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NEW YORK (AP) – There was no way not to talk about who wasn't at Big East media day.
It wasn't that any schools didn't show up – 10 were supposed to be there and they all were. But looking around the big dining room at Chelsea Piers brought up the same thought over and over.
There was no Connecticut, no Syracuse, no Notre Dame, no Pittsburgh, no Louisville. Those schools are all gone to other conferences. They left as part of the split in the 15-team league when the schools whose main sport is basketball decided to form a league whose main sport is basketball.
'Every school in this conference has the same way of looking at college athletics,' Villanova coach Jay Wright said Wednesday. 'The most important athletic event at each institution is a basketball game. These people are all passionate basketball people.'
The seven schools that left all the football schools are Villanova, Marquette, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. John's, Providence and DePaul. Joining them for this first season of the new Big East are Creighton, Xavier and Butler.
Those are basketball schools, no doubt.
Xavier coach Chris Mack said his staff took a few days in the spring to prepare scouting reports on their new conference brethren.
'We wanted to get a feel for the teams, the styles,' he said. 'There wasn't anything shocking, basketball is basketball. But these players are better. These players are more athletic.'
Xavier and Butler both made the move from the Atlantic 10. Creighton was in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Bluejays arrive with the Big East's preseason player of the year, Doug McDermott. He is looking to become just the 11th player to be a first-team All-America three straight seasons. The last two were Patrick Ewing of Georgetown and Wayman Tisdale of Oklahoma from 1983-85.
'I haven't really looked at the list but I heard the name Patrick Ewing today and that's just unreal,' said McDermott, a 6-foot-8 senior forward who averaged 23.2 points and 7.7 rebounds last season. 'I'm looking at this season as an opportunity to embrace a new challenge. We know it's much more physical and there are a lot more athletes than we're used to. We've prepared ourselves pretty well. Last year we played against Duke and Cincinnati. We know it's going to be a grind and we're looking forward to that.'
The conference has a 12-year deal with Fox Sports worth about $500 million. The conference tournament will be played at Madison Square Garden, its home since 1983, and it's going to be tough to make that ticket a scalper's dream the way it has been with sellout after sellout, year after year.
'Obviously the Garden,' McDermott said when asked what excited him about this season's schedule. 'You grow up dreaming of playing on the biggest stage and that's the Garden.'
Since the 2000-01 season only one of the current schools – Georgetown in 2007 – left the Garden with the championship trophy. Louisville, which is playing one season in the American Athletic Conference before heading to the Atlantic Coast Conference, won the last two tournaments and three of the last five.
Marquette, one of three co-champions last season, was picked by the coaches in their preseason poll followed by Georgetown, which also finished in that tie with national champion Louisville, Creighton, Villanova, St. John's, Providence, Xavier, Seton Hall, Butler and DePaul.
One of the biggest advantages to being a 10-member conference is the opportunity for a true round-robin schedule. Everybody plays everybody twice, once at home, once on the road.
'From a coaching perspective, playing nine at home and nine on the road, I think there will be a lot more strategic things going on,' Marquette coach Buzz Williams said. 'No more playing a team just once like we did my first five years in the conference. Play somebody in January and you're not done with them. They are on the schedule again. That's what makes for rivalries for the fans.'
Val Ackerman, the former commissioner of the WNBA and past president of USA Basketball, takes over as commissioner and as much as she looks forward to tackling the problems of a new conference, she can't help but look back.
'I will do everything Dave Gavitt set out to do when he led this conference as it started in 1979,' she said referring to the league's founder and architect. 'We are going to make the Big East a force in college basketball.'


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Manufacturing Cybersecurity Solutions
Protecting IT and OT Resources Against Advanced Threats in Manufacturing with a Single PlatformFortinet is a Leader in the IT/OT Security Platform Navigator 2022
The convergence of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) has a significant impact on manufacturing cybersecurity. Specifically, industrial control systems (ICS) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems that have historically been air gapped are now being connected to IT systems—and therefore to the internet. As the air gap is removed, these systems are vulnerable to an increasingly advanced threat landscape and are targets for hackers involved in terrorism, cyber warfare, and espionage.
Global OT systems around the world are barraged with both recycled IT-based attacks and purpose-built OT exploits. One survey states that 74% of OT professionals had experienced a breach in the past 12 months. Attacks on the manufacturing sector's critical infrastructure can result in financial loss, risk to brand reputation, and sometimes even loss of life or threats to national cybersecurity.
Since 2005, Fortinet has protected OT environments in critical U.S. infrastructure sectors such as energy, defense, manufacturing, food, and transportation. By designing cybersecurity into complex infrastructure via the Fortinet Security Fabric, organizations can integrate cybersecurity protection across OT and IT environments, from the manufacturing floor to the office data center to multiple clouds.
Corporate Infrastructure
The corporate IT network at manufacturing companies houses important data related to finance, intellectual property, HR, product support, field support, and more. Some manufacturers produce Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices and collect data from customers who have purchased them—information that sits somewhere on the corporate network. As with other industries, manufacturers are increasingly reliant on cloud-based applications and infrastructure, and IoT devices are growing in number at the network edge.
Whatever sensitive data is housed there, the corporate infrastructure needs a broad, integrated, and automated cybersecurity solution with end-to-end integration. The Fortinet Security Fabric provides just such a solution, built on the foundation of FortiGate next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered threat intelligence from FortiGuard Labs.
A wide array of Fortinet manufacturing cybersecurity tools integrates seamlessly into the Fabric, along with dozens of third-party solutions delivered by Fabric Partners. And an open ecosystem and extensive application programming interface (API) tools make the integration of other third-party tools possible.
Related Resources
Solution Guides
FortiInsight User and Entity Behavior Analytics FortiGate 60F NGFW Delivers Optimal TCO for Secure SD-WAN Deployments at Smaller Branch Offices Independent Validation of Fortinet Solutions - NSS Labs Real-World Group Tests Selecting Your Next-Generation Firewall Solution Fortinet Secure Hybrid Cloud FortiSandbox: Third-generation Sandboxing Featuring Dynamic AI Analysis
Air-gapped Manufacturing Systems
While many OT systems are now connected to IT systems, recent research by Forrester finds that 40% of OT systems are still air gapped—that is, not connected to any other network. While one might assume that such systems are safe from cyberattacks, they still use IP-based control systems and administrators still install software updates provided by the manufacturer. This gives adversaries an opening to penetrate a system by infecting the updates through the vendor's network. And while air-gapped systems may not contain sensitive data, infiltrations can cause costly disruptions and safety issues.
As a result, cybersecurity for the manufacturing industry best practices recommend using a next-generation firewall (NGFW) for air-gapped systems, and this must be accompanied with comprehensive cybersecurity tracking and reporting. FortiGate NGFWs provide robust protection and industry-leading performance when inspecting both encrypted and unencrypted traffic. FortiManager provides single-pane-of-glass management and a variety of reporting tools. FortiAnalyzer delivers analytics-powered cybersecurity and log management for maximum visibility and better detection of breaches. The FortiSIEM cybersecurity information and event management tool enables a coordinated and automated response to attacks.
Related Resources
White Papers
Fortinet Manufacturing Cybersecurity Solutions 2019 Operational Technology Security Trends Report 2020 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report Applications of SD-WAN Reference Architecture Solving OT Security with the Fortinet Security Fabric Independent Study on SCADA/ICS Security Risks
Solution Guides
OT Security Simplified and Unified with Fortinet Understanding the OT Threat Landscape Independent Validation of Fortinet Solutions - NSS Labs Real-World Group Tests Selecting Your Next-Generation Firewall Solution How Fortinet Intent-based Segmentation Helps CIOs Manage Increased Security Complexity FortiSandbox: Third-generation Sandboxing Featuring Dynamic AI Analysis
Connected Manufacturing Systems
Historically air-gapped OT systems are now frequently being connected to IT systems—and thus to the internet—for a variety of reasons. Digital transformation and the need for business agility are creating increasing co-dependence between IT and OT. From an industrial cybersecurity perspective, the main result of this convergence is a greatly expanded attack surface. And since OT systems often have weak cybersecurity protection, this presents risk to an organization in the short term.
But if cybersecurity issues can be resolved, the potential is great for combining IT and automation networks into a single, secure, manageable, and converged environment. Cybersecurity teams must have centralized visibility into all systems, the ability to segment the network according to business need, and centralized control of both wired and wireless networks.
The Fortinet Security Fabric covers the entire attack surface with a broad, integrated, and automated cybersecurity architecture that enhances industrial cybersecurity and improves operational efficiency. Built on the foundation of FortiGate next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered threat intelligence from FortiGuard Labs, the Security Fabric provides seamless integration with dozens of cybersecurity tools from Fortinet and its Fabric Partners.
Related Resources
Solution Guides
OT Security Simplified and Unified with Fortinet Understanding the OT Threat Landscape Independent Validation of Fortinet Solutions - NSS Labs Real-World Group Tests Selecting Your Next-Generation Firewall Solution Fortinet Secure Hybrid Cloud How Fortinet Intent-based Segmentation Helps CIOs Manage Increased Security Complexity FortiSandbox: Third-generation Sandboxing Featuring Dynamic AI Analysis
Third-party Vendor Management
As the industry moves in the direction of a Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS) model, third parties have more access than ever before to corporate networks and OT systems. This complicates the notion of the trusted user and forces organizations to assess their vulnerabilities against insider threats—including from third parties. Keeping track of each partner's cybersecurity posture through regular vetting is critical. Organizations also need robust protection against insider threats, whether those threats are accidental or malicious, and whether they come from within the company or an element of the partner network.
The integrated solutions of the Fortinet Security Fabric provide a multilayered defense against the latest insider threats. Intent-based segmentation capabilities in FortiGate NGFWs allow organizations to segment their network intelligently in a world of dynamic trust. The FortiAuthenticator identity and access management solution and FortiToken tokens leverage that segmentation in granting access to users on a need-to-know basis. FortiInsight uses user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) to identify anomalies in the expected behavior of trusted users and entities that might indicate a compromised account. And FortiDeceptor uses deception technology to deceive, expose, and eliminate attacks originating from internal and external sources.
Related Resources
Solution Guides
FortiDeceptor Enables a New Breach Protection Approach FortiInsight User and Entity Behavior Analytics FortiNAC Simplifies Comprehensive IoT Security Integrated Network Access Controls That Maximize Security Investments FortiNAC: Role-based Dynamic Network Access FortiNAC: Security Automation and Orchestration Platforms
Enterprise Security for Changing Times - Protection for Expanding Infrastructures, Increasing Attacks, and Compliance Required Capabilities for Effective and Secure SD-WAN: The Network Leader's Guide Understanding the Underlying Causes of Complexity in Security Strategies That Reduce Complexity and Simplify Security Operations Fortinet Analytics-Powered Security and Log Management Fortinet Solutions for Automation-driven Network Operations
Multi-cloud Manufacturing Cybersecurity
As with most other industries, manufacturers are moving services to the cloud at a rapid clip. Many now have cloud-based manufacturing resource planning (MRP) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. These systems often pull data from both IT and OT systems for quick and effective decision-making, a process called digital twinning. Cloud-based solutions are also routinely used for services that impact customer experience. For manufacturing security consulting firms, protecting cybersecurity for these assets is critical, meaning that an organization's integrated cybersecurity architecture must extend from the data center to OT systems to multiple clouds.
The Fortinet Security Fabric enables broad, integrated, and automated protection for the multi-cloud environment, ensuring consistent policy management, configuration management, and threat detection and response across the entire attack surface. FortiGate VM brings the next-generation firewall (NGFW) to a virtual machine that works well for cloud environments, and the FortiWeb web application firewall (WAF), available in several form factors, protects the application layer with in-line, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered threat intelligence.
The FortiCASB cloud access cybersecurity broker (CASB) service provides manufacturing security solutions and insights into resources, users, behaviors, and data stored in the cloud with comprehensive reporting tools, and enables advanced policy controls to be extended to Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) resources and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications. The FortiCWP cloud workload protection (CWP) tool enables cybersecurity and DevOps teams to evaluate their cloud configuration cybersecurity posture and identify potential threats resulting from misconfigurations.
Related Resources
White Papers
Fortinet Manufacturing Cybersecurity Solutions Key Principles and Strategies for Securing the Enterprise Cloud Why Security Architects Struggle to Manage Risk in Multi-cloud Environments The Bi-Directional Cloud Highway: User Attitudes about Securing Hybrid- and Multi-Cloud Environments Securing Hybrid and Multi-cloud Environments
Solution Guides
Fortinet Secure Remote Access for Multi-Cloud Environments FortiCWP Protects Data in the Public Cloud FortiCWP Traffic Analysis and Investigation FortiCWP Simplifies Compliance in the Public Cloud FortiCWP Threat Detection and Response FortiGate Secure SD-WAN Delivers Dynamic Cloud Security for Microsoft Azure
Key Manufacturing Cybersecurity Challenges
Manufacturing facilities contain machinery that can cause physical injury or death if it malfunctions or is not operated correctly. In the current threat landscape, adversaries aiming to disrupt operations with a cyber-physical attack can create safety risk for onsite employees and even nearby residents and passers-by. In addition, attacks can affect the safety of products produced at a factory, extending the risk over a wide geography.
Siloed systems for IT, OT, and physical security don't help matters. At many organizations, it is difficult enough to integrate just the IT security architecture between the data center, multiple clouds, and the edge. But some organizations will find that integrating all safety and manufacturing cybersecurity systems is the only viable way to protect human life.
Productivity and Uptime
Any unplanned interruption in operations can incur significant costs to an organization, and many cyberattacks that target manufacturers often aim to cause just such a disruption. Others seek to move laterally within the network once they get in, but the attack can still result in an interruption in operations.
Because they were historically air-gapped and system updates are less frequent, OT systems often have less sophisticated industrial cybersecurity protection than IT systems. As a result, they are frequently targeted by cybercriminals on the premise that they are relatively easy to infiltrate. Even air-gapped OT systems can be infiltrated by infecting manufacturers' software updates before they are installed.
Operational Efficiency
Lack of integration across the different manufacturing cybersecurity elements and architectural fragmentation increase operational inefficiencies. Without integration, manual tasks such as correlating log reports from different systems and assembling compliance reports waste the time of highly paid cybersecurity professionals and distract from more strategic work.
Architectural silos also create redundancies in management of applications, requiring a bigger set of specific product skills to be present on an overworked cybersecurity team. They can also result in higher software and hardware licensing costs that can significantly increase overall operational expenses.
Customer Experience
Whether the products being made are targeted at consumers or businesses, manufacturers now routinely engage with customers in a highly targeted way, using social media and other engagement tools alongside their web presence. But these legitimate efforts can be countered by cyber criminals who manipulate social networks for profit. One study found that more than half of the world's social media accounts are fraudulent.
Securing web properties and social media interactions is paramount for manufacturers, as the loss of data from potential customers in the early stages of the buying cycle could be devastating to a company's reputation.
Product Integrity
The quality of manufactured goods is paramount for a brand's reputation, and manufacturing processes must be precise to achieve this goal. For example, if a cyberattack affects a food processor's OT system in such a way that temperature is slightly changed or cooking time is slightly altered, spoilage or degraded product quality can occur.
Manufacturers are subject to a wide variety of regulations and standards depending on what goods they are making. Penalties for noncompliance are sometimes high, but an even higher cost often comes from diminished brand reputation in the event of a breach.
Organizations must be able to demonstrate compliance with multiple regulations and standards without redeploying staff from strategic initiatives to preparing audit reports. The latter is inevitably necessary with a disaggregated cybersecurity infrastructure.
Fortinet Differentiators for Manufacturing Cybersecurity
Flexible Integration, Including OT-specific Manufacturing Security Solutions
The Fortinet Security Fabric provides a single-vendor, end-to-end, integrated cybersecurity architecture across IT and OT, from protection to detection to response. This enables operational and cost efficiencies and improves protection against fast-moving threats. In addition to Fortinet tools, the Security Fabric enables integration with specialized OT solutions through the largest ecosystem of Fortinet Fabric Partners to streamline data into a single view for informed decision-making.
Cyber-physical Integration
The Fortinet Security Fabric enables manufacturing companies to consolidate networking, cybersecurity, and surveillance functions into a single pane of glass. Technologies like cameras and recorders, advanced threat protection, segmentation and authentication, and software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) can be deployed as an integrated whole—with minimal hardware and license costs.
Ruggedized Hardware
Fortinet offers a broad selection of industrially hardened, ruggedized appliances that provide complete cybersecurity protection in any environment, from the manufacturing floor to remote operations. Robust components and a fanless design protect the hardware in harsh conditions.
Insider Threat Protection
Insider threats—intentional or accidental—are a growing concern for manufacturers as more users have access to parts of the network. These users can include employees, third-party suppliers, marketing and sales partners, and more. Fortinet provides a comprehensive solution to guard against insider threats including robust intent-based segmentation, identity and access management, user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), and deceptor technology to lure malicious attackers into identifying themselves.
OT-specific Threat Intelligence
OT systems have unique architectural characteristics and face OT-specific threats along with generic ones. With 15 years of experience in working with manufacturing customers, FortiGuard Labs provides robust, OT-specific threat intelligence to those who manage manufacturing systems. FortiGuard Labs also has nearly eight years of experience in using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify unknown threats.
White Papers
2022 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report The State of Cybersecurity in the Food & Beverage Industry Why Compliance Is a Critical Part of a Cybersecurity Strategy Independent Study Finds That Security Risks Are Slowing IT-OT Convergence Fortinet Manufacturing Cybersecurity Solutions The Promise of SD-WAN Can Be Realized in OT Environments

subset: commoncrawl


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Bald Eagle
Every week on the day after Monday, we're releasing new shirt designs in the mental_floss store. Today, it's all about the bald eagle. It's been nearly six decades since the United States elected a bald President, and if Americans refuse to elect a follicly-challenged Commander-In-Chief, they definitely aren't going to accept anything less from our National Bird. "Bald" Eagle? More like "Luscious-Head-of-Hair-You-Want-to-Run-Your-Fingers-Through" Eagle. (We'll work on the name.)
And that's not all! For two days only, all shirts are $19.99! Just use the code EAGLE19 at checkout. Deal ends 4/24 at midnight; excludes clearance and package deals.
Did you know that you can submit t-shirt slogans? Sharon D. of Los Angeles, CA, came up with this idea. She gets $125, a free shirt, and eternal "I designed a mental_floss t-shirt!" bragging rights. If you have a funny t-shirt slogan, you can submit it here.


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England striker Rickie Lambert grabbed a dramatic late winner for Southampton to edge an otherwise uninspiring Premier League encounter 1-0 against Swansea.
Lambert pounced in the third minute of stoppage time to secure an unlikely victory.
Swansea skipper Ashley Williams' attempted clearance looped high over home goalkeeper Michel Vorm, and the ball went in off substitute Lambert's back to give Southampton all three points.
It looked as though the teams would play out an uninspiring 0-0 draw in the Liberty Stadium sunshine after 90 minutes that had end-of-season stamped all over it.
Both teams lacked the finishing power to threaten collecting a victory, and it proved a hugely-disappointing Premier League clash.
With neither Swansea nor Southampton troubled by matters at the top or bottom of the table, it was a contest that drifted along with no obvious urgency, and Lambert's goal provided an ending the match scarcely deserved.
Despite the defeat, it is likely that Swansea head coach Garry Monk will be upgraded to Michael Laudrup's permanent managerial successor during the next few days.
Monk has achieved the primary aim of masterminding Swansea's top-flight status for another season and, after the club's directors met on Friday, it would appear they have been impressed enough to let him take the Swans forward.
There would be no victory for Monk, though, against his former club and Southampton had the best moments of quality on show.
England World Cup hopeful Luke Shaw oozed positivity throughout and Swansea's defence had to track him closely.
Yet it when it came to the attacking red zone, both sides' finishing left a lot to be desired, with even Lambert's winner having a huge element of luck about it.
Lambert did not make Southampton's starting line-up after being troubled by a buttock muscle problem, but he was among the substitutes as fit-again Morgan Schneiderlin started.
Monk made a solitary change following last Saturday's 4-1 win against Aston Villa for the appointment with his former club, as Dutch international Dwight Tiendalli replaced groin injury victim Angel Rangel, while a minor toe problem dashed Chico Flores' hopes of returning from suspension.
Swansea went closest to scoring during a bright opening as Pablo Hernandez's shot was well saved by Artur Boruc, before Wilfried Bony glanced a header narrowly wide.
Southampton soon settled into their impressive passing rhythm, though, with Steven Davis prominent, and Schneiderlin should have done better than send a close-range header high over the Swansea bar.
The Saints continued to dominate possession and territory, but apart from a Dejan Lovren free-kick that dipped over, clear-cut attacking opportunities remained few and far between.
Sam Gallagher wasted Southampton's best chance when his 33rd-minute header failed to find the target, and that sparked a break-out for Swansea that saw the dangerous Bony go close.
Southampton continued to press as half-time approached, but Swansea coped with the growing Shaw-inspired threat as a poor opening 45 minutes ended goalless.
Saints skipper Adam Lallana tested Swansea keeper Michel Vorm with an angled shot as the second period began, while Swansea continued to rely on the bustling Bony for any realistic threat on Southampton's goal.
Jose Fonte was then cautioned for a foul on Hernandez, but Swansea tamefully wasted the opportunity with still no sign of Boruc or Vorm being seriously troubled.
Swansea were guilty of giving possession away far too easily in midfield and Lambert joined the action 30 minutes from time when he replaced Lallana to give Saints renewed attacking impetus.
Nathan Dyer followed Lambert off the bench as Swansea's first substitute, taking over from De Guzman, and there was certainly more urgency about the home side as they looked to secure a third successive league win following victories over Villa and Newcastle.
It was not to be, though, and Lambert came up trumps when it mattered as Southampton collected an away win.


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Lambretta Gasket, cylinder base packing (packer) plate, large block, 2.0mm, MB
2mm 200/225/230/240/250 large block cylinder packing plate / cylinder base gasket.
Made from stronger alloy and designed by Mark Broadhurst as a more reliable replacement to a standard type fibre gasket.
Larger surface area to suit all known large block cylinders with standard or large transfer areas.
Comes with standard transfer cutouts but can be easily opened to suit your cylinder.
£ 7.56
Price: £ 6.30 Ex Vat


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When you think of facial aging, wrinkles and sagging skin come to mind, but new research finds that skin isn't the only thing that ages.
Over time, so do the facial bones, which lose volume and recede, making you look even older.
And if crow's feet and jowly cheeks weren't enough, the bones of the eye socket gradually widen, the brow bone recedes and the jawbone becomes less defined.
If you think of the facial bones as "scaffolding" for facial tissue and skin, the bone loss can contribute to that drooping, deflated look, explained study author Dr. Robert Shaw Jr., chief resident in the division of plastic surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y.
And sorry, ladies. While the most pronounced bone loss happened for men when they were 65 and older, the process starts earlier in women. Women's facial skeletons between 41 and 64 looked much different than their facial bones did between the ages of 20 and 40, according to the study.
The bone loss helps explain why getting a simple facelift, or skin tightening, won't ever make you look like your 20-year-old self, Shaw said.
"The original thought was that skin goes through changes, such as a loss of elasticity and fat, so the primary approach to facial rejuvenation was skin tightening procedures," Shaw said. "But a lot of faces never looked like they did when they were younger. Patients bring in pictures and say they want to go back to that look, but they can never really go back to that look just by tightening their skin alone. If there are changes to those underlying structures it's going to change the appearance of how the skin looks."
The study is published in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery .
Shaw and his colleagues did CT scans of the facial bones in 120 men and women aged 20 to 40, 41 to 64, and 65 and older. They then created three-dimensional reconstructions of the scans, which they used to take detailed measurements of the facial bone structure.
With age, the scans showed that the bones that make up the eye sockets recede, enlarging the sockets. A few less millimeters of bone for the soft tissues of the face to hold on to adds to the appearance of excess or droopy skin around the eyes, Shaw said.
Similar losses of volume happen in the bones of the middle face, including the brow bone, nose and upper jaw. The loss of bone can also reduce the angle of the lower jaw, which is why those with a strong jawline in their youth may not be so well-defined in old age, Shaw said.
"A nice, strong jawline is something people see as being youthful, but as you get older the angle gets more blunted," Shaw said.
For those seeking facelifts, plastic surgeons can use fillers, can move fat from one part of the body to the face or use facial implants to make up for the lost bone, Shaw said.
"It's not ever possible to bring someone back to how they looked when they were 20 years old, but adding volume back to the face can improve results for some patients," Shaw said.
Throughout your life, bone is constantly being made and reabsorbed. Aging may cause the creation of new bone to work a little less well, perhaps causing more bone to be absorbed than is created, Shaw said.
It stands to reason. With aging, bone density can also decrease, leading to diseases such as osteoporosis, which tend to impact women more often than men.
Dr. Phillip Haeck, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, called the study a "milestone" for its careful documentation of facial bone changes.
"Aging is multi-factorial. There are all these different factors that come into play in how you look at 40, 50 or 60," Haeck said. "The things that affect it are genetics, external factors such as sun damage and nicotine use. Then there is plain old loss of volume of the soft tissues and bone."
More information: The American Academy of Dermatology has more on skin and aging.


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One wonders if some of Oconee's leadership is more interested in perpetuating the development bubble and profits of today than the real water needs of the future for our community!
February 14, 2008
Drought - water problems are not over & we do not have competent plans
By Wendell Dawson, Editor, AVOC, Inc
There is plenty of rainfall data that illustrates that we have been in drought conditions since 1998 except for the years 2002-04. Charts below demonstrate that.
Winter rains have helped fill Bear Creek Reservoir and other area reservoirs.However, they will not stay full without better planning and preparation than we had last summer. The Upper Oconee Water Basin Authority, Chaired by Oconee County's Melvin Davis, did not take action to conserve water until late September when the reservoir was getting dangerously low.
In fact, Oconee was still selling water to Walton County, outside of the Upper Oconee Water Basin area, until late September. Stopping those sales just as media attention was focusing on the drought and conservation measures is the reason that Oconee County was able to meet its 10 % reduction goals. It also explains why Walton did not meet its 10 % goal. 11-23-07 Water Conservation, statistics and facts about Oconee – Walton Water Sales
The Bear Creek Reservoir was designed to provide a 60 day water supply if all pumping from the Middle Oconee ceased. It did what it was designed to do – with the GA EPD variance on pumping. Area citizens helped conserve once they were made aware of the situation. 10-15-07 This Drought is serious! - What others in NEGA area are doing and saying
Having worked for 12 years on the developing and construction of the Bear Creek Reservoir in Jackson County gives me added insight and understanding of the challenges we face. That project took years and cost about $ 70 Million. Better management could have preserved that water supply much longer than what has happened. The reservoir has been operation a short time – less than six years!
The $ 352 Million Hard Labor Creek Reservoir is not the answer either.Oconee County will only have 3.5 MGD for $ 66 Plus Million available only in 2014 at the earliest. Project delays (see progress of Oconee Park Project on GA 53) can add years. Some informed sources tell AVOC that the cost will greatly exceed the figures used to launch this project. 10-5-07 Oconee Votes to approve $ 66 Million in Water Bonds for Hard Labor Creek
Oconee County should have been working with its Bear Creek Partners to expand the Reservoir and Treatment plant. That facility is in existence along with the pumping and piping set up to pump the water.
When one seriously considers the H L C plan, the fallacy and wrongness of Oconee's participation is outrageous. It involves 18 miles of pumping from the Apalachee at High Shoals to Hard Labor Creek, and THEN pumping treated water back to Oconee County. The total cost of that project ($ 352 Million) would have paid for the upgrade of all the Oconee County Interchanges on GA 316 in Oconee County and even some in Barrow!
It is good to know that Bob Snipes and Gary Duck in Athens-Clarke County are still involved. They understand the problems and the challenges.The discussion about acquiring Tallassee Shoals Dam is encouraging. We should have been working with Athens-Clarke instead of striking out on the ill-advised Hard Labor Creek Project.
8-14-07 The Walton Water Project makes no sense for Oconee County
What are we going to do about Water until 2014? We cannot continue development (Metro Atlanta Developers) at wide open speed. Oh, we have headlines about "buying wells". The real story is what happened to the wells in use in 2000 that produced about 2 MGD of water? Many of those wells were closed without adequate foresight or understanding of the consequences. This was another mistake that "fell under the radar" of media coverage. 12-16-07 Wells (water) have important place in our memory and in Oconee's past, present & future
Even if the current commissioners serve another term (many are praying the majority will not), they will not be around when the project is completed or fails to complete and cost overruns. One wonders if some of Oconee's leadership is more interested in perpetuating the development bubble and profits of today than the real water needs of the future for our community! Lack of public discussion and "behind the scenes" decisions contributed to many mistakes by the Commissioners.
Davis and Norris will be long gone before the real costs of their mistakes are truly known!
Folks, we can argue about zoning and taxes but it will only get worse unless we address some leadership problems in Oconee County. It is not too late.However, we need some new folks at the controls and a new direction.The future of our community is at stake!
North Central GA running rainfall deficit 2006-2007 – Deficit was obvious long before action taken in late September.
Statewide Precipitation 1998-2007
Since 1998, GA has had below average rainfall more years than above average.SEE Charts & Graphs: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/jun/st009dv00pcp200706.html
National Climatic Data Center
Since 1998, GA has had below average rainfall more years than above average.SEE Charts & Graphs: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2007/jun/st009dv00pcp200706.html
National Climatic Data Center
Middle Oconee Stream Flow Jan 20-27, 2008
1-27-08 Northeast Georgia still in drought status – could intensify
There is still a very good probability that drought conditions will intensify in Georgia. The outlook isn't promising.
UGA College of Agriculture and Environment
January 24, 2007
Georgia remains in drought despite winter rain
By David Stooksbury - University of Georgia
Winter rains have been a welcomed sight for Georgians tired of dealing with the drought that started in March 2006. Unfortunately, drought conditions persist across much of the state, and will likely continue.
The area north and west of the Chattahoochee River is in exceptional drought. Extreme drought conditions remain in the upper and middle Flint River basin, the upper and middle Oconee River basin and the upper and middle Savannah River basin. South-central and southeast Georgia are classified as being abnormally dry to moderate drought.
Georgia's fall line runs from Columbus east to Augusta. Streams north of this line are below or at record low flows for late January.
Rivers setting record low flows for late January include the Coosa River near Rome, Coosawattee River near Pine Chapel, the Middle Oconee River near Athens, the Alcovy River above Covington and the Flint River near Griffin.
Rainfall deficits remains large across north Georgia. For the past 180 days, Athens has received 69 percent of its normal rainfall, Atlanta has received 73 percent and Columbus has received 89 percent.
For the past year, Athens has received 63 percent of its normal rainfall, Atlanta has received 60 percent and Columbus 79 percent.
The outlook isn't promising. There is still a very good probability that drought conditions will intensify. ………………….
For current Georgia drought information, go to the Web site www.georgiadrought.org. Weather information is available at University of Georgia automated weather station network Web site www.georgiaweather.net.
For Current River Flow and Trend see:
2-12-08 UOBWA considering acquiring Tallassee Shoals dam to bolster Bear Creek
The Athens Banner-Herald
February 12, 2008
Second dam may bolster Bear Creek
By Blake Aued
Northeast Georgia officials are considering buying a Middle Oconee River dam to serve as a backup to Bear Creek Reservoir.
Generating power at the small Tallassee Shoals dam in Jackson County no longer is profitable due to low river levels, so Lawrenceville-based Fall Line Hydro Co. is looking to sell it, project manager Robert Davis said. "We want to give the (Upper Oconee Basin) Water Authority a chance to look at it first, given the water shortages, the drought situation and so forth," he said.
The basin authority is a partnership among Athens-Clarke, Barrow, Jackson and Oconee counties that built and manages Bear Creek Reservoir.
Fall Line Hydro's pond, located on 35 acres of privately owned land, can hold about 114 million gallons of water, Davis said. Bear Creek Reservoir draws water from the Middle Oconee River through Fall Line's pond, and water held by the dam also could be released downstream and picked up by the Athens-Clarke Public Utilities Department, Davis said.
The basin authority's engineering and finance committees met with Davis on Monday and talked about the offer in a closed session. No decision was made, Athens-Clarke Deputy Manager Bob Snipes said.
"We still are evaluating it and discussing it," Snipes said……………….
2-12-08 Walton Tribune Article on Hard Labor Creek Bonds – Taxpayer Impact
County attorney Kirby Atkinson said the bonds are not general obligation bonds and the county is only responsible if there is shortfall, an answer which still did not sit well with the commissioner, the lone dissenter of resolution.."I have too many concerns on the payback of the bonds, and I am especially concerned about Walton County's citizens and the possible property owners having to foot the bill if something goes wrong," Dixon said after the meeting.
The Walton Tribune
February 10, 2008
Social Circle to use $ 500K on bridge
By Robbie Schwartz
WALTON COUNTY — Trying to clean up any monies remaining from the 2001 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, the Walton County Board of Commissioners voted last week to give the City of Social Circle $ 500,000 to repair the bridge on Hightower Road going over the CSX railroad. …………………………...In other county news, after nine years and nine months in the making, the final bond resolution was passed for the Phase I costs of the Hard Labor Creek Reservoir project..The bond amount was finalized at $ 41.5 million in 30-year fixed rate tax-exempt bonds. The final "all in" borrowing rate was 4.66 percent and because pricing the bonds went well, the yield was lowered and saved the project $ 488,000 over the 30-year life of the bond. .When voting on the resolution to finally put money into the project, Commissioner Kirklyn Dixon voted against the measure. The commissioner questioned the ability of the county to back the bonds because the county cannot assume new debt as incurred by the Walton County Sewerage Authority..County attorney Kirby Atkinson said the bonds are not general obligation bonds and the county is only responsible if there is shortfall, an answer which still did not sit well with the commissioner, the lone dissenter of resolution.
."I have too many concerns on the payback of the bonds, and I am especially concerned about Walton County's citizens and the possible property owners having to foot the bill if something goes wrong," Dixon said after the meeting.
Article-Engine © by AlexScriptEngine.de


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Recent winning streak calms early season friction between Honda and Ganassi
Four consecutive Honda wins has the engine manufacturer feeling much better about the IndyCar season and its relationship with longtime partner Chip Ganassi.
The team owner was highly critical of Honda before the first qualifying session of the season, questioning the manufacturer's commitment to winning after Chevrolet entered IndyCar last season.
"I don't know if they want to win bad enough," Ganassi said at the March season-opening race at St. Petersburg. "They talk about everything at Honda but winning. They said for years and years and years they want competition. Now they've got competition, and they are not talking about winning. I feel like they want to sit around and hold hands and sing Kumbaya. I want to win."
The criticism certainly got Honda's attention and made waves across the paddock, but the manufacturer understood Ganassi's message.
"He's a dyed-in-the-wool racer. He wants to win, and so do we," said Stephen Eriksen, vice president and chief operating officer of Honda Performance Development Inc.
"He's got the pressures of sponsorships and things to deal with. He feels that pressure all the time," he said. "I understand him being frustrated. But that's an emotional thing. If you take a step back and look at it logically from the steps we've taken together to be successful, those things have come together, and you can see it in the wins that we've achieved."
Speaking on a racing panel Thursday at the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars near Traverse City, Mich., Eriksen answered several questions about the IndyCar program, Honda's early season struggles and the looming move to a twin turbocharger system engine for 2014.
It's been a rollercoaster season for Honda, which has competition in IndyCar after serving as the series' sole engine supplier from 2006-2011. Chevrolet dominated in its return to IndyCar last year, though Honda won the Indianapolis 500, and the early part of this season was no different.
Chevy opened the season with four wins in five races, including the Indy 500, to compound the friction between Honda and Ganassi.
But Honda has suddenly come roaring back over the last month — and has done it with Ganassi. It is tied with Chevrolet with seven wins apiece.
Honda kicked it off July 7 when Ganassi driver Scott Dixon won at Pocono, then followed it up a week later by sweeping the double-header at Toronto, and Ganassi driver Charlie Kimball made it four straight last Sunday at Mid-Ohio with his first career IndyCar victory.
Now any early season rumors of a possible Ganassi defection for Chevrolet, his engine partner in NASCAR, are maybe just that, according to Eriksen.
"There's always opportunities when contracts come up for people to consider other options," Eriksen said. "Honestly, I think the history of Ganassi and Honda together being successful is a pretty strong reason to stay together. If you look at it, I think we've won eight championships together, something like 77 Indy Car victories. We're really on a winning streak with them. We've now won four races in a row with Ganassi. We've tied up the manufacturing championship with Chevy. So I think what you've seen over the course of the season is we've jelled tighter as a group, and our results speak for themselves."
Eriksen doesn't expect to lose any other teams to Chevrolet, either.
"In fact, I think our bigger challenge might be having too many teams," he said. "We're being very successful right now, and the new 2014 regulations allow quite a bit of update to the engine. You may have seen that IndyCar issued a direction that for 2014 and beyond it would be only twin turbos. That in itself is an instant step up for us. We're clearly dominant in these last four races with where we were at today. When we go to twin turbo, watch out."
As Honda spends its development time working on the twin turbocharger, which Chevrolet has used since its 2012 re-entry, the manufacturer must also juggle not losing anything in performance this season. Dixon's three wins in July have vaulted him to second in the standings and only 31 points behind IndyCar series leader Helio Castroneves with five races remaining.
"It's quite a challenge, because essentially what we're doing is doing two engines at once," Eriksen said. "Obviously we want to be continually pushing our competitiveness of the current engine, because we want to beat GM at every opportunity. But you also have to make sure that you're in parallel making the very best twin turbo engine that you can. It's a pretty big tear-up to go from single to twin."
AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report from Traverse City, Mich.


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Yoga in Vancouver, WashingtonYoga Classes • Yoga Therapy
Yoga Studio Serving Vancouver, WA
To Yoga Mojo from downtown Vancouver
Moriah Diederich is a certified Holistic Yoga Therapist, RYT500 and Accessible Yoga Ambassador, and has been featured on KGW8 Portland Today. She owns Yoga Mojo & Movement Therapy in Vancouver, WA, where she offers holistic yoga therapy and private yoga classes customized for each client and their specific needs. Moriah is passionate about helping people move more comfortably on a daily basis with the energy to enjoy family, community and the world around us. She believes that every individual can benefit from yoga because the practice is accessible to everyone and teaches us how to sustain healthy movement for life. Moriah lives in Camas, Washington with her best friend and husband Bret Canfield and their two furry kids: a couch potato Pitbull named Rookie, and a sweet and sassy green-eyed cat named Evie.
Moriah Diederich
Yoga Mojo & Movement Therapy
108 SE 124th Ave, Suite 18
Vancouver, WA 98684
Mon – Thurs 10a – 4p
By appointment only
Get In Touch
Want to inquire about a private yoga class or my Vancouver, WA Yoga Studio? Please submit your message in the form below.
Yoga Mojo & Movement Therapy is conveniently located off I-205 and Mill Plain and serves all of the Clark County, Washington area including Vancouver, Washougal, Camas, Felida, Salmon Creek, Ridgefield, Battle Ground, Hockinson and La Center.The second exit after the NB I-205 bridge, Yoga Mojo is also quick and easy to get to from Portland, Oregon.


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The Expert: Ned Overend (Specialized) has been winning races since the '80s, and even though his travel schedule keeps the 58-year-old from racing as much as he used to, it doesn't keep him from winning tough events: "Deadly Nedly" won the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb in 2011, and is the current Masters World Champion in Cyclocross. We caught up with Ned—a guy who won his first National Championship 26 years ago—on his way to Brazil for a Specialized dealer launch (he does marketing and R&D for the company, as well as racing) to learn his secrets to staying passionate for the long haul.
Drop the Obsession: "I love to train hard and race, and I'm still passionate about riding," Overend says. "And I think that's because I'm not obsessive about my training." According to Overend, a lifelong passion for riding can be hard to develop if you constantly push yourself to the limit, and then continue to push even when your passion starts to wane. Keep it up and you'll put away the bike and take up golf.
More From Bicycling
Listen to Your Body: Rest makes you stronger, and your body will tell you when you need more rest. Your job is to listen. "Let's say Tuesday is an interval day," Overend says. "You can judge your rest by how you feel. Not on the first interval, because that's always a shock to the system, but on the second, if things don't start to improve and you still feel terrible, pull the plug and go for an easy hour-long spin." The worst thing you can do, Ned says, is continue to push when your body's not recovered—and that means no two-hour "easy" rides, either. "With that, you aren't recovering, and you aren't getting intensity," Overend says. "You're just getting more tired."
Eat Well: Overend admits to liking healthy foods—he eats a lot of salad, pasta with red sauce, and lean meat—though he also has a sweet tooth and a taste for beer. Regardless of your personal preferences, though, Overend says the trick to staying energized is simply to keep your body supplied with the right balance of nutrients. "I'm not that strict, but I make sure I get the right things," he says. "High-quality protein, fruits and vegetables, and I take a vitamin and mineral supplement, too."
Do Something Else: "Back in the day, I used to cross train in the off-season to rebuild—trail running, swimming, and gym work ," Overend says. "Now that I'm older, I do it throughout the season, too." Why? Bikers tend to have overdeveloped quads and weak…well, most everything else, especially the upper body. And that makes us prone to injury. Overend's gym routine consists of situps, back raises, pull ups, dips, bench press, curls, and lateral stability work—basically 15 exercises with lots of push and pull, in a workout that he can get through in 30 to 40 minutes. During riding season, it's mostly maintenance work with lighter weights (strength development is for the off season). "You can't get your ego involved," Ned says. "A 100-pound woman gets off the machine and you've got to drop the weight down a couple notches. Yeah, that happens."
Work with Your Body: Older cyclists aren't necessarily slower cyclists—Overend is proof of that. But certain things do change, and you need to work with the change. One example Overend gives: His eyesight. "I bring reading glasses with me when I ride," Overend says. "If something isn't right on my bike while I'm riding, I like to fix it right then. I can fix a flat without reading glasses, but if I'm trying to see derailleur screws, I know I need the glasses."


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Even after the Time for Coffee app has been updated for WatchOS 2.0 support last year and my Apple Watch has become significantly more useful, the fact that the complication didn't get a chance to update very often and the fact that launching the app took an eternity kind of detracted from the experience.
Which lead to me not really using the watch most of the time. I'm not a watch person. Never was. And while the temptation of playing with a new gadget lead to me wearing it on and off, I was still waiting for the killer feature to come around.
This summer, this has changed a lot.
I'm in the developer program, so I'm running this summer's beta versions and Apple has also launched Apple Pay here in Switzerland.
So suddenly, by wearing the watch, I get access to a lot of very nice features that present themselves as huge user experience improvements:
- While «Time for Coffee»'s complication currently is flaky at best, I can easily attribute this to WatchOSes current Beta state. But that doesn't matter anyways, because the Watch now keeps apps running, so whenever I need public transport departure information and when the complication is flaky, I can just launch the app which now comes up instantly and loads the information within less than a second.
- Speaking of leaving apps running: The watch can now be configured to revert to the clock face only after more than 8 minutes have passed since the last use. This is perfect for the Bring shopping list app which now suddenly is useful. No more taking the phone out while shopping.
- Auto-Unlocking the Mac by the presence of an unlocked and worn watch has gone from not working at all, to working rarely, to working most of the time as the beta releases have progressed (and since Beta 4 we also got the explanation that WiFi needs to be enabled on the to-be-unlocked mac, so now it works on all machines). This is very convenient.
- While most of the banks here in Switzerland boycott Apple Pay (a topic for another blog entry – both the banks and Apple are in the wrong), I did get a Cornèrcard which does work with Apple Pay. Being able to pay contactless with the watch even for amounts larger than CHF 50 (which is the limit for passive cards) is amazing.
Between all these features, I think there's finally enough justification for me to actually wear the watch. It still happens that I forget to put it on here and then, but overall, this has totally put new life into this gadget, to the point where I'm inclined to say that it's a totally new and actually very good experience now.
If you were on the fence before, give it a try come next autumn. It's really great now.


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Result of TOEFL has been announced for the April/May 2013 for candiresult living in Belem.
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Fri., Apr 12, 2013
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This week, the Virginia state Legislature passed a bill that would require women to have an ultrasound before they may have an abortion. Because the great majority of abortions occur during the first 12 weeks, that means most women will be forced to have a transvaginal procedure, in which a probe is inserted into the vagina, and then moved around until an ultrasound image is produced. Since a proposed amendment to the bill—a provision that would have had the patient consent to this bodily intrusion or allowed the physician to opt not to do the vaginal ultrasound—failed on 64-34 vote, the law provides that women seeking an abortion in Virginia will be forcibly penetrated for no medical reason. I am not the first person to note that under any other set of facts, that would constitute rape under the federal definition.*
What's more, a provision of the law that has received almost no media attention would ensure that a certification by the doctor that the patient either did or didn't "avail herself of the opportunity" to view the ultrasound or listen to the fetal heartbeat will go into the woman's medical record. Whether she wants it there or not. I guess they were all out of scarlet letters in Richmond.
So the problem is not just that the woman and her physician (the core relationship protected in Roe) no longer matter at all in deciding whether an abortion is proper. It is that the physician is being commandeered by the state to perform a medically unnecessary procedure upon a woman, despite clear ethical directives to the contrary. (There is no evidence at all that the ultrasound is a medical necessity, and nobody attempted to defend it on those grounds.) As an editorial in the Virginian-Pilot put it recently, "Under any other circumstances, forcing an unwilling person to submit to a vaginal probing would be a violation beyond imagining. Requiring a doctor to commit such an act, especially when medically unnecessary, and to submit to an arbitrary waiting period, is to demand an abrogation of medical ethics, if not common decency."*
Evidently the right of conscience for doctors who oppose abortion are a matter of grave national concern. The ethical and professional obligations of physicians who would merely like to perform their jobs without physically violating their own patients are, however, immaterial. Don't even bother asking whether this law would have passed had it involved physically penetrating a man instead of a woman without consent. Next month the U.S. Supreme Court will hear argument about the obscene government overreach that is the individual mandate in President Obama's health care law. Yet physical intrusion by government into the vagina of a pregnant woman is so urgently needed that the woman herself should be forced to pay for the privilege.
The bill will undoubtedly be enacted into law by the governor, Bob McDonnell, who is gunning hard for a gig as vice president and has already indicated that he will sign the bill. (Update, Feb. 28, 2012: After an enormous backlash against the bill, McDonnell rescinded his support. The bill was voted down in the Virginia State Senate and shelved until 2013.) "I think it gives full information," he said this week on WTOP radio's "Ask the Governor" program. "To be able to have that information before making what most people would say is a very important, serious, life-changing decision, I think is appropriate."
That's been the defense of this type of ultrasound law from the outset; it's merely "more information" for the mother, and, really, what kind of anti-science Neanderthal opposes information? Pretending that this law is just a technological update on Virginia's informed consent laws has another benefit: You can shame and violate women, while couching it in the language of Justice Anthony Kennedy's gift that keeps on giving—his opinion in Gonzales v. Carhart. That opinion upheld Congress' partial-birth abortion ban on the grounds that (although there was no real evidence to support this assumption) some women who have abortions will suffer "severe depression" and "regrets" if they aren't made to understand the implications of what they have done.*
Never mind that the evidence indicates that women forced to see ultrasound images opt to terminate anyhow. According to the American Independent, a new study by Tracy Weitz, assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, shows that "viewing an ultrasound is not an indication that a woman will cancel her scheduled procedure, regardless of what emotional response the sonogram elicits." Weitz summarized her findings in 2010 when she said that "women do not have abortions because they believe the fetus is not a human or because they don't know the truth."
Of course, the bill is unconstitutional. The whole point of the new abortion bans is to force the Supreme Court to reverse Roe v. Wade. It's unconstitutional to place an "undue burden" on a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy, although it's anyone's guess what, precisely, that means. One would be inclined to suspect, however, that unwanted penetration with a medical device violates either the undue burden test or the right to bodily autonomy. But that's the other catch in this bill. Proponents seem to be of the view that once a woman has allowed a man to penetrate her body once, her right to bodily autonomy has ended.
During the floor debate on Tuesday, Del. C. Todd Gilbert announced that "in the vast majority of these cases, these [abortions] are matters of lifestyle convenience." (He has since apologized.) Virginia Democrat Del. David Englin, who opposes the bill, has said Gilbert's statement "is in line with previous Republican comments on the issue," recalling one conversation with a GOP lawmaker who told him that women had already made the decision to be "vaginally penetrated when they got pregnant." (I confirmed with Englin that this quote was accurate.)*
That's the same logic that animates the bill's sponsor in the House of Delegates, Del. Kathy J. Byron, who insisted this week that, "if we want to talk about invasiveness, there's nothing more invasive than the procedure that she is about to have." Decoded, that means that if you are willing to submit to sex and/or an abortion, the state should be allowed to penetrate your body as well.
I asked Del. Englin what recourse there is for the ultrasound law, and he told me that the governor, while unlikely to veto the bill, still has the power to amend it to require the patient's consent or say that physicians can opt not to do the vaginal probe. One might hope that even the benign act of giving women "more information" not be allowed to happen by forcing it between her legs. Or is that what we call it these days?
Whatever happens in the commonwealth, it's fair to say it's no accident that this week the Legislature also enacted a "personhood" law defining life as beginning at conception—a law that may someday criminalize contraception and some miscarriages as well as abortion. Today was not a good day in the War on Women. Abortion is still legal in America. Physically invading a woman's body against her will still isn't. Let's not casually pass laws that upend both principles in the name of helping women make better choices.
Corrections, Feb. 16, 2012: This article originally misidentified the Virginian-Pilot as the Virginia-Pilot. The article also mistakenly characterized Gonzales v. Carhart as striking down the partial-birth ban. It also misidentified Del. David Englin as a representative. (Return to the corrected sentence.)
Correction, Feb. 21, 2012: This article originally stated that, under normal circumstances, a forced transvaginal ultrasound "would constitute rape under state law." Virginia law considers object sexual penetration a felony separate from rape. (Return to the corrected sentence.)


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Higgins 466253 Bird Food Formula, One Size
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Serve your parrot a complete daily nutrition in tune with your bird's well-being. Delicious and irresistible natural pellet diet appeals to birds without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Guaranteed percentages of added vitamin and minerals PLUS encapsulated digestive probiotics help ensure companion birds receive the nutrients necessary for good health. No supplements are necessary! If fruits, nuts or other treats are provided, tey should be less than 10% of the diet. This will help ensure your pet bird will get the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients necessary for good health. Approx 1/2" pellets.


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1) Richard Thaler and George Osborne in the Guardian. U.K. pilot recycling programs to replace fines with rewards are showing results.
2) A new study finds calorie labeling for a hypothetical McDonald's meal reduces calorie consumption. One key difference from past studies: People aren't ordering meals for themselves. Parents are ordering meals for their children. Hat tip: Patti Hunter.
3) Crayola's law says that the number of Crayola colors doubles every 28 years. How much faster do children who color with the original box of crayons finish compared to those with the mega 120-color box? Hat tip: Christopher Daggett.
4) A web-based version of Dustin Hoffman's mason jars. Hat tip: Elliot Crosby-McCullough.


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Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:
More news on developments in 'lie detector' technology – a mix of informed journalism and wild speculation.
A journalist's personal experience of synaesthesia, the experience of having information in one sense, cross over to another (tasting words, for example).
A recent study suggests a drink a day seems to be protective against mental decline in older women.
Howard Rheingold on the psychology of texting.


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This week Cosmo brings you seven women telling remarkably candid and funny stories about their sexual encounters. It doesn't get more real than this.
Today's episode: "The Dog House"
And check out past episodes "The Perfect Blow Job Recipe", "My Record Scratch Moment". and "Porn Lessons".
More From Cosmopolitan
The Desire Project is a show created by Victoria Floethe about real women figuring out what they want in life, love—and in bed.
Share your desires with us in the comments section and stay tuned for another revealing episode tomorrow.


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If Town were a freshman, he would be that adorable, smart, funny kid who has endeared himself to absolutely everyone — the artsy types, the jocks, the nerds, the cool kids. Even the parents are smitten. They say his taste in music makes them feel young again.
This is eager-to-please food that reaches out and hugs you. You'll find things here you never even knew you were craving. Like a stunning classic Italian summer salad of prosciutto and fresh melon with arugula and little goat cheese fritters, the plate drizzled with honey. I bet all the other chefs in town are kicking themselves that they didn't think of that one.
The featured flatiron steak was pink perfection, cooked under vacuum (he's a bit of a science geek too) and topped with watermelon salsa. So good, it's hard to believe the sides stole the show — we're talking silky-smooth puréed mascarpone potatoes and quickly sautéed kale, its lacy leaves tasting of smoked bacon and butter (okay, it's not that hard to believe).
So let's see now: soulful creative cooking, fresh ingredients, great music, great vibe, excellent service, not a trace of attitude, and sane prices. At least dessert was a dud, right? No, it was incredible: a magnificent mess of salted caramel ice cream piled high with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a tower of peanut and caramel corn. Town travels the line between frivolous fun and serious food and welcomes everyone to join the ride.
296 Elgin St., 613-695-8696, www.townlovesyou.ca.


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Sat, Jul 23, 2011
|Matthew Holliman
|Adam Jantz
From our roadside bivy along Lamoille Canyon Pkwy Matthew and I were only a few minutes from Roads End where we were to meet Adam at 6a. He was already there when I pulled in just before the appointed time, Matthew driving up a few minutes later. Adam had had a long drive from Sacramento the night before, but looked fresh and chipper and no worse the wear for it. Yet another reason to envy the young.
It was our second day in Nevada's Ruby Mountains. The day prior Matthew and I had done a warm up to Gilbert and Silliman, but today's effort to Snow Lake Peak was the one all of us were most interested in, and why we saved it for Adam's arrival. Snow Lake Peak is one of the toughest summits in the range at class 4. We planned to do a four peak traverse as described in a 1998 DPS report by Ted Brasket.
The start is easy enough, taking the Island Lake Trail up for several miles to the namesake lake located in large cirque on the east side of the ridge between Thomas Peak and Full House Peak. The trail starts on the west side of the road, just before one enters the large parking lot at Roads End. The trail is in great shape, climbing the eastern flanks of the beautiful Lamoille Canyon. A wooden bridge takes you over the creek emanating from the lake above as it cascades down the rocky green slopes to the canyon below.
It was 7a when we reached the lake with a fine view of Full House behind it. The island in the middle of the lake is barely that, a low, brushy affair that looked tiny compared to the size of the lake and the mountains making a backdrop. The trail ends here and we barely paused before starting off cross-country to the northwest towards Thomas. The off-trail travel was steep but uncomplicated, eventually bringing us to a large snow field lying below some cliffs on Thomas' SE side. The lower slopes were easy enough to do without crampons, but once I reached a bare patch somewhere in the middle, I decided to switch to crampons for the last several hundred yards to where the snow ended against a rock band. Adam had drifted far to the east, deciding to take a different line through the rocks than the one I had picked out. Matthew followed behind me a little slower, mostly out of necessity since he decided to forego the crampons. The rock we found above the snow field was class 2-3 by both routes that we chose, soon landing us on Thomas' easy East Ridge. Fifteen minutes later we had found our way to the highpoint at the south end.
Thomas has two summits, the highest point to the south but the namesake benchmark located to the north. We found a register at the south summit dating to 1989 and another dating to 1985 at the north summit. The traverse between the two is trivial and worth the effort for a better view into Lamoille Canyon to the north. In fact it is necessary to traverse even further north along the ridge before you can get a good view down to the canyon. After half an hour or so of wandering about Thomas, it was time to continue on.
We returned to the East Ridge and down the same route we had taken up, until we were once again on the snow field in the cirque below. Here we began a descending traverse to get around the cliffs on Thomas, aiming for class 2-3 slopes near the saddle between Thomas and Full House. I spotted some mountain goats high on the east side of Thomas' South Ridge, their off-white coats just barely contrasting with the pure white snow. There looked to be four or five of them traversing south, evidently put off by our appearance on the slopes of Thomas. Our route led us across a wide expanse of snow, the steepest part of it near the end before we got onto drier ground on the east side of the ridge. This we followed up to the wide ridge itself, a collection of large, flat talus pieces followed by an easy class 3 finish at the end.
The summit of Full House afforded the best views of the surrounding peaks that we would have all day. In particular, Snow Lake Peak to the south looked very difficult with its rugged North Face displayed prominently to our view. A register dating back 11 years could be found under the summit rocks. We took a short break here, and while resting on the rocks, Matthew spotted a tick on my pack, a very fast-moving one at that. Adam became noticeably agitated and it was at this time that we came to learn about his special phobia for ticks. Having overcome my own dread of these little buggers from my overdose of them in the Diablo Range, I considered a single tick or two little more than a nuisance, far more tolerable than a plague of mosquitoes or flies. At least they don't fly, I reasoned. Adam would hear none of this and felt betrayed by nature herself in allowing ticks to be present at these altitudes where he had supposed he was safely above their reach. "How can they live up here?!" he fairly screamed, as he began to watch one of his pillars of Nature's Rules crumble. This was a gross violation of some sort of understanding he thought he had with Mother Nature herself and he was none too happy about it. Matthew, and I in particular, found great humor in this dread of his. I tried to explain that it was certainly reasonable that deer and goats had brought them up to these heights attached to their coats and skin. He reiterated the louder that this was a profanity of nature, a very bad trick done in poor taste. His anger had no real target on which to take aim, so he simply vented loudly and with great vehemence to Matthew and I and the thin mountain air. Over the next few days we would periodically find another tick on our clothing or backpack which would begin Adam's rant anew, and it was always good for a a laugh, despite Adam's finding nothing at all to smile about.
We followed the South Ridge off Full House, easy enough at first, but growing more difficult. A near-impasse was reached along the ridge that would require dropping down some on the east side before returning to the ridge. I opted for some exposed class 3 immediately adjacent to the impasse that allowed me to regain the ridge only a few minutes later. The others did not like my route choice much and decided to backtrack a bit and drop down where the exposure was minimal, but requiring a more circuitous route. Their route turned out to be more involved than expected, significantly increasing the delay in regaining the ridge. Consequently I reached easier ground at the saddle between the two peaks more than half an hour ahead of them. I decided not to wait and continued along the ridge to the start of difficulties on the NE Ridge of Snow Lake Peak.
Our beta had suggested that the only reasonable route up Snow Lake would be found over on the west side, the choices being to navigate around the peak to the north or south. The north side was the sketchiest with a steep face and old snow clinging tenaciously to the rock in the mountain's shadow, but this was also the shortest route. I decided to see how difficult it might be and perhaps save the three of us from wasting time on a partial traverse before being blocked by snow or other obstacles. It turned out to be about as dicey as it looked, the snow proving the most serious obstacle. I followed a path along the rock and some helpful ledges, aiming for the top of the snow that I hoped I might walk across. A bergshrund of sorts presented itself and while I was indeed able to walk across a portion of the snow's apex, I found conditions almost bullet hard, where my axe would be unable to gain purchase on the snow, and my aluminum crampons mostly inadequate. I found myself tunneling behind the snow in the bergshrund, a dark blue gap falling away below my feet that made me most uncomfortable. In places I was pressing my back against the rock and feet against the snow, inching my way across a gap below me. The last part to get off the snow and back onto the rock face was also dicey and had me a bit worried.
I eventually got across the North Face in one piece and paused at the NW Ridge where I took off my pack in the sunshine to wait for the others. I could see one of the two far across the way at the saddle with Full House Peak. I didn't know it at the time, but this was Matthew who had reached it ahead of Adam and was now waiting for Adam to pick his way through the rock on the east side to join him. I would have a very long wait, but at least my waiting spot was warm and a thoroughly good spot to nap. During this time I found something crawling across my chest, under my shirt, while I rested. It turned out to be another tick. I didn't tell Adam about this one until much later to save him the added anxiety it might cause. Another half hour went by before the two and reached the ridgeline and walked the short distance to the start of the North Face route I had taken across. Adam came partially across until he was within hearing distance, at which time I called out to recommend they find an easier way over. The best option seemed to be to drop down several hundred feet into the cirque on that side where easier snow slopes could be traversed over and up to the NW Ridge. Adam led the way on this venture, traversing a combination of rock slope and snow, eventually joining me around 12:45p, an hour after I'd reached the same point. Matthew was still below at a distance where I couldn't tell exactly what he was doing, but it seemed like he was putting on crampons. He climbed up about 15 steps on the snow slope before turning around and returning to the rock he'd started on a few minutes earlier. He pulled out a map or route description, studied it awhile, and then decided to turn back to the east and give up on Snow Lake Peak. It seemed odd to turn back after so much effort with a short distance left to go, but he later reported feeling sick from the altitude and lightheaded. He returned back over the saddle between Full House and Snow Lake Peak, then dropped back to the cars on the east side. Adam and I were left to turn our attention towards getting up Snow Lake.
Our beta had suggested a route starting from the NW Ridge, but that seemed highly unlikely as we stood looking at the difficulties one is immediately confronted with. We looked for a way up around the corner to the left and back on the North Face, but this looked unworkable as well. The key turned out to be around the corner to the right, on the SW Face where there were some steep, near-vertical sections that could be climbed at class 3 thanks to an abundance of holds. Adam chose the harder of two options, the one closest to the NW Ridge, while I took his picture and then walked further to the right to see if there wasn't something a tad easier. I did find something easier, though barely, and it was somewhat convoluted to get me back to the NW Ridge where I met Adam at the top of the short section he had just climbed. We still couldn't climb up the NW Ridge, but at least now we could move around to the North Face where we found a class 3 chimney matching the description in our beta. Above the chimney we encountered a large keyhole through the NW Ridge that led back to the SW side of the peak. There seemed to be no more options left on the North Face, so through the keyhole we went. We were really enjoying the route at this point with all its twists and turns, just hoping that we were on a route to reach the summit and not some dead end.
On the SW side there was no route to climb upwards towards the summit, so we kept traversing to the right, looking for ways up. This took us across to a small chute on the far right side, leading up to the South Ridge and then around on the SE side and across to the NE Ridge, slowly spiraling our way upward. In fact we had gone 360 degrees around the peak to reach the crux near the top of the NE Ridge. The crux was an awkward class 4 mantle with hidden footholds that would be tricky to find on the way down, but we didn't let that bother us for the moment as we popped out above it and scrambled the remaining short distance to the summit. It had taken nearly 45 minutes and we both enjoyed every minute of it, certainly the most interesting summit we'd visited yet in the Ruby Mtns.
The summit was a modest perch where we found a battered register dating to 1988. Ours was the first entry in just over a year, but the peak looks to average about 2-3 ascents per year. We commented that Matthew would have enjoyed this a great deal too, and would probably be determined to make a return trip once we gave it a glowing report. We retraced our route starting with the crux. Adam was set to go down first, but balked after several minutes of trying to figure out how to find the hidden holds. He then let me go before him, allowing me to help coach him through the last few moves. The rest of the descent was a repeat of our ascent, down the chute on the south side, through the keyhole, and down the chimney on the North Face. I showed Adam the class 3 route I had taken at the bottom on the SW side, but we both agreed it wasn't really better than his own shorter option he'd used on the ascent.
Next up was a traverse to Mt. Fitzgerald, about 3/4 mile to the west. We followed along the south side of the crest, eventually dropping onto snow that covered much of that side and the SE cirque of Fitzgerald. Having been in the sun for most of the day, the snow was quite soft and easily crossed. We debated the best route to get to the summit. The more direct route looked like it might end in cliffs so we opted to circle around to the west side where we hoped to find easier scrambling. As we crossed over the South Ridge the snow ended, but the rock we encountered was surprisingly tough with broken rock towers and more traversing towards the north to get around these. Finally we encountered an opening up to the summit ridge that allowed us up through class 3 rock. Not knowing which point was highest, we visited the north summit first, only to realize the south summit was the highpoint. The traverse along the crest to the south summit was quite airy, an impressive walk with exposure on two sides.
Adam found the register in the rock pile at the summit dating to 2000. There were only nine parties since that time to sign the register, including ourselves, and five of these were from Glen Horn, a local from Spring Creek. This was the least-visited peak we encountered on this trip. Having a second look at our route choice, we noted that the descent down the east side from the north summit did not look as tricky as we had imagined from below. So we went back again to the north summit, then picked our way down class 3 rock along the East Ridge. Eventually rock gave way to snow along the ridgeline, but by then the angle was lower and the crossing safely managed. We dropped off the East Ridge just enough to traverse the SW Slopes of Snow Lake Peak, reaching a saddle on its south side around 4:15p. There was more snow to descend down the east side of this saddle into Lamoille Canyon, eventually becoming easier terrain with low, alpine scrub with a few trees. Our descent was almost directly down to the parking lot at Roads End, picking up a trail for the last few minutes before we reached the cars. It was just after 5p and Matthew was there, having been back a number of hours before us.
Though the whole outing was less than 10 miles, it had taken us over some pretty rough terrain, requiring almost 11hrs to complete. A most enjoyable day, to be sure. After washing up, we drove out to Elko for dinner, then headed east for Wells, NE of of the East Humboldt Range (really just the northern extension of the Ruby Mtns). We drove to Angel Lake in the mountains above Wells to spend the night at 8,400ft, much cooler than in town. The temps were in the low 60s which would mean no trouble for sleeping. The day use lot close to the lake is haevily signed for no overnight camping. Luckily there is a hiker lot near the campground that has no such restrictions, allowing us to spend the night there undisturbed.
For more information see these SummitPost pages: Thomas Peak - Full House Peak - Snow Lake Peak
This page last updated: Sat Oct 8 14:31:53 2011
For corrections or comments, please send feedback to: email@example.com


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SO! Amplifies: Mendi+Keith Obadike and Sounding Race in America
SO! Amplifies. . .a highly-curated, rolling mini-post series by which we editors hip you to cultural makers and organizations doing work we really really dig. You're welcome!
Several years ago—after working on media art, myths, songs about invisible networks and imaginary places—we started a series of sound art projects about America. In making these public sound artworks about our country we ask ourselves questions about funk, austerity, debt and responsibility, aesthetics, and inheritance. We also attempt to reckon with data, that which orders so much of our lives with its presence or absence.
We are interested in how data might be understood differently once sonified or made musical. We want to explore what kinds of codes are embedded in the architecture of American culture.
Big House/Disclosure
The first sound art project in this vein that we completed in 2007 was entitled Big House / Disclosure. Northwestern University commissioned Big House / Disclosure to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade. We began researching Chicago's recently (2002) issued Slavery Era Disclosure Ordinance, which states that any business seeking a city contract must publicly disclose (without penalty) its historical relationship, if any, to the slave trade. In that project we interviewed 200 citizens in the Chicago area about that city ordinance, how they (or their ancestors) arrived in this country, the origins of house music, and imaginary plantations, as well as their opinions about the legacy of slavery in their lives. Their answers were woven into a 200 hour house song & public sound installation on the Northwestern campus.
We used custom built software to trigger changes in the sound (drums, bass lines, chords, etc.) of that installation as the stock prices of companies like Lehman Brothers and Wachovia Bank (listed by this city ordinance as having profited from slave trade) rose and fell in 2007. In addition to the sound installation there were a number of performance scores and graphic scores to be performed in the project. The graphic scores were performed at the Stone (John Zorn's music venue) by bassist Melvin Gibbs, turntablist Val Inc, percussionist Satoshi Takeshi, and pianist Shoko Nagai in New York. The book and album for this project (recorded with percussionist Guillermo Brown, cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum, cellist Okkyung Lee and percussionist Tim Feeney) were released by 1913 Press.
American Cypher
In 2012-13 we created American Cypher. This project looked at American stories about race and DNA. The stories included narratives about Barack Obama, geneticist James Watson, Oprah Winfrey, and two men in the criminal justice system. At the center of the project was a multi-channel sound installation made from a small 18th century bell that belonged to Sally Hemings (a woman enslaved by Thomas Jefferson and, as indicated by DNA testing, mother to his children). The bell was recorded and altered. It was tuned using DNA information (microsatellite STR analysis) from the Jefferson and Hemings families. That analysis gave us a pitch set that was used to compose the piece. The project was commissioned by Bucknell University's Samek Gallery and Griot Institute. The exhibition was mounted at the Studio Museum in Harlem and later traveled to the Institute of Visual Art at the University of Milwaukee Wisconsin.
Mendi + Keith Obadike: American Cypher – Samek Gallery and The Studio Museum in Harlem from Keith Obadike on Vimeo.

Free/Phase is our latest project for 2014-15. This work uses the archives of Columbia College's Center for Black Music Research (Chicago, Illinois) as its foundation. With this work we are doing conceptual remixes of African-American freedom songs found in the archives. We are thinking about how this music has been used over the past couple of centuries and all that is encoded in these songs musically, politically, and spiritually. There are three nodes to this project. These nodes will be presented and produced in several venues throughout the city of Chicago and will include audience participation.
1) Beacon
"Beacon" is made up of a distributed site-specific sound installation that "rings" morning, noon, and evening, playing a short melodic phrase from specific spirituals found in the CBMR archives. Each spiritual chosen contains musical & lyrical messages that could have been used for pre-emancipation navigation on the underground railroad or inspiration.
2) Overcome
"Overcome" is a video work that is inspired by ways that music was used during the American Civil Rights Movement.
3) Dialogue
"Dialogue" is comprised of "listening posts" throughout Chicago. A number of DJs engage audiences in a discussion about the canon of African-American freedom songs.
Across this series, we hope to invite new ways of thinking about the archives that hold information about our existence—the records of profit during the era of American slavery, the relationships marked in our genetic information, and the strategies for survival encoded in our music. Our work in this area reflects on the information that sometimes vanishes from view, whether because it is ephemeral or because it has been buried. We hope our sounding the archives invite new ways of listening to the past and the future at the same time.
Mendi + Keith Obadike make music, art and literature. Their works include The Sour Thunder, an Internet opera (Bridge Records), Crosstalk: American Speech Music (Bridge Records), Black.Net.Art Actions, a suite of new media artworks (published in re:skin on M.I.T Press), Big House / Disclosure, a 200 hour public sound installation (Northwestern University), Phonotype, a book & CD of media artworks, and a poetry collection, Armor and Flesh (Lotus Press). They have contributed sounds/music to projects by wide range of artists including loops for soul singer D'Angelo's first album and a score for playwright Anna Deavere Smith at the Lincoln Center Institute. You can find out more about them at http://obadike.com.
Featured image from authors' website.
REWIND!…If you liked this post, you may also dig:
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SO! Amplifies: Regina Bradley's Outkasted Conversations-Regina Bradley
Or Does it Explode?: Sounding Out the U.S. Metropolis in Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun-Liana Silva-Ford
15 responses to "SO! Amplifies: Mendi+Keith Obadike and Sounding Race in America"
Curtis Marez says :
Excellent post! Keith and Mendi produced and amazing "praise song" for Angela Davis at the 2013 American Studies Association .
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uniform ripening on tree, minimal brown rot or drops, some shattered pits
O'Henry X P95–55 (=Flamecrest X Fairtime); 1996, USDA, Fresno, CA. An attractive freestone peach for the very late market; good and medium sized; Looks: attractive; extensive red blush; Flesh: yellow; Gland: reniform; Bloom: showy; Shape: round; Firmness: high; Ripens: +23.
The description of each variety of peach or nectarine fruit under each group is in different formats as this information is collected from varied sources and hence is not consistent


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Prima donna
Prima donna refers to the state of American economics and culture prior to 1981. Historians are generally in agreement that during this period it was still possible to bring ideas to market without blatantly sexualising them to an infinite degree.
|0 B.C. to 1980
|1981 to 1990
|1991 to Present
|Prima donna era
|Postma donna era
|Post-Whore / Whore as Normative era
Defining Characteristics[edit | edit source]
The prima donna era can be described as the period of time when products largely succeeded or failed based on actual quality, rather than by their packaging. By extension it follows that written or recorded works like art, music, literature, and motion pictures also prospered by merit, rather than the personal magnetism or blatant sleazy whoreishness of the artist producing them. Gratuitous nudity, shock performances and risqué marketing strategies were poo pooed in favour of more subtle methods. As an example, consider the advertising methods of alcoholic beverages.
- Prima donna era -- Subliminal imagery was embedded in printed advertisements. Usually, this took the form of hidden pictures of skulls or naked bodies within the light and shadows of the ice cubes in the beverage, the wallpaper of the room where the product was shown, or even in the eyes of the model holding the drink.
- Postma donna era -- A fully nude model would straddle the product, and appear to be gyrating suggestively with the bottle firmly clasped between her supple thighs. Pubic hair was airbrushed out and logoed coasters or bottle caps would be held or attached so as to barely conceal the nipples.
1981-1990: The Postma donna era[edit | edit source]
The foreshadowing of change to come occurred in 1982 when a certain future pop-music star signed a deal with Sire Records, and the universe responded by creating Syzygy, and all 9 planets aligned on the same side of the Sun. Soon after, The Equal Rights Amendment failed to garner the necessary support of the 38 US states it needed. The Religious Right celebrated, blissfully unaware that the end was near anyway.
U.S. President Ronald Reagan preemptively dubbed 1983 "The Year of the Bible". Too little, too late. Madonna released her self-titled debut album and teen girls begin dressing like cheap prostitutes. Not coincidentally. Vanessa Williams became the first pornographic model to be crowned Miss America (but later lost her title when it was discovered she was African-American).
Madonna released Like A Virgin in 1984. Commercial fishing operations saw record shortages of fishnet material as millions of wannabes strived to look more like their idol. Meanwhile, cows by the millions were converted into Happy Meals, with the leftover bits tanned and sliced into "Burn Troy" belts. At the Vatican, senior clergy within the Catholic Church wondered how to tactfully explain to the public that acting "like a virgin" doesn't entail the ability to cross both ankles behind your neck.
Madonna expanded her "Jill of all Trades" shtick with a brief appearance in the 1985 film Vision Quest, then followed up with a larger role in the cinema classic Desperately Seeking Susan. Later, after experiencing a traumatic lapse in public attention of nearly 36 hours, she "accidentally" mailed a number of black and white nude photos to Penthouse magazine. The stress of this mistake was such that she accidentally copied and mailed a second set to Playboy.
In 1986, the trend finally ended by her True Blue album, when she shaved her hair (yeah, like her daughter) and fall of western civilization was virtually assured by the release of the motion picture Who's That Girl?. Religious scholars conferred on whether the convergence of musician, actor and porn star within a single individual was a sign of the apocalypse.
1991-Present: The Post-Whore era[edit | edit source]
With the lines now permanently blurred, other lower echelon wannabes saw their own opportunity to be handsomely rewarded for turning out low-quality product in fields beyond their talent range.
It goes without say that the music market become oversaturated with other marginally-talented sex kitten bobbleheads: Samantha Fox, LaToya Jackson, Carmen Electra, and of course Vanessa Williams (deja vu?). But the lowering of the bar also allowed scores of even less worthy contenders a shot at fame.
In 1992, Paula Abdul used her fledging career as a choreographer to launch a second fledging career as a minor pop star. Undaunted by her poor voice and flabby body, she bulked up her studio recordings by having her voice doubled by talented backup singers. In videos, she hired overweight dancers and used state-of-the-art "picture-stretching technology" to appear lean and tithe (videophiles see: "Promise of a New Day"). While this was doomed to fail, it did provide enough inertia to launch a third fledging career: as a judge of similarly marginally talented people.
"Ahem ... Hello? Excuse me?! YOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Sorry. Madonna is also singly responsible for the dawn of the boy band: professionally coiffed, white-toothed, smartly tailored, and expertly choreographed "stage art" with some pre-recorded music playing from behind. Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block and *NSYNC, where would you have been without Madonna? Still selling jeans at tees at the Mall, only 10 years sooner. And Milli Vanilli? Fifteen years sooner.
And what hand did The Art of Being Something You're Not have in the evolution of white rap and soul? Just ask Eminem, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. While they each owe some thanks to the Queen of Pop, they each also had to struggle in a way Madonna never did: looking at themselves in the mirror each morning , knowing they were living a lie, but not being able to throw on that black-face makeup the way Al Jolson did.
And for that struggle, they've earned every bit of success in their own right.
Pardon. Scratch that last bit.


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