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My Week
Another very busy week! We had Mike's concert at school, three birthdays to celebrate, a couple of tough days at work along, with making fudge and baking cookies. We will celebrate Christmas with our kids here tomorrow and of course I'm not nearly ready!
I did find a few minutes to work on my blog index but that was all I accomplished this week.
A Special Wish
Cyndi Howells, who works so hard for us on her Cyndi's List website, would like 2,000 Facebook fans by Christmas. She's well short of this number so let's all get the word out and see if we can't make her wish come true!
Carnivals and Roundups
Jasia has posted the the 86th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy at Creative Gene. This is a two for one edition! The topics were Other Holiday Happenings and my annual favorite, Letters to Santa. The topic for the next edition is New Years Resolutions.
Thomas has completed the Holiday 2009 GeneaBloggers Cookbook. Be sure to pick up your copy at GeneaBloggers.
The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories continues at GeneaBloggers. There are so many participating and so many interesting stories that you will find lots of great reading!
Randy always has interesting things that I've missed in his weekly Best of the Genea-Bloggers at Genea-Musings and so does John at TransylvanianDutch with his Weekly Genealogy Picks.
We're Blog Caroling with fM again this year at footnote Maven.
Kathryn has posted the 7th edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival, a carousel, at Looking4Acestors. Details about the next edition will be posted after Christmas.
The deadline for the January 2010 edition of the Graveyard Rabbit Carnival is December 25th. The topic is The Final Resting Place.
Weekly Reading
Bill had A Moment of Sanity but is now singing the Geneablogger Blues at West in New England.
Thomas has recorded his own video version of His Favorite Christmas Carol at Destination Austin Family. I'm laughing with you Thomas! He also scored big on ebay and won 1869 Diary of Mary Weber.
Things are Not All Merry and Bright! for fM at footnoteMaven.
Miriam has compiled a list of State Census Records Online at AnceStories.
If you are interested in seeing the White House Decorated for Christmas head on over to American Presidents Blog.
Lynn at The Armchair Genealogist shares a list of What You Can Find in a Cemetery - Besides Dead People.
Mona did a Double Take!! at Itawamba Connections.
I was shocked when I read It's gonna cost, but how much? by Liz at The Ancestral Archaeologist. I've never been charged for a look-up but I would be happy to make a reasonable donation.
I have requested cremation when the time comes so I was intrigued by Life After Life by Denise at The Graveyard Rabbit of Moultrie Creek.
Mundia.com is new and Randy has done a great job in reviewing it at Genea-Musings. You can find links to all four parts here. Randy also reviewed OurTimeLines.com, which looks very promising.
At the Photo Detective with Maureen Taylor, Finding the Story, Part 3, moves from clues in a photo to DNA and additional mystery!
For more mystery reading check out Marlys', William Williams and the case of the "possible twin" at Hesch History.
For a little more mystery Jean, at Circlemending, has The Mysterious Deaths of Three Freemans.
The Ancestry Insider shares his thoughts about Awards, Awards, and More Awards. He and I are on the same page with this!
How did your ancestors keep things cool? Saw Dust and Dark Holes at FamHist Blog.


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Easy Crab Cake Recipe
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup small finely diced red onion
1 large stalk of finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of Old Bay
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 pound lump crab-meat, drained and cleaned of shells
1/2 cup panko or finely crushed saltine crackers
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
Place the 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons oil,hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, onion, celery, red bell pepper, parsley,old bay seasoning, salt, and pepper in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes, Cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, break the lump crab meat into small pieces and toss with the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Add the cooked mixture and mix well. Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes to an hour. Shape into medium-sized crab cakes.
Heat the butter and olive oil for frying over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the crab cakes and fry for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in an oven and serve hot with your sauce of choice. Bon Appetit!
Posted on September 6, 2012, in Seafood and tagged crab cakes, crabmeat, dinner, hot pepper sauce, lump crab meat, seafood. Bookmark the permalink. 11 Comments.
I'm in love……I was looking at crab legs the other day too…
Can't wait to try it.
So love the look and recipe of this: unfortunately living 100km rurally outside Sydney, fresh crab is not so easy to get and costs a fortune – so it is a case of putting on file till some kind friend is visiting 🙂 !

subset: commoncrawl


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Sept. 4, 2003 -- — Scientists are finally closing in on the answers to a puzzle that has perplexed them for centuries: How does a spider spin a web of silk that is five times stronger, on a weight-to-strength basis, than steel?
If we could spin silk as strong as a spider's, we could create all sorts of biomedical devices of extraordinary strength, and make bulletproof vests that might stop a bomb, and create a whole new line of materials for everything from high-performance aircraft to household appliances.
Over the past decade scientists have figured out parts of the puzzle, including the key proteins used by spiders and silkworms to work their magic, but they have been stumped in their efforts to translate their successes into techniques that would allow industrial-scale production of synthetic spider's silk that is as strong as the real stuff.
The hangup was pretty basic. While they understood the substances used by these inventive little animals, they couldn't figure out the mechanics of how spiders combine those substances to make silk. When they tried it in their labs, they got inferior products.
But it turns out that a key part of the answer to this complex question is really pretty simple. It's all in the timing.
Tiny Globular Structures
"I hate to say it's so simple, but timing is everything," says David Kaplan, professor and chair of biomedical engineering at Tufts University near Boston. Kaplan and his former postdoctoral fellow Hyoung-Joon Jin unraveled part of the mystery with the help of some creative scientific sleuthing and a little good luck, as is so often the case.
"We stumbled on it, really, through a back door," says Kaplan, who published their findings in a recent issue of the journal Nature.
Kaplan had been looking for the answer for more than a decade, dating back to the days when he worked as a staff scientist at the Army's Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center in Massachusetts. But that wasn't what he was looking for when he and Jin were trying to artificially spin some regenerated silkworm silk in Tufts Bioengineering Center, which Kaplan directs.
That line of research is sort of an end-run around spiders and silkworms. If we can't spin the silk, maybe we can take silk spun by the critters and add some non-silk polymers to it to enlarge the sample and make interesting things out of it.
By adding the polymers, Kaplan and Jin produced a solution that was a little like syrup because the amount of water, or water content as scientists call it, had been reduced. They were able to use that technique to produce a silken film, but when they looked closely at the new material they were a bit mystified.
"That was when we first observed some unusual features," Kaplan says. The features were tiny globular structures called "miscelles" which combined together to form larger and larger gel-like structures. Could it be, the researchers wondered, that they were seeing the precursors to silk fibers?
To find out, they went back to nature, examining samples from spiders and silkworms, and they found the same kinds of structures. That suggested, quite strongly, that they had stumbled onto a big part of the secret. Spiders control the water content of the gel to prevent the proteins from crystalizing until they are ready to spin the silk fibers. If the proteins crystalized too soon, the process would fail.
So timing, indeed, is everything.
Key Questions Ahead
Kaplan's discovery should help various companies around the world that are tying to replicate the spider's art, with various degrees of success. Some have claimed to have made artificial silk, but it's not nearly as good as the real stuff, Kaplan says.
"No one today can tell you that they can then take that silk and process it into materials, fibers or films that have the right kind of mechanical properties," Kaplan says. It's inferior, he adds, because no one as yet has fully "recapitulated the process that nature has provided."
He sees his and Jin's work as "a very important step," but it's still not the last step. It doesn't explain, for example, exactly how spiders and silkworms take those globs in their glands and stretch them into fibers. Edward Atkins of the University of Bristol addressed that issue in a commentary that accompanies Kaplan's paper.
That, Atkins says, "is a question for the future."
But clearly, we are much closer to understanding this mystery now than back in 1881 when George Emery Goodfellow, a physician in Tombstone, Ariz., pulled a silk hanky from the breast pocket of a man who was shot in a gun battle. Inside the hanky the good doctor found two bullets that had smashed the man's chest.
The wounds proved fatal but Goodfellow noted in his memoirs that "not a drop of blood had come from either of the two wounds" because the silk handkerchief had stopped them from ripping through his body.
Goodfellow was so intrigued with that demonstration of the spider's might that he documented other cases that revealed the strength of silk. He probably figured he was on the verge of changing the world. All we had to do was copy the spider, and we could produce a vest that would stop any bullet.
All these years later, we're closer, but we still aren't quite there yet.
Lee Dye's column appears weekly on ABCNEWS.com. A former science writer for the Los Angeles Times, he now lives in Juneau, Alaska.


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Datejust 31Oyster, 31 mm, Oystersteel and Everose gold
This Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 in Oystersteel and Everose gold features a silver floral-motif, diamond-set dial and a Jubilee bracelet.
Its dial features 24 diamonds in 18 ct gold settings. The light reflections on the case sides and lugs highlight the elegant profile of the 31 mm Oyster case, which is fitted with a domed bezel. Aesthetically, the Datejust has spanned eras, while retaining the enduring codes that make it, notably in its traditional versions, one of the most recognized and recognizable of watches.
Silver dial
A distinctive face
The dial is the distinctive face of a Rolex watch, the feature most responsible for its identity and readability.
Characterised by hour markers fashioned from gold to prevent tarnishing, every Rolex dial is designed and manufactured in-house, largely by hand to ensure perfection.
Model features
More Datejust
Technical Details
Reference 278241
Model Case
- Model Case
- Oyster, 31 mm, Oystersteel and Everose gold
- Oyster Architecture
- Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown
- Diameter
- 31 mm
- Material
- Everose Rolesor - combination of Oystersteel and Everose gold
- Bezel
- Domed
- Winding Crown
- Screw-down, Twinlock double waterproofness system
- Crystal
- Scratch-resistant sapphire, Cyclops lens over the date
- Water Resistance
- Waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet
- Movement
- Perpetual, mechanical, self-winding
- Calibre
- 2236, Manufacture Rolex
- Precision
- -2/+2 sec/day, after casing
- Functions
- Centre hour, minute and seconds hands. Instantaneous date with rapid setting. Stop-seconds for precise time setting
- Oscillator
- Syloxi hairspring in silicon with patented geometry. High-performance Paraflex shock absorbers
- Winding
- Bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor
- Power reserve
- Approximately 55 hours
- Bracelet
- Jubilee, five-piece links
- Bracelet Material
- Everose Rolesor - combination of Oystersteel and Everose gold
- Clasp
- Concealed folding Crownclasp
- Dial
- Silver, floral motif set with diamonds
- Gem setting
- 24 diamonds in 18 ct gold settings
- Certification
- Superlative Chronometer (COSC + Rolex certification after casing)
How to Set your
Datejust 31
Synonymous with excellence and reliability, Rolex watches are designed for everyday wear, and depending on the model, perfectly suited for a wide range of sports and other activities. Built to last, these timepieces are characterized by their distinctive and timeless aesthetics. The Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 is the expression of everlasting appeal. Learn more about this watch and how to set the time and date by watching the video.


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Today, I'm joined by supernatural thriller author, J.S.Bailey, as we talk about her latest release, Doctor Who, and doing what she loves.
The Fun Stuff:
What part of the world do you come from?
I was born and grew up in and around Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, and live here still! Though I sometimes dream of what it would be like living somewhere else, I feel that Cincinnati is where I'll always be. (Though I do love to travel.) There is always something to do and see here—we have everything from museums and amusement parks to book festivals and hiking trails. Now it just sounds like I'm writing a travel brochure. 😉
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I'd toyed around with the idea of becoming a teacher, but deep down I always wanted to be a writer. I started writing at such a young age that I remember virtually nothing else. Also, I am not teacher material—wouldn't want to traumatise the children!
List three words to describe yourself.
Quiet, introspective, and quirky.
Who would play you in a film about your life?
Probably Felicia Day. We don't look anything alike but have similar backgrounds. She could emulate my social awkwardness fairly well, I think.
What's your favourite snack food when writing?
I don't eat while writing since I'd rather not get crumbs in the keyboard. I do enjoy potato chips/crisps!
If you had a super power, what would it be?
I would love to be a healer. There are so many broken people in this world, and to have the ability to make them better would be worth any sacrifices that would come with such a gift.
The Sensible Side:
Tell us a little about yourself. (How did you get started writing? What do you do when you're not writing?)
I started "writing" at roughly the age of five, when I would compile my own picture books that I illustrated myself. I began writing more seriously in high school and published my first novel while in college. I am a very slow writer and spend much of my time playing the piano, crocheting, knitting, watching Doctor Who or Supernatural, reading, and colouring in colouring books for grown-ups. I also have multiple book signings every month to help get my stories into the hands of new readers—I meet so many fascinating people that way.
Where did the inspiration for The Chronicles of Servitude Series come from?
Several years ago my husband told me I should write a series of novels about demon hunters who have superpowers. I thought it was silly, so after I finished writing my standalone novel Rage's Echo I started writing a series about exorcists who have super-refined spiritual gifts that are *almost* like superpowers. I mean, that's like the same thing, right?
What do you like the most about writing supernatural thrillers?
I find it enjoyable to write about spooky and bizarre things happening right here in our own world. I do enjoy fantasy and science fiction, but for the most part those take place in imaginary places. I think setting fantastical stories here and now makes them more relatable, and perhaps a little more hair-raising.
Can you give us a brief excerpt from one of your books?
From Servant:
Graham Willard had a decision to make.
He stared out his bedroom window at the rain falling upon the yard and surrounding woods. The moon peeked through a gap in the storm clouds, illuminating the pair of rain-washed automobiles parked in front of the detached garage at the bottom of the hill. The man tried to remember if he'd left his Grand Marquis unlocked and hoped that he had. It would enable a speedier getaway.
He drew back from the window and dragged in a deep breath. Not so long ago, making a decision such as this would have taken him no longer than a second. If asked the same question he was now asking himself, he would have responded with a resounding "No!" and gone about his business as if nothing improper had been suggested.
But the seed of an idea had taken root in his mind, planted by an invisible hand that came from nowhere. It arrived during breakfast on a sunny morning that dawned after a long week of rain, when the grass outside the dining room window was so speckled with dew that it looked like tiny pieces of the sun had fallen from the sky and come to rest among the blades. He could remember it quite clearly: he'd asked the young man to bring him more sugar for his coffee, and when the lad's back was turned he suddenly imagined himself lifting a gun and firing it into the back of his skull.
At first he'd waved the idea away as he would a pesky insect, dismissing it as the fantasy of an aging mind. He would never do it. The young man was his friend. He loved him much in the way that a grandfather would cherish his grandchildren.
But the pesky insect would not go away. The seed planted itself and began to grow.
His heart continued to pound. Yes, maybe he could do it. His friend would not suspect a thing until it was too late. But if the young man's heart could be changed . . .
That was it. He would give the young man a choice. If he chose wrong, he would die.
With a trembling hand, the old man picked up the gun that lay on his bedside table and made his way toward the door.
Which is more important to you – plot or characters, and why?
To me, plot and characters are equally important. You can have the most exciting plot in the world, but it will fall flat if you populate it with boring, one-dimensional characters. It would also be a tragedy if you write fascinating characters and give them little or nothing to do. I struggle the most with characterisation, and often during rewrites I have to focus my attention on bringing my characters fully to life.
What's your favourite genre to read?
I don't have a favourite! I enjoy many genres, from science fiction to thrillers to horror. Some of my favourite authors are Dean Koontz, Ted Dekker, J. K. Rowling, Edgar Allan Poe, and Roald Dahl. Some indie authors I enjoy are GS Jennsen and EJ Fisch, both of whom write science fiction.
What is the best thing about being a writer?
I get to do what I love!
Who does your cover design?
Blue Harvest Creative designs my covers and interiors. Aren't they lovely? Yes they are!
What can we expect from you in the future?
In October I'm releasing a 16-story anthology called Ordinary Souls. It will feature horror, science fiction, and contemporary stories about ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations.
How can we contact you or find out more about your books?
Interested readers may find me lurking on Twitter
On Facebook
On Goodreads


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Sep. 29, 2012 - By WENDELL MINNICK Defense News
TAIPEI — As China celebrated the launch of its first aircraft carrier last week, images and video posted on the Internet raise new questions as to how far along the country has come in the development of its carrier capability.
Soon after the carrier, named Liaoning, was commissioned Sept. 25 at Dalian Naval Base, Western analysts began dissecting photos and videos posted by the country's state-controlled media. Some believe the images raise the possibility that Liaoning might be closer to fielding a carrier-based fighter jet capability than previously thought, while others are unconvinced.
In the past, photos of what appeared to be the Shenyang J-15 Sea Shark fighter, a variant of the Russian Sukhoi Su-33, on the deck of the carrier were dismissed by analysts as mock-ups. No photos or videos have been seen of a fighter landing on or taking off from the carrier, but images and video from the induction ceremony show skid marks on the flight deck. A video also shows what appear to be the tail wings of two J-15s in the hangar deck.
Chinese media have consistently reported that the new carrier would be used primarily as a training platform and "to practice how to integrate with a combined task force," said Gary Li, an analyst at U.K.-based Executive Analysis. Whether real aircraft or mock-ups, the presence of the planes on the ship indicates the Chinese are likely already — at the very minimum — practicing plane-handling techniques on the first-of-its-kind carrier.
According to Chinese state-controlled media, Liaoning is outfitted with state-of-the-art weapons, including a 150-kilometer-range active phased array radar capable of tracking 200 air targets; a 250-kilometer-range Sea Eagle surface-search radar; a 10-kilometer-range Red Flag 10 (FL-3000N) anti-missile system; and a two-kilometer-range 30mm 1030 automatic cannon for anti-ship missiles.
Besides the J-15, other aircraft could include the Zhi-8 transport helicopter and Kamov Ka-28 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter.
Some analysts said the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) might use the carrier initially as a helicopter carrier, akin to Japan's Hyuga-class helicopter destroyers or the U.S. Navy's Wasp-class amphibious assault ships.
"It is clear from certain pictures taken by the Chinese press in and around the carrier during the induction ceremony that there has been testing of the J-15 on the Liaoning," Li said. "Tire marks on the runway suggest taking off and landing during sea trials, and one cameraman even managed to capture a J-15 test plane in the below deck hangar."
But not everyone is convinced.
"I'm having trouble believing they've actually landed J-15s on this thing," said Roger Cliff, a China military specialist at the Project 2049 Institute. Skid marks on the deck could be "touch-and-go" landings.
"The skid marks are well forward of where the arresting gear is," he said. There is the possibility that they are also practicing takeoffs at sea.
"They could put J-15 prototypes, or even J-11s [Su-27], on the ship with a crane, take the ship out to sea, and practice taking off, landing back on dry land," he said.
China would need a fighter that can handle a 3-degree angle of drop and a pilot would need to make several land-based arrested landings before trials can begin at sea, where the deck is pitching, Cliff said.
"When practicing on land, the consequence of touching down a foot behind where the deck starts is a poor landing score. If you do that on a carrier, you're looking at a new aircraft, a new pilot, and repairs to the stern of the carrier," he said.
Li said the J-15 is just one piece of the puzzle China needs to figure out.
"The lack of an early warning aircraft like the E-2 Hawkeye, even though a prototype has been spotted recently, and not enough dedicated ASW assets to go around in the form of Ka-28s [ASW helicopters], will mean that the Liaoning is not going to be conducting carrier operations in the true sense of the word for some time," Li said.
Regional Jitters
The carrier could have a future combat role. Though analysts disagree about its capabilities, especially against the U.S. or Japanese navies, neighbors with territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, are taking the threat seriously.
"China operating a large carrier is no doubt raising concern among the other Asian nations," said Bernard "Bud" Cole, author of "The Great Wall at Sea." The addition of a carrier provides the PLAN "for the first time with a classic means of effectively projecting naval power at significant distances."
"My sense is that the Chinese carrier has already served China well as a powerful information warfare tool, despite having not operated as a carrier yet," said Bob Nugent, vice president of naval advisory services at AMI International, based in Seattle. From a strategic point of view, he said, the ship "sends the same message that much of the rest of its naval development over the past 20 years has — China will be a global naval power."
What specific mission Liaoning and its successors will carry out remains to be seen, Nugent said, but the "inherent flexibility of the carrier flight deck, perhaps the ultimate 'reconfigurable mission module,' means that whatever the mission — from defensive sea denial to offensive power projection — the ship and its follow-ons can be quickly adjusted and moved to be ready.
"While she is clearly a test platform first, it is worth keeping in mind that other navies have pressed their test carriers into wartime service when needed," Nugent said.
In a broader sense, the Chinese carrier program could spark an arms race in the region.
"The carrier will provide additional motivation for the other Asian nations to continue and perhaps accelerate their ongoing naval modernization programs," Cole said.
Cole points to Japan's acquisition of small carriers and new submarines; Australia's plan to acquire a new class of submarines and its efforts to modernize its Navy in general; acquisition of submarines by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore; and a stated desire to acquire submarines by Thailand and the Philippines.
"Further, the Indian Navy has very ambitious modernization plans, to include nuclear-powered submarines and three aircraft carriers: Those plans will likely receive a significant boost the first time a Chinese carrier steams west of [the Strait of] Malacca," Cole said.
commenter cet article …


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The other night in Hollywood, Naomi Watts showed us one more way to wear sparkly sequins and gave us a last-minute outfit idea for Valentine's Day—or any date-slash-party night really.
Instead of going for your everyday monochrome or go-to gold or silver shine, Naomi opted for iridescent, multihue holographic sequins—in a midi-length, mind you. The hologram element on her Givenchy dress is so mesmerizingly cool—it's like a different dress depending on the lighting and angle. But if you're not up to a full-on flash-tastic holographic piece for Friday, you could sneak in some detail—like with a cute separate, a bold clutch, or killer heels (like Rihanna did, remember?)
Shop out some Naomi-inspired holographic date-night-ready pieces here:
Do you like holographic sequins? Which piece would you wear? And for more red-carpet-inspired fashion, check out our Celebrity Style hub!


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Will your enterprise benefit from Cloud Computing? As with most technical developments, this depends on how you use it. Using the right technology in the right way, and at the right time, enables organizations to make cost savings and pursue new business opportunities - but an uninformed purchase of the latest technical toy can be an expensive mistake. The Enterprise Architect guides such decisions by developing a thorough understanding of the needs of the business, the concerns of the stakeholders, and the capabilities and limitations of the technology.
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Here are the stories we are looking at this week.
Fiscal cliff negotiations continue. President Obama and Congressional Republicans are struggling to try to reach a deal with the "fiscal cliff" before the end of the year. The president on Wednesday demanded that the Bush tax cuts be extended for everyone but the top two percent of earners. More Republicans are also coming public with being open to revenue increases, with high-ranking Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) suggesting that House Republicans extend the tax cuts for only people making below $250,000, which Democrats have been pushing for. However, House Speaker John Boehner has publicly disagreed with that approach and said Thursday that "no substantive progress" on solving the fiscal cliff had been made in the last two weeks and want major spending cut concessions from the White House. Political watchers will be looking to see if both sides will be willing to compromise before years end when the cliffs' spending cuts and tax increases occur.
Rice under fire after meetings with Senators. Susan Rice, who continues to be criticized for her comments to the media after the attacks on the Benghazi consulate in September, could be in even bigger trouble after meeting with Republican senators on Tuesday and Wednesday. Rice had met with Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), and Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire) to answer their concerns about Rice's statements, but after the meeting the Senators said they were "significantly troubled" by Rice's answers . Rice also met on Wednesday with Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who also said she was not satisfied with Rice's responses and said she could not confirm Rice for Secretary of State. Political watchers will be looking to see if Rice will still have enough support to be confirmed as the next Secretary of State if nominated by President Obama or if her nomination would be blocked.
Much more to come, make sure to check back on Friday for our full Rundown and don't forget to watch Sunday on CNN at 9am & Noon ET.


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HELSINKI – Nokia Corp. signalled Thursday its smartphone partnership with Microsoft was starting to reap rewards as it revealed that fourth-quarter mobile phone sales exceeded expectations and that its handset business would return to profitability.
The Finnish company's share price surged 11 per cent to close at €3.32 on Helsinki Stock Exchange.
Nokia said it sold 86 million devices in the last three months of 2012, including some 4.5 million Lumia smartphones, while revenues amounted to some €3.9 billion. A year earlier, it posted a fourth-quarter net loss of €1 billion with a 19-per cent plunge in revenue.
The cellphone maker said it sold 15.9 million smartphones in the quarter, up from 6.3 million in the previous quarter.
Nokia has been struggling in the fierce top-end race against Apple Inc. and Samsung and is now also losing ground to Asian makers in lower-end devices. Samsung overtook it as the world's No. 1 cellphone maker early last year after Nokia led the field for 14 years. In 2011, Nokia announced that it would join forces with Microsoft to produce a smartphone that would run on Windows software. The latest Windows handset, the Lumia was launched last year.
CEO Stephen Elop said he was pleased with the company's "solid" fourth-quarter performance.
"We are pleased that Q4 2012 was a solid quarter where we exceeded expectations and delivered underlying profitability," he said. "We focused on our priorities and as a result we sold a total of 14 million Asha smartphones and Lumia smartphones while managing our costs efficiently, and Nokia Siemens Networks delivered yet another very good quarter."
The company said operating expenses in the last quarter of 2012 had been lower than expected and that its devices and services sector saw operating margins of "between break even and positive 2 per cent." Elsewhere, its networks joint venture with Germany's Siemens AG — Nokia Siemens Networks — had "record underlying profits and a third consecutive quarter of underlying profitability," with operating margins expected to be 13-15 per cent.
However, the company warned that seasonality and competition would have a negative impact on the handset division's first-quarter profitability in comparison to the last three months of 2012. Nokia is due to report fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 24.


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In its latest survey, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said that the number of Filipino households that consider themselves poor has slightly declined to 53% in the first quarter of 2014 from 55% in the last quarter of 2013. The Aquino administration was quick to point out that the SWS findings mirror the official poverty data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Two days before Labor Day, the PSA released the Annual Poverty Indicator Survey (APIS) which reported that the number of Filipinos considered poor based on their average income fell to 24.9% in first semester of 2013 from 27.9% in the same period in 2012.
The presentation of these two surveys, released one week apart, depicts a picture of an improving poverty situation. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) described the findings as a "remarkable improvement" in poverty and credited the "strong economic growth" and "government investments in social development programs". But their manner of presentation is misleading. First, a two or three point decline in poverty is hardly a remarkable improvement especially when one considers government's claim of rapid economic growth and massive expansion in conditional cash transfer (CCT) funds. Second, comparing poverty figures on a quarterly or semestral basis tends to hide long-term trends, which provides a more useful and accurate appreciation of poverty's general direction.
Indeed, if one is to look at poverty figures since the Aquino administration took over, what can be seen is the indisputable trend of worsening poverty and living condition. I have been compiling the quarterly surveys of SWS on self-rated poverty, involuntary hunger and adult unemployment from 2010 to their latest available reports. The trends, based on the latest results, are summed up below:
- From 2010 to 2014 (first quarter), the number of Filipino families that consider themselves poor is growing by 700,000 a year (or 3.5 million Filipinos annually at 5 members per family)
- From 2010 to 2013, the number of Filipino families that experience hunger is increasing by 200,000 a year (or 1 million Filipinos annually)
- From 2010 to 2013, the number of jobless Filipino workers is expanding by 500,000 a year
The annual averages are presented in the following charts:
Meanwhile, even government's own APIS does not illustrate a substantial improvement in poverty, pegged at 19.7% of families in 2012 (full-year); 20.5% in 2009; and 21% in 2006. Even worse is how government measures poverty – a person with P52.75 a day is not counted as poor. Such amount approximates the World Bank's $1.25 per person a day poverty standard, which is being criticised by experts as being too low and artificial. (For instance, read here)
But who needs an expert when common sense tells us that P52 could not afford decent living? Using P100 to P125 per person a day as standard, IBON Foundation estimated that the number of poor Filipinos could reach 56 to 66 million, or about 60-70% of the population.
If government's economic managers could not even correctly count the number of poor and properly interpret poverty trends, how can the people expect the Aquino administration to address the country's worsening poverty, much less end its structural roots? ###


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Intel IDF Fall 2007: Showcase
Taking place yesterday afternoon during Intel's Fall 2007 IDF was their technology showcase and reception. There were a variety of booths setup with all different manufacturers from American Megatrends to Corsair and NVIDIA. While Microsoft did have a large presence at this showcase, Intel did have a booth setup for talking about power-savings technologies on Linux from their PowerTOP software to the tick-less kernel and other power management capabilities.


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Are we really doing this again? I just tried to register (as a speaker) for an upcoming tech conference. One that prides itself on its woman-friendliness, no less: they have an anti-harassment policy, a track devoted to women in the field, and photos of women on the front page of their website.
The registration form asked me what sized t-shirt I'd like, and offered only straight-cut shirts: the kind that are often sold as "unisex" but, in fact, only fit people who have approximately the same chest, waist, and hip measurements — a group disproportionately made up of men.
So, with a sigh, I left the t-shirt field blank and submitted the form, only to receive an error message. I wasn't allowed to register without taking an ill-fitting t-shirt that I didn't want. I'm told this was a bug with the registration system, and has now been fixed so that you can opt out of the t-shirt altogether, but I'm saddened by the whole process and it's making me reconsider whether I want to attend this conference at all.
Event t-shirts are something that stress me out EVERY SINGLE TIME. Endless indignities and insults. Every time I go somewhere, I have to go through a process that reminds me that I'm different and don't fit in, because I have a female body.
It goes something like this:
What sized t-shirt do you want? Oh, no, we don't have fitted/women's sizes. These are unisex! They fit everyone! As long as you like wearing a tent that chafes and chokes you, and why wouldn't you? THEY FIT EVERYONE.
We have girl's sizes! They're designed for actual pre-pubescent girls, but they're nice and stretchy! They'll show off your breasts REALLY WELL. Oh, and the logo we've printed across them will just serve to make the guys stare even harder. You won't find that distracting at all when you're trying to concentrate on the conference, will you?
Your breasts aren't that big. Let me just look at them a bit and assess them. Hmmm. Mmmm. Yup, pretty sure you can wear a unisex tshirt. I, man, have spoken!
Are you sure? Please provide me with your measurements. Because that's not creepy or undignified at all. While you're at it, we'd like your mother's maiden name and social security number.
Well, you can take a men's shirt and wear it to sleep in! Because everyone wants to sleep in big ugly t-shirts, and needs dozens of them just for that purpose. Anyway, why would women want to wear a t-shirt AT THE CONFERENCE where they could actually, you know, be part of the in-group and feel like they belonged?
Staff must wear the shirt. You're working the registration desk, staffing a booth on the expo floor, or giving a talk, and we want you to have our logo emblazoned across your chest. Obviously feeling comfortable and self-confident, being well groomed, and giving a good impression to others, are less important than that.
Group photo time! Let's get everyone in their t-shirt! What do you mean you don't have one, or don't want to wear it? Why aren't you participating? You obviously don't want to be part of our community. Here, borrow one, and SMILE! Now everyone can mock you online for how ugly you look.
Oh look, it's a newbie. She doesn't even have a geeky t-shirt to fit in with the in crowd. She's probably here with her boyfriend. (If she were wearing a shirt from that great conference five years ago, we might have at least thought twice before assuming that.)
I'm fucking sick of this. Don't tell me you "worked hard" to get fitted t-shirts when you didn't look at more than one supplier, or ask people who might know anything about it (for instance: other conferences that managed to supply fitted t-shirts, local women-in-tech groups, this very blog.) The Geek Feminism Wiki has a page full of t-shirt related tips and recommended suppliers for starters. THERE IS NO EXCUSE.


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The Arizona law, which requires police "when practicable" to detain people they "reasonably" suspect to be in the country illegally, has drawn widespread condemnation from immigration and civil rights advocates, and many elected officials, including President Obama.
Some of the law's opponents gathered in San Francisco this morning to send off a caravan of people to Phoenix, where a rally is scheduled for Saturday at the state's Capitol as part of a national day of action against the legislation.
About 100 community and labor organizers left in a large bus and a handful of passenger vans this morning, according to Mariana Viturro, a spokeswoman for the group.
Viturro said the group has been in touch with organizers in Phoenix, who expect at least 50,000 people to attend Saturday's rally.
Black clergy members are also traveling from the Bay Area to Phoenix for the rally, according to Jackie Wright, a spokeswoman for the Northern California Interreligious Conference.
The members include the Rev. Phil Lawson, founder of the Oakland-based Black Alliance for Just Immigration, the Rev. Gregory Brown, pastor of the Miracles of Faith Community Church in Oakland, and the Rev. Jethroe Moore, president of the San Jose/Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
"They're marching in solidarity with other people around the country to protest the Arizona law that is discriminatory and a threat to liberty for everyone," Wright said.
"There are black clergymen standing with the Latino community, which harkens back to the civil rights era when people used to go down South in support of black people experiencing the injustices of Jim Crow," she said.
The San Francisco Giants are also hosting a weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and activists are planning to protest outside AT&T Park tonight and Saturday.
Along with protests outside the game tonight, a march is planned at 4 p.m. Saturday that will start at Justin Herman Plaza end outside the baseball stadium, where the two teams are playing a game scheduled to start at 6:05 p.m.
Beginning at about 5:15 p.m. Saturday, protesters will gather outside AT&T Park, where Viturro said "we are going to educate fans about (the law) and are asking to boycott the game."


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I am Happnes, Creator of the custom Resin Ridley statue and Chozo statue currently available on eBay and
my online shop: http://metroidfigure.webs.com/
I recently decided to do commission work and would like to advertise my services here.
I can do any metroid statue and any other statue from any series for that matter.
I can craft anything that you the client requires ( pornographic material included )
Ever wanted to see crossover series statues that will never get released?
Or one of your creations that you can imagine but can't quite realise?
Then you've come to the right place!
The first step is to either show or describe an example of the statue that you have in mind including the scale/ dimensions that you would like it to be.
I will then get back to you with a quote of how much the statue will cost.
All of my statues are first realised in polygons using 3D-software, this allows me to correct any mistakes in the sculpt and keep you up to date and allow you to dictate changes and suggestions to the sculpt during the whole process.
Your statue is then sent to a 3D-printing company where it is made into actual solid material.
I then take this prototype and cast and paint it until finished.
My prices will vary depending on the complexity of the work and the scale of the sculpt.
On average the price range for a fully completed and hand painted statue range in the region of $500-$2000 for each figure.
The figure will be a one off and all I shall request is to be allowed by permission of the you the client to use a photograph of the finished statue in my portfolio.
After you have received the figure I shall destroy the molds and 3D-file.
Please message me with any commisions and I will get right on it!
Alex (Happnes)
Examples of My Work:
By happnes at 2011-03-07
By happnes at 2011-03-07
Kraid from Super Metroid (3D-Versions)
By happnes at 2011-03-10
By happnes at 2011-03-10
By happnes at 2011-03-10
By happnes at 2011-03-10
Ridley from the original NES Metroid (3D-Versions)
By happnes at 2011-03-10
By happnes at 2011-03-10
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
By happnes at 2011-03-15
Skull Bomb Commission
By happnes at 2011-03-15
Rainbow Falls Alien - (3D Render and unfinished figure version comparison)
By happnes at 2011-03-15
Rick from Splatterhouse 2 (3D-Version)
By null at 2011-03-13
Happnes Alien - Original character (my Avatar 3D-Version)
By happnes at 2011-03-15
Moleskine (Original Character - 3D-Version)
By happnes at 2011-03-15
By happnes at 2011-03-15
Bone Lizard (Original Character - 3D-Version)
By happnes at 2011-03-15
Space Jockey (from the movie Alien)
By happnes at 2011-03-15


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Windows 8's user share in October climbed past the 10% milestone for the first time since the launch of the radically-overhauled OS a year ago, an analytics company said Friday.
The operating system's share of all computing devices running Windows, a tally that included Windows 8.1, rose to 10.2% in October, according to California-based metrics company Net Applications.
Yet the gain, just fourth-tenths of a percentage point, was sluggish compared to past advances, and represented only half the monthly average over the last 12 months and a third of the increase of September alone.
The slower increase signaled that the OS took a breather in its uptake race, most likely caused by the one-two punch of the end of back-to-school sales in September, and a pause in purchases as buyers awaited new hardware with Windows 8.1 and the higher-than-usual discounts many experts believe will mark this year's holidays.
Within the broader category of Windows 8, the 2012 version's share fell for the first time as Windows 8.1 -- the free update that debuted two weeks ago -- accounted for nearly a fifth of the total 10%.
Windows 8 also increased its lead over Windows Vista, the 2007 edition that has been labeled one of Microsoft's rare flops. When each OS's share was compared 12 months after launch. Vista accounted for 8.2% of all Windows PCs, two points under Windows 8's. However, Microsoft's newest operating system remained far behind Windows 7 at its 12-month-after-launch mark, when the latter powered 20.1% of all Windows systems.
The next two months will be important in gauging Windows 8/8.1's performance. While some analysts remain cautiously optimistic that the turn to Windows 8.1 and new device designs -- including Microsoft's recent refresh of its Surface tablets -- will reverse the six-quarter industry contraction and revive Windows fortunes in the critical holiday selling season, Microsoft itself was less certain.
"In [Devices and Consumer] Licensing, we expect revenue to be $5.2 billion to $5.4 billion," Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said two weeks ago, as she spelled out the company's guidance for the fourth quarter to Wall Street. "We expect the business PC market to be stable; however, the consumer PC market is subject to more volatility."
For the fourth quarter of 2012, Microsoft recorded $5.7 billion in revenue for the Devices and Consumer division's Licensing group, where sales of Windows to computer makers are logged. Hood's guidance, then, means Microsoft anticipates a 5% to 9% year-over-year downturn in Licensing's revenue for the quarter ending Dec. 31.
While Windows 8 grew only slightly -- and Windows 7 stayed flat -- Windows XP's march to retirement decelerated last month. The connection was not a surprise, since most consumers and businesses replace XP not by upgrading in place, but with new hardware and thus new operating systems.
The aged OS lost just one-tenth of a percentage point of share, falling to 34.5% of all Windows machines, at least temporarily delaying the mass migrations some expect before next April, when the 12-year-old OS stops receiving security updates.
In August and September, XP shed six percentage points, a record two-month decline.
Last week, Microsoft again beat the XP drum, citing data from its malware cleaning tools to claim that customers who don't dump the OS before it's retired face a 66% increase in attack code infections.
Windows 7, the business-standard replacement for XP, powered an estimated 51.2% of all Windows systems in October, Net Applications said. Meanwhile, Microsoft recently pegged Windows 7's share in the enterprise at a significantly higher 75%.
Windows continued to run the vast majority of personal computers -- 90.7% -- last month, but Apple's OS X ended October with a 7.7% user share, or about 1 out of every 13 systems worldwide, a new record. Linux finished October flat at 1.6%.
Net Applications measures operating system user share by tracking unique visitors to approximately 40,000 sites that rely on its traffic analytics software.
Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His email address is firstname.lastname@example.com.
See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.


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Facebook Just Played the Government
With two former members of the Federal Trade Commission on payroll, perhaps it's not surprising that Facebook just got let off the hook for mass violations of federal privacy rules. It's pretty depressing, though.
The FTC just announced it reached a settlement with the shameless social network for breaking a slew of privacy promises to users, including by forcing private friends lists into public, grossly oversharing data with third party apps, and failing to actually delete deleted content. As punishment - if you can call it that - Facebook agreed to conduct 10 privacy audits over 20 years, to actually delete information when the user deletes it, to stop "making misrepresentations about the privacy or security of consumers' personal information," and to require users to opt-in to any new privacy changes.
This settlement makes a mockery of the idea of holding corporations accountable for their actions. It's being grossly oversold in the media. "Privacy Changes Must Be Opt In," said TechCrunch's headline, for example. Facebook "must obtain consumers' approval before it changes the way it shares their data," said the Wall Street Journal.
Too late! Facebook profiles are already splayed open for the world to see, just as Facebook intended when it misappropriated user data two years ago. Your date of birth and contact information are still private, largely to shield the company from culpability in identity theft, but that's about it; Facebook wanted users to share everything widely, and that's what we do, unless we fiddle with the settings. So yes, you must "opt in" to any new privacy changes, but by default you're already sharing virtually everything about yourself, so there's probably no need.
The FTC could have done much more. Privacy groups are already noting the settlement's shortcomings. EPIC, the group whose complaints formally brought Facebook's violations to the FTC's attention, today wrote that "the settlement does not adopt EPIC's recommendation that Facebook restore users' privacy settings to pre-2009 levels." In other words, the commission could have forced Facebook to undo its misdeeds - misdeeds alleged by the commission itself - but chose not to.
And there's little doubt Facebook knew what it was doing was nefarious when it rolled back user privacy in 2009. All the way back in 2007, the FTC issued guidelines instructing companies to obtain "affirmative express consent for material changes to existing privacy promises, and affirmative express consent to (or prohibition against) using sensitive data for behavioral advertising." Now, years later, the FTC has finally made Facebook agree to "obtain consumers' affirmative express consent before enacting changes that override their privacy preferences." What a victory.
In the nearly three years since it flouted FTC guidelines, Facebook saw its valuation grow from $15 billion to close to $100 billion. On the negative side of the ledger, Facebook must now undergo 20 years of FTC oversight, consisting mainly of third party privacy audits, and face fines of up to $16,000 for each violation of its FTC deal. It's hard to imagine a company planning to raise $10 billion within the next seven months is particularly worried about some audits and possible future fines.
Facebook's collection of ex FTC staffers must also provide the company some comfort when dealing with the government. The social network hired as a lobbyist former FTC chair Timothy Muris. Also in its pocket: Former FTC commissioner Mozelle Thompson, who works as the company's "chief privacy adviser."
The prospect of such gainful private employment for commissioners couldn't have hurt this toothless settlement's chances as it hurtled toward a unanimous, 4-0 commission approval. And having some ex regulators in hand surely emboldened Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to herald the settlement in a blog post, and to pepper said blog post with such preposterous statements as, " I think we have a good history of providing transparency and control over who can see your information."
Approximately no one would agree that is Facebook's history. But at least the company has promised to finally begin complying with privacy laws, now that it can more than afford to do so.
[Pics: Zuckerberg via Getty Images, top; Revolving door via Knud Nielsen/Shutterstock, bottom.]


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(CNN) – Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist said Monday that his group, Americans for Tax Reform, would work to unseat Republicans who break their pledge to never vote for higher taxes.
His vow came after prominent GOP lawmakers said over the weekend they would consider breaking the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in order to reach a deal with Democrats and President Barack Obama to avoid tumbling over the fiscal cliff – the combination of sweeping spending cuts and tax increases that would go into effect at the end of the year if negotiators can't reach a deal on reducing the federal debt.
- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
Norquist said his group would "certainly highlight who has kept their commitment and who hasn't" when it comes time for lawmakers like Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Peter King to run for re-election, though Norquist claimed voters generally decide on their own to oust elected officials who vote to raise taxes.
"Historically the people who lose do so because the people in their state have figured that out," Norquist said on CNN's "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien."
On Sunday, Graham and King joined other Republican lawmakers, including Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss, in publicly breaking from Norquist, whose pledge stipulates signers will "oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses" and will "oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates."
Both Graham and Chambliss will be up for re-election in 2014.
Graham said on ABC he'd be willing to break the pledge if Democrats are willing to help pass spending reforms on government programs like Social Security and Medicare. That combination of revenue and spending cuts is in line with what a majority (52%) of Republicans prefer, according to a CNN/ORC poll out Monday.
"I'm willing to generate revenue," Graham said on ABC. "It's fair to ask my party to put revenue on the table. We're below historic averages."
Norquist shot down Graham's suggestion Monday, saying it was impossible to imagine a situation where Democrats would agree to Graham's conditions.
"He lists this incredible list of reforms and entitlements that the Democrats would never give him," Norquist said, describing the demand for entitlement reforms akin to a "pink unicorn that doesn't exist."
Rep. Peter King, R-New York, sided with Graham Sunday, saying on NBC a pledge signed decades ago shouldn't be considered relevant today, and that "everything should be on the table."
"A pledge you signed 20 years ago, 18 years ago, is for that Congress," King said. "For instance, if I were in Congress in 1941, I would have signed the declaration of war against Japan. I'm not going to attack Japan today. The world has changed. The economic situation is different."
Norquist challenged that assertion, saying the pledge was good for the length of a lawmaker's time in office.
"Peter King knows full well the pledge he signed, and others have signed, it's for while you're in Congress, it's not for a two-year period," he said.
Ultimately, Norquist downplayed the talk from Graham and King on breaking the pledge as just that – talk.
"No pledge taker has voted for a tax increase. You've had some people discussing impure thoughts on national television," he said.
Also on the CNN Political Ticker
- Graham says he'd break no-tax 'pledge'
- Cantor: Voters more concerned about problem solving than pledge
- Christie gets post-Sandy approval rating bump
- Norquist says he'll go after pledge-breakers
as a Republican I say "So long" to Grover. His pledge is obsolete and hopefully his influence among the Repubs in Congress is now as well. This is a horrbile line in the sand. The time to avoid becoming another Greece, Ireland, or Spain is NOW, not when it is already that bad. Lets be fiscally responsible ahora!
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE ANSWER THIS QUESTION? Who gave Grover the authority to draft a pledge on OUR behalf, and with his personal beliefs, no less! Who!? Did any of you? This pledge is a pledge to Grover, not to us! We didn't draft it, nor did we ask Grover to draft it on our behalf.
A person who believes we should cut spending before raising "revenue" – how horrible can you get.
Grover's nose grows everytime he speaks.
When someone is losing their relevance they scream and yell and make all kinds of threats about how relevant they are and how you'll all be sorry.....


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And our next virgin is…(drumroll)…SUSAN M. BOYER!
Susan has been making up stories her whole life. She tags along with her husband on business trips whenever she can because hotels are great places to write: fresh coffee all day and cookies at 4 p.m. They have a home in Greenville, SC, which they occasionally visit. Susan's short fiction has appeared in moonShine Review, Spinetingler Magazine, Relief Journal, The Petigru Review, and Catfish Stew. Her debut novel, Lowcountry Boil, is a 2012 RWA Golden Heart® Finalist and a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist.
Susan is generously giving away one copy of her award-winning debut to one lucky commenter—in the format of the winner's choice: Kindle, Nook, or Trade Paperback. So please come on by, read her wonderful post about her journey to publication, then go check out her mystery—Lowcountry Boil. It sounds like a wonderful read: here's a taste…
Private Investigator Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer. She's fit to be tied when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, so she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated. When more folks start turning up dead in this small seaside town, Liz must use more than just her wits and charm to keep her family safe, chase down clues from the hereafter, and catch a psychopath before he catches her.
Doesn't that sound like a great read? Now go check out her post, then answer the question about how song lyrics trigger our imaginations, and maybe you'll win a copy! And thank you so much, Susan, for dropping by today—and good luck with your debut!
Kaki, thank you so much for having me here on Virgin No More! I'm so excited to share with y'all how I lost it.
I'll give y'all the abbreviated version of the backstory. I was that child who tried to get the school librarian to let her check out six books when the limit was two per week. I started college as an English major, but plenty of people were happy to tell me the odds against ever making a living as a writer.
Four major changes later, I took a long detour through corporate America, which came to an abrupt halt in 2004, when the company I worked for went out of business. My husband, who knew how long I'd dreamed of writing, looked at me and said, "Why don't you give the writing thing a try." So I did.
We had lived in the old village area of Mt. Pleasant, SC, for eighteen months while my husband was working on a contract in the area. Mt. Pleasant is just across the Cooper River from Charleston. Cross the Intracoastal Waterway on Ben Sawyer Bridge and you're on Sullivan's Island. I used to ride my bike across that bridge and down the beach every morning.
I loved living in the lowcountry. It spoke to me. And I probably ate my weight in lowcountry boil, a regional dish of shrimp, sausage, corn, potatoes, and whatever else the cook wants to boil in beer and spices. Moving back to Greenville when my husband's contract was up was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Sidebar: Greenville is awesome in her own right, but this isn't Greenville's story.
One day, shortly after we'd decided I was going to live my writing dream, I was listening to that old Eagles song, "Last Resort," on the radio. The ending of the song is, "They call it paradise. I don't know why. You call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye." (Don Henley) Anyway, the word "paradise" sent me back to the lowcountry, and a story started percolating in the back corner of my brain.
Several drafts, a few conferences, a critique group, several rounds of "revise and resubmit" with agents that didn't work out, and another pass of edits later, I started querying agents in earnest. After forty-nine queries, and maybe fifteen requests for the full manuscript, I signed with an agent.
But, just as she started submitting, she fell ill and went on medical leave. Thankfully, I had signed with a well-known, reputable agency. They re-assigned me to another agent, and I am convinced that he did his best to sell my manuscript to several New York editors. Most of the rejections I was getting sounded like great reviews until you got to that last sentence that said something like, "Unfortunately I'm just not passionate enough about it to make it a must-have for our list at this time."
I started thinking about small presses about the same time someone I knew from a writers' group decided to start her own. For many, this would be a risky venture, but I knew things about this lady that maybe everyone didn't—like she was a successful entrepreneur in another business, and had been a freelance editor and cover designer for years.
I signed my contract in late March, and Lowcountry Boil has just been released. This was the right path for me. I'm absolutely thrilled to be with Henery Press. It's small enough to be nimble. We hope to have the second book in the series out in spring. I have forward momentum, which was necessary for my continued grip on sanity.
Thanks again for having me, Kaki! Y'all please come see me when you can. I hang out in all the usual places—my website, Amazon, B&N, & Fiction Addiction
Hey, before I go, I was wondering, do song lyrics ever inspire stories for y'all? Even if you're not a writer and never wanted to be, do you sometimes start imagining what happens next to the people in the song?


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Zinsser, Hans
Zinsser, Hans zĭns´ər [key], 1878–1940, American bacteriologist, b. New York City, grad. Columbia (B.A., 1899; M.D., 1903). He was professor of bacteriology at Stanford (1911–13), Columbia (1913–23), and Harvard medical school (from 1923). A noted epidemiologist, he was a leader in combating typhus and served with the American Red Cross sanitary commission during the 1915 typhus epidemic in Serbia and with the League of Nations sanitary commission (1923) in the USSR. Zinsser isolated the germ of the European type of typhus, and with his colleagues at Harvard, he developed (1940) a method for mass production of the vaccine. He wrote a popular work on typhus, Rats, Lice, and History (1935); several textbooks, including Infection and Resistance (1914; 4th ed. rev., Resistance to Infectious Disease, 1931; 5th ed. rev., Immunity, 1939); and the autobiographical As I Remember Him (1940).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Medicine: Biographies


text: Gold Coast Hobby in Glen Head, New York 11545 Gold Coast Hobby 8 Railroad Avenue, Glen Head, New York 11545 Phone: (516) 759-4094 Upgrading to featured removes the ad above. Gold Coast Hobby is listed in our business directory as being located at 8 Railroad Avenue, Glen Head, New York 11545. The phone number for this business is (516) 759-4094. Each listing in our directory has been verified. If you find any details as being incorrect, please do let us know. This listing appears in our Business Directory under the following categories: Kites Retail. This site uses Facebook comments below to make it easy for you to leave a note about this business. If you see a note you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right-hand corner. By commenting you agree to our Terms of Use.


text:
Statement by H.E. Dr Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, MPH, Dr.PH, Minister of Health of Indonesia at the 63rd World Health Assembly
Mr. President,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is a great honour for me to be here in Geneva to deliver my statement at this 63rd World Health Assembly. I congratulate HE. Mr. Mundher Zenaidi, the Health Minister of Tunisia, for his assumption of the Presidency of the Assembly. This Assembly is indeed of utmost important annual event discussing global health agenda and recommending policy direction, aimed at achieving healthy global communities.
It has been ten years since the UN Millennium Summit agreed to a 2015 deadline for MDG's achievement. Therefore, it is timely for us to undertake a review on our achievement and consider ways forward to accelerate achievement of the agreed goals for those that are lagging behind.
Indeed, public health constitutes the major components of MDGs, namely nutrition, maternal health, child health, water and sanitation and HIV/AIDS and other prevailing communicable diseases. Furthermore, poverty alleviation and gender mainstreaming are closely linked to public health intervention.
Mr. President,
I am pleased to note that some Member States have achieved significant progress in attaining the MDG's targets. However, we must also recognize that major, and often unforeseen, challenges such as political instability and conflict, lack of resources, as well as economic and humanitarian crises, have impeded the efforts of some countries in meeting the development goals.
Given that we now only have five years to meet the 2015 MDG's, Member States need to reaffirm their commitment and continue in their efforts to reinvigorate and strengthen mutual cooperation and partnerships.
In this regard Indonesia is fully committed to achieve the MDGs as scheduled. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono emphasized that the effort to achieve MDGs is one moral obligation, not only for the fulfilment of international commitment, but also for our national need to increase the welfare of the people.
Mr. President,
Indonesia, with its disparities in geographic locations of about 17,000 islands, level of socio-economic development, combined with its culture and social diversities, is experiencing different levels in the achievement of the MDGs targets, as far as the comparative analyses between areas are concerned. Decentralized areas, with their diverse resources, have contributed to diverse responses to public health interventions, and these have posed serious challenges to attain the agreed goals.
Although significant investment has been undertaken by the Government of Indonesia, including the use of international aids, aiming at achieving MDGs, there is an urgent need for us to consider constructive ways to accelerate their achievements. In this regard, I should recall the statement of the Indonesian Vice President Boediono at the UN Headquarters last April 2010 that "Increased and secure funding is essential to increasing the momentum towards achieving the MDGs, particularly goals 4 and 5." On the other hand, based on the analysis in Indonesia, the government could only fulfill health financing for less than 80%.
It is therefore pertinent that the levels of ODA (Official Development Assistance) from donor countries must remain consistent and in place, as stated by UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki Moon. Nevertheless, we should not preclude governance in facing this reality. I urge that international aids be made effective by synchronizing and synergizing the national policies and strategies.
All measures and strategies implemented by the Government of Indonesia adopt a 'pro-poor' approach focusing, among others, on maximizing the natural and cultural assets of poor communities and creating an environment in which opportunities to make income can be generated. All stakeholders, including the government, private sectors and civil societies, should make meaningful contributions to this process and their participation and cooperation at all levels are required.
Mr. President,
Allow me to reiterate the principle that "Health is an investment, not a cost!" Clearly, it is essential that any health care system is financially viable, but this financial viability should not be calculated in isolation from the business perspective or from long-term saving strategies.
Access to health care allows millions of people to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives and is a fundamental human right for the people on whose behalf we speak today. All countries, particularly those that are more economically developed, have a collective responsibility to support and develop the principles of human dignity, and equality both in their own countries and internationally.
In this regard I welcome the result of the OEWG that has been successfully projected the vision of addressing the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP). The final objective of its works is achieve a fair, equitable and transparent mechanism that covers both the sharing of biological material as well as the sharing of benefits derived from it. I hope the final agreement will be reached in the near future in order to be able to see the effective works of the PIP Framework.
Finally, I emphasize that through the revitalization of our primary healthcare services and through health system reform, we sincerely hope that our objective to provide equal access to healthcare facilities and to improve the quality of health of all Indonesians can be met. In turn, global population will be better off in their health status.
Thank you


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Cancer survivors: Managing your emotions after cancer treatment
Cancer survivors: Managing your emotions after cancer treatment
Get to know the emotions that are common for cancer survivors and how to manage your feelings. Find out what's normal and what indicates you should consider getting help.
When you began your cancer treatment, you couldn't wait for the day you'd finish. But now that you've completed your treatment, you aren't sure if you're ready for life after treatment as a cancer survivor.
With your treatment completed, you'll likely see your cancer care team less often. Though you, your friends and your family are all eager to return to a more normal life, it can be scary to leave the protective cocoon of doctors and nurses who supported you through treatment.
Everything you're feeling right now is normal for cancer survivors. Recovering from cancer treatment isn't just about your body — it's also about healing your mind.
Take time to acknowledge the fear, grief and loneliness you're feeling right now. Then take steps to understand why you feel these emotions and what you can do about them.
Fear of recurrence in cancer survivors
Fear of recurrence is common in cancer survivors. Though they may go years without any sign of disease, cancer survivors say the thought of recurrence is always with them. You might worry that every ache or pain is a sign of your cancer recurring. Eventually these fears will fade, though they may never go away completely.
Cope with your fear by being honest with yourself about your feelings. Try not to feel guilty about your feelings or ignore them in hopes that they'll go away. Ask your doctor about what you can do to reduce your chance of a cancer recurrence.
Once you've done all you can to reduce that risk, acknowledge your fears. Take control of those fears and do what you can to influence your future health. Try to:
Take care of your body. Focus on keeping yourself healthy. Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fit exercise into your day. Go easy at first, but try to increase the intensity and amount of exercise you get as you recover. Get enough sleep so that you wake feeling refreshed.
These actions may help your body recover from cancer treatment and also help put your mind at ease by giving you a greater sense of control over your life.
Go to all of your follow-up appointments. You may fear the worst when it's time for your next follow-up appointment. Don't let that stop you from going.
Use the time with your doctor to ask questions about any signs or symptoms that worry you. Write down your concerns and discuss them at your next appointment.
Ask about your risk of recurrence and what signs and symptoms to watch for. Knowing more may help you feel more in control.
Get all of your follow-up tests. Discuss with your doctor plans for follow-up and monitoring of your cancer. Together, you will formulate a specific follow-up plan based on your specific situation. Not everyone needs regular scans or blood tests.
Ask your doctor about creating a plan to look for late side effects of the cancer therapy. Many cancer treatments can cause side effects years later.
- Be open about your fears. Express your concerns to your friends, family, other cancer survivors, and your doctor or a counselor. If you're uncomfortable with the idea of discussing your fears, try recording your thoughts in a journal.
- Keep busy. Get out of the house and find activities that will take your mind off your fears.
Most cancer survivors report that the fear of recurrence fades with time. But certain events can trigger your fears. The feelings might be especially strong before follow-up visits to your doctor or the anniversary of your cancer diagnosis.
Stress in cancer survivors
When you were diagnosed with cancer, you might have focused completely on your treatment and getting healthy. Now that you've completed treatment, all those projects around the house and the things on your to-do list are competing for your attention. This can make you feel stressed and overwhelmed.
Don't feel you need to do everything at once. Take time for yourself as you establish a new daily routine. Try exercising, talking with other cancer survivors and taking time for activities you enjoy.
Depression and anxiety in cancer survivors
Lingering feelings of sadness and anger can interfere with your daily life. For many people these feelings will dissipate. But for others, these feelings can develop into depression.
Tell your doctor about your feelings. If needed, you can be referred to someone who can help you through talk therapy, medication or both. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are keys to successfully overcoming depression.
Self-consciousness in cancer survivors
If surgery or other treatment changed your appearance, you might feel self-conscious about your body.
Changes in skin color, weight gain or loss, the loss of a limb, or the placement of an ostomy might make you feel like you'd rather stay home, away from other people. You might withdraw from friends and family. And self-consciousness can strain your relationship with your partner if you don't feel worthy of love or affection.
Take time to grieve. But also learn to focus on the ways cancer has made you a stronger person and realize that you're more than the scars that cancer has left behind. When you're more confident about your appearance, others will feel more comfortable around you.
Loneliness in cancer survivors
You might feel as if others can't understand what you've been through, which makes it hard to relate to other people and can lead to loneliness. Friends and family might be unsure of how to help you, and some people may even be afraid of you because you've had cancer.
Don't deal with loneliness on your own. Consider joining a support group with other cancer survivors who are having the same emotions you are. Contact your local chapter of the American Cancer Society for more information. Or try an online message board for cancer survivors, such as the American Cancer Society's Cancer Survivors Network.
Where to go for help
Sometimes talking with friends or family can help. But you might feel like those people can't truly understand what you're going through if they haven't had cancer. You might consider consulting:
- A therapist. Your doctor may be able to refer you to a professional who can help you sort through your emotions and come up with ways to deal with your feelings.
Other cancer survivors. Support groups, whether in your community or online, provide a great place to share your feelings and hear from others who are going through what you're experiencing. You can learn new ways of coping with fears.
You can also offer your own expertise to other patients who are going through active treatment and help them in their journey.
Devise your own plan for coping with your emotions. Have an open mind and try different strategies to find out what works best for you.
Oct. 13, 2020
- Coping with fear of recurrence. Cancer.Net. http://www.cancer.net/survivorship/life-after-cancer/coping-with-fear-recurrence. Accessed Aug. 10, 2017.
- Facing forward: Life after cancer treatment. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/facing-forward/AllPages. Accessed July 24, 2017.
- Long-term side effects of cancer treatment. Cancer.Net. http://www.cancer.net/survivorship/long-term-side-effects-cancer-treatment. Accessed July 22, 2017.


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QuarterWatch™ (April 2013 issue) Perspective on GLP-1 Agents for Diabetes
QuarterWatch™ is an ISMP surveillance program that monitors serious, disabling, and fatal adverse drug events (ADEs) reported to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by manufacturers, health professionals, and the public. The goal of QuarterWatch™ is to improve patient safety through the identification of signals that may represent important drug safety issues. The term signal means evidence judged to be substantial enough to warrant publication but which usually requires further investigation to determine its frequency of occurrence and establish a causal relationship to the suspect drug. The latest QuarterWatch™ focuses on five widely prescribed glucagon-like peptide-1 based therapies referred to in this report as GLP-1 agents: exenatide (BYETTA), liraglutide (VICTOZA), sitaGLIPtin (JANUVIA), saxagliptin (ONGLYZA), and linagliptin (TRADJENTA).
GLP-1 Agents and Their Mechanisms
GLP-1, a hormone released from the gut when food is present, stimulates the release of insulin, slows gastric empting, reduces appetite, and has other effects on the regulation of blood glucose. Under normal conditions, the hormone is rapidly deactivated by the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4). The two injectable agents, exenatide and liraglutide, are GLP-1 receptor agonists (analogs) that are not inactivated by DPP-4. SitaGLIPtin, saxagliptin, and linagliptin are oral DPP-4 inhibitors that prevent the rapid breakdown of GLP-1.
Safety Questions Arise
Early in development of GLP-1 agents, some studies showed that the hormone stimulated cellular proliferation and inhibited programmed cell death.1 Since then, concerns that these drugs may be associated with pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and thyroid cancer have arisen. A 2011 examination of ADEs reported to FDA for sitaGLIPtin and exenatide identified both pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer as reported adverse effects.2 Pancreatitis was identified as a signal with liraglutide in the May 2011 QuarterWatch™ report.3 In 2013, a population-based case-control study in a large health insurance plan database reported a 2-fold increase in the risk of pancreatitis when taking sitaGLIPtin or exenatide.4 Pancreatitis, in turn, is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Also in 2013, a study of pancreatic tissue from age matched organ donors reported a 40% higher risk of a pancreatic mass in those taking GLP-1 agents compared to patients taking other diabetes drugs or non-diabetic patients.5 The study also identified precancerous growths in the pancreas of those who had been treated with GLP-1 agents, and a 6-fold increase in beta cells. In the presence of these safety concerns, we investigated the safety profile of the five GLP-1 agents. (No data were available for a sixth agent, alogliptin [NESINA], which was approved in January 2013.)
Assessment Methods
Twelve months of data submitted between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, were examined for signals associated with the five agents. Exposure to the drugs has risen steadily and accounts for 16.9 million prescriptions in the 4 quarters ending June 2012, according to IMS Health. The market thus far is dominated by sitaGLIPtin, with 11.2 million outpatient prescriptions (66%) in the same 4 quarters ending June 2012. For diabetes drug controls, reports for three second generation sulfonylurea drugs (glipiZIDE, glimepiride, glyBURIDE) were combined with reports for metFORMIN, the most widely used oral agent for diabetes. For random comparators, cases among all other drugs in patients within the same age range (20-85) were used. Suicides and deaths without a cause were excluded.
Report totals. We identified 1,723 serious ADEs for the five drugs in the 12-month study period, including 831 cases of pancreatitis, 105 cases of pancreatic cancer, 32 cases of thyroid cancer, and 101 cases indicating a hypersensitivity reaction.
Signals for pancreatitis. We observed a marked signal for pancreatitis in all five drugs compared to cases reported for the other diabetes drug controls. After adjusting for differences in report characteristics, the odds ratio (OR) for pancreatitis for the two injectable agents was 28.5 (95% CI 17.4-46.4) times higher than the diabetes drug controls; for the three oral agents, the OR for pancreatitis was 20.8 (95% CI 12.6-34.5) times higher. Examined individually in comparison to the other diabetes drug controls, the highest OR was for sitaGLIPtin and the lowest was for saxagliptin. Both the diabetes drug controls and the GLP-1 agents had higher odds of pancreatitis reports compared to the randomly selected cases, indicating a higher risk of pancreatitis across the diabetes patient population.
Signals for pancreatic cancer. The GLP-1 agents had increased adjusted odds of reported pancreatic cancer cases compared to the diabetes drug controls. For the injectables, the adjusted OR was 23.3 (95% CI 5.7-95.1), and for the combined oral agents, the adjusted OR was 13.5 (95% CI 3.1-58.5). However, examined individually, both linagliptin and saxagliptin had just a single reported case each, with an increased OR that was not statistically significant. These two drugs also had the fewest number of overall serious case reports of the group of five drugs.
Signals for thyroid cancer. The reported thyroid cancer cases were largely limited to the two injectable GLP-1 analogs, with 14 cases for exenatide and 17 cases for liraglutide. Grouped together, the two injectable agents had an adjusted OR of 15.2 times greater than the diabetes drug controls, and while statistically significant, the confidence intervals were wide (95% CI 2.0-111.7). One case of thyroid cancer was reported for saxagliptin, and one case was reported with the diabetes drug controls. Thyroid cancer is a biologically plausible adverse effect given the fact that thyroid tissues have GLP-1 receptors.
Signal for hypersensitivity. The newest of these oral agents, linagliptin, was associated with a marked signal for hypersensitivity reactions that included angioedema, urticaria, rash, blisters, and skin exfoliation. The adjusted OR for linagliptin was 7.7 (95% CI 4.2-13.8) times higher than the diabetes drug controls and was the only drug of five with a statistically significant difference.
Higher reporting rates for three drugs. Given that patient exposures varied widely among the five drugs, notable differences emerged when we compared the total serious adverse event reports for the five GLP-1 agents with dispensed prescription volume over the 12-month study period (see Figure 1 on page 2 in the PDF version of the newsletter). The adverse event reporting rate per 100,000 prescriptions for exenatide, liraglutide, and linagliptin was about 10-fold higher than for sitaGLIPtin and saxagliptin. The overall results suggest that the toxicity of the injectable GLP-1 analogs may be higher than all but one oral agent—linagliptin.
Responses from manufacturers. We shared preliminary results of QuarterWatch™ with manufacturers of the five drugs. Three companies, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Merck & Co. said that a causal relationship between drug treatment and pancreatic cancer was unproven, and noted weaknesses in using adverse event reports to assess this risk. Some companies also sponsored and cited animal and epidemiological studies, and meta-analysis of human studies that did not detect the risks explored here.
These results add scientific weight to the association of all five drugs with reports of pancreatitis. However, the marked association in adverse event data does not indicate how frequently this adverse event might occur. While available studies suggest that severe cases of pancreatitis are relatively rare, they do not address the incidence of cumulative or subclinical injury suggested in studies of pancreatic tissue.
Considered as a group, these data provide a signal for pancreatic cancer substantial enough to warrant further investigation. The two injectable agents had a signal for thyroid cancer. One, liraglutide, has a Boxed Warning about this possible risk. However, the number of cases reported over 12 months was modest, and as we have previously reported, links between drug treatments and increased cancer risk are difficult to measure in adverse event data. A relationship, however, is biologically plausible.
These data also provide preliminary evidence that the toxicity of the injectable agents may be higher than the oral agents. It is also clear from the data that linagliptin has a higher risk of reported hypersensitivity reactions. Better information about the incidence of more severe hypersensitivity reactions should guide judgments about its place in diabetes treatment.
This report and other recent studies establish the need to reassess the safety of this class of drugs and conduct further studies of their long-term effects on human pancreatic and thyroid tissues. Meanwhile, we recommend updating the prescribing information to include stronger warnings based on the adverse event data now available.
The full QuarterWatch™ report with references can be found here.
- Brubaker PL, Drucker DJ. Minireview: Glucagon-like peptides regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis in the pancreas, gut, and central nervous system. Endocrinology. 2004;145:2653–9.
- Elashoff M, Matveyenko AV, Gier B, Elashoff R, Butler PC. Pancreatitis, pancreatic and thyroid cancer with glucagon-like peptide-1-based therapies. Gastroenterology. 2011;141:150–6.
- Moore TJ, Cohen MR, Furberg CD. QuarterWatch: 2010 Quarter 3: New signals for liraglutide, quetiapine and varenicline. Institute for Safe Medication Practices. 2011.
- Singh S, Chang HY, Richards TM, Weiner JP, Clark JM, et al. Glucagonlike peptide 1-based therapies and risk of hospitalization for acute pancreatitis in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a population-based matched case-control study. JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173(7):534-9.
- Butler AE, Campbell-Thompson M, Gurlo T, Dawson DW, Atkinson M, et al. Marked expansion of exocrine and endocrine pancreas with incretin therapy in humans with increased exocrine pancreas dysplasia and the potential for glucagon-producing neuroendocrine tumors. Diabetes [epub ahead of print]. March 22, 2013.


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Volkswagen Go! and Tex
Giugiaro and Volkswagen are names that have gone together for years, with the first-generation Rabbit/Golf and Scirocco to their credit. Now, with Giugiaro's Italdesign studio having been purchased by the VW Group, Giugiaro has been tasked with moving the VW brand's small vehicle lineage forward. The result are two concepts, Go! and Tex, which are being debuted at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
Each based on VW's modular transverse architecture, a highly versatile platform that can house a variety of body styles and powertrain configurations, the Go! and Tex are two entirely different vehicles. Go! represents the future of small VW hatchbacks. With the wheelbase of a Passat, but an overall length of 157 inches, the Go! features extremely short overhangs and maximized interior space. According to Giugiaro, the Go! has comparable interior volume to a large SUV and up to 18.5 cubic feet of cargo volume. Glass surfaces are maximized for better visibility and rear view cameras replace the door mirrors.
Driver and passenger windows are fixed, with only the lower half able to be lowered. This reduces the weight and complexity of the electric window motor, while allowing for adequate ventilation. Meanwhile, the side sliding door operates without tracks, keeping the mechanism from encroaching on passenger space. The electric rear hatch can be operated by passing a foot by the sensor under the rear bumper.
The interior of the Go! is designed ergonomically, featuring the same electronically-adjustable seats for all four passengers. The center console in between the two front seats can be retracted, allowing the driver to exit from the passenger door in the event of parking in an area with heavy traffic or when the driver's door is otherwise obstructed from opening. Instrumentation is placed at the base of the windshield, allowing the driver to keep focused on the road ahead. Power comes from an electric Blue-e-motion system with a range of up to 149 miles.
Meanwhile, the Tex concept is designed to represent the future of sporty, small Volkswagens. Named after the Italian comic book ranger Tex Willer, the Tex sits at 53-inches tall and 69-inches wide, giving it a profile similar to a sports car. Nineteen-inch wheels sit at all four corners and the front fascia is aggressive, featuring three large air intakes to cool the 1.4-liter engine and the front brake discs.
The interior of the Tex was also designed to be reminiscent of all-out sports cars, with a wrap-around design that is driver-centric. Instrumentation is large and clear and sits in analog fashion just ahead of the driver, while and the passenger side of the vehicle is designed to maximize space. Two independent rear seats can be folded flat for maximizing storage.
Power for the Tex comes from a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired to a 85kW electric motor. Combined, the pair make 295 pound-feet of torque, propelling the Tex from 0-62 mph in roughly 6 seconds. A top speed of roughly 137 mph is theoretically possible. The gearbox is a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch unit, as currently found in the VW lineup.
According to VW, vehicles based on the platform underpinning the Go! and Tex will be built next year, though there are currently no indications that either concept will enter production.
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Top Moments: New Girl Does the Deed and The Good Wife Switches Sides
Our top moments of the week:
12. Best Fighting Words: While Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey are busy pulling each other's pigtails over on American Idol, the coaches on The Voice get snippy because they care. After Blake Shelton picks country singer Holly Tucker over the eclectic Luke Edgemon, Adam Levine is outraged. "Let me explain why you're an idiot, because he's a whole unique thing," Adam squarely says to Blake. Play nice, boys!
11. Worst Jump in the Sack: Just as exes Rayna and Deacon look ready to move on with their respective significant others on Nashville, Rayna stops by Deacon's place in the wake of a dust-up he has with his girlfriend about his feelings for Rayna. Rayna proclaims that she loves him and the two passionately kiss before taking it to the bedroom. Ugh, can't we just let Juliette anchor this show solo? We've heard this Rayna-Deacon tune way too many times before.
10. Best Redemption: Andy Dick's Dancing with the Stars elimination is a foregone conclusion after he (undeservedly) earned a 5 from Carrie Ann Inaba, but it's still moving nonetheless. Having defied everyone's expectations of his dancing and his persona, the newly sober star chokes back tears as he says his goodbyes. "It's just been the best," Andy says, his voice cracking. "The fact that we are here in Week 7 is amazing. I really thank everybody here. The fans, the judges - it's been a wonderful, wonderful ride." Of course, he couldn't leave without one last zinger: "Carrie Ann, I'm going to kill you for that 5! What did you do? It's all your fault."
9. Worst Surprise: In the final moments of Grey's Anatomy, Jo shows up at Alex's house, bruised and beaten. If Chest Pecwell is behind this, Alex better kick his butt!
8. So You Think You Can Dance Award: Rebel Wilson's not just a great improv comedian - she can dance on the fly too! On Late Night, Jimmy Fallon challenges Wilson to create randomly named (and heretofore nonexistent) dance moves. Quick on her feet (no pun intended), Wilson grinds out "The Mick Jagger Chicken" and teams up with Fallon for "The I'm Holding Too Much Eye Contact While Thrusting." Take that, "Harlem Shake"!
7. Bloodiest Cliff-Hanger: You didn't think The Following would end its first season without a steep body count, did you? After Joe Carroll apparently dies in an explosion (according to DNA and dental records), Ryan and Claire retreat to his place, where they find Ryan's ex Molly, who stabs them both and tells him, "You were always my chapter." We're pretty sure that Kevin Bacon will be back next season, but without his creepy flirtation with Joe Carroll's ex, what will he have to live for?
6. Why the Face? Award: The last time Ke$ha was on Conan, she talked about having sex with a ghost. This time? She wears a dress adored with tiny Conan faces, tells him how she uses her breasts to write songs ("I just let them tickle the ivories") and brings him some sexy gifts: a fan's tooth dipped in gold and a pair of tighty-whities with her face on them. Naturally, Coco puts them on. "I'm wearing your underwear, I've got the tooth, and thinking about your breasts playing the piano," he says. "This is the greatest night of my life."
5. Best (Lack of) Action: It's the moment Scandal fans have been waiting for! After Mellie set a deadline for Fitz to try to rekindle their marriage, POTUS (finally!) decides once and for all to let the clock run out in order to prove to Olivia that he's chosen her. He certainly "earned" her in the shower, don't you think?
4. Most Delayed Damage Control: Two weeks after her disorderly conduct arrest, a contrite Reese Witherspoon apologizes for her behavior on Good Morning America, and reveals that what was mentioned in the police report (aka her asking the cop if he knew her name) wasn't even the half of it. "I have no idea what I was saying that night," Witherspoon says, adding that she "panicked" when she saw her husband, Jim Toth, who was arrested on suspicion of DUI, being handcuffed. "I said all kinds of crazy things. I told [the officer] I was pregnant. I'm not pregnant. ... I am so sorry." That's great, Reese... so why did you cancel your GMA appearance last week again?
3. Best Jump in the Sack: After everyone in the group shares their stories of how they lost their virginity on New Girl, Nick heeds his now-departed dad's advice that some of the best things in life don't require thinking. Jess is about to go meet the strapping firefighter she lost her V-card to, but Nick stops the elevator, picks her up and literally sweeps her off her feet to his bedroom. "It's time not to think," he tells her, and the two passionately kiss and (finally!) consummate their crazy sexual tension. As the episode ends, they exchange shocked post-coital expressions. They awkwardly laugh and the last sound heard is Jess saying "Ruh-roh." No awkward Nick Miller moonwalk necessary.
2. Come and Knock on Our Door Award: After locking lips with Will (again) and this time getting caught by Diane on The Good Wife, Alicia leaves Peter's victory party early and goes home. She pours herself a nice glass of wine and gives herself an encouraging pep talk in the mirror as she waits for someone at the door. But just when fans think it's Will who is knocking, Alicia opens the door to Cary and tells him "I'm in" - presumably to join the rival firm he is starting. We have never been so excited to see business cards, like, ever.
1. Most Heartbreaking Twist: After eight seasons, Bones fans finally get the marriage proposal they've been waiting for when Brennan pops the question to Booth (with a bag of beef jerky). But before the conversation turns to invitations and honeymoons, serial killer Pelant shows up and threatens to kill five innocents unless Booth calls off the engagement. Although Brennan puts on a brave face as Booth explains that getting married while under intense pressure is a bad idea, it's clear in the finale's final moments that she is crushed. She was even looking at a bridal magazine, for crying out loud! Here's hoping this doesn't force Brennan back into her cold shell.
What were your top moments?
View original Top Moments: New Girl Does the Deed and The Good Wife Switches Sides at TVGuide.com
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