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Past, Present, Future: Directions in Single-Family Energy Auditing and Retrofits
Firsthand feedback from those who currently work in the home performance industry must inform technical and policy discussions about the effectiveness of energy auditing, retrofit practices, and measurement of energy use and savings in retrofits of single-family homes.
To capture the insights and expertise of those in the field, the Washington State University (WSU) Energy program implemented an Assessment of Residential Research Measures scoping study. The purpose of the study was to improve the energy efficiency, durability, and indoor air quality (IAQ) of existing U.S. single-family homes. The study was developed and implemented by researchers at the WSU Energy program, with contributions and assistance from building scientists, practitioners, and other stakeholders in the home performance contracting industry.
Table 1. Portland Home
Table 2. Berkeley Home: Information Provided to Auditors
Table 3. Auditor Recommendations in Portland
Table 4. Auditor Recommendations in Berkeley
The study assessed
- energy audits, to identify ways to improve the audit process; and
- home improvement recommendations resulting from the audits.
- Single-family energy auditing and retrofits that focus on home performance contracting take a multidisciplinary systems engineering approach. This approach encompasses the home's thermal envelope, IAQ, and HVAC system, and the work is often performed by home performance and low-income weatherization contractors. These contractors represent an emerging green jobs industry, poised to improve the energy efficiency, durability, and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in millions of existing U.S. single-family residences.
- WSU worked with staff from DOE's Building America teams and national laboratories, HUD, EPA, RESNET, ACI, ACCA, and ASHRAE to identify two initial project tasks that would address our research question. The first task was to conduct a round-robin auditing of a single home by multiple home performance contractors. The second task was to conduct a survey of building science stakeholders. This article describes how these two tasks were conducted, summarizes the initial findings, and provides a brief overview of other work included in the research.
Round-Robin Pilots
Two energy audit round-robin pilot efforts were implemented at the ACI 2011 Home Performance conferences in Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, California. These round-robins involved six auditors, who, working independently of one another, conducted energy audits and developed work plans on the two homes (see Tables 1 and 2). The researchers analyzed the differences among the six audits, and sought to identify the cause of those differences. The researchers then discussed potential means of promoting consistency in energy audits and presented their findings at the RESNET 2012 conference.
Over the last 15 years, a growing infrastructure of trained energy professionals who focus on residential energy performance has emerged. Government policy, utility program requirements, and market forces encouraged growth in this industry. Nationally, the most prevalent model consists of trained individuals certified by private nonprofit organizations (such as BPI and RESNET) that develop and maintain consensus standards within the housing industry. These organizations have joined other trades-based organizations (such as ACCA and North American Technician Excellence, which focus on HVAC), to offer quality assurance, guidance on best practices, and overall professionalism in the residential construction and retrofit markets.
To gauge the effectiveness of energy audits being conducted in the market, we asked trained professionals to conduct independent energy audits on the same house and compare the results. Conducting the audits in conjunction with the ACI conferences ensured access to a large pool of experienced auditors from different backgrounds working in a variety of markets. We saw the Portland event partly as a trial run for the event in Berkeley, where we anticipated wider national participation.
An expert panel evaluated both homes to establish a baseline for the existing conditions. The auditors who then conducted the tests were instructed to test and evaluate the homes only as they deemed necessary to characterize each home, and to prepare recommendations to improve its energy performance. In both cases, auditors were given utility energy bills for a full year, and feedback from the occupants about comfort, perceived IAQ, and occupant behavior.
At the Berkeley site, auditors were also asked to prioritize their recommendations based on budgetary limits of $8,000 and $16,000 respectively, and to create two separate proposals for upgrading energy performance.
Findings from the Portland House
Each of the six auditors who participated in Portland developed recommendations (see Table 3). The estimated costs and savings for each measure are broken out by auditor for the most commonly recommended measures. The savings estimates were based on modeling by the auditors in a variety of programs.
Findings from the Portland house can be summarized as follows:
- Auditors disagreed about upgrading windows and doors, upgrading the domestic hot water, adding insulation to basement walls, and installing an attic radiant barrier.
- Most auditors agreed about air sealing the envelope, insulating the crawl space, sealing and insulting ducts, replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs, and insulating the uninsulated laundry attic.
- Auditors all agreed on the need for better water management and drainage on the site.
- Estimated costs and savings for some measures varied greatly. Costs for crawl space insulation varied by a factor of almost three; costs for duct measures varied by a factor of three, and costs for air sealing varied by a factor of five. Estimated savings for these measures varied by factors of two to almost seven.
As of this writing the Portland homeowners have not yet decided which retrofits to make.
Findings from the Berkeley House
The eight auditors who participated in Berkeley were not asked to break out estimated costs and savings by measure. Rather, they were asked to prioritize their recommendations to meet two different budgets capped at $8,000 and $16,000, respectively (see Table 4). Auditor 1 only provided recommendations for a $16,000 budget. Auditor 4 only provided recommendations for an $8,000 budget. Any inconsistencies in the findings reflect the information submitted by the auditors.
Findings from the Berkeley house can be summarized as follows:
- Auditors agreed that health and safety issues were the primary concern at this site. The most important of these issues was the venting failure on the gas furnace in the crawl space.
- Auditors agreed on the need to air seal the envelope, upgrade the heating system, improve the floor insulation, and upgrade the hot-water system.
- Auditors disagreed as to the best type of heating system upgrade. Recommendations included a condensing furnace, a mini-split heat pump, and a hydroid combo system.
- Projected energy savings showed extreme variability, ranging from a 7.6% cost reduction to a 138% cost reduction—the latter with no apparent attempt to reconcile estimated savings with actual utility bills.
The owner of the Berkeley house chose to upgrade both the furnace and the water heater to condensing appliances, to close the crawl space, and to install perimeter insulation and an improved vapor barrier ground cover, at a total cost of about $10,000. The homeowner is also looking for ways to reduce the solar gain of the south-facing glazing.
Results of the Round-Robin Pilots
The results of the round-robins—admittedly based on a small sample—suggest that the home performance industry still has work to do to meet consumers' expectations in the marketplace. Consumers want to know what a retrofit job will cost and what the resulting savings and benefits will be. The results of the round-robins were ambiguous with respect to these questions. The development of databases that track costs and savings for specific climates and specific house types could help to reduce the uncertainty. Standards, some still in development, at BPI and RESNET, address issues of quality assurance, energy savings estimates, and contractor certification. The implementation of these standards should continue to build consumer confidence.
The authors hope that the round-robin pilots will serve as a catalyst to improve energy auditing and retrofit practices. They have urged DOE and other organizations to support future round-robins with home performance contractor market actors such as RESNET, ACCA, and BPI. These future round-robins should evaluate many different program approaches to energy auditing and work plan development. If they are implemented nationwide, they can address variability in retrofit approaches based on differences in regional housing stock and/or climate. Feedback from round-robins will provide ongoing quality assurance to ensure that homeowners get relatively consistent, reliable, repeatable, and useful recommendations from the home performance contracting industry. The results could also be used as feedback to further inform the development of training programs and close the gap between instruction and practice.
Survey of Building Science Stakeholders
To obtain input from home performance experts, an energy audit diagnostic and measurement survey was conducted at the Building Science Corporation's Westford Symposium, which was held in Westford, Massachusetts, August 1–3, 2011. The survey consisted of 13 questions about diagnostic measurements and analysis tools and post-retrofit information, including customer feedback, energy measurement, and ways to improve home energy performance. The survey was conducted online during and after the symposium. A total of 135 symposium participants responded to at least some of the questions, and of these, 118 completed the entire survey.
The results of the survey can be summarized as follows:
- Respondents rated the importance of 12 energy audit diagnostic measurements. All but 2 of the measurements were rated as important or very important. Lighting and appliance surveys were rated least important, while assembly area measurements, envelope leakage rates, the homeowner interview, utility bills, and combustion safety test were rated most important.
- Respondents most frequently identified assembly area measurements, lighting and appliance surveys, the homeowner interview, utility bills, and combustion safety tests as the diagnostic measurements they include in a basic audit.
- When respondents were asked whether or not we need to develop new audit measurements or techniques, slightly more than half (53%) said yes. The largest group of respondents said that we need to improve what we are doing by streamlining, simplifying, standardizing, and providing training. Three areas were identified as needing new measurements or techniques: air quality and health and safety (including ventilation, IEQ, combustion safety), heat loss through wall assemblies, and air leakage (including air infiltration, duct leakage). The responses suggest the emphasis should be on improvements rather than on new measurements.
- When asked what information from the audit is most important to homeowners, respondents most frequently identified energy cost savings and prioritizing what the homeowner should do (that is, making recommendations). Financing was mentioned in over half of the responses. Many responses also included one or more of the following: comfort, health and safety, durability, defects (that is, correcting problems), occupant behavior (that is, consumer education), building performance ratings, and IEQ.
- Respondents were asked what they charged their customers for an audit. Responses varied widely; costs were most frequently in the $300–600 range. The majority of respondents indicated that audit costs were subsidized by utilities (most frequent) by the local, state, or federal government or by contractors. A little more than half of the respondents (55%) said that the cost of the audit deterred homeowners from getting a retrofit.
Results of the Building Science Stakeholder Survey
One conclusion that can be drawn from the results of the building science stakeholder survey is that all the respondents see opportunities for improvement. While there was little consensus in the responses to many questions, the responses do reflect a very wide range of perspectives. This range of perspectives can be used to inform future work to improve home performance.
Consumer Education
The grant that funded this study provided resources to develop a DVD entitled "Air Leakage in Homes." This video gives builders, building officials, and homeowners an overview of opportunities to improve home energy efficiency by addressing air leakage in the home.
Recommendations and Conclusions
Information from the round-robin pilot, the stakeholder survey, and the input from the advisory group helped to inform technical and policy discussions regarding energy auditing, retrofit practices, and measurement of energy use and savings in single-family home retrofits. Other key recommendations resulting from this research are listed below.
More research is needed on the variance and other real-world uncertainties associated with the energy audit information used to develop work scopes.
A whole-house systems engineering approach is needed that focuses on energy savings, comfort, improved IAQ, durability, and health and safety.
Market research is needed that focuses on the nonenergy savings benefits of improved home performance. These benefits include greater comfort and improved health and safety. To encourage customers to invest in home performance improvements, we must first understand what those customers need and want. This may entail an energy audit that includes a home energy rating and/or an analysis of utility bills.
Auditors must make an effort to acquire and utilize utility billing history at the programmatic and/or individual home level. This will help to ensure that energy savings estimates are reasonable and realistic. This study identified a need for policy that allows easier access to that data.
Auditors need a variety of market-based approaches to home performance audits and work plan development that add value and improve market penetration while ensuring that home performance improvements are predictable and actionable.
learn more
The full report on which this article is based is available online for free at Washington State University.
Contact Michael Lubliner at firstname.lastname@example.com and David Hales at email@example.com.
Learn more about the WSU Extension Energy program.
Get more info about the Westford symposium.
Get a copy of the WSU Extension Energy program video "Air Leakage in Homes: The Invisible Thief."
Looking Ahead
In 2013 WSU implemented two additional round-robin tests. One focused on auditors using an EPS score in the Seattle retrofit market and the other focused on utility audits typical in the Denver market. Both included a HVAC/DHW combustion safety assessment. WSU hopes to have results available to the public in October 2013.
WSU is working with NIST and other stakeholders on the scoping and development of a guideline to assist in the implementation of round-robin testing as a feedback tool for home performance contracting trade organizations.
Also, WSU is seeking comments from Home Energy readers on: 1) the value round-robin testing may have as a QA tool; and 2) the areas of home performance contracting that you think could benefit from the round-robin process, as an important tool to assess reliability and repeatability. Please contact the authors with any feedback.
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Sunday, July 15, 2007
I wasn't sure that I would mark the occasion but with Paalo's encouragement, I am. As he said to me, 500 posts is something to celebrate.
When I first started I wasn't sure I'd even make it to 50 but in between then and now, we have nibbled on 34 Australian cheeses be they cow, sheep, buffalo or goat, imbibed on 60 beverages of various descriptions, indulged the sweet tooth in 160 ways and sated our hunger with 207 savoury dishes.
I know I couldn't have done it without the support of family and friends and to all that have passed through or lingered on the pages of this blog - for all your generous comments and well wishes, I thank you so very much for sharing in these offerings.
23 comments
That's quite an achievement, Hallo - congratulations! I'm off to search your archives for that gorgeous-looking watermelon dish (top left corner, see?)ReplyDelete
haalo, you blog is hands down my favourite. i'm always inspired by your creations and amazed by the photos.ReplyDelete
i can't figure out how you almost psychically beat me to post recipes or about weird ingredients but somehow you're more than a few steps ahead. always.
it'a an amazing blog and i'm glad you feel as pleased writing it as i do reading it.
just one question, what do you do with all the food? there's so much every week and i wonder what happens to it all :)
Congratulations Haalo and long may you continue.ReplyDelete
You have been a great inspiration to me since I started my own blog and in recent weeks and months your postings have exceeded even your own high standards. But most of all, your photography does something that no other blog I've ever seen manages to achieve. While so many blog photographers almost sanctify the food they illustrate and put it on a pedestal, you invariably put the food into my hands and my mouth, totally engaging me with the subject.
You are a brilliant example of "less is more" and you constantly remind me why I love food. I still want to hire you professionally one day, when I can afford the fees.
Mind you, on the technical side you have some shortcomings... Your flickr display is showing "private" status to me when I click on the photos.ReplyDelete
Congratulations, Haalo! I always enjoy visiting your blog - there is always something interesting and new. You've taught me many things and also shown me how to do something different with ingredients I am very familiar with.ReplyDelete
Here's to another 500 posts! (cin cin!... can I say that?) ;-)
Congatulations, that is quite a milestone! I will toast my next glass of wine to you!ReplyDelete
Thanks Pille - I saw you found it, I hope you enjoy it!ReplyDelete
Thank you Anna, that is so sweet of you. I usually find good homes for any excess food - going either to the office or the factory, we have happy employees ;)
Thanks Trig, you are making me blush! I look forward to that call in the near future ;) I have fixed up that link so it's public now.
Thanks Nora for all your support and I look forward to the next 500!
Thanks Holler and Cheers!
Congratulations! I so enjoy your site and am amazed at the quality of your recipes/photos, especially since you post nearly everyday. Well done!ReplyDelete
And (more than) 500 stunning photos too! Congratulations!ReplyDelete
Here's to 500 posts and more to come. Here's to you, Haalo, to your generosity that shines through your words and here's to your fabulous blog. Thank you Haalo.ReplyDelete
Congratulations! Thank YOU for your time and dedication on this fantastic blog.ReplyDelete
Haalo - many, many congratulations on 500 posts. That's quite an achievement. I'm looking forward to the next 500!ReplyDelete
Thank you Mercedes - it's been a pleasure.ReplyDelete
Thanks Kalyn, as always you've been a great support.
Thanks Rose for your very kind comments.
Thanks Sil - the joy for me is in the sharing.
Thanks Kathryn - one down and 499 to go ;)
Congratulations, Haalo!ReplyDelete
I have always been inspired by you and your beautiful blog!
Thank you so much for making it past 50! Your site is always my first spot to look when I need an interesting, different, and just plain delicious recipe to impress my friends with! Keep up the good work! :)
Congratulations Haalo! I'm not quite sure at what point I found your fa bolus blog, but I'm here to see 500 more posts: especially of those cheese ones-I love them although I know I cannot find them. And your recipes; I love how to the point they are and how wonderfully supported by beautiful and clear pictures.ReplyDelete
Once more congratulations--in Turkish "tebrikler"!
congrats to you!ReplyDelete
here's to 500 more~
Thank you Patricia - it's wonderful people like you that have made this so enjoyment.ReplyDelete
Thanks Anon - it makes me happy to know that you've got so much out of this blog.
Çok tesekkur ederim Burcu - there will be more cheese!
Thank you Jaden!
I`m in bliss when I peruse your blog. Never yet have I found another with such cool photography, un-pretentious commentary, and do-able yet lip-smackin' recipes. Alas, and Hooray!, yours is one of a kind by my standards. Many thanks to you for your efforts and for sharing them. I look forward to cooking more of your experiments for my happy and lucky family!ReplyDelete
Shannon in Quebec, Canada.
Thank you Shannon that is so very lovely of you - hopefully there will be more things to come and for you and your family to enjoy!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 18, 2007
Wow 500 posts! Congrats :) Hope to read many more..ReplyDelete
Wow, congrats Haalo! Here's to the next 500, and the 500 after that!ReplyDelete
Thanks Y!ReplyDelete
Thanks Sara, hopefully the best is yet to come!


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September 19th, 2013
Pope Francis: Church can't 'interfere' with gays
By Eric Marrapodi and Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editors
(CNN) - Pope Francis said the church has the right to express its opinions but not to "interfere spiritually" in the lives of gays and lesbians, expanding on explosive comments he made in July about not judging homosexuals.
In a wide-ranging interview published Thursday, the pope also said that women must play a key role in church decisions and brushed off critics who say he should be more vocal about fighting abortion and gay marriage.
Moreover, if the church fails to find a "new balance" between its spiritual and political missions, the pope warned, its moral foundation will "fall like a house of cards."
The interview, released by Jesuit magazines in several different languages and 16 countries on Thursday, offers perhaps the most expansive and in-depth view of Francis' vision for the Roman Catholic Church.
The pope's comments don't break with Catholic doctrine or policy, but instead show a shift in approach, moving from censure to engagement.
Elected in March with the expectation that he would try to reform the Vatican, an institution that many observers say is riven by corruption and turf wars, Francis said his first mission is to change the church's "attitude."
"The church has sometimes locked itself up in small things," the pope said, "in small-minded rules."
"The people of God want pastors," Francis continued, "not clergy acting like bureaucrats or government officials."
MORE ON CNN: New interview shows why the pope is so beloved
The interview was conducted by the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, editor of La Civilta Cattolica, a Jesuit journal based in Rome, over three meetings this August at Francis' apartment in Rome.
The pope approved the transcript in Italian, according to America magazine, a Jesuit journal based in New York that initiated the interview and supervised its translation into English.
Advance copies of the interview were provided to several news organizations, including CNN.
Jesuits from around the world submitted questions to Spadaro. Francis answered them with the frankness that has become a hallmark of his young papacy.
To begin the interview, Spadoro bluntly asks, "Who is Jorge Mario Bergolio?" - Francis's name before he was elected pope.
"I am a sinner," the pope answers. "This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner."
The pope didn't mention any particular sins, and Catholic theology holds that all humans are sinners, a consequence of Adam and Eve's original transgression. Still, a pope describing himself foremost as "sinner" is striking.
MORE ON CNN: The pope said what? Six stunners from Francis
Offering new glimpses of his personal life, Francis said he prays at the dentist's office and felt trapped in the Vatican's traditional papal apartments. (He moved to a smaller one in a nearby building.) He has a taste for tragic artists and Italian films and keeps the will of his beloved grandmother in his prayerbook.
But it was the pope's vision for the church's future - painted in broad strokes - that's sure to rile or inspire Catholics, depending on which side of the church they sit.
Here are some highlights:
On Women
In July, Francis said, emphatically, that the "door is closed," on women's ordination, a statement that disappointed many Catholic liberals.
But that doesn't mean the church should consider women secondary or inferior, Francis said. "The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions," he told Spadora.
Francis also called on Catholics to think hard about the function of women in the church.
"Women are asking deep questions that must be addressed," the pope said. "The church cannot be herself without the woman and her role."
On Homosexuality
When Francis was a bishop in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he received letters from gays and lesbians who said they were "socially wounded" by the church, he said.
"But the church does not want to do this," Francis said in the interview.
The pope then recalled his comments in July, when he told the media aboard a flight to Rome, "Who am I to judge" gay people?
MORE ON CNN: Pope Francis on gays: 'Who am I to judge?'
"By saying this, I said what the catechism says," the pope told Spadaro. The catechism, the Catholic Church's book of official doctrine, condemns homosexual acts, but says gays and lesbians "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity."
"Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person."
Francis said that someone once asked him if he "approved" of homosexuality.
"I replied with another question," he said. "`Tell me, when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?' We must always consider the person. Here we enter into the mystery of the human being."
Abortion, gay marriage and contraception
Some American Catholics grumble that Francis has been largely silent on signature Catholic political issues.
"I'm a little bit disappointed in Pope Francis that he hasn't, at least that I'm aware of, said much about unborn children, about abortion, and many people have noticed that," Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, said earlier this month.
Francis said that he's aware of the criticism, but he is not going to change.
"We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods," he told his Jesuit interviewer. "I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that."
But the pope said the church's teachings on those issue are clear, and he clearly believes in those teachings, so what else is there to say?
"It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time," Francis said.
False prophets and quick decisions
Only false prophets claim to have all the answers, Francis said.
"The great leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left room for doubt," he said. "You must leave room for the Lord."
But church leaders, including himself, haven't always practiced humility, the pope admitted.
Many of the bad decisions he made while leading Catholics in Argentina came about because of his "authoritarianism and quick manner of making decisions," the pope said.
That won't happen again, Francis said, as he begins to steer the church in a new direction.
He didn't offer an exact course, but he said change will come. Sooner or later.
"Many think that changes and reforms can take place in a short time," he said. "I believe that we always need time to lay the foundations for real, effective change. And this is the time of discernment."
soundoff (3,625 Responses)
About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Online ID checks to limit teen booze and knife purchases
Bill plans heavy fines for offending retailers
If you can't prove how old you are, your days of shopping on the internet may be numbered. Fears that young people could be getting hold of knives, adult DVDs and alcohol are all fuelling a campaign by Margaret Moran, MP for Luton South, to make online age verification compulsory in the UK.
This Friday, she will introduce a second reading of a bill designed to impose hefty fines – or even a prison sentence – on online retailers who fail to implement procedures that will ensure their customers are of a legal age.
At the Bill's first reading, in January, Ms Moran said: "My Bill aims to ensure online retailers take their responsibilities more seriously. Children can now get hold of some very disturbing items, things they would never be able to buy if they walked into a shop. It has to stop.
"It is clear that currently there are inadequate checks put in place by a large number of online retailers and if they are going to continue to drag their heels over this issue then it is up to Parliament to ensure our children are better protected."
Ms Moran cited a story from The People. According to this, a 14-year-old obtained a pre-paid card from a local store. It is not illegal to do so – though card retailers claim they do not sell these cards to anyone under the age of 18.
He then went on to obtain porn, knives and vodka – and to place a £10 bet with William Hill. Ms Moran claims this is just the tip of the iceberg, and that the number of such cases is increasing.
Recent surveys have found around one-third of teenage boys aged 13-17 have successfully purchased adult DVDs and violent games online. And 5 per cent of 14-year-olds have purchased alcohol in this way.
Meanwhile Conservative MP John Whittingdale was embarrassed to learn that his 12-year-old daughter's membership of Bebo was in breach of that site's "over 13s" rule.
This came to light when, as chairman of the Commons culture committee, Mr Whittingdale quizzed Bebo safety chief Rachel O'Connell on the minimum age appropriate for joining that site. To general laughter, the MP commented: "I shall plainly have to go and talk to her."
There are two points here. The first is that Ms Moran has latched on to an issue that worries the public. The number of stories about under-age purchasing (online) is increasing – alongside comments from concerned officials. Trading Standards bodies, for example, frequently grab headlines about this topic.
But it is very easy to stage a story of this kind, and in the case of The People's story one assumes that the child was actually assisted in his law-breaking by a number of reasonably clever adult journalists. But even if the law was broken in creating the story, it could be argued that the end justifies the means when it is children's welfare that is alleged to be at stake.
Which leads on to the second point.
On the surface, this Bill is going nowhere. It is a Ten Minute Bill. These sometimes become law, but more often they are a platform for political hobby horses. The Bill is likely to be second in the debating queue – which is good, but probably not good enough to ensure it goes forward.
However, what happens behind the scenes is just as important. Ms Moran is also lobbying for the principles embodied in this Bill to be taken up by Government into other legislation. The response to this Bill, even if it fails, is therefore important, and the media hype – notably by the BBC last weekend - may well give it legs beyond Friday.
There is certainly a real problem beneath the surface of all this; if certain things are deemed wrong for young people to possess, then they ought not to be getting round the law just by using the internet.
The situation is exacerbated by the growing range of items that have been barred to young people by this government and by social paranoia. But the answer is not legislation that is over-broad and preventative. In order to identify young people on the internet, you need to identify older people as well. Does anyone feel yet another justification for compulsory ID coming on?
To control a minority group (as with immigrants) it becomes necessary to control everyone. Nothing to fear if you haven't done anything. But is that really the point?
The other question begged by this proposal is just what the role of parents is meant to be in all this. If a teenager is ordering all manner of illicit items, then having delivered them to their home, there are several points in the supply chain where an involved parent is likely to notice and, presumably, intervene.
And vice-versa. If a child is so out of control that they are ordering drink and knives off the internet – are they likely to regard the drinks cabinet and the kitchen drawers as out of bounds?
This law is over-reaction to an unproven issue, and the fact that Ms Moran is proudly claiming that "this is the first time a politician in Europe has called for online age and identity verification to be put on the statute books" is the sign of a party that has entirely lost the plot as far as individual liberty goes.
It is to be hoped the Bill will be laid to rest on Friday. But sadly, its spirit seems likely to haunt legislation for years to come. ®


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I had a seemingly otherworldly experience last week at a briefing from a couple of Dell execs about the company's newly released Advanced Infrastructure Management package, a suite for managing physical and virtual application workloads in the datacenter. As a devotee to my sustainable/green-tech beat, I pressed the gentlemen (Paul Prince, large enterprise CTO and Praveen Asthana, vice president of enterprise storage and networking) on the green benefits of the product.
Rather than embracing the opportunity, the reps of what aspires to be the world's greenest technology company told me, essentially, that the only green feature they could think of was a power management tool -- but didn't have any specifics to share. More surprising to me, they said that customers they talk to aren't really concerned about greening their datacenters. Almost as an afterthought to my line of green-oriented questions, the execs assured me that Dell itself does care about green and is taking steps to make its products and operations greener. But again, they said green wasn't a concern for their customers.
[ Learn about the winners of InfoWorld's 2008 and 2009 Green 15 awards, 30 companies that are concerned about green. | Find out how RagingWire employs green practices to keep prices down and power consumption in check. ]
What, then, are datacenter operators concerned about, according to Dell? Boosting efficiency and cutting costs, which AIM is designed to do. Basically, it gives admins a means of dynamically allocating and reallocating storage, compute, and network resources to meet the demands of current workloads on a more-or-less real-time basis. This approach would, for example, allow an admin to spread workloads in such a way that underutilized servers kick in when demand hits a certain level. Also, per Dell, it helps reduce the number of failover servers a company requires.
Indeed, this type of solution does appear to lend itself well to what Dell says customers care about: boosting efficiency and cutting costs. After all, it provides datacenter operators with a single console to wring as much use as they can from their existing datacenter equipment, an elegant alternative to throwing hardware at the problem of meeting increasing service demands and reining in the data explosion. Meanwhile, organizations can save money from buying fewer machines, as well as spending less on electricity to power and cool their datacenters.
Those power and cooling costs are by no means trivial, either. Datacenter operators throughout the country have had to cope with the skyrocketing costs of powering and cooling servers (powering and cooling a single midrange server costs upward of $1,870 per year), as well as the limited supply of power from their utility providers. These realities have forced plenty of companies to come up with ways to reduce power consumption in the name of saving money -- both in terms of energy and hardware bills, as well as the expense of expanding their existing datacenter or building an entirely new one.
Perhaps now you can imagine my surprise in hearing the Dell execs tell me that customers aren't concerned with green: Datacenter operators want to cut costs. Energy waste is a huge ongoing (and rising) expense in the datacenter. The green-tech movement is very much geared toward reducing energy consumption. Sure, the term "green" tends to refer to the environmental benefits of cutting power usage (which is why I tend to prefer "sustainable"), but I believe it's up to companies like Dell to better connect the dots between green and energy conservation.
Moreover, datacenter operators want to get more from their existing hardware (that is, make more efficient use of their resources), which lowers energy costs, reduces the complexity of hardware glut, saves on floor space, and slows investments in more IT gear. That sort of conservation also smacks of green to me -- again, whether it's in the name of the planet or the bottom line. Once again, companies like Dell would be well served illustrating the connection.
One more thing: With the threat of the feds cracking down on greenhouse gas emissions, at least some datacenter operators are preparing for carbon regulations, which certainly falls under the umbrella of "be concerned about green." I wouldn't be surprised if lots of companies out there haven't been paying attention to what's happening in Copenhagen or in D.C., despite the fact that we're seeing clear signs that carbon regs are on the horizon and will have companies scrambling to reduce energy consumption, both to shrink their carbon footprints and to reduce the sting of potentially higher energy prices.
Given that Dell aspires to be the greenest tech company on the planet and that it is grooming products to be more environmentally friendly, it presumably grasps the various benefits of green. Given that Dell's customers do (or should) care about cutting costs, boosting efficiency, and preparing for carbon regs, I can only hope the company's reps do a better job explaining that green-tech implementations such as AIM can help achieve those aforementioned objectives.
Yes, there's a risk of turning off customers by overhyping the benefits of green, but I firmly believe that the benefits of green are clear and measurable in terms of money and GHG emissions. Dell has an opportunity here to educate customers and advance its own green objectives by illustrating the very clear connections between "green," "cost savings," and "efficiency," and helping datacenter operators understand that they should, indeed, be concerned with green.
This story, "Dell must help customers realize they do care about green," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in green IT at InfoWorld.com.


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Still tanning? UV got to be kidding! Give it up this summer (and beyond) by following these skin safety dos and don'ts!
DO cover up.
Look adorbs and stay protected! Wear a cute rashguard to minimize sun exposure.
DON'T go too high or too low.
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Buy SPF 30! Anything lower doesn't shield you, and a higher number gives you a false sense of security—it won't protect much more, and it still needs to be reapplied.
DO save your strands.
Seaweed isn't just for a sushi date! Spritz hair with a sea-mineral spray to prevent locks from frying. Then rub sunscreen into your part to keep your scalp from burning.
DON'T skimp on SPF!
You need about two palm-size portions to protect your whole body.
DO go for a fake glow.
For weekend plans, get a quick bronze with a professional spray tan! You can choose exactly how dark you want to go.
DON'T forget to reapply after taking a dip.
No sunscreen is actually waterproof, so make sure to reapply after a dip.
DO try different SPF formulas.
Hate the how some heavier sunscreens can make your skin feel all sticky? Try sunscreen oil! For zero stickiness, spray it on wet skin and let it dry without rubbing!
DON'T leave your hat at home.
Keep cool in the heat by throwing on a hat! A 3-inch brim increases the protection you get from sunscreen alone!
DO take an indoor lunch break.
Duck into the AC for an iced mocha break with friends from 11 am–1 pm! (That's when the sun's rays are the worst.)
DON'T limit your protection to the outside.
Scoop another spoonful of berries onto your fro-yo—the antioxidants in fruits may help reduce skin damage. (You still need your SPF though!)
DO make it a habit.
Stash a travel-size bottle of SPF in your makeup bag and on your vanity as a reminder to apply it anytime you're outdoors!
DON'T ignore weird spots.
While you're at it, be on the lookout for any spots that are bigger than the eraser on a pencil and spots that have changed size or shape. You'll def need to get those checked out by a derm.
DO regular mole checks.
Remember your ABCs of skin care: A for asymmetry, B for border and C for color. If you have a mole that's sides are asymmetrical, border looks scalloped or uneven, or has a variety of colors, it's a sign that the mole may be unhealthy and you should consult a doctor.
DON'T skip the derm.
Make an appointment with a derm! You need to visit one once a year for an official skin check. But look monthly on your own for moles that have changed or grown.
DO decode the SPF labels.
There's a lot written on a sunscreen bottle. Look for an SPF with the term "broad spectrum protection," which means it protects against the sun's most damaging UVA and UVB rays!
DON'T break out.
Layer a mineral sunscreen, like zinc oxide, under your makeup! It lies on top of skin without clogging pores to bounce the sun's rays off your face.
DO pick a sport-safe SPF.
Before your a.m. run, use a sweat-resistant SPF. It works overtime to protect your skin, even while you're breaking a sweat on the sand.
DON'T forget to cover sneaky spots.
Ask your beach crush to spray your back! It's a good excuse to flirt and cover that spot between your shoulder blades that usually gets overlooked!
DO find shade.
There's no shame in picking a spot under the umbrella! It reduces the risk of burning, and friends will come hang out on your towel when they're looking for a place to cool down.
Remember to reapply sunscreen by setting an alarm on your phone to go off every 90 minutes. That way, you can get lost in your juicy beach read without worrying about getting fried.
DO invest in quality shades.
Protect your eyes with UV-reflecting sunglasses as you people-watch poolside!
DON'T leave home without your SPF lip gloss!
The skin on your lips is extra fragile, so the more you reapply, the more that glossy layer is working to protect your lips from burning and peeling!
Photo Credit: Getty Images


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LEMONT, Ill. — Feeling as though he had nothing to lose, Justin Rose put himself in position for a big gain with his best round of the year Thursday in the BMW championship.
Rose made birdie on half of his holes at Cog Hill, a tough course that played even longer in chilly conditions, giving him an 8-under 63 and a two-shot lead over Webb Simpson and Mark Wilson.
"Didn't expect that going out there today," Rose said. "I looked to the weather, looked at the temperature, and I thought today was going to be a day to hang in there. Little did I know I was about to play so well — certainly my best round of the year by a long, long way. And could have been top five, top 10 rounds I've ever played for sure."
There were other reasons he didn't see it coming.
Since a solid spring through the Masters, the 31-year-old player from England lost his way and went 10 straight tournaments without a top-10 finish. He is No. 34 in the FedEx Cup, and because only the top 30 advance to the Tour Championship and a shot at the $10 million bonus, Rose figured he might as well give it his best shot.
It was better than he imagined.
He didn't miss a single fairway and only twice had to scramble for par.
One round made his prospects for the FedEx Cup brighten considerably, although plenty of other players took advantage of relatively soft greens that made up for the swirling breeze and temperatures that eventually climbed into the 60s.
Simpson remained hot despite the weather.
He won for the first time on the PGA Tour a month ago at Greensboro, then won again two weeks later in the Deutsche Bank Championship to move to the top of the FedEx Cup and assure himself one of the coveted top five positions at East Lake. Another week, another course, and there he is again.
"Luckily, I was able to keep the momentum in the good stretch I had in Boston going into today," Simpson said. "We got off to a really good start and made a few really good saves there in the middle of the round and finished with a couple birdies coming in. It was a good day for the tough course and tough conditions we were facing."
Simpson made it sound simple, which is how golf can feel when a player is winning.
It wasn't that way for everyone.
Dustin Johnson, the defending champion at Cog Hill, sputtered at the start and then stumbled at the turn, making five bogeys for a 40 on his back nine for a 76. Jason Day had a 77, while Bubba Watson was wild off the tee and didn't make a single birdie in his round of 78.
Phil Mickelson nearly joined them. He took double bogey on the par-3 second hole when his flop shot from the other side of the green only went one-third of the way toward the hole and stayed in the collar of the rough. Another towering flop shot wound up 12 feet by the hole. Lefty was 4 over through five holes, but ran off four birdies and salvaged a 72.
The measure of Rose's good round was that his 63 was nearly nine shots better than the average score in the opening round, and only 16 other players managed to break 70.
K.J. Choi opened with a 67, while the group at 68 featured Jim Furyk and Camilo Villegas, both of whom need a big week to advance to the Tour Championship. Villegas narrowly got into the FedEx Cup playoffs, starting at No. 109, and now has the Tour Championship in his sights.
"Who cares where you are right now," Villegas said. "It's all about just playing good golf from here the next three days and hopefully advancing."
Rose said he cleaned up his swing with coach Sean Foley during a practice session Tuesday, making sure the club was not laid off at the top of his swing. He found a simple swing though, stuck with it, and watched it pay off in a big way.
As for his position in the FedEx Cup? Rose didn't even bother to do the math.
"I've got nothing to lose this week," he said. "That's my strategy. That's my attitude. Right now, I'm not going to Atlanta. I've got everything to gain this week. That's really the way I'm seeing it. Guys who are 26, 27, 28, 29, who have played well all year, they might be pretty tense this week because they feel they deserve to be in Atlanta."
LEMONT, Ill. — Feeling as though he had nothing to lose, Justin Rose put himself in position for a big gain with his best round of the year Thursday in the BMW championship.
Pitching, timely hits lead Statesboro baseball to key region win over Coffee County
Portal baseball rallies for walk-off win, splits doubleheader with McIntosh County Academy
Vision Source Professional Eye Care presents Prep Sports Spotlight
Vision Source Professional Eye Care presents Prep Sports Spotlight


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Durning, of course, is the larger presence. And I do mean larger. These days the veteran actor, most recently seen as Dylan McDermott's father on ABC-TV's The Practice, has reached Tip O'Neill-like proportions. Durning's bulbous nose and bowl-full-of-jelly gut, however, merely announce his physical profile. His body of acting is also exceedingly rotund, embracing humor and pathos, inspiration and broad-stroke dexterity in this role alone. How fun, then, to see him paired with Harris, a minimalist who exerts less movement throughout her entire body than Durning uses to flick his wrists.
Together, in D.L. Coburn's melodrama about two old geezers abandoned by their families and dumped into a second-rate nursing home, the actors perform a demonic mating dance, illustrating the way their characters are caught in a self-destructive two-step. The card game of the title is the contest that Weller Martin (Durning) and Fonsia Dorsey (Harris) end up playing each week on the porch of their shabby residence. Fonsia is a new arrival. Weller, who sits outside dealing cards to no one in particular, tells her the "place takes some adjusting to." Both eschew the false cheeriness of the nursing home's social activities. Both are alone on visiting days.
Weller teaches Fonsia how to play gin rummy, and before long she is winning every hand. It galls Weller that Fonsia has no strategy (or none that he can see). "I'm not an expert. I just play like an expert," she confides guilelessly as he grits his teeth. It incenses her that Weller is such a poor loser, and lets out a string of profanities each time she announces "Gin!" Soon Fonsia reveals that she has a neglectful son living in Denver and a sister far away in Ottawa. He gruffly confesses, "Yeah, yeah. I have three children," adding that he lost touch with them long ago. She's quietly happy for the distraction from her loneliness. He ebulliently enunciates her name, "FON-si-a," like a railroad conductor announcing his arrival at a wonderful new town.
For a while Fonsia and Weller do provide an effortless refuge for each other and for us. The play unfolds with successive card games on the porch. (James Noone's set resembles the oversize veranda of a shabby Adirondacks camp building, in which dead leaves have begun to pile up amid sports equipment.) We learn about Fonsia's and Weller's pasts and how they came to be alone. We find out that they may not have represented themselves accurately at first. What we never quite learn, until we're well past caring, is what's at stake in this unlikely friendship aside from winning a gin rummy match. Is life a card game? Do metaphors get any shallower than this?
The Gin Game, after all, is a one-joke play. Weller is the expert gin player, but in playing Fonsia he has become the object of God's strange sense of humor. Indeed each card he discards is the very thing Fonsia needs to win. She always wins. As soon as she does win, he erupts as though her victory had upset the natural order of things. He barks, he turns beet red, he yells. He rails at the heavens.
Durning, in fact, yells like no one else. His Weller possesses an entire range of yells, a palette of howls and outbursts that have more subtlety than most actors ever dream of. For her part Harris plays Fonsia close to the chest, doling out information about herself as though Weller were going to steal her soul away. As always Harris acts like she were creating a piece of fine embroidery, its tiny stitches coming together to complete a larger picture. At age 71 the actress still seems like a young woman possessed of wisdom greater than her years.
The actors' versatility notwithstanding, by the end of the first act The Gin Game is exposed for what it is: a piece of dramatic tinfoil that even Harris and Durning have trouble turning into gold. By the time Fonsia complains about Weller's outbursts by saying, "I don't want to go through this every time I win," we realize that we don't either. Getting to know Fonsia and Weller has its highlights, but none of the play's dramatic discoveries can be called profound. Coburn's dialogue tends toward fluffy observations along the lines of the comment that Weller makes about the absurdity of offering dancing lessons in a nursing home, "a place where half the people can't get out of their chairs."
As it happens, director Charles Nelson Reilly (yes, that Charles Nelson Reilly) has added a poignant scene in which Weller and Fonsia dance together. I can report that both actors can do much more than get out of their chairs. Reilly treats his actors like the thoroughbreds they are, allowing them ample liberties to bring characteristics and idiosyncrasies to these slightly drawn individuals. Still, the play is lovely rather than transcendent. Its one surprise is the instance in which Weller bursts into song: The voice that comes out of Durning turns out to be a heartmelting tenor rather than the baritone he would seem to possess.
The Gin Game may have won the Pulitzer Prize, yes, but that doesn't mean it's a play worth reviving. (For another example of the Pulitzer committee's questionable taste in drama, consider that in 1945, the award was given to Harvey, Mary Chase's affable comedy about a man with an imaginary rabbit, over Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie, one of the four or five great American plays.)
The Gin Game's longevity has much to do with the original 1977 production, which was directed by Mike Nichols and starred Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy in indelible performances. The current pairing of Durning and Harris (which ran on Broadway for three months beginning in April of 1997, earning Harris a Tony nomination) only furthers the argument that The Gin Game is less a satisfying play than an excuse to get two virtuoso actors together on the same set.
If Durning and Harris seem to be milking the small moments for all they're worth, it's because the big moments, such as they are, are rather trite. Fonsia isn't as bad as Weller accuses her of being. Weller doesn't deserve the punishment the playwright doles out to him. Life is much more engaging than this particular card game, even as delightfully dealt here by Charles Durning. Given her voluminous five-Tony Award theater career, from I Am a Camera (1952) to The Belle of Amherst (1977), and high-caliber Hollywood credits, from The Member of the Wedding (1952) to East of Eden (1955), Harris brings a nearly unparalleled legacy of acting with her onstage. Even in the slightest of roles, she sparkles.
The Gin Game.
Written by D.L. Coburn. Directed by Charles Nelson Reilly. With Julie Harris and Charles Durning. Through April 4. Parker Playhouse, 707 NE 8th St, Fort Lauderdale, 954-763-2444.


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Now that Marchesa`s established their red carpet greatness, they're putting more and more emphasis on their bridal collection.
They've already teamed up with Lenox for an ongoing collection of wedding-themed dishes, and now they're partnering with Priscilla of Boston on a sort of Marchesa bridal bridge line (think Vera Wang for David's Bridal, but on a smaller scale). Eterna by Marchesa will hit Priscilla's 19 stores (they're about to open another in Greenwich, CT) in September. Prices will range from $1,500 to $5,000—about half way between their eponymous collection and Notte by Marchesa (the latter of which Priscilla already sells).
More From ELLE
We imagine it'll take another six months for them to launch bridesmaid dresses—but it's the ballet slipper high-heeled Louboutins we're hoping someone picks up sooner than later.


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Early Words from the Campaign Trail
The 2012 presidential election is still well over a year away, but the campaign trail is already in full swing. On Tuesday, Jon Huntsman, Jr. threw his hat in the ring for the Republican nomination, adding his name to a list that already includes Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, and Herman Cain. (And that's just the declared candidates.) The Republicans have been using some heated rhetoric toward President Obama, and toward each other. Here are some of the campaign's early buzzwords.
declinist: In last week's CNN debate in New Hampshire, Tim Pawlenty criticized Obama by saying, "This president is a declinist. He views America as one of equals around the world. We're not the same as Portugal; we're not the same as Argentina. And this idea that we can't have 5 percent growth in America is hogwash. It's a defeatist attitude." Pawlenty had earlier told CNBC, "We have to throw off the shackles of Obama's declinist attitude and policies and get back on a pro-growth, positive, optimistic agenda."
Even though
CBS News said Pawlenty "coined a new phrase" by calling Obama a declinist, it's hardly new (and it's not a phrase either!). The Oxford English Dictionary dates it back to 1831, though it's marked as a "nonce word." Since the 1990s, both declinist and declinism have become popular in foreign-policy circles. On Wordspy, Paul McFedries defines declinism as "The belief that something, particularly a country or a political or economic system, is undergoing a significant and possibly irreversible decline." He says it was coined in 1988 by Samuel P. Huntington as an antonym for triumphalism. Visual Thesaurus contributor Nancy Friedman further explores declinism on her Fritinancy blog.
As Nancy notes, declinism is a handy label for the belief that language is going to hell in a handbasket. Robert Lane Greene used the word this way in his new book You Are What You Speak, as in the excerpt we recently featured:
Language is in terminal decline! Soon we will not be able to write at all, or perhaps even speak! This isn't true, just as it wasn't when Swift said the same in 1712. But "declinism" sells; it sells political books, and it sells politically tinged language books.
exceptionalism: This term emerged in the late 1920s as an outgrowth of Marxist social theory, surprisingly enough. For those who subscribed to Marx's vision that capitalist societies would eventually be overthrown by violent class warfare, the peaceful capitalism of the United States seemed to form an exception to this supposedly inexorable economic law. Thus Marxists debated the possibility of "American exceptionalism." Eventually, exceptionalism came to mean any belief in a nation's specialness — often used negatively to imply that the believers in exceptionalism (whether in the U.S., Japan, France, or elsewhere) were close-minded and jingoistic.
For the Republican candidates, American exceptionalism is undoubtedly positive, and the general message is that Obama the Declinist takes exception to the nation's exceptionalism. Mitt Romney has referred to Obama's "fundamental disbelief in American exceptionalism" and his "questioning as to whether America is an exceptional nation." Sarah Palin, in a Facebook post, has likewise wondered if Obama has "a lack of faith in American exceptionalism." It's a sure bet that we'll be hearing a lot more about exceptionalism as the campaign winds on.
Google test: In an economic policy speech earlier this month, Pawlenty offered a rather unusual diagnostic for applying cutbacks to government services:
"We can start by applying what I call the Google test. If you can find a service or a good on Google or the Internet then the federal government probably doesn't need to be doing that good or service. The post office, the government printing office, Amtrak, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were all built for a different time in our country and a different chapter in our economy when the private sector did not adequately provide those services. That's no longer the case.
The "Google test" has mostly drawn scorn from the commentariat — Paul Krugman, for instance, says the Google test means we can abolish the army, since private armies can quickly be Googled up. Faux-pundit Stephen Colbert took the argument to even more absurd conclusions, saying, "We can Google-test our way to eliminating the government altogether." Colbert also pointed out that Pawlenty himself is easily Googled, rendering him unnecessary. On the flip side, Nancy Scola on TechPresident notes that something akin to Pawlenty's Google test actually has support from the Obama administration, since U.S. Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra has said that it makes sense to shift government operations to consumer platforms that can handle services more efficiently.
leading from behind: This expression became a major anti-Obama catchphrase after it appeared in a New Yorker article about Obama's evolving foreign policy, particularly about Libya. Ryan Lizza reported:
Nonetheless, Obama may be moving toward something resembling a doctrine. One of his advisers described the President's actions in Libya as "leading from behind." That's not a slogan designed for signs at the 2012 Democratic Convention, but it does accurately describe the balance that Obama now seems to be finding. It's a different definition of leadership than America is known for, and it comes from two unspoken beliefs: that the relative power of the U.S. is declining, as rivals like China rise, and that the U.S. is reviled in many parts of the world. Pursuing our interests and spreading our ideals thus requires stealth and modesty as well as military strength. "It's so at odds with the John Wayne expectation for what America is in the world," the adviser said. "But it's necessary for shepherding us through this phase."
In an online followup, Lizza noticed how quickly "leading from behind" had become a rhetorical touchstone among conservatives, but that its meaning "has become slightly muddled because it's so easy to poke fun at the slogan itself." The expression was popularized by Nelson Mandela, who once wrote:
It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.
Despite the Mandela pedigree, the phrase is sure to get continued ridicule from the Republican contenders. In the CNN debate, for instance, Michele Bachman said, "President Obama's own people said that he was leading from behind. The United States doesn't lead from behind. As commander in chief, I would not lead from behind. We are the head. We are not the tail."
Newtiny: Newt Gingrich has had a rough time since he announced his candidacy for the nomination. When his senior staff resigned en masse on June 9 after disagreements with Gingrich over the direction of the campaign, online wags were quick to dub it a Newtiny, blending Newt and mutiny. Gingrich had already suffered from a number of scandals, including the revelation that he and his wife had a substantial line of credit at the high-end jewelry story Tiffany's, leading his detractors to coin such expressions as Tiffanygate and Blingrich. After a second Newtiny this week, with his finance team stepping down, the opportunity for Newtenfreude might not last much longer.
Obamneycare: When I compiled a lexicon of the health care debate two years ago, Obamacare was a galvanizing buzzword for critics of Obama's proposals. As I explained then, the epithet Obamacare was modeled on Hillarycare, the term that targeted the 1993 health care plan promoted by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. As in 1993, the personalization of something as nebulous as health care policy has had great rhetorical power. In the Republican primary, frontrunner Mitt Romney has had to fend off charges that the Massachusetts health care plan, passed when he was governor, served as a model for Obamacare. It would be simple enough for the other candidates to refer to Romneycare, but Pawlenty took it a step further in an interview on "Fox News Sunday" on June 12:
Chris Wallace: Do you see a difference in principle between — on that point between Obamacare and Romneycare?
Pawlenty: Well, you don't have to take my word for it. You can take President Obama's word for it. President Obama said that he designed Obamacare after Romneycare and basically made it Obamneycare. And so, we now have the same features — essentially the same features. The president's own words is that he patterned in large measure Obamacare after what happened in Massachusetts. And what I don't understand is they both continue to defend it.
Blending Obamacare and Romneycare into Obamneycare is clever enough, but Pawlenty refrained from driving the point home during the CNN debate the following day, even though the host Jon King kept egging him on, with the hope of creating some newsworthy tension between the two current frontrunners for the nomination. "If it was Obamneycare on 'Fox News Sunday,' why isn't it not Obamneycare standing here with the governor right there?" King asked. Pawlenty apparently had second thoughts afterwards, telling Sean Hannity that he should have hammered Romney for Obamneycare after all.
And now Pawlenty has told Politico that he'll "probably use the word again." But he added, "I might change it to something else, but, you know, the same or similar. I kinda like 'Robamacare.'" Robamacare is all well and good — it puts the Ro- of Romney at the beginning, which helps to sell the narrative that Romney came up with it first and Obama followed. But when you come up with a political neologism, it's best just to zero in on one instead of tinkering around to find alternatives. Stick to your rhetorical guns!
Ben Zimmer is language columnist for The Wall Street Journal and former language columnist for The Boston Globe and The New York Times Magazine. He has worked as editor for American dictionaries at Oxford University Press and as a consultant to the Oxford English Dictionary. In addition to his regular "Word Routes" column here, he contributes to the group weblog Language Log. He is also the chair of the New Words Committee of the American Dialect Society.Click here to read other articles by Ben Zimmer


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Washington (CNN) – The lifelong neurological maladies that some football players face have led President Barack Obama - a longtime Chicago Bears fan - to question whether the risks are worth it for college players.
In an interview released online Sunday, Obama said if he had a son, he'd "have to think long and hard before I let him play football."
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College players are especially vulnerable, Obama told The New Republic, since they aren't represented by unions or heavily compensated.
"You read some of these stories about college players who undergo some of these same problems with concussions and so forth and then have nothing to fall back on," he said. "That's something that I'd like to see the NCAA think about."
In September, a study published in the journal Neurology suggested professional football players are three times more likely to have neurodegenerative diseases than the general population.
When researchers specifically looked at Alzheimer's disease and ALS - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease - that risk increased to four times that of the general population.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had been following this group of players since the early '90s, when the NFL asked the institute to evaluate them for their risk of cardiovascular disease.
Other studies have linked repeated concussions in football players to chronic traumatic encephelopathy, a neurodegenerative disease with Alzheimer's-like symptoms. Those symptoms can include depression, memory loss and mood swings. Former Chicago Bears safety David Duerson, who committed suicide, was diagnosed with CTE postmortem. It can be diagnosed only after death.
In February, Obama told Bill Simmons of Grantland.com, a sports and pop culture news website, that he knew Duerson and "used to see him at the gym sometimes."
"Now, the problem is, if you talk to NFL players, they're going to tell you, 'That that's the risk I take; this is the game I play.' And I don't know whether you can make football (be) football if there's not some pretty significant risk factors," Obama said in that February interview.
In Sunday's remarks, Obama's tone seemed to shift. He conceded that "those of us who love the sport are going to have to wrestle with the fact that it will probably change gradually to try to reduce some of the violence."
- CNN's Nadia Kounang contributed to this report.
The Preident's response to a question posed by the interviewer has at least started a dialogue. Too many former players are suffering more then what they bargained for. The late Jr. Seau comes to mind.
Can we go back to the gun controll issue now? It's way more fun to read the hillbilly posts.
I'd be concerned with N Korea nuclear program. All sports are dangerous in some way, shape or form. How did this guy get re-elected? Do your job as president moron!
Why don't we state of truth. The NRA is one of the most powerful lobbyist groups during our present time. The gun manufactures are behind the NRA selling there products. A lot of money being used the bribe and threaten both sides of the congress and senate aisles. This is right Out of the cigarette lobby play book.
we have age restriction for minors.. We do it for a driver, tobacco, and liquor. In time, legalized drugs.
The president is merely expressing a thought as a parent that millions of parents like me share with him. Nothing more, nothing less. Anyone reading political slants into it is choosing to be idiotic.
Just get it over with. Declare yourself king and put us all in rubber padded rooms so we can eat our soylent green in peace.
So what Obama is really saying is, he'd rather have the atheletes, mostly minorities getting free or reduced college educations to play for the team, to not get an education and to turn to crime?
Why is it we've played football for 100 years, and just now we are worried about the effects? Because we have a nation of sissy men now. Certain activties have certain risks. People do understand the risks before they play a game or do an activity. If they don't understand that they will hurt their head playing football, then there was nothing there to hurt in the 1st place.
Oh Dear Obama Osama – Protect Us From Ourselves! No wonder the education level in this country is at an all time low. The government – and it's not just confined to the current administration – is continually trying to legislate what is good for us and what is not. Come On You Morons – Think For Yourselves.
===================================================================================================== You quite clearly didn't even read the article before starting your typical right-wing rant. Nothing in the article said anything about legislation. Turn off Fox News and "think for yourself!"
Still, ever wonder why the Affordable Healthcare Law requires people to have health insurance and allows coverage children up to age 26. "Free spirits" are never so free when they run up a million dollar bill for a traumatic brain injury to a child and a requirement for full-time care forever.
I am so sick of these discussions, the President has been succesful in his attempt to deflect attention from the disaster that has been his tenure. I attended a professionsl hockey game last Saturday and witnessed far greater collisions on a more consistant basis than what I witness as a high school football coach in Texas. That said the helmets worn in hockey are far less substantial than that we equip our kids in. Meanwhile, MMA is one of the fastest growing sports in North America, and they like boxing celebrate violent blows to the head. The Winter X Games showed repeatedly a snow mobile land on a man's head.
All of these and many others are examples of dangerous activities that do not draw the ire of the President and countless media outlets. There is plenty to be done in Washington right now, get to work Obama and quit pondering about hypothetical scenarios. You have daughters, decide if you will let them risk head injuries in gymnastics and tackle the balooning debt.
-------------------------------------------------- The President gave a few common sense answers to questions. His concern is based on actual medical data – not anecdotal stories from a "Coach" who attended a hockey game. Read the article and you'll see your rant is wasted.
This President is working much harder towards our financial problems than the Republican Tea Baggers in the House and Senate who openly obstruct all progress.
eat crow haters...you all try sooooooooooooo hard with your talking points...but t it just makes the President come out on top everytime!
Obama you stick your nose in anything and everything but your work. You haven't had a budget in four years. Try doing your job and not campaigning your term away.
Dear Obama,
Can you please create an agency for me that would chew my food for me? Thank you very much!
Why is the president and his administration touching everything traditionally American?
Labor relations
and now football
Does the interest of football fall within the scope of duty for an American president?
If you need help figuring out when to p00p and how to wipe yourself, I am sure that some kind of help can be found. Just don't ask anyone at Faux News and don't ask Rush Limpbaugh or Ann Coulter. None of them know either.
As for me, I know how to do both of those acts and I also know that I will never let my son play football. I have spent too many years on crutches due to football injuries to wish it on anyone else, or to allow anyone I love and over whom I have some degree of control to be exposed to the risk inherent in football.
Who cares what he thinks.
I thought this was to be a discussion about the dangers of football and other sports, instead, some of you idiots have turned it into HATE speeches., But we have poor losers and bigots everywhere. My sympathy to those that can't face facts.


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Chris Litten
You're driving a V8 and a Single Seater Race Car for 8 laps each around Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park Taupo Track 3
A DVD briefing starts your day, to learn the theory of driving on a race track along with the safety aspects of the day. Once the briefing is done, then it's off to the pit lane where the fun starts!!
Your on-track V8 driving experience starts by getting suited up in a race suit and race boots then into our tuition car for an introduction lap around the circuit with one of our in-car consultants talking you around the track while you're in the passenger seat. And if you want, you can take a spectator along for the ride so they can experience the thrill of being on a racetrack too.
Then it's your turn behind the wheel.
8 laps driving a Ford or Holden V8 racecar with one of our instructors in the passenger seat, followed by another 8 laps behind the wheel of the unique single-seater race cars.
Includes a Certificate and Photo
And just in case it is all just a blur, you'll be presented with a certificate with your fastest lap and a picture of you just before you had the thrill of your life!!!!!
Get on the Leaderboard
This experience is timed so you can see how you did compared to others on the official Leaderboard.
Qualmark endorsed provider with over 15 years experience
With 15 years of experience, this is New Zealand's only Qualmark endorsed provider of motorsport experiences.
Several vehicles prevents disappointment
Several practically identical vehicles helps ensure that you'll get a drive on the day booked, as if one vehicle breaks down the other is still available.
Multiple days every month
Multiple days available every month so it's easy to have your drive on a day that suits you.
Bruce Mclaren Motorsport Park Taupo
Bruce Mclaren Motorsport Park (also known as the Taupo Motorsport Park) is a premier driving experiences and Motorsport facility in Taupo, New Zealand. It has hosted many of the biggest Motorsport events in the country, including the A1 Grand Prix, V8 Supertourers, NZV8's, D1NZ and Truck Racing.
V8 Race Car
Choose between a Holden or Ford V8 Race car. All cars are modified 5.7 litre thumping V8s producing 415 horsepower. Stripped out race interiors with full roll cage, bucket racing seats and 4 point harnesses give the complete race car experience, and a full body aero kit and massive race brakes help it stick to the track like it's on rails.
Open Wheel Race Car
The single seater race cars provide you with the unique experience of what it's like to drive a Formula 1 or Indycar. They feature a race developed Suzuki 1100cc engine that produces 150hp, propelling these little rocketships from 0-100kph in 3.4 second and can achieve a top speed of 230kph!


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AndCo Consulting was founded on the belief and conviction that only an independent institutional consulting firm can put their clients first in every situation.Learn More→
Our Mission: To represent the sole interest of our clients by redefining independence.
Our Vision: To be a transformational organization viewed as the leader in our industry.
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Service – Put the needs of our clients, co-workers and community above our own, with no expectation or condition
Excellence – Always pursue perfection
Humility – Demonstrate modesty, respect and introspection
Integrity – Be honest and ethical in all circumstances. What you say is what you believe. Actions and words are consistent
Positive Attitude – Disposition of optimism and encouragement
AndCo Consulting delivers customized services to meet each client's unique needs. We offer a full range of investment and fiduciary consulting services for all types of institutional plans including defined benefit, defined contribution, taxable and tax-exempt deferred compensation, OPEB, VEBA, operating reserves, endowment and foundations.
We offer a single line of business – general consulting for a hard dollar fee.When our organization puts CLIENTS first, the result is COMPLETE TRUST.Read More→
We realize our employees' skill and dedication is our greatest single asset. As a result, when our employees put CLIENTS first, the result is a focused, unwavering SERVICE CULTURE.Read More→
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At AndCo Consulting, we have a dedicated Research Group whose sole function is the selection and monitoring of investment managers. Currently, we have ten research analysts within this group. The average experience of our research group doing investment manager research is 15 years.Read More→


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Here I am. Me trying to find space again, words again, after all in my life has changed.
So the last year and a half I have been busy making a baby. Growing it, battling the hormons that made all the enjoyment related to food disappear for months, fighting tiredness and worry, and then, after Bimba arrived, trying to survive months of sleep deprivation. Food is yet another chore more often than not, and I do feel grateful for ready meals and not having to cook for the first time in my life.
It is hard work, and it is fun. In a way. At least, I think this is how I'll remember it a few years down the line.
But now Bimba is discovering food other than eating me. I did manage to cook a couple of times and I have a couple of new recipes I want to write, but Bimba has not tasted them yet. I will post them here, and she will taste them, in due time.
I have already forgotten what her first taste of food was, probably an apple, maybe a peach. So I need to start recording, because I don't want to lose it all. A few days ago I made her a beef stew. Experiments so far with meat had not been too successful: meatballs are too dry, ragu is difficult to swallow somehow, though she loves the taste. She gums a piece of chicken happily enough though. I put a pile of chunks of carrots and meat in front of her, and a little pot with the sauce to spoon, which I thought was out of reach. She grabbed the pot immediately and it landed on the floor. With the open side up and most of the sauce still in. I could not believe my beginner's luck.
She then grabbed a chunk of meat with her tiny, greedy hands. She sucked it with that puzzled expression she always has when she tastes something new, then dropped it on the floor. She immediately went for more. She is a little cave man at the moment, crazy about proteins, meat and fish and yogurt. Pasta and potatoes are seen as useless plastic, more or less. She loves vegetables though and she loved the sauce of the stew, flavoured with her current favourites, bell pepper and tomato. We liked it as well, after adding a bit of salt. I loved that I would not have cooked it were it not for her.
Almost forgot: when I eventually sat down to eat that evening, much later, while I was telling Bimba's dad how much she loved her stew, I finally raised my eyes. The walls and ceiling were covered in sauce splatters. Messy, happy times.
Today I took a break from being a mum and used some of the time to write this post, and some to make her some salt free pitta bread. I love doing things for her in my own me-time.
Bimba's first stew
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, yellow
2 carrots
2 red bell peppers
500 g stewing beef (it was chunk steak), cut in large strips
1/2 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
1 bay leaf
1 can of peeled tomatoes
tiny hint of ground black pepper
Cut the onions in wedges and the carrots in chunks of unequal shape. Cut also the bell peppers in wedges. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Brown the meat, then add the chunks of vegetables. Brown for a few more minutes, then add the bay leaf, the tomatoes, paprika and pepper. Add some more water, close the pressure cooker and cook for about 30-45 minutes until the meat is tender but not completely melted (if you want the baby to be able to grab it). Let any excess water evaporate over high heat until you have a nice thick sauce with chunks of soft vegetables in it. It tastes better the day after.


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Today in History - Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013
Today is Thursday, Sept. 19, the 262nd day of 2013. There are 103 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Sept. 19, 1982, the smiley emoticon was invented as Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott E. Fahlman proposed punctuating humorously intended computer messages by employing a colon followed by a hyphen and a parenthesis as a horizontal "smiley face." :-)
On this date:
In 1777, the first Battle of Saratoga was fought during the Revolutionary War; although the British forces succeeded in driving out the American troops, the Americans prevailed in a second battle the following month.
In 1796, President George Washington's farewell address was published.
In 1881, the 20th president of the United States, James A. Garfield, died 2 1/2 months after being shot by Charles Guiteau; Chester Alan Arthur became president.
In 1934, Bruno Hauptmann was arrested in New York and charged with the kidnap-murder of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr.
In 1945, Nazi radio propagandist William Joyce, known as "Lord Haw-Haw," was convicted of treason and sentenced to death by a British court.
In 1957, the United States conducted its first contained underground nuclear test, code-named Rainier, in the Nevada desert.
In 1959, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, visiting Los Angeles, reacted angrily upon being told that, for security reasons, he wouldn't get to visit Disneyland.
In 1960, Cuban leader Fidel Castro, in New York to visit the United Nations, angrily checked out of the Shelburne Hotel in a dispute with the management; Castro ended up staying at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem.
In 1961, Barney and Betty Hill, a New Hampshire couple driving home from vacation, experienced what they later claimed under hypnosis was a short-term abduction by extraterrestrials.
In 1962, the Western TV series "The Virginian" debuted on NBC.
In 1970, the situation comedy "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" debuted on CBS-TV.
In 1985, the Mexico City area was struck by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 9,500 people.
Ten years ago: Former Hurricane Isabel raced from Virginia to Canada, delivering far less rain than expected but leaving millions without power. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's defense minister, Sultan Hashim Ahmad, surrendered to U.S. forces.
Five years ago: Struggling to stave off financial catastrophe, the Bush administration laid out a radical bailout plan calling for a takeover of a half-trillion dollars or more in worthless mortgages and other bad debt held by tottering institutions. Relieved investors sent stocks soaring on Wall Street and around the globe.
China's food safety crisis widened after the industrial chemical melamine was found in milk produced by three of the country's leading dairy companies.
Hours after performing for thousands of South Carolina college students, former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity DJ AM were critically injured in a fiery Learjet crash that killed four people. (DJ AM, whose real name was Adam Goldstein, was found dead in his apartment on Aug. 28; he was 36.)
Baseball's new instant replay system produced its first reversal when Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena had a two-run double changed to a three-run homer during the fourth inning of a game against Minnesota. (The Rays beat the Twins, 11-1.)
One year ago: Members of Congress presented the Congressional Gold Medal to Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (ahng sahn soo chee) in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. The Justice Department's internal watchdog found fault with the agency's handling of a gun-trafficking probe in Arizona that resulted in hundreds of weapons turning up at crime scenes in the U.S. and Mexico. The inspector general's report referred more than a dozen people for possible disciplinary action for their roles in Operation Fast and Furious. The Windseeker ride at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif., broke down, leaving about 20 riders who expected a three-minute thrill dangling 300 feet over the amusement park for nearly two hours.
Today's Birthdays: Author Roger Angell is 93. TV host James Lipton ("Inside the Actors Studio") is 87. Actress Rosemary Harris is 86. Former Defense Secretary Harold Brown is 86. Actor Adam West is 85. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Bob Turley is 83. Actor David McCallum (TV: "NCIS") is 80. Singer-songwriter Paul Williams is 73. Singer Bill Medley is 73. Singer Sylvia Tyson (Ian and Sylvia) is 73. Singer Freda Payne is 71. Golfer Jane Blalock is 68. Singer David Bromberg is 68. Actor Randolph Mantooth is 68. Rock singer-musician Lol Creme (10cc) is 66. Former NFL running back Larry Brown is 66. Actor Jeremy Irons is 65. Actress Twiggy Lawson is 64. TV personality Joan Lunden is 63. Singer-producer Daniel Lanois is 62. Actor Scott Colomby is 61. Musician-producer Nile Rodgers is 61. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Reggie Williams is 59. Singer-actor Rex Smith is 58. Actor Kevin Hooks is 55. Actress Carolyn McCormick is 54. Country singer Jeff Bates is 50. Country singer Trisha Yearwood is 49. Actress-comedian Cheri Oteri is 48. News anchor Soledad O'Brien is 47. Rhythm-and-blues singer Espraronza Griffin (Society of Soul) is 44. Celebrity chef Michael Symon is 44. Actress Sanaa Lathan (suh-NAH' LAY'-thun) is 42. Actress Stephanie J. Block is 41. Rock singer A. Jay Popoff (Lit) is 40. Comedian and TV talk show host Jimmy Fallon is 39. TV personality Carter Oosterhouse is 37. Actress-TV host Alison Sweeney is 37. Rock musician Ryan Dusick is 36. Folk-rock singers-musicians Sara and Tegan (TEE'-gan) Quin are 33. Actor Columbus Short is 31. Rapper Eamon is 30. Christian rock musician JD Frazier is 30. Actor Kevin Zegers is 29. Actress Danielle Panabaker is 26.
Thought for Today: "Start every day off with a smile and get it over with." — W.C. Fields, American comedian (1880-1946).


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OUR VIEW: State should get out of liquor sales business
'It's time for Alabama to get out of the liquor business."
Those words, or comparable ones, have been spoken countless times through the years, and if a prominent state senator has his way, they will be transformed from opinion into law.
Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, plans to introduce a bill in the 2013 legislative session to end the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board's involvement in retail liquor sales.
Most observers aren't optimistic about its chances, but we think it merits consideration and passage.
Under Orr's bill, the ABC Board would continue its wholesale operation, in which liquor is distributed to stores, and would retain the power to enforce liquor laws.
However, the 169 retail liquor stores directly operated by the state — and, most likely, the 550 independent package stores licensed by the ABC Board — would be replaced by private retailers, who would earn those "franchises" through a competitive bidding process. The ABC Board still would control the number of locations in each town, and grocery and discount stores wouldn't be allowed to sell hard liquor.
Orr says closing the state-operated stores and laying off their employees — no one said moves like this would be pain-free — would save the state $46 million that could be put to better use elsewhere, and remove a Prohibition-era anachronism from Alabama law.
Those who oppose his bill fall into two camps. Some contend consumers would lose because liquor prices would increase. They point to what's happened in Washington state, which last year voted to end state-run stores in favor of private ones and saw the average price per liter of liquor increase by more than $3.
Sales increased as well, however, plus the idea here is to save the state money and extricate it from something it shouldn't be involved in anymore. We don't have a problem with letting the market and free enterprise take prices where they will.
Other opponents cite the word "control" in the ABC Board's name and mission statement, and the fact that under the current system Alabama ranks near the bottom among states in alcohol consumption.
We think the "control" notion is also outdated and should be revisited at some point. Those who oppose alcoholic beverage sales and consumption have committed, deeply held moral and religious views we respect. But they seek to preserve an environment that really doesn't exist anymore, in a state that's changing demographically and culturally even if it's become politically homogenous.
There's only one Alabama county, Clay, in which liquor sales aren't legal in some fashion, and even there residents are allowed to possess alcoholic beverages. If this state isn't completely wet from border to border, it's at least damp.
Let entrepreneurs dive in while the state pulls up anchor and moves on.


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Video: Flame Thrower vs. Fire Extinguisher
Dancing Pigeons - Ritalin from Blink on Vimeo.
MTV may not play them anymore, but don't say that music videos are dead. Not when you still have groups producing visually-stunning material like this Dancing Pigeons video for their song "Ritalin."
The concept can be summed up with this simple premise: flame thrower vs. fire extinguisher.


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Search Buddhist Channel
Utah justice now Zen teacher
By Elaine Jarvik, Deseret Morning News, Dec 16, 2006
Zimmerman is among 300 such Buddhists in the U.S.
Deseret, Utah (USA) -- Michael Zimmerman's Zen Buddhist name is Mugaku, which in Japanese means "no learning." At first blush that's an odd name for a man as learned as the former Utah Supreme Court chief justice, especially since he's spent the past seven years doing what Zen Buddhists call "koan study."
<< Michael Zimmerman received the "transmission" of Buddhist dharma during a ceremony at the Kanzeon Zen Center in Salt Lake City Dec. 9. (Mike Terry, Deseret Morning News)
On the other hand, as Zimmerman says, Zen Buddhism is not something a person learns intellectually. To do koan study, for example, is to solve 750 Zen riddles not by applying logic or a formula but by an understanding that comes from watching one's own mind through years of meditation.
Zimmerman is now officially a Zen teacher, having last weekend received the "transmission" of Buddhist dharma that stretches back 2,500 years in a direct lineage to the Buddha himself. According to Genpo Roshi, Zen master and abbot of the Kanzeon Zen Center is Salt Lake, Zimmerman is the first former Supreme Court justice, and maybe even the first lawyer, to become a Zen teacher, and one of only 300 Zen teachers in the United States.
The ceremony was done in secret at midnight on Saturday, in the "room of the ancestors" at the Zen Center. The next day, in front of Zen students and Zimmerman's friends, highlights of the ritual were performed again at the Jewish Community Center.
This ceremony was preceded by 30 minutes of a meditation in a silence so profound that to fidget or swallow seemed like an affront. Roshi sat cross-legged on a bench at the front of the room. Zimmerman's wife, Diane Hamilton, also a Zen monk, sat cross-legged nearby. She received transmission to be a Zen teacher last spring.
"I will receive a lot of criticism for this," said Roshi about his decision to make some of the esoteric ritual public. "But I feel we are living in a time when it's necessary that we all awaken."
The ritual began with bowing. "Three bows," whispered Roshi after Zimmerman did only one. "An auspicious beginning," said the sheepish new teacher, who opened a white scarf and laid it on the floor in front of the Zen master.
The ceremony was full of bowing, sometimes three bows in a row, sometimes nine. Each time, Zimmerman put his palms together and raised them above the level of his ears, a symbolic act of raising his inherent Buddha nature above his ego. After more prostrations, Roshi pronounced that he was giving Zimmerman "the true dharma eye treasury of the ancestors. Do not let it be extinguished. Carry it on forever."
Zimmerman was then given a series of gifts, including a document of proof that he is among the 82nd generation of Buddha successors, a gold robe, a Buddha bowl and a stick representing the backbone of Buddha.
A few days later, Zimmerman talked about what is at the heart of the Buddha dharma.
We live in a dualistic world, he said, "in which there is you and me, and this and that, and subject and object. But we also live in a world in which everything is one. To the degree that you recognize that viscerally, where you feel it as a reality, your anxiety about your fate as an individual human is reduced. You recognize that things as they are, are not wrong, are not imperfect.
"You carry both of those ideas at once. Because it's an and. Things are the same and they're not. You're separate and you're not. Any time you articulate one view, there's another view, which makes the first incomplete. Existence is ineffable. And that's fine."
And then one more seemingly contradictory Buddhist thought. "It's not spooky. And it is spooky. You have to keep letting go of the spookiness."