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Wildcats Fare Well in PING/ASU Field
Paired with No. 14 Arizona State and No. 15 Stanford for the final round of play, No. 7 Arizona finished tied for third with the Cardinal.
Wildcats Climb at PING/ASU Invitational
Heading into round three, No. 7 Arizona and No. 14 Arizona State share fifth place with scores of 572 (-4).
Garcia Leads Women's Golf in Tempe
With a four-under 68 opening round from sophomore Patricia Garcia, University of Arizona women's golf sits in seventh place after day one at the PING/ASU Invitational.
Wildcats Set for PING/ASU Invitational
With one round played each day, tee times are scheduled for 8 a.m. Friday and 7:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Women's Golf Top Three at The Farms
Just one stroke out of the lead, No. 33 sophomore Manon Gidali earned a runner-up finish in the field of 81.
Before Arizona: A golf letterwinner at Northview Heights High School ... Ranked in the top 10 for the 2012 class ... Was a member of the 2011 Wyndham Cup and was the winner of three American Junior Golf Association tournaments ... Also participated in the LPGA Canadian Women's golf tournament.
Personal: Daughter of Jongsung and Sangsuk Kim ... Born in South Korea and raised in Canada ... Her sister, Alexa, was a golfer at NAU and her sister, Sebin, is a senior golfer and St. John's.


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So I have enabled cPHulk on my web server, and just realized now that somebody (most likely a bot) is attempting to brute force their way into my WHM, thus leaving me out as well.
I was shown this message when attempting to login to my WHM from the IP I always use:
This account is currently locked out because a brute force attempt was detected. Please wait a few minutes and try again. Attempting to login again will only increase this delay. If you frequently experience this problem, we recommend having your username changed to something less generic.
So I am simply curious. Since somebody is obviously attempting to brute force my WHM, could they also be attempting to brute force my SSH? And does cPHulk protect SSH as well?

subset: commoncrawl


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Andreas Acrivos Dissertation Award in Fluid Dynamics
To provide recognition to exceptional young scientists who have performed original doctoral thesis work of outstanding scientific quality and achievement in the area of fluid dynamics. The annual award consists of $1,000, a certificate citing the accomplishments of the recipient, and an allowance for registration and travel up to attend the annual meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics at which the award will be presented.
Establishment & Support
The award was established in 1998 to honor the many outstanding contributions to fluid mechanics of Dr. Andreas Acrivos, particularly his years of distinguished editorship of Physics of Fluids. It is supported by donations from members and friends of the Division of Fluid Dynamics.
Rules & Eligibility
Nominations will be accepted for any doctoral student studying at a college or university in the United States or in a education abroad program of a college or university in the United States. The work to be considered must have been accomplished as part of the requirements for a doctoral degree. Nominees must have completed their dissertations during the previous calendar year, or by March 31 of the year of the award, at a university within the United States. A dissertation is "complete" when formally submitted to the nominee's graduate school. Each nominee can be considered in not more than two consecutive cycles.
FAQ about Rules and EligibilityQ: What is the definition of "completed their dissertation during the previous calendar year"?
A: It means that the Ph.D. dissertation was submitted for final approval in the previous calendar year (or by March 31st of the calendar year of the nomination).
Q: What does "each nominee will be considered in not more than two cycles" mean?
A: It means that if the candidate was nominated for the Acrivos Dissertation Award in one year, then the candidate may be re-nominated in the following year only. A new nomination package must be resubmitted to the Committee; candidates are not automatically carried over to the next year. The nomination letter should clearly state that the candidate was nominated the previous year.
Nomination & Selection Process
Serving a diverse and inclusive community of physicists is a primary goal for APS. Nominations of qualified women and members of underrepresented minority groups are especially encouraged.
This year's deadline has passed. Please check back soon for next year's nomination information and deadline. The deadline is typically in early May of each year.
2015 Andreas Acrivos Dissertation Award in Fluid Dynamics Recipient:
Sujit Sankar Datta
California Institute of Technology
Past Recipients:
2014: Eric Vandre
2013: Bishakhdatta Gayen
2012: William Durham
2011: Paolo Luzzatto-Fegiz
2010: Matthew Paoletti
2009: Xiaoyi Li
2008: John R. Taylor
2007: David Saintillan
2006: Eric Lauga
2005: Silas D. Alben
2004: Jacqueline Ashmore
2003: Prosenjit Bagchi
2002: Wade Schoppa
2001: Greg A. Voth
2000: Vittorio Cristini


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Shantae was a platformer originally released for the Game Boy Color in 2002 which has now found its way onto the 3DS e-shop for download. Developed by WayForward Technologies the game see you take the role of Shantae, a half genie who must stop the villainous pirate, Risky Boots (yes, that's her name). This a great chance to take a look at the old platforming games of yesteryear.
The game starts off when Scuttle Town, which Shantae has taken it upon herself to defend, is attacked by a crew of pirates led by Risky Boots, who are out to steal a prototype steam engine created by an inventor called Mimic. The pirates make their escape and it's up to Shantae to track them down before they can it working and weaponise it. The game clearly doesn't take story too seriously, and it doesn't take long to get into action thankfully. The goal is collect four magic stones that Risky is after to power the steam engine. These stones are locked away in four dungeons. In order to open the dungeons Shantae has the speak to an NPC in a nearby town.
Shantae's powers come from her dancing. In each dungeon she learns a special dance which will let her transform into different animals, including a monkey, an elephant, a spider, and for some reason a harpy. Each form has different abilities and weakness. For example, being a monkey lets Shantae wall jump and cling to vertical surfaces, but she cannot attack in this form.
When you enter dancing mode you have to use the D-pad and the A and B buttons in simple rhythms to change forms. Dancing does not pause the game so it is very easy to be interrupted if enemies are still around.
Shantae can upgrade herself in other ways, such as using purchased items. These can offer a limit number of ranged attacks or healing items along with some other goodies. She can also increase her health by finding special hearts that are hidden in the different sections.
Each dungeon has a unique set of puzzles which Shantae must solve in order to navigate her way through. Moving through the dungeons also requires you to find keys and open doors, so while they may appear open you will find you must backtrack to the find the path containing the key before taking the other routes. They also have an ending boss, usually taking the form of a giant monster which requires you to hit a weak spot. In good fashion the bosses require you to use whatever animal transformation Shantae earned in the dungeon to avoid attacks or damage the boss. The final boss also provided surprisingly memorable and cool.
The game has plenty of challenge. Enemies come in spades and even though you start out with three hearts you will be attacked a lot. That said, the puzzles don't take a tremendous amount of effort to solve. The hardest part of the dungeon is simply finding your way around and avoiding spike pits.
The world in Shantae is all connected rather than being in separate levels. After leaving Scuttle Town you can head either left or right, jumping over obstacles and battling enemies by whipping her hair. There are also secrets to discover in all the different overworld sections which can be reached once she's acquired certain powers. It's by no means open world however, as progressing requires you to obtain new abilities.
This leads onto the frustrations I had with the game, which was the backtracking. In many cases I don't mind too much of this. In Metroidvania games the power ups you acquire mean that backtracking doesn't take a great deal of time once you've already explored an area. To do a comparison, in a side scrolling Metroid game falling into lava damages your health, but it doesn't kill you instantly. Once you get the gravity suit you don't have to worry about it any more. In Shantae if you fall into a pit you die instantly and you get sent back to the start of the section. This is case no matter how much you upgrade Shantae.
Eventually, she acquires ways of bypassing the long treks by finding squids. Once you find four you can take them to a warp squid hut in each town and learn a dance that teleports you to that town. However, you have to find four for each town, and most are found in dungeons. This means that fast travelling feels very limited and comes too late.
In linear platformers this is not a problem because once you complete a level you can put it behind you. In Shantae save spots are few and far between and if you get a game over you don't just return to the start of the section, but you go back to the last save point you used. What I'm ultimately saying is you should get used to seeing the same areas a lot.
To move onto something more positive, I did enjoy the colourful nature of the levels and characters. The game has that carefree old school platform feeling to it. Each dungeon and most of the surface sections have their own unique style. The world even has a day and night cycle, which does cause some enemies to change their tactics in battle. Sadly, the music does not share the same diversity, with all the surface areas sharing the same few tracks, though they do change with the day and night cycle.
Enemy variety is staggering. Each section has its own unique enemies with different methods of attack, including moles you jump into the air with spears to black slime creatures who dart across the screen. The downside of this is that each section only has two or three different enemies, sometimes even just one. This results in some sections feeling repetitive, especially when you to go through them multiple times.
Shantae is a challenging, old school platformer with plenty of charm, but with a few frustrations including from some of its design decisions. It has a whiff that old Nintendo Hard about it. For the price of $4.99/£4.49 it's a good addition to the collection of old timey games available for the 3DS. Anyone looking for a good 2D platformer should take a look at this. You can visit the official WayForward website for more information.
(Images provided by http://www.wayforward.com/shantae/)


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Today Spike revealed the cast of "Ink Master" for season five. What is at stake is an editorial feature in Inked magazine, the monetary prize of $100,000 and the most enviable of all prizes; the title of "Ink Master."
This new season will pit rivals against one another along with the rest of the field. If you think you saw rivalry in the past; that was only based upon the usual meeting of each other while doing the competition when personalities are apt to clash. This season's rivalry is ingrained, as each contestant is coming into this competition with a personal tattoo rival. Be it enemies from the convention circuit, a former boss versus a past employee, brothers with sibling rivalry highlighted with ink, and even two of the most infamous rivals in "Ink Master" history, this season's competition is more personal than ever.
The rivals are as follows:
Brothers Jayro Scott and Robbie Ripoll, Angel Bauta against Cris Element, Emily Elegado versus Aaron Is, LT versus Ty'esha Reels, Don Peddicord versus Erik Siuda, Mark Longenecker against Ryan Eternal, Julia Carlson versus Caroline Evans, Cleen Rock One versus Tim Lees and maybe the biggest rivalry of all, the one that occurred on Season 3, Joshua Hibbard versus Jason Clay Dunn.
With just about a month to go before the new season begins, will the rivalries get even more heated, will rivals become friends as they are going against bigger rivals in the bunch, or will a boxing ring be installed in the loft to settle these wars once and for all? Tune in to "Ink Master" to see for yourself on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Suggested Links
- 'Ink Master' reveals winner on 'Ink Master Live' on Spike
- 'Ink Master' contestants are in the 'Fight to the Finish' on Spike
- 'Ink Master' contestants discover 'Karma's a Bitch' on Spike
- 'Ink Master' contestants are challenged in 'Tag Team Tatt' on Spike
- 'Ink Master' knows some artists are 'Fighting Dirty' on Spike


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1990 French Open16 year old Monica Seles defeats world #1 Steffi Graf and becomes the youngest female athlete ever to win the French Open. (Prince Original Graphite)
1990 US OpenGabriela Sabatini upsets world #1 Steffi Graf to claim her first Grand Slam title at the US Open. (Prince Original Graphite)


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Skydiving.com now has a network skydiving location serving Huffman and Harris County in Texas. Call Skydiving.com at 1-800-617-7948 for details, free information and specials on skydiving in Huffman, TX today!
Popular Tags for Skydiving Huffman:
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Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz met with the US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead and his delegation at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh today.
Attendees at the meeting included Chief of General Intelligence Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz and the Saudi Commander of Naval Forces Lt. Gen. Prince Fahd bin Abdullah, who held a separate meeting with Adm. Roughead earlier in the day to discuss issues of mutual interest.
Also today, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation Prince Khalid bin Sultan awarded Adm. Roughead the King Abdulaziz Medal at the excellent grade in recognition of his efforts to enhance naval cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States.


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SGI Bay Area User Group Meeting
This just came in from some SGI Reps in the Bay Area.
Please join us for the SGI User Group Bay Area Chapter Meeting
Join SGI users, SGI executives, and customers for the SGI User Group Bay Area Chapter Meeting on July 23, 2009. The meeting will be held at the SGI corporate headquarters in Fremont and will feature key speakers from SGI and NASA Ames.
Featured Speakers
o Dr. Eng Lim Goh, SGI Chief Technology Officer, will speak on Technology Trends
o Bill Thigpen, NASA Ames HECC Deputy Proect Manager, will talk about Pleiades
The SGI User Group (SGIUG) is an independent, worldwide interactive community focused on sharing information and improving the technical productivity of SGI® high-performance computing, data storage, and visualization systems. The user group and conference is open to all and we welcome new members.
When: July 23, 2009 from 2:30pm – 5:00pm
Location: SGI Corporate Headquarters
46600 Landing Parkway, Fremont, CA
Pleidas is the new NASA Ames supercomputer, a 100-cabinet SGI ICE. Check it out, and let us know what SGI has to say!


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**A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the UMBC-North Carolina score. The correct score is 12-7**
At the half, UMBC trails Towson 5-3 at Unitas Stadium.
The Retrievers started a brand new defensive unit, benching seniors Bobby Atwell, Matt Kresse and Lance Ophof in favor of sophomores Tim Schaeffer and Aaron Verardi and freshman Lucas Wood.
The young trio played into the second quarter, during which time the Tigers scored three goals, including one on an opening possession that lasted more than three minutes. They were eventually replaced by Atwell, Kresse and Ophof early in the second quarter.
Freshman goalie Adam Cohen, making his first start since a 12-7 loss to No. 2 North Carolina on March 6, has played well. He's allowed five goals and made eight saves in the first half.
On a night when the Retrievers decided to provide plenty of opportunities for their younger players, a pair of freshman attackmen scored their first collegiate points on the same play.
After a one-minute slashing penalty was called on Towson, Joe Lustgarten assisted Scott Jones' goal with 7:12 left in the second quarter. The score was UMBC's last of the half.
The Retrievers' Shane Ryznar scored the other two goals for UMBC in the half, while the Tigers have spread out their scoring, with five different players finding the back of the net on 23 total shots.


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Old military
Once a time at liberation war some young girl ran away when they saw the Military Army arriving their village. An old lady also ran away with them.
After finding safe shelter they asked the old Lady, "Auntie, why you also ran away with us?"
The old lady replied, "You didn't see there was an old Military also with them!!


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One of the best movies I had a chance to see at Sundance this year was Fishing without Nets, the feature debut of director Cutter Hodierne. But when you first hear what it's about you may think it's a subject we've seen all too often. The film, which I affectionately referred to as a Coen Brothers movie on the high seas, centers around a Somali pirate attack on a shipping vessel. But unlike Captain Phillips or A Hijacking, Hodierne's film centers on a Somali man (played by Abdikani Muktar) who is forced into the situation due to desperate circumstances. It's a side of the Somali pirate story we've never seen told in this level of detail, and Hodierne was totally deserving of the Best Director Drama award he won at Sundance.
In an interview with Cutter and Muktar about Fishing without Nets, they spoke about tackling a familiar subject from a fresh angle, the struggle getting the film made, and more.


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The Widow's Journey (TWJ) is a new non-profit community outreach to women who have lost their spouses. The mission of TWJ is three-fold: to provide education about the internal and external experience of grief and how it manifests itself throughout the transition process; to introduce professional resources that can assist in that process, and to provide community support beyond traditional grief support. Ultimately, TWJ provides the framework to move the survivor forward with a sense of confidence and purpose, as well as improved interpersonal relationships.
The website provides educational information about the administrative tasks and decisions that
must be completed; checklists and other tools to organize and prioritize those tasks and
decisions; access to additional information through online interviews, retreats and seminars; and
links to professionals who specialize in working with widows.
Starting in September of this year 2012, TWJ will host a local monthly seminar series at the
Park City Club in Dallas, TX. The seminar series will feature subject matter that alternates
between the internal and external experience, includes time for group discussion, and provides
actionable items to assist the widow in her journey to her new paradigm. To find out more visit
TWJ Retreats and Seminars.
Founding member Joy D. Kirsch, a certified financial planner and wealth manager who was
widowed at age 30, experienced first-hand the way that grief affects decision-making. "Until I
was widowed, I didn't fully appreciate how grief could impair our cognitive abilities. In addition
to the physical loss, widows have to address changes in their mental, physical, psychological,
and physiological states. Even your social status changes. It's overwhelming."
These complicated manifestations, combined with the administrative tasks and financial
decisions that are required during this time, can often lead widows and widowers to make poor
decisions that can slow the grieving process and adversely affect them for the rest of their lives.
TWJ provides education and support to change this phenomenon and ease the transition of the
For more information, visit http://www.TheWidowsJourney.org


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Football Trumps Burlingame for Homecoming Victory [With Slideshow]
Source: Tyler Finn
October 14, 2012
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The M-A football bleachers were packed on Friday night's Homecoming game as the Bears continued their winning streak by besting the undefeated Burlingame Panthers 28-21.
M-A started the game with remarkable intensity on both sides of the ball. After kicking off to Burlingame, the Bears' defense forced a three and out, resulting in a Burlingame punt. On their ensuing possession, M-A appeared to be stopped, and lined up to punt on fourth down. However, senior Tasi Teu tricked the Panther defense with a fake punt, and ran it up field for a first down. The extended drive for the Bears went on into the Burlingame red zone, resulting in a touchdown pass from quarterback Royce Branning to senior wide receiver Evan Perkins. The drive gave MA a 7-0 lead with 6:47 left in the first quarter.
On M-A's next possession, Teu once again created great opportunities for the Bears by bringing the ball inside the Burlingame ten yard line with a series of long running plays. With the ball on the two yard line, senior Alan Sakalia ran an outside pitch around the Panthers' defense to stretch the lead to 14-0, ending the first quarter of play.
Entering the second quarter, M-A cooled off, as the Panthers clawed back into the game. With six minutes left, Burlingame responded with an interception off of Branning's pass. Taking advantage of this M-A turnover opportunity, the Panthers scored a touchdown, bringing the score to 14-7 at the end of the half.
After halftime, M-A was ready to come out with the fierce intensity and unbreakable mindset and with which they had started the game. The Bears took possession of the ball from the opening kickoff of the second half, driving steadily down the field until a long passing play to Perkins brought the ball within scoring distance. Branning handed off to Sakalia once again, and he pounded the ball across the goal line and scored yet another touchdown, extending M-A's lead to 21-7.
A sense of anticipation was present as Burlingame scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter, narrowing M-A's lead to 21-14. M-A found yet another game hanging in the balance as the clock wound down. Similar to last week's game against Aragon, the Bears' opposition was driving down field.
Although M-A maintained the lead on the scoreboard throughout the majority of the game, junior defensive lineman Brian Jaggers showed his frustration with Burlingame's ability to score and stay in the game, saying, "We played with good intensity, but we need to execute better."
However, the M-A defense prevailed yet again. Teu demonstrated his skills by continuing his dominant game with an interception for the Bears, which he took an impressive forty five yards for a touchdown. The defensive play capped the game off for M-A and the stands went wild.
However Burlingame kept on fighting, and scored their final touchdown with just under 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter. But this long awaited touchdown for the Panthers arrived too late, as the game ended with a final score of 28-21.
The Bears continued an awesome three game winning streak with their Friday night victory. With the consistent strength of the M-A defense, the Bears were able to maintain a powerful offensive performance. Led by the spectacular game of senior Tasi Teu, M-A is carrying momentum into their next game against Half Moon Bay.
However, the Bears continue to be under-satisfied with their performance, determined to improve as they continue further into the regular season.
"We need to work on finishing our games," said junior linebacker Jonathan Simonian after the game. "Burlingame played hard the whole game and ran plays that worked against the flaws in our defense."
With these small improvements, M-A has their eyes set on a conference championship in the postseason.
"We have the talent to beat everybody in our future," said junior Nikhil Goyle. "I see us winning CCS this year if we can keep up with this level of improvement on offense and defense."
For more photos, check out the gallery below:


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TC TO EDWARD T. BLAKELY ; 7 January 1848; DOI: 10.1215/lt-18480107-TC-ETB-01; CL 22: 197-198
Chelsea, 7 jany, 1848—
Dear Sir,
As there are probably a great many persons in the same doubt you were in, regarding those Cromwell Letters, and the insane controversy that has arisen respecting them,—might I ask you to have the kindness to publish those two Notes that passed between you and me on the subject. Yours was the first inquiry of that kind directed to me, and it states the question as well as possible, and gets it conclusively answered: the printing of these two Notes might save the writing of a great many similar ones;—I have no other reason for asking you specially to come forward in the business.
Might I therefore request you to send a Copy of the two Notes, addressed: "To the Editor of the Examiner / 5. Wellington Street, Strand / London"; merely mentioning that it is at my request;—and that Gentleman will, with due courtesy of manner, manage all the rest. If you have no Copy of your Note, and have lost mine, then be so good as merely send your permission to publish them, and it will still do.
I am just going out of Town for some time; and could not refuse the Gentleman in question my authority to take that small step, and ventured also to say that he seemed to me pretty sure of yours; against which indeed I cannot conceive that there will be, to a lover of truth and of quietness, any objection. One other element of the favour will be: speed on your part;—as Editors are generally in haste to get their Articles ready. I have promised that your answer would be in Wellington Street if possible on Monday,1—on Tuesday morning at latest.
Many thanks for your hospitable purposes announced in Note second;2 of which if I ever come into your region, I shall have due memory.
Believe me / Yours very sincerely
T. Carlyle


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Lady Gaga has given her fans two for the price of one. Within days, she released both the lo-fi lyric video for "Applause" and its trippy, surreal, over-the-top official video .
The "Applause" music video was released on Monday, the same day she confirmed her opening performance slot at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards this Sunday, August 25. Kristine Carr, who plays the Peter Pan drag king, Landon Cider, in the "Applause" lyric video gave MTV News her take on the over-the-top official "Applause" video.
"I thought it was amazing. It's everything that she kind of always stands for. It's fashion. It's pop. It's culture. It's theater. She really is staying true to herself and her style. [It's] very unique, very artistically designed and [has] storytelling, lots of characters, lots of looks," she said. "You see a sincerity behind her too. I really enjoyed it."
So, how does the Inez & Vinoodh-directed clip compare to the lyric video? "She's really showcasing entertainers. She's showing many diverse styles of entertainers and how we're all doing it for the applause," Carr said.
Carr then recalled her experience of meeting Gaga in L.A. earlier this month when she filmed the lyric video at Mickey's nightclub. "She was really humble. When she joined me on stage for a little bit, she whispered that she loved me. She was sincerely enjoying the performance, interacting with all of us being really involved but as a professional knowing how to stay away," she said. "She was really nice and kind of quiet but had those occasional one-liner jokes."
Lady Gaga's 'Applause': Director Cracks Open Five 'Hip' Scenes!
Carr notes that she thinks there might be a lot of Mother Monster lookalikes hitting the scene this weekend. "I can see all the drag queens going to Home Depot with a list of things and black gardening gloves are at the top of that list for that costume right there," she said, in reference to what co-director Inez van Lamsweerde called a "glove-kini." "I see every costume being created. I see that really iconic [clown] makeup that she's creating for the whole album, that avant garde look. I see that going to be hitting every drag stage everywhere. I think every look from that video; you're going to see drag queens across the country and across the world really [try those out]."
"Applause" is the lead single off Gaga's November 11 ARTPOP release. Fans can watch the video on repeat until she takes the stage on Sunday at the VMAs to perform the song live from Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Katy Perry, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake and more will also perform during the show.
Carr has one request for Gaga before Sunday's VMA performance. "I would like to see Peter Pan make an appearance on stage with her. That's probably on the top of my list of things I'm hoping to see," she joked, before recalling her favorite Gaga-themed VMA moments.
"The bleeding on stage [in 2009]. I think, theatrically, was my favorite. What a powerful message in that. 'Paparazzi' and the whole bleeding on stage was important visually," she said. "But as a drag king my heart goes out to that [2010 Jo Calderone] performance. It opened a lot of eyes to the world that it's OK for a woman to dress as a man and perform like that. He was committed to that character and I thought that was evolutionary."


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Olympics blasted for giving vast adverts to fast food joints. That's their legacy – but what will yours be? Fake foods – or the real thing?
This weekend marks the end of the London 2012 Olympics, an event which has proven to be an extravaganza of sportsmanship and drama. For Great Britain, the games have undoubtedly been a triumph both from a public relations and medal-winning point of view.
However, in a critical new report – The Obesity Games – health charity the Children's Food Campaign has opined that the International Olympic Committee has wasted its chance to create a positive legacy from the Olympics by giving fast food companies an unrivaled advertising platform for their unhealthy products. The report urges the committee to ban such preferential corporate sponsorship deals in the future.
Will this make a difference? Will the committee listen? Does it even matter? Well, whilst the jury is out on exactly how influential such sponsorship deals can be, one thing is very clear to me: commercial fast foods do nothing to promote good health.
The reason is simple: by and large, commercial fast foods are fake foods. They're incomplete phantoms of food, stripped of nutrition, damaged and damaging to our bodies – yet they're made glamorous and socially acceptable by massive advertising budgets, government subsidies, and health agency collusion.
Fake foods – the kind that comes in colourful packaging with a brand-name on it – begins life as real food: meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, eggs, milk, and grains. But in today's consumer-focused society, companies want to entice us with promises of convenience and speed. To make real food into fast food (although let's just take a moment to acknowledge that you can't get much faster to prepare and eat than an egg, or a piece of fruit) it has to be processed and pulverized using heavy machinery, intense heat and harsh chemical solvents. These break the food down into chemically simpler components which can then be easily manipulated by manufacturers.
These factory processes damage fragile fats and proteins in the foods, and strip away essential vitamins and minerals. The resulting fragmented constituents are then mixed with colourings, preservatives, and laboratory-synthesized vitamins and minerals. This latter addition is highly ironic, of course, when you consider the nutrition that's been taken out of the food by this point. Many other undesirable substances can be added in order to make the resulting concoctions taste palatable. These include: mineral-depleting sweetening agents such as refined white sugar and high-fructose corn syrup; large quantities of processed salt; cancer-causing partially hydrogenated fats; and neurologically toxic "flavour enhancers" such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartame.
The result? The immediate result is "convenience food" which is quickly manufactured, readily available, almost addictive in its chemically-enhanced tastiness – and unprecedented in its ability to turn a fast buck for the companies who make it. However, there are other results which take longer to manifest but are there for all to see: malnutrition; obesity; illness; imbalance. So how convenient are these foods really?
The bottom line is this: processed food isn't real food. Processed food is partial, fractioned, fragmented fake food. It lacks the macro- and micro-nutrients necessary to maintain a healthy metabolism. Many of the common additives are viewed as foreign invaders by the human body, and are therefore toxic to our very cells. Worst of all, processed food creates insatiable hunger cravings that can lead to uncontrolled eating, because the lack of balanced nutrition causes our bodies to want to consume more and more of it in a futile attempt to ingest the nutrients that are lacking. But these are nutrients that can never be available in a diet of fake food, because they just aren't there.
The International Olympics Committee may have squandered its chance of creating a healthy eating legacy after the Olympics, but that doesn't mean you have to waste the opportunity you have to create a legacy of your own.
I'm willing to bet that, for all the McAdvertising surrounding the event, the Olympics medalists don't survive and thrive on factory-produced products. Many of them probably wouldn't even touch fast food with an Olympic pole-vault pole. My guess is they focus on eating real food – whole, nourishing, life-enhancing, truly delicious real food.
You can too. Let that be your Olympic legacy.


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The Gadsden State Community College Public Relations Department continued its winning tradition by receiving an impressive total of 12 awards for the second consecutive year at the Alabama Community College System Public Relations Association (ACCSPRA) Annual Conference.
The conference which includes the two-year colleges from across the state, Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT), Alabama Technology Network (ATN) and Athens State University was recently held in Montgomery.
The awards included "Best of Show", 7 Pyramid Awards (first place), 2 Awards of Achievement (second place) and 2 Awards of Merit (third place). The "Best of Show" award is chosen from all the first place winners and only two are given annually. Gadsden State was presented this award for Print, Photography and Other Categories. Pyramid awards were presented in the following categories: photography, annual/president's report, news placement, brochure, flyer, online advertising and outdoor advertising. Awards of Achievement were presented for promotional videos (commercial) and athletics program. Awards of Merit were received for news placement and promotional advertising.
Public Relations Coordinator Kay Smith-Foster said, "Credit is due to the professional staff of our department and Venture Marketing for a fabulous job of managing our message and staying on target with our mission. ACCSPRA provides an opportunity for members in this professional organization to grow and benefit from sharing knowledge."
"Kay Smith-Foster provides outstanding leadership to the public relations efforts at Gadsden State. She is recognized by her peers around that state for her competence and dedication to her profession. These awards are a testament to that fact. The entire Gadsden State community congratulates her and our public relations staff for their excellent work," said Gadsden State President Darryl Harrison.


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My one claim to fame is that this birth story was published in an NCT book, in 2000, I think. So I've left it long and unedited!
During the last five weeks of the pregnancy I thought I'd gone into labour at least once a week, with really strong, regular contractions. My due date was mid-December, and I desperately wanted the baby to arrive before Christmas, but by 39 weeks I'd resigned myself to being pregnant well into the New Year.
Several curries and long walks later, one morning two days before the due date, I woke up in a puddle at 2.30 am, hissing at Steve to grab a towel (unprepared as usual, I didn't think it would happen to me, and hadn't covered the bed!). My waters had broken, and I was quite excited that labour was finally starting, but there were no contractions so we tried to get some more sleep.
About an hour later contractions started, but they were fairly few and far between. Eventually I got up and wandered round the house to try and get things going. It worked, and an hour and a half later, when contractions were coming about every 2 – 3 minutes, I woke Steve and rang the midwife.
We had planned a second home birth without hesitation, as our first experience had been so relaxed and stress free. We were both quite looking forward to doing it all over again!
The midwife arrived around 5.30 am and we set up in the lounge. This included putting a plastic sheet over the sofa and floor, then covering it with an old bedspread. The midwife unpacked her equipment and made sure we had everything we needed. At this point, everything seemed to slow down completely, my contractions were further apart and not very strong at all, and I felt really silly for having called the midwife out too early. Anyway, I carried on pacing the floor, and finally the contractions started to be a bit stronger.
When our 2 year old, Anna, woke up at 6.30 am Steve dressed her and she came downstairs and surveyed the scene. She didn't quite know what to make of it all, but enjoyed the fuss that was made of her, I think! I was still coping fairly well with the contractions at this point but during the next hour the contractions became even stronger and more intense. I needed to concentrate more and have Steve's help too, so a friend took Anna off to have breakfast, then sat with her in front of a video upstairs!
Around 8.30 am the contractions were getting on top of me a bit, I remember it suddenly dawning on me that I was going to have to push the baby out soon, and recalling the incredible pain of it the last time! However, by then there was no going back!
I started to use some gas and air which I found helped enormously, even just having something else to concentrate on was really useful. Steve was sitting on the sofa, and I was kneeling on the floor, leaning on him while he supported me. After twenty minutes of very long, strong contractions, I began to push.
My second midwife, who had also delivered Anna, arrived only minutes before Abbie was born, with a student, who very helpfully held the camera and took lots of photographs!
The second stage lasted just three minutes, and as the midwife talked me through the process, I vividly remember feeling every part of Abigail's face being born, in great detail. I felt her head crown, followed by her nose, chin, and then the rest of her body followed very quickly! She weighed 8 lb 8 oz, a whole pound and a half heavier than Anna, so I was quite surprised that her birth had been so easy. I was very grateful to have no stitches or tears.
Abbie was born screaming the place down, so when Anna came down to meet her new sister only minutes later, she wasn't very impressed, and soon went back to her video! However, we were really pleased that Anna had been able to be involved, and that we hadn't had to disrupt her routine too much, or make her feel left out in any way.
I cut Abigail's umbilical cord (it was my turn, as Steve did it last time) and delivered the placenta naturally. I then went straight upstairs to the shower and let everyone else clear up the mess! Our friend whisked Anna off to her toddler group to break the news of Abbie's birth, and Steve made tea and toast.
Abigail's birth was a wonderful experience, I even enjoyed it! I felt so well that the next day we were all down on the Quay in Exeter, feeding the ducks. Ten days later she slept through her first Christmas, with more presents than the rest of us put together!