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Saturday, February 27, 2016

Oshkosh School Board Approves Proposed Cuts if Referendum Not Approved

The Oshkosh School Board approved a list of $3.4 million in cuts for the 2016-17 school year and an additional $4 million in cuts for the 2017-18 school year that would be instituted if the April 5 Referendum for Learning is not approved by district voters.

The Referendum for Learning is a request for increased funding that will go before school district voters on April 5. The referendum is in response to continued pressure on the school district’s budget due to inadequate state funding that does not keep up with inflation or increasing educational costs.
The state allows school districts to ask local voters to approve increases beyond the state-imposed revenue limits for their community.

If voters approve the referendum on April 5, it will provide $4 million per year for seven years that would be used to protect academic programs for Oshkosh students and make security improvements to district schools. If voters do not approve the referendum, the board-approved cuts will go into effect beginning in the 2016-17 school year. The cuts were developed by a 33-member staff/community budget reconciliation committee over the course of several meetings.

Examples of what will be cut over the next two years if the referendum fails include:
• Mandatory study hall for all middle school students in place of elective classes like Family-Consumer Science, Career/Technology Education and STEM
• Eliminate or restrict lower enrollment classes and electives in middle and high school (ex: CAPP,
Business, Technology and Engineering, Agriculture, French, German, Art and Music/Orchestra)
• Reduce art, music and gym opportunities in elementary school
• Increase athletic fees and combine several North and West high school teams into one
• Close and/or combine schools

“Voters need complete information about what will occur if the referendum passes and what if it fails,” said Superintendent Stan Mack. “We have been very clear that if it passes, we will be able to protect academic programs and enhance school security. We need to be equally clear what will be cut if it fails so residents know the impact that would have on our school programs.”

More information about the Referendum for Learning can be found at http://referendum.oshkosh.k12.wi.us.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Washington Elementary named School of Recognition

For more information contact:
Kim Brown
Director of Learning
Oshkosh Area School District
(920) 424-0289

Washington Elementary Named as School of Recognition

The Wisconsin Title 1 School of Recognition is an honorary award for schools that have been successful in educating students from low-income families. State Superintendent, Tony Evers, states, “The staff and administration of these schools are committed to breaking the link between poverty and low academic achievement through rigorous programming and attention to student needs. Many positive educational opportunities exist for students across the state.”

This year, Washington Elementary is recognized for their students’ achievement as a Beating the Odds School. This will be the tenth year they have been recognized and the ninth consecutive year that Washington Elementary School has received this recognition. Principal of Washington School, Susan Martin, shared “At Washington, we believe that no significant learning can take place without significant relationships. These relationships ground our students for academic success. The educators at Washington are passionate individuals who work diligently to meet the academic and emotional needs of every child- we are truly a ‘school family.’”

Tony Evers will host an awards program at the State Capitol on March 14 to further recognize Wisconsin Title 1 School of Recognition award recipients. Washington School will receive a plaque and $500 for use in their school.

Congratulations to everyone at Washington Elementary on this special honor.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

New laws Wisconsinites need to know about

The latest episode of Eye on Oshkosh is now online. Check out our discussion with attorney George Curtis about new Wisconsin laws for 2016. There are many things the legislature and governor have done that, as consumers, we all need to be aware of, especially since more and more rights and protections are being stripped away by this administration.  https://youtu.be/e7jLgGLeQY8

Tuesday, February 09, 2016

Councilman Stepanek issues press release on Diversity Coordinator position

On Tuesday the City Council will begin to identify steps towards hiring a Diversity Coordinator. This position was initially proposed by Councilor Ben Stepanek in the 2016 Budget, but was rejected by the City Council at that time. After Councilors received numerous emails in support of the position it has taken top priority. If created, the position would help Oshkosh compete in a globalizing society and attract millenials to the community.

"During the 2016 Budget deliberations, I held listening sessions, spoke with community stakeholders & I recognized the need & public support for hiring a Diversity Coordinator by the City," Stepanek said. " I am looking forward to seeing this position in the City Managers 2017 Budget proposal. I am thrilled with the public support that has come pouring in on this issue & even more excited about how far the City Councilors opinion have come on this issue in the last three months. I am glad that more Councilors are getting engaged in the discussion & putting forward ideas on how to make this position a reality in Oshkosh," he said.

The Council will need to approve the position in the 2017 City budget. For more information on this position please contact Ben Stepanek @ 920-765-1072 bstepanek@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. Community members can email their Councilors in support of a Diversity Coordinator in the City by using the link below.

* Editor's Note: Meanwhile, there will be a general Conversation on Diversity held in the Council Chambers and sponsored by Councilors Clark and Pech on Tuesday, February 16 from 6 to 7:30 pm. This discussion is intended to have citizens talk with the councilors and each other about their feelings and thoughts regarding diversity in today's society. Citizens are therefore encouraged to attend.

Racial literacy organization seeks volunteers

Interested in volunteering for Fit Oshkosh?
Join us this Saturday, February 13, from 9a-1p at the Hooper Building (where Oshkosh United Way is located) 36 Broad Street, Oshkosh, WI.
If you would care to learn more about this racial literacy organization, are considering volunteering, or want to learn more about how to become a trained Facilitator for Fit, please plan to attend.
Complimentary refreshments will be served.
An RSVP is required. For more information, please call 920-479-5380 or email us at fitoshkosh@gmail.com.

Monday, February 08, 2016

Oshkosh Common Councilors to hold Conversation on Diversity, Feb. 16, 2016

I received this as part of an email from Oshkosh Common Councilor Tom Pech, Jr., and I encourage as many folks as are able to attend this discussion. Because of a previous commitment I will only be able to be there for about 30 minutes or so, but a little bit is better than nothing to demonstrate our interest in furthering this conversation along. ...

"Councilor Clark and I will be holding a Conversation on Diversity 16 February from 1800 to 1930 (6 to 7:30 pm) in Council Chambers.  When it comes down to it diversity is knowing, understanding and accepting each person’s similarities to ourselves as well as our differences.  This comes from talking to each other, rather than at each other.  It comes from listening and truly hearing what others say, not interpreting what is said through our own filter, pre-conceived notions or biases.  It means asking questions if we do not understand what is being said to seek that understanding and clarity. Simply stated it means treating others as we would want to be treated. And it all begins with a conversation."

New episode of Eye on Oshkosh now online

The latest episode of Eye on Oshkosh is now online. Host Cheryl Hentz talks with Jake White from Party.0 about his efforts to get kids away from drinking to have fun, and instead to organizing and participating in sober house parties and activities. In the second segment, Hentz is joined by Angie McCarthy from Beaming, Inc. as they discuss equine therapy and the annual fundraiser Beaming conducts each year - "Night at the Races." Check out the show here: https://youtu.be/1ryduBUw5zs

Tuesday, February 02, 2016

Call for Diversity Coordinator position in Oshkosh

Dear City Manager, Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to urge you to do whatever is necessary to move forward with the development of a Diversity Coordinator in the city of Oshkosh. I don't know if this position would be solely funded by the city, or be a shared position between the city, county and school district. Depending on the vision of what the person in this position would be charged with doing, it might even be funded partially by GO-EDC or some other local economic development organization that would benefit by its existence. My concern with getting too many organizations in the mix, however, is there could then too many "chiefs" to answer to, unless the various entities would have one body to who the person would report to. The various organizations could form a board or coalition to oversee the position, and the diversity coordinator could report to that board. Or something of that nature.

The City of Appleton has a diversity coordinator and while I don't know exactly how this position is funded or how it is overseen, I believe we could learn much from how they've approached this issue and the position they've created. I further believe this position is one that is overdue in Oshkosh, as we are quickly becoming a diversified community and need to make everyone feel welcome and that they fit, etc. I know that the position of diversity coordinator covers much more than that, but in a nutshell it is about attracting people to this community, being inclusive and making newcomers here feel welcome and that they belong, as opposed to their being given the impression they are somehow second-class citizens or outsiders in our community, simply because they are not from here.

When I hear comments like those made by Mayor Steve Cummings at a School Board/Council meeting last week - (http://www.oshkoshcommunitymedia.org/board_of_education_stream.htm) (the conversation starts at about the :45:15 mark, but Mr. Cummings specific comments start at approximately the :48:40 mark), that people need to first understand our history and our community - I am not only disheartened and disappointed, but sickened. Yes, knowing about someone and where they're coming from is important, but it is also a long process - one that in many cases is always evolving. But we certainly do not need to understand someone's history in order to make our community inclusive, welcoming and accepting of those who are of a different race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, etc., do we? I think not. I also do not understand how, in a conversation about diversity and being inclusive, Mr. Cummings feels that using language that seems to separate "them" from "us" or "our," does anything at all toward furthering an inclusiveness within our community. Quite frankly, I find that attitude, especially in 2016, shameful.

So I would applaud those council members who voted to make the issue of a diversity coordinator a priority for the city manager in 2016 and I would implore you all as a collective voting body to continue forging ahead in this regard, just as I would encourage everyone in our community or elsewhere to follow the Golden Rule, and treat others - no matter who they are - as they would like to be treated.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

- Cheryl Hentz


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BCBAs and BCaBAs to Evolve with Us

Behavioral Evolution, Inc.
Tampa, Sarasota, Clearwater

Behavioral Evolution is currently seeking BCBAs and BCABAs for each of the following beautiful beach cities: Clearwater, Sarasota and Tampa, Florida.

Job Description:

Behavioral Evolution, Incorporated (BEI) is a behavioral consulting organization located throughout Southwest Florida. Our primary focus is to provide the best behavioral services to families and homes caring for individuals with behavioral challenges. Our organizational is comprised of a team of BCBAs, BCaBAs, and RBTs that have the support, training and experience needed to feel comfortable in providing the best behavior services in the area, and have fun in the process. The BCBAs and BCaBAs conduct assessments, observations, and interviews with all necessary parties. They develop and implement behavior plans across all necessary environments. Our analysts conduct observations in home, school, ADT and/or community. We focus on teaching replacement and verbal behavior skills to replace inappropriate behavior and increase skill acquisition. Responsibilities include writing and submitting reports regarding clients data and updates for the behavior programs in place.

Must be a team player and are in this field to really help people. We thrive on being one of the best providers in the area and working as a team to continuously evolve with the most recent research and best practices. Applicants must have experience providing behavioral services for individuals with behavioral challenges.

Pay is competitive and based on experience and knowledge.

 Application Process

E-mail vitae/resume to:  evolve@behavioralevolution.com

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Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Missouri Farm Boy in the City

Today we have a bit of a different post.  Meet Colby of My Ag Life.  He is a farm kid living and working in the city.  He writes about his passion for agriculture and what he misses most about the rural life.

You Can Take the Boy Out of the Country: What My 5 Senses Miss Most
It’s often been said, “you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.” I am walking, talking, breathing, blogging proof that your roots always stick with you. I was told to go where the wing would blow, but it blows away.

I grew up in the northwest corner of Missouri, near a little town called Helena. The town itself has two hundred or less people. I had nine kids in my elementary school class and lived about two miles down a gravel road from the old school house. That sweet, simple, small town way of life has stuck with me to this day.

I went to college at the University of Missouri, and I thought that was plenty big enough. After graduating I landed a job in Saint Louis, working in agri-advertising for Dekalb, Asgrow, Channel, and other brands. Staying connected to rural folks and that way of life has become more and more difficult, which is why I started MyAgLife blog and reaching out to those who come from backgrounds like mine. I don’t want to be one who carries on about their self, so I am gonna to get to it.

I miss big skies, starry nights, coyotes yipping, frogs croaking and crickets chirping. I miss dropping a line, gravel roads and grain dust. I could go on forever, but I am going to keep this list in relation to the five senses.

Without any ado, here is what I am missing most about home and country living:

-           The smell of Grandma’s fresh vegetables, with the earthy aroma staining my hands. If I close my eyes I can still feel the grittiness of the cucumbers piled in my shirt, used as a basket. The rough, prickly feel of the vines and leaves, and the sun baked garden soil digging into my knees.

-           Mom’s flowerbeds, and the perfume that drifted in through open windows when the wind blew on summer afternoons. Vibrant oranges, purples, reds, pinks yellows and whites decorated the front porch and areas around the house.

-           Silage. For some reason, I love the smell of silage. Being at my dairying families’ houses and smelling the thick, damp, heavy, pungent scent of warm silage. Winter winds would swirl and bite at the fingers, but tarped over silage would steam up and warm the hands.

-           The smell of burning leaves in the fall that would cling to jeans and sweatshirts. A smoky aroma of its own, burning leaves in crisp fall air that nips at the skin and raises hairs when the wind blows.

-           The smell of line-dried laundry. A scent so refreshing that I would actually be excited to go to bed, dive nose first into the pillowcase and press my skin against the cool sheets.

-           The sight of a harvest moon coming up over the east pasture and fields. The only sounds coming from nature, and that bright, rustic orange ball climbing higher into the darkening sky

-           The gilded autumn afternoons during the reaping season. I loved watching grain dust drifting through an ember evening air during harvest.

-           Stars. In town, there are no stars. I miss the nights of gazing deep into clusters of star soaked emptiness, and feeling wonderfully small.

There are limitless things to list that can only be found in pastoral lifestyle. I could have listed the cordial nature and togetherness of close-knit communities, or family, or anything else (of course those are very important), but it is the subtleties and things often overlooked that really make a place unique and even more worthy of homesickness. It feel it is important to remember the details of home and a good way of life.
You can follow Colby on his blog My Ag Life.  And follow him on Facebook!
Tell us about your Ag Life!!! We need your story! E-mail Elizabeth and Jamie at foafeature@gmail.com


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Sunday, March 1, 2015

Fodor on PoS arguments

One of the perks of academic life is the opportunity to learn from your colleagues. This semester I am sitting in on Jeff Lidz’s graduate intro to acquisition course. And what’s the first thing I learn? That Jerry Fodor wrote a paper in 1966 on how to exploit Poverty of Stimulus reasoning that is as good as anything I’ve ever seen (including my own wonderful stuff). The paper is called “How to learn to talk: some simple ways” and it appears here. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I want to review some of the main attractions, but really you should go and get a copy. It’s really a good read.

Fodor starts with three obvious points:

1.     Speakers have information about the structural relations “within and among the sentences of that language” (105).
2.     Some of the speaker’s information must be learned (105).
3.     The child must bring to the task of language learning  “some amount of intrinsic structure” (106).[1]

None of these starting points can be controversial. (1) just says that speakers have a grammar, (2) that some aspects of this internalized grammar are acquired on the basis of exposure to instances of that grammar and (3) that “any organism that extrapolates from experience does so on the basis of principles that are not themselves supplied by its experience” (106). Of course, whether these principles are general or language-specific is an empirical question.

Given this troika of truisms, Fodor then asks how we can start investigating the “psychological process involved in the assimilation of the syntax of a first language” (106). He notes that this process requires at least three variables (106):

4.     The observations (i.e. verbalizations in its vicinity) that the child is exposed to that it uses
5.     The learning principles that the child uses to “organize and extrapolate these observations”
6.     The body of linguistic information that are the output of the application of the principles to the data that the child will subsequently use in speaking and understanding

We can, following standard convention, call (4) the PLD (Primary Linguistic Data), (5) UG, and (6) the G acquired. Thus, what we have here is the standard description of the problem as finding the right UG that can mediate PLD and G; UG(PLDL) = GL. Or as Fodor puts it (107): “the child’s data plus his intrinsic structure must jointly determine the linguistic information at which he arrives.”

And this, of course, has an obvious consequence:

…it is a conclusive disproof of any theory that about the child’s intrinsic structure to demonstrate that a device having the structure could not learn the syntax of the language on the basis of the kind of data that the child’s verbal environment provides (107).

This just is the Poverty of Stimulus argument (PoS): a tool for investigating the properties of UG by comparing the PLD to the features of the acquired G. In Fodor’s words:

…a comparison of the child’s data with a formulation of the linguistic information necessary to speak the language the child learns permits us to estimate the nature of the complexity of the child’s intrinsic structure. If the information in the child’s data approximates the linguistic information he must master, we may assume that the role of intrinsic structure is relatively insignificant. Conversely, if the linguistic information at which the child arrives is only indirectly or abstractly related to the data provided by the child’s exposure to adult speech, we shall to suppose that the child’s intrinsic structure is correspondingly complex.

I like Fodor’s use of the term ‘estimate.’ Note, so framed, the question is not whether there is intrinsic structure in the learner, but how “significant” it is (i.e. how much work it does in accounting for the acquired knowledge). And the measure of significance is the distance between the information the PLD provides and the G acquired.

Though Fodor doesn’t emphasize this, it means that all proposals regarding language learning must advert to Gs (i.e. to rules). After all, these are the end points of the process as Fodor describes it. And emphasizing this can have consequences. So, for example, observing that there are statistical regularities in the PLD is perhaps useful, but not enough. A specification of how the observed regularities lead to the rules acquired must be provided. In other words, as regularities are not themselves rules of G (though they can be the basis on which the learner infers/decides what rules G contains) accounts that stop at adumbrating the statistical regularities in a corpus are accounts that stop much too soon. In other words, pointing to such regularities (e.g. noting that a statistical learner can divide some set of linguistic data into two pieces) cannot be the final step in describing what the learner has learned. There must be a specification of the rule.

This really is an important point. Much stuff on statistical properties of corpora seem to take for granted that identifying a stats regularity in and of itself explains something. It doesn’t, at least in the case of language. Why? Because we know that there lurks rules in them there corpora. So though finding a regularity may in fact be very helpful (identifying that which the LAD looks for to help determine the properties of the relevant rules) it is not by itself enough. A specification of the route from the regularity to the rule is required or we have not described what is going on in the LAD.

Fodor then proceeds to flesh this tri-partite picture out. The first step is to describe the PLD. It consists of “a sample of the kinds of utterances fluent speakers of his language typically produce” (108). If entirely random (indeed, even if not), this “corpus” will be pretty noisy (i.e. slips of the tongue, utterances in different registers, false starts, etc.). The first task the child faces is to “discover regularities in these data (109).” This means ignoring some portions of the corpus and highlighting and grouping others. In other words, in language acquisition, the data is not given. It must be constructed.

This is not a small point. It is possible that some pre-sorting of the data can be done in the absence of the relevant grammatical categories and rules that are the ultimate targets of acquisition, but it is doubtful (at least to me) that these will get the child very far. If this is correct, then simply regimenting the data in a way useful to G acquisition will already require a specification of given (i.e. intrinsic) grammatical possibilities. Here’s Fodor on this (109):

His problem is to discover regularities in these data that, at the very least, can be relied upon to hold however much additional data is added. Characteristically the extrapolation takes the form of a construction of a theory that simultaneously marks the systematic similarities among the data at various levels of abstraction, permits the rejection of some of the observational data as unsystematic, and automatically provides a general characterization of the possible future observations. In the case of learning language, this theory is precisely the linguistic information at which the child arrives by applying his intrinsic information to the analysis of the corpus. In particular, this linguistic information is at the very least required to provide an abstract account of syntactic structure in terms of which systematically relevant features of the observed utterance can be discarded as violating the formation rules of the dialect, and in terms of which the notion “possible sentence of the language” can be defined (my emphasis, NH).

Nor is this enough. In addition we need principles that bridge from the provided data to the principles. What sorts of bridges? Fodor provides some suggestions.

…many of the assertions the child hears must be true, many of the things he hears referred to must exist, many of the questions he hears must be answerable, and many of the commands he receives must be performable. Clearly the child could not learn to talk if adults talked at random. (109-110).

Thus, in addition to a specification of the given grammatical possibilities, part of the acquisition process involves correlating linguistic input with available semantic information.

This is a very complicated process, as Fodor notes, and involves the identification of a-linguistic predicates that can be put into service absent knowledge of a G (those enjoying “epistemologically priority” in Chomsky’s sense). Things like UTAH can play a role here. For example, if we assume that the capacity for parsing a situation into agents and patients and recipients and themes and experiencers and…is a-linguistic, then this information can be used to map words (once identified) onto structures. In particular, if one assumes a mapping principle that says agents are external arguments and themes are internal arguments (so we can identify agenthood and themehood for at least a core number of initially available predicates) then hearing “Fido is biting Max” allows one to build a representation of this sentence such as [Fido [biting [Max]]].[2] This representation when coupled with what UG requires of Gs (e.g. case on DPs, agreement of unvalued phi features etc.) should allow this initial seeding to generate structures something like [TP Fido is [VP Fido [V’ biting Max]]]]. As Fodor notes, even if “Fido is biting Max” is observable, [TP Fido is [VP Fido [V’ biting Max]]]] is not. The PoS problem then is how to go from things like the first (utterances of sentences) to things like the second (phrase markers of sentences), and for this, a specification of the allowable grammatical options seems unavoidable, with these options (not themselves given in the data) being necessary for the child to organize the data in a usable form.

One of the most useful discussions in the paper begins around p. 113. Here Fodor distinguishes two problems: (i) specification of a device that given a corpus provides the correct G for that input, and (ii) specification of a device that given a corpus only attempts “to describe its input in terms of the kinds of relations that are known to be relevant to systematic linguistic description.” (i) is the project of explaining how particular Gs are acquired. (ii) is the project of adumbrating the class of possible Gs. Fodor describes (ii) as an “intermediate problem” (113) on the way to (i) (see here for some discussion of the distinction and some current ways of exploring the bridge). Why “intermediate”? Because it is reasonable to believe that restricting the class of possible Gs, (what Fodor describes as “characterizing a device that produces only non-“phony” extrapolations of corpuses” (114)) will contribute to understanding how a child settles on its specific G. As Fodor notes, there are “indefinitely many absurd hypothesis” that a given corpus is consistent with. And “whatever intrinsic structure the child brings to the language-learning situation must a least be sufficient to preclude the necessity of running through” them all.

So, one way to start addressing (i) is via (ii). Fodor also suggests another useful step (114-5):

It is worth considering the possibility that the child may bring to the language-learning situation a set of rules that takes him from the recognition of specified formal relations within and among strings in his data to specific putative characterizations of underlying structures for strings of those types. Such rules would implicitly define the space of hypotheses through which the child must search in order to arrive at the precisely correct syntactic analysis of his corpus.

So, Fodor in effect suggests two intermediate steps: a characterization of the range of possible extensions of a corpus (roughly a theory of possible Gs) and a specification of “learning rules” that specify trajectories through this space of possible Gs. This still leaves the hardest problem, how to globally order the Gs themselves (i.e. the evaluation metric). Here’s Fodor again (115):

Presumably the rules [the learning rules, NH] would have to be so formulated as to assume (1) that the number of possible analyses assigned to a given corpus is fairly small; (2) that the correct analysis (or at least any even a best analysis) is among these; (3) that the rules project no analysis that describes the corpus in terms of the sorts of phony properties already discussed, but that all the analyses exploit only relations of types that sometimes figure in adequate syntactic theories.

Fodor helpfully provides an illustration of such a learning rule (116-7). It maps non-contiguous string dependencies into underlying G rules that related these surface dependencies via a movement operation. The learning rule is roughly (1):

(1)  Given a string ‘I X J’ where the forms of I and J swing together (think be/ing in is kissing’ over a variable X (i.e. ‘kiss’), the learner assumes that this comes from a rule like (I,J) X à I X J.

This is but one example. Fodor notes as well that we might also find suggestions for such rules in the “techniques of substitution and classification traditionally employed in attempts to formulate linguistic discovery procedure[s].” As Fodor notes, this is not to endorse attempts to find discovery procedures. This project failed. Rather in the current more restricted context, these techniques might prove useful precisely because what we are expecting of them is more limited:

I am proposing…that the child may employ such relations as substitutability-in-frames to arrive at tentative classifications of elements and sequences of elements in his corpus and hence at tentative domains for the application of intrinsic rules for inducing base structures. Whether such a classification is retained or discarded would be contingent upon the relative simplicity of the entire system of which it forms a part.

In other words, these procedures might prove useful for finding surface statistical regularities in strings and mapping them to underlying G rules (drawn from the class of UG possible G rules) that generate these strings.

Fodor notes two important virtues of this way of seeing things. First, it allows the learner to take advantage of “distributional regularities” in the input to guide him to “tentative analyses that are required if he is to employ rules that project putative descriptions of underlying structure” (118). Second, these learning procedures need not be perfect, and more often than not might be wrong. The idea is that their frailties will be adequately compensated for by the intrinsic features of the learner (i.e. UG). In other words, he provides a nice vision of how techniques of statistical analysis of the corpus can be combined with principles of UG to (partially (remember, we still need an evaluation metric for a full story)) explain G acquisition.

There is lots more in the paper. It is even imbued with a certain two fold modesty.

First, Fodor’s outline starts by distinguishing two questions; a hard one (that he suggests we put aside for the moment) and an approachable one (that he outlines). The hard question is (in his words) “What sort of device would project a unique correct grammar on the basis of exposure to the data?” The approachable one is “What sort of device would project candidate grammars that are reasonably sensitive to the contents of the corpus and that operate only with the sorts of relations that are known to figure in linguistic descriptions?” (120). IMO, Fodor makes an excellent case for thinking that solving the approachable problem would be a good step towards answering the hard one. PoS arguments fit into this schema in that they allow us to plumb UG, which serves to specify the class of “non-phony” generalizations.  Add that to rules taking you from surface regularities to potential G analyses and you have the outlines of a project aimed at addressing the second question.

Fodor’s second modest moment comes when he acknowledges that his proposal “is surely incorrect as stated” (120). Here he is, IMO, the modesty is misplaced. Fodor’s proposal may be wrong in detail, but it lays out the various kinds of questions that need addressing and some mechanisms for how to do so lucidly and concisely.

As I noted, it’s great to sit in on other’s classes. It’s great to discover “unknown-to-you” classics. So, take a busman’s holiday. It’s fun.

[1] Fodor like the term ‘intrinsic’ rather than ‘innate’ for he allows for the possibility that some of these principles may themselves be learned. I would also add that ‘innate’ seems to raise red flags for some reason. As Fodor notes (as has Chomsky repeatedly) there cannot reasonably be an “innateness hypothesis.” Where there is generalization from data, there must be principles licensing this generalization. The question is not whether these given principles exist, but what they are. In this sense, everyone is a nativist.
[2] Of course, if one has a rich enough UG then this will also allow a derivation of the utterance wherein case and agreement have been discharged, but this is getting ahead of ourselves. Right now, what is relevant is that some semantic information can be very useful for acquiring syntactic structure even if, as Fodor notes, syntax is not reducible to semantics.

  1. When I click the first 'here' I get a link to The Genesis of Language: A Psycholinguistic Approach Paperback – August 15, 1968 by Frank Smith (Editor), George A. Miller (Editor). Was this intended? Is there a link to the actual paper by Jerry Fodor available?

  2. Serendipitously enough, I just happened to come across this paper a couple of weeks ago.

    I thought it was characteristically 1965.

    Not that the observation invalidates the proposals in this paper, but I think it's at least worth noting that Fodor has been sketching out a number of proposals since the 80's that entail a quite contrary view of acquisition.

    Some of the findings deepen PoS arguments significantly while distancing further from anything resembling a discovery procedure. I'm thinking of his research into problems of 'holism' in acquisition and use of language and thought. So far as I know, Fodor, hasn't published specifically on the topic of acquisition on syntax with respect to issues of holism and such, but he often makes comments about contemporary generative theories of syntax and phonology that relate to this recent work.

    The tl;dr of it is: having spent the past semester devouring fodors work starting from the present and going backwards in time, i could hardly recognize this as one of his papers.

    1. Max, could you elaborate a bit. I'm not sure what you are pointing to. But it sounds interesting.

  3. @Christina and any others who are interested: Here is a scan of Fodor's paper. Sorry for all the markup. I scanned it from a copy of the book in my library.


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PGA of Canada CEO Gary Bernard announces early retirement

PGA of Canada

Gary Bernard, Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of Canada, has announced early retirement plans starting later this summer the association’s President announced in a news release Tuesday.

“It is with a strong sense of impending loss that I inform you of the decision by our Chief Executive Officer to take early retirement. Effective July 31, 2017, Gary Bernard will leave his post as Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of Canada to focus on his health, his family, and to pursue lifestyle dreams,“ Steve Wood, President of the PGA of Canada wrote in an email to members released Tuesday.

“Gary has been with us 14-years, and has been CEO since 2010. During that time, he has significantly strengthened our financial position, our education program and our brand. He has brought the PGA of Canada to a position where it is regarded as being among the most respected in the world.”

Wood, Director of Golf Operations and Head Professional at St. Boniface Golf Club in Manitoba, said that the CEO’s departure is not related to, nor would it alter, the association’s current evolutionary process. “We have been in a change process for several years and we are confident that we will emerge from this process better equipped to serve our members and drive our brand. Gary is leaving us in a strong position financially, with a healthy and vibrant membership base, one of the best training programs and insurance packages in the business and a trained and experienced national office team capable of maintaining operations.”

“The golf landscape is shifting dramatically due to lifestyle realities that have the potential to impact every organization in the channel. We are looking at those shifts, at our operations, at our professional skill sets and assets to implant a business model that will best meet those realities and enable us to better serve our members.”

“Gary is an energetic and strong leader and a loyal and committed friend to the PGA of Canada and he will be missed,” Wood said.

Established in 1911, the PGA of Canada is the second oldest and third largest professional golf association in the world. The PGA of Canada is a non-profit Association comprised of 3,700 golf professionals across the country.

Since joining the PGA of Canada as a National Education Learning Facilitator in 1995, Gary Bernard moved up the education ranks to become the association’s Chief Executive Officer in 2010. He took over operational management of the PGA of Canada following the 2009 recession and embarked upon a significant financial turn-around, guiding the PGA of Canada to record seven consecutive years of surplus.

His Masters degree in Education has heavily influenced his management style. Staff training and development and Board development and leadership training have been hallmarks of his management. Turning his training skills to membership performance, he increased the conversion rate of ELITE Cohorts into “Class A” designation. He introduced a new professional development platform, which has received strong support from golf teaching professionals. He is a strong believer in the use of technology to deliver operational efficiencies.  Under his tenure, his team implemented the PGA of Canada digital magazine; became the first to use drones to enhance the broadcast of PGA of Canada events and has maximized the use of social media to strategic advantage.

He is a past Chairman of the National Allied Golf Association.

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Live Like Laurie

Friday made me realize how selfish I am. While I go about my day looking for things to complain about, there are people with greater struggles but are more thankful for their blessings.

On Friday, we celebrated the life of Laurie Pufpaff, a life lived to the fullest extent possible. For the past ten years, she battled with cancer, but she lived with grace. She didn’t let her diagnosis hold her back. It never kept her from living. If anything, it gave her more of a reason to do the things she loved.

Her battle spoke volumes to so many people. She showed true faith in not questioning God in such trying times. She is an example of a true believer. She never gave up on God, and I believe he did the same for her. It’s easy to thank God in good times, but it takes strength to be thankful during the hard times.

Now don’t be mistaken, she didn’t lose her fight to cancer; she won by the way she lived her life. Cancer didn’t stand a chance against this fighter. She continued to be a wife, a mother, a friend, and an educator. Her presence could light up any room.

I met Laurie in high school, and she became Mama Puf to me and eventually the whole lacrosse team. She was our team’s biggest fan. She was always positive and encouraging, even if we weren’t very good. I went to a game a few years back, and she was the first person I ran into. Years after her kids had graduated, she was still cheering the team on. That’s who she was.

I never heard her complain. Even when she was hurting, she continued to wear a smile, and that smile is how she will be remembered. The amount of love at her funeral on Friday illuminated her character, and it provided evidence that she touched every life she encountered.

That’s how I want to be remembered. I want to be more like Laurie. I want to love unconditionally, live fully, and trust God always. I fall short in all of those areas, but Friday was a reminder of what a great role model Laurie was. She was everything I hope to be. I am already so far behind, but if I can be half the women she was, that’s something I can be proud of.

Now I challenge you. I challenge you to live more like Laurie. Be the light for others, even in the midst of your own battles. Show the world that no matter what comes your way, your God is greater and so is your strength!

Rest in peace to one of the greatest angels this world has ever known.

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A Kiwi Breakout

The $GBPNZD has officially broken out on the larger timeframes in Wednesday’s trading session. After breaking below the major psychological level of 1.85, the pair has extended losses from there to trade at 1.83 in early Asian trading. At the European open, those losses have extended further to 1.82.

GBPNZD daily chart

Technically, the hold below 1.90, despite the spike highs, set the stage for a breakout to the downside in $GBPNZD. 1.90 marked the bottom of a consolidation range that held for well over 2 years. With the pair now below the 2011 lows, the pair is in uncharted territory trading at all-time lows.

To trade a pair that has no historical reference, it becomes prudent to either trade the psychological levels that tend to exist at the whole numbers and 50-pip intervals. Because the $GBPNZD moves in such wide swings, a trader can capitalize on moves from whole number to whole number with an eye on how price behaves at the 50 level. Another approach, is to remain on the sidelines as price falls and then enter trades on a correction. After the correction, the pair has left some historical support levels in place that a trader can now use as a guide when prices turn lower.

The information in this blog post represents my own opinions and does not contain a recommendation for any particular security or investment. I or my affiliates may hold positions or other interests in securities mentioned in the Blog, please see my Disclaimer page for my full disclaimer.

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The use of images to illustrate articles concerning the subject of the images in question is believed to qualify as fair use under United States copyright law, as such display does not significantly impede the right of the copyright holder to sell the copyrighted material and is not being used to generate profit in this context.

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  • Boxcars

    Boxcars is a Powder Ganger residing in the Nipton General Store in 2281. Boxcars was a criminal...

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It's a Girl!

It's a Girl!
Keely Solana Sanchez 12.22.08

Baby Sanchez...Boy or Girl?

Thursday, May 13, 2010

As you can see we are reeeeeeaaaaalllly bad at this blog thing. Part of my excuse is because I'm hardly ever on the actual computer now that my sweet hubby got me an iPhone for my birthday almost a year ago. I pretty much do everything from my phone now that I used to do on the computer. So I figured hey...maybe I can just write a little blog from my phone after all:). So there may not be many pics because I don't know how to do that from my phone, but I might be a little better at updating this thing. Anyone know of a blogging app??? So a lot has happened since the last blog...Keely turned 1, she's now running everywhere and talking some (she says leche, agua, mama, Papa, bebe, no, rana, wowow=perro, hi, hola, bye, and lots of animal sounds). We had a BIG first birthday party for her complete with a piñata with lots of friends and family. A little after that we had our first WHITE Christmas I can remember here in Tx. We all loved waking up Christmas morning and going out and playing in the snow- dogs included:). Then we had more snow 8 inches or something! Again we all bundled up and played our hearts out cuz we didn't know if it would ever snow like that again. Will has been staying VERY busy at work, but fortunately only traveling a few times a month if that. He has really enjoyed being able to come home every night and have quality family time bonding with his baby girl. A few weeks ago we joined him on the road after he was done with the work part of the trip. He was down in Corpus Christi, so Keely and I hopped on a plane for her first plane ride to spend some time with papa. I had my bag of tricks and I was ready for the plane...the 2 hour delay at the airport not so much. Needless to say we walked pretty much the whole airport to kill time and wear her out so she was ready to sit for 2 hours. She did fine on the plane, people kept saying how she was such a good flyer. I, however, was on the egde of my seat ready to pull out my next trick the second she squeeked. The weather was beautiful so we were able to go to the beach, go swimming, and we went to the coolest aquarium. We were pleasently surprised with how nice Corpus was. A great little get-a-way:)! We definitly realized relaxing vacations are over for a while though;). With Keely with us it go go go! Very cool to be able to experience things through her eyes. We were soooo happy to be back home and in our own beds though! For those of you expecting, I defintely recommend a baby moon before your little one gets here:). I'm still just working two times a week. Keely's abuela and my sister each watch her a day while I work. It's so great for her to be able to spend alone time and bond with them, but I really miss her. Being a mom has been soooo awesome! Don't get me wrong it definitely has it's ups and downs and it's 24/7, but WOW, I love it! I can't believe how much fun I have playing with her every day! Kids are truely miracles! God is amazing!

ericksons said...

loved looking at your playa pictures on facebook. keely was so cute coloring on the plane. i just can't believe how she gets cuter and cuter and she started out so stinkin cute. love you guys.

Alyson said...

Love the update!! Glad to hear of all the fun going on in the Sanchez household!! A pretty easy blog app is BlogPress Lite. Free and you can use it to put pictures on! Love you guys!


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Thursday, March 18, 2010

One more blessing...

Rob and I are so excited to tell you that we are expanding the McKay family and expecting our third child in August...yes ANOTHER August baby and we JUST found out today it is ANOTHER GIRL!!!!!!! :)

It is so funny how things work. I mean it took us almost a year to get pregnant with Taylor and then several months with Caroline. We actually were not "trying" to get pregnant and this one was a big surprise for us but a huge blessing. God has his own plan and we are excited about the next McKay!

I am almost 19 weeks and my expected due date is August 16th. YES that is the same week as the girls' birthdays. August will always be a busy month for us but definitely one of the best months of the year to celebrate our little angels! We have seen the little one four times on ultrasound and the she looks perfect. Even the third time around, it is all still so amazing to me; to actually see the little biscuit and hear her heartbeat is breathe taking!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patrick's Day

As their shirts say, "Daddy's Pot of Gold"...Rob's two little sweet hearts!

These two girls are growing up way too fast. It is hard to believe they are 18 months and 3.5 years old! They are really starting to interact with one another; lots of laughs and good times. Sometimes it does end up with some yelling, pouting and on occasion crying, but they do love one another! Silly girls...


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Home » Blog » I need to learn Spanish

I need to learn Spanish

I need to learn Spanish – a practical thought

For the past 3 years, my wife and I have been fortunate to clown at the  Willman Industries  company picnic in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin.   In addition to “clowning around”, my wife spends the bulk of her time face painting the children there, while I make a  lot  of balloon animals.   A comment that my wife made on the way home was that, “I need to learn Spanish.”

Many of the people at the picnic are Spanish-speaking.  Even though the vast majority of the adults are bi-lingual, many of the younger children aren’t.  In order to communicate, we either need to speak Spanish, pantomime, or both.   I know some Spanish from college, and know enough to communicate clumsily in Spanish.   For example, I  absolutely never  make balloon animals for children younger than the age of 3.  It’s a choking hazard that could be fatal to a young child.  “¿El Niño es tres años, o no es tres años?” Probably not the best grammar, but it allows me to ask the parents if the child is 3 years old — holding up 3 fingers as I do so.

My wife’s right — there are enough Spanish-speaking children to make it a necessity.  But that raises the question, where do we stop?   Do we need to learn Chinese? Hmong? French?   It depends on where you live, of course.  It reinforces the need for clowns (and other childrenâs performers) to use the art of pantomime, in order to communicate  without  words

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Home » Book Reviews » Slapstick Encyclopedia

Slapstick Encyclopedia

Slapstick EncyclopediaEditorial review of Slapstick Encyclopedia courtesy of Amazon.com

Buy from Amazon.com  A veritable gold mine of rarities and little-known treats, Slapstick Encyclopedia lives up to its title as a stupendous compendium of silent-era comedy. Spanning the entire spectrum of slapstick from 1909 to 1927, this definitive collection (curated by film historians David Shepard and Joe Adamson) dutifully credits Keystone Cops creator Mack Sennett as the founder of the slapstick phenomenon. But it reaches far beyond Sennett (who alienated most of his popular stars) to acknowledge nearly every major and minor slapstick star and style. The development of slapstick, which had its roots in vaudeville, is witnessed chronologically, mixing the manic pie-fight sensibility of Sennettâs Keystone hits with the lesser-known, more sophisticated parlor-room comedy of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew, while legendary black vaudevillian Bert Williams plies his popular trade in a Biograph short from 1916.

Early appearances by Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Fatty Arbuckle, Ben Turpin, Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel, and others demonstrate the gradual emergence of the popular personalities (like Chaplin’s Little Tramp) that would dominate silent comedy at its peak, establishing timeless screen icons and forever altering Hollywoodâs way of doing business. But the real strength of this set is its wide scope, unearthing neglected talents ripe for rediscovery (like Charley Bowers and Larry Semon), and allowing the viewer to witness the evolution of gags from simple improvisation to the elaborately planned chase-oriented routines that emerged in the early 1920s. With print quality ranging from good to pristine, and original musical accompaniment by six of the worldâs leading silent-movie musicians, this 18-hour, 50-film laugh-athon is surely one of the finest DVD sets ever produced. —Jeff Shannon

From the Back Cover of Slapstick Encyclopedia

Highlighting the Golden Age of screen comedy as it has never been presented before, Slapstick Encyclopedia collects more than fifty silent short comedies with new musical soundtracks into this exclusive 5-disc DVD boxed set. From the early innovators, who redesigned the routines of vaudeville with narrative form, to the celebrated masters whose inspired improvisations helped establish the world dominance of of American film. Slapstick Encyclopedia is your laugh-filled tour of this eternally appealing art. All films have been digitally mastered at visually correct speeds from excellent original materials; each includes a brief introduction written by film historian Joe Adamson, who has also provided a comprehensive guide, “The Whole Custard Pie Catalog,” included in each box. The series includes enough sight gags, collapsing sets, high-speed chases, and quick-witted underdogs to keep audiences of all ages wide-eyed for hours!

Bonus features: Harry Langdon stars in “All Night Long” and “His Marriage Wow,” two 20-minute comedies made in 1924-25 when the star was developing his screen persona. These films show Mack Sennett’s frenetic, gag-oriented style giving way to Langdon’s slower, more concentrated pace. A third 20-minute comedy, “Haunted Spooks” starring Harold Lloyd, dates from 1920.

Product Description of Slapstick Encyclopedia

The clowns of the American silent screen bring laughter to a new generation in this wonderful box set, featuring 53 short films from the era’s funniest comic talents: Laurel and Hardy, Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Mack Sennett, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, Will Rogers, Ben Turpin and more. Meticulously prepared for DVD with fresh new musical scores, “Slapstick Encyclopedia” is a unique collection of silent comedy gems.

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Sounding the Ritual Echo

Fanzine published by Steve Green and Ann Green.

Issue Date Pages Notes
1 November 1983 10
2 May 1984 22
2.5 August 1984 4 AKA Atmospheres for Dreaming
3 Spring 1983 52 Date is correct. Final issue.

This is a Stub Fanzine page. Please extend it by adding information about when and by whom it was published, how many issues it has had, (including adding a partial or complete checklist), its contents (including perhaps a ToC listing), its size and repro method, regular columnists, its impact on fandom, or by adding scans or links to scans.


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case: (Default)
Case ([personal profile] case) wrote in [community profile] fandomsecrets2017-02-12 03:42 pm

[ SECRET POST #3693 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3693 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

[She-Ra Princess of Power Crystal Castle, He-Man Masters of the Universe Snake Mountain, He-Man Masters of the Universe Castle Grayskull]

[Tara Palmer-Tomkinson]

[Pretty in Pink]

[Crazy Ex-Girlfriend]

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 36 secrets from Secret Submission Post #528.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Re: Spoilers.

(Anonymous) 2017-02-13 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
I think it makes sense though when you consider one of the things Rebecca first did when she moved was flush her meds. She had obviously had problems before that were known.

I think it's possible who she was in New York was a response to that event as well, she went too far, but instead of realizing this and working on her issues she just repressed a lot. And that worked well enough to get her through law school and make her a successful lawyer, but since she never addressed her underlying issues in a real way, it was just a matter of time before she broke down again.

Mental illness can sometimes be a cycle, and I say this is as someone who is mentally ill (not to the extremes Rebecca is, but I know how it is to seem to be doing well only to break down again.)


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Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: A Name for a Potion

  1. #1

    A Name for a Potion

    I have invented a potion for the sixth year Potions class in a fic I'm writing, but I don't know what to call it.

    It's a potion used on trauma patients, which dampens the effect of painful memories so that the subconscious can deal with them without causing the patient stress. The ingredients include moonstone, St. John's Wort (anti-depressant), Jobberknoll feathers and Belladonna. Any ideas on what such a potion could be called?

    Thanks in advance,

  2. #2
    I'm not sure what ingrediants you use but since most of the potions in HP have names that describe them I looked up narcotics, which have a similar effect.
    The term narcotic (ναρκωτικός) is believed to have been coined by Galen to refer to agents that benumb or deaden, causing loss of feeling or paralysis. The term is based on the Greek word ναρκωσις (narcosis), the term used by Hippocrates for the process of benumbing or the benumbed state. Galen listed mandrake root, altercus (eclata)[1] seeds, and poppy juice (i.e. opium) as the chief examples.[2][3]

    Poppy Juice sounds like a good one if perhaps you put opium in it as an ingrediant.

    Mercy Potion since it would alter the pain of the memories.

    Holiday Potion maybe the potion could create some sort of dream state or taking a "holiday" from the pain

    Transparent Trauma -would indicate that it makes the truama memory transparent or "see through"

  3. #3

    Why not just take a Calming Draught or Dreamless Sleep? Or Obliviate them?

    He he. But since you asked for a name... I'll be right back. I'll go ask my Potions class.

    -Stubby (will return to edit)

  4. #4
    I've added ingredients to it. It uses moonstone, St. John's Wort (anti-depressant), Jobberknoll feathers and Belladonna. It's a type of memory potion, in that it reduces bad memories and makes good ones more manifest. It's not meant to make you forget, only to put some perspective on things and enable you to cope and function as a normal human being.

    I invented it because I wanted them to be making a potion we haven't seen made in the books. It's a Marauder Era, and it's Snape brewing the potion, so he has his own take on things, of course...

  5. #5
    Ryan The Wizard
    A Trauma Treatment
    A Shock Stabilizer
    A Soothing Solution
    A Calming Concoction

    Any of those take your fancy?

  6. #6
    Soothing Solution sounds good. I think I'll go with that, unless I or someone else comes up with something better. Thank you!

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MuggleNet Fan Fiction
Harry Potter stories written by fans!
msmbchamp [Contact]

[Report This]

Stories by msmbchamp [0]
Favorite Authors [1]
Favorite Stories [43]
msmbchamp's Favorites [44]
Reviews by msmbchamp

A Lesson In Human Anatomy by Dianne

Rated: 1st-2nd Years • 24 Reviews
Summary: Set in the summer before Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts. Harry and Ginny use Polyjuice Potion to impersonate one another to enable Harry to sneak out of Privet Drive to watch a Quidditch game with Ron. When Harry does not return at the appointed time, unforseen problems arise in an embarrassing way, such as having to go to the bathroom and such in a body of the opposite sex. Humour abounds in the first half of the chapter, but angst takes over after that as Harry is caught in a lie and endures Uncle Vernon's wrath for it. Harry is rescued from Privet Drive and at first, Ginny feels responsible for having encouraged Harry to get out and have a little fun. Originally written for a challenge where the object was to describe a birthday cake with as much detail as possible, so I must warn you, Fred and George made the cake and I can say no more than that.
Reviewer: msmbchamp Signed
Date: 04/07/07 Title: Chapter 1: A Lesson In Human Anatomy

After the Final Battle by Marauder24

Rated:102 Reviews
Summary: Harry has finally defeated Voldemort. He goes back to the Burrow to tell Ginny and the rest of her family the good news. What will happen when Harry comes face to face with Ginny? Chapter Five is now submitted. Please read and review!
Reviewer: msmbchamp Signed
Date: 04/07/07 Title: Chapter 1: The Long Awaited Reunion

You should definitley write a sequel

A Glint of Gold by hpmaniac666

Rated: 6th-7th Years • 155 Reviews
Summary: Harry's always been good at catching the Golden Snitch. But something equally valuable seems to be sliping through his fingers... Takes up straight after HBP, One-shot.
Reviewer: msmbchamp Signed
Date: 04/02/07 Title: Chapter 1: A Glint of Gold

very tantalizing!!!!!!!!!

5 A.M. Revelations by msbigbad

Rated: 1st-2nd Years • 65 Reviews
Summary: Harry has sworn off loving Ginny...at least until the war is over, but will Ginny go along with that or will she have something to say?
Reviewer: msmbchamp Signed
Date: 04/06/07 Title: Chapter 1: 5 A. M. Revelations

if you developed this story more then it would be much better

Beauty From Pain by BeautyInTheBreakdown

Rated: 3rd-5th Years • 23 Reviews
Summary: Ginny mourns the death of Harry by looking back to her past, thinking on memory. Character death Post HBP H/G
Reviewer: msmbchamp Signed
Date: 04/15/07 Title: Chapter 1: Living a Memory

The fact of Ginny being a Horcrux makes so much sense.

Author's Response: Thanks.


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Things Get ‘Intense’ With Oliver & Felicity in Arrow 5×20 Synopsis

This is the episode Olicity fans have been waiting for. And we finally have a synopsis.

Only, this isn’t telling us what we don’t already know.

In the newly released synopsis for Arrow‘s 20th episode of season 5, titled “Underneath,” it tells us that Oliver and Felicity get trapped in the bunker together — and intense things follow. This has been an episode that producers have been teasing for awhile.

As we’re all well-aware, following their painful breakup last season, Oliver and Felicity haven’t really dealt with their feelings. They haven’t really discussed things, which is why their relationship is awkward and distant. But that’s all going to change in “Underneath,” which will hopefully find a happy medium between understanding and taking responsibility where it’s due.

But the surprise here comes regarding Diggle and Lyla, who will also be working through their issues. Not going to lie, we’ll riot if they break Diggle and Lyla up. But they can’t. They won’t. They’d be stupid to do so. So, here’s hoping that this “working through marital issues” ends up being something that unites them rather than divides them.

Here’s the synopsis for “Underneath,” which airs May 3, that features some intensity for our favorite couples, Olicity and Dyla.

OLIVER AND FELICITY ARE TRAPPED — Things get intense when Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) are trapped in the bunker together. Meanwhile, Lyla (guest star Audrey Marie Andreson) and Diggle (David Ramsey) deal with their martial issues. Wendey Stanzler directed the episode written by Wendy Mericle & Beth Schwartz (#520).  Original airdate 5/3/2017.

Arrow returns with its final five episodes this season on Wednesday, April 26 at 8/7c on The CW.

Alyssa Barbieri

Senior Managing Editor, DCTV Writer

Teacher by day, writer by every other free moment. Obsessed with sports, TV, books, movies, and superheroes. Proud shipper and supporter of strong female characters. TV and Sports Editor. I write about DC TV, One Chicago and so much more. Contact:

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MacStick is an orange stick figure with a blue outline and is Stick Lucas' butt monkey best friend.

He is a good friend who always lets himself take the bullet for his best friend, Lucas.

Mac has story

he (ir)relevant to Lucas' laifu

Invulnerable to Pain:Edit

For some reason, MacStick is numb to the feeling of pain, whether it's an illness or physical pain, he just shrugs it off like nothing. He can't get hurt no matter what, even if you were light his butt on fire or spray him toilet water, he is left unfazed. He is really a tough guy to flinch.

Iron Butt Monkey:Edit

Because he is Stick Lucas' best friend, it would be better that MacStick were to endure all of the hits since he doesn't feel any pain so it would make more sense that he would be the one to suffer more than Lucas.

  • There is gonna be list of how many times he has suffered for Stick Lucas, all of which he somehow miraculously survived from.
  • His name may sometimes be misread as "Marcstick" for some reason.

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Colts’ Irsay checks into health-care facility

Updated: March 18, 2014, 5:33 PM ET

Mike Wells |

INDIANAPOLIS — Colts owner Jim Irsay has voluntarily checked into a “highly respected” health-care facility to undergo treatment, the team announced Tuesday.
Irsay faces four felony counts of possession of a controlled substance after being arrested on suspicion of intoxicated driving in the northern Indianapolis suburb of Carmel late Sunday.
“[Irsay] is committed to undergoing the treatment and care necessary to help him meet his challenges head-on,” the team said in a statement. “Jim, the Irsay family, and the Colts organization are all deeply appreciative of the incredible outpouring of support and compassion from our fans and the Indiana community.”
Carlie Irsay-Gordon is the principal of authority with Irsay in rehab.
If convicted on the felony charges, Irsay could face six months to three years in prison on each count. So-called Schedule IV drugs such as those with which Irsay was allegedly caught include Xanax, Darvocet and Ambien, which have low risks for abuse or dependency, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Irsay acknowledged in 2002 that he had become dependent on painkillers after several orthopedic operations, but he said he had overcome the problem after undergoing treatment.
Previously worked at Indianapolis Star
Also covered Vikings for St. Paul Pioneer Press

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Saturday, December 09, 2006

chasing history

With the help of the paramedics we encountered at the grocery store in town we found Bartons Creek. Just over the creek heading out of town is this historical marker denoting the location of my great-great-great-grandfathers original log home (spelling of this name alternates in the records with one or two t's). The marker stands on the highway next to a drive that reaches up and over a small hill. We drove a short distance up the lane and saw the homestead. Sometime in the 1800's a more modern farmhouse structure had been built around the original log home.

It was obviously a private residence and we didn't feel emboldened to rap on the door. The weather was grey and we were tired and hungry so we headed back to town. Our departure back to Illinois was scheduled for first thing in the morning and we sat up that evening reading excerpts from a book written about our family in the 1960's entitled, "West From Edrom". The title refers to the Nesbitt brothers journey from the borders region of Scotland west to the new world. I can't imagine setting out knowing that I would most likely never see my homeland or family again.

They were motivated by the idea of a better life and being able to have some choice in their destiny. A friend who travels in extremely remote regions of the world has noted that many people in this world are prisoners of the lack of opportunity to create something better. He tells a poignant tale of a woman running a frontier-type bar in Nepal, who like a person dying of thirst, drinks greedily on his tales of life outside her microcosm. She reminded him to be aware and thankful everyday that he enjoyed the ultimate luxury.

This was the luxury Robert Nesbitt was seeking....leaving a place where his destiny was dictated by an English king and being a part of deciding who would govern and how we would be governed. And that he did just that, fighting in the Revolutionary War for which his new government awarded him land in the territory which is now Tennessee. Meetings were held in his home to create Dickson county, carving it from two larger areas, and the first court session of the county was also held in his home.

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