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The binge trigger: You're on edge.
Stress depletes your stores of glucose, which your brain needs to fuel smart decision making, says Ken Cheng, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences at Macquarie University. Meaning when you're wigging, you have less mental mojo to walk away from the goodies.
Stay strong. Close your eyes and breathe deeply to chill out that moment. To reduce tension long-term, do Downward Dogs: Yoga cuts levels of the stress hormone cortisol, so you'll feel more Zen.
The binge trigger: You're totally exhausted.
Skimping on sleep taxes the brain region that helps you strategize about what you're going to eat-making it harder to manage what ends up in your mouth. In fact, when people snoozed for only four hours a night, they wolfed down 500 more calories the next day than when they slept for eight hours, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports.
Stay strong. Sleep seven to eight hours a night. Yeah, yeah-easier said than done. So try this: If you have a busy week coming up, clock the most shut-eye the first few nights, says Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., author of The Willpower Instinct. Then, even if you sleep less as the week goes on, you'll still have an easier time resisting pig-outs come the final push toward the weekend.
ClosePrevious imageNext imageThe binge trigger: You've been resisting temptations all day.
Doesn't matter if it's a cupcake or a new pair of shoes you've passed on, "when you exert any self-control, your resolve weakens, leaving you more vulnerable at the next crossroads," says Roy F. Baumeister, Ph.D., author of Willpower. Translation: Seconds on dessert may seem irresistible later.
Stay strong. Make a plan in advance. Self-control is at its peak the first time you use it and tends to wane with each challenge, because your brainpower is drained. So in the a.m., anticipate likely enticing moments and how you'll respond. For example, "I'm going to hit happy hour tonight, so I'll definitely have a glass of wine, but I'll skip the schmancy, high-cal cocktails." At the bar, it will be easier to stick to your guns because you already know your order.
The binge trigger: You feel stingy.
What does generosity (or the lack thereof) have to do with discipline? People who donated just $1 to charity had the stamina to hold a weight about 20 percent longer than those who kept the cash, according to research from the University of Maryland in College Park. It's a weird connection, but doing any act of kindness can strengthen your food resolution, too.
Stay strong. Whether it's true or not, most people view charitable types as having more willpower than the rest of us, says study author Kurt Gray, Ph.D. When you're the one doing good works, you transfer that perception to yourself and try to live up to the image. Even small deeds, like giving up your bus seat to an older person or donating blood, can help you say no-no to the Ho Hos.


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The off-season is a great time to update your gear, whether you're looking for more speed, comfort or even flair. You may decide to buy a new bike, try a different saddle, upgrade your shoes or switch to a new handlebar. In any case, it's important to dial in the changes while you're not riding as much.
I believe that the number one reason people don't ride more is because they're uncomfortable, usually due to improper bike fit. When you're buying a new frame or bike, it is crucial to be fitted by a professional. There's more to fit than finding the correct saddle height; saddle fore-aft position, brake-lever position, and handlebar height and reach all contribute to, or potentially detract from, your comfort.
More From Bicycling
The off-season is also a good time to try a different saddle. Recent developments in saddle design, such as sit-bone-specific widths, can make a huge difference in your comfort level. Be sure to record your seat height before removing the old one, as some saddle rails sit higher than others. After you find a perch you like, put the same one on your other bikes.
If you were lucky enough to get new shoes this winter, remember that cleat position is critical—which is another good reason to consult a professional bike fitter. Also, because most cycling shoes do not provide proper arch support, many people can benefit from an insert, whether it's a custom orthotic or an off-the-shelf version. This will allow the entire bottom of the foot to be engaged in pedaling pressure and alleviate the "hot foot" sensation many cyclists experience.
Handlebar design has improved significantly in recent years. Changes in reach, width, drop and bend can affect how your hands rest on the bar as well as how easily you can reach the brake levers. This is especially important for riders with small hands. Another option for such cyclists are brake levers that have adjustable reach. And if you've ridden regularly all season, it's probably time for fresh bar tape. For extra comfort, try inserting gel pads underneath.
Alex Stieda, the first North American to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, with 7-Eleven in 1986, leads tours and skills camps (stiedacycling.com).

subset: commoncrawl


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All that is changing this summer.
After 3 years, we will be returning to the USA to spend one month in the country, reconnecting with all of our friends and family.
I was searching for the most quintessential "Angel and Rachel in America" photo I could find...this is it, isn't it?
Thank you to friends who recommended Kayak for flight bookings--I am really happy with the flights we were able to get and the deal I found using a multi-city itinerary! We are flying into Los Angeles and spending a few days in that area, before taking a domestic flight to Texas. At the end of our trip, we will be leaving from Texas to return to Malaysia. Sometime in the middle of all that, we'll either be roadtripping to Michigan or flying to Michigan to spend a good chunk of our time in our old home state.
Why are we going back to visit now? From before we ever left the USA, we had prepped our families with the idea that we did not plan to visit the USA for 4-5 years. There are so many factors that have to line up just right that it's not an easy trip to plan or make. Life is made simpler when you aren't trying to hop 'home' all that often. At this point, we're only at 3 years by the time we're returning, but a variety of family and personal reasons have led us to choose this as the right time--one of those reasons being my sister's June wedding. We're not necessarily the emotional "everybody has to be at all family weddings" type, but on a practical level, I am a really good person to have around for running a major event...plus, emotions are involved, too. We can't totally delete them. :)
We are incredibly excited to return and meet and speak with lots of people, eat some 'guilty pleasure' sorts of food (Arby's!!! Boxed mac'n'cheese!!! Wheat Chex!!!), spend time enjoying some comfy American pastimes like bonfires. To hug my grandparents and aunts and uncles and to have fun adventuring with our siblings and cousins and play with our nephew. I'm eager to finally, finally pick up my ring, just in time for the due date. Whenever I feel a little bit homesick for the USA, I don't feel homesick for February or September or December or anything like that....I feel homesick for summer. Green, open fields and rolling hills and bike rides on sunny days. There's only one season of the year that I would ever want to visit--and summer is it.
On the other side of excitement is also a remaining feeling of intimidation. After 3 years away, it's a bit hard to fathom how to visit a place you once lived. How do we get a phone and service for just a month? How do we get health insurance that'll cover one month in the USA, just in case of emergency (responsible adult things) ? How do we get a reasonably priced rental car in California? Will Angel have a reunion with The Bear? If we roadtrip to Michigan, where will we stop/sleep along the way? The questions running through my mind are nearly endless. I'll probably have to try driving again while I'm there and it's been a while. Everyone has grown up a lot in the last three years. There are a lot of unknowns. And on a practical level--this is majorly going to be an exercise in visiting the USA on a budget...and it's been so long I don't even remember what the best budget strategies are for that country anymore! If you have any budget travel or budget shopping advice--please, I'm all ears! Shopping will actually be a big part of the trip budget...some items are more easily found or less expensive or better quality when purchased in America (or sometimes...just not available at all where we live), so we already have a list going of what we'll need to be looking for. And vivid purple haircolor tops that list. Also, a new swimsuit. (If you ask Angel, he'd probably say a laptop tops that list, but people are allowed to have different priorities, right?)
And just like that...this'll be a very unusual summer for us. Talk to me if you have any ideas on things I ought to know about budget travel in the USA these days, or just things I ought to experience or try while in the States, or things I need to remember to do before we leave. Have you started making plans and commitments for the summer yet?


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Mr. Chatterbox - September 2010
I want to thank everybody who went out of their way to offer me their thoughts and prayers during my recent open-heart surgery. I've never seen such an outpouring. The flowers were lovely, the cards amusing, and the gifts, when I resold them last week at a garage sale, brought top prices. So I feel you are owed a detailed description of what I went through, of how I suffered so incredibly, and how I finally triumphed against all odds.
Fortunately, I'm not going to do that. But I do feel I should tell you the part of the story they don't want you to know—the things they don't tell you about open-heart surgery, the dirty secrets of Sarasota's most popular operation. Such as . . .
When it happens, you'll know. The first thing people ask me is, how did you know you were having a heart attack? Well, for the longest time I didn't. I thought it was Mark Famiglio. He was making a speech at the kickoff party for the film festival and I found myself becoming more and more nauseous. This is unusual, as Mark's speeches usually give me violent headaches. Fortunately, the moment passed and I went back to the buffet table, which was spectacular. I'll never forget that buffet table—all sorts of shrimps, roast beef, cheeses, cream sauces, crabs, skewers, coconut cake, mustard sauces, little Indonesian things—because I will never be able to eat that way again.
I got home and went to bed early, stuffed with food and a tiny bit drunk. A little indigestion was predictable, and it soon appeared. I got out the Rolaids. They helped. But after a while I noticed that I just couldn't get comfortable. I'd turn this way and that, I'd sit up and try and burp. Then I noticed something strange—my heart was beating wildly. So I did the logical thing—took more medication.
Then I noticed something odd. There was a funny feeling in my chest, sort of like a . . . pain. Right in the middle. And it was getting sharper. I decided to give it five minutes. I lasted two. Something was clearly wrong. I ran into the living room waving my hands and screaming, "Take me to the hospital!"
The hospital isn't the scary place it used to be. I hadn't spent the night in a hospital in decades. Well, they've improved tremendously. First of all, everybody now has their own TV. This cuts down the level of tension and anxiety enormously. And I think they gave the staff sensitivity training. Everybody was so sensitive. The nurses were incredibly sensitive. Even the guys who brought the food were sensitive, not to mention smartly dressed in tuxedo shirts with black bowties. The only person who wasn't sensitive was the guy who makes you walk. It seems that the latest theory in surgery recovery is to make patients immediately start walking, no matter how much they don't want to. So this poor guy—his name was Ivan—has to constantly go around the cardiac floor and make these hostile old people get out of bed and walk.
Fortunately, there were none of the dreaded complications that they kept sensitively warning me about. I did not get pneumonia, or an infection of my breastbone, or a blood clot, or another heart attack. I adjusted brilliantly to the catheter. Best of all, I felt young. Looking around at the other patients, I felt like the baby of the group. (It's not unusual for a person in his or her 80s to undergo this type of operation.) True, there was a setback when I woke up from a nap to find Cliff Roles sitting next to me, reading a book about f-stops. But other than that I felt safe and woozy and very well taken care of.
Why? Could it have been that little device they gave me, a clicker like the contestants use on Jeopardy? You press with your thumb and you get a little jolt of pain medication. You are allowed as much as you want. There's some sort of fail-safe system built in so you don't OD. I have only the vaguest memories of this contraption. I don't even remember using it. But I do remember that for weeks afterwards my thumb was sore.
The surgery is fine. It's the recovery that's murder. Before the operation, they tell you how ordinary it is, how commonplace, how they do 800 a year at Sarasota Memorial, how one guy, a dentist, was back at work exactly a week after surgery. But afterward, when you start to complain about the horrible agony you're going through, they say, "Well, we cut your chest open and took out your heart, then put it back, and not necessarily in the same place. How do you expect to feel?"
My at-home recovery brought out the worst in me. I complained, I fretted, I snapped, I ordered people around. When I needed something I'd blow a police whistle. It wasn't so much the pain that made me cranky as the constant discomfort. I couldn't find a comfortable position. I hated food. And there wasn't anything good on TV. Nights were the worst. How I came to dread them. The only way to sleep was on my back in a recliner. The light had to be on so I didn't trip on my way to the bathroom.
And then—the last straw—the Viocodin started making me sick. I actually felt worse if I took it. So I started toughing things out, staring at the clock and thinking about how much this was costing me and how many years I had left to live.
Heart disease destroys your wonderful relationship with food. The biggest tragedy of heart disease is not the intimations of mortality but rather the way it destroys your love affair with food. Food was my friend. It comforted me, and we spent many a happy evening together, just the two of us. Well, now my friend has been banished by those awful doctors. And even worse, my friend betrayed me. After all these years, after all the salt and the cream sauces, my friend turned on me and clogged my arteries and tried to kill me. What was I going to do to replace this sudden and enormous void in my life? Help animals? Go back to school? Sneak sweet buns?
Luckily, they teach you how to have a healthy relationship with food. There are a lot of "no-no's," true—no sugar, no salt, no red meat, no pickles, no Häagen-Dazs, no prepared food, no baloney. But you can have all sorts of wonderful things, like lettuce and water.
You actually do get better. If there isn't exactly a "new me," at least there's a very much improved "old me." I've lost more than 50 pounds. I exercise three times a week. I eat great—at least one meal a day is all fruit and vegetables. I don't even know what a salt shaker looks like. And you should see me get off the couch. I used to lumber and heave; now I leap effortlessly to my feet. Not only has open-heart surgery saved my life. It's turning me into a veritable Audrey Hepburn.


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In a rush to make their split official? Just two days after Us Weekly exclusively revealed that Malin Akerman and husband Roberto Zincone have split, rocker Zincone filed for divorce, TMZ is reporting.
The drummer reportedly filed the legal documents in L.A. on Wednesday, Nov. 27. No further details regarding the drummer's filing are known at this time.
Multiple sources confirmed to Us last week that the Trophy Wife actress and Zincone split after six years of marriage. The couple welcomed their first child together, son Sebastian, just seven months ago.
"It's as amicable as can be, and they want to do what's best for their son," an insider told Us. "Honestly, Malin is not even ready to discuss it. It's a very sad time for her."
Before giving birth, the Swedish-Canadian star told Us back in October 2012 that she and Zincone were ready to have a baby together. "He's so excited. So excited," Akerman said. "We've been together long enough, we've talked about it enough that it just feels really right and we can't wait."
For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!


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Fabric is cut in continuous .25 yard increments (e.g. .25, .5, .75, 1, 1.25, etc.)
Manufacturer: Art Gallery Fabrics
Designer: Dana Willard
Collection: Fiesta Fun
Fabric Content: 100% Cotton (Quilting Weight)
Fabric Width: 44/45"
Collections: Fabric Prints Quilting Cotton
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TollsBy Michael O'Keefe
November 13, 2009
(For MG. A.)
We are not much more than water sheathed in skin,
everything passing through us like ships in a thin canal.
Cargoed with expectation, memory and loss,
we levy ourselves with tolls at each juncture.
Visions of us floating on the surface,
heartbeats once faster, now out of sync,
and the unfinished renovations of our home on the shore,
these are the tolls' foundations.
So when a swan settles onto the waveless bay, I take notice.
Studying its small black mask followed by large white feathers
rushing in the opposite direction of its glide
even toll collectors raise their barriers.
Swans float freely.
Their benevolence is evident and plain.
When it finally lifts off the surface of the bay,
water drips from its wings
leaving tracks in the sky that few see and follow.
Its departure, like yours, is mourned a bit.
Then everything returns to the way it has to be.


text:
The World
Bank seeks a new President to implement failed policies and
continued global poverty. No experience necessary. Apply
Now >
Things You Should Really Know About the World Bank
A rebuttal to the widely-distributed misinformation circulated
by the World Bank.
Caucasian Race
Mighty Fortress
© 2005 The Whirled Bank Group, All Rights Reserved. Terms & Conditions


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A veneer is a thin layer of porcelain that we will bond to your tooth to give it a whole new appearance. It is just like a false finger nail.
Veneers are made out of porcelain and are used mainly for aesthetic reasons.
Veneers make teeth look natural and healthy, and because they are very thin and are held in place by a special strong bond (rather like super-glue) very little preparation of the tooth is needed.
They are the most elegant and versatile way to improve your smile producing a natural result with both strength and beauty. They can change the colour, spacing, alignment, length or shape of your teeth, enhancing your smile with minimum adjustment to the tooth.
A precise shade of porcelain can be chosen to give the right colour to improve a single discoloured or stained tooth or to lighten front teeth (usually the upper ones) generally.
Veneers can also be used to close small gaps, when orthodontics (braces) is not suitable.
If one tooth is slightly out of position, a veneer can sometimes be fitted to bring it into line with the others.


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2 Bedroom 2 Bath Furnished
We moved into the Penn next to the Highland Building last June. From the very beginning, we loved our experience. Our loft-style apartment was finished with all the conveniences we have grown accustomed to over the past few years of renting apartments in the South. As Texas natives, we were used to wide space, natural light, washer/dryer, parking lots, updated fixtures and excellent workout facilities. The Penn delivered on all of these amenities with an excellent staff to assist.- Emily - Google
From looking at apartments before moving in, to now living here for nearly 3 years, the entire staff is extremely helpful and friendly. Amenities including parking, gym, entertainment space, mail room are everything you would need. Location is unbeatable. Apartment itself is beautiful with an unbeatable view of Pittsburgh.- Leila - Google
Very helpful & friendly staff! The building is in great walking distance to restaurants and great grocery stores.- Erin - Google
I've lived here for a year and the building is wonderful, as are the people who live here. The other tenants and staff are so friendly and happy. The building is always clean. I recommend living at Walnut on Highland and will continue to renew my lease.- Jamie - Google
Apartments are modern and great. The office is great and easy to work with. Washer/dryer on the floors is convenient.- Gregory - Google
Prime location to everything you need! Located right near Target, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and tons of restaurants and shopping. Bakery Square a few minutes away down the road! This property includes amazing amenities that are a plus.- Alyssa - Facebook
Beautiful apartments, great amenities, and good value all at a phenomenal location. What really makes Walnut on Highland great though is the people--the staff are kind, attentive, and provide wide range of services to the tenants.- David - Facebook
Amazing apartments in perfect location.- Joanna - Facebook
I've been living here for almost 3 years now and just renewed my lease for a fourth. Besides the apartments themselves being beautiful, renovated, and spacious, the building offers many amenities and the staff is phenomenal. Maintenance requests are resolved within 24 hours most times and they go above and beyond what you ask (for example, last time my shower drain wasnt working they also upgraded my shower head). The staff really goes out of their way to create a great community atmosphere.- Morgan - Google
I've lived here about 6 months and have loved it so far. The building is great and maintenance requests are always fulfilled promptly; the premises are kept clean and well-decorated; the staff are friendly and make a great effort of putting on events for residents. I love the location and its so close to so many great places - my favorite are noodlehead, casbah, and muddy waters!- Iris - Google
I'm so happy to call Walnut on Highland my home. The staff and the residents are so friendly and helpful. The staff work hard to put on fun events where the residents can get to know each other and enjoy some downtime.- Amy - Google
I moved in to Walnut on Highland right when it opened before construction was even completed. I stayed for 6 years which is in my life (no joke) is the longest I've ever lived in one place. The apartment layout was fantastic and the area around the apartment exploded with restaurants and shops to the point I rarely needed a car. City living at its finest with on site parking garage and an amazing staff. It was great seeing Ed and Archie and the security staff daily and they all respond quickly.- Katie - Google
Excellent service and amenities! We've lived here for 2 years now and love calling this place our home. The property mgmt team are kind and responsive. The buildings are well maintained and clean. Equally important, the neighborhood provides easy access to groceries and restaurants. We've renewed and looking forward to our 3rd year!- Tony - Google
I've lived here for two years, and have had an excellent experience. The building staff is top-notch, from regularly organizing fun events to quickly addressing any maintenance needs. Also, you can't beat the location. Highly recommend!- Michaela - Google
One of the best apartment buildings in the entire city.- Carlos - Google
So happy that I found this place when I moved to Pittsburgh 9 months ago! Staff and residents all very friendly.- Nichelle - Google
My family moved here since summer 2017 and we definitely love it!! The common areas (office, lounge etc.) are always clean and bright. Gym is 24/7. Staffs here are all super supportive and always being nice to everyone. 71B bus stop right at the door and CMU shuttle stop just 2mins walk away. Best luxury apartment in Pittsburgh with a reasonable price.- Yi - Google
I have really enjoyed living here. It is a really beautiful building and the apartments are modern and spacious - allowing me room to have a mini studio which is an amazing asset for an artist. I love this neighborhood - great restaurants and as you continue up the street there are many great options. Wholefoods, Trader Joes, and Target are super close and convenient. I love having onsite parking and the Walnut on Highland team make everything really easy.- Christian - Facebook
The staff is super friendly and always organizing great community events. This is probably the only apartment I've ever lived in where I actually became good friends with many of the neighbors. The units are nice. Be sure to factor in the heating costs when you're comparing rent prices. If this place is in budget for you, you'll have a great time here.- Terry - Google
Beautiful apartment building near great restaurants. Multi-level security to enter the building.- Lauren - Google


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public static readonly CloudApplication Application = new ParallelCloudApplication { ApplicationName = "RWorkload", JobType = "RWorkload", JobSplitterType = typeof(RWorkloadJobSplitter), TaskProcessorType = typeof(RWorkloadTaskProcessor) };This code describes my workload. The application name corresponds with the Application Image zip that needs to be uploaded in the portal. This contains the R script executables. The Job Type is what is referenced by the client to submit the workload.
protected override IEnumerable<TaskSpecifier> Split(IJob job, JobSplitSettings settings) { var taskList = new List<TaskSpecifier>(); var task = new TaskSpecifier { RequiredFiles = job.Files, Parameters = job.Parameters }; taskList.Add(task); return taskList; }This code creates a single task but can be extended to create multiple tasks depending on a host of parameters like the number of files or even parsing a script and figuring out advanced cases to split the workload. Notice I am also passing through all the files and parameters that are passed through the client. This includes all the scripts including the main R script which may or may not call into multiple other scripts. The parameters contain the main R script file name which will help me identify what R script is the primary script.
protected override TaskProcessResult RunExternalTaskProcess(ITask task, TaskExecutionSettings settings) { //R input script var inputFile = task.Parameters["inputFile"]; const string outputFile = "output.txt"; //std output directed to this file string standardOutput = string.Format("std_task{0}.out", task.TaskId); var process = new ExternalProcess { CommandPath = ExecutablePath(@"R-3.1.2\bin\Rscript.exe"), Arguments = string.Format("{0} > {1}", inputFile, standardOutput), WorkingDirectory = LocalStoragePath }; try { var processOutput = process.Run(); return TaskProcessResult.FromExternalProcessResult(processOutput, standardOutput, outputFile); } catch (Exception ex) { Log.Error("Error in task processor: {0}", ex.ToString()); } return new TaskProcessResult { Success = TaskProcessSuccess.RetryableFailure }; }The task processor just executes the R script executable with the input script and directs the output to a standard output file and captures the output in a text file which is produced independently by the executable. These outputs are then passed on as the results of the task which means they will be uploaded to blob storage and available via the task/job download in the portal. 2) Client – This is the client side code that submits the job along with the required files and then monitors the job status and finally downloads the output that is produced.
var parameters = new Dictionary<string, string> { { "Rscript", "<your main R script>.r" }, { "inputFile", "<your r scripts>.r" } }; return new JobSubmission { Name = "R", Type = "RWorkload", RequiredFiles = userInputFilePaths, Parameters = parameters, InstanceCount = 1, };The client builds the job specification which contains the job submission object. In the above sample I've given the job a name included the job type which corresponds with the job type in the Cloud code, a list of the scripts that need to be passed as input files; these files can be referenced using local storage location and will be uploaded to Azure Blob Storage behind the scenes (the upload happens before the submission of the job but is done in the same call) and the parameters that contain the name of the scripts and finally the number of instances that I want to run the job on.
var job = await client.Jobs.SubmitAsync(jobSpec);Finally the Job Submission object is passed through the Submit call in the SDK and the workload is submitted to the service that has been created using the portal. Now the job can be monitored via the portal or via the client by getting the details of the job using the Job Id that was returned at submission. So it's easy to see how simple it is to run R Scripts in the cloud without much effort. It's trivial to scale this out to multiple virtual machines depending on the workload requirements. We encourage people to play around with these ideas and get in touch with feedback, questions and comments.


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Jacob Rees-Mogg, the rising Tory star and archaic 'minister for the 18th century', as he's been dubbed, last week seemed to show very clearly the extent of his ambitions. He bought a townhouse overlooking Downing Street. Despite his denials that this showed his intention of occupying No. 10, everyone else took it as a clear sign that he very definitely does have his sights on becoming Prime Minister.
Rees-Mogg is a true-blue Tory aristo, who began his career by campaigning to keep the unreformed, and unelected House of Lords. He has consistently voted to increase spending, tax cuts and other privileges for the rich, and to cut and deny state aid, welfare benefits and spending on the poor, the unemployed and the disabled. He has a vast income provided by his investment firms. And he's also the son of William Rees-Mogg, the former editor of the Times and later columnist for the Independent.
I found this passage quoting and commenting on a piece Rees-Mogg senior wrote at the time, welcoming the Fascist coup by General Pinochet which overthrew Salvador Allende, in Colin Sparks' article, 'The Media and the State' in James Curran, Jake Ecclestone, Giles Oakley and Alan Richardson, eds., Bending Reality: The State of the Media (London: Pluto Press 1986). Allende was a democratically elected Marxist, who enraged his country's ruling elite by wishing to expropriate land from their estates to give to the peasants. He was also a danger to the American-led global campaign against Communism, simply because his regime had taken power through popular elections. It contradicted the view that Communism could only gain power through very undemocratic means, like revolutions and coups. And so the CIA backed Pinochet's coup against Allende, which plunged the country into a brutal Fascist dictatorship that lasted from c. 1974 to the early 1990s.
Before quoting Rees-Mogg senior, Sparks also describes how the elite will try to bring down any government genuinely trying to create a more democratic, equal society, and eliminate poverty using ideological as well as other weapons, one of which will be the establishment press. He writes
Any government which seeks to get rid of poverty and inequality will come up against the opposition of those whose life has been built upon the fruits of poverty and inequality. Any government which seeks to establish democracy as the common norm for the conduct of human affairs will come up against the opposition of those whose whole life has been built upon the exercise of irresponsible and unaccountable power. The people who run the state, the media, industry and the banks will not just let us get on with changing the world because a temporary majority in the House of Commons tells them to. They will fight us with ideas and with weapons. It was, after all, that organ of ruling class opinion, the Times, then edited by the shameless Rees Mogg, that welcomed the bloody overthrow of Salvador Allende and the Chilean government with the words:
The failure of the Presidency of Allende was also a tragedy for Chile herself, not because the coup put an end to a government which never had a majority either in the country or in congress, but because it marks the end of a long period during which Chile's peaceful and democratic political traditions were the envy of her neighbours. To apportion blame for this is no easy matter. Many Chileans will argue that the Unidad Popular government had itself made the coup inevitable by its hopeless mismanagement of the economy leading to a breakdown in public order, and at the same time had provided justification for it by its own unconstitutional acts. On the whole this would be our judgement; there is a limit to the ruin a country can be expected to tolerate…
At this state what a foreign commentator can say is that, whether or not the armed forces were right to do what they have done, the circumstances were such that a reasonable man could in good faith have thought it his constitutional duty to intervene.
No doubt Rees Mogg had discussed just such 'circumstances' with 'reasonable military men' at Pirbright and Aldershot. (Pp. 94-5).
The last sentence presumably refers to the attempts various members of the elite, including the Times and the then editor of the Mirror, to organise a coup in Britain against Harold Wilson's minority Labour government in 1975. If this had gone ahead, the result would have been the mass internment, not just of MPs, but also of other political activists and journalists. The proposed location for their imprisonment was either in the Shetland Isles or the Hebrides. Ken Livingstone discusses this in his 1987 book, Livingstone's Labour, as does Francis Wheen in his book about 70's paranoia, Strange Days. As for Pinochet's coup, this resulted in the mass imprisonment, rape, torture and execution of 40,000-60,000 people. Parents imprisoned and murdered by the Fascists had their children taken away, to be raised instead by members of Pinochet's Fascists, who were childless.
And Sparks is absolutely right when he states that those, whose power and social position is built on poverty and inequality will try to bring down those governments trying to end it. The Conservatives' entire economic strategy, and that of the ruling elites they represent, is based on increasing poverty through austerity, welfare cuts, the privatisation of the NHS, and the creation of insecure, low paid work with little, if anything, in the way of workers' rights like pensions or sick pay. And he's also right about the way the same elite uses the press in this. We've seen the way the British press and media has consistently vilified Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters as everything from Trotskyites and misogynists to anti-Semites, in order to prevent a genuinely reforming Labour government coming to power.
And the quotation from Rees-Mogg senior also shows how Jacob Rees-Mogg turned out the way he is. He's the child of privilege, whose family owed its position to inherited wealth and inequality, and whose father dutifully supported the same establishment elite with his ideas and editorship of the Times. And Rees-Mogg senior's approving comments about Pinochet's coup also shows how easily other parts of the Tory party supported other Fascist thugs in Latin America. Like the Libertarian group, of which one Paul Staines, now Guido Fawkes, was a member, which invited the leader of one Central American death squad to be their guest of honour at their annual dinner.


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|Eyeglasses Watch Jelwery
|Cleaning Tank Volume:
|Tank Material:
|Stainless Steel SU304
|High Light:
heated ultrasonic cleaner,
ultrasonic glasses cleaner
Digital Ultrasonic Cleaner For Glasses Jelwery Watch Stainless Steel Tank GD3705A
1. Remarking cleaning effect, small volume, large power, easy use .
2. It is equipped with sound water-proof system.
Product & Service
Trade Conditions:
About Us
Since from 2005, JingGong Optical started searching made in China optical instruments for optical wholesalers and chain stores, with many years' experience and investment in this field, Now JingGong Optical is innovating, manufacturing & exporting a wide range of ophthalmic instruments, eyewear laboratory equipment, lab tools & accessories, if you are optical instruments wholesaler, optical shop, eye care hospital or lens laboratory, you can have best solutions from our instruments category.
In accordance with International & regional standards, JingGong Optical products are following ISO, CE & FDA instructions, also has warranty policy & maintenance service on each products, we are always working with customers to improve products and technology.
Our Vision: We are not going to save the world, we are not going to improve the eyesight of whole human being, but what we are concentrating on, is to provide our customers and end-users a precision, qualified, friendly-operated and lowest costed ophthalmology instruments and lens laboratory instruments.We are always hearing from our customers, to find every even small way to improve our products and service.
Guarantee:We absolutely understand you are worrying about the potential functional & quality problem of instruments you are buying from us, don't worry, we carry out 100% QC before shipping, we also have guarantee for each product, buy from us means buy 100% satisfaction.
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Tel: +86 577-86288609
Mobile/WhatsApp: +86 13506517907
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Add: #2081 2nd Floor 8th Building #9 Jinhui Road, Louqiao Wenzhou 325000 China


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Other services include satellite antenna dish wiring installation and aiming in Camarillo, termination, plenum wire runs, wall plate installation, when looking for a satellite equipment installer look no further, we have been installing satellite dishes and reception equipment for over 16 years in Camarillo and surrounding cities. The quality of our installation services is proven and vast in all sorts of buildings both for residential and business customers. We have performed custom wiring runs in various types of dwellings from single to multiple family (MDU) and commercial satellite installations all over Los Angeles.
Call on us for all your satellite dish installation needs in Camarillo and surrounding cities.
You can count on us to have your new satellite reception dish professionally installed and the wiring and actual positioning of the satellite dish done right and according to code for safety and reliability. Our Camarillo satellite antenna dish mounting contracting services are backed by our extensive experience in the installation field dating back to 1998, that is over 16 years of experience and over 4000 single family homes, multiple family units (apartment buildings) and commercial establishments combined installations in the Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino and Santa Barbara County cities. We have performed brand new installations, dish aiming, system relocation, additional receiver installation, rerouted RG-6 coax cabling for better appearance. activated new satellite receivers, and extended lines to other rooms or locations within and between buildings. Our extensive experience means to you a superior service and reliable work that will last for years to come.
Experienced satellite dish antenna installer technician, we service, move, align and install new antenna equipment for all major brands. We service the City of Camarillo, California since 1998.
Installing an antenna to receive the free TV programming you've been thinking on can be very exciting, but before the final screw is installed there are some common sense and some no so common sense suggestions that an installer should follow for a safe and long lasting satellite dish antenna installation.
We install new antenna cabling and service existing infrastructure in commercial and residential environments and provide services such as:
Mount dish antenna
Set up my new Dish antenna and point it for best reception.
Carlos N.
Align satellite dish
Attach antenna to exterior of home. Route wires concealed within attic.
Saul K.
Wall Fishing
Wall fish currently exposed cables to comply with code. Install new hardware
Pablo P.
New cable run
Install new cable run in existing commercial office building, plenum rated cable.
David Y.
Set up second tuner
Install new tuner and add splitter. Program tuner and set up favorite channels.
Relocate satellite dish
Connect and configure into my home a new satellite receiver
Jerry R.
First off, we use some tools to perform satellite antenna dish installation and alignment in Camarillo (aiming), such a satellite signal meter, appropriate size sockets and wrenches, a tall ladder, some jumper coax cables, and a powered LNB usually via the satellite signal meter. We follow common sense safety precautions when installing the satellite dish and attach the RG-6 coax cable to the home or business walls or fascia board. All electrical codes are adhered to during installation. A dish and feed array is designed to receive two or three spaced apart satellites will have two or three feeds, each with an LNB. The feeds need to be spaced apart to suit the satellite azimuth and elevation pointing angle differences. The dish acts as a mirror and forms an inverted and reversed image of the many satellites in a curved line in the focal region. If you are looking due south the satellites in the sky form a curved line with the highest satellite at the top. In such a case you would set your central feed aimed at the due south satellite. The outer feeds would be slightly higher up. The left feed would work to the right satellite and vice-versa. Many dishes have pre-made fixed LNB spacing. This assumes that the dishes will be used in the US and for the reception of satellites spaced say 9 deg apart. The entire antenna (dish and LNBs) may be rotated to set the polarization/skew angle. Optimize this for the central satellite. General purpose multi-LNB antennas may have perhaps 5 feeds. The central LNB/feed will be set first and then the outer ones individually.
Each LNB/feed needs to be adjusted, up/down and sideways and in rotation also to set the polarization angle. If all the satellites are away sideways from south, for example in a generally south west direction, the the feeds will all be in a sloping line going down towards the south west. As an example. You are on longitude 90 west and you want to point to satellites at 110 and 119 west. These satellites are further to the west than you are, so the satellites will be in a sloping line going downwards towards the south west. See the right hand half of the figure to the top right. In some cases the individual LNBs may be rotated to individually to set the polarization/skew angles correctly. In some cases the dual or triple feed assembly is not adjustable and also fixed relative to the dish and the entire dish and feed array must be rotated to set the average polarization angle correctly. The tilt makes the feed array line up with the sloping line of satellites in the upper diagram. Because the dish is a reflector the upper feed receives signals from the lower satellite and vice versa. The left feeds receives from the right satellite and vice-versa. The effective reflection point on the dish is the lower central edge of the dish in the case of offset fed designs, or the center of the dish in the case of axi-symmetric circular dishes with the primary feed in the center supported by three equal length struts. When setting up a multi-lnb system it is possible to become confused as to which LNB is in use. I suggest initially wrapping all except one feed with aluminum foil. Then only one LNB will work. Line this up correctly and verify that it really does point at the wanted satellite. Check the list of satellite TV programs and make sure that you have a unique identifying known satellite TV signal relating to a specific satellite.


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We're still not sure what to make of director Alfonso Cuarón's (Children of Men) next picture Gravity. But we do know that it stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock and deals with such jovial topics as isolation and death in space. Thankfully, this latest synopsis has us very excited.
JoBlo has stumbled across what they believe is the official synopsis for Gravity, which has a few spoilery goodies:
Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone—tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness.
The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth...and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left.
But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.


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Realm Lovejoy is an artist currently working at Half-Life and Team Fortress developers Valve Software. Having helped create student title Narbacular Drop, which later evolved into what we now know as Portal, she's also interned at Nintendo.
So, yeah, dream career path right there.
Among her current projects is Valve's DOTA 2, for which she's done stuff like character design, while she's also worked on games like Portal 2. Oh, and if you want someone to thank for the adorable art that ran during Steam's Autumn sale in 2011, Realm's your target.
You can check out more of her work at her personal site.
To see the larger pics in all their glory (or so you can save them as wallpaper), right-click on them below and select "open in new tab".
Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If you're in the business and have some concept, environment or character art you'd like to share, drop us a line!


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Most Popular Film
From filmmakers Jeremiah Tauamiti, Karin Williams, Taofia Pelesasa | Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC)
The matriarch of a large Polynesian family lies bedridden and silent, unable or unwilling to speak after a long illness. When a family crisis strikes, Nan Maria gets some unexpected help as she struggles to reunite her fractured family.
Juried Prize Winner
You Can Go
From filmmakers Christine Turner and Daniel Solé | The National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC)
A high school administrator talks down a troubled student.


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Feds say health site outages slowed fixes
WASHINGTON - Outages affecting the Obama administration's balky health insurance website slowed much-needed fixes this week, but officials said Friday they remain on track to have HealthCare.gov humming along by the end of the month.
The government said the website went down for extended periods due to a hardware failure at a support facility owned by Verizon. The federal site wasn't working during congressional testimony by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius this week, creating an embarrassing juxtaposition.
"We made progress and also ran into some roadblocks that slowed us down," Jeff Zients, a management consultant and former Office of Management and Budget official brought in as chief troubleshooter, told reporters. "We are on track for our end of November goal."
President Barack Obama's health overhaul law is designed to bring coverage to more than 30 million uninsured people through a mix of subsidized private plans and an expanded version of Medicaid, the safety-net program. Online enrollments were supposed to revolutionize the way people purchase health insurance - and may yet do so. But the federal website locked up the day it went live, Oct. 1, and has been cranky since.
Documents released Thursday by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee indicated only six people managed to enroll on the first day, when about 3 million tried to access the website. Citing industry officials, The Associated Press reported that night that at most only a handful of people had managed to enroll. The administration says such numbers are unofficial, and it will have an accurate tally by the middle of November. At least 700,000 have applied for coverage.
White House spokesman Jay Carney sought to lower expectations Friday, saying the figures will show the first month was slow. That was expected, he said, but the actual numbers will be even lower because of widespread problems with the website. Prior to the troubled launch, administration projections called for nearly 500,000 signups in October.
It was Zients' second briefing for the media. A week ago in his first session, he emphasized performance and functionality. This week, he also reported the creation of a team to address security issues. According to a document cited in House hearings, the federal website serving 36 states went live with only provisional security certification. That was because of incomplete testing.
"There's always been a focus on security," Zients said Friday, sidestepping specifics. Other administration officials have said the site is secure and conforms to industry standards.
The government has brought in an outside firm to manage the overall repair effort. Zients, who has been designated by Obama to deserve as director of the president's National Economic Council next year, is working his way through a "punch list" with different major headings and dozens of specific issues. Since the list has not been released, it's hard to tell how much progress is being made.
Zients said HealthCare.gov users should notice one improvement right away - about an 80 percent improvement in response time.


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The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science offers a program in Environmental Systems Engineering and Management (ESEM) leading to the Degree of Master of Applied Science. The program is available on a full-time or part-time basis.
The program is offered by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and will be administered by a Board of Studies appointed by the Dean of Engineering and Applied Science.
Admission is limited and competitive.
To be considered for admission, applicants shall normally hold a minimum second class Bachelor's Degree in engineering preferably in civil, environment, chemical, processing, or petroleum engineering, or in a related discipline from a university of recognized standing.
To be eligible for consideration for admission, applicants will meet the English Proficiency Requirements described under General Regulations, English Proficiency Requirements.
The Degree program requires the completion of 30 credit hours.
6 credit hours comprising a project course 960A/B.
15 credit hours comprised of 9601, 9609, 9626, 9627, and 9628.
9 credit hours (three courses) to be selected from 9603, 9605, 9610-9615, 9621, 9622, 9624, 9625, 9629, 9630, Environmental Science 6001, Environmental Science 6002, Environmental Science 6003, and Geography 6250.
Students must obtain a grade of at least 65% in all program courses to receive credit for the course towards their program requirements. Any student who fails to receive 65% or more in a course, must repeat the course in the case of core courses, or must either repeat or replace the course with another program course in the case of elective courses. Any student who receives a grade of less than 65% in two courses or in a repeated course will be required to withdraw from the program.
- 960A Environmental Engineering Project (0 credit hours)
- 960B Environmental Engineering Project (6 credit hours)
- 9601 Environmental Pollution and Mitigation (cross-listed as Environmental Science 6004)
- 9603 Environmental Sampling and Pollutant Analysis (cross-listed as Environmental Science 6005)
- 9605 Water and Wastewater Treatment
- 9609 Environmental Risk Assessment (cross-listed as Environmental Science 6007)
- 9610-9615 Special Topics in Environmental Science and Engineering
- 9621 Soil Remediation Engineering
- 9622 Environmental Statistics
- 9624 Air Pollution (cross-listed as Environmental Science 6008)
- 9625 Environmental Impacts of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations
- 9626 Environmental Management System
- 9627 Environmental Systems Engineering
- 9628 Environmental Laboratory
- 9629 Environmental Policy and Regulations
- 9630 Pollution Prevention
- Environmental Science 6001 Earth and Ocean Systems
- Environmental Science 6002 Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology
- Environmental Science 6003 Applied Ecology
- Geography 6250 Conservation of Natural Resources


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West Olympia traffic study seeks input from residents
The City of Olympia and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) are partnering on a joint study of city street and state highway systems on the west side of Olympia. The study will evaluate how well the systems work together to support the diverse transportation needs of the west side, now and in the future.
A public workshop is scheduled Thursday, March 15 at 6:30 at Evergreen Christian Community, 1000 Black Lake Blvd. SW in Olympia. Participants can share their thoughts about West Olympia transportation and learn more about the project.
Current street and highway networks on Olympia's west side can hinder timely emergency response, efficient transit service, and pedestrian and bicycle access, the study will look at ways to more evenly distribute traffic and provide access to growth areas and examine mobility needs of transit, bicyclists, pedestrians and vehicles.
For more information about the project, go to www.trpc.org/westolympia.


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This dissertation addresses one of the most popular management control practices adopted worldwide over the last three decades: the practice of risk management. The current risk management literature has argued that our knowledge of the particularities of risk management practices is limited. It has been stressed that knowledge is particularly lacking about the long-term effects of practising risk management. This dissertation responds to these calls by carrying out two longitudinal case studies of two large Danish public capital investment programmes, also known as mega-projects. The focus of the two studies has been on three key risk management-related aspects: (1) the translation of uncertainties into risks, (2) the relationship between frameworks and practices of risk management, and (3) the effects of practising risk management on knowledge and project management roles. The dissertation further advances current risk management literature into the study of mega-projects and draws upon actor-network theory. It consists of three papers, which each deals with one of the above aspects. The dissertation presents three major findings. Firstly, it is demonstrated that, contrary to expectations, only some types of uncertainties are included as risks, termed pure risks, while others, termed impure risks, are systematically excluded despite the finding that people found them relevant to include. This finding is explained with reference to technical risk devices as these were found to define the boundaries between what can and what cannot be defined as an acceptable risk and thus be included. Secondly, the dissertation demonstrates that by enacting certain realities of 'risk' and 'risk management', frameworks of risk management make the practice produce the risks that confirm its propositions and thus its success. In addition, the dissertation shows that when provisional situations arise which undermine the frameworks' propositions, reconfiguring the risk management control system, risk terminologies and the roles of actors become key actions performed to re-establish the practice. Lastly, the dissertation demonstrates that during project processes, new uncertainties emerge which challenge project and risk management objectives as new knowledge about the conditions is produced that cannot be included. In sum, this dissertation contributes by shedding light on how practices of risk management are constructed and the effects they produce over longer periods of time.
|Copenhagen Business School [Phd]
|Antal sider
|ISBN (Trykt)
|ISBN (Elektronisk)
|Udgivet - 2014
|PhD series


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Hello again
Before I say anything else, I need to apologize with every bit of my being that this post is so late in coming. I really have no good excuse for its ridiculous tardiness. Though, funnily enough, that is actually the reason in itself. The truth is I've been ashamed; webcomic creators who suddenly stop updating and let their works get swallowed up in hiatus are so common that they're a cliche, and I couldn't bear to make it official unless I had a really impressive story to tell. Or better yet, an estimated time of return. In the words of Ani DiFranco, I want to have good news to report every time I come up for air.
But in fact, it's just life. In quick succession, Michael got married, went back to school, and acquired a more demanding job. I had some health problems (I'm better now), supported my husband through grad school, and had a second awesome baby. We ran out of time for this wonderful, wonderful project. We have no idea yet when we can come back to it.
We're in a busy season of our lives, but we still love Runewood Abbey and we still love our readers and we're so sorry to have been out of touch. We're dumb. We're bozos. But we are still here.
Anyway, if you would like to keep your finger on the RWA pulse and be the first to know when we suddenly come back to life–whenever that may be, weeks or months or years–probably the best way to do it is to like us on Facebook. If you're not a member of the big blue club, you are more than more than welcome to send us an email, and we will keep it in a safe place so we can let you know personally when we're up and running.
Again, sorry to have disappeared on you. Thank you so much once more for all the friendship, support, hilarious participation, constructive advice, and general awesomeness you've displayed. We love your guts. We'll come back as soon as we can.
Your fan,
~ Rachel
PS. In the meantime, please check out the sidebar to the right of this post and take note of a few of the other comics out there that truly, truly deserve attention and love. I used to limit it to just comics I thought might be of interest to our same target audience, but I just doubled its size with a lot of totally irrelevant stuff that I'm fond of.
Two next week!
Now there's a positive spin!
Just a heads-up–Michael is traipsing across the countryside right now, helping family with a big move, so this week's page will be delayed until the early part of next week. After that we'll do our darnedest to get another one up on the Saturday following. So that should be interesting speed-practice. :)
Thanks for your patience! We'll pop up the new page on facebook as soon as it hits!
~ Rachel
Happy New Year!!
Well, hi, everyone. :D
How was the rest of your 2011? As promised, we here at RWA are BACK IN ACTION! …And we will be releasing our first page of 2012 on the first Saturday of 2012–that's the 7th–so come back then to party with us as the story continues! WOO HOO!!
Both Michael and I are utterly stoked to be able to do this again. We've been having some awesome planning meetings, and have set up an official time for Office Hours every week where we get to work without interruption. We're starting off carefully, but our immediate goal is to try and streamline things enough to be able to produce two pages a week.
The complication, as before, is that one page of the comic generally takes about ten hours to create, which is a lot in Starving Artist Time. So one of the biggest things we want to get better at is advertising ourselves, getting a bigger audience, getting more page hits, and generally making it so that Michael can financially justify treating this as a part-time job. (Which has been his dream as far back as I can remember.)
We're thinking about running a Kickstarter fundraiser to allow us to spend more time working. As part of that, we would be selling a low-price ($8-$10) booklet of the first three chapters (75 pages) of the comic. Keep an eye out for a Facebook poll about that possibility in the next few days! If there's enough interest, we'll definitely do it.
So! Lots of hard work for us. Lots of fun reading for you! We hope you'll enjoy the rest of this chapter as much as we do. If you do, please tell your friends and keep coming around! :)
Again, happy new year! High fives all around! We're thrilled to be back. <3
See you next week!
~ Rachel
RWA on Break
Well, I guess some of you saw this coming.
First of all, I want to apologize for the lack of news on what was going on behind the scenes over here. We saw this coming, too, but we've been doing our best to fight it, and that meant not wanting to admit it. But now we figure it's time to cut back on the stress on ourselves, be honest with our amazing and wonderful readers, and plan for the future.
Runewood Abbey will be going on official hiatus for the remainder of 2011. The reasons are about what you'd expect–a toddler for me, new wife and career for Michael, and blah blah blah about the economy for all of us. We need to regroup and to change our strategy, because the current method of producing pages takes way too friggin' long and is incompatible with also eating and sleeping and earning money.
The plan is, we're going to experiment with drawing comics directly via a tablet (which we already use for the Photoshopping phase, so we may as well save some time, eh?). Meanwhile I want to flesh out a lot of the script for the future. When we come back, we hope to be producing pages much more efficiently, and more frequently. There may even be a Kickstarter campaign to help us devote more time to the project, and to work toward publishing. Despite the downtime, we're excited!
This story is really important to us, and we're determined to keep telling it. We still have the itch! We just want to do it in a way that's faster and smoother for both of us and for all of you, and we want to take care of our families at the same time. Words can't express how grateful we are for all your continued patience and your fantastic comments. This has been an amazing experience. It's not over yet.
Check back on January 1, 2012 to see what our new plans are going to be. In the meantime, please feel free to "like" us on facebook or subscribe to our RSS feed, so we can update everyone right away as soon as things are up and rolling again.
There will be minor updates during the hiatus, too–these last two pages will be finalized, and one more drawn to at least finish the current conversation. Michael is planning to do a profile image for Ferryn. I'm vaguely daydreaming about starting another webcomic I've had in mind for a while, which I would draw myself, meaning it would have much lower visual standards and be publishable on a daily basis. I still have to consider the details, but it could be fun. Meanwhile, whenever a minor or major update happens, you can hear about it by either RSS or facebook, as mentioned above.
Thank you again! We love your guts! We're excited to kick things back into gear once the new year hits. Send us an email any time you like. ♥
~ Rachel
Skin Horse guest art
Hey! Check this out!
Michael has a drawing up over at Skin Horse, one of our favorite comics by one of our favorite artists! See his drawing of Tip right here, and then go back to the beginning and read it all. We love this strip's guts, and it's completely insane to see our names anywhere near it.
While you're at it, I hope everyone has seen Shaenon's earlier comic, Narbonic, which is one of the best things I've ever read in any medium (and a humongous inspiration to me as a writer and artist). Thanks for featuring us, Shaenon and Jeff! Yay!
The timing is good in providing something for us all to look at this weekend. Keep an eye on your facebook and RSS feeds for the latest page, and a paradigm-shifting blog entry, in the next few days.
Thanks for reading, everyone!
~ Rachel


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Management experts have long predicted the demise of the standard 9-to-5 workday. Thanks to internet and mobile technology, we can now work where and when we want, they argue. So, why are so many people still sticking to those traditional hours, or more likely an extended version of them? The reality is that while flexible work arrangements have become more popular, few companies have an official policy or program. And even fewer managers are open to or equipped to handle employees with alternative schedules. But this doesn't mean you should give up on the idea of work flexibility. It just means the onus is on you to propose a plan that works for you, your boss and your company
What the Experts Say
Before you pursue a flexible schedule, recognize that you are likely to be bucking long-held conventions. "Traditionally, managers were reluctant to have people work remotely because of lack of trust: Are you really working or are you eating bonbons with your friend?" explains Stewart D. Friedman, professor of management at the Wharton School and the founding director of the Wharton School's Leadership Program and Wharton's Work/Life Integration Project. Even those bosses who trust their employees worry about appearing to favor certain people or allowing productivity to decline.
Still, more managers and organizations are seeing the benefits of non-traditional schedules. Research from Lotte Bailyn, professor of management at MIT's Sloan School of Management and co-author of Beyond Work-Family Balance: Advancing Gender Equity and Workplace Performance has shown that when people are given the flexibility they need, they meet goals more easily, they're absent or tardy less often, and their morale goes up. By focusing on these upsides and framing your request correctly, you greatly increase your chances of getting approval for an alternative work arrangement.
Define what you want
The first step is to figure out what you are trying to accomplish. Is your goal to spend more time with family? Reduce the amount of time you spend at the office? Or do you want to remove distractions in order to be able to focus on bigger, more long-term projects? Once you're clear on your goal, decide what arrangement will best help you achieve it — options include a compressed work week, a job share, reduced hours, working from home, taking a month-long sabbatical, even something as simple as turning off your Blackberry in the evenings — and consider whether you could still do your job effectively. Of course, not every job is suited for flexibility. Before you make a proposal, be sure to understand the impact your wished-for schedule will have on your boss, your team and your performance.
Next, investigate what policies, if any, your company has and whether there is a precedent for flexibility; there's no need to blaze a trail that's already been blazed. If your company doesn't have a formal policy, you'll need to create a proposal yourself.
Design it as an experiment
Many managers will be hesitant especially if your organization does not have established protocols. You can allay their fears by positioning your proposal as an experiment. "Include a trial period so that the boss doesn't worry that things will fall apart. He or she needs to be able to see the new way of working, and, in our experience, it quickly becomes evident that it is superior," says Bailyn. In Friedman's book, Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life, he talks about nine different types of experiments — everything from working remotely to delegating — you can use to gently introduce flexibility into your work life. Most importantly, provide an out for you and your boss. Explain that if it doesn't work, you are willing to try a different arrangement or go back to the way things were. "If things go wrong, one can always go back to the original plan, but most such experiments work out very well," says Bailyn.
Ask for team input and support
"Lots of our research has shown that flexibility only works when it's done collectively, not one-on-one between employee and employer," says Bailyn. Remember that your team — peers and direct reports — is affected by your work schedule, so you need everyone's support to make your new arrangement a success. Explain what you are trying to achieve and ask for their input. "Engage them in the planning and proposal," Bailyn says, and be sure to let your boss know that your proposal includes your colleagues' suggestions.
Involving your team can help head off another common concern of bosses. Some worry that if they grant one person flexibility, the floodgates will open and everyone will want the same arrangement. This is often an unfounded fear. Friedman points out that there's a difference between "equality" and "equity" and, in fact, many people prefer a traditional schedule. "You don't give everyone the same thing because they don't want they same thing," he says.
Highlight the benefits to the organization
Your proposal needs to emphasize the organizational benefits over the personal ones. "Whatever you try has to be designed very consciously to not just be about you or your family," Friedman says. "Instead what you propose needs to have the clear goal of improving your performance at work and making your boss successful." Demonstrate that you have considered the company's needs, that your new schedule will not be disruptive and that it will actually have positive benefits, such as improving your productivity or increasing your relevant knowledge.
Reassess and make adjustments
Once your experiment has been in place three or four months, evaluate its success. Are you reaching your goals? Is the schedule causing problems for anyone? Because you've designed the arrangement as a trial, you will want to report back to your boss. "Get the data to support your productivity. Show that it's working," says Friedman. And if it's not, be prepared to suggest adjustments.
Principles to Remember
- Know what you are trying to accomplish with flexibility before proposing an alternative schedule.
- Acknowledge the impact your arrangement will have on your boss, your team, and your productivity.
- Start with an experiment, and be open to adjustments if it doesn't work out.
- Focus exclusively on the benefits to you and your family.
- Assume your team will be behind you; you must incorporate their input and suggestions.
- Propose anything as a permanent solution without testing it first.
Case Study #1: Creating a unique job share
Julie Rocco was working as a program manager at Ford Motor Co when had she her first baby. She knew she wanted to return after her maternity leave but she didn't see how she could work a 12-hour-a-day job and also be a hands-on mom. So she asked a mentor at Ford for advice. The answer was simple: take advantage of the company's commitment to flexible work by crafting a job that suited her. The mentor suggested she talk to another Julie at Ford, Julie Levine, about job-sharing. Levine, a mother of two, had shared a job before and wanted to try it again, not least because it would give her an opportunity to move into mainstream project development.
"It's very much like picking a spouse," Levine says of choosing the right job-share partner. "That person is your eyes and ears when you're not there." After checking each other out in what they now refer to as "a blind date," they agreed to pitch themselves as a pair to Ford's management. The plan was this: Each would work three days a week overlapping one day — Rocco on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; Levine on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. They deliberately opted against splitting the week in half in order to avoid "losing momentum" during long stretches away. Each evening, save Wednesday, the person who'd been in the office would spend an hour and a half on the phone "downloading" the day's events to the one who'd been home. And on their days in common, they would either work together or, when things were exceptionally busy, divide and conquer. "It's our job to be seamless," they told their bosses. "We have the same outlook, the same goal, the same vision, the same work ethic. And you'll get more from us than one person could give."
"We said we would be a pilot," Levine recalls. Not only did Ford's management agree, they put the duo in charge of one of their most high-profile 2011 launches — the new Ford Explorer. The experiment was a success: they're now known throughout the company as "the two Julies," twin dynamos.
Both say the job share has made them happier at home and work, and also more effective. "One person might work a 12-hour day, go home and collapse, then have to do it all again the next day," Levine explains. With us, "because you have to analyze your day and share it with another brain, you show up the next day you're in ready to run."
Case Study #2: Taking time off for personal development
Amit Desai had been working at Bayer Healthcare for 11 years when he decided he wanted to apply to Wharton's top-rated executive MBA program. However, his enrollment would mean attending a full day of school on Friday every other week and on an occasional Thursday for two years — more than 60 days away from his job as an automation project manager.
While Bayer has official policies on telecommuting and flex-time, special requests like Amit's are decided on a case-by-case basis and so he was told to make a formal proposal. He started by looking into a similar request a previous employee had made and talking to his boss, who supported the plan with one stipulation: if a conflict ever arose, Amit would give priority to work over school. Amit agreed and created a pitch, including a detailed explanation of the MBA program and his goals in applying, a calendar of days he would be in school and how they tied into his work schedule, and a list of benefits to Bayer. "I have the ability to apply knowledge gained at school over the weekend to work on Monday," he told them. The VP approved his request and wrote a letter endorsing his Wharton application.
Amit is now in his fifth semester. "I honestly feel that the MBA challenge has rejuvenated me and I am more energized [at work]," he says.
Case Study #3: Setting the precedent
Like many young parents, Hope O'Reilly and her husband, Troy, were shocked to discover how prohibitively expensive full-time childcare was, especially in New York City. After having their first child, Hope wanted to return to her job as director of development at the American Craft Council, but she and Troy weren't sure how they could swing it financially. Toward the end of her maternity leave, the couple came up with a plan that would allow them both to continue working full-time while reducing their need for childcare: both would work from home one day a week, so they would only need a sitter on three days. They would be available for calls and meetings at most hours, work while the baby napped and make up for any missed time on their four days in the office.
Troy was a vice president in technology at JP Morgan Chase, and because the bank had flexible work policies in place, he was able to get approval to work from home most Mondays rather easily. Hope asked her boss at the ACC if she could work from home on Fridays, but faced a bigger challenge since no one at the organization had done that before. "There was absolutely no precedent," she says. Her boss was concerned about whether the mother of a newborn could really work at home, but Hope reassured her she could and promised to put in extra hours on nights and weekends. She acknowledged that it would be challenging and suggested they try the arrangement for three months, after which they could re-evaluate.
Hope stayed in the job, working from home on Fridays, for two years before moving on to the Bogliasco Foundation, where she has a similar arrangement working a compressed workweek. She believes that flexibility garners loyalty in employees. "When you have flexibility, you let a lot of other things slide, such as not getting raises. What's more valuable than time?" she says.
This content was adapted for inclusion in the HBR Guide to Managing Stress.


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Eighteen years go I ran my first, and only, marathon, the Marine Corps in Washington, D.C. It's called the "People's Marathon" because of its lack of prize money and its ability to transform joggers into first-time marathoners. In 1984 I was a 36-year-old jogger who wanted to be a marathoner, so it was a perfect match.
My completion time back then was 4:56—fast enough to avoid Monday morning rush hour but not a time to volunteer in general running conversation. Disappointed with my performance and disillusioned with long distance running I declared to my wife and friends that I would not run another marathon and I kept that pledge for almost two decades.
In April of 2002, at age 53, I decided I wanted to again go from jogger to marathoner. This wasn't a sudden compulsion but a desire building for a year or more, probably triggered by some mid-life brain cell firing when I hit the big Five-O. Not only did I want to run again, at Marine Corps, I also wanted to best my 1984 time. Running a marathon in middle age is a challenge, but far safer for marriage and family than buying a red sports car and less life threatening then skydiving or bungee jumping.
More From Runner's World
Remembering and Researching
Ambitious goals demand ambitious plans, and running as fast as I had at 36 years old couldn't be done without preparation, so I sat down and analyzed how I trained in 1984. To help me uncover the mistakes of that long ago race I did what any self-respecting baby-boomer would do—I bought a book and consulted an expert. The book was How to Train for and Run Your Best Marathon by Gordon Bakoulis Bloch. The expert was Ken Mierke, head trainer and coach for Fitness Concepts in Fairfax County, VA. Ken has trained national champion triathletes, so he certainly could help me accomplish my goal.
What did I do wrong the first time? I gave Mierke a rundown of what I remembered of my training regimen. It was pretty simple; I went out and ran—every day, which at the time seemed like a reasonable thing to do. I was already running four days a week at two or three miles a pop, so I just upped the ante. At lunch I'd leave my office and do three or four miles around the Mall in Washington, D.C. at about an 11 minute pace. On weekends I'd bump up my mileage a bit at the same pace. Both Mierke and Bakoulis Bloch agreed that running the same distance every day at the same pace was not a training strategy that would guarantee marathon success.
More importantly, I also realized that a core problem with my 1984 race was that I failed to set an obtainable goal (other then finishing.) I had defined no steps to hit a target—in fact I didn't even have a target. Now I had a real tangible goal—finish under 4:56—and I could plan and measure my progress toward achieving that goal.
So, armed with a goal and a plan, I could set about training.
I bought some basic equipment: a digital running watch and a running log. I measured my time over known routes plus timed my speed work. Fast is, of course, relative, and for me fast is, say, an eight-minute mile. Some of this speed work was done at a local high school track and some on a treadmill. I occasionally did fartleks during road training.
At the suggestion of both Mierke and Bakoulis Bloch I varied my training regimen, taking off one day a week and doing cross-training like the Stairmaster or walking. My arms get tired and sore on long runs so I did some upper body weight training.
For the last several years my running had once again fallen into a routine of a daily three-mile run. I knew I had to increase that but I wanted to avoid injuring my soon-to-be 54-year-old body. Again, both my book and expert encouraged me to build my mileage slowly using the popular 10% rule.
For June I averaged a modest 18 miles a week. I slowly increased the mileage until by July I was averaging about 25 miles a week, August about 30, September 35, peaking in early October at about 40 miles per week. Most days I divided my runs into two chunks, one at noon and one in early evening. On weekends I did my long runs.
The "long run," I learned, is considered a must for the successful completion of a marathon. When I ran the Marine Corps in 1984 I hit "the wall" at around mile 18. After that point my forward progress slowed dramatically until at times there was no progress. I don't remember actually sitting on the curb, but I did walk a lot.
To avoid a similar fate, I added five long runs of 12 or 13 miles to my schedule. This was on the short end as long runs go, but there were noticeable improvements in my time and I was feeling much stronger than I had in 1984.
This modest training regimen did concern me as I approached race day. I was tempted to continue my training schedule until the day before, but friends persuaded me to taper off. The week before the race I did short easy runs, lifted light weights and took off the two days before the event. By race day, I was ready.
Marine Corps Marathon Day
October 27th was a beautiful
With nearly 16,000 fellow travelers (up from 12,000 in 1984), I lined up. When I ran this the first time it took a few minutes for me to even get to the starting line. Not that those few minutes made much of a difference in the standings, but at least this time my exact start and finish were electronically calculated by the Champion-Chip tied to my shoe. Every little bit helps.
Looking around, I could easily see that the "People's Marathon" draws runners for a variety of reasons. Some, like me, were running to beat a personal best or just to prove they can do it. Others were here for deeply personal reasons like memorializing a loved one. Singlets and T-shirts bore the photos and names of fathers, mothers, siblings and friends who had passed away—many in the 9/11 terrorist attack, others in long ago wars.
I had a lot of company at my pace, some of it, uh... unusual. I was happy to pass a group of women dressed as Uncle Sam and a juggler, while a guy in a pink tuxedo had the audacity to pass me. I figured I'd pace myself and catch the two firefighters running in full firefighter gear later because I thought they'd hit their wall at around seven miles. I wasn't so sure about the Marine in full pack. Marines get encouragement from their brothers with grunts that can be heard all along the race. It's odd running next to a leatherneck and all of a sudden hearing a chorus of "Huuh, Huuuh." I joined the boisterous runners around me clapping, whistling, grunting and yelling "USA, USA" whenever I went through a tunnel or under a bridge.
Cruising and Crashing
The splits Marines called out at the mile markers confirmed I was on target—slowing down a bit, but O.K. At mile nine as I was coming to the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Arlington, I heard my wife shout "Borowski!" Later she said, "It was like you just started." In Rock Creek Park, somewhere between mile 11 and 14, a coworker was holding a cardboard happy face. The next day she said that I had looked "Great!"
But around mile 20 or 21 I seemed to be losing that "just started" and "great" feeling. It wasn't the doomed "I'll never finish" soreness I distinctly remember from '84, but soreness just the same. I began stopping at all water and gel stations just to walk a bit. The problem with stopping is starting again, and it was all I could do to get the mass of my body back in motion. It was at this point that I wished I had done some longer runs.
The joyous outbursts under the bridges had toned down, and soon waned entirely with everyone silently plodding along in the familiar marathon shuffle. People along the way started telling us "You're almost there, keep going," around mile 15. I knew I really wasn't "almost there," and I smiled and waved but secretly wished they'd can it. When I got to mile 24, however I was almost there.
At mile 26 "almost there" translates into 385 yards, almost four football fields. But these football fields were uphill and on a curve, and I was really sore. It took forever.
I eventually crossed the finish line with the clock reading 4:47 and raised my hands in victory. My chip time was 4:45:14. Age adjusted, that represents a 4:14:09 effort for my youthful self of 18 years ago. Better information, better goals and better training had paid off. I was faster at 53 than at 36, and in far better shape for my age.
Would I do it again? I think this time I may really retire from marathoning. But who knows in another 18 years I may want to go from jogger to marathoner once again. And if I do, I'll look to the Marine Corps Marathon to accomplish it again.