text:
The Alec Baldwin Full Employment Act.
The fire that killed more than 100 workers at the clothing factory in Bangladesh was an act of industrial homicide, which must not be tolerated. This was the most recent of several such crimes, leading to the deaths of another 500 people, mostly young women.
These fires are a consequence of a production system that places the profits of multinational clothing manufacturers and their contractors above the lives of people.
The Bangladesh factory was selling clothing to Walmart, among others. Walmart's profit-at-any-cost philosophy is leading to growing protest among Walmart workers here in the United States over their own wages and conditions.
The Bangladesh fire tells us a lot about the conditions under which the garments consumers bought on Black Friday were made. Reports from the scene say there were no fire escapes. Several young women jumped from the windows to get away from the flames, as their sisters did a century ago in New York City in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. A number of Tazreen workers were trapped inside and burned to death.
Walmart has a grading system for its contractors, and had put the Tazreen factory on "orange" status (green for good, yellow for not so good, orange for a warning, and red for a contractor whose orders are cut off). Yet the company kept giving Tazreen orders.
The reason is clear. Wages are 21 cents an hour. Contractors like Tazreen compete against each other to get the orders. In a garment factory, the main way they cut costs is by cutting wages and expenses like safety.
Workers in Bangladesh have been trying to win the right to organize strong unions to raise those wages and improve working conditions.
But police in Bangladesh have been putting down demonstrations by workers in this region for months. One activist, Aminul Islam, was tortured and killed this year.
The Bangladeshi government uses low wages to attract manufacturers like Walmart. It does not enforce safety regulations, as the fires clearly show. Walmart then uses the labor of these workers to boost its profits, and has the same hostile attitude toward their efforts to organize unions as it does toward the efforts of its employees in the United States.
Manufacturers claim that if wages and safety costs rise, so will the prices of garments in U.S. stores. Yet if wages of 21 cents an hour were doubled, it would add only a few pennies to the cost of even a cheap T-shirt.
We, as consumers, need to exercise our power. We can refuse to purchase garments made in factories like the one that killed more than 100 people, or that are sold in stores that deny workers the right to organize.
Whether at a sewing machine in Bangladesh or at a cash register in California, workers have the right to a safe job, a decent standard of living, and to organize. We need a system for producing and selling clothing that reinforces those rights, not one that works against them.
David Bacon is a California writer and photographer. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
You can read more pieces from The Progressive Media Project by clicking here.
Now's a great time to subscribe to The Progressive magazine. You'll get a FREE copy of our 2013 "Hidden History of the United States" calendar when you subscribe for just $14.97 for the whole year. That's 75% off the newsstand price, and the calendar is yours for free. Just click here.
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Trump's politics are not the problem.
The fiery Milwaukee Sheriff is on the shortlist to head the Department of Homeland Security.
By Wendell Berry
Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation with pay. Want more of everything ready made. Be afraid to know your neighbors and to die. And you will have a window in your head. Not even your future will be a mystery any more. Your mind will be punched in a card and shut away in a little drawer. When they want you to buy something they will call you. When they want you to die for profit they will let you know. So, friends, every day do something that won't compute. Love the Lord. Love the world. Work for nothing. Take all that you have and be poor. Love someone who does not deserve it. Denounce the government and embrace the flag. Hope to live in that free republic for which it stands. Give your approval to all you cannot understand. Praise ignorance, for what man has not encountered he has not destroyed. Ask the questions that have no answers. Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias. Say that your main crop is the forest that you did not plant, that you will not live to harvest. Say that the leaves are harvested when they have rotted into the mold. Call that profit. Prophesy such returns. Put your faith in the two inches of humus that will build under the trees every thousand years. Listen to carrion—put your ear close, and hear the faint chattering of the songs that are to come. Expect the end of the world. Laugh. Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts. So long as women do not go cheap for power, please women more than men. Ask yourself: Will this satisfy a woman satisfied to bear a child? Will this disturb the sleep of a woman near to giving birth? Go with your love to the fields. Lie easy in the shade. Rest your head in her lap. Swear allegiance to what is nighest your thoughts. As soon as the generals and the politicos can predict the motions of your mind, lose it. Leave it as a sign to mark the false trail, the way you didn't go. Be like the fox who makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction. Practice resurrection.
Wendell Berry is a poet, farmer, and environmentalist in Kentucky. This poem, first published in 1973, is reprinted by permission of the author and appears in his "New Collected Poems" (Counterpoint).


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Seicean, Andreea MPH, PhD*,†; Alan, Nima BS*; Seicean, Sinziana MD, PhD, MPH‡,§; Neuhauser, Duncan PhD†; Benzel, Edward C. MD¶,‖; Weil, Robert J. MD¶,**,††
Study Design. Retrospective cohort analysis of prospectively collected clinical data.
Objective. To compare outcomes of elective spine fusion and laminectomy when performed by neurological and orthopedic surgeons.
Summary of Background Data. The relationship between primary specialty training and outcome of spinal surgery is unknown.
Methods. We analyzed the 2006 to 2012 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database of 50,361 patients, 33,235 (66%) of which were operated on by a neurosurgeon. We eliminated all differences in preoperative and intraoperative risk factors between surgical specialties by matching 17,126 patients who underwent orthopedic surgery (OS) to 17,126 patients who underwent neurosurgery (NS) on propensity scores. Regular and conditional logistic regressions were used to predict adverse postoperative outcomes in the full sample and matched sample, respectively. The effect of perioperative transfusion on outcomes was further assessed in the matched sample.
Results. Diagnosis and procedure were the only factors that were found to be significantly different between surgical subspecialties in the full sample. We found that compared with patients who underwent NS, patients who underwent OS were more than twice as likely to experience prolonged length of stay (LOS) (odds ratio: 2.6, 95% confidence interval: 2.4–2.8), and significantly more likely to receive a transfusion perioperatively, have complications, and to require discharge with continued care. After matching, patients who underwent OS continued to have slightly higher odds for prolonged LOS, and twice the odds for receiving perioperative transfusion compared with patients who underwent NS. Taking into account perioperative transfusion did not eliminate the difference in LOS between patients who underwent OS and those who underwent NS.
Conclusion. Patients operated on by OS have twice the odds for undergoing perioperative transfusion and slightly increased odds for prolonged LOS. Other differences between surgical specialties in 30-day postoperative outcomes were minimal. Analysis of a large, multi-institutional sample of prospectively collected clinical data suggests that surgeon specialty has limited influence on short-term outcomes after elective spine surgery.
Level of Evidence: 3
© 2014 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
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OMAHA, Neb. — Arkansas' DJ Baxendale bounced back from one of his worst starts of the year to turn in his best.
The junior right-hander held Kent State hitless into the fifth inning and combined with Brandon Moore on a four-hitter Saturday in the Razorbacks' 8-1 victory that spoiled the Golden Flashes' first appearance in the College World Series.
Baxendale's performance was a lot different than his previous outing, when he was hit for five runs in four innings in an 8-1 loss to Baylor in the super regionals.
"Against Baylor, I really felt like I let the team down," Baxendale said. "To come out here at this stage and be able to get us a victory in Game 1, it was huge for not only my confidence but I think for the team's as well. We know any time you can win the first game, it just keeps building off that."
Baxendale and Moore got some unexpected help from the bottom of the lineup. No. 9 batter Jake Wise homered for the first time since February and also hit a two-run single. No. 8 batter Matt Vinson hit a two-run double that gave Arkansas (45-20) a 5-1 lead in the sixth.
"My 3 and 4 holers didn't get a hit today and we scored eight runs. Somebody got it going," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. "That's a good sign."
Kent State (46-19), the first team from the Mid-American Conference to make it to the CWS since Eastern Michigan in 1976, couldn't get much going against Baxendale.
Baxendale didn't allow a hit until Sawyer Polen's infield single with two out in the fifth. He held the Flashes scoreless until Jimmy Rider homered in the sixth.
"DJ Baxendale was outstanding," Kent State coach Scott Stricklin said. "He kept us off balance. His fastball was sharp and he throws the breaking ball when he's behind in the count. He really competes."
Baxendale (8-5) allowed three hits, giving way to Moore with one out in the seventh. He struck out five and walked one. Moore pitched the last 2 2-3 innings for his third save.
Baxendale retired 14 of the first 15 batters he faced before Polen ripped a hard grounder up the middle for a base hit. Second baseman Bo Bigham made a great stop, but his throw to first was wide and late.
"I knew after the first inning he had it because he threw every fastball right where he wanted it in the first inning, and that's a telltale sign for him in watching him pitch for three years," Van Horn said. "It's been a big pleasure, and hopefully we'll get him out there again before this is over with."
Wearing their old-school gray uniforms with high socks, the Flashes struggled early against a Razorbacks team that was last in Omaha in 2009.
Kent State starter David Starn (11-4) walked three of the first four batters he faced and left after Vinson's two-out double in the sixth.
Starn threw 24 pitches in the first inning, just eight for strikes, and walked the bases loaded before Brian Anderson's hard liner up the middle knocked off the pitcher's glove and brought home the first run. An inning-ending double play let Starn escape further damage.
"It was basically just a flaw in my mechanics," Starn said. "I wasn't really finishing my pitches. And I was leaving them arm-side, and that's basically what happened with the control issues and everything."
Wise made it 2-0 in the second when he went deep to left center for his second homer of the season, and first since the second game of the season on Feb. 19. It was the Razorbacks' first homer since May 19, the last day of the regular season.
Wise came into the game 6 for his last 22 with seven strikeouts and with two home runs in 77 career games.
"When I hit it I thought it was a double," Wise said. "The wind was blowing out a little bit and that helped it get out."
Vinson was 4 for his last 26 with no RBIs and eight strikeouts before he delivered his two-run double in the sixth.
The Flashes will now try to stave off elimination playing in a bracket that includes two-time defending national champion South Carolina, No. 1 national seed Florida and an Arkansas team that just beat them.
"We've got to make sure that we're not just happy to be here," Stricklin said. "We want to compete and get some wins and make a run at it. It's still possible. We're still here."
■ South Carolina 7, Florida 3: Michael Roth turned in another strong College World Series start, Erik Payne's bases-loaded triple scored the go-ahead runs, and South Carolina began the last leg of its pursuit of a third straight national title by beating Florida in a late Saturday game.
South Carolina (46-17) extended its record NCAA-tournament win streak to 22 games by beating its SEC rival and 2011 national runner-up for only the second time in five tries this season.
Roth (8-1), making his eighth appearance in three years in Omaha, left with one out in the seventh after Florida's first two batters reached in a two-run game. Tyler Webb got the Gamecocks out of trouble, and Matt Price pitched the last two innings for his 12th save.
Payne's triple off Brian Johnson (8-5) highlighted a fifth inning in which the Gamecocks turned a 2-0 deficit into a 5-2 lead over the Gators (47-19).


text:
Skip to comments.Decorated Veteran, 90, Fights to Raise Flag in His Yard
Posted on 12/03/2009 11:17:07 AM PST by Mrs. Frogjerk
A veteran of three wars who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor is now facing an unlikely enemy his neighbors.
Col. Van T. Barfoot, 90, has raised the Stars and Stripes every day at sunrise and lowered them every day at sunset since he served in the U.S. Army. But on Tuesday he received a letter from the law firm that represents his homeowners' association, ordering him to remove the flagpole from his Richmond, Va. yard by 5 p.m. on Friday or face "legal action."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The homeowners Association acn stick it as far as I am concerned.
Way to thank a veteran for their service!
Another post had contact info. I called and told them this veteran fought for the right to fly that flag, and have a flagpole to do it, and to leave him alone!
Many HOAs are breeding grounds for Control Freak Liberal Elite types, beware the nosy neighbor.
Colonel Van T. Barfoot has been featured on Free Republic at least once before:
Freeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Van Thomas Barfoot ~ 10 August 09
He moved into the Association knowing the rules and is forcing the issue - I am sure a flag on his townhome would have been fine but he installed a freestanding 21 foot pole on someone else's (community) property.
He has to take some of the blame here.
My husband and I live in a community with a homeowner's association. I am praying this veteran prevails. Good luck to him.
Is it really any wonder why the democrats have absolutely NOTHING in common with the American people?
His yard is "community property"?? I knew some goose-stepper would show up defending these fascist HOA.
Until the Obama administration... homeowners associations were the only true fascists organizations in the U.S.A. Now Mr. Barfoot, MOH recipient and true American hero once again must do battle with fascists! And as before, I suspect he will prevail! God bless him!!!
Grow up people. Some very patriotic war heroes are pricks.
From the article it appears he built a flagpole on property he does not own.
It also appears he is allowed to hang his flag, as other resident do, from his own property.
Just curious, if kids are running and playing in this previously open area and run into this newly installed pole-who would be legally responsible?
I'm sure the definition of community property was spelled out for anyone who bought there in the vast array of documents presented at closing. That someone is prevented from displaying the flag is pretty disturbing. Nonetheless - the error is in the headline referring to "his yard". Evidently, like a lot of condominiums - there is no land area that goes, in fee simple, along with the unit. So it's not "his yard".
YEP.....when you BUY into a "community" with an HOA....YOU KNOW DA*N well who owns what.....YOU own ONLY the walls of your unit from the inside (usually including the sheetrock).....that's it.....everything else is joint ownership of one form or another.
homeonwer associations are little more hten small communist government at street level.
If he doesn't actually own the yard, then you're right. I assumed it was his property.
Well, actually, there is apparently no rule against flags or flagpoles. Just vague rules against eyesores. Is a flagpole an eyesore? They are pretty traditional in our country.
As someone pointed out on an earlier thread, this could probably be shot down in court, as an ex post facto change in the rules. But it would take money for a lawyer to defend him.
If the Association goes ahead and sues, I expect they will lose. But it will be expensive for all concerned--and very silly, not to say unpatriotic.
In my Association I have a flag on my house. I have been on a Board and Board President for many years - Boards are neighbors and we don't like problems or bad feelings with our neighbors either.
In this case, his "yard" IS community property.
Many developments, particularly those which market to retired folks, are set up as condominium-type communities. Under these types of arrangements, typically only the house itself belongs to the "homeowner" and the grounds belong to the association. Some of them even take maintenance responsibility for the exteriors of the dwellings (roof, siding, etc.).
These arrangements can be "convenient" for the homeowner, who will never again have to mow, trim, clean gutters, etc., but they ALL involve signing away some (or all?) of your individual property rights in exchange for the "privileges" offered.
I'm not defending the arrangement; I'm just saying "these are the facts".
I urge anyone who is considering moving into a community such as this to VERY carefully read and study EVERY WORD in every document realated to the homeowners/property owner association, deed restrictions, covenants and agreements BEFORE signing on the bottom line and committing yourself to a regulated lifestyle.
With that said, I do not doubt that the board of directors of this property owners' association CAN make this American hero, Col. Barfoot, take down his flag pole. The REAL question they should ask themselves is: What real, quantifiable GOOD will it do for our community to take this action. I think if they answer that question honestly, the board will change their mind and allow it to stay. A special permit which expires upon the gentlemans death would be one reasonable solution.
Do people here even take time to read the article before posting a comment? I can't believe any Freeper that took the time to read the article would still be supporting him.
1. Flying the flag is ALLOWED, if flown on a pole mounted on the house.
2. Putting a 21 foot flagpole (higher than a 2 story house) in the middle of the front yard was never allowed.
3. Mr. Barfoot knew of the rules BEFORE he purchased his property, and decided to purchase the property anyway (rules and all.)
4. AFTER he purchased his property, he asked the homeowner's association to change the rules. His request was denied.
5. Since he didn't get his way, he decided the homeowner's association rules (which he knew about and agreed to when he purchased the house) shouldn't apply to him so he erected the flagpole.
6. Now that someone has pointed out that he is violated the homeowner's agreement that he FREELY ENTERED INTO, he is playing the viticm.
I appreciate his service and sacrifice, but when you enter into a contract (and that is what a homeowner's association is) then you are obligated to keep that contract.
He is NOT being denied the ability to fly the flag.
The issue is a 21 FOOT FLAGPOLE in the middle of his front yard. The type of flagpole usually found in the front of schools, corporate offices, or government buildings such as post offices.
A Richmond law firm, Marchant, Honey & Baldwin, offered yesterday to represent Barfoot at no cost, partner John Honey said.
In a statement released last night, the association said Barfoot is in direct violation of its board's July decision to deny his request to erect a flagpole.
"This is not about the American flag. This is about a flagpole," the statement reads, noting that many homes in the neighborhood display the American flag.
Margaret Nicholls, Barfoot's daughter, said last night that the statement is using semantics to back up a board decision about the pole that was made on aesthetic, not regulatory grounds. There is no covenant that expressly forbids flag poles, she said.
Warner has known Barfoot for years and has a high regard for him, Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said. "The senator definitely wants to step in to get something resolved."
Nicholls said her father's phone "is ringing off the hook." Members of the 157th Infantry Unit, with which he served, have called along with scores of people concerned about Barfoot's welfare, she said.
You yelling at me? I was the one getting a beat down because I read the article and got blamed for supporting the hoa.
A Medal of Honor can be a prick if he wants to be.
I'm just curious. Where did you read that? It was my understanding that the flag pole was in his front yard.
I hate zero tolerance. The man is 90 years old, fought his whole life for his country, and was graced with a distinguished Medal of Honor. So, technically, maybe he shouldn't have put up a flag pole on community property...but, so what, let the guy go...I think he's earned the right to be left alone...at 90, it's not like he's going to have this flag flying for decades. If I was a resident of the community I would tell any objectors to get a life and not everything needs be enforced in their petty rules.
It can be a real pain
He went to war to defend a nation of laws. Now he wants to break the law. That doesn't square-up.
That doesn't seem to add up to me. And the last time I checked, the homeowners associations did not set the damned laws!
He's a few blocks from my old house. He'll be getting a Christmas card from me.
Damned right on that one!
Depends on the board. We had to move an old barn on our property to a new location because it was falling over and rotting from being stuck under a historic Japanese lilac tree (now 180 years old). We have three barns, and wanted to put this one to practical use as a garage.
We are in a "historical district" and had to go through an approval process. They said OK, but it has to be square to the house.
While I was off working, the contractor poured the foundation. It wasn't quite square, because he had to fit it in between a septic mound, a pond, and power lines that run behind the house.
The Selectboard sued to set it square. We responded that there were other barns in the district that weren't square, that we didn't do it on purpose, and that there was no alternative. So, would they agree to reasonable modifications in the permit?
Long story short, after two years, three select board members were voted out, the suit was settled, and we still have our garage at the same slight angle. It cost the town $20,000 in legal fees and it cost me $2,000 in legal fees—because I didn't feel the need to keep phoning my lawyer at big bucks per minute, and because my lawyer gave me a discount.
In other words, we're all neighbors here, and we get along, but sometimes you can get a few big egos on a select board or neighborhood association.
He fought in three wars! He asked them to make an exception for him thinking that maybe, just maybe they would take that into consideration.
Unfortunately, he was wrong. People don't care if you risked your ass in war after war so that they could hold onto their freedom. Like the freedom to bust an old veterans balls over a damned flag poll!
HOAs can be a real PIA. On the other hand it's nice to live in a neighborhood where your neighbor isn't going to have a pack of dogs out in their backyard barking all night. But not to let someone put up a flag isn't right.
"In other words, were all neighbors here, and we get along, but sometimes you can get a few big egos on a select board or neighborhood association."
I understand. I had a Board member go around and on her own issued 148 letters to owners on such minor stuff it was silly. Lots of initial upset but when the whole board got together all the letters were pulled. You can have one or two but hopefully a full Board is more helpful then not to its community.
We have one guy now, our CC&R's don't allow antenna or sat dishes in public view, this guy just goes and puts a huge antenna strapped to his chimney in front of the house and all the neighbors are upset and he refuses to take it down.
It causes us problems and he tries to blame us.
Good post. However, logic will get you nowhere with some folks.
I thought this was America.
Let him fly his flag.
Second Lieutenant Barfoots official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 23 May 1944, near Carano, Italy. With his platoon heavily engaged during an assault against forces well entrenched on commanding ground, 2d Lt. Barfoot (then Tech. Sgt.) moved off alone upon the enemy left flank. He crawled to the proximity of 1 machinegun nest and made a direct hit on it with a hand grenade, killing 2 and wounding 3 Germans.
He continued along the German defense line to another machinegun emplacement, and with his tommygun killed 2 and captured 3 soldiers.
Members of another enemy machinegun crew then abandoned their position and gave themselves up to Sgt. Barfoot. Leaving the prisoners for his support squad to pick up, he proceeded to mop up positions in the immediate area, capturing more prisoners and bringing his total count to 17.
Later that day, after he had reorganized his men and consolidated the newly captured ground, the enemy launched a fierce armored counterattack directly at his platoon positions.
Securing a bazooka, Sgt. Barfoot took up an exposed position directly in front of 3 advancing Mark VI tanks.
From a distance of 75 yards his first shot destroyed the track of the leading tank, effectively disabling it, while the other 2 changed direction toward the flank. As the crew of the disabled tank dismounted, Sgt. Barfoot killed 3 of them with his tommygun.
He continued onward into enemy terrain and destroyed a recently abandoned German fieldpiece with a demolition charge placed in the breech.
While returning to his platoon position, Sgt. Barfoot, though greatly fatigued by his Herculean efforts, assisted 2 of his seriously wounded men 1,700 yards to a position of safety.
Sgt. Barfoots extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of pointblank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers.
"This is not about the American flag. This is about a flagpole," reads the statement from the association, which insists that Barfoot directly violated its board's July ruling.
And anyone that survived as a member of the 45th Infantry Division in Italy deserves to be one. I know,my Dad was one (both a member and a prick...kept me straight though)
Homeowner Associations are nothing but little busybody, socialist communes; every time I have looked around to buy a house I tell the real estate person, "No houses governed by an association, or otherwise."
Ironicly, I had an uncle visiting recently that was wishing he had a homeowners association.
The guy with the lot that backs up to his decided he was going to start breeding dogs. When he steps out of his back yard he now has a view of a beat up back yard, a pack of dog, and the smell of dog ****.
A guy moved in next door to him that apparently has no idea of how to maintain his property. Literally has an old junked car in the back yard and knee high grass.
He has tried to get the county involved, but they say there is nothing they can do.
He has been trying to sell his house for a while (long before the real estate crash.) No luck. People tell him bluntly the reason is the neighbors. They have killed his property value.
I thought contracts were two-way documents, what does the organization provide in exchange for having censorship powers over the OWNERS?
No purple houses, junkers in the front yard, or (perhaps, if the morons would have specified it) freestanding flagpoles, which some people may very well find out of keeping with the aesthetics of a neighborhood.
I'd love to see photos of the yards and neighborhoods of the Freepers who swear they'd never live under CC&Rs.
I thought this was America.
Let him fly his flag.
he installed a freestanding 21 foot pole on someone elses (community) property.
In that case, the Association should get out there with a saw, and cut it down. I'd be royally pissed if a neighbor installed his preferred structure on property I had the contractual right to use without excluding others.
I think its unimaginable you sign away your right to do what you want on your own property.
You don't like the restrictions? DON'T BUY! But please don't act like those of us who prefer certain restrictions shouldn't have that right.
It's america. You should be allowed to erect a 21 foot flagpole on your lawn. I for one would be glad to see it. :)
I don't care. They should make the exception in this case solely based on his service to this country. Why the hell can't anybody do this? This isn't just anybody, read the guys citation for crying out loud! He did more in one day on the battlefield than some soldiers have ever done in their entire service!
Let him put up his pole if it means so much to him. He isn't doing this to bust chops, he is doing this because it means something to him. He likes the custom of raising the flag and taking it down as it is the custom.
Why pick this fight?
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text: Located on one of the most southern points into Tampa Bay, Port Tampa has lots of history, from the Calusa Indians that were native to the area to the large neon sign that used to be a marker for ships coming into Port. The Port Tampa Librarybuilding was a former bank and a landmark for the area. After sitting vacant for many years, the county bought the building, renovated it and converted it into a community library. The two benches were origonally installed on the circular pad outside of the building in the courtyard. Each of the 28 tiles was created by Susan Gott utilizing kiln cast 'Blenko' glass, hand painted and set into a steel frame. The spot lights, recessed into the concrete, gave the project a beautiful glow, in the evening hours and highlighted the cast glass tiles.


text:
Former 'Playboy' Model Proves Going Vegan Is the Formula for Success
Wearing a tight-fitting racer girl outfit and holding a sign that read, "Rev Your Engine: Go Vegan!" former Playboy model Victoria Eisermann handed out free vegan sausages from the Redwood Wholefood Company to Formula 1 racing fans at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday. Cholesterol and animal fat in meat, eggs and dairy products slow the flow of blood to all the body's organs and can increase the risk of impotence. Besides leading to animal suffering and environmental degradation on a massive scale, eating meat in the kitchen has a lot to do with what goes on – or doesn't go on – in the bedroom.
"We want to turn carnivores on … to vegan foods – a natural form of Viagra", says Eisermann. "So no matter how much muscle you might have under the bonnet, if you want to make sure that your own engine is running on high octane, you should go vegan."
In addition to the risk of impotence, eating meat and other animal-derived products has been conclusively linked to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, obesity and cancer. And a recent United Nations report concluded that a global shift towards a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change. Please help to save animals, the environment and your health by pledging to go vegan today!
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AgriCultures newsletter - October 2011
In this issue
|Out now
|Regional food systems
What determines that a food system is sustainable? How can it be more inclusive? How does a global and local perspective interact? What are the main obstacles for a shift towards better or more efficient food systems? And how to activate changes?
These are the questions considered in the latest issues of our magazines, where articles show that regional food systems can contribute to increasing food security while at the same time benefiting the environment and increasing the autonomy of farmers.
Read: Farming Matters
Read: LEISA India
|Small scale farmers feeding schools
Can small-scale farmers serve as a good source for school feeding programmes? And are these programmes beneficial for small-scale farmers? Are school feeding programmes really creating opportunities for small-scale farmers?
Because food can be procured locally, a new market may be created for farmers. But is it a worthwhile investment in terms of scale and possible economic benefits? Are small-scale farmers really included? In programmes all over the world, what are barriers for the inclusion of small-scale farmers in an effective way?
Share your experiences on this topic! Join the debate.
| New publications
|Recently published
Agrotóxicos no Brasil - um guia para ação em defesa da vida
This publication arose out of the concern over the increased use of agro-toxins over the past couple of years. It is both a source of reference, covering topics from pesticide legislation to methods on how to identify, control, report and prevent poisoning and a guide for action on how to mobilize people and organizations that are not willing to accept the poisoning of their fields, cities, water and people.
Résilience et innovation locale face aux changements climatiques
This book presents the results of a two year documentation process, covering 11 adaptation projects, of the Local Adaptation Strategies Support Fund (FSSA). In the first part the approach, documentation process and lessons learnt in the project are presented. The second covers the experiences of the 11 projects.
| Network news
|ALIN: A Gates Foundation awardee
The Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) has won the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Access to Learning award in recognition for its provision of information to marginalized and remote communities in the Eastern Africa region. Congratulations!
GMOs continue to feed protest in South America
The Brazilian National Technical Commission on Biosafety approved the introduction of the first transgenic bean resistant to the golden yellow mosaic virus.
| Call for articles
|Insects - friends or foes?
How do insects contribute to strengthening the functions, processes and resilience of ecosystems? How can farmers support their "successful integration"?
Our March 2012 issue will look at these issues, focusing on the many ways in which small-scale farmers benefit from insects, and on the steps they take in order to increase these benefits.
Deadline: 1 December 2011 Find out more.
| Further reading
|More from our website
Rio +20, Time to Act! - Will Rio +20 turn into "just another high-level conference"? Not if we can avoid it!
Farmer-to-farmer videos - Over the past ten years, farmer–to-farmer videos have become more popular. Do they contribute to learning? Have your say!
Championing homegrown school feeding - An Interview with Hans Eenhoorn
Haat Bazaar - A strategy for promoting local food systems in Nepal
Modifying Peru - The GMO discussion goes on in Peru. Might the 10 year moratorium come too late?
|Learning AgriCultures
|"Insights from sustainable small-scale farming"
Our educational series, "Learning Agricultures", is now complete. This set of modules is suitable for educators and teachers at universities and vocational schools who are aiming at a comprehensive course on sustainable small-scale agriculture.
The seven modules of the series covers the following themes:
Interested in the Learning AgriCultures series? Find out more here.
|Get involved!
The quarterly magazines produced by ILEIA and partners are read in more than 150 countries, and are shared by farmers, extension agents, lecturers, students and policy makers. Help us reach many more readers by making a tax-deductible donation. Support our work by making a donation today.
You can also opt for a solidarity subscription. With this option you take a subscription to our global magazine, while at the same time you help us send one or more copies to a reader in the south.


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This is seven year-old Evan, who had fun helping mom decorate these cupcakes like the minions from the Despicable Me movies! Evan is holding his very favorite blue mug!!!
Alana and her great grandma Mabel are enjoying lunch together at Old Country Buffet.
Lilley with her favorite breakfast items!
Dad and kids snuggled together, sleeping in on a cold winter morning. Warm dreams get you through the snowy season!
My eight year-old daughter Grace dressed up our dog Lily.
Taking a sandwich break with coffee in one of the many ice caves. The temperature outside was -9. It's a must see adventure.
Lorie is having a nice, warm cup of tea by the fire pit in Bud, WI.
This is my daughter Paige. She is enjoying hot chocolate at home with Mom.
This is a coffee Mug I got in Norway, while visiting relatives there. I've loved it ever since!
This is 4 year-old Olivia. She is holding her Valentine mug that she got to color and also her Valentine bear.
Oakdale Electric Cooperative Field Engineer, Travis, in the bucket truck/mug being a good sport!
As my husband and I have our morning cup of tea, our cat, Guster, always shares our tea and waits for cookie crumbs. Today, she just gave up and napped.
Here's a picture of one of our little rabbits. I put him in the mug to take the picture and he fell asleep right away.
This is a picture of Kelsey... who is enjoying some Mommy and Grandma time.
This mug was given to me by my best friend. The sentiment goes both ways.
Feeding the deer in the morning. The mug is from the Wisconsin National Guard.
My daughters, Lydia, 4, and Sylvia, 7.5 months, and a mug I made in high school art class.
Jordyn enjoying some hot chocolate on a cold February day!
2014 Westby Snowflake Royalty's visit to station on 1/29/14 to promote 91st Annual Ski Jump 1/31-2/1/14. It was a GREAT Ski Jump Weekend!! Queen-Brittany Dunnum, 1st Attendant-Kylie Bluske & 2nd Attendant-Jessica Pauloski.
It's cold outside, so I will just cuddle up with a cup of coffee and sleep until it is spring!
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PIC: Victoria Beckham wears heels, while walking on a treadmill….and working on her computer.
Victoria Beckham tweeted the photo above, showing her working…while working out. In heels, naturally.
She said, "Thank u @SusieCollege. Every office should have one of these, work out and work at the same time!! Genius!! X vb."
In her fashion film with Skype, the star revealed that after raising her family, her design career is the biggest part of her life. "Most evenings I'm curled up in front of Skype speaking with my studio in London. But I wouldn't have it any other way."
Thursday, March 13th, 2014 at 3:15pm
Filed under Victoria Beckham | No Comments


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Object ID
Object Name
Print, Photographic
B/W original print of the 1958 Fillie Softball League - part of Pierce Co P/R dept. Chris Cross (bottom row, second from left), daughter of department director Tom Cross, suggested formation of team. 2 copies and negative in file.Recreation Department- Youth SoftballA young girl came home from school and said, "Dad, you're not doing anything for girls!" And that is how the first girls softball league in the area came to be.Tom Cross, Director of the Pierce County Parks & Recreation Dept. took those words from his daughter Chris and turned them into a reality as the Fillie Softball League was formed in 1958 in cooperation with the Metropolitan Park District of the City of Tacoma. To further this joint effort between the two recreation agencies, the first team created was coached by staff members from each department- Cross from Pierce County and Steve Orfanos, Recreation Supervisor with the district. Games were played at Heidelberg Park and softball for girls continued to grow.
Search Terms
Softball, girlsFillie Softball League
one original print and 2 copies of print in files as well as negative
Date of photo
Fillie Softball LeagueCross, ChrisCross, TomOrfanos, Steve
Shanaman Sports Museum of Tacoma Pierce County
2727 East D Street, Tacoma, WA
Last modified on: March 14, 2010


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February 6, 2003
Your Letters
Who Should Pay?
While Sharon Schatz Rosenthal's cover story notes that day schools are costly, it fails to address cost efficiency ("Who Should Pay?" Jan. 31). I believe the Jewish community's limited funding can be more effectively targeted at bolstering supplementary secondary schools. A good example is the Los Angeles Hebrew High School (LAHHS), which Dr. Samuel Dinin established ("Legacy in Motion," Jan. 31).
LAHHS serves more than 500 teenagers who concurrently attend secular high schools. With more than three dozen distinguished faculty members, its educational program is on par with the best full-time Jewish high schools. Yet, tuition is around one-tenth the cost.
Leonard M. Solomon, LAHHS Board of Trustees Los Angeles
There's another reason some of us are unable to send our children to Jewish day schools -- the lack of after-school care at most of the schools. Catch 22: We work to be able to afford Jewish day school tuition, but still can't send our children there because the schools are not willing to accommodate working, two-parent families.
Name Withheld Upon Request, Woodland Hills
The truth of the Jewish community is that the vast majority of non-Orthodox students attend supplementary schools and will continue to do so.
I take particular issue with the article's innuendo that the Los Angeles Bureau of Jewish Education could be more financially supportive of day schools. That may be, but they are more supportive of supplementary schools than most, striving to raise the quality of teachers and the esteem of the work.
It is my hope that when we talk about Jewish education, we can engage in discussion about communal goals and the myriad options that are and could be available.
Cheri Ellowitz Silver, Education Director Congregation Ner Tamid of South Bay
I am unable to comprehend Rob Eshman's logic regarding President Bush's State of the Union address ("Ich Bin ein Missourian," Jan. 31). Saddam will never comply with the U.N. resolutions that demand his cooperation to reveal what he has done with the weapons of mass destruction. No amount of inspection is going to find what he has hidden.
Michael Brooks, West Hills
Interfaith Families
As a Catholic Latino married to a Jewish woman, I have learned that many Jews consider interfaith marriage a terrible threat to the survival of the Jewish people ("Jews Must Draw in Interfaith Families," Jan. 24). I understand this concern, but I would argue that the threat is not necessarily mixed marriage, but rather the Jewish community's treatment of mixed families. My wife and I are committed to raising our children as Jews. Sadly, while we've belonged to a Reform congregation for many years and have tried to become part of the temple community, we've had very limited success. Typically, we have been treated with reactions ranging from indifference to suspicion. We are politely tolerated, but feel relegated to a marginal status.
In contrast, the church I attend supports a group of Catholics married to Jews. The parish seems to welcome these families, fully integrating them in the church community. Although we as a family are not church members, we have developed closer relationships with this group than we have with families at our temple.
Over the years, the few mixed families we've encountered at the temple have gradually drifted away. We have also started looking for another congregation. We'll continue trying to find a Jewish community where we fit in. However, I often wonder how my children will feel about Judaism if they are always kept at the margins.
R. Hernandez, Los Angeles
Gay Rabbis
Although I am a traditional Jewish man with traditional ideas, I support the idea of allowing gays and lesbians to become Conservative pulpit rabbis ("A Conservative Challenge," Jan. 17). The Conservative movement should reconsider its position and at least discuss the issue. Why should any Jewish person be excluded from fulfilling his or her dreams because of personal preferences? The Conservative movement allowing women to become pulpit rabbis in 1985 was a great decision and helped fortify the views of Conservative Judaism.
Israel Weiss, Agoura Hills
In Rabbi Michael Beals' letter to the editor (Jan. 31), The Journal incorrectly added the translation "repentance" next to the word teshuvot, which here meant "a rabbinic response to a query, based on halacha (Jewish law)." We regret the error.
JewishJournal.com is produced by TRIBE Media Corp., a non-profit media company whose mission is to inform, connect and enlighten community © Copyright 2016 Tribe Media Corp.
JewishJournal.com is produced by TRIBE Media Corp., a non-profit media company whose mission is to inform, connect and enlighten community
© Copyright 2016 Tribe Media Corp.


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April 1998
Finding where to spread the credit is easier on Shanachie's Kickin' The 3: The Best of Organ Trio Jazz (Shanachie 5034 73:43), a tasty sampler of organ-driven workouts. Given the theme, you can probably guess the players blindfolded: McGriff, Charles Earland, Jimmy Smith, Joey DeFranceso and Lonnie Smith all take groovy bows, as do Medeski Martin and Wood and Larry Young. As you might expect, a goodly part of the material swings with a straightahead blues vibe, like McGriff and Hank Crawford's "Red Top," Smith's "Blues For J," Brother Jack McDuff's "After Hours" and Smith's "Back at the Chicken Shack," rendered here by Will Boulware. Off the blues path though, there's Larry Young and Joey DeFranceso tackling Monk-Joey D. bops hard through "Evidence" while Young waxes elliptical on "Monk's Dream." MMW, meanwhile, head for the outer limits with their "Beeah."


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Great tag team match with Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler defeating Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton. As previously stated, it made sense to have this match what transpired earlier, but I still found it hilarious that they had Teddy Long of all people make the announcement, who is notorious for making tag team matches. The action was non-stop and enjoyable, and having the heels go over was certainly a smart move.
Ridiculous segment involving Vickie Guerrero, Dolph Ziggler and AJ. This is the third consecutive week that they've shown "evidence" of AJ and John Cena having an affair (which is illogical since they're both single anyway) and it only gets worse each time. Ziggler was good here, but that was about it. Cena coming down to protect AJ was predicable, which only confuses me as to why he's not facing Ziggler at Survivor Series. The only true part of this whole angle that intrigued me on this show was the brief backstage bit between AJ and Cena, where the two flirted and showed mild interest in one another.
Brief match with World Heavyweight Champion Big Show squashing William Regal. Firstly, I'd like to thank WWE for fulfilling my longtime wishes and putting Regal back on television. From this match, it seems like they're trying to build upon Regal's "friendship" with Sheamus, which I hope will ultimately lead to something. The match didn't last long at all and was used merely to make Show looking like a beast going in Survivor Series, but I enjoyed Regal's television time on Raw while it lasted.
Fine match with Kaitlyn defeating Layla to become the number one contender to Eve's Divas Championship. Granted, the match should've been longer, but it was harmless and effective. While she may not be the best in-ring worker, Kaitlyn is a fresh face in the title picture and has more of a Cinderella story if she wins the title on Sunday.
Strong promo featuring WWE Champion CM Punk, Jerry Lawler and Mick Foley. I'll start off by saying that Lawler's return was very well done. As much as I dislike having Jim Ross leave the booth, it's nice to see Lawler back on commentary and it was made to feel special. Of course, having Punk interrupt Lawler and take shots at his health was a cheap way to garner heat, but it was undoubtedly effective. Punk provided some fantastic mic work, but I will agree with the majority in saying that Paul Heyman's "heart attack" crossed the line and was unnecessary. As tasteless as that might've seemed, you have to remember that it wouldn't have happened if Lawler wasn't cool with it, but still, that shouldn't happen one day prior to the seven-year anniversary of Eddie Guerrero's heart attack that cost him his life. As for Mick Foley, he showed some great intensity on the mic and was also able to hype the main event match by announcing his involvement in the contest.
Decent match with R-Truth defeating Tensai. The action was fine what it was, but it was mostly used to give Truth some momentum going into his U.S. Championship match at Survivor Series. Speaking of such, this is most they've hyped a match over the U.S. title in about a year, so it was nice to see the belt finally get some love on Raw. Antonio Cesaro bashing the United States on Veterans Day was very fitting as well.
Basic squash match with Ryback dominating Brad Maddox. I, for one, actually enjoyed the result because Ryback shouldn't be losing to a referee, but it was a bit shocking to say the least. Sure, the action was pretty boring since there wasn't enough heat on Maddox to begin with, but the post-match beat-down was brutal. Everyone expected interference, but it never came. If nothing else, it gave Ryback some monster momentum going into his WWE Championship match on Sunday.
Throwaway match between Sheamus and David Otunga. We've this match multiple times before and each time it feels meaningless. Sheamus is already looking good going into Survivor Series, so this bout was nothing more than an unneeded glorified squash. However, Big Show knocking William Regal out backstage was an effective way to get even more heat on the World Champion going into their match on Sunday, and anything involving Regal on WWE television always gets a thumbs up from this viewer.
Solid tag team match with WWE Tag Team Champion Kane and The Miz defeating Team Rhodes Scholars. I couldn't be more thrilled with Miz's face turn, as it was long overdue and is something very fresh for his stale character. Additionally, Raw was in his home state of Ohio last night, so that made it even more fitting. The match itself was well wrestled and furthered the feuds involved going into the five-on-five tag team match on Sunday. On a side note, Daniel Bryan's jealously act at ringside was an absolute riot.
Excellent match between WWE Champion CM Punk and John Cena in the main event. These two are incapable of having bad matches, and this was no exception. Their in-ring chemistry is amazing and it made for yet another very entertaining contest. I'm fine with Punk losing here as all signs point to him winning on Sunday, and it was a nice win for Cena. The post-match stare-down between all three men was very intriguing and has me highly anticipating their Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series.
Overall, a very entertaining show that featured a lot of enjoyable moments and successful build for Sunday's Survivor Series pay-per-view. The three hours didn't feel like they dragged as much as they normally do and most matches and segments on this show felt like they had a purpose. WWE did a superb job as far as booking goes on this show, and it succeeded in getting me extremely excited for the upcoming Survivor Series event.


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Healthline Blogs
The Fitness Fixer
Fast Fitness - Straighten and Stretch Hip While Strengthening Core, Arms, Legs, and Balance
Here is Friday Fast Fitness - Increase strength and muscular endurance of your body working as a whole, and learn to keep neutral spine and good hip position against resistance.
- From a pushup position, turn to the side, raising one arm overhead, holding legs and body straight.
- Raise your top leg. Notice if you increase the inward curve of your lower back (overarch to hyperlordosis) and if you bring the leg forward - demonstrated in the upper photo.
- Instead, hold straight. To feel position, practice against a wall - demonstrated in the lower photo. Bring the back of the raised leg against the wall. Press your lower back closer toward the wall instead of letting it overarch from the weight of your leg pulling the spine.
The idea is to use the wall as a guide to learn positioning, then use your muscles and sense of positioning to hold straight without the wall from then onward.
More Fitness Fixer on Side Plank:
- To get started holding a side plank, see Fast Friday - Functional Oblique Abdominal Muscle Practice - Holding Straight
- For challenging addition, try Fast Friday - Oblique Core Strength and Balance on the Ball
Read success stories of these methods and send your own. Questions come in by the hundreds. I make posts from selected ones. Before asking, see if your answers are already here by clicking labels under posts, links in posts, and archives at right.
Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail" (under trumpet) upper right.
Find your topics on the Fitness Fixer Index, and see Jolie's books.
Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail" (under trumpet) upper right.
Find your topics on the Fitness Fixer Index, and see Jolie's books.
Photos by Dr. Jolie Bookspan of students Marianne and Dennis
Recent Blog Posts
Mar 09, 2010
New Healthy Employment Programs for Developmentally Disabled
Mar 04, 2010
Reader Uses Fitness Fixer Advice to Shovel Snow Painlessly and Beat Mother Nature
Mar 01, 2010
Lactic Acid Myths
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Highlights from some of our favorite tax bloggers this week.
Click here to sign up for Tax Pro Today's eNewsletter to get the latest news and behind the scenes commentary you won't find anywhere else.
Evasive action
- Taxable Talk: Word to the Wise Dept: "How Not to Commit Tax Evasion" imagines how even good ideas, such as buying diabetes-test supplies wholesale then selling them to distribution companies, may mean big money but they don't necessarily, or easily, translate into keeping after-tax income the same as pre-tax income. No matter how many bank accounts one opens.
- Due Diligence: In this week's round-up: "Banks Failed To Honor Mortgage Settlement Deal (a foreclosure fraud post)"; "Defense Contractor Whistleblower Gets $1.8 Award"; "Buy American & Chinese Steel (a whistleblower post)"; and, in a less litigious note, "Due Diligence Earns Blogging Award From TaxConnections."
Washington watch
- Drake Software blog: A look at the recent delay in major provision of the Affordable Care Act -- so don't break that ankle just yet.
- Tax, Society & Culture: How the "ongoing congressional push for tax reform continues to focus on tax breaks," and the "new twist"of breakmakers Baucus and Hatch asking for a "pardon list" of tax benefits worth sparing. Well and good, but "two breaks that will appear nowhere on any pardon list are tax-free corporate reorganizations and international tax treaties." Is this in fact encouraging, or just more Capitol Hill smoke and mirrors? Includes a cute reference to Keyser Söze, and if you haven't seen Usual Suspects we'll say no more.
Rumor mills
- A Taxing Matter: How a recent study of income and taxes reported in financial filing statements for 2008-2010 ("conducted because proponents of lowering the U.S. corporate income tax rate commonly point to evidence that the U.S. statutory corporate tax rate of 35 percent, as well as its average effective tax rate, which equals the amount of income tax corporations pay divided by their pretax income, are high relative to other countries") (pause for breath) revealed that more than half of all large U.S.-controlled corporations "reported no federal tax liability in at least one year between 1998 and 2005." There's comfort in common rumor being true, we suppose, though maybe not for the "ordinary Americans (who) continue to suffer the impact of the recession."
- Our Taxing Times: Five will get you 10 that there's a rumor going around gambling losses will no longer being deductible. That's news to this blogger ("What my clients have been told was that the ability to deduct gambling losses was repealed on July 1, 2013. Actually one was very specific that he had been told that the new law went into effect on July 1st and was retroactive to the first of 2013..."). Keep us posted -- about the only machine we ever won on in Vegas was the bill changer.
In the know
- Fast Forward Academy blog: EAs should arm themselves for representing ever-more small businesses in audits and other tax matters -- especially in the wake of the House Chair recently asking the acting IRS commissioner how small businesses are selected for audits.
- Rubin on Tax: Untangling a spaghetti bowl of a question on tax liens, tenancy by entities and the federal claims statute combine to produce fiduciary liability that resulted in personal liability to the executors of the estate of a surviving spouse.
- Brian's Financial and Tax Musings: A look at the pluses (and more and still more pluses) of a free initial consultation, and what to ask a potential client to bring and come prepared to yak about.
LLCs and DFBs
- TaxMama: A question regarding a small Pakistan-based BTB software firm that wants to register an LLC in either Wyoming or Delaware. No physical presence in any American state (square, rectangular or otherwise shaped) nor will the company be hiring any regular employees. A look at what's involved.
- The Wandering Tax Pro: DFBs, or "damned fool bureaucrats" responsible for several clients having recently e-mailed the blogger about late refunds "from manually, but timely, filed NJ-1040s." We hear the same problem is widespread in NYS, too.


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With the World Cup in Brazil just over a year away, the competition for places in the squads of the teams going to South America is heating up.
And although no side has booked their place in the finals as of yet, there are certainly teams that are poised to book their places when the next round of qualifiers comes about.
Certainly, one could predict that a large proportion of the players going to the World Cup will be representing Premier League clubs, and one of the more "international" teams in England, Chelsea, will have several of their seasoned internationals jetting off to the sunny surroundings of Rio de Janeiro.
With some 13 different internationals in their squad for the 2012/13 season—not including those out on loan—Chelsea have been keen to build contingencies in their squad.
England (five players), Spain and Brazil (four) are the most, and with all three nations set to play a major part in the next World Cup, we look at which five players from the West London club could shine next summer.
Join us, won't you?


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By Eileen Dougharty
"The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs," famed boxing coach Cus D'Amato said. "It's the same thing, fear, but it's what you do with it that matters."
I wasn't feeling particularly heroic as I entered the IFC Gym looking to hire a boxing coach. I chose Freddie Cuevas before meeting him as he was billed as being big on fighting philosophy as well as form. Cuevas retired from boxing professionally in 2006 after putting in 11 years as a popular Chicago middleweight fighter. I hired him not for his record, which was certainly respectable, but because he is a boxing coach for thinkers. I was counting on my brain to overcome my physical limitations. I am smart, but I am far from sporty. I felt that boxing might be the best crash course on fine tuning my concentration and my coordination, two areas that have kept me out of sports generally.
My aversion to fitness started early; I forged notes from my mother to excuse myself from PE class as I couldn't bear to be the last person picked for every team. I've always been that person in aerobics class that's facing the wrong direction, while practicing yoga I'm always struggling with the right side when everyone else is effortlessly doing the left side. In dance classes advertised as "there's no wrong way to do this," teachers have proclaimed after seeing my attempts, "Except maybe that way." Eventually I took up running as it was something I could do alone, free from being judged on my performance. I became determined to find a sport that worked for me, and if that sport involved hitting things, I was all for it.
While wrapping my hands at our first session, Cuevas asked me a reasonable question. "Why boxing?" I joked that it was because I'm Irish and I don't play well with others. I went on to explain that some of my interest came from family tradition. My grandfather was a professional boxing referee; I grew up watching all the men in my family glove up and hit the heavy bag. We watched fights on television with great regularity, there were many discussions of technique and strategy as we watched the likes of Muhammad Ali, Leon Spinks and Joe Frazier.
I was seven years old when my extended family gathered excitedly around the television to see my grandfather in action, moderating the heavyweight championship between George Foreman and Ken Norton. Foreman knocked Norton out shortly into the second round so my grandfather's time in the spotlight wasn't lengthy, but it was memorable.
The IFC Gym was not like the other slick places I'd gone to work out in the past. It is a simple, two-room space with a standard ring in the front, heavy bags and speed bags in the rear, as well as two treadmills, a bike, some kettle balls and a few basic weight lifting machines. The walls are adorned with photos and clippings of the employees doing what they know best: fighting. There is no air conditioning. There is no juice bar. They are often blasting hard rock or rap, or if Cuevas has his way, salsa. It's all about function, no fancy stuff. It's not a health club, a spa, a studio, or a dojo. It's a straight-up boxing gym.
Cuevas started by teaching me the four basic punches: the jab, the cross, the hook, and the upper cut. Our subsequent workouts have varied a little but generally we do something close to the following program each time we meet. After a brief warm-up of windmilling my arms, doing jumping jacks followed by squats, I do two rounds of shadowboxing. This warms up not only my core and my shoulders, but my comfort level with looking stupid. I find it hard not to feel self conscious as I'm throwing punches into the air in a boxing ring in clear view of passersby on a busy street in Chicago.
After my ego and my arms are ready to go, Cuevas puts on mitts to field my punches as we do three rounds of different punch combinations that he dictates. I then move to the heavy bag for two rounds of punch combinations of my own choosing. Then to the speed bag for two rounds, which is a nice relief to have something that's less about punching and more about hand/eye coordination. Then there's the two rounds of jumping rope, a round of chasing mitts—remember Rocky chasing the chicken? It's the same principle, working on speed and agility, but with Cuevas throwing mitts around the room and me retrieving them like a dog—and three different kinds of sit ups, a minute of plank pose and we're DONE. All rounds of every exercise are three minutes, just like boxing rounds in a standard match. Each round is capped off with 15 jumping jacks and 10 squats as well, just to keep it moving.
After being a runner for several years I was in fairly decent shape when I took on the boxing regime, so my stamina wasn't an issue. But my coordination problems made learning the punch combinations challenging, and jumping rope was an aggravating impossibility at first. It was six minutes of pure frustration, punctuated by whipping my legs with the jump rope, further cementing my anxiety and disappointment with myself.
A majority of fitness instructors I'd had in the past would take to barking instructions on how to do things the right way at me, to no avail. I'd just shut down after getting yelled at. I started noticing that when I would make mistakes while working with Cuevas, he would simply stop me, and we'd start over. He wouldn't sigh or make any sort of face indicating displeasure or exasperation or comment in any way that was negative. We'd just stop and do it over, however many times it took until I did it correctly.
Cuevas also gave my mind a work out, discussing how the better boxer is not the tougher one, but the smarter one. I found the mix of strategy and footwork to be akin to playing chess while dancing, with the mind and body finding harmony working together in unison. After much practice, I started picking up the punching combinations more easily, which Cuevas always took note of and commented on positively.
In my early struggles with the jump rope, he would tell me repeatedly in a calm voice, "You control the rope, you control your legs. You just have to get those two things to work together." And slowly but surely, those things did start working together. I now can jump rope smoothly for most of the six minutes, and I whip myself with the jump rope much less now.
Cuevas taught me not only how to be a boxer, but how to be a teacher. At no point have I felt judged by Cuevas, or anyone else in the gym for that matter. I often get high-fives and words of encouragement from the other staff and sometimes the other patrons of the gym. Cuevas trains many women who fight as amateurs, who are strong and beautiful and awe inspiring to watch as they spar with men who are much bigger than they are.
After training for a month or two, I noticed that not only were the exercises much easier to perform, but my confidence while tackling new exercises was enhanced. When I returned to running, I'd taken about a minute off my average mile, an unexpected plus. I take a jump rope with me when I travel. I look forward to working out for the first time in a long time, as I feel a real sense of accomplishment every time I finish a session. Dale Carnegie once advised that you can't conquer your fears by sitting around and thinking about them, you just have to go out and get busy.
I'm sure I won't ever be skilled enough to fight someone else in any official capacity, but I fought my fear of all things athletic and emerged victorious. I think D'Amato would approve.


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Freedom Newspapers
T oday is Easter, the day Christians honor the "author and
perfecter" of their faith, Jesus Christ, who "for the joy
set before him endured the cross." For Christians, the cross endured signifies the cost of sin, suffering and death upon humanity and God. Yet, on Easter morning grief turns to joy as Christ rises from the dead to offer the power of his new life to those who believe in him. In the process, hope overcomes anxiety, trust overcomes betrayal and life overcomes death, fulfilling the Old Testament promise that God will never fail nor forsake his people despite evil's existence in the world.
Traditional Christian theology teaches that the human struggle with sin and death began when Adam and Eve betrayed both God and each other. Sin was born into the world when the two abandoned God's will to follow their own wisdom. The child-like trust connecting Adam and Eve to God shattered. Thereafter, betrayal, anxiety and guilt for sin paved the road of human suffering.
Yet God's love promised a solution to broken faith between God and humanity. The prophetic books of the Old Testament taught that a King and Redeemer would come to "heal the brokenhearted" and "set the captives free" from their sin.
However, according to Isaiah 53, before trust could be rebuilt between God and mankind, this Redeemer must persevere though immense suffering. Called to "render himself as a guilt offering," this Savior was betrayed by Judas. His disciples abandoned him, and the religious elite charged him with blasphemy for claiming to be the Messiah. In the end, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, condemned an innocent man to death. So God's betrayal by humanity replays again, as the Son of God is abandoned by all in his darkest Earthly moments.
Though Christ's conviction and death lay bare the raw power of the world's sin and betrayal, Christians would say it also reveals God's long-suffering love for all mankind. For feeling the full force of the world's anxiety, pain and betrayal, Christ, as only God in human form could, took judgment for world's sins upon himself so he might set his people free from the power of guilt and shame.
As a result, when men and women leave their own betrayals and sins at the foot of the cross, in faith of Christ's resurrection and forgiveness, God's love transforms anxiety into hope and betrayal into trust. Forgiveness, mercy and grace reign in their hearts as Christ fulfills God's promise to never fail or forsake his people.
So today, as families gather and we enjoy the spring season's wonderful series of rebirths and renewals, we are reminded once again of the basic human need to humbly accept the love that our faith, friends and family graciously offer to us.
We pray all may be able to appreciate anew that, although life can sometimes be difficult and people imperfect, forgiveness and love go a long way toward turning suffering into joy and anxiety into hope.


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Coronado National Memorial's location reminds us that the United States and Mexico are inextricably linked. Even though a visible, physical and political boundary is evident, living things continue to cross freely everyday. The Memorial has partnered with Sister Parks in Mexico to encourage understanding and stewardship of our shared resources.
Contact Us
Contact the Park
Mailing Address:
4101 E Montezuma Canyon Rd
Hereford, AZ 85615
(520) 366-5515


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A reminder of what is important in life. Everything you feel in your heart written down on a fabulous poster!
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Any prime p > 3 is of the form for some integer . For p > 3, you can try all combinations of and and verify that is never prime.
If p = 2, then 2q+p and 2q-p are both even and neither is equal to p, so neither is prime.
Hence p = 3 is the only prime satisfying the given property.


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Capitola, a Dutch digital creative agency based in Amsterdam. David, Simon, and team have been designing and building cool digital experiences using tech like virtual reality and augmented reality for years. Some of their projects include:
Pokemon Go HoloLens version
See a full interview with David about the HoloLens Pokemon Go project here.
Virtual Reality DuckHunt
Ford VR Experience
And this one at their previous firm:
Pretty cool projects huh? More of their work can be seen at their website and I highly recommend giving it a visit. For those that are looking for a digital creative agency that really knows how to make immersive technologies shine, give Simon and David a call. A great group of guys doing cutting edge work that definitely deserves a Metaverse1 salute.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Saturday, May 28, 2016
My Experience at the world's first Holographic Hackathon
So this past weekend I went to Seattle to participate in the first ever Holographic Hackathon. This event sponsored mainly by Microsoft gave a select number of lucky individuals the opportunity to work with the Microsoft HoloLens device. As an organizer of hackathons for the past few years I was beyond excited to be a participant for a change. True this weekend was not the first chance for me to be around the device, we had several at our AEC Hackathon last month in SoCal, but it was the first time I had an uninterrupted weekend dedicated to developing for it.
For those that are not familiar with this augmented reality headset, see the video below from Microsoft's Build 2016 keynote.
Hackathon Day #1
The Holographic Hackathon was held at Fremont Studios just north of downtown Seattle. The venue was a super cool open space with blue lights and black curtains along the walls.
The crowd was an interesting mix of software & Unity developers, audio engineers, artists, and non-technical professionals from various industries. I was pleasantly surprised to see several folks from the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, & Construction) space present and over a dozen others that have participated in either the VR or AEC related hackathons I help organize in Seattle. This diversity of skill sets and knowledge excited me more about the weekend.
The Friday evening started off with a networking mixer and then with an introduction from the Microsoft HoloLens team, Seattle VR, and Windows Holographic User Group Redmond (WinHUGR) Meetup groups. They laid out the agenda for the weekend, shared with us some great resources to help our hacking, and then opened it up to team formations. People wrote their ideas on a huge paper tablet and either stood at their table or walked around looking for team members or teams to join. While I came with a team of three, none of us are pro Unity developers (the main developing environment for HoloLens) so we actively sought someone who could assist our project. After giving the pitch to a few visitors to our table, we finally nabbed a Unity developer named Nicholas Abel that was excited to help us with our construction related application. After teams formed, HoloLens were distributed two per table and wasting no time we setup and begin holo-hacking away.
The goal of our team's weekend project was to create a HoloLens version of a building application my tech team at IDEAbuilder has developed for VR (video) and browser based web3D using the Kinect (Wired article). This application uses digital fabrication ready 3D models of building components to 1) give the user/general contractor the ability to place these items in a scene to build a structure and 2) provide them a price of our material and machine time costs for fabrication at our factory. Think of the application like a Lego builder app but with pricing information and other data for building real houses.
Getting Started
As stated, I am not a Unity developer. Sure I can do basic things in the game engine but as a open standards web guy with a focus on real world industries, it is not my tool of choice. While the rest of my team got hacking away at the project, I began building up my knowledge of the tool for HoloLens development via the tutorials at Microsoft's Holographic Academy website. Hands down this site is among the best resources I have ever accessed for learning anything tech related online. The video and text tutorials were very clear and gave step by step instructions on how to develop for the HoloLens. These tutorials are so well put together that I feel anyone, even if completely new to Unity, can get up and running with development for the device in no time. I was so excited about the progress I was making with the device that time flew by. Knowing it was going to be a long weekend, I called it quits a little after midnight.
Day #2
I arrived Saturday morning right after the beginning of the day's presentations that were going to be by various members of the Microsoft HoloLens team. While I was interested in what the presenters had to share, I was more excited about getting back into Unity for more HoloLens development. Wait, did I just say I was excited about getting back into Unity development?!? In all the years of knowing about Unity (David H. is a friend) and times I have HAD to use it I have never been excited about doing so, yet now I was. Seems I have the fever for HoloLens development and I will learn whatever tool I must to do so.
By mid-day I had created a few different HoloLens examples and even had time to show some others how to build for it as well while the rest of my team cranked away at our project. One application I made showed the digital fabrication model of a home IDEAbuilder helped build in Tahoe AR'ed into the room. Seeing this model in the HoloLens impressed the hell out of me as it is a lot of polygons (750,000+) to render in any mobile AR device. While not accurate in its scale, the model still took up a huge amount of the venue's space. The video below of this app was recorded with the HoloLens' video record feature.
I continued my HoloLens education for the rest of the day and night when not helping my team members with items related to finishing our project. I was having so much fun learning and building that 8:00 AM Sunday morning snuck up on me. This is when I realized I should probably nap for a few hours since I pulled an all-nighter and I face planted on a big super comfy beanbag chair.
Day #3
I awoke a couple hours later to jump back into it with my team. The energy of the room was intense as everyone was getting their projects and presentations ready for the hackathon deadline. At little after 1:00 PM the presentations started and what a variety of projects they were.
There were close to 20 teams and HoloLens apps for medical, storytelling, shopping, and more. There were even a few AEC related apps by AEC Hackathon alumni. Cody "Kick-ass" Nowak's team made a cool AR measuring app and Willard "the Wizard" Williams showed what architects can do with the device. I could write a whole post on what all the teams created but recommend you check out what they have shared on Twitter using the #HoloHacks hashtag and here at the HoloHacks Facebook page. I hope the Microsoft team puts the videos of the presentations online as well!
This video shows some presentation slides and video footage taken in the HoloLens of our Wall Builder project.
There were close to 20 teams and HoloLens apps for medical, storytelling, shopping, and more. There were even a few AEC related apps by AEC Hackathon alumni. Cody "Kick-ass" Nowak's team made a cool AR measuring app and Willard "the Wizard" Williams showed what architects can do with the device. I could write a whole post on what all the teams created but recommend you check out what they have shared on Twitter using the #HoloHacks hashtag and here at the HoloHacks Facebook page. I hope the Microsoft team puts the videos of the presentations online as well!
This video shows some presentation slides and video footage taken in the HoloLens of our Wall Builder project.
Although our team didn't win any of the three categories and receive the Unity Pro license prize, we all feel the weekend was a huge win and success in itself. I have much love for my team members Chris, Nicholas, and Greg. Thanks guys for all the hard work and awesome time. We really pushed up the bar for innovation in one of humankind's oldest industries.
I learned a lot, made new & saw old friends, and am definitely excited about developing for the HoloLens. Our team is going to polish and take our app much further. I will publish the hackathon version of the Wall Builder app to the HoloLens store in the next couple weeks and update this post with links and make announcements on social media for those interested in trying it.
I thank Dona Sarkar, the Microsoft HoloLens team, and other organizers that made this the best hackathon I have ever participated in as an attendee. I look forward to participating in future HoloHacks and using this device to augmented and improve my reality. Now I just have to get my own to keep the innovation going. :)
Sunday, December 20, 2015
An A-Frame for WebVR
MozVR team released this month the first version of A-Frame: an open source framework for creating WebVR experiences with very simple markup. For those that are unfamiliar with WebVR, it is the term used to describe virtual reality experiences that are accessible via a Web browser (opposed to VR experiences that are downloaded executables).
"A-Frame makes it easy for web developers to create virtual reality experiences that work across desktop, iPhone (Android support coming soon), and the Oculus Rift. We created A-Frame to make it easier to create VR web experiences. WebVR has shipped in builds of Firefox and Chromium since the summer of 2014, but creating content for it has required knowing WebGL. The WebGL scene is unbelievably talented and has created many mind-blowing VR experiences in the last year, but they are a small subset of the full web dev community. There are millions of talented developers who do not know WebGL. What if each of them could create and share VR experiences on the open web?" - A-Frame blog
The A-Frame Javascript library is referenced here:
<script src="../../dist/aframe.js"></script>
with the 3D scene being defined between the 'a-scene' tags:
Given this is simply HTML, modifying the scene is done very easily via Javascript.
I am very interested in playing around a bit more with A-Frame (get it here on GitHub) and hopefully will get the chance to sit down with the guys at Mozilla in 2016 for an interview to learn more about their plans with this WebVR framework. I say job well done to all the contributors to this project.
The syntax is fairly straight forward and reminds me a lot of X3DOM. Let's take a look at how to create a basic scene from one of the A-Frame examples.
|<meta charset="utf-8">
|<title>Hello, World! • A-Frame</title>
|<meta name="description" content="Hello, World! • A-Frame">
|<script src="../../dist/aframe.js"></script>
|<a-sphere position="0 1.25 -1" radius="1.25" color="#EF2D5E"></a-sphere>
|<a-cube position="-1 0.5 1" rotation="0 45 0" width="1" height="1" depth="1" color="#4CC3D9"></a-cube>
|<a-cylinder position="1 0.75 1" radius="0.5" height="1.5" color="#FFC65D"></a-cylinder>
|<a-plane rotation="-90 0 0" width="4" height="4" color="#7BC8A4"></a-plane>
|<a-sky color="#ECECEC"></a-sky>
The A-Frame Javascript library is referenced here:
<script src="../../dist/aframe.js"></script>
with the 3D scene being defined between the 'a-scene' tags:
|<a-scene> <a-sphere position="0 1.25 -1" radius="1.25" color="#EF2D5E"></a-sphere>
|<a-cube position="-1 0.5 1" rotation="0 45 0" width="1" height="1" depth="1" color="#4CC3D9"></a-cube>
|<a-cylinder position="1 0.75 1" radius="0.5" height="1.5" color="#FFC65D"></a-cylinder>
|<a-plane rotation="-90 0 0" width="4" height="4" color="#7BC8A4"></a-plane>
|<a-sky color="#ECECEC"></a-sky>
Given this is simply HTML, modifying the scene is done very easily via Javascript.
I am very interested in playing around a bit more with A-Frame (get it here on GitHub) and hopefully will get the chance to sit down with the guys at Mozilla in 2016 for an interview to learn more about their plans with this WebVR framework. I say job well done to all the contributors to this project.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Virtual Reality is getting Religion
It has finally happened, virtual reality is getting religion! It started yesterday when I read a post on UploadVR (a great resource for VR and related news) about a Bible app for Google Cardboard called Bible VRX. Bible VRX, developed by Derek Ham, puts users in different scenes from the Bible with, "a mission to use advanced technology to communicate the stories of the Bible, stories of faith, hope, and love".
One can see in the video below some of the scenes it is possible to visit. According to the article this app is just a prototype that Derek hopes to build out with other scenes that have music, narration, and animated effects.
So this got me thinking. Religion is such a integral part of humanity and this is probably the first virtual reality application I have heard of anyone doing. There were plenty of digital religious experiences back in the heyday of virtual worlds so surely this cannot be the case I thought. To Google I went to find other religious VR experiences and what I found, or didn't find, surprised me. There are no virtual reality applications that popped right up.
Top of the list is a book by Rachel Wagner - Godwired: Religion, Ritual and Virtual Reality, that looks at the role of games and religion. In a video of her lecturing on the subject, she discussed what the rise in a digital, algorithmic culture means for religion, how religion is depicted in video games, and what video games mean for religious practice and ritual. Interesting but more focused on screen based games and not immersive VR ones.
Figuring there have to be VR religious experiences in the works, I went to Kickstarter and lo and behold I found one. Called Virtual Reality Jerusalem, this Kickstarted project (that just launched today ironically) looks to use virtual reality for exposing and educating visitors to the geography, structures, and locations from religious scripts. The team behind it is called VR Disciples and while their website doesn't say much beyond what is on the Kickstarter site, further investigation shows that Destiny and her team have been thinking about this since April 2015 (when they posted the video below).
While I consider myself more a spiritual than religious person, this seems like a cool project and I decided to put some money toward it. Who wouldn't want to see ancient Jerusalem and other places from religious history. They claim to release the app for $1 if they hit their goal or make it free if they surpass it. Go donate your $1 and let's make VR religion history!
I really hope these projects make it and more begin to come out. I feel we are at a time in world affairs where those with different faiths need to be better understood and this is among the better ways to do it. Plus, the business of religion is a multi-billion dollar industry so I really expect we will see more companies like these in 2016.
Virtual reality is a great way I feel for believers to connect more strongly with their faith in a way that puts them in the narrative. Like with other things this story starts with just a man and a woman, but I have faith that what Derek and Destiny have begun will turn into a VR Garden of Eden for all faiths and followers for experiencing religion like never before. I say to them both God bless and may you achieve your goals of bringing virtual reality into religion.
**Thanks to some folks on Facebook, I was exposed to this other VR app named Sermon on the Mount by Immersive Faith.
. . .
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
My interview with Voices of VR
So I was at the SEAVR 2015 event where I bumped into Kent Bye, the producer of the Voices of VR Podcast. I gave this quick interview on Using Open Standards to Deliver VR Over the Web and thank Ken for the honor of being on his show.
Based out of Portand Oregon, Kent travels to various conferences to find the most compelling VR experiences, developers, and academics to feature on the podcast. Make sure to check out his site and follow him on Twitter @kentbye. Keep up the great work Kent!
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Bullet Train, Epic's Unreal Shooter that takes VR into the fast lane
Named Bullet Train, the mini-game is an awesome virtual reality first person shooter. Like with the Sixense Stem hand controllers, the Oculus Touch takes the VR experience to a whole new level. Beyond using the controllers to grab, aim, and shoot weapons, players can teleport around the game level and use a slow motion feature to dodge or even grab bullets (that can be thrown back at enemies).
I love the folks over at Epic and I got the chance to have my own personal demo of Bullet Train when I visited their Seattle office earlier this week. Here is my colleague Greg Howes that went before me giving Bullet Train his all.
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organ donors
When I got my driver's license, I registered to be an organ donor.
But now, im pretty sure I have RA. (Oh, I saw my dr. and he told me the Rheumy sent him a fax with my blood tests, which were "abnormal." my dr. said he was gonna let me talk to the Rheumy first, which i see him on Tues.)
So my question is: Can people with RA still donate organs? Either when alive or dead?
Cuz my one wish when I am no longer with my loved ones is that my organs can be used to help others. It would really really suck for me if I couldnt do that anymore.
Thanks in advance for your responses, guys.
Perlat, who knows by the time that you die, they may be able to accept organs from everyone, no matter what they died of or what diseases they had in the past. I don't think I'd worry about it. Take care and let us know how you do. LindyI still have donor on my license. I also wear a Medic Alert (severe allergies) so hospitals can access my basic info like doctors to call and meds I'm on, so they can sort it all out for a correct decision. I agree with Lindy, criteria may change someday. Let experts decide.
On the other hand, I have been told that now, while alive, I cannot donate now, like bone marrow and even blood. That's partly for my health and partly for recipient. RA is only one of my conditions so maybe I'm a more complicated case.
But if I'm killed in a car accident, I want them to consider it, after all, if nothing else, my eyes are ok.... breasts too, but who would want these floppy things?sign the doner card and don't worry about it...to be a bit sarcastic you're gonna be dead when it comes time for the decision and they drs will use what they canI regularly give blood. I'm turned down sometimes when my hematocrit doesn't quite make the cutoff. I'm not clinically anemic but often right at the lower limit set by the blood bank. My family has made lots of withdrawals from the blood bank; someone has to make some deposits!
My husband also donates regularly with no problems. The only time he was turned down was the year following his heart attack, when he was taking Coumadin. Now that he's just taking Plavix and aspirin for blood-thinning, it's no problem at all. His other cardiac meds are not a contraindication, and neither are mine.
IDK at what age do they stop taking your organs? I mean after awhile, things are just worn down whether okay or not...
I too, am an organ donor... but as I creep down my 50's I wonder what is truly salvageable in time? I've had glaucoma so I don't even think they'll want my eyes.[QUOTE=babs10]IDK at what age do they stop taking your organs? I mean after awhile, things are just worn down whether okay or not...
I too, am an organ donor... but as I creep down my 50's I wonder what is truly salvageable in time? I've had glaucoma so I don't even think they'll want my eyes.[/QUOTE]
They might take the corneas, or perhaps bone - who knows? I'll leave it to the experts. I won't be using the parts any more.
I am with you, Jas.... makes no matter to me..... I'm gone by then.i hope they find a way to be able to use my organs once im gone. i dont think it will be anytime soon, but just in case, you know.
the reason i really want my organs to be used is cuz i was watching MONTEL a few months ago, a show about organ donors. and it really moved me. they say that the recipient can start craving things the donor once liked, or for example. one guy was scared of roller coasters, but got a transplant from a kid who loved them, and now he loves them too. another girl now loves spaghetti, which she didnt like before, but it was her donors favorite food. that stuff amazes me. also, id like to know that if i die young, someday my parents can hear my heart beat in someone else, or for them to look into someones eyes and know theyre mine. (whoops, got all teary eyed there). anyway, yeah thats why i ask.
No matter your age or condition at time of death, it's still likely there's some part of you that could be of use to another person.
I'm an old, decrepit organ donor, but there's something I keep forgetting to do --- make arrangements with a university medical school to donate my body for research. I'll bet this body could teach them a thing or two! My 90-yr old aunt had donated her body before she died and I thought it was a great thing to do. You can be an organ donor and a whole body donor.
Here's some info on it:perlat04 ------ You need to read a book I recently finished: "Unwind" by Neal Shusterman. I think you would enjoy it.awesome ill look for it. thanks for the reading suggestion.
"People who wish to donate their entire body to medical science should contact the medical school or willed body program of their choice and make arrangements to do so before they die. Medical schools need bodies to teach medical students about anatomy, and research facilities need them to study disease processes so they can devise cures. Since the bodies used for these purposes generally must be complete with all their organs and tissues, organ donation is not an option. Some programs, however, make exceptions. You can inform your family that organ donation is your first choice, but if it is found that you are not medically suitable for organ donation, your family can carry out your wishes for whole body donation."
the donating body thing kinda scares me. i dont think i would do that. not cuz of me, but because of my parents. i dont know how they would take that. not being able to visit me somewhere. you know. at least at the cemetery they know im there.
but i might think about it and talk it over with them.
I've made arrangements for my body to be donated to the University of Rochester Medical School, same as my mom. My sister donated hers to Albany.
I think right now I would do far more good as a source of knowledge that as individual parts.
Although keep in mind they need skin, bone, corneas, parts for the inner ear etc. Its amazing what they can use.
If you donate your whole body your ashes are returned to your family in about 3 years. They can bury them then, have a headstone and everything if thats important to them.
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