text:
My Sync Ford with iPhone 4 Podcasts
Is anyone able to listen to podcasts either via BT or USB when successfully synced to Fords My Touch? I only get a listing of music, but no podcasts.
iMac 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mac OS X (10.6.4) March 2009
42078 Answered Questions of iPhone 4,3GS,3G
ford sync and iphone 5s
Is anyone able to listen to podcasts either via BT or USB when successfully synced to Fords My Touch? I only get a listing of music, but no podcasts.
iMac 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mac OS X (10.6.4) March 2009
Any help will be greatly appreciated. I have the new Ford Sync system and my iPhone is synced and the phone works well for calls. But, how do I stream the music? Can I? I have a first gen iPhone running 3.0. Do I need a 3G? This is going to be difficult to troubleshoot because of the third party hardware. In the Ford sync menu for bluetooth devices it says sync the device. But it is already synced since the phone works well. I realize I sound confused...because I am. Again, any help will be appreciated.
Mac Pro 3.2 8 core Mac OS X (10.5.5) 30" Cinema. AJA Kona 3
I have a Ford Edge with the SYNC system. My old iPhone 3G worked great with it. My new iPhone 4 works fine for phone calls but wont play music from the phone even when hooked up with the USB cable. When Im doing it by Bluetooth, I can barely here something playing but mostly just low level static.
Anybody else having this prob and/or know what to do?
Windows XP
I have a second generation Iphone 3G. I also have a Ford vehicle with Microsoft Sync. I up to a couple weeks ago had the option of saying phone, call so and so and after I recently upgraded to the os 4 update on it. I have gotten it to the phone option but it says no entries in phone book. But I do have it full of names and still can call if I say the number but there seems to be some bug that doesnt recognize it. I did call apple care I am only 1 year in to my two year contract and have tried everything in regards to it but apple said they have no knowledge of the problem and I updated my car computer through an update on sync my ride. com. I was wondering if anyone else knows of the problem and or a fix. Thanks for your time.
Microsoft Sync with OS 4 Iphone 3 iOS 4
I bought a 2013 Ford Focus with Ford Sync Touch. It was working fine with my iPhone 5 on iOS 7. I recently bought an iPhone 5S and everything seems to work fine until I make a phone call. The call connects but I cannot hear anything but loud crackling. I have the latest software updates on both the Ford Sync Gen2 3.6.2. and the latest iOS 7.0.4. I have reset both the Sync to factory settings and the iPhone to Factory settings. Still the exact same problem. Does anyone have any ideas on what the issue could be?
I have an iPhone 5 that I am trying to pair and use with my Microsoft Sync Bluetooth that is built into my Ford vehicle. I am able to connect to my husbands Microsoft Sync (older version) in her Ford, but my iPhone wont work with my Bluetooth in my Ford. I am able to pair with my bluetooth (manually), but am unable to operate the iPhone (like play music) using the controls built into the steering wheel (like I am able to do when using my husbands bluetooth in her Ford). Also my iPhone does not connect automatically to the Bluetooth in the Ford when I get in the car everytime, on rare occassions it does, but for the vast majority of the time it does not, and I have to pair manually (again, my iPhone 5 does connect automatically to my husbands bluetooth when I get into his Ford). The only difference between the 2 Microsoft Sync Bluetooths built into the Fords, is mine is a newer version, while my husbands is a couple years older.
Any troubleshooting suggestions? My iOS software is up to date. Maybe the bluetooth needs an update, though I have not heard of one? I have called the manufacturer, who said it works how its going to work (ha!). Does the issue lie with the bluetooth device in my Ford or with the iPhone?
Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I got my new iPhone 4s to sync to my Ford Escape and had no problems making calls. I did get it to play music from my iphone playlist through the bluetooth right after I got it all synced up and it all worked fine, until I shut my vehicle off. After that, I could still make calls, but when I gave the command bluetooth audio it would search and search for a device, and then tell me no device was detected. Is anyone else having problems? The only mp3 player I have in my car is my phone, and I didnt have it hooked up to my vehicle with the cord. Thanks!
It is unfortunate that a technology leader such as the iPhone is missing a significant feature that RIM and Android have, and likely losing market share accordingly.Through the Message Access Profile bluetooth profile, Ford Sync cars (1+ million sold to date) have the ability to read out your text messages via bluetooth, ensuring that the driver isnt distracted. With so many laws banning driver distractions (hand-free requirements, no text messaging initatives), this is a significant safety issue for todays iPhone owners.I have seen many posts for years from users wishing that Apple would get on board with this technology, but so far it hasnt been raised as a viable option to implement.Please reply to this thread if you are one of the 1+ million Ford Sync owners who also own an iPhone and wish this feature was implemented. I luckliy own both a BlackBerry and an iPhone, but not all people do.
I just bought a new ford focus and can play/call via Bluetooth. When i tell the sync system to switch to usb and play all it displays that music is playing but does not output audio. Do i need to connect the aux cable for that or should audio play through the usb connection?
Custom Phenom II x2 555 Windows Vista
I am curious to know if anyone has had problems with their iPhone 3G in regards to the Microsoft Sync system in their Ford vehicle since doing the 3.0 OS upgrade. I did not start having problems until I installed the upgrade on my phone. Now it automatically shuffles and starts to play the iPod function on the actual phone (not the stereo) every time that I turn on my vehicle. I have to go into the iPod function and pause it to stop but if I have to turn off my car and turn it back on for any reason it does the same thing again. Also now the text messages and emails have gone into silent mode so I no longer know when I receive them unless the inside of the vehicle is silent.
I know that Ford sent me a letter mentioning an upgrade that needs to be installed for the Sync system but this was a month or so before 3.0 OS came out. I have not been able to take my vehicle in to get it done yet but I was wondering if that would solve the problem.
Im just rather frustrated because it is a huge inconvenience. I do not use the bluetooth capability to listen to music because I already have a USB port in my vehicle that I use. Please help if you are familiar with this problem.
MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.5.7)
Just sync up my iPhone to a new F-150 and it works fine. Can I play music from the iPhone too using bluetooth? This next question does not deal with the iPhone, but how do I load some of my iTunes collection into the juke box in the truck? It says to import from CDs, but I would like to import filesnot CDs. Can I?
Mac Pro 3.2 8 core Mac OS X (10.5.5) 30" Cinema. AJA Kona 3
I recently purchased an iphone 4 through Verizon and it will not stay synced with my 2009 Ford Flex. Ive tried rebooting the sync system with Ford, and have reinstalled the phone numerous times with no luck.
I have to turn off the bluetooth setting on the iphone (everytime I get into the car) and turn it back on, in order for the sync to work.
Does anyone else have this type of problem and is there a solution out there for this?
I have a 2011 (UK 11 reg) Ford Mondeo with built in Sony radio with sat nav, Bluetooth and CD. It has been linking fine to my iPhone 4 via Bluetooth both for phone calls and audio as needed running iOS 4. However since upgrading to iOS 5 it wont keeps saying it cant establish data connection, audio breaks up then the phone disconnects intermittently, and the radio no longer displays my phone signal strength which I relied up to know I had a signal.
This is a major pain as I need it to be reliable as it was until recently for work support phone calls. Can anyone please advise how to resolve this? Please dont say take it to my Ford dealer, 1) they will likely have no clue 2) why the **** should I when its Apples upgrade which has caused the problem - it was fine before I installed iOS 5.
I have a problem with pairing my iPhone 3G with my builtin carkit in my Ford Focus 2008
The carkit is a Bluetooth Voice and Control and is Factory builtin.
The Firmware version of the iPhone 3G is 2.1
When i turn on bluetooth on the iPhone it discovers the Ford Audio. Then i tap on the discovered Ford Audio and it tries to connect but after a while the display says that it cannot connect to the Ford Audio. I expected to see an entry for the pairing pin but that doesnt appaer.
Can someone tell me what is going wrong
iMac 20" Mac OS X (10.5.5)
The error message in iTunes says:
iTunes could not sync calendars to the iPhone XXXXXs iPhone because the sync server failed to sync the iPhone.
Relatively new iPhone, sync was working fine until I installed updates, how bad an idea is that? At any rate, after the updates were installed the calendar wont sync.
iPhone 4 running 4.1 (8B117)
WinXP Home running Service Pack 3 and all subsequent updates
Any suggestions - other than I shoulda bought a Droid?
Dell Windows XP
Wanted to sync some new songs to my iphone but then the syncing disappear frm itunes after a while.. but the phone stil says sync in progress. I restarted my pc and phone, but d situation stil d same. So i tried to let it continue on, hopin tat the d sync wil b completed, but d sync in progress on my phone nvr end!
So, nw, my music library had been emptied and im starin at the sync in progress statin on my phone since an hr ago!
any1 facin same problem? any solutions? help, pls?
Can I use Google Sync to transfer only my contacts from my IPhone 4 to my gmail account? I do not want to sync info from Gmail to the IPhone. Can the sync work only one-way? I have 0 contacts & 0 calendar events on my gmail account. I opened the Gmail account specifically to for the Google Sync and wil only be using this account as a back-up for my IPhone contacts. Please Help!!
OK: new iTunes installed. Latest iOS on iPhone 4S. STILL getting iPhone could not sync because the sync session failed to start.!!!
until now, Ive reinstalled iTunes (10+) every time i wanted to backup my iDevice. Every time for Every device.
WHEN are you gonna address this?!?!
I have setup my iPhone to sync with Google calendar using Microsoft Exchange, which supposes to work bidirectionally.
I found that it only works in one direction such that anything in my Google calendar (includes all the subscribed calendars in Google) got sync to my iPhone. After I add a new event in my Google calendar, it is pushed to my iPhone.
On the other hand, any new event I add to my iPhone calendar is not updated and shown in my Google calendar. This means the sync works only in one direction:
Google Calendar Event --- sync ---> iPhone (works perfectly and the event is pushed almost pushed instantly)
iPhone Calendar Event. --- sync ---> Google Calendar << FAILED >> (Event entered to my iPhone never shows in the Google Calendar)
Sync works unidirectionally but not bidirectionally
Anyone has encounter this problem and is there any solution?
Message was edited by: Stanley Wong
Message was edited by: Stanley Wong
iPhone 3GS iOS 4 PC Windows 7 / using Google & iPhone Calenda
Id like to be able to sync my iPhone to only my outlook calendar via my work PC but maintain my personal contact lists located on my personal use iMac, and remain synced to my yahoo email account (dont need work email access via outlook). Is there an easy way to do this without downloading random software? If I click the box for syncing Calendar in iTunes (via work PC), will it happen for me relatively smoothly ? Im hoping this is not too complicated!!!
I downloaded pictures onto my iPhone from computer twice by mistake now when i uncheck/sync then check and sync again i keep getting two lots of pics..how can i get just the one set again? thnx
When I plugged in the iPhone my PC updated iTunes first. Then it performed a sync. I wasnt sure where to look for the calendar but I found programs called Windows Calendar, Contacts and Journal. I found that my iPhone Contacts did sync up but the other two did not. Am I looking in the right places for the data?
I gave up a Palm T/X for this so I am hoping the iPhone exceeds the Palm.
Is it possible to transfer or copy and paste my Palm data into the iPhone data on the PC? The same is true for my Journal and Calendar.
PC Windows Vista
I have set up several playlists in iTunes that I have sync with my iPhone. Up until now I have had no issues with syncing. There is one song that I have tried to sync to my Running playlist that continuously has errors. The mp3 plays correctly in iTunes, and when I sync it with my iPhone it all of a sudden has gaps of silence throughout the song. I have tried to rip the song again, I have tried to download the song from the internet (tried several different versions of the same song). I am still having the same issue. I have approximately 1.5 GB of songs on my iPhone and no other song has this issue. Any help in determining what the issue is would be very much appreciated.
Thank you,
iMac 24" Mac OS X (10.5.6) iPhone 3G with current software
When I am trying to sync my iphone it gets thru everything then eventually times out when it is determining tracks to sync
please someone tell me how to fix this
Iphone 3g Other OS
Hey guys,
Is there any way to get the music on my Mac that Ive recently bought on iTunes to my iPhone without syncing my iPhone via USB to my Mac?
Also, when are we gonna see bluetooth syncing? Walk in the room, your mac detects your iPhone via bluetooth and automatically syncs it without you knowing so when you get to work your music is already on there, ready to go, without you doing anything. Ahhh...that would be nice.
iPhone 3GS 32GB iPhone OS 3.1.2
Hi - I have given up on mobileme.
However I have a problem when I go into itunes/info. I can set the calendar for sync all calendars, however when I hit apply the calendar sync button clears and does not sync.
I have tried a few things without joy:
rebooted phone (mobile me is disabled - account deleted)removed syncfolders
Any ideas what is causing the wired sync not to work ?
IMAC G5 Mac OS X (10.5) iPhone 3G, iMAC
IItune s will not sync with my iPhone . I get a message that tells me I dont have enough memory but I cant delete my photos and video without synching to iTunes?
I have a iphone 3G and sync it with my mobileme account and back to my osx10.5.4 mac. Problem is that last night the Iphone mysteriously lost all fields of informations for all of my contacts leaving only behind obsecure fields and the notes fields on the iphone.
Upon investigation the mobileme account had all the contact details but somehow they have been removed from the phone... Is there a sync issue ?
I fixed by going into mobileme settings on the mac and resetting all data on the mobileme account. This then after a couple of mins updated the iphone with all the contact information again.
If it wasnt a mobileme issue then my iphone was hacked, anyone had any suspicions/experience with this?
iMac 24" C2D 2.8, 4GB, 750GB: iphone3g, PB G4 12" Mac OS X (10.5.4)
Hey folks,
any thoughts?
Two Macs are syncing all my contacts and calendar data between them, even a Vista machine running Outlook 2007 is syncing fine... The Macs have Entourage and even that calendar is being synced correctly...
my 3G? nothin... it just sits there waiting
the .me contacts and calendar webapps? they load, the pages show as completely loaded, only I get the spinning gear display and nothing happens further.
on the calendar .me app, I can adjust preferences but not create a new calendar or calendar group, or show calendar info...
ideas? (Ive done all the usual resets, wipes - thats how I got what is syncing to sync...)
QUAD G5 4.5GB, MBPro 17", G5x2.0 5GB, PB 17" 1.5GHz 1GB, 2x 23" ACD Mac OS X (10.5.4) mLAN (01X, i88x, Motif ES8)
I currently have a Motorla Q with Windows Mobile. I sync it with Outlook on my work PC using the USB cable and active sync. I am considering buying an iPhone 3G, but cant seem to find out if I can do the same with it. Can I sync the iPhone 3G with Outlook using a USB connection and only Active Sync? I cannot install iTunes on my work PC.
Dell Windows XP


text:
Tuesday's college roundup
Heels dispatch Davidson
CHAPEL HILL — No. 1 North Carolina won its 11th straight game to open the season on Tuesday with a 10-2 win over Davidson (5-6) at Boshamer Stadium.
The 11-0 start is the best by the Tar Heels since the 2000 squad won its first 21 games of the season.
Senior Cody Stubbs led the UNC at the plate with three RBIs, including a two-run home run in a five-run third inning.
Sophomore second baseman Mike Zolk matched a career high with three hits in the victory, while Stubbs and Skye Bolt chipped in two hits apiece.
Freshman right-hander Trent Thornton improved to 2-0, as he struck out five over 5.2 innings of work. The Wildcats pushed two runs across against Thornton, both of which were unearned.
Duke men ace VCU
DURHAM — Junior Chris Mengel captured a doubles victory and clinched the team win in singles to help the fourth-ranked Duke men's tennis team sweep No. 28 VCU 7-0 on Tuesday at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
The matchup between the Rams (11-4) and Blue Devils (12-2) originally was scheduled to be played outdoors but was moved inside because of inclement weather.
Duke utilized a quick start in doubles to take the opening point for the 13th time this season. The Blue Devils captured the first win of the afternoon on court three, as the 46th-ranked pair of junior Fred Saba and Mengel defeated VCU's No. 38 tandem of Alejandro Argente and Jaime Vazquez 8-3.
UNC Orr takes softball award
GREENSBORO — North Carolina senior first baseman Constance Orr and N.C. State sophomore Emily Weiman have been named ACC softball player and pitcher of the week, respectively, the league announced Tuesday.
Orr hit .444 with 11 RBIs as UNC went 5-1 last week, blasting three multiple-run homers including a grand slam against North Dakota. She also hit two-run home runs against East Carolina and Binghamton. Orr tallied multi-hit games three times, and scored three runs against North Dakota.
For the week, Orr posted an on-base percentage of .524 with a slugging percentage of 1.056, scored six runs, walked twice and had four extra-base hits.
Duke's Ross get ACC honor
DURHAM — Senior Cydney Ross earned ACC performer of the week in the final week of the indoor track and field regular season as announced by the conference Tuesday.
The St. Louis, Mo., native broke two school records and qualified for the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend at the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Ind.
Ross set a school record in the 800 meter in 2:05.27 to give her the victory in the event and the NCAA qualifying mark. The night before, she ran as a member of Duke women's distance medley relay team that broke the previous record by more than five seconds, combining for a time of 11:01.50.
The team, consisting of Ross, junior Gabby Levac, sophomore Elizabeth Kerpon and freshman Anima Banks finished fourth and qualified for the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
UNC's Maksym lacrosse recognition
GREENSBORO — North Carolina senior goalkeeper Lauren Maksym has been named ACC defensive player of the week in women's lacrosse.
Maksym went the distance and recorded eight saves in UNC's 11-5 win at No. 17 Penn on Saturday. She stifled the Quakers with six first-half saves, as the Tar Heels built what would be an insurmountable 9-3 halftime lead. She added two ground balls as she improved to 4-1 this season in goal.
With five games played, Maksym leads the league in goals against average (5.14) and is tied for the lead in save percentage (.526).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Mar 11 2010
Mike Story #1: The Oyster Incident
My brother Mike called me yesterday. I answered. It was an unusual, wonderful, and bizarre conversation. And as such phone calls with Mike are inclined to do, it set off a several-hour acute episode of Mike on the Brain, a condition that causes me to sit, stare at the floor, and think back on everything my brother Mike has ever done to make me laugh, cry, call the police, and want to move to another country.
Throughout the day today I'll be posting three of my most classic, deeply-ingrained Mike tales from the archives. They will make you laugh, cry, call the police, and want to move to another country.
This is the first of those tales.
Growing up with a developmentally disabled sibling, though generally wonderful in so very many ways, can be tricky. Just when you think you've got their moves all figured out, ka-BLAM! They change the rules on you and you're left wandering around in the smoldering aftermath, wondering what on earth happened.
Case-in-point: My precious, dear brother, Mike. Mike, at age 42, despite innumerable intellectual and physical challenges, enjoys a life chock full of independence, friendships, and activity. He has his own apartment, can cook himself Ramen noodles like no one's business, and has a network of blessed souls in our hometown who willingly drive Mike from point A to point B several times a week whether they particularly feel like it or not. Aside from this angelic circle of friends Mike has carved out for himself, I largely credit my parents for the heights to which Mike has climbed over the course of his life; instead of emphasizing and highlighting Mike's handicaps, they simply threw him into the mix with the rest of us numskulls in the family. And though they regularly availed themselves of the help and resources they needed to assist Mike in his handicap through the years, most of the time Mike was just another one of the kids.
I, for one, never even realized Mike was different until around age seven, when my best friend Becky, grabbed me emotionally by the shoulders one day and hugged me, burying her head in my neck and sobbing, "REE, I'M SO…SO…SO SORRY ABOUT MIKEY!"
"What?" I asked. "What do you mean?"
"Well…uhhh," Becky answered.
"What are you talking about, Sillly?" I continued, giving Becky a playful slug. I seriously had no clue.
"Well…he's…he's different, Ree-Ree," Becky said. "He was born a little…different."
I paused for a moment, then asked, "Wanna go ride bikes?" Nothing she said had registered.
Over time, however, I did come to realize that there was something about Mike that was a little removed from the standard definition of "normal." At public places, little kids who didn't know Mike would point and ask their mothers, "Who is that funny little man?" I generally wanted to punch them, especially if I knew Mike had heard them, but I usually stopped myself because I didn't really know how to punch anyone back then. Still don't. And besides that, I understood that most of the time, the kids didn't mean any harm by their points and their stares. Mike did look different, after all, and most young children just aren't equipped to process the protruding ears and stubby fingers and thick upper lip without staring and taking it all in for several minutes. To the world outside of our small-town community—most of whom knew and loved Mike from day one—Mike was different. But to me and the rest of my siblings, he was just another member of the family.
This meant, of course, that Mike didn't get any special treatment. We didn't handle him with kid gloves, didn't coddle him, didn't spare the kid one speck of the same sibling abuse we hurled at one another on a daily basis. And most of the time, Mike handled it fine and bounced right back, just like the rest of us. But every now and then, a wire would cross and Mike would get mad. Livid. Furious. Usually he'd just yell something eloquent: "YOU TURKEY DAMN BUTT HELL ASS!" was his weapon of choice most of the time. But occasionally it would really spiral downward, ending in a fit of frustration that would cause Mike to lunge at my other brother (see final story below), who was about two feet taller than Mike, and try to wrestle him to the ground and beat the tar out of him. And then Mike's glasses would fall off, which would send him into a whole other psychological frenzy. And when it was over, none of us could ever figure out how it had all gone so wrong. Then we'd all dust ourselves off and go to the pool.
These moments were usually over as quickly as they began, and then we'd all go back to the business of being sibs and teasing each other about how bad we smelled or looked or how dumb we were. You know, positive family stuff like that. And over time, as Mike got older, he learned to deal with his frustrations in more constructive ways, and the rest of us learned the buttons to avoid. And most of the time, things were harmonious. Until one summer when our family went to Hilton Head for vacation.
Vacations are stressful for a lot of people. Routines change, and those with delicate sensibilities (i.e. Mike) can sometimes have a hard time with the upheaval. When it came to family vacations to Hilton Head, Mike would begin to show signs of clinical mania up to two weeks before the trip even began. The anticipation, the excitement, the packing, the plans—it all gave Mike something to focus on and look forward to. He'd bounce off the walls with glee. Sometimes I'd want to tranquilize him. Then, when we'd arrive on Hilton Head, there'd be the four to five day orientation period, when Mike would roam the island, getting to know all the new security guards and cops and memorizing all the "shovel bus" (shuttle bus) schedules so he'd be sure never to miss a ride. Those first few days were always happy, always full of promise and hope.
But then the fatigue would set in and Mike would start to go south. Usually this would manifest itself in an unexpected "TURKEY DAMN BUTT HELL ASS" outburst at the beach or maybe at the market. One year, though, when we were all young adults, Mike did something none of us could have anticipated.
We were eating at Calibogue Cafe, a delicious seafood restaurant in Harbor Town. It was Day Five of our vacation and we all should have known to mind our P's and Q's, but Mike had been just fine up until that meal. But then the waitress came to the table to take our order, and we all ordered the standard fare…except for Mike.
"I w-w-w-want four orders of Oysters on the Half Shell," he told the waitress. Mike loves oysters.
"Well, Sweetie," she replied, "One order comes with about nine oysters. And they're pretty big."
"That's fine," Mike said, handing her his menu.
My dad leaned over to Mike and said, "Hey, pal—why don't you just get one or two? Then you won't get stuffed."
"No," Mike responded. "I want f-f-f-four orders of Oysters on the Half Shell."
Then my mom tried. "Mikey, that's a lot of oysters. I think that'll make you sick."
Mike looked straight at the waitress and repeated his request. "I…will take..four orders of Oysters on the Half Shell." His volume was slowly increasing.
That's when my older brother chimed in.
"Mike, come on!" he said. "Let it go—just get two orders! You won't eat it all anyway!"
Steely-eyed, Mike glared at him and raised his voice, "I am a grown up man and I c-c-c-can decide what I want to order!" People at neighboring tables began to glance in our direction.
We should have let it go, but we didn't. My siblings and I decided to let Mike have it, in the same way we would have let one another have it.
Mike, you're being unreasonable.
Mike, get over yourself.
Mike, that's 36 oysters.
Mike, just get two orders.
Mike, cut it out. Our poor waitress looked at her watch.
That's when he reached his limit. Pushing his chair backward so fast it fell over, Mike jumped up from the table, threw his napkin on his chair, and screamed—screamed at the top of his lungs—"I QUIT OF YOU THIS DUMB FAMILY!" And though I'd never heard that exact combination of words ever uttered before, I pretty much knew what he was trying to say. He'd had it. He'd been pushed too far. And he was done with us.
Mike finished off the scene with a nice "YOU BUTTS!" and stormed out of the restaurant, leaving us there to burn in the embers.
My dad went outside to retrieve Mike about five minutes later, knowing he'd be sitting on a bench talking to a security guard or some nice passerby. But he wasn't. "I can't find Mike," my dad said when he returned to the table. "He's not out there." We all looked at each other, a hint of concern on our faces.
After combing Harbor Town, we decided to head back to the house, hoping he'd be there making himself some Ramen noodles. He wasn't. And we all began to worry.
Four hours passed. And during that time, we'd alternate searching for Mike, checking with security guards and shovel bus drivers and restaurant hostesses and anyone we could ask. We all wound up back at the house, hoping against hope he'd show up. It was dark outside, and we were scared. I cried, imagining all sorts of terrible things that could have happened to Mike. And then, at 11:00 sharp, just as my frantic mother was about to pick up the phone to call the police, the front door opened…and Mike walked in.
"Mike, where have you BEEN?" we asked. I'd never been more glad to see another person in my life.
But Mike didn't answer. Instead, with a determined look on his face, he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a brand new package of Marlboro Reds, which he'd evidently picked up on his Walk of Independence about town. With his short, stubby fingers, he unwrapped the outer cellophane and removed one cigarette, placing it in his mouth. Then he pulled a red Bic lighter from his other pocket, lit the cigarette, and stood there in front of us, smoking the cigarette as if his life—or, at least, his independence—depended on it. And we all sat there and watched, unsure of what to say.
That was the first—and last—cigarette Mike ever smoked.
And that was the last time any of us ever tried to come between Mike and his oysters.
352 Comments
April On Thursday, March 11 at 7:14 am
I love Mike stories!
the wicked noodle On Thursday, March 11 at 7:18 am
What a great story!! You are a fabulous storyteller
kimberlydi On Thursday, March 11 at 7:21 am
I remember this story. Still love it.
AGinTO On Thursday, March 11 at 7:21 am
I love love LOVE your Mike Stories!!! I cannot wait to read the other two!
Cindy On Thursday, March 11 at 7:22 am
Wow….that was quite the story. I am amazed though at the "grace" that was shown during these times with your brother. Yes, grace, that intangible thing that helps us cope and learn and grow. Beautiful!
Kelly On Thursday, March 11 at 7:23 am
Your brother has some guts – I wish that I had, a time or two, stormed out and grabbed some Marlboro Reds and called my family "butts" Great story!
kari On Thursday, March 11 at 7:24 am
I love your Mike stories – this one is particular great. Mike is lucky to have such a great family
Happy Thursday!
Alison On Thursday, March 11 at 7:24 am
Thank you for that. I love to read stories about Mike.
Jessica @ How Sweet On Thursday, March 11 at 7:24 am
I lovingly understand this because I have a disabled cousin who I am very close to – these stories have him beat by far, tho!
Darcie Cash On Thursday, March 11 at 7:25 am
As always, I love the story. I love Mike.
Sarah On Thursday, March 11 at 7:25 am
It's awesome that you can remember things with such detail. Thanks for sharing!
Megan On Thursday, March 11 at 7:26 am
So, life is never boring when Mike is around? Yep, how sick was he after that cigarette? What a rebel hey? He sounds kind of amazing, but he is your brother so that's no surprise!
the Senators Wife On Thursday, March 11 at 7:26 am
Love that man Mike-Jim-Bob-Deebo….
Megan On Thursday, March 11 at 7:27 am
By the way. That is THE cutest photo ever!
FLWendy On Thursday, March 11 at 7:30 am
Great story Ree!! I love Mike! He's an inspiration!
Kathy Durrett On Thursday, March 11 at 7:30 am
You go Mike!
St. Fairsted Farm/ ang On Thursday, March 11 at 7:30 am
I wish I could get away with calling anyone a "TURKEY DAMN BUTT HELL ASS" that is just too funny!
Abbie On Thursday, March 11 at 7:30 am
lol!! Oh Ree, the way you share things is just priceless.. thank you for the laugh and the tears this morning. They were desperately needed!
Your brother sounds fabulous!
Beth On Thursday, March 11 at 7:31 am
Great Story! The sibling stuff is so familiar.
april S On Thursday, March 11 at 7:33 am
I also grew up with an older brother who is developmentally disabled. He was just part of the family, and occasionally had melt-downs such as the one you described (I can recall a Christmas incident when we had painstakingly decorated a huge tree and just as we stepped back to take a look, my Grandma's cats came racing into the room, wrestled under the tree, and the entire thing fell over, spewing ornaments & lights everywhere…my brother, who NEVER swore, yelled, "throw the damn thing in the alley!!" and ran upstairs). Life has never been dull with Josh!
Tom | What's Your Story On Thursday, March 11 at 7:34 am
WOW! I can't wait for part 2!!!
Erin On Thursday, March 11 at 7:35 am
I love it! Can your next book be nothing but stories about Mike?
Shawna On Thursday, March 11 at 7:36 am
That is a great story, I love reading about your brother! Thank you for sharing these stories with us!!
melanie On Thursday, March 11 at 7:38 am
I love the relationship you have with your brother. I have two special needs daughters and I often wonder how their non challenged brothers will relate with them when they are older.
Jeanette Livingston On Thursday, March 11 at 7:39 am
You have an interesting family….
shayne On Thursday, March 11 at 7:41 am
Your family is all kinds of awesome.
cyn On Thursday, March 11 at 7:41 am
I love your family. I love your take on life. Very uplifting
chels On Thursday, March 11 at 7:42 am
I love reminiscing old family stories.. thanks for sharing!
sherrie On Thursday, March 11 at 7:42 am
that was a great story!!
Carol in NC On Thursday, March 11 at 7:44 am
My youngest child is about to graduate from high school and yesterday he heard me calling the babysitter for our special needs daughter (our middle child) to be available for graduation weekend. My son was very insulted and told me that his sister was SO COMING to his graduation. I'm proud of his devotion, but I am still SO GETTING the sitter anyway.
Sadie at heyMamas On Thursday, March 11 at 7:44 am
So, so cute!
Sadie at heyMamas.com
Karen On Thursday, March 11 at 7:45 am
My husband's older brother is mentally challenged. Sometimes, it seems he knows just enough to be dangerous, but overall, he is one of the sweetest, kindest individuals I have ever known. But, his goodhearted nature makes us worry about folks taking advantage of him – for example, if Lane has money, then everyone he knows has money . . . . . . . .
Rachel V. A. On Thursday, March 11 at 7:46 am
What a great story! Can't wait for the others!
Lynn On Thursday, March 11 at 7:49 am
Having someone like Mike in your family forces you to think outside the box, and probably makes you a better parent and wife. Thank God for people like Mike, who remind us that "normal" has many definitions.
Peggy On Thursday, March 11 at 7:49 am
Well now — there just comes a time when a guy just has to stand up for himself and all he holds dear. Kudos to Mike
for his determination & independence!
Thankful that all turned out well.
Julie at Elisharose On Thursday, March 11 at 7:50 am
Tell Mike he can have all my oysters. Can't stand the things.
patty On Thursday, March 11 at 7:50 am
i LOVE mike stories!
laura On Thursday, March 11 at 7:50 am
great story. I have a brother that is special nice to see someone put it in writing. He had a few meltdowns in his time as he grew older they were less about 10 years ago we taught him to use a computer and it has made a world of difference in his life. give him a task to find out something and he is relentless with the computer he is a genius. We have recently started taking him on trips with us and he is now addicted and wants to go all the time. In addition to his disability he has now been diagnossed with dystonia and it breaks my heart to watch him lose control of his voice. His ability to talk and talk a lot was the one thing he was truely blessed with and now it is being taken away from him.
Hilldog On Thursday, March 11 at 7:51 am
I love that you talk about your brother, and that your parents treated him just like the rest of you!! I am a Special Ed teacher and it breaks my heart when somone treats a child different, just because they look different! Thanks for sharing and I can't wait for the rest!
Mindi Gaut On Thursday, March 11 at 7:51 am
That is priceless and even funnier if you know Mike and can just hear his voice and see him in your mind! Love it!
Jill D On Thursday, March 11 at 7:53 am
I too have an older brother that is mentally handicapped. I remember the time that he ran away from home to the police station because he didn't want to be in our family (There was too much responsibility). The police told him they couldn't do anything about it. My brother said to put him in jail then. They said they couldn't because he didn't commit a crime. WRONG THING TO SAY!!! What did he do? He went and robbed a store, with a great big knife, so they could put him in jail. Oh, the joys! I love my brother dearly. Life was never dull when he was around.
TeiLea On Thursday, March 11 at 7:53 am
I love Mike stories!
C.C. On Thursday, March 11 at 7:54 am
So funny! I adore your Mike stories. He seems like such a character!
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Kari Kominek On Thursday, March 11 at 7:54 am
I can't wait for the remaining two stories!!!
Sarah On Thursday, March 11 at 7:55 am
Ree, that was beautiful, made me blow coffee our my nose funny and totally touched my heart! I do love your stories about your brother! Wonderful! Sarah
Jen On Thursday, March 11 at 7:55 am
Love it, Ree!
Patty W. On Thursday, March 11 at 7:56 am
Next time I'm mad, I've just got to remember to use TURKEY DAMN BUTT HELL ASS. I think that says it all. And I've felt like I want to quit of my dumb family sometimes, too, even though I love 'em. You go, Mike.
Donna W On Thursday, March 11 at 7:57 am
I recall reading the oyster story before, but it's just as good the second time.
Rhonda On Thursday, March 11 at 7:58 am
I now have the song refrain "let freedom ring…on Independence day" stuck in my head and no idea what song it is. Mike needs a soundtrack album. Love my brothers too. And my little sister.
Jennifer On Thursday, March 11 at 7:59 am
I love Mike
Sonya On Thursday, March 11 at 8:00 am
I love how your family accepted and loved Mike the way you do. Wow, if only all mentally and physically challenged children could grow up in an atmosphere like that. Love hearing your stories of Hilton Head, we live close to there, in fact we spent the first couple days of our honeymoon there. Great place!!
Trina On Thursday, March 11 at 8:00 am
Being the sibling of a person with special needs is a double edged sword, but you continually show your love for him, your acceptance of him, and that you can see the humor in his and your life together. I hope my other three sons will be as loving and supportive of my oldest son with autism when they are adults. For now, they don't really factor it in…it doesn't really impact them in a big way. But one day it will…when I'm too old to take care of him. I hope they rise to the occasion. He's precious.
Kelly On Thursday, March 11 at 8:01 am
I loved your story. I have a brother Ed who is somewhat similar. He once tried to rip my car door off. Good times!
Jessica On Thursday, March 11 at 8:02 am
Thank you for sharing. Your stories always make me smile. You have a blessed life Ree.
Alisa S. On Thursday, March 11 at 8:03 am
i love your stories about sweet mike.
TLEE On Thursday, March 11 at 8:04 am
I QUIT OF YOU THIS DUMB FAMILY! YOU BUTTS! Priceless!! The hours away and then the cigarette? Sounds like he is pretty normal to me!! He showed you and all you TURKEY DAMN BUTT HELL ASSES!!! Love Mike, he is great!
Val - SRN On Thursday, March 11 at 8:04 am
I can picture it all going down. You are a fabulous story teller!
christy On Thursday, March 11 at 8:04 am
Ree, that story gave me chills. You just know how to put all the words together and weave them just right – to help ALL of us understand the joys and detours of having a special needs sibling. I can only imagine that night in Hilton Head……
Suzanne On Thursday, March 11 at 8:04 am
It is Mike's stubborn, independent nature and your family's treating him like just another member of the family that has caused him to be able to live independently and well. I have a niece with cerebral palsy who her parents were told would never walk or talk. She rode horses, competitively. She rode a bike. She determined that she wanted to go AWAY to college, and she did. She got a degree. She moved to Dallas, because she just wanted to. She thrives and will be married on October 23rd. None of us ever treated her differently. Once you know her you don't either. It has been sad to watch people who don't know her treat her differently. WE KNOW BETTER. She can do it!!!
Regina White On Thursday, March 11 at 8:06 am
Thanks for sharing I have a brother like Mike. But his name is Mox, Macario to be exact.
Precious family members.
Kassi On Thursday, March 11 at 8:06 am
That is brilliant. I love that he asserted his independence, and in such a COOL way. Can't say that I blame him. Let him have the dang oysters! :o)
M On Thursday, March 11 at 8:08 am
Very cool.
Leslie Bunt On Thursday, March 11 at 8:08 am
This story is fabulous…I laughed and cried! Thank you for sharing…it just makes me smile!
Jeanette Mc.from Everton Terrace On Thursday, March 11 at 8:09 am
Great story. Not in a million years did I think it would end this way!
Gayle Miller On Thursday, March 11 at 8:10 am
i ADORE your brother Mike. My cousin Scott's son Andrew was born developmentally challenged and the doctors basically told my cousin and his wife that Andrew had no hope of living to adulthood (he's now 18 and mainstreamed at school) or of walking (he's not great at it but he can do it) or of speaking (he never shuts up). Great parenting put Andrew into the thick of life, just as his siblings and your parents have done with Mike. I emphasize the challenge part – none of Andrew's progress could have happened without his willing and positive heart! He's a fabulous human being in every way! As is your brother Mike.
Jes On Thursday, March 11 at 8:10 am
Determination. Mike's got plenty of it. Or is that stubbornness? I'm not sure.
janice On Thursday, March 11 at 8:11 am
Great family! Great story!
Jocelyn On Thursday, March 11 at 8:11 am
I am officially on "Team Mike".
Kim S. On Thursday, March 11 at 8:14 am
Love the story.. thanks for sharing it. :o)
Stephanie On Thursday, March 11 at 8:14 am
You are a great story-teller, Ree. This is hilarious in retrospect, and probably fun to tell at family get togethers. Mike is QUITE the character!!
Debbie On Thursday, March 11 at 8:15 am
I love the story Ree! Mike is really blessed to be part of your family and such a wonderful community!
Cassi On Thursday, March 11 at 8:15 am
Who can't identify with The Cigarette of Independence? Great story!
Grace G. On Thursday, March 11 at 8:16 am
What a beautiful story! I also have a developmentally disabled sister and I have similar stories for days!
Lyn On Thursday, March 11 at 8:16 am
Ree Ree….I think there is a serious need for about about your life with Mike. You write about him with such compassion and acceptance and frustration. (My very favorite Mike story was your blog about his appearance your cook book launch.) Those of us who haven't had to deal with quite the same issues in our families are growing with your tales. Think about it. Please.
Lesliek On Thursday, March 11 at 8:16 am
I love hearing your Mike stories. They are the best…ones like this are good after the fact, not when it is all going on!
Maureen On Thursday, March 11 at 8:18 am
Hahaha. Thanks! I needed that laugh.
Sarah On Thursday, March 11 at 8:18 am
I ABSOLUTELY love reading about Mike!
Tammy at The Butterfly Mind On Thursday, March 11 at 8:19 am
TURKEY DAMN BUTT HELL ASS! I love Mike!
Favor On Thursday, March 11 at 8:20 am
You go Mike!!
Caroline in Tennessee On Thursday, March 11 at 8:21 am
Yay! Mike stories are my favorite! I read it twice! Hilarious!
Des On Thursday, March 11 at 8:23 am
That…is a riot. The last part reminds me of one of those Jeff Foxworthy jokes ("you might be a redneck if your mother does NOT remove the Marlboro from between her teeth while telling the State Trooper to kiss her a**")
Ann On Thursday, March 11 at 8:23 am
Love how you tell the Mike stories. You are a good sister.
Joy On Thursday, March 11 at 8:23 am
First off, you account of the story was hilarious! As hard as it must have been, you have some GREAT stories to tell about growing up with Mikey. But I just can't get over the fact that he's done so well and the reason is family. Your parents had a "blinders on" determination that by God this kid was gonna make it too! All of those turkey hell damn moments made Mikey into the person he is, able to enjoy a life filled to the brim with devoted friends. Does it get any better than that? I don't think so!
Julie D. On Thursday, March 11 at 8:24 am
Thank you so much for sharing Mike with us. I love these stories.
Foy Update - Garden. Cook. Write. Repeat. On Thursday, March 11 at 8:24 am
I like Mike.
Nancy On Thursday, March 11 at 8:26 am
Love the Story!
LOVE THE PICTURE – you can post that picture a thousand times and I will still stare at it and smile.
Can I tell you that I LOVE THAT PICTURE!
Rhea On Thursday, March 11 at 8:27 am
that was soooo GREAT!!! i'll bet those other people in that restaurant that day have an equally great story!
Silvia On Thursday, March 11 at 8:28 am
Ok, I love that story! Thanks for sharing!
Bethany On Thursday, March 11 at 8:29 am
I love that story. I love crazy family stories, the funny thing is we all have them:) Like the time I was 12 and babysitting, and my brother hid in the machine shed because he was sick of his bossy sister, and fell asleep…. and we couldn't find him, neither could the police. Until he woke up and came stumbling into the house to say how mean of a big sister I was, and he wasn't going to listen to me:) Ree, you are such a good story teller!!!!
Audreystyle On Thursday, March 11 at 8:29 am
Poor, Mike. This reminds me of the many times my brother, who has Downs Syndrome, gets so frustrated with us (family members) when don't understand where he's going with something, or when he's trying to explain something, and he's not able to make us understand him. It always makes me feel so bad. I don't like seeing him so frustrated and misunderstood like that. Too bad your parents didn't think to go tell the waitress, out of earshot, of course, to make it two orders and to put the orders on four plates so that Mike would have thought it was four orders as soon as they realized he had his mind set already. It may have worked???
Moxie On Thursday, March 11 at 8:30 am
Great story. And I both laughed and cried. Just like you promised.
WebSavvyMom On Thursday, March 11 at 8:30 am
–>Good for Mike!
Erika On Thursday, March 11 at 8:31 am
Thank you so much for sharing your stories about Mike. I have three great kids, one of which is developmentally disabled and suffers from chronic illness. Your perspective is so honest. I love how you can laugh about it all. I hope my kids grow up to be able to do that too.
Lois On Thursday, March 11 at 8:31 am
Hilarious! I love the Mike stories!
Angela Canon On Thursday, March 11 at 8:31 am
I love Mike stories. I've worked with developmentally challenged people, and they never cease to amaze me. Mike's got spirit, moxie even. Go MIKE!
Tallymomma On Thursday, March 11 at 8:32 am
Thank you, as a mother to a disabled child it is nice to have a different prospective. I can see a little of what DD sees.
LynneFtWorth On Thursday, March 11 at 8:33 am
I think we have all felt like Mike a few times in our familes lives. Mike was just strong and independent enough to act on it. We should all take a lesson from him now and then.
Strawberry Cake On Thursday, March 11 at 8:33 am
I too love your stories of Mike….they make my throat get tight and tears well up, and then I sniggle all the way through them. A life long friend of mine has a young man with downs syndrome, (he is a twin, which makes watching his developement mirrored by his brothers interesting to watch), we have so many Elijah stories…And I know my friend Cindy LOVES you for your Mike stories more than for your recipes. Thanks for sharing Mike with us, he is truly amazing.
G3 On Thursday, March 11 at 8:34 am
That's such a sweet story – Go Mike!. PW – you have such a flair for writing.
Trish Taft On Thursday, March 11 at 8:34 am
what a great story, thanks for sharing.


text:
An Indiana mother sent her gay son to school with a stun gun to protect him against bullies. The teen now faces expulsion, but the mother says she would do it again.
Darnell "Dynasty" Young, 17, was facing daily harassment from bullies at Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis who would taunt him, throw rocks and bottles at him, spread rumors and follow him home, The Indianapolis Star reports.
After reporting the bullying to the school more than 10 times, his mother, Chelisa Grimes, said she gave Young a stun gun for protection, because school authorities weren't doing enough, MSNBC reports.
"I do not promote violence -- not at all -- but what is a parent to do when she has done everything that she felt she was supposed to do ... at the school?" Grimes told CNN's Don Lemon on Sunday. "I did feel like there was nothing else left for me to do, but protect my child."


text:
Foster Kids: There are Monsters Under our Beds
After going back and forth relentlessly between domestic adoption, closed adoption (my husband) versus open domestic adoption (the wife), we are at a standstill. Bio son Sam has been waiting so long for a young sister or brother that he almost doesn't care anymore (two years and counting). At age 4, Sam was excited about a sibling; at six he's nearly over it.
Another standstill: It's harder and harder to leap over all the adoption barricades: finances, emotions, huge disagreements, our busy working lives, etc.
Barricade #1: Cost of an international adoption which is clearly the winner vote by our family. Hard to scare up the initial $15,000 to get the international adoption ball rolling. The total cost of an international Indian adoption for a young toddler daughter will costs total between $30,000 – $50,000.
We have some emotional obstacles around international adoption as well: Some parents who adopt internationally will question the need to bring up things that happened in their child's past. Could you personally admit that money may have driven your birth parents' decision, or that your joyful toddler comes from poor parents who never even gave consent?
If corruption exists in your child's birth country or may have played a role in your baby's adoption, I believe it's not your fault. You didn't set out to "steal" anyone's baby.
From International Adoption to Domestic Adoption
You can read about our fears and ignorance around foster children in previous posts, but I still urge everyone to look into local domestic adoptions first. You adopt in a shorter amount of time and deeply serve your local community.
Re: Domestic Adoption from the Los Angeles County foster and family agencies. After several posts over the last few weeks, devout reader Jayme, who spent young, formative years in foster care in another state wrote to me.
Looking back, she remembered, "Nothing short of horrid. We used to be told about the monsters under our beds when we were young. Sometimes I wonder if they really are real? Monsters are everywhere. I learned the hard way.
"Sad sad sad," said reader Jayme. Keep up the good work on adoptions, and I will. Share your stories with me:
Add a Comment
Tags: adoptive parents, birth mother, sibling adoption, toddler adopt | Categories: Fostering, Local US Adoptions, Must Read
Must Read
by TAO
On October 6, 2012 at 9:50 am
"If corruption exists in your child's birth country or may have played a role in your baby's adoption, I believe it's not your fault. You didn't set out to "steal" anyone's baby."
Are you serious? It's not your fault? That is how you would justify it? What about your responsiblity to do due diligence before you start the process? Research, read, ask questions, just say NO to unethical behavior?
If you are not willing to take the personal responsiblity of ensuring the adoption YOU are a willing particpant in, is ethical, that the child actually needed to be internationally adopted, that everything was above board. Don't adopt.


text:
It seems Prometheus will be getting a test screening a lot sooner than anyone thought. According to gofobo.com, the screening will take place on February 29th, 2012 in Santa Rosa, California. I'm not exactly sure how you get chosen for it. I think you need to be a member of the site and be especially invited to it.
Thanks to BiggMac04 for the news.
Categories: Prometheus News | Forum Topic


text:
Red, white and BOOM! Marco hits the beach for an All-American Fourth of July
MARCO ISLAND - The snowbirds don't get to have all the fun. One of Marco Island's iconic events takes place long after the Ohio and Ontario license plates have vanished from city streets, and the locals have time to relax and enjoy their slice of Paradise. Fourth of July on Marco takes the shape of an all-day beach party, with activities throughout the afternoon leading up to the big finish, the fireworks display out over the Gulf of Mexico off Residents' Beach.
MICA, the Marco Island Civic Association, hosts the affair and is the largest individual financial contributor. The "rockets' red glare" burn up $42,000 worth of pyrotechnics in under half an hour, and makes for a spectacular show, with the fireworks reflected in the water and the boom reverberating off the beachfront condos and luxury hotels.
The show typically has several mini fanales building up to the final blowout, and has thousands of spectators giving sustained applause and cheers, plus horns from the fleet of boats anchored offshore but it wasn't always so impressive, said Craig Woodward. The local attorney and unofficial Marco historian grew up on the Island.
"Yeah, originally it was just me and the Calusas, sitting on the beach," he joked. The earliest organized fireworks show Woodward recalls was in the early '80s, "and before that, it was just a few kids with sparklers."
Ruth McCann, executive director of MICA, said the origin of the beach celebration may be "lost in the sands of time," but it goes back a long way in Island terms, longer than the 23 years she has lived here. Sandi Reidmann, executive director of the Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce, which help raise funds for the fireworks display, said, "every year, they get more beautiful."
Islanders show up early at the beach, bringing caravans of luggage including coolers, chairs, beach towels and, for many, shade-giving canopies that form a line along the water's edge. Some stay all afternoon, splashing in the water to stay cool, while others stake out their spot, go home to the air conditioning, and come back for the aerial display as the sky darkens and the sunset fades.
The city of Marco Island Parks and Recreation Department's Lola Dial supervises games and contests for those who hang out on the beach, although in the boys versus girls tug of war, she has been known to favor one side over the other. Contestants vie in sack races, three-legged races and the "fastest kid on the beach" contest, all with various age groupings starting at 5 and under. This is also true of the "most patriotic swimsuit" contest, with a panel of judges picking the finalists, and the overall winners then chosen by crowd acclaim.
The hot dog eating contest is "come one, come all," a big spectator event for watching people who should know better than to shovel "tubesteaks" down their gullet against the clock. In a more serene competition, teams and families compete to build the best sandcastle, and some take it very seriously.
"They start early and come prepared, with food color to dye the sand and all kinds of tools," said McCann. "People are very proud of their work." Hula-hoop and limbo contests, an arts and crafts tent for the kids and a DJ are all part of the mix, although McCann cautioned that activities can be added or dropped.
The hotels will be full, and the day is a great off-season party for Marco's year-round residents. Joe Oliverio, who has spearheaded the citizen fundraising effort to help pay for the fireworks, urges anyone who would like to have an ownership stake in Marco's Fourth of July extravaganza to make out a check to "Marco Island Fireworks Fund," and drop it off at Joey's Pizza on Collier Boulevard.
"I'll make sure you get credit" for your donation, he said. "This is our party."
What: Uncle Sam's Sand Jam presented by the Marco Island Civic Association
When: Noon until 9:30 p.m.
Where: Residents' Beach, 130 S. Collier Blvd. (parking and entrance restricted); Marco Island
4th of July Fireworks
When: 9 p.m.
Where: Location: Residents' Beach
Where: Residents' Beach, 130 S. Collier Blvd. (parking and entrance restricted); Marco Island


text:
Close your eyes, breathe in deeply, now exhale slowly… That was easy, wasn't it? Not for everyone…
A forest fire is raging out of control in the Jerusalem corridor. According to reports on Israel Radio, six teams of fire fighters are battling the blaze near Shoresh and Ein Rafa, with an additional five teams working to put out a fire near Ma'aleh HaHamisha and Kiryat Anavim (Telz Stone).
Heavy traffic is reported on the Jerusalem – Tel Aviv highway due to limited visible because of smoke from the fire.
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i bet 1000€ that religion of peace is behind this fire.
I pray the God of Israel will scoop up all Islam/Muslim/Terrorists across the world and drop them into the pit of hell. Only then will there be peace on earth.
Please Lord send the rain. Lots of it. Thank You!
Comments are closed.
The Senator said he would discuss gun control, or anything else, really, just not how he would vote on the Iran nuclear deal.
"Keep or Cheat," under this deal Iran will attain nuclear weapons, Bibi warned.
Arabs threw 2 firebombs at bus #160 in Gush Etzion on Tuesday evening. No injuries or damage were reported, but the road was temporarily blocked by a wall of fire. In the Shomron, Arabs threw a firebomb at an unmanned pillbox, from a passing car.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Inbar Azrak, 27 who was wounded in Monday night's firebomb attack in Beit Hanina. Azrak is being treated at the Hadassah Ein Kerem medical center in Jerusalem.
The worst heat wave to hit the Middle East in more than a decade has claimed its second victim in Israel.
The non-Jewish tourist tried to wave an Israeli flag when he was set upon by the Islamic mob.
Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon says he's ready to present the new state budget to the cabinet Wednesday.
Minister Yuval Steinitz says "if he were American he would oppose the deal with Iran" and explains why.
A German neo-Nazi politician is accepted to the European Parliament's Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee.
The Obama administration may intervene in the NY federal district court judgment against the PA.
The Maccabi Games made it to Berlin but anti-Semitism was hardly left behind.
George Soros, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg have plopped down at least $1 million to Clinton's super PAC.
The long-planned and long-delayed high-speed train between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is getting closer Israel Railways has begun to lay tracks for the western section of the line in the Ayalon Valley, west of Jerusalem. The target date for launching passenger train on the new line is January 2018, 17 years after construction began. The […]
The Home Front Command for the first time has deployed female soldiers to guard the front lines in Shechem in Samaria.
The tourist supposedly waved an Israeli flag, at which point the Muslim mob tried to kill him.
The Obama administration also promises not sell F-35 to any other Middle East country – but for how long?
The long-planned and long-delayed high-speed train between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is getting closer Israel Railways has begun to lay tracks for the western section of the line in the Ayalon Valley, west of Jerusalem. The target date for launching passenger train on the new line is January 2018, 17 years after construction began. The […]
The tourist supposedly waved an Israeli flag, at which point the Muslim mob tried to kill him.
The attacks happened just south of Karmei Tzur.
Israeli soldiers deployed at the Gaza security fence shot over the heads of Arabs who had approached the no-go zone Monday, Palestinian Authority media reported. No one was injured. Arabs frequently approached the security fence, usually with intentions to infiltrate into Israel or to carry out a terrorist attack on the spot. Palestinian Authority media […]
The body of missing Israeli back packer Dor Cohen has been found in Georgia.
An Israeli citizen is killed in Thailand while traveling from Pattaya to Bangkok.
A Gva'ot woman was hurt Sunday in a rock attack on her car by Arab terrorists in Samaria.
Drivers of the Jerusalem Light Rail system shut down the trains in a wildcat strike Sunday morning leaving tens of thousands people stranded. The drivers are protesting work conditions and the increased frequency of trains. The Transportation Ministry is deploying hundreds of additional buses to try to overcome the sadden lack of train service. CityPass, […]
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The House introduced a bill this week that would give authorities greater powers to take down rogue websites that provide pirated content, including sites based outside of the United States. The bill has drawn sharp criticism from privacy groups.
The Stop Online Piracy Act, introduced on Wednesday by Republican Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, is a House version of a bill introduced in the Senate, known as the Theft of Intellectual Property Act, or Protect IP Act, which likewise has been panned by privacy groups.
If passed, the measure would allow the Justice Department to obtain court orders demanding "foreign infringing" Internet service providers (ISP) to block access to the site for users in the United States, according to a draft of the bill.
It would also give a U.S.-based copyright holder the ability to tell a payment processor including credit card companies or Internet advertisers to stop their business with a website that may be providing pirated content that infringes on copyrights or trademarks.
Intellectual property theft is said to cost the U.S. economy more than $100 billion each year while costing thousands of American jobs.
With overseas rogue websites stealing the intellectual properties of Americans, Smith said the bill aims to stop revenue to these sites and protect U.S. citizens "from dangerous counterfeit products." He added that it "prevents online thieves from selling counterfeit goods" domestically as well.
The measure was backed by a number of prominent entertainment companies, the music industry, the movie industry, the Business Software Alliance, and the National Association of Manufacturers.
Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, who supports the proposed bill, said Americans "face an increasingly difficult battle against entities overseas that shamelessly steal our valuable products and illegally market them online for their own gain," according to a statement.
The bill is not without its critics, however, as privacy as well as consumer advocacy groups have said it gives the U.S. government too much power.
Responding to the measure's introduction, Corynne McSherry, the Intellectual Property director with prominent digital rights advocacy group Electronic Freedom Frontier, wrote Wednesday that its passage would amount to "massive interference with the Internet."
The Stop Online Piracy Act "would not only sabotage the domain name system but would also threaten to effectively eliminate the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) safe harbors that, while imperfect, have spurred much economic growth and online creativity," she added.
Worse, the bill would force ISPs to actively police its users' activities and would essentially circumvent DMCA rules.
David Sohn, the senior policy counsel and director at the Center for Democracy and Technology, writes on Thursday that the measure "casts a dangerously broad net," while conceding that piracy is a major concern for U.S. copyright holders.
He echoed statements made by McSherry in saying that it goes against the legal principles "embedded in the DMCA," which would "pose major risks for online innovation, free expression, and the open nature of the Internet."The Senate version of the bill, the Protect IP Act, passed the Judiciary Committee in May but eventually stalled after it was argued that it would infringe upon free speech.


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Ticonderoga A long-neglected resting place of a Revolutionary War veteran has been reclaimed in Ticonderoga.
The forgotten historic cemetery at the base of Cook's Mountain on Baldwin Road was discovered by Dr. Bill and Bob O'Connor, who recently purchased the land. With the help of Albert Powvorznik and Keith Dolbeck, the cemetery has been restored.
"This cemetery, known as the Isaac Morse Cemetery, was until recently an overgrown tangle in the woods littered with dead branches, broken tombstones and in a general state of disrepair," said Bill Dolback, Ticonderoga town historian.
"After the property containing the cemetery was recently purchased by the O'Connor brothers, a neighbor Albert Powvorznik became dedicated to resurrecting and restoring this burial plot and enlisted others to his cause," Dolback said. "One of those people, Keith Dolbeck who had also know of this burial ground since childhood, along with Albert, cleaned and groomed the site as well as rebuilt one of the tombstones."
The cemetery is the resting place of Isaac Morse, a Revolutionary War veteran. His stone reads:
"Isaac Morse/died Feb 21/1840/Aged 80 year
Who was a soldier in the Revolutionary War
Justice of the Peace for many years in Ticonderoga
And the first American citizen to this farm"
"While there were probably many past residents who were Revolutionary soldiers, they were often buried in gravesites marked with long-gone wooden markers or crosses," Dolback said. "It is very unusual to see stones such as this that recognized the deceased as a Revolutionary soldier. Perhaps the fact that Mr. Morse was a successful farmer, landowner, and one of this town's first justices, provide his family with the means to have such an elaborate stone cut to mark his passing."
This past Memorial Day a ceremony was held at the cemetery. Attending were the O'Connor brothers, Powvorznik, Dolbeck, Dolback, World War II veterans Charles "Gusher" Smith and Gerald Abbott, and Ticonderoga Post 224 American Legion Honor Guard Commander Richard Gavlin, First Vice Commander Charles Messier, and Chaplin Bill Sanders along with legion representative Tom Provoncha, and Sons of the Legion members Bob Fuller, Jon Moses, and George Ashe.
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Interpretive Handbook
88540 :
Kallmann Syndrome, Xp22.3 Deletion, FISH
Clinical Information Discusses physiology, pathophysiology, and general clinical aspects, as they relate to a laboratory test
Kallmann syndrome is associated with a deletion on the short arm of the X chromosome. The syndrome is an X-linked disease and can be suspected in patients with complete absence of smell (anosmia), hypogonadism, and delayed sexual development. The phenotype may include gynecomastia, bimanual synkinesis (1 hand copying the movements of the other hand), shortened fourth metacarpal bone, and absence of a kidney. Kallmann syndrome affects mainly males, but rare cases of affected females have been reported.
FISH studies are highly specific and do not exclude other chromosome abnormalities. For this reason, we recommend that patients suspected of having Kallmann syndrome also have conventional chromosome studies (CMS / Chromosome Analysis, for Congenital Disorders, Blood) performed to rule out other chromosome abnormalities or translocations.
Useful For Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful
Aids in the diagnosis of Kallmann syndrome, in conjunction with conventional chromosome studies (CMS / Chromosome Analysis, for Congenital Disorders, Blood)
Detecting cryptic translocations involving Xp22.3 that are not demonstrated by conventional chromosome studies
Interpretation Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results
Any individual with a normal signal pattern (2 signals in females and 1 signal in males) in each metaphase is considered negative for a deletion in the region tested by this probe.
Any patient with a FISH signal pattern indicating loss of the critical region on an X chromosome will be reported as having a deletion of the regions tested by this probe. This is consistent with a diagnosis of Kallmann syndrome (Xp22.3 deletion).
Cautions Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances
Because this FISH test is not approved by the FDA, it is important to confirm Kallmann syndrome diagnoses by other established methods, such as clinical history or physical examination.
Reference Values Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.
An interpretive report will be provided.
Clinical References Provides recommendations for further in-depth reading of a clinical nature
1. Meitinger T, Heye B, Petit C, et al: Definitive localization of X-linked Kallmann syndrome (hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and anosmia) to Xp22.3: close linkage to the hypervariable repeat sequence CRI-S232. Am J Hum Genet 1990 Oct;47(4):664-669
2. Weissortel R, Strom TM, Dorr HG, et al: Analysis of an interstitial deletion in a patient with Kallmann syndrome, X-linked ichthyosis and mental retardation. Clin Genet 1998 Jul;54(1):45-51


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Thursday, February 6, 2014
Workers at American Gypsums plant near Georgetown on Friday celebrated a million hours of no lost time for accidents.
That major accomplishment came after production of wallboard started in the summer of 2008.
Some 80 workers produce millions of board feet of wallboard for commercial and residential construction projects and suppliers along the Eastern Seaboard.
The $150 million-plant produces enough wallboard each day for the equivalent of building about 250 houses.
The main ingredient of the wallboard is synthetic gypsum from the Winyah Generating Station owned by Santee Cooper. Both the power plant and the gypsum plant are off Pennyroyal Road southwest of the City of Georgetown.
SEFA Group (Southeastern Fly Ash) also operates on the tract of land.
American Gypsum and SEFA recycle what previously were waste products from the coal-fired power plant.
Thomas Brockington is one of the more-recent hires at American Gypsum. Hes a stack operator, placing the wallboard in the warehouse until its ready to be shipped out.
I like the atmosphere. Everybody is treated fairly, the Andrews resident said during a luncheon Friday.
The work has a routine to it, He works four 12-hour shifts most of the time.
Management and everybody talks to you. Its a great place to work.
When the gypsum particles, water and various compounds are mixed together to make a slurry to form the wallboard, things get noisy.
The mixture is fed onto a continuous sheet of recycled paper and travels about a half-mile on a conveyor to drying ovens. The conveyor runs about 500 feet a minute, feeding into drying ovens that are 600 degrees. As the wallboard solidifies, the tempurature steps down to about 300 degrees.
Brockington said its noisy, but earplugs help make it not too noisy.
Davey Morris is part of the maintenance crew. Right now, theyre working to replace some of the equipment thats been used since 2008 to make a lot of wallboard.
Robert Cooper from Hemingway is one of the longest-serving workers at the plant. He was hired on Aug. 28, 2006 as the plant was being built. A Hemingway resident, Cooper works in the loading area.
He went to a plant in Colorado for training so he could help show other people how to handle the wallboard as more were hired.
Debbie Nettles is another long-term employee at the Georgetown plant. She handles a lot of the administrative work.
Steve Wentzel was Georgetown plant manager when it was first built and construction began.
Hes now vice president for manufacturing in the companys Dallas office. He was succeeded by John Melech as plant manager.
Wentzel and several others came back to Georgetown for the milestone of surpassing a million hours of no lost time to accidents.
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Dance Floors
About Us
Contact CPEES
Map & Directions
"Thank you so much for your quality service and meticulous attention to detail with our order. We also appreciate you working hard to find a shipping solution that worked for our time sensitive order. The items we ordered were in excellent shape when we received them and you were there the entire way for any questions. We will definitely use California Portable Event Equipment Sales Inc. for our next order."
Paul Simms
Big Island Tents
"We have been buying from Phil and John at CPEES for the past 15 years and have always received great, personalized service. They are very knowledgable and easy to work with. Their pricing is competitive but their service is what keeps us coming back. They will 'bend over backwards' to accommodate us. They are honest and straight forward. They have delivered product to us personally when we were in a bind. They totally back up their product. 5 stars to CPEES!"
Sam Emerson
President, Rebel Party Rents, Las Vegas.
"Thank you John and everyone at CPEES. We can always count on you to get us exactly what we need quickly and without hassle. It always a pleasure working with professionals that care about their clients."
Daniel J Herrera
Discount Party Rental
"I'd like to thank you for the professionalism and quality of the products that you and the team at California Portable Event Equipment Sales have consistently provided us. Service makes the difference in every business, and I know that I can always rely on your firm's quality and efficiency. Your company is top notch and you and your staff have become a strong and instrumental part of our own success."
Jerome Nehus
President, L.A. Party Rents
"Over the past several years, we have purchased thousands of resin chairs from California Portable Event Equipment Sales. We currently have over 4,000 of these chairs in our inventory. We have always benefited by buying quality products from suppliers that we can trust.
"We consider CPEES more a part of our 'team' than just another vendor. I highly recommend the product and the company."
Brad Smithers
President, RSVP Party Rentals
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Vidya Balan went retro on the sets of Saroj Khan's Nachle Ve with Saroj Khan Season 3. The actress rocked the polka-dotted sari and an olive, flower-printed kurti and flared chocolate trousers.
The actress brought a bit of the 70's glam in oversized, white-rimmed glares.
Vidya came to the show to promote her new film, The Dirty Picture, but she took away something from it too - a few of Saroj Khan's killer dance moves!
The actress and the choreographer got on like a house on fire, and that makes a good show for us!
Text and images: Sify.com


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Narrow your search
During the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance weekend, we got a chance to drive the Fisker Karma, a car that looks decidedly forward amongst a sea of historic cars.
One of the most impressive historic car shows in the world also plays host to its share of new, exotic cars. We spent last Sunday at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
The 16th Annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance will feature a Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman landaulet built specially for Pope Paul VI.
CNET Car Tech takes a look at some of the most expensive new cars in the world at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is known for hosting some of the best restored historic cars in the world. But it also attracts quite a few new, and very expensive cars. We perused a few that were on display.
CNET posts photos from the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
Four classes of Bentleys will show at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 16, including the oldest racing cars.
McLaren unveiled the custom X-1 at Pebble Beach, Calif., during the Concours d'Elegance.
Sketches released by Bentley of a new concept herald a convertible version of the Mulsanne.
Automotive News reports on new models from Infiniti that will use a front-wheel-drive architecture.


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It was a little quieter week on the Oriole front. No rumors of bombshell trades, no more awards or major additions to the front office or coaching staff.
Instead, the Orioles quietly added to their bullpen and boosted their 40-man roster to 36.
They signed two pitchers, one left-handed, the other right-handed for some depth. Kelvim De La Cruz has never pitched in the majors, and he'll join the lefties while Edgmer Escalona, who pitched for Colorado, will add to the right-handed mix.
De La Cruz is like a Rule 5 draft choice. He's out of options, so he can't be sent to the minors without passing through waivers. Escalona pitched against the Orioles twice in August, gave up a long two-run home run to Chris Davis and was jettisoned not long after.
In the Venezuelan winter league, Escalona has developed a splint-finger change up that he's used to good results.
The Orioles added three players to the 40-man, catcher Michael Ohlman and pitchers Tim Berry and Eddie Gamboa. Gamboa's addition was a bit of a surprise. He's been in the organization since 2008, and recently became a knuckleballer.
[RELATED: Orioles to wear patch to mark 60th year]
It takes time to master that pitch, and the Orioles are willing to grant Gamboa some of it.
Two players who didn't make the cut were Caleb Joseph, a late developer, who hit 27 homers and 99 RBIs at Norfolk and pitcher Oliver Drake.
Joseph is nominally a catcher, and has had regular visits to spring training, but his glove doesn't impress the Orioles. If he's not claimed in the Rule 5, he'll probably get his longest look yet in spring training and try to master Triple-A at age 27.
Drake seems more likely to be drafted. Two winters ago, the Orioles added him to the 40-man roster and he got a brief look in spring training.
A right elbow injury cost him nearly all his 2012 and delayed his 2013 season. Drake, who left the Naval Academy to pursue baseball, had a terrific few months with Bowie.
He was 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA in 19 games. Drake had eight saves and averaged more than a strikeout per inning.
Drake will be 27 in January, and he could be lost on Dec. 12 when the Rule 5 selections are made. Otherwise, he'll probably get an invitation to spring training.
The J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters rumors quieted down this week. There weren't any Jim Johnson rumors, either, but the Orioles were linked with their share of free agents.
This week's additions were an old friend, Carlos Beltran, and a new one, Jhonny Peralta. Another mainstay of the rumor market, Jason Vargas, who the Orioles had long coveted received a four-year, $32 million deal with the Kansas City Royals.
That kind of deal for a pitcher whose lifetime record is seven games under .500 makes a re-signing of Scott Feldman, who is five games under .500, seem unlikely.
The top pitchers on the market, Ervin Santana, Ricky Nolasco, Matt Garza, Hiroki Kuroda, Ubaldo Jimenez and Bartolo Colon, have yet to sign. Feldman said about half the teams reached out to him, and a deal of three years or even more could make it impossible for the Orioles to re-sign him.
Beltran, who's been mentioned with the Orioles before, was mentioned, but at nearly 37, a deal of longer than two years isn't going to come from Baltimore. And, it's hard to see the team surrendering a draft choice.
The Peralta report come out on Friday. Peralta, a longtime shortstop and two-time All-Star, has generated interest in spite of his 50-game Biogenesis suspension. The Tigers' acquisition of Jose Iglesias makes him expendable.
Baltimore's biggest needs are in left field and second base, two positions Peralta's barely played. Not only would the Orioles have to convince him with the best contract offer, but he'd have to move positions.
Another pitcher the Orioles have had interest in, Tim Hudson, got a nice two-year contract from San Francisco.
Bronson Arroyo, who the Orioles reportedly have interest in, remains unsigned, too. He once pitched for new pitching coach Dave Wallace in Boston, but he'll be 37 in the early days of spring training, and a contract offer or more than two years by the Orioles isn't likely.
Only six of MLBTradeRumors' top 50 free agents have signed, and it's funny that the best, Robinson Cano has resorted to having his new agent, Jay Z, attempt to create a market for him.
Cano's comical demand of 10 years, $310 million has been ignored. The Yankees reportedly countered with an insulting offer of seven years, $161 million.
Even though the Orioles need a second baseman, Cano does not fit in the Orioles' budget, even if they made an offer slightly above New York's insulting one.


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Temptalia Asks You – Do you ask yourself questions before you buy something?
Do you ask yourself questions before you buy something? Do you ask, "Will I wear this often?" or "Do I have anything similar?" What do you ask yourself when you consider a product for purchase?
I think about how often I will use it, whether it will work with products I already have (undoubtedly, this is usually a yes), how many similar colors do I have, do I really need it, and do I really want to pay that much?
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Best of News
Coach Mike Doyle, D-Pa., center, and Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo.,... NyhetsfotoBaseball-tag,Baseboll - Sport,Domare,Horisontell,Nationals Park,Politik,USA,USA:s kongress,United States Congressional Baseball Game,Washington DCPhotographer Tom WilliamsCollection: CQ-Roll Call Group © 2012 CQ Roll CallUNITED STATES - JUNE 28: Coach Mike Doyle, D-Pa., center, and Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., argue a call in which Perlmutter was called out at home plate during the 51st Annual CQ Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game held at Nationals Park. The Democrats prevailed over the Republicans 18-5. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)


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A little light reading
From Rampant Coyote's "Why the AAA Games Industry is Screwed" – an always-interesting blog with a link to a fascinating article.RC's post itself is short and to the point, but if you don't have this blog on your radar, you probably should.
The article linked is long but well worth the read if you have even an armchair interest in the industry, as I do.
Death March: The long, tortured journey of Homefront
"There is an expectation," explained one producer, "that if you spend eight months developing a demo for E3 that does really well in the press, then that's eight months well spent. Because you just sold another 500,000 copies of the game. It comes down to this very, very bizarre math. … No other industry would actually let you work like this. … So a lot of people are abused in the gaming world. Especially for marketing and things like E3. And I think that's a business problem."
I won't comment – partly because it's way too early in the morning, I'm under-caffeinated and I only just read it, and partly because it's one in a long stream of "OMG how can an industry with so much potential get like this?".
Well okay, maybe one little tiny comment. As a player and not a developer, I don't necessarily care who makes my games (actually I'd rather it were smaller studios, since I have a cynical dislike of any megabusiness, even in gaming), but if the giants are screwed, will the indie studios be good enough to pick up the slack? There's some amazing stuff coming out of indie studios and I'm not implying they're not capable, but there's a certain level of… glitz and glamour, I guess, associated with the humungous productions which – as it does with Hollywood blockbusters (whether they're good or not) – does contribute to the buzz, anticipation and pleasure that flies around AAA game releases.
For me, gaming these days is almost as much about the anticipation for a game as it is about the game itself (which might be worth pondering further). While I decry the hype-wave fairly regularly, I also don't shut it off completely because sometimes it's fun to jump on.
Hype doesn't make the game, of course, as we well know – I won't even name names. But still… I'd miss the glitz if it were to vanish. On the other hand, I'd gladly ditch the glitz if developers and studios were able to feel a little more stable and not work psyche-breaking crunch hours. I'm not the first one to float the ridiculous idea that a little job security and a little less insanity in the workplace might make for a better industry in the long run.
Maybe part of the problem is that game studios seem to be run like Hollywood studios?
Posted on November 3, 2012, in Gaming and tagged design, expectations, linkage. Bookmark the permalink. 9 Comments.
Actually, I think part of the problem is that studios are NOT run like Hollywood studios. Hear me out.
The problem is that any creative work is that the industries tend to be hit-driven. For every huge success, you get a few mediocre works and a fair amount of failures. But, the huge successes tend to make up for a lot of failure. The trick is that there's not guarantee what will succeed and what will fail. That's just how creative work operates under a capitalist structure.
So, a business will mange what it can. That mostly means controlling costs. Unfortunately, game development works on a cycle, and part of the cycle requires more people than other times; that means either you have to have more work to go around, or you lay people off. The problem is that there's no support network for people who get laid off quite like the guilds in Hollywood.
In addition to the guilds, you have the whole movie-making process. Each movie is its own project, and usually has a specific production company that exists just to make the one movie. (Some really successful ones can spawn multiple movies, but these are the rare mega-successes.) The whole process is down to a science, where it's known exactly what roles you'll need at a specific time in the production schedule.
Of course, game development is a little different. First, we're a lot younger as an industry. And, the shifting nature of technology means that processes shift pretty rapidly. There are roles in game projects today that didn't exist back when I started making games professionally back in ye olde 1998.
If you read in that article, the one part where everything went off the rails is when the developer did whatever they could to land a new project. They say that the managers decided to promise whatever they could in order to get that project, because no project = no work = dead studio.= a bunch of your friends being out of work. So, they promised the moon and simply could not deliver; as the article said, during the audit it was found that the studio had no hope of ever shipping what they promised even if they had multiples of team and budget available.
I think we'd be better off if there were a more formal system like the guild systems for actors, writers, and so on like in Hollywood. That way if time comes to cut someone, they aren't left looking at the unemployment line.
Of course, I've worked as a contractor and consultant for a while, so I might have a different perspective on this. :)
Yeah, despite the industry really being perfect for a guild/union type setup, it's just not something most people think of. I think it's influence from the tech side, where tech geeks like to believe they're a meritocracy; developers like to think they could be the next John Carmack or Will Wright, and feel a union might hold them back. I think the reality of the situation, where a few strikers could just be replaced by college students, also hinders the situation. It would take a vast majority of people at a studio to join a union for it to work.
Freelancing is problematic for a few reasons. Basically, it comes down to team chemistry. A game is a creative endeavor, and you really need compatible personalities to make it work right. Too much creative tension and you get people bickering instead of making great games. At the very least, you need a solid core of people to set the tone for the project. As that article said, things were doing better when the original founder was there; he had the ability to keep the studio running even though it perhaps wasn't the most healthy atmosphere.
Confidentiality is another problem, obviously. For all the supposed secrecy in the industry, it's not exactly hard to find out what's going on if you know the right people. And, GDC is infamously a blab-fest at the bars. So, having people moving around more fluidly would mean more information spread out, leading to more leaked info.
The last problem is with the individuals. Being a freelancer in an industry with a lot of people willing to do the work means you have to always be looking for the next gig. I've had a situation where a contract got VERY angry when they found out I was doing other work besides what they had assigned me; funny enough it was low-paid work for an indie, but it shows that the contract providers want to pretend that you're 100% dedicated to them. But this also requires sales ability, and I fully admit this is something i suck at. I'm mostly a freelancer for the relative freedom it provides me, but I think in some ways my career would have gone better if I had been with a larger company. I'm still living a fairly meager existence even thought I'm a B or C-list game industry celebrity (depending on how generous you feel). (Well, and I could probably have done better if I had chased trends like social games more.) Anyway, a lot of people just want to create cool games rather than worrying about where the next contract is coming from.
My thoughts.
Yeah, not much else to contribute other than to say you're right.
I think the overall secrecy in the game industry is pretty silly. The joke goes "NDAs are how the game industry says 'hello!'" In 90% of the cases, it's overkill. But, there are a few times when it makes absolute sense. I'm working on a hush-hush project right now that really does deserve the secrecy; it'll be pretty jaw-dropping when it's released, but it still needs work to get to that point. But, in most cases the best game companies have enough of their own ideas without having to "steal" ideas.
And, yeah, I think the current atmosphere in the game industry is to exploit the passion people have for their work. You don't get people to sleep under their desks with promises of crap pay, stupid long hours, and never seeing their family. I think crunch is a cynical attempt to turn this passion into profits rather than investing in proper project management and expectations.
I'd like to think it's a phase. But, it's been going on for as long as I can remember.
Anyway, thanks for the good post and great discussion. You should do it more often. :)
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Short-Term Equipment Checkout Policy
Millikin University Department of Information Technology
Contributed by Angie Estes
Last updated 3/4/2010
Millikin University's Department of Information Technology has netbooks available for short duration checkout by Millikin University employees.
Currently, all netbooks run Windows XP and have Microsoft Office 2007 installed. Other software applications may be available for install, but may require additional setup time in advance and must be licensed copies.
Checkouts include a power adapter, power cord, wired mouse and Ethernet cable. These items will be contained in a laptop bag that is identified by a tag.
Given the limited number of netbooks available, we strongly recommend reserving one to ensure availability. Reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis by submitting a JIRA work order to Desktop Services. The JIRA work order should include the pickup date/time, application requests and return date. You will receive a JIRA notification when the laptop reservation is confirmed. Reservations may be made up to one month in advance and no later than 48 business hours prior to the time of pickup. Items may be checked out for up to two-weeks.
Reserved equipment can be picked up generally during normal business hours (Mon-Fri 8:00am – 5:00pm) from Shilling 114. If the reserved equipment is not picked up by 5pm on the scheduled day, the reservation will be cancelled. If you reserved equipment and find that you no longer need it, please cancel your reservation so that others may use it.
1. Only individuals who will be directly responsible for its use and for its return may sign equipment out. Equipment cannot be checked out on behalf of a third party.
2. It is the borrower's responsibility to examine the equipment prior to accepting it.
3. Borrowers must return the equipment before 5pm on the due date. Borrowers may be charged a fine of $5.00 per day, up to and including the replacement cost of the laptop. Due to reservations, equipment may not be renewed. At the time the equipment is returned, a new request may be made.
4. The borrower is responsible for returning all equipment received in the same condition as when received, including all additional parts and accessories included at time of checkout. The Help Desk may refuse to accept equipment with missing parts – in this case the borrower will be responsible for any late fees that may result from the delay.
5. The borrower will be responsible for paying the cost of replacement of any equipment damaged beyond repair or not returned. The borrower will be responsible for paying the repair cost (not to exceed the replacement cost) of any equipment which is returned in damaged condition.
6. Equipment checkout privileges may be revoked at any time without warning due to careless handling of equipment or repeated lateness.