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When I was at Microsoft we had one mission really with the whole Silverlight & WPF platform(s) – create a developer & designer workflow that keeps both parties working productively. It was a mission that i look back on even to this day with annoyance, because we never even came close to scratching the surface of that potential. Today, the problem still even with Adobe and Microsoft competitive battles in peace-time hasn't actually been solved – if anything it kind of got slightly compounded or fragmented more so.
Absorbing the failure and having to take a defensive posture over the past five years around how one manages to inject design into a code-base in the most minimal way possible, I've sort of settled into a pipeline of design that may hint at the potential of a solution (i say hint..).
The core problem.
Ever since I think 2004, I've never been able to get a stable process in place that enables a designer and developer to share & communicate their intended ideas in a way that ends up in production. Sure they end up something of a higher quality state but it was never really what they originally set out to build, it was simply a end result of compromises both technically and visually.
Today, its kind of still there lingering. I can come up with a design that works on all platforms and browsers but unless i sit inside the developer enclosure and curate my design through their agile process in a concentrated pixel for pixel way, it just simply ends up getting slightly mutated or off target.
The symptoms.
A common issue in the process happens soon after the design in either static form or in prototype form gets handed off to the developer or delivery team. They look at the design, dissect it in their minds back to whatever code base they are working on and start to iterate on transforming it from this piece of artwork into actual living interactive experience.
The less prescriptive I am in the design (discovery phase) the less likely i'll end up with a result that fits the way i had initially imagined it to begin with. Given most teams are also in an Agile way of life the idea that I have time or luxury of doing a "big up front" design rarely ever presents itself these days. Instead the ask is to be iterative and to design in chunking formations with the hope that once i've done my part its handed off to delivery and then it will come out unscathed, on time and without regression built in.
Nope. I end up the designer paying the tax bill on compromise, i'm the guy usually sacrificing design quality in lieu of "complexity" or "time" derived excuses.
I can sit here as most UX`ers typically do and wave my fist at "You don't get us UI and UX people" or argue about "You need to be around the right people" all i want but in truth this is a formula that gets repeated throughout the world. It's actually the very reason why ASP.NET MVC, WPF and Silverlight exist really – how do we keep the designer and developer separated in the hope they can come together more cleanly in design & development.
The actual root cause for this entire issue is right back at the tooling stage. The talent is there, the optimism is there but when you have two sets of tooling philosophies all trying to do similar or close to similar things it tends to kind of breed this area of stupidity. If for example i'm in Photoshop drawing a button on canvas and using a font to do so, well at the back my mind i realise that the chances of that font displaying on that button within a browser is less likely to happen then inside the tool – so i make compromises.
If i'm using a grid setting that doesn't match the CSS framework i'm working with, well, guess what one of us is about to have a bad day when it comes to the designer & developer convergence.
If i'm using 8px padding for my According Panel headers in WPF and the designs outside that aren't sharing the same constancy – well, again, someone's in for a bad day.
It's all about grids.
Obviously when you design these days a grid is used to help figure out portion allocation(s) but the thing is unless the tooling from design to development all share the same settings or agreed settings then you open yourself up from the outset to failure. If my grid is 32×32 and your CSS grid uses 30% and we get into the design hand over, well, someone in that discussion has to give up some ground to make it work ("lets just stretch that control" or "nope its fixed, just align it left…" etc start to arise).
Using a grid even at the wireframing stage can even tease out the right attitude as you're all thinking in terms of portion and sizing weights (t-shirt size everything). The wireframes should never be 1:1 pixel ready or whatever unit of measure you choose, they are simply there to give a "sense" of what this thing could look like, but it won't hurt to at least use a similar grid pattern.
T-shirt size it all.
Once you settle on a grid setting (column, gutters and N number of columns) you then have to really reduce the complexity back to simplicity in design. Creating T-shirt sizes (small, medium, large etc) isn't a new concept but have you even considered making that happen for spacing, padding, fonts, buttons, textinputs, icons etc etc.
Keeping things simple and being able to say to a developer "Actually try using a medium button there when we get to that resolution" is at the very least a vocabulary that you can all converse in and understand. Having the ability to say "well, maybe use small spacing between those two controls" is not a guessing game, its a simple instruction that empowers the designer to make an after-design adjustment whilst at the same time not causing code-headaches for the developer.
Color Palettes aren't RGB or Hex.
Simplicity in the language doesn't end with T-shirt sizing it also has to happen with the way we use colors. Naming colors like ClrPrimaryNormal, ClrPrimaryDark, ClrPrimaryDarker, ClrSecondaryNormal etc help reduce the dependency of getting bogged down into color specifics whilst at the same time giving the same adjustment potential as the T-shirt sizes had as well – "try using ClrBrandingDarker instead of ClrBrandingLight". If the developer is also color blind as in no they are actually colorblind, this instruction also helps as well.
Tools need to be the answer.
Once you sort the typography sizing, color palette and grid settings well you're now on your way to having a slight chance of coming out of this design pipeline unscathed but the problem hasn't still been solved. All we have done really is created a "virtual" agreement between how we work and operate but nothing really reinforces this behavior and the tools still aren't being nice with one another as much as they could be.
If i do a design in say Adobe tools I can upload them to their creative cloud quite quickly or maybe even dropbox if have it embedded into my OS. However my developer team uses Visual Studio's way of life so now i'm at this DMZ style area of annoyance. On one hand i'm very keep to give the development team assets they need to have but at the same time i don't want to share my source files and much the same way they have with code. We need to figure out a solution here that ticks each others boxes as sure i can make them come to my front door – cloud or dropbox. That will work i guess, but they are using github soon so i guess do i install some command line terminal solution that lets me "Push" artwork files into this developer world?
There is no real "bridge" and yet these two set of tools has been the dogma of a lot teams lives of the better part of 10 years, still no real bridge other then copy & paste files one by one.
For instance if you were to use the aforementioned workflow and you realize at the CSS end that the padding pixels won't work then how do you ensure everyone see's the latest version of the design(s)? it realises heavily on your own backwater bridge process.
My point is this – for the better part of 10 years i've been working hard to find a solution for this developer / designer workflow. I've been in the trenches, i've been in the strategy meetings and i've even been the guy evangelizing but i'm still baffled as to how I can see this clear linear workflow but the might of Adobe, Microsoft, Google, Apple and Sun just can't seem to get past the developer focused approach.
Developers aren't ready for design because the tools assume the developer will teach the designer how to work with them. The designer won't go to the developer tools because simply put they have low tolerance for solutions that have an overburden of cognitive load mixed with shitty experiences.
5 years ago had we made Blend an intuitive experience that built a bridge between us and Adobe we'd probably be in a different discussion about day to day development. Instead we competed head-on and sent the entire developer/designer workflow backwards as to this day i still see no signs of recovery.


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David Mirete: Black Sheep
David Mirete is a photographer based in Alicante, Spain. After many years living in a big city, David returned to the area where he grew up. The years away gave him a new appreciation for the immense beauty of the area. Learn more.
260 x 340 mm (300 x 380 mm with border)
Print type:
Giclée print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper
Signed certificate of authenticity included. Limited to an edition of 20 prints.
Framing not included. Once your order is received we will reach out with framing options.
In stock

subset: commoncrawl


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Piece of Historic Fence Stolen
A century-old iron fence was damaged over the March 17-18 weekend outside the Sprague Apartments near 14th Street and Jayhawk Boulevard.
A five-foot section also was removed as well as some additional ornamental iron pillars. KU Endowment officials are requesting that the pieces be returned, no questions asked, so the fence can become whole again. The fence runs along the south sidewalk of 14th Street.
The only way to mend the historic fence without the pieces would be to have custom castings made of the fence; a solution that is less than ideal. Monte Soukup, senior vice president for property management at KU Endowment, is hoping to have the pieces returned to maintain the integrity of the fence.
The police report listed loss and damage at $10,000. The endowment association owns Sprague Apartments, a facility for retired faculty members.
If you have information about the missing fence, please contact Endowment's Soukup at 785-832-7435.


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Interiorscape Forum / Scaper Talk Discussion Forum / Sales and Marketing / Photo imaging
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|Posted: 18 Jan 2011 20:07
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We are contemplating purchasing the CD Plants program from Tropical computers for photo imaging, etc. Has anyone used this program? Worth the investment? Ease of use. please let us know
Thanks and wonderful to have this site back up!
|Posted: 18 Jan 2011 20:09
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The CD images are great to work with, different resolutions for different tasks (digital presentations, brochures, e-mail photos, etc.). I don't know what image-editing software is included these days, but call Tom Creeden or Dr. Joe Cialone and ask before you buy...they are both top-notch at supporting the product.
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The Parks Concert Series 2014 Season to Kick Off with D.C. Anderson, Raissa Katona Bennett and More, 5/28
The 7th Season of The Parks Concert Series, (formerly The Concert for City Greens), a free outdoor concert series, commences on Wednesday, May 28th at 6:30 pm (Rain date: Thursday, May 29th at 6:30pm.) at Tudor City Greens, and will feature professional performers from Broadway and the New York City cabaret, jazz, classical and opera scene. All performers donate their time and talent for these concerts. The concert will be hosted by Tudor City resident, Broadway and cabaret veteran Raissa Katona Bennett.
This concert will feature Broadway Veteran (Phantom of the Opera) and Award Winning Songwriter, D.C. ANDERSON, Bistro Award Winning Singer/Songwriter, NATHAN CHANG, Recording Artist, PEGGY EASON, Julie Wilson Award Winning Singer, SHANA FARR, Cellist & Composer, ADAM FISHER and Bistro Award Winning Pianist & NPR Host, JON WEBER.
This concert will also feature an original song written by DAVID INGBER and arranged by Broadway Musical Director (Kinky Boots/The Book of Mormon), BRIAN USIFER in celebration of MANHATTANHENGE.
Host RAISSA KATONA BENNETT, Broadway's "Christine" in Phantom of the Opera and MAC & Bistro Award Winner, welcomes back series regulars, MAC & Bistro Award Winner TERESE GENECCO as sidekick & drummer, MAC & Bistro Award Winner & Windham Hill Recording Artist SEAN HARKNESS on guitar, Composer & Recording Artist, JONATHAN SARAGA on Trumpet, Recording Artist & Arranger MATT SCHARFGLASS on bass, and MAC Award Winning Composer, Pianist & Musical Director, BILL ZEFFIRO.


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Hugely successful week ends on a high
UP to 1,500 business people attended the recent Fingal Enterprise Week with information and advice which will help their development and ultimately lead to job creation.
Organised by Fingal County Enterprise Board, 15 major events held during the week attracted owner/managers of small businesses and people interested in starting a business from Fingal and beyond. A range of seminars and panel discussions provided invaluable information and opportunities to entrepreneurs.
Some 200 people gathered at the opening event, 'Working in a Digital Age' at the Carlton Hotel, Dublin Airport, which focussed on how the online era is changing the shape of business. Wednesday was another busy day, with owners and managers being put through their paces at the 'Business Start-Up Bootcamp' at the Hilton Hotel Dublin Airport, ' Business Start-Up Evening Clinics' and ' Fingal Women in Business' event in Swords. The week concluded with 'My Biggest Challenges' in Sutton and 'National 50+ Enterprise Day', which attracted delegates from across Ireland to Blanchardstown.
Oisin Geoghegan, CEO of Fingal County Enterprise Board said: 'We were delighted that many larger companies including IBM, Paypal and Keelings bought into Fingal Enterprise Week, by sharing their skills and expertise with smaller business owners and managers. Many successful entrepreneurs including Nicola Byrne from 11890 and Tom Keogh from Keoghs Crisps shared the secrets of their success with practical advice and key tips to new and fledgling companies.' Mr Geoghegan added: ' The week was all about stimulating enterprise with the aim of creating new jobs and promoting opportunities in the region.
The week featured a series of practical seminars and interactive sessions on starting up a business, taxation, communications, exporting, digital media and many more topics from a range of top drawer speakers and panellists. But another important aspect was networking, sharing information and developing contacts, linking thousands of businesses together.' Fingal County Enterprise Board provides ongoing training programmes in a range of areas for small businesses. Further information is available at www.fingalceb.ie


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Kanye West to Perform Secret Show at SXSW?
The annual Austin, Texas music conference known as SXSW is infamous for its surprise concerts, and each year rumors abound regarding potential secret shows and surprise on-stage collaborations.
This year's big rumor is that Kanye West will be playing the festival, and a new video link — tweeted by the established @SXSWPartyList earlier today — supports this theory, though details are still sketchy.
The 30-second video has been uploaded by a newly created account, 1981HillHenry, and has been cryptically-titled only 'Power Station.'
The clip begins with the following flyover text, "March 19, Midnight, Vevo Power Station, Austin, Texas," which is then followed by the unmistakeable opening notes of West's 'Runaway' single from his latest album 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,' the sound of a cheering crowd, and a brief flash of lights.
Abstruse as the clip may be, it seems highly unlikely that VEVO, the music video website which hosts all of Kanye's officially licensed music videos, could be hinting at anything short of a live event at midnight in Austin. Perhaps at the Seaholm Power Plant? Let us know what you think, and let the rumors fly.


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Corrugated steel is a "practical, useful material," says McCurry, "especially when building around the great lakes or ocean, where you get a lot of wind-driven sand." She specs McElroy raw galvanized steel siding for projects such as this one, but also likes the product painted white and respects the longevity of McElroy's Kynar 500 coatings. McElroy Metal, 888.245.3696; www.mcelroymetal.com.
Margaret L. McCurry
tigerman mccurry architects


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Difference Between DUI and DWI
Both DUI and DWI refer to operating a motor vehicle while impaired by either illegal drugs or alcohol. The biggest difference between the two terms is what the letters stand for. DWI is an acronym for driving while intoxicated or impaired, while DUI stands for driving under the influence. Throughout the US, the laws vary regarding how DUI and DWI are dealt with.
According to a 2006 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, published in the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) website:
- 16,885 people in the U.S. died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes, representing 39% of all traffic-related deaths.
- Nearly 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That's less than one percent of the 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol–impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.
- Drugs other than alcohol (e.g., marijuana and cocaine) are involved in about 18% of motor vehicle driver deaths. These other drugs are generally used in combination with alcohol.
- Male drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes are almost twice as likely as female drivers to be intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or greater. It is illegal to drive with a BAC of 0.08% or higher in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
- At all levels of blood alcohol concentration, the risk of being involved in a DUI car accident is greater for young people than for older people. Sixteen present of drivers ages 16 to 20 who died in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking alcohol.
- Young men ages 18 to 20 (under the legal drinking age) reported driving while impaired more frequently than any other age group.
- Among motorcycle drivers killed in fatal crashes, 30% have BACs of 0.08% or greater.
- Nearly half of the alcohol-impaired motorcyclists killed each year are age 40 or older, and motorcyclists ages 40 to 44 years have the highest percentage of fatalities with BACs of 0.08% or greater.
- Of the 1,946 traffic fatalities among children ages 0 to 14 years, 21% involved alcohol.
- Among drivers involved in fatal crashes, those with BAC levels of 0.08% or higher were nine times more likely to have a prior conviction for driving while impaired (DWI) than were drivers who had not consumed alcohol.
Some states differentiate between a DUI and DWI, where DUI charges are considered the lesser charge. In these states, a DUI usually signifies a lesser degree of intoxication, which is determined by a person's blood alcohol level at the time of arrest. Sometimes, states will allow the charges of a DWI to be reduced to a DUI with the help of a drunk driving defense attorney.
For some states, like Virginia and New Jersey, there is no difference between a DUI and DWI. In Minnesota, on the other hand, there is technically no such thing as a DUI because they only use the term DWI (types of DWI's). The distinction for the federal government is drawn based on severity. A DWI is issued when the blood alcohol content (BAC) is over the 0.08 limit, whereas a DUI is a less severe term, given when a person's BAC is under 0.08.
Learn more about DUI and DWI.


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The Markle Foundation has issued a statement (Word) on ICANN reform for submission to the US hearings on ICANN held on June 12, 2002 (see "US Congressional Testimony on ICANN").
One sees lots of criticism in the press and elsewhere about the deployment of 3G mobile systems. This paper (Word, PDF) by Audrey Selian of the ITU provides some good perspective on the historical development of GSM and how we are moving to IMT-2000 (3G) mobile systems. Not surprisingly, there were plenty of GSM naysayers in its early days, just as there are today for IMT-2000 systems.
Reuters is reporting on British engineers who have have invented a revolutionary tooth implant that works like a mobile phone. The 'tooth phone', designed by James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau, consists of a tiny vibrator and a radio wave receiver implanted into a tooth during routine dental surgery. Even more bizarre, this comes at the same time that Reuters is reporting studies that show that mobile phone radiation can cause changes in human cells that might affect the brain.
From the myth-bashing department: Reason has an interview with Larry Lessig. In this interview, he repeats his arguments from his book, The Future of Ideas, concerning his views on the importance of the "end-to-end design principle", repeating a common mantra of Internet techies, who argue that the Internet is obviously a superior design to the telephone network because "the intelligence is at the end nodes and not inside the network". These theories are blindly parroted and even applied to cyber-political theory, typically as variations of David S. Isenberg's stupid network theme. Showing that the populist view often does not bear scrutiny, in this posting back in March 2000 on the Cybertelecom-L mailing list (no archives), Fred Goldstein takes the opposite view and argues convincingly, that on the contrary, "The telephone network has even more content-neutrality than the Internet, because as a circuit-switched network, it has zero visibility of the bearer channels. Once the call's set up, bits is bits. No firewalls, censorware, caches, or other content-invasive intermediaries a la the Internet as people tend to see it nowadays. Thus the amount of intelligence in the Internet's switches (routers) is many orders of magnitude above what goes into a telephone switch, even a huge one."
Whoops, so much for the stupid network theory...
The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), a regional intergovernmental telecommunication organization, in its preparation of common proposals to the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, 23 September - 18 October 2002, includes a proposal from APT members concerning the Role of Member Administrations in the Management of Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) and Addresses (Word), which would include an instruction to the ITU Secretary-General to promote effectively the role of Member States in the internationalization of domain names and address of their respective languages.
The ITU-T is organizing a workshop on IP and Optical networks in Chitose, Japan from 9-11 July 2002. Participation is open to non ITU-T members. The relevant ITU-T Study Groups (SG13 and SG15) have made available their respective general work plans for IP networks (Word, PDF) and Optical Transport Networks.
Every dial you take. The FBI is asking for more information about what you do on the phone, and no one is saying no. [Salon.com]. On a related note, remember that VeriSign recently announced the somewhat unusually-named NetDiscovery Service "enabling carriers to meet June 30 CALEA Deadline with Minimum Expense", taking "full advantage of VeriSign's core expertise in security and bridges our telecom, PKI, and IP network assets".
ICANN has posted a list of 11 applications received for .org reassignment [ICANN Announcements]
This Internet-draft from Neustar staff is a great primer on numbering portability in the Public/Global Switched Telephone Network (PSTN/GSTN). Service provider portability, meaning the ability to switch service providers and retain existing numbering resources, is an important component of any pro-competitive telecom market liberalization. The concepts behind number portability, preventing service lock-in, is what made the IAHC propose a similar model for the generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) marketplace back in 1996 (as well as the pioneering work of Nominet in the split registry/registrar model). As an original member of the IAHC who pushed for this, there are times, five years later, when I wonder whether the regulatory costs of mandating portability and overseeing a large number of competing registrars are worth it.
[New York Times: Technology]: Telecom Outlook: First the Bad News, Then the Bad News. In light of a wave of bad news last week, some analysts say the telecommunications industry's problems could become worse before they become better. "This confluence of negative news, combined with the languishing bankruptcy proceedings of Global Crossing and persistent concern over giants like WorldCom, have prompted some analysts to forecast a more severe crisis in the industry, which has already endured the erasing of an estimated $2 trillion in the market value of its constituent companies since the telecommunications slump began about two years ago."
George Gilder listened to the technology, and became guru of the telecosm. The markets listened to his newsletter, and followed him into the Global Crossing abyss. [Wired]. "None exemplifies Gilder's rise and fall more than Global Crossing, which filed for bankruptcy - the fourth-largest ever - in January. Even in a portfolio of flops, the scope and depth of this particular debacle stands out. ... I would've been willing to bet my house against it." In effect he did. Just a few years ago, he was the toast of Wall Street and commanded as much as $100,000 per speech. Now, he confesses, he's broke and has a lien against his home."
U.N. Conference Says Digital Divide Still Growing. The digital divide between rich and poor countries is growing despite the many efforts to help developing nations break into the global economy via computers. "Some countries have prospered while others have fallen behind,'' said Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of the Geneva-based International Telecommunications Union. "If we do not take any action, the gap between the information 'haves' and 'have nots' will continue to grow.'' Utsumi said "information poverty'' remained a reality for much of the world. More than 80 countries had fewer than 10 telephone lines for every 100 inhabitants. And in three out of five countries, fewer than one out of 100 people used the Internet, he said. [New York Times: Technology]
There's been considerable debate on the IETF main discussion list about whether it'd be appropriate to deploy a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) on top of the Internet Domain Name System (DNS). As there is no single rooted deployed PKI system with a single root certificate authority (CA), this has lead to a deeper debate about what really is the right underlying model: the single root as argued for the DNS in RFC 2826 or some form of cross-recognition scheme across roots as pursued in the PKI world. (As background, this ITU paper from 1999 explains why there exists widely different approaches to PKI). The debate has deftly exposed a fundamental inconsistency in people's reasoning: there is wide acceptance of multiple root CAs but total intolerance of a multiple rooted DNS. In this post, Peter Deutsch was brave enough to point out the logical fallacy of holding both views simultaneously.
ITU has issued a press release: World Leaders must shape the direction of the 'Information Society'; United Nations General Assembly told that 'global strategy' needed, in preparation for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which will be held under the high patronage of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, with ITU taking the lead role in preparations. The first phase will be held in Geneva 10-12 December 2003 and the second phase in Tunis in 2005. "The transformation to the Information Society is every bit as profound as the movement from agrarian to industrial societies and just as in the past, such change has led to winners and losers. ' Some countries have prospered, while others have fallen behind,' Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, told the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. ' If we do not take any action. The gap between the information 'haves' and 'have nots' will continue to grow.'
[BBC]: Privacy worries fuel domain name concerns. Nominet, the .uk top level domain administrator, plans to introduce changes in its whois.
Europa Press is reporting (Spanish) on the deliberate sabotage of telecommunication networks in the Madrid, Spain area. Spain's Telecommunications Committee has asked that security contingency plans be put immediately into effect. Spanish consumer and user associations have also joined in expressing their concern about the interruption of fundamental services.
The Australian has news about advances in quantum teleportation at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. Using a process known as quantum entanglement, the researchers have disassembled a laser at one end of an optical communications system and recreated a replica a metre away. "The applications of teleportation for computers and communications over the next decade are very exciting" says physicist Ping Koy Lam, leader of the project. Some web pages at ANU explain some of the background on quantum teleportation.
New TLD Evaluation Process Planning Task Force Issues Draft Final Report, Invites Comment [ICANN Announcements]
Legal Scholar Michael Geist, Commentator Lauren Weinstein, and ICANN counsel Joe Sims have engaged in a short debate on ICANN Reform on Dave Farber's IP mailing list and Declan McCullagh's Politech mailing list. It's an interesting read. Here's the exchange so far: (1) Geist post; (2) Sims Reply; (3) Geist Rebuttal; (4) Weinstein Comment; and (5) Joe Sims Reply to Weinstein. [icann.Blog]
The end of the revolution. "Ruling the Root" documents the sorry tale of how the Internet was brought to heel. [Salon.com]
ICANN's Internationalized Domain Name Committee has posted two new discussion documents:
This comes after the recent announcement from VeriSign that they're getting ready launch some IDN resolution services on June 24, 2002. Some more details are in this ICANNWatch article.
The ICANN Protocol Supporting Organization (PSO) General Assembly 2002 will take place on Wednesday afternoon, 19 June 2002, starting at 16:00 CET, at ITU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, in conjunction with the ITU-T-Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group Meeting (17-21 June, 2002). The meeting will be webcast.
The mobile operator O2 is launching the XDA, an integrated phone and PDA based on the Pocket PC operating system with support for General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). It's already available in the Netherlands according to Infosync. Infosync has an article on the XDA's Action Engine service framework which offers a browser-like interface to various operator services.
Ebone staff have announced that they've got a two week reprieve to keep their network operations going.
ITU-T Study Group 15, ITU-T's lead study group on optical networks, has agreed on a new global standard for Metro Optical Fibre Networks that will expand the use of Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) in metropolitan networks.
Update on KPNQwest bankruptcy on Total Telecom: Key European, U.S. groups to bid for parts of KPNQwest network. Update on Ebone: Since June 6, 2002, the employees of Ebone (part of KPNQwest) have occupied the European Network Operations Centre in Hoeilaart, Belgium and are maintaining the Ebone network on an unpaid basis. Their web site provides a running update on the state of things.
The days when being on an airplane meant being out of contact with the office are soon over. Boeing has already signed up Lufthansa and British Airways to provide its broadband Internet Connexion service on commercial flights, using leased satellite transponders. Inmarsat is rolling out a similar service.
VeriSign lays plans for foreign domains. [The Register]
The European Commission yesterday refused to give the green light to the renegotiation of third generation mobile phone licences - despite pressure from the cash-strapped industry. However, Brussels left the door open to some licence changes in exceptional circumstances. It estimates European telecommunications companies have spent some 110bn ($104bn) in acquiring the 3G licences. [FT]
Nearly 200 of the world's leading mobile operators, device and network suppliers, information technology companies and content providers have announced the formation of a the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA).
New Architect Magazine has a pessimistic editorial view on ENUM. "Of course, no matter what the preferences, marketers are bound to abuse the directory just as they have the phone book, the Whois database, and any other public list of contact information." This echoes similar comments made by INTUG on ENUM: "The success of ENUM... will rely on millions of individuals being willing and enthusiastic about entering their details and maintaining their accuracy. Central to this will be confidence in the security and privacy of the records. If, as might happen, they are the subject of identity theft, of yet more junk mail or are the basis for slamming, then the systems will quickly be brought into disrepute and fail."
The International Telecommunication Users Group (INTUG) has posted a submission it has made to ITU-T Study Group 3 concerning Termination of international calls to mobile networks. The executive summary claims:
CNN has an article on the deployment of 3G systems in Asia: "People have long been hearing about the brave new world of "3G" or "third-generation" technology, which enables users to take photographs, play full-color games or browse the Internet, all on a cell phone." 3G is part of ITU's IMT-2000 initiative, a vision of global wireless access in the 21st century.
Bret Fausett, who writes [icann.Blog], has written an insightful piece on what he would tell the US Congress if asked to testify in its hearings on ICANN on June 12, 2002. "The Internet's DNS is, and always will be, an international resource; if you try to nationalize it, it will slip through your fingers forever." The contrast with a stance reported today in Reuters "U.S. Should Control Internet Body, Senator Says" couldn't be more striking.
A U.S. senator said he would try to rein in the group that oversees the Internet's traffic system, calling for a more direct U.S. government role in the ostensibly international and independent body. [Reuters]. Also see related article on ICANNWatch with links to the witness list for a US Congressional hearing on June 12, 2002, as well as a real-time streaming feed of the hearing.
Phone handsets get Nintendo-style games capabilities. [The Register] Update: I didn't know about the Mobile Games Interoperability Forum (MGIF) which is supported by the IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (IEEE-ISTO). I learned about them in this Powerpoint presentation given at a recent ITU-T Informal Forum Summit.
Wind-up calls without the stress: "The wind-up radio, invented by the UK's Trevor Baylis, has become an icon of benign technology. Beloved of environmentalists and design gurus alike, it has already shifted over 3m units worldwide. Now the company that bought the idea from Baylis has moved into the mobile phone market" This month, Freeplay will launch a wind-up mobile phone charger... [Guardian]
Slashdot is reporting in its article KPNQWest Admins Keep Bankrupt Network Running on how some dedicated staff are keeping the KPNQwest network running (but for how long?). See the earlier article on this: "KPNQwest Crisis and a lesson about Critical Network Infrastructure". Some of the NOC folks have got some web pages up to show they're doing their best.
Salon has an article Getting a lock on broadband discussing how the regulatory environment in the United States is shifting vis-à-vis broadband. [Salon.com]
Mobilennium, the on-line newsletter of the UMTS Forum, reports in its June 2000 issue, on the debates in the UMTS Forum about a mobile-specific Internet top level domain (M-TLD). The article also mentions ENUM. The newsletter report is somewhat more positive than the 60 page initial internal report entitled Benefits and Drawbacks of Introducing a Dedicated Top Level Domain within the UMTS Environment (2 page executive summary also available). The report indicates that at this time "a majority of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) were reluctant to favour the concept". This follows reporting in an ICANNWatch article on a .gprs top level domain being used for the private DNS of a GPRS Roaming Exchange (GRX) network.
In follow-up to my piece yesterday related to the last call on the IETF approach to implementing internationalized domain names, the Chinese Domain Name Consortium (CDNC), set up by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), Taiwan Network Information Center (TWNIC), Hong Kong Network Information Center (HKNIC) and Macau Network Information Center (MONIC), has rejected the approach taken by the IETF in the following statement:
Currently, IETF IESG has begun Last Call on the set of core documents IDNA+NAMEPREP+PUNYCODE of IDN WG, but the architecture of IDN defined in the above three documents does not solve the traditional and simplified Chinese character variant problem: its a half-baked solution for Chinese users. That will cause serious delegation problem in the application of Chinese Domain Name.
IETF IDN WG does not solve Chinese Domain Name technical problems. Under the current condition, if IETF approves these IDN drafts without publishing any complementary documents simultaneously, registrars will open Chinese Domain Name registration without considering the requirements of Chinese Domain Name and Chinese Domain Name will fall into confusion. This will damage Chinese Internet community seriously.
Whats more, it stands a good chance that software vendors will not deploy or modify client software to support IDN too, because the current so-called IDN solution is a defective solution, which will be widely against end users, administrators and Chinese Internet communities, and bring them into much trouble.
For those who don't understand this problem (called the TC/SC equivalence problem), here's a greatly simplified explanation. Some languages, like Chinese, have more than one script: for example, traditional Chinese (TC), which is used in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and simplified Chinese (SC), which is generally used in mainland China (although the Chinese also use the traditional script in some cases). Most Chinese can recognize the origin of the simplified script as it orginates in the traditional more cursive characters. It is argued by some that there should be an equivalence between Chinese domain names whether in traditional or simplified scripts and therefore they should resolve to the same entity. To understand the thoughts behind this argument, see this Internet draft.
NTT DoCoMo announced that it will begin selling the FOMA P2002 3G mobile phone equipped for DoCoMo's i-motion video clip distribution service on June 13, 2002. The i-motion service enables compatible FOMA handsets to download audio/video content at up to 384 Kbps (uplink at 64 Kbps) from sites accessed via DoCoMo's official portal. The model has a 2.2-inch, 65,536-color TFD LCD.
The Economist has a good piece on how the US high-tech industry is getting cosier with government and notes that the "free-wheeling, libertarian stance of the industry, always somewhat hypocritical, has been changing since the mid-1990s". Eli Noam pointed this out back in July 1997 in his wonderful opinion piece in the New York Times: An Unfettered Internet? Keep Dreaming.
Is there a bottom in the telecoms onslaught? The sudden collapse of KPNQwest, who operated a large pan-European data network carrying an estimated 25-30% of Europe's IP traffic is a hot topic of discussion on Total Telecom. The collapse is going to have an unknown impact on Internet infrastructure and connectivity within Europe and internationally. Ebone and GTS, who KPNQwest acquired only in March 2002, appear to be casualties.
The rapid collapse of KPNQwest provides an interesting lesson vis-à-vis contingency planning of critical network infrastructure. Besides the large numbers of customers who'll be left stranded or scrambling for new providers, KPNQwest's infrastructure provided DNS services (secondaries through ns.eu.net*) for a number of Internet country code top level domains (ccTLDs). Those ccTLDs may need to rapidly find out whether they have enough distributed secondaries if ns.eu.net vanishes. Update: RIPE NCC has made an agreement with KPNQwest to temporarily take over the hosting of ns.eu.net.
This reminds me that less than a year ago there was a partial unavailability of one of the Internet's master root name servers, namely c.root-servers.net, located in PSInet's network infrastructure, when a large backbone provider, Cable & Wireless, disconnected PSINet's peering connections because they no longer met C&Ws requirements. The result was that C&W customers were unable to reach that root name server until the peering arrangement was reinstated.
*EUnet was acquired by Qwest in 1999 before KPNQwest was created.
Thousands of recently registered "dot-name" domains violate regulations governing the new Web addresses, according to a study released by Ben Edelman of Harvard's Berkman Center For Internet & Society. Also see the related article in the Washington Post.
The Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG) started last week its last call for comments on the results of the Internationalized Domain Name working group standardization activities. There are three related Internet drafts:
Internationalizing Domain Names In Applications (IDNA)http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-idn-idna-09.txt
Nameprep: A Stringprep Profile for Internationalized Domain Nameshttp://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-idn-nameprep-10.txt
Punycode: An encoding of Unicode for use with IDNAhttp://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-idn-punycode-02.txt
The thrust of the working group's hotly debated approach is to maintain an underlying ASCII representation, based on using "Punycode": an encoding technique that uniquely and reversibly transforms Unicode (an encoding of the world's language scripts) into ASCII strings. For an overview on why this particular approach was taken and how it works, see the ITU's briefing paper from its December 2001 joint seminar with WIPO on multilingual domain names. It should be emphasized that even when a technical standard emerges, it will be the beginning of a very long process. In fact, the policy and coordination issues are likely to be even more daunting than the already contentious technical work. ICANN's IDN committee has produced a related discussion paper but I think if anything, they've greatly underestimated the issues that are likely to arise. Update: It didn't take long to confirm that last statement: see follow-up Chinese Domain Name Consortium Reject IETF Approach.
ICANN's Evolution and Reform Committee has published its recommendations for ICANN 2.0. [icann.Blog]
The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) is discussing the policy and regulatory issues related to the implementation of ENUM in Australia. A study group was established in Australia by the ACA to look at the implications and possibilities of ENUM in the Australian telecommunications environment. To that end, a meeting was held last week in Melbourne. In a recent article, Telstra's Geoff Huston's has given his views on ENUM.
For those of us who use both a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and a mobile phone, the Holy Grail is a single integrated device. I've always wondered which side of the market would drive convergence of devices. On the one hand, the Palm OS and Windows Pocket PC devices have slick intuitive user interfaces with thousands of applications. On the other hand, the market clout and distribution channels of the major mobile handset manufacturers (e.g., Nokia, Motorola, Ericsson) suggested they could eventually dominate. So I kept my eye out for the perfect personal device hoping that this would suggest which sector would eventually be in the driver's seat. When Ericsson released their R380 smartphone, based on the Symbian platform and an innovative new form factor, I thought this might be a winner. Ericsson kindly lent to me one of the first versions but I finally put it aside. Despite its definite coolness factor it was still too large to comfortably carry around, somewhat too fragile and the software crashed too often. Later, when Handspring announced their Treo communicator and I read some glowing reviews, I thought this might be my perfect device. However, after seeing and handling one I still wasn't convinced. Something still wasn't quite right.
I had noticed during my trips to Asia that handsets in those markets are small, beautifully made and often hang around necks on cords - they're more like fashion accessories than phones. Slowly, it's been dawning on me that the perfect personal device is more about form factor and quality than anything. Last year, I was in Stockholm and met with Göran Skyttval, Ericsson's Director of 2G and 3G Terminals and Applications. I explained to him the "quality" problems I had experienced with my R380 and we got onto the general topic of quality in manufacturing as well as specifically with respect to handsets. Interestingly, Göran had just come back from a stint in Japan where he was in charge of Ericsson's i-mode handset development for the Japanese market. Now anyone who has had to do business in Japan knows that the average Japanese consumer is very demanding about quality, packaging and design. In fact, many companies have had to completely redesign and repackage their products for the Japanese market. Göran discussed with me these Japanese concepts of quality and demonstrated subtle differences such as in the texture of materials. He explained how he was trying to introduce these higher standards into Ericsson's handset manufacturing. Subsequent to our meeting, Sony and Ericsson combined their handset manufacturing and marketing.
This is a round-about way to say that I think I've experienced directly the results of Göran's efforts. My latest personal device, the Sony Ericsson T39m, is beautifully made, synchronizes with my contact list and calendar in Outlook/Exchange, provides GSM tri-band support, has a POP3 email client, T9 predictive text input, Bluetooth, GPRS, a long-life battery, and best of all, it has a small and elegant form factor which just feels right. It fits in any pocket and really is the first device that I don't mind having with me anywhere, anytime. So the T39m has my vote as the current perfect personal device. Bravo to Ericsson.
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And the roses in this grand ol stadium are once again Crimson! - Eli Gold, Jan 7th, 2010
Alabama wasnt just dominating Monday night. They were some word that has yet to be invented in the English language. - Aaron Torres, Jan 10th, 2012
"If this was a prize fight, they'd call it off!" - Brent Musberger, Jan 7th, 2013
"Alabama, back on top of the College Football world!" - Chris Fowler, Jan 11th, 2016
I didn't watch much of the rose bowl, thanks for the info.
Loved the shots they just showed of the Bama tailgate party outside the stadium in Mobile.


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Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind DVD
From the director of Spirited Away
After a war, the princess of a seaside kingdom leads her people in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth in Hayao Miyazaki's stunning animated classic. See more
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Magic in the details...
Make every night family movie night! From the latest releases to our most beloved classics, you'll find one of the largest selections of your favorite movies and TV shows all in one place. Shop our Magical Movie Collection today and build your library of timeless entertainment the whole family will enjoy.
Express shipping not available for this item. This item cannot be shipped internationally or outside the contiguous United States. It can only be shipped to a physical address, not to a P.O. Box, APO or FPO address. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.
Extra Extra
Tech Specs:
- Presentation: Widescreen
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Primary Language: English, French, Japanese
- Sound: Dolby Digital 2.1, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.1
- Subtitled: French, English SDH
- Running Time: 117 minutes
- For Region 1 use (US and Canada) only
- Rating: PG


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M-Sr Account Service Rep - Yakima, WAAPPLY NOW
This position will support a territory from Yakima, Yakima Valley, Wenatchee area. Ideal candidate will live in or be willing to relocate to this area.
Serious challenge. Serious upside. Seriously fun.
It's time to do something you love, work with a purpose, and take on a challenge like never before. Meet MetroPCS, a leading provider of unlimited 4G wireless services. Together with T-Mobile, we serve tens of millions of customers, and we're just getting started. When you join our team, you can make an incredible difference to your customers, and your co-workers. We're looking for boldness, enthusiasm, and a whole lot of passion. In exchange, we offer real career growth opportunities in a place where awesome work is rewarded.
• You'll oversee a territory of stores, visiting them regularly to ensure that they have everything they need to sell our products and services
• When a new store joins the MetroPCS family, you'll help the owner set up inventory, train the sales associates, get the store looking its best, and make sure the team is ready to sell our products
• You'll also make sure that each store stay has the latest marketing and promotional materials
• Finally, you'll handle basic reporting and forecasting for your stores, while also auditing store performance to find areas for improvement
• You have two plus years of sales experience, and while a wireless background is helpful, it's not required
• A high school degree or GED is essential, but a college degree or related education/experience is a big plus
• The ability to work a flexible schedule is essential, including occasional nights and a couple weekend days a month
• Finally, because there's extensive driving involved, we need you to have a valid driver's license with a good driving record
If you're ready for the challenge, we're ready to reward your hard work. Our compensation includes:
• Competitive base pay plus outstanding commission potential
• Benefits for part-time and full-time associates
• Medical, dental and vision benefits
• Matching 401(k)
• Generous paid time-off programs
• Phone service discounts
• Education reimbursement
• Serious growth potential for your career
* Bilingual Spanish/English preferred
This is the opportunity to do something special, and work with a company revolutionizing the wireless industry. And we couldn't do it without the talent of someone like you. So what do you say? Isn't it time you explored what could be the career move of a lifetime? We invite you to apply today!
87746BRReq ID
NoTravel Required
1Position(s) remaining
Health Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision are just the start. We also offer health pro consultants, flexible spending accounts, and more.
Kick back with paid time off. We want you to have flexibility, convenience, and control over how you recharge.
We've ditched old-school performance reviews for a tailored approach to career health that includes training for better career and leadership skills.
Naturally, we offer steep discounts on our consumer rate plans and all the fantastic accessories we carry.
Kids rock. But child care, adoption, and surrogacy aren't cheap. We offer programs that help reduce those burdens.
Options include a 401(k) plan, an annual Employee Stock Grant, and a purchase plan that gives you the chance to grab T-Mobile stock at a discount.
Other Available locations
Lacey, WA
"One of the BEST places to work!!"
Former Business Account Executive B2B in Kansas City, MO
Very exciting industry to be a part of the wireless industry that is changing the way wireless is done!!
Can't think of any! If you work hard, you'll make really good money!!
Advice to Management
Keep up the good work! You're employees are happy ones!
Current Account Executive in Concord, CA
Rewarding. You get what you put in . It's simple and when it comes down to it your accountable for your results
None it's what you put in . It's not for people who aren't self motivated
Advice to Management
On board process needs to be improved
MetroPCS provides the freedom and convenience of unlimited, no-annual-contract wireless services on an advanced nationwide 4G and 4G LTE network for a flat rate. With MetroPCS, customers get great value and a wide variety of device choices from leading brands. A flagship brand operated by T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: "TMUS"), MetroPCS products and services are available online and across the United States through a network of company-owned stores, authorized dealer locations, and leading national retailers.
EOE Statement
We Take Equal Opportunity Seriously - By Choice T-Mobile USA, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All decisions concerning the employment relationship will be made without regard to age, race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, veteran status, the presence of any physical or mental disability, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Discrimination or harassment based upon any of these factors is wholly inconsistent with our Company values and will not be tolerated. Furthermore, such discrimination or harassment may violate federal, state, or local law.


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The Rehearsal DinnerThis will be the first time many of your out-of-town guests and certainly a larger portion of the guest list will lay their eyes on you and it's important to make a statement. You should stand out, and upping it one notch above the rest in terms of formality will help you achieve that. Think hip cocktail attire, with a glamorous twist achieved either by clothing cut (short or conversely, extremely long -- skip T-length), vibrant color and/or accessories. For the bride, show a little skin and opt for heels but shoes that won't kill your feet for the next day. For the dudes, I love an ultra crisp suit.
I'm actually really big about not morphing yourself into some fashion prescription that you believe is expected because you are the bride and groom. If you do, you'll end up not looking like yourselves and potentially not acting like yourselves either. Whatever your selections, you should feel that they reflect your personality whether it's the type of buttons or the color or overall shape of the attire.
Don't wear white: why compete with yourself for the next day
**overall for the first two events, you need to somewhat coordinate your look, whether that is one shared color or element. You don't want to look like you were invited to separate parties. You are hosting, after all.


text: Solar Panel Thefts Heating Up News & Features Andrea Kissack · KQED Public Media · Jan 5, 2010 Listen Story audio 4min 33sec Copyright 2017 KQED Public Media. To see more, visit KQED Public Media. Stay Informed The news on your schedule from MPR News Update Email Address* Zip Code MPR News Update AM Edition MPR News Update PM Edition See our Privacy Policy. Must be age 13.


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California State University
CSU Receives $500K for Study on Impact of STEM Service Learning
July 29, 2014
The California State University has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation that will fund a study on the impact of service-learning courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
Service learning combines classroom instruction with meaningful community service. The practice has a strong correlation to student success in most academic disciplines, but there is a lack of research on its impact in STEM. In partnership with the California Campus Compact, a statewide service-learning organization, the CSU's Center for Community Engagement will investigate the practice's impact on student success in STEM fields.
More information is available on the CSU website.


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In height, as a rule, they are about ten times the diameter of the base. The point was usually sheathed in a bright precious metal, silver or gold, but of these valuable metals were stolen long ago. Because of the layer of metal the columns reflected the sunlight brilliantly and they could be seen from a great distance.
Obelisks were carved out of a stone called syenite (so-called because it was extracted from the caves of Syene, today named Aswan), which was a form of reddish-colored granite. Sometimes a dark gray basalt was used.
The dimensions varied: the tallest known obelisk remains unfinished in a cave at Aswan (127 feet high) and the smallest is less than 6½ feet high. They were not merely decorative but stood in front of the temples and were usually dedicated to the sun gods. On many obelisks there are inscriptions in hieroglyphics (the Egyptian picture-writing) saying which gods they were dedicated to.
How obelisks were builtThe huge unfinished obelisk at a cave at Aswan helps to show us how such monuments were made. First of all the Egyptians insisted that the stone to be used should have no defects, such as cracks or blemishes. Next the rock was cleaned with powerful jets of water. Then the surface of the rock was planed until it was smooth and flat. To do this, especially hard stones from the desert valleys of Egypt were used. These stones often weighed 9 or 10 pounds each. After planing, the contours of the obelisk were marked out on the ground and a deep ditch was dug out around them. Then the slaves went down to work in ditches. They scraped the obelisk with round stones and then set to work to polish the sides.
The fourth face of the obelisk was torn from the seam of rock with enormous wooden wedges which were driven into previously prepared holes at regular intervals. The wedges were soaked with water, and as they expanded the rock split.
At this stage a group of slaves (about 5,000 strong) worked with ropes and jacks to raise the obelisk from the ditch and to heave it on to planks resting upon wheels. The obelisk was transported by this method to the Nile; it was then loaded on to a long barge to be taken to its destination.
How they were erectedOn arrival, the next task was to pull the obelisk upright. As some monuments weighed 500 tons, this was obviously quite a problem. In the illustrations below can be seen how the Egyptians probably did it.
Where the most famous obelisks are found
It is amazing to think that out of thirteen obelisks at Karnak, only three are now left. Among these are the famous ones erected by Tutmos I. Several obelisks were also erected in another city of ancient Egypt called Heliopolis, "The City of the Sun." The oldest known obelisk of its kind stands on the outskirts of this city (now a suburb of Cairo): it was erected in about 1950 BC. The obelisk at Luxor is famous for its fine hieroglyphics. It was erected by Ramses II in the 13th century BC, and stood in front of the Temple of Luxor together with an identical one which is now in Paris. It is about 80 feet tall.
When the Romans conquered Egypt in the 1st century BC they took several obelisks with them back to Rome. There they remained in the main squares until the 16th century AD.
Paris, New York, Istanbul, and London each have an obelisk. The well-known monument beside the Thames and the one in New York's Central Park are twins, popularly called "Cleopatra's Needles." They were constructed in 1500 BC during the reign of Thutmose III, stand nearly 21 meters (70 ft) tall, weigh about 180 tonnes, and are made of red granite.
The one on the Thames embankment was presented to Britain in 1819 by the Viceroy of Egypt, but it did not reach London until 1878. The cost of transporting it was paid by a private citizen, Erasmus Wilson, and it was nearly lost on the way in a storm in the Bay of Biscay. Sealed up in its base are a newspaper, a copy of Bradshaw's Railway Guide, and some English coins dated 1878. It was scarred by bomb splinters in the Second World War.
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Israel and Neorealism
Jeff Goldstein has found another purported example of the perfidy of the "Democratic party and liberals" at Harvard. The political scientists in the audience will be amused by the punchline: it's the work of the conservative University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer. Whether someone who voted for Bush in 2000 counts as a liberal or a Democrat is, I would submit, contestable. (I don't know about the politics of his co-author Stephen Walt–my IR scholar co-blogger says he has voted for candidates of both parties. He's certainly not a public man of the left.) Almost as remarkable as the fact that he quite clearly knows nothing about the scholars in question but is willing to link uncritically to marginally literate screeds by Randite crackpots accusing them of "Jewhatred" is the way he refers to their working paper as a "Harvard paper," as if the institution sort of produces ideas that scholars receive like radio transmitters. Hmm, let's apply this logic further–I'm appalled about this "Harvard book": clearly the campus is overrun with Straussian male chauvinists! No wonder Larry Summers found poorly-supported just-so tautologies about female inferiority so convincing! And…no, really, this is too stupid.
Having said that, though, once you strip away the silly right-wing identity politics frame, Goldstein has a point: the Mearsheimer/Walt claim (the full version is in PDF form here) that American policy toward Israel is the result of an exceptionally powerful "Israeli lobby" is, in fact, not very persuasive. The bulk of the paper, indeed, is not about supplying evidence for their central argument. W/M establish what is, from a neorealist perspective, an anomaly: American policy toward Israel is more supportive than would expect based on neorealist conceptions of national self-interest. This is probably right, although the extent of the gap is debatable. They then go on to dismiss the moral case for supporting Israel; I find this less persuasive, you may find it more, but at any rate it's neither here not there as far as the empirical case is concerned; what matters is not whether I or they find the case convincing, but whether people with decision-making authority in the American state find it convincing and whether it's at least arguable. (I don't disagree that Israeli policy is currently contrary to some liberal "American values"; it is also true that the US would have failed the "American values" test rather more resoundingly less than 50 years ago, and the relevant metric is to compare with other countries rather than against an ideal liberal democracy.) And then they conclude with a summary of the effects of what they see as excessive American support for Israel. But the key middle section–where they actually try to establish the key proposition–is skimpy and unconvincing, filled with dubious inferences and slippery causal relationships. To take an example of the at times almost comically tendentious nature of their empirical analysis, consider this paragraph:
Thanks in part to the influence Jewish voters have on presidential elections, the Lobby also has significant leverage over the executive branch. Although they make up fewer than 3 per cent of the population, they make large campaign donations to candidates from both parties. The Washington Post once estimated that Democratic presidential candidates 'depend on Jewish supporters to supply as much as 60 per cent of the money'. And because Jewish voters have high turn-out rates and are concentrated in key states like California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania, presidential candidates go to great lengths not to antagonise them.
First of all, of course, for several cycles CA, NY and IL have hardly been "key states"; they haven't been remotely in play, and it would be pretty odd to for Republicans craft messages with a disproportinate eye toward small minorities in states they have no chance of winning. Pennsylvania's population of religious Jews is a whopping 2%. And then you have to remember that neorealist foreign policy would not predict hostility toward Israel, but less marginal support, narrowing the policy terrain. And, of course, Jews have far from monolithic positions towards Israel. So basically we're left with an enormous amount of leverage over the executive branch derived from the effects of differences within a narrow policy range within a segment of a small minority within a single swing state. Er, let's just say I consider the question open.
And there's an even bigger problem when it comes to the Iraq War. Iraq is an even clearer empirical anomaly from a neorealist perspective, but it is (to put it mildly) far from clear that installing a Shiite state with very tenuous coercive capacity in Iraq is in the interests of the Israeli state. The M/W attempts to explain the alleged "Israel Lobby" influence on the Iraq war come down to little more that inferences drawn from the fact many administration proponents of the war are also supporters of Israel. But when it comes to evidence that Israeli interests were a key factor in the decision, that's awfully watery broth, and one I would think a neorealist would be particularly skeptical of.
Since I'm not committed to neorealist explanations, I think a lot more explanatory leverage can be derived from noting that many important American state actors conceive of American interests differently than neorealists do and that they also believe the moral case for supporting Israel is more tenable than M/W do. Admittedly, measuring interest group power is a nettlesome problem, and assertions of interest group influence are almost impossible to prove or disprove, but I just don't find the case at all persuasive. While I think it's a disgraceful smear to imply that these serious scholars are anti-Semites, I do think they're straining to provide a simple explanation for some outcomes that their theoretical framework can't really account for. The well-organized and funded Israeli lobby may explain some policy choices at the margin, but there's little evidence that it's a central variable.
As a final note, another reason I don't think that creating an "Israeli lobby" bogeyman is particularly helpful is that is obscures what neorealism can help us think about: the difficult choices that we face in the middle east. Unlike the ice-cream-castles-in-the-air vision of too many neocons, the realists grasp the obvious point that the democratization of despotic regimes whose populations are even more hostile to Israel than the current governing elites will produce very difficult dilemmas in which American interests, Israeli interests, and democratization are in serious tension with one another. Pretending that all of these interests are inherently aligned is useless, but weakly-supported intimations about a nearly-omnipotent "Israeli lobby" are also diversions from the real issues involved.


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A one-of-a-kind blend of art, nature, and conservation, The Underwater Museum re-creates an awe-inspiring dive into the dazzling under-ocean sculpture parks of artist Jason deCaires Taylor. Taylor casts his life-size statues from a special kind of cement that facilitates reef growth, and sinks them to the ocean floor. There, over time, the artworks attract corals, algae, and fish, and evolve into beautiful and surreal installations that are also living reefs. This volume brings readers face to face with these wonders and explains the science behind their creation. Ocean enthusiasts, divers, art lovers, and anyone entranced by the natural world will be instantly engrossed by this pearl of a book.
About Jason deCaires Taylor
With over 20 years diving experience under his belt, Jason deCaires Taylor is an award winning underwater photographer, famous for his dramatic images, which capture the metamorphosing effects of the ocean on his evolving sculptures. In 2006, Taylor founded and created the world's first underwater sculpture park. Situated off the west coast of Grenada in the West Indies it is now listed as one of the Top 25 Wonders of the World by National Geographic and was instrumental in the creation of a National Marine Protected Area by the local Government. Following on in 2009 he co-founded MUSA (Museo Subacuático de Arte), a monumental museum with a collection of over 500 of his sculptural works, submerged off the coast of Cancun, Mexico; described by Forbes as one of the world's most unique travel destinations. His pioneering public art projects are not only examples of successful marine conservation, but works of art that seek to encourage environmental awareness, instigate social change and lead us to appreciate the breathtaking natural beauty of the underwater world.


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Bottega Veneta Pre-Fall 2013
Many of the major designers have shown their pre-fall collections, but still, it's been hard to grasp any main themes of the season. And maybe there won't be any, but one expects at least a trend or two by now. Anyway, any conclusions drawn, or not drawn as the case may be, wouldn't necessarily apply to Bottega Veneta because Tomas Maier stands alone in his singular vision of how elegant women want to dress, regardless of what anyone else is doing or thinking. Simply put, his clothes have so much taste, he deserves a Michelin star.
Pre-fall was a continuation of the forties-era feel Maier played with for spring, though less embellished. The day dresses in a pretty black-and-white patterned silk or muted wool crepe, with their body-skimming lines and simple ruffle detail, were pieces that work not only year-round but also for any occasion. And the subtle triangular cutouts at the waist and under the bust let the air out of the look, in every sense. The drapey, tunic-like evening dresses in dusty rose and deep lavender introduced a more voluminous silhouette than the columns Maier has shown in previous seasons, but they retained that sense of femininity and ease. As did a supremely chic shell-pink pants, sweater and robe coat ensemble. It was the kind of thing you wish you could just wear every day.
In fact, the only effort this collection required was when it came to the shoes: black, super-chunky, lace-up platforms. Lifting up a model's pant leg to to show them off, Maier admitted, "It kind of takes a long time to put those on."


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Riverside Medical Group
A multispecialty practice with board certified physicians serving patients throughout lower Westchester County, Yonkers, and The Rivertowns.
The Mission
Mount Sinai Doctors Riverside Medical Group is committed to providing patients with comprehensive, state-of-the-art, preventive adult medical care in a traditional and community-focused setting. While providing excellent medical care in our patients' local neighborhood, we also facilitate their access to world-renowned experts and cutting-edge treatments at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City.
Our Locations
1010 North Broadway Yonkers, NY 10701
Phone: 914-968-3535 and 914-965-4424
750 Kimball Avenue Yonkers, NY 10704
Phone: 914-237-6763
NOTE: After-hours calls are answered by our on-call staff
On Call 24/7
Mount Sinai Doctors Riverside Medical Group is a multispecialty practice with board certified physicians serving patients throughout lower Westchester County, Yonkers, and The Rivertowns. Our dedication to innovation and physician excellence has allowed local patients to receive the latest and most advanced medical treatment available. Our practice specializes in Internal Medicine, Primary Care, and Cardiology.
Our medical group is recognized as a health care provider under the Mount Sinai Health System. As a recognized Mount Sinai practice, we work in close communication with the finest collection of medical professionals throughout the entire New York City region.


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When is a news story really a news story?
Is it when something really important happens, and media share it with the public? Or, is it when press members jump on what appears to be a juicy tidbit and broadcast it over the airwaves and in print for a solid 24 hours until every American has heard about it?
Consider the media firestorm set off Friday when Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, while discussing the history of nominations not being decided until June, mentioned the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.
According to Politico editor John F. Harris, this was "set aflame by a news media more concerned with being interesting and provocative than with being relevant or serious" (emphasis added throughout, h/t Hot Air Headlines):
This weekend's uproar over Hillary Rodham Clinton invoking the assassination of Robert Kennedy as rationale for continuing her presidential campaign is an especially vivid example of modern journalism as hyperkinetic child — overstimulated by speed and hunger for a head-turning angle that will draw an audience.
The truth about what Clinton said — and any fair-minded appraisal of what she meant — was entirely beside the point.
Her comment was news by any standard. But it was only big news when wrested from context and set aflame by a news media more concerned with being interesting and provocative than with being relevant or serious. Thus, the story made the front page of The New York Times, was the lead story of The Washington Post and got prominent treatment on the evening news on ABC, CBS and NBC.
Big news indeed, as a Google News search of "Hillary and RFK" produced 3,405 results.
Moving forward, Harris acknowledged how his publication quickly jumped on this story when the first titillating snippets emerged Friday afternoon, only to find later that this wasn't the bombshell he initially thought:
Perhaps half an hour after the story broke Martin called me back over to his desk. It turned out the Argus Leader had video of its big interview. I huddled over Martin's computer as we watched.
It was a deflating experience.
The RFK remarks were deep in a 20-minute clip of an otherwise routine conversation. Then, once we actually got to the relevant portion of the video, it was hardly an electric moment. [...]
But it was also clear that Clinton's error was not in saying something beyond the pale but in saying something that pulled from context would sound as if it were beyond the pale.
It would be a big story if Clinton said something like this: "Hey, I know it looks bad for me now. But, think about it. Obama could get shot and I'd get to be the nominee after all."
It is a small story if Clinton said something like this: "Everyone talks like May is incredibly late, but by historical standards it is not. Think of all the famous milestones in presidential races that have taken place during June."
It seems pretty obvious that the latter is what Clinton meant, and not too far from what she actually said. It was not surprising that the Argus Leader's executive editor, Randall Beck, put out a statement saying, "Her reference to Mr. Kennedy's assassination appeared to focus on the time line of his primary candidacy and not the assassination itself."
Harris accurately stated:
Clinton stepped on a rake with her comment and got bopped in the face. This was entertaining political slapstick, for those of us who like that kind of thing. Little wonder she apologized.
But Clinton's clumsiness does not excuse news media clumsiness in making a minor story seem like a major one.
And accurately concluded:
In that sense, a news culture in which — like the amplifiers for "Spinal Tap" that go up to 11 — everything is exaggerated may not seem like a big deal.
But the consequences are more serious than meets the eye. The uproar du jour mentality in the media can be a hassle for public officials, but it can also be their friend. Hillary Clinton, for instance, can be glad that a serious look by The New York Times about Bill Clinton's dealings with a Canadian tycoon trying to curry favor with a dictatorship never generated much interest from other media.
Politicians know that as long as they have a base of support they can probably ride out any story confident that the pack will soon move on. Only a news media with the focus and discipline to distinguish a big story from a small one can hold politicians accountable — and produce the work that deserves an audience.
Certainly. But, what Harris missed is indeed the randomness of media's focus.
For months, it has been clear an Obama-loving press have been trying to get Hillary out of the race. Virtually every gaffe she makes produces this kind of firestorm.
Why? Because media hope her most recent misstep will be her last, and will do everything in their power to make it so.
As such, though Harris is clearly correct concerning the press's pathetic over-reaction to this event, he ignored the larger issue. After all, on the same day Hillary was stepping on a rake, her opponent was telling people in Florida that Hugo Chavez took control of Venezuela during George W. Bush's watch, while several times referring to the city of Sunrise as "Sunshine."
Given that Obama is currently the front-runner, and Hillary is likely soon to exit the race, which misstep should have gotten more attention irrespective of whether or not the resulting firestorm was worth all the fuss?


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Nahan Tourism
Nahan Travel Guide
Rank 17Ranked 17 of 54
Himachal Pradesh Tourism Destinations
Nahan Info
- State: Himachal Pradesh
- Famous for/as: Hill
- District: Sirmaur
Situated at an altitude of 932 metres, Nahan is a good base for visits to the surrounding areas like Renukaji Lake, Paonta Sahib, Trilokpur temple and the Suketi Fossil Park. It has a pleasant climate throughout the year.
There are many temples here like the Miyan Mandir, Nainidhar Shiv Mandir, Kalisthan Temple and Jagannath Temple. The town's special attractions include its three lovely walkways, the Villa Round, the Military Round and the Hospital Round.
The hub of Nahan's activities is Chaugan, Bikram Bagh and Khadar-Ka-Bagh. Gift shops, the Rosin and Turpentine factory and local temples are among the other major attractions. Situated in the centre of the town of Nahan town is Rani Tal, which has a large temple and a water pond. Ducks and cranes in the Ranital Tank and Ranital Garden further add to the charm. The Mall Road is a favourite haunt of youngsters.
Hindi, Punjabi, English are understood and spoken by the people in the tourism sector. The nearest airport is Chandigarh, while Dehradun and Shimla are the other options. The nearest railway stations are Ambala, Chandigarh and Kalka. There are regular bus services to other towns and cities like Manali, Delhi and Haridwar.
Pakka Talaab is the place where two important festivals of the town, Bawan Dwadashi Fair and Gugga Peer Fair are celebrated in September every year. During the Bawan Dwadashi fair held towards the end of the monsoon, 52 idols of the local deities are carried in a procession to the Jagannath temple and are then left afloat in the tank. The Gugga Peer fair is celebrated as a tribute to Gogaji or Gugga, the folk deity of Rajasthan.
Trilokpur Temple is located about 23 kms away from Nahan and here the temple goddess Mahamaya Bala Sundri is very famous. Dhaula Kuan, about 20 kms from Nahan, has an extensive plantation full of citrus plants and mangoes and a fruit canning factory making juices, jams, pickles and canned fruits.
Located at a distance of about 21 km from Nahan, the Suketi Fossil Park, also called Shivalik Fossil Park, exhibits life-sized fibre reinforced plastic models of ancient animals whose skeletons were discovered here.
Most preferred by...
Best time to visit Nahan in the next six months
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
Nahan Traveller ReviewsWRITE A REVIEW
- Anil Makhija
- Lives in Noida
- 2 Reviews
- Posted Mar 20, 2016
A place which not only has advantage of hills weather and ambience but also has advantage of not so commercial so far. Plus good weather, pocket friendly, easily drivable from Delhi, Chandigarh. Good food at reasonable price, many nearby places to see e. G. Renukaji. Good option for weekend outing from Delhi or Chandigarh.
- Was this review useful?
- 1 vote
- Krishnan
- Lives in Mumbai
- 5 Reviews
- Posted Jan 21, 2016
Lot less that what is expected out of a place on the Himalayas. Very small place and not much to enjoy but surrounding places are really good. Enjoyed the visit to Poanta Sahib, Renukaji and the beautiful drive to Shimla from Nahan. The road is simply beautiful and if you love driving, it is heaven. Not many vehicles would be seen and a driving pleasure. Renukaji lake, the temple and the drive through sanctuary are something that the family enjoyed.
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- Subodh Chopra
- Lives in Gurgaon
- 2 Reviews
- Posted Nov 15, 2015
This small hill-town in Sirmaur district of Himachal is a nice place for weekend traveller from Delhi, Chandigarh and nearby areas. However, there is no snow on these hills but good resorts and a great view of valley make it a place to visit it at least once. Do take your kids with you as there are resorts which offer good recreational facilities for them like adventure activities, games, etc.
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- Smriti Das
- Highlander
- Lives in Ludhiana
- 692 photos
- 146 Reviews
- Posted Aug 21, 2015
Nahan is a small beautiful town having with a healthy green forests and high peaked mountains all around it. Very peaceful and pollution free town. Its nature beauty is awesome. For a short break, Nahan is the ideal place for relaxation. Our journey experience from Ludhiana to Nahan was very good. Luckily that day the weather was very clear & shiny.
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- 1 vote
- Sujeet Kumar
- Lives in Ghaziabad
- 3 Reviews
"Terrible Holiday Destination"
- Posted Aug 21, 2015
Nahan is a very small hill destination. And there is no much places to visit. I would advice not to waste time visiting this place. Its better to go around Kasol and other places in Himachal. Its very ill-maintained and really nothing other than time pass.
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- 2 votes
- Shubham
- Voyager
- Lives in Gurgaon
- 75 photos
- 32 Reviews
"Visit this place for enjoying nature, free from worries"
- Posted Jul 21, 2015
-Very good serene place. In mother nature's lap. Pollution free fresh air to breathe & really good people.
-Main visiting places include Renuka lake, accessible throughout the year, best place during before & after monsoons. However, the lake has water throughout the year for boating. The lake is famous for huge amount of fishes & giant tortoises. Experience taking bath with fishes & tortoises is a fun.
-Other famous places include Haripurdhar peak, and a waterfall en route to it, however, the waterfall is in full swings only after the monsoons. The roads are pretty good & a 1000 CC car will do good.
- Staying- 1st option HPTDC renuka, just onshore of lake, 2nd best option The ekant, Nahan. We stayed in The Ekant (room no. 4 is best), & the place is very good, just 4 kms from lake, with ample parking & roaming space - Speciality the home like food so, you are not bothered about stomach upsets. Prefer to purchase mineral water only as raw water may cause throat issues.
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- 2 votes
- Sumit Sharma
- Lives in Delhi
- 1 Review
"Awesome location, had great time"
- Posted Aug 29, 2014
Nahan is a magnificent town surrounded by lush green forests and snow-capped mountain ranges. Nahan, the nearest railhead is Ambala, 100-km away, Dehra Dun also serves as a railhead, 65-km from Paonta Sahib. So made choices road by car. Nahan is one of the best and cheap hotel in Himachal pradesh with all luxury facilities.
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- 28 votes
- Guneet Oberoi
- Lives in Delhi
- 1 Review
"Short Break from the busy life"
- Posted Aug 29, 2014
If you just want to relax and fell the nature then Nahan is the nearest and easily approachable hill station with no mall road just quite and pleasant nature with few resorts to stay and enjoy. Early morning walk in the hills will keep you refresh whole day. In the day time you can visit nearby Renuka ji lake and temple and the resort activities will make your evenings.
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- 26 votes
- Jitendra Wadhwani
- Lives in Mumbai
- 1 photo
- 16 Reviews
- Posted Jul 27, 2014
Below average but the Grand View Resort was good for weekend relaxation. Renuka Lake and Renuka Wild Sanctuary are the places one can visit in day time. Better visit these places in a group otherwise it could be boring. Had lots of fun.
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- 26 votes
- Gaurav Verma
- Lives in Delhi
- 1 photo
- 3 Reviews
"Exclusiveness in the small town"
- Posted Dec 12, 2013
Far from the maddening crowd, enjoy much needed break and comfortable stay. Enjoy the fresh airs and recharge yourself. Excellent road condition will add a spark in your trail blazing in the Himalayas.
Visit to this place is more like relaxing and enjoying the hills rather than sightseeing. You will come across awesome sights while driving. Still there are many points like Renukaji, Dhaula Kuan, Poanta Sahib near to Nahan to keep to occupied.
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- 28 votes
Nahan Sightseeing
- Lake
- Renuka Lake
- Rank 1
- Sanctuary
- Renuka Wildlife Park
- Rank 2
- Park
- Suketi Fossil Park
- Rank 3
- Place of Worship
- Renuka Temple
- Rank 4
Best time to visit Nahan with family
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
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Nahan Information
Sightseeing Information
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text:
United States Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Some Things You Can Do ...
Look very carefully at the bumble bees on the card below. How many different shapes can you find on the heads of the bumble bees?Find two bumble bees that you think look very much alike. Then find two things about them that make them different from each other.The next time you see a bumble bee that is visiting a flower, watch it work.Do not get too close to it, because a bumble bee can sting (ouch!). Look at the colors and shapes on the bumble bee. See if you can make a little diagram or picture of what the bumble bee looks like.