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The history of exploration does not have its own departments in universities. It does not really exist as a historical sub-discipline either, at least in the way that formalized fields such as labor history, women's history and political history do. Instead, the history of exploration is a disciplinary interloper, a subject taken up by many fields such as literary studies, anthropology, geography, and the history of science. Each brings its own unique perspective and methods. Each has its own preoccupations and biases.
All of which makes the work of Felix Driver, professor of human geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, especially important. While Driver has covered many of the meat-and-potatoes subjects in exploration: navigation, shipwrecks, and biographical subjects such as Henry Morton Stanley and David Livingstone, he has framed them in the broadest context: through the visual arts, postmodern theory, social history, and historical geography.
He is the author of many books and articles including Geography Militant: Cultures of Exploration and Empire. He is also the co-editor of Tropical Visions in an Age of Empire which came out with University of Chicago Press in 2005.
At the same time, Driver has worked to bring these subjects to the attention of the public, supervising the new Royal Geographical Society exhibition, Hidden Histories of Exploration. The exhibition, which opened on October 15, "offers a new perspective on the Society's Collections, highlighting the role of local inhabitants and intermediaries in the history of exploration."
Driver took some time to speak with me about the exhibition and his work on exploration.
Welcome Felix Driver.
What inspired the Hidden Histories exhibition?
A conviction that the history of exploration was about a wider, collective experience of work and imagination rather than simply a story of lone individuals fighting against the odds. The idea of 'hidden histories' has an innate appeal – it suggests stories that have not been heard, which have been hidden from history, waiting to be uncovered. It has already provided the RGS with a model for a series of exhibitions linking aspects of their Collections with communities in London. The Society's strong commitment to public engagement in recent years provided an opportunity for a more research-oriented exhibition which asked a simple question: can we think about exploration differently, using these same Collections which have inspired such great stories about heroic individuals? This was a kind of experiment, in which the Collections themselves were our field site: together with Lowri Jones, a researcher on the project, we set out to explore its contours, trying to make these other histories more visible.
Hidden Histories uses RGS collections to look at "role of local peoples and intermediaries in the history of global exploration." Those of us who study exploration get excited by this, but how do you pitch it to the general public? How do you engage the exploration buff interested only in Peary, Stanley, or Columbus?
That's a good question. The exploration publishing industry has returned over and over to the same stories. The lives of great explorers continue to sell well, and that is one aspect of the continuing vitality of what I call our culture of exploration. Still, recent developments in the field and in popular science publishing have encouraged authors and readers to shift the focus somewhat, turning the spotlight on lesser known individuals whose experiences have been overshadowed. Consider for example the success of some terrific popular works on the theme of exploration and travel such as Robert Whitaker's The Mapmaker's Wife, or Matthew Kneale's novel English Passengers, which are all about large and complex issues of language, translation, misunderstanding and exchange. That gives you a bit of hope that actually readers are looking for something new, so long as there is a good story there! Of course it is not easy – so much simpler to tread the path of our predecessors. Sometimes it requires an exploring spirit to venture further from the beaten track….
What first drew you to the history of exploration? Is there particular question or theme that guides your research? How have your interests changed over time?
What drew me first to the history of exploration was a growing realization that the subject was more important to my own academic field – geography – than my teachers in the 1970s were prepared to admit. I was interested in the worldly role and impact of geographical knowledge, socially, economically and politically. When I was at school and college, 'relevance' was in the air and geographers were turning their attention to questions of policy and politics. My point was that geographical knowledge has been and continued to be hugely significant in the world beyond the academic, from travel writing to military mapping, and exploration provided one way into this. There were other ways into this worldly presence, of course, and the work of my PhD supervisor Derek Gregory has had a lasting influence.
Much of my own writing has focused strongly on the long nineteenth century, partly because this was a period in which I immersed myself for my PhD and first teaching (my first post was a joint appointment in history and geography). However, I was drawn to the work of social historians – at first EP Thompson's Making of the English Working Class, later work influenced by new models of cultural history. Partly because of my appointment on the borders of two disciplines, I found myself increasingly attracted to fields – such as Victorian studies or the history of science – that were in a sense already interdisciplinary. In both these cases, an interest in space and location has had a strong impact on the best writing in the field. Historians like Jim Secord and Dorinda Outram, as well as geographers such as David N. Livingstone and Charles Withers, taught me a lot about the ways in which ideas about exploration circulate, and why it is important to think of knowledge in practical as well as intellectual terms.
My interest in the visual culture of exploration and travel reflects the strong focus on the visual has shaped the work of geographers in this area, pre-eminently Stephen Daniels and Denis Cosgrove. My interests developed through work with James Ryan, whose book on the photographic collections of the RGS remains a seminal work. Later I worked with Luciana Martins on a project on British images of the tropical world in which we were particularly concerned with the observational skills of ordinary seamen and humble collectors rather than the grand theorists of nature. In retrospect, this project paved the way for some of the themes in the hidden histories of exploration exhibition. But this exhibition also represents a departure for me as the focus is squarely on the work of non-Europeans. There is an interesting discussion to be had here about whether turning figures like Nain Singh or Jacob Wainwright into 'heroes', just like Stanley or Livingstone, is the way to go. Perhaps we can't think of exploration without heroes, and it's a matter of re-thinking what we mean by heroism. Or perhaps we historians need to do more than ruminate on the vices and virtues of particular explorers, by considering the networks and institutions which made their voyages possible and gave them a wider significance.
In Geography Militant, you warned that scholars were focusing on exploration too much as an "imperial will-to-power" [8] ignoring the unique and contingent qualities of each expeditionary encounter. You developed this argument further in Tropical Visions in an Age of Empire. Do you think scholars are now moving away from an "empire-is-everywhere" world view? If so, what do you think we are moving towards?
This is not an original view. Many of the best known historians and literary critics writing on empire have made similar points: I am thinking of Peter Hulme, Catherine Hall and Nicholas Thomas. What I take from them is a deep sense of what colonialism and empire meant – not just at the level of trumpets and gunboats, but in the very making of our sense of ourselves and our place in the world, past and present. At the same time, I have wanted to highlight the fractured, diverse nature of the colonial experience and I have never been happy with lumpen versions of 'colonial discourse' which used to be advanced within some versions of postcolonial theory. This interest in difference is reflected in my interest in moments of controversy and crisis, points where the uncertainties and tensions come to the surface (as in controversies over the expeditions of Henry Morton Stanley). You can't work on exploration for long without realizing the strong emotional pull of the subject on explorers and their publics; and the fact quite simply that they were always arguing, either with 'armchair geographers' (those much maligned stay-at-homes) or with their peers. If these arguments were frequently staged if not orchestrated by others, that is part of the point: these controversies were more than simply the product of disputatious personalities, they were built in to the fabric of the culture which produced them.
What's your next project?
In recent years I have worked on a variety of smaller projects on collectors and collecting, involving everything from insects to textiles. What I would like to do next is a book on the visual culture of exploration, drawing on a wide variety of materials from sketch-books to film. Some of these materials are represented in the hidden histories exhibition, notably the sketchbooks of John Linton Palmer and the 1922 Everest film featured on the website. But there is much left to explore!
Thanks for speaking with me.


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constant initialization
Sets the initial values of the static constants
[edit] Syntax
static T
& ref
= constexpr;
static T object
= constexpr;
[edit] Explanation
Constant initialization is performed after (until C++14)instead of (since C++14) zero initialization of the static and thread-local objects and before all other initialization. Only the following variables are constant initialized:
The effects of constant initialization are the same as the effects of the corresponding initialization, except that it's guaranteed that it is complete before any other initialization of a static or thread-local object begins, and it may be performed at compile time.
The object that was initialized by constant initialization can be used in constant expressions, e.g. in an array declaration.
[edit] Notes
The compiler is permitted to initialize other static and thread-local objects using constant initialization, if it can guarantee that the value would be the same as if the standard order of initialization was followed. Such objects can be used in constant expressions, but this use is not portable.
[edit] Example
#include <iostream> #include <array> struct S { static const int c; }; const int d = 10 * S::c; // not a constant expression: S::c has no preceding // initializer, this initialization happens after const const int S::c = 5; // constant initialization, guaranteed to happen first int main() { std::cout << "d = " << d << '\n'; std::array<int, S::c> a1; // OK: S::c is a constant expression // std::array<int, d> a2; // error: d is not a constant expression }
d = 50
[edit] Defect reports
The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.
|Applied to
|Behavior as published
|Correct behavior
|zero-init was specified to always occur first, even before constant-init
|no zero-init if constant init applies

subset: commoncrawl


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Editor's Note: Occasionally, Enterprise Networking Planet is proud to run guest posts from authors in the field. Today, Rob Marson of JDSU considers the impact of the Internet of Things on enterprise IT.
Discussion of the Internet of Things – a world of connected objects, where your refrigerator sends you a text message when you're low on milk and your basketball generates a quasi-scouting report when you're done shooting hoops – has so far resonated most in the service provider space. What services can I sell to enable this? What infrastructure will I need to keep everything connected?
But a similar conversation is now beginning in the halls of enterprise IT.
The huge amount of data the Internet of Things promises to generate will impact enterprise IT over the next decade and beyond. While specific needs and objectives will vary by industry, some universal challenges will undoubtedly arise.
In the enterprise, device miniaturization plus plummeting technology costs equals new generations of networkable devices. Assisted living healthcare providers can use data from sensors in a home to remotely and proactively assess a patient's condition. Perhaps a window or door has been left open for a long time in the middle of winter. Perhaps the refrigerator door hasn't been opened for over a day. Perhaps the patient hasn't risen for a prolonged period of time, as reported by a "smart" mattress pad.
All of this data, when collected and analyzed, can predict or identify problems and provide appropriate and expedient responses. And as more functionality becomes embedded in connected devices, enterprises will discover increasing opportunities to enhance the services they provide, improve security and identity management, and simplify billing and payment transactions. But these opportunities aren't only limited by imagination. Practical matters associated with the networks connecting these devices and delivering this data can impose limitations on the potential of the Internet of Things, too.
So how does the enterprise network need to change to support this onslaught of data? Here's one major consideration: up to this point, most communications networks have relied on proprietary protocols and interfaces and private networks. You can't very well expect "things" to connect to each other over networks they can't access. Here's where the IP network comes into play. Whether wired or wireless, an Internet Protocol-based network is necessary to provide the scale and ubiquity to seamlessly connect people, devices, and systems.
Additionally, all the traffic these "things" generate now shares the same networks as workplace computers, tablets, and smartphones accessing email, streaming content, and downloading files. The networks themselves must become more intelligent to effectively prioritize data traffic. Configuring the network to deliver the performance required for identifying, treating, and isolating data of value is paramount.
While sensor networks have existed for some time in various verticals, Ethernet, 3G, LTE, and WiFi are all becoming ubiquitous. Machines and sensors will be connecting with the same technology and on the same networks that enterprises and consumers use today.
To extract maximum value from the Internet of Things, enterprise IT organizations will have to keep pace with new business goals, ensure reliable and predictable network connectivity and performance, and implement the right solutions to refine gathered data nto useful information. In practical terms, some of the technical and commercial considerations include:
- Network Access. Can devices connect to the IoT reliably? Evaluate building sites, wireless network design, and RF engineering wherever possible, and include 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, and etc.
- Mobile Device Management. How do you effectively support and control mobile and fixed wireless devices connected to your network? BYOD policies and the proliferation of additional connected devices/sensors compound the complexity of this task.
- Performance Management: Network performance management will be crucial to leveraging the Internet of Things. While the bandwidth consumed by sensors connected to the IoT may be dwarfed by other forms of traffic, such as mobile video, some IoT data is latency-sensitive. Moreover, on a converged wireline/wireless IP network, traffic generated by a variety of applications will compete for network resources. Protecting quality of service for business-critical applications will demand application and network performance management solutions combined with scalable mechanisms to access, identify, and classify devices, users, applications and the network resources consumed (or needed) for optimal performance.
- Security: The Internet of Things will create an explosion in data, some of it personally identifying or otherwise sensitive. Enterprises will need a comprehensive strategy to protect that data at rest and in motion. In addition, IoT security strategies demand mechanisms to ensure secure access to network resources, combined with policy management strategies that may need to be user-, application-, device-, and network-aware.
- Data Storage: Those zettabytes of IoT data will need to be stored somewhere. Enterprises must weigh the performance and economic tradeoffs of options like spinning hard disk drives and solid state storage technologies. They must also be able to implement and manage hybrid storage environments to meet the needs of various applications and support both traditional structured data and the growing volumes of unstructured data incoming.
- Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity. Given the volumes of data created, enterprises will need to implement reliable DR and BC processes, taking into account recovery point objectives (RPO) and recovery time objectives (RTO) per application. This will drive the implementation of high-availability data center architectures using asynchronous and synchronous replication, likely using geographically redundant data centers. All this results in high volumes of delay for sensitive data traversing wide area networks. Enterprises will need to determine the right mix of strategies balancing the performance and costs associated with various WAN strategies. Options will include: purchasing managed wavelengths (DWDM), Carrier Ethernet and IP/MPLS VPNs from service providers. In some cases, larger enterprises may choose to invest in or lease their own dark fiber network between data centers.
- Operational Scaling: Private, hybrid, or public cloud? While the right economic and operational strategies will vary by vertical and company, all enterprises will need to determine how much (none, some, or all) of their IoT functions will leverage cloud scaling. Some enterprises will opt to keep all functions, including device and network management and big data analytics, in-house. Others may opt to partner with service providers for a range of functions, such as mobile device connectivity, offsite disaster recovery, or SaaS for analytics.
Service providers, network operators and network equipment manufacturers will have their hands full enabling the Internet of Things over the next few years. Cisco estimates that it's poised to be a $19 trillion market. That's huge, and we've already begun to see some early traction: Google just acquired Nest for $3.2 billion to bolster its connected-home play. There's a company that makes a smart onesie for babies so parents know if he or she has rolled over. Cities are becoming smarter and more connected than ever. While the enterprise-related discussion might not be as quirky as what we've seen on the consumer side, rest assured that a shift this large will definitely require some thinking on our side as well.
Header photo courtesy of Shutterstock.
Rob Marson is strategic marketing manager in JDSU's Communications Test and Measurement business unit.


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Fish and Wildlife
Topics In This Section
Florida's unique combination of semi-tropical climate and wide range of diverse aquatic ecosystems results in one of the most abundant assemblages of freshwater fish species in the United States. More than 250 species of fish can be found in nearly 2.5 million acres of lakes, 12,000 miles of rivers and numerous springs, wetlands, and canals throughout the state.
Besides catching fish, resident and tourist swimmers, snorkelers and divers also enjoy watching fish. In addition to human recreation and food, Florida's fisheries offer survival to a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. Fish communities contribute to the health of aquatic ecosystems and are an integral component of maintaining a biological balance underwater.
The same can be said about our wildlife. The Sunshine State enjoys one of the most-diverse assemblages of native wildlife in the country. Thousands of species, ranging from the endangered Florida panther, manatee and Everglades snail kite to the majestic great blue heron, depend on the Florida's freshwater habitats.
As the state's population increases and the demand for development grows, freshwater habitats and animals that depend on them are in greater peril each year. That's why aquatic plant managers strive every day to preserve healthy habitats for native fish, wildlife and plants while also preventing flooding and year-round navigation. The pages in this section provide readers with more information on the important link between fish, wildlife and aquatic plants in Florida.


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Regular price $5.00
"I wish you were here with me"- an illustration by artist Sara Parker.
-A2 folded card, 4.25 x 5.5 inches
-digitally printed in Athens, GA
-Blank inside
Cards ship in a paper sleeve with an envelope in a rigid mailer.
Tea Towels + Napkins: Wash on delicate cycle in cold water with mild detergent. Iron on reverse side when damp for a crisp linen feel or tumble dry on low heat.
Bucket Totes + Fabric Buckets: Spot clean or hand wash with cold water and mild soap. Pull the lining out and hang to dry. Iron as needed.
Pouches + Bags: Spot clean or hand wash with cold water and mild soap. Pull the lining out and hang to dry. Iron as needed. For items with wax canvas, spot clean only. Do not iron wax canvas.
Quilts: We hand-wash our quilts before shipping. Spot clean with mild soap in cold water, or use the hand-wash setting on your machine with little detergent. Hang to dry.
Shipping + Returns
Shipping: All items are in stock and ready to ship unless noted as a pre-order item in the listing. Please allow 5-10 business days for your order to arrive for in stock items. Pre-order listings are noted with a shipping date. A confirmation will be sent to your email with tracking information once shipped. Wholesale typically ship in 2-3 weeks.
Returns: We accept returns and exchanges on all non-sale items in the shop. Please contact us within 15 days of your purchase for a full refund or exchange.
Email firstname.lastname@example.com with your request.


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Glee star has passed away at the age of 31. The cause of death is unknown at this time.
The actor stole hearts playing Finn Hudson on Glee, where he wowed audiences every week with his charm, warmth, and talent. We've loved watching him since the series first aired on FOX in 2009. Cory had recently been preparing for the fifth season of the show.
Of all his amazing performances on Glee, Cory will best be remembered for his vocals and drumming on fan faves like "Don't Stop Believing" and "Jessie's Girl".
More From Seventeen
In addition to Glee, the talented actor also appeared in the movies Monte Carlo and Final Destination 3.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and fans at this time. Early Sunday morning supporters took to Twitter to express their grief. Tweet your condolences using the hashtag #RIPCoryMonteith to join the conversation.


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The idea of the museum as a dusty old repository of long-forgotten and obscure objects is an outdated concept that itself belongs in a glass case. Many institutions have brought both innovation and technology to the design of their collections, while in recent years opening them up to millions via the internet, further encouraging discovery and interaction through a variety of social media channels.
Museums have embraced platforms like Twitter and Instagram as a way of sharing their content – enticing visitors to experience it first-hand of course – and the sector has become particularly adept at engaging with its audiences in this way, with initiatives such as @52Museums and #MuseumWeekreceiving a level of traction that many companies can only dream of.


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Rodentia is the largest order of living Mammalia, encompassing 2277 species as recognized herein, or approximately 42% of worldwide mammalian biodiversity. Following the mid-1900s era of uncritical application of the biological species concept and consequent obscuration of species richness, views on the size of the Order continue to appreciate substantially (1591 speciesCorbet and Hill, 1980; 1719Honacki et al., 1982; 1738Corbet and Hill, 1986; 2015Wilson and Reeder, 1993; 2277this volume). Thus, "a checklist of species" considered valid is an appropriate taxonomic focus in the current work, as emphasized by its title and that of its predecessors (Honacki et al., 1982; Wilson and Reeder, 1993). In contrast to the period covered by the second edition (Wilson and Reeder, 1993), however, systematic research on Rodentia since 1993 has been equally as prolific, multifaceted, and informative at taxonomic levels above the species and requires introductory comment. Issues of monophyly, phyletic relationship, and corresponding classification at the genus- and family-group ranks are addressed to varying depths in the following chapters. This brief foreword offers remarks on the Order as a whole, particularly evidence that bears on its monophyly and on suprafamilial relationships. Although 20 years old, the 1984 Paris symposium on rodent evolutionary relationships, edited by Luckett and Hartenberger (1985a), today remains an excellent and invaluable primer to these same issues.
Rodent monophyly and ordinal relationships.The evolution of living rodents from some Paleocene common ancestor and their acceptance as a monophyletic order of Mammalia have not been seriously challenged until recently. The provocative inquiry "Is the guinea-pig a rodent?" (Graur et al., 1991) leapt precipitously to the conclusions that "The guinea-pig is not a rodent" (DErchia et al., 1996), that, by extension, hystricognaths represent a separate mammalian order, and that Rodentia as conventionally viewed is polyphyletic (also Frye and Hedges, 1995; Graur et al., 1992; Li et al., 1992). Attention in molecular investigations just as swiftly turned to, foremost, the adequacy of taxon sampling persuant to the taxonomic question posed, to the appropriateness of models that account among-site rate heterogeneity, and to a preference for nuclear over mitchondrial genes (and for multiple over single) in illuminating deeper divisions of mammalian phylogenesis (e.g., see Adkins et al., 2001; Cao et al., 1997; Corneli, 2002; Lin et al., 2002; Luckett and Hartenberger, 1993; Philippe, 1997; Sullivan and Swofford, 1997). The subsequent wave of sleeves-up research, characterized by wider sampling of taxa and genes, has made the case for rodent monophyly vastly more secure (Adkins et al., 2001, 2003; Amrine-Madsen et al., 2003; Debry, 2003; Debry and Sagel, 2001; Huchon et al., 1999, 2002; Lin et al., 2002; Nedbal et al., 1996; Waddell and Shelley, 2003). And in those molecular studies that have focused on hystricognaths in general or cavioids in particular (Huchon and Douzery, 2001; Kramerov and Vassetzky, 2001; Lara et al., 1996; Leite and Patton, 2002; Marivaux et al., 2002; Mouchaty et al., 2001; Rowe and Honeycutt, 2002; and see references under Hystricognathi), the guinea pig nests unremarkably within the kinship web so long predicated by so many past studies and classifications.
An implicit but faulty premise in these early molecular studies perhaps engendered the over-eager acceptance of rodent polyphyly: that is, the evolution of large, chisel-like incisors in other mammalian groups (e.g., the primate Daubentonia and diprotodont marsupials) underscores the likelihood for the independent acquisition of enlarged incisors in other distantly related lineages, including and especially those that had been mistakenly lumped under Rodentia based on this single, homoplasious trait. The point is that the hypertrophied incisors in Rodentia represent retained deciduous second incisors (dI2/2), whereas the gliriform teeth in those other orders consist of permanent first incisors (I1/1). The embryogenesis of rodent incisors from the dI2 was appreciated by the late 1800s and constitutes a persuasive synapomorphy for the Order (see Landry, 1999, Luckett, 1985, and references therein). To demonstrate that the adult incisors in one or more other rodent groups develop from an anlage other than the dI2 would more severely cripple the case for monophyly of Rodentia. The morphological character information historically used to argue the common ancestry of rodents is wonderfully richer than this single feature, however, as anyone who peruses the plates of Tullbergs (1899) monograph will readily appreciate. See Carleton (1984) for general morphological characterization of the Order; Hartenberger (1985), Landry (1999), and Luckett and Hartenberger (1993) provide phylogenetic interpretation of derived characters and integrated character suites that support monophyly of Rodentia. In retrospect, we are fortunate that Tullberg based his phylogenetic study on more than a single species each of Cavia, Mus, and Rattus.
Rodentia and Lagomorpha have long been advocated as sister taxa, with the two groups initially placed in the same order, Rodentia or Glires, usually as the suborders Simplicidentata and Duplicidentata (Alston, 1876; Brandt, 1855; Gregory, 1910; Thomas, 1897c; Tullberg, 1899). After elevation to separate orders (Gidley, 1912; Miller and Gidley, 1918), indication of cognate affinity was still conveyed, e.g., as the Cohort or Superorder Glires (Landry, 1974, 1999; Luckett and Hartenberger, 1985b; Simpson, 1945). For some time, a paleontological foundation for their supposed shared ancestry proved disconcertingly elusive (Gregory, 1910; Simpson, 1945, 1961), but such hard fossil evidence has proliferated rapidly in the later 1900s (Bryant and McKenna, 1995; Dashzeveg et al., 1998; Li and Ting, 1985, 1993; Li et al., 1987). The current picture of earliest gliriform radiation and classification is complex, and the cladistic position of various groups, notably eurymylids in the broad sense, as basal to or subtended by the crown-clade Rodentia has been variously interpreted (see Meng and Wyss, 2001, and Meng et al., 2003, for phylogenetic analysis, review, and discussion). Sister-group stature of Lagomorpha and Rodentia is decisively sustained in modern phylogenetic studies, both those drawing on morphological (Ade, 1999; Frahnert, 1999; Giere et al., 1999; Landry, 1999; Luckett and Hartenberger, 1993; Martin, 1999; Meng and Wyss, 2001; Meng et al., 2003; Mess, 1999; Novacek, 1985, 1986; Novacek and Wyss, 1986; Novacek et al., 1988; Shoshani and McKenna, 1998) and molecular data sources (Amrine-Madsen et al., 2003; Delsuc et al., 2002; Eizirik et al. 2001; Huchon et al., 2002; Lin et al., 2002; Murphy et al., 2001a, b; Waddell and Shelley, 2003). Other orders besides Lagomorpha have been identified as closely related to Rodentia, in particular Primates (Patterson and Wood, 1982; Wood, 1962). Such proposals merit some vindication, albeit phyletically more remote, in the emerging recognition of the superorder Euarchontoglires (Dermoptera-Scandentia-Primates + Lagomorpha-RodentiaArchibald, 2003; Delsuc et al., 2002; Helgen, 2003a; Huchon et al., 2002; Lin et al., 2002; Murphy et al., 2001a, b; Scally et al., 2001; Waddell and Shelley, 2003). Zalambdalestids from the late Cretaceous of Asia have also been claimed as sister-group to Rodentia-Lagomorpha (Archibald, 2003; Archibald et al., 2001), but their close link is unsupported by analyses employing a greater range of relevant taxa and characters (Ji et al., 2002; Meng et al., 2003; Wible et al., 2004).
If Eurymylidae, including Heomys, is considered a family of Rodentia (e.g., Li and Ting, 1993), then the geological range of the Order extends from the early-middle Paleocene. If not (e.g., Meng and Wyss, 2001; Wyss and Meng, 1996), then several ischyromyid genera from the late Paleocene appear to be the earliest true rodents yet recorded (Hartenberger, 1998; McKenna and Bell, 1997). Explosive diversification into principal lineages (suborders) transpired in the early Eocene, and examples of most modern families are encountered by the middle to late Oligocene (Hartenberger, 1996, 1998; Wood, 1959). Based on the earliest fossils so far discovered and their cladistically basal stature within Glires or Rodentia, "Asia" (a vast and diverse region to be sure) is presently accepted as the area of origin for the Order (Beard, 1998; Bryant and McKenna, 1995; Hartenberger, 1996; Meng and Wyss, 2001).
Rodent suborders?The now classical and familiar rodent subordersSciuromorpha, Myomorpha, and Hystricomorphaissue from Brandt (1855), who eponomously based his names on Waterhouses (1839) characterizations of sciuromorphous, myomorphous, and hystricomorphous zygomasseteric morphologies. Thereafter, the question of rodent suborders has become a century and a half long work-in-progress. The most important conceptual landmark since Brandt is Tullbergs (1899) Eine Phylogenetische Studie, in which he integrated mandibular conformation (sciurognathy versus hystricognathy) and Brandtian zygomasseteric criteria to delineate two major rodent groups (each called a Tribus), the Sciurognathi (Sciuromorphi and Myomorphi) and Hystricognathi (Bathyergomorphi and Hystricomorphi). Subsequently, most mammalian classifiers and rodent systematists have adopted either the Brantian tri-subordinal (Alston, 1876; Lavocat, 1978; Miller and Kellogg, 1955; Simpson, 1945; Wilson, 1949; Wood, 1965) or Tullbergian dual subordinal themes (Chaline and Mein, 1979; Ellerman, 1940; Landry, 1999; Lavocat, 1973; Patterson and Wood, 1982; Woods, 1972), some in more or less their orthodox forms and others with due amendment of lesser ranks and reallocation of taxa among them. Other variations have recognized more primary divisions within Rodentia, whether or not called a suborder per se, anywhere from five to 16 (Hartenberger, 1985, 1998; McKenna and Bell, 1997; Miller and Gidley, 1918; Thaler, 1966; Thomas, 1897c; Weber, 1904; Wood, 1955, 1959). Within each of these classifications, problematic and-or poorly understood groups have been regularly acknowledged through the time-honored qualifiers of incertae sedis or suborder indeterminate, some to an extent that little sense of higher-level relationship within the Order is conveyed (e.g., Carleton, 1984). See Carleton (1984), Ellerman (1940), Hartenberger (1985), Landry (1999), Simpson (1945), Wilson (1949), and Wood (1955, 1959, 1965) for additional review and commentary on rodent classifications, in particular the historical treatment of rodent suborders.
Compared with the vacillation and disagreement over suborders, the number of families of living rodents considered valid has remained fairly stable over the past half-century, around 30 to 35 (Anderson and Jones, 1967, 1984; Corbet and Hill, 1986; Grassé and Dekeyser, 1955; Hartenberger, 1985; Honacki et al., 1982; Simpson, 1945; Wilson and Reeder, 1993). Variation among these, and other, works pivots on the authors decisions concerning the rank of certain groups as subfamily versus family. Thirty-three families are acknowledged herein (Table 1), and recent molecular investigations have generally sustained the monophyletic status of most of these, where the taxonomic sampling is suitably robust and critically focussed (see various family-group Comments). Moreover, certain kinship hypotheses linking these families recur in the proliferation of gene-sequencing investigations over the past decade. The stability of these genetic clades, superposed upon the morphological evidence mustered and classifications promulgated over the past 150 years, lends some empirical confidence that agreement about rodent suborders will be eventually realized, perhaps in less than a decade. Five family-group phyletic associations are briefly reviewed below as a basis for the provisional subordinal groupings observed here.
(1). Aplodontidae-Sciuridae + Gliridae: Aplodontids and sciurids form the core of Sciuromorpha, as reflected in classifications generated from the late 1800s to the present (e.g., Alston, 1876; Hartenberg, 1998; Landry, 1999; McKenna and Bell, 1997; Simpson, 1945; Thomas, 1897c; Tullberg, 1899). Their common evolutionary origin has been historically postulated (Wilson, 1949), and this phyletic link has been reinforced by a suite of morphological traits (Landry, 1999; Luckett and Hartenberger, 1985b; Tullberg, 1896, 1899), in particular craniodental features (Vianey-Liaud, 1985), cranial foramina (Wahlert, 1985), middle ear anatomy (Lavocat and Parent, 1985; Meng, 1990), and fetal membrane development (Luckett, 1985). That Aplodontidae and Sciuridae are each others closest relative (among living rodents) is also overwhelmingly indicated by albumin immunology (Sarich, 1985) and by phylogenetic comparisons of several mitochondrial and nuclear genes (Adkins et al., 2001, 2003; DeBry, 2003; DeBry and Sagel, 2001; Huchon et al., 1999, 2000, 2002; Montgelard et al., 2002; Nedbal et al., 1996; Waddell and Shelley, 2003).
Association of Gliridae with aplodontids and sciurids is not novel, but their union in an expanded clade (Sciuroidea or Sciuromorpha) has recently garnered additional confidence. Most classifications and phylogenetic reconstructions have allied dormice with Myomorpha because the zygomasseteric structure of extant glirids (excluding graphiurines) was characterized as myomorphous (Alston, 1876; Chaline and Mein, 1979; Ellerman, 1940; Landry, 1999; Simpson; 1945; Thomas, 1897c; Wahlert et al., 1993; Wilson, 1949; Wood, 1965). However, the "myomorphy" common to most living dormice is now recognized as convergent to the zygomasseteric configuration in true Myomorpha (Dipodidae-Muroidea): i.e., "pseudomyomorphy" as per Maier et al. (2002) and Vianey-Liaud (1985) or "pseudosciuromorphy" as per Landry (1999).
Exclusion of dormice from Myomorpha is further bolstered by certain morphological traits, especially middle ear anatomy (Lavocat and Parent, 1985; Meng, 1990) and the cephalic arterial pattern (Bugge, 1971a, 1985), and notably by the rich fossil record that traces glirids back to the early Eocene (Hartenberger, 1971, 1994, 1998; Vianey-Liaud, 1974, 1985, 1989, 1994; Vianey-Liaud et al., 1994; Vianey-Liaud and Jaeger, 1996). These inquiries identify glirids as sciuromorph rodents, not myomorphs. Sequence analyses based on both mitochondrial and nuclear genes similarly represent dormice as sister-group to Sciuridae or to a sciurid-aplodontid clade (Adkins et al., 2001, 2003; Bentz and Montgelard, 1999; DeBry and Sagel, 2001; Huchon et al., 1999, 2002; Kramerov, 1999; Kramerov and Vassetzky, 2001; Kramerov et al., 1999; Lin et al., 2002; Montgelard et al., 2001, 2002; Murphy et al., 2001a; Nedbal et al., 1996; Reyes et al., 1998). See Gliridae for expansion.
(2). Castoridae + Heteromyidae-Geomyidae: Castorids have been traditionally allied with groups placed in Sciuromorpha or Sciurognathi, whether in a Brantian or Tullbergian scheme (Alston, 1876; Chaline and Mein, 1979; Ellerman, 1940; Hartenberger, 1985, 1998; Landry, 1999; McKenna and Bell, 1997; Miller and Gidley, 1918; Miller and Kellogg, 1955; Simpson, 1945; Thomas, 1897c; Wilson, 1949). However, their sciuromorphous zygomasseteric anatomy, sciurognathus mandible, primitive cranial morphology but highly derived dentition, and deep and rich fossil history beginning in the late Eocene of North America (Korth, 2001) have spawned other views that conflict with the traditional arrangement. Some have divorced beavers from any close phyletic link with sciurids (Schaub, 1953; Wood, 1955), or frustratingly viewed their affinities as intractable (Bugge, 1985:347"one of the most isolated groups, near to no other Recent family"; Lavocat and Parent, 1985; Wood, 1959, 1965). Meng (1990:27) also emphasized the uncertain kinship of castorids and instead speculated that they are "derived from an ancestral stock giving rise to muroids than [sic] to sciurids."Origin of Geomyoidea (Heteromyidae-Geomyidae) is documented by fossils from the North American Eocene (McKenna and Bell, 1997), and the subsequent evolutionary diversification of the group has unfolded in the New World. Although Thaler (1966) isolated geomyoids as a separate suborder, the Geomorpha, their sciuromorphous and sciurognathus crania have influenced many researchers to retain them within Sciuromorpha (e. g., Ellerman, 1940; Hartenberger, 1998; Miller and Gidley, 1918; Simpson, 1945), and others to suggest, based on different morphological traits, a closer phylogenetic link with myomorph rodents (Alston, 1876; Hill, 1937; Landry, 1999; McKenna and Bell, 1997; Wahlert, 1985; Wilson, 1949; Wood, 1955). Nevertheless, affiliation with myomorphs, cautioned Fahlbusch (1985:627), is not strongly supported by morphology, and as "long as zygomasseteric structure is not replaced by a more reliable feature in classification, there is scarcely any reason to transfer the Geomyoidea from Sciuromorpha to Myomorpha." Recent phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences regularly disclose a castorid-geomyoid clade (Adkins et al., 2001, 2003; DeBry, 2003; Huchon et al., 2002; Montgelard et al., 2002; Murphy et al., 2001a; Waddell and Shelley, 2003). These results, while surprising in view of the usual subordinal separation of castorids (Sciuromorpha) and geomyoids (Myomorpha), mirror the evolutionary tree developed by Tullberg (1899:481), who more than a century ago depicted the common ancestry of "Castoroidei" (fossil and extant beavers) and "Geomyoidei" (Geomys, Heteromys, Perognathus, Dipodomys) within his Sciuromorphi.
Molecular data generally support inclusion of the castorid-geomyoid clade in a larger group that variously contains muroids, dipodoids, anomalurids, and Pedetes (e. g., Adkins et al., 2003; DeBry, 2003; Eizirik et al., 2001; Huchon et al., 2002; Montgelard et al., 2002). Integrity of such an assemblage requires further testing, as urged especially by Adkins et al. (2003). They considered this large clade to be poorly resolved based on their sampled genes and suggested that "the base of the rodent phylogeny may be resolved by a much larger amount of sequence data
or a unique class of molecular characters." Further paleontological study may also clarify the reputed alliance between the castorid-geomyoid and dipodoid-muroid (Myodonta) clusters. For example, North American Eocene Sciuravidae has been suggested as ancestral to both geomyoids (Vianey-Liaud, 1985; Wilson, 1949) and myodonts (see Dipodidae for discussion and references), and Walton (1993) identified a basic occlusal pattern shared by some Eocene Eutypomyidae (extinct sister-group to CastoridaeKorth, 2001; Wahlert, 1977), Eocene Eomyidae (extinct sister-family to geomyoidsFalbusch, 1985; Wahlert, 1985), and early sciuravids.
(3). Dipodidae + Muroidea (Platacanthomyidae through Muridae): Close phylogenetic affinity between Dipodoidea and Muroidea has long been recognized, notably as developed by the insightful arguments of Tullberg (1899), Wilson (1949), and Klingener (1964). Schaub (1958) formalized their cognate relationship as Myodonta, used as a suborder or infraorder, and a very substantial body of recent paleontological, morphological, and molecular results also ratifies this phyletic union (see Dipodidae and Muroidea for references).
The clade Dipodidae-Muroidea corresponds to the nucleus of Myomorpha in the usually accepted sense, and their joint kinship with Geomyoidea (Heteromyidae-Geomyidae), and sometimes with Gliridae, has been commonly affirmed by classifications advanced in the middle to late 1900s (e.g., Carleton, 1984; Chaline and Mein, 1979; McKenna and Bell, 1997; Simpson, 1945; Wood, 1955, 1965). The purported relationship to Gliridae finds no support in recent phylogenetic studies, but the evolutionary connection to Geomyoidea receives moderate corroboration, particularly in certain molecular results (see above commentary under 1 and 2).
(4). Anomaluridae + Pedetidae: Along with ctenodactylids, the hystricomorphous and sciurognathus anomalurids and pedetids have been often treated as incertae sedis, whether either one or both families, in past classifications (e.g., Carleton, 1984; Chaline and Mein, 1979; Hartenberger, 1998; Simpson, 1945; Wood, 1965). Although recent molecular studies have credited Simpson (1945) for perception of their cognate affinity (e.g., Montgelard et al., 2002), the idea properly dates at least to Winge (1887) and Tullberg (1899), both of whom provided characters and arranged the two groups in the same family or superfamily. This phyletic association has earned recent support based on arterial patterns (Bugge, 1974, 1985; George, 1981), middle ear anatomy (Lavocat and Parent, 1985; Meng, 1990), and mitochondrial genes (Montgelard et al., 2001, 2002); McKenna and Bell (1997) acknowledged their possible sister-group affinity as the Suborder Anomaluromorpha. Not all investigators agree and some specifically dispute any special relationship between Anomaluridae and Pedetidae (e.g., Jaeger, 1988b; Landry, 1999), especially given fundamental microstructural differences in their incisor enamel (Martin, 1993, 1995).
Evidence for close relationship to any of the other four suprafamilial groups is similarly mixed. In molecular studies that have sampled only Anomalurus or only Pedetes, the represented family usually emerges basally in a large clade encompassing Castoridae-Geomyoidea and-or Dipodidae-Muroidea (Adkins et al., 2001, 2003; Debry, 2003; Huchon et al., 2002; Nedbal et al., 1996); in those that have sampled both, using two mitochondrial genes, Anomaluridae-Pedetidae is depicted as sister group to Sciuromorpha-Hystricognathi (Montgelard et al., 2001, 2002). The possible link with Dipodidae-Muroidea recalls the older and broader notion of "Myomorphi" (Ellerman, 1940; Tullberg, 1899). On the other hand, some morphological interpretations have implicated early genealogical ties with Ctenodactylidae-Hystricognathi (Bryant and McKenna, 1995; Meng, 1990); George (1985), Landry (1999), Martin (1993, 1995), and Thomas (1896) cautiously endorsed this kinship hypothesis for Pedetidae but not Anomaluridae. This alternative association recalls the formative views of "Hystricomorpha" before the character weighting accorded to mandibular morphology, a feature emphasized by Tullberg (1899).
Although researchers are again probing into the relationships of Anomaluridae and Pedetidae, resolution of their phylogenetic placement has improved little since the summary of Luckett and Hartenberger (1985b). Two interrelated and systematically critical questions remain at issue: do anomalurids and pedetids constitute a natural clade and where does this putative sister-group cladistically fit among the other major rodent associations listed here, in particular Myomorpha versus Hystricomorpha?
(5). Ctenodactylidae + Hystricognathi (Bathyergidae through Heptaxodontidae): The African gundis, Ctenodactylidae, represent another group whose phylogenetic placement has perplexed systematists: early placed in Hystricomorpha (Thomas, 1897c); arranged with Sciurognathi after Tullberg (1899) stressed the cardinal importance of sciurognathy and hystricognathy (Chaline et al., 1977; Ellerman, 1940); isolated (among living families) in its own suborder (Hartenberger, 1998; McKenna and Bell, 1997); or left as infraorder or suborder incertae sedis (Carleton, 1984; Simpson, 1945; Wood, 1955, 1965). Of these prior interpretations of relationship, or concessions to indeterminate relationship, a substantive and jointly impressive body of information supplies support for Thomas association of ctenodactylids with Hystricomorpha sensu lato (He actually arranged gundis as a subfamily of Octodontidae, a family assignment contraindicated by this same literature). Such corroborative studies broadly draw upon morphology, both individual character systems and multicharacter cladistic analyses (Bryant and McKenna, 1995; Bugge, 1971b, 1985; Flynn et al., 1986; George, 1985; Jaeger, 1988b; Landry, 1957, 1999; Lavocat and Parent, 1985; Luckett, 1985; Luckett and Hartenberger, 1985b; Martin, 1993, 1994a; Meng, 1990), paleontology (Flynn et al., 1986; Hussain et al., 1978; Marivaux et al., 2002; Marivaux and Welcomme, 2003), and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences (Adkins et al., 2001, 2003; Huchon and Douzery, 2001; Huchon et al., 2000, 2002; Montgelard et al., 2002). Certain of these analyses posit southern Asia as the continental area of origin of the common ancestor of Ctenodactylidae-Hystricognathi (Huchon and Douzery, 2001; Marivaux et al., 2002). Landry (1999) introduced the name Entodacrya (reflecting the internal course of the nasolacrimal duct) to identify the Ctenodactylidae-Hystricognathi clade, and Huchon et al. (2000) soon after coined Ctenohystrica, a contraction whose taxonomic meaning is self evident.
The story of the hystricognathus and hystricomorphous rodents is a suspenseful and exciting read in systematic mammalogy. Ever since Tullberg (1899) defined the Hystricognathi, the explicit union of New and Old World groups, respectively neo- and paleotropical in principal distribution, has sparked lively debate over issues of monophyly and polyphyly, character homology and homoplasy, biogeography and areas of origin, evolutionary and phylogenetic criteria for classification. It would be pretentious to encapsulate the details and nuanced conclusions of these exchanges in a brief foreword (see summaries in Huchon and Douzery, 2001, Jaeger, 1988b, Landry, 1999, and Martin, 1993, as well as remarks and references under Hystricognathi). Important bookmarks in the long dialogue include Wood (1950, 1965, 1974, 1980), Landry (1957), Wood and Patterson (1959), Lavocat (1969, 1971, 1974, 1980), Hoffstetter and Lavocat (1970; Hoffstetter, 1975), Woods (1972, 1982), Patterson and Wood (1982), and many thoughtful papers in Luckett and Hartenberger (1985a). As summarized by Luckett and Hartenberger (1985b:691), a wealth and heterogeneity of data provide "overwhelming support for hystricognath monophyly, and all indicate that it is virtually impossible to distinguish between Old and New World hystricognaths as separate taxa." As fitting denouement to their assessment, ensuing hypothesis-testing using a variety of mitochondrial and nuclear genes has only reinforced the phylogenetic perspective for monophyly of Hystricognathi sensu Tullberg (Adkins et al., 2001, 2003; Catzeflis et al., 1995; Huchon and Douzery, 2001; Huchon et al., 1999, 2000, 2002; Murphy et al., 2001a; Nedbal et al., 1994, 1996).
Provisional subordinal classification.Although this systematic compendium is aimed at the species, a higher level classification is an obvious, and natural, means to collate and convey such alpha-level information. With regard to suborders, we provisionally use the names Sciuromorpha, Castorimorpha, Myomorpha, Anomaluromorpha, and Hystricomorpha, respectively, to designate suborders for the five clades reviewed above (Table 1). Based on our impressionistic consensus, that research indicates that Sciuromorpha, Myomopha, and Hystricomorpha, as arranged, receive good to excellent support as monophyletic taxa. The evidence for Castorimorpha and Anomaluromorpha in this regard is overall less persuasive. Future phylogenetic investigation of these groups must address both the question of their naturalness and the possibility that they belong within one of the other three suborders. Ranks between the suborder and family were avoided, except where already assigned authorship at certain higher levels (namely the Superfamily Muroidea and Infraorder Hystricognathi) required coordinate groupings for consistency and balance of classificatory arrangement. Proper exposition of the nomenclatural and taxonomic background and of phylogenetic and biogeographic issues that bear on these intermediate ranks (superfamily to infraorder) is beyond the scope of a species checklist (and would certainly overtax the patience of our editors, whose kind indulgence to add this chapter we much appreciate). See McKenna and Bell (1997) for one classificatory view of those ranks, their past usage, and allocation of synonyms.
We retain Brandts (1855) names for three of the five suborders (Sciuromorpha, Myomorpha, and Hystricomorpha), whereas some foremost rodent authorities have pointedly advised against continued employment of these Brantian epithets, especially at the subordinal rank (e.g., Landry, 1999:283; Wood, 1985). They have argued that the descriptive meaning of the terms does not strictly concord with the morphologies of included members, and that this contradiction will only continue to engender confusion. That the logical connotation of a taxons name should uniformly correspond to its taxonomic intention strikes us as puzzling. Not all members of the Superorder Afrotheria live in Africa, nor are all species of the Order Carnivora carnivorous. The species- to family-group ranks are rife with valid names whose logical meaning, as intended by the original descriptor, is partially inconsistent or actually misleading in terms of the currently accepted contents of the taxon, whether in strict morphological accuracy, indication of distribution, or implication of phylogenetic alliance. In reviewing 150 years of rodent classifications, we are impressed that few of our predecessors applied the features of infraorbital configuration and jaw shape in an overridingly typological touchstone of all rodent classification. Most made the distinction between, e.g., Myomorpha in its taxic sense and myomorphy as a morphological condition and routinely consulted additional traits. Thus, the hystricomorphous Dipodidae have been nearly always included within Myomorpha (in retrospect, correctly it would seem), and the sciuromorphous Geomyoidea have been considered by many to also fit within Myomorpha (in retrospect, perhaps incorrectly). And while Brandts taxonomic names qua morphological descriptors may not perfectly correspond to all members, they nonetheless do conform very well. The core family members of Sciuromorpha, Myomorpha, and Hystricomorpha have remained largely the same, and most, not all, do exhibit those fundamental zygomasseteric structures. More importantly, these core assemblages have survived recent scrutiny using ever more explicit principles for systematic classification and sophisticated methods for inferring phylogenetic relationship and assessing descent from a common ancestor.
Brandts names, intended as a suprafamilial rank, do not merit any special consideration as far as the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (Int. Comm. Zool. Nom., 1999) is concerned. Aside from requirements of formal publication and availability, the Code does not prescribe standard suffices to denote relative rank or stipulate strict adherence to priority for taxa recognized above the family-group. Such novel names for recently apprehended clades are beginning to appear within Rodentia (e.g., Bryant and McKenna, 1995; Huchon et al., 2000; Landry, 1999; McKenna and Bell, 1997). Criteria such as familiarity, historical usage, and nomenclatural priority, however, persuaded us to retain Brandts terms, particularly when recent evidence for monophyly has not substantively altered their earlier taxonomic meaning. Perhaps an argument could be developed for a new subordinal name to contain the apparent clade Castoridae-Geomyoidea; however, the case for common ancestry is still tenuous, and in the meanwhile, we conventionally applied nomenclatural priority in adopting Castorimorpha Wood, 1955, over Geomorpha Thaler, 1966. For other viewpoints on naming, or the need to rename, order-level taxa, see Archibald (2003:356-357), Bryant and McKenna (1995:32-34), and McKenna and Bell (1997:513-514).


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Makeup magnate Bobbi Brown transforms the epithetknow-it-allPretty Powerful
into a compliment. Spend just five minutes with her and it's clear she is a know-it-all of living the goodlife—and we're not talking about blinged-out Bentleys or Ace of Spades magnums, but rather about rhinestone earrings that trump diamonds as the ultimate black-tie sparkle (hers are from J.Crew) or doctor-designed crackers that give you glowing skin (they're called Flackers). "I stop people on the street and say, 'You have the most beautiful haircut; who did it? Where did you get those shoes?'" says Brown, who shares her findings in her best-selling books. For (Chronicle), her newest makeup and lifestyle how-to volume, she persuaded women she admires, from friends to celebs to fashion-industry VIPs, to go barefaced for before-and-after makeovers.
You've got everyone from musician Estelle to Spanx founder Sara Blakely in your book. What do all those powerful women share?
They're comfortable in their skin. That's the secret. It took me a long time to get to that point. I would walk into a fashion party with all these celebrities and editors, and it's like, Okay, I can be really uncomfortable, or I can just have a good time.
More From ELLE
When I first heard of BB creams, I thought they must be named for you: What's your opinion of them?
Early Korean BB creams came in one color. So when I designed mine, it had to work for all skin tones. Think of it as extra help for the rest of your makeup. It's like Spanx, in a weird way, for your face.
So I'll still need to wear something on top of a BB cream?
I recommend a concealer. BB cream is too flat to go under the eyes. And you need a lighter color of coverage there. I like extra moisture, so I dilute BB cream with a moisturizer. If you've got oily skin, you might want to finish with a powder.
Will any powder work?
No, I don't make a translucent powder, because I believe that they make us all look ashy. Nobody is the color of translucent powder. Instead, choose a powder that matches your skin tone.
What's your approach to the P.M. makeup touch-up? More powder?
First thing: Drink a glass of ice water immediately—sometimes you are just dehydrated. And eat a little protein, maybe some almonds. And then you need to add moisture to your face. If I'm really dry, I'll put on my Face Oil and layer Extra Moisturizing Balm on top.
I've seen you apply moisturizer with a foundation brush. Why?
After I brush on my moisturizer, I'll dip the same brush into foundation and mix it with the lotion to make tinted moisturizer. Plus, it just feels so great.
Click here to see some of Bobbi Brown's favorite products and makeovers from Pretty Powerful!


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Arriving for July 16th… heat scale on high weapon count alphas.
As promised, once systems are in place for new balancing/tuning features, I will let you know about them as they enter test. What we have seen so far is very positive. There are some tweaks that need to be done but those will come with subsequent patches. The key here is to get this feature enabled to allow you, the Beta testers to see the effects and adjust your gameplay or meta-gameplay as needed.
This is very experimental and is being addressed aggressively as I mentioned in my previous weapons update. The first set of numbers are for the immediate effect on the current meta-game but more weapons and balancing will occur with each patch you see on our path to Launch. That being said, here is a table of maximum weapons of each weapon type you can fire without incurring the heat penalty. Internally we call this value Max Alpha.
|Weapon System
|Max Alpha
|Large Laser
|Medium Laser
Firing more weapons than Max Alpha makes heat generation grow exponentially. For example, from the table above, if you fire 2 PPCs, you will receive no heat penalty. Fire 3 and there will be a noticeable heat increase. Fire 4, it starts to get significant. Beyond that, you're playing with fire.
What about SRMs?!?! Buff them to 2.5!!!
Nuh uh. 2.5 SRM damage causes the same effect as the previous LRM-aggedon. While funny to test, the 6-SRM6 Catapult will decimate any Assault class Mech in 3 volleys. The third volley doesn't even have to be a full volley, 2 volleys following up with a medium laser will probably kill most builds in the game. So what am I going to do about this? Well let me explain an issue…
Many of you have cited hit detection errors. We're seeing this as well. While it happens across almost all Mechs, it's most noticeable with small Mech chassis. Bumping damage is going to help deal a small amount more damage to small Mechs, but the larger Mechs are going to be destroyed VERY quickly. We are investigating the root cause of these detection errors but it's a deep problem. We need to find out if it's in HSR (host state rewind) or is it in the simulation running on the server etc etc. Once found we will be pouring heavy resources on to the problem to fix it ASAP. However, I can tell you this, it's going to take a while to find due to its complexity.
That being said, here's an opportunity for you to decide your fate when dealing with SRMs. In this feedback thread (http://mwomercs.com/...-hit-detection/), there is a poll. You can vote to bump SRM damage up to 2.0, not this patch but next, or leave damage as is until hit detection is fixed. Keep in mind, this bump in damage is going to be a fairly big world of hurt for larger Mechs. NOTE: Cut off for voting will be Sunday 11:59PM PST.
Taking damage beyond 120% heat.
This value is going to be reduced to 100%. Depending on how long you're in a state of overheat will determine how much damage you take. If you overheat by 1 point and are only in overheat for a very short amount of time, you probably won't take any damage at all.
No clue why there's a big gap above the weapon table.


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A Tradition of Innovation
There are more than 3,500 colleges in the USA from which to choose. How is Norwich University different from them, and does it matter? The answer depends on what you want from your college experience.
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Frankly, there are only a few schools that have a legacy as long or as influential as Norwich's. There were only a few schools in existence in 1819 when Alden Partridge started the institution. But Norwich's legacy isn't great just because of longevity — more important is what the organization has done in its lifetime.
Norwich has always been the innovator in American Education. Actually the American System of Education started at Norwich. Yes, the most advanced and successful education system in the world, the education students throughout the world seek, the education system that has literally transformed civilization into modern society, started at Norwich.
That's a big accomplishment. But it's certainly not the only one, as Norwich does not rest on its laurels. This institution has a mission, a job to do, and the people of Norwich take it seriously. We are here to serve this great nation and educate students who will become leaders in business, government, and the military in order to advance the causes of the Republic, ensure its continued freedom, and develop the economic, political and social infrastructure of this new century.
More firsts: Sometimes Norwich does things that are unconventional or buck the status quo. In 1974, we admitted women to the Corps of Cadets. That does not sound like a big deal now, but in 1974, it was downright revolutionary. It has proved a difficult and unpopular move for other military colleges, but Norwich did it right — and it was the right thing to do.
Norwich is accustomed to being first, a tradition that continues today. Norwich was one of the first institutions — and certainly the smallest — to receive the National Security Agency's designation as a Center of Excellence in Information Security Education. Why? Because that is what the nation desperately needed and will need for many years to come.
Norwich was the first private college in the nation to teach engineering. Why? Because that is what the nation needed in 1819. While other institutions of higher education concentrated on classical studies, Norwich was marching its students out into the field to study civil engineering and other practical sciences, as well as literature and modern languages. The young nation needed bridges, agricultural innovation, graduates who were savvy in commerce and about the world, and people who could lead militarily if needed. Norwich met all of those needs in a time when such a curriculum was considered experimental. But Norwich's system of balanced and useful education soon became the norm — in fact, the pattern — for the great American System of Education.
In 1820, our collegiate military band was created, the first of its kind in the nation and the oldest to date. Norwich also has the distinction of being the birthplace of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). In addition, Norwich was the one of the first schools in the nation to admit international students.
A university's legacy is also measured by the impact of its graduates.
Norwich graduates helped build the nation, whether it was the chief engineer that connected the Pacific and Atlantic coasts with the railroad, fathers of industrial tycoons, leaders in famous battles, or developers of the nation's banking system. Current graduates include the former CEO of NBC, the CEO of the nation's most prominent accounting and consulting firm, a partner in one of the world's premier brokerage and investment houses, the former chief of staff of the Army, the owner of one of the defense industry's most important contracting companies, the general partner of one of the nation's premiere engineering and construction companies, etc., etc. These were graduates who were balanced thinkers, good communicators, had hands-on experience in their fields while still in college, and who had faculty that cared for them and would never quit on them. Norwich's graduates do great things because they are challenged at this university. Rigorous, hands-on academics complemented by a military lifestyle for cadets and challenging co-curricular activities for traditional students ensures that graduates can handle most of what comes their way in the real world.
TOP 7% in ROI: Norwich ranks in uppermost tier of 4,500 U.S. colleges for long-term value, Georgetown University study says.
Finally, legacy can be measured by the pride people have in their alma mater.
One of the first things people will tell you about Norwich is that it loves its alumni and its alumni love it. Few university alumni groups display the kind of camaraderie that Norwich alumni have, both with one another and with the institution. This pride, this bond, and this fraternity of graduates stand out on the landscape of higher education. When you become part of Norwich University, you join a distinguished, established family and part of a tradition of innovation, dedication and distinction.


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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The autopsy report on murdered hip hop star Notorious B.I.G. has been released by the Los Angeles County Coroner, more than 15 years after his shooting.
Notorious B.I.G was gunned down at the age of 24 in Los Angeles in the early morning on March 9, 1997, in a drive-by shooting. The rapper was sitting in the passenger seat of a sport-utility vehicle after a party when he was killed.
The report, released quietly last week and obtained by Reuters on Friday, indicates Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was struck in his arm, back, thigh and abdomen. It said the fatal shot that struck his abdomen perforated his colon, liver, heart and lung.
The murder remains unsolved, and the Los Angeles Police Department declined to comment on Friday on why the report was released at this time. The coroner's office said the report was under a "security hold," which had been lifted by the police department but gave no other details.
Although there was little new to be gleaned from the report, it revived the countless conspiracy theories around the murder.
One prominent theory is of an East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud that saw Notorious B.I.G.'s murder as retribution for the killing of Los Angeles-based rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996, which is also unsolved.
Notorious B.I.G., who was from New York, was known for his witty rhymes as well as his enormous size. He was 6-foot-1 and 395 lbs. at the time of his death, the report said.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Jill Serjeant and Todd Eastham)


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Message Board
Danny Thomas Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Thomas has written!
Author Thomas's Book Reviews
Make Room for Danny
Make Room for Danny Danny Thomas with Bill Davidson G.K. Hall, 1991, 296 pp. ISBN: 0816152500 The title of this book, "Make Room for Danny" is taken from the title of Danny Thomas's long running TV show "Make Room for Daddy". As related in the book, the TV show title was the result of Danny wanting to do a TV series so that he could spend more time at home with his family rather than constantly traveling to do night club acts. When he would come...


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The future of America's health depends in part on what is being collected inside a parked mobile trailer in Long Beach.
There, Los Angeles County residents allow workers from the federal government to draw their blood, X-ray their bones and test their muscles.
The low-key data collection process is part of a decades-old national effort that gives researchers, physicians and policymakers clues as to what diseases are on the rise and how to find solutions to help Americans get healthier.
Over time, some discoveries have led to reforms, said Jacque DeMatteis, study manager for a team with the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey, also known as NHANES.
"Because of the work we do, we found high levels of lead in people's blood" beginning in the 1970s, DeMatteis said, which led to laws to reduce lead in gasoline, food and soft drink cans.
A prevalence of obesity led to the proliferation of programs encouraging diet and exercise, and an increase in the number of children born with defects, for example, prompted physicians to encourage more pregnant women to include folic acid in their diet, DeMatteis added.
"Data have continued to indicate that undiagnosed diabetes is a significant problem in the United States," according to a statement from NHANES. "Efforts by government and private agencies to increase public awareness, especially among minority populations, have been intensified. These are just a few examples of what survey findings have meant. The current program promises continuing contributions and some new initiatives."
The survey has been conducted for the past 54 years and is part of a program that provides the information to the National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since December, officials from NHANES have been on site in Long Beach and Monrovia and 14 other counties across the United States examining the physical fitness and dietary habits of 5,000 randomly selected Americans. The team in Long Beach hopes to test at least 500 people by February.
Staff members randomly select households using a computer algorithm. Mailers are then sent to those addresses, explaining how that home was selected for a visit by team members of NHANES. If a resident is interested in participating and is eligible, he or she may receive up to $125 plus transportation costs and the results of nearly $4,500 worth of medical testing.
"People are willing to give their time, so the government is willing to pay," DeMatteis said.
Some of the testing includes blood work, a muscle strength test, a bone density measurement scan and a taste and smell test, as well as dental work.
NHANES does not diagnosis or treat the patient, who remains anonymous, but a doctor from the National Center for Health Statistics will notify and refer participants if the test results show a sign of a problem.
In the next few years, researchers will use data collected by NHANES to develop prevention programs toward helping people reduce their risk for heart and lung disease, officials said.


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The President is authorized, at the request of the Governor of an affected State, to provide for a survey of construction materials needed in the area affected by a major disaster on an emergency basis for housing repairs, replacement housing, public facilities repairs and replacement, farming operations, and business enterprises and to take appropriate action to assure the availability and fair distribution of needed materials, including, where possible, the allocation of such materials for a period of not more than one hundred and eighty days after such major disaster. Any allocation program shall be implemented by the President to the extent possible, by working with and through those companies which traditionally supply construction materials in the affected area. For the purposes of this section "construction materials" shall include building materials and materials required for repairing housing, replacement housing, public facilities repairs and replacement, and for normal farm and business operations.
Quick search by citation:
42 U.S. Code § 5158 - Availability of materials
(Pub. L. 93–288, title III, § 315, formerly § 318, May 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 152; renumbered § 315, Pub. L. 100–707, title I, § 105(l), Nov. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 4694.)
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
A prior section 315 of Pub. L. 93–288 was classified to section 5155 of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 100–707.


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- Natural Crystal, Zircon
- Bead diameter: 8 mm
- Premium zinc alloy
- Elastic - Suitable for hand circumference: 14-18 CM
- Hypoallergenic, lead & nickel free
*We carefully select each gemstone to offer gems with the best quality. As gemstones are natural materials, stone colors may vary slightly from the images, making this beautiful bracelet completely unique, just like you!
If you aren't in LOVE with your purchase, please let us know within 30 days of receiving your item, and you'll receive a stress-free refund.


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Photo Source: David Haberlah - Wikimedia Creative Commons
Map Source: Bethany World Prayer Center
|People Name:
|Arab, Sudanese
|10/40 Window:
|World Population:
|Primary Language:
|Arabic, Sudanese Spoken
|Primary Religion:
|Christian Adherents:
|0.10 %
|0.10 %
|New Testament
|Online Audio NT:
|Jesus Film:
|Audio Recordings:
|People Cluster:
|Arab, Sudan
|Affinity Bloc:
|Arab World
|Progress Level:
Sudanese Arabs originated in the Khartoum region of Sudan many centuries ago. Today, they live primarily in northern and central Sudan and in Egypt. A few groups are also scattered in Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Libya, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates.
The first "pure" Arabs were called "Bedouins." They were tribal nomads from Saudi Arabia, famous for their love of poetry and war. The Sudanese are a tribe who branched off of the Bedouins. They are a heterogeneous people with a mixture of diverse blood and cultures.
Since 1983, conflict between the predominately north Arab and southern animist and Christian regions of the Sudan has accounted for more than two million deaths. Also tragic are the recent atrocities to non-Arab African groups on the Western Sudan/Chad border in the region of Darfur. Killings, mass rapes, looting of livestock and burning of villages by the Arab militia, Janjaweed, have devastated the area. It is estimated that over 70,000 have lost their lives due to hunger and disease alone.
Over the years, many "Arabs" have emerged by either assimilating into Arab culture, religion, and language, or by intermarrying with groups in their areas. The Sudanese Arabs have intermarried with the African tribes of Sudan.
Most Sudanese Arabs live in small rural villages. They grow grains, vegetables, and cotton, and raise livestock, all of which are used for food or trade. Clusters of mud-brick homes with dirt floors make up the villages. The homes are built close together, which reflects the close ties between the family members within the communities. Although farming is the chief occupation of the villagers, some of them have jobs as skilled carpenters, tailors, religious leaders, or barbers.
Some Sudanese Arabs live in towns or cities. They have a greater variety of occupations, but weaker family ties than those who live in the villages. These Arabs have more concern for such things as economic prosperity and education. Today, many of them work in the oil fields of Saudi Arabia, attend universities in neighboring countries, or use trucks instead of camels.
Other Sudanese Arabs have continued living the nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors. They have temporary dwellings and move from place to place with their herds. Camels are used to transport them across desert lands, and their economy is based primarily on livestock production and trade. Rigid codes of honor, loyalty, hostility, and hospitality are among those values that have remained strong throughout the centuries.
In the Arab culture, children are considered to be a family's greatest asset, providing both workers and security for the parents as they grow older. Although boys and girls may be raised together when they are young, they are treated differently. Mothers show great affection towards the boys, pampering them and responding to their every wish. Girls are shown some affection, but are not pampered. The boys are taught by their fathers to obey and respect older males. Girls are taught the values of obedience to their future husbands. Teenagers are not permitted to have any contact with the opposite sex until after marriage.
The Sudanese Arabs are Muslims, as are most Arabs. Identification with the Islamic religion is one of the primary cultural characteristics of most Arabs. They are devoted to their faith, and this is evident in their daily life.
While the men gather in the local mosque five times a day for prayer, women meet in homes and have their own religious services, conducted by female religious leaders. Only on certain occasions are the women permitted inside the mosques.
According to Islamic law, a man may have up to four wives. Rules concerning marriage and divorce are held in accordance to what is written in the Koran. Regulations regarding inheritance, taxation, wartime, submission to those in authority, and the roles of family members can also be found there.
Sudanese Arabs live in a country engulfed by tension, terror, and war. Even more than the physical provisions that are so badly needed in the Sudan, Sudanese Arabs need to hear about the saving love of Jesus. They have some Christian resources available to them. But churches are often closed, destroyed, or not allowed to be built. Converts from the Muslim faith are not well accepted. They will need courage and grace to withstand persecution from their Islamic relatives.
Ask God to strengthen, encourage, and protect church planters, especially the women workers.
Pray for additional Bibles and Christian literature to be provided and placed.
Ask God to bring natural and spiritual peace to this needy country.
Ask the Lord to call out prayer teams to go and break up the soil through worship and intercession.
Pray that God will raise up long term workers to join those who have already responded.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will complete the work begun in their hearts through adequate discipleship.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will anoint Christian broadcasts as they are aired among the Sudanese Arabs.
Ask the Lord to raise up strong local churches among the Sudanese Arabs for the glory of His name!


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Doomed to Repeat It: Battlestar Galactica, Thoughts at the End
I truly do believe that if Moore and his writers don't find a way to tell a story that mirrors present-day events without being overwhelmed by symbolism, Galactica will flounder. In all forms of writing, story must come first: the characters need to be real, the plot needs to make sense, you can't demand too much suspension of disbelief from your viewers. Place story second to ideology, and you'll soon find yourself with neither.Battlestar Galactica has been a recurring theme on this blog for three and a half years, nearly its entire existence. Going through my post-episode, mid-season and end of season posts from earliest to latest is like watching my fannish enthusiasm for the series curdle and die in stop motion: from a generally positive if somewhat cautious note, to mounting dismay as the second season unravels in its latter half, to exasperation and disdain during the third season, and finally to a dull rage and grim bemusement as the series draws to a close. I expected as much when I made such a review yesterday evening before starting work on this post, but what startled me was the realization of just how early on in my writing about the show I had expressed my main criticism against it--in my very first essay-length post about Battlestar Galactica, quoted above. Everything I've written about the series since then has been an expansion on, a distillation of, or additional examples supporting, this one single criticism."Dear Ronald D. Moore: Scattered Thoughts at the End of Battlestar Galactica's Summer Season", September 27th, 2005
I think Moore is going to slide into the realm of metaphysics and go completely insane and I want to be there when it happens, not because I think the end result will be moving or awe-inspiring or even any good, but because I think it's going to be really, really big."The Episode That Broke Me and Other "Crossroads II" Thoughts", March 27th, 2007
Oh, God, it's totally going to end in mass suicide, isn't it?Private e-mail, January 19th, 2009
So, for me, the important question as I come to make a final (though how many times have I told myself that this one post was going to be the final one?) statement about Battlestar Galactica is not whether it was a good series--it wasn't, not since the middle of its second season at the very latest--and not why it failed--I've gone over that ground too many times, most recently and, I think, most comprehensively just a few weeks ago--but why I kept coming back. Why did I keep watching a show that did nothing but disappoint and infuriate me? Why did I keep writing about it when all I was doing was saying the same thing over and over again in slightly different ways?
Popularity is a big part of the answer. It's doubtful that I would have been as invested in debunking the perception of Galactica as the best science fiction series of the decade, and a smart, well-written show in any genre, if these were not such commonly held and frequently voiced opinions both in and out of genre circles. Rage is another component. You can drop a show that bores and fails to engage you, but it's a lot harder to walk away from a series whose writing infuriates you, and whose every plotting and characterization choice seems calculated to belittle your intelligence. Galactica's mistakes were all driven by the same core flaw, but every time it made one I just got angrier, and when I get angry, the only way I can regain my equilibrium is to write about it. But most of all I kept coming back to Galactica because of fear. Fear that the plaudits and awards and (utterly inexplicable) invitations to speak at the UN had tapped into something true, or rather that they were creating truth simply by being repeated so often: that Galactica is the shape of science fiction television to come.
The general reception of "Daybreak II," and particularly its post-space battle segments, has been negative. People more knowledgeable about these subjects than myself have spoken about the dodginess of its evolutionary history and the plan it charts for Colonial humanity's survival as subsistence farmers, and many have expressed dismay at the show's sudden shift to an anti-science position. As problematic and disappointing as these elements are, they pale, to my mind, beside the fact that in its final episode Galactica once again, to borrow Dan Hartland's phrase, eviscerates itself. From its earliest episodes the show prided itself on being about the messiness of the human condition, about our tendencies toward war, violence, racial and religious strife. After four seasons of this the conclusion the show comes to is not that we should strive to be better, not that we should learn from our mistakes, not even that such betterment is impossible and that these blights are the unfortunate cost of being human, but that we should just walk away from the whole mess. History is rife with examples of man's inhumanity to man? Then end it.
There have been many complaints about the lack of an overarching plan to Galactica's plotting, but "Daybreak II" reveals that its political storytelling was just as haphazard. After so much time spent on tortured real-world analogies, so much of what made the show worthwhile sacrificed so that its writers could pat themselves on the back for asking the 'tough questions,' it turns out that the only answer they could come up with is one that even the most pretentious undergraduate would find painfully dumb. Don't learn from your mistakes, and don't repeat them either. Don't face up to the crimes and guilt in your past, and don't deny them. Don't forgive your enemies, and don't continue to make war on them. Don't come up with new ways to govern, and new ways to subvert those governments. Just forget. Forget about cities. Forget about communities. Forget about recording history for future generations. Forget the quest for knowledge. Forget about learning to understand your surroundings. Forget everything that makes us more than mere animals. We all made a big mistake coming down from the trees in the first place.
In a way, this is mass suicide. Not only of individuals, few of whom will survive long in small, isolated groups without the medical, agricultural, and industrial tools that the show so blithely dismisses as 'creature comforts' (one wonders whether the writers realize what they're implying when they say that the unearthed body of Hera is that of a young girl--that Hera not only died young but had children young, the latter possibly causing the former) but of Colonial civilization itself. Its history, culture, art and science lost forever, willfully and deliberately destroyed by its last few survivors. There's something almost laughable about the scene in which Adama decides to name the Colonials' new home Earth--as if it matters what these people call their planet when every hint that they ever walked upon it is going to be lost forever. By taking the fleet to Earth, Kara Thrace is the harbinger of Colonial humanity's doom, but it is her fellow Colonials, led by Lee Adama, who with Stepfordian gladness finish the job the Cylons started.
I might almost have respected the show if its writers had faced head on the implications of the ending they'd written, but with typical Galactican cowardliness they try to sugarcoat it. They pretend that a genetic legacy is the same thing or even better than a cultural one--because we all feel a deep personal bond to our great-to-the-nth-power-grandparents, but absolutely no connection to the people who shaped our national, ethnic, and religious identities--and decide that by some magical process Colonial society manages to shape modern American society in its image despite having been wiped away entirely--in the process all but saying that American civilization is the truest, most ancient civilization on the planet. Of course, these are the same people who have concluded their story by telling us, of every major question, coincidence, and plot twist, that God did it, but are so terrified of the religiosity of the resulting story that they desperately shoehorn in an escape clause at the last minute by suggesting that it's not God pulling the characters' strings, but a god-like alien.
Far worse to my mind than Galactica's ending being anti-science is the fact that it is anti-science fiction. Science fiction is the literature of change. It's about imagining the future--which things get better, which get worse, which stay the same; what new systems we come up with to live our lives, and how they fail under the weight of the same basic human flaws. Far from imagining it, with its final episode Battlestar Galactica has shown itself to be a series about ending the future. Everything that's happened in its four seasons, everything its characters have experienced, seen, or done, has been calculated to bring them to a point where they take their future apart, leaving nothing behind but their genetic code. And all this is so that we can arrive, not at an analogy or at an allegory of it, but at the actual, real-world present day and say 'we don't know what happens next.' Well, of course we don't, but that's just what science fiction is for--to say 'what if?' and then imagine the answer. And that is just what Battlestar Galactica has been desperately opposed to doing almost from day one.
What bothers me about this is less that Galactica itself isn't science fiction--I came to that conclusion at the end of the third season--but that there are still plenty of people who can't tell the difference between its stasis-oriented brand of pseudo-SF and the real thing. More importantly, it worries me that there are people, in and out of genre, who think that Battlestar Galactica represents a model of what science fiction television should be like--allegorical, present-oriented, cowardly and unimaginative. For better and mostly for worst, Galactica has been the dominant genre show of the last half-decade, and it has inspired and will continue to inspire other creators. Kings is very obviously taking its cues from Galactica when it neglects its worldbuilding and comes up with an imaginary world that doesn't suit its premise. Judging from its teaser trailer, the upcoming Stargate: Universe is desperately trying to ape the show's dark visuals and emotional tone (not to worry: the Stargate: Atlantis pilot was similarly a departure from its parent show, and that series bounced back to the SG-1 template before the first season was half over). When even Joss Whedon, a man who's forgotten more about good worldbuilding than the entire Galactica writing room ever knew, is reported to have said that "he aspires to make television like [Galactica]" you know there's trouble ahead.
I've been contemplating what I'd write about Battlestar Galactica's final episodes for weeks, wondering how best to sum up my feelings about it and its ending. For a while, I was toying with the idea of leading with a joke about our long national nightmare being over, but now I'm wondering, what if it isn't? I'm OK with Galactica itself ending badly, and not even a grand, bombastic bad but a dumb bad that hardly anyone can find it in their hearts to defend, because that's the kind of show it was--lots of buildup, very little payoff; lots of self-aggrandizement, very little justification; lots of talk, very little substance. But that's because up until now I'd been assuming that the show would end and that would be that. We'd get The Plan (the title and concept of which never fail to make me laugh) and however many episodes Caprica managed to last (all the soapy allegory of Galactica, none of the space battles--I'm guessing not many), and that would be it for this universe on our screens. But what if the series and its failings have an afterlife? What if the next big thing, the next genre series to dominate the television landscape, isn't another Buffy, or Farscape, or Deep Space Nine, but another Battlestar Galactica, because that's what people--creators, producers, critics, even some of the fans--want?
Galactica's writers can so cavalierly imagine the end of Colonial history, and paint that ending as a happy one, because that history was never real to them in the first place. In that sense, they're like the mainstream writers who write post-apocalyptic SF novels because it's so much easier to end the world than imagine it different. For all its SFnal pedigree, Galactica is the television equivalent of these novels--a science fiction series desperately striving to get away from everything that makes science fiction special and fun (and unlike at least some of these novels, it doesn't compensate for its shoddy worldbuilding in any way--beautiful writing, compelling character arcs, coherent plots). I'm terrified that there are writers out there who have learned all the wrong lessons from the protracted catastrophe that was Battlestar Galactica's rise and fall, and that in a few years' time all of this will have happened again: the cautious optimism, the dismay, the exasperation, the dull rage. Which, I suppose, is my reason for coming back to this show even though all I can do is say the same thing over and over again. Because I'm baffled, and angry, and worried, and the only thing I can do to exercise what miniscule amount of power I have to affect what gets produced for our screens and what the reaction to it is is to keep hammering in the same point: this is not science fiction. This is not good television. We deserve better.


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Dad Disfigures Face of Man He Caught Sexually Abusing His Son
The above mugshot seems shocking until you know that the man above was caught allegedly sexually abusing a young boy by the boy's father. Then, really, it more or less makes sense.
The man is 18-year-old Raymond Frolander. According to Daytona Beach police, the boy's father left Frolander—who is a member of the family—to babysit the child Friday afternoon. But at some point the father returned to the apartment where he left the boy and saw this:
The child to investigators that Frolander asked him to sit on his lap, and not too much later, took the boy into the back room of the apartment.
According to the police report, Frolander disrobed the child, and began sexually battering the victim. While the attack was taking place, the boy says, his father walked in.
In an interview with cops after the incident, the boy—who is under the age of 12—said that Frolander has been sexually assaulting him since he was eight years old. In his interview, Frolander reportedly admitted to the assault that resulted in his face looking like a smushed blueberry pie as well as a prolonged sexual relationship with the boy, telling police, "I'm guilty."
The father does not appear to have been charged, and one figures there won't be a movement to change that.
[mugshot via Daytona Beach Police via News 13]