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The Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit that has protected more than 500 endangered species and 220 million acres of their habitat, is an organization that is taking on the most unpopular truth in the environmental movement.
The Center's newsletter, Endangered Earth, says it best in advocating their new Earth-friendly Diet Campaign. "You have at least three chances a day, every day, to save wildlife. Choose to take extinction off your plate." You do this by pledging to cut your meat consumption by at least one third - and the less meat you eat, the better.
The Campaign's site, TakeExtinctionOffYourPlate.com, shows how animals raised for food directly compete with wildlife for land and resources, such as food and water. Ranching business people are behind the shooting, trapping, and poisoning of millions of animals a year. Why? These wild animals threaten their profits from grazing cows, sheep, and other farmed animals. The animals massacred include wolves, bears, prairie dogs, elk, and deer. The pollution from concentrated farmed animal operations and the vast areas used to grow crops to feed them also degrades the ever-shrinking habitat that wildlife are squeezed into.
As soon as I read about the Earth-friendly Diet Campaign, I had to know more, so I contacted Stephanie Feldstein, the Center's Population and Sustainability director. First I asked how she got involved. "I started working with the Center for Biological Diversity in October 2013. I had always been a fan of the Center's work and the unique mix of science, legal expertise, creative media and citizen activism that makes the organization such an effective advocate for wildlife. So, when I saw that they were not only hiring people to work on population, but also expanding the program to encompass overconsumption issues, including the meat industry, I couldn't wait to apply." Stephanie has been vegetarian since she was 16, and is well down the road to being totally plant-based.
I asked Stephanie how the Earth-friendly Diet Campaign originated and what has made it successful. "When we expanded the population program to take on issues of sustainability and overconsumption, we knew we wanted to start by addressing the industries that do the most damage to wildlife and the environment - and the meat industry is at the top of that list. One thing that's made this campaign successful in reaching new audiences is that it connects the issues around meat production and consumption to other issues people care about, such as endangered species and climate change."
Stephanie continued,
Click here to read more about how eating meat leads directly to the deaths of millions of wild animals]]>
So after 14 years, two children and a frugal lifestyle, it was finally time to upgrade the car, which was showing signs of needing expensive repairs and still not being OK anymore.
We have considered the one-car family option, but since I would expect it to be me who had the one car for daily runabouts, I can't push this one hard.
Our upgrade wish list included a fancy to invest in advanced motoring technology that uses less petrol.
New Zealand has not yet integrated public charging stations for fully electric vehicles, but some clever online shopping by the DH resulted in quite a special deal from far away from the big smoke: a tidy 10-year-old Toyota Prius with less than 40,000 ks and a certified service history.
The ups
Of course a newer car is always a pleasure to drive, and the whole family is helping to keep it in its original tidy condition instead of its natural state of the "family car".
And it is really really quiet ! We call it the sneaky car, because you often can't hear when it arrives in the garage. Unless the tires squeak.
While I drive it, I get instant feedback on how much petrol I am using vs how much battery power. It's very motivational - it's like a driving game where I see how long I can run just on battery power before running out, or getting to the next hill so I can recharge. If nobody is following me I will often drive much more slowly than I used to, just to keep it on battery only. It's only a few hundres metres to the next corner anyway, so what's the rush? "I'm using no petrol!"
OK, mine shows kms and litres, but you get the idea...
And it is educational to see how just THIS much more pressure on the pedal spends your petrol THAT much faster. I think every car needs this even if it's not a hybrid.
The downs
While I love the extra storage the hatchback provides compared to our previous sedan, I absolutely hate the reduced visibility in every corner and behind the car.
Squashed window and a spoiler - I can't see! DH has kindly installed a high-tech tennis ball feature in the garage so I know when I am finished parking.
And there is always a risk that the hybrid battery could fail, which could be $thousands to replace, or somewhat more reasonable amounts to repair...
The results
I'm sure that like me, when you read about hybrid or electric technology and see the theoretical efficiency, you still wonder how that really translates to real life, especially when hybrids are more expensive to buy than their regular counterparts.
So I'm very happy to report that I am regularly, easily, getting twice the distance from a tank of petrol in the Prius as I did for the old Nissan Sunny. Really: 400km when running the Sunny to the fumes at the bottom of the tank, and 800+ no problem on the Prius.
Modify that gain slightly because the Prius runs on slightly more expensive petrol. But even so, we are doing about 1 fill per month instead of 2 - say about $80/month or $960 per year - this should eventually provide our ROI plus the satisfaction that we are using that much less petrol to get around.
You may already have heard of vegan Mark Boyle, the former businessman who vowed publicly to live totally without money for an entire year.
With my interests, this was a book I had to grab from the Librarian Recommended shelf. You can read about his experience in many online interviews, but the book really gets into the details.
The motivation
It sounds crazy to voluntarily give up all the comforts that his money can bring and live apart. Just imagine:
Why? Mark had become disillusioned with our money system. The first simple role of money is as tokens in a bartering system. But we've left that far behind, and money games now include international currency trading, derivatives, stockholder profits, and more. The more complicated it gets, the fewer people can possibly understand the game and get a living share.
Mark cites the impact of money on community, security, competion/cooperation and the climate as vital motivations for his drastic change.
The preparation
Going from a money-based society to surviving totally moneyless takes preparation to work well. Others have managed with less, but probably not by choice. Mark set up rules for his challenge:
Mark first discovered the vast difference between living frugally and living moneyless. He had to scrutinise every item he might consume, and he gave himself a small budget to set up his moneyless year.
On the night before his challenge would start, he got a puncture in his bicycle tyre, stranding him far from home and help - I was quite impressed that he solved this in the same DIY way he'd committed to begin the following day.
Shelter - On Freecycle, Mark was given a decent caravan that was a burden to its owner.
In our world of overconsumption, there is an oversupply of still-useful products that are not in use. Networks like Freecycle help solve this problem.
And he bartered his labour to a farm to get a space to park the caravan.
Sanitation - DIY Composting toilet, solar shower. Drinking water from the farm.
Power - cooking: DIY rocket stove; light: windup torch; heat: DIY woodburner; electricity for laptop and mobile:solar panel (the biggest cash outlay)
Food - foraging, urban foraging (from commercial waste food), growing, and bartering. (Being vegan makes the food requirement that much easier!)
Transport - bicycle and trailer
Communications - mobile phone (incoming calls only) and internet (WiFi on the farm)
Buy Nothing Feast
On top of all of that, Mark successfully organised a free, moneyless feast for about 150 people for his first challenge day, Buy Nothing Day, 2008. (Remember, when things went wrong, he could not just spend his way out of the problem.) The success of the publicity overall meant that Mark spent a lot of his time early that year giving interviews!
Settling into moneyless life
Mark's typical moneyless day has exercise, wild foraging, personal grooming (with no purchased products), meal preparation, and online and farm work. After the day's work and dinner, he might cycle to a meeting and back (36 miles).
The book explains how he handled problems like the oncoming winter, keeping his bike in action, keeping in touch with friends, Christmas, international travel and doing everything the slow way. It also reveals a few facts worth knowing about the wastefulness of the "regular" way of doing things (eg: water usage from a plumbed vs composting toilet).
More challenges
Like any alternative lifestyle, one of the biggest barriers is interacting with the rest of the world. The media interest was fading, and he did his best to keep up with friends, but Mark's romantic relationship did not surive the strain of his challenge.
While Mark's general health was even better than anyone expected, he did have to find a natural remedy for his hay fever. He also had a tiny mouse visitor who became a big problem.
The moneyless community
Mark learned about other people around the world who also lived with little or no money, including Daniel Suelo and Heidemarie Schwermer. Heidemarie started an exchange group (Tauschring) to help people live without money, and Mark started the Freeconomy site.
Summer fun and food
Summer brought more ease to the moneyless life, and Mark describes how much food and fun there is available for free. Developing communities like Freecycle, Couchsurfing, etc, make it all even easier.
Autumn, almost there!
Mark found that the closer he got to the year's end, the less he was worried about ending it. He and some friends had a great wild-food foraging adventure, and Mark himself chose to spend a week in silence - probably a good preparation for the finish line and the renewed media attention.
He celebrated with an even bigger free "feastival" for hundreds of people, and handled media that brought a range of applause, curiosity, and criticism. And he made his decision that he was not going "back" to his regular life.
The book finishes with the lessons Mark wants to pass on from his moneyless year.
Mark chose to live this way for a year, as a statement and personal achievement. Hundreds of thousands of people in the US alone are forced into indefinite homelessness and poverty or zero-income
Even if you have no urge to live moneyless, this book will open your eyes to the casual overconsumption our society is based upon, alternative choices you could use, and the people and organisations who seek a better way.
Mark's experience would have been quite different without the overabundance of products going to waste each day. However, without all that waste, everyone's lives could be richer.
Live simply so others may simply live. (Source debatable, intention admirable.)
Everyone has heard of Ted Turner, but few really know the man. Among those who know him a lot better are those who've taken the time to read his amazing story in Todd Wilkinson's 2013 biography, Last Stand, Ted Turner's quest to save a troubled planet.
A media mogul with a conscience, one of his greatest contributions (in his own opinion) was the Captain Planet cartoon series that he co-created with Barbara Pyle in 1990. The show was intended to promote environmental awareness and encourage young viewers to be conscious of how their choices affected the world around them. It ran for a total of five years on TBS and apparently shaped the lives of millions of young adults today.
Why am I writing about Ted Turner? While in Atlanta on 2-18-14, following the birth of my granddaughter (Evvy Laura), I had the privilege of visiting with his daughter, Laura, who gave me a copy of Last Stand that was published just prior to Ted's 75th birthday celebration in 2013. During that meeting, we focused on the unprecedented sustainability issues that our planet is now facing---issues that were primarily caused by human activities during the past century---a mere blink in the eye of history.
Since that meeting in Atlanta, I have read Last Stand and have done a bit of research on this great American. While watching a 47-minute video (see below) of him speaking to a group of Stanford MBA students in 2010, I heard him utter a phrase that made my heart sing:
We've got to start living in harmony with nature.
Also, during that video, one of the students mentioned that he grew up with Captain Planet, a comment that brought sheer joy to Ted's face. It turns out that half of that Stanford class had watched it as kids. And, in case you're too old to remember that cartoon series, I have provided a one-minute sample here in this article.
Continue reading.
Things that we value most like family, health, freedom, wealth and happiness---do not exist without sustainability. In other words, if we don't learn how to live sustainably, life will be nothing more than a hell on Earth for those few of us who survive. ---J. Morris Hicks (January 25, 2014)
A little background. Mother Earth began supporting life four billion years ago. The first humans appeared just 200,000 years ago and it took us 199,800 years to reach the one billion population mark.
Then, in just the next 200 years, we added another six billion people. That's just a mere blink in the eye of history and here's how I recently explained that blink to a sixth grade class in New London, CT.
If we crammed that four billion years into just one year, we humans have been around for only the last 26 minutes of the last hour of that year. Even more alarming; in just the past two seconds, we've grown from one billion to seven billion. Finally, in just the last one half second, we have inflicted more damage on the fragile harmony of nature than all previous generations of humans combined.
How did we do so much damage? A combination of three things:
Scientists now agree that Mother Nature cannot sustain the way we are living for very much longer. Many have predicted that our civilization will collapse before the end of this century unless we take some drastic actions soon---like within the next five or ten years. So, what can we do quickly about those three areas of human activity?
Continue reading this article...
J. Morris Hicks, board member since 2012; click banner for more info:
I walk down a street with sweeping square metres of berms planted with grass. Many animals eat grass, but of course they're not allowed here in the city suburbs, and mowing them has become a notable problem.
So what is it with the grass fetish?
History of Green Lawns
This comedy grass discussion with God highlights the insanity: GOD: "Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?" And much more.
The lawn as we know it today developed in Europe - then, as now, a quirk for people with enough money to maintain a purely decorative (nonproductive) stretch of land, with human labour. And apparently, we can also blame the Scots and golf!
It is common to poison dandelions, chickweed, and other "weeds" in the pursuit of a smooth homogeneous expanse of non-edible grass, regardless of the potential risk from the poisons.
Getting your Greens
You can't eat grass. But other dark green leafies are some of the most nutritious edibles around. The produce section of the supermarket is happy to sell you bunches of kale for your dinner. Garden centres carry out a thriving trade in salad green shoots of all varieties (to plant in dedicated gardens, not lawns, of course).
Kale is great (I have some in the garden), but those free pesky dandelion greens from the lawn compare very well with kale. Sure, dandelions have less vitamin C, but they have more iron, etc. And they grow even when you don't want them to!
And if you aren't convinced yet, in the supermarkets you can also buy bags of expensive mesclun salad...which will probably include dandelion greens.
Rethink Lawn Care
There are many alternatives to the traditional grass lawn. But even if you're not ready to dig it out and start again, next time you see a dandelion in your lovely lawn, go get some leaves instead of the weedkiller. And when you see a fluffy dandelion head, remember your childhood, make a wish, and blow.
They simply eat what tastes good. With so much confusion around what we should be eating, they figure that they'll just eat what they want---and enjoy it. I was pretty much that way until 2002. That's when I got curious about the optimal diet for humans. I wanted to find out what nature had in mind for us to eat.
After reading 30 or 40 books about diet and health, I read two books over Memorial Day weekend in 2003 that focused primarily on the environmental impact of our food choices. That's when I had my blinding flash of the obvious when I suddenly realized that we humans were eating the wrong food. Those two books were Diet for a New America by John Robbins and Mad Cowboy by Howard Lyman.
Later, in 2005, Dr. Campbell stated in The China Study, "It turns out that if we eat the way that promotes the best health for ourselves, we also promote the best health for the planet." That sounded like a pretty cool win-win proposition to me and I've eaten a mostly whole foods, plant-based diet ever since.
But over the years, I have gradually evolved from eating primarily for my health---to eating primarily for the sustainability of our civilization and, ultimately, the human species.
Why sustainability and "saving the planet?" During the past few years, I have concluded that it's really not about "saving the planet" as we so often hear. It's more about preserving her ability to sustain us. Mother Earth is going to be just fine.
She's been supporting life for four billion years and has seen many species of creatures come and go---and she will survive indefinitely; regardless of how much damage we inflict. It's the future of our species that's in jeopardy.
I specifically remember an article, Endless Summer, by Mark Bittman in the New York Times in July of 2012 (See link below). This is the part that caught my attention:
Climate Central's projections show that the biggest cities in Florida, and a great deal of the Northeast coastline (including New York City), will be underwater by 2100, when almost everyone now alive will have "managed" to leave the scene. Of course, the calamities won't be limited to North America, nor is 2100 some magical expiration date; the end isn't in sight.
Continue reading this blog.
Microsoft's head of Computational Science (based in Cambridge, UK), Dr. Emmott recently presented the world with a terrifying wake-up call. And, in so doing, he inspired me to conceptualize a possible solution---one that he does not believe exists.
In this blog, you will learn all about Dr. Emmott and will hear his compelling message on video. I will also introduce the thinking behind that possible solution. I concluded long ago that we must get mainstream thinkers, like Emmott, onboard when it comes to the plant-based solution to so many of our problems. As such, I have arranged to meet Dr. Emmott in London on October 9. Stay tuned.
Dr. Emmott's message is simply this. Unless we make some HUGE changes in the way we live and reproduce, our future descendants are in deep trouble. A link to his entire article (an edited extract from his new book, Ten Billion) is provided below. Continue reading this article, complete with two videos...
When I first began learning about the many repercussions of our food choices in 2002, I immediately wanted to understand the "big picture." After more than ten years of studying and three years of writing and blogging about this crucial topic, I have found another "big picture" guy---Dr. Richard Oppenlander, who has been studying, writing and speaking about this topic for more than thirty years.
Like me, his background is not related to food, health, or the environment; yet he has become an expert in the big picture as it relates to our food choices. His book, Comfortably Unaware, was published in 2011 by Beaufort Books and is an incredible source of information on a plethora of issues related to what we eat. From the book's description on Amazon:
In Comfortably Unaware, Dr. Richard Oppenlander tackles the crucial issue of "global depletion" as it relates to food choices. We should all be aware of our diet's consequences on the environment and commit to seeking food products that are in the best interest of all living things. His stark mental images are often disturbing--and that's how it should be. We need to be shaken out of our complacency and understand how to ensure the well-being of our planet--and of ourselves.
Oppenlander presents this information in easy-to-read chapters on issues including rainforests, oceans, and the air we breathe. His fresh insight on this controversial topic goes beyond the familiar warnings about "global warming." His book is essential reading; he provides new perspectives on how this global crisis reached such startling proportions, and how to solve the problem.
Last week, my good friend Susan Benigas (Co-founder of the Plant-Based Healthcare Conference) sent me a note telling me that she had found someone who would surely become my kindred spirit---telling me that she felt like she was reading something that I wrote---and knew that I want to get to know Richard.
On Friday, I began by watching an 84-minuted video of his presentation at the March 2013 McDougall Advanced Study Weekend. I began watching the video at home, watched another half hour at the Mystic Starbucks and finished watching it on the train to New York.
As the video ended, I purchased a Kindle copy of Richard's book on Amazon and was reading Chapter 3 as I arrived at Grand Central Station. After watching this video, I am confident that you will also want to buy the book. Continue reading this article and see his video.
—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation
I say YES! And a prominent Microsoft scientist agrees. Although he didn't actually refer to infestation specifically, his 3600-word article left no doubt. The title itself speaks volumes:
"Humans: the real threat to life on Earth."
Microsoft's head of Computational Science (based in Cambridge, UK), Dr. Stephen Emmott recently presented the world with a terrifying wake-up call. And his message is simply this. Unless we make some HUGE changes in the way we live and reproduce, our future descendants are in deep trouble. A link to his entire article (an edited extract from his new book, Ten Billion) is provided below.
Book description. Deforestation. Desertification. Species extinction. Global warming. Growing threats to food and water. These driving issues of our times are the result of one huge problem: Us.
Dr. Emmott does a magnificent job of describing the global issues that we face yet, like others before him, he makes no mention of the single most powerful "behavioral change" that we could make to alleviate many of those dire realities. Like practically all of our most brilliant scientists, he probably believes that we truly "need" to eat animal protein in order to be healthy.
Once he realizes that we don't need ANY animal protein, he will quickly grasp the staggering benefits of using 90% less land, 90% less water and 90% less energy to produce the same number of food calories. Maybe then he will see the ray of hope that I see---a plant-based pathway out of this horrible mess that our species has created.
As he says, "The only solution left to us is to change our behavior, radically and globally." Yes, but let's start with the single "behavioral change" that will yield the greatest benefit---in the least amount of time. Let's put together a "dream team" of leaders to teach the entire world what we should be eating. Let's stop destroying the lungs of the world (our rain forests) in the search for more arable land to perpetuate the most harmful, wasteful and unsustainable diet-style imaginable. Continue reading this article.
Water excerpt from Lester Brown's book
Although many analysts are concerned about the depletion of oil resources, the depletion of underground water resources poses a far greater threat to our future. While there are substitutes for oil, there are none for water. Indeed, modern humans lived a long time without oil, but we would live for only a matter of days without water.
Not only are there no substitutes for water, but the world needs vast amounts of it to produce food. As adults, each of us drinks nearly 4 liters of water a day in one form or another. But it takes 2,000 liters of water— 500 times as much— to produce the food we consume each day.
(That's mainly because we're eating the wrong food.)
How much is water worth? Depends on how thirsty you are and how much demand there is for water. If a gallon of water were auctioned off to a group of extremely thirsty, super-wealthy Americans, it might bring a million dollars or more. Just depends on how thirsty they are and how much water is available. It's all about supply & demand.
So, what's the story on water? Is it our most precious natural resource? I would say it has to right up there with the air that we breathe. As Lester Brown says, we lived for centuries without oil but could only live for a few days without water. I learned a few years ago, that there has been the exact same amount of water on the planet for millions of years. All generations of creatures have always consumed the same water.
Water reserves in trouble. The fresh water that we drink comes from rain, snow and underground wells and aquifers. The quantity of water remains the same, but the location of that water is changing---lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs, and underground aquifers. Although many of those bodies of water are in danger, the one that is most scary is the last one---the underground aquifer. Click here to continue reading...
Once again, let me say it up front---when it comes to our food system, Mark Bittman is the most knowledgeable journalist on the planet. He totally "gets it" about the health, environmental and sustainability issues. But like all other journalists, he doesn't take a stand; he provides no leadership, he is not a role model himself and he is inconsistent.
In his New Years Day article, Fixing Our Food Problem (see link below), he does a magnificent job of describing the problem but comes up way short when describing a viable solution. Here's what he had to say about the problem:
Nothing affects public health in the United States more than food. Gun violence kills tens of thousands of Americans a year. Heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes kill more than a million people a year — nearly half of all deaths — and diet is a root cause of many of those diseases.
And the root of that dangerous diet is our system of hyper-industrial agriculture, the kind that uses 10 times as much energy as it produces.
We must figure out a way to un-invent this food system. It's been a major contributor to climate change, spawned the obesity crisis, poisoned countless volumes of land and water, wasted energy, tortured billions of animals… I could go on. The point is that "sustainability" is not only possible but essential: only by saving the earth can we save ourselves, and vice versa.
Continue reading this article
Blogging daily at hpjmh.com...from the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.
—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation
I got really excited when FriendlyPak first gave away a roll of BioBag - a biodegradable "plastic" wrap. I didn't win, but I still wanted it.
We were almost at the end of our roll of supermarket plastic wrap. Plastic pollution is a serious problem, and this flexible, nonrecyclable stuff kills animals every day and isn't great for human health either. I'm thrilled to see an earth-friendly choice.
As a new product, it seemed to take forever to find out how I could buy it. The product was announced in April, but didn't seem to be orderable from the advertised outlet. So when I saw one big catering roll in Wise Cicada, I impulse-bought it for $50. (It is now available through ecostore.)
We didn't use plastic wrap for much anyway - sealing the ends of cucumbers, mostly. We use wax paper for the kids' lunches. With a catering-size roll, I'm using it for everything!
The Good
The wrap performs well as a wrap, sticking to the end of the cucumber and protecting it.
It worked well on the kids' sandwiches too at yesterday's picnic - held two together very nicely.
I wrapped the end of a frozen Cheezly (vegan cheese) in it. (It's still fine, but I think I should have wrapped the whole Cheezly because it didn't stick on when left in a freezer drawer jumble. My bad.)
And I can see when I empty the compost that the wrap shows signs of breaking down as promised.
The biodegradable wrap is more fragile than regular plastic wrap, which is not too surprising for an organic product that is going to break down soon. I can't use the tug and unroll method with the large heavy catering roll - the wrap stretches so much from the weight. So I use scissors to cut off the pieces I need. It doesn't have a tear strip on the box anyway, but that's fine because a plastic or metal tear strip is just more to go on a landfill.
After a few days of protecting a cucumber end in the crisper, the wrap is already showing a hint of its biodegradability compared to the plastic wrap, which I could often reuse. This is only a small problem because we usually have to slice off the end of the cut cucumber anyway, and I can toss the used wrap with the old slice (and a clear conscience) and get a new piece.
Also unfortunately, our roll has been gouged by something about 5cm in from the edge. This hasn't impacted us much as we haven't needed large pieces yet, but I wish I'd saved my receipt!
Absolutely! It works, and it's biodegradable. While I have to treat this wrap a bit differently to ordinary plastic, it is worth it. And when more people buy these choices, the price will come down, so...
What earth-friendly products do you invest in?
May blossom is the mass of tiny flowers which cover the Hawthorn trees. In this part of England it appears in late May and stays into early June - and we have a lot of Hawthorn around here, looking like spring snow on the trees. I notice it more when I'm photographing wildlife - and I'm increasingly wondering how long before another developer destroys a lot of it.
We should all know, by now, that the livestock industry is making a huge impact on climate change. But being vegetarian, and more so vegan, can also make a significant difference to the environment in other ways, including the survival of wildlife - wild plants as well as animals, birds and insects.
The damage done by grazing livestock is enormous, mainly through the destruction of habitats and extermination of competitor species. No doubt meat-eaters will point out that growing large areas of crops also destroys habits and 'pest' species - but they conveniently overlook the fact that it takes vastly more land, and water, to produce a pound of meat, compared with a pound of soy. 90% of the world's soy production is used for animal feed, if it were eaten directly by humans there would be more than enough to feed the world, and far more habitat left for the wildlife.
My personal involvement with wildlife began by chance. The English city my parents were living in was badly damaged during WWII. New houses were being built out of town, so they moved out and I spent my childhood surrounded by countryside. Gradually ever more houses were built and the countryside disappeared, but I was one of the lucky ones who lived there before it was destroyed.
I took all the photos on this page since we first moved to this part of the countryside in 2001. [right: sometimes the names are as interesting as the plants - top is 'Devilsbit Scabious', and below 'Common Toadflax' both on local nature reserves]
My parents moved into the countryside when I was 3 months old, and my earliest memories are a large area of open land near our house, just a left-over patch from where the new houses had been built. It had a meandering stream, trees to climb, a swamp with frogspawn and dragonflies - and lots of birds, insects, fish and wild flowers. Several other young families made the same move away from the bombed city (this was late 1940s) so there were plenty of other kids my own age to share this natural adventure playground. The stream had a lot of bends, with fast/slow and deep/shallow areas, perfect for what was later called bio-diversity.
I must have been about 8 or 9 when someone in authority decided this was a health and safety issue. They sent some workmen along to build a wooden fence between our houses and our 'wilderness' - it didn't take us long to knock it down again as soon as they were gone! My first encounter with 'them'.
They tried to fence it again from time to time, but we always got through - it would have been fair enough if they were trying to protect the wildife, but 'they' didn't think like that in the 1950s, it was just seen as a dangerous wasteland. Meanwhile I read every book I could find about the wildlife, and in our gang soon became 'the one who knows what things are called'.
Paul McCartney tells a similar story in his autobiography 'Many Years from Now'. He is just a few years older than me and from a different bombed city, but that early experience seems to have had a similar impact on both of us, ultimately leading to the end of eating our fellow-animals. No doubt many more of our generation went through a similar encounter with the natural world.
When I was 13, in the early 1960s, I got my first guitar and was distracted for some years from the wildlife - which turned out to be just as well. The authorities gave up with the fences and turned to their 'final solution'. They sent in a digger to cut a dead straight trench and fill in the meandering stream. Then they bulldozed the small hills into perfectly flat parkland, with closely mown grass. The wildlife vanished, and years before 'environmentalism' became trendy I began to understand what ecological vandalism looked like.
Top right; a Honey Bee
Middle - Southern Hawker Dragonfly
Bottom: a Peacock Butterfly on Buddleia
While all that was happening our patch of countryside was rapidly turning into a giant housing estate with ever more motor vehicles polluting the air. By the mid 1970s I was living back in the city, but it had sprawled so much that there wasn't really much difference by then.
I eventually returned to the city but never lost the fascination with the countryside. Some years ago I was doing some voluntary work on a local wildlife reserve when I mentioned to a colleague that it was just like where I had grown up. That was when it dawned on me that the nature reserves were the only places in the south of England left like that. It was time to move.
My wife, Hazel, had a more authentic country childhood, in a small village where her family had lived for generations. But that too had been swallowed up by the urban sprawl. We looked further north and found a relatively unspoilt area close to the border with Wales, and moved to a small village there in April 2001.
Right: a group of Starlings making a splash in the birdbath, both in our back garden:
The photo below is the back of our house, from across the field one summer, the arrow points to my study window, where I'm sitting writing this:
Right is the view over the top of my computer monitor, looking back the other way from the photo above, during a recent cold winter.
The pressure from developers is relentless, it is much easier to make a profit from building on green fields than from cleaning up polluted ex-industrial sites. The owner of the fields all around us have tried to cash in by getting planning permission to build on them, which would hugely increase their land value. We're fairly sure they won't get it at this time, and it will be safe for at least another 15 years, but the endless destruction seems almost inevitable.
Maybe we're just being selfish, trying to hang on to our little patch of countryside when people need houses. But the wildlife needs to survive somewhere too, and the space is shrinking all the time.
A couple more from my office window, moving thru the seasons:
Summer Daze
Time seems to pass more slowly in the countryside during the summer. The rush of spring flowers has gone, and the birds can find plenty of food under cover in the hedgerows. We actually see a lot more birds in the winter as they come nearer the houses looking for food, and there are not many leaves to hide under.
This was the view from my study window, over the top of the computer, early in June:
Not much dynamic activity, though I've seen some Hollywood films that felt like they were slower. The wheat in the field was looking like long grass, but a month later, early July, it was beginning to look like the real thing:
But we have had some activity, a lot more Buzzards than usual, circling overhead in June - looking for any young rabbits foolish enough to wander too far from the burrow.
The Buzzard on the right very obligingly posed on the tree right outside. They're just medium sized as hawks go, but you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that beak.
The bright orange wild flowers below have several country names, including 'Orange Hawkweed', as the hawks are supposed to eat them to improve their eyesight, though we've never seen the Buzzards eating ours...
Some birds are definitely smarter than others. We have a Song Thrush that regularly uses the same stone to hammer snail-shells to break them open - I'm still trying to be quick enough to get a photo, maybe next time. But one that I haven't heard of elsewhere is the Crows dunking their bread in the bird-bath.
They find the bread in the neighbors' gardens (we don't eat white bread!) - but it tends to dry out, so they bring it over to ours to soak it for a while, then take it back to the nest for the chicks.
I can't imagine that white bread is any healthier for baby crows than it is for us, but they seem to like it.
For size comparison the two bundles of feathers below were part of a large family of recently hatched Sparrows making a splash in the same bird-bath:
For my facebook albums of wildlife photos around the world, go to:
For vegan history, see my free e-book: 'World Veganism – past, present and future." You can download it for free, or replace your existing copy at: www.ivu.org/history/Vegan_History.pdf (6mb)
IVU on Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalVegUnion]]>


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For fans of mixed martial arts, this past week has been a slow crawl of steadily rising anticipation for tonight's "Shields vs. Ellenberger" event, going down at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
UFC Fight Night 25 will feature a welterweight bout pitting former top contender Jake Shields as he seeks to get back into the title hunt at the expense of rising star Jake Ellenberger.
On top of that, Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11 winner Court McGee makes his return from injury looking to build on his TUF success back on Spike TV against middleweight "Ox," Dongi Yang.
It's been a flurry of non-stop news, analysis, quotes, predictions and previews for the past week and it's certainly understandable if you missed out on a few stories.
But don't worry, Maniacs, we've got you covered.
In cased you missed any or all of it — or just want to keep the discussion alive — below are links to all the major storylines heading into tonight's broadcast.
In we go:
UFC Fight Night 25: "Shields vs. Ellenberger"
Results and live fight coverage
UFC Fight Night 25 predictions and previews:
Predictions from Nostradumbass
Facebook "Prelims" preview and predictions
Fight preview: Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger
Fight preview: Court McGee vs. Dongi Yang
Fight preview: Alan Belcher vs. Jason MacDonald
Fight preview: Jonathan Brookins vs. Erik Koch
UFC Fight Night 25 weigh-ins:
UFC Fight Night 25 odds:
Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger
Alan Belcher vs. Jason MacDonald
Jonathan Brookins vs. Erik Koch
UFC Fight Night 25 news:
Exclusive interview with Cody McKenzie
Exclusive interview with Seth Baczynski
UFC Fight Night 25 editorials:
History in the Making: Jake Ellenberger makes his Octagon debut
History in the Making: Alan Belcher welcomes Yoshihiro Akiyama to the UFC
Jake Shields needs to move back up to middleweight to stay relevant
What would a win mean for Alan Belcher?
Jake Ellenberger doesn't give a crap about Floyd Mayweather
Court McGee hasn't lost his drive
Evan Dunahm going to do whatever he wants
Evan Dunham wants to be elite again
UFC Fight Night 25 videos:
Jake Ellenberger plans to put the pressure on
Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger preview
Court McGee vs. Dongi Yang preview
Jake Shields is just another guy in the way of Jake Ellenberger's title shot
Cody McKenzie isn't worried about Vagner Rocha's vaunted ground game
That, my friends, should be enough to keep you talking -- at least for the time being.
What has been the biggest story heading into this event? The utter and complete lack of promotion on the part of UFC? Jake Shields fighting so soon after the death of his father? Something else?
Sound off, Maniacs.

subset: commoncrawl


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Video: How To Prepare Your Startup To Raise An Angel Round
I saw these videos in this TechCrunch post about preparing your startup to raise an angel round. Jeff Clavier, Founder and Managing Partner of SoftTech VC, one of the most active seed stage investors in Web 2.0 startups.
How To Get A Meeting
How To Peek Investors


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With our recent troubles on special teams and some of the dialogue going back and forth on RBR, I wanted to take this opportunity to look a little closer at the kicking game (specifically PK) and what we need to hope for going into the BCS game.
Going back to the early 80s, Bama had a few kickers bring us some good fortune at PK. Four names which come to mind include Peter Kim, Van Tiffin, Phillip Doyle and Leigh Tiffin. When looking at two year comparisons (the last two years for each player) their stats are as follows (source: www.sports-reference.com):
Peter Kim - yrs: '81 | '82 % made: 75% | 67% pts: 70 | 67
Van Tiffin - yrs: '85 | '86 % made: 67% | 77% pts: 90 | 78
Phillip Doyle - yrs: '89 | '90 % made: 88% | 83% pts: 100 | 97
Leigh Tiffin - yrs: '08 | '09 % made: 69% | 86% pts: 106 | 132
If we compare the above to the first two years of Cade Foster's career, here's where we are to date:
Cade Foster - yrs: '10 | '11 % made: 78% | 22% pts: 28 | 6
For both '10 and '11 Cade had the same number of attempts (9) with dramatically different results.
If we look beyond the stats, IMO there are four primary factors which come into play for kickers: environmental (wind, etc.), strength, technique and psychological.
The psychological and technical aspects of Cade's game seem to be getting the best of him. If all things remain constant, how else can you explain the drop off in attempts made? He's a "long distance" kicker so the distance for his attempts has been fairly constant. Also his strength appears to be the same when comparing '10 to '11 as the guy is huge (which could be part of the problem).
Looking at the technical aspect, his kicking technique needs A LOT of work. For those of you who DVR all of Bama's games go back and look at Cade's follow thru after impact. He punches the ball and doesn't follow through like most soccer style kickers. This may have worked when you have a tee, but you need a follow through to get the carry for long distance kicks. Also, check his misses - most have been to the right (again lack of follow through from not turning the hips enough through impact).
His bulk could be his next biggest hinderance as you need flexibility for the follow through. If this guy squats 600 pounds but can't extend his foot above his shoulders on the follow through - he's toast.
Finally there's psycholigical - the poor guy's confidence is gone. Bama players can say what they want, but his conidence is shot.
What this guy needs is yoga or more stretching to increase flexibility, a technical trainer and a mental conditioning coach. Without that, our best chance to win the game is to pull a Georgia Southern and just go for it on 4th down in long distance situations.
So Cade, if you are reading this: lay off the weights a bit, stretch more and go find an asst. soccer coach who knows the technical aspects of serving accurate long balls.


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University of Maine political science professor Mark Brewer was interviewed by a reporter for The Hill, a news service that covers politics, for an analytical report
comparing and contrasting presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, a Republican Congressman from Wisconsin, with Vice President Joe Biden. Brewer suggested the fact that both men are white, Catholic and "working-class guys" will resonate with many voters on both sides of the political spectrum.
Contact: George Manlove, (207) 581-3756


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For Immediate Release
Further Information: Contact Joseph Giomboni
Public Relations Office, (570) 208-5958
September 24, 2012 – The King's College Theatre Department will perform Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's "Little Shop of Horrors," a musical comedy about a sensitive botanist who discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 4-6 and 17-19, and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 7 in the George P. Maffei II Theatre.
The play features shy floral assistant Seymour Krelborn, to be played by Nick Klem of South Williamsport, who becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers a mysterious plant named Audrey II, who will be voiced by Shickshinny native Lukas Tomasacci.
Audrey II grows into an irritable, soul-singing carnivore that offers Seymour fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its insatiableappetite for human blood. The music, composed by Menken in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop, and early Motown, includes several hits, song, including "Skid Row (Downtown)", "Somewhere That's Green", and "Suddenly, Seymour."
King's Theatre Department brings a cast of 14 students to the stage. Local cast members include John Bubul, West Pittston (Mr. Bernstein); Jamie Costello, Clarks Summit (Ronette); Chris Gatpo, East Stroudsburg (Orin); and D.J. Nat, Plains (Mushnik).
The George P. Maffei II Theatre is located in the Administration Building on North River Street. Tickets are $12 for general admission, $7 for students/senior citizens. For more information or to reserve tickets, call the box office at (570) 208-5825 ore-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.
Rehearsing for King's production of the musical comedy, "Little Shop of Horrors," are front row, from left: Nick Klem and Margaret Callan (Audrey). Back row: Elizabeth Montgomery (Chiffon), Ruthly Cadestin (Crystal), and Jamie Costello.
King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of the Holy Cross.


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Last Update: Wednesday, August 27, 2014
|San Fernando Employees Waiting for the Layoff Shoe to Drop
|Written by Diana Martinez | Editor
|Thursday, 02 August 2012 04:18
While the city of San Fernando finds itself dangerously close to taking a dip into red ink, those that work for the city grow increasingly worried each day. For months, employees have heard that layoffs are looming, but have yet to get word about their fate. City councilwoman Sylvia Ballin said she is very concerned.
"We were supposed to have a special meeting Tuesday to discuss our budget and layoffs, but both councilwoman Maribel De La Torre and councilwoman Brenda Esqueda were a no show once again."
Ballin and residents have noted that instead of tackling thae city's serious financial shortfalls, the city and residents feel hostage to the soap operas imposed by Mayor Esqueda, Councilwoman Maribel De La Torre and former councilman Mario Hernandez. De La Torre made a recent court appearance following allegations that she beat up her lover, Mario Hernandez. Esqueda meanwhile has been chasing television cameras through town, proclaiming, "I'm the Mayor, I'm the Mayor," as residents continue to ask her to step down to avoid the cost of a November recall election.
"The business of keeping the town afloat hasn't received the attention that it sorely deserves," said Ballin, who said that because De La Torre and Esqueda have now missed so many meetings set to discuss the budget, she now plans to place it on the council agenda for next Monday.
"If they won't meet in closed session, then we'll just have to discuss it publicly," she said. "The employees deserve to know what's going on."
"I agree with councilwoman Sylvia Ballin," said city Treasurer Margarita Solis, "Something does have to be done. Because of all the shortfalls, we do have a cash flow problem. If we don't pay attention to this problem, we could be in the red. We could probably go another eight months if we consider canceling or delaying some projects that they have been approved," she said.
Each department head has made recommendations for layoffs. Ballin said she would like to suggest furlough days for employees to consider, as a possible solution.
"If employees don't agree to take furlough days, then we'll have no choice and will have to move quickly to start laying people off," she said.
"Employees go to work everyday not knowing when that shoe is going to drop," said Ballin. Meanwhile, those that work each day at city hall wonder why they have to put up with seeing Mario Hernandez at city hall for hours at a time, meeting with city administrator Al Hernandez. They wonder why the city administrator gives an audience to a guy who is no longer on the council.
"What is really going on here?," asked a city employee, who asked not to be identified. "We have our families to feed and they spend all this time dealing with their drama and they haven't minded the store. We've had it. We are all suffering because of these people."


text:
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Matthews retains Southern Area title (From Watford Observer)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting WO to 80360, or upload here
Rickmansworth Elliott Matthews defeated Diego Burton to retain his Southern Area middleweight title
Updated 12:36pm Monday 24th February 2014 in Sport
Rickmansworth's Elliott Matthews defended his Southern Area middleweight title after overcoming Peckham's Diego Burton.
It was Matthews' first bout against an opponent with a winning record and he began the contest tentatively.
Burton caught the Ricky fighter with a right hook midway through the round and Matthews fell to the canvas.
Referee Jeff Hinds was blindsided and ruled the incident as a slip. That allowed Matthews the chance to go on and win the first round.
Matthews, 32, saw off pressure from Burton in the second, third and fourth round and appeared to have the measure of his opponent by the end of the fifth.
In the sixth, Matthews produced a strong round and landed several punches while Burton looked ragged.
The seventh round proved to be the final round of the contest. The two fighters clashed heads midway through the session which resulted in Matthews suffering a cut over his right eye.
The champion took the round and was sent out for the eighth. However, Hinds sought advice from the ringside doctor and the bout was halted.
The referee scored an 80-74 decision for Matthews who retained the title by technical decision.
Comments are closed on this article.


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A "bionic pancreas" that uses a smart phone, glucose monitor and insulin pump to automatically control blood sugar levels helped more than two dozen people live free of finger pricks and other troublesome reminders of diabetes, researchers reported Sunday.
And the system controlled their blood sugar levels far better than they could have done on their own, the researchers told a meeting of the American Diabetes Association.
"I was astonished at how well it worked in a real-world setting," said Ed Damiano of Boston University, who worked on the project.
More from NBC News:
'Alarming' rise: 29 million Americans with diabetes
We're last! Again! U.S. health care ranks poorly
Pentagon sends another ship into Arabian Gulf amid Iraq turmoil
It's finally offering a tantalizing glimpse at a normal life for people with Type 1 diabetes, often called juvenile diabetes.
Christopher Herndon hated giving the device up. Herndon, 13, tested it out last August while at a special summer camp for kids with diabetes. He had to go through the regular blood sugar checks because it's camp policy, but he could have skipped them.
Read MoreWebMD wants to collect health data in one place
"My blood sugar never got so low that I had to sit anything out," Herndon told NBC News.


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TrèsTrivia: Are You in the Know?
This week we clued you in on all our must reads for July. But we also covered a whole range of other news stories! Find out if you were paying attention to the all the smart, sexy, and fun headlines from the week!
Source: Getty


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Another View on trading Adrian and the aftermath:
The Padres officially underscored their lack of confidence in what was their team and their overriding need to rebuild from the bottom up with the weekend trade of first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, their lone consistent offensive player, to the Boston Red Sox for four prospects.
They are intent enough on moving closer Heath Bell that several teams are actually offering to put the right-hander in a trade package with a third team.
And they aren't done yet.


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Kids are fascinated with the magic of magnets and love moving around the bugs and critters in the Magnetic Sand Bug Life Table! Children are endlessly entertained as they control the movements of these realistic looking ladybugs, spiders, flies, bees, scorpions and ants with the magnets attached to the bottom of the table. A true magnetic learning experience that also promotes hand-eye coordination, visual tracking, and logical thinking skills. It combines play-based learning, fun, and nature - without those pesky bug bites! This table is great for waiting rooms, doctor's offices, classrooms and even the home.** Additional oversize actual shipping fees charged separately
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I always get all of my kids' toys from Kazoo Toys. They have the best selection and always ship so fast! Thanks!-Karen, FL
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Lured in by the good weather forecast, cheap ticket price, and the fact that Miami would be playing a team I thought they would beat, I arrived at Sun Life Stadium with a sack of beers and some hope. It turned into a day of suprises, some great, some horrid.
Here are the good suprises:
1. Watching a game in person is awesome. Even the cheap seats are great- you can actually see the whole play unfold, without being subjected to the whims of the network cameramen. You can see when coverage is good, and you can see when the QB misses guys who are open. BUT- its a lot easier for us in the nosebleeds to see than it is for the QB who is on the ground surrounded by 6'5 guys trying to murder him.
2. Not having to listen to a commentator is probably the greatest thing ever. Pure bliss to watch football without having to hear classic gems such as "They're gonna have to put some points on the board if they want to win this thing".
3. There are a LOT of attractive girls there. Lots.
The bad suprises are below the jump, and you could title this section "The Dolphins"
The Bad (The Dolpins)
1. Who is responsible for the play calling? Is it really Sparano, or is it Daboll? Why do I, a complete dolt who was drunk enough to find every girl there attractive (man, they looked good) seem to grasp clock management better than guys who do this as a full time job?
2. And so we get to the calls that made no sense at all:
a. Virtually every timeout called was a head-scratcher. Does Sparano know what timeouts are for? Seriously? I don't think he does. I think maybe he calls timeouts so the defense can get water. There is an ebb and flow to football games that you get to see more clearly in person. Things will be going our way, and then Sparano will inexplicably call a timeout, and you can see the opponents get composed and regain control.
b After Denver's first TD, all Miami needed to do was run the clock down. Just one or two first downs, and they still would have had the game. They run it up the middle. 3 times. It was during this time that I heard calls for Sparano's blood. People were laughing- what else can you do?
c. Taking a knee BEFORE GOING TO OVERTIME? Who the hell does that? Taking a freakin knee?
d. The 2 point conversion, which everyone seems focused on. Yeah, it wasn't a great call, but in the context of all the other stupid stuff I think its not nearly as bad. Granted, its totally illogical when compared to how ridiculously conservative they were on the rest of the game. He goes for two- a very aggressive call, but then later on is content to run the ball up the middle over and over, take a knee, etc.
e. Tebow running in the 2-point conversion. WE ALL KNEW IT!!!! The Miami fans, the Tebow fans, we all knew he was gonna run it in. How does this not get covered?
There was a very drunk man who was very sunburned and angry- he left and said he was gonna get Sparano. If I was Tony I'd get out of town- this guy seemed pretty pissed.


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Paris Apartment Rentals with Internet Access(4,886)
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Recent Paris Reviews
Just right for two adults and one or two children. Great location.
Excellent location and lovely apartment
My family of 4 were extremely pleased with Jacqueline's apartment. Jacqueline and her assistant were so kind and gracious to wait for our late arrival with a warm greeting. They explained further details for a smooth stay. We were able to get around Paris and see many sights due to the apartment's close proximity to everything. My 2 teens were comfortable to do shopping on their own since extensive boutiques are just outside the building. If taking subway, it's just up the block. Couldn't ask for more.
Attention to Detail Makes a Trip a Success!
Our family of four recently returned from a two week stay in this apartment and our experience was nothing short of wonderful thanks to the owner's attention to every detail. Upon our return home, our teen aged daughters declared our visit "the best vacation ever!" This apartment is located in one of the most beautiful arrondissements of Paris and there is plenty to explore even within walking distance of the apartment. Within a few minutes, strolling along safe streets with historic buildings, you can be at a famous museum (Musée Marmottan), a top restaurant or a high end department store (Franck et Fils). The information that we were provided by the owner prior to our visit (in terms of metro, bus, grocery stores, markets, museums, shopping, restaurants etc) allowed us to begin our holiday immediately without having to waste precious vacation time "figuring things out". Our family has stayed in many different types of first rate accommodations over the years and a holiday often begins with writing a list of supplies that need to be bought right away. In this apartment, there is not one thing that you will be missing! The attention to detail is spectacular! The kitchen is clean, easy to figure out and totally stocked with the basics. There is plenty of storage space (even travelling with two teen aged daughters!) and all baggage can be put away so you can enjoy the beautiful art deco design of this apartment. From the master bedroom window, you will look onto beautiful balconies with red geraniums while you smell the fresh baguettes and croissants baking in the boulangerie nearby. While staying in this apartment, we did not feel like "travelers" and always felt refreshed in the morning since the owner made sure that all the comforts of home would be provided. Lots of towels, cleverly designed shower, great coffee machine, beautiful and comfortable furniture, plenty of dishes, cooking tools and Wifi! On our flight back, the response from one of my daughters to my question of whether she would like to return to this apartment was " I don't want to leave this apartment!". From a family who is known to be very picky about their places to stay, there is no better way to experience Paris!


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|Stacking Level: 4
|Arm Type: Round arms
|Assembly Required: No
|Product Warranty: Lifetime against manufacture defects
|Product Type: Chair
|Seat Color: Brown
|Greenguard Certified: Yes
|Additional Parts Required: No
|Frame Finish: Brown
|Frame Material: Wood
|Seat and Back Material: Wood
|CPSIA or CPSC Compliant: Yes
|Hardware Material: Metal
|ASTM Compliant: Yes
|Number of Items Included: 1
|Lacey Act Compliant: Yes
|CARB Compliant: Yes
|Rust Resistant: Yes
|Rocker: No
|Bookrack: No
|Cushion Included: No
|Ergonomic: No
|Folding: No
|Stacking: Yes
|Ganging Brackets Available: No
|School Grade Level: Preschool
|Handle: Yes
|Swivel: No
|Adjustable Seat: No
|Arms Included: Yes
|Leg Type: Glides
|Wheels / Casters: No
|Weight Capacity: 60 Pounds
|Commercial Use: Yes
|Eco-Friendly: Yes
|Product Care: Wipe clean with a damp cloth then dry.
|Country of Manufacture: United States
Questions & Answers
Steffy 7" Wood Classroom Toddler Stackable Chair
daycare director
Brandy from Culver, IN– Verified Buyer
I love the 7" inch chairs that go with the infant toddler chairs. They work well for 12 month-18 month children.
Buy this chair
William from MD– Verified Buyer
This sturdy chair is a great size for my child who is about 30" tall. The cutouts on the arms and back make it easy for her to maneuver. I would definitely recommend it for others.


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I just loved this guy. It was an irrational love, sure, but I did.
Sure he was an enigma at times. He blew hot and cold, occasionally at the same time.
While I think, given Batum's performance and the looming salary issues, this was the right move, I must say Blazer fans tended to undervalue his defensive abilities his last few years on the court.
My personal favorite Webster memory was 3 seasons ago when I scored a few 10th row seats early in the season for a game. Webster was on the floor, defending somebody on the baseline, the crowd was not really into the game yet, but Marty was just blanketing his guy. He was up in the guys face, good stance, moving the ball handler backward, hands in the passing lanes, he just was awesome challenging the player. The guy couldn't do anything with the ball, I got up and started clapping ,shouting good D, good D, good D, over and over again, people literally turn ed around and looked at me like I was crazy.
It was fantastic D though, and he had several possessions before in front of us where he was denying his guy the ball and crowding them phenomenally well. next possession he did the same thing and I started cheering him on again, clapping my hands, the lone guy in my section standing, again people were looking at me (I could not figure out why). I was a new Blazer fan at the time, I am a Portland transplant having moved here during the jail Blazer years, not the best time to draw in new fans.
Anyhow the guy I went to the game with is a long time Blazer fan, so I asked him why people were looking at me. He was like "well martell Webster was not exactly a good defender his first few year's with the Blazer's". I was a little surprised given what I had just witnessed honestly. I kept cheering him on that game. he was the biggest surprise for me that night, I was hooked on him after that. The people around still thought I was crazy though.
I watched the rest of the season and he was real solid on D all year, but when I would come on Blazer's Edge I noticed he was always downplayed on the the defensive end. He came up huge this year on the defensive end for us as well. Still never much credit given to him. He was never able to shake his early reputation with fans though.
Well I am here to say, Thank you Martell Webster, your D will be missed and you yourself will be missed.
Good luck to you and your future success...
So what your your favorite Webster moment?
here is one Martell Webster memory from the thread below I wanted to give top shelf recognition:
MW pushing cars outta Snopocalypse-buried ditches still wearing half-cast
There were at least 2 public account of regular folks that were stuck in ditches Martell Webster suddenly appears out of nowhere to help get them unstuck. He was out driving in his SUV and stopped more than one two help, still wearing the cast, too.
Just a real good guy.
Keep Portland Weird.
by Broy_07 on Jun 25, 2010 1:26 AM PDT reply Unrec? 1
Awesome kid.
Here is some video:


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The Judicial Confirmation Network is a conservative nonprofit organization that, according to its Web site, is made up of "citizens joined together to support the confirmation of highly qualified individuals to the Supreme Court of the United States."
Recent statements involving Judicial Confirmation Network
Sotomayor thinks "that one's sex, race and ethnicity ought to affect the decisions one renders from the bench."
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text: Twenty20 Cricket T20 Cricket - The Big Bash: Big Semi-Final Two Share: About this programme Perth Scorchers v Melbourne Stars. Action from the second Big Semi-Final at the Western Australia Cricket Association Ground. Sydney Sixers claimed a seven-run victory over Hobart Hurricanes at this stage last season. Categories Sport Share:


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Get started
Step 1: Test compatibility
Your app probably works already. Nokia testing has shown that approximately 75% of Android apps will run properly without any modifications.
Step 2: Port your app to Nokia X
If you use maps, in-app payment, or notifications features, you'll need to use the equivalent Nokia libraries:
Step 3: Ready to publish?
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Get rewarded for your development on DVLUP. Not already a member? Register now and start earning XP you can redeem for valuable rewards.
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text:
Bangladeshi Wedding.
My host sister got all dolled up for her wedding. Then completely freaked me out when she cried the whole time and screamed not to be taken from her family. Only later did I learn that was all part of the ceremony. When I saw her a week later, she and the new husband were so happy.
End of Celebration
I had the opportunity to be invited to many weddings in and around my village. I was always amazed at the amount of food that was prepared. A cow was always killed for the celebration, then a sheep, plus the different types of porridge, pap, sour pap, gravy and more. Here are all the pots cleaned up and ready to be delivered back to the rightful owners.
Concerning Poop
Let me first address the smelly elephant in the room, our good friend poop. In America poop is a private thing. We take it to another room and modulate its thickness and or frequency with a variety of pills and powders. People who have trouble with their poop will take a day off work complaining of a cold or some other, less embarrassing, trouble. And in return our stable American poop agrees to keep to a normal range of colors and consistencies. Not so in Timor. Poop, its frequ...
Fire Walking
An annual Hindi fire walking celebration at a rural Hindu Temple in Fiji
Painting the the church
To celebrate San Juan the community painted the church a bright yellow. This picture was taken at a morning terere break.
Host Mom Dynamo
My best memory of my host-mom is how hard-working and industrious she was. She would be up every morning at dawn or earlier to cook the family breakfast. She had to send her daughter and me off with coffee and a very good meal. After that, she busied herself in her very productive garden for most of the day. She turned the soil, planted, weeded, watered and coaxed an abundance out of her garden. There was nothing she wouldn't tackle. In the evening, dinner was a delicious meal. Many times th...
Nao e tudo bom...
This photo is of a boy sleeping in front of a cellphone ad for Vodacom, one of two cell phone companies in Mozambique. The irony is their motto: Tudo bom means "everything's great". This photo clearly showed everything was not great. The photo was taken a day after a popular music festival celebrating the timbila, the original xylophone.
After hours and still working!
Some evenings, especially during my first year of the Peace Corps, I would help serve in the school cafeteria where I was a teacher. The students always got a kick out of me helping prepare the food, serve it, and especially clean up at the end of the meal. I learned that when you have mess hall duty, you have to shovel your own plate down as fast as you can to get right back to work behind the serving counter. I always had a great time speaking English with students who were not mine and ...
Sisterly Love
I was viviting my husband's family and enjoying a nice Fanta, probably Fanta Laranja-Orange, on a hot summer day. His cousins were playing in the yard for awhile when Celia decided she wanted to play "mommy" to Lisa who promptly fell asleep.
Cement Mixer
Improving our village's irrigation channels meant bringing endless donkey-loads of cement, sand and rocks up to the construction site, mixing and pouring them by hand. The result: increased irrigation water for all of the fields in the village.


text: Porcelain Raft is the Italian-born, London-based Mauro Rimmidi, whose new single "Put Me To Sleep" is a piece of energizing dreampop that captures the romance in the idea that this will soon all be over; that we are all moving beings along the conveyor belt of Earth and every moment is fleeting, so it's best we take advantage of them. The sweet come-on, "Would you put me to sleep?" strings together timid verses that build and eventually break through. He goes on tour with M83 in the new year, and his debut LP Strange Weekend is out January 24 via Secretly Canadian. Check out the track below.


text: Brideshead Revisited Series 1 - 1. Et in Arcadia Ego Share: About this programme 1/11. Award-winning adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's classic period novel, starring Jeremy Irons as a painter and disillusioned Army captain prompted into reverie by the sight of the stately home where he spent the formative days of his youth with his Oxford chum Sebastian (Anthony Andrews). Also starring Diana Quick, Jane Asher, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Claire Bloom. Cast and crew Cast Jeremy Irons Anthony Andrews Diana Quick Jane Asher Laurence Olivier John Gielgud Claire Bloom Categories Drama Share:


text:
Tragedy hit a South Plain's family early Monday morning. Flames tore through their Petersburg home, taking away part of the family's Christmas.
The family lost several Christmas gifts wrapped up inside, but fortunately they were not hurt. The family is thankful they'll still be spending Christmas together.
"I was scared. I didn't know what to do," Royanna Almaguer said.
She was next door when flames broke out at her brother Roy's home.
"They called us around 7:30 a.m. and told us that the house was just in flames," Marcy Almaguer said.
Fortunately, he was not inside. Instead, the family was finishing up some last minute shopping.
"He had a lot of stuff here for the kids, and a lot of my stuff was here too," Marcy said.
"When we first got here, about 7:30 a.m., smoke was pouring out the roof, windows, by the time we got our hose laid out with in minutes it flashed and it was fully engulfed," said T.J. Marquez, Petersburg Volunteer Fire Chief.
From the outside all you'll see is a burned out shell and several puddles, but on the inside, fire crews tell us that everything is destroyed.
"Everything was a total loss. To me it's sad because I have three children of my own, and to know that the occupants had their gifts and personal belongings inside the house is just a tragedy this time of year," Marquez said.
With the family safe and sound, Marcy says they'll still have a good Christmas, but they are hoping to replace some of the gifts lost before Christmas day.
"We're trying to, little by little," Marcy said.
The family tells us that they are getting some help from the Red Cross. They also say they do have a home in Lubbock to spend the holidays at.
|get more>> Web Enhanced
Disaster Supplies Kit


text:
Acquire the knowledge and skills you need to better understand, serve and impact the diverse communities that make up our complex world. Through Brandman's innovative, cross-disciplinary School of Arts & Sciences curriculum, you can build a foundation or advance your career in arts, humanities, behavioral, natural, and social sciences.
|Name of Program
|AA, General Education
|AA, General Education - Hispanic Pathways Option
|Name of Program
|BA, Applied Studies
|BA, Applied Studies, Supply Chain Systems
|BA, Criminal Justice
|BA, Criminal Justice, Corrections
|BA, Criminal Justice, Forensics
|BA, Criminal Justice, Homeland Security
|BA, Criminal Justice, Leadership
|BA, Criminal Justice, Security Services
|BA, Criminal Justice, Victim Advocacy - Social Justice
|BA, Legal Studies
|BA, Liberal Studies, Integrated California Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential
|BA, Liberal Studies, Multiple Subjects Teaching
|BA, Psychology
|BA, Social Science
|BA, Social Work
|BA, Sociology


text:
Many people here are calling for Tannys head. I even read an article which was basically implying that he was an asshole for not signing LeCharles Bentley in 2006 and instead drafting that piece of shit guy Nick Mangold. The guy said that if we took Bentley, we could've instead taken Demeco Ryans and been a better team.
I guess the guy was in the Jets draft room and somehow knew that Ryans was right after Mangold on their big board and there was no doubt that they woulda taken Ryans and not someone like Joseph Addai (taken right after Mangold) or D'Qwell Jackson. This, of course, is moot because i think that if the jets traded Mangold for Ryans then I for one would be quite pissed off.
Anyway, here goes my defense:
How happy were you when we got Santonio for a 5th round pick? Or when we got Rex Ryan? Bart Scott? Trading away a pair of new cleats and a bag of footballs for Braylon Edwards?
How pissed were you when he didnt trade up for reggie bush, and instead drafted Brick and Mangold, two of the best OL in the game, with those picks? I remmeber personally being pissed that we didnt take Leinart with the 4th pick. In hindsight, how happy are you now?
How about trading up to get Revis? Remember when people said we paid too much? What a shitty GM for trading up for that guy.
Or even Favre and Sanchez? Dont you remember that there were like 3 or 4 teams lining up to acquire both of them?
I can remember for a while that GGNs banner was 'Where Mark Sanchez>Brett Favre Always' and no one disputed. I remember reading an article by John B., who initially was opposed to drafting Sanchez, claiming that he has no doubts in his mind that Sanchez is here to stay (in a good way) and he was eating crow... This was right after the loss to Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game.
The only moves he made that I thought were a huge mistake was how he botched our WRs this year, but I was half proven wrong. Mason for Cotchery was stupid, but Edwards had a much shittier year than Burress, and dont tell me that that falls on Alex Smith.
My standard for a bad GM is when he makes moves that no one agrees with at the time and those moves backfire. Almost every move was one that, while it might not have entirely panned out, I was a strong supporter of when it happened. And a large majority of you guys were too.
You can say 'Oh, hes a GM, he should have more insight and know which moves he should and shouldn't make. There are a lot of things he knows that we dont.'
However, if you do say stuff like that, you have no right whatsoever to criticize any move he makes before you actually get to see it in action, even if its something like trading Darrelle Revis for Tim Tebow.


text:
BOB AND RAY AND TOM by Dan Gillespie
Reward Points: 0
Availability: In Stock
Gary Owens ("Laugh-In" alumnus, Radio Hall of Fame inductee, and Los Angeles radio personality on KLAC 570 AM) says: "I love it ... I will put it next to my Capt. Marvel necktie, Porky Pig soap dish and my bottomless Don Knotts calendar!"
In the twilight of Radio's Golden Age of Comedy none carried the torch higher or farther than Bob (Elliott) and Ray (Goulding). Part of the reason was a guy named Tom Koch, who wrote many of their hilarious sketches. This is Tom's story.
Bob and Ray. And Tom.
- by Dan Gillespie -
At 57 pages in length, it's conveniently sized to
- fit inside your lunchbox,
- conceal behind the covers of more respectable books in public.
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text:
In English
Radio Helsinki
You arrived here at 00:35 Helsinki time Saturday 23.8.2014
Finland to join cyber-defence effort of NATO
Alliance experts to train Finns against online attacks
print this
Finland might soon be working with NATO in the defence of data systems against hostile or malicious acts.
There are plans for cooperation with a NATO unit set up in the Estonian capital Tallinn. The unit is specialised in defending data networks against cyber-attacks.
The government's ministerial committee on foreign and security policy decided on Friday that preparations by civil servants for starting cooperation would be continued.
At the beginning of the year
Finland and Sweden, both of which are not NATO members, but which nevertheless participate in the Partnership for Peace programme, were invited to join the effort. Previously, only full NATO members were involved in the work of the "centre of excellence".
The purpose of the centre is to help NATO develop methods to fight against attacks that threatening data systems.
Such hostile action could include sabotage of a country's data networks, or electricity grids through online attacks.
Most of the work
of the centre involves information exchange and training.
Finland does not have a cyber-defence centre of its own. Instead, various officials coordinate their activities in this regard, says
Markku Nikkilä
of the Ministry of Defence.
Possible participants in the effort could include experts of the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA), says
Rauli Parmes
, head of security at the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Parmes says that it remains open what role the Finnish participants would have. For instance, FICORA itself is too busy to make any new commitments.
No permanent personnel
can be sent to the centre from countries outside NATO, says
Kirsikka Lehto-Asikainen
of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where she is responsible for Partnership for Peace activities.
A considerable impetus
leading to the establishment of NATO's cyber defence centre came in the spring of 2007 when the dispute over the location of a Soviet war monument in Tallinn led to online denial of service attacks against Estonia, which shut down the web pages of the Estonian government for several days.
Georgia experienced similar attacks during fighting with Russia last year.
Previously in HS International Edition:
Organiser of Internet DoS attacks arrested in Estonia (7.5.2007)
NATO News May 14, 2008: NATO opens new centre of excellence on cyber defence
Helsingin Sanomat
Finland to join cyber-defence effort of NATO
Legal concerns delay deployment of Finnish Navy ship to Somali coast
Former Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja launches scathing attack on Berlusconi
Finland expected to send hundreds of Iraqis back home in coming years
HS poll suggests just 32 % of Finns will vote in European Parliament elections
City of Vantaa to employ more workers with immigrant background
Uniform guidelines for STD tests at public health clinics in Helsinki region
Sampo Chairman Björn Wahlroos is most influential figure on Finnish boards
Eila Kännö (1921-2009)
Back to Top ^


text:
Buildings lay in rubble.
Cars tossed on their side.
Debris everywhere you stepped.
The sidewalks were full of people walking with their mouths gaped open at the destruction all around them. People used their hands to ward off the sun in hopes of spotting the helicopter heard buzzing overhead.
It was like being in another country. It certainly didn't look like the small Indiana town I have visited so many times.
As an editor, I'm normally chained to my desk. My days of chasing after a story are far behind me. I leave that to the young, ambitious reporters these days. Been there, done that.
But on Wednesday, a series of events landed me in Miami County with our staff photographer, covering what was possibly a tornado. At the time, they were attributing the damage around Peru to straight-line winds. They've since then declared it an EF1 tornado.
Call it what you will, it was like nothing I've ever seen. We had just come from Walton, where we found countless downed trees — victims of an earlier storm there. We thought that was a crazy sight to see. I've seen storms take out limbs and rough up some sheds, but it seemed like every turned corner revealed a new deciduous victim.
But as I found out a short time later, I hadn't seen anything yet. It was nothing compared to what we found in Peru.
With roads closed and traffic backed up everywhere, we weren't even sure we would make it to Peru. We finally ditched the truck just off Main Street and decided to hoof it. The first thing we saw was a truck overturned and pinned next to a car. It looked as if the truck was pushed by a tree limb because it was pinned up under it. The problem was there was no tree nearby.


text:
X2010 – C64 Demo – Cubase64 by Mahoney (Live footage)
Simply amazing, just watch.
More info at True Chip Till Death.
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text:
Exped Air Pillow UL
4-star: 0
3-star: 0
2-star: 1
1-star: 0
If you are looking for good sleep outdoors (and who…
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $55
If you are looking for good sleep outdoors (and who isn't?), the Exped Air Pillow UL is very light and comfortable. But be very gentle with it, and hope that it lasts.
- Really light
- Comfortable
- Baffle broke leaving pillow uncomfortable
- leak
I am on the fence over this product, because it is very light and works well, but mine "deformed" in roughly 20 nights use. Not a very long life for the product.
This pillow has a really good design to it. Instead of one big chamber like some other air pillows (which leave a big mound for your head to roll off), this one is contoured to cradle your noggin. All of the perimeter is raised and the middle is slightly lower. One of the longer sides is raised higher than the other. So if you sleep on your side that would go under your neck, or if you sleep on your back you may want towards the top of your head to have it slightly raised.
It is the most comfortable pillow I have used. It supported my head well. It was tall enough and large enough to function well. And weighing less than 2 ounces. I should state that I used the size Medium, and they also make a size Large.
Exped has other versions of this pillow. I actually tried out the original Air Pillow (red color) before trying this one. It worked really well, but they came out with this Air Pillow UL (yellow), and being a bit of a lightweight fanatic I wanted to try the lighter one out. On their site, it says the Air Pillow is 3 ounces, and the Air Pillow UL is 2 ounces. I think mine came out to under 2 oz, maybe closer to 1.5 without the stuff sack, which I didn't use when backpacking anyways.
Now I see they have an Air Pillow Lite, which is in between the two. It uses a thicker fabric than the UL, and online it says it is the same weight and same dimensions, so not sure how that is possible. And they have the Comfort Pillow, which has some foam in it and weighs 7 ounces according to the Exped site.
The design is similar to a camping air mattress. There are baffles that give the pillow shape. This was the thing that broke on mine. One of the baffles must have torn, and left the pillow with a huge lump in the middle. It was no longer comfortable after that. And I don't know how one would repair that. Not long before the baffle tore, the pillow developed a slow leak to it.
I used the pillow approximately 20 nights. I was always careful with it and it always was on top of a sleeping pad, either foam or air. It was used in warmer weather, above 40 degrees. I really expect a product like this to last well over 100 nights with good care.
I returned mine, and decided for now not to try another. I hope that I received a dud and others do not have this problem. I am tempted to try out the Air Pillow Lite with the thicker fabric. I wonder if the baffle material or connection is different?
Where to Buy
Retailers' Descriptions
Here's what other sites are saying:
The Exped Air Pillow UL is the lightest and most compact pillow in Exped's arsenal. Get a lightweight and compact pillow without losing comfort and durability.
- CampSaver.com
Weighing in at less than 2 oz., the Exped Air Pillow UL can come along on your lightweight adventures into the mountains to help you get a good night's sleep.
The Air Pillow UL is one of the lightest and most comfortable camping pillows around. Weighing roughly 2 ounces, it uses a single valve for inflation and deflation while offering you a soft and cozy place to rest your head at the end of a long day on the trail.
- Mountain Gear
The Air Pillow UL from Exped Llc weighs in at under 2 ounces, making it a must-have for your next wilderness adventure. The easy to inflate/deflate system of the Air Pillow UL means you'll be getting a good night's rest in no time. PRODUCT FEATURES: Skin-friendly, ultra-lightweight polyester fabric. One FlatValve for inflation and deflation. To vent, the built-in drain pin is inserted into the valve. Asymmetrical shape: side sleepers (high position) and back/stomach sleepers (lower position) The anatomic shape prevents slipping. 2 eyelets for attaching to the mat. Also fits perfectly into the hood of the sleeping bag. Includes repair kit and stuff sack. Dimensions: 38 x 27 x 11 cm / 15 x 10.6 x 4.3" Weight: 45 g / 1.6 oz Packed: 5 x 9 cm / 2 x 3.5"
- Appalachian Outdoors
Back in the day you shaved ounces ff your pack weight by using clothes or shoes as a pillow, but you've realized now that packing an extra ounce is definitely worth it when you lay your head down on the heavenly softness of the Exped Air Pillow UL. This ultralight blow up camping pillow has an asymmetrical shape for comfort on your side or back and fits perfectly into the hood of your sleeping bag. If you want it under your bag, attach the 2 side eyelets to your air mattress to keep it from slipping around. Sweet dreams!
- Altrec Outdoors
Exped Air Pillow UL
$48.95 - $55.00


text:
Autumn Winds
by MichelleLynne
Stationery Cards
Set of folded stationery cards printed on bright white, smooth card stock to bring your personal artistic style to everyday correspondence. Each card is blank on the inside and includes a soft white, European fold envelope for mailing.
Colored pencil on colored cut out paper
- 25Promote


text:
Routebeschrijving naar Albergue Inturjoven Torremolinos
Avda. Carlota Alessandri, 127, Torremolinos, Spanje
- Info
- |
- Tarieven
- |
- Kaart & Route
- |
- Recensies
- |
- Faciliteiten
Kaart & Route
If you are coming from the airport, there is a Cercanias train outside the airport, in the fist floor (arrivals).
Take the train in Fuengirola direction, and you can find several stops in Torremolinos. The closer stop is called 'El Pinillo'.
we are 15 minutes far from the airport.
You can also rent a car in the airport. We are in Solymar area, between Carihuela and Torre Bermeja. Get to the road N-340 and find us in the Carlota Alessandri street, number 127.


text:
Depending on how free agency goes this offseason, the team may or may not retain Martell Webster. I'm hoping they do, and in addition to drafting Otto Porter, find two more solid backcourt players to fortify our wing positions.
In a perfect world, we'd somehow sign Jarrett Jack and Gary Neal. Of course, with EG as our GM, we're probably gonna just re-sign Temple and Price, draft a 2nd round combo guard (Lorenzo Brown!) and call it a day.
But since we'll be mining the dregs anyway, why not go back to the future and bring back a popular ex-Wizard to sop up some of those reserve minutes? That's right, we need to bring back Nick Young!!!
I know some of you are saying "why the heck would we do that"? Well, here's why?
1) He'll come for cheap. He played for Philly last year on a one year, $6M deal. He won't get that sorta money this summer.
2) He's familiar with the team/players already, and understands the coaching staff's defensive philosophy. After getting benched for not playing D under Doug Collins last year, he should be humbled.
3) He's a good man defender. With Okafor and Nene behind him, I think his team defense weaknesses are minimized.
4) He can still hit the 3. His 36% mark last year is deceptively low because he fell out of the rotation (for not playing defense) the final 2 months of the season. He shot a blistering 43% from long range in the month of January.
5) He should understand his role now. He will be here to give the team 15-18mpg behind Beal. He will be expected to play within the flow of the offense and shot up for corner and transition 3's, which he's still really good at.
6) He's Swaggy P! Seriously, was there a more beloved player on this roster before Martell Webster arrived?
Our offense was terrible last year, even with Wall. Adding a solid bench scorer for a reasonable sum should be a priority. I think Nick Young can be that guy.


text:
The Eagles are will start to clean house from top to bottom. The first firing will be as everyone Andy Reid. Then it will be Marty Mornhinweg and Todd Bowles. Marty just does not know how to call plays for this offense, this offense is way to unbalanced. Todd Bowles is doing just flat out terrible. I'd rather have Juan Castillo back then have Bowles as defensive coordinator.
So there are big names connected to the Head Coach vacancy that will be available. People like Chip Kelly, John Gruden just big name guys. I will give you low key candidates for all 3 of the coaching vacancies.
Head Coaches:
Mike Zimmer: Zimmer has this defense playing good the past couple of years. It's ranked 8th in pass defense and 12th in rush defense. Also no one rarely scores on them. He should have gotten a Coaching job after last off season. I think this year he will be considered for several coaching job.
Jay Gruden: The younger Gruden brother has made a name of himself in several football leagues like AFL or UFL. I think he could probably be a better coach than his brother. He had a rookie Quarterback and Wide Receiver and made them one of NFL best Duo just in their rookie year. Dalton and Green are already having a better season than last year.
Gus Bradley: This Seattle defense is a top 5 defense and has really improved from last year. They are ranked in the top 10 in almost all the defensive categories. I'm pretty sure he will be getting a couple interviews for a head coaching job somewhere this off-season.
My Pick: Out of these three candidates i will choose Jay Gruden to become the Head Coach. Because of his success in this league and two other leagues as well.
Offensive Coordinator:
Clyde Christensen: Christensen is the Quarterback coach for the Colts and has done really good with Andrew Luck. Also he was the Offensive Coordinator for a couple years when Peyton Manning was there and he did a pretty good job.
Russ Grimm: Russ is an Hall of Fame Offensive lineman who has several Pro Bowl selection and several Super Bowl victories. He also coached under Bill Cowher and Ken Wisenhunt who are to good coaches. I think he can also be a plus for this offensive line.
Glenn Thomas: Thomas is the Quarterback coach for the Falcons. He joined them when they drafted Matt Ryan and ever since his rookie year Matt Ryan has been a stud. But this year Glenn Thomas was switched to Quarterback coach this year and Ryan's is having the best year of his career.
My Pick: For this coaching spot i couldn't pick between either Russ Grimm or Glenn Thomas.
Defensive Coordinator:
Richard Smith: Smith has a pretty impressive track record. Richard has a pretty good Linebackers in Carolina and i think that their underrated. Smith has had the 6 different Linebackers make the Pro Bowl even our very own Demeco Ryans. Richard Smith was the defensive coordinator for the Texans for awhile. If hired Demeco Ryans will be reunited with his Defensive Coordinator.
Pepper Johnson: Pepper has been a defensive line coach for a couple of years they were really good. But this Pepper was moved to Linebacker Coach and the linebackers are doing pretty good.
Todd Wash: Todd has been a good Line coach for the Seahawks. The line is fast and uses there hands real good. He and Gus Bradley haved worked with an Hall of Fame coach in my opinion Monte Kiffin in Tampa Bay. So he would know how to run a defense.
My Pick: I would pick Todd Wash because i think he will make the defense more aggressive especially the defensive line.


text:
News: Diggy Simmons Addresses Low "Unexpected Arrival" First-Week Sales [Video]
Friday, Mar 30, 2012 4:00PM
Rap newcomer Diggy Simmons has stepped up to denounce the perception of low first-week sales of his new Unexpected Arrival debut hurting his career and said his future is nothing less than promising.
Rather than kick rocks at the sales, Diggy compared the LP to debuts from the likes of platinum-selling artists Jay-Z and Bruno Mars.
"It's about growth. You look at a whole bunch of people. Look at Reasonable Doubt, when that first came out, that wasn't anything. And look at Jay now. You could look at Bruno [Mars] recently. When his Doo Wops & Hooligans came out, like 50,000 first week and ended up going double plat. So it's about growth for me. I'm happy that the people who are listening to it are loving it. It's like having an impact on your life and making them want to aspire to be whatever it is they want to be. Because that's what Unexpected Arrival is about, it's about making your arrival in life special. No matter what people say or if they don't know what you're capable of. It starts with the belief in you before you try to go and look for other people's approval. I'm happy that it's doing that for people." (Karen Civil)
Despite the perceived "low" sales, Diggy's album still managed to debut in the Top 20 of all music sales this week.
Rap newcomer Diggy Simmons' Unexpected Arrival landed at No. 13. In his opening week, the rapper's debut LP pushed out 21,400 units. (SOHH Sales Wrap)
The LP was expected to sell up to roughly 23,000 copies in its opening week.
Atlantic rapper Diggy, whose real name is Daniel Dwayne Simmons III, is the fourth child of Run DMC's Joe "Rev Run" Simmons (brother of Russell) and starred in the MTV reality series, Run's House. Unexpected Arrival, his major label debut after a series of independently released mixtapes, is also on target for 20-23k. (HITS Daily Double)
Diggy recently revealed his father Reverend Run's reaction to the long-awaited debut.
"A couple of weeks before the release, he heard the complete album and he was really impressed," Diggy told MTV News of Reverend Run's reaction on Tuesday. "He was like, 'You know, this is an album that I can turn on and I can leave on and I'd be happy listening to it.'" (MTV)
Check out Diggy's interview down below: