text: GIMP got 3 projects accepted in Googles SoC 2010! In Googles Summer of Code students are sponsored by Google to develope new features for a certain Open Source software. This year GIMP will have three students that will be programming for GIMP in the next months. *) Danny Robson will work on 3 new tone mapping operators for GEGL that will improve HDR workflow in GIMP. Such operators are responsible for different outcome of a basic HDR picture and these operators will bring that special and yet always a little different HDR-look into photos. His mentor is Martin Nordholts. *) Michael Mure will be mentored by Kaja Liiv and is developing a new tool that uses Green Coordinates to deform an image. You can place a so-called "Cage" on a picture (a closed polygon). Then you'll be able to deform the cage and the image will be deformed accordingly. This is a technique that allows high quality deformation while preserving the shape of an image. *) Chen Yan and Joao Bueno (his mentor) will work on more intuitive drawing options that can be done directly on-canvas. The goal is to make painting much more accessible while minimizing the need of open dialogues. The workflow shall be improved in general by reducing the amount of clicks needed for a certain action. In the next weeks students have time to get to know their mentors and become familiar with the whole environment of the software organization. We wish you fun and good luck on programming. We as "normal" GIMP users will however not get into touch with the new features until GIMP 2.8 or maybe GIMP 2.10/3.0 is released ;-) source. can't wait for 2.8!


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Geoff Walker's 93-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the second quarter woke up a sluggish Wabash football team, and a strong second half pushed the Little Giants to 5-0 on the season with a 42-7 win over a game Oberlin squad. Wabash is in first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference standings with a 3-0 record heading into next week's game at Wooster.
Click here to see 16 more photos from the game.
Wabash drove 10 plays and 60 yards on its first possession, giving up the ball on a failed fourth down try deep in Oberlin territory. The Little Giants' second possession went 63 yards and seven plays, but ended with a fumble.
Head Coach Chris Creighton used the team's sluggish start as a lesson for life. "Sometimes even when you're playing well, things don't go your way," he said. "And whether it's football or life, you have to stay positive and good things will happen."
Walker's school record-tying and conference record-setting punt return of 93 yards was precisely what Wabash needed to get untracked. The Little Giants scored touchdowns on four of their next five possessions, marching 65, 72, 83, and 77 yards for scores.
Wabash's dinged up defense bent, but only broke once when Oberlin went 70 yards for its only touchdown of the game with 5:10 remaining in the third quarter. After the Yeomen scored, Wabash's nationally ranked scoring defense picked off two Oberlin passes and forced three-and-outs on the next four possessions, all while the Little Giant offense found its rhythm.
"We really didn't say much to them at halftime," said Creighton. "We talked to the seniors, but I think everybody knew the first half was flat. It was a tale of two halves."
Wabash outgained the visitors (1-4 overall; 0-2 NCAC) 458 yards to 309 for the Yeomen. The Little Giants forced three interceptions and sacked Oberlin quarterbacks five times. Click here for statistics from the game.
Meanwhile, quarterback Russ Harbaugh enjoyed another amazingly efficient game, hitting 21-of-30 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns. He hit seven different receivers, and this week tight ends Graham Nelson (2) and Tim Schirack (1) were on the receiving end of his touchdown strikes. Geoff Walker, who had 114 yards on two punt returns, led the team with five receptions for 75 yards.
Tailback Don Juan Brown saw little action while resting a sore knee. Chris Ogden plowed for 69 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, while Brandon Roop gained 66 yards and scored once on nine carries.
Wabash was again led defensively by sophomore linebacker Adrian Pynenberg, who made nine tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, picked off a pass, and batted away two others. Fellow linebacker Frank Knez (subbing for starter Aaron Selby) had seven stops, while Josh Foster had six crushing tackles and a pass breakup. Chris Greisl came off the bench to post three tackles, one for a loss, and he made a 38-yard return on an interception. Andy Deig had the team's other interception.
Extra Points: Russ Harbaugh's streak of three straight games without an interception ended in the third quarter Saturday. Harbaugh had gone 17 straight quarters without throwing an interception. For the season he's thrown 13 touchdowns with just two interceptions... Oberlin managed as many points as any team has against Wabash's defense this season, Wabash had allowed just 22 total points going into Saturday's game for an average of 5.5 per game (second best in Division III)... Tamarco White sat out the game to rest a sore groin... Offensive lineman John Maddox and tailback Don Juan Brown saw only a few plays... Geoff Walker's 93-yard punt return equals the all-time Wabash record held by Hall of Famer Frank Roman, who went 93 yards for a score vs. Rose-Poly in 1946. It broke the NCAC record of 88 yards set by Marcus Lamb of Wittenberg in 1995 vs. Earlham... Wabash's offense had only one 10-play or longer drive, but had five drives of seven or more plays.
Photographs by Jim Amidon:
On the home page and above right: Geoff Walker took this punt return 93 yards for a touchdown and tied the record for longest punt return in school history.
Above left: Tight end Graham Nelson caught two touchdown passes on the day, including this 13-yarder in the third quarter.
Bottom right: It was a game of big hits, including this shot by Josh Foster on Oberlin receiver Chris Schubert.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
As ThinkAdvisor's Melanie Waddell reported (Bill to Kill Fiduciary Rules by SEC, DOL Heads for House Vote), Rep. Ann Wagner's (R-Mo.) HR 2374, was passed by the full House of Representatives yesterday. The "Retail Investor Protection Act," as it's euphemistically titled, was more accurately described by the Financial Planning Coalition (CFP Board, FPA, and NAPFA) in a letter sent on Monday to members of Congress, as "an investor protection bill in name only," and "a 'back door' attempt to undermine investor protection provisions in Dodd-Frank…"
SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White also weighed in on HR 2374 in a June 18 letter to House Financial Services Committee Chairman Job Hensarling (R-Texas), and ranking member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), that Wagner's bill would put "new restrictions on the commission's authority that would make it difficult for the commission to adopt such a [fiduciary] rule should it determine to do so."
Here's what has these folks so worked up about what the Honorable Congresswoman herself describes as requiring the SEC "to perform some common-sense due diligence to determine whether any new rules are necessary."
In its amazingly short four pages, the Wagner Bill calls for restricting the Department of Labor from redefining advisor fiduciary duties under ERISA until after the SEC issues its final ruling on a fiduciary standard for brokers, and then amending the Dodd-Frank Act to restrict the SEC from issuing any rules before doing the following:
— Identifying whether retail customers are really being "harmed or disadvantaged due to brokers or dealers operating under different standards of conduct" than investment advisors.
— Identifying where a uniform standard for broker and RIAs would "adversely impact retail investor access" to personalized investment advice;
—Having the chief economist of the SEC conduct assessments of the "qualitative and quantitative costs and benefits of the [Fiduciary] rule;
—Determining "that the benefits of the rule justify its costs" after assessing alternative rules, modifying existing regulation, and simplifying disclosures about existing standards; and
—Ensuring a new rule would "measure and seek to improve the actual results of regulatory requirements."
The Financial Planning Coalition sums up the Wagner Bill this way: "…the passage of H.R. 2374 would substantially impede or completely prevent…long-needed rulemaking that would allow all investors to receive investment advice that is based on their best interests." Such rulemaking, the Coalition letter stated, is "crucial to investor protection and would leave American investor s more vulnerable to potential abuses."
To that, I can only add: Really? Seriously? Is there really a question about whether retail investors are being harmed by what study after study has shown to be the nearly universal belief that their broker has a legal obligation to act in their best interest? That the costs of acting in investors' best interests really might somehow outweigh the benefits? Or the underlying implication that it would cost brokerage firms more to act in their clients' best interests?
Or that a bill that makes these suggestions really could be called "The Retail Investor Protection Act?" And perhaps most disillusioning of all: That SIFMA could really get a Congresswoman, who tells us that "it's the responsibility of Congress to intervene and stand up for hardworking American families" to put her name on such a bill.
Thankfully, the Senate has more sense (see Melanie's updated story on the Wagner bill's chances in the Senate).


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"I don't need to play Hamlet"
Versatile actor Eddie Redmayne loves Fantastic Beasts, appreciates follow-up movies and trusts his long-time mentor implicitly.
Mr. Redmayne, Do you recall your first shoot?
Of course, I do! It was for a children's show called "Animal Ark," and I was 14 or 15 at the time. It was in the summer holidays and I was dead set on dying my hair peroxide blond because all my friends were doing it – but I sprayed so much of the stuff onto my hair that it turned orange. I remember that my hair color changed every few minutes in that half-hour TV show because after every day of shooting, I would go home and make another attempt to change it.
That was 20 years ago – do you remember the ambitions and dreams you had back then?
Is that really 20 years ago already? Crazy! To be honest, at the time I had no great ambitions to go into movies or television, partly because up to then, I had only really done theater. As far as life choices are concerned, I would have been perfectly happy to carry on acting on stage, as I did in my school days.
So is ambition alien to you?
No, I wouldn't say that, but my ambition has never been directed toward a particular goal. I want to do every job I take on as well as I possibly can, and I work hard for that. But I have never been a dreamer who sets himself certain goals and chases after them. Specific dreams, like getting to play Hamlet once in my life, are alien to me.
Did you have a mentor who would warn you about the pitfalls of an acting career?
Not exactly, but I did have a truly wonderful teacher. That was when I was still at school. His name was Simon Dormandy, and he had been an actor before switching to teaching later in life. He treated us teenagers at boarding school like adults, and the respect he showed us made a huge impact on me. I have a great deal to thank him for generally as far as my training goes, as I never attended an acting school afterwards. I still occasionally ask Simon's advice when I'm faced with a big new challenge. To this day, there's no one I feel I can rely on or am as safe with as him.
You have just shot a sequel to the hit movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Isn't that a bit boring for a serious actor?
I imagine that might be true with some movies. But my experience on this film was different for a variety of reasons. For one thing, Joanne K. Rowling's stories have that magic, imagination and playfulness that children adore, but that adults also love. You succumb to that magic as an actor, too. And the film doesn't just tell the same story over again, it goes a step further. There's a lot more at stake this time around for Newt Scamander, whom I portray, and the other characters in the movie.
So you don't regret having signed up straight away to do a whole movie series?
Not at all! It's great fun being part of this fantasy world. Everyone on the team is so incredibly creative, from the technicians who come up with the special effects, to the puppeteers, the costume designers and props people, to say nothing of the other actors. Our director, David Yates, really did put a wonderful troupe together. What also helps is that I'm far from tired of my role – I love Newt!
As an actor, does it make a big difference whether you play in these kinds of fantasy spectacles or in movie dramas, such as the Stephen Hawking film The Theory of Everything or The Danish Girl?
Not in terms of work. But for me it really is a welcome change to be playing a character in a very different context after dramatic roles in which I portray real people. It was very liberating to leave the tragedy of reality behind.
We are nomads – I find having a little order in my life quite pleasant
Does it feel a little odd already knowing that you will be shooting the next installment of Fantastic Beasts next summer and that you will be on tour, promoting the film, a year later in 2020 … do you like having things planned ahead to such a degree?
You're right, this is not the norm. As an actor, you often lose control over your diary. We never know when our next role will come along, when we will be shooting, when a film will air in the movie theaters. As a result, we lead a nomadic life, rather like a wandering circus. Some people really like that – my wife, for one. She loves it when we travel a lot. But I find having a little more order in my life quite pleasant.
So you appreciate long-term film projects like this five-part movie series?
Yes. One good thing about this one is that so far at least, we have shot everything in London. That means I only need to travel from home to work, which definitely beats sitting in a hotel way on the other side of the world. And as far as I'm concerned, it's most definitely not a bad thing to know now what work I'll be doing next summer. Also, there's plenty of time for unplanned projects and playing the nomad before then.
Looking back at your roles over the past two decades, is there one apart from Newt Scamander that you would like to play a second time?
Hmm … I can't think of one right now. But I would gladly work with quite a few actors I've already filmed with, like Kristen Stewart and Julianne Moore, for example. Otherwise, I would appreciate the opportunity to do a remake of one film or another so that I could iron out a few of the mistakes I made the first time around. It's a great pity that's not possible!


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What about the ladies like myself who are having major marriage problems because of weight issues from having children. I had some c-sections and if I had a tummy tuck and lipo my husband might give me a chance. If only these guys would go into marriage loving their wives for who they are instead of their looks only and realize that things change, maybe I wouldn't be in this situation. I would take that surgery for free any day...
Friday, March 23, 2012
From Bad to Worse, Way Worse
54 comments:
The question I've been asking myself the last week has been, if I was in the market now reading this, and listening to "shadanim," why would I want to be ORTHODOX?
There are so many wonderful, ordinary men in the world that love, partner financially, and marry "natural" women, but clearly less and less of them are orthodox.
And ladies, after you are successfully starved, sliced, dyed, and painted, your prize is a guy who appreciates women, respects you as a person and a partner, supports you financially, (or at least 50%), and continues to love you when the polish wears off, right?
- March 24, 2012 10:44 PM
- rosie said...
I hate to say it but the non-Orthodox have been fixing Jewish noses for decades. It was probably just a matter of time before someone would decide that rhinoplasty should go mainstream for Orthodox Jews. On the JP website was that tragic story of a Jewish teenager who died from a nose job. Of course there was a teenager (non-Jewish) who died during the removal of wisdom teeth and no surgery should be regarded as minor.
Apparently this doctor's colleagues are not thrilled with his offer to help singles.
I did read that rabbonim sometimes allow plastic surgery in cases where it might avoid a divorce but no one should undertake such surgery without discussing it with a rav. I would not go so far as to say that plastic surgery should never be done because there are people who are very self conscious about noses and other body features and rabbonim sometimes allow it for that reason. Again, each case must be presented to a rav.
It obviously doesn't put frum people in a very good light.
- March 25, 2012 2:11 AM
- rosie said...
apparently some authorities permit cosmetic surgery when it alleviates severe psychological pain but each case should be asked of a rav individually. This doctor who is giving the free surgery to Orthodox Jews, states in his comments, that it will only be done after a rav is consulted.
- March 25, 2012 2:29 AM
- ProfK said...
If money is going to be spent on medical treatment, I'd rather see it go to a Psychiatrist or Psychologist in treating the wholly unrealistic expectations and attitudes of many males in shidduchim, and for their mothers as well. Let's address the root problem and we won't be pushing girls under the surgeon's knife for no realistic reason other than "I have to appeal to what boys want now."
Noses are now the first thing that a boy notices when assessing how pretty a girl is?! Get real people. Sorry if I'm going to be a bit explicit, but males generally put busoms far ahead of noses when they are judging attractiveness. Is that, too, to be added to the "doctor will fix it" list? Dr. Frankenstein must be smiling in his grave.
- March 25, 2012 12:15 PM
At the risk of creating a firestorm, while I think its horrible to tell women that they should get a nose job so they can get married,I wonder how many people who are turning up their noses at the idea are women with a horrible nose or is married to a wman with a horrible nose. A decent nose is key to a decent looking face. There is no hiding it or avoiding it. After all, it is as plain as the nose on your face. $10,000 for a nose which you will wear every day, is a far better per diem investment than all the funds spent in the orthodox world on nice clothing, designer eyeglasses and shoes, manicures, etc.
I really don't think it is at all fair to disparage someone who gets a nose job. (And no, I don't have one and have no plans to get one or any other cosmetic surgery.)
We have to remember that given the separation of the genders, men and women don't generally have an opportunity to be attracted to a prospective spouse's personality, wit, or humor. We can't pretend that as human beings first impressions and looks often count in determining if you are attracted to someone.
Finally, lets not forget that we are brought up with stories about how beautiful Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Esther were. Would Esther have had an opportunity to save her people if she had a huge crooked nose with a wart at the end? Aren't we taught that men with certain blemishes or physical deformities were not eligible to serve as Kohanim?
- March 25, 2012 12:28 PM
ProfK - I am not sure how old you are, but I am probably a lot younger than you. A huge nose will undoubtably cause more damage to a girl getting married than any other mis-shapen or too small body part. It is pretty much the first thing a guy sees when he meets his dare. Then he looks at the general apperance (weight) and much later the size of one particular body part.
Then again, maybe that is just me.
- March 25, 2012 12:29 PM
- Fern Chasida said...
1. I hope that all these fine upstanding yeshiva bochors take time out from their learning to hit the gym a few times a week to develop their washboard abs so that the perfect women they want will be proud to be seen with them as well.
2. As someone who has been put under anesthesia many times for non elective reasons, I cannot believe anyone pushes this on others as an option. Even simple nose jobs have risks. If a woman decides to undergo cosmetic surgery for herself, that is one thing. But to encourage women (especially young women) to go under the knife just to get married is outrageous.
3. There are no guarantees in life. You can marry the most outwardly beautiful person in the world and then due to an accident or disease, find that your circumstances have totally changed. Is Prince Charming going to stick by his wife when God Forbid she loses her hair and gets bloated by steroids because of cancer?
4. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Obviously, we don't all have the same taste and find the same people attractive. Ordinary looking people are made beautiful by the love they feel for themselves and that their partner feels for them.
- March 25, 2012 12:45 PM
- Dave said...
We have to remember that given the separation of the genders, men and women don't generally have an opportunity to be attracted to a prospective spouse's personality, wit, or humor.
So rather than fixing the root of the problem (above) the answer is to double down on shallow decisions and an exclusive focus on appearances?
- March 25, 2012 1:33 PM
- Orthonomics said...
If a woman decides to undergo cosmetic surgery for herself, that is one thing. But to encourage women (especially young women) to go under the knife just to get married is outrageous.
BINGO. It is patently outrageous to suggest mass surgery as a solution to the self-perpetuated "shidduch crisis."
- March 25, 2012 2:22 PM
- Orthonomics said...
ProfK-I'm with you. . . psychologists over cosmetic surgery if we need to "throw money at it."
- March 25, 2012 2:23 PM
I was once 'red' a girl and on the date found her highly unattractive. When I got home and said NO, my mother decided I was being too picky and she found an excuse to be somewhere that she knew the girl would be, so that she can see for herself whether I was in fact too picky. When she saw the girl she came back and told me that not only was I right about her appearance, but if she was me, she would never talk to that shadchan again. Haha. The bottom line is that girl got married before me because obviously 'beauty is in the eyes of the beholder'. I, of course married the prettiest girl I ever met, and we've been happy together for 25 years. And as a PS, that 'shadchan' has been my night seder chavrusa for 20 years.
- March 25, 2012 2:39 PM
- Avi Greengart said...
I don't think the issue is suggesting plastic surgery so your bashert will love you forever. I think the issue is suggesting plastic surgery so you'll be short-listed for a date with your bashert in the first place. That doesn't actually suggest that men are so shallow that they can't love someone who doesn't look like Barbie. It just means that when making a blind selection among candidates who are all the same on paper ("seminary graduate from a good family with wonderful middos") easily identifiable factors become magnified. In this system, pretty girls have better odds getting dates, so it hardly seems radical to suggest that plain girls take steps to appear pretty and level the playing field.
Now, if the suggestion that minor elective surgery is needed to game a flawed system is genuinely offensive, then perhaps we ought to fix the system instead? Just remember - don't try to fix it too much because we have twenty, maybe thirty years of tradition invested in it. Even if it might help people see beyond the superficial, we can't encourage young single people to get together and get to know each other outside a shidduch dating system, because that could lead to mixed dancing.
- March 25, 2012 6:48 PM
I agree that plenty of unattractive girls get married. I also think being attractive ups your chances (especially if you are not rich. Being rich makes up for pretty much anything, even being a baal tshuva or a baal tshuva's child).
We have to evaluate whether getting married should be an extremely important goal for any woman. I'd say whether or not it SHOULD be, it is. A commenter on another blog pointed out that marriage is not a halachic requirement for a woman, as it is for a man. My response is that I don't know any woman who would forgo marriage merely because the Torah doesn't require it. As long as women strongly desire marriage and children, it is not unreasonable to do reasonable things to increase the chances. What's reasonable varies from person to person, and for some people, cosmetic surgery is reasonable.
Already, young women in shidduchim spend thousands on tooth whitening and Japanese hair straightening (I know of this firsthand). While cosmetic surgery carries greater risks, the risks are not so great as to be rejected out of hand.
While I am not a person who would consider cosmetic surgery for myself, I know other reasonable, intelligent women who would and have.
- March 25, 2012 9:00 PM
- Mr. Cohen said...
Permitting mixed seating at weddings would do more to help Jews get married than surgery, and would cost must less.
- March 25, 2012 11:21 PM
- Charlie Hall said...
It is clear that the isolationist mentality of much of the Orthodox community, one in which young men are prohibited from any casual contact with young women, has produced a situation where we have accepted the worst of the values of the secular world. Is it any wonder why so many go OTD?
- March 25, 2012 11:44 PM
Re appearance: There is one type of appearance flaw that young people can fix and without expense or danger. And that is acne. As a teenager, if you have severe acne, it will leave lifelong scarring. Now dermatologists can inject the acne wih penicillin (if you are not allergic) and presto - it's gone! At least that's what I had done. This will help make a teenager (both boys and girls) feel much more attractive, and help them feel better when they come of shidduch age. Health insurance ccovers it. I am greatly in favor of proactive dermatology intervention to help acne, and I am not a dermatologist or related to one. Forget noses. Nose will marry nose.
- March 26, 2012 6:35 AM
Y'know what? I don't care.
The part of the Orthodox world that thinks this way simply has a set of priorities that don't match mine. Lo machshevotai machshevoteihem, v'lo darcheihem derachai. There's no way that the section of the Orthodox community that has these issues will listen to a "modern" type like myself, and I have enough self-respect to not care what they think about my priorities, which include reasonable chances for marriageable members of the opposite gender to meet, mingle, and work things out for themselves.
kol yisrael arevim zeh lazeh has a limit, and this is one. People who are foolish enough to rely solely on shadchanim who tell them that they're "too old" at 25 are not ready for married life. People who insist on a maximum dress size before considering a dating prospect are not ready for married life. People who feel it necessary to accomodate such people are not helping.
- March 26, 2012 9:11 AM
Why as a people have we stooped to such lows? Maybe we should require all potential spouses to wear masks at their first date and only after they are charmed by wit and personality can they take off the mask and see if they are horrified.
Why are we allowing mothers to decide what is pretty? Some guys out there would rather figure it out for themselves. I know a guy who's mother was screening all matches and she was doing it all wrong (for his desired life). She did what she wanted, how she wanted to introduce her new daughter in law, and not what would make her son happy.
You can't have everything- looks, brains, health, personality ect. Which would you give up on? I for one would rather give up on not having the prettiest girl/guy if they would have the health, brains, personality...
- March 26, 2012 10:15 AM
Couldn't agree more. I find this repulsive, sexist, backwards, and morally bankrupt. But, if these people want to be like this and behave in this manner, gey gezundter heyt.
When I see these things I feel like I'm reading a social anthropological study of a foreign culture and society - one that bears slight resemblances to my own, but has diverged many years ago and whose practices are strange and foreign to me.
My only concerns are not being associated with these crazies through the umbrella of "Orthodoxy" and not having my tzedaka monies somehow winding up helping them.
I wonder how many here are simply outraged or are actually affected by this nonsense because they live in these communities.
- March 26, 2012 11:00 AM
- Miami Al said...
To bring this back to Orthonomics, let's walk back from the moral outrage and focus on the economics.
In an idealized free market, buyers and sellers have perfect information. In a real market, buyers and sellers have to act on the information that they have. One way that people handle this is through "signaling."
You can't actually evaluate your lawyer's legal work, and client references are hard to judge (nobody gives unhappy references), so prospects often look to superficial things like: office address, office setup (fancy vs, simple), the car they drive, etc., all things that indicate their level of success or lack there of.
The difference between a Toyota and a Lexus is relatively minor and superficial, for those of sufficient means, the luxury benefits may eclipse the cost, but for others, reaching to a Lexus communicates success. A realtor that needs to drive clients around needs an impeccable car, and the cost premium of leasing a nicer car may be made up for by extra business from signaling success.
In the Shidduch market, we have a few "imperfections."
First, the Principal-Ageny problem, and we have a few. Basically, whenever we use an agent to represent us, we gain the benefit of their expertise, at the cost that their interests may not perfectly align with our own. A young man looking for a wife may want a girl is is attracted to with shared values, but their are two agents in the mix, the mother and the shadchan. The Shadchan is interested in making a match, but the "best" match for them may not be the best for the gentleman.
All these schemes to float extra money their way tries to take advantage of the agency dilemma to do what ISN'T in the best interest of the bochur. If the bochur wants the youngest, thinest, richest girl (in that order), introducing him to older rich girls (via side payments) is taking advantage of agency to enrich the agent.
The mother no doubt wants "the best" for her son, but let's not pretend that she doesn't have her own interests. If her social circle judges "best" by thinness, then she has a bias towards thinner girls, even if they are less compatible with her son because "she's the best." She can easily think that she is doing her job, but her interests are NOT 100% aligned with her son's.
- March 26, 2012 11:45 AM
- Miami Al said...
Back to signaling, fancy clothing and overdone make-up does signal something. It signals that the girl has the means to do so, either in time (30 minutes - an hour to do her make-up), or time and wealth (a professional make-up job). While the author masked it in verbiage about appropriateness for the event, she also was introducing a strong bias.
A middle-class girl might not have time to set aside an hour to get done up for this event, a wealthier girl would have. Historically, girth was seen as attractive, because it demonstrated wealth (food fit for a king). As the diseases of civilization ravage wealthy societies, thinness has become the goal, it indicates people that can eat healthier food (and therefore fewer calories in more expensive, but more nutritious foods), spend more time exercising (and often in expensive Yoga classes instead of cheaper activities like running, that would provide thinness but not the tone shape now defined as ideal)... For the show Mad Men, the produces made the actresses stop lifting weights, because while thinness was important for the show, it is a period piece, and the toned, muscular figure of today simply wasn't idealized in that time period.
A "goyishe nose" has always been prized in Jewish circles. The "Jewish nose" was not universally Jewish, it was common in the poorer, Slavic Jewish circles, less so in the wealthier, western Jewish areas. Plastic surgery let's one "change" their appearance somewhat, signaling a higher class "stock."
In a market like this, you end up in an "arms race," since the market is zero sum, it's not enough to be "pretty," one needs to be "prettier" than the other girls. So wealthy girls can get plastic surgery to be prettier, which moves them up. When you add tzedakah like this to "even the playing field," it's not even, you simply raise the stakes for the wealthy to signal their wealth.
It is impossible to remove these economic factors, but these "fixes" of "free plastic surgery," tzedakah funds to help lower-middle class have upper-middle class weddings, etc., you simply increase the arms race.
It's not enough to give your daughter a beautiful wedding, it needs to be a "nicer" wedding so that the community knows how rich you are and your other daughters get great husbands.
In the more egalitarian social dating world, there is some truth to beauty in the eye of the beholder. While pretty > not pretty, each guy is able to define pretty for himself where pretty is both what appeals to him AND what is available to him... few men would argue that a 5'10" model build isn't attractive, but men that are incapable of attracting such women will define their desires for that which they can obtain.
By defining "good" so narrowly, well liked bochur (since the scholarship isn't really evaluated, it's generally personality defining it) and "thinness, paleness, small nose" for women, you've warped the market further by creating an absolute scale for dating.
A secular female friend with a heavier build was frustrated by her dating life in high school and college. She knew that there were men that enjoyed larger women, but they weren't in high school/college, they were older. What hindsight let's one realize is not that these men magically started liking larger women in their 30s/40s, it was that as they remained single and refined their available pool, they focused on the best of what they could get, which was to focus on traits other than body build, which was maturation, but also acceptance of reality.
- March 26, 2012 11:45 AM
You hit on some really interesting points. How can we remain unaffected, and how can we make sure our money does not pay for it? By and large, the latter is easier to solve, I think. When a yeshiva calls and asks for money (and I am huge fan of supporting yeshivas) you can ask "Does your yeshiva allow boys to go to College?". As how to remain unaffected, this requires a constant search for "teaching opportunities" when you are with your kids. Whether it is making them answer the door for collectors - in the 5T this is a daily occurrence - having them open your mail to count the number of envelopes you receive weekly - about 20/30 this time of year - or just pointing things out to them whenever they come up. Every few months a collector comes to my shul and he is blind. He gives a sad speech how he used to make money but can't any more. If he would stop there I would be fine. But then he adds how he has children learning in Kollel that he needs to support and it kills me; and I will always turn to my son and ask him if he heard that, how wrong it is, etc.
- March 26, 2012 11:57 AM
Miami Al,
Your analysis is mostly spot on, but on the silly and narrow issue of fuller figure vs thin figure for women, there are men interested in all types. Given the number of black hats, I'm statistically certain that there are some of those men whose tastes will run to fuller figured women, for a variety of reasons. If they are "redt" to thinner women, many of whom will fill out during preganancy and as life progresses, they may be satisfied, but perfect information would parse them out to the women to whom they would be most attracted, leaving the thinner women for others.
(Of course, statistically, some of these black hats will have no interest in women at all, per se, and should probably be left alone to follow their own path).
- March 26, 2012 3:17 PM
- Miami Al said...
conservative scifi,
Absolutely. And this friend is VERY happily married with children with a warm and loving husband.
We were close friends as children, and this was something that really upset her in her teen years...
My point was, in high school, the same few girls were desired by most of the boys in school. Through college, graduate school, and later in life, you see that the absolutely fall over time.
The romantic view is that as people mature, they see more beauty in other areas, and evaluate people that they wouldn't have earlier. The cynical view is that the guy realizes he isn't getting a model, and re-orients himself to find things he likes.
The joke about "great personality" = fat is based on SOME grain of truth... I mean, it's not like heavier people are magically nicer, but if you are choosing who to romantically seek:
pretty + nice > pretty XOR nice > neither pretty not nice
And while there is a choice as to whether you are more interested in pretty but not nice, or nice but not pretty, few wouldn't first home for both. Some of the more variety of pursuit is maturation, and some of it is simply reality.
But, I don't think that the "mother of boys" are doing anything wrong, I think that they are doing the best they can for their children in a stupid system. I just think that the system is fundamentally broken, and these schemes to exploit make perfect sense, but are absolutely insane.
- March 26, 2012 3:33 PM
To someone who is a halachically observant Jew, Ms. Halberstam, while perhaps a bit vociferous, is not out of line. While wearing makeup during the week of shiva is forbidden, it is permitted for a woman who is "courting", presumably because she may lose her chance at marriage if she appears unattractive without it. I read this in Rabbi M. Lamm's book on death and mourning, and it is not clear whether it applies to a young lady in "shidduchim" or to a woman who has a steady boyfriend or fiancee. (The book was published in the 1960s, before "modern" - ahem - shidduch trends took hold). I'm sure someone with a knowledge of halachic sources could clarify.
Are commenters coming to contradict the shulchan aruch or mishneh brura because it goes against modern sensibilities? How heretical!
- March 26, 2012 4:37 PM
back to some economic thinking on this (and as freakonomics noted, economic is not only financial) - is the system fundamentally broken? I pulled out some older HS yearbooks from my daughters school; 6-10 years ago, and found that 75%-90% of the girls are married. While 10%-25% of 25-30 year olds being single may be too high, it is hard for me to say this is a 'funadmantally broken' system. Though I would probably feel differently if it was my daughter.
As far as the halacha of makeup and aveilus, see Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh deah, siman 381 sif 6.
- March 26, 2012 5:10 PM
I think girls should be working at remunerative jobs in the community from the age of 14, as soon as they can put up their hair and look older. There are jobs in reception for doctors and dentists, you can make your own day camp for small children from the age of 13 (having "trained") working for someone else since 11, and saving every penny for your marriage. Skip Israeli sem for intown. It won't make a difference in the long run. Invest your savings in a reliable mutual fund, including stocks, so it will grow. In ten years of working, you will have enough money to make up for any physical imperfections, and you will start your marrige on a secure financial footing. Mothers in law may admire a young lady who has her feet on the ground. Save, save, and invest! Don't worry about your nose. Use some of the money to go to a dermatologist to get skin imperfections improved.
I'd also give this advice to young men. They should also be working and earning during their free time bein hazmanim in yeshiva. But they don't because they see no need. In years past, a teenage boy I know did the following during yeshiva: mowed lawns in summer, shoveled snow in winter, filled bags of groceries at the supermarket and carried them out for tips, and even had an ice cream truck, cruising the neighborhoods during summer. Every nickel counted. Why don't young teenage boys do this now? Why do they waste their free time? They can also save, save and invest. And in households where there is need, a young man can contribute to his mother's household money.
- March 26, 2012 9:14 PM
Anonymous 9:14,
When do kids have a right to be kids? I understand teaching your children the wonderful skill of earning money and saving it. However, teaching your kids that they must work from the age of 11 is ridiculous!! (Besides for child labor laws and the fact that I would never trust my toddlers with a 13 year old...)
How will this solve the problem? This just adds to the "money=shidduchim" theory.
- March 27, 2012 10:41 AM
I appreciate your point of view, Anon. 10:41. My mother at the age of 15 put up her hair and said she was 18, and got a job during the summer of WWII when jobs were going begging for lack of men. She was able to buy her own clothes and contribute money to her impoverished family. My friend spent his childhood (at 10-11 years old) Saturday nights putting the Sunday papers together at the corner drugstore. My sister spent her 11th grade year tutoring Hebrew to the daughter of a famous pianist and babysitting, and saved everything she made, and financed a trip to Israel that summer herself. The sense of personal accomplishment you get from earning your own money and paying for your own needs is an incomparable life lesson. Even now, I am proud that I work 3 jobs to support myself. That my evenings and weekends are spent on my additional jobs. I am proud to work, and the grandchildren in my family are proud to be young entrepreneurs running their own day camps for preschoolers, with their mother on the premises. When did it become shameful to earn money when you are ten years old? They aren't skipping school. They aren't missing out on baseball. A seven year old, a very responsible child, found a job pushing babies in the stroller up and down the sidewalk in her neighborhood for 25 cents an hour! I was very proud of her.
- March 27, 2012 11:35 AM
All the frum girls' school have "chessed" requirements, in which the girls are supposed to babysit and help out others for NO pay. (It wouldn't be chessed if they got paid). That's why 7 year olds don't work. (Not to mention that day camps need insurance.) And was it really OK for your mom to lie about her age? Is lying to get a job OK'd by the Torah?
- March 27, 2012 11:50 AM
- Miami Al said...
This concept of a work-free "childhood" is an American post-WWII phenomenon. In the more agrarian past, children as young as 3 had chores related to family farms or gardens. In America, summer was cherished because while chores were longer (harvest time in the 18th/19th Century agrarian cycles), without school + long days, children had more free time to roam.
One of the key "virtues" attributed to Americans during the Revolutionary and Constitutional era was "industrious," that Americans were hard workers, colloquially called the Protestant Work Ethic, a combinations of America's distinction from the less industrious continental Europe as well as anti-Catholic bigotry.
Jewish immigrants to America in the 20th Century adopted to their new country and it's work hard culture quite well, and climbed the socioeconomic ladder faster than any other minority group. It's not uncommon to find an upper-middleclass Jew with a high earning AND high status profession whose parents were distinctly lower middle class and grandparents were immigrants, sometimes even with parents that were immigrants.
This is declining throughout all sectors of Jewish life, Asian Immigrants are replacing Jews as the "model minority."
What is startling is the low regard that work and productivity is held in Frum culture, and it does NOT bear well for the future.
The fact that we celebrate expenditures and not income is also not a recipe for long term financial success.
- March 27, 2012 12:14 PM
- Orthonomics said...
My kids have a job: doing well in school. :)
- March 27, 2012 12:15 PM
my kids have jobs too - sleep away cmp in the summer pays very nicely for girls 16-19 and boys 17-21. So does laining in a shul (boys only, sorry). But having them work for 25 cents an hour as little kids may come back to bite you. I can picture a kid asking "why did you make me slave away for $2 a day, when I now make that much in 5 or 10 minutes? what a waste of time that was." and I knwo it is all about building work ethic and the like, but there has got to be a line somewhere. As already mentioned, for 25 cents I would rather they do chesed - another "ethic" we need to build.
- March 27, 2012 12:47 PM
Parenting 12:47 - When my daughters were about 13-14, I advised them NOT to take camp jobs that worked out to $1 per hour. The jobs in question paid about $150 per month for 8 hour days. They realized they could earn more money taking private babysitting jobs at $4-$6 per hour and working just a few hours. I'm all for keeping kids busy, but teaching them not to be suckers is also part of parenting.
- March 27, 2012 1:16 PM
Anon. 11:50 - Thank you for pointing out that my mother lied to get her job. Her employer knew she was not 18. No way that he didn't know! But he needed someone to hand address thousands of envelopes to keep his business going, so he pretended to believe her. He colluded with her obvious fib to keep a Jewish business from languishing for lack of manpower and to feed his family and her family. But thank you for pointing out this important point about emet.
Re Comment 12:47 about the importance of chesed. I didn't mention in my post about the 7 year old making 25 cents an hour - her mother made her refuse the money and take care of strolling babies as a chesed. But she was offered 25 cents! Thank you for pointing out the importance of chesed.
My friend who put newspapers together Saturday nights was well served by his industry. Now that he is a successful executive, he often points to the early experience he had in working Saturday nights on newspapers. He tells me he still loves newspapers, and this was a chance to read them early, or at least the front pages. He is known for his work ethic, and his success in his career can be attributed to his parents' approval of his earning money at the age of 11. But thank you for pointing out that making a child work at 11 is abusive. Your point is consistent with today's hashkofos, especially among prosperous parents, and the not so prosperous.
Anon. 12:47 - thank you for your salient point about not making your children "slave away" for a pittance. Your point of view is very popular on this board, and I am sure among your peers. The teens in my family are fully insured, are supervised by their mom, and they do not work as employees in a day camp. They are independent entrepreneurs. The money they make over their teenage years pays for sem in Israel.
Miami Al, you are the only one with any sense. That's why you are successful. The rest of them are looking for reasons for their kids to play games on electronic devices and yap on cellphones. The children in my family excel both academically and at work. The young boy who folded newspapers ended up graduating magna cum laude from Cornell and attended Harvard Law School. Working is not inconsistent with academic excellence. But thank you Orthonomics Lady, for pointing out that your children need all their time to do their schoolwork. I am sure they do, as the 11 year old was intellectually gifted, and your children may not have his innate talents. That is not a criticism, someone has to be average!
- March 27, 2012 1:35 PM
So your mother and her employer colluded to circumvent child labor laws? But it was a Jewish business, so that was OK.
Yes, I'm familiar with the attitude that the law only applies to "yenem".
- March 27, 2012 1:43 PM
Anon 1:43 PM - For a higher purpose - to lift themselves up from poverty. There is no logical reason why a 15 year old can't work at a job during the summer. You are splitting legal hairs. You don't know what it was like living in a poor family in the early 1940's, nor do you know what it was like to run a business with no men available and women the only resource. They did what they had to, and if they broke the law, at least they didn't have to beggar themselves. They worked honestly. Your argument is weak and displays an unbecoming pettiness.
- March 27, 2012 1:49 PM
Also, I'll leave you with a Yiddish saying:
"De minimis non curat lex."
- March 27, 2012 1:50 PM
I worked regularly from age 14. In NY, something called "working papers" were required. Age 14-15 were limited to "safe" jobs, age 16-17 were only somewhat limited, age 18 and up didn't require working papers anymore.
- March 27, 2012 3:35 PM
- Orthonomics said...
Orthonomics Lady, for pointing out that your children need all their time to do their schoolwork. I am sure they do, as the 11 year old was intellectually gifted, and your children may not have his innate talents. That is not a criticism, someone has to be average!
That is a bit rude!
I was an "intellectually gifted" kid and was far better served by pursuing extracurricular interests in my free time than I would have been by babysitting or working in an office (I did work for my family from a young age in the summers).
My interests provided me with a seder, motivation, friends and contacts, and a future side income stream.
I'm not against young people working and contributing to their families, but I don't think every 14 year old, or even most 14 year olds, should be looking for a " remunerative jobs in the community".
- March 28, 2012 12:42 AM
- Dave said...
I'm not against young people working and contributing to their families, but I don't think every 14 year old, or even most 14 year olds, should be looking for a " remunerative jobs in the community".
I disagree. I think that as a general rule, every 14 year old should be working, for pay, with an employer who isn't a family member.
Not necessarily all year long, and not necessarily for many hours, but I think it is an important way to learn both how to behave in the workplace, and the value of a dollar.
- March 28, 2012 10:45 AM
Orthonomics Lady - I hope you appreciate my penchant for controversial posts! I am giving you your sideline income, by increasing views, posts, and your advertising $$$. Without me, your blog would not have the same punch.
I love the intellectual give and take, and I love the fact that I win more arguments than I lose. I don't mind enriching your blog - I'm giving you more page views than you'd otherwise have. I don't know you or your gifted children, chalk it up to the game! Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
As my brilliant friend told me when I was "hurt" by criticism on Amazon - if you put yourself out there, you have to expect you will sometimes attract criticism.
- March 28, 2012 11:28 AM
we already knew she (he? it?) was a troll
- March 28, 2012 11:41 AM
So we have a debate whether 'all' or 'some' 14 years olds need to work...any way to put that questiom to the brilliant readers of Orthonomics? if not, put me in the NOT ALL camp.
- March 28, 2012 12:56 PM
Sephardi Lady - I will give you a free tip on winning a debate with me. I have posited that an 11 year old I know (as an adult) was not harmed by his part time job at 11 years old, that in fact, it gave him a sense of accomplishment, he loved reading the front pages before anyone else, and he went to a top college and law school.
How do you answer this impregnable argument? Here's how: You ask, Did your friend attend yeshiva day school with a double program? Did he study mishna and gemorah?
This key question would have weakened my argument somewhat, as my adult friend went to a public school, albeit in the era when the public school was entirely made up of Jews, many of whom were intellectually gifted. He also was in the school orchestra and studied two instruments. But he did not have to spend time on gemorah. He was elected President of the student council. (Now he is President of his shul.)
You can reduce your debate opponent's advantage by posing a key question. See? You've learned something from me!
I don't know what a troll is. I assume it's someone who is able to generate more page views than the average viewer, in which case I take it as a compliment. By the way, this is a hobby. I am a professional writer and have frequently appeared in the NY Times, Washington, Baltimore Sun, etc.
- March 28, 2012 1:24 PM
Anon - Orthonomics Lady - I hope you appreciate my penchant for controversial posts! I am giving you your sideline income, by increasing views, posts, and your advertising $$$. Without me, your blog would not have the same punch.
You're nuts. Do you see any advertising on this page?
And ask any small-time blogger that does have advertising if they are making any real money. You will see that they are not.
- March 28, 2012 2:01 PM
Mark - an excellent point, made with finesse and politesse, i.e., "you're nuts".
- March 28, 2012 3:15 PM
If the shoe fits - wear it!
- March 28, 2012 4:16 PM
Anon - an excellent point, made with finesse and politesse, i.e., "you're nuts".
I see you have no response to my main point.
- March 28, 2012 6:41 PM
I don't think your comments are increasing my readership and my 2011 tax form shows $65 in income. This isn't a money maker. I make money in other areas. This is more of a hobby.
- March 28, 2012 7:08 PM
Mark - I did respond. I said you had made an excellent point, and the point I was referring to was that small time bloggers make very little money. My point about your refinement was a reference to your clever comment, "You're nuts". I was expressing my admiration for your ability to think up such an original turn of phrase! I did not intend to refute it. I couldn't possibly have your objectivity, you who know me so well. So no comment!
Sephardi Lady, without readers like me prolonging your posts and increasing the counter on the right, you might have made even less. You should be pleased to have a literate readership - readers like Mark!
- March 28, 2012 8:45 PM
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One person's trash is another person's property: Thoughts on "enabling homelessness"
I was intrigued recently by an exchange of opinion articles in the L.A. Times debating a new city ordinance that allows people experiencing homelessness to keep their possessions on sidewalks. The ordinance is especially affecting Skid Row, and speaks to larger debates about how cities are dealing with increasing homeless populations.
In the first letter, "Enabling homelessness on L.A.'s Skid Row," Carol Schatz expressed concern that the city's injunction has negatively impacted public health, decreased safety, and discouraged business at local establishments. Schatz also argued that some people are less likely to seek help getting housing if they have free reign to store their belongings on the sidewalk.
Jeff Dietrich of the L.A. Catholic Worker, whose work includes providing people with shopping carts to store their belongings, wrote in response: "We are homeless enablers, and we are proud to provide the essentials that enable the homeless to stay alive." To Dietrich, he and others like him are simply affirming the human dignity and basic rights of their brothers and sisters.
I worked as an "enabler of homelessness" through a year of service with Jesuit Volunteer Corps. My organization, a daytime drop-in center, provided people with blankets, backpacks (a highly sought after and rarely available commodity), and trash bags. For someone who lacks stability and privacy, a trash bag (to keep an extra set of clothes clean, or store last remnants of a life before homelessness) is much more than just a vessel for storing unwanted or broken items.
At times during my service year I did feel like I was enabling homelessness, in that my organization was focused simply on meeting people where they were at and providing emergency relief, rather than working on changing long-term problems. As a result, I appreciated one question that Schatz raised in her letter, though I disagreed with some of her other points: "Rather than simply establishing and refining rules under which homeless people can continue to live on city sidewalks in squalor," she wrote, "Shouldn't activists and the courts focus on how to help homeless people off the streets?"
Homelessness is a real problem in our society—we know people are suffering whether we can see them or not. We shouldn't be focused on how to keep people out of sight; instead, we should be working on ways to reduce and eliminate the circumstances and situations that lead to life on the street. It's not as immediate of a fix as snapping your fingers and making someone disappear, but by working for more jobs, better wages, easier access to health care, and maintaining our safety net, people will be out of sight because they are better off, not because they have been made to hide.
Dietrich has recently authored a book about his experiences at the Catholic Worker, called Broken and Shared: Food, Dignity, and the Poor on Los Angeles' Skid Row (Loyola Marymount Institute Press). He begins one section of his book with the following quote from comedian and Catholic Stephen Colbert:
If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that he commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it.
So: Do we actually want to love the poor and serve the needy?
Just this weekend I received a touching message from one person who came to receive services at my organization. Since I first met him, he is out of the shelter, working regular hours, and happy and healthy. He contacted me to thank me for the role I'd played in helping him become the person he is now. Though on the surface my role was little more than playing cards and talking about sports, books, and movies with him, what I was really able to do was help him keep a sense of feeling whole and human.
I for one am glad to keep enabling homelessness for a result like this.


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By Jim Harris
The Chestnut Hill Gallery & Frame Shoppe, 8117 Germantown Avenue, is celebrating five years on the Hill. The business is owned and operated by Joseph Borrelli and his wife, Suzanne Sheeder. I recently stopped in to ask Joe how things were going.
So, what's changed in five years?
•"Well, we've grown in the number of artists we represent. We presently have about 50 artists under contract, and more 'in the bins.'"
Has the bad economy affected your business?
•"That damn recession hit us right away. I first noticed it in 2007 — people getting laid off and losing their homes. I tried to adjust. I learned some valuable lessons in running a small business. Things like what works in a certain market. We're lucky that part of our business is framing and restoration."
How do you find artists?
•"Sometimes I search for them; sometimes they just walk in the door. A lot are local, some regional, and even a few are international.
Can a local artist actually make a living from painting?
•"A few of the older artists do make a living solely from their art, but most have other jobs, too. One of our artists works nights and paints all day."
Do you know any crazy artists?
•(Smiling) "A few are what you might call 'eccentric,' but they're all hardworking, and for the most part, easy to work with. I'm lucky to have the fine quality of artists that I do."
Any memorable events in the last five years?
•"Sure, plenty. Let's see, in 2010, we did a fundraiser for the work of Doctors Without Borders in Haiti. We also had an artists/poets collaborative that was very successful. We'll be having another artists/writers event this year, April 16 through 22."
What else is coming up?
•"May 1 to 28 will be the first-ever exhibit of the stunning collection of the Hahn Gallery (where Borrelli worked for 10 years), with a reception on Saturday, May 14, with the incomparable Roslyn Hahn."
Long range plans?
•"I'd like to form a committee with other local galleries to make this area an 'arts destination' and maybe have First Friday events to attract people from Center City. This community is full of artists. Also, someday I'd like to expand, and maybe open a second gallery in New Jersey."
Do you draw?
•"No; I doodle. I'm actually a musical artist (he plays with the band '56 Men'). I still play music, but I'm mostly around visual artists, some of whom are musicians as well. I enjoy their company. Part of my business plan is to help the artist community."
"I collect art, I love art, and I like the business of running a gallery. It's a whole lifestyle, and I'm constantly working on it. I always wanted to have my own business, and Chestnut Hill is a wonderful place to work. It hasn't always been easy, but I'm living the American dream."
For more information, call 215-248-2549 or visit www.chestnuthillgallery.com.


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Three young men who went to Stanford University and were part of the same fraternity and now in court deciding who's really a founder of photo-sharing app Snapchat.
Video depositions emerged from a lawsuit brought against Snapchat founders Bobby Murphy and Evan Spiegel by former friend and fraternity brother Reggie Brown, according to Business Insider. Spiegel is even depicted in the videos stating that Brown may deserve "something" for his role in starting the company.
Brown filed a lawsuit against Murphy and Spiegel in February, alleging that he was one of the company's original founders before being frozen out by both of them. He claims that both Spiegel and Murphy secretly created a new company and divided it amongst the two of them, leaving Brown out of the loop and without any ownership. Brown is now suing for one-third of Snapchat.
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Spiegel's legal team said that Brown's claims are without merit and called the suit "frivolous."
Snapchat recently scored $12 million in funding and has reportedly rejected a $3 billion offer from Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.
There is evidence that Brown may have some right to a payday from Snapchat as an early founder, but information from the depositions reveal that all three may not have gotten along -- including an allegation that Brown hid patent documents from Murphy and Spiegel. Chances are that, despite the legal wrangling, Brown may have enough proof to show he was involved in Snapchat, and this is all just preliminaries before a Winklevoss-like settlement.


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Pediatric Specialists in King City, CA
We found 12 Pediatric Specialists in King City, CA.search & filter
Pediatric Specialists
A pediatric specialist is a physician who has extensive training in the diagnosis and treatment of specific conditions in children.
These doctors are specialists in one particular therapy area, such as dermatology, pulmonology, surgery, or ophthalmology, in addition to being pediatricians.
Pediatric specialists are who parents would take their children to when they are diagnosed with a condition requiring specialist treatment not provided by their pediatrician or primary care provider.
While specialists in any area are qualified to treat children as well as adults, pediatric specialists have specific training in the way diseases affect children who are still growing and have different emotional needs than adults.
Cities with Pediatric Specialists
Click on any of the following 10 cities to find more pediatric specialists near King City, CA
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If you want to get stronger, don't lift weights— put on a swimsuit and get in the pool. Water aerobics is a whole-body workout, and since water adds at least 10 times the resistance of air, strength can be built faster than if you trained on land.
Take a simple triceps press, for example. Using foam dumbbells designed for water aerobics, you start by holding the dumbbells at the water's surface, press the dumbbells against the water down toward your stomach, all the while contracting the triceps. To return to the starting position, you pull against the water. It is this push-and-pull resistance against the water that quickly builds muscle strength and endurance.
Water creates a special three-dimensional resistance-training environment that also works different muscles groups at one time. If you were to stand next to a wall and lift your leg outward, you would only get resistance against the outer thigh, since you're only pressing against air. The same movement in water is trickier. You push against the water to lift and lower the leg, but to prevent the water from pushing the leg forward or backward as it is lowered, different muscle groups have to be used. You are getting resistance from all directions and working more muscles.
Wearing fins or water shoes adds even more resistance to a water aerobics workout. Make sure you have some good athletic swimwear, like long torso or chlorine-resistant swimwear, and get going!next article >>


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Father, son arrested after standoff in Derry
Police say men were shooting car windows
A father and son are in custody after a lengthy standoff with police in Derry Borough.
Police say charges are pending against Ricky Price, Sr. and his son, Ricky Price, Jr. They are accused of shooting the windows out of 16 vehicles with a CO2 pistol in Derry on Sunday night.
Police say they targeted the vehicles at random. One of the vehicles was being driven at the time, the other 15 were parked.
Police say one of the vehicle owners followed both suspects to 112 East Third Avenue, where officers made contact with them. Police say the younger Price was taken into custody when he exited a back door just after 9:20 p.m. After a standoff lasting three hours, the elder Price was arrested.
Both will face charges of criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and propulsion of missiles.


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Regardless of who wins the White House, Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is the only one in the race with a solid backup plan.
Regardless of who wins the White House, Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is the only one in the race with a solid backup plan.
The Wisconsin congressman is seeking re-election to the U.S. House seat he has won seven straight times, in addition to being tapped as Republican Mitt Romney's running mate. He won those previous elections by comfortable margins.
Ryan is being challenged this year by Democratic businessman Rob Zerban, whose grassroots campaign focused on his credentials as an entrepreneur, and Libertarian Keith Deschler for southeast Wisconsin's 1st District seat. But it's been an uphill climb for both challengers.
Even before he was tapped as Romney's No. 2, Ryan was seen as a rising star within the Republican Party. As chairman of the powerful House Budget Committee, Ryan gained prominence when he drew up an austere budget blueprint that would reshape Medicare for many people into a voucher-like program. He also attracted attention for wanting to keep tax breaks in place that were set to expire for the wealthy.
Ryan crisscrossed the U.S. as the GOP vice presidential candidate, stopping in Wisconsin for high-dollar campaign fundraisers and a handful of rallies across the state. Meanwhile, Zerban relied on grassroots efforts to introduce himself to local voters. The former Kenosha Board supervisor said he would fight for middle-class families where Ryan had failed them.
Zerban tried for weeks to get Ryan to debate him, without success. And he raised less than half the money that Ryan brought in: The congressman raised $4.9 million compared to Zerban's $2.1 million.
Zerban had hoped his campaign would benefit from the heightened scrutiny Ryan was under as a national candidate, but that never happened.
The 1st District stretches from the shores of Lake Michigan through industrial zones, bedroom communities and farm fields until it reaches Ryan's hometown of Janesville to the west. The seat, which also includes some south Milwaukee suburbs, has been in Republican hands since 1995.
State law allowed the 42-year-old married father to run for Congress and vice president at the same time.
If he wins both races, he would have to resign from Congress and a special election would be held to fill the House seat, which would put it back in play for both parties.


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As live streaming video surges in popularity, so are copyright "bots" – automated systems that match content against a database of reference files of copyrighted material. These systems can block streaming video in real time, while it is still being broadcast, leading to potentially worrying implications for freedom of speech.
On Tuesday, some visitors trying to get to the livestream of Michelle Obama's widely lauded speech at the Democratic National Convention were met with a bizarre notice on YouTube, which said that the speech had been blocked on copyright grounds.
On Sunday, a livestream of the Hugo Awards – the sci-fi and fantasy version of the Oscars – was blocked on Ustream, moments before Neil Gaiman's highly anticipated acceptance speech. Apparently, Ustream's service detected that the awards were showing copyrighted film clips, and had no way to know that the awards ceremony had gotten permission to use them.
"I thought it was a huge pity, and ridiculous," said Gaiman in an e-mail exchange with Wired. "But I also think it highlights a potential problem that's just getting bigger."
Last month, footage from NASA's triumphant Curiosity rover landing was blocked numerous times on YouTube, despite being in the public domain, because several companies – such as Scripps Local News – claimed copyright on the material.
Those incidents foretell an odd future for streaming video, as bandwidth and recording tools get cheaper, and the demand for instant video grows. Just in the last year, Google Hangouts, a feature of Google+ that allows multiple people to video conference, became a cult hit. Now it's used by news sites, such as the Huffington Post, for live video interview segments. Ustream and Justin.tv have made it simple to livestream book readings, Meetups and the police siege of Julian Assange's embassy sleepover.
Copyright bots are being wired into that infrastructure, programmed as stern and unyielding censors with one hand ever poised at the off switch. What happens if the bot detects snippets of a copyrighted song or movie clip in the background? Say a ringtone from a phone not shut off at a PTA meeting? Or a short YouTube clip shown by a convention speaker to illustrate a funny point? Will the future of livestreaming be so fragile as to be unusable?
A swarm of tech companies are rushing in to provide technical solutions to enforce copyright in online sharing communities and video-streaming sites. Those players include Vobile, Attributor, Audible Magic, and Gracenote. And they're thriving, despite the fact that U.S. copyright law, as modified by the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, doesn't require sites that host user-created content to preemptively patrol for copyright violations.
"The companies that are selling these automated takedown systems are really going above and beyond the requirements set for them in the DMCA, and as a result are favoring the interests of a handful of legacy media operators over the free-speech interest of the public," says Parker Higgins, an activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
The notice-and-takedown regime created by the DMCA allows copyright holders to send a written notice to an online hosting service when they find their copyright being violated. The online service can then escape legal liability by taking down the content fairly promptly, and the original poster has the opportunity to dispute the notice and have the content reinstated after two weeks.
But that regime breaks down for livestreaming. For one, if a valid copyright dispute notice is filed by a human, it's unlikely that a livestream site would take it down before the event ends, nor, under the law, is it actually required to. On the flipside, if a stream is taken down, the user who posted it has no immediate recourse, and the viewership disappears.
Brad Hunstable, Ustream's CEO, says the volume of content is overwhelming and content-blocking algorithms are key to keeping copyright holders happy.
"To give you a sense, more video is uploaded on Ustream per second than even YouTube, per minute, per day," Hunstable said in a phone interview with Wired.
"The thing to understand is that at any given time, we can have tens of thousands of simultaneous broadcasts on the site, which is coming through the free service, which is why we've implemented these automated procedures to monitor copyright, as part of our partnership with these larger media brands," added David Thompson, Ustream's VP of marketing. "From the system's point of view, [the Hugo Awards] were just one of tens of thousands of people broadcasting at one particular time."But after the embarrassing Hugo Awards incident, Ustream suspended the use of Vobile – the third-party company that Ustream uses to compute automated takedowns of copyrighted material.
"We're doing a full review, and we're not prepared to talk about the details of what those are yet," said Ustream's Hunstable. The Hugo Awards, he said, were not using the paid "pro" version of Ustream's live streaming service. The paid version of Ustream does not use Vobile.
"The Hugo Awards were using the free ad-supported capability," Hunstable said. "And unfortunately Ustream was not contacted ahead of the time about their use of the platform."
Vobile computes a "fingerprint" for audiovisual content and matches it against a "reference fingerprint database, known as the Vobile DNA Database (VDDB)" according to materials provided on their website. The company has become as one of the leading copyright-infringement detection companies relied on by content creators and online services alike. The company's services, developed by Chinese scientists, are used by a large number of companies in the U.S., including major Hollywood studios, record labels, and sports leagues – as well as the popular live streaming sites Ustream and Justin.tv.
A representative from Vobile did not return a call seeking comment.
"In the statement Ustream made after the awards, they said that they were unable to override the system in time to get the awards back online," says EFF's Higgins. "So not only have they surrendered control of their own content filters to a third party, and to an automated third party, but they don't have the ability to take it back, apparently."
There's arguably good economic reasons for livestreaming sites to use the technology. For instance, a site might want to prevent the site from getting a reputation as being a site to watch unauthorized streams of sports. A site might, as both Ustream and YouTube are, want to have close ties with big content creators in order to land deals.
Google, for instance, now even takes DMCA requests into consideration when ranking search results, a move it made after the debut of both Google TV and its Google Play store, both of which require deals with Big Content to function.
Moreover, getting sued by a big record label is expensive, time-consuming, distracting and possibly ostracizing.
Google is still dealing with a lawsuit filed by Viacom against YouTube. Grooveshark, an online music site, is itself being sued and has been repeatedly kicked out of Google's Android app store (so much for brothers-in-arms).
And if that's not bad enough, the federal government has gotten trigger-happy with domain seizures of sites it deems to be infringing American company's copyrights. In 2011, the feds seized the domain names of a Spanish site, RojaDirecta, a year after it seized the names, alleging the company violated criminal copyright laws for allowing users to see embedded livestream video of sports matches – even though the files weren't on their servers. The feds returned the names last week, sans apology note, after begrudgingly admitting it couldn't put together a criminal case.
Given all that, it's likely that this collision between algorithmic defense of copyright versus spontaneous speech isn't going to be resolved soon.
Kembrew McLeod, a professor at the University of Iowa and author of several books on copyright and culture, including Creative License and Freedom of Expression, said that the so-called copyright "bots" don't have the ability to take fair use into account. In the case of the Hugo Awards, the takedown was apparently triggered by footage of an episode of Doctor Who being shown immediately before Gaiman accepted an award for his work on Doctor Who – a scenario which implies fair use, even if the clips hadn't been cleared ahead of time.
"The most important issue on the table is the fact that these technologies do an end run around fair use," McLeod said in a phone interview with Wired. "Fair use still exists in the books, in legal theory, but fair use does not exist in practice in a world where companies that are relying on these databases of copyrighted works can immediately shut off the public's access."
"A lot of fair use is really easy, but it's not coded into these algorithms," Higgins said. "A human can tell very easily that the clip from Doctor Who that they showed was actually fair use. There's no question about that. But there's no way for a robot to tell."
Which is another way of saying, the future might be live-streamed from Google Glasses, but be prepared to have streams go dark at any moment, replaced with a retro-future message saying, "We pause this program for copyright identification."


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In the wake of the highly anticipated tennis matchup between members Bryan Tuck and Jake Christner, proposed by none other than the famous (or infamous) CoachV, I have come up with an idea: possible matchups between other 'opolis members! The viability of the matches will be determined by several factors:
1. NTRP rating, and experience
2. Playing styles
3. Claimed skills
4. Other variables, such as height, age, etc.
For my first proposed match, I submit the heavy hitters: CoachV vs. Tim Prapong! Opinions on who might win this matchup are greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: Trash-talking is fun and welcome, but please limit the profanity. These may only be hypothetical matches, but if they do happen, awesome!
Views: 572
Replies to This Discussion
Money on Timmeh!!!
HA why there is no logic to that. & I will play tim Whats the Driving time from Atlanta?
Actually, we were discussing it earlier, Coach. Speed and stamina goes to cat-like Tim, while sheer, brutal power and more extensive experience goes to Coach. Not sure if age or height plays a factor, but we agree it will most likely be a five-setter.
Age and Height Does matter Case in point Isner VS Federer Davis Cup 2012. but then again What about when it really Counts like OPENs
Of course, age and height matters. Why wouldn't it? I'm nowhere the footspeed as when I was 25. Plus, I can't hit 120 mph serves. My height doesn't allow it. lol
Joe, who were you talking about this with? Chin, put your money back in your pocket. lol
What I actually meant was who had the age and height advantage. I wasn't sure about either of your specs in those regards, so please enlighten us!
Me: 5'7'' 140 lbs, 40 years old. No tour experience, just friendly hits.
Coach V is taller and younger. Tour experience.
Apples and oranges, Joe. ;)
Coach is not much taller, nor much younger. As for tour experience, that is why I was giving the advantage to him in that regard. Anyways, it would be a good match, if only in our heads. I know geography would be prohibitive, much in the same way that a match with me and Chin Be would be. However, I don't think that match would sell quite the same amount of tickets, he he he!
He's like 5 years younger or something. Well, heck. I think he said something about coming to IW, just needed a room. It would be great to have a hit and talk about backhands.
Ah, you guys! You're talking apples and oranges. Coach V has TOUR experience, I don't. Experience matters. Even though I can hit all kinds of styles and shot, and I am reasonably fast, I would expect Coach V to win through his tour experience. I don't have any such experience. I'd love to hit with him and we'd have good games though. :)
I hope he comes out to Indian Wells so I can trade rallies with him, play some points. I'm 40 years old, 5'7'', 140 lbs. Brainy but fit. I've hit with three Challenger players, a Grand Prix tour, two ex college players in my life. But Coach V, he's hit with real tour players!
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Here's how you can give the landfills a little less to hold.
If you pay for garbage service, getting that monthly bill can sting, especially with prices rising across the U.S. in response to rising costs for handling fees and programs intended to encourage people to cut down on their waste production. The agony is even worse when you don't just pay for it and you're also the one who takes your trash to the dump. Even if you don't pay for garbage service, reducing the amount of waste you generate ought to perk up your ears, because it makes a big difference to the environment.
Fortunately, those of us with years of rural living experience have some skills we can bequeath to you when it comes to the garbage reduction department, because there are few things we enjoy less than taking a load of trash to the dump. Not only is it majorly gross, it's also a sober reminder of exactly how much waste we generate on an annual basis (4.4 pounds per person per day in 2011!).
So, how can you get your trash habit under control?
1. Bring home less stuff
This might seem obvious, but it bears repeating. Everything you bring into your home needs to be processed in one way or another; if it can't be used up, recycled, or repurposed, where does it end up? The garbage.
Thus, buying jam in jars can be a good decision, because the jars can be sterilized and used for home canning, used as storage containers, or turned to all kinds of creative crafting uses. Buying meat packed on a styrofoam tray? Not such a good call, because all that shrink wrap and styrofoam is ending up in one place: the trash.
Think about what you need and how you plan to use it before you buy, and try to avoid unneccesary products and packaging. You may also want to consider the waste stream of the products you're buying. Some industries are notorious for generating high amounts of waste (for example, bleached virgin paper involves substantial resources to fell trees, process timber, pulp it, and bleach it to give your paper that gorgeous white color) and you might want to consider turning to alternate sources, like post-consumer products that use recycled components.
2. Compost
There's no reason food scraps should be going in the trash (although composting fish, meat, and dairy can get complex and isn't recommended unless you're an advanced composter). And yard trimmings should be getting composted too. But did you know there are a ton of other things that can totally get composted? Paper, cardboard, and fiberboard scraps, dust bunnies, hair, pet food, cupcake cups, and more can all be appropriately disposed of in the compost.
Scared of compost, or don't have the room? Lots of cities, like Portland, offer curbside compost pickup and take greenwaste to a central processing facility. Others provide compost containers free or at low cost, along with a quick orientation, to residents who want to take up composting. Ask about composting programs in your area.
3. Recycle
Another one that might seem obvious in a recycling-heavy world, but hang on a minute. First of all, the number of recyclable things is a lot larger than you might think, and you might actually be able to get money for your recycling. In addition to curbside pickup, most cities have a transfer station that provides buyback and redemption credit for residents who bring recycling with the right markings, including glass bottles and some types of cans.
Not only that, but mandatory buyback and takeback programs for lots of products are also in place in a number of states. That means that instead of throwing something away, you can not only return it for recycling and processing, but get some cash for it. Pretty cool, eh? If a required takeback program doesn't apply, a product might still have one through a manufacturer, dealer, or support organization; for example, old cell phones can often be given to domestic violence organizations, who use them to provide survivors with phones they can use to place emergency calls (you can dial 911 from a cellphone even if it's not connected with an active network).
4. Reuse
Obviously, the most fun of all. It's easy to turn trash to treasure if you're motivated, and a lot of products can find new life as something else, or as a component of another thing you're using around the house. Before throwing something out, assess why you're tossing it, and think about potential alternative uses.
For example, holey old socks are terrible for wearing, but they actually make great dust mitts. Slip one over your hand and run it along hard-to-dust surfaces, and watch the grime lift away! Likewise, ragged tees and other clothes can be cut up into household rags for cleaning, used in rag rugs, and added to the stuffing of pet toys, allowing them to bypass the dreaded trash can.
5. Compression central
Inevitably, you're going to generate some garbage. Give yourself some motivation by downscaling your trash service to the smallest possible container, so you'll be limited each week. If you end up with extra because of a special situation (like when you're moving), take the extra trash to the dump or consider asking for an extra can for just that week.
At the same time, compress your trash. Tightly compacted trash fills a can more slowly, obviously, and allows you to waste less space. Turn dump trips to an every six months endeavor instead of every month, and prevent constant overflows from your trash bin every week.
6. Say no to rats (and other pests)
If there's one thing we all know about garbage, it's that it tends to attract unsavory elements. By keeping a lot of waste out of your can, you'll make your garbage much less interesting to visitors like Norway rats. It's especially important to make sure food waste and trash contaminated with food never ends up in the can, because if it does, it will appeal to raccoons, skunks, rats, cockroaches, and other creatures you definitely do not want stopping by. Remember that insects can show up anywhere, but they especially love old, established cities with a rich history; if you're enjoying a handsome pre-war home in Hyde Park, for example, you might need a Chicago exterminator to help you eliminate cockroaches and start with a clean slate.
A skilled handyman can help you build a trash enclosure that also doubles as a sorting facility, giving you a chance to engage in last-minute interventions to keep things that don't belong in the trash out of it. Your enclosure should have high fences and locking doors to ensure animals can't get in and knock your cans over to get at the trash. If repeat pests are a problem, tie or lock the lids down to keep animals out.
7. Think outside the box
Many of us use specialty products in our lives that tend to generate a lot of waste in the form of packaging and other components, even though we don't really need to. For example, it's not uncommon for people to maintain a huge array of cleaning products with separate types for windows, counters, tubs and tile, and so forth. Did you know that you can use an all-purpose cleaner, including one you make yourself, instead? A jug of vinegar will meet a lot of cleaning needs, with a lot less waste.
You might be able to think of other ways you can cut down in your life, making fundamental lifestyle changes that reduce your impact on the environment. This won't just keep things out of your trash. It'll also reduce for ecological footprint and lighten the burden on the Earth.
8. Get out of the disposable mindset
Get things made to last, or to be recycled. That goes for products varying from fashion (so-called "fast fashion" is a huge industry for people who want cheap clothes, but these products tend to be poorly made and don't weather time well) to electronic components. While the up-front cost is higher, the long-term costs are much lower, and your choice will definitely be better for the planet, too.
Think about the little things: buy a reusable mug to use for your morning coffee drink (most baristas are happy to take mugs from home!), acquire handkerchiefs instead of tissues, and pack silverware so you don't have to use disposables.
9. Get by with a little help from your friends
Ever need something for a project, but know you'll never need it again? Or find yourself wishing you had a somewhat expensive item that you can't really justify, but you could legitimately really use for a few days? Stop thinking that the only things you can use are the ones you own: expand into renting and borrowing.
Many communities have tool libraries, which offer free and low-cost loans of tools and other supplies. It's possible to rent products ranging from bicycles to tablesaws, along with smaller things you might need for projects. Your neighbors might also have something you could borrow, or they could be willing to pitch in on a purchase of a shared item; everyone on your road doesn't need a lawn mower, for example, if you can agree to split the maintenance and upkeep.
10. Maintain and repair
A lot of products fail because they weren't given the routine maintenance they needed. Give the things in your house a break by following product maintenance recommendations (like that 10,000 mile service for your car you've been putting off for 2,000 miles) and staying on top of painting, replacement of leaking faucets, and other chores. Preventative maintenance helps extend the life of your belongings and it also limits the risk of a costly repair…
…but if something does break, repair it! Resole your shoes, have a technician take a look at your computer, and reupholster that gross couch instead of kicking it to the curb. Repairing helps keep things in use and takes trash out of circulation, which is good for everyone.
11. Buy used, sell used, and donate used
If you can, consider buying something used. It won't directly control the contents of your trash can, but it will help keep things out of the waste stream. Likewise, you in turn can sell your own used goods to collect extra cash and keep them out of the trash. If you can't sell an item, consider donating it to a thrift store or similar organization. Your donations can make a big difference for someone else.
Did I mention they're tax-deductible if you donate them to qualified nonprofits?
Source : mnn
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