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Left to right: Jake Lampen, Abigail Streelman, Nicole Michmerhuizen, John Strikwerda
Since 2008, 14 Calvin College students have been named Goldwater Scholars. During that six-year stretch, no other liberal arts college in the United States has had more than 11.
"The level of consistency is incredible," said Carolyn Anderson, a chemistry professor at Calvin who also serves as the college's liaison with the Goldwater Foundation. "It's a testament to the work the faculty does, the level of students we have, and of how integral they are to what we do. It's nice to see them get the recognition they deserve."
The Goldwater Scholarship is the premiere undergraduate award of its type in the field of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The program was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in those areas.
Among the best in research
In 2013, three Calvin students were honored as Goldwater Scholars, with a fourth receiving honorable mention status, putting Calvin in elite company again this year. (Only three colleges and universities nationwide have more Scholars than Calvin in 2013. They include Rice, Drexel, and Hendrix.) Calvin finds itself on a short list of colleges and universities that have three recognized scholars, which includes the likes of Harvard, John Hopkins University and University of Michigan, to name a few.
Equally as impressive is Calvin's nomination success rate. According to Anderson all colleges and universities are able to nominate up to four students. Since 2008, 22 of the 24 nominations submitted by Calvin students have received recognition. (This includes eight students who received honorable mention status.)
"To have three honorees from one institution is unusual; to have four is almost unheard of," said Matt Walhout, Calvin's dean for research and scholarship. "Calvin students have had great success in the Goldwater competition in recent years. This is one of the big payoffs of our extensive undergraduate research program."
"I think what it does is it gives us external validation of what we already know," added Anderson. "We know we have excellent students that do excellent research that is cutting edge … . This gives us a certain foothold and credibility. We say we can do things. Goldwater agrees. Our students have done it."
An impressive quartet
The 2013 Goldwater Scholars include biochemistry and engineering double major Nicole Michmerhuizen (Holland), chemistry major John Strikwerda (Holland) and biology major Abigail Streelman (Grandville). Physics major Jake Lampen (Zeeland), received honorable mention status. The four students, all in their third year at Calvin, are researching and publishing national papers and articles alongside faculty, and then sharing their research outcomes at national and regional conferences.
Michmerhuizen is working with biochemistry professor Kumar Sinniah researching a region of DNA associated with a person's predisposition to developing type 1 diabetes.
"Research is so fascinating to me because there is so much we don't yet understand about this complex world and our place in it," said Michmerhuizen, "and I feel so incredibly blessed to be honored in this area that I am also so passionate about."
Strikwerda is working with chemistry professor Roger DeKock on research concerning the atom and its electronic structure. He says through his research he's learned that "when you overcome one challenge, the answer that you find can bring about several more questions and several more challenges.
"My research experience at Calvin … has taught me not to shy away from these challenges and these difficult questions; rather, to embrace them as the nature of scientific research and then earnestly seek their answers, no matter where those answers may lead."
Streelman is working with biology professor John Wertz on a project that integrates computer science and biology. She is developing new techniques for researching bacterial communities (like those found in a water sample or in the human intestine) using one of Calvin's new state-of-the-art instruments, the MALDI TOF mass spectrometer for analysis.
"It is such an honor to be put in this group of talented students and to represent Calvin in this way," said Streelman. "I'm really excited where this will take me in the future. Grad schools like to see things like this on applications, which makes me a lot less nervous about the application process next year."
Lampen is working with Walhout on studying the formation of sparks between electrically charged plates. The project connects with various subfields of fundamental physics, and its applications could range from water purification to the production of ultraviolet radiation.
Giving research a wider lens
The students all share in the excitement of being able to do such high-level, cutting-edge research at Calvin. But, they are equally as impressed with the context in which they are able to do it.
"The professors here care so deeply not only about science, but also about the God who orchestrated it and the students that they mentor," said Michmerhuizen.
"My advisors, John Wertz and professor Serita Nelesen, care so much about me," said Streelman, "not only that I am understanding what is going on in the lab and doing my job, but also that I am doing well in school and that my life outside of school is going well too."
This year, a total of 271 scholarships were awarded from a nationwide pool of 1,107 mathematics, science and engineering nominees. Each of the Goldwater Scholars will receive $7,500 to be used toward tuition, room and board, books and supplies.


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One of the candidates for Michigan Supreme Court has aired television ads in which he says he's got something in common with the rest of Michigan residents; he's tired of the negative political advertising (ironically, the ad is often running immediately following a negative ad aimed at one of his opponents). And he's right. It does seem that the number of advertisements – negative and otherwise – has sort of exploded in a way that it hasn't before, even during the 2008 presidential election season.
There's a good reason for that: There's a lot more money flowing into the political pipeline this year, after the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC. The decision opened the door for PAC-funded elections here and around the country, reports Michigan Campaign Finance Network.
According to an MCFN press release:
The Michigan Association of Realtors has established an eponymously named second political action committee with a $200,000 contribution from the National Association of Realtors and $250,000 from its own issue fund. The new corporate PAC made $450,000 worth of independent expenditures for media buys supporting Republican Supreme Court nominees Robert Young and Mary Beth Kelly.
Corporate PACs are limited to making independent expenditures. They are not allowed to contribute directly to candidates.
The second new corporate PAC is Business Leaders for Michigan II. The new corporate PAC received $20,000 from Meijer, Inc. and $5,000 each from an assortment of Michigan-based businesses. Its independent expenditures so far supported the senate campaigns of David Hildenbrand ($62,569) and Tonya Schuitmake ($23,741).
The biggest PAC in Michigan this election cycle is RGA Michigan PAC. RGA MI PAC is a creation of the Republican Governors Association and a piece of a national effort by the RGA. It was established this year.
Michigan connections to the RGA include the following:
• The Michigan Chamber of Commerce gave $5.4 million from its corporate treasury to RGA this year.
• Various individuals from around the country have given RGA MI PAC $8.4 million. Only $175,000 came from persons with Michigan addresses.
• RGA MI PAC sent $3 million to the campaign committee of Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
• Of the remaining $5.4 million, RGA MI PAC gave more than $4 million to the Michigan Republican Party. It appears to have retained $1.3 million.
• Despite the fact that the RGA has paid for more than $3 million worth of television advertisements characterizing Virg Bernero as an unsuitable gubernatorial candidate, RGA MI PAC reports no expenditures for television advertising.
Beyond the development of the new corporate PACs, much looks familiar in the world of Michigan PACs. The legislative majority caucuses, House Democrats and Senate Republicans, follow RGA MI PAC at the top of the list, and established interest groups maintain their leading positions.
Leadership PACs reflect the changing of the guard in Lansing. The top leadership PAC is that of Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, followed by Mitt Romney's Free & Strong America PAC. The top leadership PACs under the control of officeholders who are presumed to be returning to Lansing in elective office in January are those of Sen. Mark Jansen and Rep. Richard Hammel.
Check the astounding amount of money being spent by Michigan's top PAC's here.

subset: commoncrawl


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How Long Can The Big Bang Theory Go On?
The Big Bang Theory has done what few shows on television have done before: It has actually grown in viewership since its first season by more than 10 million viewers - and it keeps getting bigger.
The CBS comedy closed out last season with 18.6 million viewers and a 6.2 rating in the adults 18-to-49 demographic, making it the No. 1 comedy in both measures, a feat unheard of for a show heading into its seventh season these days. The ratings are only topped by the show's eight Emmy nominations, including Comedy Series, Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Jim Parsons and Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Mayim Bialik.
Comic-Con: 7 things you didn't know about The Big Bang Theory
But how long can this roller coaster last? "Not to make any predictions whatsoever, but in as far as the lifeline of most shows - at the seventh year, obviously, we're over the halfway mark - I personally don't feel like we've told half the stories that these characters have to tell," star Johnny Galecki said at Thursday's Warner Bros.-hosted Emmy panel on the Bangset, moderated by TV Guide Magazine's Rob Moynihan. "I'm certainly not halfway through personally working with all of these people, so I hope [to continue]."
"The answer changes after every season," executive producer Bill Prady told TVGuide.com after the panel. "If you'd ask the question after Season 4, you'd say, 'Boy, it would be great to get to Season 8.' But then you have a season like last year and you say, 'Well, maybe there's more to it than that.' It's possible to keep going because everybody likes each other and no one has gone crazy and no one is mean."
Prady attributes Bang's ratings and popularity surge to a number of changes, including Steve Molaro taking over as showrunner, the addition female cast members - Bialik's Amy Farrah Fowler and Melissa Rauch's Bernadette Rostenkowski - and the show running in syndication. "One of the great things about a Chuck Lorre-style show is that every episode is welcoming," Prady said. "While we do tell serialized stories, at any point you come in, you'll get all the information you need in the episode to catch up."
Mega Buzz: How will Penny and Sheldon handle Leonard being away?
"The relationship with the audience today on television is so fragile," Lorre said during the panel. "There are so many things to watch - people could conceivably read - so for us to have a relationship with an audience that has some kind of a sustained relationship over time, we have to make a great show every week. If you go into a restaurant and you get a bad meal, you don't go back. That's how we feel about The Big Bang Theory. Every week has to be a show that we're proud of and we did everything we possibly [could] to be a great show."
While quick pacing became a trend last season, Bang has always prided itself on taking things slow, especially when it comes to Raj (Kunal Nayyar) finally speaking to a woman for the first time without alcohol in the Season 6 finale. And like the slow burn of Amy and Sheldon's relationship, Molaro said the writers tend not to think too far ahead, but rather plan things episode to episode. "This season, we're realizing that there are pairings of these characters that we've barely scratched the surface on," he said. "Wolowitz [Simon Helberg] and Amy spend time together for the first time ever. So I feel like we've got a long way to go. As far as how many years, I can't put a number on it, but I cautiously and optimistically believe it'll be a long time."
Lorre added: "As long as everybody is having a good time and the audience still cares ... you don't want to overstay your welcome, but you don't want to miss out on an opportunity like this. I just know we're having a blast now and it's a lot of fun. It doesn't feel like Year 7 at all."
What's great about being so far down the line now, Galecki said, is that the characters are more comfortable with each other, lending to greater comedy. "It's less about the guys' relationship with science and more about their relationships," he said. "There's an intimacy there just in how long they've known each other, whether that's been all of the guys or Leonard and Penny's [Kaley Cuoco] relationship now. For example, their insecurities aren't so on the surface any longer. They can poke fun of each other and push each other's buttons in a very loving manner."
Fall TV: Get the scoop on 40 returning shows
It should also come as no surprise that the No. 1 comedy on TV also attracts high-caliber guest stars, whether it's Christine Baranski and Laurie Metcalf as Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper's mothers, respectively, geek gods Wil Wheton and Stan Lee, or the brightest minds in the field, including Stephen Hawking and real-life astronaut Mike Massimino. But it was Bob Newhart, nominated for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, over whom the cast fawned Thursday night - to the point where he joked, "Can we do this every week?" Without missing a beat, Cuoco replied, "Well, you paid me $20 to say that." Newhart will reprise his role as Sheldon's childhood TV idol for at least two more episodes in Season 7. "It belongs to the young people," he said of a regular TV gig. "I had two great series. I'm not looking for work."
Maybe when the show does come to an end, we'll finally learn Penny's last name, which has yet to be revealed, a la Mr. Big's first name in Sex and the City - two shows you'd never think would be compared. "Maybe it'll be Hofstadter one day," Cuoco said to aww's from the crowd.
The Big Bang Theory returns with a one-hour premiere on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 8/7c on CBS.
(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS.)
View original How Long Can The Big Bang Theory Go On? at TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com


text:
Wistar, Caspar
Wistar, Caspar wĭs´tər [key], 1761–1818, American physician, b. Philadelphia, M.D. Univ. of Edinburgh, 1786; grandson of Caspar Wistar (1696–1752), early Pennsylvania glassmaker. He taught (1789–91) at the College and Academy of Philadelphia, then at the Univ. of Pennsylvania organized (1791) by a merger of the college and academy with another institution. He wrote the first American textbook on anatomy, A System of Anatomy (2 vol., 1811–14), and left an anatomical collection that eventually passed to the Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, founded by his great-nephew, Isaac J. Wistar. He was president (from 1815) of the American Philosophical Society, and his home was the weekly meeting place of students and scientists. The plant genus Wistaria was named in his honor.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Medicine: Biographies


text:
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The Undercover Soundtrack – GD Harper
Posted by Roz Morris @Roz_Morris in Undercover Soundtrack on June 1, 2016
The Undercover Soundtrack is a series where I host a writer who uses music as part of their creative environment – perhaps to connect with a character, populate a mysterious place, or hold a moment still to explore its depths. This week my guest is GD Harper
Soundtrack by David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Tangerine Dream, JS Bach, Wagner, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Pulp, Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Billie Holiday
In 1974, I saved up my paper-round money and bought a turntable. David Bowie burst into my monochrome life like a rainbow, daring me to be different. Aladdin Sane was the first album I bought, and every track seemed to be a coded message telling me there was no such thing as normal, there was no need to conform, that we had to be true to who we really were. Jean Genie filled my mind with surrealistic, decadent imagery, although on Cracked Actor a 27-year-old Bowie singing to a 16-year-old schoolboy about how fundamentally sleazy is a 50 year-old man brings a smile to my face today.
But it was Bob Dylan who set out the agenda by which I've lived my life. It's All Right Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) told me if I wasn't always busy being born, then I'd soon be busy dying. I've spent my life reinventing myself, in appearance, in career, in lifestyle, in geography. It's what keeps me alive. Curiosity is a muscle that needs exercise to stop atrophy setting in.
And so to my novel, Love's Long Road. I was 55 years old, had sold my business and finally in my life had a financial breathing space to take the risk of another reinvention, to become what I always wanted to be, a writer. My novel is set in the 1970s, of course. There's never a time in your life like the one when the music in the charts is being written for your generation. It was an era I could write about with passion, and, with a little prompting from Wikipedia, from experience.
Lyrics had inspired me to start on this journey, but to write I needed to find music to fill my mind but not fight the words I was trying to get out. So thank you, Ian Rankin. He did a fly-on-the-wall documentary about his writing process and revealed the secret of his productivity: Tangerine Dream, a German electronic music group, whose vast, formless swirling soundscapes formed the perfect sonic background to my brainstorming and planning as the story took shape. I invested in the 4 CD boxed set, and loaded it into a multi-disc CD cartridge. I'd play it over and over again, never tiring of its astonishing ability to sooth and refresh my addled brain.
Bach and Wagner helped me raise my game when I was trying to be a bit cerebral when writing more literary prose, although I did feel a bit of a heel in the way I used Wagner in the book. The suave, sophisticated baddie in the tale quotes Frederick Nietzsche, has two Doberman Pinschers called Lucifer and Satan, and generally does all the things that scream out at you 'run away, run away' (which of course my heroine doesn't do). So I had him listening to Wagner, even being a real Wagner buff, playing on all these Nazi connotations. Nothing could be more different from the ugliness of fascism than the beauty of Wagner's music and I'm a bit ashamed of myself that in my own small way I've perpetuated a negative stereotype.
Legacy of Bowie
My main character was a 22-year-old woman, and I wrote the story from her perspective in the first person, a legacy of Bowie daring me from all these years ago. And as I started to write the story, the 70s setting started to grow in importance, becoming almost a character in the novel in its own right. The characters pored over the lyric sleeves of albums trying to decipher their meaning; there were parties, with blue lights and joss sticks and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon providing the soundtrack to mass snogging sessions. Clare Torry's vocals on The Great Gig in the Sky 15 minutes 42 seconds after the thudding heartbeat opening on side one always seemed perfectly timed.
My character had to keep escaping from jeopardy and reinventing herself, so It's All Right Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) spoke to her as well. And my faith in the corporate music world was boosted when I approached Dylan's publishing company to quote his lyrics in my book and after they'd read the excerpts that feature Dylan's lyrics, they became fantastically helpful and supportive in me securing the rights to do that.
As the story progressed, music continued to shape the writing. If I needed a burst of energy to complement Tangerine Dream's calming influence, some early-period Van Morrison or Bruce Springsteen would do the trick. And at the risk of being accused of plagiarism, some of my favourite lines in the novel came when listening to lyrics. A seedy bar in the book, where
cigarette smoke hung in the air like a blue fug, the colour of missed chances and broken dreams'
was written as Springsteen was singing in the background of broken heroes and their last chances in life on Born to Run.
And my description of a character as
having sprouted into a tall, gangly explosion of energy, jumping about like an oversized grasshopper
suddenly materialised while listening to Jarvis Cocker singing Common People.
Narcotic life
Perhaps the most powerful and harrowing part of the book is in the later stages, which deals with taking heroin and the lifestyle that goes with it. Writing in the first person, I felt I had to show my character initially embracing this destructive lifestyle, but it is a very challenging topic to write about, being mindful of the responsibilities of in any way glamourising or condoning drug abuse. It is still a bit of a literary taboo to describe the narcotic effect of heroin and I found as I wrote about my character's descent into an opiate hell my writing became more metaphorical in nature. I let songs like Lou Reed's Heroin or Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit send goose bumps down my spine as I wrote this part of the book. I hope I've captured in some small way both the temptation and the danger of drugs as powerfully as these songs have done.
As I finished the novel and it went off for proof reading, I was, of course, shocked and devastated by David Bowie's death. This is a blog about music but I can't help but finish without paying tribute to not just Bowie's musical genius but also to how his spoken word can be an inspiration. As I sat down to start my next book, I thought about what I've learned writing this one, about what to write, who to write it for, what people want to hear. And I saw this clip someone posted on Facebook today, with Bowie's thoughts on the creative process. He says 'Always remember the reason you initially started working was there was something inside yourself you felt, if you could manifest it in some way, you would understand more about yourself and how you co-exist with the rest of society.'
Good advice, David. Thank you.
Glyn Harper spent his career working in marketing for multinational corporations around the globe before setting up his own media and marketing consultancy in 1999. After selling the business in 2012, Glyn trekked the 'Great Himalayan Trail' in six months, becoming the first British man to cross the Nepalese Himalayas by the highest possible route. On his return Glyn started writing, being placed third in the Lightship Prize for new authors in 2014. Glyn's hobbies include music, photography and writing about himself in the third person. Find him on Facebook and his website. Love's Long Road is his first novel.
1970s, Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, drug addiction, drug misuse, Frederick Nietzsche, GD Harper, German electronica, Glyn Harper, JS Bach, Lightship Prize for new authors, Lou Reed, Love's Long Road, music for writers, music for writing fiction, Pink Floyd, Pulp, Scotland, Tangerine Dream, tartan noir, undercover soundtrack, Van Morrison, Velvet Underground, Wagner
- The Undercover Soundtrack is a series where writers - and occasionally other arty folk - reveal how music shapes their work.
- It began as a companion to my first novel, My Memories of a Future Life, and now thrives as a creative salon in its own right. Pull on your headphones and join us.
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What is The Undercover Soundtrack?Sleeve notes here
For the soundtrack of My Memories of a Future Life, you'll need Chopin's Sonata in B Minor, Rachmaninov preludes, lashings of Grieg's piano concerto in A minor and The Clash's Rock the Kasbah (they go together well).
You'll also need Samuel Barber's Dover Beach on piano, although that doesn't actually exist so do the best you can.
And the novel's undercover pieces. You can find them here
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text: Vasopressin: A relatively small (peptide) molecule that is released by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain after being made nearby (in the hypothalamus). Vasopressin has an antidiuretic action that prevents the production of dilute urine (and so is antidiuretic). A syndrome of inappropriate secretion of vasopressin which results in the inability to put out dilute urine, perturbs fluid (and electrolyte) balance, and causes nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, confusion and convulsions may occur in association with oat-cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and Hodgkin's disease as well as a number of other disorders. Vasopressin has a vasopressor action and so can stimulate contraction of arteries and capillaries. Hence the name "vasopressin." Vasopressin is also known as antidiuretic hormone (ADH).


text:
Rojas, Tagliani Win Debut Kansas Race Poles
Memo Rojas and Alex Tagliani won the Daytona Prototype and GT poles respectively on Friday night for Saturday night's FPS Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race at Kansas Speedway.
Rojas won his first pole of the season with a lap of 1 minute, 9.883 seconds (122.090 mph) in the No. 01 Telcel/TELMEX BMW/Riley co-driven by fellow reigning DP champion Scott Pruett.
IZOD IndyCar Series regular Tagliani, subbing for Max Papis, put the No. 61 R.Ferri/AIM Motorsports Ferrari 458 co-driven by Jeff Segal on the GT pole with a lap of 1:14.956 (113.827 mph).
The SFP Grand Prix begins at 7 p.m. CT/local (FOX Sports 2, live, 8 p.m. ET; FOX Sports 1, Sunday, Aug. 17, 4 p.m. ET).
"Our car rolled off the truck really quick, and typically, that means you spend the rest of the weekend fine tuning it," said Rojas after winning his ninth career pole. "We were one of the few teams that did not test here, and we were worried about our chances. But the team did a great job preparing the car. Now, we're ready for a tough and exciting race."
Gustavo Yacaman took the outside of the DP front row with a last lap of 1:09.950 (121.973 mph) in the No. 6 Aero/Tuvacol Ford/Riley co-driven by Justin Wilson. The second row will be shared by Action Express Racing teammates Christian Fittipaldi (with Joao Barbosa) in the No. 5 Corvette DP and Burt Frisselle (with his brother Brian Frisselle) in the No. 9 Corvette DP.
DP point leaders Alex Popow and Ryan Dalziel will start eighth in the No. 2 Soloson BMW/Riley.
Tagliani – the 2011 Indianapolis 500 pole winner – said he "came in to this team and this car at a really good time. Jeff is helping me a lot with learning the car and the data. My goal this weekend was to come in, support the team and give Jeff a good position so we could try to win. You can't do it on your own."
It was the second pole in two weekends for Tagliani, who went on to finish fifth in a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race at Trois-Rivieres last weekend near his home in Montreal. He is racing at Kansas because Papis is competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Mid-Ohio.
"Running the heavier NASCAR stock car really helped me, because coming to the Ferrari was like coming to an IndyCar. I really enjoy this car, and it really suits my style. Coming directly from IndyCar to GT is not as easy as it might look."
It was also Tagliani's first race in a Ferrari – the realization of a life-long dream.
"It's awesome for an Italian to be able to put on a red suit and drive in a red car," he said. "I hope to get to do this many, many more times."
Segal and Papis won the Brickyard Grand Prix's GT title at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, while Papis won the GT pole for Detroit Belle Isle in June.
"He's the real deal," Segal said of Tagliani. "He's been on the pole for the Indy 500. You can't do that if you can't drive."
Leh Keen was second in GT, in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 co-driven by Alessandro Balzan, 1:15.262 (113.36 mph), followed by Emil Assentato in the No. 69 AIM Autosport Team FXDD co-driven by Anthony Lazzaro.
Tom Long took his fifth pole of the season in the GX class, running 1:21.644 (104.50 mph) in the No. 70 Mazdaspeed/Castrol Edge Mazda 6 co-driven by Sylvain Tremblay.
Jade Buford waited until his final lap – and a tow from a competitor – to capture his sixth Grand Sport pole of the season Friday night, running a lap of 1 minute, 20.858 seconds in the No. 55 Multimatic Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage co-driven by Scott Maxwell.
"We hit the setup, but I didn't think we had enough for the pole," Buford said. "Winning it came as a surprise, and I've got to thank Lawson Aschenbach for that. I was able to catch his draft on that last lap. I don't think I could have broken 21 (1:21.00) flat on my own."
Bryan Heitkotter was seeking his second pole in two races co-driving the No. 14 Doran Racing Nissan 370Z, but was bumped near the end of the 15-minute session. Heitkotter will start from the outside of the front row after a lap of 1:20.873 (105.499 mph). Point lead Nick Longhi will start third in the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche 997 co-driven by Matt Plumb.
Mark Pombo scored his second career Street Tuner pole with a lap of 1:27.702 (97.284 mph), in the No. 30 i-MOTO Mazda Speed 3, edging teammate Derek Jones' No. 32 Mazda, who was clocked at 1:27.913 (97.050 mph). It was Pombo's second career pole but first since being injured in a practice accident at Road America in 2012.
Pombo gave credit to teammate Jayson Clunie, driver of the No. 31 Mazda, who qualified fourth behind Chad Gilsinger in the No. 93 HART Honda Civic Si.
"The pole was all Jayson, and he deserves all the credit," said Pombo, who co-drives with his brother Mat Pombo. "Jayson was fastest in practice and was running up front in qualifying cutting through the air. Derek and I just caught his draft and got our time. He sacrificed himself for us."
The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge event takes the green flag at 3 p.m. CT Saturday.No Comment


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Monday, 19 November 2012 08:31 AM EST
Barack Obama's re-election has increased the chances of a revival of talks between Iran and six powers, but the envoy said the U.S. president should "change the conduct of the United States as regards Iran and choose a more logical approach."
Ambassador Reza Sajjadi said senior Iranian officials had conveyed Tehran's preparedness for new negotiations to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov last week, but his remarks appeared to set a firm tone for any new round.
"We hope that in the next talks, the six nations — instead of [applying] a double standard, would approach these talks more constructively," Sajjadi told a news conference, speaking though an interpreter.
Three rounds of talks since April have failed to resolve the long dispute over Iran's nuclear program, which Western powers say is aimed at developing a nuclear weapons capability. Iran denies this, saying its program is for peaceful energy only.
But neither side has been willing to abandon dialogue, in part because a total breakdown could heighten the risk of Israel bombing Iranian nuclear facilities, potentially igniting a new war in the Middle East.
The six nations leading diplomatic efforts with Iran — permanent U.N. Security Council members the United States, Britain, France, Russia, and China, as well as Germany — plan to meet Wednesday to discuss negotiating strategy.
Iran's critics say it has used talks to play for time while drawing closer to weapons capability, mostly by increasing its stockpile of uranium enriched to a level — 20 percent — that makes it relatively easy to further process to bomb grade.
Uranium enrichment refined to 5 percent is suitable to fuel civilian nuclear power plants — Iran has none but says it plans to build them — while Tehran says the 20 percent product is for running its Tehran medical research reactor.
A U.N. nuclear agency report last week said Iran is set to sharply expand its uranium enrichment after installing all the centrifuges its underground Fordow plant was built for. Uranium is being enriched to 20 percent purity there.
Asked whether the additional centrifuges at Fordow would be used to refine to 20 percent or to the lower level required to make reactor fuel, Sajjadi did not answer directly but gave no indication they would be used for lower-level enrichment.
"Fordow already is operating, and . . . is carrying out enrichment of uranium up to 20 percent," he said.
Sajjadi said a priority for Iran at a new round of talks would be receiving a formal response from the global powers to a "five-point" proposal that Tehran put forward at previous talks and includes a range of nuclear and non-nuclear issues.
He did not elaborate on how the United States and other powers could be more constructive. But his references to "logical approach" and "double standard," have often been used by Iranian negotiators and are regarded as code language for Tehran's demand for formal recognition of the right to enrich uranium and a removal of U.N. sanctions.
They were also another signal that Iran would not buckle under increasingly harsh economic sanctions meant to pressure it to suspend enrichment and negotiate on safeguards that big powers see as vital to ensuring Iran's program is peaceful.
"During the talks, the United States had two approaches up until now. First of all, they wanted to force Iran to retreat and to reject its legal rights. And second, to damage Iran's economy and deliver blows to the Iranian people," Sajjadi said.
"Iran has shown that there will be no retreat and that the reaction of the Iranian people to such mistaken actions will be decisive," he said. "So it is probably necessary for Mr. Obama to change the conduct of the United States as regards Iran and choose a more logical approach."
A diplomat familiar with Fordow said that 700 centrifuges which had been newly installed and tested were ready to start enriching "any day" but that it was still unclear whether they would be used for 20 percent refined uranium — as the 700 already operating there — or for lower-grade material.
"They can be used for 20 percent and can also be used for 5 percent," the diplomat said. "They are fully ready."
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Boehner's Dilemma
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House Speaker John Boehner is very likely to pass an immigration reform bill. Its content is what is unknown.
The Speaker's desire to act on reform is based on a vocal consensus of the national Republican Party leadership that correctly advises him that the GOP cannot be the impediment that blocks reform. Stung by the 2012 overwhelming Latino vote for President Obama, all the Republican leaders grasp that the bill must pass in some form. It is important that Boehner remove the issue from the national stage by passing the bill — ending an irritant that keeps Latinos Democratic.
The perfect solution for Republicans is the approach charted by Texas Senator John Cornyn — immigration reform with the emphasis on border security first. Cornyn's approach demands that the border be already sealed before any legalization begins. He articulates conservative fears that amnesty will trigger its own flow of new illegal immigrants into the U.S. unless they are physically barred from entering. We do not need millions more in the purgatory of limbo waiting for Congress to act. Sealing the border needs to come first.
But while Boehner can probably get the moderates in the GOP House caucus to fall in line behind the Cornyn approach, he may be undone by defections on the right. As far right as the Cornyn amendment is, it still allows for legalization once the border is secured. There is an irreconcilable block among House Republicans that rejects any form of amnesty or legalization, whether the border is sealed or not. Their defections over even the Cornyn Amendment would force Boehner to seek Democratic votes to pass immigration reform in any form.
But, here Boehner runs into a vicious circle: The more Democratic votes he needs, the more he will have to move the legislation to the left. And the more he does that, the fewer Republican votes he will attract. Eventually, he may be left with the Senate version of immigration reform, which makes a mockery of border security by throwing resources at the problem but requiring no solution before legalization begins.
Boehner's reassurance that he will not bring a bill to the floor without a majority of his own caucus behind it offers no consolation. A majority of the House Republicans would likely support such a compromise, leaving more than a third of the Party behind. A Senate-like bill would sail through the Conference Committee and get Obama's signature in a heartbeat. It just won't solve the immigration problem.
If Obama wanted to seal the border, he has adequate resources to do so. He just doesn't want to. He would like the flow of illegals into the U.S. to continue, secure in the expectation that each new shipment assures liberal Democratic victories as far as the eye can see.
Only legislation that requires border security before Obama can deliver legalization to his Latino constituency will impel the reluctant president to act. But defections from the extreme right of the Republican caucus may make it impossible to pass such a bill in the House.
Will the new Latino citizens be Democrats? Who knows right now? They will not be voting until 2026 at the earliest. So that's the wrong question.
Will the GOP get credit for the passage of immigration reform? Again the wrong question.
The passage of immigration reform will clear the way for Latinos to move to the Republican Party. Attracted by its social policies, repelled by Democratic fiscal views and entrepreneurial to the core, the current Latino citizens and voters will once again be in play if immigration reform passes.
Also see,
NSA Regulations Repeal Fourth Amendment
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In defense of Jay Miller
I know that Jay Miller's resignation from The Wine Advocate will have a younger generation cheering that the blogosphere just outed another lying, cheating sleazebag, and that the old order is crumbling faster than a chocolate chip cookie at an Overeater's Anonymous meeting. But somebody has to put this into perspective.
I tried to begin that the other day, when I said we didn't have enough information to come to any conclusions, even though plenty of people were. Today, we know more, mainly from the Baltimore Sun's coverage. To me, here's the salient point, taken from the Sun article:
"Campo said in that exchange he wasn't arranging a visit by Miller to any wineries, but rather that he was negotiating fees for Miller to host a seminar….The speaking engagement — not Miller's first — had nothing to do with The Wine Advocate, and the governing body for the local wine region, not any wineries, paid for it."
If this is true, and there's no reason to think it isn't, then Miller's critics are saying that Miller shouldn't be allowed to make extra money through speaking fees, beyond whatever remuneration he got from Parker. That's my reading, anyway. But on what basis do the critics make this charge? Does Roger Ebert ever make money from speaking engagements? I'm sure he does (or did, before his stroke). I don't hear anyone getting all steamed about that. I, personally, don't see anything wrong with Miller, or any other writer, taking fees for speaking before groups that've invited him.
Now, if the wineries who indirectly pay for these speaking engagements believe their wines are going to get higher scores from Miller in exchange for the fee, that's their problem. I would hope Miller made it abundantly clear that wasn't the case and could never be.
In another version of the same article, which you can read here, Miller said, "What I write is totally based on what's in the bottle." Again, is there any reason not to believe that? I've said the same thing over and over again. It doesn't matter what a winery does to me or for me: My reviews are totally based on what's in the bottle. Not, I hasten to add, that I speak very much for a fee–it only happens a few times a year, Wine Enthusiast's policy is for the fee to be paid by third parties, not wineries, and the fee is never anywhere close to Miller's purported $26,000 for a two day trip. (I should live so long!) But if that's Miller's market value, then he has a right to accept it, if someone is willing to pay.
I still don't understand all the details of the relationship between Miller and this Campo fellow, but from my reading, there doesn't seem to be anything lurid or particularly scandalous about it. Campo runs a wine organization; he occasionally arranges local events for Miller, and perhaps he [Campo] even makes a little extra money off Miller. Nothing wrong with that.
This blogger, Jim Budd, who busted Miller, came up with the clever phrase, "No Pay, No Jay," implying that unless wineries forked over big money to Miller, he wouldn't review their wines. I don't believe that for a minute. Is anyone suggesting Miller refused to review a Spanish wine because the winery didn't pay him? Or that Miller lowered a score because the winery wouldn't fork over money? No.
The more subtle implication Mr. Budd is making is "The reason why producers and their [organizations] were prepared to pay these sums was because Miller was going to review and rate their wines for The Wine Advocate." According to this view, Miller would never have been in a position to charge money for a private visit, unless he was the famous Spanish reviewer for Robert Parker.
Well, duh! Do bears crap in the forest? That's just reality. Name me a famous wine critic and I'll show you somebody making money beyond his or her paycheck from the company, from speaking engagements, consulting, book writing, etc. We even have critics who own wineries: Robert Parker and Beaux-Frères! Does anybody not think that Beaux-Frères (which retails in the $60-$80 neighborhood) has cachet because of Parker's part-ownership? If you do, there's a bridge in San Francisco I'd like to sell you.
Now, we can have a discussion about the various lines that separate a true conflict of interest from the appearance of a conflict of interest. We can say, "No wine critic such as Miller should ever be allowed to make a penny from private arrangements, because a blogger says that would 'fail to pass the sniff test.'" But that, quite honestly, is to let some bloggers dictate to professionals how they should run their businesses. A blogger has the right to his opinion, of course, and that applies to Mr. Budd. But from everything I've read, I just don't see what Miller did that's so wrong. And it's soooo easy these days to stir up a shitstorm on the blogosphere.
Maybe I'm wrong. I know that my brilliant readers will show me the light, if I've misinterpreted this. If I'm wrong, I'll gladly do a mea culpa.
Here's the bottom line: there is absolutely no way to convince doubters of a wine critic's objectivity, or that he's being as honest as he can. Naysayers will always find something to criticize, and in this business, being accused of accepting money for reviews is like being asked "When did you stop beating your wife?" There's no answer that can possibly satisfy the questioner, and no matter what the critic replies, he ends up looking guilty, even when he's not.
Still, for all my misgivings about the Jay Miller case, I'm glad it arose, because we always need to talk about these important issues, instead of letting them fester.
Steve, this is the culture of envy, and since we're not of the mind to nail enough of the thieving politicians we so blithely put in office , it's got to be someone-anyone (Miller will do for today) as a scapegoat.
Sorry! The other day I should have said: The "few left" who are in for the deeper aspects of wine, they are the ones who are susceptible to being bought with a (rumored) inflated rating (Caveat emptor).
Woooo, boy. Good luck with this.
If it turns out that Budd's assessment (below) – which I think can seriously be argued is a logical, reasonable interpretation of the events, but technically unproven – then your analysis, which hinges on the premise that Miller is being attacked for accepting speaking fees, will get, well, unhinged:
'"The conference/masterclass is a smokescreen/fig leaf tacked onto the program," Budd said. "The reason why producers and their [organizations] were prepared to pay these sums was because Miller was going to review and rate their wines for The Wine Advocate."'
The exposed emails are not clear at all as to WHY the fees are being charged, Steve. Those attacking Miller are doing so under the interpretation that the charges are for visits during which Miller was reviewing wines for TWA, *not* for him accepting any fees. I don't want to be harsh, but only the densest of those following this would get riled up over someone accepting a freelance speaking fee. If it comes to light that Budd is correct and Miller's intention was to accept a fee for tasting, then we should logically assume that 1) his previous reviews from visits where he may have been paid similar fees are suspect, 2) he was fired and not retired from TWA.
Steve, nice try. I think Newt needs you to join his campaign and explain the million six he got from Freddie Mac. Heck, maybe they were paying for a "Master Class" in Finance, not access and lobbying, as some might opine? I mean it is very much like why a wine region would pay a hefty fee for the chance to sit and listen to a wine critic blab about the wines they like. Enlightenment has its price! Just like Newt's professorial instruction on economic theory and global finance was worth the money to Freddie execs. I don't know about you, but I don't see any hard evidence why we shouldn't believe either of the gentlemen.
Steve, the sums demanded for Jay Miller to visit and speak in a wine region desirous of an image pump-up remind me of nothing so much as the fig leaf disclaimer on an escort service websites: the fee charged is for time and companionship only.
Nudge nudge, wink wink.
It really doesn't matter whether Miller was complicit in the process of selling his appearances, or simply pocketed his share of the money obtained by Campo. It doesn't matter whether those fees in fact influenced his reviews of wines from those regions.
What matters is that his agent — and possibly he — require an eyebrow-raising sum of money to simply show up to speak (and, incidentally, taste wine for review) in a region he otherwise wouldn't visit. That alone presents the appearance of a conflict of interest. Full stop.
Let's see how many future large fees Mr. Miller commands for "speaking" now that he is no longer the Parker parrot. That will tell you a lot about the real motivations behind Campogate.
This post reads like it was written by someone who hasn't gone back on Jim's web site and actually read the text of the e-mails that produced this scandal to begin with. Only in very recent correspondence has the notion of a "seminar" really been the focus of the discussion. The original e-mails are quite clear: pay money for a visit from Jay, his coverage of your region will be very valuable to you.
Now I don't actually believe that Jay has done anything wrong, other than to let Campo do his work for him in terms of coordinating his visits. There is, indeed, nothing wrong with getting a speaking fee for a seminar.
But the fees that Jay says he normally gets for speaking are $8k to $15k. The charges that Campo was requesting from regions run to the $45k zone.
You tell me, where is that extra money going? Or maybe Campo should tell us.
No matter how you slice it, when an organization area pays exhorbitant fees to a reviwer prior to that reviwer's visit, there is a problem.
The operative rule for journalists ought to be the "caesar's wife" rule. I have no problem with people who go on non-paid, but organziationally supported fam trips to place. I have a big problem with the size of the fee.
What Jay Miller has done is to sully all of us by going beyond the reasonable bounds of the "caesar's wife" rule. If you or I did that, we would rightfully be pilloried for it. So would Alder or any other jouralist who claims independence and objectivity.
Unfortunatley Mr. Miller has had this stench about him for quite a few years in the industry. He has personally rated wines sometime 10 points higher and given unjust praise to wineries that other reputable wine writers have either given mediocre ratings to or they did not publish the ratings at all due to the wines being flawed. Being in the wine industry it's unfortunate that alot of the "experts" don't taste blind. I suppose if I had $10,000 a month in advertising budget for Mr. Speculator's rag I might just get a few extra points added onto my numbers each vintage and sell out fast.
It's high time that the wine rating business gets cleaned up and a touch of ethics comes back to the business-long overdue.
If I may add my two cents.
There seems to be a lot of inferring happening here. If we are going to play "What If?", what if Jay has nothing to do with this and it is all Campo's doing?
Here is what we do know. Campo was coordinating Jay's visits. Is it hard to believe that Campo was independently (key point) using the pay-to-play tactic in order to recoup costs his organization spent/would spend on Jay's speaking fees? Jay would be nothing but collateral damage from the scandal fallout.
I don't know the first think about Jay-gate except what I have read online. But if we are going to make inferences we might as well make all possible inferences and discuss all the possible "what ifs?"
Is it possible Jay was complicit in this scandal? Without any direct evidence you can not prove without a shadow of doubt whether or not Jay was complicit. What if Campo was making pay-to-play assertions independent of Jay's knowledge? The only evidence so far presented demonstrates Campo's guilt. Jay's name is used but nothing has been presented implicating him in the scandal.
"Innocent until proven guilty" may not strictly be an American concept, but it is a fundamentally sound one.
[Beaux Frères may have some cache because of Parker's ownership but I would argue most of it comes from it being a damn good wine. No amount of Parker affiliation could overcome swill.]
All very good valid points I agree. But a 10 point differntial is huge in the rating business. If you have ever seen how some of the experts rate the wine it's like they are pulling magical numbers out of mid air to spend less than a minutes on a wine is unfortunate. Everything I said abouve is all alleged and he has not been found guilty of anything I agree.
All I would like to reiterate is the ethical side of the wine rating business has long been thought of in our industry as a component that is missing when the wines are not reviewed BLIND by some. Please don't overlook this statement blind tasting is the only way to know if the wine writers are truly giving their honest unsolicated rating of the wine and as I said before it's unfortunate that it's not done that way.
Steve –
Can you address Steinberger's points?
Do you agree with Mike regarding what the pertinent questions are? Do you seriously not understand why some might want to know when people were told that Miller was leaving the Advocate?
This is extremely disappointing. While you are just a "Blogger" in this instance, you are also a wine critic.
In addition, before you form an opinion on a subject, you ought to be educated on the subject. As Alder and Evan have suggested, I suggest that you read what Jim Budd and Mike Steinberger have written. They have quoted actual emails written by the parties.
Those emails appear to be quite damaging.
As for your ability to go to a wine region, demand 100,000 euros for staying a few days there, taste the wines and not feel compelled to push up some ratings, well, we all know that you are full of shit to suggest that that does not happen. Heck, Miller is not even tasting wines blind in Spain. So, he collects a $15000 fee that we know about. Campo collects nearly $150,000 in total. Do you really believe that Campo keeps the balance? Are you the least but curious as to where the money train is headed?
While you ay refer to this stuff as crack cocaine, I just seek out the truth.
And your continuous bashing of the Wine Spectator, not tasting blind, while refusing to name names in the publication is a bit tiresome.
If you have a story, I would love to hear it (truly), otherwise I would hope that you would move on from that.
Here is some good meat for you to chew on, Steve…from the Wine Diarist website
Antonio David
December 10, 2011
Dear Mike,
Another one from Spain here too. We as winemakers, winery owners, vintners, enologists need a voice to be heard and Pancho provided us all with paid access to Mr. Miller. He said, they said, we said doesn't matter, it is our bottom line and that is why we paid access to Mr. Miller. My wine is not yet rated and not imported into the US. If I don't secure some way of having the Big US Critics to discover my wines and write about them, I will never export. The amount of money we all paid Campo was obscene, but what choice do we have? None. Questions on the expenses and how the money was spent? We were told a large portion of the money went to Pancho for arranging the trip, airlines, transfers, hotels, meals, video, and publication in The Wine Academy of Spain portals. I hope Mr Campo gets run out of Spain as he is nothing more than a vagabond. While I struggle to pay for my tractor repairs, Pancho if flaunting around in his Ferrari, having lavish 50th birthday & anniversary parties in Marbella (all on the social media to see), and acting like a jet set multimillionaire. Fuera Pancho Fuera! He has no shame and no place among the good people of Spain. Any winery supporting him now are only doing so because they are holding on to a thread of hope that he still has some tricks up his sleeves to sell them.
Gracias for letting me speak, Antonio David
I am not jumping on the bash-Jay-Miller-for-getting-paid bandwagon. I am just glad the guy is done because he was a LAZY reviewer. The effort he seemed to have put into South America and Spain in particular was laughable. 90 points with NO NOTES WHATSOEVER? As a retailer, how am I suppose to use that one? Just a big honkin' number hanging from a shelf sign? I even called the Advocate TWICE, and the same response with regards to his lack of notes? "He did not turn in any notes with his reviews." When you have a wine prose machine like David Schildknecht on one end, I guess having a reviewer who seems to possess no redeemable writing skills on the other end would give balance to the magazine, no? I could do a better job than he did, and that isn't saying a great deal. Would someone with an apparent work ethic such as his be allowed to continue at Wine Enthusiast, scandal or no scandal?
No problem.
It is all very troubling and I fear that this is only going to get uglier.


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H.E.R. (ft. DJ Scratch) – Lost Souls
H.E.R. flips Lauryn Hills's "Lost Ones" on new track "Lost Souls". Both songs delve into topics including feminism, materialism, and legacy, with H.E.R.'s verses expanding on ideas Hill laid down on her track. Of course, Ms. Hill is credited on the DJ Scratch-featured track."Lost Souls" is included on "I Used to Know Her: The Prelude" a project that serves as a clear lead up to an dope album.


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BROOKLYN, New York – According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Earth's climate system is a 'complex, interactive system consisting of the atmosphere, land surface, snow and ice, oceans and other bodies of water and living things.'
And, yes, the scientific community pores over all kinds of data related to this system every day.
But how should ordinary people think about the science of what's happening right now to the planet? And where do we go from here?
To find out, we turned to climate expert Paul Mayewski, the director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine and the science adviser for GlobalPost's yearlong investigation Calamity Calling.
For the past four decades, Mayewski has studied how the climate works and documented how it's changing.
In a wide-ranging interview with GlobalPost, he explains how scientific research into the past can help us understand the dramatic changes we're seeing now, and how it just might help us find new ways to cope with inevitable warming.
GP: Were you ever a climate change skeptic?
Mayewski: As recently as 20 plus years ago, scientists thought that the climate system operated very, very slowly. We thought it was such a big, powerful system that it could literally absorb anything that we small humans had ever done. So we've obviously changed our opinion greatly.
So when was the moment when you suddenly thought, 'Wow, there's no denying this anymore?'
There were a bunch of moments. When we realized the Antarctic glaciers along the coasts were changing their size faster than ever. When we realized it was getting harder and harder to collect un-melted records of ice cores. When we started traveling to remote places and realizing that the air quality and the noise quality and the visual quality were completely different than the places we lived and we could prove how much humans had impacted climate using our ice core records.
What do you say to skeptics now?
I used to say to the skeptics, 'Thank you for questioning what we do and for making us think more about the science because it's a healthy process.'
As of three or four years ago I gave up saying that, because now the skeptics are trying to blur the facts. They are trying to provide misinformation, take information out of context, make it a political issue, which it is not. They're not basing their arguments at all on the science.
Where are the places we're already seeing evidence of climate change?
In parts of the Arctic in the last five years we have experienced temperature changes as great as 9 degrees Fahrenheit. That's unbelievably big in five years. We've also seen drought impacts, in places like Australia, large portions of West Africa including Mali, the Midwest and Western United States. And all of these changes are related to changes in how often moisture-bearing winds come in and the direction that they come in from. And that's directly related to warming.
What coming changes scare you the most?
The health implications. The idea that you can be in a place that either has a tremendous amount of pollution or that has an emerging level of pollution. The fact that disease can be migrating into your area because of an emerging level of warming. The fact that you can be living on the edge of a desert that could very well expand. These are all in my opinion health and welfare risks.
We all live on the edge of climate health risks. And that's why this is a global security issue.
The latest report from the IPCC says the amount of greenhouse gases we have in the atmosphere already will cause a certain amount worldwide warming. So there's no stopping this shift?
It is absolutely inevitable. So while mitigation is still a powerful and important tool, people are talking much more about adaptation. And this has all changed in basically five years, the belief that we could stop all of this to suddenly realizing, yeah, we need to adapt to it.
You really think we can adapt?
We have no choice.
You helped discover rapid climate change. Can you describe precisely what that is and how it's relevant today?
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, I ran a program in Greenland that allowed us to get a very long, 110,000-year-long, year-to-year record of how the climate operates. And what we discovered is that there can be very, very quick changes in atmospheric circulation patterns.
What we were able to demonstrate is that the jet stream can basically be pushed into more winter-like or more summer-like conditions in just a couple of years and stay in that state. What does that mean? Within a couple of years, you're living in a place that has not three months of winter but 11 months of winter – not two months of summer but five months of summer. And once it does that, it can stay in that direction for a long time.
Sometimes people say climate change will produce winners and losers regionally, and humanity will simply have to move where it grows food. But isn't there a risk the whole world could become less conducive to agriculture?
Will the world end up with too few production areas? There's obviously immense debate about whether even under current conditions – if the population increases as fast as it is – we will have enough resources for people. And there are already parts of the world, Africa in particular, where we don't have enough of the most important resource, which is water.
Is water one of the resources most threatened by climate change?
Water is the new oil, except it's way more serious than that. We have to have water to survive. The IPCC has come up with some very impressive models, ensembles of models, that show where drought will be most significant.
Many of these coincide exactly with what we've been able to demonstrate in the ice cores. There have been areas seriously impacted by drought in the past, where civilizations actually had to move.
With the mixed message mainstream science sent on climate change for two decades or more, to what extent do you think science failed the public?
I think that science is a big thing and to collect all of the data necessary for the entire scientific community to really get behind this takes time. I wouldn't say that science failed society. I would say that it's a combination of science not getting the answer fast enough and then the information not being distributed well enough. And as a great a fan as I am of the media, I think that the media – by implying that there is even a scientific argument – has done a disservice.
I'd say the people who failed us are the politicians, the policymakers, by maintaining the myth that this is a political issue. It's not a political issue. It's a fact.
Speaking of the media, journalists often drive scientists nuts by bringing up specific events like Hurricane Sandy or recent storms in Mexico, and asking, 'Is this climate change?' Sorry to do this, but – is it?
Is the only reason that Hurricane Sandy existed because of human activity? No. Is the likelihood that it was as large, and is the likelihood that we will have more such events, because of human events? Yes, absolutely. You warm the oceans, you create instabilities in air masses, you warm the Arctic and these are the kind of things that you get. This is the way the physics of the climate system operates.
It is another of the inevitable things. So, we have to assume that these sorts of situations will simply get worse in the future because of what we've done.
Who are the victims?
I'm co-teaching a class in abrupt climate change business and policy and we keep talking about visuals, victims and villains. The way that the media and many of us portray things. The visuals are clear. The victims are clear – they're us, all over the place in varying degrees. One of the big problems is that we're all the villains. We've all wanted this sort of lifestyle.
But this is one of those situations in which we actually have to forget about who the villains are. We have to treat this almost like an extraterrestrial threat. The movie 'Independence Day' is a great movie because of the message that the only way the world gets together is when everybody realizes they're being threatened in the same way.
In the case of the modern interpretation of climate change, we're not actually all threatened in the same way, but we all have the same kind of security issues. For some of us it's storms, for some of us it's drought, for others it's heatstroke and disease.
The faster we get that message out, the faster we realize that we are in fact being attacked by this thing that we have created ourselves.
Paul Mayewski is the director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, and the science adviser for GlobalPost's yearlong investigation Calamity Calling. He's led more than 50 research expeditions to the world's most remote locations and authored more than 350 research papers and several books, including, most recently, Journey Into Climate. He's also spearheaded the creation of 10green.org, a site that allows you to track pollution in your neighborhood.
This interview was condensed and edited by Solana Pyne and Thomas Mucha.


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Smithfield shareholders OK $4.7B sale to China firm
- Smithfield%2C which employs 46%2C000%2C has pledged that jobs will be protected
- It%27s the largest takeover of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm
- Smithfield brands also include Farmland%2C Armour and Cook%27s
WASHINGTON -- Smithfield Foods shareholders overwhelmingly approved on Tuesday the $4.7 billion purchase of the pork giant by a Chinese meat processor, clearing the last remaining major hurdle to close the deal.
More than 96% of the votes, representing 76% of shares outstanding, were cast in favor of the purchase by Shuanghui International. Smithfield announced in May it would be acquired by Shuanghui for $34 a share, the largest takeover of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm.
The merger is expected to be completed Thursday.
"We are pleased with the outcome of today's vote," said Larry Pope, chief executive officer of Smithfield. "This is a great transaction for all Smithfield stakeholders, as well as for American farmers and U.S. agriculture. The partnership is all about growth, and about doing more business at home and abroad. It will remain business as usual -- only better -- at Smithfield."
Executives with Smithfield, which sells packaged products under its own name and other popular brands, including Farmland, Armour and Cook's, have promoted the transaction as a way for U.S. pork farmers to tap into the growing demand for meat in China, South Korea, Japan and other Asian countries.
Washington lawmakers have expressed concerns that the purchase of Smithfield by a Chinese company could squeeze U.S. pork supply as more of the meat goes overseas while leaving the U.S. susceptible to food safety concerns that have plagued Chinese companies, including Shuanghui. They also have worried that the acquisition would lead to additional takeovers of U.S. food companies by Chinese firms.
Smithfield has tried to ease those concerns by repeatedly promising that jobs will be protected and the safety of the U.S. food supply would be maintained. The Virginia-based company employs more than 46,000 people in four countries and 25 states, including Iowa and South Dakota.
Earlier this month, Smithfield and Shuanghui announced that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States -- a secretive government panel that reviews the impact that foreign purchases of American companies have on national security -- signed off on the deal.


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The boys are out of the cave. Now Hollywood wants in.
The producers behind Christian films like "God's Not Dead" are already in Thailand with plans to develop a movie about the 18-day saga of the soccer team trapped in a flooded cave. Though the drama of headline-grabbing rescues often doesn't carry over the big screen, Pure Flix Entertainment co-founder Michael Scott believes the story about the 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach is ripe for movie adaptation.
"We realized that this would make an incredibly inspiring movie," Scott said Wednesday, speaking by phone from Thailand. "Like a lot of people, we know there's not a lot of positive news in the world today."
Scott said he feels a personal connection with the story. His wife is Thai and he said he was spending the summer in Bangkok when the soccer team went missing. Scott and fellow producer Adam Smith recently traveled to the area around the cave in the northern Thailand, and they have begun talking to some of the participants about their "life rights."
But they also stressed that they aren't yet pursuing most of the families of the boys, who on Wednesday remained recuperating in a hospital.
"For us it's not a huge race," said Smith. "It's about making sure we get the authenticity right."
Many hurdles await. Most films that enter development never get produced, and the producers are just beginning to seek a screenwriter. Other film productions companies will surely show interest, and they could leapfrog ahead with a larger production.
And while the Arizona-based Pure Flix has found some success with low-budget Christian films ("The Case for Christ") and conservative documentaries ("Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party"), it's far from a Hollywood heavyweight. Others in TV and film are already looking to capitalize. Discovery has scheduled one-hour documentary special to debut Friday.
But Pure Flix hopes they can beat any fiction-film rush.
"I don't think this is a religious film," said Scott. "I think this is an inspirational film."
There's also some reason to doubt the box-office appeal of the tale. Ripped-from-headlines movies have not been setting the world on fire. Though Clint Eastwood's "Sully" was a success, his 2018 docudrama about the 2015 Thalys train attack, "The 15:17 to Paris," disappointed. Michael Bay's "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" (2016) was the director's worst performing release. Peter Berg's 2016 big-budget drama about the 2010 oil rig explosion "Deepwater Horizon" likewise fizzled.
The best comparison would be 2015's "The 33," about the 2010 mining disaster in Chile that trapped 33 miners for two months. Though boasting a starry cast of Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin and Juliette Binoche, it made barely a blip at the box office, with $24.9 million worldwide.


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Executives from more than 20 companies traded ideas on hiring more military veterans in this tough economy, and easing their transition into civilian careers, during a special "Veterans Employment Summit" last week hosted by the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
Before a single idea could be shared, however, executives watched uncomfortably for 10 minutes as their hosts exchanged insults. Rep. Bob Filner (Calif.), the ranking Democrat, started the rhubarb. Soon drawn in was an angry chairman, Republican Jeff Miller of Florida.
The scene reinforced the notion that the 112th Congress is the most divisive in recent memory. The type of bitter exchange that serves as entertainment on the 24-hour cable "news" circuit was allowed to open a pro-veteran event arranged by a committee once known for bipartisanship.
Filner challenged statistics Miller used in his opening statement, that the unemployment rate for the youngest veterans was nearly into double digits. He said unemployment for veterans "is almost twice that of the national average and for returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans it may be up to three times…far worse than some of the statistics I just heard."
A check with the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Miller used correct data. Filner used BLS data for the most recent month, August, and used the unemployment rates for veterans age 18 to 24, which fluctuates widely, month to month, given that the number of veterans surveyed is small.
Even administration officials have cautioned against such comparisons.
"You can't say things are significantly worse for veterans" in the job market "but they certainly aren't better. And that is what surprises people," said BLS economist Jim Borbely in a phone interview. "They expect veterans to have an easier time because they have the training and the skills acquired through their service. But in this economy we are not really seeing that."
The latest annual survey shows a jobless rate for veterans of all eras at 8.7 percent compared to 9.4 percent for non-veterans. Among "Gulf War-era II" veterans, those who left service since 9-11, unemployment is 11.5 percent. But Miller ignored the statistical challenge in answering Filner.
When company representative got their chance, they discussed why veterans present a rich pool of job candidates and described their own successes finding and hiring veterans. Some directed a few knocks at the Department of Defense and at military commanders for not allowing separating or retiring service members time enough while on active duty to research civilian job opportunities.
They also criticized blocked access from military computers to company websites to allow members to scan and apply for jobs. Some employers complained too that the military does little to help departing members translate their job skills and experience into job resumes that potential civilian employers can understand.
Jolene Jefferies, vice president for Direct Employers Association, warned that recent proposed regulations from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, intended to help veterans by forcing companies doing business with the government to keep detailed records on interaction with veteran applicants, would be "a job-killer."
"We think it's going to be a tremendous burden for employers. It's going to cost millions. It's not the right approach to get employers to hire veterans because the record keeping is going to be just insane…I really urge you to take a look at that," Jefferies told the committee.
When Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) asked what else Congress could do to help businesses to hire veterans, Kevin Schmiegel of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said just "be active on the issue in your communities. I think this is the most non-partisan issue we can possibly be dealing with."
"You still hold that opinion after how we started this?" quipped Miller.


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Brown, Moses
Brown, Moses, 1738–1836, American manufacturer and philanthropist, b. Providence, R.I. He was associated with his brothers John, Joseph, and Nicholas in the family's mercantile activities before establishing (1790), with Samuel Slater, the first water-powered cotton mill in the United States. Brown, who became a Quaker in the early 1770s, was also a pioneering abolitionist. Largely because of his influence, Rhode Island College (later renamed Brown Univ. in honor of his nephew Nicholas) was moved in 1770 from Warren to Providence. Brown contributed generously to the college. Moses Brown School in Providence, a leading preparatory institution for boys, was established (1819) by Quakers on land donated by him.
See biography by M. Thompson (1962); C. Rappleye, Sons of Providence: The Brown Brothers, the Slave Trade, and the American Revolution (2006).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Business Leaders


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18 CFR § 1b.20 - Request for confidential treatment.
Any person compelled to produce documents in an investigation may claim that some or all of the information contained in a particular document(s) is exempt from the mandatory public disclosure requirements of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), is information referred to in 18 U.S.C. 1905, or is otherwise exempt by law from public disclosure. In such case, the person making such claim shall, at the time said person produces the document to the officer conducting the investigation shall also produce a second copy of the document from which has been deleted the information for which the person wishes to claim confidential treatment. The person shall indicate on the original document that a request for confidential treatment is being made for some or all of the information in the document and shall file a statement specifying the specific statutory justification for non-disclosure of the information for which confidential treatment is claimed. General claims of confidentiality are not sufficient. Sufficient information must be furnished for the officer conducting the investigation, or other appropriate official, to make an informed decision on the request for confidential treatment. If the person states that the information comes within the exception in 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4) for trade secrets and commercial or financial information, the person shall include a statement specifying why the information is privileged or confidential. If the person filing a document does not submit a second copy of the document with the confidential information deleted, the Officer conducting the investigation may assume that there is no objection to public disclosure of the document in its entirety. The Commission retains the right to make the determination with regard to any claim of confidentiality. Notice of the decision by the investigating Officer or other appropriate official to deny a claim, in whole or in part, and an opportunity to respond shall be given to a person claiming confidentiality no less than 5 days before its public disclosure.


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Physcial Sciences Division
Staff Awards & Honors
April 2007
Kathmann, Schenter, and Garrett Have Letter Selected for Virtual Nanoscale Journal
Congratulations to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Shawn Kathmann, Gregory Schenter, and Bruce Garrett on having their comment letter from Physical Review Letters selected for the March 26, 2007, issue of Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology. The journal, published by the American Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society in cooperation with others, provides links to articles on the frontier of nanoscale research and development.
In their letter, the three authors underscored the importance of anharmonicity that was neglected in the work of Nadykto et al.. The article by Nadykto et al. computed the free energies for clusters containing a single ion surrounded by several water molecules using a single minimum energy configuration for each size cluster.
The PNNL team showed that a more robust approach, sampling hundreds of millions configurations for each aqueous ionic cluster, is necessary to obtain accurate energy calculations. This more complete configurational sampling is needed because a great many of the relevant ion/water configurations are not global minima. This effect is termed anharmonicity, and it can have a profound influence on the computed free energies.
Why does it matter? Water/ion interactions are ubiquitous in nature. For example, to better understand and reduce aircraft contrails, the long line-shaped clouds that form behind a jet engine, government agencies and manufacturers must understand the thermodynamics of water molecules clustering around ions generated in the combustion process. In addition, these clustering reactions are important in understanding the mechanisms of electrospray ionization.


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Earlier this month, Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) chairwoman Donna Nelson called for the federal government to end its renewable energy tax credit for Texas wind and for the end of state policies that have resulted in Texas' clean energy economy boon. The chairman's appeal is so devoid of a factual basis it is hard to conclude that this is anything other than part of an orchestrated campaign by fossil fuel interests to stop the growth of renewable energy. Like the other attacks on clean energy, this is more politics than substance.
The federal and state policies that Chairman Nelson wants to eliminate have been great for Texas. Texas ranks first in the nation for wind-related jobs, employing over 8,000—and many of those jobs are keeping agriculture-heavy West Texas and Panhandle communities afloat amid the devastating multi-year drought. Plus, 60% of all wind projects under construction across the country in the first quarter of 2014 were in Texas. And studies (including one produced by the Texas PUC) have shown that electricity prices are lower when more wind energy is installed on the power grid. Read More


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It's Destination: Tennessee for two Birmingham Public Schools Destination Imagination teams.
Teams from Berkshire Middle and Pierce Elementary schools have advanced to the global finals this year, where they'll compete against 1,200 teams representing the United States along with 13 other countries. To help them on their journey to Knoxville, Tenn., the Birmingham Education Foundation is providing $8,200 to support student registration, hotel stays and meals at the competition.
"Every student should have the opportunity to reach their full potential," said Laura Couger, Birmingham Education Foundation executive director. "We provide support for unique learning opportunities like Destination Imagination where students can really succeed and excel."
Destination Imagination is the world's largest creative problem-solving, not-for-profit organization. Its charge is to teach the creative process from imagination and innovation.
Birmingham Public Schools brought the program to district students in the 2011-12 school year as a full-district initiative. This school year, Birmingham Public Schools had 22 teams representing seven schools compete in the opening regional tournament. Five of the teams placed in the top three within the region and advanced to the state tournament in April.
Students left for Knoxville on Wednesday and will stay for competitions through Saturday. Both teams successfully advanced through the regional tournament and state finals against 200 teams to become the top two teams to advance in their challenge. The Berkshire team consists of Jadyn Broomfield (8th grade), Reginald Hartman (8th grade), Scott Lockwood (6th grade), Jonah Lusky (6th grade), Katie Satullo (6th grade) and Brooklyn Scott (6th grade).
Pierce's team includes fifth-grade students Emilia Mushkat, Grace Shenefelt, Ryan Moss, Leah Kim, Akila Abeyeratna and Phillip Vercellone.
"We are extremely grateful for the support of the BEF in sponsoring our students' experience at Global Finals," said Joanna McKinney, Berkshire Middle School assistant principal. "This prestigious opportunity sets a high benchmark for Destination Imagination in the district and provides a strong platform for continued growth in this enrichment opportunity. We encourage the public to continue to support the BEF for providing financial support for these programs."
This year, the Birmingham Education Foundation has provided over $125,000 in grants to classrooms throughout the district.
To donate to the Birmingham Education Foundation, contact Laura Couger or visit www.supportbef.org.


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Check out the gallery of photos from the set's unboxing, then see below for a review of the set.
Tempting as it is to call the new Harry Potter Wizard's Collection magical, it isn't… but it is the most awesome video boxed set ever made, and that's not hyperbole. Not only does it have all eight movies on Blu-ray and DVD (and digital, but only in SD) with a host of brilliant extras never before released, including a discussion between author J.K. Rowling and star Daniel Radcliffe, but it has an incredible collection of physical extras related to the movies.
There's a cloth map of Hogwarts beautiful enough to hang on the wall, and made so doing that would be easy. There's a set of concept art prints of various locations from the stories, any of which I would gladly frame and display on the wall of my house. It has a gorgeous booklet of labels of various kinds as seen in the movies. And it has a beautifully-made replica of the locket horcrux from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And there's even more, including blueprints of Hogwarts and sketches from production designer Stuart Craig,
As if that weren't enough, the collection also comes in a beautiful, unfolding case, with drawers of various sizes all over containing the movies and the other goodies, created craftily enough that, when unboxing it, my kids and I posed for photos with the set before realizing there was still one compartment we hadn't seen before. I'm fairly sure we found everything, but the way it's built I wouldn't be hugely surprised to happen upon a hidden drawer somewhere sometime in the future. Suffice it to say that my kids thought the case was just about the coolest thing they'd ever seen, and their parents were just about there, too.
Now, sets like this don't typically come cheap, and this is no exception. The Harry Potter Wizard's Collection retails for $500.00, but Amazon is currently selling it for $344.99 — which works out to just over $43 per movie, and with all the extras you get that's really not a bad deal. It's certainly something to think about as an extra-special holiday gift for any of your family or friends who's a serious Potterphile. Or, you know, for yourself.
Photos by Jen Blum.
A review copy of the set was provided to GeekDad.


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For example, here is an outraged call to action for protests against "Chocolate Jesus", a piece by Canadian artist Cosimo Cavallaro. Another example is the now infamous "Merry Titmas" exhibit by "notorious art curator" Lenora Claire in 2007.
Below are some not quite randomly selected images that could, potentially, be seen as examples of anti-Christian blasphemy. (Including one from Claire's "Merry Titmas" show):
The cover of a relatively recent book on Republicanism and Anticlerical Nationalism in Spain, by Enrique Sanabria:
Some naughty nuns by Clovis Trouille:
Max Ernst's "Virigin Spanking the Christ Child":
Jesus Guinness & Jesus Thong:
The Virgin Mary depicted as a Hooter's waitress:
"Motivational Poster" styled blasphemy:
Racing Nuns action figures:
Sexy Jesus t-shirts from zazzle:
Sexy Nun stickers from zazzle:
Lookin' Good for Jesus products by Blue Q:
Objectified Jebus:
Jesus Elvis:
Jesus Christ On A Bicycle:
even more blasphemy at
e g r e g o r e s:
- Possibly blasphemous images of the Virgin Mary
- Blasphemy
- Blasphemy, Part Deux
- The right to oppose Islam
- A plague on both their houses
- Melanie Phillips on Lars Hedegaard
- "Republicanism, Irreligion, Heresy, Paganism, and Sodomy."
- Blasphemy case against Nergal dismissed
- More on Nergal's case
- Doda: "Forbidden fruit tastes better."
- Two more "hate speech" cases
- Sex, Religion, Art, Music & Freedom of Expression in Poland
- Holocaust Denial is OK, but criticizing Islam is not. Apparently
- Early March, 2010 Blasphemy World Roundup!!
- The kids are alright (in praise of Blasphemous Metal)


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The Villain punishes his bratty princess
Watching a cute girl get tied up, gagged, tickled, flogged and whipped while she is giggling and being sassy makes me smile. Todays clip that I am reviewing is Jade Inca Suspended and it has all of the above mentioned … Continue reading
Posted in Kink, Porn Review Tagged brat, Flogger, flogging, M/s play, porn review, ProVillain porn, rope, rope suspension, suspension, whip, whipping 1 Comment


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Doris Modern Fabric Throw Pillow Cover (No Filling), Gray and Natural
Enliven your home with a charming accessory that brings a refreshing look to your interior space. Bring home our accent pillow cover that will fill the empty space with something that offers both style and comfort. Featuring a seamless retro design, these pillow covers gives an artsy and edgy accent to your interior decor. With endless possibilities and applications for this accessory, this pillow cover is perfect for a benched window or sofa in need of a bit of modern grace.
A TOUCH OF PERSONALITY: Easily customize your living room, bedroom, or foyer with this chic accent pillow cover. With an unbeatable combination of comfort and impeccable style, this accessory will be sure to enliven any lounge space.
MODERN DESIGN: Our pillow cover is the perfect accent for any scheme of decor. This features a seamless retro pattern in gray over a natural base on both the front and back.
CRAFTED WITH CARE: This cover consists of a blend of polyester, cotton, and linen, allowing easy care maintenance. Please note that the filling is not included with this cover.
REMOVABLE COVERS WITH SAFETY ZIPPERS: You can easily remove our machine-washable pillow cover for cleaning purposes after a long period of use. Just use the childproof safety zippers to unfasten the skin and slip out the inner filling.
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- Includes: One (1) Pillow Cover
- Material: Fabric
- Composition: 40% Cotton, 40% Polyester, 20% Linen
- Color: Gray
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- Filling NOT Included
- Hand-Crafted Details
- Assembly Required
- Dimensions: 25.00 inches deep x 25.00 inches wide x 1.00 inches high
100% Satisfaction Guarantee:
If any of our products do not perform to your satisfaction, you may return it to us for replacement, or refund within 90 days after purchase.


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WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Adempas (riociguat) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat two types of pulmonary hypertension, characterized by high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs.
The chronic, disabling disease forces the heart to work harder than usual, and can lead to death or the need for a lung transplant, the FDA said in a news release.
Adempas, among a class of drugs called soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators, relaxes the arteries. This increases blood flow and eases blood pressure, the agency said.
The drug was approved for people with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) after surgery, or for people who cannot have surgery, to help improve the ability to exercise. The drug also was approved for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) of various causes.
Adempas was evaluated in a clinical study involving 261 people with CTEPH. People who were treated with the drug were able to walk about 150 feet further in six minutes after 16 weeks of treatment than people who took a placebo, the FDA said.
In another trial of 443 people with PAH, people treated with the drug were able to walk about 118 feet further in six minutes than those who had been treated with a placebo.
The most common side effects of the drug included headache, dizziness, indigestion, tissue swelling, nausea and vomiting.
Adempas' label includes a boxed warning that pregnant women shouldn't use the drug, which can harm a growing fetus, the agency said.
The drug is marketed by Wayne, N.J.-based Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals.
More information
The FDA has more about this approval.