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- Understanding drug use, abuse, addiction
- How drug abuse, addiction develops
- Signs and symptoms
- Warning signs in others
- Getting help for drug abuse and addiction
- When a loved one has a drug problem
- When a teen has a drug problem
Some people are able to use recreational or prescription drugs without ever experiencing negative consequences or addiction. For many others, substance use can cause problems at work, home, school, and in relationships, leaving you feeling isolated, helpless, or ashamed. If you're worried about your own or a friend or family member's drug use, it's important to know that help is available. Learning about the nature of drug abuse and addiction—how it develops, what it looks like, and why it can have such a powerful hold—will give you a better understanding of the problem and how to best deal with it.
**Signs, Symptoms, and Help for Drug Problems and Substance Abuse**
People experiment with drugs for many different reasons. Many first try drugs out of curiosity, to have a good time, because friends are doing it, or in an effort to improve athletic performance or ease another problem, such as stress, anxiety, or depression. Use doesn't automatically lead to abuse, and there is no specific level at which drug use moves from casual to problematic. It varies by individual. Drug abuse and addiction is less about the amount of substance consumed or the frequency, and more to do with the consequences of drug use. No matter how often or how little you're consuming, if your drug use is causing problems in your life—at work, school, home, or in your relationships—you likely have a drug abuse or addiction problem.
As with many other conditions and diseases, vulnerability to addiction differs from person to person. Your genes, mental health, family and social environment all play a role in addiction. Risk factors that increase your vulnerability include:
- Family history of addiction
- Abuse, neglect, or other traumatic experiences in childhood
- Mental disorders such as depression and anxiety
- Early use of drugs
- Method of administration—smoking or injecting a drug may increase its addictive potential
Addiction is a complex disorder characterized by compulsive drug use. While each drug produces different physical effects, all abused substances share one thing in common: repeated use can alter the way the brain looks and functions.
- Taking a recreational drug causes a surge in levels of dopamine in your brain, which trigger feelings of pleasure. Your brain remembers these feelings and wants them repeated.
- If you become addicted, the substance takes on the same significance as other survival behaviors, such as eating and drinking.
- Changes in your brain interfere with your ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment, control your behavior, and feel normal without drugs.
- Whether you're addicted to inhalants, heroin, Xanax, speed, or Vicodin, the uncontrollable craving to use grows more important than anything else, including family, friends, career, and even your own health and happiness.
- The urge to use is so strong that your mind finds many ways to deny or rationalize the addiction. You may drastically underestimate the quantity of drugs you're taking, how much it impacts your life, and the level of control you have over your drug use.
People who experiment with drugs continue to use them because the substance either makes them feel good, or stops them from feeling bad. In many cases, however, there is a fine line between regular use and drug abuse and addiction. Very few addicts are able to recognize when they have crossed that line. While frequency or the amount of drugs consumed don't in themselves constitute drug abuse or addiction, they can often be indicators of drug-related problems.
- Problems can sometimes sneak up on you, as your drug use gradually increases over time. Smoking a joint with friends at the weekend, or taking ecstasy at a rave, or cocaine at an occasional party, for example, can change to using drugs a couple of days a week, then every day. Gradually, getting and using the drug becomes more and more important to you.
- If the drug fulfills a valuable need, you may find yourself increasingly relying on it. For example, you may take drugs to calm you if you feel anxious or stressed, energize you if you feel depressed, or make you more confident in social situations if you normally feel shy. Or you may have started using prescription drugs to cope with panic attacks or relieve chronic pain, for example. Until you find alternative, healthier methods for overcoming these problems, your drug use will likely continue.
- Similarly, if you use drugs to fill a void in your life, you're more at risk of crossing the line from casual use to drug abuse and addiction. To maintain healthy balance in your life, you need to have other positive experiences, to feel good in your life aside from any drug use.
- As drug abuse takes hold, you may miss or frequently be late for work or school, your job performance may progressively deteriorate, and you start to neglect social or family obligations. Your ability to stop using is eventually compromised. What began as a voluntary choice has turned into a physical and psychological need.
The good news is that with the right treatment and support, you can counteract the disruptive effects of drug use and regain control of your life. The first obstacle is to recognize and admit you have a problem, or listen to loved ones who are often better able to see the negative effects drug use is having on your life.
MYTH 1: Overcoming addiction is a simply a matter of willpower. You can stop using drugs if you really want to. Prolonged exposure to drugs alters the brain in ways that result in powerful cravings and a compulsion to use. These brain changes make it extremely difficult to quit by sheer force of will.
MYTH 2: Addiction is a disease; there's nothing you can do about it. Most experts agree that addiction is a brain disease, but that doesn't mean you're a helpless victim. The brain changes associated with addiction can be treated and reversed through therapy, medication, exercise, and other treatments.
MYTH 3: Addicts have to hit rock bottom before they can get better. Recovery can begin at any point in the addiction process—and the earlier, the better. The longer drug abuse continues, the stronger the addiction becomes and the harder it is to treat. Don't wait to intervene until the addict has lost it all.
MYTH 4: You can't force someone into treatment; they have to want help. Treatment doesn't have to be voluntary to be successful. People who are pressured into treatment by their family, employer, or the legal system are just as likely to benefit as those who choose to enter treatment on their own. As they sober up and their thinking clears, many formerly resistant addicts decide they want to change.
MYTH 5: Treatment didn't work before, so there's no point trying again. Recovery from drug addiction is a long process that often involves setbacks. Relapse doesn't mean that treatment has failed or that you're a lost cause. Rather, it's a signal to get back on track, either by going back to treatment or adjusting the treatment approach.
Although different drugs have different physical effects, the symptoms of addiction are similar. See if you recognize yourself in the following signs and symptoms of substance abuse and addiction. If so, consider talking to someone about your drug use.
- You're neglecting your responsibilities at school, work, or home (e.g. flunking classes, skipping work, neglecting your children) because of your drug use.
- You're using drugs under dangerous conditions or taking risks while high, such as driving while on drugs, using dirty needles, or having unprotected sex.
- Your drug use is getting you into legal trouble, such as arrests for disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, or stealing to support a drug habit.
- Your drug use is causing problems in your relationships, such as fights with your partner or family members, an unhappy boss, or the loss of old friends.
- You've built up a drug tolerance. You need to use more of the drug to experience the same effects you used to attain with smaller amounts.
- You take drugs to avoid or relieve withdrawal symptoms. If you go too long without drugs, you experience symptoms such as nausea, restlessness, insomnia, depression, sweating, shaking, and anxiety.
- You've lost control over your drug use. You often do drugs or use more than you planned, even though you told yourself you wouldn't. You may want to stop using, but you feel powerless.
- Your life revolves around drug use. You spend a lot of time using and thinking about drugs, figuring out how to get them, and recovering from the drug's effects.
- You've abandoned activities you used to enjoy, such as hobbies, sports, and socializing, because of your drug use.
- You continue to use drugs, despite knowing it's hurting you. It's causing major problems in your life—blackouts, infections, mood swings, depression, paranoia—but you use anyway.
Drug abusers often try to conceal their symptoms and downplay their problem. If you're worried that a friend or family member might be abusing drugs, look for the following warning signs:
- Bloodshot eyes, pupils larger or smaller than usual
- Changes in appetite or sleep patterns. Sudden weight loss or weight gain
- Deterioration of physical appearance, personal grooming habits
- Unusual smells on breath, body, or clothing
- Tremors, slurred speech, or impaired coordination
- Drop in attendance and performance at work or school
- Unexplained need for money or financial problems. May borrow or steal to get it.
- Engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors
- Sudden change in friends, favorite hangouts, and hobbies
- Frequently getting into trouble (fights, accidents, illegal activities)
- Unexplained change in personality or attitude
- Sudden mood swings, irritability, or angry outbursts
- Periods of unusual hyperactivity, agitation, or giddiness
- Lack of motivation; appears lethargic or "spaced out"
- Appears fearful, anxious, or paranoid, with no reason
- Marijuana: Glassy, red eyes; loud talking, inappropriate laughter followed by sleepiness; loss of interest, motivation; weight gain or loss.
- Depressants: (including Xanax, Valium, GHB): Contracted pupils; drunk-like; difficulty concentrating; clumsiness; poor judgment; slurred speech; sleepiness.
- Stimulants: (including amphetamines, cocaine, crystal meth): Dilated pupils; hyperactivity; euphoria; irritability; anxiety; excessive talking followed by depression or excessive sleeping at odd times; may go long periods of time without eating or sleeping; weight loss; dry mouth and nose.
- Inhalants: (glues, aerosols, vapors): Watery eyes; impaired vision, memory and thought; secretions from the nose or rashes around the nose and mouth; headaches and nausea; appearance of intoxication; drowsiness; poor muscle control; changes in appetite; anxiety; irritability; lots of cans/aerosols in the trash.
- Hallucinogens: (LSD, PCP): Dilated pupils; bizarre and irrational behavior including paranoia, aggression, hallucinations; mood swings; detachment from people; absorption with self or other objects, slurred speech; confusion.
- Heroin: Contracted pupils; no response of pupils to light; needle marks; sleeping at unusual times; sweating; vomiting; coughing, sniffling; twitching; loss of appetite.
While experimenting with drugs doesn't automatically lead to drug abuse, early use is a risk factor for developing more serious drug abuse and addiction. Risk of drug abuse also increases greatly during times of transition, such as changing schools, moving, or divorce. The challenge for parents is to distinguish between the normal, often volatile, ups and downs of the teen years and the red flags of substance abuse. These include:
- Having bloodshot eyes or dilated pupils; using eye drops to try to mask these signs
- Skipping class; declining grades; suddenly getting into trouble at school
- Missing money, valuables, or prescriptions
- Acting uncharacteristically isolated, withdrawn, angry, or depressed
- Dropping one group of friends for another; being secretive about the new peer group
- Loss of interest in old hobbies; lying about new interests and activities
- Demanding more privacy; locking doors; avoiding eye contact; sneaking around
- Visit a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in your area.
- Call 1-800-662-HELP in the U.S. to reach a free referral helpline from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Recognizing that you have a problem is the first step on the road to recovery, one that takes tremendous courage and strength. Facing your addiction without minimizing the problem or making excuses can feel frightening and overwhelming, but recovery is within reach. If you're ready to make a change and willing to seek help, you can overcome your addiction and build a satisfying, drug-free life for yourself.
Don't try to go it alone; it's all too easy to get discouraged and rationalize "just one more" hit or pill. Whether you choose to go to rehab, rely on self-help programs, get therapy, or take a self-directed treatment approach, support is essential. Recovering from drug addiction is much easier when you have people you can lean on for encouragement, comfort, and guidance.
Support can come from:
- family members
- close friends
- therapists or counselors
- other recovering addicts
- healthcare providers
- people from your faith community
If you suspect that a friend or family member has a drug problem, here are a few things you can do:
- Speak up. Talk to the person about your concerns, and offer your help and support, without being judgmental. The earlier addiction is treated, the better. Don't wait for your loved one to hit bottom! Be prepared for excuses and denial by listing specific examples of your loved one's behavior that has you worried.
- Take care of yourself. Don't get so caught up in someone else's drug problem that you neglect your own needs. Make sure you have people you can talk to and lean on for support. And stay safe. Don't put yourself in dangerous situations.
- Avoid self-blame. You can support a person with a substance abuse problem and encourage treatment, but you can't force an addict to change. You can't control your loved one's decisions. Let the person accept responsibility for his or her actions, an essential step along the way to recovery for drug addiction.
- Attempt to punish, threaten, bribe, or preach.
- Try to be a martyr. Avoid emotional appeals that may only increase feelings of guilt and the compulsion to use drugs.
- Cover up or make excuses for the drug abuser, or shield them from the negative consequences of their behavior.
- Take over their responsibilities, leaving them with no sense of importance or dignity.
- Hide or throw out drugs.
- Argue with the person when they are high.
- Take drugs with the drug abuser.
- Feel guilty or responsible for another's behavior.
Discovering your child uses drugs can generate fear, confusion, and anger in parents. It's important to remain calm when confronting your teen, and only do so when everyone is sober. Explain your concerns and make it clear that your concern comes from a place of love. It's important that your teen feels you are supportive.
Five steps parents can take:
- Lay down rules and consequences. Your teen should understand that using drugs comes with specific consequences. But don't make hollow threats or set rules that you cannot enforce. Make sure your spouse agrees with the rules and is prepared to enforce them.
- Monitor your teen's activity. Know where your teen goes and who he or she hangs out with. It's also important to routinely check potential hiding places for drugs—in backpacks, between books on a shelf, in DVD cases or make-up cases, for example. Explain to your teen that this lack of privacy is a consequence of him or her having been caught using drugs.
- Encourage other interests and social activities. Expose your teen to healthy hobbies and activities, such as team sports and afterschool clubs.
- Talk to your child about underlying issues. Drug use can be the result of other problems. Is your child having trouble fitting in? Has there been a recent major change, like a move or divorce, which is causing stress?
- Get Help. Teenagers often rebel against their parents but if they hear the same information from a different authority figure, they may be more inclined to listen. Try a sports coach, family doctor, therapist, or drug counselor.
- Drug and Alcohol Resource Center: 1-800-784-6776
- Drug Rehabs: 1-866-762-3712
- Recovery Connection: 1-800-511-9225
- Addiction Helpline: 1-877-235-0400
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: 1-800-662-HELP(4357)
- Drug Abuse and Alcohol Hotline: 1-800-553-7160
- Teen Help Inc: 1-800-400-0900
- Students Against Drugs and Alcohol: 1-800-782-4062


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Apple is convinced that Samsung are just a bunch of shameless copycats, but as this patent shows, Samsung went and conjured up an innovation Apple didn't have the foresight to do themselves: make a phone that sprays perfume. Yes, perfume. When the scentphone market blows up in 2020, it'll be Apple having to defend itself from copycat claims. [USPTO via Engadget via Ubergizmo]
Caleb McLaughlin Wants to Play Static Shock

subset: commoncrawl


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She is okay now. She is okay now. She is okay now.
I have to keep reminding myself of this. I catch myself taking a lot of deep, cleansing breaths. My left eye has started to twitch every once in a while. Nausea comes and goes in waves, and it feels like something is pushing on my chest, forcing all of the air out of my lungs. My nerves are raw and exposed, but I am eerily calm. I may or may not look it on the outside, but my head is a mess.
You see, yesterday, for almost one full hour, I believed that my oldest child was dead.
On Saturday morning, just after 3 a.m., Sheepdog and I got the phone call that no parent ever wants to get. The voice on the other end said that Kid A had been found, unresponsive, in her dorm hallway and she had been taken by ambulance to the hospital. She said we should get there as quickly as possible, but could offer no additional information.
We woke Kid B and asked her to sleep in our bed in case the boys got up in the middle of the night, and we assured her that we would call as soon as we had news. We drove down silently to Grady Memorial in Atlanta. Sheepdog and I held hands. Phone calls to the hospital during the cold, long trip resulted in the confirmation that she was there, but they would tell us nothing else.
Nothing at all.
My imagination went to all of the very bad places. I thought of all of the risky choices I had made in college. All of the insane, dumb, moronic stuff I had done. All of the times I sat around with my friends, recounting the bits and pieces from the night before, wondering how we managed to survive the night. It was crazy. We were so stupid. We were so lucky. How did we get so lucky? How did we get out, relatively unscathed?
I felt I was getting my answer now. In my mind I heard a nagging whisper, "Pay up. Nobody rides for free." Was Kid A going to be my price?
Unresponsive. Unresponsive. Unresponsive.
We found the emergency department, cleared security, and went straight to the front desk. We were quickly directed to ambulance triage. I rounded the corner and saw Kid A sitting up on a gurney. I went from zero to sixty, or sixty to zero (I'm not quite sure which) in an instant. Thankfully, my worst-case-scenario had only happened in my head.
I have never hugged someone so vehemently in my life.
The doctor reassured us that she would be fine, and later she was discharged. We drove her back to school and tucked her in with instructions to sleep and hydrate, even though my first instinct was to bring her back home with us and smother her with love and over-parenting. But I am learning that I can not protect my kids from all of the things. Sometimes they need to feel a pinch.
"A hard lesson to learn! I'm sure it will be something you will work out with her and a good lesson was learned without tragic results," said my mother-in-law.
"Is the lesson 'Don't Have Kids?'" I replied. "I seem to have learned that one a little too late. They're likely going to be the death of me."
"Hopefully the gravity of it will scare her," is what one sister said. Hopefully.
And, hopefully, this experience will encourage her make better choices. I hope that she tells her friends about it, too, and that they realize that none of them are invincible. I realize the hypocrisy of this advice coming from me, but my job as a parent is to advise and guide my kids to be better than me. Do better. Behave better. Make the world a better place.
Pretty please with sugar on top, because Sheepdog and I don't think we can take another wake up call like that one, and we still have four more kids to go after this one.
Wish me luck for tomorrow…


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3 arrested in kick-in burglary in Dunnellon
DUNNELLON - Marion County sheriff's deputies have arrested three men suspected in a kick-in burglary that occurred in the Dunnellon area on Tuesday.
The trio, Matthew Elijah Wilkerson, 21, Lashad Antione Williams, 22, and his cousin, Christopher Luthertyrel Williams, 25, were apprehended by Deputy Josh Parker, who spotted their vehicle and took them into custody in the 12000 block of State Road 40.
Authorities said the victim, a woman, was in the kitchen area of her residence, located in the 15500 block of Southwest 38th Place, when her door was kicked in.
The woman screamed, and a man who had entered the home saw her and ran without taking anything from the home, deputies said.
The woman saw the suspect entered a burgundy colored SUV and was able to get a partial license plate number. She was able to give authorities a description of the vehicle and the clothing the suspect was wearing.
A bulletin was issued for the suspect and the vehicle. Deputy Parker was in the area and saw a burgundy-colored vehicle coming from the opposite direction that matched the bulletin. He turned around, and began following the vehicle.
While following the vehicle, he observed clothing, gloves and a ski mask being thrown outside the vehicle.
The deputy eventually was able to stop the vehicle, which was later determined to be a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer.
The occupants were then detained, and the victim of the would-be burglary was brought to the location where she identified the vehicle as the one the suspect ran into.
Detective Todd Tucker interviewed Wilkerson, who told him he was directed to the victim's residence by Christopher Williams and that he had no idea what was going on.
Wilkerson said the cousins returned to the vehicle, jumped in and told him to go. He claimed he never left the vehicle.
Christopher Williams was then interviewed, and he denied going to the victim's residence. He alleged he was in the vehicle and his cousin and Wilkerson were the ones who exited the vehicle and walked to the home. He said he never saw anyone kicking the door.
He too said he had no knowledge about what the others were going to do.
Williams' cousin declined to talk with the detective.
The detective was given consent to search the vehicle by the registered owner and he recovered a flat screen television and a large plastic Coke bank.
Officials believe the items may be from another burglary.
Arrested, the trio was each charged with occupied residential burglary.
They're checking to see if the suspects are connected to other burglaries.
"The victim in this case did the right thing. She gave us a good description of the vehicle they were in, the direction of travel and the suspects, all coupled with having an officer close by who was able to stop the vehicle and make an arrest," said Marion County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Jimmy Pogue.
State records show all three men are currently on probation for grand theft and burglary. In the case of Wilkerson, his administrative probation is slated to end Oct. 2, 2014, while Christopher Williams' felony probation terminates March 28, 2016. His cousin's felony probation ends Nov. 29, 2013.


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Does the Budget Deal Mean Congress Is Fixed? No, No, and No
Unresolved partisan tensions mean getting a bill through both chambers will remain the exception, not the rule, in the year.
The successful budget deal forged by Representative Paul Ryan and Senator Patty Murray, and its wide margin of approval in the House, have had many observers suggesting the political system may have turned a corner in its dysfunction.
Its small-bore and cramped ambitions notwithstanding, the deal is an important achievement, avoiding the worst and most damaging consequences that would have flowed from the second tranche of sequester cuts. And its symbolism is itself important, bringing together a rare match across the divide with both Ryan and Murray behaving responsibly and saying all the right things about the need to compromise under divided government.
Reporters especially grooved to John Boehner's open-throated defiance of groups like Heritage Action and the Club for Growth, while heralding the return of Boehner as the speaker in charge. So what is the reality here? Is this a new era of problem-solving, bipartisan cooperation, and a dominant speaker?
In a word, no.
Here is a little exercise. Ask yourself: If the exact same Ryan/Murray deal had instead been crafted by Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, would it have gotten 300-plus votes in the House? One hundred and sixty-nine Republican votes? One hundred Republican votes? The answers are no, no, and no. Kudos to Boehner for giving free rein to Paul Ryan, who has deep credibility with House Republicans, made deeper by his vote against the deal to end the shutdown. It is true that the experience of the shutdown gave pause to a number of House Republicans who understood afterward that they had blown it, giving up three priceless weeks of negative coverage of the rollout of Healthcare.gov while damaging the GOP brand. But Ryan made the deal at the front end and the back end. And the bottom line remains that Boehner and the rest of the leadership team are still viewed by a sizable share of their colleagues with suspicion that they are not "real" conservatives.
Future problem-solving? Soon after the deal, the self-same Paul Ryan was speculating on which demands House Republicans would be making this spring when the debt ceiling nears—not whether he and his colleagues would avoid another confrontation threatening America's full faith and credit, but what the terms would be. And that underscores a continuing reality. Even if the Tea Party or other radical forces in and outside the GOP, including lawmakers and groups like Heritage Action, were beaten back on the budget deal and dissed publicly more than once by the speaker, they are still driving and dominant forces in the party. Past experience and current dynamics tell us that Boehner is not going to hit the accelerator and drive through these forces again and again to humiliate and cow them, but will balance the one compromise with a set of actions that defer to their impulses.
The speaker's dilemma is that he still needs the ongoing support of a sizable collection of members who do not want to swallow hard and compromise. But there are several bills coming forward that require making deals. The farm bill will be ready in January, if Frank Lucas, the House Agriculture Committee chair is to be believed, but it will include cuts in food stamps deep enough to cost the votes of a slew of Democrats but not deep enough to mollify the House conservatives who set $40 billion in food-stamp cuts over 10 years as a litmus test. It should pass, but it will be a tough slog.
The dozen appropriations bills that have to flow quickly from the budget deal will still include very controversial cutbacks in key programs, making it hard to find a coalition for passage. Even for budget issues, then, talk of a new impetus to act responsibly is premature.
Which is not to say that all future compromises or problem-solving efforts are off the table.
A deal might be reached on extending unemployment insurance, with funding perhaps from spectrum auctions. The business community, for the first time, is energized toward problem solving, and willing, at least in part, to put money into protecting GOP problem-solvers as well as going after radicals.
The business lobby's willingness to weigh in on key issues puts some into play that otherwise would not be. With Obama and many congressional Democrats now indicating a willingness to consider an immigration solution in multiple parts, there is a tiny chance of movement on that issue. There is a slightly better chance of some kind of infrastructure deal, and possibly an energy deal as well. But if there are deals, they will likely require Boehner to go back to the pattern of passing things with a deeply divided Republican Conference. And despite his tough talk about Michael Needham at Heritage Action, et al., Boehner is not eager to do that.
Turn to the Senate, which shows its own signs of dysfunction. Senate Republicans flirted with killing the budget deal by filibuster, and they show few signs of looking to solve problems, especially given the tensions over the filibuster change and the primary contests facing a critical mass of those up for reelection in 2014. In the end, three-quarters of them voted no on cloture. Thad Cochran, Lindsey Graham, Mike Enzi, and Lamar Alexander are all moving further to the right in the face of stiff primary challenges; Alexander voted for cloture but in general is becoming more dyspeptic and less statesmanlike. More significant, GOP leaders Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn are both feeling some heat from the right, especially McConnell. And with McConnell facing serious disapproval from Kentuckians for his role in the deal that ended the shutdown, there is little chance he will want to be a dealmaker in the new year. Underscoring that reality, McConnell piled on after Ryan to say there will be ransom demands on the debt ceiling.
Perhaps after primary season, Alexander and his colleagues will move back to their more typical problem-solving mode. Perhaps GOP senators will lose their obsession with Obamacare, and their fervent belief that they need to do nothing in other areas and just watch the health are plan disintegrate—their surefire path to majority. Indeed, the insurance industry's willingness now to fund a huge campaign to cover uninsured Americans suggests that the Affordable Care Act will work better than they think.
But then, what is Plan B for McConnell and his colleagues? There are paths to more functionality in 2014, but they are long, winding, pothole-filled, and have limited access.


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Update: We've altered our review to reflect improved pricing on the Optimus L3 - does that make it any more worthwhile as a smartphone though?
Some way off becoming a leader of the smartphone scene, LG's Optimus L3 is an entry-level handset that counteracts a less than groundbreaking array of specs, largely uninspiring styling and a less than fluid user experience with an impressive performance in the area that is arguably most important to its intended market, pricing.
Lining up for as little as £79.95 on a pay-as-you-go basis or from £7.50 per month on a monthly contract, the L3 is one third of the Optimus L series and lines up as the smaller, lower-end sibling to the mid-market L5 and higer-end L7.
Banking on its wallet-friendly price point to separate it from the expansive range of entry-level smartphones, the latest LG offering faces stiff competition from a flurry of more aesthetically pleasing, specs impressive and desirable devices from more coveted brands of the pocketable handset sector, such as Samsung and HTC.
While the handset's sub £100 price tag will appeal to many, the minimalist price point comes at a cost with the handset's dated array of specs seeing the device line up with a number of its core elements, such as the screen and inbuilt camera, falling below the expected standards.
Despite its widespread limitations, thanks to the device's 800MHz processor and few hardware demands, the LG Optimus L3 is rather zippy, with the sub-sized smartphone enabling you to freely scroll through the selection of Android 2.3 Gingerbread-enabled home screens and menus with ease, tackling the transitions in a simple, albeit low resolution manner.
On first impressions the handset is largely disappointing with an extremely low-resolution touchscreen display providing heavily grained images and far from impressive visuals. These first impressions are only further compounded the deeper you delve into the handset's core.
On the compact side of the smartphone spectrum, the 3.2-inch LCD TFT capacitive touchscreen offering found on the LG Optimus L3 is a frankly pitiful inclusion. Far from responsive, the QVGA feature boasts just a 320 x 240p image resolution with the low quality images further depleted by the minimalist 256K colour contrast ration and poor 125 pixels-per-inch image density.
Although sure to attract many thanks to its extremely low pricing, the LG Optimus L3 features fewer bells and whistles, and a lower array of hardware features, than a number of its similarly priced rivals, with the £79.99 priced Orange San Francisco offering a superior 800 x 480p resolution display. Elsewhere the Alcatel OT-602 manages to utilise the same 320 x 240p resolution screen, albeit on a smaller scale, and the HTC Desire C runs the more current Android 4.0 operating system.
Not all doom and gloom, there are areas of the hardware wars where the LG Optimus L3 comes into its own and manages to gain some much needed added credit. In a section of the market increasingly dependent on the use of microSD cards for any workable amount of internal storage, the L3 boasts 1GB of memory inbuilt.
While the device can still be expanded up to 32GB via microSD, this full gigabyte base is a marked improvement on many of its sub 256MB touting rivals.
Fulfilling its role as a smartphone, the LG Optimus L3, like virtually all modern devices, offers you the standard collection of connectivity options with the now customary 3G and Wi-Fi abilities further enhanced by Bluetooth 3.0.
In terms of internals, while Google's Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS is no longer at the fore of software potential, with no Android 4.0 ICS update to be made available, LG's decision to skin the L3 with its own Optimus 2.0 Lite user interface could be seen as a mistake. A less than fluid experience helps create a device that through a period of long-term use would quickly transform multiple small niggles into a series of massive molehills.


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A full game condensed to less than 20 minutes.
Waterloo1 Demo
Mr. Q Uncategorized 1 Minute
Published by Mr. Q
I semi-retired at 47. I suffered a sever brain injury at 25. I have written 3 books about living with brain injury and have had a regular column in the Brain Injury Alliance of MN's quarterly mag since 1999. I received my BA in English with honors in 2014. One of my avocations is developing simulation games. Weather permitting, I enjoy a round of Disc Golf whenever possible. View all posts by Mr. Q


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Hope springs eternal. It's the offseason, it's predictable, but it's still fun to read.
First, the Tech fan who wants some cheese served with his whine:
Richard (Atlanta)
Once again there are people (including ESPN bloggers) doubting Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech. What does it take for a coach with an conventional (sic) offense to silence critics for good? Urban Meyer did it with a national championship. Is that what it's going to take for PJ to do the same?
Bruce(2:28 PM)
He is a well-respected coach, but it's not like they're coming off a top 10 season. They didn't finish last season off well. I think they're a top 25 team, but I think there are 3-4 teams in the league who are more talented/complete.
It's okay, Richard. At least you'll have something to chat with Feldman about next year.
Or maybe you can be this dude's pen pal.
Please answer these questions: Will Steve Spurrier ever win an SEC title with the Gamecocks? If so, is this the year? Assuming that it is, wouldn't that also put them in the national championship game? And if South Carolina does win, would that make him the greatest college football coach ever?
D.H. in Lawtey, Fla.
Only a legitimate clairvoyant (if such really exists) could know whether South Carolina will win an SEC championship and maybe more under Spurrier. Personally, I have my doubts, but I've been around too long to rule anything out.
For example, I never saw it coming when Northwestern won the Big Ten under Gary Barnett. And Wake Forest's ACC title blindsided me. Heck, I'll even admit surprise to Oregon winning the Pac-10 championship last season.But if the Gamecocks did win (and that is a huge "if") the SEC and maybe more, your question about Spurrier's place among college football's greatest coaches is certainly interesting…
Translation: feel free to keep in touch.


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by Jade French
Adam Niklewicz plays with the relationship between identity and nationality with a slice of sausage in the middle. Removing our typical relationship with food (eat and run) Niklewicz forces the viewer to reimagine how we can view food with everything from beautifully rotating chicken bones to musical sausages! His sculptures are multi-faceted creations which resituate objects outside of their normal habitats. We caught up with the artist to find out more…
Jade French: How does your relationship with both Poland and America inform your work?
Adam Nikelwicz: On one hand, there's the visual vocabulary of my Polish childhood, on the other – the American pop-cultural and commercial iconography. The two clash and blend together (there's a bit of smoke) and all this occasionally produces some creative leaven.
JF: Do you think through creating art you gain a sense of identity? Or does art incorporate a universal feeling, which negates nationality?
AN: I'd dread to hear that my art is somehow ethnic, hermetic or obscure. True, I often base it on quirky, ethnic, folkish facts but I do hope I'm able to distill these facts into works with universal appeal.
JF: Can you explain more fully how 'Romantycznosc' is a reflection on the Polish psyche? How did you create that piece of work? It's amazing that the sound is so pitch perfect when made out of meat!
AN: It's hard for me to explain the Polish psyche notion (other than through art itself), I know though it reaches its peak when a Pole plays a polonaise on the instrument. Putting this piece together took a lot of effort and a lot of sausage. And there were these frequent (up to three times a day for a few weeks) visits to my local Polish deli, which confused the store clerk. My appetite for always the same mundane kind of sausage, the shear amounts of the product purchased, the fact that I'd often produce a tape measure from my pocket to check on the sausage's length before buying – all this made the clerk uneasy. I fought against the instinct of explaining myself. I decided that the explanation (I'm not really weird, I'm only making a musical instrument out of sausage) would not boost my image with the man. In other words, I enjoyed the process and misperceptions it produced. The process has recurred several times since with other projects. What makes the piece utter the right kind of sound must remain a secret.
JF: One thing that strikes me is the manipulation of found objects into functioning equipment- like the Art Forum kaleidoscope. How important is it that your art has a function, as well as an aesthetic value?
AN: I want my work to both look good and to possess content. Yes, I need my objects to function, but their purpose must not adhere to an easy logic.
JF: Is the Art Forum piece a comment on art journalism? I noticed you cut the visuals from the review sections out- how much do art reviews affect an artist?
AN: Perhaps it's a comment on the nature of art. I truly believe that art is ever-changing (like the kaleidoscope effect used here) and ever-fresh (not unlike nature itself).
JF: Do you think using microscopic visuals forces the viewer to look harder at your artwork, or engages them in a different way?
AN: A small object of art feels precious, like a piece of jewelry. I noticed that people gladly focus their attention on a small work. They feel encouraged to wrap their minds around it.
JF: Would you classify your work as playful?
AN: I'm very happy when someone calls my work playful. I'm equally happy when viewers find it humorous.
JF: Pieces such as 'Ounce' have a strong sense of nostalgia and poignancy- does this piece relate directly to personal experiences?
AN: I love that you misspelled the title of this piece! The actual title – ONUCE, stands for a garment of sorts – two pieces of fabric or paper (often a newspaper) designated to be wrapped around feet, usually in addition to socks. All this for an extra protection against cold. I suspect the term made the title partially because it looked like a misspelled English word (e.g. ONCE, OUNCE). I used to wear onuce as a child. Big time!
JF: Pieces such as 'Calle Lunga' and 'Monument to Borscht', although stationary, seem to incorporate a sense of movement- is that something you recognize yourself?
AN: These two pieces are not really built to last. They appear to face the imminent prospect of collapsing, breaking, sagging. I think, this is where the sense of movement comes from; their fragile nature implies change and change is related to movement.
JF: The kinetic sculpture 'Chicken Soup' has a sense of frailty to it – what do you think this piece is trying to say?
AN: I like fantasizing about that chicken I consumed. I assembled its bones in a rather aerial manner. I wonder- is this transformed bird on the verge of taking off?
JF: Why is there a link between food and heritage within your work?
AN: Food is a visible, tactile, sensuous (and surprisingly meaningful) way of experiencing a cultural heritage.
JF: I also read that you ate paint as an art student, which relates to the piece of bread with orange oil paint – can you tell us the story and why you recreated this moment later in life?
AN: The incident happened many years ago during a drinking party of a bunch of 17-year old art students – all ready, perhaps even certain, to conquer the artworld. In my own drunken stupor, I spread orange oil paint over a slice of bread and challenged everyone to take a bite. Nobody did! Meanwhile, I put myself on the spot and now I had to have a good chunk of the slice. The long forgotten incident returned to me quite suddenly, and made me realize that the then display of adolescent stupidity was in fact an act of commitment. A vow. I'm the only participant of that gathering from he past that keeps making art. I recreated that 'action' now to renew the old vows.
For more about Adam visit his website.


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If you haven't seen it yet, the application's for Pitzer's Native American Summer Pipeline to College Program 2013 are out!
The Applications can be found by clicking the page marked "2013 Applications"
Both the Mentor and Student Applications are there.
Please fill one out or pass them along to someone who may.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Director, Scott Scoggins, at firstname.lastname@example.com


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I'm not saying this because green is my favorite color, I'm saying it because it's true: green is an amazing color. Not just for events, though that is true too, but for all sorts of decor. Green is one of those few colors that is good year round, any season. It's welcomed at just about every holiday, from a lively bright green to a dark and rich emerald green. It can soften and lighten a room, or intensify and enrich the space it is in. Shades of green have such a wide range of effects, it's no wonder that green is always in style and often used at events.
This week I thought I would try to re-envision on of my earliest party idea boards, still found on my other blog, A Sparkly Life for Me (you can see the original idea board HERE). Partially inducing excitement, and the other part a bit of cringing (why the need for balloons?!), I like to look back and see what fresh new twists I could come up with on previous concepts. Plus, I think I'm on a green kick at the moment!
I thought I'd start with keeping that brilliant emerald green and gold concept from my original challenge, transforming it into a manicured garden soiree, still elevated, still formal, but with the emphasis on the emerald green. The gold, now with mirrors, would be subtle but well placed in strategic points throughout the decor. Boxwood hedges, cubes, arrangements, and topiary would be the defining decor at this event.
Here's what I had in mind for this manicured garden party decor:
Be sure to see where each element of this week's decor idea board was found:
Boxwood Wall Hedge with Mirror Seating Charts – captured by Dana Cubbage Weddings and shared on Borrowed and Blue
Boxwood Frames Covered in Mini Lights – shared on Instagram by HMRDesigns
Garden Topiary Stage Set with Twinkle Lights – also shared on Instagram by HMRDesigns
Twisted Topiary and Boxwood Entrance Wall – shared in a roundup post by BizBash
Mirror and Neutral Lounge with Topiary Accents and Boxwood Room Dividers – spotted on Pinterest
Green Chair Cover with Bustle and Green Flowers – available through Wild Flower Linen
Oversized Green Foliage Ring Suspended Above the Dancefloor – shared on Azumamakoto.com
Silver Compote Planters Filled with Boxwood Perimeter Decor – spotted on Pinterest
Pin your favorites for future reference:
I can see this boxwood and manicured garden themed decor working for a gala, fundraiser, evening corporate event, or even wedding.
What setting would you enjoy seeing this manicured garden event decor in?


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The NYPD will conduct a security clampdown during the visit, which is expected to last early into the week as Trump travels from his golf course in Bedminster, NJ to Washington, DC then to New York City.
Air Force One is expected to arrive Monday night at JFK Airport from Washington D.C. A 16-mile motorcade will then take the president to Trump Tower.
Trump said he would be in Manhattan for meetings, but neither he nor the White House communications office released further details.
Trump arrived Aug. 4 in Bedminster for a 17-day "working vacation," during which time renovations are being performed in the Oval Office and West WIng, including work on the air conditioning system.
Portions of Trump Tower must remain open to the public, even during his visit, under a zoning deal Trump made with the city, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Fifth Avenue will remain open to traffic during Trump's time in Manhattan, but there will be a heavy security presence and trucks traveling on East 56th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues will be checked by federal agents using bomb-sniffing dogs. Some side streets will also be closed during the visit.
Trump is expected to return to Bedminster sometime on Wednesday.
Trump, who owns the $19 million Seven Springs estate in Bedford, also owns Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley in Stormville and Trump National Westchester in Briarcliff Manor.
The Trump name also adorns Trump Tower At City Center in White Plains, Trump Plaza in New Rochelle, Trump Park Residences in Yorktown and the Donald J. Trump State Park on the Westchester/Putnam border.
Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Armonk and receive free news updates.


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Glenn Kessler (Washington Post): Another lengthy presidential debate, and more bogus claims and counterclaims to check…..
Rick Perry: "I got lobbied on this issue. I got lobbied by a 31-year-old young lady who had stage-four cervical cancer. I spent a lot of time with her. She came by my office. She talked to me about this program….."
Perry is being misleading when he discusses his controversial vaccine order. He makes it sound like he was lobbied by a cancer patient, not his former chief of staff working for a drug company, and that's why he made his decision.
But he has the story backwards. He met Heather Burcham, a 31-year-old woman who died from cervical cancer after contracting HPV, after he signed the mandate ordering vaccinations for children.
Perry: "When we had the opportunity to sell India the upgraded F- 16s, we chose not to do that."
Perry gets this story backwards. He may have been focused on the F-16 because it is built by Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, but India made the decision to not buy F-16s and instead go with another military jet. It was not the U.S. choice. The Obama administration actually lobbied hard for the sale, and the aerospace firm had assured India that its F-16s would be "much more advanced" than the fighters provided to Pakistan.
Romney: "The president went about this all wrong. He went around the world and apologized for America….".
Regarding the supposed apology, we have repeatedly called this out as a Four-Pinocchio falsehood. A careful review of all of Obama's overseas statements found that they had been taken out of context or had been misquoted.
More here
Bill Kristol: The Weekly Standard's official reaction to last night's Republican presidential debate: Yikes.
Reading the reactions of thoughtful commentators after the stage emptied, talking with conservative policy types and GOP political operatives later last evening and this morning, we know we're not alone. Most won't express publicly just how horrified – or at least how demoralized – they are……
The e-mails flooding into our inbox during the evening were less guarded. Early on, we received this missive from a bright young conservative: "I'm watching my first GOP debate…and WE SOUND LIKE CRAZY PEOPLE!!!!" ….
…. no front-runner in a presidential field has ever, we imagine, had as weak a showing as Rick Perry. It was close to a disqualifying two hours for him. And Mitt Romney remains, when all is said and done, a technocratic management consultant whose one term as governor produced Romneycare….
…. we do ask (again!), with a month left before filing deadlines: Is that all there is?
More here – but be warned, it's right wing territory 😉


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- This event has passed.
Monthly Commission Meeting
October 4, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every month that begins at 7:00 pm on day First of the month, repeating until April 4, 2023
Graysville City Commission meets monthly at the Graysville Municipal Building.
All citizens are encouraged to attend.


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New Fashions for the New Year
What's Next: Forget the fireworks, the new year is all about new fashions.
Connect With Us
Managing Fashion Editor of HONOLULU Magazine
Born and raised on O'ahu, wardrobe stylist and writer Brie Thalmann has logged more than a decade of experience in the local fashion industry. Currently the managing fashion editor of HONOLULU Magazine and editor of the publication's ancillary magazine shopping Honolulu SHOPS, Brie oversees the brand's fashion-focused editorial content. A day at her post includes everything from styling photo shoots and editing articles to meeting with designers, photographers and boutique owners. Brie holds a bachelor's degree in fashion merchandising from UH Mānoa. Her previous stints include full-time and contributing positions at Hawai'i Woman Magazine, Ala Moana Magazine and Smart Magazine.


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Recently there was a study that found that there were six types of atheists. Apparently, a disbelief in the supernatural is not a monolithic belief system, held in equal measure by all atheists. Actually, anecdotally, I think we would all say that was somewhat true, though it's nice to have it confirmed. I often find myself in disagreement with other atheists about matters I would expect to agree on, based on the fact that I know how I arrived at my atheism, and assume that their path to disbelief was at least similar. But, lo, it turns out that doesn't really work out in real life.
I was reminded of this by a discussion I had recently on Facebook. As I said, I sort of expect other atheists to think like me, so I'm a tad bit surprised when they don't.


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MaidPro FAQ
What makes MaidPro different than other cleaning companies?
MaidPro is unique in that we are as personal as an independent cleaner, yet offer the professionalism and protections of a larger organization. Like an independent cleaner, our PROs work alone or in small teams of 2. We get to know you and your home. But unlike the independent cleaner, MaidPro is the employer and handles all the training, payroll withholding taxes and workers compensation. MaidPro is the best of both worlds, personal yet professional.
How many people will clean my home?
In most cases, our cleaning PROs work solo or in small teams of two. There is just no better way to provide you with a more personalized, non-intrusive service. Think about it. Our PROs clean 2, maybe 3 homes a day. They get to know you and your home. If we sent in larger teams, they would have to clean upwards of 5, 6, 7 or even 8 homes a day. That's 40 homes a week...and that's crazy. Sure, our cleanings may take a little longer but we feel strongly in the benefits of a more personal service.
Are my cleaning PROs trained and supervised?
In one word — absolutely! Every cleaning PRO attends MaidPro University before they ever step foot into your home. MaidPro University trains our PROs on how to deliver a thorough and spotless MaidPro clean. After graduating from the program, each new trainee works with a seasoned trainer until they have mastered the MaidPro clean. Only after a formal review with their trainer and management will we bestow them with the title of PRO.
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We always try to send the same cleaning PRO to your home for each visit. Sometimes that's not always possible due to illness, vacations or days off. But don't worry! If your regular PRO is out, we will send another amazing PRO who has gone through extensive training. You can rest assured your home will be consistently cleaned, each and every time.
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How do I pay for my cleaning?
MaidPro gladly accepts the following forms of payment: * MasterCard * Visa * Cash * Personal check. Payment is due at the time of service and we require a credit card on file prior to your cleaning.
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Should I tip my cleaning PRO?
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Jets owner jokingly envisions self wearing Lombardi Trophy
PHOENIX (AP) — Picture this: New York Jets owner Christopher Johnson parading around next winter with a certain Super Bowl bauble on his head.
Sure, Johnson was dreaming about something his franchise hasn't achieved since 1969: an NFL championship. But in March, optimism flows through everyone in pro football.
"If we win the Lombardi Trophy," Johnson said Sunday before the league meetings begin, "I will wear it like a crown until people are sick of me. 'Can you take that off his head?'"
It will take plenty for that visual to become reality, especially considering that the Jets finished 4-12 last season and then fired Todd Bowles , replacing him as coach with Adam Gase. New York has not made the playoffs since the first two seasons of Rex Ryan's regime, 2009 and 2010, and, of course, is stuck in the same division with the Patriots.
Johnson, who took over overseeing the Jets when his brother, Woody, was hired by the Trump administration to be ambassador to the Britain in 2017, believes the plan his team has developed will lead to success. He's not saying the Jets will be a title contender right away, but he's definitely looking at major improvements for the upcoming season.
"I would never make that mandate," Johnson said of demanding a playoff team in 2019. "But I do expect us to be better; we are a better team. And we haven't even gotten to the draft."
The Jets made some big moves in free agency, topped by signing running back Le'Veon Bell. They also added a prime slot receiver in Jamison Crowder, and a tackling machine in linebacker C.J. Mosley.
"These are kind of like a wish list," Johnson explained. "As a matter of fact, it is a wish list because we put together the list prior to free agency and we got a number of the people we were hoping for. I think this team is better right now than it was a month ago."
New York was at the bottom of an AFC East that other than New England is mediocre. The Jets allowed 441 points, and were sporadic on offense.
But they have their franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold, the No. 3 overall draft selection last April. In Bell, they have perhaps the best all-around back in the league, though Todd Gurley and Saquon Barkley could argue that. Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa can be effective receivers, though neither is a No. 1 wideout. Tight end Chris Herndon showed lots of promise as a rookie.
Plus, the Jets have the third overall pick again next month, though it almost certainly will be used on a defensive player.
"I think the fans are going to love this team," Johnson said. "I know they love Bell and Mosley and KO (guard Kalechi Osemele). We've given Sam more targets and better protection. They can see our plan unfold and I think they will be happy with that."
Gase brings a new dynamic as head coach , the first offense-oriented guy in the job since Rich Kotite in 1995-96. He's been considered something of a QB guru, though his magic didn't work in Miami, where Gase was fired and never truly made the oft-injured Ryan Tannehill better.
Johnson, however, is highly encouraged by the working relationship he's seen between Gase and new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams , and between Gase and general manager Mike Maccagnan.
When he heard that Bell endorsed Gase and said they were operating on the same page, Johnson was "not surprised at all that he would feel it was a good relationship."
Williams did quite a job as interim coach in Cleveland last season, helping engineer a turnaround after Hue Jackson was fired that saw the Browns wind up 7-8-1. He comes to the Jets off that performance, and Johnson totally dismissed Williams' spotted history in New Orleans, when he oversaw a bounties program for hits by defenders.
"That's not really a concern for me," Johnson said of Williams' role in the Saints scandal that ended in 2012 with his suspension by the NFL. "He has an incredible defensive mind. I am overjoyed at the idea of his coming to our team."
He even looks forward to Gase's offense against Williams' defense in practices.
"I haven't seen anything adversarial," Johnson said of the Gase-Williams relationship. "We'll see when we get to practice. It could be spicy."
There will be plenty of new faces on the field this season, but the Jets are also making another big change — with new uniforms the team will unveil in a few weeks.
"It's about time for us to have a new look," Johnson sad. "Those things are pretty badass, I think."
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL


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From a recent posting at realclimate:
Their [M&M] second criticism is of the statistic employed by MBH98 as diagnostic of statistical skill, the "Reduction of Error" or "RE" (note that this statistic was favored as a skill diagnostic in prominent recent studies by Cook et al (2004) and Luterbacher et al (2004) in Science)… MM instead promote the use of a simple linear correlation coefficient ("r") in its place.
Obviously we do not such thing. We've advocated the use of more than one verification statistic, showing in our GRL article that spuriously high RE statistics can be generated by data mining procedures, such as the erroneous MBH98 PC procedure. What is ironic in Mann's citation of Cook as authority that paleoclimatologists need not provide a range of verification statistics is that Cook et al. [2004] actually provide a suite of verification statistics, headed by the R2 statistic, which Mann et al. now object to. Cook et al. [2004] states:
The calibration and verification statistics used to assess the goodness-of-fit and validity of the PDSI reconstructions are (i) the calibration period coefficient of multiple determination or regression R2 (CRSQ), (ii) the verification period square of the Pearson correlation coefficient or r2 (VRSQ), (iii) the reduction of error (RE), and (iv) the coefficient of efficiency (CE) …When these statistics are calculated for the 103–grid point West regional average PDSI reconstruction, CRSQ, VRSQ, RE, and CE are 0.86, 0.73, 0.78, and 0.72, respectively, for the most highly replicated post-1800 period of the reconstruction, based on a median of 41 tree-ring predictors per grid point reconstruction, and 0.68, 0.54, 0.64, and 0.53, respectively, when based on the smallest subset of tree-ring predictors available at the start of each grid point reconstruction (a median of 2 per grid point) (fig. S3).
Some online discussion is at the SI to Cook et al. [2004]. In this case, Cook et al. show a higher R2 than RE. This is obviously a completely different situation than MBH98 where there are spuriously high RE values from data mining and insignificant R2 values in the AD1400 step (estimated at about 0.0). A point of follow-up is that Cook et al. [2004] is a study of drought in the U.S. from tree rings. Cook et al. report the use of 835 tree ring chronologies, of which 602 are in the "West". They report the use of 17 chronologies in AD800.
I requested a listing of the sites from Connie Woodhouse of NOAA, one of the co-authors, to try to see if these sites overlapped with the sites used in MBH98 as "temperature" proxies. The map in Figure S2 of the SI sure looks like it overlaps with MBH98. I'm into the typical song-and-dance for the simplest such request. Woodhouse says that I have to get the information from Cook. I've had no luck getting data from Cook – I've been trying to get their updated Gaspé information (which does not have a hockey stick shape) for nearly a year; they've refused to provide. I've tried to get the exact location of the Ste Anne River, Gaspé site to commission re-sampling; they've refused to provide. I suspect that it will be a long time to get the list of sites in this study.


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Diamond Dallas Page needs to make some phone calls. He's sitting in a high-backed chair at the head of a gigantic, cherry-wood table in the dining room of his home in Smyrna, Ga. He calls this his Sons of Anarchy room, because the table reminds him of the one the bikers in the television show sit around when they discuss business in their clubhouse. His laptop and phone sit in front of him, and he's perusing an email folder full of automated confirmation messages that have been sent to recent purchasers of the DDP Yoga DVD—the latest and final iteration of the instructional workout program that Page has spent the last decade developing and selling. (Tagline: "It Ain't Your Mama's Yoga.") He clicks on one addressed to John in North Carolina, and scans the purchase form for a phone number. He finds it, dials, and puts the call on speakerphone.
"Yo, John," Page barks.
Page doesn't so much say those three letters as spit them, the "P" snapping percussively out of his mouth. Even casual wrestling fans know what those initials signify—the bleach-blond mullet, the gravelly voice, the Diamond Cutter finishing move, the surpassing '90sness of it all. DDP. Page wants those three letters to hit John right in his memory bank. He is going for shock and surprise.
He gets what he wants. After a brief pause, John can muster only a meek "Hey." Page takes it from there. After thanking John for purchasing the yoga program, he asks John a series of questions about how he heard about DDP Yoga (YouTube), what he hopes to get out of the program (weight loss), and what his life goals are (become a cop). Page then urges John to join the (fairly large) community of DDP Yoga zealots who congregate at DDPYoga.com to offer support and encouragement to each other. Page asks the still-shellshocked John if he has any questions. Here, Page looks up at me with a big smile on his face and mouths, "They never do!" John doesn't have any questions. Page thanks him again for buying the program, and hangs up.
While Page makes his calls from his secluded dining room the rest of the house comes alive with activity, as it does every day. That's because Page has turned his home into a secular ministry of sorts, a place where anyone—fitness-conscious wrestling fans, friends, relatives, even a couple damaged former wrestlers—can come for guidance and coaching and yoga and rehab. A visitor might see Page himself demonstrating downward dog for 20 yoga students, while another former wrestler, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, picks basil from his garden out back. It's a weird, bustling place.
Page makes another handful of calls before heading off to a doctor's appointment. Next up is Kathryn, followed by Barbara and Corey. Kathryn, who sounds like the world's sweetest stay-at-home mom, says she plans on using the DVD when it's too rainy for her and her friend to do their usual morning-workout routine of walking around the neighborhood. She's actually purchased this DVD to replace the one that her daughter, Tracy, took with her when she moved out of the house. So Page asks for Tracy's number, and then he calls her, too. "I just talked to your mom, she told me you stole her DDP Yoga," he says playfully. Tracy can barely muster a response before Page's bellowing laugh fills the room.
Page tells me that he goes through this routine every day, selecting three to 10 customers to reach out to at random. One time, though, while bored on a long road trip, he spent hours making calls to customers from the road.
Why does Page do this? Because he's a savvy businessman, sure—he asks each person he calls to connect with DDP Yoga on Twitter and Facebook, and suggests that they write something on the Facebook wall about his call—but he also does it for another reason: He's chasing a high.
Smyrna, Ga., is an upscale suburb just 15 miles northwest of Atlanta. It's littered with uninspiring brick condominiums and mansions, many sitting in fenced-off housing developments with names like "Stonehaven," "The Palms," "New Haven," and "Montclair." Diamond Dallas Page's house sits just off Atlanta Road, beyond some train tracks, lying recessed in the lush forest that surrounds Smyrna. The sparse neighborhood is accessed through a series of narrow, unlined roads that wind and circle around each house, most of which feature multiple floors and imposing brick patios. These houses sit next to a few remaining one-story bungalows, likely holdovers from an older, less affluent time.
When I arrive at Page's house, just after 9 a.m., I'm greeted by two cats and Jake Roberts. They lead me into the living room, where another former wrestler, Scott Hall, sits in a recliner, watching SportsCenter on the wall-mounted flat-screen TV that sits above the fireplace. Roberts, Hall, and the cats all live here.
Both men still carry the large frames that once made them look Herculean in the wrestling ring, but age, drugs, booze, and years of physical punishment have conspired to soften their bodies and ruddy their features. Hall still wears his jet-black hair pulled into a tight ponytail, and he keeps his signature toothpick tucked behind his ear. Roberts wears a graying handlebar mustache and keeps a ponytail as well, with the remaining wisps of his hair fighting a Loser Leaves Town match against encroaching baldness.
Both men are dressed in gym shorts and T-shirts (Roberts is wearing Crocs), and seem to be waiting for the day to get started, like a pair of kids who woke up too early on a lazy Saturday. I sit on a stool at the kitchen island and make small talk with them for a bit while we wait for Page to come down from his bedroom. Stephen A. Smith appears on the screen to scream about something. "I like this guy," Hall says. Roberts grumbles in agreement from the kitchen.
Hall and Roberts used to be two of the biggest names in wrestling. Roberts's heyday spanned a six-year period from 1986-1992, when he wrestled in the WWF and became known for carrying a giant Burmese python into the ring with him. Hall's rise to prominence began 1992, when he debuted in the WWF as Razor Ramon, a persona that remains one of wrestling's most memorable heels. Razor Ramon was modeled after Scarface's anti-hero, Tony Montana, and was known to proudly refer to himself as "The Bad Guy." He would later move on to the WCW, help found the nWo, and eventually bounce back to the WWE for a brief stint in 2002 before flaming out.
Since leaving the world of professional wrestling behind, Hall and Roberts have struggled and failed to overcome their addictions to drugs and alcohol. That's why they've come to their friend's house in Smyrna, which has unironically been dubbed the Accountability Crib. (Page himself isn't in recovery.) Here is where they have decided they can get clean once and for all. Roberts has been here since October, and Hall joined him in February. Neither was in a very good place before arriving.
"I don't know what day it was, but my defibrillator fired while I was in the middle of a bad binge," Hall tells me. "I was on that vodka-for-breakfast diet, which I don't recommend." Hall was at his home in Florida when this, just the latest in a series of calamities brought on by his substance abuse, happened. After a stay in the hospital and a weeklong medical detox, he booked a flight to Atlanta.
"I spent my days hiding from people, hiding from life," says Roberts. "I would look in the mirror and want to punch myself in the face." Before moving here, Roberts spent most of his days holed up in his house in Texas, drinking booze and snorting cocaine. He was broke, isolated, and without hope. Coming here was a joint idea, and Page moved to Smyrna from Los Angeles in part so that Roberts could live with him.
Many things have changed for Hall and Roberts since arriving in Smyrna. Both men have lost a considerable amount of weight, and they have each undergone long-overdue surgeries thanks to a pair of Indiegogo campaigns that well exceeded their targets: $29,547 earned Roberts a repaired shoulder, and $109,432 earned Hall a complete hip replacement.
They've also had much of their day-to-day lives recorded by two professional filmmakers, allowing their journey toward sobriety to be thoroughly documented on Page's YouTube channel. The idea is to eventually use the footage in a feature-length documentary about Hall's and Roberts's efforts to get clean.
It's those YouTube videos that have grabbed a lot of people's attention. If you've seen one of them, it was probably the one made in February in which Page and Roberts speak to a clearly inebriated Hall over the phone. They're trying to convince Hall—who was still in Florida at the time—to move into the Accountability Crib after another former wrestler, Sean "X-Pac" Waltman, had urged Page to reach out to Hall. It's hard to make out most of what Hall says during the conversation, save one repeated, slurring declaration: "I'm dying."
Many, including Hall's former tag-team partner, Kevin Nash, found the video to be exploitative and tasteless. Some saw the video as Page taking an opportunity to capitalize on Hall's struggles in order to drum up PR for his yoga program. "It was really controversial. It turned this house upside down," said Steve Yu, Page's business partner and the man in charge of the documentary production.
The video was immediately removed from Page's YouTube channel, but when Hall arrived at the house a few days later, it was reposted, with a introductory endorsement from Hall.
Hall and Roberts tell me they have been completely sober since moving into Page's house, though as we'll see, that's not quite true anymore. (Roberts did have one relapse a week after he moved in.) At the very least, the two of them seem outwardly a lot healthier. For the first time in a while, both men look good—nothing like the wasted shells that turned up in mugshots and videos over the past few years.
The inescapable question, though, asks how real these improvements are. And it's a question that's greatly complicated by the fact that Page, Hall, and Roberts come from a sport in which artifice and deception are part of the very fabric of day-to-day life. A pro wrestler is an entertainer, yes, but he is also a con man. A wrestler's purpose is to manipulate, dazzle, and deceive. He fulfills this purpose by cultivating a talent for selling a false reality.
It's hard not to watch Hall and Roberts's lives unfold on YouTube and wonder if you are being deceived, or if they themselves have been deceived by Page. Has Page sold them a false promise for the purpose of strengthening his personal brand and selling yoga DVDs? Or has this wrestler-turned-foul-mouthed-Yogi somehow found a way to bring peace to two men who have spent their adult lives battling addictions that have brought them to the brink of death numerous times?
Diamond Dallas Page is standing at attention at the front of his living room. On his head is a red bandana and a headset microphone, which he needs in order to speak over the AC/DC on the stereo system behind him. He's wearing a pair of Vibram Five-Finger shoes on his feet, which are currently placed at the front end of a yoga mat. He's about to begin an hour-long session of his DDP Yoga workout program.
Radiating out from Page's position are 10 pupils. To Page's left is a 79-year-old tax consultant named Ted who comes here two or three times a week to get a morning workout in. To Page's right are his 25-year-old daughter, Brittany, and her fiancé, Sean. They are both currently living in the house. Directly in front of Page is Andrew, a peppy kid from New Jersey who has lived here since April, acting as Page's personal assistant. To the right of Andrew is Linda, a honey-sweet, motherly woman who has known Page since she tended bar at a Jersey Shore night club he managed in the '80s. On the other side of the room is Cody Hall, Scott Hall's son and a 22-year-old budding giant who moved into the house two weeks ago in order to repair his relationship with his father and jumpstart his own pro-wrestling career.
Page is entirely in his element throughout the course of the workout. He would have been a fantastic high school gym teacher. His gruff voice is perfectly suited for barking words of encouragement—when he notices me properly striking a pose he gives me an enthusiastic "Atta boy, Tommy!"—and urging everyone in the room to count off their stretches out loud. It feels silly to be sweating in a room full of strangers and doing yoga that involves a stance built around Page's iconic Diamond Cutter hand signal, but the workout, a mix between yoga, old-school calisthenics, and a sort of violent form of Tai Chi, is useful, and I work up a considerable sweat before the hour is up. I'm later told that Page leads a free yoga session like this every day of the week, filling his living room with a rotating cast of friends, family, and acquaintances. Twenty people showed up for the session that took place the day before I arrived.
Page has a knack for bringing people under his influence. Linda is actually Brittany's biological mother, but she allowed Page to legally adopt both of her daughters in the mid-'90s, and she and Page have since raised the girls as friends. Linda now works for Page, and eagerly adheres to the dieting (no gluten, no genetically modified foods) and exercise (DDP Yoga) regimens that he has laid out for her. Andrew first met Page at a WrestleCon in New Jersey, where he made it clear that he was looking for work. He has been living with and working for Page ever since, and he claims to have never felt this healthy or this good about himself before. Ted befriended Page in a gym 10 years ago and was featured in an early iteration of Page's yoga DVD and book. The two have stayed in touch all these years, and Ted credits Page's workout regimen for his sharp mind and his Jack LaLanne-esque physique. The house is full of these kinds of stories, in fact.
"He enjoys helping people, and it's valid," Scott Hall tells me. "He gets high off helping people."
Scott Hall has been to rehab a dozen times. Every time he's gotten clean, he's relapsed. "I thrive in rehab, but I struggle as soon as I hit the door," he says. So he knows better than to get cocky about the fact that he hasn't touched any drugs or alcohol since moving into Page's house in February. Still, he can't help but feel that there is something different about this latest journey into sobriety. "Before, I quit because I knew I shouldn't [drink]. I quit because people were worried—my family was worried, my friends were worried—or I might lose this high-paying job. But all that wasn't enough for me. I had to not want to [drink]. I don't know how I arrived there, but I'm happy I'm there. ... I'm not afraid to drink a couple cases, brother. But, I don't know, I just don't want to now."
Roberts has his own explanation for the success he's found at Page's house. He tells me that for the first time in his life, he looks forward to attending his AA meetings (he goes a minimum of two times per week) as well as his weekly therapy session. "The great thing about being here is that you can keep your self-esteem," he tells me. "When you go to rehab, you're there for four months, and then when you come out you've got bill collectors up your ass, and it's like, 'Thanks for fuckin' letting me out,' you know? But here, I never have to leave."
Hall and Roberts are also here to answer a question, one that every ex-wrestler must face: How do I fill the void in my life that was created when I left wrestling behind? Or, as Hall tearfully asked in his now famous E:60 profile, "What do you do when they stop chanting your name?"
But it's not just fame and adoration that Hall and Roberts miss. They also miss the way that wrestling gave them an outlet through which to satisfy their compulsions.
During his E:60 profile, Hall spoke about the high that comes from wrestling in front of a crowd of 50,000. "It feels pretty good. Where can I get 10 refills of that?" he said at the time.
He gives me the exact same line during our conversation, but then he goes deeper: "For me, it's really satisfying because it is entertainment... To talk things over with [my opponent] in the back, figure out what they've got, put together what we're going to do, run it by the boss, get it OK'd, and then do the finisher in front of the audience—it's really satisfying to lay stuff out and then have it work. I love that."
Roberts recalls doing promos with an equal fondness. "They used to call me One Take Jake, because I could always film a promo on one take," he tells me. "I was so good that I used to get bored, so I would go to the producers, say, 'Just give me a fucking word, and I'll make it work.'"
He decides to give me a demonstration. He blurts out, "Spaghetti!" before turning away for a brief moment. When he turns back around, his eyes are squinted and his features have hardened.
"Listen up, man," he growls. "You might be the sauce, man. And you might even be the spaghetti, but I"—and here he pauses to make an emphatic gesture toward his crotch—"I am the meatballs."
Roberts's voice alone would sell the performance. It's the kind of voice that every country singer would kill to have. His words come out of his mouth like smoke, and every sentence he utters ends with either a loud smack of the lips or a Texas-twanged "man."
He goes on to perform another one of his favorite promos from memory, and it's not hard to tell that he misses being in front of a camera. He misses the creative work that he used to do behind the scenes, as well. "Back in my day, I had the opportunity to write my own storylines, and write storylines for others as well," he says. "I would love the opportunity to do that again some day."
Roberts has begun taking acting classes (on the day I visited the house he had an audition for a popular HBO comedy that he asked me not to mention by name), and is committed to making an appearance at the Royal Rumble in January. "I'll be there, goddammit," he says. "Hopefully Vince [McMahon] will hire me by then, because if not, I will hit the ring anyway and get arrested."
Hall relishes the opportunity to be involved with the production of the documentary, and to help his son forge his own wrestling career. "I feel stimulated again, both creatively and mentally," he says. "So many good things happen to me during the day, that when I go to bed I can't fall asleep because I'm so excited. I just lay there and wait for the sun to come up."
He credits, of all things, his Twitter account for much of his newfound mental stimulation. "It gives me that creative outlet. ... I'm learning to express myself concisely," he explains. "And brain function is returning. I have documented brain damage from multiple concussions. I've got lesions. I think using Twitter, and making myself use words and type, I think it's helping."
But Hall's ultimate goal is to get his own travel show. "I'm an expert traveler. Hotels, airports, all that—that's my home.
"I'm gonna try and put a healthy slant on it," he adds.
Page has indeed sold Roberts and Hall something, but it's not exactly false promise. In a way it's something they all would've learned from their time in pro wrestling: With a different costume and a new gesture or two, anyone can change identities.
Diamond Dallas Page is the kind of guy who says things like, "We're selling inspiration here," and, "Our goal is to make an Oscar-worthy documentary. We want to change lives." He cites the successes of Ted Turner, Lee Iacocca, Donald Trump, and Roger Bannister as sources of inspiration. He's quick to quote Robert Frost's passage about the road less traveled when discussing the course of his own life and career.
Page's optimistic outlook on life isn't unearned or especially grating, though. He's battled dyslexia and ADD all his life, and he says he didn't read his first book until he was 30 years old. His path through the ranks of professional wrestling was about as unlikely as it gets. In the '80s, Page managed a nightclub in Fort Myers, Fla., and it was there that he started to befriend various pro wrestlers. He broke into the business as a manager in 1988 but decided that he wanted to start wrestling himself in 1991. He was 35 years old at the time, and success was a long shot. "I told people I was going to be a wrestler, and they fell down laughing," he recalls. But Page wrestled for 20 years while overcoming a number of serious injuries, won numerous world championships, and is now a certifiable legend in the world of pro wrestling.
Page is also a man of strong beliefs. He is, after all, the guy who accused Jay Z of ripping off his Diamond Cutter hand gesture. (The lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.) To speak with him is to watch his mind pinball from one thought to another, each getting him worked up and eliciting a growling, sincere declaration. Over the course of one conversation he can go from telling you all about how to conduct a proper juice cleanse, to railing against companies like Monsanto that pump our food full of GMOs—if you want a good list of documentaries about the horrors of the food industry, he's got it—to ranting about how all the banks and corporations are just trying to fuck us.
But he believes most fervently in people's ability to transform each other. During my time with him, Page reminds me multiple times that he wouldn't be who he was if it hadn't been for Dusty Rhodes, a Hall of Fame wrestler who began his career in the 1970s and went on to manage and wrestle in just about every pro wrestling organization. Page is quick to remind me, too, that it was Roberts who taught him how to handle himself in the business. "He taught me everything. And he was right, every fucking time," Page says.
One of his favorite topics of conversation is Arthur, a once-hobbled army veteran who lost 140 pounds in 10 months using DDP Yoga and chronicled his transformation on YouTube. It was that video going viral that brought DDP Yoga its first meaningful spike in sales. "Without Dusty Rhodes, none of this happens," he tells me. "And there's no big fuckin' company without Arthur."
And without Page, of course, there is no Arthur. After talking about his connection to Rhodes, Roberts, and Arthur, Page leans back in his chair, staring past me and nodding slowly to himself, marveling at the interconnectedness of it all.
In this house, Page stands at the center of a web of influence. He is surrounded by those who have dramatically influenced his life, and he in turn has dramatically influenced theirs. The more time you spend with Page, the more of these connections and influences you become aware of, because it's moments of transformative influence that Page most wants to talk about. He never once regales me with stories about his most memorable matches or feats of strength. Instead, he excitedly tells stories like the one about how he set Scott Hall's wrestling career in motion.
It was Page who got Hall his first gig at WCW after turning him into the Diamond Studd—a villainous persona that would eventually be the forerunner to Razor Ramon—and it was Page who put that iconic toothpick in Hall's mouth.
Says Page: "Scott Hall called me, and I had this idea about bringing in a character called the Diamond Studd. Hall said to me, 'Dally, man, I need a job. Is there any way you can help me out?'"
So Page went about turning Hall into the Diamond Studd. For starters, he made Hall dye his curly brown hair jet-black and pull it into a tight ponytail. Thanks to a bit of late-night inspiration, he also made Hall shave the big, bushy mustache he had worn for years.
"I was watching TV one night, and I saw George Michael or Rob Lowe on TV, and he had this fresh-cut beard. ... So I call Scott and wake him up at 2 in the morning. I said, 'Bro, bro, you gotta shave that mustache. You gotta get a fresh-cut beard, man. A nice five-o-clock shadow.'"
And then came the final piece:
"We were at Wal-Mart, and as we were leaving I grabbed two toothpicks. I said, 'Scott, I got an idea.'"
Page then walked Hall through a routine that he had worked out in his head, one that began with the two men circling each other as if they were about to face off in the ring and ended with Hall flicking his toothpick into Page's face. That move—so perfectly smug and malevolent—would become an iconic taunt that helped define Hall's in-ring persona.
Page scored a WCW tryout for Hall—now armed with his new look and dressed in one of Page's flashier outfits—and the Diamond Studd was born.
"That's what I do," Page says. "I'm still transforming people. You know? Like, wow, right?"
Before I leave, Roberts takes me outside to show me his garden, which he planted right next to the driveway. It's the place where he's been spending a lot of time recently. With a cup of coffee in his hand and a Kool cigarette dangling from his lips, he bends down to pull some leaves aside and show me how the squash has run wild. "I planted about 15 squash plants hoping that just a few of them would survive, and now I've got more goddamn squash than I know what to do with." We move down the driveway a little further, and he points out more plants. "There's watermelon over there, strawberries, mint, some other bullshit."
He takes me around to the back of the house and shows off the two giant meat smokers with which he loves to make meals for the house. "Tonight we're doing bison." Next we head to the garage, where he shows me two tables he's built since moving in, as well as an antique shotgun that he is refurbishing and planning on giving to Page as a gift.
While we're outside, I can't stop thinking about all the damage Roberts has sustained over the years. A few hours earlier, Roberts had shown me the palms of his hands. They are marred by rigid tendons that shouldn't be visible, protruding cruelly from underneath his skin and making it hard for him to form his fingers into anything other than a claw. "From all the blows to the head," he'd explained. I remember how he'd told me that the reason he was so good at doing wrestling promos was that he grew up in an extremely abusive home; out of necessity he learned to be a good liar. I think about his toes, which he'd told me are so mangled and crooked that he can't walk across carpet barefoot without rolling over one of them and breaking it. When he speaks again, I recall that it was a crushed larynx at the age of 19 that gifted his throat with all that gravel and smoke. In many ways, he is the sum of his own personal destruction.
But out here—with his smokers, his workshop, and his garden—everything is simple and painless for Roberts. He can smoke, drink his coffee, pick tomatoes, cook, build things, and live the life that every 58-year-old retiree wants to live. Out here, any worries or fears that you might feel about whether he'll be able to stay sober, make it to the Royal Rumble, or ever land a paid acting gig all fade away.
On the way back into the house, I ask Roberts if he can make any other kind of furniture besides tables. "Oh yeah," he says. "I can make all kinds of furniture by hand." As he steps through the door he turns around and pauses. "You know," he says. "Sometimes I think I might like to start my own furniture business."
A few days later, Roberts will have a relapse with alcohol. A female friend of his will come to visit, and Roberts will give her a ride to get her hair done. While he waits for her to return, he will go and have a few drinks to kill time. The aftermath of this incident will be documented in a four-part series on Page's YouTube channel, the last of which sets Roberts up on yet another path to redemption.
One of the videos captures the moment Roberts comes clean about his relapse to Page, and the two go on to discuss what might have caused him to fall off the wagon. "I just don't feel like I'm doing anything," Roberts says at one point. "But I am! I know I am!" Here Page interjects: "And you're changing people's lives, dude."
Roberts is back in the house, though—back in the Accountability Crib, back beneath the faux-tin roof that Page put on the eaves, so that everyone can listen to the summer rain while they sleep.
Top image by Sam Woolley. Photos courtesy Dallas Page.


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