text:
Thales Avionics Canada has directed its engineering staff to accelerate design work on a fly-by-wire (FBW) flight-control system, enhanced vision system (EVS) and required navigation performance (RNP) avionics for business jets and regional airliners. Most likely to benefit from the bulk of the designers' early work will be Bombardier, a neighbor of Thales in Montreal and the world's third-biggest airframe manufacturer.
Thales' engineering team, based near Montreal Dorval Airport, will be immersed in the projects for the better part of the next three years–just enough time, say senior Thales executives, for the aerospace industry to recover from its latest production down cycle.
Funding for the initiatives comes from a Technology Partnership Canada (TPC) research grant totaling $6.25 million (C$9.9 million), and an additional $14.25 million from Thales' own pocket. Jean-Pierre Morteux, president and CEO of Thales Avionics Canada, and Allan Rock, Canada's interior minister, in November announced the government award during a press conference at Thales' Montreal headquarters. At the time, Morteux pronounced the TPC investment would help Thales "further innovate and maintain our leading edge in avionics and flight controls" for business and regional aircraft. In an interview after the press briefing, Morteux offered some less obvious benefits of the technology projects.
The research grant, he explained, gives the Montreal design center the chance to develop new technology while at the same time avoiding workforce reductions. Although business is down, the company actually plans to add six to nine engineers for the EVS program, bringing the total number of Thales employees in Montreal to more than 130. Morteux said he now anticipates U.S. and European economies will not fully recover from their slumps until 2005, but added he is hopeful the company can maintain the current staffing level.
Bombardier's Close Ties
"This technology initiative helps us prepare for the recovery that we see coming perhaps not as quickly as some others," he said. By exploring new technologies such as FBW, which is planned for integration in the next generation of business jets in the latter half of this decade, Thales' engineering staff keeps busy and the company is better positioned for the next up cycle, he said.
The total TPC funding allocated for the trio of initiatives is broken out so that roughly 40 percent is applied to EVS research, 40 percent to the fly-by-wire program and the remaining 20 percent to RNP. TPC is a government-operated investor in Canadian companies, founded to help spur growth at Canadian high-tech firms, especially at small to midsize companies.
Illustrative of the close ties Thales has to Bombardier is the fact that it already serves as the main supplier of conventional flight controls in Bombardier's CRJ700, CRJ900 and Global Express, and is the lead integrator of EVS in the Global Express, alongside sensor maker CMC Electronics, also based in Montreal.
Flight tests of the EVS for the Global Express are scheduled to begin in April from Wichita Mid-Continent Airport and will be followed by a comprehensive design review next December. Priced at about $500,000 (not including installation) the system is placed to compete with the Kollsman EVS certified in the Gulfstream 550. Customer availability of the Thales/CMC system is expected in the first quarter of 2005. Texas Instruments' flight department is the launch customer.
Known as the Bombardier enhanced vision system (BEVS), the sensor package will be offered as standard equipment in all new Global Express production airplanes starting in 2005 and will be available for retrofit through Bombardier's service network.
As described, the BEVS will integrate the Global Express' Thales-built head-up display with a CMC SureSight forward-looking infrared sensor mounted in the nose just below the windshield. More pilot controls will be added to the existing HUD control panel and the image will be transmitted to an existing multifunction display or FMS, allowing the copilot to see the pilot's view through the HUD.
Exploring the FBW Envelope
Thales Avionics Canada has been developing flight-control systems since the unit was founded in 1997. The shift of focus from conventional flight controls to FBW, which has already started in earnest on the company's drawing boards and Catia screens, illustrates the recent acceptance of the concept. Dassault has announced that its new Falcon 7X will incorporate FBW, while other manufacturers are understood to be exploring FBW for their next-generation business jets.
Reduced crew workload, better aircraft performance and increased safety are cited as the major benefits of FBW. In Thales' case, the FBW design philosophy should be quite similar to that found on Airbuses, the prototype for all civil FBW concepts. Side-stick controls, however, are not mandatory–that decision will be left to the airframe manufacturer.
Although Thales offered few specifics, its FBW system at a minimum should include flight-envelope limitations for angle-of-attack/attitude, load factor and speed. Through its onboard computers, the aircraft will be protected against sustained flight above Mmo, for instance.
And although the pilot could not deliberately overshoot the FBW system's attitude limitation, the aircraft could. In the case of strong turbulence, for example, the airplane might be forced into a dangerous attitude, at which time the FBW controls would automatically perform the recovery.
As for Thales' RNP initiative, the company is preparing for the debut of flight evaluations with Horizon Air, sister airline of Alaska Airlines and an operator of Bombardier RJs and turboprops. Alaska Airlines already operates RNP approaches and routes, including one instrument procedure to Juneau, Alaska, that curves through the Gastineau Channel mountain pass.
RNP defines the ability of an aircraft's navigation equipment to achieve a specified level of lateral accuracy 95 percent of the time. For example, RNP-10–typical for oceanic operations–should keep the aircraft within ±10 nm of its required track nearly all the time. But RNP can go to as low as ±0.02 nm, or ±35 meters, typical of the accuracy required for ILS, MLS, LAAS and the future WAAS-based approaches. With a certified RNP capability, more airspace "tunnels" can be safely accommodated, with significant capacity increases.
The tighter RNP requirements are, the more demanding the onboard avionics systems certification. For example, the integrated IRS/GPS/FMS/autopilot/EGPWS avionics package required to achieve RNP-0.11 in Alaska Airlines' Boeing 737s is hugely expensive compared with that required for basic RNP-10.


text:
Sheriff: Burglar shocked with Taser, arrested
ROSEBURG, Ore. -- An area transient is in jail, after sheriff's deputies say they had to shock him with a Taser to get him into custody early Tuesday morning.
At about 4 a.m., deputies were called to a home in the 1000 block of Arcadia Drive, for a report of a suspicious male that had been around the area.
The homeowner reported that the man, later identified as Jeffrey Michael Beck, 18, had knocked on his front door asking if "Herbert" was home. The homeowner told the Beck that "Herbert" didn't live there and he walked away, officials said.
A deputy located Beck walking in the 6000 block of Garden Valley Road, and found out Beck had a warrant for his arrest.
Authorities say the deputy tried to take Beck into custody, but Beck resisted, trying to strike the deputy with his fists. That's when officials say the deputy shocked Beck with a Taser. Beck was then taken into custody.
During a consent search of Beck's backpack, the deputy said he found a newer laptop computer. The deputy went back to the residence on Arcadia and the homeowner confirmed the laptop was his.
The deputy and homeowner determined that Beck had allegedly entered the residence through an unlocked garage door.
Beck was lodged in the county jail on First Degree Burglary, Second Degree Theft, Resisting Arrest and Parole Violation charges.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"The Liberal Arts College: An Enduring Future"Nancy J. Cable, Ph.D.President, The Arthur Vining Davis FoundationsApril 4, 2014
President Trachte, Chairman Lynn, Lycoming faculty colleagues, students, alumni and trustees, I am deeply honored to be with you this evening as you celebrate with joy the intersection of your past and your future as the Lycoming College family. It is a special joy to salute your choice of Dr. Trachte as your new president -- for he is a man of intelligence, dedication to liberal arts colleges, and he brings a deep abiding commitment to his leadership in higher education. I suspect you will be highly engaged with him, and well-led through the exciting years ahead of you as a college community.
It has been my privilege for the last 40 years to work in college and universities that actively cherish this notion of the liberal arts and sciences, the robust nature of the residential experience, and place a high value of faculty who dedicate their lives to a sort of sparkly brew of good teaching, disciplined research and care for students as learners and as persons. I learned about the fullness of a residential community by living in the residence halls in my first job as assistant dean and junior faculty member at Denison University and I grasped the joy of teaching and advising while a faculty member at Denison and University of Virginia. I was charged to lead student life matters, athletics and enrollment at a small Quaker college called Guilford and cut my teeth as a young Vice President interacting with the board and the faculty and my years as dean of admission and financial aid at Davidson allowed me a chance to serve as one among many national advocates for access and affordability for all and for racial, cultural and ethnic diversity as a fundamental aspect of our mission to educate the next generation of global leaders. Somehow, I had the lucky privilege of serving Bates College as its interim president, and together all these experiences shaped my view of what "makes" a liberal arts and sciences college special, distinctive in the world, and enduring as one of the treasured institutions in the world.
If President Trachte had asked me to give my remarks to you tonight in one sentence, I would have said the following: "Liberal arts colleges have a strong and enduring future because they have endured through the last nearly 300 years because their mission, purposes, vitality, and results are -- and have been for centuries -- so essential to crafting educated leaders to create the American and now global common good."
Let's take a moment to look backward in time. A mere 16 years after The Puritans landed at Plymouth, Harvard University was founded to educate young men (and at that time only the privileged white young men) in the original liberal arts and sciences; known then as the trivium (Latin, Greek, moral philosophy) and the quadrivium (astronomy, the natural world, chemistry, and rhetoric). Those courses, once completed, were the mark of an educated man.
Note the balance in the odd array of these courses ... some science (laboratory method would come later), some languages, and the philosophy, ethics and religion as the basis of a person's understanding of the world. These courses then reflect what our courses now still wish to accomplish: a road map for an individual to understand their own intellect and values and to use that "education" to simultaneously create with others the common good for all of humankind. Some have called this the roots and wings of higher education's purpose in the world order.
Roughly 100 years after Harvard's founding (and Dartmouth and UPenn) there was an agrarian flourishing of American life, nearly every town in New England, the middle states, and the middle west crafted an academy much like Lycoming's early shape as an academy and a seminary. Long ago I wrote my doctoral dissertation on a history of liberal arts colleges (notably, Marietta, Kenyon, Denison and Oberlin) that were the first four colleges in the whole Northwest Territory that stretched from the banks of the Ohio out beyond Wisconsin and southward to Missouri. Shortly after this flowering of colleges in the late 19th century, new forms of college and universities were founded - state universities, agricultural and mechanical colleges known for a long time as land grant institutions to serve the farming and early industrial sectors of cities and states. Historically black colleges and universities were organized to support the education of African American citizens in many towns and cities around the nation and later in the 1950s community colleges were born to meet the local needs of local citizens for local industries.
Throughout the adoption of these new forms of post-secondary education throughout the decades, the original liberal arts college has been a centerpiece of both stability and innovation. Take the 1880s when post-civil war society was spawning new industries, science was emerging as vital academic area, faculty members were called upon to have completed the German based Ph.D. degree that demonstrated deep intellectual and original work to create new knowledge, not simply convey existing knowledge. The colleges like Lycoming and Dartmouth and Davidson and Grinnell were rocked with dissension among faculty and president about whether this new-fangled notion of teaching science in a laboratory was really going to "take hold" and endure or not. History of our kind of colleges at that time is replete with vociferous debates about curriculum and pedagogy, often bringing colleges close to the point of closing their doors. Kenyon College in 1893 nearly went out of business as it was pressed by the Episcopal Church NOT to adopt any of these "misguided and pedestrian" ways of teaching.
Sound familiar? I would suggest to you that in the face of these historic debates about the future, over 100 years ago that colleges like Lycoming demonstrated resiliency, vitality, careful attention to threading the needle of continuity and change, and a loyal adherence to the central importance of the life of the mind and cultivation of character ... It is this that Lycoming is still doing so well... as are many colleges like you.
And more recent history, let's select the 1960s and 70s, suggests that other challenges have pressed the colleges especially the private liberal arts colleges and universities. In those years, there was a clarion call for a broader definition of our mission to educate leaders for the common good. Students, in the room tonight are many of your dedicated board of trustee members, who work VERY hard to sustain and strengthen this great college. I noted on your web that many are alumni of the college, most from the 1970s when I would suggest our kinds of college faced again an unusually fierce question about our mission, purpose and curriculum. Fundamentally, in the 60s and 70s as US demographics and civil rights legislation brought issues of inequality into bolder relief, our colleges were found to be falling far short of the imperative educate a diverse student body, rich with a variety of perspectives and a tapestry of life experience. We had for too long been inattentive to diversity among students, and faculty, including the leadership of our colleges. Society puts us under the spotlight and asked us to do better. The pressures were great and attitudes needed to be changed, money made available for more aid in shaping each first year class and hiring our most able faculties. It did not happen quickly, but now—by almost every measure you can imagine -- liberal arts colleges are the leaders in blending high academic standards, attention to diverse racial, ethnic, cultural and religious background in our mission to educate future leaders, and in our ability to open our doors to a wider spectrum of students, but most importantly, of all the types of higher education liberal arts residential colleges according to the Lumina Foundation, are graduating the highest percentage of those who start and are the most generous with financial aid and lowest debt levels. We were pushed, we pushed each other at our colleges and we emerged with excellence, innovation and a deeper sense of abiding principles.
I can admit my bias for liberal arts and sciences colleges and an almost obstreperous defense of what we provide for this democracy and for this brave new world in which we find ourselves. I would suggest our kinds of colleges are the heartbeat of American higher education and the envy of the world.
Why? Well at the time of a change in leadership, especially with the arrival of your new president here at Lycoming, it is particularly apt for colleges to ask and answer that question.
Rebecca Chopp gives us several possible answers to this question. She is the distinguished president of Swarthmore College and has recently published (with a number of thought leaders in higher education) a small but mighty volume on "Remaking College: Innovation and the Liberal Arts." In it, she outlines masterfully four areas that literally make our kinds of colleges, with their residential programs, high academic standards, close faculty and student relationships, dedicated teaching mixed rigorous research for traditional age students, truly exceptional:
All institutions do some of each of these things. Some do one or two of these things well and others do none of them well. The for-profit sector in higher education cares little about doing any of the four.
I would suggest and pardon my bias, that the liberal arts and sciences residential undergraduate colleges and universities like Lycoming College do it best of all!
To quote Thomas Jefferson (whose concept of the academical village has survived as a model for our work in liberal arts college) in 1823 when he opened the University of Virginia, "I look to the diffusion of light and education as a resource to be relied upon for ameliorating the conditions (problems of the times), for promoting the virtues, and advancing the happiness of man."
But the historic sturdiness of private residential college must once again weather the new head winds of change. Let's face into these breezes for just a minute - wince there are really pressing issues of concern and complaint surrounding us.
First economic pressures ... Costs of what we do have risen on average 280% in the last 20 years (it is cool comfort by the way that public institution costs gone up over 350% over the same two decades). It costs a lot to do what we do and we know it. This is driven by three key variables in play that all of us who care about this sector of higher education should know about and be able to interpret. Interestingly a study by a W and M professor Richard Feldman and his colleague pointed out that two other services have prices have paralleled the increase in private higher education (Harvard, Lycoming and others ... ) First is the cost of dentistry. If we think about it, it makes sense. Highly skilled labor requiring more and more training working with the individual patient ... a process that does not have the opportunity for the corporate efficiencies gained in business over the last 20 years. Expensive equipment, highly educated and trained persons working nearly one on one to get the job done ... not to mention the raft of legislative requirement and mandates that are expensive – that's your dentist!
In higher ed, we are labor intensive too, with new tech to keep up with and plenty of federal and state legislation to drive some measure of our costs.
The current disparities in wealth and income in the US (Obama) are creating new versions of old critique: that we are too expensive and can't guarantee a high paying job. But all of us know that eventually our graduates with some exceptions find their way to leadership roles in big and small ways in professional and in their avocational lives.
Second, and as a sector we are best at this: we provide financial aid to students (both need and merit) to create an educationally sound socioeconomically diverse student body ... represents a hallmark of the transfer of wealth and opportunity across socioeconomic classes in this country. We are intentionally and expensively educating diverse students together as a key pillar in our mission and the results include graduates who are more adept and educated in civil discourse, collaboration, seeking to understand differing points of view ... these are essential global needs for our world and to solve the pressing problems of humankind. Some have suggested that this use of financial aid to provide access and affordability is one of the largest and most successful social redistribution of wealth and opportunity in the world.
Third, technology is challenging our way of pricing close faculty student learning and collaboration. Not unlike the invasion of the laboratory method and the idea if class discussion versus rote recitation that our colleges found disruptive to the status quo, we are once again being asked to stay grounded in academic quality and the life of the mind, while adopting innovative new pedagogy and technological tools. It is rocking our world and our budgets, but we must find a way to harness the threads that use technology to extend and revitalize what we can teach and learn.
Fourth, the ever present burr under our saddle of demographic changes are pointing the way toward major changes in who will come to our colleges and how we can continue to excel in our work by serving students and parents who are even more diverse than the ones we are serving now. By 2050, the Hispanic and Asian populations of college going age will have doubled. All of our efforts to attend to diversity of cultures on our campuses will then (or before then) become a strategic necessity. We must be ready. And the Northeast states will continue to decline in overall population and still become more diverse so we have an opportunity to begin now to build toward that eventual reality.
Finally, public skepticism about what we do and why we do it is stronger than we would think is fair or merited. Questions about costs, athletic programs, student debt, ethical inquires among other questions, nip at our heels in ways we want to ignore. David Scoby, president of New College, noted recently about private higher education that "The crisis of legitimacy has fueled an atmosphere of distrust and created skepticism about the public (and the individuals)'s social and familial investment in higher education."
But let's be careful in any assumption that "everyone" thinks the same way. The data suggest other ways of seeing this rampant public skepticism. For the second year in a row, applications to private liberal arts colleges have increased and the percent of those applying to college who apply only to liberal arts colleges has increased annually since 2010 and several colleges -- seemingly visionary now -- that had moved to test optional are seeing overwhelmingly large student applicants. In addition, data shows that while state universities get plenty of applications from international students, especially from Asia and the Baltic states of Europe, the vast majority of international applicants have 2 or more private residential colleges on the app list. Further, I learned from several professional trips to China Thailand, and Singapore, that college counselors in those areas frequently put the Ivies on a student's list, but now more frequently are suggesting the Bates, Davidson, Colgate's, Lycoming's and Pomona's of the world as "high value" options, where early academic success, personal attention from faculty, and exceptional grad school and professional school admission rates are compellingly strong.
So, how we can thrive as these headwinds blow seemingly against us? Well a variety of my colleagues in higher education have some ideas to consider:
Bill Bowen, Denison University grad and former president of Princeton, suggests that first among these ideas should be an intentional focused effort to "make hiring and retaining 'exceptional' faculty among the highest priorities of the college." Find and keep productive, hardworking superb teachers who are student centered, research active and globally aware. They truly are the heartbeat of the institution.
Second, Rebecca Chopp urges us to "craft and sustain a comprehensive well-aligned learning environment that blends and builds upon the diverse, vibrant, easy and hard learning that happens in every nook and cranny of the campus -- residence halls, field and courts, classrooms, labs, fitness facilities and student coffee houses." Your new president is a nationally recognized leader in this. The creative work he did over many years at F and M has borne fruit in ways that were so strong and scalable that some other colleges have followed suit.
Third, let's stay committed to doing less better. Gone are the days when we provide something for everyone ... those days were created by the huge funding of the GI Bill post WWII, ended sometime in the 70s but those funds are gone and NOW and we must keep right sizing our programs, only doing that which is rich intellectual work and tied to our mission to support student intellectual and character development. Don't shoot the messenger, on this one, but adding a new program should bring the discipline of laying another program down just as we have all had to do with our own family budgets. Even Harvard is doing this, despite its wealth and resources.
There's another perhaps more subtle benefit to this ... we might regain time for reflection again, Rosovsky the great academic affairs dean at Harvard lamented the lost art of reflection in the academic world nearly 30 years ago, perhaps doing less better allows us to step away from the often Frantic nature of our lives.
Finally, sustain a principled community that prizes the spirit of open debate, fair-minded disagreement where the ability to compromise (frankly a vital skill I would like to think we teach our students) prevails as the norm for the common good.
So who calls upon us to abide these possible changes in the midst of current headwinds? Really now ... who cares that we thrive? Who deserves our best effort to sustain academic quality, teach well, for students to make the extra effort to take advantage of this great college, to lead the college with care and humility, and to ensure that our work at this very special college of the liberal arts and sciences?
Whatever our current role at the college, here are mention of a few of our stakeholders: current students, prospective students, faculty and faculty of the future, alumni who are walking/ talking examples of what a Lycoming education stands for, parents who pay, and parents whose future will be brighter because of generous financial aid, your Williamsport local community, public policy people who work hard on behalf of our kinds of colleges, and of course, the world. In fact, perhaps we can consider that our sector of American higher education owes the world our very best effort, results, and vision.
Walter Cronon wrote a compelling essay relevant to this moment in the college's history; it is entitled "Qualities of the Liberally Educated Person." He writes, "One of the most important things that tempers the exercise of power and shapes right actions surely the recognition that no one ever acts alone. A liberally educated person understands that they belong to a community whose prosperity and well-being are crucial to their own and they help that community flourish of themselves to make the success of others possible."
So, at this historic moment of celebration, stand tall upon your rich history of academic quality, innovation, and deep sense of community. Also stand steadfastly open to the power of your future. Congratulations President Trachte and very best wishes to all of you!
Thank you.


text:
« All Events
Social Shake Up
The Social Shake Up event is designed to show businesses what opportunities Social Media presents for businesses and how they can take advantage of them.
This workshop will cover:
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest
• SlideShare
Who uses them and how to communicate and engage visually.
Dealing with the Negative – Address publically, deal with it privately.
To register email Karen at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 02838 39652002838 396520 or online at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/social-shake-up-tickets-13332256137
Date: Tuesday 14th October 2014
Time: 10am – 1pm (refreshments included)
Venue: Strangford Arms Hotel
92 Church Street


text:
The Legacy of Jack Kevorkian
June 7, 2011
Dr. Jack Kevorkian died Friday. To say that Kevorkian was a controversial figure would be an understatement. Controversy was what he sought, and he was not disappointed.
Kevorkian, a medical pathologist, achieved notoriety in the 1990s by assisting over 100 persons to bring about their own deaths through his suicide machine. The machine was designed to allow persons to inject themselves with a lethal drug. In at least one case—the case that resulted in his 1999 conviction for murder—Kevorkian himself injected an individual with a lethal dose.
To some, Kevorkian was a hero; others considered him a publicity hound and killer. Almost all physicians considered his actions unethical, if not illegal.
I'm a strong advocate for legalization of assistance in dying. Indeed, it was the subject of my doctoral dissertation. However, I have mixed feelings about Kevorkian. One problem is that he became the poster boy for those opposed to legalizing assisted dying. Kevorkian typically spent very little time with the people that he helped to die: he made no serious assessment of their competency; he did not confirm their diagnosis with other physicians; he made no detailed review of their medical history; and he rarely discussed with them alternatives to assisted dying. (Some have also claimed that at least a few of the people he assisted did not make a voluntary choice for death, but there's no firm evidence of that.) To call these individuals "patients" of Kevorkian, as some have, would be a mistake. Kevorkian was not their treating physician. In fact, as a pathologist he was not qualified to treat them. What Kevorkian did was to verify they wanted to die and then make a quick assessment that they were terminally ill or seriously disabled. After a brief waiting period, usually a day or two, he then proceeded to help them carry out their desire to die. His hurry-up-and-get-it-over-with approach is what opponents of assisted dying predicted would happen in tens of thousands of cases in those states that decided to legalize assisted dying.
Fortunately, this has not turned out to be the case. Both in Oregon and Washington, the two states that have legalized assisted dying, patients are required to seek assistance from their treating physician and rigorous safeguards ensure the patients are competent, have a durable desire to hasten their deaths, and have carefully considered alternatives to assisted dying, such as hospice care and aggressive pain management. As a result, there has been no evidence of any abuses—such as subtle pressure from relatives, incompetent patients, or hasty decisions— in Oregon or Washington.
But one can't judge Kevorkian too harshly. First, even the most conscientious physician is apt to act hurriedly in a situation where he risks prosecution for murder. (After his first trials, which resulted in acquittal, Kevorkian started to take more time with some of those who sought his assistance.)
Moreover, Kevorkian drew attention to a problem that was all but ignored by the medical establishment, namely the suffering of patients in terminal or severely disabled conditions. In doing so, he raised public awareness of the need for social and legal change. It's safe to say the movement to legalize assisted dying would not have acquired sufficient momentum to achieve success in any state had it not been for Kevorkian. One can only hope that more states will come to recognize the right of patients to exercise some control over the manner of their deaths. Legalizing assisted dying so that desperate, seriously ill persons do not have to travel across the country to seek surreptitious, hurried assistance from a pathologist would be the most fitting tribute to Kevorkian.
#1 asanta on Friday June 10, 2011 at 3:05am
As a medical professional, Kervorkian gave me the heebie-jeebies. While I am for a terminal patient's right to end their lives, he was a poster boy on how to do it in the worst possible way. He did absolutely NO evaluation, he did not care. He seemed to get too much joy from the death. He was macabre. There was a patient or two who turned out to be healthy but depressed. He did not care if the diagnosis claimed was true, he did not care if the patient were actually depressed and therapeutic intervention might be the more prudent course. I wonder what he would have done had a depressed teen approached him. While Oregon puts more roadblocks in the way of assisted dying, it is a good first step. I hope the other states will follow suit.
#2 SocraticGadfly (Guest) on Saturday June 11, 2011 at 12:56am
I have a semi-personal connection with Kevorkian from his first trial, as I was teaching a college class on issues in death and dying, and in Michigan no less, at that time:
#3 SocraticGadfly (Guest) on Saturday June 11, 2011 at 12:58am
Ahh, CFI is trying to block even tweaked URLs ... my reflections on Jack and that teaching experience are at:
socraticgadfly.blogspot DOT com/2011/06/kevorkian-my-semi-personal-connections DOT html


text:
have a 10-foot snake.
STUDENT: You can't fool
me, Teacher... snakes
don't have feet.
PROF: How can you
prevent diseases
caused by biting
MED STUDENT: Don't
bite any.
Thought For The OPEN Mind - Humor From American Culture!
First Published In The Last Century - July 26, 1997!
T3H7P12H Over 9 Million Hits! Unlimited Scrolling!
An Amusement Park Of Ideas! #ProfHowdy
I try to take one day at a time,
but sometimes several days
attack me at once.
Culture and Crime
More Thoughts on the Jena 6
Note: This commentary was delivered by PFM President Mark Earley.
I recently told you that events in Jena, Louisiana, raised important questions about the role of race in our criminal justice system.
But there's more to this issue than just race—there is a cultural dimension to the problem as well.
That cultural dimension was recently articulated by the distinguished sociologist and historian Orlando Patterson of Harvard. In a Sunday New York Times op-ed, Patterson cites the numbers—African-Americans make up 13 percent of the general population, but 50 percent of those in prison. He asks: "How, after decades of undeniable racial progress, did we end up with this virtual gulag of racial incarceration?"
Part of the answer undeniably lies in the way that our laws, especially our drug laws, are enforced. As Patterson writes, our criminal justice system "unfairly focuses on drug offenses and other crimes more likely to be committed by blacks . . ."
Combine this with "draconian mandatory sentencing" laws, and there is little wonder that so many young black men are behind bars. Still, the sad truth is that even if racism were eradicated from our criminal justice system, young black men would still form a disproportionate percentage of prisoners.
Why? Patterson points the finger at what he calls a "crisis in relations between men and women of all classes." The result of this is the "catastrophic state of black family life, especially among the poor."
This "catastrophic state" is best illustrated by the fact that "some 70 percent of black babies are born to single mothers." Patterson writes that this "absence of fathers" is "undoubtedly a major cause of youth delinquency."
As a result of this absence of fathers, "far too many African-Americans" face a "lack of paternal support and discipline." Single mothers are forced to work "regardless of the effect on their children's care."
This leaves their children vulnerable to gangs, which often function as "parental substitutes" and what Patterson calls the "ghetto-fabulous culture of the streets."
These conditions then combine with the criminal justice system to make "hardened criminals of nonviolent drug offenders." The result is a self-perpetuating "vicious cycle" that produces young men who are "unemployable, unreformable, and unmarriageable."
These are hard words from Patterson, not only for African-Americans like Patterson, but for all of us. The "catastrophic state" Patterson writes about is the result of cultural trends and ideas about the family that originated outside inner-city neighborhoods. As political scientist James Q. Wilson has pointed out, the poor and marginalized were simply more vulnerable to these forces.
Whatever the causes, Christians cannot stand by and do nothing while this "vicious cycle" perpetuates itself. Prison Fellowship is dedicated to breaking the cycle: by working for a more just criminal justice system and through Angel Tree, which reaches out to the most vulnerable victims of this cycle, the children of inmates. And here at BreakPoint, we seek to equip Christians to oppose the false values and ideas that help to cause so much misery.
A great deal has gone wrong to bring us where we are today. It is time for God's people to dedicate themselves to setting things aright.
Get links to further information on today's topic
For printer-friendly version, simply visit www.breakpoint.org and click on Today's Commentary. The printer-friendly link is on the left-hand column.
Dear Spike,
I have been unable to sleep since I forced my daughter
to break off her engagement to you. Will you forgive
& forget?
I was much too sensitive about your Mohawk, tattoo,
and pierced nose. I now realize motorcycles aren't really
that dangerous, and I really should not have reacted the
way I did to the fact that you have never held a job.
I am sure, too, that some other very nice people live
under the bridge in the park.
Sure, my daughter is only 17 and wants to marry you
instead of going to Harvard on a full ride scholarship.
After all, you can't learn everything about life from books.
I sometimes forget how backward I can be. I was wrong.
I was a fool. I have now come to my senses, and you
have my full blessing to marry my daughter.
Your future father-in-law
P. S. Congratulations on winning the Powerball lottery!
~ Anita Baker and Humble Pie
~ Asleep at The Wheel and ZZ Top
~ Bad Company and Motley Crue
~ Blondie and Split Enz
~ Bob Dylan and Wheezer
~ Boston and Cream
~ Cracker and The Jam
~ Crash Test Dummies and Third Eye Blind
~ Cream and Puff Daddy
~ Dizzy Gilespie and Ten Times Fast
~ Donna Summer and Edgar Winter
~ Eddie Rabbit and Echo & the Bunnymen
~ Fine Young Cannibals and Missing Persons
~ Flock of Seagulls and Everybodyduck
~ Foreigner and Bad English
~ Guess Who and The Who
~ Jethro Tull and The Clampetts
~ Josie & The Pussycats and Cat Stevens
~ Kajagoogoo and The Babies
~ Kansas and Toto (and add Ozzy)
~ Meatloaf and Salt-N-Pepa
~ Michael Jackson and Enigma
~ Milli Vanilli and The Pretenders
(or Milli Vanilli and Cheap Trick)
~ Neneh Cherry and Fiona Apple
~ Pearl Jam and Bread
~ Phish and Styx
~ Ratt and Poison
~ Smashing Pumpkins and The Smithereens
~ Spice Girls and Simple Minds
~ Styx and Stones
~ Tammy Graham and Cracker
~ T-bone and Skillet
~ The Beatles and Black Flag
~ The Cranberries and Juice Newton
~ The Lost Dogs and Stray Cats
~ The Mamas and the Papas and The Offspring
~ The Monkees and Bananarama
~ Three Dog Night and Bow Wow Wow
~ Traffic and The Jam
~ Twisted Sister and the Doobie Brothers
~ Us3 and U2
~ Vanilla Ice and Cream
"By way of background: Kyrgyzstan is an actual nation
located in the western hemisphere. Or possibly the eastern
hemisphere. It's definitely in a hemisphere. Historically,
Kyrgyzstan is part of the group of nations -- also including
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kurdistan -- that
were founded by a tribe of men named 'Stan.'" -- Dave


text:
Artist description:
No description entered.
Java Draw Created Oct 05, 2008 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2008 Mimi_The_Fox.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
elakiya138 Oct 09, 2008
awesome drawing i love the different shades 5 hearts
Page 1


text:
All My Children is on haitus until its second season premiere, and for Cady McClain (Dixie) the break from the serialized drama couldn't have come at a better time.
The fan favaorite actress and two-time Daytime Emmy winner is now a writer, director and producer of her first film project, Flip Fantasia and it's just been released.
McClain tweeted to Soapdom yesterday, and we just wanted to share what she had to say:
Comments (0)
Write comment
You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.
|< Prev
|Next >


text:
Welcome to Keithsutton's Fotki pages!
What a mix of photos!
This started by finding a way to share my dad's photos that include the construction and flooding of The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River, and Celilo Falls before they were covered! Have his family photos, trips incl Alaska in 1974, Camp Morrow in central Oregon that he founded, helped build and ran from 1952 to about 1975; and photos of the different people and communites he served as the American Sunday School Missionary for Eastern Oregon from 1948 to 1975.
Then I started adding photos of the East Bay that I have taken for use on my work website (www.eastbayeda.org) and in publications of the East Bay Economic Develpment Alliance, as people requested higher definition images than I can email.
Had fun taking some very long (12 image merges) panoramas of the East Bay that I used in our East Bay 2009-2010 Business Resource Guide and was able to share them as well here!
I have a personal website www.c-landscapes.com on which photos have bee available for sale for a number of years, but I can only place a limited number of images there, so am starting to place more of my "professional" images on this site as well.
So enjoy your time here. Please feel free to browse all the albums.
Have a look at photo comments other visitors have added and if you recognize anybody (including yourself) in any of the Camp Morrow album, please identify them in image comments.
Oh, and feel welcome to say hi by signing into the guestbook.
Thanks for visiting!
Keith Sutton


text:
Bra-Line Back Lift Before-and-After Photos
If you're interested in a bra-line back lift, take a look at these photos so you'll know what to expect. Photos courtesy of Joseph P. Hunstad, MD, FACS.
Barix Clinics
280 Middletown Blvd.
Langhorne, PA 19047
(877) 345-1419 Learn More
Shawn M. Garber, MD, FACS, FASMBS
Spencer A. Holover, MD, FACS, FASMBS
John D. Angstadt, MD, FACS, FASMBS
Eric A. Sommer, MD, FACS, FASMBS
Nikhilesh Sekhar, MD, FACS, FASMBS
Jeffrey W. Chiao, MD
The New York Bariatric Group
275 Seventh Avenue
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10001
(800) 778-1427 Learn More
Christine Ren, MD, FRCS
NYU Medical Center
530 First Avenue
Suite 10S
New York City, NY 10016
(212) 263-3166 Learn More
Stefanie Vaimakis, MD, FACS, FASMBS
Vincent Iannace, MD, FACS
Duane Fredericks, MD
North Jersey Laparoscopic Associates
222 Cedar Lane
Room 201
Teaneck, NJ 07666
(877) 591-7518 Learn More
Bariatric Specialists of North Carolina
3344 South Church Street
Burlington, NC 27215
(800) 941-1594 Learn More
FIND More Surgeons >>
Contact Us | About Us | Site Map | Terms of Use | Privacy Statement | News


text:
Lucky 7
In Astoria, Queens, a group of seven gas station employees have been chipping into a lottery pool for months, never thinking they'd actually win. Money could solve problems for each of them. Then one day their numbers come in.
Last Episode01x05 All In Aired: Oct. 22, 2013
No Summary Found
Next Episode
Find Episodes
Show Update
ABC Cancels 'Lucky 7' After Two Episodes
ABC's 'Lucky 7' has earned the unlucky distinction of being the first cancellation of the 2013-2014 TV season. Effectively immediately, the network is pulling the lottery-themed drama off the air. According to sources, production on the series will be shut down as early as next week.
Character Guide
Series Fun Facts
- [no trivia found]


text:
Style Glossary: Rive Gauche
Rive Gauche
The left bank of the Seine River in Paris; one of the city's most romantic districts. More than simply a geographical region, the Left Bank has become a name for a particular fashion or look. In 1966 Yves Saint Laurent launched a ready-to-wear line by the name Rive Gauche. The collection was an attempt to democratize fashion, introducing elements of garments of the lower classes into high fashion, such as the leather jacket.
Left: An Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche ad featuring Stella Tennant and Ivan de Pineda.
Source and Source


text:
For seven minutes, five Dagestan rebels spoke into a video camera about killing infidels and how the "good deeds" they were doing would absolve them of "700 sins" committed during their lifetimes.
Filmed by a Canadian jihadist fighter before he was killed by Russian security forces, the video offers a disturbing glimpse of the fanaticism of the rebels who may have inspired Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
Tsarnaev does not appear in the footage, which was obtained by the National Post. But it was recorded and narrated by William Plotnikov, a Canadian whose alleged links to Tsarnaev are now under investigation.
The man behind the camera was a former Toronto boxer and Seneca College student who had converted to Islam in 2009 and left Canada in 2010 to join the Dagestan rebels. Alarmed by his plunge into extremism, his father called the Russian interior ministr
By: AEI
In: Other News
Tags: Canadian, Convert, Jihadist, Islamist, Muslim, Dagestan, Rusia, Plotnikov, Tsarnaev, Terrorism,
Location: Dagestan, Russia (load item map)
Views: 1905 | Comments: 33 | Votes: 1 | Favorites: 4 | Shared: 0 | Updates: 0 | Times used in channels: 2
Advertisement below
|Liveleak on Facebook
|LIKE Liveleak.com
British Christian becomes Muslim - Rasheed
Al Qaeda #2 Addresses Muslim Discord (Parody)
My Name Is Muhammad
Occupy America - Leftist Liberals And Islamist United
Egypt upper house elects Islamist
Jihadist Militants Killed Dagestan
Eurabia Has A Capital: Rotterdam
muslim woman arrested for attempted terrorism
Islamist insurgency in Dagestan. Trained in Pakistan.
Chinese Muslim Uighurs in Gitmo Call Obama a Communist
muslim Immigrants Held over Plot to 'Punish' Pope for Convert-ing Ex-Muslim...
Jihadists and Islamists Clash in Syria


text:
Moral Victories Mean Something, Sometimes
►Bryan Frantz | Feb 7, 2017
The biggest regular season game of John Wall's NBA career lived up to the hype, several times over. The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a 140-135 overtime win in the Verizon Center...
Key Legislature: Wizards 113 vs Cavaliers 99 — Cleveland Quicken Loan Sharked in DC
►Adam McGinnis | Feb 29, 2016
TAI's Key Legislature… The game's defining moment, its critical event, the wildest basketball thing you ever saw, or just stuff that happened. Cavs at Wizards , Regular Season Game 58, Feb....
Opening Statements: Wizards vs Cavaliers, Game 33
►Adam McGinnis | Jan 6, 2016
Teams: Wizards vs Cavaliers Time: 7:00 p.m. ET Venue: Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. Television: CSN Radio: WNEW-FM 99.1 Spread: Cavs fav'd by 7 points After the NBA releases its schedule every summer, there is always handful of...
Opening Statements: Wizards at Cavaliers, Game 15
►Bryan Frantz | Dec 1, 2015
Y'know, I bet Randy Wittman and the Wizards were sitting there in the Verizon Center locker room, holding their collective heads in their collective hands, muttering under their collective breath...
Key Legislature: Cavs 127 vs Wizards 89 — The Wizards Should Blame It On The…
►Rashad Mobley | Feb 21, 2015
Truth About It.net's Key Legislature: a quick run-down and the game's defining moment(s) for Washington Wizards contest No. 55 versus the Cavaliers in D.C, via Rashad Mobley (@rashad20) from the Verizon Center. by Rashad Mobley....
Key Legislature: Wizards 87 vs Cavs 113 — Cleveland Rocks The Lethargic Wizards
►Rashad Mobley | Nov 27, 2014
Truth About It.net's Key Legislature: a quick run-down and the game's defining moment for Washington Wizards contest No. 14 versus the Cavaliers in Cleveland, via Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) from the District of Columbia....
D.C. Council 11: Wizards vs Cavs — Lights-Out Wall Leaves Cleveland 'in the Dark'
►John Converse Townsend | Nov 22, 2014
Truth About It.net's D.C. Council: setting the scene, providing the analysis, evaluating players, and catching anything that you may have missed from the Washington Wizards. Game No. 11: Wizards vs Cavs...
John Wall Rebuts Dion Waiters' Nonsense, Wizards-Cavs 'Rivalry' Renewed
►Adam McGinnis | Sep 30, 2014
During Washington's Media Day on Monday, Bradley Beal was asked about the best backcourt in the NBA. "That is a rhetorical question, you know that I am going to say me and...
D.C. Council Game 9: Wizards 96 vs Cavaliers 103: Home Crowd Spellbound By Kyrie Irving
►John Converse Townsend | Nov 17, 2013
Truth About It.net's D.C. Council: setting the scene, recapping key points, providing the analysis, evaluating players, and catching anything that you may have missed from the Washington Wizards. Game No. 9: Wizards vs....
Wizards 2012 Draft Plan B Might Rest In Michael Jordan's Hands
►Kyle Weidie | Jun 25, 2012
Chris Jackson, later Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, was the third overall pick in 1990. Where will the Washington Wizards go with the No. 3 overall pick in 2012? Over the weekend reports surfaced...
Randy Wittman Is Safely On The Clock
►Kyle Weidie | Jun 5, 2012
It's far from the dazzle of Michael Jordan or Jaromír Jágr, or even the marketing buzz of Midnight Madness or red carpets and police escorts for the 2010 No. 1 Draft...
DC Council Game 65: Wizards 96 at Cavs 85: Winning and Grinning, Cavalier and Confident
►Kyle Weidie | Apr 26, 2012
[The DC Council — After each Wizards game: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the bench, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real...
The Reaction: Wizards Empty Cleveland's Tank, 96-85
►Kyle Weidie | Apr 25, 2012
Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images Nineteen wins, people. With a 95-86 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Washington Wizards have now matched their win total of three seasons...
The Reaction: Harangody Double-Doubles as Cleveland Rocks, 98-89
►John Converse Townsend | Apr 14, 2012
Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images No energy. No result. The Wizards dropped their 45th game of the season, this time in a home meeting with the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers....
Why Kyrie Irving Will Be A Hall-of-Famer (probably)
►Dan Diamond | Mar 3, 2012
[Editor's note: This is the TAI debut of Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) — long-time reader, retired anonymous blogger, and the best pound-for-pound rebounder in DC — (Dan's claims, not mine). Dan is...
Where Are The Wizards Going? And Why Are They Here?
►Kyle Weidie | Feb 25, 2012
Here at the 2012 NBA All-Star break, exactly halfway through Ted Leonsis' three-year rebuilding plan, it's hard to think about...
Wall, Wale & Washington Wizards Fan Fest
►Kyle Weidie | Dec 20, 2011
The hope is that the fun of last Saturday's Fan Fest at the Verizon Center was not just a reprieve from things to...
Watching the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery Through Wizards-Colored Glasses
►Rashad Mobley | May 20, 2011
I should have known that the NBA Draft Lottery was not going to fall in the Washington Wizards favor when I walked into the media area. Two members of the Cleveland...
A Wizards Grand Send-Off or A Forward Look to the Future?
►Kyle Weidie | Apr 15, 2011
Tension arises from the final Washington Wizards game of the season. Many fans were content with the loss to Cleveland. The 100-93 defeat on Wednesday means they stand-alone with the fourth-worst record in...
From The Other Side: Positive Thoughts From Cleveland
►Rashad Mobley | Apr 4, 2011
The Cleveland Cavaliers' 115-107 defeat at the hands of the Washington Wizards last Friday was their 60th loss in 75 games and their 32nd road loss in 37 road games. Included...
Against Cavaliers, Wizards Find Meaning of Basketball Life From Deathbed
►Beckley Mason | Apr 2, 2011
Jordan Crawford does a little bit of everything… Before tip off, I was curious how the Wizards would respond in a game that had all the trappings of an emotional let...
Wizards Improve To 1-25 On The Road, "Dougie" Could Be In Order For Team Owner
►Kyle Weidie | Feb 14, 2011
1-25 Before San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich led his team against the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, and as his players were coming off an uncharacteristic loss to the Philadelphia...
ShareBullets: John Wall's Bobble-Head, LeBron's Return To Cleveland & More Wizards-Heat Tickets To Give Away
►Kyle Weidie | Dec 3, 2010
A D.C. pic, links, commentary and tickets for free …. The Portland Trailblazers are in D.C. tonight to take on the Wizards … and guess what? They're giving away John Wall...
From The Other Side: The Mo and Boobie Show
►Rashad Mobley | Nov 8, 2010
Gilbert Arenas is currently struggling to find a set role in the Wizards back-court, and John Wall is struggling with consistency and turnovers. The general feeling is that the current plight...
Player Lock: Gilbert "The Microwave" Arenas
►John Converse Townsend | Nov 8, 2010
I chose to spotlight...


text:
I have had acne for the past 10 years and have tried everything under the sun regarding treatments - sans accutane.
I was so disappointed with the results from Isolaz. My acne stayed just as persistant and in addition, the laser or suction caused my skin to blister after the first and second sessions - which only added to my stress. The doctor said it was from the suction but my thought was, "what's the point??" This could help my acne but I'm left with scabs from the blistering. I can still see the scars.
I finished all the sessions and never went back. This was a reputable doctor in New York.


text:
A Bimota, a wind tunnel, the Tail of the Dragon and some Land Speed Record racing. Sounds like a fun week, right? Add in hitchhiking through the Deep South in summer and it can only be one man's idea of the perfect holiday. That crazy person is JT Nesbitt. — Ed.
The difference between a good decision and a bad decision hinges invariably on the outcome. When I decided that there was room in the stable (and bank account) for a new sportsbike, the hunt was on. The budget was tight for a new bike. A new R1 perhaps?
But what about something a little more eclectic, a little more "JT?" What about a Bimota? Well of course it HAS to be a Bimota. What other brand has the limited production, the handmade feel, the history with Tamburini and the out and out weirdness?
I called my old friend Bob Steinbugler, just sniffing around you see.
"Hey Bob, Got anything in a Bimota for around ten thousand and change?"
"Hey JT, how about the last SB8R to come out of storage from the U.S. warehouse in 2009?"
"How many miles does she have on her?"
"One thousand."
"Who do I make the check out to?"
And that was that. I bought one of the all time coolest motorcycles ever to see production, sight unseen, for less than the cost of a Harley-Davidson Sportster.
Bob and my new bike.
The SB8R was in fact the first "production" motorcycle to use structural carbon fiber. Designed by a friend of mine, Pierluigi Marconi, as his last work for Bimota, the SB8R has no subframe under the tailsection, the swingarm pivot/side plates in carbon dovetail into the alloy beams that curve their way to the headstock that adjusts for trail. The upper fairing is self supporting structural carbon fiber and those alien intake ducts through the gas tank are carbon too! Sergio Robbiano gets credit for most of the styling and Suzuki gets the whole thing moving with the TL1000R v-twin. Certainly one of the all-time greatest, yet underdeveloped engine programs ever to come out of Japan. A 916 beater without the Rube Goldberg desmo sillyness. Oddly, Bimota used the TL1000R headlight assembly, but developed their own EFI (a decision that while interesting…but, we will get to that later).
It's late nineties wildness, sort of a Lamborghini Diablo on two wheels. And, when I saw one for the first time, it sent a shiver up my left leg. I vowed to own one someday. The realization of that dream was now secured, but how to get her back to my garage in New Orleans from Bob's shop in Raleigh, North Carolina?
Just about everybody that is now reading this has experienced the eBay Motors shipping conundrum. You find that dream bike online, but it is always halfway to hell and back. The shipping costs almost always sour the deal. What to do?
Keith Turk is arguably the fastest man on earth. He holds more land speed records over 200 miles per hour, in more venues, than anybody. His collection of red hats is beyond staggering. He is also the race director for the East Coast Timing Association (ECTA) and a dear friend of mine. The meet at the Maxton Mile in North Carolina is a couple of hours from Raleigh and, with a little bargaining, he agreed to get me there if I would ride the Bimota from Steinbugler's shop to Maxton and race it.
Keith's garage is in southeastern Alabama, about 300 miles from New Orleans, and all I needed was a one-way ticket that didn't cost a dime, having spent the last of my money on a set of leathers at Transportation Revolution here in New Orleans. So Max dropped me off on I-10 East bound at 7:00 AM.
I was drinking beers in Keith's shop a mere six hours later, with only a little too much sun and sweat, but not ass-raped or worse for wear. Tim Collins of Alpinestars sent me a set of their Tech Performance Underwear, Summer Long Pants and Summer Long Sleeve Top for evaluation and ,honestly, I don't think that I could have survived the ordeal without them. The underwear noticeably cooled me down under the suit and made getting in and out of the leathers slick and painless.
This guy stopped to pick up a fully-leathered hitchhiker.
Hitchhiking in full leathers through the South in late June is uncomfortable, but highly effective. The people who picked me up were as much curious as helpful. "Your bike break down?" was what I heard most, but from the owners of scores of pickup trucks festooned with Harley-Davidson stickers and license plate frames, I heard only the sound of gas pedals being mashed to the floor to speed up and get away from me. I was actually glared at by a guy with a Harley in the bed of his truck as he merged into the fast lane to put as much distance between me and his air-conditioned comfort as possible!
True to plan, Keith got me to Raleigh and I arrived at Steinbugler's shop, Bimota Spirit, Friday morning. Bimotagazm! To say that Bob's shop is Italian exotica porn is an understatement. With my head reeling, Bob walked me through his collection. It's all for sale, save for Valentino Rossi's father's racebike and the SB2. Bob is a self described Bimota "matchmaker." If you can't find what you are looking for in his collection, he has a running tab on just about every one in the country, its marital status and mechanical condition. Got a poorly running V-Due? Bob has an engine exchange program. Need body work for a Mantra? Bob is the sole importer for all Bimota parts in the U.S.
Bob with some of his Bimotas.
So I asked Bob "Why Bimota?" He answered "It's motorcycle art that aligns with my philosophy. They build what they want and the design department is never overruled by the accounting department. The purchase price is the result of hand labor and the motorcycles are built by enthusiasts. The people who make them have the vision and values that I enjoy supporting."
Me too! It was time for the first ride. I was all pumped up and pleased with myself for making a most excellent decision. Hook line and sinker gave way to the truly sinking feeling in my gut as the bike bucked and stuttered just twenty minuets after merging into traffic on Interstate 40. Oh fuck, what have I just bought? The sporadic surging of that Bimota-designed fuel injection rendered the motorcycle almost unrideable. Brahhhh, fitt fitt, poof, Brahhh, fitt fitt, poof…
Then the shifter linkage fell off.
Ah, that's why this motorcycle has 1000 miles on it. Under the overpass, I found an old rusty nail that I was able to bend into shape to secure the shift linkage. With trucks blasting past I called Bob. He offered to come and get me right away, but also suggested turning the ignition off, and letting the FI sit for a moment, then re-starting. My appointment at the wind tunnel 170 miles away was pressing. I was running out of time. I decided to go for it. The FI was better after the re-start, but far from perfect.
I limped into Moorseville just in time for my appointment at the legendary A2 Wind Tunnel.
Dave Salazar secured the wheels to the load cells in the floor of the A2 while I got into the leathers.
The wind tunnel is a dyno for everything other than the engine, which as I learned, translates into a significant amount of power at speed.
Being on a motorcycle with 85mph wind blasting and not being able to see far into the distance is one of the most unnerving experiences I have ever had on a bike. My brain was saying no, and my deathgrip on the bars was cramping my wrists. I found it very difficult to re-wire the instinctive impulse to freak out at the sight of a wall in front of me with wind rushing by. More totally freaky shit was to ensue, as a very simple set of experiments were carried out. The wind tunnel is a magical, mysterious place of higher education.
"My job is to help people go faster, by providing the service of specific data and informed suggestion," explained Dave. "No two riders are the same, no two suits and helmet combinations are the same and no two motorcycles are the same." What that means is that to get real data, you have to get your junk to the tunnel. For example:
Experiment #1 Rider Position — The position of my feet on the pegs and my elbows relative to the gas tank. Worth 3bhp at 130mph.
Experiment #2 Mirrors — Removing the mirrors. Worth 4bhp at 130mph.
Experiment #3 Alternate Riders — Dave took a reading of the Bimota with no rider, with me on it (6'4") and with him on it (6' 0"). The motorcycle was less aerodynamic with me on it, but MORE aerodynamic with him on it by an astonishing 10bhp. Rider flexibility plays a big role here.
That's a net gain of 17bhp, in under an hour. Cost? $460. As far as horsepower-per-dollar, it just doesn't get any cheaper.
The next series of experiments called for the smoke wand. As you can tell by the tremendous amounts of turbulence in these pictures, there is room for improvement with the suit, helmet and windscreen designs. My takeaway from the tunnel was simple: If you plan on racing your motorcycle at speeds over 100mph, a visit to A2 is as critical as a visit to the dyno.
Sleeping with your Bimota is the only way to ensure its safety.
Next stop, the Maxton Mile, but not before a 150-mile wrong turn and blown out taillight. When I finally rolled the Bimota into the motel room at 2:00 AM Saturday morning, I had done a 500-mile day, on a sportbike that I had never previously ridden. Nursing a sick motorcycle through North Carolina (and South Carolina at times, due to my lack of good directions), took it right out of me, but I knew that she was the right bike for me. I just needed to get some dyno time to sort out the EFI.
As the racing director, Keith is god at Maxton. Of all of his rules that are truly sympathetic to the racer, the one that stands out in my mind is tear down and inspection, to validate engine displacement for a record. There simply no impound at his race. "For me it's about integrity. Either you have it or you don't. If you have to lie to get your record, you lack integrity. That's your problem and you have to live with the fact that you weren't good enough to win honestly. I will put you in the record book regardless."
For the motorcycle classes, only lock wiring the axles, proper speed-rated tires for the class and a kill switch are required. Keith allows the riders themselves to choose either an ECE or Snell-rated helmet which is very cool for those of us who prefer the softer standard favored by MotoGP riders. Keith sees himself as a facilitator of racing, not an obstacle, and that attitude is pervasive throughout the pits.
Land speed racers value mechanical creativity almost as much as positive and helpful attitudes. Everyone is there to have fun and go fast, in that order, and I was no exception. The guys I pitted with were having a blast running the 250ccclass and helped me get my bike prepped. I ran through the traps at 149.84666 miles per hour and called it a day. It was as fast as I wanted to go on a sick motorcycle.
Unfortunately, the ECTA has lost its lease at Maxton. Only two more meets are to be held there in September and October. Keith is actively looking for a track for next season, so if anybody knows of a stretch of smooth asphalt on private property east of the Mississippi, contact the ECTA and be that hero.
Next stop, the incredible Wheels Through Time Museum. Imagine opening the doors to that mythical barn and finding the motorcycle mother lode. Who hasn't fantasized about being the motorcycle archaeologist that discovers the equivalent of King Tutankhamun's tomb? Wheels Through Time is set up to recreate that sensation and its proprietor and active guide Dale Walksler can be found there every day, either sharing his encyclopedic knowledge or doing burnouts INSIDE the museum on a Crocker or an Excelisor or an Indian. The vast majority of the bikes are pre-WW2, with an emphasis on hillclimbers in as-raced trim.
None of the motorcycles are restored and they all run. It's chaotic, unsanitary, and dank. Everything that the Barber museum is not, yet the collection is equally as impressive and definitely more fun.
If you're up to it, Dale might even take you up the mountain on his Jackpine side hack, but be prepared to scrape the poo out of your pants afterward.
Dale getting ready to take me for a ride.
Wheels Through Time is close enough to the Dragon to make it a must see for anyone in the neighborhood and I can't imagine doing one without doing the other.
The Tail of The Dragon, that legendary stretch of highway, is certainly one of the all time greatest motorcycle paths. If you haven't ridden it, pay attention to what I am about to say. This was my first and last time to ride a high power sportsbike on it (especially one that stumbled and choked). It's so tight that I never got more than 50 horsepower to the ground and never got out of second gear anywhere on it. To really enjoy the Dragon, take a 55 horsepower single-cylinder supermoto. It's that technical, that cramped, that athletic and that scary. Really. No one in their right mind would design a motorcycle road racing course as claustrophobic.
Bimota on the Tail of the Dragon. Image: Killboy.
With the bikes loaded up in Keith's trailer, we boogied through the night back to Enterprise, Alabama. Only one leg of the trip left. Backtracking the hitchhiking route to New Orleans. Even the punishment being dished out by Choc (it just doesn't rain anywhere else in the world like it does on the Gulf Coast) couldn't stop the Bimota form her date on the dyno at the Transportation Revolution back here in New Orleans.
So that's it. The craziest motorcycle week of all time, filled with the most mechanical, logistical, and emotional excitement that I could pack into seven days. The Bimota is on the mend and will, when sorted, be the perfect sporting road bike for me. I wish that all of my bad decisions had such a great outcome as this one.
Special thanks to: Max Materne, The Transportation Revolution Tim Collins, Alpinestars Bob Steinbugler, Bimota Spirit David Salazar, A2 Wind Tunnel Keith Turk, ECTA Dale Walksler, Wheels Through Time Museum


text:
My Thoughts On "true Friendship"I've learned a lot throughout my struggles with friendship. At the beginning I thought true friends don't exist because so often we trust our friends only to see them leave us, and so OFTEN friends come and go for very selfish reasons - I believe there's hope.
I had a close friend of 3 years who deliberately threw our friendship away because I broke a promise I made to her JUST to do the right thing. Let's just say I made a promise to support/help her as friends (like all friends do). She had an enemy that she was hoping I'd help her go against for reasons I was not even told, but I chose not to help her that way since that "enemy" (who used to treat me like an enemy as well) became good co-workers with me - no way I'm going to slam someone who has been nothing but good to me. I was called "fake, a liar, a traitor" in the end for simply NOT doing what she expected me to do. I sincerely apologized for making that promise too soon without considering the situation, but she never looked at me the same because I simply "wasn't there" for her when she "needed" me. I tried my best to help this close friend to understand me why I did not do what she expected me to do, nothing changed. I thought, if she was a true friend - she wouldn't allow her selfish interest to conflict with my ethics nor would she throw our friendship away so easily like that.
I am someone who doesn't lean on that "we're friends" excuse to expect my friends to do what I want them to do. If your friends love you because you love them, think like them, act like them or because you comply to their standards - then they are bound to leave you the moment you fail to meet their expectations. That is not true friendship, that is just pure BS.
True friendship is not made by people who have (the most) things in common with you, do or say things as you do. True friendship is made in the moment when one learns to love, accept and forgive another for their bad qualities and mistakes. True friends don't help you do what feels good to them, true friends help you do what is right even if it means you end up hating them for it. True friends don't judge, they sympathize, understand and respect your differences. True friends would lay their life down for you & would love you til' the end no matter what. True friends are not born nor are they made for us, they are chosen by us - you choose who you want to keep. In order to find true friends, you need to be that true friend first - be honest and you'll get honesty. Nobody is perfect. But where there are imperfections - that is where a friend is needed the most.
And If anything is "true", such as true love, true friendship, or truth itself it's supposed to be an everlasting thing, unchanging regardless of time/space/etc. Therefore, if someone tells you he or she is your true friend yet ditches you the minute you screw up, then they are probably better left running.
I fought for that friend with all of my heart, whether we're still friends or not, it's no longer my loss.
I need a true friend
I think if your a friend u should always be one. I think friends need to show friends how to forgive and move on. Teaching them how to do the right thing not the wrong. We must encourage our friends to help, love and forgive others. If they cant do that thats there issue. Your there to support but in the right way not wrong way. If there cant be mature enough about things than u have to move on and be who u are. Dont let any one change who u are for them. Theres a saying tell me who your friends are and I tell u who u are. You want to always be kind and respectful to people and thats the kind of friends u should want back.
You will learn, as did I, to keep people at arm's length, at least then you can't get hurt.


text:
It sounds like a tale adoptive parents tell around a campfire to scare each other sleepless: A doctor, distraught over his failed marriage and custody fight, holds a baby hostage until the would-be new parents promise to return the kid to its birth mother.
Yet that's exactly what happened in real life, at least according to a lawsuit filed last month in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. A couple from Virginia says Felipe Caballero, a doctor at Hialeah Hospital, put them through months of torment. "[The couple] was at the culmination of a lengthy... and expensive process achieving their family goal of having a child, only to be victimized," they wrote in the complaint.
Hialeah Hospital declined to comment about the charge, saying Caballero is an "independent contractor."
Dr. Felipe Caballero
"The hospital was not involved in the adoption process," the hospital said in a statement. Caballero didn't respond to multiple messages left with Kidz Medical Services, a Coral Gables-based pediatric firm that employs him.
Nicole and Bienvenido Olivencia were approved to adopt a girl born August 7, 2009, at the hospital.
The trouble began when they flew to town two days later, after Caballero examined the girl. When the couple and a social worker went to the nursery, the lawsuit says, they discovered Caballero had "wrongfully taken" the infant to another room.
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!
There they found the doc, creepily rocking the baby with the lights off. Caballero then allegedly yelled at the couple to "answer his questions." He demanded they buy a plane ticket for the baby's birth mother to visit, and to give up the child when she turned 5. Even after they got their daughter away from him, Caballero visited the birth mom to "slander" them, the Olivencias claim.
The reason: According to the suit, Caballero complained that a "stupid woman" had divorced him and taken custody of his child.
The Olivencias want punitive damages and compensation for "emotional distress" from the doctor and the hospital. Through their attorney, Richard Katz, they declined to talk about the lawsuit.


text:
There are 46 days until Black Friday 2011 and we're counting them down with money saving and holiday shopping tips.
Today's Tip:
Organize Your Online Shopping Emails
In-box overwhelm got you down? It only gets worse during the holidays with all the online shopping offers and discounts, receipts, and tracking numbers that trickle in.
Organize your inbox by setting up folders for your online shopping receipts and tracking numbers so you can find them easily.
Don't want the hassle of organizing it all yourself? I just subscribed to the free service, OtherInBox.com which organized my gmail inbox for me and sends me an daily update with shopping notices, receipts, tracking numbers, etc.
45 Tips to Go! 🙂 Please feel free to share any black Friday countdown ideas you have and any topics you'd like me to touch upon in the comments below.
Share this with your friends and stay tuned for tomorrow's secret!
Are you a Black Friday FatWallet Insider?
Have you checked out our Black Friday page yet? Get on the email list to receive exclusive Black Friday rumors, try out our online Black Friday Tool, and download the iPhone app!
Miss a tip?
Check out the Black Friday Shopping Tips: 90 Day Countdown Master List


text:
Have Toyota Questions? Ask a Mechanic for Answers ASAP
Hello and thank you for using just answer!
If you PROPERLY drain the engine oil on this car and also change the filter the the oil capacity is right at 6.5 quarts. That drain cap on the oil filter housing is just as you stated a drain for the filter housing only, they put that in place to allow you to drain the filter before removing it, I personally do no do that and I do exactly as you do with draining the filter just by unscrewing the entire thing. Be sure that you have the car on level ground and that you check the fluid level within 30 seconds of shutting it down. If you drained it right then your oil level should be right on.


text:
And, of course, the fine print:
Get free shipping on your next order when you spend over $100. The discount will be automatically applied to your purchase; no promo code required. The subtotal of your purchase must be $100.01 or greater after any promotional discounts have been applied. Additional fees such as tax or shipping and handling do not apply toward your minimum subtotal requirement of $100.01. Offer applies to standard shipping only. Certain items that require additional shipping and handling are excluded from this promotion and do not apply towards your $100.01 subtotal minimum. Offer subject to change.
Here we have a sturdy bottle opener made from solid hard wood. It attaches directly to the wall for convenient bottle opening, and doubles as a lovely piece of handcrafted decor. Each wall-mounted bottle opener is simply screen-printed with "Open" and an arrow in white. Sometimes, simple is best.
- Wall-mounted bottle opener measures 18" x 5.5" and comes fully assembled with mounting screws.
- Screen-printed with eco-friendly, water-based inks.
- Wood is stained and varnished with a clear gloss for a smooth finish and easy cleaning.
This product ships from the maker within 7 days, via USPS
If you're not happy with this item for any reason, you may return it for a full refund within 14 days.


text:
Martin Skrtel's moment of madness gifts Man City 2-2 draw at Liverpool
Martin Skrtel went from hero to zero as
Brendan Rodgers was denied his first Premier League win since taking over at Liverpool, as
Carlos Tevez picked up on a catastrophic error to slot in a late equaliser.
Liverpool had the best of an enthralling encounter but two poor pieces of defending let City clinch a 2-2 draw.
A delightful free-kick from Luis Suarez had looked to be enough for a win after Yaya Toure had cancelled out Martin Skrtel's first-half header.
But a moment of madness by Skrtel gifted Tevez an easy opportunity to equalise – and score his 100th goal in English football – with just ten minutes of the match remaining.
Liverpool went into the changing rooms with a deserved lead following an enthralling, fast-paced first half.
The opening goal came courtesy of Skrtel, who celebrated signing a new long-term contract by netting Liverpool's first Premier League goal of the season.
Manchester City looked stronger in the second half, with the introduction of Jack Rodwell for the disappointing Samir Nasri allowing Yaya Toure to push further up the pitch.
And the Ivorian stamped his mark on the game in the 62nd minute with a fortunate goal.
Tevez received the ball on the right wing and easily went past the impressive Raheem Sterling before playing a deep, searching ball.
Pepe Reina will be disappointed to have only got a touch on the ball, which bounced off Martin Kelly and Toure was left to sweep home into the empty net.
However, City's joy lasted barely three minutes.
A controversial free-kick was awarded to Liverpool after Rodwell blocked a Steven Gerrard shot which struck him on the arm after hitting his thigh.
There was nothing lucky about the finish though, as Suarez beautifully curled the ball around the wall and into the bottom corner.
Despite struggling to keep up with Liverpool's tempo, the champions were not finished yet.
At first there appeared to be no danger as Skrtel received the ball on the left side of defence – but inexplicably he blindly passed the ball back towards Reina.
Tevez was waiting for an easy interception and he rounded the goalkeeper before slotting home for a share of the spoils.


text:
Flash forward to now and two Korean Air flights later, I can honestly say that at no time did I feel the slightest bit uneasy about my safety. The cabin crew performed their safety duties impeccably and the cockpit announcements were abundant regarding flight status. In fact, I felt safer flying Korean Air than I do on some well reputable US air carriers where I have noticed time and time again cabin crew slacking on safety. I want to congratulate Korean Air on the progress they have made in the last couple of years and I look forward to more hours of flying with the airline.
Korean Air 656
Mumbai – Seoul Incheon
Airbus A330-323X (HL7585)
Seat: 8A
Scheduled Departure Time: 4:30
Actual Departure Time: 4:35
Scheduled Arrival Time: 15:15
Actual Arrival Time: 15:20
Photo © Sam Chui
Photo © Snorre - VAP
Photo © Jan-Peter Seier
Photo © Jan-Peter Seier
Check In: I arrived at the Air India Terminal just shy of 2am and was greeted by a huge queue for baggage x-ray. After a grueling 15 minutes in line, I noticed a sign right in front of the x-ray machine on an Air France board. "Due to strict policies that have been implemented recently by Airport security, only one hand bag is allowed, that includes lap top cases and purses." A rather foul four letter word went through my mind at that moment as I had planned on carrying another hand bag in addition to my laptop case. Even so, I decided not to take a chance and have those both screened.
Once that ordeal was done, I proceeded to the little Korean Air booth that had been set up in front of the check in counter. I was greeted by a young Indian girl dressed in the rather elegant creamish-brown Korean Air uniform. The aqua blue scarf around her neck really looked stylish and for a brief moment thought I was talking to a model who was about to walk down a catwalk.
"Good morning sir. Welcome to Korean Air. I see you are flying to New York. Will you please fill this paper out for me with your address and contact information in the United States."
Once the paper had been filled I was escorted by her over to the First Class desk where a gentleman greeted me. I asked him about the hand baggage situation and he smiled with an "I am sorry sir, these are the new rules implemented by the airport. If you take more than one hang bag, they will send you back out here to check it back in. I am afraid they have done that with a number of our passengers. We advise against trying to take two bags onboard." Therefore, I began to empty the important contents into my laptop case and basically check in a rather empty unlocked hand bag. When that was accomplished, my bags were tagged all the way to JFK and my boarding pass to ICN was issued on Air India stock.
I then proceeded towards immigration with my lap top bag which had gained a significant amount of weight since I arrived. Clearing Immigration was a breeze and I headed over to the Clipper Lounge located at the corner of the terminal. I entered the lounge which was annoyingly full. The two guys behind the desk asked if I would not mind heading on over to the other lounge located across the hall. With a sigh I agreed to their request. For those of you familiar with my trip reports will know this lounge as the "red room." I had written a rather unflattering commentary about it in my Malaysian Airlines trip report back in 2005.
Boarding: Around 3:50 I decided to take a leisurely stroll to the gate. Security was rather hassle-free except for the person in front of me arguing about having to go back outside to check in one of his bags. I guess the check-in agent was right. Would anyone care to explain the logic behind this idiotic rule that the airport has put in place? I have flown all over the world and this is the first time I have seen such a rule enforced by the airport and not the airline.
I approached the glass frame at 4:00 just as the doors were opened and wheel chair passengers were allowed down the Jetway. Following that, the huddled masses in the gate instantly got up from their chairs and charged towards the glass door despite the fact that boarding had not even been announced. This prompted the announcement of "Please form an orderly queue, we are not ready for boarding." by the gate agent. All of the business class passengers stood to the side with our blue boarding passes trying to stay clear of the vicious crowd who seemed ready to tear anyone to pieces to get aboard. A minute later the agent looked at us in the corner and said, "Business and First Class, come on." We proceeded down the jetway where the boarding passes were scanned, ripped and handed back.
I was greeted at door one by a male and female flight attendant. Both of them smiled, bowed, looked at my boarding pass and said "this way sir." I proceeded through the First Class cabin which looked identical to the Business Class seats except with more legroom. Soon I had found my seat and sat down where a menu, ear phones, and a pair or slippers had already been placed in my seat pocket. A F/A then approached me, took my coat and welcomed me on board with a genuine smile that I have not seen since the last time I flew an Asian carrier. A tray of water, orange juice, and champagne was brought over almost instantly by another cabin crew member with a smile extending from ear to ear. Through out the flight, this F/A was smiling when she was performing her duties, her expression never faltered for one second. She seemed to have genuine enthusiasm for her job, something I have never seen displayed by any F/A, this was made even more amazing by the fact that it was early in the morning. I selected a glass of orange juice to go with my packet of peanuts.
I started chatting with my seat mate for a bit who seemed a bit disgruntled at the fact that boarding was through door 1L. "Someone should tell them that we pay a premium amount not to be disturbed like this." I laughed and just pretended to agree with her. The original F/A that had taken my jacket came by to see if I had made a choice regarding lunch. She knelt down in the aisle so she was at eye level with both me and my seat mate and asked her in a very gentle voice "Have you had a chance to look over the menu? What would you like for lunch?"
The boarding door was closed and pilot welcomed us in a rather heavy Korean accent. My seatmate and I looked at each other to see if we could understand him, sadly we were both a bit lost with what he was saying. I think the lead F/A realized this and made an announcement almost immediately after him in English stating a lot of the same item things such as our route, flying time, etc…
We pushed back just as the safety video was played. Each cabin crew member stood in front of each aisle and bowed just before the video was played. I found that to be a nice little unique touch. Just as the engine was started there was a surge and the cabin went pitch black. The lights came on about ten seconds later but the TV's screen did not and the safety video had not been finished. I saw the cabin crew scrambling and running around talking to each other in Korean. I can only assume they were having problems with the IFE. We then started taxing to the runway and the cabin crew commenced a manual safety presentation. The F/A that had served us the drinks with that beaming smile stood in front of the bulkhead directly in front of us. She looked at me, I smiled back and her smile grew even larger. I cannot tell you how happy she looked doing the safety demonstration, her grin never once wavering. It was as if her pearly whites could be seen all the way to the rear of the aircraft.
After the manual safety demonstration the cabin lights were dimmed and we lined up for the runway. Take off was quick and quiet, just like any other A330.
The Flight: Once we reached cruising altitude I pulled out my PTV and decided to see what was on offer today:
Channel 10:Gridiron Gang
Channel 11: School for Scoundrels
Channel 12: The Departed
Channel 13: Step Up
Channel 14: Invincible
Channel 15: Scoop
Channel 16: Hearty Paws
Channel 17: KBS Daily News
Channel 18: Band du Lac – One Night Only
After careful deliberation, I decided to watch "School for Scoundrels." As the screen flicked on, a hot towel was passed around to anyone who was awake. About ten minutes into the movie the cabin crew came around to serve breakfast. This is what was listed in the menu today:
I think the continental breakfast was a perfect idea. By the time it was served, it was past 5am and most of the cabin was sleeping. Only about four passengers including myself had breakfast. I first selected a bun from the bread basket followed by a croissant the second time. The basket was offered once more, but I declined as I wanted to stay light till lunch. The service during the meal was conducted with elegance and style, something that can only be found on Asian airlines.
Once the meal service was completed, I put my seat all the way back and watched the rest of the movie. While the seat was the old generation "cradle seat," it was comfortable for this seven hour journey. I however would be rather displeased with the seat if I had to fly in it to Australia or Cairo which are over 10 hours long and are also served by the A330-300. As I watched my movie, a bottle of water was placed on my armrest with a smile once again. Once the movie was over I pulled the blanket over me and went into a comatose state.
I woke up somewhere over China with the smell of bread emanating from the galley. The moment the cabin crew saw me awake, they rushed over with a tray full of drinks and a hot towel.
After sipping my drink for a while, the cabin crew appeared with white table cloths for our tray table. One was placed on my tray table with a "good morning sir, I hope you had a pleasant sleep." The flight attendants first came around with a tray full of small "nibblers". I declined this service as I cannot eat bell peppers and am not too fond of eggplant. A few minutes later a tray gently placed in front of me with a smile. The menu for lunch today:
At first glance, there were no shrimp in the plate and I looked at the flight attendant.
"Excuse me, is this the vegetarian option?"
"Sir this is what we serve everyone, you are getting your chicken for the main course later."
"No I understand about the chicken, I was wondering if I could get the shrimp instead."
"Yes, sir you are getting your non vegetarian chicken after this."
At this point I grabbed the menu out of my seat pocket and pointed to the vegetarian appetizer followed by the shrimp and said
"This is what I have here, I want this."
She looked at me for a second and her face went beet red.
"Oh my sir, I am so sorry. I did not know we had two appetizers. Please let me change that for you."
The poor thing was so embarrassed at her mistake despite my numerous "its all right, its not a problem."
She then offered me a bread basket which had multiple rolls of bread, naan, and garlic bread. Once I pointed to my selection it was placed in my bread plate with a "please enjoy sir."
The shrimp was excellently seasoned and the garlic bread was piping hot and really crispy. Once I was done with the appetizer, a bowl of soup was brought over.
The soup was warm and full of flavor. I am normally not a fan of pumpkin but I could not taste it in this soup as the spices added a lot of flavor.
A trolley was brought around with everyone's pre-ordered dishes on display. My empty soup bowl was exchanged for a casserole like dish containing chicken, pasta, and vegetables.
Sadly this is where the meal took a turn for the worse. The two pieces of chicken were rather dry and tasteless despite the mushroom sauce. The pasta was over heated to the point that it was crispy from the top and soggy from the middle. This meal was lacking in taste, texture and inspiration leaving me disappointed. My tray was cleared with a smile and the dessert/cheese trolley was rolled around. Despite the attempts by the cabin crew to offer me everything, I settled on the ice cream.
The ice cream, a mesh of vanilla and mango, was simply delightful. Much to my enjoyment it was not frozen like a rock but instead smooth and creamy.
The crew then came around once again with a coffee and tea cart. I settled on a much needed cup of coffee.
Just as I lifted the cup to my lips, the captain came on to inform us that we would begin our descent into Seoul shortly and that we would be landing early. Hot towels were passed around once more and the lead flight attendant came around with a list in her hand and talking to each passengers individually.
"Mr Tamboowala, you are connecting to New York John F Kennedy airport, yes?"
"Yes, I am."
"Your flight will be leaving from Gate 30 and boarding will begin at 7 O'clock. I hope you had a great flight today to Seoul. It was my pleasure serving you, thank you for flying with us."
Arrival & Transit: Touchdown was one of the smoothest ones I have experienced in a long time. We taxied to the terminal where we docked at the gate around 15:20. I collected all my stuff and proceeded towards the door where the cabin crew were bowing with a "good bye." Once in the terminal there was a representative just off the jetway asking where everyone was connecting to.
"Los Angeles?"
"No, New York."
"Ah, Kennedy, go to the left line."
I proceeded towards the left line which was made up of all North American connections. The first representative checked all my paper work, making sure everything including my visa was in order. I then waited my turn to get to the makeshift table that had been set up with a bunch of boarding passes.
"New York, Prestige Class?"
"Mr. Tamboowala, here is your boarding pass. Boarding will start at 7 O'clock and will be at gate 30. Please proceed to the transfer desk, go upstairs and then find an escalator to one more level. The lounge is located on the fourth floor. Thank you."
I proceeded towards the security transfer area where my boarding pass was checked. I then emptied the contents of my pocket out and placed my lap top case through the x-ray machine. Once the security personnel were satisfied that I had nothing hide, I continued up the escalator towards the departure level. Almost immediately I spotted a sign for the Korean Air Lounge and proceeded up another level.
As I approached the podium I was greeted by a smile and a "welcome sir, can I see your boarding pass? Your flight will begin boarding at 7 O'clock at gate 30. Please enjoy yourself till then." I passed a large scale model of a 747-400 with a see through side, something I have not seen in years, I thought it added a bit of nostalgia to the atmosphere.
Upon entering, I found a seat on the side bar table set up for use with laptops where at I plugged my lap top in and enjoyed the view out of the window. Almost immediately an Asiana 767-300 in the new livery pulled into the closest gate to the lounge. Accompanying it were two Korean Air 747-400's and a single Korean Air A330-330; the aircraft I had just flown from Mumbai.
After attempting to log onto the wireless network, I approached an agent who very happily handed me a tiny piece of paper with the password. I then proceeded towards the snack area and was impressed with what was on offer. There was an abundance of sandwiches, cheese, breads, cakes and hot food. Having just had lunch I settled on a two sandwiches containing crab and ham and a Coke.
After about an hour I decided to use the shower facilities. I proceeded to the same agent that had given me the password for the free wireless internet.
"Are any of the showers available?"
"Yes sir, we have one open. Can I please have your boarding pass?"
I exchanged my boarding pass for a towel with a key and I was on my way in no time.
The shower room was not overly large but it was more than adequate for what was needed. Baskets had already been set up with everyday amenities that we are no longer permitted to carry including toothpaste, hair gel, hand cream, after shave and much more. Two bottles had been places in the shower, one contained Dove body wash and the other one was Pantene shampoo.
The shower felt amazing, all those hours I had spent at the KLM Crown Lounge in Amsterdam just seemed like torture in retrospect. Feeling somewhat more human once again, I decided to head out and explore the airport and see if it was up to the challenge of Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.
I walked from one end to the other and can honestly say that I was impressed. The airport is bright and full of shops. The layout is very easy to use and there is an abundance of restaurants and food shops, not that I needed any. During my walk I happened upon the Northwest WorldClubs lounge and for a brief second contemplated visiting it. I however decided that the Prestige Lounge would suffice for today; I would be in a WorldClub within four days anyway.
In summary the terminal was nice, one of the nicest I have ever had the pleasure to travel through, however it felt rather cramped. I was bumping elbows with people as I walked through the hallways and that is something that never happens at Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur or even Detroit. I headed back towards the Prestige Lounge to rile away the time till boarding started.
Once back, I grabbed a plate of shrimp in chive aioli along with an ice tea and surfed the web until about 18:40 when I headed towards the gate.