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After guiding the Sun Devils to three bowl appearances in his five seasons in Tempe, which include the first set of consecutive bowl game victories for ASU in nearly 20 years, Dirk Koetter has returned the Arizona State University football program to the national spotlight. His leadership has helped the Sun Devils become a potential yearly Pac-10 championship contender and bowl game participant, and has frequently and consistently been nationally ranked within weekly polls. He has developed one of the most dominant offenses in college football and has expertly directed the progress of some of the finest athletes ever to play for Arizona State.
A contract extension presented to Koetter following the 2005 season, along with the addition of four new assistant coaches to his staff, gives the program the stability necessary to propel Koetter and Arizona State football to among the nation's elite.
The next steps for Koetter's Sun Devils are to maintain their success, win a coveted Pacific-10 Conference title and vault to the next level on the national scene. Koetter holds a 33-28 record in five years guiding the Sun Devils, and the team's 17-8 record throughout its past 25 games ranks third in the Pac-10 Conference, trailing only Southern California and California. Acting as his own offensive coordinator during his first five years, he has firmly established the Sun Devils among the nation's offensive leaders. He likes to put points on the board to the tune of 31.5 points per game over the last five years, while the Sun Devils have been ranked in the top 20 in the nation in passing offense in each of the previous four seasons.
Throughout his five-year tenure, Koetter has directed ASU's all-time leading passer in Andrew Walter, its top career receiver in Derek Hagan, as well as Koetter's only unanimous All-American honoree Terrell Suggs, who in 2002 established the NCAA single-season record with 24 sacks. Additionally, Suggs (2002) and Dale Robinson (2005) earned Pac-10 Conference Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year honors under Koetter's guidance. Also, each Sun Devil team during Koetter's Sun Devil career has showcased a 1,000-yard receiver. Prior to Koetter's arrival in Tempe in 2001, only four times in ASU history a receiver had surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in a single season.
From a recruiting standpoint, Koetter and his staff have successfully landed several highly ranked prep athletes and have also had a knack for locating immediate contributors from the junior college level. ASU has also dominated in-state recruiting under Koetter, signing a total of 42 Arizonans to national letters of intent, which include five straight Arizona state players of the year.
The 2005 season was highlighted by several individual and team milestone performances, as ASU finished the season with a 7-5 record, which was capped off by a 45-40 victory over Rutgers in the 2005 Insight Bowl played in Phoenix. Wide Receiver Derek Hagan concluded his career as perhaps the greatest at his position in both Arizona State and Pac-10 Conference history. Hagan ended his Sun Devil career as the all-time leader in Pac-10 history in receptions, and ranks second all-time in receiving yards and seventh on the career receiving touchdowns list. He wrapped up his historic career playing for Koetter in Tempe catching a total of 258 passes for 3,939 yards and 27 touchdowns, all of which are ASU records. On the year, Hagan recorded his school-record third straight season with 1,000 receiving yards, catching 77 passes for 1,210 yards and eight touchdowns and was named as a third team All-American and a first team All-Pac-10 honoree.
The ability that Koetter has historically had to successfully develop and utilize quarterbacks was taken to a new level in 2005, thanks to the impressive performances by junior Sam Keller and redshirt freshman Rudy Carpenter, who combined for all but 43 of a single-season ASU record 4,481 passing yards. ASU finished second in the nation in total offense, averaging 519.1 yards per game, led by its aerial attack that ranked third nationally, averaging 373.4 passing yards per game. The Sun Devils also finished seventh in the nation in scoring offense, accounting for 36.8 points per game.
In his first year as a starter replacing ASU's career passing leader Andrew Walter, Keller threw for 2,165 yards and 20 touchdowns despite missing the final five games due to injury. Throughout the seven games in which he played, Keller recorded two 400-yard games, two 300-yard games and his 20 touchdown passes rank within ASU's top 10 single-season efforts. Carpenter took over the reigns midway through the seventh game of the season and started the year's final five contests. Under Koetter's tutelage, Carpenter took immediate control of the offense and turned in the finest season by a freshman quarterback in ASU history. He established himself as one of the most accurate passers in all of college football, as he led the nation in passing efficiency with a 175.01 quarterback rating, ranked third nationally completing 68.4 percent of his passes and threw only two interceptions among his 228 total passing attempts. He threw 17 touchdown passes on the season and compiled a team rookie record of 2,273 passing yards, which included a 467-yard effort which led the Sun Devils to its Insight Bowl victory over Rutgers and earned Carpenter Offensive Player of the Game honors. His total in that contest stands as the eighth highest single game effort in ASU history and the most ever by a Sun Devil freshman.
Another first-year sensation emerged for the Sun Devils in true freshman running back Keegan Herring, who ran for a team freshman record 870 yards, and also recorded the third-most rushing yards in a game by an ASU freshman (197 vs. Northwestern) and the highest rushing total by a Sun Devil in his career debut (134 vs. Temple). In addition to the team's offensive prowess, senior linebacker Dale Robinson starred for the defense and was named the Pac-10 Conference Pat Tillman Co-Defensive Player of the Year. The former junior college transfer was the defensive leader and enforcer for the Sun Devils, ranking second in the conference with 115 total tackles and tied for first in the Pac-10 with 15 tackles for loss.
Altogether, Koetter's 2005 squad included two All-Americans (Hagan and junior KR Terry Richardson), two freshman All-Americans (Carpenter and Herring), 11 All-Pac-10 honorees and 10 Academic All-Pac-10 selections.
In 2004, the Sun Devils turned in the finest campaign of Koetter's tenure so far, compiling a 9-3 overall record and tying for third in the Pac-10 with a 5-3 mark. In the team's best start since 1996, ASU opened the season with a 5-0 record, including a 44-7 rout of then No. 16/12 Iowa. ASU earned its second bowl appearance in four years with a trip to the 2004 Vitalis Sun Bowl where the Sun Devils came from behind to defeat favored Purdue 27-23. In his first career start, sophomore quarterback Sam Keller directed a game-winning 80-yard touchdown drive with less than two minutes left to win the game and won Sun Bowl MVP honors. ASU finished the season ranked 19th and 20th in the polls and turned in the team's most victories since 1997.
Quarterback Andrew Walter completed one of the finest careers in school history, playing his final three years for Koetter. He set nearly every one of ASU's career and single-season records for passing yards, touchdowns, attempts, completions and total offense. Walter also became the Pac-10's career leader for touchdown passes with 85, surpassing the 77 that John Elway threw while at Stanford from 1979-82, and threw for 10,617 career yards which set the school mark and put him at fifth all time in the league. Junior Derek Hagan continued his assault on the ASU's career and single-season receiving records, ranking second in the Pac-10 and seventh in the nation with a school-record 104.0 yards per game, while tight end Zach Miller earned Freshman All-America honors after shattering ASU's freshman receiving records and its overall mark for catches by a tight end. As a team, ASU led the Pac-10 and ranked fifth in the nation with a school-record 317.3 passing yards per game in 2004. The team's 3,808 passing yards ranked second all time at ASU, while Koetter's Sun Devils have turned in the three top passing efforts in school history (2002-04).
Koetter has his team firmly on the path to success since seeing the Sun Devils finish with a 4-7 overall mark in 2001, his first year in Tempe. After being picked to finish ninth in the 2002 preseason conference polls, ASU exceeded all outside expectations the following year and put the program back on the national stage. The 2002 season started earlier than ever (Aug. 24) and had the most games in school history (14). The Sun Devils turned in an 8-6 record, finished third in the Pac-10 with a 5-3 league mark and earned a Holiday Bowl berth against Big XII Conference powerhouse Kansas State, then the sixth-ranked team in the country.
The overall record was hardly indicative of the amount of success the team had. Of ASU's six losses, four came against teams that were ranked in the nation's top 10. Furthermore, the loss in the Holiday Bowl was against the highest rated team in the land not go to a BCS Bowl Game. The 2002 Sun Devil squad showed poise and competitiveness that belied their youth, as evidenced by their ability to erase a 21-point deficit at then sixth-ranked Oregon - one of the toughest places to play in the nation - to pull out a 45-42 victory and catapult the Devils into the top 25 for the first time in three years. By the 10th game of the season, ASU had climbed as high as No. 16 in the country, the highest ranking since 1997. Under Koetter's guidance, ASU vaulted into the country's top 10 in passing with 303.9 yards per game and the country's top 20 in scoring with 32.3 points per contest in 2002. His high-powered offense allowed Walter, then a sophomore, to shatter just about every single-season passing record in school history, while wide receiver Shaun McDonald also set several all-time bests.
In 2003, the Sun Devils weren't as successful as they had hoped with a 5-7 mark, but there were many indications of the success that was to come in 2004. Led by Walter, ASU ranked in the national top 20 in passing offense for the second year in a row and turned in the second-best passing season in school history (behind only the accomplishments of Koetter's team in 2002). Hagan established himself as one of the top receivers in the league, ranking 19th in the country, while a number of young players made strides as well with seven true freshmen seeing action and three rookies named to The Sporting News Pac-10 All-Freshman squad.
Led by one of the most potent offenses in college football, expectations for Koetter and the Sun Devils have risen to a high level, and the team plans to build on its recent prosperity and current foundation to become a legitimate and consistent national championship contender. Koetter's vision for the program also continues to take shape as he has put a player leadership council and a character-building curriculum in place to build team leaders and help the Sun Devils achieve their goals of excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
The 2000 football season was hardly normal at Arizona State University. So when Dirk Koetter was named the 21st head football coach in ASU history Dec. 2, some had to be shaking their heads. Or maybe they were nodding along, because in a season where abnormality was commonplace, Koetter seemed to fit the mold. Who was this guy? The day after athletic director Gene Smith announced the heir to the Sun Devil throne, the media couldn't even agree on the pronunciation of the coach's surname (for the record, it's `Cutter'). It was nice to learn that in just three seasons at Boise State University, Koetter was a two-time Big West Coach of the Year and two-time conference champion. It was great to find that before BSU, Koetter spent two years as the offensive coordinator at the University of Oregon, guiding the team to a school-record 32 touchdown passes in 1997.
Yet the more one learned about Koetter, the more the mystery surrounding the man grew. A native of Pocatello, Idaho, coming off that three-year stint in Boise, Koetter was traveling from a land where the winters were packed with cold and snow to a climate where f-words like frigid and freezing are absent from the lexicon. Months away from his first home game on the lush green grass of Sun Devil Stadium, at Koetter's previous arena his team played on turf that was not only artificial, but blue as an ocean. While the Sun Devils play to a major metropolitan area, Koetter was coming from a town with an environment more intimate than even the Boise population of 350,000 would suggest.
At ASU, Koetter was inheriting a program where Pasadena and the Rose Bowl are always the dream destination. At Boise State, Koetter thrilled legions of fans by earning back-to-back bowl bids to the Humanitarian Bowl, berths that meant staying home for another game on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium. Perhaps these were unimportant revelations regarding Koetter, but his identity seemed elusive and hard to grasp. Some tales suggested Koetter was extremely hands-on, a coach who operated as his own offensive coordinator and called every play from the sidelines. But then there was evidence that he preferred the shadows, entrusting his assistants handle the pre-game speeches in all but two occasions: the first game of a season and the last. While Koetter made it clear that his high-octane offense was reliant upon calculated vertical attacks, he was surprisingly flexible in formation, willing to try almost any scheme he felt put the 11 best athletes on the field.
Even off the field, it was hard to get a reading on ASU's new general. While at Boise State, some - including himself - had called him cocky and distant. Others - including himself - described him as confident and determined. To those involved with ASU, Koetter's character will be determined by his years in the Valley of the Sun. How his Sun Devils get into the end zone will be as important as how they get into the community. How they compete inside the classroom will be as crucial as how they succeed inside the margins of the field.
December was just beginning. Yet with the Sun Devils' second consecutive Aloha Bowl appearance only weeks away, so much had already been decided. The opponent was Boston College. The regular season record was 6-5. And the result of ASU's postseason affair would have little to no impact on the season to follow. ASU was looking for a new head football coach. It was a search that began in mid-November when athletic director Gene Smith announced that Bruce Snyder's nine-year reign in the Valley of the Sun would end in unison with the 2000 season. It was a search that ended Dec 2, 2000, when Smith named Koetter ASU's 21st head football coach - 23 days before ASU would fall to Boston College in Hawaii, 26 days before Koetter's Boise State Broncos would defeat Texas-El Paso in the Humanitarian Bowl and one day after Koetter's verbal commitment to coach Oklahoma State was announced by nationwide media.
The questions were obvious. How had this happened? How had Koetter shifted from OSU to ASU, seemingly in less than 24 hours? The answer was automatic. With Smith to his right, his wife to his left and his four children - just being children - scattered about in front of the attentive media that packed the press box at Sun Devil Stadium, Koetter explained it all in eight monosyllabic words: "I am in the job of my dreams." It's tough to pinpoint quite when those dreams began, but there are certainly road signs along the way. Growing up the son of a high school football coach in Pocatello, Idaho, Koetter was born into the sport. He has been quoted as saying that he started coaching at age 6, a by-product of an environment where football was the daily topic at the dinner table. At the age of eight, he was scribbling down offensive plays. By the time he was in college, helping Idaho State to a Division I-AA national championship, he was referred to as "the offensive coordinator on the field." By 23, he had his first head coaching job, guiding his alma mater Highland High to an 8-3 season in Pocatello. When he was 24, Highland went 11-1 to win the 1984 Idaho state championship. In 1985, he was coaching in the college ranks as San Francisco State's offensive coordinator. In 1986, he made the leap to the Division I ranks, landing a job as quarterbacks coach and passing-game coordinator at Texas-El Paso.
And it was then that a 26-year-old Koetter's dreams took on a whole new light, as he described in his first ASU press conference. "It was 15 years ago I became a Division I coach for the first time at Texas-El Paso," Koetter explained. "Head coach Bob Stull told me, your recruiting area is Phoenix, Ariz. They put me on a plane. I landed at Sky Harbor after dark and had no idea where I was going. "I stayed at the Fiesta Inn and my first stop the next morning was McClintock High School. Right after I left McClintock High School, I drove up the street a little bit and I saw Sun Devil Stadium and the Arizona State University campus. "And this is true, 15 years ago I said, someday I'm going to be the head coach at that school. So today is certainly my dream come true. In the end, make no mistake, this is where I want to be, because Arizona State has the ability to win a national championship."
To properly recognize the magnificence of Boise State football at Koetter's departure, one must understand the state of the program upon his arrival. Two years removed from BSU's induction into the Division-I ranks, one year after a Bronco Stadium renovation produced 7,400 additional seats and earned the right to host the annual Humanitarian Bowl, the Broncos were coming off their fourth losing season in six years and their second in a row.
Enter Dirk Koetter as the seventh coach head coach in BSU history. Welcome, winning season. Sure, it was only a 6-5 finish, but there was reason to be excited. In his first head coaching job at that level, Koetter had just guided BSU to its first winning season in D-I. You could see the improvement in the numbers. While the 2-10 team of 1996 averaged a mere 20 points per game, and the 5-6 team of 1997 improved to 25.9, Koetter's offensive wizardry made the Broncos a team that averaged nearly 30 points per game (settling for 29.9) and finished the season ranked 24th in the nation in total offense. One game over .500 or not, the Broncos were one play away from winning the Big West Championship in a season that had already extended past its scheduled hours. At home against Idaho in the final game of the '98 season, Koetter endured pain that cannot be matched outside a rivalry game as the Vandals faked an extra point try and came up with a two-point conversion to claim the conference crown in overtime, 36-35. As sour as that moment had been, as much as it may have defined that game or that season, it would serve as a point of motivation in the future. It was Koetter's Alamo, a tragic loss that ultimately led to wins in the future.
Over the next two seasons, few teams that played BSU would be able to say that the game came down to one play. The 1999 season that began at 1-2, including a loss to UCLA, saw the Broncos rally to win nine of their final 10 games and finish at 10-3. Clearly getting stronger with the season, BSU won its last six, not by one play, not by an extra point or a field goal, but by an average of 24.5 points per contest. Included in that span was a 63-10 trouncing of Arkansas State, a 45-14 slaying of Idaho and a 34-31 Humanitarian Bowl victory over Louisville in front of the Boise faithful. Twenty-eight years of D-II football had netted only six conference championships for BSU. All it took for one title at the D-I level was four years and two under Koetter.
And yet Koetter's third season was without question BSU's finest. After two winning seasons, including BSU's first D-I bowl appearance and victory, the Broncos' football program certainly bore the signature of their head coach, but for the first time in many years they were also shouldered with expectations. If that was supposed to be a burden, the Broncos didn't appear to notice. Instead they took to the field in 2000 like a championship act, turning in spectacular performances week after week. In the second week of the season, BSU defeated its opponent by 25 points. In the fourth week it was 27. In the seventh week 59. In the final two games of the regular season, the Broncos first sent Utah State home at 66-38 and then dismissed Idaho 66-24. Once again Koetter was named Big West Coach of the Year. Once again, his Broncos were conference champions. Once again they were all staying home to party in the Humanitarian Bowl.
Meanwhile, like never before, the Broncos were invading the national football scene at the sport's highest amateur level. At the end of the regular season, that was BSU ranked No.1 in scoring offense - not in the Big West, not on the West Coast, but in the nation. That was BSU at No. 2 in total offense and No. 4 in passing offense. At the helm of Koetter's big-play attack, that was quarterback Bart Hendricks leading the nation in passing efficiency and touchdown passes. Producing 330.27 yards per game, that was Hendricks ranking fourth in total offense. That was Hendricks, too, leading the Broncos in BSU's second straight Humanitarian Bowl win, toppling Texas El-Paso 38-23. As if demonstrating the versatility of Koetter's offense to ASU fans eagerly watching on ESPN2, Hendricks threw two touchdown passes, ran for one and caught another. Koetter's career record at BSU wrapped at 26-10, including wins in 20 of his last 25 games. To his incumbent staff, he not only left winning streaks of seven overall and 14 at home (including the two bowl wins) upon which to build. More importantly, he left proof that Boise State could not only compete, it could excel.
Born Feb. 5, 1959, in Pocatello, Idaho, Dirk Koetter's collegiate coaching career saw six stops before ASU. Koetter's first stop was at San Francisco State, where he spent 1985 as the offensive coordinator. At Texas-El Paso from 1986-1988, Koetter served his first of four straight stints as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, later moving on to Missouri (1989-1993), Boston College (1994-1995) and Oregon (1996-1997). Boise State gave Koetter his first head coaching job (1998-2000), and he returned the favor with three winning seasons, two conference titles, two Humanitarian Bowl wins and two Big West Conference Coach of the Year honors. Koetter was named the 21st football coach in ASU history on Dec. 2, 2000. A 1981 graduate of Idaho State University with a bachelor's degree in physical education, Koetter was a four-year letterwinner. During his playing career at ISU, Koetter achieved Big Sky Conference and NCAA Region 7 all-academic honors. He earned a master's degree in athletic administration from Idaho State in 1982.
Dirk and his wife, Kim, are parents to two daughters, Kaylee (13) and Kendra (9), and two sons, Derek (12) and Davis (7).
Born: February 5, 1959 in Pocatello, Idaho
High School Education: Highland High School, Pocatello, Idaho
College Education: Idaho State, 1981 (BS); Idaho State, 1982 (MA).
College Football: Idaho State, 1978-81
Family: Wife Kim, daughters Kaylee (13) and Kendra (9), sons Derek (12) and Davis (7).
Former USA Today Coaches Poll voter
|Boise State
|2-3 (4th)
|Boise State
|5-1 (1st)
|Boise State
|5-0 (1st)
|Arizona State
|1-7 (9th)
|Arizona State
|5-3 (3rd)
|Arizona State
|2-6 (T8th)
|Arizona State
|5-3 (T3rd)
|Arizona State
|4-4 (4th)
|Eight Years
Professional Quarterbacks Coached
|Team (Draft Round)
|Andrew Walter
|Arizona State
|Oakland Raiders (3rd)
|Joey Harrington
|Detroit Lions (1st)
|Akili Smith
|Cincinnati Bengals (1st)
|A.J. Feeley
|Philadelphia Eagles (5th)
|Matt Hasselback
|Boston College
|Seattle Seahawks (6th)
|Bart Hendricks
|Boise State
|Edmonton Eskimoes (free agent)
|Ryan Dinwiddie
|Boise State
|Chicago Bears (free agent)
Former Assistant Coaches Under Koetter
Dan Hawkins -- Head Coach, Colorado
Brent Guy - Head Coach, Utah St
Ron English - Defensive Coordinator, Michigan
Mark Helfrich - Offensive Coordinator, Colorado
Mark Johnson - Defensive Coordinator, Utah St
Mark Carrier - Defensive Backs, Baltimore Ravens
Ted Monachino - Defensive Line, Jacksonville Jaguars


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Just before Christmas I received a Pebble Smartwatch (Manufacturer | Amazon). This is a brief review, but I'll try to share everything that you realistically need to know before deciding on whether to get this gadget.
After a few weeks of use, I affectionately call it my "dumbwatch", because I find it to be a lot dumber than what you might expect from an electronic device in 2014, yet it still manages to be useful. More specifically, I found the following pros and cons.
All in all, my Pebble Dumbwatch is still useful. The most common use cases for me have been:
Do I regret getting it? Not quite. I would however caution anyone interested in getting one that it comes with several shortcomings. I'd give it a 5/10 at best. It feels like you are testing out an early prototype of technology that might become actually useful in the future (or be entirely replaced by other gadgets like Google Glass).
Update (2014-02-02): Using a "dumber" watchface that doesn't include weather information, my Pebble will keep charge for a very long time (easily over a week).
If you enjoyed this post, then make sure you subscribe to my Newsletter and/or Feed.
To solve the battery life issue disable motion backlight. It turns on far too frequently, like when you're typing. With that turned off I get 5-7 days of battery life.
You should be getting waaay more than 1.5 days of battery life. Are you using a very battery intensive watchface? This is the primary advantage of the Pebble over something like the Galaxy Gear. I use my Pebble quite a bit and I still manage to get at least 4 days of battery life. I do wish it warned you a bit more agressively when the battery is low, though.
while I agree in most of the things, I would like to comment in 2 points of the cons that you have:
– Batery life: Right now, I've got it in airplane mode for more than 2 weeks (I was out of the country) and it lasted for 10 days. On a normal use it lasts for about 4-5 days. How many notifications do you receive? Wich watchface do you use normaly? The e-ink screen only uses energy when it refreshes so I've got a watchface wich only does animation every minute and no other refresh data (like the weather ones, that connects with your phone every 30 secs i think). Basicaly the less refresh on the screen, the less batery it takes That's how e-ink works and not the fault of pebble or any other device.
– About the disconection with the weather apps, I supose you are using iOS. The disconection is (again) not a problem of Pebble itself but the OS on your phone. When iOS needs memory, it kills background apps so httppebble will be killed and though your whatchface disconected. Most of that problems will be solved in firmware 2.0 as you can do http requests (aka ask for the weather) directly from the pebble and not using httppebble or whatever other app in your phone.
– The screen is not bright enough: again, that's how it is an e-ink screen. It looks like paper. And that's why you have the backlight (wich also takes out some batery charge).
Other than that I think you did a pretty nice review. I hope you don't feel bad for my coment as I only want to inform. I also agree with you in the rest of the things that you mention, especialy with the stupid magnet connector and not showing the remaining batery.
Your battery problems don't sound right, to the point I think you might have a defective unit or your weather app is really power hungry. Mine lasts a week with no issues, but I don't use an animating watchface, get that many emails/texts per day, or use any third party apps yet.
As for the backlight, you can also push one of the buttons to turn it on (any of them should work).
I agree, it's a prototype technology that's still being explored, but it's been enjoyable for me so far. I didn't realize how nice it is to have simple notifications on my wrist before I ordered one (vs digging into my pocket to get my phone). I have a feeling as smartwatch designs start looking better they'll get more mainstraem adoption.
I sincerely welcome and appreciate your comments, whether in agreement or dissenting with my article. However, trolling will not be tolerated. Comments are automatically closed 15 days after the publication of each article.

subset: commoncrawl


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I guess that was my 15 minutes...
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Being in Daily Spark was interesting. I hope I have gotten back to everyone and thanked them for their kind words, friend adds and the like. I really appreciate the support! Even when you are in maintenance, it's nice to have a boost.
It's also nice to know that your own humble story can help others, even if it seems low key to you.
But the truth is that I am proud of the weight loss and maintenance. I am proud to be serving in the Army. But you know, without Spark People and the community here, esp. ANNIEONLI, I would never have made it as far as I have.
I did the work, but this site helped keep me focused and on track.
As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, I put up a very heartfelt blog entry on another site & on another topic, and it took off, getting over 300 recommends from other readers and 20 tweets into the blogosphere. It was kind of interesting to see something I wrote become the trigger of so much conversation about something important to me.
Every once in awhile, it's okay to be in the spotlight. But it's okay when the glare fades a bit too.
Tonight... back to the... wait for it... TREADMILL! It's going to be... LEGEND... wait for it... DARY!
UPDATE: My lengendary run in Paris... I have an iFit compatible treadmill and you can use Googlemaps to create workouts and it will show you pictures of the streets you are running.
So the name of the game tonight was intervals!! I started out running 4 minutes at 5.5 mph, and 1 minute at 7 mph. However, the 5.5 is getting too slow, so I had to bump it up to 6 mph. I am also seeing my heartrate settle out lower as I get used to running at higher speeds. I wonder if that explains the need to change up your work out because your bod gets used to one type or level of exercise.
It felt great. And someday my treadmill will have its incline fixed too! (Parts are on order, again and will prolly be in next week... if that doesn't work, then we start talking replacement.)
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Love how you write! You deserve every kernel of recognition. You inspire me. Thanks!
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Queen for a Day!!!!
And you are LEGEND...wait for it..DARY! yourself!!
I'm so happy you and your story got their 15 minutes of fame my
You deserve that and many more...
Lot and lots of
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Lawrence T. McGill
Senior Vice President for Research
The Foundation Center
(212) 807-3634
New York, NY — February 17, 2009. Foundations in the Washington metropolitan area granted nearly $186 million in 2006 to locally-focused organizations in Greater Washington, according to Giving by Foundations in the National Capital Region, a report released today by the Foundation Center, with support from the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation.
This study — the first ever to examine locally-focused giving within a specific metropolitan area anywhere in the United States — analyzes the giving of 1,191 foundations based in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland, and northern Virginia to determine how much of their grantmaking was targeted to Greater Washington organizations with a predominantly local focus. The report also examines giving by the 26 largest foundations in the sample to identify the subject areas in which these grants were given.
"Along with fulfilling their missions, foundations are also citizens of their local communities," said Larry McGill, senior vice president for research at the Foundation Center. "With data on how much of their giving stays local, foundations in the Greater Washington area are better positioned to assess the collective impact of their work in the region."
Key report findings include:
Giving by Foundations in the National Capital Region is available for free access and download at the Gain Knowledge area of the Center's web site.
About the Foundation Center
Established in 1956 and today supported by close to 600 foundations, the Foundation Center is the nation's leading authority on philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grantmakers supporting them to tools they can use and information they can trust. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance philanthropy at every level. The Center's web site receives more than 47,000 visits each day, and thousands of people gain access to free resources in its five regional library/learning centers and its network of more than 400 funding information centers located in public libraries, community foundations, and educational institutions in every U.S. state and beyond. For more information, please visit foundationcenter.org or call (212) 620-4230.
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Who Invented TBTF (Too Big to Fail)?
Aaron Brown
The tangled history of an idea nobody loves.
Most controversial issues have people on both sides, and we know more or less why they disagree. People who want more gun control think it will reduce violence and fear. People who don't want more gun control think it will lead to more crime and government disrespect for citizens. We can trace the history of the dispute and find people on both sides of the issue.
TBTF (too big to fail) is different. Everyone is against it. Everyone agrees that institutions insulated from failure behave recklessly, and that government supporting the big firms in an industry creates a tilted playing field that discourages innovation, independence, and human-scale institutions. It's expensive, threatening to bankrupt many governments. It's revolting to witness governments bailing out big banks — the ones with those extortionate overdraft fees and deceptive credit card charges — and rich people while raising taxes and cutting programs to pay for it. Private profits and socialized losses offends our sense of fairness as it robs our wallets.
So why are we stuck with this unloved idea? Most people have a vague sense that the banks grew big while regulators weren't paying attention, until one day we woke up and discovered some were so big that their failures threatened the economy. If anyone had any doubts about this, the disaster following the Lehman bankruptcy proved it, and Lehman was only the twelfth largest bank in the US. But if that's true, why haven't we broken up the large banks? The answer to that question is that TBTF has an entirely different history that you have to understand in order to see what the future is likely to bring.
The story begins in 1984 with the failure of Continental Illinois Bank. The seventh largest bank in the US at its peak, it had made many imprudent business loans, especially to oil and gas companies hurt when energy prices declined, and overpaid for some acquisitions (notably Penn Square Bank) that had made even worse loans. It had some other bad exposures to developing countries and it guessed wrong about interest rates. As a result, the government had to take it over. The good news is that CI didn't have a lot of insured deposits; it funded itself mostly by taking brokered deposits too large to be covered by FDIC insurance, and by issuing notes and bonds. Another bit of good news is that it had a pretty simple corporate structure and balance sheet.
There are two basic ways to resolve a failed bank. The simplest way is to shut it down, auction off the assets, and pay off the creditors in order of seniority. If there isn't enough to cover the insured deposits, the FDIC writes a check for the difference, and if necessary, raises the insurance premium on other banks to recoup the loss.
The downside of that approach is that you sacrifice the going concern value of the bank. In addition to the assets on the balance sheet, a bank has value due to its branch network and business relationships. Perhaps the assets would fetch $50 million less than the liabilities at auction, but another bank is willing to absorb that $50 million loss in order to acquire the intangible assets of the bank. Moreover, the failed bank's assets will always be worth more to a financial institution experienced at managing distressed loans than the assets will fetch at auction.
So the second way to resolve a failed bank is to find another bank willing to take it over, possibly with some cash thrown in by the government — but less cash than a liquidation would cost. Not only does that save the FDIC money, but it also means less turmoil among bank customers, counterparties, and employees. However, there is a downside to this as well: It takes longer and is more complicated than a liquidation, and the government has to support the failed bank while searching for an acquirer.
Traditionally the government would opt for a liquidation unless a willing acquirer could be found before the troubled bank failed. But twice before CI, the FDIC had supported a failed bank by guaranteeing all creditors — not just the insured depositors. That was a risk; if the bank had to be liquidated anyway, the government was on the hook for a larger loss. The potential reward was that the extra time bought by the guarantee would be enough for a win-win deal to be structured. In both of the first two instances, the gamble paid off. For CI, the government decided to roll the dice for a third time. That decision has been criticized, and it may have been imprudent. It certainly didn't work out, and there were some other arguable missteps in the FDIC's handling of CI. In the end, it cost the federal government seven years and $1.1 billion to resolve CI. Very little of the going concern value was preserved. An immediate liquidation would have been costless to the FDIC, CI's assets would have easily covered the insured deposits, and after-the-fact estimates suggest there would have been six follow-on failures of small banks, at no cost to the FDIC.
Even as events were unfolding, people were criticizing the FDIC. Congressman Stewart McKinney charged that the FDIC had guaranteed uninsured deposits and bonds because it thought CI was "too big to fail." The term had been used before, but this is what made it a household term. The important point is that McKinney did not like TBTF; he was accusing the FDIC of something everyone agreed was wrong. The FDIC denied the charge and said that it was acting to minimize taxpayer losses.
In the heat of the moment, lots of people said lots of different things. One major confusion is that the Fed had also gotten involved in the situation, extending discount window loans and arranging loans from other banks to help nurse CI along. But as Paul Volker (the Fed chair at the time) emphasized, these things were done with the belief that CI was not insolvent, and both direct Fed loans and Fed brokered loans were well collateralized with high-quality, liquid assets. The Fed supported CI to protect the banking system, but it took no significant risk to do so. The FDIC took risk, but with the intention of protecting taxpayer funds, not to protect the banking system. And neither one thought CI's size was particularly important. (The previous FDIC guarantees of uninsured deposits were much smaller banks, and the Fed supports banks large and small alike, as long as it considers them solvent.)
So no one thought CI was TBTF. No one advanced risky bailout funds in order to protect the banking system. No one wanted to allow TBTF. Congress passed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 in order to prevent TBTF.
But the 1991 Act had a more complex effect. During the seven years of wrangling, a prohibition on TBTF rescues got watered down into strict conditions on TBTF rescues. It worked to some extent. In the seven years between CI and the 1991 Act, most bank rescued uninsured depositors took losses in less than 20% of bank failures. From 1992 to 2000, that percentage jumped to 65%. It was not all the result of the Act; we had a major banking crisis in the second half of the 1980s and regulators were nervous about a total collapse, while the 1990s were a little calmer. It's important to note that the choices of which banks to bail out and which banks to liquidate were not based on size.
For some reason, however, the idea grew up so that TBTF was part of official US bank policy, even though nobody thought it was a good idea. Some of that might have been fanned by Fed involvement in the rescue of hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management in 1998. But the Fed only brought creditors together to forge a voluntary pact to protect each other, no government money was involved, and in the end, no losses were taken. It's true that the Fed was concerned that LTCM might be too interconnected to fail, but no one considered that an excuse for putting taxpayer money at risk.
Fast forward to March 2008. The Fed very reluctantly agreed to provide some non-recourse funding and guarantees to
(NYSE:JPM) to encourage it to purchase Bear Stearns because it was concerned about the potential effects on the financial markets of Bear's bankruptcy. While this is farther than the Fed had gone in the past, it was well short of a bailout, and it was based more on the confusion from the speed of Bear's decline and the complexity of its dealings than on a determination that large banks cannot fail. The FDIC is not involved. Then in September, Lehman is allowed to fail.
So in the entire history of the idea up to September 2008, there really is no TBTF. People accuse other people of it, and explain how bad the idea is, but no one supports it, and it is never policy. Creditors and uninsured depositors of some banks are bailed out sometimes, but not because the banks are big, or interconnected, or systemic.
After the failure of Lehman, of course, was the gigantic bailout package. But it wasn't for big banks; it was for hundreds of banks, large and small. And it wasn't aimed at protecting individual institutions, but at preventing a simultaneous systemic collapse. It was a terrible idea at the time. It was only passed on the second attempt by extraordinary political arm-twisting, and many of the proponents have since come to regret it, some bitterly. The chance of another bailout anytime soon is very slim.
So TBTF is a myth. It is the monster under the bed, the dragon on the edge of the map. We never had it, and we certainly do not have it now. The Fed will act aggressively to protect the financial system, but it will not bail out large banks, nor any banks that it believes to be insolvent. The other bank regulators will sometimes protect uninsured depositors and creditors, but because they think it will save money, not because the bank is big, or interconnected, or systemic. There's no shortage of real financial issues to worry about, and plenty of controversies with people on both sides. So don't spend time worrying about made-up issues about which everyone agrees.
No positions in stocks mentioned.
The information on this website solely reflects the analysis of or opinion about the performance of securities and financial markets by the writers whose articles appear on the site. The views expressed by the writers are not necessarily the views of Minyanville Media, Inc. or members of its management. Nothing contained on the website is intended to constitute a recommendation or advice addressed to an individual investor or category of investors to purchase, sell or hold any security, or to take any action with respect to the prospective movement of the securities markets or to solicit the purchase or sale of any security. Any investment decisions must be made by the reader either individually or in consultation with his or her investment professional. Minyanville writers and staff may trade or hold positions in securities that are discussed in articles appearing on the website. Writers of articles are required to disclose whether they have a position in any stock or fund discussed in an article, but are not permitted to disclose the size or direction of the position. Nothing on this website is intended to solicit business of any kind for a writer's business or fund. Minyanville management and staff as well as contributing writers will not respond to emails or other communications requesting investment advice.


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Let $T$ be a Turing machine whose accepted language is $L(T)$. Let $X$ be another language. How do you approach a proof like $L(T)\subseteq X?$
In order to prove that any machine, automaton or grammar satisfies $L(T) \subseteq X$ you have to translate your intuition of how it was designed into hard facts. What is the intended meaning of a certain configuration, how where the states chosen? So you have to divide the operation of the machine into phases. Like, "if the TM is in state $q$ on the left of the tape, it will move right, marking half of the symbols $A$ ending in state $q$ on the leftmost cell used". If the design of the machine is done right, such explanations usually suffice, if they can be easily understood. Otherwise one has to apply induction, on whatever seems interesting (like the remaining symbols $A$).
Let me try to add an example, what I would consider sufficient "proof". A Turing machine deciding the language $\{ a^{2^n} \mid n\ge 1\}$. States used $p_0,p_1,p_O,p_E,\ell,p_A,p_R$, accepting state $p_A$, rejecting $p_R$. Tape alphabet $\{a,X,B\}$, with $B$ for blank. Instructions in the order (state, symbol, new state, new symbol, direction).
We scan the tape from left to right. In each scan we halve the number of $a$'s. When the number of $a$'s on the tape is $1$ we accept, otherwise when the number is odd we reject (and halt), finally when the number is even, we return to the leftmost symbol on the tape.
Start in state $p_0$, indicating $0$ $a$'s read. Other states $p_1,p_E,p_O$ for single, even, odd number of $a$'s read.
Finally, note we reject on empty tape.
The main approach is to start with arbitrary word $w$ in $L(T)$ and then show that $w$ is also in $X$. In order to do so, you will probably need see the "relation" between $L(T)$ and $X$.
The specifics highly depend on $T$ and $X$, but generally, there are two ways:
As said, different definition for $T$ and $X$, will change your approach.
Just to complete the answer, let's have two simple examples.
case 2 Let $T$ be some Turing machine. Let $X$ be the language accepted by a Turing machine $T'$ that on input $w$, runs $T$ on all the words $u$ of length $|w|$ and rejects only if all of them are rejected by $T$.


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In the last week, Southwest Airlines has launched mobile boarding passes at Baltimore-Washington, Denver, Orlando, Chicago Midway and Phoenix Sky Harbor airports.
Travellers flying with Indian carrier Jet Airways can now check-in using their mobile phone and have their boarding pass sent directly to their device.
Iberia and airberlin are the latest airlines to embrace wearable technology, announcing that they will offer smartwatch boarding passes for Samsung and Pebble devices respectively. Read full article »
Ryanair CCO David O'Brien reveals to FTE when the new app and mobile boarding passes will be launched, and why the LCC is now trying to "un-differentiate" itself.
Spanish carrier Vueling has embraced wearable technology and has partnered with Sony to offer a smartwatch-based boarding pass on the Smartwatch 2.
easyJet has become the first European airline to allow passengers to board their flight at Belfast International Airport using a mobile boarding pass.
Allegiant has developed mobile boarding passes and funded new scanners at 55 airports to ensure as many passengers as possible have access to the service. Read full article »
FTE attended the AOA Annual Conference in London, where Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary outlined changes to the airline's check-in policies and charges.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has announced that the airline will introduce mobile boarding passes by summer 2014.
easyJet has announced that passengers travelling from London Gatwick Airport can now board their flights using mobile boarding passes. Read full article »


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Megaupload data is saved
For now
A JUDGE HAS RULED that the imperiled Megaupload data should be preserved, for the time being at least.
The decision was made on Friday and was welcomed by the Megaupload legal team that is fighting to protect the material for the users and so they can have a look at the evidence that exists on Megaupload's servers.
Judge Liam O'Grady said that lawyers from both sides should start mediation sessions and try to work out an agreement about whether to archive or delete the information. This will give the data a stay and protect legitimate users from losing their content. The news was welcomed by Megaupload's lead counsel, Ira Rothken.
Megaupload is pleased with the Judge's ruling in US in favor of server data preservation and ordering conference with experienced Magistrate— Ira Rothken (@rothken) April 13, 2012
The servers that host the material are leased from Carpathia Hosting. That firm has been somewhat lumbered with them and reckons that it is costing around $9,000 a day just to keep them ticking over.
Megaupload has offered to take the financial burden back, but of course it has its money frozen, meaning that it is not in a position to do so. The other alternative is that the government pays to support the servers, but it is resisting that option. µ
INQ Latest
Google Updates: YouTube live after you check you're not dead
It's time for our regular two-step through the Google news
Uber picks up Portugese pen-testers with profiteering plans
Bug bounty offer: accepted


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Journal of Community Mobilization and Sustainable Development
Year 2011, Volume-6, Issue-2 (July-December)
Print ISSN : 2230-9047
Online ISSN : 2231-6736
Table of contents
EditorialJ.P. Sharma
Impact of Trainings on the Gain in Knowledge of the Field Veterinary ProfessionalsRupasi Tiwari, M.C. Sharma, B.P. Singh, Triveni Dutt
Participation of Farm Women in Animal Husbandry in Anand District of GujaratSangeeta Upadhyay, C.P. Desai
Effectiveness of Farm Telecast in Seeking Agricultural Information by the FarmersS.K. Badodiya, P.C. Chaudhary
Socio-economic Characteristics Affecting Information Source use Among Farmers in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, NigeriaGideon Chinedum Onuekwusi, Chiterenma Mary Atasie
Entrepreneurial Characteristics of the Agripreneurs under the Scheme of Agriclinics & Agri-buisness CentresTaufiq Ahmed, Shamsul Hasan, Rifat Haneef
Adoption of Improved Production Technology of PigeonpeaA.P. Dwivedi, S.R.K. Singh, Anupam Mishra, R.P. Singh, Mamta Singh
Resource Cost Ratio Approach to Estimate Innovations and Profitability – The Case of an Ornamental Fisheries EnterpriseBiswajit Debnath, R.S. Biradar, Rahul Singh
Social Processes and People's Participation in Watershed DevelopmentRaju, J.P. Sharma, Premlata Singh, R.N. Padaria
Marketing Behaviour and Information Sources Utilization Pattern of Flower GrowersV. Raina, M.S. Nain, B.S. Hansra, D. Singh
Improved Dairy Cattle Management: Technical Know-how among Rural WomenDhriti Solanki, Rajshree Upadhyay, Meenal Vashishtha
Quantification of Involvement of Farm Women in Animal Husbandry and Dairy Based Farming SystemSurendar Kumar, C.R. Prajapati
Potato Marketing in North East Region of India: A Diagnostic StudyUma Sah, Shantanu Kumar Dubey, J.P. Sharma
Constraints in Production and Marketing of Redgram in Gulbarga District of KarnatakaV.G. Shashikant, Itigi Prabhakar, B.L. Manjunatha
Knowledge Level of the Farmers Trained by DBSKKV, Dapoli -An Action ResearchH.V. Borate, R.P. Mahadik, S.G. Mahadik, A.V. Mane, A.D. Hake, K.V. Malashe
Yield Gap Analysis of Major Oilseeds in IndiaGirish Kumar Jha, R.R. Burman, S.K. Dubey, Gajab Singh
Modus operandi of Scientific Community in Dissemination of Research-FindingsSujeet K. Jha, Chennamsetti Jyothisree, Ram Datt
Correlates and Facilitative Factors for Babycorn Entreprize Development in HaryanaPankaj Kumar Sinha, Rashmi Singh, V.K. Yadav
Short Communication
Role of Information Technology to Enhance the Nutrition Education and Skills of Women in UttarakhandKiran Arya, V.L.V. Kameshwari, M.A. Ansari
Training Needs of Farm Input Dealers for Transfer of Agricultural TechnologyJ.V. Mande, N.W. Darade
Role Performance of Village Leaders in Dairy Development ActivitiesUday Otari, Shahaji Phand, D.S. Deshmukh, B.S Munde
Impact of Vocational Training Programmes on Knowledge Gain by the Rural YouthsBanarsi Lal, Vikas Tandon
Production Constraints of Vegetable Cultivation in West TripuraDipak Nath, Pijush Kanti Biswas


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CIO Moves: Xora, Vocera Communications
Mobile business app maker Xora has hired its first chief information officer, Oswald D'sa. Xora says D'sa will oversee the company's IT and operations, including SaaS infrastructures, data management and business intelligence. Previously the responsibilities were distributed between other executives at the firm. D'sa comes from VerticalReponse where he worked as chief technology officer. Earlier jobs include a CTO position at Bloosky Interactive and CIO at Claria. D'sa has an undergraduate degree in electronics and communication from India's Manipal Institute of Technology and a master's degree in computer science from National Center for Software Technology, also located in India.
Vocera Communications named Steven Soderberg to fill the newly created chief information officer position. Soderberg will lead initiatives surrounding the deployment of Vocera's communication applications for hospitals. Soderberg comes from Force 10 Networks where he was CIO for one year. Prior to Force 10, Soderberg served as CIO at PGP, Otis Spunkmeyer and winemaker Robert Mondavi. He was also a business applications director at Symantec. Soderberg holds a degree in economics from Stanford University.


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You Can Inspire Others By ProclaimingLECTORS PROCLAIM is serious about proclaiming the Scriptures. We know how to help men and women improve their effectiveness as proclaimers.
The major difference between a "reading" and a "proclamation" in liturgy involves the degree to which the person proclaiming a Scripture passage is personally involved with the passage. By that
we mean how much the proclaimer is investing in who they are, what they believe, and how they understand the passage in their effort to proclaim the message in the passage. In short, the significance the passage has for the proclaimer is reflected in the way the lector "proclaims" the passage to his or her fellow disciples.


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Thank the Obama administration for protecting 11 million acres of Arctic lands!
Over the last year, more than 70,000 of you have urged the Obama administration to protect the special places of the National Petroleum Reserve in Western Alaska (the largest undisturbed area of wild lands in the United States) from Big Oil.
The Obama administration heard you. They just announced that they will pursue a plan that will shield 11 million acres of Western Alaska's most fragile and important wild places from oil and gas drilling.
Thank the Obama administration for protecting this wild Arctic landscape -- and urge them to keep up the good work!
We're still waiting for President Obama's final decision on drilling in Alaska's Polar Bear Seas. But in the meantime, this recent announcement is great news for the Arctic.
Don't let the name fool you -- the National Pretroleum Reserve in Alaska is a wild wonderland. Its 23 million acres are home to a dizzying array of wildlife -- half a million caribou, countless migratory birds, thousands of walrus, and many polar bears. Its unique plains and lakes are crucial to the health of the entire Arctic region.
But the federal government has never had a coherent plan for managing its resources and wildlife. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been working for the last two years to change that. Of all the possible plans they considered, we have been enouraging them to adopt "Alternative B," which protects places like Tekeshpuk Lake and the Utukok Uplands, where hundreds of thousands of caribou birth their young every year and where migratory birds nest. And they have done just that!
Send the Obama administration a message -- let them know you support them in their efforts to protect the special places of Alaska's Western Arctic.
We still have a lot of work to do to make sure these protections are adopted -- and that other special places of America's Arctic like the Polar Seas are protected from Shell Oil's plans to drill. We must show the Administration that we care deeply for this cherished landscape, and that while we're celebrating the announcment today, we'll be watching in the weeks and months to come and fighting to protect the Arctic.
Thanks for everything you do for the environment,
Dan Ritzman
Sierra Club Arctic Campaign Director
P.S. Forward this this email to your friends, family and colleagues -- or share it on Facebook and Twitter:


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Taking On The
Qur'aanic Jesus?
Robert Williams
To: "Positive Atheism" <email@example.com>
Subject: WebMaster:_Positive_Atheism_Index
Date: Sunday, January 28, 2001 6:07 AM
Dear Editor,
I came across your website today and read about the biblical confusion over the status of Jesus. Have you also taken to the task the Qur'aanic Jesus? The Qur'aan purports to be the Last Testament because , in part, the previous testaments were tampered with -- for example, the Gospel of Jesus is not even in the New Testament. So we find in the Qur'aan something of an account of what Jesus said about his status as a messenger of God.
If you have considered the Jesus in the Qur'aan and wrote about it, I would very much welcome this information. Or if you know of others who may have done this, I would welcome this information as well.
Lastly, thanks for your honest efforts. A Spanish professor once said "We don't know what's happening to us, and that's precisely what's happening to us". Honest efforts such as yours help us to figure out what is going on.
Robert Williams
From: "Positive Atheism Magazine" <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Subject: Re: WebMaster:_Positive_Atheism_Index
Date: Sunday, January 28, 2001 11:18 AM
I have not spent very much time examining the minor differences between the Qur'aanic concept of Jesus and the Biblical concept of Jesus -- simply because the evidence for the historicity of Jesus is virtually nonexistent. Thus, I would not be any closer to finding out if a Jesus existed by comparing the two myths. And since I do not recognize revelation as even a valid concept (even were I a theist I would still have a tough time accepting the notion of revelation and would probably be, at most, a Deist), then the contents of alleged revelations to not mean very much to me.
Now, if I were to encounter hard evidence that a Jesus actually existed, and if that evidence provided any clue as to who Jesus was, I'd jump right on it. In lieu of hard evidence, though, my studies of the various Jesus interpretations are purely for entertainment. And since the Qur'aanic revelation is so far removed, chronologically, from the era when Jesus is alleged to have existed (as are the Mormon revelation and the Urantian revelation), the disagreements between these revelations and the Christian stories do not carry much force, and thus fail to keep my interest.
My interest revolves primarily around the fact that in the United States, many Christians are working tirelessly to institutionalize the Christian religion as the State religion; thus, I must spend part of my time studying the Christian religion and trying to find ways to discredit it as an institution, to minimize the chance that it will be accepted as authoritative and worthy of our common assent. Were it the Muslims, the Hindus, or the Buddhists who were trying to establish their religion, or were these other groups as successful as the Christians are at fostering antagonism toward and bigotry against atheists as a class of people, then I would study those religions as carefully as I do the Christian religion.
Sometimes I wonder if there will come a time when Muslims will replace Christians as the ones I have to watch out for. But then I remember that part of my family heritage is that my grandparents lived in Lebanon and Egypt for many years, and my grandmother developed a very deep respect for Islam. From what she said, we would have less to fear from a Muslim-dominated society than we do from a Christian dominated society. I don't know, and can only hope that all people eventually learn to get along.
Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine
Five years of service to
people with no reason to believe
To: "Positive Atheism Magazine" <firstname.lastname@example.com> Subject: Re: WebMaster:_Positive_Atheism_Index
Date: Monday, January 29, 2001 11:26 AM
Dear Cliff,
Thanks for your reply. Your Grandma was correct when she noted that Muslim (versus Islamic) civilization practiced a high degree of tolerance. This was noted in Henry Grady Weaver's The Mainspring of Human Progress in chapter 10. However, I doubt if today's Islamic Dark Agers would be as tolerant. (When I say Dark Agers, it is in reference to Abercrombie's observation in a '70s issue of National Geographic that Muslims have fallen asleep and are just now beginning to awake and rub their eyes).
About the historical Jesus -- have you read The Jesus Mysteries by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy? It was published in 1999 by Thorsons.
There was a faction piece (part fiction, part fact) out of Leicester, England in '97 with some info on the historical Jesus -- a rather combatant fellow in this account. When I locate it, I'll pass it on.
Robert Williams
From: "Positive Atheism" <email@example.com>
Subject: Re: WebMaster:_Positive_Atheism_Index
Date: Monday, January 29, 2001 6:28 PM
The approach I took for about 15 years, was Jesus as political revolutionary, seeking to free his people from Roman occupation. This is most vividly described in Hyam Maccoby's hard-to-find Revolution in Judaea, and augmented in his easier-to-find The Mythmaker."
I now find myself taking the road recently advocated by Robert M. Price, that if Jesus Agnosticism. Price says that we cannot know, and shows that if you accentuate some facts and ignore others, you can come up with any number of Jesus scenarios.
Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine
Five years of service to
people with no reason to believe
Material by Cliff Walker (including unsigned editorial commentary) is copyright ©1995-2006 by Cliff Walker. Each submission is copyrighted by its writer, who retains control of the work except that by submitting it to Positive Atheism, permission has been granted to use the material or an edited version: (1) on the Positive Atheism web site; (2) in Positive Atheism Magazine; (3) in subsequent works controlled by Cliff Walker or Positive Atheism Magazine (including published or posted compilations). Excerpts not exceeding 500 words are allowed provided the proper copyright notice is affixed. Other use requires permission; Positive Atheism will work to protect the rights of all who submit their writings to us.


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B&B in London Offering English Breakfast
B&B in London at Georgian House Hotel.
B&B in London is Georgian House Hotel which is a family-run, family-owned hotel situated in the heart of the Capital. Our bed and breakfast facilities are available to all guests with 50 rooms to choose from including singles, doubles and family rooms, with compact and practical en-suite shower or bath toilets. Or if you wish to stay in student accommodation our annex rooms are low-cost single rooms with shared bathroom and toilet. The rooms are charming, have telephone, television, safes, tea and coffee facilities and offer the finest quality B&B in London. Book early to avoid disappointment.
Take advantage of our full English breakfast served in our pretty garden breakfast room. Help yourself to a buffet of fruits, cereals and fresh coffee, and then order the full cooked breakfast from one of our cheerful staff. We use top quality ingredients: best back bacon; herby Cumberland sausages; fresh tomatoes and mushrooms and free range country eggs. An English breakfast is one of the "must have" features of your stay at the Georgian House B&B in London.


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A man and his two children were found dead Thursday night in what appears to be a murder-suicide in Carroll County.
But the coroner's office said they are still waiting on the GBI's medical examiner to complete the autopsy before confirming the manner and cause of death.
They also have not released the identities or ages of the three.
Sheriff Terry Langley told the Times-Georgian newspaper the three died from gunshot wounds.
"The preliminary reports we have are that the father shot his two children and then killed himself," Sheriff Langley said Thursday. "We've been on the crime scene three hours now and it's still pretty sketchy what exactly happened, though."
The bodies were found in different rooms inside the home at 485 Willow Lane, near Temple, Chief Deputy Coroner Mr. Ed. Baskins said.
The three were found shortly after 5 p.m., but investigators believe they may have been dead for days.
"They have been deceased for at least two days, possibly since Monday," Mr. Baskins said.
The children's mother, who also lived at the home, had been gone for several days, Mr. Baskins said.
It's unclear if any suicide note was left and so far officials have not released any motive for the killings.
Receive daily news stories and stay current by clicking on the subscribe button at the top of the article and get automatic updates via email each time a new article is published. You may also get quick updates on articles as well as read more local news stories at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Atlanta-Public-Safety-Examiner/19583707047.


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Here in San Mateo, CA, our hotel's guests can easily get to all the attractions and businesses of the San Francisco Bay area. In addition, a free shuttle runs between San Francisco Airport (SFO) and the Holiday Inn® Hotel & Suites San Mateo - San Francisco SFO.
This hotel is ideal for every corporate traveler. Use the 24-hour Business Center and free Wi-Fi access to keep in contact with the office anytime. Over 2,500 sq ft of meeting
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This hotel is ideal for every corporate traveler. Use the 24-hour Business Center and free Wi-Fi access to keep in contact with the office anytime. Over 2,500 sq ft of meeting space is available in three rooms, so you can host your next event with us. Since we're near SFO, the hotel is moments from IBM, Honeywell and Accenture, too.
There's a lot to do around San Mateo, CA, as the hotel's property is a stone's throw from Coyote Point Museum, home to almost 100 exotic animals. Families love spending a day at the Great America Theme Park in nearby Santa Clara. And, of course, San Francisco is chock-full of excitement and fun, from Fisherman's Wharf to AT&T Park and Union Square to the famous Golden Gate Bridge.
You'll have the time of your life staying at this 100% nonsmoking, green lodging. After a long day on the town, why not sit back and relax in the whirlpool or sauna? The 24-hour Fitness Center makes keeping up your workout regimen a cinch. If you get hungry, head down to the Bistro 330 Bar & Grill, where there's sure to be something delicious for everyone. Book now and discover just how much fun the San Francisco area can be.


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The former As I Lay Dying vocalist was sentenced earlier today in a San Diego courtroom to six years imprisonment for felony charges of soliciting and conspiring to kill his estranged wife Meggan, which he plead guilty to back in February. Among those packed into the courtroom were Lambesis' former band mates, family members, and supporters for both sides - about 80 in total.
Meggan's parents addressed the court first, speaking about her character and the positive influence she brings to other people. They claimed that Lambesis saw their daughter as "an inconvenience" in his "rock star life", that he was abusive to her, and that he only showed any remorse for getting caught, not for his actions. Her father Mike Murphy said that the family still fears for their lives saying "We know that prison is a great alibi for someone who wants to complete the deed." He asked for the maximum 9 year sentencing. Meggan also spoke, reading a prepared statement. She said that her estranged husband's behavior had become dangerous and that he was abusive at times, bullying her. She described feeling "as fragile as a piece of paper that could float away at any moment." She asked for maximum sentencing and a lifetime restraining order. During this time, Lambesis did not look at her directly but did listen attentively. He only looked at her when it was his turn to speak, fighting through tears to get words out. "I do feel deep remorse. I want to thank you… for your prayers… in the midst of everything that I've done… that you have still have the heart that you do" he told her, not being able to apologize prior because of restraining orders against him. Meggan kept her composure throughout, her eyes fixed on him fearlessly.
Lambesis' attorney filed 200 pages of pleadings in sentencing, hoping for leniency in his client's punishment. He also said that his client had given up any future contact with their adopted children as well as Meggan. The man whom Lambesis had attempted to hire in his assassination plot - a personal trainer at the gym where he worked out - was faulted for providing steroids to Lambesis, altering his behavior to such irrational and different conditions than normal.
The judge argued that plenty of men use steroids and performance enhancing drugs, but do not try to kill their wives, instead citing "a flaw of character..something twisted inside" for the murderous actions. He also found it disturbing that Lambesis wanted to use his children as an alibi. He then handed down the 6 year sentence, giving a credit of 48 days already served in custody. Meggan and the children were promised 10 years protection. She also has a civil suit against Lambesis for $2 million, which will mean another court date.
As for the future of As I lay Dying, the band's website contains a mysterious message that reads the group is "sleeping rather than dead"; it is mysterious because it was posted anonymously and no other members claim to have posted it. It goes on to say "In terms of music, Tim doesn't want to pursue performing live music full time regardless of what length his sentence ends up being. His sentence certainly won't be forever, but even so, touring full time doesn't seem healthy or practical given his new outlook and goals. Creating new music is the part Tim loves most and he will always continue to release albums."
The remaining members, Jordan Mancino, Nick Hipa, Phil Sgrosso and Josh Gilbert have announced that they plan to release new music under the name Wovenwar, with Oh, Sleeper's Shane Blay on vocals. They have signed to Metal Blade Records and will put out an album this summer. The first single off the release is called 'All Rise'.


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Epic Beard Men = Sage Francis and B. Dolan. We rap. We have fun raps and we have angry raps. 2BAD is a fun and angry rap and it's on me brudda's "House of Bees Vol 2" album.
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In singles play, no. 92 senior Stephanie Balzert finished first on court one, when she was overcome by No. 3 Zsuzsanna Fodor, 6-0, 6-1. In the sixth position, senior Iza Ferreira fell to
On court five the Wildcats looked to pick up their first point, as freshman Tina Razloznik, won her second set 6-3 over Claire Ilcinkas. After pushing it to a super tie-breaker, Razloznik, fell 11-9. On court three, sophomore Juliette Mavroleon put the only point on the board for the Wildcats after she won her super tie-breaker over
The Wildcats will remain in the Bay Area to take on top-ranked Stanford at noon Saturday.
1. Zsuzsanna Fodor (
2. Suzi Babos (
3. Juliette Mavroleon (UA) def. Stephanie Kusano (
4. Cristina Visico (
5. Claire Ilcinkas (
6. Jessica Shu (
Final Score: 5-1


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NCAA president Emmert on UM case: No fixed timeframe on conclusion
CORAL GABLES – One year after the NCAA began investigating Miam's football and men's basketball programs, it's unclear how much longer until the Hurricanes learn their fate.
Speaking Friday at a conference in St. Louis, NCAA president Mark Emmert said the governing body does not have "a fixed timeframe" in regard to UM's case.
"The important thing is to get it right, not just get it fast," Emmert told the Kansas City Star. He added that the NCAA is "working on it aggressively."
Emmert was asked why it took so long to sanction UM basketball players Durand Scott and Reggie Johnson for infractions committed during former coach Frank Haith's tenure.
"We don't have subpeona power," Emmert said. "We have to rely on people giving us info when they're in the mood to give it to us sometimes. And that makes it challenging.


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Often when my sister and I visited our grandmother as children, we found her rubbing pungent ointments into her swollen wrists and fingers for her "rheumatism." We took this for granted. "Grandmothers have arthritis," we used to think.
Now we know that a balance between genetic and environmental factors play a role in a person's susceptibility to arthritis, and although you can't do much about the genes, you can take steps to control the environmental factors.
Years later, when I was beginning my training as a rheumatology fellow, red spots appeared on my grandmother's legs and arms after she used moth spray on some carpets. I knew this petechial rash – skin spots that don't fade when you press them – can accompany autoimmune disease, but a thorough work-up revealed no clear diagnosis. Months passed before the next symptoms appeared, without warning and with a vengeance. A spinal artery stroke left her quadriplegic. Her doctors diagnosed lupus and prescribed high-dose corticosteroids, but she spent her last months bedridden and in pain.
Ten years later, my mother developed high fever and enlarged lymph nodes after a flood damaged Montreal's inner suburbs, where she lived. Her doctors decided she might have been exposed to a virus. The fever resolved, but then returned with severe joint pains and swelling, and her blood tested positive for rheumatoid arthritis, or RA. My mother, then 70, had never had arthritis symptoms before. Doctors also found a breast lump, and in the end, it was cancer that took her, but arthritis symptoms waxed and waned the rest of her life.
Even with this family history, I was surprised when I developed arthritis symptoms – swelling and pain in my knees, elbows, shoulders and wrists. The doctors diagnosed non-specific inflammatory arthritis – not RA and not lupus.
In any "complex" disease, the tendency to develop inflammation comes from genes, but whether it's arthritis, multiple sclerosis or something else depends on such environmental factors as bacteria, viruses, chemicals or foreign proteins. In addition, there is a "dose effect" of genes – if you inherit many autoimmune genes, you will be more likely to get an autoimmune disease, regardless of environmental exposures. If you inherit very few, then environmental factors – from chemical exposure to major stress – become more important. The genes load the gun and the environment pulls the trigger.


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During the government shutdown the program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC is still open.
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Most people are fans of bacon. And of beer. And of ice cream. But how many are fans of all three put together? The Texas Motor Speedway, in conjunction with Levy Restaurants, decided to put this to the test. Their "Shake 'n Bacon" Brew beer milkshake was available to lucky NASCAR fans for a short stint in late 2013
I consider bacon, sugar and beer to be basic food groups, so I had to try this concoction myself. The recipe that the nice folks at Texas Motor Speedway were so good to send me called for a Black Lager. Guinness Black Lager just happens to be a regularly-stocked item in the fridge, so I was in luck. Mixed with some vanilla ice cream, maple syrup and topped with bacon bits and whipped cream, the end result was an addictively good concoction. Although I drank it all down, I'm not sure if this shake is for everybody... You definitely need to be a fan of stouts, porters or lagers to enjoy this dark beer beverage.
My recipe varies slightly from the version made by the Texas Motor Speedway. Next time I make this, I'm gonna try some pecan praline or chocolate ice cream.
6 oz. Guinness Black Lager
10 oz. vanilla ice cream
2 tbsp. Maple syrup
Bacon bits
Whipped cream
In a blender, combine beer, ice cream, and maple syrup. Blend until combined. Add more beer or ice cream to reach your desired consistency. Add bacon bits and pulse a few times to combine. Pour into a glass, top with whipped cream and more bacon. Enjoy!


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Boulder is "wired for biking"
Submitted by Kris Thompson on
DenverPost ran a story yesterday on how Boulder is wired for biking. Are you surprised? Boulder is classified as a Plaitium cycling equallying only 2 other cities in the US (Portland Oregon and Davis California). As a cycling junkie of this town I still see areas that could withstand some major improvement both infrastructure and culture, but as it stands it is pretty sweet. I don't see how I could live anywhere else now that I've been here.
Boulder Bike Story from Bikes Belong on Vimeo.


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Top Definition
anyone who defines their own name on urban dictionary
av ed\'s neighbor (and friend) 11 oktober 2003
Photos & Videos
Synonym for someone who believes USA to be the only nation equipped with the internet.
1. idiot
synonym for our nations current president
George W. Bush is a complete idiot.
Source: reed, Feb 9, 2003
synonym for our nations current president
George W. Bush is a complete idiot.
Source: reed, Feb 9, 2003
av Grrblt 20 juni 2005
Anyone who belongs to and/or elects to join a village comprising of idiots
Do we really need an example? :p
av Intel 7 februari 2005
I would never call you a moron, or even an imbecile for that matter. That wouldn't be right! I know you are an idiot.
av Chris 1 november 2004
Doing the same thing and expecting a different result.
Ralph is an idiot.
av Danielle 4 juni 2004
An epithet that describes anyone but you.
It is a statistical certainty that there is someone out there in the planet who considers you an idiot. That person doesn't matter, of course -- he's an idiot.
av T-Boy 29 augusti 2003


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Donna Martin enters her 13th season at the helm of the Northern Illinois University softball program. A product of the Huskie family, Martin's association with the university spans four decades. Since taking over the program in 1995, Martin has amassed an overall record of 328-306-2 in 12 seasons, including two Mid-American Conference titles and two MAC Coach of the Year honors.
Martin got off to a fast start in her first head coaching position, posting six straight 30-win seasons. In her first season, NIU finished with a 32-26 record. The next year, she led the Huskies to a 35-17 overall record and a 13-1 mark in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, winning the conference championship and advancing to the 1996 NCAA Regionals. In her third season, Martin won her 100th collegiate victory, the fastest coach to accomplish that feat in Huskie softball history.
During its three-year run in the MCC under Martin, seven Huskies earned First-Team All-MCC honors. In 1996 Martin earned Coach of the Year accolades, Kerri Kerber was named the league's Player of the Year, Angie Zuspann picked up Pitcher of the Year recognition and Julie Stopka was named MCC Newcomer of the Year.
In 1998, Martin led the Huskies into their first season of MAC competition with a 33-16 overall record and a 21-6-1 record in conference play to take second place in the MAC. The Huskies won back-to-back MAC Championships in 1999 and 2000 with Martin winning MAC Coach of the Year awards after those campaigns.
Since re-joining the MAC in 1998, 13 Huskies have earned First Team All-MAC honors, Christy Dalton was named MAC Player of the Year in 1999, Courtney Witvliet was named MAC Pitcher of the Year in 2000 and Kathy Dearborn was named MAC Freshman of the Year in 2002.
Before taking over the program, Martin served as an assistant coach at NIU under Dee Abrahamson for 13 seasons. She was on Abrahamson's staff for the Huskies' lone College World Series appearance in 1988, when NIU finished seventh in the nation.
Prior to starting her coaching career, Martin was a four-year letterwinner for the Huskies in both field hockey and softball. She began her career in the outfield as the only freshman on a senior-dominated squad. She later moved to her natural position of second base for her final three seasons. Martin led the 1979 Huskies in runs batted in and had a team-best .295 batting average in 1981. She is tied for first in the Huskies' record book for stolen bases in a game with three against Navy and in triples in a game with two against Concordia (Ill.).
As a defensive specialist for the field hockey team, the Lake Bluff native was selected by the NFHCA to represent it at the national field hockey tournament in 1979. Martin helped contribute to a school-record 47-match unbeaten streak, which spanned four seasons, and played for the Huskies' undefeated field hockey team in 1978. That team was inducted into the Northern Illinois University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.
Martin earned her undergraduate degree in physical education from Northern Illinois in 1981, and then completed her master's degree in physical education from NIU in 1986.


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