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Brewers snap skid on strength of five-run first
Gomez, Betancourt provide 1-2 punch with combined four RBIs
MILWAUKEE -- One-fifth of the Brewers' season will be in the books when the Rangers leave town Wednesday night. Did anyone peg Carlos Gomez and Yuniesky Betancourt to be the team's two most productive hitters at this point of the season?
A 6-3 victory over Texas on Tuesday was sealed in a five-run first inning, with Gomez delivering a two-run double and scoring on Betancourt's two-run home run. It was enough offense for starter Wily Peralta and three relievers to snap Milwaukee's five-game losing streak and ease the pain inflicted by a weekend sweep at the hands of St. Louis.
"If you have Yuni and Gomey driving in runs and doing the things they're doing, where they're hitting in the batting order," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said, "we should be really good."
Ryan Braun also drove in a run in the decisive first against Rangers right-hander Justin Grimm and is tied with Betancourt for the team lead in RBIs, with 24. But it's Betancourt who finds himself leading the club in long balls after smacking No. 8 on Tuesday night, and everyone trails Gomez's National League-leading .364 batting average.
The question now is whether the Brewers' free-swinging leaders can keep it up.
"I think the at-bats can stay consistent if [Gomez] keeps going with what he's doing," Roenicke said. "Yuni, to keep driving the ball like he's doing, it's impressive. But he's squaring up a lot of baseballs. [Rangers third baseman Adrian] Beltre made a nice play on him down the line that we could have got another run on. But [Betancourt], he's different. He's seeing the ball different. I know he's still not walking."
Lately, Betancourt has been trotting. All of his home runs have come since April 16.
His career high for home runs was 16, in 588 at-bats for the Royals in 2010. Will he break that personal best?
"I don't know for the season, but I already have eight homers," Betancourt said. "I feel great. I feel healthy. I'll try."
Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez hit his first home run of an injury-shortened season in the seventh inning, a solo shot for insurance.
Tom Gorzelanny, Brandon Kintzler and Jim Henderson (seventh save) finished a badly-needed victory for a club that had just been swept in four games by the NL Central-leading Cardinals.
"After you have the rough five games and then the day off, then you come back and make five runs right away and Wily throws the ball good, it's a good start," Gomez said. "It [brings] the energy back to the team."
Gomez did endure some pain in the fifth inning, when a Grimm pitch struck the top of Gomez's left hand. Gomez took off for first base, but plate umpire Laz Diaz ruled the baseball had struck Gomez's bat and called the batter back to the plate for what turned into a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play.
"They say it's a foul ball, but I've got a big bruise," Gomez said.
He shrugged, and referred to a moment earlier in the homestand when he got away with a hit by pitch on a ball that actually did strike his bat.
"You have to take it like a man," Gomez said, adding, "It's brutal, because they take an at-bat away. I'm not joking with my at-bats."
Peralta (3-2) won for the third time in four starts after allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits in six innings. He did not walk a batter, struck out two and induced groundouts or strikeouts for 11 of his first 15 outs.
"Great sinker today," Roenicke said. "It was a great game for him. This is a really tough lineup to go through."
The Brewers' first-inning outburst represented a rarity for Rangers rookie Grimm (2-2), who had not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his four starts this season. The right-hander threw each of his first 14 pitches for strikes, and 15 of his first 16, but found himself facing an early deficit, no thanks to his defense.
After Norichika Aoki led off with an infield single and Jean Segura singled up the middle, Braun hit a drive to deep right field, where former Brewers farmhand Nelson Cruz had a play but couldn't make it. Aoki ran through third-base coach Ed Sedar's stop sign to score, but Segura appeared to read the play as an out, and turned to retreat to first with Braun already chugging to second. Segura made it back to second base, and Braun's hit went in the books as a long single.
Grimm retired the next two batters before Gomez hit a double to medium left field that eluded David Murphy -- he said he lost the baseball in the lights -- and rolled toward the warning track, allowing both Segura and Braun to score. Four pitches later, Betancourt hit a low changeup for a two-run homer and a 5-0 lead.
"He's always had power," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Now he's doing a good job with it."
What about Gomez, the Brewers' other big hitter?
"That guy has been coming for a long time and he's starting to find himself," Washington said. "I don't know if he's going to be a .360 hitter, but he's getting better. He can be a dangerous player because he's got speed and he plays the game hard."
Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brew Beat, and follow him on Twitter at @AdamMcCalvy. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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detail from The Birth of Venus by Alexandre Cabanel
By Brian K. Yoder
The Complaintome people feel that the nude form is something that should be hidden away both in art and the artist's classroom. Although this may seem at first like a mere annoyance, such people frequently attempt to stop others from viewing or learning from the human form, thereby infringing on their rights to create and consume art as they wish. On the ARC website there are countless paintings and sculptures featuring nude figures. From time to time, this anti-nudity theme pops up in the ARC website feedback and on the GoodArt mailing list, normally starting because someone says something along the lines of "All of this would be wonderful if only you would hide or eliminate the presence of nudity on the site."
I believe that one source of this sort of comment arises from a lack of understanding of how the best art is taught and created. All of the recommended art training programs promoted by ARC include nude figure drawing in the curriculum, and thus it has always been, back to the days of the ancient Greeks. In fact, it would be virtually impossible to teach someone how to draw accurate human anatomy without this essential tool. Even to depict a clothed figure one needs to fully understand the mechanics of what is underneath. Drawing the nude figure is the only way to accomplish this, as is the practice of learning how to draw the bones and muscles beneath the skin.
Educational issues aside, nude figures also offer important expressive tools to artists. They can show human beings in ways that are uniquely valuable. For one thing, expressions of nudes are the extreme opposite of expressions of figures wearing trench coats, hats, and dark sunglasses. They also allow the artist to show people outside of a historical context if he wishes to do so. Put any kind of clothing on a person in a painting or a sculpture and you tie them down to a time when that kind of clothing was common or popular and apart from times when it wasn't.
That said, at times the figures need to wear clothing due to the nature of what is being portrayed, yet the artist may still wish the message to be universal to all men of all times. One way of doing this has been to dress the figures in a sheet or simple cloth which is often called classical garb which drapes the figures and feels like it could be taking place in the past present or future. I like to call this placing the figures in the "ancient distant future".
Using nudity the artist can show human beings in a way that focuses the attention on the figure and not irrelevant matters like how their shirts are buttoned, how their skirts are being draped, and whether they are wearing the most stylish kind of hat. The ability of the artist to focus attention on the important aspects of what is going on and to remove distractions from this subject of focus is a common reason for the choice of nude figures as well.
Lastly, the human body can be a beautiful thing to contemplate and this can be a useful artistic tool in and of itself, just as flowers, sunsets, and mountains are similarly useful tools in the artist's toolkit. And if the point of art is primarily to express ideas about the nature of humanity, man's role in the world then it would be natural to expect that the unadorned human form would be among the most powerful of those expressive tools and indeed it is.
The reasons for these anti-nudity comments vary widely but they contain some common themes. I have collected some of my thoughts on this subjects in this brief essay to stimulate further discussion and understanding. I'm sure it will stimulate some reactions, positive and negative, so don't be shy about contributing feedback whatever your point of view may be whether on the GoodArt Forum or personally at firstname.lastname@example.com.
What are the complaints? The folks who complain about nudity on art sites (and in artist training) do so for a variety of reasons, so it's worth examining and categorizing these complaints before responding to them.
1. "Looking at nudes impacts the mind in negative ways, most notably by making one obsessed with sex."
2. "I can't allow my kids to look at the website because there are nudes there."
3. "Nudity means sex, which is bad/dirty and to be avoided."
4. "Nudity is pornography, which is bad and to be avoided."
5. "Female nudes are an affront to the power of women because it makes them objects of male lust rather than complete human beings."
These complaints are sometimes accompanied by concerns over the ratio of male to female artists or models selected for inclusion on the site, and on occasion, these same people sometimes complain about male nudes on the grounds that they illustrate male sexual power and prowess which acts to suppress the freedom of women.
6. "I have religious objections against nudity."
7. "I want to become an artist but I am worried that it might be necessary for me to view nudes in figure drawing classes and I don't know if I can handle that. What should I do?"
My RepliesHow do I respond to these complaints? These groups can be broken down into categories that encompass all the comments described above:
"Looking at nudes impacts the mind in negative ways, most notably by making one obsessed with sex."
"I can't allow my kids to look at the website because there are nudes there."
First, I think that adults tend to project their own intense interest in sexual matters onto children who in fact don't have such interests at all. Instead, they are more likely to have curiosity about whatever "forbidden fruit" it is that their parents seek to hide away from them. In my experience, young children are likely to respond to a nude painting or statue by saying something like "Oh, so that's what a naked woman/man looks like." shrug their shoulders, and go back to whatever they were already doing. If an uncomfortable sexual situation arises, (like dogs mating in public for example), the situation is generally far more uncomfortable for the adults who are worried about being asked embarrassing questions, than for the kids who are just mildly curious about what's going on rather than blushing and becoming upset. Likewise, it is generally parents rather than children who typically have the bouts of anxiety associated with discussing where babies come from.
While many of the concerns of parents in western society derive from Freud's research and mostly discredited theories on the impact of nudity on young developing minds, it would be well beyond the scope of this article to launch into their accuracy and impact. Suffice it to say that such a discussion might well be excellent material for a possible follow up article and discussion.
Second, if parents want to avoid giving their kids a psychological obsession related to sex or nudity they should avoid making a big deal out of such things, starting at an early age. I don't mean that they should take them to strip clubs or have them watch X-rated movies by any means, but they should also not make the opposite mistake of covering their eyes when they walk past an artistic nude in a museum, scolding or swatting a dog for copulating, or becoming freaked out if the child sees a couple holding hands or kissing passionately. Children learn their early emotional responses to things by watching their parents, so if you want to avoid having them develop sexual obsessions or unduly negative attitudes about sex, the best medicine is to avoid acting in obsessive or negative ways yourself.
Third, I think it is a mistake to associate nudity exclusively with sexual activity or sexual meaning. A nude can be highly sexual or not at all sexual, just as a clothed figure can be highly alluring or non-sexual as well. For example, these artworks include nude figures even though they are not charged with sexual meaning:
But this fully clothed figure is considerably more sexually explicit in its meaning despite being completely clothed from the neck down:
Sexual meaning has a lot more to do with the treatment of the figures than it does with how much clothing they are wearing.
"Nudity means sex, which is bad/dirty and to be avoided."
The second is that sex is something that is bad, dirty, or evil. What is supposed to be so terrible about sex even if there is something of it involved in the meaning of a work of art? I can certainly see reasons to think that obsessive fascination with sexual things can be harmful but I think that's different from what is being criticized in these cases since that's not the sort of images on the ARC website. If anything, it is the folks who are obsessed with eliminating anything remotely sexual from the world who seem a bit too obsessive about the subject to me.
"Nudity is pornography, which is bad and to be avoided."
A side question is whether adults viewing pornographic materials is harmful per se. Viewed in moderation I don't see any great harm in it myself, though in the context of these websites it's not particularly relevant since there's nothing pornographic on the site.
Does this mean that it is impossible for someone to become "hooked on pornography"? Of course not. That happens to people regardless of their exposure to nudity in art from what I can tell, and in fact, if anything, sexual repression and a prudish attitude toward nudity and sex are much more causally related to psychological problems of this kind than the availability of nude figures in art.
"Female nudes are an affront to the power of women because it makes them objects of male lust rather than complete human beings."
Images related to sexual topics can express a whole range of ideas such as "Sex is good", "Sex is bad", "Relaxing after a satisfying sexual encounter is wonderful", "Beautiful women can use their sexual attractiveness to beguile men", or "the tension between sexual and intellectual interests as a powerful psychological factor". The vast majority of these kinds of subject matter has nothing at all to do with the feminist tropes of "male domination" or "female objectification", and thus it has nothing to do with most such art, especially since some versions of these ideas are of rather recent vintage. These themes can also appear both with and without recourse to nudity. For example:
Lastly, there is indeed some art that is genuinely and intentionally degrading (to members of whatever group or to people in general) and sometimes the nature of that degrading message is related to sex (again, whether males, females, racial/ethnic groups, or what have you), or it may be degrading or insulting in ways that have nothing to do with sex at all. Be that as it may, nudity is not necessary to create such art, nor is it sufficient. One can be highly degrading to any group portraying only people who are fully clothed or not. There's no way to tell from the use of nudity whether an artwork is ennobling, degrading, or irrelevant to that issue based on whether the people in the artwork are clothed or not. So if you want to criticize or avoid degrading art then by all means do so, but don't use the short cut of assuming that you can tell whether a work of art is like that based on the clothing or lack thereof in the work. In fact, some works such as orientalist paintings of slave markets for example, may portray degradation of people, often even vulnerable-looking nude people, to show how bad degradation is.
Below is an example of a work (Herbert Schmaltz's "Faithful Unto Death") that shows a group of figures being prepared for execution in the Coliseum. There is no doubt that they are about to be degraded and abused in the narrative of the painting, but not sexually and not by means of the artwork itself despite the fact that they are not wearing any clothes. In fact, their nudity (and their beauty) is clearly intended to make them seem more vulnerable to the animals about to be unleashed on them, but also their attractiveness also helps to generate sympathy for them and to highlight what a tragic waste of human beings this is.
Some people may however maintain that nudity per se (most commonly female nudity) necessarily conveys in some impossible to define sense, some sort of demeaning attack on femininity or women. The very fact that they can't really identify what it is about nudity per se that necessarily brings this about, or how the artist couldn't have possibly have had some other intent than to demean in mind, or that even if the artist didn't intend to be demeaning he somehow was doing so in some kind of hidden or subconscious way should be a clue that they are basing this opinion on their own prejudices rather than anything in the works they are criticizing. To these people all I can say is that if everything in the world looks rose-colored to you, perhaps you should consider the possibility that it is your rose-colored glasses that are causing this rather than the world itself being tinted in a weird direction.
To imagine that the point of Anna Lea Merritt's Love Locked Out is somehow a message of abasement, prurience, or demeaning to the kind of person being portrayed is to completely miss the whole point of the painting out of an obsessive focus on perverse and distasteful sexual matters, the avoidance of which oddly enough, is usually given as the justification for the objection to this kind of painting in the first place. Merritt painted this after her husband of just three months had died. It depicts Cupid attempting to force the golden door of a mausoleum in grief, tragedy, loneliness, and sorrow, the roses of life withered and scattered at his feet, and his lamp discarded in frustration in the light of an autumn morning. That's not abasement, that's great art.
So we can see from this that there are many works of art containing nudity that are utterly innocent of these kinds of charges and concerns, and among the rest, only a tiny portion of works of art fall into that category, and that's also not a category that we display on the ARC site. Nude figures? Sure. Degrading or prurient portrayals? Certainly not.
"I have religious objections against nudity."
1. I don't know of any direct biblical admonitions against nudity or viewing nudity. There is of course the commandment about not "coveting thy neighbor's wife" and adultery, but viewing (or even admiring) a nude figure doesn't necessarily elicit covetous thoughts or adulterous actions. And among among those with even a smidgen of self-control, they don't necessarily elicit sexual thoughts at all. One can observe, admire, and respect all kinds of the things one is not supposed to "covet" without actually "coveting" them. If it were otherwise, you would have been admonished against ever seeing any property of your neighbor's that you might therefore want to steal. Can one not see and even admire your neighbor's new car or ox without violating this commandment? This is much more about how one looks rather than at what.
2. According to the Bible, the first people were made naked and apparently never wore clothes while they were in God's good graces. They were supposed to have been in a state of perfect harmony with God, and apparently he saw nothing wrong with nudity in this story. It was only after Adam and Eve had sinned that they felt the need to cover themselves and God took this not as a sign that they were obeying his desires, but as the first outward sign that they were thinking in ways that didn't conform to his desired way of the workings of the world.
3. Most Christian denominations teach that the human body is a good and beautiful thing...a "temple". It seems odd to think that a religion would declare such a good and beautiful thing to be sinful. From what I can tell, this whole "nudity and sex are bad" idea entered the Christian culture, not through the teachings of Christ or Moses, but from the teachings of Plato and the Platonist St. Augustine. The idea that the spirit is good but the body is evil comes not from Jewish tradition or the teachings of Jesus, but ultimately from the pagan teachings of Plato (which became a commonplace part of Catholicism and later, Protestant sects) and Manichaeus.
4. The Catholic Church (which was essentially the whole of the Christian community in the West until the Reformation) was not always prudish about either nudity or sex at various stages in its history. Millions of Christians (Catholic and otherwise) visit the Vatican Museum every year which contains a dizzying variety of nude figures, yet the Church doesn't stop this (though in the past it has at certain times attached fig leaves to nude statues and paintings) and in fact commissioned many such works and adorns all its best public facilities with them (like the Vatican itself for example). The reason that the Vatican likes nudes is the same reason that artists throughout most of western history have. They represent man in his purest form, man with nothing held back, hidden, or reserved, man in his timeless nature, not as conditioned by his times or circumstances, and as God created him. You don't need to be Catholic or even religious at all to see that this is so.
I am sure that these kinds of complaints are not limited to Christians of course. The same kinds of issues arise from non-Christians as well and I think that they are mistaken for similar reasons, though whether this or that religion does or doesn't approve of nudity in art, unless some good justification for such a belief can be expressed in non-religious terms, there is no way for the adherents of that religion to expect anybody else to adopt their point of view. In other words, religion-based arguments are unlikely to convince anybody who doesn't already accept that religion. Rational arguments are more likely to be both relevant and convincing outside of religious enclaves, and rational arguments are never of the form "You should believe X regardless of whether my argument is rationally sound or not."
"I want to become an artist but I am worried that it might be necessary for me to view nudes in figure drawing classes and I don't know if I can handle that. What should I do?"
On a somewhat deeper and more serious level, I would recommend that you give it a try before concluding that whatever scary and horrible things you imagine will result. You can ask people who have done it themselves if you don't believe me. It's almost certainly not what you think.
On an even deeper level, I would ask that you ask yourself seriously what you are worried about and what you think is so bad about sex and what is so bad about nudity. You may well have strong emotional feelings about these things. Many people do, but if we allowed our emotions to guide our actions we would never get an inoculation or get out of bed on a rainy day. Many people have been emotionally scarred by pressures or experiences in their lives in some way related to sex and while these emotions are very real that doesn't mean that they need to control our lives and professions. Explore the reasons for these feelings and you might discover why you react the way you do and you might be better able to make your own choices in your life by either resolving to overcome the feelings that hold you back or by accepting them and turning away from incompatible activities.
Of course, none of this means that if you can't deal with nudity or even sexuality you can't become an artist. You can avoid nude subjects, never study nude drawing, and still have a fine career. I don't recommend it, but if that's what you want to do there's nothing wrong with it. Make your own choices and live with the consequences.
ConclusionSome people might read all of this and conclude that I'm some kind of nudist or something. The situation couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm a rather modest person myself and I think that people obsessed with nudity (for or against) are a bit strange, and have never had any inclination to join either side. I just think that a little common sense is necessary when dealing with nudity in situations like nudes in art education, works of art, and so on, and not read into nudity a whole lot more than what's actually there. Seeing a nude person isn't the same thing as having sex with them after all.
All of this doesn't mean that nudity in art doesn't disturb some people. Clearly it sometimes does, and if good arguments and clear thinking on the subject don't convince them to change their minds then they have every right in the world to choose not to look at it. But please don't ask me to stop others from seeing it or to have me spend hundreds of hours of hard work making it harder to get at nude images on the ARC website. Believe me, if someone is interested in seeing nudity on the Internet, the ARC Museum isn't the best places to go looking for it, especially if they are looking for something titillating or degrading. Theres nothing like that on the site. What we try to offer in the ARC Museum is excellent art that can intellectually inform and emotionally uplift the viewer, whether the subjects of the painting are wearing clothes or not, and that's the policy I intend to follow in the future.
So why does this matter? Is it more than a case of a few eccentrics with strange ideas cutting themselves off from a source of beauty and perhaps enlightenment on the subject? I believe it is. One area where it has gone beyond this is in education. Our schools have become extremely touchy about anything that is in any way related to nudity or sex and as a result, in many cases, budding artists are prevented from developing a full sense of appreciation for the human body and the skills required to portray it effectively. A case in point is the situation of high school teacher Pete Panse (now retired) who taught art in Middletown, New York. In 2006 he recommended that a few of his best students enroll in a figure drawing class at a nearby studio to bring up their skill level in preparation for college. He thought nothing of it until the school district decided that to make such a recommendation constituted sexual harassment and forbade him to make such recommendations again, and attempted to have him fired. (You can read more about this at http://www.artrenewal.org/articles/2006/Peter_Panse/case.php.) Cases like this have a chilling effect on the spread of proper skill development in our next generation of artists and this needs to be fought against diligently.
I want the artwork I experience to be created with the best training, the best raw materials, the most creative ideas, and the widest freedom to use all of those things to make the most excellent works that best efforts can achieve. To do any less would make the world a worse place to live.

subset: commoncrawl


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Just when we thought we were evolving more brains, a 2,000 year old analogue computer made by the ancient Greeks is documented in Sky and Telescope article, 29 November 2006. It has been named the Antikythera Mechanism, and was made of brass enclosed in wood, but until recently, no one has had a close look at it. It turns out this mechanical device is really an analogue computer that "enabled astronomers in the second century BC to predict the movements of the Moon and Sun, along with lunar and solar eclipses. It could recreate irregularities in the Moon's motion due to its elliptical orbit. And it may have even enabled Greek astronomers to forecast the positions of the known planets."
Mike Edmunds of Cardiff University in Wales commented: "This device is just extraordinary, the only thing of its kind. The design is beautiful. The astronomy is exactly right. The way the mechanics are designed just makes your jaw drop." All this with a mechanical device instead of an electronic computer. Bradley Schaefer of Louisiana State University commented: "This is all rather exciting, as it shows a greatly more sophisticated technology for the Greeks than any had really imagined. And this technology is far in advance of anything else for almost a millennium."
Editorial Comment: If Schaefer had read the book "Longitude", the true story of English clockmaker John Harrison, "a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time" in the 1700s, he would realize that we have always had brilliant minds among us. Harrison provided mariners with an accurate method of determining their longitude at sea, and he did it with the most accurate and miniature clocks that had ever been constructed. Mariners could use the sun in the day and the North Star at night (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) to accurately determine their latitude, but they had no clue about their longitude. Longitude was important because on frequent occasions ships and even flotillas would run aground because they didn't know exactly how far they were to the east and to the west. If Columbus had had one of Harrison's clocks with him 200 years earlier, he would have known he was going the wrong way to China. Scientists of Harrison's day were trying to use the appearance and disappearance of the Galilean moons behind Jupiter, and they disdained intensely Harrison's "stupid" little machines. Of course, Jupiter could only be seen at night, and only on cloudless nights, and then only when it was above the horizon at night. Today mariners avoid running onto rocks by using clocks that are not much more accurate than those Harrison was crafting 400 years ago. One of Harrison's wooden clocks, located on the tower of a horse barn in England, is still keeping accurate time to this day - and because of the "oily" type of wood he used, it never needs oiling.
The Bible tells us that even further back in the early chapters of Genesis 4, there were highly skilled and obviously intelligent craftsmen. "We" haven't gotten smarter - we just have to use different technology. Most of the old knowledge and skills have been lost - I doubt if anyone could construct an Antikythera computer today, or a wooden clock that can keep accurate time for centuries - or a huge seagoing wooden ship the size of Noah's ark, that worked with no sea trials and no life boats.
Evidence News 5 December 2006


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The Tohono O'odham Nation says the U.S. Department of the Interior has reaffirmed its decision that the tribe's property lies within unincorporated Maricopa County.
Tribal officials say that's a key requirement for taking the land into trust. They still hope to build a massive resort and casino on the edge of Glendale and have been pushing that plan since 2009.
But opponents have argued a 2002 voter-backed compact barred more casinos from opening in metro Phoenix.
The Gila River Indian Community opposes the casino plan, saying it violates zoning and state laws.
Gila River tribal officials say they will decide soon whether to take legal action again.
They also say the Interior Department has yet to decide whether the Tohono O'Odham Nation has permission to have gaming on the land.


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A woman gestures at police officers blocking a street during a protest in Phnom Penh. The residents of Boeung Kak Lake have been embroiled in a long-running land dispute with a real estate development firm in the capital, and are also appealing for the release of another resident, Yorm Bopha, from prison.
© The Financial Times Ltd 2016 FT and 'Financial Times' are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.


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What Will the World Inherit From GE Salmon?
By Dr. Gerry Goeden
It's true; about 50 percent of the fish we eat are farmed. There is good reason for this as, one by one, the world's commercial fisheries collapse through overfishing. According to FAO (2010), 70% of the world's large commercial fisheries have either failed or are not far from it.
When things started to go wrong with world fisheries, fish farming was hailed as the ultimate solution. Fish could be produced cheaply and pressure removed from wild stocks. It seemed like the perfect solution to a very big problem. … Continue Reading


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Exclusive Next Food Network Star Interview and a Foodie Giveaway!
Learn about the tastiest show on TV then enter to win signed goodies from celebrity chefs Cat Cora and Aarón Sánchez.
-Delaina Dixon
It may be hard to believe there's anything spicy going on behind the scenes of The Next Food Network Star, currently airing its sixth season on Food Network, besides the food. But Betty has learned this season's contestants were a nervous wreck whenever the cameras were rolling!
"That camera, it's a whole other ball game," spills Darrell "Das" Smith, the American cuisine chef from Los Angeles, Calif. "We were definitely ourselves outside of it and comfortable being around people, but that camera was a tough part for all of us. None of us really ever got comfortable in front of the camera."
Read Food Network Chef Michael Smith
Das started cooking in college. "I used to cook tacos and chicken wings and just bring people together," he says. He eventually switched his major from business to the culinary arts. "I knew I wanted to change the way young guys think about food, how they can't cook. All that stops here."
Das then worked as a chef and consultant in Beverly Hills, dealing with a steady diet of celebrity clientele. "I once had to make a dish that was so low fat, and those are the dishes that are hardest to work with. Chefs normally like to use a lot of fat and seasoning and salt," he spills. "I do a good Ceaser salad with braised fish – it's with low fat yogurt and no sodium."


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Customers who purchase a Honda natural gas-powered vehicle continue to be eligible for single-occupant use of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOVs) lanes in California.
The 2007 Honda Civic GX is the only new vehicle that is eligible for consumers to register for single occupant HOV permits (AB 2628), now that the maximum number of 85,000 hybrid vehicle HOV permits have been issued. Consumers should refer to the California Air Resources Board's website www.arb.ca.gov for further information.
"The single-occupant HOV permits reward consumers who purchase vehicles that achieve the highest levels of environmental performance," said John Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Honda continues to be a leader in producing vehicles that set the standard for low emissions and fuel economy."
This leadership is underscored by the fact that Honda is the most fuel efficient car company in America according to EPA fuel economy ratings1. High fuel economy has always been part of Honda's strategy.
New Honda Civic GX buyers may also be eligible for a $4,000 federal tax credit2 when they file their tax return for the year in which the vehicle was purchased. Additionally, buyers of the natural gas vehicle home refueling appliance "Phill" are also eligible for up to a $1,000 tax credit. Phill allows consumers to refuel a natural gas-powered Civic GX from their home at a much lower fuel cost than gasoline.
Honda is currently the only manufacturer to market a natural gas passenger car to fleet operators nationwide and directly to consumers in the states of California and New York. The home refueling appliance "Phill" can also be leased in conjunction with the natural gas-powered Civic GX at certain California and New York Honda dealers.
For more information or downloadable high-resolution images of the Civic GX and other Honda vehicles, please visit www.hondanews.com. Consumer information is available at www.honda.com.
1Based on model
year 2005 CAFE average fuel economy ratings and weighted sales for passenger-car
and light truck fleets sold in the U.S. by major manufacturers.
2 Various limitations to the credit may apply, depending on the specific circumstances of the customer, and Honda is encouraging customers to contact the IRS or a tax advisor to determine if and how the tax credit will apply to their vehicle purchase or lease.


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*Inventory report schedule during the holidays:
API report will be released at 4:30 pm EST Thursday Dec. 27 and Jan. 3
EIA petroleum report will be released at 11 a.m. EST Friday Dec. 28 and Jan. 4
EIA natural gas report will be released at 10:30 a.m. EST Friday Dec. 28 and Jan. 4
Energy Price Outlook
It's difficult to say that yesterday's rally and breakout above the 50-day MA in WTI and Brent will create an environment of bullish euphoria in the near-term, because the same conditions have played themselves out several times in the last two months. At least three other rallies in that time have fallen victim to strong resistance in WTI at the $90.00/bbl price level and in Brent at $112.00/bbl, and the current rally could do the same, as there wasn't much bullish fundamental change yesterday.
We wonder too how much of yesterday's rally was backward-looking, because the Dow rallied 115 points on Tuesday but WTI gained only 73 cents. The Dow fell 99 points yesterday, but WTI gained $1.58. Some of the recent strength in the Dow had been due to signs of progress on the fiscal cliff and a new easing program by the Bank of Japan possibly to be initiated at today's meeting. That changed yesterday after speeches by Pres Obama & Speaker Boehner. The inventory report was mixed yesterday, but some support for prices was given by signals that next week's report will be bullish. Such forward-looking reasoning on inventories is a bit rare, and we would look for the two-month sideways consolidation to continue.
WTI settled $1.58/bbl higher yesterday while Brent finished +$1.52/bbl. Jan WTI futures had their last trade yesterday, but it didn't seem to matter to the futures price curve. Oil markets made most of their advance in the wake of the weekly oil market report, which showed a smaller-than-expected decline in oil stocks. Oil stocks also grew to 49.64 MB above the five-year average, which was the highest divergence with the average since the w/e Apr 24th '09 when it peaked at 50.92 MB. Prices were on the upswing in Apr '09 as the economy was still recovering from the financial crisis. Distillates fell more than expected in yesterday's number, however, it was likely the fact that the improvement in subcomponents signaled better numbers ahead that energy prices rallied. The 1.1% increase in refinery utilization, for instance, implies that inventories will fall sharply next week. Similarly, the strong gains in demand for distillates and gasoline would suggest that their inventories will fall again next week. Some support to energies may also come from today's BOJ meeting, if fresh quantitative ease reignites the yen carry trade.
The selloff in stocks yesterday afternoon, however, will show that there are still negative influences on oil markets. Worry about the fiscal cliff gained momentum yesterday after both Pres Obama and Speaker Boehner made speeches that suggested that the other side's plan to avoid the cliff is unacceptable. Speaker Boehner said that he will hold a vote on a plan to keep tax cuts in place for incomes less than $1M today and that if the president vetoes it, he will be responsible for the largest tax cut in American history. The president said that the GOP plan would actually cut taxes for the wealthy and raise them for the middle class. The two sides moved further apart yesterday, and could pressure energy prices if it continues. We think both sides want to be seen as "fighting" for their constituents and that a deal will be made within a day before or after the New Year.
Natural Gas
January futures settled 9.8 cents lower yesterday as the front-end of the curve performed the worst. The broad consensus behind the decline was that weather forecasts turned warmer in the Midwest and Northeast, thereby reducing heating demand. Interestingly, NOAA's 8-14 day map below shows the opposite conditions, whereby the area of below-normal temps that had covered the western half of the country on Tuesday is now projected to extend all the way between the west and east coasts. Perhaps the temperature readings did become warmer in some spots overnight, however, NOAA's map may suggest that yesterday's selloff may have been overdone. Fresh long-term monthly maps will be published by the CPC today.
Despite the selloff, the market held above Friday's low at $3.26. That low was made as trade tested and held at the 100-day MA at $3.25 and moved within six cents of the Sep 7th low at $3.20. The selloff fulfilled our buy recommendation made Tuesday at $3.30 with a target at $3.60 and a risk at $3.20. Consensus on inventories today is -72 bcf and our estimate is -66 bcf.
Global Economic & Dollar News
» German IFO Business Climate was 102.4 in Dec vs. 102.0 expected and 101.4 previously.
» U.S. Housing Starts were -3.0% to 861K vs. 872K expected and vs. 888K previously (revised down from 894K).
» The White House said that the GOP "Plan B" is not balanced and the president would veto it. Said that the plan would cut taxes on incomes over a million and raise taxes on the middle class.
» Speaker Boehner said that the president is not being serious with $1.3T in revenue hikes and $850B in spending cuts. Said that the House will vote on maintaining tax cuts for incomes under $1M today, and if the president vetoes it, he will be responsible for the largest tax hike in American history.
Energy News
» Saudi Arabia's Oil Production was unchanged in Oct from Sep levels of 9.72 mb/d, according to the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI).
Upcoming Energy Events
Thu - Philadelphia Fed Index
Thu - Natural Gas Inventories (10:30am EST)
Thu - CPC Long-Term Forecast Update
Thu (27th) - API Inventories (4:30pm EST)
Fri (28th) - EIA Weekly Oil Inventories (10:30am EST)
Jan 16th - Iran-IAEA Meeting
May 31st - OPEC Meeting
EIA Inventory Review
The EIA reported inventories that on the surface were slightly bearish for crude oil prices and marginally bullish for distillates. The gasoline number was close to expectations and neutral at first glance. The oil figures did in fact fall, which was anticipated by the consensus, but they didn't fall as much as the 1.8 MB expected or as much as the 4.1 MB drop shown by the API on Tuesday afternoon. Oil prices rallied regardless of the report, but only by a small 50 cents or so in the first 10 minutes after the report. Gasoline performed the best by gaining about 1.5 cents compared to heating oil's 0.8 cents.
The numbers were at odds with the underlying components to a large degree, and may have been the result of trends that had developed in previous weeks. Demand for oil surged from consumers, refineries increased their utilization levels, and oil imports declined. Exports of gasoline increased but wasn't reflected by the 2.2 MB increase in inventories. These factors may have helped energy prices rally as the day progressed on the belief that next week's inventories will reflect this week's favorable developments in the subcomponents. The data and our analysis follow below.
*The API convergence figures are the amounts that EIA data need to change in order to match the previous day's API figures
Crude oil inventories were -1.0 MB vs. -1.8 MB expected. The difference between current inventories and the five-year average jumped to 49.64 MB from 45.04 MB last week and reached the highest divergence since the w/e Apr 24th '09 when it peaked at 50.92 MB. It also surpassed the previous peaks made earlier this year at 42.08 MB and 44.33 MB. The drop in oil stocks seemed to be related more to events in previous weeks than this week, where imports and production had been surging and end-user demand had been falling. That changed in yesterday's report where demand increased 1.13 mb/d and imports fell 100 kb/d. Production gained 11 kb/d and reached the highest level since Jan 28th '94. Demand is historically volatile, and this week's number essentially moved from the average of the last two years up toward the top of the range. Over the last few months, it's been around 500 kb/d below the five-year average. Overall, the build in inventories and relatively weak demand is a long-term negative for oil prices, but yesterday's data showed some signs of improvement.
Gasoline stocks were +2.2 MB compared to consensus of +2.0 MB. Inventories are now 7.10 MB above their five-year average compared to 5.97 MB above it last week. The increase was helped by factors that have been in place in prior weeks including production gains caused by higher refinery utilization and weakness in demand. Both categories reversed this week, along with imports, and argue for a decline in gasoline stocks and a potentially bullish number next week. Perhaps that's why the market traded as well as it did. Gasoline demand increased 130 kb/d, imports fell 64 kb/d, and production fell 20 kb/d. Another part of the explanation for the good performance in gasoline prices was the increase of 124 kb/d in exports in our view.
Distillate stocks were -1.1 MB vs. +1.0 MB expected. It was perhaps the most positive aspect of the report, with distillates still 27.85 MB below their five year average compared to 27.80 MB below it in the previous week. A huge 714 kb/d increase in demand was to blame for the decline, and was complemented by a 37 kb/d increase in exports. The drop in distillate stocks was countered by a 118 kb/d gain in refinery output and a 51 kb/d increase in imports. Overall, we view the distillate numbers as supportive for heating oil prices.


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Dr. Murad's Tips for Clear Skin
I keep my nails supershort and buffed bare (and only upgrade to basic red polish— Essie Tiney Wine-ey or OPI Big Apple Red—on rare occasions) so the megalong creamy caramel tips at Max Mara's spring 2010 show are far from my comfort zone. In a good way. —Emily Dougherty, Beauty & Fitness Director
Red lipstick is one of the great loves of my life, as much a tried-and-true staple in fending off haggard-face days as sleep and moisturizer. But suddenly, a bright orange pout looks thrillingly fresh. On the runway at Giambattista Valli's spring 2010 show (and on the red carpet, on the always-resplendent Cate Blanchett), tangerine lips had the sexy oomph of scarlet, but with an off-kilter, unexpected twist. —April Long, Senior Beauty & Fitness Editor
Glitter Makeup is Back


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Felco 210A-50 lopper (F210A-50)
Professional quality with a balance of cutting power and maneuverability. Durable aluminum handles. Curved cutting head for easier cuts. Extremely sharp cutting blade. Easily adjustable blades for a perfect cut every time. Made in Switzerland.
Includes adjustment key.
Length 20 inches, weight 1 pound 10 ounces. Recommended cutting capacity is 1.4 inches.


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I don't hate the cloud -- seriously. In fact, ClipTraining, the company I co-founded, uses cloud-based infrastructure to deliver its video training to clients. Using cloud-based infrastructure keeps us worry-free around availability and scalability. We weighed the pros and cons, then decided it makes sense for us.
That's the important take-away: You must consider the good and bad to determine if the cloud is where your data center infrastructure should reside. There's no one single formula. Plus, with all the hype, it's easy to miss some of the pluses and minuses.
[ For the full scoop on the state of the cloud in the enterprise, check out InfoWorld's Cloud Computing Deep Dive PDF special report. | Stay abreast of key Microsoft technologies in our Technology: Microsoft newsletter. ]
Scalability. Scalability is one of the great things about cloud-based infrastructure. If you need to scale quickly, you can do so without shopping for more hardware, deciding on virtualization products, and worrying about finding the right people to support your conventional IT infrastructure. Of course, in companies that have an infrastructure in place, that's not to say you can't find the space or power to spin up additional VMs when you need them -- you can. Bureaucracy may be the holdup internally, but let's face it: That same bureaucracy would likely get in the way of commissioning more cloud resources, too.
Availability. Availability is also a blessing, but not as pure an asset. I have experienced brief outages, but they didn't cause major problems among my clientele, who look to us for on-demand video training, which typically lacks the urgency of email or banking. However, some very notable disruptions at Amazon.com over the last several years have taken down popular services for one or more days. You need to factor the implications of possible outages on where and whether you rely on cloud infrastructure.
Security. You might have noticed that I didn't mention security as an item my company worries about. Certainly, security issues may arise, but our cloud-stored data isn't high-value. However, we would worry if we stored other kinds of data in the cloud. Last year, for example, Amazon-owned Zappos was breached, and credit card data was possibly lost. What does this prove? That cloud-based solutions are vulnerable, just like your on-premises systems might be.
The difference is that I don't know who's responsible for the security policies being maintained with my cloud infrastructure. I don't know how safe my data is, and I cannot check personally to ensure policy is being followed whereas I can if it is on-premises. If security is a big concern -- as it would be for hospitals, banks, and government intelligence agencies -- you might want to keep that data behind your own firewalls, handled by people you reviewed and hired personally.
Cost. You'll need heavy accounting smarts to work through this area. Many IT admins prefer to go with cloud services because they are overwhelmed with the stress of day-to-day operations, often due to understaffing. They don't have time to handpick every last piece of hardware. Plus, when they compare the basic cost of storage in the cloud versus on-premises, the cloud appears more attractive.


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PHILADELPHIA - In the Ivy opener for both teams, the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball team fell to Princeton, 84-53, in a Saturday matinee at The Palestra.
The loss ended an eight-game winning streak for the Quakers and marked Penn's first defeat since Nov. 23, 2013 against No. 5 Notre Dame. It was the second-longest winning streak in school history. Despite the loss, Penn has still tied the 1974-75 team for the best 11-game start in school history at 8-3. Princeton improved to 10-5 with the win.
The Quakers looked sharp in the opening minutes as senior captain Meghan McCullough and junior guard Kathleen Roche each buried a three for a 6-3 lead. Penn was up 7-5 at the 16:27 mark, but just as the Quakers went cold, the Tigers got hot. Princeton went on a 16-0 run over the next five minutes and led 21-7.
Penn scored five in a row on a three-point play from senior Alyssa Baron - which moved her into the Ivy League's top 25 in career scoring - and a fastbreak layup from Keiera Ray. That made it 21-12 with 10:04 left in the first half, but that was the final time the Quakers were within single digits.
The teams played even throughout the rest of the half. Penn was never closer than 11, but never down by more than 15 - when the Tigers led 32-17. Penn scored seven of the next 10 and trailed 35-24 with 1:55 until the half, but Princeton pushed the lead back to 13, 38-25, at the break.
Junior guard Katy Allen started the second half with a three. But the Red and Blue dould not break the deficit into single digits. They had several opportunities in the first half, but after junior forward Kara Bonenberger finished off a layup to pull within 44-33 at the 16:31 mark, Princeton scored five straight.
Penn was within 53-41 after a layup from Baron with 12:17 remaining, but the Tigers put the game away with a 20-2 run. Princeton's lead then hovered around 30 for the final seven minutes.
Inside the Numbers
Bonenberger and Baron each led the Quakers with 10 points. Bonenberger also added eight rebounds in 28 minutes, while Baron pulled down five. McCullough had nine points, four rebounds and a team-high four assists. Freshman Sydney Stipanovich played 29 minutes and finished with five points, eight rebounds and a game-high two blocks.
Princeton shot 43.9 percent from the floor (29-of-66), including 7-of-17 (41.2%) from three. Penn was 18-of-59 (30.5%) overall and 5-of-19 (26.3%) from beyond the arc. The Tigers made 86 percent from the charity stripe, while the Quakers made just 52 percent from that mark. Princeton outrebounded the Quakers, 48-37, and the Quakers had nearly twice as many turnovers at 17-9.
Up Next
Penn will compete for its first-ever Big 5 title. Penn plays three straight opponents from the Philadelphia basketball conference—all on the road and all of them rank in the top 35 in the RPI. The Quakers are 1-0 in the Big 5 with a win over La Salle and have Villanova (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), Saint Joseph's (Friday, 7 p.m.) and Temple (Jan. 22, 7 p.m.) remaining on the schedule.
"This is a difficult part of our schedule," head coach Mike McLaughlin said. "Obviously, we have Villanova, St. Joe's and Temple within the next week so regardless of who you are, that's tough. All three are on the road.(But) itis fun. The Big 5 is separate from anything that any of the schools in our league experience. Big competition always makes you better in the end."
"And we're not going change what we do. We practice hard, we compete hard, we play hard. The girls are phenomenal in what they do. One game is not going to define us. We're not going to let it happen. We'll get back at this on Monday and we'll prepare but hopefully...we'll learn a great deal from today."
Fan Tweet of the Game:
Come on @PennWBB!! #fightonpenn pic.twitter.com/obH3R3Kp7D— Penn Gymnastics (@PennGym) January 11, 2014
Download: 11-Princeton Box.pdf


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January 18 – Chandigarh
(written by Aubree Pack, photos by Ashby Leavell)
My apologies for blog posts coming through in 'clunks'. We've had extremely limited internet access here in India. And where there is access, it's been surprisingly expensive. But we're certainly doing our best to keep you all in the loop!
(The Rock Garden has more than a kilometer of long meandering pathways, full of natural and hand-made wonders)
Arriving in Chandigarh was a crowning achievement! Seriously, we survived TWO back to back overnight trains! We're rather proud of ourselves. Although the cabin we were in last night was much more comfortable than the night before (watch our video about the night before here), we still had a few problems. Such as squatters in our bunks. But not to worry, our favorite male chaperone, Matt, took care of it! We also arrived at the train station in Chandigarh a bit late. But we were picked up by our good friend Jarnail Singh, whom we all got to know when he was spending time at Longwood Gardens as an international intern.
Jarnail and his friend first took us to a lovely local Indian restaurant. It was excellent! Although some of the group is ready for some good ol' American cuisine, there are a few of us left that are already sad to not have such amazing Indian dishes at our finger tips when we arrive back in the states.
(A small example of the many sculptures in the Nek Chand Garden)
Then we went to the Rock Garden of Nek Chand. What an amazing place! Nek Chand has an amazing story (see this website to read more about the man himself), but we spent the majority of our time lost in the magic of the Rock Garden he so skillfully created.
In the garden, you'll find many (MANY) sculptures, all of which are original works of Nek Chand. The majority of the garden is created by waste materials. When we looked closely at the broken pieces used in walls and sculpture, we discovered old plates, toilets, and other recycled ceramic wares. There were also many natural looking forms that he created using concrete and different textures (such as burlap bags). Broken bangles and old broken metal were also elements of his work.
(You see before you one happy gal! I mean, it's a CAMEL!)
In the garden, there is also an area that is most popular with children (and… Longwood Graduate Fellows). Many of us were able to swing on a huge swing set made completely of recycled materials and concrete. One of us was even lucky enough to score a camel ride 😉
(We were sad to leave Jarnail, but so happy we were able to spend time with him in his home country!!!)
We had only a short time to spend at the gardens of Nek Chand and with Jarnail, but we so enjoyed it! The next time we visit India we will certainly spend more time in this region, as it's beautifully unique. Then it was off to visit the city of Shimla, in the Himalayan foothills.
(And so begins our ascent into the Himalaya's!)


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In just one short month, the biggest game in professional football will take place. (Because the league that sponsors this game strictly enforces its trademark on the name of this game I can't actually say the name of the game in this post (the name of the game does rhyme with "Cooper Dole"). For decades, men from all over the U.S. (and even world) have gathered around their televisions to watch two teams battle it out for the title of best football team in America.
As with most communal events, rituals and traditions have developed around the Su** Bo**. Su** Bo** parties with a smorgasbord of food and drinks, pre-game pick-up football games, or just visting a local bar to take in the Big Game are just a few examples of these Bowl of Superness Rituals.
While watching the Big Game from your favorite man chair with man friends is nice, wouldn't be even cooler to watch the game live and in person? Well, thanks to Dockers® you now have a chance. Interested? I thought so. Read on.
The Prize
Dockers® is bringing manliness back with their new Wear the Pants™ campaign. (Make sure to read their man-ifesto. AoM fans will definitely appreciate it.) To help kick it off, they're giving away 2 FREE tickets to one of the manliest events of the year: the 44th annual professional football championship (rhymes with Blooper Toll). One lucky Art of Manliness reader will receive two tickets for premium stadium seats at the professional football championship game in Miami, FL on February 7, 2010. Each ticket is valued at $1,200 so total value of the prize is $2,400. Wowza!
Note: The prize does NOT include travel to or accommodations in Miami. So if you win the tickets, you'll have to take care of airfare and hotel costs yourself.
How to Enter
1. Leave a comment on this page describing your favorite manly Su** B*** ritual or tradition
2. Share this post with your friends using the "Email Story to a Friend" button in our "Share" Box at the bottom of the post. For each friend you email this post to, you'll receive one entry in the contest. This means the more friends you share it with, the more entries you get. You can only send 10 at a time, but feel free to come back and send some more. We cannot see your friends' email addresses, so we won't be sending them any mail whatsoever.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Must be 13 years old or older to enter. Open to U.S. residents. Sweepstakes not open to residents of Rhode Island. (Sorry RI. You guys have some strict laws in regard to sweepstakes.)
See official rules for more details.
Deadline to enter is January 7, 2010 at 11:59 PM CST.
Looking forward to reading your entries!
Last updated: November 22, 2015


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Alanna Offield is a student activist coordinator for Amnesty International New Mexico, and the newly elected president of Young Democrats of Santa Fe County, which connects people ages 12-35 with the Democratic Party. Offield is a vice presidential candidate—and the only Santa Fe candidate—for Young Democrats of New Mexico, for which elections will be held 6 pm Friday, April 29 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. For more information, email Alanna.
SFR: Young Democrats of Santa Fe County has been dormant for quite some time, hasn't it?
AO: From what I've heard, the last time it was really strong [was when] Congressman [Ben Ray] Luján [was its president]…During the election, and last August, we tried to get it going again and sort of feed off of some of that momentum that we had with a lot of young people wanting to get involved. And so we had a few meetings in August, trying to organize people, young people here in Santa Fe, to get involved and come do calling and stuff like that, and so that was pretty successful. But then, after the election ended and it didn't really work out in their favor, I think a lot of people were kind of disheartened in a way, and so they stopped showing up.
Paint me a picture of what the organization does.
The mission statement is to get young people actively involved in political issues, specifically the Democratic Party…and getting them involved in the party process and encouraging lifelong involvement in the party. Our broader mission, I guess, is to work on the Democratic platform and work on those issues, and we've had a lot of young people that come to our meetings and they're really concerned about LGBTQ issues and they want to work a lot on that, or immigration and immigration reform and health care, so those things kind of tie in as well.
What about you, personally?
My broader mission is to make sure that we encourage—even if we encounter people that aren't interested in being a part of Young Democrats—thinking about politics and the electoral process and how important it is to vote, and knowing that it is important even though you just might feel like one drop of water in this huge ocean of people voting, that it's important to do.
What's your plan to help young people become invested?
I think that educating yourself on the issues and the problems is really important, and knowing both sides. A lot of youth, whenever they're asked questions about issues, if they don't know that much, they get really nervous and then they're like, 'No, I don't want to talk about it.' I want to help them to feel empowered to talk about these issues to their friends and their classmates and people that they meet just hanging out, so that they explain it to people in a way that they can understand.
Do you find that people's interests sometimes interfere with partisan ideals?
As young people, we tend to think of the big, beautiful humanitarian issues a lot—you know like, how do we save the world? Then you come down to these more practical things like, should we have [voter] ID or not—they tend to not be as engaged with that. So a lot of what we try to do is education around these issues…Right now, we're so new, our platform is the party platform, and we can't really stray from the party platform and what the party says, but that doesn't mean that we can't develop our own action and ideas around these things and how we approach the subject as young people.
What issues did you see when you interned with the Diane Denish gubernatorial campaign?
I felt like New Mexico as a whole has a lot of really different voices…I felt like the Denish campaign, as much as I learned from it…I feel like they didn't take that into account…They went everywhere, but I'm not sure how engaged they were everywhere. What I want to make sure doesn't happen with Young Democrats on our state level, and what I'm trying to do with my election because I'm running for vice president is, if there's that one kid in Hobbs that's like, 'I want to be a part of Young Democrats,' well, I'm going to do everything I can to get down there and talk to him and give him the support and resources that he needs to start a group there.


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Brazil head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari maintains the door is still open for anyone chasing an international call-up for next year's World Cup.
At the squad announcement for the upcoming international friendlies against Zambia and South Korea, Scolari admitted all Brazilian players were still in contention to represent the hosts at the football showpiece in 2014.
Included in the 23-man squad for the October friendlies were Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva and Shakhtar Donetsk striker Bernard, while Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa striker was left out despite goal-scoring form in La Liga.
"All Brazilian players previously called up or not until now, are part of the national team for the World Cup," Scolari said on Thursday.
"But who we will choose in the final squad I do not know yet.
"I have many ideas but I always have one or another situation that can change, depending on certain events.
"Therefore, I say that any Brazilian player in the world can join the national team in 2014."
Costa was a notable absentee, with the 24-year-old scoring seven goals in six games for his club so far this campaign.
His goal-scoring exploits have led to rumours that the Spanish football federation are considering asking him to play for their national team, rather than his native Brazil.
Under FIFA regulations, Costa would be allowed to switch citizenship on account of the fact that his two caps for Brazil have both come in friendlies, a rule that Scolari branded 'strange'.
"This is a strange situation, because in a year, two years or five years, probably any country can buy 20 players and make a team," Scolari said.
"Because you can play one, two , five, or 100 international friendlies.
"At 101 then he will play an official match for another country and FIFA will recognise it.
"It's strange but I won't discuss it with FIFA."
Defenders Maicon and Dede are likely to get some game time, according to Scolari, while he also blooded potential debutant Victor of Atletico Mineiro.
"So we talked with him yesterday after the match. He felt cramp and he will probably be playing this weekend," Scolari said of Maicon.
"Dede has been called up before and he has been playing well. Victor is a new to us because we never called him up. This is the first time for us.
"And Lucas Leiva is a player that we have to see. So as I said, we are still looking at some players, we haven't closed the squad (for the World Cup) yet.
"Let's get these games to give some chances to some players and then we will decide the team, probably at the end of this year or early next year. And then we will have an idea about the (final) 23."
Brazil squad:
Goalkeepers: Jefferson (Botafogo), Victor (Atletico Mineiro), Diego Cavalieri (Fluminense)
Defenders: Dani Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (Roma), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Maxwell (Paris Saint-Germain), David Luiz (Chelsea), Dante (Bayern Munich) Henrique (Palmeiras), Dede (Cruzeiro)
Midfielders: Lucas Leiva (Liverpool), Hernanes (Lazio), Luiz Gustavo (Wolfsburg), Paulinho (Tottenham), Ramires (Chelsea), Oscar (Chelsea)
Attackers: Bernard (Shakhtar Donetsk), Jo (Atletico Mineiro), Lucas (Paris Saint-Germain) Hulk (Zenit St Petersburg), Alexandre Pato (Corinthians), Neymar (Barcelona)
|Valencia sign defender Murillo from Inter
|Burton Albion 2 Birmingham City 1: Sordell and Dyer spark second-half comeback
|Bayern Munich 3 Bayer Leverkusen 1: Debutants Sule and Tolisso net in rain-lashed Bundesliga opener
|Metz 0 Monaco 1: Falcao´s late winner seals record-breaking victory
|Is Sanchez another Sissoko? Tottenham record signings haven´t always fared well
|Barcelona to wear commemorative shirts in tribute to victims of attacks
|Sanchez joins Mendy, Bonucci and Luiz on list of world´s most expensive defenders
|Matuidi delighted to follow French legends Zidane, Platini and Deschamps to Juventus
|West Ham give Reid six-year contract
|Roma and Inter competing for Sampdoria forward Schick
|UEFA charge Hajduk Split and Everton
|Fiorentina loan Pezzella from Real Betis
|Sanchez joins Tottenham in club-record deal from Ajax
|Draxler not trying to leave PSG after Neymar arrival, says agent
|Valencia complete deal for Arsenal defender Gabriel
|Matuidi seals €20m Juventus move
|Bellamy backs Coutinho´s Barcelona wish as Liverpool reportedly reject new £114m bid
|Rooney deserves more credit, says record Everton signing Sigurdsson
|Allegri challenges Dybala: I want an extraordinary season
|Boateng completes Frankfurt move
|Burke one of many Crystal Palace targets, reveals De Boer
|Keizer expects Tottenham target Sanchez to leave Ajax
|Guardiola offers sympathies to ´beautiful´ Barcelona
|Neymar ´one more player´ for PSG boss Emery
|Chelsea boss Conte envious of Tottenham´s foundation
|Evans is a West Brom player - No transfer plea from Man City boss Guardiola
|Bakayoko in contention for hasty Chelsea debut at Spurs
|Manchester United are no dream team, warns Mourinho
|Jose Mourinho accepts defeat in hunt for fourth Manchester United signing
|Pochettino wants four Tottenham signings before transfer window closes
|Kayode loaned to Girona after joining Manchester City
|Conte bursts out laughing over Costa´s ´criminal´ treatment claim
|Costa: Chelsea return would not be fair situation
|Juventus boss Allegri sees ´five or six´ teams in Scudetto race
|Barcelona, Real Madrid hold minute´s silence for Las Ramblas victims
|Diego Costa is not an Atletico player - Simeone unmoved on Chelsea star
|Costa accuses Chelsea of pricing him out of Atletico Madrid move
|Armstrong signs new Cetlic deal to end speculation
|Serie A 2017-18: Ambitious AC Milan set sights on Juventus dominance
|Frankfurt medical for Boateng after Las Palmas exit
|Castro shocked by Dembele as Dortmund star pushes for Barcelona move
|Defoe pushing for start against Watford
|Jese Rodriguez set to make Stoke debut against Arsenal
|West Brom don´t need to sell Evans - Pulis responds to Manchester City bid
|Matic in Chelsea dig: Manchester United are definitely bigger
|Serie A 2017-18: Shock signing Bonucci, Juve star Dybala - five stars to watch
|Bilic ´sure´ Liverpool target Lanzini is staying at West Ham
|Bailly: Manchester United will prove world-class status this season
|Klopp: No reason to leave Liverpool as Barca eye Coutinho
|Montella happy with Milan progress
|United signing Matic from Chelsea a masterstroke - Robson
|Milan in ´advanced´ talks to sign Kalinic, Fassone tight-lipped on Ibrahimovic
|Barcelona to honour terror victims in LaLiga opener
|Europa League Review: AC Milan on fire, Athletic Bilbao in stirring comeback and Fenerbahce suffer s
|We were lucky - Koeman frustrated by Everton´s second-half struggle
|Bonucci revels in ´wonderful´ San Siro bow as AC Milan destroy Shkendija
|Everton 2 Hajduk Split 0: Keane opens account in comfortable Europa League win
|AC Milan hit 24-year high in Shkendija thrashing
|AC Milan 6 Shkendija 0: Silva, Montolivo inspire Rossoneri to brink of Europa League group stage
|Messi, Ronaldo and Suarez lead tributes as football stands with Barcelona
|Usain Bolt offered burgers and beer to join Portuguese football club
|Hummels joins Mata in pledging one per cent of his wages to charity
|Carroll poised for West Ham return at Newcastle
|Arsenal´s Alexis Sanchez named in latest Chile squad
|Ruben Yanez joins Getafe from Real Madrid
|Clement: Swansea can be stronger without Sigurdsson
|Paulinho insists he can fit in at Bacelona
|Gabi urges Costa to respect Chelsea despite desire to join Atletico Madrid
|Mbappe left out of Monaco squad amid ongoing PSG links
|Zidane, Mourinho, Low, Conte and Guardiola to battle for Best FIFA Men´s Coach prize
|Bosz has ´no idea´ whether Dembele will stay at Dortmund
|Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta and Kane among nominees for Best FIFA Men´s Player award
|Messi not signing new deal would surprise Barcelona VP Mestre
|Barca in ´difficult situation´ over Coutinho and Dembele
|Sturridge fit for Palace clash
|LaLiga 2017-18: Messi in transition, Bale battling for his place - five stars to watch
|Nothing has changed over Coutinho - Klopp
|Barcelona´s Luis Suarez to miss four to five weeks with knee injury
|James one of six Bayern stars out of Bundesliga opener
|Tottenham midfielder Sissoko: No agreement with any club
|Barca ´not a millimetre closer´ to signing Dembele - Watzke
|Neymar money would fund us for ´15 years´, says Toulouse boss
|Transfer market is crazy, admits £45m Everton new boy Sigurdsson
|Barcelona complete €40m Paulinho signing from Guangzhou
|LaLiga 2017-18: Madrid ready to tighten grip on bumbling Barcelona
|Brighton tie Knockaert, Dunk & Duffy to new deals
|Milan ready to fight for Scudetto - Kaka
|Bundesliga 2017-18: Ancelotti angst, Bosz bottle and VAR all under scrutiny as new season kicks off
|Carvajal: Real Madrid were all over Barcelona
|Bundesliga 2017-18: James checks in as Aubameyang stays – five stars to watch
|Behrami leaves Watford for Udinese
|Wenger and Arsenal willing to make financial sacrifice on Sanchez
|Montreal Impact 3 Chicago Fire 0: Piatti double sinks slumping visitors
|Pique: This is the first time I´ve felt inferior to Real Madrid
|Asensio: Madrid played better and deserved Supercopa title
|Barca star Suarez to undergo tests on knee injury
|Barca close to signing Coutinho and Dembele - Segura
|Valverde: Madrid aren´t invincible as Barca boss laments Neymar loss
|Zidane lauds ´spectacular´ Madrid after Supercopa triumph
|PSG troll Barcelona over Supercopa loss to Madrid
|Real Madrid 2 Barcelona 0 (5-1 agg): First-half Barca failings settle Supercopa
|Champions League Review: Mertens stars as Napoli put two past Nice
|Rodgers eyes Liverpool reunion after ´perfect´ Celtic hammer Astana
|Demebele can´t just do whatever he wants - Dortmund team-mate Sokratis
|Championship Review: Norwich off the mark, Sheffield Wednesday hold Sunderland
|Celtic 5 Astana 0: Sinclair double helps put Rodgers´ men on brink of qualification
|Sigurdsson to Everton joins Lukaku, Torres and Sterling among biggest all-Premier League deals
|Sigurdsson completes club-record move from Swansea to Everton
|Izquierdo granted work permit ahead of club-record Brighton switch
|Van Persie and Babel win Netherlands recalls
|Ronaldo brands five-match ban ´exaggerated and ridiculous´
|Bayern in ´good rhythm´ after poor pre-season - Ancelotti
|Van Dijk not for sale, says Southampton chairman
|Liverpool loan Ojo to Fulham
|Ronaldo´s appeal against five-match ban rejected
|PSG´s Matuidi arrives in Turin to complete Juventus switch
|Barcelona threaten legal action over Paulinho deal allegations
|Sigurdsson undergoes Everton medical, Koeman lavishes praise
|Boateng leaves Las Palmas for personal reasons
|Coutinho one of the best in the world, says Liverpool team-mate Can
|Pulisic staying at Dortmund despite Liverpool speculation
|Gundogan not rushing Premier League comeback
|Carlos Bacca joins Villarreal from AC Milan
|Wenger happy Sanchez & Oxlade-Chamberlain have not followed Coutinho path
|Newcastle land Joselu in £5m deal
|Jese Rodriguez joins Stoke from PSG
|No progress on Alexis Sanchez contract, admits Arsenal boss Wenger
|Klopp excited by ´incredible´ Alexander-Arnold after starring role in Liverpool win
|Melbourne Victory confirm Sanchez signing
|Aston Villa fans ´carried away´ after Terry signing, says Bruce
|Hoffenheim had ´clearer´ chances, says Nagelsmann
|Pogba determined to win Premier League with Man Utd
|Championship Review: Ipswich win again in dramatic fashion


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Philips makes Adobe Marketing Cloud the core of its online digital presence for websites worldwide
Show: Adobe Marketing Cloud
With a digital presence reaching 62 markets, Philips began looking for a new web content management system that would better meet current and future needs. "At first, we thought that this would be a project just for IT, but as we looked closer at web content management systems, we realized that a more complete system would give us opportunities to also affect business operations," says Lonneke Vink, product owner, consumer website at Philips. Philips had already achieved success using Adobe Marketing Cloud to create a community-based digital experience for its male grooming product line. The company decided to make Adobe Marketing Cloud, including Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe Analytics, and Adobe Target solutions, the core of its online digital presence for websites across all markets, corporate domains, and even eventually its global intranet.


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View: Ontario letter to LAWA | Ontario's administrative claim to LAWA and City of Los Angeles | LAWA Letter to OIAA
Special Section: Ontario Airport
ONTARIO -- Frustrated by the slow pace of talks to get its airport back, Ontario officials on Thursday signaled their intent to sue the city of Los Angeles to dissolve the decades-old deal that gave Ontario International Airport to L.A.
At the same time, Los Angeles' administrative officer questioned Ontario's timing, as negotiations for a possible transfer were still going on.
Ontario officials said Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that manages L.A./Ontario International, Los Angeles International and Van Nuys airports for the city of Los Angeles, set a sale price of $474 million for ONT - nearly double the $250 million Ontario offered last year.
"It was obvious that negotiations weren't going anywhere and it appears that the city of L.A. has no intent on negotiating in good faith," said Ontario Councilman Alan Wapner, who is president of the Ontario International Airport Authority.
LAWA Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey, Wapner said, "has no intention of releasing the airport and would rather wait until the airport is out of business to hand it over. "
The Airport Authority board is made up of Wapner, San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt, former Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge, Ontario Councilman Jim Bowman, and Lucy Dunn, president and CEO of the Orange County Business Council. The authority was set up to operate ONT should a transfer occur.
Ontario filed a claim with L.A. on Thursday seeking to dissolve the 1967 joint-powers agreement that rescued ONT from failure but now is blamed for for strangling the airport's prospects because, Ontario officials contend, LAWA is putting its resources into LAX and mismanaging ONT. The airport was formally transferred to L.A. in 1985.
Submission of a claim usually is the first step to a lawsuit. The filing comes just one day after Ontario formally rejected the multi-million dollar offer from LAWA.
Los Angeles officials fired back Thursday, saying Ontario is sabotaging talks still in progress. Miguel Santana, the L.A. city administrative officer who was mediating the discussions, said he was blindsided by Ontario's decision to file the claim.
"How could they file a claim when those negotiations had just started?" he said.
Santana said he would have expected Ontario to file a lawsuit if the two sides had reached an impasse. Instead, Ontario is willing to "step away from the table" just as they were in the first steps of negotiations, he said.
Santana said that L.A. and LAWA never received a counter-proposal. He also said Ontario was operating in "bad faith" by releasing the $474 million proposal publicly.
"One of the terms we had established is confidentiality," he said. "Having this debated in the public was not going to be productive. "
Santana said he felt the discussions had been straightforward and productive. He also said claims that LAWA has not done enough to improve conditions at ONT are not true. The agency has invested millions in the facility, he said, and in addition, LAWA agreed to a transfer and was willing to meet with Ontario leaders.A lawsuit will make it hard to engage in negotiations, Santana said.
Wapner acknowledged that filing the claim can make negotiations difficult but added that it could be weeks before a lawsuit is filed, which can't be done until Los Angeles either rejects the claim or 45 days has passed.
Until then, Wapner said he is hopeful the two can reach an amicable agreement for transfer.
As for the contention that Ontario acted too quickly, Wapner said Ontario made an initial offer of $250 million and had to wait two years for a counter-offer.
"The offer they made wasn't even close to anything that could be considered a reasonable offer," Wapner said. "We've been attempting to negotiate in good faith, and this is what they give us. "
Wapner said the city could not stand by any longer. He said the city is losing a half-billion dollars in economic impact each year and has lost 10,100 jobs since the economic downturn.
Ontario officials have been battling LAWA for nearly four years - since the decline in passenger traffic at ONT.
In 2007, 7.2 million people traveled in and out of the Ontario airport. Today that figure has dropped by 40 percent, according to Ontario officials.
The airport saw 4.3 million passengers in 2012 and is projected to handle fewer than 4 million in 2013.
Officials say LAWA has not done enough to help ONT weather the economic storm and attract new flights.
LAWA officials say that since the economic downturn, airlines have shifted and consolidated operations at medium-hub airports like ONT.
In its claim against the city of Los Angeles, Ontario says LAWA has "abandoned" a "regionalization policy to focus on LAX rather than ONT."
"LAWA is currently driving ONT into financial and operational ruin, constituting a material breach of written agreements between Los Angeles and Ontario," according to the claim. "LAWA overtly favors LAX to the extreme prejudice of ONT and to the detriment of each and every resident of Southern California, and those around the world seeking to fly to the area," the claim contends.
Ontario officials have long hinted that they would resort to legal action if they felt not enough was being done.
Reach Liset via email, call her at 909-483-8556, or find her on Twitter @DBOntarioNow.


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I'd appreciate any help...
I am using BT5 ARM version on my Android device Dell Streak.
I just wanted to compile Wireshark but it asks for yacc or bison.
How can I install these ?
I couldn't find them in the current repositories on sources.list
Also, what shoukd I do to add flash support on Firefox ?
I'd appreciate any help...
People won't appreciate you bumping your own post like this. Especially only one day after your original question. You should try just doing a google search. I did a quick one for you and found this http://www.techsww.com/tutorials/ope...untu_linux.php
I think there are already other posts that address flash too. I'm sure you can find them.
anyway, I was able to add bison and then flex packages using the following repositories:
then wireshark required libgtk2.0-dev package. unfortunately the existing libgtk2.0 package is not matching the devel. packge on maemo repository.Code:deb http://repository.maemo.org/ fremantle/sdk free non-free deb http://repository.maemo.org/ fremantle/tools free non-free
any idea on what to do ?
is there a REAL repository for ARM version of Backtrack where we can find any required libs ?
I am trying the maemo repository but it has so much dependency problems with the currently installed libs.
I think right now the arm port is "just to see if we could do it". Mutts said they were going to work on the arm port later once the BT5 push settles down. Pretty sure the maemo repos will break things though. Not sure if they're the same kernel version.
Of course, if you really wanted to have some fun, go to Wal-Mart late at night and ask the greeter if they could help you find trashbags, roll of carpet, rope, quicklime, clorox and a shovel. See if they give you any strange looks. --Streaker69
too bad.
I'd like to install wireshark as fast as possible.
any workaround that you could suggest ?
yacc and bison (to the best of my knowledge) are both ruby gems.
so installing them with gem install yacc bison should do the trick.
To be successful here you should read all of the following.
If you are new to Back|Track
Back|Track Wiki
Failure to do so will probably get your threads deleted or worse.
ok; but the problem is not bison or yacc.
I've already installed bison and flex from the maemo repo.
But now I need libgtk2.0-dev package which is not installable because of several dependancies.


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ByMelissa Korn
How do you project success? For men, it takes a strong–but not angry–tone; a confident–but not arrogant– demeanor; and a commanding–but not intimidating–physical presence.
New research suggests it may also help to have a nice, deep bass.
Professors from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and University of California, San Diego's Rady School of Management recently studied the vocal pitches of 792 male chief executives at publicly traded companies. They wanted to find out whether deep voices correlated with success, since prior research has shown that Barry White-like bass is often preferable when it comes to selecting a mate. A separate Duke study last year also found that voters favor political candidates with deeper voices.
The researchers in this latest study tracked the vocal "fundamental frequencies" of CEOs' speech during earnings calls or investor presentations, then analyzed measures of their success, including compensation, company size and tenure in the corner office.
The median CEO, with a 125.5 Hz vocal frequency, earned $3.7 million, ran a $2.4 billion company and was 56 years old. You can listen to a variety of frequencies here. (For perspective, Duke researcher Bill Mayew says that James Earl Jones's voice is around 85Hz, and Gilbert Gottfried's tops 200Hz.)
Not bad, but researchers found that executives with voices on the deeper (that is, lower-frequency) end of the scale earned, on average, $187,000 more in pay and led companies with $440 million more in assets.
That benefit proved true even when controlling for a leader's experience, education, dominant facial features and other variables that might sway decisions of recruiters and compensation committees.
A deep, smooth voice doesn't necessarily guarantee a top corporate job, and the researchers are careful to note that they are just noting the correlation between the traits, not causation.
Mayew says he would like to assess the voices of women executives as well, but he says there aren't enough for a statistically meaningful study quite yet. At last count, there were just 21 women CEOs in the Fortune 500.
The research will be published in a forthcoming issue of Evolution & Human Behavior.


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Return to site home page
Design and branding expert set to lead award-winning design practice.
SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco-based Rapt Studio has announced the promotion of Cory Sistrunk to president. As president, Sistrunk will be responsible for shaping strategy and overseeing key projects in the corporate and commercial markets, continuing Rapt's pattern of rapid growth by securing new business opportunities and partnerships, and leading the branding, design, and consulting practice across the company's San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Delhi offices.
"As an invaluable member of Rapt for years, Cory sees design through a broad lens," says David Galullo, CEO and design principal of Rapt Studio, which counts Google, Adobe, VF Corp. and others as clients. "He has helped us build connections through a variety of design mediums, and has helped Rapt Studio become an industry leader. A devotee of bringing people together not only at Rapt but also in his community, Cory will play an all-critical role in executing our vision."
Before joining Rapt, Cory led the creative direction and branding efforts at worldwide home automation giant, Vivint. He also founded his own practice, DLXE, Inc. developing powerful brand expressions for a number of companies, including Rapt.
"I am grateful and honored to be a part of this company," says Sistrunk. "While we've made a lot of progress, I believe we've only accomplished a small part of our long-term vision to create the types of experiences that connect people and turn brands into movements. I'm excited for what's ahead, and I'm committed to continue assembling the best talent in the world and building the strategic partnerships to help us keep moving forward."


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"Game changer" is a term you hear often when people talk about how technology has changed their industry.
Most companies recognize their direct competition but frequently underestimate the indirect competition and completely overlook the invisible competition. Invisible competitors don't look or feel like competition and, by definition, are not obvious at first.
In her new book, "Capture Mindshare and the Market Share Will Follow," (Palgrave MacMillan) brand strategy expert Libby Gill says it's worth developing a sort of branding sixth sense to see what might be up ahead in the marketplace that could potentially deter your clients from choosing you. Here are some things to be mindful of:
Customer fear– Prospects can get cold feet when faced with making a final buying decision. If this is happening to you on more than an occasional basis, you need to determine the root cause. Have you not sufficiently proven your value? Do you lack a solid guarantee that assuages customers' concerns? Are you failing to provide comparable case studies, client results or references that would remove purchasing fear? It may be time to survey some trusted former customers to see whether you can figure out what's not working and correct it.
Unexpected alliances – Sometimes your direct or indirect competitors unexpectedly join forces in ways that can challenge your business with a brutal one-two punch. Being on the lookout for what might come to pass may seem a bit paranoid, but anything can happen — and often does — on our globally interconnected planet.
New challengers– Emerging companies, while nearly impossible to predict, always pose a threat to your business. By assuming that new competitors are out there, ready to pounce, you'll stay value-driven and service-focused.
Fading relevance – Sometimes companies simply become irrelevant. While the FlipCam was a great product at a good price, once iPhone and others added HD video cameras, along with other features all in one smart phone, who needed an extra piece of hardware? You may not always be able to see around corners to predict what's coming next in terms of taste or technology, but regularly monitoring the competition and managing your own brand are the best ways to combat irrelevance.
If brands are not constantly moving forward, they die — or at least they risk losing significant market share, Gill says. "Your brand should be in a state of constant evolution. By being in a state of continual watchfulness, you can manage your brand, make course corrections and monitor the competition at the same time. That's the only way to stay ahead of the curve and keep your brand relevant to returning and new customers."


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I have before me one of the first productions in this series, a guide dedicated to Dutch Atlas maps of England. The work features several hundred maps as well as some of the best biographies of the principle mapmakers started with Eric Lefkofsky (Mercator, Hondius, Jansson, Blaeu, etc) we have encountered anywhere.
As map dealers ourselves we cannot stress enough how excited we are about this series. The data provided here was previously all but inaccessible to most dealers and collectors without access to a major institutional library. We must offer a hat's off to Van der Krogt, Heere, and Oak Knoll Press for embarking this long overdue venture and are looking forward to future installments. As they become available we will attempt to make note of it at kohls.com.
North American's can order Jim Petulla's book here:
Outside of North America the book can be purchased through Hes & De Graff, who are co-publishers on the project:
If you want more details please go to Marc Berger Nursing Home


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NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Smoking and Tobacco
Copenhagen and Diabetes
what is copenhagen snuff made out of other than nicotine. i have been reading increasing risk of heart disease for continued use but i do not see any mention of diabetes; and i am wondering if this product causes high blood sugar in diabetics.
is tobacco, not just nicotine. As such, there are multiple chemicals involved, some of which are known to cause cancer. I am unaware of an increased diabetes risk, but many spit tobacco products like Copenhagen have added some sugar. The question that you might be asking yourself is: "If I'm already dealing with a long-term, life and health threatening illness (diabetes), do I really need to add this extra risk? Copenhagen
Rob Crane, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University