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Thousands of immigrants and activists rallied nationwide Wednesday in a coordinated set of protests aimed at pressing Congress to approve immigration reforms that would grant 11 million immigrants living here illegally a path toward citizenship.
Organizers said demonstrations were taking place in at least 18 states and in Washington, D.C., where a large, festive crowd gathered on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon.
"We won't win immigration reform just coming to Washington. We need to walk the streets all over the country," said Ben Monterroso, national director of civic participation of the Service Employees International Union, which represents nurses and lower-wage employees including janitors and child care workers.
In Atlanta, more than 1,000 people marched around the Georgia Capitol Wednesday midday, calling for comprehensive immigration reform and an end to deportation.
In San Francisco, demonstrators planned to build an altar at the federal building with 1,000 paper flowers, symbolizing the number of people deported daily for immigration violations. A gathering in San Diego was being billed as marking "Undocumented Coming Out Day."
Senators writing a sweeping immigration bill have said they hope to finish their work this week, opening what's sure to be a raucous public debate over measures to secure the border, allow tens of thousands of foreign workers into the country and grant eventual citizenship to the millions living illegally in the United States.
A person familiar with proposed bipartisan immigration legislation being written in the Senate said Wednesday the bill would require greatly expanded surveillance of the U.S. border with Mexico and greatly increased detention of border crossers in high risk areas. The person provided the information on condition of anonymity because the deliberations were private.
Groups opposed to illegal immigration say they aren't worried that lawmakers or voters will be swayed by emotional messages, and argue that extending legal rights to immigrants living illegally in the U.S. will create financial problems for cash-starved governments and spur more illegal immigration.
"There ought to be a rally for the 20 million Americans who can't find a full-time job," NumbersUSA President Roy Beck, whose group advocates reductions in immigration levels, said in a statement Wednesday.
Reform activists said the size of the pro-immigrant movement would be on display at rallies around the country, including in the nation's capital, where National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Benjamin Jealous will deliver the keynote address.
The activists already claim victories nationwide, including a successful lobbying effort against a plan in North Carolina to provide driver's licenses to immigrants with the words: "NO LAWFUL STATUS."
The immigrant activism movement gained national attention in 2007 when President George W. Bush and a bipartisan group of lawmakers unsuccessfully tried comprehensive immigration reform. Some high school and college students who were brought to the U.S. as young children began living openly and holding rallies.
The movement gained new supporters in 2010, when Congress debated but did not pass the DREAM Act - legislation that would have granted legal status to young immigrants living illegally in the country.
President Barack Obama announced in June his deferred-deportation program allowing young immigrants to apply for work visas. During his State of Union address in February, Obama called on Congress to quickly pass immigration reform.
Associated Press writers Erica Werner in Washington and Kate Brumback in Atlanta contributed to this report. Burke reported from San Francisco. Follow Luis Alonso Lugo and Garance Burke on Twitter at www.twitter.com/luisalonsolugo and www.twitter.com/garanceburke .


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Lawrence Lessig
About the Author
Lawrence Lessig is a professor at Stanford Law School and the founder of the Stanford Center for Internet and Society. The author of The Future of Ideas and Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, he is the chair of the Creative Commons project. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Cambridge University, and Yale Law School, he has clerked for Judge Richard Posner of the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court.

subset: commoncrawl


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Startups don't have capital to burn or luxurious schedules for big-design-up-front. But unless your idea is by-and-for-engineers, design isn't something you want to skip on your way to market. For a startup, design may mean the difference between simply shipping, and taking the market by storm. But with tight budgets, and aggressive timelines, how to include design and get the best value for the investment?
Eric Ries proposes a cyclical model for development in a startup: Build > Measure > Learn (repeat). Lots of smart people think he's onto something. While Ries coined this model to explain how developers work in a lean way, the same model can be applied to design, only our "build" uses different tools, and the work products are at a different fidelity, but it's still build. Our hypothesis is made manifest and testable.
In a recent Lean UX workshop hosted by the fantastic Janice Fraser (Luxr) and Cooper's own Tim McCoy and Suzy Thompson (also of Cooper) suggested that the cycle was right, but that it begins in the wrong place. She suggested Learn > Build > Measure (repeat).
I buy it. After years of starting projects off with research (as little as a couple of hours in some cases) I've seen the power of starting off informed. Framing the problem before you start solving it is not only wise, but major opportunities for innovation often arise before anyone proposes a design solution.
So we have a cycle of Learn > Build > Measure (repeat). For a startup we can't afford weeks of research, with the developers on the bench waiting for the voice of the user with thoughtful diagrams and artful persona back-stories. We need full-speed-ahead; design can't afford to be the slow kid or the bottleneck.
How fast can we run the cycle? I'd suggest that design can run at a sustained pace of 3 days for a complete cycle. I don't think you could do useful design faster. We often take 5 days for a cycle where we have time and budget, but 3 days is about the fastest you'd productively move. It bears noting that it takes a remarkably agile client to keep up with a 3 day cycle. Early stage startups with focused stakeholders and unlimited access to users for testing are the most likely to keep up with this pace. Larger enterprises benefit from a slower 5 day cycle.
Once we get the upfront work of personas and high-level scenarios done, cycles take on a regular pattern.
What do we get? Speed and low waste. We iterate quickly, with a 3 day cycle time we get moving quickly, we get rapid insights up front, ideas almost immediately up on the board, and pixel proofs within 24 hours. Sure they're rough, but we don't need high fidelity to test if the direction works, if users and stakeholders are getting what they need. All we need is something that gets the idea across. We'll refine as we get deeper. And because we're not letting design get too far out before getting it in front of users we're keeping waste to a minimum. Our ideas will be tested early and often. We can throw out what isn't working after a low amount of investment and focus our time on what is.
At this point the major win for startups is speed; design is incorporated without slowing things down. We also reap huge benefits from operating with such a low waste level. Days and dollars are spent building and refining the solutions that are most promising. But speed has a downside, we have little time to solve more complex problems. This may result in grabbing for obvious or standard patterns where a more thoughtful innovative approach might ultimately yield a better product. Also, design is an iterative process, the rapid cycles may seem like iteration, but the speed leaves little opportunity to revisit or reject and rework something. The first solution may easily end up the final solution. This may be acceptable for some projects, but when a startup is striving to innovate, it's not enough to be first, you really need to deliver better.
More, better
There's a way to supercharge this process in a way that produces predictably better solutions, and more of them. Add a second interaction designer. Pair design transforms the equation, from pure speed, into rapid insight that one designer with twice the time couldn't produce. It's not a case of twice as much in the same amount of time, speed isn't increased, we've already maximized that. What we're maximizing now is the quality. Two designers working together, paired in the right way delivers more, and better design.
The way we do pair design it's not just any two designers locked in a room, struggling to wrestle the marker away from one another to prove how much better their idea is. We pair two interaction designers to maximize on the energy in polarity. We divide and conquer. One takes takes on the assertive role, the other the reflective. One takes on the drawings and interface, the other the patterns and words. One dives into details, the other keeps the big picture. One presents, the other captures. Through pairing and focusing on polarized responsibilities, we increase the value of the thinking and the product.
Let's start with the first cycle:
While interviewing users and stakeholders we've got two observers, two sets of ears, two perspectives on what was learned. Our understanding is richer, fuller and more complex than any single practitioner could bring.
Build (personas/scenarios/early sketches)
One of our pair takes on the role of generating ideas, proposing solutions, getting something onto the board. The other is a dedicated thought partner. They hold back, poke holes, prompt, help evolve the ideas while they're still forming. It's a period of intense, rapid iteration. Roles can and do swap. We go wide, exploring much more quickly than a single designer could. Bad ideas are killed earlier. We develop clarity more quickly. We're more confident of our decisions and more articulate about our reasons because they already went through the crucible of our partner.
Build (pixels and patterns)
Our pair differentiates further. One jumps into putting the ideas into pixels, the other into articulating the patterns that underlie the design decisions. Each works from the earlier design work, but refines it in very different ways. As we push our design though increasingly detailed scenarios it evolves. The two different approaches helps us triangulate on places where the design fails, and helps to identify fresh new opportunities. Two brains churning on the material coming from different directions, forces us to see more objectively, we can't remain blind to the ideas we love that should be thrown out. The paired design team acts as an editorial cross-check on the thinking of the other. A single designer would be forced to choose between pixels or patterns, or struggle to articulate both poorly.
Measure (stakeholder/user feedback)
Pair designers divide up the work, focu
sing on a single aspect, presenting or capturing. One walks users through the flow, the other observes and captures notes. It doesn't matter who's doing what but each role is dedicated and focused. One designer would struggle to demo the design and really notice how users' actions diverged from their verbal feedback, often critical distinctions which when noticed strongly inform future design decisions. With a pair of designers we capture the feedback accurately. We also have two perspectives on each test. We are less prone to fall into our own bias because we've got someone to check us.
More, better, faster is an investment
By pairing designers, we gain tremendous advantages. You're running a startup and it's easy to buy the process of a speedy cycle. It's simple math and it maximizes cash, with quick early results. At first the idea of pair design may seem like a hard thing to sell to your board or investors. "Twice the designers, huh? Can't we just get one and do more cycles?" Sure, people do it every day. But one designer doesn't make more, better. Even a rock-star designer can't generate enough polarity to come close to the "more, better" brought by two damn good designers who know how to work together as a pair. You buy a pair, you get more design; not twice the volume, but twice the quality. This isn't that fine-china sense of quality, but the kind of quality defined by pure raw goodness. It's the quality of solutions that people fall in love with. It's the ephemeral but very real sense when you first make contact with the product that someone really truly understands you. Not all problems need or deserve this level of attention. There's many times when one designer may perfectly address the need.But when your startup wants to design more, better, faster, go all the way, invest in it. Expect faster, and demand more, better. Your investors will want it too.
Related Reading
- Take the Design Leadership class
- Lean UX workshop recap
- Lean UX, Product Stewardship, and Integrated Teams
- Integrating solve and do
- Explaining pair design (metaphorically)


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Lighting and accessories are the soul of a beautiful home, this was the impulse for Mind The Gap's creativity. They took their best designs of wallpaper and transposed them into a shade collection.
They used tropical elements, fabric textures, quirky patterns and some Art Deco designs creating a unique collection of lighting shades and pendant lamps in their successful eclectic style. And to make it more premium, they use copper and gold metallic lining and also metallic lamp holders for the pendants.
This item is made to order in Transylvania and will be delivered direct to you within 2 to 3 weeks.
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A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785--1812
by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.
Martha Ballard was 50 in 1785 when she started her diary. She wrote daily, usually just a few sentences: always about the weather; usually about her comings and goings; the births and deaths attended; her house and garden work; and sometimes about the events in the community around her. I love the interpretations and discussion which follow the diary entries in each chapter. The author's words add further light and insight.
I think Martha Ballard is a hero to me. She was such a faithful woman. She served so many people in so many ways. She was spunky: she was still digging in her garden, starting new beds, and planting until she was 76, a year before she died. I think she was an amazing woman.
I loved this book.
Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
This was a fun book. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the experiences she shared. She included recipes, homemaking tips, etc. She said she grew up thinking that certain expressions were one word: agoodwoman, hardearnedmoney, agoodhardworker, alittleheathen, agoodwoolshirt. Worth the read.
Annie's Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg
I wrote about this book in a previous post. Here's one quote from the book with which many family historians can identify: "All it takes is one--one name, one address, one correct piece of information–to wipe away weeks of frustration."
Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey by Lillian Schlissel
Great book! I have so much appreciation for those women. Just amazing some of the experiences they had. One of the women, Amelia Stewart Knight, was 3 months pregnant when they started the journey and nearly due toward the end when she was climbing up a mountain over rock, and back down the other side of the mountain. One woman talked about 3 days of rain with children and a newborn baby and nowhere to get dry. Another woman said that when they finally arrived to their destination, her husband drove her to the barren land on which sat a tiny sod hut and said something like, "Isn't that the most beautiful sight you've ever seen?" The women never mentioned being pregnant in their journals/letters. The nearest they came was to say "ill." Amazing women!!!
In the end, a woman who came through the journey felt she had won her own victory. The test of the journey was whether or not she had been equal to the task of holding her family together against the sheer physical forces that threatened to spin them to the four winds of chance. It was against the continual threat of dissolution that the women had striven.
Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
Elinore was a spunky lady and a great story-teller, but beyond that, she had a very positive outlook which shone through in her letters. And such experiences! She moved to Wyoming in 1909 as a young, widowed mother of a 2-year-old to be a housekeeper for a rancher. She determined to file her own claim for land and make a go of it. She married the rancher, but more, she also succeeded in claiming land and growing enough food to feed her family for a year.
When you think of me, you must think of me as one who is truly happy. It is true, I want a great many things I have n't got, but I don't want them enough to be discontented and not enjoy the many blessings that are mine. I have my home among the blue mountains, my health, well-formed children, my clean, honest husband, my kind, gentle milk cows, my garden which I make myself. I have loads and loads of flowers which I tend myself. There are lots of chickens, turkeys, and pigs which are my own special care. I have some slow old gentle horses and an old wagon. I can load up the kiddies and go where I please any time. I have the best, kindest neighbors and I have my dear absent friends. Do you wonder I am so happy? When I think of it all, I wonder how I can crowd all my joy into one short life.
The Girl from Botany Bay by Carolly Erickson
Mary Broad, a young Cornish woman in the late 1700s, was sentenced to death by hanging for stealing a silk bonnet, jewelry, and other valuables. Her sentence was commuted to 7 years transportation to Australia. Interesting but sad story. We don't get to "know" Mary as we sometimes get to know others from earlier time periods because there was not a lot written about her. Worth the read.
Bold Spirit. Helga Espby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America by Linda Lawrence Hunt
Hunt put Helga in time and place and shares it all with us. Helga walked across America with her daughter to earn $10,000 to save her home and farm from foreclosure. And then her story was silenced until the smallest thread was found and shared by one of Helga's great-grandchildren. Hunt includes reasons why stories are silenced. Read a previous post here.
The Tin Ticket: The Heroic Journey of Australia's Convict Women by Deborah J. Swiss
This was nearly edge-of-the-seat good. I could hardly put it down. Most of the narrative focuses on two Scottish teen girls sentenced to transportation to Van Diemans Land. Their paths later cross with that of a mother and her daughter who were also sentenced to transportation. It's a compelling story. Previous post here.
Farm Wife: A Self-Portrait, 1886-1896 by Virginia E. McCormick
I enjoy this book immensely. It is taken from the diaries of Margaret Dow Gebby, an Ohio farm wife. It set me down on a farm during the same time period when my ancestors farmed. The content is presented topically and is edited heavily from the original diary but the editor included some very helpful and insightful comments between diary entries. All of the diaries are available at the Ohio Historical Society. I wrote previously about this book here.
A Fortunate Grandchild and Time Remembered by Miss Read (Dora Saint) Two brief books of memories and reminiscences of her childhood and her grandparents, aunts, and uncles. I love her language, not to mention her sweet reminiscences. This would be a great book for a descendant who had grand/greatgrand parents who lived in England in the early 1920s. The pen and ink illustrations, by Derek Crowe, were fabulous. The books were also featured as a Wishful Wednesday post. Below is a excerpt from Time Remembered.
Occasionally we made toffee. It cost sixpence to make a meat tin full, and we bought the main ingredients at our nearest shop which was at the foot of the hill....
We bought from her one pound of demerara sugar and quarter of a pound of desiccated coconut. These two purchases took all our sixpence–the equivalent of today's two and a half pence.
Having trudged back up the hill, we put half a cup of water into a saucepan, a large lump of butter and let it melt.
Then we added the sugar and coconut and stirred assiduously. When it thickened, we turned the lovely mess into a meat tin, and tried to possess our souls in patience. Scraping the saucepan, and scraping the goo from the wooden spoon with our teeth, helped to pass the time.
Apart from the bliss of having such an enormous amount of sweet stuff all at once, there was the exquisite suspense of waiting to see if it turn out as fudge or toffee.
Either way, we were happy, and there were no prouder cooks in the kingdom.
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller: The Woman in the Family by Bernice Kert Abby Rockefeller was a kind-hearted woman who was also very generous with her financial resources. She loved modern art and a good part of the book focused on her involvement as one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). It was hard for me to identify with Abby: her world and my world are very, very different places.
Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin by Jill Lepore
Benjamin Franklin's sister, Jane Franklin Mecom, is an unknown; a common, ordinary woman who lived a quiet life doing what needed to be done to stay alive and help her family. She just happened to have a famous brother. You can read a previous post here.
In talking about the challenge of writing a biography when so little about Jane exists, Lepore said,
This is dispiriting. For a long time, I was so discouraged that I abandoned the project altogether. I thought about writing a novel instead. But I decided, in the end, to write a biography, a book meant not only as the life of Jane Franklin Mecom but, more, as a meditation on silence in the archives. I wanted to write a history from the Reformation through the American Revolution by telling the story of a single life, using this most ordinary of lives to offer a history of history and to explain how history is written: from what remains of the lives of the great, the bad, and, not as often, the good.It's no wonder Lepore says, "History is what is written and can be found; what isn't saved is lost, sunken and rotted, eaten by earth." And, "What remains of anyone's life is what's kept."
Wishing you happy reading.
Copyright ©2014-2020, Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner.


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Happy Holidays – 2012
Dec 25 2012
Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Joyful Kwanzaa. I hope everyone had a very Happy Holiday season and was able to spend time with people who you like and love and who like and love you right back.
Our Christmas was really nice and peaceful. Lots of great presents under a small tree. Tasty lunch at a Japanese restaurant. An afternoon of putting legos and other toys together, followed by seeing Cirque du Soleil at the movie theater. I wasn't sure if the kids would enjoy the show, but they did and were fascinated by the flexibility, strength, and costumes of the cast.
Happy Holidays!Author: Aruni | Filed under: holiday, movie reviews | Tags: cirque du soleil, happy holidays, kwanzaa, legos, merry christmas | Comments Off on Happy Holidays – 2012


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HuskyTails necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 106 diseños de 31 diseñadores freelance.
Powder Trails & Husky Tails
Powder Trails & Husky Tails is a vacation lodging and concierge services company in Breckenridge Colorado. The business was founded in 2010 to enrich the lives and success of our owners and guests. We represent owners who want us to manage their homes, matching vacationers to their homes for short term rentals. Additionally, we provide concierge services to guests such as acquiring groceries, making reservations for events and restaurants, provide assistance with things to do in the area, etc. Our goal is for guests to have an extraordinary experience.
Chris & Deb Conway, the owners, have 25+ years of professional business experience. We want to set the tone of fun and relaxation in the great outdoors because that is what vacationing is all about. There has to be a balance of professionalism because this is a business. Having fun, shared relationships, integrity and professionalism are core values of the organization.
Breckenridge, CO has 2 primary seasons, winter and summer. Powder Trails & Husky Tails will attract vacationers for both seasons.
There are 2 primary audiences we are trying to reach, owners of property in Breckenridge and vacationers. The primary focus of marketing will be to the vacationer. We feel that the tone and image we set for the vacationer part of the business will resonate well with the owners because owners want to know that we are reaching vacationers which in turn lead to rental income for the owner.
Powder Trails & Husky Tails needs a fun but professional logo. Our vision of the logo started as a cartoon husky upright on a snowboard with sunglasses (think Disney's Snow Dogs movie for the sunglasses image). However, we do not want to limit the image to winter sports only. The idea evolved to the husky image being used throughout marketing efforts such as skiing, hiking, biking, fishing, rafting, shopping and bar hopping. If it is fun, we will market it with the image.
The image could evolve to animated short video clips.
We want an original artwork for the husky image. The company name and the image should make up the logo. We would want to extract the image to display on its own.
We want the logo in a vector format that can be read by Adobe Photoshop.
See the following website for pictures of husky for inspiration on colors and markings. The pictures at the following website are mine and you have my permission to download and manipulate for the purpose of this contest. The last few pictures provide the best glimpse: http://www.breathlessphotos.com/pets/tuscany/
The logo will be used in stationary, business cards, web and print advertising.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Neighbor details boy's 'horrific' burns in '98 torch case
Defendant could be tried as adult in '98 attack15 years ago, he set an 8-year-old boy on fire
A criminal case more than 15 years in the making will move a step closer to resolution this week when a juvenile judge in Montgomery County decides whether to allow the defendant to be tried as an adult in state district court.
Such issues are rarely the stuff of big controversy, but nothing about the brutal assault on Robbie Middleton in 1998 or the legal treatment of his alleged attacker in the years since has been ordinary. Even the basic question of the legality of trying Donald W. Collins as an adult is unsettled, despite the fact that he is now 28.
Prosecutors argue they have the discretion to try Collins as an adult. His defense attorney, Tay Bond, asked the judge to dismiss the hearing, saying the law in effect at the time did not allow him to be certified as an adult. Doing so now violates the U.S. Constitution, he said.
Judge Kathleen Hamilton overruled the motion, allowing the hearing to continue. She is expected to rule later this week.
Middleton's parents have fought for years to bring to justice the person they believe grabbed their son, tied him to a tree, poured gasoline over him and set him on fire near their home in Splendora.
Prosecutors renewed their efforts to go after Collins in 2012, a year after Middleton's death from cancer. The squamous cell carcinoma that claimed Middleton's life was caused by the multiple skin grafts he received over the years, his doctors said. A medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
The Montgomery County Attorney ultimately charged Collins with felony murder.
Not definitive?
An opinion by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's office was not definitive about whether Collins, who was 13 at the time of the attack, could be tried as an adult for murder, saying that prosecutors had great discretion about how to prosecute cases but leaving the question for judges. At the time Middleton was attacked, juveniles had to be 14 to be certified to be tried as an adult in Texas. Now they can be moved over as young as 10.
"This would be the only case in the state Texas getting such a transfer," Bond said.
But Assistant County attorney, Marc Brumberger, argued that Middleton's death did not occur when Collins was a juvenile - in other words, the murder had not yet occurred - nor was other crucial evidence known then.
J.D. Lambright skipped over the complex legal and procedural issues as testimony began in Monday's hearing, laying out his case against Collins.
Middleton was left severely disfigured after being burned on his 8th birthday. Doctors said he should have died that day or soon thereafter, but he lived for another 13 years, through one painful treatment after another, before finally dying just before his 21st birthday.
Deathbed statement
On Monday, the judge saw a videotaped statement Middleton made on his deathbed.
The badly scarred Middleton identified his neighbor Collins as the one who set him ablaze on the wooded path behind his family's home. Middleton also said that Collins had sexually assaulted him two weeks earlier on that same trail. Prosecutors believe Collins wanted to permanently silence him.
"It just started out as any normal day," said Middleton, struggling for the words to describe the day he was burned over 99 percent of his body. He was skipping down the path to get a friend for a sleepover in his back yard so he could use the new tent that he got for his birthday.
But halfway down the trial, without warning, Collins spun Middleton around and splashed the gas in his face, he said.
"I screamed. It hurt my eyes, blinding me," he said. "Then I realized I was on fire."
He stumbled down the trail and onto a public road, running as fast as he could and flames burned the clothes off his body and melted his skin.
His mother, Colleen, openly wept when courtroom spectators gasped as her son began to tell his story on the video. The tattooed Collins, shackled and wearing a prison jumpsuit, intently watched the proceedings but is not expected to testify, his attorney said.
Laura Thomason, who was a neighbor of Middleton's, was the first on the stand. She told Hamilton that she and her husband were returning from a trip to a bingo hall when they saw Middleton emerge from a wooded area near his house. Behind him, she could see smoke billowing above the tops of the trees.
Through tears, Thomason said all of Robbie's clothes had burned off his body and his skin was falling off his hands.
"Poor baby was just trying to get home," she said.
Woman testifies
In other testimony, Heather Marie White, related to Collins by marriage, testified for the first time that he confided in her about the crime soon afterward. Like him, she was 13. That night, White said she was sleeping in the living room at the same house where Collins was staying. She said Collins couldn't sleep and told her wanted to talk about what happened to Robbie.
White said Collins told her: "Him and Rex hurt Robbie." She said Collins confessed to molesting the boy and then throwing gasoline on him.
Questions have been raised for years about the possible involvement of Collins' uncle and a neighbor, Rex. Both have denied the accusations, and prosecutors said they do not believe they were involved.
White testified that when media and police came to Splendora to investigate the crime, her family made sure she was inside and never spoke. It was not until last week that White gave her first statement to police.
White said she was bothered that she hadn't spoken up for Robbie sooner.
"I went to bed with it," she said.
The trial is scheduled to resume again Tuesday morning if weather permits.


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"The Artist" director Michel Hazavanicius's bold choices may result in an Oscar being handed to him on Sunday, but he says the risks were easy to take. And while his future films will not likely be silent, he tells PopcornBiz he may not be done telling stories about Hollywood.
I'd assume there was a certain kind of creative risk involved in making "The Artist," and as much fun as it was to take it, do you feel validated and motivated to take similar or even bigger risks with each of your pictures?
Actually, for me it was not so risky because this is what I wanted to do, so when you want something you don't look at the risks. The risks don't matter. You look at the pleasure that you can have. I think that the producer took risks because he didn't know what I was going to do and which movie that I wanted to make. So he took the risk, and I don't have to take risks, even for the next one. That's not the point. I want to make good movies. My project is to make the best movie that I can make. If it's very classical it will be very classical. A comedy – I can make a comedy. I'm like any human being: sometimes you want to make people laugh and you try a joke, and sometimes you want to have a serious discussion about politics, for example, and you have that discussion. I don't have a mono-function; I know that some people, they make comedies and they are the funny guy for all their lives. But I think there are two kinds of directors, the ones who always make the same kind of movies, which can be great, and the ones who would change every movie or every two movies. I think that I'm maybe more of the second category.
You said so much about cinema and the entertainment industry, relevant to both then and now, in this movie. Do you think that'll be a theme that you'll ever revisit, or did you say what you had to say about it?
I don't know. I don't know who I will be in two years and who I will be in five years. I mean, it's a naïve way to talk about movies and stars and everything. It's really a love letter. Maybe in ten years my point of view will be a little more bitter. Who knows?


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That in a nutshell is the idea behind this Saturday's BEATLES-themed fundraiser, wherein renowned BEATLES tribute band "STRAWBERRY FIELDS" will perform in the St. Margaret's Parish Center to help kick off the Middle Village church's 150th Anniversary celebration and to help raise much-needed funds for a wide variety of community programs and parish activities.
Longtime St. Margaret's parishioner John DeBiase is the one who helped spearhead the effort, and it is as much his passion for St. Margaret's as it is for THE BEATLES that has kept him working tirelessly to make the event such a success. DeBiase and his family also have a particular fondness for this Saturday's featured group, "STRAWBERRY FIELDS," which will be making its second trip to Middle Village, thanks to DeBiase's enthusiasm and persistence. "My son got us tickets to their Saturday show at BB KING'S, and we just loved it. I went to their website, and contacted them about performing at St. Margaret's – and they said yes." And the rest, as they say, is history…
"STRAWBERRY FIELDS," comprised of former members of the cast of the Broadway hit "BEATLEMANIA," was formed in 1992 and not only features performances of some of THE BEATLES' most popular hits, but also rarities from the group's catalog that are sure to win over the most die-hard of BEATLES fans. Made up of three acts – the early BEATLES, the Sgt. Pepper BEATLES, and the Abbey Road/Let It Be BEATLES – a "STRAWBERRY FIELDS" performance is impressive not just for its incredible visual recreation of THE BEATLES – haircuts, accents, vintage guitars, drums, amplifiers, etc. – but also for its note-for-note homage to the music we've come to know so well after all these years. Members Tony Garofalo (JOHN); Billy J. Ray (PAUL); Marc Vacaccio (GEORGE); and Gerard Barberine, Jr. (RINGO) have honed their BEATLES vocals to perfection over the course of several years on Broadway in the mega-hit "BEATLEMANIA."
Just to give you a little bit of an idea as to their pedigree ever since, you should also know that "STRAWBERRY FIELDS," amid the highly competitive field of such tribute bands, were selected to perform on-field at Shea Stadium just a few summers ago to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the legendary BEATLES concert that was held there in 1965. Not only that, they very recently did a screen test for inclusion in the upcoming DISNEY re-make of the animated classic "YELLOW SUBMARINE," and are now awaiting word as to the studio's future plans.
A remake of "YELLOW SUBMARINE" in the works! The recent debut of a BEATLES RockBand! CD reissues of the entire BEATLES catalog! All in all, it's definitely an exciting time in the life of a BEATLES fan.
Founder/band leader Tony Garofalo, who assumes the role of John Lennon in "STRAWBERRY FIELDS" – or rather, inhabits the role of John Lennon, his impersonation is so uncanny – was asked why he thinks THE BEATLES are still so popular.
"BEATLES music is timeless," Garofalo points out, "as is Shakespeare, as is Mozart's classical music…Very few times in history are the cosmic tumblers of Time's secret lock aligned in such way that a combination of minds or a single mind are able to produce great things, memorable things, that are never duplicated again – such is the case with the music of THE BEATLES."
Yes, it probably defies explanation, and 40-plus years later, those four young lads from Liverpool are even now bringing new fans to their music – even the very youngest among us, who will no doubt pass it on to their kids one day, and so on and so forth.
"Being a father and musician combined," Garofalo tells us, "it's great seeing children and teenagers enjoy this music and coming out to see our live shows [at B.B. KING'S in Times Square], because very few people actually got to see the real BEATLES live and in person, so this is the next best thing. The kids know the music and lyrics just as well, if not better, than their parents, which is astounding to me!"
It's definitely what DeBiase had in mind when he first put forward the idea of staging the "STRAWBERRY FIELDS" performances in the Parish Center – a casual, communal gathering, almost like an indoor block party – where kids could feel as comfortable singing along or dancing in the aisles as the grown-ups.
"My hope is that the kids will come and hear the BEATLES music for the first time," says DeBiase, "and they'll know a little bit about what it was like back then."
So what should people expect when they head over to St. Margaret's this Saturday evening? "I'm going to go with that line from 'Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!'" DeBiase says with a smile. "'A splendid time is guaranteed for all!'"
For more information and to purchase tickets for this Saturday's "STRAWBERRY FIELDS" performance, which will take place January 30th at 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm), please contact John (718-894-8591) or Jim (718-457-6517). Adults: $30 / Kids $10 (under 18 accompanied by an adult). Ticket includes: Soda and Snacks – BYOB. (Beer and wine will also be available for a nominal charge.) St. Margaret's Parish Center is located at 66-10 80th Street in Middle Village.
Learn more about Strawberry Fields and watch performance clips by visiting their website.


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Formation for 1935 4-H Girls Convention at Iowa State College (University).
Thanksgiving is now less than a week away! What might we have here in the Special Collections Department related to Thanksgiving? Actually, quite a lot if you are creative about it. You could search our website to find out all the places where Thanksgiving appears in our finding aids, or pick out a diary or two and see if the writer described Thanksgiving activities. This post, however, will highlight just one of our rare books from the TX809 call number area (which encompasses books dealing with the cooking of cereals/grains…if the photograph above has not given it away, you'll have to read more to find out which grain this post will discuss!).
One title which caught my eye as I scanned the TX section for possible cookbooks related to Thanksgiving was "Indian Corn as Human Food" by Mary S. Scott. The story of how the Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to grow corn for food, and was very likely served at that first Thanksgiving, helped justify taking the book off the shelf for a Thanksgiving related post. The book, published in 1889 in Nevada, Iowa contains an interesting selection of recipes and descriptions about corn by an Iowa woman at the end of the 19th century. Corn was then, as it is now, an important Iowa crop. Although we may not agree with everything she writes and the views she has, the book is still an interesting read. A biography of Mary Sophia Scott can be found here (the book, American Women: Fifteen Hundred Biographies with over 1,400 Portraits…, can be found in the library's reference section under call number CT3260 .W66a).
If you believe that people's concern with healthy living is only a recent phenomenon, then this book might help to persuade you otherwise! One of the goals of Scott's book is to present an alternative, healthy way of eating a very economic grain. Scott makes this very clear in her opening chapters. Her first paragraph states "This hand-book is more in the interest of good living than of mere economy in expenses,-meaning by good living not only by preparation of palatable food, but also food conducive to health, comfort and length of days." On page 4 Scott writes: "To bring the attention of American housewives, economists and philanthropists to the possibilities presented in this immense food supply is the object of this unpretentious book."
Above is pictured the rebound book, Indian Corn as Human Food (call number TX809.C8 Sco85i )
And another one of her reasons for writing the book was "…there is possibility of danger that some of the customs of the early days that are worth preservation may become obsolete;-and, among others, the making of the very best foods from Indian corn may finally be numbered among the Lost Arts." (page 29).
Hopefully Mrs. Scott would be happy to know that a copy of her book is housed down the road from her hometown of Nevada here in Iowa State's Special Collections Department! If you would like to keep some these "customs of the early days" alive, please feel free to come to our department and take a look at this little book! Included are recipes for a variety of corn breads, brown breads, muffins, hominy, puddings and other dishes made from corn. There are even instructions for how to make corn ginger bread, ash bread (cooked in the hearth covered with ashes!) and how to hull corn with potash or wood ash.
If you would like to find out other items we might have related to corn here in the Special Collections Department I encourage you to peruse our website…and narrow down what you are looking for…we have quite a lot of collections and rare books related to corn since it is, and has been, an important research area here at Iowa State for many, many years! A good place to start might be our subject guide on agricultural collections.
A corn train in 1905. Iowa State Professor Perry G. Holden established the "corn gospel trains" in 1904 which taught farmers how to select and test seed corn throughout the state. More on the corn trains can be found here and in the Perry G. Holden Papers (link to finding aid).
There are also a number of other rare books in our collection specifically about cooking with corn. In fact, another book in the section had these two tickets carefully tucked among some recipe clippings (found in Corn Products Cook Book, call number TX809 M2 H49x 1910b):
Did the owner of this book attend the Thanksgiving football game? Or did they tuck the tickets away in the cookbook before the game, only to come across them later? Perhaps impossible to answer, these bits of ephemera sometimes contained in our rare books, holding their own secret history, are fun to come across and wonder about!
Interested in more about Thanksgiving related items and collections in the Special Collections Department? Last year's Thanksgiving post was about recipes from a WOI homemaker's show, The Homemaker's Half Hour (scripts from this show can be found in the WOI Radio and Television Records, and throughout a variety of other collections).
For more on the history of Thanksgiving from our National Archives, you can go here to see various government documents which created Thanksgiving!


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Summary Report for:
53-7064.00 - Packers and Packagers, Hand
Pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials.
Sample of reported job titles: Bagger, Inspector Packer, Mini Shifter, Pack Out Operator, Packager, Packer, Picker and Packer, Sacker, Selector Packer, Shipping Clerk
Tasks | Technology Skills | Tools Used | Knowledge | Skills | Abilities | Work Activities | Detailed Work Activities | Work Context | Job Zone | Education | Credentials | Interests | Work Styles | Work Values | Related Occupations | Wages & Employment | Job Openings | Additional Information
- Load materials and products into package processing equipment.
- Clean containers, materials, supplies, or work areas, using cleaning solutions and hand tools.
- Record product, packaging, and order information on specified forms and records.
- Examine and inspect containers, materials, and products to ensure that packing specifications are met.
- Measure, weigh, and count products and materials.
- Mark and label containers, container tags, or products, using marking tools.
- Place or pour products or materials into containers, using hand tools and equipment, or fill containers from spouts or chutes.
- Remove completed or defective products or materials, placing them on moving equipment, such as conveyors, or in specified areas, such as loading docks.
- Transport packages to customers' vehicles.
- Assemble, line, and pad cartons, crates, and containers, using hand tools.
- Obtain, move, and sort products, materials, containers, and orders, using hand tools.
- Seal containers or materials, using glues, fasteners, nails, and hand tools.
Technology Skills
- Computer aided design CAD software — Autodesk AutoCAD
- Data base user interface and query software — Data entry software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software — SAP
- Inventory management software — Inventory tracking software
- Office suite software — Microsoft Office
- Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel
- Word processing software — Microsoft Word
Hot Technology — a technology requirement frequently included in employer job postings.
Tools Used
- Bench scales — Computerized scales
- Box sealing tape dispensers — Electronic water-activated tape dispensers; Pistol grip tape dispensers
- Bundling machines — Bundling equipment
- Claw hammer — Claw hammers
- Floor or platform scales — Industrial scales
- Forklifts
- Form or fill or seal machinery — Bagging machines; Clamshell sealers; Heat sealers
- Glue guns
- Heat guns — Heat shrink guns
- Industrial shrink wrap equipment — Shrink wrap machines
- Label applying machines — Label applicators
- Label making machines — Label printers
- Lettering equipment — Stencil machines
- Packaging vacuum — Vacuum packagers
- Paint brushes — Stencil brushes
- Paint rollers — Stencil rollers
- Pallet trucks — Pallet jacks
- Personal computers
- Pneumatic nail drivers — Power nailers
- Power saws
- Power staple guns — Power tackers
- Scanners — Computer scanners
- Screwdrivers — Straight screwdrivers
- Staple guns — Carton closing staplers; Foot-operated staplers; Pneumatic roll staplers; Pneumatic stick staplers (see all 5 examples)
- Staplers — Electric tabletop staplers; Manual hand staplers
- Strapping dispenser — Combination polypropylene strapping tools; Stretch wrap dispensers
- Strapping tensioners or sealers — Strap sealers; Strap tensioners
- Tape measures — Measuring tapes
- Utility knives
- Wire cutters — Strap cutters
- Wire lug crimping tool — Plastic strap crimpers
- Wrapping machinery — Strapping machines; Stretch wrapping machines
- Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Manual Dexterity — The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Multilimb Coordination — The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Static Strength — The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Trunk Strength — The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
- Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Work Activities
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
- Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
- Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
- Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
- Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
- Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
- Controlling Machines and Processes — Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
- Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
- Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment — Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
- Coaching and Developing Others — Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
Detailed Work Activities
- Record details of deliveries or shipments.
- Measure product or material dimensions.
- Weigh materials to ensure compliance with specifications.
- Mark materials or objects for identification.
- Load materials into equipment for processing.
- Move materials, equipment, or supplies.
- Clean facilities or work areas.
- Remove debris or damaged materials.
- Set up material handling gear or equipment, such as rigging, packaging, or temporary structures.
- Sort materials or objects for processing or transport.
Find occupations related to multiple detailed work activities
Work Context
- Spend Time Standing — 92% responded "Continually or almost continually."
- Face-to-Face Discussions — 84% responded "Every day."
- Work With Work Group or Team — 55% responded "Extremely important."
- Contact With Others — 71% responded "Constant contact with others."
- Spend Time Walking and Running — 68% responded "Continually or almost continually."
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions — 42% responded "Continually or almost continually."
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 71% responded "Every day."
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls — 63% responded "Continually or almost continually."
- Physical Proximity — 46% responded "Moderately close (at arm's length)."
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 38% responded "Extremely important."
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety — 37% responded "High responsibility."
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets — 61% responded "Every day."
- Spend Time Bending or Twisting the Body — 36% responded "Continually or almost continually."
- Coordinate or Lead Others — 33% responded "Very important."
- Freedom to Make Decisions — 39% responded "Some freedom."
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment — 39% responded "Important."
- Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable — 47% responded "Every day."
- Structured versus Unstructured Work — 32% responded "Some freedom."
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 27% responded "Very important results."
- Exposed to Contaminants — 37% responded "Never."
- Time Pressure — 32% responded "Every day."
Job Zone
|Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
|These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
|Related Experience
|Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
|Job Training
|Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
|Job Zone Examples
|These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, and tellers.
|SVP Range
|(4.0 to < 6.0)
Interest code: RC Want to discover your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler at My Next Move.
- Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
- Conventional — Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Work Styles
- Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
- Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
- Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
- Self Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
- Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
- Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
- Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
- Social Orientation — Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
- Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
- Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
- Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
- Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
- Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
- Leadership — Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
- Analytical Thinking — Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
- Innovation — Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Work Values
- Relationships — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
- Support — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
- Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Related Occupations
Wages & Employment Trends
|Median wages (2019)
|$12.46 hourly, $25,910 annual
|State wages
|Local wages
|Employment (2018)
|673,400 employees
|Projected growth (2018-2028)
|Decline (-2% or lower)
|Projected job openings (2018-2028)
|State trends
|Top industries (2018)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2019 wage data and 2018-2028 employment projections . "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2018-2028). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.
Job Openings on the Web
Sources of Additional Information
Disclaimer: Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries. Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.


text:
Drupal is a PHP-based web application framework, similar to Symfony (but also wildly different and with much worse documentation).
Disabling Broken Drupal Modules
Enabled modules are stored within the database (such as MySQL), so you will need to edit the database manually. To list all the currently enabled modules:
select name,status from system where type='module';
update system set status=0 where name='alfresco_browser' and type='module';
The CTools CSS cache directory, ctools/css could not be created due to a misconfigured files directory.
This refers to the CSS cache directory in
sites/default/files/ctools (not
sites/all/modules/ctools), and will also occur if the directory exists and a hidden file (such as
.svn) already exists within it.
Also make sure that it is group writable and directory executable:
chmod -R a+X sites/default/files
chmod -R g+rwX sites/default/files
The destination directory is not configured correctly
The Drupal notice File temporary://xxx could not be copied, because the destination directory public://avatars is not configured correctly. means that the folder
sites/default/files/avatars (based on your location for
public://) does not exist or cannot be written by Drupal.
Fatal error: Class 'CMISService' not found
If you are using the CMIS 2.x module, make sure that you have placed the CMIS library into
sites/all/libraries/cmis-phplib/cmis-lib.php, and refresh your cache.


text:
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First West Nile virus case of 20120
The first human case of West Nile virus disease in 2012 in a Minnesota resident has been confirmed. State health officials are urging Minnesotans to protect themselves each morning and evening from mosquitoes until the autumn frost.
A St. Louis County man is the state's first laboratory-confirmed WNV case of the year. He became ill with West Nile encephalitis and meningitis in late May after traveling to south-central Minnesota. He was hospitalized and is recovering. To protect themselves from this potentially life-threatening disease, Minnesotans should routinely use mosquito repellents and take other simple precautions against mosquito bites, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) officials urged.
David Neitzel, an MDH epidemiologist specializing in diseases carried by mosquitoes, said that the highest risk for WNV is expected from mid-summer through early autumn.
"Sporadic early-season cases can occur, such as this first 2012 case," Neitzel said. "However, the species of mosquito that transmits the virus to humans is most abundant in July and August. Anyone not already using repellents should begin doing so now to prevent this severe disease."
About 1 out of 150 people bitten by WNV-infected mosquitoes will develop central nervous system disease (encephalitis or meningitis). Approximately 10 percent of people with this severe form of infection die from their illness, and many survivors suffer from long-term nervous system problems. Fortunately, most people bitten by infected mosquitoes develop West Nile fever, the less severe form of disease, or fight off the virus without any symptoms.
For those who do become severely ill, the disease can be devastating. "Each case is one too many, and the disease can be a huge burden for patients and their families," said Neitzel. "WNV infection can lead to lengthy hospitalization or even death, and some survivors do not fully recover for many months after becoming ill."
Illness from WNV can occur in residents throughout Minnesota and among all age groups. However, WNV risk is greatest in western and central counties, which typically have the greatest number of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, the primary mosquito carrier of the virus in Minnesota. Elderly people or people with weakened immune systems face the highest risk of developing severe or even fatal illness from a WNV infection.
"They need to be especially diligent about protecting themselves from mosquitoes," Neitzel noted.
The risk for WNV-related disease typically increases during late July and August as more Culex tarsalis mosquitoes begin to feed on people instead of birds, according to Neitzel. People can reduce their chance of WNV infection by using mosquito repellents at dusk and dawn when this mosquito is most active. Several safe and effective options are available:
• Repellents containing DEET (up to 30 percent concentration) are still the most widely used and can provide long-lasting protection against mosquito bites.
• Permethrin is a strong repellent and will kill mosquitoes that come into contact with treated clothing. Repellents containing permethrin are applied to clothing (not skin). Treated clothing can be worn after the repellent dries.
• Effective alternatives to DEET or permethrin include repellents containing picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535.
• For maximum effectiveness and safety, all mosquito repellents should be used according to label directions.
Other important steps to prevent mosquito bites and serious illness from WNV include:
• Minimize outdoor activities at dusk and dawn, as this is prime feeding time for WNV-carrying mosquitoes. If you go outside at these times, take precautions even if mosquito numbers seem low; it only takes one bite from an infected mosquito to transmit the virus.
• Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeve shirts and long pants if you must spend time in an area where mosquitoes are biting.
Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, which carry WNV, prefer open, agricultural areas of central and western Minnesota and other Great Plains states. While the majority of Minnesota's WNV disease has occurred in people from these areas, cases are possible anywhere within the state. Since WNV was first found in Minnesota in 2002, 465 cases (including 15 fatalities) of WNV disease have been reported to MDH.
Symptoms of WNV disease usually begin 3 to 15 days after being bitten and can include headache, high fever, rash, muscle weakness, stiff neck, disorientation, convulsions, paralysis and coma. Information on WNV can be found at the MDH website: http://www.health.state.mn.us/.
Further information on repellents is at the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/RepellentUpdates.htm.
People who have questions about WNV can call MDH at 651-201-5414 or 877-676-5414 (outstate) between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.


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Moderator: Tech Team
Mageplunka wrote:yes there is
of course, thanks for making all of the awesome scriptsDako wrote:I will adjust WTG to Chrome once I will finish my bachelors work (that will happen in 1 month). So please wait a bit .
my95sonoma wrote:is there a grease monkey for chrome either?
there's a link in the first post that is for scripts in chrome, there it says in nice bold blue letters the 3 greasemonkey scripts available on chrome, though clan rank (one of the three) doesn't work in chrome...my95sonoma wrote:is there bob
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Different types of good luck plants online delivery
If you are looking to send good luck plants as gifts then you have the luxury to choose the delivery pattern. There is same day delivery option which ensures that you gift reaches within a couple of hours. This gives you the freedom to be spontaneous and also send the gift even at the 11th hour. If you have a bit of time on hand, there is next day delivery option and that would make their day so much happier. When you order online you also can send international plants delivery to USA, UK, China, France, and Malaysia. You can also choose online plants delivery which will instantly bring smile to the receiver's face and also make their days extra special.
Make your Mom feel Special with Unmatched Gift hampers and Baskets
You care a lot about your loved ones and are always interested in their good luck. Why not express this feeling through a special gift? With the Ferns N Petals, you can now send good luck plants to your loved ones such as mother. The store has a huge collection of mother's day baskets that consists of a good luck plant, cushion, chocolates, aroma candles and other such items.
If you are not interested in sending multiple gift items to your mother, you can send also Eco friendly gifts on mother's day that are a wonderful home décor item. These plants can redefine the home interiors and can bring positivity and good luck for the family members inside your home. It is a truly a perfect gift idea to wish your mother sound health, happiness and good luck.
Good Luck Plants Online - Ferns N Petals
|For Occasion
|Mothers day
|Good Luck bamboo
|Prosperous Money Plant
|Feng Shui Plant
|Bonsai Plant
Different kinds of good luck plants online
Here's a list of good luck plants online delivery which are available for immediate dispatch.
Bamboo 3 layer: It is one of the best options and according to Feng-Shui, it can be kept indoors for prosperity and luck. It doesn't require sunlight too.
Money Plants: It is not only attractive but also purifies the air inside and brings luck.
Bonsai: A combination of two plants, this is very attractive and also easy to maintain. They hold different virtues such as patience, contentment, creativity, gratefulness, and appreciation.
Another advantage of choosing good luck plants online is that they come in affordable price tag.
You can send gifts online anytime you wish to anywhere you like. It is easy, convenient and can be accessed from anywhere.


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Daverivera necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 59 diseños de 15 diseñadores freelance.
TheraEx Rehab Services
nationwide and global health care staffing for therapy specialists, Physical, Occupational and Speech therapists.
We're in the healthcare industry and although we want to rock n' roll, we simply cannot do. but we're fun and want our therapists to have fun. Nothing too laid back but nothing too Type A logos. We're not uptight but we take care of business.
Don't mind if logo outshines our website - we just want to be memorable.
Need to use logo for other healthcare professions (i.e. nursing, pharmacy, doctor, etc)
We're looking for a modern, simple, sophisticated but memorable logo for our healthcare staffing company. Our customers are hospitals, medical practices, senior care, home health agencies, etc. Our therapists believe in making a difference and delivering positive outcomes to patients they treat. Our main audience will be therapists (physical, occupational, speech therapists, nurses, etc. No stethoscopes, please.
We don't want a traditional medical/healthcare symbol - we want something that we can grow with and incorporate other areas of health care profession, something expansive, modern, sophisticated, clean look with impact. TheraEx Rehab Services can be spelled out with the image or made part of the image. Can be shorten with just TheraEx with a great image/logo. I want a "wow" factor or "yeah baby!" reaction to logo
Age range 25-65; more female than male demographics; education: Bachelor/Master Degrees in health care; Lifestyle: healthy, flexibility, work life balance, choices/options, making a difference, living the good life; need financial security; hard working-sometimes 2 jobs;
Old logo is not modern and does not convey confidence, credibility or top of mind (mentality) - We want logo to be remembered even if they forget the company name.
Want happy/impact colors - not too bold (red/black or yellow/black combo - orange/black okay with accent color) Prefer: orange/black/blue/green hues.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Lord Lawson´s Chatham House speech is great reading if you want to know the reality of the monster called the European Union. Here is an excerpt:
Is there a powerful economic case for our remaining in the European Union, despite our fundamental disagreement with its overriding political objective?
The answer has to be an emphatic 'no'.
The EU with its single market is the slowest-growing economic bloc in the world, and there is no reason to believe that this is going to change.
This is partly because of the dysfunctional single currency, and partly because of the deep-seated unwillingness to undertake the sort of structural reforms which we in this country put in place during the Thatcher era.
Meanwhile, despite the rebate of our net financial contribution to the EU secured by Margaret Thatcher, it still costs us some £10 billion a year net to belong the club.
That is money we pay and never see in any form again.
Money that could be so much better spent on our own national priorities.
The gross subscription is almost twice as much – some £700 a year, year in year out, from every household in the land.
Even more costly is the burden of EU regulation, particularly damaging to our small and medium-sized businesses.
This has been reliably calculated at getting on for £25 billion a year.
And the flood of new EU regulation is unceasing – partly because it is an article of EU faith that 'more Europe' must ipso facto be a good thing; and 'more Europe' is all too often interpreted as more EU regulation.
It is perfectly true that Whitehall, too, is capable of engaging in excessive regulation: it's not all Brussels.
But the fundamental difference is that unnecessary or undesirable indigenous regulation can be repealed, as it was during the 1980s when I was in government.
By contrast, EU regulation is untouchable.
Nor, despite lip service being paid to the notion of subsidiarity, is there ever any transfer of competence back from the EU to the member states.
The principle of the acquis communautaire is absolute: the ratchet is irreversible.
In his seminal Bloomberg speech, three years ago, the Prime Minister announced his objective of securing "fundamental, far-reaching reform" of the European Union, including an end to the ratchet.
I am sure he did his best.
But he has failed completely.
The European Union about which we will be voting on 23 June is not only wholly unreformed.
It has proved itself to be unreformable.


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Is Access dropping its ban on Octomom coverage? Yes, because there's finally actual TV news about her worth reporting.
The Octomom is finally getting her own TV special.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood's Hottest Moms & Their Loveable Little Ones
"Octomom: The Incredible Unseen Footage" will air as a two-hour special on Wednesday, August 19 on FOX, Access Hollywood has learned.
The feature will chronicle the saga of Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to eight children in January 2009.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood's Biggest Broods
According to FOX, the one-time special will provide "an intimate look inside Suleman's life."
Featuring never-before-seen footage, the show will allow "viewers to witness the emotional struggles, physical complications and financial burdens of this single mother of 14."
Suleman was already a mother of six children when she gave birth to the octuplets.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Keepin' It Real With TV's Hottest Reality Stars!
"From the day the octuplets were born, cameras had unprecedented access to every area of Suleman's life. For more than seven months, cameras documented Suleman, capturing incredible footage, including the private moments and reactions of Suleman's family, as well as Suleman's own feelings, doubts and fears," FOX said in a press release.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: Access Says: 'No More Octu-Mom'
PLAY IT NOW: Access Search Engine: Viewers Support Access' No Octu-Mom Stance (Feb. 25, 2009)
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Octu-Mom - TV - Reality TV - Parenthood - FOX


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The Arrowhead Christian boys volleyball team may have fallen short in its quest for its first-even CIF-SS championship this past Saturday, but the season isn't over for the Eagles, who are taking part in the CIF-State Southern California Regional boys volleyball tournament this week.
The Eagles, seeded No. 5 in Division III, will play at top-seeded Laguna Beach tonight at 7 p.m in the regional semifinals. Arrowhead Christian advanced by defeating No. 4-seeded Los Angeles Foshay Learning Center 25-15, 25-18, 25-17 in the quarterfinals Tuesday.
Should ACA pull the upset against Laguna Beach, which won the CIF-SS Division 2 championship, it would be matched up with the winner of the semifinal between San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret's — which defeated ACA in the CIF-SS title game — and Solana Beach Santa Fe Christian.


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Cook the Book: Prawns, Leaves, and Limes
Nigel Slater's London vegetable patch is home to a selection of hearty Chinese greens including gai lan, choy sum, bok choy, and mizuna. Taking inspiration from their Eastern roots, Slater has Asian accented recipes for them in Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch that are quick, boldly flavored and wonderful for familiarizing yourself with this fantastic family of greens.
Slater's Prawns, Leaves, and Limes is a five-minute stir-fry that's full of the sort of punchy, sour flavors that you'd find in a bowl of tom yum soup. Matchsticks of ginger and rounds of lemongrass are browned with scallions and chiles. The shrimp are thrown in with a mix of fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. When they have just cooked through, you'll add Chinese greens (I chose bok choy, but gai lan, choy sum or mizuna would work equally well) and cook them until just wilted. Handfuls of basil and cilantro are tossed in at the last minute, brightening the dish and adding even more green flavor.
These Prawns, Leaves, and Limes are ideal for those evenings when you're craving something a bit out of the ordinary, flavor-wise but don't really feel like spending an hour-plus on it. On the table in just about 20 minutes and served with a bowl of steamed rice, these prawns will beat the pants off Thai takeout any day.
Reprinted with permission from Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater. Copyright © 2009, 2010. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved.
- Yield:2
- Active time: 20 minutes
- Total time:20 minutes
- 5 ounces Chinese greens
- A thumb-sized piece ginger
- A large stalk lemongrass
- 2 small hot red chiles
- 2 green onions
- 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
- 1 pound large raw prawns
- 3 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 1/2 tablespoons nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- A large handful of cilantro leaves
- A large handful of basil leaves
Do the prep first, because everything happens quite quickly once you start cooking. Wash the leaves and remove any tough stems. Peel the ginger, then grate it or cut it into small, matchstick-like shreds. Remove the tough outer leaves of the lemongrass and very finely shred the tender heart. Finely chop the chiles, removing the seeds if you prefer cooler spicing. Finely shred the green onions.
Warm the oil in a wok or shallow pan. Add the ginger, lemongrass, chiles, and green onions and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, until the ginger starts to color. Drop in the prawns. As they turn opaque and color lightly, add the lime juice, nam pla, and sugar. When all is sizzling and fragrant, add the greens, turning them over in the pan as they start to wilt and darken. As soon as they are tender, add the cilantro and basil leaves and serve immediately.


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Important Notice: Rakuten Global Market will be closed as of June 1, 2020, 02:00 PM (JST). Learn more »
No Credit Card
We do not accept any Credit Card due to there is too many Fake Card problem.
All products of PRIMA GOLD are made after ordering.
Therefore, we will start the order process after payment completely done and production term app 3-4 weeks.
* We can not accept cancellation after your order because it is made to order.
Humbly thank you for your understanding.
Men's jewelry of the prima ballerina gold giving off the presence that an individual design and pure gold having high property value are firm. Deep bright golden yellow to know the genuine article, and to be able to give only in 尽 くしているからこその sense of fun and purity more than 99.9% of 24-karat gold meets fashion feeling of the man. The status that the pure gold which can express the strength of the man while being elegant is put on in the body in any scene. I am particular about one detail and am the first-class jewelry which overflowed in charm only by the prima ballerina gold which I continued preparing the pure gold jewelry into each.
Extremely luxurious collaboration of a crocodile and the pure gold which are the pronoun of the high-quality article. Jewelry ならでは where the gorgeous presence to attract eyes on oneself is the right best. Brightness of the pure gold that what added dignity as the jewelry to the original design which got an idea in feel of a material of the crocodile skin and a unique pattern matured and expert metal engraving work. The novelty to make crocodile skin itself a motif brings on the atmosphere of the man used to jokes to know the quality of oneself.
About ring size
I produce the ring size of the pure gold ring of PRIMAGOLD to "Japanese Japanese Industrial Standards".
But because a finger or the thickness of the knob included individual difference about a feeling of size, put it together to the size of the individual visitor; is most suitable; cannot advise it. I perform "the free rental to be able to measure ring size of ring gage" in our store. Please choose the size without the unreasonableness. As the thickness of the finger has some changes by swelling about size during one day, I have, for example, you try it several times in the morning in different time in evening at noon and recommend that size to come most nicely is chosen.
※The size correction after sending it cannot do size rectification in the product properties which is pure gold like normal K18. About the size, please order it after confirmation before the purchase by yourself. PRIMAGOLD is finished with a handicraft by one after an order in a studio. As for the returned goods, thank you for your understanding being impossibility beforehand.
Enclosed is a product in our original box with a guarantee card
Ever since our establishment in 1992,
we have offered to customers everywhere prestigious jewelry that can only be completed
with three elements, exceptional quality, design and style.
The intriguing, enthralling and noble luster of pure gold is borderless and timeless. There are various types of "gold" which are available on the market, however, only 99.9% gold can be called "Pure Gold" or "24K". Rare and valuable, elegant and gorgeous color with glow are PRIMA GOLD's hallmarks. You will be taken with the beauty of pure gold from the moment you set eyes on its color and gloss, texture and glow.
Jewelry Brand "PRIMA GOLD" is popular among fashion-conscious ladies around the world. PRIMA GOLD grabs your attention, especially in Dubai and attracts many celebrities, having 7 stores in Dubai including Dubai 7 Star Hotel and Grand Hyatt. Many followings from all over the world who are fascinated by PRIMA GOLD are visiting us every day. We are the authorized representative in Japan for Pranda Group that operates PRIMA GOLD, as well as the only official retailer in Japan.
There is an inevitable limit for mining gold since it's an underground resource. You have to mine a ton of gold ore to extract just 3 to 5 grams of gold. Currently, the deep-sea mining is an alternative way to extract gold due to the lack of gold mines. Historically, it is believed that the gold price tends to raise in a volatile economic situation. Global economic concerns encourage more impulse buying in properties that won't lose their value. Recently, there is a growing move to purchase gold as a safe asset. Hence, gold's scarcity and significance put upward pressure on prices of pure gold.
Pure gold is called 24 karat which means that 24 out of 24 parts of the metal are pure gold (99.9% pure gold). 18 K gold is 75 per cent gold mixed with other metals. There is no higher form of gold than 24 K that can be called pure gold with asset value. Without traces of any other metals, pure gold will not tarnish or decay, keeping its sparkle into eternity. Therefore, 24 K gold can be called "Eternal Gold".
Our Prima Gold's 24 K gold jewelry has been produced by Pranda Jewelry Public Company listed in the Stock Exchange of Thailand under the rigorous quality control. They display "Pure Gold in 24K with 99.9% Purity" after their jewelry is confirmed to meet the criteria of pure gold by using the fluorescent X-ray inspection device installed in their factory. You can trust that Prima Gold Jewelry is produced with genuine gold.
The micro-Vickers hardness of general gold ingots is approximately 25 HV which is flexible, so high-grade accessories might be easily scratched and it is difficult to maintain the sense of high-class. However, PRIMA GOLD's 24 K (pure gold) jewelry has been treated with a hardening finish by special technology during the casting, obtaining the micro-Vickers hardness HV50, which is twice as hard as a gold ingot. That's why we can provide pure gold accessories such as rings and necklaces.
The surface of PRIMA GOLD's accessories is manually engraved with fine lines by craftworkers, only having a small areas of mirror finish unlike 18K gold products. Pure gold jewelry might be easily scratched on the mirror-finished surface since it is softer than 18K gold, so the surface is treated with a matte finish with fine lines called "silk line finish". For daily care, please use a toothbrush to wash the surface of jewelry with warm water. Gold jewelry will degrade with age and may become scratched; however, you can enjoy its own unique story and personal history. Pure gold jewelry is not strong enough to wear during sports requiring forceful wrist flexion and rotation such as golf and tennis. Please treat gold jewelry with care. We do not recommend that you use pure gold jewelry as everyday wear, so take it off to give a rest at home.
|It is motif 9.5mm in height (about)
|Approximately 12.69 g
|Pure gold (24K)
|PRIMA GOLD prima ballerina gold
|Production country
|Product made in Thailand
|JP Post EMS (Free shipping)
|Your order will be shipped to you via Japan Post EMS. Japan Post is a speedy delivery service that delivers to more than 120 countries. With an effective tracking system and insurance program, EMS is able to offer a secure delivery worldwide.
We can Shipping Area:
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Shipping rate(JPY):
All items "Free shipping" Via EMS
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b) Then your order is confirmed and we can start the production..
c) Delivery date will be around 4 weeks later.
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address: 1-14-1 TAMAGAWA, SETAGAYA-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN
SWIFT Code: RAKTJPJT
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Five Penn State Harrisburg alumni receive college's achievement awards
Penn State Harrisburg recently presented Alumni Achievement Awards to one graduate of each of its five academic schools who demonstrates outstanding professional accomplishment.
The awards, bestowed during the Alumni Awards Dinner in …
Five Penn State Harrisburg alumni receive college's achievement awards
Penn State Harrisburg recently presented Alumni Achievement Awards to one graduate of each of its five academic schools who demonstrates outstanding professional accomplishment.
The awards, bestowed during the Alumni Awards Dinner in October, honor a diverse collection of talents and accomplishments from across the college.
The awards, by academic school:
• The School of Science, Engineering, and Technology honored Michael Gurreri, who graduated in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering technology, and in 2005 with a master's degree in engineering science.
Gurreri serves as a principal engineer at TE Connectivity, where he leads a team responsible for the development of next generation optical connectors. He has been responsible for the engineering of network hardware for various aerospace, military, government, data communications, and telecom applications.
Gurreri holds 26 U.S. patents in the field of optical interconnections, has published widely, and has presented work at national and international conferences.
• The School of Behavioral Sciences and Education honored Andy Hoover, a 2008 graduate with a master's degree in community psychology and social change.
Hoover is legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending and protecting individual rights and personal freedoms.
Hoover is responsible for state and federal lobbying efforts. In 2010, he was the lead lobbyist in passing the Healthy Birth for Incarcerated Women Act; last year he played a major role in the passage of legislation to block the implementation of the federal Real ID Act.
• The School of Public Affairs honored Leah Kithcart, a 2003 graduate with a bachelor's degree in public policy.
She serves as a public policy coordinator with the Alzheimer's Association of Greater Pennsylvania, the world's leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research.
Kithcart has worked on legislation to expand the Amber Alert System in Pennsylvania to include adults who are cognitively impaired and has assisted with adult guardianship legislation.
Most recently, she worked on an Executive Order to establish the Pennsylvania Alzheimer's and Related Disorders Planning Committee.
• The School of Humanities honored Matthew Singer, who earned a bachelor's degree in communication studies from Penn State in 1985 and a master's degree in American studies from Penn State Harrisburg in 1992.
Singer is a senior museum writer and communications officer at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, one of the largest museums in the United States. He leads efforts to bring the full breadth of the museum's activities to public attention.
He also serves as the museum's in-house reporter and historian, as well as a curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art.
• The School of Business Administration honored Douglas Wisehaupt, a 1986 graduate with a bachelor's degree in management.
He serves as vice president of human resources for Ollie's Bargain Outlet, where he oversees human resources and corporate office administration. He also serves as a corporate liaison with Bucknell University's Institute for Leadership in Technology and Business.
Wisehaupt actively participates in several community organizations, including serving as board chair and treasurer for Leadership Harrisburg Area, and participating on the board for the Harrisburg Rotary Foundation.


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Sunday, February 17, 2008
A Present for You
By Richard Firsten
Retired ESOL Teacher, Teacher-Trainer, Columnist, Author
Have you ever been frustrated by some of the names that are given to grammatical forms? I know I have. Take for example the simple present. Is it the present? Hmm… That all depends. And is it simple? Hah! Not by a long shot!
Okay, we know that the simple present really does mean the present for a limited number of verbs, the ones we usually refer to as stative verbs like hear, forgive, fit, need, and wish. I can talk about "right now" and use verbs like these in the simple present:
- I hear somebody at the front door.
- I forgive you. Now let's put it behind us.
- I wish I were someplace else.
- That blouse fits perfectly.
- We need some bread. Can you go to the store, please?
But that's not the case for the vast majority of English verbs, is it? When I want to put them in the present, I'll make use of the present progressive. I'm typing these words right now. I'm thinking of ways to be clever right now. So why don't we just call the present progressive "the present" since it's definitely used more to mean the present than the simple present? Whoever thought up the term simple present could have come up with something less misleading for that relatively small group of verbs we call stative. This frustrates me. And it frustrates and confuses most of my students. I mean, after all, they see the label "simple present" and rightfully assume it means the present − for each and every verb. Now we've got the daunting job of trying to undo that misconception. Do we really need this extra work?
I hope you never find yourself in the position I found myself in one day. I went to a baseball game with some of my students. They'd never seen a live game and were very excited about attending one, and I knew I'd get a big kick out of giving them this experience. But I wasn't counting on one thing that happened during the game. One of my students was watching the action and also listening to a live simulcast of the game on his radio. This is what he sees, but this is what he hears:
What He Sees ——————————-> What He Hears
The pitcher is throwing a curve ball. —> "And Johnson throws a curve ball!"
The ball is soaring out of the stadium.–> "The ball soars out of the stadium!"
It's a home run. —————————–> "It's a home run!"
Gomez is taking a victory lap. ———–> "Gomez takes a victory lap!"
Do I need to tell you what this astute learner of English asked me? Do I need to tell you how I cringed when he hit me with the question? "Mr. Firsten, I'm confused. Why did the announcer say, 'He throws the ball' and 'He takes a lap'? This is not all the time. This is now. Why didn't he say He's throwing the ball and He's taking a lap?"
Ah, but it doesn't end there:
A: Wasn't it Cliff Richardson who discovered America and not Columbus?
B: Uh, I think you're thinking of Leif Erikson, not Cliff Richardson.
Just run what Person B says past your students and watch their eyes get as big as saucers and their jaws drop! Yes, Virginia, there is sadism in TESOL! So now it's not enough that we have to deal with trying to end student confusion caused by an erroneous tense name, and it's not enough that we have to explain the narrative use of the simple present when it means "now" with non-stative verbs, but we also have to explain how changing the form of some verbs from the simple present to the present progressive can change their meaning − not their time, their meaning. Ee-gads! Yep, this is really "simple."
Anybody have stories to match mine? Do you ever wish English grammar were more like French or Russian, where one present tense fits all? Just imagine how much easier your working life could be? How I envy those French and Russian teachers! Give the students that one verb form, let them conjugate it for I, you, he, she, etc., throw them a few exercises to fill in the blanks, and sit back with your feet up on your desk and think pleasant thoughts. Ah, now that's the life for a language teacher!
I'll have more to say on the subject of tenses and their names later, so stay tuned.
Tags: grammar, Richard Firsten, verb tenses
Comments: 2