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Vacuuming string
by Gary Torres
I just spent five minutes trying to vacuum up a piece of string off the floor. Immediately, I can hear my readers saying "Whoa CaveGuy. You vacuuming is as likely as a Democrat winning the popular vote in Utah."
But this is a true story, and I was vacuuming. It took me five minutes to figure out how to turn the vacuum cleaner on as the "on button" is in a tricky spot; but once Daniel showed me where it was I had no problem… until I ran into a rogue string on the carpet.
I am not sure why I wouldn't just stop and pick the string up; but if the dang vacuum is supposed to pick it up, then by golly it was going to do it or I would be a Liberal and give up Pepsi.
I actually picked up the string, inspecting it for some kind of super power glue or sticky stuff that wouldn't allow my vacuum to suck it up; but I couldn't see anything.
So I threw it back down on the floor and commenced mowing over it again and again and again until the carpet had a nice little path burned in it.
But the string lay there on the ground mocking me. It was almost bent into a Joker-like smile, taunting me, "Why so serious?"
I'll tell you why so serious. I spent money for a vacuum that is supposed to suck up string like this and my stubbornness is only second to my over confidence that I can do anything.
So we are at an impasse; me and a piece of string dueling it out. Using all of our time, talents, and ingenuity to see which of us can out smart their opponent. Who will be the victor?
I will not be out smarted by a piece of string! But this is no ordinary string, of that I am certain.
Not deterred; I decided that the vacuum must not be working! Duh! So I tore the vacuum apart and went and got my big shop vacuum and cleaned the household vacuum and then tried it again.
No luck. The string sits there clinging to the floor like lichen to a rock; holding on for all it is worth. Meanwhile my brain kicks in (I think, it may have been a gas bubble, as I ate cauliflower earlier). I am an engineer, so I decide that the vacuum cleaner is not working right. Duh! So I commence to tear the sucker apart.
It comes apart rather easily; it did not go back together so well. I don't know exactly what these extra parts are for but I throw them in the garbage. I have other things on my mind.
I push the button to start the vacuum and the light comes on, but the vacuum doesn't suck. Don't get me wrong, it is a sucky vacuum but it won't suck.
I do what I always do when something electrical doesn't work I wiggle the cord. Wiggle. Wiggle. Wiggle. It starts sucking but the light goes off; no matter, I know exactly where the string is. It is on the floor and has now taken the shape of a naughty word. Its last great act of defiance, I suppose.
I continue to mow it over and over and over and each time it rearranges itself into a new word. The last word is "loser".
I can't take it any more and I go get my shop-vac. It could suck the freckle off of Fergie (Sarah, Duchess of York); which sounds like a great horror movie premise.
I turn it on and the lights in tyhe neighborhood dim for a second as the turbine gets up to speed. I hold it just above the string so I can watch as the string is pulled from the carpet screaming and kicking holding to the carpet with its last ounce of strength.
Finally, the life is sucked out of it and it peals off and disappears into the black hose. No one messes with the CaveGuy; not even a piece of string.
I am on my way to the store to buy a new vacuum cleaner when another brilliant thought sparks across my cerebral cortex in a flash of genius, "Hey I'll bet the missus would really like a vacuum for a Christmas present!"
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When you're gearing up for a night out, you probably have a pretty standard checklist: Sexy top? Clearly. Killer pair of heels? Of course. But, there's a big difference between a guy checking you out and a guy who can't resist your spell.
That's why some new research being done on attraction is so intriguing--it offers subtle, novel strategies for not only grabbing attention but also inspiring plenty of introductions and phone-number exchanges. Get ready to work your come-and-meet-me voodoo by tapping in to the way dudes' brains work. Remember these five things when you go scouting for men next year:
1. Don't disregard the basics.
Even the best ninja-level seduction tricks will be useless if you don't practice good fundamentals. You may have heard of, or even used, these maneuvers before, but their success makes them worth repeating. For starters, always keep your group of girls nice and small. "It's ideal to go out with just one or two other friends," says relationship expert Krista Bloom, PhD, author of The Ultimate Compatibility Quiz. "If you're with a larger group, pair off for 30-minute intervals to give guys the opportunity to come up to you."
Choose your wingwomen wisely--you want to be surrounded by friends who are outgoing and don't need to be babysat. Avoid standing, so that your shoulders are squared toward each other; physical openness will send the message that you're okay with being approached and not engrossed in an intimate convo. Be sure to plant yourselves in a high-traffic area near the center of the room...but never near an exit. You may get noticed there, but dudes who constantly eyeball the door are likely to be always looking for the next best thing.
2. Show off your neck and shoulders.
Now, on to more stealthy tactics. It's certainly no secret that men are visual creatures. However, it turns out that convincing a guy to approach is far more complex than simply undoing an extra button. "It has less to do with displaying lots of cleavage and more to do with flaunting your shoulders," says David Givens, PhD, author of Love Signals.
While men are evolutionarily attracted to both bare skin and soft, round shapes (duh), they also have a more developed subconscious that equates boobs spilling out of a too-tight dress with desperation. So, opt for a slightly more discreet body-skimming halter or tube top to give off a confident, sexy vibe.
A bonus tip: Be sure to draw attention to your neck dimple--the little indentation beneath your throat and just above your clavicle--with an eye-catching necklace. Research shows that this often overlooked area is alluring to men because it represents femininity and vulnerability.
3. Use your drink as a seduction prop.
A drink can be a great tool if handled correctly--as a conversation piece or to clink glasses with him flirtatiously. Just avoid using it as a security blanket. "Cradling a drink in front of you puts up a subtle barrier," says body-language expert Greg Hartley, co-author of I Can Read You Like A Book. "It shows discomfort when you're fiddling with your straw or a bottle label." To avoid looking like a stressball with lipstick, set down your vodka on the bar or a nearby table every now and then to use your hands while telling an especially funny story to a friend--it broadcasts your energy, which is super-attractive.
4. Subtly show off your lower half.
Most men won't appreciate your killer pair of designer heels--well, most straight guys, anyway--but strategically encouraging them to bring their focus downward will still work wonders to lure them over. "When you're seated on a banquette or bar stool, try crossing and uncrossing your legs every minute or two," says body-language expert Janine Driver. "It's a flirtatious action that draws attention to a body part that men crave touching."
Another trick: While one of your legs is crossed over the other, dangle your shoe from your toes so that it's half off your foot. Not only does this action indicate that you're unlikely to bolt if he approaches you, but it also suggests that you're extremely relaxed and self-assured.
5. Put on your best game face.
It's not enough just to stand there and look gorgeous. You also have to flash some fierce and flirty looks. "We're finding that men need a whole lot more coaxing than you'd think," explains Ann Demarais, PhD, co-author of First Impressions. "You have to send a pretty strong message that you'd be receptive to the guy if he actually came over to talk to you."
Always smile--sultry stares will backfire--and try this sneaky tactic to make him think he already knows you: "Flash both brows upward for a half-second and then drop them quickly," suggests Hartley. "An eyebrow raise is a form of recognition, so you'll have him scanning his mental database to figure out your connection and when he may have met you."
In other words, his incentive to make a trek across the room is now twofold: He's sure you took notice of him, so he'll be encouraged by the flattery. Plus, he'll be able to break the ice by asking if you know each other--without coming off like a cheese ball.

subset: commoncrawl


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By Staff Northwest Asian Weekly James Malcolm Mar was born in Seattle on July 11, 1914, to immigrant parents Lee Shee and Henry Mar Hing. Throughout his life, Mar would bear witness to the Asian experience in Seattle and the United States and lend his help and services to members of the Asian community.
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(a) As a SAP, after you have prescribed assistance under §40.293, you must re-evaluate the employee to determine if the employee has successfully carried out your education and/or treatment recommendations.
(1) This is your way to gauge for the employer the employee's ability to demonstrate successful compliance with the education and/or treatment plan.
(2) Your evaluation may serve as one of the reasons the employer decides to return the employee to safety-sensitive duty.
(b) As the SAP making the follow-up evaluation determination, you must:
(1) Confer with or obtain appropriate documentation from the appropriate education and/or treatment program professionals where the employee was referred; and
(2) Conduct a face-to-face clinical interview with the employee to determine if the employee demonstrates successful compliance with your initial evaluation recommendations.
(c) (1) If the employee has demonstrated successful compliance, you must provide a written report directly to the DER highlighting your clinical determination that the employee has done so with your initial evaluation recommendation (see §40.311(d)).
(2) You may determine that an employee has successfully demonstrated compliance even though the employee has not yet completed the full regimen of education and/or treatment you recommended or needs additional asssitance. For example, if the employee has successfully completed the 30-day in-patient program you prescribed, you may make a "successful compliance" determination even though you conclude that the employee has not yet completed the out-patient counseling you recommended or should continue in an aftercare program.
(d)(1) As the SAP, if you believe, as a result of the follow-up evaluation, that the employee has not demonstrated successful compliance with your recommendations, you must provide written notice directly to the DER (see §40.311(e)).
(2) As an employer who receives the SAP's written notice that the employee has not successfully complied with the SAP's recommendations, you must not return the employee to the performance of safety-sensitive duties.
(3) As the SAP, you may conduct additional follow-up evaluation(s) if the employer determines that doing so is consistent with the employee's progress as you have reported it and with the employer's policy and/or labor-management agreements.
(4) As the employer, following a SAP report that the employee has not demonstrated successful compliance, you may take personnel action consistent with your policy and/or labor-management agreements.


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Description (from book's panel): Thirteen-year-old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, as well as the checkpoints, the curfews, and Hayaat's best friend Samy, who is always a troublemaker. But luck is on their side. Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel to Jerusalem. However, while their journey is only a few kilometers long, it may take a lifetime to complete.
Review: Physically and emotionally scarred from a tragic event, Hayaat lives behind the Israeli-built Separation Wall in the West Bank City of Bethlehem. When her beloved grandmother falls ill, Hayaat decides to make her way to Jerusalem to fill an empty hummus jar with soil from the land of her grandmother's ancestral home in hopes that it will mend her grandmother's heart. Though Jerusalem is only a short distance away from Hayaat's home, curfews, checkpoints, and an identity card present obstacles that might not allow her and her soccer-loving and best friend Samy to complete their journey.
I really enjoyed this book and I think it is an important addition to a very small body of existing books that feature the Middle East, particularly telling the Palestinian story for young people. Abdel-Fattah does a great job in bringing the book's intensely realistic story to life. It almost felt as if I was living in Hayyat's house. Though the tone of the story may sound deep and serious, the book is full of humor, adventure, and family love, but it doesn't try to hide or shy away from the heartbreaking, bitter reality of life under Occupation.
I can tell when I read a good book about the Middle East when it effectively walks the line of telling the truth and sensitivity, grace. The author avoids vilifying and making the Israelis one dimensional characters. In fact, Hayaat and Samy could not have completed their journey without the help of a Jewish Israeli couple sympathetic to their cause.
I adored Hayaat and I applaud her temerity and determination to help her mother, though I absolutely think her decision is an impulsive and dangerous one. Readers can't help but root for our plucky heroine and realize that whether or not Hayatt truly makes it to Jerusalem is nearly not important than our emotional journey in spending a day with a realistic Palestinian child.
Rating: 4 stars
Curricular Connection: Current Events, Cultural Studies
Words of Caution: There are some violent, disturbing images. Recommended for strong Grade 5 readers and up.
If you like this book try: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins


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NC: Where do you live and why?
NS: I live in New Bern, North Carolina. I choose to live here because, to me, it feels like home. I've lived here for 20 years. I love the geography, the genuine kindness of the people, the small-town atmosphere. It's been a wonderful place to raise my children.
NC: Where's the best barbecue in North Carolina?
NS: Yeah, well it's easy: the Eastern Carolina barbecue, with the vinegar and the red pepper on your pulled pork! Moore's Barbecue, here in New Bern, is fabulous, one of the great old-time, smoked pulled-pork joints.
Describe your morning routine on a day you'd be writing.
I wake up about 5:30, get into my workout clothes. Have coffee, read three newspapers (the Raleigh newspaper, the local, and The New York Times) while I'm having breakfast. Interspersed with 200 squats, in sets of 50. See the kids off, they take off around 7:20. I go up to my gym and do the main part of my workout, which will include various calisthenics, followed by a four-mile run. That ends around 8:45. I shower, then about 9:15 I'll head into the office, do emails and paperwork for about half an hour, and at 9:45 I sit down and start writing. I write until 12:30, have lunch with my wife for 45 minutes, then head back and write some more, 'til 3 or 3:30. Kids get home from school, I'll say hey to them. I usually have some emails to answer, work in Los Angeles related to TV or film, so I'll do that and finish up around 5, 5:30. Then I try to unwind.
Wow, that's a full day. What do you do to unwind?
I'll read, spend time with the kids, swim, walk the dog, cook with the wife, go to a movie. Whatever.
What is a distinctive habit or affectation of yours?
I write with the TV on. I always have to have it on. I usually watch DVDs of films or TV series that I've seen multiple times. I never want to watch anything new, because otherwise I want to watch it. I use it as a sort of background noise.
I recently heard about a website that plays the background noise of a coffee shop, so you can have it on when you're working. A bit of background buzz is supposed to make us more efficient.
Well, I prefer my television. I'm not sure I could write to the background of a coffee shop. I like to be able to glance up from the screen and see something I recognize.
Do you wind up watching one series over the course of writing one book, or is it not quite that organized?
Yeah, it's usually one series or two, depends on the length of the book. I watch House or Seinfeld or Cheers or Dexter, all sorts.
All of your books have been New York Times bestsellers. Tell me about your reaction when you learned that the very first one made the list.
That was exciting! It made the list the first reporting week, I think it tied for 10th the first week that The Notebook was out.
What was the process like for you when the first film was made from one of your books, and how does the process differ for you now, when your eighth book is filmed?
The process is primarily different in the conception of the story. Now I try to come up with a story that will be dynamic, creative, and interesting both as a book and as a film. Early on I just concentrated on the novel. Because I've had so many films made, and there are certain elements that repeat in my novels (North Carolina, love stories), I now have to think of ways to make those stories original, distinct from one another, in book and film formats. So now I have to take the novel and a potential film into account. So many ideas are rejected, because they wouldn't work in one or the other of those media. Once I have the idea, however, the process is very similar to the way it's always been—focused on the novel.
Do you find yourself conceiving of scenes in your novel in a cinematic way, in terms of how they would be filmed? Does that change your writing style at all?
Not once I start writing. I can see that it can be a film as I go, but there's no guarantee that it will be a film, so it's only about making the novel as good as it can be as a novel.
Might you take a more forward role, perhaps directing or writing screenplays?
I'll continue to be a producer, which means I'm involved in the process of selecting a screenwriter, director, casting, and you're on set, so you have producer roles. But I'd never see myself as a director. That's a skill, an art form, unto itself.
Tell me about your nonprofit.
My wife and I founded a nonprofit because we are very passionate about education. We founded a school in my hometown of New Bern, North Carolina, and really the role of the foundation is to take what we've learned at that school, and make that information available around the country. To make that kind of leadership schooling available, to implement the kind of training that we've initiated. Schools need workable models to follow, with real-world solutions in real-world settings. That information is less common than you'd think, real-world tested ideas. So the role of the foundation is to do studies and literally put out guidelines, ways to implement an international travel program, for instance. To engage students with citizens around the world. How do you implement a successful Spanish-immersion program, so students are fluent by the 4th grade, while still caught up with their other subjects, as well? The questions of how to do these things are challenging in real-world settings. We look at the data and provide practical guidelines, so schools can take programs we draw up in their entirety, or bits and pieces.
Describe your routine when conceiving of a book and its plot, before the writing begins. Do you like to map out your books ahead of time, or just let it flow?
No, I map it out in my head. By that I mean everything that I need to know about the novel could be put down in, oh, a page and a half of bullet-points. That includes the beginning, the end, the major turning points, a little bit about the characters, time frame, setting, voice, length, some secondary characters. Once I have that, I let the rest of the story fill itself in from there.
Do you have a word count you aim for each day?
Two thousand words.
What has to happen on page one, and in chapter one, to make for a successful book that urges you to read on?
I think it's a great character voice and an interesting situation.
Is there anything distinctive or unusual about your work space?
I tend to like it neat. I clean off all the mail, my to-do list. When I write, I lean back in my chair, put my feet on the desk, put the computer in my lap. That's my position.
Tell us a funny story related to a book tour or book event.
I just went to Rio and at my first stop there, in São Paulo, the crowd was so large that they had to take me through the bowels of the mall. I had to climb through a concrete hole and down a welded fire escape ladder to get into the store. Otherwise I never would've made it in!
Tell us something about yourself that is largely unknown and perhaps surprising.
I'm a black belt in tae kwon do.
What would you like carved onto your tombstone?
I suppose my name, "beloved husband and father," the dates I was around, and the words, "Reading was my passion."
This interview has been edited and condensed.


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Economic Democracy Block3 v8
Welcome to Economic Democracy: The Cooperative Alternative, our MOOC about worker-owned and worker-controlled firms. We often hear that political democracy is the best available form of…
02:52 duration 2 minutes 52 seconds
Economic Democracy Block3 v1
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October 4, 2009
On The Subject Of Return Reading
The author and music writer David Gates penned an article this summer for
the pleasures of re-reading
. Gates seems to view re-reading as way to spend time in the company of memorable characters that have touched him in his lifelong give-and-take with literature. It further seems he experiences this pleasure through specifically lively usage of language. Gates appears to be enamored of Charles Dickens, in whose works the characters' names are frequently worth a second visit all by themselves. I found Gates' piece fascinating for the accrued force of his recollections and for the amount of conflict it sparks in him about what those books he reads indicates about his own life, its predilections and potential shortcomings.
I think comics has a harder time than prose with the question of what gets read over and over and why. The various comics industries' longtime devotion to impermanence may have fostered a suspicion of reading a few works a bunch of times as opposed to as many works as possible a single time or two. A comics reader remains in many ways measured by the breadth of her pull list rather than the devotion she might feel to a few great works, and nasty, dismissive words are common when discussing those whose interest in comics is limited to a specific genre, artist or kind of story. Further, comics are such a powerful expression of nostalgia and act as such highly effective totems of negotiating childhood issues and rough life periods that there's a tendency to want to equate re-reading with the kind of emotional wallow many of us have experienced diving back into a big stack of mental comfort food. I know that I can help find my way through a down period armed with a large stack of comics that feel and smell a certain way. At those times, the specific comic doesn't matter as much as it being
As I get older, however, I find I return to very specific comics to re-experience their inherent virtues, that I'm spending less time reading comics in general than I am trying to fully and effectively read and re-read the great comics or the comics that are important to me. Here are four that I find on my night table more than once a year, and some reasons why this may be so.
, Dylan Horrocks, serialized in
1992-1996, published in book form 1998, Tragedy Strikes Press/Black Eye Press/Drawn and Quarterly.
It's not difficult to figure out why I might have been interested in
during its serialization in Dylan Horrocks' great comic book
. One of its main characters and arguably the audience's viewpoint character is the comics critic Leonard Batts. In the mid-1990s I was one of maybe a half dozen people in the world who could argue that he had Batts' job or something very close to it (there are many more now). My job did not involve writing books about Jack Kirby or being sent around the world to track down the biographical details of a prominent cartoonist. It did mean I paid a lot of attention to comics and cartoonists without being one of their number, a feeling of being part of a special club but far outside of it that Horrocks nailed.
went on to become a beloved graphic novel for many people enamored of cartooning, particularly those in the post-alternative generation who I think were looking for a narrative that spoke to their struggles with the art form that didn't express it as a push away from mainstream comics, a rebellion against content and practices about which they might not have felt strongly in the first place. I think its success is due in part to the fact that Horrocks manages to suggest something deeply mysterious and wonderful about the making of comics and a care in reading them that ropes in the horrible futility experienced by many of its best creators, then and now. Some people complain about its lighthouse metaphor being way too spot on, but I think there's a solicitousness that should be appreciated when it comes to Dylan's choices of metaphor and meaning. There's something to comics that the creation of a bold metaphor can have meaning to people who read the story even as the actual thing has meaning to the people in the world where they get to walk inside the thing. It's tough to love comics sometimes. Let them have a lighthouse.
Going back to
always feels to me like getting to have a long conversation with Dylan about art and related issues. It's interesting how much that conversation changes even though the book has remained the same. More of
is revealed to me each time out. In terms of its narrative, I'm usually struck by how measured Dylan's pacing and tone are, how little happens and how much heaven and earth move -- sort of literally -- on the relatively modest decisions about life and art embraced by the characters. In fact, the more I read it, the more I tend to see the characters over the ideas they represent. I don't wonder after comics as cartography as much as I might have 10 years ago, but I ponder Grace's garden quite a bit, the wisdom of returning home and the way that none of our personal lighthouses have much to do with comics and that's okay, too.
As The Kid Goes For Broke
, Garry Trudeau, Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1977.
I have no desire to read
on a daily basis. Unless I'm reading a newspaper that carries it -- my local doesn't -- I never even see Garry Trudeau's still slowly unfurling document of Baby Boomer adulthood. When I do, I'm surprised by how relatively handsome it is, and how sympathetic his strips about the soldiers are, and how he's solved a lot of the problems that used to crop up when he dealt in abstractions of real-world figures rather than allowed his amazingly diverse cartoon cast to carry those moments. I recognize its quality, and suspect that making it still gives its cartoonist a charge and thrill. I'm happy to remind people that it's arguably
great comics feature still running.
comics I frequently read are the 1970s book collections, the small white books from Holt that carried four panels per page in a box format and resembled in their proportions and modesty similar collections from any number of popular gag cartoonists of the time period. There's nostalgia involved, sure. Because
was comics, I read it far ahead of my interest in its subject matter. It seemed to me a very adult strip, in that it reflected the way I heard adults talk to one another when I was in the room being quiet or otherwise unobtrusive. As adulthood was a club that would barring a movie of the week outcome eventually have me as a member, and as a member of 1970s American culture I was certain at all times that I was not being given the best information possible, I paid an inordinate amount of attention to Doonesbury just trying to decipher what the hell all these people were up to.
The great congressional campaign storyline in
As The Kid Goes For Broke
-- one of Trudeau's career highlights and one of the best comics of the 1970s in any format -- was the first time in any medium I'd seen people pursuing jobs that seemed personally fulfilling and fun. This was a great boon in imagining some sort of future for myself beyond becoming an important pawn in a world-shattering end of millennium contest between good and evil. There was a casual certainty to what was going on that seemed like it was loaded with insights, anyway. It held a truth that was not literal truth.
When I read the book these days I'm struck by how fantastic a character Joanie Caucus is, and how little she gets mention in examinations of the great comics characters. There's something that feels much more real and observed about Joanie Caucus than even those characters in
with easy-to-nail, real-life antecedents. It's so, so difficult to make an
character that's still as funny as Trudeau makes her. I'm also reminded how hard
hit with audiences at the time. For one thing, I'm pretty certain that a criticism aimed at Trudeau in those days -- some years before Scott Adams came along -- was that he was a terrible artist and the strip would improved 10,000 percent if only he could find a decent craftsman to see his vision through. This seems absurd now, but it's fun to look at some of the oddball aspects of Trudeau's character design -- the big, wide, eyes that looked so ugly in people aping his style, for instance -- and some of the solutions (static imagery, voices off panel, dropping details) that he may have employed to avoid having to draw certain things in explicit fashion. I don't know if Trudeau's comfort drawing was part of the origin of the silent third panel he mastered and every single cartoonist has at least thought about using since, but that's a delightful craft element to track, as effective a use of silence as any Jack Benny employed.
The best-known sequence in the book is all silent panels, of course: Joanie and Rick Redfern in bed together introduced to us by a sweeping view through the neighborhood. It remains hilarious not for the skill displayed in that silent lead-in, but for the confidence Trudeau had in doing that part of the story that way in the first place. As the kid goes for broke... For most people this would something you'd consider only if you were to never do anything with the characters again, and you probably wouldn't go there anyway. (For a reverse gender example from that same period, consider the Mary Richards/Lou Grant kiss and giggle.) Trudeau never hesitated and never blinked. If that means there's an element of rooting for the characters that seeps in, let me ask you this. Was there ever a better character to root for?
Sick Sick Sick
, Jules Feiffer, serialized in the
Village Voice
starting in 1956 (the strip would later be renamed
) and first published in book form in 1958.
I think Jules Feiffer's
Sick Sick Sick
is a perfect comic book. The one I re-read is a fourth or fifth edition, basically the one depicted above and the general volume most people I know think of when they think of this work in print form.
Sick Sick Sick
has many excellent surface qualities; if you were a character on a sitcom, you'd pay it to go with you to a wedding. The book's great-looking, it's of a size that is pleasing to hold and read, it's of a length that flatters Feiffer's unique voice, the material inside remains poignant and its overall historical significance is undeniable. It is all by itself proof that comics for an adult, sophisticated readership can exist, that they can be done in a style far away from given commercial standards, and that they can yield major artistic returns. It did this decades before an years-long movement came to the same conclusions. It is singular and it is Ruthian.
It's also fun. Feiffer's cartooning is so lively here. Feiffer's running men and the way he draws slumped shoulders and his tiny women are all pantheon-worthy in terms of the art form's great visual depictions. The bitter disappointments of manhood in the post-War world and neuroses that drove so many novels were also rich territory for Feiffer, maybe richer because of the deep subtext afforded in giving these expressions a visual life and the modest act of Greenwich Village-style, insouciant rebellion that was taking on such subjects in cartoon form in the first place. This was another book I used to try and understand adults when I was a kid, although it'd be years and hundreds of readings later before I realized that many of the concerns upon which Feiffer seized were funny because they were beyond easy understanding.
Feiffer's had a wonderful career, in cartooning and as a writer, which is almost a minor miracle in itself given how trailblazers tend to be treated vis-a-vis the group that follows and dumbs things down. Reading this very great book as I like to do every month or so I'm still astonished by how little credit he's given for the towering accomplishment of creating work that was two or three decades away from fostering a sustained movement. If we valued the graphic novel as much for its capacity for psychological insight and ability to deal with sophisticated issues and propensity towards expressive artwork as much we do for the number of pages involved, Feiffer would rightfully be seen as one of the major cogs in its creation. As things stand, his work exists in its own little world, and this startling, ground-breaking phase to his career continues to call me for round after round of personal reckoning.
The Death Of Speedy Ortiz
, Jaime Hernandez, serialized in
Love and Rockets
Vol. 1, reprinted in multiple collections since.
I had a significant crush on
The Death Of Speedy Ortiz
the summer I was 20 years old, reading and re-reading the serialized story with a passion I had never brought to a single comic story before then. There are a number of Hernandez Brother works from that general time period that feel special to me for their content and for how completely each knocked me on my ass: "Tear It Up, Terry Downe," "For The Love Of Carmen" and "Frida" all spring to mind. But it's "Speedy Ortiz" to which I always return. It's such an irresistibly sentimental and sweetly romantic story on so many levels. It's full of nighttime adventures of the kinds that only young people can have, the promise of sex and violence, lovers kept from each other by fate, friends and family sticking up for friends and family. The story's ending is a Godzilla-sized choke-up moment of Speedy's goodbye and the final reveal as to his fate, followed by the next page's King Kong-level gut-punch of a moment from the characters' past where they're all heading different directions towards the same depressing result. I think people sometimes take it less seriously for its appealing qualities, as if there's something too easy or smoothed-over about this approach. I thought it was wonderful that summer I read it 10,000 times, and I remain convinced it's a special story every time I've picked it up since.
Although I'm a long way divorced from the mind-set shared by so many of the characters in
Death Of Speedy Ortiz
, and most importantly have broken with the simple desire it invoked in me to want to live way Hernandez depicts these people living their lives, I like the comic more than ever for its power and luminous art work and what I see now as instances of narrative restraint. There are stunning panels in here -- Maggie and Speedy sharing a kiss at a barbecue, a moment of Maggie as she likely appears to Ray, Litos flailing his arms around as a sign of the youthful energy he can't leave behind -- that illustrate instances that aren't high moments of action but the way we assemble memories and ascribe meaning. A gifted and unappreciated writer, Hernandez further underlines the story's theme by shifting much of the action off-line and focusing on the reaction that the cast members have to those moments. Even a crucial instance he depicts within the story, a drive-by shooting, seems more important for the way in which both of the major characters involve react than for the physical consequences involved. When I read
Death Of Speedy
now, I see a little bit more of how Jaime Hernandez uses single moments and narrative flow to comment on how we forge a past.
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Neptune Portfolio is a unique theme that delivers amazing imagery for your blogs and personal portfolio sites, with a standard four column grid supported by masonry , you'll always expect a perfect design no matter which device you are on, be it your iPhone, android phone or desktop. You can use neptune portfolio to build your photography site, personal portfolio, agency portfolio or travel blog. Neptune Portfolio is already translated to Spanish, French & Portoguese and 100% translatable to any language WordPress already supports.
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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
You can renew your card for 3 years if you re-take the class before your current card expires - bring your old card with you when you take the class in person. If your old card has expired, you will only be able to receive a 2-year card.
Show All Answers
Yes. In addition to classes being available at the Snohomish County Health Department Everett location, the food worker card class and test can both be taken online.
If you are having problems with the online class and test, you can call our customer service desk at 425-339-5250. You can also contact the Tacoma-Pierce Health Department. They oversee the actual site and will be able to help you with site issues.
Pre-registration is not required.
Classes are scheduled:
Health Department staff can provide group training off-site if desired. For a class to be offered at your location, you must have a minimum of 10 people. We generally schedule classes about a month in advance. Contact our office to request a class: 425-339-5250 or email Food Safety.
The fee for a food worker card is $10. We accept cash, credit or debit (Visa and MasterCard) for instructor-led classes at the Everett location. Only credit and debit (Visa and MasterCard) are accepted for online classes.
Note: The charges for the food worker cards obtained online will be listed under Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on your bank statement.
The in-person class lasts approximately 60-90 minutes, including the instruction and test. Please arrive early to find parking and get signed in. There is no admittance after the class begins. Allow about 60 minutes for the online food worker class.
There are no age requirements for obtaining a food worker card. The only requirement is taking the class and passing the test.
Food worker cards are valid throughout Washington State for 2 years.
Yes. To receive a 3-year card, you may renew your old card up to 60 days prior to the expiration date. Expired cards are not eligible to renew for a 3-year card.
This does happen. If you contact the Snohomish County Health Department at 425-339-5250 or email Food Safety, we can upgrade your card to a 3-year card if we see that you qualify for a 3-year card.
You may be eligible for a five-year card if you have completed approved advanced training. You must show proof of the advanced training to receive the 5-year card. You must do this within 2 years of receiving the advanced training.
You can get a replacement card (with the original test date) at the Snohomish County Health Department Environmental Health office in Everett. You can come into the office or you can call the customer service desk at 425-339-5250 to pay for the card over the phone and have the card mailed to you. If you originally received your card online, you can print a duplicate. The fee for a replacement card is $10. We accept cash, credit and debit (Visa and MasterCard) at the Everett location and credit and debit only online.
Yes. We are happy to meet the needs of each person who needs a food worker card.
Cashiers, bussers, stockers, and dishwashers are all required to have a food worker card as a safety precaution. Many states are adopting "limited use" permits for these types of workers, but Snohomish County has yet to adopt these permits.
Even if you have a food worker card, you are not permitted to work with food if you have:
Sick food workers should go home or be given duties that do not involve handling food, such as taking out the trash, cleaning restrooms, or busing tables.


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Hell, you can't have got this far into the site and not know the story of Suzi's career: her years of playing in an all-girl band in America, her discovery by Mickie Most in Detroit, her departure for England and her eventual triumph in collaboration with Chinn & Chapman, including two British #1 singles in the shape of 'Can the Can' and 'Devil Gate Drive'. If you do need more information, then check out the Links page and visit Patrick Doonan's site - it's damn good. So you know all this anyway, so what can I tell you? Well, maybe we should look at why Suzi still exerts such an impressive grip on the public imagination. After all, she wasn't the dominant chart act of the time - Slade, Gary, T Rex and many others far outstripped her sales - and she wasn't even the biggest Chinnichap act: both Mud and The Sweet were more successful. In fact, somewhat surprisingly, when you check out the statistics, she only notched up five top ten singles in Britain. But while her contemporaries found the going almost impossibly difficult in the era of punk and disco, Suzi alone moved effortlessly into other fields, pursuing an acting career in Happy Days. And in 1978 she became the first of the glam generation to return to the British charts, reinventing herself as the queen of powerpop with 'If You Can't Give Me Love'. Since then she's done TV, legitimate theatre and, above all else, toured constantly - she reckons to have averaged 200 gigs a year since the early-60s. Like Alvin Stardust and Gary Glitter, she's one of the few trans-generational household names from the glitter years; unlike them, she's never even approached self-parody. This is partly why she still occupies such a prominent place in pop culture. She takes her music absolutely seriously. While The Sweet saw the material they were given by Chinn & Chapman as being a dilution of what their real sound, Suzi insists that Mike Chapman reflected perfectly what she was all about. 'Before he wrote "Can the Can", we had to play them our live set, cos I had my band together by that time. And it was all boogie, it was all dum der-dum der-dum der-dum. And he went away and wrote "Can the Can". He wouldn't have written that if he hadn't heard what I did.' More important than this, however, Suzi was important because she was a woman. It's difficult to get a grip on this now, at a time when most of the best music in the world is being produced by women like Polly Harvey, Beth Gibbons and Justine Frischman (assuming that she doesn't become the Peter Perrett of the 90s), but in the early-70s there were desperately few women in pop music. Pre-Suzi we had Sunny, we had Polly Brown, we had Lyn & Eve in the New Seekers, and we had precious little else. We certainly didn't have a female rock & roller. And Suzi rocked. She rocked big-time. As she says: 'I think I represented at the time, and still do now, a very ballsy woman: still feminine but ballsy. Knew her own mind, wasn't afraid to speak out, wasn't afraid to tackle the boys at their own game.' For a while she was the female counterpart to Bowie, playing with gender stereotypes and inspiring those of us who were hitting the sexual turmoils of adolescence. Bowie sang about being 'not sure if you're a boy or a girl'; Suzi went for a cover of 'I Wanna Be Your Man' and didn't bother to change the lyrics. Unfortunately, when she changed musical styles, she didn't take her audience with her like Bowie did. Her 1975 trash-funk classic 'Your Mama Won't Like Me' is rightly remembered with immense fondness, but at the time it missed out on the British top thirty. And an album of material from the same year that's reputed to comprise an even more radical change of direction has still to see the light of day. Ultimately she fell victim to the syndrome described by Andy Scott: 'In Britain you're very rarely allowed to change your spots: you're a leopard, mate.' So while she continues to write and develop and grow as an artist, she's still defined as a product of the early-70s. She's moved on, but it's a hell of a job to shake off the era. So you'll still see her on 70s revival bills, and you're advised to see her whenever you can. She's got a strong band - complete with horn section - and while she does new songs (which are actually pretty good), she knows her audience well enough not to disappoint them: you'll still get the Chinnichap classics. The same is true of her 1995 album What Goes Around which has some successful reworks of the old material with her current band. She was the first great female rocker (with the possible exception of Wanda Jackson) and she's not about to relinquish her crown as the Queen of Pop without a fight. click for photo click for hit singles |
Eddie Amoo |


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In Android 4.0, the Data Usage feature in Settings enables long-term monitoring of how an application uses network resources. Starting with Android 4.0.3 and the upcoming DDMS r17, you can watch how an application uses network resources in real-time. You can also distinguish between different traffic types by applying a "tag" to network sockets before use. These tags are shown in a stack area chart in DDMS, as shown below: In code, you can set tags on a per-thread basis with TrafficStats.setThreadStatsTag(), then manually tag sockets using TrafficStats.tagSocket() and untagSocket(). Alternatively, the Apache HttpClient and URLConnection libraries included in the platform will automatically tag sockets internally based on the current getThreadStatsTag() value. (These libraries correctly tag/untag sockets when recycled through keep-alive pools.) Here's a typical example: TrafficStats.setThreadStatsTag(0xF00D); try { // make network request using HttpClient.execute() } finally { TrafficStats.clearThreadStatsTag(); } Socket tagging is supported in Android 4.0, but displaying real-time stats is only available for devices running Android 4.0.3 or higher. |
Recent Changes >


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Meet Openly Lesbian Miss California Contestant Jenelle Hutcherson: INTERVIEW
Whether Jenelle Hutcherson wins this weekend in the Miss California USA pageant or not, she'll make history. Even better? Besides those hundreds of new LGBT fans, her family is among her biggest supporters.
Her late-night post on Facebook said it all. "So history has been made," Jenelle Hutcherson wrote after becoming the first openly lesbian contestant in the Miss Long Beach (California) Pageant. "No crown and sash tonight, but doors opened that will never be shut again, many new friends and a whole new respect for the pageant world and what guts it takes to get up on that stage. On to Miss California USA!"
Hutcherson, a 26-year-old master hairstylist who works at Den Salon in the California coastal town of Long Beach, was the center of a media whirlwind surrounding the pageant, and unlike previous pageant attention when it comes to LGBT issues, this wasn't because of a gaffe. Everyone embraced the woman who sports a mohawk, five tattoos, and piercings. Her press photos feature her with a No H8 motto and duct tape, and true to butch form, she made history by doing something else: wearing a tuxedo instead of a gown in the formal part of the pageant.
The attention and hard work wasn't for naught. Even before the pageant began, Donald Trump, who runs the Miss California USA Pageant, had his office phone Hutcherson and invite her to compete on the statewide level. She didn't even pause before accepting the challenge. The Bakersfield native, who is also a mentor at the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach, will carry her message of love, tolerance, and ending bullying to the Miss California Pageant, to be held this weekend at Palm Desert's McCallum Theater. And whether she wins or not, she'll make history. Even better? Besides those hundreds of new LGBT fans, her mother and stepfather (her dad died of AIDS when she was in grade school) are among her biggest supporters.
So many queer folks were excited to hear about your run for Long Beach. What was that like?
Jenelle Hutcherson: So many, I couldn't believe it! It has been a humbling experience; I did this because Justin Rudd left me no reason to not participate but also because I could be myself. I, of course, have naysayers on both sides, though. You cannot make everyone happy. If anything, I did this for me, to make me happy. Turns out a whole bunch of other people thought it was a great idea too.
Did you wear a pantsuit instead of a gown? What was the reaction?
I wore a tuxedo. I bought a basic suit and tailored and added the tuxedo embellishments and my own style to it. The crowd went wild — absolutely insane.
What got you into pageantry to begin with?
It was decided over a random conversation with pageant director Justin Rudd. I asked how I could get involved after he told me about last year's event, which was coming up at the time. And I was thinking hair, did he want a salon sponsor? To my surprise he ... said if I wanted to join I could. My wild hair and tattoos would be just fine. The only question for me at that point was that I'm not wearing a dress — it's not happening. Justin asked what I felt comfortable in and I said a tux. Justin's reply was a shocker, one I will never forget. He said, "OK." Justin believes his pageant to be fashion forward and accepting of all.
Hutcherson with Monique Villa
More on next page...
Tell me about your copilot.
I have a wonderfully supportive belly-dancing journalist girlfriend, Masa Zokaei. She has been a part of all of this from the get-go. Even writing the first in-depth article on me for GreaterLongBeach.com [Editor's note: Zokaei did a series about falling in love with Jenelle and learning their relationship would include a pageant, which can be read here.]
Everyone was riveted by the fact that you have tattoos, piercings, and a fauxhawk. Tell me about the tats.
I have five tattoos. The nautical stars on my wrists stand for my human choice to use my power for good and to help or hurt people. The lips on my neck are my mothers; I lost my dad at a young age, and it's my kiss from an angel. The tattoo on my left forearm, reading "What goes around comes around," shows my belief in karma and how what you put out there is what you get back. And my right forearm is an eye with a wooden stake, an eye for an eye, you reap what you sow.
You said they all reflect what you were going through at different points in your life. And the hawk?
I have had a huge back-combed hair-sprayed Mohawk for almost 10 years. My 16-year-old picture from my driver's license has me with a hawk! [Laughs]
Pageants have been painted as un-feminist bastions of male oppression. You must feel differently. Tell me how you see pageants.
What I have experienced behind the scenes with these girls last Sunday was something I will never forget. Yes, there was a mirror borrowed or using someone else's hot curling iron every once in a while, but overall there was a sense of camaraderie between all of us that I would have never expected. No tux or gowns ripped, no hair pulled or catfights. Like what an ignorant skeptic like myself before almost expected. It was a relieving and educating experience. The guts it takes to get up on that stage and intimidating runway is unreal.
No matter what happens on Friday, any regrets?
I am proud to have gone on this journey. I learned a lot about myself, the world around me, pageants, and what it takes, and I've helped people along the way and given hope to youth and peers. And most of all, I learned what it is like to take a walk in someone else's shoes — or at least a walk into a foreign place where fear of vulnerability is your worst enemy. The girls that won worked their bloody heads off for the title. They deserve it.
Hutcherson and Masa Zokaei
More on next page...
When did you first come out?
I came out when I was a junior in high school. It was the hardest time to, but I just couldn't hold it in any longer. However, I knew I was gay but did not understand my feelings when I was 5 years old. I had a crush on a girl in first grade. I would pick on her. I wanted her attention and that was the only way I knew how to get it, by being mean.
I read that you got a call from Donald Trump's office.
I about fell over when I finally heard the message. I had been at work all day and it was 9:30 at night when I finally had a chance to listen. That's when I knew I was doing the right thing by following this journey and learning more about who I am, and along the way making a difference.
You were the first openly gay Miss Long Beach contestant. Have you heard of other openly lesbian pageant contestants?
I was the first "open" contestant and I had not ever heard of someone being gay in the pageants to be honest. Until doing this myself I didn't know that apparently there are girls who are gay but just do not bring it up or blend right in with gowns and heels. I don't see what the big deal is to talk about it first. If these pageants really are about strong, young women helping their communities and embracing who they are… then I am exactly what they are looking for. I am strong and I want to help my community and I am doing exactly that.
You and Mollie Thomas will be the first openly gay Miss California competitors.
From what I understand, yes. It is hard for me to fathom that no one has challenged this yet. In a society that is so diverse we really do stay in our own comfort zones and don't try to blend lines that keep us apart and from better understanding one another.
Every Miss California contestant has a platform. What's yours?
I am bringing a platform of anti-bullying and equality within a diverse community. I want every adult to think to themselves about a time they felt inferior or thought that who they were was not good enough or they were bullied. I want to ask them, how did it make you feel? I know for myself. It was when my father died of AIDS, when I was 10 years old; shortly after that I went into a dark depression, unhappy and angry and unhealthy. I didn't care about anything and put on a lot of weight. Then I grew up into high school and came out that I was gay.
That experience inspired you?
This all drew me toward wanting to be there for the youth today. So I became a mentor. Everyone has been bullied at a point in time and it never felt good then nor does it now. So we have to decide together as a society — all people — that we want to work together to create a better future for these kids. So equality within a diverse community is my understanding of "world peace."
Is there a swimsuit competition? What do you wear for that?
Yes and not sure yet. [Laughs]
What do your parents think of all this?
They love what I am doing. I have had their full support from day one. My mom was my escort at the Miss Long Beach Pageant.


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• Eliminate your MITSUBISHI's throttle lag INSTANTLY! • Add more "power" to your pedal - from a dead stop to passing.• Switch between factory, sport and race settings! • Make your daily driving WAY more fun!
• Simply remove the harness connector from the accelerator pedal.• Plug the Sprint Booster Connector (red tab) into the pedal. • Switch between factory, sport and race settings! • Attached the harness connector to the Sprint Booster Connector.
Your car comes with a factory setting that gives your car a "gentle" acceleration - aka throttle lag.What Sprint Booster does instead, is override that factory setting and instead gives you an immediate response when you hit the pedal.
Put the pedal to the metal and make driving your MITSUBISHI fun again with Sprint Booster Power Converters.
PLEASE NOTE: Sprint Boosters V3 and the application guide on this site were specifically designed for autos sold in the US market. Car models sold outside the US market may not be compatible with the US Sprint Booster.


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Industry Insight
Unified communication is the combination of several communication applications into a one entity. Unified communication offers its services to real time communications (IP and voice telephony, instant messaging, data sharing, video conferencing, speech recognition, call control and others) and non-real time communications(e-mail, SMS, fax and voicemail). Thus, it unifies and automates the customer experience across several devices. Unified communication is used for both residential and commercial purposes. It helps in amending business processes as it allows faster delivery and execution information and media dependency. It allows users to communicate with other user by using different devices, mode of communication and media at anywhere. Unified communication industry circumscribe various communication models such as informational and transactional systems, unified messaging, interaction and collaboration systems and other non-real time and real time systems. Increasing usage of high speed broadband and availability of wireless connectivity networks is expected to drive the unified communication market over the forecasted period. Advancements of technology like 3G and 4G are also expected to witness substantial growth over the next few years.
The increasing acceptance of bring your own devices (BYOD), development of unified communication as a service and growing usage of mobile devices on a global level are expected to boost the market growth over the next five years. Increasing usage of Unified communication service in enterprise social networking is expected to fuel market growth. Development of new technologies that allow communication over a wider selection of end points is estimated to provide positive avenues to the market growth. However, high initial investment and lack of communication gap between different vendors may act as challenge to the market.
Product Insight
Unified communication can segmented into cloud and hosted systems and on premise systems. On premise systems tender control capabilities and better customization and are easier to manage. However, on premise systems require sufficient maintenance and well trained staff. This makes users to prefer cloud-based/hosted than on-premise systems. Development of cloud-based/hosted and cloud technology systems has been is expected to drive the market. They are easier to maintain, faster and offers flawless scaling abilities and decrease capital expenditure.
Application Insights
Enterprises esteemed for the highest share in the world wide unified communication market. This may be credited to the rising adoption of information technology in improving business processes and benefits such as presence, collaboration and mobility that are offered by unified communication systems. Thus unified communication systems help in improving the productivity and efficiency of organizations. Unified communication allows firms to have better operational agility, better customer engagement and connected employees. Healthcare, education and government are some of the other hopeful sectors for the growth of the market in the near future.
Regional Insights
The European and North America unified communication market is expected to grow a significant rate owing to existence of highly developed communication infrastructure. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow considerably over the forecasted period due to rising trend towards mobilization of organizations. High speed data networks and large population base in regions such as India and China is expected to provide favorable opportunities to the market growth in this region.
Competitive Insights
The key players in the Unified communication market include Avaay Inc., Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco Systems Inc., Microsoft Corporation, IBM Corporation, NEC Corporation Polycom Inc., Plantronics Inc., ShoreTel, Verizon Communications and Unify GmbH & Co. KG among others. . Market participants enter into mergers & acquisitions to sustain in the market.


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University near Cambria Palms Motel
California Polytechnic University
San Luis Obispo
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, four-year, comprehensive public university located in San Luis Obispo, California. The emphasis of the University is a "learn by doing" educational experience for its more than 18,000+ students. Many students seek admission to Cal Poly not only because of its excellent academic reputation, but also because the 6,000-acre main campus is nestled in the foothills of San Luis Obispo, just minutes from California's Central Coast beaches. Contact Information for Cal Poly…Postal Mail Address: 1 Grand Avenue (805) 756-1111 Campus Security Admissions Alumni Relations Housing Services Getting there… Traveling north on route 101 to San Luis Obispo:
Traveling south on route 101 to San Luis Obispo:
Parking…Parking permits can be obtained at the Visitor Information Center at the south entrance to the campus. General use parking permits can be purchased at several vending machines placed in the larger lots on campus. All directions below are intended to route you to the Visitor Information Center at the south entrance to the campus. Parking permits are required Monday – Thursday, 7:00 am – 10:00 pm and on Fridays from 7:00 am until 5:00 pm during Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters. (During summer quarter and academic breaks permits are required Monday – Friday, 7:00 am until 5:00 pm.) All other parking rules and regulations are enforced 7 days per week, 24 hrs. per day. | ||
Getting Started at Cal Poly…Cal Poly Admissions provides an informational website where prospective students are able to complete an online interest survey, which then will create a customized webpage (Also known as VIP page) with links to:
Any questions or comments are welcomed at firstname.lastname@example.com Some Brief Cal Poly Facts…


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Ben Platt Sings Out in First Music Video From Debut Album Sing to Me Instead
February 1st, 2019 | By Caitlin Moynihan
All we see is Ben Platt for forever. The Dear Evan Hansen Tony winner has surprised everyone by releasing a music video for "Bad Habit," one of the first singles off his previously announced debut album Sing to Me Instead. Currently available for pre-order, Platt's solo album will be released in its entirety on March 29. While waiting to hear more from the highly anticipated album, fans can listen to the newly released "Bad Habit" and "Ease My Mind." In the meantime, be sure to watch the addicting new music video below!


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Deimos on 10 July 2006, viewed by MGS MOC
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
Deimos, with crater names indicated
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems |
One might say that today is Deimos' birthday. To celebrate, we present here the first and only Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image of this tiny moon. Deimos was discovered 129 years ago on 11 August 1877 (U.S. time, it was 12 August UTC), by U.S. astronomer Asaph Hall. It was the first of two major discoveries that he made that month; less than a week later, he found the other, inner martian satellite, Phobos. About a month before the 129th anniversary of its discovery, on 10 July 2006, Mars Global Surveyor was pointed away from the martian surface, out toward distant Deimos. Imaging the smaller of the two martian moons was the result of a combined effort between MGS engineers at Lockheed Martin Astronautics and MOC operations engineers at Malin Space Science Systems. When the picture was acquired, Deimos was about 22,985 kilometers (14,285 miles) from MGS. This results in an image of approximately 95 meters (about 312 feet) per pixel. Higher resolution images were obtained by the Viking orbiters in the 1970s—some of those pictures were so good that boulders could be resolved on the moon's surface. While the MOC image is at a lower resolution than the Viking data, acquiring an image of Deimos helps refine the understanding of the tiny moon's orbit and geography. The two craters, Voltaire and Swift, are presently the only craters with names on all of Deimos. Author Jonathan Swift, in his 1726 Gulliver's Travels, had coincidentally surmised that Mars has two moons. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. MGS previously imaged the inner, larger moon, Phobos, on several occasions in 1998 and 2003. In 1998, MGS was in an elliptical orbit that permitted the spacecraft to actually fly past the moon; this was not done for Deimos because MGS hasn't been out past the orbit of Deimos since it arrived at the red planet in 1997. To review the MOC images of Phobos, visit:
The MGS MOC team thanks Philip J. Stooke, University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario, Canada) for his input on the geography of Deimos and the locations of Swift and Voltaire. |
Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, California. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, California and Denver, Colorado.


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The first tri-bureau credit score*
Developed by Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion
*Calculated on the VantageScore 3.0 model. Your VantageScore 3.0 from Experian indicates your credit risk level and is not used by all lenders, so don't be surprised if your lender uses a score that's different from your VantageScore 3.0. Click here to learn more about this.
Achieve your financial goals
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VantageScore® is a credit score that was developed by the three national credit reporting companies (CRCs) — Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. There are many different scoring systems with different scales, and a "good" credit score depends on the scoring system used by your particular lender. Unlike other scoring systems, the VantageScore credit score is the most consistent, using only one model with one set of scoring calculations—this results in scores that are more uniform across all three CRCs.
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Java 0Day: Turn off Java applets now
All versions of Java 7, including the current Java 7 update 6, are vulnerable to the hole that is already being exploited in the wild. With the publication of a vulnerability notice by the US-CERT and warnings from the German BSI (Federal Office for Information Security), the best advice for all users is to disable Java applets in their browsers on all operating systems.
The vulnerability can be exploited when a user visits a specially crafted web site and can be used to infect a system with malware. The code to exploit the problem is already available on the internet, making its use for infecting systems very likely. There is no patch available for the flaw so it is essential that users disable the Java plugins used by their browsers. Instructions for the various browsers can be found below:
- How to turn off Java Applets in Firefox
- Plugins in Chrome - refer to the Disable Specific Plugins section
- Disable Java in Safari
Opera's plugin controls can be found by entering opera:plugins
in the address bar. For Internet Explorer (IE), the process is apparently anything but simple; users should select the "Manage Add-ons" menu item and disable the Oracle Java plugins from there, but in testing it has been found that the exploit still worked after this. US-CERT also notes that this method "may not work on Vista or newer systems" and offers other options for IE users in their advisory's solution section. It may be simpler, of course, to just uninstall Java.
Where users must use Java to access particular sites, then one option would be to use Firefox and the NoScript add-on. NoScript can whitelist web sites which require access to the Java plugin. To test if Java is installed, users can use this browser check page. If Java is enabled, it will be displayed in a red banner with version number. If not, then the panels should be blank or asking to start/install Java to run the Java applets.
Some may consider downgrading to Java 6 to avoid the problem but this is unwise for a number of reasons. Firstly, although the vulnerability has been exposed on Java 7, there is always a possibility that a malicious developer will work out how to make use of it on Java 6. Secondly, Java 6 already has numerous security holes which have been closed in Java 7, so switching to it would merely expose users to a range of better known vulnerabilities. Oracle has, so far, neither warned customers about the vulnerability nor responded to heise Security, The H's associates in Germany, requests for comment. The next scheduled update for Java is due in October.
For more information and details about the vulnerability itself, The new Java 0day examined on The H Security.


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Common Skin Cancer a Chronic Condition, Study Says
Risk of new lesions doubles for those with three prior basal cell carcinomas
URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_127854.html
(*this news item will not be available after 10/31/2012)
Thursday, August 2, 2012
That's because once most people have a single occurrence, they are at risk of getting another.
"Basal cell carcinoma has generally been viewed as something that comes up, is treated and cured," said Dr. Martin Weinstock, a study co-author and professor of dermatology at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University in Providence, R.I. "For someone with an isolated lesion, that's a reasonable way of looking at it. But most people are constantly at risk of this and will be getting more."
The study confirmed what was commonly understood about the disease: a prior history of basal cell carcinoma is the greatest risk for another lesion. But the research found that eczema may also predict a recurrence among those at high risk for the disease. Those with a family history of eczema had a 1.54 times greater risk than those without.
Older age, sun sensitivity, intense sun exposure before age 30, and use of certain blood pressure-lowering medications (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers) were also associated with increased risk.
Why would eczema, a chronic skin disorder that involves scaly and itchy rashes, be associated with basal cell carcinoma? Weinstock said it's unclear. "There may be some differences in these people's immune systems compared to people without eczema," he said, noting that other investigators need to confirm the findings.
Having other types of skin cancer or actinic keratoses (scaly or crusty growths caused by sun damage) did not appear to raise the chances for basal cell carcinoma.
The study was published online July 19 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It involved more than 1,100 people, nearly all men, all veterans, with a median age of 72.
On average, each participant had more than three instances of basal cell cancer or squamous cell cancer (another type of skin cancer) before participating in the research. During the study period, 44 percent developed new basal cell cancers, and those with the most basal cell cancers in the five years before the study had the most recurrences.
Study participants with more than five prior basal cell cancers were nearly four times as likely to develop a new one as those with one or no prior skin cancers. And their risk was twice as high as those with three previous skin cancers, the study found.
Now the most common cancer in the United States, basal cell carcinoma begins in the outer layer of the skin, often as a small white or flesh-colored bump that grows slowly and sometimes bleeds. While these cancers rarely spread, they must be removed or treated, usually in a physician's office with local anesthetic.
Weinstock said researchers are eager to find a preventive medication to guard against the recurrence of basal cell carcinoma. Last year a team he led concluded that topical tretinoin did not prevent new basal cell cancers in high-risk patients. Now he is involved in a study looking at whether 5-Fluorouracil, a compound used to treat actinic keratoses, may prevent basal cell cancer when given intravenously.
Dr. Jean Tang, an assistant professor in the department of dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine who is familiar with the study, said the most important thing for patients to know is that if you have had a basal cell carcinoma, you have a 44 percent chance of getting another.
"This study doesn't change any clinical guidelines or recommendations," she added. Current advice still stands: "Get an annual skin assessment by your dermatologist," she said.
Copyright (c) 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
- More Health News on:
- Skin Cancer


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Justices to review pharma payments
The high court will look into the way firms pay to delay generic drugs from coming on the market.
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court will take a close look at payments brand-name drug makers gave to manufacturers of generic equivalents to keep the no-name products off the market at an estimated cost of $3.5 billion a year to U.S. consumers.
The justices said Friday they would consider competing appeals court decisions about whether the practice known as reverse payments, or "pay for delay," illegally reduces competition by delaying the sale of substantially cheaper generic drugs.
The payments typically are made to resolve patent-infringement claims by the brand-name manufacturers against makers of generic drugs. What is unusual about the practice is that the claim is resolved by a payment from the company that holds the patent rights to the company accused of violating them.
The Federal Trade Commission says either Congress or the Supreme Court should take action to protect consumers from what it terms the anticompetitive agreements. Generic drugs can sell for as little as 10 percent of the brand-name price. The sale of generic products can wipe out the vast majority of the market for higher-priced brand-name drugs.
The cases at issue all involve challenges to agreements between drug companies that delayed the sale of generic versions of patented drugs. The challengers include the federal government as well as national drugstore and supermarket chains that argue their customers are being forced to pay more for prescription drugs because of the agreements.
FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz has called the agreements "win-win deals for both companies. But they leave American consumers footing the bill." The FTC says the settlements add an average of 17 months to the time it takes to get generic drugs on the market.
Drug makers argue such settlements are an efficient way to end costly patent litigation and also speed the delivery of cheaper treatments to the market.
Traditionally, generic drug-makers challenge the patents on branded drugs in order to bring their own, cheaper versions to market. Banning settlements could dissuade generic firms from challenging patents, the companies say.
Arguments likely will be heard in March.


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It was a few days before the Intern Photo Challenge submission was due. The interns at NASA's Johnson Space Center slowly shuffled into our weekly meeting, and you could hear the usual bouts of laughter muffled from the outside. It wasn't long before someone brought up the Intern Photo Challenge. As a fiercely competitive and creative group, we knew we had to create something unique to clutch Johnson Space Center's first win. We were in a special position being at our location since many of the suggested photos surrounded Mission Control or other iconic Johnson locations. This was to our advantage, but we thought it would be too simple to settle for the obvious. Additionally, gaining access to Mission Control overnight would be just as grandiose a challenge. A small group of us decided that it would be best to pick a photo that wasn't originally suggested. Logan Bennett spearheaded the photo search with thoughts that we needed something more eye-catching. After searching through hundreds of photos on NASA commons he had found the one. Logan and Barry Berridge held a brainstorm session on how to tackle this multifaceted photo.
Many questions that needed to be answered included things like, "How do we create the smoke?", "Where are we going to get the outfits?", and "How are we going to do this with two days left?" It was clear early on that we were going to need to create a plan. This photo was far too complex to "wing it." Logan made a dozen phone calls to local party and Halloween stores searching for something to create the orange smoke. He eventually concluded that we were going to need to purchase an actual smoke signal. Alex Kafer handmade the hats, the orange flight suits were purchased at Space Center Houston, and the remaining materials were collected at a local Walmart. We gathered our team and created our plan.
Our team consisted of (me) Jenna Kay Foertsch pictured on the left, Logan Bennett pictured in the middle, Dallas Capozza pictured on the right, Alex Kafer not pictured because he was under water holding us up, Meredith Murray was the genius behind the camera, and Barry Berridge was support.
It was time to take the photo. Saying that this "photoshoot" was madness is an understatement. We picked the nearby lake, Clear Lake, as our photo spot. Only, we went to the wrong lake. We somehow ended up at the lake across from Clear Lake infamously known as Mud Lake, or, alligator haven. Of course, we didn't know we were in Mud Lake until various Johnson employees later saw the picture and all did a double take on our location choice. Regardless, we plunged into the cold water. In the photo, the three astronauts have their legs tangled up. As we were determined to be as accurate as possible, we flailed in the water for quite some time trying to get our legs up. Alex had to eventually dive in and push us up for us to appear as if we were floating.
What followed included a flurry of comedic events. We dealt with a wet flare, hats flying away, and interns floating in opposite directions. We finally pulled it together and lit the flare. I wish I could say that our expressions of discomfort were an imitation of the photo and not a result of us flopping around. We eventually crawled out of the water and proceeded to walk around in our drenched flight suits. Passersby gave us various funny looks. The looks could have been from the wet flight suits, or they could have been that a group of kids just crawled out of Mud Lake, either way there was nothing to see here, just a few interns.
After Alex, Meredith, and Logan enhanced the photo, the true challenge began. Our true creativity came with our efforts to advertise our photo. Many of our interns shared the photo with their friends, families, and colleges. Alex, Logan, and Dallas spent quite some time reaching out to individual people to get attention to the photo. I contacted Space Center Houston, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, and Citizens for Space Exploration for assistance. Being from the Space City was an advantage that we knew we needed to take advantage of. We also contacted groups such as Space Hipsters on Facebook and other individuals on Twitter and Instagram. I had also previously participated in a NASA Social and posted it in the alumni group. The space community never fails to surprise me with their kindness and support.
We were elated when we found out we had clutched the victory. It was the weekend of our intern beach trip and we ran up and down the shoreline in celebration. In a true NASA fashion, our creativity, hard work, and perseverance paid off.
About the Author
Jenna Kay Foertsch, a Business and Marketing Education major from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, is a NASA Intern at NASA's Johnson Space Center. In her internship she helps to manage and improve a co-working space at JSC, utilizing WordPress capabilities, creating data dashboards, and producing strategic content for the Center Operations Directorate.


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ERC Meeting
January 12, 2025@6:00 pm-7:00 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every month that begins at 6:00 pm on day Second of the month, repeating indefinitely
Erie Recreation Commission (ERC) exists to provide activities and opportunities for the entire community that encourage teamwork, sportsmanship, and FUN.
All public is welcome to attend the meetings, though if an issue is to be addressed, advanced notice is required.
The Recreation Commission oversees youth sports, concessions, and the City Pool. Questions or concerns can be best addressed by contacting one of the ERC members or attending a meeting, with advanced notice given to at least one member.
ERC includes 5 members:
Jennifer DeMeritt
Kristi Dillinger
Sarah Jones
Jack Kennedy
Denise Reissig


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Picture of the Day: Denise and her tight body
Here's fitness model Denise in a super-sexy hand bra pose where you can get an appreciation of her amazing tight body.
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Citigroup's $100 Billion Problem
There's no getting around it: Bank stocks look cheap.
With the exception of Wells Fargo (NYS: WFC) , shares in the nation's largest banks are trading for a fraction of book value: JPMorgan Chase (NYS: JPM) at 70%, Citigroup (NYS: C) at 44%, and Bank of America (NYS: BAC) at a pathetic 40%.
As my colleague Matt Koppenheffer recently opined: "Not that long ago, buying any of these major banks at these valuations would have seemed like a no-brainer."
But what looks too good to be true, often is.
While there are many explanations for these valuations -- the European debt crisis, new regulations, and so on -- in Citigroup's case, it has to do with a massive $100 billion portfolio of toxic mortgages sequestered in Citi Holdings, the much-maligned division of Citigroup created in 2009.
How toxic is it?
Allow me to run some numbers by you.
First, at the end of the first quarter, an astounding 31% and 46% of the portfolio's residential first mortgages and home equity loans were underwater, respectively. In Citi's experience, the delinquency rate of these is anywhere between two to four times the delinquency rate of loans that aren't similarly upside down.
Second, $8.5 billion of the portfolio's loans are already delinquent. Of Citi Holdings' residential real estate loans, $3.9 billion is 30 to 89 days delinquent, and $4.6 billion is more than 90 days delinquent.
Source: Citigroup's Q2 2012 quarterly financial data supplement. DPD: days past due. NCL: net credit loss.
Finally, 2.3% of Citi's combined residential first mortgage portfolio is in foreclosure -- because this figure includes mortgages from the Citicorp division as well, it's safe to assume that Citi Holdings' foreclosure inventory alone is proportionally much higher.
For Citigroup overall, in turn, these figures have contributed to quarterly net credit losses of $3.6 billion to $5.1 billion in each of the past five quarters. To give you a comparison, its second-quarter provision for credit losses of $2.8 billion, a related accounting figure, exceeded even its closest competitor in this regard by 55%.
Bank | Provision for Credit Losses |
Citigroup | $2.8 billion |
Bank of America | $1.8 billion |
Wells Fargo | $1.6 billion |
JPMorgan Chase | $0.2 billion |
Source: Earnings release financial supplements.
How did it get so bad?
One of the reasons Citi's portfolio of toxic mortgages is so rancid is that a large portion of its mortgages date to 2006 and 2007, when mortgage origination standards were effectively nonexistent.
According to the most recent data I could find, as of a year ago, 37% of Citigroup's U.S. consumer mortgage portfolio consisted of so-called 2006 and 2007 vintages. Notably, these loans have above-average delinquency rates of 6% and 6.8%, respectively.
In addition, many of the mortgages are clustered in states that suffered the largest real estate busts. For instance, 28% of Citi's residential first mortgages are in California, where 39% of its borrowers are underwater, 5% are in Florida with 56% underwater, and 3% are in Arizona and Nevada, with an astounding 70% underwater.
State/Region | Percent of Citi's Mortgage Portfolio | Percent of Underwater Mortgages |
California | 28% | 39% |
New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut | 14% | 12% |
Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan | 5% | 47% |
Florida | 5% | 56% |
Illinois | 4% | 49% |
Arizona and Nevada | 3% | 70% |
Other | 41% | 23% |
Total | 100% | 31% |
Source: Citigroup's Q1 2012 10-Q.
With figures like these, perhaps the question shouldn't be "How did it get so bad?" but rather "Why isn't it worse?" I mean, think about it: Citi Holdings has more than $300 billion in underwater real estate loans on its balance sheet, and it's written off only $3.6 billion to $5.1 billion a quarter!
OK, so why isn't it worse?
The main reason the losses haven't been worse is that the bank has aggressively reduced the size of Citi Holdings over the past few years, pushing the risk onto others through asset sales. At its peak four years ago, the division held $827 billion in assets. Today, it has $191 billion. On average, in turn, Citi has disposed of roughly $40 billion of Citi Holdings' toxic assets a quarter since 2008.
But don't get your hopes up just yet, because in the first quarter of this year, Citi found itself able to sell or modify only about $500 million in delinquent residential first mortgages -- a far cry from $40 billion. In accompanying notes, Citi commented that its "ability to offset increasing delinquencies or net credit losses in its residential first mortgage portfolio ... pursuant to asset sales or modifications could be limited going forward given the lack of remaining inventory of loans to sell or modify (or due to lack of market demand for asset sale)."
Thus, from here on out, absorbing losses from the remainder of Citi's toxic mortgage portfolio is likely to be a solo mission.
What all of this means for Citigroup's current and prospective shareholders
To make a long story short, if you follow financial stocks or own shares in Citigroup and have been wondering why the bank trades for less than half of book value, the reason is simple: It's sitting on a $100 billion tinder box of largely toxic mortgages.
Will this cause the bank to fail? No. But will it stifle earnings and prevent the payment of a respectable dividend for years to come? Yes. For how long? Who knows? But I'd certainly say that it's closer to five years than to one.
Consequently, unless you're willing to wait, if you're looking for a suitable bank to invest in, look elsewhere. And one place to start is our recent free report, "The Stocks Only the Smartest Investors Are Buying," which profiles a small bank that has consistently been one of America's best banks, not to mention bank stocks, since the financial crisis.
Access this free report while it's still available.
The article Citigroup's $100 Billion Problem originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor John Maxfield owns shares in Bank of America. The Motley Fool owns shares of Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of Goldman Sachs. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
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