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Shakespeare 2 Essay, Research Paper
Over the years, various persons have expressed doubt as to the authorship of William Shakespeare. These doubts are as old as his plays. American author, Henry James once said, ?I am haunted by the conviction that the divine William is the biggest and the most successful fraud ever practiced on a patient world. (Hoffman 27) On the other hand, author Calvin Hoffman was convinced that Shakespeare was ?the author of the most magnificent English dramatic prose and poetry ever written. (Hoffman 27) But, he reiterated this belief nineteen years later, stating, ?They are magnificent! Only, William Shakespeare of Stratford-on- Avon never wrote the plays and poems.? (Hoffman 27)
Crime, guilt, fraud, exile, hate, deceit, and murder are all woven into this shroud of authorship that hides the identity of the world?s most renowned writer. Cranks have proposed over fifty candidates for authorship, from Queen Elizabeth to the Jesiuts.
Although many doubt that William Shakespeare ever wrote the works attributed to him, some still resort to pro-Shakespearean arguments. John Drinkwater, author and believer, felt that the flowers, banks, brooks, pastures, and woodlands of Shakespeare?s boyhood home, Stratford, were all transfigured in his plays by his wonderful verse, but yet they still remained the scenes to which he was bred. Drinkwater believed too, that not only in Shakespeare?s humble folk, shepherds, gardeners, and serving men, but also in his princes and kings, he reflected the humanity with which he was familiar in Stratford. The knowledge and wisdom he acquired directly from his own enviroment was quite true to life. Drinkwater also said that mere book- knowledge in Shakespeare?s works was usually incorrect because he used knowledge outside the range of his own experiences, with a ?grand audacity.?
It is true that William Shakespeare attended grammar school in Stratford, and tha he acquired some competence in Latin and gained a limited knowledge of English history. There was a period of time in his life referred to as his ?dark years,? and this period of time may have been subjected to influences making for high culture.
Records say too, that Shakespeare left Stratford in 1585 and went on the stage in 1590. During this time he could have attended Cambridge or worked in a lawyer?s office, apparently remaining about one year with the court. This left one year in which he might have traveled to France and Italy, which would account for certain knowledge revealed in his works. Perhaps Shakespeare?s plays are too scholarly to have been written by a man without a degree, but that, some believe can be explained by the fact that the plays looked learned to people of later generations who did not use classical allusion as a part of their common speech. Others believe that the depth of learning in the plays seems impossible for a man of Shakespeare?s position, but when the overwhelming power of the plays is considered, the learning in them seems trivial. Little is known of Shakespeare today. But, this lack of information about Shakespeare?s life can be attributed to the fact that his era was not one of biography, casual letter writing , or journalism. What was said about Shakespeare was unwritten.
Stratfordians, or those who believe that Shakespeare did indeed write the works attributed to him, began with a preconceived idea that he wrote the plays, and then they tried to make facts and circumstances fit their case, some say . To account for innumeralbe instances where Shakespeare exhibited such wide knowledge, Stratfordians say that Shakespeare pumped anyone he could for information. However, others feel that pumping friends for local color could help with broad knowledge, but really could not enable him to convey the atmosphere of a country or to add small, rather insignificant details which could only come from the pen of a writer who had actually experienced them.
Many feel that since Shakespeare?s greatness was not widely proclaimed and because none of his original manuscripts survived, is evidence that the latter was destroyed to conceal the author?s identity. And too, once a play was printed, the manuscript possessed no value, so the paper, which was costly and needed for practical purposes was used, leaving no single manuscript in Shakespeare?s handwriting.
Anti-Shakespeare arguments begin with the point that no public or private mention of Shakespeare as a man, poet, or dramatist was made at his death. In Elizabethean convention too, the elegiac poem was a true work of respect, yet there was none found for William Shakespeare. How could he then be the foremost figure in English literature? From all indications found, during 1585 to 1593, Shakespeare?s most creative years, he was never referred to by anyone, personally or professionally. From birth to death, no evidence, outside of his name appearing in the title pages of the nine First Quartos, has been found to attest that Shakespeare was a writer or poet. Many details in his plays could have been acquired only by personal experiences, yet no Shakespeare was mentioned in the cast of any play during his lifetime. It is pure speculation that some say that he was an actor.
Another argument is that only nobles or those associated with nobility could have written such noble thoughts and described the aristocratic character. How could somone of Shakespeare?s status write Hamlet? Therefore, some say that the world in which Shakespeare evidently was not at home, must have been the world to which he belonged.
In addition, familiarity with languages, literature, law, politics, history, geography, and court life found in Shakespeare?s writings, are all inconceivable for a commoner. Shakespeare never attended a University and was not highly cultured. Yet, whoever wrote the plays must have been highly cultured. Some think he may not have been able to even write. Also, it was doubtful if his wife and children could write. His own barely legible signature, attached only to his will and some business deals, with sixteen variations of handwriting ,was odd for a literary genius. Self-education was impossible since he probably owned no books. In his will, no mention of any books was made, and books were valuable enough to be mentioned.
Before death, Shakespeare composed his own epitaph:
Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare
To digg the dust encloased heare;
Blest be the man that spares these stones
And curste be he who moves my bones. (Sykes 60)
Why would a poet and playwright who wrote so brilliantly have no higher sentiments for his own epitaph?
Now, just who could have written the works attributed to William Shakespeare? That Christopher Marlowe was really Shakespeare has been given much credence among many literary people. Marlowe was educated and awarded scholarships. This proves he was able to produce great works.
Another theory came from Calvin Hoffman, who long ago said that on May 29,1593, Marlowe, previously arrested for atheism, was charged with treason. His homosexual friend, Thomas Walsingham, foresaw doom for his lover and made a plan. Marlowe was to be the victim of a fake murder, allowing charges against him to vanish with his death. The murder of a sailor, supposedly Marlowe, was arranged and committed, forcing Marlowe to pack up and leave the country. A coroner was contacted and Marlowe was officially pronounced dead.
Possibly Marlowe went to Italy after escaping to France. That might account for knowledge of Italy in certain plays. Then too, he is thought to have later returned to England, in disguise, to work in seclusion at Walsingham?s estate. There, he could have walked the thousand acres of woods where so many allusions to nature could have come to him. Thus, was it a coincidence that Marlowe in his thirteenth year, May, 1593, died, and Shakespeare, also in his thirteeth year, came forth as a writer, four months later, in September, 1593?
Marlowe left a poem, it is said, called ?Venus and Adonis,? registered anonymously. Four months after the end of Marlowe, this poem appeared with the name William Shakespeare. To make Shakespeare inconspicuous, the poem was a logical candidate for the first publication, since Marlowe?s reputation was that of a dramatist, not a poet. Walsingham probably received manuscripts from Marlowe, but Marlow?s handwriting was known to his publishers who owned his previous material, so a trusted Marlowe?s experiences even appear in the plays. There is a duel in Romeo and Juliet and in The Jew of Malta, he even described his fate, where the character Machevel is Marlowe saying:
Albert the world think Macheval is dead,
Yet was his soul but flown beyond the Alps
And now the Guize is dead, us come from France
To view this land (Britian) and frolic with friends.
To some, perhaps my name is odius,
But such as love me guard me from their tongues,
And let them know that I am Macheval. (Hoffman 142)
Calvin Hoffman, long ago, found similarities between Marlowe and Shakespeare. He found a picture of both, enlarged them, and saw identical details in their faces. Other critics feel there are similarites in style and tone. Also, Marlowe could not have influenced Shakespeare if he died before Shakespeare began to write. There is no evidence the two ever met or spoke.
Lastly, in an attempt to prove Marlowe?s authorship, Calvin Hoffman, a long-time critic, received permission to open the tomb of Marlowe?s friend, Thomas Walsingham. There he hoped to find manuscripts. However, all he found was sand. There was no coffin and no papers.
On the other hand, Professor J. M. Massi says that the entire Marlowe theory is ridiculous. To say that because Shakespeare came from a lower economic class, therefore he could not have written the works, says that only the wealthy and advantaged can be a success. Shakespeare took part in share- holding in theatical companies. He was a shrewd businessman, and was granted, through his father, a coat of arms and status. Also, if Shakespeare was educated typically of his time, he was fluent in Latin and had some Greek and had read the classical authors, which is impressive. Massi says too, that in Shakespeare?s time, authors trained authors so a work had many authors, and the printer put one name on the cover of the play. Lastly, Massi says that people say there aren?t many records about Shakespeare, but he feels that considering the few they kept then, we have enough.
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, another candidate for authorship, was born April 23, 1550, Shakespeare?s birthday. He was attached to letters and the theater. He also had an intimate relationship with Queen Elizabeth. Edward de Vere studied law, knew the people of court, war, and Italy. He had appropriate knowledge to write the plays. He may have used the pseudonym Shakespeare because in tournaments he carried a long spear, or because his coat of arms was a lion shaking a spear. He may also have been ashamed of writing, being the Earl of Oxford, and therefore assumed a pseudonym as protection against losing status. Edward de Vere was a royal ward where he had the opportunity to observe and participate in court life, while Shakespeare was in little Stratford, isolated from an intellectual society, at the time he was supposed to be writing.
Edward de Vere traveled widely in Europe, too. And, Shakespeare?s plays must have been written by a much-traveled man. If Shakespeare ever traveled outside of England, or even within England, further then London, nothing is know of it.
There is further support for Edward de Vere. Writers often put their thoughts, friendships, love affairs and other personal experiences into their works. Matching episodes from de Vere?s life with the plays, revealed his mother to be similar to Hamlet?s mother, a father-in law like Polonius, a fair lady- the Queen, a dark lady-his mistress, Ann Vavasor, and a boy, de Vere?s bastard son.
Some even believe de Vere paid Shakespeare hush money to use his name. In conclusion, of the deVere theory, is the point that de Vere?s death coincided with Shakespeare?s retirement to Stratford. The mouthpiece was withdrawn when the voice was gone. Again Professor Massai believes that the evidence for de Vere is highly creative, but he would be the best choice. But still, he says , that if there was a cover-up going on, many people would know the truth, and they certainly all would not have kept the secret going to their graves.
A third contender for the writer of Shakespeare?s works is Francis Bacon. Those who support him are Baconians. Bacon was chosen because of his intellectual ability. Also, parallels exist in both Bacon?s and Shakespeare?s works, suggesting their identities are one. Bacon too, invented a cipher and some believe it was to conceal himself. A Sir Toby Matthew once wrote to Bacon and said, ?The most prodigious wit that ever I knew… is of Your Lordship?s name, though he be known by another.? (Encyclopedia Britannica) People who say Bacon did not write Shakespeare?s works assert that he was not a great poet, so he could not have been a great dramatist. They say he was a cold man, stately, and grave. Whoever wrote Shakespeare?s works was ?sparkling? and ?extravagant.? Bacon?s works did not sympathize with suffering, while Shakespeare?s did. Bacon and Shakespeare viewed the world differently.
Finally, some disbelievers support another candidate, William Stanley, the 6th Earl of Derby, who was interested in drama, and became a patron of a company of actors. Several poems showed signs of early and immature Shakespeare, but he was a boy at that time. One was signed in Derby?s handwriting, and three signed ?William Shakespeare.? His motive- like de Vere?swould have been to avoid association of his family name with the lower social order of the stage.
Was Shakespeare hinting at his name through word play? His verses, such as ?… every word doth almost tell my name…? seem to be an attempt to reveal his name. Another line says, ?Whats in a name?? Sonnet III says, ?Hence comes it that my name receives a brand,? and ? my name be buried where my body is….?
In conclusion, curiosity has indeed been aroused for many , many years. Hundreds of theories and shreds of proof have been gathered, but the world will always wonder and waver between doubt and belief in William Shakespeare. So, the question still remains, ?Was Shakespeare really Shakespeare??


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Pettinhouse has announced the release of DirectGuitar Mute&Slap, a free instrument library for Native Instruments Kontakt taken from the DirectGuitar 3.0 library.
It is made for playing muted guitar grooves combined with slap notes. For Funky, great also for rock, in fact you can play powerchords with a bit of distortion, it sounds great.
You can combine muted passages with slapped notes just by playing harder on your keyboard in order to introduce a slapped note.
The amp and the FX section is full activated. You can use the distortion, the EQ, Reverb, Delay, Phaser, play notes with Wah Wah effect moving up and down your modulation wheel.
The library is a free download from Pettinhouse. Requires full version of Kontakt.
More information: Pettinhouse

subset: commoncrawl


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1. There are many types of editors
People often assume that ALL editors perform the same role, but there is an abundance of roles that editors take on that require different skill sets and experience. The most common types of editors that you may come across are structural editors, copyeditors and proofreaders. As a general rule, structural editors look at content and structure (the big picture), copyeditors deal with language and style (the details), and proofreaders check that the document is ready for publication following layout (the final gatekeeper). Sometimes, an editor can specialise in one or two roles, and occasionally even all of them; however, don't assume that a copyeditor is also a proofreader or that a proofreader is also a structural editor. Additionally, editors can specialise in different genres: fiction, non-fiction, children's books, educational textbooks, legal texts, cookbooks, the list goes on. The moral of the story? Don't lump ALL editors into one basket—we are all unique snowflakes (or so we like to believe).
2. Editing involves a lifetime of learning
The world of editing can seem daunting for new editors entering the field, but fear not: you're not expected to know everything…and, in fact, you never will. Far from knowing everything about the English language—and let's face it, there's a lot to know—editors recognise when there is potential for errors to occur in texts and will check (and re-check) their trusted resources—aka dictionaries, house and style manuals—accordingly. Language is not static, which doesn't always sit well with editors given our penchant for hard and fast rules; nevertheless, editors need to embrace the fluidity of language and continually evolve their skills and keep up to date with trends in language and new words that have entered the general lexicon.
3. Even editors disagree about grammar and grammar rules
Think about this: the Editors' Association of Canada sent 101 of its members a series of sentences to edit; one particular sentence was sent back with 100 different edits—only one pair of editors had made the same corrections. And almost all of the corrections were correct! Although there are some strict grammar rules to follow (and even then, sometimes grammar rules are thrown out the window, particularly in fiction editing), there are other elements that are more a matter of style, and most of the time editors are required to base their editorial decisions on a particular house or style manual, or to make an author's preferred style consistent. There is rarely ever ONE right way.
4. There will be errors left in a manuscript…even though editors don't like to admit this
Sometimes you may spot an error in a book and think that the editor didn't do a thorough job (please don't point out any errors in this post to me). However, a 100 per cent accuracy rate is not realistic, nor should it be expected. Other factors such as resources, budget and the original state of a manuscript need to be taken into account, not to mention our old friend/foe: TIME. Editing a manuscript takes a lot of time (even manuscripts with small word counts can take a lot of time to edit) and extended periods of concentration (often editors prefer not to work more than 4 to 5 hours a day for this reason). If pressed for time, an editor's main objective should be to catch the errors that ordinary readers would pick up on, such as obvious spelling mistakes and poorly constructed sentences—even if we do shudder at the thought of misplaced hyphens, en dashes and em dashes.
5. Editors are here to help you
People, and writers in particular, often have this image of editors in tortoise-shell glasses circling typos with a red pen and slashing out great slabs of text while shrieking maniacally. Yes, editors do get a somewhat perverse pleasure in picking up errors in writing, but this is more to do with the fact that editors want to help writers develop their manuscript into its best possible form. Corrections aren't meant to make you feel as if you've failed; in fact, editors are in awe of writers' abilities and feel privileged to be part of the process of bringing a manuscript to life.
Camha Pham is a freelance editor and proofreader, and has worked across a broad range of materials including educational textbooks, and non-fiction and fiction titles. She was formerly a Development Editor at Oxford University Press, Melbourne, and has a Master of Publishing and Editing from Monash University. Her website is www.camhapham.com


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What information do we collect?
We collect information from you when you register on our site and gather data when you participate in the forum by reading, writing, and evaluating the content shared here.
When registering on our site, you may be asked to enter your name and e-mail address. You may, however, visit our site without registering. Your e-mail address will be verified by an email containing a unique link. If that link is visited, we know that you control the e-mail address.
When registered and posting, we record the IP address that the post originated from. We also may retain server logs which include the IP address of every request to our server.
What do we use your information for?
Any of the information we collect from you may be used in one of the following ways:
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How do we protect your information?
We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you enter, submit, or access your personal information.
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By using our services, you can consent or not to this policy. This server is under the EU GDPR law which protect your personal data. If you disagree to this policy you will have to send a short email to our security team (security AT s44 DOT eu) and you will have your account set to anonymous (fake id and fake email adress).
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Photo: Hulya Kolabas
Add a touch of nature to your contemporary decor with the latest twist on faux bois furnishings. Designers are now forgoing realistic renditions of these trendy pieces; though they appear to be made of branches or bark, they're constructed of resin or ceramic in stark ivory hues. Take the porcelain logs pictured above: Whether placed in a fireplace or on a credenza, they wield an alluring if somewhat surreal sculptural impact. StillLife Wood Set. $450 for 3 logs and 1 stick. KleinReid, kleinreid.com. —Carole Nicksin


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The Difference Between Translator And Interpreter
Many potential clients contact interpreters saying they're looking for a translator, when in fact they're actually looking for an interpreter.
Many potential clients contact interpreters saying they're looking for a professional translation expert when in fact, they're actually looking for an interpreter. Of course, clients call interpreters when they don't need an interpreter at all – they're actually looking for a translator. Most people involved in the study of language already understand the difference between these two fields, but there are many people who use these words interchangeably, which is incorrect. So let's see what these two areas of linguistics do have in common, and also why they're so different.
Briefly, though, the easiest way to remember the difference between these two is that an interpreter deals with the spoken message, while a translator deals with the written word. (learn more about essential translator skills)
Similarities between Interpreters and Translators
- Both interpreters and translators work with a source language (which is the original language from which they're working) and a target language.
- Both of these professions only work from other languages into their mother tongue (the exception to this rule is a Liaison Interpreter – see below).
- They both extract a message from the source language and convey it to their target audience in the target language
- Both the interpreter and translator are linguists
- Both require professional qualifications.
Differences between Interpreters and Translators
- An interpreter works with the spoken word, whereas a translator works with the written word.
- An interpreter is paid either by the hour or by the day, whereas a translator charges on a per word, per hour, or per-page basis.
- An interpreter may be required to interpret both from and into their mother tongue, such as interpreters doing liaison interpreting for hospitals, police, courts, and so on; while all translators work into their mother tongue.
- To a certain degree, translators have time on their side, translator meaning they can use dictionaries and are generally not required to translate on the spot; whereas interpreters must be proficient in delivering the message in unison with the original speech, like a live voice-over (known as Simultaneous Interpreting) or immediately afterward (known as Consecutive Interpreting);
- The tools a translator user are entirely different from those of an interpreter. Translators use CAT tools (Computer Aided Translation), dictionaries, and computers; whereas an interpreter may use headphones and a microphone in a booth or a notepad and pen for taking notes – but most importantly, they take with them their memory and their vast knowledge of interpretation.
We trust this brief post has made it easy for people to distinguish between an interpreter and a translator. Basically, the main rule of thumb is that an interpreter is used for the spoken word and a translator is used for the written word. We hope this prevents any future confusion about these two very important linguistic fields.


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Blood & Thunder Blog Tour stops over at Hearts On Fire Reviews!
Hello all! The Blood & Thunder Blog Tour is over at Hearts on Fire Reviews with a post featuring First Generation Therians, who they are, where they came from, and whats's in store Destructive Delta's own First Gens? Don't forget there's also a giveaway!
http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?cat=4421st Aug - Prism Book Alliance 4th Aug - Dreamspinner Press Blog Release Party & Release Day Blitz 5th Aug - The Blogger Girls 6th Aug - The Novel Approach 7th Aug - Hearts on Fire 8th Aug – Attention is Arbitrary 9th Aug - Dreamspinner Press Facebook page. 11th Aug - Joyfully Jay 12th Aug – TTC Books and More


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Car Park - Peak District National Park
Car parks and charges
The Peak District National Park owns and manages 45 car parks throughout the National Park, with 27 of these free to use. The remaining 18 car parks have a Pay & Display system.
Car parks are provided to help handle the numbers of visitors to the National Park and reduce congestion. Fees from the Peak National Park's Pay and Display car parks are re-invested into the care and protection of landscapes local to that area.
A list of current parking charges for the Peak National Park's 18 Pay and Display car parks can be found here.


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When I was a child, I knew a man named Johnny Blidburgh. In the mid-1960s, he was the track patrolman on the Curry to Gold Creek section. He lived at Curry House, which was where the freight crews would stop for dinner or to overnight when they went dead. ("Going dead" means that the worker has reached his mandatory rest period after working 11 hours and 59 minutes.) Curry House had a cook then named Phoebe. I wish I had a photo of Phoebe…and most of all, I wish that I had a photo of Johnny.
Johnny Blidburgh was a confirmed bachelor and a bit of a misogynist, but none of that mattered, because he was also one of the finest people I have ever known. He had a gift for storytelling, wild, sandy hair and a smile that lit up the house…and when he smiled, his blue eyes would twinkle like the North Star. When he was young, he had visited Australia and talked about that at every possible opportunity. I think that he had loved a woman as well, and that she had shattered his heart. He always had a wistful sadness about him that lurked behind those twinkling blue eyes…but he never talked about Her, not really. I knew, though…I could tell, even though I was only about seven years old when we first met Johnny.
Phoebe (the cook at Curry House, ten miles south of the homestead) and Johnny had an amicable war going between them. I think they both secretly liked each other, but neither would admit it. Johnny's eating habits drove poor Phoebe right up the wall…he would mix all of his food together; salad, meat, potatoes, dessert – you name it – and Phoebe would hit the roof. She would always castigate Johnny for mixing his food like that and Johnny's response was that it all went in the same place, didn't it? Of course, Phoebe could never argue with that point, so Johnny nearly always won the day…but as I said, I think they really liked each other.
Our house became one of Johnny's frequent stops on his track patrol, and whenever he could, he would set his gascar off the rails and come up to the house for coffee and to talk. How he loved to talk…I sat and listened to him for hours and hours. I adored him and he loved me (and my siblings, of course).
Then I graduated high school and went to work in Anchorage. I had heard that Johnny had had an accident with his gascar sometime between 1974-1975. The gascar had derailed, and Johnny was thrown out and dragged along the ties. He lost an eyeball and had to have a glass eye put in. It watered all the time and he was very self-conscious about it. At that time, the railroad had a mandatory retirement age, and Johnny didn't want to retire. He was transferred down to Tunnel section and allowed to walk the tunnels to report on conditions. The tunnels are prone to ice buildup during the winter months, and the ice often freezes so thick on the tunnel walls that freight and passenger trains are unable to squeeze through. Section crews then have to go out and break the ice off the walls and lay burn barrels full of charcoal briquettes to thaw the ice on the tracks. This is a constant problem; hence the need for someone to keep an eye on tunnel conditions. Still, it was a step down from the freedom of patrolling the tracks in a gascar, and Johnny hated it – and his disability.
The last time I saw Johnny Blidburgh was that summer of 1976. I worked two jobs that summer – the first was in the office of U.S. Senator Mike Gravel, and the second was in room service at the Hilton Hotel. Johnny and I met for lunch and had a wonderful visit. He seemed to mostly be his usual self, but there was something that just wasn't quite right and I didn't know what it was. He did tell me about his job walking the tunnels on Tunnel section, and I knew that he didn't like it…but I didn't know until later that the railroad had a mandatory retirement age. All he had was his job – I don't believe he had any living relatives. Losing his job was a blow that the couldn't bear…but I didn't know then what he had planned to do.
Johnny had talked about Australia for years and how much he loved it, and he would talk about the Aborigines and their ways. One of their customs is to go walkabout – to just set off on a journey, not knowing if they would ever make it back from the trip. Once he knew that the railroad wasn't going to budge from their position of forcing him into retirement, I believe that Johnny made up his mind to go walkabout…and never return.
Of course, I didn't know for sure what had happened to him. We heard rumors that he had in fact just gone for a hike and never returned, but no one ever knew for certain. He just disappeared, and I was left to mourn and wonder for years what had become of my dear friend.
Just yesterday I learned that my worst fears were confirmed. I belong to a Facebook group called Alaska Railroad Railfans, and I noticed a post by a man named Ed Rosek. He posted a group of photos from his time working on Tunnel section crew…so I was curious and I asked him if he knew of a man called Johnny Blidburgh. To my surprise, Ed replied that he did indeed know Johnny; in fact, they had been coworkers on Tunnel section in 1976. The conversation thread is below:
Deborah Lovel Bryner: Ed Rosek , did you ever hear tell of Johnny Blidburgh? He used to work Tunnel section, at the end of his life.About the mid-1970s.
Ed Rosek: Yes Deborah, I worked with him in 1976 when I first arrived at Tunnel section. He was older and has some deficits from a work accident. He was going to be retired by the ARR and he didn't want to go. He came to me and told me one day–it was nice meeting me, and that he was going for a hike. It was our day off, up on the mountain. I didn't think anything of it, though I knew he was unhappy about retiring. Well he went for a hike and we never saw him again. I don't recall if they sent a search party or not. Ross Verco, our foreman, said he knew Johnny well, and that he went away to die. Not sure whether or not that was it, but that's pretty much the general consensus.
Deborah Lovel Bryner: Ed, I knew him very well. He used to work at Curry as the track patrolman. He had a running war going with Phoebe, the woman who worked back then as a cook for the freight crews who had to go dead at Curry…I think they really liked each other, but Johnny loved to poke the bear. Johnny used to stop by our house at Sherman (Mile 258.3) and sit there, telling stories and drinking coffee by the gallon. He loved Australia and if I remember right, he had visited there at some point. He only loved one woman that I knew of, and I think she broke his heart quite badly. He used to say, with a twinkle in those famous blue eyes, "Women, God love 'em!" and he would shake his head. He loved all of the Lovel kids and I think I was his favorite. I adored him. I had heard the same about him as you related – that he had gone walkabout because the Railroad wanted to force him into retirement after his accident. He had been on track patrol on the Curry – Gold Creek section and his gascar derailed. Apparently he was dragged and as a result, he lost his eye, which was the reason he was sent down to Tunnel. The last time I saw him was the summer of 1976 when I was working at the Hilton in Room Service. We went to lunch and he told me stories, the way he did….and then I never saw him again. I miss him. He was one of a kind…generous, sweet, intelligent…and funny.
Dave Reintsma (another ex-railroader): Oh my god you guys bring back so many memories. I remember Johnny being pissed they were making him go. I worked at Portage then. He said he made them an offer to fix up the place at Grandview and let him stay there and he'd keep the switches clean for the winter and they said no. Frank Withey at Portage said he loved Australia and that kept him going in the winters and to keep his mind of how crazy Ross and Marcine were getting, staying in Tunnel so long. I loved that place.
Ed Rosek: Deborah, wow, that's a wonderful and sad story.
Now I know for sure that my dear friend Johnny Blidburgh did indeed go walkabout to die. He's dead. He's really dead. That faint thread of hope that I nursed these past forty-two years is no more, because now I know for sure…and I mourn all over again for the loss of my friend. Johnny, I hardly knew ye…and I don't even have a photo of you….
This has been a Finish the Sentence Friday post, the theme of which is "Share a photo and the story behind it." As always, FTSF is hosted by the ever-amazing Kristi Rieger Campbell of Finding Ninee (https://findingninee.com/), and the lovely Kenya Johnson of Sporadically Yours (https://www.kenyagjohnson.com/).


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New Mexico beat writer rage-quits after Lobos' unexpected loss to Harvard
When our team loses, there's heartbreak. Frustration. Agony. But we almost always come back, again and again, season after season.
But sometimes the pain is just too much. Sometimes, we just can't take any more. Such is the case for Dennis Latta, freelance writer for Rivals.com's Loboland and a 33-year veteran of the New Mexico beat. After Thursday night's stunning and, yes, humiliating loss to Harvard, Latta had had enough.
In his farewell column, Latta fires a shot across the bow — or, really, through the hull — of the New Mexico program: "I really thought that the University of New Mexico finally had a men's basketball team that earned the loyalty of their fans." He lists all the virtues of this year's New Mexico team — "real potential," accomplishments in both the regular season and the Mountain West Conference, strong players across the board — but then he undercuts each one of those plaudits with "I was wrong."
[Photo gallery: Best photos of the NCAA tournament]
And then he drops the hammer:
But I won't be wrong again. It was a lot easier to take when expectations were lower. Losing was acceptable because UNM had almost always lost when it really counted. You didn't have visions of greatness, only to have them dashed. After the pitiful performance UNM put up against a team that doesn't even offer scholarships, I've given up. Having all five starters back next season means nothing on a team that can just disappear like that. I'd be back to wondering when it would collapse, have a terrible game and lose to an inferior team again.
No, I've had it. I've been to my last Lobo basketball game after covering the team for much of the last 33 years.
Good-bye Lobo basketball.
You can see Latta's frustrations. You put in over three decades with a team, you expect some kind of payoff somewhere down the line, right? And hey, perhaps Harvard could use someone to cover their next games. (Sorry, Dennis.)
NCAA Tournament video from Yahoo! Sports
More NCAA tournament content from Yahoo! Sports:
• Photo gallery: Best and worst NCAA cheerleader uniforms
• Marshall Henderson's reaction to LeBron James tweet | Watch Ole Miss star
• UCLA star Shabazz Muhammad is apparently a year older than thought
• Butler's keys to success: Brad Stevens, defense


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Locals turned out Sunday with colorful signs, noisemakers and high-(tech) spirits to show their support for Nevada City's bid for ultra-high-speed Net service.
Dubbed 95959google.com, Nevada City is bidding to become a site for testing one gigabit per second fiber-to-the-home connections — fast enough to let you download an HD movie in five minutes.
It was a gorgeous, spring-like day with an ebullient crowd — capturing Nevada City's creative, intelligent and innovative spirit.
Our family checked out the festivities and grabbed some lunch at Las Katrinas. Some other merchants, ranging from Indian Springs Winery to Treats ice cream, were ringing up sales from the crowd. We saw our neighbors marching up the street with Google signs. (Jokes such as the "We're the 'G' spot" sign was suggested by event planners nationally).
The colorful group of all ages lined the streets from the Bonanza Market on Broad Street to South Pine street to rally for the right to be a Google "host city."
They were dressed in Google colors of red, blue, yellow and green, as they pushed some beach balls up Broad Street. Some wore "Google" glasses. A video will be produced from the festivities as part of the 95959google.com bid.
Many business and civic leaders were present, ranging from county Supervisor Ed Scofield to Nevada City manager Gene Albaugh. Real-estate agent Rolf Kleinhans, who is running for county Assessor, poked his head out of the door of his Broad Street office to chat with visitors.
A celebration, including music, dancing and a community potluck, was held later at the Miners Foundry.
The 95959google.com bid will include Grass Valley. Some of the other communities competing for the service are here.
Some photos from Sunday at 95959 Google's Facebook page are here:


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eight Best Cakes With Macarons & Flowers Images
So, I had to look into what was okay and not okay in terms of flowers on cakes. I was going to tackle adorning the cake with fruit and flowers, although, so I had to perform a little research on that. Over the years, I've turn into a bit extra sensible in relation to desk settings and decorating in relation to meals.
The first thing I discovered is that there are flowers which might be edible or a minimum of food secure. You may not wish to eat them in large portions, but they'll are available in contact together with your food and/or you can technically eat them.
- But, it could appear somewhat intimidating at first.
- I've put collectively a compilation of what I do when decorating with recent non-edible and edible flowers.
- Especially, when we are all extra cautious about food coloring, fresh flowers give us a great natural possibility for any candy treat.
HERE is an efficient article I found with a listing of flowers which are protected to use in addition to the way to put together them. You don't ever need a flower stem to come back in direct contact with your cake.
It's become a gentle pet peeve of mine to see inedible (even poisonous) stuff on plates or worse, on meals. Putting pinecones, feathers, evergreens, and moss on plates that individuals are imagined to be eating off of! Before we chat about flowers and cakes, two things… The winner of the mini landscapes is Ann Stuart Cassell! And yes, for these asking, I will do extra of these minis and have more giveaways sooner or later. I stumbled upon your movies while checking for buttercream frosting.
You have lovely website and love the straightforward ideas and tips alongside the best way. I simply entered blogosphere and still leaning many things together with pictures and styling of the web site.


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This morning, my coach and I discussed about "branding yourself" over a cup of coffee and a piece of donut.
At first I don't know what to consult about branding myself but then I remember the moment when my introvert personality takeover my decisions and also my actions.
My question is how to brand yourself even if you are an introvert person?
We had a great time to discuss this topic but i'll share with you the simple idea that strikes me.
Branding yourself is actually a trademark of yourself to other people.
How people will think of you because what you do or how you react on a certain task, argument or event. If you are in a bad circumstances just learn to set aside your emotional feeling about it and remain focus on your goal. At work, deal to handle mistreatment or misunderstanding while in Life, learn to deal with all the problems.
Don't forget who you are in every situations, if you are nice then don't be rude because somebody treats you badly or if you are happy then don't let other people's mode to take away the smile in your face.
You can't control other people, just influence them. Remember that you are branding yourself to others, be an influencer. If you have a brighter mindset or idea then share it in a nice way and a right timing.
Those words are easy to read but hard to do but my coach says "it's hard but those are skills at can be practice and become a hobby". And upon hearing it, i just want be a better person than today.
PS: If you think other people need to read this, kindly share this. 🙂 Feel Free to comment, suggest or share your thoughts.


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The Changing Role of the CIO
Because the role of CIO has been near and dear to us at ITtechExec thanks to our work with CIO.com, last year, we hosted a Twitter chat discussing the changing role of CIOs and CTOs ("The Modern-Day CTO Recap"). We also published a post called "CIO: A Thing of the Past?" looking for feedback on this area.
Since then, the Enterprise CIO Forum has released an interesting infographic that goes along with that discussion.Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 3 so far )
Technical Recruiting Demystified
If you're confused about the whole recruiting scene, this will help provide a little clarity. On 10/3, David Graziano, technical recruiter for GE, joined us for a weekly #TCFchat on twitter at 3pm ET.
Dave and our panel discussed the difference between external recruiters and internal recruiters as well as internal recruiters and HR. We also chatted about how candidates should approach the resume and job search differently based on the type of recruiter that's in place. In addition, much discussion centered around the role of social media in the recruiting process. This included the use of social media from the perspective of the job seeker as well as the technical recruiter.
If you're unable to join us for the live chat, go to the Storify recap or to our Tech Career Forum LinkedIn Group page to post comments.
Or feel free to weigh in here. We'd love to hear from you.Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 4 so far )
Tech Recruiter: Ask the Expert
If you have trouble understanding what role recruiters play in the job search, this is the forum for you. When it comes to recruiters, there are so many unanswered questions. Get the answers this Wednesday 10/3 at 3pm ET on twitter at #TCFchat. GE technical recruiter Dave Graziano will be our special guest star.
Dave will be talking about technical recruiting, resume, job search, interview, and other related topics.
Join the discussion (Wednesday 10/3 on Twitter at 3pm Eastern). Simply follow and use the hashtag #TCFchat to be a part of it all.
If you're unable to join us for the live chat, go to our Tech Career Forum LinkedIn Group page to post comments.
Or feel free to weigh in here. We'd love to hear from you.Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
« Previous Entries


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Isfahan Attractions
Explore Isfahan
From best known attractions in Isfahan to the hidden treasures, Isfahan has many unique attractions to look out for. Isfahan tourist attractions consist of an immense collection of traditional houses, cemeteries, gardens, bazaars, mosques, bridges and so many other places for you to step in. Here, you can not only get a handful of information, but also get informed about the opening hours, location, contact information and prices of these places.


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December 28th, 2010
2010 Obsessions: You're not watching 'Pretty Little Liars' yet?
Four attractive and stylish teenage girls, a handsome young high school teacher, a blind classmate with a secret and a slew of destructive text messages sent by the deceased. If that's not a recipe for a hit TV series, I don't know what is.
With its August finale watched by more than 3 million viewers, "Pretty Little Liars" quickly claimed the title of breakout series of the summer. Based on the book series of the same name, "Liars" also nabbed the second spot on Twitter's list of 2010's most tweeted-about moments in TV.
Why, you ask, is a teen drama (on ABC Family, of all channels) getting so much hype? Because it's awesome, that's why.
"Liars" is a younger "Desperate Housewives," with an eerily broad demographic of adults, 18 to 30-something, according to TV by the Numbers.
The June premiere, which marked ABC Family's No. 1 series launch to date, introduced us to each of the main characters – including Alison (Sasha Pieterse), who died a mysterious death prior to the first episode. Sound familiar, "Housewives" fans?
Of course, there are differences: The girls live in a town called Rosewood, not on Wisteria Lane; they attend high school and homecoming dances, not work and conference calls; and they continually receive very personal, threatening messages from "A." Drama, drama, drama.
It doesn't matter that the acting isn't exactly Oscar-worthy, or that the storyline is about as realistic as an episode of "Gossip Girl." The show just sucks people in, so much so that you'd be hard-pressed to find a viewer who hasn't turned to Google looking for answers. Some of our commenters even admitted to picking up the books in hopes of piecing the story together faster. Though, there's a good chance the show will deviate from the novels.
I can't lie and say there are never any cheesy, tween scenes that pop up - like when Spencer (Troian Bellisario) and her new boy toy randomly break out into song and dance in a country club kitchen. But the show always immediately redeems itself with a juicy new secret or two.
It also helps that each episode ends with a cliffhanger so intense you'll stay put on the couch for 15 minutes contemplating next week's events with your roommate. (You don't have to admit to it, but I know for fact I'm not the only one who does that.)
For me, TV has been devoid of a show this intense since "Veronica Mars" went off the air in 2007. We need a little light-hearted mystery
"Pretty Little Liars" - starring Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell and Lucy Hale, all of whom were relatively unknown before "Liars" - returns to the tube on Monday, January 3.
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Peak Phosphorus – Commence Urine Recyling on Space Station Earth
Fact: Phosphorus is a non-renewable resource for which there is no substitute.
Phosphorus is the currency of energy in every living cell. Our ability to provide enough food to feed the human population is dependent on the use of artificial fertilizers, which contain phosphorus. While nitrogen is abundant in the atmosphere (- it just takes lots of energy to capture it!), phosphorus is mined at just a handful of locations worldwide.
You can substitute renewable energy for oil and gas. But no other mineral can take the place of phosphorus. There is no substitute for water either, but the water cycle constantly provides us with 'new' fresh water, granted not always where we want it, when we want it and in the quantities in which we would like, but there is a fundamental recycling system there. And if you have enough energy, two thirds of the planet is covered in it and you can take the salt out of it. There is no such 're-cycling system' with phosphorus and the natural resources which are limited are being depleted. The timing for Peak phosphorus may be 50 years out, or a hundred and fifty years, but as with peak oil, it's not a question of if, but when. There has already been considerable volatility in Phosphorus markets in the past year, possibly related more to volatility in the energy market and this has trickled through into food prices.
Currently we mine it, use it and disperse it widely across the planet, much of it ending up in our rivers, lakes and oceans. Large portions of the earth's oceans are now 'dead zones' and this is largely due to nutrient enrichment. It's the classic example of too much of a good thing. When you see green lakes and algal blooms, this is nutrient enrichment.
Phosphorus was discovered in the 17th century by Alchemist's trying to find the 'Philosophers Stone, applied under peoples finger nails as a form of medieval torture, used in matches and explosives, and Post World War II its use in both pesticides and fertilizers has been hugely important in increasing global agricultural output. For an interesting treatise on the topic check out The 13th Element: The Sordid Tale of Murder, Fire, and Phosphorus.
The Clean Tech Opportunity
So where is the Clean Tech angle on this? It's in Phosphorus recycling and phosphorus recovery technologies. There are a number of companies focused on developing technologies to extract phosphorus and produce fertilizer products. Sweden and Germany are leading the way on promoting phosphorus recycling. Sweden for example has mandated that 60% of phosphorus must be recovered at its wastewater treatment plants by 2015 and the UK is also promoting phosphorus recycling. Every municipal wastewater treatment plant is potentially a 'phosphorus mine'. Agricultural and industrial waste streams are also potential 'mines'.


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Get answers to common questions for indoor dog ramps and ramps for cars.
Two story dog ramp
We have a two story house and five dogs and a cat. My son has two of the dogs in his bedroom which overlooks the backyard. Every time his dogs need to go out, they have to go through the house which causes the cat to get freaked out. I found a window door that I could order so his dogs can go through the window onto a deck (4×4) and down a ramp to another deck (8×4) and down another ramp into the backyard.
I do not want to make it a permanent ramp/exit, nor do I want it to cost a fortune since my son may move out and I don't want to have this set up forever. Also, we live in a subdivision where everything needs to be approved if it is permanent. I just want a simple solution, however, no one is willing to help me with a design that is not necessarily permanent and approved by the city and all that good stuff.
The total height to my son's window is 18 feet down. Is there a simple solution or do you know of a kit to put together a double temporary ramp. I would appreciate any advice you can give me since my own family won't help.
In our opinion, there is no simple DIY solution as far as building something like this goes. You are looking at quite an expense in materials to build something safely. We would recommend you consult with a professional designer and your local planning department.
Since you believe your son is not going to be there permanently, it might be best to require that the dogs be leashed each and every time they go through the house (your house; your rules). The cat should quickly realize that the dogs are being controlled. An alternative would be to make sure the cat is placed behind a closed door.
Hope this helps!
Dog ramp for a loft only accessible by ladder
by Jenn
I sleep in a loft only accessible by a wooden ladder. I have a 70 lb dog that I would like to build a ramp or a contraption to allow him to access the loft so we can sleep together. Any ideas? Thanks, Jenn and FireCat
Hello Jenn, thank you for your interesting question!
A ramp would require a lot of construction because you may need to do zigzags or a spiral for any height over two or three feet. The limiting factor is the angle or slope – the recommended maximum is one foot in height for every two feet in length, a ratio of 1:2. So if your loft is 10 feet high, you would need a ramp at least 20 feet long, or as said above, you would need to go back and forth several times, depending on how much space you have for placing the ramp.
As an alternative, I can suggest you create a kind of platform with rails around it and a gate. It would need strong ropes in each corner leading to a central rope which is attached to a hand cranked winch on the loft. The winch would need to be tall enough to bring the platform level with the loft, and it would need to be bolted to the loft floor so it could not slide off.
The main thing to consider is FireCat's safety. It would be important to make sure the platform could not tilt sideways and dump your dog out. You would also need to have some way to control the platform so it does not spin in circles. In addition, you'd need to ensure that FireCat could not jump out, perhaps by putting him/her in a harness with two leads secured to the side rails. The ropes would need to be inspected frequently for fraying. The winch would also need some type of braking mechanism.
The simplest option would be to create a comfortable, strong harness for your dog, and attach it to the winch mechanism. (We once hauled Comet up a chimney in a rock face by trussing him up with a rope harness. This was a temporary situation though.) The use of sturdy metal buckles rather than plastic snaps is recommended as the plastic ones have been known to break under sudden force. Again, FREQUENT INSPECTION of the seams and buckles is VERY important.
A sling type harness underneath the dog's torso from behind the front legs to just in front of the rear legs would be necessary for the most even lift. Straps would need to go around the dog's neck, back and rear under the tail to keep the sling from moving out of place. Strong metal snaps with strong leads going to the winch rope would be vital. These snaps should attach to metal rings near the dog's withers and base of the tail for proper distribution of the weight.
Of course, your dog would need to learn to get used to either a lifting harness or the platform idea. Start by getting FireCat comfortable with the harness or platform on the ground; then go up and down to very low heights. Increase the height gradually over a number of sessions according to your dog's comfort with the procedure (i.e. not struggling or panicking). Treats can help your dog understand what is expected.
Hope this helps – please let us know what you come up with by replying with a submission here. Photos are always welcome!
Too steep of steps
by Anonymous
We just moved into a house that has very steep steps. My little dogs are having a hard time with them. Going up they have done ok, it's the coming down that is the hard part. I need to figure a way to make the steps in our house safe for them so they don't get hurt.
Three possibilities come to mind:
1. Add a type of material to the steps that gives your dogs maximum traction. A non-skid product called SkidTex is one option; old rubber car mats that have been cut to fit are another (if you don't have any, try a junkyard); and a rough type of carpeting can be another.
2. Cushion the steps by adding some type of padded material on each step – thrift stores are great places to get cheap pillows or other padded materials.
3. Build a doggie slide – basically a ramp with a smooth surface – make sure it has sides and add a soft landing pad at the bottom!
P.S. Please contact us and let us know which option worked for you so we can add the information to this page.
Why use lathe with Plywood Dog Ramp for stairs?
by David
For the SIMPLE PLYWOOD DOG RAMP, why are wooden lathe's used?
I'd been assuming that, if I just stapled every 12″ or so, there would be no problem with the rug slipping as my pooch descended/ascended the
David, thank you for your question. The instructions provided for the plywood dog ramp were given us by our friend, Ruth who used this style ramp with her dog for years.
However, this does not mean that this is the only way to design such a ramp. If you have found that stapling the carpet works, we would consider that a design improvement since it is simpler than buying, cutting and adding lathe.
There is a caveat: with simply stapling the carpet, the tread may wear out and you will likely have to replace it more often than if you have lathe as an extra gripping surface for your dog.
I hope this adequately answers your question.
Dog Ramp for Car
by Lynda Miller
(Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada)
Hi…do you have plans for a foldable dog ramp that would access the back seat of a toyota corolla sedan?
Lynda, we have two different kinds of folding dog ramp plans that ought to work as a dog ramp for car access to the back seat of your sedan, provided that the door opens wide enough. Each of our designs creates a ramp that is 18 inches wide. However, it would be possible to modify them to about 16 inches wide, if need be.
These foldable dog ramp plans are for the Dogge Bridge™, which is heavy duty, weighs 26 lbs and can hold dogs up to 175 lbs, and the Dogge Ramp™, which is lighter in construction and can hold dogs up to 115 lbs.
See our Dog Ramp Plans page for full specs and testimonies from customers (in the yellow boxes); then click on the individual product links to order the plans.
Please note that either ramp can be extended from 72 to 96 inches for a shallower angle. That means the folded length will increase from 36 to 48 inches. It also increases the weight by about three to five lbs.
Since it sounds like you will be setting the end of the ramp on the car seat, it will sag somewhat when your dog walks on it, which may scare him/her to begin with. In that case, it may be best to get the dog used to the ramp on a lower, firmer surface such as a curb or a concrete or wooden step before putting it into the car.
If your dog loves car rides, once he/she realizes that the ramp is a gateway into going for rides it should be easy to repeat the process!
We hope this answers your questions about a foldable dog ramp for car use.
Dog Too Scared to Use Pet Ramp
by Ray Sims
(Lockbourne, Ohio)
Our 7 year old Australian Shepherd did a dumb thing in 2006. She chased another animal to our shed and it quickly turned, making our dog Jessie hit the shed face first. After many hospital visits she is about 95% cured. Here's the question. Probably because of arthritis she has a very hard time going down 2 steps to the outside to go to the bathroom. I tried a pet ramp and she's too scared to use it. Can you think of any other thing I could make or buy to help her? I feel she's in pain every time she jumps from that step. She means so much to us. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks – Ray Sims
Ray, we would advocate that you get your dog to try a ramp. There are some things you can do that may help:
The first thing would be to lay the ramp flat on the ground and use treats to entice her to walk across it. Then raise it up on a couple of boards and lead her across with treats or food. Start raising one end slightly using praise and treats every time your dog ignores what she is walking on. This will perhaps take a few days.
You did not say what kind of ramp you have – if it is a store-bought one that feels flimsy, that may be one reason your dog is scared. (You could get around this by using thick plywood to make a fixed ramp out of plywood – see our instructions at Plywood Dog Ramp). You could add sides to make her feel more secure if that seems to be an issue.
Another reason may be that the ramp is at too steep an angle – a longer ramp will give you a shallower angle and will likely be easier on her arthritis too.
I hope these ideas help – it is always wonderful to hear from a caring dog owner.
What type of ramp should I build to get my 13 yr Lab up the porch steps?
My black lab who is now 13, is having increased difficulty climbing the porch stairs to get into the house. Both my front and back porch have 5 step stairs- of the ramp building plans, what is the best that I can build to help her?
The medication prescribed by the vet helps, but now she is getting even more hesitant going up and down because of the near falls she had had over the last few months.
The best and simplest ramp would be the Plywood Dog Ramp. Free instructions can be found at:
Build a Dog Ramp to Cover Your Stairs
After you build one, you may want to prop the ramp up on just the first step to begin with to get your dog used to it. Treats often help a dog overcome their fear (and Labs are usually into food big time!)
All the best!
Stairway too steep for my weenie dogs
by Jackie Hall
(Newport, PA, USA)
I live in an older home and the stairway to the second floor is super steep. All 4 of my dachshunds have tumbled down them and now I have to carry them up and down. I made a ramp but the ramp is too steep because the stairs are too steep. Any suggestions? It's killing me.
Jackie, thank you for supplying a photo with your question. I'm sorry your weenies are experiencing such difficulty. Having had a Dachshund as a child, I can see where those steps are just too high and why a ramp would be too steep for those short little legs.
What I would suggest here is to create a series of mini steps that are half the height of the steps that you currently have – from the photo, your steps appear to be somewhere between 8 and 10 inches tall. If you could halve that to 4 or 5 inches in height, and your steps are wide enough that you can use half the distance to put in an extra step, that could do the trick.
The easiest thing I can think of to try would be to find some thick Styrofoam pieces and experiment with those. Alternatively, you could cut some 4×6 or 4×4 lumber pieces at least 10 inches long.
If you determined that either of those materials worked, you would have to be willing to apply glue or fasten some non-slip materials such as Velcro between the new and existing wood steps to hold them in place.
In addition, I would recommend adding a rubberized material to the tops of the new steps so the dogs do not lose their footing going either up or down.
If the above ideas do not work, you would probably need to create an elevator platform with either a hand-cranked or motorized winch, while blocking off the stairs with a gate to prevent the dogs from using the steps. From the looks of the photo, this may require some structural remodeling and would, therefore, require the services of a professional to make sure this would not affect any load-bearing walls.
At any rate, please realize that the above are only suggestions and that we cannot be responsible for any choices you make. Do please let us know if you come up with something that works so we can provide this information to others struggling with a similar situation.
All the best!


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Pinterest helps people discover the things they want to plan, buy and do. Pinterest connects people through shared interests—their passions, hobbies, tastes and values. Pinterest is a platform that allows users to share and save content to virtual collections called boards. The platform has a unique demographic in that the vast majority of its more than 100 million active users are female. Pinterest is currently the fastest growing social network and is rapidly expanding into all lines of business which can benefit from visual communication.
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In an op-ed at The New York Times, Brookings' Jonathan Pollack describes Jang Song-thaek's execution last month as the latest episode in a thirty-year run of Chinese North Korea policy that "remains [almost] unblemished by success":
Mr. Jang was China's primary channel into the North. This did not make him Beijing's man, but he had far more extensive international experience than any other leader in Pyongyang. His control of various business interests in the North and responsibility for special economic zones along the Chinese border enabled him to amass substantial economic power.
[…] North Korean officials linked to Mr. Jang now find themselves under suspicion; reportedly, others have also been purged or executed. Advocates of cooperation with China face greater risks as Mr. Kim consolidates his power and demands unquestioning loyalty from all subordinates. Without reliable allies in North Korea, China must deal with an impetuous and grandiose young leader who pays China very little heed.
Mr. Jang's fall from power is the latest in a long succession of Chinese policy failures in North Korea. Many analysts argue that North Korea is a buffer state for China, used by Beijing to insulate it from American pressure. But the reverse is more the case: China is a buffer state for North Korea, for Beijing continues to be Pyongyang's primary enabler. [Source]
Also at The New York Times, Mike Hale reviews a PBS Frontline report, 'Secret State of North Korea,' which will air on Tuesday evening:
The focus of "Secret State" is the movement of information into, and out of, one of the world's most sealed-off countries. Its most dramatic element are snippets of film shot inside North Korea by members of an underground network of citizen journalists organized by a Japan-based news agency.
[…] The experts the program consults agree that change is taking place, but some are more optimistic than others about its pace.
"If a government is willing to kill as many people as necessary to stay in power," says Andrei Lankov, a Russian expert on North Korea, "it usually stays in power for a very long time." [Source]


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I'm a big fan of alternative Christmas Trees and this year we decided to make one and I'm going to show you how easy it is to make your own stick Christmas tree.
This super stylish and and space saving Christmas tree alternative would look great in any home and we decorated ours to be in keeping with our industrial chic decor.
First of all you are going to need some decorations. We selected some silver and fur decorations from Laura Ashley, as I thought they'd work really well in our house. You can find out more about what we picked below.
You'll need to go our foraging for some sticks. Thankfully we have an abundance of trees in our garden. If you already know where your stick Christmas tree is going, then measure the space and work out the length of the longest stick you'll need. You can use lots of sticks, or just a few. The tree we made was only 8 sticks.
You'll also need some hard wearing string. You can choose any colour you like, in keeping with your decoration theme.
Step 1
Once you know where you are hanging your stick Christmas tree, work out the width you want your tree base to be and make this the length of your longest stick. Gradually trim the remaining sticks to size, to ensure you have a perfect tree shape.
Step 2
Lay out your sticks in order of size.
Step 3
Starting at the base of the tree, wrap the string around the stick and secure in place with a double knot. Continue this step as you work your way up one side of the tree, making sure you leave enough of a gap to suit the height of where you are going to hang your tree. Repeat the same on the other side and make sure your gaps are even on both sides.
Step 4
Secure your tree to the wall and begin decorating with whatever you like!
It's that simple and super easy to store again for the following year. It's also a nice idea for a wall or fence in your garden.
Collaborative Post


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Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's 26-6 loss Ohio State
Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch gives his initial thoughts on the Spartans' performance on Saturday against the Buckeyes.
1. A different game if Lombardi starts
We'll never know what might have been for Michigan State if Rocky Lombardi would have started at quarterback against Ohio State. Maybe MSU would have fumbled twice more deep in its own territory and this wouldn't have been close. Just as likely, the Buckeyes would have needed more than a single touchdown to be ahead at halftime.
Either way, it would have been a different game. Given what MSU's defense has become, that's a game the Spartans deserved to see.
Mark Dantonio made the wrong call at quarterback Saturday, starting injured junior Brian Lewerke over redshirt freshman Rocky Lombardi. It didn't kill MSU chances of winning. But it made winning less likely. Dantonio's not supposed to do that.
We'll see where it goes from here. Lombardi appeared to injure his hand diving after a fumble on an option pitch in the fourth quarter. If he's healthy enough to practice and play next week, he's the Spartans' best QB right now. You play your best players.
A big opportunity was lost Saturday. MSU's defense gave it a chance. Lombardi gave the offense some juice. It should have been his game from the start. I don't know if he deserved that. But MSU's team did.
2. Lewerke was set up to fail
I get having loyalty to a quarterback who's won a lot and done a lot for you. So stick by him — give him the first shot at the job once his throwing shoulder is healthy. Starting Brian Lewerke on Saturday made zero sense on multiple levels. It set him up to fail and it didn't give MSU the best chance to win. That's not loyalty to anyone — your quarterback, your team, your job as head coach, which is largely to win football games.
What transpired in the first half offensively against the Buckeyes was predictable, given what we saw last week from Lewerke. I don't understand how Mark Dantonio didn't see it coming. Everyone else seemed to. The peanut gallery should never see the situation more clearly than the coach. They appeared to here.
3. MSU's defense is reaching levels we haven't seen in a while
Not since 2013 has MSU's defense given up so few points per game. Not since 1987 has MSU been this good against the run. The Spartans are allowing 19.6 points per game. It'd be less if the offense hadn't turned it over three times, leading directly to 17 points Saturday.
There are two ways to look at it: That this defense will have been wasted on a season that fell short of greatness; or, looking on the bright side of life, this is the beginning of something that'll help win a championship. That probably depends partly on whether players like Raequan Williams and Justin Layne return for their senior years. This could be like the 2012 group, which allowed 16.3 points per game and, a year later, was a devastating unit, allowing a mere 13.2.
MSU essentially gave up seven points Saturday to an offense that entered the game averaging 42. The Spartans allowed Penn State, which averages 37 points, 21. They gave up 21 to Michigan, which averages 36.7. And they let in just 13 points from Purdue, which averages more than 33. Those are top four scoring offenses in the Big Ten.
Bonus take: Coghlin has turned into one of the more reliable kickers in college football
MSU sophomore kicker Matt Coghlin entered Saturday as one of only five kickers in college football with 12 or more made field goals and just one miss. He's 14-for-16 on field goal tries after Saturday, connecting on kicks of 44 and 38 yards, and missing from 51, on a blustery day. His 38-yarder in the third quarter that cut the deficit to 7-6 appeared to be into a wind that struggled to make up its mind on its direction.
Coghlin has become one of the unsung storylines of this MSU football season, his consistency and reliability critical to an offense without much margin for error. I'm not sure the victories against Purdue (3-for-4 field goals) or Utah State (3-for-3) happen without him. He's 3-for-3 on field goals between 40 and 49 yards. The Spartans are lucky to have him for another two seasons.
Contact Graham Couch at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
- Michigan State implodes infourth quarter in 26-6 loss to Ohio State
- Michigan State takes intentional safety vs. Ohio State in most Big Ten play ever


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Aliens, the Public Option, and Us
As liberal Democrats will try (and are expected to fail) to add a public-option provision to Chairman Max Baucus's health care bill this week in the Senate Finance Committee, Media Matters for America points out that more Americans believe in UFOs than oppose the public option.
It sounds outlandish, but it's about right: a 2007 Associated Press poll (cited by Media Matters) finds that 34 percent of Americans believe in the existence of UFOs. Meanwhile, anywhere from 26 to 42 percent oppose the public option, according to recent major polls not commissioned by backers or opponents of said option. The public-option support/opposition breakdown, reported by major polls this month, is:
55 percent support/42 percent oppose, according to a Sept. 12 Washington Post/ABC poll, which worded its question pretty neutrally: "Would you support or oppose having the government create a new health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans?"
65 percent support/26 percent oppose, according to a Sept. 25 NY Times/CBS poll, which also worded its question neutrally, but with a twist: "Would you favor or oppose the government offering everyone a government administered health insurance plan--something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older get--that would compete with private health insurance plans?"
47 percent support/32 percent oppose, according to a Sept. 15 poll by The Economist/YouGov, which asked a more stripped down question: "Do you favor or oppose...having a 'public option' which would allow individuals to purchase health care insurance coverage from the government?"
Aside from the miasma of partisan-sponsored surveys, data on the public option from major polling and news entities has been somewhat scarce in the last month, and these three polls represent the latest and best findings we have. And they paint a somewhat inconsistent picture.
So why the divergence? I'm guessing the NY Times/CBS poll gives the public option a more favorable shake because it likens said option to Medicare...and it's an established fact that even protesters of the public option like Medicare. "No Socialized Medicine...Get Your Hands Off Medicare!" say the signs.
In covering his paper's own poll, David Herszenhorn notes that the description doesn't exactly match up with what's on the table in Congress:
But in Congress, none of the legislative proposals that include the public option would make it available to everyone. In fact, the public option, at least at the outset, would not be an option for most Americans, particularly those who already have health insurance.
"[O]ffering" the plan to "everyone" is a pretty friendly phrase. The Economist/YouGov, meanwhile, uses "allow...to purchase" as the verb.
There's also rampant public confusion about what's meant by "public option," Nate Silver noted in August. A Penn, Schoen and Berland online poll (less reliable than phone surveys) showed that only 37 percent of the public knew that a "public option" is a government-administered insurance plan...26 percent, meanwhile, thought it meant creating a national health care system like what they have in Great Britain. Consequently, it matters a lot how pollsters word their descriptions.
The three polls listed above steer clear of partisan insinuation, but public misapprehensions should account for some general loose wiring in poll responses. If only a third of the country knows what you're talking about--or if 2/3 are shocked, confused, and mistrustful when pollsters start asking them about government-administered health insurance plans--random samples become less reliable. (That's not to say Penn, Schoen and Berland's data on "public plan" comprehension is itself totally accurate.)
So the UFO/public option comparison may or may not be completely accurate. If you believe The Economist/YouGov, it's still more or less right.
But comparing public policy opinion to the deep, Jungian jungle of human belief is dangerous business. After all, the same AP survey found that 48 percent--a shade better than the public option fared in The Economist's poll--believe in ESP. In 1997, 80 percent of Americans thought the government was hiding knowledge of the existence of extraterrestrial life forms according to CNN.
Perhaps a more relevant question about the public option is: what mythic function does it serve? Does belief in the public option connect us to a larger universe of moral and emotional significance? Does it explain the unexplained?
Or not. It's probably about expanding coverage and introducing a foreign body into the health-insurance market, forcing insurers to lower costs--or, as single-payer advocates hope, a new organism with natural advantages that could one day dominate the ecosystem, like kudzu ivy along U.S. highways. For opponents, it's a government incursion; for supporters, it's a public aspiration--one that the U.S. Senate will probably refuse to grant.
The exact level of public-option support is up for debate, but the most reliable September data tells us more Americans support it than don't. In a world of unknowns, that's what we've got.


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Because It Feels Right
Consider the lactating breast, and consider that it is only very recently in human history that it has had to be defended—not until the mid-20th century, when doctors and nurses called it primitive and unclean and instructed women to dry out and buy formula. In the 1970s, the women's movement and La Leche League tried to redeem breastfeeding, and since then the medical establishment has done a 180, and the daughters of the feminist revolution arrive at motherhood presented with an ostensible choice: "Do you plan to breastfeed?" we are asked.
All the expectant women in the new documentary Breastmilkdid, for the usual reasons: "It's healthier," "It's more natural," "It's better." What actually happened in the days, weeks, and months following childbirth, and what happens to mothers in general, is not only the subject of the film but also the interest of policymakers; public health advocates; "lactivists;" feminists, most of whom lament America's low breastfeeding rates—around 16 percent of mothers are breastfeeding exclusively at six months, the minimum recommended by health authorities—and others who say we're overselling its importance.
Joan Wolf, a professor of gender studies at Texas A&M and author of the provocatively titled 2011 book Is Breast Best? Taking on the Breastfeeding Experts and the New High Stakes Motherhood, represents the latter camp. Speaking against a global consensus comparable to that on climate change, Wolf insists "the general message women are getting from experts—including doctors, the government, and La Leche League—is wrong" and calls the science "weak, speculative, and very badly represented." Hanna Rosin, writing what in retrospect looks like a prequel for TheAtlantic in 2009, went one step further and not only repudiated the science but called breastfeeding a "middle class mother's prison."
"Do you think men would need scientific evidence to tell them what feels good and what they should be doing with their bodies?"
Epidemiologists have little patience for Wolf and less for Rosin, who they say cherry pick studies among a vast body of research and naively demand proof of causation, which is as unreasonable as climate change deniers demanding unequivocal proof that humans are causing the Earth to cook—there are too many confounding variables, plus the ethics for breastfeeding (you can't assign women to feed their babies one way or another just to study them, so scientists are limited to observational studies). "While Wolf has indeed found articles that support [her] claim, other far more comprehensive studies have come to a different conclusion," writes sociologist Jacqueline Wolf (no relation) in a scathing review. "She is wrong."
In Breastmilk, the science doesn't come up much, and if mothers feel imprisoned it doesn't seem to hinge on how they feed their babies. But what comes through clearly is that breastfeeding is important to these women on many levels, and most are understandably frustrated by the mixed messages they've received: On the one hand breast is best, and on the other, good luck with that.
One keen social worker suggests that women aren't really motivated by the science anyway—it's not the "off chance that your child might not be fat when he gets older," she says. The film touches down on the real reason women want to do it: because it feels right. One woman says "it's so nice to feel so close to your child." Another describes breastfeeding as that "exhale moment, that moment when nothing else matters. It's a little high." Even Rosin admitted she breastfed her three kids "because it's nice." (Wolf, for her part, won't say how she fed her two children.)
This point, and an entr'acte of breasts ejaculating in slow motion, make Breastmilk a radical film, and offer a release, if you will, from the issue's tired framing in terms of health and choice. "I'm not so interested in convincing women to breastfeed," says director Dana Ben-Ari. "I'm much more interested in seeing why it's so difficult to achieve those goals." For her, the science is both a given and beside the point. "I don't need science to tell me it's better to eat a fresh piece of fruit than some frozen version made in a lab. Do you think men would need scientific evidence to tell them what feels good and what they should be doing with their bodies?"
While the film holds a certain reverence for biology, it does not look to women to defend their "choices." Instead, Breastmilk shows how little women's choices seem to matter—and how much the systems around them do. Several of the women whose babies latch, whose milk comes in, yet who have to return within weeks to jobs where there is no on-site childcare, where they have to plug into a pump behind closed doors, and who after all the effort are told they're not making enough milk—they've been supplementing with formula all along and stop breastfeeding altogether before six months. Pumps, we know, aren't as stimulating for milk production, or the pursuit of happiness. "I feel like a cow," says one woman reluctant to pump on camera. "I go moo."
In this woman-against-machine world, in which we know data don't drive behavior or policy, maybe Joan Wolf has a point when she says we are overemphasizing the science, "pushing women to breastfeed for all the wrong reasons." But unlike her, the film sets aside the evidence to interrogate something more fundamental: our values. It seems to ask: Rather than claiming nutritional superiority, might human enjoyment be reason enough to fight for women to have more latch-time with their babies? And might that be the radical shift in framing that feminists need to lead, the same way we fought for orgasms? Fiona Giles, a feminist scholar at the University of Sydney and author of Fresh Milk: The Secret Life of Breasts suggests "a kind of biological feminism" where a woman can be "fully in the world and fully in her body."
What would this look like? In terms of breastfeeding, we'd be fighting to make it easier simply "because it's what women's bodies do," Giles says. Instead, the American feminist conversation is stuck in circles about whether promoting breastfeeding is really worth it (cue the "science is weak" argument) or egalitarian (cue the "it's essentialist" argument) when the difficulty (because our culture makes it so) makes so many women feel guilty. Scholar and activist Bernice Hausman has a great answer to the latter: "Guilt operates as this rhetoric that forestalls change," as if "anybody who talks about guilt really cares about mothers," she says on camera. "And it's a lie."
In other words, if we really cared about mothers, we'd make it easier to be one. Which means feminists can't be politically afraid to admit that women are biologically different and demand support for those differences. "That doesn't make us inferior," Giles says. "It just means we have different needs at different times." And maybe acknowledging that would make us all feel better.