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Celiac disease, gluten allergy and gluten sensitivity are hard enough without missing out on the fun of trick-or-treating. The good news is, if you have people who avoid gluten in your house or on your party invite list, you can pass out the candy with a free hand. Some of the best Halloween treats out there are gluten-free!
It's still important to read labels; some manufacturers have plants in different places, so one might be completely gluten-safe while another might process wheat or other grain products in the same plant, which means it could be contaminated with traces of gluten.
Here are some Halloween favorites that are gluten-free for your holiday soiree:
Baby Ruth
Bit-O-Honey (does anyone ever eat those except when they get them for Halloween?)
Charms Blow Pops
Laffy Taffy
M&M's (except for pretzel-flavored ones)
3 Musketeers (all)
Snickers (YES!!)
Tootsie Rolls (and all their yummy variations)
Candies that are NOT gluten free (sorry to be a buzzkill) include Kit Kats, Twix, Twizzlers and Whoppers. There's more here at Celiac.com.
If you prefer to make your treats, the good news is there are tons of things you can make that are naturally gluten-free. Think popcorn balls, roasted pumpkin seeds, or this awesome-sounding chocolate-and-orange ice cream sandwich recipe from About.Com's guide to gluten-free cooking:
- 1 - 10 ounce box of gluten free brown rice crispie cereal
- 1 - 10 ounce bag of marshmallows
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons cocoa
- Butter a large sheet pan (jelly roll) pan
- In a large pan, melt butter over low heat.
- Whisk in cocoa. Stir until thoroughly blended with butter.
- Add marshmallows and stir over low heat until melted. Remove pan from heat. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Stir in rice cereal and gently fold cereal with marshmallow mixture.
- Pour rice mixture into prepared pan. With buttered fingers press the mixture flat.
- Cut in 20 - 2 1/2 inch squares.
- Soften orange sherbet until it's easy to scoop. Place about 1/3 cup of orange sherbet on 10 rice crispie squares. Press another square on top and gently press down. Even edges of ice cream sandwich with your finger.
- Wrap ice cream sandwiches individually, place in a freezer bag and freeze until ready to serve.
Image via terren in Virginia/Flickr


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Hey Everyone! Today was the first day of school for my little munchkins, so of course the flash was popping and the word "CHEESE" was said more in 10 minutes than all day at a burger joint!
I'll be scrapping these pics later on, but I wanted to get them up so my family could see the girls first day of school pics.
Monday, August 25, 2008
1st Day of School
Posted by Reno Creations at 7:03 PM 0 comments
Sunday, August 10, 2008
My First Demo Challenge WICKED!
Well I took the plunge and entered my first SCS Stampin Up! Demo Challenge...the WICKED challenge. Now when we were stationed at FT. Drum I despised the word wicked cause EVERYONE up there used that word....Ohh...thats wicked cool, uuugh I can't tell you how many times I've heard that and it made shivers go down my spine each and every time. But I'm sure I have slangs that drive everyone nuts too...like when I say "shut up" to something in disbelief.
Anyways, back to the challenge. So rather than Wicked being an annoying slag term it is an acronym for Wonderfully Inspiring Challenges Keep Educating Demos...cool, I can deal with that!
So there are three parts to this challenge, a color combo, a sketch, and a technique. Since I didn't have all four colors for the color combo I have to wait on that part. I did use two of the four colors, Perfect Plum and So Saffron, and on this card I used the Fresh Cuts stamp set.
I stamped the images with Perfect Plum, and cut the flowers out and adhered them with dimentionals. The accents were embossed with iridescent ice. I sponged around the sentiment. Nothing hard, and I like how it came out. It was a bit out of the box for me, but it was definitely fun, and I can't wait to do more challenges now!
Posted by Reno Creations at 10:11 PM 0 comments
Saturday, August 9, 2008
The Jersey Girl's gone Western?!?!
Has the Jersey Girl lost her mind? How in the world did this jersey shore pizza eatin, "sawsage" pepper & onion sandwich from the boardwalk luvin girl create a cowgirl card of all things? I'm still trying to figure it out...but no matter, I really like how the card came out!
I was inspired by a card I saw on SCS, and this is my version of that card. (the original card can be seen here) I didn't have any stamps with roses at the time I made this (those will be coming soon as I'm IN LOVE with the new "A Rose Is A Rose" Stampin Up! set that will be available August 11th) so I used another "western looking" flower. I'm sure once I get the new roses set I'll make a few more of these cards.
I stayed with the same colors (regal rose & purely pomegranite), and sponged around the cowgirl. I also added glassy glaze around the dust swirls to make them pop. The cowgirl & the dust swirl are on shimmering paper, which you can't really see in the pic, but it gives it more of a girly look.
I still can't believe I made a cowgirl card...shoot I still can't belive I bought the bronc busters set! But I guess TX is growing on me...well that might be pushing it a bit. Let's just say I'm no longer laughing at everyone I see in a cowboy hat...NOW THATS GROWTH!
Posted by Reno Creations at 9:59 PM 0 comments
Friday, August 8, 2008
Sweet Journal
This was my first attempt to alter a composition book, and I'm pretty happy on how it turned out!
This along with others are going to be available at my booth at the Crafters Corner in Copperas Cove, TX come September 1st!
Posted by Reno Creations at 3:40 PM 0 comments
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Loves Me Loves Me Not
After a long summer day with my two crazy kids who wanted to do nothing but fight all day I immediately retreated to my happy place (my scrap room) as soon as they went to bed.
I pulled out some blue & yellow cardstock from the Rich Regals pack I received with my SU! demonstrator kit, and decided to challenge myself to only use those two pieces of paper, and NO RIBBON! Not using ribbon is hard for me cause ribbon makes everything perfect, but I felt like something different, and YES this was challenging for me!
Things were going good with my card until I needed more color, so instead of reaching for another full sheet of paper, I searched my scraps drawer and found this pink to go with the card. I had just enough to make the additional petals and the flower center.
I used the Pick A Petal stamp set along with the coordinating set Stem Sayings. The "picked" petals were adhered with dimentionals to give them a floating look.
Thanks for reading and enjoy your day!
Posted by Reno Creations at 9:09 AM 1 comments
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The First Step Is The Dream
It has been a long time since I have done a scrapbook page, but after Allison's First Hippotherapy session I was immediately inspired to create this for her. I'm going to frame it and put it in her room for her so she can see her newest best buddie every day.
As many of you know Allison is Autistic. She has loved horses for years, and I finally got her into Hippotherapy, which is occupational therapy with horses, and has been proven to be a fantastic therapy for children like Allison. Yesterday was her first therapy session, and she did FANTASTIC! I was thrilled with the people at the H.A.R.T. center and how wonderful they were with both Allison & Skyar! She will be going every other week now, and I can't wait to she how she progresses with it.
The lay out is pretty basic, nothing fancy, but I like the way it came out. I used the Stampin Up! Western Sky Designer Paper, and the Bronc Buster stamp set, along with some items from the hodgepodge hardware. I embossed the stamps with black embossing powder. The quote was perfect for this particular situation. She has been dreaming of horses for years, and now she is taking steps to learn how to ride, along with learning more about her body and how to control it.
I hope you like the lay out & have a wonderful weekend!!!
Posted by Reno Creations at 1:17 PM 0 comments
Thursday, June 19, 2008
My crazy Puppy!
I haven't gotten around to scrapping these pics, but I just had to share them.
This is Deezel, my 14 week old Olde English Bulldogge. He is so funny, and keeps us laughing all the time. Skylar has been my big helper with training and feeding him. He will sit and give her paw, and she feeds him all of his meals.
He was my Mother's Day present from Bryan and the girls, and he is such a sweetheart! When we got him he was not even 8 weeks old, and didn't have much strenght in his rear legs. Now he runs (usually sideways) and jumps up on the couch all by himself! He loves to hop into the shower to get some fresh water from our dripping faucet, and somehow always comes out soaking wet.
As soon as I get around to scrappin some pics of him I'll post it up...but for now you only get the pics.
Posted by Reno Creations at 10:28 AM 1 comments
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Free & The Brave
Posted by Reno Creations at 11:36 PM 0 comments

subset: commoncrawl


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Australian tabloid television show, A Current Affair (ACA), recently ran a story questioning the vast income of Brian and Bobbie Houston, their Hillsong Church and its affiliated ministries. The show claims to have obtained "copies of Hillsong's most recent financial documents" that show that, in 2011, the ministry reported a tax-free revenue of $55 million between the church, the music ministry, conferences and Bible college courses. At the core of the report is the question: should non-profit entities such as Hillsong Church pay taxes on profits that do not go to charity?
This is not the first time such accusations have been levied at the Hillsong Church empire. In 2010, Brian Houston posted a lengthy letter on the Hillsong website responding to criticism about their finances and income. Houston concludes his letter by stating:
Bobbie and I are grateful to God for His blessing, have both worked hard for over 35 years and I believe it has been through wise investment and consistency that we have seen our lives grow. We are very committed to living by the same principles of giving and generosity that we teach others and one of the great blessings of LMI [Leadership Ministries Incorporated] has been to enable us each year to contribute significantly to the Hillsong Foundation and other missions, causes and outreaches that are passionately focused on helping people. We are blessed and I would want the same for anyone else in our position and stage of life. When, 27 years ago, we started Hillsong Church, the furthest thing from our mind was financial gain, in fact, we put everything on the line then and we have that same view today. ( Source)Upon the airing of the 18 February 2013 A Current Affair report, Brian Houston was quick to respond again, both on Twitter and on the church website. He claims that the accusations are nothing more than recycled allegations from this previous investigation. In the post, "Statement from Hillsong Church Re: A Current Affair 18 Feb, 2013," Houston writes:
This story was nothing more than a rehash of the same old false claims that have been discredited in the past. It was full of misinformation and clearly had an anti-church agenda. Fortunately most Australians view stories like this on tabloid TV as void of all credibility and will rightly dismiss this for what it is – a grab at television ratings at the expense of the beliefs of millions of Christians across the nation. (Source)Though presented in typical tabloid-TV manner, the ACA report does rightly identify some of the tactics used by some churches to convince their members to tithe 10% of their income "to God." One such teaching may be that one is "robbing God" if he does not give his tithe or that blessing necessarily will follow upon the contribution of one's 10%. These appear to be common teachings among those who teach a mandatory tithe.
Brian Houston also has faced criticism in the past for his prosperity teaching. Chris Rosebrough, Christian apologist and host of Fighting for the Faith, has said of Hillsong:
This is a church that is having profound influence and impact on American evangelicalism. But this is not a Christian church....Because they preach a false gospel. A church can call itself a Christian church all it wants, but if it doesn't present the historic Christian faith and the biblical gospel of Christ and Him crucified for our sins, repentance and the forgiveness of sins, but gives you a different gospel, then according to God's Word—if it preaches a different gospel, gives you a different gospel—then the pastor doing that is anathema. That means eternally condemned. Read Galatians 1. I cannot emphasize enough that Hillsong is not a church that we should embrace as full of people who are Christian brothers and sisters, especially the leaders of Hillsong. They really are instead like the TBN prosperity preachers of the United States. They are the same stripe, they are scratching itching ears, telling people what they want to hear and making a ton of money doing it. (Source)Perhaps the more crucial question for the Christian, then, is not whether organizations such as Hillsong should pay taxes, but whether the strategies and preaching that are used to motivate members' giving are of a sound, biblical nature. In other words, is the Word of God being twisted and misused as a means of manipulative financial gain? If so, then perhaps that is the greater sin.
Further Reading
John MacArthur on the New Birth
Alpha Course's Gumbel Invites Vineyard UK Founder Eleanor Mumford & Furtick, Hybels to Leadership Conference


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We got blood drawn and then I took Jay to Noshville for breakfast. Red flag #2: Jay let me pick out his meal. Red flag #3: He kept smiling at everyone around him. Like going out of his way to catch their eyes and smile. If you know Jay, you know that's actually not Jay at all.
We got back to the apartment and I called the Transplant number. It's a 24-hour line that we're supposed to call anytime we have concerns or questions. I left a message and told them that we had forgotten to bring home the anti-fungal powder from the hospital and that we needed a prescription for it, that Jay had a lot of lower extremity edema, and that he was acting weird.
After I left, Jay called his mom. Or tried to. We had asked her to register our car and he wanted to follow up. He kept looking at his phone and looking out the window. He looked like he was trying to call, but then he'd get distracted and look out the window some more. I finally gave him the number and dialed it for him. Red flag #4: At the end of the conversation, Jay said to his mom, "I love you so much, mom. Thank you for everything."
As we were walking out the door to grab some lunch, my phone rang. It was the nurse calling back. She said that she had just gotten his labs back and that some of his numbers (WBC and liver enzymes) had bumped up a bit, and that the doctor might want to see him during the day. Red flag #5: While I was talking to the nurse, Jay reached down and actually smiled while he tried to grab the phone out of my hand. I smacked his arm and he just smiled at me.
Red flag #6: On the way to Puckett's for lunch, Jay kept telling me that I was beautiful, that the world was beautiful, and that he loved me so much. He didn't want to stop holding my hand, and he got on the elevator going up even though we were going down.
Jay only ate a few bites of his lunch and kept saying that he wanted to talk to Joshua. This craziness went on and on until I finally convinced him to lay down and take a nap. During the nap, the nurse called to tell me that Jay had an ultrasound scheduled for 4:30. The phone woke Jay up, too, and again he went with the beautiful stuff. The kicker was when we were watching a video about The Turnip Truck and he started to cry.
"Why are you crying?" I asked.
"I just hope that the hungry people in the Gulch get the food that they need."
"Jay, it's the Gulch. There aren't hungry people there."
"I know, but what if a homeless person rolls through?"
I went to the bathroom and left the door open because I wanted to keep an eye on him at all times. He was just getting more and more bizarre. I looked out into the hallway and saw him put his phone down on the bedroom dresser. He walked by and said, "I just talked to Joshua. He's happy."
"Jay, it's 2:30. Joshua is still in school."
"I know. He's happy."
I called the transplant line immediately and told them that I was bringing him in right now. At least that's what I thought. He had settled in the bed (with no drawers on) and wouldn't get up. I told him that the doctor was waiting to see him at the hospital and he just smiled at me and tried to rub my hair. I tried to put his pants on him, and he and his dead weight just smiled at me. I put his shoes on him and he smiled at me. I told him again to get up. Yes. He smiled at me.
Then I called the paramedics. I've never done that before. I've had dreams in which I've called an ambulance but the ambulance never comes, which doesn't exactly engender a lot of faith in the process. But the dispatcher was amazing, and there were firefighters in my bedroom within 10 minutes. Jay wasn't going to get out of bed for me, but stick 5 hulking paramedics around him and he was going to move one way or another.
I was scared to death that they were going to use more force than he could handle, especially since he was split from side to side. But they were very sweet and gentle. They got him on the stretcher, but he wouldn't let me out of his sight. He rode the whole way down to the lobby and out the door sitting straight up with his arms out in front of him. When we got on the ambulance he informed us that he was then going to open to roof of the ambulance wide open.
I had a nice conversation with the paramedic who rode in back, and was amazed that Jay wasn't in more pain given that he was sitting straight up throughout a bumpy ambulance ride. The only mistake the paramedic made was telling me that his own uncle had had a liver transplant and acted like Jay was acting because of ammonia. When I asked what happened to his uncle he replied, "Oh, um. He was old and probably wasn't a good candidate anyway."
We finally made it to the Emergency Department, and all I could think about was seeing someone who could tell me what was going on.


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Since 2008, Gianpaolo Grazioli, the owner of Auckland's haute ice cream store Giapo, has combined experimental flair with culinary mastery to establish one of the most well-known ice cream stores in New Zealand. So what does it take to get Kiwis queuing for a frozen dessert all the way through winter?
Giapo is a well-known and well-loved brand. How did it get to this stage?
I don't know. I don't like the word 'brand' because I'm a human being and I love people. I can't live without loving back and brands, in general, do not love back. I really think that most of Giapo's popularity has a lot to do with my wife and I and how much we are committed to what we do.
What have been some of the challenges involved with establishing Giapo in New Zealand?
The challenges have nothing to do with New Zealand. This is a great country to start up in. It is what we do that is challenging.
What does it take to separate a business from all the other competitors in the industry?
There's no such thing as a competitive advantage. It's all based on what my customers think of me. We are what the customers think we are. And strangely, if you ask them what we are, they all respond in different ways. So, go figure.
How do you market your business? What are some of the key strategies that you use?
It all comes down to one word: love. We love our business, and there's nothing else. My cooking style reflects my passion for what I am doing. And the customers make of that what they want.
Has your business approach changed over the years?
Absolutely, yes. We are so much more focused now that we have almost changed everything since we first started. Business as usual is an oxymoron, when you look at how we've changed.
How do you use digital channels to market your brand?
Essentially, I use them as my portfolio, as my showcase. So customers know what is new and what we are up to. I do something and I post it to the usual channels. I would love to blog more and write more about my story.
Innovation has played a big role in the evolution of your brand. What do you think other companies can learn from your approach?
I feel I can be quite a bad example for most of them. LOL.
Have any of your experiments gone wrong? How do you go about rectifying this and ensuring that it doesn't damage your brand?
Being honest and apologising. All circumstances are different. I usually work on fixing my errors one by one.
You recently started covering the freezers at the store. Why this sense of mystery? What inspired this change of approach?
The main point is that what's on display in the cabinet isn't what the customer gets at the end. Before serving the ice cream, we first carefully prepare it with decorations of chocolate and pastry. We wanted to give more importance to the final creation than how the ice cream looks in the cabinet. It's a bit like what happens in a restaurant: we never know where the chefs take the ingredients from, and then we are surprised nicely at the end by what is presented at the table. Some people like it, some don't. I understand both. It works for us because it helps us be who we want to be and it's telling the customers not to judge a book by its cover.
Do you have any tips for people who want to create a successful business in New Zealand?
Don't quit your day job. Fight like hell. Be super focused. Create something. Products are a last century thing. Love is the way. Be prepared not to have a life for a while. Yes, get used to it. Do it for you because it is your way to heaven. Start blogging. Don't give up.
This story originally appeared in the September/October edition of NZ Marketing.


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These luxurious infinity pools feature a view from the water that makes you want to dive right in. To escape the hot, sticky summer days, there is nothing better than heading to the beach or jumping in a pool. As a way to mix the two, the infinity pool has been created, much to triumph and delight of swimmers everywhere. The seemingly endless expanse of water before your eyes gives the illusion of being in the ocean, looking out onto the vast body of water before your eyes.
Infinity pools, since their beginning, have been the mark of a luxury abode. Their general upkeep and expense makes them a luxury that all are not able to enjoy in their own personal homes. Many hotels offer infinity pools as a way to garner business and give everyone the opportunity to test them out for themselves.
30 Luxurious Infinity Pools
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Bartenders, while a friendly bunch, can sometimes be a bit competitive. Each season, as new menus roll out across town, there is a bit of cocktail envy that inevitably takes place. With a seemingly endless pool of ingredients to choose from when formulating a new drink—and a similarly endless list of failed attempts to use them—(614) presents Bar Bet, a special cocktail challenge for bartenders to come up with a cocktail using a weird ingredient of their challenger's choice.
There are certain foods that seem to find their niche in the public consciousness and stay there. At some point in the last two months, you probably consumed pumpkin pie for the first and final time in 2014, this is because the months of October and November, and specifically the days surrounding Thanksgiving, are the times we as a society have deemed it appropriate to eat pumpkin pie. Of course, this was once based around when pumpkins grew, but if you haven't noticed, that stuff is available in a can year-round, and despite that fact, no one is setting up a pumpkin pie tent at ComFest every year.
Seasons aren't the only deciding factors of when we consume certain foods. Take Combos for instance, or their full name Combinations, as my girlfriend refers to them. As far as I'm concerned, these tubular snacks are pretty gross 99 percent of the time. The one exception? Road trips. If you put me in a car for more than a few hours, or long enough to necessitate a stop to refuel, I will make a beeline for the Combo aisle as soon as the car is parked. My road trip only snack list also includes sunflower seeds, Flaming Hot Cheetos, and of course, beef jerky. Last month, when Travis Owens of Curio challenged Sean Ward of Giuseppe's Ritrovo to create a cocktail using beef jerky, I was secretly hoping that the cocktail would consist of eating a Slim Jim followed by pounding a tall boy in a gas station bathroom.
Well clearly Sean has also had similar road trip experiences, because the final result wasn't that far off, if a bit more refined. I present to you, this month's entry into Bar Bet:
Truck Stop Tango
2 oz. Tres Agave Reposado tequila infused with Jack Links peppered beef jerky
.75 oz. house ancho chile liqueur
.5 oz. fresh lime juice
.5 oz. simple syrup
2 dashes of jalapeño tincture
Spiced Frito dust rim
Miller High Life (pony bottle) sidecar
Let's just start with presentation on this one: exquisite. The Frito rim speckled with Mexican spices, topped off with a lime wheel and a couple pieces of jerky from Bluescreek Farms in the North Market, and lest we forget, that adorable little bottle of champagne (of beers). The more obvious direction to go when infusing a spirit with beef jerky would have been bourbon, but the tequila is a perfect fit. As for the process?
"It was an interesting experiment of how to get that actual beef jerky flavor," Ward said. It definitely wasn't as simple as throwing some jerky in the bottle. He used a small amount of high proof vodka to extract the flavor first, and then added a few ounces of the extraction to the bottle of tequila. This process seems to have done the trick, allowing the pepper, and smoke of the jerky to mingle perfectly with the agave, lime, and heat from the ancho and jalapeño. The entry is all spice and citrus, giving way to earthy agave, sweet sugar, salt and pepper, and smoke, and finishes with that distinctive corn chip flavor and another kick of spice. Take a sip of the High Life bottle and it all comes together. The Great American Road Trip of flavors.
Going full circle back to seasonally appropriate ingredients, for next month's Bar Bet, Sean has challenged Nicole Hollerman of Veritas Tavern to create a cocktail using candy canes. In the meantime, head over to Bexley and stop in at Giuseppe's to try the Truck Stop Tango while you still can.


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Review Summary
- Located in hip Williamsburg, a short subway ride to Manhattan
- Within walking distance of hot spot restaurants and bars
- Beautiful rooms with exposed brick walls and high-tech amenities
- Spacious bathrooms with large walk-in showers and local, natural toiletries
- Tasty popular restaurant and a gorgeous rooftop bar with jaw-dropping Manhattan views
- Stunning vistas from Manhattan View rooms
- Rooms with bunk beds that can fit up to 6
- Free Wi-Fi
- Noise carries
- No room service (but local restaurants deliver)
- Elevators shared with non-guests on their way to the rooftop bar
- Crowded lobby on weekends
Bottom Line
With a hopping rooftop bar boasting jaw-dropping views of Manhattan, a wonderful restaurant, and cutting-edge industrial design, the Wythe is a destination unto itself. It's located near the subway as well as dozens of restaurants, bars, and shops in the heart of trendy Williamsburg. Rooms are spacious and have high pine ceilings, reclaimed wood furnishings, and great amenities, including flat-screen TVs; local, hand-made toiletries; free Wi-Fi, and radiant floor heating. But noise can be a problem, and the lobby and the elevators can get crowded with non-guests on weekends.


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When I first saw the cover – yes, that cover – of the New Yorker, I expected the swift and nauseatingly self-righteous condemnation it received from the TV personalities and politically correct pundits. That's par for the course in the knee-jerk, brain-dead, humor-free Oughts. But what caught me off guard, even in this Age of Cynicism, was that Barack Obama joined their ranks: his official campaign spokesman, Bill Burton, labeled the lampoon "tasteless and offensive."
Artist Barry Blitt's brilliant illustration – which sought to satirize the naysayers who portray Obama as a flag-burning, unpatriotic Muslim and his wife as a black-power radical – cut to the core of today's political paradox. The cover received so much attention, it has even led to meta-parodies, the most amusing of which was offered by the New Yorker's sister publication Vanity Fair, which depicted a wobbly, walker-wielding John McCain and his wife in the same setting and artistic style. Still, the Illinois senator's heated, visceral attack of the parody led me to ask: how can Obama, such a brilliant student of American law, politics, and culture, not get the joke – or at least not recognize that the joke was on his enemies?
But then I realized I had failed to account for what can be called the Harvard Factor. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee had, after all, been elected to the staff of the Harvard Law Review in the late 1980s and assumed the presidency of that august publication in 1990. By that time, the strictures of political correctness had seeped into all levels of American higher education and had utterly destroyed the sense of humor of so many college and university students. At the very least, this atmosphere stifled them from admitting (to anyone but their friends) that they even got a joke involving matters of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or any other hot-button issue at the center of the nation's culture wars. And, as was predictable, the intellectual rot that began to infect the academy in the mid 1980s spread to the "real world" within a single generation. All of this displaced outrage, by Obama and many of his supporters, suddenly made sense.
The Harvard factor
Interestingly, it was Harvard Law School, regarded by many as the apex of legal education (and located in the heart of liberal Cambridge) that early grappled with the appropriateness of punishing students for engaging in satire and parody. With the eyes of the higher-education elite watching, the fabled law school established, in the early '90s, that a written parody poking fun at a female member of the academic community is no different than punishable "sexual harassment."
The campus came to a near-standstill in 1992 – just one year after Obama had graduated – over a piece in the Harvard Law Review's annual April Fool's Day issue, the Harvard Law Revue. In this parody, meant for circulation only among Law Review members, the editors mocked the scholarship of then-recently deceased New England School of Law professor Mary Joe Frug, who had been tragically stabbed to death near her Cambridge residence. At the time of her gruesome death, Frug was working on a comprehensive treatment of feminist legal philosophy, in which she insisted that the contemporary legal system "constructs" women's sex and gender roles, and that rules permit not only the "sexualization" of the female body, but also its "terrorization." Her arguments, it could be (and was) reasonably argued, bordered on the bizarre, and her prose was laced with expletives. The majority of the Harvard Law Review's editors nonetheless favored publishing the unfinished draft of her work as a tribute to Frug. A vocal minority opposed the decision, arguing that the draft was sloppy and that Frug herself would not have considered it ready for publication. Still others argued that Frug's theories and prose were ludicrous and did not belong in the prestigious academic journal.
For many of these reasons, a group of anonymous Harvard Law Review members parodied the sprawling manifesto in the annual Law Revue. To say the parody was scathing is an understatement: the writers made tasteless references to Frug's violent death and cruelly attributed the satirical work to "Mary Doe, Rigor-Mortis Professor of Law." Holistically, however, the piece read as a stinging rebuke of the real Law Review's decision to publish Frug's unfinished draft, and more generally, an unabashed lampoon of radical-feminist scholarship – all well within the bounds of traditional parody.
As the parodic piece (leaked from what was supposed to be a small group of readers) made its rounds throughout the campus, it provoked a firestorm, particularly among faculty members and female students. The president of the Law Review wrote an open letter apologizing to the offended parties. The editors originally responsible for publishing Frug's actual manifesto also apologized for not protesting the parody before it was printed and circulated at the annual April Fool's Day dinner of the Law Review staff. Finally, the authors apologized as well.
Then-dean Robert Clark initially declared that the school would not seek punitive measures. "I agree with those who think that the best response to offensive speech is not to curtail it forcibly," he said, "but to condemn it, and explain why it is wrong." Clark's response gained approval from free-speech advocates, but it did not satisfy the enraged on campus.
Professor David Kennedy pressed the school's disciplinary Administrative Board to bring charges against the parody's authors and the Law Review's editors. He further recommended that the board look into whether those involved might be morally disqualified from becoming lawyers. Kennedy suggested, with apparent seriousness, that the piece posed a threat to women's physical safety and well-being, writing to the Board:
Many women who received this [parody] anonymously in their student box experienced the document's delivery as a direct threat of personal violence – murder of women is held out as trivial and quite palpably possible.
Remarkably, the Administrative Board appeared to agree, labeling the parody a form of "harassment." Yet it refused to punish the authors because "no law school rule imposes limits on the content of publications by students that would be applicable here." Thus, rather than absolve the accused students on grounds of academic freedom, the disciplinary body took refuge in the fact that, at that time, the law school did not have a formal code that would outlaw such a parody.
It came as no surprise when, the following year, Clark caved in to pressure and appointed a faculty committee to consider adoption of "sexual harassment guidelines." The final product was an 11-page speech code that forbade, among other things, "speech . . . or conduct of a sexual nature that (i) is unwelcome; and (ii) is abusive or unreasonably recurring or invasive; and (iii) has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, demeaning, degrading, hostile, or otherwise seriously offensive working or educational environment at Harvard Law School" [emphasis added]. This and other provisions in the code seemed directly aimed at any future repetition of humor akin to the Frug parody.
In the law school's radioactive atmosphere, even faculty members renowned for their advocacy of free speech felt the need to compromise. Professor Laurence H. Tribe, one of the nation's leading constitutional scholars, voted for the guidelines, even though one could find arguments in his authoritative 1988 treatise, American Constitutional Law, to vote against it. Another vociferous defender of free speech, Professor Alan Dershowitz, announced that he preferred imperfect written guidelines to the otherwise inevitable exercise of "decanal [dean's] discretion" in deciding when to punish speech transgressions. He was, in other words, voting for the guidelines to avoid far worse and unpredictable forms of censorship. This tells us much about the hurricane winds of censorship that were blowing across the Harvard campus, and just about everywhere in academia, then and now.
The authors of the Frug parody may have escaped punishment, but, with the introduction of these speech guidelines, Harvard sent a clear message: the next student to try such a stunt could be found guilty of serious charges, such as harassment and intimidation – which could prevent him or her from landing a decent job after graduation or that could even endanger obtaining a degree.
Today, the Law Review still puts out a written parody and conducts its annual dinner, while the Harvard Law School Drama Society produces an annual parody stage production. But none of the humor, especially that which is gender-related, has approached the frankness (or brutality, depending upon one's point of view) of the Frug parody. One can argue, of course, that this is a good thing, depending upon one's sense of the proper balance between social criticism and the need of some to be comfortable. Harvard Law, though, became undeniably less free than before the adoption of the guidelines.
Despite (or perhaps because of) this conscious effort on the Law Revue's part to avoid controversy, its annual parody seems to become both less biting and, ironically, equally or more subject to an "insensitivity" attack every year. The same trend has affected the Drama Society. Students harshly criticized the 2006 stage parody, for example, at a tense campus forum in March of that year, citing multiple instances of negative racial stereotypes. According to the independent student-run Harvard Law Record, two suggestions for reform arose repeatedly at the forum, both of which reveal either a disdain for, or fundamental misunderstanding of, parody: "prohibiting the portrayal of actual students (and perhaps professors) altogether and implementing an opt-in/opt-out system whereby students could choose to be parodied or not." (In other words, you can be criticized only if you want to be!)
The producers of the 2006 stage show offered a public apology to those who were offended. It was "nobody's intention to hurt those parodied," they said, suggesting that even the parodists had lost sight of the function traditionally performed by parody – namely, ridicule directed to the object of scorn. "The Parody plans to take consideration of all suggestions in their re-examination of the Parody going forward," the apology stated, "and plans to address any concerns brought up by the HLS community in the future." As for the nature of the "future," that was also made clear: "Many students commented on the need for greater discussions on race, gender, and sexuality at HLS beyond the Parody context, and this open forum was a starting point for productive discussions to come." Sensitivity training, in other words, rather than biting political and social parody, was in the law school's future.
All of this mush was coming from the university that, by siring the Harvard Lampoon – which in turn gave the world the National Lampoon (which begot Saturday Night Live), Conan O'Brien, and other comedic and satirical mainstays – arguably shaped American comedy as we know it today. Given the chilly reception to parody from both administrators and students on today's college campuses, it is easy to see that many varieties of comedy – a treasured asset of American pop culture and a trusty tool in the crusade for free speech – could soon atrophy into irrelevancy.
The era of the Onion
In an age when theonion.com reportedly attracts more readers than Newsweek, and Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have become modern-day folk heroes, the political arts of parody and satire are, ironically, experiencing a renaissance among the young. But these parodies should come with a warning label to students: don't try this on campus.
College students are encountering increasingly more trouble for using these time-tested, constitutionally protected, and, when done right, enormously effective literary devices. Students have been blacklisted by their peers, fired from campus jobs, and subjected to humiliating show trials before what can fairly be described as politicized kangaroo courts – all because of politically edgy attempts at humor that have violated the wrong person's or group's sacred cow.
In 2006, a number of students at Long Island University were fired from their resident-assistant positions because of a short film they posted on YouTube, in which they took hostage their dormitory's unofficial mascot – a rubber ducky. According to news reports, the short film, which has since been removed from YouTube, parodied Al-Qaeda hostage-kidnapping films. After a Muslim student group complained and a local news channel ran the story, the provost decided that termination was appropriate.
At Brandeis University, the humor magazine Gravity was accused of racism when, in April 2007, it spoofed an ad campaign for Blackberry PDA electronic devices. In the parody, a man named "BlackJerry" offered his services for three-fifths the price of the mobile device – a heavy-handed reference to the legislative apportionment compromise in the Constitution that counted a slave as three-fifths of a person. During a confrontational and often-times emotional campus forum, students accused Gravity's staff of making light of slavery, thereby inflicting emotional distress upon African-American schoolmates. The blindsided humorists at first defended the ad, explaining that it was intended as a populist critique of how slavery still exists in corporate America. When this explanation did little to stem the attacks, the editorial board issued an effusive apology and agreed to demands issued by the student government, including mandatory "diversity training" sessions and the resignation of the entire editorial board, save one remaining editor who pledged to implement "a more effective editorial hierarchy" in the future, according to an article in the Justice, the student newspaper.
At around the same time as the Gravity debacle, a black student filed harassment charges against the editors of the conservative student newspaper at Tufts University, the Primary Source. At issue was a satirical Christmas carol, written from the point of view of an undergraduate-admissions officer, titled "O Come All Ye Black Folk," that harshly criticized race-based admissions. Muslim students followed suit, filing similar charges in response to a parody of Tufts' "Islamic Awareness Week," which pointed out unflattering but verifiably true doctrines and practices of Islam. In May, a campus disciplinary body composed of students and faculty found the newspaper guilty of "harassment" and creating a "hostile environment," and imposed editorial restrictions on the newspaper. Under pressure from free-speech advocates, including the Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (disclosure: I serve as chairman of FIRE's board), the university president lifted the penalty, but refused to vacate the finding that a violation occurred.
Similar complaints about the 2004 April Fool's Day edition at the University of Scranton resulted in the small Jesuit college shutting down the student newspaper, the Aquinas. According to the Scranton Times Tribune, the spoof included a "fictitious reference to a priest caught fooling around with a woman during the screening of The Passion of the Christ" and a cartoon depicting a brawl between the former and current university presidents. The university changed the door locks of the newspaper office and removed all remaining copies of the spoof from campus. According to the school's Web site, the Aquinas has not published an article since April 2004. University spokesman Gerry Zaboski defended the punishment by explaining that the newspaper, funded entirely by the college, was primarily an "opportunity for students really to explore and learn and apply what they have experienced in a classroom or what they may have an interest in doing in a real setting."
But one could argue that the editors of the Aquinas were punished for doing exactly that – applying their classroom experience and exploring a real-world career in parody. Works like A Modest Proposal and King Leopold's Soliloquy are mainstays of introductory literature classes, even at religious colleges such as Scranton, and so parody, in theory, is fully protected by academic freedom. Scranton finds itself in the awkward position of defending a punishment that Swift and Twain would have vehemently opposed. Of course, it can be argued that a religious parochial institution should have the power to control the extent to which campus publications satirize the clergy and poke fun at church doctrines. But once a religious school chooses to portray itself as devoted to the liberal arts, as Scranton has, academic freedom makes some demands that religious observance might find uncomfortable.
In truth, it is unlikely that any of the aspiring comedians and social commentators in question are all racists or misogynists. In more than one instance, the authors of an offensive or "harassing" parody were themselves members of the ethnic group they were accused of maligning. It's just that these students, raised on a television diet of South Park and Family Guy, seem to have made one crucial mistake: they thought edgy humor would be as well-received on a campus as it is on Comedy Central. The rash of free-speech controversies proves they were wrong.
For college administrators, dealing with this brand of humor is complicated by the fact that, by definition, parody requires adopting the form of the very thing it ridicules. This often leads to a basic disagreement that underlies the New Yorker's Obama-cover contretemps: does the satire perpetuate, or ridicule, the bigotry? For example, some students accused the Daily Princetonian of racism in 2006 over a faux letter to Princeton, written in broken English, from a fictitious person named Lian Ji. The parody was clearly referring to Jian Li, the Asian-American student who filed a civil-rights complaint against the university after he was waitlisted (he eventually enrolled at Yale, and has since transferred to Harvard). Most of the editors, including a few Asian-Americans, defended the piece, writing in an open letter that "[they] embraced racist language in order to strangle it." Princeton officials didn't have much patience for this logic (the dean of student life told the New York Times that the editors showed "poor judgment" in publishing the parody), but unlike the University of Scranton, the school wisely allowed the controversy to run its course and did not punish the authors.
Conflating parody, harassment, and hate speech
Perhaps the greatest danger in punishing students for offensive parody is that tasteless (or even brilliant, for that matter) humor can all too easily be labeled "harassment" on our increasingly politically correct campuses. Harvard Law's Administrative Board used that term liberally in its decision. Kennedy, the self-appointed leader of the anti-parody forces, went even further and equated the parody with a "terror" attack and a "direct threat of personal violence." This thinking equates speech with action, and insult with violence – it's a classic device resorted to by the censor.
This same logical disconnect is evident in the ruling handed down by the tribunal at Tufts. The Committee on Student Life concluded that the parodic Christmas carol "targeted [black students] on the basis of their race, subjected them to ridicule and embarrassment, intimidated them, and had a deleterious impact on their growth and well-being on campus." The committee concluded that the parody of the Islamic Awareness Week flyer "targeted members of the Tufts Muslim community for harassment and embarrassment."
Under the First Amendment, the statement of a point of view, no matter how hateful, is protected speech, as long as it avoids true threats and the time, place, and manner of delivery are reasonable. If the editors of the Primary Source had telephoned black students repeatedly in the middle of the night and told them they were inferior, there would be a strong harassment claim. But there's no disputing that "O Come All Ye Black Folk" was, at its core, political speech, and it was delivered in a traditional manner for such speech: print.
Some have argued that the Christmas carol at Tufts went beyond critiquing affirmative action and actually made racist statements (black students are called "boisterous," for example), or that the Harvard Law Revue Frug piece went beyond critiquing postmodernist feminism and insulted women in general. But even if these pieces did perpetuate racist or sexist stereotypes and held certain members of the community up to ridicule, the argument that they ought to be censored is still far-fetched, at least as far as Supreme Court jurisprudence is concerned. Racist and sexist language – so-called hate speech – may not be pleasant, but it is nonetheless legally protected in public places governed by the Bill of Rights. Private campuses, however, are allowed to make up their own rules as to what speech is and is not acceptable. Traditionally, this separation between town and gown has made our campuses more free than the "real world," since academic freedom has long been deemed more protective of speech than mere legal requirements provide. For academic freedom to offer less protection for speech is a breathtaking departure from long-standing assumptions about the nature and purpose of the academy. As the cynics now note in Cambridge, one may not safely say in Harvard Yard what is constitutionally protected in Harvard Square. The same may be said for just about every campus where there once was a hallowed hall of learning, now converted to a humorless hall of conformity.
Hustler and the Good Reverend Falwell
While campuses may be tightening the noose on political humor, parody, in particular, has the courts' unmitigated support. In 1988, the Supreme Court decided in Hustler v. Falwell that the First Amendment protects a parodist or cartoonist who intentionally inflicts "emotional distress" on anyone who plays a role in American public life. In that landmark case, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt resorted to a fake Compari liquor ad to suggest that his ideological adversary, Reverend Jerry Falwell, had lost his virginity in a drunken encounter with his own mother in an outhouse.
"Were we to hold otherwise," wrote Chief Justice William Rehnquist, "political cartoonists and satirists" would be vulnerable to lawsuits. After all, "[t]he appeal of the political cartoon or caricature is often based on exploitation of unfortunate physical traits or politically embarrassing events – an exploitation often calculated to injure the feelings of the subject of the portrayal.
"The art of the cartoonist is often not reasoned or evenhanded, but slashing and one-sided," continued the court. The opinion went on to discuss how the weapon of humor and exaggeration was in the past directed to such figures as William M. "Boss" Tweed in New York City, and even to such notables as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. "From the viewpoint of history it is clear that our political discourse would have been considerably poorer without" such vicious depictions, concluded Rehnquist in a decision that has clearly become anathema on campus, and now, sadly, in the political arena. Still, the decision was unanimous and sufficiently clear, so that the issue has not been cast into doubt in any subsequent case.
Media commentators, members of the chattering classes, and the presidential candidates themselves have got to shake the politically correct bonds that have suffocated much public and political discourse in recent years. They need to invite a more liberated and intelligent public discourse, consonant with the seriousness of the challenges facing our nation. If a presidential candidate cannot – or is afraid to – admit that he sees humor as well as a political point in the kind of parodic attack (on his own critics!) represented by the New Yorker cover, then we are still very far from recovering from the academic plague that leaked out of the campuses in the 1980s and still inhibits free speech outside of the ivy gates. If Obama wants to be the nation's leader, he can start leading here. He needs to leave the atmosphere of censorship at the Harvard Law School and join the ranks of free men and women.
Harvey Silverglate, a Cambridge-based lawyer and writer, is co-author of The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on America's Campuses. His forthcoming book about the Department of Justice is due from Encounter Books early in 2009. He can be reached firstname.lastname@example.com. Jan Wolfe and Kyle Smeallie assisted in the preparation of this piece.


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What's an in-plant, anyway?
How many in-plants are there?
What is In-Plant Graphics?
Who reads it?
What's in it?
How do we select the in-plants that we profile?
If you interview me, can I see my quotes before publication?
Can I contribute an article?
What happened to In-plant Reproductions?
What's an in-plant?
An in-plant is an in-house reproduction department operated within an organization, be it a company, a government office or a university.
An in-plant must employ at least one full-time person who is responsible for taking in jobs from customers within the organization, printing or copying them, and coordinating their delivery. If customers operate the equipment, then this is not an in-plant. In addition, a true in-plant includes more than just a single duplicating device. In fact, it should include some prepress and bindery equipment, as well. The majority of the in-plant's work must serve the internal needs of the organization, though a percentage of its work can come from outside the organization.
The manager of the in-plant must be in charge of managing his or her budget, planning for the future and charging customers for services. The manager should also coordinate the purchasing of outside printing after assessing whether or not the job can be printed in-house. The manager should coordinate the distribution of these products, as well.
Because they don't compete directly with other in-plants or commercial printers, in-plants can produce work much more inexpensively than commercial printers, saving their organizations money.
How many in-plants are there?
It's nearly impossible to count the exact number of in-plants in the country, as many of them are small, one-person shops. To give you some idea, though, In-Plant Graphics, the only magazine serving the in-plant market, goes out to more than 19,000 in-plants in the U.S.
What is In-Plant Graphics?
In-plant Graphics is the only graphic arts magazine in the world written specifically for in-plants. Based in Philadelphia, IPG has been published since 1951 and focuses on helping in-plant managers increase productivity and stay competitive. Articles cover successful in-plants, new graphic arts technologies and other prepress, printing, bindery and mailing issues. IPG Editor Bob Neubauer has been involved with the in-plant industry since 1994.
Who reads it?
In-Plant Graphics is read by about 20,000 graphic arts professionals in the United States. The majority of these readers are in-plant managers working for manufacturing firms. Banking, finance, insurance and real estate in-plants comprise the next largest audience segment. After that, educational institutions, professional services groups (legal, medical, architectural, hotels, etc.) and publishing companies make up a large chunk of our readership.
What's in it?
In-Plant Graphics is full of well-researched articles designed to help managers of in-house reproduction departments increase productivity, save money and stay competitive in an increasingly competitive world. Articles fall into several broad categories:
Management stories – These articles offer tips to managers on issues such as reporting to upper management, merging with their organization's data center, defeating facilities management firms and providing customer satisfaction.
Profiles of successful in-plants – IPG interviews the managers of prospering in-plants to find out what they're doing right, what equipment they're using and what their thoughts are on the future.
New technology – We take an in-depth look at the latest graphic arts equipment, talking to manufacturers to discover what the best features are and what changes may be reshaping the equipment in the future.
Industry research – IPG surveys readers to find out about their equipment, services and more. We also focus on in-plants in specific segments of the market, such as colleges and universities or the health care industry.
Industry News – The latest information about in-plant activities, such as new equipment purchases, in-plant expansions, awards and conferences.
Hot Products – A look at interesting graphic arts equipment and software.
How do we select the in-plants that we profile?
Many ways. Sometimes in-plants call, fax or e-mail the editor to boast of their accomplishments. Sometimes the editor looks at the survey forms returned to us by cooperative in-plants. Sometimes vendors tell us which in-plants have recently purchased their equipment and we then contact the in-plants.
If you interview me, can I see my quotes before publication?
Because In-Plant Graphics is a news magazine, and we have deadlines, it will not always be possible for us to allow the people we interview to see their quotes and comments prior to publication. When you agree to be interviewed by us, you agree to allow us to quote you in the magazine. We agree to quote you accurately. (More info?)
Can I contribute an article?
IPG gets unsolicited articles frequently. Those that are well written and touch on a topic important to readers are given strong consideration for publication, though space does not permit us to use as many as we would like. Our best advice is to contact the editor via fax or e-mail with your idea, including a rough outline. If the editor is interested, you will be asked to write the story. (More info?)
What happened to In-plant Reproductions?
Some of you remember when IPG was called In-plant Reproductions. It was only in January 1996 that we changed the name. The old title has a long and detailed history, but the name basically came to life in 1980 and stayed alive for 15 long years.
Former Publisher Jeff OKon and Editor Bob Neubauer opted to change the name to IPG to reflect the changes that have altered the way in-plants operate; in other words, they no longer simply "reproduce" things, they store data digitally, publish it on-line, put it on CD-ROM, and basically take charge of a host of new responsibilities.
In-plants also produce a larger variety of products than ever before, such as banners, posters and ID cards. Today's in-plant is a self-contained provider of a variety of products and services centered around the graphic arts. IPG 's goal is to serve the modern in-plant's changing needs, keeping abreast of the latest digital technology and helping managers to prosper. In that respect, our new, modernized name better describes our mission.


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Shipping to Cast Off Red Tape and Set Sail for Productivity Boost
Media Release
08 April 2014
The Australian Government is inviting input on reforms to revitalise coastal shipping in Australia, with the release of its Regulation of Coastal Shipping Options Paper today.
Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss told the 2014 International Association of Ports and Harbors Mid-Term Conference in Sydney today that removing unnecessary regulatory burdens will boost competitiveness in the struggling industry.
"Right now our domestic shipping industry is treading water, bound in red tape and unable to be competitive both domestically and internationally," Mr Truss said.
"If allowed to continue under Labor's tangle of dead weights, the industry will sink to the bottom of the harbour.
"As an island nation, Australia's competitiveness, to an ever-growing extent, depends on local industries exporting our world-class products overseas in the most cost-effective way possible.
"Our domestic freight task is growing rapidly and shipping should be carrying a larger share of the load.
"This options paper is the first step in unlocking the regulatory shackles on shippers and boosting Australia's competitiveness. The Paper also includes a discussion on regulatory settings for the cruise industry.
"We will take a measured and careful approach to this process and I am determined to ensure we rebalance the system to support Australia's shipping needs."
The shipping industry currently handles 99 percent of Australia's international trade and volume is expected to double by 2029–30. Like our international trade, coastal shipping is an important part of Australia's domestic freight task, comprising 20 percent of movements.
Mr Truss said ensuring that Australia has adequate transport links to accommodate this boom is essential for an economy geared for growth.
"There is a growing disparity between the cost of shipping domestically and the cost of shipping to Australia from overseas," Mr Truss explained.
"Too often we hear that it is cheaper to freight goods from overseas than ship them from one Australian port to another.
"Meanwhile, we have reached a situation where the number of Australian registered ships has halved over the last decade, with demand outstripping supply.
"In 2002–03 there were 33 Australian registered vessels with a deadweight tonnage of 2,000 tonnes or more in our major trading fleet. As of December 2013 there were just 16 such vessels.
"Labor created a second register (the Australian International Shipping Register) as an alternative for Australian shipowners and operators who predominantly engage in the international trades, but there are no vessels on it. It has been a complete failure.
"A viable, vibrant shipping industry is essential to our national prosperity and it is critical that our transport links are working at optimal capacity and efficiently."
The review will seek input on all areas of regulation of coastal trading.
Submissions close Friday 31 May 2014.
The Options Paper: Approaches to regulating coastal shipping in Australia is available at: www.infrastructure.gov.au/maritime/business/coastal_trading/review/index.aspx


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Another from the Ngaio Marsh piles - this time a police procedural styled book set in Auckland.
From the Blurb:
In The Student Body, Simon Wyatt takes the reader on a thrilling journey to catch a killer through his eyes as a former police detective. A popular fifteen-year-old girl is strangled to death at a school camp on Auckland's west coast. The posing of the body suggests a sexual motive. Nick Knight, a week into his role as a newly promoted detective sergeant, is tasked with the critical job of leading the Suspects Team.Nick - who turned his back on a lucrative career as a lawyer - is well-versed at dealing with the dark sides of human nature. With no shortage of suspects, he sets a cracking pace on the trail of the murderer, grappling his own personal demons along the way. But are things really as they seem?


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Issue No. 10 - October (1993 vol. 19)
pp: 997-1011
DOI Bookmark: http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/32.245741

Retrieval by contents of images from pictorial databases can be effectively performed through visual icon-based systems. In these systems, the representation of pictures with 2D strings, which are derived from symbolic projections, provides an efficient and natural way to construct iconic indexes for pictures and is also an ideal representation for the visual query. With this approach, retrieval is reduced to matching two symbolic strings. However, using 2D-string representations, spatial relationships between the objects represented in the image might not be exactly specified. Ambiguities arise for the retrieval of images of 3D scenes. In order to allow the unambiguous description of object spatial relationships, in this paper, following the symbolic projections approach, images are referred to by considering spatial relationships in the 3D imaged scene. A representation language is introduced that expresses positional and directional relationships between objects in three dimensions, still preserving object spatial extensions after projections. Iconic retrieval from pictorial databases with 3D interfaces is discussed and motivated. A system for querying by example with 3D icons, which supports this language, is also presented.

three-dimensional iconic environment; image database querying; pictorial databases; visual icon-based systems; 2D strings; symbolic projections; visual query; object spatial relationships; spatial relationships; object spatial extensions; 3D interfaces; querying by example; 3D icons; graphical user interfaces; query processing; visual databases
P. Nesi, A. Del Bimbo and M. Campanai, "A Three-Dimensional Iconic Environment for Image Database Querying," in IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, vol. 19, no. , pp. 997-1011, 1993.


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Satna Titus Latest HD Photo Gallery - Thittam Poattu Thirudura Kootam Press Release
Thittam Poattu Thirudura Kootam Press Release
"I play as a Jolly-Bold Tomboy in 'Thittam Poattu Thirudura Kootam" says Satna Titus
Satna Titus, the pretty charming actress was critically acclaimed and earned huge praises from the Audience for her expressive performance in Vijay Antony starrer 'Pichaikaran', which turned out to be a huge Blockbuster. And now Satna is paired up with Kayal Chandran in the upcoming film 'Thittam Poattu Thirudura Kootam'. Produced by 'Two MovieBuffs' jointly with 'Across Films' the film 'Thittam Poattu Thirudura Kootam' is directed by debutante Sudhar and has a bunch of talented technicians that includes Cinematographer Joe Martin (Vil Ambu), Music Director Ashwath (Nalanum Nandhiniyum), Editor Venkat (Mirudhan), Art Director Remiyan (Ambuli & Pandigai) and Stunt Choreographer Billa Jegan.
"Ever since "Pichaikaran" turned to be a super duper hit in Tamil and Telugu the scripts that come to me, have my character designed more or less very similar to what i have played in 'Pichaikaran'. I didn't want to be type cast. Whatever character it is, my character has to be injected in the hearts of Audience. The Audience must say that 'Satna has perfectly reflected the aspects of that particular character'. That's the real success and it is what I want…. In that case, I am pretty sure that our 'Thittam Poattu Thirudura Kootam' will be an another milestone in my film career…"
"I play as a Jolly-Bold Tomboy in 'Thittam Poattu Thirudura Kootam' which is actually a very fresh role for me. Since I am exposing to this character for the first time in my life, I have done some homework to make the character more realistic. Right from the walking style of a modern girl, I have also clearly analyzed their wardrobe, boldness, gesture and body language. My co-star and good friend 'Kayal' Chandran acts as a great support for me in the sets…I quite sure that our 'Thittam Poattu Thirudura Kootam' will be a sensational visual treat for the Audience…" says and signs-off pretty Satna Titus, the heroine of 'Thittam Poattu Thirudura Kootam'.
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Thursday, 17 Jul 2014
Thursday, 17 Jul 2014
Paint Your Own Pottery: Pet Bowls
Channel: The Workspace
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm @ The Workspace at the Memorial UnionJoin us for a fun exploration of techniques in "painting" bisque. Personalize a food or water bowl for your furry friend. Studio fee is $4 for ISU and $5 for public to attend plus the cost of the bisque you select. Pottery will be fired within a week for you to pick up. Pre-registration with payment is not required but a call to reserve a spot is recommended.
Cost: ISU $4/ Public $5 (not including cost of selected bisque)
Workshop: Nature Journaling
Channel: Reiman Gardens
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm @ Reiman GardensThis workshop runs for four weeks on Thursdays, July 17, July 24, July 31, and August 7 Whether you are a budding naturalist, artist, or writer, Reiman Gardens is the ideal setting to observe & record pollinating insects, tropical butterflies, & native flora & fauna. Yvonne Brune of Creative Department will lead you through different garden areas exploring techniques to capture your experiences in nature through writing or sketching. Ages 10+
Cost: Cost is $38 for members, $47.50 for the general public, and Iowa State University students pay 15% off the member price.
Art Critique
Channel: The Workspace
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm @ The Workspace at the Memorial UnionShare your artwork in a comfortable atmosphere and get feedback and ideas. Share your observations with others, and network with artists. Bring up to 3 pieces of work in any media. Open to all levels of artists and no pre-registration necessary.


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Elin Nordegren withstood a barrage of harsh questions by a paparazzo (not ours) on her way out of a Thai restaurant near her home in Windermere today.
Elin was holding her baby as the photog unrelentingly questioned her about Tiger Woods' affairs, mistresses, divorce options ... before someone finally said, "How about something nice like, 'how are you holding up?"
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An ambitious plan to remove most of the overhead wires from Steuben Street, the heart of Bingen's downtown business district, is moving forward quickly.
In a surprise move, however, the Bingen City Council has voted unanimously to cover the full cost of the project, with no billing of local building owners.
The July 2 vote means that the utility wires for electricity, telephone, and cable television service -- currently strung overhead -- will be routed underground, with the city paying the estimated $141,000 price tag.
In previous council meetings, the question had been what portion of the cost the city would cover.
The area of Steuben Street (State Route 14) to be affected by the project will go from Willow Street to Maple Street, a five-block stretch.
In addition, most of the overhead wires on Depot Street will come down.
"All buildings on the north side of Steuben will be fed from Humboldt overhead," explained Mayor Brian Prigel. "All buildings on the south side will be fed underground from Depot Street."
The undergrounding project is one aspect of a major downtown revitalization plan, which includes the upcoming repaving of State Route 14 through downtown Bingen, the new fire hall, new landscaping, and long-range planning for development of Depot Street, one block south of Steuben.
Removal of the overhead wires is designed to create a more attractive and inviting downtown area.
In considering the impacts of the upgrading, Prigel said he recognized the economic constraints many Bingen businesses were currently facing.
"I believe it would be right for building owners to pick up part of the tab for this utility project," Prigel explained. "But in a practical sense, it would be very difficult to ask building owners to contribute much to this. If we're going to do this, we need to foot the bill."
Prigel noted that the costs for the necessary utility work differed widely from building to building, and that in itself created an inequity.
Prigel said the money for the undergrounding work would come from the city's long-standing community development fund, which was originally known as the Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG). The city has tapped into the fund in recent years in an effort to enhance the city.
The fund reached a high of approximately $2.7 million in 1999. If the city takes the cost of this new project out of the community development fund, the account will have approximately $750,000-$800,000 remaining in it.
"It seems scary to say we're spending $2 million plus," said Laura Mann. "But that's what the money is for."
Prigel said the money has gone to pay for substantial enrichments to the city.
"If you look at what we've accomplished so far with those funds, there have been some pretty significant uses," he said. "This [undergrounding] project could help the city even more than a community center, and hopefully it will stimulate a bit more private investment."
Projects the city has taken on in the past three years, funded in total or in part from the UDAG fund, include:
Construction of a new fire station;
Water system improvements, including a new 180,000-gallon water reservoir;
Purchase of the lot at 400 W. Steuben as a potential site for a new community center/city hall;
Purchase of playground equipment for Daubenspeck Park;
Design of downtown revitalization plans;
A Dry Creek's flooding study;
Purchase of Depot Street for future development.
Prigel said he thought it was important to maintain the recent momentum.
Jan Brending, Bingen's city clerk, pointed out that movement of utilities achieves one of the goals of downtown revitalization, and as a result can be considered economic development.
"I agree," Prigel said. "It's actually getting pretty sparse downtown. I'd like to see more retail businesses come down. With downtown revitalization, it needs to be carried through and do it right. This project would certainly help the community."
Norm Guler, owner of Guler Oil at the east end of Bingen's downtown area, told the council that businesses were already stressed, and were likely to suffer further during the highway paving project.
"Businesses are going to be impacted quite a bit anyway with everything torn up," Guler said. "Business will be down, so if we don't have to cough up $6,000 to put the utilities underground, we'd certainly appreciate it."
Councilor Mann recommended that the city pick up the charges for the utility undergrounding project.
"It would be hard for the city to say, you have to do this, do it this way, do it now, and you have to pay for it. That wouldn't be fair," Mann said.
For its part, the Klickitat Public Utility District has agreed to pay $32,000. That amount represents what the PUD would have to pay to move power poles during the SR 14 construction project, regardless of where the wires ultimately go. However, the PUD's contribution is already figured in, and would not lower the cost to Bingen.
"The cost to the city of Bingen for the PUD to move the electrical lines to underground on Depot Street is $141,456. This does not include the amount the PUD will pick up, which is approximately $32,000. At the present time, the city is not pursuing burying the SDS feeder along Maple Street, or undergrounding the lines on Oak Street," read a statement from the city.
Prigel said the city would advise the Public Utility District of the decision, and the work contract would soon go out to bid.
"I'd like to see this project all done by the end of September," Prigel said.
Council member Terry Trantow requested that the utility companies provide schematics to the city, so there will be an accurate record of where the utilities are located.
"We need to require as-builts, so we know where their utilities are," Trantow explained.
Leaco Electric developed the cost estimates for the city.
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In its ambition to be world ruler the US always has had its share of misbehaving friends. Mobutu was probably the most famous among them, but there have been many others. Out of fear of losing their support the West tended to ignore their misbehavior.
Nowadays Israel and Saudi Arabia are among the misbehaving friends. And we see the US bending backwards in order not to lose their friendship.
Doing so the US is showing itself a false friend. Good friends occasionally tell each other the truth. Forcing Israel to behave better towards the Palestinians could in the long run be better for Israel's future.
In the case of Saudi Arabia this issue is even more clear. By starting a war against Yemen the royal family has painted itself into a corner. The main initiator of the war is crown prince Muhammad, king Salman favorite nephew. Stopping the war would be a major defeat for Muhammad. This is by excellence an opportunity for the US to show itself a true friend: by stopping all support for the war and starting humanitarian support for Yemen it could force Saudi Arabia to end its war. On the short term the Saudi's certainly would blame Obama - also in an effort to save Muhammad's face. But in the long term they would have to admit that it was the best option.
Yet this kind of behavior takes courage. And until now that has been missing.


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Well the verdict is in and CBS Anchor Serene Branson suffered a complex migraine and not a stroke as some in the medical field had at first thought.
A complex or complicated migraine can have symptoms that mimic a stroke, such as numbness and tingling, trouble speaking or understanding speech or not being able to move an arm or leg. These symptoms may go on after the headache goes away.
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Ejection Handle
ACES-II Ejection Handle
As original parts are very expensive and difficult to get, we are forced to find a way to get our sim to look good anyhow. Going shopping is not exactly what I like to do best, but sometimes you can also find some items for your pit in a super-market just visit the sections, where you can find products for your pet, in this special case dog toys. Don't bather about the colors you may find, as these are simple to change.
All you need is some pine-wood, a switch which provides 2 positions (ON/OFF), paint (grey and black), screws, some isolating yellow tape, and of course, the Dog-Toy. The first step is to cut the dog-toy so that you have the matching part. I took the dog's end, as the shape fits better. By the way I've been told, that the original ejection-handle is also made of rubber.
ACES-II Ejection Handle
Dog Toy
Req. Materials
First Step
This is it!
Front look
Rear look
The bar in the middle of the handle is made out of a piece of aluminum-tube and is also fitted to the top of the switch. I wanted to build the handle in a way, that it resets itself after pulling. After trying to achieve this with metal-springs I had problems, as the pull-down forces were either too weak or too strong. The simple solution I found and use since then, is just a rubber-band, which I attached to the bar of the handle and to a hook on the lower rear of the casing. Now the pull-back is ok and the switch resets itself without problems. Looking at the rear of the handle it appears strange and is not like the original, but the front is quite ok. If you can live with this fact, the handle will work neatly.
You might have noticed, that there is a pin on the right base of the handle (its made out of a "grasper"); well I installed this locking-device, as I found out, that the handle is provided with a "magic attraction" for alien pilots. Every time they step into the sim, the grasp the handle, and there you go, as the command that the switch delivers via EPIC can produce some bizzar reactions on your computer when Falcon is not started. This meant real trouble, as a CTD (Crash to Desk Top) was the result and once even some data got lost. Therefore as a secondary safety-device I just plug in the pin to avoid the use of the handle before Falcon is started. NOTE: don't forget to remove it before flight. I did and wondered, why I crashed into the ground as my ejection was not working. Since then I have a Tag on my sim ("Remove before Flight") which you can see in the pic. which shows the USB Sound-Device.
To zoom please select the picture with your mouse.
(c) by Dieter "Phaser" Salzburg


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A 39-year-old Doncaster man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Thomas Groome - despite his body never being found.
During the sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court this morning, Mr Justice Globe ruled that Jason Thaxter, of Hexthorpe, must serve a minimum of 30 years before he can be considered for release.
Thaxter was found guilty of the murder of Mr Groome, as well as conspiracy to prevent a burial, on Friday following a five week trial.
Sentencing Thaxter, Mr Justice Globe said: "I am satisfied that your motivation was to kill, that you had a dual motive of revenge and financial gain.
"There's been a huge amount of time and expense in trying to find the body to no avail.
"It's almost seven years since the death and still no evidence to the location of the body has been forthcoming.
"The family remain significantly bereaved and hideously upset as a result."
Thaxter's sentencing follows a six-year investigation into Groome's disappearance.
His mother, June Buttle of Doncaster town centre, was sentenced in March last year to 16-years in prison after she pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Groome, conspiracy to prevent a burial and fraud against the Thomas Groome estate.
Buttle claimed during her trial that a man, who was previously unknown to her, helped her kill Groome. She said that she then wrapped him in a carpet and the stranger chopped him into pieces, burnt him at the bottom of her garden and told her he would dispose of the remnants of Mr Groome's body in Armthorpe woods.
Mr Justice Globe said the jury's guilty verdict in Thaxter's case proved Buttle's account of Mr Groome's death, and those responsible for it, to be false.
He said: "The jury's verdict of guilty unequivocally means they have disbelieved June Buttle's claim that the man who helped her to kill Tommy Groome was a man she does not know.
"It means they believe that man was you."
Mr Groome was 53-years-old when he was last seen on New Year's Day morning 2010 as he left his sons' home in Thorne.
He was reported missing by his family a few weeks into the New Year and police began to investigate his disappearance.
A murder investigation was launched in 2012 and Thaxter was initially arrested, alongside Buttle, in March 2013 on suspicion of murder.
Buttle was charged in September 2014, however there was insufficient evidence at the time to charge Thaxter with any offences and he was released.
Thaxter was charged with murder in November last year, following Buttle's manslaughter conviction eight months earlier in March 2015.
Following Thaxter's conviction Mr Groome's family have issued the following statement: "Thomas Groome, known to his family as Tommy was a much loved Dad, Son, Brother, Grandad and Uncle. We love and miss him so much. He was a larger than life character who
loved to travel and sing on the karaoke.
"On the 1st January 2010 we said goodbye to him not knowing that this was the last time that we would see and speak to him.
"Throughout the last five years, we have hoped and prayed that Tommy was still alive but our worst fears became a reality when we were told that Tommy had been killed.
"However his body has still not been found. We are devastated that we have been unable to lay him to rest in a place where we can visit and remember him and give him the funeral that he deserves.
"We would like to thank everyone who has been involved or assisted in the investigation into the disappearance of Tommy. This includes the Police in Ireland, Portugal and South Yorkshire. Without them, we would never have known what happened to Tommy."
The court was told how the investigation into Mr Groome's murder is estimated to have cost South Yorkshire Police in excess of £2million.
This cost is expected to rise as police continue to search for Mr Groome's body.
Following his conviction, Senior Investigating Officer, T/Detective Chief Superintendent Lisa Ray said: "My thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mr Groome as they are still unable to lay their loved one to rest because of Thaxter's selfish and cowardly actions.
"I am very pleased with the result, as even though June Buttle pleaded guilty to Mr Groome's manslaughter, we knew Thaxter had been involved in his death.
"We have worked relentlessly to uncover further evidence to be able to build a strong case against Thaxter, and to prove he was an intrinsic component in Mr Groome's death.
"While there will still be untold grief and distress for Mr Groome's family, as neither Buttle or Thaxter have provided the answers they need as to what happened to him and where he is now, I hope today they may feel some sense of justice has been served knowing that Thaxter will now also be behind bars for a very long time."


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By Scott Carter l University of Florida athletics communication (with permission) l Link
A Tokyo-based reporter and photographer spent two days at UF for a story on Hakim Sani Brown, one of Japan's most promising athletes for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - If you stopped 10 people today on the sidewalk along University Avenue at the University of Florida and asked them who Hakim Sani Brown is, chances are you would get blank stares rather than a correct answer.
If you did the same thing on a street in Tokyo, someone would likely give you a weird look for even asking.
"He is still an 18-year-old boy,'' Tomoo Ota said. "People respect him so much."
By the summer of 2020 when the Olympic Games come to Tokyo, Sani Brown is expected to be a household name in Japan.
A veteran sports journalist for the national daily newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun, Ota and a photographer spent two days on UF's campus earlier this month for a story on Sani Brown, a freshman sprinter for the Gators.
The story is part of the newspaper's upcoming series on how Japan has transformed during the reign of Emperor Akihito, who will abdicate his throne in April 2019.
"A lot changed,'' Ota said.
The 83-year-old Akihito is a beloved figure in Japan and his reign is called Heisei (achieving peace). Akihito's looming departure is huge news in Japan. He is the first Emperor to abdicate in 200 years, citing age and concerns over his ability to continue.
On Ota's recent assignment to the U.S., he also stopped at the United Nations in New York to gather information for other stories related to Akihito. Ota has been a sports journalist for three decades and is no stranger to reporting from America.
He was based in New York for several years covering Major League Baseball and other stateside events. He covered the relatively young phenomenon of Japanese-born baseball players coming to America to play, which bloomed with the success of pitcher Hideo Nomo for the Dodgers in 1995 and has continued with stars such as Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Yu Darvish and newcomer Shohei Ohtani, who recently signed with the Angels and seeks to become the first two-way player in the majors in decades.
How does Sani Brown fit into the picture?
"He is a next generation athlete,'' Ota said. "These guys are previous generation. He is a symbol of next generation."
When Nomo, Ichiro and Matsui came to America, Japanese newspapers and TV stations deployed dozens of reporters and photographers to track their every move. They wrote daily stories and followed their big-league teams across the country to feed the massive appetite of fans back home.
The players existed in a fishbowl and felt tremendous pressure to succeed and prove they belonged in the majors. Many succeeded. Others, such as former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu, imploded and failed to live up to expectations.
Still, more than 20 years after Nomo was named National League Rookie of the Year, the phenomenon has proven to have staying power.
While two-way phenom Ohtani has been called the Babe Ruth of Japan, the Japanese players' success before him has smoothed the transition for those who have followed.
Sani Brown, whose mother is from Japan and father is from Ghana, belongs to a young population of biracial Japanese athletes trying to make their mark on an international stage.
Sani Brown remains a relative unknown in the U.S.. He enrolled at UF in August and over the holiday break returned to Tokyo, where on Dec. 19 he was honored by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations for his banner 2017.
Competing at the IAAF World Championships in London last summer, Sani Brown lowered his personal bests in the 100 meters (10.05 seconds) and 200 (20.32) as he builds to star for the home country in the 2020 Olympics.
"I came up with some good results at the world championships, but they are not what I can be satisfied with," he told The Japan Times. "I would like to keep working hard taking advantage of these experiences for next year and the Olympics."
Sani Brown shot to national fame at home in 2015 when he won the 100 and 200 at the World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia. He broke Usain Bolt's meet record in the 200 to establish himself as one of the world's top up-and-coming sprinters.
Following his visit to Florida, Ota came away with the impression Sani Brown is physically and mentally prepared to handle the track ahead.
"When we talked to Hakim, he doesn't feel the kind of pressure they did,'' Ota said. "The generation has changed. He is so nice a boy. The expectations for him are huge."
This story was written by Scott Carter, a senior editor for the University of Florida's athletic communications. Read more of Carter's pieces here. It was reposted with permission on MileSplit and Flrunners.com.