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Implementation and Support Unit (ISU)
|You are here: ISU Home > RTT Technical Assistance
The Technical Assistance team of the Implementation and Support Unit (ISU) offers collective and individualized technical assistance around the four core education assurance areas:
- Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
- Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction
- Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most;
- Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.
Reform Support Network
In partnership with the ISU, The Reform Support Network (RSN) offers collective and individualized technical assistance (TA) and resources to State grantees of the Race to the Top education reform initiative. The RSN's purpose is to support the Race to the Top grantees as they implement reforms in education policy and practice, learn from each other and build their capacity to sustain these reforms. The RSN is also setting the groundwork for distributing the learning from the Race to the Top initiatives to all States by sharing promising practices and lessons learned with other States attempting to implement similarly bold education reform initiatives.


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To spread the businesses globally website is the best medium. Most probably by no other means you can present the business completely to the world visitors! But to take any website to that stature, the site needs to be built with the best business web template! Now you may be thinking how you will understand that you are buying the best layout to build your site! There should be really some easy to understand features – great color, proper exposure to the products or services, easy navigation, visual presentations and a few more features are in need only.
Here we will try to know what features should be presented in any business template to make it proper to use in our sites. Let us see just a few points:
- The first thing that attracts the users to a site is its colors. So business web template needs to be proper in the combination of the colors. There may be a business theme or some particular colors that may match with your business. Why not choose the layout in that color? Say your business is related with the fruit and vegetables then you have to choose a color scheme matching the green and of-course the multi-color to make the fruits and vegetables properly blend with the site theme.
- The next thing which comes in the notice of the visitors is the header of the layout. For this very reason you have to choose a business template that has the option to highlight your offers on products or services in short in that place. You may take a portion to place a short video to give a glimpse of things. Placing animation in place of static images always work.
- The center part of any business web template has to be kept for showing off products or services. In the center if there is a place the products or service with little description the users can easily understand what type of business you are running or what they can get from your site. So it is necessary that the layouts give you scope to utilize the space for attracting your visitors cum customers.
- The overall site navigation menus and use of text and graphics have to be very much limited in every business template. If you use too much text the visitors will feel lethargy to read. At the same time excessive graphics to make the site standout in the crowd is no use if the visitors do not get the clear idea about your website. The navigation menus have to be bold and attractive to the visitors. The overall site needs to be user-friendly.
- Buy business web template with total customization option. You may get layouts in the market designed superbly but with little scope of customization. On the other hand if you go for open source developments like the Drupal, Joomla or others then you should buy layouts designed for particular themes. Otherwise your developers or the designers will face problem to make layouts completely fit for your business. Even in SEO related changes there will be a problem.
Hope you have understood how should every business template to make any business site successful. There are hundreds of template shops who sell these types of layout. You may even go for a freelance service with your ideas of the design. Just keep the above features in mind and make your business web template a beautiful one to look and use. But to get these features you should not spend so much money for sure. If you search the internet you may get the idea about what should be the affordable price for you. Finally buy or design an excellent business template and make your online presence really successful.

subset: commoncrawl


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Heligoats Makes NPR's Stephen Thompson's Top 10 Records of 2010!
The voices of NPR have started posting their Top Ten Records of 2010 and we are happy to announce that our very own Heligoats made Stephen Thompson's Top Ten at #10!
Stephen Thompson is an editor and reviewer for NPR Music. He also curates Song of the Day and appears as a frequent panelist on the podcasts All Songs Considered. Of the Heligoats wonderful Goodness Gracious, he says "The Heligoats' Chris Otepka doesn't write songs so much as he stuffs them with ideas until they brim over with imagination."
Check out the rest of this piece and other NPR notables lists here.
For those of you clamoring for more from The Heligoats, you're in luck. They have a split 10" coming out in January with their pal, Sam Humans called Live Free/Let Loose. Check out the first single below!


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Extended returns and exchanges on eligible items now through the holidays! See FAQs for details.
Log in if you have an account
Having an account with us will allow you to check out faster in the future, store multiple addresses, view and track your orders in your account, and more.Create an account
14k rose gold ring with a 6mm hexagon moonstone set in six claw prongs with a hammered texture.


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Got a new job? Recently married? We want to hear from you! Please send us your latest information, news, and photos, and we'll share it with the rest of the University community in the next issue of the TAMIU Alumni E-news. The Alumni E-news includes local and regional alumni and University news and a calendar of just-around-the-corner events.
Please mail info to:
Office of Alumni Relations
5201 University Blvd. - KL-261
Laredo, TX 78041
Phone Number (956) 326-4483
Fax Number (956) 326-2174
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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(a) Prior to acquiring, constructing or improving the qualifying transportation facility, the developer shall enter into a comprehensive agreement with the division. The comprehensive agreement shall provide for:
(1) Delivery of performance or payment bonds in connection with the construction of or improvements to the qualifying transportation facility, in the forms and amounts satisfactory to the division;
(2) Review and approval of the final plans and specifications for the qualifying transportation facility by the division;
(3) Inspection of the construction of or improvements to the qualifying transportation facility to ensure that they conform to the engineering standards acceptable to the division;
(4) Maintenance of a policy or policies of public liability insurance or self insurance, in a form and amount satisfactory to the division and reasonably sufficient to insure coverage of tort liability to the public and employees and to enable the continued operation of the qualifying transportation facility: Provided, That in no event may the insurance impose any pecuniary liability on the state, its agencies or any political subdivision of the state. Copies of the policies shall be filed with the division accompanied by proofs of coverage;
(5) Monitoring of the maintenance and operating practices of the developer by the division and the taking of any actions the division finds appropriate to ensure that the qualifying transportation facility is properly maintained and operated;
(6) Itemization and reimbursement to be paid to the division for the review and any services provided by the division;
(7) Filing of appropriate financial statements on a periodic basis;
(8) A reasonable maximum rate of return on investment for the developer;
(9) The date of termination of the developer's duties under this article and dedication to the division; and
(10) That a transportation facility shall accommodate all public utilities on a reasonable, nondiscriminatory and completely neutral basis and in compliance with the provisions of section seventeen-b, article four, chapter seventeen of this code.
(b) The comprehensive agreement may require user fees established by agreement of the parties. Any user fees shall be set at a level that, taking into account any service payments, allows the developer the rate of return on its investment specified in the comprehensive agreement: Provided, That the schedule and amount of the initial user fees to be imposed and any increase of the user fees must be approved by the Commissioner of the Division of Highways. A copy of any service contract shall be filed with the division. A schedule of the current user fees shall be made available by the developer to any member of the public upon request. In negotiating user fees under this section, the parties shall establish fees that are the same for persons using the facility under like conditions and that will not unreasonably discourage use of the qualifying transportation facility. The execution of the comprehensive agreement or any amendment to the comprehensive agreement constitutes conclusive evidence that the user fees provided in the comprehensive agreement comply with this article. User fees established in the comprehensive agreement as a source of revenues may be in addition to, or in lieu of, service payments.
(c) In the comprehensive agreement, the division may agree to accept grants or loans from the developer, from time to time, from amounts received from the state or federal government or any agency or instrumentality of the state or federal government.
(d) The comprehensive agreement shall incorporate the duties of the developer under this article and may contain any other terms and conditions that the division determines serve the public purpose of this chapter. Without limitation, the comprehensive agreement may contain provisions under which the division agrees to provide notice of default and cure rights for the benefit of the developer and the persons specified in the comprehensive agreement as providing financing for the qualifying transportation facility. The comprehensive agreement may contain any other lawful terms and conditions to which the developer and the division mutually agree, including, without limitation, provisions regarding unavoidable delays or provisions providing for a loan of public funds to the developer to acquire, construct or improve one or more qualifying transportation facilities.
(e) The comprehensive agreement shall require the deposit of any earnings in excess of the maximum rate of return as negotiated in the comprehensive agreement in the State Road Fund established pursuant to section one, article three, chapter seventeen of this code.
(f) Any changes in the terms of the comprehensive agreement, agreed upon by the parties, shall be added to the comprehensive agreement by written amendment.
(g) Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, the division may not enter any comprehensive agreements with a developer after June 30, 2023.
(h) Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, at least thirty days prior to execution, the commissioner shall provide a copy of a comprehensive agreement to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.


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Contact Us!
Phone Number:973.579.6333
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Fax Number:973.579.6293
The Veritas Vine is Veritas Christian Academy's newsletter. In it you will find information about school events, recent achievements, announcements, calendar updates and much more. It is our method of communication with the student's homes as it goes out to parents, students and any grandparents who wish to receive it. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, let us know!


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These pages are freely editable and are a community effort to display and give direction. We are currently in the process of moving the data from the previous wiki, so you may wish to check there as well. Feel free to join in the effort.
You are welcome to add new pages, and to update or to add relevant comments to existing pages. However, you should not treat this as a forum, for asking arbitrary questions about MinGW or MSYS; those should be directed to the mailing list.
|MinGWiki Pages
|How to add or edit MinGWiki pages.
|Getting Started
|What to get depending on your needs, where to get it, and how to install it properly.
|Package Guide
|An explanation of the packages that make up MinGW: what they do, where to get them, and how to use and compile them.
|Answers to questions related to compiling issues, installation problems, debugging tips and MinGW cautions. Some answers are expanded on more comprehensively in HOWTO articles.
|Comprehensive articles explaining specifics of compiling issues, installation problems, debugging tips, MinGW cautions and more.
|Source Examples
|Community supplied source code examples.
|Community Supplied Links
|Links to resources used by MinGW community members, such as tutorials, utilities and programs.
|Unanswered Questions
|Please list here all questions that you would like documented by someone else.
|Known Problems
|Read these before trying to debug that weird problem you might be experiencing.
|Project Path
|What does the future hold for MinGW?
Project website: http://www.mingw.org


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If your loved one has a memorial at Centennial Park, to create the on-line memorial you must be the Interment Right holder.
Alternatively, If your loved one was cremated at Centennial Park but does not have a memorial here, to create the on-line memorial you must be the Authorised Person.
If you are not the Interment Right holder nor have written authority from the Interment Right holder to create the on-line memorial your submission may be declined.
Born: On 2nd January 1928
Passed away: 11th November 2020
Last Abode: Westbourne Park


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In all likelihood, the 2011 Knicks season will come to an end this afternoon at Madison Square Garden. As we all know, the Knicks are down 3-0 against the powerhouse Miami Heat. Miami optimizes what the Knicks hope to one day become, although the Knicks sit miles away from that level. In game 4, the Knicks will try to snap their NBA-record 13 game playoff losing streak. For the Knicks, very little has gone well in this series. Carmelo Anthony has been horrible, shooting 34%, Tyson Chandler has been sick and ineffective and Amar'e Stoudemire sidelined himself by punching a fire extinguisher after game two. New York has been stagnant and ineffective on offense and unable to slow down the Heat stars on offense. It has been a complete disaster of a series for the Knicks.
In game 4, the Knicks will be playing for pride. To play devil's advocate to my usually pessimistic self, the Knicks do have a slight chance of winning this game. Defensively they did with Miami in game 3 for the first 3 quarters before LeBron James put the game away with 10 minutes to go in the 4th. In game 2, the Knicks played Miami evenly for about 38 minutes of the game, but were killed by two separate 5 minute stretches in that game. There is a chance that Amar'e Stoudemire returns this afternoon, but I wouldn't bet on it. I know he's saying he wants to play and that he did in fact practice yesterday, but I just can't see it. He posted that nasty picture of his hand yesterday, which looked like he had a baseball seam stitched onto his palm. As you can see in the picture, it is pretty clear to me that the meaty portion of his hand was in fact hanging off. I have a really difficult time he's going to be recovered enough from almost losing a portion of his hand, to then playing a basketball game in a matter of days. Even if Stoudemire plays, he will have that hand covered up and nobody knows how effective he'll be. We'll see what happens today, but I would expect… well, the norm. I think the Knicks will be outplayed and they will lose. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.
Here's what to watch for:
- Will Carmelo struggle again? If you didn't see my rant about the Knicks "superstar" after game 3, I invite you to check it out here. I'm not going to rip on Anthony here. I know he's struggled, you know he's struggled and hopefully he knows and understands that he's struggled in the playoffs. If he doesn't have a great game tomorrow, the Knicks have no chance of winning. It is no coincidence that the Knicks most competitive game of the series, game 2, coincided with Anthony's best game of the series. Even in that game Anthony was not great in my opinion, but it was better than the combined 10/38 shooting performance he's put on over the other two games. I know that he's not the only reason the Knicks have lost this series. I understand that the Knicks haven't defended well or shot well as a team. I get it. But Anthony is the guy who was unwilling to adjust to a coach he disliked. Anthony is the one who could have tried "harder" throughout the season and Anthony is the one who demands the ball. He is New York's main cog and when he sucks, the Knicks suck. He has really sucked so far in this series.
- Can New York have at least one red-hot shooting game? Coming into this series, I thought the Knicks would lose in 5 games. I thought there would be a game in which they get really hot shooting, which would then carry them to a victory. It hasn't happened yet. The Knicks have shot a horrid 28% from downtown in the first three games. Steve Novak has been completely neutralized by both a smart Heat defense and a stagnant Knicks offense. JR Smith has not been able to get going shooting the ball. Baron Davis and Landry Fields have been… well Baron Davis and Landry Fields while trying to shoot the ball. There's a reason the Knicks were the 9th worst three point shooting team in the league. They have the ability to have games where they get hot, but they're wildly inconsistent. A consistently good Heat defense has destroyed the Knicks offense and they'll probably do so again in game 4. The only way the Knicks can fix this is to 1) either get 2010 Dallas Mavericks hot from downtown or 2) try to run screens to get their shooters open. My bet is that the Knicks won't do either and they'll probably shoot poorly again.
- Do the Knicks have an answer for LeBron. As much as I hate LeBron James, and trust me I really hate him, he has absolutely KILLED the Knicks in this series. He has been nothing short of fantastic on both sides of the ball. James has completely outplayed Carmelo Anthony, one of the hottest offensive players in the league during the last month of the season, and has shown why he will be named the league MVP in the coming weeks. The Knicks have no way of stopping him. Anthony is trying to defend him, but is just over matched. James is too athletic, too skilled and too conditioned for Anthony to keep up for 4 quarters. Maybe the Knicks try to trap LeBron or hedge him harder on pick and rolls, I don't know. They've gotta find a way to stop him if they want to win game 4.
- Tyson Chandler has to dominate. The Defensive Player of the Year has been nothing short of fantastic this season, but the flu has hampered him throughout this series. He was close to ineffective in the first two games of the series, in which New York gave up 204 combined points, but he was better in game 3. He grabbed 15 boards and New York played 3 quarters of really solid defense before LeBron caught fire in the 4th. In game 4, the Knicks need Chandler to be dominant. I haven't read anything about his health potentially hampering him, so I imagine he's pretty close to 100%. If Chandler can dominate the paint defensively against the electric slashing ability of Dwayne Wade and LeBron James, the Knicks will have a chance to win.


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In a family meeting Sunday night, July 6, Randell O'Bryan announced that Jeff Finch would be the next preacher at Eddyville, starting Sunday, August 24. Randell thanked the congregation for their involvement and comments. Our last Sunday at Eddyville will be Sunday, August 10. We want to spend this month finishing our work and preparing for the next preacher.
Recently, I read Roy Oswald's book, Running through the Thistles. He observed that the way a preacher leaves a congregation will be the way he dies. He suggested that if you do not like the way you leave groups, you might want to consider and change.
In another place, I read that there are five steps in dying:
1. "Forgive me."
2. "I forgive you."
3. "Thank you."
4. "I love you."
5. "Good-bye."
We are inviting families into our home to evaluate our work together and to say "good-bye."
I have been given the opportunity to work with another congregation after we finish here. We will announce that congregation in a few weeks.
For the next two to four months, I will have some Sundays available to preach if I am needed at other congregations.
The elders and congregation at Eddyville have been supportive and encouraging for the past year and three months. I could not think of a better place to start interim work. We have enjoyed living in the community. I have been strengthened by the association with preachers in this area of West Kentucky.


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Local Natives make themselves at home at Riverside
"It's our first time coming to Milwaukee, and there's so many of you. It's crazy," Local Natives' guitarist and vocalist Taylor Rice told the near-capacity crowd Friday night at the Riverside Theater.
And it was crazy - the show was initially scheduled for Turner Hall, but thanks in part to the chart success of sophomore album "Hummingbird," Local Natives was able to leapfrog the Pabst Theater for the approximately 2,500-capacity Riverside.
The dreamy Los Angeles-based indie rock band easily commanded a small club with an abbreviated set last week in Austin, Texas, during South by Southwest. Captivating a room the size of the Riverside proved to be a bit more challenging during the subdued songs of Friday's 75-minute set, such as "Hummingbird" track "Three Months," which featured Kelcey Ayer doing his best Thom Yorke falsetto atop gentle piano and guitar.
But other "Hummingbird" songs buzzed along Friday. These tracks are more complex than the songs on Natives' debut "Gorilla Manor," eschewing cathartic builds and breaks for intriguing peaks and valleys. "Breakers" may be the best example, warmed one minute by mass vocals and synth swells, then cooled the next by quirky electronic warbles, percussion ticks and empty spaces. It made for the best live arrangement from the "Hummingbird" tracks as well, with Matt Frazier's slightly accelerated, more pronounced drumming providing a little extra urgency.
But if Local Natives is going to keep building its live audience, it may need to revisit "Gorilla Manor." The signature songs' greater emphasis on group singing, Fleet Foxes-style, simply makes stronger communal concert material. Whimsical chamberpop piece "Airplanes" really took off when perky piano gave way to the sound of Ayer's sticks snapping the rim of a drum during the singalong chorus. And the band burned off all the energy it could muster with set-closer "Sun Hands," ratcheting up the tension with the urgent warrior cry "I promise not to lose her again" before the five musicians lost themselves amid a cacophony of guitar rock.
Opening for Local Natives was Superhumanoids, a Los Angeles-based act specializing in chilled, dreamy, '80s-influenced synth-pop. Super it wasn't, but as warm-up material, it sufficed.
The takeaways
Taylor Rice's fast, herky-jerky motions made him look like a Claymation cartoon moving in fast-motion during "Breakers."
The best performance of the night wasn't even for the band's own song. Local Natives took the Talking Heads track "Warning Sign" and made it entirely its own, dropping in David Byrne's familiar guitar style amid tribal percussive rhythms and five-part harmonizing.
E-mail Newsletter
Ready for the weekend? The Journal Sentinel's Kathy Flanigan offers some options for what to do around Milwaukee and Wisconsin in this weekly newsletter.
Enter your e-mail address above and click "Sign Up Now!" to begin receiving your e-mail newsletter Get the Newsletter!
E-mail Newsletter
Journal Sentinel music writer Piet Levy tells you about the week's must-see shows, hot concert tickets on sale and more. Look for it in your inbox every Thursday at 4 p.m.
Enter your e-mail address above and click "Sign Up Now!" to begin receiving your e-mail newsletter Get the Newsletter!
What to Do in Milwaukee Blog
Your first look at what's happening around Milwaukee and all of the latest events you can't miss.
Tuned In: Local music writers share the latest news and views about music in Milwaukee and beyond
Hip-hop Takeover: Milwaukee's DJ Bizzon brings you the authentic spin on Milwaukee's DJ and hip-hop scene


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Have you heard? The whole world is going vegan! Well, not quite. But more and more, people are turning to veganism as a healthy way of life.
Veganism in a nutshell, is a diet without any animal products or bi-products– no meats, no dairy, no eggs. Some "black belt vegans" don't even consume honey or wear leather, wool, or silk.
This might sound limiting, but if you're a foodie, you can really get creative and put together delicious, satisfying and health-boosting meals. In fact, your repertoire might actually grow!
The video above is great snack for a beginner -Easy Roasted Chickpeas!
Nowadays we are lucky to live in an age where there is a tasty substitute for every animal based product. Now, some people love fake meats (me!), while others despise them with a fiery passion and stick with the basics — making the most of grains, fruits and vegetables. That, of course, is okay too.
The benefits of giving up animal products are many. Veganism has been proven to help combat high cholesterol and high blood pressure, diabetes and various cancers!
Vegan foods are, by nature, cholesterol free, and a diet based on grains, roots, fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans make you smarter, more attractive and immortal. Okay maybe that last part was a bit of hyperbole, but if you do it right you will feel noticeable better (if a bit gassy at first. Be forewarned, this can be a side effect of changes in diet.), Get enough protein from tofu, seitan and other meat substitutes, and animals everywhere will be extra nice to you (They can smell it, I swear).
Wondering what the difference is between vegan and vegetarian? Check Dr. Weil's daily blog for answers.
Whether you're just interested in sampling veganism or are committing to it forever, there are a loads of books to peruse,
kosher vegan foods to taste , and kosher vegan restaurants to try.
There are a ton of delicious vegan and vegetarian recipes HERE on The New York Times website.
For great breakfast ideas check out the kitchn's 10 Vegan Breakfast Ideas.
And last but not least, if you are seriously contemplating never eating meat again, then read this.
What do you think of the vegan trend? Comment below!
Andrea Wachner


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Just to keep everyone up to date on the bank failure count, we are now up to 29 banks which is more than all the bank failures in 2008. Friday also saw another Credit Union failure.
""We are past the crisis stage; I think we're in the cleanup stage now," FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said…"
Ah, okay Sheila, whatever you say. You'll have to excuse me if I just happen to mention that I think you'll full of it!
Three Dog Night – Liar:
Regulators Shut Banks in Georgia, Michigan, California, Idaho
By Margaret Chadbourn and Ari Levy
April 24 (Bloomberg) -- Regulators seized banks in Georgia, Michigan, California and Idaho with total assets of $2.3 billion, bringing the tally of failures in the U.S. this year to 29, exceeding the total for all of 2008.
American Southern Bank of Kennesaw, Georgia; Michigan Heritage Bank in Farmington Hills; and First Bank of Beverly Hills in Calabasas, California, were shut by state agencies. First Bank of Idaho in Ketchum was closed by the Office of Thrift Supervision. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was named receiver of all four.
The seizures will cost the FDIC's insurance fund a total of $698.4 million, with more than half of that tied to the failure of the California bank. While banks in the other three states are being taken over by institutions in their regions, the FDIC couldn't find a buyer for First Bank of Beverly Hills, forcing the regulator to assume the company's $1.5 billion in assets.
Bank of North Georgia in Alpharetta, a unit of Synovus Financial Corp., is taking over American Southern's insured deposits and its single office, which will open April 27. Michigan Heritage's deposits are being assumed by closely held Level One Bank in Farmington Hills and its three branches will open next week. U.S. Bancorp in Minneapolis, the sixth-largest U.S. bank by deposits, takes control of First Bank of Idaho's seven branches.
"Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship to retain their deposit insurance coverage," the FDIC said.
Surpassing 2008
The seizures pushed the tally of failed banks past the 25 reached last year. Foreclosure filings for March totaled 341,180, a record high, according to RealtyTrac, the California- based seller of default data. The economy has lost 5.1 million jobs since December 2007, and unemployment rose to 8.5 percent in March, the highest since 1983.
President Barack Obama said last week that his $787 billion economic stimulus package, plans to rescue banks and efforts to reduce home foreclosures are beginning to "generate signs of economic progress." Still, he said there would be "pitfalls" ahead.
Bank of North Georgia will buy $55.6 million of American Southern's deposits and $31.3 million of assets. The deal excludes about $48.7 million in brokered deposits. The FDIC will pay off $50 million of Michigan Heritage's brokered deposits. Level One is acquiring $101.7 million in deposits and purchasing $46.1 million in assets.
FDIC Makes Payments
For First Bank of Beverly Hills's insured deposits placed with the bank, the FDIC will mail customers checks next week. Brokered deposits will be paid directly to the brokers after the FDIC receives the necessary documents. Of the bank's $1 billion in deposits, about $179,000 are uninsured.
U.S. Bancorp, which last year bought assets and deposits of failed California thrift Downey Financial Corp., is assuming First Bank of Idaho's deposits, excluding $112.8 million in brokered deposits. U.S. Bank agreed to buy $17.8 million of the failed bank's assets, or less than 4 percent.
The toll of failed banks last year was the most since 1993, including Washington Mutual Inc., the biggest U.S. bank failure in history. The closings drained money from the FDIC deposit insurance fund, which tumbled 45 percent in the fourth quarter to $18.9 billion. The agency has estimated future bank failures may cost the deposit insurance fund $65 billion through 2013.
"We are past the crisis stage; I think we're in the cleanup stage now," FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said yesterday at a conference in Washington. "It's going to take some time and everybody needs to be patient, and it is not going to be pretty."
Assessment Fee
To protect FDIC reserves, the agency is forcing the banking industry to pay a one-time, emergency fee. Bair is asking Congress to expand the agency's borrowing authority from the U.S. Treasury to $100 billion from $30 billion, which may allow the assessment to be reduced.
Community banks have said the fee may significantly reduce 2009 earnings. The FDIC received more than 1,675 public comments on the emergency assessment. Bair said the agency expects to make a final decision on the fees by late May.
The banking industry lost $32.1 billion from October through December, the first aggregate quarterly loss since 1990. The agency classified 252 banks as "problem" in the fourth quarter, a 47 percent jump from the third quarter. The FDIC doesn't identify problem banks by name.
The FDIC insures deposits of up to $250,000 per customer at 8,305 institutions with $13.9 trillion in assets.
""We are past the crisis stage; I think we're in the cleanup stage now," FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said…"
Ah, okay Sheila, whatever you say. You'll have to excuse me if I just happen to mention that I think you'll full of it!
Three Dog Night – Liar:


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A festival celebrating Iceland's food, music and culture comes to Cambridge and Boston with events March 14-18.
Rialto restaurant in Harvard Square is featuring an Icelandic menu March 14-18. Icelandic chef Hakon Mar Orvarsson, winner of Bocuse d'Or and the World Culinary Cup, is collaborating with celebrated Rialto chef Jody Adams to create a four-course meal featuring traditional tapas-style dishes, fresh Arctic Char, free-range Icelandic lamb and Skyr of the Vikings, a type of Icelandic yogurt. For reservations, call Annie Sarkis at 617-234-8026 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Middle East, 472-480 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, is hosting a free Reykjavik Calling concert on Saturday, March 15, featuring Icelandic musicians Hermigerville (electronic), Retro Stefson (electronic/alt), Sin Fang (indie/electronic) and Boston musicians The Love Experiment (indie/r&b) and Skinny Bones (folk). Doors open at 8, show at 9 p.m. Tickets available at Eventbrite; search on #TasteofIceland.
In Boston, learn to make cocktails with Reyka vodka on Sunday, March 16 at the Liberty Hotel, 215 Charles St. Free. Tickets at Eventbrite; #TasteofIceland.
There's also an digital Icelandic scavenger hunt going on. Search for several Icelandic secrets at the events throughout the weekend. Whenever you find a secret, share it via Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #IcelandSecret and #TasteofIceland. At the end of the weekend, a "secret sharer" will be picked who will win an Icelandic prize pack.
For more information, visit www.icelandnaturally.com


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U.K. enterprise search and e-discovery vendor Autonomy has entered an agreement to buy Interwoven, maker of content management software, in a deal valued at about US$775 million, the companies said Thursday.
The deal is expected to close in the second quarter. Combined, the two vendors will have more than 20,000 customers and will constitute "the largest company dedicated to the legal information management industry," according to a statement.
Autonomy sees a growing market for e-discovery due to increased litigation and recent regulatory changes, which have "heightened the need to capture and understand information," such as employee communications, the companies said.
Forrester Research has said e-discovery spending will grow to more than $4.8 billion by 2011, up from $1.4 billion in 2006.
Meanwhile, Interwoven's software is in use at 1,200 top law firms and supports 100,000 Web sites, extranets and intranets, according to a statement.
Autonomy plans to swiftly integrate Interwoven's portfolio with its own, but is also "committed to supporting ongoing development of all their products," said Autonomy's chief marketing officer, Nicole Eagan.
The companies already have a close partnership and therefore will complete a significant amount of the integration work by the time the transaction is closed, she added.
One industry observer and Autonomy shareholder praised the pending acquisition.
"Web content management and search are obvious bedfellows," said Richard Holway, a tech analyst based in the U.K., in a blog post Thursday. "Secondly, Interwoven's strongest sector is legal -- again a great fit with Autonomy, which has made its reputation in compliance and disclosure."
Analyst firm The 451 Group said in a blog post that the deal would leave stand-alone content management vendors such as Vignette "in an even worse position."
Autonomy has made a number of acquisitions in recent years, such as its 2007 purchase of archiving and e-discovery vendor Zantaz for $375 million. The spree has Autonomy "looking more and more like a mini-Oracle every day," the unsigned 451 Group post said.
But Autonomy hasn't done as good a job of integrating acquired products as vendors like Oracle, and technology buyers should "use a great deal of caution when considering Autonomy as a 'suite' vendor for the foreseeable future," CMS Watch analyst Alan Pelz-Sharpe said in a blog post.
Overall, Autonomy is at a sort of crossroads, according to Pelz-Sharpe.
"The firm has bought a number of very good products, and made some very smart moves over the years, but they have reached a point now where they either become/remain a holding company with a marketing-level integration story, or they commit to the hard work of building out an holistic business, one that is more than the sum of its parts."
But Eagan disagreed with such assessments, saying that Autonomy's financial performance of late "speaks for itself. ... The companies we acquire tend to flourish."


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Watch CBSN Live
In the meantime, our friends at Health.com have come up with a list of 25 hidden salt traps lurking in the grocery store.
More from Health.com: Healthy snacks for every craving
Credit: istockphoto
OK, it's probably no surprise that a Slim Jim's salty taste is due to a dose of sodium.
However, if you nibble this snack - only 80 calories - you get 20 percent of your daily sodium for the day, more than double the amount of sodium in a serving of potato chips.
Eat these pancakes for breakfast, and you've consumed 25 percent of your sodium for the day.
And if you add in 1/4 cup Kellogg's Buttery syrup, you add in 90 more milligrams, for a total of 670 milligrams - one-third of your daily sodium. Swap them for two Eggo waffles and you save 160 milligrams.
If you love ketchup on everything from eggs to burgers, be aware that the condiment's sodium content is not negligible.
Two tablespoons of this ketchup has approximately the same amount of sodium as 2 ounces of salted peanuts or potato chips - roughly 16 percent of your sodium daily intake.
More from Health.com: Healthy snacks for every craving


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We were saddened to hear this morning that poet/musician/activist Tuli Kupferberg, one of the founding members of the folk-rock band the Fugs, died yesterday in Manhattan. He was 86 years old.
The Fugs released their first album, The Village Fugs (later reissued as The Fugs First Album), on Broadside and Folkways records in 1965. Fellow poet and founding member Ed Sanders wrote in1993,
We came to the attention of Folkways owner Moe Asch through the good efforts of legendary artist, filmmaker, and musical anthropologist Harry Smith… To float the project past Mr. Asch, Harry told him we were the Fugs Jug Band."
While the Fugs remained largely unknown to mainstream audiences, the band had a lasting influence on popular music, introducing the explicit profanity, sexual references, and leftist politics that would later become a staple of punk rock. Kupferberg wrote many of the band's funniest and most politically cutting songs, including "Kill for Peace" and "CIA Man" (recently featured in the soundtrack to the Coen Brothers' movie Burn After Reading).
The SFC's Broadside Collection contains many unreleased solo recordings Tuli Kupferberg made for Broadside in the 1970s, including the clip below, "Take-a-this-pizza":
Clip from FT-9458 in the Broadside Collection.


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SAP HANA, express edition (Database + XS Advanced) - Getting started with the Marketplace on Microsoft Azure
You will learn
This tutorial will guide you through the provisioning and setup of SAP HANA, express edition, on Microsoft Azure including the Extended Application Services, advanced model.
Connect to your account in MS Azure and click Create a resource
You will be presented with two options:
- SAP HANA, express edition (server-only): You can connect using SQL clients like SAP HANA Studio or any other client. Includes the Predictive Analytic Library, Machine learning libraries and other advanced analytics. You can find this option in this other tutorial
- SAP HANA, express edition + XS Advanced Applications (also referred to as XSA): Includes all of the other features plus the Cloud Foundry based development platform, SAP Web IDE for SAP HANA, administration cockpit among other applications like SHINE and Smart Data Streaming. OData support, Node.js and Java runtime environments are also included. This option requires more resources. This version is covered in this tutorial.
In the search box, enter
HANA express
Click on the option that includes
Server + applications.
Click on Create to start the process of creating your instance.
The wizard will walk you through the basic steps. Fill-in the name of the instance and a username:
You can now enter a password or generate an SSH key. Complete all the fields and click on OK:
Note: Alternatively, you can follow these steps if you prefer to generate an SSH key
Step 2 in the wizard presents you with the pre-defined resources for your SAP HANA, express edition instance. You can also review the pricing per month:
Click on Select.
Step 3 will provide you with additional options. Choose the advanced network options:
Generally, the rest of the default values should suit your needs. Review them and modify them if necessary. Click OK when ready:
Review the final summary and click on Purchase to continue:
Once deployment is finished, you will be redirected to the dashboard for your new virtual machine:
Take note of your external IP address:
If you are using a Windows computer, you will need to download an SSH client such as
PuTTY, add the IP to the Host field and click OK:
>Note: If you chose to use an SSH key as an authentication method, you will need to add it in
If you are using an Apple computer, open a terminal (
Finder -> Applications -> Terminal)
Run the following command in the terminal, replacing the username and IP by the one in your virtual machine:
SSH ssh <<my_username>>@<<your_IP>>
From the SSH console, enter the following command:
sudo su - hxeadm
You will be prompted for a password for the administration users. Read the rules carefully before selecting one:
Note: Please check the password policy to avoid errors
SAP HANA, express edition requires a very strong password that complies with these rules:
- At least 8 characters
- At least 1 uppercase letter
- At least 1 lowercase letter
- At least 1 number
- Can contain special characters, but not ` (backtick), $ (dollar sign), \ (backslash), ' (single quote), or " (double quotes)
- Cannot contain dictionary words
- Cannot contain simplistic or systematic values, like strings in ascending or descending numerical or alphabetical order
You will also be asked if you want to wait for the configuration to finish. It is advised to choose No for the installation to run in the background and not be interrupted in case of connectivity issues.
You can check the status of the installation using the command
cat /usr/sap/HXE/home/xsa_config_status
Once the configuration is finished, you will see the following message:
Use your IP address to map it to the hosts file in your computer. You need administration permissions to do this.
- For Windows Computers:
If your user is not an administrator but has administrator rights, right-click on Notepad and choose
Run as Administrator. If you are an administrator user, proceed to the next point.
Open the file or navigate with Windows explorer. You need to edit the file called
hosts in the directory
- For Mac OS:
Open a terminal (
Finder -> Applications -> Terminal) and type
sudo nano /etc/hosts
Add the IP address followed by the name of the host,
Save and close the editor.
Note: If Notepad asks you to create a new file you do not have enough permissions to save the file. Creating a new file will not alter the configuration as intended.
You can test you have successfully modified your configuration by entering the following URL in your browser:
If you get a privacy error, continue browsing. The error is related to using a self-signed certificate.
You an use the link to the Web IDE (
https://hxehost:53075/) to open it
Note: If you get a 503 error - service unavailable, the service is probably still starting. Try again in a couple of minutes.
Log in with
XSA_DEV and the master password. You will see the Web IDE.
You can now start to use your SAP HANA, express edition. The additional steps in this tutorial are only required if you are using additional components.
You can get started with your first end-to-end XS Advanced application or explore additional tutorials at the Developer Center.
The default password for the operating system administration user is
HXEHana1. You can change it to one of your choice.
Open a new SSH session and log in with user
hxeadm. You will be automatically prompted to change your password.
If you chose the XS Advanced applications, you can install additional components. These components are OPTIONAL and independent among themselves.
Open a new console and log in with your MS Azure id. Go into the
Downloads folder and list the contents.
cd /Downloads
You will find the installation packages for the Enterprise Architecture Designer (
eadesigner.tgz) and the SAP HANA Interactive Education (SHINE,
To install any of these packages, change permissions and decompress it first with the following command:
sudo chmod 777 -R <<compressed_file>>
sudo tar -xvzf <<name of the file>>
For example:
Switch to user
hxeadm. Go into the decompressed folder and execute the installation script you want.
sudo su hxeadm
cd /Downloads/HANA_EXPRESS_20
install_eadesigner.sh if you want to install the Enterprise Architecture Designer:
For example:
If you want to know the URLs to connect to the Enterprise Designer, type
xs apps:
install_shine.sh to install SHINE:
For example:
Make sure installation is successful when finished.
You can find more information on the SHINE module in the official GitHub repository
Open a new SSH console and log in as you MS Azure VM user ID. Find out your internal IP address with the following command:
sudo ifconfig
Once the IP is shown, take note of it:
And map it in the hosts file in your virtual machine:
sudo edit /etc/hosts
A text-editor will open. Use the arrow keys to move to where
127.0.0.2 is. Once there, press letter
i to enter insert mode. Use the Delete key to delete IP
127.0.0.1 and enter your internal IP:
Once you are finished editing, press
Esc and write
:wq to save your changes. If you want to discard your changes, you can use
Back in the console prompt, navigate to the Downloads folder, extract the installation files:
cd /Downloads
sudo tar -xvzf sa.tgz
Once finished, execute the installation script. Be sure to enter
hxehost as the name of the host when prompted:
sudo ./HANA_EXPRESS_20/install_sa.sh
As follows:
Once finished, you can verify it is running with the following command
ps -ef | grep streaming
You can later enable a link to the tool from the SAP Web IDE for SAP HANA:
Additional Information
Step 1: Choose your instance
Step 2: Create your instance
Step 3: Review pricing and finish setup
Step 4: Connect to your virtual machine using SSH
Step 5: Setup your machine
Step 6: Map the hosts file
Step 7: Change the password for the operating system user
Step 8: Install SHINE or Enterprise Designer
Step 9: Install Smart Data Streaming
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text:
To find a pediatrician or pediatric specialist, please search our directory.
Search the Directory
View all Services
Get a Second Opinion
See our events for patients, families, health professionals and our community.
Dengue fever is a tropical disease caused by a virus carried by mosquitoes. The virus can cause fever, headaches, rashes, and pain throughout the body. Most cases of dengue fever are mild and go away on their own after about a week.
Dengue fever rarely strikes in the United States (the last cases were reported in Texas in 2005), but if you plan to travel to a foreign country — especially one in the tropics — it's wise to guard against dengue fever. Wearing insect repellant, covering sleep areas with netting, and avoiding the outdoors at dusk and dawn (when mosquitoes are most active) can help lower the chances of infection.
Dengue (DEN-gee) fever is caused by four similar viruses spread by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, which are common in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide.
When an Aedes mosquito bites a person who has been infected with a dengue virus, the mosquito can become a carrier of the virus. If this mosquito bites someone else, that person can be infected with dengue fever. The virus can't spread directly from person to person.
Many kids with dengue fever don't have symptoms; others have mild symptoms that appear anywhere from 4 days to 2 weeks after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Symptoms typically last for 2 to 7 days. Once kids have had the illness, they become immune to that particular type of the virus (although they can still be infected by any of the other three types).
In rare cases, dengue fever can lead to a more serious form of the disease called dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). DHF can be life threatening and needs to be treated right away.
In the past, dengue fever was known as "breakbone fever," which might give you an idea of the symptoms it can cause — that is, if a person ends up having any symptoms at all. The fever isn't actually breaking any bones, but it can sometimes feel like it is.
Common signs and symptoms of dengue fever include:
Symptoms are generally mild in younger children and those who are infected with the disease for the first time. Older kids, adults, and those who have had a previous infection may have moderate to severe symptoms.
People with DHF will have the regular symptoms of dengue fever for 2 to 7 days. After the fever eases, other symptoms get worse and can cause more severe bleeding; gastrointestinal problems like nausea, vomiting, or severe abdominal (belly) pain; and respiratory problems like difficulty breathing. Dehydration, heavy bleeding, and a rapid drop in blood pressure (shock) can follow if DHF goes untreated. These symptoms are life threatening and need immediate medical care.
If you think your child's symptoms might be caused by dengue fever, call a doctor right away. You should also call a doctor if your child has recently been to a region that has dengue fever and develops a fever or severe headache.
To make a diagnosis, the doctor will examine your child and evaluate the symptoms. The doctor will ask about your child's medical history and recent travels, and send a sample of your child's blood to be tested for the disease.
No specific treatment is available for dengue fever. Mild cases can be treated by giving lots of fluids to prevent dehydration and getting plenty of rest. Pain relievers with acetaminophen can ease the headaches and pain associated with dengue fever. Pain relievers with aspirin or ibuprofen should be avoided, as they can make bleeding more likely.
Most cases of dengue fever go away within a week or two and won't cause any lasting problems. If someone has severe symptoms of the disease, or if symptoms get worse in the first day or two after the fever goes away, seek immediate medical care. This could be an indication of DHF, which is a medical emergency.
To treat severe cases of dengue fever at a hospital, doctors will deliver intravenous (IV) fluids and electrolytes (salts) to replace the fluids lost through vomiting or diarrhea. This is usually enough to effectively treat the disease, as long as fluid replacement therapy begins early. In more advanced cases, doctors may have to perform a transfusion to replace lost blood.
In all cases of dengue infection, regardless of how serious symptoms are, efforts should be made to keep the infected person from being bitten by mosquitoes. This will help prevent the illness from spreading to others.
There is no vaccine to prevent dengue fever, so if children live in or will be visiting areas where dengue fever is likely, the only way to protect them from the disease is to minimize their chances of being bitten by an infected Aedes mosquito.
In such cases, take these precautions:
By taking these precautions and keeping your kids away from areas that have a dengue fever epidemic, the risk of contracting dengue fever is small for international travelers./p>


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Mon–Fri 8am–4:30pm
Methodist Hospital
Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center
Methodist Women's Hospital
Methodist Physicians Clinic
Methodist Physicians Clinic Women's Center
(402) 354-6818
(712) 396-6717
Claudia Bohn:
(402) 618-9366
Nebraska Methodist Health System(NMHS), formed in 1982, is the first health system in the area. With hospitals, clinics, a nursing and allied health college, medical supply distributorship and central laundry, Methodist Health System provides many areas of care in the region.
With three hospitals, 21 clinic locations, a nursing and allied health college, medical supply distributorship and central laundry, Methodist Health System brings the full resources of our regional network of health care providers, educators and support services to ensure you always have the care you need when – and where – you need it. View fact sheets about our locations.
An affiliate of Methodist Health System, Methodist Hospital is a not-for-profit, 423-bed acute care hospital serving the metropolitan-Omaha area. Methodist Hospital has a 121-year tradition of providing quality health care to the region.
In 2010, Methodist Health System opened the doors to the Methodist Women's Hospital, thus launching the region's only medical campus devoted to women at 192nd and Dodge. Since its debut, more babies have been delivered at Methodist Women's Hospital than any other hospital in the metro area.
In addition to the focus on women's health, this campus includes the area's largest neonatal intensive care unit as well as an emergency department and imaging and laboratory services for men, women and children. Learn more about our specialized care for women at www.methodistforwomen.com.
While leading the field in deliveries, Methodist also performs more surgical procedures than any other facility in Nebraska. The renovation of our operating suites at the 84th and Dodge Street campus will allow us to continue to meet the needs of patients from across the region for many years to come.
Learn more about our surgical services.


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Around Town
Get started with College Greenlight to compare the University of the Ozarks weather with your hometown!Create an account now!
You name it...plenty to do here. Rock climbing, swimming, fishing, camping, kayaking, etc. I could go on and on, way too many things to list.Read More
I have never been to this area.Read More
There are activities almost every weekend, and even on some week days. They like to keep you active here.Read More
The campus has always got something going on. I particularly enjoy the zombies vs. humans tag at night. There are also camping trips that students go on as well as chapel every Wednesday.Read More
There are clubs that are always up to something, movie theater, and lake. There are also many things to do in Russellville like bowling or karoake.Read More
Earn a degree.Read More
There's soccer games and basketball games to attend if you're a sports lover like me. There is always something going on!Read More
I usually go hiking or take a picnic. There are plenty of parks and nature trails. The Campus Activities Board throws fun events every weekend that are totally free to the students. Also, there is a movie theater in town and a bowling alley.Read More
in the ozarks, if you have time, lots of outdoor activities, as it is not a snowy state. they have a club for outdoor camping, etc.Read More
go hiking, walking, anything to do with the outdoors and if you have a car, you can go to nearby towns to go to the mallRead More


text: Had a great session with the Glock 21, Gen 4, shooting steel at the gun club recently. I don't know what it is about the sound of steel on lead, but it is music to my ears and very addictive. I really love the instant visual and acoustic feed back from lead on steel. There is just nothing else quite like it. Do you shoot steel a lot, or a little? What have been your experiences with it? Also, I had on a pair of shooting gloves and really loved how they helped me with my grip, rock solid and I felt much more in control. Here's a video of the fun, with some slow motion producing a gong sound, then slowed down even more what sounded like a church bell! Fun stuff. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJsHQCXpBkM"]LINK TO VIDEO HERE.[/ame]


text:
Sneaky blog title alert: It's not America's limited access to healthcare that's forcing me to leave the country.
Roughly 50% of the 6 million people in rural Honduras live in extreme poverty. 21% of these people do not have regular access to improved drinking water sources; 31% do not have improved sanitation facilitates. As one would expect, the presence of disease in these areas and the consequent need for healthcare is considerable.
Supply, however, has not kept up with demand. There are under 4 doctors and 11 nurses for every 10,000 Hondurans. Moreover, this abysmal ratio has been threatened by the wide-spread striking of medical professionals on account of the Honduran government's inability to pay their salaries.
And you thought we had healthcare problems…
Thankfully, there are organizations whose sole purpose is to provide for these sick and hurting communities. Founded in 2004 by Jarrod and Allison Brown, Mission Lazarus exists to love and serve the people of Honduras unconditionally. Theirs is a holistic ministry in which they offer spiritual, educational, agricultural, and medical support to the nation's poor and underserved. Throughout the year, organizations from all over America send groups to Mission Lazarus to support them in their efforts.
My wife, Suzanne (in the center, left of the guy with the straw hat, big ol' smile), traveled to Honduras in 2010 to take part in one of Mission Lazarus's "Medical Brigades." These groups go into Honduran communities and provide healthcare to those who would otherwise have no access to a doctor, dentist, physical therapist, or pharmacist.
Last year, their team was able to treat over 700 Hondurans. This year, the team is going back and I'm going with them! Sure, I'm not a medical professional, but there will be plenty for me to do. The spiritual needs in these communities are just as vast as the medical, so I'll be spending a lot of time with local pastors, praying with patients, playing with their kids, and more I'm sure. This isn't vacation; we're going to do some work!
Speaking of needs…
The trip is in March and we could really use your help in reaching our fund-raising goal of about $2,800. But, I don't just want your money. I want to invite you to join us in fighting back the darkness of poverty, pain and suffering in this one little corner of the world.
When you give, you declare with your dollars that you believe this fight is worth fighting. You believe that what we're doing matters and, though you can't be there in person, you're willing to join us in spirit.
If you're interested in joining us in this effort, here are the steps:
1. Donate by credit card:
a. Go to http://www.lipscomb.edu/giving/Student-Mission-Gifts
b. Designate it under Kenny or Suzanne Silva in Honduras (Med).
2. Donate by check to Lipscomb Mission.
a. Include in the memo of the check: Kenny or Suzanne Silva and Honduras Medical
b. Send checks to Aaron Hall (team leader of the trip) at:
Aaron Hall
107 Gale Park Lane
Nashville, TN 37204
Thank you and God bless!


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We can't actually ship Dom Pérignon P2 1998 to you in United States at the moment. We're working on a solution.
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The first release in Dom Pérignon's P2 range (which is the new name for their Oenothèque releases) is this 1998 vintage Champagne, the second "Plénitude" from that year. The first "Plénitude" was released in 2005 - this "Plénitude P2 Deuxième" was unveiled in 2014. The additional time in the Dom Pérignon cellars has resulting in a Champagne with a radiant nose brimming with sweet floral qualities and toasted nut notes, followed by a creamy, full-bodied palate with a real sense of balance and character.
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It's a clash of the carriers! Gearheads love to compare the nitty gritty of different smart phones. But what about the networks? Without a strong carrier presence in your city, many of those smart phone features go to waste. So, if you're unhappy with your current network, moving to a new state, or drooling over a phone on a different network, here's a quick carrier cheat sheet.
Consumer Reports' Winter 2010 reader survey tracked carrier quality in 26 metro areas. Here's its city-by-city breakdown. Note: This report shouldn't make or break your buying decisions. (Here in Boston, plenty of Monitor editors are happy with last-place AT&T.) But the list might help focus your search for the phone that best fits your life.
Atlanta: Verizon is the only carrier with any positive ratings. T-Mobile came in second, followed by Sprint, then AT&T.
Boston: Beantown is definitely not "the Hub" of cellular networks. No carrier got a positive rating. Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, then Sprint.
Charlotte, N.C.: AT&T and Sprint both got below satisfactory "dropped calls" rating. Verizon, Sprint, then AT&T.
Chicago: Verizon again leads the pack. T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T follow.
Cleveland: Verizon, Sprint, then AT&T.
Columbus, Ohio: No carrier got a negative mark, but only Verizon did well. Verizon, Sprint, then AT&T.
Dallas-Fort Worth: Verizon gets the best possible grade for "dropped calls." Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, then Sprint.
Denver: AT&T gets its worst rating in the nation, with black marks in "no service," "dropped calls," and "static." Verizon, T-Mobile, then AT&T.
Detroit: Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, then Sprint.
ALSO SEE: Verizon iPhone versus AT&T iPhone: The top three differences
Houston: A great city for Verizon customers, with sterling marks in the service and dropped-call categories. Verizon, T-Mobile, then AT&T.
Indianapolis: Verizon, AT&T, then Sprint.
Las Vegas: One of T-Mobile's best cities, but Verizon is still the safe bet. Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, then AT&T.
Los Angeles: AT&T and T-Mobile earn terrible grades for dead zones. Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, then AT&T.
Miami: Another strong city for Verizon, with top grades for areas served and few dropped calls. Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, then AT&T.
Minneapolis-St. Paul: Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, then AT&T.
New York: Infamous for bad AT&T reception, especially for iPhones. Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, then AT&T.
Philadelphia: Verizon, T-Mobile, then AT&T.
Phoenix: The Consumer Reports survey gave Verizon its highest rating here. Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, then AT&T.
San Antonio: A great city for every network, with no negative marks. Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, then Sprint.
San Diego: Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, then AT&T.
San Francisco: Another city know for poor AT&T service, particularly since the iPhone debuted. Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, then AT&T.
Seattle: Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, then AT&T.
St. Louis: No negative marks for any carrier, but Verizon got the only positive grades. Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, then Sprint.
Tampa, Fla: AT&T's best city. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, then Sprint.
Washington, D.C.: Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, then AT&T.
There you go! Verizon topped the satisfaction charts for every city. AT&T came in last place for 19 of them. (Not good news for AT&T, since its flagship, the iPhone setting, sets sail for Verizon in February.)
Thinking of switching carriers? Here's a great phone for each carrier.


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Editor's note: This review was written in August 2010 about the 2011 Scion tC. Little of substance has changed with this year's model. To see what's new for 2012, click here, or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.
Sometimes it takes a redesign to remind you just how good a car's previous generation had been: the inaugural Ford Mustang, the E39 BMW 5 Series, the first Dodge SRT4.
Apropos of that, witness the passing of the original Scion tC, a car that brought premium features and unlikely cabin quality to a segment known for neither. With the redesigned tC set to hit dealerships this October, parent company Toyota traded much of that for a package that's high on style and low on substance. Hold vigils if you must.
The two-door 2011 Scion tC boasts a fresh look, generous room and an improved drivetrain, but cabin quality is just barely competitive — a few steps down from the class-leading original.
Available in one trim with most optional features installed as dealer accessories, the front-wheel-drive tC coupe comes with a four-cylinder engine and a manual or automatic transmission. Click here to compare it to the 2010 tC. I drove both versions at a media preview in California.
Evolutionary Design
The new tC still looks like a tC, so much so that one journalist asked why Toyota didn't update the styling more. I'm not sure the automaker needed to. The exterior is more mature, with an angular sweep to the taillights that emulates a lot of cars from Toyota's Lexus luxury division. The A-pillars are now black, creating the illusion of a wraparound windshield — a "helmet" look derived from Scion's Fuse concept shown at the 2006 New York International Auto Show. (The helmets are marching: Several cars, from the Chevrolet Corvette to the 2011 Ford Explorer, also employ this visual trick.)
With underpinnings from Europe's third-generation Toyota Avensis — and its platform sibling sold on our shores, the Lexus HS 250h — the new tC is 1.6 inches wider than the 2010. Length and wheelbase remain unchanged, so the new dimensions make for a more grounded look.
The taillights are straight off a BMW 1 Series. That's not a bad car to emulate, given that some tC buyers likely see themselves in a 135i a few job promotions down the road. Mirror-integrated turn signals, something the prior tC featured, are still standard, and the standard wheels move to 18-inch alloys, up from last year's 17-inchers. There still isn't a rear wiper, which a proper hatchback ought to have, but its absence makes for a cleaner rear deck. Form beats function, and saves some coin, too.
As with all Scions, the full slate of available accessories includes fog lights, faux carbon-fiber B-pillars, additional Scion insignia, 19-inch wheels and a rear spoiler. The spoiler is worth getting; the car's stubby tail drops off abruptly without it. Most of these are dealer-installed, which makes it easier to outfit the car to suit your tastes.
More Four, Less Banger
A new 180-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder teams with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. It provides palpably more get-up-and-go than the outgoing 161-hp tC, but it's not a seismic difference in the style of, say, the 2011 Ford Mustang's V-6 changeover.
The tC moves out quickly enough, with adequate low-end torque to scoot around slower traffic without needing to downshift. But it won't fool anyone about having two more cylinders or any sort of forced induction. Speaking of which: The last tC offered a supercharger from Toyota Racing Development that bumped engine output to 200 hp. Scion Vice President Jack Hollis said the brand is working with TRD on such upgrades, but it's not available as of now. Feh.
Both transmissions work well. The six-speed manual has medium throws and accurate, easy-to-park gates. The brake and accelerator are close enough to manage heel-and-toe shifting, but the engine revs take a few moments to fall — a move to reduce emissions and avoid throttle-back lurches, chief engineer Masayuki Nagai told me. Perhaps, but the programming will be a bane to anyone who likes slamming off rev-matched downshifts.
The optional six-speed automatic upshifts smoothly and kicks down a gear or two with little delay. Uphill stretches require minimal gear hunting, and downhill coasting can induce a proactive downshift or two. Bravo. Some of Toyota's recent automatics have turned out as lazy as a "Jersey Shore" cast member. The tC isn't among them.
Scion says the tC hits 60 mph in 7.6 seconds with the manual and 8.3 seconds with the automatic — decreases of 0.6 and 0.8 seconds, respectively, versus the 2010 tC (manual and automatic). Better yet, the drivetrains are both EPA-rated at 23/31 mpg city/highway. That's an increase of 2 to 3 mpg over the last tC, depending on transmission, and its combined rating matches the 2.4-liter Kia Forte Koup. The 1.8-liter Honda Civic coupe is a bit more efficient, but the tC is quicker.
Firm Ride, Fun Handling
The standard four-wheel-independent suspension employs thicker stabilizer bars than before. Nagai characterized its tuning as "much more firm" than the last tC's. Throw in the standard — and thin — 45-series tires, and the coupe rides rough, plain and simple. On all but the smoothest interstates, the car takes on a din of up-and-down vibrations. Expansion joints and broken pavement disrupt things even more. Add to that the considerable road noise emanating from our tester's Yokohama Avid S34 tires, and the tC doesn't make a good road-trip choice. As a segment, sporty front-drive cars tend to bear some of these characteristics, but competitors from the Forte Koup to the Volkswagen Golf do a better job damping out the worst disruptions and settling in on the highway.
The handling is good, though perhaps not enough to justify the brittle ride. The tC avoids the predominant nose-heavy push that some front-drive cars display, and on curvy roads it corners reasonably flat. The steering wheel exhibits decent turn-in precision and weighty, slop-free motions. At low speeds it operates with light effort, gradually firming up with speed. On the highway, the tC tracks remarkably well — there's a secure on-center feel with minimal corrections.
The standard four-wheel-disc brakes are larger for 2011; antilock braking is standard. It seems to take a half-inch of pedal travel before the hydraulics engage, but deceleration is linear and strong thereafter.
The Inside
From a styling standpoint, the cabin is a hit, but quality is another issue — and I have a Triple Whopper's worth of beef with it.
The design looks good. Wraparound surfaces create a more driver-centric cockpit, with a meaty three-spoke steering wheel and leftward-tilting center controls. The last tC had a waterfall center stack lined with silver plastic. The new dash's black-heavy scheme should appeal to anyone who didn't like the silver; the horizontal layout feels both contemporary and cohesive.
But then there's the quality issue. The first-generation tC had outstanding amenities for a car of its price: padded surfaces in all the important areas; a nice grade of headliner that extended, like in luxury cars, down the window pillars; elegant digital climate controls; chrome door handles; and power windows with one-touch up/down operation.
Gone, all of it. Drive with your hands at 9 and 3 o'clock, and your elbow will perch on rock-hard upper door panels. A ragtag headliner meets plastic window pillars, and the climate controls employ Corolla & Co.'s shoddy knobs. The power windows now provide express-down operation for the driver only, and the door handles are plain black. The glove compartment clatters open without any damping. The center armrest is a sheet of hard plastic. The sum of it all is barely competitive, and in a few years, leapfrogging competitors will drive that point home.
The standard CD stereo includes iPod integration and eight speakers. It cranks out OK sound, and the head unit resides in an old-school, boxed dash cutout, which allows for easy upgrades. I'm not so wild about the layout. With a sea of tiny buttons and a confusing multifunction volume/tuning knob, it looks straight out of an electronics store. Some may dig the aftermarket look, but I don't: I've always found an aftermarket stereo to be a choice based on necessity — adding features your stock unit lacks — not aesthetics.
The cloth seats, at least, are supportive and accommodating. Headroom and legroom increase a bit for the front seats; with the driver's seat raised all the way, I ran out of headroom below the standard panoramic moonroof (I'm 5-foot-11). New for 2011 is a telescoping steering wheel that should help more drivers find a comfortable fit. Leather upholstery isn't available, but there's no shortage of aftermarket seat makers that can resolve that. Scion markets a customized Release Series edition for every model each year, and Hollis said the brand is mulling factory leather — a first — in a forthcoming tC RS.
Legroom is up a full inch in the backseat, and the resulting room is far more generous than you'll find in most coupe competitors. The 60/40-split seatback reclines independently a few degrees on each side, so adults should have no problem sitting back there. With little in the way of a center floor hump, three could even fit — which, thanks to a center seat belt, the tC allows.
Cargo volume behind the rear seats is an impressive 14.7 cubic feet. That's up nearly 2 cubic feet versus the old tC, and it falls somewhere between coupe competitors like the Civic and Forte and more upright hatchbacks like the Golf. Fold the rear seats down, and the tC offers a maximum 34.5 cubic feet.
Safety, Features & Pricing
As of this writing, the 2011 tC has not yet been crash-tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Standard safety features include eight airbags, an electronic stability system, antilock brakes, a brake override system and active front head restraints. Click here for a full list.
Stick-shift models start at $18,275, with the automatic running $19,275. That represents an increase of $1,175 to $1,375 over the 2010 tC, depending on transmission. Chalk up the extra cash to (mostly) the roomier interior, larger wheels, extra power and new stability system. Like before, a panoramic moonroof, iPod-compatible stereo with steering-wheel audio controls, power windows and locks, remote entry, air conditioning and cruise control are standard.
Optional accessories include an upgraded Alpine stereo, a navigation system and satellite radio. The navigation system allows for Bluetooth connectivity, including Bluetooth streaming audio — a fast-expanding feature that allows you to play music wirelessly from your smart phone. The long list of extras runs the gamut. Performance items include larger brakes and a lowered suspension, while cosmetic accessories run from an interior lighting kit to lower body graphics. As of right now, pricing for the tC's accessories is pending, but the outgoing tC offered more than $15,000 worth of accessories.
Scion tC in the Market
Scion says the average tC buyer is just 26 years old. That's younger than buyers of the brand's xB and xD hatchbacks. Scion says the tC represents an "aspirational car" for its clientele. The redesign looks the part, but the cabin falls short — and the car's road noise and firm ride may have some drivers aspiring to reach their destination so they can get the hell out.
Once the brand's most popular model, the tC will probably reach that mark again on looks and power alone. But with fresh competition in the compact segment — from Kia to Ford to Honda — Scion's latest model faces an uphill battle to maintain its draw. If you're shopping for one, check out the competition. Then check out an old tC. You might come away surprised.
|Send Kelsey an email


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Propelled by 'Army Wives' and 'Coco Chanel,' Lifetime Television Jumps 13 Percent Among W25-54 and 12 Percent Among W18+ in September
Off-Net Acquisition 'Wife Swap' Averages 27 Percent Increase Across
Three Different Time Periods Since Joining Schedule
Most -Watched Third Quarter and September Ever for Lifetime Movie
in P2+, Households and W18+
NEW YORK, Oct. 1 -- Powered by the #1 cable drama of the
year among W18-49 ("Army Wives") and the second most-watched original cable
movie of 2008 ("Coco Chanel"), Lifetime Television jumped 13 percent among
prime W25-54 and 12 percent among prime W18+ in September.
The network averaged 1,133,000 W18+ and 556,000 W25-54. Lifetime also
rose eight percent among prime households (1.3) and P2+ (1,569,000
Keyed by such hits as "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" (#1 original movie
on basic cable with 5.8 million viewers) and "Coco" (#2 with 5.2 million
viewers), Lifetime Original Movies are up 36 percent among W18-49 ratings
this year (1.9 vs. 1.4). On Saturday, October 18, at 9PM (ET/PT), Lifetime
premieres "Living Proof," starring Harry Connick Jr. and executive produced
by Oscar-winners Renee Zellweger, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.
In addition to the smash hit drama "Army Wives" (averaging 3.9 million
viewers in its sophomore season) and "Coco Chanel," Lifetime's ratings
growth was fueled by new off-net acquisition "Wife Swap," which joined the
schedule on September 2.
Airing Mondays-Fridays from 3-5PM (ET/PT) and Tuesdays at 9PM (ET/PT),
"Wife Swap" has improved ratings by 27 percent versus those time periods a
year ago. From 4-5PM (ET/PT), the growth has been a remarkable 48 percent.
Lifetime's latest acquisition, the popular comedy series "How I Met Your
Mother," will debut in January.
Not to be outdone by its sibling, Lifetime Movie Network posted its
most watched September and Third Quarter ever in both total day and prime
among P2+, Households and W18+. In both September and 3Q, the network hit
its highest marks ever among prime W18-49. The August premiere of "Little
Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story" became the second most-watched movie in
the channel's 10-year history.
LIFETIME is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated
basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME
is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information
programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and
their families. LIFETIME Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real
Women and Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com) are part of LIFETIME
Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of Hearst Corporation and The
Walt Disney Company.


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First of all, our thanks to Kurt Kroner, the man behind the defining example of the greatest advertising campaign of the century.
He wasn't the copywriter. That was Julian Koenig. Nor was he the art director. That was Helmut Krone. Nor was he elsewhere employed by Doyle Dane Bernbach, the agency that stormed the confining Bastille of advertising orthodoxy to ignite the "creative revolution."
Actually, our hero wasn't in advertising at all. Kurt Kroner was the one, among 3,389 Wolfsburg, Germany, assembly plant workers, to flag a blemished chrome strip on the glove compartment of a 1961 Volkswagen Beetle and reject the vehicle for delivery. Yes, if we are to believe Koenig's copy, Herr Kroner gave us the famously failed and fabulously forlorn. . . "Lemon."
God bless him, because in so doing he also gave advertising permission to surprise, to defy and to engage the consumer without bludgeoning him about the face and body. Kroner offered up a lemon with approximately the same result of Eve offering the apple. Not only did everything change, but suddenly things were a lot more interesting.
"In the beginning," adman pundit Jerry Della Femina has written, "there was Volkswagen. That was the day when the new advertising agency was really born."
In an industry that is by its very nature contentious, there is hardly a soul who would disagree. "Lemon." "Think Small." The TV spot called "Funeral." They weren't the earliest salvos of the revolution, but they were -- in their assiduously quiet way -- the loudest.
"Let us prove to the world," wrote William Bernbach in his 1949 manifesto for the "creative revolution," "that good taste, good art, good writing can be good selling."
Did he ever, and the Beetle is Exhibit A. The air-cooled engine and the 34 miles per gallon were all well and good, but the droll, conversational, self-deprecating style of the copy was as important a feature as anything engineered in Wolfsburg.
To be amused by Koenig's copy was to be flattered by it. The car that presented itself as the antidote to conspicuous consumption was itself the badge product for those who fancied themselves a cut above, or at least invulnerable to, the tacky blandishments of the hidden persuaders. "Think small" was thinking quite big, actually. The rounded fenders were, in effect, the biggest tail fins of all, for what Volkswagen sold with its seductive, disarming candor was nothing more lofty than conspicuously inconspicuous consumption. Beetle ownership allowed you to show off that you didn't need to show off.
So, no, contrary to all existing thought on the subject, Mr. Bernbach's creative revolution was not the overturning of '50s-era "motivational" manipulation. It was simply the most agreeable and effective expression of it.
And the most influential. In ranking the 100 greatest ad campaigns of the century, the impact of that second genesis is manifest. Whereas only seven of Advertising Age's selection of the classic 100 campaigns of the century employ celebrities, and only eight of them invoke sex, and only four of them play on consumer fear and insecurities in the way the industry is constantly decried for doing, no fewer than 16 come from the 1960s. Six hail from DDB alone.
It is, of course, a challenging and somewhat presumptuous enterprise to reduce a century's labors to a Top 100 list. It is not difficult, however, to establish criteria. To be included, a campaign could qualify in one of three ways:
1) If it was a watershed, discernibly changing the culture of advertising or the popular culture as a whole.
The Volkswagen work clearly met this standard. So did the Avis campaign, which dared, heretically, to boast about No. 2-ness. One stunning example of that daring advertiser's contrarian thinking displayed the repugnant contents of a filthy ashtray. The copywriter had (supposedly) found it in a client rental and displayed it as the exception that proves the "We Try Harder" rule.
Of such boldness legends are made. Another was the Jordan Motor Car Co., famously -- albeit counterintuitively -- targeting women for motorcar purchases with its print ad titled "Somewhere West of Laramie."
Woodbury soap, which had been marketed for years for its medicinal properties, turned its attention on the user. Helen Lansdowne Resor's headline "A skin you love to touch," in implying a romantic advantage, may have been the first triumph for sex in advertising. Four decades later, Clairol turned its category upside down by doing more or less the same thing. "Does she. . . or doesn't she?" was a tantalizing question in the midst of the simultaneous Sexual Revolution, even if the ostensible answer was about hair coloring: "Only her hairdresser knows for sure."
And in yet a more aggressive double entendre, Calvin Klein scandalized viewers with the first foray into shockvertising: Brooke Shields, all of 15 years old, lying on her back in tight blue jeans, cooing "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins." Klein's much-imitated scheme of generating outrage to generate publicity to generate consumer buzz has altered the advertising landscape, mainly for the worse, probably forever.
2) If it itself was credited with creating a category, or if by its efforts a brand became entrenched in its category as No. 1.
Before the DeBeers mining syndicate informed us "A Diamond is Forever," associating itself with eternal romance, the diamond solitaire as the standard token of betrothal did not exist. Now, thanks to the simple audacity of the advertising proposition, the diamond engagement ring is de rigueur virtually worldwide, and the diamond by far the precious gemstone of choice.
By the same token, the overnight package industry barely existed before Federal Express vowed to deliver "Absolutely, Positively Overnight." Miller Lite's "Tastes Great, Less Filling" claim took a single beer brand and transformed it into an industrywide segment now on track to overtake the tastes-better, more-filling premiums.
3) If it was simply unforgettable.
Consider, for instance, the granddaddy of all jingles:
Pepsi-Cola hits the spot.
12 full ounces, that's a lot!
Twice as much for a nickel, too.
Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you!
In 1949, that little number played 296,426 times on 469 radio stations -- not counting jukebox play, where it was also a favorite. The Pepsi jingle embedded itself not so much in the nation's psyche as in its very nerve endings, like the Pledge of Allegiance, or -- depending on your viewpoint -- a case of shingles.
Periodically a campaign comes along that not only captures the public's imagination, but penetrates the vernacular. Wendy's hamburgers' "Where's the Beef?" was on the lips of an entire nation, including at least one presidential candidate. A succession of Alka-Seltzer campaigns, from a succession of agencies, achieved the same -- effervescently and hilariously -- for two decades. Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh how memorable advertising sometimes is.
Smokey Bear has been in hibernation for years, but thanks to him everyone knows what, precisely, only you can prevent.
Everyone knows where M&Ms do and do not melt. Everyone knows what is 99 44/100ths pure. (Hint: It is not the advertising industry.) Everyone knows what is "Mmm mmm good."
Sadly, annoyance can be unforgettable, too. The shrill, petulant "Ring Around the Collar" still grates decades after its conception. Mr. Whipple is long retired but still fondling toilet paper in the darkest recesses of our memory. The Anacin hammers-in-the-head -- which were to Rosser Reeves' Unique Selling Proposition what the hammer and sickle were to international Communism -- still reverberate nearly 40 years later.
Such advertising is something like the Heimlich maneuver: a disagreeable experience but one which undeniably dislodges the obstruction.
By contemporary standards, "They laughed when I sat down at the piano" is a transparently disingenuous dramatization of a dubious promise, yet its triumph-of-the-nebbish approach informs direct-response advertising still today. Listerine's halitosis campaign ("Always a bridesmaid, never a bride") may have fed on people's insecurities, but it certainly framed the issue.
"For sheer fertility in creating situations in which halitosis could spell business ruin and wreck a romance," wrote E.M. Turner archly in his witty chronicle "The Shocking History of Advertising!" "Listerine must not be grudged a grain of admiration."
Resist if you can, as Mr. Turner could not, the temptation to sneer. Listerine, Wisk and their like-minded brethren dominated their categories at the time and for decades thereafter. Indeed, they still do.
This gets to the consequence of citing the greatest campaigns ever, especially with the ranking protocol employed here. We cannot always surrender to our aesthetic better judgment, nor even our moral one.
It will amuse some, and horrify others, that in the pantheon -- what we judge to be the 10 greatest advertising campaigns ever -- are included: two air polluters (VW and Avis), nutritionless sugar water (Coca-Cola), one reviled carcinogen (Marlboro), two companies infamous for the use of virtual slave labor (DeBeers, Nike), one purveyor of savory cardiovascular time bombs (McDonald's), two booze peddlers (Absolut and Miller Lite) and one cosmetic product preying on the vanity of women (Clairol).
Mercifully, the second tier of 10 -- Apple Computer, Ivory Soap, et al -- is markedly more benign. We leave it to history to divine a meaning from all of this. We are inclined to believe the best advertising is bound eventually to emerge from the biggest categories, and the biggest categories consist of the things people most desire. People do not most desire wheat germ.
Beyond the usual contemptuousness about the excesses of the consumer society, it's probably worth a second look at the list to see what conclusions we can draw from the advertisements themselves. What common thread runs through the 100 greatest campaigns of 100 years? What is the defining nature of this particular instrument of these particular immortals?
It is acknowledged, once again, that some of these ads are manipulative and some annoying and some less than completely honest. (The Marlboro man, for instance, the most successful ad symbol of all time, the supposed symbol of rugged independence, is really a symbol of enslavement to an addictive drug, isn't he?)
But these advertisements, most of them, are something else, too. They are treasures. For one, they are important artifacts in our culture. Woe betide future anthropologists and historians who try to trace the American experience without pondering what, exactly, it is that her hairdresser knows for sure.
And that's because the greatest advertising isn't great for moving merchandise any more than the greatest literature is great for compelling plots. Somehow -- in the service of carmakers and brassiere manufacturers and car rental agencies -- these campaigns have discovered our humanity. They have touched us, understood us, reflected our lives and often enough enriched them.
"They laughed when I sat down at the piano" may fall a bit short in the facts, but in exploring the roiling psychology of self-esteem, it overflows with human truth.
Not grand, momentous philosophical truth -- just, here and there, from this surprising corner and that, an observation, a revelation, a tender nerve struck. Maybe it's just an ad for piano lessons or a computer or a facial soap, but it gets to the heart of what makes us tick. Leave it to the philosophers to contemplate the large issues.
Advertising is content to think small.


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I kind of miss this blog. It's been so long…Facebook is about all I can handle lately, and sometimes when I think about this blog (or come back to visit, like I did tonight since I got a new comment–good luck, Cori!) it makes me a little sad for my old life. I love, love, love my new life, but I still miss the old one, you know? Anyway. I thought maybe I'd do the end of the year meme that I did for the past however many years here. Just because, well, why not.
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Bought a house. Parented a toddler. Moved back to my hometown.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't think I made any resolutions. For next year…well, the goal to be "good enough" was a good one, i think. I like that one.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Hmm, in 2009…Um, no? But my sister is pregnant!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
GB's grandpa. I miss him all the time.
5. What countries did you visit?
No other countries…i missed the conference in Canada.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
More money. A tenure-track job, or at least a job that pays enough to live on.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Waylon's first birthday. My dissertation defense.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finishing the dissertation and defending it successfully!
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not applying for any jobs this year might not have been a good idea.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Anxiety & OCD–I need to get on a different SSRI.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
The house! And the new (new to us, 13 year old) Subaru is pretty sweet too.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Waylon. He always rocks.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My own.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent and diapers, again, probably. And coffee.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Finishing the dissertation. Waylon learning to walk and talk.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
God, the freaking Wiggles songs and the They Might Be Giants podcasts. Ugh. No real music, I don't think. How sad.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier; fatter; about the same, but without a rent payment to make now.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Exercising, reading for pleasure
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying. Panicking. Beating myself up for nearly everything I'm doing/not doing/not doing fast enough. (Last year's answers still work, unfortunately.) (same answer for the past 2 years, and it still works…damn.)
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Flying to the Left Coast to see GB's family.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
With Waylon, more.
22. How many one-night stands?
Oh, no. Not a one, this year. Actually, I might have to count GB as a one-night-stand in 2008. Oh, no, that's just too sad. (Same for 2009….Oh, how sad is that?)
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Got rid of cable, so watched everything on Netflix: True Blood, Dexter, Lost, Battlestar Galactica.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nah. Some people who annoy me more.
25. What was the best book you read?
My dissertation. Ha!
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
That I really need to listen to more music again.
27. What did you want and get?
A PhD…almost. Finished, degree coming in March.
28. What did you want and not get?
A job.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
God, no idea. Maybe Coraline.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 38, and had a barbecue at our new house.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Having more money and actually getting drunk one time. Oy.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Slovenly at best. Same clothes every day, usually covered in goo. Not good.
33. What kept you sane?
GB, as always. And Netflix. And Waylon, always.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
As always, my Johnny Depp love continues unabated.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Sadly, nothing.
36. Who did you miss?
GB's grandpa and the east coast friends.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Getting to know old friends again now that we live in the same town has been amazing.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
You really can be happy anywhere.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Once in awhile you get shown the light in the strangest of places, if you look at it right."


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I'm running a piece of 90mm diameter PVC pipe through a sheet of 20mm thick MDF. I've cut a hole the right diamater in the wood to fit the pipe through, and I'm wondering what the best glue would be to join the pipe in place.
I've been using liquid nails for the rest of the project but I'm not sure how well it will bond to the PVC. Should I use this, two part epoxy or something else?
It needs to be as strong as possible since the joint will be under a fair load.