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Discussion in 'Dancers Anonymous' started by lynn, Aug 3, 2005.
i'm just cuirous whether or not this is an isolated incident....
I would be surprised if it was
Sometimes i feel a little sorry for guys, there are only so many styles of shirt they can choose. My dad wears cream coloured shirt only and eventhough he changes his shirt everyday (i'm not kidding, my mom used to complain about washing & ironing his shirt everyday!!), it looks as if he wears the same one year round!
Well, but when it comes to suits, they have so much better selection.. So many nice fabrics. I am jealous of mans suit sections in the stores, for us we have a choice of maybe 20-30 different things. THere are no suit only stores for us..
ACtually if you wear an undershirt, eg. T-shirt, and then something on top the top item can remain clean for quite a few days... I don't do this myself as I have way too many T-shirts....etc...must get rid of some one of these days...
Unless your undershirt/t-shirt is white and doesn't have any prints or if your shirt is thick or colourful enough to cover the print underneath, it looks a little funny.
T-shirt is white of course!! Depends actually on what the top is and so sometimes I'll wear black etc...but it never shows through!
very interesting! do you have hte link?
My friends sometimes don't get why I prefer NOT to emphasize my feminity at work, especially since I work with mostly all males (the few other women are secretaries). I just prefer not to have that extra attention and be treated as a full fledged professional. My youth has already been a liability in that respect (started working at 19), so I don't need to add another issue to the mix
I think femininity is very different than flirting with fellow co-workers/managers. I've worked with female managers who are professional but yet feminine (in a sensitive, gentle way). I've often seen women try too hard to lose their feminine side, they ended up being domineering and authoritative. I think the focus is being professional and really focus on your strengths. Men and women have different leadership styles and gender really has nothing to do with it.
I talked about emphasis of feminity as in flaunting it, not sabotaging or mis-acknowledging it. there's a difference. It comes across in conduct, how one dresses, speaks, makeup and various other distractions
For example women who are flirty with colleguaes will not be taken seriously in a high tech field (if they even make it there in the first place). In this arena your work is expected to stand on its own.
that's how is, meritocracy rather than looks and other characteristics that are more valued in other fields like sales/finance/PR/ecetera
I agree with this entirely. Frankly, women who flirt are not taken seriously in any field, because it just shows lack of professionalism. And no manager that I know of wants to hire someone who's unprofessional.
No one talks about men being "domineering and authoritative", why is that stigma attached to an empowered woman? actually these are considered good qualitites in men...sometiems women we sabotage ourselves
Everyone has to decide their own definition of womanhood in the professional setting. If being authoritative ensures that the men under you (example women CEOs or managers in high tech fields) respect you, listen to you and allow you to be boss without a hint of patronizing conduct then why not?
Domineering is a more negative quality, most organizations are team oriented so it's pretty hard to come across such individuals in my field
Being a work right now and not being able to commit the full amount of time needed for a response such as this... I will simply state business casual. Usually dresses or a nice skirt/dress pants with an appropriate blouse/sweater/blazer, etc. Generally speaking I never wear t-shirts or shorts...although occasionally I will wear jeans (like today...Friday) and I like to go casual in khakis. Shoes are usually boots or heels.
On a totally side and kind of fun note...last weekend I went shopping and just updated my entire work wardrobe. Yippie! :banana:
Domineering does have a negative connotation thus I put it in the context of "trying too hard". I"m using the term loosely and in general because what I often see is female managers being overly aggressive in trying to match their male counterpart and to keep their male subordinates in check. Is that really necessary?? Sometimes yes, but those employees who do not respect you for the sole reason because you're female are quite rare - chances are, they probably won't respect their manager even if it's a man. In most cases, employees respect their superior (men or women) simply because they've demonstrated the skills required for the job. Don't believe me?? Think about it, are male managers respected when they're domineering simply because they're "men"?? Of course not!
The bottom line is, a good leader requires many soft skills, it's all about balance. I"m all hands for enpowered women and in no way sabotaging ourselves. I"m simply sharing my experience & observation.
I actually have not seen this "overly aggressive". But if the men do it to get ahead, why not the women too?
If you crucify that woman, then crucify her male counterparts too and don't just castigate her because her position and actions are amplified by her gender. In fact the good question is why does she seem to be over compensating? Perhaps the company culture is working against her?
It's hard to tell if you've never been in that hot seat. But believe me gender still makes a big difference in how respect is earned, and how long it takes to acquire respect
Which is why work fashion can be important depending on the field
Oh but most times they won't need to resort to "domineering" exactly because they are men. Whether we realize it or not, the traditional figures of authority around us have long been male, and subsciously that affects how we relate in new situations where we are subordinates
For example, the way I relate to my dad causes me to automatically show respect for men who are about the same age, regardless of what they've done to earn it - well that is until they give me reason not to
Talk to female police officers sometime, that should give some insight on the dificulties of being in position of authority as a female, and still maintaining the same level of respect enjoyed by a male colleague from the public and from her coworkers
psychology is an amazing thing
O.K., the point was, being overly aggressive is not a positive characteristic. Period, regardless of gender.
When I look at a manager, I take gender out of the equation. I would consider the same action/attitude overly aggressive in a man as well. It's just from my experience, the proportion is higher in women.
Why is she overcompensating?? I have no idea, insecurity because she's competing with male colleagues?? I really don't know. Was the company culture working against her?? No. When we consider promotions, we compare experiences and qualifications, not gender. In fact, in some organizations I know of, being a woman actually gives you an advantage (kind of like being in minority) because the company want equal proportion of male/female managers.
When you see a woman equal to your mother's age, do you not also respect her as well?? I think when you respect someone, the respect is across the border, regardless of gender and age. To say someone respect men and not women is the same as saying he or she has no respect for anyone. More often than not, the kind of "respect" mentioned in the previous sentence is the product of fear. Yes, I will say that the respect is somewhat different between men and women, but for normal people like you and me, how likely is it that when your male manager changes to a female manager, you start disobey them and give them a hard time? At least I didn't, not unless she gives me a reason to.
What I've kept on emphasizing is that each individual has his/her leadership style, trying to imitate what's perceived as the society norm isn't going to work. Male/female managers have different characteristics, make use of that characteristics. Being a good manager means being flexible. One employee may need a manager that's a little more authoritative, while the other employee may need someone who's more compromisable. Being a stereotypical manager isn't going to cut it, men or women. I have worked with about the same number of male/female managers and I have a lot of respect for many of them. What it comes down to, gender has nothing to do with it.
As for the dress code, I think as long as the person looks professional and presentable, what he or she wears is fine.
Interesting discussion. From my angle, you're both right. As an African American female engineer, I've spent my whole career working in a mostly male industry (although that's changing a bit now. You go, girls! )
I've seen it all. I've been in meetings where female PhD's with years of experience were ignored and dismissed by men with lesser credentials and experience. I've been in situations where a woman's idea was discredited -- until a man uh... stole the idea and broadcast it for himself. I've been on teams where everybody worked together well, regardless of gender. I've been on projects where a woman in a leadership role emulated men and got ahead by doing so. I've known a handful of powerful women who were very (stereotypically) feminine -- all the soft skills in place -- and who were very effective leaders of mixed gender organizations. I've known women who got ahead by exploiting their feminine wiles. I've known women who emulated men and stayed at the bottom of the career ladder. And I've seen a similar distribution on the male side of things, as well. :?
This is an issue that I, at least, can't possibly sum up in any one statement. Whatever I say, I'll be right. And wrong. Maybe because societal roles and expectations are in such rapid flux? Hmm. I really don't know. *shrug*
like I said 8)
I agree entirely. Considering we can't change society's POV, we can only do so much ourselves. Perhaps I'm being idealistic, but I prefer to stay true to who I am and not emulate anything regardless of what'll get me ahead, but that's just me.
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Numark DJ Controller Board
I'm getting one of my kids a DJ board for Christmas... I'm very excited for "him".
I've ..I mean, he's always wanted to try some mash-ups, but I don't really know jack about it.
We've ordered a Numark Mixtrack (not pro) from Overstock. It looks like the main difference between it and the pro is that this one doesn't come w/an built in sound card (didn't know about that until after we ordered it). I guess that means i'll have to order one or make some work-around so that he can listen to the queued up tracks on headphones separate from master audio.
anyway, this might be one of those, "daaaaaad, can i have my toy back now" kinda things.
or, we'll both get frustrated because we don't know how to do any mixing and it'll collect dust after a month.
I really can't offer any advise on these but can tell you my son wanted one pretty bad but that wore off after he started using qbase software. We had bought him a pedal for guitar that loops and does all this crazy stuff and came with Qbase, it took him a while to learn it but then not long he was uploading stuff to internet share sites. He would create music of his own and also modify existing stuff adding voice snipets and changing songs to the dupstep style of things.
Its all above my head but saw some free downloads of the software online and just thought it may something to use with the controller.
Either way good luck
I totally can't wait for this thing. I've been watching some video's/tutorials.
My first mash up will be Charlie Daniel's "Devil Went Down to Georgia" and some Skrillex.
Get the Pioneer DDJ t1, much better controller and software
That's like a $900 controller (on sale, list is $1200!)... I ... i mean HE doesn't need that. ;)
just looking for something to play with. don't expect to see us in da club anytime soon.
Just so you know the sound card has nothing to do with cueing. It basically is just the difference between using your computer sound card or the built in sound card on the mixtrack which will probably give you better audio. For beginners the built in sound card is not needed. Also wakeboardin, did it come with the full version of CUbase ? You might want to look into Ableton Live as IMHO it is the best and easiest DAW on the market today but if the pedal came with the full version of Cubase(which I doubt as it is a $350 piece of software) then you should be good to go.
Ableton and Fruity Loops are both legit and can be had at a reasonable price. Like mentioned above - if you haev a CUbase version, that will be good.
Fun stuff - let us know how it goes.
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the other day i wondered what my dog did when i was gone so my mind lead me to this explainaition
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It's an indisputable fact the Cavaliers will be a better team with two-time All-Star Luol Deng starting at small forward.
That said, the trade general manager Chris Grant pulled off early Tuesday morning is not the slam dunk, no-brainer some fans and radio talk show types think it is.
Sure, the Cavs gave up only embattled center Andrew Bynum, three future draft picks that will likely all be in the second round and a possible swap of first-round choices in 2015 — only if Cleveland's pick falls between Nos. 15 and 30, to boot — for a talented 28-year-old who will undeniably be the team's best small forward since You Know Who left town in 2010.
Sure, Deng is a 19-point scorer, outstanding defensive player and consummate professional.
Those are just a few of the positives from a Cleveland perspective and we'll go into them in more depth in a minute, but despite what you may hear or read elsewhere, there is still a chance this deal could backfire.
It's not an overwhelmingly great chance and there's no guarantee the alternative — writing off yet another season and getting another high pick in a 2014 NBA Draft that is expected to be loaded — would have turned out any better, but there's a chance nonetheless.
At 11-23 prior to Tuesday, the Cavs had the fifth-worst record in the NBA and were only 3½ games back of tying for the worst.
Having lost 10 of their last 12 games — the wins came in overtime against Milwaukee, which has the worst record in the league, and Orlando, which blew a seven-point lead in the last 15 seconds of regulation — it wouldn't have been hard to envision the Cavs falling lower in the standings.
While not a big fan of "tanking" and fully aware of Grant's less-than-stellar performance in the draft, that would have put Cleveland in position to get someone like Duke's Jabari Parker, Kansas' Andrew Wiggins, Kentucky's Julius Randle or Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart.
In the sad-sack Eastern Conference, that's not going to happen now unless the Cavs suffer even more serious injuries than normal — and it might not happen even under those circumstances.
As bad as Cleveland played through the first 34 games of the season, it entered Tuesday just three games out of the eighth seed in the East and only 4½ out of the fifth.
But if the Cavs finish seventh or eighth in the East, get quickly eliminated from the playoffs by Indiana or Miami and Deng walks as an unrestricted free agent, they will end up with a first-round pick in the 15-17 range and have nothing to show from this trade, other than getting a small taste of the
That's a worst-case scenario, but it's one that can't be ignored, just as it must also be pointed out that there is a lot to like about this deal.
While not a superstar, Deng is a top-tier small forward, which was far and away the weakest position on Cleveland's roster.
Not only that, he plays as hard at the defensive end as he does on offense, which might help coach Mike Brown finally get his defense-first message across to all his players.
As an added bonus, the 6-foot-9, 220-pound Deng, who turns 29 in April and is in the prime of his career, is the consummate professional and a complete team player.
The Cavs can offer the South Sudan native a three-year extension before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but Deng, who is making $14.3 million this season, reportedly turned down a three-year, $30 million extension from the Bulls.
That means he'll likely test free agency, where the Cavs can give him a five-year deal for more money than any other team can offer.
Deng isn't a max-contract player, however, so look for Grant, who quickly stated his desire to keep the small forward long term, to offer something along the lines of four years, $54 million, which is what Josh Smith, who is not as good a player, just got from Detroit.
While keeping Deng will ultimately determine the success of Grant's latest deal, there's already one overwhelming positive to the move: It will make the Cavs worth watching for the rest of this season.
Kyrie Irving, C.J. Miles, Deng, Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao will represent a pretty decent starting lineup, especially in the East.
Toss in Dion Waiters and Jarrett Jack, mix in a little tough-as-nails Matthew Dellavedova, hope you get something from guys like Tyler Zeller, Anthony Bennett and Earl Clark and who knows?
In a best-case scenario, the Cavs climb to sixth or better in the East and avoid Indiana or Miami in the first round. Hard as it is to believe, that means Cleveland would have at least a puncher's chance of winning a series.
Do anything close to that, re-sign Deng while also adding another quality free agent in the offseason and that's when this trade will officially become a total no-brainer.
Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or email@example.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @RickNoland.


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Mix it up this spring with this collection of colourful cage pendants and cords. Whether you like things cohesive and uniform, or beautifully eclectic, this collection allows you to pair any cage and any cord for the delightful price of $29.95. Super stylish and right on trend, these lights look fantastic displayed in rows, clusters, at different lengths or even all alone. With no electrician required, switching out your lighting has never been easier.
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Education Roundup: LTCC heats up for chili contest
January 22, 2013
The Lake Tahoe Community College's Commons turned into a chili lover's delight Tuesday for the 13th annual Chili Cook-Off.
The contest pitted 10 of the college's student groups against one another in a culinary battle that would determine the chef –or chefs –with the tastiest chili. Voters circled the floor, sampling and judging each contestant's entry before filling out a blue ballot with their top picks.
"Every quarter the school promotes school club events. It's the chance to get all the clubs together in friendly competition. It's winter –what do you want to eat? Some tasty, warm chili," CalWorks Program Assistant Lisa Shafer said.
Though the contest might be low-key, the students still take their creations seriously. President of the International Club Sallie George described the white beans, pinto beans, peppers, cauliflower, corn, butternut squash and spices that comprised her club's vegan chili.
"We wanted it to be totally different than everybody else's," George said.
Tammy Veatch with Ally Club, the two-time reigning LTCC cook-off champion, was confident of success partly thanks to her secret ingredient – bacon. The club even added vegan bacon to the vegetarian pot.
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Yet by 1 p.m., when all 195 votes had been tallied, it was the International Club's entry that brought home the prize in the form of the Best Overall Chili Award.
"I heard from my counter that they won by a country mile," Shafer said.


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My Nonprofit Reviews
Review for Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network, Inc., Raleigh, NC, USA
I have been volunteering for WIHN for over 20 years. When our church hosts the guests, I serve one of the dinner meals with by husband. The food is provided by our Sunday School class. The experience of serving others less fortunate is a blessing of proportional size. I never walk away feeling anything but gratitude, especially from those whom I serve. I love serving WIHN because it is a local program and I can see immediate results in what God can do through this program, from finding jobs, to finding transitional housing. The Interfaith Hospitality Network is needed so much across the United States and I pray that this program can be initiated in every city. Those less fortunate in Raleigh have a second chance in life in some of the toughest situations and it soothes my heart to know WIHN is there for those in need.
More Feedback
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For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Did the organization use your time wisely?
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What is the "dirty little secret" of the welfare state?
Just this: Across the country there are more than 40,000 hurting, adoptable children languishing in foster care, waiting for moms and dads -- and plenty of would-be moms and dads are waiting to adopt them.
Yet, standing between the two -- seemingly hell-bent on keeping them apart -- is an army of highly paid welfare bureaucrats who don't like adoption and have erected a practically insurmountable array of barriers against those who wish to adopt.
Why? According to Conna Craig, president of the Institute for Children and a former adopted child herself, there are three reasons.
First, the public adoption system rewards and encourages foster care over adoption. When foster parents are paid between $200 and $530 per month, based on the number of children they care for, it creates a financial incentive to keep children in temporary homes. Private adoption agencies, by contrast, are paid by the number of successful adoptions they arrange. In other words, the cash flows in the direction of adoption, not foster care.
Second, since adoption often is put forward as an alternative to abortion, feminist groups and their allies have succeeded in inculcating an anti-adoption bias in the social service community and mainstream media. Magazines, ranging from Good Housekeeping to Playboy, have painted adoption as a traumatic event that can cause psychological damage to both mother and child. In fact, the benefits of adoption far outweigh long-term foster care. A study by the Search Institute of Minneapolis has shown that adopted children rate their relationship with their parents even more positively than a national sample of non-adopted adolescents.
Third, the social service community has placed the whims of irresponsible parents above the well-being and happiness of children. Too many kids are repeatedly returned to abusive or unfit parents, as if "family reunification" is more important than the physical safety of children. Craig says one-third of all children returned to their "birth families" eventually must be returned to state care.
Reforming this system won't be easy. Eliminating barriers against transracial adoptions -- as if white parents would be worse for a black child than no parents at all -- would be a step in the right direction. Because of these barriers, black children make up 40 percent of the foster-care population, even though they are only 15 percent of all children.
The government shouldn't be funding permanent foster-care situations, but rather encouraging families to adopt and making it easier for them to do so. One way would be to enact a means-tested, inflation-adjusted tax credit of up to $5,000 to help pay the expensive one-time cost of adopting a child. By contrast, the government spends, on average, $13,000 per year to care for a foster child.
Why not spend less than half than that on the better alternative -- adoption?
Note: Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D. is president of The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based public policy research institute.


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John wrote:
I'd appreciate advice on whether wine, win4lin, VMWare or some other route might get me out of a bind. I'm embarrassed, but here's what I did: At the start, my ThinkPad (A31) was dual booted via grub, Windows XP on /dev/hda1, sid on the rest, 2.6.15-homemade kernel. So I added a second hard drive in the UltraBay. I then copied the XP partition to the new drive -- dd if=/dev/hda1 of=/dev/hdb1 bs=$((1*1024*1024)). I double checked: XP booted and recognized both C: and D: drives. OK, I thought, and wiped Windows off the original drive, and took it all for Debian, with / mounted on hda1. So of course XP doesn't boot from its new location, even though grub finds it via update-grub. Shouldda known! If anyone knows how I might just enable the XP copy on /dev/hdb1, aka D:, I'd be grateful. I've investigated, so far nothing. Another choice would be to forget XP, except that it is on rare occasion (involving proprietary dial-up) handy. Yet another would be to bite the bullet, wipe the drive, repartition, reinstall that Other OS on hda, and then reinstall sid. Ugh, what a chore! Is there a third family of choices? Would wine, win4lin, VMWare or something else be able to run XP where it is? Thanks for any advice, if only to think twice next time! (Wait: I know that now!)
I would vote for forgetting about XP dual boot and getting VMware. I use the free beta server and find the program excellent. Of course as was already pointed out, you run an entire os on top of an os, but present hardware is so incredibly fast that it doesn't matter.
I run VMware with 1 GB of storage and it never starts swapping. H


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Gallery announces a call to artists for "Melting Pot," an exhibition to
be held April 28 - May 5, 2011. Cultural heritage has always served as
a source of pride and identification for humans. Artists have been
making work dealing with their background and ethnicity since the
inception of art. "Melting Pot" will focus on artists whose heritage
serves as a source of inspiration and celebration within their artworks.
juried exhibition "Melting Pot" is open to national and international
artists of all levels. To be considered, an entry form, entry fee,
artist statement and digital images of the artwork should be submitted
to Desotorow Gallery by 5pm, April 7, 2011. A $20 submission fee allows
for the submission of up to 3 pieces of work. Artists will receive
notification of the list of selected pieces through email on April 10.
information about submitting work for the exhibition "Melting Pot,"
including a complete list of dates, submission guidelines and forms,
can be found at http://desotorow.org
questions about Desotorow Gallery and this exhibition can be addressed
by calling 912.355.8204 or emailing firstname.lastname@example.com.


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1996 Collectors Edge Cowboybilia Jay Novacek Auto /2300
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About the Card: You are bidding on a 1996 Collector's Edge Jay Novacek Cowboybilia autographed card.
It is card #DCA-21 It is serially numbered 2201/2300
Will be shipped in a plastic holder and padded envelope
I am known for selling quality cards and shipping promptly. You can bid with confidence. Please check my feedback. I leave feedback as soon as payment clears.
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Shipping and handling is $2.00 through USPS First Class. Canadian and Asian customers will be charged $3.00 for shipping and handling and can only use Paypal as payment. I accept Paypal, checks, and money orders as payment for US customers. Sales tax will be added to California sales.Shipping and handling for more than 1 card, please use the following pricing: For 2 cards, S&H would be $3 for US, $4 for Canada and Asia. For 3 cards, S&H would be $4 for US, $5 for Canada and Asia. For 4 cards, S&H would be $5 for US, $6 for Canada and Asia. This pricing will be reflected in your invoice. Sign up for my email newsletters to be informed of future sales and special discounts. Be sure to add me to your favorites list ! Check out my other items ! Good luck.


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Artist description:
i have a sister who is a fashion designer. she designed something klike this, its katy perrys dress fdrom the vid california gurls
Java Draw Created Jun 18, 2011 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2011 ashley_6025.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
i know she didnt READ THE FRIGGIN DESCRIPTION!!!! SHE DESIGNED ONE LIKE IT!!!! NOT FOR IRT!!! THINK
Your sister didn't design Katy Perry's dress for the music video California Girls, I can even look up the designer right now.


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Setup an old scanner and a Raspberry Pi to create a handy scan-to-network box, from Eduardo Luís:
I came across this idea because There is a problem in the company that I work for. There is a remote office that has only a few people working a few hours a day. For these people computers are still a "complicated" object. We have internet and a VPN there. We also have e-mail and a server for remote backups. However something was missing. We need an easy way to transfer paper documents to our headquarters instantly.
To Buy a network scanner was too expensive; to buy a simple scanner and attach it to a computer was not a solution either, because there are 3 computers to 3 people. Despite that, it will not be would be an easy task to use this software due to people lack of knowledge.
The solution: an old scanner and a Raspberry Pi.
I assume that you may have some network background for setting up an email server and Bind so you can configure your operating system to send email to any email account.
In this solution I used Raspbian for the OS, Sendmail, Bind, Python, Bash, Sane, Imagemagick and Mutt. I'll skip the Sendmail and Bind details.
The idea is: attach an old USB scanner (must be compatible with Sane) to the Raspberry Pi, push a button to initiate the scanning process and a script is launched so the scanned image would be automatically sent to a predefined email address.
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I was discussing the use of a NFC tag with some friends the other day. This would be a great example. The tag could be programmed to link to a website or email and swiping would send your email address to the scanner and the scanner would then send the document back to you (rather than a default email address)
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Stagg KTC128 keyboard case with wheels
• strong black nylon covering
• large zippers and heavy duty stitching throughout
• top and bottom protective plywood plates
• thick foam padding with hard reinforced base
• removeable plush interior
• large zippered music pouch
• strong webbing handle with velcro locking
• pull out handle and skate-style wheels for easy carrying and secure transportation
• fits most of the keyboards now on the market
• dim(lxdxh): 127x46x17cm(50x18x6.7 inch)/124,5x43x14cm(49x17x5.5 inch) (interior)
- This product will be ordered in from our suppliers as required. Please contact us for availability.
This item is normally sent to Mainland UK addresses by Interlink who generally provide a one-hour window of delivery on the morning of delivery by email or text message. If you need this item faster, please upgrade to a Before 12 service at checkout.
FREE delivery within mainland UK
UK Non-Mainland: £ 12
Rep. of Ireland and Mainland Europe: from £ 15 (calculated at checkout). Please see our international delivery page or contact us for details.
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The Habit: A History of the Clothing of Catholic Nuns (Paperback)
Curiosity about nuns and their distinctive clothing is almost as old as Catholicism itself. The habit intrigues the religious and the nonreligious alike, from medieval maidens to contemporary schoolboys, to feminists and other social critics. The first book to explore the symbolism of this attire, The Habit presents a visual gallery of the diverse forms of religious clothing and explains the principles and traditions that inspired them. More than just an eye-opening study of the symbolic significance of starched wimples, dark dresses, and flowing veils, The Habit is an incisive, engaging portrait of the roles nuns have and do play in the Catholic Church and in ministering to the needs of society. From the clothing seen in an eleventh-century monastery to the garb worn by nuns on picket lines during the 1960s, habits have always been designed to convey a specific image or ideal. The habits of the Benedictines and the Dominicans, for example, were specifically created to distinguish women who consecrated their lives to God; other habits reflected the sisters' desire to blend in among the people they served. The brown Carmelite habit was rarely seen outside the monastery wall, while the Flying Nun turned the white winged cornette of the Daughters of Charity into a universally recognized icon. And when many religious abandoned habits in the 1960s and '70s, it stirred a debate that continues today. Drawing on archival research and personal interviews with nuns all over the United States, Elizabeth Kuhns examines some of the gender and identity issues behind the controversy and brings to light the paradoxes the habit represents. For some, it epitomizes oppression and obsolescence; for others, it embodies the ultimate beauty and dignity of the vocation. Complete with extraordinary photographs, including images of the nineteenth century nuns' silk bonnets to the simple gray dresses of the Sisters of Social Service, this evocative narrative explores the timeless symbolism of the habit and traces its evolution as a visual reflection of the changes in society.
About the Author
Elizabeth Kuhns writes on Catholic traditions for a variety of publications. She is a regular contributor to Faith & Family: The Magazine of Catholic Living, and has previously worked for the Book-of-the-Month Club and the New Hampshire Humanities Council.
Praise For…
"…Kuhns does a workman-like job of taking readers back to the habit's early origins, through its myriad medieval variations and up to its conflicted present."
--Publisher's Weekly
"The author evenhandedly offers historical context and careful explanations . . . This readable overview is recommended for public and academic libraries."
--Library Journal
"A revelatory work that 'opens the nun's closet doors for the first time,' then scans the contents for all their historical and symbolic associations."
--Kirkus Reviews
"…the door to the sister's closet has swung open..."
--Buffalo News
"…Elizabeth Kuhns' book about the history and culture of the habit is a sheer delight, wonderfully informative…."
--The Catholic Review
"An original, informative and engaging work…."
--The Catholic Advocate
"Fascinating details fill the book…."
--Our Sunday Visitor
"A welcome and important contribution to the literature on a sensitive subject that often inspires more heat than light."
--Margaret Susan Thompson, Professor of History, Syracuse University
"Elizabeth Kuhns' readable account chronicles the development of the habit, while pointing to the important witness of the veil in the future.... Bravo."
--Raymond Arroyo, News Director, EWTNews


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Here is a lineup of children`s theater performances. Some schedules are subject to change, so be sure to call in advance for up-to-date information. In almost all cases, reservations are recommended.
Group rates are available for many performances, and some theaters offer birthday party packages. Check the This Week listings in Friday each week for additional presentations.


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KU Trying to Stay Focused
Kansas is in the midst of a remarkable run from nowhere to legitimate national title contender, but coach Mark Mangino doesn't want his team looking ahead.
It might be pretty hard not to.
Mangino hopes to keep his fourth-ranked Jayhawks focused and avoid a letdown against Big 12 basement dweller Iowa State on Saturday when they play their final home game of the season.
Oddsmakers from Bodog have made Kansas -26 point spread favorites (View College Football odds) for Saturday's game (Game Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 58% of bets for this game have been placed on Kansas -26 (View College Football bet percentages).
Following this game, the Jayhawks face No. 6 Missouri on Nov. 24 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. If they beat the Tigers, Kansas (10-0, 6-0) will advance to the Big 12 title game and a likely matchup with third-ranked Oklahoma.
Two victories over top 10 teams would likely bump the Jayhwaks into one of the top two spots in the BCS standings and give them a chance to play for the national title. However, Mangino is very aware an upset loss this week would ruin that possibility.
"We've got to play as well as we can every week to win. That's been our hallmark," Mangino said. "There's no games on our schedule here in the Big 12 Conference that we say we can show up and win. We earn our way.
"We know we've got to play hard, play well, play smart to win every week. There's no gimmes in the Big 12."
Kansas, which has never won a conference title, was picked in the preseason to finish fourth in the six-team Big 12 North but has put together its first 10-win season since 1995.
Though a loss this week won't end their Big 12 championship hopes, the Jayhawks would drop out of the BCS title hunt. They are the only unbeaten team left among the six conferences with automatic bids to the BCS after former No. 1 Ohio State lost to Illinois last Saturday.
Kansas defeated Oklahoma State 43-28 last weekend to go to 10-0 for the first time since 1899. The Jayhawks, who moved up one place in the AP poll and one spot in the BCS standings to third, now seek the first 11-0 record in the 117-year history of the program.
"To be at this point in the season and be undefeated and start to get some more recognition for the program is awesome. We're enjoying and loving every second of it," quarterback Todd Reesing said. "But we know what's at stake."
Kansas is led by the nation's second-best scoring offense (45.9 points per game) and second-best scoring defense (14.9 ppg).
Reesing, who has thrown for 26 touchdowns and only four interceptions, completed 27 of 40 passes for 308 yards and three TDs last Saturday. The sophomore has no interceptions in his last five games, throwing 179 passes since his last one, and Kansas has no turnovers in its last three contests.
Senior fullback Brandon McAnderson ran for 142 yards and two scores last week, and is averaging 148.0 yards in the last three games while rushing for eight touchdowns. He averaged 59.3 yards over the previous three games and had only one TD.
"Our whole team has been overlooked, and for us to be performing as good as we can, it's pretty good," said wide receiver Marcus Henry, who had a career-high 199 yards receiving and caught all of Reesing's TD passes last Saturday.
This Saturday, the Jayhawks wrap up their schedule in Lawrence, where they are outscoring opponents by an average of 46 points.
The Cyclones (3-8, 2-5) have been outscored by an average of 14.5 points in dropping all four of their road games.
Iowa State is coming off one of its most impressive victories of the season, however, rallying from a 21-point halftime deficit to beat Colorado 31-28 last Saturday.
Following their 31-20 victory over Kansas State on Nov. 3, the Cyclones have won back-to-back conference games for the first time since winning four in a row in 2005.
"The two-game winning streak lets our team know that, if you do the things that on Saturday make you successful, that we can play against the best teams in the country and be in the game," first-year coach Gene Chizik said.
Freshman Alexander Robinson carried 29 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns last week, and has emerged as a viable running back for Iowa State. After averaging 23.0 total yards and scoring no touchdowns in his first five games, Robinson is averaging 149.3 yards and has scored five TDs in his last three contests.
Robinson and the Cyclones now try to beat a team ranked in the top five for the first time in school history.
The Jayhawks defeated Iowa State 41-10 last Nov. 4, and in the last meeting in Lawrence on Nov. 26, 2005, Kansas won 24-21.
by: Staff Writers - Email Us
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I didn't know sci-fi could be so good until I read Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" way, way, way back in the day. It's still pretty damn good now, and I'm certainly glad director Gavin Hood managed to get a sizable budget to make the movie version. Can you imagine "Ender's Game" as a low-budget, Syfy Channel movie or, God forbid, an Asylum movie? Brrrrrrrrr.
Check out the latest and final trailer for "Ender's Game". It's pretty snazzy if you ask me.
In the near future, a hostile alien race called the Formics have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham, all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Hyrum Graff and the International Military are training only the best young minds to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin, a shy but strategically brilliant boy, is recruited to join the elite. Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult challenges and simulations, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military's next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he's trained by Mazer Rackham himself to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.
Starring Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, Abigail Breslin, and Harrison Ford.
Saving the world this November 1st.


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Logitech has a flash of inspiration
Subject: General Tech | November 28, 2005 - 06:45 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
According to CoolTechZone, Logitech has reversed their previous stand on the tracking problems in their G5 and G7 mice. If you are having problems with your G5, head on over to read the article, and get the update.
"There's finally some good news from Logitech in regards to laser technology in its G5 and G7
laser mice, and the surface tracking issues they were prone to. On November 24th, Logitech issued
a firmware upgrade for G5, the wired counterpart to the cordless G7. While we appreciate
Logitech's stance against the issue, and its decision to release a firmware upgrade to remedy the
problem, what has us confused is a sudden change in Logitech's strategy."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Tech Talk
sUrface1030 Archetype Review @ MVKTech
P3000 Wireless Gamepad @ ThinkComputers.org
TARGET="_blank">Logitech MX610 Laser Cordless Mouse @ CoolTechZone.com
Edition Mouse Pad @ Adrian's Rojak Pot
Keyboard Review @ VelocityReviews.com
and BT009Si Bluetooth Adapter @ Techgage
TARGET="_blank">Bluetake BT510 Bluetooth Mini Mouse & BT009SI Bluetooth USB Adapter Review @
G2-Pad @ HardwareZone
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Anyone expecting significant offseason acquisitions by Real Salt Lake this year will likely be disappointed.
Though the signing of Arturo Alvarez in an Expansion Draft trade with the Portland Timbers provided some new blood, there is not likely to be much in the way of splashy foreign acquisitions thanks to a full senior roster and salary budget restraints.
Foreign acquisitions have taken precedence in the past, especially since the appointments of head coach Jason Kreis and general manager Garth Lagerwey during the 2007 season. Prior to the 2008 season, Matias Cordoba, Nat Borchers, Kenny Deuchar and Jamison Olave were acquired, all with much fanfare. A year later, Luis Miguel Escalada was the big acquisition, and last year Alvaro Saborio joined the club.
Half of these additions have proved successful – a pretty good batting average, especially with international players in the mix.
Here is where the roster currently stands following the loss of David Horst and Robbie Findley in the Expansion Draft, the waiving of Alex Nimo and the acquisition of Alvarez:
Of the 24 available senior roster spots, the team currently has 23 players in the mix. One of these is Paulo Jr., who came on a short-term loan agreement late in the year that expired at the season's end. Team officials said they are working on a deal to keep the young Brazilian striker for the 2011 season, and they hope to have something worked out in the next few weeks.
Assuming that Paulo Jr. is back next year and no other moves are made, RSL potentially have one open senior roster spot, and it's likely they'll use that on a first round pick in the SuperDraft. Paulo Jr.'s retention, along with the Alvarez acquisition, are the possible attacking options to replace the loss of Findley.
[inline_node:324207]Speaking of the SuperDraft (the team has three late-round picks to go with their first rounder), that's one place where RSL may find additional roster fills, should they select Generation adidas players. RSL have five developmental spots available, with Luis Gil taking up the sixth as a Generation adidas player.
So how else do RSL fill out their roster? Well, the team passed on Stage 1 of the Re-Entry Draft, and probably won't select anyone in Stage 2. Senior roster spots are just too valuable to RSL right now.
But the emerging mechanism for filling out a developmental roster is through the academy program. The team is holding both an open combine and invite-only combine in Casa Grande, Ariz., which is home of their residential academy program. Lagerwey has indicated that the signing of a Home Grown player or two is likely to happen during this offseason. He has also indicated that the team will not necessarily fill out all 30 spots.
There is, of course, always the possibility of a trade to open up a roster spot and salary budget space. There may also be a few trialists in camp during the preseason, and if they impress the team may find a way to fit them in. Players could also be sent out on loan, giving the team additional flexibility for new additions.
Ready to launch: MLS Matchday 2010, The new official MLS iPhone app. It's FREE! Download it here!


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By >Daimaou - G.G-B
Acer brings a new 3D Monitor in the US with the HN274H
I hate to say this but I desperately need a 3D monitor to taste all the 3D goodies that I am receiving! And ACER's new HN274H may just do the trick!
Announced by ACER of being the first 27" LED backlight monitor supporting both Nvidia 3D Vision and HDMI 3D, the HN274H is the ideal monitor for those who wants to plug a cheap, yet fully capable 3D screen to their PS3 or 3D Blu-Ray drive as well as to their PCs. Offering the usual Full HD resolution this monitor comes with a 100,000,000:1 contrast ratio with a 300cd/me brightness and a 2ms response time for just $689 USD.
If this a bit too much for your od don't need such a big 27" screen in front of you, ACER also announced a smaller version of this monitor with the HS244HQ a 23.6" screen announced at $499 that comes with only HDMI 3D (No Nvidia 3D Vision) and with a contrast ratio of just 12,000,000:1.
The new 3D LCDs provide thrilling full HD 3D visuals via HDMI or DVI-DL to PCs, Blu-ray Disc™ Players, game consoles, cameras and 3D TV programming via a set-top box. Supporting the HDMI 3D solution, the displays deliver immersive 3D broadcasting, Blu-ray movies, gaming and photography. The solution is also ideal for schools, as education content providers create new 3D curriculum that makes learning more engaging.
"Acer's newest 3D displays are a powerful tool for providing fun and visual excitement for years to come. Their compelling benefits include an ultra high level of clarity and 50 percent more power savings than other 3D solutions," said Dan Oka, senior product marketing manager for peripherals, Acer America. "Setting the standard for premium 3D multimedia, the new Acer 3D displays give the sensation of full immersion in a virtual world, while the contemporary design sports stylish features, convenient touch-sensitive controls and earth-friendly materials."
Acer 27-Inch Widescreen 3D LCD (HN274H)
The Acer HN274H is the first 27-inch LED monitor to support both HDMI 3D and NVIDIA 3D Vision solutions. It delivers full HD 3D imagery via HDMI when connected to CE devices. Its DVI-DL connection provides twice the bandwidth of DVI for supporting very high resolution images when attached to a PC.
This display offers an astonishing ultra-high 100 million: 1 contrast ratio, which delivers the highest level of clarity and detail available today. This breakthrough is made possible by Acer Adaptive Contrast Management, which optimizes contrast by analyzing every scene, adjusting images frame by frame, and enhancing detail and gradation even in very bright or dim scenes.
Providing a complete 3D package, the monitors include NVIDIA® 3D glasses with active 3D shutter technology. The monitor itself has a built-in IR emitter, so no external IR emitter is needed to connect to a PC. With a set-top box, users can view the latest in satellite 3D TV programming or host a 3D movie party with additional 3D glasses and simple connection to a Blu-Ray Disc™ player.
A large display with sleek dimensions of 25.5-inches (W) x 18.4-inches (H) x 7.6-inches (D), it's a great size for enjoying today's fastest high-def 3D games and the depth that stereoscopic imaging lends to digital photographs. It offers a variety of input options including 1xVGA, 1xDVI and 3xHDMI with HDCP support and provides cables for all three.
Acer 23.6-Inch Widescreen 3D LCD (HS244HQ)
Measuring 22.6-inches (W) x 16.6-inches (H) x 6.8 –inches (D), the HS244HQ is a practical size for more space constrained areas. It supports HDMI 3D and boasts a very high 12,000,000:1 contrast ratio, which showcases the crispest whites and deepest blacks for exceptional viewing definition of all content. A quick 2ms response time enables immersive graphics and enhanced video display for incredible visuals that literally pop from movies, games and photographs.
For added convenience, this 23.6-inch display has a built-in IR emitter and comes with Acer 3D glasses featuring advanced active shutter 3D technology. It has both 1xVGA and 2xHDMI with HDCP support for input. Cables for both options are included.
Both Displays: Phenomenal Resolution; Appealing Eco-Conscious Design
The 1920 x 1080 resolution delivers excellent detail, making these displays perfect for advanced 1080p full HD gaming and widescreen cinematic playback. The LCD active matrix TFTs have a 16:9 aspect ratio and support full HD resolution with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz – far exceeding the mandatory requirements for full HD 3D movies, games and TV. The fast 2 ms response time yields incredibly realistic graphics and video.
Both displays sport an attractive look and feel with a smooth, curved base rimmed in silver and an intricate vent design for 360 degrees of flair. Adding more style are sleek, touch-sensitive controls and a tear dropped power key. An eColor Management button allows users to tailor the performance, such as brightness, saturation and contrast. In terms of mounting options, the displays come with an adjustable stand and are VESA-compliant (100 x 100mm) for mounting to a wall. They provide viewing angles of 170 degrees left/right and 160 degrees up/down and include two 2W speakers.
The LED technology consumes up to 68 percent less power than standard LCD displays – saving energy and money. Environmentally-conscious, the displays are durable, RoHS compliant and constructed of mercury-free white LED backlight. They also come in recyclable packaging materials.
Pricing and Availability
The Acer 27-inch (HN274H) and 23.6-inch (HS244HQ) Widescreen 3D LCDs are available for U.S. customers at leading retailers with MSRPs of $689 and $449, respectively. Both come with a three-year parts and labor limited warranty(2) .
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On this day, January 1st, 2014, the first day of my retirement from academia, I have decided to look back at the beginnings of my academic career, with the hope that readers embarking on their own careers might find some useful information about the importance of personal connections for career success.
As an undergraduate, I was more passionate about psychological ideas than real people. I was, to put it bluntly, an intellectual geek seeking to understand the way the mind works. I had a strong philosophical bent, with interests in the mind-body problem, states of consciousness, and paranormal phenomena. I was not without compassion for other living, breathing human beings, but I did not have that deep, strong desire to connect with and be helpful to others, one-on-one, like my fellow psychology majors who intended to become counselors and therapists. I thought I could make a greater contribution to humanity by discovering new theoretical insights about the workings of the mind that could be used by others in any context involving human behavior.
In terms of career goals, there was nothing inherently wrong with my orientation toward theories about people rather than people themselves. Plenty of academic psychologists have had successful careers with such an orientation, some of them (e.g., Abraham Maslow), hugely successful careers. But, for me, one drawback of focusing on ideas rather than people was a nearly complete lack of understanding of the importance of social connections for career advancement. The saying "It's not what you know, but who you know, that counts" is not wholly accurate; "what you know" does matter. But being smart and knowing a lot is insufficient for career success. Using personal connections is absolutely vital to career development. Not realizing this as an undergraduate almost derailed my plans to become a psychology professor.
I had a decent GPA with a double-major in Psychology and Biology and figured that this, with letters of recommendation from instructors in courses I did well in, would be enough to gain entrance to the graduate program of my choice. I applied to six good programs including Minnesota and Clark University. To my credit, I tried to consider specific faculty in these programs who might take an interest in me. (But getting detailed information about professors was much more difficult in pre-Internet days.) What I failed to do, however, was to ask my current professors if they had colleagues who might appreciate someone like me.
I further sabotaged my chances of admission by failing to tailor my application letter according to what a prospective graduate faculty advisor might be looking for. Instead, I wrote an unfocused letter in which I described how my evolutionary perspective was influenced by my father (a physicist) and mother (a biologist and artist). I also revealed my fringy interests in states of consciousness and mystical experiences without mentioning accepted paradigms in psychology. I surely came off as fuzzy at best and wiggy at worst. One by one, the rejection letters came in until I had no place to go a few weeks before I was to graduate.
In desperation, I read the entire APA catalog of graduate programs, looking for schools that might still accept applications in May. I found a small SUNY campus with a master's program. I noticed that one of their faculty members, Stuart Appelle, had a degree from Penn State. "Aha," I thought. "Maybe our mutual connection to Penn State will help get me admitted." Because Appelle was an experimental psychologist who studied perception, I rewrote my application letter to highlight my interest in the way that cognitive structures can influence perception. I had a trusted professor review my application letter and edit it for appropriate tone and language. (I specifically remember his writing in the margin: "Mysticism—don't tell them about this interest."). I mailed my application to the MA program in psychology at SUNY Brockport and soon received an acceptance letter.
During the one year I spent in the program at Brockport I made a point of getting to know all of my instructors very well. It seemed to me that Stuart Appelle was too straight-laced to appreciate my wide-ranging, nontraditional interests, so even though I had given the impression in my application that I would be working primarily with him, I spent more time talking to other faculty, including Martin Lindauer (psychology of art and creativity) and Stephen Snodgrass (social cognition). (Little did I realize then that Appelle would eventually become interested in anomalous experiences such as UFO sightings and alien abduction!)
I almost completed my MA degree in one year. I blitzed through my entire course requirements in two semesters and received approval for my thesis research proposal, a study of reaction-time differences to faces and letters at different stages of processing by the left and right hemispheres of the brain. I never did the thesis research though. More important were the serious discussions I had with my professors about their connections to faculty in Ph.D. programs. Martin Lindauer was well-connected to the famous perceptual psychologist Irvin Rock at Rutgers. Stephen Snodgrass was a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins and was close friends with the psychology department chairman, William Garvey. Looking at the astronomically-high GRE scores of students admitted to the graduate program at Hopkins, I voiced strong doubts about applying there. Snodgrass strongly encouraged me to apply anyway. "Trust me," he said. "Bill Garvey will pay special attention when I recommend you."
So, I applied to both Rutgers and Johns Hopkins. I also applied to the history of psychology program at New Hampshire and to both the experimental psychology and social psychology programs at Temple. During a visit to my in-laws, who lived near Philadelphia, I made a special trip to Temple just to talk to Uriel Foa, a social psychologists I envisioned working with.
I was accepted into all five of the programs to which I had applied. Stephen Snodgrass confided that the graduate selection committee at Hopkins was uncertain about my application, so Bill Garvey called him and asked, "Should we take a chance on this Johnson fellow?" Without hesitation, Snodgrass said, "Absolutely." That was all it took. (By the way, Stephen Snodgrass left his position at Brockport to attend law school, and is now an attorney.)
So, that is the story about how knowing someone who knew someone helped to get me into a graduate program where I probably would have not been accepted simply on the basis of my undergraduate GPA and GRE scores. How I landed my first job was another story about the importance of knowing someone.
It was January of my final year at Hopkins, and I managed to get an interview at Harvard University. As fate would have it, the chairman of the Harvard psychology department had gone to graduate school with my father at the University of Michigan, so my father gave me an insider, name-dropping line to use when I talked to the chairman on campus. Boy was he amazed and delighted to find that John Johnson he was interviewing was the son of the John Johnson he knew from the acoustics program at Michigan! My talk went well and I thought I had a good chance at the position. I was told that Harvard would be interviewing one more candidate before making their decision. That candidate turned out to be David Buss. Yes, the David Buss—who in seven years would win the APA Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology. The David Buss who would become one of the most well-known names in evolutionary psychology. The chairman at Harvard called me soon after the Buss interview to tell me that I was their second choice.
The job trail grew very cold after that. Williams College did not want to interview me. Within two weeks after my first son was born, I made a six-hour round-trip from Baltimore to Virginia State University for an interview, and they never called me back. I was excited to see a position opening at Penn State Erie, the largest campus in the system after University Park. That trip was a disaster. My itinerary included being on standby for a connecting flight from Pittsburgh to Erie, and there was no room for me. By the time I reached Erie, after midnight, the administrator who greeted me was clearly not happy about waiting so long in the airport. After a few hours of sleep in the hotel where they put me up, I left my favorite pajamas on the back of the door when I checked out. And then after the interview they did not offer me the job, explaining that they thought that I might not be able to relate to Penn State students at their level. [Fast-forward: I eventually won three teaching awards at Penn State DuBois, including the university-wide Alumni Fellow Teaching Award. I guess my potential just did not show.]
At that point I was running out of options. I applied for a position at Hofstra, but had not heard back from them. There was a serious possibility that by the end of the summer I might be caring for our infant son while my wife went back to work for the Maryland State Office on Aging.
Then it occurred to me that the next time I visited my parents back in Happy Valley that I should drop in on former psychology teacher and department head Robert Stern to let him know that I was on the job trail and would appreciate his passing on any leads to me. One late summer day I did just that. To my surprise, Bob told me that he thought that the DuBois Campus of Penn State needed a full-time instructor. It was a fixed-term rather than a tenure-track position, which meant that the contract would have to be renewed each year. Nonetheless, it was a full-time job, and, furthermore, Bob said that I could have the position if I wanted it. Just like that. He told me that I might want to do an interview anyway just to see if I liked the campus. So I set up an appointment, made the 65-mile trek west on interstate 80, and found the campus to my liking.
(Hofsta called me about two weeks before I was to begin teaching, saying they were very interested in having me interview. I thanked them and told them that I had already found employment.)
By now I was more aware than ever about the importance of personal connections. Even though I was a fixed-term faculty member, I did everything I could to be fully involved in all aspects of campus life and to get to know all of the faculty and staff. When a tenure-track position opened up two years later, I was a well-known and reasonably-liked commodity, and easily won the permanent position, which I kept for thirty-two-and-a-half years, until I retired yesterday. Who you know really does matter.


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With the spring evaluation period wrapped for the Rivals.com analysts, national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell takes a look at 10 burning questions heading into the rankings release. At the top of the list? Will Woodbridge (Va.) Woodbridge Senior defensive end Da'Shawn Hand hold on to his No. 1 spot nationally?
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1. Will there be a new No. 1?
Hand is a very strong No. 1, but this year is top heavy when it comes to talent and there are many prospects pushing for that spot. This isn't 2011, when it was clear that Jadeveon Clowney would go bell to bell. Positional rarity is a key when it comes to naming the top player in the country, and prospects such as cornerback Jabrill Peppers from Paramus (N.J.) Paramus Catholic, running backs Leonard Fournette from New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine and Sony Michel from Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage, safety Quin Blanding from Virginia Beach (Va.) Bayside and fellow defensive end Lorenzo Carter from Norcross, Ga., can be considered rare at their spots. We'll find out Monday in our Rivals100 release whether Hand hangs on.
2. How many new five-stars will there be?
Last year when we finished our May evaluation, we added six five-stars to push the number to 17 overall, including big names in linebackers Jaylon Smith and Matthew Thomas, running back Derrick Green and defensive lineman Carl Lawson. This time there will be four new five-stars, pushing the number to 18 total, so we are on a similar pace in 2014 as we were for the 2013 class. We also have a rarity in here, a prospect who earned a fifth star back after losing it previously, something that doesn't often happen and is beyond rare in May. That's the only hint you'll get until our release of the new five-stars Monday with the new Rivals100 presented by Under Armour.
3. Which players are poised to make big jumps based on their spring performances or new film?
There are many prospects who have had new film evaluations since our last ranking in February or have had outstanding performances at camps during the spring to boost their stock. Oakley (Calif.) Freedom running back Joe Mixon, Red Bank (N.J.) Red Bank Catholic offensive tackle Quenton Nelson, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Desert Mountain quarterback Kyle Allen and Montgomery (Ala.) Carver linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton are just a few who were standouts on the camp circuit, while Nederland, Texas, defensive tackle DeShawn Washington and Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln defensive tackle Thomas Holley are good examples of guys whose film came in after our February release.
4. And who is in store for a big drop?
Getting kicked out of school is one way to drop in the rankings because there are more questions than answers now about former Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman running back Nathan Starks. There are also a couple of prospects whose weight has become a concern, a few with injury question marks and some who simply looked poor at in-person evaluations. With plenty of prospects moving up the ranks, that means many will drop.
5. Will we have a new No. 1 quarterback?
The quarterback position is obviously the most important on any team, and this year's crop is top heavy so the scramble for the best ones will be fun to follow. Gainesville, Ga., dual threat DeShaun Watson holds the No. 1 slot overall and is the only five-star quarterback on the board, but will he be pushed? The previously mentioned Allen had a great spring, and dual threat Will Grier from Davidson (N.C.) Davidson Day and pro style Keller Chryst from Palo Alto, Calif., were in range to challenge. There will be four quarterbacks ranked in the top 35 in the country on Monday, but will there be a new top gun?
6. Which position group is shaping up as the best?
The obvious answer to this in February was cornerback with five-stars Peppers, Adoree' Jackson, Marlon Humphrey and Tony Brown, as well as a few others pushing toward that elite range, but watch out for the running backs. This group is very deep, deeper than the cornerbacks, and it is loaded with top-end talent. And offensive tackle and strongside defensive end don't look too shabby, either.
7. Which position group had the most shakeups?
OK, so we know that cornerback and running back are the lead dogs when it comes to position talent, but which position had the most changes this time? While many position groups saw major shakeups, I'd say defensive tackle is the group that had the most movement overall. In fact, one defensive tackle took the biggest plunge of anyone in the rankings, another dropped nearly 100 slots and a few moved from outside the Rivals250 into the rankings. It was quite a discussion when it came to that group.
8. Which state is threatening the big three of Florida, Texas and California with top-end talent?
Last year, it was clearly Georgia playing the role of a big three state with Robert Nkemdiche, Lawson, Montravius Adams and Alabama transplant Reuben Foster, among others. This year, it's clearly Virginia with Hand, Blanding, Andrew Brown and others. But keep an eye on Alabama after Monday's Rivals100 release and Tuesday's Rivals250 release. Just saying, keep an eye on that state.
9. Will there be a five-star wide receiver?
This is a great question but normally not one that needs to be asked at this time of year. In previous years, we always seemed to have a five-star wide receiver either out of the gate or by the end of the spring evaluation period. However, last year prospects such as Ricky Seals-Jones, Derrick Griffin, Marquez North and Robert Foster threatened but never reached that elite status. Laquon Treadwell ended up being the only five-star at wide receiver when all was said and done, and this year seems to be a similar one at the position. However, Urbandale, Iowa, wideout Allen Lazard has all the tools and was a standout at our Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour stop in St. Louis. Is he one of our four new five-stars?
10. Which player made the biggest jump overall in the rankings?
We're obviously teasing to our rankings release, but we can at least answer one question straight up, right? Our Rivals.com fans deserve that at least, right? Well, I'll compromise and play "Who Am I?" to give you a hint regarding our biggest riser. Here goes -- "I play quarterback and defensive back in high school and am being recruited as both by different schools. I play for a small school that doesn't get a lot of recruiting attention. I can also play slot receiver in college, and the two big in-state programs are currently my leaders. I also had a tremendous performance at the Rivals Camp Series, which pushed me from three-star status to top 75 in the country." There, if you can't figure that one out, I can't help you.
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It's that time of year again when we start seeing an increase of low back and shoulder problems at Legacies Health Centre. Gardening season is upon us, and it's a time when the body can be challenged with new activities and postures.
Take a moment to read this article adopted from the CDC, which gives the top gardening tips based upon the most frequently occurring gardening health challenges.
Click here for Gardening Health Tips.
Do you have seasonal allergies? Nothing seems to help? Many people suffer with seasonal allergies and struggle to find remedies that don't leave them "fuzzy-headed". At Legacies Health Centre, our naturopathic physicians administer a special treatment that boosts the body's immune system, which increases your natural resistance to allergies. For many people, this is a game changer.
Click here for more information on Naturopathic Allergy Remedy.


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The air up there
So how do they happen? First, they need a current of moist air forced upward, as happens when air travels up the side and over the top of a mountain. The moisture condenses to form a cloud. But to make a lenticular cloud, versus any other type, there's an extra step needed.


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A thriving city is under heavy and indiscriminate artillery fire, snipers pick off the unwary in the empty streets, numberless civilians live in fear of sudden death even though they do not bear arms, the dead are buried after nightfall, the wounded are treated by torchlight – if at all – and the watching world sits by in mute indifference and does very little to alleviate the suffering.
History does repeat itself. Twenty years ago, scenes such as those were daily occurrences in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo as the Serbs tried to impose their authority on their hated rivals the Bosnian Muslims as the Yugoslav federation disintegrated. Today similar scenes are being enacted in the Syrian industrial city of Homs as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad attempt to snuff out opposition to his increasingly despotic regime by using tanks and heavy artillery. And once again the world seems powerless to act, castrated by the need to stick to the arcane rules of diplomacy.
The only difference this time around is the extent of the coverage. Back in the 1990s there was 24-hour television but few people watched it. The news footage was depressingly monotone and people simply switched off. Last week and throughout this weekend, though, the action in Homs is kept up-to-date courtesy of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Thanks to ubiquitous mobile phones and cameras, what is happening there can be flashed round the world in seconds.
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Whether or not that changes anything is a moot point, but at least we know what it happening. Whether or not we care is debatable, but at least the actions of the Syrian army cannot remain out of sight and out of mind.
Just over a year ago I was in Syria conducting some historical research and although the country was still tolerably peaceful the tensions were obvious. Then, suddenly at the end of last March, it all began to kick off. While driving back from the northern city of Aleppo to the capital, Damascus, military roadblocks kept us out of Homs where we had stayed overnight earlier in the week.
The soldiers and police were twitchy, ordinary people were suddenly tongue-tied and nervous and officials were being unnecessarily officious. It struck me that it was the beginning of a bad time for the country, but even as things were starting to fall apart it would have been impossible to contrast it with the internecine conflict that had blighted the Balkans in the 1990s, within memory and just as scary. This weekend that comparison is unavoidable.
A Tale of Two Cities: Sarajevo and Homs
It is not difficult to see why the recent bombardment of Homs is eerily similar to what happened in Sarajevo in 1992. The siege of the Bosnian capital was conducted by the Serb army using artillery, mortars, heavy machine guns and rockets, firing their ordnance into the city from the surrounding hills and killing indiscriminately.
It lasted for more than three years and after Stalingrad in 1942 remains the longest-running siege in modern history. More than 10,000 people were killed, many of them children, and the siege itself became a dreary metaphor for the Serbs' attempt to create a new republic which would include parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The tactics being used by the Syrian army around Homs are similar – to crush the opposition, in this case the mainly Sunni Free Syrian Army (FSA), and to destroy a city which is both strategic and symbolic. For the Serbs the capture of Sarajevo would have fulfilled the same purpose. Not only was it an important prize in their push to create a new Serb republic, but the city also quickly became an international symbol of Bosnian Muslim resistance.
Ethnic Cleansing: Then and Now
There is no doubt the Syrian army is not always being indiscriminate in its bombardment of Homs – just as the Serb army took great care with its targeting during the siege of Sarajevo. When journalist Marie Colvin was killed by shellfire in Homs last Wednesday, her whereabouts had been betrayed by the signal from her satellite phone. Syrian commanders knew exactly where she was. They also know that the main suburbs being targeted – Baba Amro and Bab Sebaa – are Sunni enclaves and therefore home to FSA units.
One of the causes of the fighting in Syria is sectarian in origin. The government is mainly from the Shia-backed Alawite sect; the majority of the insurgents are Sunni. Both have vested interests in preventing the other from gaining political ascendancy and that helps to explain the ferocity of the army's response to the insurrection. The conflict has all the ingredients of a civil war with the sides occupying separate halves of a religious divide.
Religion also intruded into the fighting in Bosnia when it erupted in 1992. Initially it was a territorial conflict fought by Serbs on one side and Bosnian Muslims and Croats on the other as each attempted to gain control of swathes of territory following the earlier break-up of Yugoslavia. Yet such was the ferocity of the passions unleashed that it quickly became a sectarian conflict with both sides – but mainly the Serbs – committing atrocities against the civilian population.
Incidents such as the mass murder of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica in the summer of 1995 came to symbolise the brutality and senselessness of the whole war. When asked why his soldiers had committed the atrocity, a Serb commander responded that they had always hated the Muslims and this was as much about age-old revenge as about the need to kill the enemy. Syrian army commanders probably feel the same about their Sunni victims in Homs.
How the world watched and waited: TheN and Now
There are also uncanny similarities between the international response to Bosnia in 1992 and to Syria now, and analysts including Soner Cagaptay and Andrew Tabler of The Washington Institute, an international relations think tank, have been quick to make them.
While they argue that there are basic differences in the nature of the earlier conflict, some elements, such as the need to protect civilians, remain the same. They said: "Any international groups looking to provide humanitarian intervention to protect vulnerable civilians in enclaves 'liberated' by the opposition [in Syria] should draw on lessons from Bosnia in the 1990s."
One of the lessons learned should be how not to do it. The West is not planning to intervene in Syria for several reasons – the opposition of Russia and China, US caution, lack of unified Arab support and the absence of an achievable outcome.
Several options have been mooted, including the creation of "safe havens" protected by air power, and the intervention of a peace-enforcement army under Arab command, but none of them are likely to be implemented in the foreseeable future.
Similar confusions and lack of focus dominated the discussion about military intervention in Bosnia. As a result, when the decision was taken to insert a UN protection force (Unprofor) the operation was quickly overtaken by "mission creep". In June 1992, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 761 to enable a handful of lightly armed blue-helmeted peacekeepers to take control of Sarajevo airport, entering the country from neighbouring Croatia. But within weeks, they in turn had to be protected from Serb attacks and the force quickly became impotent.
What had started as a solution became a fresh problem and it was not until 1995 that the use of Nato air strikes forced Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic to the negotiating table. In that time it took more than 100 United Nations resolutions before anything was achieved. That history should send a powerful message to any government planning an intervention in Syria.
There is no point sending a peacekeeping force unless there is peace to keep. It also needs to be properly armed and equipped and to have a mandate to shoot back if it comes under fire. It would need the support of the Syrian people and should not be seen as supporting the FSA. Ideally it should also be Arab-led.
One other factor intrudes. In the 1990s there was international outrage about the atrocities in Bosnia, and people across Europe demonstrated against government inactivity. So far that has been absent from what is happening in Syria. Without the backing of public opinion, any intervention will be hampered before it begins.
Bringing the Guilty to Justice
It took time and the emergence of another Balkans conflict in Kosovo at the end of the 1990s before the perpetrators of the worst war crimes were eventually brought to justice. From the outset of the war, it was clear that crimes were being committed in Bosnia and that these included genocide and ethnic cleansing. It was also clear that the perpetrators had to be brought to book, and as early as 1993 an International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established in The Hague by the UN.
But it was not until the following decade that the first trials began as military and political leaders were arrested. Some of the trials are still taking place, including that of former Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who was not arrested until the summer of 2008.
As a result of the complexities of the war itself and the fact the crimes took place up to 20 years ago, it has been a lengthy and time-consuming legal process – but there has been some progress. Ten years ago the president of the new state of Serbia, Boris Tadic, made an apology in Bosnia and Herzegovina to all those who suffered crimes committed in the name of the Serb people and last summer the Serb parliament formally apologised for the massacre at Srebrenica.
Reconciliation has been attempted here, and by and large it has worked. While Homs was under fire yesterday, it was business as usual in Sarajevo. Little evidence remains of the wartime damage – buildings have been rebuilt, shopping malls abound and in two years' time it will be Europe's city of culture. It would be good to think that a similar sense of understanding could be visited on Syria, but with Assad unwilling to heed Western calls to stand down that would be unduly optimistic.
Without a doubt war crimes have been committed in Syria – crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and genocide in Homs this year and in Hama in 1982. Assad and his cronies have been implicated in them, but the mood in the country at present is one of revenge.
Having seen what happened to fellow dictator Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, Assad might come to the conclusion that his best bet is to tough it out and take his chances with the mob. Unless he is toppled by the intervention of the West that might be his only option.