text:
VIDEO: All tries, Wallabies beat All Blacks (25-20) to win TriNations, Suncorp, Brisbane 2011
Saturday 27 Aug 2011 11:55 p.m.
Australia claimed their first Tri Nations title since 2001, and their first win over the All Blacks at Suncorp Stadium with a 25-20 victory in Brisbane on Saturday.
The Australians reversed the first encounter between the two by hitting the All Blacks hard in the first half and set up their win by dishing out a battering which forced the New Zealanders to reshape their pack after losing No.8 Kieran Read and flanker Adam Thomson.
But while the New Zealanders paid the price for the start they did pick up their game and get back into the contest but will be left to mull over the consequences of successive losses as they head into the Rugby World Cup in less than a fortnight.
They struggled to hold onto the ball and left the coaching staff with plenty to mull over.
It took a powerhouse New Zealand performance to get back into the game after the Australians rocked them in the first half to claim a 20-3 lead at the break. The heavyweights up front, hooker Keven Mealamu, prop Owen Franks and lock Brad Thorn took matters into their own hands with some extended driving into the Australian defence.
They got New Zealand back to 20-20 but the Australians were not in a mood to be denied and the breakdown issues seen in South Africa were not eliminated in full as David Pocock and Rocky Elsom got among them to upset the flow of possession.
The All Blacks second half reply started with Carter landing a 47th minute penalty goal before the most cohesive play from the New Zealand pack who were patience personified in a superb series of phase plays which saw the ball moved hardly a metre from the ruck 27 times before the ball was moved.
Carter took the tackle on the blindside and fed centre Conrad Smith who cut through for the try.
Seven minutes later more power play created a chance for Carter to work a reverse pass with Nonu. He worked the ball with Smith and Nonu backed up and raced by Cooper to touch down. Carter's conversion drew the scores level.
However, Australia weren't finished and from a midfield ruck Genia ran, shadowing referee Wayne Barnes initially before finding wing Digby Ioane in support and he was able to put Kurtley Beale over for the try in the 60th minute.
New Zealand made 15 errors to Australia's six in the first half, giving itself no opportunity to pull back the margin.
Australia made all the early running, hitting the game with force to negate the All Blacks' opportunities to impose themselves as they had in the first match in Auckland. An early penalty goal to Quade Cooper after a ruck infringement was followed in the 12th minute by a try to halfback Will Genia.
New Zealand were feeling the effects of the intensity of the contest with each of the flankers Richie McCaw and Adam Thomson needing early attention while No.8 Kieran Read left the field injured just before Genia's try.
Rampaging Australian No.8 Radike Samo made a rampaging run from the restart and was only just dragged down before New Zealand returned the ball downfield, and missed a try wihen a spot tackle by centre Anthony Fainga'a hit fullback Mils Muliaina just as he was about to pass the ball on to the unmarked wing Cory Jane.
New Zealand's handling several times let them down with wing Zac Guildford struggling but the impressive feature of the first half was the way the Australians were in the face of the All Blacks with spot tackles of fearsome effect.
It was no place for the faint-hearted and after Cooper's second penalty goal, in the 32nd minute, McCaw had the ball ripped away from him at the restart by rival David Pocock. From the ruck Samo was fed and he broke through the line by fending off Thomson's tackle attempt to clear out on a superb 60m run for the line. Cooper's conversion had Australia out by 20-3.
Thomson was forced to leave the field with an injury just before the break resulting in Sam Whitelock moving to the blindside of the scrum with Ali Williams moving to lock.
Australia 25
Tries: Genia, Samo, Beale
Con: Cooper 2
Pen: Cooper 2
New Zealand 20
Tries: Smith, Nonu
Con: Carter 2
Pen: Carter 2


text:
"This is the National Weather service in Duluth. We have activated the public warning alarm tone," said weather service announcer.
The National Weather Service Office in Duluth has its own radio station.
These "deejays" are more interested in lightning strikes than hit records, though.
Their broadcasts are picked up by tuners like this.
This is a weather radio designed to receive forecasts and weather warnings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
"NOAA weather radio is this guy right here and it's basically the best way to get all the National Weather Service warnings, forecasts and everything we issue," said Mike Mettwy of the National Weather Service.
"This is a test of the weather warning alarm system," said the NOAA announcer.
The National Weather Service issues a lot of advisories because nearly 15,000 severe weather events hit the U.S. every year.
Often those severe weather events hit as millions of children are going to school.
A government program aims to make sure those children are safe by putting weather radios into schools around the country including here the Northland.
"It was a joint effort between the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Commerce and Department of Education. They all worked together and were able to provide these weather radios to each and every school in the nation," said Carol Christenson of the National Weather Service.
Weather radios aren't just for schools or storm chasers however.
Anyone can pick one up at an electronics store.
The unit is about the size of a clock radio and has a battery backup in case of power loss.
They can be one of the cheapest forms of life insurance during severe weather.
"Anything we issue that is of importance you will be alerted right away. There's a tone alert that will immediately sound if we issue a warning so you'll get it right away," said Bettwy.
"During dangerous weather, special receivers are activated to warn of the hazard," said NOAA announcer.
Most of our region is now covered by a NOAA weather radio station.
There are 12 transmitters in the Northland including International Falls, Virginia, Spooner and Ashland.
"This concludes this test of this weather radio station. We now return to our regular program," said Christenson.
NOAA weather radio fans will have a chance to take part in a live call in show on Thursday, May 1st.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- News
- Calendar
- Blogs
- Sports
- Entertainment
- Business
- Lifestyles
- Community
- Opinion
- About Us
- Classifieds
- Coupons
- Local Savings
- Green Editions
- Legal Notices
- Weekly Ads
Connect with Us
San Juan Island Community Foundation will award $700K in grants Friday
The San Juan Island Community Foundation will award more than $700,000 in grants to local non-profits at its annual "Breakfast of Champions" Friday, 7:30 a.m., in Mullis Community Senior Center.
The foundation's all-volunteer Board of Directors will prepare and serve breakfast to attendees.
"This year's total will come to over $700,000 for our local non-profits, public institutions and, for the first time, scholarships," Chairman Charles Anderson said in a press release.
"We are extremely grateful to the growing number of donors who have made this possible and allowed us to more than quadruple our grant awards over the last two years!"
Susan Matthews, foundation program coordinator, added, "The morning's program will celebrate and recognize all foundation grant recipients over the past year and include some words from the perspective of our island non-profits. Chef Tom French of the Experience Food Project - who is bringing such excitement to our school's cafeterias - will be the keynote speaker."
Phil Anthropy (The Pink Pig) is planning to attend to greet and cheer for all the recipients of this year's award competition.
For more information on the Breakfast of Champions or the foundation, call Matthews at 378-1001 or visit the office in The Technology Center on Mullis Street.
Latest news, top stories, and community events,
delivered to your inbox.
Trending Stories Oct 18 - Oct 25
Read the Oct 19
Green Edition
Browse the print edition page by page, including stories and ads.
Browse the archives.


text:
I am planning on a carb refeed day every few days on workout days. On a refeed day I'm planning on eating 250-300g carbs, low fat and moderate protein.
On my rest days I wanna switch to high fat, like 150g, 50g carbs and moderate protein.
My question is, should my calories be lower on a rest/high fat day? I'm planning on hitting 2000 cals on a workout day but I've noticed on high fat I can eat those 2000 cals and still lose... so if I'm going that low carb is a calorie deficit still necessary?
Do you think the low/high carb switching method is effective? Or does it really just come to calories?
Again, experiment and find what gives you the best results.
My nutrition/fitness/critical thinking blog:


text:
Various school cost cuts will be needed
February 28, 2011 - Editorial by the Adirondack Daily Enterprise: Publisher Catherine Moore, Managing Editor Peter Crowley
We'll see what the state Senate and Assembly do, but the way things are going with budgeting and talk of a tax levy cap, it seems inevitable that some big cuts are coming down the pike for schools....
No comments posted for this article.
Post a Comment
You must first login before you can comment.
News, Blogs & Events Web


text:
Deliberating Before Dancing
It looks like my upcoming road trip is gonna be a good one, as I've gotten some very enthusiastic responses from the teams that I'll be visiting. "On the Road" coverage will surely dominate this blog (and regularly appear on MiLB.com) throughout the upcoming week and into the next.
But before leaving, I need to solicit your opinion. The Fort Wayne TinCaps have asked me to take part in a "Bad Apple Dancer" dancing grounds crew routine, an invitation rarely extended to ballpark interlopers such as myself. I was even given the choice of what song to dance to, and I need your help in making that choice. The candidates:
500 Miles
Party in the USA
As always, your input is important to me. What song would best showcase my prodigious dancing skills? Let me know via blog comment, twitter, or email (deadline: Saturday at 12 ET).
And while in a deliberative mood, check out the latest in the Altoona Curve's series of television parody videos. It's "Curve and Order."
The Curve video was part of their latest "What We're Watching Wednesday" promo, followed the next day by the latest entry in their mascot stunt series: "The Stuffed Animal Hoop of Death."
Unfortunately, I am not in possession of footage of this phenomenal feat. In the meantime, may I suggest that you check out my latest "Farm's Almanac" feature article on MiLB.com? It's on Chris Hatcher, vying to become the first-ever player to appear in the Major Leagues as both a full-time catcher and full-time pitcher.
Thanks for reading, and see you on the road!
3 Comments
Well Ben, Bootylicious looks like an encore of your debut in Hawaii when you were chosen to perform the male version of the Hula on stage, rather admirably I'd say! If you want to stray from the familiar, try Dynamite. And that said, I believe my vote is too late to matter. Can't wait to see the video! Mom
I forgot to ask you if you think you will be able to visit Ravenna tomorrow. Lake Rockwell Road, off of Infirmary Rd. Ravenna was once the balloon capital of the world. I don't know if it still holds that title. Maybe it is now known for being your birthplace.
Party in the USA!


text:
Two Florida waterways on Wednesday were designated "Great Waters" by a national coalition, raising hopes among some supporters for increased federal and state funding for restoration projects.
This brief has been archived. The entire brief is available exclusively to LobbyTools subscribers.
Already a subscriber? Login, or call 850-915-0100 ext. 1 for customer support.


text:
An Algiers, Louisiana, woman and her boyfriend were arrested on child desertion charges Wednesday morning after the woman's 3-year-old daughter was found wandering the streets, The Times-Picayune reports.
Twynea Thomas, 21, admitted to police she left her home at 10 p.m. last night to go to work. Thomas' boyfriend told police that he walked her to work and then returned to the home. Both of the adults said the toddler was asleep when they left home.Local television stations this morning reported that Thomas said she was at work and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Calvin Dejean, was at home. Her grandmother called her while she was at work to tell her Ta-myah, the daughter, was on television.
Thomas said her daughter knows how to unlock the door, but hasn't gotten out before.
Child desertion is a misdemeanor, which means Thomas and Dejean face a maximum sentence of 6 months in jail and a $500 fine if found guilty.
The child was unharmed when she was found.
In other Gulf Coast region news:
Suspect in sexual assault matches description in similar incidents: Jason Reed, who is charged with two sexual assaults in northwest Florida, matched the description of a suspect in at least 5 other incidents in the area in the past 2 years, The Walton Sun reports. The reports involved a white man matching Reed's description who exposed himself to woman and asked for sex in northwest Florida. In some of the reports, women stated that the suspect entered their home or hotel room and stood naked watching them sleep. Reed pleaded not guilty last week to charges in 2 sexual assaults.
Man arrested for assaulting mother, girlfriend after vodka bender: A 38-year-old northwest Florida man was arrested and charged with 2 counts of battery after an incident fueled by vodka, The Destin Log reports. The assailant's mother said he had been drinking vodka and became violent at his home in Destin, Florida, leading his girlfriend to hide under the bed and his mother to attempt to leave the house. The man allegedly ripped his girlfriend out from under the bed and threw his mother to the ground when she attempted to leave the house.
Theft of vienna sausage leads to felony arrest: Michael Allen Flowers is facing felony charges for allegedly shoplifting $41 worth of vienna sausage, shampoo and body wash from a Pensacola Dollar Tree store, NorthEscambia.com reports. A search of Flowers' truck revealed multiple bottle of shampoo, body wash, 20 cans of Vienna sausage, and other merchandise belonging to Dollar Tree, according to an arrest report.


text:
Cannes Review: Brilliant 'Behind the Candelabra' deserves biggest screen possible
CANNES - A late, not-entirely-incidental scene in "Behind the Candelabra" finds Swarovski-encrusted pianist Liberace holding forth on the 1981 Academy Awards. The showbiz legend is due to make his long-desired debut appearance as performer and presenter, and you may or may not be surprised to learn that he's backing "On Golden Pond," that maudlin, Vaseline-lit ode to comfortable expiration, to take the gold. "I'm so glad Jane Fonda's dropped all those awful causes and made a nice film with her father," he coos primly. "Our job is to entertain the world and sell lots of drinks and souvenirs."
Steven Soderbergh's alternately raw and riotous account of the last years of Liberace—if that sounds like a reference to an era rather than an individual, it should—is crammed with delicious asides like this, and they're not the throwaways they initially seem. Much of the film's blithest humor is used to expose its subject's deepest social and personal limitations, though its stance is more bemused than vindictive: as well as a touching and tough-minded love story, "Behind the Candelabra" is a sympathetic study of a man defiantly resisting his own significance. Its own causes, still politically hot a quarter-century after the man's death, are subtly enfolded into its goggle-eyed celebrity spectacle. It's entertainment with a capital, fur-lined E, though I suspect Liberace wouldn't have cared much for it.
For one thing, the musician who yearned for big-screen stardom probably wouldn't have been amused that his outsized life is being treated as a TV movie – albeit a TV movie that has seen the inside of the Cannes Film Festival's cavernous Grand Lumiere theater. The good news is that "Behind the Candelabra," for all its seamy up-close intimacy, feels neither structurally nor formally compromised by the nurturing hand of HBO; it's a biopic that bristles with life at the edges, luxuriating in the excesses of its personalities and production design alike.
In terms of content, meanwhile, the film's televisual backing seems to have had an expanding effect. Soderbergh has remarked that he chose the small-screen path only because Richard LaGravenese's script was "too gay" for theatrical film studios, and it's certainly hard to think of a more forthright portrait of homosexual domesticity in mainstream cinema: it's a film that takes sexuality as a given, all the better to magnify what's genuinely queer about the sixtysomething Liberace's relationship with gradually disillusioned young buck Scott Thorson.
While Michael Douglas's shrewd, rude, wickedly funny turn as Liberace (known to his loved ones as Lee) is undeniably the star attraction of a film that, at least for its glitter-strewn first half, doesn't stint on the seductive properties of camp, the story belongs chiefly to Scott, smartly played by Matt Damon as a stolid yet corruptible soul born of the foster-care system, who suddenly finds in the older man more family than either one can really handle.
Introduced to Liberace toward the end of the 1970s, with disco dying just as the AIDS crisis looms, Thorson's sexual attraction to the bouffant-wigged showman is never far from a desire for the security of parental care; the rot sets in when Liberace takes this daddy complex to belief-defyingly literal levels. Under the principle-free knife of plastic surgeon Jack Startz (a frightening, hilariously hollow-eyed Rob Lowe), Scott is rebuilt in the less handsome image of his master; by the time formal adoption papers are drawn up, this relationship can bend no further without breaking.


text:
You are hereHome ›
Environmental Justice Grant Recipients
The San Francisco Department of the Environment provides environmental justice grants to community groups and non-profit organizations serving the Potrero Hill and Bayview Hunters Point communities. Grants support groups that are helping to improve quality of life by building resilient, sustainable communities in the Southeast area of San Francisco.
Grant Recipients (2010-2012)
Asian Neighborhood Design
With an emphasis on the city's southeastern communities, Asian Neighborhood Design is using their environmental justice grant award for engaging San Francisco residents with green workforce employment training and development, conducting community environmental responsibility workshops for improving indoor air quality, and promoting energy efficiency in low-income homes.
Literacy for Environmental Justice
Literacy for Environmental Justice is using this grant funding for infrastructure improvements to increase capacity at their native plant nursery in Hunters Point. The plants grown in the nursery will be used for public open space amenities, including restoration of SF's southeastern shoreline.
Urban Sprouts
Urban Sprouts is using the funding to develop the school garden and a garden-based education program at International Studies Academy in Potrero Hill, in order to improve access to nutritious and fresh produce and advance community knowledge of gardening and local food systems. Garden-based education will be offered through in-school classes for youth and workshops for families.
Grant Recipients (2001-2010)
Alemany Farm/Alemany Residents Management Corporation trained and employed youth from Alemany and Bayview Hunters Point to grow organic fruits and vegetables at Alemany Farm and sell them at the BVHP Farmers' Market.
All Hallows Community Senior Center added a 13.1 kW solar photovoltaic system to the existing 2.5 kW solar array on the All Hallows building. All Hallows Gardens Residents Association provided indoor air filtration systems to residents of the All Hallows Garden complex and performed community outreach to educate residents about indoor air quality.
Arc Ecology created a "Community Window" center that posts information on the status of the Shipyard clean up, Parcel E remediation, community emergency alert, and job opportunities.
Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates conducted a solar training program for Bayview residents, provided energy audits and installed alternative energy systems on non-profit buildings and low-income homes.
Bayview Hunters Point Health and Environmental Resource Center (HERC) developed a needs assessment and feasibility study for the expansion of the Southeast Health Center. HERC also recruited and trained Bayview Hunters Point residents to conduct home assessments for asthma triggers related to household cleaning and pest control products.
Bayview Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Services provided information and conducted presentations about asthma and other environmental health concerns to seniors in Bayview Hunters Point. They also screened 500 residents for those conditions and made referrals for medical treatment.
Bret Harte Elementary School promoted horticulture education for students and families in the Bayview by creating a school/community garden, which serves as an outdoor science classroom and gathering space for community events.
Chinese Progressive Association conducted a needs assessment and survey, and performed outreach to Spanish and Chinese-language residents in the Southeast neighborhoods to address air pollution concerns and encourage local residents to participate in public hearings
Communities for a Better Environment provided technical assistance to residents and community-based organizations in Bayview Hunters Point and Potrero Hill on energy programs and resources. Through education and organizing, they mobilized community members to participate in energy-related policy decisions.
Community Alliance with Family Farmers built a "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" campaign in Southeast San Francisco to promote the direct purchase of locally grown food from farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture distributors, and to promote farm-direct sales of produce to local retailers, restaurants, and institutional markets.
San Francisco Department of Public Health increased awareness of health care services, promoted preventive care measures, and enrolled residents in existing free or low-cost health care plans.
Economic Opportunity Council of San Francisco expanded their food pantry program at the Potrero Hill Family Resource Center to include Saturday services, nutrition education program, healthy food certificates, and some home deliveries.
Friends of the Urban Forest planted 400 trees and cared for an additional 1400 trees in Bayview Hunters Point and Potrero Hill. In addition to improving air quality and reducing sewage run-off, the project also promoted economic development and youth employment by introducing at-risk youth from Bayview Hunters Point to careers in urban forestry.
Girls 2000, a project of Hunters Point Family, received funding from the Salton Fund/ California Attorney General's office and from SF Environment for the development of a farmers market in Bayview Hunters Point. They also introduced nutrition and urban agriculture into their afterschool program and distributed fresh produce in a biodiesel van.
Global Exchange developed a Green Careers Program at City College of San Francisco/Southeast Campus to provide classroom training and hands-on internships with green businesses to improve the environment in San Francisco's Bayview Hunters Point and Potrero Hill neighborhoods.
Goodwill Industries installed pollution reduction devices on trucks serving the Goodwill's Bayview Hunters Point store, began using biodiesel in the training vehicle at its truck driving school, the Bayview Hope Trucking Academy, and purchased a truck training simulator for the Hope Trucking Academy to reduce on-road emissions by students and future truckers.
Green Depot promoted access to and use of biodiesel fuel by performing outreach and education to local truck fleets and drivers of diesel vehicles in the Southeast area. Green Depot also increased access by supporting a local biodiesel cooperative.
Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice conducted a multilingual education and outreach program around diesel emissions and idling health risks and regulations, trained Bayview Hunters Point residents to conduct home assessments for asthma triggers related to household cleaning and pest control products, promoted energy conversation and renewables, and mobilized community members to influence government decisions on energy issues, particularly the closure of the Hunters Point power plant.
GRID Alternatives' Solar Affordable Housing Program installed solar electric generation systems on low-income or affordable housing units, implemented energy efficiency measures, increased access to low/no interest financing program, and assisted local residents in obtaining California Energy Commission rebates.
Housing Conservation and Development Corporation improved housing in the Bayview Hunters Point and Potrero Hill areas through energy retrofits, weatherization, energy-efficient appliance replacement, and other conservation measures.
Kids in Parks added two 6th grade classes from Gloria R. Davis Middle School to the Kids in Parks program. Students attended field trips and learned about natural history in Bayview Hunters Point.
Literacy for Environmental Justice received funding from SF Environment and the Salton Fund/ California Attorney General's office for development of a farmers market in Bayview Hunters Point, adding cooking demonstrations and nutrition presentations to farmers' market programming. LEJ also received funding from SF Environment for the construction of the EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park. The EcoCenter is the city's first 100% off-the-grid building, and serves as a learning and community center for all of the city to enjoy.
M. Cubed and San Francisco Community Power created a non-profit organization to promote energy efficiency in Bayview Hunters Point and Potrero Hill. EJ funds were used by San Francisco Community Power to replace old, inefficient refrigerators with new efficient Energy Star refrigerators and help offset the cost of energy efficient appliances at local small businesses.
Peacekeepers, a project of Hunters Point Family, restored and continues to maintain the community garden at the Alice Griffith Housing Complex, providing fresh, organic vegetables to residents.
Potrero Hill Neighborhood House conducted an energy retrofit and weatherization of their community center, including installation of photovoltaic systems.
Quesada Gardens Initiative dedicated garden space to food production, developed the Bridgewiew Garden and several other community gardens, and supplied organic produce from gardens to residents and markets, including the Bayview Hunters Point farmers' market. Quesada Gardens also developed the "Bayview Backyard Gardens" program to address energy, environmental, and public health concerns in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood by installing modular backyard gardens that locally produce healthy food and encourage physical activity.
San Francisco Conservation Corps connected SFCC and Corpsmembers to the emerging green collar sector by integrating green principals and practices into their trainining curriculum and strengthening SFCC's relationships with employers.
San Francisco Food Bank installed energy efficiency measures and a 15 kW solar photovoltaic system at the food bank's Potrero Hill warehouse/office building.
Shoreview Environmental improved indoor air quality and assist with environmental health impacts at the Shoreview apartment complex in Bayview Hunters Point.
Southeast Food Access Working Group improved food access in Bayview Hunters Point through the Food Guardian Project, which is a lay health worker effort, where residents are trained to educate, advocate, mobilize, and work on SEFA's three pillars: urban agriculture, food access, and raising awareness.
St. Gregory's Food Pantry opened two new pantries in Bayview Hunters Point and Potrero Hill and developed an emergency food bag system to use when an overflow of people occurs.
Strybing Arboretum Society/San Francisco Botanical Garden recruited and trained residents in horticulture program to enable entry into careers in gardening.
Willie Brown Jr. Academy taught weekly garden classes and hosted food-related events for students, provided student internships and organized a summer camp, and conducted outreach and education activities for parents.
Young Community Developers developed an environmental training program to teach residents about hazardous materials services such as performing lead and asbestos sampling and abatement.
A dynamic city like San Francisco requires the efficient use of clean, renewable energy to meet the needs of today and future generations. Our innovative policies and programs help San Franciscans use energy wisely, while saving money and reducing environmental impacts.
SF Environment aims to reduce travel-created carbon by getting people out of cars and instead traveling by walking, biking or public transit. We also are greening the City fleet of vehicles and encourage the public to reduce their impact by supporting cleaner fuels and vehicles.
Zero Waste
Imagine a world in which nothing goes to landfills or to incinerators. We think it is achievable, and SF Environment is doing everything we can to make it happen.
Toxics & Health
As the first city to adopt the Precautionary Principle, San Francisco strives to protect the health of its residents, visitors and the local environment. SF Environment develops programs and policies to help individuals and businesses make safer choices in products, practices and services.
Buildings & Environments
San Francisco is habitat for 800,000 people – meeting needs for space to work, play, and learn; for food, water, and air; for community with local flora and fauna. SF Environment provides support for urban agriculture and forestry and green buildings, helping residents and businesses harness environmental opportunities.
Education & Equity
SF Environment focuses on building community capacity - engaging people throughout the City's neighborhoods and providing them with the tools, education, and job opportunities to ensure that the places where we live, play, learn, and work are safe and healthy.
Climate Change
Reducing carbon emissions is central to ensuring a sustainable future for San Francisco. Climate change will bring unstable weather, rising sea levels and damage to our city's natural habitat and infrastructure. SF Environment is committed to mobilizing the City to deal with Climate Change.


text: Older kids love to hunt eggs with money in them. Younger kids can get smaller toys or slips of paper that have activities written on them like an extra book at bed time or a trip to the park. Also fun is confetti eggs where you carefully break open eggs and remove contents for scrambling or whatever and then clean and dry the egg. Fill them with confetti and put a pece of paper over the open end to seal. Fun to crack on each others heads or throw ( outside unless you fancy the mess). I also give the kids one good chocolate bunny ( hubby too).


text:
Dave Cullen
My next book
Preview my gay soldiers book
The tumultuous story of two gay soldiers, who forge a lifelong friendship before, during, and after Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Brett and Drake battle for love and freedom to survive three wars and one exhausting policy.
The two adopt wildly different strategies to outmaneuver the silent adversary, yet each rises deftly toward Lt. Colonel,* inside the great American war machine rumbling through adventures in the Middle East.
Two harrowing love stories — at war.
* (Avoiding spoilers.)
My Recent Writing
Vanity Fair
The Orlando shooter may have been gay? Gays are not surprised
Vanity Fair
Mass Murder at the gay bar: My worlds collide
Vanity Fair
A Startling Look at the Parent of a Mass Shooter (Columbine Mom Sue Klebold)
The Millions
A Year in Reading: Dave Cullen
Vanity Fair
My genius mentor: Lucia Berlin
Vanity Fair
To Be a Gay Cadet at West Point These Days
New Republic
Dispatches from Guantanamo Bay, Part 1
Dispatches from Guantanamo Bay, Part 2
TV / Radio
How the media should cover killers
Earlier Writing on Shootings
Daily Beast
(Excerpt from my new Columbine epilogue)
New Republic
The Injustice Collectors
New Republic
A Skeptic's Guide to Media Coverage of Mass Shootings
"Disappear" the killers
(Stop naming them)
What Does a Killer Think?
(Guide to three classic types of mass murderer.)
New York Times
Don't Jump to Conclusions
LA Times
Essential reading after Newtown: Columbine
(This one is about me, not by me.)
Expanded New Edition
- Just released: Over 30 Added Pages, 50 since hardcover
- Now in stores, BN.com (40% off), Amazon, indies, Kindle, Nook, etc.
More Relevant Than Ever
Edgar Award
Best Nonfiction 2009
GoodReads Choice Award
Best Nonfiction 2009
Barnes & Noble Discover Award
Best Nonfiction 2009
American School Board Journal
Top Education Book 2009
Top 10 Education Books of the Decade
The Truth About The Fact Award
Best Nonfiction 2009
LA Times Book Prize
American Library Association Alex Award
Audie Award
Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award
Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Award
New York Times
Los Angeles Times
Publishers Weekly
American Library Association
Entertainment Weekly
American School Board Journal
Bookmarks Magazine
Chicago Tribune
Miami Herald
Mother Jones
Washington Post Express
National Post (Canada)
New Haven Register
Oakland East Bay Express
New West
New London's The Day
Asia Literary Review
"Tackles the hardest question of all: why?
Come away from Cullen's unflinching account with a deeper understanding of what drove these boys to kill."
Buy the new Columbine edition — Autographed


text:
Here are vitals statistics for Sept. 17, 2009.
Sarah Clawson and William Barnard, of Kalamazoo, a son.
Samantha Dains and Noah Privett, of Kalamazoo, a daughter.
Matt and Ramina Goodman, of Three Rivers, a son.
Krystle Huizarearl and Clarence Spurlock, of Kalamazoo, a daughter.
Tim and Sarissa Montague, of Kalamazoo, a son.
Sara Vanfulpen and Justin Restivo, of Kalamazoo, a daughter.
Rhonda Byrd and Brad McNees, of Martin, a daughter.
Lydia Cartwright and Eric Engelman, of Kalamazoo, a daughter.
Michael and Angela Marhanka, of Decatur, a son.
Julian and Michelle O'Bryant, of Kalamazoo, a daughter.
Derek and Brittany Riippa, of St. Joseph, a son.
Brandi Snyder and Matthew Thomas, of Allegan, a daughter.
Gerald Belden, 89, of Allegan (Winkel Funeral Home, Otsego).
Scott Matthew Christie, 40, of San Carlos, Calif.
Virginia Czuk, 84, of Gobles (Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Memorial Chapel, Kalamazoo).
Ruth A. Dickman, 93, of Kalamazoo (Redmond Funeral Home, Kalamazoo).
Ellynn P. Docsa, 87, of Kalamazoo (Joldersma & Klein Funeral Home, Kalamazoo).
Doug D. Kraner, 89, of Gobles (D.L. Miller Funeral Home, Gobles Chapel, Gobles).
Inez L. Raber-Griffith, 62, of Parchment (Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Memorial Chapel, Kalamazoo).
Roger Sloan, 89, of Kennesaw, Ga. (Wages & Sons Funeral Homes and Crematories, Stone Mountain, Ga.).
Briene C. Verkow, 81, of Parchment (Parchment Redmond Funeral Home, Parchment).
Monte P. Westfield, of Portage (Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, Oshtemo Township).
Richard J. Wolfe, 55, of Mattawan (Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Memorial Chapel, Kalamazoo).
Marriage licenses
Aaron J. Vronko, 26, of Kalamazoo, and Lindsay B. Scott, 23, of Kalamazoo.
Joshua D. Fox, 27, of Portage, and Allison K. Chamberlain, 25, of Portage.
Lazaro R. Mnyuku, 37, of Kalamazoo, and Vickie A. Carr, 42, of Kalamazoo.
Douglas G. Lawrence, 24, of Mattawan, and Julie A. Peterson, 23, of Schoolcraft.
Todd J. VanMeekeren, 22, of Kalamazoo, and Monica L. Fryer, 22, of Augusta.
Joseph W. Skelton, 53, of Vicksburg, and Donna E. Stryker, 51, of Vicksburg.
Kevin M. Mainstone, 27, of Kalamazoo, and Emily E. Schrum, 26, of Kalamazoo.
Elliot R. Whitaker, 30, of Wayland, and Sara M. Schmitz, 30, of Kalamazoo.
Trevor L. Paul, 31, of Caledonia, and Jill M. Young, 28, of Kalamazoo.
David A. Guy, 25, of Kalamazoo, and Chelsea L. Thompson, 22, of Portage.
Kenneth B. Eaton, 39, of Portage, and Kelli A. Hinkley, 37, of Portage.
Richard E. Sherman, 38, of Kalamazoo, and Tahisha M. Martin, 30, of Kalamazoo.
Walter H. Howard, 33, of Kalamazoo, and Rebecca L. Sabin, 30, of Kalamazoo.
Matthew P. Miller, 28, of Kalamazoo, and Sara A. Clemens, 27, of Kalamazoo.
David Wolert, 30, of Portage, and Serie N. Bonnett, 26, of Portage.
Norman J. Collins, 59, of Portage, and Tina M. Adams, 47, of Schoolcraft.


text:
Dear Mike & Liza,
I love this time of year when it's warm out, and the sun is setting later. It gives me more time to play with my kids in the evening. My wife says they need to keep to their "School Day Schedule" and go to bed at 8:30 p.m. I say summer is for fun. She says it's not a reason to throw out the schedule.
What do you think?
Brandon, Ammon


text:
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS -- Thefts were reported throughout the city last week and police are investigating those crimes.
A residential theft was reported Jan. 30 on Orchard Road, and a laptop computer was stolen the afternoon of Jan. 31 from an address on Delmore Road.
Several of the week's thefts took place on school board property.
An iPad was reported stolen from Roxboro Middle School the afternoon of Jan. 30. The same afternoon a theft was reported at Heights High School. In addition, the same date another theft was reported at Monticello Middle School. An iPhone was reported stolen from Heights High the night of Jan. 30. A cell phone was stolen Jan. 31 from Oxford Elementary School.
An arrest was made the night of Jan. 30 after a man refused to pay his bill at Panini's Bar and Grill on Coventry Road.
A woman was arrested after trying to conceal items while leaving Sally Beauty Supply on Mayfield Road the afternoon of Feb. 1.


text:
General Laws
CHAPTER 276 SEARCH WARRANTS, REWARDS, FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE, ARREST, EXAMINATION, COMMITMENT AND BAIL. PROBATION OFFICERS AND BOARD OF PROBATIONPrev Next
Section 10B. If an arrest is made in this commonwealth by an officer of another state in accordance with the provisions of the preceding section he shall without unnecessary delay take the person arrested before a justice, associate justice or special justice of a court of record in the county in which the arrest was made, who shall conduct a hearing for the purpose of determining the lawfulness of the arrest. If such justice, associate justice or special justice determines that the arrest was lawful he shall commit the person arrested to await for a reasonable time the issuance of a rendition warrant by the governor of the state from which he fled. If such justice, associate justice or special justice determines that the arrest was unlawful he shall discharge the person arrested.


text:
Teen singing sensation Ryan Beatty will be at Newport Centre Mall Saturday to join AT&T's campaign to stop texting while driving.
Beatty will be signing autographs and handing out "It Can Wait" stickers during the event, which is scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m.
AT&T is calling on all drivers to take its "It Can Wait" pledge, which is a part of the phone company's efforts to reduce the rate of texting while driving.
The 16-year-old pop star has had more than 30 million views on Youtube for songs like "Every Little Thing."
The store is located at 30 Mall Drive West on the second floor between Disney and Macy's.
Anyone who wishes to sign the pledge can do so at www.itcanwait.com.


text:
The last freeze may have damaged some of your garden's favorite plants so Urban and Community Horticulturist, Weston Miller, with OSU's Extension Service shared tips for helping your garden survive the next Arctic blast!
Though snow can act as excellent mulch on the ground, it can also weigh down the branches of shrubs with frail structures, such as arborvitae, boxwoods, young rhododendrons and azaleas. Every two to three days, knock the snow off branches and wrap rope around the branches of bushes and shrubs. The branches of bushes and shrubs can be completely restructured. Tying the branches upward helps restructure the branches to a more upright position before the storm.
Rhododendrons are in danger during icy conditions because there's no water available to move needed moisture and nutrients from the roots to the leaves and to other tissues throughout the plant. Thirsty rhododendron leaves will look floppy and weak until the temperatures move above 32 degrees and the ground thaws. A mulch of leaves or snow, or compost, can help insulate root systems, allowing water to move from the ground and into the plant most of the winter.
It's especially important to protect container plants since the pots can freeze. Cover them with compost, mulch, old blankets, or anything that can help insulate them. Don't leave pots hanging. Place on the ground and cover.
Most trees go dormant in the winter and can withstand temperatures in the negative degrees. The exception? Non-native trees that do not have the same cold tolerance as native trees. Be sure to plant trees with cold hardiness such as most tree fruits, Douglas fir, spruce, birch, and maples.
Don't walk on your lawn, especially if there is no snow insulating the grass. Walking on it can break the leaf tissue and damage the grass if it is frozen.
Keep your greenhouse above 35 degrees and plants inside will likely survive.
Next spring you may notice some brown freeze streaks and damage on the leaves of the spring-flowering trees and bulbs you put in the ground recently. Remember that this cold spell likely will cause a lot of leaf and tissue damage. Frost damage causes leaves to appear water-soaked or shriveled, or to turn dark brown or black but does not always kill the plant.
Generally do not water your plants in freezing conditions. But shrubs growing underneath the eaves of a house are susceptible to drought damage. Water them deeply every six to eight weeks only when the air temperature is above freezing and early in the day.
For more gardening information from OSU's Extension Service click here.


text:
Glassboro Fratenral Order of Police, Lodge 108 is collecting new, unwrapped toys for newborns up to 14 years old.
All toys collected will go to three groups dedicated to serving children in the Glassboro community — The Hollybush Community Center, the Glassboro Child Development Center and the Center for Family Services.
Toys, hats, and gloves can be dropped off at the police window at Borough Hall, or one can call 856- 881-1501, ext. 88112 and arrange for a pick up. Financial donations are also accepted and can either be dropped off at the police window or mailed to Glassboro FOP Lodge 108, P.O. Box 609, Glassboro NJ 08028.


text:
PRINCETON – The importance of yesterday's clash between the undefeated West Windsor-Plainsboro South and Princeton squads was not lost on the players. The 4-1 eventual victory by Princeton was cause for celebration, but not after some hair-raising moments that caused both teams to wonder if they could pull through. The lateness of the match and the intense atmosphere was fueled by the threat of darkness, by people beginning to arrive for Back-to-School night, and by both coaches already late for the Mercer County Tournament seeding meeting.
Maddie Cahill-Sanidas and Rory Lewis were fighting an on-court battle at first doubles that looked hopeless when they got behind 1-4 in the third set. However, they played their hearts out and won the next five games for a 6-4 finish. That, after squeaking out a tiebreak win in the first set and losing the second 2-6. The new duo survived a couple game points on South's serve in the last game, which went to four deuces before it ended.
"When I get down so far, I have to get in a zone, yelling c'mon and being emotional. Rory was great. Her serves were fantastic," said Cahill-Sanidas. "My favorite is when I go to net and slam it, and it gives Rory confidence when she's serving."
Cahill-Sanidas' putaway shots were key to the match, as all four players kept the ball in play and kept it deep, with Cahill-Sanidas waiting for her chance at the net. Princeton coach Sarah Hibbert took the opportunity to remind the senior of her very first varsity match as a freshman, when she and her partner came back from 1-5 to win the match, a constant reminder that you can come back.
"This year has meant so much to me," said the excited senior who had to run off to sing with her A Capella group. "I love everyone on the team. It's so great when we win. I love it. I can't express how happy I am with these freshmen coming in."
Freshmen who contributed to the win were Christina Rosca at first singles, a winner over Belinda Ji, and Chenchen Wang, who won in three sets against Margaret MacArthur at second singles. Rosca is nationally ranked and a huge addition to the Little Tigers lineup. The Pirates scored their only point at third singles, with Caroline Zhou besting Katelyn Hojeibane.
It became obvious that the doubles courts would rule the day, and after the drama at first doubles, Allison Hubert and Lindsay Eberhart scored the third point for the Little Tigers in another seesaw match to secure the team win. The Princeton girls were ahead 4-1 in the first set, and their opponents, Varna Kodoth and Ivy Kang, brought it to a tiebreak before Princeton won the set. South won the second, and again, Hubert and Eberhart raced to a 4-1 lead. Kodoth and Kang won two games to keep it close, but Princeton finished the set at 6-3 for the match.
"This was the hardest match of the year. Everyone is so excited with this win," said Hubert. "I was a little nervous, especially after we split sets. I tried not to let that affect my game. We wanted to be consistent and go for our shots and just play our game."
Princeton won by the same score in last year's meeting between the teams, but with Princeton graduating six and gaining some freshmen, and South returning the majority of their players, no one knew quite what to expect.
"The girls fought hard and showed that when their backs were against the wall, they could rise to the challenge," said Hibbert. "It was an amazing way to close out the match."
Princeton 4, WW-P South 1
Singles: Christina Rosca (P) def. Belinda Ji, 6-2, 6-1; Chenchen Wang (P) def. Margaret MacArthur, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0; Caroline Zhou (WW) def. Katelyn Hojeibane, 7-5, 6-2.
Doubles: Maddie Cahill-Sanidas/Rory Lewis (P) def. Sanjana Ravi/Angela Li, 7-6, 2-6, 6-4; Allison Hubert/Lindsay Eberhart (P) def. Varna Kodoth/Ivy Kang, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.


text:
Everyone helping to actualise Land of Joy is a volunteer. Read more...
Help with merit making
Advice from Lama Zopa. Can you help us create merit? Read more...
HH Dalai Lama's letter
Land of Joy has received a message of endorsement from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Read the full letter here.
Virtuous Challenge 100 – Regular Donor Appeal
Land of Joy has regular running costs - for energy bills, food, maintenance, volunteer expenses and general administration. Since we aim to offer our retreats on a donation only basis, we need to cover these monthly costs with regular donations. To do this we estimate we need about 100 new regular donors per month. Please help us by setting up a standing order or direct debit.
Kurukulla Outbuilding Renovation
Land of Joy wishes to expand its accommodation and accommodate a 16th Kurukulla statue. Therefore we plan to convert one of our outbuildings to provide more bedrooms, a shower block and a small temple. Please help us reach our target by donating and making this a reality!
16ft Kurukulla Statue
As part of the advice given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche for Land of Joy to be successful in benefiting sentient beings, we were asked to build a 16ft high statue of Kurukulla. Please help us reach our target for this auspicious project!
Geshe Tashi speaks about Land of Joy
Latest News
JOIN the GANAPATI MANTRA CAMPAIGN


text:
GRAND RAPIDS – There is plenty of exciting prep action being contested across the Grand Rapids this week.
Here are three events to check out.
Caledonia will host defending league champion Forest Hills Central in an early-season OK White Conference showdown. The Fighting Scots appear poised to challenge the Rangers for the crown. They recorded an impressive victory over East Kentwood on Friday and tied OK Red contenders Grandville and Rockford. The Rangers opened the season with shutout victories over Grand Haven and Portage Northern.
Forest Hills Northern is hosting a quad that will include Forest Hills Eastern, Hudsonville and West Ottawa. FHN is ranked third this week in Division 2, while FHE is ranked fourth in Division 3.
Track and field
Wyoming's boys and girls track teams are hosting the annual Frank Grimm Relays on Saturday, and it will offer 13 teams. The field will include Allendale, Grand Rapids Christian, South Christian, Calvin Christian, Hamilton, West Ottawa, Jenison, Rockford, Wayland, Zeeland East and Zeeland West in addition to Wyoming.


text:
Interesting. That doesn't make any sense to me, but I'll happily use it to justify not doing a mic that I don't do well or have fun at.
Interesting. That doesn't make any sense to me, but I'll happily use it to justify not doing a mic that I don't do well or have fun at.
Well, think about it. The fewer comics there are in town, the more comedy is at a premium -- so the more feasible it is for comics (especially comics without national renown) to actually make some money doing stand-up locally. But if a venue can charge people $15 to watch a bunch of people who they don't have to pay, they don't have to hire professionals. Needless to say, this is a short-sighted strategy in a lot of ways, because the people who just paid $15 to watch an open mic are unlikely to come back... but a lot of comedy venues (to say nothing of venues that aren't regular comedy venues) are happy just getting their $15 a person plus drinks. They're not looking to advance the art form, and they certainly don't care about making sure skilled comedians get paid fairly for their skills. And there's always a fresh supply of open micers...
...whereas in most larger cities, there's a surplus of talented comedians -- the number of people qualified for stage time outweighs the stage time. Venues know that, and they know comics need to go up. So what's the incentive to pay a headliner when you can get five acts who can do a strong 10 minutes and will do it for the stage time? And when they DO pay a headliner, the sheer number of headliners also drives down the asking price. Meanwhile, the shows are cheaper, because the market is flooded anyway. Basically, nobody gets paid in LA, and practically everyone is okay with that. (Or at least they accept it's the way it is.)
All of which is not to say that a $15 open mic in LA wouldn't attract performers' ire, and it's not to say that real comics in LA would do that. But honestly, it's a jungle... nobody knows what shows anyone else is doing. There are dozens of small-time operators in LA -- I'd imagine I haven't he. Whereas in a smaller city, everyone knows where all the comedy is and who's doing what. So yeah, they have the time on their hands to keep track, and certainly (in the case of the professionals who get pushed out by this kind of stuff) the incentive.
From my perspective the fundamental difference between Erik's experience and others are not just about experience.
I've watched some of your stuff and I honestly think you're a fantastic writer and make for a great comic. I think that's a skillset in and of itself that many comedic performers strive for but can't reach. I do not believe that means everyone should be held to the same expectation. Nothing works exactly the same way for 1 person the way it works for anyone else. Listen to the Larry Wylde interviews of Woody Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, George Carlin for example. Each of them had distinct perspectives and approaches that worked for them.
I think there is a difference between a comic and a comedian. I think a comic 'tells jokes' and generally these jokes are inherently funny on paper. I couldn't make that work for me. I would get tepid to mediocre responses and because I was able to get to a point where I could get that consistently I foolishly believed I was 'figuring it out.' The truth of the matter was I forcing a square peg. I had to go outside my comfort zone and my experiences on stage of riffing and storytelling generated substantially stronger, longer and bigger laughs.
My experience writing and 'beating my head against a wall,' roughly two years and 400+ sets I started to 'get it' in terms of what big laughs were for me and how I could write out stronger bits as a result of it.
You've been blessed to have the experience of taking your prepared thoughts to the stage and having the jokes nail from the first run. I guarantee that wasn't true for the likes of a variety of comics. Maybe you're too far removed from your early years but I think it's more just the simple comic/comedian divergence.
But I figure you'll tell me it doesn't exist
If you believe something, it's true.
That makes more sense now. Thanks.
Oh and to follow the basketball analogy and devil's advocate myself... Shaq practiced free throws his entire career to no true benefit. Perhaps he would've been better off working on other parts of his game... But the obstacles to his success dictated he tried (hack-a-shaq).
I'm thinking about trying open mic for the first time and I have a question: Is it normal for comics to use more or less the same material for several weeks in a row at open mics? Or will people stop laughing if you keep delivering the same jokes at the same open mic?
The answer is yes, but I'm going to say no, and here's why. When I started doing comedy in 2002, I decided to myself that I'd never do the same material twice at the same venue. That lasted around three weeks... but by the time I was done, I had 12 minutes or so of strong material. I actually still do a couple bits of it. (Though not at open mics. That would be pretty pointless.) Imposing arbitrary restrictions on repeating material is a great way to stay prolific.
Really, though, your first goal as a new comic is to come up with 5 good minutes and polish them to the point where you can reliably hold down a 5-minute set in front of an audience. You can't polish them without doing them a bunch of times -- 25 is a good estimate. If you can find 25 different open mics... well, there will be a lot of the same people at those 25 open mics anyway. So yeah, you have to repeat material. Keep moving forward, though -- write new stuff and bring it up, rework your old stuff if you can see a way to make it better. The only time people get annoyed is when an open micer does the same exact material over and over again for months, with no change or improvement. So as long as you keep getting better, do what you like.
Erik Charles Nielsen is a moderately funny fellow... right?
Sorry to kinda go back to that stuff that's a few days old but in short I'll re-agree with Nixon.
I think part of it come from an improv background and the biggest thing I learned doing improv was how important confidence and comfort on stage is. The people who are the best improvisers are ALWAYS the people who just don't give a fuck. That's not because it's 'funny' to not give a fuck, and you have to be professional but it's almost NEVER ever helpful to worry about the audience. To succeed in improv you MUST commit fully to an idea the instant it comes and use the audience only for information, not to judge yourself. Otherwise you freeze up almost immediately.
The other thing I found in improv was to distrust most advice about it. I've found that in both stand-up and improv what you think you're doing and what you actually are doing are often completely different. As such improving upon what your doing is all the more tricky. Usually the people who are skilled are the worst to asking how they're doing it. Ted Williams believed he was great at hitting because he could literally 'look' the ball into the bat, ie track it right up until the point of contact. This is literally impossible for a human being to do.
As such I'll see guys who do seem to be taking that route of honing the same material, doing the same jokes every mic juuust a bit different. They'll take out stuff or add something but that doesn't mean they're any funnier. It can be as much of a crap shoot as try completely new stuff out. The only advantage is maaaybe a 3-5 second segue.
It's a skill. and I'll disagree again in saying there are a lot of them in comedy. Writing one one-liner doesn't increase your 'one liner writing ability'? Of course it does. Doing anything enough will make you better at it. It's been said maybe too much by comedians but it's the Gladwellian 10,000 hours theory. In my opinion as long as you're truly committed to what you're doing and auditing yourself honestly you're probably progress the same no matter what you choose to focus on. But, to me, it should always be fun and interesting. For you I have no doubt that it was fun and interesting to hone material in a shiny diamond. I've had a lot more fun exploring my own 'naturalism' on stage.
To go back to basketball: Shaq is interesting because yes if you're sooooo who you are, almost from birth, like a Shaq, yes, you'll probably do fine only exploiting what you're best and most comfortable at. But for the one Shaq who really is the biggest and strongest guy in the universe there are a hundred guys for whom their height and power are a strength but Shaq (and a bunch of other guys) are still going to destroy them no matter what. Few of us are Shaqs. More of us are like Jordan. When he started out he was certainly a very good athletic and talented player but truly his only distinct advantage was his psychotic competitiveness. He only became "the greatest player ever" by working on his weaknesses on and off the court. He wasn't a great shooter when he came into the league. He became one. He didn't have a step-back move. He learned one. I think he even got some post moves etc etc.
(I also think it's arguable how much Shaq really worked on his free throws. This is a guy who most years after like 2001 came into each season 10 or 20lbs over-weight assuming he could play himself into shape. Now for the most part he was right but he was never a gym rat like Kobe or Durant is now)
Last edited by JayP7; March 5, 2012 at 9:54 AM.
Here's a break down of my process. I have a hard cover black book. The set I did goes in that book. What I notate: jokes, my opinion of the laughter on a scale of 1-9 (with 1 being bombed, and 9 being killed), how many people where in the audience, what time did I go up, what was the demographic of the audience (young white college age, blue collar, older etc), the vibe of the room (cold room, hot room) etc
I've had a few comics say why do you do all of that? I'm just meticulous about it I guess. I've been doing it this way for the past 8 months and it's created stronger sets for me. It also keeps me from having to go through video files and forwarding to a certain spot just to see if a joke about Cap N Crunch worked or not.
On that note I'm getting a lot of information from random guys 5-15 year in. Thursday I told a well established out of town comic that I'm doing a new set and he goes "you're 1 year in, you should just be working on a 5 minute set over and over. " Then another comic 13 years in tells me "always do old material, mixed with new material" Then finally a guy goes "don't listen to nobody, they'll mess your head up" LOL!
Anyway that night I dropped my new jokes except two and did my original stuff and got great laughs which actually surprised me because this was a more blue collar crowd of people in their 50's. I usually don't do that well with that group. Then Friday I did a show and did all new material and killed. Had a few more established out of town comics come up and say they loved my set. This was a confidence boosting week and I realize that this week it could all go south so I'm not dreaming of how well things went last week but thinking of how I want to approach a new week of comedy.
Were these jokes funny in the first place? If not, yeah, that's a waste of time. If so, it's not about making the joke "funnier", it's about making the joke more resilient. It's about the moment calling for ten different timings and inflections, depending on the rhythm of your set and the mood of the room -- and having all those timings and inflections in your back pocket. It's about knowing the joke, second by second, to the point where you can deliver it through any audience reaction and make it work. It's not to improve the joke's peak success in an ideal set -- it's to learn to use the joke to make every set closer to ideal.As such I'll see guys who do seem to be taking that route of honing the same material, doing the same jokes every mic juuust a bit different. They'll take out stuff or add something but that doesn't mean they're any funnier.
Which is just fine for you... if you're killing. A lot of people use "exploring my own 'naturalism'" (or whatever) as an excuse for shaggy, under-written, under-performed sets. That's not fair to the audience, and in the long run, it doesn't do you any favors either. 20 minutes of perfected material is halfway to an album. 60 minutes of erratic material is halfway to 120 minutes of erratic material.For you I have no doubt that it was fun and interesting to hone material in a shiny diamond. I've had a lot more fun exploring my own 'naturalism' on stage.
That's an underlying concern, and placing it at the center can lead to real problems. Yes, you'll always do better if you're engaged and enjoying yourself on stage. But the actual goal is always to make the audience laugh as much as possible. If you're seeing honing material and killing as a thing that is in opposition to, or adjacent to, "having fun", there's a good chance that what you enjoy doing on stage is not what works best for you.But, to me, it should always be fun and interesting.
Moreover, if you make having fun on stage your primary goal, what do you do when you're booked and you don't want to go up? What do you do when the room is depressing, or when you're just not feeling like it? What do you do when you get the thought in your head that it would be funny to say something rude to the crowd, or you get momentarily obsessed with the notion of doing material you know isn't good? You have to be able to put your head down and deliver the performance -- some people get that immediately, others have to build that resilience through years of trial and error.
I mean, that's where the work is. It's like Steve Martin said about consistency. And you don't get to opt out of the work of consistency and just throw stuff at the wall. That may well be more "fun," but people aren't going to book you to have fun, they're going to book you to do a job. Love your job, sure, but do your job.
To me, being funny is much closer to a state of mind than an assortment of words I've said before and put in a notepad. Having funny things to say that you've thought up before and have been vetted in front of other audiences is a wonderful asset but it's not better than being a confident, in the moment, performer. That's not to say joke writing shouldn't be improved upon, but it's not the only thing in existence.
So you want to learn to perform intuitively... but you don't want to learn your jokes intuitively? I'm not talking about planning out cadences in advance -- obviously not that. Not only would that not work, I'm talking about knowing the material so well that you can alter the delivery (timing, etc.) intuitively in the moment. And to do that, you have to do the same jokes a whole bunch of times, see how they move, see where they can be stretched in different ways. That's just how it is. That is the job you have signed up to do. If you don't want to do the job, nobody is making you do the job.I don't know how you can possibly "write" for every single possible crowd and scenario in existence. It sounds impossible and sort of dumb to even try. I'd rather do my best to become a better performer in the moment of performance and feel that stuff as it comes along.
It's fine to not kill when you try to kill and don't get there. It's not fine to not try to kill. And in my experience, a lot of open micers talk about "experimenting" or "being spontaneous" or "trying to have fun," and those people are lying to you or to themselves, because what they really mean is "staying focused is hard, so I'm going to just do what I feel like doing, and hey, if it works that's cool." That's not the job. Staying focused and being consistent is the job. If you can do that without strong, resilient material that's been tested and works in a variety of circumstances... well, that's great if you can do it consistently. But nobody's ever done that consistently, so I don't think it's unreasonable to expect an up-and-coming comic to be striving toward building that material, or to question the motivation of a comic who's not focused on building that material.When is it fine to not kill?
Last edited by ErikNielsen; March 5, 2012 at 6:04 PM.
If I could jump in for a mo'
I went out tonight planning to get up for the first time at an open mic that I found out was discontinued five years ago. I love how things on the internet survive forever. Anyway the bartender told me to go around the corner to a coffee shop and when I got there it was this tiny place with three guys inside. The host for the open mic asked me if I was a comic and I said "I guess so" so I ended up on the bill.
I had realistically maybe 5 minutes of material which I burned through in about three. By this time there were a couple more comics in the audience, and the host told me I had to do five more minutes. In the moment I was terrified, but I'm really glad he did this. I was forced to just talk about things, and while there might not have been any jokes I think I might have hit upon some things that I could work out.
Obviously this was not a good opportunity to find out if any of my jokes were funny (I'm starting to think they aren't), but it was a very nurturing environment. The other comics were super nice and supportive and I think I learned some experiences that will help me in the future.
Just wanted to share an experience.
Went up for the first time tonight and I went completely blank! I must have rehearsed my set(7 jokes) dozens of times. But when I was facing audience, my brain just went blank hahaha
next time I'll bring a set list
Why only work forwards? I think down the line I'll be more adept at working forwards and backwards but for now the latter is easier because it avoids all the silly cheapshots I "think" are funny and doesn't communicate the why I think something is funnier, which works much better for me.
All comes back to you were the lucky one who was such a strong writer you didn't need to get out of your own way to maximize your efforts on stage.
"Waaait a second. Are you saying you're more interested in learning the ins-and-outs of the piano than the ins-and-outs of "Moonlight Sonata"???? You don't have time to learn some bullshit 'other songs' or scales, or chord changes or WHATEVER. It's the 3rd Grade piano recital every goddamn week in this town and you can't let down those other kids who came here to watch YOU play... even though they actually didn't, and don't care at all about you, and are just here so that they themselves could play and--- whatever! You go out there and you play 'Moonlight Sonata' every week because that's your BEST song. And maybe, just maybe, if you do well at these recitals, you'll get to play a wedding and then maybe you'll get to play a Bar Mitzvah, and if you do great and I mean GREAT at these Bar Mitzvahs-I want to see foreskin growing back- we can talk about learning some new songs... But ONLY between Moonlight Sonata Pt1 and Moonlight Sonata Pt.2... God forbid we ever do anything interesting or surprising whatsoever. I'm sorry, but that's the job of playing piano and it's the only way anybody has ever done it. Yes, I'm serious."
It's like that except replace Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" with some shitty song written by a 3rd grader about his dick.
I've been doing mics for five weeks as of yesterday and it's been nuts! I just got asked to do my first showcase and I'm not even sure what to make of that! I'm excited but also feel like MAYBE I'M A LITTLE OVERWHELMED TOO?
I don't even know.
Overall, the experience has been amazing - mostly overwhelmingly positive with a few weird/awkward mics thrown in, but those experiences were good too.
And heeeeeey, JayP7. Nice meeting you at Cole's a couple weeks ago.
Last night I swear I think someone gave me a speech impediment as I couldn't properly verbalize 1/3 of my jokes.
Heh. Fumbled a joke I've been using for a while last night but it still worked great!


text:
Of the Red Wings' Canadian Major Junior hockey-playing prospects, only Stephen Johnston continues to play as his Windsor Spitfires took Game 1 of the OHL championship series 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday; Andrej Nestrasil's Victoriaville Tigres were ousted from the QMJHL playoffs in a 7-1 loss to the Saint John Sea Dogs, and Wings prospect Brent Raedeke's Brandon Wheat Kings will host the Memorial Cup, but bowed out of the WHL playoffs in the semifinals, losing to the Calgary Hitmen.
In other words, the Red Wings' major junior-playing prospects have, by and large, finished their 2009-2010 seasons, and Hockey's Future's Kyle West offers an assessment of the Wings' QMJHL, OHL, and WHL-playing prospects. Three soon-to-be Grand Rapids Griffins merit your attention...
April 27, Hockey's Future: Willie Coetzee, RW – Red Deer Rebels, WHLAnd, as it turns out, the Wings do have another major junior-playing prospect--playing in the USHL, the American version of the OHL:
Signed as a free agent in 2009
An astute free-agent signing, Coetzee exploded offensively this year after going undrafted in 2009. Invited to the Red Wings development camp with teammate Ferraro, the winger doubled his point production from 42 points to 81 points (both in 72 games) and fired home 29 goals this past season. He also improved his defensive game, posting a +10 rating, and took on a leadership role playing on a line with rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Coetzee will look to continue his progression in the AHL next year.
Brian Lashoff, D – Kingston Frontenacs, OHL
Signed as a free agent in 2008
Free-agent signee Lashoff has continued to impress. He retained the captaincy in Kingston this season, often paired with top 2010 prospect Eric Gudbranson, and posted a career-best six goals and 27 points in 58 games. Lashoff, a native of Albany, NY, also won a gold medal with the USA World Junior team. Playing on the third pairing, he chipped in a pair of assists and was solid in his own end against the world's best junior players. With good size and offense, Lashoff impressed in an AHL cameo last year with 10 points in 14 games. After a tough Game 7 playoff loss to Brampton in the opening round of the OHL playoffs, he played six games for the Griffins, scoring two assists, and will look to join them full time next season.
Brent Raedeke, C – Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL
Signed as a free agent in 2008
Traded from a club near the bottom of the WHL standings to the hosts of this year's Memorial Cup, Raedeke will now get a chance to show what he can do on the CHL's biggest stage. With 31 points in 37 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings, who will keep him name on their record books as the team's all-time leading scorer, Raedeke now plays a checking line center role with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Although edged out of the WHL playoffs in the semifinals, as hosts the Wheaties will welcome the champions of all three junior leagues for a round robin and playoff. Raedeke was a key contributor with 12 points in 15 playoff games and his speed and strong two-play way make him an intriguing prospect for a checking-line role in the future. He will turn pro next year.
Nick Jensen, D – Green Bay Gamblers, USHL
Drafted in the 5th Round, 150th overall in the 2009 Entry Draft
Another player gaining valuable playoff experience, Jensen is set to begin the final series for the USHL championship. With six points in seven playoff games, he has been a key contributor for the Green Bay juggernaut which has yet to be defeated in the 2010 playoffs. In the regular season he had 27 points in 53 games. Solid all around, Jensen plays a smart two-way game and has the speed to recover after pinching in. The Minnesota product will return to his home state to join St. Cloud State University next year.


text:
Posts Tagged 'Willie Mays'
There's the Great Man
August 2, 2016 | by Terry McDonell
Befriending George Plimpton.
George's questions were like trampolines, a technology he admired. They bounced you higher—to the next question. This was particularly true when he was talking about writers and writing.
"Did you know that the great Camus played goal for the Oran Football Club?" he asked me when we were walking past an Algerian restaurant near his apartment on Seventy-Second Street. I was unaware but said that I did think Gabriel García Márquez had written a soccer column for a while in Bogota.
"Alas," George sighed, "Le colonisateur de bonne volonte was never moved to write about it. Imagine, the existential goalkeeper."
"Alas," I said, and he gave me a look. Read More »
Future Eligibles
October 29, 2014 | by Adam Sobsey
Finding a Hall of Fame for Dock Ellis.
Let's get Dock Ellis into the Hall of Fame. Oh, not really, of course—by the Hall's statistical criteria, he isn't even close. But after a visit to Cooperstown in September, I found myself imagining a Hall of Fame that would enshrine him.
Ellis is unquestionably famous, after all—infamous, too. He is the subject of No No: A Dockumentary, which headlined the Hall of Fame Film Festival I attended last month; a Society for American Baseball Research panel event a few weeks later; a psychedelic song, recorded in 1993, by Barbara Manning; and, especially, an excellent book, published in 1976, by The Paris Review's own Donald Hall, Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball. Evidence keeps mounting that Dock—always flamboyant, often controversial—was the emblematic player of his era, the seventies, with its dubious introduction of such artificialities as the designated hitter and Astroturf; the acrimonious battle for free agency; and all those drugs.
Ah, yes, drugs. Ellis, who died in 2008, is best known as the pitcher who, in 1970, threw a no-hitter while tripping on acid—appropriately, his name in a box score reads, "Ellis, D."—but that freak feat is a red herring, and it's not even his most freakish. On May 1, 1974, Dock decided to send a message to the Pirates' archrivals, the intimidating Cincinnati Reds, who had cowed Pittsburgh into competitive docility. "We gonna get down," Dock decided. "We gonna do the do. I'm going to hit these motherfuckers." Donald Hall recounts Ellis's plan and its execution. The first guy Dock hit was Pete Rose (who should also be in the Hall of Fame, though for very different and far more genuine reasons). After he hit three batters, walked another who ducked and dodged four pitches, and threw two beanballs at future Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, Ellis was mercifully removed from the game with this remarkable stat line: zero innings pitched, no hits, no strikes thrown, three hit batsmen, one walk, one run allowed. "Dock Ellis faced four batters in the first inning," the box score decorously explains. Dock's own explanation of himself in No No says more: "It's not that you've got to watch how I pitch," he insists. "You've got to watch how I play." Read More »
Quit Thinking, You're Hurting the Club
October 25, 2012 | by Luke Epplin
In game six of last year's World Series, with the Texas Rangers one strike away from clinching the franchise's first championship, Lance Berkman, the St. Louis Cardinals' aged first baseman whose thick physique and round face had earned him the nickname "Fat Elvis," lined an inside fastball into shallow right-center, plating the tying run from second base. Even though he had just fulfilled the childhood fantasy of nearly everyone playing and watching the game that night by rescuing his team from World Series defeat, Berkman betrayed little emotion. Instead, he stoically slipped off his batting gloves and leaned in to listen to the instructions of the first-base coach, as if it were yet another humdrum hit in his distinguished career.
Until David Freese lofted a walk-off home run to center in the eleventh inning, Berkman remained in a state of what appeared to be Zen-like empty-headedness, his posture relaxed but attentive, his expressions varying little with each pendulous momentum shift. It was as though he were the only person in Busch Stadium who failed to comprehend the magnitude of the moment. When asked afterward what he was thinking about during his do-or-die at-bat in the tenth inning, Berkman simply replied, "Nothing." This answer reinforced a central point in David Foster Wallace's essay "How Tracy Austin Broke My Heart":
It is not an accident that great athletes are often called 'naturals,' because they can, in performance, be totally present: they can proceed on instinct and muscle memory and autonomic will such that agent and action are one … The real, many-veiled answer to the question of just what goes through a great player's mind as he stands at the center of hostile crowd-noise and lines up to the free-throw that will decide the game might well be: Read More »
A Mark So Fine: Joe Henry and You
May 18, 2012 | by Sam Stephenson
In November of 2001, I picked up Joe Henry's album Scar and was stunned by the opening track, a slow blues number called "Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation." Henry, a white man, sang from the point of view of the black icon, expressing the comedian's love-hate relationship with himself and his audience. Henry had the audacity and sensitivity to pull it off, with help from a spiraling, dipping, dripping saxophone solo by Ornette Coleman.
Scar was released in May of that year. Henry couldn't have known how tearful the nation would be that fall. He closed the album with these lines from the title track, sung in a careful, mournful tempo:
The blade of our outrageous fortune,
Like a parade, it cuts a path.
Light shows on our foolish way
And darkness on
Our aftermath.
If I love you, to save myself
And you love me because we are
So fool to think that our parade
Could leave a path
And not a scar.
And I love you with all I am
And you love me with what you are,
As pretty as a twisting vine
A mark so fine
But still a scar.
The album resonated with me throughout that first post–September 11 holiday season, more than Dylan's "Love and Theft", which was released on that particular Tuesday, a coincidence that generated new claims of clairvoyance from Dylanologists. Henry's album cuts deeper. Read More »
Hustle and Flow
November 4, 2010 | by Louisa Thomas
Dear Will,
It's often said that a loss hurts more than a victory can heal. As a rule, it might be true, but it didn't seem so on Monday night. After fifty-six years of waiting, the Giants finally won the World Series, and San Francisco set itself on fire.
Lee pitched a hell of a game. Hats off to him—he is the beau ideal, I'll give you that. But give me the weird one; give me Tim Lincecum. At rest, slouchy and loose, wearing a grimy, graying cap, he looks like a teenager cupping a spliff in his hand. But then he begins. The torque—the spring—the splits—the snap! His coaches call his motion "flow." He did not dominate the Rangers so much as confound them. Mighty hitters were reduced to awkward little jerks of the bat. Remarkably, he may not even be the Giants' best pitcher—Matt Cain threw more than twenty-one scoreless innings in the postseason—but he's the best to watch.
I nearly missed it all. As it happens, when the game began, I was at Lincoln Center. The tickets had been purchased long ago, back when it looked like the Giants might not even make the playoffs. The Dresden Staatskappelle was playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. I think it was nice, but I wasn't really playing attention. Instead, I was sitting in the back row, pressing refresh on my Blackberry. One scoreless inning, two… Ah! Perfido was next on the program. Ah, Perfido?! I bolted and headed to the nearest bar.
I'm very fond of these Giants. They came upon me by surprise. Then again, not totally. The Giants were my dad's team growing up. He used to tell me about Willie Mays, who played with power and with passion and who smiled. He had a pigeon-toed gait, bowlegs, long arms, and a barrel chest. A strange specimen. A Giant! It's been a pleasure watching the World Series with you, Will. Better luck next year!


text:
Spanish Day
New True Loves 3 went up yesterday! This episode will make an impact on you. A deep impact.
The Retrofit Comics Kickstarter is less than $1000 from its goal! Go Retrofit!
On the weekend Manien and I had a Spanish themed day. So she made delicious Spanish inspired food, we drank wine and beer from Spain and watched a couple of Pedro Almodovar movies (Broken Embraces and Live Flesh). It was a fun day! Below you can see what we ate.
And who was this lil' guy hiding in Manien's breakfast the next morning?


text: my daughter still nurses almost as much as she ever did. she wakes up in the early morning and nurses before waking up for a few hours. she has never spent the night without me. sitting down at the table for meals, she likes to sit on my lap and would rather nurse than eat. she nurses throughout the day. never seems to be deeply sleeping; is awakened really easily. it's not that i mind nursing. i'm just a little worried that perhaps she may be getting too attached for her age?? as that last sentence has left my brain and found it's place in this thread i cringe a little because it is so opposite of my previous approach to nursing and parenting. i have moved to a new county and keep missing the once a month meeting. it's been 5 months and i really need the support and likemindedness of the women. i hope these women will be as supportive and open as what was my experience with lll in the previous county i lived in. thanx, any thoughts and advice will be much appreciated!


text:
Criminal Law, Family Law, Litigation, Estate Planning & VOCAT Assistance
Schembri & Co Lawyers is a progressive boutique law firm with offices located in Essendon and in the Melbourne Central Business District, well known for our knowledge in the areas of Litigation, Family Law, Conveyancing, Criminal Law, and Wills and Probate Law. We also offer specialised legal service in the area of Victims Of Crime compensation and pride ourselves in taking on complex cases most other firms would not be willing to handle. We remain one of the largest providers of this specialised area of the law. Our client base is varied and we are located centrally to cater to a broad cross-section of clientele. At Schembri & Co Lawyers we are committed to delivering excellent and informative legal service to achieve the best possible result for our clients. Our dedicated staff ensure that we deliver what we promise, and that is the secret of our success. We welcome you to contact us to discuss your matter with our professional and experienced team and we look forward to achieving a successful result on your behalf.


text:
A slot machine, is a certain type of casino game. It has three or five spinnning reels .
When you click Auto Play, the machine will record your last bet amount and played the game automatically until you click Stop to interrupt Auto play.
Showing your bet amount.
Showing your Bonus.


text:
With Veterans Day just around the corner, a retired veteran from Western New York is reminding Americans about a truly patriotic way to honor those who've served our country.
Ralph Brown of Randolph, began the Real American Stars project in 2009 as a way to pay tribute to not only past and present service men and women, but also their immediate family members.
"I wanted to develop a lasting, special way to not only honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation, but also the countless mothers whose sons and daughters went off to war and never returned home," Brown says.
As a result, Brown designed and created The Real American Stars, a series of blue or gold metallic stars with inscriptions that identify an individual with ties to military service. The "Gold Star Vet" is used to identify a soldier who gave the ultimate sacrifice, while the "Blue Star Vet" identifies all those who've served in the military. In addition, there are also blue and gold stars designed for the mothers and wives of all those who've served this nation currently or in the past.
Each star is 3.5 inches across from point-to-point and just over 1/8 inch in thickness. All the stars are made of aluminum and electronically plated to prevent weathering. In addition to the main inscription, each of the stars is also inscribed with the words, "Honor," "Courage" and "Glory," which was the motto of the 18th Combat Engineer Battalion, which Brown was a part of during the 1950s.
"These stars are designed to get the attention of anyone in visual eyesight of them," says Brown. "That's especially important for the Gold Star vets, mothers, and wives who've had to endure an unimaginable sacrifice for our country. They deserve to be recognized whenever possible."
Brown says the stars were initially designed to be placed on the headstone of anyone who served the country and any mother whose child served or wife whose husband served. But the stars can also be placed on a vehicle, on a mailbox, and near the entrance to a home.
"The star is a permanent symbol of honor visible to all who enter a cemetery or a home," explains Brown. "It can really be placed anywhere a family wishes to honor its family member who is or was in the military. I've even seen some placed on vehicles.
Initially, anyone interested in purchasing the star had to do so by calling or emailing Brown. But that all changed in September with the unveiling of a new website, www.TheRealAmericanStars.com. Here, costumers can stop by and order as many stars as they want and have them shipped to any location throughout the country.
Each Real American Star costs $24.95 - an affordable price considering the stars are designed to last a lifetime, even when placed outdoors in the most extreme weather conditions.
"These are durable products that will last for a long time," Brown says. "We use a special adhesive that will help keep the stars on the headstones for years so families don't have to worry about them falling off. They're also made of aluminum so they are weather resistant."
Brown adds that the stars are a fitting tribute for any mother or veteran.
"These mothers are the salt of the earth," Brown says. "They should be honored for raising the warriors who've defended our country. I'm doing this because I think Americans should appreciate what they've got and how they got it. Freedom isn't Free."
Because of his involvement in starting up the project at time in his life when most others his age are focused on enjoying their retirement years, the Jamestown, N.Y. Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will recognize Brown and The Real American Stars project on Oct. 16 during a formal reception at their Prospect St. headquarters.
To learn more about The Real American Stars project or to place an order, go online to www.therealamericanstars.com
or call The Real American Stars office in Randolph, N.Y. at (716) 358-6442.


text:
Current Students
Prospective Students
Faculty & Staff
Public Health Professionals
School at a Glance
Dean's Letter
Environmental Sustainability
Student Webpages
Honors & Awards
OCW Home
Image Library
Johns Hopkins Public Health Magazine
Terrorism & Public Health Preparedness
CWH researchers are evaluating three organic wastewater compounds as markers—caffeine, triclosan and triclocarban— to trace microbial contaminants from sewage spills to surface waters. Based on an initial analysis of samples from three Baltimore area watersheds, triclosan and triclocarban were found to be more effective than the traditional marker caffeine in tracking the presence of enterococci, fecal coliforms and E.coli in surface waters.
Contact JHSPH Feedback Email this Page Course Search Faculty Directory SciVal Experts CoursePlus Academic Calendar
Calendar of Events
Public Health News
Center for Refugee and Disaster Response
Learn About Our Global Projects
Staff Openings
Career Services
©, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved. Web policies, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205


text:
BURTON, MI -- Tom Carter said he didn't know what to think when a masked man outside his trailer said something to him Thursday.
Police said the armed man was "Bee Sting," a 36-year-old crime fighter from Sterling Heights who was arrested after the incident in a Burton trailer park early Thursday morning.
Adam Thomas Besso was arraigned before Genesee District Judge Larry J. Stecco on Friday for assault with a dangerous weapon and wearing body armor during a commission of a violent crime."As soon as I saw the gun I was thinking I didn't want my kids to get shot," said Carter.
Police said the incident was sparked by Besso questioning Carter about his motorcycle being to loud.
Carter grabbed the barrel of the gun and the two scuffled until police arrived.
One shot was fired.
"Nobody got hurt, thank God," said Carter. "I didn't do anything wrong. They questioned me and let me go. It's so crazy that I got no sleep that night."
Besso regularly travels to Flint and other communities dressed as a superhero and conducts crime watches.
"He's a trained combat veteran," his fiance Amanda Wilson said today. "He wouldn't just willy-nilly pull out a (shotgun) unless he thought, 'This guy is going to kill me.'"
She believes there's more to the story.
But Carter said all he did was help get an armed man off the streets.
"My only concern was getting that gun so no one got shot," he said. "I'm not looking for a superhero in my trailer park. It's not against the law to ride a motorcycle.
"Just because we live in a trailer park doesn't make us less human and we're not going to let people come in here giving us a bad name."
His sons Cody and Nickolas Carter were in bed early Thursday morning when they heard yelling, and saw their dad and a man with a bandana over his face wrestling on the ground. They then heard the bang of a shotgun going off.
"I wasn't sure if my dad was hurt or not," said Cody, 16. "The bullet could have came into the trailer and hurt me."
Nickolas, 13, said every superhero has a weakness, and in this case, Bee Sting's weakness was his dad.
"The should stay out of the trailer park if they don't live here," he said. "Carrying around a shotgun, that's not cool."
Neighbor Kim Simmons also wasn't impressed by Besso's motives.
"That's ridiculous," said Simmons, 51. "Call the cops or something instead of trying to do something yourself."
A few blocks from the trailer park is Comic Relief, a store full of superhero memorabilia.
The customers inside were slightly more sympathetic toward Besso and much more amused by the incident, but weren't exactly supportive of the "real-life superhero" lifestyle.
"I understand what he was doing and I'm sure he had good intentions, but he's probably not the smartest person," said Blaine Simon, 21, of Swartz Creek.
"I think it's sad that people feel they have to take it into their own hands because there aren't enough police," said Alan Bradshaw, 23, of Grand Blanc Township.
"But he probably should have seen someone before he started doing that."
Flint Journal reporters Scott Atkinson and David Harris contributed to this report.
Contact Khalil AlHajal at firstname.lastname@example.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter @FlintKhalil or on Facebook at Khalil Flint Journal.


text:
What do a digital marketing agency, a Web portal and a non-profit organization for girls have in common? All three value a healthy lifestyle and understand the importance of supporting a lifelong love of health and fitness. It was with this tenet in mind that Enlighten – with the help of About.com – dedicated $10,000 to fund the local Southeastern Michigan chapter of Girls on the Run.
The donation is the result of About.com and CalorieCount.com's 3rd Annual Calorie Count Agency Trivia Challenge. The sites invited advertising agencies and brands from around the country to take part in its weekly nutrition-themed trivia contest, in which participants posted their answers to Twitter using the @CalorieCount handle and a dedicated hashtag. As the winner of the Challenge, Enlighten selected Girls on the Run, a non-profit group that uses running to "inspire and motivate girls, encourage lifelong health and fitness, and build confidence through accomplishment," to receive the grand prize of $10,000.
"This is an incredible opportunity to encourage healthy living and help a worthy cause," said Ryan Short, digital media planner with Enlighten and the agency's Calorie Count Trivia Challenge organizer. "Our thanks to About.com and Calorie Count for facilitating this donation, which will surely have a big impact on Girls on the Run."
"At Calorie Count, we strive to promote a healthy lifestyle and educate our users about proper nutrition," said Igor Lebovic, co-founder of CalorieCount.com. "We're proud to enable Enlighten to give back to one of the many worthy charities serving the community that promotes healthy living."
According to Sarah Henry, marketing and development coordinator for Girls on the Run, "This donation will do so much to help us grow within our five county area as well as provide scholarships to those girls who otherwise couldn't afford the program. A million thanks to Enlighten, About.com and Calorie Count!"


text:
- Text Size:
- ASmall Text
- AMedium Text
- ALarge Text
Fire investigators are trying to figure out what sparked a house fire in Ross Township on Monday night.
Bill Stuart, a neighbor, said it was the second time that the house in the 4000 block of Evergreen Road has caught fire.
"Really quick -- two, three, four minutes. It seems like an eternity while you're waiting for somebody," Stuart said.
At one point, the home was fully engulfed. Firefighters were seen pulling melted siding off the house so they could reach hot spots.
The homeowner was not present at the time of the fire.


text:
« Why You Should (Almost) Never Clean Your Ears | Blog Home Page | Technically, Earth Does Not Orbit Around the Sun »
Fans of The Three Stooges may remember the episode in which Curly asks Moe what he wants to eat. Moe responds, "Four pieces of burnt toast and a rotten egg." Why did he say this? Because Moe had a "tapeworm and it's good enough for him." Little did Moe know that he was actually dispensing profoundly deep immunological wisdom.
|Sponsored Links


text:
We have so many choices in our day for establishing and re-establishing our identities. People are actually recreating themselves on line with new names and profiles. My granddaughter surprised us with her new cheer-leading postcard. She uses the name "Lizzie" at school though we cannot call her Lizzie at home. John the Baptist has been thrown in prison by Herod. Jesus may realize that his friend John will never emerge from that prison. He chooses this time to begin his first preaching campaign. He follows the pattern of the rabbis of his day and of John the Baptist by calling to himself disciples whom he wanted to be with him. We cannot study the social interactions of Jesus without spending time on the Twelve, this circle of friends and followers that Jesus deliberately created around him. This may be the most distinctive characteristic of the social interactions of Jesus. And it was the one thing he did to secure a future for his work and message beyond his own death.
Mark 1:14-20
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" 16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. NIV
Dr. David Crosby is pastor of First Baptist New Orleans, 5290 Canal Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana. In pastoral ministry for more than thirty years, he has been the pastor of churches in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. A prolific writer, Crosby has penned many articles for respected newspapers, including the Baptist Standard, New Orleans Times-Picayune, and Houston Chronicle. He is the author of First Principles, (Dove Inspirational Press, Gretna, 2009). Pastor Crosby received a Ph. D. from Baylor University and a Masters of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He has three children and lives with his wife in Metairie, Louisiana.


text: $10 bonus for each friend joining Amazon Student (See Details) Flag this deal What's the matter? Choose a reason Dead deal Duplicate Bad link Spam Inaccurate No value Alive again Edit deal dddsss Jan 11, 2013 the above link takes you to your personal link to use to refer others. +details of the program Reply dddsss Jan 11, 2013 you don't have to be an Amazon Student member to refer others to that program Reply dddsss Jan 10, 2013 as of now, the offer ends on January 31,2013. Reply Load More Comments