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The Color Within, Seventh in the Series, Process of Design
Color is used with restraint in this garden. It occurs in groupings rather than arbitrarily dotting the landscape. The garden is tiny, so creating large drifts is out of the question, but repeating plant form and color helps to unify the space.
Blue, yellow and white comprise the main palette, but pink pops from the landscape in spring, giving the garden a bright youthful glow so early in the season. Especially needed because the plants are still small.
This adds an unexpected surprise to the color scheme. The pink plants include the peony, the cherry tree and the lilac, which bloom sequentially to prolong the interest in the cool, wet spring.
It adds variety too. The feel of the garden changes over the season. This is much welcomed to alleviate boredom in a small space.
It is a good practice to document a new garden's development, whether in a garden journal or photographically. Pictures really do tell a thousand words. It helps to see the development over the season and how color is distributed and sequential; where there is repetition and clustering.
First the tulips, pear tree and cherry tree all bloom together. The pear was planted to precede the cherry. Some years, they bloom together. It is all dependent on the Spring weather. Tulip varieties are planted to prolong the season. Above, you see the late-blooming lily flowering White Triumphator with tulip Maureen.
Starting in spring, take photos just as the snow has melted and perennials are starting to poke through the cold soil.
This way you know if you can fill a certain spot with more foliage and you do not impulsively buy more than can be planted. If you plan your garden well there will be little down time for color and texture.
The next flush of flowers is the rhododendron, viburnum and iris, followed by the azaleas and clematis. The peonies are the last to bloom in spring.
Azalea blooms along with the Coral Bells, above. The Clematis is just starting to flush and fill in the concrete reinforcing mesh used as a trellis. Being in the industry gets me some useful construction scraps. The Clematis did not care if this was an expensive trellis.
Summer is packed with color. The yellows were selected because their vibrancy does not wash out in the strong summer sun like that of the whites. The lilies juxtapose nicely with the blue Allium, Nikko Blue Hydrangea and Munstead lavender. The whites shine at night.
Lavender, although long living, gets weather worn after a number of years. When this occurs, it is best to replace it with new plants or cuttings from the old plants. To maintain the appropriate size for the location, these will be replaced with cuttings every tree years. Cuttings are easy to take and grow.
Lavender grows extremely fast and will have a new showing in no time and rebloom as does the Delphinium, daylilies and coreopsis as shown in the fall. White Astilbe can be seen in the image below to the far left.
Repeating plants is essential even in a small garden. The spikes of Delphinium, Allium and lilies occur in triangulated positions in the garden, affording continuity, texture and unity throughout the small space. In the image above, the young climbing, Golden Showers roses can barely be seen. The vines are just starting to fully cover the fence.
It will take several years for the landscape to mature and have an established appearance.
Perennials will take three years on average, shrubs and trees are dependent on the size and species initially purchased.
This garden was actually redesigned after three years. The garden became more formal, but added reds in the mix. Yellows became less dominant, and the blues increased their presence.
The Chamaercyparis or false cypress were replaced with boxwood, arborvitae were added for height and repetition. I will show this transformation later.
Pink gladiolus come back and multiply every year.
Fall brings phlox. Calamintha, clematis and Oriental lilies in one bed. The other bed will rebloom with the summer flowers and additionally the Caryopteris.
A row of Caryopteris is planted and grows to three feet high. In bloom, they attract many kinds of bees and butterflies. There should never be a dull moment in a well-planned garden, especially if it is small and manageable.
The Sweet Autumn Clematis covers the garage wall, blooming after the big flush of Yellow Trumpet Vine. Iceberg Roses sit below.
A little fountain will add the soothing sound of water in a shady corner. A little bleach keeps the moss and algae in check.
This fountain used a piece of grated walkway to support the pavers. It was structurally sound enough to support the weight of a few adults standing on it as a walkable surface. The geraniums are a place keeper until the ivy covers the brick, as it does today. The fountain has been since replaced by a planting bed.
The Alyssum fills in quickly between the stepping-stones. The natural flagstones have been replaced by pavers for less work of planting. As pretty as this is, it reduced maintenance.
Here is the links to the other posts in the series. Sorry about the poor photos, but I did not have the negatives to make a good scan. The front planting will be shown later.


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This post is written for the contest by Dove Split End Rescue System.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Two Little Nieces
This post is written for the contest by Dove Split End Rescue System.
9 comments:
Those were the days of love and laughter.ReplyDelete
I just love to watch children play, as they are so free to be whoever they want to be, and so happy and content. I also believe that parents should allow them to be children for as long as possible, because no doubt there will come a time when that innocence is lost and reality hits home like thunder making that precious time golden memories.
And yes, it's also good to get involved playing with the children in your families. It does make you child-like again forgetting life for a short while, what fun.
Nice Post.
You are a blessed man to have those faries. My own fairies, my daughters have entered the teens now and they remind me of my adulthood now, except that I had a much relaxed syllabus at school. My heart goes out to them, and all those fairies out there.ReplyDelete
Dostoyevsky said: "The soul is healed by being with children." Having taught gymnastics to kids for years, I've found that to truly be the case.ReplyDelete
A feel good Post... Well portrayed....ReplyDelete
That is a very lovely postReplyDelete
- AnonymousMonday, March 18, 2013 8:25:00 PM
a lovely post :)!ReplyDelete
And what's your favourite girl's game?
Children are the angels that turn our lives into fairy tales.. nice reading about your nieces and their jet black hairsReplyDelete
Very interesting post :-) nice :-)ReplyDelete
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subset: commoncrawl


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I am hosting the (European) International Roguelike Development Conference 2015! If you're interested, please fill in this Google Form, and read on for details.
The Event
An "unconference" for everyone and anyone involved with or interested in roguelikes – from leading developers and academics to fans and enthusiasts – to discuss the genre, meet others involved with it, listen to and give talks, see first-hand demos of in-development titles, and generally socialize and eat some nice food. It is taking place at the National Videogame Arcade (NVA) in the United Kingdom!
First Day
The first day will be the "core" day of the conference as it has been the past seven years, where everyone from big name in the field to enthusiast is invited to come, present talks, listen to talks, show off demos, and the like.
Confirmed Talks:
– Mark Johnson, "Procedural Cultural, Religious, and Architectural Generation"
– Darren Grey, "Alternative Death Systems"
– Pete Hurst, "Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup Development"
– Paul Jeffries, "Procedural Generation in (Real-Life) Architecture,"
– Tom Betts, "Sir, You Are Being Hunted Development"
– Riad Djemili & Johannes Kristmann, "The Curious Expedition Development"
– Tommy Thompson, "And [my bot] vowed to return victorious!": Spelunky as an AI Benchmark"
– T M Stoddard, "Creating a Procedural Level Editor"
– Michał Brzozowski, "KeeperRL Development"
– Ph, "Algorithms for Dungeon Generation"
– Flend, "Thoughts on Short Games"
– DarkGod, "Talk TBC"
– Ido Yehieli, "Talk TBC"
Second Day
The second day will be more public, and is currently planned to include:
– A Two-Day Roguelike Game Jam! This will take place aside from the main conference on both days, and will give attendees an opportunity to try designing basic roguelikes and PCG systems
– Games Press! I'm working in collaboration with the NVA to produce an appropriate press release – more info as and when.
– An Open Play Showcase! We plan to set up at least a dozen computers to run classic roguelikes: ADOM, TOME, NetHack, DCSS, Angband, DoomRL, Brogue, Dwarf Fortress, CDDA, Sil, Infra Arcana, UnReal World, and possibly more, along with having folks standing by to explain how to actually play them! The objective is to introduce new players to classic ASCII RLs.
– Video Exhibition! Various displays of classic RL completions, speedruns, and the like, to highlight what a full playthrough might look like and range of areas players can explore.
– Prints and Posters and Shirts! We're working on an exhibition of particularly interesting roguelike screenshots, and also the potential for shirts and posters. More info soon!
– New Games! Hopefully we'll be able to offer the opportunity to play in-development versions of upcoming roguelikes; that includes my own work Ultima Ratio Regum, hopefully the Curious Expedition, and potentially several others.
– Other Stuff? Let me know if you have any ideas/thoughts!
The Venue
The NVA is located in Nottingham, and this UoN page gives a good description of how to access the city, which is well-connected by flight, rail, and coach. It is a large multi-floor building with a range of ongoing and temporary exhibitions, and we will be positioned primarily in the spacious "Lounge" area, with all the usual tables/chairs/projector/etc facilities. The NVA also has a bar!
The Dates
The conference will take place on the 27-28th June 2015.
In Summary
Please go to the Google Form and fill in your details, your interest, and whether you're interested in giving a talk, a demo, helping out on the second day, and whatever else.
If you have any questions, please email me at mark at this domain, or leave a comment somewhere else in the blog, or on the Reddit thread or the Roguetemple Thread.


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Information for First-year and other New Students
Welcome! Residence life is excited to help you build your home-away-from-home at Reed.
Submitting Your Application for Housing
Learn more about how to seek housing as a first-year student and to navigate the online housing portal. Please note that the housing portal does not open until May 1.
Incoming Students FAQ
How big is my bed? How do I receive mail? Find the answers to your questions on our FAQ for new students.
Room & Roommate Choices
Learn how to note your preferences and explore your room options.
Helpful Resources
Explore other on-campus resources for incoming Reed students:


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STAC News involving this vendor
35% higher instrument-simulations per second than previous record holder despite 70% fewer servers
Backtesting price-performance of Spark/AWS with and without data acceleration
32.7x the throughput of a larger Hadoop streaming cluster.
Content from this vendor at STAC events
Vendor provided links
Helium : The World's Fastest Key Value Store - First KVS built for new memory and compute architectures - Product Page
Xenon : Distributed Analytics Platform - Only compute data stack to drive data-centric compute and computational -Product Page
Radon: Distributed, Low- Latency, Large-scale Database - Only distributed system that scales to EB with high-rel and low latency
Levyx's goal is to make flash drives a viable, economical substitute for DRAM in high-performance applications. Products include Helium, a low-latency, high-throughput persistent data engine, and Levyx-Enhanced Spark, a flash-optimized distribution of Apache Spark designed to reduce the servers required for Spark workloads.
This page makes it easy to find STAC-related content for this vendor, as well as vendor-provided links to more information.


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Suite One Studio Ceramic Plates
In my opinion, gold-rimmed tableware is far too often left to dress the tables of weddings – only to be never seen again! It's a shame to leave these beautiful objects for special occasions when so many of them can fit in perfectly with everyday life! The gold-rim look is reminiscent of The Great Gatsby era, and brings a certain elegance to the table. Gilded-rim tableware is aplenty online. Sure, most items are of the classic clear-glass variety, but I did find some really special colorful ceramics that looked marvelous with a golden outline (See above!) Pastel shades of pink and blue were the ones that most caught my eye.
1. Gold Rimmed Agate Coaster – 2. Classic Touch Gold Rim Glass Plate, Set of 6 – 3. Gilded Royale Champagne Flute – 4. Gilded Royale Glass Dinnerware – 5. Transatlantica Gold Rimmed Dinner Plate – 6. Heart Ring Dish with Gold Rim – 7. Home Essentials Cellini Gold-Rimmed Hurricanes, Set of 3 – 8. Gold Rim Stemless Drinkware – 9. Anna Weatherley Antique White with Gold Rim Rim Soup Bowl – 10. Vera Wang Wedgwood Gilded Weave Gold Rim Soup Bowl – 11. Dauville Regency Gold Rim Ceramic Dinner Plate – 12. Kate Spade Larabee Road Gold Rim Soup Bowl – 13. Gigi Gold Rim Mug, Set of 4 – 14. Lenox Minstrel Gold Rim Soup Bowl – 15. Robert Siegel Studio Gold Rim Tumbler – Aqua
Gilded-Rim Tableware Inspiration
Bella Gold Rimmed Coupe in Blush by Casa De Perrin
Gold-Rimmed Ceramic 3-Piece Bakeware Set
White Gold Rimmed Ceramic Dish by Scoutmob
Do you own any gilded-rim tableware?


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Fully Licensed & Bonded
Property Location With a stay at Roma Resort Navona, you'll be centrally located in Rome, steps from Palazzo Crivelli and Oratorio del Gonfalone. This apartment is close to St. Peter's Basilica and Roman Forum.Rooms Make yourself at home in one of the 4 air-conditioned rooms featuring kitchens with full-sized refrigerators/freezers and stovetops. Your bed comes with Egyptian cotton sheets, and all rooms are furnished with queen sofa beds. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and satellite programming is available for your entertainment. Conveniences include desks and microwaves, and housekeeping is provided once per stay.Rec, Spa, Premium Amenities Make use of convenient amenities such as complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services, and tour/ticket assistance.Business, Other Amenities Featured amenities include multilingual staff and luggage storage.


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Publishing Bibliography
Anthologies available from Amazon store:
For information on my appearances, please see:
- Lindy Lee: Songs on Mill Hill. (Full Length-Collection)
Finishing Line Press.October 2017.
- Quintet, Greenville, SC: Ninety-Six Press, 2003.
This limited edition anthology included a chapbook of my poetry
and chapbooks of four other authors.
- Dancing Crooked. Greenville, SC: Mad Girl Press, 1997.
Anthologies available from Amazon store:
For information on my appearances, please see:
Full List of Published Poems
Finalist. Including publication. 2018 James Applewhite Poetry Prize.
North Carolina Literary Review.
"Archive: South Carolina Poetry Since 2005." Furman University.
Newnan-Coweta Magazine. May/June 2018
North Carolina Literary Review.
- Third Place. 2017. Flames Poetry Contest (and Anthology). NY Literary Magazine.
- Semi-finalist. 2017 James Applewhite Poetry Prize. North Carolina Literary Review.
- "How Many Slept Here." Fall Lines. The Jasper Project. Muddy Ford Press 2017.
- "Lost Stand of Daffodils." The Broad River Review. Summer 2017.
- "The Shortness of Summer" and "The Ugly Jug" Aji Magazine. Spring 2017.
- "Film Director." Poems2G0.com Poem was distributed on fliers to coffee houses.
- "The Forgotten Fence" and "The Black Country Curry." Petigru Review. South Carolina Writer's Association. 2016. PUSHCART PRIZE NOMINEE
- "Bees of Light." Phantom Drift: 6th Annual. Fall 2016.
- "Tentative Love." O Dark Thirty. The Review. 2016
- "Is This It." Stand There Shining: A Recovery Anthology. Tulip Tree Publishing. 2016
- "Fortune Tellers" Republished on by the National Park Service as part of Kimberly Simms' role as 2016 Carl Sandburg Writer-in-Residence.
- "Sweeter than our Carolina Tea." Poems that are Speaking Down Barriers. Speaking Down Barriers Website. 2015 http://www.speakingdownbarriers.org/poems.html
- "Middle Saluda." South Carolina Review, Volume 48, Number 2. Spring 2016. Clemson, SC: Clemson UP, 2015. (as KJ Gibbs)
- "Machine Tools Salesman." Poem, Huntsville, AL: 2015 (as KJ Gibbs)
Note from the author: Please not that between 2008 and 2014, I did not send out my poems for publication as I was focusing on my family and my daughter.
2010 - 2006 (as Kimberly Jane Simms)
- "Dip 1929," "Hop Along Little Crow," "Jerome's Silence." The South Carolina Review. Vol 42.2. Clemson, SC: Clemson UP, 2010.
- "The Summer of Tiger Swallow Tails."
In The Yard Anthology. Sylva,
NC: Old Mountain Press, 2007. (oldmp.com)
- "Fortune Tellers." Eclipse. Glendale, CA: Glendale College, 2006.
- "Brother's Mess of Crosses." First Place.
2005 n Edward Johnson Prize. SC Poetry Society. Charleston, SC: SCPS,
- "Cliff Jump." Honorable Mention. 2006 Lyric Poem Prize. SC Poetry Society. Charleston, SC: SCPS, 2006.
- "The Cotton Mill Song." Blue Collar Review. Vol. 10 Issue 1. Autumn 2006. Norfolk, VA: Partisan Press, 2006.
- "Blue Panes." Honorable Mention. Kakalak 2006: An Anthology of Carolina Poets. Charlotte, NC: Main Street Rag, 2006.
- "May Anti-Capitalist Riots, London*." Growing Up Girl Anthology. Washington, DC: Girl Child Press, 2006. (Anthology Rights)
- "May Anti-Capitalist Riots, London." Timber Creek Review. Greensboro, NC: John M. Freiermuth (editor), 2006. First Rights, but TCR went Defunct.
2005 (as Kimberly Jane Simms)
- "Digging." Asheville Poetry Review. Vol. 12, No. 1. Asheville, NC: APR, 2005.
- "Bliss." Poems Niedergasse July/August. 2005. http://www.niederngasse.com
- "Exploring American Landscapes: Book Review." The South Carolina Review. Vol 38.1. Clemson, SC: Clemson UP, 2005.
- "Deep Deportation." Plains Song Review. Lincoln, NE: U of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2005.http://www.unl.edu/plains/publications/PSR/psr6_10.shtml
- "Saluda," "Lunar Republic," and
"Last Day at the Mill." The
Millennial Sampler of SC Poetry. Greenville, SC: Ninety-six Press, 2005.
- "Man and Woman Eating Dinner." Aurora Review. Spring 2005. Fayetteville, AK: Aurora, 2005.
- "December in the Foothills," "Sneaky Sand," and "Just Friends." The Dead Mule: School of Southern Literature. April 2005. ISSN 1535-8488. Val MacEwan, 2005.
2004 - 1995 (as Kimberly Jane Simms)
- "Dissasembly Line" and "Nothing Like Barcelona." WRIToracle. Vol. 5 Winter. Durham, NH: The Writ, 2003.
- "Small Spaces", "Cuttings", "Sara is Screaming" Speak Out, Columbia, SC: Universal Soul Languages Publications, 2003 (under 500 copies. Anthology)
- "Lunar Republic." From the Page to the Stage. Ann Arbor, MI: Wordsmith Press, 2003.
- "Cuttings", "Not Quite the White Knight", "Letter to Adam" Psychotic Education Vol. 5. Greenville, SC: David Stone, 2002
- "The Execution of Lady Jane Grey." The Absinthe Literary Review, Winter 2002. Spring Green, WI: ALR, 2002. http://www.absintheliteraryreview.com/poetics/thanatos02.htm
- "Interview," "My Poems in London," and "Headlines". Rising. Issues 18, 23, 27. London, UK: Tim Wells, 2000-2001.
- "Mae West Disease," "Pick Up," and "Berlin Teletowers." The Illustrated Ape Magazine. Issues 10, 13, 14. London, UK 2001-2002.
- "Small Spaces." "Baby Kidnapped." Not Your Mama's Cookbook, Ladyfest South Anthology. Atlanta, Kings Cross Pub., 2002 (under 500 copies. Anthology)
- "Mother." 6th Annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam Anthology, Greenville, SC: Southern Fried Poetry Slam, 1998
- "Small Spaces," "Barbie," "Speaking to Women," and "Vast as the Sky." Women's Insight Magazine. Issues 3&4. Greenville, SC: WIM, 1997.
- "Green Glass" and "Just Friends." The Echo. Greenville, SC: Furman, 1997 & 1998.
- "Home." America's Intercultural Magazine. Maywood, IL: AIM Publications, 1996.
Book Review
"Exploring American Landscapes." The South Carolina Review. SCR 38-1.
Paper PresentationAssociated Writers Conference: Pedagogy Papers 2006
"What Can We Learn From Slam?" by Kimberly Simms


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Archive for December, 2007
another example of "The Long Tail"
Or should it be the long "tale"? Last spring Tim and I lost a long time friend Gordon Findlay. Actually, my friend Rick and I had known Gordon longer than anyone else in our immediate circle of friends. In fact, Gordon had stayed with Rick for a short while before the reality of his situation set in and he accepted a move to a nursing home which probably prolonged his life by at least two years. He ate regularly, took his medication on time, and no longer became engrossed in his 'project of the moment' to the detriment of his health.
At the time, we had no clue on how to contact Gordon's family. We had bits and pieces of information but nothing that would have helped us locate anyone. We knew his former wife -an MIT alum like Gordon- still lived in the Cambridge area. I knew that she had been the alumni fundraiser for MIT but we all figured she had long since retired, and no one had a clue to her married name. We knew he had two children, Jim and Heidi, both engineers that lived on the west coast. Heidi in Washington, Jim in California. But that was all we collectively knew. It wasn't nearly enough information to help us find anyone who might want to know that Gordon had died.
So we all did the best we could and called everyone we could think of here in Cleveland and we had a nice little turnout for Gordon's send off. He loved enormously extravagant parties but he never was much for the small inimate gathering that ended his stay here on earth. He never let his emotional side take over his analytic engineering personality. Better to analyze and probe without ever going too deep. He always particpated in the rounds of holiday parties but never committed himself to a "Merry Christmas". His toast was always to Saturnalia.
Tim posted an online notice of the passing of our friend and we thought that that would be the last we would hear of Gordon except in stories when our group got together and began "a remember when" until today. Tim received an email from Gordon's daughter. She had found the post about her dad on Tim's website and she had written to thank him for the nice words and for the closure that she, her mother, and her brother would now have about her father. She wondered if we would be willing to talk to her more about her dad since she had not been able to locate him and he had not contacted her in many years.
Gordon was a scientist. An only child who had an inventor's spirit, but an unwillingness to let those closest to him know much about his whereabouts and such. He always thought he would live forever so he probably never envisioned a day when he just might run out of time. In the eighties, he told me that some day that we would do all of our shopping on line even our groceries. That we would never have to venture out of electronic cottages to do the everyday tasks that take so much of our time. He felt that we would truly be able to create, innovate, and invent because we would be freed by the internet. He talked about fiberoptics long before anyone else ever mentioned the word to me. He talked about light rail allowing us to move about freely when Peak Oil happened. He was a man of ideas who envisioned much of what we are experiencing today long before others noticed what was happening.
He had a strong distrust for the government due to the fact that he and other MIT grad students were asked to combine their studies with a classified government project during World War II. Gordon was suspect of the plan because he was afraid that none of them would be able to publish their work and therefore, not receive doctorates. The other students and the scientists convinced him that he was worrying for nothing and that this project was HUGE. I remember when he called me in the late 90's to tell me that he had just been notified that his graduate work was no longer classified and that he could publish his thesis. He was well into his seventies, and his doctorate no longer mattered. He laughed at the irony of how time had flown and how something that had meant so much no longerhad any importance.
Gordon was a man of dreams-some of them broken, some of them realized. I think that he would be pleased that his beloved internet brought his daughter and two of his friends together over many miles after much time had passed. He told me many years ago that our definition of time would some day shift. I wonder if we are approaching the day that Gordon talked about with such passion.
Christmas Memories Through Music
Music conjures up great memories for me at all times of the year, but Christmas and music are tangled together just like a string of twinkling lights. George's link for Chris Butler about favorite Christmas music got me thinking about some of my favorite Christmas music. Actually, the list is almost endless. One carol begets another carol, and then, there are the old standards that remind me very fondly of my mother and father, and then there is…snow, snow, think of all of the songs that owe their existence to the word "snow".
I am sure you are getting the drift at just how difficult honing down a Christmas list of favorite music was for me. I finally chose these six as my "favorites". Of course, if I was asked tomorrow the list might shift and change but these songs will still be a part of any Christmas memory of music.
I'll Be Home For Christmas. This song signifies the beginning of the Christmas season for me. When I was little, my dad would begin our Christmas season by bursting into song. This song could have been considered his signature song. Now, that he is gone I use the first time I hear it on the radio as the beginning to my Christmas season.
Up On The Housetop. My aunts years ago began performing this song with appropriate hand motions for all of the little kids in our family. After a certain age, the kids become part of the performers. Strangely enough, All of the kids are the audience, but the performing cast is all female. Hmmm!
O Holy Night! My mother loved to play Christmas Carols on the piano. She loved to play all kinds of carols and songs, but this one was one of her favorites. When I hear this song, it reminds me of family get togethers when my mother played and we sang.
The Christmas Song. Hearing the velvet voice of Nat King Cole giving the perfect description of an idyllic Christmas reminds me that aspiring to perfection is an admirable goal but that each and every Christmas becomes "the best Christmas ever" for varied reasons.
What Child is This? I have an incredible affinity to traditional caroling fare. This is probably due to the six years that I spent singing with the other teenagers in my hometown. The Sunday evening before Christmas we would gather at one of the area churches and start on our trek to sing and bring cookies to the "shut-ins" in our community. These folk were those of us who could not make it to church to participate in the festivities of the season. We would take the festivities to them.
Many of the spouses of these older folks greatly appreciated our efforts and we would be quite full of egg nog, hot chocolate, fruitcake and other goodies by the time we headed back to our cars. One old man sticks in my memory to this day. He was a World War I veteran gassed in one of the battles in Europe. He was bedridden for as long as I can remember My father and other veterans had enclosed their front porch years before with huge windows that let in any available sunshine but more importantly, the view of the world beyond his house.
During the winter, he moved farther into the house, but on the night that we were expected he insisted on moving back to the porch so that he could watch our approach. One year he greeted us with candles to carry candles as we strolled down the streets. He said that the older people who looked forward to our visits would appreciate knowing that we were on our way.
As the years progressed, we saw the detrioration of his health, but he always insisted on ladling the egg nog into our cups. Here was a man bedridden who could barely lift his head at times, but he appreciated our feeble efforts at harmony so much that he would rally each year to show it by sharing a cup of cheer with us. i wonder if he ever realized that he gave more to us than we could ever give to him.
Happy Christmas (War is Over) And to someone who came of age in the seventies, this song by John Lennon wraps it up quite approriately.
Days Before Christmas Giant Eagle Appears More Naughty Than Nice
I caught a snippet of the glitch that caused double billing to some Giant Eagle customers if they had the misfortune of shopping for groceries on December 14th last evening on TV, but learned more from the on-line Crain's Business article today. I experienced this SAME thing years ago, and am rather amazed that it still happens. I guess though in this world of electronic dispatching of funds it is feasible. What I found more disturbing was my encounter with the employee who shrugged her shoulders, said "these things happen, we will credit your account". No apology, no smile, no thanks for doing business-NOTHING! I VERY seldom shop at Giant Eagle nowadays. I am a firm believer that customer service can make or break a business. I was a bit disappointed to hear that again it was shoppers who had to tell the store they had a problem, and that there was no public apology released by a Giant Eagle Official. I guess some things never change.
Well, like I said I don't shop at Giant Eagle, but when I heard yesterday that there was a display of Great Lakes Christmas Ale sitting on the floor in an UNREFRIGERATED display I had to see it for myself. Sure enough, there it sits on display with no refrigeration. Do I care? Not at all. My local beverage store was the recepient of additional cases of Christmas Ale because Giant Eagle doesn't seem able to sell it, and they didn't want or need any more. So, I have plenty of Christmas Ale for family and friends. I do feel sorry for unsuspecting buyers who do not realize that the ale will not be at its best if not continually chilled. In my mind, just one more reason to BUY LOCAL.
Christmas is: A Cup of Coffee, Good Conversation and Friends
Last night was our final Cleveland Weblogger Meetup for 2007. George has been a bit flummoxed about the erratic attendance at these events lately, but last night is a testimony to the value of these meetups and how they enhance our Northeast Ohio blogger community. There we were fourteen of us gathered around a grouping of four tables at the East 185th Street Arabica trying to be heard over a music system which wasn't quite used for background. More importantly, all of us tried to hear every word said by the others because we had ALL had a very interesting 2007. As usual, we started off with short introductions of who we were and a short description of our blogs. Of course, some of us have more than one and so right away George told us we needed to pick one. He asked how many blogged in more than one place. Almost half the hands were raised high.
Then we moved on to the highlights of 2007 for us with the intention of discussing 2008 as our next topic, but many of the things started this year are moving right into 2008 so that was a bit hard to do. Everyone should expect another stellar year in the blogosphere of NEO. Jack and George are writing a book. Molly has started a women's group. Jill has had quite a few opportunities appear. Tim's and Joel's businesses have both moved to another level. Rick Pollack is working diligently to bolster entrepreneurship in NEO. Interactive TV, No More WalMart, new blogs, enhanced adolescent blogs, and much, much more is on tap for NEO. Mike Fiegenbaum had some really interesting insights on the local economy and how internet sales increase for Lucy's Sweet Surrender when a televised segment he did SIX YEARS AGO airs again.
Two new guys appeared-Pat and Matt and I hope they continue to show. They came after introductions and I didn't get a chance to chat so I am deficient on info. Can anyone help me out here? Anyway, it is always good to see new faces in the crowd. New perspectives, new thoughts, new stories to share enhances the conversation. At one point, the music just became too distracting-I am sorry to say I don't think I heard one word Bob Rhubart had to say, and that is a shame because he has such good content. George suggested we break into smaller segments to discuss the topics we had brushed on lightly. He suggested we mix it up a bit and move to other tables and talk with other people. I am always amazed that we ACTUALLY accomplish that. Time and time again, in other groups, the same suggestion is made and we still stick with the comfortable. Our group dynamics are such that we want to leave one comfort zone and go to another.
Here is a snippet of the topics that Will, Jeff, Derek, and I talked about in our group-Wal Mart's declining market share which morphed into women in politics and then into business and then we jumped to education, and probably to the more interesting part of the conversation, for me at least, Will's fiction book which then began a discussion of 1984. I shared the story about my daughter's perspective being different than mine when she read it. Katie brought the book home in high school and I commented "That is one of the scariest books I have ever read." Later, when she was finished with the book she asked my why I thought it was so scary because she couldn't agree. I reread the book and realized that much of what I found so scary she had experienced in her everyday life. We then talked about changing perspectives and Jeff suggested that reading lists had not changed much from the 1960's. We all agreed with that perception-Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace-Derek groaned at that one-A Scarlet Letter-we all groaned at that one. Derek then suggested that you would think that nothing significant had been written since 1960. We all nodded our heads, and realized that we had just found another reason that education has fallen behind.
But, Jeff left us with one of his nuggets of wisdom and hope-the internet is changing things and the reader has now become the gatekeeper and people are reading many different novels and newspapers and online journals and bloggers are sharing the information and knowledge is exploding. And then I moved on to another group, and there is just not time or space to discuss where Molly, Jill, Joel and I went with our conversation. All in all, the two hours went by incredibly swiftly. And I can only hope that we continue to get together periodically in 2008 to see how our year is progressing and so we can continue to cheer each other on to new heights. As Joel said, the face-to-face meetings build the trust we need to strengthen the on-line community. I couldn't agree more.
And finally, thanks, George, for giving your time, energy and commitment to all of us. Because when it is all said and done, I wouldn't have any one of the friends I have mentioned in this post if it were not for you. So Thank you for your wonderful gift to all of us. I greatly appreciate it.
Where Have All The Homeless Gone?
Each Saturday Tim and I slow down the pace a bit and attend Mass at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. We usually ride the bus and have a quiet supper at one of the stops on the way home, but before that happens we have a long wait at our bus stop on Public Square. Recently, the silence has been serene there. People stroll through the colorfully lit quadrants on their way to dinner after shopping at Tower City. Families with children laughing are at the square. The sense of peace is very comforting. The people waiting for their buses are quietly talking or silently winding down from a day of work.
But then, I realize that there are characters missing from the scene. The young man who waves his arms wildly talking to unseen people who refuse to let him alone is nowhere to be found. The young couple waiting with us this week is not accosted by the countless drug dealers who weave in and out of the bus stops asking the younger ones in our midst if they need anything. Believe me, these youngsters have learned how to say "no". The scratching sound of skateboard wheels no longer assault the senses and the lumpy piles of blankets and sleeping bags with "the least of us" inside have been shuffled to other sites.
And then, the converation in my head begins. Where are the homeless? Is it so wrong that when a young man comes up to ask me for "23 cents" so that he can buy a 99-cent chicken sandwich at KFC I give it to him? (This incident was over on Carnegie but still proves my point) Or, the older lady who asks us for the rest of her bus fare so that she can go to her sister's to spend the night because she has nowhere to stay? Or that someone outside Starbucks asks for a cup of coffee and I buy it for him. Why can't I give my dollars and cents directly. But then, I realize that because they are not on the square it is SO peaceful and that people who have worked long days and young people who use the bus for transportation are no longer agitated as in the past and neither am I. And most of all, there are new faces among us.
But then, I am concerned that "the problem" has just been shifted off site. That when "they" are no longer seen, we can pretend for a few moments at least that "those people" don't exist, but they do exist. Some say that the homeless were shuffled over to the mall by the County Administration Building. I can't imagine this being much more than a "temporary fix" and it will probably work until after the holidays because so many downtown workers save vacation days for the end of the year. I did it when I worked downtown. It just made sense. But where will they be shuffled to in 2008?
Too often, we give money to agencies that "deal with charitable concerns" and then, we can say "there ,we have done our part". But, have we? When we are given absolution by an advertising campaign that tells us "It's all right to say 'no'" is that enough? I have never had a problem with saying "no" to someone panhandling if I didn't want to give to him or her. I don't think anyone does. Now, in essence, we have been told by others that we have moved them from your sight, and that's okay, don't feel a sense of duty to these people who are "the least of us." Giving to others makes us feel good, and maybe the few dollars that we were giving to the homeless made us feel better more than those who received did. I still feel that the five dollars or so I give periodically directly did more good than giving it to an agency.
Again, I am left with how beautiful Public Square is now, and I again felt a twinge of guilt. Then, my friend Dick Clough sent us an invitation to his "birthday party". Dick's reason for his birthday bash was not for himself, but to stoke the coffers for the yearly "Tour of Good Cheer". Dick and a group of friends started demonstrating the true spirit of the holidays in 1984. For twenty-three years, they have rented a bus and/or vans to deliver the presents to needy kids, seriously ill chilldren and adults, and the homeless. Our part in all of this was to bring slightly used sweaters, coats,hats,gloves, cash and/or checks. Right now, the Tour of Good Cheer partners with eight different shelters.
The finishing touch is Christmas Eve when Dick and his friends visit each shelter dropping off the gifts and sharing a bit of Christmas Cheer in the form of cookies and punch with those who receive the gifts. Dick invited all who attended his birthday party to join him when the gifts are distributed. Unless we sit down and have conversations with people who need someone to listen how do we know if the money we give to a charitable agency actually is doing the good that we think is happening. Dick and his friends have made giving a bit more personal and that is a good thing.
How appropriate that when Dick thanked us all for coming and giving that he mentioned 'It's a Wonderful LIfe' He said that many would think that he is not a rich man but looking out at the group of people who had come to his party and had given made him probably one of the richest men alive. I would have to agree with Dick that he, indeed, is wealthy because he certainly has a large circle of friends who honored him by delivering when he asked.
And I decided that this type of giving- a bit more up front and personal-is how I want to continue to give my dollars so I am going to talk to my circle of friends and see how we can achieve this type of giving on a smaller scale. So for now, I am a bit more focused in how I intend to move forward. These words first uttered by Hubert Humphrey are swirling around in my head and I believe are appropriate to close this post:
It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped."
And since, we are a government 'of the people, by the people, and for the people', isn't this a moral test of us?
To Me, The Gift of a Story is the Gift That Keeps On Giving
Curling up with a good book has always been a favorite pastime of mine especially when the weather turns colder. Years ago, a cup of hot chocolate was my sidekick but more recently it is a good cup of coffee. At Christmastime, I revert to the hot chocolate stirred with a peppermint stick. My daughters always requested it served this way, and I became an aficionado as well.
The holidays are usually too hectic for much reading so I always bring out my collections of short stories and revisit some of my best friends. Below are five of my favorites that I believe signify best the "spirit of giving" which for me embodies the yuletide season, because after all, isn't the giving of yourself the greatest gift of all?
The Gift of The Magi by O. Henry
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
Little Women Chapter Two: Merry Christmas by Louisa May Alcott
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Story of The First Christmas Luke 1-20
My First Question Was: Who Would Want To Do This?
But then I remembered being young surrounded by other young people who seemed to want attention just a bit more than the rest of us.
Today when I signed on to gmail, I checked out my google page for the temperatures I keep track of throughout the country, and then, my eyes were drawn to the sidebar that suggested that I could learn how to break out the bottom of a beer bottle in four easy steps from wikihow. Go here, if you would like to see how to achieve this "party" trick as well as these other wondeful attention getters-opening a champagne bottle with a sword, crushing a beer can with your bare hand, oh, and the ever present, breaking boards with your bare hand.
I especially love the break the bottom of the beer bottle supplies-a kitchen sink, the beer bottle and safety goggles.I can just imagine the scene at a holiday party, first asking everyone to gather around the kitchen sink where you stand outfitted in safety goggles with beer bottle in hand. I think I might even be tempted to use those rubber gloves at the side of the sink as well, but that is just the cautious female in me. Is it chauvinistic of me to think that these party tricks were for the weaker sex who thinks tricks are the name of the game?
Since the holidays are the time for memories, I remember two such party tricks that still remain vivid in my mind and really did not end so very well for the enactors. The first one happened in a BGSU cafeteria where I worked during my college years. One of my fellow workers was into karate in a big way and was always breaking dishes with his bare hands. It was an inticrate process with just the right height, the correct number of dishes, and the chop executed oh so correctly. The execution of this trick was always done the same way, with the same numbers, the same height, and at the same time (when the supervisor had stepped out of the kitchen for her cigarette) until that fateful night before winter break. One of the other guys suggested that the trick was old and tired and that the karate king couldn't break ten dishes so what was the big deal. And so, the stage was set.
We'll never know whether it was the added number of dishes or the sudden appearance of our supervisor four minutes early from her break, but the blood and the cuts to the hand were immense causing a rush to the emergency room for two of us and the injured one leaving the rest of the crew behind to explain the mess on the dishwasher's conveyor belt.
The stars must have been aligned just so for emergency room visits that year because the second incident happened during winter break that same year. This incident happened at the local watering hole where all of us college kids and those of us out of school with real jobs back home to visit the 'rents would meet on a regular basis. One of our crowd was a high school teacher whos party trick was taking a huge bite out of a "pony" glass and then chewing up the glass. No one ever knew exactly how he did it, so the upshot was that he didn't pay for a drink the rest of the night because everybody thought if we could tip him over the edge he would just have to tell us.
Well, this night, something went terribly wrong because he ended up with a mouthful of glass shards with grotesque amounts of blood oozing down the sides of his mouth. It was reminiscent more of Halloween than Christmastime. Needless to say, the bar lost money that night because we all looked at our glasses in a different way, set them down, and went home for a long winter's nap. Lucky for him, school was out of session and by the time that he needed to report back to school, his mouth had healed to the point where it wasn't as noticeable, but he did talk like he had a mouthful of marbles. He never did reveal how the trick was done, and as far as I know never attempted it again.
So why am I relating all of this here and now ? Because, first of all, those parlor tricks are not very profitable in getting admiration from anyone, certainly aren't great for getting a date, and if they do go wrong, just think how many years your friends and acquaintance will relate these bizarre twists of your fate. Secondly, you will not benefit but your friends will get a few laughs at parties when the conversation gets around to the funniest "how to" you ever saw or maybe how quickly it can all go so, so wrong. And finally those aren't jingle bells you hear, but the laughter of mean little elves that cause things to go bump in the night and can turn "nice into naughty in a twinkling of an eye.
So this holiday season, learn from your elders, be yourself and let the crazy parlor tricks on the wiki page where they belong.
Today, I Know Who I am
For quite some time now the question of "what is a blogger?" has been swirling through the blogosphere. Is a blogger a journalist? If not, who or what is a blogger? The comparisons to traditional journalists abound, but none of the defiinitions that other bloggers and journalists have offered seemed to fit me. Now, if you use a strict definition of journalist which would be one who writes a journal that could be me, but I probably would be more like a diarist, but you see that isn't quite right either because recording the daily temperature and weather as so many diarists did throughout history just isn't my style Am I a journalist in the news media genre? Probably not. I am much more opinionated than a writer who is fascinated by the facts and figures of a certain subject and although I may report on participatory events I too often add color commentary to be considered any kind of reporter. Neither do I purport to be an expert on any one subject. So journalist, no. But then I am still left with "blogger". And just what is that and how do I fit?
A year ago, bloggers were compared to the early pamphleteers during the Revolutionary War years. Now, that appealed to me, but with the end of that war and the issue at hand those pamphlets and pamphleteers died out. Of course, Tom Paine and "Common Sense" still live on today and still have historical merit that can still be applied. I don't want to burn brightly, and then, die out.
And that, dear friends, is where I find myself today. Last February, Judith and Bill Moyers, he being chairman of the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy and an independent journalist with his own production company, were presented an award by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Go here, to read the excerpt from his acceptance speech that gave rise to this post. It is well worth the read even though it is quite long. But I have excerpted two quotes that fit with my definition of what I blog, why I blog and how I perceive my role as a blogger.
The gist of Mr. Moyer's remarks focused on the role that history and literature play in our lives and how and why they are important. This quote hit me like a ton of bricks:
"Some members of Congress got it. They realized that we were talking not only about how to improve our lives as individuals but how to nurture a flourishing democracy. Wouldn't we have been likely to deal more effectively and quickly with pollution if we had thought about where we fit in the long sweep of the Earth's story? Could we better tackle our spending priorities as a society if we were prepared to acknowledge and confront the pain of conflicting choices, which the ancient poets knew to be the incubus of agony and the crucible of wisdom? Might we better decide how to use our wealth and power if we have measured and tested ourselves against the greatest things a human being ever uttered? Are we not likely to be more wisely led by officials who have learned from history and literature that great nations die of too many lies?
I believe that truth is necessary today more than ever. Recently, someone told me, "but the public doe not want to know the truth". I disagree. I think that, given the truth, the collective wisdom of the public will shine through and we will not repeat the mistakes of the past but be able to learn from our history and be better for it. In fact, I think that the public is disgusted that an elite few have decided that the public can't handle the truth, and that it should be left to think tanks and experts–those who know better. I say "poppycock".
And then there was this quote that really spoke to me because I have never felt that blogging should be the last stop but rather the starting place of new conversations, new thoughts and ideas, and leaders emerging where we would not expect. We stand at a horizon that may be even more exciting than the ones that the pioneers surveyed during the manifest destiny years. We may truly be experiencing our manifest destiny now. Wouldn't that be wonderful? And here is the quote:
"The public is no fiction, Carey said. The public had no life, no social relationships, without news. The news was what activated conversation between strangers, and strangers were assumed to be capable of conversing about the news. In fact, the whole point of the press was not so much to disseminate fact as to assemble people. The press furnished materials for argument—"information," in the narrow sense—"but the value of the press was predicated on the existence of the public, not the reverse." The media's role was humble but serious, and that role was to take the public seriously. "
And as a blogger, I related to these words as though they had been written for me. So am I a blogger? Yes, but I think from now on I will consider myself undertaking the ancient, critical task of the public intellectual. I am constantly amazed at how many things come full circle with the internet. Tim and I took a trip in early October and ended up in Staunton, VA, the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson. Then, I came home to a plethora of emails that I needed to sort through, but didn't. The other day I was searching my mail on the word "morrison", stumbled on the email from a friend that included the excerpt about Bill Moyers, saw the name Woodrow Wilson, stopped and took the time to read it, and suddenly, the answers about blogging became clear.
I do it because I want to share thoughts and ideas with others. Do I always succeed? I don't know, so few people comment here, and I refuse to be dominated by numbers so I stay away from my stats, but I do know that stimulating discussion and thought and adding a viewpoint that is not as narrowly focused as some others to me is enough. Maybe, it's enough that what I write has made me think about things. I really suggest that you click thru to read the entire excerpt located at http://www. tompaine.commonsense.com because these words were spoken by a true journalist.
After all, I am just a woman with a veiw who lives by the zoo. But today, and until further notice, I am a public intellectual who blogs and that, folks, is my definition of a blogger.
Conversations At The Bus Stop
Tim and I have had some of the most interesting conversations at the #79 Bus Stop at the Corner of Ontario and Superior . Saturday was no exception.
We were WAY too early for the next bus so we took the opportunity to walk through the square and look at the Christmas lights. There are bundles of them on each tree. I observed that the Christmas tree was leaning to the west and Tim said he hadn't noticed until I mentioned it. I said that someone else had mentioned that the orange lights on the trees were more reminiscent of Halloween than Christmas. Tim said he liked them and I observed that they certainly added a new color into the mix, but I liked the tradional red and green the best.
An older black gentleman nodded to us as we hustled into the shelter to get out of the bitter cold. We all settled in for the long, cold wait for our buses. The first couple to leave our little group was a young black couple. As they hopped onto their bus, the older man turned to me and asked "why are we so destructive? Why are we so destructive in our criticism of others?" He then recounted that the young couple had been talking about acquaintances but they had described each and every one of the people with derogatory comments-the guy with the big nose, the girl with the big behind, and so on.
He then asked if people "don't know that others carry those labels throughout their lives"-the guy with the big nose, the girl with the big behind". He said, "the guy with the big nose might end up with a nice house, a wife and kids, and a good job, but he would always remember that people called him 'the guy with the big nose'. People think that words don't stick, but they do. And many words hinder people from being all they can be. "We shouldn't do that to each other", he said. As he got on the bus, he shook his head still asking "Why aren't we more accepting? Why aren't we more positive? Why don't we show others we love them instead of destructively criticizing them?"
None of us left at the bus stop had an answer for him. I don't have one now but, as I thought about writing this post, I realized that I had been guilty of the "take away" syndrome, too. Not with people but with the Holiday display on the square. Instead of focusing on the thousands of lights on the pine, I noticed that it just wasn't quite plumb. I even brought in someone else's criticism to the conversation when I mentioned the post I had read that didn't like the orange lights. Instead of basking in the beauty of the moment, I played the "yes,but…"game. And then, I realized that I received words of wisdom from a chance meeting at a bus stop.
There is no better time to form a new habit than at the holidays when we strive to show others peace and goodwill. So starting today, I will look at the moments I have with others and myself from an appreciative viewpoint and put the destructive, negative thoughts behind me. After all, they are more destructive to the one who voices them than the one who may not even know they have been said.


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The president and first lady spent part of their Saturday at a basketball game in Chevy Chase, Md.
Sasha Obama, the couple's younger daughter, had a game Saturday morning at the Jane Lawton Community Recreation Center.
After the game, President Obama returned to the White House where aides say he's monitoring the changing events in Egypt.


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Graduate Student Seminar Scheduled for December 3
The Fall 2008 Beckman Institute Graduate Student Seminar series continues on Wednesday, December 3. The seminar will feature three short talks from graduate students Brian Levinthal, Greg Scott, and James Lee. The seminar will be held in Beckman Institute Room 1005 and a pizza lunch will be served.
The Beckman Institute Graduate Student Seminar Series presents the work of outstanding graduate students working in Beckman research groups. The seminar starts at Noon in Beckman Institute Room 1005 and is open to the public. Lunch will be served.
What happens when we fail to find what we're looking for?
Brian Levinthal
Traditional research in visual search (the ability to find, select, and process a target among distractor items) has focused on either very high level factors such as goals and instructions, or very low level factors such as the physical properties of the search environment. An intermediate category of factors, known as inter-trial effects, are neither high nor low level. Inter-trial effects refer to the influence of very recent experience on current searching behavior, and appear in a wide variety of search contexts. Our research focuses on one particular inter-trial effect, which characterizes the visual system's response to the failure to find a target item. As it turns out, the visual system responds quite strongly, and inhibits "features" that defined a failed search. Our research demonstrates that this response is broad, occurs for simple features (e.g. colors) as well as complex categories (e.g. faces or houses), and is generalizable beyond a single simple search task.
Single Molecule Absorption Spectra of Carbon Nanotubes Detected by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
Greg Scott
The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is a powerful tool for the study of surfaces and adsorbates due to its high spatial resolution. The addition of optical excitation to the STM introduces a means for examining single-molecules with high spatial and spectral resolution simultaneously. We utilize rear-illumination and frequency-modulation of a laser excitation source to overcome the thermal problems association with optically-assisted STM. We directly detect absorption in molecules by monitoring changes in their electronic structure. Carbon nanotubes have generated significant interest due to their unique physical properties and may find use in a number of nanotechnologies. We use our single-molecule absorption monitoring technique to probe the optical absorption spectrum of the first electronic transition of semi-conducting single-walled carbon nanotubes on silicon surfaces. Discrepancies exist between the calculated optical spectra and experimental spectra measured with other techniques. We aim to use our spatially-resolved direct-detection method to resolve these inconsistencies.
Diffuse Optical Imaging of Songbirds
James Lee
Diffuse Optical Imaging (DOI) uses light to study brain activity. The noninvasive nature of this method opens new avenues of exploration for the study of song recognition and possibly song production in songbirds.
DOI is potentially compatible with many other neuroscience or molecular methods. Used alone, DOI may permit long-term studies with the same subject. This would allow us to explore the effects of accumulated experience on learning.
DOI runs silently so it is well suited for studying auditory responses. It is also inexpensive, portable, and free from scheduling constraints associated with shared instruments.
In experiments with the anesthetized animal, reliable signals have been recorded. These responses to auditory stimuli appear to localize to auditory areas in the brain. Future steps involve recording from awake animals and attempting to image brain activity in the behaving animal.


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|You are in: World: Africa
Monday, 11 June, 2001, 13:52 GMT 14:52 UK
South Africa arms inquiry under way
Public hearings have opened in South Africa into a $6bn arms deal, which has been at the centre of allegations of fraud and corruption at high levels in the government in Pretoria.
The case at Pretoria High Court was due top start two weeks ago, but was immediately adjourned at the request of the Defence Ministry, which said it needed more time to prepare.
Correspondents say it has become one of the most highly charged issues facing President Thabo Mbeki's administration and has provided ammunition for wider criticism of his leadership.
The court, which has now adjourned until Tuesday, rejected an application for live television and radio broadcasts of the proceedings saying cameras would be an invasion of the privacy of the witnesses.
The hearing, to be presided over by a three-man panel, is expected to last two months and will dig deep into the financial and procedural details of the deal, South Africa's biggest arms transaction in seven years.
Only one of the accused has been publicly named so far - chief whip of the governing African National Congress Tony Yengeni, who played an important role in the committee awarding the contract.
Signed in 1999, the deal involves companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, Britain, France and South Africa. Amongst the firms supplying weapons are Saab, BAE Systems and Thomson-CSF.
As part of the agreement, South Africa is supposed to receive inward investment of $13bn which the government says will create 65,000 jobs.
Opinion on the hearings remains divided, with supporters describing the inquiry as a genuine effort to provide background.
But critics dismiss it as a whitewash that could undermine and prejudice the three separate criminal investigations already under way.
The government of President Thabo Mbeki has been accused of attempting a cover-up - among others by ruling out using the country's most effective investigation unit in the probes which have been set up.
The government says the armed forces urgently need modernisation, but opponents say the country cannot afford it, and the money would be better spent elsewhere.
See also:
28 May 01 | Africa
Technicalities hold up SA arms inquiry
28 May 01 | Business
BAE faces African bribery probe
08 Apr 01 | Africa
SA arms deal scandal widens
05 Apr 01 | Africa
SA arms deal under investigation
11 Jan 01 | Africa
ANC begins soul-searching
10 Jan 01 | Country profiles
Country profile: South Africa
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The role of PDGF-A in lung development, injury and repair
- Datum:
- Plats: Rudbecksalen, Dag Hammarskjöls väg 20, Uppsala
- Doktorand: Gouveia, Leonor
- Om avhandlingen
- Arrangör: Institutionen för immunologi, genetik och patologi
- Kontaktperson: Gouveia, Leonor
- Disputation
The developmental processes that take place during embryogenesis depend on a great number of proteins that are important for cell-to-cell communication. Platelet-derived growth factors are known to be important for epithelial-mesenchymal interactions during development and organogenesis.
However, many details are still lacking regarding organ-specific PDGF expression patterns and detailed cellular functions. This thesis aims to better describe the contribution of PDGF-A signaling to lung developmental and injury processes.
To study the cell-specific expression patterns of PDGF-A we generated a reporter mouse that show LacZ expression in all PDGF-A positive cells. This mouse model was used to characterize PDGF-A expression in embryonic and adult mouse tissues (paper I).
With the use of three different reporter mice, we described the cell type specific expression patterns of PDGF-A, PDGF-C and PDGFRα in mouse lungs, from embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5) when development is initiated, until adulthood (Postnatal day 60) when the lung is fully mature (paper II).
A lung-specific Pdgfa knockout mouse was generated and the impact of the deletion was studied during lung development and adulthood. Mice lacking Pdgfa expression in the lung survived until adulthood but exhibited abnormal alveolar development. This phenotype was caused by the inability of myofibroblasts to assemble alpha smooth muscle actin ring around the forming alveoli (paper III).
To investigate if PDGF-A is involved in the injury response mechanisms of the adult lung, we generated inducible lung-specific Pdgfa knockout mice. In homeostasis, adult Pdgfa deletion did not result in any apparent phenotype, whereas after hyperoxia-induced lung injury, preliminary data show that mutant mice exhibit substantially more alveolar damage and immune cell infiltration (paper IV).
In conclusion, this thesis reports novel insights into the expression and role of PDGF-A and PDGFRα for the lung, both in development and adulthood.


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WARWICKSHIRE'S quest to unearth local talent moves into overdrive this week with 39 coaching courses around the region.
The courses, for children of all abilities aged between eight and 15, last for 10 weeks and culminate in the Lord's Taverners Festival at Edgbaston on April 5.
Many of the courses are linked to clubs and Warwickshire Cricket Board hope they will be the catalyst for youngsters to take up cricket and try to follow the likes of Ian Bell from the Bears' Under-10s to England's Test team.
"The Warwickshire Cricket Board prides itself on its key role in all areas of the local community," said WCB director of cricket Richard Cox. "These coaching courses will allow us to widen our reach and get cricket out there for all to enjoy."
For details of all courses, call Ed McCabe on 0121 446 3651 or visit the website www.edgbaston.com and click on WCB for an application form.


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Use the "contact us" page to request additional information or images on this product
There is no way for Leatherman to beat the Charge AL and ALX, so what they did was simply combine them. The Charge TTi (830682) features a cutting hook, scissors, outside-accessible blades, bit drivers, crimpers and more. The TTi has its own claim to fame. That's where the comfort-sculpted titanium handles and the S30V stainless steel clip-point knife come in. Grab a hold of one today and you'll quickly see why the Charge models are the pinnacle of our multi-tool collection.
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Invisalign is the virtually invisible way to straighten your teeth and achieve the dazzling smile you've always dreamed of. Using advanced 3D computer-imaging technology, Invisalign depicts your complete treatment plan based on your dental practitioner's prescription, from the initial position of your teeth to the final desired position. Then a series of clear aligners are custom-made for your teeth – and your teeth only – to move them little by little.
Smile healthy - It's easy to see that a straight, even smile of glossy pearly whites look great. But a cosmetically perfect smile often means it's also a healthy smile. So put yourself in a healthy state of mind, and take a look at the additional benefits of a properly aligned smile.
Healthier gums - Signs of periodontal disease, such as swollen gums and redness, can surface due to teeth that are crowded or too widely spaced. Clinical studies have shown that when teeth are properly aligned, it helps the gums fit tighter around the teeth¹, which can lead to better gum health. Since Invisalign's greatest advantage is its ability to effectively straighten teeth, your gum health may improve after Invisalign treatment². And since you can brush and floss normally with Invisalign, unlike with traditional braces, you can more easily prevent tooth decay and related gum disease.
Better oral health - One of Invisalign's best qualities is that it uses no metal bands, brackets, or wires that may trap food and plaque like traditional braces. And since the removable nature of Invisalign allows you to maintain good oral hygiene, you may also reduce chances of plaque build-up, tooth decay, and gum disease.
Improved chewing and speech - When you leave incorrectly positioned teeth and jaws untreated, it can lead to speech difficulties and uncomfortable chewing issues. Invisalign treatment can improve both of these problems by providing better-aligned teeth and jaws.
Maintain comfort and tooth structure - Misaligned teeth and jaws can result in abnormal stress. This can cause painful trauma to supporting bone and jaw joints. These issues can also cause abnormal wear on your teeth, which can trigger continued problems in the future. Invisalign treatment can improve the alignment of your teeth and improve your bite.
Aesthetic Tooth Alignment
Initial consultation
During the initial consultation, your dental practitioner will discuss the issues you have with your teeth and explore what kind of results you're hoping to achieve. If Invisalign is suitable for you, a treatment plan will be mapped out with your goals in mind. Your dental practitioner will take impressions of your teeth and will send these to the Invisalign laboratories for processing.
Treatment plan
The impressions of your teeth will be digitized in order for your doctor to work with a computerized 3D image of your teeth. Then, your doctor will plan your tooth movements throughout your entire treatment timeline. You'll be able to see a virtual representation of your teeth before, during, and after completion of the Invisalign process so you can see what your smile should look like when you're done with treatment.
Bespoke aligners
Once you and your dental practitioner have agreed to the treatment plan, bespoke aligners are then custom-made for you and have to be worn for approximately two weeks before you switch to the next aligner in the series. While the number of aligners varies for each individual, a full treatment typically includes 18-36 aligners for both the upper and lower teeth which will take approximately 9-18 months depending on your individual case.
Treatment process
Aligners should be worn day and night, except when eating, brushing or flossing teeth in order to complete your treatment in the timeline determined by you and your dental practitioner. You'll go in for checkups every 4-6 weeks to monitor your progress and to receive your next series of aligners. During the entire treatment process, you'll notice gradual movement and your teeth will, gradually move into an even and healthy smile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Invisalign aligners are practically invisible. No one may even notice that you're wearing these virtually invisible 'braces', making Invisalign a seamless fit with your lifestyle and day-to-day interactions with others.
Invisalign aligners are removable. Unlike fixed metal braces, you have the flexibility to eat and drink what you want during treatment by simply removing the aligners. And you can also remove the aligners to brush and floss as you normally would for fresh breath and to maintain good oral hygiene.
Invisalign aligners are comfortable. Unlike traditional fixed braces, there are no metal brackets or wires that could cause irritation to your mouth. This also means that in most cases less time is spent in your dental practitioner's practice for adjustments.
And finally, Invisalign allows you to view your virtual results and treatment plan before you even begin treatment so you can see how your straight teeth are expected to look when your treatment is complete.
Invisalign aligners move teeth with an appropriate placement of controlled movement on the teeth. Unlike traditional braces, Invisalign not only controls the amount of movement per aligner, but also the timing of the movement. So at each stage, only certain teeth are allowed to move, as determined by the orthodontic treatment plan for that particular stage. This results in an efficient force delivery system that moves teeth into the desired prescribed position.
The virtually invisible aligners are made of strong medical grade thermoplastic material, uniquely developed for the Invisalign treatment plan. The aligners are custom-made for you and fit snugly over your teeth. Some orthodontists have referred to them as 'contact lenses for teeth'.
A significant number of patients are being treated with a combination of braces and Invisalign. Consult one of our experienced Invisalign dental practitioner to determine the best treatment for you.
Our experienced Invisalign dental practitioners can use Invisalign to treat overbites in the vast majority of adults and adolescents.
Yes. Spaces between teeth are generally easy to close with Invisalign.
No. Unlike traditional wires and brackets, you can eat whatever you like while in treatment because you remove your aligners to eat and drink. Thus, there is no need to restrict consuming any of your favourite foods and snacks. Also, it is important that you brush and floss your teeth after each meal and prior to re-inserting your aligners to maintain proper hygiene.
Aligners should be worn all the time during treatment, except when eating, brushing or flossing teeth.
The total duration of treatment depends on the complexity of the treatment and is generally equal to that of traditional braces. Typically treatment can last between 9 and 18 months. During your consultation, your dentist or orthodontist can provide you with more detailed information.
As with other types of orthodontic treatment, the cost of Invisalign is dependent on the complexity of your case and your course of treatment - but the cost is generally comparable to traditional braces. Our dentist will be able to tell you the cost of your custom treatment after your consultation.


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We are reliable partners working for many years successfully with the major brands including Samsung
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"Hibernia College have used B2B for all our printing and scanning requirements for a number of years and we are very happy with the professional and speedy service. It makes a big difference knowing that the people supporting and servicing our printers are willing to go the extra mile to help us in providing world-class teacher education programmes."
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text: Share: Comments Print March 13, 2014 at 6:30 AM SLU has arrived — it has an art walk Posted by Melissa Davis The bustling South Lake Union 'hood is really all grown up; along with a Tom Douglas food complex, a Goodwill and a Tesla "service facility," it is now home to an art walk (just like downtown Seattle, Phinney, Columbia City, Ballard, all those places). Works by eight Seattle and Portland artists are now in storefronts on the stretch between Terry and Boren, bordered by Republican and John. (The artists: Natasha Bacca, Evan Blackwell, Jacob Foran, Alison Foshee, Sarah Jones, Paul Kuniholm Pauper, Kathleen Skeels, and Cheryl Zahniser.) Want to see them all and have fun in the process? Join Shunkpike's Storefronts Art Walk, the evening of Friday, May 2. Comments | More in Arts news | Topics: art walk, Shunpike, South Lake Union


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6,000 Sunni Iraqis Join Pact With U.S.
Nearly 6,000 Sunni Arab residents joined a security pact with American forces Nov. 28 in what U.S. officers described as a critical step in plugging the remaining escape routes for extremists flushed from former strongholds.
The new alliance – called the single largest single volunteer mobilization since the war began – covers the "last gateway" for groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq seeking new havens in northern Iraq, U.S. military officials said.
This sort of thing is a two birds, one stone deal. Not only do our forces get the aid of these fighters, but they won't have to worry about facing them in battle. If they can be trusted, of course. That remains an issue, but results lately have been pretty positive in this area. Everyone wants to play on the winning team.
Well, almost everyone:
Female Bomber Wounds Seven U.S. Troops
A woman wearing an explosives belt blew herself up near an American patrol northeast of Baghdad – a rare female suicide bombing that wounded seven U.S. troops and five Iraqis, the U.S. military said Wednesday.
What we're going to have keep in mind is that this sort of thing is going to happen more or less forever. No matter how many deals are brokered, no matter how many agreements are made, no matter how much time passes with Iraqis enjoying peace and security, there are going to be those willing to trade their mortal lives for a bit of terror and violence.
Hopefully we can get to the point where these attacks are uncommon enough to seem unusual.
Over the past six or eight months there have been complaints that our alliances with various tribes and militias are nothing more than bribery. And in some cases that's probably absolutely true. We agree to stop killing them and give them some cash, they agree to stop attacking us and to help provide security against the dead-enders and terrorists. Cash is one thing we have plenty of. We just need to make sure it's getting spent on the right things.
That said, not everyone is doing it only for the money:
Village mayors and others who signed Wednesday's agreement say about 200 militants have sought refuge in the area, about 30 miles southwest of Kirkuk on the edge of northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Hawija is a predominantly Sunni Arab cluster of villages which has long been an insurgent flashpoint.
The recently arrived militants have waged a campaign of killing and intimidation to try to establish a new base, said Sheikh Khalaf Ali Issa, mayor of Zaab village.
"They killed 476 of my citizens, and I will not let them continue their killing," Issa said.
Most Iraqis have more to gain from peace than war, and as the fighting dies down more and more of them are going to work harder to make the peace a lasting one.


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"John is an engaging speaker whose entertaining approach combined with his depth of knowledge commands the attention of his audience."
— Ann Carter Fleming, CG, CGL, FNGS
"John doesn't lecture at you, he talks with you, educates you, and makes you clamor for more. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the subjects and his style bring back audiences and students time after time."
— Paula Stuart-Warren, CG
Download full descriptions of Banquet Talks
Copyright 2017 John Colletta. All Rights Reserved. Web Design by Silberlicht Studio.


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Spirit of Enterprise 2008 Award | Your vote counts! ;)
Dearest Readers,
Jamie and I have been nominated for a Singaporean award that aims to encourage entrepreneurial spirit. After sending out 10,000 dates, having 85% of these dates being rated as satisfactory to excellent, having been the matchmaker of close to 30 marriages and more than 80 couples in the last 4.5 years, we are extremely honored and excited about this nomination. J
You can read the interview here – http://www.soe.org.sg/files/interview2008.php?i=180&a=&c=&year=2008
Out of the 145 nominees, only 43 will be selected as honorees, and the 43 nominees with the highest votes will be selected. J
So, if you like what you read OR you think we are doing a great job helping people get together OR you are a really supportive friend OR you simply love us, please register as a voter here http://www.soe.org.sg/sg/voterregistration.php and vote for us. The entire process will take you less than 5 minutes.
Thank you very much for your support! 🙂
P/S: We would be very grateful if you could forward the links to your friends as well, thanks!Share on Facebook
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- VioletLim.com» Blog Archive » Spirit of Enterprise Award 2008 | Thank you for your votes! - [...] Spirit of Enterprise 2008 Award | Your vote counts! ;) [...]


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LUNCH Burton Room (Communications Committee Meeting)
Monday, July 13, 2018
The Human Rights Press Awards are run by the FCC, Amnesty International Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Journalists Association. The 23rd annual awards were held on May 16, 2019, in a ceremony at the FCC. See this year's winners.


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Facebook Secret Rules and Guidelines Expose facebook's secret rules and pointers for deciding what its two billion users will post on the location ar discovered for the primary time in a very Guardian investigation which will fuel the worldwide discussion regarding the role and ethics of the social media large.
he Guardian has seen OVER one hundred internal coach manuals, spreadsheets and flow chart that giving unprecedented & nbsp;insight into the blueprint Facebook has accustomed moderate issues like violence, hate speech, terrorism, creation, racism and self-harm.
There ar even pointers on match-fixing and pattern.
The Facebook Files offer the primary read of the codes and rules developed by the location, that is below Brobdingnagian political pressure in Europe and also the United States of America.Facebook Secret Rules and Guidelines Expose
They illustrate difficulties featured by executives scrabbling to react to new challenges like "revenge porn" — and also the challenges for moderators, UN agency say they're weak by the degree of labor, which suggests they typically have "just ten seconds" to create a choice.
"Facebook cannot keep management of its content," aforementioned one supply. "It has big too huge, too quickly."
Many moderators ar aforementioned to own considerations regarding the inconsistency and peculiar nature of a number of the policies.Facebook Secret Rules and Guidelines Expose Those on sexual content, as an example, ar aforementioned to be the foremost complicated and confusing.
One document says Facebook reviews over six.5m reports every week concerning doubtless faux accounts — referred to as FNRP (fake, not real person).
Using thousands of slides and footage, Facebook sets out pointers that will worry critics UN agency say the service is currently a publisher and should do a lot of to get rid of hateful, hurtful and violent content.
Paste your text here and click on "Next" to look at this text editor in chief do it's factor. don't have any text to check? don't have any text to check? Click "Select Samples".Yet these blueprints also can alarm free speech advocates concerned concerning Facebook's actual role as a result of the world's largest censor. either facet ar apparently to demand larger transparency.
The Guardian has seen documents equipped to Facebook moderators at intervals the last year. The files tell them:
Remarks like "Someone shoot Trump" need to be deleted, as a results of as a head of state he is during a} very protected category.Facebook Secret Rules and Guidelines Expose but it's going to be permissible to say: "To snap a b****'s neck, guarantee to use all of your pressure to the middle of her throat," or "f*** off and die" as a results of they don't seem to be thought-about credible threats.
Videos of violent deaths, whereas marked as worrying, do not invariably ought to be compelled to be deleted as a results of they will facilitate manufacture awareness of issues like mental state.Some photos of non-sexual physical abuse and bullying of youngsters haven't got to be compelled to be deleted or "actioned" unless there is a sadistic or perform part.Facebook Secret Rules and Guidelines Expose Photos of animal abuse could also be shared, with entirely terribly maddening basic cognitive process to be marked as "disturbing."
All "handmade" art showing status and gender is allowed but digitally created art showing gender is not.Videos of abortions ar allowed, as long as there is no status.Facebook can permit individuals to livestream tries to self-harm as a result of it "doesn't need to censor or penalise individuals in distress."Anyone with quite a hundred,000 followers on a social media platform is selected as a figure — that denies them the total protections given to personal people.Other kinds of remarks that may be allowable by the documents include: "Little woman has to keep to herself before papa breaks her face," and "I hope somebody kills you." The threats area unit considered either generic or not credible.
Also Read this :-Xiaomi Mi Max 2 Launch Set for May 25
In one in every of the leaked documents, Facebook acknowledges "people use violent language to specific frustration online" and feel "safe to try and do so" on the positioning.It says: "They feel that the difficulty will not return to them and that they feel indifferent towards the person they're creating the threats concerning attributable to the dearth of sympathy created by communication via devices as opposition face to face.Facebook Secret Rules and Guidelines Expose "We ought to say that violent language is most frequently not credible till specificity of language offers United States an inexpensive ground to {simply accept|to just accept} that there's now not simply associate degree expression of feeling however a transition to a plot or style. From this angle language like 'I'm getting to kill you' or 'F*** off and die' isn't credible and could be a violent expression of dislike and frustration."
It adds: "People ordinarily categorical disdain or disagreement by threatening or job for violence in typically humourous and unserious ways in which."Facebook conceded that "not all disagreeable or heavy content violates our community standards."Monika Bickert, Facebook's head of worldwide policy management, aforementioned the service had virtually a pair of billion users which it had been tough to achieve a accord on what to permit.
"We have a {very|a extremely} numerous world community and folks area unit getting to have very completely different ideas concerning what's okay to share. regardless of wherever you draw the road there area unit perpetually getting to be some gray areas. for example, the road between sarcasm and humor and inappropriate content is usually terribly gray. it's terribly tough to come to a decision whether or not some things belong on the location or not," she said.
"We feel accountable to our community to stay them safe and that we feel terribly responsible. It's fully our responsibility to stay on prime of it. it is a company commitment. we are going to still invest in proactively keeping the location safe, however we have a tendency to conjointly need to empower individuals to report back to USA any content that breaches our standards."
Facebook's leaked policies on subjects as well as killing, pictures of non-sexual physical ill-treatment, and animal cruelty show however the location tries to navigate a parcel of land.
The files say: "Videos of violent deaths area unit heavy however will facilitate produce awareness. For videos, we expect minors would like protection and adults would like a selection. we have a tendency to mark as 'disturbing' videos of the violent deaths of humans."
Also Read this :-Xiaomi Mi Max 2 Launch Set for May 25


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Licensed Replicas
Fiberglass Freaks, a company in Logansport, Indiana, is authorized to build officially licensed 1966 Batmobile replicas. Fiberglass Freaks is the only officially licensed builder of the 1966 Batmobile in the world. They were licensed by DC Comics in September of 2010 to build the cars as the ultimate collectible.
The announcement of the licensing created an explosion of television, radio, magazine, newspaper, and on-line mentions. Fiberglass Freaks was featured on the How Do They Do It? television show on both Science Channel and Discover Channel, as well as many news stations. Fiberglass Freaks cars have been featured on the Today show, Good Morning America, Big Cool Stuff on The Travel Channel, Hollywood Treasures, and several times on Jay Leno's Garage.
Fiberglass Freaks' cars feature all of the features and gadgets that you remember from the show: the distinctive double bubble canopies, the long fins, the red flashing beacon light, a five door roll top dashboard, and a working flamethrower out the back.


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Many organizations are now looking to the Internet to produce online fundraising results. If you consider all the environmental factors invloved in fundraising today, it definitely seems like the safest and simplest way to go. For one thing, you don't have to worry about going door-to-door and you can raise funds from the comfort of your own home, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Also, online fundraising can be done on its own, or can be combined with any other fundraising program or product. However you choose to combine it, one thing is sure: you will make more profits for your group with less effort. The key component to making your online fundraising a success is to build a base of supporters. By increasing the number of names in your email address file, you are increasing the amount of profits you will make.
What should you look for when choosing an online fundraising program? You must ensure that:
Funds are easy to track.
Emails sent are frequent, targeted and personalized.
A "thank-you" acknowledgment is sent.
Sending emails to show how the contribution will be used and to give immediate thanks to the donor gives immediate satisfaction and enhances the chances that donors will renew their subscriptions again with your group. Other important factors to help influence your decision when choosing a fundraising program are that the response rate is higher than that of traditional fundraising and the fundraising costs are much lower.
Now you can see why more and more people are turning to online fundraising every day.
The formula is simple: Online Fundraising = More Profit + Less Efforts!
About the Author
eFundraising offers proven fundraising programs at up to 90% profit. Available programs include World's Finest Chocolate, Online Magazine Fundraisers, Scratchcards, Brochures and more. eFundraising / QSP Reader's Digest has helped groups raise almost $3 billion since 1964.
To help you discover the best fundraiser for your group, call 1-800-561-8388 for your FREE info kit and gift and an experienced fundraising consultant will be more than happy to help you. Visit www.efundraising.com.


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AOL faces an "uphill battle" in its bid to capture more mobile advertising dollars through its acquisition of mobile ad firm Millennial Media, says a new report from U.S. research firm eMarketer.
The company says catching rivals like Google and Facebook could prove challenging for AOL. The two companies control more than half (52.3%) of the US$15.92 billion mobile ad market, while Millennial Media captures just 0.3% ($101.2 million).
However, the company says this month's acquisition will help AOL/Millennial Media compete "more effectively" for mobile display dollars.
Analyst Cathy Boyle said the Millennial Media acquisition expands the breadth and depth of AOL's in-app display inventory, giving advertisers access to greater scale. At the same time, it will gain access to the valuable mobile user profile data that Millennial Media has been amassing for several years, improving its ability to find and target specific mobile audiences.
Google is the "undisputed leader" in total U.S. digital ad revenues, snatching up two of every digital ad dollars (40%), more than three times as many as its closest rival Facebook (13.2%). However, eMarketer predicts Facebook, Twitter and other smaller players will continue to gain share, chipping away nearly 5% from Google's slice of digital ad revenues between now and 2017.
Facebook in particular will narrow the gap "more dramatically," growing its share to 16.1% in 2017. The social media giant has made significant inroads in mobile and continues to attract advertisers with its high user engagement on mobile.
Mobile will account for 77% of Facebook's digital ad revenue this year, growing to 85% by 2017, with Instagram and other mobile video formats driving the growth. The report pegs Instagram's revenues at $570 million, growing to $2.39 billion – or 28% of total mobile ad revenues – by 2017.
Facebook is also the undisputed leader in digital display, and is expected to generate $7.66 billion this year, a 44.9% increase over 2014. Google – whose display business includes YouTube, Google Display Network and AdSense – ranks third in the display category behind Facebook and Yahoo, with projected revenues of $4.11 billion this year.