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Baez shatters car window with home run
MESA, Ariz. -- The Cubs need a few more signs at their new Spring Training facility to warn fans of Javier Baez's power.
Baez apparently broke a car window with one of his batting-practice home runs on Friday.
"I saw it fly and I heard a sound," said infielder Logan Watkins, who was in the outfield during batting practice.
What did he hear?
"Glass," Watkins said.
"Somebody told me, but I didn't know that," Baez said about the freak accident. "It [stinks] for the person who parked there."
This is the Cubs' first spring at the new facility in west Mesa, and there are a few glitches.
"They're parking too close to the field," Baez said.
It's not just Baez either. Jorge Soler launched a ball out of Field 5 as well. Maybe they need more screens? Or park farther away?
"[At least] not until Group 1 is done hitting," Watkins said. "Mike Olt hit a couple far out there, too."
Home runs are not unusual for Baez, 21, who belted 37 combined at Class A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee last season. This is Baez's second year in the big league spring camp, and he said it's a little easier.
"I'm trying to follow all the big guys," the shortstop said.
Starlin Castro has been encouraging Baez, who is challenging for Castro's job.
"[Castro] tells me all the time, 'You're going to get there whenever they think you're ready,'" Baez said. "We're just waiting now."
Third baseman Christian Villanueva, who also was in the outfield during batting practice, gave Baez a description of what happened in Spanish.
"It was impressive," Villanueva said. "I think he hit two cars. Some family was getting into the car and they heard the noise. They're like, 'Who's hitting?'"
Baez didn't know what happened.
"He doesn't even care," Watkins said. "He's like, 'Oh, cool.' It's not cool for whoever's car it was.
"That's a fun group to watch hit. They were making that field look real small. I get in trouble if I try to do that because that's not really my game. Last round, I try to put one over [the fence] at least. He can do it every round if he wants. I don't think anyone's going to say, 'That's not your game,' because it obviously is."


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Nothing worse than having your balls go missing.
Just be on the look out for any changes in the warning stickers and / or in the owners manual on the 2019's.
I certainly hope you are right about that. There being a 2019 edition that is.
The OP answered my PM.OK, I was wrong, it's called a non disclosure agreement, but yes it was settled and, no he can't talk about it.I am kind of surprised how he was treated here though, just because he didn't like the brakes and got a lawyer he was called a troll and other stuff.Over the years I've heard so many complaints about this bike, " the seat sucks, the bars hurt my shoulders (I still don't understand that one, but whatever), it's buzzy, it's jerky, it's got no cruise control, it doesn't have a key that works like the key on all my old bikes did, the brakes aren't linked right," etc. etc. etc. and yet this guy is the one that gets all the flack?I like my C14, a lot (no it isn't love), but if someone else doesn't and instead of just complaining about it on forums, decides to go get a lawyer and take on a giant largecorporation..then my hat is off to them.
With that being said, my right shoulder blade started to hurt me after several hundred miles of riding even with the Heli Horizons...part of the reason I moved to another bike that was more ergonomically friendly to my elderly body.
Took me about 25 miles to get used to it..
Took me about 25 miles to get used to it..
So what does that convert to in Indian time...2 maybe 3 days moons?
...2 maybe 3 days moons?
So what does that convert to in Indian time...2 maybe 3 days?
Jim's new Indian name, "Goes Fast No More."
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Fantasy Baseball For Physicists: Very, Very Fast Fastballs
Here's a question: What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent of the speed of light?
The answer is: Don't.
Not that anyone's going to pitch a ball that fast, but if they do, you definitely don't want to be the batter. Or the pitcher. Or in the stands watching. Or anywhere near the ball field. But, trust me, you very definitely want to see what happens.
Cartoonist Randall Munroe over at xkcd has just launched an every Tuesday "what if?" series. And in this first one, he's asked what would happen if a ball approached 90 percent of the speed of light. His answer, mixed with his wonderfully primitive illustrations, starts calmly...
To see what follows, go over to his place, but first, put on some sunglasses, buy a lead suit, then click here.


text:
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The ALP administers proficiency test (PT) sample events in support of this program. The ALP is accredited to the ISO 17043 standard as a PT Provider | Certificate of ISO 17043 Accreditation. The ALP is also accredited to the ISO 17034 standard as a Reference Material Producer | Certificate of ISO 17034 Accreditation.
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The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ALP is authorized by the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 9, Parts 439 and 391.
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In the wake of the mass killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, FRONTLINE investigates a young man and the town he changed forever. Adam Lanza's motives, and his life, remain largely a mystery. With The Hartford Courant, FRONTLINE looks for answers to the central — and so far elusive — question: Who was Adam Lanza? Also this hour: In the aftermath of the tragedy, President Obama called for a national conversation about guns. Nowhere is that conversation more intense than in Newtown, where FRONTLINE finds a town divided and explores how those closest to the tragedy are wrestling with our nation's gun culture and laws.
- Tuesday 2/19 @ 9:00 p.m.


text:
A piece on The Huffington Post points out that in addition to the gray-hair trend, (gray-haired) 43-year-old Kristen McMenamy and 47-year-old Elle Macpherson have graced recent fashion runways. The headline asks: "Are 'Older' Models The New Black?"
New York magazine's fashion blog The Cut answers: Not exactly. Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa used McMenamy in his show, but he opened that show with a model called Jac, who is 16.
The Prada show earlier this year featured "curvier" models —many known for their work with Victoria's Secret — but as The Cut's Amy Odell writes, "Sexy, curvaceous figures seem to be on the rise, but the vast majority of girls walking that we saw were still super-skinny and super-young."
It would be wonderful if designers wanted more diversity on the runways — age-wise, body-type wise, race-wise — to the showcase the universal appeal and wearability of the clothes. But unless the fashion industry makes inclusive casting a steady habit, whenever a model deviates from the norm, it'll feel like a stunt for attention instead of progress.
Were the Fall 2010 Runway Castings Really a Turning Point? [NY Times]
Are 'Older' Models The New Black? [HuffPo]


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Chief selector Krish Srikkanth on Saturday said the two consecutive Test defeats in Australia has a lot do with poor batting rather than Mahendra Singh Dhonis captaincy which has come under sharp criticism. Our batting didnt click as a unit. It is a bit surprising as we were confident of a good show in Australia. But we must admit that Australia have played better cricket than us. There is no point trying to find excuses and we need to move on, Srikkanth said here.
Asked about Dhonis captaincy which has been criticised by former greats like Ian Chappell and Wasim Akram, Srikkanth said it would be unfair to single out his captaincy for the poor performance.
Look, when you lose you can cite any reason. But Dhoni has been honest enough in not giving any excuses. In fact he has rightly admitted that our batting has not clicked, it has clicked only in patches.
This is the best team we have at the moment. Also there are no injuries. I believe each and every member has accepted that Australia is playing better cricket, the former India captain said.
When asked to pinpoint the exact problem area, he said the failure of the batsmen to get big scores has played a part in the defeats.
In South Africa, when we drew the Test series, atleast one of our batsmen went on to score a big hundred. Here our batsmen have got to half centuries but didnt get a big score. Test cricket provides you with few opportunities but one needs to grab them when they come your way.
Srikkanth felt that India had their moments and should have won the Melbourne Test match.
We were 211 for two and we lost it from there. We had Sehwag, Dravid and Tendulkar playing well but then no one got a big score. When you lose the first Test, automatically, there is a lot of pressure on you. Now one should try and do well in the Perth Test. We have won in Perth last time and we should try and do well there, he added.
Keywords:Chief selector, Krish Srikkanth ,Test defeats, Australia , Mahendra Singh Dhoni,captaincy ,Srikkanth , Dhonis captaincy ,Chappell , Wasim Akram, former India captain, Melbourne Test match,Sehwag, Dravid , Tendulkar .


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Gibson Guitar was a proud brand partner of the recent December Sessions, held at London's O2 Arena in North Greenwich between December 3-22.
December Sessions featured more than 100 up and coming acts of all genres, playing live over 20 nights. Each night saw five bands take to a specially constructed stage in The O2 Arena complex. With an audience of thousands passing through the arena, December Sessions provided new acts with a fantastic opportunity to play to a large audience.Some of the most hotly tipped acts of 2012 who performed at December Sessions include Nikki Garnett, I Am Harlequin, The Sea and I, Belakiss, Tree Top Flyers (who recently won the Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition) and Son of Jack (who were fresh from touring with Chrissie Hynde).As well as the live music, there was plenty on offer for fans to experience at December Sessions which included The British Music Experience Tour Bus and a display of new Gibson USA guitar models for fans to try out. These included a Gibson Les Paul Classic Plus, a Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom, a Gibson SG Standard Ltd and the Gibson Krist Novoselic RD Bass.
On one of the nights, a silent gig headlined by multiplatinum-selling band The Feeling (presented by Sennheiser) caught the imagination of the audience. The night involved an audio, visual and sensory stimulation designed to give a truly unique and interactive event experience. The silent gig allowed guests to choose their own listening level and mix for the performance, delivering the audio via headphones with virtually no external sound. Fans were also able to experience the new Gibson Firebird X guitar system that was demonstrated onstage by a Gibson product specialist.For more information on December Sessions, please visit http://www.theo2.co.uk/event/december-sessions-20111203.html.
Photo credit: Lauren Keogh


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ORLANDO, Fla. – As far as 8-year-old Sebastian Villa is concerned, he's just like any other little boy. That is-- until it comes to mealtime.
Sebastian has severe allergies to peanuts, eggs and wheat. If he eats even the smallest bit, he could have a severe allergic reaction, or anaphylaxis.
"It can go from one extreme to another pretty quickly," said Orlando allergist Dr. Jose Arias.
"His trachea can actually close on him and he won't be able to breathe. It can be severe to the point that he won't be able to get any air in his system," said Sebastian's mother, Michelle Velez.
That's why Velez said she carries an EpiPen auto-injector all the time, and educates Sebastian on what to do in the case of an emergency.
"What can happen if you have peanuts, what are we going to do about it? You're going to immediately tell me and we're going to go ahead and grab the EpiPen and place it on your outer thigh," said Velez.
The auto-injectors are the easiest way to help someone in anaphylaxis. A new state bill, now in effect, not only allows schools to keep those EpiPens in stock, it allows staff to administer them on any child possibly having an anaphylactic reaction.
The bill states schools must purchase the auto-injectors themselves and are responsible for training staff members how to recognize an allergic response and use the tool correctly.
But Dr. Arias said right now, most parents don't even know the bill was passed.
"A lot of the parents that I've talked to were not aware about this when they went back to school at the beginning of the year," said Dr. Arias. "I don't think the schools are making them aware that this is now in effect for their child's protection."
That may be because most schools aren't yet stocking them.
Officials from Orange County Schools told us each principal decides whether or not their school stocks them. Other counties tells us they're waiting for guidelines from the state.
But the Department of Education officials told Local 6 because schools aren't required to stock the auto-injectors, the DOE won't be issuing any other guidelines and won't be monitoring the schools on how they choose to implement the program, or train their staff.
Dr. Arias said either way, with about two kids per classroom having food allergies, it's a good idea to have EpiPens in the building.
"There are some children who have a new allergic reaction in school and that's what good about this law," said Dr. Arias. "The school personnel will be able to use the stock EpiPen on that child, since the child does not have one with them."
That is another part of the bill; staff members who administer the EpiPen on a child they believe is having a severe allergic reaction, won't be held liable if the child is then injured, as long as they follow the adopted protocol and their action is not "willfull and wanton".
It's a measure Velez said is a great idea.
She said as far as her own son, she said education is the key. Velez even makes sure Sebastian has a bracelet he wears while at school and out of the house, to make sure anyone with him knows he has allergies.
"It's made by a company called ROXO," said Velez. "I called them and they made a bracelet with custom charms, just for Sebastian. It shows everything he's allergic to. And because it's a cool design, they make other kinds of bracelets, too, he doesn't feel embarrassed about his allergies."
She said something like that may help identify other children with allergies while at school.
Last year, 7-year-old Ammaria Johnson died after suffering an allergic reaction at her school in Virginia. Her mother said the school failed to give her Benadryl when she accidentally ate something containing peanuts. Her mother also claims the school would not keep an EpiPen in the building for the child.
In July, 13-year-old Natalie Giorgi died after accidentally eating a Rice Krispy treat that didn't normally contain peanuts. This time it did; and despite spitting that piece out and receiving three EpiPen injections, she passed away.
Dr. Arias said they're tragedies that, in most cases, can be avoided.
"With this law, no child should die from anaphylaxis anywhere in the state of Florida anymore," he said.
Dr. Arias said there are programs that actually enable schools to get up to four EpiPens to keep on hand for free. More information on that can be found by clicking here.
Velez said more EpiPens and trained school staff would bring her peace of mind.
"We don't need five more kids to die from a food allergy before they can actually take action and know that this is serious."
Dr. Arias said there are several questions you can ask your schools to get a better idea of how they will take care of your child if they're having a severe allergic reaction.
Those questions include:
-How does your school typically train teachers and staff about anaphylaxis and the use of epinephrine auto-injectors?
-Who in your school is authorized to administer epinephrine to students experiencing a severe allergic reaction?
-Does the school keep auto-injectors on hand that are not prescribed to a specific student, i.e. stock them? Where are they kept?
-Where is the students' anaphylaxis plan kept?
Facts About Food Allergies:
-Most common foods for child allergies: tree nuts, egg, milk,
fish, shellfish, soy and wheat
-Some kids with severe food allergy are victims of bullying
-If you have food allergies, you should:
1. Read the label on foods to be sure you avoiding the allergen
2. Carry Epinephrine auto-injector with you at all times
3. Have a plan and share it with family and friends
4. Practice with the provided trainer
5. Call 911 after using the epinephrine auto injector
-Do not inject an EpiPen in veins, buttocks, finger, toes, hands or feet. It's to be injected only in the lateral thigh muscle.
-EpiPens come in two doses, Junior at 0.15 for 33 to 66 pounds and Adult at 0.30 dose for greater the 66 pounds


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Danse des Souris..a beautiful tale from Griffin
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Joined: 30 Sep 2004
Posts: 1654
Location: Penrith (where jacarandas remind me of change), New South Wales, Australia
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:36 am
Post subject: Danse des Souris..a beautiful tale from Griffin
Dears, I've fallen in love with this story. And felt a joyous urge to share it with you..Am imagining it as a book..a book for both children and adults to enjoy...this Griffin and his wondrous imagination...perhaps you, the reader, might share this with the children in your life..
Danse des Souris - the Mouse Ballet
Thanks to my co-conspirator the Snapper, I have pictures of ballet shoes!! Hence a few (at least three) tales around
the ballet. Also thanks must go to Madame's dear friend Emily Wood whose painting is also involved.
A long time ago, sometime in the 18th century there lived a little girl called Janie Jones. She lived with her mama and papa in a tall house in London. This house was itself old and within its secret nooks and crannies at least four families of very civilised mice moved about the house; indeed from there they would also move about many of the old houses of London. They were highly cultured and on the shelves of their tiny homes were many tiny books on subjects of all kinds. On their tables they ate from the finest silverware and drank from the finest glasses. A mouse along the street from them made their clothes from the finest scraps of Spitalfields silks and French velvets that her tailor would store away.
Janie's father was a maker of violins to the gentry and he also played the violin. At night, before he closed up his workshop, he would sit among the unfinished instruments and the sawdust and wood shavings. He would rosin his bow and play soft and gentle melodies that drifted up the stairs into Janie's bedroom and lulled her to sleep. Her cat Grimwade would curl up at the foot of her bed asleep, yet his ears were pricked for every sound that came from behind the wainscoting and in the cupboards. He was all that the mice feared and his fur was dark tabby coloured, his eyes were like two full moons and his claws like crescent moons.
One day a little before Christmas a very fine gentleman came to visit Mr Jones to commission a violin. He was a tall, thin, very elegant Frenchman and his coat was of fine damask. Mr Jones called his wife Madeleine who was fluent in French and through her he asked if the gentleman played the violin himself or was buying the violin for another. The gentleman replied proudly that he was buying the violin for the Duc de Maurilhac from one of the finest families in France. Mr Jones raised an eyebrow in surprise and assured the gentleman that he would ensure that the violin would be suitable for the Duke. The gentleman bowed, thanked Monsieur Jones and left giving Madeleine his card and telling her that he would be staying at the Savoy hotel.
Now listening to this was a young mouse called Melissa Mouse and for her father's birthday some months ago she had invited the mice including her dear papa to the workshop to listen to Mr Jones play. She had also learned, as many mice her age, how to write music and how to play it. She had written a delicate piece in human size with her tail dipped in ink and left it for Mr Jones to find. So Mr Jones had played Melissa's mouse music with some amusement that very night.
She tried to imagine the violin that would be fit for a duke and knowing that Mr Jones would play the violin before he sold it, she began to think very hard. Finally she scurried away and stole some sheets of music paper from Mr Jones' store. That evening in the attic, she began to make notes. But it was no good. She realised that would have to visit Madame La Rosbif of the Dancing Mouse Academy. She put on her muffler and a fine dress of rose silk and old lace as well as her best bonnet. Then she travelled through the attics and down through the cellars of some of the finest houses in London until she reached Drury Lane. There, in the attic of a certain theatre, she called upon Madame La Rosbif. She was led by a young mouse through the dancing studio to fine apartments where, upon a chaise longue reclined a genteel lady mouse in a satin dress and a long lace over gown. She sighed fashionably when Melissa was announced.
It seemed that Madame La Rosbif was in despair for her students had no more ballet shoes. Her star ballerina, Fleur Morceau was in tears for her own shoes had fallen into shreds with all her dancing.
"My dear your ballet is di-vine," Madame told Melissa, "But what can one do without shoes. One cannot dance the ballet in bare feet, think of the scandale! It would be so inelegant as to be unfashionable! I should simply die of shame. If you can find me a hundred ballet shoes in brown or black with one fabulous pair in pink for my dear Fleurette, then I shall promise you a ballet incomparable!" Madame gushed.
Then with little hope she fell back in a genteel swoon on the chaise longue. Melissa left deep in thought. She went out to Ministrellis in Covent Garden and begged him to help. Signor Ministrelli was a lively mouse with moustachios and a deeply thoughtful air about him. He could only show Melissa a heap of secondhand ballet shoes. But to her delight they were in quite fair condition. Sure, they were a teensy bit worn, but otherwise very serviceable, very serviceable indeed. Now she needed only a single pair of pink shoes for the ballerina. Signor Ministrelli had only recently made a charming pair, but the cost was at least a hunk of Gorgonzola which he missed greatly. Melissa promised to see what she could do and invited him and his charming family to the ballet.
Now she went to see her cousin, Roxanne who lived deep below Harrods and had secret ways of her own of getting almost anything. Roxanne was delighted to see her cousin and Melissa told her cousin of the plan. She outlined her idea of the ballet and sang some of the music. But she needed some Gorgonzola with which to gain the pink shoes for the ballerina. Roxanne laughed,
"Cousin, you came to the right mouse. Leave it to me. I know what Ministrelli likes. Your Madame La Rosbif shall have all the shoes and costumes she requires."
Melissa was most grateful and left her cousin promising to visit more often. She returned to Madame's Academy and left a message that the shoes would be there and in the meantime, would it be too inelegant if the students might perhaps practise in bare paws until the shoes were ready? Madame emerged in a cloud of lace and perfume. She was thrilled to be of help. Of course her students would practise in bare paws. The Mouse Ballet would be ready in three days. Melissa was glad of this for it would take Mr Jones some time to make the violin.
Roxanne gathered the Gorgonzola, some Parma ham and olives. These she took to Ministrelli's who instantly set his workmice to the task of a hundred new ballet shoes. He himself would deliver them with the pink shoes to Madame La Rosbif.
Madame La Rosbif drove her students almost to tears but disciplined them until they were quite formidable in the ballet.
Mr Jones received pieces of music every night which he practiced and played with some amusement and much pleasure. The Duc's violin took four days to make, for it was inlaid with the most intricate and beautiful marquetry. The tuning keys were made of mahogany and mother of pearl. When it was ready, Mr Jones set the strings and rosined the bow. He had received a note written in the neatest and tiniest hand. It requested him to play the music at 8 o'clock that evening and to clear the table. It also requested him to keep the cat, Grimwade out of the studio also. He was curious enough that he brought Mrs Jones and Janie to the studio that evening. They were thrilled at the sight of the beautiful violin. But they were curious and amused at the note. It was agreed that they would comply with the note and see what should happen.
Janie removed the cat to the kitchen where the cook kept a sharp eye on him. Grimwade however, settled himself by the fire and fell asleep in it's warmth. Madeleine cleared the table and prepared her own violin to harmonise with her husbands. The family waited then for 8 o'clock. To their surprise the studio was soon filled with mice. They sat upon the workbench, upon unfinished violins and about the table. A small fashionable mouse dressed in a red velvet gown and much lace addressed the mice and introduced her corps de ballet. The mice took to the stage and another mouse with a serious look conducted Mr and Mrs Jones.
The ballet began with an overwhelming overture and the mice danced delightfully to open the Mouse Ballet. Janie watched entranced. The mice continued as her parents played from one piece to another with four mice turning the pages of their music. Towards the final part of the ballet, Fleur Morceau took to the stage in a pink tutu and the most beautiful pink ballet shoes. She pirouetted, pas de deux-ed, leapt, fluttered and in her delight she finished with another pirouette like this
The mice cheered and the Jones' laughed with sheer joy. They put down their violins and applauded too. That is the tail of the Mouse Ballet.
"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson
Last edited by madameshawshank on Sun Sep 14, 2008 3:38 am; edited 1 time in total
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Location: Gold Coast Australia
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:52 am
Post subject:
Madame and Griffin - it is indeed a lovely story. I love the painting too.
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Joined: 27 Dec 2004
Posts: 200
Location: cambridge, ma.
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:10 am
Post subject:
Glad I stopped by. That was delightful.
thank you
Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly
..................................MFK Fisher
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Joined: 30 Sep 2004
Posts: 1654
Location: Penrith (where jacarandas remind me of change), New South Wales, Australia
Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 3:35 am
Post subject:
Dear Ones..perhaps you can share it with others...I can imagine it being printed out..'n read as a special story..picnic in a park perhaps...before watching a ballet dvd...imagine reading it..and then with crayons, pencils, paints, collage...children creating the images that they've imagined..a classroom activity..at home activity..group activity...private activity...
am giving the story wings
"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson
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Joined: 30 Sep 2004
Posts: 1855
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 8:51 pm
Post subject:
I love the image of Melissa Mouse writing music with her tail dipped in ink!
love it love it love it!
Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!
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Joined: 29 Oct 2006
Posts: 218
Location: Heaven, actually.
Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:47 am
Post subject:
Just when I get too wrapped up in my daily life, a shining reminder of the creative process comes along and resets my clock.
Thank you a thousand times over for a little piece of bliss. Very timely, Dearest Griffin.
There is only one way to die- With a full stomach and a good tan.
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Joined: 09 Jun 2006
Posts: 932
Location: England
Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 11:18 am
Post subject:
You are welcome O Knifethrowing one!
David, I thought of those notes with their own tails and they just had to be written with a mouse tail.
Do visit the blog and see the other tales/tails! There is a list of other blogs worth a visit too. I've just added some as well. There are another two stories up since that one. I'm letting another story slowly ferment in my mind, which is the closest I come to baking bread! KYH and Rainey I bow before your bread-making might! I am not worthy... tho' I'm good at eating it.
Also check out the blog of the Goddess in the Kitchen - a fabulous giggle.
Confusion comes fitted as standard.
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Joined: 30 Sep 2004
Posts: 1654
Location: Penrith (where jacarandas remind me of change), New South Wales, Australia
Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:16 pm
Post subject:
here be the blog to which Mr Griffin refers...oh my those stories he weaves!
"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson
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Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 1196
Location: buried under a pile of books somewhere in Adelaide, South Australia
Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:27 am
Post subject:
Madame and Griffin, you should both add your blog to the website details in your C&Z profiles, so people can find it easily.
Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness
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Joined: 30 Sep 2004
Posts: 1654
Location: Penrith (where jacarandas remind me of change), New South Wales, Australia
Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:20 am
Post subject:
trust the smart and wondrous Jude to think of something like that..
sweet idea!
ok Griffin ma dear..you do the same...'n watch the world flock to read thy amazing tales
can I believe G's imagination...stretches far beyond the cosmos methinks!
"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson
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Islamists Disown PM Over Move To End Tunisian Crisis
Tunisia's governing Islamists rejected on Thursday a plan by their party chief and prime minister to dismiss the government after the shooting of a leading critic, whose death sparked the biggest street protests since a revolution two years ago.
Prime Minister Hamdi Jebali of Ennahda announced late on Wednesday he would replace the government led by his moderate Islamist party with a non-partisan cabinet until elections could be held as soon as possible.
But a senior Ennahda official said Jebali had not consulted the party, suggesting the Islamist group was deeply divided over the move to replace the governing coalition and that could prolong the political crisis.
"The prime minister did not ask the opinion of his party," said Abdelhamid Jelassi, Ennahda's vice-president.
"We in Ennahda believe Tunisia needs a political government now. We will continue discussions with other parties about forming a coalition government," he said.
The North African state's main opposition parties also rejected any move to form a government of experts and demanded they be consulted before any new cabinet is formed.
Jebali announced he was dissolving the government on Wednesday after leading secular opposition politician Chokri Belaid was gunned down outside his home in Tunis, sending protesters onto the streets across the country.
A crowd in Tunis set fire to the headquarters of Ennahda, which won the most seats in legislative elections 16 months ago.
Protests also spread to Sidi Bouzid, the birthplace of the Jasmine Revolution that toppled President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.
Although Belaid had only a modest political following, his sharp criticism of Ennahda policies spoke for many Tunisians who fear that religious radicals are stifling freedoms won in the first of the Arab Spring uprisings.
The opposition Nida Touns, Republican, Popular Front and Massar parties demanded that Jebali - who planned to stay on as caretaker prime minister - talk to them before making any move to dissolve his cabinet.
"The situation has changed now ... Consultations with all parties are essential," said Maya Jribi, head of the secular Republican party.
"All the government, including the prime minister, should resign," added Beji Caid Essebsi, a former prime minister who heads the secular Nida Touns.
Political analyst Salem Labyed said the opposition appeared to want to leverage the crisis to its own advantage and that prolonged political uncertainty could kindle more unrest.
"It seems that the opposition wants to secure the maximum possible political gains ..., but the fear is that the country's crisis will deepen if things remain unclear at the political level.
"That could increase the anger of supporters of the secular opposition, which may go back to the streets again," he said.
World powers, nervous about the extent of radical Islamist influence and the volatility of the political impasse, urged Tunisians to reject violence and see through the shift to democracy.
But discontent has smoldered for some time not only over secularist-Islamist issues but also over the lack of progress towards better living standards after Ben Ali's exit.


text:
NYT takes aim at Halsey Minor
Looks like the New York Times can't resist a good Halsey Minor story either.
From reporter Elizabeth Lesly Stevens, "Yet Mr. Minor still swaggers like a billionaire. Appearing before a San Francisco jury last month for a case in which he and Christie's are suing each other, he was dressed in alpha-mogul casual – a polo sweater, slacks and loafers, while all those working mightily either to bring him down or prop him up wore suits. Mr. Minor's own lawyer described him to the jury as "rude" and "unlikable"Š" Ouch!
5 comments
TT, better check under your bed for a liberal lurking there. Seems liberals have taken over the spots once inhabited by communists in the 1950s.
Big costumes for the coming Halloween: Dress like a liberal and scare the bejesus out of everybody.
Lucy, I think you need a barrel of beer to down that nut.
"Sotheby's said it had put Mr. Minor on a ââ?¬Å?no-bid" list and asked the judge in a court filing to force him to surrender pets worth more than $50 and any food his family would not be able to consume in the next 60 days."
From the NYT:
"Coming off a divorce and a brief stint as a bachelor-about-town based in Bel Air, Mr. Minor, who had a new wife, was in need of a San Francisco home. "
Did he become spendthrift because of his second wife? I wish someone would look at this angle.
deleted by moderator
I think you guys are missing the joke. Terry is clearly lampooning the reactionary, right-wing fringe that the tea party "movement" represents. How else do you explain such absurd, over-the-top rhetoric? A sane person would not utter such nonsense, so it must be a joke. Right, TT?


text:
Special Forces conducts naval training as Army emphasizes amphibious
ABOARD THE DOCK LANDING SHIP OAK HILL – Army Special Forces teamed up with the Gator Navy in April for training and managed to pull off a seemingly unprecedented feat: Simultaneously launching six helicopters from a two-spot dock landing ship.
The Oak Hill, while in the Atlantic, served as the landing pad for the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), better known as the "Night Stalkers," who also practiced fast-roping to the ship from helicopters.
That's the sort of tactic used to board noncompliant ships — a mission traditionally run by Navy SEALs and Marine Corps' Maritime Raid Forces, in the latest sign the Army is boosting its amphibious operations as it emerges from a decade of land warfare.
Landing on a ship is not common for these pilots — nor was it a cakewalk for the ship's crew. Multiple flight deck waivers were required due to having "way more birds than we would normally spot," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 William East, the ship's boatswain who oversaw the flight operations.
Many Oak Hill sailors were at sea for the first time, having earned their flight deck qualification only a few months before.
"We went from freshman level to pro overnight, but it was good," East said in a mid-May interview on the ship. "We were doing some wild stuff that even I hadn't seen. That was pretty cool."
The Night Stalker operations, detailed here for the first time, are pushing the Navy's envelope of the possible — but some are concerned that the Army is encroaching on the Marine Corps' turf.
"They are spending money right now re-creating a Marine Corps because the Army thinks that they're missing out on the current game of counterterrorism," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a former major in the Marine Corps Reserve. "I think everybody needs to relax and keep the Army as is."
'Starting from scratch'
Leadership from both sides laid out the operations, beginning with what was theoretically possible and boiling it down into a game plan to get it done, said Cmdr. Bryan Carmichael, Oak Hill's skipper.
The puzzle went beyond operating more than two helos on Oak Hill's aft helicopter pads. The flight deck crew had to determine approach angles for the Army's MH-6 Little Bird, MH-60M Black Hawk and MH-47 Chinook.
Different gradients and turning radii had to be taken into account. The ship drivers also had to maneuver the ship to provide acceptable wind envelopes for different helicopters during a simultaneous launch. In fact, the crew had no wind envelope data for the Chinook and used a template from a similar bird as the baseline, East said.
"A lot of the stuff we came to, there was no written procedure," East said. "We were starting from scratch. So you had to break out the old Mark 1, Mod-0 common sense and go, 'Does that make sense to me?' And you had to apply that. If you are scared to apply that, you're not going to be able to make that next step, which is to transition over."
With waivers approved, the flight ops started with a steady pace under clear skies, low wind and calm seas. By the time it was over, they were catching multiple birds of different varieties at night — and eventually nailed the simultaneous launch of four Little Birds and two Black Hawks tightly packed on the ship's two helicopter decks.
In the end, the biggest challenge was not in the physics of flight but the basics of communication.
"It's almost like speaking a different language," East said. "When we said to an Army bird coming in, 'You've got a green deck,' he was like 'Uh, does that mean I've got permission to land?' Yeah, that was a big learning process, but that was handled at the [E-7] level and above. For my guys, it was just chalk and chain it, and shut it down."
While the combat pilots were able to land their birds, reading the bull's-eye was a different matter, Carmichael joked. But in the end, he counted the event a success.
Amphibious Army
The Night Stalkers conducted similar training with the amphibious assault ship Peleliu in late April. The big-deck amphib hosted Army CH-47 Chinook troop carriers as part of exercises for the ship's upcoming deployment.
While these training events have focused on special operations, there is no question that big Army wants more team-ups with the Navy.
The Pentagon says it can no longer afford to train, modernize and maintain an Army geared toward large, prolonged stability operations, with the new defense strategy shifting toward small-scale contingencies.
The Air-Sea Battle Doctrine, a centerpiece of the new defense strategy that relies mostly upon warships and bombers, has drawn opposition from the ground-pounders.
The Strategic Landpower Task Force — a joint endeavor with the Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command — argues that future conflicts demand expeditionary ground forces. The rapid deployment model used by Army brigades now looks remarkably similar to that of a Marine expeditionary unit.
Army leaders say these changes are an adaptation to emerging threats. But some analysts and lawmakers are critical of the moves, arguing the Army is neither trained nor equipped for the expeditionary operations — missions better left to the Marines.
"The Army is very much needed," said Hunter, the California Republican who serves on the House Armed Services Committee. "The last thing you want to have to do is make everybody a Marine Corps. Then you have a big land-based war and do not have heavy artillery, tanks and the ability for prolonged, protracted engagements against a conventional force. That is what the Army is for."
On the other hand, the Army has plenty of expeditionary experience, dating to World War II. Soldiers participated in the Normandy landings and the Pacific island-hopping campaign, among many other landings.
Furthermore, others see a benefit to greater expeditionary capabilities by the Army and want to see the tactics evolve. One of them is Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., who favors a quicker, lighter and more adaptable Army.
"I understand where [Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno] is coming from," said Wittman, who chairs the HASC Readiness Subcommittee."The Army is going to need to be flexible and able to move in and out of theater quickly, but it's not going to do that like the Marines."
So how does the Marine Corps feel about the Army doing this?
"I've never been on a crowded battlefield," Lt. Gen. John Wissler, commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force and US Marine Corps Forces Japan, told the Defense Writers Group on April 11. "I've never been anywhere where I said ... 'There's too many guys here.' "
While the Army is "making strides in learning how to operate" at sea, Wissler said there is an "unknown, hidden cost" associated with operating aircraft in saltwater environments.
"[Marine Corps] helicopters are different than [Army] helicopters," he said. "The maritimization of an aviation platform is a very extensive, technical thing. If you don't do it, you suffer significant challenges."
Marcus Weisgerber and Paul McLeary contributed to this report.


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Here are a few social/political philosopher links.
Here is a site with works from theorists devoted to forms of anarchism or libertarian socialism (I highly recommend Michael Bukunin):
http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_ar ... index.html
This site has some writings of Theodor Adorno:
This site has some writings of Michel Foucault, as well as interviews:
Here is the "Leviathan" by Thomas Hobbes:
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/ ... tents.html
Here is John Locke's "Second Treatise of Government", which basically disagrees with everything Hobbes says:
Here are two links to Jean Jacques Rousseau. The first link is his "Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men." The second link is "The Social Contract: or Principles of Political Right":
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1782 ... equal.html
Here is the "Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels:
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/wo ... manifesto/
And lastly here is Fredrich Nietzsche "On the Genealogy of Morals":
http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/Nietzsc ... gytofc.htm


text:
Next spring, a 16-year-old schoolgirl will become the first female to play professional baseball in Japan. Eri Yoshida was drafted by the Kobe 9 Cruise, a team in a new independent Japanese league. The 5-foot, 114 pound pitcher successfully held male batters hitless for one inning in her tryout earlier this month. Yoshida throws a side-arm knuckleball and says she wants to be like Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who is known for his knuckleball. "I always dreamed of becoming a professional," said Yoshida. "I have only just been picked by the team and haven't achieved anything yet." [The Independent]
More from Jezebel
Damn girl, the knuckleball isn't easy! Maybe Tim can invite her to Fenway soon!


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Menopause can bring on a whole host of uncomfortable symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, heightened anxiety and trouble sleeping. While menopause is inevitable if you're female, the good news is you have options for dealing with this change. Sure, you can rely on over-the-counter medications, or, you can try an alternative approach: yoga. Because the positive effects of yoga extend through the entire body, you aren't just targeting one of your symptoms through the practice, you're targeting multiple areas at once, providing relief sooner.
You don't have to go to a yoga studio to enjoy its benefits. Poses can be done in the comfort of your own home! Here are just some ways practicing yoga for menopause can help your body adjust through this life stage.
Lower stress levels
One of the core concepts of yoga and meditation is breath regulation. By controlling your breathing, you calm your nervous system and diminish stress levels in the body. Since an overactive nervous system leads to inflammation, and inflammation to stress, it's safe to say that daily yoga practice can make dealing with this menopausal symptom a whole lot easier.
Minimized physical pain
As you age, aches and pains appear in new places. Gentle yoga is a low-impact exercise and provides new practitioners a way of slowly easing into the practice. Yoga relieves back and neck pain, and some yoga poses are specifically targeted to relieve lower back pain. The bottom line is: if something's hurting, there's a pose for it.
Increased strength
Regular training strengthens your body and improves your physical fitness. Because increased weight gain usually accompanies menopause, incorporating this exercise into your routine will not only help you shed those excess pounds, it will help you reduce fatigue and improve energy.
Irritability has long been an unfortunate side effect of menopause. Deep breathing is encouraged in yoga, and the fresh intake of air can boost your energy levels and your mood. Also, self-acceptance and a positive outlook are key attributes that develop over time through practice, which can help shift your focus from the negative aspects of menopause to aging gracefully with optimism for the future.
Fewer night sweats
Although night sweats can happen for numerous reasons – medical conditions, medications and hormone fluctuation – regular practice helps lower body temperature, reduce blood pressure and increase healthy blood circulation. These benefits are known to diminish frequent night sweats over time.
Now that you know the benefits of yoga, why not give it a try? Here are some simple poses to get you started:
These poses are simple enough to do at home yet effective enough to help you keep discomfort at bay. Check out Yoga Journal for tips on how to do these poses safely. Be mindful, while gentle and restorative yoga work to counteract symptoms of menopause, there are some types of yoga that aggravate it. Avoid hot yoga and rigorous, fast-paced sessions.
Need help managing menopause symptoms? Talk to a medical provider near you.
About the AuthorMore Content by Providence Health Team


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in reply to Programming is more like:
I had to say 'Other'. To be more descriptive, I would say like a hallucinogenic experience. (Not that I have ever had one. Well, unless you count some of the late nights that staring into the humming glow of a Carthode Ray Tube cause.) These hallucinations appear when I begin thinking of code, then, with the utmost confidence of knowing that my code will work, I begin and finish. Soon after the mind begins to sober and my eyes start to clear, I see it through the blur and glow... "Execution aborted due to compilation errors."
In Section Past Polls


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Mother Nature clearly does not favor the birth of equine twins, as a significant number of twin embryos spontaneously abort within the first six weeks of pregnancy. Of the twin conceptions present after 40 days of pregnancy, about 80% will subsequently abort, most often after the eighth month of pregnancy, according to the University of California, Davis, Center for Equine Health. With late-term abortion, the mare can experience major complications including trauma, illness, infection, inflammation of the laminae (leading to founder), and reduced fertility for the next breeding. In the rare case where the mare delivers one or two live foals, there are increased foaling problems for the mare and greater loss of life for the foals during the first two weeks of life. The combined birth weight of the twins equals the size of one normal, single foal, and the twins never catch up to normal weight and size.
With the odds stacked so unevenly against the twin pregnancy, horse owners should endeavor to remove one of the twin embryos early in pregnancy. Doing so maximizes the chances of the mare continuing on with a single, healthy pregnancy.
Not Enough Room
Twin pregnancies in the mare nearly always occur when the mare ovulates an egg from each of two ovarian follicles and both eggs are fertilized, resulting in two embryos. The ovulations might occur at the same time, or a couple of days apart. In horses, it is rare that a fertilized egg splits to form identical twins.
Twin embryos either occupy their own uterine horn (paired branchings of the uterus leading from the body of the uterus to the oviducts) or share a horn. "If two embryos are lying next to each other in the same horn, one of the embryos has a 50-60% likelihood of reabsorbing or dissolving on its own by 40 days of pregnancy," says Michelle LeBlanc, DVM, Dipl. ACT. "The reason is that a specific part of the embryo must be in contact with the floor of the uterus. If this portion of the embryo does not have the specific contact, the embryo doesn't receive enough nutrition and dies on its own. So, if one embryo sits on top of the other one, the one on top would be reabsorbed."
Spontaneous resorption is very rare when embryos occupy separate horns.
Embryos travel as part of their early life, and even if fertilized in the same horn, might separate on their own. Those that do, along with those that occupy separate horns, develop into twin fetuses that compete for nourishment.
Explains Mats H.T. Troedsson, DVM, Dipl. ACT, "The entire uterine surface is required in order to provide enough nutrition and oxygen to the growing fetus. If there are two instead of one, there will be less than half of the nutrition available for each fetus." As a result, abortion of both fetuses is likely to occur in late pregnancy, although the triggering mechanism isn't exactly known.
"Different options are reported," Troedsson states. "One fetus occupying one horn may push the other fetus out of the other horn; the displaced fetus will outgrow its own placenta, starve to death, and trigger abortion of both. Another theory is that if the fetuses both occupy one horn each, there is less than half of the placenta for each one, and both are starved out."
In that tiny percentage where one or both twins live past delivery, the severely reduced nourishment throughout fetal development results in severely undersized animals.
"The combined birth weight of these foals is the same as the singleton. They do not catch up and always remain frail," Troedsson says.
One Is The Number
Reducing the twin pregnancy is the best option for preserving the pregnancy, and the optimal time for reduction is early in the pregnancy.
All bred mares should have their first ultrasound exam for pregnancy performed between 14 and 16 days post-breeding.
"We can detect an embryonic vesicle (the fertilized egg with its surrounding fluid and membranes) as early as 10 to 11 days after the mare has ovulated, " Troedsson says. "If, for example, one ovulation occurred 11 days before examination, there may be another embryo present that is nine days old and not detectable by ultrasound. Therefore, most practitioners try to do twin ultrasound exams around 14 days after detected ovulation. This is the normal time to do the pregnancy evaluation because if the mare is not pregnant, she needs be rebred at about 19 or 20 days."
If the mare has a history of twinning, LeBlanc recommends a second ultrasound exam at 18 days post-breeding.
Recommended procedure for reducing a twin is to crush one of the embryos. "Before 25 days, if there is one in each horn, you can manually crush one with your hand," says LeBlanc, who added that the success rate at this stage is more than 90%.
"After 25 days, it's more difficult to crush an embryo because they are larger, and there's a higher likelihood that if you crush one the other will also die," she said. "We don't know why, but one theory is that the fluid released from the crushed embryo gets underneath the re-maining embryo and lifts it off the floor of the uterus, causing it to lose its contact with the endome-trium and its source of nutrition."
Crushing is a very quick procedure done without sedation if the mare is calm and has a pliable rectum. "The veterinarian puts his or her hand through the rectum, reaches over, cradles the uterus in the hand, locates the vesicle, and crushes the embryo," LeBlanc explains. "When it's crushed, it feels like a popped blister."
Some practitioners might give anti-inflammatory drugs for this procedure to prevent the release of prostaglandin–the hormone that is released from the uterine lining and brings the mare into heat.
"If you manipulate the uterus too much, theoretically prostaglandin will be released," Troedsson says. "However, studies found that the use of anti-inflammatory drugs com-pared to using nothing both yielded excellent results, so in normal cases we don't give additional drugs."
When two embryos share a horn, crushing is not a good option.
"If you crush one, you're more than likely to crush the other," LeBlanc states. "However, the embryos travel from one horn to the other and are continually moving up to the age of 16 days, so the veterinarian can re-evaluate the mare in a half hour or so to see if the embryos have separated, then crush one of the two. That movement stops at Day 16."
If separation doesn't occur by then, the veterinarian might inject the mare with prostaglandin to remove both pregnancies, bring the mare back into heat, and try to breed her again. This procedure must be performed by Day 37 of the pregnancy because at that time, the mare makes endometrial cups that secrete hormones that prevent her from coming back into heat for 120 days.
At that point, some veterinarians might try a manual reduction anyway. "If that fails and both embryos are crushed, the mare comes back into heat and is bred again," notes Troedsson.
Success rates for reducing one twin and saving the other diminishes past Day 25 whether they are separated or not, but attempts can be made. One method is to attach a needle to the end of an ultrasound probe, insert the needle into one of the vesicles, and either suck the fluid out of the vesicle or inject a toxic substance into the vesicle, causing the death of one twin. However, at that stage, the death of one fetus often triggers abortion of the other.
"This technique would be performed from 25 days up to 40 to 60 days, and is about 60-70% successful if there is one embryo or vesicle in each horn, depending on the operator," reports LeBlanc. "But where there are two in one horn, success is very, very low. Zero percent for most people, although Jonathan Pycock, BVM, PhD, DESM, MRCVS, a veterinarian in England, has a success rate of about 30%. This technique is primarily performed in mares where the pregnancy is very valuable."
Another method is to wait until about 110 to 120 days to utilize a transabdominal approach. Explains Troedsson, "I put a needle through the abdomen of the mare into the heart of the smaller fetus if there is a size difference, and inject 10 ccs of potassium chloride into the heart. There is about a 40-50% chance that the mare will abort one fetus and not both."
Surgical removal of one twin is possible, Troedsson says. "The success rates are very variable, but surgery is most successful when the fetuses are in different horns."
Twins occur a little more commonly in Thoroughbreds than in other breeds; about 20% of ovulations in Thoroughbred mares are double ovulations.
"Overall, the incidence of double ovulations is about 20%, half of which will result in a twin pregnancy by Day 14," reports Troedsson. "If we calculate spontaneous reduction, we're left with an incidence of twin pregnancies between 2% and 5%. The majority of these cases end in abortion, with less than 1% giving birth to live foals."
Mares which produce twins once are likely to produce twins again.
Unfortunately, there is no good way to prevent or minimize twins in pregnancy.
"You could wait for one of the follicles to ovulate, then breed the mare," says LeBlanc. "However, she may not ovulate a second follicle on that particular cycle and therefore won't get pregnant with that breeding."
Or, notes Troedsson, "The mare may ovulate both follicles at the same time, so you would lose the breeding."
Troedsson reports that some have tried reducing twins through reduced feed intake. "A study shows this increases the chance of spontaneous reduction of one fetus," he says. "However, the study hasn't been repeated, and it needs to be confirmed. The question is, how much do you reduce the feed intake to reduce one–but not both–fetuses? I don't think this is a very practical way to accomplish reduction."
Ultimately, the best option for a single pregnancy or, secondarily, an early reduction of both twins and a subsequently quick return to estrus, is to focus on early detection.
"Where we run into problems is when the mare is not checked before 16 days," emphasizes LeBlanc. "If the exam is not performed early, the success rate for reducing twins to a singleton become less and less.
"Do not skip that early ultrasound exam," she warns, "because that is the one that identifies if there is going to be a problem. A twin pregnancy doesn't have to be a big problem."


text:
We must turn the corner from merely collecting and repackaging social and digital data to actually analyzing "big data" and learning from it. We Are Social have it right in their Future Factors 2014 Report.
3 Phases of Listening
I often describe brand marketers moving into a 3rd phase of social listening and digital data mining. The first phase was the "just do it" phase. Brands realized that they could learn and gain experience simply by monitoring what people were saying about their products and services across social media. Listening to brand mentions in blogs and later Twitter and Facebook was revealing. At the same time that novel information helped build belief internally that customer use of digital and social media might be important.
The second phase was the "operationalize it" phase. Technology companies like Salesforce, Sysomos and others raced to sign contracts to get their listening software into brands. They took advantage of those graduating from the "just do it" phase who wanted a more sensible way to monitor. There were plenty of other brands now interested in adding social signals to their customer care functions. They just needed an efficient way to do so since their customer care centers were still measured on efficiency not advocacy.
The third phase is a back-to-basics departure. It is not typified by more technology or the latest algorithm. It is not the magically accurate sentiment engine that we seemed to crave for too long.
The third phase is the "learn, apply, repeat" phase. If we do this right, we should see significant positive impact to business metrics and make as big a splash as the first phase when we began the listening journey.
"Learn, Apply, Repeat"
I was inspired by We Are Social's Future Factors 2014 report. In their list of "10 Provocations" number 3 is "From Listening to Learning" and in it's abbreviated form captures the essence of the third phase of lsitening. (You can access the report on Digital Buzz blog here).
Two of their points bear repeating:
- "Use data to understand the future not just report the past"
- "Invest as much in the interpretation of data as you do in collecting it"
We need to spend more time and brain power on interpreting what these digital and social signals may mean. Then we need to build the procedures internally to take timely action based upon those learnings. We need to repeat this cycle everyday. There aren't too many shortcuts here. This is about having experienced analysts who know your business forming hypothesis, testing via data and pulling meaning from the results. This phase will be less about the listening technology companies than the internal research functions or consultants like Networked Insights and MotiveQuest.
Marketing Leaders have a responsibility to telegraph the importance of this activity. We cannot settle for those silly reports filled with bar charts and pie wedges that get emailed around and never talked about.
Sometimes the proper analysis starts by comparing what we learn in digital and social with what we hear from the field, customer care or primary research. Social data collection did not render all of those valuable research sources inert.
Four Suggestions
- Invest in the analysis of data for insights and actionable observation
- Build an intentional process of reviewing those insights regularly with the relevant business disciplines
- Always be pulling out actions ('stay the course' can be an action) and actually taking them
- Make this all a repeatable ritual


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Roman Seal Box Lid, Heart-shaped, 1st-4th Cent AD
Copper alloy; 39mm/3.1gm.
Con/ As Fabricated; sound with connector loop intact
"The Romans used many locks for many purposes, as we do. There were door locks, chest locks and padlocks in great variety, but there were situations in which it was awkward to use any of these. Bags of newly minted coins were shipped to and from the provinces. Shipments of goods in fabric or leather containers needed some sort of protection. And then there were letters. Then as now, government officials, politicians, merchants and especially military commanders needed to send messages, sometimes very urgently. For state business, at least, this was done by an ancient version of the pony express, the Cursus Publicus: a system of relays of couriers traveling the famous Roman roads.
There was, however, a security problem: no one but the recipient could be allowed to read sensitive information. Messages were usually written with a stylus on wood tablets, surface-coated with wax (Curle). But how do you make sure that no one reads them but the recipients? How do you know that a bag hasn't been opened and a few goodies stolen?
One solution to these problems was the seal box. This was a little bronze box, generally an inch or so in size, with holes in the side and bottom. For fabric and leather containers, it was attached by sewing through the holes in the bottom. Message tablets were probably bagged. Containers were bound with cord passing through the holes in each side and tied with a knot inside the box. The box was then filled with wax, impressed with the sender's seal and closed. Of course containers could still be opened and the contents read or stolen, but there would be severe consequences! Boxes have been found with traces of wax inside (Wikipedia) and there is one such in this collection.
It seems very strange from our point of view, that of a mechanical civilization with billions of such little objects, but seal boxes were rare and important items. They were lost wax castings made with considerable labor and expense. They were often elaborately decorated and some were even finished with colored enamel, some examples of which are shown here. Figural designs were most impressive, but of course more expensive. The embossed phallus was popular, as were animal figures. I haven't found any details of their manufacture and distribution, but the casting in bronze would be pretty straightforward. Roman smiths were very skillful.
The seal box seems to have been a peculiarly Roman invention and as an artifact of their civilization, did not survive them."
Rare and very collectable...and probably way underpriced.


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When you select a campaign, you also get to select some game mode settings (the bit with network play options). One of the options here is to enable infinite ammo - which is available in offline and online modes.
What does this mean? Can you use infinite ammo any time, or does this mean you can use an "infinite ammo" unlock reward once you have it? And more importantly, are there any disadvantages to enabling this mode? (e.g. prevents trophies, prevent completion progress)


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Death of Zombies: The Next Theme Meme?
Are we at the end of gaming history? Is it just zombies from here on out? Or will there be something else that will seize the imagination of game designers and give us a new theme? I'd say that post-apocalypse and zombies have dominated the last couple of years, but is it possible to predict the end of the undead? Some thoughts below.
Zombies are definitely symptomatic of the times. On the surface they're apolitical, because anyone could be a zombie, and zombies are the creation of mechanical processes – disease, supernatural effects – rather than social or political effects that create Nazis or terrorists. Undead Labs' (and formerly Guild Wars') Jeff Strain told Eurogamer they were a "guilt-free meat puppet". He went on to explain that "That no-rules, no-guilt mentality is something that people really resonate with." But there's plenty of analysis that argues the interest in zombies runs deeper, and as zombie movie-maker George Romero points out, they're a useful vehicle "to criticize real-world social ills—such as government ineptitude, bioengineering, slavery, greed and exploitation." As such, the zombie is a kind of universally useful antagonist, well-suited to both mindless splatter, and deeper commentary.
So does that mean they're set to dominate gaming for the foreseeable future? I say no. I suspect that zombies are in fact an imaginative resources that is going to seem depleted way faster than the traditionally maligned fantasy, world war II, and space marine vs aliens themes. My issue with the zombie archetype is that it is largely without a villain, and we need specific villains beyond the nebulous problems which Romero points to. Zombie fiction might comment on elements of human existence, but zombie gaming is about survival, and as such is only ever a story about the protagonists. The games which focus on the drama of staying alive are the ones which are making the most of the zombie ideal, and reward us with the most visceral thrills. The "guilt-free" slaughter might hold us for a while, but ultimately neither kind of zombie game is going to provide us with the same interesting choices that a game with an intelligence working against us will. We need more from our simulatory enemies than bad skin and a hunger for brains.
Like the zombie movie boom, I think we will soon see a slump. This meme can only shamble so far.
So what will come next? Giant robots plz.
My childhood daydreams re-enacted…


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Stay at a Wilmot, Ohio Bed and Breakfasts and Inns for the personal attention you desire. A Wilmot B&B is a great alternative to hotels or motels while visiting the state of Ohio!
Visit our Wilmot, Ohio bed and breakfast directory of historic, romantic, and adventure B&B's. You can browse through our detailed listings of Wilmot, Ohio bed and breakfasts and inns with nearby city listings that include pictures, room rates, booking information and area activities. Every Wilmot, Ohio b&b inns has complete contact information and a direct link to the innkeepers.


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Aluminium back frame
We glue a rectangular aluminium frame to the back of the acrylic prints. This frame is always invisible when the photo is hung, but means that the photo always hangs level on the wall.
Stainless steel spacers
These stainless steel spacers were specially developed in conjunction with a clamping system, and mean that no holes have to be drilled. It is only necessary to make holes in the wall to mount the spacers.
4 Stainless steel spacers with holes
The stainless steel spacers are designed for the attachment of our wall decorations, and can be with products 3 to 5 mm thick. We will make the holes in the plexiglass for you.
Without hanging system
Acrylic prints can be attached directly to the wall. Plexiglas must be glued with adhesive to the mirror. We advise in advance to carry out a test.


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All the kids wanted to do of course was swim, swim, swim. So that's what we did!
Brandon left on Monday and went to work so I was up there with the kids alone. They had some fun craft things we could go do and we spent time playing in the game room, and of course, more swimming!
The kids made little hideouts in the hotel and thought it was really fun to eat their lunch in there.
The place we stayed at was right on Main Street and we attempted a walk around but it was FREEZING so we didn't go too far.
By Tuesday the twins got up the courage to swim without their floaties! It was a major break through and so fun to watch them learn to swim on their own. Tyler is so daring and does flips into the water, even without floaties. We are excited to go swimming again soon and let them practice what they learned. We sure loves these Park City trips that give our kids the chance to swim a lot. There's nothing they would rather do more.
The pool was indoor/outdoor and it was so warm and so fun to swim outside, even when it was snowing out there. We were glad to be able to spend some time with Ross there.


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During 30-plus years in a London studio, Philadelphia-born identical twin brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay have brought life to a body of work that defies traditional categorization.
During 30-plus years in a London studio, Philadelphia-born identical twin brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay have brought life to a body of work that defies traditional categorization.
Working in stop-motion animation with intricately detailed puppets and miniature sets, they hauntingly illustrate the power of a 2-D medium to conjure an enveloping atmosphere. Visually, their films are simultaneously gorgeous and grotesque, organic and mechanical.
For admirers, last year's announcement that the Quay Brothers had been commissioned by The College of Physicians of Philadelphia to create a short film based on the collection of the school's Mutter Museum of medical oddities seemed like an ideal pairing of artists and subject. That feeling is borne out by the result, "Through the Weeping Glass: On the Consolations of Life Everlasting."
On Tuesday, July 31, as part of a three-city tour that includes a trip to New York's Museum of Modern Art for an exhibition and career retrospective, the Quays will visit the Wexner Center to introduce "Weeping Glass" and another recent short film, a dark, mesmerizing tale of self-discovery titled "Maska."
In an email exchange, the brothers (they chose to answer as one) explained that they thoroughly researched the Mutter Museum's holdings before spending a week collecting particular objects of interest for shooting.
"The film is above all a meditation," they wrote.
"For us, the essence is to try and capture what is already there in secret presence but most importantly what is there in an imaginative presence. We prefer to evoke rather than present things on a plate."
With the skeleton of Harry Eastlack, who suffered from a rare bone growth disorder that left all but his lips paralyzed before his death, they found "the frame with which to enter the portals of the museum."
Struck by an anecdote involving Eastlack's sister and her frequent museum visits to see her brother's remains, the filmmakers ruminate on the unique form of immortality granted by the museum to its specimens. These also include a plaster cast of Chang and Eng, history's most famous conjoined twins, and an expansive collection of antique skulls with the fates of their original owners engraved into the bone.
As these visceral images unfold, they instill a powerful, wide-eyed fascination, spiked with dread and a sense of reverence instilled by location and treatment. Though I've never been to the Mutter Museum, it's not a stretch to believe that the Quays have immortalized the unique experience of being there.


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Food & Drink
America's 10 highest-tech hotels
By Stephanie Orma, for CNN • Updated 19th April 2013
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10 Pictures
Whether you're on business or vacation, if you're sleeping in anything more sophisticated than a zippered sack, staying connected is a necessary part of travel.
For years, a crusty USB jack and some intermittent Wi-Fi were enough to constitute a full suite of technological hotel amenities.
How 2.0.
Today's future-forward lodge has to offer in-room nightclub lighting and 3D television just to keep up with the Skywalkers.
The new breed of techie lodging is no less a hotel than a Best Buy with blankets.
These 10 wired hotels are tops among the gadget set.
Hotel 1000, Seattle
Hotel 1000's virtual reality Golf Club has more than 50 courses from around the world.
Courtesy Hotel 1000
Don't be fooled by the design-intensive vibe of this downtown Seattle hotel. Behind the chic décor and furnishings it's a fully networked technolodge.
Highlights include a silent infrared doorbell with sensors that detect body heat (so housekeeping knows when not to interrupt), smart climate control settings, a digital do-not-disturb button and a 40-inch LCD HDTV that doubles as a digital art gallery, displaying works that you can personally select.
There's video-on-demand, surround sound, satellite radio, high-speed Wi-Fi (included with room) and a slew of media hubs for every gadget imaginable.
What's more, innovative plumbing enables the bathtub to fill from the ceiling, an intelligent mini-bar notifies the front desk when it needs stocking, Cisco video phones float around the hotel and a virtual reality Golf Club is swing-ready with more than 50 courses from around the world.
1000 First Ave., Seattle; rooms from $219 per night; 206-357-1000;
Aria Resort & Casino, Las Vegas
This 4,000-plus-room mega-resort lets you customize everything about your stay but the hangovers.
Guestrooms greet you as you enter -- literally addressing you by name -- while the lights and TV turn on and curtains open to reveal spectacular views.
From a single control panel, you can personalize every aspect of your space, including a "good night" button that cuts the lights, shuts the drapes and activates the do-not-disturb sign.
You can customize the lighting, temperature and tunes to wake you in the morning.
The hotel also has wireless Internet (included in room charge) it says is eight times faster than the average U.S. guestroom, along with a 42-inch LCD with a "smart panel" for connecting laptops, game consoles, cameras, MP3 players and more.
Replacing the conventional keycard, RFID (radio frequency identification data) cards sense when you're near your room and unlock the door as you approach.
3730 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas; rooms from $138 per night; 702-590-7111;
Hotel Zetta, San Francisco
How many gigabytes is a zettabyte? Ask the technorati flooding this new San Francisco residence that lives up to its data-inspired name.
Each guestroom features integrated technology that allows music, movies, emails and more to stream wirelessly from your mobile device to an Internet-enabled, 46-inch flatscreen TV. This, additionally, comes with a library of apps, web browsing capabilities and loads of high-def channels.
A sort of physical "social network," the Playroom is a 1,500-square-foot adult space equipped with the latest gaming consoles, as well as old school classics like Atari and Nintendo. An antique red telephone booth is rigged so you can video chat, snap a profile pic or order drinks and food from the bar.
In case you weren't getting the whole retro-tech vibe, décor includes old floppy-disks-turned-artwork, interactive wall hangings and an art installation made from obsolete hardware like cell phones, computer chips and game cartridges.
55 Fifth St., San Francisco; rooms from $265 per night; 415-543-8555;
Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles
Los Angeles Bel-Air: Oprah was here. Or so we're told.
Courtesy Hotel Bel-Air
After a two-year, multi-million-dollar overhaul, this Hollywood Hills icon is wired with the latest tech to keep up with a demanding clientele that has ranged from Marilyn Monroe to Oprah.
Upon arrival, in-room check-in includes a tutorial by the bellman on the use of all guestroom gadgetry -- ensuring you don't freak out later about how to operate the smart toilet.
As you approach said throne -- aka the Neorest 600 -- its motion-activated lid opens automatically and features a control panel for flushing and other functions, like a seat heater and deodorizer. The bathroom also has heated floors and an in-mirror LED television.
Guests book massages or dinner reservations from in-room iPads -- pretty much the luxury hotel norm nowadays -- and there are Bang and Olufsen HD flatscreen TVs, smart lighting with mood settings and a touch-screen phone that lets you control everything from room temperature, lights and media to curtain height.
701 Stone Canyon Road, Los Angeles; rooms from $530 per night; 310-472-1211;
Yotel New York, New York
An homage to luxury airline travel, this Times Square hotel is unapologetically futuristic. White walls backlit in purple create an ultramodern atmosphere as you check in at touch-screen kiosks similar to those found at airports, only cooler.
Guestrooms (or "cabins") are decked out with purple mood lighting, near-silent heating and cooling systems, a Techno Wall fitted with a flat-screen LCD TV, lots of power points for laptops and other devices, Wi-Fi (included in room charge), an iPod or MP3 connection for playing music through the TV speakers and a motorized bed that expands to full size at the push of a button.
The hotel's tech de resistance is the world's first-ever robotic luggage handler. A 15-foot robotic arm towering in the lobby behind a glass window, the Yobot picks up your luggage and safely stores it in a wall of drawers before or after check-in.
No tip necessary.
570 10th Ave., New York; rooms from $149 per night; 646-449-7700;
Scarp Ridge Lodge, Crested Butte, Colorado
Staying at Scarp Ridge Lodge is like renting an entire boutique hotel for yourself and your 10 best buds.
This seven-bedroom luxury ski property comes with a private chef, indoor saltwater pool, game room, cinema ... and piped-in oxygen?
Yep, at an elevation of 9,000 feet, altitude headaches can be an issue. So all guestrooms are tricked out with on-demand oxygen systems, complete with touch panels that let you create the exact altitude you'd like the rooms to simulate.
Address undisclosed; rooms from $12,500 per night; 970-349-7761;
Omni Dallas Hotel, Dallas
This 23-story, 1,001-room hotel may be connected to the Omni Dallas Convention Center, but it's a long way from conventional.
Having broken ground just a year and half ago, the place is decked with tech.
Interactive reader boards with touch-screens fill the lobby and let you check everything from flight info to area attractions, news, weather, meetings and events.
Gadgetary highlights in the rooms include all of the usual bells and whistles, plus a 42-inch LCD high-definition television, another TV hidden in the bathroom mirror and motion-sensor LED nightlights underneath the bed.
Outside, 4.3 miles of LED building lights surround the LEED Gold-certified hotel's exterior, allowing it to project brilliant light shows and convention logos.
555 S. Lamar St., Dallas; rooms from $113 per night; 214-744-6664;
Hotel, Miami
It's always nice out in Miami -- why not stay in today?
courtesy Kimpton's EPIC Hotel
Forget that this 52-story hotel sits on prime Miami waterfront with rooms featuring floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading to private balconies, it's the geeky gadgets that draw all the attention.
The experience begins before you enter your room.
Outside each guestroom door is an INNtouch notification device. Press the privacy button from inside the room to illuminate the LED do-not-disturb indicator, or let housekeeping know to make up your room with the push of a button.
For those annoying times when you have to mix business with pleasure, all 411 rooms have desktop PCs with high-speed Internet, Microsoft Office and a connection to the printer in the lobby.
There's also an Apple gadget docking station to charge your iDevice.
In the 29th-floor Club Lounge, a touch-screen Surface Station map akin to a ginormous smartphone lets you surf the 'Net, listen to music, watch videos and scout local hotspots.
270 Biscayne Blvd. Way, Miami; rooms from $389 per night; 305-424-5226;
theWit Hotel, Chicago
This trendy hotel features jaw-dropping city and lake views, a vibrant urban setting and an IP-based infrastructure networking everything from the elevators to room sensors to the basement boiler room.
Within guest rooms, sensor-activated climate controls detect your location and adjust to your body heat. A VoIP touch-screen phone lets you call housekeeping, valet and more without speaking a word; with staff members all connected to the system via iPhone or iPod Touch, they're alerted to your needs ASAP.
In common areas, expect to hear birds chirping during the day and crickets at night, powered by the hotel's digital audio system.
There's also a private movie theater boasting an oversized HD screen.
Notching up the nightlife, the hotel just installed a 3D digital wall inside ROOF, its 27th-floor lounge. Typically reserved for large-scale concerts, this image-mapping system delivers resplendent visuals as you rock out to world class DJs and performers.
201 N. State St., Chicago; rooms from $189 per night; 312-467-0200;
citizenM Times Square, New York
Opening in October 2013, this Times Square hotel is set to follow in the footsteps of its affordable high-tech, high-design European counterparts.
Bringing to life the hotel's namesake "M" for mobile, as in "mobile citizen of the world," you're greeted by self check-in computers.
By the time the machine has programmed your personal RFID keycard, your room is waiting for you to enter.
Tech addicts will geek out over the handheld, electronic mood pad that lets you design your entire space. From colored lighting and ambient music to digital art (on your TV), temperature, window blinds and specially designed mood-enhanced wake-up calls (like "wake me gently" or "wake me wildly"), you can direct the room's whole look and feel, all without having to get out of bed.
Bonus: iMacs dot the hotel and there's Wi-Fi throughout.
citizenM Times Square, 216-218 W. 50th St., New York; room rates and phone to be announced;
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Member of
Kilmartin Area Tourist Association
Family run Hotel
Within the homely atmosphere of a family run Hotel, your relaxation and enjoyment are our priorities.
The 19th century hotel lies within a conservation area and is surrounded by historical cairns and henges.
By Email:
Kilmartin Hotel is situated in a unique and special place, steeped in history, rich in wildlife, blest with some of the most beautiful scenery in Scotland, and offering a variety of activities to make your visit a memorable one.
The hotel is situated within Kilmartin village, some 8 miles north of Lochgilphead and 30 miles south of Oban on the A816.
Richard Pate, the owner and local resident, also offers an extensive choice of wholesome fayre from his bar meal and restaurant menus, with traditional Scottish and seafood dishes taking pride of place.
[ Enquiries ]
Our aims
Our aims for your break include a comfortable standard of accommodation coupled with an extensive choice of wholesome fayre from our bar meal restaurant menus.
Famous whisky bar and real ales on tap.
Created & Hosted by FyneWeb-Design Argyll


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Apple's Macs Hit By Malware; Are iPhones Next?
Apple's computers have been able to avoid most serious hacking attacks, but that era may be over. As Steve Jobs and his colleagues prepared for this week's developers conference, the company was also taking steps to stop a malware "phishing" program.
The ploy, says technology columnist Rich Jaroslovsky of Bloomberg News, uses an infected website to install a piece of software on Apple computers. The software then pops up a new window, with an urgent message about a security vulnerability.
As Jaroslovsky tells NPR's Renee Montagne, the rogue window includes "a scary-sounding message that tells you that your computer is infected, and that you need software to eradicate the infection — and to please give your credit card number."
While most people would not be gullible enough to do that, enough users fall for the phishing ploy, often called "scareware," that it can pay off for the perpetrators.
Text in the pop-up window refers to a bogus security program, with names like MacDefender, MacProtector, or MacSecurity — all "deeply ironic" names, Jaroslovsky says, for malware meant to steal financial information.
The phishing attack can be seen as an acknowledgment of the growing popularity of Apple's devices, Jaroslovsky says. For years, most malware attacks focused on Windows computers, which have long dominated the market.
"In some ways, it's almost a rite of passage for the Mac" he says, "because it says that it's now mainstream enough so that the bad guys are targeting it."
And because Apple's various devices — from computers to iPhones to iPads — use elements of the same software, it's not yet certain how easily a malware infection might spread.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is expected to unveil the company's latest operating systems — Lion for Mac computers, and iOS 5 for mobile devices — at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco Monday.
"The kernel of the Mac operating system, the sort of core of it, is also found in Apple mobile devices," Jaroslovsky says. "So, a successful attack on the Mac theoretically could become something that would also affect mobile devices."
Of course, Apple's notoriously tight control of its App Store, which acts as a gateway for software to reach its mobile devices, is one more layer of protection for its customers.
But Jaroslovsky says that the lesson to be learned from the recent malware episode is that "it should be a wakeup call to consumers, to be extra vigilant, not only with their Windows computers, which they already know have issues, but essentially with any device that they use that connects to the Internet."
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Save lives, from the workplace to anyplace.
The National Safety Council is America's leading nonprofit safety advocate.We focus on eliminating the leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths.
Have questions? Visit our FAQs or contact NSC.
Managing safety not only saves lives and prevents injuries, it also boosts employee morale and has a positive impact on an organization's bottom line.
Comprehensive book that teaches how to recognize a medical emergency, handle breathing and cardiac emergencies and sustain life until professional help arrives.
The NSC First Aid Quick Guide is your quick start to First Aid life-saving efforts. Pack of 10.
DDC Self-Study is an excellent option for new employee orientation, refresher and post-incident driver training. Study guides only.
NSC Safety posters provide an effective first line of defense against workplace injuries and help establish a culture of safety. The posters measure 17"x26" and are printed on high-quality, gloss-coated paper, suitable for framing.
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The National Safety Council eliminates preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. Donate to our cause.
The National Safety Council is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization.