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Kathy Roselli did not know she would become a filmmaker five years ago. It took the wish of a young girl to let her know she should.
At the time, Roselli was at the end of a career as a pediatric physical therapist in Mount Shasta, Calif. One of her patients was Isabelle Blackburn, who has Rett Syndrome, a rare disorder of the nervous system that leads to developmental reversals in language and hand gestures.
Isabelle cannot speak, at least not with words, and Roselli had been working with her for some time. One day the pair were watching a movie together, and Roselli happened to ask Isabelle if she wanted her to make a movie about her.
Roselli said Isabelle was able to communicate her excitement with her actions so convincingly that Roselli was inspired to make the film — even though she had no filmmaking experience and little knowledge of the industry except a lifelong love of movies.
"I was looking forward to retirement, and I didn't have a specific plan," said Roselli, 65, who 18 months ago moved to Ashland with her husband, Rand. "I'm thrilled because I get to reinvent myself in my retirement years."
It took her three years to finish her first film, a 30-minute documentary titled "Portrait of Isabelle." She entered it in the Focus Film Festival in October in Chico, Calif., and it won the Audience Award and the Spirit Award.
Roselli then embarked on "Breath: In Three Verses," which won the Audience Choice Award at January's OpenLens Festival in Eugene. It will be shown at next month's Ashland Independent Film Festival as part of the Locals Only portion.
Now, she's working on a film about Colestin Valley resident Mouna Wilson, a master voice teacher who at 77 is losing her hearing. This one is called "Being with Mouna."
But it all started with Isabelle, whom Roselli called her muse.
Soon after Isabelle told her that she wanted her to make the movie, Roselli enrolled at the College of the Siskiyous in Weed, Calif. She took television and studio production and video production from Ron Demele, an Ashland resident.
"She really excelled in it because she put her heart in it," he said.
Demele, who saw an early version of "Portrait of Isabelle," said Roselli has a good sensitivity, works well with her subjects and is tenacious in completing her projects.
Roselli said her first foray into film was sometimes filled with doubt. She learned that documentary filmmaking required going with the flow and trusting in the outcome. She said that's different than a fiction film, in which the director takes control and guides it to a specific destination.
"When you do a documentary, God's in charge," she said.
One moment gave her confidence. Isabelle's mother and sister had left the house, and Roselli stayed behind to watch the sleeping girl. Roselli decided to pull out her camera and film her as she slept. Isabelle woke, and with the camera on her, she said, "Mom, mom, mom."
Roselli said this was the first time Isabelle had spoken in a way that sounded like a specific word.
"When I captured that on film, wow, that was the reinforcement that said I needed to make this movie," Roselli said.
She followed Isabelle for three years, documenting the girl's journey in the school system and her family's attempts to give her the best life and education possible.
In her next attempt, "Breath: In Three Verses," she wanted to pay tribute to the life force of humans. She filmed 45 people using their breath for the 15-minute film, which is divided into three sections. The first section shows the sounds of breath. The second shows the different ways people use breath. The third deals with people's first and last breaths.
She hopes to finish "Being With Mouna" by October so she can enter it into the 2014 AIFF.
Claudia Ballard, the owner of Storyline Pictures in Ashland, is assisting with the editing of "Being With Mouna." She said Roselli has made great films and has the potential to produce "top-of-the-line" work.
"Her films are full of beauty and truth," Ballard said.
And Roselli's specific with what she wants to get done, while trusting in the outcome, Ballard said.
"She just has this positive attitude that things are going to fall into place," Ballard said, "and they do."
Roselli, mother of two grown children and grandmother of four, said she admires filmmakers who take on social issues, such as genetically modified organisms and health care, and might at some point move toward that genre.
For now, though, she said her goal as a filmmaker is to tell stories that make people feel something.
"I want to open people's hearts," she said.
Vince Tweddell is a freelance writer living in Talent. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com.
'I want to open people's hearts'
Kathy Roselli did not know she would become a filmmaker five years ago. It took the wish of a young girl to let her know she should.


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It all depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is
Bill Clinton
Remember the media meme that tax increases were necessary to be sure the rich pay their fair share? Well apparently to democrats, the party of the little guy and the media "The Rich" doesn't include General Electric, Citigroup, Diageo (makers of Puerto Rician Rum) Citi, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, American Wind Energy Association and The Motion Picture Association of America.
Apparently they wanted a big batch of tax credits and favors and paid millions to lobbyists to achieve them, they put these credits into a Senate bill called the Family and Business Tax Cut Certainty Act of 2012.
Now as the GOP didn't support this massive tax giveaway and a House of Representatives with a strong Tea Party presence wasn't about to pass it. In fact according to the site Govtrack.us…
Introduced Aug 28, 2012
Reported by Committee Aug 28, 2012
Passed Senate (not yet occurred)
Passed House (not yet occurred)
Signed by the President (not yet occurred)
The committees assigned to this bill sent it to the House or Senate as a whole for consideration on August 28, 2012.
Prognosis: 19% chance of being enacted.
Or at least that would have been the odds but according to Tim Carney of the Washington Times:
A Republican Senate aide familiar with the cliff negotiations tells me the White House wanted permanent extensions of a whole slew of corporate tax credits. When Senate Republicans said no, "the White House insisted that the exact language" of the Baucus bill be included in the fiscal cliff deal. "They were absolutely insistent," another aide tells me. (The White House did not return requests for comment.)
Sure enough, Title II of the fiscal cliff legislation is nearly a word-for-word replication of the Family and Business Tax Cut Certainty Act of 2012.
So the Democrats,the protectors of the little guy, the people who were going to make sure that the rich paid their fair share and President Obama their champion managed to do what corporate lobbyists couldn't add this unpassable bill into the fiscal cliff legislation, passed it in the senate and sent to the house where democrats voted for it en masse and enough establishment Republicans could make sure their corporate friends had their reward.
There was a time when media would have screamed foul, there was a time when such a bill once read and known to the public would not have been possible, but the media has already defined the villain as the GOP and the heroes as the Democrats in general and this President in particular and no amount of truth could change it.
We get the government we deserve, I really thought we deserved better.
Update: The Wall Street Journal adds to the list:
In praising Congress's huge new tax increase, President Obama said Tuesday that "millionaires and billionaires" will finally "pay their fair share." That is, unless you are a Nascar track owner, a wind-energy company or the owners of StarKist Tuna, among many others who managed to get their taxes reduced in Congress's New Year celebration.
and they have a solution for the GOP
Republicans who are looking for a new populist message have one waiting here, and they could start by repudiating the corporate welfare in this New Year disgrace.
and even better they can ask where the MSM were when this happened?

subset: commoncrawl


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Who can recall the late Stokely Carmichael's first name and not associate it with the two most incendiary words of the 1960s, Black Power? Carmichael was one of many individuals present at the creation of the black student movement, the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the civil rights struggles of the Deep South and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. He was also one of the movement's most polarizing figures. In the eyes of many civil rights activists, especially white liberals, it was Carmichael more than anyone who contributed to the dissolution of the grand alliance–civil rights Negroes, labor, church, liberals and the Democratic Party–that sent the movement crashing into Black Power, thereby provoking white backlash. But for others, like Carmichael himself and many blacks of that era, it was time for "black liberation" and not token integration.
For better or for worse, Carmichael's legacy is primarily associated with that Molotov cocktail phrase, and in many ways he is emblematic of the black left's decision to "serve the people," as SNCC activists did in the South. Yet the former head of SNCC and the "prime minister" of the Black Panther Party helped usher in a new era of black politics that moved away from problem-solving in favor of "symbolic" or "expressive" politics. This form of politics, in which either the ideology of blackness or flamboyant rhetorical skills replaced organizing and programs, has been the guiding principle of what purports to be black politics since the late 1960s. One only needs to look at the likes of Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan and Al Sharpton to judge its effectiveness.
Carmichael, who died at his home in Guinea in 1998 as Kwame Ture, has posthumously left a chronicle of his life and times, Ready for Revolution: The Life and Struggles of Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), "co-authored" by an old running buddy and comrade, the Jamaican-born novelist Ekwueme Michael Thelwell. In a surprisingly muted and engaging tone and style, the late activist recounts his childhood, political coming of age and being "ready for revolution." Perhaps because he knew that he was stricken with a terminal disease, Carmichael is quite gracious toward those whom years ago he would have denounced as "Uncle Toms" at the raising of a clenched fist. He peppers the storytelling with African-American colloquialisms and excursions into patois that echo his native Trinidad, the South, the street, the church and the bush. Reading the book, in fact, is like sitting down with the last of the "grand old men" of the movement and having him give you the back-story as to what was going on. It adds to the historical record the memoirs of a legendary but later reclusive historical actor. It is passionate about politics and struggle, poignant in regard to Carmichael's love, respect and admiration for ordinary black folk ("mah people, mah people"), and he is dead-up hilarious in describing the twists and turns on the road to revolution, though evasive and delusional in other matters.
Born in 1941 to working-class, West Indian parents (father a carpenter, mother a seamstress) who hailed from Trinidad and moved to New York, Carmichael was a nonnative American citizen, an outsider in his adoptive home. Yet as a son of the African diaspora he was also a part of a tradition to which Afro-Caribbeans had contributed mightily, the tradition of black radicalism that also numbered men like Marcus Garvey, C.L.R. James, George Padmore, Martinique's Aimé Césaire and Frantz Fanon, Puerto Rico's Arturo Schomburg and women like Malcolm X's mother, who was also a West Indian. Unlike segregated African-Americans, Caribbeans like Carmichael's parents had grown up in majority-black countries where they hadn't been totally indoctrinated into accepting a subservient position. Although most of the British Caribbean world would not be decolonized until the 1960s, Afro-Caribbeans, as British subjects, were used to running at least some aspects of their own show. They had had, in other words, a taste of power.


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Before the trade deadline we asked Phillies fans to vote on which players and coaches they'd like to see stay with the team, and those who could depart without much fanfare. Now, we've got the results.
The fans have no misunderstanding of the term "get young" - the average age of players they voted to keep was 28. The only 30+ players voted to stay were Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Erik Kratz, and Kevin Frandsen (The average age of the cast-offs was 32; no, I did not count Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro).
No one who was voted to go last year was voted to stay this year.
The most dramatic shift belongs to Carlos Ruiz, who went from basking in the love of 98.4% last year at this time to being voted to leave by 76.4% of you. But behind Chooch is Chase Utley, who is being voted out of Philadelphia baseball for the first time in his career.
Michael Martinez changed the least, dropping 0.1 points from 89.1% go to 89% go. Somebody forgot to vote this year.
Based on the voting, the 2013 All-Fan Phillies Roster would look like this:
- 1B Darin Ruf
- 2B Cesar Hernandez
- SS Freddy Galvis
- 3B Kevin Frandsen
- OF Domonic Brown
- OF Ben Revere
- C Erik Kratz
- P Hamels
- P Kyle Kendrick
- P Cliff Lee
- P Jonathan Pettibone
- P Roy Halladay
An anonymous Phillies writer has provided commentary for several selections, and for comparison, last year's numbers (when available) appear italicized.
Get out
- Jonathan Papelbon (93.8% go)
- Laynce Nix (92.7% go) (Last year: 76.3% go)
- Delmon Young (91.7% go)
- Michael Young (90.8% go)
Just months ago, we were all pulling for Paps to be an All-Star. Now, the city wants his head. Laynce Nix's sub-.500 OPS has gained him little traction to recover from getting voted out last year, and following the soundless trade deadline, everyone's resentment of both Delmon and Michael Young has crossed the 90th percentile.
Phillies writer: "If only there was a month that motivated teams to swap players for other players..."
There's the door
- Michael Martinez (89% go) (Last year: 89.1% go)
- John McDonald (88.4% go)
- Ruben Amaro (79.5% go) (Last year: 56% stay)
- Charlie Manuel (78.5% go) (Last year: 53% stay)
- Ryan Howard (77.3% go) (Last year: 63% stay)
- Carlos Ruiz (76.5% go) (Last year: 98.4% stay)
- John Lannan (73.8% go)
The players are the ones we see on a nightly bases, flailing around out there, so maybe the lack of visibility for Charlie Manuel and to a deeper extent, Ruben Amaro, is what keeps the management duo below 80%. People still want them out, resoundingly so, but not "Jonathan Papelbon" out.
Meanwhile, Ryan Howard's contract hasn't gotten any better, while his physical problems have only gotten worse. John Lannan is the only starting pitcher to not make the cut, and he's pitched 33.9 more innings than Roy Halladay this sason. Chooch's farewell is sad, but necessary, and made slightly easier by the fact that he's having trouble getting the ball out of the infield.
It has been proven that no amount of voting will get Michael Martinez out of this city.
Phillies writer: "Manuel's contract is up after the season and he has been great to the organization. Let him go out on his own terms, rather than embarrassing him with a late-season firing. And Ruiz ideally would have gone to the Yankees with Michael Young before the deadline, but if he's going to ride out the season, the Phillies may as well see if he'll stick around for another year or two. Tommy Joseph and Cameron Rupp are still not ready, so having Ruiz bridge the Phillies to the new catching era would be nice."
Sorry it had to be this way
- Jimmy Rollins (69.1% go) (Last year: 75% stay)
- John Mayberry (66% go) (Last year: 51% go)
- Chase Utley (51.2% go) (Last year: 87% stay)
You know it's a bad season if Philadelphia has voted for Chase Utley to go, regardless of how audible their sobs were as they clicked their mouse buttons.
J-Roll didn't run out enough pop-ups to gain favor, and did himself no good by burrowing into the Phillies with his no trade clause. John Mayberry's regression since 2011 has unsurprisingly included further regression.
Phillies writer: "What's the justification? If the voters think [Utley]'s too injury-prone and they'd rather see him traded for prospects, I agree. If they think he is unproductive, I vehemently disagree."
Have a seat
- Domonic Brown (94.7% stay) (Last year: 66% stay)
- Darin Ruf (89.6% stay) (Last year: 97.9% stay)
- Kevin Frandsen (86.8% stay) (Last year: 94% stay)
- Cesar Hernandez (83.5% stay)
- Ben Revere (82.8% stay)
Boy, we really love Kevin Frandsen - and only slightly less than last year. Dom Brown, this year's Carlos Ruiz, was the top stay-vote getter of any Phillie, and Darin Ruf wasn't too far behind him. That Eastern League triple crown run is proving harder to forget than assumed.
An ongoing theme on this list is long term injury not rattling affection, and people are willing to forgive Ben Revere's broken foot for the monstrous run he went on prior to that stupid foul ball. People liked what they saw in Cesar Hernandez, as well.
Phillies writer: (On Dom Brown and Ben Revere being only starting position players to get the 'stay' vote) "Says a lot about how Ruben Amaro has constructed the roster, doesn't it? Ugly."
You might as well
- Cole Hamels (79.4% stay) (Last year: 98.7% stay)
- Freddy Galvis (77.9% stay) (Last year: 80.6% stay)
- Erik Kratz (77.1% stay) (Last year: 96.7% stay)
Cole is locked up anyway, Galvis is a terrific defensive option, and Erik Kratz... has apparently only done about 20 percentage points worth of damage to his reputation since last season.
- Kyle Kendrick (64.8% stay) (Last year: 79.9% stay)
- Cliff Lee (63.3% stay) (Last year: 91.8% stay)
- Jonathan Pettibone (61% stay)
- Roy Halladay (60.8% stay) (Last year: 85.6% stay)
People liked what they saw in Kendrick and Pettibone this season, while Doc and Cliff's reps were so good, they could take 25-30 point hits and still make the team, even though one of them just had shoulder surgery.
Phillies writer: "I have to imagine there would be a few teams willing to take a chance on Halladay after his surgery. He won't be the difference between the Phillies being good or bad next year, so they should turn the page."


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The Most Loathed Candidates Running in Today's Primary Elections
It's election day! And as we all know, elections are about voting out politicians who we hate—especially this year, when a bunch of "establishment" candidates could lose. Let us help you figure out who you should hate today.
Something is happening in this country today: Can you feel it? It is called "democracy," and it is the only good thing left now that we don't have a Gulf of Mexico anymore. Americans love democracy, because it's our traditional method of letting politicians know how much we hate them. And today, voters in Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Kentucky will be letting some of their least-favorite politicians know exactly how much they are hated, though the technique of not voting for them.
It used to be, we hated politicians for things like "being corrupt" or "taking away our guns" or "aborting a baby." But now we just hate them for being "incumbents," and being alive, and living in Washington, D.C., while we are unemployed, and covered in oil, and living in a Radio Shack bathroom. So even if you can't vote today, take some pleasure in the fact that your own personal hatred is being channeled through the votes of others. Even if they are voting for someone you also hate.
We've spotlighted some of the funnest races to watch tonight, so that you too can feel the hate surging through your body. Here is our handy guide to Today's Most-Hated Politicians:
Democratic Senate Primary
Most-Hated Candidate: Arlen Specter
Why Do You Hate Arlen Specter? The guy used to be a Republican. Sure, he supported the public option, but can't you still smell the stench of limited government on him? Plus, he has been a senator since William Penn founded Pennsylvania.
Candidate Who You Will Hold Your Nose and Vote For: Joe Sestak
Why You Will Soon Hate Joe Sestak: You love this guy now, what with his MoveOn-dot-coms and his liberal energy. But soon you will not, because is mostly just like Arlen Specter, except not actually Arlen Specter.
Special House Election
Most-Hated Former Candidate: The late Democratic congressman Jack Murtha
Why Do You Hate Jack Murtha? For dying and making us vote in a special election.
Candidate Who You Will Hold Your Nose and Vote For: Mark Critz
Why You Will Soon Hate Mark Critz: Mark Critz's awesome campaign ad: "I opposed the health care bill. And I'm pro-life, and pro-gun. That's not liberal."
Democratic Senate Primary
Most-Hated Candidate: Blanche Lincoln
Why Do You Hate Blanche Lincoln? I mean, where do we even start with this one? Possible, you hate her due to her delightful support for loan sharks, or her utter hatred for the actual Democratic party platform. Or maybe you hate her because her recent do-goodery on the financial reform bill hides the fact that she is the all-time most-useless Democratic senator. Either way, you hate her.
Candidate Who You Will Hold Your Nose and Vote For: Lt. Gov Bill Halter
Why You Will Soon Hate Bill Halter: Well, probably you will hate him pretty soon because he will lose in an Arkansas general election. But it's not like he'll cost the Democrats a vote!
Republican Senate Primary
Most-Hated Candidate: Trey Grayson
Why Do You Hate Trey Grayson? You hate him because he is not the son of Superhero/Possible Elder God Congressman Ron Paul, the Last True Constitutional Scholar, and therefore is hoping to murder us all using FEMA chemtrails.
Candidate Who You Will Hold Your Nose and Vote For: Dr. Rand Paul, who is a doctor of eyes and the gold standard.
Why You Will Soon Hate Rand Paul: You are one of those people, in the Rush t-shirt, who wants to blow up the Federal Reserve? You will hate Rand Paul because he is a "real" Republican, who is against the abortions and so forth, instead of a "fun" Republican like his dad, who is not sure why we can't go back to mercantilism.
Republican Governor's Primary
Most-Hated Candidate: The Los Angeles Lakers
Why Do You Hate the Los Angeles Lakers? For ripping out Portland's collective heart in 2000 by beating the Trailblazers in a seven-game playoff series.
Candidate Who You Will Hold Your Nose and Vote For: Former NBA player Chris Dudley, who as governor will rebalance the state's basketball karma.
Why You Will Soon Hate Chris Dudley: I mean, did you ever see the guy shoot?
So there you have it. Can't wait to vote all of the new people out of office in a few years.
[Pics via Getty, AP]


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News Posts
Orion Through the Ages
by AMNH on
Astronomers have had an eye on this iconic constellation for years, and representations of it have changed over time.
Q&A: John Burroughs Medal Winner Sherry Simpson on Living With Bears
by AMNH on
The winner of the 2015 John Burroughs Medal for nature writing says the reality of living alongside these complex animals is much different than we might think.
Fast Facts: Peacock Mantis Shrimp
by AMNH on
From their amazing eyes to their powerful punch, there's almost nothing about these undersea predators that's not extreme.
Go WILD at the Museum!
by AMNH on
Celebrate the long-awaited arrival of spring with live animals, big-screen movies, and more at the Museum over Spring Break.
Tough Tardigrades
by AMNH on
These microscopic animals are among nature's hardiest survivors. That's why they're headlining the new exhibition Life at the Limits, opening this weekend.


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ATHENS, Ga., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've developed an LED that emits a warm light rather than the bluish, cold light that's held LEDs back from use in indoor lighting.
University of Georgia scientists say the LED is the first that emits a warm white light, using a single light emitting material, or phosphor, with a single emitting center for illumination.
"Right now, white LEDs are mainly used in flashlights and in automotive lamps, but they give off a bluish, cool light that people tend to dislike, especially in indoor lighting," physics Professor Zhengwei Pan said. "Our material achieves a warm color temperature while at the same time giving highly accurate color rendition, which is something no single-phosphor-converted LED has ever been shown to do."
Warm white light can be achieved with a blue LED chip coated with light emitting materials but combining the source materials in an exact ratio can be difficult and costly, Pan said -- and the resulting color often varies because each of the source materials responds differently to temperature variations.
"The use of a single phosphor solves the problem of color stability because the color quality doesn't change with increasing temperatures," co-researcher Xufan Li, an engineering doctoral student, said.
There are still design and production hurdles to be overcome before the material is used to light homes, businesses and schools.
"We still have more work to do, but the color temperature and rendition that we have achieved gives us a very good starting point," Pan said.


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I will be posting a new Clay Baboons story on Wednesday.
In the meantime, just a bit of housekeeping...
First of all...
You should like me on facebook.
Here's why:
Behind the scenes transformation photos...
Never before seen footage...
(Errr...this pic doesn't actually make any sense at all without the title.)
Things That Are Creepy: a Completely Objective and Unbiased List
Reader special requests...
(Remember Laura: there is nothing to fear but fear itself. And also spiders.)
So yeah...come join me on facebook.
Pretty persuasive argument, right?
And also...
I'm jumping into the Blogging From A to Z Challenge this April! The idea is that bloggers post 26 entries in one month, with each post corresponding to a letter of the alphabet. I won't be posting 26 stories in April. I do have to sleep, after all. But I do plan on posting 4 full weekly stories, and 22 other photos/short blurbs!
If you're a blogger, consider jumping into the challenge! At the time of typing, there are already 508 participants!
And finally..
This past month, many lovely readers have shared my work. I appreciate it enormously!
I wanted to give a shout-out to some bloggers who have given me awards over the past few weeks. Thank you to Socks Without Pairs, Waiting For Little Feet, Tangent Shell, Feeding the Cat and Mothers of Brothers.
And to everyone who has linked to me on Facebook, shared my work on Twitter or linked to me on their blogs...thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm really humbled anytime anyone shares my work. Thank you for spreading the word about Clay Baboons.


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Corn dropped for an eighth day to trade near a three-year low on speculation that the U.S. government will raise its production estimate.
Corn for December delivery lost 0.2 percent to $4.195 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade by 10:55 a.m. Singapore time. Futures fell to $4.19 yesterday, the lowest price since Aug. 25, 2010. An eighth day of declines would match the worst run since July 1. Futures decreased 1.8 percent this week, heading for a third weekly loss.
The grain has slumped 40 percent this year as output in the U.S., the world's biggest grower, recovers from the country's most-severe drought since the 1930s last year. The harvest may reach a record 14.029 billion bushels, or 1.3 percent more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture's prediction in September and 30 percent larger than in 2012, according to a Bloomberg survey of 36 analysts. The USDA will update its forecasts today.
"The market is positioned for a bearish USDA, based on improved production potentials relative to those predicted in September," Luke Mathews, a commodity strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said in a report today.
Wheat for December delivery was unchanged at $6.53 a bushel, set for a third week of declines. Soybeans for January delivery were little changed at $12.6525 a bushel, poised for a weekly gain.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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The Pinocchio Syndrome: Breathing life into "wooden" characters
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The Pinocchio Syndrome: Breathing life into "wooden" characters
Originally written by Jillian Clayton
As a writer, have you ever been told your characters are "wooden" or two-dimensional? Some might call this problem the Pinocchio Syndrome having soulless, puppet-like characters no reader can identify with. Whether a story is plot driven or character driven, your characters should engage the reader, gain empathy and at the same time move the plot forward. Ironically, in learning to further develop a character's personality, one of the best examples is found in Carlo Collodi's tale of Pinocchio.
In this famous (and rather dark) children's story, the marionette Pinocchio begins his life as a pine log. A log is probably the most basic of characters and yet Collodi gives Pinocchio a personality even before the character is truly "born." First, the reader is introduced to a magical log that sings and talks. As Geppetto works, the log cries out in pain, immediately eliciting empathy from readers. In his new form, Pinocchio begins to evolve, gaining all the attributes of a human boy. Collodi creates a multifaceted character from the "wooden" Pinnochio, with clever use of common human personality traits and actions. These traits are both internal and external, described in such a way that a mental connection is formed between the reader and the main character.
Personality Traits (Internal)
To make a character more lifelike, you must give him a personality. Personality traits, as used in fiction, are any aspect of a character described in terms of how he thinks, acts and in his general demeanor. For example, you can say your character is a scullery maid, but that isn't necessarily a personality trait. Being a scullery maid is what the character
, and though a person's job can say a lot, this is a character detail, not a personality trait. You can have two scullery maids with completely different personalities.
A personality trait could be any adjective you can think of: shy, fastidious, youth-obsessed, gregarious, rude, stupid, intelligent, and cowardly. The trick is in showing the readers these traits without overwhelming them with details. Some writers use a lengthy list called a Character Sketch to ask themselves questions about a given character. Your list doesn't need to be long. All you need are the basics of the character's personality (a "first impression") and then you can build upon your character as events unfold within your story.
Physical Traits (External)
Once youve sketched out a list of personality traits for your character, the next step is to give him a physical description. In addition to the usual physical stats like hair color, height, race, etc., you should include specific character details like a nervous tic, habits, employment (or lack thereof) and more. Try to avoid stereotypes (e.g., a dumb blonde secretary who is sleeping with her boss, or a New York City cop who always looks/acts like he just woke up from a three-day drinking binge). Keep your list handy, because you will need to refer to it often as your story or novel chapters develop. Some writers keep this information written on color-coded 3x5 cards for quick and easy referral.
A Checkered Past (Backstory)
Once your characters are up and moving within the story, add bits and pieces of who they are and how they came to be as you write. This method of adding in personal history is called Developing Backstory and helps clue the reader in on how your character might react to a given problem or situation. People who are new to writing fiction often give out this type of information in a big lump of narrative at the beginning of a story, usually within the first batch of paragraphs or by using a prologue. As a writing device, the prologue has become somewhat cliche in recent years, and unless you're writing fantasy or science fiction and need to "world-build" in a hurry, you're better off beginning with Chapter One. To prevent skimming (and the reader missing potentially important information about your characters), disburse backstory in small doses and only where it's needed. There are many forms in which this can be done -- entire books have been written on the subject -- but for our purposes here, there are two main ways to work in a character's history:
1. A flashback. This is defined as a short scene about a character's memory of a past event, normally used to clarify something similar occurring in the story's "present."
2. Oblique references. Describe the character's history using objects or other characters around them. An example of this might be a woman gazing at a collection of family photos on a mantelpiece and remembering various people and events affecting her in the past. Another might be a man refusing to get into a car, and when asked why, his wife relates a quick story about how he was involved in a rollover accident many years before, in which both of his parents were killed.
For an exercise, pick a room in your home where you spend the most time. There should be a good number of objects, furniture, and other things which serve as mementos of your past and at the same time represent the person you are today. Choose one object and think about where it came from, how and why you got it, as well as what prominent memories are tied to it. Consider then what a stranger might think of you if he stepped into your room and saw the same objects. Next, picture a scene where your character is going through a similar process of using a memento to call forth an ancient memory. As you can see, even simple setting information (contents of a room) can be very revealing when it comes to fine-tuning a character's personality.
To illustrate this process, we'll take a basic "wooden" character and flesh him out into a living, breathing person.
When you begin writing your story, use your first paragraphs to introduce your characters much as you would introduce yourself to another person in real life. Whenever you meet someone new, you automatically begin forming an opinion of them through a series of impressions you gather during conversation and observing their behavior. Let the same thing happen for your characters.
The best way for readers to get to know your characters is to watch them in action. We'll name this example character "Joe." Heres a basic sentence about him:
Joe was an overweight gas station attendant who fell in love with a girl he knew he could never have.
This sentence tells you that Joe:
1. Is overweight
2. Works at a gas station
3. Falls in love with an unattainable girl.
Many new writers starting a story or novel will compose opening sentences very much like the one above. What's wrong with it, you might ask? This sentence is "told," not "shown," and the information given is far too vague. There's not much available to make you care about Joe. So, Joe is overweight, has a minimum-wage job and happens to have a crush on a hot girl who works there. Big deal. There are a million other people out there just like him. Remember, just because you might be able to see your character in your mind's eye, doesn't mean the reader can, too. Joe needs a little more description to help readers identify with him.
This time, let's add a few more sentences with choice adjectives and verbs to further flesh out our puppet. Here is a paragraph with more elaboration, based on the original sentence from above:
Joe worked at the Gas 'n Go. His coworkers were always teasing him about his weight and he hated it. When he arrived at work one morning, unbeknownst to Joe, his zipper split open as he strained to get out of his car. On his way to clock in, his boss, Sam, caught a glimpse of Joes private parts and commented that Joes "car was exiting the garage." Because his belly was so big, Joe couldn't see his zipper, but nevertheless he was instantly embarrassed. This unfortunate event happened right in front of the pretty girl who worked behind the snack counter. Joe blushed and covered his open zipper with his hands. He then hurried to the restroom to fix it.
In this revised paragraph, there is now a lot more information about Joe. It doesn't quite convey enough about him as a person, but you should now have a better idea of who Joe is and what he looks like. However, there's simply not enough description to help you relate to him. You might have a snicker or two at Joe's misfortune, but if laughter at this character's expense wasn't the intended reaction the writer wanted, then the paragraph truly doesn't work when it comes to eliciting emotion from the reader on Joe's behalf.
The reason is that the details about Joe (though plentiful) are again "told," not "shown." The description is delivered from a distant third-person perspective, almost as if Joe happened to pop up in a third-hand conversation as an anecdote. One might as well begin the paragraph with a sentence saying, "By the way, there once was this guy I knew named Joe..." To gain more empathy for him, we need to get inside his mind to create a mental connection with the reader. Through this connection, readers should begin forming opinions about Joe and become more interested in him as well as care what happens to him.
To enable empathy, be sure to firmly establish the point of view (POV) in which this scene will be told. A few questions to ask when deciding how to present a character:
1. How does your character think and speak (internally and externally)?
2. What is the characters usual demeanor? (Grumpy, happy-go-lucky, etc.)
3. What do the other characters think of him?
4. What does he look like? How does he see himself?
5. What 'flaws' does he have?
One of the reasons Collodi's famous marionette is a good example of a multifaceted character is due to Pinocchio's flaws, the most notable being the nose that grows longer whenever he lies. Like people in real life, all characters must have flaws of some kind. They will make mistakes and then pay for them, creating even more obstacles they must overcome. Since we don't yet know about Joe's inner thought process, this means our puppet needs a little more refining. Below is a further enhanced and expanded version of the previous paragraph about Joe, now "shown" with an inner voice and perceptions, as well as a sprinkling of various character traits and flaws.
Joe stood outside the Gas 'n Go, wolfing down the last of three chili dogs hed picked up on the way to work. He hesitated in front of the window. The new cashier, a wisp of a woman named Loretta, stood behind the counter. She was talking with Sam, the shop boss. Sam favored Loretta with his too-white, plastic smile and reached out to playfully chuck her under the chin. She recoiled and took a quick step backward, causing a strand of pale hair to come loose from beneath her cap. Joe finger-combed what few strands of hair remained on his balding pate and pushed in through the double doors. There was a small chance he could tiptoe by and get to the time-clock before Sam caught sight of him.
When Joe was about halfway across the store, his boss turned and stopped him with an upraised hand. "Hold on there, Porky. Youre late again." Sam then burst into laughter and pointed at Joes pants. "Well lookee here! Your Volkswagens rolled out of the garage."
Joe peered downward and saw nothing but belly. However, there was definitely a breeze blowing in where it shouldnt be. His zipper was wide open. He groaned inwardly. Yes, hed been in a hurry to get to work, but how could he have forgotten to put on his briefs? Then it occurred to him that if Sam could see Joes privates, Loretta could, too. Every drop of blood in Joes body rushed up into his face. To her credit, Loretta looked away, as if she developed a sudden interest in the cigarette display behind her. Joe clapped both of his hands over the front of his pants, s
tifled a sob and hurried off to the mens restroom. He wasn't about to let Loretta see him cry. She'd seen more than enough already.
After reading about Joe the gas station attendant, you should now be able to picture what he looks like, how he thinks, what he does, how he might react in a given situation and more. In addition to his most prominent trait (his weight issues) Joe is:
1. Balding
2. Chronically late and forgetful
3. So used to criticism that he doesn't react to being called "Porky"
4. Bashful/shy, maybe even a little creepy
5. Attracted, as is his boss, to the cashier, Loretta.
With this information presented in such a manner, a reader should get a good view of Joe as a person with feelings. Again, the key is to touch on these aspects as the story progresses, allowing the character to evolve. The easiest way to enable reader empathy is to place a character in an uncomfortable situation that immediately reveals their most prominent personality traits. In the set of paragraphs above, Joe is made very uncomfortable and as a reader you can now judge him by how he handles the situation. Whether the initial impression of Joe is good or bad doesn't matter, it's the possibility of fundamental change that interests the reader. Joe may be a cowardly, unattractive, and creepy man, but if he's shown to have emotions and goals, he has the potential to become something better.
Too Many Puppets on a Stage
All stories are essentially "played out" before a reader and all the characters are "actors" with specific parts to deliver. Your secondary characters have wants, needs and goals, too; just make sure they tie in with the main plot and do not steal the spotlight from your main characters. Give each one something to do and a reason for being in the story. After all, if you were putting on a puppet show, you wouldn't want to have extra puppets hanging around with nothing to say or do, would you? When it comes to secondary and tertiary characters, a good rule to remember is this: if you're not going to use them, lose them.
Finally, try to keep your characters balanced. If "Joe" is incredibly good or extremely bad, he will come off as unrealistic. Even if there is no fundamental change for the main characters in your story, the potential for it must remain in play. When a character has opportunities for change, this appeals to readers because it reinforces their unconscious hope that their lives can transform too. Adding just the right amount of detail in the right places will not only humanize your characters, but will make them memorable much like Collodis Pinocchio, the ultimate "wooden" character.
Twenty-year-old Marisa discovers her life is all a lie:
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I remember the Evgeniy (Eugene) Lushevskiy disappearance too. I went up the Ski Hut Trail that very day (Halloween Day 2004) but had to turn back at the second to last tree to the summit because of strong winds and fading daylight (it was almost 4:00pm). It was my first time hiking in the snow--I should have turned around much sooner. To this day I still wonder if I would have seen Eugene up there if I had made it to the summit. I returned the same way I came up and saw no one coming up. The snow was pretty powdery along the Ski Hut Trail.
Reports are he made it to the summit at some point, made a campfire and filmed the sunrise on Monday morning (Nov 1). The video shows him walking around until about 10am that morning and then he disappeared.
I was also on the mountain when RJ Secor fell down the bowl. I went up the bowl and just as I reached the summit, RJ was leaving and heading back down. I didn't know who he was, but he stood out because he was wearing yellow overall type pants. Conditions were a little icy at the top of the bowl but the snow was relatively soft the rest of the way. I even have a video of someone glissading down the bowl with no axe at all. I remember one guy went up the bowl in just shorts, t-shirt and a branch for a hiking stick. I descended the east side of the bowl and later saw the SAR helicopter circling above. At the Ski Hut, I heard what had happened.
Jan 2004 was also a rough time for SoCal mountains. I think 6 or 7 people died just that month. Two died on Baldy due to slips on ice.


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SAN FRANCISCO — A couple of years after opening the Linkery restaurant in San Diego, the team and I adopted a policy of adding to each dining-in check a service charge of 18 percent — a little less than our tip average had been. We also refused to accept any payment beyond that service charge. (If someone surreptitiously slipped a twenty or two under a water glass, we donated it to a rotating "charity of the month," usually selected by a staff member or patron.)
We made this change because we wanted to distribute the "tip" revenue to our cooks as well as our servers, making our pay more equitable. Servers and cooks typically made similar base wages — and minimum wage was the same for both jobs — but servers kept all the tips, which could often mean they were taking home three times what the cooks made, or more. In California at that time, it was illegal to distribute any tip money to cooks. (Recent court rulings in the Western U.S. have loosened that restriction somewhat). By replacing tipping with a service charge, we were legally able to redirect about a quarter of that revenue to the kitchen, which reduced the income disparity and helped foster unity on our team.
We had considered just incorporating that charge into the cost of each menu item, but we decided that it was easier for consumers to understand our pricing if we kept it analogous to that of a tipped restaurant. In a similar vein, we applied the service charge only to dining-in checks, since tipping is not yet a firmly established social norm for takeout. We used this service charge as a substitute for tipping from 2006 until we closed the restaurant this year to move to San Francisco.
When we switched from tipping to a service charge, our food improved, probably because our cooks were being paid more and didn't feel taken for granted. In turn, business improved, and within a couple of months, our server team was making more money than it had under the tipped system. The quality of our service also improved. In my observation, however, that wasn't mainly because the servers were making more money. Instead, our service improved principally because eliminating tips makes it easier to provide good service.
It's easy to understand why this is. Before I started working in hospitality, I worked in the tech industry, making fancy software for television set-top boxes. I was part of a skilled team in a challenging field, and we were expected to do our best work. Our compensation system followed two basic patterns. First, we negotiated our pay rarely, typically only at the beginning of a project (for freelancers) or once or twice a year (for salaried workers). We weren't interrupted every hour or so with a trickle of payment that was supposedly based on how well we were perceived to have done a recent task. Second, we were compensated by, and we negotiated with, the organization that employed us, not the consumers who benefited from our work. We didn't have to call up the end customers of our products and ask them to pay us for our work. ("Hi, Mr. Jones, I hope you've enjoyed using the auto-record feature on your cable box. You know, it took me like three weeks to write that code and I was wondering if I could get some payment for that.")
These two principles probably apply at your work, too, if you work somewhere other than a restaurant and with your clothes on. They're a well-established way of compensating people, in part because if you don't have to always think about money, you can focus on doing your job well. Software engineers, marriage counselors, bridge builders, you name the profession — in almost every industry, it's expected you'll be able to do your best work if you're not constantly distracted by compensation issues. Why don't we want that for restaurant servers?
I can hear your objection now: How could servers be motivated to do a good job without tips?
This is a common question, but it is also a silly question. Servers are motivated to do a good job in the same ways that everyone else is. Servers want to keep their jobs; servers want to get a raise; servers want to be successful and see themselves as professionals and take pride in their work. In any workplace, everyone is required perform well, and tips have nothing to do with it. The next time you see your doctor, ask her if she wouldn't do better-quality work if she made minimum wage, with the rest of her income from her patients' tips. I suspect the answer will be a version of "no."
Despite — or maybe because of — all the documented damage caused by tip culture, plenty of people are deeply, emotionally invested in keeping tipping propped up. When we abolished tipping at the Linkery, we met a few of these people. We would periodically hear guests express anger about not being able to choose the amount of their tip. Their refrain was, It's not about money . . . I always tip more than 20 percent. These people were angry even though they had spent less than they otherwise would have, because they had been robbed of their perceived power over their server.
We also had guests — including, most memorably, a local food writer — who'd ask us, If you have a fixed charge, how are we supposed to punish our server for mistakes? In the case of the food writer, she opted to publish an article dressing down her server, using his real name, in the local alt-weekly. I'd suggest talking to or emailing a manager if you have service problems with any business.
Jay Porter is best known for founding the Linkery, San Diego's leading farm-to-table restaurant, which he operated from 2005 to 2013. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Gold once wrote that the Linkery had "the best restaurant blog in America." Jay now lives in San Francisco; you can find him on the Internet at jayporter.com and @eltakeiteasy.


text:
Dover police arrest two men in burglary spree
January 18. 2013 10:15AM
DOVER - Two Dover men are under arrest, charged in a series of residential burglaries in the city.
Christopher Morin, 27, of 50 Mill St., and Joseph Sprague, 23, of 149 Portland Ave., were arrested Thursday at their homes.
Their arrests came after detectives learned Sprague was selling jewelry at area stores shortly after the burglaries, according to a news release. The investigators were able to link Sprague and Morin to eight of the recent break-ins, police said.
Morin is charged with eight counts of burglary. The break-ins happened between Dec. 7, 2012 and Jan. 10 on Oak Street, Back RIver Road, Fairfield Drive, West Knox March Road, Atlantic Avenue, Forest Street and Dover Point Road.
Sprague is charged with four counts of criminal liability for the conduct of another. He is accused of acting as Sprague's "look out' in the burglaries that took place on Oak and Forest streets, Fairfield Drive and Forest Street.
Morin refused bail and was detained at the Strafford County jail while Sprague is being held on $10,000 cash bail. Both are to be arraigned Friday in 7th Circuit Court, Dover District Division.


text:
Sailboat blocks I-89
Crews respond to accident
Sailboat blocks I-89
Crews respond to accident
RICHMOND, Vt. —
A sailboat came off a trailer on Interstate 89 near French Hill during Monday's evening commute.
The accident happened in the area of mile marker 80 near the Williston and Richmond line.
"We were coming down the hill and the trailer started to dance behind the pick-up truck," said Richmond firefighter Michael Parent. He was driving right behind the boat.
"It came around sideways and hit the pick-up truck," Parent said. "Then it broke loose off the trailer and kept going down the interstate."
The boat took up both southbound lanes. Luckily it didn't hit any cars.
The mess was cleared around 7 p.m.
State police said the driver of the pick-up was taken to the hospital and treated for minor cuts.


text:
West Regional AnalysisPosted by nvr1983 on March 19th, 2008
For our second-to-last regional analysis we look to the West, which has 2 of the most storied programs in the history of the sport as its top two seeds.
#1 UCLA: The Bruins seem to be the popular pick among analysts. We can clearly see why. They have experience (and no UF to go through this year), an inside game, an outside game, and a solid coach. Ben Howland has done an excellent job getting the Bruins to play defense, which has long been a trademark of Howland's teams. When you combine that commitment to defense with talented offensive players and the easiest region in the tournament, you have all the makings of a championship team. The big question with UCLA is their health. Pac-10 POY and uber-freshman Kevin Love (lower back spasms) and his sidekick inside Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (sprained ankle) will have to be near 100% for them to cut down the nets in San Antonio. Schedule/Roster.
#2 Duke: Coach K (everyone's favorite leader who happens to coach basketball) has done an outstanding job utilizing this flawed team's strengths while managing go cover up its huge hole in the inside most of the season. The Blue Devils have several outstanding perimeter players in Kyle Singler, Greg Paulus, DeMarcus Nelson, and Jon Scheyer, but they have absolutely nothing inside unless they drive by their guy on the perimeter. While ESPN (and the rest of the media) would love to have the Blue Devils advance to the Final 4, we think they rely on the outside shot too much. One of the nights they will have an off night and unless it's in the first round, their opponents are too talented and the Blue Devils are too weak on the inside for Coach K's squad to overcome it. Schedule/Roster.
#3 Xavier: When the casual basketball fan first looks at the bracket, this seed might confuse them. However, the Musketeers have been solid all year-long and they are ranked #12 in both polls. The Musketeers play solid defense and have an extremely balanced attack with 6 players averaging between 10 and 11.7 PPG. They should be a formidable team in the West and could give the Blue Devils all they can handle if both teams get that far. Schedule/Roster.
#4 Connecticut: Before you get too excited about Jim Calhoun's Huskies, you should realize that this isn't a typical Connecticut team well other than their star point guard having a history of trouble with the law (A.J. Price joins the proud legacy of Khalid El-Amin and Marcus Williams). Price has turned into the leader of the Huskies. If Calhoun's team is going to uphold his tradition of doing well in the tournament, Price will need help from shot-blocking savant Hasheem Thabeet and the teams 4 other players who average double figures (most notably Jeff Adrien). The Huskies will be hard-pressed to get by the Bruins in the Sweet 16 where their season will likely end, which is assuming they even get by a game San Diego team in the first round. Schedule/Roster.
#5 Drake: After graduating 4 starters from last year's team, Drake vastly exceeded expectations this year going 28-4. To be honest, before this year we never would have imagine Drake with a seed this high. One interesting note is that Drake starts Klayton Korver (younger brother of former Creighton star Kyle Korver). We thing the Korvers have a Roger Clemens-like obsession with naming their kids. Schedule/Roster.
#6 Purdue: You have to admit that it's sort of weird watching the Boilermakers without seeing the comb-over. We like Purdue's talent and hustle, but we think they are a year away from making a run in the tournament. Schedule/Roster.
#7 West Virginia: Bob Huggins has done a good job keeping the program at a respectable level and avoiding the Morgantown cops. They face a tough matchup in the first round against a very athletic Arizona team. Win or lose we are predicting there will be couches on fire in West Virginia after the game. Schedule/Roster.
#8 BYU: The Cougars are led by Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted along with strong team defense. The Cougars are a legit team that gave UNC a tough game earlier in the year after knocking off Louisville. If they survive their first round game against the Aggies, they will have to play UCLA in a virtual home game for the Bruins. Schedule/Roster.
#9 Texas A&M: After starting the season 15-1, the Aggies have been up and down. The question is which team will show up in Anaheim. Regardless of which teams show up, we can't see them getting by UCLA in the 2nd round. Schedule/Roster.
#10 Arizona: Kevin O'Neill managed to get the Wildcats into the NCAA tournament despite the unexpected and temporary absence by Arizona legend Lute Olson. While the media has widely killed the Wildcats inclusion in the tournament, we think they are very dangerous primarily because of their strong schedule and NBA-quality talent (Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger). Schedule/Roster.
#11 Baylor: One of the feel good stories of the tournament, Scott Drew has turned this program around. Baylor relies on 5 guards and 1 forward for their offense. If you couldn't tell, they (like Duke) doesn't have much on the inside. Unfortunately for Baylor, their players aren't as good as Duke's. Schedule/Roster.
#12 Western Kentucky: Led by Courtney Lee (20.4 PPG), the Hilltoppers snuck in under the radar most of this year playing in the same conference as South Alabama. Lee will have to have a big game if Western Kentucky is going to knock off Drake in the first round. Schedule/Roster.
#13 San Diego: This is one of the most interesting teams in the tournament. They have shown people that they can beat big name schools this year (wins versus Kentucky and Gonzaga). Despite being the third best team in the West Coast Conference this year, the Toreros will be a stiff challenge for a UConn team that isn't your typical Jim Calhoun powerhouse. One thing is certain is that the Toreros will not be in awe of the Huskies having played a strong non-conference schedule this year. Schedule/Roster.
#14 Georgia: The media's darling last week will be put in an interesting situation in the first round. Can you have a SEC team be a legitimate underdog against an Atlantic 10 team in the NCAA tournament? The answer is yes, but can anybody outside of Athens, GA root for them? We say no. We hope Dennis Felton and the Bulldogs enjoyed their ride. Schedule/Roster.
#15 Belmont: Belmont will get a few minutes of fame playing against TV favorite Duke. Unfortunately, they won't be on TV long as they will likely fall way behind Duke early in the game and their game is paired against the USC-Kansas State game. Schedule/Roster.
#16 Mississippi Valley State: Jerry Rice's alma mater will last all of about 5-10 minutes against a UCLA team playing in Anaheim, CA. That's about all you need to know about them. Schedule/Roster.


text:
Hi Church, enjoy....
Saturday, March 14, 2009
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Abundant Life Church is a group of Christians who gather together throughout the week and on Sundays to honour and serve the living God. As a church we believe in open free worship, honest and loving relationships and a transparency that impacts those around us.
Our desire is to lead as many people as possible into an embracing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are a younger, or older Christian, or maybe a seeker we would love you to make Abundant Life Church your home.


text:
|2009-06-26, 09:17
|Link #1
At the end of this world
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hungary, Europe
Age: 33
So hm... Seeing that Mangagamer (some NSFW pictures in the link. woo they finally changed their mascot) released it's new Visual Novel called Kira-Kira (VNDB link) a few days ago, I was interested in opinions whether it's worth it's price to buy (36,95 Euro)
I couldn't find any opinion about the japanese version here either, hence the new topic.
Some game information:
Spoiler for Game + character information, plot summary etc. spoiler for saving space.:
Spoiler for HQ Opening movie (there's no need to click on the HQ icon):
So is there any one here who played either the english or the japanese version? I'm wondering how long are the character routes, is the humor similar to the funny Edelweiss (seeing that the creator is the same japanese company), how did you liked the story, how interesting you found the character-routes, and other sort of impressions-opinions.
If you played the english version I'm also interested to know the quality of the translation, as Edelweiss was "not quite good" in that regard (I think it was quite confusing for a non-english native like me).
The plot summary (and some charactertraits too) looks kinda like how I imagined K-On to be (except the protagonist's circumstances obviously).
Edit2: English demo version here or here.
Last edited by izmosmolnar; 2009-08-21 at 11:44. Reason: added HQ OP, added demo version
|2009-06-28, 05:55
|Link #5
At the end of this world
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hungary, Europe
Age: 33
Well those ears don't bother me really, they kinda look like my own lol. (And no I'm no monkey, it's just a characteristic family-trait).
I've heard the translation is a lot better than Edelweiss was, but there are still several inconsistencies especially at the later parts. It's somehow sad, that fan-translations are largely more accurate/detailed translations than the commercial works. Shouldn't it go the other way around?
I think I'm gonna give it a try when my new card arrives (they didn't accepted my existing cards for some reason *sigh*).
I wish they could have made a short free demo so one could gouge the translation quality and see the character introductions or something.
edit: and I also dislike it's solely digital distributed. I kinda want to have it on a shelf. Some shiny looking box would be cool even though it makes the price more expensive. They could have made two versions, one download only, and one internationally shipped boxed version (or even send a japanese original boxed version with some kinda localizing patch).
Last edited by izmosmolnar; 2009-06-28 at 06:10.
|2009-06-29, 23:10
|Link #6
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Red is better than green, my friend.
|2009-06-30, 02:50
|Link #8
At the end of this world
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hungary, Europe
Age: 33
Indeed. It's the second voted in 2007 by 2ch. source.
(I think my new card arrives today hopefully...)
How's the translation so far by the way?
edit: Oh, I embedded the HQ OP, for whoever is lazy to search for it.
Last edited by izmosmolnar; 2009-06-30 at 03:39.
|2009-06-30, 05:03
|Link #9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
the translation is better but there is still some few mistake here and there (well, I never played another mangagamer games beside this before so I can't really compare it )
the more I play it, the more I feel that the story doesn't really play like another love story since we got more portion about the music and the characters feeling toward music
|2009-07-01, 02:07
|Link #10
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Its honestly one of the best eroge I've ever played in my life. There were some parts where the writer could have fleshed out some scenes, create some less abrupt ending (Kashiwara route ended a little too soon imo..) and where there could have been more graphics that related to the text.
But its great overall. I highly recommend it, music is great too.
I hated K-on, but I really liked this.
Also wondering but is there multiple endings for some characters, asking this to whoever got 100% completion.
|2009-07-01, 06:55
|Link #11
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
my friend tell me there is 5 bad ed (including the yaoi ed ), 3 ed for each girl, and the true ed that unlocked after you saw all the ed
damn, I hope this will get an anime since the ps2 ver. is out this year and there's already some music concert (featuring the real star generation) for this game and others rock 'n roll game by overdrive
|2009-07-01, 12:21
|Link #12
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Does the true end start right after you finish the last girl? Or is it like FSN/Tsukihime style and has it right on the title screen after you're done?
edit: My friend who completed it before me is asking if its the ending where
edit 2: Just finished Kirari Route....I hated her at first, but she had the most beautiful route ;_; I inadvertently saved the best for last ;_;
edit 3: So many edits...for those who are curious one route run through is about as long as one route in Fate/Stay Night. So around 13-15 hours. Other routes are longer (kashiwara's is the shortest), Kirari is the longest, chie is mid sized. All of them share the first half though.
Last edited by ehrik; 2009-07-02 at 01:34.
|2009-07-01, 12:22
|Link #13
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: S. California
Mm enjoying the game so far. The animation is pretty well done, music well done, and the character voices well done. Only thing is that I have to get used to the monkey ears =/.
BTW, does anyone have a link to a walkthrough?
|2009-07-02, 03:24
|Link #14
At the end of this world
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hungary, Europe
Age: 33
http://www.japanesebirdcookingspaghe.../kirakira.html (Best domain-name ever)
I finally got it. And lol at the big guy (screenshot) , he's like almost as awesome as Clannad Sunohara (or they might be on the same level), I keep laughing on him so much.
Spoiler for Murakami:
Spoiler for Watching a Live performance DVD about Sex Pistols:
Anyway I made some other screenies too if anyone's interested and curious.
Punkrock is all about appearance!
The very first practice
So which girl should I first aim for first? Shall I go with Kirari, because after finishing her I could turn the voice-acting back on? (There's no way I'm going to listen on her with voice on)
Last edited by izmosmolnar; 2009-07-02 at 03:36.
|2009-07-02, 17:53
|Link #17
At the end of this world
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hungary, Europe
Age: 33
According to the Visual Novel database, 24 of June 2009.
I'm on Kashiwara's route by the way, I love the game's humor so far. I actually think it's even funnier than Edelweiss was. The fuck-training was like pure gold, I probably haven't laughed so much since EVE Burst Error maybe.
Spoiler for joke @fuck-training:
She's like every sentence she says either has an "ANO NE!" (I guess it's something fillerish as IDK it's meaning) or a "DAIJODA" (~it's all right) (and I think there's a third something she frequently says).
|2009-07-03, 19:43
|Link #20
At the end of this world
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hungary, Europe
Age: 33
Well I wouldn't say pervy on it (that'd mean I'm also some sort of pervert I think ), as I've probably read about 8 hours of the story (I'm advancing slowly this time), and I haven't seen anything echii yet. It's basically like an alternative K-ON Visual Novel, really nothing extraordinarily weird. Even the characters kinda harmonizes with their K-ON counterpart in a loose sense IMO.
@ehrik, thanks I really didn't know that. Even the review I've read about the japanese version said that the option was missing. That's probably an improvement caused by the localization (and what a nice feature is it to mute Kirari down )
Anyway I reached my first ending! The GAY ending! Oh, God, I laughed so much on that shit... Seriously I haven't expected that twist!
Spoiler for heavy spoiler about the GAY end, which is a bad end.:
The "girls" performing at the first concert
Going on a tour with Ever17 Coco's long lost relative on the backseat
It's a tarp!
|eroge, humor, music, visual novel
|Thread Tools


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
What:An open session meeting of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council, which will include CFA status reports; a "Buffalo Billion" update; and presentations on the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority Cleaner Greener Communities Sustainability Plan for Western New York, Path Through History's heritage tourism marketing plan and New York State "Work for Success" Employment Initiative.
During the meeting, organizers will unveil a new marketing effort designed to attract additional development to Western New York.
Who:All individuals, businesses, organizations, labor representatives and university representatives from the Western New York Region are welcome to attend the public meeting and press conference.
Where:UB Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC), 875 Ellicott St., 5th floor, Buffalo
Parking is available in the garage across the street from the CTRC. If you park in the garage, please bring your parking stub with you to the meeting to be validated. On-street parking is limited due to construction activity, but is available on North Street.
When: Thursday, May 2
The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council is co-chaired by University at Buffalo President Satish Tripathi and Larkin Development Group Managing Partner Howard Zemsky. The region is composed of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties.


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WikipediaRead full entry
Latrodectus is a genus of spider in the family [Theridiidae], many of which are commonly known as widow spiders. The genus contains 32 recognized species distributed worldwide, including the North American black widows (L. mactans, L. hesperus, and L. variolus), the button spiders of Africa, and the Australian redback. Individual species vary widely in size, but in most cases the females are dark-colored and readily identifiable by reddish hourglass-shaped markings on the abdomen.
The venomous bite of these spiders is considered particularly dangerous because of the neurotoxin latrotoxin, which causes the condition latrodectism, both named for the genus. The female black widow has unusually large venom glands and her bite is particularly harmful to humans; however notorious, Latrodectus bites are rarely fatal.
Description and behavior[edit]
Females of most Latrodectus species are dark or black in color usually exhibiting a red or orange hourglass on the ventrum underside or bottom of the abdomen — some may have a pair of red spots or have no marking at all. They often exhibit various red or red and white markings on the dorsal or top side of the abdomen, ranging from a single stripe to bars or spots. Females of a few species are paler browner shades and some have no bright markings. Juveniles and adult male Latrodectus are half the size of the females, and are often grey or brown and usually lighter in color than females; while they may sometimes have an hourglass marking on their ventral abdomen, it may be yellow or white, not red.
The prevalence of sexual cannibalism, a behaviour in which the female eats the male after mating, in some species of Latrodectus has inspired the common name "widow spiders". [1] Research at the University of Hamburg in Germany suggests this ultimate sacrifice strategy has evolved to promote the survival odds of the offspring;[2] however females of some species only rarely show this behavior, and much of the documented evidence for mate cannibalism has been observed in laboratory cages where the males could not escape.[3]
In common with other members of the Theridiidae family, the widow spiders construct a web of irregular, tangled, sticky silken fibers. The spider very frequently hangs upside down near the center of its web and waits for insects to blunder in and get stuck. Then, before the insect can extricate itself, the spider rushes over to bite it and wrap it in silk. To feed, it uses its fangs to further administer digestive enzymes, liquefying the prey's internal organs.[4] If the spider perceives a threat, it will quickly let itself down to the ground on a safety line of silk. As with other web-weavers, these spiders have very poor eyesight and depend on vibrations reaching them through their webs to find trapped prey or warn them of larger threats. While some species are more aggressive, most are not; many injuries to humans are due to defensive bites delivered when a spider gets unintentionally squeezed or pinched.
The ultimate tensile strength and other physical properties of Latrodectus hesperus (western black widow) silk were found to be similar to the properties of silk from orb-weaving spiders that had been tested in other studies. The tensile strength for the three kinds of silk measured in the Blackledge study was about 1000 MPa. The ultimate strength reported in a previous study for Nephila edulis was b1290 MPa ± 160 MPa.[5] The tensile strength of spider silk is comparable to that of steel wire of the same thickness.[6] However, as the density of steel is about six times that of silk,[7] silk is correspondingly stronger than steel wire of the same weight.
Spiders of the genus Steatoda (also of the Theridiidae family) are often mistaken for widow spiders, and are known as "false widow spiders"; they are significantly less harmful to humans.
Arachnologist Herbert Walter Levi revised the genus Lactrodectus in 1959, studying the female sexual organs and noting their similarity across described species. He concluded the colour variations were variable across the world and were not sufficient to warrant species status, and reclassified the redback and several other species as subspecies of the black widow spider.[8]
Levi also noted that study of the genus had been contentious; in 1902 both F.P Cambridge and Friedrich Dahl had revised the genus, with each criticising the other. Cambridge questioned Dahl's separating species on what he considered minor anatomical details, and the latter dismissed the former as an "ignoramus".[8]
The southern black widow, as well as the closely related western and northern species which were previously considered the same species, has a prominent red hourglass figure on the underside of its abdomen. Many of the other widow spiders have red patterns on a glossy black or dark background, which serve as a warning. Spiders found in multiple regions are listed in their predominant native habitat.
Widow spiders can be found on every continent of the world except Antarctica. In North America, the black widows commonly known as southern (Latrodectus mactans), western (Latrodectus hesperus), and northern (Latrodectus variolus) can be found in the United States as well as parts of southern Canada - particularly in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, as can the "gray" or "brown widow spiders" (Latrodectus geometricus) and the "red widow spiders" (Latrodectus bishopi).[9] The most prevalent species occurring in Australia is commonly called the redback (Latrodectus hasselti). African species of this genus are sometimes known as button spiders.
The following widow spiders are indigenous to North America:
- Latrodectus bishopi, the red widow, Florida, USA
- Latrodectus hesperus, the western black widow, widespread range across the Western United States and extreme southern Canada, ranging East to Oklahoma, and South to Mexico.
- Latrodectus mactans, the black widow spider (sometimes called the southern black widow), warm regions of the USA
- Latrodectus variolus, the northern black widow, from the extreme southeastern part of Canada and south to northern Florida, with frequency higher in the northern part of this range
The following are indigenous to Central and South America:
- Latrodectus antheratus, Paraguay, Argentina
- Latrodectus apicalis, Galapagos Islands
- Latrodectus corallinus, Argentina
- Latrodectus curacaviensis, Lesser Antilles, South America
- Latrodectus diaguita, Argentina
- Latrodectus mirabilis, Argentina
- Latrodectus quartus, Argentina
- Latrodectus thoracicus, Chile
- Latrodectus variegatus, Chile and Argentina
Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and western Asia[edit]
The following widows are indigenous to the Mediterranean region, as well as in western Asia:
- Latrodectus dahli, Middle East to central Asia
- Latrodectus hystrix, Yemen, Socotra
- Latrodectus lilianae, Iberian Peninsula
- Latrodectus pallidus, the white widow or white steppe spider, North Africa, the Middle East, Russia, Iran, Cape Verde
- Latrodectus revivensis, Israel, Palestine
- Latrodectus tredecimguttatus, the Mediterranean black widow or European black widow, Mediterranean area, central Asia, Kazakhstan, also reported in China, some specimens are reported as L. lugubris
Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar[edit]
- Latrodectus cinctus, a black button spider found in southern Africa, Cape Verde and Kuwait
- Latrodectus indistinctus, a black button spider found in South Africa and Namibia
- Latrodectus karrooensis, a black button spider found in S. Africa
- Latrodectus menavodi, found in Madagascar
- Latrodectus obscurior, found in Cape Verde and Madagascar.
- Latrodectus renivulvatus, a black button spider found in Africa, Saudi Arabia and Yemen
- Latrodectus rhodesiensis, a brown button spider found in Zimbabwe
- Latrodectus geometricus, a brown button spider found in Southern African savannah
South and Eastern Asia[edit]
- Latrodectus elegans, China, Myanmar, Japan
- Latrodectus erythromelas, Sri Lanka
- Latrodectus ex laos, Laos
Australia and Oceania[edit]
- Latrodectus hasseltii, the redback, native to Australia, also found imported into Southeast Asia and New Zealand
- Latrodectus katipo, the Red katipo, found in New Zealand
- Latrodectus atritus, the Black katipo, found in New Zealand,[10] originally thought to be a separate species, but DNA studies have linked them.[11]
- Latrodectus geometricus, the brown widow, grey widow, or brown button spider is found in Africa, USA, South America, and Australia. It is unclear where this spider originated; however, it has been discovered in many warm, cosmopolitan locales.
Due to the presence of latrotoxin in their venom, black widow bites are potentially dangerous and may result in systemic effects (latrodectism) including severe muscle pain, abdominal cramps, hyperhidrosis, tachycardia, and muscle spasms.[12] Symptoms usually last for 3–7 days, but may persist for several weeks.[13] Contrary to popular belief, most people who are bitten suffer no serious damage, let alone death. Fatal bites were reported in the early 20th century mostly with tredecimguttatus.[14]
Since the venom is not likely to be life-threatening, antivenom has been used as pain relief and not to save lives.[15] However, a study demonstrated that antivenom and placebo added to standardized pain medication had similar improvement in pain and resolution of symptoms.[15]
See also[edit]
- ^ Breene, R. G.; Sweet, M. H. (1985). "Evidence of insemination of multiple females by the male Black Widow Spider, Latrodectus mactans (Araneae, Theridiidae)" (PDF). The Journal of Arachnology 13 (3): 331–335.
- ^ "Male spiders let females eat them for kids' sake: Study". livescience. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ "Spider Myths: Mate and be eaten!". Burkemuseum.org. 2010-09-01. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
- ^ "Animals: Black Widow Spider". National Geographic. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ Blackledge, Todd et al. "Quasistatic and continuous dynamic characterization of the mechanical properties of silk from the cobweb of the black widow spider Latrodectus hesperus, table 1". The Company of Biologists. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ "Astm a36". OnlineMetals.com. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ Elices, Manuel; Guinea, Gustavo V.; Pérez-Rigueiro, José; Plaza, Gustavo R. et al. (2005). "Finding Inspiration in Argiope Trifasciata Spider Silk Fibers". JOM 57 (2): 60–66. Bibcode:2005JOM....57b..60E. doi:10.1007/s11837-005-0218-7. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ a b Levi, Herbert W. (1959). "The Spider Genus Latrodectus (Araneae, Theridiidae)". Transactions of the American Microscopical Society 78 (1): 7–43. doi:10.2307/3223799. JSTOR 3223799.
- ^ (Preston-Malfham, 1998).
- ^ Sutton, Marion. "Field identification of katipo". DOC RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT SERIES 237. Science & Technical Publishing Department of Conservation. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^ Vink, Cor J.; Sirvid, Phil J.; Malumbres-Olarte, Jagoba; Griffiths, James W.; Paquin, Pierre; Paterson, Adrian M. (2008). "Species status and conservation issues of New Zealand's endemic Latrodectus spider species (Araneae: Theridiidae)". Invertebrate Systematics (Collingwood, Vic., Australia: CSIRO Publishing) 22 (6): 589–604. doi:10.1071/IS08027. ISSN 1445-5226. OCLC 50150601.
- ^ Ushkaryov, YA; Rohou, A; Sugita, S (2008). "alpha-Latrotoxin and its receptors". Handbook of experimental pharmacology. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 184 (184): 171–206. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-74805-2_7. ISBN 978-3-540-74804-5. PMC 2519134. PMID 18064415.
- ^ Peterson, ME (November 2006). "Black widow spider envenomation". Clinical techniques in small animal practice 21 (4): 187–90. doi:10.1053/j.ctsap.2006.10.003. PMID 17265903.
- ^ Bettini, S (1964). "Epidemiology of latrodectism". Toxicon 2 (2): 93–102. doi:10.1016/0041-0101(64)90009-1.
- ^ a b Isbister, Geoffrey K.; Page, Colin B.; Buckley, Nicholas A.; Fatovich, Daniel M.; Pascu, Ovidiu; MacDonald, Stephen P.J.; Calver, Leonie A.; Brown, Simon G.A. (2014). "Randomized Controlled Trial of Intravenous Antivenom Versus Placebo for Latrodectism: The Second Redback Antivenom Evaluation (RAVE-II) Study". Annals of Emergency Medicine. doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.06.006. (subscription required (help)).
- Insects and Spiders. New York: St. Remy Media Inc. / Discovery Books. 2000. p. 35.
- Freeman, Scott (2003). Biological Science. Prentice-Hall.
- Hillyard, Paul (1994). The Book of Spiders. New York: Random House, Inc. pp. 47–50.
- Hillyard, Paul (1994). The Book of the Spiders. New York: Avon Books. pp. 22–35.
- Martin, Louise (1988). Black Widow Spiders. Rourke Enterprises, Inc. pp. 18–20.
- Preston-Malfham, Ken (1998). Spiders. Edison, New Jersey: Chartwell Books. p. 40.
- "Arthropod". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2004.
- Abalos, J. W. (1962). "The egg-sac in the Identification of Species of Latrodectus (Black-Widow Spiders)". Retrieved September 26, 2013.
- Levi, H. W.; McCrone, J. D. (1964). "North American Widow Spiders of the Latrodectus curacaviensis Group".


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William M. O'Neill
Justice News
Fallen Police Officers Honored - Lisbon Morning Journal (May 17, 2014)
Justice O'Neill Testifies About Judicial Election Reform Before Constitutional Commission
Former Geneva Attorney Enjoys Being a Justice on Ohio Supreme Court - Ashtabula Star Beacon (November 17, 2013)
January 2, 2013 - present
Last day of current term: January 1, 2019
Justice William M. O'Neill became the 156th justice to the Ohio Supreme Court on January 2, 2013. His life has been dedicated to public service. Justice O'Neill is a former judge, an army officer, a registered nurse, and an adoptive parent.
Prior to becoming a justice, Justice O'Neill served on the Eleventh District Court of Appeals from 1997 until 2007. He was most recently a registered nurse at Hillcrest Hospital, an affiliate of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He is also a former army officer, Vietnam veteran, and was both a newspaper and television reporter.
Justice O'Neill is a graduate of Ohio University, Cleveland Marshall College of Law, and Huron School of Nursing. Before being elected to the Eleventh District Court of Appeals, Justice O'Neill was an assistant attorney general for the state of Ohio from 1984 to 1996, representing the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the Industrial Commission of Ohio. In private practice, he founded O'Neill & Brown in Geneva, Ohio, where he represented small businesses and individuals in both civil and criminal cases.
Justice O'Neill is a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Army and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal for his service during the Vietnam War. He served as the commanding officer of the Armored Cavalry Troop from Painesville, and retired from the Ohio National Guard as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) Lieutenant Colonel in 1996. In 2007, LTC O'Neill, US Army (Retired), was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.
Justice O'Neill has four grown children.
PDF files may be viewed, printed, and searched using the free Acrobat® Reader
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Shoe Lifts, Adjustable Shoe Lifts, Shoe Inserts, Silicone Shoe Lifts,
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http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/met...s-piazza-in-13This is just one example, but I read a few other guys who have left Piazza of their list this year. I am starting to really think he will not make it.The overall voting results will be announced Wednesday at 2 p.m., with a player needing to appear on 75 percent of submitted ballots to be enshrined in Cooperstown and on 5 percent to remain on the ballot for the following year.
I plan to wait a year on Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Mike Piazza before placing them on my ballot.
As a Mets-specific writer, I'll offer a short reasoning on delaying a year on Piazza ...
While there is no smoking gun with Piazza related to performancing-enhancing drugs, there are enough things swirling around to at least cause me to pause for one year:
Back acne that you do not see on players today, and which appeared to clear up as testing was instituted.
Reporting to camp significantly thinner for spring training (with yoga instructor in tow) as testing began.
Tearing the groin muscle off the bone -- an injury suggesting he was bulked up beyond the norm.
...but funny thing is he has Bagwell making it and Bagwell was a guy that many thought used roids.


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News & Events
For the Media
New Engineering & Management Director at Clarkson University Brings Environment to Forefront
[A photograph for media use is available at http://www.clarkson.edu/news/photos/zander.jpg]
Prof. Amy K. Zander has been named the director of Clarkson University's Interdisciplinary Engineering & Management program. Formerly an associate dean of the Coulter School of Engineering, Zander started her new duties in January.
Launched more than 50 years ago, the Engineering & Management (E&M) program has served as a model for subsequent programs developed by other universities.
Today, the program is breaking new ground once again by preparing tomorrow's business and technical leaders to incorporate environmental considerations into decision-making.
Today, corporate stakeholders include more than shareholders, management, or employees, says Zander. "They include sustainability and the future. Decisions made need to be based on a bottom line that considers economic, as well as environmental costs and benefits. Corporations understand they need to become better citizens and sustainability needs to be incorporated into business and management, rather than relegated to its own separate field."
Zander and her team are reshaping parts of the curricula to consider business operations, product development, manufacturing and marketing in light of social responsibility and corporate citizenship. In special projects and in some course work students will be required to consider environmental consequences in business and technological decisions.
Zander, an expert in the areas of physical and chemical separations in environmental systems, especially drinking water and wastewater treatment technologies, has been a faculty member in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Clarkson since 1991. She was promoted to associate professor in 1997 and was named full professor in 2003. She was named associate dean for academic programs in the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering in 2005.
Zander has published dozens of journal articles, written and co-written numerous book chapters, and delivered papers at some 50 professional and academic conferences throughout North America. She has managed research projects totaling over $800,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the American Water Works Association Research Foundation, and other funding agencies.
Zander is currently chair of a National Academy of Sciences committee on desalination for the nation's water future. The report will go to Congress this spring. She has served on two prior committees of the National Academy of Sciences, producing the report "Safe Water from Every Tap: Improving Water Service to Small Communities" in 1997 and "Confronting the Nation's Water Problems: The Role of Research" in 2004.
Her other honors include the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Distinguished Service Award in 2005; the 2003 Samuel Arnold Greeley Award from the Environmental and Water Resources Institute, a division of the American Society of Civil Engineers; the AEESP/McGraw Hill Award for Outstanding Teaching in Environmental Engineering and Science; and Clarkson's 1999 Distinguished Teaching Award.
Clarkson University crosses the boundaries of disciplines, nations and cultures in order for discovery, engineering innovation and enterprise to come together. As a result, faculty and graduates grasp the full impact of their calling, direct their research to the world's pressing issues and lead with confidence and distinction. One in seven alumni is already a CEO or other senior executive. Located in Potsdam, N.Y., just outside the six-million-acre Adirondack Park, Clarkson is home to 3,000 students preparing for rewarding careers through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, science, and health sciences, as well as unparalleled outdoor recreation and life experiences beyond the classroom.


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The powerful things we expect from "War Witch" are as advertised, but what we don't expect is even better.
Given that the subject matter is two violent years in the life of an African child soldier, it's not surprising that the film's events are disturbing and even horrific. But it's the unforeseen way they're told that makes "War Witch" potent enough to have been one of the five nominees for the foreign language Oscar and the big winner, including best picture, at Canada's recent film awards.
With the epidemic of child soldiers as its theme, the opportunities certainly exist in "War Witch" for overwrought, overemotional storytelling. But Canadian writer-director Kim Nguyen has taken great care to tell his story the opposite way, to be dispassionate and observational in the laying out of events.
PHOTOS: SXSW 2013: 13 must-see films
More than that, Nguyen, working in the Democratic Republic of Congo with cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc, has brought an unanticipated amount of filmmaking skill to the telling, using beautiful imagery, a sure hand with actors and a high level of structural artistry to make a film that would be impressive no matter what the subject matter.


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Review by Kremena Nikolova-Fontaine. Photos courtesy of the artist.
As an omen of good fortune, every tourist visiting Iceland is greeted upon arrival by cheerful 24m-high steel sculpture of a stained-glass rainbow at the international airport in Keflavik. The artist is quite well-known in Iceland, but I wonder how many of the foreign visitors know who she is?"Rainbow"
Personally, I encountered Rúrí's name in 2003, when her installation "Archive – Endangered Waters" represented Iceland at the 50th Biennale di Venezia and was exhibited for the first time at The National Gallery of Iceland in 2005.
Famous for her socio-political consciousness and thought-provoking concepts on native and global issues since the early '70s, this work is an example of Rúrí's philosophically perceptive but scientifically analytical mind at its zenith.
"Archive – Endangered Waters" is a massive unsettling steel file-system of 52 photographed endangered waterfalls where by pulling the slides, the sound of each waterfall is unleashed, perhaps, to be heard for the last time. (The work can be viewed on the top floor in Hall No4 to the left of the staircase)."Archive - Endangered Waters"
The inspiration behind this memorable installation was the construction of the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant, heavily criticized by environmentalists when the project begun in 2002 and was completed in 2009. Prior to visiting this enormous retrospective of Rúrí's prolific career in the span of 40 years so far, I must admit that I knew very little of her early works and they got me by a pleasant surprise.
Rúrí (b.1951) started her career in 1974 with the performance work "Golden Car" when she destroyed with a sledge-hammer a gold-covered Mercedes with the help of friends and some unknown spectators at the Lækjartorg square in downtown Reykjavík. (Documentation of this act is exhibited on the ground floor in Hall No2 behind the reception desk)."Golden Car"
I had seen photos of this performance before, but I was not aware how much aggressive disapproving reaction this simple revolutionary action provoked in the Icelandic society at the time: anonymous threatening calls, a drunk man tried to set the artist on fire, her friends formed a protective wall against an angry crowd, as revealed in the accompanying book of this exhibition and the first comprehensive monograph on the artist (entitled simply "Rúrí"and published by Hatje Cantz, 2011).
From today's point of view, I suspect the "been-there-seen-it-all" audience of 2012 would simply watch, clap and walk away.
In an interview by Christian Schoen from the same book, Rúrí explains that the art scene in Iceland was dominated by abstract expressionist painters at the time who did not welcome experimental art and the younger generation of artists felt dissatisfied, in particular female artists who were underrepresented.
Rúrí was only 23 at the time, a long-haired baby-faced fragile nymph but already a wife and a mother, and I cannot help admiring the courage of this tiny woman to rebel against society and the confidence to bear the weight of social injustice.
Naturally, I asked Rúrí at the organized talk with the artist as part of this exhibition whether the brutal outcome was a conscious scandal. The artist denied such intention and clarified that the attacks did not happen during the performance but much later. Rúrí also added that she is unafraid of criticism but on the opposite, criticism should be welcomed in Iceland.
I rather expected that another daring performance "A Proposition How to Change the Icelandic National Costume to Meet with Modern Icelandic Society" (1974) should have provoked a much angrier reaction, where she protested joining NATO and the American military base in Keflavik by transforming the Icelandic folk dress into an American flag. (The costume is exhibited on the top floor in the lobby between Hall No4 and No3 facing the staircase).
Rúrí commented that the work was, in fact, quite well-received, perhaps, because it was performed in front of a young audience at the University Cinema. The artist joked that today she won't be able to fit into this dress to re-enact the same performance.
As much as I wanted to talk in detail of her diverse less famous but equally interesting works, I couldn't help falling in the trap of emphasizing her already established masterpieces because it is simply not possible to ignore those.
Rúrí might not be a nymph girl anymore, but her drastic change of appearance with shortened boyish hair in austere black suit has the silent confidence of a spiritual person who firmly stands their ground.
"RÚRÍ-Retrospective" runs until May 6, 2012.
The National Gallery of Iceland is located on Fríkirkjuvegur 7, 101 Reykjavík.
Kremena Nikolova-Fontaine – [email protected]
Kremena Nikolova-Fontaine is a passionate collector of art books, dedicating every spare moment to learn more about art while dreaming about having an exhibition of her own. She studied graphic design at the School of Visual Arts in Akureyri from 1999 to 2002. In college she realized that she didn't want to be a designer or commercial artist but rather an illustrator and writer. At the moment she's experimenting with her first graphic novel.