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In her new book "Confederate Slave Impressment in the Upper South," Dr. Jaime Amanda Martinez re-examines one of the most dearly held beliefs about the Civil War.
In 248 pages, Dr. Martinez looks at the nature of Confederate government through the unpopular practice of taking slaves from plantations in Virginia and North Carolina to build defensive fortifications. "Confederate Slave Impressment" was published in December 2013 by UNC Press and is part of its Civil War America series.
"Like scholars of my generation, I was raised on the idea that the Confederacy 'died of a theory' – that theory being states rights," Dr. Martinez said. "Eventually, the South realized that an intrusive government was the key to winning the war."
"I kept reading that impressment didn't work at all, but I also kept reading complaints from slave owners that impressment was interfering with work in the fields," she continued.
Dr. Martinez began her research as a graduate student at the University of Virginia and broadened the study to include North Carolina because the two states contributed the most slaves to the cause.
"There was a lot of tension over impressment in North Carolina in large part due to Maj. Gen. (William H.C.) Whiting who was responsible for building the defenses at Fort Fisher," Dr. Martinez said. "Toward the end of the war, Wilmington was the only Southern port that blockade runners could successfully bring in much needed supplies."
Impressment to build Fort Fisher had consequences for Robeson County too, she noted. Lumbee Indians of Robeson County unwillingly contributed labor at Fort Fisher.
"All of the Southern states allowed impressment of free people of color, and North Carolina allowed for the substitution of free blacks and Indians to meet any requisition for slaves. Militias had goals and this put Indians and free slaves in the line of fire."
"The problem with Wilmington under Whiting was that two months of temporary service often meant that slaves never came back," she said.
Resistance was high to the taking of property, and the work proved fatal for many slaves. Dr. Martinez said impressment could not have been accomplished without strong government.
"The high level of cooperation between local, state and national government officials that slave impressment required suggests that the existence of powerful governors, state legislatures, and county court officers strengthened, rather than undermined, the Confederate nation," Dr. Martinez wrote. "Academic and popular histories have long suggested that the Confederacy collapsed due to some internal failure."
Over several years in North Carolina and Virginia archives, Dr. Martinez made her case using the records and the communications between slave owners and Confederate elected and military officials. The Confederacy was more than a loose collection of states, Dr. Martinez maintains, and slave impressment was a most important example of how powerful and efficient its government was.
Dr. Martinez points to more fundamental reasons that the "lost cause" was lost.
"Most of the complaints slaveholders raised against slave impressment point to a problematic reality echoed in nearly every other aspect of the Confederate experience – the Confederacy simply did not have the sufficient labor resources to sustain an extended war," she wrote in the epilogue. "The South was prepared to fight a two year war."
Dr. Martinez, who joined the faculty in 2008, is pleased with the result of her work. Being published by the UNC Press Civil War series during the 150th anniversary of the war is also gratifying.
Early reactions to the book are good and resulted in an invitation from the National Park Service to speak at the Petersburg National Battlefield. The book was named one of the best Civil War books of 2013 by Kevin Levin, who writes the blog "Civil War Memory."
Other reviewers said: "Martinez challenges the standard critiques of slave impressment with fresh and substantial evidence. An original contribution to Civil War scholarship" -- George Rable, University of Alabama.
"Martinez analyzes the relationship between slavery and the state, shows the interaction of the home front and battlefield conditions, and tells the stories of a variety of little-known actors, including planters, slaves, local officials, and Confederate bureaucrats. Her deeply researched and clearly written book will be an important contribution to the literature on slavery and the Civil War." -- John Majewski, author of "Modernizing a Slave Economy: The Economic Vision of the Confederate Nation."
Dr. Martinez may stay closer to home for her next project. "I'm looking at the Wilmington area from 1850 to 1870," she said. "Most histories focus on 1861 to 1865, but I'd like to look at the last decade of slavery and the transition to free labor."
Readers and fellow historians should expect some revealing analysis of a war that continues to fascinate readers after 150 years.
To contact Dr. Martinez, please call her at 910.775.4031 or email email@example.com.


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capitalize(redirected from capitalising)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Legal.
In accounting, to recognize expenses on long-term liabilities over a long period of time. This allows a company to spread out its expenses so they do not appear to reduce profits at any particular time. For example, a company may have a $1 million profit and a $1 million loan to acquire machinery for its factory. If it does not capitalize the loan, its balance sheet will show no profit for that year. Capitalizing the loan allows the company to recognize the liability over a certain period, usually the usable life of the machinery.
To calculate the current value of a future stream of earnings or cash flows. For example, to calculate the current price at which a bond should sell, a financial analyst must capitalize the interest payments and principal repayment that will be made to the investor.
(1) In finance:(a) To add an expenditure to the basis of property.(b) To provide funding to an enterprise. (c) To book something as an asset and depreciate it rather than writing off the money spent as an expense.(When one "cooks the books"for a business,extensive repairs might be capitalized as improvements in order to make the enterprise appear more valuable than it is in reality.This approach runs counter to the normal taxpayer desire to treat all repairs as expenses in order to gain maximum tax deductions in the current year.) (2) In appraisal,to estimate the present value of an income stream from a business or property.
To treat the cost of additions and improvements to property as a capital improvement or expenditure.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Diocese of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada is celebrating their 150th year in Canada, and the Archives will be at the Conference in Kingston of the Ontario Genealogical Society June 1st and 3nd with their computerized index.
The Archives cover the five Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, Hastings and Prince Edward in Eastern Ontario.
The church registers held by the Anglican Diocese of Ontario Archives are normally accessible only at the tiny archives facility, and only for very limited hours each week. However, the Diocesan Archivist, Paul Banfield, has generously given permission for the index to these registers to be available at Conference 2012.
If they find that there are baptism, marriage, confirmation or burial records for the individuals of interest to you, they can provide you with the details (date, register volume number, etc.). You will not be able to obtain copies of the registers during Conference, as the archives will not be open on the weekend; however, you will be able to order copies by mail or email after returning home. Or, visit the archives in person if you'll be in Kingston following the conference.
For more information, you can go to the Archives at http://www.ontario.anglican.ca/joomla/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&layout=category&task=category&id=56&Itemid=138


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We've seen what happens when video games get Upworthy-style headlines. What happens when sci-fi and fantasy movies get them will amaze you.
SFFWorthyslaps the low-hanging fruit by giving your favourite movies and TV shows headlines in the style of the infamous viral site.
This joke will get old very quickly. So let's enjoy it while it lasts.
SFFWorthy[Site, via Laughing Squid]
G/O Media may get a commission


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insomnia, abnormal wakefulness or inability to sleep. The condition may result from illness or physical discomfort, or it may be caused by stimulants such as coffee or drugs. However, frequently some psychological factor, such as worry or tension, is the cause. Mild insomnia may often be relieved by a soothing activity like reading or listening to soft music. Chronic or severe insomnia requires treatment of the underlying physical or psychological disorder. In a few, very rare cases, individuals in certain families are subject to an incurable inherited insomia caused by prions that form plaques in the thalamus; the disease appears suddenly in adulthood and ultimately is fatal.
Many patients respond to the assurance that their sleeplessness is a result of normal anxieties or a treatable physical disorder. Opportunities to ventilate anxieties often ease distress and helps resume normal sleeping patterns. Elderly persons are encourage to exercise more during the day; instructed relaxation, administration of tryptophan, and intake of warm milk helps some patients sleep. Sedatives and hypnotics drugs may be employed if the sleeplessness is impairing the subject's sense of well being. Those who wake because of pain receive an analgesic at bedtime; for those who experience insomnia accompanied with depression, an antidepressant often suffices.


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Life Insurance is a necessary investment; especially if you have dependents (children, spouse, elderly parents, etc.) that can suffer financially should anything happen to you. These dependents need to be protected in the event of your passing.
Times are changing, and our lives are busier than ever, so we know that you do not have time to waste. This is why our agents are working hard on establishing and maintaining relationships with various life insurance agencies. This ensures that we can offer you the companies' best deals on cheap life insurance.IP shows you are not from US
On our website, you can find links to our partners that sell term and no medical exam life insurance policies in Los Angeles at the most affordable rates online. You do not need to spend hours, days, or weeks researching various websites to try and find a good deal. All you need is right here on our website.
This website also provides you with the informative resources necessary to help you make a wise decision about purchasing your Life Insurance policy. You already know that life insurance is important, that is why you are researching it on our site. You know that life insurance is necessary in order to protect your family in case of a death, and to make sure they are covered if one income is lost. We have simply made the process of buying affordable term life insurance easier.


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Our trip to hell in a handbasket has been mostly passing through environmental markers, with occasional — okay, frequent — forays into the economy and civil rights. Now we've got rising bread prices, a scary sign that I have personally never seen in my nearly 40 years of life.
So now, farmers want to take land out of conservation programs in order to grow high-priced commodity crops. NYT 4/9 Why are the commodity crops high-priced? Because of government mandates about biofuels: The Bush plan on global warming and the energy crisis is to burn more food crops. Wow, good idea. Of course, farmers are not just being greedy. Their costs on their current croplands — fuel and fertilizer — are also rising, which means they need the most bang for their buck out of croplands. Jeff Krehbiel, apparently a wheat farmer from Oklahoma, put it this way: "Let's hurt the farmer in order to shut the bakers up, is that what we're saying?"
Instead of tax dollars for truly clean and renewable technologies, and conservation, the Bush people are putting our money on "clean" coal, biofuels, nuclear, hydrogen fuel cells, and other less promising technologies. Of course there are roles for these, and all technologies, but I don't get the math.


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I've been trying so many different ways of organizing all the ideas I run across online. I've used Delicious to bookmark pages and add tags, I've kept notebooks filled with handwritten lists, and used google reader to tag and star items for later. It's all about to drive me crazy because none of it works (for me). I've even looked at evernote, but it isn't the answer for me either.
I am so embarrassed when I write a post that includes an activity inspired by someone else's post… and I can't remember where I saw it. It's just polite to give another blogger credit for her ideas.
Sometimes I actually have ideas of my own. :) And I need somewhere to keep them. Somewhere that I have easy access to, and where they are sorted in a manner that makes at least a little bit of sense. I've been scribbling ideas down in a notebook for a long time now. However, math activities are mixed in with art and poems and abc's, and so on.
So, I decided to make my own organization system. And it's actually working. Yay! And it's simple. Really, really simple. I turned to my old friend, Excel and made a spreadsheet of ideas and activities. Click on the image to make it bigger.
I've added room for 2 separate tags, a space for notes, and a space for a link if it's something I've come across online. Now, when I sit down to read my blogs I open my spreadsheet up and just copy and paste away.
And when I'm planning a week's worth of activities and art projects, I can sort the spreadsheet by any of the headings - sensory ideas or counting activities or art – whatever!
Also, I can print it and have it handy in my planning binder. This is the important part for me because I'm usually sitting in my easy chair drinking coffee, far away from the computer when I'm writing out our weekly calendar. I'm a hard-copy kind of girl. :) I think that's why none of the online programs were working for me. I'll be able to make notes of ideas that sprout from my own brain right onto my hard copy and add them onto the spreadsheet later. And I'll probably be printing the spreadsheet on a monthly basis, which will help me go over all the things I've wanted to do but haven't gotten around to yet.
I'll still use Delicious as a bookmarker for resource sites (not specific activities). And I've been taking 5 to 10 minute breaks once a day to go through my Google Reader list. I quickly star everything that looks interesting (and get rid of a lot that doesn't), then go back later and read my starred items. That's when I open my spreadsheet and start gathering new ideas.
How do you keep all the terrific online information organized? I'd love to hear in the comments!
Have a beautiful day! :)


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The Department of Licensing is updating the driving test taken by about 10,000 people each year seeking a commercial driver license (CDL) in Washington.
Starting on September 1, the test will require drivers to complete a third backing-up exercise. Along with this, the test's scoring system is being updated to expand a tester's ability to evaluate the driver's performance during the road test. New testing procedures that will better measure a commercial driver's ability to perform a commercial vehicle inspection will be adopted in 2012.
These changes, developed by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and endorsed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, will bring Washington in line with national CDL knowledge and skills testing standards. The new testing procedures have been added to DOL's Commercial Driver Guide and more information about the changes also is posted on the Department of Licensing website.


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How could I have high cholesterol?
I had been a vegetarian most of my life. I wasn't overweight. I exercised several times a week on the treadmill.
And although high cholesterol can be genetic, I knew that my mother never had high cholesterol, and my father, who died in 1994, was never treated for cholesterol.
Then, weeks later, I discovered some of my father's old medical records: His cholesterol at the time had been 270. Perhaps genetics was a factor after all.
A count of more than 200 for total cholesterol is considered high. Further, my "bad" cholesterol (LDL), which should have been below 130, was 174. The only good news I could salvage from the otherwise depressing report was that my "good" cholesterol (HDL) was 50, and higher than 40 is considered positive.
But medication seemed a drastic step. Before committing to a daily pill, I decided to try to reduce my cholesterol through diet. My meals often consisted of cold cereal, yogurt, a chocolate nutrition bar and several diet sodas -- all processed foods. I couldn't remember the last time that I had fruit or vegetables.
And so I embarked on a diet of raw food. I learned that cholesterol numbers don't change much in less than five weeks, so I gave myself eight weeks to influence my count before trying a cholesterol-lowering medication. I hoped that raw food would keep me from taking cholesterol pills for the rest of my life.
Cholesterol is a major cause of heart disease, building up in the walls of the arteries, hardening them and preventing blood flow to the heart. I scoured the Internet for suggestions on lowering cholesterol through diet. Fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains -- those seemed to be the way to go.
On my new eating plan, breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal (the only non-raw food I eat) with blueberries when they're in season or other fresh fruit, such as blackberries, strawberries, raspberries or apples.
Lunch is a smoothie made from orange juice or milk, plus fruit and ice. Dinner is a salad with a lettuce or broccoli base and condiments. Snacks include apples, grapes, carrots, celery and nuts.
No processed food, no sweets, no sodas, no fun.
After eight weeks I had another cholesterol test. I thought my eating plan would have some effect, but I never expected my total cholesterol to drop to 195, a 21% reduction. My "bad" cholesterol was borderline at 132 but still a 24% reduction and only three points over the optimal mark.
If I maintain my diet, perhaps my LDL will continue to drop and I won't have to take pills to keep my cholesterol down after all.
The added benefit: What initially seemed like a sacrifice has become an enjoyable way of life.
Lewis is a marketing and communication consultant living in Sherman Oaks. barbaralewis@centurion consulting.com


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You have two vectors , determine the angle between these two vectors
For example:
u = [0 0 1]; v = [1 0 0];
The angle in degrees between u and v is 90.
It would be good to have a more challenging test suite - see the guidelines for problems. Some solvers write code that is just a lookup table for the test cases, and having only one case makes it trivial to do this.
Also, your test should not use string comparison to evaluate what is a purely numerical computation. It would be better if you subtracted the correct answer from the proposed answer, and then compared the absolute value to a am all threshold, such as 1e-6.
Thnaks for your comments. It was my first or second problem sent to CODY. I didn't catch all the tricks to make strong test cases yet.
I have rescored the problem after adding more robust test suites.
only one test case runs, others are not working
Exploits Cody's size calculation algorithm. Use assessFunctionAbsence to thwart (see also Problem 44521).
4791 Solvers
Return a list sorted by number of occurrences
1610 Solvers
388 Solvers
Generate a random matrix A of (1,-1)
218 Solvers
Relative ratio of "1" in binary number
251 Solvers


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|Kireethara Boutique Resort is surrounded by the high green mountains. Inspired by the nature with a fresh and breezy atmosphere of the mountain, blends the charm of the Contemporary Thai style living which makes you feels free, relax and individually living.
|Kireethara Boutique Resort closed with the high
green mountain. A choice of 19 rooms with outstanding 3 categories,
set on the valley with stunning views over the landscape with green
natural panoramic mountain.
|Deluxe Room
|Executive Room
|Family Suite 2 Bedroom
|Family Suite 2 Bedroom
|Event & Meeting area
An exciting the outdoor events are designed as an open-air at the garden and poolside which is suitable for mini meeting, exhibition, cocktail party, wedding garden or workshop.
Kireethara Restaurant
Cuisine: original Thai dishes and Lanna dishes
Max capacity: 50 seats
Opening Hours: Breakfast until late night
Chang Kian Coffee
Coffee in the garden, is a chill out Coffee Shop full service
|Kireethara Boutique Resort is the best location of only 10
minutes from the very heart of city and an easy access to Chiang Mai
International Airport, Golf Driving Range, Government Service
Center, Chiang Mai University, Hospital and many famous tourist


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WESTMINSTER — Westminster police spokesman Trevor Materasso said Tuesday morning that air support and dogs would be used in the fourth day of searching for the missing 10-year-old girl.
He said that various agencies — including federal immigration and drug agents — were assisting because of their specific training in search and recovery.
"Don't focus on the agency," Materasso said. "They are just resources deployed to help us." He added that all the different uniforms were just part of the coordinated effort.
Two more photos of Jessica Ridgeway will be released today, as well as a video her family provided.
As he did yesterday, Materasso urged people to pay attention to Jessica's facial features, not her glasses or clothing. He said specifically to note that she has a gap between her two front teeth and a sore at the bridge of her nose where her glasses sit.
He stressed how important the community is in getting fliers posted and spreading the word about the search.
"There's a chance someone might see her in passing," he said. He urged anyone with information to call 303-658-4336 or email the tip line at PDAmberAlert@Cityof Westminster.us
He said that last night a dive team searched nearby bodies of water to "rule out" those locations. He made clear that the searches were not based on tips or evidence there.
He said investigators are talking with family and friends to "learn more about Jessica" to help them determine whether this is a runaway or abduction case.
In response to a reporter's question, he said the family is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Investigators collected DNA evidence Monday from Jessica's home. Searchers moved into in an area northwest of her home surrounding the neighborhood where her backpack and water bottle were discovered Sunday outside a home in Superior.
Representatives of 12 agencies — roughly 125 people — searched in a triangular area bounded by U.S. 36, Colorado 93 and Colorado 128, Materasso said.
Jessica's mother, Sarah Ridgeway, a night-shift worker, told police she last saw her daughter walking toward school Friday morning. She reported the girl missing later in the afternoon when she woke to find a phone message saying Jessica hadn't arrived at Witt Elementary School, about a mile away at 10255 W. 104th Drive in Westminster.
Materasso said Monday there were no suspects in the case. But "we do not have reason to believe a person is going around abducting children," he added.
Jessica's father, Jeremiah Bryant, and great-grandmother Dana Moss live in Independence, Mo.
Jessica's father attended a child-custody hearing in a Missouri courtroom Friday. Police don't believe the custody issue is related to her disappearance.
No evidence points to any family involvement, Materasso has said.
Investigators have not said whether Jessica's disappearance could be linked to any other suspicious incidents. For example, Arvada police in September reported that a man apparently tried to lure children to his vehicle with candy.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, firstname.lastname@example.com or twitter.com/kierannicholson


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Clean and sexy-looking download buttons created with CSS3 with call-to-action. These buttons make sure that they get some clicking love. Check the screenshots to see the compatible browser chart. IE 10 will add support for transitions in its next release or the final version.
You can get started easily using the documentation inside. Also, some CSS3 buttons have been provided as a bonus (check screenshots).
The cloud icon used is from the iconSweets2 icon pack by yummyGum.


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0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.
It looks like we might possibly be seeing the Green Lantern appear in Arrow this season. Well, at least Coast City. They teased it with a welcome sign for the city with part of the Green Lantern saying on it. It would be awesome to see Hal Jordan appearing. They've already mentioned Ferris Airways in previous seasons. They could have Zoom just be a being encased in a special armor to give him form. That his body is pure Speed Force energy. Which would make sense if they are having Tony Todd do his voice, which is very cool.Apparently Michael Shannon is backtracking his comments about Zod appearing. Now he is saying that it might be a ghost thing in which Zod appears.
It looks like we might possibly be seeing the Green Lantern appear in Arrow this season. Well, at least Coast City. They teased it with a welcome sign for the city with part of the Green Lantern saying on it. It would be awesome to see Hal Jordan appearing. They've already mentioned Ferris Airways in previous seasons.
So is all this big cameo stuff going on in the CW network shows still leading up to that Legends of Tomorrow thing or what?
The possibility is left open for Green Lantern appearing. Even if technically we don't see him as the Green Lantern, he could be pre-Green Lantern. In the flashback, he and Ollie could have been partying together in Coast City. Paths cross in the present where both have changed. The Flash pulled off having Gorilla Grod, anything is possible.
There is the rule about violence in cartoons, so they probably had to err on the side of caution with certain characters. Though, they snuck in the thing with Tala calling Grodd her boyfriend, etc. From what I saw, they made Grodd appear menacing, and David Sobolov's voice adds to it.
True. I was surprised they allowed that to air. I was reading an article from one of the entertainment sites. Speculation about Martin Freeman's character is that he might possibly be Henry Peter Gyrich. Or, maybe he's MODOK? Zemo is also making an appearance in Civil War.
Gyrich was prominent in the X-men titles, as was Val Cooper. Gyrich, I think appeared in other titles. His status as an agent allowed him to move through each title. And, I could see him being the liasion assigned to them. Which I think the Avengers did have a liasion for a while. Gyrich isn't exactly friendly towards the superheroes or sympathic like Val Cooper was. In the article, it mentioned that no one is quite sure where Freeman's character's loyalties lie. Interestingly, they had Gyrich in one of the X-men movies, but killed him.
It might be forgotten that he was used in the first X-Men movie. He was with Senator Kelly, but then revealed to be Mystique. Magneto revealed to Kelly that Gyrich had been dead for some time. Though if they were going with Gyrich, I kinda envision someone like Jack Coleman from Heroes playing him. The other speculation is that Freeman might be playing a Prime Minister from Wakanda.
Had a thought, another possibility is he could be playing Cameron Hodge. He was kind of along the same lines as Gyrich. Not friendly or sympathic to anyone with superpowers, hero or villain made no difference to him. And he was involved in several events which impacted those with superpowers. The last one being the Phalanx crisis. And, I think he was involved with events on Genosha.
I would personally like to see that as well! Martin Freeman normally plays the average guy getting sucked into something unexpected. (Ex. the Hobbit, Sherlock, and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) Bring on the dark side.
Wait, how/when did the Mandarin/Ten Rings get involved in Ant-Man? I thought that was exclusively HYDRA.
They just went through a restructuring over at Marvel Studios. Feige now reports directly to Disney studios, eliminating several players from the creative decisions. I don't know how that will effect the movies going forward.
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Have you checked the latest cemetery records at Alberta Family Histories Society?
They say that "This database, which has been recorded over the past 25 years by numerous volunteers, is based on monument and burial information from various cemeteries in Calgary and the surrounding region".
They now have 168,565 records in the index, and you can check them online at http://www.afhs.ab.ca/data/cemeteries/search.php.
The database includes the Name, Birth/Death Years and Cemetery Name.
For a list of cemeteries transcriptions for sale on DVD http://www.afhs.ab.ca/publications/cemetery.shtml#publications


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ROBERT Pattinson paid tribute to his Bel Ami co-star Uma Thurman as he presented her with an award at the 19th Women In Hollywood ceremony.
The Twilight star appeared nervous onstage at the glitzy annual event, which is held to honour female stars for their contribution to the movie industry, and admitted he was "terrified".
Pattinson joked about his on-screen wife, "(Working with Uma was) a pretty crazy experience. Her role was someone more intelligent, more charming, wittier and better in bed than me. Which was obviously very difficult to cast."
Other stars honoured at the ceremony at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, California included Cate Blanchett, Elle Fanning, Kristen Wiig, Octavia Spencer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Shirley MacLaine and Susan Sarandon. –WO
Award winner and Harry Potter star Emma Watson later took to Twitter.com to praise the event, writing, "Elle Women in Hollywood awards was so warm and inspiring tonight. It made me want to start being the woman I want to be... now. Right now."


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Ah, the skills section. It's on resumes, applications, and social media profiles. It's what most employers look to first when considering an employee. It sums up every job candidate's experience, expertise, and career.
What's in your skills section? Everyone's different in some way. Your skills depend on your location, your age, both your and professional experiences, your industry, and you as a person. Each skill is important and will ultimately lead you to your ideal job.
However, there are skills that will never make it into your skills section, even though they are quite possibly the most important skills you'll ever need. These are the skills, sometimes called "soft skills," that every job seeker must have in order to get (and keep) their dream jobs.
A successful job seeker needs to have the ability to:
Introduce themselves
Whether it's in the middle of a crowded room or online, a successful job seeker needs to be able to introduce themselves. Today, 60% of jobs are filled through referrals. That means that job seekers who rely solely on job postings are out of luck. Put yourself out there: introduce yourself, network, and meet your next job lead.
Know and articulate their qualifications
It's one thing to have skills, goals, or experience, but a successful job seeker owns them. To get that job, you need to know your qualifications and communicate them effectively to potential employers.
Shake hands properly
You might not have attended cotillion as a child, but good interpersonal communication and etiquette are common courtesy. A good handshake and sincere smile is an important display of respect and the foundation of any solid introduction. When your handshake is like a limp fish or the dreaded death grip, it almost subliminally tells a potential employer or networking contact about your character.
Check out: Get Hands-On: The Importance of a Good Handshake in Your Job Search
Be punctual or early (but not too early)
We all know someone who is habitually late (if you don't know that person, it's probably you). They layer on the excuses, usually summing up with a careless statement such as, "I just run on my own time." It's irritating to your friends and unacceptable to employers.
If you are habitually late, turn the clocks forward; add extra minutes to your commute – do whatever you can do to break the late cycle. Plan to arrive early enough to get in the building and announce yourself for your meeting. A good rule is to arrive at your interview and all on-site meetings early, but not more than 10-15 minutes early, and you should be prepared with all the important materials needed for your meeting.
Know how to dress
Whether you are looking for your first-ever job or your fifteenth, you need to evaluate your work attire. When interviewing, a good rule to follow is to dress slightly nicer than you would for the actual job. Invest in timeless, quality pieces so that you're not stuck with last year's fashions. It might be superficial, but dressing well is a skill that every successful job seeker has.
What do you think? What other skills should a job seeker have? Do you disagree with these skills? Share your thoughts below in the comments!
Tony Morrison is the Vice President at Cachinko, a unique professional community where social networking and job opportunities come together. His roles include sales, marketing, and business development. He is passionate about building B2B and B2C client relationships and brings this passion to Cachinko where he focuses on helping job seekers to find their ideal job and employers to find, attract, and engage their next rock star candidates. Find him on Twitter and/or connect with Cachinko on Facebook or Twitter.
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Tom Cruise Opens Up About Family, Religion and Lawsuits
'Rock of Ages' star Tom Cruise, who turns 50 in July, celebrated the milestone by appearing in next month's issue of Playboy.
No no, not as a model (though wouldn't that be unique) but as an interview subject, talking about his family, his religious beliefs, and having a stable of high-powered attorneys ready to attack.
On the latter subject, Cruise told the magazine while he's able to ignore a lot of the gossip that swirls about him, there does come a point at which it goes too far.
"You start with a letter saying, 'Okay, you know it's not true. Apologize,'" he said. "But with certain ones you have to go, 'Okay, you crossed a line, and now you have the attention of my lawyers.' [laughs] When it involves your kids, you have to go, 'Here's the line.'"
Some of the more salacious things written about him involve his often vocal devotion to Scientology, but he says he's in a no-win situation when it comes to talking about it: "If I don't talk about my religion, if I say I'm not discussing it or different humanitarian things I'm working on, they're like, 'He's avoiding it.' If I do talk about it, it becomes, 'Oh, he's proselytizing.'"
But one thing he is willing to talk about is his wife, actress Katie Holmes, whom he calls "funny and charming."
"When she walks into the room, I just feel better," he said. "[She's] an extraordinary person, and if you spent five minutes with her, you'd see it. Everything she does, she does with this beautiful creativity."
Professionally, he says 'Rock of Ages' was a special challenge, and that to prep for the role of rocker Stacee Jaxx, he often spent up to five hours a day with a vocal coach who also works with Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose.
"He was an opera singer who taught me how to control my voice," the actor said. "It's like learning a new sport or a skill for a character. I had to find out how to move air through the vocal cords and where to place it in my head, in the chest. It's something you have to do every day to strengthen your voice."
But even after having a taste of the rock star life, he's not ready to abandon films for music.
"Making movies is all I ever wanted to do," he said. "But when I look at Bono, Springsteen, Bon Jovi or Axl Rose and hear the songs they wrote and how they perform them and the life they have, I have a greater appreciation. It takes so much work to get to that level."


text: When charged with a drug crime or complex financial crime, you need an experienced attorney to protect your rights. For 40-plus years, criminal defense lawyer Frank A. Rubino, Esq., has been protecting individuals from the harsh excesses of the law. You are in good hands with attorney Frank A. Rubino.


text:
I thought I'd share a few pictures from the wedding I was just in this past weekend. I know this isn't exactly a wedding blog, but so much of my custom work is bridal illustrations and wedding websites, so it is semi-related! You may remember my hunt for a yellow bridesmaid dress (which I previously blogged about here), well I finally found one, as did my friends and fellow bridesmaids:
(Andrea, Jamie, Brooke (me), and Keiko)
All of us were close high school friends, so it was nice to get together for a few days and have some "bonding time." The wedding was out in Pennsylvania where the groom grew up. A few of us bridesmaids drove out there from NYC early to help the bride with pre-wedding details. We arranged flowers for the centerpieces, tied tags on the guest gifts, strung place cards, made welcome gifts for hotel guests, painted signs, created a dessert buffet, made sangria, and baked the cake. (<-I kid you not!)
It was a tall order, but in the end the wedding was truly beautiful. My favorite element actually ended up being the all the different yellow dresses! Next up were the driftwood signs I painted (which I'm thinking could be fabulous in my Manhattan kitchen), the programs I designed were detailed with a Martha Stewart eyelet hole punch and came out super cute, and the beautiful table-scapes which consisted of chopped wood bases, mason jars of rustic flowers, pillar candles, damask table runners from Etsy, and napkin rings handmade of vintage fabrics.
(Ines, Brooke (me), Tina, Andrea, and Jamie)
If you're wondering where the bride is, you're just going to have to wait. My wedding gift is a custom fashion illustration, so I'll share photo's of her once I've completed my illustration. I work from actual wedding pictures which is why it wasn't done beforehand. If you like you can click here to see examples of other custom bridal illustrations I've worked on.


text: What are some common consumer legal problems in Canada?By Miriam YosowichEverybody has experienced a legal problem at one time or another, regardless of whether the person realized their problem was legal in nature or not. There are a variety of legal issues Canadians can face on a day to day basis, but some of the most common issues to date are: consumer problems, debt issues, employment issues, conflicts with neighbours, family law issues and increasingly, senior fraud. Consumer problems There are a wide variety of issues that can fall under this section. Some common examples of consumer problems include: being overcharged on a cell phone bill, trying to get out of a gym contract, and if a store has sold you a shoddy product and won't give a refund. Many of these types of problems are resolved by talking to the businesses, writing to the business and asking for a resolution, or filing a consumer complaint with the appropriate consumer protection agency of the province. Employment issues Sometimes in the course of one's career problems can arise, such as harassment at work, wrongful dismissal, employment contracts disputes, and disputes over vacation time entitlement or bonus pay. If the issues faced at work are minor talking to one's human resources department or manager may solve them. If the issues are more serious in nature, then it's a good idea to consult with a lawyer. Family law issues Family law issues are a bit more serious in nature than other consumer legal issues. That is because family law problems are often brought to court, especially where it concerns separation, divorce and custody/access of children. When it comes to family law problems it's often best to consult a lawyer as such issues are often quite complicated. Senior fraud Though often not cited as one of the common consumer problems it's becoming more and more relevant, because as the population ages, senior scams are increasing fast. One problematic aspect of senior fraud is that seniors are not just being taken advantage of by telemarketers or scammers who are aware that some seniors are not savvy when it comes to technology or scams. Sometimes seniors are victims of family members or friends. Whatever the case may be, some indications that seniors may be a target of fraud by strangers or family members/friends are: Phone, mail or email requests asking seniors for personal information, such as banking, credit card or debit card information; If someone comes to the senior's door and pretends to be from a charity or claims the person has won a prize — if the senior didn't enter a contest then it's likely they wouldn't win a prize; Unduly pressuring, forcing or tricking a senior to make or change a will or to sign legal documents that gives away the senior's property or obligates the senior for something for which the senior does not benefit. Some minor legal problems can be resolved by consumer's themselves by phoning the company or writing a letter but if you are facing a major legal problem you should consult with a lawyer. Read more: Canadian Consumer Handbook What are the most common family law issues CLEO


text:
Give me some Second Life Cheats! I wanna go shopping!
As I did mess around with a Keyword Research Tool called Market Samurai when I was bored, I had to laugh when I created a Second Life Keyword Analysis and found out that there are 145 daily Search Engine requests on the Keyword "second life cheats" in the Internet.
Lets assume 145 Second Life Users per Day want to cheat in Second Life. I mean this is funny. So funny that I though I now need to blog about the greatest Cheat you can get in Second Life.
I call this Cheat "The real money to Linden Dollar Exchange Cheat". How does this Cheat work? Let me explain you…
1. Log in to Second Life.
2. Find the Text "Linden Exchange" in the Menu on the left Side of the Second Life Website.
3. Click "Buy L$".
4. The next Side is self-explanatory. Just type in how much L$ you need and place your Order.
Attention: This Cheat will debit your real Wallet.. your real Bank or Paypal Account! So be sure if you really want to cheat! 🙂
Sorry I couldn´t refrain from laughing. I though the Fact, that there are 145 People a Day who ask Google for Second Life Cheats, is pretty much funny and a Blogpost with a little spoof worth.
In case you did search for Second Life Cheats and did land on my Blog.. I am really really sorry but anyway I hope my little Guide did help you to understand that no one needs any Second Life Cheats as it is pretty much simple to buy L$ and also that doesn´t cost to much! Hey,.. I mean you get already 1000 L$ for round about 4 US Dollars. Maybe a worth consideration. 🙂


text:
Today I received the following tweet from a Maltese medical student, @karambinu :
" i need help in finding web tools for medical education....do you have any ideas I could start off with?"
So how can we find and share the best resources for medical education online? There are lots of great curation tools emerging like scoop.it but where to find the best content to put there?
A database might be useful. But how to crowdsource it? Below is a google form which I've just set-up. You can see the results here. And here is a scoop.it for cardiology in #meded which shows how you might want to use the results. This is only a start. What would be a better way of doing this? If you have any ideas please leave a comment. And if you use the spreadsheet to curate leave a link. And don't be afraid to publicise your won work!
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Study author joins #twitjc discussion
The Twitter journal club was started by Dr. Natalie Silvey, and Fi Douglas, a medical student, from the UK in 2011. It is going from strength to strength.
Saturday, 9 July 2011
Hello to #asme11!
This is a quick introduction to who I am and why I am interested in the use of technology in medical education, and especially the benefits (and risks) of social media and networks.
I've written a quick post over on the Med Ed Connect blog asking for those coming to our workshop on social media and networks in medical education to leave a quick introduction so that we could start to get to know each other. So here is my own quick introduction. Really looking forward to meeting you.
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Blurred boundaries for health professionals online...
The following exchange took place on Thursday night. @celticchickadee isn't my patient, and as far as I know, neither is the person, she is talking about. This exchange is very incomplete compared to how I would have handled this situation offline. I could just have said 'No, I don't respond to medical questions online'. But I didn't. Sooner or later, I'm guessing that a patient in my practice will start following me on Twitter. Perhaps there already are some. Should I interact less with patients than I would with another member of the public? I have a lot more questions about this but I'm interested in your thoughts. I post this as a follow up to my last one.
By the way, I asked @celticchickadee if she minded me blogging about this, as I realise that although our exchange was completely public this would amplify it a lot.
Friday, 1 July 2011
I'm still sceptical about health professionals and social media...
Here's a short video put together to stimulate discussion about the threats and opportunities that social media provides for doctors (and other health professionals). The case is made that we (health professionals) have a responsibility to engage with social media so that we can guide patients to good resources. But does guiding to good content really necessitate the production of content? Does it need tweeting or blogging or just a good website? Do we really need web 2.0 for what is described in this video or wouldn't web 1.0 get us most of the way?
Would I encourage colleagues to set up a blog or a twitter account or a Facebook page with the aim of generating content for their patients? No. I've been in these spaces for a few years and I still wouldn't try this myself. I admire those practitioners who feel they can negotiate the boundaries of privacy, and openness with patients but I don't feel that I am there yet.
So I look forward to continuing the conversation. I've written more on my thoughts about health professionals and social media here, here, here and here. All of those posts have benefited from very rich comments for which I am very grateful.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
So, JB....is it perfectly ok for me to get my hair wet, when you will do everything possible not to get your furs wet??
Yes, JB made me sleep in an open air room!!
Your mum is very brave! I cannot believe she went to all that trouble to find you more friends.
Wouldn't it have been fun to hide out in that forest? You would have had to bring an umbrella or something so your furs did not get wet. Your mum looks FABULOUS!
Were you scared with your mum gone on assignment?
I hope not.
Wow JB, you sure have your mommy trained to do say you say! You want exotic friends? You send mom to Costa Rica! SWEET! As for no screens...No thank you! MOL
My mom and I are sweating just THINKING about it!
I just fainted.
That is quite an assignment! I am sure JB really appreciates all you do to find her new friends.
Yikes, what a brave Mom you have, JB! I hope she's having a blast in Costa Rica!
Teddy Bear
Wow, that is surely a BIG world assignment! I'm not sure about those window screens... yikes! That is scary.
Life in the rain forest looks very buggy to me. I'm glad it was a big grasshopper and not a spider. Maybe you should invite the anoles in to keep the bugs away.
JB I am sure not just rain, but the humidity too. I don't know how you do it. I was in the imitated version of the rainforest in Singapore bird zoo, and all I wanted to be out. That grasshopper is probably drinking lots of water, lol, that is one good size. Hope all is well otherwise, than the rainforest, lol. Anna :)
Crikey D would freak out.
Oh boy, it looks so lovely there. BUT, Mama do NOT like gwasshoppers!!! We like to try & catch them, hehehehe! Hope you have fun on your trip.
Luv & Wirey Hugs,
Butchy, Snickers, Ruby, Sylvester, Scuby & Mama
JB.. we've missed you!!
JB's mom... (we'd love to see your photo!) Our mom can't deal with any bugs, insects...grrrr... that's reason why she prefered to live in Canada over Japan. lol (she's originally from Tokyo where she's seen enough bugs.)
Momo & Pinot
Your mom really goes to some interesting places. Especially for finding bugs. Maybe she'll bring some tasty ones home.
That's a very cool assignment you sent your mom on. That looks like a very beautiful and exotic place. She found you some very interesting friends.
Your mom is so cool to do this for you, JB! It looks like she's having quite the adventure. Our mom is very envious.
Many thanks to JB's mom for introducing us to so many neat animal friends.
Nermal, Nico, Virgil, Westley, Maggie, and Angel
P.S. Your mom looks fabulous! Wowee!
Oh my dear god... I thought such places are paradise but... Could you survive there??? With all that ...beeee....
Oh my this really does prove the two legged's lives are run by us four leggeds. Hee hee. Hope your Mum found you lots of new friends.
Molly, Taffy and Monty
Mom says she would have gone in a nanosecond!!!! Too cool-well not temp wise, but you know what we mean!
pee ess she needs her own show on animal planet,hu?
LOL! I am glad your mom is still there and sending us reports on all the interesting wild life! We can't get enough of all these exotic creatures! Love, Dino
Interesting pictures.


text:
25 x Black Hair Ties/Elastics
25 x Black Hair Ties
~ Snagless: no metal.
~ Great for making your own pretty button hair ties.
Postage is via Normal Mail. If you would like Registered Mail, it is an additional $3.50.
If you would like a larger quantity, combined postage or have any queries at all, please send us a Message.


text:
A long time ago Serge said that if he ever got to version 1 that he was done. I have through the years agreed with Serge's philosophy about FREESCO being able to run on a floppy along with version 1.
I am still as of this time not positive that I will create v1.0.0 or if v0.4.5 will be the last of the new versions. I am hoping that someone will step up and take on the job of migrating FREESCO to a newer kernel and a lib6 system. Which I am more than happy to assist someone, but I am unwilling to take on such a challenge by myself.
Lewis Baughman


text:
New: Next Issue Now in Progress
The first hot item has been posted on the front page of the next issue. -more-
The first hot item has been posted on the front page of the next issue. -more-
Six men have been charged with armed robbery in connection with two separate investigations involving five different victims, Berkeley police said last night. -more-
The Berkeley City Council began this Tuesday evening with a special work session on green energy, followed by a regular meeting in which a new Housing Element was moved forward. Councilmember Max Anderson was absent due to an illness. -more-
Opponents of a proposed casino resort development on the Richmond shoreline were not swayed today by an announcement that developers for the Guidiville tribe and a coalition of environmental groups came to a settlement agreement in a lawsuit. -more-
[Editor's Note: Former Berkeley Daily Planet reporter Richard Brenneman's extensive reporting on the deficiencies of the pact UC Berkeley made with BP has been re-confirmed in a new publication from the Center for American Progress. He spotlights it in his blog, linked and reprinted in part below. And now Amy Goodman has picked up the story--see the video below, sent to us by Brenneman]. -more-
Three people have been robbed at gunpoint while walking in the northeast and north central part of Berkeley in recent weeks, according to a statement from Berkeley police. -more-
Ghosts, goblins, the undead, and other assorted creatures of the night who board a bus in the East Bay this Halloween may want to check the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District's new schedule before heading out to feast on the living. -more-
BART police responded to reports of a male suspect with a gun in a Bay Area Rapid Transit station at Ashby Avenue in Berkeley this afternoon sometime after 4 p.m.. -more-
Bamiyan Province in Afghanistan, a stunningly beautiful mountainous region, is located in the center of the country, roughly 100 miles from Kabul. Most people here live in small, autonomous villages tucked into high mountain valleys, and work dawn to dusk just to scratch out a meager living as subsistence farmers, shepherds, or goatherds. The central government in Kabul and the regional government in Bamiyan City exercise little or no control over their lives. They govern themselves, and live for the most part in isolation. -more-
Seeing a developer of the Whitney Estates as a supporter of Measure R brings back memories of the years I spent on the Whitney Ranch as a very young child. In 1932, when I was 3 years old, my father, who was in the sheep business, leased the 18,000 acre Whitney Ranch as pasture for his vast herds, from Beryl Whitney Blaine who lived in the beautiful old Victorian on the ranch. He moved our family there for 3 years leasing out our home in Woodland in the Sacramento Valley . Beryl wanted us to live in her mansion but my father insisted that the manager's quarters would be adequate for us. Actually she needed her mansion because she had 9 giant mastiffs. They were always fighting and she had scars on her arms from trying to separate them. She also had dyed bright red hair, which was rare in those days, and always wore kimonos. She died in 1935 and we moved back to Woodland. -more-
As current School Board President, what distinguishes me from the other candidates is that I have proven leadership in what it takes to advance student achievement in these difficult economic times. During my tenure and leadership, through careful fiscal oversight and fostering of creative partnerships with the City and other public as well as non-profit agencies (and with the continued support of our community school taxes), the School District has maintained a balanced budget every year for the past four years, while retaining small class sizes; art and music programs; and student support services. Most importantly, with the adoption of the first District-wide student achievement plan (which I championed and led in developing) overall academic achievement has risen, while the District has started to make real progress on the achievement gap that has historically existed among racial groups in our schools. With the decision not to seek re-election of two long-term Board members (Shirley Issel and Nancy Riddle, who both endorse my re-election, as well as do continuing Board members Beatriz Levya-Cutler and John Selawsky), my experience and proven leadership in conducting an open and transparent budget process and advancing data-based, systematic academic growth strategies will be particularly important in continuing the good work, we as a Board have accomplished in the past few years. -more-
The information comes from the City Clerk's office. I have sorted it as it now appears. Many of the filings did not identify the contributor as to occupation but I went on line and found most of them and placed them in the appropriate category. Over 86% of the funds for H and I come from potential beneficiaries (no…not the kids). -more-
I'm sure that many of us who attended the Willard/Bateman election forum hoped for informative and lively debates. In some cases, we were not disappointed. But in addition to the speakers and the audience, there was another notable presence in the room: the Willard Courtesy Policy. When invoked, this policy silenced debate and left some of us to go home with our questions unanswered. -more-
The Berkeley Democratic Club today indicated that it made an incorrect statement indicating that former Mayor Shirley Dean had endorsed incumbent Councilmember Gordon Wozniak for City Council District 8. Ms. Dean has not endorsed Mr. Wozniak and has, in fact, endorsed his two opponents. -more-
In these two Measures, the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) is asking taxpayers to let it borrow a total of $260 million for various projects, only some of which are actually concerned with education. But let me state at the outset that the total that taxpayers will wind up paying if the Measures pass is not $260 million but over $610 million when the cost of debt service (interest, etc.) is taken into account. (See the BUSD's "Plan for School Maintenance and Reconstruction in the Coming Decade" (the so-called "Blue Book").) That's more than half a billion dollars. -more-
With the November election less than two weeks away, the media buzz is all about Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman. At the grass-roots level, activists have been organizing for Proposition 19 (marijuana) – and environmentalists have focused on defeating Prop 23. But the three propositions that arguably have the greatest impact on California's future – Propositions 24, 25 and 26 – are barely getting any attention at all. The state budget may be a boring subject, but Sacramento will remain a dysfunctional cesspool that generations of elected officials cannot fix until we make structural changes. Getting rid of the two-thirds budget rule by passing Proposition 25 is a critical first step, and passing Prop 24 will undo some of the most recent damage that is driving the state to bankruptcy. But even passing Props 24 and 25 is not enough, because Proposition 26 threatens to make a terrible situation worse – by extending two-thirds to all fee hikes. In fact, Prop 26 could make the passage of Prop 25 and the defeat of Prop 23 virtually meaningless. -more-
If you have been driving around Berkeley this election season, you could not help but notice the preponderance of signs on both private and public property which support rather than oppose Measures H and I. That is because the relatively few people who have managed a modicum of time and energy to fight these measures do not have even a small part of the resources available to those in support. Those promoting H and I have been given over $100,000 from various unions, architectural design and engineering firms and building contractors, all of which stand to benefit from the passage of these measures. The proponents have all the signs they need and paid help to put them up (and to sabotage the few signs posted in opposition). What they do not have is a much of a case for passage of these measures. -more-
Measure R Will Not Prevent Sprawl; Where There's Smoke, There's Fire; Yes on Measure I; District 4 Funding; Worthington, not Beier; Yes on Measure H; Against Sierra Club's Endorsement of Measure R; Supporting H & I; Republicans and Women; No on 26, Polluter Protection; Voting for Beier -more-
[ Letters about the election are in the Election Section.] -more-
UC Berkeley's recent elimination of popular sports programs highlighted endemic problems in the university's management. Chancellor Robert Birgeneau's eight-year fiscal track record is dismal indeed. He would like to blame the politicians in Sacramento, since they stopped giving him every dollar he has asked for, and the state legislators do share some responsibility for the financial crisis. But not in the sense he means. -more-
Californians are tired of University of California President Mark Yudof saying one thing but doing another. Yudof has spearheaded a drive to hike tuition on students struggling to pay their room and board while spending lavishly on his own housing. He has forced furloughs and reductions on the lowest-paid staff while he hauls down an outsized salary and bevy of perks of close to $1 million annually. -more-
Many Republicans, and even a few Democrats, are running against government, even as they campaign for election to the government. They want to shrink government and cut taxes, while most of us voters want to maintain the government services important to our lives. We deplore the budget cuts that have reduced our children's education, our water, sewer, and transportation infrastructure, our natural environment, and our public safety. Fear mongers who scream about wasteful bureaucracy and totalitarian rule actually give rise to what really threatens to our liberty, uncontrolled corporate greed. This "great recession" demonstrates how unsupervised banks devour the very market system that produces our wealth when our government's ability to regulate such excesses is bound by anti-government bias. -more-
Isn't it interesting to be on the other side of the States' Rights issue for a change? When I think of States' Rights issues, slavery, segregation, gun-control, abortion, and Arizona-style profiling come to mind. -more-
Mainstream Americans may chiefly be unaware of this: among people affected by modern psychiatry, there is a fierce debate over whether or not medications are truly needed to treat schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. A lot of Americans rely on the news as their main information source about mentally ill people. When there are news stories about a mentally ill person committing a crime, often part of the circumstances that existed were either a change in the prescribed medications, or a time period of that person refusing to take medication. Mental illness and medication, in modern times, are frequently uttered in the same breath; the perception that medication is needed is usually a given. -more-
Someone at some civic event last week asked me if I'm voting for Measures H & I, the tax and bond measures designed to support the Berkeley public schools. The question was phrased in the form of an incorrect premise, "I know the Planet doesn't make endorsements, but…" -more-
Don't forget that the Planet has shifted its weekly issue date to Wednesdays. From now on we'll release the issue on Tuesdays, but the issue will be final the next day-- kind of like getting your copy of The Nation with a cover date some two weeks in the future. Keeping checking this space for new material. -more-
The respected Pesticide Action Network has identified a problem with a recent New York Times report on what's causing bees to die off world wide: The article failed to disclose that the study it reported on was paid for by a pesticide manufacturer, the Bayer corporation. Check out their charges here.
From the Jewish Voice for Peace site: "The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is at it again. They just came up with a list of the top ten most influential anti-Israel Groups in America, and Jewish Voice for Peace makes the list. We appreciate the honor, except that the ADL--as usual--got a few things wrong in describing us." Read all about it here.
The Daily Cal reported on a rash of armed robberies in Berkeley and Oakland this week. And here's another one, at Top Dog this time.
And after all these years, the Mainstream Media finally catches on about UC/BP which Planet readers have known about for years.
It's curious that Professor Robert Reich's latest blog entry denounces political advertising paid for by corporate interests, considering that he himself endorsed Berkeley's Measure R, whose direct mail advertising is funded by Sam Zell's Equity Residential Corporation. Is Berkeley becoming a plutocracy? -more-
Ibsen's classic play An Enemy of the People tells the story of Thomas Stockman who warns citizens of his Norwegian town that their primary tourist attraction, public baths, is a contaminated health hazard. Manipulated by wealthy polluters, the townspeople refuse to accept the truth, turn against Stockman, and brand him "enemy of the people." Now a similar drama is being played out in California where wealthy polluters are trying to convince voters to repeal the state's clean air act (AB 32). -more-
On October 12, 2010, Judge Virginia A. Phillips of the Federal District Court for the Central District of California issued a nationwide injunction banning enforcement of "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT), the law that prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the military. Thus, the court in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States of America stopped the 17-year ban on openly gay servicemen and women under which some 14,000 gays and lesbians have been discharged from the military when their sexual orientation was disclosed. The DADT policy passed during the Clinton administration was a cowardly compromise that satisfied no one. The court ruled that the policy regarding gays serving in the military violated service members' Fifth Amendment rights to due process and freedom of speech. -more-
Ten years ago there were 3,595,658 persons aged 65 and older living in California-- 10.6% of the population. T he Berkeley Daily Planet (November 1, 2000) front-paged my "Old enough to make a difference" article regarding the then-upcoming election. -more-
Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan soaked up most of the cinematic spotlight in 1998. And though that film's opening sequence, depicting the chaos, horror, bravery and bloodshed of the storming of the beach at Normandy, was a stunning, emotional tour de force, the rest of the film unfortunately slipped into Spielberg's usual stew of simplistic, populist plotlines and heavy-handed emotionalism, not to mention an overpowering dose of John Williams' melodramatic orchestration. It may have made for a decent evening's entertainment, but fell far short of its goal of transforming the drama and history of World War II into a piece of artwork for the ages. -more-
Four Seasons LodgeAndrew Jacobs' wistful documentary gives us a glimpse of what may be the final summer frolic of a group of Holocaust survivors who gather each summer at a lodge in the Catskills Mountains of New York. For decades they've met here for dancing, entertainment and conversation, but this could be their last reunion, as a majority has voted to sell the property due both to the caretakers' desire to step aside, as well as to the sad fact of the group's ever-dwindling numbers. -more-
Mark Jackson is a proven theatrical talent. With Meyerhold, Faust, and others, he has wowed this reviewer repeatedly.
MARY STUART, now playing at Shotgun Players through November 7th is a stark and colorless version of Frederick Schiller's blank verse play about Mary, Queen of Scots, and her interrogation and execution under Queen Elizabeth I. Jackson adapted and directed, and it is a hodge-podge of acting styles, hieratic posturing, served in a bleak room. The audience loved it, and two curtain calls were demanded. I found it hard to watch, and harder to listen to. -more-
Ah, yes — October. Surely the most beautiful month of the year, when, as James Whitcomb Riley eloquently put it, "The frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the stock." -more-
SCHEDULE: -more-
Grandmothers Against the War & US Labor Against the War invite you to a talk by photojournalist David Bacon: -more-
A Reluctant Vote for Measure I and Other Endorsements 10-19-2010
More to Come 10-19-2010
Now Read This: A Selection of Links of Interest to Berkeley and Environs 10-15-2010
Cartoon Page: Odd Bodkins, BOUNCE 10-16-2010
Letters to the Editor 10-18-2010
Learning From UC Berkeley's Latest Crisis By Milan Moravec 10-18-2010
UC pension proposal boosts executive payouts, targets low-wage workers for cuts by Lakesha Harrison, President of University of California Employees AFSCME 3299 10-18-2010
The Value of Government Service By Bruce Joffe 10-18-2010
States' Rights: Do We Find Ourselves Now in a Novel Political Position? By John A. McMullen II 10-18-2010
The Medication Debate of Schizophrenia By Jack Bragen 10-20-2010
New: Next Issue Now in Progress 10-21-2010
Berkeley Police Announce Armed Robbery Charges against Six By Jeff Shuttleworth (BCN) 10-21-2010
Berkeley City Council Takes Up Energy, Gardens and Housing By Charlotte Perry-Houts 10-21-2010
Point Molate Lawsuit Settles; Some Casino Foes Doubtful By Caitilin McAdoo (BCN) 10-20-2010
Report: UC Berkeley-BP pact riddled with conflicts By Richard Brenneman 10-14-2010
Berkeley Police Report Three Armed Robberies By Bay City News 10-17-2010
Trick or Treat? More AC Transit Service Cuts Take Effect Oct. 31 By Ari Burack (BCN) 10-15-2010
Suspect with Gun Reported at Ashby BART in Berkeley--BART Police Unable to Confirm By Saul Sugarman (BCN) and Berkeley Daily Planet 10-16-2010
Bamiyan Diaries – Day One By David Smith-Ferri 10-20-2010
Remembering the Whitney Ranch Before the Developers Came (First Person) By Bonnie Hughes 10-18-2010
New: Re-Elect Karen Hemphill for School Board 2010 By Karen Hemphill 10-21-2010
Contributions to the Yes on H and I Campaign (Commentary) By Albert Sukoff 10-20-2010
The Willard/Bateman Election Forum and the Unanswered Questions By Judith Epstein 10-20-2010
Press Release: Shirley Dean Endorses Jones, McCormick--not Wozniak From the Berkeley Democratic Club 10-17-2010
Why It Is Important To Vote NO on Measures H and I(Commentary) By Peter Schorer 10-16-2010
Three State Propositions That Aren't Getting Enough Attention By Paul Hogarth (from Beyond.Chron.com) 10-20-2010
It's Really a Billion Dollars: $100,000 per Student for Capital Improvements (Commentary) By Albert Sukoff 10-20-2010
Election Letters 10-15-2010
The Public Eye: An Enemy of the People: Texas Money vs. Clean Air By Bob Burnett 10-15-2010
Eclectic Rants: The Demise of Don't Ask, Don't Tell? By Ralph E. Stone 10-15-2010
Senior Power : Old enough to make a difference? By Helen Rippier Wheeler 10-15-2010
Stage-San Francisco Through October 31 10-19-2010
Stage-East Bay Through October 31 10-19-2010
Professional Dance-San Francisco Through October 31 10-19-2010
Readings-East Bay Through October 31 10-19-2010
Popmusic-East Bay Through October 31 10-19-2010
Classical Music-San Francisco Through October 31 10-19-2010
Classical Music-East Bay Through October 31 10-19-2010
Aestheticism and Existential Crisis: "Thin Red Line" and "Darjeeling Limited" 10-20-2010
Four Insightful Documentaries from First Run Features By Justin DeFreitas 10-20-2010
Eye from the Aisle:Mary Stuart,an Experiment Gone Awry By John A. McMullen II 10-18-2010
Don't Miss This: October Surprises By Dorothy Snodgrass 10-18-2010
Press Release: Coming Soon to Berkeley: Year Round Programming from the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival From The Jewish Film Festival 10-18-2010
Senior Power : Old enough to make a difference? By Helen Rippier Wheeler 10-15-2010
Outdoors-East Bay Through October 31 10-19-2010
Museums-San Francisco Through October 31 10-19-2010
Kids-East Bay Through October 31 10-19-2010
Museums-East Bay Through October 31 10-19-2010
Highlights-East Bay Through October 31 10-19-2010
Exhibits-San Francisco Through October 31 10-19-2010
General-East Bay Through October 31 10-19-2010
Exhibits-East Bay Through October 31 10-19-2010
Dance-East Bay Through October 31 10-19-2010
Press Release: David Bacon Speaks on "Protecting Oil Companies and Attacking Unions -- U.S. Policy in Iraq and the U.S." From Grandmothers Against the War 10-18-2010


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Maino Is Wondering Why N.Y Can't Stand Up & Why Hes The Only New Rapper From N.Y. Coming Out!
Maino is wondering where all of the NY rappers are? On Shade 45. Lip Service
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This is the GAME.....where we seperate the men from the boys.
Melo is not a point-foward....however, Melo is the best scorer in this game if
he just catch n shoot. Chandler & Stat has to start setting screens & picks
for Melo & JR to get some open shots.
Stat is not a peremeter shooter....Stat is an above the rim lane-cutter, put
back, alleyoop, plus a strong rebounder.
Tyson Chandler is not suppose to be trapping guards on the peremeter on
the defensive-end....that is Lin, Fields, Stat, and Melo's job, while Tyson
protect the paint.


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Blue skies in Kansas City....but cold, like Rockingham-cold. Where are the smudge pots? (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
By Mike Mulhern
Tony Stewart last fall called this track "stupid fast," with its new asphalt.
Jimmie Johnson described getting into these corners as "Drive it in till you see Elvis."
And Kyle Busch, with a nervous laugh, cracked "We're all high-fiving each other after qualifying because we're glad we got back here alive."
Fast-forward to here and now....where Friday afternoon four men practiced at speeds faster than Kasey Kahne's track record of last fall.
"It's very fast....everyone is talking about how fast it is," Carl Edwards says. "We are going really, really fast."
Last fall corner-entry speeds were 204 mph. Friday here Edwards was clocked at 209 mph into the first turn.
That is breath-taking.
Toyota's Matt Kenseth, not renowned for qualifying runs over his career, surprised everyone by winning the pole Friday for Sunday's Kansas 400.
"The whole field has to feel bad, getting beaten by Matt Kenseth in qualifying," Edwards, second-fastest, joked.
To make the point even sharper, Kenseth won at this track last fall. "This is probably the fastest track we go to all year, and I wasn't really thinking about winning the pole," Kenseth said.
Matt Kenseth on the pole? Talk about surprises.... (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kenseth's career qualifying average is only 19th, and this was only his ninth pole since joining the tour 14 years ago. This season his qualifying average has improved markedly, to about 10.8.
"Our cars just have a lot of speed," Kenseth said.
The top four qualifiers -- Kenseth, Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Sam Hornish Jr. -- all broke the track record that Kasey Kahne set only last fall. Kenseth's run was at 191.864.
Of course it's not the going-fast that's an issue. It's rather the stopping-fast. Ask Aric Almirola, who crashed while leading last fall. Ask Jeff Gordon, who was forced to a backup this weekend after crashing in qualifying; he will have to start last.
Kyle Busch, the Texas NRA 400 winner, also was forced to a backup after slapping the wall. But he qualified his backup well, on the third row.
"There were a lot of people blowing right fronts last fall, trying to get grip," Kenseth pointed out. "But I don't think tire wear will be an issue."
Certainly this track surface, with much fresher asphalt, is quite different than the well-worn asphalt at Texas Motor Speedway. Worn asphalt creates tire wear, which everyone likes. Here, however, there is little tire wear, as smooth as the surface is, and the issue is instead potentially excessive tire heat or teams abusing chassis setups in trying to get the cars to turn better in the corners.
Aric Almirola was fast here last fall, but was his chassis setup too aggressive? (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
One of the big stories this weekend is the same question heard last week at Texas: Okay, now what's up with those Fords?
A week ago, heading into Texas 500 weekend, Ford teams appeared well off the pace set by Toyota and Chevy teams over the opening weeks of the season with these new 2013s.
Ford drivers seemed down on speed, some teams were grumbling about just that.
And as that 500 went on, with Toyota's Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. dominating, the storyline appeared continuing.
Suddenly down the stretch, here come the Fords, like Texas Rangers fast on the hunt.
And here Friday afternoon Ford men Edwards, Stenhouse, Hornish, Almirola, Greg Biffle and Marcos Ambrose were among the fastest. Fords took four of the top six spots in qualifying, and Stenhouse indicated improvements under the hood have been key. The slowest Ford drivers were Brad Keselowski and teammate Joey Logano, who face the loss of their crew chiefs for the Texas infractions.
The storyline of speed, ironically, has turned to what's wrong with the Chevys.
Chevy teams faded late at Texas; Jimmie Johnson apparently did not lead a single lap (that appears in some dispute however). And here Friday Chevy drivers were noticeably off the pace, though none seemed concerned.
Of course this track is notorious for gas mileage finishes, rather than slam-bang battles to the flag.
The Ford question?
Ford team owner Jack Roush, while munching on birthday cake in Edwards' hauler during a mid-afternoon break, conceded Ford teams got off to a slow start this year.
Carl Edwards: 209 mph into the first turn! (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
What's the difference?
According to one rival, it may have to do with RPM. With the sleeker 2013s, RPM are up, and NASCAR has compensated in some of its rear end gearing rules.
At Texas, for example, RPM were down early in the race, but picked up as the weather cooled.
Does Ford now have a new top-end engine valve-train setup, designed for more RPM? That's what some rivals suspect. And Stenhouse pointed to work done lately by ace engine builder Doug Yates as remedying complaints by drivers.
Engine men are scratching their heads over engine RPM this season. At Bristol, for example, teams were turning 10,100; at Texas, on the other hand, they were turning only maybe 8500.
Roush himself said he was "embarrassed" by the relatively weak runs by Ford teams. But he quickly pointed out "a Ford is third in points (Greg Biffle) and a Ford is fifth (Edwards).
"When you have a jump ball, does the ball always go up straight....and is everyone's timing just right? No.
"As we've looked at the run we had with the car-of-tomorrow (2007-2012), we said we look forward to this change, because it gives us an opportunity to get a leg up on everybody.
"For Daytona we probably missed a couple of things, aerodynamically, and in the different configurations of the car under-body. We think we've got that understood and on our way to correcting that.
"At Las Vegas we weren't quite as good as we thought we'd be. We weren't terrible, but we weren't as dominant as we had been at 1-1/2-mile tracks.
"Carl won Phoenix, with some new pieces we'd worked up over the winter, that we thought would be useful. And Carl is good at Phoenix, so the jury is still on that.
"We just didn't jump off this year quite as fast as the Toyota bunch has or as the Hendrick (Chevy) guys have.
"But based on the way we tested here (a few weeks ago), and based on the way we tested at Daytona (earlier this week), we're going to catch up on the second bounce.
"I haven't had any personnel changes, I haven't had an attitude change, I haven't had a shortage of sponsorship, and we haven't limited our testing.
"The only thing that's different is that for the near-term the start of this season we didn't get as much for our efforts performance-wise as we have in the past. I've been extraordinarily frustrated and embarrassed that we didn't run better. And we are focused on that."
Jack Roush, with his drivers, and close ties to Boston (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
OBTW, what about the latest rear-end chassis/gear controversy, this one involving new Ford teammate Roger Penske and his two teams. Last season Roush spent a lot of money and effort chasing the skewed rear-end designs the Hendrick Chevy guys came up with.
The 2012 Hendrick rear-end trick -- though NASCAR officials have stopped laying out any confiscated or controversial parts for public inspection -- was apparently a legal part that was being used for a purpose for which it was not intended. If that makes any sense.....
So when Roush asked last summer if NASCAR were going to ban that part, because it wasn't being used in the 'spirit' of the rules, NASCAR officials said no. And Roush and others had to spend a lot of money chasing that design.
At the end of the season, however, NASCAR decided to make that design illegal this year.
Just what the Penske engineers came up with isn't clear -- NASCAR again is refusing to lay out the parts in question.
NASCAR's original description of the part is that it wasn't in the 'spirit' of the rules. In assessing the brutal penalties NASCAR added that the part had not been submitted for approval.
Roush's take?
"We spent a lot of money chasing after that (Hendrick trick rear-end)," Roush says. "Then NASCAR made it real clear they were going to put a stop to that, with a mono-ball, and with no tolerance for people who would try to get around the rules.
"My guess is they (Penske) found something they thought would be okay, but NASCAR didn't like it.
"But I haven't seen the part either, so I can't comment on it specifically."
Would Roush like to see it? "Oh, no, that's a $100,000 part and 25-point penalty," he replied with a laugh. "Keep me away from that."
Marcos Ambrose, sporting a new look (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
© 2010-2011 www.mikemulhern.net All rights reserved.
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Greece : OSE
The Hellenic Railways Organisation, or OSE, is a group of companies providing transport to the Greek community. For almost 40 years the OSE has offered fast, comfortable and safe transport to Greek citizens and tourists.
The OSE train schedule connects the central points of Greece to the most remote parts, and even the hard to access areas. OSE makes considerable efforts to upgrade the network with power lighting, fencing and noise barriers. Facilities are regularly improved aesthetically as well as being continuously updated to suit the needs of the natural environment. The OSE train schedule ensures a reliable daily service through Greece.


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BOSTON – More than a third of Americans use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and that number continues to rise attributed mostly to increases in the use of mind-body therapies (MBT) like yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises.
Prior research suggests that MBT, while used by millions of patients, is still on the fringe of mainstream medical care in America. New research suggests that attitudes are changing.
In a study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School, researchers found that one in 30 Americans using MBT has been referred by a medical provider.
"There's good evidence to support using mind-body therapies clinically," said lead author Aditi Nerurkar, MD, Integrative Medicine Fellow, Harvard Medical School and BIDMC. "Still, we didn't expect to see provider referral rates that were quite so high."
The results of the study appear in the May 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Nerurkar and her colleagues collected information from more than 23,000 U.S. households from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey. They found that nearly 3 percent (representing more than 6.3 million Americans) used MBT due to provider referral and that these Americans were sicker and used the health care system more than people who self-referred for MBT.
"What we learned suggests that providers are referring their patients for mind-body therapies as a last resort once conventional therapeutic options have failed. It makes us wonder whether referring patients for these therapies earlier in the treatment process could lead to less use of the health care system, and possibly, better outcomes for these patients," said Nerurkar.
"These data suggest that mind-body therapies have really become a mainstream approach to care," adds Russell Phillips, MD, Chief of Primary Care at BIDMC and the senior author on the study. "But more research is needed to guide physician and patient decision-making regarding their use."


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The house next door to President Obama's Chicago home is up for sale.
In what's apparently a historically unique opprtunity, the turn-of-the-century, 17-room home in the posh Hyde Park neighborhood -- the Obamas' direct neighbor to the north -- will go on sale this morning.
Interested buyers are required to register with the real estate agent. The sale process will unfold over the next six weeks. Bi-weekly tours will be scheduled through September and into October.
The current residents, Bill and Jacky Grimshaw, have lived in the home since 1973.
Bill, a former professor at University of Chicago, and Jacky, a Chicago Transit Authority board member, say it's simply time for them to move on.
Jacky is also vice president of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, a Chicago based Environmental group, and vice chair of the Congress for the New Urbanism, which is focused on reviving traditional urban neighborhoods and transit.
According to liberal Web site Daily Kos, the Grimshaws sometimes babysat the Obamas children, and Jacky is very close to Michelle.
During World War II, the Grimshaw's home was used to house officers, according to the real estate firm selling the property. The house then became the boarding house for a small military school. The Grimshaws bought the home from the colonel who ran the school in 1973.
As for living next to a sitting president, Jacky didn't sound too enthused.
"It's an advantage not having him here, because the security increases tenfold. It's challenging and really disrupts the neighborhood," Jacky told CNBC reporters.
Bill Grimshaw says he did become accustomed to the Secret Service presence once he realized he never had to lock his house, or worry about leaving his keys in his car, according to a person familiar with the CNBC interview.
The security on Greenwood is stiff. Both ends of the street are blocked off by Secret Service, and at least two agents are visible outside Obama's property at all times.
No cars are allowed on the street unless they belong to residents.
Homes in the Obamas' neighborhood typically sell for about $1.5 to $2.5 million, according to a person familiar with the Grimshaw's sale.
After Obama was elected, the Secret Service approached the Grimshaws about leasing their property. The Grimshaws declined, but decided perhaps it was time to move.


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Zakes Mda
Photo courtesy of: University Communications and Marketing
Dec 6, 2013
From staff reports
The New York Times website features an op-ed piece published Dec. 5 by Creative Writing professor and Ohio University alumnus Zakes Mda reflecting on the death of South African icon Nelson Mandela. In the article "The Contradictions of Mandela," Mda recalled his personal connection to Mandela as a family friend and shared his own observations of the leader through an intimate lens.
Below is an excerpt from the article, which can be read in its entirety on nytimes.com. Mda is also the author of "Sometimes There Is a Void: Memoirs of an Outsider."
I remember Nelson Mandela. No, not the universally adored elder statesman who successfully resisted the megalomania that comes with deification, and who died Thursday at age 95, but the young lawyer who used to sit in my parents' living room until the early hours of the morning, debating African nationalism with my father, Ashby Peter Mda.
In 1944, they were among the leaders who had founded the African National Congress Youth League. These young men considered the African National Congress, which had by then existed for more than three decades, moribund and outmoded. They felt there was a need to take the liberation struggle from protest to armed struggle, and were known to shout down those they felt were "selling out" by participating in apartheid-created structures through which black people were supposed to express their political aspirations.
What struck me, even then, was that Mandela was a man of contradictions. He could be avuncular, especially to us kids, but he was also strict and disciplined. While he was a fire-breathing revolutionary who would quote Marx and Lenin at the drop of a hat, he was also a Xhosa traditionalist with aristocratic tendencies. For instance, Kaiser and George Matanzima, chiefs of the Tembu ethnic group who spearheaded the apartheid "Bantustan" system of separate territories for black South Africans, were not only his relatives but his friends as well. While many thought the Matanzima brothers had betrayed the cause of black liberation, Mandela would not thoroughly denounce them. Perhaps here we could already see the flicker of tolerance to those with opposing views for which he later distinguished himself.


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Police Welcome Citizen Searches for Kira Trevino
ST. PAUL (AP) - Police say they welcome any citizen searches for clues in the disappearance and presumed death of a St. Paul woman.
Authorities, family members, friends and even strangers searched this past weekend at Keller Regional Park for any evidence that could lead them to Kira Trevino. The 30-year-old woman disappeared Feb. 21. Her husband, Jeffrey Trevino, has been charged with her murder after large amounts of blood were found in their home.
St. Paul Police Sgt. Paul Paulos says "the more eyes out searching the better." Paulos said Monday investigators have followed up on at least 100 leads in the case so far.
A group of people also searched Crosby Lake Park in St. Paul over the weekend because it isn't far from the Trevino home.


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�All aboard!� It�s time for the annual Carolina Coastal Railroad Show.
The 18th annual model railroad show is Saturday and Sunday at the Sudan Shrine Center in New Bern.
Show times are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $6 for ages 12 and older, with youngsters under age 12 admitted free with an adult. Tickets are good for both days.
There will be a variety of layouts and trains, with exhibitors from Raleigh, Kinston and Onslow County.
Hourly door prizes, food concessions and train equipment vendors are among the offerings. Vendors sell and buy all types of model railroad equipment and answer questions.
There is also a raffle to win a train layout.
Call 638-8872 for information. On the web: carolinacoastalrailroaders.org
Here is a sampling of some of the other events this week:
The Old Theater in Oriental holds auditions this week for the Neil Simon�s comedy �Plaza Suite,� which will be presented in May.
Auditions are today and Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The play has three acts, with different characters in each act. The common bond is the same suite in the Plaza Hotel.
Male and female actors are needed and they can appear in one or both acts.
Volunteers also are needed as stage manager, stage crew and for working with props, set design and construction, costumes, lights and sound.
The production schedule is May 3, 4 and 5. Lynn Whalen will direct the show.
Actors should be prepared to do a cold reading from the script at the auditions.
Call Whalen at 249-0581.
"Let's Talk About It" returns to the New Bern-Craven County Public Library tonight, with "Explorations of Faith in Literature." The 7 p.m. session�s featured novel is �The Chosen� by Chaim Potok. It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in a way that is best suited to both.
The book is available at the library, and the discussion will be led by Rebecca Godwin of Barton College.
On Tuesday at noon, there will be a �Lunch �n Learn� featuring the mother and daughter authors of the book �I Didn�t See Me Do It.� Authors Diana and Holly Parks share lessons and true anecdotes from their book. The book will be available for sale and autographing. Bring a brown bag lunch. Refreshments will be served.
The New Bern Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America Tuesday at 11 a.m. at 1325 McCarthy Court Independent living apartments.
As a support group, the organization�s purpose is to help people with all degrees of hearing loss to understand their problem, learn how to deal with it, and cope with day-to-day situations.
Tuesday�s guest speaker is Sue Tanea from Hearing Technologies Company. She will explain about the Hearing Loop that was recently installed in the Common Room at McCarthy Court, the location of the hearing loss group�s meetings.
According to the chapter, the Hearing Loop can connect a user wirelessly to the sound system via the telecoil in a hearing aid much like Wi-Fi connects a computer to the internet.
An audiologist can advise if a person�s hearing aid can be adjusted to pick up the loop signal.
The Craven Community College Black History Month programming continues Wednesday with the historical documentary �Freedom Lost: Restoration, a Black History Documentary,� by filmmaker/writer/director Tom Swift.
The showing is from 6 to 8 p.m.in Orringer Auditorium.
Swift invites the public to the free presentation to discover the roots of New Bern and James City�s rich African-American history. There is also a reception.
The film features local African-American leaders Ben Watford, Bernard George and Sharon Bryant.
For information, call 514-0502.
MJ�s Raw Bar hosts a fundraiser for Project Hope on Wednesday. Local runner Danielle Bisbee Ouano will compete in the 2013 Boston Marathon as a means of raising money for Project Hope.
The 5 to 8 p.m. event will also include a raffle and silent auction.
There are three Bisbee sisters � Danielle, Lisa and Cassie � who will be guest-bartenders. They will donate their tip money to Project Hope.
Project Hope is a non-profit organization that aids single mothers. It provides job training, childcare and emergency shelters to single mothers in need.
Havelock Public Library hosts �Dance Hall of the Dead.� The program is a �Let�s Talk About It� series presentation Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Cunningham Boulevard library.
It is a library discussion series that brings scholars and community members together to explore how selected books illuminate a particular theme. The Lifetime Learning Center and the library are co-sponsoring a nine-week reading and discussion series. The program is free, but books and space are limited. The series includes five books and five different scholars who will lead the book sessions.
Call 447-7509 to register.
The Lenoir-Rhyne University A Cappella Choir and College Singers, directed by Paul D. Weber, will perform in New Bern Friday at St. Andrew Lutheran Church.
The 7 p.m. performance is part of a statewide tour for the Hickory-based group.
Accompanying the choir will be Jeana Neal Borman, Lenoir-Rhyne University collaborative artist, and Brandon Burns, junior sacred music major.
Repertoire sung by the choir will include �Sing Ye Praises to Our King� by Aaron Copland, �Come, Let Us Sing Unto the Lord� by Emma Lou Diemer, �Arise, Shine!� by Paul Weber, �Richte mich, Gott� by Felix Mendelssohn, �Tenebrae factae sunt� by Johann Michael Haydn, �The Heavens are Telling� by Franz Joseph Haydn, �The Call� by James Gossler, �Pie Jesu� by Andrew Lloyd Webber, �Ride On, King Jesus� by Moses Hogan, �O Day Full of Grace� by F. Melius Christiansen and selections from �Carmina Burana� by Carl Orff.
The College Singers, a select vocal ensemble from the A Cappella Choir, will appear on the program.
The Sisterhood of Temple B�nai Sholem in New Bern hosts a gala Fashion Show and Luncheon Saturday at the Doubletree by Hilton in New Bern.
This years� �Fantastic Fashion Show� features local models and current fashion styles. The event includes lunch, the fashion show and silent auction. Tickets must be purchased in advance to reserve seating.
The doors open at 10:30 a.m., with lunch at 11:45 and the fashion show at 12:30 p.m.
Contact Sisterhood member Diane Siegendorf at 636-1878. The Sisterhood supports the membership of Temple B�nai Sholem.
Girl Scouts are invited to Tryon Palace for a day of crafts, games and tours during Girl Scout Day on Saturday.
It is designed to help school-aged girls understand how food has defined cultures and traditions over the years. This year�s theme is �Scouting Out Tryon Palace: Historically Fit.�
Early registration is $10 per student, $15 for adults and tickets must be purchased before Thursday. Register by calling 639-3524. Those registering after Thursday, including the date of the event, can attend at a cost of $14 per student and $20 for adults.
�Girl Scout Day� is also associated with Tryon Palace�s yearlong theme of �Fresh from the Past: Food and Culture in Eastern North Carolina.�
On the web: Tryonpalace.org
Bearhands Art Factory & Framing hosts �Paint an Abstract� Saturday at the Middle Street studios.
No experience is need for the 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. event and refreshments are allowed. Admission is $40.
Charlie Hall can be reached at 252-635-5667 or firstname.lastname@example.com