Carleton Planet

Lev Rickards '03: Monday night round-up

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:11:38 +0000

Negin and I are packing, preparing for part 2 of visiting family. Osita is over, and we’re having a quiet night in the house. Seems like a good time for a little weekly web round-up.

Baha’i Thought blogs about a positive portrayal of African Americans in the film 2012
My sister’s dance students perform at Movement City open house. (Note the young lady in the tutu.)
Jeune Street blogs the African Studies Association Conference in New Orleans (tag with: Katrina, NOLA, Lower Ninth Ward, Making it Right).
And if you’re working with the younger set, you’re probably familiar by now with jerkin’. Here’s a video if you don’t know: The Ranger$, jerkin’ for the fans.
We’ve been visiting the phenomenal Colin, Kim, and baby Caleb when possible to read through Paul Lample’s “Revelation and Social Reality.” Palabra Publications also has downloadable PDF e-books on topics relating to the Baha’i Faith.

Kurt Kohlstedt '02: 15 Fantastic New Futuristic Tech & Gadget Designs

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:28 +0000

Invisible speakers, wireless electricity and games you can control with your brain: all of these things may sound like science fiction, but thanks to recent technological innovation, they’re officially within the realm of possibility – or even already available. Some improve quality of life while others are just plain fun, but all of these futuristic gadgets and technologies will knock your socks off with their brilliance.

Bionic Vision with Cybernetic Contact Lenses

What if contact lenses could not only help you see better, but deliver directions, news, email and weather reports directly to your eyes? The technology is already here, according to a report by Babak A. Parviz, a bionanotechnology expert at the University of Washington. Tiny components like LED lights, tiny antennae and special circuits can be embedded into the polymer of a typical contact lens. A small portable device would process the information, and the lenses could even be used to measure and process information about the user’s health.

Miniscule Adjustick Cell Phone

Cell phones are getting smaller and smaller, almost to the point of absurdity – but though this concept takes small size to the extreme, it’s also functional. The Adjustick was one of many futuristic cell phone concepts shown at Japan’s CEATEC technology convention. The stick-like device projects a usable keyboard and screen when placed on its side.

Games You Control with Your Brain

This alien-looking headset looks capable of doing some insidious things to your brain, but it’s actually a gaming headset by Emotiv that allows you to play a variety of concentration-based games on a Windows PC. That’s right, it actually uses your brain waves to play the games in which you can push and pull boulders, levitate objects and perform other telekinesis-like actions. It works by matching certain brain activities – like concentrating or thinking about something in particular – with certain actions during a calibration that you perform before starting the game.

Portable Gadget That Shoots You to Rooftops

Anyone who has ever admired Batman’s ability to go from street level to the rooftop of a skyscraper in seconds will love the Atlas Rope Ascender, an awesome reverse-rappelling portable gadget that can lift a fully-outfitted soldier up to 600 feet at 10 ft/second on a single battery charge. The device has been tested by military, police and rescue organizations, who might have felt cool while using it, but probably lamented the lack of a cape.

Flexible Customizable Laptop Concept

An eBook reader, full-size tablet, tabletop presentation screen, desktop computer and conventional laptop all in one… it might sound impossible, but designer Tommaso Gecchelin’s MacBook Touch does it all. Theoretically, that is – the integral part of the design that allows such flexibility, called the iSpine, relies on technology that doesn’t exist yet. But the idea has potential, and it’s a tantalizing possibility for anyone who has ever daydreamed about such an achievement in multi-functionality.

18-Button Computer Mouse

If you wonder why on earth a computer mouse would need 18 buttons, perhaps the Warmouse OOMouse isn’t for you. But those who see the potential of this customizable little gadget will be able to save a whole lot of time by packing tons of functions into the press of a button. It’s designed to be used with Open Office, but could also be used with other applications.

Get Directions from a Rainwater-Powered Manhole

Wouldn’t it be nice if, when visiting a new city, you could simply get directions from a nearby urban object instead of unfolding and puzzling over a map? A concept called the EcoSign would turn ubiquitous manhole covers into rainwater-powered information centers that can give you directions. The only problem is, manhole covers tend to be in the middle of busy streets – not exactly safe places for tourists to congregate.

Amoeba Cell Phone

This strange little hunk of ergonomic plastic doesn’t resemble any cell phones currently in mainstream use, but its unusual design isn’t all about aesthetics. The Amoeba Phone contours to the user’s face while in use, and its entire surface is a touch screen.

Invisible Speakers

Speakers are invariably ugly, and even tiny models that pack a big aural punch are just another object to clutter your living space. But an innovative new type of speaker is virtually invisible, pouring surprisingly decent sound forth from a clear membrane across your television screen. Edge Motion invisible speakers work by using piezoelectric actuators to cause sound vibrations in the membrane, which don’t affect the picture quality. The technology is set to be included in a range of upcoming consumer products like hand-held games and portable DVD players.

Prosthetic Limbs Powered by the Mind

Stiff plastic prosthetic limbs may help amputees feel whole again, but they don’t offer much in the way of independence. Luckily for Christian Kandlbauer, who lost both of his arms in a work accident in 2005, amazing new advances in prosthesis technology have enabled him to do things for himself again – through the power of his mind. Kandlbauer is equipped with incredible new prosthetic arms that are wired to his nerves, a procedure that only three surgeons in the world can perform. Now, Kandlbauer can activate his “muscle” movement with impulses from his brain.

Virtual Reality Treadmill

One of the biggest challenges to making virtual reality a – well – reality, is locomotion. Anyone trying to navigate a VR environment needs to be able to walk in any direction, but treadmills only move in one direction. Until now. CyberCarpet is an omni-directional treadmill that densely packs small balls under a walking surface, letting the friction of the user’s shoes to do the moving. The CyberCarpet’s usefulness doesn’t end at gaming, though – it can be used for therapy, training and other applications as well.

Alarm Clock Grades Your Sleep Quality

When it comes to your health, few things are quite as important as getting plenty of sleep. But the quality of your sleep is just as vital as the length of time that you spend in bed each night. A futuristic new alarm clock design called the Zeo alarm clock tracks how much time you spend in each stage of sleep through a thin headband worn by the user, reporting your ‘sleep score’ in the morning. It even has a function that can wake you up at the ideal point in your sleep cycle, so you feel more refreshed.

Bed with Built-In TV, Movie Screen & Video Games

Not only is the slick HiCan bed super cozy and modern, it’s also equipped with everything you need to spend the rest of your life as a media-consuming blob – or at least, be extremely entertained on sick days. This all-in-one bed and entertainment center has a pull-down projection screen, integrated gaming system, built-in lights, and even a control panel that allows you to control your home’s window shades and lighting. The price tag of 42,000 Euro puts this amazing piece of furniture firmly in daydream territory for most.

No Longer Sci-Fi: Wireless Electricity

Imagine being able to place your electronics anywhere you want, with no regard to whether there’s a power outlet nearby. It would cut a whole lot of clutter and eliminate hazards to children, pets and clumsy adults. Somehow it seems like wireless electricity should already be a reality, but there have always been obstacles in the way. However, engineers at MIT have worked out the kinks and wireless power could be in our homes as early as 2011.

Cybernetic Reading Through Implanted Device

When you come across a word you aren’t familiar with, perhaps you just skip it over or go through the trouble of looking it up in a dictionary or online. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if you could just place your finger over the word and magically hear its definition and pronunciation in your ear? Incredible as it seems, the Touch Hear concept would do just that, minus the magic part. An implanted device in the fingertip recognizes the characters while another device in the ear relays the information. It’s still just a concept, but it could be a viable future option – particularly for blind readers.

42 Fantastic Fusions of Tech and Art in Geek Jewelry

When recycled tech parts become jewelry to help save the planet and look great, it's flat out sexy. Here are 42 fantastic fusions of tech art in geek jewelry. Click Here to See More

David Ocker '73: In which I remember the Great Cranberry Scare of 1959

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:14:00 +0000

I would have been eight years old in 1959, fifty years ago. The government announced that year, just before Thanksgiving, that some cranberries should not be eaten because of possible contamination. Here's the November 9, 1959, press release:

The Food and Drug Administration today urged that no further sales be made of cranberries and cranberry products produced in Washington and Oregon in 1958 and 1959 because of their possible contamination by a chemical weed killer, aminotriazole, which causes cancer in the thyroids of rats when it is contained in their diet, until the cranberry industry has submitted a workable plan to separate the contaminated berries from those that are not contaminated.

As a result of this announcement a nationwide panic ensued.

I, a highly impressionable and not-too-savvy-about-matters-of-food-borne-news-inflamed-misinformation eight-year-old living far from Oregon or Washington, resolved never to eat cranberries again. It was years, decades even, before I could securely eat any cranberry product. Even now, every Thanksgiving as the dish of red goo gets served, my childhood fears return: those little red round berries could kill me. I've learned to keep my mouth shut about it.

Of course, since then, I've even discovered that I like cranberries - including cranberry bagels (which ought to be an affront to nature, but aren't).

I was reminded of this little shading of my personality by a front page of the Los Angeles Mirror (an evening newspaper) from November 11, 1959, reproduced in a recent LA Times blog post about policemen damaging an LA restaurant because of a typographical error. The massive headline is pure scandal rag. But those pesky contaminated cranberries are front and center a few inches down.

A little research into the subject reveals that this event was an early example of food panic. The genre has gotten rather more sophisticated since then.

If you go to the Times blog you can enlarge the newspaper page enough to read the other stories. But here's the text of the cranberry story to help Mrs. Google run up my hit counter.

Go Ahead and Eat, Say Cranberry Expert

Claims Even Tainted Crop Safe

WAREHAM, Mass., Nov. 11 (AP) - The scientist who presides over the world's leading cranberry agricultural experiment station said today he can see no reason why people should not eat cranberries now and during the holiday season.

Dr. Chester E. Cross of the University of Massachusetts directs the Massachusetts agricultural experiment station to which agricultural scientists of the world come to learn about cranberry growing.

[Sidebar: For tasty cranberry substitutes, see story, Page 19.]

This station is largely responsible for the Massachusetts cranberry production, which this year totals 595,000 barrels or half the world crop.

Dr. Cross points out that weed-spraying has been questioned only in a small fraction of the nation's crop in two Pacific Coast states.

He said he would eat a helping of even the suspected West Coast cranberries with no more concern than he would feel over smoking a cigarette.

He chided Welfare Secretary Arthur S. Flemming for stating Monday that improper use of the weed killer aminotriazole had contaminated portions of the Oregon-Washington crop.

Timing Blasted

He said that Flemming's statement at this pre-Thanksgiving time is damaging to the entire industry and that information upon which it was based was "miserable and meager".

In nearby Hattson (?) the National Cranberry Assn. said that all suspected West Coast cranberries already have been segregated from the market.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government sent 100 inspectors and 60 chemists to all parts of the country to test cranberries for possible contamination.

Few Contaminated

Only limited quantities of berries from Oregon and Washington have been found to be contaminated, the government says. But it is making safety checks on cranberries from all producing areas.

Ambrose E. Stevens, executive vice president of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., said in New York that Flem- (turn to Page 19, Column 4)

The National Cranberry Association is now known as Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., and apparently it survived the 1959 panic thanks to a government subsidy on unsold cranberries. They now sell nearly $1.5 Billion dollars worth of cranberries per year. An early version of "Too big to fail"? Read more than you want to know about the cranberry business here.

Scare Tags: Cranberry Scare. . . 1959. . . contaminated food

Carleton Athletics: Women's Basketball: Knights Hope Wins Flow from Fountain of Youth

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:42:17 +0000

A young roster has brought renewed hope for the Carleton College women’s basketball team, which will seek to take full advantage of its youthful energy, athleticism, and enthusiasm during the 2009-2010 campaign. The Knights need a number of players to step into the voids in the lineup created when three starters graduated in the spring. The Knights' season tips off on Tuesday, Nov. 24, when they travel to Luther College.

Carleton Athletics: Football: Four Knights Receive All-MIAC Honors

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:06:09 +0000

Four members of the Carleton football team were recognized in awards handed out by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) today. Right tackle Brad Eckelman was an All-MIAC First-Team selection while running back Jon Lien, nose tackle Joe Boerma, and safety Neil Kolstad were each named to the second team.

David Schraub: That's Not How You Jibe

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:05:35 +0000

Matt Yglesias has been on this kick, most recently in this post on Hugo Chavez and his weird paeon to Idi Amin (among others), of citing to a Human Rights Watch report on the country in question, then sarcastically dismissing it with something like "but everyone knows that HRW is a non-credible group obsessed with unfair slams on Israel so their criticism of Chavez must somehow be part of their vast conspiracy."

This annoys me. But not for the reason you think! Rather, it's because I think the jibe isn't quite on target. The point of Matt's critique is to make fun of pro-Israel writers who have been busy savaging HRW as an anti-Israel organization due to its various critiques of Israeli policy. But I don't think that this has converged with any desire to discredit HRW reports on other countries. Much the opposite -- a major facet of the critique has been a supposed lack of equitable attention given to these countries.

Meanwhile, the point of Matt's HRW defense is that they suspect that HRW is being attacked not because of any substantive errors in their analysis, but based off the simple syllogism of critiquing Israel = prejudicially anti-Israel. Which means the analogous "joke" with regards to Venezuela or wherever would be to say something like "I guess this yet another manifestation of HRW's anti-Venezuela bias", or something to that effect. That would more accurately represent the objection, that "bias" here simply means "you criticized the country", rather than stretching to try and tie anti-HRW Israelphiles' attacks into something beyond just HRW and Israel.

Dan Schofer '00

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:17:06 +0000

11-23-2009
Lisbon. 30 minutes. 4 miles.
Easy shakeout run.

Kurt Kohlstedt '02: Playhouse Wonders: 11 Insanely Over the Top Clubhouse Designs

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:00:29 +0000

The clubhouse is a quintessential symbol of childhood: Children love to play house, pretend they’re guarding a fort, or even just hold secret club meetings. The clubhouse is a child’s private space and serves as the source of much of their imaginative play. One could argue that home improvement stores stay in business because of weekend warriors hell-bent on building the best possible structure for their children, and while most are quite tame, some parents let their creativity fly and others throw money at private contractors; whatever the motivation behind the creation of these playhouses, it’s undeniably fascinating to see a glimpse into the most interesting backyards in the world.

(Images via detroithomemag, greayer, inhabitots, metroshed)

In modern architecture, form matches function, and the simplicity of a clubhouse’s design is the source of its beauty. These compelling playhouses look mature and sophisticated while still serving the needs of a playful group of children. Adults will feel jealous of their own children, wishing they could shrink down and join them in these classy creations.

(Images via poppypetunia, inhabitots, blisstree, designlaunches)

When one thinks of a clubhouse, they typically imagine a square treehouse, or a haphazard structure made of plywood. Some people eschew such a simple creation and choose unusual shapes or different methods of construction. From customizable huts reminiscent of hobbit holes, to woven structures that appear more at home on the plains of a savannah, these creations are interesting mostly because of their quirky design.

(Images via poshtots, ullam, playmorships, alistbaby)

Every kid wants to be a pirate on the high seas, and these playhouses are the perfect vessel for a journey of the mind. Beautifully constructed, and strikingly designed, these are impressive to child and adult alike. More fitting for a playground than a private residence, entire crews of children can pretend they’re a member of an infamous pirate crew, working in tandem in their endless pursuit of treasure.

(Images via jasonbrooks, californiademocrat, random-good-stuff)

Size is an important factor when designing a clubhouse, and most people tend to favor a space that can comfortably hold 3-4 children. People love extremes, and some clubhouses are so small, they’re practically unusable for anything beyond decoration. On the opposite end of the spectrum are those who think bigger is always better. These parents practically make their children homeowners in their own right, as they scale up clubhouses to a ridiculous degree.

(Images via gardenfurnishings, argos)

Kids love pretending they’re guarding a fort, and some parents feed into this desire by making their children’s play areas military in appearance and design. Creating a mini bunker in the backyard is a great way to foster imaginary war games for the child pretending to be a soldier.

(Images via customplayhouses, castanet, cookiemag, elitechoice)

Some playhouses are more like guest houses, with the look and dimensions of a normal house scaled down. Wealthy parents may not have qualms about spending tens of thousands of dollars on an impressive structure that their children will outgrow within years. It may be the epitome of waste, but it’s also fascinating to see such lovely houses built on such a small scale.

(Images via danielswoodland, craphound, mainemade)

The whim of childhood inspires cartoonish designs. Crooked buildings with oversized roofs and oddly proportioned features look fun and inviting, and children won’t hesitate to take advantage of the entertainment they offer. A lot of effort goes into these playhouses, and they’re perfectly designed to strike a chord with the children that use them.

(Images via gardenfurnishings, gardenkings)

After playing soldier, one of the top games kids like to play is cops versus robbers. What better way to make your children happy than by creating your own mini jail for them? One can be the sheriff and guard against increasingly daring escape attempts. The wild west is brought into the backyard, and the only thing missing is a tumbleweed.

(Images via abbylanes, randysonofrobert, lilliput)

Knights in shining armor are the subject of countless tales of heroism, and every kingdom needs a castle. With towering turrets, drawbridges, and high walls, the modern castle clubhouse is more luxurious than ever before. These clubhouses serve as a great base for dragon slaying expeditions, and meetings of the knights of the round table.

(Images via blogcdn, kidsplayhouseblog, barbarabutler, flights of fantasy)

Clubhouses come in all shapes and sizes, and tend to center around basic themes. Some clubhouses break the mold by striking out in a unique direction. Whether they’re conceived as art projects, or just creative adaptations of typical clubhouse themes, these productions are colorful, functional, and over the top.

(Images via boingboing, ohdeedoh, modecokids, daddytypes)

Most playhouses are made of wood, but children aren’t picky. Anyone who has ever made a fort out of a pile of pillows knows that children aren’t too particular about the materials with which their imaginary worlds are made. Some designers have taken this knowledge and used it to create sophisticated structures out of a common material: cardboard. These designers have gone so far as to create appliances and other accoutrements. Easily assembled, and easily taken down, these are the perfect structures for occasional fun, without the incredible expense of a permanent structure.

Creepy and Scary Mannequins and Dolls

Mannequins are one of those things that are somewhat necessary even though they are undeniably scary. And as if they weren't creepy enough on their own ... Click Here to See More

Erik Brooks: The Fix!

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:19:00 +0000

A quick peak at most of POLAR OPPOSITES -- both on my studio wall and on the front porch getting a final coat of "workable" fixative. Highly recomended that you wear some sort of mask for this part of the job. After several weeks of minimal sleep I pretty much resemble an alien anyway...

David Schraub: German Thugs Shout "Jewish Pigs", Block Jewish Event

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:57:13 +0000

Gosh, doesn't this sound familiar.

A group of left anti-Semites on Sunday has violently prevented the showing of a film about Israel. During the blockade of the cinema insults such as “Jewish swine” were to be heard. A Hamburg association of the Left Party published a justification of the action, saying a “Zionist propaganda film” was prevented from being shown.

The film to be shown was the 1972 movie “Why Israel,” by the French filmmaker Claude Lanzmann, who is best known for his nine-hour documentary “Shoah.” According to the cinema in the district of St. Pauli, and the organizer of the planned demonstration which had about 15 people from an anti-imperialist group, the Center internationalist B5, access to the cinema was blocked and the incoming visitors were filmed and photographed.

The blockaders were wearing gloves and wielding a bike lock and a belt prepared for a violent action. In fact, there had been a scuffle, and some visitors were injured by blows to the face. The demonstration was called because of the boycott campaign.

The chairman of the Jewish community Pinneberg, Wolfgang Seibert, condemned the action and called it “the actions of the petit bourgeois running wild” who understood themselves however as on the left, but “in their approach can certainly be described as followers and stooges of neo-Nazis.” With insults like “Jewish pig” and “sissy,” the blockaders have discredited themselves: “Those who use such anti-Semitic and homophobic words, have lost every right to call themselves ‘internationalists’.” That it is determined by force “what is allowed to be seen and what not,” is completely unacceptable, said Seibert: “We are fed up with this kind of censorship.”

German police are now investigating, though persons who had tried to attend the screening complained that the police stayed on the sidelines as they were violently assaulted by the left/fascist thugs. More coverage from the Jerusalem Post. Via Matt, who comments, "When you use violence to prevent Jews from taking an active and robust role in politics within any country other than Israel, then opposition to Israel's existence is the denial to Jews of all political rights."

Avery Palmer '00: Today's Classifieds

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:50:24 +0000

This would interest me if I were ten years younger and retained an appetite for the remote:

Art Centre Manager, Bula'bula Arts Aboriginal Centre, Ramingining, Northern Territory, Australia. We are seeking the appropriate person to fill the position of Manager of Bula'bula Arts Aboriginal Centre. The Centre is located in Ramingining in north east Arnhem land about 600 kilometres from Darwin and about 450 kilometres from Nhulunbuy on the Gove peninsula. The Manager will work with artists and stakeholders including funding agencies to promote and market indigenous art from Ramingining and the surrounding homelands. Responsibilities include: * supporting and developing artists; * sales and marketing; * funding and financial management; and * furthering Bula'bula's creative, social and business capacity. The position comes with a house at minimum rent and a car for work purposes.

Via Ned's Jobs.

Dan Schofer '00

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:59:34 +0000

11-23-2009
Standing Rock + Light Road. 52 minutes. 8 miles.
Chilly (43 degrees) and breezy. Hamstring felt pretty tight still. 4 x 1 mile w/ 60 seconds rest: 5:28, 5:27, 5:23, 5:27 (avg. 5:27.0) (rest avg. 58.9 seconds). Felt like I was pushing the pace a bit to hit these times but it wasn't too hard and the recovery interval was plenty. Decent mini-workout.

Chet Haase: Things I Believe About Traveling

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:41:00 +0000

When packing, you will only remember the next-to-last item after you have zipped your luggage.
You will remember the final item after your plane has taken off.

In Belgium, “medium rare steak” translates to “cow sushi”

Paige A. Bowen: the true adventures of Odin and the off camera flash

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:27:02 +0000

I’ve got to work on my portrait skills, which basically means that mostly Odin and sometimes Paige have to deal with being guinea pigs. So it goes, the life of the photographer’s family. Check out the pictures. You’ll get the idea that Odin is pretty interested in the flash.

Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: Titles and little more

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:31:00 +0000

Solomonsydelle, who writes the "Nigerian Curiousity" blog, is not happy with the quality of legislators in Nigeria. His description of Nigerian Senators and Representatives fits with we see in textbook descriptions of the government. And it helps explain why the regime is focused on the presidency.

Does Nigeria need a "non-reelection" law? What would make things better?

NIGERIA'S 'DISTINGUISHED', 'HONORABLE' & USELESS

Nigerians love their titles. As such, it is common to find people with a Chief, Dr., Engr., or all of the above in front of their name. And, they expect to be referenced by their title which indicates their many achievements and successes. It is no different for Nigeria's legislators. The members of the House of Representatives insist on being addressed as 'Honorable', while their peers in the Senate are referred to as 'Distinguished'. But given the record of the present class of legislators, and their most recent battle over where the 2010 budget is to be read, it is hard to call members of either body anything but useless.

President Yar'Adua's attempt to read the 2010 budget before the National Assembly in the House of Representatives created a major fracas that only serves to put politicians in further disrepute. The Senate took offense to the President's decision to read the budget at the home of their 'Honorable' peers and demanded that the venue be changed...

Unfortunately, such childish behavior is little surprise to most Nigerians and especially those who follow Nigerian politics closely...

Furthermore, although members of both bodies automatically become millionaires once they manage to gain, legally or otherwise, their position, their last session was a disgrace with the nation's 109 Senators only showing up for 90 days of work in 2008. And, as of February 2009, the House of Representatives had only passed an unimpressive 21 bills since its tenure began in 2007...

Doing away with all incumbents, will likely be a lesson to politicians that there will be consequences when they ignore the needs of their constituents and instead feed their already obese egos. A no-incumbents strategy is literally one of the only strategic yet peaceful options left for Nigerians themselves to force the political accountability that is necessary for true democracy to actualize in the country...

My advice to President Yar'adua is that he circumvent both bodies and read the budget on national television, radio stations and online to those who the budget will affect the most - the Nigerian people.

Find out What You Need to Know

Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: Nine nations of China

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

It's taken as a given that Nigeria is a diverse place. That's one of the basic facts that students of comparative politics assume is true. But diversity in China? The Party line is that China is a remarkably homogeneous place. The reality is more complex. Even linguistically, there is diversity.

Patrick Chovanec, an associate professor at Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management in Beijing, created an interactive map for The Atlantic describing some of the diversity contained in China. (If you go to the article using the link below, you can click on each of the regions and read Chovanec's description of the characteristics of each region.)

The idea is based, in part, on The Nine Nations of North America by Joel Garreau, which was published in 1981.

Jeremiah Jenne, the blogger at Jottings from the Granite Studio, points out that Chovanec's idea is also probably based on the work of anthropologist G. William Skinner. Jenne writes, "In The City in Late Imperial China (1977) Skinner argued that China could be understood as a set of nine macroregions..."

Jenne concludes, "Originality aside, the basic idea behind both maps is an important one to bear in mind when looking at China. We tend to fixate on political boundaries, even when those boundaries and borders are drawn more for administrative convenience... The size of China’s national borders can obscure an incredibly complex and diverse set of economic, cultural, and social distinction..."

The Nine Nations of China

We tend to imagine China as a monolith: 1.3 billion people sharing the same language, history, and culture. The truth is far more interesting. China is a mosaic of several distinct regions, each with its own resources, dynamics, and historical character...

As China’s economy becomes more integrated, these regional differences are taking on greater importance than ever before. Each of the Nine Nations faces a unique set of challenges and opportunities in carving out its own competitive niche...

Dan Harris, writing at China Law Blog, sees value in an article "that seeks to make the well-worn (and pretty well-known) point that China is not monolithic...", but he sees the geographic basis for the "nations" as artificial as the political boundaries.

Harris writes, "My problem I see with this map is that it is exactly that. A map. And as a map, it distinguishes among regions geographically and that is not how I view many aspects of China. Just by way of an example, I see Beijing having commonalities with Shanghai just because they are two powerful and relatively sophisticated big cities. Different as these two cities are (and they are plenty different, in their cultures, in their attitudes and even in their languages), they still share many commonalities in terms of business."

So, how should we portray diversity and make reasonable generalizations while avoiding stereotyping and oversimplification?

Find out What You Need to Know

Kayla Berger: Breakeven

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

This summer I bought the debut album of an Irish rock group called The Script. My favorite song on the album is titled "Breakeven." It's an angsty song about a man who's taking a recent breakup a lot harder than his ex-girlfriend. She's happy, but he's still hurting. He laments, "When a heart breaks, it don't break even." Perhaps this song resonates particularly strongly with me because I've come to realize that love isn't fair. Sometimes relationships hurt us, and we may suffer while the other person is just fine. We may never be able to heal the scars or to "break even" by coming back to the place we were before we got hurt. Love isn't about what we deserve or what's fair.

I have received a handful of emotional injuries from which I may never fully recover in my lifetime. Most of these scars did not originate from any malicious intent but were simply by-products of imperfect people engaged in imperfect relationships. Within a loving Christian life, there is no way for me to demand retribution for the pain inflicted on me (both knowingly and unknowingly) by others. I have no power to break the hearts of those who have broken my heart. I can't get even. We can try to comfort ourselves with the idea that 'what goes around comes around,' but justice won't heal our broken hearts. Only love can do that.

I may not be able to break even, but through love I can move forward. When I hear a painful criticism or judgment from someone I loved replaying inside my head, I can remember the God, family members, and friends who love me in spite of my imperfections. When I recall the friend who turned on me unexpectedly, I can console myself by engaging even more joyfully in the many fruitful and rewarding relationships I have today. If I should find myself dwelling on the painful rejections that I have received in my life, I can turn instead to the Savior who loved me enough to lay down his life for me, the husband whose love is a remarkable constant in my life, and the people all around me who appreciate the contributions that I make to their lives. I cannot undo or eradicate the emotional injuries I have received, but the more love I give and receive, the less I notice the pain from those old wounds.

It can be hard not to want vindication when I get hurt. Sometimes I just want to stand up to the people who have hurt me and say, "See? I'm a beautiful and successful person! You should have valued me more!" I want to prove to them what a big mistake they made, as if they could admit they were wrong and the injury would just disappear. I've realized, however, that I cannot waste my life trying to disprove anyone who's ever hurt me. Instead of trying to demonstrate that I'm worth loving, I want to just get out into the world and love people. Maybe I would enjoy feeling vindicated, but I'd rather live so passionately that I largely forget that these injuries ever happened. I'd like to drown my sorrows in love and chase my insecurities away with an active and fruitful Christian life. I can't break even, but no heartbreak can stop me from continuing to grow in love.

Pressville.org: Former Young Addicts Speak About Drug Abuse in Northfield

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:36:51 +0000

BY DEBBIE WONG

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love.”

Those words are displayed on the front wall of the Main Street Moravian Church in Northfield, and they are the words that Pastor Amy Gohdes-Luhman used to open the Town Hall Meeting on drug abuse held in Northfield on Nov. 8.

Julia Scatliff O'Grady '85: BenjaminBarber 242x163

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:37:58 +0000

Last week, I had the opportunity to hear Ben Barber speak in Chicago at the National Communication Association National Conference. Barber is a political theorist, Distinguished Senior Fellow for Demos and the author of 17 books including Strong Democracy and Jihad vs. McWorld. With all that besets the United States, Barber argued, there is no time for deliberation. Deliberation is dithering.

Barber conjured up President Lincoln during the Civil War. Lincoln knew that the time to heal was later, Barber said. Action was required in the moment. We need President Obama to be less civil and more aggressive. In these times, our President must make swift decisions about global warming, our two wars, and the recession, Barber said. There is not enough time in the day for beer and reconciliation at the White House.

I first met Barber nearly twenty years ago at a conference for an organization called Project Public Life. Back then, he was much more optimistic about deliberation as a useful method for democracy. While I was stirred by Barber’s address in Chicago, I have to believe there is room for both swift action and deliberation in public life. We can be both civil and swift, deliberate and decisive. It makes me anxious to think that Barber, one of our leading political scholars, sees no way out except by decree.

I think we must become more creative about the allocation of time in public life. Deliberation and swift decision-making can occur in tandem when we are mindful of the constraints of chronological time and set aside appropriate time and belief in both practices. When we set aside time and intention for both, I believe the two together produce powerful results. President Obama must continue to host town hall forums and reconciliations over beer, never forgetting that we depend on him to channel these deliberative moments into courageous executive acts.

Thomas Glessner Weaver '69: Eicher's of Miamisburg OH Betty, Billy and Minnie Stupp Eicher ca 1930's

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:13:00 +0000

Bill and I sat in his home in N Lakeland FL area and looked at a box of old photos and diplomas related to his aunt, Betty, born in 1913, Ethyl Elizabeth Eicher, in Miamisburg, 14 years before William H Eicher, Billy was born in Feb 1927. Here with their Mom, Minnie, at the Charles Eicher home.

Amy Reynaldo '88: Monday, 11/23/09

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:32:00 +0000

NYT 3:41
BEQ 3:34
LAT 2:50
Payne's Squeezeboxes #1, harder version untimed (easier option with enumerations also available)
CS untimed

If you use the NYT's applet, as I do, you rarely have difficulty loading the puzzle at the promised time. Somewhat more frequently, however, the NYT's link to the Across Lite version gets shanghaied at puzzle time. When the puzzle's not where you expect it to be, visit Jim Horne's Across Lite Links to Recent NYT Puzzles page. At the bottom of the page, there's a perpetual link to the latest second Sunday puzzle in PDF (not Across Lite) form—as those links go haywire sometimes too.

Ben Pall's New York Times crossword

Today's constructor is 14 years old, I hear. What sort of crosswords could you make when you were 14? If your name isn't, say, Will Shortz, Henry Hook, or Merl Reagle, probably the answer's "Well, nothing like this one." The BEATLES are celebrated via the four lads' first names being circled in non-Beatles-related phrases and assorted Beatles-related short fill scattered throughout the grid.

The four lads are here:

• In 18A, PAUL McCartney is in the circled letters in POLE VAULTER, or [Athlete trying to pass the bar?].
• GEORGE Harrison dwells in 59A, AGENT ORANGE, the [Toxic herbicide]. Yay, Orange! Boo, toxic herbicide! Sorry you're in there, George.
• To JOIN THE NAVY is to [Head out to sea, say], and 3D is where JOHN Lennon is hiding.
• RINGO Starr is found in 26D, READING ROOM, or [Library area].

It would be cool if the phrases the Beatles were embedded within had something to do with the band, but alas, they do not. The stray Beatles bits include the following:

• At 9A/46A, ABBEY / ROAD is infelicitously clued thus: [With 46-Down, 1969 album by the 38-Across].
• 14A: [Yoko ___] ONO.
• 16A. ["We're more popular than Jesus now," famously] is a QUOTE.
• 30A. MAN completes ["Nowhere ___" (1966 hit)].
• 47A. RAVI, [Sitarist Shankar], father of Norah Jones, is the Indian musician who turned George Harrison on to the sitar.
• 48A. TRY fills in the blank in ["Gonna ___ with a little help from my friends"].
• 13D. YER ["___ Blues" (song on the White Album)].

From the non-Beatles fill, five clues:

• 55A. An EARPLUG is a [Silencer?]. Generally, earplugs will knock off about 30 decibels, which is not quite silencing.
• 10D. [Like eyes seemingly about to pop out] clues BULGING. I will not link to the video of that woman who can pop her eyeballs out of the sockets at will. (You're welcome.)
• 24D. [Commoner, for short] is PLEB, short for plebeian. Is this Monday-grade fill?
• 68A. A SNORT is a [Sound akin to "Harrumph!"].
• 67A. Looks like LORES in the grid, but it's LO-RES, short for low-resolution. [Like a fuzzy computer image, informally].

Nice debut, Ben. Can you do me a favor, Ben, and try to get some girls your age interested in constructing crosswords? We keep having bright young men entering the field of crossword construction, and it would be great to get some young women involved, too. Mentors are standing by!

Trip Payne's Squeezeboxes #1

If you haven't poked around Triple Play Puzzles yet, go have a look. If you have Thanksgiving travel or down-time ahead and you'd like some puzzles to occupy you, you'll find a trove of goodies at Trip's site. All the puzzles are Trip's own work, and they include regular crosswords (including jumbo themelesses, my favorite), cryptics, variety crosswords, variety cryptics, and more.

If you've seen Frank Longo's "One, Two, Three" puzzles in the Games publications, you get the basic concept of a Squeezeboxes puzzle—except instead of putting 1, 2, or 3 letters in each box, Trip has squeezed in 2 to 6 letters. Most of this crossword tumbled for me, except the zone around 25D (an [Actress on Silver Spoons]? Help! Uncle!), 15D, 24A, and 29A. I finally caved and Googled 25D, and the others fell into place soon after. 29A vexed me because the first part was not either of the two words that came to my mind, and I was blanking on what else could go there. The 24A clue, [Green coin?], completely stymied me for so long.

Trip, what was the construction process like for this puzzle? Just a lot of trial and error, noodling around in the grid? Where does one start to build a puzzle like this?

Updated later Sunday night:

Joan Buell's Los Angeles Times crossword

Easy puzzle, as expected on a Monday. Now, you probably think the NYT crossword was just as easy as this one, and you're probably right. I have no idea where all that extra time went when I was doing the NYT. Even though I had an errant body part in the LAT puzzle, I still got out in less than 3 minutes, so...

The theme is wearable items whose names begin with various lower-extremity terms. ANKLE BOOTS are clued as [Beatles footwear]—that went in the grid early and made me wonder if today is some significant date in Beatles history, for two puzzles to be devoted to them in a single day. But no, the other theme entries included HIP-HUGGERS, or [Pants with a low waistline] (mind you, in recent years, low-rise pants are everywhere but no longer called hip-huggers as far as I know); LEGWARMERS, or [Stockinglike workout wear], which seems off as a description of legwarmers but I'm not sure how else I'd clue 'em; and SHIN GUARDS, or a [Goalie's protective pair]. My misfire was putting KNEE GUARDS there. Hmm? Yes, I know. It's crazy. SHIN GUARDS are utterly Monday-obvious here, and yet I was expecting something KNEE and went with it.

Favorite entries:

• HANGMAN is a [Word game involving a stick figure]. You know who would be a tough Hangman opponent? A lexicographer, that's who.
• The [Spanish wine punch] is SANGRIA. Who doesn't welcome teeny diced-up fruit bits in their booze?
• DIII is [503, in old Rome]. My kid has been grooving on Scholastic 2010 Almanac For Kids this week (the Scholastic book fair was on Wednesday), and he was quizzing me on the Roman numerals over dinner. Also quizzing his parents on state capitals. Mind you, we were at a restaurant. He read from the book during the walk there, too.

Updated Monday morning:

Martin Ashwood-Smith's CrosSynergy/Washington Post puzzle, "Art House"—Janie's review

20A. PABLO PICASSO ["Three Musicians" artist]. From Wikipedia: "Picasso was exceptionally prolific throughout his long lifetime. The total number of artworks he produced has been estimated at 50,000, comprising 1,885 paintings; 1,228 sculptures; 2,880 ceramics, roughly 12,000 drawings, many thousands of prints, and numerous tapestries and rugs."

So it's no exaggeration when the two-part quip Martin builds his puzzle on has the master himself boasting:

• 36A. GIVE ME A MUSEUM
• 53A. AND I'LL FILL IT.

(A slacker he wasn't.)

Corollary: Give a constructor a grid and s/he'll fill it! Martin's done so in a lively way, too, with colloquial phrases like ACES IT for [Gets 100% on an exam] and "NOT ON A BET!" for ["Forget it!"]. There's also the Jack Benny-conjuring ["Now cut that out!"] for "STOP IT!" (If you use the link to this clip of Jack with Johnny Carson from 1955, you can hear him say it.)

He also gives us a couple of mini-themes. First there's the nautical one, as the puzzle begins at 1A. with [Captain of the Pequod] AHAB, followed shortly by "AHOY!" [Sailor's cry]—and "sailorman" [Popeye's favorite food] SPINACH. (GARP may have been the [Robin Williams title role of 1982] but Popeye was his title role of 1980.) [Dinghy or dory] clues BOAT, and finally there's RINGO STARR in response to ["Yellow Submarine" singer].

Then, there's the apparent tale of an AMOUR [Love affair] that's gone south, complete with a JILTER ["Dear John" letter writer], the ADIEUS [Parting words] and THE EX [Former spouse, informally] because there's more than one marriage that's also been a serious "love affair." Where affairs of the heart are concerned, do read up on Picasso.

Brendan Quigley's blog crossword, "All Caps"

The [Buffoon in modern-day slang], ASSHAT, is hidden in five places covering 10 Across answers—the ASS part is in the five longest Across answers and the HAT appears right below ASS. Now, if you're wearing your ass as a hat because your head's so far up it, shouldn't it be a HEAD that the ASS is on rather than HAT? Just a thought.

The OBI is clued as a [Martial arts sash]. Good gravy, if obis are worn in martial arts (e.g., the black belt), why is this the first time (or close to it) that I've seen martial arts mentioned in an OBI clue? I vote that OBI should get a martial arts clue more often.

GRAPHS are clued as [Calculus homework]. Is that why I got a C in calculus? Because I don't remember there being any graphs? Maybe graphs would have gotten me an A.

OAT is a [Bagel ingredient]? Not usually, I don't think.

Excellent clue for PHAT: ["Cool," to those who think they're cool using rap slang].

No idea what ISOS might be short for. Anyone up on their [Instant replay cameras, for short]?

Nat Case '88: Healing the Lowry Gash

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:30:00 +0000

I spoke in meeting today, about how places heal. In particular, I was thinking about the great gash in the ground in Minneapolis around the Lowry Tunnel. When looking at old maps of Minneapolis (here's one from 1900, and another from 1929), it seems like the city moved naturally from downtown into the Lowry Hill residential area. The Hennepin Avenue-Lyndale Avenue intersection was apparently simply known as "the bottleneck" (see Jack El-Hai's wonderful Lost Minnesota for a piece on the Plaza Hotel that once stood between Loring Park and what is now the Sculpture Garden)—it was an annoying part of town, but you couldn't really tell where downtown started and south Minneapolis began.

Then the interstate came through. I-94 was completed from St Paul through to Hennepin Avenue in 1968 (see a photo of construction at Blaisdell Ave, near Nicollet Ave here). There actually aren't many pictures of the construction in progress, but what there is, isn't especially exciting to anyone who has seen interstate highways under construction. There's an interesting piece about the tunnel here. The point is, the continuity was broken. It's especially dramatic if you look out from Hennepin Avenue south of the Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church, at the big gash in the ground that was dug to bring the highway down to tunnel-level.

So here's what the area looks like today, 28 years after the tunnel opened. And the thing I've noticed, over the 19 years I've been mapping the area, is how it's healed over. It's not that the gash is gone, but it's been built around. It was created in the midst of a city that was never designed for it, but as each new project and plan in the area was built, it was built with the knowledge that the big roaring river of traffic was there. And so the interruption to the city became part of what the city was.

All without a Master Plan To Heal the Gash.

What I said in meeting, was that, as I've been worrying over this and that discontent and conflict and trouble within meeting over the last few weeks, I've been thinking along the lines of "what can we do?" I've been hoping for some sort of Master Plan. I've been thinking about Liz's continued pain over the meeting not uniting easily to give the boot to a visitor who was preaching anti-gay bile, and the sense of a few commenters in that thread of "why can't we just..." And about pain around theist vs non-theists in our meeting.

But... we don't want a gash through our meeting. And there's the rub. Because we have theists and non-theists in meeting. And many on either side of that divide do feel strongly about their path to where they are, and while we at least say we are open to convincement, neither are we interested in being untrue to our personal experiences.

What can be healed then, is the pain around the divide. And it happens the same way the Minneapolis healed: one block at a time, one project at a time, one member and one friendship at a time. Now, we perhaps can build a Master Plan-type framework within which that healing can occur, and I'd argue we do that already, but we also just need time, and a long-term, low-level commitment to make that divide not a gash but just part of our city.

I want to say one more thing before I sign off, and it goes back to discussions last year about "the Grid," referring to the measured squares we impose on the landscape. As I said then, my conclusion is that the problem with this grid is not in is use as a tool for measuring, but in its imposition back upon the world being measured. It's when the ruler lines are cut back on the landscape with little regard for the shape of the land itself.

But what I'm saying here I think applies as well: once the cut is made, we can't go back and entirely un-cut it. What we can do (and sometimes have done) is to take this scarred land and make choices that heal around it. Like the mounds that dot the central part of the continent, we can let the grid become part of the land—because it is part of the land, however uncomfortable that makes us.

Elizabeth Tamny '88

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:57:00 +0000

I'm fascinated, when not irritated or infuriated, by the managed flow of Fat in imagery. That is, the particular way that images of fat people are let in--or not--for public consumption. Everything is managed to varying degrees, but fat is its own particular problem--TV producers who don't like to feature fat people onscreen as witnesses, for instance, because they "lack credibility."

I can speak only to the print part of Martha Stewart's world (I haven't watched her TV show post-poncho) but there is almost NEVER fat in her magazine: no fat people in the little dinner parties, features on entrepreneurs, models, anything. There is actually a pretty specific beauty ideal attached to the MStew world (very scrubbed, subfusc, JCrew, spare/lean). So I was amused to see this in her blog the other day. Because sometimes you just have to let the fat in, baby. And then, I guess, you call it voluptuous. Which they certainly are, not even particularly fat, but--what can I say, I noticed it. Little essay on class-race-money-NYC-media-fame-etc. here.

Thomas Glessner Weaver '69: Lakeland Florida Eicher Family History -Sharing with Cousin Bill Eicher

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:08:00 +0000

Bill Eicher and I first met at the big cemetery, Woodland, the highest hill in Dayton Ohio after his dad passed over in Florida back in March of 2006. His father, William H Eicher, b Feb 16 1927, was a family connection I began to reconnect with after Sue and I visited Steinwenden Germany in the late 1970's to visit the land of our German Eicher ancestors. Bill had contracted a man, Roland Paul in Kaiserslautern to trace back the family roots and generously send the work to his first cousin Paul Henry Weaver, my dad after his trip to Steinwenden in 1977. After regular Christmas communications, Susan, Nathan and I visit his home in Kettering, suburban Dayton on our way to Vermont in 1984. While driving the roads of Montgomery County, West Carrollton, Ellerton and Miamisburg and as I told him my coming out story, he mentioned, "It must be genetic, my sister, Betty, has lived with a woman since she left Ohio State, and they moved to Lakeland, Florida together years ago." I felt such a great relief back then.
So here is Bill Sr's son, Bill of Florida, who lived with his mom in Ft Lauderdale area in S Florida, until he moved up to Lakeland where he met Shiela, his wife who is from the area. Grateful Bill could take out the archives so I could begin to make photos. even with only my I Phone. Thanks Bill!

Avery Palmer '00: No Witnesses

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:09:04 +0000

The owner of Restaurant Paradou ("a little bit of Provençal paradise in Manhattan's Meatpacking district") sent an email to his employees that I can't repeat here, as this blog, as I've said, is PG-rated. Anyway, he was upset that the waiters didn't collect enough email addresses from patrons to build their spam database. Classy restaurant, this seems to be. (A look at their not-quite-affordable menu reveals choices like "la bouillabaisse." Exotic!) Now the restaurant's Yelp page has a list of flaming do-not-recommends. (And also says they have "the greatest all-you-can-drink champagne brunch of all time." Good to know.) The lesson here, for the managerial class, seems to be that if you're going to treat your employees poorly, do not do so in an email or any other reproducible form.

Thomas Glessner Weaver '69: Theralac TruFiber National Autism Conference in Ft Lauderdale

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:12:00 +0000

Thanks to Jeff Thurston of Master Suppliements for continuing to share in the education around marketing and teaching about functional digestion and the upgrade of the T- cells and the the eubiosis of the human gut. Gratitude for the human strains of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacilli. Check out Master Supplements and the linked websites at: http://www.master-supplements.com/

Happy to be able to have my XL supported growing wardrobe, purchased at a local XL store in Richfield. THanks XL for the sartorial eye and feng shui. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui

I am expanding my Chinese Consciousness and grateful for the Tao of wind and water. Thanks Lao tse!

From wiki "The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu (simplified Chinese: 堪舆; traditional Chinese: 堪輿; pinyin: kānyú; literally: Tao of heaven and earth).[4]

The term feng shui literally translates as "wind-water" in English. This is a cultural shorthand taken from the following passage of the Zangshu (Book of Burial) by Guo Pu of the Jin Dynasty:[5]

Qi rides the wind and scatters, but is retained when encountering water.[5]

Traditional feng shui practice always requires an extremely accurate Chinese compass, or luo pan, in order to determine the directions in finding any auspicious sector in a desired location."

Regarding direction in my life, and finding balance by serving others.

I am grateful to be of service to support the intestinal fortitude of families with compromised digestion and immune function. THanks for the vision of Randy Porubcan and Jeff Thurston in creating this business that support the health of many in a good way.

Thomas Glessner Weaver '69: Jupiter Lighthouse - Volunteer Servant on the East Coast Jupiter Inlet.

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:55:00 +0000

Here I am for my first I phone photo, as my Canon decided to have a lens issue. Grateful for Patty Strunk who could walk me through learning about the I phone application at a watering hole just across the inlet where we were sitting with Harry Strunk from the Key Largo area, and Ed Sasso and Heather Neville who live in Jupiter. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Inlet_Light, for more history!

Thanks for Xiaosong in leading me to find this sea blue T shirt on the Goodwill Store in Minneapolis on S Nicollet. What a great $.99 bargain and in 2 XL. I am so grateful to Creator for XL. Thanks Xiaosong Liu for your shining light! Xie Xie 谢谢 :-)

THanks for Ed's support in learning more about the area and the local community in a good way. At this location I learned about the oldest brewery in the US, that I had heard about, since the Schell Brewery in New Ulm MN is the second oldest family brewery. The name looks more Chinese as Yeuegling and then it makes sense as the orginal German was Juengling as learned on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.G._Yuengling_&_Son
"The German brewer David G. Jüngling immigrated to the United States in 1823 from Aldingen in the Kingdom of Württemberg. He anglicized his surname from Jüngling to Yuengling and began the "Eagle Brewery" on Center Street in Pottsville in 1829. His eldest son, David, Jr., left the Eagle Brewery to establish the James River Steam Brewery along the James River in Richmond, Virginia"
Always like to learn about the stories of the German ancestors. My Weaver anglicised from Weber came from Baden Wurttemburg in 1751 to the Pine Grove Twp area of Skulykill County PA. So the brewing tradition of the German Volk still is passed on.

Dan Schofer '00

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:34:36 +0000

11-22-2009
Town Loop. 30 minutes. 4 miles.
Relaxed and easy shakeout run with Marie alongside on the bike. 98 miles this week.

Larry Sampas: Airspace KML files updated for the December 17 cycle

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:34:04 +0000

I updated the airspace KML files again -- skipping one release. The latest covers from December 17, 2009 throughFebruary 11, 2010. You can find them in the archive here.

Dan Schofer '00

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:33:31 +0000

11-22-2009
Mt. Vernon Rd. + Abbe Hills + Ink. 66 minutes. >9 miles.
Slow and easy run.

Thomas Glessner Weaver '69: Hollow Horn Bear Sundance Grounds by Xiaosong

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:12:00 +0000

When I first ventured out to the St Francis area to support the sundance here, I mentored by a traditional teacher who lived on this land, by the names of Joe Eagle Elk. Since then, one of my teachers still jokes with me "there are no trees here to spoil the view!" The joy and laughter are one of the things that keeps me coming back to visit my friends here. After honoring the tree and the give away of the Chan Oyate at the sundance grounds, Steven Xiaosong, took this photo of our traveling companions Coby and Blaine with a back drop of the mahkpiya oyate, the cloud nation. Ask about the story of the first son,Eya, of Tate the wind and how the cloud nation, Mahkpia Oyate can be teachers about our addictions-compulsions and block out our connection with the light of the son and create a shadow. Check that out with your spiritual mentor to learn in a good way. Aho. Mitakuye Oyasin.

Kurt Kohlstedt '02: Building Up An Appetite: Architecture With Good ‘Taste’

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:14:48 +0000

Hungry for some “tasteful” architecture? These 10 mouth-watering buildings may look delicious but their designs serve a greater purpose: to project a brand image that warms the heart (while aiming for the stomach).

Asahi Beer Hall, Tokyo, Japan

(images via: Arch/Cside and CIDA)

Rising from the shores of the languidly flowing Sumida river in Tokyo, Japan, are a pair of homages to another life-giving liquid: beer. Not only do the Azumabashi Hall and the taller Asahi Breweries Head Office look like glasses of beer, they are the center of the Asahi Breweries empire located on the spot where one of Japan’s signature beers has been brewed for over a century.

(images via: Tokyo Architecture and Lone Wolf – No Cub)

It’s the Azumabashi Hall, also known as the Asahi Super Dry Hall, that gets the lion’s share of attention however. Designed by architect Phillippe Starck and completed in 1989, the building is sheathed in black granite puntuated by portaholes representing bubbles rising in a mug of beer. The controversial Flame d’Or (golden flame) on the roof is, well, open to interpretation. Weighing 300 tons and built by a subcontractor who usually builds submarines, the distinctive sculpture has been likened to foam being blown off a frosty mug of draft, the fiery spirit of Asahi’s employees and… a giant turd.

Disney’s Orange Stinger, Anaheim, CA, USA

(images via: Desktops@Rocket9, Igougo and Orange County Register)

More of a ride than a workaday building, the Orange Stinger temporarily brightened up Paradise Pier at Disney’s California Adventure Park from 2001 through July of 2009. The Orange Stinger was a lot bigger than it looked from a distance as essentially it was a standard Wave Swinger style ride with a huge, semi-peeled orange built around it.

Albion House, Liverpool, UK

(images via: National Museums Liverpool and Vintage Lulu)

Formerly the White Star Line Building where the RMS Titanic and her sister ships were conceived and controlled, Liverpool’s Albion House (built 1896) sports a trendy for its time red brick & white Portland stone exterior that reminds even the most unsavory character of fresh, streaky bacon. Mmm, bacon… it’s a pity the mighty Titanic wasn’t covered in this most meme-tastic of foods; it would have slid right on past that fateful iceberg.

(image via: Pictures Of England)

Just like the state-of-the-art ships it directed across the seven seas, the White Star Line’s headquarters was a showcase of wealth, opulence and beauty. The shipping line never really recovered from the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and by the mid-1930s the headquarters building stood vacant. It’s a testament to the foresight of Liverpool’s city fathers that this iconic building remains standing today.

Hood Milk Bottle Building, Boston, MA, USA

(images via: Chris Devers and Roadside America)

The 40-ft tall Hood Milk Bottle has stood proudly in front of the Boston Children’s Museum since 1977 but its history actually goes back to 1933. That’s when Arthur Gagner built the Coney Island style bottle to sell homemade ice cream beside his store in Taunton, MA. The building sat empty and abandoned from 1967 to 1977 and it’s a wonder it wasn’t destroyed by fire at some point in that lonely decade.

Easter Egg Museum, Ukraine

(images via: Travel West Ukraine and Highboom)

The Pysanka Museum was built in the year 2000 and is located in the Ukrainian city of Kolomyia. “Pysanka” is the Ukrainian word for richly decorated, batik Easter Eggs and the museum at Kolomyia is the only one in the world dedicated to this important cultural icon. The museum’s central hall measures 46 ft (14m) high by 33 ft (10m) wide, and is designed to resemble a classic Ukrainian Pysanka and is painted in traditional themes inside and out.

The Donut Hole, La Puente, CA, USA

(images via: LA Foodie)

The Donut Hole in La Puente is one of the few remaining examples of programmatic or mimetic architecture left in California, let alone the world. The need to attract newly mobile car-driving customers that arose in the first half of the 20th century has faded now that other advertising venues such as the Internet have taken over.

(image via: Wandrlust)

If the concept behind The Donut Hole isn’t surreal enough, how about the actual process of ordering: you literally drive into the unmapped, quantum space that exists inside a giant donut hole. Isn’t that how Voyager wound up 70,000 light years away in the Delta Quadrant?

The Pineapple, Dunmore, Scotland

(images via: NorthernXposure, Heritage UK and Undiscovered Scotland)

Designing buildings that look like food is not a new trend, as The Pineapple in Dunmore, Scotland, proves most eloquently. The pavilion was built in 1761 by John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, as a birthday present for his wife Susan. Judging from the vase-shaped chimneys along the roof of the pavilion, historians assume that many exotic plants were grown in greenhouses just beyond the outer wall. The 53ft tall Pineapple that rises above the pavilion was planned with the utmost care; each leaf drains separately so that seasonal freeze/frost cycles won’t damage the delicate masonry.

(image via: Undiscovered Scotland)

As for pineapples in Scotland? Not so strange – though first discovered by Columbus in 1493, pineapples had been grown in Scottish hothouses (a phrase you hear everyday) since the early years of the 18th century.

Fruity Bus Stops, Japan

(images via: Art Style Online)

These groovy bus stops from Japan are curiously empty but that just seems to add to their surreal appearance. One might expect the Cat Bus from Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro to pull up and, perhaps, begin nibbling on the shelter for a snack.

Food Building, Toronto, Canada

(images via: Ian Muttoo and Toronto Star)

(image via: Toronto Mike)

Amidst this review of buildings that look like food, one must digress for a moment to celebrate a building that is ABOUT food: The Food Building at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. A summertime fixture, the Food Building at the CNE (or “The Ex” to Hogtowners) is a must-see, must-eat attraction that’s a virtual showcase of tasty treats – and leave your PC nutritional guidelines at the door. By the way, be sure to stop by the Tiny Toms Donuts booth (since 1960) to watch ‘em being made and buy a fresh bag to chow down on!

Basket Building, Ohio, USA

(images via: Longaberger and Vineyard LC)

Why put up a billboard advertising your company’s wares when your company HQ can perform the same function more interestingly? That’s the philosophy behind The Longaberger Company’s headquarters building in Newark, Ohio. The family-owned business, likened to the Tupperware of baskets for their corporate and marketing methodology, built a giant, 7-story replica of a Longaberger Medium Market Basket to house their corporate offices and staff.

(image via: Bluffton)

Maybe the only thing employees working in what is essentially the world’s largest pic-a-nic basket is the arrival of the world’s largest bear.

To paraphrase that old TV tuna commercial, “Sorry Charlie, architects don’t want buildings with good taste, architects want buildings that taste good.” Well, no one will be biting into any of the above structures, unless Godzilla decides to take a bus or Homer Simpson gets hungry for donuts – again. Until then, enjoy these decidedly “tasteful” buildings if you can… just pack a lunch to enjoy afterwards.

Recycled Architecture From Unusual Materials

Some creative people either out of need or personal interest have taken the notion of recycling to the next level, transforming old stuff into new structures. Click Here to See More

Pressville.org: Carleton Student Drive Collects Food for Northfield Pantry

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:31:24 +0000

BY KATIE WILLIAMS

Tyler BoddySpargo, Dia Davis

A food drive last Friday on the Carleton College campus raised enough money to buy 65 pounds of fruit juice, milk, yoghurt and other foods that were donated to the food shelf at the Community Action Center (CAC) in Northfield.

Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: Islamic diversity

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:11:00 +0000

Just a reminder of the diversity within the Muslim world. Sometimes we need reminders like this so we can avoid simplifications and stereotypes.

Cleric Wields Religion to Challenge Iran’s Theocracy

For years, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri criticized Iran’s supreme leader and argued that the country was not the Islamic democracy it claimed to be, but his words seemed to fall on deaf ears...

Ayatollah Montazeri has emerged as the spiritual leader of the opposition, an adversary the state has been unable to silence or jail because of his religious credentials and seminal role in the founding of the republic...

“A political system based on force, oppression, changing people’s votes, killing, closure, arresting and using Stalinist and medieval torture, creating repression, censorship of newspapers, interruption of the means of mass communications, jailing the enlightened and the elite of society for false reasons, and forcing them to make false confessions in jail, is condemned and illegitimate,” he said...

Ayatollah Montazeri has argued for years, that even in a religious state legitimacy comes from the people. “The government will not achieve legitimacy without the support of the people, and as the necessary and obligatory condition for the legitimacy of the ruler is his popularity and the people’s satisfaction with him...”

“Independence,” he said in a recent speech on ethics, “is being free of foreign intervention, and freedom is giving people the freedom to express their opinions. Not being put in prison for every protest one utters.”

Find out What You Need to Know

Thomas Glessner Weaver '69: St Francis South Dakota - Gratitude Wopila Feast after Tree Inipi Ceremony

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:48:00 +0000

One of the times I especially enjoy is sitting with friends and sharing food after a ceremony. Somehow, the human desire to share stories and share food is a universal way to connect and be in the present as a soul. Here are some of my friends I have gotten to connect with over the past 20 years or so of travel to this heartland of Turtle Island. Fred the fire coordinator of our Hollowhorn Bear Sundance, Albert White Hat Sr, Marliese White Hat, Steven Xiaosong Liu are sharing stores over food in a good way here in St Francis at the White Hat home. Pilamiyayelo tunkashila.. Mitakuye Oyasin.

Thomas Glessner Weaver '69: St Francis South Dakota - Lavender Church - Pejuta Oyate Teachings

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:10:00 +0000

Over the past 20 some years, I have been going out to the Rosebud Reservation to pray and connect with the Hollow Horn Bear Sundance as part of the Minnesota Tiospaye. Xiaosong took this photo of me in front of the old mission church that is part of the Buechel museum complex and all. As a pejuta wichasha "plant person" I am grateful for the ongoing connection to the spirit of the plants, as taught through traditional D/Lakota ceremony. This bundle of lavender I have carried on my dashboard since it called to me in Abuiqui NM at the time of the Peace Teachings on the high desert this past summer. So grateful to the healing energy of lavender, a plant from the area of my French ancestors.

Regarding the history of Father Buechel and the St Francis mission wori, I recommend as a useful bridging resource, a book "Lakota Names and Traditional Uses of Native Plants by Sicangu (Brule) People in the Rosebud Area, South Dakota, A Study Based on Father Eugene Buechel's Collection of Plants on Rosebud around 1920" 1980 by Dilwyn Rogers, Professor of Biology, Augustana College, Sioux Falls SD, c The Rosebud Educational Society Inc, St Francis SD. One of the plants that has been special over the years, English "Prairie turnip" in Lakota, translated in the book as "prairie rice" Lakota tinpsila. Perhaps from psin from wild rice, the most important food for energy for the Dakota people living in Minnesota . Albert White Hat descibed that during our visit to his home when Xiaosong notice the strand of tinpsala on the wall by the family kitchen and dining area. Funny to hear about rice on the prairie in this multicultural context. Pidamiya tunkashila. Thanks for the teaching>>

Dan Schofer '00

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:34:48 +0000

11-21-2009
Cuyahoga Community College + Highland Park Golf Course. 91 minutes. 13 miles.
AM: Cool (45 degrees) and breezy. Warm-up 3 miles from the hotel, then 4 miles steady on the track at Cuyahoga Community College in 22:31 (5:38, 5:42, 5:33, 5:38). Felt pretty good. Cool-down 2 miles. AM2: Extended warm-up at the National meet, then some more running around the course during and after the race.

Dan Schofer '00

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:31:31 +0000

11-20-2009
Highland Park Golf Course. 95 minutes. >13 miles.
Easy running around the course at cross country Nationals. Extremely wet, sloppy, and muddy. Ran 9 miles at 9 AM, and then another 4 miles at 11 AM. Felt a bit tired and sluggish.

Dan Schofer '00

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:27:28 +0000

11-19-2009
Town. 75 minutes. >10 miles.
Lots of easy running before, during, and after practice. Felt a lot better than expected - not too sore from long run yesterday. Then travelled to Cleveland.

David Schraub: Debaters Do Well

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:54:22 +0000

I already noted that one of my former vanquished debate opponents later went on to become a Rhodes Scholar. With this year's
http://www.rhodesscholar.org/press">
http://www.rhodesscholar.org/press">
http://www.rhodesscholar.org/press">list out, I see at least two more debaters from my own era on the circuit have also attained that illustrious award. Stephanie Bell (Univ. of Chicago '08) competed in LD, so I only knew of her back when I was competing (though I met her post-graduation -- she was very nice). But Eva Lam (Harvard '10) and I were quite close as she came up through the ranks -- indeed, I remember her from her very first Harvard tournament! My, how they grow.

In any event, congratulations to both!

Kayla Berger: Make New Friends, but Keep the Old

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

The Girl Scouts taught me something very important: "Make new friends but keep the old; one is silver and the other is gold." We used to sing this little song as a round when I was in the Brownies in first grade. I don't think that I actually realized at the time what the song was really about, but I've come to learn the truth in these words over the years.

There was a time in my life when I was part of a very tightly-knit group of friends. We were all going through some emotional issues, and sometimes being a part of that group was difficult for me. Some people who cared about me advised me that it might be a good idea for me to get some new friends since I was under a lot of pressure from my current circle of friends. They were right—I needed to introduce some fresh perspectives into my life and to spend time with people who were different from the people who were emotionally draining me. I think that those who advised me to get new friends were suggesting that these new friends should replace my old friends, but that's not what I decided to do. I did need a little relief, so I started spending more time with new friends and a little less with my old ones, but this was simply an act of balance. Eventually the pressures in my relationships with my old friends eased, and we grew closer again. I needed to make new friends, but my old friends were far too valuable to me to be replaced.

I've realized that relationships change over time. There is an ebb and a flow to friendship that is dictated in part by things like geography and age. When friendships change, however, that doesn't mean we should ditch them in favor of a new and fresh relationship. I enjoy the excitement of making new friends and meeting people who are at the same places in life that I am. Still, there's something incomparably comforting about having old friends who know me inside and out even if we've grown apart a bit in recent years. I've realized that balance is very important and that's why I need both old and new friends. I need all different kinds of friends who can help make me a well-rounded individual. I have friends I can call when I need to hang out and do something fun. I have friends I can call when I need advice. I have friends I can call when I need to hear a familiar voice or to immerse myself in someone else's life for a while.

Whether old or new, a friend is something precious that I must not take for granted. When a new friend calls me and asks me to lunch, I should realize what a great opportunity that is and seize it joyfully. When I sit next to an old friend and we have a long conversation by saying very little, I should be struck with wonder at what years of love can do. Today I have a strong network of friends both old and new, and they are even more precious to me than silver and gold. My most valued possessions may someday tarnish, break, or disappear, but the love my friends give me will always be in my heart, even long after they are gone. I thank God every day for my friends. They make such an incredible difference in my life.

Happy Bodies: Becky

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:52:07 +0000

As always, Sarah Haskins says things better and funnier than I do. This time how protection is a form of patriarchy. Check out Target: Women on Broadview Security. I particularly love the “call center hunks”:

Happy Bodies: Becky

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:43:56 +0000

“Police Warns Women” (Politiet advarer kvinner) was the headline in at least two news outlets in Norway this week, complete with a photo of a worried, but confident looking policeman:

The six rape attempts that led to this big story happened in Stavanger, the city on the west coast of Norway, where I was doing a home-stay this weekend. I was made really uncomfortable when my host father brought out the newspaper to show me at breakfast, and warn me about going out at night. The other guy who was doing the home-stay with me got no such warning.

I do worry about my safety. In fact, I worry about it a lot. I wouldn’t walk home from downtown alone, and I wouldn’t take a cab on my own, but I don’t need a man to tell me so. To me, this male need to protect women from other men is not two separate forms of misogyny, but rather stems from the same essential lack of respect for the autonomy of the female body.

This is only one example of how we’re disciplining the wrong side of the equation.

In Norway, one of the hot topics right now is the rights of immigrant, specifically muslim, women. Thinking back to biopower, it’s very interesting how highly politicized the bodies of muslim women are in Norway. Issues of arranged/forced marriage and female genital mutilation are making bodies of immigrant women highly visible. In contrast to the United States, where the adage “all women are white, all blacks are men” is often true of our political discourse, here in Norway, it seems whenever we discuss issues of non-ethnically Norwegians, it all comes back to muslim women, and their oppression. While yes, arranged marriage can be a situation that leads to domestic violence, and I believe FGM to be sexual violence, the construction of muslim men as aggressors and muslim women as victims only silences these women as well any discussion of oppression in traditional Norwegian culture. (see: Unni Wikan) Fatemeh Fakhraie, in The dos and don’ts of defending Muslim women sums it up:

Pity doesn’t help anyone. And pitying me is just another type of oppression—just another way to construct yourself as better than I.

A recent debate here involved whether women police officers could wear a hijab while on duty. While it was decided that they should be allowed to, the question of the hijab, particularly in relation to the french headscarf ban (French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools) passed in 2004, is a hot topic of discourse here in Norway, and now a discussion I have had several times. I should note that I’m a bit nervous to talk about the hijab, partly because of complaints about the western preoccupation with muslim women’s clothing and the fact that women have very different relationships with it.

I bring up the headscarf ban, and discussions about banning the burqa or chadri, because it relates to the phenomenon I discussed earlier. There are a lot of problems with it, as Wendi Muse describes at Racialicious,

While I understand and sympathize with the reasoning behind Sarkozy’s proposal, that being to ensure women’s equality, I completely disagree with the way he is going about attempting this grand charge. He is exhibiting behavior that is the perfect example of what the women of so many marginalized communities often complain: 1) he is attempting to fight their struggles for them and 2) he is galvanizing a small issue in a minority sect of a larger community. He is using an attempt to protect women’s rights as a means of limiting them.

The second point is what’s most relevant here. That “protecting” women by restricting their behavior is patriarchy. Even if the burqa, headscarf or chadri were wholly oppressive and not a more complicated issue, banning them is punishing the wrong side of the equation. These sorts of limitations on women’s bodies are not getting to the source of the injustice (patriarchy) but rather reinforcing it. It’s an incredible exercise of power when racism against men of color is used to reinscribe women of color into the patriarchal system.

In the face of six rape attempts in a small Norwegian city, why is the question, how should women change their behavior rather than how do we stop men from raping? To respond with a headline “Police warns women” and a photo of a male policemen, allows men to congratulate themselves on protecting their women rather than addressing the real problem: that the culture in their city makes sexual violence permissable. I do not need men to protect me, and if I do, I’ll ask and define it for myself. And in fact, I’d like to ask men now to protect me from sexual violence, by asking themselves what they can do to stop rape culture, not by regulating my body.

Amy Reynaldo '88: Sunday, 11/22/09

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:02:00 +0000

Reagle 7:47
BG 7:38
NYT 7:17
LAT 6:55
CS 4:27

If you haven't done Caleb Madison's Bard Bulletin crossword in Across Lite (posted at the Crossword Fiend forum), now you can also solve it online at the Bard High School Early College's student paper site.

Patrick Merrell's New York Times crossword, "Career Day Speaker Schedule"

Did you know that Patrick Merrell has two blogs? At Pat Tricks, where he writes on an occasional basis, his latest post features a cartoon in honor of Will Shortz's 16th anniversary as the New York Times crossword editor. (Congrats, Will! And no, we're not giving you a convertible for your sweet sixteen.) Pat writes more regularly at the NYT's Wordplay blog, where he alternates weeks with Jim Horne now. Hey, look! Patrick blogs his own puzzle today. He mentions that many of his past puzzles have been one-of-a-kind innovations, but that this one is more ordinary. Indeed it is. The theme didn't especially grab me, but there were some shining stars in the fill and clues.

First, the theme. The clues are playful redefinitions of various job titles. For example, a DRIVING INSTRUCTOR might be thought to be a good label for 38A: Career Day Speaker [#3: Golf pro?]. At 70A, the FILE CLERK is billed as a [#5: Manicurist?] on the Career Day schedule. 111A: [#8 Disc jockey?] is billed as a RECORD KEEPER. Who was responsible for all these misconstrued job titles? You might say that the 119A: [Career of the parent who typed up the Career Day schedule?] is a NOVEL WRITER, in that...he or she writes things in a novel manner? That doesn't feel quite as apt as I'd like a theme's capstone to be.

Here are the highlights in the clues and non-theme answers:

• 19A. [Literary work in which Paris is featured] is the ILIAD. Paris, the Trojan, not Paris, the city in France.
• 57A. [Suffix with pant or aunt] clues -IES. So help me, I laughed at this one. A good friend of mine and her sisters just became aunties for the first time this week when their little sister had a baby. (Rowan, a baby girl. As in Rowan Atkinson?)
• 68A. IRAN is the [First landfall north of Oman]. If you have a good sense of what the first landfalls are in various directions from various countries, try this Sporcle quiz.
• 90A. An author's PEN NAME is one sort of [Literary creation].
• 118A. BROWBEATS means [Bullies]. Is the bully beating you with her brow or beating your brow?
• 126A. A [Bay, for one] is a type of INLET. My son's been toiling all day, drawing pictures of geographical terms including bay and inlet (and dune, isthmus, glacier, coastal plain, marsh...38 terms in all). His picture dictionary is due Monday and it will damn near kill the entire household to get it finished by Sunday night. But it's a cool project, and one he's had three weeks to work on. Hmm, fondness for procrastination? I'm sure I couldn't tell you where he gets that from.
• 17D. GRUELS are [Meager bowlfuls]. Even a giant bowlful is meager, no?
• 30D. Fresh clue for EDSEL: [It debuted on "E Day"].
• 55D. ERST is boring crossword fill in English (archaic word, portion of "erstwhile), but if you know German, it's a common word: [First, in Frankfurt].
• 99D. ACTI, ACTII, ACTIII, ACTIV, and ACTV are entries that don't thrill me. ACT FIVE, however, seems cooler. Why is that? It's [When Juliet says "O happy dagger!"].
• 123D. The EAR is a [Human body part with vestigial muscles]. Holy anatomy, Batman! Can this be true? Wikipedia clarifies: They're the muscles that some people can use to wiggle their ears. I am a non-wiggler, but my son can do it.
• 124D. [Hosp. V.I.P.'s] clues R.N.'S. Yay! If hospitals didn't have nurses on staff, the patients would not do too well at all. This clue is a lovely nod to the nursing profession's importance.

Entries that aren't highlights, but that may be found at a fabric store: CIRE is a 29D: [Glazed fabric] and NACRES are 67A: [Button materials]. The latter is solid old crosswordese, but CIRE is markedly less familiar to me.

While the theme didn't wow me, I'm delighted by Patrick's return to the NYT puzzle page. His creativity and humor have led to many memorable puzzles over the years, and I look forward to seeing more of his twists on the conventions of crossword puzzles.

Merl Reagle's syndicated crossword, "Mr. H and Mr. L"

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was killed. The same day, two famous writers also died: Aldous Huxley and C.S. Lewis. They are the Mr. H and Mr. L mentioned in the theme clues. I figured out who they were via two of the answers, but for the remaining theme entries I leaned heavily on the crossings. I'm surprised the puzzle didn't take me longer because of that—I suspect Merl made a point of keeping the clues for the themers' crossings as gettable as he could. Hang on a second—does every single Down answer cross at least one theme answer? I think so, and I think Merrell's NYT puzzle is the same. I swear I never noticed that many Sunday puzzles with all-Across themes are like that, too. Moving on, here's the Huxley/Lewis trivia theme:

• 20A. THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is a ["Devilish" work by Mr. L]. Don't know it.
• 39A. BRAVE NEW WORLD, which I read in high-school English, is the [Classic work by Mr. H]. This was the only Mr. H clue that told me H = Huxley.
• 43A. [Space novel by Mr. L] is PERELANDRA. This is only very faintly familiar.
• 48A. [Mr. H co-wrote a few, including "Jane Eyre"] clues FILM SCRIPTS. Who knew?
• 65A. This one was my only L = Lewis clue. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA is a [Seven-book series by Mr. L].
• 80A. SHADOWLANDS is a [Film starring Anthony Hopkins as Mr. L]. Really? Didn't know that. Haven't seen the movie.
• 89A. SGT. PEPPER'S is the [Classic album featuring Mr. H on its cover (and lots of other folks, too)].
• 92A. HEAVEN AND HELL is a [Philosophical work by Mr. H]. Don't know this one, either.
• 107A. The rationale for the theme is explained here. [Interesting factoid about Mr. H and Mr. L] is that BOTH DIED ON NOV. 22, 1963.

That last answer is insane, isn't it? With six numerals? They're numerals in the intersecting Down answers, too:

• 106D. [Rockets deployed in Germany's second wave of missile attacks in WWII] are V-2'S. I would not have guessed the 2 if not for the November 22 date that appears with the puzzle's title.
• 78D. GREASE 2 is the [1982 sequel to a high school musical]. Whatever happened to Maxwell Caulfield?
• 86D. APRIL 1ST is the [Fool's day].
• 111D. The [Three-digit number denoting a charge call (as for puzzle answers] is 900. Except that the zeroes are letter Os in 117A and 121A, so in Across Lite, 9OO works.
• 112D. [Time that's exactly halfway between midnight and noon] is 6 A.M.
• 113D. [Elementary school basics] are the 3 R'S.

Favorite clue: [They tell you how to fix things] for RECIPES. I'm planning to make pecan pie for Thanksgiving. Want the recipe? Follow the one on a bottle of Karo dark corn syrup, only use at least double the amount of pecans so you have pecans throughout the pie rather than floating atop goo. I haven't decided if I want to make a butter crust from scratch or buy frozen crust.

Weirdest answer: 29D is LARIATED, clued as [Lassoed]. Is lariat a verb, or just a noun? The Dictionary of American Regional English, or DARE, says it's also a verb.

I do prefer it when Merl's themes have a lot of humor built in, which this one does not. Next week's probably will, but I'm not sure when I'll get to it—the pies and I will be out of town, and an all-star team of guest bloggers will hold down the fort here.

Updated later Saturday night:

Ken Bessette's syndicated Los Angeles Times crossword, "Literal Translations"

Ooh, I loved this theme! It was heaps o' fun for my inner anagrammer. Each theme clue is an anagram of a word in its corresponding answer, and the answer explains how the anagramming was accomplished. At the same time, each theme answer is a familiar phrase. To wit:

• 23A. [TOG?] is GOT TURNED AROUND.
• 38A. [GLIBNESS?] is MIXED BLESSING. This entry reminds me of a 4/8/07 NYT puzzle by Byron Walden in which the entry BLESSING IN DISGUISE was linked to both GLIBNESS and B SINGLES.
• 51A. [FELT?] clues LEFT IN DISARRAY. LEFT could also be used to clue FELT CONFUSED.
• 66A. [GOES?] is ALTER EGOS. This one's a bit weaker because the word EGOS is alterED. With a different letter count, ALTERED STATE could be paired with TASTE.
• 69A. [RAGE?] is a GEAR SHIFT of a sort.
• 89A. An OUT-OF-ORDER SIGN is [SING?].
• 97A. [EARTH?] clues CHANGE OF HEART.
• 118A. [STOP?] evokes the POST-REFORMATION era.

Fun, isn't it? My favorite fill:

• 28A. An ARGONAUT is [One of Jason's men].
• 55A. "TAXMAN" is a [Song on the Beatles' "Revolver" album].
• 104A. The INNER EAR is a [Canal locale].
• 110A. "IS THAT SO?" sounds like a challenge, as does ["Says who?"].
• 2D. Hey! Not the usual ORONO clue. [Maine town named for a Penobscot chief].
• 16D. I misinterpreted [Curling gadget] as referring to the sport of curling and figured IRON was just a term I didn't know. Whoops. Curling IRON, used to curl hair.
• 91D. Leonardo DI CAPRIO is the ["Catch Me If You Can" star]. I meant to see that movie.

46D's clue is [Riding for ___: acting overconfidently], for A FALL. I feel as though "heading for a fall" is the more familiar phrase, but "ride for a fall"/"be riding for a fall" has more solid dictionary support.

Less desirable are 68D: REASCENT, or [Second time to the top], and 14D: REDRILL, or [Put through one's paces again]. (RESELL is A-OK, though.) Is it just me, or does New York have more than its share of 5-letter towns with 3 vowels? 73D: TIOGA is a [New York town on the Susquehanna], and then there's UTICA and...maybe there are just the two.

Who is this 114D: [Disney duck princess] named OONA? This cavewoman duck princess (yes, that's right: a cavewoman duck) is possibly not known to more than a teeny fraction of Americans: Wikipedia says "The adventures of Princess Oona have appeared in Disney publications in many countries including Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, Brazil, and Russia." Had you ever heard of Princess Oona?

Updated Sunday morning:

Tony Orbach's CrosSynergy/Washington Post "Sunday Challenge"

This is a terrific themeless crossword. Zesty fill, fun clues, minimal junk. Let's take a stroll through the grid.

Multi-word phrases:

• 1A is IN A FLASH, or [Pronto].
• 18A. There's also the BAD END [A villain might come to...].
• I like to say AS IT WERE (61A: [So to speak])
• 14D is AND SO ON, or [Et cetera].
• 34D, the [Words said with an exasperated flourish], clues "UP TO HERE." This one feels like an 8-letter partial, though, doesn't it? Does anyone say it in isolation, along the lines of a Honeymooners "Straight to the moon!"?

The freshest fill includes:

• The LETTER C—22A: [Embroidery on a Cubs cap, e.g.]. Go, Cubs! (Poor, woebegone Cubs.)
• 33A is [Quarterback Daunte] CULPEPPER of the Detroit Lions. (Poor, woebegone Lions.)
• 7D: SHAG CARPETS are [Lush, plush furnishings], which is not to say furniture.
• I like the zippy TABLE-HOPS at 9D, or [Makes the rounds at a restaurant].
• 10D is OVALTINE, the [Malt drink pitched by Joe Namath], and yes, I was thinking malt liquor. 'Tis the season to watch A Christmas Story and see the kid disgusted by the naked mercenariness of the Ovaltine people.
• 24D: JASPER JOHNS, the ["Numbers" abstract expressionist artist], works two Js in to the grid.
• 31D. I'm fond of PLEONASMS, which means [Redundancies], because it's a spoonerism of neoplasm. "Tuna fish" and "safe haven" are neoplasms—is there a tuna that's not a fish, or an unsafe haven?

Hottest clues:

• 59A. A [Termite's terminus?] might be the ANTEATER that scarfs it up.
• 5D. Good clue for LEERED: [Didn't make proper eye contact] but was instead most improper.
• 9A. TOYOTA is the [Tundra producer].
• 31A. [The time there might be five to ten] clues prison. Not "five minutes to 10," but "five to 10 years."
• 28D. [An addled brain might be likened to one] clues SIEVE.

Answer for which I needed all the crossings: 23D: [Producer of early multi-track recorders] is TEAC. I've seen the brand name before, but the clue wasn't summoning up that answer in my SIEVE of a mind.

Cute shout-out: 51A is MARTHA ["___ My Dear" (Beatles song)]. Three guesses what Tony's wife is named.

Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon's Boston Globe crossword, "Animal Quackery"

The theme is rough puns on health-care specialties with animal names affixed at the beginning. For example, RODENTISTRY is clued as a [Branch of medicine for gnawers?] (rodent + dentistry). BOAFEEDBACK is [Self-help for snakes?] (boa + biofeedback). SOCKEYEATRY is a [Fishy shrink's practice?] (sockeye salmon + psychiatry]. The puns are a mixed bag of added consonants, changed consonants, vowel changes, added syllables, etc. I wasn't crazy about this theme—pun themes straddle the fine line between "ha ha" and "uh-uh."

Favorite word in the grid: 89D: BOLLIX, or [Completely bungled]. OONA is here, but clued as [Mrs. Chaplin] rather than the cavewoman duck very few of us know.

I suspect the grid got changed along the way but an old clue remained in error. At 58A, the answer is STOOP, but the clue is [Dive like a hawk]. Now, that sounds exactly like a clue for SWOOP. But with those theme entries above and below, the W would've been O*W*P, which doesn't look feasible at all. Hmm. Is there a swooping-like-a-hawk usage of STOOP that I'm not aware of?

Nat Case '88: All in favor

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:31:00 +0000

This is, I think, version seven of my response post to the comments on the last post—not because they were hurtful, painful, or otherwise Bad. There was just a lot of there there in those comparatively simple responses, and it's hard to know where to start.

My earlier versions include ruminations on granfalloons and foma, on divine will, and on community. I will probably try these on as separate posts later, but Ingrid and I had a good discussion a little bit ago that got down to what to me is an even more nubby question:

Why is it hard to create a statement endorsing a fact that already exists on the ground?

To wit, our Friends Meeting already includes a number of non-theists, myself included, and has been welcoming to us since I've been around (and I know some of the others have been around for a lot longer). We also have a bunch of other "hyphenated" Quakers in our midst, from Episco-Quakes to Pagan Friends; Buddhists, Jews... we are a very welcoming place. SO (and I know this sounds like a rhetorical question, but it's not): why is it so hard for us to actually say that that is part of what we are, when it is in fact part of what we are?

Similarly, we care for our members. In the case of members with chemical sensitivities, we have agreed as a meeting to bend over backwards to make the recent meetinghouse renovation as clean of volatile compounds as possible. We have a standing statement asking people to not wear fragrance into the meetinghouse. So what is that makes codifying, issuing a minute to this effect, so hard? Seriously.

I have a few ideas.

One is our aversion to codification. Given the Friends' historic problems with credal statements, we feel the need to be really clear, extra super clear, about anything that says, "this is what we are."

Another is personal vs group differences. We are each willing to put forward the effort we feel we can make to support our Friends, to listen to them and accept them on their own merits. But group stuff? That is harder work, because we are submitting then to the will of the group...

And this gets to the heart of several of the comments on the last post: Quakerism is not bound up in submitting to the will of the group. It is bound up in the group submitting to the will of God. And we have a hard enough time getting ourselves around submitting to the will of God as individuals.

We educated liberal moderns deeply deeply distrust anything that puts itself up between us and the Truth. Echoes of Nuremburg rallies, lynch mobs, and blacklists come up when something does. It's like being afraid to swim (I can testify to this): the fear of not being able to find the bottom with your feet. It is a deep and systemic distrust of mediation of any kind. And going from individual care through a group to submission is really really scary, even more than simply submitting oneself to that will.

And I will add that Divine Will is an even harder thing to deal with when some of your membership doesn't believe in a God that possesses "will." I think it's not impossible (yet another upcoming post, sheesh), but definitely challenging.

And when am I going to get back to talking about maps?

Kurt Kohlstedt '02: Stunning Stereoviews: Historical Photos Show Past in 3D

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:00:47 +0000

[Whoops! Double-WU Jeopardy: Also See: This Just Published]
The opportunity to catch a glimpse at life in a long-ago era in 3D is rare indeed, but thanks to the stereoviews taken by photographer T. Enami, Meiji Japan in the early 1900s momentarily appears vivid and immediate. Enami was Japan’s most prolific stereo-photographer, and his stereoviews have appeared in National Geographic Magazine and many books.

Each pair of images captured by Enami, ranging from landscapes and sedate scenes of country life to humorous photographs of beefy men bathing nude, has been assembled in a Flickr gallery by Okinawa Soba and transformed into animated GIFs by Pink Tentacle.

In traditional stereoscopic photography, a three-dimensional illusion is created from a pair of 2-D photographs that represent two slightly different perspectives of the same object or scene. The deviation between the two photographs is similar to the perspectives that both eyes naturally receive in binocular vision.

Such images are normally viewed in 3-D using a stereoscope, but ‘freeviewing’ is also possible, with a process that involves putting one’s eyes directly over the images and slowly backing away while focusing on the single merged, out-of-focus picture that appears.

Enami was an enigmatic figure for many decades after his death, but information provided by his descendents in 2006 helped bring together a stunning collection of work. The online archive of his photographs represents only a small fraction of his remarkable legacy.

Creative Photogram and Pinhole Photography

Some of the most amazing photography doesn't use a camera at all. These incredible images were produced using ancient methods - no lenses required. Click Here to See More

David Schraub: It's Like a Bad Parody of Dilbert's Marketing Department

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:53:25 +0000

I'm sorry, but I just had to laugh when I read Robert George's description of the Catholic Church's position on gay marriage: namely, that the church "opposes the re-definition of marriage to eliminate the requirement of sexual complementarity."

Not only is the guy reaching hard to euphemize (which is a good sign, as it signals that the bare language of "excluding gay people" isn't tolerable anymore), but it is virtually impossible to parse. I think the intuitive definition of being sexually complementary is sharing a mutual attraction and compatible desires vis-a-vis giving and receiving sexual pleasure. But here, it looks like that is being replaced with juvenile "tab A in slot B" or "entrance, not exit!" argumentation. It is testament to the increased potency of the pro-equality argument that opponents now have to work so hard to obfuscate what they're actually doing.

It's really simple. Right now, marriage is open only to heterosexual couples. Homosexual couples are excluded, for no real reason other than irrational prejudice and/or animus. That's incompatible with American norms of equality. And eventually, it will fall.

Carleton Athletics: Men's Cross Country: Gamble Wraps Up Collegiate Career at NCAA Championships

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:24:04 +0000

Carleton College senior Charlie Gamble concluded his final season by placing 233rd out of 276 racers at the 2009 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. He finished the eight-kilometer course with a time of 27:54.8.

Carleton Athletics: Women's Cross Country: Childs-Walker and Roach Earn All-American Honors as Knights Finish 11th at Nationals

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:17:35 +0000

The Carleton College women’s cross country team placed 11th out of 32 teams at the 2009 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. Leading the way for the Knights were sophomore Simone Childs-Walker and senior Laura Roach who both earned USTFCCCA All-American status by finishing 11th and 25th respectively during the competition.

Darth Bitsy '06

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:11:52 +0000

My blood sugar last night (at about 11:30 after cake): 101.
This morning (at noon, no food): 82.

I guess my body seems to be doing what its suppose to on this front.

*Note: Cross posted on Dreamwidth and Livejounal*

David Schraub: I Want a Fact Resume

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:06:22 +0000

Ladies and gentleman, the face of the Republican party answers why she thinks she is qualified to hold "the most powerful job in the world":

I believe that I am because I have common sense, and I have, I believe, the values that are reflective of so many other American values. And I believe that what Americans are seeking is not the elitism, the kind of a spinelessness that perhaps is made up for that with some kind of elite Ivy League education and a fact resume that's based on anything but hard work and private sector, free enterprise principles. Americans could be seeking something like that in positive change in their leadership. I'm not saying that has to be me.

That's from a Bill O'Reilly interview.

David Schraub: Obama Responds to Cuban Dissident

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:27:20 +0000

Cuban dissident Yoani Sanchez, recently beaten by state security, submitted seven questions to US President Barack Obama through her blog. Now, she has posted his responses. I am, of course, pleased to see the President aligning with Cuba's burgeoning civil society which is pressing domestically for democracy and human rights. As a general supporter of open engagement and building connections amongst peoples, I am opposed to the Cuba boycott, just as I am opposed to the Cuban government's policy of preventing citizens with diverse views from traveling abroad.

Ms. Sanchez also has six questions outstanding to Cuban President Raul Castro. She is still awaiting a reply.

Via Harry's Place.

David Schraub: Hugo Chavez's Love Letters

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:44:25 +0000

He just gave a speech praising notorious terrorist "Carlos the Jackal" as a "revolutionary fighter" important to the Palestinian cause.

In his speech, Chavez also sought to defend other leaders he said are wrongly labeled bad guys internationally, including Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Chavez called both of them brothers and said he now wonders whether Ugandan dictator Idi Amin was truly as brutal as he was reputed to be.

"We thought he was a cannibal," Chavez said, referring to Amin, whose regime was notorious for torturing and killing suspected opponents in the 1970s. "I have doubts. ... I don't know, maybe he was a great nationalist, a patriot."

Or hey, maybe he was an autocratic thug who ate people, just like Carlos the Jackal was a sociopath who blew up trains. Whatever.

Elizabeth Tamny '88

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:53:00 +0000

"Are you going to be afraid of the facts?" he said. "And you a scholar?"

"I don't think I did it in malice. I hope not. But I was bitterly unkind to her."

"Happily" said he, "a fact is a fact, and your state of mind won't alter it by a hair's breadth. Let's go now and have the truth at all hazards." (more Gaudy Night...)

Pressville.org: The Health-Wealth Connection: Janet Lewis Muth

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:02:08 +0000

BY BRIAN GILBERT

Listen to: A Podcast with Janet Lewis Muth

What major factors contribute to good health? Janet Lewis Muth has three possible answers: access to affordable housing, access to public transportation, and access to affordable, healthy food.

Kayla Berger: Care Packages

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

I've seen lots of comments on Facebook from parents about the care packages they're sending to their college-aged children. It's that time in the term when students are getting very busy and longing for a taste of home and/or some sustenance to fuel them through late-night study sessions. In this midst of this flurry of care package posts, a friend of mine wrote, "I have discovered that you're never too old to appreciate a care package from your mom." For some reason, reading this sentence morphed the ideas "never too old" and "mom" into the conviction that I ought to send a care package to my mom. College students aren't the only ones who enjoy receiving tasty food and "thinking of you" cards in the mail, after all.

It might seem kind of silly to pay a significant sum to ship a normal batch of cookies across several states just because. It's not her birthday or a holiday or anything. Still, it seemed like a really good idea, and the satisfying feeling I got handing the box over to the shipping guy was worth every penny I paid. It's like I was in one of those Master Card commercials. "Batch of gingerbread cookies: $x. 2-day shipping to Tennessee: $x. Letting Mom know you care: Priceless." We all know that the care packages aren't about the food, after all. Showing that we care is worth so much more than the present we use to send that message.

The retail industry has already started marketing to Christmas shoppers, so I am well aware that we live in a materialistic society. Nevertheless, as a Christian I still think there is a benefit to giving people gifts, even for no particular reason. It's (relatively) easy to say, "I love you," but taking the initiative to give someone a gift, even a small batch of cookies, shows that we care enough to take that special action. I don't just want to tell Mom I love her—I want to show her. This is just one little way that I can do that. Although buying and making things for people can be nice, I don't necessarily need money to give someone I love a special treat. I can babysit their kids or do yard or house work for them. I can make gifts of quality items I have that I no longer use. I can take time to pay a special visit or to call someone I haven't talked to in a while. All of these things are like little care packages.

I still have very strong memories of some of the unexpected presents I've received. I remember how I almost cried when my college friends surprised me with a fleece pullover when I was high on stress and low on cold weather clothes and cash. I remember the cute little stuffed animal that one of my roommates gave me for no particular reason. I'm still touched by the time my dad sent me flowers because he was out of town on a special day in my life. I appreciate all the recipes that my coworker has shared with me because she thought I'd be interested in them, and I'm still warm and fuzzy over the time I came home and my husband had done a bunch of my chores for me. I cherish mix CDs given to me by friends and special outings with loved ones.

Because I have these special memories, I can get positively giddy at the chance to provide my loved ones with comparable experiences. I love giving gifts. I enjoy seeking out items that will please my loved ones, and I relish the chance to see their eyes light up when I surprise them with a gift they like. It's wonderful to have a chance to remind others that I think they're special, that they're worth the effort I put into surprising them with gifts. It's true that I can't afford to give all of my loved ones really nice presents all the time. Still, there are so many ways I can make special efforts to show them I care. I hope that I stay motivated to look for special chances to show others that I care in everyday life. It's never a bad time to send a care package.

Hal Edmonson '09: Hal Edmonson

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:04:19 +0000

via Andrew Sullivan:

Amy Reynaldo '88: Saturday, 11/21/09

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:55:00 +0000

NYT 9:07
Newsday 7:45
LAT 4:22
CS untimed

Gary Whitehead's New York Times crossword

I didn't get quite enough sleep the last couple nights, and then there was some beer, and then my eyelids kept closing while I was doing this puzzle. My solving time says "ZOMG! Harder than Klahn!" but that's not a reliable measure tonight.

By the numbers: This is a 64-worder, and fortunately low on the roll-your-own-words scale. (UNITER would feel less roll-your-own if clued with reference to "I'm a uniter, not a divider," but that'd be too easy for Saturday.) It's got 32 black squares, well within the limits. The stair-step stacks at the top and bottom bleed into wide-open spaces, which is something you're less likely to see when the stack contains all 15s rather than the 11/13/15 stacks here.

Worst misstep: Crosswords have taught me that sheep say BAA and goats say MAA, So why on earth is BAAS the answer to 25A: [Kids' greetings]? Sure, MEER makes no sense for 25D: [It has a head], but by the time I had letters 2, 3, and 4, I was no longer looking at the clue. BEER! I blame beer. That was the one square I needed to change after clicking "done" the first time.

Least familiar answer: 11D: [Horticultural practice] is SEEDAGE.

A selection of clues/answers:

• 12D. Lovely "SAVE THE PLANET" is a [Green line].
• 14A. The pretty JAPANESE LANTERN is a [Party lighting option].
• 22A. [Company dinner] clues MESS. "Company" as in "the troops of C Company."
• 24A. Sports trivia clue that went on and on and was no help to me: [World Match Play Championship champ a record seven times] is golfer Ernie ELS. I thought TAL of chess or ALI of boxing first, but let the crossings lead the way.
• 29A. [Lineup at some entrances] consists of {turn)STILES. Aw, my fellow Carleton grad T.J. STILES won the National Book Award for his biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt this week. I don't know if T.J. does crosswords, but it'd be cool to see the noun turned into a surname in the puzzle sometime.
• 41A. Who knew SELMA was an [Alabama University] and not just an Alabama town? Not I.
• 45A. Favorite entry: MAKE A MENTAL NOTE, or [Store something for later thought].
• 48A. [One of many American houses] isn't architectural, it's a STATE SENATE.
• 3D. Very Olaf-ish clue. "Olaf" is Crosscan's coinage for clues that provide lots of specific information that really don't help you get the answer if the first couple words don't get you there. Case in point: [Egyptian king credited with founding the First Dynasty]. MENES! Who? 24A was rather Olaf-ish, too.
• 8D. Shakespeare fill-in-the-blank: ["...in thy possession lies ___ unparall'd": Shak.] clues A LASS.
• 10D. Ooh, long French word. [Hear, to Henri] is ENTENDRE. Not sure why I had ATTENDRE at first.
• 13D. [Alabama and others] is a wonderfully misleading clue for TRIBES. It's also a state, a country-rock band, and a university.
• 14D. JUICE is a [Press release?] if the press is a juice-press.
• 29D. Love the word SMARM, which is clued as [Oiliness].
• 33D. WALPOLE is fun to say. [Britain's first prime minister] is markedly less well-known to Americans than the P.M.'s of the 20th and 21st centuries.
• 43D. ["Abyssinia"] sounds like "I'll be seein' ya," or TA TA. Whoa.
• 44D. Yay, old familiar crosswordese! TARN is a [Mountain lake], and it's one of the crosswordese words I'm fond of.

Good night, folks!

Updated Saturday morning:

Lynn Lempel's CrosSynergy/Washington Post puzzle, "A Ride at Last"—Janie's review

In yesterday's "Opposite Beginnings" we were asked to look at the start of the theme fill to understand the gimmick; today we're asked to look at the end the theme fill (the "last" part) to appreciate it. That's where we meet up with various sets of wheels that'll provide "a ride." What's really fresh about the way Lynn has executed the theme, is that none of the rides appears as a discrete word—even when the fill is a compound; each is a part of the larger word or phrase, almost cryptic-style (though not as tricky to discern...). Take a look. You can travel by:

• 17A. MADAGASCAR [Island known for its unique species]. This one delivers a double helping and that's fine by me.
• 11D. EYESTRAIN [Result of poring over print, perhaps].
• 34D. AWESTRUCK [Stunned]. (This combo has a non-thematic mate, btw, with AMAZE and [Stun]).
• 59A. ED SULLIVAN [Big Beatles booster in America]. Because of the variety and basically high quality of the acts he presented every Sunday night (including excerpts from Broadway shows), Sullivan was one of the great (if almost personality-free) [TV HOSTS] of his day. The jury is still out where [Sajak, Smiley and Springer] are concerned. Here's a clip from 1960 of the original Broadway cast of Bye Bye Birdie performing "Hymn for a Sunday Evening" (an absurd and delicious tribute to Sullivan) while on The Ed Sullivan Show.

There's a lot of nice fill in here today of the non-theme variety as well: TOP HAT [Crowning touch for Uncle Sam], FAT CAT [Campaign contributer with deep pockets], BUY-OUT [Corporate takeover], BEDOUIN [Member of a nomadic desert culture], ANARCHY [Absence of government], and (with reference to the tennis-playing Williams gals) SERENA, by way of the well-clued [She has many court dates with her sister] for starters. (And yes, I am partial to compounds. I feel like they give puzzles a certain ZEST [Gusto]).

I was also amused by the "bad manners" pair of GORGES [Eats like a pig], and what may happen if you do—BURP [No-no at the table], although I always heard that "it's better to belch and bear the shame than squelch the belch and bear the pain"... The other natural pairing is the J.M. Barrie shout-out with ["Peter Pan pooch] NANA and ["]I'VE [Gotta Crow" ("Peter Pan" song)].

Good morning, y'all! I went straight to bed after blogging last night and slept for 10 hours. Now that's more like it.

Barry Silk and Doug Peterson's Los Angeles Times crossword

Fun Saturday LAT, for a change—polished fill, fun clues, and the difficulty level of a Friday NYT rather than a Tuesday. Excerpts from my L.A. Crossword Confidential write-up follow.

When I want to earn some money, I either work on crossword assignments or do some medical editing. So I was pleased with the biomedical slant of a bunch of the fill in this puzzle:

• 1A: We all know what MUSCLE is from an anatomical standpoint. It's also a slangy term for [Hired goons].
• 17A: Use your ears to [Heed], or LISTEN TO someone or something.
• 21A: ["Fantastic Voyage" setting in sci-fi] is the BLOODSTREAM. Great pop-culture clue for a word that could be kinda boring.
• 35A: [Its contents are under pressure] clues AEROSOL. Doesn't look biomedical, except that a sneeze aerosolizes horrid germs.
• 48A: [Geneticist's pursuit] clues DNA RESEARCH. Just read today that there's pressure on the University of Nebraska to limit stem-cell research. Now, "stem-cell research" is a rock-solid phrase. DNA RESEARCH feels kinda iffy to me. Genetics research, sure. What does Google say? Google says "DNA research" is good for 411K hits and that there's a scientific journal by that name. (Objection hereby withdrawn.)
• 63A: [Biological catalyst] is an ENZYME.
• 25D: [Solution for a fertility problem, perhaps] could be a SPERM DONOR, or in vitro fertilization, or a handful of other options. My best friend's son is the genetic offspring of lucky Donor #9. (If you feel this answer pushes the bounds of what's tasteful, be glad that it wasn't clued as, say, "male grad student's side job.")

Other highlights:

• 7A: To [Snub] someone is to HIGH-HAT them. HIGH-HAT is also a noun and adjective. With the G and T in place, NEGLECT seemed like an obvious answer, but all the other letters were wrong.
• 28A: To [Refuse to make changes] is to SIT PAT. No, wait. I don't like this one. I would like STAND PAT, but SIT PAT is a bit weaker.
• 9D: [Rakes it in] clues GETS RICH. How awesome an entry would GET-RICH-QUICK be?
• 11D: The [SUV that replaced the Passport] is the HONDA PILOT. We see relatively few make/model combos in crosswords, and I, for one, would welcome more. VW BUG sometimes shows up, but answers like TOYOTA CAMRY, CHEVY CAVALIER, and FORD MUSTANG would be cool too.
• 15D: The GLIDER is a [Quiet aircraft]. My dad took lessons in the '70s.
• 22D: Hands down, my favorite clue. [Three less than once] looks surreal—wait, is that negative twice?—but once in Spanish is "eleven" in English, so 11 – 3 = OCHO. OCHO is the funniest of the Spanish numbers, isn't it? That Ocho Cinco guy in the NFL has brought the number a great deal of pizzazz.
• 36D: I like familiar brand names as crossword fill. The ["Sorry, Charlie" brand] is STARKIST canned tuna.
• 46D: [2002 Campaign Reform Act co-sponsor] is John MCCAIN. For those who suspect that President "60% Vowels" Obama gets his name in so many crosswords because of a liberal plot, here's your McCain for balance.
• 54D: [Normal in Illinois, say] is a small CITY. Home of Illinois State University, neighbor of Bloomington. I hope some people thought "normal" was an adjective here.
• 56D: One [Instrument played with a plectrum] is a LYRE. You know what a plectrum is? Nothing more than a guitar pick.

Doug Peterson's Newsday "Saturday Stumper"

(PDF solution here.)

Am I the only one whose PDF printout lops off the bottom two clues on the page? 10D and 49D were cut off. Not that it really mattered—10D came via the crossings and 49D, [Harry Senate on "Boston Public"] is a clue that meant nothing to me. KATT? Was William Katt on that show? He is always and forever The Greatest American Hero, and that's that.

8A: PINATA is clued as a [Stuffed party treat]. Check out Patrick Merrell's cartoon in honor of Will Shortz's 16th anniversary as the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle. Pat, we want more cartoons! Ashen and Noir want to come out and play.

17A is HALF-SLIP—[It hangs from the waist]. Hardly anyone wears these anymore. If you or someone you love is Filipino-American, you might enjoy the Happy Slip videos (name derived from the way the video blogger's Filipino mom pronounced "half-slip").

Favorite clues/answers:

• 19A. OLAF is not just a Norwegian king—it's also [One of Snoopy's brothers].
• 20A. LOADED DICE is a great entry. [Pair of cheaters?], not cheater squares.
• 31A. VANITY PLATE is a great answer, too. [Barbara Bush's "I READ," e.g.] is the clue.
• 34A. [Jefferson successor] was looking wrong with two As at the beginning, until AARON BURR bubbled up.
• 41A. [Many months in Mato Grosso] are AÑOS, or "years." The answer and clue are unexceptional, but on Crossword Fiend forum, Zulema mentioned receiving a poorly translated bilingual brochure from New York's State Majority Leader Pedro Espada, boasting that he'd been honored as "el Senador del Ano." That's Spanish for "the senator of the anus" without the tilde.
• 48A. HAD KITTENS is an idiom I never use. It means [Came unglued].
• 13D. ["20/20" creator], 7 letters, starts with A...I went straight for ABC NEWS, but it's Roone ARLEDGE.
• 15D. SPACE INVADERS is an old [Shooting game] in video arcades.
• 28D. [Revolutionary?] clues IN ORBIT. Got this one right away.
• 32D. Egg foo YUNG includes the [Chinese menu word]. You wanted TSO'S, didn't you?
• 34D. [Remote energy sources] are AAS, the double-A batteries used in TV remote controls.
• 39D. Movie trivia: Rod STEIGER was the [Only American star of "Doctor Zhivago"].
• 40D. Boxing [Ring areas] are CORNERS. Were you thinking of AREOLAS? There's no shame in that.

Never heard of 35D: MATHIAS, [Decathlon champ at Helsinki].

Ken Wedding's Reading Blog: Not everything can live up to expectations

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:36:00 +0000

We were getting ready to head for California to see the incredible granddaughter and the incredible Yosemite. Luckily, our flight was non-stop, but still long. I paused at Target in front of the paperback best sellers and grabbed Jonathan Kellerman's True Detectives. Kellerman's reliable, isn't he?

Well, yes, he's reliable. But he's not always great. This book features a couple characters who evidently appeared in one earlier book, but they aren't the usual stars of Kellerman's mysteries. Instead of the aristocratic psychologist, there's Aaron Fox, trendy fashion plate private investigator, and instead of the gay veteran detective Kellerman creates Fox's half brother LAPD detective, Moses Reed.

Of course, these two guys are as different as Kellerman can think to make them. It's an investigative odd couple. Aaron is a few years older and making piles of money he spends on fancy cars and fancier clothes. Moses is a straight arrow cop with a chip on his shoulder. Neither of them knew their fathers, who were cops and killed in the line of duty. They never got along as kids and they still don't, according to Kellerman's telling of the story. They run into each other once in awhile when spending time with their mother.

A cold case murder brings them together and neither of them is excited about the prospect. But the conflict/rivalry/opposition never really came to life for me. And, by the end of the book, the brothers are joking and sharing mutual admiration. But the progression of the realtionship was never really explained to me. I don't really know how that happened.

The book kept my mind off flying between those brief naps I always take on long flights. The story was nothing special. At least the playboy didn't make a move on the cop's wife.

Both the granddaughter and Yosemite lived up to expectations, and that's why we got on the plane in the first place.

If you agree with me about True Detectives or think it was special, write and tell this little bit of the world why.

When I finish it, I'll have a few things to say about the Oliver Sachs textbook I read on the way home.

Adam Zang '05: Montreal Gives Cole Encouraging Review

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:19:00 +0000

Arts and Opinion, a fine Montreal magazine, recently gave Cole a grand review. A glimpse at Robert J. Lewis' article:

Memorably caught in the cross hairs of Bessai’s relentlessly roving eye are the film’s many subplots that are neatly warped and woofed into a cohesive narrative. In a writing class, Cole meets Serafina (Kandyse McClure), who is Black and beautiful and wears gold. But contrary to expectation, their budding relationship will be forced to run not the race but the class gauntlet. Cole’s small-minded friends, who fear the written word, resent him for writing about what he knows best, but they don’t want to let him go. With a way out, Cole has to decide what kind of relationship he’s to have with Lytton and Serafina, and his sister who refuses to get tough on spousal abuse.

Cole is a film whose many parts are more than equal to the sum of life in the boondocks, whose agenda keeps on rolling long after the films credits have rolled by. One can only hope that the film’s marketers will do as good a job as the film’s makers and actors. Kudos to Carl Bessai and his talented team with a big time nod to the note-perfect, home-grown soundtrack.

Read the rest of the review here.

Makes me want to move to Montreal. Also, Lewis mentions the fine soundtrack, which I highly encourage you to check out here, and support these great indie artists through the website, itunes, and simply word of mouth.

David Schraub: The Education Agenda

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:29:12 +0000

A big part of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's (R-Wildly Corrupt) budget plan involves closing down a bunch of HBCUs, consolidating them with Jackson State University. Leaders of the schools facing merger are strongly opposed to the idea. See the Field Negro for more. He observes: "And here I thought republicans wanted blacks to be educated. Why doesn't he merge Southern Mississippi into Ole Miss? I am just saying."

Barbour, for his part, said he's "not worried about appearing racially insensitive with his proposal." Surprise.

On this blog, of course, Barbour is most well known for successfully arguing that a year is not a year, but failing to persuade the state's high court that the top is not the top.

Shout: Measure for Measure

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:30:48 +0000

An ambiguous dark comedy by Shakespeare, brought to you by the Carleton Players.

Kurt Kohlstedt '02: Amazing Vintage Images from Japan’s Forgotten Master

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:00:01 +0000

Photographs of Japan from the Meiji and Taisho Periods (1868-1926) have captivated viewers around the world since they were first circulated. One photographer in particular captured Japanese life so beautifully that his work has been seen by countless people all across the globe. Until very recently, though, his name was virtually unknown. Now we know that the prolific photographer’s name was T. Enami – or rather, that was his trade name. He was born Enami Nobukuni, and his work made a deep and far-reaching impact on photography.

Some of T. Enami’s most popular and memorable works were his stereograms: two nearly-identical 2D images taken from slightly different angles that, when viewed together through a stereograph, appear three-dimensional. Here they are animated to give the 3D effect, but all of the originals can be seen on Okinawa Soba’s Flickr collection.

Enami started his career as a traditional photographer, but later embraced the more “modern” stereoviews and lantern slides. Judging from his carefully staged stereograms, he approached his work with a great deal of attention to detail. The colors on these stereograms were all hand-painted, and the resulting product was sold around the world. Today, collectors treasure these exquisitely detailed antique images.

T. Enami ran a photography studio in Yokohama until his death in 1926. His work spanned a multitude of areas, including postcards, large-format prints, private portraits, glass transparencies, photo processing and print-making, and numerous commercial photography projects. His photographs have appeared several times in the pages of National Geographic, a true honor for any photographer. One of his half-stereoview images was even used on the cover of their 100th-anniversary book Odyssey: The Art of Photography at National Geographic.

Despite his monumental contributions to early Japanese photography, T. Enami’s identity was not widely known outside of Japan until around 2006, when his descendants shared information about him with biographers and collectors. He was the only photographer of his era known to work in all contemporary commercial and artistic formats, and it can be said that his work has been seen by more people than that of the more established “masters” of his time.

The appropriate credit is now being given to thousands of Enami photographs that were previously unattributed or simply attributed to the wrong photographer. Enami is now, finally, in his rightful place amongst the most influential early Japanese photographers. A detailed biography of T. Enami can be found at T-Enami.org, and even more of his animated stereograms can be found at Pink Tentacle.

Master Blasters: Science Fiction Weapons to Die For

Mostly harmless? I think not! Any aliens who receive our old TV and radio transmissions will be raising their tentacles in submission once they get a glimpse of sci-fi's greatest hitmen and their weapons of mass annihilation. Click Here to See More

Larry Sampas: Migrating Movable Type and Gallery2 to a new (Fedora) server

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:03:54 +0000

I loved my Dell 1750 server. It has plenty of power and a great 3Ware RAID card, two 500 GB RAID-1 drives, 4 GB RAM, and ran Red Hat Linux. I bought it from the Dell Outlet site several years ago when my condo fee included electric. Since then I have moved. I pay my own electric bill, and my 1750 consumes 150 watts at idle. When I publish with Movable Type or Gallery, power consumption exceeds 200 watts. I pay $0.150845894 per kilowatt-hour. (That's summing the separate generation, transmission, distribution, demand-side surcharge, and adding the gross-receipts tax. Pepco doens't make it easy to figure out what you're paying.) With a thirty-day month, that's 108 kwh, which comes to $16.29135658. That's $16/month, just for idling. And that doesn't use the noise of the server in my office or the additional AC required in summer.

That may seem expensive, but it's far cheaper than getting that much server capacity at Rackspace. However, I don't need that much capacity. I can trade processor power for power savings, keep the disk space and RAID card, and switch to an Atom-based server. My current FreePBX Atom server runs at 40 watts with an analog card powering two FXS modules. I bet I can match that on a new server. I'd get the new Supermicro Atom Server, but it has space for only one 3.5 inch hard drive. I need two. Thus I'll be using another miniITX case. In the meantime, everything's running on another old Dell tower box.

How did I move it? First I though reinstalling all the software from scratch would be a good idea. I'd get a nice clean, efficient build. But that took way too long, and I'd have to re-customize my templates and tweaks. I had MySQL backups running for a while, why not start testing the restores? I used rsync:

rsync -avz /var/www/ -e ssh:user@mynewserver /var/www/

(Note: Please study rsync syntax. Those / at the ends make a big difference.) It worked. Next I had to tweak the new httpd.conf file. I couldn't just copy the old one, because I was using the latest Apache version. But I could use almost all of the old file. I just needed to adjust the modules it loaded, because several have changed names.

Then I restored the databases:

mysql -u root -p

enter your password. (You ARE using a PW for MySQL root, aren't you?)

mysql> create database mynewdb

then

mysql> quit;

then

$ mysql -u root -p [mynewdb]  [backupfile.sql]

But that generally does not restore your user privs on the db. Back to mysql:

mysql -u root -p

then

mysql> use mynewdb;

mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO 'myuser'@'localhost' 

IDENTIFIED BY 'pAssW0rd' WITH GRANT OPTION;

mysql> flush privileges;

Don't forget the above step or you'll need to restart MySQL to get it to work.

mysql> quit;

Then double check that the user and pass from above match your config files.

Finally, test your applications. Gallery2 and MovableType worked fine. Your milage may vary. My office is almost silent now.

Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: Does Nigeria work?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:42:00 +0000

While researching Nigeria I came across the debate highlighted below on the BBC news web site. It seems that asking students to read and evaluate the arguments would be a good end-of-unit activity.

There are also two dozen responses from Nigerians all over the world which make valuable and interesting comments on the debate.

Debate: Is Nigeria a failed state?

YES, says lawyer and poet, Ogaga Ifowodo

NO, says agribusiness consultant, Waziri Haruna Ahmadu

Ifowodo: "Most, if not all of the indices of failed states, declare Nigeria well on its way to joining that disreputable club.

"Nigeria boasts a government unable to deliver basic social services.

"It is plagued by corruption so endemic and monumental it is hard to separate it from state policy.

"It lacks the capability or discipline to prevent threats to public safety and national integrity and is assailed by active challenges to its legitimacy..."

Ahmadu: "It is obvious, all the signs of a state heading for failure - where a constitutional authority increasingly shows an inability to provide basic services like guaranteeing security to life and property, maintenance of economic and social services, infrastructure and food security - are not evident.

"On the contrary, for the first time in the country's history, Nigeria is attempting to address its economic and social infrastructure inadequacies.

"The economy has never been more open to new investors and the government recognises the imperative for private-sector investments in critical infrastructure such as power, transportation and energy..."

Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: Foreign aid for Nigeria

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:20:00 +0000

The open question still is, "If you pour money into a corrupt system, where will it go?"

European Union gives Nigeria $1bn 'for peace'

The European Commission has signed a $1bn (£602m) development pact with Nigeria, aimed at tackling corruption and promoting peace.

A substantial amount of the funding will be spent on resolving conflict in the oil-rich and crime-plagued Niger Delta, the EU's development chief said.

The money will also target electoral reform and improving human rights.

But correspondents say many Nigerians will doubt the money will get to its intended targets...

$1 BILLION EU FUNDS
25%: peace and security
44%: governance and human rights
16%: trade, region integration and energy
15%: environment, health, culture and sciences

Find out What You Need to Know

Amy Reynaldo '88: Daily Beast, 11/20/09

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:36:00 +0000

"New Moon" - 11:45
I was smart this week. I guessed what Matt's theme would be before the puzzle was even published.

Of course, not being a 92D: [Like some mortgages] TEN YEAR old girl, I knew none of the Twilight Saga:New Moon answers specific to the movie. Which is too bad, because I believe the main demographic reading my posts are ten year old girls.

I did better with Matt's take on a new moon, which, as defined at 65A: [Where the moon is located in its new moon phase - - and a pattern that appears twice in this puzzle] BETWEEN THE EARTH AND SUN. So we get a SUN theme answer, then a MOON, then an EARTH. Each theme answer is a movie with SUN/MOON/EARTH in the title. Whew! Why do I never get to blog puzzles with themes like "each theme entry can follow the word CAT"? These are much cooler, though. By the way, if the moon is directly in line between the earth and sun at a new moon, a solar eclipse occurs. Don't look!!

Other theme answers:

23A: [2003 Diane Lane] - UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN
32A: [1982 Albert Finney/Diane Keaton drama] - SHOOT THE MOON
45A: [1991 Jim Jarmusch movie about cab drivers] - NIGHT ON EARTH

87A: [1946 Gregory Peck Western] - DUEL IN THE SUN
103A: [1999 Jim Carrey biopic] - MAN ON THE MOON (Jim Carrey is Canadian)
113A: [1988 Geena Davis comedy] - EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY. The Earth has moved to the front of the title here. The only one of these movies that I've seen.

Movie theme answers:

19A: ["New Moon" protagonist] - BELLA
75A: [ Lautner of "New Moon"] - TAYLOR
54A: ["Twilight" town] - FORKS
125A: ["Twilight" author Stephenie] - MEYER
52D: [Last name of 19-across] - SWAN

Other stuff:

57A: [Be a bootlicker] - KOWTOW - don't you want this to start with a "C"?
84A: [Part of DOS] - SYS - For the ten year olds: Disc Operating System.
118A: [Zener cards test it] - ESP. Successful proven tests remain at zero. But you knew I was going to say that.
6D: [Average guy] - SCHMOE. When did this start getting an "E"?
10D: ["You Can't Take It With You" co-author] - MOSS HART. Checking...George S. Kaufman is your other co-author.
12D: [One of Cosby's TV kids] - Lisa BONET, who played Denise.
16D: [Key used often by Mozart] - G MINOR. The key I use often is house.
32D: ["Oh my!"] - GOSH. Your grandmother's OMG.
36D: [Glocks and such] - GUNS. I'm Canadian, so I don't know guns.
46D: [Britney Spears' "Piece OF ME"] - Do ten year girls still like her?
63D: ["Two and a Half Men" actor] - Charlie SHEEN. Started watching this in reruns. I should hate it but it is too funny.
100D: [1970 AL MVP BOOG Powell] - If the entire puzzle was about 1970 baseball players I would finish faster than Dan Feyer.
111D: [Led Zeppelin classic "DYER Mak'er"] - Hit it!

Crossing of two random names:
124A: [Cervenka of punk rock] - EXENE. huh? How did this turn into a Brendan Emmett Quigley puzzle?
108D: [Dakota Fanning's sister] - ELLE.
EXENA/ELLA looked good to me. Buzz!! Wrong!! Lose bonus points!!

Next weekend is Thanksgiving for you guys down south. I had better start studying. Bye!

David Schraub: What if McCain Loses?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:19:45 +0000

A new pol shows Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is vulnerable to a primary challenge from the right. In response, he's busy flip-flopping his way over to oppose bipartisan climate-change efforts.

I have to say, I'd be thrilled if John McCain loses a primary. From my perspective, it's win-win. His reputation for bipartisan maverickism has always been overstated, so it is not like Democrats are losing a member that is easy to work with. But a primary defeat would set off a torrent of "the GOP has been hijacked by a far-right base and has no room for moderates" reporting by a punditocracy that still, beyond all reason, sees McCain as a national bellweather.

Plus, it gives Dems a fighting chance to flip the Arizona seat.

It's all good from my vantage point.

Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: Radicalizing some of the protests?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:03:00 +0000

Frustrating hopes for democracy by manipulating elections causes protests, but if the protests yield little, some dissidents become radicalized and lose hope that the system can respond to popular will. Similar hardening of positions can take place on the establishment side of things. See "Divine right to rule in Iran" from last Friday.

Divisions test mettle of Iran’s opposition

Five months after a disputed presidential election spawned the largest antigovernment demonstrations in this country in three decades, Iran’s opposition movement appears rudderless and divided, with protesters increasingly at odds with their leaders’ insistence on preserving the country’s system of religious government...

Iranians involved in the movement say growing numbers of protesters are refusing to compromise with the ruling hierarchy, a system of Shi’ite religious and political rule ushered in by Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, which ended a 2,500-year-old monarchy...

During the most recent street protests, on Nov. 4, demonstrators reflected the harder line when they shouted slogans mainly against Iran’s top leaders, instead of their more usual calls in support of Mousavi.

Video clips captured on cellphones and posted on the Internet showed people tearing down posters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader for the past 20 years. As the heir of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic republic, Khamenei wields ultimate religious and political authority in Iran and is highly revered.

In the government’s view, such protests confirm suspicions that the opposition wants to topple Iran’s political system...

Find out What You Need to Know

Cheryl Klein: Those Interested in Issues of Race and Children's Literature . . .

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:52:00 +0000

. . . should check out this interesting post and discussion today at Ta-Nehisi Coates's blog, as I think a lot of what he and his commenters say about the writers and characters on television could apply to our discussions of children's publishing as well. I was especially struck first by this:

But whenever I read that XX field isn't diverse enough, I don't so much doubt the truth of it, as I think the charge deeply underestimates exactly the price being exacted for white supremacy in this country, and the length of time for which it went unchecked. We're 50 years into a truly democratic, non white-supremacists America. Congratulations. But we we spent some 150 years in which the country's major institutions--its government, its business, its churches, its block associations, its military, its police force, its labor unions--in the main, aided and abetted white racism. There are certainly exceptions, but I tend to think that the long-term damage done is incalculable and has a lot to do with how we live today.

and then later by these comments, also from Ta-Nehisi:

For minorities, I think people really need to think about what kind of people go into writing, and what sort of backgrounds they generally hail from. I know in magazines, the sort of profile for writers (family, generally, pretty well-educated, sent the writer to an Ivy) doesn't match up that well with black people. People always ask "Why aren't there many minority XXX?" But there are a lot of questions that should precede that one.

. . .
Again, speaking only for magazines, it takes a particular person who can write, and then a particular person who can write in that format. This isn't simply a talent question, it takes a particular endurance, and it takes time to develop that endurance. How do you get that time? Money--or a willingness to live without it. Take color out the equation--there are very few people who can do the job. Finding good writers--of any color--is extremely difficult.

Now, just speaking for a black people, look at a group that's only 13 percent of the pop, and isn't as well educated. Then take the fact that the group's families tend to be less wealthy, thus making it hard to get the time to get good. Take into account that, often, when someone from this group "makes it" they have brothers/sisters/mothers/grandmothers/grandfathers who they have to also worry about. I think a lot of us say, "Man, I kids to feed" and go for the sure thing. The point is that you're already talking about a small pool, and for black people it's almost certainly even smaller.

Does this mean media should say, "Oh well, we tried." Nope. But it means media should get smarter. If you really are concerned about diversity then you need to start with high school kids. You can't start looking for fully formed adults. You need to set aside fellowships for people from particular economic backgrounds to help them learn the craft. You have to think broader and bigger.

I don't disagree with the core goal, I just suspect that it may require more than we think.

I've been thinking a lot about the "Why are there so few minorities in children's literature?" question since the Liar controversy -- well, before then, too, but Liar was the tipping point for me, as it was for many people -- and I think these comments get at one part of an answer (though of course not the whole answer, if such a thing were even possible). I genuinely do not receive many submissions from people of color (who can be identified as such, that is), and with those that I do, as TNC says, "It takes a particular person who can write, and a particular person who can write in that format" -- someone who wants to write the literary sort of book we publish at Arthur A. Levine Books, and can pull it off to our standards. (And I acknowledge here the problematic nature of "literary" and "standards," though I'm not going to go into that at this hour of the night.) The point is, that is not a large pool of writers altogether of any race, and as black people (to take the minority TNC is thinking of) are thirteen percent of the population, the segment submitting mss. to us, and therefore getting them published, is correspondingly rather small.

None of which excuses any publisher from a responsibility to remember the shameful history TNC alludes to in the first paragraph I quoted, and to try to represent all voices now (which we at AALB do), and even to go beyond that -- to get smarter, as he says above. And I am really, genuinely, not meaning to make excuses with this post, and I'm sorry if you're hearing it that way. I'm saying, as I understand TNC to be, that if we look at the question culturally, there are larger reasons this lack of minorities is happening in our industry, and across most media; and while we need to address the problem where we live, certainly, these reasons are worth thinking about as well.

Kayla Berger: Pep Talk

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Sometimes I get a little discouraged in my Christian life. I may feel worried or afraid when faced with challenges or uncertain circumstances. Luckily, the Bible is full of encouraging passages that I can use to give myself a pep talk in hard times.

When I feel scared about what could happen to me, I can reflect on these passages:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
"The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (2 Timothy 4:18)
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

When I worry about my own limitations and my ability to do the work God has given me to do, these verses encourage me:

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." (Psalm 32:8)
"He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way." (Psalm 25:9)
"For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course." (Proverbs 2:6–9)
"Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)
"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Luke 11:9–10)
"You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory." (Psalm 73:24)

There are so many verses beyond these that encourage me to stay positive and to embrace God's peace in my life, even if circumstances are tumultuous. God is taking care of me, and He's helping me on my walk through life. He's going to rescue me when I get into trouble, going so far as to give me eternal life when I die. God will give me guidance when I don't know what to do and strengthen me as I deal with difficult tasks. I'm never alone. God is with me, and He's my biggest cheerleader. So here are a few final notes to wrap up this spiritual pep talk:

"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." (Psalm 126:3,6)
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." (Isaiah 26:3)
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:12–13)
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
"Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)

Elizabeth Tamny '88

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:30:00 +0000

I had Latka Gravas for a cab driver today. He had a really cute precise voice--sort of sounded like he was beeping.

Me: "So, may I ask...are you new?"
He: "Yes. In the US...two. Two months."
Me: "Ahh."
He: "For cab...one, two, three...seven days. Today is seventh day."
Me: "Ahh, I see. Just wondering."
He: "I am in Chicago three months now."
Me: "Wait--"
He: "I like very much, Chicago. Three months in Chicago."

Amy Reynaldo '88: Friday, 11/20/09

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:18:00 +0000

BEQ 4:54
LAT 4:36
NYT 4:35
CHE 4:05
CS untimed
WSJ 7:02

You're probably here because you like the harder crosswords that are published later in the week. If so, Peter Gordon's Fireball Crosswords will be right up your alley. For just $10, you can get one puzzle a week, mostly hard themeless crosswords by Peter himself, for pretty much all of 2010. For more money, Peter will work the answer of your choice into a puzzle. See the Fireball subscription page for details. Tell your friends! (The smart ones.)

Alan Olschwang's New York Times crossword

This is a weird puzzle for me. Part of it feels super-fresh and part of it feels like a retread or homage with old answers. What do I mean by the latter? It goes beyond ZOLAESQUE, which was the dramatic linchpin answer in the 2005 ACPT and the documentary Wordplay. There, in Byron Walden's tournament finals puzzle, it was clued as [Stark and richly detailed, as writing]. Here, it's [A la the founder of literary naturalism]. Then there was Bob Klahn's Saturday NYT monster, 12/27/07, in which [Mob rule] clued OCHLOCRACY. Here, [Ochlocracy] clues MOB RULE. Yesterday's Hinmorwitz puzzle had three answers including UP, and so does this one: To REUP is to [Extend one's service life] in the military, [Indicates that one is in] clues ANTES UP, and to [Squirrel] away your nuts is to STORE UP. Last, there's JAZZERCISE at 1A, clued as a [Tae Bo alternative], and the clue weirdly echoes 61D, TAE, or [Inits. of a noted "Wizard"] of Menlo Park, Thomas A. Edison.

What I liked:

• The high-octane Scrabbliness of the fill. Three Zs, three Qs, a pair of Ks, and an X? Me like. Speaking of Scrabble, in a Lexulous game (that's the loose facsimile of Scrabble on Facebook) tonight, I bingoed by playing DOODIES, and twigged the S off CRAP so that CRAPS and DOODIES cross. Isn't that lovely? I thought so, too. Speaking of potty words, PEE is clued as 44D: [Top finisher?] because P is the last letter of "top." Heh.
• 15A. ONE OVER PAR is clued with [It's not bad for a duffer].
• 22A. Trivia! Lech WALESA is the [Only private non-American to address a joint session of Congress (1989)].
• 26A. [Season opener, say] is an EPISODE of a TV show. Were you thinking of sports? Bzzz!
• 28A. [Lions might score one]—are you thinking of sports, the Detroit Lions? Bzzz! The Lions are terrible at scoring. But out on the savanna, a lion might bring down a GNU. Nice to see a fresh (if gruesome) GNU clue.
• 29A. [Foul territory?] is a STY. Were you thinking of baseball? Bzzz! Gotta love having three consecutive clues that aren't about sports but might fool sports nuts.
• 45A. An OTO may be a [Chiwere speaker]. As with the GNU clue, I like the new twist on an old 3-letter answer.
• 58A. [Ones who might get service calls?] are military RESERVISTS. It would be lovely if the RESERVISTS had no war to attend.
• 64A. EAT ONE'S HAT is a great phrase, balancing out ONE OVER PAR in the grid. [Be forced to backpedal] is the clue.
• 66A. Three Ss in a row! DRESS SHOES are a [Pair for a suit]. Not playing cards, but haberdashery.
• 3D. I needed crossings for ZEB, ["The Waltons" grandpa]. ZEB! I never knew Grandpa Walton had a name.
• 6D. [Proofs] clues REREADS. Hey, that's my line of work there.
• 10D. [1990s White House chief of staff Bowles] has an even cooler first name than Grandpa Walton: ERSKINE. There's also author Erskine Caldwell.
• 11D. Ornithology! The [Umbrella bird's "umbrella"] is a CREST atop its head.
• 24D. Never heard of [Irish statesman Cosgrove], but LIAM is a guessable Irish name (and the lovely name of my cousin's baby boy).
• 32D. Like 58A, this sounds like it's about appliance repair, but it's not: ORS, or operating rooms, are [Where some parts are repaired, briefly].
• 33D. PETRI DISH is clue by way of [Germs grow in it]. See also 29A.
• 42D. In some places, NO TURNS is a [Rush hour restriction]. In my neighborhood, that restriction is reserved for the arteries within a half mile of Wrigley Field around game time.
• 45D. Didn't we have a clue like this not so long ago? The OZARKS are your [Buffalo National River locale], but Buffalo smacks of the Great Plains and the state of New York.

Overall, there's much to appreciate in the puzzle, even with that handful of blast-from-the-past answers. Lots of good clues today.

Updated Friday morning

Randall J. Hartman's CrosSynergy/Washington Post puzzle, "Opposite Beginnings"—Janie's review

Well, here's a nice thematic change of pace. The first two words of each of today's theme phrases (their "beginnings") are also pairs of opposites. The first example uses words that are adjectives; the other two, prepositions. These two not only make for lively fill, but they stretch the conceit as they aren't opposites contextually. They certainly add a measure of fun, however. We've got:

20A. LITTLE BIG MAN [1970 Dustin Hoffman film]. You don't need me to point out the opposites...
36A. OFF ON A TANGENT [Straying from the subject].
56A. OUT IN THE OPEN [Transparent].

If this idea isn't a serious ENIGMA [Something hard to grasp], it is fresh—and fresh is greatly to be desired. The last thing anyone wants from their solving experience is a SNOOZER [Real bore], one that would cause the puzzler to SNORE [Saw logs]. Oh—and nice cluing there, too, with [Saw logs], where saw is the present tense verb related to the activity (of sawing...) and not the past tense of "see."

Other clues that made me pay attention: the punny [Slop talk] for OINK, the folksy [Give what for] for SCOLD, the 19th century-sounding [Dastard] for FIEND (which we love, of course!), and [Labor party] for MOM. All I have to say about that last one is "ZOUNDS!" [Gadzooks!"]. I also liked the nod given to the humble writing irons: [Pencil end] for ERASER and [Pen end] for NIB.

And in a mini-thematic way, Randy goes in for a bit of globe-trotting today. From Turkey there's the [Ottoman muck-a-muck] or SULTAN (and another colorful clue, no?); [Turkmenistan neighbor] IRAN; a SIBERIAN [Novosibirsk native] (Russia's third-largest city after Moscow and St. Petersburg. I'd no idea.); the NORTH SEA, that [Body of water between England and Norway]; ASTI, an [Italian wine region]; and BALI [Island near Java]. There's even (bear with me...) AMERIKA [Kafka novel], IOWAN [Waterloo resident] and a tip o' the Stetson to the American West, with ALL IN [Texas Hold 'Em bet], SSW [Dallas-to-Austin dir.] and RODEO [Cheyenne Frontier Days, notably], an annual event since 1897.

Michael Blake's Los Angeles Times crossword

Wow, is it just me, or is this the first Friday LAT in ages that's been ever bit as hard as the Friday NYT? The first theme entry I figured out was the fourth one, which led me astray because LEGO CRAZY, or [Nuts about Danish toys?], looked like the Prince song, "Let's Go Crazy," minus the TS. Then I moved back to the top of the grid and got LENO LIMIT, or [Maximum tolerance for a stand-up comic's jokes?]. Wait, where's the missing TS? Oh, I see: It's +LE, not –TS. (Edited to add: Oh, yes. There's also the explanatory entry ADDLE, to be parsed as ADD "LE.")

The other theme entries are LEON TELEVISION, or ["All Trotsky, all the time" channel?]—that's so goofy, I love it—and LEASH WEDNESDAY, or [When dogs can't run loose?].

Favorite clues/answers:

• SNARF is a slangy word meaning [Wolf (down)].
• LOLA is a [1970 hit by the Kinks]. I like this LOLA much better than a Damn Yankees or Falana reference. I don't suppose we'll ever get [Filipino grandma]?
• [You can count on a lot of bucks from] one...hmm, 6 letters? THE ATM? No, a buckin' BRONCO.
• BERN, Switzerland, is the [Capital northwest of Rome]. Why couldn't I remember this city? I had Berlin on the mind.
• ["___ behold!"] clues the partial LO AND. I don't usually enjoy a partial, but my mom's always been a big "lo and behold" sayer.

Jayne and Alex Boisvert's Chronicle of Higher Education crossword, "Mark My Words"

Cute theme. The central entry, ACCENTS, explains what's going on: [They're missing from the clues for 17, 23, 50, and 58 Across]. Those four answers have one-word clues, which need acute accents in order to correspond to their answers. Without the ACCENTS, the clue words are entirely different words:

• Pliés are BALLET MOVEMENTS, but [Plies] is a verb or the plural of ply.
• The clue is the verb [Resume], but it's a résumé that is a JOB-HUNTER'S NEED.
• Gold lamé is a METALLIC FABRIC, while [Lame] is an adjective and verb.
• [Attaches] is a verb, but attachés are people who are DIPLOMATIC AIDES.

Favorite clues:

• [Cylindrical opening?] is the word's first letter, a SOFT C.
• J. CREW is often clued as an L.L. Bean competitor, just because of the initials thing. But it's more accurate to call it a [Gap competitor].
• I learned a new word in the clue [Like many dactylology experts]. Dactyl- means "finger," so it's DEAF people who use sign language.

Randolph Ross's Wall Street Journal crossword, "Faculty Meeting"

Randy Ross's puzzle is a nice counterpart to the Chronicle of Higher Education crossword, thanks to the light faux-faculty theme. Most of the theme entries are non-academic jobs clued as if they're very specific types of faculty. For example, a military DRILL INSTRUCTOR might also be what you call a [Faculty member at a dental school?]. A couple are academic positions, but clued with a different sort of angle—ENGLISH TEACHER is a generic [Faculty member at Eton?] in England rather than a teacher of the English language, and RHODES SCHOLAR becomes a [Faculty member with expertise on a Greek island?]. I like that last one best. Second favorite is STAGECOACH clued as [Member of the drama faculty?]. Least familiar: PAST MASTER is clued as [Faculty member in the history department?].

I like the way the 11 theme answers are distributed throughout the grid, with Across trios and Down pairs running in alternate rows. Favorite fill: [Giant star] sounds like it's astronomy, but it's crosswordese baseball legend MEL OTT making a rare full-name appearance. Also "THAT'S WHY," or ["Here's the reason"]. I think I probably say those words to my son a lot.

Brendan Quigley's blog crossword, "To Your Corners"

Remember playing FOUR SQUARE on the playground with a classic red rubber ball? In each corner of the grid, Brendan adds a FOUR-square layout spelling out FOUR clockwise from the corner. That gives a third level of checked letters to the answers in the corner, which came in handy with KRONUR, the [Icelandic coins] plural. The gimmick is implemented well here.

Favorite clue: [Meadow in New Jersey] is Meadow SOPRANO, Tony's daughter, and has nothing to do with the Meadowlands. Great mislead.

Last square filled in: The X in SIX/[Volleyball side] and XED/[Ticked off]. I was running through the alphabet and made it to P before the X possibility occurred to me.

Most potty-mouthed answer: PEE is [Whiz]. I was thinking of ACE or PRO and wasn't sure what the last letter of RATLIN* ([Ship's ladder step]) was until PEE finally trickled out.

Worst and best neighbors: Strained APISHLY beside juicy, tart KUMQUAT.

Jeff S. '81: Memories from My Dad's Childhood

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:23:40 +0000

My dad, who is 81, wrote this narrative about his childhood in our hometown in Pennsylvania. It's loaded with special memories for me of the relatives he writes about and a lot of the familiar places and activities.

Memories From My Childhood

September, 2009

For the last few years I have thought about putting some of the memories I have from my childhood in writing. These words will relate a few of the memories I have of growing up in Brookville as well as of my father's side of the family. Some time in the future I will write about my mother's side.

I was born at home in Brookville, Pa. on June 23, 1928. My two brothers, Duane and Robert, and my sister Marilyn were also born at home. The house had a living room, dining room, and kitchen on the first floor. There were three bedrooms on the second floor with a commode in an offset off one of the bedrooms with a curtain over the front. We got baths on Saturday night in a porcelain tub upstairs. Since we had no running water upstairs and no hot water in the house, cold water was carried upstairs in a kettle to which hot water that was heated on the kitchen stove was added.

In the basement was a furnace room and another larger room with a sink, a built-in cupboard for canned goods, a two burner hot plate, and a wringer washing machine. In the middle of the room was a long bench on which Marilyn and I would play “restaurant” with a toy electric stove and a set of play dishes. On the west side of the room was a window with a shelf in front of it. That is where we would put home made root beer to cure in the sun. The root beer was made from Hires extract and put into ketchup bottles we would save over the years. The bottles would be capped with a manual bottle capper.

We would also make ice cream in the basement. Mother would make the ice cream the night before we would want to freeze it and store it in the refrigerator. The next day we would put the can of ice cream into a four quart manual freezer. We would buy a block of ice at the “creamery” for twenty-five cents and chip it with an ice pick. Alternate layers of ice and salt would then be put into the tub and we would start cranking. In about 20 minutes the ice cream would be frozen.

The furnace room had a coal fired furnace and a coal bin. The furnace supplied heat to the house through a single floor register in the floor in the living room near the front door. It was a treat for us when a truck load of coal would be delivered. The truck would back in on the west side of the house. The coal would be put into the coal bin a shovelful at a time into a chute which would be placed from the truck into the house through an open window in the basement.

There was a porch on the first floor which wrapped around the house on the front and east side. There was a glider on the front porch and a swing on the side porch. In the daytime in the summer we would play on the porch and in the evening we would sit on the glider and greet neighbors who would be out walking.

Some things I remember about the kitchen were the sink where we washed dishes in the corner. Since that is where Dad shaved in the morning his razor strop hung by the sink. An aluminum tea pot was on the stove with sassafras roots for making tea.

In the evening in winter we would listen to the radio or play such card games as Flinch, Hearts, and Rummy. Among the radio programs we would listen to were Amos & Andy, Fibber McGee & Molly, Fred Allen, Red Skelton, Dr. IQ, Major Bowes Amateur Hour, and Sherlock Holmes. Our radio was a floor model Airline that was purchased from Montgomery Ward. Sometimes on Friday nights we would make hickory nut fudge.

In the backyard was a Northern Spy apple tree that provided us with plenty of apples, a place for climbing, and a limb for hanging a swing.

Dad had a garden the full width of the lot which was approximately 90 feet. In the spring he would hire someone with a team of horses or tractor to plow and harrow it. He spent long hours in the evening planting, cultivating, and watering when necessary. As the various vegetables would ripen we would pick them for consumption or canning. Included were onions, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, corn, beets, beans, potatoes, and cucumbers.

Mother would spend many hours canning the vegetables as well as fruits. We picked blackberries, elderberries, and huckleberries and buy peaches, raspberries, and plums. The canning process involved filling Ball jars and closing them with rubber rings and zinc lids. The jars would be placed in a large copper boiler filled with water on the two burner hot plate. The time to be on the hot plate would vary depending on the vegetable or fruit.

Just east of the house was an unpaved alley. On the other side of the alley was a row of seven brick houses that were built in 1928 (by the man who would eventually become my father-in-law) for Sam Hunter as rental properties except for one that was owned by Emma Hunter, Sam’s sister-in-law. She lived in the first house on the other side of the alley with her brother Clyde McCann who we called “Jum”. She would knit mittens for each of us every winter. To the west of our house lived Jack Plyler and his wife Bertha. There was a small unpainted building behind their house where Jack spent much of his time.

All the kids in the neighborhood played several outdoor games. One of our favorites was “kick the can”. A tin can was placed in the middle of the field. Someone was picked to guard the can and others would try to kick it without the guard tagging them. When someone was able to do that the can would be placed back in the middle of the field and someone else would be the guard.

Another game was a variation of softball called “scrub”. There was not a set number of players. After the infield positions were filled and three or four batters were chosen, the remaining boys and girls would be placed in the outfield. The regular rules of softball would be followed with the exception that if a batter hit a fly ball or pop-up and it was caught the one who caught it would change positions with the batter. When a batter was out for any reason he or she would go to the outfield, the catcher would become a batter and everyone else would advance one position.

Another of our favorite pastimes was climbing trees. Two of the most popular ones were the apple tree in our backyard and a large maple in back of the last “Hunter” house at the top of the hill. We would climb as high as we could and carve our name or initials in the bark with our pocket knives. In the woods off Evans street where Bill lived we would “shinney” up thin saplings and then ride them to the ground.

In the winter we would sled in the alley beside our house and ski on the hill behind the “Hunter” houses.

There were two elementary schools (grades1-6) in Brookville. The one that served our side of town was Longview to which all the boys and girls walked. It was a two story building with eight rooms, seven of which were classrooms and the eighth served as a gym. At the back of each room was an open cloak room where we hung our coats and hats and stored our lunches. The desks which had ink wells were bolted to the wooden floor

We had one recess in the morning and one in the afternoon. Weather permitting ,we would go outside where the boys would play softball, shoot baskets, or play marbles. The girls would play jacks, jump rope, or play hopscotch.

We either carried our lunch or walked home to eat.

Across Hastings street from the school was Reed’s candy store where they sold Guess Whats, candy cigarettes, root beer barrels, and more. The store was in the front of a small frame house. The Reeds lived in the back. In the summer they would travel with a carnival.

Most of my extended family lived in or around Emerickville or Brookville. We had a practice of exchanging visits in the evenings or Sunday afternoons, sometimes for dinner. The men would talk about hunting, fishing, gardening, politics, or family matters. The women would talk about cooking, canning, sewing, and their kids.

Grandpa and Grandpa's was a place where several families would go to visit on Sunday afternoons, not necessarily at the same time. In the summer the front porch and yard would be he place to gather. Some would take a hike through the woods to the back field or visit the barn and pig pen to see the livestock which usually included one horse, two cows, and a couple of pigs. At certain times of the year we would pick grapes from either the blue grape vines or the white grape vines which were below the smoke house on the way to the outhouse.

Granddad had a number of beehives. From the wooden frames he would load into the hives he would harvest two kinds of honey, white clover in one season and buckwheat in another. He also had a strawberry patch. I, along with my cousin Bill , would help pick them. Granddad would load the baskets of strawberries into his car and take them to Reynoldsville to sell mostly to his regular customers.

Bill and I would stay with Grandpa and Grandma one week each summer, helping in whatever way we could. That would include getting the recently laid eggs from the chicken coop, cranking the milk separator, and churning butter. These experiences taught us first hand about life on the farm. Unfortunately not too many kids today have that opportunity.

In the winter we would gather in the front room by the coal burning “pot belly” stove. Grandma always had a dish of apples on the table and sugar cookies in a jar on top of a cabinet in the corner of the kitchen. There was a lever handle pump in the pantry off the kitchen where we could get a cup of water from the well outback. There were a number of tin cups hanging on the wall in the pantry where we could select one to get a drink.

Down behind the house was a “two holer” outhouse that was supplied with a Sears & Roebuck catalog. Needless to say, it was very cold in the winter.

Dad’s oldest sister Mabel whose nickname was Polly and husband Lawrence Schuckers, “Uncle Benny” had a larger farm near Grandad’s. They had about a dozen cows , several pigs, and a team of horses. In the back of the house was a summer house with a kitchen and screened-in porch where Aunt Polly would serve the meals in summer..

In the evening Aunt Polly would call the cows in to be fed and milked which she did by hand. The milk would be put in a small spring house to keep cool until it could be put out in cans to be picked up by a buyer or make butter for themselves.

At harvest time when the wheat and later the oats would be cut and threshed there would be a number of men from neighboring farms come to help. I would go to stay for a week when the wheat was harvested. My job was to carry iced tea to the men as well as other things they would need. As the mowing machine would go through the field I enjoyed seeing the rabbits scatter ahead of it.

They had an ice house where they would store ice that had been cut from the creek in the winter. It was stored in sawdust for year-round use.

These are just a few of the wonderful memories I have of growing up in and around Brookville, PA.

Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: New Execs for the EU

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:09:00 +0000

The EU has selected a president and a foreign minister. The foreign minister is likely to be the more powerful of the two.

European Union settles on a Belgian and a Briton for top posts

Herman Van Rompuy, the prime minister of Belgium, is to become the EU's first full-time president Jan. 1, filling a post aimed at helping strengthen and streamline the alliance...

EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton, a member of Britain's Labor Party, was chosen as the bloc's new foreign minister...

Find out What You Need to Know

Library News: Extended Library Hours

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:15:22 +0000

The library will be open additional hours during finals. Library hours November 19-23 are:

Thursday, Nov 19   8 am-3 am
Friday, Nov 20       8 am-3 am
Saturday, Nov 21   9 am-3 am
Sunday, Nov 22     9 am-3 am
Monday, Nov 23     8 am-10 pm

Kurt Kohlstedt '02: 15 (More!) Crafty Metal, Wood & Spiral Staircases

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:00:54 +0000

Stairs aren’t just a boring, utilitarian part of our homes and public buildings. They’re an opportunity for an architect to really make a statement and do something bold and distinctive. From staircases that float to stairs that fit in impossibly tiny spaces to staircases that go nowhere, this often-overlooked part of everyday architecture is being rethought by many designers and architects. You’ll see no beige-carpeted run-of-the-mill staircases here; these are some (more!) of the best, strangest, and most beautiful staircases in the world.

Lello Bookshop Stairs

These majestic and impressive stairs can be found in Lello Bookshop in Portugal. The sheer heft of this staircase is balanced nicely by the smooth flow of all of its shapes. The grand staircase begins as two sets of steps on the upper level, then the two become one when the entire staircase folds under itself to glide smoothly to the lower floor. The color and sturdy dimensions give the entire staircase an almost mouth-like appearance.

Steel Ribbon Staircase

This incredible design, believe it or not, is made from 10mm thick sheet metal, and there are no hidden suspensions keeping it aloft; just wall brackets and tension. The ribbon of sheet metal zigzags up the space to make the exposed staircase appear open, airy and mysterious. And best of all, the whole staircase is surprisingly sturdy. Designed by HSH Architects, the staircase is in the main living area of a home in Prague.

Umschreibung (Rewriting)

This crazy staircase to nowhere was commissioned by accounting firm KPMG in Munich in 2004. It was built by artist Olafur Eliasson and now stands in the courtyard of the KPMG building. Besides being an interesting focal point, it’s a functional staircase – if you consider traveling its pointless path “functional.” Although the stairs won’t actually get you anywhere, it’s probably a fun lunchtime break for the people who work in the building.

1M2 Stairs

For hopelessly tiny spaces where traditional stairs would take up too much precious floor real estate, EeDesign has a solution. These stairs fit into just over 1 meter of floor space to provide a passage to higher ground that’s basically like walking up a spiral ladder. They come in many colors and can be customized to fit each unique home and space.

The Gray Hotel Floating Stairs

The Gray Hotel in Milan is a stunning modern building designed by Florence architect Guido Ciompi. There are countless things to love about the building and its furnishings, but these floating stairs stand out. Obviously, one would need to be very careful when ascending them after a night of drinking, but their clean lines and unique design are unforgettable.

Staircase Slide

London architect Alex Michaelis may have discovered the quickest way to get the kids to come down for dinner: let them slide down. Alex let his kids have some input as to what features they wanted in the house he was building, and the staircase slide was one of them. It may not be the most practical design ever, but when the kids are happy, everyone’s happy.

Wheelchair-Accessible Stairs

For everyone who has ever gotten around in a wheelchair or pushed around a baby stroller, you know how frustrating it is to encounter a building with stairs and no ramp. Almost as bad are the steep, poorly-designed ramps that were simply tacked on later. The McCormick Tribune Campus Center in Chicago made a stylish compromise between stairs and ramp with this staircase that incorporates a zig-zagging ramp with the stairs. Of course, it looks like it might take more energy making all of those twists and turns than it would to just go up an ordinary ramp, but aesthetically it’s very sharp.

Floating Stairs

Unlike other floating stairs, this staircase by Bernstein Architecture doesn’t rely on wall brackets to support the steps. Instead, it uses a network of cables to hold each one aloft and completely motionless. According to the architect, the stairs don’t move even a little when they’re stepped on, even though they’re subject to very heavy traffic in their home inside the There TV office in Chicago.

Bookcase Box Stairs

While such a precarious-looking alternating tread stair design would probably never pass building code in America, this ingenious bookshelf staircase makes very good use of a small space. It comes from Czech architects Adam Jirkal, Jerry Koza and Tomáš Kalhous and resides in a house they remodeled in Všenory, Czech Republic.

Wall Stairs

When are stairs more like a door? When they glide smoothly into the wall, disappearing to prevent unwanted guests from wandering up to your home’s upper level. Though it’s just a concept, this disappearing staircase from designer Aaron Tang would be the perfect addition to any international spy’s house. It operates on interior pistons that drive the whole assembly out from the wall, then help each stair lower gently in a wave-like motion. The touch of a button opens or closes the stairs from either end of the staircase.

Villa Glittenberg Floating Stairs

These stairs reside in Villa Glittenberg, a family home on the west coast of Norway built by Saunders Architecture. The staircase is made of 1 cm-thick steel and weighs close to one metric ton. It is so massive that it had to be lifted into the home through a skylight with a special crane. The results are simply stunning, though, as the white stairs hovers above the ground and the residents seem to float up to the upper level.

Hidden Staircase Storage

Martino Gamper produces consistently elegant and distinctive custom furniture, and this under-staircase storage drawer system is a testament to his ability. In this beautiful English country home, Gamper installed an ingenious hidden storage staircase to give the occupants more room for storage and to use up some previously forgotten wasted space.

16th Ave Tiled Stairs

In the summer of 2005, the residents of the Golden Gates Heights neighborhood banded together to make a unique and long-lasting public art project: the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. The risers of all 163 stairs (on city property) were decorated with mosaics that neighborhood volunteers assembled. The resulting mural is absolutely breathtaking, covering images from deep in the sea to high in the sky.

Wooden Library Stairs

These wooden library stairs are rich, full of character, and absolutely beautiful. The slats are made from spalted white birch and they were all cut from the same log. The cherry tree in the center is real, and it goes through the ceiling to emerge on the upper floor as the staircase’s newel post. The steel supports and mahogany handrails just add to the luxurious feeling of this amazing staircase.

Musical Stairs

Although it was only a temporary installation, these piano stairs deserve a mention based solely on the number of smiles they induced. The Fun Theory is a campaign from Volkswagen that’s focused on bringing a smile to everyday life. When they installed this piano keyboard in a Swedish train station, many more people than usual decided to take the stairs. The unexpected larger-than-life toy brought out the inner child of a lot of people during its short life.

Crafty Consumerism: 15 Forms of Barcode Art

From tattoos and home decor to portraits of Jesus, the barcode has been elevated to art in many different forms, whether infused with meaning or not. Click Here to See More

David Schraub: Conspiracy Theories Abound in the Modern GOP

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:35:33 +0000

A new PPP poll asked voters whether they believed Barack Obama actually won the 2008 presidential election, or whether "ACORN stole it for him." 62% of voters think Obama legitimately won, versus 26% for the ACORN conspiracy theory.

Among Republicans, however, only 27% say Obama actually won the race, with 52% -- an outright majority -- saying that ACORN stole it, and 21% are undecided. Among McCain voters, the breakdown is 31%-49%-20%. By comparison, independents weigh in at 72%-18%-10%, and Democrats are 86%-9%-4%.

As TPM and Matt Yglesias point out, the comparison to Democratic discontent over Florida in 2000 doesn't really hold -- not just because the difference in the magnitude (less than 600 votes in Florida, versus a 9.5 million vote edge for Obama nationwide), but also because the Florida controversy stemmed from a well-observed and legitimately disputed controversy over how to count imperfect ballots (butterflies, hanging chads, the whole she-bang).*

Meanwhile, Research 2000 put a poll in the field showing right-wing star Marco Rubio surging against wildly popular (statewide, anyway) but moderate Governor Charlie Crist in a GOP primary for the Senate seat -- showing a whopping net 43 point improvement from the last R2K poll. And this is with Rubio at only 50% name ID and with no money spent on advertising yet.

The poll also asked GOP voters whether they believed Obama was born in the US. Only 35% said yes (29% no, 36% not sure). Break that down for Crist and Rubio voters, and a distinct pattern emerges. 73% of Republicans who believe Obama was born in the US go for the more moderate Crist, with only 16% for Rubio. Among birthers, it flips to 31% for Crist and 54% for Rubio. There is, in other words, a pretty clear linkage between the resurgent conservative base currently driving the party and adherence to some pretty ridiculous conspiracy theories about the President. Sayeth Kevin Drum:

This is craziness. I could understand 10 or 15% believing this. That's sort of the base level of people who will believe any nutty idea. But 52%? Someone in the GOP needs to take a deep breath and a long look in the mirror, and then try to rescue their party. Condoning insanity is not a long-term electoral strategy.

This is 9/11 trutherism turned into a legitimate political force. It's a scary thing to behold.

* My own feeling about Florida is that I believe more people in the state filled out a ballot believing they had cast a vote for Al Gore. Whether there was any fair or manageable standard for counting ballots that could have reflected that decision is unknowable, however. The Washington Post's re-recount indicates that Gore's own litigation strategy would have caused him to lose, but a recount of all ballots statewide would have given him the winning edge.

Shout: Variety Show: Nightingales, Traditions, and WHOA Hip-Hop Dance

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:57:13 +0000

On Saturday night, the Nightingales took the stage dressed in everything from bubble wrap to plastic bags to a black spandex catsuit with a fur collar. They sang their first song, TLC's "Unpretty", without any explanation of their bizarre garb, then eventually got around to explaining that in honor of their guests for the night, the Macalester Traditions, an all-male a capella group from Macalester College, they were dressed as Carleton traditions. These included Friday Flowers, Toff (the black catsuit), Heaven and Hell, the albino squirrel, and one girl who appeared to be dressed normally until she came up front and the rest of the Gales sang the opening notes of Like a Prayer.

The concert...

Carleton News: Stiles '86 Captures National Book Award for Nonfiction Work

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:03:48 +0000

T.J. Stiles ’86, a Carleton alumnus and native of Foley, Minn., won a National Book Award in the nonfiction category for his work, “The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt.” The book is a biography of the man who fathered a dynasty, presided over a railroad empire and, in the words of the judging panel, “all but invented unbridled American capitalism.” Stiles is the son of Clifford Stiles ‘53 and Carol Stiles and the brother of Kevin Stiles, all of Foley. He and the three other category winners each earned a $10,000 prize. C-Span’s "BookTV" will broadcast the ceremony and Stiles acceptance speech at 9 p.m. CST Saturday.

David Schraub: What With the Bowing and Scraping

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:46:58 +0000

Look at him, degrading the office of the presidency and the nation with all that bowing. Caution: cute baby ahead.

Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: The imaginary, legitimate government

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:59:00 +0000

The non-stop campaign is obviously not unique to the USA.

Caroline Welch who teaches in the upper school at The Albany Academies (in Albany, NY) pointed me to this article.

Grassroots politics is fascinating. Is it effective? Why would Obrador choose this form of campaigning in Mexico? What sources of legitimacy does the actual government claim? What sources of legitimacy does Obrador's government claim?

Mexico Has a President Who Runs Things and One Who Doesn't

Like a lot of countries, Mexico has a federal government... But Mexico has another body, the so-called "Legitimate Government," which claims to be running the republic, too. It meets here in the capital every 15 days in a former garage...

Some countries like the U.K. have shadow governments, complete with shadow cabinet members made up of the opposition. But these groups usually don't claim to be the actual government, as is the case with Mr. López Obrador and company...

It all began in 2006 when the former Mexico City mayor almost became Mexico's real president, losing the election by a hair... Then, as a culminating gesture of defiance, he held a mock inauguration in the country's main square...

With this, many assumed they had seen the last of Mr. López Obrador -- at least until the next election in 2012.

But while the leftist has faded from international headlines, he never really went away in Mexico. He went on to found a parallel executive branch of government that proposes new laws, issues statements, holds elections, officiates during Mexican Independence Day, and even circulates its own form of identification card for Mexicans...

Nowadays, Mr. López Obrador tours the country giving presidential speeches where he is introduced as the real McCoy. After three years of this, he will soon have visited all of Mexico's 2,438 municipalities. That would make him, he says, the first politician -- indeed, maybe even the first man -- ever to have done that...

"We are in a land run by oligarchs," Mr. López Obrador began one recent morning in Nacajuca, a tiny Mayan village deep in Mexico's southeastern jungles. As the temperature rose, so did his voice as he railed against high prices for tamales, corporate tax loopholes and political corruption...

Perhaps no event captures the Legitimate Government's audacious style better than Sept. 15, the night of an age-old Mexican Independence Day tradition known as "el grito," or "the cry (of independence)." A half million Mexicans flood the main square as the president waves a flag and yells out revolutionary slogans, re-enacting the call to arms that brought Mexicans to rebel against Spain 199 years ago.

This year, as President Calderón performed his "grito," Mr. López Obrador could be found with his cabinet a few miles away in another plaza, giving what was called the "alternative" grito...

Learn more of What You Need to Know

Rachel Teagle: Boy Howdy!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:51:00 +0000

Oops.

It has been quite a long time since I've updated.

Well, lots of stuff has happened. First the mighty Panda Sandwich Sketch Comedy troupe has been putting on a monthly show at Kieran's Irish Pub. We've also got a snazzy new website (designed by Ben with my adorable delicious Panda Sandwich graphics) at pandasandwichcomedy.com Our last show of our fall season is coming up on December 15th, namely Panda Sandwich Presents: Apology Accepted. (end first plug)

I also had a public reading of my first full length play, Pain in the Neck, a comedy about love, bisexuality and vampires. John Heimbuch of Walking Shadow Theatre directed, and he rounded up some really really awesome actors to read. I am always astounded by what good, thoughful, inventive actors can bring to text. They made me look smart and funny. In fact, one of those smart, funny actors (the ass-kicking Clarence Wethern) is starring in Walking Shadow's next show:Some Girl(s) by Neil LaBute which opens November 20th. (end plug #2)

I know what some of you are thinking. "Gee, that's all well and good, but I live in New York and don't care about your midwestern plugs."

Au contraire, my cultured and snobbish friends. My bestestbestestbestbest friend Ms. Jessica Fleitman has some pluggable stuff on the horizon as well. State of Play Theatre is workshopping her play The Average Sized Mermaid. There's a preview scene coming up on December 14th and an invited reading this weekend at the Dramatist's Guild, which I have no idea how to get invited to. Oh well. You can check here for more information about the project, plus a neat synopsis.

Oh, and the tag line? Be Careful What You Fish For.

I know. I miss her. Her puns make my heart vomit with joy.

Well, with that that delightful image in mind, I'd like to put out a peace offering, in order to make up for that long blog dry-spell. Thus I present to you a clip from Panda Sandwich's summer show. I now present DIVE BAR!: THE MUSICAL!*

*May contain beer drinking, sex jokes, and swears. Hi Nana!

Kayla Berger: Discipline

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

I've learned that discipline is an important part of my life as a Christian. I don't get to just do whatever I want whenever I want. I have goals and priorities, and I need discipline to help me achieve them. Discipline gives me a plan, a direction, and a structure for my life that helps give it meaning.

I've learned that discipline is about being held accountable, not being punished. For example, I'm currently trying to lose weight. In order to do that, I need to be disciplined about my diet and my exercise. I have to go work out a certain number of times per week even if I'm feeling lazy, and I have to deny myself some of the food I crave. If I don't have that discipline, I won't achieve my goal of losing weight. Still, I'm not perfect, and sometimes I cheat on my diet or blow off a workout. Then I need to discipline myself by getting back on track. It wouldn't make any sense for me to just punish myself for my failure and then give up on the weight loss entirely. The whole point of discipline is to keep me working toward the goal, not to make me feel bad for the times when I mess up. Punishment isn't the same thing as discipline, and punishing myself won't help me lose weight. Instead, I remind myself of the importance of my goal and spur myself onwards instead of wallowing in regret for past mistakes. I need to be able to have the same type of accountability built into every goal that's important to me.

Self-discipline is really important. I can't just depend on other people to hold me accountable—I need to be able to do it myself. But self-discipline is about more than warning myself not to do bad things and committing myself to change when I do mess up. Self-discipline is also a positive thing. It means being my own cheerleader, encouraging myself to stay the course when I'm making progress and reminding myself how worthy my goals are when the going gets tough. I have to say, "Keep it up!" to myself just as often as I think, "Don't do that!". I need to be in touch with my own needs and make sure I'm giving myself what's necessary to do the things I want to do. Self discipline can mean making sure I get enough sleep so that I can wake up and be productive the next day. It can mean spending quality time with my loved ones and having a little fun sometimes so that I can stay emotionally healthy and retain a positive attitude that will help me accomplish my goals. Taking good care of myself is part of being disciplined. Being healthy and emotionally stable make it a easier to reach my goals and live a Christian life.

I've also discovered that discipline is about more than just willpower. Sometimes I need a little help keeping myself on track, and that's OK. I don't just will myself to eat healthy food and exercise regularly. I make sure that my favorite snack foods are never in my house, I usually avoid restaurants, and I pay a personal trainer to hold me accountable to a regular workout schedule and push me through challenging exercises. Likewise, I can't just will myself to be a good Christian—I need to develop strategies to help me and I need to bring in allies who will support me. My Christian life doesn't exist in a vacuum any more than my weight loss program does. There are distractions all around me that can draw me away from my goals, but there are also tools and networks that can help me. Discipline doesn't mean being strong enough to do everything myself. I need to marshal my own strength and abilities, but I also need to be smart enough to use any assistance at my disposal to help me reach my goals.

Sometimes discipline is tough. It can involve listening to people who are telling me I've got to do better, and I may need to face the consequences of my actions. It can be really painful to face my failings, but that's worth it if I have a chance to learn something that will help me achieve a cherished goal. If sin is standing between me and those I love, I need to face it so that I can repent and be free of its negative influence. Improvement is the point, not guilt. The pain of discipline will bring joy in the end, so it's worth it to me. The people who help discipline me are providing me a great service because they are helping me to grow. I may not fully appreciate that at the time, but once the painful part is over I can see what I've gained. Discipline is nothing to be afraid of, and I embrace it as part of my Christian life.

Amy Reynaldo '88: Thursday, 11/19/09

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:22:00 +0000

NYT 3:40
LAT 3:17
CS untimed
Tausig untimed

Tyler Hinman and Jeremy Horwitz's New York Times crossword

Here's how I envision this puzzle's development:

Tyler: "Let's make a themeless together."
Jeremy: "No, I want to do a themed puzzle. Something with trivia."
Great cacophony ensues as the chocolate hits the peanut butter, cruciverbally speaking.
Tyler: "Hey, you got a theme in my themeless!"
Jeremy: "What are you talking about? You got your themeless all over my themed puzzle!"
Light bulbs appear over both men's heads.
Together: "Omigod! We made a 70-word themeless puzzle packed with juicy fill and managed to fit three theme entries into it."

I know today's constructors are on the same pub trivia team, so I wonder if A SEED for this puzzle came about from a trivia quiz or if they hit on the trivia trio themselves. It's light as themes go—just 31 squares. But it's thematically solid, bringing together three directors of movies with one-letter titles:

• 17A. ["Z" director, 1969] is known as COSTA-GAVRAS.
• 32A. ["M" director, 1931] is FRITZ LANG.
• 51A. ["W" director, 2008] is OLIVER STONE.

I greatly enjoyed solving this puzzle, though usually I would grumble about a 70-worder that's clued easy enough to hit a Wednesday/Thursday level of difficulty. But I kept getting surprised by answers that were cool, and that was fun.

On the down side, the three UPs distracted me because (a) I hesitated to enter the second and third ones and (b) one of them felt iffy. That one is 8D: [Encircle with a belt] for GIRD UP. I see it in the dictionary entry for gird in the example "gird (up) one's loins," but I don't think that sort of "girding up" involves a belt. If you're belting your loins, I don't wanna hear about it. I wanted UPSIZE to be RESIZE (42D: [Enlarge]) because of 8D, and then UP TO PAR (35D: [Adequate for the job]) showed up and made me wish the other UPs had left this one alone.

Favorite clues and answers:

• 6A. [Symbol in a Riemann sum] is SIGMA. All I know is that SIGMA is used in math for sums of some sort. The clue looked a lot scarier than it turned out to be.
• 16A. MOO [___ juice (milk)]!
• 20A. Scrabbly KLEENEX, a [Kimberly-Clark brand]. KOTEX was too short. (HUGGIES and PULL-UPS would fit, though.)
• 26A. Slangy WHUP means to [Tan] someone's hide, figuratively.
• 31A. "WANT TO?" means ["Are you game?"].
• 34A. Scrabbly JUAREZ is an [El Paso neighbor]. (Hi, Monica!)
• 41A. [Cause of an awakening] sounds metaphysical, but it's the APNEA that might disrupt your sleep.
• 44A. STAR MAPS are [Some Beverly Hills tourist purchases]. There was a recent NYT story about a teenager who's gone into business selling Hamptons star maps.
• 50A. Didn't see this clue while solving: [Google had one in 2004: Abbr.] clues IPO. Tyler, your employer really doesn't need the extra publicity.
• 1D. I hope someone somewhere complains that clueing LUCKIER as [More Irish?] is derogatory to the Irish. And then I hope they're mocked.
• 3D. What is it about the word NOSEGAY that I find so charming? It's a small bouquet or [Posy].
• Anyone think that 6D and 7D would be my entrée into the grid? STAX and rap impresario IRV Gotti, you don't scare me.
• 10D. Oddest clue in the puzzle: [Hearers of Jonah's prophecy] are ASSYRIANS. This may be Biblical, but ASSYRIANS is not short enough to find its way into the puzzle often so it's not Biblical crosswordese.
• 13D. I read a little IONESCO in college—["Le Rhinoceros" playwright Eugene]. I read it in an English translation.
• 18D, 24D. More Scrabbleocity: GEE WHIZ and QUIZNO'S.
• 30D. CREAM SODA is an [A&W beverage] and my favorite Dum-Dum flavor.
• 36D. I like the pairing of [Cousins] and ANALOGS. As in "this is analogous to that/these things are cousins."
• 38D. A WASHOUT is a [Complete failure].

I hereby give my blessing to the cruciverbal union of these two constructors. Jeremy and Tyler, do you have more joint productions in the pipeline?

Updated Thursday morning:

Gail Grabowski's CrosSynergy/Washington Post puzzle, "Case Study"—Janie's review

We know this theme very well: the last word of the theme fill is one that combines with a word in the title. Today that word is "case." The good news is that the theme fill is fresh and the re-configured phrases are pretty lively, too. Today's offerings are:

• 17A. [Wimbledon feature] GRASS COURT → court case.
• 11D. [Delete, for one] COMPUTER KEY → key case.
• 25D. [Healthy all-occasion gift] FRUIT BASKET → basket case (someone who's mentally not-so-healthy. This pair is my fave).
• 63A. [It's said there's no cure for it] COMMON COLD → cold case (followed closely by this pair).

And there's some lively cluing and fill throughout that give this puzzle its [Pizazz] ELAN. I'm fond of the SW corner—the children's corner?—with "BE NICE" ["Don't fight, please"] right next to "ARE NOT!" [Childish denial]. Other exclamations are ["]MAMMA [mia!"] and "TADA!" [Cry of accomplishment]; and one that summons up a variation of "the actor's nightmare": "I'M ON!" for ["That's my cue!"].

Then there's:

• [Smart set] for MENSA;
• [It can cover a lot] for TAR (anyone else start with SOD—and thinking of that "lot" as something more exclusively along the lines of ONE ACRE [4,840 square yards]?);
• [Lasting impression] for SCAR;
• [Pay what's due] for PONY UP (love this expression, even with its apparently unknown etymology);
• [Sketcher's eraser] for ART GUM (because when was the last time I owned one or even thought about art gum?!);
• and in the "good, clean fun" department, [Washer batch] LOAD and COIN-OP [Like some laudromats].

Jack McInturff's Los Angeles Times crossword

Jack McInturff mentioned me in his Crossword Corner interview today:

"Orange" the puzzle commentator, once said of a puzzle I did "The fill seems old school." It's probably because I'm 79 years old and that's what I remember. It did give me a wake-up call, however, and I'm trying to be more current.

See? That's why crossword bloggers write about crosswords: We want crosswords to be as good and as entertaining as possible, so it's gratifying when we see evidence that a puzzle-maker or editor uses our critiques in a constructive manner to give solvers a better experience.

Today's L.A. Times theme involves phrases that end with sort of synonymous words, JERK, GOOSE, YO-YO, and DOPE. A thesaurus tells me JERK is a synonym for "fool," but I don't use it that way. I guess some people say "I felt like a complete jerk" to mean "doofus" rather than "heel," though. The theme:

• 20A. CLEAN AND JERK is a [Weightlifting event].
• 30A. The CANADA GOOSE (not "Canadian goose") is a [Golf course pest]. Last spring, I saw a goose perched atop a three-story building. Is that not bizarre? The very same week, my mother saw a rooftop goose for the first time in her life. Heads up, people: The geese have plans. Watch your back.
• 39A. A [Spinning toy manipulated with sticks] is a CHINESE YO-YO.
• 49A. The STRAIGHT DOPE is [Honest info]. You know Cecil Adams' "Straight Dope" column in alt-weekly papers? A couple times I have seen a lexicographer citing Cecil's answers. I think that means his research standards are considered good.

The #1 clue people will be Googling today is 32D: [British actor Robert, the original Colonel Pickering in "My Fair Lady"]. Robert COOTE? That doesn't ring a bell for me.

#2 is 5D: [Original primer used to paint the Golden Gate Bridge], or RED LEAD. No idea what RED LEAD is. Dictionary tells me it's a red form of lead oxide used in paint.

Favorite clues:

• The twin old Ford clues. [Early Ford success] is the MODEL A, while EDSEL was an [Ill-fated Ford].
• [Actors, often] are EMOTERS. Note that the clue does not say "overactors."
• [Some heroes] are called HOAGIES. Yes, I was thinking heroically rather than sandwichly.
• [Very big wind], 4 letters. The obvious choice is between GUST and GALE...but it's a TUBA. That's what my nephew plays. My sister has to listen to three horn players practicing at home, and no, she hasn't developed a case of hysterical deafness. (Speaking of HYSTERIA, that's a [Common crowd reaction in monster films].)

Ben Tausig's Ink Well/Chicago Reader crossword, "A Few Words With You"

The puzzle's title should be interpreted as "A Few Words with 'U' Added to The End": [Yogi's house?] might be HINDU QUARTERS. [Cuddly pasta sauce freebie?] is RAGU DOLL. [Ambrosia and nectar selections?] are a MENU OF GOD. "SHAMU, WOW!" is a [Literal cry at Sea World?]. That one's my favorite because it builds on the silly infomercial product name, ShamWow, which in turn plays on chamois. And the last one is FONDU MEMORIES, or ["The melted cheddar...the kitschy pots...ah, youth"?]. Hooray for cheddar! I don't do Swiss.

Given how few English words there are that end with a U, and how few of those would lend themselves to this theme (familiar word/phrase begins with U-less part of -U word), I'm impressed with this theme. The answers had some decent "aha" action. Now, the fill includes BADU, SABU, TUTU, and APU. A.P.-meets-APU has some potential. King Tut doesn't really have familiar phrases that begin with "Tut," though.

Top answers in the fill: KOJAK meets JETSKIS; WASILLA's near another W*S*L word, WEASELS; CECILIA is opposite OPHELIA. I like BAGATELLE, but feel it would best be clued as [A mere ___]. Top three clues:

• KEN is clued as [Sugar's Daddy ___ (controversial new Mattel product)]. Have you seen this guy doll? Sugar is a teeny dog, and KEN is her "daddy." He's dressed ridiculously and his name evokes the non-Mattel term "Sugar Daddy."
• THA is clued as an [Article in Source magazine?]. Not a magazine article, a definite article.
• IRAQ is an [Emancipated Middle Eastern country with no more problems]. Honest!

Margaret Taylor: Book Covers!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:17:00 +0000

I have a newfound respect for graphic designers. You probably don't want to guess how many hours it took wrestling around with Photoshop to get the colors of the circly things in the background just right. These people must put so much time and effort into every cover that hits bookstore shelves.

Anyway, my efforts do look homemade, but I'm quite happy with how they came out. That lady in blue there is Nasan, by the way, heroine of the upcoming Confederacy. I got to bust out the old watercolor pencils for her. I used to draw a lot when I was a teenager but quit when the writing thing took off. Maybe it's time to pick it back up.

Pressville.org: In a Tough Economy, Northfield Tourism Gets Extra Attention

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:59:30 +0000

Rounding up tourist dollars

BY KAITLIN MUTH

“People come to Northfield for a lot of different reasons,” says Northfield Mayor Mary Rossing.

Last Saturday, for example, Will Rolf, a St. Paul realtor, came to see a show in town.

KRLX 88.1 Free Radio Northfield: signing off

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:46:44 +0000

No more radio until January, but keep visiting the site for music, concert reviews, news updates, and all things KRLX.

Avery Palmer '00: Seven Billion

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:44:01 +0000

Nobody told me this, but the world population is approaching 7 billion. The target year is (of course) 2012. That would be 13 years after we hit 6 billion.

Elizabeth Tamny '88

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:35:00 +0000

The only product I know that is (at least where I buy it) more expensive in bulk: Scott toilet tissue. I've calculated the costs many different times, but it always comes up cheaper in the single rolls. There's a lesson there, not sure what it is.

Shout: Feed My Starving Children

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:21:30 +0000

What is it that Carleton students get up to when they engage in the community?

They might help a nonprofit organization package food that is going to be shipped to children in developing countries, for one thing, like at last weekend's Feed My Starving Children event.

Carleton News: Carleton Study Abroad Numbers Tops List of Baccalaureate Institutions

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:11:19 +0000

Carleton College ranks first for students participating in a mid-length study abroad experience, according to a recent report by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Carleton sent 402 students on study abroad experiences of this type in 2007-08, according to the IIE’s Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.

Carleton News: Frumkin '12 Featured in Northfield News

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Rebekah Frumkin '12 is the focus of a story in the November 18 edition of the Northfield News regarding her recent inclusion in Dave Eggers anthology, "Best American Nonrequired Reading." Frumkin described her reaction to finding out her 14-page story would be included in the anthology. "It was like the gods came down and accepted me into their pantheon, however briefly,” she said. “It was being plucked out of obscurity.”

Mark Knight: Parallels Desktop 5: Follow, and a Review

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:09:43 +0000

Just in case you were wondering - Parallels, Inc. is paying attention to what you say online. Within 24 hours of my previous post regarding Parallels new release of their virtualization software I received two separate emails from the company. The first email was from Ashley Lau, a name I hadn't heard before. As with any new email, I checked the domain name to see if it agreed with the stated

Dan Schofer '00

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:00:32 +0000

11-18-2009
Ink + Museum + Roller Coaster Mega Loop. 137 minutes. 20 miles.
Chilly (41 degrees), breezy, with light drizzle. Steady pace the whole way. Very hilly run. Felt good from the start. Tired by the end but overall a great long run. Splits: 7:03, 6:54, 6:41, 6:58, 6:51, 6:54, 6:58, 6:59, 6:38, 6:51 (68:51 at 10 miles), 6:52, 6:50, 6:50, 6:36, 6:54, 6:51, 6:51, 6:39, 6:49, 6:49 (68:07 for 2nd 10 miles) (2:16:58 total) (avg. 6:51 pace).

Kurt Kohlstedt '02: Truly Geeky Gadgets: 15 USB Weapons From FAIL To Fantastic

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:00:38 +0000

We geeks love our gadgets. We get bored with simple office instant messaging to co-workers. We get creative. But of course our creativity ties back into our computers and a USB port. It started with ninja-geeks and weapon-shaped USB flash drives. However, that was not enough to spice things up around the office. The USB arms race began and sneaky office warfare has never been the same. Some USB weapons are fun to shoot at your office buddy, but some are used to strike fear in your cubicle neighbor’s heart. Guard your office, guard your room, guard your computer. Here are 17 USB “weapons” made by geeks for geeks, from FAIL to fantastic.

USB Ninja

(image credits: geekstuff4u geekstuff4u)

Awaken ninja-geek with these weaponized USBs. First there is a USB knife, a Kunai shaped USB thumb drive with 2GB of storage capacity, a great solution for the Ninja spy. Or how about a Shuriken shaped USB which also holds 2GB of storage capacity that you can sneak out of the building or can throw the star to kill your opponent? These are perfect for the ninja-geek.

USB Bullets, Grenades, Chainsaws, Bombs

(image credits: walyou,gadget4all,i.Saw,ubergizmo)

These are a few more USB weapon wannabes. The flash drive shaped like a large caliber bullet offers geeks both fashion and 1GB of function, plus it might put a bit of a scare into those people who see it. As in don’t anger that geek! More on the fail side are these brightly colored Grenade USB drives, but they do offer 4GB of memory. These next two should frighten your co-workers at the very least. The i-Saw is USB 2.0 compatible and offers a vicious five-volt trickle of destructive chainsaw power. The Bomb USB is one flash drive that we don’t think people would want to carry around in airports as they might actually get held up by airport security.

USB Tank Missile Launcher Steps Up Office Warfare

(image credits: OhGizmo)

There is no better way to annoy a co-worker than with a barrage of tiny foam missiles with a RC tank that can deliver a payload at a distance from up to 12 feet. It can also be remotely controlled via the included ‘USB Tank’ PC software that allows you to steer the tank and raise of lower the missile launcher. This might offer you some level of deniability since you’ll never be caught holding a remote. There’s no camera on board so you’ll need to have a line of sight in order to properly steer it into position, but it does have a wireless range of about 25 feet to give you a tiny head start when the inevitable and immediate retaliation begins.

USB Powered Gun

Here we begin a tour of USB-powered guns. Get ready to launch your flying foam missile attack on annoying co-workers. These do take some creative thinking, made by geeks to be appreciated by geeks. Those are some things all the USB weapons have in common. We’ll leave it up to you if a USB weapon is fantastic or fail.

DIY USB-Controlled Servo Squirter Water Pump

Straight from a nerd-kit, here is a DIY USB-controlled water squirter weapon. The steps are laid out in great details when you watch the video. The main plus factor to this USB gun is that it does more than fire foam darts or missiles. For example, your co-worker would be surprised to be blasted with water. Or if you have a cat that won’t stay away from your computer, pow-squirt! Kitty should then run away.

Missile Laucher (Lanciamissili) USB

This is a Lanciamissili USB weapon. The USB missile launcher is remotely controlled by a PC with a web cam.That’s right, a barrage of foam missiles and then retribution will be forthcoming from your geeky co-workers. Basically, these USB weapons are all the same, point, fire and shoot. You are free to decide FAIL or fantastic.

Laser-Guided USB Missile Launcher

This USB weapon uses a laser pointer and a web cam. The software tweaked with some custom Visual Basic lines of code equal a laser-guided USB missile launcher. When a laser pointer is moved into the field of the web camera, the gun turret will move to point and fire its missiles. A person might wonder why you are pointing your laser at them, but they won’t wonder for long before your missiles attack them.

Wiimote USB Rocket Launcher

This USB weapon is a rocket launcher that uses the Wii remote tilt function to control the launching missiles. Whether or not that pushes this USB rocket launcher from FAIL to fantastic is not clear, but if you are a Wii gamer and would like a USB weapon, then this one might be for you.

Battery of USB Missile Launchers

Clearly this was devised by some ticked co-worker intending to exact a little vengeance. Not a mere USB weapon that launches deadly foam missiles, but instead an entire battery of USB weapons. This is moving closer to fantastic if for no other reason than the chaos it would clearly create in the office.

USB Machine Gun and Rocket Launcher

This modified USB rocket launcher shoots infrared machine gun rounds and foam missiles. One other major difference with this USB weapon is that it was created to do more than wreak office destruction or family chaos. The machine gun can be calibrated to shoot down any remotely controlled toy plane or helicopter.

USB Missile Launcher Pimped to be a Weapon

So we’ve tried to be nice and tried to be polite up until now. This one might have more potential to launch sharp pointy weapons. Put it near to guard your computer privacy and it might work as a deterrent. Yes it gets points for being a USB weapon. Otherwise, FAIL.

USB BB Gun Turret Demo

Straight out of the Virtual Crib is an active defense system. It’s close to deadly and USB-controlled. The creators of this USB weapon suggest that if someone is breaking into your house, you don’t wait for the police to arrive. Instead you drive the thieves out of your house with this USB BB gun. This is much closer to fantastic, shooting BBs and not mere foam projectiles, but the next one is a clear winner.

Auto Targeting Turret Sentry

Now this USB gun is awesome! This one is fantastic! Watch the video and then you too will be wanting one. Lucky you, there is still time before Christmas.

15 Nerdy & Geeky Home Gadgets & Fixtures

These 15 geeky home gadgets and accessories offer a sampling of what your stereotypical basement dweller can do once they turn off Home Improvement and do it. Click Here to See More

Avery Palmer '00: In My Day

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:33:45 +0000

Writer Eric Roston went on a trip to talk to Indians about climate change. What they mostly wanted to talk about, he found, was the impacts of changing weather on their daily lives: "What many Indians lack in understanding 'global warming,' they make up for in the knowledge that their climate is changing." The familiar paradox is that political pressure to do something about global warming often comes from changes in peoples' daily lives. People can emotionally view their own experiences of extreme weather (Katrina, for instance, or Iowa's recent 100-year floods) as "evidence" that change is happening. This is unscientific, but it's no comment on anyone's intelligence; it's just hard to build a popular movement around numbers and graphs.

Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: Transparency

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:07:00 +0000

Transparency in government and even business decision making that affects national or global economics is generally thought to be a good thing. Transparency International has helped publicize the idea and make it desirable. The latest ranking of 180 countries has been released.

How would your students evaluate the importance of transparency? Would they see any disadvantages to transparency (can there be too much)? What differences are implied if a country is ranked 19th or 135th? Do your students understand how this ranking is done? Do they think the process creates legitimate results?

There are many good teaching ideas and online materials at TI's Policy Research web page.

Corruption Perceptions Index 2009

The rank shows how one country compares to others included in the index. The CPI score indicates the perceived level of public-sector corruption in a country/territory.

The CPI is based on 13 independent surveys. However, not all surveys include all countries. The surveys used column indicates how many surveys were relied upon to determine the score for that country.

The confidence range indicates the reliability of the CPI scores and tells us that allowing for a margin of error, we can be 90% confident that the true score for this country lies within this range.

1. New Zealand
2 Denmark...

17. UK (tied with Japan)
19. USA...

79. China...

89. Mexico...

106. Nigeria...

146. Russia...

168. Iran...

178. Myanmar
179. Afghanistan
180. Somalia

Find out What You Need to Know

Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: Putinesque?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:03:00 +0000

The idea of a cult of personality around a political leader is not new. Khrushchev denounced the "cult of personality" built up around Josef Stalin. Sadaam Hussein maintained a cult of personality to bolster his regime. The Kims in North Korea have done the same.

So, is Russia likely to produce another cult of personality? Bare-chested, macho man Putin certainly could become a cult hero.

There was a very popular song about him in Russia a few years ago. (See the video with subtitles of "I Want a Man Like Putin.")

United Russia's youth group, NASHI often acts like a vehicle for hero worship of the prime minister.

What do the Russians think?

One-in-Four Russians See Putin Personality Cult

Some people in Russia think prime minister and former president Vladimir Putin is the subject of a personality cult, according to a poll by the Yury Levada Analytical Center. 23 per cent of respondents share this opinion.

An additional 26 per cent of respondents say there is no Putin personality cult in Russia at the moment, but it could be developed. 38 per cent say there are no signs of any such cult...

Russians have named streets, pop songs and vodka after the current prime minister. The latest sign of admiration for Putin is a book of poetry for children called Putinyata...

Polling Data
Do you think Vladimir Putin is the subject of a cult of personality in Russia?

Yes, all its signs are already present
Oct. 2009 23%
Oct. 2007 22%

Not yet, but it could still happen
Oct. 2009 26%
Oct. 2007 27%

No, there are no signs of this cult
Oct. 2009 38%
Oct. 2007 38%

I make it difficult to answer
Oct. 2009 12%
Oct. 2007 13%

Source: Yury Levada Analytical Center  Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted from Oct. 16 to Oct. 19, 2009. No margin of error was provided.

Find out What You Need to Know

Erik Brooks: On the Drawing Board

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:30:00 +0000

In the final throws of my latest picturebook project. Frankly, I'm late on this one, but there's been a lot going on... I'll be sure to send a celebratory post when done is done!