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Social constructivism vs Positivism
RE: Social constructivism vs Positivism
I'll kind of ignore that I'm not very familiar with constructivism vs. positivism.
As far as logical positivism, I've always found this clip funny...."Nearly all of it was false"- AJ Ayer. It's good that he follows it up by saying that "it was true in spirit".
You should probably stop yourself when you get to the point of saying "scientific knowledge"--I'd say at all, but definitely in philosophy. Science doesn't deal with knowledge; the knowledge isn't scientific. Without even questioning constructivism or positivism, it should be blatantly obvious that all knowledge comes from constructs, constructed by rational beings (think: human beings). The social part added before the constructivsm, would seem to me to be complete bullshit, if you are actually trying to indicate constructs, the constructs come from rationality. It's objective, forget what society has to say.
You're talking about constructs like: math, language, logic, morality (if you want to throw that in there). Knowledge has to come from things like that. I'd go back to a guy like Kant. He was on the right path with a lot of stuff. When you are talking about knowledge, you are dealing with what Kant would have described in this distinction: analytic vs synthetic/a priori vs a posteriori. It gets kind of confusing the way the definitions work, how you can change them up slightly and come out with types of knowledge shifting between it being synthetic vs. being analytic/a priori vs. a poseriori, etc. I had a way of explaining it from the beginning philosophically--Kant probably did too (didn't read his book(s) so I wouldn't really know)--but I don't feel like explaining.
From an obvious, quick standpoint, however, if something is true, it is true based, in one way or the other, by how it is defined, i.e. it is true by definition, or it's true because it's true. Then you have the only way to gather knowledge, which is obviously idealistically, or I guess subjectively, through a mind (again think: a human mind). That's how we gain information in order to gain understanding-- through sense data. We then use constructs (like: math) to categorize, to turn into knowledge-- math, for example, consists of it's own logic, language (symbols/numbers), definitions, etc., used by us to measure our sense data, with the result being knowledge. If something is true in math, it's true because it's true, i.e. by definition-- 1 = 1; that's the end of the story; a triangle is defined in terms of sides, angles and shape, and a triangle is a triangle, that is until you put it on a curved surface and it becomes a different kind of triangle (non-Euclidean)... I hope.
Looking at knowledge (think: J.T.B.), we believe what we want to believe, but knowledge is knowledge when it's true and justified as truth. The only way to really handle that, in my opinion, is justifying to the point where it has to be true, i.e. again, it's true by definition, where you are just simplifying it to the point where it can most easily be shown, an agreed, to be true by definition, and any other way to think about knowledge to me is just a stretch of the term, where the word 'belief' should be used.
The Paradox Of Fools And Wise Men:
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser men so full of doubts." ― Bertrand Russell
RE: Social constructivism vs Positivism
I'm working on the reply to ghost the formatting is annoying me at the moment.
Member of the Cult of ReasonBitcion:1DNeQMswMdvx4xLPP6qNE7RkeTwXGC7Bzp
The atheist is a man who destroys the imaginary things which afflict the human race, and so leads men back to nature, to experience and to reason.
-Baron d'Holbach-
23-12-2012, 03:59 AM (This post was last modified: 23-12-2012 07:44 PM by fstratzero.)
RE: Social constructivism vs Positivism
(22-12-2012 04:10 PM)Ghost Wrote:Quote:Science is done in all languages, including mathematics, which means it is not constrained what so ever on language alone.Can you even conceive of science without language? How would that work?
Science explains her phenomenon wonderfully. I feel like you are using this example to say that reality subjectively experienced is constructed by the brain. I prefer the term it's interpreted. It stands to reason that the processes by which the brain interprets sensory input is understood by science, and recently there has been a successful mapping of neurons of the brain.
(22-12-2012 04:10 PM)Ghost Wrote:Quote:Simple it's the most robust body of knowledge we have. Through the scientific method, and peer review we will always whittle away the falsehoods, incorrectness, errors, and other forms of mistakes to come to a more accurate and correct understanding of the world. Simply by externalizing your results for review, or lets say putting your work on trial, we can form a more objective form of knowledge.That explains why science is A valid source of knowledge. You'll get no argument about that from me. The question is, why is it the ONLY valid source of knowledge.
This is an apples to oranges comparison, according to the scientific information preferences are due to the variation produced in individuals. Again it's the most valid because of the the scientific method, and peer review.
This one took me a while to understand. I had to put my self in the constructivist's view point and see if I could break positivism.
(22-12-2012 04:10 PM)Ghost Wrote:Quote:This is a simple question. What are the minimum requirements for an organism to survive? One is to convert energy from on form to another, and the second is to reproduce. All that human beings had to do was to manage to eat food and survive long enough to reproduce.That doesn't address the question at all. "Positivism assumes that there is valid knowledge (truth) only in scientific knowledge." If it is the ONLY valid knowledge, then how did we exist successfully without it? According to positivism's assertion, that should have been impossible.
Here you seem to compare the knowledge of science, to the ability for early human beings to hunt and gather with out science. Science it a way to explain the world in which we live. This explanation of the world lead to the greatest acceleration of human knowledge and power we have ever known.
Now with out the explanatory power of science, people can and will discover rudimentary methods of survival, but they are always constrained by what is possible.
(22-12-2012 04:10 PM)Ghost Wrote:Quote:To expand on that is to say some natural phenomena act in a way that is
The point here was that Richard Dawkins intuition is to move out of the way. His knowledge of science prevents him from doing so although every fiber in his body is telling him that he will be damaged.
According to the laws of physics the ball will lose energy, encounter wind resistance, and not hit him in the face.
(22-12-2012 04:10 PM)Ghost Wrote:Quote:That is a loaded question. It already supposes constructivism is valid, but I have yet to be shown that it is.
This reminds me of Hume. The truth is the ability to relate pieces of information to words, and ideas is what the brain is capable of doing. Science also explains this process quite will.
(22-12-2012 04:10 PM)Ghost Wrote:Quote:"In reading The History of Nations, we find that, like individuals, they
There is one physical reality. Brains interpret that reality in different ways, through their senses. Any interpretation may have some utility, it may reflect some aspects of reality, but science is by far the most complete interpretation we have. Science *knows* more than any other interpretation, because it constantly tests itself against actual reality, and corrects itself when it is wrong, and does so on a global scale
No matter what society does, or thinks collectively experimentation and explanations will function independent of society's whims.
Member of the Cult of ReasonBitcion:1DNeQMswMdvx4xLPP6qNE7RkeTwXGC7Bzp
The atheist is a man who destroys the imaginary things which afflict the human race, and so leads men back to nature, to experience and to reason.
-Baron d'Holbach-
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PurpleChimp (09-02-2013)
RE: Social constructivism vs Positivism
Hey, fst.
I'll respond in more detail when I get home, but you managed to dodge every single question (Except the intuition one. That was a very direct answer. Thank you for that). I'm happy to have this conversation with you, but I'm gonna need you to be more direct. Otherwise I'll lose interest.
Again, I implore you to ask me some questions about the constructivist view. Having read all of your responses, I get the very strong feeling that you do not entirely understand the constructivist view. It would please me very much to address any confusions you might have.
Peace and Love and Empathy,
RE: Social constructivism vs Positivism
Hey, fst.
Quote:Science explains her phenomenon wonderfully. I feel like you are using
Yes, science is wonderful. No one is debating that here.
I am not saying that. That doesn't make much sense.
It's like this. Imagine a jigsaw puzzle that can be solved several different ways. I throw all of the pieces to you and you put them together and get an image (because you can't make sense of them when they're in a heap). Someone else does it and they get a different image. Another goes it and they get a different image. None of you got the wrong image because there is no right one; as long as you avoid a non-image. If any of you look at the image (say it's of a pelican) and exclaim, "That right there is a pelican," you'd be nuts. This is the analogy for the brain. It takes all of the information and constructs something it can make sense of. That construction is not reality itself. It's just an image.
Science understands a lot of things. This is one of the things I've been pointing out quite strenuously. Science understands a lot about human cognition and there is no dissent within the ranks, the human brain strains out the bits of information that it thinks are important from the unending stream of sensory input and using those pieces, it puts together something that represents whatever is out there.
The thing is, and Plato said this thousands of years ago, we cannot do any of that except through some form of mediation. If you speak zero languages, you can't think. End of story (Just watch The Miracle Worker - Helen Keller's story). Any language that you use is itself a constructed thing. English only is what it is because of a series of agreements spanning centuries. It makes decisions about what's important and what isn't. It telescopes and limits. We use that construction to help us make other constructions. When we conduct scientific experiments, the questions we're asking are being asked in language. The results we're getting, we're getting in language. The conclusions we're making, we make in language. It's all one giant interdependent lattice of constructed ideas that form one giant construction. It's a house of cards. A damn useful one, but one nonetheless.
So to get back to your original point, science is made possible only through language. Without language, there is no science.
Quote:This is an apples to oranges comparison, according to the scientific
That's circular reasoning. It's valid because it's valid. Like I said, I'm not suggesting in any way shape or form that science is not valid. My question is, positivism claims that it is the ONLY valid source of knowledge. Why is that? Listing the qualities that make it valid doesn't touch that question. If the reason it's the only valid source of knowledge is the method itself and peer review, then WHY does that make it the only valid source of knowledge? I'm looking for something very specific: How does positivism support it's claim that science is the ONLY valid source of knowledge?
Quote:Here you seem to compare the knowledge of science, to the ability for
That's nonsensical.
Whatever science's role in the "acceleration of human knowledge",
the statement of positivism isn't about acceleration. It's zero sum. It
says science is the ONLY valid source of knowledge.
Science has been around for a few hundred years. Homo sapiens have been around for a hundred thousand or so. The Homo genus has been around maybe a million five, maybe two million years. If science is the ONLY valid source of knowledge, how does science explain the other two million years? How does it explain the humans living today that don't use the scientific method?
Now if you are saying that other forms of knowledge are in fact valid, are you not refuting one of the central tenets of positivism?
Quote:The point here was that Richard Dawkins intuition is to move out of the
Thank you. That was a very direct answer.
I can see the value of his experiment (although I think he's overriding instinct, not intuition) but are there no other applications of intuition? Is this rejection of intuition universal? Does not the pursuit of knowledge require intuition? How does one hypothesise without intuition?
There's an excellent book from the great Canadian Humanist writer John Ralston Saul called "On Equilibrium." There's an entire chapter dedicated to intuition. I recommend it. I scanned it looking for a good sound bite, but his writing resisted it.
At any rate...
Quote:The truth is the ability to relate pieces of information to words, and
HOW does science explain that process so well?
Quote:There is one physical reality.
Quite counter-intuitively, that's actually a very controversial statement. I would like to hear support for that claim.
Quote:Brains interpret that reality in different ways, through their senses.
Science is great. Sure. But I'm still waiting for the explanation as to why all other forms of knowledge are to be jettisoned because of science's abilities.
Furthermore, science has a number of shortcomings. I can't imagine a purely scientific world. I've dedicated my life to the arts and let me tell you, there are a number of places that science simply cannot go. I wouldn't give it up for a million bucks mind you, but I wouldn't put all of my eggs in one basket either.
Just a little example of the limitations. Science is excellent at telling us what a forest is (we don't actually know according to David Suzuki, but we have a pretty good idea) but what does it tell you about the sort of relationship that you should have with it? If another people learn to live in exquisite harmony with their forest, not because they understand taxonomic nomenclature or ecology, but because they consider the trees blood relatives, how is that less valid? Their way of life, the Amazon becomes one of the most lush and fertile places in the world as a direct result of deliberate human intervention. Our way of life, we hack it down and desertify it every day. Which one seems more reasonable?
PS: I didn't get to say this the other day. Merry Christmas, fst.
Peace and Love and Empathy,
RE: Social constructivism vs Positivism
I feel like this portion of the debate can go on forever and therefore isn't productive.
I'd rather ask questions at this point.
Member of the Cult of ReasonBitcion:1DNeQMswMdvx4xLPP6qNE7RkeTwXGC7Bzp
The atheist is a man who destroys the imaginary things which afflict the human race, and so leads men back to nature, to experience and to reason.
-Baron d'Holbach-
RE: Social constructivism vs Positivism
Cool beans, brother.
I await with excitement
Peace and Love and Empathy,
RE: Social constructivism vs Positivism
Does social contructionism apply to animals?
Member of the Cult of ReasonBitcion:1DNeQMswMdvx4xLPP6qNE7RkeTwXGC7Bzp
The atheist is a man who destroys the imaginary things which afflict the human race, and so leads men back to nature, to experience and to reason.
-Baron d'Holbach-
RE: Social constructivism vs Positivism
Hey, fst.
Other than humans, not that we know of. While it's obviously true that many animals live socially, there is no evidence that any other species has the requisite cognitive and language skills. Without those brain functions, they would be unable to abstract the world and assign symbols to it; the cornerstone of social constructivism.
Ian Tattersal Wrote:When we speak of "symbolic processes" in the brain or in the mind, we are referring to our ability to abstract elements of our experience and to represent them with discrete mental symbols. Other species certainly possess consciousness in some sense, but as far as we know, they live in the world simply as it presents itself to them. Presumably, for them the environment seems very much like a continuum, rather than a place, like ours, that is divided into the huge number of separate elements to which we humans give individual names. By separating out its elements in this way, human beings are able constantly to re-create the world, and individual aspects of it, in their minds. And what makes this possible is the ability to form and to manipulate mental symbols that correspond to elements we perceive in the world within and beyond ourselves. Members of other species often display high levels of intuitive reasoning, reacting to stimuli from the environment in quite complex ways, by only human beings are able arbitrarily to combine and recombine mental symbols and to ask themselves questions such as "What if?"
Peace and Love and Empathy,
30-12-2012, 08:22 PM (This post was last modified: 30-12-2012 08:39 PM by fstratzero.)
RE: Social constructivism vs Positivism
Well I do think that's interesting because according to some new research it does seem that some animals are quite able to do something akin to what you are exactly describing. Although at a very stymied level, say at that of a 3 year old human.
Member of the Cult of ReasonBitcion:1DNeQMswMdvx4xLPP6qNE7RkeTwXGC7Bzp
The atheist is a man who destroys the imaginary things which afflict the human race, and so leads men back to nature, to experience and to reason.
-Baron d'Holbach-
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According to a study by Re$earch Infosource Inc., the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo (both in Ontario) and the University of Lethbridge (Alberta) were designated Research Universities of the Year in their respective categories ("medical/doctoral," "comprehensive" and "undergraduate").
The other top university in each of the three categories were: "medical/doctoral": McGill University (QC) and the University of British Columbia (BC); "comprehensive": the University of Guelph (ON) and the University of Victoria (BC); "undergraduate": Ryerson University (ON) and Universite du Quebec a Rimouski (QC).
("Medical/doctoral" is a category of post-secondary institutions offering a broad range of research and doctoral programs, including medical schools. "Comprehensive" universities have both significant research programs and a wide range of undergraduate programs, while "undergraduate" universities are largely focusing on undergraduate education).
Re$earch Infosource also provides data on the universities that attracted over $100 million of research income in fiscal year 2011 (18 institutions, up from 16 in 2010). Top research dollars were attracted by the University of Toronto ($916,000), followed at significant distance by the University of British Columbia ($575,000), the University of Alberta ($536,000), Universite de Montreal ($525,000) and McGill University ($522,000). The other 13 universities attracted between $103,000 and $326,000 each.
The total research income for Canada's first 50 research universities reached $6.63 billion annually. Ontario captured 38% of this amount, followed by Quebec (27%), Alberta (13%) and British Columbia (12%). The other 10% was divided between Canada's remaining nine provinces and territories.
Re$earch Infosource analysts point out that "research income growth has […] been slowing in recent years from the heady days of double-digit increases in the early years of the 2000s. [Yet] in the context of declining federal government spending and with public sector job layoffs accelerating, the research community has, for now, dodged a fiscal bullet. […] In a best case scenario the 'new normal' will be research income growth that keeps pace with inflation."
The ranking for Research Universities of the Year was based on a combination of indicators relating to "a balanced set of input, output and impact measures for FY2011 [demonstrating] superior achievement both in earning research income and in publishing research in leading scientific journals."

subset: commoncrawl


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Six weeks after the Libyan revolt began and two weeks after the U.N. Security Council authorized a no-fly zone and the U.S. and others intervened on behalf of the rebels, the Obama administration has decided it had better find out who its new allies are. The Washington Post reports:
The Obama administration has sent teams of CIA operatives into Libya in a rush to gather intelligence on the identities and capabilities of rebel forces opposed to Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, according to U.S. officials.
The information has become more crucial as the administration and its coalition partners move closer to providing direct military aid or guidance to the disorganized and beleaguered rebel army.
As I say, better late than never. The administration acknowledges that there are Islamic extremists among the rebels:
Several lawmakers briefed by Clinton, Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said they were told that the United States is still trying to put together a full picture of the Libyan rebellion but believes that it does not contain large numbers of radical Islamic militants. …
The CIA's efforts represent a belated attempt to acquire basic information about rebel forces that had barely surfaced on the radar of U.S. spy agencies before the uprisings in North Africa.
If the Keystone Kops undertook to run foreign policy, they would be less disorganized than the Obama administration.


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This unit consists of five activities, all of which focus on the response of plant life-cycle events to climate change. Students participate in discussions, field observations, data collection and analyses, plant identification, seed dispersal... (View More) comparisons, and graphing and analyses of plant phenology (timing of life-cycle events). Project BudBurst, a citizen science project which studies the impact of climate change on phenology, is integrated into this unit. The unit is one of four under the Chicago Botanic Garden curriculum entitled, "Climate Change in My Backyard." (View Less)
Materials Cost: 1 cent - $1 per group of students
This is a lesson about the Discovery Program's exploration of the solar system. Learners will identify and communicate to others the varied space science explorations carried out by the Discovery Program and dig into one mission in depth. They can... (View More) then respond to a NASA Discovery Program Announcement of Opportunity (AO) to submit a mock proposal. Includes the 29-minute Discovery Program overview video, "Unlocking Mysteries of Our Solar System." (View Less)
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In this activity, students engage in an ongoing investigation to find patterns of sunlight and shadow in a classroom (or any room that gets sunlight) at different times of the day and different times of the year. Students look for repeating... (View More) patterns, keep a log to describe and sketch observations of when and where certain easily recognized patters appear and turn the room into a solar calendar that may survive into the future for other classes to use. Part 1 of this activity requires occasional note-taking and casual observation over the course of a day. Part 2 requires 30-60 minutes to create the calendar record, then casual observation and note-taking throughout the school year. The lesson plan includes a math extension activity and background information about the Sun Dagger at Chaco Canyon. This activity is the third lesson in the Ancient Eyes Look to the Skies curriculum guide. (View Less)
This activity enables students to better understand the motion of the Sun and how we use it to measure time. Students create a "horizon calendar" at their school by carefully observing and recording the horizon and the Sun at sunset (or sunrise, for... (View More) early risers) over a period of weeks or months. Part 1 of this activity can be done as a whole group and involves selecting and drawing a detailed map of the site. Part 2 of this activity can be done as a whole group and involves determining the direction west and drawing the horizon line. Part 3 should be done by the teacher since it involves making weekly observations at sunset (or sunrise), which is outside of regular school hours. Part 4 can be done with the whole class and involves using the data from the observations to calculate the average rate of change in sunset time and respond to discussion questions. The activity is not time-consuming, but must be conducted over a period of at least a few weeks. It is best as a semester unit, or even a project for the entire school year. Also, the best time of year to run this activity is around the equinoxes: March and September. The lesson plan includes discussion questions, background information about desert horizons, and a math extension activity in which students calculate how the time of sunrise or sunset changes from day to day. This activity is the sixth lesson in the Ancient Eyes Look to the Skies curriculum guide. (View Less)
This activity explores how ancient Sun observers made use of natural and built structures to mark solar alignments observed at different times of the year, particularly around the solstices and equinoxes. In Part 1, the teacher prepares a horizon... (View More) table that represents the Earth's horizon. In Part 2, students create functioning models of an existing ancient solar observatory or design their own observatory. In Part 3, students test their model using the horizon table and a flashlight as the Sun. The lesson includes discussion questions, background information about Maya astronomy, a checklist for science notebook write-ups, and a math extension activity that measures shadows. This activity is the seventh lesson in the Ancient Eyes Look to the Skies curriculum. (View Less)
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In this activity, students engage in long-term systematic observation to learn about the apparent annual motion of the Sun caused by the Earth's orbit around the Sun. Students put a dot on a window where sunlight enters the classroom (or any room... (View More) into which sunlight enters each day) and mark the position of the shadow cast by the dot day by day and throughout the school year. To make a personal connection to the activity, spots marked on a student's birthday can be labeled with the student's name. This activity can be done as a whole class or individual project. Part 1 of this activity involves establishing location, and casual observation over the course of a day. Part 2, involves "daily" (Monday, Wednesday, Friday is fine) marking of Sun-track at a specific time of day over the course of at least a month. This activity should be run for at least a month, but is best as a school-year-long project. The lesson includes a math extension activity to calculate the average daily motion at which the sunbeam shadow moves, as well as background information about the analemma. This activity is the fourth lesson in the Ancient Eyes Look to the Skies curriculum guide. (View Less)
In this simulation exercise, students determine where to place a hosptial using a classified land cover map to make environmentally sound land use decisions. Results are presented in a mock town hall meeting. A student worksheet is included within... (View More) this activity. This is a learning activity associated with the GLOBE land cover/biology investigations and is supported by the Land Cover/Biology chapter of the GLOBE Teacher's Guide. GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide, hands-on, K-12 school-based science education program. (View Less)
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In this activity, students learn the basics of the horizon, direction and the rising and settings of the Sun and stars by making a schoolyard "medicine wheel" with sidewalk chalk on playground asphalt. Medicine wheels are stone rings constructed by... (View More) the Plains people of North America which may have been used as a calendar system based on observations of objects in the sky. This activity requires a flat area at least 6 meters across – preferably asphalt or concrete – that has a good view of the sky. It can be done as a whole class activity. Part 1 of this activity involves constructing the medicine wheel (about 10-15 minutes). Part 2 of this activity involves making ongoing observations throughout the year at noon (about 10-15 minutes for each observation). Part 3 involves making observations from the wheel during after-school hours to observe the rising or setting points of stars, the Sun and Moon. Discussion questions, background information and a math extension activity are included. This activity is the second lesson in the Ancient Eyes Look to the Skies curriculum guide. (View Less)
Learners will identify existing government agencies charged with safeguarding water quality, their geographic jurisdiction, and their subjects of concern, such as water quality laws, information, testing, and enforcement, and identify water quality... (View More) issues and ways citizens can have a role in the action of government agencies. This activity is part of the Ground Truth Studies Teacher Handbook, which provides more than 20 activities to build student understanding of global change and remote sensing, and includes background chapters for teachers, glossary, and appendices. (View Less)
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Dr. Paul Cunningham, dean of the Brody School of Medicine at ECU, and Dr. Phyllis Horns, interim vice chancellor for health sciences, pulled the cover from the painting during the school's fall convocation. The event also officially welcomed Cunningham, who was named dean in July and started work Sept. 15.
Among the honorees who attended the event was Dr. Ed Monroe, a private practice physician who not only helped convince legislators and the University of North Carolina Board of Governors to build the medical school but also served as the first dean of the ECU School of Allied Health Sciences and vice chancellor for health affairs.
"If it wasn't for his hard work, tenacity and getting under the skin of some people in Raleigh, we wouldn't be standing here," said Steve Lawler, president of Pitt County Memorial Hospital, who spoke at the event.
Other honorees include former ECU Chancellor Leo W. Jenkins, Leo and Samuel Brody and former Gov. Jim Hunt.
The painting is by ECU graduate Cameron Jackson.
The convocation was held in the auditorium of the new East Carolina Heart Institute at ECU, the first official event to be held in the new $60 million building. The four-story, 206,000-square-foot building at 115 Heart Blvd. on the ECU health sciences campus houses offices and research labs for cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, vascular surgeons and scientists. It also houses outpatient treatment and educational facilities.
Doug Boyd
| 252-744-2482


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YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — A 15-year-old girl on her way to school Monday was kidnapped by four masked teenage boys armed with a gun who put her in the trunk of a car, law enforcement officers said.
But the girl had her cellphone, called for help and identified one of the abductors as an ex-boyfriend, police said.
The Yakima Herald-Republic reports (http://is.gd/yf0cek ) that three boys later got out of the car, leaving her with the ex-boyfriend. According to court documents, he discussed the possibility of being killed by police and "taking her with him."
The Washington State Patrol stopped the stolen car about two hours later on Highway 410 near Bumping Lake in the Cascade Range.
The driver surrendered without incident, and the girl was not harmed, officers said.
Four boys who attend Highland High School appeared Tuesday in Yakima County Juvenile Court, where a judge set bail at $250,000 each. Judge Robert Lawrence-Berrey rejected defense lawyers' pleas to reduce the bail, citing the seriousness of the alleged crime and evidence that all four threatened the girl.
Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, http://www.yakimaherald.com


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Sixth-ranked Kansas begins pursuit of its ninth consecutive Big 12 championship when it opens conference play against Iowa State on Wednesday night.
The last time the Jayhawks failed to finish first in the league was in 2005, when Oklahoma won the title. Otherwise, they've won six outright championships and twice shared the title with Texas during a run of domination that is virtually unmatched.
Among the other schools who can lay claim to such a streak: John Wooden's UCLA teams that won 13 straight titles, and Gonzaga, which won 11 in a row before finishing second last season.
Kansas coach Bill Self called it "a responsibility" for the current team to keep the streak intact. The Jayhawks enter conference play having won 11 straight games.


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I cried when I found out I was pregnant with Liam. To be honest, actually, I sobbed.
I was 41 years old, and I thought I was done with having babies. My husband and I were raising four children, and we were plenty busy juggling their needs with our jobs. Our older two were entering the teenage years -- Michaela was nearly 14, Zack would soon turn 13 -- and we were getting a sense of how overwhelming that could be. Elsa was 7, an independent and interesting but high-maintenance child.
But at least there was a light at the end of the tunnel: Natasha, the baby, was nearly 4. She was well out of diapers and had started preschool, giving me three and a half unheard-of free hours on my days at home. Our life was busy, but it had a manageable feel for the first time in years. I was going to yoga classes, swimming laps twice a week, had taken up sewing, and was doing some volunteer work. My forties, I'd decided, were going to be a new beginning for me, a time when I could finally do some things for myself.
But there it was: the purple line. My period was a little late, and I found an old pregnancy test in the back of my underwear drawer, the one left over from the box of two I'd bought to find out I was pregnant with Natasha. It's expired, I told myself, maybe it's wrong -- but I knew in my heart it wasn't. We'd had one birth-control slipup; I'd been hoping all month that nothing would come of it, but, hey, I'm a doctor. I know that it only takes once.
It was early on a Friday morning, and I needed to go to work. I decided to confirm the test before telling Mark, who was still asleep. Really, I was stalling. I figured he'd be upset also; our house is an old fixer-upper that Mark is steadily renovating, mostly on his own, and he was finally getting time to work on it -- time that would go out the window with a new baby. He, too, was beginning to do things for himself, like taking Tai Chi classes and working out at the gym. Having a baby would throw us back into chaos.
I cried my way to work, bawling on the phone to my best friend. It will be okay, she told me, but I didn't believe her. The sweet lab tech at the health center where I work did a pregnancy test for me; she nodded quietly and pointed at the second blue dot. It was real. My mind was swirling with panic. How would we manage? How would the people at work react to yet another maternity leave? And how would we afford another child?
I wanted to tell Mark in person, but he had left to work the night shift before I got home. I couldn't hold it in. I called him in the ICU at Boston Children's Hospital, where he works, telling him through tears that I was pregnant.
He was quiet. "You don't seem upset," I said. "I can't stop smiling," he said. "Why?" I asked, incredulous. "I'm here, surrounded by so much death and dying," he said, "and my wife, whom I love more than anything in the world, calls and tells me she's pregnant. Why shouldn't I smile?"
In that moment, I fell in love with my husband all over again. He was right, of course. And his response was exactly what I should have known it would be; he's a thoroughly good father and loving husband who has greeted each of my pregnancies with celebration. In that moment, Liam started teaching me.
Remembering Aidan
Being pregnant wasn't just stressful from a daily-life standpoint. At 41, I was well into the "advanced maternal age" category, and there were risks, which the genetic counselor was only too happy to spell out for me: 1 in 60 risk of Down syndrome, 1 in 30 risk of genetic problems overall. And we had an added concern, because we'd already had a child with a genetic problem. Aidan, our third child, was born in 1995 with Miller-Dieker syndrome (MDS), a severe brain malformation. He was very disabled -- his development never got past that of a 1-month-old -- and had terrible seizures, as well as feeding and breathing problems; he died of pneumonia ten days after his first birthday. Although the chances of it happening again were quite small, when I got pregnant afterward with Elsa and then Natasha, we did prenatal testing for MDS. I didn't want to make my children watch another sibling die. Both times, it was excruciating to wait for the results of the testing and try not to bond with the pregnancy, but it had felt like the right thing to do. So now I made an appointment for chorionic villus sampling, kept the pregnancy secret, and settled in to wait.
In that waiting, I found myself remembering Aidan. I always remember him -- I think of him every day -- but this was different, stronger. I remembered the smell of him after a bath. I remembered the weight of him in my arms. I remembered the softness of his hair, the deep chocolate of his eyes, the way his far-too-rare smiles lit his face?and I missed him, more than I'd missed him in years. The timing was eerie; I was due in September, ten years since the October of Aidan's birth, in that fall season when I always feel sad and vulnerable, and suffer most for the loss of my baby. A meant-to-be-ness stirred.
And in that remembering, I found myself less afraid. Yes, I wanted a genetically normal child. But we'd lived through having a terribly disabled child, and we were okay -- we were more than okay. Because of Aidan we were stronger, gentler, more loving people.
I felt certain that the life inside me was strong and healthy. I had no sense of whether it was genetically normal, but for the first time since I started having babies, I didn't care. I watched the little boy in our neighborhood with Down syndrome, who is also named Aidan, at the schoolyard and in church; I was struck, as I've always been, by his joy and by the way he makes everyone around him smile. Lives like these are blessings, not something I needed to fear or protect my children from. It had taken me some time to fully understand this, and I don't know that I would ever have seen it so clearly had I not had to make a decision about prenatal testing again.
I went to Mark and told him I didn't want to do the testing. I wanted an ultrasound later, so we'd be ready for whatever the baby might need, but I didn't need, or want, anything else. Mark was overjoyed. He'd never wanted to do it, it turned out; he'd just agreed to it for me.
Waiting for Liam
Usually when I think about our family it's in terms of shopping lists, schedules, or financial planning. But when we canceled the test and went public, person after person told us how great our family is, how lucky the baby would be. It made me stop and think -- and realize that they were right.
The reactions of people who knew me less well were pretty funny; jaws dropped routinely when I told them it was number six. Several mothers in my practice, whose bound aries were a bit different, suggested quite firmly that I get my tubes tied, which made me laugh.
Being pregnant, overall, wasn't that bad. After so much practice, I'd gotten pretty good at it. I knew what to expect at each stage, which kept me calm; I knew what to eat to stave off nausea and what to wear. Not that it was entirely easy. Being pregnant at 41 is different from being pregnant at 27, when I'd started this pregnancy thing, or even at 37, when I thought I was finishing it. I got tired quickly. The nausea, for some reason, lasted well into the sixth month. The varicose veins that were a medium problem with Natasha got huge. "They look like snakes," Natasha would say, and Elsa would point them out to her friends ("Look at those things on my mom's legs!").
Mark and I went into the ultrasound holding hands, ready to take on whatever we were being given. We'd even managed to agree on a name, Zoe; we figured it would be another girl, given our track record, although in our hearts we were hoping for a boy. It wasn't about replacing Aidan, it was about having a chance back: a chance to have a son and brother who could grow up, something Aidan's disability made impossible.
The ultrasonographer went over the baby from top to bottom -- everything was completely fine. We were almost giddy with relief. She asked if we wanted to know the gender, then showed us the area between the baby's legs: It was clearly and obviously a boy. I was stunned with gratitude. Any doubt about meant-to-be-ness was gone.
Raising five
Liam Michael Brown was born on September 7, 2005, my first birth without an epidural (took me that many pregnancies to get up the nerve!), 8 pounds 8 ounces, vigorous and healthy.
Mark and I found ourselves calling him Aidan for the first couple of weeks, and we weren't the only ones haunted. Elsa kept asking me if Liam was okay. "So I don't have to worry about what happened to Aidan happening to him?" she asked, again and again. "He's really okay?" She'd never said that about Natasha. Zack reprimanded me once for having Liam on his belly (how he'd heard about sleep position and SIDS I have no idea). I explained that I was sitting right next to him and watching him. "Whatever," said Zack. "I lost one brother. I don't want to lose another." We were all a little incredulous. It was as if it were too good to be true.
The gap in ages between our oldest and our youngest is a little weird sometimes, like when I went to the high school open house with Liam strapped in a sling -- or when I figured out that we were going to have a child at our elementary school for 20 consecutive years. But actually, I like it. It gives me perspective. When Michaela exasperates me with fights over curfews and grades, I remember her as a little girl and know that this, too, is a stage. When Liam keeps me up at night, I remember how the baby time of total contact is gone like a blink forever -- and I snuggle in and enjoy it.
My forties are not what I envisioned they'd be. I only do volunteer activities that I can bring Liam to, and I'm back to writing at 5 A.M. or with the laptop on my knees while I breastfeed. As for time for myself, well?it will be months before the shampoo in my swim bag runs out, and the yoga teacher is always surprised to see me.
But it's okay. It's worth it for all that I have learned from this surprise baby boy. He's taught me that as much as we plan, life happens anyway -- and that this, really, is as it should be. He's helped me think of Aidan's life in a different way, too, and brought me that much closer to coming to peace with his death.
Even more, Liam has helped me see all that is good in my life: my amazing husband, my friends and family, my job; he has helped me be grateful for everything I've been given and for everything I've learned. When I look into his sparkling blue eyes, I know that there is nothing better or more important in my life than being a mom. There will be time for myself later, when my children are grown. Right now, I'm busy having a wonderful time.
Claire McCarthy, M.D., a pediatrician, writes our monthly Kids' Health Q+A column.


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12 By the End of 2012
Dear Friends and Supporters of Theatre:
As we approach this holiday season, we would like to thank you all for your generous support of Intrepid Shakespeare Company. We have come a long way in a short amount of time and it's all thanks to YOU, our audience, donors, subscribers and cheerleaders. We are writing today in the hope that you might be able to help a younger audience who may not be as fortunate as you.
Did you know that, in addition to producing exciting, original productions of Shakespeare plays and modern classics, we at Intrepid Shakespeare Company are passionate about bringing Shakespeare to life for younger audiences. Over the past three years, Intrepid has had the pleasure of working with over 20,000 students at over 50 schools throughout San Diego County. Both students and teachers love the programs that we offer and embrace how it brings Shakespeare to life.
Shakespeare is a mandatory part of the curriculum in California schools. Our Shakespeare For A New Generation program gives teachers the tools and skills to make Shakespeare come alive for students. When studying Shakespeare in its intended environment of live performance, students of all learning abilities excel in their understanding of his plays. Most critically, students with learning disabilities and students for whom English is their second language are given a window of understanding into these plays that they couldn't have otherwise. As one teacher said, "Shakespeare would be horrified to learn that students were being handed books to learn his plays. These plays have to be performed to be understood."
Unfortunately, the students who need us most are at schools that have little to no funding for programs like ours. Here is what a teacher from San Ysidro (a Title One school ten minutes from the border) said about Intrepid's Education Tour:
San Ysidro was fortunate to get funding last year for this program but now much of that funding is gone.
At a time when arts funding has been drastically cut from schools, our program brings live theatre to students who might never have access to it otherwise. It also helps improve English as a second language skills in students of all ages.
We need your help. Our goal is to go to the 12 schools that have the greatest need for our programs but can't afford it. The cost of this is $13,200. To reach our goal, we ask that you make a tax deductible donation and join our cause of making Shakespeare accessible and available to the students that need it the most. Donate HERE.
Thank you for your support,
Christy & Sean
As a donor, you'll receive donor benefits!
ALL donors…
will be recognized on Intrepid's website
and in the program for our upcoming mainstage productions.
For any donation over $500…
the donor will receive complementary tickets
to opening night of one of Intrepid's upcoming productions.
For any donation over $2500…
the donor and a guest will be invited to
one rehearsal for any show in Season Four.


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Botanicare Power Cloning Systems & Accessories
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Vector Clipart of a Doodled One Equals One Boy
Doodle Clip Art © Prawny
Royalty free clipart of a doodled one equals one boy. This number stock doodle image #751 was designed by Prawny. Please note: this image is protected by copyright law and may not be used without buying a license. To acquire the license simply click on the 'Download Digital File' button.


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If you are dying to know what Anne Hathaway wore for her many outfit changes at the Oscars last night, you have come to the right place. If you're wondering how she changed her hair from wavy to straight in under 30 minutes, I cannot help you there.
Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive Spring 2011 (modified)
I love when Anne wears Armani Prive. She always turns heads in Prive and I'm so glad this was one of her outfit choices for the awards show. It's like a liquid dress? Blue liquid that is…
Anne Hathaway in Atelier Versace Spring 2011
At this point I was totally over seeing red dresses. Thankfully this one wasn't that bright red that everyone was wearing. The detailing looked great on stage, which is always important. But of course…still gorgeous.
Anne Hathaway in custom Lanvin & Brian Atwood shoes
Comical. Cute. I obviously wouldn't recommend wearing on the red carpet. But perfect for that little "number" she performed. But I LOVE the shoes.
Anne Hathaway in Givenchy Fall 2009 Couture
It's a beautiful dress but I think Anne has worn more flattering gowns before. The detailing in the bodice is gorgeous and overall, I think it was the perfect choice for a first outfit change. It says "I'm here but don't go away because there's better things coming your way."
Anne Hathaway in Vivienne Westwood Couture
Probably my least favorite of all of Anne's outfits for the evening. It's not terrible, but I'm just not loving it. Vivienne Westwood is just not a designer I see on someone like Anne Hathaway. Florence Welch or Helena Bonham Carter could wear Vivienne well, but I'm just not feeling it with Anne.
Anne Hathaway in Oscar de la Renta Fall 2011
Finally we got a straight-from-the-runway look! This was shown no less than 2 weeks ago at New York Fashion Week. I knew Anne was going to wear at least one Oscar de la Renta dress last night and I'm not just saying this but I was really hoping it would be this one! I love the fringe detail and how it lays on the gold. It's just perfect! My favorite Anne look of the night.
Anne Hathaway in Tom Ford Spring 2011
I appreciate her wearing a look from the highly anticipated Tom Ford Spring 2011 collection, but she's so young and beautiful, she does not need to wear a dress that covers everything up. I would have liked to see the Oscar de la Renta dress as her final look but I guess this will do!
So with this all said…congrats to Anne Hathaway for hosting an [what I found to be] entertaining evening. And congrats to the woman who styled these amazing looks…Rachel Zoe.
So, which was your favorite Anne outfit of the night?
Photos from Style.com & EW


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About Porcupine 411
Porcupine 411 is a set of rapid message distribution networks.
You can use your local Porcupine 411 to participate in the growing liberty movement. Some things which Porcupine 411 can be used for include:
- Locations of speed traps and sobriety checkpoints
- Reporting unusual or improper police activity (Copwatch)
- Distress calls in case of roadside detention or imminent arrest
- Upcoming social events, activities or almost anything else of immediate interest to liberty lovers
Select your location at right to visit your local Porcupine 411 page. There you will find all the details on how to contact your local Porcupine 411 and how to receive Porcupine 411 messages by email, podcast, or on your mobile phone.
You can also use the map below to find a nearby Porcupine 411 service, or bring Porcupine 411 to your local area.


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Next: plot spectrum Up: plot Previous: plot image
plot MKF
Plots the MKF parameters. These parameters must first be binned with the mkfbin command. You can plot any or all of these parameters. By specifying the hidden parameter curves_per_plot, you can change the number of curves shown on each plot. 8 is the maximum, but is pretty hard to read. 5 is quite legible.
Next: plot spectrum Up: plot Previous: plot image Keith Arnaud
HEASARC Home | Observatories | Archive | Calibration | Software | Tools | Students/Teachers/Public
Last modified: Monday, 19-Mar-2012 14:16:49 EDT


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In search of the real Mr. Claus
Last year, I wrote about Santa sitting in our kitchen visiting my dad when I was around 5 or 6 years old.
It was Christmas Eve, and I couldn't sleep. I heard men's voices on the first floor, so I sneaked down the stairs to see who was there. If I leaned over the railing, I could look into the kitchen where a man was talking to my father. I leaned over the railing all right, and just about fell head first onto the floor below.
Sitting at the kitchen table, his red coat and big black belt hanging over the chair behind him, was Santa Claus, eating a ham sandwich I had helped my little sister make before we went to bed. The jolly old elf was staring right at me. I was caught in the act, red-handed. I couldn't escape, and I thought my life was ruined forever.
But…no. Santa was a kind old soul and he invited me in to say hello. The entire time he was there, I couldn't help but think that I saw him someplace else, and it wasn't in a department store. He looked suspiciously like a farmer named Mr. Vogel. He lived just beyond the edge of town on a big spread. He even had an orchard.
During the summer, we would stop by his farm for fruit and vegetables. That was about the only time we saw him.
He looked just like Santa Claus. He had long white hair and a beard. His hair covered his ears, so I couldn't see if they were pointed. Santa was an elf, so he would have pointed ears.
Later that year, we were at Mr. Vogel's farm the summer after Santa visited my house. My mom and dad were picking peaches while I went exploring.
At the back of the barn was a big set of double doors secured by a padlock on a large latch. I wondered what was inside, so I went into the barn where I could look between the boards.
I found a knothole and peered in. Right before my eyes was the evidence I needed. Inside that locked barn was a big ornate sleigh with a curved wooden front and sides, and soft velvet cushions on the seats. On the front was a fancy, hand-carved "S." It was Santa's sleigh, and it was in Mr. Vogel's barn. I was right. Mr. Vogel was Santa Claus. I knew it.
I ran out of the barn, and saw Mr. Vogel on his porch smoking a pipe. If he were wearing a red suit, he would definitely be Santa Claus. Now I knew why we never saw him in the winter. The toy factory at the North Pole needed him. However, I couldn't help myself. I had to ask.
"Hi, Mr. Vogel," I stammered.
"Well how ya doin', sport?" he replied. That's just what he said to me when he was in our kitchen. He called me "sport."
"I'm good," I said. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," he said.
"Where are the reindeer?" I asked.
"Reindeer?" he asked with a puzzled expression on his face. "I imagine they're up North grazing on the grassy plains."
"Do they fly down to pick you up at Christmas?"
"Now what kind of a question is that?" Mr. Vogel asked.
"I saw the sleigh in the barn. You're Santa Claus, aren't you?"
"Now let's not let our imaginations run away with us," he said smiling.
"It's okay," I replied. "I won't tell a soul."
"I hope not. You're the only little boy who knows. It wouldn't be good for that to get around."
"Not to worry, Santa. Your secret is safe with me," I said.
A couple of weeks before Christmas, when I took my little sister to see Santa at the department store, that sled was parked in Santa Land for everyone to see. It was all shiny and filled with presents. When it was our turn, I asked him, "Where are the reindeer?" He looked at me and winked. "They're up north grazing while I visit with you kids." Then he said, "You take care, sport. Tell your dad I said, hi."
The other kids treated me like a rock star after that. My dad knew Santa. But I never gave away our secret. It remained one of the mysteries of life in a system we can't understand.


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text: I'm having a problem copying write protected cds like frozen throne, lod, etc. I've read small tuts on using a bwa file and I can't understand it. I have a trial version of blindwrite and alcohol 120%. If there is a tut somewhere that you could direct me to I'd appreciate it. Thanks.


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When it comes to autism, we've all been rocked by the recent CDC data that found ongoing increases in the number of children diagnosed with autism annually; it's estimated that 1 in 88 children has autism in the US. The rates are unfortunately higher for boys. The number is unsettling to say the least, particularly as the cause of autism is multifactorial and not entirely understood. Although we know genetics and family history plays a role, we don't know what causes the majority of autism.
Read more about the science of autism from Autism Science Foundation.
We do know one thing: research proves the earlier you intervene to get a child additional services, the better their behavior, the better their outcome, and the better their chances for improved communication. You don't need a diagnosis to access services for your child.
When you worry and can't find resources online that reassure you, it's time to check with your child's clinician. That's the point of a real partnership and a true pediatric home. Fight to find one if you don't already have one. Fight to improve yours if it's imperfect. The feedback I receive from families in my clinic allows me more leverage to make change. We're all responsible for improved health communication…
Signs of Autism In Infants & Toddlers:
There is not one specific behavior, test, or milestone that diagnoses autism. More than any one behavior,
- You should observe your infant demonstrating curiosity.
- You should observe your baby expressing joy nearly every day after 4 months of age. Your child should smile when they are 2 months old, 4 months old, 6 months old and thereafter.
- Your child should show you they know their name by 1 year of age.
- You should see that your child tries to communicate thoughts more effectively with each month that unfolds during infancy and toddlerhood.
Here's a list of specific Autism Warning Signs. Read full post »


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Open Thread: Everything You're Reading, Watching, Listening To and Looking At
This is your place to talk about the TV, movies, music, books and art that are thoroughly entertaining you.
Any mention of Willow Smith seems to eventually devolve into a discussion of what is "acceptable" black parenting. There's a myth (heavily fed by the media) that the Smiths are doing something incredibly new and unusual, particularly for black parents. Conversations about their parenting never really touch on the fact that their children are already millionaires in their own right with an even larger inheritance ahead. Willow Smith can shave her head one week and wear an ankle-length wig the next because she's in an environment where it's safe for her to explore everything that interests her. There is no need for the Smiths to teach their children the same lessons taught to poor black kids in the inner city, or even those facts of life that middle class black kids in the suburbs might need to learn.
Willow's situation is unique for a young black girl in America, and the very public nature of her life has a lot to do with the responses to her fashion choices. Those who take issue with lack of boundaries set on her appearance are really reacting to the world in which walking while black can be an invitation for harassment, assault, or death. They live in communities rife with gang violence, police brutality, and institutional racism that would make it impossible for them to have green hair and be gainfully employed. In their minds, the Smiths are allowing Willow to develop habits that could have long-term consequences, and they cannot imagine how these choices could be a good idea.
But this discussion goes beyond the privileged world she lives in, and into those other communities full of kids that are navigating life without privilege. Why aren't we more concerned that kids in the inner city can't express themselves safely? Why aren't we discussing the prejudices that make people afraid for Willow? In every conversation about whether or not her parents should "let" her be herself from her hair color to her attire, there seems to be a resistance to recognizing that Willow is enjoying the freedom that comes with affluence and the relative safety that it creates. When do we discuss the jealous tone of some of the criticism? Or the homophobic thread that seems to work its way into any discussion if it goes on long enough?
For the American black community, respectability politics are rooted in a history that shows us that black people who step outside the lines set by society can end up dead. There is a long well-documented history of individuals being killed, and whole communities being destroyed for being too successful. Yet, America is a country that prides itself on being built by risk takers. Access to the American Dream (definitely something the Smiths are living), requires seekers to go against the grain, to be creative, and relentless in their pursuit of happiness. So how does a modern parent reconcile history like Rosewood, the Red Summer of 1919, and the violence that punctuated the Civil Rights Movement with that dream? How do they prepare their children for a world where institutional racism can still equal death, albeit a death that is more likely to occur at the hands of the police, or someone who claims to be standing their ground?
When discussing alternative parenting styles, I have a tendency to contrast the way I am raising my children with the way that I was raised by my grandmother. She was born in 1924, and watched the Civil Rights Movement play out in the same places where her brother was lynched for the crime of being uppity. Her parenting style was rough, but it had to be, as she spent 30 years trying to make sure her family members could survive in Jim Crow America.
We butted heads constantly when I was a teenager, because my fondness for male friends (many of them white) and miniskirts struck her as terrible ideas. I complained about her being old fashioned, but to some extent, even in the 1990s, she was correct about the risks I was taking. She was concerned about me being a young lady because she believed that would protect me from predators. I was concerned with navigating streets where my tomboy toughness made me less of a target.
Does that mean that she was doing the wrong thing? No. There is no correct way to parent; all anyone can do is know the child they love and do their best by them. My sons are being raised in the way I wish I had been reared; from the outside it may appear that I'm spoiling them. I'm not. I'm trying to prepare them for a life that will be drastically different from mine. My grandmother faced a similar challenge. After all, I was a child trying to become independent almost 30 years after the end of segregation. She knew how to respond when I was being harassed by a cop on my walk to school, but she had no frame of reference for a girl with wild clothes and wilder ideas who wanted things it would have been dangerous for her to pursue in the 1940s, or for her children to chase in the 1960s.
So why rush to judge the Smiths for knowing their kids and their situation better than any outsider? Yes, in some neighborhoods Willow Smith would be at risk simply for existing in public as a young black woman, much less one who doesn't conform to the expectations of outsiders. But she doesn't live in those neighborhoods. In fact, as many of her supporters will tell you, she's living the way we wish everyone could live, and frankly that should be the focus of these conversations.
Imagine an America where parents of color are free to let their children explore without having to worry that standing out is more dangerous than blending in. Not every parent will raise their children the way the Smiths are raising Willow, but an America where communities aren't under attack would still be a better place to grow up.
Any discussion of parenting is a discussion of the future, and at some point we have to stop repeating the mistakes of the past and focus on solutions for the present. There are millions of girls watching Willow, and how many of them will do great things if given half the chance? Even if they have to work in the communities where Willow will never have to go, at least they have hope of being themselves and being rewarded for it. Contrary to popular opinion, no one is being raised by the Huxtables or by Madea -- in fact many parents are doing their best to give their kids space to develop while keeping them safe, which requires a flexibility that is rarely recognized.
Stop the gender policing and the concern trolling over whether or not good parenting is telling a child how to wear their hair, and talk about why so many people who aren't concerned for her well-being feel free to attack her for existing. Talk about why the media narratives that fail to depict the diversity of parenting styles in the black community can harm children of color, and in turn their communities. Talk about anything useful, but stop pretending that Willow Smith's life is anyone else's business.


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NH man gets prison for murder in NY
Two others are awaiting trial in case
NH man gets prison for murder in NY
Two others are awaiting trial in case
A New Hampshire man who pleaded guilty to murder in New York will spend 18 years to life in prison.
The Westchester County district attorney announced the sentence Wednesday for Charles Blanchard of Hill, N.H. He also had pleaded guilty to kidnapping.
Epifanio Medina was found dead in June 2011 in the woods of North Salem, N.Y. He was from the Lehigh Acres, Fla., area but had been living in Passaic, N.J. The prosecutor says he was known to carry lots of cash.
Blanchard's half-sister, Jessica Ryan French, of Lehigh Acres, pleaded guilty in the case last year. She was described as an aspiring model.
Two other people are awaiting trial: Patrick Smith of Lehigh Acres, and Travis Morin of Danbury, N.H.


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College of Education professor is recipient of Faculty Diversity AwardUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Jennifer L. Parks, (808) 956-0416
Communications Coordinator, College of Education
Communications Coordinator, College of Education
Posted: Oct 12, 2011
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education Professor Brenda Y. Cartwright was selected for one of two 2011 Annual Faculty Diversity Awards. Sponsored by the UHM Commission on Diversity, the awards are presented to faculty members who demonstrate a commitment to enhancing diversity through their work and who are vetted by a committee of their peers.
A professor in the college's Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science (KRS), Cartwright was recently awarded the Virgie Winston-Smith Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest award given by the National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns (NAMRC).
"Dr. Cartwright has been the consummate advocate for increasing diversity in the area of faculty and students on the UHM campus," said KRS Chair Julienne Maeda. "Her work has been devoted to improving the quality of life for others and to ensure diversity is addressed with respect and fairness."
Serving on a number of community, university, and national committees, Cartwright actively contributed to developing a report on racial/ethnic and gender inclusivity of the College of Education faculty, staff, and students. She participated in reviewing student applications for tuition awards sponsored through ASUH, helping to select the awardees based on academic achievement, high financial need, and unique situation.
With diversity as a large focus of Cartwright's research, she has incorporated her students in projects that explore diversity, accessibility, and problem solving in those areas
"I am fortunate to work in an environment that affords incredible opportunities to enhance diversity and multicultural issues," Cartwright said in her acceptance speech. "This award is extra special because it not only recognizes my past efforts, but it also serves as an inspiration for me to keep going, to maintain my passion and staying power, to ensure that the local and global communities are fairer and kinder to all."
For more information, visit: http://coe.hawaii.edu/about/stories/Cartwright_CD


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PSYC 340 Psychology of Learning (1)
A systematic introduction to the nature of the learning process, emphasizing a topical/theoretical orientation. Major topics covered include the historical legacy of neobehaviorism, classic and contemporary Pavlovian conditions, techniques of instrumental learning, the nature of reinforcement, aversive learning, generalization and discrimination, and recent developments in the field. A service learning component is included.
- Prerequisite: PSYC 210 or consent of instructor
- Designated as a Service Learning Course
- Offering: Annually
- Instructor: Koger


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Bulk Bag Filler
This basic bulk bag filler performs low-capacity filling operations at minimal cost. The unit can be upgraded with performance enhancements, including a material delivery system integrated with the user's process equipment or bulk storage vessels. The Model BFB filler is a lighter-duty version of the heavy-gauge Twin-Centerpost filler. The unit features a patented design with two on-center posts that offers the structural integrity of four-post fillers, but at lower material and fabrication costs, and with less weight. It also affords easier access to the bag spout and loops. The filler is equipped with fill head height adjustment to accommodate all popular bag sizes, in addition to an inflatable cuff to seal the bag inlet spout, and a feed chute vent port for dust-free air displacement during filling.
Flexicon Corp., Bethlehem, PA 888-353-9426 www.flexicon.com
Pulverizing Systems
Powder King Anthem (PKA) series pulverizing systems have a streamlined look and provide increased production rates, low maintenance costs, and ease of operation. Features include: a direct-drive mill; HY-PRO disks; an advanced streamline mill design; pocketed disks mounting on flywheel and water jacket; segmented disk mounting clamps; disk gap adjusters that use one simple Allen wrench for gap setting; a PLC control panel with touch screen operator interface; multideck sifters; and a compact footprint.
Powder King LLC, Anthem, AZ 623-551-9897 www.powder-king.com
Vacuum Conveying
The VS series for vacuum conveying replaces the VR series and offers numerous upgrades, including improved module connection, a quick-change filter system, and improved discharge modules.There are also fewer moving parts, which optimizes performance. Key features include: a new and improved patented module system with common seals for more-efficient, easier cleaning and mistake-free reassembly; a new filter system with quick snap-on connection that combines radial and axial sealing, hygienic sealing, and no-tool assembly; and improved discharge modules that offer increased discharging diameter and external pneumatic drive. The discharge modules allow for quicker release of material and no pneumatic parts inside the conveyor to contaminate material flow.
Volkmann Inc., Hainesport, NJ 609-265-0101 www.volkmann.info/en
Compact Vacuum
The Nilfisk CFM 127 is a compact, intermittent-duty vacuum, designed with all the features of larger models. It is ideal for general cleaning, collection, and containment of fine powders and toxic debris in specialized applications. Other features and benefits include a large main filter that provides more surface area for filtering and resists premature clogging (optional upstream HEPA filter provides 99.97% efficiency, down to and including 0.3 µm); and an external filter shaker handle that keeps the main filter free of clogging dust and maintains the vacuum's maximum suction power and filtration performance. Suction performance is monitored by a manometer and light, which allows the user to know when the filter needs to be cleaned or replaced. A sound suppressor diffuses the exhaust air for optimum noise control; and it has a strong, solid construction with high-quality materials (steel, stainless steel, ABS plastic).
Nilfisk CFM, Malvern, PA 610-647-6420 www.stop-the-dust.com
Rotary Valve
The UltraValve complements the tough severe-duty PMV rotary valve line. It uses a case-hardening process that increases abrasion- and corrosion-resistance, while exhibiting high fatigue strength. Like other PMV rotary valves, this valve can be quickly rebuilt from off-the-shelf parts. It has been tested extensively in the most demanding applications.
Precision Machine & Mfg. Inc., Eugene, OR 541-484-9841 www.premach.com
Fusion Screens
Fusion screens were developed from a new technology that fuses the screen mesh to the tension ring. The screens have been designed to eliminate the use of adhesive, epoxy, or silicone in screen manufacturing, resulting in a unitary construction that minimizes the potential for contamination. Added benefits include precise repeatable tensioning and engineered uniform integral strain relief created from the complex robotic manufacturing process. Robotic manufacturing also results in faster turnaround for improved lead time and service. The screens are comprised of the gasket, strain relief, and screen frame as one molded part. As an option, a one-piece center disk with integral strain relief is also available for screens needing center support. The screens are available in standard Fusion and Fusion Plus construction. Fusion Plus has FDA-approved components for use in sanitary applications and higher temperature limits.
Sweco, Florence, KY 859-371-4360 www.sweco.com
Large Tank Washers
TankJet 4 tank washers provide high-impact cleaning of tanks up to 98 ft. They provide consistent impact over the entire pressure range to ensure superior cleaning. They are equipped with special nozzles that minimize turbulence and improve stream integrity for increased impact and greater cleaning effectiveness. The nozzles rotate 360° in horizontal and vertical planes, creating a crisscrossing pattern that thoroughly cleans tanks of even difficult-to-remove residues. The units are sleek and compact and fit in tank openings of 6.7 in. Pin and clutch versions are available to accommodate both permanent installations and portable operation. A variety of nozzle, rotor, and stator sizes are also available so the units can be easily customized based on application requirements.
Spraying Systems Co., Wheaton, IL 630-665-5000


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Alexander Skarsgard Strips Down at the South Pole in New Pic!
Alexander Skarsgard strips down to his boxer shorts in this hot – and yet cold – new picture from his trip to the South Pole late last year.
The 37-year-old actor, who was the VIP member of the US Team, joined his teammates in stripping down and putting on their beards for a celebratory photo upon reaching their destination on December 13th.
Alex went even further that day with his nudity and took his boxers off to pose for a photo butt naked on a random toilet sitting out in the open. Make sure to check out the photo if you haven't seen it yet!
Also pictured inside: Alexander grabbing lunch at M Cafe on Wednesday (February 19) in Los Angeles.


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Brian K. Vaughan Interview
Brian K Vaughan a superstar in the realm of comic books. Although he's too cool to say that about himself, it's cool if I say it. He has won the Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster Awards for his critically acclaimed works Y: The Last Man (which is currently being developed into a movie with New Line Cinema) and Ex Machina (also being developed, at a much slower pace.) He's written such mainstream comics as Wolverine, Captain America, Green Lantern, Swamp Thing, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
In addition to these accomplishments, Brian also won the award for "2006 Best Comic's Writer" from Wizard Magazine. Most recently, he's broken out of the comic book writing medium and ventured into the realm of TV, writing for some show called Lost. Ever heard of it?
GF: Have you ever owned a GameBoy Camera?
BKV: I did, as a matter of fact! That's a weird question. I was obsessed with it, I wanted to take the photos and blow them up to like 20 times normal size, so they'd be all cool and pixelated, but I was too lazy to ever execute that idea.
GF: How would you of done that?
BKV: Take the little GameBoy printer, and print the little postage stamp sized photos, and then fuckin Kinko's em up, it would of looked crazy.
GF: That's a good idea! You wrote about that in Ex Machina, and I thought that was so cool.
BKV: Yeah, I'm stealing from my own mundane life.
GF: What other games did you like, anything besides the GameBoy Camera?
BKV: As a kid I spent many hours playing Tetris.
GF: How are the developments for the Y: The Last Man movie coming along?
BKV: The developments are okay, nothing really to report. It's a slow development process and I haven't heard anything new.
GF: Does it usually take this long for things to work out?
BKV: It either takes forever, or it happens instantly, Hollywood moves very slowly sometimes, which is fine by me. I'd rather they do it right than do it fast.
GF: Have they given you any ideas about it that you just shot down?
BKV: Well, they let me take a stab at writing the screenplay first. My attitude is that a movie is something completely different from the comic. You have to try and capture the characters and the scenes but it should be it's own unique thing. I wanted to come up with a completely original story, different from the comic, that's still true to the spirit of it. Everyone at New Line was huge fans of the comic, they really wanted me to stick more closely to the comic. It was sort of the opposite experience that screenwriters adapting their own stuff have, where we're all in the room and I'm going "No! We have to change it!" and they're going "No! We have to be more loyal to the source material!" So, we'll see how it ends up.
GF: Are they working from the script you wrote, or are they using another one?
BKV: I don't know what they're doing now, they let me take a stab at it. I know there's a new director attached, they might be bringing in a new writer. I don't know how much of my script, if any of it, they'll use, but I'm grateful they let me take a shot at it.
GF: When you were writing the actual comic, did you think about it in terms of how it could be a movie?
BKV: No, honestly not even a little bit. I'm always sort of annoyed when people think of comic books as glorified screenplays, where it doesn't count until it becomes a movie. For me, the comic book was always the destination, everything else is gravy. It would be fun to see a movie but at the end of the day all I really care about is the comic book, which I'm glad I got to finish, in exactly the way we set out to do.
GF: What about Ex Machina?
BKV: I don't know where Ex Machina stands, it's probably less likely than Y, but I also wrote a draft of that for New Line. I don't know where that stands right now.
GF: Why is it less likely? Because of the political elements in it?
BKV: Not necessarily, but it is a tougher film. It's a big-budget sci-fi extravaganza. It's also a more talky political thriller. I'm not sure if it translates as well to the screen, but I did write a draft that I'm really happy with. We'll see how it goes.
GF: What was your high school experience like?
BKV: I went to an all boys catholic highschool, which probably had an impact on Y: The Last Man. Look, I was the president of the circus club for two years, so that should give you some indication of where I fell in the social strata of highschool. It was a magic and juggling performance club, I was also a drama nerd at a very athletic school. I think I fit in okay, I found a comfortable place in the middle and kept my head down.
GF: What were your responsibilities as president? Wait! Is that where you got the Ex Machina idea, being the president of the circus club? Knowing what it's like to...
BKV: ...hold an executive position? [Laughs] Maybe a little bit. Well, my responsibilities...we performed about a hundred shows a year for nursing homes and schools, so I would round up the other hapless geeks, and my ragtag band of circus nerd would put on little shows. I organized that. It was cool. I really don't know what my duties were besides that.
GF: Awesome, I've decided I'm going to write a book.
BKV: My last semester of highschool, there was a class called "Writing the Novel", where this awesome teacher just went "That's it, all you have to do is write a novel. You don't have to show up to class or anything, just try and write a novel." So, that was insane as a high schooler trying to jam out a novel, I think I made it about halfway through, it was a science fiction superhero novel. It was a disaster, but it was really great practice. Just force yourself to write six or seven pages everyday, even if you had nothing to write about. You should do that, you can write five pages a day, every single day. The hard part is everyday, never getting a day off. You can't bail if you're not feeling up to it one day, you have to do it everyday.
GF: What was the name of the unfinished book you wrote?
BKV: That is a good question....what the fuck did I call it? It was sort of a vigilante superhero Alan Moore ripoff sort of thing. I don't remember the title. I'm sure it was terrible, whatever it was.
GF: Is it ever gonna resurface and become a collectors item?
BKV: I don't even own it anymore, I think there's a copy in a St. Ignacius library in Cleveland. A curious St. Ignacius kid can steal it and set fire to it and save me some shame.
GF: How did you get that Lost gig?
BKV: I'd moved to LA to sort of babysit the Y: The Last Man movie, and I met Damon Lindelof, who was one of the co-creators and executive producers of Lost. He was a fan of Y, and my other comics. So, when he heard I moved out here, and there was an opening in the Lost writers staff, the producers invited me in for an interview. I didn't even have so much as a sample script to show them, I thought the meeting went pretty well, but I thought there was no way they'd hire me. They'd have to be insane. They were either desperate or stupid enough to give me the job after the meeting, which I am eternally grateful for.
GF: Awesome! How much input do you have on the show?
BKV: I'm a pretty low-ranking guy on the totem pole. It's very much Damon and Carlton's show, they're steering the ship. It's more about me helping to make their ideas work, instead of trying to force my ideas into the show.
GF: I remember you wrote a Batman story about a character called The Skeleton. He never showed up again after that one story you wrote. What happened with that?
BKV: I threw it out there like "Wow, this is a character so awesome, that even though I've only got eight pages, I'm gonna make a character so awesome, and a mystery so compelling that every Batman writer would want to use him, or they'd have to hire me to write the story." I think at the end of the day, no one cared. Maybe I will still resurrect him someday. He didn't really go over with the kind of heat that I wanted him to.
GF: How was life in New York when you first moved there?
BKV: It was pretty spectacular. I had really only known New York from Marvel Comics. I had always thought it was so over the top that Spiderman would always land on these wooden water towers, I found it outrageous that this modern city would have all these old wooden watertowers everywhere. My first time in New York, taking the subway, probably the F-Train, there's a little part where it's elevated and you get to see out into the city, and I just saw all these wooden water towers. Then I realized that the real New York City was even more bizarre than Stan Lee's Marvel Comics version of New York City. That's when I realized I'd spend the rest of my life in New York. I did, I spent ten years there.
GF: Did you ever run into Stan Lee?
BKV: Yes, I did! I met him at a San Diego convention, it was awesome. I had won a No Prize. Do you know about No Prizes?
GF: No?
BKV: They used to have this thing where if you caught a mistake somewhere in a Marvel Comic, rather than complain about it, if you had a good explanation for their fuck-up they would send you something called a No Prize. The gag is that it was called a No Prize because there was no prize, it was just an empty envelope that said congratulations on it. One of my editors at Marvel said I had made a mistake on a script that I wrote, and I wrote him a lengthy explanation why it wasn't a mistake so he sent me a No Prize. I brought the No Prize with me to the convention and I had Stan Lee sign it. He signed it to "Bombastic Brian." He was the best.
GF: What was New York like on 9/11?
BKV: I was living in Brooklyn with my then girlfriend, current wife, we watched the towers fall from our apartment in Brooklyn. It was pretty horrific, unimaginable. It had a profound effect on everything I've done today, as a writer since then.
GF: Did you think about leaving then?
BKV: No definitely not. We didn't leave until 2003, then when we left it was somewhat reluctantly. I joke about selling out but it was when my wife was going to gradschool in San Diego, I followed her out here. The way that New York responded to the tragedy made me love the city more, and want to stay there even more.
GF: What's LA and California like?
BKV: It's not as bad as I thought it would be. I thought I'd be disgruntled pasty white New Yorker out here and I'd have to take up smoking to annoy the natives, but it's really not so bad. I'm lucky to get to work on a show that I really like, and I get to be surrounded by people who appreciate what I do. The traffic is lame and I miss having weather, every day is room temperature. It's not as good as New York, but its not the worst place in the world either.
GF: What new comic books are you working on now?
BKV: I want to do something new, [but] until Ex Machina ends I don't want to start up another long form ongoing series like Y. I've just been working on two graphic novels, more standalone things like Pride of Baghdad. Although they're very different in subject matter.
GF: What are they?
BKV: Well, I don't think I should tell you just yet, but they're pretty good.
GF: Can you tell us the names?
BKV: I can't even tell you the names, it's no fun. I try to hold off as much as possible to maximize whatever meager buzz I can squeeze out of it.
GF: How is the buzz? Are you ever on Wizard's top ten?
BKV: Sometimes, I'm usually at the bottom, in the Cindy Brady square. It's still a great honor though.
GF: Do you read Wizard?
BKV: They send it to me for free, so I'd be lying if I said I didn't get it and flip through it. Mostly just to look for things about myself because I'm an egocentric bastard.
GF: Do you ever go to ChuckPalahniuk.net?
BKV: Yeah I do, I hadn't been in a while, but when you got in touch with me I went and checked it out. It's great. As far as author sites go, it's as good as it gets.
GF: Did you read my Irvine Welsh interview?
BKV: Yeah I did, it was the most recent thing of yours that I read. It was great.
GF: Are you ever going to write a novel?
BKV: Yeah, I want to, but I don't think I'm good enough yet. I've got some ideas for things that would work as a novel and not a graphic novel. Someday that moment will come.
GF: What's the difference between writing a novel and writing a comic book?
BKV: It's much more heavy lifting. Writing a comic is relatively easy in comparison. You just write the dialogue, which for most writers is the fun part. All of the hard shit goes to the artists. You write two sentences "Please draw all of New York City being attacked by 100,000 Martian warships." That's it, you're done, you don't have to paint the picture in the reader's mind. There's literally an artist doing all that for you. It's much more difficult in that respect.
GF: You don't feel like you're ready to do that?
BKV: I think I could, but I'm already trying to figure out one medium, so I'll wait till I've figured it all out. Once I get good at something, then I want to tackle something new. It took me ten years to figure out comics, now I want to figure out television, then I'll figure out novels.
GF: What about journalism? Are you into that?
BKV: Very much so, I love journalism. It's probably something I could never do. I would interview people and be annoyed that they're not giving me exactly the quote that I wanted, so I'd be a douche reporter constantly making crap up, rather than doing the legwork necessary to be a good reporter.
GF: What did you learn from going to film school?
BKV: It's really different than writing comics, but there's some similarities. Learning screenwriting helps. Things apply to both, about getting into a scene as late as possible and leaving as early as possible. Getting out and shooting things. Learning how to talk to a cinematographer. Your actors help when it comes to learning how to talk to your artists. There are also some things you have to unlearn. It is really different.
GF: Do you have a website. And if so, are you gonna build it up to be super deep and intensive like Chuck's?
BKV: I'm pretty lazy so the BKV.Tv website gets updated whenever I have a new book coming out. I had a message board that I retired recently because I wanted to go into hiding for a little bit and get some work done. I can't imagine ever running anything as intense as Chuck's site. Never say never. Maybe someday. This interview to the contrary, I kind of like hiding out and letting my work speak for me.
GF: Why? Some people lavish in the limelight like "Oh, look at my socks today!"
BKV: Yeah I know, I love doing that but the nice thing about Chuck's site is it's not just about that, it seems that Chuck has a genuine passion in getting people into literature and helping young writers and I'm much too self-centered for that.
GF: Do you ever get the urge to make short films? Spend a crazy weekend making a movie?
BKV: Yeah very much so. I think I probably will do that someday. I'll probably take more than a weekend but I really want to do that.
GF: How do you feel about writing something like Ex Machina, which is your ideas, your characters and everything... versus something like Batman where you have to work within the confines of another character's legacy?
BKV: It's probably better doing my own stuff, it takes me a little while to find other people's character's voices. I don't approach them differently like "Oh I'm writing Ultimate X-Men, let me put on my superhero hat and phone it in for the cash." Ultimate X-Men was much harder to write then Y or Ex Machina, just because I'm not as good at it. It's a little more difficult but I approach them the same. I just want to write a good story.
GF: What do you think of Bruce Campbell?
BKV: He's the man. he's Bruce Campbell. I remember I was in college, and I was a dopey filmschool student. I found his email address online and I wrote him and told him about my screenplay idea. He actually wrote back. It was amazing. No one's nicer to their fans than Bruce Campbell.
GF: What did he say to you?
BKV: He was like "Yeah the idea sounds cool. Get some funding for the project, get it on some legs and get back in touch with me." It was insane to be a filmschool nobody and get a response from him.
GF: You should call up Bruce Campbell now and see what's up.
BKV: Maybe I will.
GF: How have your contemporary comic writers responded to your work?
BKV: Garth Ennis has always been really nice to both Y and Ex Machina. He was such an influence as I was breaking in and writing so that's pretty great. Everyone's been really nice to me. When you're breaking in to comics you're a miserable asshole because it's so infuriating because there are guys that you think are less deserving of you already there. But once you've crossed over to the other side, you've had all that rung out of you. So you're a lovely human being. I haven't met a single comics creator, artist, writer, whatever who's work I loved that I wasn't nice to me. So that's pretty cool.GF: What are you reading now? Do you have time to read at all?
BKV: Lost just ended, so I've been embarrassingly illiterate for a while when I was working there. I'm now in the middle of this book called "The Book of Other People." It's a book of short stories. It's been really awesome. Anthologies are always hit or miss but this one has a really high batting average.
GF: Out of all of Chuck Palahniuk's books, which one would make the best comic?
BKV: That's an interesting question. I think the most successful one would be if Chuck wrote a comic book. He's a prolific guy and he seems like he'd master that world. So if he's got an idea that doesn't feel quite right as a novel, he should make it a comic book and totally grace our medium with his presence. Totally rock out something new. It would be the best selling comic book of all time and I think he'd love it. I could find a good artist for him.
GF: How are you going to end Ex Machina. Is everyone going to die?
BKV: Ya know, with Y, everyone asked me "How is it going to end" and I'd say "You have to wait and see!" With Ex Machina on the very first page, it starts at the end of the story, with the guy going "Look, this might look like a comic, but it's a tragedy. This is the story of how everything went to shit." It's not going to be a surprise. Everything's going to go to shit. Hopefully in ways you didn't see coming.
GF: How do you make a pitch to DC? Let's say you have an idea about a box of shoes, how do you pitch that box of shoes to a company to make them want to read the story?
BKV: If I were a new writer trying to break into comics, I would not worry about pitching ideas to Marvel or DC. They're going to be like "That shoe is already in use, and we're not crazy about these shoes either." Go out and put together your own comic about shoes and then knock their socks off... terrible pun intended. Make a fuckin' shoe story that is so good that they love it so much they have to publish it. Marvel and DC are great, but its all about working outside the system, not inside.


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This day in WND history: Google says Veterans Day 'too solemn' for logo
Check today's milestone in news site's path to greatness
Google: Veterans Day 'too solemn' for logo
Nov. 14, 2006: In response to e-mail generated by a WND story noting Google didn't mark Veterans Day for an eighth straight year, the search engine giant created a form letter explaining the non-commemoration of the 2006 holiday was deliberate and out of reverence.
"Thank you for your note," read the form response. "We understand your concern and interest in seeing a Veteran's (sic) Day Google logo. If we were to commemorate this holiday, we'd want to express reverence; however, as Google's special logos tend to be lighthearted in nature, this would be a particularly challenging design. We wouldn't want to create a graphic that could be interpreted as disrespectful in any way."
Perhaps WND's coverage of the issue finally made a difference, because in November 2007, WND broke the story that Google finally issued a special logo on Veterans Day, nine years after the company was founded.
In 2017, Google honored veterans with the following patriotic logo.
To see WND highlights from every calendar date, click here.
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