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Although California utilities took steps to expand the state's power generation capacity, their efforts could be too late to prevent severe power shortages and rolling blackouts this summer. According to a report released by Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), Cambridge, Mass., the state's new long-term power contracts are setting the stage for future multibillion dollar cost problems.
The report entitled "Beyond California's Power Crisis: Impact, Solutions and Lessons," predicts the western United States will experience 200 hours of emergency shortages in the coming year, including at least 20 hours of rolling blackouts this summer.
Further analysis of supply, demand, and price fundamentals in the years prior to the shortage shows California's industry structure produced a competitive outcome, with no evidence of the exercise of market power by generators.
Although steps have been initiated recently to increase power supply in the short term, the long-term market structure deficiencies have not been addressed.
The findings of the report were released at a briefing on the opening day of CERA's 20th Annual Executive Conference, Feb. 12-16, in Houston, where executives from North American Power, Western Energy, and CERA met to discuss the causes and implications of California's deregulation plan.


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School of Music Tours
The School of Music is pleased to offer information sessions for prospective students and families most weekdays at 11:00 a.m. Each session will cover information about applying, auditions, general School information, and a tour of the Whalen Center for Music. Participants should report to the main entrance of the James J. Whalen Center for Music (online map). This information session will last approximately one hour. Please use the form below to sign up for an information session.
Traveling to Campus
We have prepared a resource that breaks down several transportation options available to individuals visiting campus. You are welcome to utilize this in your planning, and hope that it is helpful!
Traveling to Campus Guide
Campus Tours
The Office of Admission offers many opportunities for prospective students to visit campus, including daily campus tours, personal meetings with an admission counselor, and open houses.
Office of Admission: Visit Ithaca
Open Houses
The School of Music is pleased to participate in each Ithaca College open house. Open houses are offered on Saturdays and select weekdays, and provide an opportunity for you to learn about our academic programs, explore our campus, and meet many of the people that make Ithaca the special place that it is.
Office of Admission: Open Houses
Private Lessons
Prospective students may contact our faculty members to inquire about taking a private lesson. Lessons are given at the sole discretion and availability of faculty members. In most cases, a fee is charged for these lessons (ie. the Voice faculty charge $50 for a 1/2 hour consultation lesson). Please visit our faculty directory to contact our faculty directly.
School of Music Faculty Directory
Accepted Students
Accepted students to the School of Music are invited to attend the Dean's Host program. The program takes place in March and April, and participants have the opportunity to experience first-hand what life as a music student is like.
Dean's Host Program (available in March)

subset: commoncrawl


text: The Aberdeen Proving Ground, also known as APG, is an Army post located on 72,500 acres in Harford County, Maryland. The installation touches the Chesapeake Bay, as well as the Susquehanna and Gunpowder rivers. Created and opened in 1917, APG is the Army's oldest active proving ground. It is composed of two major areas the nothern Aberdeen area and southern Edgewood Area that were combined in 1971. The Edgewood area was previously known as the Edgewood Aresenal. APG was originally used as a center to test military equipment, and the installation's location was chosen due to its closeness to industrial areas. Training for ordnance, or military artillery, started in 1918. Because of that training and research, APG is known as the "Home of Ordnance." Its current role in the federal workplace is as an Army research, training and testing location. All tanks and wheeled vehicles from the past 50 years have been tested at APG, and chemical warfare research is performed at the proving ground. The proving ground employs more than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel. It is Harford County's largest employer and also one of the state's largest employers. APG is also home to the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum, with an outdoor exhibit featuring equipment and vehicles from different 20th century military conflicts.


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RICHMOND – Individual orders have gone out re-restoring voting rights for some 13,000 former felons in Virginia, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Monday.
Included with each mailing: A voter registration form.
This first round of new restorations covered most of the people who, following McAuliffe's mass restoration order in April, registered to vote in Virginia. A few of those cases remained under review as of Monday, the administration said.
The state Supreme Court nullified McAuliffe's April order a month ago, agreeing with GOP legislative leaders who had sued the governor over an unconstitutional exercise of his restoration powers.
Only individual orders are...


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Works by members of the Twin Rivers Artists Association (TRAA) are on exhibit from July 12 through the end of August at the Duffy Exhibit Gallery of the North Carolina History Center.
Works by members of the Twin Rivers Artists Association (TRAA) are on exhibit from July 12 through the end of August at the Duffy Exhibit Gallery of the North Carolina History Center.
The opening reception and awards presentation will take place 5 to 8 p.m.on July 12 during the Downtown New Bern ArtWalk. The Duffy Gallery is the primary exhibit space for Craven Arts Council & Gallery while renovations continue at the Bank of the Arts on Middle Street. When that facility re-opens in September, however, exhibits will continue at both facilities.
This year�s juror for the TRAA show is Janet Francoeur, a distinguished local artist and owner of Carolina Creations. Francoeur selected art to be included in the show and also selected all prize-winning works, with the exception of the People�s Choice Award. Each visitor is invited to vote for his or her favorite work, and the award winner is announced after the exhibit closes at the end of August.
There are a lot of exhibits and events for the July ArtWalk.
The Rivertowne Players will perform one or two numbers from �Damn Yankees� at the History Center at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.
New to the ArtWalk is the New Bern Convention & Visitors Center, where the band �Hot Buttered Grits� will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. There is lots of parking at those two sites. In between will be a myriad of art and food and fun to be enjoyed by summer ArtWalkers.
The Next Chapter Bookstore on South Front Street will host artist Linda Hastens.
Ballantyne Framing and Art returns to its new location at 220 Craven St.
The Greater Good Gallery, also on Craven Street, will host its usual large of array of artists and exhibitors for another Bohemian Night.
Carolina Creations on Pollock Street features the works of watercolorist Janet Dixon, with an exhibit titled �Red, White and Blue.�
New Bern ArtWorks & Company opens a show with the work of artists Joanne Geisel.
MJs Raw Bar & Grill will feature work by Angela Canaan.
For information on the ArtWalk, on the web: cravenarts.org


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Veronica RayneRequest Her Follow
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If you are unsure of the email address that you used to register with us please contact our Customer Support team in order to retrieve your details. They can be reached at:
It happens to all of us sometimes. Just enter your registered email address below and we will send you instructions on how to reset your password. If you have previously locked your account with 5 unsuccessful sign in attempts you will need to contact us in order to unlock your account first.
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DC Tee Shirts
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One of the biggest names in the business
DC shoes are a brand that almost needs no introduction. Since Ken Block and Damon Way founded DC back in '93, the brand has become synonymous with action sports footwear and apparel. But despite being one of the few core action sport companies to become mainstream, DC has always stayed true to the riders and lifestyles of the sports they represent.
Having long been considered the crème of the crop in skateboarding, DC's line of snowboard products and outerwear is now one of the best-selling in the industry. The reason for this is simple – DC has built its reputation on always making the best products for the best riders. Along the way they've been worn for more world firsts and competition wins than we'd care to count, but neither DC, their riders, nor the inimitable Ken Block himself seem like slowing down any time soon.
How DC became DC
Back in '93, DC set out to break the mould. They wanted to make skate shoes that fit the technical, durability and aesthetic needs of the world's best skaters, while properly embodying their lives and personalities. The results were awesome.
Early DCs had features no one had thought of – reinforced suede, grippy 'pill' outsoles, rip-resistant lacing, effective cushioning – but most importantly, they were comfortable and looked fresh.
DC grew rapidly on the reputation of these technical and stylish skate shoes. Demand for their product soon hit a global level, with the DC logo being becoming a regular feature team riders, TVs and magazines across the globe.
Today, DC still makes great skate shoes, but the brand has also expanded into a full-blown snowboard company with a top-notch line of hard goods, apparel and accessories built for the mountains. DC Snow took the skate program's street-inspired aesthetic for boots and outerwear and made it technical by collaborating on designs and testing with some of the best riders in snowboarding.
Team DC
When they started out, a lot of companies were making quality footwear – so what made people take DC seriously? Quite simply, it was their consistently unreal team of athletes and the projects they collaborated on together.
Back in 2003, DC was one of the first skate shoe brands to make a high-budget team video – The DC Video – that featured famous video parts from names like Danny Way and Josh Kalis. DC owner Ken Block even had a private snowboard park built in the backyard of his Utah home where the DC snowboard team could design and test product. They dubbed it the DC Mountain Lab and filmed two classic snowboard videos that showcased era-defining riding from legendary DC pros like Travis Parker and Devun Walsh.
Today, DC still takes their partnerships with action sport's best riders seriously. Thrasher 'Skater of the Year' winners Chris Cole and Wes Kremer design pro model skate shoes for the brand, while huge snowboard names like Travis Rice and Torstein Horgmo have collections of signature DC products. One thing is clear – wear DC and you'll be in good company.
Not sure what to choose?
If you're looking for some new snow outerwear but you're not sure exactly what mix of weather-proofing, breathability, insulation and features you're looking for, check out our Outerwear and Layering Guide.
Or, if you have some questions and you'd like to speak to us direct, that's cool too. Get in touch with one of the team and we'll be happy to help.


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Early history
The Latvians constitute a prominent division of the ancient group of peoples known as the Balts. The first historically documented connection between the Balts and the civilization of the Mediterranean world was based on the ancient amber trade; according to the Roman historian Tacitus (1st century ce), the Aestii (predecessors of the Old Prussians) developed an important trade with the Roman Empire.
During the 10th and 11th centuries, Latvian lands were subject to a double pressure: from the east there was Slavic penetration; from the west came the Swedish push toward the shores of Courland.
German rule
During the time of the Crusades, German—or, more precisely, Saxon—overseas expansion reached the eastern shores of the Baltic. Because the people occupying the coast of Latvia were the Livs, the German invaders called the country Livland, a name rendered in Latin as Livonia. In the mid-12th century, German merchants from Lübeck and Bremen were visiting the estuary of the Western Dvina; these visits were followed by the arrival of German missionaries. Meinhard, a monk from Holstein, landed there in 1180 and was named bishop of Ikškile ("one village") in 1186. The third bishop, Albert of Buxhoevden, with Pope Innocent III's permission, founded the Order of the Brothers of the Sword in 1202. By the time they merged in 1237 with the Teutonic Order, they had conquered all the Latvian tribal kingdoms.
After the conquest, the Germans formed a so-called Livonian confederation, which lasted more than three centuries. This feudalistic organization was not a happy one, as its three components—the Teutonic Order, the archbishopric of Riga, and the free city of Riga—were in constant dispute with one another. Moreover, the vulnerability of its land frontiers forced the confederation into frequent foreign wars. However, the Latvians benefited from Riga's joining the Hanseatic League in 1282, as the league's trade brought prosperity. In general, however, the situation of the Latvians under German rule was that of any subject nation. The indigenous nobility was extinguished, apart from a few of its members who changed their allegiance, and the rural population was forced to pay tithes and taxes to their German conquerors and to provide corvée, or statute labour.
Poland-Lithuania, Sweden, and the encroachment of Russia
In 1561 the Latvian territory was partitioned: Courland, south of the Western Dvina, became an autonomous duchy under the suzerainty of the Lithuanian sovereign, and Livonia north of the river was incorporated into Lithuania. Riga was likewise incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1581 but was taken by the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf in 1621; Vidzeme, the greater part of Livonia north of the Western Dvina, was ceded to Sweden by the Truce of Altmark (1629), though Latgale, the southeastern area, remained under Lithuanian rule.
The rulers of the Grand Principality of Moscow (Muscovy) had so far failed to reach the Baltic shores of the Latvian country, though Ivan III and Ivan IV (the Terrible) had tried to do so. The Russian tsar Alexis renewed the attempt without success in his wars against Sweden and Poland (1653–67). Finally, however, Peter I (the Great) managed to "break the window" to the Baltic Sea. In the course of the Second Northern War, he took Riga from the Swedes in 1710, and at the end of the war he secured Vidzeme from Sweden under the Peace of Nystad (1721). Latgale was annexed by the Russians at the First Partition of Poland (1772), and Courland was acquired at the Third Partition (1795). (See Partitions of Poland.) By the end of the 18th century, therefore, the whole Latvian nation was subject to Russian rule.
Russian domination
In the period immediately following the Napoleonic Wars, the Russian tsar Alexander I was induced to grant personal freedom to the peasants of Courland in 1817 and to those of Vidzeme in 1819. This did not imply, however, that the peasants had any right to buy the land that their ancestors had tilled for centuries. Consequently, there was unrest in the Latvian lands until the emancipation of the serfs throughout the Russian Empire (1861) brought the right to buy land from the state and from the landlords, who were still mostly German.
During the last quarter of the 19th century, a national revival surged throughout Latvian territory. Universities and other national institutions were established. The idea of an independent Latvian state was openly discussed during the Russian Revolution of 1905. This revolution, evoked as it was simultaneously by social and by national groups, bore further witness to the strength of the Latvian reaction to the economic and political pressures from German and Russian forces.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Latvian National Political Conference of Riga asked for complete political autonomy. On September 3 of that year, however, the German army took Riga. After the Bolshevik coup of November 1917 in Petrograd (now Saint Petersburg), the Latvian People's Council, representing peasant, bourgeois, and socialist groups, proclaimed independence on November 18, 1918, under the leadership of Kārlis Ulmanis, head of the Latvian Farmers' Union (Latvijas Zemnieku Savienība; LZS). The Soviet government established a communist government for Latvia at Valmiera, headed by Pēteris Stučka. The Red Army, which included Latvian units, captured Riga on January 3, 1919, and the Ulmanis government moved to Liepāja, where it was protected by a British naval squadron. But Liepāja was still occupied by German troops, whom the Allies were counting upon to defend East Prussia and Courland (Kurzeme) against the advancing Red Army. Their commander, Gen. Rüdiger von der Goltz, intended to build a German-controlled Latvia and to make it a German base of operation in the war against the Soviets. This intention caused a conflict with the government of independent Latvia supported by the Allies. On May 22, 1919, Goltz captured Riga. Pushing northward, the Germans were stopped near Cēsis by the Estonian army, which included 2,000 Latvians. The British forced the Germans to abandon Riga, to which the Ulmanis government returned in July. In the meantime, the Red Army, finding itself attacked from the north by the Estonians, had withdrawn from Latvia.
In July the British demanded that the German troops retreat to East Prussia. But Goltz now formed a "West Russian" army, systematically reinforced by units of German volunteers. These forces, headed by an anti-Bolshevik "White Russian" adventurer, Pavel Bermondt-Avalov, were to fight the Red Army, cooperating with the White Russian armies of commanders Aleksandr Vasilyevich Kolchak, Anton Ivanovich Denikin, and Nikolay Yudenich, supported by the Allies. But on October 8 Bermondt-Avalov attacked the Latvian troops and occupied the suburbs of Riga south of the river. By November 10, however, the Latvians, aided by the artillery of an Anglo-French naval squadron cooperating with Estonian forces, defeated Goltz's and Bermondt-Avalov's troops, attacked finally also by the Lithuanians. By December 1919 all German troops had abandoned Latvia and Lithuania. Only Latgale remained in Red hands, but it was soon after cleared of Red troops with military assistance from Poland.
A Latvian constituent assembly, elected in April 1920, met in Riga on May 1, and on August 11 a Latvian-Soviet peace treaty was signed in Riga, under which the Soviet government renounced all claims to Latvia. The Latvian constitution of February 15, 1922, provided for a republic with a president and a unicameral parliament, the Saeima, of 100 members elected for three years.
The multiplicity of parties in the Saeima (22 in 1922 and 24 in 1931) made it impossible to form a permanent government; nevertheless, Latvia experienced a period of economic growth. One of the most significant achievements was the passage of an agrarian reform bill, which granted land to about 145,000 peasants. Still, democracy had not been instilled in Latvia, and in May 1934 Ulmanis, prime minister for the fourth time since 1918, dissolved the Saeima and all political parties and established authoritarian rule. On April 11, 1936, on the expiration of the second term of office of Pres. Alberts Kviesis, Ulmanis declared himself president.
The Soviet occupation and incorporation
When World War II started in September 1939, the fate of Latvia had already been decided in the secret protocol of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact of August 23. In October Latvia had to sign a dictated treaty of mutual assistance by which the U.S.S.R. obtained military, naval, and air bases on Latvian territory. On June 17, 1940, Latvia was invaded and occupied by the Red Army. On June 20 the formation of a new government was announced, and the Soviets organized elections in which only one list of candidates was allowed. Meanwhile, President Ulmanis was deported. On July 21 the new Saeima voted for the incorporation of Latvia into the U.S.S.R., and on August 5 the U.S.S.R. accepted this incorporation. After Latvia was annexed into the Soviet Union, a period known as the "year of terror" ensued. In the first year of Soviet occupation, about 35,000 Latvians, especially the intelligentsia, were deported to eastern portions of the U.S.S.R., many of them to prison camps in Siberia.
During the German invasion of the U.S.S.R., from July 1941 to October 1944, Latvia was a province of a larger Ostland, which included Estonia, Lithuania, and Belorussia (now Belarus). Many Latvians were recruited into German military units during the Nazi occupation. The Latvian Legion (a unit of the Waffen-SS troops) was formed under German order in 1943, and Latvian males were conscripted. A resistance movement against the German occupation was led by the Central Council of Latvia, with the participation of notable Latvian politicians. During the Nazi occupation of Latvia, between 65,000 and 75,000 Latvian Jews were killed.Arnold Spekke Kazimierz Maciej Smogorzewski Romuald J. Misiunas
By 1944 about two-thirds of the country was occupied by the Red Army. The Germans held out in Kurzeme until the end of the war. About 100,000 Latvians fled to Sweden and Germany before the arrival of Soviet forces.
The first postwar decade proved particularly difficult. The uncompromising effort of the regime to transform the country into a typical Soviet bailiwick compounded the devastation of the war. Severe political repression accompanied radical socioeconomic change. Extreme Russification numbed national cultural life. Several waves of mass deportation—of at least 140,000 people—to northern Russia and Siberia occurred, most notably in 1949 in connection with a campaign to collectivize agriculture. Large-scale immigration from Russia and other parts of the Soviet Union began and continued throughout the postwar period. In just over 40 years the proportion of Latvians in the population dropped from roughly three-fourths to little more than one-half, and the Russian language dominated both public and private life.
The ruling Communist Party of Latvia in the 1950s was disproportionately composed of immigrants. A concerted effort to nativize the party, especially its ruling cadres, triggered a purge in 1959 of Communist Party high-level officials who were accused of Latvian nationalism. These officials were replaced by First Secretary Arvīds Pelše and his successors Augusts Voss and Boriss Pugo, who remained in positions of power in the party during the following three decades.
A national renaissance developed in the late 1980s in connection with the Soviet campaigns for glasnost ("openness") and perestroika (economic and political restructuring). Some of the first opposition organizations included Helsinki-86, a group that sought to secure the basic human rights that had been established in the Helsinki Accords, and the Environmental Protection Club. Mass demonstrations on ecological questions in 1987 were the first nonofficial staged political gatherings in the country in postwar times.
Independence restored
An opposition Latvian Popular Front emerged in 1988 and won the 1990 elections. On May 4 the legislature passed a declaration to renew independence after a transition period. Soviet efforts to restore the earlier situation culminated in violent incidents in Riga in January 1991. After a failed coup in Moscow in August, the Latvian legislature declared full independence, which was recognized by the Soviet Union on September 6.
The first post-Soviet elections, in which only pre-1940 citizens and their descendants were permitted to vote, were held in June 1993. The new legislature immediately restored the 1922 constitution. Among the new Latvian government's main concerns were its relations with non-ethnic Latvians (especially Russians), citizenship requirements, and the privatization of the economy. Allegations of discrimination against Russians in Latvia strained Latvian-Russian relations, which Latvia attempted to repair during much of the 1990s.
Another sensitive political issue that confronted the new government was what to do about the thousands of former Soviet military personnel still stationed within Latvia's borders (estimated at more than 50,000 in 1991). When the Russian armed forces finally withdrew in August 1994, Russia was given the right to station some hundreds of military and civilian employees at the early-warning radar station at Skrunda until 1998. By 1999 Russia had turned over full control of the radar station to Latvia.
Tensions between Latvia and Russia persisted into the early 21st century, however. Latvia continued to prosecute former Soviet officials for crimes committed during and after World War II. In 2002 Moscow temporarily stopped the flow of petroleum to Latvia in an attempt to gain control over the oil port at Ventspils; in 2004, after Russia opened a new oil port on the Baltic Sea, it again ordered its state-controlled pipeline agency to turn off the pipeline at Ventspils. Moreover, Russia accused Latvia of further violating the rights of its Russian-speaking minority when, in 2003, it was mandated that three-fifths of the public school curriculum be taught in Latvian. A longtime border dispute with Russia was resolved in 2007, helping warm relations between the two countries; however, the treaty remained controversial in Latvia because it affirmed Soviet-imposed boundaries that had incorporated Latvian border counties into the U.S.S.R.
Following independence, Latvia had quickly reoriented itself politically and economically toward western Europe. It joined the Council of Europe in the 1990s and gained full membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004.Aivars Stranga
Latvia's economy expanded at a furious pace from 2005 to 2008, and double-digit GDP growth was the norm throughout that period. Skyrocketing inflation, soaring energy costs, and ripple effects from the global financial crisis of 2008, however, led to an economic contraction so severe that Latvia was forced to seek financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund. A basket of austerity measures—including tax increases, public sector wage cuts, and reductions in welfare payments—triggered a wave of popular discontent, and the government of Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis collapsed in February 2009. A shaky coalition was forged by former opposition leader Valdis Dombrovskis, and a series of economic reforms were pushed through the Saeima. With the Latvian economy showing signs of modest recovery, the Dombrovskis government survived a parliamentary general election in October 2010. A snap election in September 2011 resulted in the pro-Russia Harmony Centre party capturing the most seats, but it failed to win an absolute majority, and Dombrovskis was able to form a coalition government with the backing of the right-wing National Alliance.
The National Alliance then initiated a petition to establish Latvian as the sole language for education, but it failed to collect enough signatures to put the matter to a referendum. Pro-Russian parties responded with their own petition, with the goal of making Russian an official second language for Latvia. That petition generated sufficient support among registered voters to trigger a February 2012 referendum, and rhetoric on both sides of the debate became heated as the poll approached. In the event, turnout was around 70 percent, and the proposal was resoundingly rejected.
Latvia faced its worst disaster since the restoration of independence when more than 50 people were killed in the collapse of a supermarket in Riga in November 2013. As investigators explored the possible causes of the event, Dombrovskis issued a statement claiming "political responsibility" for the tragedy and submitted his resignation. He remained prime minister in a caretaker capacity as Latvia adopted the euro as its official currency on January 1, 2014. A new government headed by Laimdota Straujuma, who had served as minister of agriculture in the Dombrovskis administration, was endorsed by a parliamentary vote of confidence later that month.The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
Baltic states: The conquest of Estonia and LatviaIncursions by Scandinavian Vikings into the coastal areas of the Estonians and the Kuronians began in the 9th century. East Slav pressure had also appeared by the beginning of the millennium. As early as 1030 the southeastern portion of present-day Estonia was overrun, though…
Eastern Orthodoxy: The Balkans and eastern EuropeEstonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the Orthodox minorities established themselves as autonomous churches. The first three joined the jurisdiction of Constantinople, and the Lithuanian diocese remained nominally under Moscow. In Poland, which then included several million Belorussians and Ukrainians, the ecumenical patriarch established an autocephalous…
flag of Latvia…Russian Revolution, the flag of Latvia was increasingly displayed. It flew on November 18, 1918, when the Republic of Latvia proclaimed its independence, and it was formally adopted on January 20, 1923. When the Soviet Union absorbed the country in 1940, the flag disappeared, but it was never forgotten, particularly…
Europe, second smallest of the world's continents, composed of the westward-projecting peninsulas of Eurasia (the great landmass that it shares with Asia) and occupying nearly one-fifteenth of the world's total land area. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and…
Baltic states
Baltic states, northeastern region of Europe containing the countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. The Baltic states are bounded on the west and north by the Baltic Sea, which gives the region its name, on…
More About Latvia5 references found in Britannica articles
Assorted References
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Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Habit-A-Week Challenge Begins (Again!)
The thing I like best about the challenge (because I do it with you) is that no matter what level you are on, you can participate. Each habit can be implemented on *so many * levels. I'll give examples in each challenge. So whether you're a beginner or a fitness/health expert, you can take the healthy habit each week and improve your life.
Every Tuesday I will post a link to a prior Habit-A-Week post for you to read. But I'll also add more information to it, so that if you did the challenge last year you can use this (as I will) as a refresher course to strengthen all the healthy habits. And I might throw in a couple of new Habits, too!
So, here's Week 1's Habit: Fix your water intake. Please click here, read the information, and then come back to finish reading this post.
Okay, so that's the challenge for THIS WEEK. You don't have to do anything else if you don't want to. If you are eating junk and laying on the couch all day and just trying to find a way to grab on and fix your life, do this one thing. Just this one habit. Make this week a success for that ONE step, and then next week you can add another step. Okay?
If you're already doing well with this habit, find a way to improve it. Some ideas:
If you drink tap water, consider getting a pitcher filter to get the chlorine and other contaminants out of it.
If you drink plastic bottled water, buy yourself a nice PVC free reusable water bottle and start using that instead. Saves money and the environment.
Or pick one of the Advanced Habits in the linked post.
What I am doing already:
Right now it is an ingrained habit to get up in the morning and drink 16oz of water right away. I have 16 oz of water/green tea with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I also drink a cup of water with every snack, anytime I feel hungry, and when I feel like eating off plan. I use a PUR water pitcher to filter my tap water. Other beverages: skim milk, unsweetened iced tea, NO soda except a very rare Enviga green tea soda (5 calories).
What I am going to do to challenge myself this week:
I am going to work on getting 2 cups of green tea per day into my body. I always get one cup, but two would be much better. I am also going to start using unsweetened almond milk in place of the skim milk in things like cereal. I like Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla... it has only 40 calories per cup compared to 80-90 calories per cup of skim cow's milk.
Please leave a comment telling me what YOU are going to do this week to improve your intake of water or other fluids. I'd love to hear more ideas! Let's get hydrated!
42 comments:
- Enz said...
Water is my challenge right now, so this is perfect timing. I work in a construction trailer and lots of water = lots of pee breaks = going outside in the cold multiple times a day!!!
So..I'm going to keep drinking my water and look at the trips to the washroom trailer as extra exercise!
Thanks for this. I'm going to link back to this post from my blog too.
- January 5, 2010 at 4:16 PM
- Jen said...
I am so doing this!! I am pregnant ith #3, so my losing weight is on hold, but I need to do better with my water!
- January 5, 2010 at 4:21 PM
- spunkysuzi said...
I am definitely joining in on these challenges!!
Water it is :)
- January 5, 2010 at 4:24 PM
- Laura I. (G.G.) said...
I like the idea of drinking a glass first thing in the morning--will try that.
- January 5, 2010 at 4:59 PM
- KatDoesDiets said...
Great idea. Very all inclusive and encouraging to everyone. And, something I am horrible at, lol. Thanks for the reminder.
- January 5, 2010 at 5:03 PM
- Jen said...
I love this topic! I do need to make some big changes this year, but the first step is always the hardest. Thanks for kicking me toward the door!
- January 5, 2010 at 5:26 PM
- Lea said...
I drink tons of water during the day IF I make an effort to start with it first thing. So, I'm going to try your suggestion of drinking a 16 oz glass first thing in the morning. I'm also going to go shopping for a filter pitcher.
I love the healthy-habit-a-week challenge! Yay!
- January 5, 2010 at 5:28 PM
- Losing 100 said...
Count me in! I'm good to go for the next 16 weeks!
- January 5, 2010 at 5:38 PM
- Mzchef said...
This is just great! I was doing ok, but my eating got out of control during the holidays. THis will get me back on track. Thanks! I think what will help me the most is having a morning drink of water. Normally, I just drink a cup of coffee, but having water will remind me to eat breakfast and take a multivitamin.
- January 5, 2010 at 5:48 PM
I've been reading your blog for quite sometime and have commented a few times. This is a FANTASTIC challenge. Small yet effective steps. Thank you, thank you, thank you for putting the effort into this. Count me in!
- January 5, 2010 at 6:20 PM
- Vickie said...
in the winter I drink part of my daily water HOT with a lot of fresh lemon squeezed in -
tea (even herbal) tends to bother my bladder.
So the hot water thing with LOTS of fresh lemon is perfect for me.
I love when you run these hints - because every single one of us - no matter where we are in our process can benefit from the recommitment/refocus.
- January 5, 2010 at 6:39 PM
- Seren_Sighs said...
If I work out an hour a day I need 95 ounces. Who knew?
I guess I'll try to drink more. I feel like I already drink a pretty decent amount but with the cooler/dryer air I probably need more to hydrate my skin.
I also hope to drink at least one cup of green or white tea a day, preferably two.
I'm glad you brought this back! It'll be great for all of us.
- January 5, 2010 at 6:41 PM
- Karyn said...
I'm glad you have brought back this challenge, Lyn....it will be the perfect way to start the new year.
Water is one of my 2 biggest problems (the other being exercise). I once had a system for getting all my water in, but it has been a huge challenge to try get the habit back in place.
I will take your challenge to change this ONE thing this week!
- January 5, 2010 at 6:45 PM
- James Kid said...
I am going to drink one glass of water right when I wake up.
I love your blog. You are so insightful and the information that you provide is great.
Thank you and keep on trucking!
- January 5, 2010 at 6:49 PM
- Tiff said...
I'm going to bring 2 24 ounce water bottles to work everyday to save money from using my plastic water bottles and get the water I need everyday. In fact- I won't let myself go home from work until I have finished both bottles!
- January 5, 2010 at 6:53 PM
- Natasha Vaughn, Designer said...
This is definitely a habit I need in my life. I'm joining you in this Lyn. Thanks for the motivation.
- January 5, 2010 at 7:02 PM
- Ruby N. Esque said...
You mean, you get right up and drink 16oz of water even if you are NOT hungover????
Just kidding.
Evidently water is a good place to start this year.
I'm joining you on this one. Have the bottle, just need to use it more. The water bottle that is.
Good luck -- Ruby
- January 5, 2010 at 7:19 PM
- Julie Lost and Found said...
I have been doing well now for 8 weeks or so with water intake..I take in at least 128 oz a day. However, I'm unhappy in that I really would like to use a Brita filter or something similar. Also, I really would like to get in more green tea in the morning. I need to take the time to fix myself one or two cups of green tea daily.
- January 5, 2010 at 7:26 PM
- rachel said...
I really need to drink more water. My problem is that I drive a schoolbus for a living and that means 3 hours, twice a day, with no hope for a bathroom break. I was wondering if you had any advice... thanks for the motivation! Since your fast food post (yuck!) I have been thinking about why I treat myself so badly by eating all of that crap. As of Jan 1st, I have prepared EVERY MEAL I HAVE EATEN!!! The crunch in the taco meat visualization is what I think of every time I am tempted. *GAG* :)
- January 5, 2010 at 7:53 PM
- Lyn said...
You're doing great :)
As for the bus schedule, I guess my advice would be to take a water bottle and start drinking about 45 minutes before you'll be seeing a bathroom! And then stop sometime before you have to drive again. Try to fit the water in either extra early or after work I guess... maybe you can drink a full 16oz of water on a weekend and then time how long it takes before you have to pee. That might help you schedule it in.
Good luck :)
- January 5, 2010 at 8:32 PM
- Sarabei said...
I am a big water drinker - it boils down to me being cheap and tap water is cheaper than bottled water and pops or juices. ha When I first started though, the thing that helped me make sure I was getting my water was to have one cup, my cup, that no one else touched. Since it was just water, I don't wash it every time I use it, and as soon as it's empty, I fill it up and start again. Now it's just habit to always have my cup o water wherever I go. :) And yes, there are lots of pee breaks!
- January 5, 2010 at 8:33 PM
- bigloserblogger said...
Your blog is a great inspiration! I love to read it. I am starting a new one and would love feedback if you have time to check it out:
- January 5, 2010 at 9:09 PM
- screwdestiny said...
I like the Habit-A-Week Challenge. :)
I'm already pretty good at getting my recommended water in each day. And I only drink skim milk. People say it tastes like watery milk, but I don't see much difference. But I could drink tea. I guess. It tastes like grass (lol), but I guess I can try.
- January 6, 2010 at 1:09 AM
nothing. i already drink tap water. good luck with your goal
- January 6, 2010 at 2:08 AM
- Ms. PJ Geek said...
I'm joining the challenge. I drink a lot of water , but the hydration calculator indicates I'm needing to actually drink 113 oz. Ohhhh..I'm going to check out the almond breeze milk too.
Started today .
Here's something I do also that is a good addition/substitute for morning coffee.
Lemon juice and I also wash the lemon off and put a slice in the water with a little cinnamon and sweet n low. I call it lemon cin water, but It is very comforting to a sore throat and is supposed to have hot lemon water is supposed to be good for bowels/bladder.
- January 6, 2010 at 4:52 AM
- Steve said...
Oh, oh! Another Challenge...WOOHOO!!! I'm in.
I think my water intake is pretty good...when I'm at work only. We have a filtered water dispenser and I have a 32oz cup that I fill and refill several times a day.
It's when I go home that it gets bad. This is when I usually only up drinking soda, and if I do drink water its tap water. I've been meaning to get a filtered water pitcher, but for right now I'll settle on drinking at least 32oz at home daily (on the days that I work). If I'm off work I'll shoot for 64oz.
- January 6, 2010 at 7:16 AM
- Crabby McSlacker said...
These are great ideas for getting more water!
I finally got in the habit of drinking a bunch in the morning when I first got up. Otherwise, I'd realize towards the end of the day I was low, and try to make it up in the evening. Of course then I'd be getting up all night to pee!
Your plan is much better.
- January 6, 2010 at 8:20 AM
Hi Lyn. I have been having such a hard time lately getting on track and staying on track. I start out the day okay and always fall apart by the afternoon. I think this is just what I need to get myself back in the right direction. Something small that I can focus on, even if my eating isn't the best I will get my water in.
I started the morning off with a 16oz glass of water, followed by a healthy breakfast & a cup of decaf black tea. I then had another 16oz glass of water and a healthy snack. So far, so good. I think starting the day off with the cup of water helped..Thanks for doing this challenge again.
- January 6, 2010 at 8:30 AM
- Larkspur said...
Ooh, I want to do this one. And I want to do water. I think my plan will be to fill a glass of icewater and keep it by me at intervals throughout the day-- something I am not doing now.
- January 6, 2010 at 8:35 AM
- Amy said...
I drink a lot of water but I'm going to start drinking a big glass as soon as I wake up. Since I exercise immediately upon waking my muscles will work better.
- January 6, 2010 at 9:09 AM
- Hope @ Hope's Journey said...
I really like what you're doing with the habit-a-week challenge. I think the most difficult part of making a lifestyle change is knowing where to start, and this gives new readers a great starting point. I know that when I first started out, I literally had NO idea about how to start. Of course, I knew I had to cut back on my portions, but I literally knew nothing else.
Great post, and again, great idea!
- January 6, 2010 at 9:21 AM
I recently read that the most likely time to have a heart attack is first thing in the morning, because you body is dehydrated and your blood is thick and sticky. So, I'm going to start there, 8 oz of water first thing in the morning. I'll branch out from there after I get that under control. Thanks for the inspiration.
- January 6, 2010 at 9:38 AM
- Jennifer said...
I personally can't drink large amounts of plain water without nausea, but I do 64oz of Crystal Light (well, the generic version, anyway) every day. I'll work on adding to that though, since I know more hydration is always a good thing.
- January 6, 2010 at 10:04 AM
- Moongirl said...
Thank you for this. I am willing to drink more water! And I am totally getting one of those pitchers.
- January 6, 2010 at 10:28 AM
- PatriciaW said...
I had exactly this thought this morning. It worked for me last year. I lost 23 lbs and kept off 18.
Beginning again. The easiest one for me to start with is drinking water. Time to fill the cup!
- January 6, 2010 at 10:32 AM
- Tina said...
I'm always working on a water challenge and the thing that helps me the most is being reminded! I have my sister IM me or set a timer or something. Just reading your post I chugged 8oz. Thanks for bringing back the challenge. I loved it last year! :)
- January 6, 2010 at 11:53 AM
- God's girl =) said...
what an AWESOME idea! Habit-A-Week Challenge is ON! lol. Really tho, I'm liking this. I'm totally with you about making lots of changes all at one time is too exhausting. Water is the best but also what a challenge! lol. =)
Thanks for the idea!
- January 6, 2010 at 12:08 PM
I so desperatley want to lose this weight before I turn 30 in november and I am bound and determined to do so!
love ya Lyn!
- January 6, 2010 at 4:12 PM
- Boo Bear's Place said...
I followed your challenge somewhat when you done it last year. I really need to get a grip on life right now and what better way to start with doing this challenge.
I'm going through a separation from my husband who was my world until he cheated on me. It hurts but its not only me he's hurting but our 3 year old daughter too. I need to start getting in touch with my own life and finding out who I really am. I want to feel better about myself and how can I love anyone if I don't even love myself right now?
- January 8, 2010 at 8:36 AM
- jenn said...
I found this challenge a bit late this week, but that's okay. I already started drinking water this week. I'll be following along with the rest of your challenges. Very cool idea.
- January 8, 2010 at 11:24 AM
- Cynthia said...
I am joining in late, but better late than never, right?
I definitely need a lot of water to stay hydrated and feeling good, and I've let my drinking slip. So I've got my 16 oz. cup and am ready to drink up, especially that first glass in the morning. I'm also trying to prepare and drink a pot of green tea daily... sometimes going for a second steeping. My pot makes 36 ounces worth, so that's a help.
Thanks for this!
- January 10, 2010 at 2:04 PM
- single lutheran said...
I just did the hydration calculator, and I should be drinking more around 98 ounces, which is just over 12 glasses a day. That's good to know. Thanks for sharing that link in your original post.
- January 13, 2010 at 7:41 PM


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i recently moved back to the area (gaithersburg) after 3 years in cali and am trying to continue playing as much tennis as i can. i am currently in btwn jobs so my schedule is completely open, and w all the us open on tv these days i am craving it more and more. there is a court in my townhouse community here in gaithersburg, but i have no problem driving to play. i am down to hit / play a match / singles / doubles with 3.5s and up any day any time for the foreseeable future
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Hey Corey - I'm a 3.5 living in North Bethesda and usually free during the week until in return to work in October. The weather is not looking good today, but if you want to do some indoor court time at Cabin John I might be able to swing that tonight. Otherwise, we can try and arrange something for Saturday or Sunday.
hey tarek,
the rain looks like it might hold but id b down for cabin john if u want to play it safe. my phone numbers 410-302-2749 give me a call.
How about some tennis today, Sunday? I'm in Chevy Chase. I have courts here we can use.
Good talking with you. Please confirm, tennis Thursday 9/23 at 5pm at the courts shown in this google map:
Looking forward to it,
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Oct 11 2007
A Brief Introduction to Distributed Version Control
Last night at SLUUG, I have a talk on distributed source control tools. It was quite introductory, but the notes (below) may still be helpful. These notes were on a handout at the talk, as usual I didn't use slides.
Unfortunately I didn't get an audio recording of this talk, so no transcript either.
About 30 people were in attendance. Nearly 100% were familiar with CVS and SVN, and perhaps 20% with other tools (ClearCase, SourceSafe, and others). Only 4 had ever used branch/merge in any project or tool!
A Brief Introduction to Distributed Version Control
You Branch and Merge.
A fundamental truth: every time you edit a file you are branching, and every time you reconcile with another developer you are merging. In most tools you get one easy branch and merge locus: your local working directory. All other branching is a Big Deal.
It does not have to be this way.
A Short Tour of 3 tools
hg: http://www.selenic.com/mercurial/
git: http://git.or.cz/
Also, check your distro's package system.
(At this point in the talk I demonstrated the basic features of each)
What is a DVCS? Why Use a DVCS?
Peer-to-peer design
Everyone gets all the features, rather than the interesting features limited to a high priest class.
Make use of the massive CPU and disk capacity on dev machines.
No central server needed, though many projects nominate a machine for this purpose.
Use a "dumb" storage location for a repository, if desired. Or a "smart server" for performance and security.
Work offline, with full history, branches, merges.
No central administrator is needed, potentially a cost savings.
Very cheap branching, in some cases immediate, even for large projects.
Very good merging, because you merge all the time.
Commit-then-merge, not merge-then-commit.
Repeated merge without havoc.
Merge keeps both sides of history, which is important because you merge a lot. This varies by tools, for example apparently bzr keeps this history less effectively than some others.
Depending on what you are coming from and which tool you choose, the speed gain can be so remarkable that it help every developer every day.
Some SVN Nitpicks
It is easy and tempting to pick on SVN. Linus does so vigorously in his online talk. I don't hate it as much as he does but, these things bother me:
SVN is slow for large projects.
Branching in SVN sounds clever as you read its cheap copy story. It's a great story. But actually using it is ridiculous; both in the URL-crazy syntax and utter lack of merge history.
We don't need a better CVS, we need something much better than CVS.
.svn directories scattered all over are a pointless pain.
.svn directories are enormous, sometimes larger than the entire project history in git or hg!
Security is a weak area in terms of out-of-the-box features and tutorials, because these tools come from the open source world where the default is for everyone to be able to see all code. However, with a little effort you can set up whatever security you like:
If you're serving over HTTP, you can use Apache mod_whatever to control access.
Tunnel over SSH (in the box, in most cases) to avoid ever sending code in the clear.
Even a "dumb" storage location can be secured with SFTP.
Scripts can be used for per-branch and other fine grained access control, akin to what you can do with svn-access.conf. There are examples online.
I Can't Use a DVCS Because:
SOX/HIPPA/CMM/etc. requires a centralized tool.
SOX/HIPPA/CMM/etc, is the standard reason why anyone can't do anything. Some of these tools facilitate much stronger guarantees about the provenance of the source code than you get from a centralized tool, because they have credible and straightforward ways to verify that centralized store has not been compromized.
We are all in one place, therefore a DVCS makes no sense.
Actually many of the features in these tools are as useful in the same building as in a worldwide team.
Tool ZZZ is our corporate standard.
Then you should use it, don't get fired. However, many people are using a DVCS in front of their corporate standard tool.
DVCS vs DVCS:
Many DVCS tools treat each repo/workspace as a branch and vice versa, so if you use many branches you will have many workspaces.
bzr can use shared files to reduce the bloat from this.
git handles many branches much better, with arbitrarily many per repo/workspace.
My feeling is that hg and git are more mature than bzr.
git does not work well on windows yet.
Other DVCS to Consider
Monotone – has some slick features, but does not appear to scale well to large projects. It stores information in a SQLite DB. Monotone, unlike any others I've seen, replicates all branches by default, which is nice.
An aside — there are fascinating thoughts on how to a data synchronization system can work, in the Monotone docs / presentations.
arch / tla — one of the early DVCSs that started all this. I have heard it is mystifying to use.
darcs — everyone loves its "cherry picking", but I have not triedit.
SVK — optimized for being a better svn client, with offline history and merging that works. Stores merge history in SVN attribute.
More git Merging
Depending on time, I will show more of the branch / merge facilities in git, as well as its gitk GUI.
Other Resources
Update: the following appeared a few days after my talk, it is very good, aside from slightly bogus listings in the "disadvantages" section:
If you found this post useful, please link to it from your web site, mention it online, or mention it to a colleague.
3 responses so far
3 Responses to "A Brief Introduction to Distributed Version Control"
"for example apparently bzr keeps this history less effectively than some others"
Could you pleas elaborate this, less effectively in what way? History in bzr is represented by a DAG, which is exactly the same model as in git, and similar to monotone and mercurial (which use a DAG as well, but with max. two parents per node/merge).
>> Could you pleas elaborate this
Sorry – no I can't. It is an impression I had from using bzr several months ago, and appeared to be confirmed by comments I saw elsewhere on the matter. You are right about the DAG. I am not as sure how equivalent the tools are in how various parts of the DAG are moved around, i.e. after a merge, does the full history of each side end up in all future "pulls"? Unfortunately I don't expect to have time to research and report on that in detail soon either, I've had to restrict my work with these tools to mostly one-at-a-time.
I might loop back around and try out bzr again after 1.0; however, I have come to prefer git's support for many-branches-per-repo/workspace, over the one-branch-per-repo/workspace approach, even when the latter is made space-efficient by nested a bunch of them inside a shared repo.
The talk was very good — I wish we had had more time to get into more details.
Unfortunately, I did not get enough input to decide which of the tools to go with. But I'm going to try git on my next project. Perhaps I'll try bzr on the project after that to compare for myself.


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Dressing for in-between seasons can be tricky. Transitional cutout booties are a great way to start both the fall and spring seasons, but sometimes they can be a bit clunky for those occasional warmer days. Known for his sporty, sometimes-androgynous designs, Alexander Wang is giving us a new way to look at transitional footwear with his new Irene Flat.
This pared-down Alexander Wang design isn't one that I would normally gravitate toward, nor does it fit into my style, but I'm intrigued. I envision myself wearing these sandals with rolled-up boyfriend jeans and my favorite chunky-knit turtleneck. These shoes were made for the minimalist at heart, but if you are like me and tend be on the maximal side of things, you may be surprised how well these can work for you.


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If you've already been spending all your money getting ready to go back to school, then take advantage of some of these great free back to school printables!
This is such a great way to celebrate going back to school! Gwynn Wasson created this fun Blast Back To School printable party that you can print here.
Eighteen 25 shares this creative printable that would be a good teacher gift or a fun surprise for a backpack.
If you're hosting a back to school bash then be sure to check out the ideas and printables from Amanda's Parties TO GO! There are so many creative and great ways to use these printables!
I'll definitely be using both of these great lunch box notes and first day of school printable from Chickabug.


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Items where SHU Author is "Wright, Katherine"
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WRIGHT, K. M. (2007). The role of solicitors in divorce: a note of caution. Child and family law quarterly, 19 (4), 481-495.
WRIGHT, K. M. (2006). The divorce process: a view from the other side of the desk. Child and family law quarterly, 18 (1), 93-112.
WRIGHT, Katherine (2004). The process of divorce : a study of solicitors and their clients. Doctoral, Sheffield Hallam University.


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Hamilton said Monday that the glass of the door on the north side of the building had been broken, and two safes appeared to have been broken into.
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White County, Illinois is a great place to live, work and play. Good jobs, good schools, good fun and good people are the reason why.
The area was settled in the early 1800's by settlers putting down stakes on the fertile ground along the Little Wabash River. In the 1850's the arrival of the railroad brought not only new residents, but new businesses as well.
In the 1960's the Interstate Highway System was initiated. White County is blessed with Interstate 64 running east and west through the county, providing a major travel route for business. Oil and agriculture continue to be mainstays in the White County system, but underground coal mining has also taken off south of Carmi.
White County schools prepare students with extensive course offerings and some of the latest computer technology in the classroom. For advanced degrees and ongoing adult education, the county is home to the Southeastern Illinois College Carmi Campus.
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Our Thoughts: This book is so much fun! Every letter in the alphabet is represented by 2 ore more "made up" words that are created by two actual words of the same letter. For instance on the "j" page you will find Jolliggily which is the combination of jolly and giggly. How fun is that?! My daughter immediately erupted into giggles over that one. Some of the words even have inspiring quotes with them. Firarming? That one is fire + warming which is paired with "Use your inner fire for warming others not burning them" . The book is just brimming with gems like this and we have really enjoyed it. The illustrations by Martina Hogan are fun, colorful and go perfectly with the fun words. I would highly recommend this title!
Buy It: You can purchase this book today on Amazon by clicking HERE.
How I Did It
Our Thoughts: This book is SO much fun! The character of "I" is just so cute and determined and a real joy to see come to life on the pages. Anoosha Syed (the illustrator) does a wonderful job bringing character to each of the letters, especially the wide eyed "I". Linda Ragsdale is so creative with the quest of "I" trying to become something other than he is. Under the watchful eyes of the other letters we watch "I" scrunching, wriggling and tangling to become other letters. This book is adorable, engaging and full of positive messages like confidence, determination and flexibility. This one is a must for kids!
Buy It: You can pick up this title on Amazon by clicking HERE.
Win It: I am thrilled to tell you that one lucky Reviewed by Mom follower will win a copy of both "How I Did It" and "Alphabetter" by Linda Ragsdale. Thank you so much to the sponsor and good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Nothing is too good for your first born child. From a $3,000 Aston Martin-branded stroller, to this hand cut and sewn leather car seat from Maxi-Cosi that will set you back $875. A princely sum that would otherwise sound ridiculous were it not for the adorable tiny integrated cup holder.
Why have child carseat makers not realized that babies need hydration while driving too? And the reason they're prone to just throwing or dropping their sippy cups is most likely due to a lack of cup holders. In hindsight, I realized I've dropped many a Big Gulp on the floor of my car when the cup holders are all full. But conveniences aside, the Pria 70 Leather Edition also boasts a strong internal truss system that promises to absorb forces in the event of a crash, and a set of air bags on either side that deflate with pressure to better help cushion your wee one. [Maxi-Cosi]


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(The start)
(Scott Jurek's finish)
(Krissy Moehl's finish)
Scott Dunlap's blog of trail running, ultrarunning, triathlon, and other life adventures. I enjoy the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey of outdoor events and the chance to meet cool people. This blog contains interviews, research, original fiction, new product ideas, and all things trail running.
I LIVE for comments! Please add your thoughts, let me know you stopped by, etc., and be thoughtful of others. Always best if you sign your name, of course.


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Remember the scary Dow 1929 chart? (Of course you do). But now comes another chart showing similarities between the current five-year-old bull market in the S&P 500 Index and the one that ended in 1987 with the October crash.
"History doesn't repeat .... but does it rhyme???" is the question Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist and economist at Wells Capital Management, poses in a note Wednesday.
Paulsen writes:
As recently as last year-end, both bulls were up about 175% from their respective bear market lows! The important anniversary passed just a couple days ago was the 1274th trading day of both bull markets – the day on 8/25/1987 when the 1982 bull market reached a notable peak. On that day, the S&P 500 Index peaked for the year at 336.77. Moreover, we are now just 37 trading days from another important anniversary in financial history – 10/19/1987 when the S&P 500 Index suffered its biggest single day collapse ever!
While Paulsen isn't calling for another 20% single day collapse in the S&P 500, he doesn't rule out the possibility the index could see a 10% correction sometime within the next few months.
He notes:
Mostly, we just find this ongoing close relationship of the contemporary bull market to that of the 1980s bull fascinating and thought you may too. Both bulls were born out of utter disbelief.
While many have criticized that overlaying charts is very much a parlor game, 37 days does put the market squarely in June territory, which has not fared well in past midterm election years in the second year of a presidential cycle, as Sam Stovall, chief equity analyst at S&P Capital IQ, noted on Monday.
--Wallace Witkowski
Follow The Tell on Twitter @thetellblog
Follow Witkowski @wmwitkowski
More from MarketWatch:
Anti-1929 chart shows the bull market's longevity — or that data is malleable
New doomsday poll: 99.9% risk of 2014 crash
Midterm elections could contribute to June Swoon: S&P's Stovall


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Quinton Coples is on the move.
Quinton Coples is on the move.
Various media outlets, including ESPN New York and CBS.com, reported on Wednesday the former Kinston and UNC standout and current New York Jets lineman will move from defensive end to outside linebacker in 2013.
The move comes days after the Jets used their 13th overall pick in last month�s draft on former Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson.
Dennis Waszak Jr., a sports writer for the Associated Press who covers the Jets, tweeted on Wednesday, �At (hash)Jets open locker room, Quinton Coples confirms he�ll play OLB this season. Looks forward to having more opportunities to get to QB(.)�
Coples, the 16th overall pick in 2012, led the team his rookie season with 5 1/2 sacks despite appearing in just over half its snaps (516 of 1,019).
HATCHER LEADS PCL IN SAVES: Former Kinston and UNC-Wilmington standout Chris Hatcher picked up his Pacific Coast League-leading ninth save on Tuesday for the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs in a 2-1 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers.
Hatcher, who�s had two stints with the parent Miami Marlins, had a 2.70 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 13 games entering Thursday�s game.
CAPPS UP TO 2 WINS FOR MARINERS: Former North Lenoir and Mount Olive College standout Carter Capps picked up his second major league win of the season and of his career for the Seattle Mariners on Sunday in a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
Capps, who on April 18 became the first Kinston native to win a major league game since George Suggs did it in 1915, did it again 10 days later. The right-hander gave up one hit and struck out three in two scoreless innings.
Capps (2-1), who gave up one run on three hits in 1 2/3 innings against Baltimore on Wednesday, has a 4.73 ERA and 18 strikeouts on the season.
STACKHOUSE, NETS IN NBA PLAYOFFS: Former Kinston, UNC and NBA veteran Jerry Stackhouse is still going strong. He is averaging 4.9 points in 8.57 minutes per game for the Brooklyn Nets in his 17th NBA season.
The Nets trailed the Chicago Bulls 3-2 in the best-of-seven NBA quarterfinals going into Thursday�s Game 6.
The 38-year-old has said he plans to retire at season�s end.


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Remember Sarah Palin? I know she hasn't really gone anywhere (except back home to Alaska until her bus tour resumes, on some date known only to her and possibly her staff), hope as we may that she will some day. No, I mean remember Sarah Palin circa 2008, after her big speech at the GOP convention, when she went from being "Sarah Who?" to Sarah Palin. Remember the insanity that took hold of both the left, right, and the commentariat? One minute, she was dismissed as joke. The next minute, we were told we should all take her very seriously.
Remember that insanity?. Well, it's back. Only this time, the infectious agent is Michele Bachmann. And from now to 2012, it looks like we're in for a full-fledged epidemic of Bachmannia.
Bachmannia (I only wish I could take credit for the name) can refer the insanity of the candidate herself, or the insanity she inspires in pundits, bloggers, etc. It manifests itself somewhat differently in the candidate/carrier than in the rest of the population.
My first experience with Bachmannia was in 2008, when Bachmann said she was proud to be from a state where many people had to work two jobs.
At a press conference today unveiling the stimulus proposal, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) justified the conservative plan to give tax breaks to corporations — instead of working Americans — by arguing that people actually like working long hours:
I am so proud to be from the state of Minnesota. We're the workingest state in the country, and the reason why we are, we have more people that are working longer hours, we have people that are working two jobs.
Bachmann's version of the American Dream is apparently working two full-time jobs and struggling to get by.
I'd no idea at the time, but that was my introduction to Bachmannia. I mistakenly assumed that (a) she was crazy and (b) I'd probably never hear about her again. I was half right. Bachmann herself would go on to prove me right on my first assumption, and wrong on the second, simply by being Bachmann.
Next to the hard core conservative GOP base — the people who kept George W. Bush's approval ratings in the double digits, though just barely towards the end of his term — progressive bloggers and late night talk show hosts were probably sadder than anyone to see Dubya go, leaving us to what we feared would be severe Bushism withdrawal. Palinisms saved us from that, but her lack of elected office keeps us from getting a regular fix.
Enter Bachmann. Her pearls of wisdom are too many to count, though her "greatest hits" and best/worst moments have been compiled all over the web.
The collection will never be complete, because she keeps adding to them. Her latest elicited chuckles all over the web, though none summed it up better than Christopher Hitchens.
That was actually three dripping custard pies, rather than just the one, with which Rep. Michele Bachmann assailed her own face by bragging to Fox News about her small-town Iowa roots. Having hymned the incomparable Dairy Queen and Wonder Bread facilities boasted by the sturdy small town of her girlhood, she went on to claim that "John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa," adding, "That's the kind of spirit that I have, too."
John Wayne was from Winterset, Iowa, which can be found about 150 miles to the southwest of Waterloo. It was his namesake John Wayne Gacy, serial rapist and killer of 33 teenage boys and young men, who spent time in Waterloo. (I long ago pointed out that having "John Wayne" in your lineup of given names is a bad predictor: John Wayne Bobbitt was reduced by an infuriated partner to hunting in the weeds for his abruptly severed penis.)
Traditionally, the phrase "to meet your Waterloo" means to encounter a final and unarguable defeat. Perhaps it's too early to say that, but really. In one stroke, Bachmann shows that she can't tell one folksy Iowa town from another. Then she compounds the error by confusing a folk hero with a villain and psycho. Finally, and having never done or said anything that would stand a second's comparison to the spirit of The Duke (whatever you may think of him), she tries to borrow the mantle of a husky gunfighter in the very week that she is pathetically advocating that we leave Col. Qaddafi alone. The old parochialism meets the not-so-new isolationism. A very shaky start.
But her latest isn't likely to be her Waterloo. That doesn't mean she'll get the GOP nod for President, let alone move her office down Pennsylvania Avenue. It means, instead, that her latest gaffe is unlikely to sink her popularity with her base, which — if you ask me — is the same base that kept Dubya's approval ratings circling the bowl when when they would otherwise have gone down the drain. It's the same base Karl Rove spoke of when he laughed at liberals for deriding Bush's, urging them to "Keep it up," because the more the left laughed at Bush's the more ardently the base embraced Bush.
They were dubbed the "25 percenters," when Bush's approval ratings hit 25% back in 2007. (His low, in the end, was 22%.)
It's possible that the parallel universe created by the Right has gotten so complex that it's become exclusionary. I've tried to get a handle on this before, though I don't think I've quite managed to pin it down yet. I've mentioned before that it seems that members of the movement Right demand that their candidates buy into the Entire Package of Wingnuttia. This isn't simply political purism, it's about validating a worldview. There are all these articles of faith in wingnuttia which have been given to them by the wingnut noise machine, and failure to embrace them all is a signal that you aren't really part of the club.
But this wingnut worldview has gotten complex and sprawling. Its cast of characters, bizarre understanding of history, and policy positions have grown and expanded so that only obsessed true believers can really feel a part of it. They've established an entire mythology, and its adherents have become cultlike.
The noise machine still has a great impact on our mainstream discourse, but only the real hardcore wingnuts can really identify with the full wingnut package anymore. The beast has grown too large.
We couldn't have known it at the time, but effect was to pave the way for the "Palinization" of America.
This erosion was happening long before Palin burst onto the scene, but her presence has exposed the negative effects of the direction we've been heading for many years. The Palinization of America!
What exactly is Palinization?
As I define it, it is the culmination of many years of unfortunate decisions regarding child rearing — ill-conceived self-image programs, rewarding mere participation, the alienization of punishment, and the emergence of political correctness.
It is the failure of the education system; the dumbing down of America.
It's the self-righteousness and vitriol of religious factions.
The loss of civility due, in-part, to an erosion of communication skills.
It's the lies of politicians and corporate executives. The slow decay of integrity and honesty.
it's unreality television.
And, it's an uninformed and ignorant electorate; partially the result of a deficient media.
The lowest common denominators.
This has never been in more evidence than the rise of Sarah Palin. She is neither enlightened nor learned, but that doesn't seem to deter her or those that have followed her example. This lack of intelligence or knowledge is not isolated to Palin. There is a growing number of people who have been elected or threaten to run for office that have little understanding of history, the Constitution, government, or the law. Most are lacking common sense.
Those include Michele Bachmann, Louis Gohmert, Marsha Blackburn, Thaddeaus McCotter, Virginia Foxx, Rick Santorum, the Donald, and many others — each hysterically and Constitutionally challenged.
The election of Barack Obama made some of us a bit giddy. We were so understandably eager to say goodbye to anti-intellectualism that we forgot about Palin, though she hung around like a nagging cough from a cold we thought the body politic was finally over. It turned out that persistent cough was a sign of our weakened resistance. Like the body can harbor a bacteria that holds the potential to destroy it, our political petri dish has cultured a "culture of belief" in which what you believe is more important than what you know.
I don't know if I've written this before, but I think that Beard and some other figures on the right — Sarah Palin is one, and George W. Bush another — represent a whole culture of American conservatism that I and others on the left find mystifying.
We rail against it as "anti-intellectualism", but often find ourselves thunderstruck, and sometimes reduced to incoherent sputtering at its both its utter impenetrability and its unbreakable hold on its adherents.
I haven't figured out what to call it, myself, but it's a culture in which what you believe is more important than what you know, and what you know — or could know if you wanted to and tried to learn — can be dangerous if it undermines what you believe. Especially if it undermines what you must believe.
When you have to believe something in order to get into heaven, and you will spend all of in hell if you don't believe it or if you believe anything else, at some point you stop asking questions. You have to, if you don't want to go to hell.
It is as though you are standing in a room, and at the other end of that room is the gate to hell. You arm is outstretched, and in your hand is the key to that gate. Every question asked and answered by scientific inquiry is a step that takes you closer to that gate. Ask one question, and you take a step closer. Answer another one and you take another step. Keep asking and you're walking across the room. Before you know it, the key is in the lock, and one more question may turn the key.
I think P.I. Thomas got it about right when he called it a culture of belief.
The US is unique compared to the rest of Western world, which tends to accept evolution, but the comparison is less significant than the inference we can draw about the US and the associated impacts visible in our disdain for not only education, but also the well-educated, the informed: the predominant culture in the US is a belief culture.
By "belief," I do not refer to religious faith per se. This discussion is about a belief culture that is secular, political and, ultimately, ideological, even when belief is connected to religious traditions and stances.
As Einstein offered, both belief and science have value, even as complements to each other: "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind" – especially as faith informs our ethics. But in the US, we are apt to misuse belief and ignore (or misunderstand) science when we need it most.
And this is where I think Hitchens either underestimates the "25 percenters" or overestimates everyone else.
Where does it come from, this silly and feigned idea that it's good to be able to claim a small-town background? It was once said that rural America moved to the cities as fast as it could, and then from urban to suburban as fast as it could after that. Every census for decades has confirmed this trend. Overall demographic impulses to one side, there is nothing about a bucolic upbringing that breeds the skills necessary to govern a complex society in an age of globalization and violent unease. We need candidates who know about laboratories, drones, trade cycles, and polychrome conurbations both here and overseas. Yet the media make us complicit in the myth — all politics is yokel? — that the fast-vanishing small-town life is the key to ancient virtues. Wasilla, Alaska, is only the most vivid recent demonstration of the severe limitations of this worldview. But still it goes on. Hence one's glee at the resulting helpings of custard.
It's easy and tempting to dismiss Bachmann, along with other GOP candidates jockeying for a spot on the 2012 ticket. But her appeal to the "25 percenters" — the people to whom it didn't matter that Bush didn't know Shiite from Sunni when we invaded Iraq, and even the beltway types who believed Palin's utter lack of knowledge about foreign policy (or much else) made her any less qualified to be president — is as great as Bush's or Palin's, because to "25 percenters" ignorance is an asset.
Or, at least, ignorance is no liability as long as a candidate has the "right beliefs." And when it comes to this crowd, few candidates in this race so far can beat Bachmann in that category. Her views on the minimum wage (she'd like to "abolish it") are outside the general mainstream, for example, but are in line with the Republican mainstream.
As Joan McCarter (here, here, and here) and DemFromCT (here) have documented, in the past few weeks leading Republican candidates have come out against the minimum wage, either calling for it to be lowered or for eliminating it altogether because they think it's unconstitutional. And now West Virginia GOP Senate nominee Joe Raese is once again vowing to repeal the Fair Labor Standards Act which established the minimum wage.
The key thing about the GOP position is that it's not just the minimum wage that they want to get rid of. They want to nuke virtually every law and regulation that protects workers. And that includes another provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act: overtime pay. Without that provision, hourly workers would not get time-and-a-half if they work more than 40 hours in a week. Indeed, without the FLSA workers could be required to work more than 40 hours without getting paid anything extra at all.
So while eliminating the minimum wage is a perfect example of the kind of policies these reactionary Republicans will pursue, it is by no means the only example. If they have their way, they will fundamentally change America, but in the wrong direction. They will, as Scott McAdams said, attempt to repeal the 20th century. They want to party like it's 1810, not 2010.
What's scary about Bachmann isn't that she's "crazy" — a wild-eyed wingnut, who shouldn't be anywhere near the oval office. Granted it's for those of us in the "reality-based community," it's hard to see her as anything but unhinged. She's no outlier. She's the most recent link in the devolution of of the American right — from Duybya, to Palin, to Bachmann. She's dead center of today's conservative mainstream.
No, the real demon we must name and exorcise is that Bachmann is no anomaly, a freakish exception to the rule. She is, like Sarah Palin or George W. Bush, a "real 'Murcan" just as much as thee and me and all our brethren piloting Toyota Priuses to Whole Foods.
In this regard, it's important to remember that, while the ideology she embraces is clearly destructive and therefore pathological, she herself is probably not clinical in any diagnosable way.
More to the point, the dominionist, authoritarian, hyper-nationalistic and, ultimately, racism-tainted ideology she embraces is not antithetical to, but on a continuum with, normative American values, although they are admittedly at one end of the spectrum.
Just as the crime, domestic violence, widespread substance abuse, broken homes, and other social pathologies of the inner city are merely distilled versions of social pathologies present throughout American society, a product of a culture that breeds despair and its attendant addictive behaviors, so Bachmann's belief system is just a more concentrated form of exceptionalism, with its corresponding conviction that we are not bound by the same laws of necessity that govern the rest of the world: that, at heart, the catchphrase, "The American Dream," translates into a God-given right to lead the unexamined life. Whatever the cost.
The big challenge facing liberals and progressives is to acknowledge that we, too, are infected by the same notion of exceptionalism ("America's high consumption lifestyle is a blessed lifestyle," as George Bush so eloquently put it). Failing that, we will continue to disarm ourselves in the face of the power and influence of individuals like Michele Bachmann.
What's scary about Bachmann is that to those with her virulent strain of Bachmannia, she makes perfect sense. What even scarier is that many of us may be infected with weaker, but no less deadly, strains of the same sickness. What should be terrifying is that we may not even know it. Thus it spreads. Finally, if everyone's got a touch of the same sickness, eventually we stop calling it a sickness. We call it normal. That's how nonsense becomes "common sense"; as in "common sense conservatism."
Bachmannia's big threat is just that. Left untreated, allowed to spread, it can make a candidate like Michele Bachmann seem normal. It might even win her Iowa.