF is a major global corporation, with production plants around the world, our UK engineering base in Luton has always played an important role in the overall success of the company, both at home and abroad. Even during the recent economic recession we have still managed to maintain a strong level of output, which we anticipate will grow in coming years as the pace of global recovery picks up. As a result, we anticipate continued investment and development of our UK manufacturing centre in Luton, giving us the basis for another century of success in the UK".
For further information please contact:
Phil Burge, Marketing Manager, SKF (U.K.) Limited, Sundon Park Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU3 3BL. Tel: 01582 496433. Fax: 01582 846812. Email:
This press information was written and distributed by 4CM.
For further copies, colour separation requests, images or other details on SKF Corporate
please contact us on 01296 660080 or email: info.skfcorporate@
# # #
4 C M is one of the UK's leading marketing communications agencies. We specialise in business to business (B2B) marketing, providing dedicated marketing consultancy, PR, copywriting and graphic design services.
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Sydney: A sleepy Australia woke up to a double delight this morning their cricket team had won the most coveted prize on offer while Nicole Kidman became the only Australian actress to win the Oscars.It cannot be said what brought the masses greater happiness the feats of their team or those of Kidman but it was purely a day of celebration for the Aussies. Smiles were contagious in buses and trains as children and adults set out to schools and offices on a particularly wet day in Sydney. Since the match got over by 4 am local time, newspapers could not carry full reports on Australia's superb 125-run thrashing of India but most predicted a win after the champions had posted their best ever One-day score of 359. For the national team, 'Intent and Intimidate' had won the battle on the cricket field even though the 'shock and awe' tactics adopted by the coalition forces in Iraq was earning the wrath of many an Australian.Skipper Ricky Ponting's eight sixes and the Australian top order batting were talk of the town and many were expressing surprise at the way Indians bowled. One SMS message sent in jest after the first over that gave away 15 runs, said, "Tell the Indians there are only six balls in an over." For expatriate Indians though, it was a day of dejection and loss. Australian-Indian cricket author Kersi Meher Homji said, "I have mixed feelings. I am happy that the better team has won, but I would have liked it to be a much closer contest."India did very well to come up to the final, but it was no match for the professional Australians. I think the Indian bowlers were overwhelmed by the big occasion," he said. Many Australian fans were hoping that they would see a class innings by Sachin Tendulkar, but when he was caught on the fifth ball, it was good night, India.A headline in the 'Daily Telegraph' screamed, "Nation mourns mauling" as it went on to say "this Australian team has become a unit in the image of their captain - ruthless, uncompromising and fiercely determined. They don't so much beat sides as dismember them"."Australian cricket has soared to imperial heights and this after the squad suffered the shattering losses of Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie makes it truly remarkable." Mission complete with an undefeated eight weeks in South Africa, the players arrive in Perth on Tuesday to a public reception. PTI
Catch us if you can: Buchanan
Aussies up several notches over pretenders India
We deserved to win the World Cup: Ponting


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Jornal de Pediatria
Print version ISSN 0021-7557On-line version ISSN 1678-4782
J. Pediatr. (Rio J.) vol.83 no.5 suppl.0 Porto Alegre Nov. 2007
Adrenal function in sepsis and septic shock
Cristiane Freitas PizarroI; Eduardo Juan TrosterII
em Pediatria, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (USP),
São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Coordenadora da Pediatria, Unidade de Terapia
Intensiva Pediátrica, Hospital Estadual Vila Alpina, São Paulo,
SP, Brazil
IIUnidade de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica, Departamento de Pediatria, Instituto da Criança, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil
To review diagnostic criteria and treatment of adrenal insufficiency in pediatric
patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.
SOURCES: Articles were selected using MEDLINE (1966-June 2007), Embase (1994-2007) and Cochrane Library (2000-2007) databases. following key words were utilized: septic shock, sepsis, corticosteroids, adrenal insufficiency and children.
SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS: There are no well established and accepted criteria to define adrenal insufficiency in critically ill patients. Incidence of adrenal insufficiency varies according to different criteria, and it may range between low values of 15% and high values of 61%. The rapid corticotropin stimulation test is widely used as a method to identify adrenocortical hyporesponsiveness, but controversy exists as to the corticotropin dose to be used. The 250 µg dose is the standard dose. Low doses of corticotropin (1 µg) have recently been proposed, suggesting that they may have higher sensitivity. There are still doubts as to the efficacy of low doses of corticosteroids in children with catecholamine-refractory shock. Further studies are needed to determine whether the treatment of these patients would change morbidity and/or mortality.
CONCLUSION: Adrenal insufficiency is common in children with severe sepsis and septic shock and may contribute to the development of catecholamine-refractory shock. However, doubts still persist regarding the efficacy of replacement therapy with low-doses steroids.
Keywords: Septic shock, sepsis, corticosteroids, adrenal insufficiency and children.
Despite the advances in intensive care units (ICU), septic shock and severe sepsis remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality. In fact, incidence of septic shock and severe sepsis has been increasing over the past 30-40 years. It is estimated that in the USA there are about 750,000 new cases of severe sepsis every year.1,2 Therefore, there is a clear growing concern about the development of therapeutic strategies that contribute to reduction in morbidity and mortality rates; among them, administration of corticosteroids has once again come under discussion.
In the 1970's and 1980's many studies were carried out with the aim of showing the therapeutic effects of corticosteroids in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Most of these studies used high doses of corticosteroids for a short period of time. However, in 1995 two meta-analyses were published and did not show satisfactory results concerning survival.3,4 New studies have currently shown good results as to survival by using low doses of hydrocortisone that are offered for a longer period of time (at least 3 days), especially in the group of patients with relative adrenal insufficiency and catecholamine-refractory shock.5-7
Many studies have recently assessed the function of the adrenal gland in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock, as an attempt to establish the relationship of an adrenal response that is considered inadequate for the stress situation with intensity of hemodynamic changes. Such studies have found a high incidence of inadequate adrenal function and a strong association with catecholamine refractory shock.8-11
However, many questions still have to be explained regarding presence of adrenal insufficiency in sepsis and septic shock.
a)What is the incidence of adrenal insufficiency in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock?
b)What is the appropriate level of baseline cortisol after the rapid corticotropin (ACTH) stimulation test in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock?
c)What is the ideal treatment for patients with septic shock and adrenal insufficiency?
Based on those questions, we felt encouraged to perform this study to review diagnostic criteria and treatment of adrenal insufficiency in pediatric patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.
Regulation of glucocorticoid secretion
Glucocorticoids are 12-carbon molecules derived from cholesterol and are produced by the adrenals in response to ACTH. They are produced continuously and are influenced by circadian rhythm - have higher levels in the morning and lower levels at night. However, in a stress situation, such rhythm is lost.
During inflammatory processes, inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor a (TNFa) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), favor release of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and arginine vasopressin (AVP)by the hypothalamus. Then, CRF enhances the production of ACTH by the anterior pituitary gland. When ACTH enters the systemic circulation, it activates the adrenal cortex, activating production of glucocorticoids and other steroids. Glucocorticoids, through a feedback mechanism, inhibit the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.12,13
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in septic shock
It has been well described in the literature that, under stress situations, such as severe sepsis and septic shock, there is a stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and, therefore, an increase in cortisol secretion and loss of circadian rhythm. Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is a crucial component of the patient's adaptation to a stress situation and contributes to maintenance of homeostasis. In ICU the higher the scores of disease severity, the higher the expected cortisol levels and mortality rates.13
Relative adrenal insufficiency is present when adrenal response is inadequate for the stress situation. These patients usually have the highest levels of baseline cortisol, but do not respond to the ACTH stimulation test, i.e., do not have adrenal reserve.8,14
On the other hand, absolute adrenal insufficiency is characterized by low levels of baseline cortisol and by non-response to the ACTH stimulation test. Such response pattern in patients with septic shock is not what we often observe, since in that situation activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is expected.8,14
Causes of adrenal insufficiency
The cause of adrenal insufficiency in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock is multifactorial. Therefore, a primary adrenal insufficiency can be a result of destruction of the adrenal gland: by either direct or indirect action of infectious agents, due to hemorrhage - coagulation disorder (for example: Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome); or induced by drugs, such as etomidate and ketoconazole. However, it usually occurs as secondary adrenal insufficiency (disorder at a hypothalamic-pituitary integrity) as a consequence of reduction in CRF release, inhibited by cytokines and other mediators of inflammatory response released during sepsis. Chronic use of glucocorticoids can also be associated with suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, as well as presence of a preexisting disease at hypothalamus, pituitary or adrenal level.13,15
Adrenal insufficiency can also be a result of reduction in number of glucocorticoid receptors or reduction in its affinity by the receptor, which leads to increased peripheral resistance to glucocorticoids.13
Clinical manifestations of adrenal insufficiency
Acute adrenal insufficiency can be clinically indistinguishable from septic and hypovolemic shock, being a differential diagnosis.
There are many symptoms associated with adrenal insufficiency. Diagnosis is often suspected when these patients have hypotension refractory to fluid therapy and to vasoactive drugs. Other symptoms related to adrenal insufficiency are abdominal pain, fever in the presence of negative cultures and non-responsive to antibiotics, inexplicable changes in consciousness level, electrolytic abnormalities (hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, hyperkalemia), neutropenia and eosinophilia.15-17
Incidence of adrenal insufficiency
Incidence of adrenal insufficiency ranges according to population and criteria used to define this condition.5,8,9,13,17-26
Adequate level of cortisol after the ACTH stimulation test for critically ill patients is still a controversial issue in the literature.5,13,17,21,27-31 It is known that under stress situations, such as infection, trauma, burn, pain, hypotension, hemorrhage, hypovolemia, tissue lesion, among many others, there is a stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and, thus, an increase in cortisol secretion and loss of circadian rhythm.10,13 For example, during a surgical procedure, cortisol increases in the immediate post-operative period, reaching levels between 30-45 µg/dL, and returns to basal levels in approximately 72 hours. In critically ill patients, the tendency is for cortisol to increase even more.13
In ICU the higher the scores of disease severity, the higher the cortisol levels and mortality rates. Schein et al. studied the concentration of plasma cortisol in 37 patients with septic shock and observed that it was increased (mean 50.7 µg/dL) when compared with normal patients (mean 10-20 µg/dL).29 Bone et al. assessed 65 children with meningococcal disease and found mean cortisol value of 41.5 µg/dL at admission.32 Rivers et al. assessed adrenal function in 104 patients submitted to surgery and who needed vasopressors, and found mean baseline cortisol of 29.9 µg/dL.22 The main controversy in the literature has been the definition of which cortisol value represents an adequate adrenal response to stress and below which value should be considered as adrenal insufficiency.
Classical studies consider levels between 18-20 µg/dL19,33,34 as adequate for the stress situation. Marik & Zaloga, in their studies, considered cortisol values higher than 25 µg/dL13 as the most appropriate for the stress situation. Annane et al., in their study, showed the importance of performing the ACTH stimulation test to detect adrenal dysfunction and consider that not increment < 9 µg/dL would lead to the diagnosis of relative adrenal insufficiency.9 Cooper & Stewart suggest the following values for diagnosing adrenal insufficiency: baseline cortisol < 15 µg/dL or presence of basal cortisol between 15-34 µg/dL, with an increment < 9 µg/dL after the ACTH stimulation test.17
For the pediatric age group, there are few studies concerning cortisol level in stress situations. In a study carried out by Hatherill et al., a cortisol increment was used to diagnose adrenal insufficiency after the ACTH stimulation test ≤ 7.5 µg/dL.20 In a study performed by Menon & Clarson, baseline cortisol level < 7 µg/dL was considered with peak < 18 µg/dL.24 In a study performed by our group, at Instituto da Criança, published in 2005, presence of a cortisol increment ≤ 9 µg/dL after the ACTH stimulation test was used as a criterion to define inadequate adrenal response, with the aim of detecting not only patients with absolute adrenal insufficiency, but especially those with relative adrenal insufficiency. In that study, the patients with inadequate adrenal response were divided into two groups: 1) absolute adrenal insufficiency - baseline cortisol < 20 µg/dL and increment ≤ 9 µg/dL after the ACTH stimulation test; 2) relative adrenal insufficiency - patients with baseline cortisol ≥ 20 µg/dL and increment ≤ 9 µg/dL.8,14
Therefore, incidence of adrenal insufficiency may range between 15-61%, according to the criteria are used.8,9,18-22,24,25,35,36 Table 1 shows the incidence of adrenal insufficiency in critically ill patients the according to various published definitions.
Tests to evaluate adrenal function
The following methods can be used to evaluate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis under stress situations:15,28
Dosage of basal cortisol (at random)
Cortisol dosage, without a defined schedule, is performed in patients under stress situations, since the circadian cycle is lost.
Insulin tolerance test (ITT)
It is considered gold standard to diagnose adrenal insufficiency when assessing axis integrity; however, it is not feasible under stress situations due to risk of hypoglycemia.
Metyrapone test
The metyrapone test was developed by Liddle et al.28 to evaluate pituitary reserve. Metyrapone inhibits enzyme P450 C11, which converts 11-deoxycortisol (compound S) into cortisol, consequently reducing serum levels of cortisol and increasing 11-deoxycortisol levels. Reduction in serum cortisol stimulates release of ACTH by feedback, acting at a hypothalamic-pituitary level. Adequate adrenal production occurs when compound S is higher than 7.0 µg/dL, independent of cortisol value. Required waiting time for its execution is at least 8 hours between administration of metyrapone and serum dosages, and the possibility of this test being affected by use of other drugs (glucocorticoids, phenytoin and phenobarbital), as well as the very reduction of serum cortisol determined by the test, determines its lack of usefulness in severe patients.
ACTH stimulation test
It is performed to evaluate adrenal gland response and reserve, i.e., it is important to detect relative adrenal insufficiency. The literature is controversial as to which corticotropin dose should be used to perform the ACTH stimulation test. Traditionally, a dose of 250 µg ACTH (supraphysiological dose) is used. However, nowadays lower doses have been successfully used (0.5-2 µg ACTH), since they have better sensitivity when compared with supraphysiological doses.8,10,14,37,38 Nevertheless, a recent meta-analysis performed in adults, comparing tests using high doses (250 µg) and low doses (1 µg) of corticotropin, failed to show a test superiority when low doses were used.39 Therefore, this issue is still being discussed in the literature (Table 2).
The ACTH stimulation test was chosen to evaluate adrenal function because it is a simple and fast procedure. Other tests, although having more reliable results, are more difficult to perform, and most of them are contraindicated in critically ill patients.
We must mention another issue concerning the identification of adrenal insufficiency: free cortisol vs. baseline cortisol. It is known that 90% of circulating cortisol in human serum is bound to proteins - corticosteroid-binding-globulin and albumin (CGB). Thus, it is expected that, in the presence of a reduction in levels of transport proteins (for example, albumin), concentration of total serum cortisol is altered, affecting interpretation of tests used to evaluate adrenal function. For example, a study carried out by Hamrahian et al. showed that 40% of critically ill patients with hypoalbuminemia had a reduction in total cortisol levels.40 Therefore, studies performed in adult patients have suggested that, in the presence of significant hypoproteinemia (albumin levels lower than 2.5 g/dL), free serum cortisol should be dosed before starting supplementation with corticosteroids.37,40
Clinical consequences of adrenal insufficiency
Studies have recently demonstrated an association between adrenal insufficiency, catecholamine refractory shock and mortality.8,11,37,41 A study conducted by our group showed that patients with adrenal insufficiency (absolute and relative) usually progress with catecholamine-refractory shock (100 and 80%, respectively) and may be benefited from corticosteroid therapy. In that study, increased mortality was also seen in the group of patients with inadequate adrenal response.8,14,37
Corticosteroid therapy in septic shock
Since their discovery, corticosteroids have received a wide range of clinical indications, mainly because they are one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory drugs known to date. In 1940, Perla & Marmorston and, in 1951, Hahn et al. were the first authors to publish studies suggesting corticosteroid therapy for critically ill patients (pneumonia, bacteremia and generalized infection).41,42 However, their use is still quite controversial in the literature.43-46
In the 1970's and 1980's many studies were carried out with the aim of showing the therapeutic effects of corticosteroids in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Most of these studies used high doses of corticosteroids (dexamethasone or methylprednisolone) for a short period of time.47-56 Nevertheless, two meta-analyses published by Lefering et al. and Cronin et al. in 1995 did not show satisfactory results concerning survival3,4 (Table 3).
In contrast, recent studies have demonstrated good outcomes as to survival by using low hydrocortisone doses (200-300 mg/day), offered by a longer period of time (at least 3 days)5,57-61 (Table 4).
Those studies also demonstrated better progress when corticosteroid therapy was used in the group of patients who had catecholamine-refractory shock.5,46,57,50,60,61 In addition, they elected hydrocortisone as the choice corticosteroid, since it has a mineralocorticoid activity, whereas methylprednisolone and dexametasone do not have such activity. They also demonstrated that 20 mg of hydrocortisone are equivalent to 0.05 mg of fludrocortisone, and 0,05-2mg of fludrocortisone are recommended as mineralocorticoid replacement in adrenal insufficiency.6 Those data were confirmed in 2004 by a meta-analysis published by Annane et al. and a review article published by Keh & Sprung.6,7
With regard to the pediatric age group, there are few studies on corticosteroid therapy in patients with septic shock. So far, there has been no consensus in the literature regarding hydrocortisone dose to be used, form of administration (bolus or continuous), duration of treatment, need of weaning and at which shock stage it should be prescribed.
In 2002, the American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) developed new guidelines and parameters of clinical practice for hemodynamic support in newborns and children with septic shock, with the aim of improving evolution of these patients. The members of that committee verified that adrenal insufficiency was more frequent than what had been assumed and that hydrocortisone replacement could save the life of these children. Based on that fact, they suggested hydrocortisone therapy for all children who had any risk factor for adrenal insufficiency and for those who developed catecholamine-refractory shock. Risk patients were considered: children with purpura fulminans, children with pituitary or adrenal abnormalities and children who have previously received steroid therapies for chronic illness. The dose recommended by that committee ranged between 1-2 mg/Kg (stress dose) and 50 mg/kg (shock dose) in bolus, followed by a dose of 2 mg/kg/hour in continuous infusion for 24 hours.62 Such doses were based on two studies performed in children with shock secondary to dengue.63,64 Such doses are currently considered too high.
In 2005, Hildebrandt et al. conducted a literature review with the aim of evaluating clinical practice as to use of corticosteroids in septic shock in 25 pediatric ICU in the UK. They verified that routine corticosteroids were used in 76% of the ICU, but only one ICU had a protocol. In 84% of them, corticosteroids were used in the presence of persistent hypotension, despite using vasoactive drugs, and the drug of choice was hydrocortisone in 79% of cases.65
Therefore, new multi-center and randomized clinical trials are needed, so that true guidelines can be developed concerning corticosteroid therapy in patients with septic shock with suspicion of adrenal insufficiency. Our suggestion now is to use low doses of hydrocortisone (10 mg/kg in bolus, followed by 100 mg/m2/day every 6 hours) as soon as catecholamine-refractory shock is detected for 5 days or until vasoactive drugs are discontinued. As to baseline cortisol dosage and ACTH stimulation test, we suggest performing it whenever possible in all children with catecholamine-refractory shock, with the aim of guiding the therapy, and not starting it.
Adrenal insufficiency is common and underdiagnosed in children with severe sepsis and septic shock. We believe that, in the presence of catecholamine-refractory shock, the ACTH stimulation test has an important prognostic value, helping identify patients with relative adrenal insufficiency and serving as a therapeutic guide.
There are still doubts as to the therapy. New multi-center and randomized clinical trials are needed to determine whether the therapy using low doses of hydrocortisone will contribute to reducing morbidity and mortality rates without a significant increase in adverse events.
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Cristiane Freitas Pizarro
Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica
Av. Dr. Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar, 647
CEP 05403-900 - São Paulo, SP - Brazil
Tel.: +55 (11) 3256.4638
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text:
Hitched: Will Your Marriage Work? Go On Vacation
It wasn't until we were sitting on a bench on a beautiful, sunny March day in London's Kensington Gardens, that Patrick and I had what I recall as being our first actual argument. Just under a year into our relationship, we took our first big vacation together. The details of the disagreement, of course, were beyond stupid: I didn't like the way Patrick exchanged money. I thought he should exchange his money differently. More specifically, I thought he should exchange money the way I exchanged money, the way I had explained to him was the best way to exchange money.
I told you it was stupid. And it was our first day together in London. I had a whole week of being annoyed at money exchanges ahead of me.
Of course, it wasn't about the money exchanges themselves, but about the fact that I felt like Patrick wasn't listening to my valuable input about logistical minutiae. And I am the kind of person who feels like "my valuable input" roughly translates to "literally the only input you need."
Which was something I had not realized about myself until I learned it on vacation with the man who would become my husband. Thank god, Patrick also realized something about himself on that vacation: that hanging out with a bossypants harboring a pathological need to be obeyed in matters of logistical minutiae wasn't, for him, a relationship dealbreaker.
We laugh about it now. We even joked about it in our vows — these days, we don't have many (any) occasions on which to exchange foreign currency, but we do regularly disagree on the best driving or public transportation routes. Patrick likes himself a leisurely ride through BFE on the way to his destination. I like myself a swift, no-nonsense journey between A and B.
And so, on the day, this is what we said:
Me: "I will follow you into the fire swamp. (And then I will find the most direct route for us out of the fire swamp.)"
Patrick: "I promise to try and avoid taking the long way when you are riding in the car."
Flowery language, that isn't. Love poetry? Not hardly. But when I read those words, my heart goes pitter-patter, not only with the memory of our wedding day, but with the knowledge that accommodating each other's idiosyncrasies is woven into the figurative fabric of our marriage.
And I think it all goes back to us taking one of those exhausting, exploration-heavy vacations that makes you wish for a follow-up vacation on a beach somewhere. Which is not, generally, one of those things that "relationship experts" and shout-ily gendered glossy magazines tend to advocate as a way to put the spark back in your lives. They just tell you to go to the beach and bone all day.
I mean, I advocate going to the beach and boning all day. I do! But save that for your honeymoon. If you want to know what your marriage might look like, travel outside your comfort zone to a place where one of those two-bathtubs-on-a-sunset-hill-beach-mountainside setups is out of the question.
Travel somewhere that requires a map. You don't have to go to Timbuktu; just somewhere neither of you qualifies as a tour guide. See what happens. See whether the fight on the park bench turns into seven days of squabbling. Think of it as travel-size cohabitation: maybe it takes months to get annoyed at a pile of dirty bras on the floor of a closet at home, but things like that accumulate quickly in a hotel room.
I look forward to the opportunity to get out of our respective comfort zones and into a place of discovery and newness. It's like planning for a kid, but the vacation will never poop, say it hopes we die, or want to go to an out-of-state college.
Traveling with my husband is an exercise in compromise. We're both only children, which means we came late to learning a certain kind of negotiating skill that I suspect people with siblings master early on. In planning our travel excursions, whether that's to the state park for the weekend or to a wedding in Las Vegas, we've learned a kind of give-and-take that I hope will serve us well in the coming decades.
Patrick, for example, likes to go on long (like, five days long) road trips across the country. I want to fly to a picturesque locale and sit the fuck down with a drink. So for our next big trip? We're going to Montana — flying — and roadtripping within the state, camping and horseback riding, with stops at picturesque locales with roofs and foundations for baths and beers.
I just hope those horses know how to follow my directions.
Email me at [email protected] Follow me on Twitter.


text:
16 July 2011: The Pleasance Theatre Big Day Out | 17 July 2011: The Platform Festival
Beginnings showcased five amazing new plays for and about young people written especially for the Platform festival by some of the UK's best new playwrights.
What happens to the girl who wants to be invisible, the family who are constantly moving house, the group coming to terms with a terrible train accident?
Beginnings started in January 2011. Over a series of workshops, 30 young people worked with five exciting playwrights - Phil Porter, Paula B Stanic, Ben Musgrave, Michael Bhim and Sheila White - to develop potential ideas for six brand new 15 minute plays.
The writers took their ideas away and came back with drafts which were then read and discussed by the young people, who gave the writers advice on their work. Each play is inspired by the idea of 'beginnings' and - conveniently - will also represent the potential beginning of a much bigger play.
The final scripts were delivered in May 2011 and performed at the opening of the Platform Festival in July 2011, directed by five emerging directors:
Kwaku Boateng
Kwaku has been specially commissioned to direct three short plays for a project at the Africa Centre; Screening Africa, in Collaboration with South London Galleries. He will direct a play each Month, in June, July, and August 2011.
Kwaku was Assistant Director on Frank and Ferdinand, at the Soho Theatre and Highbury Studios. This was the first project he did with Islington Community Theatre. In January 2011, Kwaku was Assistant Director in a Project called A Drop to Drink in collaboration with The National Theatre Studio. It was a collective of six new short plays which were performed at The Soho Theatre.
In 2009, Kwaku Founded The K. Boateng Academy of Performing Arts, in Accra Ghana.
Alex Brown
Alex has directed new short plays at the Arcola, Theatre 503, The Old Vic and Waterloo East. Previous directing includes 13 Objects by Howard Barker, 5 Visions of the Faithful by Torben Betts, adaptations of material by Brecht and Christopher Marlowe and new devised plays. As assistant director he has worked at the Old Vic (24 Hour Plays: Celebrity Gala) Riverside Studios (Gotcha by Barrie Keeffe) and the Old Vic Tunnels (Platform). He runs schools workshops on directing for the Old Vic and is a script reader for the Royal Court.
Ola Ince
Ola Ince is currently Senior Reader at the Finborough Theatre. Previous direction includes: Far Away (The Studio, Rose Bruford), The Inconvenient Store (Tooting Hub), The Frame (Unicorn Theatre), The Island (Unicorn Theatre), Prettier Than Money (Sydenham Arts Festival), POP (Warehouse Theatre). She has worked as an Assistant Director for the Octagon Bolton, the Young Vic, Tristen Bates, The Kings Head Theatre and the RSC Fringe Festival. Ola graduated from Rose Bruford College with a first class honours BA in theatre Directing and is the current recipient of the Rose Bruford Directing Bursary.
Emily Lim
Emily is a director whose main interest is in working with young people and people with disabilities. She is currently directing the New Writing Showcase for Kids Company at the National Theatre Studio, and has previously directed at venues including: the Southwark Playhouse (as winner of Better Bankside Shakespeare Award 2010), Oxford Playhouse, Polka Theatre and Etcetera Theatre. She is a regular facilitator for the Southwark Playhouse Young Company, Half Moon Young People's Theatre, Peckham Shed and Scene & Heard. She has recently joined the creative team of Chicken Shed Kensington and Chelsea, a new inclusive theatre company which she will help to establish in Autumn 2011.
Tuan Ly
Tuan Ly trained in Drama and Physical Theatre at St. Mary's University College, Twickenham. He is a performer, director, workshop facilitator and movement practitioner, who has collaborated with a variety of practitioners and theatre companies. Tuan has performed within the UK, including at the Edinburgh Fringe, and in Europe. He is part of Lost Banditos Theatre Company, who returned from Portugal with their show As Loud as Silence earlier this year. His recent credits as Director, Assistant Director and Movement Director include work at The Point, Eastleigh, University of Surrey, Half Moon Young People's Theatre and the Oval House Theatre.
Paula B Stanic's play What's Lost won the 2008 Alfred Fagon Award (rehearsed reading, Royal Court Theatre). Her work includes 6 Minutes, part of the season 'Everything Must Go' (Soho Theatre) Pancras Boys Club co-written with Ben Musgrave and David Watson (Only Connect Theatre) and Monday The Emerge New Works Festival, (Red Ladder Theatre Company) Paula is currently one of the writers on A Drop to Drink (six pieces concerning water) Tangle International in collaboration with The National Theatre Studio, and is the 2010 Adrienne Benham Award Writer-on-Attachment at Theatre Centre.
Ben Musgrave's play Pretend You Have Big Buildings won first prize in the inaugural Bruntwood Prize, and was performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in July 2007. He has since written plays for the National Theatre, Y Touring, Only Connect, and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, and has written extensively both for young people and young performers. He also teaches creative writing at Westminster University.
Phil Porter's original plays include The Cracks In My Skin (winner of a Bruntwood prize), Stealing Sweets And Punching People, Skitterbang Island, The Flying Machine and Smashed Eggs (winner of The Children's Award). He has adapted several classic stories including Beauty And The Beast, Cinderella and Pinocchio. His work has been produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal Opera House, Manchester Royal Exchange, Northampton Theatre Royal, The Unicorn Theatre and in theatres in Australia, Europe and the United States.
Sheila White won the Alfred Fagan award for her first play Maid and went on to be commissioned by the Tricycle theatre. Throughout her ten year writing career Sheila has worked extensively with young people. Running workshops within theatres, youth projects and schools. Commissioned to write a play for the Stone Bridge Area Youth Project, worked with the Almeida Theatre , writing a play for one of their local schools and running playwriting workshops at the Royal Court Theatre. Sheila has just finished writing her first draft for Theatre Centre.
Michael Bhim is a playwright who has worked with the Royal Court Theatre, the Soho Theatre, The Tricycle, and Paines Plough. Recent collaborations include The Golden Hour with Tiata Fahodzi at the The Almedia, and the Royal Court as part of their Rough Cuts season. He is currently under commission to write new plays for the Royal Court and CUT. His radio play, Look Closer, was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in February 2010.


text: Hi, I'm trying to run a batch file to update my files via CVS. It works fine when I run it from terminal services, but when I try run it from an ASP file I get this: "C:\Program Files\TortoiseCVS\cvs.exe" "login" "-p password" Logging in to :pserver:noodles at cvs.example.com:2401:/cvsroot cvs.exe [login aborted]: Failed to store password Can anyone help me to resolve this? Thanks in advance Nick


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Loaner F30 335i spoiled me :(
Well I took my car into Classic BMW to get the software update on my F10 528i and they gave me a loaner 2012 335i sedan. Thus car completely spoiled me, the steering, ride, handling and above all the engine impressed the flip out of me. I am already looking at how to loose the least amount of money on a year old F10 lol.
Please talk me out of it I think it's just love at first drive :)
Btw the software update really makes the car better but that's for another thread.
I have not driven one, but here is my take on them. If you secretly wanted a four door sport car, the 335 is the way to go. But if you want a very competent sedan with good handling, but value a solid comfortable ride and nice surroundings, the 5 is the way to go.
If the 335 had been available with ventilated seats, I would have been very tempted myself. But I like the interior of the 5 probably twice as much as the 3. I was disappointed when I saw the all new 3. But from a sports car perspective I'm sure it is a hell of a lot more fun to drive.
I like sports cars (just sold a Z06 Corvette), but at the end of the day I live and drive the car in the Houston area where a sport car is something of a waste of money for a daily driver (I ride my motorcycles on the fun back roads on weekends).
Should have gotten a 535i, it could have been closer to the performance of the 335i. In a way, beside the performance, the F30 is in every way a notch below the F10.
This is so odd -- I just came over here to BF to post about the 335i Sedan (E90 even!) I have for a loaner during my software upgrade, and this thread is the first thing I see!
Anyway, I forgot how fun a smaller car with a big powerplant is -- I'm having a blast driving this little car. They can take as long as they want with my boring 5... :bawling:
The reason is the 528i is underpowered so the 335i seems a lot more responsive and agile.
I drove the F30 335i Sport on Saturday as part of the drive for Team USA event. I liked the car a lot, but I had no desire at all to own one. Much prefer my 550i.
I've still not driven the F30 but it's very encouraging to hear these reports from F10 owners with 328i and 335i loaners. Seems like BMW pulled up their pants with the F30. I can hardly wait to see what the new M3 will be like.
I disagree it's a notch below.
It's just a different car for a different mission.
Many view it as the ultimate.
It's been on the 10 Best list for years and is the "gold standard" in handling and drivability for a sports sedan.
I could see that happening. I had a 328 loaner and couldn't believe how slow it was. I can only imagine a 528. Not too mention I was only able to get 3 mpg more than my 550 in my normal commute. Probably because I had to keep the throttle down a lot to keep it going...
One could say that viewed through the framework of evaluating it against its peers, the F30 is actually a notch ABOVE the F10. THe F10 has been reviewed and ranked on par or below the A6, E class, M and GS in many areas and above in not as many, whereas the F30 is above it's competitors (A4, C class) in many more than it's below.
I have had a lot of seat time with both. You can't even compare the two. First of all the 335i out of the box is a drivers car. When you add sport package, or Msport, or 19 inch rims or go for future M3 it takes an already capable drivers car and turns it into a track tool.
The 5 series starts as a luxury car. It's much more refined, larger,civilized, and mature. In order to make it more of a drivers car you have to order a host of expensive options, then it becomes much more suited to aggressive driving. It's still not a spots car though, it's too big and you can't defy the laws of physics. Even the M5 with all it's power will still be much harder to maneuver on the track than an M3.
It's been said before but it bears repeating the 3 is a sports car with some luxury while the 5 is a luxury car with some sport. This was done on purpose, and considering how big the 3 and 5 have become, the 1 is the new 3 and the 3 is the new 5.
Personally I always felt my old E39 was just the right size for a performance and luxury sedan. When the E60 ariived I thought WTF? Look how much larger this thing is! But I ended up surrendering to the E60 in 2008. Now I own a F10 and the new 3 has my attention with it's larger size and solid performance. The new F30 is about the same size as the E39 with more rear seat room. The only thing that may stop me going with the F30 is I'll be 14 years older since owning the ole E39. BRAVO BMW!!!
I love my 535 and wouldn't give it up for the new 3...BUT, I am seriously considering the new M3 sedan when it comes out. This will be an addition to the fleet...the 535 has its advantages too so I'd keep both! :)
Yes, the 550 xi M-sport is a little boring
It's a great car...but it's not like my 2008 650i sport, which is gone. the 500xi is too big, too heavy, and not nimble enough. I'm not not blaming BMW: this is a small "7" and not the 5 of old. I think I need an M3 or a 911 next. Then again, I still have the Ducati MTS 1200 and the more boring 1200RT.
Anyone surprised why the OP preferred a lighter car with a stronger engine than a heavier car with a weaker powerplant? Duh...
If OP were coming from a 535 or 550 and got into a 335 loaner his experience would not be as exciting.
Even 535i and 550i driving experience is still below F30 335i. See my rant of F10 here after driving 335i.
F10 has 4 weak areas compared to F30:
F10 strong areas:
BTW BMW invented a genius 4 wheel steering that offsets the weight effect while cornering and gives you more cornering speed, but no body buys that option and then complains about the steering.
I honestly don't see anyone driving my car, and then saying they prefer a 335.
1 series does not come with 4 door. The selling point of BMW for me is always a sporty car that can accommodate 4 people comfortably.
If 4-door is not required, there are a lot of options such as porsche 911.
The 335 is nice but at 6 ft 2 I feel it is a tight fit for me. On the other hand I see tall folks driving them.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Bimmer App
I actually believe the 3 has more legroom than the 5, although the 5 is a bit wider.
Fortunately I appreciate the former more than the latter. :)
Wow, I'm not getting either of these complaints about the F30 or F10.
I don't find the front doors of the F10 to be short at all. I have no problems getting in. I'm 6'2" and sit pretty far rearward too (head even with the pillar.
Also, I have no issues with the F30, find it to have similar front legroom but narrower, as noted. But still comfortable.
6' 4" here and plenty of room for me in both models ...... not so much for the back seat passenger behind me ....
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Monday January 14th, 2013 - 3:33PM
NORTH PALM BEACH, FL—Driftwood Hospitality Management, based here, has completed the $9.5-million renovation of the Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square in Columbus, OH, the company's largest renovation to date.
"The Columbus market is ripe with potential and we believe this is a terrific market to invest in, as the economy begins to make a comeback," said David Buddemeyer, president of Driftwood, in a statement. "We are excited to complete an extensive renovation at this property and look forward to the response by the local community and guests."
The renovation of the 403-room hotel included upgrades to all interior spaces as well as a new flag under the Starwood brand.


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Venice arts reminder
The "14 Things To Watch in 2014" feature in your Jan. 1 edition was most interesting and informative.
There is another long-anticipated facility that is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014: The Venice Performing Arts Center, which is part of the Venice High School rebuild project. At long last a marvelous performance venue will be available to the high school and the community at large, including the Venice Symphony, Exsultate, and the Venice Concert Band.
Bill Millner, Director
Venice Concert Band
Alzheimer's funding
I was pleased to see the Herald-Tribune call for U.S. leadership in the effort to reach the G8's goal of stopping Alzheimer's by 2025.
It is critical that the U.S. lead by example and dramatically increase Alzheimer's research funding to a level commensurate with the size and scope of this disease, which touches 5.2 million Americans.
Already, the medical costs for Alzheimer's exceed those for heart disease or cancer, yet research funding is only 10-20 percent that for these other scourges.
Both the federal government and Florida state government are considering increasing these resources. Please join me in encouraging this much needed investment by our elected officials.
David Morgan, Ph.D.
CEO, USF Health
Byrd Alzheimer's Institute
A 'five-aspirin'
column by Will
George Will, the intellectual Rush Limbaugh, used to write amusing columns about the correct use of the English language but now he is again, as usual, misusing the language terribly by presenting distorted arguments to support his far-out conservative, political views on "Big Government."
But now he has gone around the bend completely. In Thursday's column "Ignorance and government," his always dense (five-aspirin) ramblings conclude that "Big Government" negates each citizen's vote because some of us are rendered politically ignorant by its complexity. He says this "undercuts democracy." And, he seems to endorse the idea that "leaving decisions to markets" would make the "will of the people" more meaningful. He would reduce voter ignorance by returning to a few simple issues like we had in the 19th century -- slavery, for example. Then government was small. Ah, the good old days! When every voter understood all the issues the government had to deal with and it was small, small.
Why can't Mr. Will suggest that we deal with the problem of voter ignorance and apathy by doing a better job of educating people about how government works and how it affects their lives? They might then be more motivated to learn more about today's complex issues. Instead, he makes it political.
Blaming "big government" for voter ignorance and thus "undercutting democracy" is preposterous. I wonder what he will write about next.
Guy Williams
A toast to downtown
Kudos to all who worked so hard for the downtown Sarasota New Year's Eve celebration!
Organizers, vendors, equipment suppliers, musicians, DJs, restaurants and bar help, Sarasota Police and Fire, and of course the city municipal workers who had the daunting task of cleaning up a party that rivaled Mardi Gras all deserve credit for their efforts to host a truly memorable evening.
An event with such broad appeal to young people, families with children, the retired, and so many out-of-town guests showcases why downtown Sarasota is a great amenity for the entire community, not just those fortunate enough to live within walking distance.
Great job everybody -- take a bow!
I love this town!
Thomas Fastiggi
Undecorated bayfront?
On my way to the Asolo theater during the holidays, I was stunned to see the total lack of Christmas lights and decorations around Sarasota's bayfront -- like none!
Sarasota can spend millions on so many useless endeavors but a few dollars for Christmas decorations on our prominent bayfront -- zippo!
St. Petersburg was beautifully decorated, as was Tampa. What happened to Sarasota?
Joan Webb
Gulfstream questions
How is it after taking years to debate and approve a parking garage on an obscure back street, outrage at a restaurateur on Main Street requesting a second level, almost rioting in the streets for considering a Walmart in a deserted shopping center off Ringling Boulevard, that Gretchen Schneider and her Sarasota city planners seem so eager to approve a massive project at the busy corner of Gulfstream Avenue and U.S. 41? As Schneider was quoted, "some conditions need to be met before final signoff -- just a few minor things."
Some of the things that need more consideration are the impact of a dense development on this already busy area; a deeper traffic study; and some public discussion before giving this Canadian developer full approval on this project.
Where will vehicles enter and exit the proposed development? The existing, narrow brick paved lane is already a nightmare for special events.
I'm a supporter of Sarasota growth but this project appears to be off the scale. Some say they need this density to justify their land cost ($40 million), but my answer is, they made that decision so why should the neighborhood suffer because they overpaid for the land.
Douglas Holder Sr.
Sunday letters
Venice arts reminder


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Today in History (1999): 'The Blair Witch Project' was Released2014-07-30 1 Share Tweet
Contemporary found footage and horror movie lists won't be without this one. Today marks the 15th anniversary of "The Blair Witch Project!"
It isn't among the pioneering examples of found footage film, yet "The Blair Witch Project" remains among the oft-cited, well-made examples of the genre. Directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, the movie was highly successful for an independent feature as it was not only an international box office hit but also praised both by the viewers and the critics. The movie even made the covers of Newsweek and Time magazines!
By all means fictional, "The Blair Witch Project" was promoted as a "true story." Supposedly, it shows the recovered footage shot by a group of three student filmmakers who went missing while filming a documentary about the infamous Blair Witch in Burkitsville, Maryland. The filmmakers were never found again, although their equipment and this video were.
Artisan Entertainment released "The Blair Witch Project" on this day in 1999, although it was already shown the previous year at the Sundance Festival. In marketing the film, a viral web-based campaign was employed – something that's common nowadays but at that time was viewed as groundbreaking. Also, the "true story" shtick was apparently so believable, it even led to people arguing about the movie's authenticity!
In any case, even though it has already been 15 years, "The Blair Witch Project" continues to send chills down the spines of those who watch it. To cap off this feature, we'll leave you with one of the most famous scenes from the movie. Spoiler alert!
All information in this article were sourced from History and Wikipedia (1, 2).
Like this article? Check out the Icons in Focus and Today in History series in the Lomography magazine!
written by chooolss on 2014-07-30 #videos #lifestyle #film #horror #movie #today-in-history #found-footage #the-blair-witch-project