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For Scott Morris, M.D., M.Div., Church Health Center allows him to "Live Life to the Plus+" through service to others
Dr. Morris — a family practice physician, an ordained United Methodist minister, and the Executive Director of Church Health Center in Memphis, Tennessee — takes the Bible's mandate to care for people's bodies and spirits seriously.
As a young man, two things bothered Dr. Morris. The first was that the U.S. health care system was letting people fall through the cracks. The second was that while the church had historically been actively involved in health and healing as part of its ministry, its modern role in healthcare had all but evaporated. Scott Morris knew he wanted to reunite the two. So in high school, when most people still don't have a clue as to what they're going to do with their lives, he had a plan: he would attend both seminary and medical school.
While attending Yale Divinity School, Dr. Morris saw a pamphlet entitled, "How to Start a Church-Based Health Clinic." In a moment of clarity, he knew exactly how he would meld his twin passions of physical and spiritual healing. He continued on his schooling path, and received his medical degree from Emory University.
Dr. Morris's vision became a reality in 1987 with the founding of Church Health Center, which provides quality, affordable healthcare to low-income, uninsured working people in Memphis. One of the poorest major cities in America, Memphis was — and still is — home to many working people who are paid too little to be able to afford basic healthcare.
Thanks to a broad base of support from the religious community and the volunteer help of doctors, nurses, dentists, and others, the Church Health Center has grown to become the largest clinic of its kind in the country, and now handles over 36,000 patient visits per year. It also receives visitors from all over the world who hope to emulate that success in their own communities.
Of course Dr. Morris sees his job as helping people, not numbers. "The Church Health Center is here to help a mother avoid the anxiety of not knowing what to do with her sick child," Dr. Morris explains. "It's here to provide medicine to a house cleaner who develops diabetes and can't afford the drugs on her own. It's here to treat a man who falls off the roof of a house he's building, breaks his arm, and can't afford to go to the orthopedist. No one should have to live that way in this city."
One of the core beliefs shared by both Dr. Morris and Juice Plus+ is that prevention is the ultimate key to good health. The Church Health Center operates a Wellness Center that offers everything from personalized exercise plans to cooking classes to group exercise classes and activities for children and teens — all designed to help reduce the risk of disease, and to keep people from needing to visit the Medical Clinic for treatment in the first place.
By promoting health and prevention in the way he'd always dreamed of, Dr. Morris is living an abundant life himself, while helping others "Live Life to the Plus+" as well. "We're in the business of providing children and their parents hope for their future, all of us finding ways to live healthy lives that are filled with joy," he says with a smile.
Amen to that.
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Edith Wilson
Edith Wilson (1872-1961) was an American first lady (1915–21) and the second wife of Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the United States. The couple married just a year after the 1914 death of Wilson's first wife, Ellen. Though Edith admitted she had no prior knowledge of–or ...read more

subset: commoncrawl


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2017 Pohang Earthquake - Reinforced Concrete Building Damage Survey
out of 5 stars
08 Apr 2018 | Contributor(s):: Chungwook Sim, Lucas Laughery, T. C. Chiou, Pu-wen Weng
This dataset was last updated on April 8, 2018.The earthquake in Korea occurred on November 15, 2017 with a moment magnitude of 5.4. Heunghae and Pohang were the two major cities that were damaged during the event. No person were killed during the event and 82 were...
Performance of Low-rise Reinforced Concrete Buildings in the 2016 Ecuador Earthquake
25 Aug 2016 | Contributor(s):: Chungwook Sim, Enrique Villalobos, Jhon Paul Smith, Pedro Rojas, Santiago Pujol, Aishwarya Y Puranam, Lucas Laughery
This dataset was last updated on August 23, 2016.The earthquake in Ecuador occurred on April 16, 2016 with a moment magnitude of 7.8. It caused more than 660 casualties and over 27,730 people were injured. The majority of the human casualties and damage to infrastructure were...
Performance of Reinforced Concrete Buildings in the 2016 Taiwan (Meinong) Earthquake
13 Jun 2016 | | Contributor(s):: Purdue University, NCREE
This dataset was last updated on May 12, 2016. Vetting is in progress and data are being added. On February 06, 2016, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurred in Meinong, Taiwan. Most of the damage to life and infrastructure concentrated in and around Tainan City located in the South Western part...
Database on Performance of High-Rise Reinforced Concrete Buildings in the 2015 Nepal Earthquake
25 Jul 2015 | | Contributor(s):: Prateek Shah, Santiago Pujol, Aishwarya Puranam
This database was last updated July 19, 2015.Note: Additional data will be added to this database in the near future.Note: Photo logs provided under the 'Drawings' column will be updated with precise locations where photographs were taken.Note: Data were also collected for 146 low-rise reinforced...


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Get in touch
Do you need help finding the right resource that applies best for your situation? Contact the REFAT Referral Helpline at (805) 751-5899 or email@example.com and a REFAT team member will help you.
If you'd like to have a REFAT team member speak to your organization or event on real estate fraud please contact REFAT Community Outreach, 805-751-5899 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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Dive into the Y's Summer Swim Teams at Wheatlands
For kids looking to join a competitive swim program, the Y is ideal. Our trained coaches work to improve swimmers' skill level, endurance and to promote a healthy lifestyle. Our program embraces the YMCA core values and promotes progression at an individual level.
- All sessions are taught in the Y's family-friendly and positive environment
- Kids learn the fundamentals of swimming and how to compete individually and on a team
- Excellent coaching — All our coaches are trained and certified to help kids meet their swimming goals. And, as Y coaches, they embrace the Y values of respect, responsibility, caring, and honesty. We encourage kids to be their very best both in and out of the water.
- All ages and abilities - YMCA swim teams welcome swimmers ages 5 to 17 of all skill levels.


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Spain – September 18th, 2008
The Spanish mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal. Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. With an area of 504,030 km², Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe after France.
At 194,884 mi² (504,782 km²), Spain is the world's 51st-largest country. It is some 47,000 km² smaller than France and 81,000 km² larger than the U.S. state of California.
On the west, Spain borders Portugal, on the south, it borders Gibraltar (a British overseas territory) and Morocco, through its cities in North Africa (Ceuta and Melilla). On the northeast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, it borders France and the tiny principality of Andorra.
Spain also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and a number of uninhabited islands on the Mediterranean side of the strait of Gibraltar, known as Plazas de soberanía, such as the Chafarine islands, the isle of Alborán, the "rocks" (peñones) of Vélez and Alhucemas, and the tiny Isla Perejil. Along the Pyrenees in Catalonia, a small exclave town called Llívia is surrounded by France. The little Pheasant Island in the River Bidasoa is a Spanish-French condominium.
Mainland Spain is dominated by high plateaus and mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada. Running from these heights are several major rivers such as the Tagus, the Ebro, the Duero, the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir. Alluvial plains are found along the coast, the largest of which is that of the Guadalquivir in Andalusia.
Due to Spain's geographical situation and orographic conditions, the climate is extremely diverse; it can be roughly divided into three areas:
- A Continental Mediterranean climate in the inland areas of the Peninsula (largest city, Madrid).
- A Mediterranean climate region extends from the Andalusian plain along the southern and eastern coasts up to the Pyrenees, on the seaward side of the mountain ranges that run near the coast (largest city, Barcelona). They get warm winds from the Saharas called Leveche, also known as Sirocco.
- An Oceanic climate in Galicia and the coastal strip near the Bay of Biscay (largest city, Bilbao). This area is often called Green Spain.
There is a territorial dispute with the United Kingdom over Gibraltar, a 6 square km Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom in the southernmost part of the Iberian Peninsula which was conquered by Britain from Spain in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession, along with the Spanish island of Minorca (which had also been invaded but was reconquered in 1782 and finally ceded back to Spain in 1802 by the Treaty of Amiens).
The legal situation concerning Gibraltar was settled in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht, in which Spain ceded the territory in perpetuity to the British Crown stating that, should the British abandon this post, it would return to Spanish sovereignty.
Ever since the 1940s Spain has called for the return of Gibraltar. The overwhelming majority of Gibraltarians strongly oppose this, along with any proposal of shared sovereignty. UN resolutions call on the United Kingdom and Spain, both EU members, to reach an agreement over the status of Gibraltar.


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Our Mother, who art in Earth,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
On us as it is in you.
As you send Thy angels every day,
Send them to us aswell
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those
Who trespass against you.
And lead us not into sickness,
But deliver us from evil,
Because yours is the earth
And the body
And the health


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Tweedle for Twitter
by: HandlerExploit • 14.8K
All Android applications categories
All Android games categories
by: HandlerExploit • 14.8K
Published: 2012-08-20, by Manu Galvez.
There are lots of Twitter client, although each of them try to focus on one matter. Tweedle has found the balance between simplicity and customization. Thus, it's minimalistic regarding features (it comes with basic Twitter stuff) but with some interesting options to personalize layout.
Tweedle uses streams system to divide and navigate through Twitter sections. Three basic swipable streams (more cannot be added): timeline, mentions and messages. A direct "Compose" and search button. It also integrates "Push to update - release to refresh" timeline's updating system. Likewise, for performing basic stuff (reply, copy, RT or Favorite) you just need to long-press tweets from your timeline and select the action. From menu button you can access you profile and settings. And this is it, minimalistic regarding features. Consequently, this makes it light and fast too.
From settings though, you can deepen on layout customization. There are four theme presets (original, market, light and dark). However, once selected you can change color (background, header, scrollbar, etc.), set font size, base design, actionbar overlay, etc. You can even enable a night theme. Finally, you can set notifications at your whim (by categories), select media provider and enable SSL encryption.
We like simplicity. However, we're missing some features that we consider "basic" like Trends and the possibility to add more streams (other users' profile and hashtags). Despite of this, Tweedle runs smoothly and provides a good average user experience.
Tags: tweedle for twitter , tweedle , tweedle widget , opinion tweedle , tweedle how force timeline update , que es tweedle for twitter , hashtag on tweedle , tweedle multiple accounts , tweedle update
by Emmanuel , Appszoom
Aug 20, 2012
Notice: This application is no longer supported.
Designed with simplicity and functionality in mind, Tweedle is both a beautiful and customizable Twitter client.
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Get me out of here: Is that Denzel Washington fleeing the set of The Siege?
Two action novelists take on 'The Siege'
By David Templeton
David Templeton takes interesting people to interesting movies in his ongoing quest for the ultimate post-film conversation. This time around, he journeys to Sacramento--the hometown of authors Richard Herman and William P. Wood--for an afternoon matinee of the big-budget action-thriller The Siege.
FUNNY, but somehow when I sat down in the theater with Richard Herman and William P. Wood, I never anticipated that they'd end up in recurring fits of boyish giggles. This from a former Air Force major (Herman), the best-selling author of numerous testosterone-fueled action novels, and a retired deputy district attorney (Wood), with his own string of white-knuckle crime thrillers.
Honestly, these guys don't strike one as the giggling type. Then again, some movies are so dumb that a good giggle is the only logical response.
About halfway through The Siege--in which freedom-loving FBI agent Denzel Washington crosses swords with evil Army Gen. Bruce Willis in an attempt to squash a New York City bombing campaign perpetrated by Arab terrorists--enough dumb plot twists and make-believe nonsense have piled up that any intelligent viewer would be hard-pressed to resist a disbelieving snort or two.
Terrorist bombings, it is explained, always come in fours. Yeah, right.
When a bomb-carrying truck drives over the sidewalk and through the front window of a thoroughly unprotected Federal Building, Wood merrily mutters, "Hah!" as the screen ignites in a noisy kaboom of flames. "Oh come on, where's the concrete barrier?" he'd like to know. Herman, during a silly sequence involving Washington's improbable evasion of an army surveillance squad, just smiles and shakes his head. The giggle factor only gets worse by the film's unlikely ending, at which point my two guests have been brought to the brink of hysterics.
In fairness, some of my guests' mirth is generated by little things that the movie gets right. A remark about the CIA making mistakes all the time draws a bellow of appreciative laughter and a line about a U.S. "policy shift"--an event that leaves a group of Palestinian double agents in the lurch without protection--is received with ironic amusement. "Oh no!" gasps Herman. "Not the dreaded policy shift!" (More on that later.)
It is certain that others will not find The Siege quite so laughable. Its depiction of hate crimes against Arab-Americans, the imposition of martial law on NYC, and the subsequent internment of Arab-American citizens are certainly chilling. In fact, several anti-defamation groups have accused the film itself of being racist, making claims that the Arab characterizations are stereotypical and mean-spirited. Nothing to laugh about there.
"But you see, Bill and I have both seen how government operates close up," explains Herman after the show. "So we're in a position to see the humor that others might miss."
Not to mention knowing their way around a good, believable plot: Each author--both residents of Sacramento, they've become friends and staunch supporters over the years--has been praised for the realism of their work. Wood is known as the author of The Bone Garden (based on the case of Dorothea Fuentes, whom Wood successfully prosecuted). His new book, Quicksand, is one of his best: a taut, intelligent thriller about husband and wife crime-fighters on opposite sides of their own terrorist conspiracy. Herman's books--geopolitical potboilers of the highest order--include Warbirds, Power Curve, and the just-released Against All Enemies, in which two downed U.S. pilots are put on trial in Sudan after a failed bombing run on a chemical weapons plant. Ironically, the title Against All Enemies was once announced as the title of The Siege.
"I'm really glad they changed the name of the movie," Herman says, as we all slide into a booth at a popular hamburger place. "I would have hated to have been linked to this thing by having the same name."
"So, was there a point to this movie?" he asks. They both turn to me for an answer.
"Well, the posters all carry the phrase 'Freedom is History,'" I tell them. "I assume they were trying to make a statement about the price of freedom and the possibility of those freedoms as the world becomes increasingly dangerous."
HERMAN BURSTS out laughing. "Really? Did they accomplish that, do you think?"
"If you like science fiction, yeah, they did," answers Wood.
"In the movie's defense," Herman says, shrugging, "it was fairly entertaining. It was a classic series of setups and payoffs. The backbone of fiction, right. Nice payoff to nice setups."
"OK," Wood considers this, "the setups were OK, but the payoffs were phony. And if the payoff is phony, then the picture is phony."
"Oh, they did a few things right," Herman says. "The laughable 'dreaded policy shift,' for instance. Unfortunately, they hit that one right on the head. That's real. Honest to God, how many times have we asked our allies to carry the water for us and then left them high and dry?"
"So it hit a few nails on the head," Wood amiably retorts. "It spent the rest of its time insulting my intelligence. What about the way the military was portrayed? Willis was a one-dimensional bad guy. Another stereotype. I've never known a military officer who was anything like that." Willis, in fact, played the part like a monotone megalomaniac with a cold, soulless, zombie stare.
"I've known more than my share of military types," Herman says. "And Bill's right. The army guys were stereotypes as much as the evil terrorists and the driven FBI agents. In fact," he points out, "what emotional impact the film has is had by playing on our prejudices--prejudices against the military as well as against the Arab nations.
"Yet I still go back to my point," he continues, "that if you take an uncritical eye at this thing, the movie works."
"Well, I don't agree," Wood says, grinning across the table at his old friend, "uncritical eye or not. Then again, I guess I've seen worse."
From the November 19-24, 1998 issue of the Sonoma County Independent.
© Metro Publishing Inc.


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DetailsMens Colonial Aristocrat Costume - Includes a white dickey shirt with attached gold vest and gold buttons, along with a long navy blue jacket and black pants. Shirt features a velcro closure in the back by the neck and tie closure at the bottom while the jacket features gold buttons and authentic gold trim.
Mens Colonial Aristocrat Costume
Item #:
$ 41.99


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Do you need to send a parcel internationally?
There are many reasons why you may need to send a parcel overseas. Perhaps you have an on-line retail outlet and you need to fulfil international deliveries. Or perhaps you have friends and family living in different countries and you'd like to courier them presents or a parcel.
Whatever your reason, it's now easy to find a worldwide parcel delivery to suit your needs. Here are two options.
1. If you're posting to Europe a good product for you is DHL's Euro Plus. This product has a delivery specification of 2-5 working days and will transport your parcel out of the UK by road.
2. If you need a faster service, or want to send you parcel outside Europe then choose DHL by Air. This product will get your parcel to Europe with 1-2 working days and within 2-4 working days anywhere else. What's more you'll benefit from on-line tracking as well as a signature to show when your item's been delivered.
What's more it's easier to access worldwide parcel deliveries than you may have thought. In fact some courier companies will even let you print the waybill on your computer which makes parcel preparation that much easier.
Finally here's a reminder. When sending a worldwide parcel delivery just check you haven't sent anything prohibited, and beware of customs requirements and regulations. If in doubt, browse this useful link www.hmrc.gov.uk, which contains lots of detailed information.
Happy posting!


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Due to the popularity of my blast from the past travel segment, coupled with my lack of time for fresh material, I am going to continue on with the travel journal from 1995. If you've missed the past few posts: So...Enough About Me, Let's Talk About ME - or - Every Day I Pay Attention, Another Day Has Gone By, you should go back RIGHT NOW and read those riveting, life changing posts.
I've fast-rewinded to October 20, 1995. Apparently, I was just arriving in Prague on the night train....
I've been in Prague for 24 hours, it is great so far, although I was scared last night. I was on the last train to Prague, as soon as I stepped off the platform, and into the station, I was mauled by by people begging me (and the other backpackers) to stay in their apartments. They insisted...they even offered to drive us. How convenient! Sure, take my luggage and then slit my throat in the back of your Citroen.
Of course, they disliked me the most because I exchanged words with them. I think their exact words to me were, "Let's see who is laughing tonight when we are sleeping in our beds and you are in the street!" It was strange. They wait for you at the end of the platform and hound you; trying to sell you a room, shoving pictures of apartments in your face. What a turn off. It is almost enough to make you turn around and get right back on the train to Berlin.
I like it here (in Prague) but one week may be too long. Maybe I will go to Poland. Krakow. I like the East, it is nice and cheap. People are goofy looking, but so far, so good. I totally dig the people I've met in the hostels. Vienna - a bunch of good, school girls. Prague - hardcore drunkards. Yesterday, we drank from 8pm until about 3am for 10 Crowns for a 1/2 liter beer. Dirt Cheap.
Tonight, I ate at the Hare Krishna joint. Decent food, all you can eat for $1.50 - what a place! Cheaper than going grocery shopping. I think I am in heaven.
Well, there you have it. Totally true story, I ate at the Hare Krishna temple in Prague. I drank beers all night and I feared that locals would slit my throat in the back of a Citroen. Personally, I like the subtle detail of the Citroen best.
Once again, this was a journal entry from my travels abroad in 1995. To read more posts about my travels, you can read my travel blog by clicking right HERE. To hear me babble, follow me on Twitter.


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In a scene that resembled a high school pep rally, complete with live rock bands and raucous chants, Rob Ford kicked off his re-election campaign in Etobicoke on Thursday night, promising to continue to guard taxpayers' money with the tenacity of a surly watchdog.
Around 2,000 people showed up at the Toronto Congress Centre at 650 Dixon Road, including former heavyweight boxer George Chuvalo, who shadowboxed for the crowd before Doug Ford took to the podium to tout his brother's accomplishments in the political ring.
"Rob is always ready to jump in and help no matter what," Doug said. "Rob Ford returns phone calls, Rob Ford cuts spending, Rob Ford challenges the elites…and Rob Ford helps you keep your money in your pocket where it belongs."
"Rob Ford does what he says he is going to do because Rob Ford is the peoples' mayor."
Seeking a second term, Rob Ford marched towards the podium like a warrior flanked by traditional Scottish bagpipers.
He first thanked his family for their unyielding loyalty before giving a nod to his recently deceased friend, former finance minister Jim Flaherty.
"Jim has always been an inspiration to me…I love you Jim, and I miss you."
Early in the half-hour speech, Ford alluded to the crack video scandal that has made international headlines.
"There has been some rocky moments over the past year," he said. "I have experienced how none of us can go through life without making mistakes. And when they occur we learn a lot about ourselves — humility, the kindness of people, and the spirit of second chances."
"Friends, I love this city, and I love being your mayor."
"I was taught to always stand up for what you believe in no matter how hard it is, and now I'm asking you to stand with me. Together we will continue to challenge the elitists…and those that want to overspend our hard-earned money without consequence."
"If you have my back on election day, I promise you Rob Ford will have your back for another four years."
Ford didn't release a specific platform, instead saying he was "running on his record" while portraying himself as the 'average guy.'
"The people of Toronto know that I am just like them," he said, to cheers and chants of 'Ford more years!'
Ford arrived at the party early to mingle with supporters and pose for pictures and members of Ford Nation lined up to buy Rob Ford bobble-head dolls to raise money for the campaign.
They were selling from $30 to $100, and the first 1,000 people to show up received free flags and t-shirts.
A large fire truck was parked inside the hall, emblazoned with a banner that read: "Saving the taxpayers from getting burned."
The use of the truck angered the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters Association (TPFFA), whose president, Ed Kennedy, wrote a letter admonishing the mayor for using the truck as a political prop while the city cuts its budget.


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After ignoring Lindy's plea for me to get on shots for my MS, I finally was forced to. It has been out of sight, out of mind since 2005-2006.I haven't had any real episodes until this past December. I went paralyzed in the left side of my body for about a week. Lost complete use of my left arm, and my left leg dragged worse that a zombies. I was so overwhelmed with the help I received from friends and family, especially since it was through Christmas, that I decided to re launch my charity; Musicians Fighting MS. With mild success I 2007, I decided to focus all the fundraising money on helping those that have MS that aren't as fortunate as me to be taken care of with the basics: Food, housework, errands, bills, etc. Check back, as we will be having some solid bands that will help us fundraise. The aim is to not raise money, rather put on great events, with great bands, and by default the money will take care of itself!
Stay tuned


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About heather&rebecca
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Coaches Clinics
heather&rebecca posted a topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballDoes anyone know of a coaches clinic coming up soon in Kansas, Missouri, or Illinois? I really would like to attend a clinic before our fall season starts in September. Any information would be helpful. Thank you.
Cap & Impact
heather&rebecca replied to heather&rebecca's topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballWow, this has all been very helpful. Thank you!
Cap & Impact
heather&rebecca posted a topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballCan anyone tell me more about these programs? Are they just for professional coaches or are they something that would be benefical for me to attend as a beginning coach? Are there any other coaches clinics that would be helpful? Do you know of any upcoming in the Kansas City or Saint Louis area, or anywhere I can find more info?
Getting In The Ready Position
heather&rebecca posted a topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballDoes anyone have any good drills or ideas to get my girls to get in the ready position? Ive tried telling them over and over to get on their toes and not stand flat footed or even pulling their heels off the floor so that they have to put their weight on the balls of their feet, but they all act like cant keep their balance while doing so. im looking for a drill that will make them do it without even thikning, because i just dont think they understand what im trying to get them to do. Please help
Watching The Ball
heather&rebecca posted a topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballDoes anyone have any drills or exercises that will help the girls learn to watch the ball at ALL times? I notice my girls not paying attention some times when they think another teammate has gotten the ball, or when they get it over the net, not watching it to see if the other team is going to get it back over.
Scared Of The Ball
heather&rebecca posted a topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballI Have a couple girls who are terrified of the ball, they wont get any where near it. How do i get them to be aggressive without making the situation worse?
New Season - Help
heather&rebecca replied to JIG's topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballI tried a drill I saw for passing and the girls seem to love it. You place three baskets (I used laundry baskets) in a line in front of them so it is like the baskets are their front line, and then put them in a line and toss them the ball one at a time. They try to make a basket, it works on aim and ball control when passing. It is pretty difficult so I let anyone who made one pick something the other girls had to do like push ups, laps, etc.
heather&rebecca started following Warm Up and Problem Child
Warm Up
heather&rebecca posted a topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballWhat are some good warm ups for 4th grade girls? I think we are being to easy on them , but I played competitive sports for 12 years. I may be out of touch a little with 9 year olds. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanx
Problem Child
heather&rebecca posted a topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballWe have one girl who is going to cause problems. She' the only one unhappy with the team she was put on (there are 2 teams) but if we would have put her on the other team she would be playing with her friends and disrupting the game for everyone. Is there any good way to discipline one player and not have her feel any more left out? Anything would be helpful. thanx
Getting The Ball Out Of The Net
heather&rebecca posted a topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballWe are trying to figure out if its too early to teach 9 year olds how to dig out of the net. I think it would be a good skill to learn early. Any ideas? And if its not, what would be a good drill to teach this effectively?
New Coaches Need Help
heather&rebecca replied to heather&rebecca's topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballThanks for the advice. We had such a huge response with girls that want to play that we are having to make two teams. We ended up with 18 girls, so 9 per team. We found one other person who would asst coach, so hopefull we will do ok with it. I just thought I would note that we have 4th grade girls and most of them have never played before. I picked up a few books which were very helpful. Any advice on some good drills/games, or anything else would be appreciated. Thanks, Rebecca
New Coaches Need Help
heather&rebecca posted a topic in Coaching Youth VolleyballMy freind and i are coaching her daughters volleyball team. We've played for a number of years but neither of us have ever coached. We are just looking for some pointers on how to start out , what we need and really anything in general. We appreciate any advice. thanx


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MamaDoo Kids Folding Play Yard Mattress Topper
First and foremost I want to apologize to MamaDoo Kids for this post being extremely over due. When one of our writers got extremely sick it slipped through. It is such an amazing company that offers an amazing product for kids!
Most parents don't realize that play yards are not comfortable for babies and kids. After all they are basically laying on a wood board with some padding that is being supported by metal bars. Would you want to sleep, play or lay on that? I sure as heck wouldn't. That is why MamaDoo Kids created the folding play yard mattress.
Mommy and Baby Reviews recently had the opportunity to work with MamaDoo Kids and review two of their amazing products. We were sent a folding play yard mattress topper and a play yard sheet to review free of charge.
The MamaDoo Kids Folding Play Yard Mattress Topper is perfect for travel and comes with a plastic traveling case to keep it dry and clean when traveling. The play yard mattress isn't just for play yards. If your kids love yoga or laying on the floor while watching television. It is easy to take to daycare too!
The MamaDoo Kids Folding Play Yard Mattress Topper works in the bottom of the play yard or in the top bassinet area.
Imagine being at the park and needing to change your little one. Sure you can put a blanket down and change them on the hard uncomfortable grass your use your folding play yard as an instant changing station. You can even fold the play yard mattress and use it as a toddler bench.
The MamaDoo Kids Folding Play Yard Mattress Topper works with all brands of play yards including, Graco, Chicco, Nuna, Boppy, Eddie Bauer, Evenflo, Baby Trend, Safety 1st, Arms Reach Original, Aprica, Cosco, Combi, Boppy, Nature's Purest Comfort, Bright Starts and more.
Again, I would like to apologize to MamaDoo Kids for this post being so late.
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Ethical tourism rising
"When you're thinking about your vacation, do you stop to ask where the money you're paying for your trip is going? Or whether any wildlife was ploughed away to make way for your resort? Or how the fumes from your cruise ship are affecting the environment? If you're like most Western tourists, probably not. But questions like these are just the kind that ethical travel advocates are hoping you'll ask".
Read the full article


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Virtual Event
Tuesday Morning Prayer
October 27 @ 8:00 am - 9:00 am
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 8:00 am on Tuesday, repeating until December 22, 2020
Virtual Event
Join Pastor Todd as we go before the Lord, seeking his will for ourselves, our church, and the world.
Pastor Todd will be hosting a weekly prayer time in a Zoom room.
You will need to sign up ahead of time and be admitted to the room in order for us to have the required security.
Only one person per household needs to sign up.


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Photos by Nathaniel Thompson / Contributing Photographer
Story by Shorin Estell / Contributing Writer
To be black and queer at a predominantly white institution, or PWI, is to feel like a violin in a marching band. To be black and queer at a PWI is to feel like a Dallas Cowboys fan sitting front row at a Redskins and Steelers game.
To be black and queer at a PWI is to feel like a once-crisp Sprite waiting to be consumed on a hot summer day, all its ice melted and watering down its flavor.
You get the point.
College was going to be my way out. Out of, what seemed at the time, the zero-tolerance zone that was my hometown, pressure from family and my high school peers. I just knew that I would come to college and flourish. I thought that everyone would accept me because I was a pretty cool person. College would be my escape.
Little did I know, college would be the place I'd have to water myself down the most.
I have never felt so misunderstood and out of place as I do at my PWI, a place I thought would be open to diversity. Diversity not only in race or ethnicity, but also personality, sexuality and lifestyle. I have always been "different" whether it be my sexuality, the way I dressed or the way I carried myself. I have always prided myself on never fitting in with other people and always standing out in a crowd. In college, though, fitting in (especially among black students) seemed to be the cool thing to do. It was my own fault to adopt the "As Seen On TV" version of college where everyone got along and, no matter what and who you were, you had a place and a say-so.
I have queer black friends who got that experience, but their ice has melted. They wanted to be accepted so bad that they watered themselves down. For me, that wasn't an option. It is something that I could never do. If you have to be someone else to get people to accept you then you don't need them in your life in the first place.
In the words of queen Erykah Badu, 'Who gave you permission to rearrange me? Certainly not me!'
You water yourself down so that people think they have an idea of who you are. Then one day you show them the real you, and they don't know how to accept it. You've been feeding them this facade of a person for so long, just to make it, and then you're back to where you started.
Of all of the times that I've felt uncomfortable on my campus, it's often been among my black brothers and sisters. You'd think that a group of people with a history of being outcast and ostracized would band together, but no. I usually just felt more welcomed by my white peers than I did my black, and that hurts to say.
I often tell the story of the time I was interested in joining a predominantly black campus organization:
I walked into the room looking nice. Shirt and tie, slacks, nice shoes — you know, the usual. The only exception was that I also had a hat on because my hair hadn't been cut yet. I took my seat and the meeting began. Shortly after, one of the guys came over and asked me to remove my hat. When I did, I could hear the people behind me gasping, laughing and dropping their jaws. They were already a part of the organization, and they saw that my hair was a mixture of blonde, green and blue; their reactions were appropriate. That's not what made me feel out of place, though.
As the meeting went on, the president of the organization began to go over what we needed and how we should dress for our interviews. He eventually got to hair and said, "Ladies, natural hair colors only!" But the only people in the room with unnaturally colored hair were myself and another girl with a light burgundy color. He might not have meant it the way that I took it, but it really rubbed me the wrong way. I felt as though he was being passive-aggressive about my hair color, and to add to that, more laughter from behind followed. After the meeting, a few of my friends walked up to me, asking about my hair. I laughed about it and made jokes to hide the fact that my feelings were hurt. I also assured them that my hair would be a different color when the interviews came around. I paid my application fee and headed straight to Walmart to get hair dye. I changed my hair that night and turned in my application bright and early the next day. I anticipated the phone call for me to get my interview date for days. I never got a call.
That was the day I decided that I would never again change myself to get people to accept me.
Being black and queer at a PWI, you won't always be accepted. You won't always feel like you belong, and people won't always see things the way that you see it. But that's perfectly OK. Regardless, you can still remain true to yourself and who you are. Never allow anyone to shoot you down just because you're not like them. You should never have to dim your light just to make other people feel comfortable because that is all that it is. When people try and change who you are, it is because they're uncomfortable with themselves, and that has absolutely nothing to do with you. Continue to shine bright even when it seems that no one sees you. Continue to be yourself even when it seems as though everyone is sleeping on you. Being yourself, you'll attract all the right people. You'll feel so good, and happiness will become natural. And remember this:
There is always someone watching you. You just might be someone's very own inspiration, so keep your head up. Live your life, and most importantly, be happy.
Shorin Estell is a senior journalism major at Middle Tennessee State University. Follow him on Twitter at @shutupshorin_ and Instagram at @dopeternity.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Marissa Gaston email firstname.lastname@example.com.
For more updates, follow us at www.mtsusidelines.com, on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on Twitter/Instagram at @Sidelines_Life.


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Last year, Spark announced it was teaming up with Kiwi NBA player Steven Adams on a project dubbed 'The Boroughs' which would see it partner up with Auckland City Council to open five high-tech basketball courts. And today Spark and the Ōtara-Papatoetoe local board started construction on the first court at Otamariki Park in South Auckland.
The five courts will be spread across North, East, West, South and Central Auckland and each will be paired with a famous sister court in the US, with Otamariki Park's sister court being Rucker Park, the original home of pick-up-ball in the US, according to a Spark release. The new courts will also be kitted out with new interactive technology.
The others will be:
- The Cage, Manhattan – sister court to Victoria Park in Central Auckland
- Downtown Courts, OKC – sister court to Avondale Central Reserve in West Auckland
- The Hole, Brooklyn – sister court to Pt England Reserve in East Auckland
- Venice Beach, LA – sister court to Hooton Reserve in the North Shore
The move is a bid to get Spark connected with young Aucklanders, a group it struggled to reach in the Telecom days.
Spark chief executive for home, mobile and business Chris Quin says 'The Boroughs' is a major project for Spark and has been a huge talking point around Auckland since it was announced.
"With construction now underway on the first court, 'Spark Boroughs' is really starting to come to life for the community – and we can't wait to see locals in South Auckland out on the court showing us what they can do, developing their skills and making their community proud."
South Auckland, get ready to rise up. Work has begun on South Court. #SparkBoroughs is coming to life. pic.twitter.com/QDJ9x90jqy
— Spark Boroughs (@SparkBoroughs) March 26, 2015
Quin says the project will give people the opportunity express themselves, to get behind their borough and to take pride in their community – just as streetball has done in the US.
He is already expecting big things from the South Auckland Borough at Otamariki Park.
"Basketball's profile and popularity is really on the rise in this area so we know the local community in South Auckland will represent their borough in a big way.
Each court will be a Spark Wifi hotspot. Interactive technology will also be incorporated into each of the courts, which is looking to be a world first. It is not entirely clear what this technology is at present but it will most likely be for capturing game play to share through social media.
Full control off the courts will be given to the communities they reside in. And local players will be able to organise games and tournaments as they wish.
Spark, along with its agencies Dynamo, Touchcast and Sherson Willis, has been working closely with Auckland Council and local boards for close to two years on this project.
Otara-Papatoetoe local board chair Efeso Collins says the board's partnership with Spark has taken its plans for the basketball court to a whole new level.
"Our Local Board Plan is focused on providing more parks and facilities that not only meet local needs but also encourage active and healthy lifestyles," says Collins, "This is a unique resource for Otara and will put a smile on many faces so it's great to see construction starting. Our young people are really excited to get out on the court and bust their moves. The project shows how local boards can achieve extraordinary initiatives with constructive business and community relationships. At the end of the day, we both share the same vision of getting our young people engaged, enthusiastic, and fostering their talents."
Kenny McFadden, Steven Adams' long-time manager and mentor, says he is excited to bring streetball to the local community and can see it benefiting player development.
"Streetball tends to bring the community together. Sport as a whole is a vehicle for socialising and making new friends, and this project will give people of all ages, boys and girls – the opportunity to go out there and develop their skills, and enjoy sport for free," he says "As a basketball talent scout and coach, I can see the younger age group really benefitting. They can play with their own age group and the seasoned ballers, and learn from them and develop their talent at a young age. It's a great concept."
When asked what the project meant to him, Steven Adams answered by saying: "It's about giving back to the community, getting kids off the street and in to basketball".
According to a release Spark expects the court at Otamariki Park to be completed in the coming months and is planning to roll out the remaining courts across Auckland before the end of this year.
Spark is pushing the project out through a dedicated website as well as an Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. More video content has also been added to the existing teasers, which had no paid media support.
The telco canned its All Blacks sponsorship in 2013 in favour of moving its money into areas where there was a bit more clear air. And at the time Kellie Nathan, who's now at Pumpkin Patch, said: "For Telecom, the All Blacks sponsorship didn't work. We didn't feature strongly enough in our tracking as an All Blacks sponsor to get the attribution we needed to justify the investment. There are so many others involved who have done a lot of work to build up a presence. So rather than be one of many, we said 'let's own something and develop it from the grassroots up'."


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Experience the family life of cheetahs, lions and leopards at a camp in the heart of Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
An action packed day trip commences early in the day where you will be met by our Driver at the designated meeting point at 9am on the edge of the National Park. From here you will be taken to the best viewing points to see the big cats in their natural habitat – the wild!
After our initial search, we break for morning tea under the trees on the plains. Our experienced network of Masai guides radio in the locations for the next search which takes us across the Park for 2 hours, chasing the mother cheetah with her cubs, or a sleeping lion pride. Lunch time is the time to meet up with other safari guests and compare notes and stories. A delicious picnic is enjoyed by all, after which we set off for our final search for a dusk sighting. Whilst this is the Big Cat Day Safari, you'll enjoy the added bonus of a menagerie of other species as we traverse the Park.
Returning to the start point on the edge of the National Park at 7pm, dusty and tired, you will also be elated and in awe of the most magnificent animals on earth with whom you have shared this very special day.
The Big Cat One Day Tour is a small taste of Africa to whet your appetite for your next (and longer) visit with us.
+44 (0)7976 753 269
12 Oakhill Court Oakhill Road Putney London Sw15 2qh


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December 2002 The first Ariane 5 ECA launcher ready on the launch pad. This new launcher responds to new market needs to place either a single or double payload of up to 9.6 tonnes into geostationary orbit


text: All the chemicals you need to make 10 airbursts. Professional, low smoke effects. Comes with 10 initiators, and 10 zip ties. You supply the saran. Comes in silver, soft silver, gold, crackle, and loud. Airbursts are designed to be suspended from fixtures that are at least 18 feet above the ground. They produce a ball shaped flash with sparks. There is very little smoke. Sold with an 3 foot initiator. We recomend firing at temperatures above 50 degress because of the saran. We assemble these to order and it may take up to 5 days until it ships.


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Stockholm - The tattooed young hacker Lisbeth Salander is back in the sequel to Stieg Larson's Millennium trilogy but with a twist - a new author and a contemporary backdrop that includes spies from the United States National Security Agency (NSA).
The books by Larson, who died in 2004, have sold more than 80 million copies in 50 countries.
Salander was made famous in the first, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, which was made into a 2011 film with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.
Swedish author David Lagercrantz, known for his autobiography of Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, I Am Zlatan, was tasked with writing the fourth book and there are already plans to make the sequel into a movie.
"I was terrified, but that made me a better writer," he told a news conference.
"I understood that if I turned down this (offer), I would regret it for the rest of my life. It's like meeting the woman of your life."
The Girl In The Spider's Web, released in 25 countries yesterday, has already been translated into 42 languages. The first edition will be 2.7 million copies.
To keep anyone from hacking the manuscript, Lagercrantz wrote on a computer that was not connected to the Internet. People involved in its production used code words to discuss it.
The plot reunites Swedish journalist Mikael Blomkvist and Salander, who this time is involved in a murky world of cyber security and artificial intelligence.
"It struck me that if Lisbeth would have a worthy opponent, it would be NSA," Lagercrantz said. "We live in a world where we need Lisbeth Salander more than ever."
The book has sparked controversy in Sweden, with two childhood friends of Larsson calling the publication a "grave robbery".
The first book in Larsson's trilogy was published in mid-2005.
The Swedish title, Men Who Hate Women, became The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo when it was later published in English.
The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest completed the best-selling trilogy.


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Envirologue: Too Big to Fail – Why National will Never Act on Climate Change
252 Responses
First ←Older Page 1 … 5 6 7 8 9 … 11 Newer→ Last
Ian Dalziel, in reply to
may the force glow with you...
It does raise the point that nuclear power also needs a robust economy that enables plenty of ongoing infrastucture work
...and a culture that will survive beyond it's decay life while staying aware of the dangers it presents.
Not much hope of that judging by past efforts - we know next to nothing of civilisations a mere 4 to 8 thousand years ago - whereas the road from Uranium 238 to Lead 206 is many many millennia more...
Ian Dalziel, in reply to
Just desserts...
And I'm not wearing a meringue on my head.
Is that a pavlovian response!
;- )
almost :-0
damn wheres my tinfoil hat... sorry baking dish...
Bart Janssen, in reply to
world's surface temperature
air temperature
water temperature has continued to rise - but you wouldn't know that because your employer never gave you that data when he/she hired you to spout this drivel
Bart Janssen, in reply to
I think it's more the engineering that failed us in the first instance, not the science.
No offence but the people dying of cancer really don't care which bit of it failed.
Both points are correct and relevant.
The problem with nuclear power IS engineering. Modern reactor designs are safer, but still produce waste.
It's like pointing out that sometimes bridges collapse and kill people. It's a tragedy for the people and families who die. But it is not necessarily a problem with bridges per se, rather a problem with making sure bridges are engineered correctly.
A more relevant argument is that we may not need nuclear power plants hence the engineering risk need not exist.
Stamper Stamp, in reply to
Hi Bart
The 18+ year pause in world temperatures continues to be a difficulty for the alarmists. Many of them have tried to explain it, after all – atmospheric CO2 continued to rise from approx 350ppm to 400ppm during this time.
A recent list of excuses for the pause has more than 60 reasons and counting. It really is a thorn in the side of the "settled science" believers. Maybe CO2 is not the driver of world temperatures as they hoped. Down the gurgler goes another theory.
At least the Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming alarm is a change from the Global Cooling / another Ice-age alarm of the 1970's.
Anyway, this link shows a list of reasons/excuses for the 18 year pause.
Note # 2 - Oceans ate the global warming [debunked] [debunked] [debunked]
Enjoy the inter-glacial – S S
There's a good quote from Dale Vince, chairman of UK green energy company Ecotricity in today's Guardian.
"There will come a time when people will laugh at the idea that instead of producing our own energy from free wind and sunshine, we used to pay someone else to do it; when they will be shocked that we used to send billions of pounds overseas every year to foreign governments just for the privilege of burning their natural resources and polluting our planet; when people will watch their carbon footprint like we watch our weight."
Bruce Ward, in reply to
I understand that climatologists consider periods less than 30 years as of little use in determining trends - so a 17 year 8 month period just screams 'data cherry-picked to show what I want it to show'.
"2014 ranks as Earth's warmest since 1880" - NASA and NOAA.
"The 10 warmest years in the instrumental record, with the exception of 1998, have now occurred since 2000." http://climate.nasa.gov/news/2221/
Note that these relate to global land and ocean surface temperatures.
These seem to suggest strongly that there is a trend that cherry-picked data may be hiding. Of course, that may be the intent of selecting that data.
Bart Janssen, in reply to
So peer reviewed scientific research is debunked by some guy on a blog site
I presume the world is also flat now and homeopathy works
Stamper Stamp, in reply to
Hi Bruce
One of the more high profile Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming alarmists was/is? Dr Phil Jones of the CRU of the University of East Anglia and was concerned about the flat-lining of temperatures. He reported slight cooling in 2005 and in 2009 said in the CRU emails:
'Bottom line: the 'no upward trend' has to continue for a total of 15 years before we get worried.'
Well, I guess Dr Phil is worried; I must say he has been a lot quieter in recent years.
Maybe he sees the end of the gravy train looming in the not too distant future.
Enjoy the inter-glacial – S S
Bart Janssen, in reply to
Global Warming alarmists
ooo any chance you can give a blog post that dubunks the increased frequency to extreme weather events predicted by global warming model and observed over the last decade during your "flat-line".
Want to tell the families of the dead in the recent Australian weather events that their loss has been debunked.
Nah don't bother I'm sure there as many of those blogs as there are homeopaths in Auckland.
Still waiting for you to deny that you are a paid employee of big oil.
I want to make something clear here, because while all this silliness has been fun, there is a reality here.
If Stamper is correct a huge number of scientists have conspired to deceive the world by ignoring data and building false models all to get extra funding. If we listen to those scientists we will make changes to the world that will cost some very rich people a lot of money, which would be unfair to those rich people.
If Stamper is wrong, as all those scientists have firmly said again and again and we ignore those scientists - then the climate will change more and the death toll will not just be a few tragedies but 10s of thousands, or if you are really pessimistic billions. Not even mentioning the cost to wildlife and ecosystems already damaged by humans.
This is NOT some silly game played for fun on blogs and discussion groups. Decisions we make now will mean life or death OR (if Stamper is right) cost some rich people some money.
Frankly I find people like Stamper disgusting, They casually discard other peoples lives for money.
It might be fun to argue with them but in the end they are drawing us into a game of nonsense where the cost of wasting time arguing with him is the lives of the next generation.
Yeah I'm angry that we waste time here on him.
Bruce Ward, in reply to
Well said, Bart.
Ian Dalziel, in reply to
Yeah I'm angry that we waste time here on him.
I would like to hear his excuses when the crops fail, though...
But I suspect he'd be out looting and otherwise looking out for 'Number One' at that point...
Yeah - what Bart said. I get very pissed off at this term 'alarmists' because looking at the impacts - and not computer models but real impacts - the scenario is pretty damn alarming. Yet scientists who present the facts around climate disruption do so in a totally non-alarming way, you could forgive them for being more strident but of course they must remain professional.
For an insight into the actual human feelings of these scientists read this. http://isthishowyoufeel.weebly.com/this-is-how-scientists-feel.html#maslin
For an insight into the very real dangers we face (delivered in a non-alarmist way) I recommend this radio ecoshock interview - it is an excellent discussion (only 500 listens - and yet Gangnam Style broke the internet, a further example of how hard it is to get traction with the message) https://soundcloud.com/radioecoshock/five-stories-seldom-told
Finally this is Robert Scribbler's blog mentioned in the interview - a great resource https://robertscribbler.wordpress.com/
Rosemary McDonald, in reply to
you could forgive them for being more strident but of course they must remain professional
And Jim Salinger has more reason than most to be strident. Great to hear his voice again.
It won't be the greenies who'd block nuclear energy in NZ, it'd be the bean counters. I've said it before, but even a single nuclear reactor would make Think Big look like a sandcastle.
Stamper still won't tell us his disclosure of interest, so there's a good possibility he's shilling for Big Oil or Big Farming.
tussock, in reply to
Tussock, do you have an ideological problem with nuclear power?
Steven, thanks for asking.
Nuclear power is a joke. The costs have never been competitive in the slightest, unless you consider the value of the accompanying nuclear weapons to be extremely high. We hold no such value in NZ, and most countries aren't allowed them anyway.
But even if the world did try to move above the tiny amounts of nuclear electric power the world uses now, to come even remotely close to replacing fossil fuels we would immediately run out of the necessary nuclear fuels.
With enough solar power, you could totally subsidise the recovery of low-concentration ores for nuclear fuel, to keep making more nuclear weapons, just in case killing all life seven times over isn't enough. Again, NZ won't bother, and most other countries won't be allowed to.
Sacha, in reply to
in the end they are drawing us into a game of nonsense where the cost of wasting time arguing with him is the lives of the next generation.
Yep. Shun them.
Wastes of breath.
Stamper Stamp, in reply to
Hi Bart
You asked if I could quote "a blog post that dubunks the increased frequency to extreme weather events predicted by global warming model and observed over the last decade during your "flat-line" ".
Well happened upon this information from the USA's House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. This comment pertains to President Obama:
Quote: "Even the U.N. doesn't agree with him [Obama] on that one: In its 2012 Special Report on Extreme Events, the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says there is "high agreement" among leading experts that long-term trends in weather disasters are not attributable to human-caused climate change. Why do the president and others in his administration keep repeating this untrue claim?"
See : http://www.ipcc-wg2.gov/SREX/
I hope this is of some help.
Enjoy the inter-glacial – S S
Sadly Nature is a paid journal but the abstract is still free and provides a good summary.
We show that at the present-day warming of 0.85 °C about 18% of the moderate daily precipitation extremes over land are attributable to the observed temperature increase since pre-industrial times, which in turn primarily results from human influence6. For 2 °C of warming the fraction of precipitation extremes attributable to human influence rises to about 40%. Likewise, today about 75% of the moderate daily hot extremes over land are attributable to warming. It is the most rare and extreme events for which the largest fraction is anthropogenic, and that contribution increases nonlinearly with further warming.
But you missed the point, I knew you could drag something up from somewhere.
The difference is always that you are motivated by greed and a casual dismissal of the lives that will be lost by your actions. You are happy to kill people so long as you get your paycheck.
Watershed downer…
While stamper maunders on about there being no trouble in the forest – insisting we enjoy the Interglacial – I'd be more worried about a Maunder Minimum and Interstadials as well.
Further reading:
Amanda Wreckonwith, in reply to
Ian! Much as I love your witty comments...
Please don't link to Anthony Watts.
Ian Dalziel, in reply to
Joule-ing pistols...
Please don't link to...
...what's up with Watts?
Over volting amp-bitchin?
I'll be more circuitous in future...
:- )
James Bremner, in reply to
Bart, you are wrong that rich people will suffer if the policies recommended in the name of climate change are enacted. Rich people will always be okay, they have the resources to look after themselves don't they? It is the poor people in developing countries that will suffer, and they will suffer. Climate change policies will deny them the economic growth that will enable them to have better lives with improving food, shelter, healthcare and education. All the things that we in the developed world take for granted. And that is grossly immoral. Why do you think India and other developing nations are so hostile to global climate change treaty the UN is trying to foist on them?
Additionally the less well off in the developed world will also see their quality of life reduced as people in England and Germany are discovering with dramatically rising electricity prices over recent years, with more increases due in the coming years all to support questionable renewable energy mandates.
All in the name of a policy that is more of a world view and a belief system than a scientifically based policy, as the original article this thread shows. Now icky neo-liberalism is part of the evil mix that is going to ruin us all!!
You can argue until you are blue in the face, but the fact is that over the life of the AGW models, their projections have been significantly higher than the actual temperatures recorded. That is incontrovertible (see attached chart). If you are trying to project 100 years into the future, and your projections are off in the first 15 years of your projection period, what do you think that says about the likelihood that the remaining 85 years of predictions will be accurate? In the real world that says that the theory supporting the models has been falsified. Go back to square one and try again. But as AGW is a belief system and the most epic gravy train in history, shamefully that doesn't happen.
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RhoGAM Resources For Patients
To help you counsel and educate your patients, Kedrion Biopharma has developed a series of educational tools and resources that help explain many different topics, like understanding blood types and how Rh-sensitization may lead to hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN).
For patient counseling:
- Teaching Chart: Can help you explain how and why HDFN can develop and
how RhoGAM works to potentially prevent it.
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Click here to view or download the PDF
These helpful materials are available for your office setting by calling Kedrion Biopharma Customer Service at 1-855-353-7466.


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text: A real good steak with potatoes. I do love Chinese food, but nothing is better than a good ol' chunk of meat with brown sauce, vegetables and potatoes. My time in China is almost over. Today, I am finishing the course and after a couple of days spent in Shanghai, I am going to fly home next wednesday! Can't wait to see my loved ones again!


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- 11:03:11: Definition of a wasted weekend coming up: James Burke's "Connections" now all on Youtube. http://tinyurl.com/339yakq
- 11:04:53: I am working from home today: some stupid tart on the Metro ankle-checked me with her luggage and the swelling hasn't gone down for days.
- 15:13:05: @RubyCosmos I've seen you in girly clothes before. I think a peach dress.
- 15:15:25: RT @schneierblog: Department of Homeland Security Getting a Little too 1984ish: A DHS video message, reminding people to look out ... ht ...
- 15:22:35: Clueless American reporter interviews Irish man who responds with words that your mother wouldn't approve of. Lang NSFW http://t.co/u1YaFiR
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Are Flip-Flops Really Safe to Wear? Here is a Warning from Doctors
Flip-flops maybe seem like the ideal all summer footwear. But did you know that they can actually make a lot of risks to your general health? Some researchers and experts are even considering them as the most dangerous footwear.
Why flip-flops are so bad?
Well simply because they exposure your feet to unnatural stress.
The director of the APMA – American Podiatric Medical Association, Jim Christina said "Flip-flops let your foot be as flat as they can be. If you have a foot that actually tends to over-flatten, then this is not the best choice at all."
This leads to a lot of health conditions, including the über-painful plantar fasciitis. That is in fact inflammation of tissue on the bottom of the feet.
Flip-flops, like the name says by itself, are floppy. Our toes have to work really hard to keep them on our feet. Over time this can lead to hammertoe. It's a condition where the knuckles of the toes arch unnaturally upwards.
All these risks that we mention now come from a simple flip-flops wearing. And we haven't even gotten into what happens when we stumble. And you will definitely stumble. It's inevitable part of the flip-flop code.
When you stumble, your skimpy footwear will provide absolutely no help. There is no coverage against sharp rocks and no ankle protection.
You might think your flip-flops keep your feet all fresh, breezy and free of any potentially-dangerous bacteria.
That's not true.
What The New York Times in fact do, was taking flip-flops from two of their reporters and sent them off to a lab. What did they find? Bacteria that can be deadly. The foam was harboring Staphylococcus aureus. Plus, on the flip-flops there were 18,100 other harmful bacteria.
Yes, once the hot weather is coming, your feet will be surely exposed to the same bacteria. But most of us take a clean, comfortable and good shower. After a day at the beach, we wash our feet thoroughly.
When's the last time that you can remember giving your flip-flops a good scrubbing?
Walking barefoot is also a solution for the foot support problem. Just think about it a little. The purpose of our feet is to support naturally our body's weight. Maybe most of humans see shoes as a luxury so barefoot was actually the only way most people used before.
Here, in the following video you can watch all mental and physical benefits of walking barefoot.
Source: DavidWolfe


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AfriGeneas Military Research Forum Archive
I have received several emails and calls recently from people trying to research their Black ancestor who was a member of the army of the CSA. With this brief message I hope to clarify that issue.
First, there were indeed thousands of Blacks in the service of the Confederate army-You notice I said, "in the service of." They were not soldiers. They were teamsters, laborers, cooks, personal servants, ammunition makers, etc. It was illegal under the laws of the Confederate States to have Black troops. The bare bones chronology is this:
The first act of the Confederate Congress that addressed the use of Black men in the military was passed on February 17, 1864. It's purpose was "to increase the efficiency of the Army by the employment of free Negroes and slaves in certain capacities." Those capacities were: "work upon the fortifications, or in Government works for the production or preparation of material of war, or in military hospitals." [Official Records]
November, 1864: President Davis' message opposed the arming of slaves in general, and denied the propriety or necessity of arming the slaves when there were so "many white men out of the ranks."
General Order # 14, authorizing African American companies was passed by the Confederate Congress on March 23rd, 1865, after much denunciation by the rebel Senators-especially Hunter of Virginia and Wigfall of Texas. There was so much anger over the passage that several states threatened to withdraw from the confederacy. [Official Records]
This was only two weeks before the surrender. There was no time. So, once again I repeat. There were no Black soldiers in the Confederate Army.
I have seen many of the articles that supposedly "prove" the reverse. Check the sources. Are they military records-enlistment, muster-anything?? These are the laws in effect, you can and should check them yourselves. I guess this is partly my usual rant of not believing something just because it's in print-and if it bears unwieldy titles like Confederate Afro-Yankees-that in itself should be a clue.
Messages In This Thread


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More than 20 U.S. states and nearly 50 universities pledged to divest from companies doing business with Sudan. Sudan's response was foot-dragging and no real progress on solving the crisis in Darfur.
The Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act was signed into law. Sudan's response was to name Musa Hilal, the leader of the Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, to a high government position.
The United States named a new, bold envoy, former Assistant Secretary of State Rich Williamson, to encourage the Sudanese government to accept more peacekeeping forces in its territory. Sudan's response was to warn the top U.S. diplomat in Khartoum against interfering in internal Sudanese affairs.
The campaign to save Darfur is alive, but it is no longer kicking. You could say that it has achieved all its stated goals: public awareness, international pressure, congressional action, the administration's involvement. Well, all but one: The crisis in Darfur is not yet solved, and the campaign to save Darfur is running out of options. In the State of the Union address, the president gave it half a sentence—"America is opposing genocide in Sudan"—providing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a rare opportunity to stand up and clap.
A couple of days ago, I had lunch with someone who was once heavily involved in the campaign but is less active now. "Look," he said, "Sudan is not cooperating, China refuses to use its power to make it cooperate, the African Union is not the most able body in the world. What else can we do?"
That's a tough question. Understanding all the mechanisms blocking the resolution of the crisis is a complicated task. The interests of the countries involved, the tribes, the regional dynamics, the politics of the U.N. Security Council, events on the ground, even the question of whether the crisis deserves to be called genocide are all complex and interrelated.
What about the Security Council, I asked. What about the United Nations? "Yes," he agreed, "They too are very problematic." Not long ago, he reminded me, Sudanese troops attacked a convoy of peacekeepers, firing on their vehicles for a couple of minutes undisturbed. Then he returned to the topic of China, the country supposedly blocking any action in the Security Council. He admitted that blaming China is like blaming the wind: American activists complain about it, but they can't stop it from blowing the way it does.
"The rest of the world should have no patience for Sudan's obstruction of the peacekeepers," fumed a Boston Globe editorial last week. The Globe also took aim at China, suggesting a remedy that will force the reluctant Asian powerhouse into a more cooperative mood: a boycott of the Beijing Olympics if the Chinese government does not show more support for ending the atrocities in Darfur.
This is an interesting suggestion, but once again it is reflective of the trouble with the campaign to save Darfur: It is capable only of pressuring the U.S. government. First the effort was to gain recognition for the problem, which President Bush did with more zeal than some people expected. Then it was to solve it by means of domestic legislation and international cooperation. Congress reacted, and so did the administration. If the Olympics are the new tool, it will again be the U.S. government that's expected to act. Who else is going to boycott the Games? The athletes? Television networks? Television viewers?
No, it is Bush, yet again. And this time, the Bush administration has no appetite for endangering its improved relations with China by boycotting the Games to which the president himself is invited as a guest of honor. And there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm on the other side of the aisle, either. The Democrats still remember, painfully, the last time a U.S. president boycotted the Olympic Games.
Things didn't work out very well for the only presidential candidate to spend valuable debate time and credibility on Darfur. Sen. Joe Biden called for tougher measures against the government of Sudan. Despite his condemnation of the Bush administration for acting unilaterally in Iraq, Biden suggested we do exactly that in Sudan: "I think it's not only time not to take force off the table. I think it's time to put force on the table and use it," he said in April.
But there were no takers. Neither the administration, with its understandable reluctance to get into yet another conflict in a Muslim country (or any country for that matter), nor the other candidates rushed into action. When Biden left the field, the tough talk on Darfur stopped. Some still mention it once in a while, in front of the right crowd, to score political points. ("Hillary was the first U.S. senator to call Darfur genocide," said Bill Clinton, mistakenly, or misleadingly, depending on your level of suspicion.) But military force? The Republicans have the chip of military intervention in Iraq to carry on their shoulders, and that's more than enough; the Democrats won't dare suggest such a thing to their war-weary constituency.
So, here's the problem of the campaign to save Darfur: Public interest has waned, the simple options have all been exhausted, the political machinery is mired in the election process, and other problems—Pakistan, Iran—have taken over the front pages. When Hilal was appointed to his new position in the Sudanese government, the story was relegated to the inside pages. No wonder some of the Darfur activists feel despondent. No wonder Sudan feels emboldened or that China vehemently rejects any linkage between the Darfur crisis and the Olympics.
This story provides many valuable lessons, but we shouldn't forget the most elusive: The good people of America who wanted and still want to save the miserable people of Darfur expect too much of their government. And many of their desires are contradictory—almost impossible to achieve. Darfur illustrates these contradictions nicely.
Americans who want to help the persecuted people of Darfur want U.S. policy to be righteous, but they also prefer a government that doesn't pursue its goals too aggressively. They want the U.S. government to cooperate with the international community but also to be effective. They want America to be the policeman of the world, but in most cases, they are willing to support it only when it acts like a social worker.


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Image via The Daily Beast
It's not every day that Star Wars characters intersect with the fashion community (although, let's face it, Princess Leia's buns are totally crushworthy), but during Rodarte's F/W 2014 presentation earlier this week, designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy found a way to merge the two worlds. Their show, which featured a sweeping collection of draped gowns and other smocked pieces, closed out with a huge surprise. Rodarte's five finale gowns featured Luke Skywalker, Yoda, C-3PO and R2-D2.
Of course, the design house never would've done that without the blessing of Lucas Films (turns out that George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson are big fans of Rodarte, which is kind of amazing), so in honor of The Mulleavys nostalgic nod, we've rounded up some of our favorite Star Wars pieces. From intergalactic tights to a Darth Vader apron perfect for any culinary commander, it's all right here. May the fashion be with you.


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Big night for French clubs, sad for Germans
Two tonight`s matches of 2013/14 Men`s European Champions League are finished, as French clubs had no against Germans: Werder Bremen – Hennebont 0:3 (Group C), Borussia Dusseldorf – Chartres 0:3 (Group D). Despite the huge tradition of Borussia, its lost
Two tonight`s matches of 2013/14 Men`s European Champions League are finished, as French clubs had no against Germans: Werder Bremen – Hennebont 0:3 (Group C), Borussia Dusseldorf – Chartres 0:3 (Group D). Despite the huge tradition of Borussia, its lost is not surprise, knowing how the things were going on this season, but there are no many people expected that Hennebont could so easy beat "The Greens" at Bremen.
The quarter finalists from Group D were resolved before this round (Chartres and Niederosterreich), while all three Group C members are still in the game. In ultimate Round 6, on December 20th, Hennebont will meet Walter Wels at France.
Former European vice-champion Kalinikos KREANGA announced big win of Hennebont, defeating CHUANG Chih-Yuan in four sets. Greek turned the match in second set when he reacted better in crucial moments. That brought him 2:0 lead.
Next game was very exciting, with four very close sets, and after many upside-downs Dmitrij PROKOPCOV beat Adrian CRISAN. It could be expect that Romanian reacts better in dramatical moments, knowing that he managed to beat in that situation many great players during his career, but Czech showed one of his best games in Men`s European Champions League.
Constantin CIOTI was the last hope of Werder, but he lost from CHEN Chien-An in five games. In ultimate set CIOTI turned from 6:8 to 9:8 but guest took final three points in a row.
Borussia and Chartres played without any pressure. Timo BOLL was not in host line-up, while French champion showed its best possible trio: GAO Ning, Robert GARDOS, Par GERELL.
Patrick BAUM and Kamal ACHANTA were easily beaten by Robert GARDOS and GAO Ning respectively, whilst just young Ricardo WALTHER gave a big fight to Par GERELL. However, Swede won in five sets.
Chartres has an impressive 3-0 score with third 3:0 win in a row. On the other side, Borussia lost all four its games. In last game of Group D Chartres expects the 2008 MECL champion Niederosterreich (December 20th).
MECL Round 5 of Group C: Werder Bremen – Hennebont 0:3
CHUANG Chih-Yuan – Kalinikos KREANGA 1:3 (7:11, 10:12, 11:8, 9:11)
Adrian CRISAN – Dmitrij PROKOPCOV 1:3 (9:11, 11:9, 10:12, 13:15)
Constantin CIOTI – CHEN Chien-An 2:3 (11:8, 5:11, 11:8, 10:12, 9:11)
MECL Round 5 of Group D: Borussia Dusseldorf – Chartres AS TT 0:3
Patrick BAUM – Robert GARDOS 0:3 (6:11, 4:11, 9:11)
Kamal Sharat ACHANTA – GAO Ning 0:3 (5:11, 8:11, 7:11)
Ricardo WALTHER – Par GERELL 2:3 (11:8, 9:11, 11:9, 8:11, 7:11)


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text: '12 Years' Star Skips Italy Premiere, Decision Made Weeks Ago 12:29 PM PST 12/27/2013 by Hilary Lewis FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Whisper Campaigns 12 Years a Slave - H 2013 UPDATE: Lupita Nyong'o, and the rest of the film's cast, didn't attend the Capri, Hollywood Film Festival screening following controversy over the movie's local posters, but it was not announced that she would be there. The 18th annual Capri, Hollywood Film Festival kicked off Friday with the Italian premiere of 12 Years a Slave, without breakthrough star Lupita Nyong'o in attendance. But despite recent controversy over local posters for the film, which highlighted its white supporting actors Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender over black star Chiwetel Ejiofor, it was not announced that Nyong'o would be there, and her decision not to attend was made more than two weeks ago, before the poster controversy emerged. "Due to other commitments that prevented her from going, [Nyong'o's] reps let [the Capri festival] know over two weeks ago that she could no longer go," a spokeswoman for Lionsgate, whose subsidiary Summit is the film's sales agent, told The Hollywood Reporter. (Fox Searchlight distributed the title in the U.S.) Similarly, Lionsgate previously told the festival that none of the cast members were available to attend. PHOTOS: 6 Top Actresses on Fears, Sacrifices and Greatest Advice Posters for the film, featuring large portraits of Pitt and Fassbender, recently emerged in Italy, inciting a backlash and charges of racism. But Summit swiftly agreed to recall them, with Italian distributor BIM Distribuzione later apologizing for the "inappropriate materials." The Capri festival runs from Dec. 27 to Jan. 2 and will also feature screenings of Lee Daniels' The Butler; Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom; Fruitvale Station; August: Osage County; and American Hustle. Mandela stars Idris Elba and Naomie Harris will be honored as the festival's actor and actress of the year. August's star-studded cast, including Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, will be honored with the festival's best ensemble prize. The festival will also honor Hustle's writer-director, David O. Russell. 12 Years a Slave is slated to be released in Italy on Feb. 20. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Hilary Lewis email@example.com @thr


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In many ways, the world in 2016 was defined by its mistakes. Companies let products languish, and when they did release updates, they often made questionable design choices. And of course, one of Samsung's most important phones literally went up in smoke. This year was a different story though. Some previous offenders learned their lesson while others set themselves up for success down the road. Not that everything was rosy. There were plenty of errors along the way, including glitchy products and misguided strategies. With that in mind, let's look at the hits and misses of 2017 -- and more importantly, consider how they'll affect what happens in 2018.
Blunders and blockbusters from the biggest names in tech
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You could call 2017 Apple's year of redemption ... or at least the start of its redemption. Whereas 2016 was defined by iterative devices and a sense that Apple had lost its way (see the dongle-tastic MacBook Pro), this year saw Apple rethink multiple products with a mind to 2018 and beyond.
To start, it apologized for botching the Mac Pro and neglecting the pro market as a whole. Soon after, it unveiled the iMac Pro as a near-term fix, but the biggest news was the promise of a redesigned Mac Pro in 2018 that addresses gripes about expandability and performance. Whereas 2017 began with pros wondering if Apple was abandoning them, 2018 will start with a renewed (if cautious) optimism. The company also spent much of 2017 laying the groundwork for more futuristic technologies, including virtual reality and external graphics cards. Between this and refreshing most of its computer lineup, Apple made it clear that the Mac will enjoy a renaissance in 2018 -- and catch up with tech that Windows has had for a while.
And then there's the iPhone. After years of conservative updates, Apple finally shook things up with the iPhone X. Its nearly all-screen design was a welcome upgrade, and its depth-based face detection was a clever (if imperfect) replacement for fingerprint readers. It's safe to say that Apple will spread the iPhone X's technology across other parts of its lineup in 2018.
On top of this, 2017 was the year the Apple Watch came into its own. A rocky launch notwithstanding, the Series 3 addressed the wish lists of early adopters with cellular data, improved performance and longer battery life. The new model helped Apple regain its lead in the wearable world and left little doubt that smartwatches would continue to be hot commodities in 2018.
That's not to say there weren't missteps. Buggy software marred some key products, from an Apple Watch connection glitch to iOS 11 reliability issues to a scary Mac root access flaw. And that's not even including the uproar over battery-related slowdowns. Moreover, 2017 was the year of premature hardware announcements. The HomePod, iMac Pro and new Mac Pro were all unveiled several months before they were due to ship, which is unusual for a company that frequently delivers newly announced hardware within weeks. Even the iPhone X missed the usual iPhone release window in September. Simply put, Apple developed a habit of announcing products well before they were ready, but hopefully in 2018 the company will focus on fulfilling promises rather than making them.
If Google had only been dipping its toes into the hardware waters before, it dove in headfirst with its 2017 lineup. In many cases, the company's AI know-how was a central feature -- and that's likely to continue in 2018. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were two of the best phones of the year, thanks in part to their excellent AI-assisted cameras, and they're only likely to improve through features like the Pixel Visual Core. Google's smart speaker line clearly blossomed too. The Home Mini's lower price made Google Assistant more accessible in the living room, while the Home Max gave audio enthusiasts an alternative to the Sonos One and (eventually) Apple's HomePod. The company prepared for VR's wireless future with support for standalone Daydream headsets, and it even gave hope to Chrome OS fans by replacing the Chromebook Pixel with the more flexible Pixelbook.
Even so, to say that Google flubbed a few things would be an understatement. The Pixel 2 line launched with its share of glitches, and the 2 XL took an extraordinary amount of flak for its display. Between blue tinting, muted colors, burn-in and unresponsive edges, there were so many complaints that Google extended warranties to quell upset customers. Software fixes addressed some of these problems, but it's evident that quality control will need to be a priority for 2018.
And then there are the Pixel Buds. While they do offer solid sound quality, just about everything else about them screams version 1.0. Fiddly controls, an awkward charging case and the questionable utility of the signature translation feature (which could easily be handled on your phone) make them a tough sell. There's a good chance Google will address at least some of these flaws later in 2018, but for now they don't live up to their promise.
This was the year Amazon went all out in its bids to conquer the smart speaker arena and make Alexa the voice assistant of choice in 2018. It released no fewer than five Echo models in 2017, all but one of which could do considerably more than play audio. Want a smart home hub? Echo Plus. Video viewer? Echo Show. You can even get an alarm clock (the Echo Spot) or a fashion adviser (the Echo Look). And that's not including Alexa-equipped devices like the Cloud Cam, Fire HD 10 tablet and new Fire TV. While we had our misgivings (the second-gen Echo's sound quality was initially lousy, for one) Amazon made Alexa far more accessible and capable. Expect that trend to continue in 2018: There has already been a leak hinting at a hybrid Echo/Fire TV media hub.
However, Amazon's real coup was getting other device makers to hop on the Alexa bandwagon. It wasn't just the Sonos One, although that was definitely the most prominent example. Jeff Bezos and company managed to slip Alexa into hardware as diverse as the HTC U11 smartphone, the Ecobee4 thermostat and even Mercedes-Benz cars. While the AI helper doesn't currently have the international reach of Apple, Google or Microsoft, Amazon's rapid international expansion of Alexa support at the end of 2017 hinted that Alexa could become truly ubiquitous in the year to come.
Unfortunately for Amazon, things started to unravel toward the end of the year. Google pulled support for YouTube on both the Echo Show and Fire TV in a dispute over Amazon's hardware sales policies and unofficial apps, hobbling two of Amazon's most important products. Amazon only just started making amends by carrying the Chromecast. Plus, there were a few questionable gadgets. Does anyone really want an upscale Kindle reader or Alexa game button? Amazon may have spread itself too thin, and there are easily a few products that could fizzle out in 2018.
There was one common theme for Facebook's hardware in 2017: VR, VR and more VR. Just under its own brand, it introduced 360-degree pro cameras, launched social VR spaces and promoted virtual reality technology at every given opportunity. There were other hardware initiatives, such as the Building 8 lab's brain-computer interface and internet drones, but there's no indication that you'll get more than peeks at these projects in 2018.
Oculus was certainly busy as well. It spent 2017 priming itself for a future in which VR is truly wireless, whether it's the low-cost Oculus Go or the advanced Project Santa Cruz prototype. It revamped its VR interface to be easier to use. While there's no guarantee the Go or Santa Cruz will reach your head in 2018, Oculus will go into the year with the clear goal of leaving clunky, complicated headsets firmly in the past.
This was a renewal year for Microsoft's hardware. After laying low in 2016, the company's device teams sprung into action, not only refreshing products that had been left untouched for more than a year but also addressing long-standing requests from fans who wanted a more complete selection. Its PC line finally got a conventional portable in the form of the Surface Laptop, while the Surface Book 2 added a 15-inch model packing the sort of horsepower that pros and gamers crave. There's no certainty that Microsoft will continue to aggressively update its Surface line, but its device catalog is much stronger going into 2018.
The Xbox One X will shape Microsoft's new year too. Even more so than in 2017, you can expect the company to push its high-end Xbox as a vehicle for all things 4K, whether it's the latest games or streaming services. It could even be a Trojan horse for VR, given that there are plans to bring mixed reality headsets to the Xbox. The challenge is that Microsoft is somewhat late to the party. Sony offered gamers a taste of 4K with the PS4 Pro and has already been selling PlayStation VR for over a year, so Microsoft will have to spend 2018 proving that its hardware was worth the wait.
Microsoft has some more experimental projects too. It might offer a glimpse of its next-generation HoloLens headset in 2018 and thus show everything it has learned about wearable holographic computing over the past few years. There are even reports that it could resurrect the Courier digital notebook concept.
In some ways, Microsoft's biggest move in 2017 was enabling hardware for others. Windows Mixed Reality established a common platform for AR and VR on Microsoft-powered PCs. The Cortana voice assistant, meanwhile, spread beyond computers and phones to reach smart home devices like speakers and thermostats. Microsoft even revived ARM-based Windows PCs, with ASUS and HP unveiling laptops that could easily last all day while keeping you connected. Only a small amount of this hardware arrived in 2017, but you should anticipate a flood of it in the year ahead. Microsoft may have already defined the tech trends that will shape the industry in 2018.
There weren't any major gaffes in 2017, but the company's less-than-ideal execution suggests it has room to improve going forward. It had to grapple with claims of poor Surface reliability and questionable design decisions, such as underpowered chargers. The Xbox One X's high price didn't do it any favors and gave the PS4 Pro another advantage. Windows 10 S was meant to offer an alternative to Chromebooks with similar security and more flexibility, but the dearth of hardware didn't exactly put Google on notice. Moreover, Microsoft came to terms with its long-term failures by putting Windows Mobile on life support and ending Kinect production. It's beginning 2018 with a clean slate, but only after learning some hard lessons.
Samsung ended 2016 with its tail between its legs, to put it mildly. The Galaxy Note 7's battery fiasco was so bad that it led to the company effectively killing the phone, and that left many people wondering whether Samsung's reputation would recover in 2017.
Thankfully for Samsung, it did. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 not only represented returns to form but also pushed the boundaries of smartphone design in a literal way with their edge-to-edge displays. The tech giant also took the Note 7's failure head on, offering a detailed explanation of the battery problems and clear solutions. Even the firm's wearable efforts hit their stride between the solid Gear Sport smartwatch and the Gear VR controller. Samsung regained a lot of the trust it lost. And while rumors hint that 2018's Galaxy S9 could be an iterative update, Samsung might just shake up the mobile world with its plans to release a foldable Galaxy Note.
However, we still wouldn't call it a stellar year. Samsung made a push into voice assistants with Bixby, but the AI helper was undercooked at best -- and that's a problem when the S8 and Note 8 have a dedicated Bixby button. Yes, Bixby 2.0 could address some of the assistant's limitations (particularly around language recognition), but Samsung is starting 2018 after having placed a lot of faith in technology that remains shaky. The company is likely to bring Bixby to devices beyond phones and tablets in 2018, such as a smart speaker, but right now the assistant isn't mature enough to do justice to the hardware.
Check out all of Engadget's year-in-review coverage right here.