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After a four-win streak, Wall Street backpedaled a bit on Wednesday and Thursday's session is looking a bit droopy as well. A huge storm is blowing into the Northeast after pummeling the South, and Yellen is taking a snow day because of it. About the only thing anyone is excited about is a blowout cable deal.
Many say the markets are just fatigued and lacking a catalyst, which they clearly haven't found much of in the last two sessions.
However, this bull ain't for quitting, says Kurt Fueurman at Alliance Bernstein on Pragmatic Capitalism, who maintains that market stamina is one thing he's definitely not worried about. He takes the talk about a "bubbly market" to task, saying it doesn't make a a lot of sense when you look at the price/earnings multiple for the S&P 500 at the end of last year -- around 16 times, he says. Maybe that's higher than it was two or three years ago, but it still shows stock valuations are modest and much lower than in 2000, he says. (Not that anyone has forgotten what happened in 2000.) See chart of the day below for more.
Still, be alert for wild days. Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock told Charlie Rose a couple of days ago that he sees a higher market overall by year's end, but says investors have to brace for more volatility this year and what he calls a "hairier market."
"We had a tremendous rally since 2009. Markets have more than doubled in 2013. Markets were up over 30% and entered 2014 with an elevated market and needed a correction, so many investors expected the momentum would automatically carry into 2014 and these were just false expectations." Listen to the whole interview here.
One not giving up on the correction theme is Rockwell Global Capital's Peter Cardillo, who says while the market has turned the corner on hopes of improving economic activity, "the full cycle of a corrective stage is still in progress, even in the presence of a strong turnaround." Sit tight and buy on a new trend heading south that could take the S&P 500 back towards 1700 to 1720, he advises.
Or maybe it's just a good day to build a snowman.
Key market gauges: Stock futures are pulling back after Wednesday's nowhere-fast session for Wall Street. Futures for the Dow industrials and the S&P 500 are in the red. That come after the Nikkei closed down near 2% and the rest of Asia also didn't fare so well. Europe is also off to a weak start.
Gold , meanwhile, is backing off after a six-session winning spree. More in the Call of the day.
The economy: That catalyst markets are looking for could come at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. Did shoppers turn their backs on retailers in January? We'll find out at 8:30 a.m. when retail sales for January is released, with economists expecting a 0.1% dip for the month owing to those pesky polar vortexes and a bit of a post-holiday hangover. But economists assure that even if this number isn't so great, it doesn't bode horribly for the rest of the year. Read the preview
Also at 8:30 a.m., weekly jobless claims are due, and the number of people applying for jobless benefits is seen falling slightly to 330,000 from 331,000 in the prior week. Business inventories for December are coming at 10 a.m. Eastern.
What we're not getting Thursday is another round of testimony from Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen due to the arrival of a major winter storm that's been pummeling the South. Government offices in D.C. will be closed on Thursday as everyone hunkers down.
Earnings: Whole Foods is down 8% in premarket after the upscale supermarket cut its earnings outlook again and results disappointed Wall Street. Cisco Systems is down 4% as it topped consensus on results, but warned about weak demand from China and other emerging markets. CEO Chambers also said "2014 will be the inflection point for the Internet of Everything." CBS and Nvidia are a couple that could rise on results, while Angie's List is likely to drop further after a below-consensus revenue outlook. Bad management and idiotic "teevee commercials" are standing in the way of greatness for Angie's says iBankCoin.
Pepsi is up 6% after boosting its dividend and announcing buybacks, along with results. Avon isn't doing much after narrowing its fourth-quarter loss.
After the close, we'll hear from Kraft Foods and American International .
The buzz: Comcast and Time Warner Cable t. What else is there to talk about? Comcast is buying its rival for $45.2 billion in stock. Time Warner Cable is up 8%, Comcast is down 4% and Charter Communications , which had waged an 8-month battle for the firm alongside its biggest shareholder Liberty Media , is down 6%. Naysayers, and there are plenty out there, say this will never fly. Future customers? They looked, um, thrilled:
Merck & Co. could get active after The Wall Street Journal said the company plans to sell its consumer business for $10 billion, citing sources.
What would a day be like without some Apple chatter? The company says its suppliers do not use tantalum, found in war-torn parts of Africa. And they can prove it. Oh and as you're trying to pay off your 'Flappy Bird' iPhone 5, feast your eyes on what could be the iPhone 6.
The chart of the day: AllianceBernstein's Feuerman highlights this chart to back up his view that equity valuations are not out of bounds. Add that to interest rates that he thinks will rise gradually, and this bull market won't run out of steam, he says.
Other positives: relative valuations, equity demand and wealth and deleveraging. Read the full blog here.
The call of the day: What's gold got to do with it? After a 28% slump last year, gold prices have recovered 7%, and the shiny stuff has gained even when stocks have been recovering. Kelly Teoh, market strategist at IG, says this is telling us that "perhaps investors are not entirely convinced by the recovery in the equity market and there is a change in the view of risk." Given the view that markets will be choppy for the rest of the year, she says it's onward and upward for gold this year.
"There are various reasons why gold prices are supported such as the weak U.S. data, the Fed's stimulus and the low interest rates. These supportive reasons can quickly become headwinds as the U.S. economy growth is likely to continue to improve and the Fed's reduction of stimulus is maintained. However, a gradual U.S. recovery is unlikely to be smooth sailing..."
Teoh's call? Interest in gold is here to stay. Next stop: $1,350
Random reads: Was just reading about Team USA gets the blues, and then the slopestylers exploded with a medals sweep. "USA USA!"
It's war on the poor, and the latest to open his big trap is Nicole Miller's CEO Bud Konheim, who says $30K a year is a great salary in India, so Americans should stop whining (to disappointingly thunderous applause from CNBC's Joe Kernen.) For a family of four with two children, the poverty level is $23,283, so in other words, all you borderline folks out there have plenty of change for this rag at Nicole Miller. Twitter is showing no mercy to silver-spoon Bud:
On that note, Fox News claims the dress Michelle Obama wore to dine with that swinging single Francois Hollande costs more than the the annual U.S. poverty level.
Mark your calendars. Chick-fil-A says in five years, burgers will be antibiotics-free.
The ice storm cometh and some familiar scenes, though this time not in Atlanta, where everyone stayed home.
Remember, your performance will be seen by other women on Valentine's Day. That and more tips on how to survive Valentine's Day from the unofficial Goldman Sachs guide to the big day.
Need to Know starts early and is updated as needed until the opening bell, but sign up here to get it delivered once to your e-mail box. Be sure to check the Need to Know item. The e-mailed version will be sent out at approximately 8:45 a.m. Eastern. Follow @bkollmeyer on Twitter.


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The 2006 Joint Assembly, a partnership between AGU, GS, MAS, MSA, SEG, and UGM is being held 23-26 May 2006 at the Baltimore Convention Center (CC), located at 1 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland. The Program Committee is developing a Union-wide science program that will cover topics in all areas of geophysical sciences. Located in the heart of Baltimore's booming downtown and Inner Harbor, the Joint Assembly is sure to offer exciting sessions and a relaxing atmosphere.
Sponsoring Societies
AGU (American Geophysical Union) is an international scientific society of over 41,000 members that advances the understanding of Earth, atmospheric, oceanic, hydrologic, space, and planetary sciences. AGU is dedicated to fostering high-quality scientific research, disseminating the results of that research, enhancing educational opportunities in science, and encouraging international cooperation in geophysics.
AGU's mission is to promote the scientific study of Earth and its environment in space and to disseminate the results to the public; to promote cooperation among scientific organizations involved in geophysics and related disciplines; to initiate and participate in geophysical research programs; and to advance the various geophysical disciplines through scientific discussion, publication, and dissemination of information. AGU now stands as a leader in the increasingly interdisciplinary global endeavor that encompasses the geophysical sciences.
The GS (Geochemical Society) is a private, nonprofit international scientific society founded to encourage the application of chemistry to the solution of geological and cosmological problems. Membership is international and diverse in background, encompassing such fields as organic geochemistry, high- and low-temperature geochemistry, petrology, meteoritics, fluid-rock interaction, and isotope geochemistry.
MAS (The Microbeam Analysis Society) members have an active interest in microbeam instrumentation. Microbeam instrumentation includes, but is not limited to, instruments utilizing electron, ion, or photon beams to characterize any material, organic, inorganic, or biological. The Society provides a forum for members from industrial and academic settings, engaged in research, development, analysis and instrument manufacturing, to exchange ideas and practical experience. .
The MSA (Mineralogical Society of America) provides a forum for individuals interested in mineralogy, crystallography, and petrology.
The SEG (Society of Exploration Geophysicists) promotes the science of geophysics and the education of exploration geophysicists. The Society fosters the expert and ethical practice of geophysics in the exploration and development of natural resources, in characterizing the near-surface, and in mitigating Earth hazards.
UGM (Unión Geofísica Mexicana) promotes the cooperation between scientific organizations whose objectives include the promotion of the knowledge of geophysical disciplines.
AGU Meetings Department
2000 Florida Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009 USA
Phone: +1-800-966-2481, ext. 333 or +1-202-777-7330
Fax: +1-202-328-0566

subset: commoncrawl


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Rams Finish First at St. Joseph's Invitational
- October 24th, Sunken Meadow Park in Kings Park, N.Y. -
Weather: Warm, Muggy, Humid
Kings Park, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State cross country team ran at the St. Joseph's Invitational on Saturday, October 24th at Sunken Meadow Park. The men's team claimed the top three finishes in the meet and took first place overall, while the women finished in eighth place.
The Rams were led by sophomore Sean Tiernan (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville), sophomore Sean Daly (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) and junior Tim Flynn (Smithtown, N.Y./St. Anthony's), who finished in first, second and third place, respectively. Tiernan posted a time of 28:32 for the course, while Daly finished in 28:58 and Flynn in 29:30.
Freshman Melissa Bonilla (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Farmingdale) finished in seventh place individually, running a time of 23:03, which places her 16th on the Farmingdale All-Time list for the Sunken Meadow course.
Farmingdale State will compete next in the Skyline Championship on Sunday, November 1st at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y.
Other Notable
Adam Sadler - 12th place, 31:07
Eddie Lopez - 20th place, 31:45
Russell Darress - 21st place, 31:52
Benjamin Vassallo - 26th place, 32:26
Katherine Monti - 37th place, 25:57
Men's Team
1. Farmingdale State
2. Maritime
3. St. Joseph's
4. Suffolk CC
5. Purchase
6. FDU Florham
7. Kingsborough CC
8. Centenary
9. Queensborough CC
10. Mount Saint Mary College
11. Old Westbury
12. Monroe
Women's Team
1. St. Joseph's
2. Suffolk CC
3. Fashion Institute
4. Mount Saint Mary College
Tie 5. Purchase
Tie 5. FDU Florham
7. Mount Saint Vincent
8. Farmingdale State
9. Queensborough CC
10. Old Westbury
11. Monroe
For Full Men's Results, click HERE
For Full Women's Results, click HERE


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COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) Texas A&M freshman wide receiver Thomas Johnson has been found safe in Dallas after he disappeared from campus three days ago.
Johnson's mother, Linda Hanks, says Texas A&M University police told her Thursday the 18-year-old is unharmed.
University police said they traveled to Dallas to look for Johnson on Wednesday. Johnson was found safe about 2:30 a.m. Thursday with the help of the Dallas police and the Texas Rangers.
Police said Wednesday that Johnson was last seen leaving his College Station residence around 5 p.m. Monday.
Hanks told WFAA-TV (http://bit.ly/m32dB) she traveled from Dallas to College Station while authorities searched for her son. He turned up 180 miles away in Dallas.
Hanks says Johnson didn't contact her and that she has no other information. Campus police said that they are not releasing further details.
Coach Kevin Sumlin says he's relieved Johnson has been found and is concerned for Johnson's health and well-being.
Johnson played in 10 games this season, with 30 catches for 339 yards and a touchdown.


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Actress Evan Rachel Wood is a married woman after exchanging vows with Jamie Bell on Tuesday.
The screen stars wed in an intimate California ceremony, just one day after they sparked rumors they had secretly become man and wife by sporting matching wedding bands in Los Angeles.
A representative for Wood tells JustJared.com, "Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell were married on October 30 in California. The bride wore a custom dress by Carolina Herrera. It was a small ceremony with close family and friends."
Wood took to Twitter.com on Wednesday to express her delight, writing, "Words cannot describe the happiness i am feeling. Overwhelming."
She met the "Billy Elliot" star in 2005 while they filmed a music video for Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends."


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New to Beeston
Come and find us, we are in the centre of Beeston
Getting Married
Congratulations on your engagement
Something for Everyone
We have a great range of groups for all ages
Come & Find Us
We are in the heart of Beeston and easy to find
Welcome to our website
We aim to be a generous-hearted and inclusive Christian family in the centre of Beeston with a ministry that reaches out from our beautiful Parish Church into the wider community.
All Christians are on a voyage of discovery with God. If you are just passing through we hope you find spiritual refreshment here. If you live in or near Beeston we hope you'll return and that you might be able
to make a home with us. If you are a Christian, may this be a place from which you can draw strength and encouragement to sustain you as you seek to live a Christian life in the world.
If you are interested in knowing more about following Christ don't hesitate to be in touch and we will do all we can to help.
God Bless you,
Fr Wayne Plimmer (Vicar)


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OverviewWhether one is looking to achieve a contemporary or classic atmosphere stone tile will meet the design challenge. These tiles are great for walls, backsplashes and countertops.
Disclaimer: The Stone Series is a natural stone product. No two pieces are exactly alike. This variation is what gives natural stone products their distinctive appearance. All tiles should be inspected before installation, as no adjustment will be made after installation.
- Brand:
- Diamond Tech Tiles
- Collection:
- DT Stone Tile Accents Tile Collection
- Category:
- Tile
- Sub Category:
- Border Tiles
- Application Type:
- Color:
- White
- Base Material:
- Marble
- Tile Finish:
- Polished
- Overall Tile Size:
- 12" x 1 3/4"
- California residents:
- see Proposition 65 information


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What do you get for the baby who has everything, from the Bugaboo Donkey pram (about $1700) to the Christian Dior dummy holder (about $110)?
You buy them perfume - of course - because, as we all know, any self-respecting newborn worth its Ralph Lauren Ruffle Bum Playsuit ($70) isn't even going to contemplate turning up at the next mother's group meeting unless it has been sprayed with eau de bebe.
Recognising that scent for babies is a gap in the market, Dolce & Gabbana have decided to launch a unisex perfume for the newborn in your life.
The scent will go on sale later this year at the relatively modest sum of about $45 for a 50ml bottle.
''That familiar smell associated with babies will only be accentuated by this fragrance,'' the designer Stefano Gabbana said. It will contain notes of citrus, melon and honey - all famously evocative of newborns - and will ''pamper every little boy and girl''. The scent, which is alcohol-free, has been inspired by the ''softness of baby skin'' and the ''freshness of baby breath''.
Bulgari and Burberry have tapped into the baby perfume market too, as have Johnson's, purveyors of such childhood classics as ''No more tears'' shampoo, which now also sells budget baby cologne for about $5 a bottle.
When I was a girl, we didn't even think of fragrance until we were 15 years old and dousing ourselves in Charlie to attract the boys (our mothers never stopped us because the smell was so pungent that it actually scared them away).
When I recall the scents of my adolescence - CK One, Tommy Girl, Obsession - I feel nauseous. But not half as nauseous as when I think of my unborn daughter's first words being: ''Mummy, please can I have a bottle of Marc Jacobs for my birthday?''
Baby perfume joins a growing list of adult items redesigned for children - high heels for babies and teethers shaped like credit cards. Last week, it was announced a ''chewable'' tablet computer, the InnoTab 2 Baby ($130), would be launched in time for Christmas .
Claude Knights, the director of the British children's charity Kidscape, is not surprised. While babysitting her 17-month-old godson, he grabbed her glossy magazine thinking it was an iPad. ''He looked at me with utter bemusement when he couldn't get things to move around. I was amazed,'' Ms Knights said.
''There is an inappropriateness in much of this. Commercialisation has gone on for years, but mostly with the teenage market. Now that companies have explored and exhausted that, they have moved on to an even younger market.''
We are all in danger of losing perspective, she warned. ''Nowadays, it is quite normal for the whole family to club together to buy a buggy that, along with all the accessories, costs almost £1000 [$1500].'' Spending so much on a barely cognisant baby is a ''smack in the face when there are children in the UK not eating properly''.
Even perfume experts are stumped by Dolce & Gabbana's foray into baby scents. ''I don't think babies need a finishing touch,'' said Vanessa Musson, a fragrance expert and blogger. ''D&G say their scent 'smells of baby', but a baby already smells like a baby, and if I wanted one to smell even more so, I could just sign it up to a creche.''
Telegraph, London


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Reviewed by Annie M. (age 10)
I like the book The Upstairs Room because it has tons of exciting parts. You never really know what's going to happen next. I found the character Annie interesting because she can be sometimes positive and sometimes negative about her situation. I like how Annie changes from being a shy, scared eight year old to a mature young adult. The story make me feel sad for the people who went through the Holocaust, and it made me wonder what other Jewish people did to keep safe around that time.
I would recommend this book to readers over the age of nine. It would help to know a little about World War II. If you are very emotional this may not be the book for you.


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Corellian Protectorate Civilian Laws and Regulations
Civilian Travel Privileges
All civilian pilots are welcomed to travel and conduct business within system that belong to the Corellian Protectorate. Civilian pilots will be expected to obey the laws and regulations of the Corellian Protectorate. Those found breaking the laws and regulations of the Corellian Protectorate may temporarily lose their travel privileges and will be punished accordingly. If a pilot feels that he is wrongfully charged may file a report to the Corellian Protectorate and an investigation will be conducted into the matter. Protectorate pilots are instructed to treat civilian pilots professionally and are not permitted to mistreat a civilian pilot.
Pilots that feel that their safety is in danger may contact Protectorate forces to request an escort or to oversee disputes within Protectorate space. Escorts will normally consist of a fighter squadron. In specific circumstances, larger vessels may be used. These escorts will only go as far as the edge of Protectorate space. If the threat of danger extends outside of Protectorate space, it is recommended that the pilot contacts the governing forces of the next system.
Civilian Obligations
While in system belonging to the Corellian Protectorate, civilian pilots by law must follow the laws and regulations. For non-commercial civilian pilots, this means that they must be ready to submit their identification files and flight plans on request by Protectorate Officers. Non-commercial pilots must also give the right of way to commercial and military vessels when docking at a station Commercial pilots are expected to not only have their identification files and flight plans ready to submit on request but also be ready to send their cargo manifests as well. Commercial pilots must also comply with trade and transportation laws and regulations. This includes applying for a trading license. Information is listed below.
All civilian pilots must be ready to power down their engines and submit to scans when requested by officers of the Protectorate. Do note, the Corellian Protectorate does have the right to confiscate dangerous and or illicit cargo. Legal cargo will only be confiscated in times where the safety of the Protectorate is at risk
While in Protectorate space pilots must refrain from firing weapons within Protectorate space outside of self-defense. For a pilot to claim self-defense, the aggressor must have had fired on the defending vessel or had tried to ram said vessel.
Finally, pilots must comply with the Corellian Protectorate at all time. Pilots that fail to comply may be held and fined. Pilots of the Protectorate are responsible for enforcing the laws and regulations of the Corellian Protectorate. When a pilot fails to comply with an order of the Protectorate, the pilot is then compromising the safety of the system and the citizens in it.
Licenses and Tariffs
Those wishing to transport cargo in Corellian Protectorate space must register to receive a license. These licenses cost 1,250 credits per cargo unit the ship being registered can hold. These licenses allow the pilot to apply for cargo permits as well as receive a 50% reduction to tariffs on military equipment. Without a license, the tariff for military equipment is 20%. Those that have violated the laws of the Corellian System in the past would receive a 40% tax.
Those that have had their trading license revoked will need to wait a three-month period before being able to apply for a new license. A new license will cost 2000 credits per cargo unit as well as a 500-credit reinstatement fee. Should said pilot need to reinstate his license a second time, the fee is increased to 1000 credits and wait six months. After which, a pilot can no longer apply to reinstate his license.
Pilots that do not have a license will be charged a 100,000-credit fine. Repeat offenders will be charged double of the previous offense. Ex) First Offense 100,000 credits. Second Offense, 200,000 credits. Third Offense, 400,000 credits. Pilots may repeat this offense indefinitely so long as they can afford the fine.
Territory of the Corellian Protectorate
Systems that have joined the Corellian Protectorate have transferred all legal authority of their system to the Protectorate. This means that the laws of the Protectorate apply to these systems. Protectorate Forces also granted peacekeeping authority in these systems as well.
Outside of these systems, anywhere within 200 kilometers of a Corellian Protectorate outpost is considered Protectorate Territory. Those within communication range of a Protectorate capital ship are in control range of the vessel. Pilots within the control range of the vessel must obey any instructions given by the Protectorate. Those that are in control range that fail to comply will be treated as hostile vessels.
Smuggling and Piracy
Those that are found carrying illicit cargo or are carrying restricted cargo without proper authorization will be charged with smuggling. In most cases, smugglers will be charged a two-hundred credit fine and the cargo will be confiscated by the Corellian Protectorate. Repeat offenders risk imprisonment as well as their starship being impounded. Commercial Pilots that are registered with the Protectorate will have their licenses and permits revoked. How to recover said licenses and permits is listed above as well as a list of illicit and restricted cargo below. Should any ship fail to submit to a scan by the authorities will automatically be suspected of smuggling.
The Corellian Protectorate does not support piracy and will actively hunt and destroy known pirates. Pilots that are found threatening or attacking another vessel will be marked as pirates. On principle, Protectorate forces are instructed to fire on pilots committing piracy in the system. Known pirates are not welcomed in Protectorate space and will be attacked on sight. Pirates that wish to surrender must alert Protectorate authorities before entering the system. Should that be impossible, it is recommended that said pirate surrender upon entering the system. Again, those that do not surrender at any point will be considered hostile and will be destroyed on sight. If a pilot believes he is wrongfully suspected of piracy, he should turn himself in as soon as possible to clarify the accusations immediately.
Disruptor weapons are illegal in Protectorate space. Those caught with disruptors will be ordered to eject their weapons and will be fined 1,000,000 credits. There are no exceptions to this law. Those that fail to comply will be marked as a pirate and will be destroyed.
Pirates and smugglers that manage to flee Protectorate authorities will be placed on the wanted list and may receive a bounty placed on them. This bounty will not be removed until it is either claimed or the pilot surrenders to the Protectorate. More information on bounty hunting is listed below.
Bounty Hunting
Bounty hunting is only legal in Corellian Protectorate Space for Corellian Protectorate approved bounties. Non-Corellian Protectorate bounties must be approved by the Protectorate beforehand. In no circumstances are bounties on members of the Protectorate Legal. Those that participate in illegal bounties will be treated as pirates.
Suspect and Wanted Lists
The suspect and wanted lists show ships that have committed actions that go against what the mission of the Corellian Protectorate. Suspects of such actions are not permitted to enter Corellian Space until they have proven their innocence to Command or have turned themselves in. Suspects will not be shot on sight outside of Protectorate space, but are urged to surrender themselves to the Protectorate.
Ships that are on the wanted list are known pirates. Protectorate Forces will attack these ships on sight, regardless of the system they are in. These ships may also have legal bounties placed on them.
Suspect List:
Wanted List:
Illicit Cargo List:
Andris Spice
Assassin Droids
Avabush Spice
Booster Blue Spice
Carsunum Spice
Catabar Spice
Chak Root
Collafa Spice
Crash N Burn Spice
Criminal Rejects
Death Sticks
Eldratz Spice
Engspice Spice
Galactic Outlaw
Gannarian Narco-Spice
Giggledust Spice
Glitterstim Spice
Imperial Deserters
Mekebve Spores
Muon Gold Spice
Negamo Spice
Neutron Pixie Spice
New Republic Deserters
Nyriaan Spice
Pyrepenol Spice
Red Rage Spice
Ryll Kor Spice
Ryll Spice
Sansanna Spice
Shenir Spice
Swoop Gangsters
Restricted Cargo That Requires A Permit To Transport:
Cloning Equipment
Corellian Pilots
Dura Armors
Energy Cages
Imperial Code Cylinders
Imperial Intelligence
Imperial Orders
Imperial Redesign Teams
Military Droids
New Republic Ambassadors
New Republic Soldiers
Pain Simulators
Spy Drones
Thermal Detonators
TIE Solar Panels
Twin Ion Engines
War Mounts
Weapons Crates
Travel Advisory
The systems below have been deemed unsafe for civilian travel. Those wishing to enter these systems do so at their own risk. This applies for all systems in Hutt Space as well. The Corellian Protectorate are in no way liable for property lost or damaged in these systems or any system outside of Protectorate Space.
Pirate Alerts:
Bespin System (Heavy Pirate Presence)
Cerea System (Light Pirate Presence)
Endor System (Heavy Pirate Presence)
Garqi System (Light Pirate Presence)
Hoth System (Moderate Pirate Presence)
Kashyyyk System (Light Pirate Presence)
Tatooine System (Extremely Heavy Pirate Presence, Enter At Own Risk)
Tsoss System (Light Pirate Presence)
Yag'Dhul System (Light Pirate Presence)


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TROY, N.Y. – The MIT women's track and field team, ranked No. 4 in the country, put on a dominating display Saturday, winning the Engineer's Cup over WPI and host RPI with 201 total points, 81 ahead of second-place WPI. The Cardinal and Gray won all but one event on the track and also took first place in the four of the eight field events.
Freshman Tilly Talyor (South Deerfield, Mass.) shattered the MIT record in the javelin, winning the event with a throw of 140-3 feet, besting the program mark by nine feet. Taylor currently stands second on the NCAA qualifying list.
Sophomore Jacqueline Brew (Amherst, N.H.) also set an Institute record in the long jump. Despite taking off from well behind the foul line, Brew jumped 18.1.75 feet to win the event and break the previous mark held by Amy Magnuson '10 by three-quarters of an inch. Brew also earned wins in the 100-hurdles with a time of 15.37, was part of the winning 4x100 relay (48.44 seconds) and had runner-up showings in the 100m (13.26 seconds), 200m (26.85 seconds) and the triple jump (35-7.75 feet). The versatile sophomore accounted for an outstanding 30.75 total points on the day.
Two of Brew's second-place finishes came on account of teammate Portia Jones (New York, N.Y.) beating her out. Jones was a winner in the 100 meters in 13.17 seconds and the 200 meters in 25.89 seconds. Brew did get the better of her senior teammate in the 100-hurdles by just 0.02 seconds, as Jones took second in 15.39 seconds.
Senior Jamie Simmons (Carlsbad, Calif.) also earned a pair of wins in the 400 meters and 400 intermediate hurdles. Simmons overcame a strong headwind on the backstretch to win the 400 with a time of 58.36 seconds. Her time of 63.49 in the 400 hurdles was nearly six seconds faster than her closest competitor.
Brew, Jones and Simmons were joined by freshman Veronica Szklarzewski (Chicago, Ill.) on the winning 4x100 relay that finished in 48.44 seconds, over four seconds faster than second-place RPI.
A pair of freshmen, Cindy Huang (San Jose, Calif.) and Elaine McVay (San Ramon, Calif.), set rookie records, winning the 800 and 5000 meters, respectively. Huang beat out teammate Alexandra Taylor (Harbor Springs, Mich.) in the 800 with a time of 2:21.87. McVay ran away from the field, winning the 5k in 17:41.24, more than 40 seconds faster than fellow freshman Dacie Manion (Old Town, Maine).
Other event wins came from junior Brooke Johnson (Shoreham, N.Y.) in the 1500 (4:46.39), sophomore Claire O'Connell (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) in the 3000 Steeplechase, freshman Marissa Engle (Sunnyvale, Calif.) in the pole vault, freshman Michelle Johnson (Glendora, Calif.) in the triple jump and sophomore Christine Labaza (Rochester, Mich.) in the discus.
Tech will travel to Colby College next weekend to take on Bates College and the University of Southern Maine in addition to the host Mules in a meet beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 14.


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The rain wont stop your fashion hound from looking chic! Featuring a water proof colorful whales printed shell with aqua fleece lining, the Ruff Ruff Couture® slicker is as sensible as it is cute. No more wet dog look with this outfit! Black buttons and pocket flaps add to the charm. Attaches at the neck and chest with velcro for easy wearability. Proudly made in the U.S.A.


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Here are my reviews of fantasy and science fiction books for kids/teenagers featuring central characters of diverse cultures and ethnicities. I've organized them alphabetically within age groups.
Other great lists can be found at Stacy Whitmn's Grimoire (mg) and Poking Badgers With Spoons (YA)
Picture Books (3)
Bonjour, Lonnie, by Faith Ringgold (1996)
Chalk, by Bill Thompson (2010)
The Secret Box, by Barbara Lehman (2011)
Graphic (or at least heavy on the graphics) Novels for Young Kids (ages 5-9) (6)
The Shark King, by R. Kikuo Johnson (2012)
The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future, by Dav Pilkey (2010)
Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers, by Dav Pilkey, (2012)
Astronaut Academy Zero Gravity (2011), and Astronaut Academy Re-Entry (2013), by Dave Roman
Cleopatra In Space, Book 1: Target Practice (2014), and Book 2: The Thief and the Sword (2015) by Mike Maihack
Little Robot, by Ben Hatke (2015)
Early Chapter Book/Elementary/Ages 5-9ish
The Magic Mirror, by Zetta Elliott (2014)
Mouldylocks and the Three Beards, and Little Red Quaking Hood (Princess Pink series), by Noah Z. Jones (2014)
The Phoenix on Barkley Street, by Zetta Elliott (2014)
Middle Grade/Ages 8-12 (85)
Abracadabra Tut, by Page McBriar (2014)
Ambassador, by William Alexander (2014), and its sequel, Nomad (2015)
Archer's Quest, by Linda Sue Park (2006)
The Atomic Weight of Secrets, by Eden Unger Bowditch (2011)
The Astounding Broccoli Boy, by Frank Cottrell Boyce (2015)
Bansi O'Hara and the Bloodline Prophecy, by John Dougherty (2008)
The Book of Wonders, by Jasmine Richards (2012)
The Book That Proves Time Travel Happens, by Henry Clark (2015)
Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu (2011)
Bridge of Time, by Lewis Buzbee (2012)
The Cheerleaders of Doom (N.E.R.D.S. Book 3) by Michael Buckley (2011)
Celia's Robot, by Margaret Chang (2010)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, (2012), and its sequel, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time, by Frank Cottrell Boyce (2013 in the US)
Chronal Engine, by Greg Leitich Smith (2012)
Chronicles of the Red King: The Secret Kingdom (2011) and its sequels, The Stones of Ravenglass (2012), and Leopard's Gold (2013) by Jenny Nimmo
City of Fire, and its sequel, City of Ice, by Laurence Yep (2010, 2011)
Claws, by Mike and Rachel Grinti (2012)
Come Fall, by A.C.E. Bauer (2010)
The Conch Bearer, by Chitra Banerjee Divkaruni (2003)
The Creature Department, by Robert Paul Weston (2013)
Dayshaun's Gift, by Zetta Elliott (2015)
Dead Air (The Kat Sinclair Files), by Michelle Schusterman (2015)
Dragon Magic, by Andre Norton (1972)
The Dream Stealer, by Sid Fleischman (2009)
The Elsewhere Chronicles, by Nykko (2009)
The Extraordinary Book of Doors, by Anne E.G. Nydam (2014)
Flashback Four: The Lincoln Project, by Dan Gutman (2016)
Freedom Stone, by Jeffrey Kluger (2011)
Galaxy Games: The Challengers, by Greg R. Fishbone (2011)
Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities, by Mike Jung (2012)
Greenglass House, by Kate Milford (2014)
Hoodoo, by Ronald L. Smith (2015)
I Lived on Butterfly Hill, by Marjorie Agosín (2014)
The Infinity Ring series (various authors): Mutiny in Time (2012), Divide and Conquer (2012), The Trap Door (2013), Curse of the Ancients (2013) and Cave of Wonders (2013), Behind Enemy Lines (2013)
Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow (2011) and Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp (2013) by Nathan Bransford
Jinx (2013) and Jinx's Magic (2014), by Sage Blackwood
Justice and Her Brothers, by Virginia Hamilton (1978)
Lavender-Green Magic, by Andre Norton (1974)
The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle, by Deva Fagan (2010)
Mars Evacuees, by Sophia McDougall (2015)
The Menagerie (2013), and Dragon on Trial (2014) by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland
MiNRS, by Kevin Sylvester (2015)
The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (2005)
Monster Matsuri (Takeshita Demons, 3), by Cristy Burne (2012)
Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja, by Simon Higgins (2010)
My Neighbor Totoro (the novel), by Tsugiko Kubo (2013)
The Night Fairy, by Laura Amy Schlitz (2010)
Night of the Living Lawn Ornaments, by Emily Ecton (2009)
Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes (2010)
Phyllis Wong and the Return of the Conjuror, by Geoffrey McSkimming (2014 in Australia, 2015 in the US)
The Prince of Fenway Park, by Julianna Baggott (2009)
The Remarkable and Very True Story of Lucy and Snowcap, by H.M. Bouwman (2008)
Secrets of the Terra-Cotta Soldier by Ying Chang Compestine and Vincent Compestine (2014)
Shadows of Sherwood, and Rebellion of Thieves (Robyn Hoodlum, 2015 and 2016), by Kekla Magoon
Skeleton Man (2003), and The Return of Skeleton Man (2006), by Joseph Bruchac
Space Case, by Stuart Gibbs (2014)
The Spider Ring, by Andrew Harwell (2015)
Starry River of the Sky, by Grace Lin (2012)
This Side of Magic (Key Holders Vol. 1), by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones (2009)
The Taker and the Keeper, by Wim Coleman and Pat Perrin (2009)
Thief, by Malorie Blackman (1995)
Trapped Between the Lash and the Gun, by Arvella Whitmore (1999)
Turning on a Dime, by Maggie Dana (2014)
Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life, by P.J. Hoover (2014)
Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer, by Kelly Jones (2015)
The Water Castle, by Megan Frazer Blakemore (2013)
The Wells Bequest, by Polly Shulman (2013)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin (2009)
Wild Born (Spirit Animals Book 1) by Brandon Mull (2013)
Wish Girl, by Nikki Loftin (2015)
Woundabout, by Lev Rosen (2015)
The Zero Degree Zombie Zone, by Patrik Henry Ness (2014)
Zombie Baseball Beatdown, by Paulo Bacigalupi (2013)
Middle Grade/Young Adult (books that in my opinion can be comfortably read both teenagers and older middle grade kids. Which isn't to say the books that are just middle grade won't be enjoyed by some teenagers. Or grown-ups) (49)
Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor (2011)
The Black Canary, by Jane Louise Curry (2005)
The Boy at the End of the World, by Greg van Eekhout (2011)
Boys of Blur, by N.D. Wilson (2014)
Cat Girl's Day Off, by Kimberly Pauley (2012)
Circus Galacticus, by Deva Fagan (2011)
Cinder, by Marissa Meyer (2012)
City of a Thousand Dolls, by Miriam Forster (2013)
Dragon Keeper, by Carole Wilkinson (2003)
The Dragon's Tooth, by N.D. Wilson (2011)
Drift, by M.K. Hutchins (2014)
Dust Girl, by Sarah Zettel (2012)
East of the Sun, West of the Moon, by Jackie Morris (2013)
The Freedom Maze, by Delia Sherman (2011)
Gateway, by Sharon Shinn (2009)
The Galahad series, by Dom Testa, of which I've reviewed The Dark Zone (2011) and The Galahad Legacy (2012)
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, by Yasutaka Tsutsui (1967, 2011 English translation by David Karashima)
Hammer of Witches, by Shana Mlawski (2013)
Hannah's Winter, by Kierin Meehan (2001, 2009 in the US)
The Heavenward Path, by Kara Dalkey (1998)
House of the Star, by Caitlin Brennan (2010)
I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade, by Diane Lee Wilson (1998)
The Immortal Fire (Chronus Chronicles) by Anne Ursu (2009)
Little Sister, by Kara Dalkey (1996)
The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan (2010)
The Jaguar Stones series: Middleworld (2010), The End of the World Club (2010), The River of No Return, and The Lost City (2015) by J. & P. Voelkel
The Order of Odd Fish, by James Kennedy (2008)
Parched, by Melanie Crowder (2013)
The Red Pyramid, by Rick Riordan (2010)
Remembering Green, by Lesley Beake (2010)
The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud (2010)
The Savage Fortress, by Sarwat Chadda (2012)
Sea of the Dead, by Julia Durango (2009)
The Silver Anklet, by Mahtab Narsimhan (2009)
The Snipesville Chronicles: Don't Know Where, Don't Know When (2007), A Different Day, a Different Destiny (2009)
Look Ahead, Look Back (2012) by Annette Laing
Sorrow's Knot, by Erin Bow (2013)
Summer of the Mariposas, by Guadalupe Garcia McCall (2012)
Spirit's Princess, by Esther Friesner (2012)
Tall Story, by Candy Gourlay (2010 UK, 2011 US)
Watersmeet, by Ellen Jensen Abbott (2009) and its sequel, The Centaur's Daughter (2011)
Zahrah the Windseeker, by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu (2005)
The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence, by Stan Lee, Stuart Moore, and Andie Tong (2015)
Young Adult (46)
The Afterlife, by Gary Soto (2003)
Along The River, by Adeline Yen Mah (2010)
Ash, by Malinda Lo (2009)
A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts, by Ying Chang Compestine (2009)
Black Dog, by Rachel Neumeier (2013)
Black Powder, by Staton Rabin (2005)
Bleeding Violet, by Dia Reeves (2010)
The Blending Time, by Michael Kinch (2010)
Bone and Jewel Creatures, by Elizabeth Bear (2010)
The Broken Lands, by Kate Milford (2012)
The Demon's Surrender, by Sarah Rees Brennan (2011)
Diverse Energies, edited by Tobias S. Buckell and Joe Monti (2012)
Dragons of Darkness, by Antonia Michaelis (2010)
The Drowned Cities, by Paolo Bacigalupi (2012)
Echo, by Alicia Brewster (2013)
The Empty Kingdom, by Elizabeth Wein (2008)
Feral Nights, by Cynthia Leitich Smith (2013)
Gateway, by Sharon Shinn (2009)
Huntress, by Malinda Lo (2011)
The Immortal Rules, by Julie Kagawa (2012)
Libyrinth, by Pearl North (2009)
The Living, by Matt de la Peña (2013)
The Lost Girl, by Sangu Mandanna (2012)
Luminous, by Dawn Metcalf (2011)
Magic Under Glass, by Jaclyn Dolamore (2010)
Magic Under Stone, by Jaclyn Dolamore (2012)
Manifest, by Artist Arthur (2010)
Misfit, by Jon Skovron (2011)
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, by Nahoko Uehashi (2008)
Oreleans, by Sherri L. Smith (2013)
The Other Side of Dark, by Sarah Smith (2010)
Shadowboxer, by Tricia Sullivan (2014)
Shadows on the Moon, by Zoe Marriott (2012)
Shipbreaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi (2010)
Sorrow's Knot, by Erin Bow (2013)
Soul Enchilada, by David Macinnis Gill (2009)
Stranger, by Rachel Manija Brown and Sherwood Smith (2014)
The Summer Prince, by Alaya Dawn Johnson (2013)
A Thousand Nights, by E.K. Johnston (2015)
Tiger Moon, by Antonia Michaelis (2008 US edition)
Toads and Diamonds, by Heather Tomlinson (2010)
The Tomorrow Code, by Brian Falkner (2008 US edition)
Transcendence, by C.J. Omololu (2012)
The Way We Fall, by Megan Crewe (2012)
A Wish After Midnight, by Zetta Elliott (2008)
Wolf Mark, by Joseph Bruchac (2011)
Published as adult books, but good cross-overs for YA readers (4)
Cold Magic, by Kate Elliott (2010)
The Indigo Pheasant, by Daniel Rabuzzi (2012)
Kindred, by Octavia Butler (1979)
Norse Code, by Greg van Eekhout (2009)


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Funny as it may seem, pajamas enjoy different fashion "seasons", just like the Runway styles at Fashion Week! What have we noticed as a trend for the new Spring line? We see a number of pajamas for girls and for women with the Coral and Pink color pairing.
Personally, we think it is fresh and fun- feminine without being too girly. It also looks good on most people- with fair complexions and light hair to darker complexions with dark hair. It helps that characters like Hello Kitty and the Disney Princesses are featured to up the "cute" factor! So as you get ready to refresh your pajamas for Spring, consider the fashion-forward color combo of Coral & Pink!


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The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced that Brazil, with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, will host World Environment Day 2012 (WED) on 5 June.
This year's theme 'Green Economy: Does it include you? invites everyone to both assess where the Green Economy fits in their daily lives and evaluate whether development through these pathways towards a Green Economy can deliver the kinds of social, economic and environmental outcomes needed in a world of seven billion people, climbing to over nine billion in 2050.
Brazil had previously hosted WED in 1992, on the eve of the first Earth Summit, when world leaders, government officials and international organizations met to refocus, recalibrate and deliver a route map towards sustainable development.
"Three weeks after WED, Brazil will host Rio+20 where world leaders and nations will gather in order to design a future that takes sustainable development from theory and patchy success to the locomotive of transformational change—a pathway that can grow economies and generate decent jobs without pushing the globe past planetary boundaries," said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director.
With a country of 200 million people, Brazil is the fifth most populous nation in the world and has the fifth largest land mass on the planet with 8.5 million square kilometers
Further information:
The WED celebrations in Brazil on 5 June are part of thousands of events taking place around the globe. WED 2012 will emphasize how individual actions can have an exponential impact, with a variety of activities ranging from a marathon, to community clean-ups, car-free days, green blogging competitions, exhibits, green petitions, nationwide green campaigns and much more.
Rio Earth Summit: In 1992 the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, popularly known as the Rio Earth Summit, was convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to address the state of the environment and sustainable development. In June 2012, there will be the follow up meeting, or Rio+20, in Brazil in June, where one of the main themes governments are expected to address is Green Economy "in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication".
Source: UNEP News
The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.
United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC Brussels)
Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 155, Block C2,7th and 8th floor, Brussels 1040, Belgium
Tel.: +32 2 788 8484 / Fax: 32 2 788 8485


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Star Wars I Love You / I Know Hand Towels
Geeky Housewarming or Wedding Gift
- Embroidered towels for the geeky couple
- The perfect housewarming gift for Star Wars fans
- A ThinkGeek creation and exclusive!
Geeks understand the importance of towels. And sometimes two geeks get together and live in the same house. Know what that leads to? Towel fights. Not the sort where you wet one end and snap it, but fights over whose towel is whose. You could get monogrammed towels, but those are so stuffy and boring. Instead opt for hand towels that reflect your sense of decor, not something out of the pages of House Beautiful or Southern Living.
This set of white hand towels features the words "I Love You." / "I Know." along with large silhouettes of Leia and Han, respectively, embroidered in a silvery grey. The opposite side has a line of 1/2" Rebel Alliance insignia from side to side and a Star Wars logo in the corner; display this side if you want your fandom more subtle. These soft, 60% cotton / 40% bamboo hand towels are finished off with grey edge binding for a polished look.
Product Specifications
- I Love You / I Know set of hand towels
- A ThinkGeek creation and exclusive!
- Officially-licensed Star Wars merchandise
- Embroidery done in silvery-grey thread
- Grey edge binding at top and bottom
- Materials: 60% cotton / 40% bamboo
- Care Instructions: Hand wash in warm or cool water. Do not tumble dry. Do not iron.
- Imported
- Dimensions: 16" x 28"
- Not guaranteed to work in encounters with the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal


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The Windows/Linux Openmtbmap Maps Can be found Here
Maps for Mac OSx can be found Here
Programs to Display the Openmtbmap
Besides being shown on (nearly) all Garmin GPS devices - most People will use Garmin Basecamp (v3 or later) or Garmin Mapsource to show the maps on their Desktop and plan tours/trips.
For anyone on the good side of earth Openmtbmap.org maps are also correctly shown in Qlandkarte_GT - QLandkarte_GT is compatible with all big OS (Linux, MacOSx and well Windows too). Linux users can alternatively install Mapsource 6.13.6 in WINE. The .exe files can be unpacked with 7zip.
For Linux/Unix users there is also a script to unpack the maps, and automatically create a gmapsupp: https://github.com/btittelbach/openmtbmap_openvelomap_linux
Mapsource - I wouldn't use any version but 6.16.3. Mapsource versions 6.14 to 6.15.6 are complete junk, if you use it, please update. Also note that Mapsource versions prior to 6.16.1 do not show all ways and pathes so they are not really usable. Mac OSx users please use Qlandkarte GT or convert maps and use Basecamp 3 or Roadtrip. Note there are readily converted maps available for most countries at the end of this page.


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Workplace flexibility may become the next "San Francisco value." So may schedule stability for workers.
Not long after Yahoo and Best Buy dealt blows to alternative workplace arrangements, a San Francisco supervisor is proposing a measure that would give employees who are parents or caregivers a right to request a flexible work schedule, such as telecommuting, job sharing or working part time. Under the proposal, employers could reject those requests only if the change would result in an "undue hardship" for the company or organization, including an increase in costs or a "detrimental effect on the ability to meet customer or client demands."
The legislation, from Supervisor David Chiu, has another feature that may be as important—and controversial. It centers on predictable schedules for workers. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, employers subject to state and federal overtime laws would have to provide workers with at least two weeks' notice of their schedule.
This element addresses a concern raised by advocates of low-wage workers, who often find themselves at the mercy of "just in time" schedules from employers and struggle to juggle work and family responsibilities. University of Chicago professor Susan Lambert also has argued that overly volatile schedules can backfire for companies in the form of higher turnover.
The flexibility provision of the proposal, meanwhile, could fill major gaps in workplace flexibility programs. Although many companies say they offer flexibility, programs often cover less than half of the workforce.
Chiu's measure requires approval from San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, and then would go before the city's voters. It already is generating opposition. Liberal "San Francisco values," translated into city rules such as a high minimum wage, mandated paid sick leave and an employee health care mandate, often are seen as anti-business. "Once again we're going to put San Francisco employers at a competitive disadvantage, or at least under a whole new layer of bureaucracy that interjects itself into the daily operation of businesses," Jim Lazarus of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, told the Chronicle.
Overall, though, research supports flexibility as helpful to both employers and employees. And many organizations are looking to mend, not end, alternative work programs despite high-profile setbacks at Yahoo, which called telecommuters back to the office, and Best Buy, which ended a radical program of letting employees choose when and where they worked as long as they produced good results.
Chiu argues other countries have put in place comparable policies with positive outcomes. According to the Chronicle, his legislation is modeled on similar measures in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Chiu also says he and other executives provided workplace flexibility at the online communications firm he co-founded more than a decade ago. "It vastly improved our employee loyalty," Chiu told the Chronicle. "Our turnover was extremely low."
Could it be that San Francisco values—including flexibility and stability for workers—can create value for both employees and employers?
Ed Frauenheim is associate editorial director of Human Capital Media, the parent organization of Workforce. Comment below or email him at email@example.com. Follow Frauenheim on Twitter at @edfrauenheim.


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The PlayStation Move came to North America on September 17, 2010. In that time, I think I've used the peripheral maybe six times. This is said as a person whose job it is to own and use one of these things.
When the controller was first introduced, Sony made a big deal about how it could create richer, deeper experiences than we'd gotten on the Wii. Coupled with Sony's more "hardcore" focus, we seemed in line to receive the kind of motion-controlled games that had a real edge and innovation to them, rather than the waggling minigames the Wii has helped perpetuate so damn much.
So ... where are they? Where are these deep experiences? Why, over a year on from the peripheral's release, are we still getting proof-of-concept games instead of actual games?
With the PlayStation Move's being out for over a year, the grace period where Sony could get away with shallow waggle-based minigames and glorified tech demos ought to have expired. However, this week I was sent a tote bag of PS Move review copies by Sony, and looking inside I found ... waggle-based minigames and glorified tech demos.
Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest is one such game. It's an on-rails shooter/slasher that could have been legitimately brilliant had the developers not played it so damn safe. While its sword combat is decent and the bow-and-arrow controls surprisingly good, these ideas are barely developed from the launch title Sports Champions. What could have been a third-person action-adventure, one along the lines of, say, The Legend of Zelda, is just another on-rails demonstration of ideas in an industry that's become swollen with such things. The lack of bravery exhibited in the game is so obvious that it punches you in the face.
Carnival Island was also in the bag, and I think the game's name says it all. It's yet another collection of vague funfair minigames, the kind that have been on the Wii since at least 2007. You can throw balls! You can steer things! You can throw other kinds of balls! How innovative, how amazing, how exactly like so many other fucking games we've seen on rival systems!
Rounding out the package was EyePet & Friends, a sequel to a PlayStation Eye game that was interminably vapid, and LittleBigPlanet 2: Special Edition, a re-release of a game that arrived earlier this year and includes a bunch of Move-focused DLC.
That is Sony's big holiday lineup this year -- another tech demo, a collection of carnival minigames, a sequel to a game nobody loved, and a repackaged special edition. Forgive me if I'm being hard to please, but it's hardly a handjob from Debra Messing.
Over the course of the year, the PlayStation Move's primary use was as an optional control method in games not designed with it predominantly in mind. Killzone 3, Resistance 3, and inFAMOUS 2 all had options for the Move, but they tended to change the way each game was played. In the case of first-person shooters, the garish new targeting reticule made aiming ridiculously easy and had a detrimental effect on the multiplayer, especially for those who didn't find the Move comfortable in an FPS and instead found themselves slaughtered by those who were having their hands held by a giant yellow circle that glowed bright red on the tiniest of targets.
Without these optional control schemes, however, players would have had ZERO use for the Navigation Controller, the analog-stick secondary peripheral that Sony had the nerve to sell separately for $39.99 and then did nothing with. The Navigation Controller could have made for some genuinely exciting "real" games that used motion as an enhancement, but I'm willing to bet that its status as a separately purchased add-on is what has stopped games like Deadmund's Quest from being anything other than an on-rails affair. I doubt developers want to further shrink their potential audience by requiring another controller that gamers aren't guaranteed to have.
Unfortunately, this becomes a vicious circle. No games want to use the Navigation Controller because so few gamers own one, but so few gamers own one because no games want to use the Navigation Controller. As with so many PlayStation-flavored problems, it's Sony's job to lead the way and work hard on producing enthralling games that exploit this forgotten peripheral. However, as with so many PlayStation-flavored problems, Sony won't fucking bother.
The only PlayStation Move game that's ever looked worth a shit is Sorcery, and unsurprisingly, it's a game that we've seen bugger-all from since the Move first launched. In December, Sony is due to finally unveil a hands-on version of the game, and I am expecting good things. Even if it is good, however, it's a year too late and it's just one game. Right now, the Move is putting out games that exist only to make Move owners feel like they weren't ripped off in 2010, and that's not a good position for any consumer product to be in. A year removed from launch, the Move should be producing awesome new experiences, not desperately struggling to still validate its existence.
More importantly, a product more technologically advanced than the Wii, on a superior console, should not be pathetically retreading Nintendo's footsteps and regurgitating the kind of experiences that we've already been playing for years. The PlayStation Move could be a leader, but it's straggling as a follower. Sure, its controls may be a little more precise than those on the Wii, but that means jack shit when you're just reproducing the same kind of content.
We don't need that. We don't need tech demos anymore, and we don't need proofs-of-concept. If you've been unable to prove your concept in over a year, then what the fuck were you doing for the past twelve months? The time when cute little demonstrations of ideas were acceptable has long since passed. It's high time that the Move got the kind of experiences that it is capable of. Otherwise, all you have is a shitty little Wii knock-off that's destined to be forgotten.
Apparently, Sony's okay with that.
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Physical Sciences
Research Highlights
May 2010
Silica Cages Help Anti-Cancer Antibodies Kill Tumors in Mice
Honeycombed particles filled with cancer drug act like time-release capsules at tumor site
Small chemical ornaments (cones) slow the release of anti-cancer antibodies (blue) from this functionalized mesoporous silica (orange). Artist's rendering, not to scale. Enlarge Image
Packaging anti-cancer drugs into particles of chemically modified silica improve the drugs' ability to fight skin cancer in mice, according to new research. Results published May 3 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society online show the honeycombed particles can help anti-cancer antibodies prevent tumor growth and prolong the lives of mice.
"We are very excited by our preliminary results," said biochemist Chenghong Lei of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, part of the team of PNNL and University of Washington scientists. "We plan to do some additional, larger studies with animals. We hope the results hold up well enough to take it to clinical trials somewhere down the road."
Read the PNNL press release.
Acknowledgments: This work was supported by PNNL, Washington Research Foundation, University of Washington, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The research was done by Chenghong Lei, Baowei Chen, Heather Engelmann, Yongsoon Shin, and Jun Liu of PNNL and Pu Liu, Yumeng Mao, Jade Jaffar, Ingegerd Hellstrom, and Karl Erik Hellstrom of the University of Washington.
Reference: Lei C, P Liu, B Chen, Y Mao, H Engelmann, Y Shin, J Jaffar, I Hellstrom, J Liu, KE Hellstrom. 2010. "Local release of highly loaded antibodies from functionalized nanoporous support for cancer immunotherapy," Journal of the American Chemical Society, DOI 10.1021/ja102414t.


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Steel Trap86
Well it looks like its coming down to home ice advantage in the finals, the Pens are getting drilled 5-0 right now in Detroit and havent looked worse, this after they played there best game on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. I thought Detroit wouldnt be able to keep up with the Pens after Thursdays game, but they cant seem to stay the hell out of the box tonight and cant win in Detroit. It looks like Detroit will take the Cup again unless the Pens figure out a way to win Game 6, and then Game 7 back in Detroit for the Cup, which will be no cake walk.


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Note: The Google advertisement links below may advocate political positions that this site does not endorse.
Source: Rasmussen (url)
* = Incumbent
Rasmussen finally stops pretending this race is a toss-up
By: Lief (D-NY) on 2012-10-20 @ 07:57:09
If the 2012 Election for U.S. Senate were held today would you vote for Republican Josh Mandel or Democrat Sherrod Brown?
About this Poll
The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Ohio was conducted on October 17, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC.
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My name is Miika Ahvenjärvi. I'm a freelance Graphic Designer from Finland.
I can offer graphic design services of all sorts; website design, logotype & identity design, application UI design, mobile-app design, advertisement design, CD & DVD cover design and many more. Contact me for information about pricing.
You can contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com, or via a DeviantArt note.


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PHILADELPHIA — Education officials on Wedneday unveiled a new grading system for Pennsylvania's public schools that they described as a tool for parents, administrators and the public to monitor and improve student achievement.
School Performance Profiles will offer academic ratings for each building based on a 100-point scale. Scores for all 3,200 traditional, charter, cyber and technical schools in the state will be available online beginning Sept. 30.
Acting Education Secretary Carolyn Dumaresq offered a preview of the rating system at a news conference and explained in detail how the figures are weighted and calculated. Buildings that score above 70 are considered to be satisfactory.
The new profiles replace the previous standard known as AYP, or adequate yearly progress, which was based solely on student math and reading scores. Pennsylvania is no longer required to use that benchmark since receiving a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law.
Schools are now judged on data including attendance, participation in standardized testing, graduation rates and closing the achievement gap. Ratings will be updated annually.
Forty percent of the score comes from exam results, while another 40 percent is based on how much progress students make in a given year. Exams include the Pennsylvania System of Student Assessment, or PSSAs, and high school Keystone tests in English, math and science.
Parents can use the ratings to compare academic options for their children, while administrators can use the data to set goals and allocate resources, officials said. The comprehensive profiles also include statistics like enrollment and dropout rates.


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The standoff over U.S. tax-and-spending policy is a black cloud hanging over the global economic outlook, according to officials of the world's major central banks.
On Thursday, the European Central Bank labeled U.S. fiscal policy as one of the leading risks to growth in a downbeat outlook on the euro-zone economy.
One day earlier, Bank of Japan deputy governor Kiyohiko Nishimura said "strong uncertainty" over the U.S. fiscal cliff raised doubts about the resilience of the U.S. recovery. Analysts said Nishimura's speech was a sign that the BOJ was planning more easing steps at their next meeting on Dec. 19 and 20.
On Monday, the Reserve Bank of Australia highlighted uncertainty over U.S. fiscal policy when it cut its key cash rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 3%.
And last but not least, outgoing Bank of England Governor Mervyn King said late last month that his private talks with contacts in the U.S. have led him to doubt the sustainability of the American economy.
Economist Mark Zandi told the Joint Economic Committee of Congress on Thursday that another battle between the White House and the House GOP over increasing the debt-limit would be like the U.S. putting a gun to its own head. It seems the global economy is in the line of fire as well.
-- Greg Robb


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You're in the right place if you want to breathe easier and truly enjoy life to the fullest — while accelerating the process of achieving your most important goals.
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Cam'ron's Harlem-based Diplomats crew (also known as Dipset) centers around Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, JR Writer, and Diplomat Records president Freekey Zeekey. Though the first two volumes of Diplomatic Immunity, released in 2003 and 2004, did well commercially, they've also made a fortune off a series of underground mixtapes, some of which have received wide distribution via Koch.
Just one alias of the purple haze-d Harlem hip-hop group the Diplomats.
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Indirect Deposit
Digital Carcinogens
As if cybercrime wasn't cancer enough, researchers have now discovered that hackers can give you cancer. Not literally, of course, but in a manner that is certainly emotionally malignant. A proof-of-concept malware has been developed that manipulates the technologies typically used in support of CT scans, and (more…)
The Fine Line Between Hats
Ever wonder how razor-thin the line might be between the good guys and the bad guys? What is it that separates the two? In order to be a good white hat, you have to think like a black hat, and vice versa. (more…)
We Are Here To "Pump You UP!"
Bodybuilding is a movement that even warranted a long-running skit on SNL, with Dana Carvey and somebody else whose name is less familiar urging on the would-be fitness junkies in an accent that is not quite Austrian. It may have been an attempt to mimic the voice and (more…)
A Scooter Ride, Just For Fun?
Have you ever tried to use your data to streamline your business processes? Maybe you figured out you have zero customers in Dubuque, Iowa, and decided to allocate marketing dollars to Cedar Rapids, (more…)
The Ultimate Staffing Option
We've enjoyed a good ride. The bull market has been climbing longer than any in recent history. Business has been good. You've grown the organization, landed some whales, (more…)
The Cybersecurity Of Low Tech
Let's say you're an orange grower in Florida or a large dairy operation in Wisconsin. While these endeavors still depend on Mother Nature, a decidedly low-tech enterprise, the processes involved with the harvesting, marketing, and (more…)
Is Cybersecurity A Game?
For years, consumer advocacy groups have been warning about the effects of video games on our culture, suggesting that the violence of the games and the depth to which the players are drawn into the imaginary scenario often makes it difficult to separate the imagined (more…)
The Island Green Of Cybersecurity
The Players Championship is often called the fifth major in professional golf, and TPC Sawgrass, the Florida course where the tournament is played, is widely known for its signature 17th hole. The green is an island, a small patch of turf across about 150 yards of water from the tee box. (more…)
Hey Alexa, Can You Hear Me Now?
How cool is it to say something and have your car act on it? "Play my favorite song," or "Add my meeting with world leaders to my calendar," or "Take me to the nearest Radio Shack." Okay that last one's tough, but digital assistants are almost ubiquitous in cars these days. (more…)
Remember Windows 95?
Let's go back to the day when IT professionals wore wire-rimmed glasses and pocket protectors. They didn't want to stain the pockets of their white short-sleeved shirts or black ties. In fact, let's replay the entire (more…)
The Art Of Collection
773 million. That's a lot. And That's how many records were exposed in what's being called a "monster breach" or a "breach of breaches." The data was collected over time and displayed publicly on a cloud service and then a popular hacking forum. (more…)
Freelance Into The Future?
There is post-war, post-modern, post-industrialist, and even the post-post rush of social media. (How many likes did I get? Am I valued in the world?) To advance into the world we're creating, we often seem to be stumbling backwards. (more…)
Life At The Edge Of Acronym
If you live and work in the IT world long enough, you begin to speak in a strange vernacular, a language specific to the task of dispensing information efficiently to others who also know the language. IT, for example, is more efficient than information technology. (more…)
Setting Suns and Setting Goals
As the sun sets on 2018, don't let the lyrics of "Auld Lang Syne" and the prospect of bowl game parties occupy the depth and breadth of your personal hard drive and career objectives. There is, after all, a new year on the horizon, (more…)
Thomas Brazil, Chief Digital Officer at Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS), Inc., will be presenting at Innovacon 2019.
The International Association of Innovation Professionals (IAOIP) is partnering with the U.S Chamber of Commerce to bring you Innova-Con 2019. (more…)
Nerds In A Bubble
Ever heard of the term "Think Tank?" No doubt you have, and most of them are centered around policy development and political lobbying in our state and national capitols. Some gravitate to specific areas of interest, like oil and gas, foreign relations, or (more…)
Captain Of The Enterprise
Remember when the Enterprise would hurtle through time and space under the calm direction of Jim and Spock and Dr. Whatshisname? Those were the days, right? Threats were seen in advance, galaxies away, and even shown on the big screen before actual engagement was necessary. (more…)
We Are the Shhh of IT
At ICS, we don't compromise when it comes to delivering more than our customers expect. We're so focused on that mission that it seems the only thing we fail to do with equal fervor is tell our own story or toot our own horn. Despite the relative silence, our business has grown in parallel with our clients, whose IT needs have been met professionally and selflessly and, yes, quietly. We're like the E.F. Hutton of the IT world, and if you recognize that reference, congratulations on your longevity in the tech industry.
The Luddite Next Door
Can you imagine developing a product these days through a process that never once considers the Internet? Utility, distribution, sales, marketing, back-end, and customer support are some of the constituent parts of your new product's development that will never even brush up against the Internet. Tough to fathom such a circumstance in today's environment. Even a resurgent buggy whip manufacturer is likely to secure www.buggywhip.com fairly early in the thought process. (more…)
Nanny Cam Gone Rogue
Everybody knows the Internet of Things is changing the way we live in substantive ways, from thermostats and toaster ovens to alarm systems and lighting controls. If you're sitting at a hotel bar in Schenectady and want to mix a smoothie in your own kitchen back in Phoenix, there's an app for that. You might also ask yourself why you're sitting in a hotel bar in Schenectady, but that's another story. (more…)
The Abstract And The Concrete
The world is abuzz with stories of breaches and cyberthreats, accounts of stolen data and stolen identities. Some famous names are thrown around, names that you know and trust, but the story usually involves someone else, another company or an anonymous cast of unlucky souls who trusted their data to their favorite store or credit card company. (more…)
The Hunter Becomes The Hunted
Ever get the feeling that you are being watched? Has that sensation become even more pronounced as you have transitioned into the digital age? (more…)
Paving The Road To Hell
Even the best intentions can complicate matters. In pursuit of increased transparency, for example, the government designed and maintains a website portal to facilitate Freedom of Information Act requests by the public. According to a recent CNN report, that website was undergoing (more…)
The Warning Lights Are Blinking Red
At what point in a boat ride does incoming water equate into cause for concern? Is it when your toes get wet? Your shoes? Ankles? Knees? Shoulders? (more…)
Cybercrime: A Growth Industry
According to a recent Positive Technologies Report, cyberattacks increased 32% year over year from Q1 2017 to Q1 2018. Numbers like that suggest the likelihood of an attack on your organization falls somewhere between inevitable and (more…)
The Cybersecurity Three Putt
Maybe you're a golfer, or maybe you know someone who is. If so, then you know the passion that often accompanies the pastime. There's often a payment of homage to the "golf gods" for putts made or pars saved. (more…)
The Heart Of The Matter
Ever experience one of those moments when your heart races? Maybe it was your first kiss or the first time you saw a Porsche 911. Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint the exact reason your heart is racing. (more…)
FIN7 Redefining Hospitality
Three Ukrainian nationals have been indicted by the Justice Department for their alleged participation with FIN7 hacking group, an international crime cooperative that has used phishing scams to (more…)
Mitt Romney, Cyber Savant
If you were expecting this post to reveal some special powers possessed by any member of the Romney family, please assuage your initial disappointment with your first-hand experience with click bait. (more…)
I Invented Cyberspace
Meet William Gibson, an unassuming science fiction writer and author of the 1984 cult favorite Neuromancer. The Wikipedia description seems unassailable: (more…)
The Weather Channel On Cybersecurity
Imagine Jim Cantore in the classic blue slicker, microphone in hand, battling the winds and rains coming off the gulf coast as a category five hurricane makes landfall. (more…)
From Russia, With Love
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the voting booth, suspicions emerge anew that Russian hackers are watching from the other side of the screen. (more…)
Beethoven's Cybersecurity Symphony
The Fifth Symphony is one of Beethoven's most broadly popular works, with its trademark beginning of attention grabbing followed by a series of foreboding elements that remind us that chaos and (more…)
A Remote Chance For Re-Election
This is not a piece about candidates, or even the 2016 elections or the results thereof. This is not even about politics. (more…)
Hacking The Airport
It's Thursday afternoon, and the weather is wreaking havoc across the Northeast and Midwest. But you've got to get to Cincinnati to take a key client to dinner, to pitch a deal that will make your year and set you on the course to fiscal independence and occupational fame. (more…)
Droning On About Cybersecurity
A couple of months ago, a USAF truck traveling between missile silos in Wyoming dropped a box of explosives along the way. Not sure those were ever recovered. (more…)
Hacking The Weight Off
Most of us could stand to lose a few pounds, and that reality has fueled an entire industry around the latest exercise and fitness gadgets, from watches to fitbands and everything in between. Back in the day, it was heart monitors, but now the world is counting every step and using GPS to track every movement, inspiring friendly competition by data sharing between friends and across platforms. (more…)
How Tweet It Is
Twitter was once a quirky little social media platform that challenged folks to express complete thoughts in 140 characters or less. Maybe you've heard of it? It seems to have been deployed as a weapon of misinformation across our political processes, though no social media platform (or user, for that matter) is without some responsibility. (more…)
Hacking Provokes New Perspective
The power we wield in a digital world can sometimes make us feel bulletproof, like our organizations can conquer the world. To some extent this is true. We do more in less time, enjoy global connectivity, and open the world to new information and transformation. And then we get hacked and it all begins to look suspicious. In the IT world, maybe it's just a cost of doing business, a plumbing issue that has to be resolved or a cleanup on aisle nine. (more…)
The Snarky Fitband
There have been reports of IoT-connected thermostats offering judgmental comments to their owners returning home to the nest a little later than usual. "Home kinda late, don't you think," one display read, and "Where do you think you've been," read another. AI should improve the syntax over time, but the comments struck a chord nonetheless. (more…)
Hey Alexa, How Do You Spell Sabotage?
Ever have one of those mind-melding journeys through time and space when it feels like someone is reading your mind, where your every thought manifests itself in unpredictable ways? You have if you use a smartphone, and especially if you engage social media on that smartphone. And it's not really unpredictable. It's commercial. (more…)
Exposure Of Digital DNA
The latest revelation about consumer-level DNA mapping — the kind advertised on television that track your origin back to exotic and unexpected continents — is the evolution of a database that exposes both the unsuspecting and the suspicious. Adopted children are reacquainted with birth parents seven decades removed and introduced to sisters that look just like them. (more…)
Light The Candles Of Cybersecurity
As we approach our national birthday, now 242 years in the making, let's look at the trends and expectations settling out there on the horizon. Threats are up, breaches are increasing in size and scope, ransomware is hitting public and private organizations, and researchers struggle to keep pace with the clever people with bad intentions. Before we eat the cake, we ought to light the way to a more secure future.
All That Glitters Is Not Gold Lowell
The City of Atlanta was recently the victim of a ransomware attack. As reported by Wired and others, Atlanta paid over $2.7 million dollars in consulting and legal fees to settle a $52,000 ransom. The malware used was of the SamSam strain, and experts at SecureWorks, the response firm working with the City, (more…)
A Bite Of The Apple
One of Apple's many selling points, beyond the cool factor and lifestyle connectivity, is the relative security of Apple products, partly because of architecture and partly because their market share of end users remains relatively low. More people, it seems, prefer other hardware and operating systems. The only outlier may be the iPhone, so let's assume that to be the case — and forgo all the market data that might support it — for the sake of this discussion. (more…)
Do You Have Gas?
Let's be honest. There are worse predicaments than having gas. One of them, perhaps, is not having gas. Another is surrendering to some bad actor the capacity to determine whether or not you have gas. The boys at the fourth grade lunch table would snicker and call it strategic flatulence, but we're not in the fourth grade and, as it turns out, someone else may be eating our lunch. (more…)
The Subtle Irony Of Cybersecurity
You are the master of the manor, the king of the castle, and you will deploy the greatest weapons in your vast arsenal to protect your business, your people, and your customers. Back in the day, your would wrap your soldiers in chain mail and the heaviest of protective layers, and you would call it armor. In today's world of threats and attacks, the armor isn't always effective.
Is It That Time Again Already?
Graduations, weddings, and beach trips. These mark the transition from spring to summer. And, if you live along the Gulf Coast, hurricanes. Before the June page is even visible on our calendars, meteorological disturbances lurk in the increasingly warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. (more…)
Not As Fast As You Might Think
In a recent Security Week article, Justin Fier holds forth on a topic that is at once both incredible and credible. The topic is data exfiltration, and the perspective the article casts makes it a worthy read. Most consumers and laypeople in the commercial streams of the Internet think data breaches occur with great haste, (more…)


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Colored Lead Refills
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Brooklyn Carters: Hubby Hov And Justin Timberlake Flick It Up Backstage At Barclays With Beyonce
Hov and JT drop in on Bey Bey in Brooklyn
Jay-Z And Justin Timberlake Attend Beyonce Concert In Brooklyn
The "Mrs. Carter Tour" is finally winding down for the summer, and King Beysus brought her show home to the Barclays Center over the weekend to go out with a Brooklyn bang.
Also in attendance for Bey's opening night in Brooklyn were none other than hubby Hov and his current "Legends of the Summer" right-hand road buddy Justin Timberlake, who flicked it up backstage with Beyonce, her crew and her dancers.
Mama Tina was also in the bulding, so Bleek must have gotten stuck on Blue Ivy babysitting duty again. Poor thang.
Peep a few more pics from Mrs. Carter's tri-state takeover in Jersey and NYC, including a precious pic of 9-year-old Oscar nominee Quavenzhane Wallace backstage with Beyonce, Mama Tina posing with fans, and a look at some new stage costumes on the flip…
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Another busy night shift…as usual. Still having to ping off on 'Blues & Twos' on every job due to 'Call Connect' until the call taker gets more info. Its playing havoc with our 'carbon footprint'! All of the jobs we had been sent to were not 'life threatening' or even serious. But we had been called and the onus of responsibility had been passed to us. Take the history, examine the patient, arrive at a possible diagnosis and then treat, transport or refer.
The occasional serious life threatening job does pop up on the radar from time to time and its then when you need to switch from 'laid back, seen it all before' mode into 'switched on, do the right thing' mode. That's the danger with nights (and to some extent days). You get bombarded with so much that could (and should) be dealt with by either the patients themselves or their GP. Its when you are tired that you can make mistakes and things tend to bite you in the arse!
Only two hours left of this night shift and I was flagging! Another call out! I subconsciously dragged my weary boots across the garage floor towards the truck. I could hear the incessant high pitch chirping of the MDT detailing our next job. Climbing into the passenger seat I automatically shut the door, seat belt on, flick through the MDT screen and press mobile. The address was given and nothing else…standard practice!
Heading off with blues turning, the MDT gave the update seconds later. 'Query Miscarriage' I pressed acknowledged on the screen. 'Oh great! A real cheerful job to end the shift!' I was not looking forward to this one. You need empathy in this job but at 'dark o clock' in the morning you need to work hard on your social skills so as not to come across as heartless or too matter of fact.
Arriving at the address we park the truck and I take in the resus bag as the minimum kit needed. A knock on the door is answered very quickly by a young man who is very panicky and implores us to do something before we even see our patient! Something tells me that this job is not going to be as described on the MDT. He shows us into the kitchen where we see his wife sat on the floor, naked and with the baby half hanging out!
Quickly getting to work and switching on, we deliver the baby…it is a dark red, purple, blue…and very, very, small. Whilst we are attaching the clamps and getting ready to cut the cord I ask mum how far on she was in the pregnancy. '24 weeks' comes the reply. Its a premature baby and there are no signs of life. This is going to turn out to be a downer of a job! 'I know its dead!' Mum is quite calm but visibly upset.
Just when we are convinced that there are no signs of life my mate spots something. 'Did you see that?' I'm cradling the baby in a dry sheet after trying to stimulate it to breath. It is so tiny, not much bigger than my outstretched hand. And then I see it. A tiny flicker in the upper arm. A tiny brachial pulse in the babies tiny arm. Using the 'baby bag & mask' I start to ventilate the tiny one. The smallest paediatric mask we have is covering the babies entire face.
After not more than a minute or so of 'bagging' the colour is improving and there is definite movement. The little one is making good respiratory efforts. We decide to make a run for it and alert the maternity via our control that we need a neonatal resus team standing by. Mum is still convinced that the baby is dead! Still bagging the baby we hurry out to the truck. My mate opens the side door and allows me to get in and position my self in the most appropriate position to carry on bagging the baby.
We have called a back up vehicle for mum and we leave for the journey across the city to maternity. Even though its early morning, dark and little traffic about we need to make progress. My left leg is jammed against the stretcher and as I cradle the tiny bundle in my left arm I am frantically trying to effectively bag the baby. Every little bump, every slight turn is magnified so it makes it even more difficult to maintain a good seal and ventilate at the same time. Jamming my leg further and squeezing my elbows in I keep up a steady rate of good, fast ventilation's.
I'm talking to the baby, and to myself. 'Come on baby, keep fighting' The adrenaline is coursing through my tired veins like fire. And then….the baby cries…! Not the kind of cry you normally associate with a new born baby but a kind of mewling noise. A good sign, but the baby is still fighting for its very survival. My leg is aching, my eyes are fixed on the tiny one, ears straining to hear every cry or whimper. 'Come on little one, dont give up!'
At last we arrive at the maternity hospital. My crew mate runs off to find the team waiting for us. As I step out of the truck still bagging the tiny one the Doctor wanders over not expecting to see how well the baby is doing. 'Oh! Right! Erm…' He immediately switches on. 'Over here please, place the baby on the pad…' I place the tiny one on the neonatal resuscitation trolley. The team get to work and carry on bagging. 'Well done on the bagging. Must have been difficult in the back of a moving truck?' The Doctor is very appreciative.
We complete the paperwork and take a last look at the tiny one. The baby is a fighter, I hope it pulls through. The consultant tells us there is a 40% chance of survival. Most babies that do survive a premature birth suffer some form of disability in one form or another. But some go on to have a normal, healthy life. We,ve done our bit. We leave it up to the intensive care bods to do their stuff…and to the tiny one to keep on fighting. Walking back to the truck my left leg is still shaking…!