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Mercator's World - July/August 2000
July 1st 2000
BY SUSAN LUDMER-GLIEBE
Julie Ruff and Connie Brown admit that they didn't have a clue why two hippopotamuses should be swimming in the Atlantic Ocean en route to the New Jersey shore. It was all part of a day's --Actually several weeks' -- work. If hippos had some deep significance for their clients, a couple from Connecticut, then they were more than happy to oblige. Granted, the animals they painted on their canvas weren't the mythic creatures of a medieval bestiary, but they did somehow belong to the iconographic tradition that played a significant role in cartographic history.
Ruff and Brown, who own and operate Redstone Studios, are modern mapmakers with a lively, not-quite-irreverent-but-close-to-it approach to their work. But they utilize a formal, discursive, representative style that goes back centuries. The maps they make are geographically accurate (except for one where France and England abut Connecticut's Long Island Sound, but that's another story). And they fill their work with traditional decorative and cartographic conventions, such as cartouches, keys, inserts, and even a wind rose or two.
Ruff and Brown have produced maps of road trips, honeymoons, cruises, family adventures, successful marathon runs, family trees, wine tours, and maiden airplane voyages. "They're commemorative maps," says Brown. "No, they're more custom maps," counters Ruff in the easy banter the two constantly engage in. By whatever name, the maps they make are one-of-a-kind and very personal.
Paul Theroux wrote, "Cartography, the most aesthetically pleasing of the sciences, draws its power from the greatest of man's gifts -- courage, the spirit of inquiry, artistic skill, man's sense of order and design, his understanding of natural laws, and his capacity for singular journeys to the most distant places." It's a sentiment seconded by Ruff and Brown, but one they explain more simply. "Maps represent that borderline between art and science," they have noted, "and it is that area that interests us most."
The two women met a decade ago as neighbors in Chappaqua, New York, a northern suburb of Manhattan. "We both had children in school, and we worked on art projects together," Brown says. Both especially enjoyed scientific art --simultaneously, they mention charts and diagrams -- and both loved drawing. But neither had a formal art education, though Brown's grandfather had a studio in Connecticut where, at age three, Brown learned how to mix oil paints. Even at that tender age Brown knew she possessed some artistic talent. As she grew up, though, she realized she had no desire to work as a commercial or a fine-arts artist.
Brooklyn-born Ruff knew she wanted to take art classes when she went to college at Boston University, but was stymied in her attempt. "At that time, during the 1960s, if you were a declared sociology major you couldn't take art classes," Ruff recalls. That made as much sense as the university's former rule that women couldn't wear slacks to class. "Wear a skirt and stick to your major, I guess," Brown says with a laugh. In spite of the obstacles, Ruff served as director of the Children's Art Workshop in Mamaroneck, New York, during the 1970s and 1980s.
About ten years ago the women started a more formal relationship, working together to paint murals and cheap old furniture, which looked much better after they had finished with it. "We had a great time doing antiques, but our supply dried up," recalls Ruff. From time to time they painted maps on folding screens, so it occurred to them to do more cartography-related projects, though they weren't exactly sure what. "We looked at book after book of not only maps, but all kinds of scientific drawings. Sometimes we didn't know why we were doing it, we just liked certain kinds of images -- all scientific and most of them old -- and trusted that something would coalesce," Brown recalls.
When they decided to specialize in maps they read cartographic histories and visited a multitude of map exhibits. "There was a lot to master, and we had to teach ourselves," says Brown. After making a few maps for themselves as test examples, they began in earnest. That was about three years ago. "There was no turning back," says Ruff. "Plus, it was a hell of a lot easier than schlepping pieces of furniture all over New York."
That particular schlepping may have ended, but as inveterate travelers Ruff and Brown still move around quite a bit. "I've always had visions of faraway places in my head," says Brown, who just returned from a short visit to London while Ruff was off in St. Petersburg, Russia. They've both journeyed throughout Europe, South America, Asia, and India.
When Brown remarried two years ago, she moved to Hamden, Connecticut, about an hour and a half from Chappaqua. As a result, each woman now has her own studio, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Though the partners obviously enjoy each other's company and share humor and a close history -- they say they can talk nonstop all day long when given the opportunity -- they realized that two people can't really work simultaneously on the same map. However, they do consult on the phone daily and meet twice a month.
Separate studios allow individual time to think, research, sketch, make compositional drawings, and do much of the actual work. They use T-squares, acrylics (which they mix themselves), umber (to give the maps an old-fashioned feel), and unstretched canvas. Their cartographic techniques also tend to be low-tech and intuitive. "Over the years we've learned how to reconcile scales, if that problem comes up," says Brown. "That's essential, but mechanical. The rest, the aesthetics, took forever to master -- print and script styles, for instance. We studied them in map after map and then practiced them for hours and hours to get to the point where it's second-nature freehand."
She adds, "Every element -- cartouches, compass roses, borders -- we examined and practiced in the same labor-intensive way. Certain extrapolations hit us as we learned that we could employ the colors and design motifs of the place we were mapping -- China, India, Cuba -- to good effect. Cartographers used to do that to a limited degree, but not as an organizing principle." In a Chinese map, for example, instead of using Western-European-Renaissance decorative motifs, they utilized, more appropriately, Eastern ones, including Chinese key borders and a chop (seal).
Brown and Ruff definitely are not fuddy-duddies, but they do believe strongly in the pleasures of slower-paced methods. "We look back and we're grateful that our pace was unhurried," notes Brown. "We needed time to practice all this stuff and to allow ideas to percolate. There is some virtue in doing things by hand in the twenty-first century."
Looking around her studio, even a casual visitor notices the Shaker-like simplicity and lack of fussiness. Reference books include the well-thumbed Grammar of Ornament, by Owen Jones, British Country Maps, by Yasha Beresiner, and examples of eighteenth-century American maps from Douglas Marshall's Campaigns of the American Revolution: An Atlas of Manuscript Maps that Brown and Ruff extol for their subtlety and delicacy. "We like these maps because they were done on the go and made, not printed," explains Brown. "They're all handwork."
In fact, the handwork nature of their own maps and the resulting low production numbers suit them just fine. Redstone Studios finishes around thirty maps a year, and they're booked through 2000. "It's just the two of us," says Ruff, who affirms that it will remain that way. "We work well together. Our aesthetic has merged. We have fun. We're not going to start a factory."
Although Redstone Studios has received good press (including a TV spot onMartha Stewart Living), most clients learn of them by word-of-mouth. Others hear of them and wonder what it is they do. "When we go to parties people want to speak to us, not the brokers, not the bankers," exclaims Brown.
Perhaps it's because their profession is unique. They don't know of anybody else making similar kinds of maps. "People say, 'I'd love to do what you do!' and want to know how to make a map, you know, in three easy steps," says Brown. "I tell them that time -- lots and lots of it -- and curiosity are the magic ingredients. There's some artistic dash and lots of fun in this, but we're scholarly drones who spend hours alone working at a snail's pace, and I don't know how much fun our admirers would find that!"
People are especially curious and intrigued by the idea of biographical mapping. If everybody has a story, everybody's story can be mapped." All significant experiences take place somewhere geographically," Brown says. A more critical view might be that such personal maps are symptomatic of a solipsistic age. Be that as it may, biographical maps are rich terrain, and no one can be like any other.
Recently, for example, Brown did a diaspora map. It mainly depicted Germany and Poland, from whence the family had come, but also included inset maps of Israel, Seattle, France, and the New York skyline. All had personal significance for the family members, especially the individual recipient. Brown calls it an example of a "This Is Your Life!" map.
Most of Redstone's maps are commissioned for men by women. Brown thinks that's because maps are a form of art with which men feel comfortable. Usually, clients have a general notion of what they want. Many of the maps commemorate anniversaries, birthdays, or other significant life events. Ruff and Brown encourage participation, and usually there's lots of it.
"We're almost like biographers," explains Ruff. "It's alchemy for the clients, making their journeys through life hallowed somehow, transfiguring geography," adds Brown. Both point out that there's often a strong psychological component to the process as clients reflect upon their pasts. They send Ruff and Brown personal letters, photographs, and even other maps. They've suggested poems and offered reams of prose.
"We try to hone it down, because we don't want them to look like Liberace maps," explains Brown with a chuckle. The biggest map they've made, of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, was seven feet by ten feet, but most run considerable smaller, averaging three feet by four feet. Prices start at $4,000.
Many maps recount journeys, which isn't surprising, and some clients are hesitant to map beyond the exploration-discovery-travel box. "People think that if they haven't been to the Himalayas," Brown says, "their story isn't exotic enough."
In Human Nature in Geography John Kirtland Wright argues that the true geographer is distinguished by the possession of imagination -- or wonder -- toward the stimulus of Terra Incognita, which in some manner and form is converted into a personal Terra Cognita. By this he means simply that the true geographer is not merely a copyist, but brings reflection and meaning to the world described.
And when Ruff and Brown assist others in thinking about themselves, they find they usually learn a thing or two as well. Brown, for example, recently had the world of Cuban poetry revealed to her while working on a map of that island country. Ruff did a map for a client about his ancestors who had settled in Kansas. She admits she was initially a little unnerved by the project because she had to begin with a map of Kansas's counties, which are rather uniformly rectangular, and found this visually boring. But after working out a history that included cattle routes and wagon trails, train robbers and double murders, she got excited by what she was making and soon was as interested in the end result as the client was delighted by it.
He won't be alone. This summer Ruff and Brown are giving a workshop at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, part of the Summer Design Institute 2000, which is exploring how design can promote innovation, critical thinking, and visual literacy to educators and their students. "Maps are perfect to incorporate into the curriculum for science, history, mathematics, and for memory," says Monica Mundstuk, program coordinator for schools at Cooper-Hewitt, who said that Ruff and Brown were chosen on the basis of both their pedagogic and their mapmaking skills.
Sometimes the latter is tested. Brown mentions that she and Ruff weren't comfortable making a map commissioned by the Homestead Inn in Greenwich, Connecticut, because Germany and France had to be shown adrift in the Long Island Sound. The lack of cartographic accuracy didn't sit well with either of them, but there was a reason for the geographic scramble. "The chef was German and trained in France, and the wife, with whom we worked on the project, wanted those pieces of his life geographically represented," explains Brown.
The hippos swimming towards New Jersey were less problematic for the map artists. "They're imaginary characters that travel around with us" explains Susan Richmond who, along with her husband, commissioned A Map Commemorating the First 25 Years of Marriage of Christopher and Susan which now hangs prominently in the living room of the Richmonds' New Fairfield, Connecticut, home. The Hippos bring a delightful sense of whimsy to an otherwise geographically accurate map. It's something Ruff and Brown bring to their work --and life itself.
Susan Ludmer-Gliebe is a writer based in both New York and France and a regular Mercator's World contributor. The Web address for Redstone studios is www.redstonestudios.com.


In today's SBC Digest: Baptist associational emphasis has new name and dates on the SBC calendar; Lisa Harper shares "unlikely joy" in new LifeWay study of Job.
NASHVILLE (BP) -- News about associational missions was among the headlines during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Dallas, except for one action by messengers of importance to the 1,100 Baptist associations across the country.
What made the news: A recommended title was unanimously approved by the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders -- "associational mission strategist," or AMS -- to be considered by Baptist associations to supplant the title of "director of missions." The AMS designation was among an SBCAL study committee's recommendations to more accurately reflect the range of strategies being utilized by local and regional associations of Baptist churches.
Not garnering headlines, yet significant to Baptist associations, was a vote by messengers at the annual meeting to change the name and dates for the annual associational emphasis on the SBC Calendar of Activities.
The new name: Week of Prayer for Baptist Associations (formerly Associational Missions Emphasis).
The new dates will be the third week in October: for 2019, Oct. 20-26 (formerly in May).
The annual emphasis, said Ray Gentry, SBCAL executive director, underscores "the importance of cooperating together as sister churches to reach our local mission field and to pray for the association, its leaders and its ministries. … Southern Baptist missions cooperation and collaboration starts at home and goes forth to the ends of the earth."
In churches, the emphasis can highlight "what your association is doing to assist churches in advancing the Gospel -- whether church planting, mission trips and missions mobilization, church revitalization, school and community impact events, children's camps, church leadership development, etc.," Gentry, who also leads Georgia's Southside Baptist Network in McDonough, noted in comments emailed to Baptist Press.
Six years of undated resources, which can be utilized at any time of the year, can be accessed at www.ameresources.org through a partnership between the SBCAL and the North American Mission Board.
"There are themes, graphics, videos, sermon helps, bulletin inserts," Gentry said. The 2019 Week of Prayer for Baptist Associations theme is "Associations: Equipping Churches to Make and Mobilize Disciples," with next year's resources to be available on Dec. 1 of this year.
"The association is how Southern Baptist churches collaborate in their city/county/region to help one another in missional partnerships," Gentry said. "Associations assist pastors and churches in advancing the Gospel in a variety of ways, depending on their setting. Examples include, but are not limited to, providing a block party trailer for churches; pastors' conferences; leadership development for pastors, staff and church lay leaders; community impact ideas and assistance; associational mission trips and partnerships; and church planting and church revitalization helps, coaching, manpower and support."
NASHVILLE (BP) -- Bible teacher, author and speaker Lisa Harper was stirred to study Job after her daughter took a tumble down some stairs just before breakfast one morning.
Harper told the story to an audience of 9,000-plus women gathered in person and online for a release party for her newly published Bible study, "Job: A Story of Unlikely Joy" (LifeWay). Some 200 women attended the June 26 event at LifeWay Christian Resources' corporate headquarters in Nashville while thousands more watched online.
Harper recalled being home on a Saturday morning making pancakes for her daughter Missy, whom she adopted from Haiti several years ago.
Having called for Missy to come downstairs for breakfast, a few seconds later Harper heard a thud.
Missy had fallen down the stairs and as she wailed in pain, Harper began to panic and cry. It was in that moment she said she realized she doesn't handle pain well.
"The whole world is suffering," Harper told Christian recording artist Mandisa, who emceed the event. "As Christ followers, it's incumbent upon us to learn how to better deal with pain and suffering."
After Missy's tumble down the stairs, Harper spent a year studying the book of Job -- a man who suffered through the loss of his children, his livelihood and his home, as well as enduring physical affliction. The fruit of Harper's time spent poring over this Old Testament book is a seven-session Bible study to help people discover the redemptive aspect of Job's suffering.
"When Lisa first shared her vision for this study, we were intrigued with her approach to this book of the Bible," said Faith Whatley, director of adult ministries for LifeWay Christian Resources.
"Most people would view this book as hard to study because it's impossible to comprehend the pain and loss Job experienced. Lisa's way of pulling out the unlikely joy in the chapters of Job will give women a fresh approach on how to think about suffering. They will be able to see God working through trials and will give them a deeper faith to tell others about His amazing love."
And it is through this deep love for Job, Harper said, that God saw fit to test this man of integrity.
"Right out of the gate, God says to the enemy, 'Have you considered my servant Job?'" she said. "God nominated Job for pain. … Because God knows the end of the story, He knows how Job will walk out of it."
Just as it is part of the human condition to experience pain and loss, Harper expects for the study to lead to spiritual growth -- as God intended.
"Some of the things we go through that are painful [happen] because of the fall [in the Garden of Eden]," she said. "Sometimes, in the course of redemptive history, God is going to allow pain -- or even cause it, like He did with Job -- to come into your life, but He's doing it for your good and for His glory."
Compiled by Baptist Press senior editor Art Toalston, with reporting by Joy Allmond of LifeWay Christian Resources.


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Best Products Audio
194 people found this article helpful
The 6 Best MP3 Players of 2021
Access your favorite tunes for less
David Beren is a tech writer with 10+ years' experience. He has written and managed content for companies like T-Mobile, Sprint, and TracFone Wireless.
Best for Lossless Audio:
Berennis Bluetooth MP3 Player at Amazon
"A reasonably-priced way to hear your music at its full quality."
Best for Hi-Res Audio:
FiiO M6 at Amazon
"This MP3 player has a 3.2 inch IPS HD touchscreen that resembles a smartphone."
Runner-Up, Best for Hi-Res Audio:
Astell & Kern AK Jr at EBay
"If you're looking for great sound quality but still want to save some money, consider the AK Jr MP3 player from Astell & Kern."
Best Compact:
AGPTEK Clip MP3 Player at Amazon
"All the features of a solid MP3 player in a tiny package."
Best for Running:
SanDisk Clip Sport Plus at Amazon
"The clip on the back of the player is a convenient way to make sure it doesn't fall off your body while exercising."
Best for Exercise:
AGPTEK A01T at Walmart
"Sleek and slim, designed with six touch buttons and a 1.8-inch color TFT display."
About Our Trusted Experts
The Ultimate MP3 Player Buying Guide
There are plenty of reasons to buy a dedicated music player, like an MP3 player. For starters, there's the fact that not everyone has a music streaming subscription, and not everyone wants to use up their phone's storage space for music. Not only that, but while smartphones are considered pretty portable, there are much smaller digital audio players, or DAPs, that are perfect for things like taking on a run or going to the gym.
If you've decided that you want to buy a dedicated digital audio player for yourself, there are a number of factors to consider. Audio quality aside, you might also want to consider an MP3 player's overall design—elements like the display, the size of the device, and the ports being used might all come into play. Last but not least, you'll want to consider things like software, the amount of storage, and types of storage.
Here's our list of the best MP3 players for any budget.
Best for Lossless Audio: Berennis Bluetooth MP3 Player
Buy on Amazon Buy on B&H Photo Video Buy on EBay
Great sound quality
Good storage capacity
Slightly heavy
Berennis Bluetooth MP3 Player Review
If you have lossless files and want to take your music-listening experience to a new level, then the Berennis MP3 player offers a reasonably-priced way to hear your music at its full quality. This device has an output sampling rate of 44.1kHZ and a signal-to-noise ratio of 110dB. It supports all major audio formats, including MP3, WAV, FLAC, WMA, and APE. The device holds 16GB storage, but supports up to 128GB with a TF card and delivers 30 hours of playback on a single charge.
It has Bluetooth 4.2, and transmits a strong wireless signal to your wireless earbuds or speakers, without draining your battery. Just note that you can't play your iTunes music via Bluetooth unless you convert the files to MP3s. Reviewers love the built-in speaker and overall sound quality.
Best for Hi-Res Audio: FiiO M6
Buy on Amazon Buy on B&H Photo Video
Hi-res audio quality
Small and sleek
Full touchscreen
Internet connection and streaming app support
Tonality lags slightly behind the M9
FiiO M6 Review
If you're an audiophile who's already invested in high-end headphones and speakers, then you don't want to pair that with a device that plays compressed, low-quality music files—if your audio isn't hi-res to start with, then your music won't sound its best even with good equipment. Though it's pricier than some of the devices on this list, the FiiO M6 delivers next-level audio quality for those who want to play lossless music files.
This MP3 player has a 3.2 inch IPS HD touchscreen design that resembles a smartphone. With its design, feature set, streaming app support, and that excellent touchscreen, it's extremely well priced, and is actually one of the best value propositions on our list, especially if you're primarily concerned with audio quality. It delivers excellent performance, offers expandable storage, and can even be connected to another DAC.
The 7 Best Portable CD Players of 2021
Runner-Up, Best for Hi-Res Audio: Astell & Kern AK Jr
Very compact design
OS interface can be confusing
No internet connection for streaming
Astell & Kern AK Jr Review
If you're looking for great sound quality but still want to save some money, consider the AK Jr MP3 player from Astell & Kern. The design looks a little bit like the old iPod Nano but with some updated features (Bluetooth connectivity being one of the most important). This MP3 player comes in a rose gold color and is made from a super lightweight aluminum alloy, making it a compact option for athletes who want to take music on their workouts, or as a player to connect to your nice speaker system and tuck into the entertainment center somewhere.
The AK Jr has 64GB of storage built in, expandable up to 256 GB with a microSD card. This space is especially important if you want to take advantage of the audio quality by listening to lossless music files. The 3.1-inch touchscreen design has intuitive controls, but the interface itself can be more confusing to navigate as it is not a standard Apple or Android operating system.
Best Compact: AGPTEK Clip MP3 Player
Buy on Amazon Buy on Walmart
Includes armband
Clunky user interface
Agptek Clip MP3 Player Review
Measuring 2.1 x 1.3 x 0.5 inches and weighing only 4 ounces, the AGPTEK Clip is a compact MP3 player at a budget price. It has all the features of a solid MP3 player—including Bluetooth, FM radio, and about 30 hours of battery life—in an ultra-portable package. As the name suggests, you can clip the player onto the armband or a piece of clothing for a workout. The Clip provides 8GB of internal memory and up to 64GB with an external SD card. You'll also get support for lossless files in addition to MP3, WMA, APE, WAV, FLAC, and AAC formats.
Reviewers complain that navigation is not user-friendly and there's a bit of a learning curve. But most agree that for the price and size, it gets the job done well.
Best for Running: SanDisk Clip Sport Plus
Buy on Amazon Buy on Best Buy Buy on Walmart
Lightweight with convenient clip
Interface is difficult to navigate
Glitchy Bluetooth connectivity
Sandisk Clip Sport Plus MP3 Player Review
At only 1.28 ounces and 0.7 x 1.7 x 2.6 inches, the SanDisk Sport Plus is easy to clip on and go. It's also IPX5 water-resistant, meaning that it should still work even during a rainy day or a sweaty workout. With 20 hours of battery life from a single charge, long runs shouldn't be a problem, either.
Other perks for runners include a built-in FM radio and Bluetooth connectivity, which allows you to use wireless headphones—however, some reviewers caution that the Bluetooth doesn't always work. With 16GB of storage, SanDisk says you'll be able to store up to 4,000 songs in a variety of file formats like MP3, AAC, WAV, and FLAC. Some reviewers complain that the user interface needs work, but most agree that the sound quality is more than adequate for an MP3 player in this price range.
Best for Exercise: AGPTEK A01T MP3 Player
Buy on Walmart Buy on Walmart
Premium feel
Awkward UX and controls
Lackluster battery life
Limited file compatibility
AGPTEK A01T Review
Our tester called the AGPTEK A01T a great lossless MP3 for the gym. There's a built-in pedometer, Bluetooth 4.0 functionality, and even an included armband. The sleek design features six touch buttons and a 1.8-inch color TFT display. Our reviewer particularly liked the overall build quality.
It offers 8GB of storage, with support for up to 128GB with a microSD card, and can reportedly deliver up to 45 hours of music-playing or 16 hours of video-playing on a 1.5-hour charge. However, our tester found he only got a somewhat-disappointing 30 hours even with average use. In terms of compatibility, it doesn't support Apple-centric file types like M4A and AIFF. However, the sound quality was perfectly adequate for supported files and it has a surprising amount of volume headroom for the size, according to our reviewer.
"If you're looking for something you can load up with your MP3s and take it to the gym, leaving your smartphone at home, the build quality and convenience of this device fit that use case perfectly." — Jason Schneider, Product Tester
When it comes to finding a great digital audio player, there are a ton of options, and given the number of things to keep in mind, it might be a little daunting. If you want a player for ultra-high-quality audio the Sony NW-A45 Walkman will the purpose. It's expensive, but it has 24-bit hi-res sound. If you've decided on sports use or casual listening, then the Sony NWE395 is a great option, balancing price and sound quality well. On the very affordable end, both the MYMAHDI M350 is a decent MP3 player with low prices.
Our expert reviewers and editors evaluate MP3 players based on design, audio quality, storage, features, and more. We test sound quality across a range of playback, including speech and a variety of music genres, and analyze the built-in and expandable storage and feature set, as well as how well those features are implemented. We also consider the setup process and each antenna as a value proposition—whether or not a product justifies its price tag, and how it compares to competitive products. All of the antennae we reviewed were purchased by Lifewire; none of the review units were furnished by the manufacturer or retailer.
Jeffery Daniel Chadwick has been writing about tech since 2008. He's reviewed hundreds of products for Top Ten Reviews, including media players, home improvement, and audio gadgets. He was a big fan of the Sony NWE395 for its snappy interface and compact size, and the affordable MYMAHDI M350.
Jason Schneider has ten years of experience writing for tech and media companies. He's reviewed almost every audio product Lifewire has to offer, from headphones and earbuds, to MP3 players and sound systems. He liked the AGOTEK A01T, praising the amount of value the compact budget MP3 player offered.
We live in an era of amazing technology. If you have a smartphone and internet connection, you have access to the world's music, movies, TV shows, and more—all from the palm of your hand. But not everyone wants an all-in-one device. In fact, there are plenty of reasons to buy a dedicated music player, like an MP3 player.
For starters, there's the fact that not everyone has a music streaming subscription, and not everyone wants to use up their phone's storage space for music. Not only that, but while smartphones are considered pretty portable, there are much smaller digital audio players, or DAPs, that are perfect for things like taking on a run or going to the gym.
Then there's music quality. While most people won't notice a difference between the audio quality on offer from a smartphone and that played by an MP3 player, audiophiles will be the first to tell you that there can be a difference in things like clarity and detail, especially when the audio being played is a high enough resolution.
Lifewire / Jason Schneider
These days, perhaps the most common reason to buy an MP3 player is because of the fact that some of them offer heightened audio quality over devices like a smartphone. There are a number of elements that go into providing great audio quality, and sometimes, even when all the specs are right, a device can still sound bland. While it's important to educate yourself when it comes to audio player specs, we still recommend looking at reviews of a device before you buy it.
It's pretty common to see the phrase "hi-res audio," and that's thanks largely to the release of services like Tidal and devices that support high-resolution audio. Fully understanding audio resolution takes a degree or two, so we're not going to go into a complete analysis of how digital audio works. However, the gist of things is that digital audio is made up of a "sample rate" and a "bit depth."
The sample rate is basically how often information about audio frequency is taken, while bit depth determines the dynamic range of digital audio. That's to say, the higher the sample rate, the "smoother" audio will sound, while the higher the bit depth, the more dynamic it will sound.
There's also the bitrate, which basically determines how much information related to digital audio can be captured. The higher the bitrate, the more information that's captured—resulting in full-sounding audio. When a bitrate is lowered, less information is captured, but the file size is ultimately smaller. Thankfully, bitrate doesn't really play into buying a music player, as devices will be able to play all bitrates, provided they have enough storage.
Head spinning? You're not alone. If you just want to know what to look for from a music player, look for a device that can play at least audio with a 44.1kHz sample rate and a 16-bit bit depth. That's CD-quality audio, which is pretty good for most people. For those looking for higher-quality, hi-res audio, you'll want to find a player that can handle audio of at least 96kHz and 24-bit. There's not the true definition of "hi-res audio," but 96kHz/24-bit support is a good start—and any more than that is even better. And if what you're really looking for is a budget MP3 player, then just know that the audio quality will most likely be lacking.
Most MP3 players can play a set of core audio formats, but it's those extra formats that may dictate the audio player that you buy. Audio formats fall under three categories: lossless, lossy, and uncompressed. Lossless audio is compressed in a way that cuts down on the file size but still allows music players to recreate the full, uncompressed version. Lossless audio formats include FLAC and ALAC.
Lossy audio, on the other hand, cuts down on file size even more by sacrificing some of the audio information and simplifying the data in the file. The result is a lower-quality audio file, which can be noticeable, depending on how compressed the file is. Common lossy audio files include the famous MP3, AAC, and WMA.
Last but not least is uncompressed audio, which doesn't do anything to the audio file in order to save on space. When you're buying a high-quality audio player, these audio formats are the ones you'll probably use most. Uncompressed audio files include the likes of WAV and AIFF.
You'll want an audio player that can play at least most of these formats. You may also want the player to support DSD files, which is a format of high-resolution audio.
The DAC, or digital-to-analog converter, is basically the device that turns a digital signal into something that the human ear can hear. Not all DACs, however, are created equal—some are better than others, and some are much better than others. Most people use a DAC all the time without knowing it. They're built into phones, computers, and, of course, dedicated music players.
So how do you know if a DAC is good or not? Well, you don't. Really what finding a good DAC comes down to is sound, and some simply sound better than others. One differentiating factor, however, is that an audio player has a dedicated DAC at all. Some simply use the DACs built-in by chip manufacturers. Some take things a step further still, and feature dual DACs, or even quad DACs—and these are likely even more focused on high-quality audio.
There are, thankfully, a few tried-and-true brands. ESS, for example, has been building DACs for some time now, and they're known for their high quality. ESS Sabre DACs are featured in portable music players from the likes of Onkyo, while many other manufacturers, like Astell & Kern, and HiFiMan, build their own DACs. If you're looking for a music player with high audio quality, one from a company that builds their own DACs is probably a good way to go.
Lifewire / William Harrison
Audio quality is important, but depending on what you're doing, the design might be equally as important. The design doesn't just refer to how a device looks—it also relates to functional choices that the manufacturer has made.
Here are some of the most important design elements to keep in mind when buying an MP3 player.
The size of an audio player could have a big impact on how and when you use it. After all, if you're looking for a music player to take to the gym or to take running, you probably won't want an overly large device. If all you care about is a high level of audio quality, then size may not be as much of an issue.
On the smaller end of the spectrum, you'll get devices like the SanDisk Clip Sport, which is a few inches tall and about a 1.5-inches wide. On the larger end, however, you'll get the Onkyo DP-X1, which is around 5-inches tall, 3-inches wide, and .5-inch thick. The trade-off? The SanDisk device, while fine for sports use, isn't really built for audio quality. The Onkyo DP-X1 features Dual Sabre DACs, a full version of the Android operating system, and so on.
The display on an audio player probably isn't as important as the display on a smartphone, but if you want to watch videos on your device or simply prefer looking at a high-quality display, then the display might be a consideration for you.
There are a few display aspects to consider. For starters, you'll want to think about the display's size. While most audio players probably have smaller displays that measure less than 2-inches diagonally, some players have displays of more than 4 or 5 inches.
You'll also want to think about whether or not the display is even a color display. Some displays are simply there for functional purposes—like on the HiFiMan SuperMini. Others, however, are really built to heighten the user experience, like the display on the Onkyo DP-X1, which is as good as the display on many smartphones.
Last but not least is display resolution, which basically dictates how clear an image is on the screen. The higher the resolution, the better the picture. This is probably not a big deal for those looking for a budget device, but it's worth noting.
Of course, it's important to remember that some MP3 players don't even have displays—like the old Apple iPod Shuffle. That may not be that big of a deal for you, but you'll probably be a little limited in how much control you have over your music.
If you own and use a smartphone, then you may find it easier to control an audio device that has touch controls. Not all of them do, but there are a few, like the aforementioned Onkyo DP-X1.
Other devices may not have touch controls, but they're still built to be relatively easy to use. Some probably have playback buttons to quickly and easily control music when it's playing, while others will have buttons to scroll through menus. No matter what the setup is, it'll probably be relatively easy to figure out how to use the device. However, if you want maximum ease of use, then a touch-control device is probably the way to go.
While you probably don't need a ton of ports on your device, you will need a few. For starters, you'll need a charging port. Most audio players use the MicroUSB port, which has been the standard for some time now. Despite this, manufacturers will likely start adopting the USB-C standard at some point in the near future. USB-C is more convenient, because it's reversible, plus it's faster when it comes to data transfer. It's not worth buying or avoiding a device just because it has USB-C, but it's still a nice bonus to have one.
Of course, when it comes to an audio player you'll also want a headphone jack. This isn't really a feature you'll have to look for—if you're buying a portable music player it will have a headphone jack. But you might also have other audio ports, too. Some offer a 2.5mm balanced output, which may offer a slightly better audio quality and a little more power. Ports like this are really only built-in for audiophiles, and they're different sizes so that you don't accidentally put in a pair of standard headphones, which could do serious damage to the headphones. To make use of the port, you'll need to buy specially balanced headphones with a 2.5mm jack.
While most DAPs probably don't have any kind of water resistance, if you're buying a device for the purpose of doing things like going running or going to the gym, you may want some kind of water resistance. After all, who says a little rain has to prevent you from exercising?
Most devices that have water resistance at all will have a rating of IPX7, which allows it to be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for as long as 30 minutes, or IPX8, which allows for immersion in up to 3 meters of water for as long as 30 minutes. Safe to say, you won't want to take these devices swimming, but they should be perfectly fine in the rain.
Some DAPs, on the other hand, are specifically built for swimming. Some manufacturers sell modified versions of the iPod Shuffle for swimming, while others, like SYRYN, build their own waterproof players. If you plan on using your DAP a lot around water, perhaps these are a better option for you.
Other Features and Considerations
There are a few other features to keep in mind when buying a digital audio player, and they could play a big role in how useful your digital audio player is to you.
The amount of storage you have on your digital audio player is important, especially if you have a lot of music and want to store high-resolution audio files that generally take up a lot of space. Most audio players these days use solid-state storage, which is good news for those who intend to take their audio player with them. Spinning disk hard drives can break with too much movement.
More important than the type of storage, however, might be how much there is. If you plan on really only storing MP3 files and have less than 1,000 songs you want stored, then 8GB to 16GB may be plenty for you. If, however, you want to store WAV files and have a large library of music, then you'll want much more than that. In that case, we recommend going for at least 64GB, which should be able to store around 2,000 CD-quality WAV files, and higher quality audio will take up more than that.
Software can have a significant impact on the overall user experience, though for more basic devices with only smaller, monochromatic displays, that may not matter.
Some DAPs feature fully-fledged operating systems that can do much more than just play music. The Onkyo DP-X1, for example, features a full version of Android 5.1, meaning it can do pretty much anything an Android tablet can do. Not only is that good for the overall user experience, but it also makes it easier to stream music through music streaming apps and download high-resolution music files without the need for a computer.
In general, most devices will have proprietary software developed by the manufacturers of the devices. That software will probably work fine for navigating through music and displaying album art, but probably not for much else. If you want a more fully-featured device, you'll need to specifically search for an Android-powered device, or find a second-hand iPod Touch.
Wireless connectivity will often go hand-in-hand with software. Some DAPs feature Wi-Fi radios, meaning that you can connect to the internet as well as download and stream music. Wi-Fi connectivity could also be helpful for things like software updates. Devices like the iPod Touch and Android-powered devices will most-likely have Wi-Fi connectivity built right in.
Best known for premium iPhones and Macs, Apple isn't usually a name associated with "budget" products. However, if you're looking for an affordable entry into the iOS ecosystem, the latest generation iPod Touch is a great option that gets you all the apps you've come to expect from Apple—along with a very capable MP3 player.
AGPTEK offers an impressive lineup of affordable MP3 players known for their durable build and solid sound quality. You can find ones in a variety of storage capacities and physical sizes, as well as models that offer features tailored for exercise.
Best known for flash memory products, SanDisk also makes great budget MP3 players all with a convenient clip to make running easier. With several storage options and compatibility with a variety of file types (not iTunes, though), people love this brand for its prices and simple functionality.
The Sony Walkman brand is perhaps the most well-known when it comes to music players. You can find ones with some incredible features and pay into the thousands of dollars, but there are also some affordable options that offer the same great quality that Sony is known for.
When it comes to finding a great digital audio player, there are a ton of options, and given the number of things to keep in mind, it might be a little daunting.
If you've read through this and still aren't quite sure what to get, then we have some recommendations on narrowing down the choices. First, decide whether you want a player for things like casual listening and sports, or for ultra-high-quality audio. If you've decided on sports use or casual listening, then find a budget device with the most storage and right size within your price range. If, however, you prefer to go for a high-quality audio solution, then figure out a budget, and find a device with the features you want—like dual or quad DACs and tons of storage.
Of course, there's one thing to make sure not to forget, and that's a great pair of headphones. If you're going to be using your device for sports, you'll want a pair of sports headphones, and if you're using the device for high-quality audio, then you'll want a pair of audiophile headphones, which can cost hundreds of dollars.
No matter what you're looking for from a digital audio player, there's sure to be something out there for you, and you can certainly find a great device at a budget-friendly price.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Yes, a billboard company actually sued the city of Portland back in 1998. In order to understand the law before 1998, one has to understand that in 1986, Portland exempted murals from billboard advertising restrictions. This meant that the murals were not regulated as signs and were seen as art. The reason why Clear Channel Communications (Portland's largest billboard company) sued the city was because content-based regulation of speech was unconstitutional. With this change in law, it made murals almost impossible.
Fast forward to 2004, the city's mural sign codes were being challenged by Joe Cotter and other artists. The result of this fight was the Public Art Murals Program that is administered by the Regional Arts and Culture Council. At the time, Clear Channel took the city back to court and argued that the program was unconstitutional. This unfortunately brought it back to the previous court ruling.
In 2009, the court ruled that murals exist as an art form. With a new mural policy in place all a muralist needs to do is pay $250 for a city permit or go through the RACC (Regional Arts and Culture Council), get permission from a building owner and notify the neighbors. Murals may be dropped from the sign codes, but still have regulations and have to meet certain requirements.


April 16-18, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.
Erin Manning is a dramaturgical collaborator on Dust and a philosopher. She holds a University Research Chair in Relational Art and Philosophy in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University (Montreal, Canada). She is also the director of the SenseLab, a laboratory that explores the intersections between art practice and philosophy through the matrix of the sensing body in movement.
Pre-show demonstration on April 18, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.
Peter Price's video design for Dust uses infrared sensors to "see" the dancers as they move about the stage, projecting color fields that change in hue and saturation based on the dancers' location in space and the intensity of their movement. Before the show on Saturday, April 18, ticket holders are invited to arrive at 7pm to dance with our technology and learn about how it works.
Time expands, narrative shimmers forth and slips away with a seamless interplay between movement, music, and visual design.
Working with the original recording and a cast of five dancers, choreographer Megan Bridge explores the dark, hallucinatory, and the quirky, mundane world of composer Robert Ashley's opera Dust. The work's complex rhythms and distinct musicality carry a strangely ebullient and humorous tone despite subject matter that includes war and a drug induced conversation with God. Along with a video design that responds in real time to the dancers' movement, Dust is boldly transformed into a new kind of performance.
Robert Ashley was known for the distinctly American voice, language patterns, and structures of his operas.
<fidget> cofounders Megan Bridge and Peter Price have created twenty original works of multimedia dance theater. They have performed their work regularly on tour and at home in Phildelphia, where they also run an experimental, interdisciplinary performance space.


Back L-R: Elder Petersen, Elder Wafula, Elder Torrie, Elder ______, Elder Ford, Elder Rasmussen, Elder Lyman, _____, ______, _________, President Msane, Elder Manu, Elder Pavik, Elder ______, Elder Hales, Elder Emmanuel, Elder _)_____, Elder Limu, Elder Kiio, Elder Arudo, ______, __________. Middle L-R: Sister Petersen, Sister Torrie, Sister Ford, Sister Lyman, Sister _______, Sister Msane, Sister _______, Sister Alinyo, Sister Were, Sister _____, Sister Kiio, Sister ___________. Front L-R: Elder Musonda, Elder Mwashi, Elder Kiio, Elder _________, Elder Mwaja, Elder Chenani, Elder Lotulelei, Elder ________, Elder ________.
Our first Zone Conference! It was great. A zone is an area covering several "districts" and "districts" have several companionships of missionaries. There are 16 companionships in the Nairobi Zone (so 32 but actually 33 missionaries since one companionship has three missionaries). Then when you count the 4 senior missionary couples (including us), that's 41 missionaries plus the President and his wife.
At a Zone Conference, which is held once a quarter, we receive instruction from the Mission President and his wife and from the Assistants to the President. The theme of our conference was "Obedience is a Choice." Elder L. Tom Perry, of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles said that obedience "is a choice between our own limited knowledge and power and God's unlimited wisdom and omnipotence."
Elder Boyd K. Packer, another of our Apostles (who recently passed away), said, "Obedience is powerful, spiritual medicine. It comes close to being a cure-all." I like that. So important to obey. With obedience comes safety and a multitude of blessings.
Another thing from Zone Conference: "We teach people, not lessons." And another: When we are asked to do something by the brethren (who speak for the Lord), we should ACT and not just ask WHY. Then, as we act, the answers to the "why" will come from the Lord to us individually or from the brethren who speak for the Lord. It's actually quite simple.
Fun to help Sis Msane feed all those hungry missionaries!
No one wanted to leave after the conference. Fun to be together. Here they're helping carry things from the kitchen to the vehicles. Back L-R: Elder Lotulelei, Elder Hales, Elder Pavik, Elder Rasmussen, Elder Arudo, Elder ______. Front L-R: Elder Mwashi, Elder ______, Elder Emmanuel.
Fun missionaries -- black and white. And by the way, it's politically correct to say Black Africans and White Africans and then of course there are the Mzungus (the white foreigners). Back L-R: Elder Hales with Elder Mwashi in front, Elder Musonda, Elder _____, Elder Emmanuel, Elder ________. Front: Elder Odundo.
Everyone likes to get in on the fun. Back L-R: Elder Hales, Elder Pavik, Elder Rasmussen. Front L-R: Elder Mwaja, Elder Mwashi, Elder Musonda, Elder ______, Elder Emmanuel.
Four of the five American missionaries in the Nairobi Zone: Elder Lotulelei, Elder Hales, Elder Rasmussen, Elder Pavik. Just missing Elder Manu (who is also very tall). He must have already left.
Elder Chenani with Elder Torrie and me. It's fun to meet the missionaries after weeks of getting their documents ready prior to their arrival in the mission. I always get to see their photos and then it's interesting to actually see them in person. Elder Chenani was one of 14 new missionaries who arrived in June. He's doing great!
Wow, that elder is SO TALL! And it's interesting to see the building materials (construction). Wow.


Mike White of suburban Milwaukee owns Rite-Hite, a Milwaukee-based international manufacturing company. He serves on the boards of the the Village of River Hills, the Milwaukee music festival Summerfest and Concordia University Wisconsin's foundation.
Says that with President Obama's re-election, state and federal income tax rates for some taxpayers will rise "to roughly 65 percent."


text:
void bootstrap_draw( const std::string &message, Animation *SplashScreen = NULL );

namespace CockpitKeys
{
void SkipMusicTrack( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void PitchDown( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void PitchUp( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void YawLeft( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void YawRight( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void LookDown( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void LookUp( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void LookLeft( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void LookRight( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void Inside( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void ZoomOut( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void ZoomIn( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void ZoomReset( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void InsideLeft( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void InsideRight( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void InsideBack( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void SwitchLVDU( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void SwitchRVDU( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void SwitchMVDU( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void SwitchULVDU( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void SwitchURVDU( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void SwitchUMVDU( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void CommModeVDU( const KBData &, KBSTATE );
void ObjectiveModeVDU( const KBData &, KBSTATE );
void TargetModeVDU( const KBData &, KBSTATE );
void ManifestModeVDU( const KBData &, KBSTATE );
void DamageModeVDU( const KBData &, KBSTATE );
void GunModeVDU( const KBData &, KBSTATE );
void MissileModeVDU( const KBData &, KBSTATE );
void ScanningModeVDU( const KBData &, KBSTATE );
void ReverseGunModeVDU( const KBData &, KBSTATE );
void ReverseMissileModeVDU( const KBData &, KBSTATE );
void ViewModeVDU( const KBData &, KBSTATE );
void ScrollUp( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void ScrollDown( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void Behind( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void Pan( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void PanTarget( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void ViewTarget( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void OutsideTarget( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
void Quit( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );//deprecated with new menu ?
void TextMessageKey( const KBData&, KBSTATE newState );
///QuitNow()could be reused with a state
///so lets do it now . ezee
void QuitNow(Gamestate state);
void Menu(const KBData&, KBSTATE newState); // back to menu now !! by ezee
}

struct SavedUnits;
void AddUnitToSystem( const SavedUnits *su );
void createObjects( std::vector< std::string > &playersaveunit,
                    std::vector< StarSystem* > &ssys,
                    std::vector< QVector > &savedloc,
                    vector< vector< string > > &savefiles );
void destroyObjects();
void InitializeInput();
void main_loop();
void restore_main_loop();

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
MALS Interdisciplinary Journal
3way: Texxtured thing-power, blank-eted, & how do I make sense of theory, how does theory make sense of me?
Critical Analysis
By: CZ Posted on May 23, 2018 May 23, 2019
Texxtured Thing-power: How do I make sense of theory, how does theory make sense of me?
"I am drawn to the ethnographic experience of the mundane, to the constant encounter with juxtapositions in people's lives which, for cultural theorists, ought to be incommensurable and contradictory, yet appear to be lived with and accompanied by little more than a shrug of the shoulders. Perhaps things "shouldn't be this smooth." Daniel Miller, Materiality; Why Some Things Matter.1
While living in France in 2008, I found myself ambling slowly through the streets of Paris on a warm fall night. Strolling along a cobble-stoned alley, I came upon the opened back of a box truck, inside of which a particularly a neatly folded stack of blue-black blankets with white stitching flanked the left side. I stood, eyes fixed on that which I hadn't really noticed before. The blankets before me were not unusual, they are the very ones that tend to cloak artwork and other precious goods in transit from warehouse to gallery, or house to new house. But my attention was locked; a momentary realization; these blankets are quilts! This recognition, although personally striking to me, is not unique, but rather a common experience; admiring something simple in a new light, partaking in the pleasure of reflection of that which I had not considered before. It allowed me to contend with the ways in which I frame my world daily; what do I notice, what fails to catch my eye, what do I care for, and why? The study of materiality is at once a compounding of these moments; and a delving into the deep work of unearthing how material "works as a mechanism for social reproduction and ideological dominance" as Daniel Miller writes in Materiality; Why Some Things Matter.2
As humans, we live within the affective power of textiles, through our individual developments of personal relationships with material goods, through our favorite shirts, our inherited family heirlooms, and through standing too long ogling at blankets. This power, or thing-power, as Jane Bennett names it in her book Vibrant Matter, functions beyond our purview, escaping our frenzied attempts of understanding the busy work of meaning making. When considering the experiential phenomenon such as my moving blanket moment, I keep circling back to a few core elements; the ungraspable nature of non-specificity evident in ubiquitous items such as moving blankets, and the questions of capacity and agency that present themselves in this ubiquity. Questions emerge at every turn; what is the productive capacity of ubiquity, as self evidenced in a moving blanket? Is this cloak of "general use", and our conceptions of utilitarian objects a form of waste, and can the unpacking of these utilities be considered a type of waste management? How does human understanding of individual objects relate to the ability of the object to be used, and by whom? To attend to these questions, I will be closely considering the moving blanket through Jane Bennett's frame of 'thing power' as noted, and Renu Bora's delineation of TEXTURE and TEXXTURE, expanded upon in his essay "Outing Texture" within Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's Novel Gazing: Queer readings in Fiction. These sensual theories that give objects agency help to make sense of the containers that things exist within, and how objects can subvert their own histories.
Moving blankets, also known as elevator wall pads or furniture pads, are most commonly found in an ultramarine blue, top-stitched with a requisite white zig zag and a ¼" polyester binding. Unlike other quilts, and yet very still much a quilt, a moving blanket is an object of utility, anonymously protecting objects, people and spaces as they pummel through time and transverse distances. Moving blankets are noticeably absent from the holdings of the very museums and galleries they are tasked with polishing, protecting, and reinforcing, although they have become the subject of several artistic endeavors in recent years.3 Moving blankets have a multifaceted pluralistic utility; they are used domestically and in the workplace by those who ensure safe passage of objects deemed art, and in doing so, recede to the background. Musicians may use them to soundproof garages, filmmakers might wrap their camera equipment while en-route to the next set, and art handlers interact with them daily as they cover frames of paintings or carefully wrap sculptures to move and through a gallery or museum. These cloth coverings typically exist outside of the purview for "care" of objects, which is constituted in this context by the relative importance that an object has for individuals in a personal capacity, as well as how its lifecycle is attended to. The moving blanket in the gallery is used until it can no longer provide adequate utility, once it is threadbare, or full of paint or glue it is no longer "useful," at which point another, fresher, cleaner one is acquired.
While touching the moving blanket, does the art-handler feel the work of many hands that recycled and processed the fibers that constitute the moving blanket, or smell the oil in the factory machine rooms that the blanket moved through during its production? Does empathy present itself while using this ubiquitous item? These emotions and sites exist as a part of the nexus of production; small points on a map isolated that make up a larger picture of what the product really is. Akin to common objects one might find in a dollar store, moving blankets are deemed unremarkable; similar to the white crew T-Shirt, the assorted white athletic sock, the cut-end cotton wet mop-head, size 24. The aforementioned goods are defined by their basic product type; they do not beckon further questioning, and are often seen as just what they seem to be. I believe these objects belong to sub-set of consumer textiles, which I will refer to as nonspecific textiles. These textile items exist in stark contrast to carefully tended-to family heirloom quilts or one's favorite T-Shirt; thus transgressing common categories and definitions.
The term nonspecific was first used in the Journal of Sociology in 1968.4 Specific, on the other hand, was first recorded in use over 300 years before, in 1651, and stems from the Latin. Nonspecific seems to have more recently entered the English semantic imaginary, as something of a modern phenomenon. Delineations of specificity are elucidated through use, coupled with cultural connotations of appropriateness; one would be hard pressed to find a moving blanket adorning a bed in the way an heirloom quilt might, or in an upscale boutique, featured amongst items that are considered decor for the home. With a lack of defining characteristics that establish one from another, the nonspecific object transverses class distinctions. Nonspecific items are classified by their relative ubiquity, for instance; one could argue that everyone has a white T-Shirt. Semantically, these objects can be referred to using the same terminology for both grouping and individual items. Calling something nonspecific affects the way an object is seen, often rendering it invisible in relation to other, more precious objects. The precious object calls for a tracing of its own history, one might ask, where did you get that beautiful family-heirloom quilt? Who made it, when and with what materials? Nonspecific objects may populate the backdrop of commonplace life, but are not held closely as artifacts we craft deeper relationships with, nor are they theorized about.
Jane Bennett issues a resounding call in Vibrant Matter, imploring humans to rethink the tropes that allow us to compartmentalize objects of import and ubiquity, to sculpt matter and material as 'inert'. Bennett questions delineations of matter as "raw, brute", incessantly turning, tumbling, and examining concepts of 'life' and 'matter', "so that a vital materiality can start to take shape," in what she describes as the philosophical branch of her two pronged effort. The next fork in the branch is that of the political, and involves questioning of how our world would change if we "took seriously the vitality of nonhuman bodies?"5 Bennet calls on Bruno Latour's concept of the actant, "a source of action that can be either human or non-human", and strides away from the historical questioning of subjectivity, which can be seen as "an ego-centric quixotic endeavor" by her estimation, to instead focus on the "active power issuing from non-subjects."6 Bennett's advocating for vibrant matter comes from a dismantling of the framework that conditions humans to participate in such anthropocentric practices such as incessant environmental degradation. This ever-present "vibrancy" has the power to ennoble, degrade, aid or destroy, and even demand human attentiveness or respect.7 Bennett chronicles her goals;
To paint a positive ontology of vibrant matter" in turn taking to task notions of "agency, action and freedom
Crafting openness to aesthetic-affectiveness to materiality through binary busting (life/matter, will/determination etc.)
Drafting of inclusive political analysis for the contributions of nonhuman actants.8
This expansive definition of vibrant materiality also encompasses impersonal affect, that which is not specific to human bodies. Arguing that this definition (borrowed from Deleuze & Guattari as well as David Cole,) is equitable to materiality itself, and not a substitute for it, materiality in this context is detached from "passive, mechanistic or divinely infused substance."9 In carving out how this careful work will be undertaken, Bennett invokes a certain weirdness, and Adorno's 'clownish traits', coupled with a willingness to tread lightly when it comes to 'demystifying', for that inquiry is built upon the notion that at the end lies "human agency…illicitly…projected onto things."10 At the crux of this idea of 'thing power' is a duality; the capacity for both a "recalcitrance of things" and "a positive, productive power."11 Through this lens, thing-power is the ability of objects, outside of human purview, to transcend simple labels as objects, and morph into a state of real "independence or aliveness."12 Thing power, not tethered to one item or group of items, is the ability of things to engage fully as actants or non-human players. A moving blanket is a ripe example of vibrant matter. Recently, I was fixated on the guts of a torn moving blanket on my street in South Brooklyn, I think in that moment, I started to realize the object was constituted most especially of complex and interlocking actants, or the convoluted innards that make up its "fill."
This center, or what we might call "the meat" of the moving blanket is borne of scraps and recycled bits from the textile and fashion industries. The procuring, processing and production of the fill is the most elusive element in the construction of this hyper-object. This fill is a product of an industry run by intermediaries known as "rag and bone men", who convert clothing and textiles deemed undesirable by one group of people into new end use products.13
Often times the path to this end material can be one where objects are reconstituted several times before becoming shreds:
"A woolen jumper which lasts seven years can be recycled into a wool coating fabric, which can be made into an overcoat that is good for perhaps ten more years. The discarded overcoat can then go on to become a blanket, which can again yield service for ten years. The blanket can then be recycled as filling for furniture or bedding or perhaps as the insulation or soundproofing in a motor car. So a wool fiber, starting life on the back of a sheep, can have a useful life of 50 years before nothing more can be done with it." 14
Only after "nothing more can be done with it" is a textile item deemed useable by the 'shoddy' (rag) industry, an industry invented by Benjamin Law in England in 1813.15In shredding factories, these forgotten items become rags for machines, and dismantled into fill for any number of car doors, furniture upholstery and other luxury goods. As mentioned, the raw material that comprises the fill will often circumnavigate the globe several times before it's shredded into the fluff that stuffs a moving blanket. This material and the labor that surrounds this processing occupies a liminal space between industries, as Lucy Norris notes in Cloth That Lies: The Secrets of Recycling in India, "the export of used Western clothing for the shoddy industry is arguably an international trade in waste products, but those involved deny this definition and conceive of it differently."16
The production of this fiber filling is a site of transfer, mystique and labor. The end result is concurrently subverted through its inclusion as the stuffing of ubiquitous items such as the moving blanket; "ever ready to respond to challenges in the market to create new hybrid products whose origins remain deeply obscured."17 Daniel Miller unpacks how this fracturing "creates the basis for new materials, but also releases their symbolic and social significance, so that fragility and reconstitution are made available again as warp and weft;" or in the case of the moving blanket, its padding; the very stuff which delineates it as both a quilt and a utilitarian item.18
My concern here lies in the translations from object hood to non-object hood that are presided over in these processes of transformation. As Lucy Norris notes, "it is not that people do not recognize that clothing is often transformed back to fibre and rags, but it is assumed that that constitutes the end of our concern for the social life of clothing."19 In this translation, items which once held such specific power, (clothing) can be eviscerated from their previous contexts, and morphed into a new product with different powers. What happens to our relationship this vibrant matter in this space of translation?
Renu Bora's essay "Outing Texture" in Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's book Novel Gazing, explores the charges that objects hold by unpacking notions of texture:
"How a static object or material could store this life, in a sense is puzzling, for in its remembrance, its variability of compression or stretch, it seems to have a mind of its own…The material world is saturated with labors, and there are many ways in which one can unspring or perceive this labor."20 As the textures shift, our relationship to the labor it signifies, and the labor of care, changes.
Additionally, Bennett's concept of thing power is expanded upon here, to include capacity to store 'life', as evidenced through the inherent physical properties of use and wear, making a thing both capable of affecting, but also of remembering. Bora argues that the reflexive nature of TEXTURE, and also between object types inherently possess "narratives of transformation."21 This textural exploration comes from a close read of the sensuous affective powers of touch and desire as surmised in an exploration of Henry James's The Ambassadors. The question central to Bora's inquiry into the powers of Chad (the erotic tease in James' novel) also help guide his look at TEXTURE; "(1) How did he [it] get that way? (2) What do I want to do with him [it]?"22Bora's stare bores holes in surface, "what surfaces had done to them that made them that way," and why this might help to indicate how we might want to interact with these surfaces. Surface inhabits an ability to conceal and reveal, Bora details, "in my describing perception I discover something like the flesh of objects."23This flesh, gives way to bifurcation of texture, which Bora aptly describes as TEXXTURE. Bora outlines the language of texxture as we know it, describing how "temporality (also human consciousness, embodiment, movement, and therein style) is intrinsic to the meaning of materiality."24 Through this unpacking of texture in relation to sexual fetish and as it exists within the liminal space on the borders of touch and vision, Bora calls on TEXXTURE as the ability of surface to not elucidate any clear meanings or history, a purposeful obfuscation of its lineage. Bora describes it as; "I name it TEXXTURE to signal the way it complicates the internal."25
TEXXTURE, in Renu Bora's eyes perfectly describes the innards of a moving blanket in relation to its utility as an object. Its history can be linked to a very logical path of production; however, somewhere along the line this pathway of production has become obscured. The story of how it was is visually absent in the final product, thus elucidating a moving blanket's fill as a TEXXTURE. What happens when multiple TEXXTURES collide, do they collude, absolve into one another and bursting into new forms of vibrant matter?
The moment something becomes visible or identified is the moment it loses that stickiness, that space that has been "consistently ignored by Western Philosophy, the gap between concept and reality."26 To watch this space might look like treading lightly on the work of 'de-mystification', which tends to get to project humanistic properties supplanted for an object-oriented-ontology. If we assume thing-power to be innate; then what of nonspecific textiles? If things want, does passing as a quilt; a utilitarian object; allow something like a moving blanket to take on a deeper capacity?
If I follow Bennett correctly, than the production of nonspecific goods is inherently an artifact of "material recalcitrance".27 It would also appear to be the unfortunate natural progression bemoaned by Marx, for goods to be continually removed from the process of production, resulting in their being increasingly 'fetishized'. The endless cycle of production of nonspecific textiles such as moving blankets appears to reinforce the notion that "cultural forms are themselves powerful, material assemblages with resistant force."28 These waste products (ie:old clothing), belong in the vibrant matter in this matrix, just as I find evidence of Renu Bora's texxture while unpacking of Jane Bennet's thing power. Materiality is not a cog in a wheel, but is building worlds as much as any of us humans might, the effects of which ripple outward, vibrant as the matter from which they transpire.
Outside of our field of vision and our purview for care, moving blankets don the cloak of ubiquity as a form of invisibility. Perhaps they desire to be read or pass as something 'unremarkable' as to halt further questioning or fetishization. Desire such as this presents invisibility as form of waste, for being read as visible is a form of productivity, where things can be mapped onto the matrix of utility within a hegemonic and heteronormative capitalist structure. This shimmering vivacious vibrant matter; the moving blanket and its elemental parts; the fill, the stitching, the ultramarine top-layer, are themselves actants. Every element bears evidence of care, from the top stitching of its outer layer to the perfectly padded fill, similar to a mended shirt, a homemade meal, a well-written book. These signs of labor are indistinguishable from typical care, aside from the affect they produce in us. Renu Bora's comparison of TEXTURE AND TEXXTURE comes to mind; "…these categories are intertwined, often in supplemental relation."29 Moving blankets want to be nonspecific, as human actants might. Walking down my street in South Brooklyn, I watch the hands of careful mover, slipping a blue blanket over possessions, and I think of the power of this nonspecific object, its fluidity as flexible as its object hood, its agility for multifaceted existence non existence as ever present as its many utilitarian applications. As a queer person, I desire this invisibility as much as I understand the power of visibility in a oppressively straight culture. Where passability as 'normal' can be an issue of life and death for some, others argue that visibility will help thrust gay agendas to the center stage. Ideological and tactical spectrums aside, I ache for the capacity to silently signal jam, constantly tiptoeing on the fine line between passability and blatancy, rendering illegible the traces of particular gender ideologies and norms. I walk by quietly, the moving blanket stares back.
Daniel Miller, Material cultures: why some things matter (London: Routledge, 2003), 14.
Ibid 12.
Clynton Lowry, "Custom Moving-Blanket Jacket" Art Workers of New York Unite! In Hyperallergic, December 11, 2015, https://hyperallergic.com/259838/art-workers-of-new-york-unite/.
"Discover the story of English, More than 600,000 words, over a thousand years," Home: Oxford English Dictionary, accessed January 27, 2017, http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/128115?redirectedFrom=non%2Bspecific#eid.
Jane Bennett, Vibrant matter: a political ecology of things (Durham: Duke University Press, 2010), ix.
Ibid, ix.
Ibid,ix.
Ibid x.
Ibid,xiii.
Ibid,xiv.
Ibid, 2.
Jane Bennett, Vibrant matter: a political ecology of things (Durham: Duke University Press, 2010), xvi.
Norris, Lucy, Cloth That Lies: The Secrets of Recycling in India, Clothing as Material Culture, ed Susanne Kuchler and Daniel Miller (New York: Berg, 2005), 88.
Ibid, 92.
Ibid, 102..
Daniel Miller, introduction to Clothing and Material Culture, ed Susanne Kuchler and Daniel Miller (New York: Berg, 2005), 9.
Norris, Lucy, "Cloth That Lies: The Secrets of Recycling in India", in Clothing as Material Culture, ed Susanne Kuchler and Daniel Miller (New York: Berg, 2005), 83.
Bora, Renu, " Outing Texture," in Novel Gazing: Queer Readings in Fiction by Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1997, 100.
Ibid, 102.
Bennett, Jane. Vibrant matter: a political ecology of things. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010.
Buskirk, Martha. The Contingent Object of Contemporary Art. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003.
"Discover the story of English, more than 600,000 words, over a thousand years," accessed April 27, 2017, http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/128115?redirectedFrom=non%2Bspecific#eid.
Jenss, Heike, and Christopher Breward. Fashion Studies Research Methods, Sites and Practices. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016.
Küchler, Susanne, and Daniel Miller. Clothing as Material Culture. Oxford, UK: Berg, 2005.
Lemire, Beverly. Cotton. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2011.
Miller, Daniel. Materiality. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2005.
More, Charles. Understanding the industrial revolution. London: Routledge, 2000.
"Nonspecific," Dictionary.com, , accessed April 27, 2017, http://www.dictionary.com/browse/nonspecific.
Schor, Juliet, and Douglas B. Holt. The Consumer Society Reader. New York, NY: New Press, 2000.
"Søg / Search." Textile and Theory – University of Copenhagen. Accessed April 27, 2017. http://ctr.hum.ku.dk/nyhedsliste/news_extended/nordic_abstract/.
Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. Novel gazing: Queer readings in fiction. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1997.
Thomas, Nicholas. Entangled Objects. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991.
United States. National Recovery Administration, Author. Proposed Code of Fair Competition for the Furniture Warehouse Shipping and Moving Industry as Submitted on August 31, 1933. 1933.
Weidlich, Lorre M. The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 109, No. 432 (Spring, 1996), 202-203.
Woodard, Thomas K., and Blanche Greenstein. Twentieth Century Quilts: 1900-1950. New York: Dutton, 1988.
CZ explores intricacies of material culture, as textile researcher, educator and maker. Currently a professor at the City College in Brooklyn New York, CZ also partners with the Textile Arts Center and BRIC to explore radical pedagogy and textile history. Callen co-runs the collaborative roving design collective non/studio and is always carrying too many books on the train.
Categories: Critical Analysis
Muslim-American Subjectivity on Serial: Double-Lives on Both Sides of the Hyphen
A Fantastic Homecoming: An intertextual analysis of 2001: A Space Odyssey
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According to KHOU, 10 children were injured and taken to the hospital in Harris County, Texas on Tuesday after being involved in a three-car collision.
The accident occurred in northwest Harris County when a vehicle rear-ended a daycare van and then hit an SUV.
Ten children were taken to the hospital, nine of whom were in the daycare van. The remaining child was in another vehicle.
None of the children sustained life-threatening injuries. Currently, the cause of the accident is unknown as the Harris County Sheriff's Office is still investigating.
There was a 2.78% decrease in the roadway fatality rate in Texas between 2012 and 2013.
There were 1,883 deaths in rural traffic accidents.
There was at least a death a day on Texas roadways.
1 person was killed every 2 hours and 36 minutes and 1 person was injured every 2 minutes and 16 seconds.
232,041 people were injured in auto accidents.
1 crash was reported every 71 seconds.


In December 2010, SAS shipped SAS Enterprise GRC 4.3. SAS Enterprise GRC 4.2 (formerly called SAS OpRisk Monitor) shipped in July 2010.
For instructions on how to upgrade to this new release, see the SAS Enterprise GRC: Administrator's Guide at http://support.sas.com/documentation/onlinedoc/securedoc/index_egrc.html.


text:
Q: compare sample mean and sample median as estimators of µ
Under symmetry, $F^{−1}
(0.5) = E(X)$. Compare the sample mean as an estimator of µ
  to that of the sample median ($F^{−1}
(0.5)$) for n sufficiently large, assuming that
  $X_i$ ∼ Z = N(0, 1), i = 1, . . . , n, iid.

I know that the sample mean is an unbiased estimator of µ, but I'm not sure how to deal with the sample median. It seems the sample median is also unbiased as an estimator of µ, then what should I do to compare them? Can anyone give some hints? Thanks.

A: Yes here are some hints:
Sample mean is the maximum likelihood estimator if the data at hand follows a Gaussian distribution. On the other hand, sample median is the maximum likelihood estimator of the mean if the data follows a Laplace distribution.
In your question the mean and the median are the same. So both estimators will be able to approach to the true parameter, as long as there are enough data samples, i.e. for large $n$.

Given two unbiased estimators which one is better?

The one which has the lowest variance and hence the lowest mean squared error (MSE).
Added: Regarding Batman's comment, one may want to see this answer as well.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I love this time of year--lights, parties, music, treats (have you tried the white chocolate peppermint m&m's? DELISH), and yes even the cold weather! But sometimes the hustle and bustle can get to me. I have so much to get done and not ever enough time to do it! So that is when I rely on my go to items to give me the boost I need.
I say this all the time, but having a nice smelling house is important to me! I have candle melty thingy's, plug ins, candles and room sprays all over our home. This year I found this room spray (at Walmart) and it is the BEST!! It's the scent of Christmas in a spray! Just a spritz here and there and I forget how busy and grumpy I am and start singing Christmas carols!!
Ok, this may seem silly but I love these Cover Ups! I found them at the dollar store. They are like shower caps for your bowls. I have so many bowls without lids so when they need to be covered I had to try to use foil or plastic wrap. Now I just pop and little elastic shower cap on the bowl and it's good to go. I seriously LOVE them!!
Are you a big water drinker? Well, you are way better then me because I'm not! But these Mio water additives make drinking it so much easier. My kids even drink water now because they like using a variety of flavors. There is something everyone in my family likes and that is a miracle!
Every year I anxiously await the holiday scents from Bath and Body works. This Holly Berry Wreath is one of my favorites scents ever! I find myself washing my hands all the time just to smell it!
And my most favorite thing is the notepad on my iPhone. I have to write everything down- from grocery lists to funny things my kids say. It's so handy to quickly jot a note!
I will try those cover-ups too! How convenient!
Candice! it's so good to see you~thanks for joining us :) I will have to check the room spray out..yumm! I have to say, I have never heard of the cover ups or the Mio~I'll have to check them out. You always have great recommendations. Merry Christmas!
Thanks for the tip about the room spray! I've been looking for something small to stick in the bathroom for guests (haha!).


New government data show how the Golden State compares to the rest of the country—and it's not even close.
When it comes to solar power in the U.S., California's in a league of its own.
The home of Hollywood, Yosemite, and the Golden Gate Bridge also boasts almost half of the nation's roughly 20,000 megawatts of overall solar capacity, new data from the Energy Information Administration show. Even more striking, in both types of utility-scale solar—photovoltaic and thermal—California operates more capacity than every other state combined. The next runner up is Arizona, at one-fifth of California's solar might.
This is more than a fun fact, because it didn't happen by accident; the solar supremacy resulted from years of policies carefully designed to nourish the fledgling clean power sector and take it mainstream. California passed a law in 2006 to cut the state's greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. That forced a slew of other policies to make that goal possible, like laws to compensate customers who produced more power from rooftop solar than they consumed and requiring utilities to purchase a certain amount of power from solar plants. Last year state leaders also set a goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030.
That level of determination puts California in the ranks of countries like Denmark and Germany, which have made clean energy a major national priority. But the good news for the other states is they don't have to worry about inventing a model for solar success: they can look at what California did and find ways to adapt it to their local needs. In fact, that's vital to the success of U.S. commitments to fighting climate change.


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Moving Image[remove]86
See Other Contributors75
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-18271
Handel, George Frideric, 1685-17591
Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759.1
Live sound recordings.[remove]86
Filmed performances.35
Operas.29
Concert films.20
Filmed operas.14
more Genres »
Cook Music Library, Jacobs School of Music Performances[remove]86
Music Library86
No linguistic content27
You searched for: Format Moving Image Remove constraint Format: Moving Image Collection Cook Music Library, Jacobs School of Music Performances Remove constraint Collection: Cook Music Library, Jacobs School of Music Performances Genres Live sound recordings. Remove constraint Genres: Live sound recordings.
1. 10th Annual Indiana International Guitar Festival and Competition : final round: Christopher Mrof... (1:39:14)
2. [Program, 2014-2015, no. 572]. (1:19:40)
Haydn, Joseph, 1732-1809
3. Alcina (2:24:18)
Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759.
Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759
5. An Alpine symphony (1:12:21)
Strauss, Richard, 1864-1949
6. An evening of music by Franz Schubert. (1:03:06)
7. Ariadne auf Naxos (2:12:24)
10. Ariadne auf Naxos (2:14:20)
11. Benjamin Britten's War requiem op. 66. (1:38:40)
12. Celebrating the life of David N. Baker. (2:09:55)
13. Chamber music recital : students of the Historical Performance Institute (2020-11-08). (1:37:00)
14. Computer music recital (2019-12-08). (1:27:14)
15. Concentus Baroque Orchestra, Nigel North, director, Julie Andrijeski, orchestra leader (2017-02-19). (1:01:20)
16. Concentus, Dana Marsh, director (2020-11-14). (1:11:00)
17. Concentus, Joanna Blendulf, director (2020-10-11). (1:03:00)
18. Early Music America Emerging Artists Showcase (2018-05-26). (1:40:24)
19. Faculty chamber music recital : Joanna Blendulf, viola da gamba, Cléa Galhano, recorder, Elisabet... (59:53)
20. Faculty/guest recital : Julia Bentley, mezzo-soprano, Kuang-Hao Huang, piano, Chi Wang, composer ... (1:20:12)
Wang, Chi, 1985-
21. Faculty/student recital : Joshua Bell, violin & leader (2017-02-28) (1:13:17)
22. Festival Orchestra, Ingrid Matthews, director (2018-05-27). (1:41:41)
23. Giulio Cesare (2:29:59)
25. Hansel and Gretel (1:50:01)
27. Indiana University Baroque Orchestra, Stanley Ritchie, director (2020-10-18). (52:36)
29. Indiana University Chamber Orchestra, Alexander Kerr, leader (2018-09-12) (1:07:39)
30. Indiana University Classical Orchestra, Stanley Ritchie, director, Eric Hoeprich, basset clarinet... (1:13:30)
31. Indiana University Concert Orchestra & Indiana University Oratorio Chorus, Thomas Wilkins, conduc... (1:02:46)
32. Indiana University Concert Orchestra, David Dzubay, conductor (2018-12-05). (1:11:42)
34. Indiana University Conductors Chorus, Anthony Ferriera, Jingqi Zhu, Caio Guimarães, conductors (2... (56:36)
35. Indiana University Jazz Ensemble, Brent Wallarab, director, Oliver Nelson Jr., flute (2020-09-21). (1:04:00)
36. Indiana University Jazz Ensemble, Greg Ward, director (2020-10-05). (52:23)
37. Indiana University Latin Jazz Ensemble, Wayne Wallace, director (2020-10-12). (1:03:00)
39. Indiana University New Music Ensemble, David Dzubay, director & Notus Contemporary Vocal Ensemble... (1:16:56)
40. Indiana University New Music Ensemble, David Dzubay, director and conductor & ÓNIX Ensamble, Alej... (1:40:56)
41. Indiana University New Music Ensemble, David Dzubay, director and conductor (2019-09-26). (1:01:20)
42. Indiana University Philharmonic Orchestra, Arthur Fagen, conductor (2019-09-11). (1:07:59)
43. Indiana University Philharmonic Orchestra, Federico Cortese, conductor (2016-12-07). (1:11:33)
44. Indiana University Philharmonic Orchestra, Indiana University Oratorio Chorus, Carl St. Clair, co... (1:12:48)
45. Indiana University Philharmonic Orchestra, Stefan Lano, conductor (2017-04-19). (1:33:16)
46. Indiana University Symphony Orchestra, David Neely, conductor (2018-02-14). (1:09:49)
47. Jazz celebration : Brent Wallarab Jazz Ensemble ; Plummer Jazz Quintet ; Honors Combo (2018-04-21). (2:07:31)
48. Jazz celebration : Faculty/student jazz ensemble ; Faculty/guest combo ; Special guest, John Clay... (2:08:00)
49. Jazz celebration : Indiana University Jazz Celebration Big Band, Indiana University Jazz Celebrat... (1:37:11)
50. Jazz celebration : IU Jazz Alumni Hall of Fame (2016-04-34). (1:29:48)


Our charity has been commissioned by RDASH (Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humberside NHS Foundation) to develop and deliver a community eating disorder service across Doncaster, Rotherham and North Lincolnshire. Currently, there is limited support for eating disorders in these areas, so we are pleased to be expanding our charity to help and support local people.
"Very clear and concise information about each of the main eating disorders. Students questions were well answered which enabled them to understand the key issues. A well planned session with active tasks and open discussion. One of our students disclosed that she is suffering from an ED and this is now being dealt with. I would love to work with SYEDA again in the future." Sheffield school teacher.
If you work in Doncaster, Rotherham and North Lincolnshire and would like to know more about the education and training programme, please contact Christie Rossiter on christier@syeda.org.uk or 0114 2728822.


The National Weather Service's forecast for the Holland area for today, Feb. 1, calls for a chance of snow showers, cold temperatures, and wind chills below zero.
We can expect a 50 percent chance for snow showers through mid-morning. Skies will be mostly cloudy.
Today's high will be in the upper teens, but wind chills will remain below zero, dropping as low as minus-10.
For tonight, a slight chance for snow showers before 8 p.m. Temperatures will begin to rise overnight, reaching the mid-20s by early Saturday morning.


In December of 2014, the Marching Patriots will be representing the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the memory of all those who served on the U.S.S. Virginia battleship, at the Pearl Harbor Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii. This is an incredible honor for our students, and will truly be a "once in a lifetime" performance.
The official letter from the Pearl Harbor Parade selection committee can be viewed here. You can help the band by donating on their website.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 12th, 2014 at 3:25 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I have Shared this on the SEAF page. Thanks for the info.


text:
https://rocketswire.usatoday.com/2018/02/08/daryl-morey-comments-on-houstons-quiet-trade-deadline/
Daryl Morey comments on Houston's quiet trade deadline
Ananth Pandian
February 8, 2018 4:55 pm CT
[jwplayer Mocd0Dwf]
While teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers completed major trades hours before the trade deadline on Thursday, the Houston Rockets did the exact opposite by making no deals.
For Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, the reason the Rockets didn't pursue any trades was simple. The Rockets are happy with their roster and the mid-season addition of Gerald Green was the only move Morey needed to make.
From Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
With this season's Rockets considered their best since the championship era – the Rockets on Wednesday reached 40 wins faster than any team in franchise history – Morey found no deal that could make his team immediately stronger, his primary motivation for this season's trade deadline.
"That was our primary, if not only objective," Morey said. "Given the very small pool of players that teams would be willing to give up that we feel could improve our team, you're already down to a handful of players. It's a very small universe. As I said, it was going to be very unlikely we would do something this year."
It's hard to argue with Morey's decision not to make any trades, especially since Houston is second in the West with a record of 40-13. Plus the Rockets have great team chemistry and trading a player for another, may have added more risk than reward.


The mild weather is finally here, daffodils are in full bloom and that means event season is kicking off! Our first event in 2019 was the 10K & 5K run with Rushcliffe Running Festival. The team were snapping away against the beautiful (but rainy) backdrop of Rushcliffe Country Park and over 13,700 pictures were captured.
Ultra Tour of Edinburgh Event Photos This weekend we're in the beautiful city and hills of Edinburgh for our final event of the 2018 season. Taking Ultra Tour of Edinburgh Event Photos is a great way to draw our season and the Rat Race Events season to a close. We'll be up in the Pentland Hills as you reach the summit of Allermuir Hill and we'll be waiting for you around the city too. This tour de force of Edinburgh has plenty of fantastic backdrops to choose from so don't forget to smile as you plod around all 55km! Pre-register with us here and you'll be entered into a draw to win all of your event photos for free! Runners up will all save 10% off digital downloads for a limited time too.
It's a triple event photo weekend! We're lining up for another bumper weekend with three fantastic events to shoot. We kick start the weekend by returning to Rat Race Survival Nottingham. Participants can pre-register here to save 10% off digital downloads. On Sunday we'll be photographing the Prince's Trust Palace to Palace Ride between Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Riders can pre-register with us here. Also taking place on Sunday is the Stand Alone 10k . Pre-register here! Don't forget, everyone who pre-registers for an event will be in with a chance of winning all of their event photos for free!
Muddy Mayhem Event Photos This weekend we return to County Durham for Muddy Mayhem where we'll be taking photos as you splash, slip and slide your way around the course. Participants can pre-register with us here for the chance to win all of their photos for free! Runners up will all save 10% off digital downloads too. We'll also be back in Yorkshire this weekend to capture images at the Velo 29 White Horse Sportive. Riders will take on one of Yorkshire's most infamous climbs past the North York Moors' very own white horse! Riders can pre-register here for the chance to win their photos for free.
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I often receive emails from individuals wanting to know how they can communicate better in a relationship. My response to that question is a simple one, but maybe one that is easier said than done — just listen. The problem I see with most couples is that they simply don't listen to each other, which causes other communication problems.
In a relationship, there are two people. You can only be responsible for your part in the conflict, and your partner is responsible for the other. Couples may have a misguided perception that a good relationship must be spontaneous and, if it's not, something is wrong. This couldn't be further from the truth.
A healthy relationship requires work from both partners. Not every couple will communicate in the same way. How you are able to communicate with each other is determined by each of your personalities, life experiences and upbringing.
In order for a relationship to work, you must share information about your wants and needs. The key is knowing how to share that information and actually listening to what your partner has to say in response. Often this is the point where couples have trouble. In order to communicate with your partner successfully, you have to learn how to adapt to each other's way of communicating and practice active listening.
• Being defensive. When we feel threatened, we become defensive. It is important your partner knows that you respect their opinion. You don't have to agree with it, but at least respect that they feel or think that way.
• Having a negative outlook. If your attitude is one of being negative, then it will be difficult for your partner to believe that you really care about the relationship. Instead express gratitude and appreciation for your partner and you may see the same in return.
I believe that we can all learn to listen more and talk less. Taking the time and patience to learn how to communicate with your partner may mean the difference between a healthy and happy relationship that works out or one that doesn't.
Michelle Aycock is a licensed psychotherapist. Her office number is 912-233-4294. Her website is coastaltherapist.com. Submit a parenting question at michelle@coastaltherapist.com. She has a blog at savannahnow.com/blogs/parentingtip.