text:
The Fat of the Land
Where does your state stack up?
Where does your state stack up?
No, not that Las Vegas. Las Vegas, New Mexico, with a population of 14,500 and altitude of 6800 feet. True to the name of the distance, it was a Herculean effort to drag my 165-pounds around the course. This was my second Olympic tri, having done the Squeaky Buttman in May.
This is, first of all, a race I would absolutely do again. NEXT time I'll get more than 3 hours of sleep. Miguel "Sharkbait" stayed over the night before and and drove up with us, and we stayed up too late watching a movie he brought over and wound up turning in after 11. We then got up at 3 am to make the trip up to LV to do the Olympic distance tri.
I do not endorse or recommend this as a race strategy.
The weather was Gorgeous, cool and breezy. This race was well-organized. I loved the bike stickers that you don't need twist ties for and that don't leave stickygummy stuff on your bike, and that's what you get at this race, plus, it's chip-timed. The volunteers were very enthusiastic. I'm shuffling along at about a 60 minute mile pace, and they're screaming "Wow! Good job! You're DOIN' it! Outstanding! WOO-HOO!!!". I usually feel the need to speed up to earn that type of cheering, but not yesterday...I just nodded and waved weakly.
Clearly, the Olympic isn't my race. Yet. Bearing in mind that in the past year I've gone from, "no thanks, I'll take the elevator to the 2nd floor"...to...running 8 miles continuously without walk breaks. My endurance is crap. This has been my aerobic-base-building year.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
pdf file of the run and swim courses. The swim is in Storie Lake, and is done in three waves. The women went first, which is refreshing, because as I've mentioned before, I enjoy not being dead last coming in. Storrie is a nice cold lake. It was about 70 degrees on the surface. I can't judge water clarity, since, like a lot of back of packers, all the murk is stirred up by the time I'm swimming through it. The only unpleasant thing I noticed was the faint smell and taste of fuel toward the end of the 1500 meter swim (if you KNEW how polluting boat engines were, you wouldn't want to ever boat or use a jet ski again) My time for the swim, 44 minutes. Good news: I've been puzzled as to why siting is so difficult for me, and I finally figured it out: if you wear blue-tinted goggles, it cancels out the orange of the bouy, so you can't see it. Duh! I even teach a lesson of this in physical science! Clear or gray for me, from now on.
The bike (pdf bike map) is a rolling out-and-back bike course with a gradual upward trend on nice roads, but you don't realize it at first.
I always say, "thanks! You too!", but I'm thinking, "not good enough, I guess; you're passing me. In fact, the extra breeze generated by your passing is slowing me down...oh, forget it. I do appreciate the attempt at sportsmanship, and you're already a quarter mile down the road now..."
I don't want to seem like a bitch, though, so I just think it to myself.]
This run brought to you by the letter P.
The run is "p" shaped, an out-and-back with a little loop in the middle. It's very well-marked, with aid stations about every mile or so. The aid stations had water and sponges. Did you know that if you sponge off your legs with cool water, it feels GREAT?? I also tried putting it in my bra top to cool me down, but it warmed up too fast and then, it was just a warm sponge in my bra, which felt weird. I ran with Debi, another Outlaw, and I think she was being charitable sticking with me because I was slooowwww. It took me 1:30 to finish that run, which is astonishingly slow, even for me, but I figure that, 1) we were nearly 7000 feet above sea level, and there were hills, 2) I was operating on about 3 hours of sleep, and 3) I had to stop several times and fiddle with my race belt because I had borrowed one at the last minute and couldn't seem to get my number to stay on it, and 4) I had to stop to pee.
There were some hills and it was challenging, over a mixture of blacktop and firm dirt path. When I stopped to go to the bathroom: "P" is for paranoid: that someone would come along and see me - like my son, who at 15-year-old doesn't need that kind of image in his head. I've discovered another fine benefit of being a back-of-the-packer is that you can pee if you want to, and nobody will see you. The key is to not be the absolute last runner, because there's always a vehicle following you.
I would like to announce that this was Mini-me's first Olympic distance, and he went the distance, baby! Husband and I had mulled over whether to let him do it, but he insisted that he wanted to try it. At 5'9" and 185 pounds, we figured he could handle it. He was pretty tired when he was through; I'll spare you the details because I don't want to take detract from his manly image. As his mommy, I'll just say that he suffered to finish this race. He wasn't in pain; he was just really, really tired. He never quit.
He then set upon me with demands that he be rewarded in every way possible by unlimited TV and computer time, extra food, recognition, acolades, etc.
All of us (and Miguel!) came home with hardware. Husband placed first in the Clydesdales division, son first in 15-and-under, and I was second Athena. It took me 4 hours to finish, but baby, I'm done. I came home and slept for 5 hours, and after I'm done posting this, I'll sleep some more! After that, well, I'll sleep some more.
Results are posted here.
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The pictures from the Mountain Man Triathlon in Arizona are up, and results are here.
Some pictures from the Deschutes Dash are here (bottom left three pictures), here, and here. The results are here (pdf file!). The pictures for the Deschutes are kind of aggravating, because they don't list them by bib number. You get to search through page after page to find yours.
These two triathlons didn't have Athena or Clydesdales divisions, so I had to race in the 40-44 females group. But, I wasn't last...by golly...I wasn't last. And, I had a blast in each of them.
Next year's goal: Become a "middle-of-the-packer".
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One of the benefits of going on vacation is that you discover all the cool things that other people get to buy but you don't because you don't live on the coast or in a major metropolitan area. For instance, "mock meat" in the form of shrimp, crab, chicken, and beef" that I can't buy in Albuquerque.
So, I saw this energy drink--It's called, "GoGirl"-- sitting on a shelf at the grocery at Lake Tahoe, and I had to pick it up because I pictured some happy person snapping his or her fingers and yelling, "You go, Girl!" at me. Plus, I'm into girly stuff these days. Also, I can't always get a mocha latte in the tiny towns we travel through, and I don't like regular coffee. Call me a yuppie and send me to hell, just don't ask me to start out my day without a "110-degree medium coconut soy mocha, no whip, please."
What excited me about "GoGirl" is that not only is it very girly and pink, it's sugar free, so while I wouldn't drink it before a race, I would buy a case and keep it at work. My dentist was ready to spank me at my last cleaning when I finally admitted I'd been sipping lots of Gatorade and energy drinks. (I have weak teeth)
"GoGirl", which was originally marketed in Japan, tastes like strawberries, which I like. I don't like sodas in general and hate, hate, hate diet sodas, but what I like best about it is that is has 150 mg of caffeine, along with vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, and ingredients that are supposed to inhibit fat production, and Taurine. I finally had to look that up, and still don't understand why it's in energy drinks. Taurine is listed as, "an essential nutritional substance for cats which can help prevent blindness and certain types of heart disease," and, "a chemical present in bile," and, "a sulfur amino acid essential to the proper functioning of the heart and the eyes, also an antioxidant"
If you haven't tried it, give it a shot. Meanwhile, I'll sit on my hands and wait for them to start selling it here. Or order a case online.
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Time left until I become an "empty nester":
I just got a letter of apology from the race director (Debbie Dusesnbery) for the Grady Williams "Try-to-kill-the-back-of-packers" race in Farmington on July 1, which is the only race I've ever written a letter of complaint regarding. Quite frankly, the "apology" has me puzzled.
On the one hand, Debbie "sincerely apologized" for my unpleasant experience, and said that next year, they're going to put orange cones at critical turn areas. She also mentioned that next year they'll make sure the EMT tent is marked, and she refunded my entry fee.
One the other hand, her letter appears to be part of a "cover my ass" affair, copying several other people, as I had in my original letter of complaint. Her letter includes such phrases as, "two telephone calls I received were from athletes that saw your interaction and were apologizing for you by name" and reminding me that "USAT Rules state that the responsibility of knowing and following the prescribed course rests with each participant." She also mentioned that "only a very small number of triathletes were lost" and that Keith Peterson has been marking these courses for 13 years. She also claimed in another communication that she was unable to find me to talk to me at the transition area, and that they had LOTS of fruit and water, why, they had thrown some out after everyone left!
I've debated whether or not to turn this into a pissing contest by responding to her, and have decided that I won't. I'll just vent. Here. Lucky you.
First of all, Debbie, how many triathletes have to be lost before it becomes a problem? 5? 10? Give me a number so that we won't bore you with any complaints until that number has been reached.
Second, Clay, another triathlete, read my race report and told me that the race has gotten worse over the years. He's done it twice before. he was one of the ones that was lost.
Third, Debbie, I'm going to call you a liar, 100%. Nobody would call to apologize for me "by name" because few people know me outside the Outlaws triathlon team and second, there was nothing to apologize for. Keith Peterson berated me and another triathlete for being lost, and we defended ourselves, and beyond that, I was too tired to talk much to anyone.
Fourth, there was no food, I repeat, no food and only warm water when I was in the transition area, except for the single power bar floating in a box of ice. It had all been eaten. If there was fruit, I'd have been all over it like white on rice, because I always eat fruit after I run.
Lastly, I was available to talk to, and easy to find, because MY HUSBAND, WHO HAS THE SAME LAST NAME, WAS ANNOUNCED, STEPPED UP, AND CLAIMED HIS AWARD, and I was standing right next to him.
I stand by my original report. I can bring my own water and food, but I would not recommend this race to anyone I cared about, and maybe not any of my enemies, unless they correct serious and dangerous problems with marking the course.
Another reason I'm rethinking ever doing Boulder Peak.
Here we are in Blanding, Utah. After locating lattes, we'll head home to Albuquerque via 4 corners. I thought I'd take a moment and wrap up a synopsis of our trip.
By the numbers:
Miles driven: about 4300
States visited: 6
Magnets collected: 7
Triathlons raced: 2
National Parks Visited: 7
Highest altitude reached: 8000
Most hours driven in a day: 15
Highest temperature reached: 110 F
Mileage on the Honda FIT: about 38 mpg
Number of new "Roadside Geology" books purchased: 3 (Utah, Oregon, Central/Northern Calif)
Best and worst:
Best place to hear trains: Flagstaff, AZ
Best place to do a training run: Forest Park, in Portland
Best East Indian food I've ever had, in my life: Carson City, Nevada. We were the only people in there, and it was in an old Bananza steakhouse building, and it was to die for.
Worst place to be a certain species of chub: Bend, Oregon. They are getting ready to net over 100,000 of these fish, kill them, and then poison the entire lake in order to eradicate them, mainly because they are "invasive" and make the fishermen unhappy.
Worst place to do a training run: Needles, California
Worst place to buy gas: Needles, California
Best place to buy gas: Oregon. By law, you must allow the attendant to pump your gas. Creates jobs and contributes to the local economy.
Best place to throw a snowball in July: Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Best place to visit an old ghost town: Bodie, California
Best place to see the "other" great salt lake: Mona Basic, California
Clearest, prettiest water: Crater Lake, OR
Best place to fake a moon landing: Four Corners, Utah
Best place to be a cycling activist: Portland, Oregon
Least drinkable water water: Mono Lake, Ca. (3x salinity of sea water)
Best place to splat onto a windshield: Oregon
Worst place to be a plant: central-eastern Utah (things that occur naturally here include uranium, selenium, hot geysers, clays that severely expand and contract, and asphalt--did you know asphalt occured naturally in the earth? neither did I--and it gets 5 inches of precipitation annually)
Best place to see "Othello" or any other Shakespeare play: shores of Lake Tahoe, at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare festival.
Best energy drink I can't find at home: "Go, girl!" Sugar free, with 150 mg of caffein. They don't sell it here. Yet.
Most breathtaking scenery: (Tie) Western oregon, North and South eastern Utah
Best Geological Features: another tie, either incredibly volcanic Oregon or Utah, which likes to label strata with the epoch, era, and name of the formations.
Worst place to find a bookstore: Pocatello, Idaho
Best place to have the locals stare at you, intently, for no reason: Pocatello, Idaho
Best place to do an open water swim: Bend, Oregon
Worst place to live if you're a Vegan: Green River, Wyoming
Best place to be a Vegan: Portland, Oregon
Best place to live if you sell gas for a living: Green River, Wyoming. We saw customer after customer put nearly $200 in gas in their boats. In their boats. That doesn't count what went in their giant 6-wheeled pickups and Winebagos.
Worst place to be the head on any trophy animal: Green River, Wyoming.
Worst place to try to get a decent espresso: Blanding, Utah
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I'll mention the best thing and the worst thing about my experience.
First, the best. When I got to the transition area, which was neatly arranged on soft, thick grass I was stunned to see them. There they were all around me, in such numbers as I had ever seen before.
Remember that scene in Jurassic Park I where they look out over the rise and see all the Brontosauri? Majestic music swells, and you see them, gentle, beautiful giants, lumbering gracefully, and that is the picture I'm trying to put in front of you at this moment when I saw what was in the transition area.
Clearly, Bend, Oregon is where My People are. My peeps walked around on solid legs, their bad selves wearing their size L and XL Sugio, Speedo, and Tyr suits with pride. They were tall with hips, thighs and calves that said, "I mean business!" Oh, sure - there were some little petite bird-like people scurrying underfoot with worried, tense expressions, chattering about the cold water. We paid them no mind, and shared tips about body glide and sweat. We had other worries than cold water, which are the subject of my only real complaint of this triathlon. There were far more Athenas than Clydesdales, in my opinion, and it was ironic that there was no Athena or Clydesdale division.
Other than that, the race was very well organized, with one glaring problem: The first wave took off at 9:00. I was in the 9th wave, so I took off at 9:45. That's right. 9:45 in the morning, after the temperature was already into the 80's. The waves were arranged in ascending age order and gender, which meant the oldest would be on the run around noon, when the temperature was expected to be in th upper 90's. This is the latest triathlon I've ever done, and as it happens, my only real complaint. I asked the race director about that later, and she said that from now on, they're going to start it an hour earlier, with fewer waves. yay! Other than starting so late, the race was awesome.
I walked into the water to prepare for my wave, and that's when I understood it, the chattering about the water. The water as COLD. Not that I was surprised or angry that a mountain stream was cold - but it was startling none the less. It was so cold my feet ached. Take your breath away cold. Hella cold. Damn cold. Mama can your boys still have babies cold. When I started the swim, my face hurt with how cold it was.
Did I mention it was cold?
Siren would have HATED this swim, because the closed-eye trick wouldn't have worked; occasionally water weeds would be floating on the surface, and when you reached to make a stroke, your fingers would become entangled in some. Other than that, though, the water was clear, clean, and did I mention, cold?
The best part of the swim was that it was down-river. The current was strong enough to get you a serious PR on your swim, and I got mine: about 20 minutes for 1300 yards. My T1 time was better; I think I'm getting pretty efficient at getting the wetsuit off. I no longer even attempt to dry my feet; I just brush off whatever debris has collected and shove socks and shoes on them. I figure it's just a sprint, so I don't worry about any residual dampness.
The bike was through new neighborhood and then out along a mountain road, pleasantly uphill but downwind on the way out, a little more downgrade but into the wind on the way back. It was 14 miles, and I did it in about 57 minutes. Not my best time, but I'm working on not blowing out my legs so that I can have a good run.
The run was flat, a double loop. It was nearing noon as I was finishing, and I was started to feel pretty hot and a little shaky toward the end. I had a decent time, (for me) with about a 11:30 minute mile. Then I headed across the finish line, where a volunteer handed me a "finisher's medal": a cowbell with the race logo painted on it Neat! I always wanted one of these to have at races to wave noisily at my friends.
I hung out in the medicial tent for no real reason other than I was damned hot and I desperately needed shade, NOW. I sat on a cot and drank ice cold water while they gave me a bag of ice to apply to myself. I shoved it into my skinsuit and it was awesome. The EMT's could not for the life of them figure out why "race directors in Oregon seem to like to start races late, when it's hot". Me neither. next time, I'll bring more water. Otherwise, the race was fun, and I had a great time. I love my cow bell. I think I was in the last half of my age group, but I wasn't last.
Now I'm off to Pocatello, ID. See you soon!
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Last night, we went down to Riverplace and met with Brave Athena--who is every bit as smart, funny and quirky as she is in her blog --whereupon, I grilled her about Portland. It seems like a very cool place to live. There are cycling communities that get together for activist and social events, and lots of running events.
We sat down at Three Degrees restaurant and had hummus, fried potatoes, and "Monty Margaritas". Well, actually I was the only one having the MM's, as Husband is the DD. I do love my Margaritas. I recently listed it as my favorite t3 drink. If only race directors knew. Brave Athena and I chatted about various subjects regarding Portland, as I'm intensely interested in how probably it would be to live there. I'm very attracted to the progressiveness and mild climate. I'm interested in the state of mental health care, since that is where I hope to be after leaving the teaching profession, some day.
The river was really pretty as it got dark, with the city lights on it, but then as cities do in July, Portland began radiating the heat it had collected all day long, and it wa time to call it a night.
One thing I really like is how slow drivers are in Portland. They don't endeavor to cut your off or prevent you from getting where you want to be, as they do in other places. Albuquerque, for instance, is a sea of people who want to get there first, and they will, even if they have to cut you off in the meantime. But I digress.
It's funny how apologetic people are about their cities. Gosh, I'm sorry it's so hot...so rainy...so dry...so cold...throughout our stay in Portland many, many people have apologized for it being so hot. I expect it, first of all, to be perfectly miserable just about everywhere in the US in July, heatwaves be damned, and folks, you don't need to apologize to me! It's a nice gesture, but I think that a lot of people, women especially, apologize too much.
My belief is that if you are apologizing for something, then do something about it. If you can't, then you shouldn't be apologizing.
I've had a good time with the inlaws, and we've spent most of today explaining the mechanics of triathlon so that they can watch us with an educated eye tomorrow, but I know from experience that it will be 400 some-odd people running around, zipping off on bikes, stripping off wetsuits, changing shoes, whatever. It will be the first time we've had family observe us for a triathlon. Packet pickup was today at the REI in bend, and the triathlon starts at a mind-numbing 9 am. Boy, it's gonna be hot for us back-of-the-packers.
More tomorrow, and a race report.
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We packed up the car Wednesday morning in South Lake Tahoe, and headed out for Oregon.
On the way out, we stopped at Lassen Volcanic National Park, which had tons of snow still in it, and then Crater Lake national park and bought a copy of "Roadside Geology of Oregon" to replace the now unusable "Roadside Geology of Northern and Central California." that I had been reading as we wound through northern and central Cali. Serious nerdly delight! Crater lake was formed when an active Volcano blew itself out some time back.
Furthermore, did you know that several mountains in the cascades are currently active and due for a major blowout in manner of St. Helens? Nothing helps generalized anxiety disorder quite like a love of Geology.
I know for sure exactly where I'm going to live when I die, provided I've been a good Vegan...Portland, Oregon. I love it here. The people are friendly and laid back, and very progressive. My inlaws were talking about how hot it was this week, insanely hot, dangerously hot, very, very unpleasantly hot...but for the most part, I've found it pretty bearable, just your average hot July weather. For some reason, I had remembered it being dirty and full of scruffy people who didn't know how to use an iron, but that hasn't been the case; I must have been in a bad mood the day that this memory was encoded.
Yesterday we headed out to see "An inconvenient truth". Go see it. All I can say is, if Gore had shown this much hustspa (spelling?) and charisma when running for Prez, maybe so many children wouldn't be left behind. Spare me your comments if you're a huge Bush supporter. I'm not interested, I won't respond, and I'll ignore you.
My blog, my prerogative.
This morning, we went down to Forest Park for a run along the trails. It was fabulous, about ten degrees colder than the surrounding area and completely shaded by a variety of types of trees. I had a good 4 or so mile run. Then we went out to eat lunch at the Vegetarian House, where I ate Chinese food until I hurt. The only mildly annoying experience in the whole was my step-neice, who is one of those toddlers who has perfected the Extremely High-pitched Scream. It nearly shorted out my hearing aid. Mommy saved the day, however - by feeding her whenever she screamed.
"Thanks, Mom. Now I know exACTLY how loud to scream!"
It's been intensely great here, spending time with my inlaws, heading out to starbucks in the mornings, and as I mentioned, the park where we ran was fanTASTic. I could definitely live here. I've "slept in" each morning until 6:30 am or so.
Tomorrow, we head out for Bend and the Deutches Dash, and our inlaws get to view their very first triathlon.
Misty out!
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I've lived and visited all over the United States. I've been to New York, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, Texas, South Dakota...and more. I'll spare you the Johnny Cash lyrics.
In any case I now feel qualified to tell you where I think the rudist, most discourteous people in the US are.
Hey, you think I like making this pronouncement? I want to like them. I really do. And, I will be the first to suggest that it's not necessarily Californians, but people I've observed IN California, who may or may not be Californians, California license plates notwithstanding.
It's just that so far, the only ones I've met have been incredibly rude and/or completing lacking in observance of the rules. There was a woman who I've nick-named F.U. McPhereson. She was standing on a bike/run path with her dog, talking on her cell phone. Appeared middle-class, blond pony tail, dresssed in running clothes. He wasn't a mean, menacing dog, just your average sniffy golden lab. He was mosying around sniffing, and ambled onto the bike path, where, as I swerved around him, I hollared, "your dog needs to be on a leash" (which, I should mention, is the law here). I didn't cuss. I wasn't even angry. Her response? she shouted profanities at me - and one supposes, whomever she was talking to on her cell phone, to wit:
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Well, you'll get two posts from me out of this trip. this first one will be very positive, and the second one will be sorta bitchy. First for the postive: It is so georgous here! Tall pines, which are what I grew up, and the lake is HUGE and COLD and very, very pretty. I'm pretty sure that if I'm really good, when I die I'll go to some place like Lake Tahoe.
They must have strict building covenances, because the businesses are prettier than I've seen elsewhere. Everything looks rustic and log cabin-ish. They're all built with logs, or cedar shakes, and rock, and I think they have strict signage ordinances. Once you cross into the California side of Lake Tahoe, you will see the prettiest McDonalds you've ever seen, but you won't know it until you're right on it. I also saw the prettiest KFC I've ever seen.
It smells really good here, too. I think it's the pines, but the air is sweet with a piney floral kind of smell. mmmmm.
This is not a time trial bike sort of place, but I hope to go out on a run tomorrow: I think the running would be superb. If you want to ride, I'd recommend road bikes with sturdy frames if you're going to stay in town, and side air bags if you leave it. Remember: biking is what I tolerate between running and swimming, so I'm fussy and picky and not all that comfortable on my bike. Husband is nimble and can do track stands and turn on a dime. Not me.
We got up this morning, and as Husband often likes to do, we lay around in bed chatting until he leaped up, starting pulling a shirt over his head and said, "Ready to go yet?"
He's not a jerk about it or anything. He's genuinely baffled, as I think many men are, as to why it takes me so long to get dressed, make breakfast, and put on sunscreen.
We started out on a 55 mile bike trip, but once we were about 10 miles into it, we started climbing, climbing, climbing onto some steep mountain roads with no shoulders or guardrails, just the ending of the pavement and a straight drop down the side of the mountain . I was tired, and my thighs were burning and shaking after some of that climbing, and there was more to come, so we had to turn back. Sorry, Myles. Our trip was only about 26 miles. It's supposed to be one of the best bike rides, but I think it's only for the very fit, of which I apparently am not. Husband cruised along, sipped from his air bottle, while I huffed and puffed up one mountain grade, gripping my handlebars like they'd save my life. Which they might well have; I figured if I fell off the side of the mountain the bike might catch in the branches of some tree and break my fall.
I'm hoping for a long swim today in that nice cold water. That's it for now! Misty out.
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When we were courtin', Husband packed up my moving truck and drove me and my three kids from South Dakota to Alabama. Now, that's a dedicated man. So, it's when we're travling that I'm reminded afresh how much I love this man. Right now, he's out on a long run, after doing a sprint tri and driving ten hours yesterday. Having done a sprint tri yesterday, I summon up my sense of entitlement and decide that I have earned a day of sloth.
1) He's extremely dependable. I had former gentleman friend tell me that I was Chaos. It fits well with extremely dependable. I know that if I forget my razor, which I will, I will know exactly where to find his. Which I will.
2) He plans our excusions with air-tight efficiency, right down to the last detail, but yet is flexible enough to enjoy himself when the unexpected happens, which it will, because he married Chaos. This causes me a great sense of satisfaction. I always feel safe because, as I mentioned, everything is well thought out in advance. We will always have enough gas. We will always be comfortable. This may be part of who he is, or it may be a result of six years on the Corps. And he doesn't mind if I use his razor.
3) He has a great sense of humor, and he's awfully cute. Let's face it: it's nice to have a partner whose easy on the eyes, right? I loved the way he looked when we first met, when we both had the Freshman 15 (pounds), sophomore 15, and grad school 20, all at once...but now that he's been running and biking--wow. Just---wow.
4) He walks a very fine line between being frugal and efficient, and having fun. I never don't have fun when I'm with him. Right now we're on this trip with several new toys that we're enjoying, but he doesn't go an blow our savings on something whimsical, either. He indulges my fetish for magnets from every truckstop in nearly every city and state without complaining.
5) He remembers stuff I tell him, particularly stuff that makes me happy. That's a tough job because, as previously mentioned, I am Chaos. I'm libel to mention just anything off the top of my head that strikes my fancy, and then immediately forget it. He will catalog it, however, someone back in his bread there is a folder that's called "Wife's random utterings of things she likes and things that make her happy" That folder gets rifled through from time to time when he's making plans and a gift-givin occasion comes up.
Now you know. We had a wedding anniversary lately, and I thought it needed to be said.
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Top 7 things I've learned about California so far:
1) I've finally determined the last place on earth that I want to live: Needles, California. All the expense of living in california without any of the benefits, AND it was over 100 degrees. Door handles had towels taped over them to protect customers from burning themselves. On the DOOR HANDLEs. and the windows of our car in the part of the world were HOT TO THE TOUCH. On the INSIDE.
1.5) They are extremely UNwaterwise. I saw sprinklers going off at 2 pm when it was over 100 degrees out, and LAWNS. In the MOHAVE DESERT.
2) They like to shutdown one lane of main arteries (I40) for no apparent reason. Here we were, crawling along in the middle of the Mohave Desert, at 10 mph. there will be signs that say, "damaged bridge ahead," and one surmises that one might plunge headlong into some rushing water. In the desert. I never saw a damanged bridge, by the way.
3) California drivers drive slowly on the right, and pass on the left. Or not. Depends on their mood. They pointedly ignore signs telling slow-moving vehicles to move to the right. Also, Califonia drivers driving 30 foot long windegegos do not consider themselves trucks, even though they suck gas and cruise around 40 mph on the highway.
4) I saw Lone Pine, CA, through which the Badwater Ultra Marathon goes on its way from Death Valley to the top of Mt. Whitney. Holy cow. These people run from 70 feet below sea level, at over 100 degrees, 135 miles to 12,000 above sea level, at freezing temps.
5) They really, really, really want you to know how to get to death valley from nearly every part of California. There are signs at most intersections telling pointing towards it and telling you hw far it is. I've decided that this is a clever way to keep too many people from moving in. Reroute them to Death Valley.
6) If you're going to drive through the Mohave desert, get your windows tinted.
7) As soon as you cross into California, two things happen. First, the cost of gas immediately jumps by a dollar per gallon, and armed people stop your car and ask if you have any produce or live plants. You can't bring either into California. They don't check for drugs or ask if you've been drinking, just fruit and plants.
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I tried to upload a post yesterday, but all it uploaded was my title. So, here I am now uploading the comentary. I like Flagstaff. It's full of liberal elitist yuppies, not unlike myself, a veritable blue oasis in a very red state.
The mountainman triathlon took off on time this morning, and it was a BLAST. I was in the 2nd wave of the sprint: 700 meter swim, 20K bike, 5 k run. I think I did alright. i didn't have a podium finish, and I'll find out my placings on Wednesday. Husband got 1st in his age group. I'll let you read his report.
Top 5 things I learned about the Mountain Man Triathlon:
1) Unless you're from 7000 feet above sea level, you'll be sucking some serious wind. I'm from 5000 feet above sea level, and was short of breath most of the way through. It was like going back in time 6 months. Be aware of this, so you don't feel bad about yourself. You'll feel it first in the swim, and then again on the bike. The first thing I noticed on the run was my back started aching. I think it was because of all the rapid breathing I was doing.
2) Socks or cheapie sandals to walk the quarter mile across gravel to the swim start. That way, you won't be trying to shove your bruised and sore feet into shoes later on.
3) The transition area of LONG. I mean LOONNGGG.
4) There's lots of newbies and casual triathletes in this, so even if you're a back of the pack-er, you'll have lots of people behind you. Chances are you won't be dead last.
5) My ankle ROAD ID did a marvelous job of doubling as a timing chip holder. Get one.
6) Be on the lookout for the triathlete characters, as usual. One of the people doing the 70.3 had a full tray of Krispy Kreme Donuts bungied to the back of their tri bike. Now, I spent some time mulling over he purpose of this juxtoposition of values - tribike - Krispy Kreme - tribike - Krispy Kreme - I thought my brain was going to explode until I finally got it. I saw one laying on the bike course. What if his/her plan is to toss them onto the road way, distracting and slowing down the other drivers?
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Did you know that if you boil water in an enameled pot on an electric stove, and then start surfing the Internet and forget so that the pot boils dry, that the pot can melt and become part of the burner?
Neither did I.
Today my S stands for simple-minded.
I'm almost ready for our 11-day Vacation Blitz! This was the one where there will be (did I mention this?) NO KIDS. Just Sweet Baboo and myself. I've stopped the mail, and hired a neighbor kid to water and feed the cats, fish, etc. Today I'm going to mosy into 'Burque to see if I can pick up a running skirt, to pack with the rest of my skort collection.
Mini-me is headed out for camp for a week, then staying with friends. Here's our itinerary:
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I saw this video on Dread Pirate's blog.
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I hate pictures of myself. I used to blame my image on bad camera lenses, but then I started to notice that while I looked unusually large, everyone else looked exacly like, um, themselves. Reality check! A good example is the latest team picture taken after Bottomless Sprint Tri. I'm the one that's clearly an Athena, on the far right.
I've become obsessed with girly triathlon things lately. I want to wear pretty strappy things, like the tiny girls wear. (I usually refer to the tiny people as "bird people" because they seem to have hollow bones and fly along like they're winged.) Anyway, I'd like to think that maybe some day I could wear a strappy little crop top. Forget rankings and placings; my goal for the 2007 season is to appropriately wear something strappy and tiny. (Unfortunately, I have to earn that by more miles on the run, because little strappy things do not contain Athenas in an efficient fashion.) Notice that I said, appropriately. As I've told my teenager daughter, just because you can get it on doesn't mean it fits.
I keep looking at the different kinds of athletic bottoms with attached skirts. I just love the idea of these things! not just because they're girly, but because I think they'd do an efficient job of hiding, in the words of David Letterman, "pasty white thighs". Lots of companies make them, but just for inspiration I like to look at Skirtsports, Inc. I want to get one like this one for Duathlons, and this one for running events, and this one for Tri's, if they start making it in black. I got one last year for cycling, which I wear in spin class, but I'm planning to get Black ones to match the Outlaws uniform. I've been putting it off because I figure I can get 20 soy mocha lattes for what one of these things cost, but the pull is just to great.
After all, in the greater scheme of things, covered in sweat, chain grease, and road grime, I just enjoy being a girl.
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My road ID arrived in the mail yesterday.
Ever since I started hearing the stories about accidents and seeing pictures of dented cycling helmets, I'd been thinking about getting one of these.
I chose the ankle style instead of the wrist because I guessed (and was correct) in noting from the pictures that it might also hold a timing chip.
The metal plate has six lines in which information can be etched, and the white band on the velcro is reflective. They come in red, blue, and black, and you can also get them in wrist bands, "dog tags," and a little pocket that fits on your shoe.
I feel safer already!
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I just got back from food shopping for our 10-day trip. This is, as I've mentioned previously, our first vacation together, ever, without children. Ever. Did I mention we've never had a vacation without children? Never. This is our first. Ever.
The mission: bring food so we 1) don't get caught in a town where the height of cuisine is Denny's (Cheese: It's the new salt!) 2) don't spend our retirement eating, 3) can prepare it with a hot pot and an electric skillet, 4) have plenty to eat because we're doing two triathlons in this trip (more on this later) and finally, 5) still have room in the Honda FIT for our bikes, clothes, and tri-gear.
-->Contrary to popular belief, it's not about salads with us. Myles doesn't particularly like them, and most restaurants ruin any chance for them to be healthy by using iceberg lettuce (pretty nutritionally deficit) and/or adding ham, eggs, fatty dressings, cheese, fried chicken...
We've done a lot of wilderness backpacking, so I like to think of living out of hotel rooms and our car as a type of luxury camping. When you look at it that way, it's pretty awesome to have running water, electricity, beds, ice, walls, a/c...but even cooler, because there will be no kids along. Did I mention we're doing this ALONE??
So, how do Vegans pack light and cheap for a trip?
1. TVP. This gets reconstituted with boiling water, and takes the place of ground beef in a variety of settings. Each 2 ounce serving has 160 calories, 30 grams of soy protein, 18 grams of carbohydrate 12 grams of fiber, 20 mg iron, and less than 1 gram of fat. With this, we can make spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes, tacos, and add it to the chili.
2. instant and canned foods. Instant chili, instant mashed potatoes, instant brown rice, instant spicy lentils, instant refried beans, generic crystal light drink, canned veg-all mixed vegetables, canned low-sugar fruit, boxed vanilla soy milk. Bring a can opener and a hot pot.
3. think, "base of the food pyramid" Sandwiches, burritos and entrees using whole what rolls, breads, and buns, taco shells, whole wheat tortillas, whole grain cereals, brown rice, sliced italian bread, pasta, and oatmeal give us our "food pyramid" base, provide lots of complex carbs, and fill us up.
4: Seitan. We eat a lot of this. It's got similar properties to the TVP, except it's made with wheat, and takes the place of larger pieces of meat in fajitas, stir fry, and even sliced for sandwiches. I'm going to make a mess of this stuff, brown it up and season it and bag it for various meals. It keeps well in a cooler (one of the benefits of not eating meat is that you don't have to worry about it going bad). Meat eaters even like this stuff.
5. Avoid too much junk. No fried foods. Baked Lays, granola bars, and generic wheat crackers for snacks.
Today I'll be making a whole mess of seitan, as well as de-boxing and bagging other things.
5 days until vacation starts. Woo-hoo!
Gosh, this was a blast!
This sprint, almost a mini-sprint, really, was held at Bottomless Lakes State Park. The main lake where they hold the swim is pretty saline, but cold and calm. I was standing at the shore in my wetsuit, talking to Karen (my other Athena nemesis/friend) about how I always get so breathless in the water. But you know what? That didn't happen this time. Cool! I took off in the 2nd wave (women and older men) and it was just stroke, stroke, stroke. I was "gliding", doing this thing where you stop as your hand approaches the water for 1 second, and then catch and pull. I felt like I was flying, as it were, through the water. It was 400 meters, and out and back swim, (I think the swim was a bit longer than that and several athletes agreed with me) I exited the lake between two orange buoys, and a guy was standing by with a hose as I ran into transition to hose off my feet. Off with the wetsuit (I'm getting more efficient at it these days) and then on with the bike gear. I skipped trying to dry off my feet - never seems to work anyway - and forced on my socks and and shoes and grabbed my gear and headed out on the bike.
Swim split: 10 minutes
The road was rougher than I thought it would be, so I didn't get down in the aero bars much. About a quarter mile out you climb up about a grade 6 or 7 hill, and then it's rolling for most of the rest of the 14K (8.4 miles). At one point, I actually passed Karen, who I never pass, and she says that woke her up! She then passed me and there was no catching her after that.
Average bike speed: about 16.8 mph
On the 4K run, I was starting to get pretty hot, so I dumped water from the two aid stations on my head and sipped on my bottle of HEED. I tried my "1 minute sprints", and although my time was only slightly decreased (by about 30 seconds or so per mile) I felt better than I can recall, and I can tell I'm getting faster. I never did catch up to Karen or the other Athena, who I didn't recognize, but came in as the third athena.
Average run time, about 12 minutes per mile.
Results: 3rd overall Athena
I'll post a picture of Husband's plaque soon. It's cool; it says, "Hold Onto Your Pants!" 2006 Bottomless Triathlon. They have to mail us ours, they accidentally had "MALE ATHENA" etched into and have to get them redone.
I highly recommend this fun, fast, triathlon just outside of Roswell, New Mexico.
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It's the Bottomless Triathlon!
I know what you're thinking, but there's no way conservative New Mexico would EVER go for that.
This sprint is held at the Bottomless Lakes. It's a short, short sprint I'll be doing tomorrow morning: 400m, 14K, 4K. It's just the sort of thing I need to feel better after the Grady Williams Death by Sand Triathlon last weekend. Most of all, I'm excited because I want the T-shirt (HOLD ONTO YOUR PANTS! etc) and maybe somehardware, but also because this race is very special, as it is the race I viewed last year in which I said, "okay. I'm definitely going to try this triathlon thing". So, it has a special >sniff< meaning in my heart.
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Jane's Freedom Run is done every year on the 4th of July, sponsored by Albuquerque Fleet Feet in honor of Jane Bryl, who died of melanoma. Procedes go to support research in that area.
I loved watching the itty bitty kids do the 400 meter event: parents trotted next to their kids, encouraging them, and the determination of a 3 year as he kicks it and head for the finish line is a joy to see. I enjoyed cheering on Mini-me as he did the 3K. He had asked independently if he could do that race, and I nearly fell over with excitement signing him up, because it was his idea, instead of mine.
Local runs feel so casual; you put on shoes, you show up. No transition area, no worrying about flats. You show up, you run or walk. Whatever. They don't care. I love it. It was a friendly, happy, festive, well-organized race. Just what I needed!
I did the 8K, and so did Myles, who was hurting - he just came off being on the injured list for about a month for a hip stress fracture and he's got a cold. I think he was a little discouraged, but it's all good - I think he'll bounce back quickly.
One thing I love about runs is that you can wear headphones. So why did I forget my headphones today? I don't know. Because I forgot them, however, I was able to try something new that I would have never tried if I'd had them on. Here's what I did: On my run splits, I'd been slipping in 1 minute walk breaks, but once I start walking, it is really hard to run again. The first mile of the 4.97 mi/8K, I ran my usual slow pace, and started setting my timer to go off for the 1 minute walks.
Then it came to me: "what if I tried 1 minute pickups instead?" I alternated running slowly (recovery) for one minute, with running as fast as I could manage for a whole minute, which wasn't as fast as one might imagine, but it was faster than my usual running pace and sent my heartrate up into the lower end of zone 4. I did this the rest of the race, and here's how it worked out:
Now that I've calmed down, had some time to rehydrate, think, and reflect over the weekend's event (I received a gracious apology from the race director who, I should stress, is not the same turd who verbally thrashed me for getting lost on the course that he personally marked) I've decided what I'll probably do differently next year at the Grady Williams Sandy Death Adventure Race.
No, you don't need to clean your glasses. I actually wrote that.
Next year. Grady Williams.
There's something about the predisposition of multi-sport athletes to punishment, mainly self-inflected. We're a stubborn lot, aren't we? I in particular, pride myself on my stubborness in terms of always finishing what I started. I'm not a quitter; it's so, so, embarassing. As evidenced by my race results, no matter how slow, tired, or hot I am, it's hard to discourage me. You will keep that finish line up. You will continue to follow me in that slow-moving vehicle. You will keep the clock running. Sonner or later, I'll be there even if I'm walking, or crawling.
So now, with grim determination, I've decided that I don't want to do this, I must do this next year. I will do it and finish it, because I can't stand having that DNF on my record, and because, until I was resigned to being hopelessly lost, I was enjoying myself. I enjoyed the swim, the scenery was nice, the weather was good, I was running in a soaking wet skin suit, which felt AWESOME, and I think I was doing pretty well.
GAWD, I'm so pathetic. It's like I'm a battered wife. "It's a really nice course, when it's not trying to kill me...you just have to understand it...it doesn't mean to be difficult..."
There are lessons to be learned from every bad experience, and these are mine:
Lesson 1: I need a lot of money or I need to become a faster runner. A lot of money would be to get a GPS setup so that I can find my way through the desert if they have the same man mark the course. Faster would be so I can latch onto one of the other runners who can find their way through, and follow them.
Lesson2: Er, come to think of it, just because they're faster doesn't mean they know where they're going. I want to try to walk/jog at least part of the course the day before.
Lesson 3: I was right to bring a bottle full of HEED, sunblock, and drink lots of water before the race and at the first water stop, and I'll do it again.
I'll get a two-bottle "Ultimate Direction" hydration belt. When I got back to Albuquerque, after having drunk 3 bottles of various fluids and eaten a meal, I was still three pounds down. That's nearly a quart and a half of fluid. Lesson 4: I will ignore any and all rude and arrogant course markers who attempt to blame me for their lack of foresight and planning. Or spray them with mace.
363 days until the 2007 Grady Williams "Death by Sand" race. And counting.
NOTE added 7/20 If you're reading this because a guy named Jeff linked to this race report and was freaking over this race, just ignore him, and move on. He loves to start trouble. Marker-boy: "How on earth did you get lost?
Note: If you don't feel like reading all of this, skip to the recommendation (paragraph below, in bold). It's important.
So, you want to be a race director?
Well, lets say, hypothetically speaking, you want to direct a race in Farmington, New Mexico. You decide to call it the Grady Williams Memorial Olympic Distance Triathlon. Here's some tips and tricks to ensure the people might want to come back next year and nobody is seriously hurt.
1. When triathletes who have been lost in the desert for over two hours without water finally come in, a really, really good thing to say would be something like, "Are you okay? Do you need any water? We thought we marked that course and we're so sorry you had this experience!"
You would not want them to have the following experience:
Marker-boy: "How on earth did you get lost?
Marker-boy: "yes it was; I marked that course myself last night. I watched the chalk fall down myself."
Me: "I saw some chalk lines before I got to the first water station. After that, I never saw another chalk line, and I never saw another water station."
Marker-boy: "You're wrong. There's not a part of that course that isn't clearly and completely marked. I'll prove it. Come back to the course with me [7 miles back to the lake] and I'll show you.
Me: "I don't want to go back there. You know, I've done 14 of these this year. I'm not stupid."
Marker-boy: "Well, then you've done as many as I have".First of all, that last comment was completely unnecessary and unhelpful, and generally speaking, a triathlete who just spent over two hours lost in your F---ing desert doesn't want to go anwhere with you. She doesn't want anything but some concern and some water, so kiss my ass.
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The information in this weblog is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. This weblog does not represent the thoughts, intentions, plans or strategies of my employer; it is solely my opinion. If I say something stupid in the future, it's better to be able to point out that the stupidity is mine, and mine alone. My stupidity! You can't have it! So you can't take what I've written and use it without my permission. Feel free to challenge me, disagree with me, or tell me I'm completely nuts in the comments section, but I reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason whatsoever.
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Organic Gardening
Get dirty, have fun and grow more food with great gardening tips from real-life gardeners.
Vertical Gardening and Composter in One
What if I told you that you could grow 50 plants in 4 square feet?
Well it's possible thanks to a company called The Garden Tower Project that's based out of Indiana.
They are currently working on the second generation of the Tower that is a vertical container garden that has a composting tube builtinto it. It saves you space in two ways - First, you can grow 50 plants in 4 square feet and second there is no need for an additional compositor.
Your plants are fed and planted all within the same unit. There is currently no other product out there quite like it. Check out the video below:
The Garden Tower Project is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to help raise funds to produce and distribute this next generation Tower. You can pledge at several levels, each of which has rewards, but the best option is to pledge at $245, which results in a new-generation Garden Tower delivered to their front door, shipping included. Learn more about their Kickstarter campaign.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
[Date Index]
[Thread Index]
[Author Index]
Re: Understanding the Output
Steven Spear wrote:
> Hi. I'm having trouble understanding some output in Mathematica. If I enter
> Int [x-1] dx, the output I receive is ((-2/3) + (2x/3)) Sqrt(-1+x). If I do
> the calculation by hand, I get 2/3.(x-1)^3/2. If I perform:
> FullSimplify(((-2/3) + (2x/3)) Sqrt(-1+x)), I get the same answer
> (2/3.(x-1)^3/2).
> With trying to use u-substitution, and figuring more complex Integrals, it
> get harder to discern the output. For instance: I tried to evaluate the
> Integral Int [x^3 (1-x^4)^5] dx. I may not be correct, but by hand I got
> 1/24.(1-x^4)^6. Mathematica gave a very different output, and using
> FullSimplify didn't seem to help.
> Is there any way to get Mathematica to output these values a little
> differently? Am I incorrect on the second example? Any ideas will be
> appreciated. Thanks, Steve
Hi Steve,
I don't have a problem with the first output, since it is the same that you get.
In the second case, try
Simplify[Integrate[x^3 (1-x^4)^5,x]-1/24] and you'll be happy.
Remember that to the indefinite integral you can always add an arbitrary
constant, which happens to be different, und thus, simplification didn't work
the way you expected. The result is however correct
Dr.-Ing. Erk JENSEN mailto:Erk.Jensen at cern.ch
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CH-1211 Geneva 23 Tel.: +41 22 76 74298
Switzerland Fax.: +41 22 76 78510


text:
By CURTIS KRUEGER
Times Staff Writer
America's space shuttles are breathtaking, brilliant and dangerous. And now, they're about to stop flying -- the very last launch is set for July 8.
Which gives us one final chance for our own quirky celebration of obscure space shuttle information. So please try our first, last and admittedly odd Space Shuttle Trivia Challenge.
Interactive: DESIREE PERRY and TED McLAREN
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Friday, January 18, 2013
Calacanis Backs 15Five
Jason Calacanis, the Los Angeles angel investor, podcast host, speaker, conference organizer, and CEO of Mahalo, is one of the angel investors in employee feedback firm 15Five. 15Five, a San Francisco company developing an online platform to help companies gather employee feedback and ideas, said it raised $1M earlier this week, gathered from Richmond Global, 500 Startups, David Sacks (Yammer), John Ham (USTREAM), Jason Calacanis (Mahalo/LAUNCH) and Ben Parr (#DOMINATEFUND), Matt Brezina (Xobni) and Ben Ling (Google, YouTube, Facebook). More information »


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GPAT Results 2014, GPAT 2014 Results, www.gpat.in
The Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) is conducted by Aegis of National Monitoring Committee, All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi by The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara. The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara is approved by AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education). GPAT is a National Level Aptitude Test in India. GPAT is conducted for the admission in M. Pharma (Matser Degree program) in Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) is an online based examination is conducted in May month every year. Candidates who are having Bachelor Degree or appearing in the final year of Bachelor Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences may apply for Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test. Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda publishes GPAT notification and online application form on the official website. Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda will publish Online application form on Jan 17th 2014 on official website very soon so interested candidates visit the official website www.gpat.in.


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News By Tag
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Industry News
OverWhelming Latent Pressures in Medical Legal Services Organization
A Medical Legal Services company fulfils the requirements of doctors, health care sectors and insurance companies by closely working with them. In addition, Medical Legal Services are a suitable one for improving the standards of clinics while admitting the patients.
Expert and professional teams will provide guidelines for getting the certification from health care departments during the auditing process. In most cases, they will help for preparing the documents efficiently to prevent legal issues.
Complete information about Medical Legal Services can be gathered from online for selecting them in an easy manner. They also provide methods for reducing complications while representing cases at the courtrooms. Some companies offer quotes for identifying the Medical Legal Services at affordable rates.
Visit http://www.mediclegalservices.com/
Medic Legal Services require support from law enforcement departments while treating criminals and patients who met with accidents to control risks by Medic Legal Services.
• Moreover, it is possible to outsource medical legal services for gaining major benefits. Most companies ensure satisfaction guarantee to their customers while delivering these services.
• One can also go through the reviews and testimonials before opting them.
Visit http://www.mediclegalservices.com for details
Different types of packages are given for doctors and health care centers for identifying best services without any difficulties.
• Reviews and testimonials are available for those who want to get ideas about them easily for gaining major benefits.
• Some companies even provide methods for outsourcing Medico Legal Services at affordable prices for meeting exact requirements.
Satisfaction guarantee is the primary objective of most companies while rendering these Medico Legal Services. Free quotes are also offered for clients who want to select them at cheaper rates for saving money.
Visit http://www.mediclegalservices.com/
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Maintaining your vision as you get older is vital to health and wellbeing. Even if you enjoy good vision now, it's important to practice good eye healthcare to make sure your vision is as good as it can be as you age.
To learn about ways to keep your eyes healthy, visit the new Healthy Eyes topic on NIHSeniorHealth for information about:
- maintaining your vision
- tips for healthy eyes
- the comprehensive dilated eye exam
- visiting Your eye care professional
Healthy Eyes was developed by the National Eye Institute (NEI) at NIH.
For more about healthy vision, see the new tip sheet "Protect Your Eyes When you Exercise" (PDF, 299K) from Go4Life®, the exercise and physical activity campaign from the National Institute on Aging.
To find more health and wellness information for older adults from the National Institutes of Health, go to www.nihseniorhealth.gov. NIHSeniorHealth is a senior-friendly website from the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine, both part of the National Institutes of Health.


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Altered States
In Ricardo Romaneiro's reimagining of John Corigliano's Grammy-winning soundtrack for Altered States, acoustic and electronics aren't quite flirting with each other; they're having a genetically mutated love-child. Listen to the Metropolis Ensemble perform this altered film score and other concert works which synthesize acoustic and electronic sound. This Sunday at 2 p.m.
Highly venerated as a film and celebrated for its orchestral soundtrack, the sci-fi mind-bender, Altered States, has reached almost every corner of pop culture; references, spoofs and samples of the movie can be found in everything from Terminator and Saturday Night Live, to the music of DJ Shadow, and various metal and grindcore bands. Corigliano's soundtrack has now come full circle, through Romaneiro's arrangement of the film music, enhancing some the score's orchestral gestures with an array of psychoactive electronics.
Recorded at a (Le) Poisson Rouge concert this last winter, also enjoy an electronics-studded program of compositions by Romaneiro, Gity Razaz, Du Yun and Enrico Chapela.
You can hear individual excerpts of the entire concert here.


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In Reply to: RE: Gaga posted by bjh on February 14, 2012 at 17:55:29
Follow Ups:
Fear this? Ralph you need help...geting people in to big money highend.
bgh offered an insult to 6AS7_6SN7. It was personal and uncalled for.
As far as the amp goes I've got no worries about that. I just don't see why a person can't be civil.
Edits: 02/16/12
"bgh offered an insult to 6AS7_6SN7"
Yet you seem to have missed the insult he delivered to me ... "Another free ad?"
(Mind you I'm being generous, after all you piped in with a "Yup!")
I any case I take the insinuation that I am posting a free Ad as an insult ... YMMV
(as for having the moderator remove I've no problem with that ... for that matter I have no further interest in this forum)
the savor of everything - Bob Neill
Not concerned much with the 'free ad' thing- I don't see it that way anyway. But the post seems like it should have been over in the 'Amps/Preamps' forum to begin with- that is why it drew a comment from 6AS7_6SN7.
the savor of everything - Bob Neill
6AS7_6SN7 did, and you then chose to insult him.
I have no problem with debate and different opinions, but I do have a problem with people that lack manners.
the savor of everything - Bob Neill
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text: This is a complete mystery to me, it's like they have determined that the natural order of the country is to be divided into people with 18,000 square foot mansions in the Hamptons and those making $8.00 an hour with no benefits. So they cheer as our labor swirls toward the bottom. They blame labor for capital's failures and celebrate capital for its excess. Do they think this is good? Are they looking for a return of Victorian and Edwardian caste systems? Do they believe that if they support capital unconditionally that they'll magically be allowed in the club someday?


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The bond between a K-9 police officer and its handler is a delicate one.
In the case of Scott McMilian, an officer with the Lee's Summit Police Department, his relationship with his partner, Jax, came to a sudden end earlier this year when the Czech-born German shepherd died of intestinal cancer.
Jax, who joined the department in 2009, became sick last December and began losing weight. After a number of veterinary visits and a trip to a specialist, he was diagnosed the next month with intestinal lymphoma. He began taking medication, but the disease spread too fast for a cure.
His death stunned McMilian, the Lee's Summit Police Department, community leaders in Lee's Summit and McMilian's police comrades throughout the metro area.
McMilian, the department and members of civic and community organizations in Lee's Summit gathered Aug. 7 at police headquarters to welcome the officer's new partner, Enzo, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois.
McMilian completed a short demonstration with Enzo for the crowd. The pup came off as obedient, loyal and ready to serve. He also displayed a level of protectiveness for his handler when a reporter approached McMilian for an introductory handshake.
"I wouldn't do that," McMilian said to the unsuspecting scribe as Enzo viciously barked. "He's very protective."
Comparing the two dogs was difficult for McMilian, but he highlighted the strong points of each.
"Everybody had to be Jax's friend," McMilian said. "He did the police work because he was trained to do it and it was fun, but he was just a very friendly dog.
"Enzo is kind of deceivingly friendly. He's being kind of ornery this afternoon trying to eat (a fellow officer who was part of the demonstration). Jax could be trusted really around anyone. He could read people and was very quick to read situations."
Enzo was born in Holland and trained in the United States. He started his training in April of this year before joining McMilian in June. The dog understands commands in German and English. Enzo is the department's seventh K-9 officer since the program began in 1992.
The dog's training was paid for through community donations, namely a $12,000 grant provided by Lee's Summit Cares through an anonymous donor.
In fact, Lee's Summit Cares approached the police department in 2009 about adding a second dog and handler to the unit to more effectively handle the workload and provide more service to the community.
The non-profit organization later received a $9,000 grant that allowed the purchase of a second canine for the department.
After Jax's death, Lee's Summit Cares started a memorial fund in the dog's honor to help the department replace McMilian's beloved companion.
"We know the value of a canine officer," said Roby Little, director of Lee's Summit Cares. "We believe strongly that they are very effective and very helpful to our police officers.
"We were sad to lose Jax and the decision was made to set up the memorial in order to give people that also feel strongly about K-9 officers the opportunity to donate. That memorial fund will remain open through Lee's Summit Cares because we are always going to want more K-9 officers."
McMilian said that when a police officer becomes a K-9 handler, his entire family must be involved and willing to accept the commitment of caring for the K-9. He added that his wife was not keen on Jax in the beginning, but grew to love him. Enzo, on the other hand, was welcomed with open arms but proved difficult.
"My wife does not like dogs at all," McMilian told the amused crowd. "Jax knew from the moment he met her it was going to be difficult. He kind of broke her down.
"It's a different story for Mr. Enzo. They didn't get along. He wanted to eat my wife for the first three weeks he was in training. It was a competition to decide who was in charge. He knew I was in charge, but he was hoping he was No. 2. He eventually gave in and was like, 'I'll be No. 3.'"
Toriano Porter is the business and education reporter for the Lees Summit Journal.


text:
Cincinnati State's Promotion Puts Some Life Back into Printing
CINCINNATI—October 2009—Back in Gutenberg's day, printing wasn't considered a job, but an art. By the time Ben Franklin's era arrived, it had been relegated to "profession" status, but a highly skilled and honorable one. The reason is simple: Most printers in Colonial times were also the publishers of all newspapers or broadsheets, and often represented a community's only source of local, national and international news.
Although printing still touches our everyday lives in terms of the printed material we view for business and pleasure, the industry itself hardly receives the respect and recognition it once did. In spite of the numerous advances made in processes and equipment, and that printing is the 3rd or 4th largest industry in the country, many today see it as a field where practitioners do little more than sweat over noisy presses and come home covered with ink. It's this fairly common belief that has led to a decrease in the number of young people entering the printing profession.
"Life revolves around Print," a program developed by Professor Kathy Freed & Gary Walton of Cincinnati State is designed to not only motivate printing students, but interest other young people in finding out more about the profession. Its main objective is to instill students with pride in the printing industry; so much so that they'll tell others about it. "We want to let students know it's a high-tech, money-making industry," Walton says. Currently, the program is only being offered at Cincinnati State, but Walton has plans to market it on a wider basis.
The program, which is still in its infancy, kicked off in fall 2009, and included the use of promotional products which are inexpensive and simple, yet still quite effective. Upon entering the classroom on the first day, Cincinnati State's printing students are given note paper and a type face ruler bearing the message, ""Life revolves around Print," A number of other promotional products to carry the "Life revolves around Print," " imprint, such as bookmarks, book covers, playing cards and T-shirts, and a board game call graphology are currently in the works.


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GAME Group (LON:GMG) reported group sales were down by 11.3 percent in the 19 weeks to 11 June this year as it announced a continuing downward trend in the global PC and video games market.
In a statement today, the firm said that the markets in which it operated in the period had seen revenue declines of 12.8 percent, with hardware down 10.3 percent and software down 14.1 percent.
This was worse than consensus industry forecasts at the start of the year, it said.
The company is holding its AGM today, after which Peter Lewis will retire as chairman and Chris Bell will succeed him in the role.
Although there are a range of software franchises being launched in the second half of the year, GAME said, in the context of the overall market, it now believes group revenues will be 0 percent to -3 percent in 2011 - compared to last year.
However CEO Ian Shepherd said: "We are seeing early results from the strategic initiatives that we outlined in February, even though the video games market has been more challenging than anticipated this year.
"The pipeline of new hardware and software which has been announced for 2012 and beyond is encouraging, and our strategy is designed to strengthen our leading position and drive growth as the market transitions and evolves over the next five years."
The firm also updated investors on its new strategies announced in February, which, it said, was impacting some key areas, including its plan to up its market share by joining its ecommerce and high street operations.
Its UK online market share is now 19 percent - up from 13 percent last year, it said.
The firm also wants to increase its range of products that customers cannot buy elsewhere and increase the numbers of customers taking part in the pre-owned and trade-in service.
The company also announced today that David Mansfield had resigned as a non-executive director on 13 May this year and GAME is currently in the process of appointing two new non-exec directors.
The company's share price was down 10.5 percent on early deals - trading at 40.50 pence.
GAME Group sales decline on downward trend for PCs and video games
GAME Group (LON:GMG) reported group sales were down by 11.3 percent in the 19 weeks to 11 June this year as it announced a continuing downward trend in the global PC and video games market.


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Carolyn says: "What could be better than a breakfast that tastes like the classic Hummingbird cake without the colossal calories?"
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked regular oats
- 1 cup high-fiber cereal
- 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
- 1 cup chopped dried banana chips
- 1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup oat bran
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large egg whites
- Parchment paper
Nutrition Information
- calories 355
- fat 19 g
- protein 6.4 g
- carbohydrate 49 g
- fiber 7.7 g
How to Make It
Preheat oven to 300°. Stir together uncooked oats, cereal, walnuts, banana chips, pineapple, coconut, oat bran, and salt in a small bowl. Microwave brown sugar, honey, corn syrup, olive oil, and vanilla in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 minute. Pour warm honey mixture over oat mixture, stirring to coat. Whisk egg whites, and stir into oats mixture. Press into a lightly greased parchment paper-lined 9-inch square pan. Bake 50 minutes or until brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 45 minutes). Cut into 16 squares.
Note: We tested with Fiber One for high-fiber cereal.
The Slim Down South Cookbook, Oxmoor House, 2013


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I have built new loudspeakers and now it seems that one of them breaks my amps. I do not know very much about electronics so I do not where to start. Is there a common/well-know fault that causes the (pre)amp to break when building your own loudspeakers?
I have built the filters myself. I have tried the speakers on 3(!) amps and they are broken.
There is no shortcut in the loudspeakers. The resistance is about 7 ohms. It works fine for some minutes but suddenly it does not work on the left channel.
My guess is that the preamps are broken: Two of the amps/receiver work fine when the internal tuner is used but not when I try to connect the CD. I thought that you would break the power amp and not the preamp when doing something wrong (Shortcutting the cables, filter). Also I thought the fuses would save me.
I tried with headphones and the result is the same: The left channel is broken.
Regards Mikael
Things like this are difficult to diagnose long distance.
Some random thoughts:
--I find it difficult to imagine a way that a speaker can cause a preamp to malfunction. If you're using a preamp and amplifier combination rather than an integrated amp, and are saying that the preamp channel is dead (rather than all three amplifers--I'm not clear from your post what is working and what is not), then it's probably just a coincidence that your preamp died at about the same time that you put new speakers into your system.
--There could easily be an intermittant short in your speakers. Some shorts will open the circuit, which would lead to no sound, but no damage to the amplifiers. Other shorts will cause the + and - leads to feed together, which could cause an amplifer channel to die. You might want to take a look at the wiring inside your speakers, particularly the crossovers. If two wires are close enough that they might touch, you could have a short.
Thanks for the answer. From my point of view I also find it hard to break the premamps and maybe I'm looking at the wrong part. I have changed all parts including the loudspeaker cables and it seems that one speaker is causing the trouble.
I have tried:
1. One preamp together with a poweramp.
2. Two integrated amps.
3. Changing cables.
4. Changing cd-player.
The filter in the loudspeaker consists of two parts. One low pass filter with a recistance of about 7 ohms. The highpass filter can not be shortcutted since there are 2 capacistors in serie with the tweeeter. Maybe this part can cause strong currencies to run through at high frequencies.
One more question: Can a shortcut after the poweramp cause the preamp to break down? The whole story started with a shortcut ( two banana contacts shortcutted each other at the loudspeaker) and the fuses burned in the power amp.
I can have a look at the loudspeaker. But how do I verify that the change is correct? Do I have to burn preamps until I find the error? A more sophistcated way of testing should of course be better.
If you shorted an amplifier output and blew the fuses, that alone would be sufficient to destroy some amplifier designs.
Some of what you're saying seems contradictory, so I'm having trouble understanding what has happened. It might be best if you got someone to look over your stereo in person to determine what is going on.
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text: Hi I want to go natural so I thought it would be good if I got some tips for someone my age. What shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, oils, and moisturizers do I need. How often do I shampoo, cowash, and deep condition? How did your mom react when you told her you wanted to go natural? If she didn't take it well, how did you convince her? You do't have to answer all of my question, but any tips would be greatly appreciated.


text:
Unreliable product and bad customer service made this a bad buy for me
most shockingly bad service EVER, ordered a tv to be delivered for a birthday present, took day off work to wait for delivery only to be told at 7pm when I phoned customer services that the item had not been dispatched & that I would have to wait 5 working days for a refund. funny that as they had no problem when taking the money & did not even have the courtesy to contact me.
I bought a finlux 46" Internet tv 7 months ago. It hasn't lasted that many months, and was prone to suddenly switching itself off since we first got it. My problem isn't so much the fact that it's faulty as we may have simply had a bit of bad luck there. The reason I'm getting very angry is the DREADFUL customer service we're experiencing in trying to get FInlux to repair or replace. Wasted days waiting for promised delivery of a replacement/unreturned calls. Next time I'll buy from a bog standard store like Asda, who I know would have replaced immediately.
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text:
Technique + Zoom Whitening Q&A
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My Dentist Uses the Zoom Whitening Kit but Doesnt Use the Zoom Lamp, Instead He Uses LED with No UV?
Will the results be the same if my dentist uses LED light lamp with wavelength of 430-490nm along with the zoom whitening kit instead of using the... READ MORE
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text:
Monarchs steal 3-2 win over IceCaps Posted by IceCaps on
Manchester scores shorthanded goal with 14 seconds left to beat St. John's
St. John's, NL — With the St. John's IceCaps on the power play in the final minute, Brian O'Neill scored a shorthanded breakaway goal with just 14 seconds to play to steal the 3-2 victory for the Manchester Monarchs Saturday night at Mile One Centre.
Hunter Bishop and Andy Andreoff had the other tallies for the Monarchs, while Martin Jones earned the win by kicking aside 31 of 33 shots.
For the IceCaps, Patrice Cormier and Kael Mouillierat had the goals, while Eric O'Dell pocketed two assists. Eddie Pasquale turned aside 31 shots in a losing effort.
St. John's opened the scoring at 14:54 of the first period, when Cormier notched his first of the season with the IceCaps on the power play. After Jones made a pad save on O'Dell's rocket from the high slot, Cormier scooped up the loose puck and shovelled it past Jones to make it 1-0.
The Monarchs evened the score at a goal apiece just over two minutes later, however, on a tally from Andreoff. Parked in front of the net, Andreoff took a feed from Brandon Kozun before fooling Pasquale to the blocker side.
In the second frame, Manchester jumped ahead to a 2-1 advantage five minutes in when Bishop pounced on the rebound off a Vincent Loverde shot and fired it upstairs past a helpless Pasquale.
The IceCaps didn't waste time in tying things up in the third, as Mouillierat scored the equalizer at 4:10. As St. John's stormed into the Monarchs zone on the rush, O'Dell fired a sharp-angle shot from the corner before Mouillierat jumped on the rebound and made no mistake in beating Jones above the glove.
With St. John's on the man-advantage in the final minute, the Monarchs pulled ahead 3-2 with just 14 seconds left to play. While the IceCaps were applying pressure before the end of regulation, O'Neill stripped the puck in the neutral zone and waltzed in on a partial break on Pasquale, deking him and backhanding the game-winning goal up and in over the blocker.
The IceCaps will look to get back in the win column as they continue their home stand on Wednesday at Mile One Centre, when they take on the Worcester Sharks in the first of a three-game series. Catch all the action with broadcaster Brian Rogers at www.stjohnsicecaps.com and on 930 AM This is Newfoundland Labrador. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM NT, with the pre-game show getting underway a half-hour before.
Eric O'Dell is on a hot streak, registering five points in his last two games… St. John's went 2-for-5 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill… Not dressed for St. John's: Cody Lampl, Josh Lunden, Carl Klingberg, Travis Ehrhardt, Austen Brassard… Molson Canadian Three Stars: 1. Patrice Cormier 2. Kael Mouillierat 3. Eric O'Dell… Mary Brown's Hardest Working Player: Jerome Samson.


text:
We'll help you find the right solution for your needs
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Raleigh disability attorneys can tell you the requirements that may qualify you for supplemental security income benefits. These are monthly payments from the Social Security Administration with money used from the United States Treasury. The application process may seem fairly easy at first, but there are requirements in order to qualify for benefits. Raleigh disability attorneys can help you with the process.
Supplemental Security Income Benefits Eligibility Guidelines
There are strict guidelines regarding eligibility for supplemental security income benefits. You must be either blind, disabled or at least age 65. You also must have limited income. Each state has its own income limits, and if you are married, some of your spouse's income is included. If you are a minor, your parents' income may be included.
The value of your resources is a factor in your eligibility. The Social Security Administration will look at your bank accounts, real estate, stocks and bonds to determine if your assets are less than the limit of $2,000, or $3,000 for a couple. Your house and vehicles typically are excluded in the resources.
Other restrictions apply. You typically must be a citizen of the United States, although non-citizens may be able to qualify in some cases. If you live in an institution, you most likely will qualify for some supplemental security income benefits. The exception is if you live in a halfway house or other public institution. Raleigh disability attorneys can determine your eligibility for supplemental security income benefits.
Applying for Supplemental Security Income Benefits
There are several ways in which you can apply for benefits. If you are computer-savvy, you might find it convenient to apply online. You also can call and make an appointment for an interview with a representative of the Social Security Administration. Others may feel more comfortable speaking with a field office representative in person at a local office.
There are many things you will need to bring with you or have on hand, if you are applying online or over the phone. These include:
· Social Security number;
· proof of age, such as a birth certificate;
· proof of citizenship;
· proof of income;
· mortgage information;
· bank information; and
· contact information for your doctors.
Contacting a Lawyer
Statistics show that nearly 70 percent of initial applications are denied. This is often because of missing information. This shows the importance of having a lawyer help with the process so you can ensure you receive the compensation you deserve for your disability. Disability attorneys are knowledgeable of the Social Security laws in your state and can inform you of which laws apply to your case.
Brent Adams & Associates are Raleigh disability attorneys who can help you receive the supplemental security income benefits you deserve. They can guide you through the disability claim process. Contact the office today at 1-910-892-8177.
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text:
It is a swimming pool like no other, its swooping £269million design providing the unmistakeable "wow factor" of the London Olympics. And I am the first to dive in.
It's cold, really cold. It's deep. It's 50 metres to the other end and I'm all alone. But I'm in no rush to get out.
As I head up the middle lane, the water is clear and the only ripples on the surface have been made by me. You wouldn't get this kind of luxury at your local swimming baths.
I'm swimming in waters where gold medals will be won - and although I know I have no chance of one myself, it doesn't stop the adrenaline pumping.
Today the aquatics centre is declared open, the last of the six permanent venues to be completed exactly a year until the 2012 Games begin.
It has been dogged by controversy, with costs more than trebling from the £75million estimate as builders struggled to turn Zaha Hadid's radical "stingray" design into reality.
But its completion is being met with delight by those behind its construction, who are only too well aware of the troubled history of major projects from Wembley to the Millennium Dome.
Work began in June 2008, involving 3,630 people. It follows the completion of the main stadium, velodrome, handball arena, basketball arena and international broadcast centre.
John Armitt, chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, said: "The completion of the aquatics centre is the latest chapter in a British success story where tens of thousands of workers and businesses from across the UK have demonstrated the ability of this country to deliver major projects successfully."
There are three pools in the aquatics centre - one each for training, competition and diving. Two "wedges" have been added to the central structure to provide 17,500 seats. This will be reduced to 2,500 after the Games.
The over-riding sensation, as I struggle to complete a length, is of being dwarfed by the vastness. As someone accustomed to a 20m health club pool, 50m feels a long way. Thank goodness the underwater cameras and viewing windows are not yet in use.
Later tonight ex-Olympians, including Mark Foster and Duncan Goodhew, will race up the lanes and Tom Daley will plunge from the 10m platform in the diving pool. Until now, the only people to enter the water have been lifeguards making safety checks and scuba divers fitting cables during construction. Before me no one has swum a length.
All three pools are fitted with floating floors. The depth can be adjusted at the switch of a button so that after the Games the pools can be used for lessons. As the floor is raised or lowered the water seeps through the grates.
There is no smell of chlorine as 13 high-tech sand filters clean the water and cut down on the need for chemicals. Operations manager Richard Larman calls it "the most technologically advanced swimming pool in the UK". For my swim, and for the Olympics, the competition pool is set at a depth of three metres, the optimum depth to reduce drag in the water.
A Jacuzzi will keep athletes warm between events. Sadly it is not working yet as I haul myself, shivering, out of the chilly water. "It's 26 degrees - the design temperature for the Olympics," explains Ian Crockford, project manager for the south Olympic park.
Corporate training manager Alan Ritchie adds: "Cold water is fast water. Leisure centre pools will usually be a few degrees warmer - around 29 or 30 degrees - which makes the water too slow for competitions."
Foster said today the pool has finally delivered the "feelgood factor" to the London Olympics, while Daley said: "Only a few years ago, this was a distant dream. The fact that I qualified at the weekend and am taking the first dive is a complete privilege."
Building a gateway to the Games
The aquatics centre forms the "Gateway to the Games" as it sits to the south of the Olympic park. Part of its roof forms the land bridge to the main stadium.
It will host the swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and the swimming element of the Modern Pentathlon.
Prior to construction, 11 industrial buildings were demolished and about 160,000 tonnes of soil were dug out. Four skeletons were removed from a prehistoric settlement found there.
The aquatics centre has a capacity of 17,500 during the Olympics, reducing to 2,500 afterwards.
All three pools have moveable floors so the depth can be adjusted. The two 50m pools have separation "booms" to adjust the length.
Pool water is cleaned using 13 filter tanks containing 195 tonnes of sand - allowing chlorine levels to be kept to a minimum.
Waste water that cannot be cleaned and pumped back into the pool is used to flush the lavatories.
The timber panels in the roof are all exactly parallel to the pool edge, allowing the backstroke swimmers to follow a straight line.
The hardwood ceiling is made up of 37,000 individual strips of red lauro timber.
The roof is 160m long and 90m at its widest point. It weighs more than 3,000 tonnes and is covered with part-recycled aluminium. The whole venue contains 9,000 tonnes of steel.
- More about:
- Architects
- Swimming


text:
Need a hand in the garden?
Gardening guru Marjorie Harris was online earlier to take your questions on all things gardening.
Your questions and Mr. Harris's answers will appear at the bottom of this page once the discussion has begun.
Marjorie Harris is considered one of Canada's leading garden writers. She writes a weekly gardening column for The Globe and Mail and is editor-at-large of Gardening Life magazine. Born in Shaunovon, Saskatchewan back in the mists of time, she was educated from Goose Bay Labrador to Vancouver B. C. and graduated from McMaster University.
She is the author of 13 gardening books, her most recent being How to Make a Garden, The 7 Essential Steps for the Canadian Gardener, published by Random House.
Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question/comment. Comments/questions may be edited for length or clarity. HTML is not allowed. We will not publish questions/comments that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions/comments that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.
Dominique: Hello Ms. Harris, I have recently began a foray into gardening and I really enjoy it. It will remain to be seen if the garden likes my beginner attempts.. I have a cottage on a peninsula in the Gatineau are of Quebec. The soil is very sandy. There is south west full sun exposure to a small wooded and shade all day around the cottage. I would appreciate any tips around what kind of plants would enjoy this and also flowering trees. I know it is a broad question, I would appreciate any ideas.
Thank you for your time, Dominique
Marjorie Harris: The first thing you should do is add a lot of humus to this soil: that is organic matter such as compost and manure and ground up leaves. This will help create a good growing medium. Winters are very harsh here so look for plants that are extremely hard (they should be able to grow in Zones 3 and 4). The shady area around the cottage can take hostas, pulmonarias (lumgwort) as well as great native plants such as Jack-in-the-pulpit; Solomon seal and ferns. In the sunny areas try Amelachier spp (serviceberry) for its flowers; Rosa glauca for its colour; and lots of salvias and any of the herbs such a sage.
Brian Lowry from Fredericton Canada writes: Hi -- I have several gardens with various wildflowers, most of which I grew from purchased seed (willow amsonia is a favourite). Every year when I weed, I try to leave a few of the less unattractive seedlings that pop up in the garden, just in case they amount to something (last year or the year before I managed to leave two nice wild lilies, which are flowering this year). My question is this -- is there a better way to seek out local wildflowers than randomly letting them sprout in your garden (without doing anything harmful in the wild, of course), and how can I tell which seedlings to keep?
Marjorie Harris; Check out the nurseries in your area and see if there are any specializing in Native plants. It's a lot easier to grow them from already-started plants just as long as you follow the planting instructions. The alternative is to find seeds native to your area. Check out New Brunswick Botany Club. Many garden clubs have terrific seed exchanges. Or go to www.wildflowerfarm.com and see what seeds they have for your province. You might also check out my book BOTANICA NORTH AMERICA in your library or at a second hand bookstore. It has a wealth of information.
Jodey D from Ottawa Canada writes: The house we have purchased comes with a major garden. Sadly, neither my partner nor I have gardened much before and we have little idea about how to properly look after it. If you had to recommend a book or websites to those new to gardening, particularly those inheriting a large garden, what would they be? Any other thoughtful advice for new gardeners? Thanks and cheers Jodey Derouin OttawaReport Typo/Error


text:
TechPeaks: Trentino's €13M people accelerator
Trentino is ready to welcome more than 100 talented young ICT innovators that will participate in Techpeaks- the people accelerator. The selected participants will stay in Trento, meeting entrepreneurs, managers, financial world operators and investors that will help them to grow and get ready to participate in the market with new startups.
Tech Peaks project is promoted by Trento Rise together with Trentino Sviluppo and with the participation, as consultant, of Earlybird Venture Capital.The main aim of this people accelerator is providing technologically talented people with an opportunity, attracting young innovators, coming from all over the world, in Trentino, making this territory a European hub for ICT startups.
Trento RISE will select TechPeaks' participants (about 100) according to highly meritocratic criteria. The project is aimed at ICT talents, especially at young developers and designers. It will be paid particular attention to Eastern European countries because of their highly promising characteristics.
The aim is launching about 30 ICT entrepreneurial projects.
Application can be sent from February 5th 2013 to April 5th 2013. The selection results will be published within April 30th.
For further information please visit www.Techpeaks.eu (of which there's already a splash page) that will be active within January 25th .