text:
By Justin Young, Rivals.com
The first weekend of visits is in the books. What happened? Who committed? Who is on the bubble? We break it down in the Weekend Update. The first official weekend didn't include a large number of visits, but it did produce some important news.
Clemson lands point guard
Clemson has searched high and low for a point guard in the class of 2008. They had one for a couple of months in Cashmere Wright, a small-school star from Savannah, Ga. However, Wright opted out of his non-binding verbal commitment.
Enter Andre Young. The Tigers went back to the Peach State and found another small-school star in Young, a 5-foot-8 winner from Albany's Deerfield-Windsor High School.
"I was hoping to take all five official visits, but we were just wowed," Young told TigersIllustrated.com shortly after he made his decision. "I made a list of the pros and cons. The only con I could think of was the color orange. But I can get used to it. It was my color in middle school. That was probably a sign for me at a young age."
Rivals.com's Jerry Meyer says Clemson struck it rich with the Rivals150 member.
"The Tigers got a good one in Andre Young," Meyer said. "Ever the underdog as an undersized player, Young led his Georgia Blazers AAU team to a number of championships. He is a player with heart who knows how to win, and that is exactly what Clemson needs."
Young was joined by fellow Georgia native Tanner Smith on the visit. Smith has four more official visits on his list for the fall.
Bears snag big man
Baylor has always had an eye for the future, and the Bears locked up a key prospect in the 2009 class in Corey Jefferson. The in-state big man chose the Big 12 school on Saturday.
The 6-foot-10 forward has a world of upside, says Meyer.
"Corey Jefferson is one of those players … you know he is going to be good, but he has a chance to be great," Meyer said. "Right now he has a gift for blocking shots and impacting the game around the basket. It will be interesting to see how his offensive game develops, but without a doubt he is a huge pickup out of the 2009 class for Baylor."
Point guard U?
"Arizona has earned the moniker of Point Guard U, and the recent commitment of Abdul Gaddy only strengthens this tradition," Meyer says about the recent decision of the nation's second best point guard in the class of 2009.
Gaddy follows in the footsteps of fellow five-star prospects Jerryd Bayless (2007) and Brandon Jennings (2008). Arizona has shown its staying power on the West Coast, nabbing prospects in-state, in Los Angeles and in Seattle.
Gaddy participated in Arizona's elite camp and played alongside several of the pioneers of Point Guard U.
"Arizona has always been my dream school," said Gaddy. "When I was younger and watching college basketball, it always seemed that Arizona was playing. I would watch their great guards like (Mike) Bibby and (Jason) Terry and knew I wanted to play there. There couldn't be a better place for me to play."
Running at Rucker
A couple of things were clear at the Elite 24 game in Rucker Park in New York City over the weekend. First, defense was optional — the final score was 169-164. Top-five junior Lance Stephenson scored a game-high 38 points. Jennings, an Arizona commitment, also handed out 23 assists, according to the official scorers.
News & Notes
Chicago guard Chris Colvin received an offer from the University of Illinois. Colvin is one of the top prospects in the state and is a high priority for the Illini in the class of 2009.
Seton Hall hosted Tyreke Evans unofficially last weekend. The five-star guard has Big East schools Louisville, Connecticut and Villanova in the mix. Memphis and Texas are also in the running for Evans' services.
Seton Hall played host to Rivals150 forward Kevin Jones for an unofficial visit.


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A Project Wickenby tax haven case was offensive and misconceived, the Federal Court heard yesterday.
David Russell, QC, said it was offensive for his clients – companies located in Samoa, the UK and the Bahamas – "to be stigmatised as people who might commit tax fraud".
The court ordered a freeze be continued on the Australian assets of Samoa-registered Hua Wang Bank Berhad and four offshore companies until the case could return to court on Tuesday.
Justice Susan Kenny attributed the freeze to the ease of removing the assets from Australia.
"The real problem is these assets could go very easily and these are large sums of money," she said.
Hua Wang Bank, from which the Australian Tax Office is seeking $4.57 million, holds a banking licence but the court heard it was "not a bank as we understand it".
It has substantial holdings of ASX-listed stocks. The court heard it was in the top 20 shareholders for a number of ASX-listed companies.
The ATO is seeking to have $30 million in tax declared due and owing by the five respondents. It alleges tax was not paid on capital gains realised in Australia.
Counsel for the tax office, Ian Martindale, SC, said yesterday that the failure to lodge tax returns was not inadvertent.
He outlined the alleged relationship among the entities, saying they were linked by association with Gould Ralph, a firm of chartered accountants located in Sydney.
Two UK-registered companies listed as respondents in the case, Chemical Trustee and Derrin Brothers Properties, have mortgages over the residence of the owner of Gould Ralph, named in court documents as "Mr Gould".
Mr Martindale said the owners and directors of Hua Wang Bank were unknown.
Peter Borgas and Winny Borgas were named in court as directors of two of the five respondents to the case. Peter Borgas was named in court as the owner of Bywater Investments, which transferred $42 million into Australia and $73 million out and which the tax office alleges owes it $10 million.
The court heard Peter Borgas is a citizen of Belgium and resident in Switzerland, but is a former resident of Australia.
The Borgas are associated with Anglore, a "low profile" administration company incorporated in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Project Wickenby is a long-standing inter-agency taskforce targeting organised tax haven and money-laundering arrangements.
The Australian Financial Review

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Instrument cluster gauges, panel lamps, and electric door locks may not operate, and the courtesy lamps may remain on. These faults are commonly caused by "logic lock-up" of the body control module (BCM). If this is the case the BCM should be replaced with a revised version.
Problem Description and Possible Solution
Problem Data
RepairPal Verified
Average mileage: 114,500 (100,000–129,000)
5 people reported this problem


text:
Is there any real need for on page optimisation anymore? All of my research on the SERPS seems to be pointing in 1 direction and that is, when it comes to high rankings for competitive terms only your link profile really matters.
After all Google is still ranking number 2 for the keyword "caffeine" even though all it does is slap it in the title tag and has a shed load of links, the result is only relevant to somebody searching for it from an internet marketing background, those wanting information on a mild drug are going to be disappointed.
Anyway, as well as examples like the above and ongoing comments in the SEO industry about 'how headings are no longer of value' I decided to carry out a little research myself.
The research was based on the heading tags h1 – h4 and on general keyword density. Like with so many of the other tests I perform this one was based on 25 search terms and the top 8 results were examined.
Headings Optimisation
I guess the first place to start is with the headings, it is an area I also believe has lost most of its value but let's peak at the results before coming to a conclusion.
For those of you who aren't sure how headings are supposed to work with SEO, basically it is taught that you should use your keyword in them to build relevance h1 holding the most weight and decreasing accordingly to h6.
The first test was simple, ranking pages 1-8 were tested to see if they had optimised their heading tags for the target keyword.
A score was given to each heading optimised on each site h1 = 8 h2 = 6 etc… The ranking position with the highest score had obviously better optimised headings.
As you can see from the graph the blue line represents the true ranking order and the red line is how it would rank if rankings were based on optimised headings.
There are massive differences here and even though this is correlation and not causation I still feel it is a strong indication that headings are not quite as valuable as one may think.
If you look at the below chart;
62.5% of pages on the first page have the h1 optimised for the target keyword, however 0% have the h4 optimised.
I can also confirm that 15% of the pages tested had not optimised any headings.
The only thing we can take from this is that if you are going to optimise your headings, stick to h1 and h2 the rest seem to be irrelevant but don't expect it to work miracles for your rankings because it won't.
Keyword Density
In this test the same 25 pages were checked for keyword density rates against the target phrase. The percentages were taken and the below chart shows the results.
Even I was surprised at these results, when re ranked the sites there was almost a complete reverse with the lowest ranking sites having the highest keyword density.
So what does this mean??
Keep things to a natural level use the keyword naturally but don't feel under pressure to use it in every paragraph because it clearly does not matter.
Where does this leave on page optimisation?
Well what can I say?
First of all there is a lot more to on page search engine optimisation other than keyword issues;
– Crawlability
– Internal Linking
– Sitemaps
– Click Paths
– Code to Content Ratio
However in my opinion the days of stressing over keyword density, keyword proximity or prominence are over along with heading optimisation, it just is not as powerful as it once was.
The only place to worry about your keywords, in my opinion, is in your title tag, outbound links and obviously try and get it in the content a couple of times. Apart from that the jobs a good one.
There are obviously a few areas I didn't touch on;
– How does this apply to longtail keywords?
– Does keyword position matter? Top, bottom, sidebar, footer
– I also did not take into account image alt attributes
These are all posts for another time. So quit worrying about how many times you've stuffed your keyword into your content and start building some links 🙂


text: P Spencer Davis, Try submitting with qsub -rn i.e. that is no rerun, to stop the rerunning of the job. see man qsub. If your question is about why it fails in the first place, I'd try ditching the script, and submitting manually with qsub, and perhaps with qsub -I -l ... so that you can watch what is happening. Likely time or intermediate memory swell. - Jim Coyle


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Search Collections
Going to Church
ca. 1940-1941
William H. Johnson
Born: Florence, South Carolina 1901
Died: Central Islip, New York 1970
oil on burlap 38 1/8 x 45 3/8 in. (96.8 x 115.4 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Luce Foundation Center, 4th Floor, 31A
Luce Center Label
William H. Johnson painted rural scenes inspired in part by his memories of growing up in
Animal - cattle
Architecture - religious - church
Ethnic - African-American
Figure group
Travel - land - cart
paint - oil
fabric - burlap
About William H. Johnson
Born: Florence, South Carolina 1901 Died: Central Islip, New York 1970
More works in the collection by
William H. Johnson
Blogs, Podcasts, and More
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Online Exhibitions
- William H. Johnson / American Art
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- Cottingham - More to It!: The Whole Story
- Cottingham - More to It!: The Whole Story
- Online Gallery - Selected Artworks by African Americans from ...
- Online Exhibitions / Smithsonian American Art Museum
- African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era ...
- Graphic Masters II / American Art
- American Art: Parents and Educators Guide


text:
Would you like to save as your currency permanently or for this visit only?
Fast check-in service, very friendly. Room (all I used) was very clean and comfortable, definitely worth the money.
The distance to the airport The shuttle service was not well organized. Taxi use.
Quiet rooms. Shuttle bus from airport - excellent to call when want with direct line from airport and swift service. As a woman travelling alone at night it made the hotel top of the list for safety. Would have liked a gym etc so that I could relax
It was immaculate. The only hotel in Europe that allowed our children to stay in our room free of charge. Free, fast pick-up for the airport. No
No bedroom slippers provided. The kettle in the room was dirty. The carpet was stained. One of the bathroom towels provided was stained.
The staff was extremely friendly, the food was great and the room was very nive. We will definitely be staying there again!
Exceptional rooms
location, style and cleanliness
convenience -- proximity to the airport -- excellent restaurant. There is a difficulty accessing the shuttle at the airport even though a shuttle is available. On both occasions that I was there, I had to get a taxi.
close to the airport noisy due to next door customers
Great value hotel. Right next to metro station, so you can be downtown in 15 minutes.
1) Very friendly staff. 2) Breakfast was of very good quality. 3) The parking lots below the hotel are convenient. 4) Good location with respect to both highway and public transport.
Owner was very nice and helpful, breakfast was excellent with a good variety of choices. Very near the airport. Bathroom was on the small side and the sheets were a bit scratchy.
Staff is really nice I slept bad, The smell of the pillows/bed is disgusting and it happenned before. I went there because I work near, but I will try not to go back. There's no air conditioning. I payed 99 Euros / night with breakfast
Hotel is located at the corner of Porz Market train station. You can also find bus #161 (fare 2.40 Euro) that runs from airport terminal 2 (if you don't have large luggage) to the same station. Room size is not large but very clean. Breakfast is good too. Suitable for those who wants to stay near airport. Hotel is back onto railroad, so better ask for a room that do not face it. There is only heater in the hotel, not air-con. Porz Market is a small town, no shopping mall and street shops close early.
Breakfast, localization, owners are quite nice, emplyees at breakfast are very nice, too Non-smoker rooms should be given by default.
Good, close to the airport Koeln/Bonn. we had to be there early morning, so this was a very good option (hotel only few kms away from the airport). Only problem was to find the hotel the evening before. Tomtom gave us about 6 streets with this name in the area of Koeln, so we ended up in the wrong place first
I was only there for one night but I enjoyed the decor and comfort Taxi driver couldn't find the hotel for a long time but this is not really the fault of the hotel
The friendliness of the staff The cost, given its distance from the town centre
A very good hotel for our last night in Germany. Close to airport, we were greeted at the door and treated very cordially by the gentleman in charge, directed to a restaurant for dinner and served a good breakfast in the morning. Very clean and well cared for. Not cutsey if you are looking for atmosphere but great value for what you get.
Very friendly, superb food and being able to sit on the terrace overlooking the lovely garden for our evening meal
Staff Very Helpful Room size very very small and so was the bed.
It's located right next to a forest, where you can walk on nice walkways.Very warm atmosphere, friendly staff, very clean, everything new and neat and wellkept. In 3 star hotels, there is no ventilation system, you have to sleep with open window, there is no noise from a road but from the starting planes from the nearby airport fly also during night hours and disturbed my sleep.
Very quite area, although not too far from the airport
Excellent, personalized service! An eample: It was a warm, but rainy evening, so the garden was closed. However, just for me at table was set and an excellent dinner served in the lovely japanese garden. Cannot think of anything.
The staff was extraordinary helpful in advice for transit to and from hotel as well as providing pickup and airport tranfer by themselves, at no extra cost. You have to go to a vey luxurios hotel to experience anything like this kind of service.
Small but very nice family hotel located in quiet suburban quarter, near to the Cologne-Bohn airport. Comfortable clean rooms with mini kitchen and balcony. Hearty welcome and fine service including early breakfest and free-of-charge (!) transfer to the airport. Best choice for thouse who need stay near to the airport.
Friendly, personal service from pick-up at the airport through to departure. Quiet location, spacious room and excellent breakfast.
felt like home - comfortable seating in the room, nice balcony. Small kitchen was nice as well Not really an airport hotel - its a 10-12 euro cab ride from the airport and none of the cab drivers seemed to know how to find it at first
The owners are very friendly, and their English is terrific. It's worth the stay simply because of the owners. Beds were very comfortable, breakfast was filling and delicious. I would definitely stay there again! There was nothing bad about this hotel--it's in a quiet neighborhood, and we slept very well. Would have liked to stay longer. If I ever visit Cologne again, we will stay there for sure. And they have a shuttle to and from the airport!
Hospitality No lift...
Outstanding hospitality, nice breakfast.
Small place, seems family run. Very nice staff. Free wi-fi. Good size basic room. Clean. Nothing fancy, but good value. Neighborhood seemed just ok, but not bad.
It is close to the airport; free shuttle bus Nothing
shuttle to airport and early breakfast from 5am onwards, excellent if you have an early flight. very friendly staff. if you are very sensitive to smoke you should not stay at this hotel since room and corridor smell slightly
Excellent value for the money. Very comfortable and clean room, with a very decent price.
Courtesy and helpfullness of staff
Nice location at the riverside, comfortable room with a terrace. Covered parking. Good value. Bathroom fittings now in need of a refurbishment for a hotel of this category
Decent beds Old style hotel, cigarette smoke smell all through the hotel, dark, one serviette for two people in the room, and two single beds in a double room.
Excellent accomodations at a good price.
Clean room. Very friendly and helpful staff. Perfect breakfast.Good connection with Koln centre.
very clean location signage for car park and lights
Reasonably near to the airport (requires 20 minutes by car however) The surrounding of the hotel is a bit gray in gray. Many rooms face the main road, with open windows the traffic noise is heavy.
Extremely rude staff at front desk and hotel manager.
cheap, clean, nice service, close to airport, close to tram-system, very good for visiting cologne in one-two days
The staff were very friendly and helpful. The breakfast was excellent. Of course value in Koln is not good when Anuga trade fare is on!
frienly staff and great breakfast buffet The beds were too soft and the pillows too thin
helpfullness of staff
the help from the staff was ecellent
English language skills of personnel cigarette smoke that could felt in reception
Friendly service, nice welcoming bar. Could have had larger sign, or a sign at the nearby train station saying what direction to take, as landed late at night, got train to nearby stop but didn't know which way to go as was very dark. Consequently we chose the wrong way!
The cleanliness & staff The pillows!!!!! they were extremely and hard. Both got neck pain the next morning !!
close to airport I paid 3 euro for internet to a stafmember, later on I discovered internet was free, foei!
No problem occured during our stay. Perfect public transportation connection to the airport and to both cities (Koeln, Bonn).
Hotel is fine for a budget hotel Internet access was a little expensive
staf was nice, possiblilty to eat snack after 22.00h we had to pay extra costs, 2,90€ city tax per room. this is not correct, it is not mentionned during booking. I believe this is very unfair and not done.
I liked the welcome, the functionality and the closeness to the airport
Very well kept facility and a nice, clean room. No internet connection. Shuttle service to the airport conditional.
Close to the airport, very friendly staff, nice rooms and simply beautiful breakfast included in price.
Clean and very cozy rooms. Bathroom was amazing with its herbal soap. The lady at reception could hardly speak English but she was so nice and eager to help us that we didn't bother. make sure if you pay by card in advance the hotel is aware...
Near to Koln/Bonn Airport (5 minute drive).
breakfast and service
helpful staff, clean comfortable rooms, big and clean bathroom
Very charming bed and breakfast. Good location near to the highway and railway station. I liked the personal approach of the personnel and the very wide choice at the breakfast. The matrace should be renewed.
The hotel is at a walking distance from the airport (about 25 min. Walk). Very helpful staff. Free wireless Internet access throughout the whole hotel. A wide choice of meals during the breakfast. A breakfast does not include any hot meals (except tea or coffee). No English language channels in tv (even cnn or bbc news).
Breakfeast was very good.
Excellent staff in reception. Very frendly!
Close to airport with free parking.
It was a nice and pleasant stay and it was also nice there was a pub next door.. nein, alles war sehr gut
Combination with restaurant is very practical when you arive late in the evening. Nice reception with adequate instructions Bath is of no use if so small. Better shower is more necessary
Close to the airport and typical restaurant No free Wireless LAN
During six weeks of travel through Europe this was the best hotel room and service in its category and price range. Reading lights at/near the beds are too dark in most hotels. The lighting in this hotel was acceptable, but could be a bit lighter to make the experience of your hotel outstanding.
Didn't really have much time to judge the facilities of the hotel as I chose it for its airport location, prior to a very early morning flight. It's a pleasant, small hotel close to the airport with a good standard of service. It was also very reasonably priced, compared to City centre hotels (which were expensive due to a major furniture fair in Cologne). The walking route from the airport to the hotel could be better marked.
I could stay until 13:00 the next day smel of cigarets in the room
closeness to the airport. I did not like that you did not provide a schuttle to the hotel from the airport.
Staff very friendly and accommodating. I arrived at 10.30 p.m. It would have been nice to have a few snacks available.
For one star hotel it was not bad Didnt have iron or microvave to warm the food. At least one staff should be in the hotel all the time.
It was close to the airport in Köln. The staff was very friendly. The room was clean and the breakfast for 5 euros was a great deal. The room and bathroom were both very small. It was a good place to stay for one night, but if I had been staying longer I don't think I would have liked the small space.
I think I got what Ipayed for. The staff has been very nice. The Breakfast was good. It's nice to pay per room and not per person. There hasn't been any slippers, neighter in the room nor for the bath. there hasn't been a hairdryer at the room also.
its location on my first day of check in the man at reception speak with me little bit rudely, but after that its ok
cold boild eggs in the morning, burnout lamps in the room.
Nice Hotel, big room, helpful and the wireless internet is free. near by KFC restrent very near by train station 200 meters. Near by airport. There is no shops and its Industrial area but only 10 min to go to city center.
cleanliness rude and unhelping personnel
no They request more money than reserved price, Reason is ahother district tex. I don't understood. I didn't experince this case ever.
Very good staff , clean rooms , sufficient breakfast , convenient price , value for money !
Breakfeast Problems with the shades
near and reasonably easy to reach from/to airport
Staff is very friendly and helpful. Hotel of itself is nothing special. Just for one night before departure from airport Cologne-Bonn. 5-6 min by car. But it's not very easy to get to Cologne or airport without car. Train station is far a way from the hotel. You have to use bus or taxi.
The facilities were not as it should be in a 3 star hotel. The TV was not workng, there was no hot water coming in the shower. We had an early morning fight to take the next day so we had booked the taxi for 5:15 AM the previous day at the reception. The day of the flight when we came ot there was no taxi & nobody at the reception to help. We were totally helpless & we had to walk with a lot of luggage for about 1 km in the rain to find a petrol pump. The person there helped by calling a taxi for us. We had almost one missed our flight. I would not reccomend anyone to use this hotel.
Small rooms, with very smal TVs, old towels.
the staff
much too expensive for this room, can go right next door and get a better room for 35 euros per night less. No sat. TV and the breakfast was not very good.
Reasonable price, nice staff, my window faced a quiet backyard It`s allowed to smoke in hotel, and sometimes corridors and lift just stink of tobacco!
This hotel is too price andit is not hotel at all, I am very disappointed that this is part of the booking.com offer
Ordered a cab for an early morning departure - and it was not there. It may have been the cab company's mistake, however.
Clean Very noisy outside. Autobahn, railway within some hundred meters, and a busy road just outside the window.
Fantastic staff and boy a huge breakfast is laid out. a1 i will go again.
the kindness of the personnel, the breakfast the distance to the centre of Köln
Breakfast was good, the reception staff were helpful and the garden was nice The rooms smelled strongly of cigarette smoke, the decor is very frayed and the shower didn't work very well in my room
Easy access to catch flight at Koln-Bonn airport in the morning. The hotel is over due for a remodel! Very stange deep bath tub - shower combo, differcult to get in and out of and I am tall.
Comfortable room with friendly staff. Geisler also run a bakery/cafe and as a result breakfast choices are excellent.
nice location no hair dryer
the breakfast buffet
orderliness, cleanliness, hospitality, comfort ... everything is just great !
free wi-fi, the room was clean don't have a restaurant, only one person on the staff spoken english
We felt very well taken care of. The owner took us especially to our room to show us how to use the key, put out a fabulous breakfast spread and was very friendly. It was an excellent experience.
Interior design, room design, hospitality
Very nice! I like it and recommend it to those who need to get to airport шт the morning. (or just who like that area :) ) The hotel is not 1.7 km from airport!!! Distance to airport is about 6 km. But they can help with taxi (not expensive).
room was nice and clean, location (very close to airport Cologne/Bonn) they do not have baby beds
Courtious staff and cleanlyness Distance from koln city
Check in experience friendly, people were very helpful. The hotel was clean and well-located. Noise from road.
Really near to the airport. The staff of the hotel totally kind
Centrally situated No Lift,room very small,no breakfast before 8 A.M.on Sat.
Near the airport and nice breakfast in a price of room
Very clean and the rooms were very okay. And we liked the idea of a minibar.
Very clean, confortable, easy access to the airport, good breakfast, good conditions according to the price A larger parking is neccesary; minibar in the room
Friendly staff and clean room with good space. Breakfast very nice and service good.Good hotel for one night stop and go.
The staff was really kind The bed was not so clean
Staff and food. Although all efforts from hotel staff, the wireless internet connection was not working.
handy for airport- stayed during carnival and despite bar being noisy - rooms were quiet
Close to the airport
Good service and atmosphere It wasn't a desk or a table in the room
Very nice people, good and warm restaurant under the hotel, clean room, very quiet neighbourhood. Internet should be free and no reception before 5 pm (I arrived at 4 pm and had to wait).
Clean, friendly and good food No Air conditioning or even a fan available
Nice, clean hotel, good value for money, nice breakfast and friendly staff. Will use again


text:
In addition to the 10 sexy images inside, the 'Dancing with the Stars' pro dancer steams up the cover of the adult magazine's May issue by showing off her toned body in a black, sheer bodysuit.
The May issue's cover of Playboy magazine featuring Karina Smirnoff has been unveiled. Released for viewing pleasure just days away before the issue hits newsstands this Friday, April 15, the shot features the "Dancing with the Stars" pro dancer posing provocatively in a black-stringed, sheer bodysuit.
Aside from the sexy cover, the former fiancee of fellow "DWTS" dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy also steamed up the pages inside the adult magazine as she flaunted her toned body in ten steamy images. One of her naked pictures features her wearing nothing more than ballet shoes with red ribbon being wrapped around her arms.
To the magazine, Karina also shared, "As a dancer I've always embraced my body. I'm thrilled to show off my strong, toned physique in the pages of Playboy and celebrate my sexiness." She added, "To me, sexy is the confident energy a person produces. Sexy is the comfortable feeling of being who you are. Sexy is not just having beautiful lips, legs and arms; it's beyond that. Sexy is soul."
Back on April 6, Playboy's founder and Chief Creative Officer Hugh Hefner announced that the dancer, who is partnered with Ralph Macchio for this season of "DWTS", is baring all for the magazine. He tweeted, "The May issue of Playboy is unforgettable with Dancing With The Stars' Karina Smirnoff on the cover & nude inside."


text:
Delano Family Papers
Manuscript Collection: MC104
Creator Sketch
Marvin Delano was born in either Ohio or Essex County, New York. Between August 22, 1836, and May 23, 1837, he served in the Texas Army of the Republic of Texas and settled in what is now Beaumont, Texas, where he owned the first store and hotel. Marvin had four children: Oliver, Charles, Laura, and Esther. Oliver Howard Delano, named after Marvin's brother, Lieutenant Colonel Howard Delano, settled in Orange, Texas. Marvin Delano died near Bevilport, Texas in 1843. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is descended from this same Delano family.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains correspondence, legal documents, and photographs of the Delano Family. The correspondence is a letter (1862) from Elizabeth Delano in Pamplins Creek, Tyler County, Texas, to her cousin Laura about Oliver having joined the army and camping in Houston County near Crockett, Texas. On the same letter, Elizabeth's brother, O. J. (Oliver) Delano, writes to Laura about joining Burnett's Regiment and receiving marching orders from Jasper, Texas, to Fulton, Arkansas.
The legal documents consist of four Photostats concerning the issue and transfer of land deeds. The first is a land certificate issued by the Republic of Texas giving Marvin Delano 960 acres of bounty land in 1838. The second is a written document that states transfer of land from Marvin to his son Oliver Delano also in 1838. The third is a voucher for the transfer of land. The fourth document is an endorsement from the General Land Office in Austin, Texas, dated 1936.
The collection also contains 11 undated photographs taken of members of the Delano family ranging from the mid to late 1800s. They consist of one cased ambrotype of Marvin Delano, four tintypes of Mary Helen Cooper Delano, Oliver Delano, Caswell Adams, and Charles Delano, and six photographs including Laura Delano Baker, Esther Delano Martin, Kate Rice, W. E. Martin, Mrs. W. E. Martin, and George Baker.
Restrictions on Access
Terms Governing Use
Open for research by appointment.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the San Jacinto Museum of History. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Jacinto Museum of History as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Administrative Information
[Identification of Item], Delano Family Papers, MC104, San Jacinto Museum of History, Houston, Texas.
Gift of Mrs. Boyce Andrews, 1952.
Processing Information
Processed by Suellen Denton, 2010.


text:
Regional Reviews: San Francisco
The Big Meal
Also see Richard's reviews of the 2014 Oregon Shakespeare Festival
The trick of the play is that all generations, all characters, are played by only eight actors: three women, three men, a boy, and a girl, each of whom changes with every scene to either age or revert in age. At the start, a young couple (Jessica Lynn Carroll, Aaron Wilton) meet in a restaurant, become involved, and eventually marry, beginning their journey through life together (but now played by Carrie Paff and Mark Anderson Phillips). They have children(Sophia Grace Cuthbert, Nicholas Garcia), and they have relationships with their own parents (Catherine MacNeal, Richard Farrell).
We see how their lives change as they age, as their children grow up, as their parents become elderly. It sounds mundane, but it's done so cleverly as actors shift from role to role, and the characters become well-known, even as they're played by different actors. We see the commonalities in the specificso much of what they experience is familiar, and yet character-driven, too. We may have all had similar incidents as young adults, or teens, or as parents of teens, or dealt with similar conflicts. It feels very American, and yet universal. Ultimately, we feel the scope of the undertaking we call Life, with all its joy, pain, love, grief, pettiness, and grandeur. No small feat, this. One story, of one couple's journey; but done in such a way as to bring us full circle in our own story.
The actors in such a work must be up to the demands of constantly switching characters, finding ways to illustrate the differences and keep the audience from being totally confusedand the ensemble here is thoroughly excellent, each of them outstanding in their own right. Phillips and Paff ably carry the mantle for a while as the couple Sam and Nicki, aging into marriage and parenthood with the requisite cluelessness, but only after Carroll and Wilton give us a wonderful introduction to dating and falling in love. Cuthbert and Garcia are terrific young actors, both a lot of fun to watch. MacNeal and Farrell are superb as the older generation, playing several characters each with subtlety and authenticity.
Occasionally, the character switching is confusing; but usually it only takes a few seconds to understand who has become whom and how old they now are. In the latter third of the play there are some sequences that go on too long, or are too predictable, and the delightful humor of the first half vanishes as the play moves into serious territory thematically. Yet it's quite intriguing for the most part, and is likely to surprise with how moving it is by the end.
Nina Ball's relatively simple restaurant setting becomes so much more as the play progresses, allowing us to witness transitions and transformations, illuminating the transitory nature of existence. Shannon Sigman helps clarify character changes through her costume design, although even more distinguishing costumes might have helped avoid confusion. Director Kirsten Brandt has assembled a fine team and cast to render a beautiful production, one that's likely to stay with you over time.
The Big Meal by Dan LeFranc, presented by San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, through June 1, 2014. Tickets available at 408-367-7255 or at www.sjrep.com.
- Jeanie K. Smith


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Whistler Film Festival 2012: Sex, horror, and rock 'n' roll help heat up the mountain
This year, there are generous doses of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll in the film lineup of the 12th edition of the Whistler Film Festival. Well, to put it more accurately, sex, horror, and rock 'n' roll.
The WFF, which runs from November 28 to December 2, unveiled its list of films today (November 1), with some new elements that will broaden the appeal of the festival.
Music films have been a strong component at WFF in the past, and this year is no different. Two selections are world premieres.
Canadian director John Barnard's documentary The Sheepdogs Have At It chronicles the rise of Saskatchewan rock band The Sheepdogs from obscurity to the cover of Rolling Stone. (The film closes the festival.) Meanwhile, iconic Canadian singer-songwriter and activist Bruce Cockburn gets profiled in Bruce Cockburn Pacing the Cage.
There's also Hit 'N Strum, starring and directed by Vancouverite Kirk Caouette. Worlds literally collide in this urban musical, when a 30-something businesswoman commits a hit-and-run but later befriends her victim: a talented but homeless street busker.
As for sex (for those of you who are into that sort of thing), there's My Awkward Sexual Adventure. This Canadian sex comedy follows a heartbroken accountant who, dumped for his sexual inadequacies, embarks upon a mission to improve his skills in bed. His seeks help from a stripper, who he, in turn, promises to provide financial expertise to help her get out of debt.
And since we've already met the Fockers, it's time to Meet the Fokkens, a documentary about identical twins in Amsterdam who have been sex workers for over 50 years, set up their own brothel, and established the first informal trade union for prostitutes.
There's also Fair Sex (Les Manèges Humains), a faux documentary about how a 25-year-old woman contends with the sexual implications of the genital mutilation she experienced as a child in Africa.
Quebec titles figure prominently, including some of the province's top grossing films. There's Driving to the Edge (Dérapages), a documentary investigating the reasons for drinking and driving accidents among 16 to 24 year olds; Omertà, a crime thriller based on director Luc Dionne's TV series; and Mars et Avril, a visually striking sci-fi film, set in Montreal, about a musician and an instrument maker who fall for the same woman on the way to Mars.
Karen Cho's NFB documentary Status Quo? The Unfinished Business of Feminism in Canada takes a look at the state of women's rights in Canada. The film joins several other Canadian films making their world premieres: Jason Bourque's Bird Co. Media, David Hicks' Big Hairy Movie, and David Mortin's Mad Ship (in addition to previously mentioned titles).
Other Canadian content includes Michael McGowan's Still. This opening night film is based on the true story of an 88-year-old man who fights New Brunswick bureaucracy in order to build a home suitable for his wife suffering from Alzheimer's.
There are also some new film programs that will pique the interest of audiences who may have not previously attended the festival.
New this year is the Late Night Terrorfest, which will include American Mary by Vancouver directors Jen and Syliva Soska, The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh by Toronto's Rodrigo Gudino, and the 1970 Mexican western El Topo by Alejandro Jodorowsky.
There are also four family-friendly animated features in the new GKids Showcase series.
Also of note are Michael Apted's 56Up, the latest installation in the 7 Up British documentary series, and Anna Karenina, starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law.
For more details about the festival, as well as the Whistler Summit industry conference, visit the WFF website.
You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at twitter.com/cinecraig.


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How to Believe in Your Fellow Humans
This morning I turned on the news to find out that an unstable man stormed a school bus, shot and killed the driver, then grabbed a 5 year old boy and dragged him into a bunker.
It's enough to make you want to give up on human beings.
Most of them any way…all of them except your family, your BFF, and that really nice cashier as the grocery store.
It is easy to isolate yourself in the face of fear. To withdrawl from the pain of connection. To circle the wagons and hunker down.
It's easy to do and…
it's the worst possible thing we can do.
When times are dangerous. When hurt looms large. When the task at hand seems divisive and impossible, this is the time to believe in your fellow humans.
I read a story in the news today. A town in England is trying to grow all it's fruit-and-veg in the sideyards and way-places of their neighborhood. It started when two townswomen — Mary Clear and Pam Warhurst — started fretting about the state of the world. They reasoned if they couldn't change the big picture, they might as well start locally. So they got a group of people together in a cafe.
"Wars come about by men having drinks in bars, good things come about when women drink coffee together,' says Mary.
(You know you want to share that!)
Out of that coffee meeting the group discovered the commaraderie and fortitude neccessary to begin a transformational project — local action, meeting local need. Now the town is dotted with public gardens, the harvests free for the taking.
When asked if she was afraid people would take all the veggies seflishly co founder Mary Clare said,
"We trust people. We truly believe — we are witness to it — that people are decent."
The neighbors turned from dispair and hopelessness regarding the state of the world, and went and did something about it. They didn't disparage the small start or the first try. The recognized that Small is Powerful. As Mary said,
'This is a revolution, but we are gentle revolutionaries. Everything we do is underpinned by kindness."
What about you Magpie? Are you ready to be a gentle revolutionary? Can take some small, local action? Will you hold the intent that everything you do will be "underpinned by kindness."
I think you are. I know you can. I hope you will.
(Amen? Amen.)
Note: I don't typically "pitch my wares" in these memorial posts. But because I want to offer support during this process, I'd like to mention that we are practicing compassion and learning how to build a life that is underpinned by kindness this February in Flock. Click here if you'd like some withmates for this important journey.
Today healing act is in memory of Chase Kowalski, 7. What Chase really wanted for Christmas was two front teeth. At 6, he completed his first triathlon, but that was just one of his pursuits. He loved baseball. He was in the Cub Scouts. He looked forward to the kids' workshop at the local Home Depot. "We are thankful to the Lord for giving us seven years with our beautiful loving son. It is with heavy hearts that we return him," the family said in an obituary. *source info
More from 28 Days:
 Response to Connecticut: A Prayer. A Plea.
An Ongoing Response
Tools for Tragedy
28 Days Main Page (info/graphics)
Day 1: The Healing Power of Whimsy (600 Monsters)
Day 2: Inhale Compassion, Exhale Love
Day 3: The Sandy Hook Promise (video)
Day 4: Say Thanks
Day 5: Know Better (podcast on race and gun violence)Â


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Limbaugh invented "racial component" to Hackett's decision to withdraw from Ohio primary race
Video ››› ››› JULIE MILLICAN
Rush Limbaugh invented a racial element to explain Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett's departure from the Ohio Democratic Senate primary race against Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), asserting, "And don't forget, Sherrod Brown is black. There's a racial component here, too." In fact, Brown is Caucasian -- a point on which Limbaugh was corrected later in the program.
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During the February 14 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh invented a racial component to explain Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett's departure from the Ohio Democratic Senate primary race. While reporting on Hackett's decision to withdraw from the Democratic primary race against Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) for the seat currently held by Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH), Limbaugh asserted: "And don't forget, Sherrod Brown is black. There's a racial component here, too," adding that "the newspaper that I'm reading all this from is The New York Times, and they, of course, don't mention that." In fact, Brown is Caucasian -- a point on which Limbaugh was corrected later in the program.
Hackett is a Marine Corps veteran who re-enlisted in 2004 and served in Iraq, completing a tour of duty in early 2005. On August 2, 2005, he narrowly lost a special election to Republican Jean Schmidt for Ohio's 2nd Congressional District seat. Hackett announced on October 24, 2005, his intention to run for DeWine's Senate seat. But, citing discouragement from state and national Democratic leaders after Brown also entered the race, Hackett withdrew his candidacy on February 13, avoiding a potentially contentious primary with Brown, a seven-term congressman representing Ohio's 13th District.
After accusing the New York Times of neglecting to report that "Sherrod Brown is black," Limbaugh was later informed of his error. He said: "Sherrod Brown's a white guy? Then, I'm confusing him with somebody. ... Must be somebody in New York [who] has got a similar name." Limbaugh may have been referring to Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), who is also Caucasian.
Later in the broadcast -- after apparently being inundated with e-mails correcting his false assertion on Brown's ethnicity -- Limbaugh again corrected himself but declared: "I'm not gonna apologize, 'cause I don't think it's an insult to be black. But I did err. ... He is not black. He's one of these white European descendents in Ohio." Limbaugh opined that Hackett's withdrawal "really boils down to a matter of money" but was also because "they don't like military guys in the ... Democratic Party."
From the February 14 broadcast of the Rush Limbaugh Show:
LIMBAUGH: Somebody explain to me what the Democrats are thinking here. Why do they think running a military candidate is gonna be credible anyway, given the posture that they have had the last four or five years? It was a four-point loss. That's right -- 52 to 48, Jean Schmidt beat Hackett, and they claimed it was a win. They were out there, "Oh, yeah, a big -- oh, he got so close, this means it's over for Bush. This means in the '06 elections, that Bush is history." Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah.
But I -- with the attitudes that they have expressed about the military -- they have regularly done their best to impugn the U.S. military. They -- they've collaborated with the members of the media in their party to run stories about how military members are just a bunch a hayseed hicks who joined the military 'cause there's no economic opportunity in America, 'cause the country sucks. They have -- they have -- they say they support the troops, but they don't. And yet, they wanna bring out some -- some -- a bunch of guys in uniform to run.
Maybe somebody in the party has figured this out. And don't forget, Sherrod Brown is black. There's a racial component here, too. And now, the newspaper that I'm reading all this from is The New York Times, and they, of course, don't mention that. But -- you know, "Democratic leaders say that Representative Sherrod Brown, a seven-term incumbent from Avon, has a far better chance of toppling Senator DeWine than does the -- Hackett."
Uh, Sherrod Brown's a white guy? Then I'm confusing him with somebody. OK, I'm sorry. I thought Sherrod Brown was -- I'm -- I'm confusing him with somebody then. Must be somebody in New York has got a similar name. "Nevertheless, Hackett says, 'I don't work that way. My word is my bond.' Hackett is seen by many as a straight talker. He became an icon to liberal bloggers, 'cause he says exactly what they have wished they would hear from a politician."
For those of you who continue to email me, even though I have made the correction -- let me make the correction again. I erred when I said that Sherrod Brown is black. I'm confusing him with somebody with a similar name in the Democratic Party somewhere. But we have -- we have corrected this, and I, you know, I'm not gonna apologize, 'cause I don't think it's an insult to be black. But -- but I did err. He is -- his is -- he is -- he is not black. He's one of these white European descendents in Ohio. He's the guy that -- that the Democrats have kicked Paul Hackett out of the race for the Senate seat in Ohio against Mike DeWine. And it really boils down to a matter of money, plus they don't like military guys in the, in the Democratic Party. But Sherrod -- Sherrod Brown has much more money than Hackett could ever hope to raise. So that's that.
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BROWN, John Young, (nephew of Bryan Rust Young and William Singleton Young), a Representative from Kentucky; born in Claysville, Hardin County, Ky., June 28, 1835; was graduated from Centre College, Danville, Ky., in 1855; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1857 and commenced practice in Elizabethtown, Ky.; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-sixth Congress (March 4, 1859-March 3, 1861), but because he had not attained the age required by the Constitution he did not take his seat until the second session; member of the Douglas National Committee in 1860; elected to the Fortieth Congress, but his seat was declared vacant because of alleged disloyalty; elected to the Forty-third and Forty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1873-March 3, 1877); censured by the House of Representatives on February 4, 1875, for the use of unparliamentary language; resumed the practice of law in Louisville; Governor of Kentucky 1891-1895; returned to Louisville, where he practiced law until his death in Henderson, Henderson County, Ky., January 11, 1904; interment in Fernwood Cemetery.
Father: Thomas Dudley BROWN
Mother: Elizabeth YOUNG
Marriage 1 Lucie BARBEE
Marriage 2 Rebecca Hart DIXON b: 28 MAY 1839
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Moeller acquires molding ovenPosted on
Moeller Marine Products of Sparta, Tenn., purchased a Ferry 430 four-arm roto-oven to manufacture larger capacity fuel tanks and other rotationally molded products.
Rotational molding is our core competency and thats where we plan to focus our growth senior vice president Bob Beagle said in a statement.
This investment also supports our plan to expand our market platforms, he added.


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July 26, 2017 Disclaimer: Please read.
Statements and opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors, not Truthdig. Truthdig takes no responsibility for such statements or opinions.
Creating the Muslim Manchurian Candidate
Posted on Mar 30, 2012
By John Feffer, TomDispatch
(Page 3)
The Upcoming Elections
The 2010 midterm elections witnessed a sharp uptick in anti-Islamic sentiment. In addition to the concocted "Ground Zero mosque" controversy, Florida preacher Terry Jones threatened to burn the Qur'an in front of the world's cameras; a group called Stop Islamization of America bought anti-Islamic ads on buses in major cities; and a movement to pass anti-Sharia legislation at a state level began in Oklahoma. In response to this brushfire of hatred, Time magazine devoted a cover story to Islamophobia that year. On the right at least, Islam seemed on the way to becoming a litmus test in the way communism was during the Cold War.
Two years later, the hysteria seems to have subsided. The Islamophobes haven't gone into hiding. They tried to organize an advertising boycott of the TV show All-American Muslim; they campaigned against halal meats. But these efforts didn't get much traction.
Meanwhile, Park51—the real name of the cultural center inaccurately dubbed the "Ground Zero mosque"—opened in its original Park Street location with an exhibition by a Jewish photographer. Terry Jones is pursuing a quixotic bid for the presidency far from the media spotlight. Time has returned several times to the topic of Islamophobia, particularly after Anders Breivik's bombing and shooting rampage in Norway in July 2011, but with none of the intensity of the summer of 2010. The anti-Sharia campaign has passed legislation in several states, and laws are pending in more than a dozen more. But the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Oklahoma anti-Sharia statute unconstitutional, and the anti-Sharia crowd has been unable to provide a single piece of evidence that Islamic law poses any challenge to the U.S. legal system.
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Mitt Romney has a more ambivalent relationship to religion as a wedge issue, given the level of discomfort that many American have toward Mormonism. But there are no Mormon countries to which Romney can be accused of owing primary allegiance. It will be safe, in other words, to challenge Obama for acting rather than being Muslim, for deferring to the Muslim world much as anti-Catholic voters in 1960 imagined John F. Kennedy to be taking his orders directly from the Pope.
Romney is already lining up his ducks, welcoming onto his team Islam critic Walid Phares and attack ad specialist Larry McCarthy (who did a distortion-laden spot on the "Ground Zero mosque" back in 2010). After securing the nomination, Romney will simultaneously appeal to the center and shore up support among evangelicals. The message that Obama is weak, anti-Israel, and appeases Islamic movements and countries could catch the attention of both constituencies.
A disconnect between accusation and reality hardly matters in American politics these days. Obama the "socialist" somehow manages to work hand in hand with Wall Street financiers. Obama the "Nazi" courts AIPAC. Obama the "peacenik" has been very much a war president. And Obama the "Muslim" gets a big thumbs-down from the Muslim world.
The president makes a lousy Muslim Manchurian candidate, for he has disappointed his imagined Muslim handlers at virtually every turn. In an election in which racist slogans are off the table, however, the Islamophobic accusation of "acting Muslim" remains a politically acceptable chauvinism. Given the deep anti-Islamic currents in American culture, such accusations might unfortunately prove effective as well.
John Feffer is the author of the just-published "Crusade 2.0: The West's Resurgent War on Islam" (City Lights Books). A TomDispatch regular, he is the co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies and will be starting an Open Society fellowship later this year.
Follow TomDispatch on Twitter @TomDispatch and join us on Facebook.
© 2012 John Feffer
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By DHFabian, April 2, 2012 at 8:32 pm Link to this comment
What President Obama has been doing is unforgivable. He has slowed down our upward redistribution of wealth in favor of economy stability, trying to rebuild this country. Can you imagine? He has actually dared to call for job creation in the US, rather than following the Republican lead of giving corporations billions of dollars to build factories in foreign countries, exporting our jobs. On the religion issue, how can these right-wingers lie in the name in Christianity by sinfully declaring what Obama "really" believes? In view of everything that Christian presidents have done since the 1980s that directly contradicted Christ's teachings—repeatedly waged war, turned their backs on the poor, incited hatred for the powerless, pitted neighbors against neighbors, praised greed, etc., etc.— maybe we need to re-examine the role of Christianity in America.
By Bill Desmond, April 1, 2012 at 9:26 am Link to this comment
Some day, hopefully before the end, some politician
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Visitors and Parents – Welcome!
IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL festival participants and attendees MUST purchase and display one of the Festival Admission Passes (colored wristbands below) during each day of attendance. (These are required in addition to group performance fees paid by participating schools.)
To view PDF files, you will need to use Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free program. Click to download:
Festival InformationView or download when they become available:
• Festival Map » (pdf)
• Festival Merchandise » (pdf)
• Dining Options » (pdf)
• Competition Schedule » (pdf)
• Clinic Schedule » (pdf)
Admission Passes and Fees
Go to our Purchase page for admission passes and fees information.
Individual Concert Tickets
Go to our Purchase page for concert tickets and more information.
Travel and Accommodations — Book your rooms early!
Go to our Travel and Accommodations page.
Group Photos
The Reno Jazz Festival has made arrangements for Tri-Star Event Photo to photograph your Jazz Band/Choir at the festival.
Download: Group Photo Order Form (pdf).
Interested in applying to UNR?
Go to the University Admission and Records application process for more information.


text:
Dhaka, Bangladesh (AFP) Aug 20, 2008
Bangladesh banned a "toxic" oil tanker just days before it was to be beached and broken up, an official said Wednesday.
The New Atlantia, which Greenpeace described as hazardous, was sold to a Bangladeshi shipbreaker after its name was changed to MT Enterprise, Musharraf Ashraf, a shipping department official, told AFP.
Its new owner took the ship to Sitakundu, home to the world's largest ship breaking yards, on the country's southeast coast.
But authorities banned the ship from being broken up and ordered it to leave Bangladesh territory after finding out that the owners had disguised its name to obtain dismantling approval, Ashraf said.
"Environment groups have alerted us at the last moment. We banned the ship as soon as we learnt that the MT Enterprise's original name was New Atlantia and it is an asbestos-laden toxic ship," he added.
Up to 130 large ships are dismantled each year at yards operating on beaches at Sitakundu, 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Chittagong city.
Sitakundu's shipbreaking yards have boomed in recent years due to soaring demand for steel.
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Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up
Many US Public Schools In Air Pollution Danger Zone
Cincinnati OH (SPX) Aug 20, 2008
One in three U.S. public schools are in the "air pollution danger zone," according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC).
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Fri Apr 27, 2012, 09:01 PM
Modern School (794 posts)
Stand for Children Lynch Mob Wants MA Teachers Blood
Riding the wave of hysteria about our dysfunctional schools and incompetent teachers, Stand for Children (S4C) Massachusetts has acquired enough signatures to get an initiative on the November ballot that would make evaluations more important than seniority in layoff and transfer decisions.
S4C says that polls it commissioned in 2011 indicated 85% approval for their initiative, according to South Coast Today. "People inherently get it," said Jason Williams, director of the MA branch of S4C.
What they get, however, is not readily apparent. Williams thinks that his initiative will help increase involvement by skeptical or uninvolved parents at low income schools. This is delusional at best. Lack of involvement by low income parents has little to do with how teachers are evaluated, and a lot to do with parents social status. Many are working two or three jobs to make ends meet or are working during the afternoons and evenings and are thus unable to make after school meetings, fundraisers or open houses. Some do not feel comfortable or confident navigating middle class institutions like public schools. More importantly, while greater parental involvement is generally considered good for schools, it alone cannot turn low performing schools around or erase the effects of living in poverty.
Williams also evoked the oft-repeated mantra that seniority has caused the state's teacher of the year to be laid off because another teacher had more seniority. However, if Williams and other reformers really want to keep excellent teachers in the classrooms, they should be fighting for higher taxes, especially on the wealthy, so that districts could afford to hire and retain the best teachers and not have to lay off anyone. Furthermore, with sufficient funding, districts could offer more professional development to help all teachers become better at their craft, raising the quality of teaching for all students, not just those lucky enough to have teachers of the year.
It is also worth looking at what it takes to become a teacher of the yeara status typically not earned without going well beyond the call of duty and ones contractual obligations. In other words, teachers of the year generally put in more unpaid volunteer time and labor than other teachers. Yet this is only necessary because it is impossible to accomplish all of our responsibilities within our contractual hours for which we are paid, let alone all the additional supports kids need. So why not fund schools sufficiently for teachers to be paid amply for their skill and commitment and to provide students with the services they need, rather than expecting bleeding heart martyrs to do it on a volunteer basis?
There is another significant problem with S4Cs initiative: Massachusetts is implementing a new evaluation system next year that has not yet been tested. The bugs have not been identified, let alone corrected. To base a teachers job and financial security on an untested system is premature and risky, particularly when there is no evidence that seniority has anything to do with the effectiveness of Massachusetts schools.
Modern School
5 replies, 2215 views
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|5 replies
Stand for Children Lynch Mob Wants MA Teachers Blood (Original post)
|Modern School
|Apr 2012
|Apr 2012
|Apr 2012
|May 2012
|May 2012
|May 2012
Response to Modern School (Original post)
Fri Apr 27, 2012, 09:33 PM
madrchsod (58,162 posts)
1. from mike klonsky`s small talk blog....
Response to Modern School (Original post)
Mon Apr 30, 2012, 08:12 PM
Taitertots (7,745 posts)
2. Evaluations are totally subjective
This has nothing to do with getting rid of "Bad teachers". It has everything to do with making them kiss admin ass or risk getting fired.
Response to Taitertots (Reply #2)
Tue May 1, 2012, 01:11 AM
mbperrin (7,672 posts)
3. Yes.
Response to Modern School (Original post)
Thu May 10, 2012, 10:51 AM
MissDeed (3 posts)
4. It is more thsn people can fathom
I have much to share. Tests are a scam. Help teachers shake off the shackles of oppression. Write the government about the reform movement. Forget the koolaid. Come have. Hemlock on the rox with me..
Response to Modern School (Original post)
Sat May 12, 2012, 02:36 PM
SZaccheo (11 posts)
5. Let's Fix Education!
Let's fix education! Help stop the circus!
Make a difference at www.ThisBudgetBlows.com for a better tomorrow.


text:
One Game Suspension for U.H. Football Coach
University of Hawaii football coach Chris Demarest was suspended for one game by the Mountain West Conference for breaking a sportsmanship rule during Saturday's game at Oregon State. Demarest will be off the sidelines in Hawaii's next game at Nevada on September 21.


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Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human
Services' (DHHS) Medicaid Medical Director has been appointed to serve on a
national advisory panel aimed at improving healthcare for patients. The
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) selected Dr. Doris
Lotz to serve on PCORI's newly established Advisory Panel on Improving
Healthcare Systems.
Dr. Lotz was one of 84 individuals selected to serve on one of PCORI's four
advisory panels. She will represent public payers of healthcare services
on the 21-member Improving Healthcare Systems panel. The panel will help
identify and prioritize questions that are important to patients,
caregivers, clinicians and others. PCORI received applications for panel
membership from more than 1,000 individuals.
"It's important that we look at how we deliver healthcare services," said
Dr. Lotz, "so that we can develop healthcare systems that consistently
deliver high quality, effective, and efficient care to patients, and we
ensure that excellent healthcare is available for everyone. PCORI is going
to take on that challenge and I'm honored to be involved."
Lotz, MD, MPH has been the Medicaid Medical Director for the State of New
Hampshire since 2002. She provides guidance for clinical policy, program
development, and strategic planning; oversight to quality improvement,
clinical and pharmacy services, and managed care; and actively works to
balance clinical and business priorities of the program. Dr. Lotz has been
an advocate for quality measurement and evidence based improvements in
health care delivery.
PCORI is an independent, non-profit organization authorized by Congress.
Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their
caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to
make better-informed health care decisions. PCORI is committed to
continuously seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its
work. For more information visit: www.pcori.org
NH DHHS Medicaid Medical Director Named to National Panel
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human


text:
The Days After
For many of us in the climate world, these days feel a bit like being in the movie The Day After, where nuclear winter had descended and John Lithgow was on the HAM radio calling out, "…Is there anybody out there? Anybody at all…?"
OK. So it's not quite that bad. But as we all know, Congress has been reshaped, and some long-time supporters of climate action (and coal) such as Rick Boucher (D-VA) are out, while others who ran ads literally shooting a rifle at a cap-and-trade bill, are in. And the number of actual climate deniers walking the halls of Congress has also increased.
So with the picture seemingly so bleak, and the chances of comprehensive climate legislation highly unlikely in at least the next couple of years, it would be natural for many in the corporate community to relax and think that they no longer have to think about climate change.
I think this would be dead wrong. And lest you wonder about my grasp on reality, let me explain why.
First, let's look to California. Voters forcefully rejected Proposition 23, a measure that was a full-frontal assault on the nation's most aggressive climate bill. They also rejected a gubernatorial candidate who had promised to postpone AB32 for at least a year, and instead elected a governor who campaigned on aggressively implementing the same law.
California is the world's 8th largest economy and typically leads the nation in environmental protection. The fact that it will soon be implementing a cap-and-trade system and other aggressive measures to reduce GHGs should be an indication that the issue is not going to quietly disappear into the night. It is also remarkable that much of the financial support for the "No on Prop 23" campaign came from the venture capital and tech industries, which understand the market opportunities that clean energy and energy efficiency provide.
And while the political landscape may have changed this week, the businesses' case for taking climate action has not. Leading companies should continue to keep climate and sustainability as an element of their core corporate strategies, and in my conversations over the past few weeks, they are. Regardless of whether federal climate legislation is adopted, "climate change" is a proxy for a number of critical operational issues such as energy, water, waste, and supply chain efficiency. Companies that have a comprehensive plan to reduce their impacts in these areas realize not only bottom-line benefits, but reputational benefits as well.
And finally, let's not forget the climate science. The reality is that regardless of the state of policy, the climate continues to change, impacts are already being felt in our own backyards, and by not acting we continue to load the dice in favor of deeper floods, longer droughts, and bigger wildfires. While politicians move at one pace, nature does not react to polls or get voted out of office. And as one of my favorite cartoons of the last year points out, even if this were all just an elaborate hoax, the biggest risk of investing in clean energy, energy efficiency, water and waste management is that we would have created a healthier, safer world all for "nothing."
Tim Juliani is Director of Corporate Engagement


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Varney Goes To Bat For Oil Industry Subsidies
Blog ››› ››› REMINGTON SHEPARD
During the March 26 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Fox Business' Stuart Varney argued that tax deductions for oil companies should be maintained, claiming that the tax breaks were not extraordinary because "every company in America gets a tax break when they buy equipment." Varney also accused president Obama of "attacking the oil companies because they are very profitable" and singling out the oil industry over other parts of the manufacturing sector.
VARNEY: The use of the word subsidy is wildly misleading. There' is no payment that goes from the treasury to the oil companies. It doesn't work like that. Every company in America gets a tax break when they buy equipment. Ok?
STEVE DOOCY (co-host): Sure
VARNEY: Because we want to encourage--
DOOCY: It's a deduction.
VARNEY: Investment in equipment, expansion and efficiency. It is a deduction. The president calls it a subsidy as if there's money going out of the treasury straight to the oil companies. Absolutely not true.
GRETCHEN CARLSON (co-host): So it's the same thing for all companies?
VARNEY: Yes.
CARLSON: And the reason that we talk so much about this is because of gas prices and because oil companies make a big profit.
VARNEY: The president is attacking the oil companies because they are very profitable, they do make a great deal of money--
KILMEADE: They pay a great deal of taxes.
VARNEY: He is going right after them, and says they should pay more in taxes. That is his solution to rising gas prices. Do you think you are going to get lower gas prices because you take an extra $4 billion a year off the oil companies? I am not sure that is going to work out. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 3/27/12]
During the segment the on-screen graphic referenced the "oil bill" better known as S.2204, the Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act:
[Fox News, Fox & Friends, 3/27/12]
But contrary to Varney's claim, oil companies enjoy several unique deductions that other companies in other industries do not, many of which are directly targeted by the bill. As a March 26 Senate Republican Policy Committee press release makes clear:
S. 2204 incorporates an earlier legislative effort to extend expired and expiring tax expenditures for renewable energy, alternative energy, energy efficiency, and mine safety training equipment. The bill is paid for by repealing certain oil and gas tax incentives. The Act:
repeals or modifies certain oil and gas tax incentives: dual capacity rule, Section 199 domestic manufacturing deduction, intangible drilling and development cost deduction, percentage depletion allowance for oil and gas wells, tertiary injectants deduction, Outer Continental Shelf deep water and deep gas royalty relief
- Posted In
- Economy, Taxes
- Network/Outlet
- Fox News Channel
- Person
- Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade, Stuart Varney, Gretchen Carlson
- Show/Publication
- FOX & Friends
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Geek in the Galley: The toaster of tomorrow
See that picture above? Yeah, that's exactly what you think it is: a toaster with a pre-determined Pop Tart setting. And that is just about the coolest thing in the world.
Or in the world of toasters, at least.
The toaster pictured is the one that came with my room in Beaver Creek -- a virtual wonderland of things cooler and more functionally solid than the things I have at home. At home, I have two toasters (because I am an old short-order cook and having only one toaster around makes me nervous). One of them has only two settings: Uncooked and Mysterious House Fire. And the other (which, no lie, was a promotional toaster that I got for buying a certain brand of granola) will only toast bagels, for reasons that have never been clear to me.
But now that I know there is a Pop Tart-specific toaster out there in the world, I must have one of my own. Because regardless of how my fellow scribblers here at Cafe Society might feel about the humble breakfast pastry, I do dearly love me some Pop Tarty goodness now and again. Even if, because of my home toaster situation, I generally have to eat them cold.
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1. Re: Which script / portal / business service is used to create Users in MDM ?Luckys Nov 26, 2012 5:57 PM (in response to 892197)I think you have two options:
1 - If your intention is to create 'User' using XAI (Web Services), use CDxUserMaintenance XAI Inbound Service, similar to below:
CILTUSEP, legacy service XMLs would have inputs in attributes as opposed to elements. You can use XAI Dynamic Submission to build above or other required XML.
<SOAP-ENV:Envelope xmlns:SOAP-ENV="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"> <SOAP-ENV:Body> <CDxUserMaintenance dateTimeTagFormat="CdxDateTime" transactionType ="ADD" > <CDxUserMaintenanceService> <CDxUserMaintenanceHeader User="RXSUSER" /><CDxUserMaintenanceDetails User="RXSUSER" LoginId="RXSUSER" UserEnable="ENBL" LanguageCode="ENG" FirstName="RXS" LastName="User" DisplayProfileCode="NORTHAM" ToDoEntries="10" TD_ENTRY_AGE_DAYS2="20" > </CDxUserMaintenanceDetails> </CDxUserMaintenanceService> </CDxUserMaintenance> </SOAP-ENV:Body> </SOAP-ENV:Envelope>
2 - Haven't tried it but since 'USER" MO allows +BO Maintenance+, you could create a Service Script and use/duplicate BO - 'F1-IDMUser', why? because it contains the schema definition of CILTUSEP service. SS can further be exposed as a XAI Service.
Portals - you can't; Business Service - you can't.


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One of the most fun parts of eating Italian cuisine is twirling spaghetti noodles around your fork and then using that whole thing as a big, wet spoon to scoop up meatballs. Pick pasta with this Groupon.
$13.95 for a Choice of Pasta Entrees for Two (Up to $27.90 Value)
Pasta dishes include linguinie with white clam sauce, lasagna, penne a la vodka, and chicken broccoli alfredo. See the full menu.
Rocco's New York Italian Deli
Carefully wrapped cuts of meat and sausages and encased salami fly over the deli counter at Rocco's New York Italian Deli as staffers craft the homemade Italian entrees that compose this traditional deli's menu. Owner Adam Kahn draws upon his family's recipes to craft a selection of meat, cheeses, and desserts available by the pound and savory dishes that burst with classic Italian ingredients like a tomato vine when rent is due. Almost every morsel is made from scratch, from the sweet crust of Grandma's cheesecake to the homemade bread made fresh every morning to ensconce the deli meats in a selection of hot and cold sandwiches. The deli also sources some specialty items straight from Italy to showcase the country's flavorful pepperoncini, piquant Reggiano parmigiana, and tart limonata, lending customers a taste of authentic Italian treats without needing to install a gelato-cast statue of David.


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Visiting a blog with the cute name of , I found a banner perfect for Thanksgiving. My banner is very similar to the instructions Carol provided on her blog and was easy to make with what I had on hand.
Little wooden clothes pins are embellished and used to hold each letter in place for hanging.
I kept the edges straight but Carol used her Cricut to cut out a scalloped edge on the patterned paper that looks very nice.
Since I did not have the pretty Tulle as the one I copied, I used cotton yarn and just crocheted a long chain.
A quick search turned up these quotes on gratitude:God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward
The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer
Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. ~G.B. Stern
There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed. If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude. ~Robert Braul
When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? ~G.K. Chesterton
The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. ~John E. Southard
The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! ~Henry Ward Beecher
Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live. ~Attributed to Jacqueline Winspear
Who does not thank for little will not thank for much. ~Estonian Proverb
When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep? ~George Canning
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe…
Hebrews 12:28 NASB


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This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
Although it is still debatable whether Internet Addiction (IA) should be labeled as an addictive disorder [
In order to develop evidence-based programs aimed at controlling IA, it is essential to fully understand its etiological pathway and patterns of psychiatric and behavioral co-morbidities. IA has been found to be a co-morbidity with psychiatric symptoms [
Currently, available data that relates IA with other addictive behaviors (substance abuse) is very limited [
Research focusing on IA has been much more prominent in Asian countries [
In general, hypotheses regarding the comprehensive nature of the relationships between IA and substance use may include the following: (1) IA is a causal risk factor for substance use; (2) substance use is a causal risk factor for IA; (3) IA and substance use reinforce each other and thus have a reciprocal relationship; and (4) concurrent relationships exist between measures of IA and substance use. If there are no relationships found to support hypotheses 1, 2, or 3; but there is a relationship that supports hypothesis 4, there would be no true causal relationship between IA and substance use; rather the observed concurrent relationships between the cross-sectional measures, or between parallel changes during the same time span could be spurious (
There is currently a lack of universal diagnostic criteria for IA. Viewing IA as an impulse-control disorder that does not involve an intoxicant, researchers consider IA as a multi-dimensional disorder [
Objectives of this study are uniquely comprehensive in that we will examine all four hypothesized relationships between CIU and substance use using longitudinal data. Namely, we will depict the possible concurrent and reciprocal predictive relationships between CIU, cigarette smoking, and binge drinking behaviors among high-risk youth. The concurrent relationships investigated will include both the cross-sectional (baseline with baseline) and longitudinal ones (e.g., how the change in CIU from baseline to follow-up correlate with the change in cigarette smoking from baseline to follow-up). All change scores will be calculated as the value at 1-year follow-up survey minus the value at baseline. All possible bidirectional relationships will be investigated such that baseline behaviors will be used to predict change in behavior from baseline to one-year follow-up. All analyses will be conducted separately in US and Chinese samples, and separately for each gender. Therefore, analyses will also be able to distinguish the possible differences in the hypothesized relationships between the two countries, and by gender.
Data for the analyses were drawn from two similar school-based longitudinal trials, one conducted in Chengdu, China and the other in Los Angeles, California, USA. The study in China, the "Healthy Lives, Successful Lives" (HLSL) trial, was a two-condition controlled intervention conducted to test the impact of a 10 lesson (45 minutes each) intervention on tobacco use and alcohol use among high school students over two years. The US study, a "Towards No Drug Abuse" (TND) trial, was a three-condition controlled intervention implemented to test the impact of TND programming
The average age (years, mean ± std) was 16.8 ± 0.93 and 15.9 ± 0.76 for the students in the TND, and HLSL study, respectively. The TND study included slightly more male students than the HLSL study (56.6%
This paper focuses on the concurrent and predictive relationships between CIU, cigarette smoking, and binge drinking. The key analytical variables included CIU, 30-day cigarette use, 30-day binge drinking, and other covariates that are adjusted for in the analyses.
Various methods have been used to assess problematic internet use [
Cigarette smoking and binge drinking in last 30 days were assessed slightly differently in TND and HLSL studies. In TND, cigarette smoking was assessed by the question, "How many times in the last month have you used cigarettes?", with a 12-point scale response option, starting at "0 times", increasing in intervals of 10 (e.g., "1–10 times", "11–20 times") with the last (12th) category being "over 100 times"; binge drinking was assessed by the question, "How many days have you had 5 or more alcoholic drinks within a 5 hour period over the last 30 days?" with a similar 12-point scale response option. In the HLSL study, cigarette smoking was assessed by the question "During the last 30 days, on how many days did you smoke cigarettes?", with a 7-level answer option ranging from 1: "0 day", 2: "1 or 2 days", …, 6: "20–29 days", to 7: "all 30 days". The binge drinking behavior was assessed by asking the participants "During the past 30 days, on how many days did you have 5 or more drinks of alcohol in a row, that is, within a couple of hours?" with the 7-level answer options ranging from 1: "0 day", 2: "1 day",…, to 7: "20 or more days". Dichotomous transformation of the substance use measures were applied such that any use on one or more days is coded as "Yes" for use (
To assess any differential relationship across gender, analyses were conducted separately for boys and girls. Analyses were adjusted for potential demographic and environmental confounders. The covariates for the Chinese sample included age, students' birthplace (urban
Due to the multi-level sampling method employed in both studies (targeted school, and students within the targeted schools), multi-level random coefficients modeling was applied to the analysis, in which a school-level random effect was assumed in the model. Structural equation modeling was employed to assess all concurrent and predictive relationships in one SEM model. Mplus [
The mean (±std) for CIU was 2.27 (±0.92), 2.71 (±1.02), 2.45 (±0.96), and 2.32 (±0.93) among the Chinese female, Chinese male, US female, and US male students, respectively. While this continuous measure is not a suitable estimate of CIU prevalence, if assuming that an average score of 4 ("Agree" or "Strongly agree" with the CIU statements) is the cut-off for determining the binary status of having CIU problem, the prevalence of CIU would be 5.8%, 15.7%, 9.7%, and 7.3% among the Chinese female, Chinese male, US female, and US male students, respectively. Other studies in China have estimated the prevalence of Internet addiction among Chinese youth to be between 5% and 15% [
The prevalence of 30-day cigarette smoking was 13.7%, 46.1%, 36.6%, and 46.3% among the Chinese females, Chinese males, US females, and US males, respectively. The prevalence for binge drinking was 3.7%, 10.9%, 34.2%, and 38.8% among the Chinese females, Chinese males, US females, and US males, respectively. Chinese females therefore had the lowest prevalence of both cigarette smoking and binge drinking, while Chinese boys had a lower prevalence of binge drinking compared to both US boys and girls.
The intervention did not generate statistically significant (tailed alpha = 0.05) effects on CIU, and prevalence of cigarette smoking and binge drinking. Additional analysis also failed to detect any statistically significant interaction between the intervention and the focused relationships between the three addictive behaviors. Thus, reported below were the results from the analyses involving subjects in both "program" and "control" conditions, with intervention status adjusted as a covariate.
The concurrent and predictive relationships between CIU, cigarette smoking, and binge drinking are depicted separately for females (
Female students only: Concurrent and longitudinal predictive relationships among CIU, cigarette smoking, and binge drinking.
Male students only: Concurrent and longitudinal predictive relationships among CIU, cigarette smoking, and binge drinking.
First, data from both studies revealed the lack of positive cross-sectional relationships between CIU and substance use. Differences between US and Chinese youth were found in the relationships between baseline measures of CIU, cigarette use, and binge drinking. Baseline CIU was negatively correlated with baseline cigarette smoking among Chinese female and male youth (r = −0.07 and −0.12, respectively), but not among US female or male youth.
Second, longitudinally, higher baseline CIU predicted elevated substance use in female students, but not in male students. Among females, higher baseline CIU levels resulted in more binge drinking at 1-year follow-up among US students (r = 0.07), and in more cigarette smoking (r = 0.08) and more binge drinking at 1-year follow-up (r = 0.09) among Chinese students. However, among males, the only predictive relationship between CIU and substance use was that among US males, in which higher baseline CIU levels resulted in less cigarette smoking at 1-year follow-up (r = −0.10).
Third, change in CIU was positively related with change in substance use among females, but not males. More specifically, change in CIU was positively related with change in binge drinking among both US (r = 0.11) and Chinese (r = 0.07) female students, and with change in cigarette smoking among Chinese female students (r = 0.10) only. However, none of the relationships between concurrent changes were statistically significant among male students.
Fourth, baseline substance use did not predict the increase in CIU over 1 year. Regarding cigarette use and binge drinking among female and male US and Chinese students, the only statistical finding was that baseline binge drinking predicted a reduction in CIU over 1 year among the US female students (r = −0.09).
Overall, a complete pattern of positive relationships emerged between cigarette smoking and binge drinking among US youth. The patterns are referred to as complete because there were significant relationships between all possible pathways. Concurrently, baseline cigarette smoking and binge drinking were found to be positively correlated (r = 0.38 in US females, and r = 0.29 in US males), as were their change scores a year later (r = 0.15 in US females, and r = 0.17 in US males). Predictively, baseline cigarette smoking predicted change in binge drinking (r = 0.12 and 0.09 in US female and males, respectively); while baseline binge drinking also predicted change in cigarette smoking (r = 0.09 and 0.15 in US female and males, respectively). In comparison, the pattern of relationships between cigarette smoking and binge drinking were less complete among Chinese youth, and they were the least complete between CIU and any of the substance use measures.
This study documents both the concurrent and predictive longitudinal relationships among CIU, cigarette smoking, and binge drinking among non-traditional high school students in the US and China. Viewing CIU as a process addiction behavior, and cigarette smoking and binge drinking as substance use addiction behaviors, the findings help document the relationships between a process addiction and two substance use addictions, with the relationships between the two types of substance use addiction serving as a reference for comparison.
Five major findings can be summarized from the data: (1) CIU was not positively related with substance use at baseline. (2) There was a positive predictive relationship between baseline CIU and change in substance use among female, but not male students. (3) Relationships between concurrent changes in CIU and substance use were also found among female, but not male students. (4) Baseline substance use did not predict an increase in CIU from baseline to 1-year follow-up. (5) A complete reciprocally predictive relationship was found among US females and males for the relationship between cigarette smoking and binge drinking; but no reciprocally predictive relationship was found between CIU and either type of substance use among either US or Chinese youth.
While the relationships are complex, these unique findings can be applied to test theoretical models of addiction. For example, a Syndrome Model of Addiction suggests that substance addiction and process addiction are all specific expressions of underlying shared manifestations and sequelae for a general addiction syndrome [
The "PACE" model for addiction hypothesizes that Pragmatics, Attraction, Expectations, and Communication are the etiologic elements that explain a person's addiction to an array of addiction behaviors or to a specific addictive behavior [
With regard to the positive associations between baseline CIU and change in substance use, and between change in CIU and change in substance use, the positive associations are detected among female, but not male students. Previous studies have reported a trend of positive associations between internet addiction and risk factors for substance use or substance use dependencies [
In addition, previous studies have revealed a possible difference in types of CIU by gender. Huang
One possible explanation for the differences found among US and Chinese youth is that the same behavior may be perceived differently in different cultures, in addition to being different between females and males. For example, binge drinking by youth at a social gathering may not be considered deviant behavior in China, while any youth alcohol consumption is prohibited by laws in the US. Further, both the prevalence and relationships between cigarette smoking and binge drinking were found to differ between the US and Chinese samples, and these differences may reflect the differential meaning of cigarette smoking and binge drinking across race and gender. The vast differences in smoking prevalence, and reasons for smoking, among male and female youth in China have been previously documented [
Findings from previous cross-sectional studies have revealed that CIU is positively correlated with substance use [
Results of this study show that prospectively, baseline substance use reduces CIU among US youth when assessed one year later, but no significant relationship exists between baseline substance use and change in CIU among Chinese youth. Reciprocally, baseline CIU increases substance use among Chinese females, yet reduces cigarette smoking among US males. While the data revealed a small prospective effect between CIU and substance use, the data did not suggest clear and substantively significant directionality in the pattern of relationships. One possible explanation for this is that the effects of CIU and the effect on CIU may be closely coupled with the particular type of internet use in which youth frequently engage. An alternative hypothesis proposed for further study is that addiction to particular types of websites may increase substance use, or that particular types of CIU may be promoted by substance use.
This study draws data from two longitudinal trials with both CIU and substance use behaviors assessed simultaneously at baseline and one-year follow-up. Thus, the data offered an unprecedented opportunity to examine the concurrent and predictive relationships between CIU and substance use behaviors, and differences by country and gender.
Nevertheless, the study has inherent weaknesses. The first weakness is that the studies from which the data were drawn were not designed to focus on CIU. The assessment of IA needed to be shortened to focus on the compulsive use dimension, which may not be representative of the full spectrum of IA behavior [
In summary, the harmful effects of Internet Addiction are starting to be recognized in the media and the research field, yet the scientific understanding of the behavior is still in its infancy. The findings from this study suggest that the etiologic pathway to Internet Addiction may share common aspects with the pathways for substance use, although the unique aspects of Internet Addiction warrant clearer examination in future studies.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.


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Snoop Continues To Have The Best French Tips In The Rap Game
"Mirror mirror, on, the wall, who has the top Dogg manicure of them all?" The answer to that question would be Snoop Dogg (or is it Snoop Lion?), who showed off a set of new black and white French tips at his fave nail salon in Long Beach, Hey Nice Nails. And he's getting into decals too, I see. Lookin' fresh, dressed and like a million bucks, Snoop! See one more pic after the jump! [People]


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For the holidays, I wanted to share how you can create a blessings tree in honor of all the blessings you have experienced in life. With Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon, I have become keenly aware of just how blessed I am and how thankful I am. What a special way to commemorate this season of thankfulness by creating a Blessings Tree! My favorite style of decorating … [Read more...]
DIY Blessings Tree
21 Nov
Filed Under: birch circles, blessings, chalkboard paint, craft, crafts, Crafts, Decorating, DIY, DIY Blessings Tree, DIY ornaments, holiday, ornaments, Shutterfly, thankfulness · by stacey · 3 Comments