Russian Sledges

You might remember that reader Gayle Ferguson is fostering five tiny kittens abandoned at a gas station at the age of only three weeks. Reports are that they are all doing well. There are four females and a male, and the male is named Jerry Coyne. So of course I take a special interest in my namesake, and, like any proud parent, will bore you with his baby pictures:

Here he is with his littermates; Jerry is the ginger cat asleep in the rear:

According to Gayle, Jerry Coyne is not a fastidious eater, and pretty much besmirches his entire cranium with milk when he drinks from his dropper. As Gayle noted on her Facebook page:

“Little Jerry Coyne is hilarious. He has such a big fat round tummy and such fluffy fur. When he walks around he looks like a little orange, fluffy sausage dog.”

That’s cute, except for the d*g part!

Got milk? All Jerry Coyne needs here is an Oreo:

A postprandial yawn:

Time for a postprandial nap:

Jerry is, again, the one who’s sleeping here:

Since I have no human issue of my own, I hope that whoever adopts Jerry Coyne will keep his name. That will be my legacy!

***

Reader Joe from Williamsburg, Virginia (home of my alma mater) sent this horrifying photo of Basement Cat. He has come to extract vengeance from Ken Ham:

I saw this photo this morning on my cousin’s Facebook page. I didn’t even wait to read the details of how the moggie came to be peering through the floor. I figure Professor Ceiling Cat needs a cosmic antagonist, but not one with the same rank. Or tenure. Hope you get a kick out of this. I did.

sushiesque posted a photo:

Russian President Vladimir Putin tries to calm a leopard cub after two journalists are attacked during a visit before the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Shutterstock

As the cost of college remains exorbitant, recent trends indicate schools in the United States are trading tenured professors for non-academic administrative staff. It's pretty clear where American colleges have their priorities, and it's not in academics. Students are paying more to attend schools that are spending less to teach them, and instead spending that tuition money on administration.

According to a new report from the New England Center for Investigating Reporting, “the number of non-academic administrative and professional employees at U.S. colleges and universities has more than doubled in the last 25 years.” Meanwhile, full-time tenured faculty positions are at the lowest rate in 25 years, while the prevalence of adjunct professors – part-time, non-tenured professors – is at its highest. In fact, according to the American Association of University Professors, “more than three of every four (76 percent) of instructional staff positions are filled on a contingent basis," meaning without tenure.

The rise of adjuncts and decline of tenured professors has been ongoing for decades:

The reason that non-tenured professors are so much more popular than tenured faculty is simple: they’re cheaper. Adjunct professors, especially, make very little. Most are paid on a per-course basis, making somewhere between $2,000 and $5,000 for each course taught.

The result is an income a fraction of their tenured counterparts. Universities and colleges can get the same number of courses for a much lower price, slashing their bottom lines. Of course, the quality of those courses is questionable, as adjunct professors often juggle inconsistent schedules overfilled with courses (which they take on in excess to earn a higher income), and adjuncts often find themselves without even the most basic things, like adequate office space for student meetings. Nor do most adjuncts receive typical employee benefits. The story of Margaret May Vojtko went viral late last year after she died without health care coverage and drew significant attention to the plight of adjuncts in the U.S. They’re stretched to the absolute limit while trying to teach a full load of courses, which puts the quality of their teaching at risk.

So on what are universities and colleges spending the money they save from employing non-tenured faculty? The answer, it would appear, is administrative staff. Schools have dramatically increased the number of non-academic administrators whose duties lie outside the classroom and research lab. Sure, they’re saving oodles of cash by turning to part-time professors instead of tenured faculty, but according to Donna Desrochers, a researcher at the Delta Cost Project, “other factors that are going on, including the hiring of these types of non-academic employees, have undercut those savings.”

Schools are spending more on “non-academic employees” while cutting costs on instructional staff. What’s more is that this comes at a time when inflation-adjusted tuition has nearly doubled over 25 years. Universities and colleges are bringing in more money, only they're committing it to administrative staff rather than instruction. 

Photo by Jeremy Wee via Shutterstock. 

It always starts the same way—you're at a nice bar with your special lady friend or your dude, and you order a drink. And how wonderful that first drink will be after a long day! You just want to sink down into it like a moonshine jacuzzi.

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2013 was the year of gin here in Hong Kong, and 2014 looks like it is becoming the turn for sherry, signaled by the recent opening of a chic, innovative jamón and sherry bar, Ham & Sherry. Located in one of Hong Kong’s trendiest dining areas, Ham & Sherry sees the pair behind 22 Ships successfully collaborating again. Designed by iconic architecture firm Neri & Hu, the bar is adorned with Spanish-style blue and white tiling while hams hang from above. Stylesight asked Josef Murray, the restaurant manager and Lee Westcott, the executive chef, about the rise of sherry, their extensive menu and if Wan Chai is becoming the new SoHo.

Stylesight: Josef, could you explain a bit about the concept behind Ham & Sherry? Why the focus on sherry especially?

Josef Murray: Ham & Sherry is a traditional Tapas Bar, a social hub for people to meet and explore the various attributes Sherry has to offer. We have created a modern setting that transports the guest’s out of Wan Chai and into the heart of Jerez. Sherry is an important part of this area in Spain we feel we can help Hong Kong realize the wonderful versatility of this historical fortified wine.

Stylesight: What types of sherry are available at the restaurant?

JM: We have over 50 different Sherry’s on our list, which allows us the opportunity to find a sherry that will suit each individual; we also have some of the rarest Sherry’s from some of the oldest Soleras still in production throughout Jerez. We have a list that is suited to all walks of life.

Stylesight: What is one of the most popular Ham & Sherry pairings?

JM: As the name states Ham & Sherry – the mixed board of cured meat goes extremely well with the Don Jose – Very Old Amontillado, Jose de Soto. Delicious.

Stylesight: Can you tell me a bit about the menu? Where are your ingredients sourced?

Lee Westcott: The main focus is on ham here and we have three different types of ham; the shoulder and two legs. They are all aged for different months, so the longer they are aged and depending on what they are fed the better quality it is. The best we have is the Jamón Iberico de Bellota which is aged for 48 months and is 100% Iberico, which means it is only fed on acorns. We also have the Iberico Paleta, a shoulder ham that is aged for 36 months that is slightly chewier, and then the Jamón De Teruel. They are all sourced from Spain, and are on the bone that we then carve in front of the guests. The Para Picar menu is full of dishes you can pick with your hands and nibble at, such as the Padrón peppers are a big seller here and also the Goats curd and jamón croquettes. So the whole idea is that people interact with each other, talk and mix and share.

Stylesight: Do you have desserts that can be paired with sherry?

LW: Currently we have two desserts – the Crème Catalan, and the warm chocolate mousse. I would put the East India Solera with the chocolate mousse, as it is one of the more dry sherry’s that we have and I would put a Moscatel sherry with the Crème Catalan as it it works really well together.

Stylesight: Do you think there is a move in fine dining towards Wan Chai in Hong Kong?

LW: Yes especially in this street, (22 Ships is a few doors down), Wan Chai is becoming quite a happening place to be. –Babette Radclyffe-Thomas

Ham & Sherry

1-7 Ship Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong / 852-2555-0628

Images courtesy of Ham & Sherry

 

Vladimir Troyansky explains why Circassians are none too happy about the Olympics this year:

The Circassians are an umbrella designation for many ethnic groups from the eastern coast of the Black Sea. In the first half of the nineteenth century, they waged a war against Russia’s expansion into the North Caucasus, which they lost. The Russian Empire annexed their territories, and then either ‘encouraged’ them to emigrate or simply expelled them outright. Nearly 90% of Circassians went into exile. Tsar Alexander II, known as the Liberator (of Russian peasants), proclaimed victory over the Circassian ‘rebels’ in 1864.

The date of 1864 makes 2014 the 150th anniversary of the Circassian expulsion. From the Sochi coast, ships loaded with Circassian refugees set sail for the Ottoman Empire. Circassians died in thousands on the journey, of hunger and disease. The triumphant parade of Russian troops, marking the end of the war, took place on May 21, 1864 in Krasnaya Polyana, site of the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Keating looks at the actions of the Circassian diaspora:

Today there are about 3 million to 5 million Circassians living abroad and about 700,000 in the Caucasus. The post-Soviet Russian government has been slow to recognize the extent of what happened to the group and has strongly resisted attempts to label it as genocide—the anti-Russian government of nearby Georgia did so in 2011— portraying Circassian nationalism as merely an outgrowth of the region’s Islamic radicalism. The global community commemorates Circassian Genocide Memorial Day every May 21.

However, the decision to hold the games in the symbolically important city of Sochi has focused new attention on the issue, with Circassian activists in New Jersey launching an international campaign against the “genocide Olympics.” The group has been protesting since Vancouver, and one of its pamphlets informs athletes that they’ll be “skiing on mass graves.” It’s possible that local activists may attempt to stage some sort of opposition at the games themselves, though the authorities have been coming down hard on protests of all kinds.

But the international protests haven’t gotten much attention:

[T]he only high-profile ally the Circassians have won is Doku Umarov, leader of the Islamist insurgence that has grown out of Chechnya’s shattered independence bid, and whose allies recently blew themselves up in the city of Volgograd. “They plan to stage the Olympic Games on the bones of the many, many Muslims who died and are buried on our territory along the Black Sea. We, the Mujahedeen, must not allow this to happen,” Umarov was quoted on his website as saying last summer.

The Circassians could do without such support, since they reject violence and activists’ long-term goal is to regain their homeland. It’s an ambitious aim, a kind of Caucasus Zionism, but the activists think it is feasible. “It might not be easy for the immigrants who are going to the Caucasus, that first generation, but their children are going to be fine. It’ll just be like when my parents came to the U.S.,” said Tamara Barsik, a Circassian-American who lives in New Jersey.

In the meantime, they’ll have to watch the Sochi Olympics on television, like everyone else.

(Photo: Circassians commemorate the banishment of the Circassians from Russia in Taksim, Istanbul. From Wikimedia Commons)

MSNBC

Meet David Shing, the incongruously titled Digital Prophet for AOL. His appearance on MSNBC's The Cycle on Friday attracted quite a bit of attention online. What he said, less so!

We have more gadgets, as you may have noticed. And in introducing Shing, MSNBC's Touré explained his worldview: "Despite all that connectivity he's never felt so alone." Shing was there to talk wearable computers — and not just Google Glass, but computers embedded in your clothes and so on.

Today's wearables are kind of refined to — if I wear my wearables today, I'll look like a tribal leader. No kidding, man. ... [W]e will have biometrics materials inside our clothes. We'll have smart devices that talk back to us and they'll have built-in intelligence.

Shing writes for AOL using that title of Digital Prophet, talking about the future and such and I don't understand this look. I tried to talk around it and not mention it, and, look, I celebrate individuality and the right of everyone to be his own person, but why would you wear your hair like that? I am a lame dude who is actually wearing a tie as I write this, and I live in New York and you see these things, but if your goal is to explain the future of fashion as it relates to tech and you show up looking like a background character from Blade Runner, I don't know man, you might lose some people.

Plus: AOL? AOL still makes tens of millions of dollars on dial-up internet. AOL's digital prophet should probably start with, Well, there's this thing called "high-speed internet," and then slowly work up to more complex topics.

If you'd like to become a follower of AOL's digital prophet, you can join his other 7,700 followers on Twitter.

This guy can steal my seat any day @thecyclemsnbc. @shingy's the man! pic.twitter.com/Rir0mNas2S

— Abby Huntsman (@HuntsmanAbby) February 7, 2014

The Llangattock breviary, manuscript, between 1441 and 1448.

MS Typ 301

Houghton Library, Harvard University

The Llangattock breviary was broken up into individual leaves by a bookseller in the late 1950s (and, as here, some individual leaves suffered further losses). A project is underway to virtually reunite the manuscript by digitizing the leaves, now scattered throughout the US.

Who in their right minds would rob an orchestra concert master in broad daylight, take his rare multi-million-dollar violin, and make off in a getaway minivan through the streets of Milwaukee? A local barber and gun licensee named Universal Knowledge Allah, that's who.

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The owner of an Oklahoma restaurant is under fire after a customer claimed he was discriminated against because he's disabled. Gary's Chicaros' owner, Gary James, didn't make things much better when he gave an interview to a local news station: "I've been in business 44 years, I think I can spot a freak or a faggot," he told KFOR.

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All funds donated will be used exclusively for food, nutritional supplements as needed, treats, routine vet exams, vaccinations, heartworm tests and prevention, flea and tick prevention, professional teeth cleaning, grooming tools, shampoo, emergency veterinary treatment, and toys she’ll ignore entirely in favor of a balled up pair of socks.

El Claustro, 2011. Querétaro, México. 10 x 10 x 11m

El Claustro, 2011. Querétaro, México. 10 x 10 x 11m

El Claustro, 2011. Querétaro, México. 10 x 10 x 11m

El Claustro, 2011. Querétaro, México. 10 x 10 x 11m

El Claustro, 2011. Querétaro, México. 10 x 10 x 11m

La Capella, 2009. Piera, Spain. 5.5 x 6 x 15m.

El Sótano de la Tabacalera, 2011. Madrid, Spain. 13 x 15 x 7m.

Sala Buit, 2011. Barcelona, Spain. 12.5 x 5 x 2.5m.

Palazzo Ducale, 2011. Genova, Italy.
15.5 x 12 x 4m

Espaço 180, 2013. Lisbon, Portugal. 18 x 15 x 8m.

Cerveira Creative Camp, 2012. Vilanova de Cerveira, Portugal. 13.2 x 9.5 x 7.7m.

Barcelona-based Penique Productions is an artist collective founded in 2007 that creates transformative installations in public spaces. To do this the group utilizes massive plastic balloons that are inflated inside buildings and other interior areas. Coupled with exterior lighting that illuminates the colored plastic, the results can be beautifully dramatic, making the new environment almost unrecognizable from the actual space.

You can see many more views of several installations on their website, and almost all of them are accompanied by videos that document the process. Penrique has upcoming projects next month at both the UB University in Barcelona, and at Galeria N2.

girlannachronism:

Alexander McQueen spring 1999 collection “N°13” details

American Studies, Eckerd College

In God Is Our Trust: Florida In the Civil War and After

Boston Public Library posted a photo:

Local Accession Number: FA_CC.000742
Connick Job Number: 5206-B
Title: Queen Esther touches the kings scepter as she makes her request. Esther - chap. 5
Creator/Contributor: Charles J. Connick Associates (creator)
Genre: Design drawings; Gouaches
Date created: 1945-1986 (approximate)
Physical description: 1 gouache : color ; 21 x 10 cm.
General notes: Title from item, from additional material accompanying item, or from information provided by the Boston Public Library.; Handwritten on item back: #5206-B. Harwichport, Ma. Christ Episcopal Church.
Date notes: Date supplied by cataloger.
Biographical and historical notes: Window designed for Christ Episcopal Church, Harwich Port, Massachusetts.
Subjects: Stained glass; Windows
Collection: Charles J. Connick Gouaches - Massachusetts
Location: Boston Public Library, Arts Department
Shelf locator: Massachusetts Box #17
Rights: Rights status not evaluated.

From Drinks

Photographs: Elana Lepkowski

No one wants a cocktail that tastes like unset pudding, but, especially at this time of year, marketers insist on pushing their chocolate drinks anyway. Chocolate wine! The Chocotini! I shudder. Perhaps it's that old notion that people—women, in particular—want a sweet drink that doesn't 'taste of alcohol'. I assure you: I would rather taste alcohol than YooHoo, come cocktail hour. But there is a place for chocolate in cocktails, and I hope you'll agree that this recipe hits that spot.

Cacao nibs are little fragments of crushed, roasted cacao beans. They smell like chocolate. They are, in fact, like chocolate in the raw, before the dairy and sugar are added. You can read more about them here. Besides using cacao nibs in food, you can also infuse them into liquor to give your drink a lovely chocolate aroma. And as a bonus, they make for a quick infusion, requiring only a day or two.

Today's cocktail was inspired by a box of chocolates. Spices, almonds, creams, berries—you'll find all of these in a standard box. Spicy rye whiskey is the base for the infusion that includes cacao nibs, toasted almonds, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. The resulting whiskey has a warm, complex aroma. It's good enough to enjoy on the rocks by itself, but the complete cocktail, made with nutty oloroso sherry and fragrant Meyer lemon juice, gives the flavors a wonderful frame.

A final piece of advice: let this drink sit for a moment after you've made it, after you've dropped the Luxardo cherry in. All of the lovely chocolate box smells really open up as the drink warms back up from ice-cold. It's both bright and a little decadent, with chocolate and toasted almond up front, and the sherry's nutty flavor offering a rich core.

About the Author: Elana Lepkowski is a Los Angeles based home-schooled mixologist who photographs and shares her cocktail recipes at StirAndStrain.com. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter as @stirandstrain where she sometimes forgets she needs a filter.

Get the Recipe!

In August 1982, the Marvel Comic Uncanny X-Men #160 featured a demon villain named S'ym who vaguely resembles Cerebus. A few months later, in the letters page of Uncanny X-Men #164, the intended tribute to Cerebus was confirmed

Official from Turkey's transport ministry says passenger claimed bomb was on board flight from Kharkov in Ukraine

A major security operation was sparked after a passenger on board a plane bound for Turkey attempted to hijack it and demanded that it be diverted to Sochi, where the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics was taking place.

The flight, which had taken off from Kharkov, Ukraine, and was en route for Istanbul with 110 passengers, subsequently landed safely at Sabiha Gokcen airport, one of the Turkish city's international airports.

There was confusion about what happened next, with some reports stating that Turkish special forces boarded the plane and seized the would-be hijacker, while at least one other report stated that attempts were being made to get him to give himself up.

Turkish authorities had earlier scrambled an F-16 fighter plane as soon as the pilot of the Pegasus Airlines flight signalled that there was a hijack attempt.

Russia's Interfax news agency cited the Ukrainian security service as saying the passenger who tried to hijack the plane was in a state of severe alcoholic intoxication. It also said he had been pacified, and no weapons or explosives were found on him.

An airport official was quoted by Reuters as saying: "People are still inside but the pilot called security and gave them a signal that they can enter the plane. There is a translator - a Turkish man near the Ukrainian to calm him down."

Habib Soluk, Turkey's transport ministry undersecretary, told a Turkish television channel that the man rose from his seat, shouted that there was a bomb on board and tried to enter the locked cockpit. The pilot signalled that there was a hijack attempt and the airport was placed on high alert.

"The man was made to believe the plane was heading to Sochi," he said. "We are hoping that the passengers are evacuated without even a nose-bleed."

design-is-fine:

Charles Bloud, Sun dial, 1650. Dieppe. skd-online

spellthief:

If I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.

          -Hayao Miyazaki (x)

The sequel to Agricola is here, and it's the heaviest and most expensive game we've ever reviewed. A titan of the table.

There's no question. Caverna: The Cave Farmers is the most fun you're going to have managing animals, minerals and vegetables. But should you buy it? Paul and Quinns stand... divided.

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Cape. 1912, French. 

House of Worth.

Source: Met Museum.

On Feb. 6, more than 2,000 delayed passengers stormed check-in counters at an airport in Henan province, smashing computers and equipment, in response to the airport’s five-hour long shutdown because of snow. Photos posted online show police trying to calm angry crowds. Chinese state media described the incident as a “riot.” One passenger’s comment circulated online (registration required) said, “This is how crazy travelers who have gone through multiple delays can get.”

The Henan incident is only the latest civil disturbance over airline service in China, and specifically poor customer service. Henan Radio said that airport patrons were fed up not only with the delays, but the staff’s attitude. ”There were not enough seats and passengers had to sit on their luggage eating instant noodles. The airport staff were indifferent and said ‘I don’t know’ to questions asked of them,” the radio station said on its microblog. The airport reportedly resumed service later on Feb. 6, allowing the passengers, many of whom were returning from their Chinese New Year travels, to finally board their flights.

China has been building a modern domestic airline industry to service what is expected to be the world’s largest aviation market. The total number of airports in China is expected to reach 244 in 2020, compared to 80 in 2011, with the help of state funding. In August, China’s aviation authority announced it would grant rebates of up to 433 million yuan ($70.7 million) for airlines that operate regional services.

As the aviation industry has expanded so have the crowds—but not the air space that planes are allowed to fly in, in part because China’s military still commands most of the skies. Delays, naturally, have ensued. In 2012, Chinese airlines took off and landed on time on average only 74.8% of the time with Beijing Capital believed to have the worst delays of the country’s main airports.

Officials have instructed airline staff to take better care of delayed passengers and offer food, accommodation, and most importantly explanations for the delays. Travelers complaining (registration required) on online message boards say airport staff distractedly perform security checks and continually check their phones instead of attending to customers. In January, Shanghai’s Pudong airport took three days to unload (link in Chinese) the luggage for 10 arriving flights. Some airlines say that inexperienced passengers who don’t understand the logistical issues involved are the real problem.

The net result is more angry flight-goers. In 2008, over 30 passengers protested the delay of their flight at an airport in the city of Kunming by sitting on a runway (link in Chinese), blocking the path of other planes. Last July, passengers in Dalian refused to leave an airplane that had landed two hours behind schedule until they were compensated for the delay. Eventually police had to remove them. Last summer, there were over two dozen fights at airports.

Jennifer Chiu contributed additional reporting.

 
A few years ago I bought a “vintage” copy of Esquire (September 1971) and much to my delight, tucked inside was a small insert of a dozen or so pages intended to guide the incoming collegiate freshperson on cultural matters such as books, movies, and music. I’ve taken the trouble to...

taktophoto:

red hong yi renders chinese scenes from makeup

semperfrosty:

Your mother’s maiden name, the name of your first pet, your birthday and the first street you grew up on are usually the same fields used for password security reset questions

Stay Frosty

By Luke O’Neil / Photos by Adam DeTour

Not too long ago bars and kitchens had an often-adversarial relationship, particularly when it came to bars pilfering ingredients and not replacing them, or kitchens being stingy with the supply. There was also a more substantial standoff at work in the bad old days of drinking, as Charles Draghi, chef and owner of Erbaluce explains. “For a chef, I was never a fan of cocktails, like a lot of chefs. It used to mean a war between bar and customer’s palate and what chef was trying to do.” Too many cocktails, before

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