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Shadowside - Interview, May 2012
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Posted: 02 May 2012 at 1:53pm
Shadowside's most recent album Inner Monster Out was released worldwide not too long ago, and serves as a prime example of modern metal that combines melody and heaviness. We had a chat with the band's vocalist Dani Nolden who gives us an insider's view into the making of the album and also discusses the power of the groove and the importance of melody, among other things. Fans of modern groovy power metal, read on!
Hi Dani, thanks for wanting to do this interview.
It's a pleasure, thanks for having me!
Inner Monster Out has been out for almost a year now. How has it been received?
Actually it's been out for about 6 months in Brazil but it's a brand new album worldwide. We felt it would be a good way to test the waters so to speak. It was kinda our way to show people all over the world that it wasn't just us who thought the album was great (laughs). Fans in Brazil can be extremely demanding when it comes to a Brazilian band, they are picky when it comes to what bands they will support as the 'country's representative', which I think is really cool since it always pushes us to do better and better and surprise them. So I was really glad to see the album is getting a lot of positive feedback, in our country and abroad as well. Japanese magazine Burrn! gave it an excellent review, websites have been saying great things about the album and fans seem to agree with us and share our opinion that this is undoubtedly our best material to date.
How do you guys feel about the album?
We are all very proud of the album and it couldn't be any different because we really worked on it as a band, we were interested in pleasing ourselves and ourselves only. Success comes naturally when you do something you're really into, you know? So we focused on making music we love, something we would want to hear on the radio and something we would honestly want to buy if it had been done by another band. The four of us have really distinct influences... to the point of one hating what the other likes. But instead of arguing about musical differences, we embraced them. We would try anything, even if taken out of context, it would be something we would usually not listen to. When mixed with everything else, we found out it actually sounded very interesting. In the end, we all feel we created something of our own, with an identity, a mix of different personalities that work together like a perfect puzzle.
How would you describe the style of music that you play on the album?
Metal! (laughs) Whenever I try to come up with a subgenre for it, I can't ever seem to find the right one. We're Power Metal influenced and Thrash Metal influenced, we also have a bit of old-school and a bit of modern so it's hard to label it, perhaps people listening to it will be able to label it better since they're not so immersed in the music like we are. But subgenres aside, it's very heavy, angry and intense Metal music, with catchy choruses, a little bit of the extreme metal with some of the melodic metal. We are in between both worlds and that's why I'm so happy with the music we're creating. I love the energy of extreme metal but I miss the melodies when I listen to it and that's what we aimed for on Inner Monster Out. Energy, noise and music coming together.
Can you explain the idea behind the cover artwork?
It's about the main topic I wrote about on the lyrics: the human mind. We are all full of surprises, nuances, we are all a little bit crazy in a way and that's exactly what makes us 'normal'. The lyrics go a lot into fears, dreams, perversions, personality disorders, escapism, duality. There are lots of facets of a person's mind and that's what the cover is about. The Inner Monster Out is someone's true self being revealed. It's a journey through a person's mind. The man inside the head is yourself taking a deep look into what you have in your head and all those different faces inside are the different, unique sides of the self.
While primarily a metal album to my ears, there are a lot of more rock-oriented moments on the album. Is this something you guys consciously take into account in the songwriting process?
Not consciously but it's definitely there, I agree with you. It happens probably because we don't limit ourselves when it comes to the creative process, we don't care what it is, if it sounds good, we keep it. It isn't much of a risk for us to do that because it's not like suddenly we'll start liking techno music or rap and experimenting with stuff like that (laughs). But we definitely allow into our music everything we like and that isn't necessarily Metal. Hard Rock is the one thing we all can agree on in the band (laughs). Even though we can't agree on which band is our favorite Hard Rock band, we all love the genre. We all grew up listening to it, some of us to Queensrÿche, some of us to Skid Row like myself, Raphael and I also like Foo Fighters a lot. If you listen to our tour bus iPod, you'll think we are absolutely crazy because it will go from Yes to Slayer (laughs). So for sure, we are a Rock influenced Metal band.
I've read in a review that Inner Monster Out represents a change in style compared to Theatre of Shadows and Dare to Dream. Do you agree with this statement, and, if yes, why and how is Inner Monster Out different from the two previous albums?
I agree, even though we have never changed what people first liked about Shadowside, which are the melodies, the energy and those Rock influences. We kept that, not only to make sure we wouldn't forget about our roots but also because that's what we really wanted to keep. Everything else was kinda in the perfection process. I feel that on Theatre of Shadows, we had very little personality because we were a very young band. Our average age at that time was 17 so back then, we were afraid to do something that was too different from the bands we listened to. Sometimes we'd come up with something different but since we had no references for it, we would automatically think it wasn't good. On Dare to Dream, we noticed that flaw and went the opposite way - we wanted to make sure we sounded nothing like the bands we listened to. On Inner Monster Out, we found the balance. We're not worried about what other bands are doing or aren't doing anymore and that was very relieving. We are finally free as artists, we are more mature now so we did exactly what we were looking for since day one. I feel Inner Monster Out is a grown up album and a bit more current sounding.
The riffs on Inner Monster Out strike me as being heavier and groovier than on the previous albums. Has the groove and heaviness enriched the Shadowside sound in general?
Being a fan of groove and heaviness, I would say absolutely! That's something that was fighting to get out on our previous albums (laughs). Songs like 'Life Denied' from the Dare to Dream album are a clear example of that and we wanted to take it one step further this time. I think it added something special to the music. We like our music straight to the point, hitting you right in the gut but it has to be fun to play as well.
A track like 'In the Name of Love', for instance, features some pretty heavy riffage, but is at the same time also very melodic. Did you deliberately aim for this equilibrium between heaviness and melody?
Yeah, always! We love it heavy and to me personally, there can never be such thing as "too heavy". If it doesn't sound massive and heavy to the point to get you headbanging, it's not heavy enough yet. And the way we balance that so it doesn't get boring is with the melodies. Too melodic without the punch... that's definitely not what we want. We'll make it beautiful and angry at the same time without going for "beauty and the beast" type of music. It's also a really nice mixture... to have something very musical going on with a brutal instrumental behind it like on 'In the Name of Love' as you just said and 'My Disrupted Reality', 'I'm Your Mind' and 'Waste of Life' being good examples of that as well.
The vocal melody of the chorus in 'Gag Order' is pretty awesome. How on Earth did you guys come up with that?
Thanks! I honestly have no idea (laughs). I just remember being home, staring at the sky at about 2, 3am which is my usual songwriting time. Raphael had the song written but he had no melodies for it. Actually, he had melodies but he refused to show them to me, because they had been written by a friend of his so instead he told me he'd rather hear what I would come up with first. He said what I did was a shock because it was completely different than what his friend had but that he really liked it so we kept it. I started playing with words like the "storm calls me back home" because that's what I always feel when I'm on tour and it's raining... rain reminds me of home because it rains a lot here, especially in January when it rains pretty much every single day... and with that sentence done, I just started singing, improvising some melodies, like a guitarist would improvise a solo and that's how those melodies 'happened'. Once I sang them, they got stuck in my head so it stayed. It was supposed to be a lot more complex with some low counter-singing and all but then when we heard it in the studio, we just thought less was more and adding crap to it would ruin the whole thing so we kept the simple version. 'Gag Order' was in fact the first song we ever presented to our fans from the Inner Monster Out album. We played it live for the first time in Italy, in 2010, as a way to see how people would react to the direction we wanted to take with the album. I told them to scream if they loved it and to be quiet if they thought it was shit. Everybody screamed so we took it as the crowd's approval and moved on (laughs).
The choruses in general are very catchy on Inner Monster Out. What's the secret behind writing good and catchy choruses?
For me, it's usually writing the chorus first. I write all my songs backwards (laughs). Since the chorus is, to me, the most important part of the song, I write it first so I don't limit it. I don't like writing a chorus around a song because I feel that in that situation, I'm limited to what fits that particular song so I prefer to write a song for the chorus instead. Of course that's not a rule and it can be done differently, like I just mentioned with 'Gag Order', usually when the guys ask me to write melodies for a song or I'm finishing a song that was half done, the order has to be different and then I just keep playing around until I'm happy with what I hear. However, it's crucial that you trust your band and you hear their opinions. That's essential for writing not only great choruses but great songs. There were lots of songs, melodies, arrangements and riffs that we all did together. The guys changed and wrote melodies, we all wrote guitar riffs so it wasn't just one of us saying "here is the song, play it as I wrote". When we tell each other something isn't good, we do it with the best intentions and we all know it so we don't feel personally attacked, we don't have egos when it comes to songwriting. That helps a lot when you're creating the perfect chorus.
What was the writing process for Inner Monster Out like, and did it differ from the writing process of the previous two albums?
It was completely different, we had never worked like that before. Raphael and I came up with half the ideas each; however, none of the songs you hear on Inner Monster Out sound exactly like our demos. We really wrote everything as a band this time, completely stripped of egos, with no intentions of personal glory, that's one of the reasons why we credited all the songs on the album to "Shadowside". We'd bring our demos to the studio and then we'd reconstruct them together. We changed structures, riffs, melodies, added and removed parts. And we kept working on them until the four of us were totally happy. "Okay" wasn't enough. "Majority wins" wasn't acceptable. It was either unanimity or we'd keep changing it. And we wanted that since the beginning. Knowing it would be like that, and succeeding in making it like that made the whole process extremely fun, easy and stress-free. No fights. Just a lot of fun and real fulfillment as artists. It took a lot off everyone's shoulders because we knew nothing was entirely one's responsibility. No one had to create on their own and no one would have to take the blame alone if it had failed. We were in it together and now we get to share as a group the success of what we did together. It didn't happen that way in the past. It used to be two people in charge of songwriting and it comes to a point that you just start copying yourself. I feel that writing as band helped us inspire each other and make us all think in different ways. 'Waste of Life', for instance... that song was written in 15 minutes and it's probably the band's favorite. I had a chorus and bridge, but had no idea what to do with them. Raphael had some riffs he had no idea what to do with them. So we changed both slightly so they'd fit together. Then Fabio had said he always wanted a song that started off right with vocals so we did it, then added some riffs and solos and voila... a song done effortlessly. I don't see myself working differently than this in the future, at least not in Shadowside.
There's also a cover version of 'The Ace of Spades' on the album. Why did you choose to cover this particular song?
First of all, because we are all Motörhead fans. Who isn't? (laughs) So it was partially an homage to Lemmy and Motörhead. Secondly, it was Fabio's idea that it would be cool to hear a female singing a song like that. The idea was never to make it better than the original, because that would be impossible, the original is already perfect. We just wanted to have fun making our version and hearing what it would be like if that song had been written for us. As always, the choice was entirely based on how much fun we'd have recording it. We thought of making a Metal version of Lily Allen's 'Fuck you', but that would have been funny, not fun. So we went with 'Ace of Spades' instead.
Are there any specific bands that served as major sources of inspiration for Shadowside when you wrote the music for Inner Monster Out?
Not really, I think everything we all listen to or grew up listening to served and will always serve as a source of inspiration for us. It's hard to find a few specific bands to draw inspiration from for Shadowside because none of us have the same favorite bands so we would never reach an agreement (laughs). Fabio's favorite bands are, as bizarre as it may sound, Tears for Fears and Slayer, Raphael's is Pantera, mine... mine changes with the weather (laughs). I can listen to Queen, Deep Purple and Rammstein on the same day. While we weren't really trying to sound like our favorite bands, obviously our writing, playing and singing has been influenced by what we listen to but it's nothing we do consciously.
How about you as a vocalist? Are there any singers that you would highlight as having influenced your singing style?
Dani: Mostly male singers, usually high pitched but with attitude like Sebastian Bach, Steven Tyler, Rob Halford, Paul Stanley. I used to sing along to Queen when I was 8 trying to mimic Freddy Mercury's singing. I tend to like unusual voices, those you recognize instantly.
Speaking of your singing style, I really like your singing in general, but your vocals are very powerful on Inner Monster Out. Would you say that you have grown as a singer since Theatre of Shadows?
There's no doubt about it... I never aim to be the best singer in the world because I don't believe there is such a thing as the ultimate best. There's always the best in one's opinion. The best singer in the world for me may be Steven Tyler but for another person it will be Geoff Tate, for someone else it will be Bruce Dickinson and in the end it comes down to personal taste. So that's something I definitely don't have as a goal. I also don't believe in competing in music. But against myself, I am extremely competitive. I don't ever want to stay in one place and never move forward so I'm always working on my personal skills, first because I'd hate to limit a song because of a limitation as a singer, second because I always think there's room for improvement, in anybody. So whenever we are working on new material, I do everything I can to perform what I did before better and to add new things I wasn't able to perform before. I don't want to give just what the fans expect, you know? If you don't give them something new, a positive shock, then you stop growing. They'll get 'used' to you and as impressed as they were with you before, that feeling will go away and you'll become boring. So I keep practicing, studying, I'll always push my limits, even if it's something I don't plan on using a song... you never know, someday it might be useful!
Compared to many other female vocalist in the metal world, you have a very dark and powerful voice. How do people in general react to your singing?
There's a funny story about people's reactions... a few years ago, we were on a website where people could blindly review a band. They didn't know the band name nor could see a band photo. However they could vote on several categories when they were listening to it... like you could pick that song had the best male or female vocalist, best guitarist, etc. I ended up being voted 'best male vocalist' (laughs). They were shocked at the moment they found out I was a female, many came to apologize (laughs). That never bothered me though, I thought it was extremely funny to 'trick' people like that. Once we were also accused by a fan that we had gotten commercial, because we had replaced the 'former male singer' for a female just to cash in on the woman image. Turns out he had only listened to the songs and never saw a photo so he had no idea I have been the band's vocalist since the first rehearsal (laughs). Many don't believe it's a female singing at first. When people get to know us by going to a show with a friend or when we support another band, they immediately assume they'll hear an angel-like voice and are very surprised when they find out it's nothing like that. It really entertains me. I love the idea of the play between a very feminine image with an almost masculine voice when singing. It's like the guys that sound like women, just the opposite (laughs).
Are there any songs on Inner Monster Out that you would highlight as being especially important to you?
That would probably be 'Angel with Horns' as it's the song I feel best represents the album. It has everything we've done on Inner Monster Out: the heaviness, the melodies, a touch of fun, a lot of energy, something for people to bang their heads to and also sing. It makes it clear that we're the type of band that wants to have a great time with the crowd on stage and writes songs meant to be played live.
What are your favorite tracks of the Shadowside-EP and Dare to Dream and Theatre of Shadows respectively?
Dani: The EP is just a demo so there's only one song on that CD that isn't on Theatre of Shadows, which is the song 'Shadowside', one that I absolutely hate so I hope it's forever forgotten (laughs). So my favorites would be 'In the Night' on Dare to Dream and 'Highlight' on Theatre of Shadows. It's been forever since I last heard Theatre of Shadows though... I might find out I actually like other songs better once I hear it again.
What does the future have in store for your fans? Have you lined any great gigs up for the summer or are your working on new material?
We are definitely going to tour, tour, tour and tour some more in the near future! We always have new material to work on but I feel it's way too early now since the album is about to be released in Europe. We'll play a lot in Brazil and then hope to hit the road internationally. We are looking forward to go back to all the countries we've been before and maybe add some to that list as well.
Thank you very much for doing this interview. Do you have any message for the MMA-readers?
I hope you all enjoy the Inner Monster Out and go crazy to it, play it loud, maybe we'll meet soon at a show where you are. It's been a little over a year since we last toured and I already miss it like crazy. Cheers!
Best of luck in the future.
Thank you!
Edited by Time Signature - 06 May 2014 at 12:45pm
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Have A Safe Trip!
>> Saturday, September 19, 2009
Members of our new community here in Germany, the Sto. Nino group will be having their pilgrimage from September 21st to 26th. I pray that God will bless our Nanays, Ate's and Kuya's a safe trip.
The group will be visiting Dresden, Poland and Prague to visit the many religious places like the Black Madonna and the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague. At first we were thinking of joining but since hubby can't take a vacation leave anymore due to workload, we opted not to go. It would be difficult to travel with a toddler by myself. I know that God will understand. We will just send with the group our prayers and petitions and candle offerings so that it would feel like we are still with them.
The first pilgrimage that we joined in was the one in Heroldsbach in Nurnberg. It was in a small town where the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to little children. We arrived just in time for the 10:00AM eucharistic celebration. Then we visited the church and the apparitions of the BVM were recounted to us through the beautiful stained glass windows of the church. It was a beautiful and uplifting experience. And I hope that the Vatican will soon recognize the apparition site as a Holy Place.
The main altar of the church.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I hope that in the coming pilgrimages, it wouldn't be that long and far so that we will be able to join. And so that we may also grow stronger in our faith through the spiritual experience and enlightenment that one who embarks on a pilgrimage usually gets.
Read more...

subset: commoncrawl


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A Kansas man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple three years ago is fighting the state's demand that he pay child support.
The two women raising the 3-year-old girl say they support the man, who responded to an ad they posted on the Craigslist website in 2009, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
The issue of child support arose when the two women broke up, and the couple applied for state services. Workers at the Kansas Department for Children and Families demanded the donor's name and then filed a child-support claim against him, the newspaper said.
Angela Bauer, one of the mothers, told the Capital-Journal that she and her former partner, Jennifer Schreiner, support the donor, William Marotta, "in whatever action he wants to go forward with" to fight the state's demand.
"This was a wonderful opportunity with a guy with an admirable, giving character who wanted nothing more than to help us have a child," the newspaper quoted Bauer, 40, as saying. "I feel like the state of Kansas has made a mess out of the situation."
When Bauer and Schreiner, the 34-year-old birth mother, reached a deal with Marotta that did not include any payment for his sperm donation, he signed a written agreement that relinquished all parental rights and held him harmless "for any child support payments demanded of him by any other person or entity, public or private ... regardless of the circumstances or said demand," it said.
The state argued in court papers that because the insemination wasn't performed by a licensed physician, the contract was null and void.
When the two women split in 2010, they had eight children, including some they adopted, whom they now co-parent.
Marotta, a 43-year-old mechanic, was dragged into the dispute when the couple filed for state assistance. The state insisted that they reveal the donor's identity, saying that if they refused to do so, their daughter would no longer be eligible for health care coverage. The women reluctantly complied, the Capital-Journal reported.
The girl's birth certificate does not include her biological father's name, and the Capital-Journal said that he had no contact with the girl, other than receiving occasional email updates from Bauer. Both women adopted the girl, although they had to file for adoption separately because the state does not recognize same-sex unions, the newspaper said. This means that the state also cannot collect child support from same-sex parents.
"More and more gays and lesbians are adopting and reproducing, and this, to me, is a step backward," said Bauer, who formerly supported the family financially but is no longer able to work due to a "serious illness." "I think a lot of progressive movement is happening currently in the world as far as gays and lesbians go. Maybe this is Kansas' stand against some of that."
The Capital-Journal could not reach Marotta for comment and the Kansas Department for Children and Families declined to discuss the case, citing privacy laws.
This isn't the first time states have demanded child support from sperm donors. But in most of those cases, the sperm donor was known to the birth family – usually a man who was friendly with a lesbian couple and who agreed to help them out.
Court rulings vary
Sperm donors who donate through a sperm bank are typically protected by state parenting shield laws. But in less straight-forward cases, courts have differed on whether the men should pay up.
A Massachusetts court ruled this year that a Nigerian immigrant had to pay child support for twins conceived through artificial insemination a year after he and his wife had separated, the Patriot Ledger reported.
And In Vermont, a man who donated sperm to a female friend was required to pay child support because he maintained a relationship with the children.
Explained one of the mothers to The Associated Press in 2007: "Part of the decision came down because he was so involved with them. It wasn't that he went to the (sperm) bank and that was it. They called him Papa."
In New York, a married doctor agreed to donate sperm to a young resident and her partner in the late 1980s, only to be asked 18 years later for child support, the New York Post reported.
His undoing was sending money and cards to the child, which he would sign, "Dad" or "Daddy." The biological father's name was also on the birth certificate.
But in Washington state, the Court of Appeals ruled in 2004 that a donor can't be required to pay child support unless he and the mother have signed an explicit contract.
And in Texas, an appeals court ruled in favor of a former policeman who donated sperm to a woman he had been formerly connected with. He had paid thousands of dollars in child support for twins until the court ruled in his favor.
When the lawsuit was filed in 2008, the man told McClatchy: "I was totally blown away. I was already married and had moved on with my life."
NBC's Isolde Raftery and The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook


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The CW announced premiere dates on Monday for four summer primetime series, including "Whose Line Is It Anyway?," "Perfect Score," "Breaking Pointe" and "The Hunt."
"Whose Line," the revival of the improv comedy series that ran for eight seasons on ABC, will join "Perfect Score," a new dating competition, on Tuesdays, starting July 16. Ballet docu-series "Breaking Pointe" returns for a second season on July 29, while new wilderness competition "The Hunt" premieres on July 31.
Also read: 'Whose Line Is it Anyway?' Revived by The CW
The new "Whose Line" should look very familiar, with the exception of host Aisha Tyler, because former cast members Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady and Colin Mochrie all return for more improv games based on suggestions from the studio audience. "Perfect Score" revolves around two friends competing to see who can pick their ideal mate from a group of 12 prospective singles, with a cash prize awarded to the contestant who picks their most compatible match.
"The Hunt" pits 12 teams of 2 against each other in a fenced-in wilderness enclosure where they survive on scarce resources and hunt each other down to claim the $250,000 grand prize.
Read the summer premiere schedule below:
Tuesday, July 16
8:00-8:30 PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (Series Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (All-New Original Episode)
9:00-9:30 PM PERFECT SCORE (Series Premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM PERFECT SCORE (All-New Original Episode)
Tuesday, July 23
8:00-8:30 PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (Original Episode)
8:30-9:00 PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (Encore)
9:00-9:30 PM PERFECT SCORE (Original Episode)
9:30-10:00 PM PERFECT SCORE (Encore)
Monday, July 29
9:00-10:00 PM BREAKING POINTE (Season Premiere)
Wednesday, July 31
9:00-10:00 PM THE HUNT (Series Premiere)


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Get ready for more fist pumping -- Snooki and JWoww have also scored a "Jersey Shore" spin-off.
More than three months after MTV announced it had inked a deal with Pauly "DJ Pauly D" Delvecchio for his own show, the network said Thursday it's also created a 12-episode series for starlets Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jenni "JWoww" Farley.
Snooki and JWoww's spin-off will explore how the pair "deal with life and love when the vacation is over," MTV told Access Hollywood in a statement. "The locale may be different, but the friendship is sure to remain the same."
The network also dropped more details on Pauly D's untitled program, which is set to chart his "life on the road" as a touring DJ.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
"Aiming to become one of the world's most successful and recognized names in music, viewers will get to see Pauly D chase his dream with the help of the best friends he grew up with in Rhode Island by his side," the network said.
MTV was conspicuously silent on what both deals mean for another "Jersey Shore" breakout star, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, and other cast members.
The "Shore" crew has been prepping to begin filming its upcoming fourth season in Italy in two weeks, but production reportedly hit a snag this week.
According to reports, MTV has struggled to secure filming locations in Tuscany. RadarOnline also reported Snooki, JWoww and The Situation are holding out for more money in contract negotiations.
No word on when the new shows will debut.
Selected Reading: TMZ, Access Hollywood,


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SEOUL (Reuters) - Retired U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman visited a North Korean ski resort on Thursday with dictator Kim Jong Un as a statement was issued on the former player's behalf apologising for comments he made about an American jailed by Pyongyang.
A source with direct knowledge of Rodman's itinerary said the 52-year old took a helicopter to a new multimillion dollar resort which is one of Kim's showcase projects and which has been condemned as a waste of money in a country where most people are malnourished.
The source declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Rodman's visit to North Korea, his fourth, has drawn criticism from human rights activists and the family of imprisoned U.S. missionary Kenneth Bae after Rodman appeared to suggest in an interview peppered with obscenities that Bae, rather than the North Korean authorities, was responsible for his incarceration.
Rodman's public relations firm issued a statement attributed to the retired player apologising for the comments and saying that he had been drinking on a stressful day.
It was not possible to verify with the company whether Rodman had seen the statement as it did not reply to email or telephone inquiries.
"I want to apologise, I take full responsibility," Rodman was quoted by CNN as saying in the statement. "I embarrassed a lot of people. I'm very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I'm truly sorry."
Bae's sister, Terri Chung, has said her family was outraged by Rodman's comments and that he should use his access to the North Korean leader to advocate on Bae's behalf, rather than "hurl outrageous accusations".
"He is playing games with my brother's life," Chung said in a statement.
Bae, 45, was sentenced to 15 years hard labour for state subversion in North Korea, where he was detained in 2012 while leading a tour group. The Supreme Court said he used his tourism business to form groups aimed at overthrowing the government.
On Wednesday, Rodman led a chorus singing "Happy Birthday" to the leader of the isolated and heavily sanctioned country at a basketball match that Kim attended with his wife.
North Korean state media said the song was "reflecting (Rodman's) reverence" for Kim Jong Un, and that he had organised the game as a gift for his birthday, confirming for the first time the leader's date of birth. He is believed to be 31.
The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, dedicated its front page to coverage of the basketball game and published photos of Kim sitting and laughing with Rodman.
"Dennis Rodman said he was overjoyed and teared up when he met the Dear Respected Marshal again," the newspaper said.
The fading basketball star's trips had been financed by Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, although it has now withdrawn its funding.
It is not known whether Rodman has the capacity to fund another trip. North Korea rarely pays for this kind of visit, according to experts on the country.
Rodman has described Kim, who has been in power for just over two years as his "friend".
Kim has presided over two long range rocket launches - banned under U.N. sanctions due to Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and proliferation efforts - a nuclear test and last year threatened to attack South Korea, Japan and the United States.
Last month, his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, was executed in one of the biggest and most public purges undertaken in North Korea, which has been ruled by the same family for three generations.
Jang is just one of hundreds of thousands North Koreans who have faced death or imprisonment in the North. An estimated 150,000-200,000 people are in political prisons and forced labour camps, according to rights activists.
Defectors have testified to summary executions and rampant human rights abuses on North Korea. They say they were starved, beaten and abused in work camps where many die and that babies born in the camps were killed.
While North Koreans suffer from food shortages and malnutrition, according to U.N. assessments, Kim has pushed ahead with big building projects such as the Masik Ski Resort that Rodman visited.
South Korean officials estimate it cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build and North Korea aims to make $43.75 million in annual profit from the resort, according to documents prepared for potential foreign investors. It expects up to 5,000 skiers to visit per day.
Pictures released at the resort opening late last year showed just one chair lift and an assortment of snow equipment that appeared to have been imported despite a U.N. ban on the export of "luxury" goods to the North.
(Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Robert Birsel)
Did you find this article insightful?


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Houston-area lawmakers worry that President Obama's first term spending cuts have hit NASA hard, and could threaten the Greater Houston area's continuing economic growth.
The result of their bipartisan work is the Johnson Space Center Workforce Stability Act of 2013.
The measure — authored by Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee D-Houston — would create a job training program that would "stabilize the workforce and promote economic growth."
"We must do all that we can to ensure that Texans continue to have good jobs," Green said.
The Johnson Space Center employs approximately 14,000 residents of Houston, making it the second largest federal employer in the Houston area. The end of the space shuttle program and cancellation of the Constellation program have put a total of 3,800 people out of work in the past four years, according to the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership.
The new proposal would include a one-stop career center that provides pathways to reemployment in the Houston area. Jackson Lee said that losing the Johnson Space Center workforce would mean losing significant intellectual capital. The relocation plan is designed to keep these employees in the Houston area so that the city's economic stability and taxpayer investment is protected.
Olson says he is sponsoring the bill because those who have lost their jobs have vital expertise that will be needed in the future.
"This bill ensures that the work done at the Johnson Space Center on behalf of Constellation and the future of human space flight will continue, ensuring this highly skilled group of workers remains active and engaged in the aerospace community." Melissa Kelly, Olson's press secretary, said.
The $40 million program would last for two years.
This isn't the first time the Texas congressional delegation has rallied together for the Houston community on this issue. In 2011, the Johnson Space Center Workforce Stability Act of 2011 was sponsored by Rep. Green, Rep. Jackson Lee, Rep. Olson, and Rep. Lamar Smith,R-San Antonio, but it died in committee.
Smith is now chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, which oversees NASA, while Houston Rep. John Culberson is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
If the bill stalls again, those affected by the layoffs remain in good hands.
Bob Mitchell, president of Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, said that approximately 75% of those who lost their jobs from shuttle retirement and constellation program cancellation have been replaced into positions.
"The aerospace transition center was instrumental in relocating those employees," Mitchell said.
The aerospace transition center, funded by the Houston/Galveston Area Council and the Texas Workforce Commission, has offered services to ease the job search process. Affected employees were relocated into other industry clusters, including energy, oil and gas, healthcare, and the specialty chemical industry.
"This bill would simply strengthen that support by requiring the Department of Commerce to set up cooperative agreements with eligible state and local recipients to promote new economic growth and stabilize the local workforce." Kelly said.


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This from a press release put out by Antonovich's press deputy Tony Bell Wednesday:
Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich called the proposal to divest and boycott Arizona over the state's passage of SB 1070, making illegal federal immigration law a violation of state law stupid.
"As elected officials, we take an oath to uphold the federal and state constitutions. To boycott a state for enforcing our federal laws is in direct violation of that oath. The propaganda by both the media and others is intentionally misleading because Arizona's law mirrors federal law. Rather than debating a boycott, this Board should hold our federal representatives accountable for their failure to act on immigration reform but also for their failure to reimburse costs incurred by local governments.
This knee jerk reaction to support law breakers at the expense of law-abiding legal immigrants and other residents is irresponsible.


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Breathe Easy
As I'm sure you've heard before, the internal combustion engine is nothing more than an air pump-the more air the pump can process/move, the more power it can make. While this basic theory holds water, other contributing factors are to be considered, such as engine displacement, camshaft profile, valve size, and so on.
In many cases, the first, easiest and most cost-effective modification performed to a virgin automobile in order to produce power gains is the air filter/induction system. With a plethora of options in the aftermarket, a single air filter or cold-air induction system can net decent power gains, but is it due to the higher rate of airflow into the engine? Some may argue yes, and some no-the larger amount of air into the engine helps, but in some cases the vehicle's electronic control properties are centered on the stock filtration system.
By changing to a higher-flowing unit, the air-fuel mixture is essentially leaned out, causing an increase in power (leaner is meaner). Most vehicles are tuned conservatively from the factory, so leaning the mixture out doesn't generally cause an engine-damaging condition. But be aware of what you're doing.
At the other end of the spectrum, what goes in must come out, which leads us to the exhaust system. Spent exhaust gases are expelled from the engine via the exhaust valves, through the exhaust ports in the cylinder heads, then the exhaust manifolds/headers, one or more catalytic converters, several bends in the exhaust tubing, the mufflers-finally reaching the atmosphere via the tailpipe(s).
That leaves us with many avenues for restrictions. Engineered restrictions are necessary to produce a certain amount of backpressure, although some think manufacturers add additional restrictions to detune the car.
But keep in mind that your favorite car company has to meet stringent noise restrictions (both corporate and government mandated), safety and fuel economy standards, and emissions regulations. As hot rodders, we look at all of the potential power gains achieved by applying aftermarket components to reduce the factory road blocks in your engine.
Additional factors that will increase the "in and out" effect are throttle plate/body size, intake manifold port diameter and runner length, camshaft lift and duration, intake and exhaust valve sizes and cylinder head port volumes. When taking an engine to the extreme via extensive modifications, it is necessary to consider additional factors such as injector size and custom tuning to the engine management system, which can become very costly, never mind turning your ride into a gas-guzzling beast that won't pass an emissions test and who knows about the drivability thereafter.
For this particular installation/test we'll leave the actual engine alone, installing an air-induction system from Motorsport Technologies in Houston; long tube headers and mid-pipe with catalysts from American Racing Headers in Amityville, New York; and a trick-looking quad-tipped muffler system from GHL Motorsports in Mesa, Arizona.
The specimen being utilized is none other than an LS2-powered 2006 C6 Corvette automatic with paddle shifters. To perform the installation duties and custom tuning, we called upon Chris Corriell, Doug Ring and the crew of East Coast Supercharging in Cream Ridge, New Jersey. ECS specializes in LSX-powered vehicles, especially the Corvette, so we were more than comfortable being surrounded by the professional staff, as well as the stout machinery being modified at its facility.
ECS Technician John Romano got the nod to perform the installation. John began by removing the fasteners for the mid-pipe at both the catalytic converter and toward the rear attaching to the muffler assembly. Once all the fasteners were removed, the midsection was simply taken from the vehicle.
To facilitate easy removal of the muffler assemblies, John needed to remove the rear sway bar mounting brackets in order to move the bar to a lower position. This step holds true for both the C5 and C6 models. Beyond removal of the sway bar, John took off the rubber muffler hangers with a prybar and carefully removed the mufflers from beneath.
At this time, John installed the new muffler assembly from GHL Motorsports. The four-tip unit features a nice throaty sound, comfortable at low speeds, but more like a raped ape when laying into the throttle. Each unit is handcrafted, using T-304 stainless steel and completed with a beautiful polished finish.
John moved to the front of the C6 to remove the catalytic converter assemblies, gaining access to the exhaust manifolds. Once the manifolds are removed, be sure that the cylinder head surface is clean before installing the header gaskets and headers.
Pictured are the stock manifold and the new American Racing Headers piece. All ARH products are manufactured utilizing the highest quality 304 stainless steel available and come with race-inspired merge collectors with scavenger spikes. John installed the headers from the bottom of the C6-unbelievably with no problems. Part of the reason is the header design. And the C6 doesn't have kickouts on the oil pan like the C5, thus creating even more room.
Once the headers were reinstalled, the spark plugs and ignition cables were returned to working order. The header on the passenger side interfered slightly with the body pinch weld. The instruction manual says this may need to be trimmed. About 1/8-inch was taken off in a simple fashion-by using a cut off wheel.
Next, John assembled the S/S X-pipe with high-flowing catalytic converters to the connection tubes, which will eventually mate to the muffler assembly. All ARH systems include Grade 8 hardware and heavy-duty S/S band clamps. Once installed into the vehicle, the pictured oxygen sensor harness extensions must be used because of the new sensor locations. Be sure to tuck all sensor harness wiring away from heat and in a secure fashion to prevent future problems.
Our C6 exhaust system fits together without hassle. For future reference, the oil filter and starter can easily be worked on without removal of the headers. Once all of the band clamps are tightened, John gave each clamp a spot weld to ensure it stays in place (optional step that's a matter of preference).
Next we moved back to the front of the C6 to begin installation of the XCelerator Air Induction System from Motorsport Technologies. John began the process by removing the stock induction system and the air deflector that will be modified. MTI supplied a template to aid in drilling the proper holes required, as well as the necessary cutout needed in the air deflector. John employed an air-powered saw for cutting.
Next John installed the baseplate for the filter housing via rivets supplied with the XCelerator kit. The air deflector is then reinstalled and the washable, high-flow air filter is installed. John can then install the remainder of the air intake system, which maintains a rather stock look with an advertised 36 percent increase in airflow. The XCelerator is molded from the highest-quality ABS plastic to ensure years of service.
The air induction and exhaust system are now complete. The C6 was started and checked for any possible leaks. None were found. Doug Ring took over by connecting his laptop-containing tuning software from HP Tuners-to the Corvette's diagnostic port. Doug then took the car on extensive road tests to tune the car for drivability under real-world conditions; once he was satisfied with the tune, the C6 was returned to the dyno for verification and to check potential horsepower and torque gains.
The after-dyno results were more than pleasing. The C6 pumped out a whopping 361 hp with 349.8 lb-ft of torque, and that's a gain of almost 37 rear-wheel horsepower and 28 lb-ft of torque. Estimated flywheel horsepower is now in the neighborhood of 450 hp, that's up 50 from stock. Not bad for an exhaust system and air induction kit, although maximum numbers don't mean diddly. How is the drivability you ask? Phenomenal. Throttle response was quicker, mid-range power is seat-planting and wide-open throttle snaps your head back hard. In all, the system installed flawlessly.


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Fear and loathing at the University of Iowa
I am going to present the University of Iowa student professor consensual dating policy. And engage in a critique of said policy. University policies in the area of sexual regulation once established are very seldom critiqued. I speculate that why such is the case is that people fear that if they criticize they will become suspect. Such is regrettable since universities are often held to be the environments where critical analysis of social policies should flourish. In any case, I will present the policy and within the text of the policy I will present my comments. The text of the policy will be highlighted.
The integrity of the University's educational mission is promoted by professionalism that derives from mutual trust and respect in faculty-student relationships. Similarly, the University is committed to the principle of protecting the integrity and objectivity of its staff members in the performance of their University duties. It is therefore fundamental to the University's overall mission that the professional responsibilities of its faculty and staff be carried out in an atmosphere that is free of conflicts of interest that compromise these principles.
This opening statement is on the whole laudatory and vague. Who could possibly be opposed to mutual trust and respect in faculty student relationships or for that matter any set of relationships? I would trust that all of the present Democrats and Republicans campaigning for the presidential nomination in Iowa would absolutely agree. I would also agree with the last part of the opening paragraph that faculty student and staff relationships "be carried out in an atmosphere that is free of conflicts of interest that compromise these principles." Of course, such would apply to the entire university, even to the President and to the UIOWA'S Board of Trustees. In any case this would be an OK introduction for an across the board conflict of interest policy.
Romantic and/or sexual relationships where one member of the University community has supervisory or other evaluative responsibility for the other create conflicts of interest and perceptions of undue advantage.
OK, the prior paragraph was not an intro to a general conflict of interest policy. If conflicts of interest are inevitably created in such relationships, why would not a conflict of interest policy be sufficient to deal with such conflicts? And why is it assumed that such relationships inevitably create perceptions of undue advantage? Are all relationships the same? Once you see one relationship, you have seen them all! Are not some relationships conducted in a more private manner than other relationships? If they so desire, is it not quite possible that the parties of such relationships can simply closet themselves and avoid being perceived as being involved in a relationship? Of course, passing has a long history in the sexual arena, homosexuals passing as straight, even engaging in heterosexual marriage in order to have the appropriate front for the dominant society. However, there is another element here, and that is some professors who are not sexually engaged in a romance with a student but have close relationships with students may be perceived as being too close to any particular student, and along with this perception there may also be an imputation of sexual involvement. In any case, I would hold that in almost all universities, including Iowa, that perceptions of undue advantage by some students regarding other students run rampant, and having this policy will not make one iota of difference as to perceptions of undue advantage.
There are also special risks in any sexual or romantic relationship between individuals in inherently unequal positions of power (such as teacher and student, supervisor and employee). Such relationships may undermine the real or perceived integrity of the supervision and evaluation provided, and the trust inherent particularly in the student-faculty relationship. They may, moreover, be less consensual than the individual whose position confers power believes. The relationship is likely to be perceived in different ways by each of the parties to it, especially in retrospect.
Yes, the relationship may be perceived in different ways by the parties of the relationships. But so what. Is this not the case in almost all relationships? Are husband and wives ever in complete agreement as to how the marital relationship is perceived? In fact, I would argue that hardly ever do faculty completely agree with each other about anything. Are faculty of one mind? Are students of one mind?
And, as far as the part about their being so-called special risks faced by individuals in differential power positions, such risks are not all that special. In all relationships romantic there are always risks that uniquely apply to each relationship. For example, the risk of venereal disease, the risk of experiencing hurt. etc. etc How would it be possible for anyone to argue that there are no risks that particularly relate to love and marriage? Of course the statement implies that power differentiated relationships (asymmetric relationships) are more risky than non-power differentiated relationships (symmetric relationships). Of course stating such is the case does not make it so. The Iowa policy does not present any evidence that asymmetric relationships are more risky than symmetric ones. And what the policy fails to note is that one component of heterosexual attraction is a power component. To a degree, part of the dynamic fueling these bans is an anti-heterosexuality perspective which comes to symbolize for academic feminists male power over women, and such symbolism becomes more potent for them when you have the older male prof and young female student. This is the asymmetry that so offends so many academics. Of course, the question is whether feeling of offense should be a basis for regulating sexual behavior.
Then the policy goes on to state such relationships "may undermine the real or perceived integrity of the supervision and evaluation provided, and the trust inherent particularly in the student-faculty relationship." On the other hand, such relationships may not undermine said integrity; it may simply have no effect in regards to trust. And it could be that said relationships could even have a positive effect. The burden is on the shoulders of the University to demonstrate empirically that such undermining is likely to occur. What is of course ignored in the prior paragraph and ignored throughout the policy is that there can be positive effects for the student and professor couple. One of the positive effects may be the love and caring. To fail to recognize the importance of love between two persons is irresponsible. To ignore the possible positive effects is absurd. To ignore that such relationships can continue in love and merge into marriage and even parenthood should be beyond the pale of any educated and not so educated person. And I would expect that persons who profess to be so knowledgeable about these relationships know that at times what binds these couples together is a love of knowledge which leads to a knowledge of love. For example, can such advocates simply discard the relationship between Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger as being without value?
Moreover, such relationships may harm or injure others in the academic or work environment. Relationships in which one party is in a position to review the work or influence the career of the other may provide grounds for complaint when that relationship gives, or creates the appearance of, undue access or advantage to the person involved in the relationship, or when it restricts opportunities or creates a hostile environment for others.
Again as to harming or injuring others, such relationships may not harm others. The writers of this policy simply cannot comprehend the possibility that there may not be any harm. I suppose that the writers were lawyers who view the world in terms of harm and injury and lawsuits. For them, love does not make the world go around, it makes them want to stop the world by offing love.
Such relationships also have the potential for other adverse consequences, including the filing of charges of sexual harassment and/or retaliation under the University's Policy on Sexual Harassment (II-4) if, for example, one party to the relationship wishes to terminate the relationship to the other party's objection. In those circumstances when sexual harassment is alleged as the result of a romantic and/or sexual relationship, the existence of the relationship is not a per se violation of the Policy on Sexual Harassment. However, the apparent consensual nature of the relationship is inherently suspect due to the fundamental asymmetry of power in the relationship and it thus may be difficult to establish consent as a defense to such a charge. Even when both parties consented at the outset to a romantic involvement, this past consent does not remove grounds for or preclude a charge or subsequent finding of sexual harassment based upon subsequent unwelcome conduct.
As noted and agreed upon such relationships can have adverse consequences. However, the writers of this prohibition fail to note that such relationships may have positive consequences, not only on the parties to the relationships, but to parents, relatives, friends and fellow students who share in the joy of love. The writers of these policies see no joy. It may be that they project their joylessness, their feelings of being unloved and of hurt and of being victimized on to others, and end up attempting to do to innocent others what had been done unto to them before they lost their innocence.
This policy applies to consensual romantic and/or sexual relationships between individuals of the same sex or of the opposite sex.
For the foregoing reasons, all romantic and/or sexual relationships between faculty and students in the instructional context are prohibited at The University of Iowa. [Note: This policy applies only to relationships involving students. However, romantic and/or sexual relationships in other contexts — between faculty members, between faculty and staff, or between staff members, where one person supervises the other — also may be problematic, and are governed by III-8 Conflict of Interest in Employment.]
If these are all the foregoing justifying reasons, the university has not built a case. And in building their non-case, they avoid dealing with tough issues such as freedom of association, the right to sexual privacy, etc., etc. For them rights are irrelevant; they feel they can write whatever they want to do in their quest to right wrongs. They follow in the "tradition" of Bush/Cheney in the righting of wrongs.
No faculty member shall have a romantic and/or sexual relationship, consensual or otherwise, with a student who is enrolled in a course being taught by the faculty member or whose academic work is being supervised, directly or indirectly, by the faculty member.
For definitions of "faculty" and "instructional context," please refer to II-5.5 below.
In light of the potential for apparent and actual conflicts of interest, the following relationships are strongly discouraged at The University of Iowa; where such relationships arise, however, they are required to be disclosed and managed as indicated below:
- (1) Outside of the instructional context, a faculty member (including graduate students with teaching responsibilities) who engages in a romantic or sexual relationship with a student must promptly disclose the existence of the relationship to his or her immediate supervisor if there exists a reasonable possibility that a conflict of interest may arise. When a conflict of interest exists or is likely to arise, such relationships appear to others to be exploitative of or create apparent advantage for the student, and may later develop into conflicts of interest prohibited by II-5.2 above in situations that cannot be anticipated fully.
- (2) A potential conflict of interest exists when the student is a graduate student in the same department or academic program as the faculty member, or is an undergraduate student and is majoring or minoring in the same department as the faculty member. A conflict of interest also may arise if the student is studying in a department separate from the faculty member. When a potential conflict of interest exists or is reasonably likely to arise, the faculty member must promptly disclose the relationship to his or her supervisor. (3) Once the relationship is disclosed, the immediate supervisor will evaluate the situation to determine whether an actual conflict of interest exists or is likely to arise and will develop a management plan to address the potential conflict of interest. The faculty member has the professional and ethical responsibility to remove himself or herself from any decisions that may reward or penalize the student involved and otherwise adhere to the management plan. Of course, this disclosure policy is a flagrant violation of the student's right to privacy. Such a disclosure policy to be an ethical one must adhere to what is apparently an alien notion to these policymakers that students have rights and that students have a right not to consent. Said disclosure policy reveals these policies to be a sham, a sham in that they do not protect students, a sham in that institutional power is used to force professors to reveal their sexual and heretofore private lives to administrators. b. Between staff members and students. Romantic and/or sexual relationships between staff members and students employed under their supervision are governed by the University of Iowa Policy on Conflict of Interest in Employment (III-8). It may sometimes be difficult to determine whether the staff-student relationship exists in an employment or in an instructional context. Where such an ambiguity exists, the context will be assumed to be instructional and the relationship subject to the prohibition set forth in II-5.2 above.
a. Between faculty and students.
- (1) Student B is in a class taught by Professor A. The Consensual Relationships Policy prohibits a romantic or sexual relationship between these two parties in the instructional context. When the class has concluded and Professor A has submitted the final grades, this policy may continue to prohibit Professor A from engaging in a romantic or sexual relationship with Student B, or may discourage such a relationship, depending upon the academic affiliation of Student B and the likelihood that a conflict of interest may arise. (2) Professor A and Student B, a graduate student in Professor A's department, are involved in a romantic relationship. This policy prohibits Professor A from teaching and supervising Student B, and mandates disclosure and management of any potential conflict of interest. (3) The partner of Professor A enrolls in an academic program at the University offered by the same college in which Professor A's department is located. If the partner enrolls in the same academic program or department as Professor A, this policy requires Professor A to disclose the relationship and that any potential conflict of interest be managed to ensure that Professor A does not teach or supervise the partner, or involve himself or herself in any decision that may reward or penalize the partner. If the partner's academic program operates independently of Professor A's department, Professor A would not be required to disclose the relationship unless the potential for a conflict of interest might arise. (4) Graduate Student C and Graduate Student D are married and enrolled in the same academic program. This policy prohibits D from enrolling in a class taught by C (as instructor, teaching assistant, or grader) and vice-versa. If C (or D) were to complete his or her graduate program and acquire the status of faculty member (such as adjunct professor, visiting professor, or assistant professor) in the same department, this policy would apply as in paragraph (2) above. Former Graduate Student C would be required to disclose the relationship to the DEO and remove himself or herself from any decisions that may reward or penalize Graduate Student D.
a. The following examples are provided for illustrative purposes only. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of situations in which this policy applies. b. These examples illustrate the application of this policy which applies only to relationships involving students. However, romantic and/or sexual relationships in other contexts may also be problematic, and are governed by III-8 Conflict of Interest in Employment.
- What these examples reveal is the totalizing nature of this policy. The havoc that administrators can wreak under this policy is limitless. And the havoc will occur in the context of these administrators who are now functioning as the sexual police will be put forth in secrecy under the mantel of privacy and confidentiality. "I am sorry, but I cannot comment on this confidential personnel matter." And I am sorry for all those professors and students at the University of Iowa who just don't get it, who just don't get that these policies do not empower them but only empower administrators who are free to do whatever they essentially want to do as the sexual police of University of Iowa. And I believe that one of the things they want to do is to simply cast off, dismiss any critique of their work, of their policies. One can test this notion if they dare. At the next consensual relationship (sexual harassment) workshop you are forced to attend, raise the sort of criticisms raised here and see what happens. And feel free to report back to the dankprofessor. And if you want to do this but are unable to do so, it is because you feel the fear, and your silence affirms the victory of the fear mongers…
- —–
If you wish, you can write to me directly at email@example.com
Guest commentaries should also be submitted for consideration to the same email address.
- Barry M. Dank aka the dankprofessor™
© Copyright 2007
2 Comments »
One thing I noticed when reading this policy:
who are graduate students supposed to date?
Vis-a-vis students they are instructors, absolutely forbidden to date those with whom they are in a supervisory relationship, and "discouraged" to date all others.
Vis-a-vis professors they are students, absolutely forbidden to date those with whom they are in a supervisory relationship, and "discouraged" to date all others.
Assuming that no one is stupid enough to report to their DEO the existence of a "discouraged" relationship as required by the policy (as this could informally adversely affect their employment), whom can graduate students safely date? Not students, not professors, not other graduate students. I know that at least one University of Iowa department TOLERATES graduate student dating one another, but there are faculty members in the same department who believe that is a questionable interpretation of the policy.
Comment by +Wulfila | November 24, 2007 |
[…] that any person who takes the teaching learning enterprise seriously would be offended by the the University of Iowa's presentation of its rationale of said policy. I do not think it is an overstatement to characterize […]
Pingback by Sexual policing and sexual abuse « Dankprofessor's Weblog | November 28, 2007 |
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Sorry 'bout that nuked piece of sausage patty. It was supposed to be an imitation of Sausage Mcmuffin - sausage patty, English muffins, and eggs. But we got so excited I promptly forgot to lower the heat in frying the patty. Anyways, this for the record, is for my kids to remind them on how to do scrambled eggs. Funny, the thing we call scrambled eggs when I was small is actually called omelette here. Something must have been lost in translation. ;)
The key for scrambling eggs successfully is patience. You have to constantly tease, push and prod, back and forth the eggs on low heat to achieve the fluffy, soft, creaminess that is a scrambled egg. Some (my son) likes it a little bit well done. Some (my husband) loves it runny. However you like it finished, you have to start it the same way - beaten eggs cooked slowly on low heat until at a point of equilibrium it starts to curdle and form that sort of 'bubbly' texture. For me, the best way of doing this is by using a wooden fork with the tines scratching the newly formed film of cooked eggs at the bottom. A lot of cookbooks use just beaten eggs but we do like to put a little bit of milk for that extra creaminess.
Scrambled Eggs
2 eggs
1 Tbsp milk
1/2 Tbsp butter
freshly milled salt and pepper (optional)
- Beat eggs with the milk in a bowl. Add salt and pepper if desired.
- Heat butter gently a heavy-bottomed saucepan or frying pan (preferably non-stick) until melted.
- Still on low heat, pour the beaten eggs in the pan.
- Stir with a wooden spatula or fork, pushing back and forth making sure the spatula is scraping the bottom. Do this until the eggs starts to solidify - about 3-5 minutes.
- If you want your eggs runny, take it out of the pan while the eggs still soft and moist and there is only a little liquid left. If you want it firm, cook further until there is no more liquid and the eggs thoroughly cooked.


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Functionalization of 3D porous bone substitutes using Layer-by-Layer technology
Suche in Medline nach
|18. Oktober 2011
Questionnaire: To avoid donor site morbidity material associated with autologous bone grafting and due to limited availability of bone autograft, the use of cancellous bone allografts (CBA) is an appealing strategy for the therapy of localized bone defects. In this context, functionalization with osteogenically active factors may enhance long-term osseointegration and thereby improve the clinical performance of CBA. The Layer-by-Layer (LbL) method involves the formation of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films whereby layers of oppositely-charged electrolytes are deposited on top of each other. This method has proven to be effective in modifying a variety of different types of surfaces. The aim of this study was to establish a protocol for optimized surface coating of 3D porous bone substitute materials applying alternating layers of hyaluronic acid (HA) and poly-L-lysine (PLL) by LbL method. The effects of LbL film thickness on the morphology, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) were investigated.
Methods: Human MSC of N=3 donors were cultured in monolayer (2D) and on CBA scaffolds (3D) for up to 14 days. CBA scaffolds (DIZG, edge length ~5 mm) and cell culture plates were modified by coating with n=12 and n=24 alternating HA/PLL layers. Uncoated- plates and -CBA scaffolds, respectively, served as controls. Cellular proliferation was assessed by total DNA quantification. Osteogenic differentiation was evaluated by cell-specific alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay. Coating density and cellular distribution were performed by fluorescence microscopy (FM) on day 14.
Results and Conclusions: The proliferation rate of MSCs with and without the use of the PLL-HA films showed no significant differences between uncoated-, n=12- and n=24- HA/PLL layers after 14 days. By 3D cultivation a decreased proliferation was observed. 2D cultivation of MSCs stimulated osteogenic differentiation as observed by increased cell-specific ALP activity compared with 3D cultivation on day 14. FM analysis demonstrated that the polymer layers were distributed homogenously throughout the CBA samples and were stable for up to 14 days. No intergroup differences in cellular distribution and proliferation within the interconnected pores of CBA scaffolds were observed.
PLL-HA coating with 24 layers is suitable for 2D and 3D static cultivation of MSCs on CBA scaffolds. Further studies will address the evaluation of LbL-mediated growth factor functionalized CBA on proliferation and osteogenic stem cell differentiation. These results denote the basis for the development of novel type of biofunctionalized bone substitute materials.


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Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Italian opera meets the Australian outback when Donizetti's tongue-in-cheek, heart-on-sleeve tale of a shy boy and a bold girl returns in this cheeky production directed by Simon Phillips.
Once a jolly doctor rode
into a country town
Handing out potions and
pills for a fee
And he sang as the
soldiers and gentlefolk all
gathered round
Who'll come a-wooing
Adina with me?
Director Simon Phillips much-loved production of Donizetti's The Elixir of Love is set in an Australian country town circa 1915.
"If you're doing a comic opera it's useful to get it as close to a contemporary world as you legitimately can," he says, "because that affords you the possibility of laughs of recognition as well as situation."
So how does the story of Elixir pan out down under?
There's Adina, the squatter's daughter who wants to play the field before settling down. There's Nemorino, the lovestruck labourer who loves reading romantic poetry in his spare time.
There's Belcore, the English officer who fancies having a fine young lady on his arm. Then there's the travelling larrikin, Dulcamara, who offers to solve everyone's problems with a drop of the good stuff.
As Phillips points out, the regiment of soldiers and all the talk of conscription mean that a modern adaptation would have jarred, but setting the story in Australia in 1915 provides a rich vein of comic material to add to the mix.
It also inspired set designer Michael Scott-Mitchell and costume designer Gabriela Tylesova to come up with one of Opera Australia's favourite entrances when our heroine, Adina, rides into town on a corrugated iron horse.
Best of all, a knockout cast – Rachelle Durkin, Aldo Di Toro, Samuel Dundas and Conal Coad – means that Donizetti's music shines as brightly as ever under the Antipodean skies.
"It's bright, it's bucolic, and it'll be a barrel of laughs." says Philips.
(until 27 August)
Tahu Matheson
|Simon Phillips
|Set Designer
|Michael Scott-Mitchell
|Costume Designer
|Gabriela Tylesova
|Lighting Designer
|Nick Schlieper
|Rachelle Durkin
|Aldo Di Toro
|Samuel Dundas
|Conal Coad
|Katherine Wiles
Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
Running time: approx two hours and twenty minutes with one twenty-minute interval.


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Forest Preserve District - Tinley Creek Bicycle Trail1995 Forest Preserve District of Cook County
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All About Mucositis
What is mucositis?
Mucositis is a medical term that is used to refer to mouth sores, oral mucositis, or esophagitis. It can range in severity from a red, sore mouth and/or gums to open sores that can cause a patient to be unable to eat. The lining of the entire gastrointestinal tract (mouth, throat, stomach, and bowel) is made up of epithelial cells, which divide and replicate rapidly. Imagine this: if you bite your lip, the tissue is often able to heal by the next day because of this rapid growth. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy kill not only cancer cells, but other rapidly dividing cells as well, including the lining of the entire gastrointestinal tract. This article will discuss the effects on the lining of the mouth and throat (this lining is called the mucosa).
Oral mucositis leads to several problems, including pain, nutritional problems as a result of inability to eat, and increased risk of infection due to open sores in the mucosa. It has a significant effect on the patient's quality of life and can be dose- limiting (requiring a reduction in subsequent chemotherapy doses).
Signs and symptoms of mucositis include:
- Red, shiny, or swollen mouth and gums
- Blood in the mouth
- Sores in the mouth or on the gums or tongue
- Soreness or pain in the mouth or throat
- Difficulty swallowing or talking
- Feeling of dryness, mild burning, or pain when eating food
- Soft, whitish patches or pus in the mouth or on the tongue
- Increased mucus or thicker saliva in the mouth
Who gets mucositis?
Over forty percent of patients who receive chemotherapy will develop some degree of mucositis during the course of their treatment. Patients receiving radiation to the head, neck, or chest areas, and patients who undergo bone marrow or stem cell transplant, are even more likely to develop mucositis. Certain chemotherapy agents are more likely to cause this side effect (Table 1), as is total body irradiation, often used for bone marrow transplants.
Alemtuzumab (Campath)
Bleomycin (Blenoxane)
Asparaginase (Elspar)
Fluorouracil (5-FU)
Gemcitabine (Gemzar)
Carboplatin (Paraplatin)
Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg)
Hydroxyurea (Hydrea)
Daunorubicin (Cerubidine)
Idarubicin (Idamycin)
Interleukin 2 (Proleukin)
Epirubicin (Ellence)
Lomustine (CeeNU)
Melphalan (Alkeran)
Etoposide (VePesid)
Mitomycin (Mutamycin)
Mitoxantrone (Novantrone)
Irinotecan (Camptosar)
Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin)
Paclitaxel (Taxol)
Methotrexate (Rheumatrex)
Pentostatin (Nipent)
Procarbazine (Matulane)
Mechlorethamine (Mustargen)
Topotecan (Hycamtin)
Trastuzumab (Herceptin)
Pemetrexed (Alimta)
Vinblastine (Velban)
Vincristine (Oncovin)
Thiotepa (Thioplex)
Tretinoin (Vesanoid)
Factors that can increase the likelihood of developing mucositis, or that can make it worse if it does occur, include: poor oral or dental health, smoking, using chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol, dehydration, and diseases such as kidney disease, diabetes or HIV/AIDS.
Monitoring the development and resolution of mucositis can be difficult, given that the experience is different for every patient. The World Health Organization (WHO) oral toxicity scale is one of a number of grading systems developed to assist in evaluating the severity of mucositis:
Examples of mucositis:
Severe mucositis
Mucositis with candida infection (thrush)
Prevention and Treatment
There have been numerous studies trying many different medications and interventions to reduce the incidence and severity of oral mucositis. Unfortunately, only a few of these interventions have shown much success. It is known that a good oral care regimen can help in preventing or decreasing the severity of mucositis and can help prevent the development of infection through open mouth sores. The mainstay of an oral care regimen is mouth rinses, and numerous studies have determined that just plain old salt water is the best and most cost effective mouth rinse available. A mouth rinse aides in removing debris and keeping the oral tissue moist and clean. Other important components include using mouth and lip moisturizers, using a soft-bristle toothbrush, maintaining adequate intake of fluids and protein, and avoiding irritating foods, alcohol and tobacco.
Example of oral care protocol
- Rinse mouth (swish and spit) before and after meals and at bedtime with either:
- Normal saline (1 tsp of table salt to 1 quart (32 oz.) of water)
- Salt and soda (1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of baking soda in 1 quart of water)
- Use a soft-bristle toothbrush after meals and at bedtime. If the brush causes pain, toothettes may be used
- Use a non-abrasive toothpaste (or mix 1 tsp baking soda in 2 cups water). Avoid toothpastes with whiteners.
- Keep lips moist with moisturizers.
- Avoid products that irritate the mouth and gums:
- Avoid commercial mouthwashes and those with alcohol
- Limit use of dental floss
- Do not use lemon or glycerin swabs. Use only a soft bristle toothbrush
- Increase your fluid intake.
- Try to include foods high in protein in your diet.
- Avoid hot, spicy or acidic foods, alcohol, hard or coarse foods (crusty bread, chips, crackers).
- If you wear dentures:
- Remove whenever possible to expose gums to air
- Loose fitting dentures can irritate the mouth and gums and should not be worn
- Do not wear dentures if mouth sores are severe
Do not smoke cigarettes, cigars or pipes. Do not use smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, snuff).
Cryotherapy, which involves sucking on ice chips during chemotherapy administration, has shown some effect in preventing mucositis caused by certain chemotherapies. Two agents, Gelclair® and Zilactin®, are mucosal protectants that work by coating the mucosa, forming a protective barrier for exposed nerve endings. These agents resulted in improved pain control, and ability to eat and speak in clinical trials. Amifostine (Ethyol®), a drug that protects against the damage to the mucosa caused by radiation, is approved by the FDA for patients receiving radiation therapy for cancers of the head and neck. Studies have demonstrated that amifostine can reduce dry mouth and may prevent mouth sores; however, more research is needed. Other agents that have been studied include: capsaicin (derived from chili peppers), glutamine, prostaglandin E2, Vitamin E, sucralfate, and allopurinol mouthwash.
Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is a substance produced naturally in the body that stimulates the growth, repair, and survival of cells that protect the lining of the mouth and GI tract. A manmade version of human KGF has been developed as the drug palifermin, and is currently indicated for use in patients with hematologic malignancies or blood cancers (leukemias, lymphomas and myelomas) who are undergoing bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Palifermin was found to decrease the length and severity of mucositis in these patients.
Pain Control
Pain is a significant problem related to mucositis and warrants early intervention. In mild cases, ice pops, water ice, or ice chips may help numb the area, but most cases require more intervention for relief or pain.
Topical pain relievers include lidocaine, benzocaine, dyclonine hydrochloride (HCl), and Ulcerease® (0.6% Phenol). One of the issues of using topical agents is the inability to effectively coat all areas and that the pain relief is brief. In patients with mucositis that do not achieve pain relief with topical agents, narcotic analgesia is often necessary. This may require a hospital admission for intravenous (IV) pain medications until the mucosa begins to heal, particularly in patients unable to swallow. It is important to note that this side effect is temporary and the use of narcotics for the relief of pain caused by mucositis will be temporary as well. Patients should not "suffer through it" to avoid using narcotics, they will not become addicted to them when used for this very real pain.
One popular topical agent is "magic mouthwash" a mix of lidocaine, diphenhydramine and Maalox. This has not been proven effective and Maalox further dries the tissue, which can add to the complication. It is best to use lidocaine alone in a swish and spit method.
Patients receiving radiation therapy to the chest/head/neck area or chemotherapy should examine their mouths at least once a day for redness, sores, or signs of infection. The healthcare team should be notified if they notice worsening sores, white patches, pus, a "hairy" or thick feeling tongue, bleeding in the mouth, or development of a fever (temperature greater than 100.4°F (38°C).
Research continues into many new agents to prevent or treat mucositis, but at this point, it remains a challenging, costly, and distressing side effect.
More Information
Mucositis Tip Sheet: Here you will find helpful tips about oral mucositis (mouth sores). You will find information that explains what oral mucositis is, why it happens, how it is treated, and what you can do to prevent yourself from developing it.
Mucositis Medications: Find out about medications which may be used to decrease the chance of developing oral mucositis (mouth sores) or to shorten the duration of oral mucositis in some cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Materials and photos adapted from Amgen Inc., 2006 teaching materials on Palifermin (Kepivance™)
Eilers J. Nursing interventions and supportive care for the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis associated with cancer treatment. Oncology Nursing Forum. Online. 31(4 Suppl):13-23, 2004 Jul.
Cawley MM. Benson LM. Current trends in managing oral mucositis. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. 9(5):584-92, 2005 Oct.
National Cancer Institute website, www.cancer.gov
Oral Cancer Foundation. Mucositis. Retrieved July 13, 2018. https://oralcancerfoundation.org/complications/mucositis/
Sonis ST. Oral mucositis in cancer therapy. The Journal of Supportive Oncology. 2(6 Suppl 3):3-8, 2004 Nov-Dec.
Worthington HV. Clarkson JE. Eden OB. Interventions for treating oral mucositis for patients with cancer receiving treatment. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. (2):CD001973, 2004.


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The actor being Young Boba Fett is signing autographs with Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Michonne Bourriague (Aurra Sing), and so many more.
7/17 Update : "Jeremy Bulloch at San Diego Convention"
Sitting at the C2 Venture booth, fans will be able to purchase special 8x10 and 11x14 character photos. Each is stamped with a convention logo to note its limited quantity and instant collectability.
View the Signing Schedule (PDF)
View and Print the Autograph Coupon (PDF)
Other Star Wars actors signing autographs at the C2 table include Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker), Ray Park (Darth Maul), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Amy Allen (Jedi Aayla Secura), and Shannon Baksa McRandle (Expanded Universe model Mara Jade).
Also at the Comic Con, expected at the Del Ray Books booth, authors Mark Cotta Vaz (Secrets of Shadows of the Empire), Timothy Zahn (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, and Vision of the Future), and Terry Brooks (Star Wars: Episode I novelization).
Around and about the convention, expect to find Steve Sansweet (LFL), Irvin Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back Director), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Zachariah Jensen (Kit Fisto), Dave Barclay (Jabba The Hutt), Mike Quinn (Nien Numb), Mercedes Ngoh (Rystall), Margo Apostolos (Ewok Warrior), Kevin J. Anderson (Star Wars Author), Greg Bear (Star Wars Author), Rebecca Moesta (Star Wars Author), Jan Duursema (Star Wars Illustrator) and Tsuneo Sanada (Star Wars Illustrator).
The San Diego Comic Con is July 22th to 25th, 2004.


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Classes may be over at Wabash College but there is another week of immersion learning under way for many Wabash students. Four immersion learning experiences are taking place before College Commencement exercises May 13.
Students are learning first-hand in France, Germany, Alaska, and Chicago as part of their spring 2012 classroom experience. Click here to read the blogs posted about their daily experiences.
BKT Associate Professor of Economics Christie Byun will be leading a group to Alaska on a new immersion experience. The students will spend three days in Anchorage. "Alaska is a state rich in natural resources (oil, minerals, timber, fish), and is also dependent on the tourism industry as a part of its economy," Byun said. "These sectors form the basis of its economy. I will arrange events for students, giving them exposure to business groups, groups representing native Alaskan interests, and conservation organizations."
The group will also spend two days in Valdez, the terminus point for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The students will then travel to Seward for a boat tour of the glaciers and wildlife in Kenai Fjords National Park.
Public Affairs specialist Kim Johnson will be along on the trip to document the learning experience. She will also coordinate the students' daily written blogs about the trip.
BKT Assistant Professor of English Eric Freeze will lead his spring class to historic and literary sites in Paris and Nice, France. "Among the sites we will visit will be the haunts of expatriate writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, and Djuna Barnes," Freeze said. "Our visits will include literary walks and visits to museums of artists who influenced various writers. "
Two highlights of that trip will be special guest lectures. "Dr. Carine Marret, author of Promenades Littéraires, has agreed to lecture about Fitzgerald's time in the area and Dr. Michel Rémy, a professor at the University of Nice and author of several books on modernist painting and surrealism, will lecture about the work of Matisse, Picasso, and Cézanne," Freeze said.
Professor of Modern Languages Greg Redding will be taking students to Germany for a full language immersion experience. "The trip will be based in Marburg with day trips to cities like Frankfurt and Kassel," Redding explained. "We will partner with the director of the BCA Marburg program to provide homestays for students and local instructors to lead excursions to significant historical sites."
Teacher Education Program Coordinator will have education majors in Chicago. The students will take part in an annual program that allows them to observe and student-teach a class in the Chicago Public School system.