text:
Independent's Eye by Joe Gandelman
New York City's politics has now gotten more titillating. First came news that Anthony Weiner, the Democrat whose crotch-shot sexting to a woman he never met led to his resignation from Congress, was running for mayor. Now comes the news that former New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer, who resigned due to his involvement in a prostitution scandal, is running for city Comptroller.
New Yorker satirist Andy Borowitz couldn't resist doing a fake news story about former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who a Milan court sentenced to seven years after finding him guilty of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and abusing his office, with the headline: "BERLUSCONI MULLS NEW YORK CITY RACE."
Hey, the way things are going, it could happen.
Long gone are the days when then-New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller's 1962 divorce from his wife and his remarriage shocked many, lost him droves of women-voter support and destroyed his early 1963 status as the front-runner for the 1964 Republican nomination. By the late 90s it was clear there had been a shift in American society and culture: despite the Monica Lewinsky scandal and impeachment. Bill Clinton rose in the polls, left office with the highest end-term rating (68 percent) of any President, and remains one of the country's most popular political figures.
Sex scandals are now becoming ongoing reality shows: the set up (the good career), the fall (the tearful apology), the short-term consequences (resignation) -- and the resurrection (running for office again).
Much of the media was wrong earlier this year in predicting South Carolina's voters would tell Mark Sanford to take a hike when he ran for a House seat in a special election. Sanford resigned as Governor when it turned out that when he was missing for 6 days in 2009 he wasn't hiking on the Appalachian Trail as he said, but visiting his girl friend in Argentina. Critics and some in the media considered Sanford shameless in the way he framed his affair and trumpeted his happy life with his new wife, his Argentinean "soul mate." Endemol Productions couldn't produce as compelling a reality show -- and The Mark Sanford Show got boffo ratings (he won).
Writes The Daily Beast's Political Director John Avlon: "The sad fact is that in our celebrity-driven society, sex scandals guarantee that a politician will rise above the humdrum of campaigns full of earnest legislators. The press is eager to cover the soap opera, and the public seems eager to engage in the real-life telenovela. Now the clichéd old rule of Hollywood—there's no such thing as bad press—seems to apply to public service. What could possibly go wrong?"
The question is: so where does it end? Time's Mark Halperin on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" asked Spitzer: "Are there any things people in elective office, a high office like governor of New York, could do, that involved law breaking, lying to the public, that you would consider as a voter disqualifying? Or nothing's disqualifying if a person comes back and says look at what I've done for the last five years, look at my great ideas?"
Spitzer basically replied that he'll leave that up for the public to decide. And many think he can win. Meanwhile, polls suggest Weiner is catching on and you just KNOW the New York tabloid headline you'll see if he does: "Weiner Rises Again." Weiner-Spitzer wins would be a sign of how impotent 20th century standards have become in today's seemingly shrugging, reality-show-loving 21st century world.
Copyright 2013 Joe Gandelman, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.
Joe Gandelman is a veteran journalist who wrote for newspapers overseas and in the United States. He has appeared on cable news show political panels and is Editor-in-Chief of The Moderate Voice, an Internet hub for independents, centrists and moderates. CNN's John Avlon named him as one of the top 25 Centrists Columnists and Commentators. He can be reached at [email protected] and can be booked to speak at your event at www.mavenproductions.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Walking the Talk on Marriage
Are evangelicals going to "walk the talk" on marriage? Or, having seen what can happen to those who voice their belief in biblical marriage, like Dan Cathy, president of Chick-fil-A, will they back away from this issue?
Across all denominations, white evangelicals are still the largest percentage of those who oppose same-sex "marriage." According to a July poll by the Pew Research Center, 73 percent oppose it. In the mainline Protestant denominations, the number is only 40 percent and it's about the same for Roman Catholics.
The recent announcement by the Democratic Party that its party platform supports same-sex "marriage," (which is dubbed "marriage equality"), should put the issue squarely in the middle of the political debates. But will Christians be intimidated into silence on this issue?
The Democrats have also pledged to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. It yet remains to be seen whether the Republican platform will take a strong stand for marriage and the Defense of Marriage Act when it drafts its platform next week.
What difference does it make if the laws of the land give homosexuals and lesbians the right to marry?
It tells the practicing homosexual that there is no hope for changing his/her lifestyle. It tells our children and grandchildren that marriage is whatever you want it to be. And, most importantly, it denies the sanctity of marriage as God designed and instituted it to be a model of Christ's love for his bride, the church.
In spite of the efforts of the political left to make same-sex "marriage" a political issue, it remains a deeply moral issue-one that we as Christians must not back away from, even if it means becoming the brunt of personal attacks.
Those who want to make same-sex "marriage" a "civil right" may be seeking acceptance and love the only way they know how to get it. But those who have hardened their hearts against God's law also want to gain the government's endorsement so that they "normalize" homosexuality in American society-and silence any opposition from those who are morally opposed to it.
As Dr. D. James Kennedy pointed out in his sermon, "The Importance of Marriage," homosexuals are not interested primarily in securing the right to marry so that they can enter into long-lasting, monogamous relationships. According to Dr. Kennedy, "A number of their leaders have said that they don't really want to get married."
The true goal is to destroy marriage altogether. "They don't want to become like us, as so many naïve people think," said Dr. Kennedy. "What they want to do is make us like them, and open the door to all kinds of sexual chaos. If two men can get married, what about three or five? That is called polyamory-and 'many loves' and group marriage, and all such things as this are already in the wings and are waiting to be filed in our courts."
This would bring "absolute cultural chaos in this country," warned Dr. Kennedy. "Mother and father, husband and wife would be old-fashioned things in a generation. This nation would be unrecognizable. This is the most dangerous attack on marriage that the world has ever seen."
It is self-evident that whatever definition state and federal governments adopt will have a direct impact on churches and society as a whole. Healthy marriages beget healthy families, and healthy families are the fountain source of a healthy society.
As Maggie Gallagher, president of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, has pointed out:
There is scarcely a dollar that state and federal government spends on social programs that is that is not driven in large part by family fragmentation: crime, poverty, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, school failure, mental and physical health problems.
And these are problems that the church can address, bringing the healing power of the gospel to those whose lives have been broken and shattered by the effects of sin. But should we not also seek to prevent these problems by ensuring that our government is adopting laws and policies that are in accordance with God's divine law and design for human life?
If we neglect our role as citizens by failing to hold our government leaders accountable for their actions by voting for those who will protect marriage, the sanctity of life, and our religious freedoms, can we stand without shame before the One who will ultimately hold us accountable for our actions here on earth?
Thankfully, many in the church are now making their voices heard on this issue, both in the Democratic and the Republican parties.
Rev. William Owens, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) liaison to the black churches, has been organizing black pastors who oppose same-sex "marriage." More than 3,700 black pastors have now joined together to form the Coalition of African-American Pastors, which is formally opposing the position of the Democratic Party and President Barack Obama on this issue.
But the voting record of evangelicals doesn't give much confidence that they will make their opposition known at the polls in November. Only half of those who were registered to vote actually voted in recent national elections, and it's estimated that 40 percent are not registered for this election.
The truth is, as Dr. Kennedy stated in "The Importance of Marriage," "Before the state, before the church, God created the oldest institution on this planet, and that is the institution of marriage. It is the oldest and the most universal of all of God's institutions. Wherever you would go in this world today-whatever continent, whatever nation-you would find that men and women are joined together in the bonds of matrimony and are rearing families."
The question for Christians is not whether we believe that God has ordained marriage to be between a man and a woman. The question is whether we are willing to stand up for that belief among our family and friends, in public forums and assemblies-and in the voting booth.


text:
With a week left to go in the Vancouver games, NBC has sent out a detailed press release touting the ratings for the biennial Dick Ebersol show, also known as the XXI Winter Olympics.
"Nightly News" and the "Today" show are singled out for their numbers as are MSNBC and CNBC which are showing Olympics competition at various times of the day.
MSNBC: MSNBC's non-overnight programming is averaging 608,000 viewers an increase of 16 percent from the prior four-week period leading up to the Games and up two percent from the same period in Feb. 2009. (Ed. note: this does not include last night's USA vs. Canada hockey game.)
CNBC: CNBC is averaging 788,000 viewers, pacing way ahead of the February 2009 comparable time periods (up 241 percent) and up 364 percent from the prior four-week viewer delivery before the Games.
The Milwaukee market, where many of the U.S. Olympians are from or train, is the #1 local market in the U.S. averaging a 36 share in primetime, meaning more than a third of all Milwaukeeans (Milwaukeeites/Southeastern Wisconsinites) are watching the games every night on NBC affiliate WTMJ-4.
Full release after the jump…
OLYMPIC HALO EFFECT: NBC's VANCOUVER SUCCESS BOOSTS VIEWERSHIP ACROSS NBC UNIVERSAL PLATFORMS
Olympic Coverage Boosts NBCU Cable Viewership by 48%; NBC "Nightly News" & "Today" Increase Leads over Competition
NBC Olympics Mobile Already Surpasses Totals From Beijing
VANCOUVER – Feb. 22, 2010 – More than half of all Americans (162 million) have watched the Vancouver Olympics on the networks of NBC Universal through the first nine days of the Games; five million more than watched the first nine days of the 2006 Winter Games (157 million).
NOTE: National viewership and ratings through Sunday will be available later today.
NBC Universal is presenting more than 835 hours of Vancouver Olympic Winter Games coverage – representing the most total hours ever for a Winter Olympics, more than the last two Winter Olympics combined, and the most live hours ever for a Winter Games. The Vancouver Games is the first Winter Olympics to be presented entirely in high definition.
– The unprecedented coverage has driven viewership increases to NBCU's cable networks.
– NBC News sees impressive gains in viewership and competitive advantage for "NBC Nightly News, NBC News' "Today,†and "Meet the Press.
– NBCOlympics.com has had a record number of page views and video streams, surpassing its total number from the entirety of the 2006 Winter Games through only 10 days.
– NBC Olympics mobile has already out-produced the total number of page views and more than tripled the number of video streams from the Beijing Games.
– NBC Affiliates are No. 1 in 53 of 56 Metered Markets.
The announcements were made today by Jeff Zucker, President and CEO, NBC Universal.
"This once again proves the power of big events on network television," said Zucker. "The Olympics casts a halo across our entire company. Our big-event strategy, best exemplified here in Vancouver, utilizes all of our platforms to aggregate the largest possible audience. In a media landscape that is continually fragmenting, the Olympics, now more than ever, reassembles the audience. We are reaching our audience everywhere they consume media, on the network in all dayparts, on cable, online and on mobile. We're in the viewership business – that's what we sell – and we are succeeding in increasing our viewership across all platforms."
Here is a rundown of how Vancouver Olympic Winter Games "halo effect" benefited the various divisions and dayparts of NBC Universal:
MORE THAN HALF OF ALL AMERICANS HAVE WATCHED: More than half of all Americans (162 million) have watched the Vancouver Olympics on the networks of NBC Universal through the first nine days of the Games; five million more than watched the first nine days of the 2006 Winter Games (157 million).
VANCOUVER 9-DAY AVERAGE IS 6 MILLION MORE THAN 2006; BEST SINCE TABLOID-FUELED LILLEHAMMER GAMES: The 26.3 million average viewers for the first nine nights of the Vancouver Games is the most for a non-U.S. Winter Olympics since the *tabloid-fueled Lillehammer Games (38.7 million). The 26.3 million is nearly 6 million more and 28 percent higher than the average viewership of the first nine nights from Torino in 2006 (20.6 million).
*Fueled by the tabloid coverage of the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding scandal.
OLYMPICS BREAK AMERICAN IDOL WINNING STREAK: On Wednesday, Feb 17, the Olympics on NBC broke American Idol's six-year unbeaten streak (222-0 vs. all competition since 2004). Head-to-head against Idol (9-10 p.m.), the Olympics drew nearly 12 million more viewers (30.1 million vs. 18.6 million) for an advantage of 62 percent. Head-to-head (9-10 p.m.), the Olympics out-rated Idol by 60 percent (17.0 vs. 10.6) among households and 29 percent among Adults 18-49 (9.0 vs. 7.0).
– Through nine days, the Monday-Friday afternoon coverage on NBC (five broadcasts), hosted by legendary broadcaster Al Michaels, has averaged 5.8 million viewers, an increase of 31 percent over the comparable days from Torino (4.5 million). NOTE: Today marks the 30th anniversary of the "Miracle on Ice" and Michaels' legendary "Do you believe in miracles? YES!" call at the Lake Placid Olympics that stands as the most famous call in sports television history.
– The three weekend daytime broadcasts on NBC are averaging 12.0 million viewers, up 26 percent from the 2006 Winter Games (9.6 million).
– The eight late night broadcasts hosted by Mary Carillo are averaging 5.4 million viewers up three percent from the 2006 Winter Games (5.3 million).
Each Olympics shows substantial rating gains from the primetime television season. (Combined four network average: NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox).
The Vancouver Games are experiencing a 163 percent increase over the average primetime rating for the television season with an Olympic average household rating of 14.7 compared to a 5.6 for primetime. TV season began 9-21-2009.
T1. VANCOUVER 163% Olympics 14.7, Primetime season 5.6
T1. SALT LAKE CITY 163% Olympics 19.2, Primetime season 7.3
3. LILLEHAMMER 148% Olympics 27.8, Primetime season 11.2
4. NAGANO 83% Olympics 16.3, Primetime season 8.9
5. TORINO 79% Olympics 12.2, Primetime season 6.8
6. ALBERTVILLE 58% Olympics 18.7, Primetime season 11.8
7. CALGARY 45% Olympics 19.3, Primetime season 13.3
*For Calgary through Torino, the Olympic rating is for the full Olympics and the television season is calculated from September through May (excluding Olympic programming). For Vancouver the Olympic rating is through eight days and the television season is from September through the start of the Olympics.
NBC CABLE – MORE VIEWERS, YOUNGER VIEWERS: Through Saturday, February 20, Olympics coverage on the cable networks of NBC Universal has reached nearly 50 million total viewers, up 48 percent from the comparable period in February 2009 (33.7 million).
Through Thursday, Feb.18, the Vancouver Games on the cable networks of NBCU are performing 46 percent above the February 2009 average and 71 percent above the prior four-week time period average among viewers; up 36 percent over the Feb. 2009 average and 57 percent above the prior four-week time period average in household rating, and 82 percent above the February 2009 average and 113 percent above the prior four-week time period average in the Adults 18-49 demo.
USA Network: Through Thursday, Feb. 18, the Olympics on USA Network are averaging 1.7 million viewers, up seven percent from the same time periods in Feb. 2009, and up 20 percent from the prior four-week viewer delivery before the Games. USA Networks viewers are, on average, more than four years younger than the same time periods in Feb. 2009.
MSNBC: MSNBC's non-overnight programming is averaging 608,000 viewers an increase of 16 percent from the prior four-week period leading up to the Games and up two percent from the same period in Feb. 2009. The Olympics on MSNBC (through Thursday, Feb. 18) are attracting an audience with a median age of 47.1 years, 10.7 years younger than the February 2009 average, 14 years younger than the prior four week time period average.
CNBC: CNBC is averaging 788,000 viewers, pacing way ahead of the February 2009 comparable time periods (up 241 percent) and up 364 percent from the prior four-week viewer delivery before the Games. The Olympics on CNBC (through Thursday, Feb. 18) are attracting an audience with a median age of 44.2 years, 11.6 years younger than the February 2009 average, 10.6 years younger than the prior four week time period average.
– From Friday, Feb. 12 through Thursday, Feb 18, "Today†has seen ratings gains of 12 percent gain vs. the four-week period prior to the Olympics and seven percent vs. similar time period in 2009 (based on Metered Markets).
– Weekend Today on Saturday, Feb. 13 saw its best viewership ever, delivering 5.8 million total viewers, and its best advantage ever over GMA Saturday since the first weekend of the Torino Games (up 113 percent).
"NIGHTLY NEWS" WEEKEND EDITIONS DELIVER BIG VIEWERSHIP: Powered by NBC's weekend coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, weekend editions of "Nightly News†showed significant viewership gains.
– Saturday, Feb. 13, "Nightly News" attracted 12.4 million total viewers, 158 percent more than second place ABC's World News Tonight (4.8 million). This represents Saturday Nightly's best total viewer delivery since Feb. 11, 2006 (Torino Games).
– Sunday, February 14, "Nightly News'" numbers were even more impressive – averaging a 13.9 million – the Sunday edition's most watched show since Aug. 12, 2008 (Beijing Games). This represents a 178 percent lead over ABC (5.0 million).
– Sunday, Feb. 14, 4.1 million total viewers watched Meet the Press, featuring an interview with Vice President Biden from Vancouver, outperforming Face the Nation on CBS by 38 percent (3.0 million), This Week on ABC by 66 percent and FOX News Sunday by 245 percent. This was the best delivery for Meet the Press since March 22, 2009.
– The Olympics have helped to boost NBC's affiliated stations. For the first 9 days of the Olympics (Feb 12-20), NBC affiliates were the No. 1 station in their market in 53 of the 56 metered markets with an increased 24-hour rating of 131 percent (6.0 vs. 2.6). During January, 12 NBC metered affiliates were No. 1 in their market.
– Late local news on the NBC affiliated stations increased 20 percent from the same period in Feb. 2009. Additionally, evening newscasts on local stations are also up 20 percent from the same period in Feb. 2009
– NBC Universal's syndicated 30-minute newsmagazine "Access Hollywood," with co-host Billy Bush anchoring from Vancouver and co-host Maria Menunos from Whistler, airing preceding NBC's primetime coverage of the Vancouver Games, shows a ratings increase of 52% on NBC affiliated stations compared to the prior four-week period.
NBC OLYMPICS MOBILE SURGES: NBC's Olympics Mobile platforms (WAP site and iTunes App), through just 10 days have amassed more than 54.3 million page views already surpassing the total number of page views for the entire 17-day Beijing Games (34.7 million) by 56 percent.
– There have been 1.3 million mobile video streams in just 10 days, more than four times the total number for the entire 17-day Beijing Games (301k).
– By the time the Opening Ceremony broadcast started at 7:30 p.m. on Feb 12, NBC's Olympics Mobile had already generated more page views than the entire 2006 Winter Games (1.07 million).
NBCOLYMPICS.COM HAS MORE USERS THAN ENTIRE 2006 WINTER GAMES: In just eight days, NBCOlympics.com delivered 29.5 million total unique users, according to Omniture, more than 16 million more unique users and 122 percent higher than the entire 17 days of the 2006 Winter Games (13.3 million).
– NBCOlympics.com has delivered 26.2 million video streams to date – nearly 22 million more and 471% higher than Torino's first 10 days (4.6 million).
TOP 25 METERED MARKETS (Nine-Day Average):
1. Milwaukee, 23.1/36
2. Denver, 23.0/38
3. Salt Lake City, 22.5/38
4. Seattle, 21.3/39
5. Minneapolis, 21.0/36
6. St. Louis, 19.9/31
7. Columbus, 19.7/31
8. San Diego, 19.2/32
9. Portland, 19.0/35
10. West Palm Beach, 18.9/28
11. Cleveland, 18.4/29
12. Nashville, 18.2/26
13. Kansas City, 18.0/27
14. Boston, 17.8/31
T15. Phoenix, 17.5/29
T15. Providence, 17.5/29
T17. Austin, 17.3/28
T17. Tulsa, 17.3/26
19. Washington, D.C., 17.2/28
T20. Sacramento, 17.1/31
T20. Cincinnati, 17.1/26
T20. Oklahoma City, 17.1/26
T20. Ft. Myers, 17.1/27
24. Richmond, 16.9/26
T25. Chicago, 16.7/27
T25. Indianapolis, 16.7/27


text:
Life is never really "stormy" here at the farm, or in our garden. But we are in our early season lull before our late summer "pop". The blueberries, herbs and flowers are in full swing, but otherwise we are in a quiet period. Our cherries are long since gone, but the farmer's market has more (we aren't quite done with cherries, stay tuned). The strawberries are between crops, the peaches and nectarines are weeks away, the apples and pears are further out.
But the tomatoes, squash, cukes, peppers and eggplant are coming, and when they come, they come on strong. If we have a good season (and that is a big "if"), the challenge will be keeping up with the tomatoes. This is a good problem to have, one we look forward to. Giving away tomatoes is a very good way to buy new friends and keep existing ones…and we aren't above that sort of thing.
But for now we wait, work and watch the bees in the flowers. It's summer. The sun shines during the day, the stars sparkle at night and the garden has new surprises every morning. The storm is coming, but it will be welcomed with open arms.
Related articles
- First Harvest And A Farm Update (putneyfarm.com)
- Lavender, Cherries And Loquats (putneyfarm.com)
- Vegetable Garden Flooding By Tropical Storm Andrea (backyardgardeningtips.com)
- Gardens Gardens Everywhere (organicallypure.wordpress.com)
- Gardening On May Long (millyvanillyhandmade.wordpress.com)
- Gardening in Unfortunate Circumstances (housethatcraicbuilt.wordpress.com)
- I'd Like to Show Off the Garden… (cindyricksgers.wordpress.com)


text:
December 12, 2005
01. Update and run any anti-virus (AV), anti-trojan (AT), and anti-spyware (AS) products you already have installed on your computer. Do full scans of your computer.
Record exactly the malware names, and file names and locations, of any malware the scans turn up. Quarantine then cure (repair, rename or delete) any malware found.
If the scanners say you have Sasser, you need to take some extra steps before you carry on to see what else you have: Sasser
If you can't access security web sites, Check your "Hosts" file
If you are having trouble with loss of internet access, then download, install and run LSP-Fix.
If your homepage is hijacked to res://random.dll/index.php#random, then download and run about:Buster. The download and tutorial can be found here.
02. Run two or three free web based AV scanners.
Record exactly the malware names, and file names and locations, of any malware the scans turn up. Quarantine then cure (repair, rename or delete) any malware found.
03. Download 5 tools...Download Trend Micro CWShredder, EliteToolbar Remover, McAfee AVERT Stinger, Ad-Aware SE and SpyBot S&D.
An alternate download site for CWShredder and HijackThis is Subratam.org
Save them to your Desktop or folder of your choice. (I prefer to make a folder called "Downloads" in which I place all downloaded files into.
04. Run CWShredder. With it open and ALL other windows closed let CWshredder FIX all problems. Do this from Safe Mode.
* If CWShredder immediately shuts-down, try running it again.
* If CWShredder still doesn't run:
* Download PepiMK's CoolWWWSearch.Smartsearch killer. http://www.safer-networking.org/files/delcwssk.zip
* Run CoolWWWSearch.Smartsearch.
* Then return to CWShredder to clean up.
* In CWShredder, click "check for update".
* If an update is available, click "Download and open the update".
* Click "Scan only".
* If Coolwebsearch keeps returning, or if a scanner says you have cws.searchx, you need to take some extra steps before you carry on to see what else you have: http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.php
*If you need to find the "hidden appinit value" used by certain versions of CoolWebSearch, then go here:
http://forums.subratam.org/index.php?showtopic=583 for step-by-step instructions.
05. Run EliteToolbar Remover.
*Unzip (extract) into a newly created folder made by you.
*Reboot your machine in Safe Mode (just click the F8 key as the PC is starting, just before the MS Windows flag screen appears) and run the EliteToolbar Remover.
*Click the "Kill Elite Toolbar" button and wait until it finishes its work.
*Occasionally a DOS box may appear asking your permission to delete some files in temporary Windows directories. You must accept the deletion of these to be sure of properly removing the malware!
06. Run McAfee AVERT Stinger.
*If necessary, click the Add or Browse button to add additional drives/directories to scan. By default the C: drive will be scanned.
*Click the "Scan Now" button to begin scanning.
*By default Stinger will repair all infected files found.
07. Run Ad-Aware SE. Make sure all other windows, including your browser, is closed.
* Click "Check for updates now" in the lower right.
* Click "Connect" and then "OK".
* When the updating process finishes, click "Finish".
* Click on the gear icon in the upper right (Settings).
* Click "Scanning".
* Select:
- "Scan within archives"
- "Scan my IE Favorites for banned URLs"
- "Scan my hosts file"
* Click "Tweaks".
* Click "Cleaning Engine".
* Select "Automatically try to unregister objects prior to deletion".
* Click "Proceed".
* Click "Start".
* Select "Use custom scanning options".
* Click "Next" and wait for the scanning process to complete.
* Select all the items found for removal. ("Removal" actually puts things in quarantine, so you can generally recover them if you need to.)
* Reboot your computer.
* Repeat the last 5 steps from "Start" until no more items are found.
Ad-Aware SE Tutorial
08. Run SpyBot S&D. Make sure all other windows are Closed and your browser isn't running.
* Click on "Update" in the left column.
* Click on "Search for Updates".
* Select a download location (usually one close to you). I usually choose the Rootboxen.net(USA)
* Click "Download Updates" and wait of the updating process to finish.
* Check that all Internet Explorer (web browser) windows are closed.
* Click "Search and Destroy" in the left column.
* Click "Check for Problems".
* Have Spybot remove/fix all the problems it identifies in RED. The items not listed in red should not be touched at this time.
Spybot S&D Tutorial
09. Download, install, update and run an Anti-Trojan Application. Choose one of these:
Ewido Security Suite (Free 14-day test version)
First update it by clicking the UPDATE button on the left side panel, then pressing "Start Update".
Then do a scan while in SAFE MODE. Press the SCANNER button on the left side panel, then press "Complete System Scan".
TrojanHunter (30-day free trial)
Update it, then reboot into safe mode and run the program.
10. If there is still a problem, download HijackThis.
Open up My Computer or Windows Explorer and on the toolbar go to File | New Folder. Create a new permanent folder called HijackThis. Copy and paste hijackthis.exe into that new folder, then double click it to run the program.
Backups will be stored there for products removed, just in case.
When you run HijackThis, close ALL other windows and click on SCAN at the bottom left.
When it is finished scanning, click on SAVE LOG. Where it says "Save In" at the top of the save window, browse to your newly created HijackThis folder and name it HijackThis_TODAY'S DATE.log.
Here is a tutorial on how to use it.
Copy and paste this log into a post started by you in PC Questions & Answers Forum (not in this thread) for us to see.
11. Download Find_It_s.zip to your desktop.
Make a new folder in C:\
Unzip/extract the files inside Find_It_s.zip to the new folder you made . Open the folder and run Find_It_s.bat and wait for a text to open. It will take a while ...then post the resulting log. This will search for Aurora entries specifically, among other things.
12. To prevent important system files being deleted accidentally, Windows XP and Windows Me has a feature called System Restore. It makes backups of of these system files and restores the backups if the original file goes missing.
To prevent malware being restored by the operating system, it is often necessary to clear the backup files from System Restore AFTER the malware is deleted. (This is called "clearing the System Restore points". To do this, turn System Restore off, wait 30 seconds, and then turn System Restore back on.
Waiting until after your computer is clean of malware to clear the System Restore points is because if there is a problem during cleaning, System Restore can be used to try to correct it.
Instructions for turning System Restore on and off:
Enabling/Disabling System Restore
Symantec - System Restore
If you do a scan and get a virus detected in the _RESTORE or the System Volume Information folder (System Restore), but it cannot repair, quarantine, or delete the infected file....DO NOT WORRY ABOUT IT UNTIL THE REST OF YOUR SYSTEM IS CLEAN.
13. Empty out these three(3) folders once your system is clean. (just the contents and not the folder itself):
Go to Start | Run and type in the box: cleanmgr. Let it scan your system for files to remove. Make sure these 3 are checked and then press "ok" to remove:
Temporary Files
Temporary Internet Files
Recycle Bin
* Temporary Internet Files. In the Control Panel, open Internet Options, and under the general tab, click on "Delete Files".
In the next window, put a check to "Delete all offline content" too. OK out to save.
* Temp folder contents. In XP, that's C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\ Local Settings\Temp. In Windows 98, it's found in C:\Windows\Temp.
* Empty the Recycle Bin.
If you don't own a firewall or use Xp's Windows Firewall, I would really recommend downloading a free one off the internet and Disable Windows Firewall
The best free firewalls are:
Zone Alarm Free
Kerio Personal Firewall
Sygate Personal Firewall
Outpost Firewall Free
Then, make sure you visit the Windows Update site and get all "High Priority" updates.
Previous Cyber Fly Angler Columns
If you would like to comment on this or
any other article
[ Search ] [ Contact FAOL ] [ Media Kit ]


text:
After devoting his first two films as director, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, to getting laid and having kids, respectively, Judd Apatow brings the circle of life to a close with Funny People, which stars Adam Sandler as George Simmons, a popular, Sandler-esque movie star diagnosed with a rare and potentially fatal form of leukemia. When actors and directors start thinking outside of themselves and start worrying about how to get more respect or be taken capital-s seriously, it's almost always a recipe for disaster. Mercifully, Funny People is probably the least bathetic, self-pitying movie about death and dying to come out of Hollywood since Albert Brooks's Defending Your Life. When he receives his diagnosis, George doesn't sit around feeling sorry for himself, or set out on some inspirational quest to do everything he ever wanted to do before he dies, or any of the other things people in movies tend to do in these situations. Instead, like probably most of the people you and I know who have faced similar bad news, he resolves to fight this thing the best he can and get on with the business of living.
That's not to say that George doesn't go through his share of denial, anger, bargaining, and depression en route to accepting his condition. There's a great, discomfiting scene early on—one that begs to be pushed even further—in which he lapses into a dark, stream-of-consciousness riff during a stand-up set at the famous Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, leaving the audience uncertain about whether or not they should laugh. After George implodes, a twentysomething actor and comic named Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) takes the stage and makes light of George's gloom, winning laughs for doing so. Later, when the comics meet up in the parking lot, George tells Ira he would have done the same thing when he was his age, and eventually asks him to come write jokes for him.
So the world of the dying comedy legend intersects with that of the hungry up-and-comers—not just Ira, but his roommates, Leo (Jonah Hill), another aspiring actor-writer, and Mark (Jason Schwartzman), a hilariously pompous pretty-boy actor who has recently landed the lead in a not-very-good high school sitcom. Apatow clearly knows a lot about the competitiveness and petty rivalries of showbiz people desperate to get their foot in the door, and the Hollywood scenes in Funny People remind you how soft and self-congratulatory the ones are in most other movies. Ira, whom Rogen plays as a dithering mixture of Sancho Panza and a nervous Jewish mother, realizes that George is his big break, and Apatow shows us his willingness to exploit his close proximity to a famous person—dying or not—for all it's worth. And there are other things Apatow observes so well, yet so indirectly, that you wonder if people who haven't lived in L.A. and known people like these characters will fully appreciate them.
In fact, there's so much that's so disarmingly good and sharp about Funny People that you wish the whole movie weren't so much of a shambles. I've seen the film twice, and both times, exactly halfway into its two-and-a-half-hour running time, I have felt the cabin shudder and noticed tiny fissures forming in the fuselage. That's at the point in the movie when George goes in for a checkup and learns that the experimental drugs he has been taking seem to be working, and that he may no longer be dying after all. "Get back to your life," the doctor intones, and the rest of Funny People is about George's dawning realization that he doesn't much like the life he had before, socializing with celebrity pseudo-friends (cue raft of cameos from Sarah Silverman, Eminem, et al.) and perambulating his giant, Xanadu-like mansion, surrounded by mountains of useless swag. So he decides to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend, Laura (Leslie Mann, the real-life Mrs. Apatow), whom he cheated on 12 years earlier and who now has a new life with a businessman husband (Eric Bana) and two young daughters (played by Apatow's own kids, Maude and Iris).
It's hard enough for a movie to withstand the introduction of a whole set of major characters past the point when most movies are wrapping things up, and it's even harder when those characters feel so incongruous to everything that has come before. On one hand, Laura and her brood should seem incongruous to George and his solitary life, but the feeling is one of unintentional mismatch. When George and Laura have their first big scene together, it doesn't feel like these two people have a whole shared history together, and this is even less apparent in Mann's scenes with Bana. Apatow has been accused of not writing good parts for women—unfairly, I think, because Catherine Keener's in The 40-Year-Old Virgin was that rare smart and sexy role for a woman over 40 in a major Hollywood movie. But here, the accusation sticks: Laura's inner life hasn't been thought out nearly as well as that of George, Ira, and all the other guy parts, and the character ultimately becomes a cog in a series of third-act plot machinations that betray the organic feel of the earlier scenes.
Apatow's obvious model here is Terms of Endearment and Broadcast News director James L. Brooks, who gets a thanks in the end credits and whose last two films, As Good As It Gets and Spanglish, were as phony through and through as Funny People is in its lesser moments. But where Apatow falls short of Brooks is in his desire to redeem all his characters, to forgive even the worst behavior, and to send everyone—on-screen and in the audience—home happy. A movie that strives to convey the depth of feeling and the range of emotions that Funny People so clearly does badly needs at least one moment of cruelty comparable to the fake tears of William Hurt's reporter in Broadcast News, or the betrayal of Nick Nolte's over-the-hill film star by a bubbly young assistant in I'll Do Anything. Apatow has plenty of opportunities, but the closest he comes—a scene in which George callously checks his cell phone, while Laura is held tearfully rapt by a family home video—makes only a softball impact (though it might have made a bigger one had we felt there was more at stake for the characters). For a movie with countless dick jokes, and in which the final clearly audible word of dialogue is "balls," you wish that Apatow's own cojones were a wee bit bigger.


text:
Shoesday ~ Dawgs Ultra Tracker
I know it has been awhile but we finally have another Shoesday post for you all! This Shoesday, we are featuring the Dawgs Ultra Tracker Women's Work Shoes—or as Dawgs likes to call it "A Foot's Best Friend" (and we couldn't agree more!).
All of Dawgs footwear is designed with extreme comfort and style in mind. Quite frankly, these two characteristics always seem hard to come by (especially if you wear heels like me and can never find a great pair of heels with the comfort of a walking shoe…one can only dream) but Dawgs makes it happen. Don't believe us? Check the 5 star rating given to the Ultra Tracker shoe on our site! The combination of comfort and style is brought to fruition through these many stand-out features of Dawgs footwear:
– High quality UltraSoft EVA material gives comfort to each shoe by incorporating sculpted foot-beds, comfort heel cushions and supportive heal cups
– Durable, slip-resistant rubber outsoles protect and stabilize the foot
– Massaging foot beds aid in circulation
– Wide heel constructions helps stabilize the foot during motion
– Comfortable straps and uppers provide foot stability
– Thick, cushioned heels absorb "heel strike" and protect your joints
– Thick, cushioned soles reduce shock and impact as you move throughout the day
– Integrated arch support to help prevent metatarsal arch injuries
The Ultra Tracker has additional benefits including non-marking soles, adjustable Velcro straps to help conform to most foot widths, compatibility with Orthotics, and antimicrobial insoles to prevent bacterial foot infections. As for aesthetic appeal, this classic shoe is both professional and stylish. To me it kind of has that athletic/Puma slash Lacoste/fashion-sneaker look that even goes with a casual outfit (and scrubs of course)!
Try a Dawgs Ulta Tracker shoe today and see why they're called "A Foot's Best Friend"!
~ Hannah


text:
Sophia Charlotte
Sophia Charlotte zōfē´ä shärlôt´ə [key], 1668–1705, first queen of Prussia, second wife of King Frederick I, daughter of Electress Sophia of Hanover, and sister of King George I of England. She was noted for her literary and philosophical interests and for her friendship with Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: German History: Biographies


text:
An acclaimed novelist can't repent of his research into historical events
TransAtlantic: A Novel. By Colum McCann. Random House, 336 pp., $16, paperback.
By Janice Harayda
Henry James couldn't offer a thought in his letters without pinning a flower in its buttonhole, the biographer Leon Edel once said. He could also "disguise the absence of thought by the shameless gilding of his own verbal lilies."
Column McCann shows similar tendencies in TransAtlantic. His fastidious writing grows distractingly overripe in a novel that reveals how three widely separated historical events affect the Irish maid Lily Duggan and several generations of her descendants. Each woman's life has a connection, however tenuous, to the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic, made by the British pilots John Alcock and Arthur Brown in 1919; to a trip to Ireland by the abolitionist Frederick Douglass in 1845; and to the signing of the Good Friday peace agreement in Belfast in 1998 after negotiations overseen by the U.S. envoy George Mitchell.
McCann is an earnest writer and prodigious researcher, and he works hard to develop the theme that human lives consist of incidents that lay "at odd angles to each other," shaped by larger forces. But his tendency to overwrite runs away with him, as do his stylistic devices: using dashes instead of quotation marks, skipping back and forth in time, describing long-past events in the present tense, and breaking up ideas into clipped, verbless sentences, often in groups of three. ("Cloud. Storm. Forecast." "The nineteenth floor. Glass and high ceilings. The windows slightly open.") McCann doesn't say "dawn broke" when he could say "A blanket of dark had been lifted from Brown Street" or "Dawn unlocked the morning in increments of gray."
Overwriting especially undermines a section that amounts to a valentine to Mitchell and his work to end the Troubles in Northern Ireland. In describing one of the envoy's peace missions to Belfast, McCann lists the snacks in the British Airways VIP lounge at Kennedy airport: "small neat sandwiches, biscuits, cashews." He then gives every in-flight meal option that Mitchell had, presumably in first class: "lobster bisque, garden salad, chicken cordon bleu, Asian noodles, beef tenderloin, mushroom risotto." And he goes on to say, after Mitchell deplanes in London, that a British Midland lounge offered three items: "Tea, pastries, yogurt."
What purpose does this surfeit of detail serve? In a historical novel, such facts can help to evoke a time and place. But TransAtlantic, which ends in 2011, isn't a historical novel in the usual sense. It makes no difference to its story whether British Midland had pastries and yogurt in its lounge or, say, muffins and fruit. Such details are the sign that McCann can't repent of his research, or perhaps of his access to Mitchell and his wife, whom he thanks in his acknowledgments for their "great grace" in allowing him to tell part of their story. And what are we to make the occasional eruptions of bad writing, such as "There were so many sides to every horizon"?
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of TransAtlantic is the listless plot. McCann weaves the warp of his female characters' lives so loosely into the weft of his big events that his story barely coheres. The thread that ostensibly unites all of the plotlines is a mysterious, sealed letter that Arthur Brown carries on his trailblazing flight at the request of Lily Duggan's granddaughter. Its envelope remains unopened for nearly a century. And it isn't giving away too much to say that when it is finally unsealed, the letter holds no secrets or significant revelations. It's so anti-climactic that it almost turns all that has come before it into a high-toned shaggy-dog story. That development may support the theme that our lives connect "at odd angles," but it isn't what the preceding pages have led you expect. The best endings in fiction, it's often said, are surprising yet inevitable. The last pages of TransAtlantic are surprising only for their lack of inevitability.
Best line: "He was told once that any good Irishman would drive 50 miles out of his way just to hear an insult – a hundred miles if the insult was good enough."
Worst line: "There were so many sides to every horizon." A horizon doesn't have "sides."
Published: June 2013 (Random House hardcover). May 2014 (Random House paperback).
About the author: McCann won a 2009 National Book Award for Let The Great World Spin.
Read an excerpt and learn more about TransAtlantic on the Random House website.
One-Minute Book Reviews publishes reviews by the professional critic by Janice Harayda, who has been the book editor of the Plain Dealer and book columnist for Glamour. Please follow her on Twitter at @janiceharayda.
© 2015 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.


text:
ProKennex Tennis Racquets
Pro Kennex tennis racquets push the boundaries of tennis and feature technologies highlighted in Mechanical Engineering and Popular Science. Pro Kennex racquets are unique in that new racquets are only released when new technology is found and decidedly worthy of a new design.
Pro Kennex Ionic tennis racquets
Pro Kennex Ionic tennis racquets combine the proven Kinetic technology with cutting edge patented Ionic energy chambers. These chambers, located at four strategic balance points around the racquet, are filled with an inelastic composition of ionizing carbon molecules. As the racquet swings through the air, the molecules collect at the back of the chambers, upon impact the molecules are forced forward creating an additional, molecular momentum to your swing.
Pro Kennex Kinetic tennis racquets
Pro Kennex Kinetic tennis racquets harvest kinetic energy for a more powerful swing, increased shock absorption, reduced vibrations and greater torsional stability. When the tennis ball and racquet come into contact, the ball speed drops to zero, normally the rapid decrease in speed translates into vibrations throughout the racquet head and down into the handle. The Kinetic racquet allows for flexibility during impact, which harvests the burst of energy and channels it into the forward swing. When tested against non-kinetic tennis racquets at the M.I.T. sports technology lab, this technology proved a 43 percent improvement in vibration dampening and a 50 percent improvement in torsional stability.
Pro Kennex Heritage tennis racquets
Pro Kennex Heritage tennis racquets are designed with precision technology. Each Precision Engineered tennis racquet is manufactured with a one-at-a-time technique that prevents spec variance between frames in the same series.
Apologies for the inconvenience! It looks like we are sold out of these items.
Check out these other categories for similar products.
Or check out our promotions page to see what's currently on sale!


text:
EBass' BMW K1200RS Walkabout - Motorcycle.com
"Hey, EBass, BMW just called. They want to know if you feel like cruising up to Lake Tahoe for the 80th Motorrad celebration. They said they'll put you up in a honeymoon suite at the Squaw Creek Resort, wine you, dine you, and give you a K1200RS for the trip."
"Yeah, fine, whatever, I'll call 'em back as soon as I ... huh?! Tahoe? Resort? K1200RS? Gimme that post-it!"
For those who have never been, Lake Tahoe is a beautiful mountain area renowned for its year-round bevy of outdoor games and indoor gaming. The lake itself straddles the California and Nevada borders 6223 feet above sea level, and if you ever find yourself a contestant on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" and are asked, "If Lake Tahoe were tipped over, how many inches of water would the state of California be covered in?" The correct answer would be "14.5". Now you owe me one. I just saved you a lifeline.
I've visited the region several times during previous winters for the terrific skiing and snowboarding, and in fact at one time the alpine vistas of Squaw Creek served as the scenic backdrop as I rang in the New Millenium by making wild primordial love in front of a fireplace to Satan himself... back when she was my wife. And yet, I had never been to Tahoe during the Spring, nor by motorcycle, and so this was an opportunity not to be missed.
The K1200RS is the sportiest of three editions, which also include the fully dressed LT and the far more lightly encumbered GT. The K 1200GT was reviewed on this site back in January by resident go fast man, Sean Alexander with a sidebar by the Leisure World retiree formerly known as Motojournalism Legend, John Burns.
So I will refer you to said feature for basic technical info and primary riding impressions, as the GT differs from the RS in relatively insignificant ways. Those being that the GT is standard equipped with a power windscreen, color-matched saddlebags, handguards and fairing extensions for greater wind protection, a slightly wider rear tire, and handlebars and seat that put the rider in a more upright posture. The RS weighs in at 655 lbs wet, which is 24 lbs leaner than the GT. So by tacking an extra grand onto the K1200RS base price of $16,990, you get yourself the fancified GT version. The K1200 RS that I rode for the trip was stock, except for the hard luggage. The cases run about $850.00 for the set. Thus having excused myself from the draconian tech spec requirements of those who consider Clymer manuals to be light reading, I shall continue on with my touring tale aboard the K1200RS.
BMW wunderkind, Jonas Musson, had gathered three other journalists for the group ride set to leave L.A. at 10:00 AM Thursday morning: Bert Swift, Jimmy McCraw and John Aronson. Bert is art director for Road & Track, John does TV production stuff and Jimmy's a freelancer. At first glance, I was really impressed with the sportier look of the Alpine White RS with Orient Blue striping as compared to the more conservative all-blue GT we tested back in January. The paint scheme of the RS reminded me of a very stylish, futuristic police bike, kind of a next generation ChiPs pursuit vehicle. The chunky vertical stripes on the tail section executed far more successfully than those on the Rockster, which in all their rust/orange glory came off like a safety vest on a construction worker.
While the tantalizing prospect of Tahoe's picturesque byways was dancing in the backs of our minds, the front of our minds were occupied by how much it was gonna suck having to endure the 100 degree plus temperatures of the bullet-straight 5 freeway as it climbed out of the Grapevine and then droned on past about 200 miles worth of cow country. As fate would have it, when we passed a bank along the way, the bad news was 112 degrees. Dry heat, thank goodness, but still hot enough to fry an egg on the gas tank. Under the conditions, minor ergonomic complaints could have become major nuisances, but with the exception of some buzziness in the handgrips, the RS was a real pleasure to ride.
The GT's power windscreen would have been a nice touch, but the dual-position manual version kept me clear of undue buffeting when in the upper position. The pegs, seat, and bars provided a fairly neutral posture for my 5'9" frame without any undue pressure points. Arm and hand fatigue could be easily managed by either resting my abdomen on the tank, which sloped comfortably to meet it, or more conveniently by taking advantage of the cruise control, letting go of the bars entirely, and sitting up straight. I actually got so comfortable with the Beemer's excellent stability that as the trip wore on, I probably spent virtually all of my highway time letting the gyroscopic forces do their thing, not even bothering to reach down for gentle bends, as the bike steered just as well with a little lean and downward pressure on the same-side peg. Probably not something the kraftsmen back in Bavaria spent a lot of time thinking about, but a nice bonus nonetheless.
The 5 freeway had given way to the 99 and eventually, the fuel gauges began to spell "E" as the 5.5 gallon fuel tanks reached their limit, as did we, so we pulled off to refresh both the bikes and riders near Fresno.
Capricious whim drew us to a windowless bar/restaurant advertising steak specials and cold beer. More special still was the welcoming blast of supercooled air conditioning that greeted us as we opened the door.
The 60-ish Armenian waiter seemed a little taken aback when I ripped off my shirt, my boots, my jeans, collapsed onto the carpet in my Fruit of the Looms, went into convulsions, and began speaking in tongues as the ecstasy of AC salvation washed over my body, but afterwards he said it was no big deal, they get that from time to time, and that as long as I tipped big, the security camera footage would never see the light of day. Fair dinkum, I suppose.
We were seated in a jumbo sized horseshoe booth and convincingly informed by our host that the best thing on the menu was the New York Steak. "How are the hamburgers?" "Not as good, you order steak." "I'm thinking maybe a chef salad. Do you put chopped egg in ..." "You like steak better". Now it just so happened that Jimmy was in the mood for steak, and so was I, and so was John, and Jonas (being a carnivore of legendary proportions) followed suit. The pressure had been mounting like a big stakes poker hand being revealed as the eyes of the world (or at least the table) awaited Bert's decision. And he ordered ... chicken! The waiter's eyes began to glow, and slowly began searing a small red spot on Bert's forehead like an ant being tortured with a magnifying glass. "You don't like steak?" "No, I'll have the chicken". "Dammit Bert, your eyebrows are starting to smolder, save yourself and order the friggin' steak, man!" "You try my steak, you like." "I had steak last night. Actually I'll stick with the chicken, thanks". Our waiter slowly turned and stalked off and I could have sworn I heard a phlegmatic, "thhhhhwckckckck" sound as he reached the kitchen. Thanks Bert, I owe ya' one brutha.


text:
I love communicating with other authors, aspiring or established. Along with artists and Lhasa apsos they are my favorite people. But I recently received an email from a would-be author, of the kind that makes me say, "Oh, fudge," and then go eat about a pound of said substance. The email was from a distant relative's acquaintance who heard I'd had a few books traditionally published and wanted me to tell him how he could get his book traditionally published, too. I wish I knew!
Well, actually I do know. Do a mountain of work and research to make sure your book is well-written, compelling and has an audience, and then do a lot more hard work and research to find agents or publishers who are looking for that type of book, and then do even more hard work and research to learn how to properly sell it to them. And don't expect it to happen by next Tuesday. If it happens at all.
I learned all this the hard way, and it entails far more than I could cram into one e-mail. Besides, I'm not necessarily worthy! Just having books published doesn't make me anyone's career expert or a fairy godmother even if I do like magic wands and pixie dust. And I'm still learning, meself.
But luckily for him, me and everyone else, in the past three or four years many first-rate agents, writers, and publishers on the blogosphere and social media sites have created a cyber-university wherein anyone can earn a virtual doctorate in Book Authorology by absorbing all the amazing FREE advice and insights a humanoid brain can hold, plus so much more it will slop right out onto your Live to Write t-shirt! I cannot post loudly enough about what a valuable development this is for every aspiring writer. I surely wish it had been there ten years ago when I was beginning my own adventures with books. Its vastness, however, can be daunting.
To get started, I told the emailer, mine the gemmy topics listed in the sidebar of top blog dog Nathan Bransford. Go deep. Then there are the perennially fresh and useful insights of agent Rachelle Gardner. I also subscribe to blogs like those of Victoria Mixon, Guide to Literary Agents and the crazy-useful Querytracker which puts powerful search-and-record tools at your callused fingertips. The esteemed pros at literary agencies such as Dystel and Goderich, including my own incredible agent, Jim McCarthy, also often take turns sharing their wisdom. All of these sites include favorite industry links that you may combine exponentially to create your own How to Succeed in Publishing and Subsume the Universe Manual.
What makes all of this even more helpful is the opportunity to get personal. Most
sites have comment sections and/or community forums filled with posts from other intelligent folks. Also, search for and follow members of the huge writing community on Twitter and then interact in real time for true Jedi enlightenment. So many people are already doing this that I can't believe everyone doesn't know about the depth of the Web-Lit explosion, but the emails I receive – and I'm not even an agent or editor — from unaware beginners tell me they either have no clue or have failed to take full advantage. (Another came in while I was writing this!)
I knew that this wasn't what the nice and understandably hopeful e-mailer wanted to hear. What he – perhaps unconsciously — wanted me to say was, "Sure, even though I don't know chickpeas about you or your book, let me set you right up!" It makes me feel bad that I haven't the power to get anyone else's book published, and that in turns makes me eat more fudge. And sooner or later I'll end up on a reality show for obese writers called Pride and Fudge-udice, or The Biggest Wordsmith.
So that I may avoid such a fate, I encouraged this potentially best-selling author to delve into all the wonderful things mentioned above, and then come back with specific questions I still might not be able to answer. I haven't heard back, so either he is unhappy OR he has become one with the online writing world and is even now empowering his own path to publication. I do hope he chose the latter.


text:
Shop Online and Save!
Forgot your password?
Dont have account? Register Here
Where is my order? Check Here
Big Savings!
Order Over $3000 - Save 10%
Order Over $5000 - Save 15%
+ Free or Flat Rate Shipping
+ Free Clear Coat Interiors
ONLINE10 (Save 10%)ONLINE15 (Save 15%)
Frequently Asked Questions
Code: OC3096MWN1
Weight: 226.00 pounds


text:
I'd become a sort of a reverse zombie. I was living in a world already dead, and I alone knowing it.
Film noir is at heart a fatalistic genre. Greed, stupidity, desire and deceit all play a significant part to be sure, but back of it all is the implication that human beings are locked on a predetermined path which circumstance or fate has chosen for them. Whether or not one subscribes to such a theory is neither here nor there; it's enough to know that it underpins much of film noir. But what if we already knew what lay in store? Would it be possible to cheat fate and regain control of our lives? That's the basic premise of Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), a noir with a quasi-supernatural slant.
The film opens dramatically with Jean Courtland (Gail Russell) about to take her own life by throwing herself in front of a train. The suicide bid is thwarted at the last moment by Elliott Carson (John Lund), her fiance. But why would a beautiful young woman such as this want to end it all? The answer to this is provided by John Triton (Edward G Robinson), once a small-time mind reader and now a virtual recluse, a prisoner of his own unique talent. Via a series of flashbacks Triton reveals his connection to Jean and the odd events that have shaped his life. Depending on one's point of view, Triton has either been blessed or cursed with the ability to foretell the future. As his weary narration points out, there were initial advantages to this, such as the knack of predicting how best to make money. Despite these indisputable benefits, Triton gradually came to see that prior knowledge of various tragedies had a corrosive effect on the soul. Slowly, the feeling began to eat away at him that he might be in some way responsible for some of the things that happen. His first reaction was to ignore the premonitions in the hope that doing so might avert them. When that doesn't work he settles on an alternative course of action; he will actively try to prevent the outcomes that periodically flash before his eyes. And it's this which leads him into the life of Jean Courtland. Jean is the daughter of his late fiancée, a woman he left and let marry his best friend. That sacrifice failed to save the life of his former love, but a vision of Jean's imminent death routs him out of self-imposed exile. For twenty years Triton has hidden himself away from the world, shunning human contact. Now however, he decides to take on fate directly. It's a duel of sorts between a desperate man and the mysterious force that seems to determine all our futures. The prize at stake: the life of a young woman, and the chance for Triton to shake off the unwelcome curse bestowed upon him.
John Farrow is a director I've always had a lot of time for. He was extremely versatile, working in a variety of genres and turning out a handful of highly entertaining and well crafted noir pictures. Night Has a Thousand Eyes is a brisk piece of work, yet there's also a dreamy, melancholic feel to it. The first half is taken up with the flashbacks that explain how Triton's gift mutated into a curse, and Robinson's voice-over adds to the noir atmosphere. The latter section sees the focus narrow and is largely confined to Jean's home, as the police, various retainers and Triton all gather to see if the predictions come true. The fusion of noir motifs and supernatural overtones is unusual and quite successful in my view. While film noir was grounded in at least a superficial reality, there was also an element of the fantastic running through it. I guess the fact this movie was based on a Cornell Woolrich novel, given that writer's penchant for outrageous and sometimes bizarre plot twists, accounts for this mix. Another point of interest is the sympathetic or tolerant stance adopted towards the whole issue of spiritualism. Generally, film and literature of the 30s and 40s tended to be downright hostile when it came to examining the spiritualist craze that grew out of the aftermath of WWI. Most books and movies focused on debunking the techniques of the fake mediums and phony spiritualists, exposing them for the charlatans they were.
While Farrow's direction is solid and Woolrich's material is always interesting, it's the performance of Edward G Robinson that really powers the film. By his own admission, Robinson possessed an air of menace that was often used to great effect. Yet, in reality, Robinson was a highly cultured man and could impart great sensitivity when he was afforded the opportunity. The role of Triton was such an opportunity, a tortured soul robbed of the love of his life and endowed with a terrible gift. Robinson had wonderfully expressive features and it's a real joy to see him tuck into a meaty and complex part like this. Although he's the unquestioned star of the movie, he gets good support from John Lund and Gail Russell. Lund's role is a bit of a thankless one as the stoical, skeptical romantic lead, but he does all that's required of him. Russell had that tragic, ethereal beauty that works so well on screen and there's a vague air of confusion about her, a sense of one lost in the world. Somehow, her magical presence seems entirely appropriate in such a film.
Night Has a Thousand Eyes is a movie that's just crying out for a decent DVD release. The film can be viewed online quite easily and there's a DVD available from Italy but neither option shows the movie in the best light. I have that Italian disc and it has to be said the print used is pretty beat up. It's taken from an Italian source, the titles and credits are presented in that language, and it's a dirty, scratchy affair. Despite the poor condition and lack of restoration it does remain perfectly watchable throughout. The disc offers the choice of either the original English soundtrack (no subtitles) or an Italian dub. The theatrical trailer and a text essay (in Italian) comprise the extra features. This was originally a Paramount production so, given the lack of any word of Olive releasing it, I'm guessing the rights now reside with Universal. I can only hope that it gets a stronger release somewhere in the future – it deserves it. Regardless of any complaints about the current presentation and availability of the movie, it remains an intriguing film noir. A neglected little gem, ripe for rediscovery.
EDIT: Laura also wrote a piece on the movie here, which I only just noticed.


text: Fine needle aspiration of the thyroid Definition Fine needle aspiration of the thyroid gland is a procedure to remove thyroid cells for examination. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland located inside the front of the lower neck. Alternative Names Thyroid nodule fine needle aspirate biopsy; Biopsy - thyroid - skinny-needle; Skinny-needle thyroid biopsy; Thyroid nodule - aspiration; Thyroid cancer - aspiration How the Test is Performed This test may be done in the health care provider's office or in a hospital. Numbing medicine (anesthesia) may or may not be used. Because the needle is very thin, you may not need this medicine.You lie on your back with a pillow under your shoulders with your neck extended. The biopsy site is cleaned. A thin needle is inserted into your thyroid, where it collects a sample of thyroid cells and fluid. The needle is then taken out. If the provider cannot feel the biopsy site, they may use ultrasound or a CT scan to guide where to put the needle. Ultrasound and CT scans are painless procedures that show images inside the body.Pressure is applied to the biopsy site to stop any bleeding. The site is then covered with a bandage. How to Prepare for the Test Tell your provider if you have drug allergies, bleeding problems, or are pregnant. Also, make sure your provider has a current list of all medicines you take, including herbal remedies and over-the-counter drugs.A few days to a week before your biopsy, you may be asked to stop taking medicines that make it harder for your blood to clot. Talk with your provider before stopping any drugs. The drugs you may need to stop taking include:AspirinClopidogrel (Plavix)Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)Naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn)Warfarin (Coumadin) How the Test will Feel If numbing medicine is used, you may feel a sting as the needle is inserted and the medicine is injected.As the biopsy needle passes into your thyroid, you may feel some pressure, but it should not be painful.You may have slight discomfort in your neck afterward. You may also have slight bruising, which soon goes away. Why the Test is Performed This is a test to diagnose thyroid disease or thyroid cancer. It is often used to find out if thyroid nodules that your provider can feel or seen on an ultrasound are noncancerous or cancerous. Normal Results A normal result shows the thyroid tissue looks normal and the cells do not appear to be cancer under a microscope. What Abnormal Results Mean Abnormal results may mean:Thyroid disease such as goiter or thyroiditisNoncancerous tumorsThyroid cancer Risks The main risk is bleeding into or around the thyroid gland. With severe bleeding, there may be pressure on the windpipe (trachea). This problem is rare. References Lai SY, Mandel SJ, Weber RS. Management of thyroid neoplasms. In: Flint PW, Haughey BH, Lund V, et al, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2015:chap 123.Schlumberger MJ, Filetti S, Alexander EA, Hay ID. Nontoxic diffuse and nodular goiter and thyroid neoplasia. In: Melmed S, Polonsky KS, Larsen PR, Kronenberg HM, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 14. Images Endocrine glands Thyroid gland biopsy Close Image 1 of 2 Maximize imageRestore image Read More Cancer Graves disease Thyroid cancer


text:
What Makes a Good Blog?January 8, 2009
Let me begin with I don't have the answer. But, it's something I've been pondering ever since we began our foray into the blogosphere.
What makes a good blog? Is it one that engages readers far and wide or one that draws like-minded people to a particular nexus? Does it inspire positive action or purely entertain? Is the sign of success tens of thousands of readers or a smaller number of active participants in an intriguing dialogue?
These are the questions I posed to our little hui of native bloggers. Inevitably, our discussions led to more questions than answers such as, "Why are we doing this anyway?" Hubris aside that any of us could begin to portray the depth of Native Hawaiian thought, why indeed are we doing this and can we hope to be successful?
"I think we'll be successful if we can get people to expand their ideas of who Hawaiians are," shared contributor extraordinaire Ikaika Macy. "I'm proud to be one full on moke, but I'm also proud that I'm using the skills and education given to me by my ancestors (both Hawaiian and haole) to make a difference in my community."
"That's why I'm part of the hui," continued fellow blogger Caroline Ka'ahanui. "There are so many really impressive Hawaiians who need to start speaking up. And, if we can at least help to get conversations started, to me that's success."
Mulling over these discussions, it occurred to me to look at the blogs I read and ask why I follow them. What makes them successful for me?
While I read a lot of blogs for work (like Mack Collier's Viral Garden and Chris Brogan) and for news (e.g., The New York Times' The Lede, and KCRW's Left, Right and Center), I love reading about what makes Hawai'i Hawai'i (like Ryan Ozawa's Hawai'i Blog and Nathan Kam's Kam Family). Note, Native Hawaiian bloggers, send us your links. We would love to hear what you're saying.
There is one constant I noticed among these diverse blogs – each has a particular voice. If you've ever read Melissa Chang's Urban Mix Plate or Amber Naslund's Altitude Branding you know right away who wrote it. Like most of the bloggers I follow, their voices (and hence personalities) are clear and consistent.
So with only these few criteria for success, we humbly put it before you the readers, what makes a good blog? Share your thoughts, we're eager to learn.


text:
Thanks to a 24/7 service and a large stock of mobile filters and activated carbon, DESOTEC is able to install a treatment system ready for use at the customer's site within 24 hours.
Air & Gas Treatment
Contaminants from gases and air are adsorbed by activated carbon. In order to improve its affinity for certain components even more, the activated carbon can be impregnated with chemicals.
Water & Liquid Treatment
Waste water and process liquids can contain a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants. Activated carbon adsorbs these pollutants from the waste water and liquids, acting as the optimum purification solution.
Application fields
DESOTEC has determined five strategically chosen application fields. Within these application fields, we find together with our customer an appropriate purification solution for every problem.
Air purification
The emission control of organic or inorganic components is becoming an ever greater challenge in today's industrialized world. It can involve components causing a pungent odour, or exceeding the VOC emission directive of the manufacturer's operating permit. The sources of these emissions and the diversity of their components are infinite, as are the areas of application.
In order to convert biogas into electric power, reusable heat or biomethane (RNG, Renewable Natural Gas), the gas needs to be purified first. This will avoid gas engine problems and contemporarily may result into a gas quality superior to 99% CH4 , which renders the gas suitable for injection into the natural gas grid. Typical components for elimination are H2S and siloxanes from landfill gas for instance, or H2S and terpenes from fermentation gas.
Soil and/or groundwater may be contaminated anywhere there is or has been industrial activity. It often involves historic contaminations, which date back to long before there was question of enforceable environmental legislation. These contaminated areas are purified step by step, making them suitable for reuse or change of use. This often requires complex remediation techniques.
Waste water
During a manufacturing process, we often require water. This water is contaminated during production: it becomes waste water which often cannot be discharged into the environment as such. In that case the produced waste water requires treatment before it can be discharged into a sewer or into the surface water, or be re-used. Otherwise it is also possible that a factory's water supply needs treatment before the water can be used in the production process.
Companies manufacture products. During the manufacturing process certain reactions may occur, possibly causing an undesired contamination of the end-product. On the other hand, some raw materials may fail to meet the requirements of the manufacturing process. Also malfunctions can occur during production, which may result in a batch of off-spec products . Moreover, certain products acquire increased sales value if they have a certain degree of purity, which can be achieved by a activated carbon.


text:
Paul Krugman says that the notion that the weak economy is due to policy uncertainty has been thoroughly debunked. The Stanford/Chicago uncertainty index has considerably fallen:
Without any considerable boost to job growth:
While policy uncertainty is concerned with policy in general, and not executive policy in particular, Krugman's analysis is that "policy uncertainty" is a thinly-veiled attempt to blame Obama for the sluggishness of the recovery:
One of the remarkable things about the ongoing economic crisis is the endless search for explanations of something that's actually quite simple — the sluggish pace of recovery. You have a large overhang of private debt; you have a still-depressed housing sector; and you have contractionary fiscal policy. Add to this the well-established fact that recovery tends to be slow after recessions caused not by tight money but by private-sector overreach, and there's just no mystery that needs explaining.
Yet we've seen an endless series of analyses declaring that there is indeed a deep mystery, and it must be Obama's Fault. Probably the most influential of these analyses was the claim that Obama was creating "uncertainty", and this was holding everything back.
This crude notion of policy uncertainty is often attached to the notion of the Confidence Fairy; the idea that by running large deficits, government is crowding out private investment due to fears of future tax increases. The corollary of the Confidence Fairy view is that the only way to bring back private investment is to have large-scale austerity, to solidify expectations of lower future taxes. This view has been the basis for David Cameron's economic policy in the UK, which can only be soberly judged as a large-scale failure.
Krugman is right to trash the Confidence Fairy — austerity at this point in the business cycle is a catastrophic error, because it sucks money out of the real economy. And he's also right to trash those who view the sluggishness of the recovery as solely Obama's fault. But he's wrong, I think, to throw policy uncertainty out of the window entirely as a proximate cause of some of the problem's we're now facing.
Broadly, policy uncertainty goes both ways. That is simply because not all entrepreneurs in the private sector are looking for or worrying about tax cuts. People are heterogeneous. While there are some entrepreneurs worried about the future trajectory of taxes, many other entrepreneurs may be hoping for fiscal stimulus either because they would expect to receive orders from the government (for example, construction firms, defence contractors, universities, energy companies) or because they would be hoping that with stimulus, more people would have money in their pockets and they would be spending it.
While this, of course, cannot explain the crisis itself, nor the long and slow deleveraging since, having a deadlocked Congress erring on the side of austerity could be a major headache for many private enterprises. The fact that the more severe austerity experienced in Europe and Britain has actually led to bigger budget deficits there could result in even deeper and greater uncertainty for businesses. Put more simply, many businessmen could be reading Paul Krugman and others like him, agreeing with their interpretations, and worrying about the confused and deadlocked approach that the Federal government has taken to the post-2007 economy, and the dangers of austerity. This could contribute to the uptick in policy uncertainty measured by the Stanford/Chicago Index experienced since 2007 just as much as Wall Street Journal-reading Republicans worrying about the Confidence Fairy and taxes.


text:
Wine Cellar Cooling Units
The cooling system is the heart of your wine cellar. Our wine room refrigerators ensure that your wine is properly cooled, letting it mature gracefully, increasing in quality and value. Wine Enthusiast offers a range of high quality, easy-to-install cooling units for wine cellars of all sizes. Contact one of our wine storage consultants for support! We're glad to share more information on installa...Read Moretion and the advantages of both ducted units and through-the-wall units. Wine Enthusiast expert consultants can help you navigate options from high-quality brands to find a refrigeration unit that fits your needs and is guaranteed to age well.
Narrowed By: WhisperKOOL Extreme ti Through The Wall WhisperKOOL Platinum Split WhisperKOOL-Platinum-Split-Ducted WhisperKOOL Quantum Ducted WhisperKOOL


text:
When it's Time to Accessorize, it's Time to Get-a-Bag
"We live for bags made for living," and we believe that our most-used bags are often the "unsung heroes" of our daily routines and of our social and traveling adventures. From airline travel to education to fitness activities to grocery shopping, bags of various types, and for a seemingly limitless variety of purposes, are at our disposal almost constantly. We've invested intense research, consideration and thought into the bags that we use regularly in our lives, and into the trending features and functionality of bags being made available today...
At Get a Bag, we've put together a comprehensive line-up of some of the most innovative, technically advanced, practical, and stylish bags, cases, pouches and more from the most trusted brands in the fashion, travel, and on-the-go entertainment industries. Here, you will find a huge variety of bags that are not only functional for everyday life but highly fashionable and built to last. Our selection of backpacks, fanny packs, shopping totes, executive bags, luggage, purses, mobile device cases, and speciality bags ranges from crystal clear vinyl bags for security purposes to premium leather business bags for professionals, and everything in between including RFID blocking accessories. Whether for work, attending classes, outdoor gatherings, sports activities, concert venues, sporting events, or travel, we've got a bag for that. Whether you're going for a classy professional look or a fun and whimsical appeal, we've got a bag for that. If you need assistance in selecting the appropriate bag or need further information about any of our products our experts are standing by and are happy to assist you.
Get a Bag to compliment your activities, your personality, and your lifestyle today!
products, if minimums are met, may be custom imprinted, debossed or embroidered for your business or event.


text:
Link to view our kitten contract
Each and every one of our Maine Coon kittens are raised in our home as our pets, and our Maine Coon kittens are socialized with
adults and children beginning from birth. Our Maine Coon cats are also raised with dogs and birds and are given a wide range of
social interaction to ensure a versatile, easy going temperament.
It is always better to be safe and take your Maine Coon kitten/cat to a licensed vet for a thorough exam immediately.
Please, always transport your Maine Coon kitten in a carrier! We seat belt our carriers to secure them and prevent accidents.
Dry Food: We feed and recommend Taste of the Wild Rocky Mountain Blend dry food. It is one of the few foods on the market that
contains no grain products at all. You may purchase these brands at your local feed store or pet store. Most chain stores do not
carry this kind of food, so you can locate your closest distributor by going to http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/
Raw food: Cats are obligate carnivores and require the majority of their food from meat. Allow your cat to eat as much raw meat
diet he/she wants. Dry food has too many carbohydrates, so only offer a small quantity. We feed a home made meat formula; you
can find many pre-made raw food options for cats on the internet or you can try making your own by using recipes found on the
internet as well. It is critical that the diet include a large amount of ground raw bone and at least 1/5 of the weight consist of organ
meats like liver and heart. Please do not feed your cat just raw muscle meat and please consult with a knowledgeable resource
regarding a good recipe prior to attempting to make your own food.
Water: Offer clean fresh water every day. We like the Drink Well Pet Fountains....they provide filtered running water which
encourages the cats to drink more water.
Dishes: Use glass, ceramic or stainless steel, low sided bowls and clean them daily. Plastic tends to collect bacteria from the oils
in the cat food and can lead to chin acne, bacterial infections etc. Disposable paper plates may also be used for their canned food.
Hairballs: You can offer a product like Petromalt which is a brown sticky paste. Recommended dosage is once a week,
approximately one inch given orally. Many cats will lick it directly from the tube. A dry hacking, gagging cough is usually a hairball.
If your cat is coughing, add a little of canned plain pumpkin to their regular canned food and give Petromalt daily until the hairball
is expelled. If the coughing continues please take them to your vet.
Treats: We feed Greenies assorted flavor cat treats at bed time. The cats and kittens really love chasing after their treats, which
provides them with extra exercise.
Maine Coons enjoy playing with their food and sometimes their water. We recommend using heavy water bowls and putting trays
under the water bowls to prevent floods. Keep the food bowl at least 12 inches from the water bowl. Do not keep the litter pan
anywhere near the food and water containers.
Litter: We suggest you use the jumbo sized litter pans or large plastic storage containers to accommodate the long length of the
Maine Coon body. Hooded pans are fine, but if the cats end up missing the edge of the pan (i.e. their rear end is sticking out of the
end of the pan by the entrance), then you should remove the hood. Put litter pans in a quiet and well ventilated place. We use
many different litters with our kittens to ensure that they will not become particular to a specific litter. We start with Purina Layena
Chicken crumble (chicken feed), which is made of corn and Fresh Step clay (non clumping) litter. We then move on to crystal litter
in some pans and clumping litter in others once the kittens are past the taste everything stage. After your kitten is acclimated to his
new home, you are welcome to use whatever litter suits your cat's preferences and your lifestyle.
We do not recommend Clumping litter for very young kittens as it can cause blockages in their throats as well as digestive track
and intestines. Clumping litter is not always safe for young kittens (they tend to eat everything!) as they have a cement additive so
we recommend not using clumping litter until you are sure the kittens are past the litter tasting stage.
Emergencies: Stock extra pans, litter, food and bottled water in a location with your own personal supplies in case of emergencies
fires, flooding etc. Keep at least one carrier per pet. A quick evacuation tool could be a zippered pillowcase if your carriers are
inaccessible. Keep your cat up to date with vaccinations and keep your pet's nails trimmed bi-weekly.
Grooming: Comb your cat weekly using a wide tooth (coarse) comb, then progress to a tighter (fine) tooth comb. Do not use
brushes on Maine Coons, they do nothing more than move the top layer of fur around. Be gentle and groom the cat in a position
that is comfortable for you both. Start with the britches and tummy and progress to the back and chest which are more pleasurable
for the cat.
Bathing: Always comb your cat prior to bathing. Fill the sink with warm water and gently let the cat "soak" in it until his fur is very
wet. This is a very relaxing part of the bath. Our basic (i.e. not a show bath) shampoo routine includes Goop (mechanics hand
cleaner)(if greasy), Goop Shampoo or Suave Clarifying shampoo and a vinegar rinse, make sure you rinse really well, it is vital
you rinse all soap residue out; a sticky coat will look worse than when you started and will attract dirt.
Drying: Towel dry the cat well after the bath. Warm some thick, absorbant towels in the dryer prior to the bath and wrap your wet
cat in these towels to absorb the excess water. Change the towels as needed and comb out the cat lightly as it is drying or blowing
drying. Make sure it has a warm or sunny place to finish its grooming itself, or blow dry the cat. Expect to be treated with possible
disdain for several hours but the cat will forgive you. :-) Now you have a fresh smelling, lovely kitty to enjoy. Bathing will also help
reduce the amount of hair that is shedding and is vital during their molting seasons (Spring and Fall). Greasy coats and shedding
can lead to horrific mats so it is important to keep up with their grooming.
Nails: Trim the front and rear nails every week as a young kitten and every 2-3 weeks as an adult. Use small cat claw scissors and
holding the cat in a stable position, like a football under your arm, press on the pads of the foot to extend the claw. Clip the
translucent tip of the claw. The opaque portion should not be cut or your cat's claw will bleed - i.e. this will hurt and cause a
negative reaction. Clipping claws should never hurt and if done properly, the cat will not mind. There are five claws on the front
paws and four on the rear.
Ears, Eyes, Mouth and Noses: Use a warm damp soft washcloth and gently wash their eyes, nose and mouth, and wrap it around
your finger to swab out the ear. You can also use baby wipes for this process and they are disposable and safe for your kitty (and
your babies!) Do not use q-tips or put any liquids in the ears unless directed by a vet. Wipe away brown wax but report any heavy
buildup or black dots to your vet. Do not get water in their ears when bathing - do not submerge their heads at all!
Teeth: Check your cats teeth and gums frequently for signs of gum disease (gingivitus or stomatitus), tooth disease, tartar or
teething. 75% of cats do develope Gingivitis sometime in their lives because of the type of bacteria in their mouths, and they cant
chew bones and toys like dogs can. Very bad breath is not normal - your cat could have a problem. Juvenile gingivitus may be
seen when the cats are 6 months-18 months old and occurs when the adult teeth are in and in unaltered cats, when their
hormones start to kick in. This usually clears up by 1.5 years of age and can be helped with treatments of clindamycin (antirobe
aquadrops)an antibiotic prescribed by your vet. Discuss brushing your cats teeth with your vet. Starting this as a kitten makes it
easier to do as a habit.
Fleas: There is no excuse to tolerate fleas. Use a topical product for CATS ONLY such as Advantage or Frontline on your cat
monthly to kill the fleas and treat your home. Fleas are very detrimental to your cat's health - they can kill a cat through anemia
and give cats tapeworm, bacterial infections as well as make them miserable. Do not let fleas invade your home - keep your cats
indoors and be alert.
Toys: When purchasing cat toys, make sure they are cat safe and do not have parts that can be easily removed and swallowed.
Avoid glued on parts and make sure tails, bells, etc. are very secure. Mylar kitty teases are great, but do not leave them around for
the cats to chew on - the metal strings can cause intestinal damage if swallowed. Thread and strings are also very dangerous.
Cats tongues are like scratchy velcro. Once something like a ribbon is licked, it is nearly impossible for a cat to spit it out. Also
strings and ribbons can get stuck around their necks. Ribbons can get stuck in their stomachs or cause an intestinal blockage and
require surgery to remove. Your cats are like toddlers - keep dangerous items out of their reach (and their reach is incredible) and
keep them safe.
Expensive toys are not necessary - cats love cardboard boxes, paper bags (handles must be cut), tinfoil balls (large, tightly
compacted), Ping-Pong balls, etc. Cat tracks and turbo scratchers are great. Catnip toys are wonderful. Pipecleaner toys (bugs)
make great fetching toys.
Furniture: Cats love cat trees. They love to be up high as it gives them both a great view as well as a sense of security. Cats try to
defy gravity all the time and we get to enjoy it when gravity wins. :-) A cat tree at least four feet tall is a necessity for cats. They
need something tall and sturdy so that they can scratch. Scratching allows cats to have a mini-workout. They work their upper
bodies, they work their lower bodies, their back, their abdomens.... well, ok - you get it! They flex, they crunch - they need a good
workout and a cat tree with a sisal post works great. It will also save your furniture!!
Declawing: Declawing is not an option for one of our kittens. Our contract explicitly states that you agree to never have the cat you
purchase from us declawed.
Keeping a cat indoors: Cats are perfectly happy to live indoors if you provide them with affection, attention, a scratching post or
cat tree, toys and quality food and fresh water. They've never been outdoors and don't miss what they don't know and they will
never miss the following:
• Being hit by a car
• Being attacked or killed by dogs
• Being attacked or killed by coyotes, raccoons, great horned owls or other carnivores
• Injuries from other outdoor cats or diseases such as FIV, FIP or FeLV
• Coming into contact with toxins or poisons (antifreeze, snail bait, rat poison)
• Dealing with poisonous insects or snakes
• Dealing with bees, wasps or hornets
• Injuries or diseases from eating birds (splintered bones, toxoplasmosis)
• Injury from a sadistic or cat-hating neighbor
• Being stolen - Maine Coons are beautiful and affectionate and theft is not uncommon! Please do not allow your Icoons Maine
Coon outside unsupervised, or they may become the unwitting member of another family!
Harnesses: Many pet buyers have had success training their Maine Coons to walk around on leashes and harnesses. Always
carry your cat outside, do not allow him to walk out the door on his own. Don't allow them any unsupervised time in a yard that is
not fully enclosed. Just fencing is not enough as cats can EASILY climb over and get stuck outside your yard. You can find some
really neat outdoor enclosures for your cat if you would like them to enjoy the outside with you. There are many options to screen
in a portion of your yard or porch/patio so that your cat can
have fun enjoying the outside for short periods of time.
Precautions: Many products and situations are hazardous to your cats. Pine based cleaners are toxic. Keep toilet lids down and
do not use tank cleaners if your cat ever drinks from the toilet (I know, groan, but some do!). Treat your cat like a curious child and
look for hazards. Cover electrical outlets, protect them from dangling blind cords or electrical cords, firescreen off your fireplace,
candles, potpourri, be careful with recliners, hideabeds, rocking chairs, slamming doors. Be careful with beds (box springs,
dangling threads), needles and thread, plastic bags, shopping bags, tape and sticky tags, cigarettes, styrofoam, packing peanuts,
yarn, cellophane, open refigerators, washers & dryers, garbage cans, sharp tin can lids, chicken bones. Be observant and try to
deal with hazards before your cat finds them.
Poisonous Plants
Visit these web sites for lists of plants to avoid:
CFA's list of plants at http://www.cfa.org/articles/plants.html
Health and First Aid
Basic info: A cat's average temperature should range from 100.4 to 102.5 degrees farenheit. Kittens can be slightly warmer. A
temperature of 103 degrees is cause for concern and an immediate vet visit. Measure temperatures with a rectal thermometer or
an ear thermometer.
Pulse should be 110-130 beats per minute.
Respiration should be 20-30 breaths per minute.
Keep your vet's phone number handy as well as locate an emergency clinic or after hours vet nearby if your regular vet is closed.
Emergencies seem to always happen at night or on weekends.
Designed and Maintained by Icoons Maine Coons
Maine Coon Cats
Available Maine Coon Kittens,
Maine Coon Breeders,
Florida Maine Coon Cats,
Cat Health,
Maine Coon Cat Info,
Designed and Maintained by Icoons Maine Coons
Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association -
Informational site regarding the Maine Coon Breed and its council of
Breeders and members that facilitate the excellence and continuation of the
Maine Coon Breed
Cat Fanciers Association - CFA
Informational site that gives huge detail on all registered cat breeds, cat
showing and exhibiting, cat breeding and registering and the enjoyment of
The International Cat Association - TICA
Another excellent informational site that gives great detail on all
registered cat breeds, cat showing and exhibiting, cat breeding
and registering and the enjoyment of cats
Myths, legend and lore surround the Maine Coon Cat. Some are amusing, some are fantastic
flights of fantasy and some are merely plausible. They certainly provide good material for
conversation. Books and articles dealing with these aspects of the Maine Coon Cat have been
well received as people never seem to tire of the subject and are always eager to know more
about this wonderful breed.
The Maine Coon is the native American longhaired cat and was recognized as a specific breed
in Maine where they were held in high regard for their mousing talents. Through nature's own
breeding program, this breed has developed into a sturdy cat ideally suited to the harsh winters
and varied seasons of the region. The Maine Coon is well known for its loving nature, kindly
disposition and great intelligence. Maines are especially good with children and dogs and have
always been a popular and sought after companion.
The Maine Coon has always been admired for its beauty, and a Maine Coon was chosen Best
Cat at the first major cat show ever held in this country. The transition from easygoing farm cat
to CFA finalist was not an easy one, nor did it happen quickly. Although they lost favor and
were conspicuously absent from shows for quite a long time, we are now seeing large classes
of these beauties in most cat shows and it is not unusual for a Maine Coon to be named "Best
Pricing on Maine Coons usually depends on type, applicable markings and bloodlines
distinguished by Grand Champion (GC), National or Regional winning parentage (NW or RW)
or of Distinguished Merit parentage (DM). The DM title is achieved by the dam (mother) having
produced five CFA grand champion/premier (alter) or DM offspring, or sire (father) having
produced fifteen CFA grand champion/premier or DM offspring. Usually breeders make kittens
available between twelve and sixteen weeks of age. After twelve weeks, kittens have had their
basic inoculations and developed the physical and social stability needed for a new
environment, showing, or being transported by air. Keeping such a rare treasure indoors,
neutering or spaying and providing acceptable surfaces (e.g. scratching posts) for the natural
behavior of scratching (CFA disapproves of declawing or tendonectomy surgery) are essential
elements for maintaining a healthy, long and joyful life.
(Adapted from the information for the Maine Coon Breed Profile located on the CFA website)
contact us at 850-722-7972 or
Icoons Maine Coon Cats
Designed and Maintained by Icoons Maine Coons
Maine Coon Cats
Available Maine Coon Kittens,
Maine Coon Breeders,
Florida Maine Coon Cats,
Cat Health,
Maine Coon Cat Info,
Maine Coon Breeder Friends
Alicoons Maine Coons
located near Jacksonville, FL
Big Meow Maine Coons
located in Atlanta, GA
Br'er Coon Maine Coons
located near Atlanta, GA
Irishcoons Maine Coons
located near Tampa, FL
Tropikoons Maine Coons
located in central Florida
Nascat Maine Coons
located near Houston, TX
contact us at 850-722-7972 or