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What's that you're doing, Mr. Pamukcu?
Özkan Pamukcu, 39,
aircraft technician
… has been working for Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg for nine years
"I'm checking an engine for damage. This type of visual check has to be done every seven days. I use a flashlight to inspect the engine interior and look for possible scratches, patches of rust, holes or anything that might be coming loose. I have just found a crack in one of the engine blades. Now I need to take a look in the maintenance handbook, which describes not only every possible type and degree of damage, but also how to proceed. In other words, nothing is left to a technician's discretion; each step is clearly defined. Minor damage is not considered critical so it does not prevent a plane from continuing to fly. If damage is more extensive, I have to mill it back into shape. In some cases, I even replace the entire engine blade, and that can take roughly two to three hours. I also work on other aircraft components, such as brakes, wheels and tires, and also on parts inside the cabin. But working on the engine is what I enjoy best."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The poster alone should convince you to go (Hi, Taslima!). See you in Dublin, 29-30 June!
The poster alone should convince you to go (Hi, Taslima!). See you in Dublin, 29-30 June!
badgersdaughter says
Ní saoirse go saoirse na mban.
Jadehawk says
I see Smurthwaite is still listed. Is there a speaker invited who might speak about how sex work is being marginalized even within supposedly women-supportive spaces? cuz if not, this unfortunately has a look of "empowering women (except sex workers) through secularism".
To quote myself from another comment thread on this topic:
here are better links about her connection to and support for anti-sex-work stuff
from her own blog:
and she's a member of the London Feminist Network (according to her guardian profile), which is the group that created the "Feminist Coalition Against Prostitution" campaign.
and she also participated in another anti-sex-work project called Object.
so yeah. that would be a bit of a blemish on the whole thing, to have the anti-sex-work side represented (esp. given that Taslima herself holds anti-sex-work positions), but no sex-worker's rights advocates :-/
sooo…. please tell me there's at least one sex worker's rights advocate speaking…? just one…?
Jadehawk says
blockquote fail. the second blockquote was supposed to actually be non-quoted :-p
Minnie The Finn, Fluffy Pink Bearer of Loose Morals says
Due to *circumstances* and shit, I may have to cancel attending Stockholm, but I'm seriously looking into Dublin as a more reasonable alternative.
Who else is coming? I mean, we all KNOW that Taslima Nasrin and Maryam Namazie and Rebecca Watson are coming. Plus a multitude of other brilliant speakers – and apparently some bearded guy from Minnesota. But are any 'real' people coming? =)
PZ Myers says
Jadehawk: Write to Mick Nugent. He's the man organizing it all. (I hope there are also women involved!)
Sili says
Hmmm. Might just be doable, assuming no late exams.
Of course, that still leaves the money issue.
Jadehawk says
why does Atheist Ireland not have an e-mail address anywhere? *grump*
anyway, e-mail sent. I can be such a dolt sometimes, that it didn't occur to me to sent that e-mail the first time 'round I mentioned my concerns.
Minnie The Finn, Fluffy Pink Bearer of Loose Morals says
Sili: I've put out feelers with friends & relatives in Dublin. If I find out about something manageable price-wise or even free-ish (like maybe my ex-SILs' sofa or something), I'll let you know.
latsot says
Not sure I count as real but I'll be there.
Gonzo says
Women's rights are human rights… and looking at the poster I have to ask,does that include sex workers?
The hypocrisy, it burns.
latsot says
I disagree with some things Taslima says too. But I'm not afraid to ask her questions about it at conferences and I don't dismiss entire conferences because her face is on the poster. She also says some great things: it's not like Rupert fucking Shelldrake is on the poster and the conference will be about how to masturbate yourself to sheer oblivion. It's not as though the speakers – including Taslima – won't be receptive to questions and very likely sitting around in the bar afterwards to discuss things like this.
I find Taslima's views on some things troubling, but it just makes me want to ask her about them, not to dismiss entire conferences as bad because she's there. Whatever my disagreements with her, she's a brilliant speaker and if you haven't seen her perform then you're missing out.
I disagree with some things Richard Dawkins says too, especially lately, but I'd still go and listen to him talk because he still has a lot of good things to say. If he said something I disagreed with, I'd pick him up about it or at least blog sternly about it afterwards. A couple of weeks ago I went to a talk on my academic subject specifically *because* I disagreed with the speaker. I made a nuisance of myself in the Q&A and had a rewarding chat with the speaker over a few drinks afterward. There's a good chance we might even collaborate on a paper because the reason we disagree is very interesting.
I'm generally a big fan of Michael Nugent, but I really don't understand some of the things he's been doing recently. So you know what? Rather than not go to the conference I'm going to go and ask him about it. I might come away understanding him or liking him a little less, who knows? BUT THAT IS WHAT THESE GATHERINGS ARE FOR.
latsot says
Fuck, I'm angry about this now. Do you know why the charges that FtB is some kind of echo chamber are stupid? Because the bloggers tend to listen and respond to criticism. And when they don't, the criticism is still out there, not deleted and we get to whip ourselves up into a frenzy about that. Everyone wins.
Who the fuck wants to sit in a conference for 2 days where everyone says bland things they know everyone will agree with? Personally, I want to go to conferences with speakers like me: people I generally agree with but who sometimes say stupid shit I can argue with.
rorschach says
I'm generally a big fan of Michael Nugent, but I really don't understand some of the things he's been doing recently. So you know what? Rather than not go to the conference I'm going to go and ask him about it.
Same here. Should be fun.
latsot says
See you there. You'll be the one with the carnation, trenchcoat, hat, mask and murderous intent. You'll recognise me because I don't wear a hat.


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3 posts • Page
Team Nos !!
Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:54 am
Forum Greenhorn
Hi guys I just comeback to the game after a Year of discontenting .. And i search all form teams but couldn't find my team Nos !!!
Where is my Jakarta and philipino friends ???
Ex nickname Nos Hunter
Re: Team Nos !!
Fri Feb 06, 2015 8:06 am
They changed to RNR. Red Nos Racing but they are no longer a team on this forum for some reason
Re: Team Nos !!
Tue Feb 10, 2015 4:55 pm
Drag Racing Ace
Banate Iloilo Philippines
Samsung gal. tab2/ Young
Fahadbaad7 wrote:
Hi guys I just comeback to the game after a Year of discontenting .. And i search all form teams but couldn't find my team Nos !!!
Where is my Jakarta and philipino friends ???
Ex nickname Nos Hunter
Welcome back bro
Nos_vinos or Nos_kapalaran is at AXR_team now, and Nos_yannca maybe working in abroad,not sure of that
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Sometimes when reflecting on a year it's easy to think about the things that haven't quite gone to plan and all the things we want to set out to achieve in the new year. Yet, I have so much to be thankful for….family, friends, health, our lovely home by the sea, family holidays and lots of fun and laughter along the way! Happy new year mummies and daddies – if you're out celebrating tonight, have fun! If like me, you are putting your little one to bed and praying they stay asleep so you can have a glass of fizz in peace…. then good luck! Xxx
Category: Family
Mumtreprenuers – an interview with Honest Mum…
When Vicki Psarias AKA Honest Mum said that she would 'love' to be my first guest blogger for the latest in a series of posts about 'Mumtrepreneurs', I was beyond excited. This new series is all about parents that go above and beyond to succeed in life and achieve their career dreams, all whilst running a happy home – a combination I struggle to get my head around. Vicki really is one inspiring mama with a beautiful family and fabulous lifestyle, albeit super busy!
I posed my questions to her about work-family balance, her career aspirations and her favourite way to chill-out when the kids are asleep. Enjoy!
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your family…
I'm a full time, multi-award winning blogger, vlogger and filmmaker – and most importantly a mum to two boys, Oliver and Xander who are 6 and 4 respectively. Together with my husband Peter, we live in Yorkshire and I spend a day or two a week in London with work.
Describe how you feel about life in one word (or as few as possible!)
Ooh what an interesting question! I feel challenged right now in the best possible way, truly stimulated by work and life, never bored but vitally, calm and content. I feel exactly where I want to be, which is the way we should all feel, I reckon.
I'm passionate about what I do and excited for the future, but I'm also happy with my all now, so anything else is just a cherry on top. My priority is the health and happiness of my family and always doing what I love and what feels right for me at that moment in time.
Have you always been career driven or has family been your biggest priority ? Or, a bit of both?
Both, I love creating and it's a need, you know, I can't NOT write or shoot. As cheesy as it sounds, it's like breathing to me. I used to paint a lot and exhibited too but found myself soon cheating on oil paints with video cameras. You lose all sense of time when you are in the moment, be it painting, screenwriting or shooting a video for YT…I feel lucky doing just that. Creating is my job and the fact that I can combine my passions in a career makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning, every single day.
My kids and husband are my world and my purpose, they drive me and give me strength. I strongly believe happy parents equals happy children. I've worked tremendously hard for the last six years on my site, to the point where I have a lot more free time (yay) and flexibility. Most weeks see me working a three day week, which has always been the dream. I work hard but I like to play hard too and by that I mean (these days) playing on the swings with my kids.
I always wanted kids and feel so lucky I could have children. My kids are my purpose and whilst my career matters to me, I don't want to miss their milestones, so it's a juggle. I've worked incredibly hard to get to a point where I now have more free time with them whilst doing a job I love.
When and why did you decide to start a family?
I had Oliver pretty young really and was pregnant at 27, which for a female director working in the telly and film industry was young and I suppose relatively young generally as women have kids later these days. I suffer with PCOS so was conscious that I needed to try and conceive as young as possible and my husband was broody 2 years before me anyway, so it made sense. I remember becoming broody almost overnight and couldn't wait to be a mum. I was lucky that I got pregnant quickly and Oliver really taught me how to be a mother, as all first kids do. It was a shock to the system as parenthood is but he and Xander give me untold happiness. I'd definitely like another baby at some point too, I just need to work on my husband!
Have you changed career since having a family and if so, how?
Yes, blogging was a change in career for me as I was a director and filmmaker pre Honest Mum. I started my site in 2010, never thinking it would become a full time job, yet in a short time it became my career and now, crazily, is one of the biggest blogs in the UK and they tell me, the world!
So, your career goals and ambitions changed since having a family?
Yes absolutely. I didn't want to be on set for 12-15 hours a day as a director, so blogging was the ideal job for me. I could still film and write and be creative, but in a flexible way that works around my family. I'm totally open and believe the arts and being creative is fluid too, I adore working digitally but that doesn't mean I won't ever direct again in the more traditional sense of the word. I see everything as overlapping and merging in exciting ways.
What challenges have you faced in your working life since having a family?
As with everyone, it's a real juggle – childcare, the guilt, achieving balance etc. We're all just trying our best and the biggest lesson I've learnt is to be kind to myself. I'm now flipping good at switching off too. Life is for living. When you live life, you can create greater art.
How did you find returning to work after having your babies?
Directing commercials when Oliver turned one was tough. I'd started my blog and, although I did some paid work around that time, I returned to direct some fashion ads, but being away from him was soul-destroying as I was back and forth to Manchester. I was lucky that blogging became my career when it did and meant that I could work from home and flexibly. I love the freedom of this way of working. It's liberating and empowering.
How do you manage childcare when working?
My youngest goes to nursery three days a week and I'm off for two usually. My eldest is at school and he attends an after school club too. My folks help as well and we've got a good system here.
What do you consider to be your biggest achievements in life so far?
My kids 100%. A happy marriage to my best friend and a man I love more everyday. My career, the milestones that have come from hard work, passion and dedication. The commitment to keep pushing boundaries and to not stop creating. To trusting my gut. To taking risks. To collaborating with great minds and people who make me think outside of the box. To wonderful friendships.
What is your motivation in life? Tell us what keeps you going on those days when life just seems so chaotic?!
Looking at my kids grounds and motivates me. I do everything for them and we have organised chaos really here. We work to a routine and I'm strict with boundaries and work/life times and spaces. I get tough days of course, days where I doubt myself or feel shattered, but I'm lucky to have incredible, strong people around me: my husband, family, friends, an amazing manager in Neil at Insanity who totally gets me, my vision and who, along with my husband, Peter, always makes me believe in myself.
How do you like to spend days off with the family? Do you have regular date nights with the other half?
I wish we had more regular date nights, but date nights quite often mean eating together before watching Family Guy in bed, having a laugh and cuddling up. I get a massage once a month for me time and mum and I get a mani and pedi done every few weeks for a girly day, which is fun. I adore running too and have a PT session once a week with my friend, Caroline and escape to my treadmill in the garage most days to burn off my energy. I take after my dad and have boundless energy!
What is your favourite way to unwind in your free time (and the kids are in bed!)?
Ooh I love scoffing Green & Blacks chocolate (bit obsessed with milk currently) and Betty's rose tea whilst watching The Housewives of Cheshire.
You've touched on this a little already, but why did you decide to start blogging? And, when did you realise that you were onto something good?
I started in 2010 at a dark time when I was suffering from a traumatic birth. I was surprised to be a finalist at the prestigious BritMums in Brilliance Awards in the Fresh Voice Category after four weeks of setting up. I was contacted by advertisers after just two weeks. This was the start of everything for me. The blog surprises me everyday. I have a team now, incredible management, I've gotten to collaborate with gifted people, absolute legends from Alesha Dixon to Jamie Oliver, James Martin and many more. My family have the most amazing experiences, be it travelling around the world on amazing holidays to working on the most nourishing creative projects that have built their confidence up and given them so, so much.
What are your plans for the future?
I like to live in the now, but I hope we continue having great health and feel happy in all that we do. We love to travel so I hope we get to see more of the world as there's so much to discover and enjoy! Travel is my greatest love – oh and food!
What advice would you give to a new parent considering returning to work or those who have just returned and are trying to figure it all out?
I wish I could go back and give myself a great big hug and give myself a good talk to, to not be so flipping hard on myself, to remind myself I'm doing my best and it's OK to feel guilt (but it's futile). To reach out for help, when others offer to say yes, to not feel I have to be superwoman. I'd tell myself that parenting is hard, but we're all in the same boat. Thank goodness for blogs reminding us of that fact, hey?
Vicki is founder and writer of parenting and lifestyle site Honest Mum (http://www.honestmum.com)
A new mum's guide to sensitive skin…
Ever since Madeline was a tiny newborn, she has suffered with sensitive skin. Eczema flare-ups and milk rashes dominated a large part of her first year, perhaps due to a suspected milk protein allergy. Whatever the cause, it is something that we as parents have had to adjust to.
Madeline's a delicate little thing and requires a little more TLC when it comes to her 'beauty' regime! I'm sure she will use this to her advantage in her teens when she requires mum and dad to fund all of her expensive high-end products! But, working out the products she can use, and those to stay clear of, has been quite stressful at times. It's pretty much just trial and error.
It's always seemed to me that there is no real logic behind flare-ups. All I know is that if we had a wedding, birthday, holiday or special occasion, Madeline would have some form of skin irritation. Sod's law. And, although I know it doesn't really matter, always when there was a camera out or Maddie was meeting new relatives for the first time.
The night before we were due to get Madeline's passport photo taken, she came out in such a sore rash around her mouth and I can remember thinking: 'just what on earth are we doing wrong?'. It wasn't just about the visible appearance, it really affected her mood and clearly frustrated her. All I wanted was for someone to provide me with a list of tried and tested products.
I know it's not really that simple. Every child is different and I'm sure that what works for one won't necessarily work for another. But, over the past year we have been in many discussions with doctors, private skin experts and parents of children with similar skin ailments and (touch wood!) seem to have cracked it. Madeline may always have sensitive skin, but at least we now have an idea of how to keep flare-ups at bay.
Here's a round-up of brands and products that work well for us. Please do share any others that work well for your little munchkins in the comments below!
- Child's Farm shampoo and bubble bath – bath time products seemed to be one of the first causes of Madeline's eczema. Although marketed as suitable from birth, certain brands just didn't suit her skin. Clearly labelled for eczema-prone skin, I picked up a bottle of Child's Farm shampoo in Boots, gave it a try and haven't looked back. It smells beautiful and leaves hair so silky smooth. We have also used the bubble bath (sparingly!) on occasions, which allows for lots of bath time fun without any aftermath soreness!
- Dermol 500 – we were first introduced to this moisturiser by our GP (on prescription – bonus!). It's a staple in Madeline's skin care regime, which we also use as soap at bathtime, resulting in baby-soft skin – as it should be!
- Burt's Bees baby bee dusting powder – this talc doesn't dry the skin out too much and smells divine after Madeline's bedtime bath. I just love it!
- Hydromol – this product was first given to us as a sample when we took Madeline for a private allergy test. She had a very sore rash around her mouth, which is usually associated with milk protein allergy in babies. The results from the test came back inconclusive, but none-the-less the rash was very real and sore. Hydromol is an ointment rather than a lotion and acts as a barrier cream. I applied it constantly throughout the day, especially to protect against teething dribble and at mealtimes when certain foods may irritate. This product is a must and available on prescription
- Hydrocortisone – for skin irritations that just won't budge, this is a mild steroid cream that may help. A private eczema specialist prescribed this product to Madeline for a two week course until her rash around her mouth had completely disappeared. This meant we could gain some control of the irritation. It can be bought over the counter at most chemists, but pharmacists may wish to take a look at symptoms before allowing you to purchase. This cream should be used sparingly and only for a short period of time as it can thin the skin if used too regularly. Please also be sure to keep the cream away from your baby's eyes.
- Sudocrem care and protect nappy cream – luckily, we have never really suffered with nappy rash, perhaps due to this product. Unlike some of the others available, this is light, clear in colour and not too sticky, so it's convenient to use for every change, not just at home but also when out and about. One to stock up on and have to hand wherever you and baby go!
- Aveeno moisturising cream – a wheat-based moisturiser recommended by many doctors and specialists. This all over body cream is applied to Madeline in the morning when getting her dressed for the day and in the evening, following her bath. I also find this works well as a hand cream for mummy!!
- Weleda baby calendula body lotion – another moisturiser that works well for us and we have never had any problems with. It's rare to find a slightly perfumed moisturiser that doesn't immediately cause a flare-up, but used sparingly this has never caused us any issues and smells gorgeous.
- Sunsense Kids factor 50 – I was so worried about applying sun cream to Madeline's delicate skin and was recommended this product by a friend who's daughter is also prone to eczema. It is a little thick and needs a lot of rubbing in, but lasts for up to 4 hours and is water proof. Definitely, one to purchase ahead of your travels. We bought from JoJo Maman Bebe.
I hope this helps some of you new parents out, especially as you're eyeing up for purchase the vast number of baby products out there. Feel free to share your tips and recommendations too… I like baby to be well stocked up!!
Keep going mummies. We are all just doing the best we can 😘 xxx
An open letter to my 18-year-old daughter…
As many of you have probably seen, Victoria Beckham has penned a letter to her 18-year-old self as part of her October cover story for Vogue. It really moved me and, although I felt she was a little harsh on herself at times, we were given a glimpse into her deepest thoughts and emotions, which I'm sure ring true for many of us.
I think we are all guilty to some extent of putting ourselves down and feeling just not quite good enough. I know that in 20 years time I could do with writing a letter to the current me, giving myself a good telling off for all the self-doubt I've been through this past year on my journey as a new mummy. But, in all truthfulness, what good would that do? We can't go back in time, only look to the future. I can, however, write to my daughter at aged 18 and hope that she still listens to her mum as she matures into a beautiful young woman…
Dear Madeline,
As I sit here watching you play so nicely with your light up In the Night Garden Ninky Nonk train, I am filled with such love and have so many hopes and dreams for your future. I hope that Daddy and I have done the best for you throughout your childhood and given you the opportunities you need to succeed in life.
We've discussed getting you tennis lessons, ballet classes and piano tuition over the next few years. We don't want to be pushy parents but we want to open up avenues for you. More than anything, we want you to be happy and doing the things you love.
I can't imagine the world that you now live in. Even now, I turn on the news to see reports of unemployment, rising house prices, high university tuition fees, pollution, global warming, cyber-bullying, trolls and terrorists and worry what a world I've brought you into. But, even at aged one I can tell that you have an intelligent head on you and are strong-willed, with a fun-loving personality. Never let the world bring you down and grab the opportunities that come your way. If you remain true to who you are, you will do so well in life and make mum and dad proud.
I know that you are going to be so beautiful as an 18-year-old young woman. I'm looking forward to having a best friend to go shopping with and share fashion and beauty tips with – I'm sure you will tell me off for being past it! But, try not to focus too much on outwards appearance, what's inside is much more important. As Cinderella's mum told her, have courage and be kind. I feel this is a good motto to live by.
My darling, pray. Ever since I was a young child and my parents took me to church, I've always prayed. Not long godly prayers, just little moments to help see me and our family through. I'm no saint and certainly can't claim to live by the book, but I've never gone without in life. In times of struggle, things have always worked out just fine. And, I was blessed with you, what greater gift could I have received?
If you're anything like mummy, then you will be thinking about moving out by now, gaining some independence and finding yourself. I wonder whether you will be looking to move away to university or planning a once in a lifetime travelling trip. If you're like Daddy, then you will want to stay a little closer to home, spending time with family and living with us until you are ready to move out and start your own family. I don't mind as this way I will be able to hold onto you for a little longer. Whatever life choices you make, you have our support. We will always be there for you to offer advice and guidance… And, I'm sure money!
I hope you have the most treasured childhood memories. I know mummy has had to work and can sometimes get a bit stressed out, but I've always aimed to put you first. Quality family time has been especially important to me. At the age of one, you'd already been on three family holidays and lots of weekend trips away. My days off may at times have been filled with housework, but I always tried to make sure that you have had nice mummy time too.
I'm not sure if you've grown up with brothers and sisters. I do hope so and I hope you are close. I'm sure there's been some fights and arguments over the years, but friends may come and go, family will always have your back. Make time for each other as you grow up and love each other. Friends are important too… When you find a good one, hold on to them and laugh until your tummy hurts!!
Madeline, love life. Go and spread your wings and be happy. But, remember, you will always be mummy and daddy's little girl and we love you dearly.
All my love always,
Mum xxxx 💞
I'll be there for you – a mother's promise to her child
What a week it's been. The most testing since returning to work and one that I'm glad to see the back of. Let's just say, a poorly baby, lack of sleep and a mountain of work equals one stressed out mummy.
I will spare you the details, as I'm sure those of you following me on Twitter will have seen my endless mummy rants throughout the week. I do apologise. At times I just needed to vent and believe me, I held back. But, these babies really do get it tough don't they?
It all started last Sunday while we were enjoying a family day at Bournemouth air show with the in-laws. Madeline had gone to bed the previous evening not wanting any of her tea, which was a little strange but not abnormal and had woken up early that morning in tears, instead of her usual cheeriness (I think we have a morning person on our hands!).
I knew something was up; her temp was a little on the high side, nothing major, but all she wanted was cuddles. This is always the way when you're trying to get out and do something nice, right? I assumed she was perhaps in pain from the molar I could feel making it's way to the surface…. Ouch!
Either that or Madeline had previously suffered from a cow's milk protein allergy and, after a recent negative allergy test, we were going through the gradual process of weaning her back onto dairy… a long and stressful story I will save for another day. I wondered if this change to her diet was causing her discomfort and we needed to take her back a step on the weaning ladder. If only these babies could tell us, or at least give us a little hint, as to what's up.
As the day progressed it became quickly clear that Madeline just wasn't being Madeline. Usually so independent, she wanted mummy cuddles all day – that part was nice actually, I'm not going to lie. But, she wouldn't eat anything other than a nibble of a little Organix ginger bread man and was so lethargic. So, we took her home, had a terrible night and the next morning I made the necessary arrangements with work to stay home and look after my little girl. She needed her mummy.
I can't tell you the worry I felt at leaving my team in the lurch at such a busy time in the office. At the back of my mind I had a stack load of to-dos that needed completing. I knew the team would be understanding and help out by picking up anything urgent, but I couldn't help feeling like a bit of a let down. Yet, if I had gone into work and taken Madeline to her auntie's for the day as part of the usual Monday morning routine, I would have felt like the world's worst mummy and probably sat at my desk in tears (as I did later on in the week!!). I couldn't help but question what my colleagues were thinking though. Madeline was definitely not right, but was teething really a strong enough reason not to go in?!
I know I said that I would save you all the details, but that would make a pretty boring blog post! I will, however, save a bit of time by not going into each individual doctors appointment we attended and late night out-of-hours trips we made over the next couple of days. Madeline was first prescribed Penicillin for a terrible bout of tonsillitis before later in the week being diagnosed with a nasty viral infection complete with an all over body rash. Seriously, could anything more be thrown at my baby in one week?!
My goodness, how glad I was that I stayed at home for her on Monday as the guilt of 'abandoning' my poorly baby girl would surely have haunted me for quite some time. I swear now that I will never again question leaving my little girl's side while she is sick. She is my priority first and foremost and always will be.
That said, the reason I work is for my daughter. Don't get me wrong, I've always been ambitious and enjoyed working. I'm the type of person that gives 100% to what they do. If I'm going to do something, then why do it half- heartedly? Having a family was also very important to me, but perhaps came a little sooner than expected and I certainly wasn't in the position or earning as much as as I would have liked before starting a family. So, now it is all about working hard to grow in my career, but mainly to ensure that Madeline and my future babies never go without. I suppose this is why I also find it difficult to 'just take time off'.
For this reason, after a night of no sleep, I ventured into work on Thursday, feeling full of emotion but confident that Madeline was on the mend and her nana was looking after her at our house, so she could have another day at home to recover. I arrived at the office, sat at my desk, switched on my laptop and before I knew it, had tears streaming down my face. Bloody hell! What is wrong with me?! Thank goodness I work in an office of mainly women who understand hormones and sent me home to work for the rest of the day. I had to be with my baby until I knew she was fully back to herself. There seems to be a theme to these posts that I'm a bit of a crier – let's just go with it! But, please tell me this has happened to someone else?!
After our first full night's sleep all week, on Friday I successfully managed a day in the office with only a little mummy guilt. I kept my head down, cracked on with that to-do-list and got back on top of things before rushing home to my much better daughter. Madeline had enjoyed a lovely day with her nana, eaten all of her meals and been her usual cheeky self. Now, we are having a nice and relaxed bank holiday weekend – life is good.
I'm not going to beat myself up about the week just gone, it's been a tough one, but it's also only my third month back since maternity leave. I'm confident it will all get easier… Well, maybe. One thing I know is that Madeline must always come first from this day onwards. If ever there are days when only mummy will do, I will be there for her. That is a promise.
Keep going mummies. We are all just doing the best we can! X
Viva España!
If you read my recent post – I get by with a little help from my family – you will know that Fraser, Madeline and I joined my family last week in Benahavis, a Spanish mountain village between Marbella, Estepona, and Ronda.
As a family, we've been travelling to this village on and off for the last 15 years and never tire of the exquisite scenery. Just take a look at the stunning Puerto Banus harbour and beautiful beaches at San Pedro de Alcántara.
This long weekend break was absolute bliss and the perfect way to spend time off work enjoying quality family time…
I get by with a little help from my family…
A friend of mine sent me a message last week saying that she had enjoyed a lovely holiday away and thank goodness for grandparents! After a lovely long weekend away in Spain with my family, I completely understand where she was coming from – I feel refreshed, relaxed and ready for what life has to throw at us (and that's even after a late night flight home with only a few hours sleep!!)
Before returning to work last June, I thought it would be nice to have a holiday just the three of us, mummy, daddy and Madeline. The perfect end to an incredible 11 months off work. We stayed at a beautiful villa in Burgau, Portugal. It was just off the sea front, with our own private pool just a few feet away from our patio area. It was absolute bliss. Yet, it was so different to any of our pre-baby holidays.
Our usual routine would have been a lazy morning, leisurely getting ready, having a chilled-out breakfast in the sunshine before packing a small bag of essentials for a long day at the beach, sunbathing and reading our books. We would have a paddle in the sea, eat our picnic and maybe play a game of bat and ball, before returning 'home' to get ready for a night out. Not that I would change life as we currently know it, but I wish I'd fully appreciated how bloody brilliant that really was!
We did, however, have a fabulous holiday and it was lovely spending time together as a family – Fraser off work and the three of us just hanging out together for two whole weeks. Madeline loved the attention of having both mummy and daddy around and we quickly learned what a little diva she really could be in the sunshine!
Obviously, things have changed and as parents we have to adapt. This holiday was all about walks down the harbour, visiting Zoo Marine (a sealife tourist attraction that was absolutely fantastic and you have to stop by if ever in the area) and stopping off for child-friendly lunches. We would grab an hour by the pool while Madeline napped and that was enough (well, maybe just ten minutes more would have done the job!). Our evenings were spent in the comfort of the villa, enjoying a lovely evening in with delicious food and drink. We did venture out into the quaint little village one night in the fist week and decided it was just easier not to again – a story for another time.
We had a lovely time and it really was the perfect end to maternity leave. If you get the chance, I would recommend a family holiday to anyone soon to be returning to work. However, we quickly realised the benefits of travelling with the wider family.
So, when my dad phoned me up recently and asked whether we would like to join my parents, brother and sister for a few days in Espana, we jumped at the chance! Last week, we stayed at a beautiful apartment at Monte Halcones, Benehavis (close to San Pedro, Marbella and Puerto Banus) with stunning views to ponder upon each day. Madeline certainly loved the morning sunrise…
Each morning her grandparents, auntie and uncle would fight over who got to look after her while mummy and daddy had a little lie in (only until 8am, but when you're usually used to a 6am start, this was just the best). Her nana would ask to feed Madeline her milk, change her nappy, get her ready (like she had to ask!). Grandad would offer to prepare her breakfast, lunch and dinner. Auntie and uncle would play with her in the pool and help entertain her whilst out. They just couldn't do enough for my little pickle and mummy got plenty of time to sit by the pool and relax or spend some quality time with daddy for a change!
I just loved watching Madeline bond with her family. Her face so happy as they played with her, tickled her, sang songs to her, took selfies with her. She would wave frantically and reach out to each of them for cuddles as soon as they walked into the room. It just proved to me how many people it really takes to raise a child. We don't have to go it alone…
Fraser and I are truly blessed with wonderful families on both sides, who are always there for us and ready to offer us a helping hand whenever we need it. I know this isn't true for everyone, so for that I am grateful. Yet, I often feel bad for 'palming Madeline off' to others, so that mummy can have a little break. But, who can do a good job at anything when they are exhausted?! It's not a #fail to ask for help.
When Madeline was very little I found it difficult to let her leave my side and often kept her all to myself. But, I now feel it's important for babies to spend time with their wider family too and really get to know them. I have the most treasured memories of days spent with my grandparents when little and want the same for Madeline. It also seems that family (and friends) will jump at the chance to help look after your little one. So, let them.
Win win! 😎☀


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You'll think of lots of uses for this handy Y-connector from AudioQuest. And the flexible design allows it to fit easily where rigid Y-connectors just can't go.
The AQFLX-XFM has solid long-grain copper conductors and is 6-inches long. It is terminated with 1 female RCA on one end and 2 male RCAs on the other end.
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Erik J brauchte ein neues Website Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 51 Designs von 16 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
Island Wide Kitchens, LLC
3rd generation family business EXCELLING in all aspects of Design, Construction, Installation, Project Management and Development. Everything from undeveloped land to completed communities. Based out of a state of the art hi-tech showroom
**Specializing in Kitchens, Baths, and Renovations
Consumers (home owners), Contractors, Builders
Website layout / background image incorporating our existing logo (uploaded).
We use web studio to create our site and need the background image / layout to be professionally done incorporating our logo. We would like a fresh, more professional look. See our website for reference. http://www.islandwidekitchens.com
You do not need to incorporate the links, navigation bars, flash, or slideshows into the layout but there must be some kind of area for us to insert them when we create the site
We are looking for some creativity while maintaining a clean professional look


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Dad's got his hands full with a cranky baby and a diaper bag and two boxes, who wants to be the hall monitor who receipt checks that, right? That must have been one thief's plan, and it apparently worked.
Cops in suburban Dayton, Ohio are looking for a man who stole two Xbox 360s from a Best Buy using the old Baby Meat Shield Gambit, a tactic taught at the notorious Parisian schools of pickpocketing and cat burglary. The guy picked up two 360s at the BB in Beavercreek and promptly walked out - one console under one arm, baby and console under the other.
He then made it to the parking lot where he got into a Kia Spectra - probably the first time that badge has been successfully used in any getaway - and sped off, making no attempt to buckle or secure the baby, according to witnesses. That, sucker, will get you a child endangerment charge on top of the theft counts, and drags Child Protective Services into this. And they aren't nice like the Dayton police.
Someone got a partial license plate number. That, plus the exotic car make, should be enough to bring this fiend to justice because the physical description - white, balding, 6-feet and 250 pounds - gives you probable cause to arrest every dude from the Ohio River north to the Maumee.
Man Carries Baby, Steals Xbox 360 [Dayton Daily News via Hot Blooded Gaming]


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Home to all things comedy from the Upright Citizens Brigade
Kay is an actor/writer and currentlly writes for the two-time Emmy winning NBC show, "30 Rock". Before writing for "30 Rock", Kay performed for several improv theatres including The Second City Las Vegas Mainstage, ImprovOlympic (Harold team Prefontaine and The Armando Diaz Show) BoomChicago in Amsterdam, and ComedySportz Chicago. While living in LA, she co-wrote and performed a three-lady sketch show called "Camp Hot" and played with the Harold team "Clark and Belmont." Just about every Saturday night, you can see her perform with her dear friends in "Let's Have A Ball". In 2008, she's won a Peabody Award and a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on "30 Rock." She's good times.


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"Blood", the first single and title track of the third album from Southern California's IN THIS MOMENT, has been set for a June 12 add date at Active Rock radio. The track showcases the intense vocals, relentless guitars, deeply personal lyrics and driving rhythms for which the band has come to be known. "Blood" will also be available for purchase digitally at all online retailers the same day.
IN THIS MOMENT's fourth album, "Blood", will be released on August 14 via longtime label Century Media Records. The CD was once again produced by Kevin Churko, who has previously worked with OZZY OSBOURNE and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, among others.
IN THIS MOMENT began work on the new album just a few months following the departures of drummer Jeff Fabb and guitarist Blake Bunzel, who left the band late last year in order to join the backing group of "American Idol" finalist James Durbin. Fabb and Bunzel have since been replaced by Tom Hane (THYATEIRA) and Randy Weitzel (FLATLINE, 3/13, AMERICAN MASSACRE), respectively.
Commented IN THIS MOMENT frontwoman Maria Brink: "There are no words to describe how excited we are... We are on fire with this record. It's by far the most powerful material we have ever written.
"IN THIS MOMENT has gone through some big changes. I admit sometimes change is scary, especially when facing the unknown, but in this case everything has been perfectly meant to be. It's a brave, dark, hard-hitting album that will make you feel dirty inside, but still wanting more."
Added guitarist Chris Howorth: "Over the last [few] months, we have undergone some interesting changes within the band. As a result, Maria and I were brought closer together united in our mutual determination to top everything we have previously done with IN THIS MOMENT. It's our fourth album and we definitely have something to prove this time. During the writing process, Maria, Kevin and I are pushing ourselves to make sure every song is something unique and special. I honestly feel this is the most focused and powerful music we have ever created and I am beyond psyched to get it out there for people to hear."
In a recent interview with Australia's Loud magazine, Maria stated about IN THIS MOMENT's new material, "We brought some stuff to the table that we've never done before and it really sounds like something special, something new. I can't explain it; I mean, if you know our old music, when you hear the new stuff you're going to go, 'Holy shit, okay, I totally get it.' But I don't want to give away anything either, it's just unique; it's something new we've brought to the table. We found something special within us; we found this certain thing, so I'm excited for it."
Regarding IN THIS MOMENT's split with Fabb and Bunzel, Brink said, "You know how sometimes, you don't realize sometimes something happening (that's) traumatic, that it can be the most beautiful thing that could have happened to you? It's like one of those situations. It got really stripped back down to me and Chris [Howorth, guitar], and me and Chris started this band together, just me and him, and then it was like everybody came to the table, everybody brings their own influence. I believe it was all meant to be, all of those albums with them. I love them, I wish them the best. But it was almost like this new, with just me and Chris, this new fire, this new strength within me that I just… magical things started happening between what we started creating. And it's just so meant to be; it's meant to be that they moved on and some other things in my life, it's so cool 'cause it's just like this brand new everything and it feels really awesome. And you're going to be able to hear it."
Photo credit: Robert John Kley


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Love this Jules!
I spent this day bartering. It is one of the great benefits of being a hairstylist. I had three lovely humans that I bartered with today. Leah, who is an awesome chinese medicine therapist. Lisa, the owner of goinggreentampa.com. She is also written in my Lovelings section of the blog. And Donavon, a very good electrician.
Of course in an ideal world we could barter with everyone. But as we all know we still have to make money to pay our bills. Still, it feels so good to be able to trade with people sometimes. When I was a little girl, I recall how my elders would use the word money in terms of slang. They called it "bread". Example would be that I would hear my father say, " I have to go to work to make some bread. And no, he was never a baker. ha! Well, there is an old saying that man cannot live on bread alone.
Bartering allows us to swim in the pool of equal sharing. We give a little, we take a little. They give a little, they take a little. And it's all quality work. It's a shared love made visible. In a world where cash rules, it just feels so nice sometimes to have the ability to step away from that and share something of substance. One of the ways we can exchange our gifts is through this heart felt intention. Can you find something that you can barter with another? I recommend it highly.
Shine as Love & Light
Jules ❤


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Minnesota residents can fish without a fishing license in most Minnesota state parks, including ice fishing.
A Minnesota resident may fish in a state park without a fishing license when:
- the body of water does not require a trout stamp
- fishing from shore or wading in water within the state park
- fishing through the ice, from a boat or a float on a designated lake that is completely encompassed within a Minnesota state park
All park rules must be followed as usual, along with any rules and regulations relating to the taking of game and fish. You will still need a vehicle permit to enter a Minnesota state park.
Did you know there's a variety of free stuff that can be checked out at most Minnesota state parks? Fishing Kits include a rod, a reel and a stocked tackle box. (It's up to you to add the fish!) Loaner equipment is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Here's a list of parks with free fishing kits to borrow.
Check out this map of all the state parks with free fishing opportunities, including some parks with free loaner equipment.
Please note: Fishing licenses are still required in city, county, regional and federal parks - as well as all Minnesota state recreation areas:
- Big Bog State Recreation Area
- Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area
- Garden Island State Recreation Area
- Greenleaf State Recreation Area
- Iron Range OHV State Recreation Area
- La Salle Lake State Recreation Area
- Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area
- Red River State Recreation Area
- St. Croix Islands State Recreation Area
Learn more
- Tips and tricks for fishing in a Minnesota state park.
- Hooked yet? Purchase a fishing license for more options on where to wet your line. Rates start as low as $8.50.
- Need a fishing pole? Learn how to make one of your own from the May-June 2009 issue of Minnesota Conservation Volunteer "Let's Make a Fishing Pole."
- For the ultimate fishing resource, visit the DNR's fishing pages.
- Take a kid fishing events calendar.
- Tips for outfitting a tackle box.


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You are not shopping with one of your consultant's parties. Click on My Parties above to see your consultant's open parties.
Laser-Etched Wood Designs & Iron Inserts
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Custom laser etching on natural mango wood makes your personalized Close to Home™ piece truly one of a kind.Shop all wood dÉcor


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What Was What in Avengers
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MovieBob gives you the nitty gritty on the upcoming release The Avengers.
As soon as Thanos appeared on the screen I turned to the mate I was watching it with and said "They're gonna need more heroes in the next one."
They're gonna make a movie for each gem, introducing a new hero in each movie.....it would "add" more heroes to the avengers when the eventual "Last battle" with Thanos is and it wouldn't be 1 clustered movie where they get all gems at once.
Just a thought. :p
OT: I was majorly pissed at my cinema, when the credits started for the avengers the cinema lights up and movie is cut. They didn't show the credits. >:(
I absolutely loved Jim Starlin's work on Warlock in the 70s, when he reintroduced Thanos and pretty much defined what 'cosmic' meant in the Marvel Universe, so I will start drooling now with even the prospect of seeing something like that on the big screen. Even better if they got some arthouse lunatic like David Lynch to direct and let him stay true to the trippy 70s weirdness of it all.
Wow, the next wave sounds like its REALLY going to jump the shark. You know what people would love? The Hulk...IN SPAAAAAACE!!! This is going to narrow down the audience for the next series of Marvel movies by a huge margin...
I really really hope this means I get an Adam Warlock movie
Ant Man, The Vision, Jack of Hearts, Ms. Marvel, and the Wasp movies would be good too
So, Beyonder, Doctor Strange, and Captain Mar-vell then? I'm up for at least one of those.
That picture of death is one the stupidest things I've seen :D
I thought there was a SECOND post-credits teaser for next time. Beyond the big-bad guy.
I guess the spoiler aspect of the column is what keeps this from being a "COMICS...ARE...WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIRD!" episode of Big Picture.
Question now is, what is Thanos' movie history going to be? I wouldn't think they'll be content to just leave him as a generic big bad out to take over the galaxy, but at the same time I don't think Marvel is going to toss Death with breasts up on screen.
Just get a spoon and read Planet Hulk.
(The spoon is to EAT YOUR WORDS!)
Small nitpick: The origina story had NOTHING to do with the actual Gauntlet. That was just Thanos' glove. The gems are what mattered. He just attached it to his costume.
Well, having Death be a hot girl wouldn't be totally out of line. DC did something similar. It should also be noted that Death really doesn't seem to be 'into' Thanos the same way he is obsessed with her, though they do work together. Death being kind of a neutral prescence compared to Thanos' malevolence.
That said Thanos is a bad choice for a villain because to really DO the character well you need to get into his head in a way that I don't think movies are capable of. What's more as a lynchpin they need to introduce Adam Warlock as the guy who actually represents his weak spot for... reasons I won't go into but are kind of predictable.
Simply put Thanos is a villain who by definition can never, ever, win. He's got the power, but the thing is that psycologically he wants to lose, he wants people to stop him, he intentionally sabotages himself and leaves blind spots. It took years to really explain this in the comics, and the entire "Infinity Gauntlet Saga" revolved around that premise, and it was that reveal along with how it had been forecast all along was one of the things that made the story such a classic. Through the entire thing you pretty much had Adam Warlock sitting around calmly watching heroes get pwned, and then galactic entities (including Eternity and the Celestrials) lose. The Celestrials even thowing planets at Thanos at one time. When it's over Warlock and Thanos have a big conversation on that point, and the basic conclusion is that it doesn't matter what he tries, he'll just lose again.
Without that there is no point to Thanos, that's the entire character in a nutshell.
Please note Adam Warlock, and Warlock (The alien from The New Mutants) are differant, the latter being better known for some reason.
I don't think a movie can really carry the whole "Emo kid's giant bid for attention because nobody loved him" on a cosmic scale, it just takes way too much build up.
Ultron or Super Adaptoid should be the next villain. Save Thanos for the third Avengers.
Am i the only one who thought that the blue gem in Loki's staff was the blue mind gem? It explains them all freaking out in that one scene
Oh yeah I remember how super popular that movie was with everyone.
The point is the second wave sounds very niche marketed, and the movie's popularity is going to suffer. People are weird. They can accept things if someone in a lab coat stands there and says sciencey-stuff. But for some reason, introducing outer space and cosmo-magic generally tends to cull the audience down into the people that like that genre.
The fish-out-of-water, Earthling in space w/ magic trope hasn't worked for a very long time for larger audiences. Magic really only tends to work when it exists in a completely disconnected setting (a la Star Wars/Lord of the Rings/a couple other exceptions). I really think its gonna push these next batch of films down into the range of audiences that, as you said, "Read the comics".
The film was stink because it was badly done, The concept is sound. The comic was Gladiator meets Spartacus with Hulk and monsters. If they did it right it could be amazing. My point is it's all about who does it and how well they do it. They pulled off the Avengers when ten years ago no one said it could be done. Anything is possible if done right.
If Thanos is in the next Avengers movie they better have the THANOS COPTER! as well.
The thing is, that element to thanos was relly only present in that one story arc, and to me at least, felt like an attempt to not only explain how mortals could conceivably beat the all knowing Thanos in that and other occasions, but others in the past that acheived similar stature (Dr. Doom with the beyonder's powers, or the rEd Skull with the cosimic cube). It's a great idea, but let's acknowledge that it was put in to explain how villans could be such dumbasses at times.
And honestly I think Thanos is just coming for the gem's purposes: 1) to have a highly powered maguffin to tie the movies together and elevate the threat of less epic villans, and 2) the raw fun and power a filmmaker can have with the first 3 issues of the infinity gauntlet (half the world's popularion vanishing + big devistating earthquake). Where the gems go, Thanos usually follows.
I really excited about Thanos and the gauntlet, though I feel that the plethora of characters that everyone wants introduced would be a bit too cluttered. Sure it's true to the comics, but I would like to see a new interpretation of the story. I definitely want more characters, Mistress of death for example would be very interesting to see them adapt to live action. And I think we all want Doc Strange. I guess I just don't want to wait too long for the next Avengers movie.
I dunno why people keep saying that. I blame MovieBob. I don't think anyone's ever said "You can't do an Avengers movie." Mostly because no one really cared about comic book movies that weren't called Batman or Superman before 2001.
The point isn't that they CAN'T do it, it's whether or not people will really care. If you keep pushing the heroes into more and more ridiculous circumstances, you risk running into the "Batman and Robin" catch, wherein the film becomes a campy piece of crap reminiscent of the silver age of comics. Comics do a lot of things well, but keeping things (from characters to costumes to settings to premises, everything) grounded is not one of them.
I know so little of comics it kind of shames me really.
Hmmm, not sure if I agree, as Thanos has always had that problem, it's how they beat him before The Infinity Gauntlet as well, it's just that the end of Infinity Gauntlet is where they spelled it out, it's also been his recurring weakness through his apperances.
You remove that from the character and really Thanos just becomes another fairly two dimensional building who almost destroys the universe and gets beaten down in the 11th hour. There is no real point to using him otherwise, as it's that achilles heel that makes him stand out more than anything.
Power level wise though, Thanos generally has to keep a fairly low profile as he's powerful but not THAT powerful. Despite being loosely based on Darkseid, he's not really on that level. Drax The Destroyer and various Eternals and cosmic beings have very similar power levels, which is one of the reasons why he spends so much time plotting and coming out at the end to get a gem or whatever, oftentimes from a position where the good guys can't fight him at their best, and conveinently most of the characters who could handle him easily are typically somewhere else until he's on the verge of winning.
The Infinity Gauntlet was a cool story, but largely because the entire point of it was that the heroes were going to "lose" and the bad guy was effectively going to defeat himself. The fact that they all probably could have sat around having tea and things would have worked themselves out is actually kind of clever.
Admittedly though the whole "unbeatable bad guy who defeats themself" is a marvel staple. I mean we did see it with Doom/Beyonder, and of course with Korvac. In the case of Doom however it can be debatale at the end because he didn't actually absorb ALL of the Beyonder's power and there was a trickle of it working intentionally to undermine him. If could be argued as to whether Doom actually defeated himself for the seemingly obvious reasons (ie he couldbn't control the power) of if he was simply defeated by The Beyonder due to not getting all of the power during his grab. We'll never know if he would have mastered it without that trickle screwing with him.
Anyone with a SNES kicking around should check out War Of The Gems. It's a pretty decent beat-em-up that touches on this material. You can play as Hulk, Cap, Iron Man, Wolverine, or Spider-man, and you can use each gem's benefits as you find them.
If Marvel's really considering delving into the weirder cosmic stuff for movies.... a really well-done, psychadelic, metaphysical Silver Surfer is what we need. Earth not included.
Whilst I seriously enjoyed the movie, I'm a little concerned about what they're going to do for the next lot of heroes if Marvel is aiming to show more of the cosmic stuff. I've always found superheroes in outer-space sci-fi settings felt a little redundant as everyone has the sort of tech to give them odd advantages.
Loved seeing Thanos in the movie and the line about courting death only made me love it more.
watching the film makes me want to read the comics
Thanos. Infinity gauntlet. HELL AND YEAH!!! Marvel Movies, please take my money!
Yep, that's the idea. Ingenious, no?
Your Darkseid hyperlink is a bit messed up Bob.
I had been wondering what the Avengers 2 would be about (as it's inevitable that there will be one by now). I completely forgot about the Infinity Gauntlet showing up...despite seeing it in one of your very own articles. So that was very welcome.
Overall the entire movie just made me feel like a kid again. Seeing all of the comics of my childhood on the big screen was indescribable
The stuff with Thanos got a little too "out there" for me to really grasp and understand, but seriously, my mind was blown (for, like, the millionth time during the movie) when I actually saw Thanos during the end credits!
Damn, I thought that was a krull at the end, not Thanos.
to be fair an Ant Man movie would have wasp in it.
Plus, Death totally has the hots for Deadpool (and who can blame her?).
Off topic: I know its a bit late, but what the hell were the writers thinking when they put "Wade" in that X-Men movie? They took away the mouth from the "Merc with a Mouth!"
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Music for any Wedding Ceremony or Civil Partnership - Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, Mansfield, Worksop, Newark, Retford or Southwell
The Ceremony
Before the ceremony begins everyone has to be seated and music is uaually provided just to allow people to settle. This part is traditionally called 'The Gathering of the Congregation', but it isn't really a part of the ceremony, and anything is suitable for this section. It is not usually necessary to make any music choices for this part of the days procedings. However, I have occasionally been given a list of pieces for this part also.
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This paper has two sources: One is my own research in three broad areas: business cycles, economic measurement and social choice. In all of these fields I attempted to apply the basic precepts of the scientific method as it is understood in the natural sciences. I found that my effort at using natural science methods in economics was met with little understanding and often considerable hostility. I found economics to be driven less by common sense and empirical evidence, than by various ideologies that exhibited either a political or a methodological bias, or both. This brings me to the second source: Several books have appeared recently that describe in historical terms the ideological forces that have shaped either the direct areas in which I worked, or a broader background. These books taught me that the ideological forces in the social sciences are even stronger than I imagined on the basis of my own experiences.
The scientific method is the antipode to ideology. I feel that the scientific work that I have done on specific, long standing and fundamental problems in economics and political science have given me additional insights into the destructive role of ideology beyond the history of thought orientation of the works I will be discussing.
Comments and Questions
I have one question when starting to read (still not finished) your interesting paper which is the term: "Neoliberal".
To my best knowledge the Austrian school mutated in Germany into the social market economy (Soziale Marktwirtschaft with the most prominent name of Ludwig Erhard). ...[more]
The founding group (Germany Alexander Rüstow and Wilhelm Röpke and Austria Friedrich August von Hayek, Ludwig von Mises and Alfred Schütz.) named itself "Neoliberale" during a Colloque Walter Lippman August 1938 in Paris. In Germany the School used rather the term ordo liberalism. The ordo stood for the state role to ensure good market rules.
I don't know whether the "Chicago boys" claimed the term neoliberalism for themselves. Of course, von Hayek, later LSE London was, a link between both of them.
However I se e 2 differences between the Austrian/German School and Chicaco:
1. The original neoliberals had a western type of state in mind, more or less a democracy. The Chicago concept in contrary was also suggested to Chile (during Pinochet), to Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and finally to China mainland. There was an interesting discussion between Galbraith and Friedman about Hong Kong. (Somehow: the people even under the strong, non democratic british regime would still benefit from the neolib economy..) The was another discussion in the FT, whether the wester (free) economy requires free press? (The story was that a western HK editor was cut of his "writing arm" by a triade. I do not recall what message of him made them hostile.)
2. The dimension of free floating money was not imagined by the ordo liberals in the 30s and 40s. And no "Structured investment fonds (SIF)" either.
My suggestion is if using the term then better to define it explicitly? Sociologists and politologists use it rather in a meaning of globalism, government should withdraw, international companies can do what they want... When in Germany Heiner Geißler (left wing of christian democrats) tries to link liberals to historical Manchester type of industry he speaks of neoliberals what is wrong anyway.
Gerhard Schroeder (reader)
The purpose of my paper was to trace the evolution and motivation of certain related ideologies, mainly in economics, but also in other social sciences and in politics. This is a vast subject, and to handle it in one article I had to simplify and to concentrate on the main ...[more]
developments. Largely, these developments took place, first in England, later in the United States. Outside the English speaking world, the most important influence to the particular developments that I discuss came from France, in the form of the emphasis on mathematics and general eui8librium analysis. For these specific developments, the scholars whom you mention mentioned did not play a significant role. With the exception of Hayek, I hardly ever encounter them in the English language literature. Astudy of the contributions of German scholars to economics and other social sciences can certainly be a worthwhile enterprise, but it was not my purpose.
Regarding terminology, I wanted to adhere to commonly understood definitions. I think that in current political debates the term 'neoliberal' has a fairly clear and generally accepted meaning. One complicatio is that those usually labeled in this manner prefer to call themselves 'conservatives'.
Thanks for your comments and I hope to hear from you again when you have read further!
Claude Hillinger
I enjoy the natural science approach and the analysis of the controversy between "scientific method" vs ideology. Still concerns regarding 'neolib', suggestions and furnishing information.
I would suggest a third term: economic policy: In the past there seem to have been established goals like "the mystic triangle" meaning full employment ...[more]
/ price stability / stability of foreign trade and payments. (Difficult to manage, agreed in tendency, sounds still decent – even for the USA?) The could be labelled common 'belief' but not ideology... (I don't know whether you view 'ideology' negative or 'left' per se?)
In line with the intention of the paper I come back to 'neoliberalism' and your regarding comment. The mutation of the term 'neolib' as being a name of a market oriented theory towards the ideologic, today's phrase and typically ment negative should be part of the paper. Saying that the names didn't crossed your list of references is unsatisfacory. Today one could say that every important scientific contribution should be better formulated in English. (A lot of bright Chinese ideas may be then excluded still.) However, history covering the early 1900 should include references in other languages. the 1938 neoliberalism or better ordo liberalism had also links to protestant and catholic social theories (Soziallehren) which are of course some kind of ideology but not just "left". Order liberalism was the base of post war German economy and still is - "enhanced" by (but not without critics) future markets, socalled fair (random) pricing legalized by global accounting rules. It's not "peanuts"!
And there should be some semanic analysis regarding 'neolib': neo instead of new seems to be typically ment negative and 'liberal' also – in the USA in particular. Neolib is a "battle term" (? for "Kampfbegriff"). Is it common understanding that the neolib ideology is the "third floor" of the Chicago School? At least for myself the meaning of neolib is not clear apart from being just negative when used by Attac and similar organizations. A suggestion:
Neolib = stable currency + balanced budget + free market / free trade
a) + (or not +) global trade 24h/7d including continuous pricing
b) + future and options markets and random prizing and global rules for value accountig
(Means: Non Neolib = full emloyment + fair trade...?)
I wonder whether there is an additional field of "non scientific": There is a belief in the anglo-american academic world that the Gaussian bell curve is a master, a blue print for all kind of economic behavior up to most recent and complex financial instruments and even of the predicting industry.
Background is a different view of the curve. In Germany it's an important contribution to the theory of errors, a most interesting function. When one is uncertain – say about the error behavior of a new machine – one is well advised to apply the Gauss formula. However, as soon as there is numerical experience the latter is dominant.
My suggestion: Why not including some of these thoughts in the paper? Even if it means some additional pages – your view will be interesting.
This is an interesting piece of work and stimulates thinking about the scientific approach in economics. The papers is great as the authors clearly indicates his beliefs and demonstrates where some his beliefs are supported by facts. This provided the reader the opportunity build-up (or improve) and reflect on his ...[more]
own beliefs by this learn.
I share many of the views, with some I do not agree and some are outside my area of expertise (the history of macro economic models).
Ideology plays an important role in society as well as science. We choose our professions, hobbies, groups we join including becoming a scientists according to our beliefs. I find the distinction between conservatives and leftists to polarizing. There are policies I belief do make sense and have been supported by conservatives, while others have been supported by the left. In particular, differentiating current according to left and right becomes very difficult.
I fully agree with the author that the measurement problem does not receive sufficient attention from our profession and spending time on properly measuring important variables is by most not considered a worthwhile exercise. There we need a paradigm shift.
I am less pessimistic about the significant confirmed knowledge in economics. I see common agreement among economists on such as that ceteris paribus demand for non-Giffen goods does not increase with an in crease in prices, the supply of goods does not decease with an increase in product price, and that the utility of income does not decrease with an increase in income. This has been confirmed by a number of different studies and may seem obvious to economists but is not undisputed outside of our profession.
Thanks for your comments.
Regarding the concepts of the political Left and Right. I perfectly agree that there are both leftist policies and rightist policies that may be quite reasonable. I wrote that and ideology to be plausible has to incorporate aspects of reality. The problem is that the ...[more]
ideological view of reality is partial and therefore distorted. That it is possible and useful to place political parties and movements along a uni-dimensional axis is a fact of experience. If this were not so, the concepts would not have been in constant use for more than 100 years. That does not mean that every policy or issue has a place on this axis.
The evidence offered for the achievements of economics are, I am afraid, completely trivial. The statement involving non-Giffen goods is a tautology following from the definition of the term. The fact that a higher income is preferred to a lesser one hardly requires the economics profession for its validation.
see attached file
See attached file.
reg. 2. (Ideology): I may refer to the christian contribution to economy politics, the socalled social theory or doctrine furnished by protestant and catholic papers (EKD 1997, Deus Caritas Est 2005):
In "old (continental) Europe" this thinking it is not ideology, we call it more decent "tendency" literature or ...[more]
doctrine and for sure it is not simply right or left / western or eastern.
reg. 4. (methodology). Of course, each field has its own methodogy. However the same, common established proof theory (Einstein, Popper, Kurt Schuette, others) should be applied which is
Hypothesis > Test > Proof or Findings > Theory > Proof
As long as economic science deals with models and theories it should be methodolical clean. Which is not the case often. The way computing socalled fair values violates
The problem of economists is that their science is partly prognosis, forecasting. There is in between quite some maths involved to promote forecasting. However, the GARCH-forecasting technique (or better named industry) is scientificly reading tea leaves. One can say the better the model the better the results. It's not my field but I think it's the same considering econometry. There is quite a number of institutions that try on economic cycles – again it is rather an industry than science.
reg. 5 (pro-market): It's not only Chicago, it's also the original neoliberal circle in Vienna, Freiburg and London that promoted the market idea. And to be fair: global trading and markets was a fundamental idea of the British Empire (weakend by the tea plantages and the drug infiltration) in controversy to the Netherlands' approach of drawing taxes from their colonies.
reg. 6 (empirical evidence): Yes, that's the way and sticking on assuptions made. Unfortunately the empirical evidence of forecasting is possible only after the fact, ex post - too late for political advice.
One can't expect the bandwidth of a textbook from e single article. However, there are some questions left open: Does the Nobelprize in Economics have a "neolib" tendency? And, are Scholes, Merton and maybe Engle the "computing servants" of neoliberalism?
According to the German Wikipedia 7 Nobel Prizes (out ...[more]
of 61) are related to "neolib": Friedrich von Hayek, Milton Friedman, George Stigler, Ronald Coase, James M. Buchanan, Maurice Allais, Gary Becker, Vernon L. Smith i.e. about 10 per cent. Erik Lundberg, the longtime president of the nobel committee was a member of the Mont Pelerin Society, a (neo)liberal thinktank.
Keynes died 1946 before the economical neobel prize was instituted. May be Galbraith was more a politician than an economist. I don't know whether he was ever on the short list? I would add 3 to the neoliberals: Robert C. Merton, Myron Scholes and Robert F. Engle. All are bright mathematicians. However, their formulas are misused to keep the future markets going. James Tobin is special:
His idea to tax FOREX is interesting. That it became one of the key postulations of ATTAC to fight "neoliberalism" was not his intention.Is the Swedish nobel prize is ideological?
Financial market theories have an increasing impact on history of economics: After the Wallstreet Crah of 1929 trading of financial options was suspended for more than 30 years until Black and Scholes found a formula in 1972 that seemed to make option pricing and thus trading again possible. Volatility prediction is Engle's field. However it's guessing based on probabilities and the key variable, the future volatility, is unknow. Financial options, derivatives and certificates are practically unlimited. They are emitted in millions. Its like lottery. They are not 'limited goods'. They absorb liquidity and this way of pricing is random, relying on probability functions. All that is contrary to historical economy and kind of unscientific.
Albert Einstein: "Niemals aber kann die Wahrheit einer Theorie erwiesen werden.
Denn niemals weis man, daß auch in Zukunft keine Erfahrung bekannt werden wird, die ihren Folgerungen wiederspricht." (Induction and deduction in Physics, Berliner Tageblatt, Dec 25, 1919, 4. Att., p. 1). Somehow: "However, the truth of a theory can never be proven. Because one never knows, whether no future experience will become known also, being contrary to its (the theory's) consequences." This elegant (proof theory) statement might be a cover also for all economic theories when considering whether they are ideological. There are similar ones postulated by Karl Popper in Logik der Forschung (Logic of Scientific Discovery, 1934).
In this addendum I discuss some related literature that has appeared, or come to my attention, since the publication of my paper. Section 1 is about the role of the Rand Corporation. Section 2 concerns Steven Fuller's work on ideology and science.
1. RAND AND ...[more]
A major role is played in my paper by the Rand Corporation as the hatchery of neoliberal ideology. Significant new literature regarding the role of Rand has appeared. My source is an article by Chalmers Johnson (2008) that has just appeared at Tomdispatch and that I saw on AlterNet. Johnson is the preeminent writer on post-World War Two American imperialism, his most recent book on the subject being Nemesis. His article is a review of Abella's Soldiers of Reason which is a history of the Rand Corporation. Johnson generally accepts the factual history presented by Abella, but is more critical in his interpretation. I do not wish to review Johnson's review of 'Abella, urging instead the reader consult the article; however I will report a few items that I found particularly interesting.
During the Cold War era, Rand felt that the US had to battle on two fronts: military and ideological. On the military front, the US suffered major military setbacks, above all in Vietnam and more recently in Iraq. No such setbacks were encountered on the ideological front, particularly in penetrating the social sciences. This becomes clear from the list of leading social scientist who were Rand alumni:
"Among the notables who worked for the think tank were the economists and mathematicians Kenneth Arrow, a pioneer of game theory; John Forbes Nash, Jr., later the subject of the Hollywood film A Beautiful Mind (2001); Herbert Simon, an authority on bureaucratic organization; Paul Samuelson, author of Foundations of Economic Analysis (1947); and Edmund Phelps, a specialist on economic growth. Each one became a Nobel Laureate in economics." Add to this list the Rand alumnus William H. Ricker who became the most influential political theorist and together with Arrow pointed the direction in which political theory evolved. Consider also that American social science became the model for most of the rest of the world, the Nobel Prize committee inclusive, and English the associated lingua franca.
The ideological ballast carried by the Rand alumni was apparently no handicap in conquering academia; on the military front the ideology came in conflict with reality.
"Following the axioms of mathematical economics, RAND researchers tended to lump all human motives under what the Canadian political scientist C. B. Macpherson called "possessive individualism" and not to analyze them further. Therefore, they often misunderstood mass political movements, failing to appreciate the strength of organizations like the Vietcong and its resistance to the RAND-conceived Vietnam War strategy of "escalated" bombing of military and civilian targets."
Ideologists may be sincere, even fanatical believers in what they preach; alternatively the ideology may simply be a vehicle of convenience in order to achieve certain aims. Usually, both components are likely to be present in varying proportions. Commitment to truth wasw certainly not a high value at Rand:
"Daniel Ellsberg's release to the public of the secret record of lying by every president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Lyndon Johnson about the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. However, RAND itself was and remains adamantly hostile to what Ellsberg did.
Abella reports that Charles Wolf, Jr., the chairman of RAND's Economics Department from 1967 to 1982 and the first dean of the RAND Graduate School from 1970 to 1997, "dripped venom when interviewed about the [Ellsberg] incident more than thirty years after the fact." Such behavior suggests that secrecy and toeing the line are far more important at RAND than independent intellectual inquiry and that the products of its research should be viewed with great skepticism and care."
A referee had drawn my attention to the work of the sociologist and philosopher of science Steve Fuller. Just reading the introduction to Thomas Kuhn: A Philosophical History for our Time proved valuable for my purposes in that I learned about since I learned about yet another institution and associated actors that were influential in generating a Cold War ideology that impacted the social sciences and humanities. I am referring to Harvard University, its past president James Conant and his disciple Thomas Kuhn. Impressed by the need for a strong science, particularly for national defense, they aimed at both generating public support for science and fending off public criticism. Particularly the latter aim was served by Kuhn's famous concept of a 'paradigm', that could be understood only by those trained within it and could not be validly criticized from without.
From my mention that I read the introduction, the astute reader will have gathered that I did not read the rest. This was not because I felt the rest to be of low value. It was because I found the going quite difficult and was not willing to invest the time that would have been required for a serious consideration of the many topics covered. Fuller is extremely well read in ancient and modern philosophy with the emphasis on the philosophy of science. He is also a trained sociologist, knowledgeable regarding many areas of social science and the humanities. His nimble mind moves easily between diverse fields and literatures finding surprising parallels and lines of influence. For a reader not already familiar with the literatures discussed, many passages are difficult to understand or evaluate. For a graduate student in philosophy, or a professional philosopher the book is a goldmine of ideas and topics that merit further investigation; for the general reader it is hard to digest.
The reason for turning my attention to this author again here is that he has written a subsequent book in which he makes a conscious effort to address the general reader and succeeds to a considerable extent. Kuhn vs. Popper: the Struggle for the Soul of Science is a much shorter book, without footnotes and a guide to the literature at the end. Moreover, contrasting Kuhn and Popper is more interesting than focusing on Kuhn alone. Popper and many other philosophers are discussed in the earlier book also, but in the later book the contrast is much better worked out.
Fuller argues that these two philosophers and others of their generation were profoundly influenced by the role of science in the Second World War, particularly of course through the creation of the atomic bomb. Kuhn reaction was one of denial. He defined science as "puzzle solving", completely ignoring the social consequences. This would seem to justify the pursuit of whatever activities the currently accepted 'paradigm' of a discipline happens to suggest. Popper also believed in the internal control of science. He felt that science should achieve this through eternal questioning of its own results. The fact is that scientists generally do not do this, nor is there any convincing argument advanced by Popper why they should. Furthermore, even if they did, it would not solve the problem of the social consequences of science.
In his laudable effort to write clearly and understandably for the lay reader Fuller does not succeed entirely. I give one of a number of possible examples. He disc used the 'underdetermination thesis' according to which empirical evidence is generally insufficient to decide between alternative theories and writes:
"Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) is normally credited with the underdetermination thesis. He believed that the question uniquely arose in his own discipline, physics, because of the laboratory conditions in which experiments are normally conducted. In that case, how are the field's artificially generated results to be judged in relation to alternative accounts of the natural world? As a Catholic living in France's Third Republic, with its clear separation of church and state, Duhem turned to divine illumination for guidance - but only because of the epistemic limits of physical inquiry implied by the underdetermination thesis. Fifty years later, Harvard logician Willard Quine (19°8-2000) universalized and secularized Duhem's original thesis. Quine replaced God with whatever theory had the best track record, a kind of evolutionary naturalism that upheld a conservative presumption in the conduct of inquiry."
I cannot conceive how a physicist would test a theory against catholic dogma. Neither do I understand the position ascribed to Quine. What is the 'track record' if not agreement with observation? A further problem with this passage is that the preeminent non-empirical criterion used in the natural sciences and amply discussed in the philosophy of science, simplicity is not even mentioned by Fuller.
Such shortcomings notwithstanding, this is the best, and almost the only, broad coverage of the interrelations between ideology, philosophy and science. I strongly recommend it.
Abella, Alex (2008), Soldiers of Reason: The Rand Corporation and the Rise of the American Empire, Orlando FL, Harcourt.
Fuller, Steve (2004), Kuhn vs. Popper: the Struggle for the Soul of Science, New York, Columbia University Press.
Johnson, Chalmers A. (2006), Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic, New York,Henry Holt.
(2008), The RAND Corporation: America's University of Imperialism, Tomdispatch.com.
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