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Apple has unexpectedly revealed a fourth-generation iPad called, well, the iPad 4.
It features an upgraded A6X CPU, and Apple claims the iPad 4's new processor will double both the CPU performance and the graphics performance of the previous A5X CPU used in the third-generation new iPad.
Though the shell remains the same size as its predecessor, with a 9.7-inch Retina Display and a rear iSight 5-megapixel camera, the iPad 4 is more energy efficient, boasting 10 hours of continuous battery life.
Apple has also included its new Lightning port and twice as fast Wi-Fi as previous iPad models, while the camera has also been tweaked for a better performance.
Apple has also announced that the iPad 4 will be LTE compatible, and noticeably in the background of Apple's San Jose presentation was the EE logo - suggesting the UK will be able to enjoy faster network speeds when the iPad 4 arrives in Blighty.
READ: iPad mini pictures and hands-on
A Wi-Fi-only 16GB version of the iPad 4 will cost you $499 (£313), while a Wi-Fi and cellular version 16GB version will set you back $629 (£395). Both variants are available in black and white.
Pre-orders for the Wi-Fi only version are due to begin on Friday 26 October, before shipping commences on 2 November. The Wi-Fi and cellular version will follow in the coming weeks. Of course, we've seen it in the flesh, so be sure to check-out our hands-on.
READ: iPad 4 pictures and hands-on
The iPad 4 wasn't the only tablet device Apple unveiled at its San Jose event, with the much anticipated iPad mini finally becoming a reality.


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Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters offers the very essence of conventional wisdom in this column: the legislature needs to "man up" and cut the budget, instead of waiting for revenues to materialize.
Such statements have become inarguable. There's nothing easier than bashing the legislature. And yes, revenues are coming in way behind projections -- leaving the state with big projected shortfalls. And yes, the sooner you make budget cuts, the more you can save -- at least on the books.
That all sounds like common sense. But it's also wrong.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Common sense, you must always remember, has nothing to do with California's budget process. That process is governed by a mess of formulas and constitutional provisions and initiatives and court rulings that, whatever their individual logic, make no sense together.
Which is why legislative inaction is likely to be just as good -- or bad -- as action.
Simply cutting the budget -- or getting in more revenues -- doesn't mean that the budget is that much closer to balance. Because cuts and revenues trigger other changes in budget formulas.
For legislative Democrats, who are in the majority, making cuts makes little sense. The impact on the budget is uncertain. But the impact of real cuts on real constituents is certain. And the state has been cutting spending for years -- it's now at 40 year lows. There's nothing particularly "manly," no matter what Walters says, about cuts now.
More important, California legislators no longer have the tools to manage the budget in any kind of effective way.
So asking them to act is like asking your janitor to act when there's a big mess on the floor--at a moment when you know there's about to be a big mess. Sure, it might be nice if they cleaned it up, but what's the rush-- the mess will keep getting bigger.
All that said, the legislature should get moving -- but not on particular cuts or revenues. It should take this time and lead the way in redesigning the budget system, or appointing and empowering the kind of constitutional revision commission that could do a redesign.
If we had a system that worked on common sense principles, then it'd be more than fair to bash the legislature for inaction.
Send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.

subset: commoncrawl


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Penn State Fayette selects Joshua Swimmer as 2014 Outstanding Fellow
Penn State Fayette selects Joshua Swimmer as 2014 Outstanding Fellow
The Advisory Board of Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, honored Joshua Swimmer as the 28th Outstanding Fellow during a special meeting and ceremony held on May 8 at the Uniontown Country Club.
The Outstanding Fellow award was established in 1985 to honor a community leader whose support of the campus has been so exemplary as to warrant special recognition by the Advisory Board and the campus faculty, staff and students. Penn State Fayette does not grant honorary degrees, so the Outstanding Fellow award is the highest honor the campus can bestow. The recipients of this award possess the qualities that truly epitomize the phrase, "Penn State proud."
Mr. Swimmer has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the university, according to Interim Chancellor Dr. Arlene Hall.
"Josh and his family have a long history of supporting our campus and are true friends of Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus," Hall said. "Josh was an active member of our Capital Campaign Committee, giving of his time, energy, and personal resources. He practices good citizenship and is an active steward of community engagement. We look forward to Josh's continued advocacy for our students and his support of higher education."
A third-generation Fayette Countian, Mr. Swimmer is the son of Wolford and Lenore Swimmer. He is a graduate of Uniontown Area High School and Drexel University, where he earned a bachelor degree in marketing. After selling his family's wire business, Mr. Swimmer married Maria DiConcilis and later operated several small businesses, including an art gallery and a farm where he raised Paso Fino show horses, winning four national champion titles. After the birth of his children, Jericho and Nikki, Mr. Swimmer returned to work in the sales and distribution areas of the wire business.
In addition to his support of Penn State Fayette, Mr. Swimmer has been involved with organizations such as the Fayette Chamber of Commerce, American Wire Producers Association, Wire Association International, Community Foundation of Fayette County, Paso Fino Horse Association, Congregation Tree of Life, and Holy Society Cemetery.
Swimmer and his family reside in Uniontown.


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Great Inter-Library Loan!
I know you probably receive lots of suggestions, but I have none. I love the library and especially inter-library loan! I could not afford to buy all of the books I want to read, and the inter-library loan is a godsend. Every book I've ever wanted is available and arrives promptly. I want to thank you for doing this! It's an amazing system you have.
A library patron
Dear Library Patron,
Thank you very much for writing to let us know you are happy with your library service!
Our inter-library loan service is possible thanks to the state-funded delivery system; our membership in the Minuteman Library Network; the daily efforts of the Reference staff – especially Marialice – aided by Children's and Audio-Visual staff; and the efficiency of our Circulation staff, who make sure you get your items when they arrive.
Best wishes and happy reading,
Kate Tranquada


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A King County woman has pleaded guilty to attempted fraud and forgery for trying to claim weeks of injury-related lost wages after an auto accident. The problem: She didn't have a job at the time.
Ka'Yah M. Alexander claimed that a 2010 accident in the parking lot of a Memphis, Tenn. hotel left her unable to return to work for 37 days due to her injuries. She sent a demand letter to Travelers Insurance, seeking $10,000 for lost wages, pain and medical expenses. She also sent the company a letter, purportedly from the group home where she worked, saying that she was on medical leave from work.
An investigation by Travelers and by the state insurance commissioner's Special Investigations Unit determined that the work-loss letter was not authentic.The company provided a termination letter showing that Alexander had been let go from her job two days after the accident.
Alexander pleaded guilty last month. She was sentenced to fines and community service.
Monday, April 2, 2012
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Thursday, July 26, 2007
Pottow on The Maxwell Case in Bankruptcy Stories
John Pottow, University of Michigan, has posted a new essay, The Maxwell Case. It appears in BANKRUPTCY STORIES, R. Rasmussen, ed., (2007). Here's the abstract: International bankruptcy scholars well know the Maxwell case as probably the most important litigation precedent in this fledgling jurisprudential field. What they tend to know less about is the "back story" of the redoubtable Robert Maxwell (born Jan Ludwick Hock). A towering, inspiring, and larger than life figure, Maxwell built an international publishing empire that spanned the globe before it came crashing down in scandal after his mysterious death. This book chapter (in a book devoted to the back stories of famous bankruptcy cases) explores Maxwell's life, business, fall from grace and, of course, posthumous bankruptcy. In so doing, it analyzes both the legal issues involved in the regulation of cross-border financial distress as well as certain eternal truths about the human condition (and, indeed, the corporate form).
Posted by Mary L. Dudziak at 8:31 AM
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'If you've got a business — you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen": President Obama's words last week are likely to haunt his campaign and possibly cost him the election.
The line insulted millions of entrepreneurs, small-business owners, garage inventors and plain old dreamers. (The Post reported this week on a few of the New Yorkers who took exception.)
Of course, Obama supporters have relentlessly pointed out that the instantly viral head-scratcher was preceded by some no-man-is-an-island boilerplate. "If you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. . . somebody along the line gave you some help," the president said.
And: "There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges."
But "you didn't build that" still stands as an all-too-telling summation of Obama's worldview.
Forget mentors, friends, family — the kind of built-in support network we all have, people working together, sharing talents and responsibilities, and helping each other. What used to be known as "society."
In the president's brave new world, that's now called "government." And you're nothing without it.
No wonder Mitt Romney leapt on the statement Tuesday: "The idea that Steve Jobs didn't build Apple, that Henry Ford didn't build Ford Motor . . . is not just foolishness, it is insulting to every entrepreneur, every innovator in America, and it's wrong," he said.
And: "I find it extraordinary that a philosophy of that nature would be spoken by a president of the United States."
Why the surprise? This is what Obama and the dominant wing of the Democratic Party believe — that it's really government that creates wealth and takes care of its children.
The same week he informed us that "you didn't build that," the president quietly gutted Bill Clinton's successful 1996 welfare reform by effectively — and unilaterally — removing the law's work requirements. This, when half the population already receives some form of government benefits, and a record number of Americans are now on food stamps.
It also explains Obama's failed effort to jumpstart a US solar-power industry with billions upon billions of subsidies to the likes of now-defunct Solyndra.
That's why the party was so wowed by Elizabeth Warren, who's trying to unseat Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts. Democrats loved lines of hers like this:
"There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear: You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for . . . but part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along."
In other words, it takes a village — on steroids.
That's simply not true. The American people existed long before the American government did. They created our unique, republican form of federal democracy, handing the central government a few enumerated powers in order to prevent it from interfering in the business of the states or the lives of the citizens.
What's good in the government comes from the people; what's good in the people does not come from government.
But it's abundantly clear that Obama believes there's no such thing as a self-made man, no such creature as the lone genius (Jobs, or Thomas Edison) who transforms everyone's life through the force of his vision.
The telegraph, the telephone, the phonograph, the light bulb, the MacBook, the iPhone and the iPad all disprove his thesis. Great inventions are most often conceived by private individuals, sitting alone in a room, not government bureaucrats.
And that's why Obama's "gaffe" could well become a focal point of the election — a sharp line of demarcation between a party that stands for collectivism and one that not only celebrates the individual but also gets out of his way.
The president's been promising "fundamental transformation" of the country since 2008. Altering the relationship between citizen and state is certainly part of that.
Which is why Romney gets to the heart of the matter when he asks: "Do we believe in an America that is great because of government or do we believe in an America that is great because of free people allowed to pursue their dreams?"
And that's the fall election in a nutshell.


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Four Offbeat New York Valentines Dates That Won't Drive You Crazy
It's easy to dismiss eating out on Valentine's Day, and justly so. Restaurants get mobbed and weighed down with pricey tasting menus, resulting in large (and noisy) crowds, frenzied service, and food that all too often doesn't do justice to a kitchen's abilities. This is not what a special night out should be.
So let's back up for a minute and look at that premise: "it's bad to eat out on Valentine's Day." Well, not totally the case. It's bad to eat at certain restaurants on Valentine's Day; stay far away from bistros, Italian pasta joints, steak spots, and any place offering a "special" Valentine's menu, and you're already safer. Try out one of the suggestions below and you're definitely in the clear.
These aren't necessarily what you'd call "traditionally romantic" restaurants. But what do you want out of a Valentine's Date—a good meal at a cute place where you can linger, have a little adventure, and steal off each other's plates. If you're willing to set aside your traditional Valentine's motions, these offbeat dates will treat you well.
Steak Night
Typical steak spots won't be pleasant places to eat come the 14th, but it's a different story in the Latin American neighborhoods in Queens. Jackson Heights, about 30 minutes from midtown by subway, and Corona, a little farther out on the 7, are home to a number of great unpretentious meat houses worth a trip. What they lack in dry aged ribeyes and pricey wine lists they make up for in under-$20 strip steaks, ribs, sausages, and sweetbreads, cooked by a grill team that knows how to coax serious flavor from humbler cuts.
My favorite Argentinian steak spot is El Gauchito in Corona, where the skirt steaks are juicy and tender, the accompanying fries are crisp, and dessert means fresh shatter-crisp churros topped with dulce de leche. It's a sweet and friendly spot that's low on English but high on charm. El Chivito De Oro in Jackson Heights offers a massive $21 mixed grill "for one" that serves four. It comes with skirt steak, chorizo, blood sausage, sweetbreads, and short ribs—dinner and a show in one massive grill plate.
If you're going to eat fondue once a year, it might as well be on February 14th. The cheese-laden version is all well and good, but how about Chinese hot pot instead? You keep the fun of dunking meat, starches, and vegetables into a bubbling pot, but without the creeping feeling of oh god how much cheese did I just eat. Hot pot isn't a light meal, but you're in charge of its pace.
In Manhattan, Hou Yi (née M Tasty) (not closed, despite the Yelp notice) does a two-hour all you can eat hot pot for $23 a person. The atmosphere is pretty no-frills, but we love their wickedly hot broth and fish options for dipping. Mister Hotpot serves Sunset Park well, with a white broth that reaches near-ramen levels of milkiness. And in Flushing, Little Sheep is an international franchise that does everything right.
Ethnic BYOBs (and BYOB-esque Restaurants)
We've long been fans of BYOBs (there was a column devoted to them back in the day), and stand by them all the more on Valentine's Day. They're rarely crowded—all the more so for ethnic cuisines—even on one of the busiest eating out nights of the year. Just two of our favorites: The Islands, a Carribbean paradise of a restaurant in Prospect Heights with close quarters and serious jerk chicken; and Gazala Place, Manhattan's only Druse restaurant.
Small cozy ethnic restaurants that do serve alcohol can also be smart choices. At Awash in the East Village, Morningside Heights, and Carroll Gardens, you can sip on Ethiopian honey wine while digging into a shareable platter of braised and spiced meat, vegetables, and legumes. Don't miss the tartare.
A Pastry Crawl
Should your tastes run more sweet, take Thursday as your chance to do a slice for dinner and have a multi-course walkable dessert. Good pastry shops are one place you can trust for Valentine's specials; just pick a neighborhood and make sure to pace yourself. In Soho, for example, you can start with some pastries at Dominique Ansel (where everything will be pink come V-Day), get some standout chocolate truffles at Kee's, and hit up Balthazar for a take-home tart to keep your energy up. Just be sure to start your crawl early; Dominique Ansel and Kee's close at 7, Balthazar Bakery at 8, and due to demand they may run out of some sweets early.
Prefer your chocolate at home? Check out our gift guide.
And More...
Need more date ideas? Over on Ask the Critic, Carey planned out a whole West Village food crawl for two. And then there's the big list: our 40 great and affordable date restaurants.
Now how about you? Where are you eating—or hiding—on Thursday?
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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This skirt all started out with curtains I made for my bedroom. I doubt you'd be interested in plain, boring tab-top curtains, but the colour itself is to die for. All the time I went through the chore of making them, I was thinking – gosh, this fabric would have made such a pretty dress!
Curtains had to be made, though, and rather sooner than later, as my appartment's windows are not fitted with blinds or shutters.
A few days later, however, I hung some Liberty fabric that I had just prewashed over my bedroom door, to dry (reduced space will make you pretty inventive); as I looked up, I realized the curtains next to it matched one of the spots in the design absolutely perfectly. I had just enough of my green taffeta left to accent a garment – as a belt, for instance… and thus the Spot On Skirt came to be.
But, I don't have that many skirts, and I have a few other dresses planned out anyway. I just figured a skirt would get more wear, and the reason why this Liberty had been sleeping in my stash for several years was that I wanted to make sure I'd make it into something I'd be wearing a lot.
I therefore decided to simply use the skirt part from the dress pattern, and add my own belt and closure.
I wanted something different from the regular dirndl, so I used the pleated version from the pattern (view B, the red one on the pattern cover). The skirt is really four rectangles of fabric sewn together, and pleated many, many times.
This picture shows a close-up of the pleats (and incidentally a happy kitty):
Despite the previous post suggesting the opposite, I went pretty obsessive with cutting and sewing perfectly on grain, and matching the dots at the seams.
(oh dear, even my bedcover matches my blog's colours!)
I first wanted to add an invisible zipper as usual, but then realized buttons might be cute and more in keeping with the skirt's era. I know zippers were already in use, but I also know my Grandma still used buttons way more readily than zippers at that time.
I like how the white buttons on the green belt mirror the green spots on the white fabric.
Happy weekend, everyone!


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The controversial Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement appears to have run into stiff resistance within the European Parliament, with the EU's head of trade Karel De Gucht referring the scheme to the European Court of Justice to assess whether it's actually legal to implement across Europe.
The Anonymous hacking collective has been pretty busy of late protesting against copyright acts like ACTA. Recently it seems the group has been concentrating its firepower on Fridays in what it's calling #FFF.
Copyright laws are designed to protect the "fair use" of copyrighted content such as mash-ups and remixes — or they were, at least, until the advent of the dreaded DMCA Takedown Notice. The Dutch government has taken notes on America's IP failures and is reportedly looking to explicitly protect such DMCA fodder, much to the chagrin of the European Union.
ACTA is the Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a wide-ranging attempt to standardise international copyright laws, protect intellectual property and better care for business patents and the work of artists. That's what it says on the posters, at least.


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Many know nothing about today's Iran. Some ask us about "Fashion World", "ordinary life", etc in Iran. In "Valentine Day", lets take a look at some pictures that can show you part of today's Iran, specially private parties in Iran.
Inside their homes, Iranians and Westerners don't have serious differences. The younger generations in Iran and the West are almost alike. What they do -at least in their private life-, their views, their thoughts, their stupidities, their mistakes, etc are almost alike. But unfortunately, the western mass media tell big shameful lies about Iran and Iranians.
Inside their homes, and in their private parties, Iranians are not distinguishable from the people in the west. The underground activities, including underground parties, are part of today's life in Iran, despite the fact that the Mullah often arrest the participants. The Mullahs raid the private parties and don't allow the people to be happy even in their homes, because the privacy and the private life are meaningless for the Islamists. It's what the world history should never forget it.
The rich kids or the upper class are just a small part of the story of private parties and underground activities in Iran. The middle call families and the ordinary boys and girls, that are in majority in Iran, have the main role in all aspects of life, including private parties and underground activities. The people don't care about the Mullahs and try to live a normal life, despite all Mullah threats.
Valentine Day in Iran is like the rest of the world. The Mullahs and their media don't tell anything about it, and the Mullahs try to threaten the people, but it neither stop the people, nor change the reality. In the Coffee shops, and in the streets and parks, and also in the private parties, the people live their own life like other people in all around the world. The Mullahs are so desperate; they even could not ban the sale of all Valentine's Day items, because the majority of Iranians don't care about these red lines.
Like other parts of the world, some Iranians care about parties, fashion, or Valentine a lot, some are so-so, and some don't care about it at all. It's quite normal. Of course, the wide gap between boys and girls who are under the age of 18 (In Iran, the boys and girls are separated between the age of 7 to 18) have created serious social and psychological problems in Iran. It's not normal, but it's an abnormality that the Mullahs has created it, and many try to cope with it in their private life.
The ordinary boys and girls in Iran are educated and modern. They are like their counterparts in the west, but it doesn't mean that they don't have any problem. In fact, they have a lot of problems, but most of their problems are global problems, and sometimes their counterparts in the west have more serious problems. In fact, the continuous crises in all aspect of life in Iran, have forced Iranians to be wiser than their counterparts in the west. As you probably know, "Crisis is the mother of Evolution".
The young boys and girls in Iran, America, Europe, and many other countries are like each other. They are modern and try to be happy as much as possible. It's good. But many follow fashion like sheep, and many are manipulated by the Western mass media. It's not good. Being happy and enjoying your life is very different from being sheep and living like sheep. I hope one day the people in all around the world can understand it.


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Browse ads of used Vallee rough terrain truck for sale from across Australia and Asia Pacific and worldwide. The most recent ads are at the top and can use the "Sort by" button to sort these used Vallee rough terrain truck by brand, year, price, hours of use, country. To refine your serach, use the links on the left of the page. If you wish to search any other used rough terrain truck for sale click rough terrain truck. You can also read more about Vallee rough terrain truck in Brands section.
Rough terrain truck 2016 6,937 h United States, Burlington, North Carolina, USA
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Please do not hesitate to contact Mascus Australia, regarding any queries concerning forklifts, terminal tractors, container handlers, accessories, 4-way reach trucks, hand pellet trucks, and other used handling equipment.


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Henry Cavill and Charlie Hunman in line for Tarzan role?
- Bang Showbiz
- 8 November 2012
Henry Cavill and Charlie Hunnam are on the shortlist of Hollywood actors to play Tarzan in director David Yates' new film
Henry Cavill and Charlie Hunnam are on the shortlist to play Tarzan.
The 'Man of Steel' actor and 'Green Street' star have caught the interest of director David Yates - whose previous work includes the final four installments of 'Harry Potter' - to portray the jungle man in his upcoming film after it was given the go ahead by Warner Bros.
According to Vulture, joining them on the shortlist are True Blood's Alex Skarsgard and 'The Dark Knight Rises' villain Tom Hardy, though it is not known whether Tom would be interested in taking on the iconic role.
Jerry Weintraub is set to produce the feature after developing it for several years and though David has taken on the project, reports say Craig Brewer was initially tapped to do the job.
This big screen adaptation will be the second of Edgar Rice Burrough's classic novel, with the first being the 1999 Disney animation.
In the meantime Henry can be seen playing Superman in next year's movie 'Man of Steel' and Charlie is starring in sci-fi flick 'Pacific Rim' as well as 'Deadfall'.
Alex is to appear in two upcoming films entitled 'The East' and 'Hidden'.


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My youngest is doing her Confectioner's badge for her Girl Guides. One of the tasks is to do icings on cookies (biscuits). I took this opportunity to blog about this very simple recipe I found on the internet that I've been forgetting to post for the last 3 years!
I was trying to find a butter cookie recipe with the least amount of ingredients to make for my kids at the time. This recipe I adapted from the about.com website was the simplest but probably the most mouth-meltingly delicious butter cookie we've ever baked. It's got a very similar taste to those buttery, crumbly French sable breton that we were able to sample from my food-blogging friend Shalimar.
Anyway, my daughter was very much hands-on in the baking and especially in the decorating. She rolled the dough ...
Did her very first cookie decorations with royal icing ...
And finally the finished products ...
Best of all, her fellow Guides loved them a lot !
Butter Cut-Out Cookies
188 g [3/4 cup] butter - softened
95 g [3/4 cup] icing sugar
1 egg yolk
250 g [2 cups] all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
- Beat butter and icing sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
- Add in egg yolk and vanilla (if using) and mix until well combined.
- Tip in the flour and using a spoon, mix well with the butter mixture until you can form into a ball. If the dough is too soft, wrap in cling film or plastic bag and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until firm enough to be rolled.
- Preheat oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F degrees.
- Roll on a floured surface (or in between baking paper and cling film) to a even thickness of about 1/8 inch.
- Cut out or roll into shapes, arrange in a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
- Let cool in the baking tray for about 5 minutes then move onto racks to cool completely.
- If desired, decorate with icing, coloured sugars, or sprinkles.


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Earth Stewardship Foundation
It only takes alittle change to make aBIG difference.
Place an order. We donate. Everyone wins.
Ever since Sisel launched six years ago, our mission has been to make the world a safer, healthier place for all its inhabitants. Through our Earth Stewardship Foundation (ESF), we have sought to create a safe haven for abandoned children, endangered wildlife, and fragile environments.
With the ESF's association with Whole Child International, we have made a commitment to the welfare of children, and have been able to radically change the lives of those who are institutionalized in orphanages. Children in these orphanages receive minimal human contact, and are exposed to 90 different caregivers throughout their lives. But with the help of Sisel's friends and Distributors around the world, we have been able to improve the mental, spiritual, emotional and cognitive well-being of these children and create loving family units where lasting bonds and true relationships have flourished.


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Latest Frontier In Reducing Childhood Mortality: Neonatal Deaths
If you want to live a long life, it's critical to survive the first month after birth, when humans are especially vulnerable.
Neonatal mortality — death within the first 28 days of birth — is getting more public health attention, as countries around the world strive to meet a United Nations goal of dramatically reducing childhood mortality by 2015.
There's been a lot of progress. Since 1990, the number of kids under 5 dying developing countries has declined to about to 72 deaths per 1,000 from 100 per 1,000, the U.N. has estimated. But that's not quite enough to meet the target.
A new U.N. study zeroes in on neonatal mortality and finds widespread improvements around the world since 1990. "As the risk of children dying before the age of five has fallen, the proportion of child deaths that occur in the neonatal period has increased," the authors of the study note. Reductions in non-neonatal deaths rates from infectious diseases, such as measles, malaria and AIDS, have increased the share of deaths happening very early.
Neonatal mortality rates have climbed in eight countries, including five in Africa. And around the world 41 percent of deaths in kids under five now happen during the period soon after birth.
The study authors say most neonatal deaths could be averted by doing what already is known to work, ranging from improving maternal health to keeping babies warm.
More progress requires better reporting and estimation of neonatal death rates, the authors write:
Many of the 79 million babies who died in the neonatal period since 1990 were born with little or no access to health services and in settings with little health information to drive health system improvement. If [the U.N. 2105 goal] is to be achieved, and this needless loss of life prevented, it is essential that national governments, international agencies, and civil society increase attention to systematically preventing and tracking neonatal deaths.


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Printing options
Share & discuss feature suggestions.
Post Reply
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
Printing options
I used this to track workers that deliver on foot and was wondering if there is a way to print one complete days log per gps at the end of the day. This provides time for me to track routes, confirm locations and to evaluate the workers.I can also compile a record of all areas that particular worker did.
Re: Printing options
Yes our travel report allows you to view/print the day logs. You can even set the auto daily report emailed to you every night.
AccuTracking Support
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DWTS Season 11 – Pre-Season Media, September 10, 2010
Maks and Brandy on Access Hollywood. All I'm going to say is: I love Brandy – so direct and funny. And I like her WAY better than her partner. 🙂
Slightly different version of the above interview:
And a third version of Access Hollywood. Derek and Jennifer taped theirs today, so expect to see them on Monday.
Speaking of Derek and Jennifer – Entertainment Tonight. I don't think Derek is lifting her EVER – he's afraid. With good reason.
Paparazzi Video with a little of everyone – from ET
Corky and Florence on ET – Has Corky had his eyes done?


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I'm back building again, and while it may only seem like i'm only submitting a moc every two months I find myself completing something every week. Small vignettes or ideas that always seem too small/unfinished or not special enough for their own threads.
I was just wondering what everyone thought about the possibility of a communal tablescrap thread where we could post some of these little experiements, unfinished projects and ideas- a combined place for builds where there is no emphasis on the build being complete or 'perfect'. A kind of MOC sketchbook if you will?
I've already got some small projects rattling around and i'm sure this is the case with other builders too.


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9/19/2020 - 9/26/2020
Rhino Weekend (Sat,Sun Sun) Sep 19,20,26 9:00am-5:00pm
Providence, Rhode Island
Course Description:
● Certificate issued upon request.
● No experience required
● This course is for all industries and disciplines.
● Presented logically, utilizing experience with traditional skills, this hands-on course will guide you through the parts of
Rhino that can be confusing, understanding 3D space and viewport directions, and the NURBS surface structure. While promoting good modeling techniques, multiple surface tools, and modeling approaches, are covered, applicable across all industries. The class structure is relaxed, promoting participation and sharing of knowledge.
● Surfaces covered: Edge curves, Extrude, Sweep1 rail, Sweep2 rails, Revolve, Loft, Network curves, Patch etc.
Methods covered: Fillet, Blend, Booleans, Image reference and tracing, 3D to 2D plan and Surface flattening, Text etc.
Rendering: Object color, Texture map, Reflectance map, Bump map, Lights.
Fabrication Overview: Understanding 3D printing, CNC machine processes and modeling for fabrication.
Grasshopper Overview: Transitioning from Rhino to Grasshopper and parametric modeling.
● Complete custom documentation, is provided to allow class time to be utilized becoming comfortable using Rhino, and ensure, after the class you will be able to repeat and reference model construction, to create your own 3D models.
● There are no hidden costs.
Everything is provided in class, bring only a flash drive to copy extra files to take home with you.
● This course, can be repeated at no extra charge within 1 year of original registration. (subject to space and schedule availability)
● Group and Corporate training packages available, at MagneticVisions or at Corporate site.
Providence, RI 02809
United States
To Register:
e-mail: Co-ordinator
phone: (347)534-7558


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John Woodell is a web developer at Google, and a Ruby enthusiast. He started developing web pages in the early '90s, and spent over a decade hacking together sites in Perl, Java and PHP. John discovered RubyOnRails in 2005 and has been a dedicated Rubyist ever since. He maintains the App Engine APIs for JRuby and contributes to related projects. John manages the JRuby on App Engine blog and tweets as johnwoodell.
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Intrim® CR64
Modern Contemporary / Art Deco
Sizes available
Width (mm):
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Material options
FJ Pine, FJ Pine Primed, MR MDF, MR MDF Primed
Intrim® CR64 timber chair rail is practical as well as decorative. Chair rails, also known as dado rails, were originally installed to protect walls from damage by chair backs, but are now used to give character and beautiful detail to a room. Adding chair rail to your room is a subtle choice that makes a big impact, and perfectly complements a wainscoting design.
Available in 122mm wide and 18mm thick and crafted in a range of timbers and finishes including FJ Pine, FJ Pine Primed, MR MDF, MR MDF Primed. This style of moulding is recommended for use in a Modern Contemporary / Art Deco style interior. Samples are available for this profile.
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[Washington, D.C., April 21. Image via Getty]
WASHINGTON - APRIL 21: U.S. first lady Michelle Obama flexes her muscles as she exercises with schoolchildren at the River Terrace School April 21, 2010 in Washington, DC. Mrs. Obama visited the school to highlight physical activity as a critical element of the 'Let�s Move!' initiative with several Olympians and Paralympians, including 2010 Olympians Shani Davis and Hannah Kearney and 2010 Paralympians Alana Nichols and Heath Calhoun. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)


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The image of a naked woman in Miami was spotted this weekend as she stood on the porch of a home with a plastic bottle of water by Google Street View.
She's not the first naked person seen on Google Street View, but she's definitely the latest, according to the sharp-eyed Random Pixels Blog. The story was subsequently picked up by the Daily Mail (U.K.), the Smoking Gun and CNET. Last year, Google Street View captured an image of a naked British toddler in his grandmother's yard. Google later blurred the photo.
The Miami woman's photo was first reported on Friday and by Sunday, the image had been blurred to hide her nudity and identity, according to the Smoking Gun.
U.S. & World
While many commenters took the time to berate the woman for being naked on what is likely her porch, others have pointed out that the home has hurricane shutters on the windows. That could have meant that her power and water may have been shut off, so she was taking a quick bath outside with a jug of water and wasn't an exhibitionist.
There have been many critics of Google Maps and its Street View capabilities for this kind of reason -- that it could be more of an invasion of privacy than a service. More disturbingly, in 2009, Urlesque showed the Top 10 Moments on Google Maps Street View, which showed drug deals, public urination and a teenager aiming a gun at what looks like a six-year-old.
Perhaps Google Street View does give us a glimpse of the real America, even if that means some of us will be naked.


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It's Friday, again. Spirits are supposed to be high, in anticipation of the long break and possibly fun, ahead; and the short working day that is Friday itself, as the better half of the day is spent looking at the watch, doing everything but work, while waiting for the opportune moment to dash out and get back to living your life. It's the big climax to the working week. It's the day we've all been waiting for. Or is it?
Well, not in my corner of the globe, most definitely. As soon as the stimulus that is daylight plied my eyes open, I started wondering who placed a tonne of bricks on my head, and why anyone would hate me so much. I pushed the covers away, turned around in bed, no sign of a single brick. Well, what's that? Stretch, turn around some more. I felt (or did I hear it?) a snapping sound. Is that my neck? Surely this is how people die in their beds, and they claim she died peacefully in her sleep, of natural causes. It's death by neck-snap as you stretch and turn in your bed, while trying to figure out why your head is both heavy and light at the same time.
Gosh, I'm breathing too shallow and heavy. Why does it feel like I got a nose job in my sleep? Oh boy, oh crap! I'm sick. Someone must hate me so much. Why, oh why, would I wake up sick on a Friday morning? And how did it get to 10:00am, I went to bed earlier than usual last night! Sweet Lord, it's 11.30! I, definitely, am sick. On Friday!
Maybe if I just get out of bed now and throw the curtains open really fast, have the sunlight streaming in, I'll suddenly realise I'm not sick at all, my head is not heavy and light, my wind pipe is not a clogged chimney, and my throat doesn't feel like a road block. Maybe.
Maybe I'll just lie here a while longer.
PS. Please refrain from leaving get-well soon messages. This is not a hypochondriac's cry out into the dark; simply yours truly, writing whatever wills itself to her fingertips, as always. That all-so important bit said, enjoy your weekend. Maybe I'll hear about it on your blogs. Or not, depending on your style.
À bientot.
PPS. And you, dear family member that is still inexplicably lurking around here, should I receive an email or DM about this, …just know that ain't cool. Checking up on me like this, using this medium, shouldn't be your pass time of choice. Please find some other interesting blogs to read, things more to your taste and hobbies. It's why people read blogs. You'd be surprised how much people are upto around here. Seriously, but with love, me.


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Your job: Decide to get out of town and fast. Our job: Help you find where you're headed. This week, NBCLA's Worth the Drive takes us to...
The Avalon Ball: Two words we like. Avalon=Catalina Island's largest burg, a beachy, button-big city that keeps close to its '40s big-band past. Ball=A grand dance. Okay, "the," you're not too bad, either. Frequently helpful, in fact.
Date: Saturday, May 15
The place: Casino Ballroom. Dear science: Please look into whether there is some sort of cosmic doorway in the space-time continuum out near Catalina, and please see if the Casino Ballroom hasn't slipped through. We're in 2010, while the famous round landmark shimmers in and out of 1932. You all see it too, right?
The ball: Dressy-dressy. Ladies with corsages, gents who've waxed their 'staches into little points at each end. Brassy music, dance-floor romance, eye-making out on the balcony. You'll want to eat before the ball, but there will be a cash bar.
Tickets: Going fast, says the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles. They're $48 for non-members. Also, there's a special ferry back to the mainland for dancers. Best read all the details before hitting the docks.
"Worth the Drive": A figure of speech. Don't drive to Catalina Island. If you figure out a way, however, let us know.
Avalon: You don't mind the "button-big" thing we said, right? We love that. We love the golf carts. We love that you can walk everywhere. The beauty and the history and the Victorian hotels and funky motels. And the buffalo! The buffalo. We're just jealous is all.


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Posts tagged writer
Secret Agenda – January 11 – Script
Jan 13th
Secret Agenda – January 11 – Script
I agree with Roberto that if you've never written a script of one of your presentations ("Script" can be such an intimidating word. If you've never written down the words that you usually say when performing a trick), it can be an eye-opening experience, filled with untold discoveries. But it's Roberto's comments on taking an acting class that reinvigorated me.
John Carney has also commented on the effectiveness of acting classes, and there are many magicians (like Jonathan Levit and myself) who have a strong theatrical background. But many of the techniques and experiences that can only be gotten "on the boards" are useless in magic unless one has the capacity to identify and transfer those skills in a practical and effective way. The application of acting, directing, scripting, and blocking to magic (and all the sub-skills they embody) requires that you have experience in both magic and the theatre before a successful incorporation can be achieved. (Fortunately, in my case, I spent three decades simultaneously growing in both disciplines.)
However, it often takes an objective set of eyes and ears to really be effective. Too often, we're too close to our magic to be able to really make those difficult decisions (like cutting something out).
The solution? Get somebody who is qualified to improve your magic by either instructing you in acting, or becoming your director. (Sorry, but your wife just doesn't cut it.)
If you live in the greater Los Angeles area, there are literally thousands of people and classes and schools that promise to guide you to acting success, and it's a laborious process of trial and error (and investment) to achieving your objective.
But I know a guy…
He's a director, writer, actor, teacher (Master Teacher!), mentor, and friend. He co-founded Learning-is-M.A.G.I.C. and knows the problems, pitfalls, and potential that magic offers.
He will make your magic better.
I guarantee it.
You can contact me at email@example.com or message me on my Facebook page and I'll be happy to arrange an introduction. (Glendale area) No obligation, no charge. Bring a trick to perform, listen to his comments, and learn for yourself what he can do for you.
You'll thank me later.


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Red Jasper Necklace
Regular price £5.99
Red Jasper Necklace
As many of these pendants are made from natural stone, each one is unique and we only have one of each in stock. The style you order is the exact one we will dispatch to you. Each individual style is available with OR without a pentagram charm, please do not order one of each in the same style.


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Technology Review has rounded up a bunch of objects that it feels are design classics from the past 30 or so years and got a bunch of industrial designers to talk about them. And you've gotta admit they're right—on some of the candidates, at least. First up is the Polaroid SX-70, which dates back to 1972.
Polaroid's first fully automatic, motorized camera was an instant design classic. Detailed with tan leather, it folded into a rectangle the size of a paperback book. Andrew Logan, principal designer at Frog Design, admires it for the "immediacy of a favorable output." He explains: "Instead of waiting days to see if you took a good photo, you could take it again right away."
There's a gallery below, and after the jump you can vote for your favorite piece of shiny loveliness.
Mine has got to be the Sony Walkman, because I was always in my room making mixtapes as a kid.
Objects of desire [Technology Review]


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PORTSMOUTH — A Manchester woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to selling sex in a city apartment, but after a plea deal was disclosed to the presiding judge, the case was continued.
PORTSMOUTH — A Manchester woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to selling sex in a city apartment, but after a plea deal was disclosed to the presiding judge, the case was continued.
Brooke Parent, 21, was brought by a sheriff's deputy to the Portsmouth Circuit Court on Nov. 13, when she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of prostitution. According to a police affidavit, officers were staking out the apartment building as part of a larger prostitution investigation, smelled marijuana burning and gained access to the apartment, where Parent was engaged in prostitution with a Maine man.
Parent was represented Tuesday by attorney Joseph Malfitani and entered her guilty plea to a prostitution charge that was reduced from Class A level to a B level. Convictions for Class A misdemeanors carry the potential for jail time, while Class B misdemeanors do not.
Prosecutor David Colby told the court he was recommending Parent be sentenced with a $1,000 fine and half of it suspended for a year, pending her good behavior. Judge Sawako Gardner asked the prosecutor about Parent's criminal history, and after hearing Parent was arrested twice for prostitution after her Portsmouth arrest, the judge inquired why the Portsmouth charge was being reduced.
The judge's inquiry prompted a nonpublic discussion at the judge's bench, involving the prosecutor and defense attorney. Following that discussion, Parent was led from the courtroom by the deputy.
Colby later said Parent's sentencing has been continued to a later, unspecified date.
Police allege that on Aug. 2, Parent was working as a prostitute in the apartment owned by Alexander Marino, 38, now of New York. According to court records, Parent told police she was recruited in July to sell sex at Marino's Portsmouth apartment by a woman named "Maya," who introduced her to Marino.
Parent is incarcerated in Manchester on charges alleging that, after her Portsmouth prostitution arrest, she solicited two undercover officers for sex. Manchester police allege Parent was arrested after offering to exchange sex for cash with one undercover officer, then 10 minutes later, offered to sell sex to a second undercover officer. During her second arrest for prostitution, Parent was also charged with breaching bail conditions mandating her good behavior.
Marino is free on $1,000 cash bail for a prostitution charge alleging he knowingly allowed his apartment to be used for prostitution and benefited financially from the sale of sex there.


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Whitney Houston's family is getting their own reality show.
Houston representative Kristen Foster confirmed Friday the Lifetime show, "The Houston Family Chronicles," is in the works.
It will focus on Pat Houston, sister-in-law and manager of the late singer. Pat Houston is also helping care for Whitney Houston's only child, 19-year-old Bobbi Kristina. The show promises to feature Bobbi Kristina and her grandmother Cissy, as well as Whitney Houston's cousin Dionne Warwick, gospel singer CeCe Winans and other members of the Houston family.
U.S. & World
Whitney Houston drowned in a bathtub in February at age 48 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Authorities said her death was complicated by cocaine use and heart disease.
Pat Houston, Whitney Houston's brother Gary and Bobbi Kristina spoke about Houston's death in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Winfrey's OWN network in March.
Cissy Houston, also a singer, put out her first new music in over a decade on iTunes this week.
Cissy, Gary and Bobbi Kristina are expected to appear Saturday in Newark, N.J., at a gospel tribute to the late superstar as part of the annual McDonald's Gospelfest concert.


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James Beard's Champagne Punch
I'd never considered mixing up a batch of punch for a party before this past New Year's Eve, mostly because I didn't own a punch bowl. But when I came upon this recipe for James Beard's Champagne Punch from Amanda Hesser's The Essential New York Times Cookbook I had a feeling that this was the kind of drink that warranted the purchase of an oversized bowl. It's a classy, heady mix of Champagne (for a cheaper option, try prosecco, cava, or any other dry sparkler), Cognac, Cointreau, and orange and lemon juices—the kind of drink that goes down a little too easy.
The punch was all sparkly and warm with caramel and orange notes, and just enough citrus and cooling cucumber to keep it light, drinkable, and refreshing. It's a great way to keep a bigger crowd drinking. No need for guests to mess around with mixing their own cocktails, and at the end of the night, there aren't nearly as many beer and wine bottles to haul out to the recycling bin.
Where does the legendary James Beard come into play with this recipe? Well, Beard was known to favor a glass of Champagne as an aperitif, perhaps the bubbly base for this punch had a little something to to with that.
Reprinted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook by Amanda Hesser. Compilation copyright (c) 2010 by The New York Times Company and Amanda Hesser. Recipes and reprinted text copyright (c) 2010 by The New York Times Company. Used with permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
- Yield:serves 40
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- 2 cups fresh orange juice (from about 6 oranges)
- 2 (750-ml) bottles Cognac
- 16 ounces Cointreau
- 4 (750-ml) bottles Champagne (or prosecco or cava), chilled
- Grated Zest of 4 lemons
- 20 thin cucumber slices
Gently stir together the sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, Cognac, Cointreau, Champange, and lemon zest in a large punch bowl. Chill.
Garnish the punch bowl with the cucumber slices, and set the bowl on a bed of crushed ice.


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Report: Salvadoran sea survivor's health improving
- Man says he spent more than a year drifting in the Pacific
- Alvarenga washed ashore on the Marshall Islands at the end of January
- Doctor says he will have a checkup on Monday
The health of a man who says he spent more than a year drifting across the Pacific is improving, and he may soon be able to travel home.
Health issues delayed Jose Salvador Alvarenga's departure from the Marshall Islands, but he may soon be fit enough to head to El Salvador, Kennar Briand, chief of staff at Marshall Island's Majuro Hospital, told CNN.
Alvarenga, a Salvadoran who was living in Mexico, came ashore on the Marshall Islands at the end of January. He was about 6,500 miles from where he says he launched.
USA TODAY was unable to reach Briand, who is overseeing Alvarenga's care, for comment.
The sea castaway will have a checkup on Monday, Briand told CNN, adding Alvarenga's mental health seems to be improving as well.
Earlier Saturday, however, Diego Dalton, an official with El Salvador's embassy in Tokyo, said the castaway was too frail to return home just yet.
"At this moment, there are no travel plans or definite itinerary," Dalton told reporters early Saturday in Majuro, according to the Associated Press. "His return will depend of when his health allows the long journey back."
Alvarenga, 37, told officials he left Mexico to go shark fishing in late 2012 when a storm threw him and another fisherman off course. Alvarenga says he survived on turtles, fish, birds and their blood, but his companion died.
On Thursday, Alvarenga greeted about 50 officials and news media at the Marshall Islands Resort hotel where he was staying when he wasn't in the hospital.
"I want to thank the government of the Marshall Islands for all it has done and for the friends who have helped me while I am here," he said.
Social media has been abuzz with news and updates of the unusual tale. Some likened Alvarenga to Tom Hank's character in the movie Castaway. Others said he should have his own film made.
Some, however, questioned the veracity of his story.
Gee Bing, acting secretary of foreign affairs for the Marshall Islands, raised some concerns while noting that Alvarenga looked thin, but not emaciated.
His story is also being scrutinized by Joe Kissack, author of The Fourth Fisherman: How Three Mexican Fishermen Came Back From the Dead, Changed My Life and Saved My Marriage.
Kissack told USA TODAYthat Alvarenga's dramatic account has elements that are very similar to his book, which details the saga of five sea castaways in a fishing boat that drifted from Mexico.
"Someone will find out what the truth is," Kissack says. "It may just take a while."
Publication Men's Journal interviewed cultural anthropologist Matt Riding, one of the first to interview Alvarenga after he came on shore.
He says that some doubted Alvarenga's story because he wasn't "really frail, super emaciated."
But, "after talking to him, I totally believe the story," Riding told Men's Journal. "I think that exactly what he said happened."
Contributing: Gary Strauss; The Associated Press


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Posts Tagged 'cultured background'
By Bollywood Hungama News Network, January 4, 2010 – 15:09 IST
What do you call someone whose eyes control the sunrise and the moon shine? What do you call who is the inspiration to many a poet globally? What do you call someone who is highly intellectual, yet is a part of an 'Idiotic' gang? Well, mince no names, as we are indeed talking about the one and only 'Oomph-mati' that the silver screen has ever seen: Kareena Kapoor!
And it is the very same Kareena Kapoor who is on the cover of the widely read magazine GQ for the month (January 2010). What a way to start the New Year by having the eternal glowing Miss Kapoor as the cover-girl! From the looks of it, Kareena looks nothing short of being Miss Perfect. Well, we are no one to challenge perfection, are we? All that we can say is that; do watch out for Kareena's honest-than-thou confessional statements on topics ranging from films, marriage and of course…Saif, about whom she says "Saif comes from a very cultured background; he is a man of the world. And he's seen so much of life; he's got his head very firmly on his shoulders. I can connect with this guy. He has a good sense of humour; a charming man with a lot of culture. He always liked me on screen. He said I was someone he always wanted to meet."
Keeping the tradition of 'Keep the best for last', we really do have to mention that this issue of GQ has not one, but two whoppingly sizzling covers, which only means, twice the cover, twice the fun. Kareena is indeed the way to go this season and for the year 2010!


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Today we celebrate Flag Day, marking the adoption of the national flag of the United States of America by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. The official journal for that day reads:
"Resolved, that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
The thirteen stars and stripes represented the thirteen colonies that declared independence the year before from the Kingdom of Great Britain. These thirteen colonies, including North Carolina, went on to become the first states of our new nation.
North Carolina's delegates voting that Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia were Thomas Burke (for whom Burke County is named), Cornelius Harnett (for whom Harnett County is named), William Hooper, and John Penn (for whom the USS John Penn was named and the first historical highway marker erected by the State of North Carolina was dedicated). Tradition holds that the nation's new flag was first hoisted in June 1777 by the Continental Army at the Middlebrook encampment in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War; the event is commemorated each year, and by special order of Congress, a traditional thirteen star flag is flown 24 hours a day at the site.
The Continental Congress's resolution, which had been initially drafted and referred by the Marine Committee, gave no specific instruction as to how many points the stars should have, nor how the stars should be arranged. This led to varying designs at the time: some flags had stars scattered on the blue field, some had the stars arranged in rows, and some in a circle. Some stars had five or six points, while others had eight.
No federal law or executive order exists which provides an official meaning for the flag's colors. The closest thing we have is the contemporary account of Charles Thomson (the recording secretary of the Continental Congress) who describes the colors, the same that were being used in the design of the the Great Seal of the United States: "White signifies purity and innocence. Red hardiness and valour and Blue . . . signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice."
A simpler explanation for why the colors of the new American flag were chosen is that it was modeled after the first unofficial flag of the thirteen colonies, the Grand Union Flag (also known as the Continental Colors, the Congress Flag, and the Cambridge Flag). These were the same colors used in the British Kingdom's flag, which was adopted in 1707.
Who actually designed our nation's flag has been open to some speculation. As every child probably knows, a Philadelphia upholsterer named Elizabeth Claypoole (now known as Betsy Ross) is often credited with producing the first flag.
According to the story, General George Washington, who was always a good customer before he took command of the Continental Army, appeared on Mrs. Ross's doorstep one day in June 1776 with two representatives of Congress, Colonel Ross and Robert Morris. They asked her if she would make them a new flag based on their own crude sketch; Mrs. Ross, so the story goes, suggested some improvements and Washington redrew the design and she began her famous work on the Stars and Stripes.
The tale first entered into popular culture in in 1870, 94 years after the event supposedly took place, in a paper presented to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania by her only surviving grandson, William J. Canby. An 1893 painting by the enterprising artist Charles H. Weisgerber showing Betsey Ross in her parlor with Washington, Ross, and Morris helped perpetuate the legend. But because of the lack of any historical evidence (letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, bills of sale, etc.) supporting the claim, most historians are now fairly confident that she neither designed nor sewed the first flag. In fact, there is no evidence at all that George Washington had ever even heard of Betsy Ross.
Although not as well known, there is strong evidence that Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from New Jersey, actually designed the flag. At the time the resolution was adopted by the Continental Congress, Hopkinson — who was also an amateur musician — helped design other symbols for the new government, including the Great Seal. (For his services, Hopkinson submitted a letter to the Continental Admiralty Board asking "whether a Quarter Cask of the public Wine will not be a proper & reasonable Reward for these Labours of Fancy and a suitable Encouragement to future Exertions of a like Nature." The Continental Congress turned down Mr. Hopkinson's request.)
The first official celebration of Flag Day was held in 1877 on the 100th anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 — although the first annual recognition of the flag's birthday dates back to 1885 when Bernard J. CiGrand, a 19 year-old teacher from Wisconsin, first organized a group of school children to observe June 14 as the flag's birthday. And just a few years later, the efforts of a kindergarten teacher in New York City, George Balch, led to the formal observance of Flag Day by the New York State Board of Education.
Patriotic groups spent years trying to convince Congress to officially mark Flag Day; the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia first began holding an annual Flag Day celebration in 1891 and has been formally celebrating Flag Day every year since. Although many state and local governments adopted the annual observance, for over 30 years Flag Day remained a state and local celebration.
Inspired by these local efforts, President Woodrow Wilson signed a presidential proclamation in 1916 recognizing Flag Day, and in 1949, President Harry Truman signed House Joint Resolution 170 marking June 14 as "National Flag Day."
Today's flag consists of the same original thirteen stripes, but the blue field now contains fifty stars, representing each of the fifty states that compose the United States of America. For most Americans, the "Grand Old Flag" still remains an enduring symbol of our Republic's founding principles of freedom, justice, private property rights, and limited government.
The United States Flag Code formalizes and unifies the traditional ways in which we give respect to the flag:
When displaying the flag:
- Display the U.S. flag from sunrise to sunset on buildings and stationary flagstaffs in the open. When a patriotic effect is desired the flag may be displayed 24-hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
- When placed on a single staff or lanyard, place the U.S. Flag above all other flags.
- When flags are displayed in a row, the U.S. flag goes to the observer's left. Flags of other nations are flown at same height. State and local flags are traditionally flown lower.
- When used during a marching ceremony or parade with other flags, the U.S. Flag will be to the observer's left.
- On special days, the flag may be flown at half-staff. On Memorial Day it is flown at half-staff until noon and then raised.
- When flown at half-staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day. By "half-staff" is meant lowering the flag to one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff. Crepe streamers may be affixed to spear heads or flagstaffs in a parade only by order of the President of the United States.
- When the flag is displayed over the middle of the street, it should be suspended vertically with the union (blue field of stars) to the north in an east and west street or to the east in a north and south street.
- When the flag is displayed in a manner other than by being flown from a staff, it should be displayed flat, whether indoors or out. When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union (blue field of stars) should be uppermost and to the flag's own right, that is, to the observer's left. When displayed in a window it should be displayed in the same way — with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.
- When the flag is displayed on a car, the staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender.
- When the flag is used to cover a casket, it should be so placed that the union is at the head and over the left shoulder. The flag should not be lowered into the grave or allowed to touch the ground.
When saluting the flag do the following:
- All persons present in uniform (military, police, fire, etc.) should render the military salute. Members of the armed forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute.
- All other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, or if applicable, remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.
Quick list of Flag Etiquette Don'ts:
- Don't dip the U.S. Flag for any person, flag, or vessel.
- Don't let the flag touch the ground.
- Don't fly flag upside down unless there is an emergency.
- Don't carry the flag flat, or carry things in it.
- Don't use the flag as clothing.
- Don't store the flag where it can get dirty.
- Don't use it as a cover.
- Don't fasten it or tie it back. Always allow it to fall free.
- Don't draw on, or otherwise mark the flag.
- Don't use the flag for decoration. Use bunting with the blue on top, then white, then red.


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Dow, S&P Set Record Highs
- Order Reprints
- Print Article
Everyone loves nice round numbers and the market produced its share last week on the way to a 2% rise. The Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed over the 15,000 mark Friday for the first time but failed to hold it by inches. While the venerable index disappointed floor traders, who broke out the Dow 15,000 baseball caps, the broader Standard & Poor's Index broke through and finished above 1,600.
Investors were primed for a bad Friday on expectations of poor jobs data. Instead, the figures were stronger than anticipated, which improved sentiment. There's been a notable sector mini-rotation, too, as tech stocks, one of the worst performers of 2013, jumped 5% last week and finished at the top.
On the week, the Dow closed at 14,973.96, up 1.8%, or 261 points, while the S&P 500 added 32 points, or 2%, to end at 1614.42, record highs for both. It has already climbed 13% in 2013, matching the entire rise last year. The Nasdaq Composite index added 99 points, up 3% to 3,378.63.
Friday, the Labor Department said payrolls rose 165,000 last month, and the unemployment rate fell to 7.5%, the lowest level since late 2008, from 7.6%.
With stocks hitting all-time highs, we asked for an update from the two seers out of 10 in the Barron's 2013 Outlook (Dec. 17, 2012) whose predictions haven't already been surpassed. Both see the 2013 rally continuing.
Stephen Auth, Federated Investors' chief investment officer, remains unbowed. His 1,660 S&P 500 year-end 2013 doesn't look so far off as it did on Dec. 31, when the S&P 500 finished at 1,426.
"We can get a market melt-up from here," he opines, as a rotation back into cyclicals gathers steam. The 2013 rally has been piloted by defensive sectors, but in the last week or so, tech, industrial, and materials stocks have led because long-term risk perceptions are easing, he says.
Those perceptions remain, he adds, the issue for the market getting to 1,660 -- still his 2013 target -- and will affect the market price/earnings ratio, he says. "Most recently, the debt woes of Cyprus were supposed to be Europe's Lehman moment, but it wasn't. Before that it was the U.S. fiscal cliff, Spain, Italy, etc.," he says.
Cyprus broke the bears' back, he asserts. The market's forward P/E, now less than 15 times S&P 500 index earnings-per-share estimates of $110, could rise to 17 to 18 eventually, he says, as the risk perception eases more. That view includes inflation of 1% to 2% and bond yields a more-normal 4% to 5%.
Tobias Levkovich, chief U.S. equity strategist for Citi Research, believes the market will move to 1,650-1,675 and overshoot his year-end target of 1,615. "People will capitulate to the trade," he says, and first-quarter earnings are coming in all right.
Citi's strategist says the market will correct in the fall on the possible tapering off of central-bank easing, continued European economic woes, and no resolution to the U.S. fiscal battles in Washington.
That's a long way off, and investors still have to navigate the summer, the market's traditional weakest period.
THE SHARES OF CONSTRUCTION- and mining-equipment maker Caterpillar (ticker: CAT) periodically get hit hard by fears about global growth. The stock rose from $80 in November to about $100 in February, when markets felt better about the state of the world economy. They've turned down since.
Friday, as investors cheered good domestic economic news, the shares rose 2.7% to $86.98. Even so, Caterpillar's stock should interest investors with an 18-to-24-month horizon. This could turn out to be a good entry point.
Investors' original concerns were confirmed on April 23, when Caterpillar posted disappointing first-quarter numbers: net income of $880 million, or $1.31 a share, down from $1.59 billion, or $2.37 a share, a year earlier, and below expectations of $1.40. Revenue fell 17% to $13.21 billion. Caterpillar slashed 2013 EPS guidance to $7 a share on revenue of $57 billion to $61 billion, from its previous profit estimate for $7 to $9 a share and sales of $60 billion to $68 billion.
Much of the shortfall can be blamed on its mining-equipment division. With commodity prices falling, miners have cut back on their capital expenditures.
However, the first quarter also demonstrated that the seeds of recovery have been sown. Caterpillar's inventory was reduced by $500 million compared with a $2 billion rise in the year-earlier period. Dealers' inventories also swung to a $700 million drop versus an $875 million increase.
Caterpillar has been cutting costs at its mining-equipment business, points out Dan Morgan, a money manager at Synovus Trust. He's been adding shares around these levels in anticipation of an improvement in the commodity cycle. While you wait, he adds, there appears to be ample room for future dividend hikes, thanks to Caterpillar's prodigious free cash flow of over $4 billion expected this year and nearly $5 billion in 2014.
Another bull is Jonathan Treitel, an analyst at Turner Investments, which also owns Caterpillar shares. The weak mining sector detracted from the gains seen in its construction-segment sales compared with fourth-quarter levels, he says. Caterpillar is also making progress on manufacturing efficiencies, he adds.
Valuation remains a support. The stock trades at an enterprise value (net debt plus market capitalization) of 8.5 times, below its historical median of 11.2 times. Expectations have been reset lower and Caterpillar is also resuming its share buybacks, after doing none since the end of 2008.
A possible reprise of global growth worries could take the stock down to $80 again, but the 2.4% dividend yield should ease the pain. Meanwhile the stock should hit triple digits again.
Despite all the hand-wringing over global growth, Caterpillar made money during the Great Recession of 2008-2009. It benefits from high barriers to entry, a solid balance sheet, and a global lead in its business. When companies like that go on sale -- and Caterpillar seems cheap -- their shares are usually worth a look. At these levels the stock seems to discount a lot of bad news.
ON FRIDAY, A MARYLAND JUDGE heard arguments from both sides in the continuing battle between the board of CommonWealth Reit (CWH) and activist shareholders trying to oust it through an April 14 launched consent solicitation.
The judge is expected to rule this week on issues that could determine whether the solicitation, led by hedge fund Corvex Management and Related Fund Management, will go ahead immediately. (See "Whose CommonWealth Is It Anyway?", April 20.)
A Corvex lawyer at the hearing Friday told the judge that votes representing 40% of CommonWealth shares outstanding have been submitted so far, and that 99% of them were in favor of removing the board. To pass, two-thirds consent is needed.
The activists are unhappy with the REIT's governance and a management structure they say conflicts with shareholder interests. Any decision will likely be appealed. CommonWealth has denied the solicitation's validity. The company declined to comment. Friday the shares closed at $22.29, $21.04 down 73 cents.
PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES generally face two choices when their cash exceeds reinvestment needs: Pay shareholders via dividends, which are double-taxed, or buy their own shares in the market, increasing the company's value to remaining shareholders.
Buybacks are generally considered a good thing, and companies typically play up an announcement of a large repurchase program. Often buybacks are heralded by the media -- Barron's not excluded; see Caterpillar above -- as potential positives for the stock price.
Sometimes they are, but sometimes they are not. A recent study suggests that the typical U.S. corporate buyback, at technology companies at least, hasn't returned much bang for the buck. Some firms appear to be very good at getting a positive return for their buybacks, but others have wasted capital on them, according to corporate advisory service MG Holdings/SIP in Summit, N.J.
The biggest problem with buybacks is that managements are not generally adept at timing them. They usually buy back stock when times are good and they're flush with cash -- and the stock price high, not coincidentally. But they shy away from buys when times are tough, cash dear, and the share price low. Paradoxically, the latter is when buybacks often give the best return.
Michael Gumport, who runs MG Holdings/SIP, conducted a study of $457.6 billion worth of buybacks executed from 2000 to 2012, in a sample of 232 mainly technology firms. Some 75% of them bought back stock and they paid 39% of their current equity market value for buybacks over that time.
Just over half, 51%, of the programs are now profitable, the study shows. Almost half are not, even as the market neared all-time highs at the end of 2012. For the group as a whole, after 13 years the repurchased shares today are worth 13% more than their cost.
That's not much of a return. Gumport adds that a good chunk of that 13% profit derives from a few large companies. Indeed, the typical company in the survey managed just a 7% profit on its buybacks for the 13-year period, he says.
The returns could even be lower. Gumport says that his study potentially overstates profitability because the raw numbers above don't take into account certain adjustments, a big one being forgone interest income on the cash used to buy back stock, among others. Once these are included, then buybacks since 2000 have for the most part provided little benefit to the stock price of the sample group overall. For some stocks, the buyback impact was negative, he says.
Nearly 49% of those companies repurchasing stock, he says, had buybacks that hurt stock prices, where the percentage penalty to equity value due to the cost of the buyback was larger than the percentage benefit due to the reduction in share count.
Among those with larger market caps, Verisign (VRSN) had the most profitable buyback program. The Internet-registry service spent $4.6 billion, the equivalent of 63% of its market value, to buy back 165.3 million shares at $27.55 each, for a gain of about $2.9 billion, or a 63% profit, on its buybacks. Friday, Verisign closed at $47.35.
At the bottom of the list, Dell (DELL) spent almost $36 billion, or 150% of its current market cap, to repurchase nearly 1.3 billion shares at $27.79 apiece. As a result, it's suffered a loss of $18.5 billion, or 52%, on its buybacks. Dell closed Friday at $13.31.
Gumport explains that future price moves will change the results. Investors should weigh buyback news against the stock's valuation. In many cases, had management just put the money in the bank, they -- and shareholders -- might have gotten a better return.
E-mail: email@example.com


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Take a mom of 3, stir in 4 vegan cookbooks, add a rounded cup of staying at home, and mix with a hefty pinch of recipe testing!
Monday, December 06, 2010
Replying to You and the Reviewer
I didn't write this post to fish for compliments or get reassurance, yet I know that you are caring readers and that I would likely receive uplifting comments. So, for that, first I thank you.
I wrote this post to express what I was feeling when I read that review. I generally don't get hung up on reviews. I have taught myself to read them, and move on. I have always felt that many people will like my work, others won't, and then others will greatly dislike it – that's fair as a cookbook author. I am bothered, however, when the reviews are not accurate about the content of my book, and also when the review paints a picture of me or my life that I view as unfair.
If a reviewer writes "this book isn't for me, I don't like her style of cooking, don't like her blend of flavors, and really didn't like the taste of "x" and "y" recipe, or there aren't enough photos in the book and she uses a lot of chickpeas"… all fair game in my opinion (I do like my chickpeas)! But, I have had a handful of reviews where I feel the review is the chance for someone to sit behind the veil of a computer and "release" about whatever, or even make slanderous statements. I feel that is unacceptable, even though I know it occurs routinely for authors.
To address the reviewer that commented on my last post... I appreciate that you altered your review. I'm sorry if any of the comments from my last post vilified you, but perhaps you now appreciate what it is like to be on the other side of the online review. I still do not agree with you that the majority of my recipes have at least one 'unusual' ingredient, but accept and understand that they might be unusual for you - fair enough. I suggest (and I am saying this in a friendly, not antagonistic, tone) that as a vegan, you might want to expand your repertoire of ingredients and cooking methods in the future, just so you have more to enjoy in what is available from vegan foods.
For everyone else, I thank you for sharing your loving and encouraging words, as you have done before and I'm sure you'll probably do sometime again! I only hope I reciprocate your goodness in some way through my blog and work.
Will move on to something a little more cheery and interesting for you in my next post!
15 comments:
- LizNoVeggieGirl said...
Love you, Dreena!!!!!!! I've got your back.
- Ryan said...
I agree on the "expanding your ingredients" suggestion -- when I get a new cookbook and see ingredients that aren't familiar, I don't think, "What a hassle!" I think, "Sweet, something new. Now where can I get it?"
- Jess - The Domestic Vegan said...
Great response, Dreena! You're very respectful & gracious, and it's your right to stick up for yourself against an inaccurate review. As you said, a negative review is one thing - but an unfair, baseless review is another.
Personally, "ED&BV" was one of the first vegan cookbooks that I bought, and I didn't find any of the recipes intimidating or particularly expensive. The unfortunate truth is that typically, eating healthy, organic food is more expensive than eating crap. But that's not the fault of your book, and one way to save money is to cook at home - which, of course, your books help us do!
Keep on keepin' on, Dreena. :) I love your work!
- Pretty Zesty said...
I am going to catch up with all of what has happened but I agree with you that a comment that says "there are too many weird ingredients" when it is a vegan book is an overused comment. If you aren't a vegan who would buy unknown ingredients (or have access to them) in the first place then the particular book is not really for you and you need something more mainstream. Whether it is good book or not. I have a lot of books that use ingredients that I'd have to search long and hard for but that's always fun! I'm off to read more!
ps I've been and on-again off-again vegetarian. Back to being on and trying vegan. I do have a soy intolerance though! If you have any thoughts on that I'd love to hear your thoughts. firstname.lastname@example.com
On unusual.
I avoid vegan cook books with this tag, and I buy a few, because I cannot obtain the ingredients here in Ottawa.
Not that I don't want to... but it just isn't going to happen. Especially on a student budget: I can't order them from afar.
That said...chickpeas are nice and substitution suggestions are very useful.
- Robi Smith said...
Dreena, thanks for writing these posts and especially for highlighting the values question around the cost of good food. I make the same decisions for my family. We scrape by financially, but we always eat beautiful, healthy food. One of our favorite meals at this time of year is baked squash, roasted potatoes, grilled green beans and veggies, with tahini lemon sauce. Complicated? Not at all. Taste better than most restaurant food, absolutely. Some people may balk at paying close more than $5 for an organic squash at the farmers market, or close to $30 for a litre of maple syrup, but the goodness in those basic ingredients make me and my family feel well cared for and wealthy in ways that we probably wouldn't if we chose the cheapest or more processed food options, even if it would save some money in the short term. (Long term I also think of good food as the best health insurance policy :)
- BugnLVoe said...
I didn't comment on the other post, but I just wanted to say, I don't find your ingredients unusual at all! Especially agave syrup, that's a staple in my house. Maybe the reviewer is young or new or a junk food vegan.
- London Mabel said...
Nice follow-up. And him too--I think his follow-up comment on your last post, and his willingness to tweak his review a little, made this one of the most relaxing Internets Sword Crossings I've ever read. Nice break from the usual drama. :-) Thanks!
- Carin said...
Regarding your ingredients that the reviewer thought were uncommon. That's the BEST part of the vegan dietary lifestyle, exploring new foods, new cultural ideas, expanding your world of food. To be vegan means not living with dietary blinders on.
- Janae @ Bring-Joy said...
Dreena, I know how it feels to be critiqued. Especially unfairly.
I hope that you will continue to use all of your "unusual" ingredients--they have expanded my repetoire and knowledge of foods, and I do love the combinations and flavors you've created. Just marvelous.
I say, different strokes for different folks. Perhaps this fella might be better suited with a baked potato and a side of steamed brocolli. Seriously, you can't please everyone's taste buds.
You're lovely and talented and I appreciate what you've contributed (and will contribute) to the vegan world. We need your pizazz and style in to inspire us in the kitchen!
- Kelli said...
The reason I bought your books is because the recipes look easy and consist of ingredients that I usually have in my pantry.
I recently unsubscibed from a yahoo group because some members would be mean sitting behind their computers and hitting "send" about things that they would never say to someone's face.
I have also found many Amazon reviews to be unhelpful. I don't even consider ones from people that have never cooked from the book.
Go make your kids and hubby something yummy, look at their appreciative faces, and give them a big kiss.
And know that you have many "friends" out here.
- Kelli said...
Oh yeah, you have mentioned that you are writing a new cookbook, and then this happened. What makes you or anyone else special at what they do is when they are themselves. So don't let this change what you do best.
- Heidi said...
Bring on the "unusual" ingredients for those of us who love to cook and add to our repertoire! I always end up realizing that those ingredients were just unfamiliar to me and yet easily found in my little Canadian city if I really look.
As a newbie vegan who has only just begun to collect vegan cookbooks, hearing that yours uses a lot of chickpeas just moves it higher up on my "buy a.s.a.p." list! :)
Keep up the fabulous work!
- North of 17 said...
I live in a small Northern Ontario Town, work full time and I am raising 3 young children under the age of 5. I am vegan. We have a small vegetable garden that we keep in our small backyard in the summer months.
I do not have any difficulty finding your ingredients at our local No Frills grocery store or local health food store. I take the time to eat and "slow cook" and prepare for my family because it is important to impose healthy food habits, chop fresh vegetables and not eat packaged foods with my family and friends.
Keep up the great inspiring work and it is important that our diets are diverse and healthy and your recipes do just that.
Keep up the great work.
To be completely objective, the reviewer was on to something about some of the ingredients being hard to find. In the town I live in, it would be like hell to try to find some of the ingredients you listed that aren't in a normal grocery store. I don't have a Whole Foods nearby- all my grocery stores are normal, everyday ones and perhaps he was in the same predicament I would find myself in.


text:
"I'll beat you to it", said one of my best friends and peer mentors who I saw Swades (2004) with. Well-qualified to speak to the Cape Canaveral, Florida, setting where he spent summers conducting research for his doctoral education, the Gandhian kept his word. Today, he teaches in India at one of these, and is actively involved in public service. I look up to him for his decision to give up a career with the glitz and glamor of Corporate America for a 'greater good'. And I'm in agreement with this scene being among the best in contemporary Indian cinema:
It's a strikingly fact-based portrayal of the real India. And it hits its audience hard. Because for all the buzz around India's progress as an economic power (which is undeniable), we tend to forget that what is much more impressive (in the true sense of the word) and frankly, more important, than India's GDP growth statistics or the flow of investment there, is that every day, 10,000 children die there. We could just as easily have been in their place.
We can blame their situation on government, or on the growing middle class (which increases the distance between the rich and the poor). We can choose to carelessly accept it and brand it under the 'so is life' school of thought. Or we can choose to learn from Swades, which provides a surprisingly easy recipe -- concurrent with Gandhi's teachings -- to convert patriotism and a caring attitude to tangible benefit for society. And take it upon ourselves to contribute whatever little we can (regardless of where we are), to a country that the World Bank estimates houses nearly a third of the world's poor. I say we start with helping organizations such as Child Rights and You. As a former board member (I have no shame in admitting I needed the reminder Swades offered), a special note of thanks to Javed Akhtar, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Hariharan, and Shaan, among others, for this.
On to less serious notes and fun highlights...
So the one film in which Shah Rukh Khan the actor overshadowed Shah Rukh Khan the showman also happens to be the only film starring him I enjoy more with each viewing. There were several instances such as the one noted above, and as many that were effective for what the dialogue contained as what it did not, a result of excellent cinematography.
Swades was about Mohan Bhargava (Shah Rukh), a project manager at NASA, who visited India to bring his nanny Kaaveri Amma (Kishori Balal) to America. His quest took him to Charanpur, where Kaaveri Amma lived with Geeta (Gayatri Joshi), a teacher at a school in the village. After living in the village for a few days, he returned to America. But with knowledge of the issues (that I'll leave to you to discover) the people of the village -- a microcosm of villagers throughout the country -- were confronted with, he felt he could make a difference. He had a decision to make. Would he do himself justice?
1. Shah Rukh as Mohan was fantastic. He looked and fit the part perfectly. The dialogue delivery was excellent, and the improvisation within the scope of the character, more so than in any other Shah Rukh film, enough to state that this is, to me, Shah Rukh's best performance of all time. It is by far (in caps now: BY FAR) my favorite. Since it is the exception, I have often wondered whether this as much because of Ashutosh Gowariker as anyone else. After seeing Jodhaa Akbar (2008), I think that just might be the case. Yet, let that not take anything away from the quality of acting here, which was top-notch. Well done, Shah Rukh!
2. The plot had so very many real-world scenarios Indians living abroad could relate to. From naturalization...
...to missing a nanny...
...and rebuilding life in a home away from the home country.
3. The film contained one of the best travel songs in Yun Hi Chala Chal, previously discussed at this link. It was also inspiration for an installment of the 'Song for each picture' series. The only thing that bugged me here was the placement of the Pioneer stereo. No, not because I have anything against the brand (long associated with quality, and I agree it is one of the good ones), but because it proved that even Ashutosh Gowariker is only human.
4. Honorable mention to Rajesh Vivek who played Nivaran. You might recall he played the role of Guran in Gowariker's Lagaan (2001). He was also part of Jodhaa Akbar (2008).
5. Gita was the kind of woman any true traditionalist would love. She loved and honored books. (Contrast with Sonali Bendre in Sarfarosh (1999) at #2 in this review, or with Dia Mirza in Dus Kahaniyaan (2007) at #5 in this review.)
She was humble but proud, beautiful but not vain, scholarly but traditional, and arguably as much if not more of a feminist than any of the Chak De India (2007) women. A living example of the kind of goodness (that some of us find fatally attractive) that is achieved when one understands that traditionalism and modesty can be complementary to modernity, if one so wishes. For that, she was as Indian as anyone. And for not jumping on the 'Indian culture is repressive to women' bandwagon while holding her own, I absolutely loved her!
Of course, also because she took joy in teaching, as evidenced by her smile here (I know, I know, it could just be that she's a good actor, but I have had no issues playing along). For her first film, she was brilliant. Contrast this frame with Azra in Mother India (1957), #11 in this review.
Kishori Balal as Kaaveri Maa was excellent, and even served as a catalyst for comic relief.
6. Also contrast the earth tones in Mother India with those employed here.
7. The bit where the villagers were shown Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973) was beautifully done. This should be very easy, but does anyone know or want to guess who this kid is?
Of course you know who this is!
8. While #7 led to Yeh Taara Woh Taara by Udit Narayan, which was amazingly well-choreographed, Saawariya Saawariya by Alka Yagnik stood out for its role in the plot. The song was also part of an installment of the 'Song for each picture' series. All the songs were excellent. Aahista Aahista is a great song to sing-along to, and Pal Pal Hai Bhaari was beautifully integrated. And the title song, Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera, was splendid. A. R. Rahman and Javed Akhtar are two of the best in the business, and their contributions here have stood the test of time -- the soundtrack sounds fresh four years later.
9. The unsung hero was the background score, which was later released as a separate album. In a film filled with emotions and in which cinematography is a critical element to set the tone (because the visuals are essential to add realism to the plot), the score is afforded prominence. And A. R. Rahman delivered in fine form. You might have sensed some of that in the video above.
Swades was the only film that left me wishing Shah Rukh made better and more meaningful films more often (one in five years will do). Although Chak De was very good, it did not get better with repeat viewings. Here is a populist who is under tremendous pressure to please his legions of fans, and takes few risks as a result. By definition, that means few, if any, films that are not formulaic. And that is understandable, especially because the response to Swades -- an outlier in his career -- was hardly one it deserved. Is it just me, or did Swades deserve better box office collections? Do you think the seriousness of the subject hurt it?
'Wow' is my only constant reaction to this film, for everything from the Shah Rukh who made it work, to the directing prowess of Ashutosh Gowariker (my favorite, for obvious reasons), fantastic music by A. R. Rahman, lyrical genius by Javed Akhtar, and the introduction of stunningly beautiful Gayatri Joshi, whose performance was arguably as integral to the film as any other.
The film is based on a true story (said to be inspired from the book Bapu Kuti which the film credits at the outset), but credit the film for presenting it to the masses in such a neatly packaged product. That it had no marked antagonists was very deliberate -- if, as religions teach, the more difficult forces to overcome lie within a person, Swades is a tremendous tale of the trials and triumphs of humanity. One of the best films of the decade!
Movie rating: 4.75/5 (Brilliant!)
My classification: PG (Clean as can be expected this decade)
Music rating: 4.75/5 (Excellent!)
Official website: swades.com
And finally...
Since I cannot share pictures from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, the next best thing would be to share replicas at Legoland California :) Have a great start to the week, everyone!


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