text:
A Three-Hour Drive Just To Say Goodbye
by Sheldon Lee Compton
Clinton pulled into his uncle Gerald's driveway at just after 6:00 p.m.when the sunlight was still summer bright, three hours or more before dark.Driveway was a generous description of the swath of flattened milkweeds and tanglevine leading to the front door of the trailer. Broken down cars like flattened streetlights lined both sides of the path, squatted and crushed in the higher weeds and stalks that ran in each direction across the wide bottom. The cars, Ford Escorts, Chevy Rabbits, late-model trucks, were mausoleums from which the habitants had long ago escaped. Gerald stood in the doorway of the trailer, the last remaining occupant of the discarded land, waving to Clinton with a fisted can of Budweiser.
"Hidey there, Uncle," Clinton said. He made his way from the random spot he parked the SUV and watched his step. Sporadic mudholes from two days previous rain hid beneath the veined snarl of weeds. He wiped at the sides of his loafers when he made it to the doorway, hitching his foot, first one then the other, onto the concrete block steps leading up to Gerald.
"You'd make a damn fine shoe shine," Gerald said.
"Yeah," Clinton laughed under his breath without looking up then straightened his back, arching it slowly and feeling out the tight muscles. The drive had been a long one from Mount Shepherd. He could still feel the seatbelt strap across his chest.
Gerald's hair was slicked back away from his forehead and he rolled the can of beer across the wrinkles there, smoothing them out for a moment, and stepped out of the doorway into the trailer. A gust wind hit Clinton in the face from the doorway and he stopped on the concrete block, confused at first, then saw a window fan through the diluted light of the small living room, wedged into the far window. The strong breeze from the fan ruffled what must have been twenty or thirty creased pieces of yellow legal paper scattered across a chipped coffee table.
"Where's Kathleen?" asked Gerald.
"She's around," Clinton said.
"You all doin good, though, huh? You're workin every day, right? That's the only way to keep one around longer than a year or two. After that it's a mystery what keeps em and what might send em packin."
He sat down directly in the front of the window fan, the couch cushions coughing out sprays of dust as he did. Not a single comb-toothed trench of his slicked gray hair moved an inch.
"Kathleen's just Kathleen," Clinton said. He took a seat himself and eyed Gerald's Budweiser. "You got another one of those?"
Gerald hitched his shoulders, embarrassed, as if he had just remembered someone's name and was now struggling to work it into the conversation. He walked around the countertop petition into the kitchen area.
"Then you're here about the cancer and not looking for a place to regroup, huh?" The fridge came open with a sucking hiss and Gerald produced a frost-coated can. He tapped the top three, four times walking it back to Clinton. "Not much of a place for regrouping anyways, I suppose." He laughed and took his place back on the couch, more ribbons of dust sliced instantly into oblivion by the swirling fan blades.
Gerald grinned just as Clinton popped the tab on the beer and the two of them sat silent while Clinton took a long swallow. The window fan was no match for the boiled insides of the trailer but the cold beer cooled him off enough. He relaxed into the chair, cradled the can between his thighs.
"That's right. I'm here about the cancer," Clinton finally said. "I figured you'd take that as a compliment but you don't seem too complimented."
"Well that's a helluva way to talk to a dyin man," Gerald said, and his laughter easily drowned out the whirring of the fan.
Gerald suggested a drive out to The Rose Diner, the only place in Blue Flats that served breakfast day and night. It was one of only a few places Gerald went outside the hollow. The other trips were to Mount Shepherd for appointments at the Kentucky Clinic, a mesh of glass and iron buildings he didn't care to ever see again. He knew Clinton hadn't hauled himself out here on that three-hour trip just because of the cancer. The cancer had been around awhile, diagnosed for nearly a year or so, and now the drop-in. It had to be Kathleen or money, or both.
A coal truck loaded full and without a tarp swung into view through a curve. Jagged chunks of coal spilled from the bed and bounced to scatter into their lane. Clinton sucked in wind across his teeth and flinched when two or three of the chunks pinged across the grill of his SUV.
"Son of a bitch! They're required to use a tarp," he said after loosening his grip on the steering wheel.
Gerald left it alone. Too much time spent away from Blue Flats and a man could forget that a few dents on a shiny grill was the even trade-off for stop-and-go traffic and warp speed interstates. His mind was elsewhere, and Clinton wasn't saying much anyway. The Rose Diner and breakfast any time anybody wanted, which used to be all different hours from working all different shifts week to week at the car factory before he bought the land and trailer and started working for himself doing vehicle repairs. The factory was an hour drive from Blue Flats and a slave pit he missed about as much as those glass and iron buildings in Mount Shepherd. Pushing the car factory out of mind and glass and iron buildings with people talking to him like a child, Gerald thought instead of chewy bacon and fresh eggs scrambled in butter, biscuits with sausage gravy.
"I could eat the south end of a north bound mule," he said when they were gliding through the last few curves before the diner. When Clinton didn't answer, he turned in the seat and was surprised to see his nephew crying. He waited for Clinton to say something, to explain himself, and then lost patience.
"It ain't this cancer shit is it? I thought we got past that in pretty decent fashion back at the house."
"We're here," Clinton said, and Gerald tilted off-balance in his seat as his nephew pulled roughly into the diner's gravel parking lot.
"Well, hell, Clinton. What you expect me to do, just walk on in here and eat breakfast and you cryin or whatever over there?"
"Just give me a second," he said. He dabbed at his eyes with the ball of his wrist.
Gerald sat still and gave him his second, looked out at the The Rose Diner, the faded and paint-flecked sign above the takeout window, studied the hobbled front door, swung a thousand times and still sturdy. When he turned again to Clinton, he was already opening his door, powdered gravel popping under the soft soles of his loafers.
He stayed behind, trying with more effort now to pin down exactly what Clinton might be doing here, and what him and his cancer might have to do with it all. Then Shirley Anderson noticed him from the takeout window and waved him inside.
As always, he didn't hesitate to do exactly what Shirley Anderson or any other woman ever asked of him and got out of the SUV, took his time passing the front grill on his way in to run his finger across two diamond-shaped dents left there from the dropped coal.
"Sonofabitch," he said, and crossed the lot, forgetting to wave back to Shirley Anderson as he went.
In the tight quarters of the diner's restroom, Clinton turned a rusty knob for cold water and splashed two handfuls across his face, studied himself in the cracked mirror and pictured Kathleen, hands on her hips at the side of the bed, the glow of his reading lamp casting her sleek shadow across the wall.
He had suggested earlier that day the two of them take in his uncle, who was dying of cancer. She remembered Gerald but said nothing more at his suggestion, made while standing at the checkout counter at the grocery. Later that evening, Clinton made the suggestion again after dinner. By the time they were settling for bed, the idea that she had disregarded his suggestion and, worse, offered no discussion at all, had welled up inside, a rich bile at the back of his throat. He might as well have been hardly more than a pleading child asking for candy at the checkout, a pesky hound scrambling for scraps at the dinner table. Just as she had curled into bed, he sat his paperwork aside and told her flatly that he would leave for Blue Flats his first day off from work, that his uncle would be living with them, not dying alone in a junkyard.
Shuffling in a half circle at the sink, Clinton searched for paper towels or a hand dryer and, finding none, rolled off a loose ball of toilet paper. He dabbed his hands and face, straightened his shoulders and left the restroom.
Two men stood outside the restroom door, one behind the other, both offering raised eyebrows. Clinton lowered his shoulder and moved past them and into the raucous dining area.
The Rose Diner might once have been a family restaurant, but the largest customer base was now and always miners and lumberyard workers, welders and mechanics, all moving in and out at various hours due to odd shifts, staggered schedules that saw some ordering ham and eggs and others club sandwiches. Drinks were served at all hours, except any hour falling on a Sunday. And there was always a lunch crowd or a breakfast crowd or, barring that, prides of retired men drinking coffee and loudly trading memories.
Amid this crowd, Gerald sat at the end of the front counter, a thick slab of wood perched on a rickety bar stool. He picked absently from a bowl of trail mix, a tall draft of beer on a napkin in front of him. He noticed Clinton making his way to the counter but focused his attention on the dying evening light melting its way through a window above a group of miners, the neon reflecting tape on their shirts and pants gaining phosphorescence in the approaching night.
"Already ordered for us," he said as Clinton sat on the stool beside him. "Big Dan breakfast platters. That okay with you?"
It wasn't common, of course, to have alcohol with breakfast he figured, but the business with Clinton breaking down earlier gave him a green light for just such behavior. When Clinton ordered a draft of his own, Gerald finally turned on his stool and saw his nephew's puffy, mashed up face. A small bit of toilet paper clung to the stubble on the side of his face. Shirley Anderson sat the drink on the counter, told Clinton hello as chirpy as ever but shot Gerald a strange look at the same time as if to say, What's this all about?
"Hidey, Shirley," Clinton said without looking up.
Gerald fidgeted on his stool and called Shirley back before she made it into the kitchen. "Give us those Dan's to go, Shirley, honey." He fidgeted some more and then spoke up. "What the hell's goin on here, Clinton?"
Clinton took a long gulp of beer, paused, tilted the glass and rolled down another gulp. "You're coming to live with me in Mount Shepherd," he said. "I'll not have you dying alone in a junkyard."
Gerald studied this for a moment. It didn't do much to explain how Clinton was acting, but there was one thing he knew for sure. He knew to answer immediately here in The Rose Diner would come to no good, not when his response would be to turn Clinton down as flat as a skipping stone. He wouldn't understand, and when Clinton didn't understand, trouble followed.
When Clinton was six, a year after his daddy died, Gerald took his brother's only boy in without being asked. Jim would have done the same, and Gerald knew it. The mother skipped out on her old life after the car accident, just sort of phased into another person and finally took up residence with a string of bad men, one after another. Gerald came and took Clinton one afternoon on his way out to pick up an order of spark plugs then just drove home, and that's the way it stayed.
No one came looking for him, and Gerald heard a month or so later the mother moved out of state to Tennessee or Ohio or some other part of the world. Clinton never once asked about her, and never once, until today, had he seen his nephew cry, not even at his own daddy's funeral. Gerald had always been proud of him for that, proud of how all the horribleness made him tough as a pine knot. And now, this, today.
"Skip the hash browns and gravy," Gerald called back to Shirley. "Just give us the meat, eggs and bread. And rush it best you can."
Now Clinton squirmed in his chair. He felt that old bile rising up inside him again. "You ain't dying in no goddamn junkyard. I'll not allow it."
"That's kind of you and all, Clinton," Gerald said, hoping to leave it at that until they could get out of the diner. But looking at Clinton, at the contempt spread out across his puffy face, he lost sight of all the good intentions behind the words, the way he'd said junkyard. Junkyard.
He turned back on his stool, an old ripple of anger coming over him, and finished off his beer, then swiveled back to Clinton and hoped to see the good intentions, but it was contempt still warming the seat, a glare in the boy's eyes he didn't care for one solitary bit. "That junkyard helped you off to college," he said evenly."Helped get you that engineering degree. Now I didn't want to have to say that, but then you didn't leave me much of a choice now did you?"
Clinton was off his stool silent and fast, the movement of youth. Gerald made his way up more slowly, but faced his nephew evenly. Neither moved to the other immediately. The factions of customers went quiet, and just as Shirley rounded the corner from the kitchen with the breakfast platters, Clinton took the first swing.
Gerald blocked it with his forearm, but the blow stung and rattled through to the bone. He threw his weight into Clinton and the two went to the floor. A couple of men from a corner booth started out of their seats, but Gerald righted himself from the floor first and waved them back. He had elbowed Clinton on the way down and saw blood coming from the corner of his mouth, making a curling trail down toward his ear. The elbow was not intended, just a byproduct of the falling, and he bent to Clinton. Clinton gave an upward kick and connected with Gerald's groin. The older man went to his knees as Clinton pushed himself upright. He waited for his uncle to stand again.
It had been a long time since he had taken a kick to the particulars and Gerald thought for a moment he might not be able to recover to his feet in time to avoid another lick that would surely end the fight with him on the floor and defeated. It was a slow ways up and when he at last wobbled into an upright position, Clinton stood with his arms at his side. He wiped the blood from his lip. It made a dark smear across his face.
Both men breathed heavily into each other's face, the sound of it audible in the stillness of the diner. Clinton wiped again at his face, spreading most of the blood away this time. He pressed lightly at the corner of his mouth with his fingertip while Gerald took the time to step back and circle the pit of his stomach with the palm of his hand several times.
"Kathleen left me over all this," Clinton said. The words came out watery from built up blood behind his teeth.
Gerald stopped rubbing at his stomach and dropped sideways onto the stool. The pain in his tightened gut different now, deeper, more painful. Shirley was at the counter with the phone in her hand, no doubt readying herself to dial the police. When Clinton joined Gerald at the counter, both with an elbow hitched up beside their empty glasses, she dropped the phone back on its hook.
"I can't have this in here, Gerald," she said after awhile and pushed the two Styrofoam to go containers across the counter.
Nodding in agreement, Gerald floated a twenty onto the counter. "Keep the change," he said, and then turned to the others in the diner. "Sorry about all this, folks."
"You should have just said something right off," Gerald said after a long silence. They were making their way up the grassed over driveway to the trailer. "I asked about Kathleen. Why didn't you say something then?"
"Because it don't change a thing about right now. About what I'm doing here," Clinton answered.
It was fully dark at last and without a porch light, Clinton navigated with some trouble around random car parts and assorted items along the driveway. He followed behind Gerald and stood in the doorway, waiting for some kind of light to flicker to life. From inside the trailer came the sound of a pulled chain and the living room, lit again with the yellow light from earlier, seemed even more broken down than before. A band of fat moths swooped around the room and congregated near the naked bulb hanging from the ceiling.
Gerald stepped gingerly around the coffee table and turned off the window fan. He went to the fridge and came back with three cans of Budweiser, handing one to Clinton and taking the others with him to the couch. Clinton raised an eyebrow.
"I could use a couple of these myself," he said and tried a grin, but his busted lip wouldn't allow much.
"The other's for my particulars there Bruce Lee," Gerald said. He tucked one carefully between his legs, popping the tab on the other. "But we can share it later if you want."
"No thanks. I'll pass."
Clinton drank from the good corner of his mouth and monitored the overhead moths with half-interest. Kathleen would be curling up in the bed beside him about right now if the world was the same as a week ago. Who knew what she was doing at this moment with him watching moths and drinking and nursing a busted lip? He thought of her sleek shadow cast across the wall, quivering like the burning up flame of a curvaceous candle.
"I am sorry," Gerald said, "but this don't change a thing."
"So that's a no, I take it."
"That's a no, Clinton. This really is where I want to be. Not in Mount Sterling and not in some hospital or anywhere else. Probably you should've asked me about this before you jumped the gun."
Gerald saw a tenseness start in his nephew's shoulders and for a moment he worried there might be another scuffle. He would surely find himself on the losing end this time around. Then Clinton calmed and raised out of the chair, resting his elbows on his knees.
"You know, you were wrong, Uncle," he said. "Sometimes you know exactly what sends a woman packing."
Gerald wanted to say if something like this caused a woman to leave then she wasn't much of a woman in the first place, but he held his tongue. Even though it would have been a compliment in its own way, he doubted Clinton would feel especially complimented either. So he said nothing as Clinton stood up and balanced the Budweiser on the paper-covered coffee table then stepped to the door.
"I better get going," he said."I've got a long drive."
Grunting his way off the couch, Gerald followed him out and shielded his eyes from the headlights until Clinton had the SUV backed out of the driveway. He watched the tail lights blink in and out of sight behind overgrown bushes until they were eaten away for good by the first sharp curve of the hollow.
"Thanks anyway," he said in the darkness.
Sheldon Lee Compton's work has appeared in numerous journals including New Southerner, Keyhole Magazine, Emprise Review, BLIP (formerly Mississippi Review), Staccato Fiction>, and elsewhere. Most recently, his work was included in Bottom Dog Press's anthology Degrees of Elevation: Stories of Contemporary Appalachia. He publishes the online journal A-Minor and lives in Eastern Kentucky.


text:
Get Obama's Back: WE DO HAVE THE MONEY
by thereisnospoon, Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 11:22:19 AM EST
As I said yesterday, this election was not the end of a fight, but merely the beginning. Many struggles still remain--including the one for marriage equality (see Paul Hogarth's excellent piece for why we failed in CA, and what we can do better in the future)--but by far the biggest challenge facing us now is the argument about money.
As soon as Obama takes the oath of office, Republicans will become sudden deficit-hawks. Their allies in the conservative media (like the AP) will begin saying that there is no money for any of Obama's programs like national healthcare, national service, alternative energy and so many others.

subset: commoncrawl


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Study finds promise toward treating HIV and hep C
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UN's health agency worried about growing child obesity
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Injecting gene into heart muscle may replace pacemaker
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Facebook lets users squirrel items away
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Monkey study dampens hopes for AIDS cure
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Amazon unlimited e-book service is limited
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French presidents' holiday retreat open to public
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Halal tourism takes off in Japan
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From France's champagne region, a Rare label
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Because we do not get to see, smell, taste, or touch the events of the gospel story, we must visualize it.
| posted 11/29/2011
Most of us remember those things that affect our senses: sights that are imprinted on our memories, smells that linger in our thoughts, tastes that make us hungry just thinking about them, or a touch that soothes our cares.
Luke wrote his gospel because a Gentile man of importance named Theophilus needed reassurance or certainty. In a sense he needed to "see" what Luke was trying to describe to him. To help him, Luke decided to record a clear, chronological account of the events of Jesus' life. He writes, "With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught" (Luke 1:3-4).
Theophilus was wondering whether he should really follow Jesus. Questions may have haunted him, such as: Does God really work this way? Does a story that includes a crucifixion actually provide hope for the world? Does God call all nations to this? There are so many obstacles to believing in Christ, is it worth it? These are questions anyone could have.
Learn more through: John Ortberg on Christmas.
So to reassure him, Luke did two unique things that the other gospel writers didn't. First, he uses an artistic focus. He weaves the history of Jesus' coming into poetry that has a deep and rich appeal. Luke alone records the songs of Elizabeth, Mary, Zacharias, Simeon, and the angels.
Second, Luke uniquely reveals the thoughts and feelings of those involved in the history he is telling. For example, he informs us that Mary treasured these things in her heart. No other gospel writer records the innermost thoughts, fears, and reflections of those he includes in his account.
We see both as we read Mary's song in Luke 1:46-55. We can picture her exuberance and feel her joy as she says that her soul glorifies the Lord and rejoices in her Savior. She realizes the blessing she has been given and it overflows into song. God's mercy and might intermingle as she reflects on who he is. Can you see and feel it?
Or consider the poetry in Zacharias's song (Luke 1:68-79). Imagine how this man, who had been silenced for months because he doubted that God would do what he said he would, now praises God for coming to redeem his people and for fulfilling a prophecy of long ago. He recognizes the privilege of being given such a son as John when he had lacked faith. And he wholeheartedly throws himself behind John's calling to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. He ends his song dwelling on God's tender mercies that shine on us in our darkness. The words themselves are food for our imaginations.
Picture Simeon's joy as he saw Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus enter the temple in Jerusalem, so that Mary could participate in a purification rite after childbirth, and so that Jesus would be consecrated to God, as were all firstborn Jewish sons. God opened Simeon's eyes to who Jesus truly was and his joy overflowed (Luke 2:25-32). If you are a parent, perhaps you've experienced a stranger who wants to hold your baby. It can be a frightening experience. But they must have known that Simeon was different, and in his song he basically says, "I can die happy now. I've seen everything I need to see." We can visualize the power of that encounter and the impact it had in that old man's life.


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• Female • $850


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Describe your practice.
The mission of our team is to provide financial peace of mind to our clients. We focus on providing objective, unbiased, experienced advice to a select group of families and institutions. With more than 140 years of combined experience our team provides the perspective our clients deserve.
Who is your ideal client?
Our ideal clients are families and institutions who appreciate the value of a partnership with us as their professional advisors. Our clients normally have situations that require collaboration, resources and sophistication in the management of their affairs.
Describe your customer service model.
Our boutique model assures that our clients deal directly with our local team members. In the spirit of service we are constantly looking out for their best interests and motivating them to take action to achieve their dreams. We are advocates for our clients and help them coordinate their affairs with tax and legal advisors.
What is your investment philosophy?
Our philosophy is to invest longer-term relative to goals and to avoid the cost of short-term, emotional decisions. We firmly believe in active management and using solutions where the interests of all parties are aligned.
Do you offer financial planning?
We strongly believe our clients should invest their time before investing their assets. Through an in-depth discovery process we understand their core values and help them formulate and refine goals that are clearly defined and realistic. Once implemented, we require regular updates as effective planning is an ongoing process.
Describe your risk management philosophy?
Managing risk requires the management of human emotions. Our philosophy is to help clients focus on their progress relative to their goals and on variables they can control rather than variables they cannot control.
Describe your cost structure for your services and how it relates to value?
The cost of services for our clients is based on their unique situations. We believe in being completely transparent and returning far more value to them than they incur in cost.


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Interview With Dai Greene World 400m Hurdles Champion
SNI: Since the Track & Field World Championships in Daegu in which you got the Gold in the 400 meter hurdles what have you been doing to improve your body composition?
Dai: I think I've put on about 5 kg (11 lbs) of muscle and my body fat is still around the 7% mark (that never changes really). I've been working hard in the gym, even adding an arm specific routine to ensure my upper body is more stable and in control when going over hurdles. But my nutrition partners Myprotein.com have been sending me a lot of creatine monohydrate which seems to be helping my sprints, squats, snatches and other lifts in the gym massively. So although a few people have commented and asked why I'm 5kg heavier, it's all functional and just designed to make me a more powerful athlete come London 2012, as well as looking good on the beach.
SNI: And has your nutrition changed at all to fuel the strength training and bigger physique, more calories perhaps?
Dai: I tend to not count calories but I know that I eat far more than the average as during winter training periods I have to do so much training that I need huge volumes of food, often eating a couple of large carb based meals during the day. If ever I want something "bad" to eat then I will have it provided I don't have much of it. This would mainly be a couple of biscuits or some chocolate. My meals are 95% spot on and are always very healthy.
SNI: How do you prepare for a race, both mentally and in terms of nutrition?
Dai: Before a race I like to eat a meal with carbs (rice or pasta), small amount of veg and a small amount of protein (chicken or turkey) about 4 hours before I'm due to race. I do this so that I don't feel too full when I'm competing. I also take sodium citrate and beta-alanine as buffering agents to help me cope with the lactic acid build up. In the 400m hurdles, athletes take a set number of strides between each hurdle. I will mentally prepare by planning my race out a couple of hours before hand, checking weather conditions and wind direction to see which stride pattern would be best to use. After deciding on this I will play out the race in my head, going through the stride pattern I plan to use.
SNI:How much of a role does sports science play in your training? And are there any specific supplements you are using at the moment?
Dai: One supplement I've really come to love is the amino acid beta alanine; I really find this helps me fight fatigue and ensure I'm hitting the 9th hurdle with a good sprint finish in me still. Also, creatine has hugely helped me add about 7% onto my max lifts in the squat, snatch and bench as well as hugely improving my jumps and throws session. Then of course protein after every session just ensure my body has enough to repair ready for the next session.
SNI: What percentage would you say your success was talent and what percentage is hard work?
Dai: Talent means that you have the ability to be the best in the world but the hard work makes the difference. Everyone on the start line at a world final has talent, how else can you separate them.
SNI: You are without doubt (and quite rightly so) the favourite going into to the London Olympics, how are you dealing with the pressure?
Dai: I try not to think about it too much, all I can guarantee is that I will give 100% every day from now until the games to ensure I am in the best condition to compete for a medal, hopefully that will be enough.
BIO – Born in Llanelli, Greene had his first success on the junior athletics circuit in 2005. He won the silver medal at the 2005 European Athletics Junior Championships, finishing with a personal best time of 51.14 seconds.
The 2009 outdoor season saw Greene making his first impact on the senior circuit. In June he set a meet record and a new personal best of 48.62 seconds to win the 400m hurdles at the Josef Odlozil Memorial in Prague. This was a significant improvement from his 2008 best of 49.58 seconds and made him top of the European rankings for the first time.
Competing for Team GB at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, Greene won his heat with a strong first round performance of 48.76 seconds. He followed this with a new personal best in the semi-finals, finishing in 48.27 seconds taking second place behind Bershawn Jackson.
However it was 2010 when Dai really made an impact on the world athletics stage as he stormed to victory to win Gold in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and later that year won Gold in the Continental Cup. Continuing his success Dai then took Gold at the European Championships in Barcelona and completed the perfect year winning the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, where he memorably overtook a strong field in the final 100m to claim victory. Now looking on to 2012, Dai is one of Britain's best hopes of a medal at the London Olympics. Dai Greene is sponsored by Myprotein.com, the UK's number one online sports nutrition brand and supplier to many of Britain's Olympians such as 100m backstroke world record holder Gemma Spofforth, Taekwondo Youth Olympic Gold Medallist Jade Jones and 11-time Paralympic gold medallist David Roberts.


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The future of online media searches is changing. Instead of using keywords to hunt down video or music files, several pioneering software developers are creating ways to search for music with music, and images with another image. The consequences of these paradigm shifts could be staggering. Like.com and Polar Rose are two companies doing just this.
This is (very generally) how the current system works: When you use your favorite web browser to search for an image or video, you are not actually searching for that video or image. You are searching for common key words, much like text searches. The drawback to this type of search method is that it requires web publishers to annotate their online content correctly. This is not always done, or done sufficiently. The end result is that your search will capture many images that have nothing to do with your subject query, while leaving many near-perfect matches floating in the ether. The same thing happens when searching for MP3 tracks, podcasts, and other sound files.
Pioneers like Ojos and Polar Rose are addressing this very problem. Ojos recently released riya, an innovative photo file-sharing program. Instead of using keywords and tags to identify photos, riya (www.riya.com) uses face recognition. Show riya what your mom or sister (or totally un-related female) looks like, and it'll tag the images for you. It's surprisingly accurate. This face-recognition technology, which also identifies in-picture objects and words, can hopefully be used for web-wide image searches.
Right now, alpha-stage shopping engine sites like Like.com are the only manifestations of this idea. There you select a photo of an object you wish to shop for, and like.com (www.like.com) finds all sorts of similar projects. A similar audio equivalent is Pandora, a brainchild of the Music Genome Project, a collection of "musicians and music-loving technologists†(their own words). Pandora analyzes songs from over 10,000 artists, carefully identifying the musical makeup of each track. Based on the types of music and artists that you like, Pandora can construct an all-new playlist of songs to suit your tastes. This is far from a true media search engine, but it's a step in the right direction!


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Championships are big part of the Middle Georgia sports scene, and that continues on a yearly basis.
From Little League baseball and softball in recent years to high school teams throughout the area and adding Mercer University to the mix, championships are expected in Middle Georgia.
The Warner Robins American Little League teams recently have become world powers in both baseball and softball. Warner Robins teams in baseball have made three trips to the Little League World Series, including winning the championship in 2007. The Warner Robins softball teams won world titles in 2009 and 2010.
But the championships dont end there in Middle Georgia; they work their way up the athletics ladder.
Mercer University
The Bears have 16 intercollegiate athletics teams, eight on the mens side and eight on the womens side.
The eight mens teams are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer and tennis. The eight womens teams are basketball, cross country, golf, sand volleyball, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.
Mercer competes in the 10-team Atlantic Sun Conference, an NCAA Division I conference, and the Bears basketball team captured its first postseason non-conference tournament last season when it won the CollegeInsider.com Tournament title.
The school will return football to its program in 2013 as head coach Bobby Lambs team plays its first game, ending a 70-year hiatus. Mercers facilities are: mens and womens basketball (Hawkins Arena), football/lacrosse (Moye Family Complex), baseball (Claude Smith Field), softball (Sikes Field), mens and womens soccer (Bear Field), sand volleyball (Mercer Sand Volleyball Complex), mens and womens tennis (LeRoy Peddy Tennis Center), mens golf (Brickyard at Riverside), womens golf (Idle Hour Course) and cross country (Georgia Industrial Childrens Home).
High schools
There are 22 high schools that have athletics teams in the five-county area, and those teams are split into the Georgia High School Association and Georgia Independent Schools Association.
In Bibb County, the GHSA teams are Central, First Presbyterian Day School, Howard, Northeast, Rutland, Southwest and Westside. The GISA teams in the county are Covenant, Central Fellowship Christian, Mount de Sales, Tattnall Square, Stratford and Windsor academies.
In Houston County, the GHSA teams are Houston County, Northside, Perry, Veterans and Warner Robins, while the Westfield School competes in the GISA.
Jones County, Peach County and Mary Persons (Monroe County) also compete in the GHSA.
Warner Robins and Northside have built powerhouse football programs in the GHSA throughout the years, and Peach County has joined them recently. Mary Persons is a traditional power as well.
In the GISA, Tattnall Square has won 11 championships in football since 1998, but the school also routinely adds championships in baseball and basketball, while Stratfords girls basketball team and tennis and soccer programs are also powers.
Bibb County
Barrington Hall Golf Club: (478) 757-8358
Bowden Golf Course: (478) 742-1610
The Brickyard at Riverside: (478) 477-6765
Healy Point Country Club: (478) 746-2411
Idle Hour Club: (478) 477-1724
Oakview Golf & Country Club: (478) 785-1833
Houston County
Houston Lake Country Club: (478) 218-5253
Houston Springs Golf Club: (478) 988-8200
International City Golf Club: (478) 322-0276
Perry Country Club: (478) 987-1033
Pine Oaks Golf Course: (478) 923-7334
Landings Golf Club: (478) 932-5222
Waterford Golf Club: (478) 328-7533
Jones County
Lake Jonesco Golf Course: (478) 986-3206
Monroe County
The Club at River Forest: (478) 974-0974
Forsyth Golf Club: (478) 994-5328
Peach County
Pine Needles Country Club: (478) 825-3816
Bibb County
John Drew Smith Tennis Center: (478) 474-5075
Tattnall Tennis Center: (478) 751-9196
Houston County
Tanner Park: (478) 929-1916
Ted Wright Park: (478) 929-1916
Jones County
South Complex: (478) 742-3535
Peach County
North Peach Park: (478) 956-1891
South Peach Park: (478) 825-5197
Bibb County
Gold Cup Bowling Center: (478) 781-2096
Houston County
Gold Cup Bowling Center: (478) 922-3054
Robins Bowling Center: (478) 926-2112


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Everyone knows that Katy Perry is one of the featured voices in Smurfs 2 and Britney Spears contributed a song to the soundtrack, but now the secret is out -- Katy is an uncredited guest on Britney's song.
Katy told E! News that she and singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee are on Britney's "Ooh La La!" She revealed, "Me and Bonnie secretly did some background vocals on that song. So maybe listen for our voices."
Despite the fact she's on her record, Katy had yet to meet Britney. "I can't wait to meet her," she said. Judging by photos that popped up after the premiere, it appears that Katy got her wish.
Source: E! News


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Recent Stories
- Businesses offered chance to explore one of Europe's top environmental research centres
- Morecambe High School pupils visit CERN as guests of Lancaster University's Physics Department
- New research projects for Computing and Communications
- Science and Technology Taster Day 2014
- Armenian Scientists Visit Lancaster's Experts in Secure Communications
- Lancaster Racing Competes at Silverstone in IMechE Formula Student 2014
- South Lakes Federation Research Poster Event
- Using Social Media to Monitor UK Alcohol Consumption
- SCC Students help teachers inspire the next generation of computer scientists
- Engineering helps museum visitors stay 'in touch' with the past
New forum to forge innovation between universities and industry
Story supplied by LU Press Office
The Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts has launched an Industry innovation Forum (IIF) to promote competitive advantage and economic growth.
The Forum aims to maximise linkages and market pull between private sector research and development, industrial and consumer needs and the world class research base in the UK.
The initiative brings together global companies involved in research and development, government bodies and world leading experts from the North of England's eight most research-intensive universities, known as the N8.
The Forum is led by the N8 Research Partnership, a collaboration between the universities of Durham, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and York.
David Willetts said: "The Industry Innovation Forum is an excellent example of the benefits of collaboration across the higher education sector. This initiative will give companies of all sizes access to the resources and expertise of eight research-intensive universities, driving innovation and providing them with informed solutions to the challenges they face."
The Industry Innovation Forum was launched in partnership with the Technology Strategy Board and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
Professor Keith Burnett, current Chair of the N8 Research Partnership added: "The N8 Industry Innovation Forum is focussed on providing large and small companies with easy and quick access to the critical mass of the N8 universities knowledge base.
"We have listened to our industry partners and have designed the Forum so that businesses can talk to us about their key needs and challenges in a particular area. We can match these with science solutions and possibilities from the research base, across a range of disciplines from eight leading universities.
"The first meeting in Advanced Materials Technologies presents huge opportunities for ideas and applications across a range of sectors in the UK including chemicals, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and aerospace, and we are committed to using the 'power of eight' universities working together to stimulate innovation and jobs in the UK."
Wed 25 January 2012
Latest News
Businesses offered chance to explore one of Europe's top environmental research centres
One of Europe's leading centres of environmental science is opening its doors to businesses as part of a special showcase event.
Story supplied by LU Press Office
Wed 23 July 2014
Morecambe High School pupils visit CERN as guests of Lancaster University's Physics Department
A group of A-level students from Morecambe High School have written a blog about their visit to CERN - the latest in a series of events involving Science and Technology at Lancaster University.
Fri 18 July 2014
New research projects for Computing and Communications
Academics in Lancaster University's School of Computing and Communications have secured major funding and a key role in two new research projects announced by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). For more information, contact Prof. David Hutchison (firstname.lastname@example.com) in SCC.
Fri 18 July 2014
Science and Technology Taster Day 2014
160 year-twelve students from nine Northwest schools have visited Lancaster University to take part in Science and Technology at Lancaster's annual Taster Day.
Fri 18 July 2014


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Last Week: HOW TO Treat Your Dog's Mange Naturally
If you have noticed that your dog seems to have lost control of his bladder and is urinating frequently, then your dog could be suffering from urinary incontinence.
According to Vetmed.wsu.edu, "Urinary incontinence is the involuntary passing of urine. Pets can be incontinent for many different reasons. Those reasons can involve the bladder, the urethra which is the tube from the bladder to the outside, or incontinence can be caused by abnormalities in the parts of the brain and spinal cord that control bladder function."
Younger dogs can have urinary incontinence, but it mostly affects middle-age to large breed senior dogs. The ASPCA says, "Although urinary incontinence can afflict dogs of any age, breed or gender, it is most often seen in middle-aged to older spayed females; Cocker Spaniels, Springer Spaniels, Doberman Pinschers and Old English Sheepdogs are among the breeds often prone to incontinence."
Petmd.com lists the following as symptoms of urinary incontinence:
Urine leakage (involuntary peeing)
Wet hair on the lower abdominal area, or between the rear legs
Wet spots or puddles in the bedding or sleeping area
Inflammation of the skin around the genitals
Moist tissue areas around the penis or vulva
What are the Causes of Urinary Incontinence?
A common cause of urinary incontinence is obesity as well as neutering. Petmd.com says, "However, most animals do not develop any medical disorders as a result of neutering; complications are uncommon. If there is incontinence related to neutering, it will be temporary, as the dog learns to control its urinary muscles again during the recovery process."
The ASPCA lists the following as possible causes:
Hormonal imbalance
Weak bladder sphincter
Urinary tract infection
Spinal injury or degeneration (frequently seen in German Shepherds)
Protruding intervertebral disc
Prostate disorders
Presence of other diseases that cause excessive water consumption, such as diabetes, kidney disease and hyperadrenocorticism
Anatomic disorders
Certain medications
According to the ASPCA, "Some bouts of urinary incontinence ebb and wane, but others can progress and cause more serious bladder and kidney infections. A skin infection may result in areas that are in constant contact with urine."
In younger dogs, urinary incontinence can be caused by a birth defect. According to vetmed.wsu.edu, "The most common birth defect that causes incontinence in young dogs is ectopic ureter(s). The ureters carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. If one or both ureters bypass the bladder and connect to an abnormal location such as the urethra or vagina, the puppy may drip urine. Siberian Huskies are most often affected. Other breeds that have a higher occurrence of this birth defect include:
Older dogs experience urinary incontinence as a result of weakening muscles that hold urine in the bladder. Vetmd.wsu.edu says, "There are many diseases that can cause a pet to create more urine than normal (polyuria) and several of these occur in older pets. If a pet has one of these diseases and often has a full bladder, the full bladder can push against the weakened sphincter and cause incontinence. Older pets can also develop senility and simply be unaware that they are dribbling urine."
What are the Treatment Options for Urinary Incontinence?
There are several options available for treating urinary incontinence but they depend solely on the causal condition, which is why you must get your dog to the vet as soon as possible so that they can run tests to determine the exact cause.
ASPCA says, "Treatment for incontinence will depend on its underlying cause. Medications can often effectively manage this condition and prevent everyday accidents. Some treatments focus on hormone therapy, while others, such as Propolin, strengthen the bladder muscles that control urine flow. Surgery also may be an option if medication alone doesn't work. Collagen injections, a newer therapy for incontinence, appear to have promising results."
Vetmd.wsu.edu lists the following questions that your veteranarian may ask you to help determine the cause and subsequent treatment of urinary incontinence:
The age when incontinence first appeared
When the incontinence is usually observed, for example at rest or with activity
Whether your dog can urinate normally
Previous surgeries (such as neutering) and illness
Use of medications that might cause the urine to be diluted, such as diuretics, anticonvulsants or prednisone
How much water your dog drinks
How frequently your dog urinates and whether he seems to be uncomfortable when urinating
Whether your dog shows any signs of nervous system disease such as weakness or seizures
For dogs that have no specific symptoms but are clearly suffering, drugs may be given to increase the muscle tone that holds the urine in the bladder. According to vetmd.wsu.edu, "Some drugs that are used for this purpose include estrogen, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine. Drug therapy for incontinence may be based on 'trial' of different drugs in various doses. Since some of these drugs can have side effects so low doses are tried first. Some drugs may be slow to have an effect so as long as there are no undesirable side effects, a drug trial should continue for several weeks before the drug is considered not to be effective."
What are Some Ways to Manage My Dog's Urinary Incontinence?
The good news is that most dogs will recover from urinary incontinence, but there are some things you can do until your dog is back on all four paws.
According to the ASPCA, you can do the following:
Pile clean blankets and towels in your dog's favorite sleeping spot, or put waterproof pads under his bedding to absorb any moisture.
Take your dog for more frequent walks, including first thing in the morning and shortly after he wakes from a nap.
Consider using doggie diapers, which are available at many pet stores.
Please consult with your vet before limiting your dog's water intake.
Provide proper hygiene to prevent any related skin infections.
Always monitor your dog's condition, since it can quickly accelerate to infection, especially in elderly dogs.
PHOTOS: Glen Bowman, PK-Photos
Find A Vet HOW TO articles are intended for informational purposes only. You should always consult with your veterinarian about any health issues affecting your dog.
Category : HOW TO


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By Sarah Lang
For the Times Sentinel
Lebanon —
A new feature at the Boone County Home and Garden Show this year will hopefully draw a new and bigger crowd.
A portable zip-line will be set up from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, April 19, at the Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds.
"We wanted to try to bring more of a crowd out for the exhibitors this year," said Michelle Wiltermood, executive director of the Boone County Chamber of Commerce. "The zip-line was a big hit at the Super Bowl, and people have been really interested in this, so we thought we'd try it and see if it would help."
Admission to the Home and Garden Show is free, but zip-line tickets are $5. They are limited to about 250 people. Tickets can be purchased at the chamber's booth during the show on Friday.
The home and garden show runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the fairgrounds, in the Witham Pavilion and the commercial building. The theme is "Spring into Boone County."
See Wednesday's Times Sentinel for the full story.


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Editor's Note: We'll be running several features on members of the Wilmington boys hockey team in advance of Monday night's North Division 2 championship game between the Wildcats and Winthrop at Tsongas Arena. Puck drops at 6 p.m.
When the final buzzer sounds at the end of a Wilmington hockey game, Wildcat players trek into to the locker room, change and exit the arena to load onto the bus or jump into their car and go home after a physically and mentally draining tilt.
But junior defenseman Brian Pickett's night isn't done yet.
After every game, Pickett sheds his skates, laces up his sneakers and heads into the cold winter night for a run.
"With Brian, you just don't know what's coming out of his mouth or what he's going to do next, so it didn't surprise me the first time I saw him do it," said Wilmington senior captain Dalton Rolli lightheartedly. "It's just a cooldown for him after he's had a great game."
Pickett said the ritual started in youth hockey when his coach, the father of current teammate Brendan McDonough, told all of his players to go for a run before the game to get the blood flowing. Then after the game, Pickett said it helps him wind down and avoid tight muscles.
Sophomore goalie Drew Foley said he remembers the first time he saw Pickett duck out after a game.
"We were in the locker room wondering where he was going, just wondering where he gets the energy," said Foley. "He runs off any problems he had during the game and forgets about it, and just focuses on the next game."
Luckily for Pickett, he hasn't had many problems to run off as of late. The junior has been a catalyst in the defensive zone for Wilmington. During three postseason games, Wilmington has only allowed three goals.
In addition, Pickett has also provided some timely offense this year. He had a game-winner earlier in the campaign, and against top seed Lynnfield he scored a critical goal that helped the team advance in the North Division 2 bracket.
"He's improved a ton since last year," said Rolli. "You can tell he has captain potential, just because of the attitude he has. He's been a great teammate on and off the ice, and he's really become a leader."
Wilmington head coach Steve Scanlon said Pickett's skating ability is his best quality. But the Wildcat mentor said his defenseman has another rare skill that leads to success on the ice.
"He's a really good poke checker, which is a lost art. He keeps players off balance with a really quick stick," said Scanlon. "He's a smooth skater, and because of that he can get himself into position to make the good play. Plus he's an intelligent hockey player, so he always knows where to go with the puck to advance it."
The junior said he's enjoying every minute of the ride that has brought the team this far into the postseason. And given his unique postgame routine, he's glad he's been around for all the busrides home.
"My teammates think I'm a head case now, just really out there when i do it," said Pickett. "The bus has never left without me. I don't have to worry about it because they know I'll be back in just a few minutes."
Pickett's next run will come on Monday night as the Wildcats face Winthrop in the North Division 2 title game in Lowell's Tsongas Arena.
With a win in that game, the defenseman would have the chance to take a lap around a bit bigger venue in a week or so. If the Wildcats are victorious against Winthrop, they'll be in the state championship game and Pickett can take to the streets around Boston's TD Garden.


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Zumbrota's Main Street, c.1925. The community was founded in 1856 during Minnesota territorial period by a New England emigration society.
Major Alfred B. Brackett, c.1863.
Major Brackett and his aide, Van Garren, at a camp in Dakota Territory, 1864.
Major General Norman Kirk, Surgeon General of the Army, inspecting Minnesota-made artificial limbs, December 6, 1943.
Making artificial limbs at Minneapolis Artificial Limb Company, Minneapolis, 1945.
Workers making signs for the school police, c. 1930.
Man with bicycle, c.1895. Photographer: Guy M. Baltuff.
Man with vegetables grown from Northrup, King seeds, 1921. Photographer: Charles J. Hibbard.
Manannah Mills, Manannah, Meeker Co., Minn. from An Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Minnesota,1874.
Map of the Red Lake Reservation in 1911, showing the 1907 mill site on Lower Red Lake. Creator: Albert Henderson, Office of Indian Affairs. Publisher: Department of the Interior.
Made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008. Administered by the Minnesota Historical Society.
Minnesota Historical Society • 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 (Map) • 651-259-3000 © .
Send questions or comments to mnopediamnhs [dot] org. View our Privacy Policy.


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A California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula) observed eating a Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) at a pond in Napa County, California. When I first arrived at the pond (around noon), the kingsnake had just swallowed the garter snake's head. About 90 minutes later it had completed its meal.
Pictures of snakes eating in nature
Calherps: California Kingsnakes
All text and photographs © Michael F. Benard