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This is part one of a hybrid essay-rant series focusing on fandom (the collective community) and its intense race/racism problems. If you're new to my blog and to this project, start here with the introduction post. Make sure to click the links and read the content because they'll add further nuance to the essay here.
In addition to talking about race and racism, this post also mentions incest (with regard to how fandom interprets familial relationships to suit their shipping needs).
One thing that becomes overwhelmingly clear when it comes to the treatment of characters of color is the lengths that fandom is willing to go to in order to get them out of the way of their favorite white character ships. There are so many techniques that we could tackle, many of them framed subtly enough that it's difficult to combat them, but for the purposes of this post we're going to look at five of the most popular:
- Distancing
- Willful misinterpretation of relationships
- Theorizing that a character of color is really evil (and therefore shouldn't be shipped/the relationship should be placed under suspicion)
- Deciding that a character of color in a POC/White Fandom Darling ship is actually asexual and/or a "strong [race/ethnicity] man/woman/non-binary person that don't need no significant other"
- POC reduced to an agony aunt character to get white characters together
First, distancing:
This refers to looking at a relationship between a character of color and fandom's white darling (canonically platonic or romantic), and then pulling the character of color away from that relationship. Fandom does this in two ways.
First, they literally keep the character of color out of fanworks. Rhodey is cut out of comic panels or movie screenshots where he's next to Tony Stark. Joan Watson gets endless posts about how she's a strong Chinese woman who doesn't need a man. Other characters of color aren't put in fandom's biggest photosets. Meta about characters skims over them. These characters of color are given less time and focus when compared to fandom faves right up until the point where fandom has to reaffirm that they're not racist.
The second aspect of distancing revolves around what they write/draw/vid and how they do it. I'm talking about breaking canonical ties between a character of color and a white character in order to justify erasing the character of color in fanworks.
It's Teen Wolf fan fiction without Scott McCall as Stiles Stilinski's childhood best friend. (Scott being the biracial Latino main character of the show). It's Teen Wolf fanworks that erase Scott's relationship with Derek or play it off as if it hasn't changed at all in five seasons.
It's the Marvel Big Bang so far not having more than one or two stories that focus on characters of color in romantic or platonic relationships. Despite the fact that Steve Rogers and Tony Stark are in many of the stories up so far, Sam Wilson and James "Rhodey" Rhodes are in like three stories. Maybe.
What distancing does is insert space between characters of color that effectively pushes them out of the narrative spotlight. Fandom is one of those spaces where imagination takes precedence over reality and in the event of racebending and LBGTQUIA headcanons, that's awesome. When it comes to how fandom (as in all fandoms) tend to take headcanons as fact after they've been around the block a couple of times, it's not as amazing.
When characters of color are distanced from their triumphs and relationships in canon via headcanon, photo manipulations/edits, or simply not being written or drawn into fanworks, it's an attempt to minimize the importance of the character. Whether or not it's a subconscious or conscious distancing, the fact of the matter is that fandom does this on the regular and it usually only benefits white characters (and largely white fans) because it takes importance away from the few characters of color that the canon gives us.
Next we're going to talk about the willful misinterpretation of relationships starring a POC:
Stop me if you've heard these before:
"Abbie and Ichabod have such a grandfather-granddaughter relationship –"
"Coulson thinks of Fury as his boss –"
"Iris and Barry are like siblings –"
"The Avengers look at Nick Fury like a father figure –"
"Rick doesn't really see Michonne as a woman –"
All of these sentences are things I've seen in fandom in one form or another. They all focus on yes, distancing, characters of color in some way but there's also a focus on redefining their relationships. The most common of this is having the white fandom favorites supposedly see characters of color as family members even when the canon has them showing non-platonic interest in one another.
Take the Abbie/Ichabod relationship on Sleepy Hollow. Sure, no one knows what the hell is going on there in terms of their relationship status, but from the start, we've seen problems with how white fans approach both the ship and Nicole Beharie in the leading role.
Like Mulder and Scully in The X-Files, they're definitely playing up the "will they/won't they" angle in their relationship and that includes a ton of sexual tension. Abbie and Ichabod flirt. They have intimate banter. They have the sort of relationship that'd launch a thousand slash ships if only 'Abbie' had been an 'Aiden' or an 'Ashleigh'.
But with Abbie being played by Nicole Beharie, fans of that dynamic balk. They're uncomfortable with the idea of interracial relationships in their media (probably also in their real lives, but they won't admit to that) and so to fix things, they reinterpret and misinterpret the relationship not only as 100% platonic, but also as familial.
Better yet, let's talk about Iris West and Barry Allen and The CW's The Flash series.
If you know nothing about the show or the comics, the most important thing is that Barry and Iris will get together.
It doesn't matter if the show gets cancelled or if they don't get together in the series: Barry and Iris are legit responsible for much of the population of speedsters in the DC Universe.
Wally West is Iris' nephew.
Bart Allen is her and Barry's grandchild.
Irey West is their niece.
Jenni Ognats is their great-great something.
You literally lose a huge chunk of speedsters in the DC universe if there's no Barry and Iris relationship in the DCU.
Got that?
Okay. So in the television series, Barry and Iris were best friends who grew up together. After Barry's dad was framed for the murder of his wife, Barry actually moved in with them. So then they literally grew up together. While Iris' feelings for Barry have up until recently tended towards the platonic (although subconsciously, we know that Iris has been feeling those good feelings okay), Barry has never thought of Iris as his sister.
Because she's not.
She's his best friend and the daughter of his boss. She's been the love of his life since the moment that he figured out what love was. One of the show's strongest subplots is about how he is in love with her. The CW's a bit experimental at times, but they wouldn't go with a 'Flowers in the Attic' type shtick in a mostly generic superhero show.
You have fans crawling out of the woodwork to inform everyone that they read that relationship as familial now that Iris is black and played by Candice Patton. Because racebending breaks tiny racist minds.
That's where the willful misinterpretation comes in. They're looking for reasons to discredit the ship so they turn to the relationships that the POC have and remove the sexual tension or even the actual and canonical sexual relationship so that they can say that there's no way that you can ship these two characters.
You know, because they're family.
As if fandom isn't incredibly guilty of shipping stuff despite family-like bonds or actual biological and genetic relationships between characters in the ship. Seriously, there are more incestual Pacific Rim Chuck Hansen/Herc Hansen stories out there than Rhodey/Tony stories – to say nothing of Mako Mori/Raleigh Beckett stories and they're the main freaking characters.
There are people who saw Crimson Peak and still left the theater shipping the Sharpe siblings. Fandom only really cares about respecting familial bonds when it means that they can cut out a character of color.
This misinterpretation of relationships between characters of color and white characters hinges on decentralizing the character of color. If fandom can claim a relationship is "really" platonic or familial, then they have nothing stopping them from shipping two otherwise unsuitable white characters.
Look at how people were shipping Ichabod with the Headless Horseman or Shaun with Detective Lassiter instead of Gus on Psych. Fandom kind of acts as if you can make the canon relationships something with no tension in it and possibly throw in the squick/trigger of implied incest, it validates your not-so-diverse ship as the only valid one.
Next, fandom loves to make the POC in canon/fanon interracial relationships evil. They just LOVE it. And they really love to do it to Black characters above all else (because of preexisting stereotypes about violence and masculinity in the Black community, perhaps).
So let's talk about how theorizing that a character of color is really evil (and therefore a character that shouldn't be shipped/a relationship that should be placed under suspicion) is one of the most messed up things I've ever seen fandom do.
Let's look at the Teen Wolf and Marvel Cinematic Universe fandoms for this one.
The Teen Wolf fandom is rife with issues. They even have their own tag for it.
One big issue is the way that characters of color are immediately deemed evil and how the show's Black characters get the biggest and baddest rap. From episode one Alan Deaton – the series' Giles-figure – was fandom's go-to for suspicious evil characters. The tags were rife with stories, headcanon, and meta about him being evil and trying to hurt Stiles or Derek (never Scott because that would require looking at the way that Scott and Deaton interacted with one another).
Need a suspicious Black guy out to get the fandom's "spark" in side-character Stiles Stilinski?
Deaton was it for the longest time.
Then we got Boyd. Boyd was misused and mistreated by canon and fandom. That doesn't make it right. Boyd was literally reduced to stereotype of Black masculine violence and the only time that fandom ever really looks at him is to write him in conjunction with white characters. (Something that even I am guilty of.) But Boyd, because of the fact that we know next to nothing about him, becomes the sort of character it's easy to villainize even in small ways. He's the high school bully. The jock that Derek has to protect Stiles or Isaac from. He's a big black guy so he's scary.
Then with Marin Morell and Braeden, you got the "oh this character is OBVIOUSLY evil" with a double dose of racialized misogyny. Despite the fact that she's Deaton's sister (or maybe because of that fact), Morell isn't seen as trustworthy or as a character that gets to have relationships within fandom. Braeden, a gun-toting mercenary that wins Derek Hale's heart and saves the day, was the frequent topic of discussion that framed her as evil, cruel, and unworthy of Derek Hale's sexy wolf love.
We see this same problem in the MCU fandom, most specifically and frequently about Nick Fury.
In the MCU fandom, Nick Fury is typically categorized as a liar.
If you pay attention to the fandom's characterization, you'd wind up thinking that he's actually a bigger villain Loki. That's how he's treated.
As the lying liar that:
- Bullied Tony in Iron Man 2.
- Lied to Steve after waking him up at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger.
- Lied to the Avengers about Coulson in The Avengers.
- Didn't tell anyone about HYDRA in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Okay. So a lot of people really don't seem to understand what it takes to run a government agency. He's not required to hold superheroes' hands when debriefing them. As it stands, he's already plenty nice to the Avengers.
Tony Stark was engaging in destructive behavior (to himself and in a way that could have hurt other people) in Iron Man 2. Nick was trying to help him and keep him from killing himself.
Why would anyone blurt out that Steve was magically in 2011 after going to sleep/"dying" in the 1930s? That was so the right thing to do.
Did you miss The Avengers? You know the two hour mess of all of those jerks fighting with one another until they're bound together by a common goal? And let's be real: even with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. retcon, Coulson was still dead. Like D-E-D. Dead. And he did die in the line of duty. Like… they needed that death to spur them onward.
What exactly was Nick supposed to do?
Let them destroy the carrier and half-ass their way through the battle in New York? Nick Fury is an incredibly complex character who has been developed decently by the MCU (but not as much as he could've been) only to have fandom drop the ball with one dimensional characterization that either makes him evil (or a force of negativity in the Avengers' lives) or reduce him to the Avengers' nanny.
Which brings me to my main issue with fandom's hate-on for Nick Fury (when they're not defanging him as a hero in his own right and a clever investigator): there are so many people in fandom that came out of Captain America: The Winter Soldier with the idea that after the folks in HYDRA, Nick Fury was our next villain or the second worst character because he didn't spill his plans to Steve and Natasha from the get-go.
Despite the fact that CATWS is literally about not being able to trust the people around you and the surveillance state, people continue to this day to blame Nick Fury for not immediately spilling his secrets to Steve. Okay. Because that's how espionage works? Really?
I think that what really pissed me off about the Marvel fandom was this event that happened in May 2014 when popular fan scifigrl47 decided that that was the perfect time to ponder about what would happen if Sam Wilson — you know one of like five black men in the MCU film franchise — happened to be an undercover HYDRA agent.
Needless to say, she got so much flack from the post that she deleted it from her blog (but never apologized for writing it or seemed to understand why it was such a big deal).
But here's a choice clip from the post that shows just why what she said was so wrong:
So Tony could've been Hydra, but Sam couldn't have been? They guy who just HAPPENS to be on Steve's run? The guy with a military background who just HAPPENS to know exactly what Steve is going through? That doesn't seem a little too coincidental to you?
I love Sam. I want Sam. But the writing is awfully convenient. "I just met you, now you are the lynchpin in my plan to save the world!"
Sam Wilson.
A black man.
One of two Black men in this film set in DC which has a fair amount of them. And scifigrl47 thinks that he'd be a Hydra agent because that's more plausible that the son of a billionaire whose shown to not think things through and who has proven to be easily led before —
Scifigrl47 is a Steve Rogers/Tony Stark shipper. Like a HUGE one. And she's an even bigger Tony Stark fan. This whole post basically just exists to complain that this "new" diverse character was brought into the MCU when Tony Stark is there waiting to be shoehorned into plots he's not a part of. And because this person's a BNF (or 'Big Named Fan') in the Marvel fandom, it blew up and not everyone was responding negatively towards it.
There are people a year later still reblogging her post and using tags like "the mcu is a gift" and "mcu truths" to describe a post that not only essentially asks the question "what if this MOC wasn't in the movie but Tony Stark was" but that also posits that the one new character of color we get in the film was more likely to be a secret Hydra agent. (And too few people called out that post like you can be complicit with your silence in situations like this, you know…)
Let's talk about that: To scifigrl47, Sam Wilson (who has been Steve Roger's close friend in comics since 1966 to Tony's creation in 1963) is more believable as a member of a fictional RACIST hate-group that thought the horrors of World War II that the Germans perpetuated weren't strong enough. Never mind that it literally doesn't make sense (no matter how Marvel's rebranding of Hydra goes) to have people of color in racist hate groups.
At the same time, Tony is more likely to be a member of Hydra despite them killing his parents because he's a rich white man with tons of power who has shown to be easily led by his desire for knowledge. Tony doesn't know that Hydra killed his parents and with Marvel pushing for them to make Hydra slightly less horrific, who's to say that in a few years we won't get a retcon pinning Tony as a junior developer for the company?
Seriously, that was the ultimate misstep there because it shows the extent to which fandom will go to demonize characters of color. There are people to this day who watched CATWS, read scifigrl47's mediocre meta and went "this makes sense, why didn't I think of it before". And when a BNF uses coded language to try and soften the sting of their racism, people latch on to it like whoa.
Because it's so easy to theorize that characters of color are out to hurt your white guy faves.
Let's make something very clear here: You don't love characters of color like Sam Wilson if you're trying to imagine a world where they're less important — or in fact detrimental — to the narrative.
Theorizing that a character of color is really evil revolves around removing them from a right to decent portrayals in fanon and in canon. If they're evil characters, then we don't have to humanize them and they don't require relationships.
Never mind that the Hannibal fandom is focused on serial killers fucking. Never mind that the glorification of white crime in pop culture is an easily charted and analyzed thing (Hollywood makes bank off of shows that showcase white serial killers, rapists, and murders in the sympathetic view. Don't act like I'm wrong.)
Never mind that one of the MCU fandom's grossest contributions is the "Hydra trash party" which focuses on explicit (and not always consensual) sex between Hydra agents like Brock Rumlow, Steve, and/or Bucky.
Fandom was pretty cool with disregarding everything Sam did in the film when it comes time to write fan fiction or meta and draw fan art. Sam is reduced to an ex, to a therapist, to some guy that's in the way of your Steve/Tony or Steve/Bucky ship. Meanwhile, the villains of the film have been given more than their fair share of time between Steve and Bucky's sheets because what –
The actor that plays Rumlow is relatively attractive?
Oh and white?
Fandom loves evil characters, just not characters of color that happen to be evil or that they perceive as evil due to their own ingrained and unaddressed racism.
Next, we have the occurrence where fandom (primarily white fans in fandom which is the problem) takes it upon themselves to decide that a character of color in a POC/White Fandom Darling ship is actually asexual and/or a "strong [race/ethnicity] man/woman/non-binary person that don't need no significant other".
Hi, I'm asexual and I'm here to tell you that asexuals of color don't always feel gratified when fandom at large takes a character of color that is typically shipped with the main (white) lead and decides that that character is totes asexual.
In fact, chances are that we've seen you for what you are and what you're trying to do and it's not cool.
One main issue is that there's no balance in fandom.
People and characters of color are either desexualized (removed from being seen as a viable romantic/sexual partner within fandom) or hypersexuailized (targets of intense speculation, lewd imagery and comments, or harassment based on stereotypes about POC being differently and sometimes overly sexual when compared to white people). Fandom tends to cling to desexualization.
The best way to get away with that: labeling characters of color as asexual across the board.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with being on the asexual spectrum. There's nothing wrong with being aromantic. There's nothing wrong with headcanoning characters of color to fit those identities.
What is an issue is how fandom tends to ignore asexuality and aromanticism as valid identities until they need to pry a character of color away from their white faves.
Right around the same time that we were dealing with the "Sam is a Hydra agent" mess, a post came across my dashboard that demanded that fandom not ship Sam because "The Falcon rocks and he's a strong, independent black woman who don't need no man (or girl), okay?" (Seriously, that whole meme is racist and based on dehumanizing Black women. It's not funny. It's not cute. Quit it.)
It's probably pretty obvious that this was also during a period where Sam/Steve and Sam/Bucky were gaining traction among shippers.
You rarely see white fandom faves get asexual headcanons in droves. The reaction to shipping a popular white character s rarely to churn out endless asexual/aromantic headcanons and essentially put him away from shippy material.
Meanwhile, the second that a character of color is shipped with a popular male character who also happens to be white, you get endless asexual and aromantic headcanons that are obviously connected to that increase in shipping.
Abbie/Ichabod spawned asexual!Abbie headcanons.
Minority Report got tons of asexual!Lara Vega headcanons before its second episode aired.
Dorian in Almost Human was immediately deemed an asexual android.
I literally had to shut friends down because when Elementary's previews started back in 2012, people were falling over themselves not only to declare Joan Watson asexual, but to decide that Lucy Liu looked too cold/mean/disinterested in sex and relationships to even think about shipping her with Sherlock.
(Meanwhile, the actual show is so far from that. Joan/Sherlock have a platonic relationship that I absolutely respect butthey're both shown in relationship and they aren't cut off from one another at the same time.)
When fandom goes "[this character of color] is asexual and/or aromantic" they're not usually doing it because they want asexual and/or aromantic representation in fandom. Many times, they're doing it because it's a way to remove characters of color from the shipping playing field without appearing outwardly bigoted.
They're not being racist, you see: they're looking at alternative sexual and romantic identities and diversifying fandom that way. By criticizing fandom's leap to decide that all characters of color everywhere are actually secretly asexual and/or aromantic, you're really the bigoted one. Cool, right?
Automatically, when you go on and on about how x is a "strong Black/Chinese/Puerto Rican person that doesn't need a significant other" you are not championing asexuals. You are not being progressive. What you are doing is erasing the fact that POC — and especially black women — are typed as unwanted, ugly, and less desirable for romance.
Erasure is not empowering no matter how you swing it.
Lastly, we're going to look at fandom's propensity to turn characters of color into agony aunts/helpers in order to get two white characters together in fandom.
I have a huge bone to pick with how fandom constantly reduces characters of color to support staff for white characters. I'm not talking about how Moneypenny is actually M's secretary in Skyfall and Spectre or how Nick Fury, while in charge of the Avengers, previously coordinated the team and gave them assistance or advice.
I'm talking about how fandom literally looks at relatively fleshed out characters of color and decides that the only value that they have resides in getting two white characters together.
Nick Fury engineering Clint Barton and Phil Coulson's fanon relationship or serving as the nanny/principle/watchdog for the avengers.
Diggle on Arrow as the main Ollie/Felicity cheerleader in fandom.
Sam as a cheerleader or even psychologist for the Avengers.
Or my biggest pet peeve in the universe: the James Bond fandom's absolute ignorance when it comes to Eve Moneypenny and how on the rare occasions she shows up in fandom's fanworks, it's to cheer on the Bond/Q relationship, facilitate it because they're both "morons" that she's supposedly too good for, or to be one of their respective ex-lovers.
Seriously, how do you come from watching Skyfall and decide that the person with the most sexual tension with Bond is Q?
I need to know this. I've been trying to understand this now for three years and it's still not computing. There's one thing about having a ship but there's another to completely disregard a canonical sexual interest between a WOC and James Bond to pump your fanon ship up.
I've written about this trend before:
If the reasons for not shipping Eve Moneypenny and James Bond didn't mainly boil down to two really transparent reasons, maybe I could be understanding, but they don't hold a bit of weight. It's the same two reasons we see whenever women of color are erased in favor of a slash ship all the time in fandom:
- That [dude a] and[dude b] have more chemistry despite barely interacting in the source media or outright hating one another
- and that [woman of color] is sassy, badass and all around too independent to need or want a man so of course she's too good for this guy that shippers feel fine about throwing everyone else at (as long as they too are white and male)
When you reduce characters of color to nanny-types, you're saying that's all you think we're good for. I don't care if it's not a conscious decision (much of these things aren't conscious decisions as few of these people are actively campaigning against diversity), but you're putting us and characters who look like us in roles that make you feel comfortable.
We're not competition, we're caretakers.
We're not love interests, we're friends.
We're not attractive, we're adorable.
Never forget that people of color don't exist to cheerlead your love life. We're not around to make sure that Becky and Bobby wind up together. So why does fandom constantly decide that POC in media exist to prop up their ships?
There's nothing wrong with a little support or even matchmaking coming from characters of color in your fanworks. There's something wrong though with how across the board in fandom, characters of color get stuck in the background of other people's ships and stories as the proverbial (and sometimes literal) help. Characters that represent us and our peers are reduced to helping white characters that fandom likes get ahead. Rarely do they get to shine on their own in fandom and get the same amount of respect and adoration.
Erasure of POC in ships and in fandom isn't okay. It's not empowering and it doesn't provide a look at anything other than how fandom latches on to racist ideals and clings to them even when the canon is more actively diverse. To you, it might not be very important. After all, it's easy to say that this is just the internet or that this is just fandom or that we're just talking about fictional characters.
However, to people of color it's another reminder that the safe space fandom promises only applies to a certain type of person. Fandom is part of the real world which means it also comes with real world issues like racism and prejudice that show themselves in how fans interact with fans and characters of color.
Next month: We talk about Co-Opted Experiences in Fandom including fanfiction that uses the TransAtlantic Slave Trade and experiences of enslaved Africans/their descendants as background/scenery for their ships, the X-Men and Inception fandoms with their Civil Rights Movement appropriation thing, and of course, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics in fandom and how the trope tends to focus on erasing women and people of color with fandom's focus on manufactured forms of oppression.
Do you have comments, concerns, or questions? Comments are ON but moderated for this post and all others on this blog. You can also reach me on twitter for the most prompt responses.


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Film and sound editor David Campling, who worked on such films as "Platoon" and "The Terminator," died May 9 in Los Angeles of cancer. He was 73.
Campling earned a BAFTA nomination for his sound work on 1971's "Sunday Bloody Sunday," directed by John Schlesinger and was nominated for an MPSE Golden Reel award for "Platoon."
Trained at Pinewood and Twickenham Studios, Campling's sound editing career began with Roman Polanski's 1966 "Cul-de-sac." He did sound work on such varied films as "The Day of the Locust" and "Carry on Doctor."
Most of his editing work was for TV including MTV's "Undressed" and telepics such as "Knots Landing: Back to the Cul de Sac" and "Through the Eyes of a Killer."
A longtime BAFTA Los Angeles board member who did a stint as treasurer, he produced the org's tribute to Schlesinger at the Egyptian Theater in 2002. He co-founded the Heritage Archive project and was responsible for the taping and editing of many of the most popular interviews in the series.
He was also a member of the Motion Picture Sound Editors guild.
"BAFTA Los Angeles is saddened to learn of the passing of long time member and dear friend, David Campling," the org said in a statement. "He was a dear friend of BAFTA Los Angeles."
Survivors include his wife, Patricia.

subset: commoncrawl


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Feb. 27, 2013 -- The looming budget sequestration will make Americans less safe, Eric Holder says—and anyone who says otherwise isn't telling the truth.
"This is something that is going to have an impact on the safety of this country," the U.S. attorney general told ABC's Pierre Thomas on Wednesday in a wide-ranging, exclusive interview.
"And anybody that says otherwise is either lying or saying something that runs contrary to the facts," Holder said.
Read More: Eric Holder: Gay Marriage Is the Next Civil Rights Issue
In his interview with ABC News, Holder reiterated warnings that if automatic spending cuts are triggered on Friday, the Justice Department will be handicapped in some of its most vital missions to prevent terrorist attacks and crime.
"The Justice Department is going to lose nine percent of its budget between now and September 30th. We're going to lose $1.6 billion. There are not going to be as many FBI agents, ATF agents, DEA agents, prosecutors who are going to be able to do their jobs," Holder said. "They're going to be furloughed. They're going to spend time out of their offices, not doing their jobs."
President Obama's Cabinet members have been warning for weeks that budget sequestration, which will begin Friday unless Obama and Republicans reach a deficit-reduction deal to avoid it, will leave their agencies shorthanded and could bring about disastrous consequences. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood have both appeared at the White House press briefing room to warn that furloughs for border-patrol agents, TSA agents and air-traffic controllers will mean weakened border and port security, longer waits in airport security lines, and logjammed air travel.
Read More: Eric Holder Worries About Obama, Looks Forward to Days When They Can Just Hang Out
Holder, for his part, warned in a Feb. 1 letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee that cuts to the FBI, the ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service, and U.S. Attorneys would limit the department's capacity to investigate crimes. Cuts at the Bureau of Prisons, Holder wrote, would mean lockdowns and potential violence, with fewer staff members on hand. In a separate letter, FBI Director Robert Mueller warned that counterterrorism operations would be affected, with the possible elimination of some joint terrorism task forces with state and local police. Limited surveillance and slower response times would mean unwatched targets and the possibility that individuals on terrorism watch lists could gain entry to the U.S.
"FBI's ability to proactively penetrate and disrupt terrorist plans and groups prior to an attack would be impacted," Mueller wrote.
To Holder, the problem is simple.
"If you don't have prosecutors and agents doing what we expect them to do, and we won't if this thing actually takes place, we are going to be a nation that is going to be less safe. And that is simple fact," Holder said.
Read More: Holder: Terror Threat 'More Widespread'
Some Republicans have claimed the Obama administration is exaggerating the sequester's purported consequences as a ploy to campaign for tax hikes. On "Fox News Sunday" this week, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., posited that federal agencies enjoy enough flexibility to avoid the worst consequences of the cuts.
On Wednesday, Holder acknowledged that the Justice Department will do what it can to avoid compromised security, while maintaining that furloughs can't be avoided.
"We will try to minimize the harm, but the potential is there and the reality is that this Justice Department will not be as capable as it is right now if this sequestration goes into effect and if it lasts for an extended period of time," Holder said.
The 2011 Budget Control Act, which mandates sequestration in lieu of a broad deficit-reduction agreement, requires even cuts across the board. According to the Office of Management and Budget, that means even cuts to federal programs, leaving agencies mostly unable to rearrange money and cut their budgets in less harmful places.
"Every component is going to have people who are going to be furloughed," Holder told ABC News, noting that preventing terrorism will be "obviously our first priority, to make sure that we keep the American people safe and free from threats from outside our borders. We'll do the best that we possibly can."
Read More: Eric Holder Remembers Newtown, His Worst Day on the Job


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If you've driven around Cork over the past year you can't fail to miss the huge 17 storey tower going up in the south of the City. It's called the Elysian and when it's finished it will I think be the tallest building in the Republic of Ireland.
Now, compare that with the 60 storey skyscraper being built in San Francisco just a few blocks from Matt's apartment. The top of it seems to be perpetually in fog.
Anyway, the Irish developers of the Elysian have all this positive advertising with people looking to heaven and wondrous slogans to get the positive vibe going about this massive building, when in fact it's only a middling little building when compared with what the rest of the world has done.
Way back in 2005 this is what the building site looked like, and a year later, check out the huge crane.
I guess I'm glad that we don't have the population density that makes huge buildings necessary, not yet anyway.
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Nokia is giving out cell phones to bloggers just like Microsoft gave laptops out, according to Steve Garfield, who got one of the cell phones and wrote a review. These are very expensive models, too.
Again, I don't mind this. Steve disclosed that he got it for free when he wrote his review. Now, as a reader of Steve's blog, I have to decide whether Steve is telling the truth or not. I believe he is, he was showing the cell phone around to lots of people last week at the John Edwards' rally in New Hampshire and it gave me lots of gadget envy.
Disclaimer of my own. I've gotten Nokia cell phones for free in the past too.


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Google has officially closed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, putting the search giant in charge of a major smartphone, tablet and set-top box maker.
"Motorola is a great American tech company that has driven the mobile revolution, with a track record of over 80 years of innovation, including the creation of the first cellphone," Google CEO Larry Page said in a statement. "… And as a company who made a big, early bet on Android, Motorola has become an incredibly valuable partner to Google."
By buying Motorola, Google gets to beef up its patent portfolio, as rivals Apple and Microsoft try to drag down Android device makers with lawsuits. Motorola has its own ongoing patent lawsuits against Microsoft and Apple, which may help Google get more favorable settlements for Android device makers.
But for consumers, the possibility of more pure Google devices is far more interesting. "Google and Motorola Mobility together will accelerate innovation and choice in mobile computing," Google says of the acquisition. "Consumers will get better phones at lower prices."
Google says it will still allow early access to Android for other hardware makers, and will even work with them on future Nexus devices. Android will also remain open. Still, Motorola could play a bigger role in Google's push toward unlocked-contract free phones and tablets.
Google plans to sell a batch of Nexus devices directly to consumers this fall, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Motorola, meanwhile, hasn't announced any new high-end phones or tablets in months. It seems likely that Motorola is behind some of those upcoming Nexus devices.
Motorola Mobility also creates set-top box hardware for television providers, so Google could use its new acquisition to push Google TV. Page didn't say anything about TV in his blog post, but there are rumors that Google is working on home entertainment devices, including a streaming audio device, possibly using Motorola's resources.
Sanjay Jha, who served as Motorola Mobility's CEO since the company spun off from Motorola in 2008, has stepped down. He has been replaced by Dennis Woodside, a former senior vice president of Google Americas, who led Motorola's integration with the search giant.
Follow Jared on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for even more tech news and commentary.


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Frommer's Travel Guides are one of the bestselling guidebooks in the USA. The series began in 1957 with the publication of Arthur Frommer's first book. The latest entry in this popular series of travel guides contains full-color fold-out maps, suggested itineraries, and frank reviews of recommended sites to visit.
Frommer's Kenya & Tanzania claims to be the only major guidebook to cover both of these countries in detail. A lot of international tourists arriving in Tanzania come from Kenya, so the convenience of having one book for both countries is a significant selling point.
Written by a trio of writers, two of whom currently live in Africa and a third who lived in Tanzania for years, Frommer's has opinionated write-ups. No bland descriptions and lukewarm recommendations. The expert writers are passionate about their destinations–tell it like it is in an engaging and helpful way. We are therefore very pleased that Onsea House is Frommer's top pick in the Arusha hotels section. Also the intimate candle-lit terrace at Onsea House is described as Arusha's finest dining experience in the Arusha restaurant section.
Contact email@example.com for all further info or call Axel on +255 787 112 498 for a dinner booking.


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Resources for Early Childhood Educators provides a Lab housed at Main Library and collections of teacher resources housed at all 18 branches and Main Library for teachers to borrow.
To use the lab - teachers must attend an orientation session structured on how to use the equipment and can be arranged for your center upon request. On subsequent visits teachers only need to check in at the service desk in the Children's Library, leave their library card or ID and check out when they leave. Call 330.643.9050 or 330.643.9032 with questions or to schedule an orientation.
There is a small charge for paper, laminating film and binding supplies and making copies. Teachers are welcome to bring their own construction paper or other materials for the Ellison Machine.
The Early Childhood Resource Lab is housed in the Children's Library at Main Library, of the Akron-Summit County Public Library system. The Lab is open during all library hours unless the space is needed for a library program. The Lab houses equipment for use by early childhood educators (birth–grade 3) to create learning materials and other items for their classrooms.
Lab closes 15 minutes prior to the Library closing. To confirm Lab hours for a specific day, call 330.643.9050.
Services provided by Resources for Early Childhood Educators are supported by a grant from Akron Community Foundation.


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As we contemplate the euro mess, there's a strong tendency to think of it as having a lot to do with the fundamental inequalities in overall productivity and economic development between euro members — backward, semideveloped countries like Greece or Portugal (not my view, but what you often hear) awkwardly tied to powerhouses like Germany.
So it comes as something of a shock to look at Eurostat data on real gross domestic product per capita (or productivity, which look similar). Sure, Greece and Portugal are relatively poor, with G.D.P. per capita of 82 and 77 percent, respectively, of the European Union average; this means roughly 76 and 71 percent of the euro zone average, since the euro countries are a bit richer than the E.U. as a whole. Meanwhile, Germany is at 120 percent of the E.U. average, or 112 percent of the euro zone average.
But it's no different, really, than the situation in the United States. According to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Alabama is at 74 percent of the average, Mississippi at 67 percent, with New England and the Middle Atlantic States at 118 and 116 percent.
In other words, as far as underlying economic inequalities are concerned, the euro zone is no worse than the United States.
The difference, mainly, is that we in the United States think of ourselves as a nation, and blithely accept fiscal measures that routinely transfer large sums to the poorer states without even thinking of it as a regional issue — in fact, the states that are effectively on the dole tend to vote Republican and imagine themselves deeply self-reliant.
The thing is, we didn't always think of ourselves as a nation, either. Before the Civil War, people talked about "these United States"; it was only after the war that "these" became "the."
So the key to the success of the dollar zone may be summed up in three words: William Tecumseh Sherman.
Meanwhile, in the Role Model
Early in the euro crisis, Jean-Claude Trichet, then president of the European Central Bank, knew what the Greeks had to do: "Greece has a role model and the role model is Ireland," he told the European Parliament in March 2010.
So how's it going? The International Monetary Fund recently released its sixth review under the Irish "extended arrangement" — I.M.F.-speak for bailout — and the fact that this is report number six tells you a lot right there. The funny/sad thing is that the Irish have been proclaimed a success story not once but twice — last fall, a year and a half after Mr. Trichet's triumphalism, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared Ireland an "outstanding example" and French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared the country "almost out of the crisis."
But once again the announcements were premature.
The most interesting and depressing thing about the latest I.M.F. report is the cold water it throws on claims about the success of "internal devaluation" — the attempt to regain competitiveness with a fixed exchange rate. Last fall there was much trumpeting of a big fall in Irish unit labor costs due to rising productivity; this report more or less concedes that this was a statistical illusion, reflecting the fact that very capital-intensive industries, especially pharmaceuticals, had weathered the crisis better than labor-intensive sectors. Meanwhile, the real thing — a slight wage decline in Ireland while wages rise in Germany — has been proceeding at a relatively glacial pace. And the promised payoff in increased market share is still invisible.
Again, this is in a country that has done everything it was supposed to do.
Guess Who's Emerging From the Crisis?
"Iceland, of course. Kitchen-sinked and cleaned-up, the Icelandic central bank has just decided to push up rates by 25 basis points to combat signs of inflation amidst 'robust' domestic demand," according to a recent post in The Financial Times' Alphaville blog.
Look at the chart on this page, data from Statistics Iceland. Gross domestic product is still below previous peak, but I think one could argue — much more so than in, say, the United States — that a significant part of that peak involved a Ponzi financial sector that isn't coming back.
I think I was one of the first outsiders to notice that Iceland's heterodoxy was yielding a surprisingly not-so-terrible post-crisis outcome. And yes, the recovery is better than Estonia's, and much better than Latvia's.
Not everyone can pay for the news. But if you can, we need your support.
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We're committed to keeping all Truthout articles free and available to the public. But in order to do that, we need those who can afford to contribute to our work to do so — especially now, because we only have hours left to raise over $9,000 in critical funds.
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The phrase "uncompromising radical ideologue" comes to mind. As does the phrase, "the president of no."
Barack Obama chose to ignore his own expert's advice (which would explain why both of his top economic experts are leaving the Obama administration) and go his own way. Given that Obama's life experience basically consists in community organizing (i.e., Marxist-type fomenting of grievances rather than any actual business experience), that's kind of scary.
Obama's own budget director, his own party's Senate Budget Committee chairman, and his own party's moderates, are urging Obama to give ALL Americans tax cuts for at least a couple of years. But Obama is determined that there should be no compromises with his socialist-redistribution class warfare agenda. He says he's not budging on ending tax cuts for the higher income tax rate brackets.
But have no fear: a president can always find a "yes man" to pitch whatever policy he wants. That's the advantage to having fewer officials with business experience than any other administration in history; the actual real world doesn't matter.
First, outgoing White House budget director Peter Orszag, in his own words:
One Nation, Two Deficits
By PETER ORSZAG
Published: September 6, 2010
The nation faces a nasty dual deficit problem: a painful jobs deficit in the near term and an unsustainable budget deficit over the medium and long term. This month, the Senate will be debating an issue with significant implications for both — what to do about the Bush-era tax cuts scheduled to expire at the end of the year.
In the face of the dueling deficits, the best approach is a compromise: extend the tax cuts for two years and then end them altogether. Ideally only the middle-class tax cuts would be continued for now. Getting a deal in Congress, though, may require keeping the high-income tax cuts, too. And that would still be worth it.
Why does this combination make sense? The answer is that over the medium term, the tax cuts are simply not affordable. Yet no one wants to make an already stagnating jobs market worse over the next year or two, which is exactly what would happen if the cuts expire as planned.
Higher taxes now would crimp consumer spending, further depressing the already inadequate demand for what firms are capable of producing at full tilt. And since financial markets don't seem at the moment to view the budget deficit as a problem — take a look at the remarkably low 10-year Treasury bond yield — there is little reason not to extend the tax cuts temporarily. […]
Senate Democrats and Republicans almost never come together anymore. This month, they should fight the dual deficits rather than each other. Let's continue the tax cuts for two years but end them for good in 2013.
I have to take issue with Orszag simply based on the obvious facts. Orszag says, "Ideally only the middle-class tax cuts would be continued for now." And then only moments later he proceeds to provide his reasoning for why we need to keep the tax cuts. He says, "Higher taxes now would crimp consumer spending, further depressing the already inadequate demand for what firms are capable of producing at full tilt."
But there's an inconvenient truth that means, on Orszag's very own reasoning, that we badly need to keep the tax cuts for the rich:
August 5, 2010, 12:27 PM ET
U.S. Economy Is Increasingly Tied to the Rich
By Robert Frank
Who cares how the rich spend their money?
Well, perhaps everyone should these days. Consumer spending accounts for roughly two-thirds of U.S. gross domestic product, or the value of all goods and services produced in the nation. And spending by the rich now accounts for the largest share of consumer outlays in at least 20 years.
According to new research from Moody's Analytics, the top 5% of Americans by income account for 37% of all consumer outlays. Outlays include consumer spending, interest payments on installment debt and transfer payments.
By contrast, the bottom 80% by income account for 39.5% of all consumer outlays.
So you'll have to explain why Orszag would say that we have to have tax cuts because "higher taxes now would crimp consumer spending," and then proceed to abandon his own reasoning by even suggesting that we shouldn't keep the tax cuts for the rich along with everyone else. I submit it's because Orszag – like everyone else Obama has appointed – is himself a liberal ideologue first, and an intelligent economist second. And whenever the first contradicts the second, so much the worse for the second.
That said, Peter Orszag is still now on the official record advocating that we keep the Bush tax cuts. All of them. Including for the rich. For at least the next two years. That, he says, in his capacity as Obama's chief handpicked expert in dealing with the budget and budget deficits, is the best course.
Unfortunately, Orszag's boss is something of a fool.
I'm reminded of a quote about another disastrous presidency in regards to the ruining of the economy:
[Franklin Delano] Roosevelt's string of business failures did not surprise those who knew him well. One friend, Franklin Lane, Wilson's secretary of interior, concluded, "Roosevelt knows nothing about finance, but he doesn't know he doesn't know." Therefore, he [Roosevelt] tried one scheme after another, pursuing whims not research, always thinking the next idea would be a winner. Henry Wallace, who would become Roosevelt's vice president, liked his boss in politics but not in business…. "I reached the conclusion," Wallace said after watching Roosevelt in action, "… that I would under no circumstances, ever have any business dealings with him" [Burton Folsom, Jr., New Deal or Raw Deal?, p. 27].
As I point out, we've got another FDR on our hands, and that definitely aint a good thing. Unless you like living through Great Depressions that just go on and on, that is.
Obama isn't listening to his budget director. He isn't going to compromise, like Peter Orszag begs him to do. Nope. "Compromise" isn't the kind of thing ideologues do:
Obama Is Against a Compromise on Bush Tax Cuts
By JACKIE CALMES
Published: September 7, 2010
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday will make clear that he opposes any compromise that would extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy beyond this year, officials said, adding a populist twist to an election-season economic package that is otherwise designed to entice support from big businesses and their Republican allies.
What's Obama's plan? Nothing but pure, simple demagoguery. Obama plans to dig in and refuse to budge, and then demonize his opposition for digging in and refusing to budge.
But he's playing chicken with the US economy, and with a lot of Americans' livelihoods and lives.
Peter Orszag is hardly the only Democrat who is opposed to Obama's hard-core ideological refusal to compromise:
Democrats unlikely to repeal tax cuts for the rich
By David Lightman | McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress are poised to play a leading role this month in thwarting their party's effort to raise income tax rates on the wealthy.
Tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 expire at the end of this year. President Barack Obama and Democratic congressional leaders have been eager to extend the breaks for individuals who earn less than $200,000 annually and joint filers who make less than $250,000. Those who earn more would pay higher, pre-2001 rates starting next year.
However, a small but growing number of moderate Democrats are balking at boosting taxes on the rich. Many face electorates that recoil at the mention of any tax increase. Some represent areas that are loaded with wealthier taxpayers. Further, some incumbent senators who don't face voters this fall are reluctant to increase taxes on anyone while the economy remains sluggish.
Without their support, the push to raise rates on the rich probably will fail.
"The economy is very weak right now. Raising taxes will lower consumer demand at a time when we want people putting more money into the economy," said Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., who isn't seeking re-election.
Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., represents the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, one of the nation's wealthiest districts. Median family income there in 2008 was $117,892, well above the national average of $63,211. He said that repealing the top rates would have political consequences.
"Sometimes we forget how we became the majority. We did it by winning some affluent districts," he said.
The bigger problem for Democrats looms in the Senate, where Majority Leader Reid's immediate problem is getting the 60 votes needed to cut off debate on the measure. Democrats control 59 seats, and at least three of them — Bayh, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Kent Conrad of North Dakota — have signaled that they won't back a permanent repeal of the tax cuts for the wealthy.
They suggest a way out of a stalemate — temporarily extending all the expiring tax rates — but so far the leadership isn't going along.
Sean Neary, a spokesman for Senate Budget Committee Chairman Conrad, said the senator backed such an extension "for now."
"The general rule of thumb is that you do not raise taxes or cut spending during an economic downturn. That would be counterproductive," Conrad said.
Nelson also offered what's become the centrist Democratic mantra. He, too, said he'd back extending the tax breaks for the wealthy "for at least a period of time because raising taxes in a weak economy could impair recovery."
That stand could be even more popular with Democratic candidates for the Senate who aren't incumbents. The hottest races are in conservative states, such as Kentucky, where Republican Rand Paul and Democrat Jack Conway are battling for the seat now held by Republican Sen. Jim Bunning.
Of the expiring tax cuts for the wealthy, Conway spokeswoman Allison Haley said that he "believes we should extend them now, especially when so many Kentucky families and small businesses are struggling under this recession."
In Missouri, Republican U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt and Democrat Robin Carnahan are in a tight race. Despite a welcoming embrace with Obama at a Kansas City fundraiser in July, Carnahan said last week that she wanted to extend the Bush tax cuts for everyone.
"Now is not the time to raise taxes," she said.
In Indiana, U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., who's seeking to replace Bayh, told the Evansville Courier & Press this summer that all the Bush-era tax cuts should become permanent.
That position makes sense, said Brian Vargus, a professor of political science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, because Indiana is "an overwhelmingly Republican state … and there is never support for taxes or public goods."
Here we go again. Just like the stimulus boondoggle that is so unpopular that no Democrat in over 230 races is campaigning on having passed it; and just like ObamaCare which is so unpopular that no Democrat in over 230 races is campaigning on having passed it; the only actual bipartisan compromise is all on the Republicans' side.
The moderate Democrats, and the bipartisan vote, are siding with the Republicans. That is a fact.
But that doesn't stop Barack Obama from demonizing Republicans. Because he's a demagogue and an ideologue, and that's just what he does.
I recently expressed the same point in another article, along with pointing out other critical facts that make that article worth reading. But the same rationale for keeping the taxes low on the middle class and the poor demands that we also keep the taxes low for the rich. And if we don't cut taxes for the rich, then let's tax the bejeezus out of everyone. Let's start taxing the 47% of Americans who pay no federal income taxes whatsoever. Let's tax them out of their homes and into the poorhouse, and then let's tax them out of the poorhouse and onto the street. And then let's impose a street tax.
Either that, or force Democrats to be consistent. For just once in their lives.


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Gowns & tuxes: Use your body type to find flattering styles
There is definitely no shortage of clothing options for the bride and groom on their big day. One of the best ways to begin the search is to use body type to find which styles might be the most flattering for both husband and wife. Remember, though, that suggestions are mere guideposts, and there's a lot of exploring to be done along the way.
Body type: ATHLETIC
Jeanne Hennessey, owner of Lorraine Roy Designer Collections and Bridal Boutique in Danvers, Mass., said the athletic bride typically has broader shoulders and back, a well-defined waist and bigger thighs.
A-line or ballgown style: This silhouette accents the waist and allows more room for well-muscled legs, Hennessey said. Plus, the fullness on the bottom of the gown helps balance out broader shoulders and back.
Drop or ruched waist: This style, with a lower waistline or added pleating or gathering at the waist, can be combined with the fuller skirt to really draw attention to the waistline. Add a V-neck, in just the front or both front and back, to visually narrow the shoulders.
Classic styling
Lace lends an immediate traditional feel.
Skirts are cut much fuller.
A modified sweetheart neckline provides flattering shape.
Trendy styling
Choose taffeta fabric for a modern vibe.
Large embellishments, such as flowers or feathers, are fresh for now.
Asymmetry, in the skirt or bodice, looks newer.
Body type: PEAR
This body shape is usually characterized by heavier proportions on the bottom half of the body, mostly in the hips and thigh area. Sometimes there can be a dramatic size difference in the body, like a size 6 on top and 14 on bottom, Hennessey said. What will look good depends on that difference.
Wide-neck or off-the-shoulder: The width of the straps helps draw attention upward and helps create a balance. This can also help the waist look smaller as it creates more of an hourglass shape.
Empire: This style draws attention to one of the smallest areas for most women, just below the bust line. The skirt should just "kiss" the hips, Hennessey said, so it doesn't call attention to the width.
Classic styling
Chapel-length trains trail 3 to 5 feet behind the bride.
Choose a straight neckline with wide straps.
Pure white is a traditional choice.
Trendy styling
Change the neckline with a U-shape and thinner straps.
Keep the silhouette sleek and simple.
Trains are shorter, just enough to sweep the ground.
Body type: HOURGLASS
This is "the one everyone wants to be," Hennessey said. This body style, which is balanced between top and bottom with a defined waist, can wear just about anything to accentuate those curves.
Sheath: This style was made for hourglass figures, Hennessey said. A sheath is basically a column of fabric that's designed to hug a woman's curves.
Mermaid: Named for the mythical creature it mimics, the mermaid dress is fitted through the bodice and hips and flares out dramatically in the lower part of the dress. A modified mermaid is similar but has less flare at the bottom.
Classic styling
Pick a mermaid with a straight-across neckline for classic fit.
Add a touch of lace for tradition.
Keep the skirts very full.
Trendy styling
Use color to accent a tiny waist.
Keep beading to one area to draw attention.
Modified sweetheart neckline with a halter showcases the shape.
Body type: PETITE
In general, petite women are those who are 5-feet, 5-inches tall and shorter. The biggest challenge for these women is to find dresses that don't look as if they are wearing too much fabric, Hennessey said. Most gown designers cut dresses for women 5-feet, 8-inches tall and higher to allow enough length, but some designers do offer petite sizes.
Sheath: This body-hugging style, when accented with ruching through the bodice, waist and hip area, creates a column-like effect that is especially lengthening. Since the sheath is slender, the fabric never overwhelms the petite figure.
Modified mermaid: Particularly friendly to the very slender frame, this silhouette creates curves. Especially flattering is a style with a yoke and ruching at the waist to create even more shape.
Classic styling
Lovely lace layers keep tradition alive.
A longer train emphasizes length.
A straight neckline is flattering and formal.
Trendy styling
Choose a V-neck with wide-set straps to draw the eye upward.
Champagne, blush and ivory are all big for brides now.
Simple, sleek silhouettes keep the look lean and long.
Body type: TALL/HUSKY
This groom has broader shoulders and a muscular frame, according to information on Jimsformalwear.com, the Web home of Jim's Formal Wear Co., with corporate offices in Trenton, Ill. The term "tall" typically refers to men who are 6 feet in height or taller, said Anna Kuhn, marketing analyst with Jim's Formal Wear.
Shawl-collar or slim-collar tuxedo: This is traditionally a single-button, single-breasted style of jacket that elongates the torso, creating a leaner look. The shawl collar is generally not notched.
Classic styling
Accessorize with subdued colors like black or silver.
Choose a cummerbund and bow tie combination.
Add classic black patent leather shoes.
Trendy styling
Choose a microfiber shirt instead of cotton for a plain front.
A fullback vest is a modern addition.
Snakeskin patent leather shoes add a new twist.
Body type: TALL/SLIM
At 6-feet tall and higher, this body type can wear almost any style. Kuhn said a man wearing a suit coat size 42 to 44 or lower would be considered slender. Also, waist measurements would generally be 36 inches or less, she said.
Anything: Jimsformalwear.com recommends a high shoulder line and jacket buttons closed up high on the waistline. Garments should be full, while still following the lines of the body, and trousers should have a higher rise with more of a break in the pant.
Classic styling
White tie events can accessorize with pique vest and tie.
Top hat, cane and gloves are also options for white tie.
Black tie calls for -- what else? -- a black tie and cummerbund.
Trendy styling
Accessorize with paisley or striped Windsor ties.
A fedora can bring a note of playfulness to formal attire.
Choose a tuxedo style with a subtle stripe to add interest.
Body type: SHORT/SLENDER
Men considered "short" generally fall in the height range of 5-feet, 8-inches and shorter, said Kuhn. Slender is considered a waist of 36 inches or less or jacket size of 42 to 44 or less.
Single-breasted jacket: The lines of this jacket elongate the torso, visually adding length. Double-pleated trousers that break slightly on top of the shoe and taper downward in back complete the look.
Classic styling
A shirt with a wing collar – high in back with the front edges folded down to resemble wings – is traditional.
Add a solid Windsor tie, named for the wide-triangular knot that forms it.
Solid patent leather shoes are the final touch.
Trendy styling
A snappy hat with matching band and scarf can add a jolt of color and personality.
Choose a striped or paisley tie for pizzazz.
Microfiber instead of classic cotton is a trendy shirt choice.
Body type: SHORT/STOCKY
While shorter than 5-feet, 8-inches tall, this groom is also muscular, with an athletic build that has broader shoulders and chest. Typically, men in this range wear a suit jacket size 46 and higher, Kuhn said.
Slim-collar tuxedo: This single-breasted style has a slimmed-down collar that doesn't add more width to the shoulder and chest area. Instead, the look elongates visually.
Classic styling
Stick to classic black for cummerbund and bow tie, as color can add width.
A pleated laydown collar shirt keeps the line long.
A pocket square adds a nice finishing touch without adding bulk.
Trendy styling
A fullback vest and bow tie add updated style.
A microfiber shirt eliminates pleats that can add bulk.
Tone-on-tone shoes are a great final accessory.
Mistakes not to make
Joanne Stoner, CEO and founder of eDressMe.com, weighs in on the four biggest mistakes brides make when choosing their gowns.
Keep the focus on the bride.
When a bride-to-be first walks out in a dress, let the first words come from her, not onlookers.
Set aside enough time
Don't rush the dress selection; try on different styles and designs.
Gauge the wedding mood
Will the day be elegant? Playful? Sexy? Choose the dress with that in mind.
Make it comfortable
An uncomfortable dress will be a major distraction on a day full of memories.


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Join OurStage to discover and listen to new music from great indie artists.
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Out of the 42 songs I have judged in Rock Y Pop (Spanish) in March this song is in my top 10.


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This article needs more sources for reliability. (August 2022)
Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance that is discarded after primary use or is worthless, defective, and of no use.
It may be no longer useful as it has served its purpose, and at the end of the process have no further use, and is generally discarded. It is unwanted material that people have thrown away. It is often also called trash, garbage, rubbish, or junk. It can be solid, liquid, or gas, or it can be waste heat. There are many different kinds of waste. Garbage is the waste we produce daily in our homes, including old or unwanted food, chemical substances, paper, broken furniture, used containers, and other things.
When waste is a liquid or gas, it can be called an emission. This is usually pollution. Sanitation is the proper handling of human waste.
Waste can also be something abstract (something that you cannot touch), for example, "a waste of time" or "wasted opportunities". When people use the words waste or wasted in this way, they are saying (directly or indirectly) that something has been used badly (using too much of it or using it incorrectly).
Waste management[change | change source]
People have thrown away waste in heaps for thousands of years. In modern homes and businesses, garbage is normally placed in waste containers of some sort. It is then moved to the streets, where it can be collected and taken to a place designed to hold, destroy, or recycle garbage. Some waste materials, such as paper, wood, glass, metals, and plastic containers, can be recycled (reused). Materials that cannot be recycled are either burned (incinerated) or heaped into landfills.
Plant matter, such as fruit and vegetable scraps, is biodegradable. It can usually be heaped into a compost, where it will decompose relatively quickly. This kind of waste is often called "wet" or "green" waste.
Very often, waste is not collected in containers. It may instead be thrown onto the ground or dumped somewhere. This is called littering.
Related pages[change | change source]
Other websites[change | change source]
Media related to Waste at Wikimedia Commons
A description about the different sources of waste including classification of waste.


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August 2nd, 2009
Kevin Costner on the stage collapse in Alberta
Kevin Costner has issued a statement regarding Saturday night's fatal stage collapse at the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, Alberta, Canada. Before the actor/musician was able to perform with his band, Modern West, a wild storm kicked up, causing the stage to sway violently, then collapse. One person was killed; as many as 75 others were injured. In a statement released through his publicist, Costner said, "We are so saddened by the loss of life and injury that occurred on a day that carried so much promise, but turned so wicked so quickly. We hope to return to Alberta in the future to help with the healing."
While Costner was not on stage at the time of the incident, rising country star Billy Currington was in the midst of his set. Before his tour manager could drag him to safety, the stage gave way. Currington suffered a mild concussion, as well as scrapes and bruises. His bass guitarist, Alex Stevens, was trapped under the debris, which crushed his arm. Stevens underwent surgery Saturday night and was expected to be released from the hospital today. Currington was released this morning. Headliner Gary Allan was not yet at on-site. Promoters have cancelled the remainder of the Jamboree, which would have featured Tim McGraw closing out the final installment of the four-day country music celebration.
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Rutledge, Edward
Rutledge, Edward, 1749–1800, political leader in the American Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. Charleston, S.C.; brother of John Rutledge. He studied law at the Middle Temple, London, and was admitted (1772) to the English bar. He returned to America and was (1774–77) a member of the Continental Congress. He later held official posts at both the national and state level. He was captured (1780) by the British at the fall of Charleston. He was governor of South Carolina from 1798 to 1800.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies


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• garden •
gahr-dên • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. A plot of land devoted to the cultivation of a variety of flowers and/or vegetables. 2. Such a plot devoted to the cultivation of only one variety: a flower garden, a vegetable garden, a rose garden.
Notes: Several dictionaries claim that the plot must be enclosed. That sense is correct if we consider a lawn an enclosure. However, my gardens, like many of my neighbors', lie around my home unobstructed by fencing. This noun may be used as a verb 'as is', that is, to garden. From this verb we have a gerund, gardening, which may be used as a noun or adjective, plus a personal noun, gardener.
In Play: Did you ever have this problem in your garden? "The foxgloves in my garden don't fit the foxes in the neighborhood." Here is an experience I'll bet many of you enjoy: "April Day loves to sit in her garden with a glass of wine on a warm spring day and watch the last remnants of the sun disappear behind the horizon." I hope you all see our website as a garden of words.
Word History: The reason today's Good Word is associated with enclosures is that French reduced the Late Latin phrase hortus gardinus "enclosed garden" to gardin, at which point Middle English borrowed it. (Today, gardin is jardin in French.) Latin borrowed gardinus from a Germanic language; its normal derivation from the PIE root was hortus, from which horticulture derives. English already had the Germanic version of the Proto-Indo-European ancestor of gardinus in geard "enclosure", which went on to become yard. The Russian word gorod "city" came from the same root back in the days when cities had high walls. We see an earlier version of the word in the names of former Soviet cities: Leningrad, Stalingrad, Volgograd. (Let's all wish Christy Nichols gardens of happiness for her suggestion of today's Good Word.)
P.S. - Register for the Daily Good Word E-Mail! - You can get our daily Good Word sent directly to you via e-mail in either HTML or Text format. Go to our Registration Page to sign up today!
Come visit our website at <http://www.alphadictionary.com> for more Good Words and other language resources!


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Santa Clara to host Super Bowl L in 2016
49ers' new stadium to open in 2014 season
NFL owners have voted for the 49ers' new stadium as host of the 2016 Super Bowl.
That facility in Santa Clara is due to open for the 2014 season.
San Francisco beat out South Florida, which was stymied in its bid to stage an 11th Super Bowl when the Florida Legislature did not support financing to renovate Sun Life Stadium.
The 2017 Super Bowl will be held in Houston, which also beat out Miami for that game.
The only previous Super Bowl played in northern California was at Stanford Stadium in 1985.
When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the decision, members of the San Francisco bid committee let out a roar of approval, then toasted each other with champagne.
It was the first time in a decade that a Super Bowl was awarded on the first ballot.
"The Bay Area has been waiting for a (title) game since 1985. We have a stadium now ... we are just thrilled and couldn't be happier about this," said Daniel Lurie, a leader of the San Francisco bid.
"We are going to get to highlight the best the Bay Area has to offer."
On Monday, just the words "Super Bowl" generated a lot of excitement, as many already started discussing the possible economic impact on the Central Coast.
"(Fans) could come out to the main event, being the football game itself, but then they could spend a couple days down here in the Monterey Bay area or go up to San Francisco," said Craig Kaufman, of the Salinas Valley Tourism and Visitors Bureau.
New Orleans took in $480 million as a direct result of hosting the 2012 Super Bowl, according to a study by the University of New Orleans.


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Members of Fair Trade Certified Coffee Associations put their Beans to the Test
BELO HORIZONTE, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Nov. 20, 2009 - Winners for this week's Brazilian Fair Trade Certified coffee cupping competition have been announced. Sebastião Reguim of the producer association, Unipcafem, and Marcos Antônio Nali of the producer association, Pró-nova, won first place in the natural and semi-washed coffee categories. The competition, which is a specialized tasting process to assess quality, capped off several months of intensive quality training for farmers and was attended by high-ranking Brazilian and U.S. officials, representatives of the Brazilian coffee industry and international coffee buyers.
The event was sponsored by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Walmart, TransFair USA and the Brazilian non-profit SEBRAE, as part of the Responsible Sourcing Partnership project to benefit farmers throughout Brazil. The project aims to expand and improve the quality of Fair Trade Certified coffee supply though investments in infrastructure, technical assistance with production and postharvest processing, as well as training in coffee quality management.
"The 2009 Fair Trade Cupping Competition is an important milestone of the Responsible Sourcing Partnership Project," said Lisa Kubiske, Chargé d' Affaires a.i. for the U.S. Embassy in Brazil. "The competition recognizes and rewards premium quality coffee and demonstrates how the Brazilian producers are taking advantage of the economic, social and environmental benefits resulting from the adoption of Fair Trade practices."
USAID, Walmart, TransFair USA and SEBRAE have partnered together on a three-year, public-private responsible sourcing partnership program. From 2007 – 2010, program partners will commit $1.9 million in investments and technical support to help 5,000 famers from the Brazilian states of Sao Paolo, Minas Gerais and Espiritu Santo increase coffee quality, improve cooperative management and enhance marketing.
"We want to congratulate the farmers that participated in the competition and appreciate them for their tireless efforts to bring our members the highest quality coffee," said Jill Turner-Mitchael, senior vice president of Merchandising, Sam's Club. "We are proud that through this partnership, we are giving these farmers the opportunity to continue to improve their operations, compete in the global market and provide a better life for their families and their communities."
Producers and their families benefit from increased employment opportunities, expanded access to new domestic and international markets, increased use of environmentallysound farming methods, better prices for their coffee beans and overall improvements in their quality of life.
"These coffee farmers have spent the past two years tirelessly working to improve the quality of their crops. They have participated in training sessions, attended specialty coffee conferences, and for the first time, many of their cooperatives have skilled, inhouse cuppers," said Paul Rice, president and CEO of TransFair USA. "Because of the Responsible Sourcing Partnership Project, some of the best specialty coffee in Brazil has been uncovered, and we are so proud to say that it is Fair Trade Certified."
In 2008, imports of Fair Trade Certified coffee into the United States grew more than 30 percent. Fair Trade Certification provides higher prices, support for sustainable agriculture and funds for democratically-elected development projects. The Responsible Sourcing Partnership Project is an innovative public-private union designed to amplify the benefits Brazilian farmers gain from Fair Trade, increasing their incomes and capacities going forward.
About USAID/Brazil
USAID is an independent federal government agency receiving overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. Our work supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting global health, economic growth, agriculture and trade, democracy, conflict prevention, and humanitarian assistance. In Brazil, USAID supports Brazilian efforts towards sustainable socio and economic development, while strengthening the partnership between the United States and Brazil. For more information about USAID, visit brazil.usaid.gov
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), or "Walmart," serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 8,000 retail units under 53 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2009 sales of $401 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.1 million associates worldwide. A leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy nd employment opportunity, Walmart ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine's 2009 Most Admired Companies survey. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.
About TransFair USA
TransFair USA, a FLO member organization, is the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade Certified™ products in the United States. TransFair USA audits and certifies in accordance with FLO's internationally agreed standards, monitoring transactions between U.S. companies and their international suppliers to guarantee that the farmers and workers producing Fair Trade Certified goods were paid fair prices and wages. TransFair USA certifies coffee and more than 20 other product categories. For more information about TransFair USA, visit www.FairTradeCertified.org
About SEBRAE
The Service of Support for the Micro and Small Companies of the State of Minas Gerais - SEBRAE-MG was created in 1972. Its mission is to promote the competitiveness and the sustainable development of the micro and small companies as well as to promote the entrepreneurship in the State of Minas Gerais. It offers entrepreneurial orientation, promotes courses, lectures and projects of managerial training, encourages the formalization, approach the micro and small companies with the market and stimulates the generation of business. SEBRAE-MG, thus, contributes to induce the socioeconomic development of the State of Minas Gerais with the generation of revenue, work, income and better life conditions for the population.
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Ed. Note: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the legal trade name of the corporation. The name "Walmart," expressed as one word and without punctuation, is a trademark of the company and is used analogously to describe the company and its stores. Use the trade name when it is necessary to identify the legal entity, such as when reporting financial results, litigation or corporate governance.


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About Us
Jack Long was a professional trumpet player who, in 1956, thought that maybe he could sell instruments to some of his friends in the musical community. He set up a small store on Carlton Street in Toronto on the second floor of an old house and became a dealer for King Band Instruments. The floor was divided up into music studios so Jack was also able to teach trumpet lessons on the side. About 6 months later, Jack rented out a room to a local drummer named Jack McQuade which he used for drum lessons.
In 1957, the Jacks decided to open up a small retail store on Yonge Street and named it Long & McQuade Musical Instruments. Many existing customer service policies sprang from these early days. The rental program began when the partners decided to start charging their friends for all the instruments they were "borrowing". The financing program began when a customer asked if he could purchase a drum set but not pay for it all at once. Jack & Jack continued as partners until 1965 when Jack McQuade decided to pursue drumming full time and sold his portion of the company to Jack Long.
Long & McQuade began expanding in 1968 and hasn't stopped since. Currently there are over 90 Long & McQuade stores across Canada as well as an online store that opened in 2008. The company employs over 1,600 musicians and contracts around 1,000 music teachers across Canada. To this day, the entire company is still 100% owned by the Long family.
Store Locations
Long & McQuade is the largest chain of musical instrument retailers in Canada, with over 90 locations from British Columbia to Newfoundland. This means that if you're a touring musician, you'll have the benefit of dealing with a familiar store with consistent sales, supplies and service, no matter where your homebase is. To find out more about our locations or find the closest store to you, click here.
Music Lesson Centres
Many of our locations now offer music lessons in piano, guitar, bass, drums, woodwinds, strings and voice. Our Music Lesson Centres feature comfortable studios, qualified instructors and affordable lessons for all ages, levels and styles.To find out more about our lessons or find the closest lesson centre to you, click here.
Selection Of Musical Instruments & Equipments
Long & McQuade is famous for our variety and range of musical instruments and professional audio products. Whether you're looking for a flugelhorn or the latest Special Edition Gibson guitar, you'll find it with us. You can enjoy the convenience of seeing and comparing various options all under one roof and can often walk away with your product of choice.To view all our departments, click here.
Used Instruments Bought and Sold
Have you outgrown your student-model flute? Are you looking to upgrade your guitar gear? Bring in your used instrument and we may put the value toward your next purchase, or we buy it from you outright. Through our rentals, trades and purchases from customers, we have a wide selection of "previously enjoyed" products at great prices and with 90 day warranties. To find the best deals on products from all of our stores check out our Deal Centre.
Long & McQuade is the place to rent, whether it's for a day, a week, a month or more. Think of us for parties, weddings, sporting events or weekend gigs. Renting is a great option if you only need the product for a short time or you'd like to try out an instrument before buying it. We also have special rental and rent-to-own programs for schools - ask our staff for details! To learn more about our rental program, click here.
Canada's Largest Print Music Retailer
Between our Print Music Divisions at our Vancouver and Toronto locations and print departments all across the chain, we are able to meet your sheet music needs - from anywhere in the country! To see our selection of print music, click here.
Repairs and Service
Our service departments have some of the most qualified electronics and instrument technicians out there. You'll appreciate the convenience of needing only one place for all of your sales and repair needs. To learn more, click here.
In-Store Financing
Long & McQuade's in-store account services department and flexible, competitive financing options, ensure that you can walk out the door with the instrument of your choice in hand. To learn more, click here.
The Long & McQuade Performance Warranty
Long & McQuade provides our customers with a FREE one-year Performance Warranty on most of our products. This policy provides our customers additional warranty coverage within the first year that they will not usually get from a limited manufacturer's warranty. For further information on the warranty, click here .
Non-Commissioned Salespeople
No hard selling here. At Long & McQuade, you can be confident in knowing that you are getting unbiased, expert advice that is truly best for your needs, not the needs of the salesperson.
Support Staff
Need professional help? Our trained staff can answer the simplest to the most difficult of your questions - what strings does your guitar need, to what software will allow you to record an album at home. After all, we're here to help.
Customer Service Standards for Customers with Disabilities
Documents required by the Ontario Customer Service Standards for accessibility are available, please click here for email contact or by contacting Chris Russell at 905-837-9785 x250. Our multi-year policy for Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005 can be found here.


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Ryan Won't Get All The Votes In Janesville, Wis.
People have been thinking quite a bit about politics in Janesville, Wisconsin, home of the freshly nominated Republican vice presidential candidate. Paul Ryan still lives in Janesville. His hometown is near the Illinois border. Its politics lean Democratic, although Ryan's own congressional district votes Republican. NPR's Don Gonyea talked to some of those who know - and knew - Ryan well.
DON GONYEA, BYLINE: Near the main entrance of Janesville's Craig High School, there's a wall full of bronze plaques, each featuring a graduate of the school who's gone on to do big things. School secretary Tricia Jones points to Paul Ryan's likeness.
TRICIA JONES: We started the wall in 2006, and he was honored that very first year.
GONYEA: So Paul Ryan, graduating class 1988, inducted May 12, 2006, to the honor wall.
And just for a little perspective, not far from Ryan on the honor wall is the plaque honoring former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, a liberal Democrat. Both men are from this town; both, Craig High School grads. Sam Loizzo is a now-retired high school government teacher who had Paul Ryan in his class a quarter-century ago.
SAM LOIZZO: He definitely achieved. And you could see that he had a sincere interest in government, and what was going on.
GONYEA: Ryan attended Catholic elementary school before going to the public high school. Loizzo says as a teacher, he brought every hot issue of the day into his government class.
LOIZZO: We talked about abortion. We talked about busing, back in that era. And we talked about First Amendment freedoms as well as guns and gun control and, you know - or the lack thereof. So - you can see when lights go on, on certain kids, you know, on certain topics.
GONYEA: He remembers Ryan as conservative, but not necessarily the most conservative kid in the class. Over the years, the two men have remained very close. But...
LOIZZO: I'm very happy for him. You know, I wish him the best of luck. But, you know, I'm not going to vote for him.
GONYEA: That's because Loizzo is a pro-union Democrat who doesn't agree with Ryan's economic prescriptions. A Janesville resident who is going to pull the Romney-Ryan lever this November is business owner Tony Huml, who's known Ryan since...
TONY HUML: Sister Yvonne, grade one at St. Mary's Catholic School here in Janesville. She was a tough cookie.
GONYEA: They were classmates all the way through high school. He says of Ryan...
HUML: Certainly inquisitive, studious; yet he was a character - just great, great sense of humor.
GONYEA: Huml runs an online local news service in Janesville. In fact, after Ryan was named to the GOP ticket, Huml re-posted a piece he'd done with his friend about a year earlier. It was a spoof of MSNBC's "Hardball" program. Huml called his piece "Softball." The questions were friendly. Still, some of the answers were revealing - such as when Huml asked who Ryan thinks is the funniest person in America.
PAUL RYAN: This might sound funny to - coming from me, but I'd say Jon Stewart, probably.
HUML: Funny guy?
RYAN: He's pretty good. Yeah...
HUML: Does he ever talk about you?
RYAN: He does. And actually, it's sort of funny...
GONYEA: But the adoration for Ryan that many in Janesville voice, eludes some longtime residents.
MARY FREDERICK: Paul is a very nice man. He's a family man. Very much supportive in the community. But we don't share the same vision. You know, that's where it stops, is the vision.
GONYEA: That's Mary Frederick, who worked at the General Motors plant in Janesville that closed in 2008, after nearly 90 years. She calls Ryan a fiscal hawk focused on one thing.
FREDERICK: He sees numbers. He sees numbers. And he sees numbers. And there's the people factor that you can't put a number to. And I think that's the part that he missed.
GONYEA: In his career in Congress, Ryan has cast votes that would seem a contradiction, given his budget-cutting image - including, in 2008, for bailouts for banks and for the auto industry. And he has not been shy about pursuing earmarks. Scott Angus is the editor of the Janesville newspaper, The Gazette.
SCOTT ANGUS: Are there contradictions here? And there appear to be. Paul would justify them - that they were the right vote, at the right time, for my district overall.
GONYEA: But for many Janesville residents, to understand Paul Ryan, you need to know the philosophy and the person. Here's his old school friend Tony Huml.
HUML: He'll always be Paul. I'm confident of that.
GONYEA: Though Huml does acknowledge that even if Ryan doesn't change, his life already has. Don Gonyea, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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The GNU Art Gallery
Beside the art on these GNU Web pages, we at the GNU Project have the art:
- on the covers of GNU Manuals
- on GNU T-shirts
- on the covers of the GNU's Bulletins
We are looking for new graphic designs for t-shirts and other GNU and FSF items to offer in our shop. If you are interested in contributing some good-quality art to help raise free software awareness, please contact <email@example.com>. Please dont send us files over 2 Megabytes, instead upload the file and send us a link. Here are some ideas on how we can use artwork.
What's new?
- December 2015: Santa Claus GNU by Luciano Lourenço.
- December 2015: a Shishalh Gnu Logo design by Skwetu.
- December 2015: Winking GNU by Bravo Edison.
- October 2015: "Free As In Freedom" — minimalist wallpaper by Caleb Herbert.
- January 2015: GNU 30th birthday banner and badge are available.
- September 2014: designs for the UMSA course "Núcleo GNU/Linux" by Ruth García.
- September 2014: Luk's GNU head is available.
- February 2014: GNU Characters by Carol Anne Scowcroft.
- January 2014: French motto button by Lutz Bürger.
- January 2014: GNU+Freedo SVG characters by José Miguel Silva Lara and Márcio Alexandre Silva Delgado.
- January 2014: GNU Inside banner by Mike Gerwitz.
- January 2014: Give Me Freedom by Navaneeth.
- November 2013: "Copyleft (L)" sticker from Don Hopkins which inspired Richard Stallman to use to term "Copyleft" for licensing free software.
- August 2013:
Trans-Pacific Partnershipcaricature by rms and Antonomakia. (moved to rms' site)
GNU Art on this Site
Please note the graphic style guidelines used in designing and illustrating this site.
- A 3D baby GNU and baby Tux
- Dale Mellor's 3D GNU head
- A GNU Body
- A GNU head
- A GNU head for terminals
- Hurd Logos
- Another ASCII Gnu
- An FSF Logo
- An LPF Logo
- Another typing GNU hacker
- A typing GNU hacker
- Avatars
- Baby GNU
- John Bokma's GNU and Emacs logos
- Winking GNU by Bravo Edison.
- Useful GNU art by Vladimir Tsarkov
- The Dynamic Duo: The GNU and the Penguin in flight
- Don Hopkins's "Copyleft (L)" sticker
- Digital Restrictions Management
- Dragora
- GNU Emacs Reference Wallpaper from Loic Duros
- What Freedom Means
- Fromagnulinux
- Free Software Foundation Logo
- The book cover logo for Free Software, Free Society
- Gleeson's GNU art
- gNewSense
- GNU 30th birthday
- Alternative GNU Head
- An ASCII GNU is Liberty
- An ASCII Gnu
- Another ASCII Gnu (for email signatures)
- A GNU head shadowed
- GNU Inside
- A Gnu wearing a jacket
- GNU/Linux
- GNU Banner
- A GNU logo with horns
- A Penguin Hugging A GNU
- GNU o Lantern
- GNU and Blaise Pascal
- GNU Pumpkin
- GNU Art in svg format
- Groff Head
- Bold alternative GNU Head
- Historic GNU press items
- Hitflip's GNU coin and herd
- httptunnel Logo
- Hurd Logos in Metafont
- A cartoon featuring Jesus and...
- Abstract GNU Art
- GNU License Logos
- Listening Gnu by the Nevrax Design Team
- Lisa J. Lovchik GNU art
- Levitating, Meditating, Flute-playing Gnu by the Nevrax Design Team
- GNU Gives Freedom
- Give Me Freedom
- Logos of GNU packages
- A Philosophical GNU
- Philosoputer
- Color Gnu Head
- Run free run GNU banner
- Santa Claus GNU by Luciano Lourenço
- GNU Characters by Carol Anne Scowcroft
- a Shishalh Gnu Logo design by Skwetu
- A Slick GNU logo
- The GNU social logo
- The Spirit of Freedom
- Jochen Stärk's Herd Banners
- An ASCII Super Gnu
- Trisquel
- Use 'GNU
- Wallpapers
- What's GNU
- Kyle Winkler's alternative GNU logos
- Adrienne Thompson's GNU art
- Georg Bahlon's 3D GNU head
- Behroze Nejaati's GNU art
- Graphics from Free Software, Free Society
- Tomasz W. Kozłowski's GNU Post images
- GNU+Freedo SVG characters by José Miguel Silva Lara and Márcio Alexandre Silva Delgado.
- French motto button by Lutz Bürger
GNU Art on other sites
Thanks to Edward Alfert for drawing the favicon and buttons at: http://graphics.rootmode.com/ (archived)
Thanks to Anja Gerwinski for her images at: http://www.gerwinski.de/~anja/gnuart/.
Thanks to Arnuld Uttre for his images at: http://lispmachine.wordpress.com/category/art/.
Thanks to Raul Silva for his images at: http://gnuart.onshore.com
Thanks to ~Apolonis for their image at: http://apolonis.deviantart.com/art/Le-Sage-285523519
Thanks to David Arroyo Menéndez for their images at: http://www.davidam.com/art/free-software
You can also find GNU related public domain graphics at: openclipart.org.


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My Anritsu
United States
Cost-Effective, Small, Rugged and Easy-To-Use Test Equipment for Installation, Maintenance and Troubleshooting of CWDM Access Networks
The new MU909020A/Optical channel Analyzer module is a field modular device designed to measure and monitor power and wavelength over the 18 CWDM channels. It is a cost-effective alternative to more complex OSA for the emerging CWDM market, providing fast and reliable measurements in every environment. The small, lightweight and rugged handheld design makes this the ideal tool for field technicians tasked with installation, maintenance and troubleshooting of CWDM access networks.
Dedicated Tool for CWDM Applications
The MU909020A Optical Channel Analyzer is purpose built for testing CWDM channels in the field. It provides an overview of the power levels and wavelengths of all 18 CWDM channels at a glance. In addition, PASS/FAIL thresholds are stored for all parameters and configurations defined in ITU-T G.695 recommendation, allowing technicians to easily assess the network condition. It also enables long-term characterizations with several drift functions. With its software interface focused exclusively on the features needed, it is easy to use for any skill level, significantly decreasing training expenses.
Fast Measurement in the Field
The MU909020A is ready for measurement in about 15 seconds, so productive work can start immediately. With no moving parts, the MU909020A is faster than any OSA, providing quick troubleshooting of a CWDM network. Besides, measurement results can easily be added to test reports, thanks to the ability to save screen shots, to store data in the internal memory or on external USB memory devices, and to easily transfer files into a PC. With its lightweight design and user friendly dimensions, the Optical Channel Analyzer is perfect for the outside plant environment and can easily be managed with one hand. Its high resolution, full color, 4.3 inch wide screen display is the perfect format for viewing results. It also provides excellent readability both indoors and outdoors. And since AC power is not always available where you need it, especially at fiber pedestals, the MT9090A typically provides 4 hours of testing on battery. The small, lightweight and rugged handheld design makes this the ideal tool for field technicians tasked with installation, maintenance and troubleshooting of CWDM access networks.
Modular Design
The MT9090A features a modular design allowing modules to be easily changed in the field. Users can interchange different Optical Channel Analyzer modules or perform other optical network testing such as verification of drop cable installation with the available MU909011A Fault Locator module. Operation of all the modules is quite similar, so the user will immediately be familiar with their operation.