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Has anyone ever just stopped all of their meds
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Sometimes I wonder if taking 18 pills a day causes more harm than good. Anyone ever take a medication holiday? I know not to stop cold turkey as this could put your body in crisis but slowly withdraw. What do you think? Has anyone ever done this?
Posted on 08/17/13, 11:07 am
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Thank you Terrapins for coming back and posting!!!! I am so happy Z got in contact with you!!! Your description of your gathering and consuming food right from the land is making me very very very hungry!!!!! It all sounds delicious!!! I love berries so I would definitely be in berry heaven!!! Oh, and the seafood - I get hungry when I go snorkeling so you can imagine how your fish, shrimp description has me very excited. LOL And I'm sure you do not suffer with a temper tantrum when someone walking in front of you, you feel, they are walking too slow because you have to catch a train. LOL
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with no meds - I really need the other side of the med story to see that I do have a choice and your sharing has given me the opportunity to hear the other side!!!
Thanks again, your post made my morning, I have to go use up all my stored up dopamine from my unrestful night's sleep to refrain from yelling at some poor soul "Do you mind moving so I can get by." or "Don't walk in my space, buddy."
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you are very welcom dfnj.....sorry i cant report that pd goes away, im just taking it on from a different route , that which results in less stress for me.
Brer T...off meds and haaaaapppppy.
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Terrapins, I am really happy to hear that you are doing well and that going off the meds has worked for you in many ways!
We all have to remember that the meds are used to treat symptoms of PD. And sometimes the side effects of the meds can be worse then the symptoms of PD. That is when one should re-evaluate using the drugs that are causing the worse side effects. We have options!
I asked one of my favorite nurses what would happen if I did not take any of the PD meds. She said you would eventually not be able to move. This nurse lives with and helps take care of her grandmother that has PD. I also remember reading that Michael Fox said that even with the dyskinesia, he felt so much better on the meds then he did off of them.
Not everyone is the same and not everyone can do what Terrapins has done. But maybe some can. And that's OK. We all have to find our way, what works for us individually. We just have to stay in tune with ourselves enough to know what works for us and what does not!
We have to be pro-active with this disease and stay in charge of managing it ourselves. The doctors are doing their best guess work based on their experiences and knowledge and are here to assist us. But we know ourselves and our bodies best and by doing research on the drugs and alternative non-drug treatments - by asking a lot of questions, not only to our doctors but also the nurses, and pharmacists, and others with PD, and by reading as much as we can - we can become educated and try to stay on top of our symptoms as much as possible.
We have to be our own best advocate. If things don't feel right - something probably isn't right - and we should not hesitate to speak up and seek help to fix it - take a look at our current treatments and re-evaluate them and adjust, cut things out or try something new when necessary. It's not easy - but we can't give up. It's our fight - and we have to stay vigilant! After all - it's our quality of life that we are talking about. And I for one want the best quality that I can have within my circumstances!!
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I also think it is important to point out that there are some people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's because they have Parkinson's symptoms, but they actually do not have dopamine loss. There are other diseased that mimic Parkinson's symptoms and there are also people who develop Parkinson's symptoms from long term drug use, like bi-polar drugs. Many of these people are diagnosed with Parkinson's and put on PD drugs to treat the symptoms. Most PD drugs like Sinemet and Agonists are treating dopamine loss. And some seem to respond a tad bit using the drugs. When these people are weaned off the PD drugs, they may do fine, because they don't really have the dopamine loss that the drugs are treating.
I have a friend that was diagnosed and was treated with Sinemet and Comtan for several years by a neurologists. She thought the drugs were helping the symptoms. But to me they did not seem to help very much. She was also bi-polar and had been on bi-polar drugs for over 30 years. When she went in the hospital for surgery, the hospital mistakenly and tragically stopped all of her bi-polar drugs. While this mistake set off a horrible episode with the bi-polar disease, it also stopped all of the Parkinson's symptoms. She was re-evaluated for Parkinson's and found to not have it, and was taken off all of the PD drugs. She was put back on the bi-polar drugs (she has to be on these), and the Parkinson's symptoms returned. They are the same as they were when she was on the PD drugs. The PD drugs that she had been on for years, really were not doing anything for her, although she felt they were at the time.
Anyways - another angle to this discussion!
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Carol you are very wise and diplomatic.Your skillful maneuvering around the issue of taking the meds or not is brilliant . I agree with you , we alone can make the decision to take the meds or stay of it. Some of us are not strong enough. Exercise 10 hr a day ? I like exercise but even for me that is to much.Not enough hr in a day and I still remember the horrible feeling i had before starting the meds. Unable to sleep or rest . My body was so rigid, that it could not relax . I could not sit ,stand or lie down . the only way I could get relief , to kneel at my bed and rest my he'd on it. Even that i could not do for to long. before my knees started hurting and when they were titrating the meds. i did not sleep all night could not do anything because of the rigidity i was just rolling on the floor to find the comfortable place to rest , watch the clock until I can take my neds. Then I got relief and went to sleep. the only think which help was my painting . I could ignore the rigidity and the pain in my left arm . I like to get o the meds. in fact i decreased it by 2 whole sine met ,doe to the DBS. ,but could not get any lower. Am I strong enough . now when I know what to expect , to stop my medication.
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Yes I have stopped Cold Turkey. My med (Requip) was taken off the shelves here in SA - no warning - i had two tabs. left. so had no choice really ! I started on various other tabs. bur all had bad side effects. I should tell you that i am very intolerant of PD meds. Finally, having passed our cold and taken to the hospital Emergency, I had all the tests done including a CAT and nothing was abnormal. (I know this doesn't sound normal ! ! ) but it;s true. How did I feel on the period with no meds ? Quite honestly no different really. My Doctor suggests I go to my Neuro. Specialist and he could probably make a cocktail (of drugs) that might work. Good luck !
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CM that is interesting about the bi polar but is anyone here on bi-polar meds? I'm not, so is that really pertinent or just cloudy? I mean, aren't there 10000000000 mitigating circumstances that really don't address the question of placing yourself in a position to be dependent on pd meds or not? The people that i see that ask for advice are often (not always) people that have not yet started the meds. Those of us that are already fully dependent on them i don't believe can offer any advice to non dependents other than, i'm dependent and still have pd. Isn't that just defending an entrenched position that its too late to get out of? At a certain point what i hear from people is once they are dependent on the meds they cant get off them, their choices become extremely narrow at best...what advice is there for people who are not yet dependent on the meds? It should be a good thing that there is a choice BEFORE dependency, intercepting dependency and making a choice BEFORE you're dependent seems to be the question at hand as most people who are already dependent are just....well ....dependent and have only that experience to offer as valuable as that experience is to other DEPENDENT folks it does little to address the should i or shouldn't i question. I'm quite curious as to why such damaging medication gets so much support until i remember the Taco Bell commercials and compare them to saturation advertising tactics of Dr,s that are paid to keep you medicated and sick. Of course i realize that if i jump off a medication cliff #1 i don't want to do it alone and #2 after i jump i have a need to defend my jumping.
Further, being dependent on meds and than stating that it changed my life for the better and then consistently demonstrating frustration with those meds and or negative side effects and the outcome is quite an individual controversy played out daily here on DS. DOES ANYONE HERE HAVE A WESTERN DR THAT ADVISES AGAINST TAKING THE MEDS??????????? Surely in a choice driven situation there would be a noticeable% of Dr's that tell you that taking the meds is a bad idea. Doesn't it strike anyone as odd that nearly all the Dr's have only ONE opinion? and that is take pills? Lastly, i recommend that all pwp on meds already, do not try and stop, its hell. I can only advocate to those not already on the meds that there are other ways to deal with PD....not one single person has expressed more than a passing interest in just how to do that....there should be no wonder that numerous reputable Magazines do write ups on the western "pill driven society" since most of us apparently want the pills at any justification. You know... i may want to die with a clear head and undrugged body regardless of the time the pills may give me....the issue goes beyond do i or don't i? i might prefer to die unaffected by drugs and in pain etc. when the only apparent trade off for most of us is TIME....which i believe is made up. I believe that i will try and step up to the plate and face this head on without being dependent on drugs until i'm ultimately dead anyway. I also believe that i will continue advocate for those who are not dependent and do not want to become dependent.
Since there are few to no Dr's or patients that actually ADVOCATE not going on meds i believe it's time that someone does just that. And if there remains little or no interest I'll respectfully bow out.
peace and love to dependent folks and non dependent folks alike.
Bret T...still COMPLETELY med free and ecstatically happy. And advocating for abstinacy.hehehe.....(clever rhyme)
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Terrapins - Approx. 6 months ago I was going thru a HORRIBLE time with my PD. Looking back - I now know it was stress driven. During a check-up appt. with my neuro we discussed several of the issues I was having. I asked her about meds and she told me ABSOLUTELY NOT - you're too young! (Wow! At 55 yrs old I am actually TOO YOUNG for something???).
Meds may help with my symptoms, but I am in agreement with my neuro at this time. Just not ready to start meds, deal with any side effects that may come, and deal with med adjustments. Stress relief is what I am currently trying to figure out. So - for me - I don't need any possible stress a med regime may bring. Not saying I will NEVER take meds, just not right now.
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Thank you! Woderfull to hear a Dr who doesn't push meds! Theres a couple of us here who could use that kind of Doc. very heartening!
Brer T
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I'm going on 7 years now with minimal drugs......just Azilect once a day. I tried other drugs a few years ago with many side effects. I have tremor in my right hand, some stiffness in right arm, slight limp, so....really nothing.
My secret: stay calm, meditate, believe in your higher power, talk to your higher power, I joined a metaphysical church... so I'm surrounded with MUCH positive energy every Sunday, keep both physically busy and mentally busy, if you don't have enough to do around your home.....join a gym, only speak and think with positive energy, surround yourself ONLY with positive people..............
CO Q-10 800-1,200 mg
Fish Oil 1,200-2,400 mg
Multi-Vitamin/Mineral Formula
You can heal yourself more than you know. You need to find the "BALANCE" in your life. Physical, Mental, Spiritual.
Peace to all,
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Energy Star Appliances May Not All Be Efficient, Audit Finds
By Matthew L. Wald in the New York Times, October 18 2009
The Energy Star program, jointly managed by the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, has benefited from a renewed emphasis by the Obama administration, as a mechanism for reducing the waste of energy and curbing resulting greenhouse gas emissions. Under the federal stimulus bill, $300 million will go to rebates for consumers who buy Energy Star products.
Some consumers choose energy-efficient appliances for the same reason they might choose a car with good fuel economy: to save money or reduce the environmental impact.
Teams from the Energy Department and the E.P.A. oversee different categories of products. Last December, the environmental agency's inspector general said the Energy Star ratings for products it oversees, like computers and television sets, were "not accurate or verifiable" because of weak oversight by the agency.
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Mr. Magic
From Grand Theft Wiki
Revision as of 04:41, 19 November 2012 by Spaceeinstein (talk | contribs) (R* RIP dedication + ViceCityRadio DJ info)
"Super Rockin'" Mr. Magic (full name John Rivas) is the DJ for Wildstyle Pirate Radio and appears in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He has a disliking for the Vice City Police Department and Yuppie and the Alien. According to Rockstar Games, "he is the first ever rap radio DJ." Rockstar has a RIP dedication to Mr. Magic after he passed away on 2 October 2009.[1]
DJ info
The Magic is here. A pioneer in the truest sense of the word, "Supa Rockin" Mr. Magic has the distinction of being the very first radio personality ever to bring rap music to the airwaves. On Wildstyle Pirate Radio, Mr. Magic hosted the innovative new sounds of rap music and early 80's electro for all of Vice City's fly girls and fly guys, troopers and troopettes, broadcasting illegally, we are repeatedly told, 'from a secret location'. Magic was also hosting a weekly show in New York at the time…[2]
- ↑ "I Miss Mr Magic" – A Rockstar RIP Dedication to a True Radio Pioneer, Rockstar Newswire
- ↑ ViceCityRadio.com bio, retrieved from archive.org


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My name is Eliese I start crochet at the age of 12 . I start back crochet when I got pregnancy with my kids. Now I doing more crochet than ever with my grandchildren. I even thinking about open a business . I have so much fun learning more about my craft.
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Pick up a copy of the October 2011 issue to read these and other articles.
Sandra BrownWith more than 60 New York Times best-sellers, the queen of thrillers heads overseas to entertain the troops.
by Tim Rogers
Get on the BusThe Vintagemobile takes retro threads to the road.
by Courtney Dreslin
Picture PerfectHere with the 2011 class of Dallas Scene Stealers.
by Jeanne Prejean
Sticky FingersThe most frequently stolen items from Dallas restaurants.
by Nancy Nichols
Better, Stronger, ColderDesigned for high-caliber athletes, the Playtri Performance Center works for midlife, mediocre ones, too.
by Catherine Mallette
Reboot CampHiking 60 miles, eating fewer than 1,500 calories, and cutting out meat, alcohol, and sugar may seem like torture. To those at The Ranch at Live Oak Malibu, it's a vacation.
by Krista Nightengale
Beyond Fantasy IslandFiji comprises an archipelago of more than 330 islands. Only one, Laucala Island, is the most exclusive private getaway in the world.
by Nancy Nichols
Perfect HarmonyTwenty-five years in the arts community has prepared David Fisher for his next challenge: leading the Turtle Creek Corale.
by Liz Johnstone


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As Ukraine tensions rise, many economists debate the effect that the strain will place on economic growth globally. It is reported, that the optimistic spending that was recently recovered in Europe has been noticeably dwindling downward, most likely due to political tensions over Ukraine.
Tuesday, several financialists report that the Ukraine crisis will hit the European Union the hardest. Despite this, European consumers continue to remain rather optimistic towards jobs and inflation. Wall Street says that this is reflective of the concern for Ukraine tensions weighing heavier on businesses than on consumers. Unfortunately, businesses control the direction for an improved European economy. If their fears are strong enough, it ultimately paves way for continued hesitation for European businesses to hire and invest; further drawing vulnerability to the Euro.
In a poll conducted by The Telegraph, 55 percent of EU citizens want to see stabilization in Ukraine, but not at the expense of having to involve their own leaders or any form of military. 44 percent of the poll agreed that their governments should place a sanction, and that monetary impositions should be placed as well.
Stabilizing Ukraine's economy could prove rather difficult without complete dislodge from Crimea -- and with continued growth in deficit as other countries try to lend financial support. In fact, yesterday the European Union agreed to loan Ukraine €1 billion to assist in stabilization. Columnist Daniel Gros from the Business Standard says that you'd nearly have to restart Ukraine's economy completely in order to truly stabilize it. The price of gas being one factor into effectively stabilizing Ukraine's economy.
As of Tuesday, the price of global oil reportedly rose. WTI experienced a 44 cent gain, there was an 89 cent gain in London, and News Asia says that traders are closely monitoring developments in Libya, "where the state National Oil Corporation is to resume exports."


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Leaders of neighborhoods with an interest in the proposed new minor league baseball stadium at Clark College are invited to a meeting at 7 p.m. June 22 at the Vancouver Housing Authority, 2500 Main St.
The meeting is sponsored by the Arnada Neighborhood Association, which says representatives of Clark College, the Yakima Bears and Vancouver will be there to discuss the process that, if approved, might move the proposal forward. Seating is limited to 88. Attendees can listen and ask questions.
If the owners of the Yakima Bears want to move the minor league baseball team to Vancouver, they will have to come up with a better offer than a 70-30 public/private split on a $23 million stadium.
Based on the county's estimate that a 5 percent countywide admissions tax would generate $965,000 a year, the county could only afford 53 percent of capital construction costs, Deputy Treasurer John Payne said Thursday.
"The revenue stream doesn't support a 70 percent split," said Payne, one of several county employees researching the proposal.
Commissioners on Tuesday voted 2-1 to negotiate with Short Season LLC, the organization that owns the Class A team, though they've yet to have a work session to publicly discuss details.
Leaders of neighborhoods with an interest in the proposed new minor league baseball stadium at Clark College are invited to a meeting at 7 p.m. June 22 at the Vancouver Housing Authority, 2500 Main St.
The meeting is sponsored by the Arnada Neighborhood Association, which says representatives of Clark College, the Yakima Bears and Vancouver will be there to discuss the process that, if approved, might move the proposal forward. Seating is limited to 88. Attendees can listen and ask questions.
Also Thursday, Commissioner Steve Stuart — the biggest baseball supporter among the three commissioners — made a key distinction by saying he will "absolutely not" support any construction bonds that would be backed by the county's general fund.
Issuing a limited tax general obligation bond backed with the general fund ($279 million for the 2011-12 budget) would yield a better interest rate.
Stuart, however, said he won't put the general fund, used for basic public services including law and justice, at risk should admissions tax revenue estimates fall short.
"If someone can convince me otherwise, fine, but that's where I stand," Stuart said.
County Budget Director Jim Dickman said if the bond was backed by the county's general fund and revenue estimates did fall short, commissioners would have to make budget cuts in order to satisfy the bond debt.
"That's not appropriate," Stuart said.
Payne said the bond could be structured so team owners would have to find financing and have sufficient reserves in case the revenue stream from the admissions tax doesn't meet expectations.
Asked to comment whether Short Season LLC would be willing to put up more money or have a reserve fund substantial enough to satisfy investors, spokesman Ron Arp issued a statement: "We are standing by our commitment made a month ago to cover all maintenance and operations and 30 percent of the capital debt service, for the privilege of reserving 38 days in a multiuse facility for home games each summer. We have had some preliminary discussions with county staff and are just beginning the work on a financing plan. We agreed to a 60-day negotiation period and there will be many conversations and options explored during that time. We prefer to comment only if and when we reach an agreement with the county," Arp wrote.
Commissioner Tom Mielke voted no Tuesday to even negotiate with the team; that leaves Stuart and Marc Boldt as the only ones willing to consider welcoming the Bears.
While the facts that the county can't afford 70 percent of capital costs and won't use the general fund to back the bonds appear to threaten the proposal, Stuart stressed that discussions are in the early stages. Next week he expects to have a "milestone map" to guide people through the process; a work session will also be scheduled for commissioners and the Vancouver City Council.
"There are a lot of steps to take and partners to work with," Stuart said.
The community benefits of having a professional baseball team as well as a facility that could be used by Clark College teams and other squads will be a part of the discussions, Stuart said.
Council could kill it
On May 13, co-owner and general manager of the Yakima Bears, K.L. Wombacher, announced during a press conference at Clark College that the team wants to move to Vancouver. The Bears would play at a 3,500-seat stadium which would be built on the college's current baseball field, east of Interstate 5 and west of Fort Vancouver Way.
Before the public announcement, there were months of behind-the-scenes meetings with elected officials and Clark College leaders to gauge support for bringing the team to Vancouver.
But the proposal of an admissions tax has not been well received.
Under the county's estimate, the tax would be applied to: movies ($650,273 of the revenue); Sleep Country Amphitheater ($86,625); Clark County Fair ($53,069); Washougal Motocross ($50,000); new baseball stadium ($47,500); Mountain View Ice Arena ($12,600); Clark County Events Center at the Fairgrounds (without Clark County Fair exhibits) ($8,000); Vancouver Symphony ($5,805); Vancouver Volcanoes ($1,250); and miscellaneous (swimming pools, billiards, downtown concerts, winery events, nightclubs, etc) ($50,000).
The "miscellaneous" category includes golf.
Kevin Coombs, general manager of the Green Mountain Golf Course, said the county underestimated how much revenue a tax on green fees would bring in. He said golf would bring in more than $100,000 in admissions tax revenue.
"I think it would be great to bring a baseball team to Vancouver," Coombs said, but not if it involves taxing golf.
The county has seven 18-hole courses and four nine-hole, par-three courses.
"We're all really suffering because of the weather and the economy," Coombs said Wednesday. He said golf typically draws in players from a 30-mile range, and a 5 percent greens fee might push players up to Cowlitz County or south to Multnomah County.
The admissions tax, even if approved by Stuart and Boldt, could be effectively killed by the Vancouver City Council.
County Administrator Bill Barron has told commissioners that all of the cities would have to agree to the tax; if cities enacted their own tax, it would take the revenue away from the county.
For the purpose of the admissions tax, the revenues are driven by action in the city of Vancouver.
Budget analyst Adriana Prata calculated that 63 percent of the revenues would be collected within city limits.
Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt said the city cannot legally promise the county it won't enact an admissions tax "over the top" of the county.
Such an agreement would inappropriately bind future city councils from enacting a local tax, he said.
Instead, the city and county would have to have an agreement that specifies how much money the city would direct to the county to support the construction bond payoff.
Then, the city council would have to decide where that money would come from. If not from an admissions tax, the city would have to find another source of revenue.
Leavitt said the city council will have to talk about whether bringing the Yakima Bears to the city provides enough of a community asset to warrant the finances.
Councilor Jack Burkman said Thursday that the baseball proposal "plays out where I expected it to be, into our laps."
"It's really a simple answer for me. During our retreats, we said no new taxes without asking residents and public safety is a priority," Burkman said.
"I do not support taking money out of the general fund for this, and I don't support another tax on the residents."
"In this economy, I don't see how you could justify public financing," Burkman said.
Other councilors said it was too soon to comment.
Andrea Damewood contributed to this article.


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New Synthetic Drug "Smiles" Potent & Deadly
Written by Your 5News Team
Last updated on September 24, 2012 @ 8:01PM
Created on September 24, 2012 @ 7:05PM
Over the past couple of years, synthetic drugs like K-2, "spice," and bath salts have become popular with teens, young adults, and drug addicts looking for another way to get high. Police are working to get those drugs classified as illegal substances. But one by one, they've triggered a domino affect of more potent versions, because yet another synthetic drug has made its way on to the market.
A new synthetic drug called 2C-I, better known by it's street name "Smiles" is slowly becoming a serious, and in some cases deadly problem in several parts of our country.
Smile's effects have been described as a combination of MDMA and LSD, but even more potent. Users experience a speedy charge, along with intense hallucinations that can last anywhere from a few hours, to a few days.
Apparently the drug comes as a liquid or a pill, but it's difficult to measure in powder form. That's why it's easy to end up overdosing on the drug.
Overdoses have been reported in North Dakota, Indiana, and Minnesota. But law enforcement officials said it's only a matter of time before the drug makes it's way to our state.
"Everybody's looking for a better buzz, or another buzz. For whatever the reason, that goes back to huffing gasoline, huffing paint, magic markers, you name it. People will do anything they can sometimes when that addiction that's on them is so strong, they're chasing that buzz," said Sheriff Joe Carpenter, Marion County Sheriff's Department.
In July, the DEA announced "Operation Log Jam," which is the first nationwide law enforcement strike that specifically targets synthetic drugs.
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This item cannot be purchased online at this time, please call us or email us for further information.
Phone: (601) 362-7257
Fax: (888)623-5670
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Does your toddler need a new friend? The Melissa and Doug Jenna Baby Doll is a great companion for young toddlers. The body of this doll is soft and cuddly, great for kids to play with, sleep with, or even take a bath with! Jenna can suck on her own thumb and comes with her very own pacifier. These features allow the doll to resemble the movements and actions of a real baby.
The Melissa and Doug Jenna Baby Doll is great for young toddlers between the ages of 1 and 2 years. It is very light and perfectly constructed. The size is perfect enough for children to carry around by themselves. The eyes open and close giving it a realistic feature. Another realistic feature is the skin tone as it is a warm beige rather than a typical white. The doll comes dressed in a removable onesie and hat, easy to wash. The body is easy to wipe and keep clean.
This doll is the perfect doll for children to carry around when on the go and running errands with parents. The pacifier that comes with this doll is a bit small for toddlers. Parental supervision is highly recommended for kids not to use the pacifier for themselves as it is a choking hazard.
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Art projects for Inclusion Students
I've received a few letters asking me about projects best suited for inclusion kids. While I'm not anywhere near qualified to answer this question on a professional level, either as an art educator or inclusion specialist, I will take a stab at trying to address what I find is helpful in my art room. First of all, I've taught many ability ranges in...Read More


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In 1986, I served as editor of The Epic at Shawnee Mission West High School in Overland Park, Kansas; and later went on to major in news/editorial and public relations with a concentration in English at The William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at The University of Kansas, Lawrence.
All along, I wrote poems and short stories but didn't consider being any other kind of writer than a journalist.
Over the next few years, I reported for The University Daily Kansan and then various community and metropolitan newspapers. This introduced me to interesting people. I talked to an African-American lawyer about his work in the civil rights movement, to a city alderman about his decision to run for state representative, and to a Tony award-winning actress about her guru.
In 1991, I went to The University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor with the idea that I would become a legal reporter and then teach media law at a journalism school. It sounded like a good plan. I'm one of those odd people who loved law school. Michigan has a particularly beautiful (if chilly) campus, and my fellow students were a source of inspiration. During summers, I studied EC law and the French legal system in Paris, worked for a legal aid office in Hawaii, worked for a federal appellate judge in Kansas, and reported for The Dallas Morning News.
By graduation, I already was writing fiction for grown-ups. Like so many people, I put down a book and thought "I can do better than that." I'm not sure why. Maybe I was rebelling from legal writing, from words like "herewith" and "aforementioned."
For almost a year, I worked in the law offices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and of the Social Security Administration in Chicago. But I spent my lunch and after-work hours writing stories. They weren't good. They were awful. But it was a start. The important thing was to keep learning.
The article series "My Writing Life" continues with "Children's & YA Writing " →


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Des Peres Hospital's Radiology department offers advanced imaging services to diagnose a wide range of medical conditions and traumatic injuries.
Our Radiologists are board certified by the American Board of Radiology and licensed by the state. Our technologists are board certified by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (AART).
Services include:
For an appointment with Des Peres Hospital radiology, call our Scheduling office at 314-966-9297.
Diagnostic X-ray
X-ray imaging encompasses a wide range of techniques and applications. In general, X-ray imaging can be broken down into two major categories -- Radiographic and Fluoroscopic.
Fluoroscopy is a method that takes real time X-ray imaging and allows physicians to see the movement of a body part. It is useful for a variety of diagnostic and interventional procedures, indcluding upper G.I.'s, lower G.I.'s, dysphagograms, barium swallows, ERCP's, myelograms, arthrograms, biopsies.
Today's digital equipment rapidly provides doctors with sharp, highly detailed images. Exams are much quicker, there is less radiation, and fewer repeated films.
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Radiographic X-ray
The majority of routine X-rays are chest and abdominal X-rays and or/trauma to detect fractures.
Digital Mammography
Des Peres Hospital offers digital mammography.
Digital mammography is different from conventional mammography in how the image of the breast is acquired and, more importantly, viewed. The radiologist can magnify the images, increase or decrease the contrast and invert the black and white values while reading the images. These features allow the radiologist to evaluate microcalcifications and focus on areas of concern.
Benefits of this technology include:
To schedule an appointment, call Des Peres Hospital Scheduling at 314-966-9297.
There are two types of mammograms -- a screening mammogram for those with no symptoms or problems and a diagnostic mammogram for those experiencing problems such as lumps, thickening, swelling, and nipple discharge.
Other procedures performed are needle localizations.
We are certified by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Bone Density
Des Peres Hospital has a fan beam bone density unit. The bone density exam is utilized to detect osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease that gradually weakens bones so they become fragile and more likely to break. There are several medications now that can help slow and/or prevent this process. This simple test takes approximately 15 minutes for the actual scan.
Ultrasound imaging is an important diagnostic tool used in monitoring pregnancy and identifying abnormalities in the breast, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, uterus, ovaries, testes, and thyroid. An ultrasound consists of high frequency sound waves which are electronically generated and have no known harmful effects on humans at the levels used for diagnosis.
Breast core biopsy is a non-surgical procedure. The Radiologist locates a suspicious lesion, then, through the use of a biopsy needle, takes tiny sections of tissue for examination and diagnosis. This technique minimizes pain.
Now offering services Saturday morning from 8 a.m. - noon.
Vascular Lab
The vascular lab performs noninvasive procedures that can evaluate arterial disease which can lead to a stroke, and evaluate veins of the legs for potentially life-threatening blood clots.
Routine hours are 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Saturday, and 24-hour emergency call.
CT Scanner
Des Peres Hospital has a 64 slice Computer Tomography (CT) scanner. CT is a medical diagnostic tool that allows the visualization of internal structures within the human body. It aids physicians in diagnosing disease by viewing internal abnormalities and assessing the extent of injury related to trauma. Des Peres Hospital offers all routine CT procedures: CT angiography, fluoroscopy, biopsies, 2-D, 3-D, 4-D reconstruction.
Routine hours are 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Saturday, and 24-hour emergency call.
For more information about the risks and benefits of CT scans, visit the FDA's site .
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
Des Peres Hospital is equipped with a 1.5 T MRI unit. MRI uses magnetic energy and radio waves to image cross sections of the body. The benefit of MRI is that unlike CT, it does not use radiation to obtain images. MRI can be used to diagnose multiple abnormalities such as tumors, arterial venous malformation, injured tendons and ligaments, brain lesions, disc herniations, and arterial stenosis.
Routine hours are 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Saturday, and 24-hour emergency call.
Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear medicine employs the use of radioactive isotopes for diagnostic purposes. Nuclear medicine is primarily to look at functional processes in the body, for example bone scans, thyroid scans, lung scans, renal scans, gallbladder function and liver scans.
Routine hours are 7 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 24-hour emergency call.
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Meet Thomas, the Most Innovational person in Oracle Direct EMEA of Q1 by Susan Farrelly
By Maria Sandu on Nov 12, 2013
We congratulate Thomas for his efforts of raising Social Media to the next level within Business Development Group. He put a lot of work into Social Selling, as one of the first within the BDG and set the example for a new innovative approach on how to sell anno 2013. He deserves to be recognized for this.
His contribution to social media has been a great inspiration for all Business Development Consultants or Business Relationship Consultants. He knows what he talks about and has great conversion rates out of his social media campaigns. And he doesn't mind sharing his knowledge with everybody...[Read More]


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Fool slang
For acronyms pertaining to investing, go to Investing Acronyms
This is a list of slang and acronyms that commonly appear on The Motley Fool Discussion Boards, CAPS, and other places throughout the Fool community.
You will note that although most "shorthand" acronyms used in posting on the Discussion Boards utilize capitals, the actual phrases for which they act as a substitute, if used in the normal course of writing, would likely be typed in mixed or lower-case letters. These acronyms probably came about in the same way as shorthands in texting. It's easier and faster to type the shorter version, although it assumes that everyone else knows what it means.
That's where this page comes in. It will help you "join the club" and feel a bit more Foolish (and a bit less "f"oolish) when reading and/or writing posts.
Don't feel too badly that you didn't already know what all these meant! After all, if you don't know what you don't know, how are you gonna know that you need to know it?
Commonly used acronyms
FWIW, here's the list:
- AFAIK = As far as I know
- BBN = Best Buys Now (a key feature of Motley Fool premium services)
- BTW = By the way
- CAT = Community Analyst Team (see The Motley Fool Community Analyst T4eam)
- FTR = For the record
- FWIW = For what it's worth
- 1) May sometimes translate as, "I think this has a great deal of value, but in case you might disagree, I've framed it with this little acronym to try and show some measure of humility."
- 2) Possible alternate translation: "It may not be worth a whole lot, but I'm throwing it out there for the general edification of anyone who might find it useful."
- HTH = Hope this helps/helped
- HWHIL = He who hesitates is lost
- IDK = I don't know
- IINM = If I'm not mistaken
- IIRC = If I remember correctly
- IOW, "I think I've got it right, but I don't have time to verify it right now."
- IMO = In my opinion
- IMFO = In my Foolish opinion
- IMHO = In my humble opinion
- Meant to add a touch of humor and grace to the sometimes highly opinionated idea being referenced.
- IMNSHO = In my not so humble opinion
- "I have great knowledge of this subject, and if you disagree with me, I will scowl righteously."
- IOW = In other words
- JMO = Just my opinion
- JMHO = Just my humble opinion (see IMHO above)
- JM2C = Just my 2 cents (worth)
- $.02 = Another way to say my two cents worth, frequently at the end of a post
- OMG = Oh my gosh, oh my gawd, oh my golly, oh my goodness... take your pick
- OP = Opening/Original poster
- Used to reference the person who started that particular thread on the discussion boards
- OT = Off topic
- Gives a heads-up that what follows is not germane to the topic at hand and may not be of interest to everyone, so feel free to slide past it when reading the thread.
- OTOH = On the other hand
- POD = Post of the Day
- A post of beauty, intellect, or just plain old common sense that amuses, educates, and enriches.
- RB = Rule Breaker
- 1) One who believes that the world is changed for the better by those who aren't afraid to bend, or break, the rules when an improvement will result.
- 2) A Motley Fool newsletter.
- 3) Alternately, as defined by the Fool Rule Breaker himself, Motley Fool's own David Gardner:
- (a) A company that takes an existing industry by storm, threatening to grab some or all of the future profits by changing the rules of the game.
- (b) A subscriber to the Motley Fool Rule Breakers service; a contrary thinker who possesses a sense of humor and understands the benefits of online collaboration to enrich both one's life and one's bank account.
- RL port = Real life portfolio
- The investing portfolio that we have in "real life," in which we invest our own hard-earned dollars... as opposed to "play" portfolios, in which we compose lists of investments to satisfy the protocols of a game or other parallel portfolio (such as CAPS).
- SA = The Motley Fool Stock Advisor newsletter
- TANSTAAFL = There ain't no such thing as a free lunch
- WAG = Wild (arsed) guess
- YMMV = Your mileage may vary
- Usually used in the context of offering advice with examples, wtih the connotation that your results won't necessarily match those given.
- %$@!! = Self censorship
- "I won't say what I would like to say out of respect for others on the Fool boards, but you get my drift."
Commonly used slang terms
- Minkey/Minkette = As posted by flyerboys on one of the Rule Breakers boards...
- "Minkey" {or Minkette -- the female version} is a classic line from Peter Sellers as Clouseau in "Return of the Pink Panther." Clouseau is distracted from a bank robbery by a "blind" accordionist and his monkey, or "minkey" as Clouseau calls it. I think we all loved the idea of being a horde of "minkeys" ambling through the financial centers of the world, inducing confusion as we go about our business.
- Also, I think there is something about RB thinking that has a close affinity with the absurd, relentlessly tracking down huge diamonds, causing total bafflement to onlookers, and winning out in the end.
Note that use of this term, and its coming into the common lexicon of RB posts, was originated by TMFBreakerRob. It is used to affectionately refer to oneself (or others) as a "rule breaker" (see acronyms above), one who has a bit of the imp in them, and who like to let it come out and play now and then.
This is a good thing, as posited by Rule Breakers who use the term.
- Noodle Shop = This term, originated by TMFeatnbybears, has come into the common lexicon of Fool posts by sheer force of use by none other than that Minkey himself, TMFBreakerRob. Its genesis was the idea that maybe some of the little-known Chinese companies, lacking transparency, in which folks might invest "could be nothing more than a 'noodle shop' with a fax machine and visions of milking the investing public" (to quote Rob, who was probably quoting Bears).
Definition as posted by Sarahgen on one of the Rule Breakers boards: "High beta small cap Chinese companies that we know so little about - they actually *could* be noodle shops. They *say* they manufacture solar panels or create nutritional supplements or are dairy farmers - but if one of us took a trip there, we might just find out they consist only of a sign, with no business behind it."
As it has come to be used, it can refer in a friendly way to any Chinese company in which folks invest -- not just those companies without major coverage, lacking transparency and verifiable accounting. They are investments that take us out of our comfort zone, because they aren't easily researched by those of us outside the roaring market that is China.
- Lurker = Anyone who reads and follows posts made on the Motley Fool Boards, but who does not generally post themselves. It is not a pejorative term, as used here at TMF. It merely reflects, in a much more friendly way than the term itself implies, that a person prefers to stay in the shadows of the boards, following along anonymously, as it were. It is not a sinister thing to do. Some folks simply aren't comfortable posting on public boards for their own reasons.
Sometimes, they may come out and post an original message or respond to another's post. Nevertheless, for the most part, lurkers remain behind the scenes, hidden from view.


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What you need to know.
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We are unable to accept any items for return or exchange without proof of purchase. Items purchased as final sale cannot be returned, exchanged or repaired.
Items must be returned to the store brand where the purchase originated or by mail (if the item was ordered online or by phone and received by mail). Purchases made outside the U.S. may only be returned to the purchase location.


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Selena Gomez recently checked into The Meadows recovery center in Arizona, but not for the reasons we would all assume. The young singer apparently just wanted to take some time for herself. With all the buzz about her former boyfriend Justin Bieber, Gomez needed to separate herself from the media for a brief moment.
According to New York Daily News Gomez's stay at The Meadows was shortly after she canceled a tour in December telling her fans "I need to spend some time on myself in order to be the best person I can be."
As the media and paparazzi are not allowed to enter rehab centers for obvious reasons, Gomez most likely had a peaceful two-week stay at the rehab center.
A rep for the singer released a statement to ensure that the media knew Gomez had not been abusing any substances.
For more information on this story visit http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/selena-gomez-checked-reh...


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The Lemur Conservation Foundation partners with the Protected Area of
Tampolo in Analanjirofo, a small reserve in Madagascar
operated by ESSA-Forêts, University of Antananarivo. Formerly
known as the Tampolo
Forest Station, it was elevated to the status of Systeme des Aires Protegees
de Tampolo (Protected Area System of Tampolo) in 2006 as part of the
Durban Convention promise made by President Marc Ravalomanana to
increase the protected areas of Madagascar by a third.
The Centre EnviroKidz Tampolo building is almost complete.
It is a beautiful and charming design in addition to serving multipurpose functions for the
local communities. The Centre will be an environmental classroom
by day for visiting schoolchildren from the region who will
attend classes about Tampolo's natural history. These
presentations are followed by explorations of the forest and its
lively lemurs, birds and other critters.
After school hours, the
EnviroKidz building will double as a community center for both
children and adults. It will be used as a study hall where the
children of the Tampolo villages can take advantage of the solar
powered electric lights after sundown to do their homework and
school projects. On a recent trip Penelope visited the
school across the road from the Station and met the children who
will use the Centre. They are very excited about the new
When environmental concerns
motivate the construction of as beautiful a structure as the
Centre EnviroKidz Tampolo, psychologically environmental studies
are raised in status, jobs associated with them are held in high
estimation, and young people are motivated to pursue them. The
Centre can also be reserved for adult villagers to conduct "town
meetings" and/or to work with the foresters to improve
sustainable methods of fishing, beekeeping, and farming. The
Station which is already a hub of environmental activity, then
also becomes the civic and intellectual center for all residents
of Tampolo. In this way, the building serves a social need while
bringing attention to environmental issues.
The construction
of Centre EnviroKidz Tampolo has recently become even more
critical than first thought to be. Madagascar had a very
difficult year in 2009, with the ousting of the country's
president in March. This political "distraction" allowed the
timber mafia to unleash havoc on the island's endangered forests
and their equally endangered animals. Rampant deforestation for
valuable hardwoods left harassed populations of lemurs either
dead, too stressed to eat, or butchered for food. In spite of an
agreement between political factions aiming to right
Madagascar's political and environmental disequilibrium, the
chaos stills reigns in the north as the timber barons continue
their nefarious deeds.
The Lemur Conservation Foundation has been named a
recipient of Nature's Path Organic Foods'
EnviroKidz Giving Back Award. The Giving Back Program
donates money to non-profit organizations, such as LCF
that support endangered species, habitat conservation
and environmental education for kids.
LCF's relationship with Nature's Path began with the
development of the EnviroKidz Organic Leapin' Lemurs
Cereal and cereal bars which describe the work of the
Lemur Conservation Foundation and inform children about
lemurs and their situation as an endangered species.
"We have heard from dozens of children who have
responded enthusiastically to the products and the games
and informational material on the box and wanted to help
us in our mission," said Penelope Bodry-Sanders, LCF's
Executive Director. "Given the current political unrest
and accelerated environmental devastation in some parts
of Madagascar, the LCF's classroom project being
supported by EnvironKidz, has become even more urgent
and critical for conservation efforts on this island
nation," she added.
"We are committed to leaving the world a better place
than we found it by supporting organizations like the
Lemur Conservation Foundation," said Arran Stephens,
President and Founder of Nature's Path Organic Foods.
"We are extremely grateful to the consumers who have
supported our EnviroKidz line and made this possible and
proud to be able to give back to this dedicated and
hard-working group." Nature's Path, North America's
number one organic cereal manufacturer is celebrating
the 10 year anniversary of its EnviroKidz Giving Back
Award this year. For more information go to
The $30,000 grant will fund a much needed
classroom/community center at LCF's sister reserve in
Tampolo, Madagascar.
The center will fill a critical
need at the Tampolo Forest Reserve and will dramatically
enhance education outreach for both school students and
adults by providing a centralized gathering place for
environmental educational presentations and study.
The Tampolo Station which is already a hub of
environmental activity, can also become the civic and
intellectual center for all residents of Tampolo
villages. In this way, the building serves a social need
while bringing attention to environmental issues. As
new towers for wireless Internet are being built ever
closer to Tampolo, within the next couple of years when
the Internet is available, LCF will install four
computers powered by solar panels in the classroom,
available for the use of Tampolo village children.
Founded in 1985, Nature's Path Organic Foods is
headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia and employs
around 350 people at its four facilities in Canada and
the United States. The privately held, family-owned
company produces breakfast foods and snacks sold in
specialty foods stores and retailers in 40 countries
around the world. The company's innovative brands
include Nature's Path®, Flax Plus, EnviroKidz®, Weil by
Nature's Path TM, and Optimum®. Visit Nature's Path
online at
Madagascar is considered one of the highest priorities for
biological conservation in the world because the widespread and
escalating destruction of its ecosystems endangers its remarkable
species diversity. Tampolo Forest Station is one of the last fragments
of littoral (coastal) forest dotting the eastern shore of Madagascar.
The unique tropical lowland rainforests found here are important not
only for their endangered flora and fauna but because they provide
critical habitat for migrating birds.
The 1700-acre forest of Tampolo, situated directly on the coast north of
the city of Fenerive, is home to seven species of lemurs. Five are
nocturnal species - the Aye-Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), Mouse
lemurs (Microcebus rufus), Dwarf lemurs (Cheirogaleus major), Sportive
lemurs (Lepilemur mustelinus) and Wooly lemurs (Avahi laniger). The two
diurnal species found at Tampolo - Brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus fulvus)
and Bamboo lemurs (Hapalem aur griseus griseus) - are both represented
at the Myakka City Lemur Reserve as well.
The land surrounding this small reserve is severely degraded and deforested
due primarily to over-harvesting of trees and the practice of slash and
burn agriculture. These encroaching human activities, exacerbated by
the economic downturn, local poverty, demographic pressures and a lack
of education, seriously threaten the biodiversity of Tampolo. In order
to deal with these threats, ESSA-Forêts has established a
reforestation program and a field course in lemur ecology at the
station. Similar to the LCF's Field Training Program,
ESSA-Forêts's field course uses the forest and surrounding
habitats as a biological station for research and training purposes.
Because of the similarities with the LCF, ESSA Forêts (through
our colleague Dr. Joelisoa Ratsirarson) suggested that we create a
mutually beneficial partnership between our reserves to strengthen our
conservation and education missions. This alliance enables LCF to fit
into an overall international conservation effort to insure the
long-term existence of lemur species.
Forêts requested financial help in their construction of an
environmental center at Tampolo that will serve as a small "museum",
interpretative center and meeting room. The hope is that an aggressive
education outreach program that allows local residents and visitors to
learn about the endangered forest and its inhabitants will help
forestall further degradation. LCF was able to participate in this
building project chiefly through the generosity of Malcolm &
Priscilla McKenna and Judy Rasmuson & Ron Wallace. Our Malagasy
colleagues have also proposed that LCF accept students from Madagascar
at Myakka City Lemur Reserve to learn field techniques that follow
strict scientific protocols. Eventually we hope to create an exchange
that will also allow gifted young American LCF students to further hone
their field skills under in-situ conditions at Tampolo Forest Station.
In addition to these educational initiatives, LCF has long-range plans
including the establishment of the Institute of Malagasy Primate
Studies (the library that will also serve as a base for an
international scientific-conservation consortium) and the
reintroduction of lemurs to Madagascar. With our Tampolo alliance we at LCF
hope to accomplish all these goals as we seek to increase our
efficacy in the arena of conservation.
On September 9, 2003, a small band of LCF trustees and donors of the Lemur
Conservation Foundation celebrated the opening of the Interpretative
Center & Museum in Tampolo Forest Station, our sister reserve in Madagascar. We had been on a joint American Museum of
Natural History & LCF educational tour of Madagascar after which,
some of our LCF group continued north to Tampolo.
What we anticipated to be an important day in the history of LCF became a
truly thrilling lifetime event when we arrived to find about 200
enthusiastic attendees at Tampolo for the opening of the Center. There
were assistant ministers, mayors, university directors, ex-pat
conservationists and other luminaries in attendance and a great deal of
speechifying. Young bi-lingual students from the Department of Forestry
(ESSA-Forêts) at the University of Antananarivo served as hosts and
translators. Joelisoa Ratsirarson, ESSA-Forêts/LCF Coordinator, served
as Master of Ceremonies. The event
was featured on national television news programs throughout
Madagascar. As tradition dictates, a zebu cow was slaughtered for this
propitious occasion and its meat served to everyone present (along with
libations) as part of the festivities. Traditional dancers performed,
flags were raised, ribbons were cut and a beautiful, engraved marble
plaque was unveiled. It was an amazing and wonderful day.
The LCF underwrote most of the building costs for the Center itself and the
John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation supported the lovely and
informative exhibits it houses. The educational exhibits feature the
flora, fauna, and conservation concerns of Madagascar in general and of
Tampolo in particular, as well as ethnographic displays about the local
Betsimisaraka people. We hope that the Center and an aggressive
education outreach program for local residents and visitors will help
forestall further degradation as they learn about the endangered forest
and its inhabitants. LCF donors Malcolm & Priscilla McKenna, Judy
Rasmuson & Ron Wallace, and Brenda Wood contributed $13,000 of the
overall $15,000 cost for building construction, but we were all
impressed at how much "sweat equity" the Malagasy invested
in the Center parlaying a modest investment into an extraordinary
The opening of the Center was a tangible manifestation of the deeper
implications of our collaboration with ESSA-Forêts, the agency managing
Tampolo. It enables LCF to fit into an overall international
conservation effort that increases our efficacy in the arena of
Before the festivities, our LCF group (John and Emily Fisher Alexander,
Malcolm and Priscilla McKenna, Ian Tattersall, Stuart Smith and Penelope Bodry-Sanders)
spent time in this exquisite forest that is home to seven species of
lemurs and phenomenal flora (some orchids are six-feet tall!). The
Betsimisaraka, have protected this forest mainly because of its sacred
status as a home of the ancestors (evident by the multiple tombs
present), but it also enjoys government protection because it is one of
the last vestiges of Madagascar's lowland tropical forests.
After the Tampolo event we proceeded north to Daraina, Madagascar, where we
went in search of the Golden-crowned Sifaka (Propithicus tattersalli)
named after LCF scientist Dr. Ian Tattersall. It was both touching and
exciting being with Ian as he encountered the lemur for the first time
since he had discovered it in 1974.
The Center is only the first step in a relationship that we
hope will grow and flourish over these next few years so that we can
positively affect the world our children will inherit from us.
The Lemur Conservation Foundation is now in the process of building
the Reed and Barbara Toomey Tranosoa Tampolo (Tampolo Welcome House.)
The guest house was designed by the same Malagasy company, Manitra, that built the Tampolo Interpretive Center and
Museum underwritten by the LCF. Manitra's architect designed it
according to our specifications, which include two bedrooms, two
dormitory rooms (accommodating six cots or sleeping bags), two
bathrooms (male and female), a living room, storage room and kitchen.
The building is small – 120 square meters (about 1150 square ft),
but adequate. To better understand its size we offer for comparison the
square footage of LCF's Office and Research Center, 1378 square
ft. "Manitra" did an excellent and timely job on the museum and the guesthouse.
LCF sponsored a
watercolor workshop at
Tampolo. Conducted by
Deborah Ross, artist and teacher, the workshop
aimed to inspire local villagers to explore the spectacular natural
history that surrounds them, to render its beauty and to embrace its
protection. The workshop was such a great success that we hope to organize yet another in the near future.
Paintings produced at Tampolo by both adults and children were the subject of an
art exhibit at the Mary Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, in
the spring of 2006.
A generous grant from Reed and Barbara Toomey provided the funding to
build the 3 bedroom 2 bath Tranosoa Tampolo Guesthouse for visiting
researchers. This serene and well-equipped facility serves as the much
needed base of operations for students and scientists studying in situ
at our sister reserve.


text:
So, That's a "No" Then Steve?
Oh, this little moment of media puffery last night on Channel 11 in Green Bay won't come back to haunt the guy this November at all.
<sarcasm>Not. One. Bit.</sarcasm>
"Let me put it this way: you're asking whether or not I trust the United States Senate, where they came up with a deal for Nebraska that the other states didn't get; where Louisiana would get a special deal. No, I don't trust the U.S. Senate," said Rep. Steve Kagen (D-8th District). "So I think I'd like to have a vote on something very meaningful."
Kagen said the health care bill should be split up into smaller bills.
"I have made the case to the speaker and also to the White House that we should take small pieces, small bites," Kagen said. "In the practice of medicine, I can't give a child a big pill. What do we do? We cut it up into pieces. Let's find things we can agree on."
Let's just go with the facts here shall we?
1) Has Nancy Pelosi listened to Kagen one iota in the past during the health care bill debate? Um, No.
2) Does it appear that Kagen is trying to cloud the picture as to what is the reconciliation process need to be accomplished (i.e., House passes the Senate bill, President signs it, then a "corrected bill" passes both the House and Senate by simple majority votes)? Likely.
3) Will Kagen be a "No" vote on what is the first step of reconciliation, which he has said publicly he backs? That also be a No.
If the reporter, Robert Hornacek of WLUK Fox 11 bought what Kagen spewed, he seriously needs to get his head examined. When it's time for the vote, Kagen will be a solid "Yes."


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Jacksonville parents need to once again check their children's toys for recalls. Blip toys along with the Consumer Products Safety Commission is voluntarily recalling toy horses in January 2010 because the lead amounts violate federal standards. The toys were purchased at Walmart stores in the Jacksonville area and throughout the United States.
Walmart stores can be located throughout Duval, Clay, St. Johns, and Nassau counties.
Recall Information
The toy horses involved in this recall are the Nature Wonders HD pinto horse toy figures with model number 92093. The horses are approximately 4 inches tall and are white with brown spots. They are made of hard plastic material. To identify the model number and name of the horse, the retail tag would still need to be attached.
Blip Toys is recalling 15,000 toy horses that were sold in Walmart stores throughout the Jacksonville and surrounding areas from January 2009 through July 2009 for $4. During testing the lead levels were too high.
What Parents Need To Do Now
Parents and caregivers need to take the recalled toy horse away from children immediately. Blip toys is replacing the horse for free. The manufacturer can be contacted at 888.405.7696 weekdays from 8:00am to 5:00pm Central Time. Visit www.bliptoys.com/recall for more information.
After parents check the toys in their own house during recalls, it's important to also check with day cares, schools, and other social setting that children are involved in playing with toys at. For a full list of recalls visit the CPSC website.
More information on Toy Recalls can be found at Examiner.com


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December 2, 2011
My 1st Order : Steam Moist Chocolate Cake with Baileys Buttercream Frosting
4 comments:
this is one of the prettiest cake i've seen! Really! i've read your reply to me on your previous posts..no..not to make you happy but it's the truth! you got to trust me! 5 star rating!! This is so presentable!ReplyDelete
Hi! This is my first time here and I can only say Wow! Your bakes are simply gorgeous! Are you sure you are not one of them professional bakers?? Glad to discover your blog :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 2, 2011 at 11:42 PM
yummies !!!! tracy tawReplyDelete
Lena : thank you babe ;) . I was really nervous when getting this cake done . LOL . All pays when my customer sms me about 2 hours ago , telling me that everyone at her sister's birthday dinner went like " WOW" the moment they saw the cake. Even better when she told me everyone loves the cake very much . heehee ...ReplyDelete
Lite Home Bake : hi , thank you for dropping by . I would love to see you around. I have join your blog. Please feel free to join mine too if u dun mind. Heehee .I have to say , I am pretty sure I am not one of them professional bakers . In fact, I didn't even get a chance to attend any class as my day job is really very demanding. My coming birthday wish will be " I wish to attend at least one fondant class " LOL ..
Tracy Taw : Hi babe .. ;)


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"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Jesus Christ
In an apparent faux pas against political correctness, the newsman Brit Hume spoke truth on the January 3rd edition of FOX News Sunday. It was during a panel discussion regarding predictions for 2010. When the subject of the serial infidelity of Tiger Woods came up, Mr. Hume said:
"Tiger Woods will recover as a golfer. Whether he can recover as a person, I think, is a very open question. And it's a tragic situation. . . . But the Tiger Woods that emerges once the news value dies out of this scandal, the extent to which he can recover, seems to me to depend on his faith. He's said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.'"
Not surprisingly the critics immediately took their shots because human-centric wisdom continually asks: What Was Jesus Thinking?
It should be noted that Hume was not speaking philosophically or from an academic point of view. There was great sincerity in his words; what is in the well of his heart came up in the bucket of his life.
Brit Hume has some experience with personal crisis and understands the necessity of the forgiveness and redemption that is only offered by faith in Jesus Christ. In February 1998 his son Sandy Hume, a reporter for The Hill and a rising star in journalism circles, committed suicide.
That tragedy affected Brit Hume to his core. At the end of 2008, when he signed off as anchor of Special Report, he spoke of the impact of his son's death:
"I want to pursue my faith more ardently than I have done. I'm not claiming it's impossible to do when you work in this business. I was kind of a nominal Christian for the longest time. When my son died, I came to Christ in a way that was very meaningful to me. If a person is a Christian and tries to face up to the implications of what you say you believe, it's a pretty big thing. If you do it part time, you're not really living it."
It is clear that Brit Hume comprehends that Jesus Christ is the answer to the question of life and death. On The O'Reilly Factor on January 4th, Hume elaborated on his Sunday morning comments.


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Tom Mix (January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was one of the most prolific screen actors in history having starred or appeared in 291 films (all but 9 of which were silent films) between 1910 and 1935. He helped define the cowboy/western movie genre and was known as "King of the Cowboys" before anyone had heard of Roy Rogers. I've watched perhaps one or two Tom Mix films when they were shown on TCM's Sunday evening silent film fest. By today's standards, those old films are nothing less than corny but in the 19teens and 20's, the theaters were filled with star struck kids who idolized The King of the Cowboys. One of the original superstars of Hollywood, Tom's lifetime earnings were over $6 million which would be about $700 million in today's dollars. He embellished his personal history to match his on screen persona. His self-written bio claimed that he had fought (with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders) in the Spanish American War, the Boer War and the Boxer Rebellion. The only truth in any of those stories was that he enlisted in the Army at the outbreak of the Spanish American War, but never saw combat and deserted to marry his first wife.
Daughter with Olive Mix, Ruth Mix.
Served as a pallbearer at the funeral of legendary western lawman Wyatt Earp in 1929.
Appears on sleeve of The Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album.
Made over $6,000,000 during his career but an extravagant lifestyle had sharply reduced his estate to a modest amount by the time he died.
Rumors that that Mix's radio career never got off the ground after he left films because his voice was high-pitched are not true. His voice, in fact, was deep and husky in tone. Radio was such a low-paying profession that it could not support his high-on-the-hog style of living. He loved sports cars, wild parties and fancy clothes. He owned a huge Hollywood mansion that had his name emblazoned above it in neon lights and had numerous ex-wives to support. Mix instead left films for his true passion, the circus. He became one of its greatest showmen.
Tom's parents were Edwin and Elizabeth Mix. They named him Thomas Hezikiah Mix. When he enlisted in the Army in 1898, he listed his name as Thomas E. Mix (for Edwin).
Charter member of the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1958.
He deserted the army to marry his first wife, Grace Allin; the fact that he was a deserter did not come up until after his death, by which time he was so famous that the army had to hold its tongue and give him a full military burial. This dovetails neatly into the known facts and into the legend of Tom Mix.
Daughter with Victoria Forde, Thomasina
4/13/02: His guns were stolen from the Tom Mix Museum in Dewey, OK.
Never had kind words for John Wayne because, many believe, he was afraid that Wayne would push him out of the limelight. That hatred grew as Wayne's star rose and, due to the fact that Mix wouldn't take a pay cut to do radio, his own star began to fall. Asked by a journalist what he thought of Wayne, Mix only replied, "The only Christian words that I could use are 'no-talent upstart'". Wayne, for his part, had disliked Mix since Wayne's college days at USC, when Mix told several members of the football team (Wayne among them) to stop by Fox Studios and he would get them jobs in the movies. Wayne and several others did so a few weeks later, only to be informed that Mix had never told anyone at the studio about his promises of employment, and they were thrown off the lot. Wayne never forgave Mix.
The entire bio can be found here.
If Tom was still making movies today, you can bet that he would be fighting islamic terrorists.
The end of the trail for Tom Mix came on October 12, 1940 as he was driving from Tucson, AZ in his 1937 yellow supercharged Cord 812 Phaeton. He failed to heed highway signs warning of a washed out bridge ahead. Traveling at about 80 MPH, Tom lost control of the huge automobile as he came upon some road barriers. The car went into a dry creek, overturned and Tom was struck in the back of the head with an aluminum suitcase carrying cash and jewels. His skull was fractured and his neck broken, he died instantly.
Tom's car has been totally restored and you can see it here.


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A "Pledge of Allegiance" lawsuit has been filed by a national humanist group over the contentious phrase "under God," which first appeared in our nation's flag pledge in 1954. The group is suing a New Jersey school district on behalf of a family that believes any reference to God in the Pledge of Allegiance is discriminatory toward atheist children. As the video above showed, this is not the first time the controversial expression has been fought on the federal or state level.
According to CBS News on April 21, the lawsuit was filed against the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District last month by the American Humanist Association – a non-profit advocacy group that seeks "progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, and freethinkers," and has as its motto: "Good without God." The lawsuit claims the "under God" phrase "marginalizes atheist and humanist kids as something less than ideal patriots."
David Niose, legal director of the American Humanist Association, told WCBS 880 Radio in New York that the lawsuit, filed on behalf of two anonymous parents, does not challenge the First Amendment to the Constitution, as other such court cases have claimed. Rather, Niose says forcing unbelieving individuals to acknowledge a Divine being is in itself unconstitutional. "The lawsuit is an equal protection suit seeking to declare unconstitutional the New Jersey state law requiring daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag in public schools," Niose said.
"Children are taught that patriotism is defined a certain way. They're taught to associate belief in God with patriot feelings. Certainly, with that being taught, the atheists look like an outsider. The atheist is stigmatized," he said. A similar case is Massachusetts is awaiting a decision on a federal level.
Matawan-Aberdeen's district lawyer David Rubin says the district is merely following the state law that requires all schools to have a morning recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. That said, individual students cannot be made to participate, and can opt out of the Pledge if their religious beliefs, conscience, or in the case of an atheist, their non-belief, precludes them from pledging their loyalty to a political entity and or recognizing a god.
Some young children do not take part in the daily Pledge of Allegiance because of religious reasons. For example, Jehovah's Witness children choose to stand respectfully but do not participate is the recital of the pledge. Says their website, JW.org: "Jehovah's Witnesses believe that bowing down to a flag or saluting it, often in conjunction with an anthem, is a religious act that ascribes salvation, not to God, but to the State or to its leaders." Such an act of worship is anathema to scriptural principles as found at Isaiah 43:11, 1 Corinthians 10:14 and John 5:21, among others.
Reports the CSMonitor: "Jehovah's Witnesses, who believe the pledge constitutes idolatry, have been sitting out the pledge for a very long time, notes Eric Rassbach of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, one of two defense attorneys in the Massachusetts case. They won the right from the Supreme Court in 1943, when the court ruled that 'compulsory unification of opinion' is unconstitutional." See the first linked article below for more information.
Niose says that public schools should not permit an exercise that "teaches students that patriotism is tied to a belief in God," adding that "such a daily exercise portrays atheist and humanist children as second-class citizens, and certainly contributes to anti-atheist prejudices," Niose said in a statement reported Fox News.
Suggested Links
- Fla. teacher suspended for forcing Pledge of Allegiance on a Jehovah's Witness
- Earth Day 2014: Celebrate Earth Day, five ways to say thank you to our earth
- Detroit motorist beating: Four men face attempted murder for racial beatdown
- KKK neighborhood watch: KKK wizards vow impartiality during Pa. crime watch
- Car lions: Family's car bursts into flames while driving through lion safari


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9.1: The Mesozoic Era
Eugene M. McCarthy, PhD
The Mesozoic Era
In geology texts, the Mesozoic Era, which began some 250 million years ago (mya), is usually called the "Age of Reptiles." It is divided into three periods, the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous (see Table 9.1). In the typical description, encountered in texts on geology, paleontology, and evolutionary biology, it is "the era during which reptiles dominated life on earth until their extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period, 65 million years ago." The idea that reptiles "ruled" the Mesozoic dates back to Cuvier, who in the early nineteenth century asserted there had once been a time when reptiles were dominant.¹ It also comes from the popular misconception that dinosaurs were all large. Such was not the case—while some dinosaurs weighed 80 tons, others were as small as chickens (Lambert 1991: 115; Norman 1985: 38). It comes, also, in part, from the common belief that the category "dinosaur" contains more different kinds of animals than it actually does. Only two orders of Mesozoic reptiles are classed as dinosaurs:
Other ancient creatures, traditionally categorized as reptiles and popularly included with dinosaurs, were not dinosaurs at all: pterosaurs (flying, batlike creatures, formerly known as pterodactyls), mosasaurs (whalelike marine predators), and plesiosaurs (includes two general categories, one a long-necked, paddle-flippered type, the other seallike). Moreover, many extant reptile forms (e.g., crocodilians, turtles, lizards) date back at least as far as the earliest dinosaurs and have been widespread ever since. Many other types of animals, far too numerous even to mention, were also the dinosaurs' contemporaries.
Another tendency contributing to the belief that the Mesozoic Era was "ruled by reptiles" is the inclination to believe that animals, known only from fossils, had the full suite of characters defining modern reptiles. For instance, most people think of pterosaurs as egg-laying, cold-blooded, flying reptiles with naked, scaly skin. In fact, however, in some cases, where the texture of a pelt has been preserved in fossils, pterosaurs can be seen to have been fur-bearing animals (Broili 1927, 1938, 1939; Goldfuss 1831; Lambert 1991: 22; Seeley 1870; Sharov 1971; Wellnhofer 1991). According to Wellnhofer (1991: 164), this
direct proof of a hairlike body covering seems to have confirmed the warm-bloodedness of pterosaurs once and for all, as only mammals, i.e., warm-blooded creatures, have hair today.
Various researchers have pointed out that, besides fur, the elevated metabolism characteristic of flying animals, and the fact (known from fossils) that pterosaurs could live in a chilly habitat, make it highly likely that pterosaurs were warm-blooded (Wellnhofer 1991). There is no fossil evidence that pterosaurs laid eggs (ibid). Studies of their bones have shown that pterosaurs grew rapidly, as do mammals and birds, not slowly like reptiles (ibid). Warm-blooded young usually require parental care to prevent death by exposure. So pterosaurs, which were abundant during the Mesozoic, may not have even been reptiles, let alone "ruling" reptiles.
No single person has seen all the fossils found over the years—or even most of them—but fossils are nevertheless widely assumed to substantiate the basic tenets of evolutionary biology. The stories told about fossils are familiar to most biologists, but the fossils themselves are not. The reason for this discrepancy is straightforward. It is much easier to read and assimilate a story about the fossil data than to evaluate the evidence itself. Part of the story told about fossils is the claim that mammalian fossils from the Mesozoic are rare. Romer (1966: 197) emphasizes this point:
Mammals presumably came into existence toward the end of the Triassic [~251-206 mya], but we know extremely little about their history during almost the entire span of the Mesozoic [~251-65 mya]. The oldest known mammals appear in the "Rhaetic" beds at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary [~206 mya]. In the Jurassic [~206-144 mya], almost all known mammalian remains come from two English localities ... and one small bone pocket at Como Bluff, Wyoming. In the early Cretaceous [~130 mya], ... our knowledge is confined to fragments from the Trinity sands of Texas and the Wealden of Southern England. Further, almost all the earlier Mesozoic remains consist of isolated teeth, or, at the most, jaws; prior to the Upper Cretaceous [~75 mya] we have not one satisfactory skeleton and very little skull material. Even in the Upper Cretaceous, mammal remains are rare, mostly fragmentary, and are found only in a few areas in North America and Mongolia. In consequence we are still in the dark about much of the history of Mesozoic mammals. We know little about the dental anatomy of most of the forms which have been found; and the sparseness of the record suggests that groups which have escaped detection may well have existed.
During the forty years since Romer wrote these words, the fossils of more Mesozoic mammals have been found, but they are still considered rare. This rarity has been explained in various ways. Thus, it is said that in the early days of fossil hunting, when the great museum collections were being assembled, the emphasis was largely on dinosaurs, and that mammals were supposedly neglected. Being warm-blooded, mammals are also thought to have been more common inland, at higher elevations—conditions under which fossils are rarely preserved because erosion tends to destroy them.
One fact, however, is particularly salient. Mesozoic terrestrial fossils of all kinds are extremely sparse (Romer 1966). Even in the Paleocene, the first epoch of the Cenozoic Era ("Age of Mammals"), such deposits are well known only in western North America (Romer 1966: 336). During the preceding, vast period of time that geologists call the Mesozoic Era, which lasted some 180 million years, terrestrial deposits are sparse indeed. Our knowledge of Mesozoic land animals has been obtained almost exclusively from three regions of the world (southern England, Mongolia, and western North America). Moreover, the fossils from these three sites cover a very small percentage of the time interval in question. As Clemens, et al. (1979: 8) note,
It is emphasized that for the present, negative evidence has little value for Mesozoic mammals. That is, the absence of a group of mammals at a particular time and place [in the fossil record] generally cannot be taken as an indication that it did not in fact occur then and there. The only areas in which negative evidence may be given some, but not conclusive weight [i.e., because the samples are not so inadequate as elsewhere] are those for the Rhaeto-Liassic (Late Triassic or Early Jurassic) of southwestern Britain, the Late Jurassic of southern England and western United States, the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia and the Late Cretaceous of the Rocky Mountain and High Plains of North America.
Outside southern England, Mongolia, and western North America, animals unknown today may well have been abundant throughout the Mesozoic and Paleocene. During this entire time, continental Europe, Africa, Asia (except Mongolia), Australia, South America, Antarctica, and eastern North America are largely a blank, either very poorly known, or not known at all. Given such huge gaps in the data, claims of the rareness of early mammals largely lack empirical verification.
But a review of the literature prompts the suspicion that the most significant reason for the reported preponderance of reptile remains in Mesozoic fossils lies not so much in the actual rarity of mammalian fossils, but rather in a strong tendency of paleontologists to classify fossils as "reptile" if from the Mesozoic, and as "mammal" if they date from a later time. For instance, in referring to an early collector, a modern paleontologist wrote the following: "He [i.e., the collector] knew that the teeth were from the 'secondary' (Mesozoic) and therefore really ought to be reptilian" (Norman 1985: 10). This bias seems to be especially pronounced when it comes to large animals.
The reasons for this bias are subtle, complex, and sheltered by tradition. One obvious explanation, however, is stereotypic thinking. Consider the distinction between fossil mammals and fossil reptiles, already alluded to in the case of pterosaurs. When we hear that an animal is a "mammal," a number of traits spring to mind. Many of these features (warm-bloodedness, four-chambered heart, mammary glands, parental care, diaphragm, raised external ear, viviparity, hair, etc.) are not, or are only very rarely, preserved in fossils. "As a result," notes dinosaur expert David Norman, "the first true mammals are recognised as fossils almost by weight of opinion, rather than anything more scientific" (Norman 1985: 10).
Even in the case of living animals, some of these traits are not valid criteria for distinguishing reptiles from mammals. Crocodiles have hearts with four chambers and care for their young. Even various kinds of frogs exhibit parental care (Campbell 1987: 650). Certain mammals are cold-blooded, including manatees, hyraxes, sloths, tenrecs, naked mole-rats, platypuses, and some bats (Nowak 1991, p.1289; Rosas 1994; Walker 1983: 118, 454, 857).
Scales are usually considered diagnostic of reptiles, but these features are seen also in certain mammals (Nowak 1991). In some, scales are limited to certain regions of the body, for example, scaly-tailed squirrels (Anomaluridae), which have tails that are partially scaled, beavers (Castor), which have tails that are entirely scaled, pichiciegos (Chlamyphorus), Asiatic shrew-moles (Uropsilus), echimyids (Echimyidae), and some porcupines (Atherurus, Trichys). In others, most of the body is covered. Examples include the Javan rhinoceros, armadillos, and pangolins. On the other hand, pterosaurs, traditionally pictured as naked and scaly, are now known to have been furry. The modern leatherback turtle (Dermochelys), classed as a reptile, is warm-blooded, lacks a bony shell, and has leathery, scaleless skin.
Many reptiles, including about half of the extant snakes and lizards, give live birth. But it is usually unknown whether a given extinct animal was viviparous or laid eggs. Moreover, in those exceptional cases where the mode of birth can be determined for a fossil form, the findings are sometimes contrary to stereotype. Ichthyosaurs are traditionally classified as reptiles, but fossils show they gave live birth to their young in the sea as dolphins do.
Nevertheless, when a paleontologist finds in a fossil two or three bony features that usually distinguish modern mammals from modern reptiles, the conclusion is often that all the other features stereotypically associated with a mammal were also present in the corresponding extinct animal.
The same is true of artists' renderings of extinct animals. Let an artist draw a gray or brown animal with fur and ears that stand up from the head and the viewer will have the strongest tendency to think of the pictured animal as a mammal, with all the traits characteristic of mammals. Let her base an illustration on the same set of bones and draw a green animal with naked skin and no ears, and the viewer will think "reptile." It is important always to keep in mind that drawings purporting to represent the outward appearance of Mesozoic animals often reflect the theoretical biases of the artist and are frequently based on scant fossil evidence. Although pictured as complete and intact, the animals illustrated are in many, perhaps even most, cases actually known only from a fragment of a jawbone or a few teeth.
The ensuing pages, which make up the remainder of Section 9, examine each of the major categories of modern mammals (and even some of the minor ones). For each type of modern mammal (e.g., rodents, carnivores, armadillos, whales, etc.), we will see that a similar category of Mesozoic precursors is known from the fossil record. These precursors have been largely ignored, perhaps because their existence does not fit with the accepted claim of orthodox theory that the many different types of extant mammals are derived from a single "generalized" Cretaceous form. The existence of such precursors does fit, however, with stabilization theory. If new forms of life typically arise through stabilization processes, we are not looking for a common ancestor of mammals, or a common ancestor of whales. Instead, our expectation is that ancestral similarity sets would produce descendant similarity sets of a comparable nature. Thus, various early rodentlike forms would give rise to various more modern rodent forms. The accepted view is not that new forms might be expected to arise from precursor forms similar to themselves (e.g., marine mammals from earlier marine mammals), though this idea may seem straightforward and plausible to the uninitiated reader. For example, widely accepted theory claims that whales are descended from a tiny, shrewlike animal, and that the whole transformation required only 10 or 20 million years. NEXT PAGE >>
1. In 1808 Cuvier identified as a giant marine reptile a fossil from a mine near Maastricht in the Netherlands. He named it Mosasaurus. He also identified as a large flying reptile a fossil found in Bavaria, which he named pterodactyl (Pterodactyle Cuvier, 1809). These finds led him to propose there had been a time when reptiles had been predominant (Rudwick 1997). His diagnoses of these animals as reptiles are called into question in subsequent pages of this section.
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9.1: The Mesozoic Era - © 2008 Macroevolution.net


text:
I want to run this command:
ls -arth Test*log | tail -1
... and pass its output as an argument to:
open /Applications/Utilities/Console.app <previous output>
I would like to do this all in one line.
I want to run this command:
... and pass its output as an argument to:
I would like to do this all in one line.
This is known as command substitution:
If you're certain that the output of the command you're substituting won't contain spaces or newlines (or if you want to supply space/newline-separated output as multiple arguments), you can omit the quotes:
This is simple enough
Any command included between grave accents will execute in new bash environment, exit upon execution and substitute itself with its result
If I execute a simple "ls" command with grave accents around it in my home folder I get such an error:
Which means that bash tries to execute return value until the proper delimiter as a command
Here's one more example to clarify this hacky technique:


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In July, British artist Nadine Shah released her debut album, Love Your Dum and Mad, creating quite a bit of intrigue. Her music blends rock, folk, and soul with a stirring quiver to her voice slightly reminiscent of Fiona Apple. Hear her latest single "Runaway" and get swept up.
Listen to "Runaway" on Soundcloud.


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Top 7 Apps For Windows Phone
Here is the list of Top 7 Free Application for your Windows mobile.
1. Iheartradio
To the die-hard music fans this is a quite appealing app. It allows you to stream internet radio US style and with a choice of 750 stations. Not only are the songs well organized by city or genre, this app also allows you to find lyrics for the song being played. You can also sign up for a free account for building your own stations. So why wait, buckle up and lets rock!
2. Foursquare
Foursquare is great way to keep log of your Past check-ins, mayorships, friends, tips you've left, badges you've earned and locations you've saved to visit. The app is well designed and is a great way to organize your daily works.
3. Adobe Reader
Adobe Reader is probably one of the most important apps of Windows 7. It enables you to easily read the pdf files in your mobile that have been either downloaded or saved previously in your phone. Adobe reader enhances your mobile experience by merging your educational and official needs with you entertaining cell phone. If you hate to read story books then try Adobe Reader and the eBooks on the net, some interesting stories in your beloved phone is bound to give a whole new experience.
4. Twitter
The world of social networking will be brought further near to your grasp by this. Enjoy all dynamic features of twitter using this application and stay connected with your friends 24/7
5. eBay
Online marketing have never been easier. Now purchase any product directly from your cell phone. Set a price range for a search, browse by category, watch items or bid straight from the phone (including making a Best Offer), then pay with PayPal. In car, or in bus, in home or at work, with eBay you are always in the market
6. YouTube
Even though you cannot watch a YouTube video in your phone because of Flash player, you can still browse the site and look for your favorite videos and later watch them in PC or Laptops
7. Flickr
Most flickr users have hard time browsing flickr photos from phone. Even though there is well integration of Facebook in Windows 7 phone but still you will require a Windows Live id to enjoy the picture in Flickr . This app enables all the comprehensive features enabling you to enjoy your own photos as well as your friends' pictures and the groups you're in. Now you can easily upload photos and can even comment there using this software.