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Start whistling a happy tune because happy days are here again. Right? The Dow Jones industrial average closed at a record high again. On Tuesday, it topped off at 14,559.65. The more relevant index, Standard & Poor's 500 index, closed just 2 points shy of its all-time high of 1565.15 set in October 2007, Reuters reported in Tuesday's story, "Wall Street climbs on economic data; S&P near record close."
There seems to be a lot of preoccupation in the financial media with record highs. Sure, it makes a snazzy headline. But what does it mean?
For proponents of technical analysis, certain prices seem to be harder to break through than others -- either on the way up or the way down. They're known as levels of support or resistance and represent psychological barriers. They tend to be numbers around which investors make decisions either for or against a certain security.
For the rest of us, record highs may not be as significant. The stratospheric heights the indexes are reaching these days indicate two things, according to Robert Barone, chief economist and portfolio manager at Universal Value Advisors in Reno, Nev.
"It tells us one thing for sure: Don't fight the Fed," he says. One side effect, bug or feature of the quantitative easing programs from the central bank has been to inject vast quantities of money into the financial system -- much of which has gone into equities.
"The Fed has liquefied at least the U.S. if not the whole world, and we have a lot of money sloshing around looking for a return," says Barone. Read more about that in "How the Fed fuels stock prices."
Monetary policy may not be the only driver. It could be part of the so-called new normal, the post-financial-crisis reality. Relatively sluggish economic growth may be par for the course now, says Barone. Instead of looking back to 2006-2007 and saying that gross domestic product and unemployment should be at those levels, maybe the economy simply doesn't have the growth potential that it once did.
"Job openings are rising but the jobs aren't being filled. There is a shortage of skilled labor. Capacity utilization in the industrial sector is approaching what it was in '07," says Barone.
"But we're not happy because we have 7.5 percent unemployment, and we think it should be 4 percent or 5 percent. Putting it all together, it tells you that maybe the stock market isn't too high," he says.
What do you think? Is it too high? Where should it be? What's going on? There are so many questions.
Follow me on Twitter: @SheynaSteiner.
Senior investing reporter Sheyna Steiner is a co-author of "Future Millionaires' Guidebook," an e-book written by Bankrate editors and reporters. It's available at all the major e-book retailers.


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Nick Griffiths gets hero's welcome home after Atlantic rowing challenge
1:11pm Monday 10th February 2014
By Tui Benjamin
1:11pm Monday 10th February 2014
By Tui Benjamin
PROUD family and friends have welcomed home Nick Griffiths after he returned to Bolton after completing a gruelling 3,000-mile row across the Atlantic.
Mr Griffiths, one quarter of the Bolton Atlantic Challenge team, is now at home with his family after the rowers reached the end of their adventure in Antigua last Sunday.
And his neighbours have decked his street in banners, bunting and flags to welcome the returning hero home.
The 42-year-old said: "You say you would never do it again but filter out the bad bits afterwards.
"On the boat we talked about how much we would have to be paid to do this again but as soon as we finished we were talking about what we would do next."
It took the teammates 59 days to complete the demanding feat, which they hope will raise £250,000 to extend a Junior Mentoring Project at BLGC.
Mark Brocklehurst, aged 52, and 32-year-old Finn Christo were reunited with their families early last week but Nick and Matt Nuttall, aged 44, were delayed in Antigua after their passports were stolen.
They were greeted by their excited families at the arrivals gates of Manchester Airport on Friday afternoon.
Family man Mr Griffiths, of Sedgefield Drive, Smithills, said it was "surreal but great" to see wife Janine and daughters Amy, aged 17, and 12-year-old Hannah again.
He added: "It was lovely to have my family pick me up from the airport – we're very close. Janine made a nice dinner with champagne but it got to 9pm and I was falling asleep. Getting used to the cold again is a bit of a shock to the system too."
Mr Griffiths said the Bolton boys are "friends for life" with their international fellow rowing teams but found the monotony of life on the boat the hardest thing to deal with.
He added: "There were no flight paths over the sea so it felt extremely isolated at times.
"You could go weeks and see nothing but ocean and cloud.
"If the weather was severe you wouldn't even see wildlife.
"Physically you don't have to be superhuman to do it, but it was more of a mental strain to cope with being away day after day, hour after hour."
Wife Janine admitted she had found being apart from her husband tough and said she was glad it was all over.
She added: "Last week when they completed the challenge we were on such a high on Tuesday thinking that Nick was coming home.
"The last few days when he was delayed were horrible, worse than the whole time apart.
"The kids love that he is back. I am not letting him do it again — he is staying here now."
Go here to donate to the team.
© Copyright 2001-2017 Newsquest Media Group

subset: commoncrawl


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NC State junior cornerback David Amerson has decided to leave school early for the NFL Draft, according to Darren Heitner, the founder of SportsAgentBlog.com and a sports business writer for Forbes.
"NC State Junior CB David Amerson will enter the NFL Draft," Heitner posted on his twitter account. "Faxing papers to NFL.
"NC State's David Amerson not done interviewing agents. JT Johnson of Atlas Sports Agency in running," he wrote in another post.
The star defender has at least tied for the ACC lead in interceptions in each of the past two seasons, and the 18 picks he has collected over the past 25 games stands as a school record, while it is tied for the third-best total in ACC history.
Amerson started nine of the team's 13 games as a true freshman in 2010, but exploded onto the national scene last year, when he garnered All-American honors after he led the country with 13 interceptions. That mark set an ACC single-season record, and stands as the second-highest mark in FBS history. In addition to All-ACC and All-America laurels, the 6-foot-3, 194-pound cornerback won the Jack Tatum Award, which is annually given to the top defensive back in the land, and was also a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
The Greensboro, N.C., native got off to a rough start in 2012 against Tennessee, but rebounded to earn second-team All-ACC honors and finished with five interceptions, to go along with a career-best 12 pass break-ups. He stepped in front of a pass against Boston College and returned it for a 55-yard touchdown, his third career pick that was returned for a score, which also tied a school record. He finished the year ranked sixth on the team with 61 tackles, while his interception total was tied for the ninth-most in the land.
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. recently named Amerson the No. 4 junior cornerback in the country. He is expected to be taken in the first three rounds of April's NFL Draft, although it wouldn't be a surprise to hear his name called as early as the first round.
In addition to 18 career picks, Amerson finished his three year stay in Raleigh with 39 games played, 35 starts, 170 tackles, 18 pass breakups and one forced fumble.


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NetWellness is a global, community service providing quality, unbiased health information from our partner university faculty. NetWellness is commercial-free and does not accept advertising.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Cancer Genetics
Hi, my father died from colon cancer, I`m 45 and FAP runs in my family....I was supposed to get a colonoscopy years ago but they wouldn`t do it without sedation (I`m allergic and had a terrible reaction in the past so I would never do it again)....so the test was never done. I started to have colon cancer symptoms (maybe) and was wondering if it it`s too late to worry about FAP?? Thanks
It's not too late to worry about FAP. It sounds like you should have a colonoscopy right away, especially if you are having symptoms.
Doreen M Agnese, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery and Internal Medicine
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University


text:
As I am a person who thinks my most valuable instrument is my voice I'm always keen of vocal processors. One area where for the most part have left my voice dry is during a live performance. I plan on changing this at least for some songs. I may want to keep the processing and button pushing out of the laptop. This TC Helicon VoiceLive Touch box is in the running. Are there any others I should be looking at?
"I'ma let you finish watching this demo, but the TC Helicon VoiceLive Touch is one of the greatest stand-mount vocal processors ever made. Yeah, I know, we're not usually ones for hyperbole, but this harmony generator and vocal sweetened with built-in looper is really something else. And given the fact that it's the only stand-mount vocal processor, it's not such an outlandish statement." – gearwire
For more info: tc-helicon.com/products/voicelive-touch
via gearwire.com


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Sunrise Sunset Calculator for Windows
This is a freeeware program that calculates sunrise, sunset and twilight times for locations worldwide. Once you set your location, you can hover your mouse over the sun icon to get some basic sunrise and sunset information or you can click on the icon to get more detailed information. The program uses formulas which are accurate year-round to within a few minutes for all states except Alaska. Even in Alaska it is generally accurate to within five minutes.
Twilight Too
City List
Add Your Own Location
Future or Past Sunrise & Sunset Times
Update for Version 1.0.1
Update for Version 1.0.2
Download Here
We are looking into compatibility issues with Windows 8. Currently, there are no plans to update this application.
Also, please see the FAQ page for further help with this application.
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Please address problems, comments and questions by email.
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Aviles credits Francona with helping him prepare
BOSTON -- The list of players who have been traded for a manager is a short one. Indians utility man Mike Aviles takes pride in the fact that he was involved in the deal that brought manager John Farrell to the Red Sox, because he understands how badly Boston wanted to pry Farrell away from Toronto.
"I take it more as an honor," Aviles said. "I know how much the Red Sox valued John Farrell and what he brought to the table. In order for them to get the manager that they wanted, [they traded me]. I take it as an honor. Other people might take it another way, but that's how I take it."
The trade took place on Oct. 21, 2012, sending Aviles temporarily to the Blue Jays. As fate would have it, Aviles was later flipped -- along with catcher Yan Gomes -- to the Indians in the Nov. 3 swap that shipped reliever Esmil Rogers north of the border. Now, Aviles once again plays for manager Terry Francona, who managed the Red Sox from 2004-11.
Aviles said that playing for Francona in Boston, and then assuming an everyday role as a shortstop last season, helped prepare him for his super utility role in Cleveland this year.
"Absolutely," Aviles said. "The thing with Tito [Francona] is he always lets me know when I'm going to play. He always gives me the opportunity to be prepared for what I need to do. And I think the little bit that I learned over there, and to bring it over here and help the team, it's like everybody understands that the only way we're going to win is going to be together.
"We all have to be on the same page. It starts with Tito. He's on one page and we're all going to be on the same page. That's the biggest thing. You need everybody in this locker room, and then some, to all be on the same page to try to win ballgames."
Entering Sunday, Aviles has hit .276 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 32 games for the Indians.
Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, and follow him on Twitter @MLBastian. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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The Paul C. Reinert, S.J. Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (formerly the Reinert Center for Teaching Excellence) is a comprehensive teaching center, serving faculty, graduate students, and other educators at Saint Louis University. We offer a variety of instructional development and design services and programs, both for individual faculty/instructors and for departments/programs. All services and most programs are provided at no cost to SLU faculty and graduate students. Additionally, we sponsor and co-sponsor workshops on pedagogical topics, facilitated by Center staff, SLU faculty, and national/international experts in higher education.
Contact Us:
Saint Louis University
3650 Lindell Boulevard
2nd Floor-Pius Library
St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 977-3944
fax: (314) 977-1695


text:
This Is My Liberal Ideals T-Shirt
This is my liberal ideals t-shirt. I didn't work for it, but I was told I'm entitled to it. I know what you're thinking. We should be giving these shirts away. Sorry, we're a business not a government agency. Plus, if you love Right wing Conservative t-shirts I'm sure you have a job, right?


text:
14th Annual Media Day Forum
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Where and When
Location: Newspaper Office - Rollins 127
Contact: email@example.com
Event Information
The Bucks County Community College journalism program and the Centurion student newspaper present the 14th annual Media Day Forum on Thursday, April 11
Working jouranlists talk about their careers.
Workshops will be as follows:
9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
You'll also get a chance to:
- Hear about the college's programs in journalism and communications
- See the college's high-tech journalism center where classes are held and the student newspaper is produced
This event is free and open to the public
Students coming in buses can be dropped off at the entrance to the college's Gateway Center (building 26 on the campus map). Buses should park in student parking Lot C (see campus map). Individual visitors attending the forum can park in the visitor's parking lots or also in
Lot C.
For more information, contact journalism Professor Tony Rogers at
215-968-8165 or at email@example.com
Sponsored by the Centurion, the student newspaper of Bucks County Community College


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LOS ANGELES — Specialty sporting goods retailer Sport Chalet is teaming up with California Triathlon, a statewide network of triathlon clubs in California, as part of its strategy to position itself as a one-stop shopping destination for triathletes.
The partnership drives foot traffic into Sport Chalet's brick-and-mortar stores by encouraging members of the various participating triathlon clubs to turn to the retailer for the equipment and gear they need.
"Together we plan to provide a one-stop shop for clubs and individuals who want to participate in triathlons throughout California," said Craig Levra, chairman and CEO of Sport Chalet. "Each of our store locations is equipped with seasoned experts who can provide advice for training and competing, while helping guide beginner triathletes quickly and safely through their experiences."
In addition to California Triathlon's efforts to promote a healthy and active lifestyle, the community-based organization supports a number of nonprofit organizations that invite people to exercise for a cause — which translates into yet another source of potential consumers for Sport Chalet.
"Sport Chalet's broad retail footprint, including the company's newest Figat7th location in Los Angeles, provides the perfect stage to serve the multisport fanatic," said Thom Richmond, president of California Triathlon Network. "Sport Chalet's vast assortment of swimming, cycling and running gear is further augmented by the team's proven counsel in knowing the right products and how to use them effectively. Our shared vision is to increase triathlon participation and remove any barriers of entry to support sport engagement among Californians."
Sport Chalet is full service specialty sporting goods retailer featuring the industry's top sports brands in apparel, footwear and sports equipment. Founded in 1959 by Norbert Olberz, the company has 53 stores in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah, as well as its e-commerce site. It offers more than 50 specialty services for the sports enthusiast, including online same day delivery, climbing, backcountry skiing, ski mountaineering, avalanche education, and mountain trekking instruction, car rack installation, snowboard and ski rental and repair, Scuba training and certification, Scuba boat charters, team sales, gait analysis, baseball/softball glove steaming and lacing, racquet stringing, and bicycle tune-up and repair at its store locations.
Sport Chalet leverages triathlon partnership to boost traffic
LOS ANGELES — Specialty sporting goods retailer Sport Chalet is teaming up with California Triathlon, a statewide network of triathlon clubs in California, as part of its strategy to position itself as a one-stop shopping destination for triathletes.


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Sporting an array of vibrant colors, a dozen young ladies were recently initiated into the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls Mount Washington Assembly during a special event held at the Salt River Masonic Lodge.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Pioneer News, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
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National surveys tend to indicate public dissatisfaction with public education, yet those same surveys generally find that parents are quite satisfied with their local public schools. The same phenomenon is seen when surveying opinions about Congress, which people tend to not like, and their own Congressman, who is generally held in high regard.
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Pastornicky among latest round of roster cuts
LAKELAND, Fla. -- One year after beginning the season as Atlanta's starting shortstop, Tyler Pastornicky will return to the Minor League level with the assignment to improve his versatility and continue developing the offensive skills he showed over the past few weeks.
Pastornicky's impressive run through this year's Grapefruit League season came to a close on Tuesday morning when the Braves optioned him, outfielder Jose Constanza and right-handed reliever David Carpenter to Triple-A Gwinnett.
"[Pastornicky] is not going down and being forgotten," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "We've got a plan for him. I told Tyler to trust that this organization is going to do the right thing for him. This guy is a valuable piece for us. He's had an unbelievable Spring Training for us. This guy is a big piece for us. What we start with in April may be different in May or June."
Pastornicky hit .375 (21-for-56) with four doubles and a home run in 26 Grapefruit League games. While defensive concerns seem to erase the likelihood of Pastornicky serving as an everyday shortstop at the big league level, his athleticism and offensive skills could lead him to serving as a valuable utility player.
Pastornicky will serve as Triple-A Gwinnett's starting shortstop until Paul Janish returns in early April from offseason shoulder surgery. Once Janish is cleared to play, Pastornicky will play second base and spend some time as a shortstop and outfielder.
"He needs to play," Gonzalez said.
As the Braves prepare to enter this season, one of their top concerns centers around Dan Uggla, who is coming off the worst season of his career. If Uggla struggles through the first couple months of this season, Atlanta would at least have to think about benching him in favor of Ramiro Pena or Pastornicky.
Constanza missed a month of Spring Training because of visa issues and ended up recording three hits in just 13 Grapefruit League at-bats. His bid to earn an Opening Day roster spot was hurt by his extended absence and the fact that Jordan Schafer -- his chief competition for the fifth-outfielder's spot -- is out of Minor League options.
Carpenter allowed 14 runs and 15 hits in 9 1/3 innings. The hard-throwing right-hander is still developing his skills as a pitcher. He served as a catcher until the Cardinals converted him into a pitcher in 2008.
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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I just got my laptop, and it's already screwed up. Whever I try to boot up, it says "The system is not fully installed. Please run setup again." or "INVALID BOOT.INI FILE" and reboots. It's an endless cylcle.
Is there any way to fix this other than having to send the damn thing back?


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That anxious moment when you can't find your iPhone?
I'd call it iPanic, but someone already trademarked the term — for a 99-cent app that helps you figure out why you're having panic attacks.
I'll save you the money: It's because you think you might have lost your iPhone.
Not really, but let me save you something else: aggravation and time. If you haven't settled on a way to recover a misplaced or stolen smartphone, do it now. There are plenty of methods, from an app that emails you any pictures the thieves snap to another that photographs anyone who incorrectly keys in your passcode to a third, the popular "Find My iPhone" function on iCloud.com.
Trust me. You don't want to be the second person to resort to this other strategy: Find notifications in your email account from the dating service that the man who stole your iPhone and identity is using, create a female profile on that dating website, flirt with the man online, lure him to your house and then confront him with a hammer.
Take time now to safeguard your phone. I'll wait.
What? You didn't? If you're not convinced that you need to, keep reading. Unless you're driving and reading this on your phone. Then look out!
My mission is to persuade you to protect your phone and never, ever steal someone else's.
Because if you take mine, in the words of Liam Neeson's character in "Taken," "I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you."
Maybe not kill, but bodily harm is a definite possibility.
If that seems harsh, keep reading. Unless you're a cell phone thief. Then MapQuest the nearest police station and leave the phone there.
If you're not, then YouTube the video clip to hear how great Neeson's delivery is. His words perfectly capture the panic and animosity that people feel when confronted with the fear that their smartphone is in some dummy's hands.
How do I know?
A) That video clip was the first thing I tweeted when I lost my iPhone last month and thought a homeless guy had grabbed it off a table at Starbucks. My phone had years of contacts and scores of family photos and videos and audio interviews, little of which was backed up at the time.
B) I know a woman who walked up one day, alone, to each homeless person camped out in a Mission Bay park until she recovered her stolen iPhone.
C) There are two dudes from Lakeside who spent four hours in a car tracking down the person who stole one of their phones.
How did we all know where our phones were? By using the "Find My iPhone" service and our phones' GPS, we were able to track the location.
My story ends with me, hours later, finding my phone under a table at that same Starbucks. So let's consider the case of 20-something Lakeside roommates Greg Torkelson and Ken Schmidgall.
Schmidgall realized his phone was gone on the Friday after Christmas. He spent Saturday watching, on a computer-screen map, a dot representing his iPhone move along the coastline. Then on Sunday, he and Torkelson hopped in a car and pursued the thief.
Watching from Torkelson's laptop as the battery level of Schimdgall's phone dropped — along with the chances of recovering the phone — they drove for 35 minutes to the phone's shifting path in La Jolla.
They called 911 when they got close enough to that location and explained their situation to the University of California San Diego police and then to the San Diego Police Department. They even had two patrol cars following them early on in their chase, after the man eluded them on his bicycle.
Eventually, the patrol cars peeled off for other business. But Torkelson and Schmidgall found, accosted, pepper sprayed, handcuffed and sat on the man at Torrey Pines State Reserve until an off-duty police officer appeared.
Before the off-duty cop, some lifeguards, a park ranger and two uniformed officers arrived to restore order, Schmidgall had scuffled with the man carrying the iPhone for several moments as Torkelson, a freelance photojournalist, filmed their confrontation.
When bystanders screamed, Schmidgall screamed back, "He had my cell phone!" and Torkelson shouted, "This is a citizen's arrest right now."
Eighteen minutes of profanity-laden footage from their chase went viral, thanks to the Huffington Post and "Inside Edition." And now the roommates are as likely to be on national TV as in phone thieves' nightmares.
So why did they do it? Why go looking for the phone and maybe trouble?
"How many people can go out there and track their stolen property and get to confront the person that stole it from them?" Torkelson said this week. "That was the No. 1 reason: because we could."
But couldn't something terrible have happened? It's a thought that Torkelson had during the altercation, when he wound up with a cut and the man's blood on him.
"We felt there were two of us, and I had the handcuffs and the pepper spray in the event that it did become physical," Torkelson told me. "The entire time we were thinking this guy might have a knife or maybe he has a gun, but at the same time we felt that he didn't.
"We did not go out there with the intention to just beat the guy up," he said. "Our intention was to get the phone and hopefully have him stay there for a police report."
Chasing after a man who might be unstable or violent or armed, all for a phone? Now that's a tough call.
Even today, Torkelson and Schmidgall don't even know if the man was arrested or released after that wild episode on the beach.
Whew. Do stories like this show that we rely on our phones too much? Maybe.
The better question is: Why do we still call these lifelines phones?Copyright © 2017, The San Diego Union-Tribune


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Dog Walkers in Schoenchen, KS
Book a dog walker to give your dog a 30-minute walk around your neighborhood.
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You don't have to like them, but you have to respect the game they played today. Hell of a game.
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You don't have to like them, but you have to respect the game they played today. Hell of a game.
A major impressive team, no doubt.
Pretty much the whole 2nd half once Indy kept tieing it up I kept thinking it was gonna be another SD - you were obviously the better team but, mainly because of special teams (translate that into making fewer mistakes), they were gonna win.
That is one well-coached team.
The poster formerly known as Rimfire
I have no love for the Pats...but I have much respect.
They are a great team, and extremely well coached.
When you're playing against a stacked deck, compete even harder. Show the world how much you'll fight for the winners circle. If you do, someday the cellophane will crackle off a fresh pack, one that belongs to you, and the cards will be stacked in your favor.
-Pat Riley
San Diego controlled the line of scrimmage. I don't think either team dominated either line of scrimmage in the Colts-Pats game, at least until the 4th quarter and Indy's O-line seemed to step it up a bit. There was still a lot of pressure on Manning even in the 4th however.
The main difference seemed to be safety and linebacker pass coverage across the middle. The throws to Dallas Clark were killers, from a Pats fan perspective. Not having Rodney Harrison might have been a major factor. He is just about as critical to the Pats as Bob Sanders is to the Colts.
other major factors that weren't obvious:
1) the good old days when the Colts had van der Shank, the Pats could have counted on a missed FG or PAT, or at least a kicker who lacked the patience to wait for the holder to get the ball down on the two bobbled snaps.
2) the Pats seemed satisfied with FGs on their last two possessions when more creative play-calling (like was seen under Charley Weis) may have helped. Well, Caldwell catching the wide open pass at 31-31 unguarded on the outside would have helped too.
3) Sometimes the ball just bounces goofy ways. The touchdowns by Mankins (Pats) and Saturday (Colts) were both extremely fluky, as well as Wayne fumbling up into the air and then pulling it back down.
All in all a very entertaining game. This Pats fan is happy for you Colts fans. You deserve some good fortune.
In the second half the Pats never scored with a full field. Their TD was with the ball starting at about the Indy 20 and the 2 FG's were from around midfield. Indy marched up and down the field - I won't say at will but they scored 5 times and each drive started inside their own 35. And Rhodes ripped off runs of 5-10 yards with some regularity.
I'm not sure how it's possible to say the teams looked anywhere close to even in the 2nd half. Of course they didn't in the first half either - the other way around.
The poster formerly known as Rimfire
I wasn't saying that the teams overall looked even. I was judging the "play in the trenches" i.e. the OL and DL. I though San Diego physically beat up NE last week at the point of attack, on both sides i.e. their OL ruled and their DL ruled. LT could get 5 yards without having to make anyone miss. There was tons of pressure on Brady and none on Rivers.
Yesterday I thought that both of these teams battled pretty evenly up front until the Pats DL got winded in the 4th. Both teams continually put pressure on the opposing QB and got penetration, tackles for loss, sacks, hurries, etc. Even when Peyton got into a great rhythm in the second half he was getting hurried and knocked around, and the same for Brady. As to the running game I never felt that either team was just opening up big holes to run through at will-- the holes were there only when the D was tricked, like running draw plays from spread formations.
The Pats running game in the second half was pretty pathetic. They stopped trying, it seemed. The Maroney we saw in the playoffs was nothing like the guy in the first 10 games. He never came back close to 100% from bruised/broken ribs.
Yep.... they don't beat themselves. I still can't believe we beat them - we beat a LEGENDARY team! WOOOO
You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?
I wouldn't say this was our best team, but then again..this wasn't the Colts best team.
We'll be back next year and we'll be alot better with some WR's who can actually catch the ball. Caldwell had 2 HUGE drops in this game..But no excuses from this Pats fan. Colts played a great game. I really do expect them to beat the Bears in a blowout. I'm not the biggest Colts fan..but I do want Marvin to get his ring. I'll be cheering for the Colts when they play the Bears...AFC REPRESENT!
True, but I think any Pats team with Tom Brady + an above-average defense (and maybe I should toss Bruschi in there too, I'm not really a pats fan) is going to have a certain aura about it, and I'm just happy as hell to beat a team like that. But yeah, that Pats'll be back. They are going to win at least one more SB during the Brady era.... there's not really any denying it...
You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?
I don't like them and I don't respect them, you act as classless as them and you lose the right to the respect you earned on teh field.
Classless in defeat and Victory. Belli seemed like he and his team had to end each game with a show of disrespect.
Anybody with reasonable intelligence has to respect what this team has done. With the salary cap tightening, they have done what would seem to be inconcievable... win 3 Superbowls. And let's be honest, for at least one half it looked like they were going back. And my money would have been on them vs. the Bears for number 4.
But hey... enough is enough! It is so boring to see the same team win year after year. Even when my beloved Cowboys were winning in the Jimmy Johnson years, I was ready to watch somebody else win. Dynasties are boring and it is much more fun to at least have several teams who duke it out for the championship year after year.
This city has never had a championship in the NFL or NBA, so I am so hopeful that we can finally get it. I, like Shade, have become convinced that a team from Indy will never win the whole thing. The Pacers came oh so close, but they were really no match for the Lakers.
Unlike the Pacers/Lakers series, I think Indy has a much better chance with the Colts/Bears.
Anyway, the Pats are a solid organiation and unfortunately... they'll be back.
Seventy percent of me talking on the court is personally for me to get me
motivated and going. Thirty percent is to see if I can get into the opponents head.
Reggie Miller
Brichard I wouldn't be implying other people lack intelligence. Respect has to be earned, they earned it on the field, and lost it off the field. I recognize their accomplishments, I don't respect them, they tainted the accomplishments.
BTW only fools deal in absolutes.
Isn't that an absolute...?
You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?
Seventy percent of me talking on the court is personally for me to get me
motivated and going. Thirty percent is to see if I can get into the opponents head.
Reggie Miller
BTW I was very impressed with NE's defensive backs...I've never seen so many passes swatted away.
I imagine the coaching staff saw something they thought they could take advantage of but the Pats DB's covered deep, well-thrown balls about as well as I've ever seen done.
The poster formerly known as Rimfire
We are talking about 2 totally different things. There are lots of players whom I despise off the field or dislike what they do on the field. I'm sure if you looked up and down our roster, you would find some players on our beloved Colts who don't live up to your expectations on a personal level. And some would say we did a little celebratory taunting during this game.
Respect in the context of this post is "a worthy adversary." I had a wrestling coach who said "you never want to fear an opponent or overlook them. But you do want to respect them." Respect in this post is not related to whether or not the Patriots are role models for sportsmanship.
Seventy percent of me talking on the court is personally for me to get me
motivated and going. Thirty percent is to see if I can get into the opponents head.
Reggie Miller
Definitly no love for them... but they played one heck of a game. They kept it interesting...
Did anyone notice that Belichick completely brushed off Peyton at the 50 yard line? I didn't catch anything weird at the time (and to tell the truth, it was because I was too busy celebrating), I found out about it on my way to work listening to Mike and Mike.


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We ventured out to see Life of Pi tonight. Boy was I surprised when we were handed 3-D glasses. I suggested to Tuffy P that we see this one, but had I known it was in 3-D, I would have chosen a different film. I don't like wearing 3-D glasses, at least in part because I have to wear them over my normal glasses. As well, I find the 3-D effects to be strange and artificial, at least some of the time.
In the case of Life of Pi, felt it would have been a better film if the filmmaker had made the commitment to make it without 3-D. It would have been a shorter film, and would not have taken the time to languish in filmic effects, and I would have been fine with that. On the whole, my biggest criticism of the film is that it was too long in any case. I think a full half hour could have been edited out and the film would have been stronger.
Still, it is a beautiful work and a fantastic story and it's well worth seeing.


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Rob Zombie's 'Great American Nightmare'
Where: Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona When: 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 10-13; Oct. 17-20; Oct. 24- 27; Oct. 31-Nov. 2
Cost: $30 to $80 depending on what musical act performs; price includes three haunted houses and The Bloody Blvd. movie attraction
Information: www.greatamericannightmare.com
Here is the complete list of acts:
3OH!3 with Wallpaper on Oct. 10
Blood on the Dance Floor, HeavyGrinder and Uncle Fryday on Oct. 11
Twiztid, Kottonmouth Kings and Blaze Ya Dead Homie on Oct. 12
Ozomatli with a special guest on Oct. 13
The Used, William Control and a Slidebar Battle of the Bands event on Oct. 17
DJ BL3ND with Dirtyloud and One More Time (Daft Punk Tribute) On Oct. 18
The Vandals, TSOL, The Dickies and Duane Peters on Oct. 19
Lucha Libre USA Wrestling and Metalachi on Oct. 20
Emilie Autumn, Disco Death featuring VJ Ginger Fish and The Ex Girlfriends featuring Lupe Fuentes on Oct. 24
Doctor P, Zomboy, Terravita and Evol Intent on Oct. 25
Vampires Everywhere, Winds of Plague, Butcher Babies and Ghost Town on Oct. 26
Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger and a special guest on Oct. 27
Andrew W.K., Mod Sun and Beware of Darkness on Oct. 31
Destroid (Excision, Downlink and KJ Sawka), Dirtyphonics and Fei-Fei on Nov. 1
Rob Zombie, Eagles of Death Metal, Powerman 5000 and 45 Grave on Nov. 2
POMONA >> Rob Zombie's "Great American Nightmare" aims to make make fear-seekers skin crawl with its Zombie-approved haunted house attraction. And that's not even with the help of the horror film festival and major musical acts that also are part of the scary fun.
"If people say this thing isn't scary — these people have to be crazy," said haunted house producer Steve Kopelman.
Kopelman points to the attraction "In Total Black Out" as just one example that should get the knees shaking.
"You go through that attraction with a hood over your head so you can't see anything. It's extreme," he said.
He added, however, that the faint of heart can skip it because: "We have something for everyone." (Though, honestly, organizers say the experience is not for young children or people who get offended or scare easily.)
The nightmare begins Oct. 10 at the Fairplex — renamed the Fearplex — inside buildings 6 and 7.
A Bloody Boulevard, with classic horror films, a DJ, food, beer and spirit vendors, are available as well as different music acts each night.
Music producer Kevin Lyman, known for the Vans Warped Tour, said he never has built a haunted house attraction so he brought in Kopelman.
"He owns hauntedhouse.com and is one of the premier haunted house builders in the country," Lyman said. "It is pretty epic." Construction on the haunted house began on the East Coast on Oct. 2. To get to the Fearplex, it traveled in parts on trains and trucks, Lyman said.
There are three haunted houses at the Pomona venue — The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto 3D, Haunt Of 1,000 Corpses and the Lords of Salem — and are twice the size they have at the amusement parks, Kopelman said. "And it's sequential. You go from one into the next and into the next. The whole trip is 45 minutes. It's a lot more extreme than the other attractions."
It took more than $2 million to construct the attraction, Kopelman said.
A major challenge in putting together the haunted houses was meeting Zombie's high horror and low price standards, Kopelman said.
"I think we got the best pricing of any haunted house in the country," Kopelman said. "You get so much for the value. On Thursday or Sunday night if you go to the haunted house you get a concert."
Kicking off the concert side of the attraction will be the 3OH!3 on Oct. 10. To bring it all to a close, fittingly, will be Rob Zombie himself on Nov. 2.
Rob Zombie's younger brother, Spider One of Powerman 5000, is slated as the opening act on Nov. 2. "I was really happy to find out it was on his night, the big closing night," said Spider One, whose real name is Michael David Cummings. "I feel like it couldn't have worked out better. It's a pretty good look."
The singer added he plans to perform a Powerman 5000 greatest hits set. The group is known for hits like "When Worlds Collide," "Bombshell" and "Nobody's Real" and is currently working on a new album to come out through Universal.
"With any live show, we always give people what they want and play the songs they want to hear," he said. "We're not trying to do an obscure set list, Especially when you play only 40 minutes, you got to keep it on point. We might throw out a new one."
Kopelman described the team of Zombie, himself, Andy Gould and music producers Lyman and John Reese as an all-star group.
"It's kind of a dream team, something like this," Kopelman said. "In that regard, Rob gave me the perfect vehicle to do haunted houses with his movies, so that part made it really easy and everybody works real well together and we communicate real well."
Lyman, who grew up in Claremont and graduated from Cal Poly Pomona, said the goal is to put on another "Nightmare" next year.


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Did You Know?
Unlike most cats, Lions are excellent swimmers.
In 1996, Linda Wager began working at a place she often visited as a kid. She grew up in the area, and the zoo was a memorable part of her childhood. This month, Linda is retiring from her 15-year career as a keeper at Potter Park Zoo. I caught up with her recently to gain some insight on her experiences here.
Q: What is your favorite animal at the zoo?
Linda: The penguins are definitely my favorite. Each has their own unique personality, and they're a lot of fun to take care of.
Q: Which task did you enjoy most as a zookeeper?
Linda: I really like feeding baby animals; it's very special to assist in caring for them. Some of the sweetest ones were a bear, tiger, and Zack the yak.
Q: Why is the zoo important to you and your community?
Linda: Potter Park Zoo is Michigan's oldest zoo and it educates kids on the upbringing and conservation of animals. I think that's pretty important!
Q: What are some noticeable differences between when you started at PPZ and now?
Linda: There have been many new and improved animal exhibits; my personal favorite is the ostrich and oryx yard.
Q: Do you have plans for your post-zoo future?
Linda: I'm moving to Florida, but I'll be back in Michigan twice a year. I look forward to visiting my family here, and of course Potter Park Zoo.
Q: Any parting thoughts?
Linda: Potter Park Zoo has been a wonderful environment for me. I really enjoyed working as a team with my fellow zookeeper Dennis; we balanced each other out well! I've learned so much here, and I feel very fortunate that I chose a career where I looked forward to coming to work every day.


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Most agencies post agendas on their websites at least 72 hours before meetings.
- Mendocino Unified School District board of trustees meeting, Thursday, March 20, 5 p.m., Comptche School.
- Special Fort Bragg City Council meeting, Friday, March 21, 9 a.m., Police Department conference room. 2014 Economic Development Strategy Workshop.
- City Council meeting, Monday, March 24, 6 p.m., Town Hall, FB.
- Fort Bragg Community Development Committee, Tuesday, March 25, 3 p.m., City Hall conference room, 416 N. Franklin St.
- Mendocino Coast Health Care District Planning Committee, Tuesday, March 25, 3 p.m., MCDH Redwoods conference room, 700 River Dr., FB.
- Fort Bragg Planning Commission, Wednesday, March 26, 6 p.m., Town Hall, 363 N. Main St.
- Mendocino Coast District Hospital Mental Health Forum, Wednesday, March 26, 6-8 p.m., MCDH Redwoods Room, 700 River Dr., FB.
- Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA) board of directors' meeting, Thursday, March 27, 1:30 p.m., Integrated Service Center, 221 S. Lenore St., Willits. 234-6447.
- Mendocino City Community Services District, Monday, March 31, 7 p.m., Wastewater Treament Plant office, 10500 Kelley St., Mendocino.
- Fort Bragg Timberwolves baseball team plays St. Vincent's, 4 p.m., FB High School Patton Field.
- Dine-out to benefit Mendocino Art Center, 5 p.m., Little River Inn, Mendocino. 937-5818.
- "The Ease of Self-Healing," 6 p.m., Mendocino Center for Spiritual Living Gathering Place, Company Store, FB.
- Club de la Lengua, 6-7:30 p.m., Fort Bragg Public Library Community Room. 961-3615.
- Community poetry reading, 6:30-7 p.m., Gallery Bookshop, Mendocino. 937-2665.
- Community meeting to prepare for Caltrans' April 23 meeting about Albion bridges replacement project, 7 p.m., Albion School. firstname.lastname@example.com.
- Third Thursday Poetry Series with Stephen Kessler, 7:30 p.m., 215 Main St., Point Arena. 884-9189.
- The Cottages at Cypress
ribbon cutting and open house, 10 a.m., 330 Cypress St., FB.
- Healthier Living with a Chronic Condition 6-week workshop begins 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. today, Mendocino Coast Clinics. 964-1251 ext. 3554.
- Pollinator workshop, 1-4 p.m., River's Bend Retreat Center, 18450 Rays Rd., Philo. 895-3230.
- Occupy Mendocino rally, 4-5 p.m., Alder and Hwy. 1, FB. 937-0334.
- League of Women Voters' Annual Meet & Greet your elected officials, 5-7 p.m., Caspar Community Center. 937-4952.
- The Gualala Arts Global Harmony Season of Offerings presents Rumi's Caravan, 6 p.m., 46501 Gualala Rd., Gualala. 884-1138.
- Big River Stewards and Mendocino Land Trust invite volunteers to help restore Big River beach, 10 a.m.-noon. 962-0470.
- Mendocino County Republican Central Committee meeting, 10 a.m., Moura Senior Housing, 400 South St., FB. 321-2592.
- Mendocino Abalone Watch volunteer training, 10-noon, Caspar Community Center. Public welcome to attend without signing up to volunteer, 937-3725.
- Music, crafts and food, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Dolphin Isle Marina, South Harbor Drive to Basin Street.
- Whale talk, meet at MacKerricher State Park visitor center, 11 a.m. 961-0471.
- Mendocino Coast Handweavers Guild, "Weaving on the Triangle Loom," 11 a.m., Pacific Textile Arts, 450 Alger St., FB.
- CRV collection to benefit ALRVFD, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Little River Fire Station.
- History on the Headlands walk, 2-3:30 p.m., meet at Ford House Visitor Center, 45035 Main St., Mendocino. 961-0471.
- Music, crafts and food, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Dolphin Isle Marina, South Harbor Drive to Basin Street.
- Community Open House, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Gallery Bookshop, Mendocino. 937-2665.
- Whale talk, meet at MacKerricher State Park visitor center, 11 a.m. 961-0471.
- CRV collection to benefit ALRVFD, 1-3 p.m., Little River Fire Station.
- California Retired Teachers meeting, 11:30 a.m., Jensen's Restaurant, 1550 Lovers Lane, Ukiah. RSVP 462-9486.
- County library community planning meeting, 6-7:30 p.m., Fort Bragg Public Library Community Room. 463-4492.
- DevaOcean Kirtan, 6:30 p.m., Saranam, 10401 Nichols Ln., Mendocino. 964-4502.
- Memorial Service for Mendocino Sheriff's Deputy Ricky Del Fiorentino, 10 a.m., Cotton Auditorium, 500 N. Harold St., Fort Bragg. - Caspar Winter Market, noon-2 p.m., indoors at the Caspar Community Center.
- Dine-out to benefit Montessori del Mar, 4-8 p.m., The Cliff House of Fort Bragg. 357-1121.
- Community forum to discuss what an effective mental health care system looks like, 6-8 p.m., Mendocino Coast District Hospital, Redwoods Room. 961-4657.
- Introduction to and movie about nonviolent communication, 6 p.m., Mendocino Center for Spiritual Living Gathering Place, Company Store, FB. 937-3439.
-Mendo Alcohol Fuel Group meeting, 7-9 p.m., Fort Bragg Grange Hall.
- Grandparents Raising Grandchildren support group, 9-11 a.m., Safe Passage Family Resource Center, 208 Dana St., FB. 964-1931.
- Teen Book Club, 4 p.m., Fort Bragg Library. 961-2625.
- Coast Toasters' demonstration meeting, 5:15-6:30 p.m., Fort Bragg Library, 499 Laurel St.
- Occupy Mendocino rally, 4-5 p.m., Alder and Hwy. 1, FB. 937-0334.
- Rummage Sale, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Caspar Community Center, 15051 Caspar Rd., Caspar. 964-4997.
- Whale talk, meet at MacKerricher State Park visitor center, 11 a.m. 961-0471.
- History on the Headlands walk, 2-3:30 p.m., meet at Ford House Visitor Center, 45035 Main St., Mendocino. 961-0471.
- Special Olympics Seagulls basketball team vs. FB Fire Dept., Coast Guard and law enforcement teams (3 games), 5 p.m., Fort Bragg High School gymnasium.
- Whale talk, meet at MacKerricher State Park visitor center, 11 a.m. 961-0471.
- Fried chicken fundraiser dinner to benefit Fort Bragg Middle School wrestlers, 4-7 p.m., David's Deli, Boatyard Center, FB.
- Coast Cinemas: "Mr. Peabody & Sherman," " Need for Speed," " The Muppets: Most Wanted," " Divergent"; ending Thursday: "300: Rise of an Empire," "Gravity," "12 Years a Slave." 167 S. Franklin St., FB. 964-2019.
- "More Than Honey," documentary film, Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m., The Shed (behind the ice cream shop), Boonville. 895-3230.
- "Rebels With a Cause," screening and discussion, Wednesday, March 26, 6 p.m., Fort Bragg Library, 499 Laurel St., FB. 510-684-1348.
- Mendocino Film Festival screens "Bidder 70," Monday, March 24, 7 p.m., Arena Theater, Point Arena, and Saturday, March 29, 7 p.m., SPACE Theatre, Ukiah. 707-937-0171.
- "Other Desert Cities," plays through April 6, Thursdays-Saturdays 8 p.m., selected Sundays 2 p.m., Mendocino Theatre Company, 45200 Little Lake St., Mendocino. 937-4477.
- "The Breakfast Club," presented by Mendocino High School, Fridays and Saturdays, March 21-22 and 28-29, 7 p.m., Matheson Performing Arts Center, Mendocino. 937-0138.
- "Guys and Dolls, Jr.," presented by Gloriana's Young Performers, weekends March 28-April 13, Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays 3 p.m., Eagles Hall, 210 N. Corry, FB.
- Hit and Run Theater improvisational comedy, Friday and Saturday, March 28-29, 7 p.m. Hill House of Mendocino. 937-1732.
- Fort Bragg High School Drama Club presents "Footloose the Musical," March 28-April 6, Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m., tickets at the door.
- Auditions for "The Graduate," March 24-25, 6 p.m., Mendocino Theatre Company, 937-2718.
- Skype your audition to New York director of Gloriana Theatre's "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," Sunday, March 23, noon-2 p.m., Fort Bragg Library. 964-7469 for appt.
- Mendocino Art Center presents folk-singing group "Tangled Up in Blue," Thursday, March 20, 8 p.m., Little River Inn Abalone Room. 937-5818 ext. 10.
- Mendocino Stories and Music Series features Steven Bates acoustic concert, Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m., Mendocino Hotel. 937-1732.
- "Schieve's Soul Survivors," Motown, all ages welcome, Saturday, March 22, 7:30 p.m., Hill House of Mendocino. 937-1732.
- Symphony of the Redwoods presents a special OPUS chamber music concert, Sunday, March 30, 3 p.m., First Presbyterian Church of Fort Bragg, 367 S. Sanderson. 916-200-8749.
- Tom Brown, Blues and Bluegrass free event, Saturday, March 22, 7 p.m., ICONS, 45050 Albion St., Mendocino. 937-1784.
- MacCallum House Grey Whale Bar, live music, Friday, 8:30 p.m. 45020 Albion St., Mendocino.
- Headlands Coffee House, live music nightly. 120 Laurel St., FB.
- North Coast Brewery, dinner jazz, Fridays and Saturdays, 6-9 p.m., Main and Pine, FB.
- Old Abalone Pub, Westport Hotel, Friday, 6-9 p.m.
- Patterson's Pub, live music, Wednesdays, 7 p.m., Lansing Street, Mendocino.
- V'Canto, live music Fridays and Saturdays. 124 E. Laurel, FB.
- Tango Dance, Thursdays, 7:30-10 p.m., Caspar Community Center. 937-0078.
- Square Dance, Tuesdays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Social Hall, Trinity Lutheran Church, Corry and Redwood, FB.
- Swing Dance, Fridays, 7-9 p.m., Weller House Ballroom, 524 Stewart St., FB.
- Fort Bragg Grange, 1st Sunday, Inglenook, 6 miles north of FB on Hwy 1, 8-11:30 a.m.
- Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast, 2nd Sunday 8-noon. St. Anthony's Hall, North Lansing, Mendocino.
- VFW, 3rd Sunday 8-11:30 a.m. Veterans Hall, Laurel & North Harrison, FB.
- Caspar Community Center breakfast and book sale, 4th Sunday 9-11 a.m.; social networking at noon. 15051 Caspar Rd.
- Whitesboro Grange breakfast, 4th Sunday 8-11:30 a.m. 32510 Navarro Ridge Rd., Albion.
- Knights of Columbus, all-you-can-eat Mexican breakfast, 5th Sunday, 8-noon. St. Anthony's, North Lansing, Mendocino.
- Whitesboro Grange, potluck social, 2nd Friday 6 p.m. Take dinnerware.
- Noyo Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society meeting, Wednesday, March 26, 7 p.m., Fort Bragg Presbyterian Church. 962-0565.
- Fort Bragg Garden Club, meets second Monday, 1 p.m., meeting room, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. FB. 974-3798.
- Join The Learning Garden at Noyo Food Forest weekdays anytime from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. No exp. necessary. Volunteers take home free fresh food.
- Senior Kitchen Garden, help grow vegetables for the Senior Center's lunch program. Workdays, Monday, 1-3 p.m., 490 N. Harold St., FB, 964-7673.
- Ford House Visitor Center. Daily 11 a.m.-4 p.m., 735 Main St., Mendocino. 937-5397.
- Fort Bragg Sea Glass Museum, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free tours. 17801 N. Hwy 1, FB. 962-0590.
- Grace Hudson Museum, Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sunday, noon-4:30 p.m., 431 S. Main St., Ukiah. 467-2836
- Guest House Museum, Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 343 Main St., FB. 964-2404, 964-4251.
- Kelley House Museum, 45007 Albion St., Mendocino. Museum: Friday-Monday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; walking tours, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. Research center: Tuesday-Friday, by appoint 937-5791.
- Little River Improvement Club Museum, by appointment, email@example.com. 937-2545.
- Mendocino County Museum, Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 400 E. Commercial St., Willits. 459-2736.
- Point Cabrillo Lighthouse and The Lightkeeper's House Museum, daily 11 a.m.-4 p.m., 45300 Lighthouse Road, Mendocino. 937-6122.
- Triangle Tattoo & Museum. Free tours upon request, daily, noon to 7 p.m. 356B N. Main, FB. 964-8814.
- Coast Community Library, 225 Main St., Point Arena, 882-3114.
- Mendocino Community Library, corner of William and Little Lake St., Mendocino. Hours: Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Sundays. 937-5773.
- Mendocino County Public Library, 499 E. Laurel St., FB. Closed Monday. Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Wednesday, noon-8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Fort Bragg Children's Programming, Winter 2013: Toddler Storytime, Thursday, 10:15 a.m.; Preschool Storytime, Friday, 10:15 a.m. Free Internet access, wifi 24/7. 964-2020.
- Pacific Textile Arts Library with books and magazines on all aspects of textile arts, 450 Alger St. (off east end of Laurel), FB. Thursday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., or by appoint 964-3600.


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NHL playoffs: Penguins top Islanders in Game 6 OT, advance to second round
By Allan Muir
The NHL playoffs revolve around the discovery of unlikely heroes. And they don't come much less likely than Brooks Orpik.
The stay-at-home defender failed to score a single goal during the 48-game regular season. He'd never lit the lamp in 77 postseason contests. But when Tyler Kennedy put one on a tee for him 7:49 into overtime, Orpik blasted a miraculous shot that somehow managed to hit the crossbar and both posts before crossing the goal line to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a series-clinching 4-3 win over the gritty New York Islanders.
Despite being outplayed in every facet of the game by the Isles, the Penguins relied on character and experience to fight back from three deficits before finally ending the season of the gutsy eighth seed.
Fair to say the Isles deserved a better fate. They outshot Pittsburgh 38-21. They outhit the Pens. They crushed them in the face-off circle. But they couldn't put them away when when they had the chance, and that's the difference between a team that goes on and a team that goes home.
John Tavares, Colin McDonald and Michael Grabner scored for the Islanders. Jarome Iginla, Pascal Dupuis and Paul Martin also tallied for the Pens, who now move on to face the Ottawa Senators in the second round.
Here are some observations from the game:
GAME 6: Recap | Boxscore | Highlights | Complete postseason schedule
• It's nice and all that the Pens just won a playoff series for the first time since 2010, but getting past the No. 8 seed shouldn't have been so difficult. With a chance to close out an inferior side, they offered up an uninspired performance that never should have gotten them to overtime, let alone spared them a do-or-die Game 7. After being outplayed by the Islanders in four of the six games, this wasn't a win as much as an escape. If not for a sizzling power play that clicked at a rate of one-in-three chances, they might not have been so lucky.
• Evgeni Malkin seemed to have little stomach for the battle early on (maybe that surprisingly stiff hit delivered by Grabner early in the first period took some of the starch out of him), but with the game on the line, he responded magnificently with a pair of assists that showcased his game-breaking ability.
Malkin went end-to-end to set up the tying goal late in the third, driving through four Islanders and around the net before setting up Paul Martin's seeing-eye point blast. That one was all about puck patience. And on the winner, Malkin won a puck battle in the corner with Isles captain Mark Streit before finding Kennedy, who then relayed it to Orpik for his moment of glory. That one was all about power. You see him wreak that much havoc in 10 minutes, you wonder what kind of damage he might inflict if the switch is flipped on when the puck drops. His teammates are hoping he finds it soon. Considering how tight this series was, it's pretty clear he's going to have to come closer to a complete game if the Pens are to go deep.
• Casey Cizikas. Wow. If that kid were a free agent this summer, he'd have 29 teams knocking on his agent's door. Tough (he survived a scary skate-to-the-throat incident in the first period), quick and tenacious, he's the sort of third-line energy type that a winning team can rely on. The Isles are lucky to have him.
• When the Isles are dwelling on this loss over the summer -- this one's going to haunt them for a looong time -- they'll look back at their missed opportunities in the second period as the point at which Game 6 slipped away. Their forecheck kept the Pens hemmed in their own zone so effectively that Pittsburgh went more than eight minutes without a shot on net. The pressure led to three power play chances that generated some prime scoring chances, but their agonizing insistence on over-passing to set up the perfect tap-in -- and their inability to finish when they actually did direct the puck at Tomas Vokoun -- left them clinging to a 2-1 lead that slipped away when Dupuis scored on Pittsburgh's third shot, 10:59 into the frame.
The Isles crafted an effective game plan and never let up on their ferocious checking or the defensive structure that saw them quickly close in on the puck carrier and cut off passing and shooting lanes. But in the end, they couldn't match Pittsbugh's ability to finish the chances New York allowed them. Of course, that .842 save percentage Evgeni Nabokov posted might have helped their cause.
• Mike Milbury made an interesting point on the NBC postgame show: Vokoun may have won this series for the Penguins, but is he really the guy you want carrying the ball the rest of the way? No argument that he was the difference-maker for Pittsburgh. He put up a shutout in the pivotal fifth game, then spent most of Game 6 under siege while his defense fumbled away clearing chances and left attackers to stand in the greasy areas unmolested. He stopped 67 of 70 shots for a league-leading .957 save percentage to give the Pens a chance to win -- something Marc-Andre Fleury failed to do. And it's also true that he's stopped a lot of pucks over the past decade, though mostly with non-playoff teams. So is it fair to say that Vokoun can't be trusted? Milbury makes some sense here. At this point, Vokoun deserves to start against Ottawa (probably Tuesday or Wednesday, by my scientific projections), and to keep rolling even after he inevitably loses one. But he isn't the guy you're paying nearly $6 million a year to lead the team to the Cup. That's Marc-Andre Fleury, and as soon as the moment dictates, he should be back between the pipes. At least, until he melts down again...
• There are going to be plenty of love letters written to the Islanders after they showered themselves with distinction in this series. They deserve them all. A three-legged underdog coming into the showdown with the Pens, they gave the best team in the East all it could handle over the course of five compelling games (the opener, not so much). They also gave the Senators, and other teams if the Pens happen to advance, the introductory chapter on how to beat Pittsburgh. The Isles proved that their defense becomes a turnover machine when facing physical pressure, or even the hint of it, as Kris Letang proved when he gave away the puck that Grabner deposited behind Vokoun. And this is not a particularly big or physical Islanders team. The Sens are bigger, stronger and meaner than the Isles and you can bet they'll start tenderizing Pittsburgh's blueliners from the moment the puck drops. Unless Vokoun has the book on his former partner in Florida, Craig Anderson, they'll have to tighten up considerably to keep things close.Brock Nelson Ryan Strome Nino Niederreiter Griffin Reinhart Matt Donovan Calvin de Haan Tim Thomas Roberto Luongo


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After all, look how well the Bulls did after winning the preseason trophy... wait...This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Preseason should be nothing but a chance to scrimmage against someone other than teammates who already know everything about what you are doing. It should be a chance to run into some worst-case scenarios and get players tuned up for being on the court. Preseason is an extension of training camp. Thinking a preseason record means anything at all is like thinking a team that doesn't win at least 75 games isn't taking the regular season seriously.


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MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar Stores has named Colin McGinnis to the position of SVP store operations support, store development and procurement. McGinnis will report to Barry Sullivan, EVP store operations.
"Over the last several years, we have expanded our assortment to be more relevant to our customers, and we have improved our store standards to make our stores easier to shop," said Sullivan. "Through Colin's leadership and store operations experience we intend to improve how we take care of our stores and our team members."
McGinnis joined Family Dollar in August of 2004 as a regional VP, where he was the operations lead on the development of the store of the future project. In 2006, he was named VP store operations support and process improvement. Most recently, McGinnis added additional responsibility for store services, procurement and store development. Prior to joining Family Dollar, McGinnis held positions of increasing responsibility with a national drug store chain.


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Tuesday, 4 October 2011
When I was a kid, we used to buy this really cheap washing up liquid called Sunlight. I can't find a picture now of how it used to look - there's no reason why I should be able to. It was one of those cylindrical white plastic tubes that you willed empty so you could glue Airfix model parts onto and spraypaint silver to make a rocket like they showed you on Blue Peter. Or maybe that was just me.
But anyway.
It had a really cheap artificial lemon smell, and from the pack above I'm guessing that hasn't changed. And we used to have a thick, heavy dishcloth that never got washed or replaced (our house was superficially spotless but some of the detail was well dodgy). This dishcloth was used to wipe down surfaces and clean plates, and after the cleaning was done it was never hung over the tap to dry out; it was just left in a bundle in the bottom of the bowl. And so it acquired a kind of damp smell, but the artificial lemon aroma was so powerful it override the damp smell, and the smell of grease.
This lemon-wet-damp-cloth-grease smell sounds disgusting. But I liked it. I don't know why, I just did. And it's a smell, or a sense memory of one, that I get from some ultra-hoppy IPAs. Just as runny French cheese might be described as 'sweaty socks', or certain aged beers as 'farmyard', divorced from its context - or perhaps even because of it if we're driven by bravado - it's a negative association used to describe an appealing smell. If you've ever heard me describe a beer as smelling of 'wet dishcloth', this is a more detailed description of what I mean.
Over at GABF last week, I heard people describing hop character as 'dank' - this was a new one on me. I wasn't even sure if it was a descriptor or a new hop variety I hadn't heard of. According to my OED, dank means 'unpleasantly damp and cold', and is of Middle English origin, probably from the Swedish word for 'marshy spot'. And the ever-helpful Stan Hieronymous explained to me that it was being used here to describe a full-on West Coast hoppy character, big on citrus - big on everything - and best exemplified by Simcoe hops.
When I sniffed a proffered example, there it was: my old mum's damp, artificial lemon dishcloth smell.
It's probably more than coincidence that US hop freaks have chosen a word that means 'damp' to describe an extreme hop aroma that I associate with an eternally damp, lemon-impregnated dishcloth.
I'm feeling ambivalent about extreme hops at the moment - which I'll write more about in due course - but I'm glad I now have a word to describe one of my favourite extreme hop aromas. I love it - it's a good word, slightly dangerous and a little alienating, and therefore perfect.
17 comments:
You happen to try the Pro-Am American IPA at GABF called Dankness? It was quite nice... and dank.
- 4 October 2011 at 09:18
- Jeff Rosenmeier said...
Not sure they explained it to you fully. Dank in the States means the smell you get when you put your head in a fresh bag of 'weed' (or Medical Cannabis in CA and CO)...that is Dank and the US hops (I like Columbus for this) give you this character when dry hopped with...
- 4 October 2011 at 09:20
- Evan Rail said...
Pete, on the West Coast of the US, "dank" has long meant weed, especially moist, sticky green buds. AKA The Kind.
In beer, people used to use "dank" to refer to the resiny, herbal, marijuana-like hop aromas that are most like dank weed. Not sure if that's close to the smell of your washing-up liquid, but for what it's worth...
- 4 October 2011 at 09:20
In the US, 'dank' is also used for very potent cannabis, so could it be that this is why the term is used when describing very hoppy beers?
The two plants are related, and a heady, hoppy aroma would certainly bear comparison!
- 4 October 2011 at 09:51
- Pete Brown said...
Ha! The joy of blogging. I guess Stan was being a little polite.
Obviously the weed is the thing. But my alternative history, while completely wrong, also works.
Hops eh? Whatever will they do next?
- 4 October 2011 at 10:07
- Alan said...
But the taste you taste is still there, Pete. I describe it as aiming aerosol lemon furniture polish straight into your mouth. Which would also leave you in a certain mental state with a gob-full of stickiness.
- 4 October 2011 at 12:42
- Stan Hieronymus said...
One more date point: The 2009 pro-am winner was "Herbal Joe's Columbarillo IPA." Yes, it was dank.
- 4 October 2011 at 12:55
- Stan Hieronymus said...
Oops, that was "data point." Must have stuck my head in the wrong bag this morning.
I agree with Alan. What you smell, how the word provides context and the memories that follow make just as much sense.
I guess our conversation was a continuation of one started a few hours before about where "dank" ends and "catty" begins. Defining that is definitely a fool's errand, but it my errand.
- 4 October 2011 at 15:32
- Jeff Alworth said...
I've always hated the word "dank" to describe the catty, marijuana-scented aroma of some Northwest hops (CTZ is another culprit). It's an inexact word in its ganja context, and when applied to hop character becomes essentially disconnected from the English language. But arguing slang is a mook's game.
As a bit of added commentary, it's worth noting that the Cascadian corridor--No. Cal to British Columbia--is a famous pot-cultivation zone. West Coast weed is famously strong and wet, and there's a long tradition of West Coast stoner culture in which words to describe the plant are as varied and colorful as Inuit words for snow.
Hmmm, all of this is giving me the idea of a post...
- 4 October 2011 at 17:30
- Des de Moor said...
Ah, that explains why Sweetwater in Atlanta have a series of extreme beers called Dank Tank, which always puzzled me. Dank to me is musty, also a beer flavour characteristic but a very different one. However I have been known to note (not unpleasant) washing up liquid and detergent flavours in some beers, often from the hop resins. Nothing like the stench of the stuff the annoying local urchins smoke on the stairs of our block when one of my less attentive neighbours fails to shut the street door properly though.
- 4 October 2011 at 17:44
- Stan Hieronymus said...
Des - This means I have to point out that Sweetwater's flagship is 420 Extra Pale Ale.
Discussed "dank" with Jim Koch day after Pete and I spoke. He said, "To me dank means dirt" and therefore would be better used to describe a hop like Golding.
- 4 October 2011 at 18:15
Funny, I've always thought of the taste, similarly, as washing up liquid. Like the way a glass of water tastes if you haven't rinsed the glass properly after washing it up. But in a nice way.
- 4 October 2011 at 21:47
- Birkonian said...
I live just down the road from Port Sunlight where Lever Brothers first made Sunlight soap and detergents. Unfortunately, there are no extreme IPA's brewed there although you may find some of the locals have a little 'Dank'.
- 4 October 2011 at 22:34
I was in The Cider Bar in Newton Abbott last week.
An old bar that sells nothing but cider, which is probably how it got its name.
Among the many farmyard ciders I drank was one which simply tasted of nothing else but cow shit.
It wasn't dank but rank.
Seeing my struggle to finish it the buxom wench ( yes, indeed,there was one behind the bar ) helpfully topped it up with a couple of inches of ginger beer.
It transformed the taste instantly to one which made it approachably palatable.
Next morning after my usual ablutions Mrs Professor Pie-Tin sniffed the air and remarked " even second-hand that stuff still smells like cow shit. "
Ah,the joys of being a dedicated toper.
- 4 October 2011 at 22:48
Definitely there is a catty nature to some U.S. hops, they do have a humid musty smell some of them. I wouldn't say Cascade though, it's all bright grapefruit notes and Southern Cal sunshine to me (regardless of where grown). But some of the other American aroma hops have the character suggested by the word dank.
I don't mind it provided the taste is not overpowering, the beer is cold and fizzy (forget real ale with dank hops) and a bowl of spicy chili, or chicken wings, say, is alongside.
To get the balance I want, often I will blend an APA with an English pale ale, or an American one with a mild character.
- 4 October 2011 at 23:44
Interesting about the cider. In England earlier this year I couldn't finish a scrumpy with a similar character. I think pronounced brettanomyces (wild yeast influence) was the cause in this case.
Good distinction between dank and rank. To my taste again, dank hops can be just fine used right, with Black IPA and also U.S.-style barley wines being further instances.
I suppose in the end though it's down to the particular beer, either you like it or not!
- 5 October 2011 at 11:04
- Adrian Tierney-Jones said...
For me dank suggests a bar cellar in Paris where I used to clean the bar and loo on a Sunday night. The cellar had that musty, dank, damp earthy note that I ended up assoicating with Biere de Garde (in a very nice way).
As for danky hops, I know what you mean, but I have always though pungent and musky, almost erotic in the charge on the nose.
- 5 October 2011 at 12:46


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Dear Members,
This lovely Uposatha day I proudly present this amazing story!!
I saw Daw Mya Tin's picture! I must say that I love/admire her at first sight. She translated Dhammapada stories from the Pali so beautifully
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/v ... Q5s3jI23x8
The Story of a Resident Pupil of Thera Mahakassapa
[Translated from the Pali by Daw Mya Tin, MA]
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (61) of this book, with reference to a resident pupil of Thera Mahakassapa.
When Thera Mahakassapa was residing near Rajagaha, he had two young bhikkhus staying with him. One of them was respectful, obedient and dutiful to the thera, but the other one was not. When the old thera chided the latter for his slackness in his duties, he was very much offended. On one occasion, he went to the house of a lay-disciple of the thera, and lied to them that the thera was ill. Thus, he got some choice food from them for the thera; but he ate the food on the way. When admonished by the thera for this he was extremely angry. The next day, when the thera was out on his alms-round, the young foolish bhikkhu stayed behind, broke the pots and pans and set fire to the monastery.
When a bhikkhu from Rajagaha told the Buddha about this, the Buddha said that it would have been much better for Thera Mahakassapa to live alone than to live with a foolish companion.
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
Carance nadhigaccheyya
seyyam sadisamattano
ekacariyaram dalham kayira
natthi bale sahayata.
Verse 61: If a person seeking a companion cannot find one who is better than or equal to him, let him resolutely go on alone; there can be no companionship with a fool.
At the end of the discourse, the bhikkhu from Rajagaha attained Sotapatti Fruition.
Love Buddha's dhamma,


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A new analysis of the key Farm Bill dairy proposals under consideration in the House Agriculture Committee finds that the Dairy Security Act (DSA) is better for farmers – as well as taxpayers – compared to the Goodlatte-Scott alternative proposal that will be offered in the committee deliberations tomorrow.
The new report, prepared by University of Missouri agricultural economists Scott Brown and Daniel Madison, assessed how the Dairy Security Act would have affected farm-level economics during the period 2009 through 2012 compared with the impact of an alternative plan offered by Reps. Goodlatte and Scott (G-S). The DSA program offers dairy farmers margin insurance, coupled with a market stabilization mechanism that improves farm prices during low periods while also controlling the program's cost. The Goodlatte-Scott amendment lacks the market stabilization feature.
According to Brown and Madison's economic modelling, the DSA would have increased net farm revenues by $0.55 per cwt. over the period studied, while the Goodlatte-Scott amendment would have raised farm revenue by only $0.48 per cwt. More important from a budgetary standpoint, the Goodlatte-Scott proposal would have hiked government expenditures by $1 billion over the 2009 to 2012 period compared to the DSA, because G-S would encourage more milk production – even at lower margins.
"This new analysis gets to the heart of the question that our lawmakers must answer: do they support a plan that will save the government money while helping farmers, or will they instead endorse an alternative that results in the worst of all worlds -- lower farm milk prices and higher taxpayer outlays?," said Jerry Kozak, President and CEO of NMPF. "Regardless of your politics, the Dairy Security Act is the more fiscally responsible choice."
Contrary to claims that the DSA would short the market of milk, affecting both the domestic and export aspects of the U.S. dairy sector, the Missouri report found that "Milk production on average is virtually unchanged under either option." Brown's report did note that the DSA's market stabilization program would slow milk output in response to market signals, but that it would not have been in place frequently enough to produce long-term changes in milk production.


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GOATACRE will receive sixth pick of the best emerging talent from Gloucestershire for the 2013 campaign.
Last season's third-placed finish in WEPL Premier Two, plus a run to the semi-finals of the National Village Knockout Cup, has helped the club jump up from ninth in line and means Goatacre could have the option of drafting in a seriously exciting future star of the game for their promotion push this term.
Will Gidman was brought in last time around and proved to be an astute acquisition, averaging 66 in his three appearances and scoring 23 per cent of his team's runs during that time.
Former Goatacre captain Craig Gibbens said Gidman remains on the club's radar for the coming campaign, but the classy batsman's fluctuating availability could mean they look elsewhere.
"I think we've gone from ninth to sixth on the Gloucester pick when we go to the Gloucester meeting, so we're in a better position to pick. We'd love to have Will back because he was brilliant to have around the club," he said.
"You know with Will, though, that you're not going to get many performances so we might have to look at who else is available. If we can secure someone who might turn out nine or 10 times for us that might be something we look to do.
"If Will's available I imagine he would be quite high on our shopping list.
"Obviously there have been a few changes there, with Stuart Barnes going to Surrey - he was quite instrumental in organising all of that. They haven't announced it so we're just waiting to hear.
"People like Liam Norwell were around and people like that.
"It might be we look at who we think might not be playing an awful lot and someone who might be available eight or nine times."


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Public Enemies, MOTU, DCU Classics, more...
For a great selection of action figures and collectibles, check out BigBadToyStore.com, Urban-Collector.com, BriansToys.com, DollsAmerica.com, ClarkToys.com, ToyWiz.com, VNCToys.com, PastGenerationToys.com, MonkeyDepot.com, RPMDiecast.com, HobbyLinkJapan.com, YesAnimation.com, and SuperheroToys.com.
For a great selection of pop culture t-shirts and apparel, check out TShirtGurus.com and 80sTees.com.
Matty, the Master Toy Collector of Mattel, has opened up a monthly question and answer session. From burning questions regarding MattyCollector.com to any one of Mattel's many amazing toy lines, Matty will try his best to answer them all.
Without further ado, here's Matty and his answers for today's Q&A...
1) Will both of Moss Man's heads be flocked?
2) Given the last-minute decision to not sell DC Universe Wave 9 on mattycollector.com, can you officially confirm that wave 11 and 12 will be available for purchase on the site?Yes.
3) When can we expect to hear more information in regards to Master of the Universe Classics 2-packs?We can not confirm this yet. We are working on trying to get Wave 11 on Matty. As soon as we can confirm details we will announce this.
4) At first glance it seems that the Public Enemies Superman and Batman figures are made up of the basic male hero body with newly sculpted heads but recent photo comparisons tell a different tale. Are the Public Enemies Superman and Batman figures 100% new sculpts?We have to wait and see how the first few bonus figures and Battlecat do before announcing anything else beyond basic figures.
5) What is the reason for the square plug in the middle of the back on all DCUC male bodies? Since wave 10 does not seem to be plagued by this issue, have we seen the last of these dreaded things?No. They are new heads on existing bodies.
Be sure and visit SuperHeroTimes.com for even more Matty Q&A!This is a plug created in our standard "buck" used to plug in capes or other accessories for figures who need them.


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Log in
Like many of us, I have an extensive 'to-read' list. (Actually, it's multiple lists and collections of clippings and hastily scribbled notes). In my email today, a newsletter of recent releases had an item that caught my eye: Of dice and men: The story of Dungeons and Dragons and the people who play it by David Ewalt, which has now been added to the list. Though I've never been a fanatical player, I am definitely a nerd, and I have a soft spot in my heart for dice with more than six sides, so this book looks like a fun read.
The library has this book on order, so I can place a hold, or (more reasonably given the number of items I already have checked out) place it on one of my KPL lists. Do you know about this great feature? From the item record, I can click on the "Select an Action" button and choose "Add to My Lists" which will put the item on a list that is either temporary (if I'm not logged in) or attached to my account (if I am). In the latter case, I can log in and look at the titles on my list, and place a hold from there.
Posted by Eleanore Chadderdon at 08/21/2013 04:40:50 PM
Books for: Kids, Teens & Tweens


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Open seven days a week, 10.00-18.00. Entry to the Museum is free.
Julia Kaganskiy, curator and Editor-at-Large of the Creators Project
Carl Sagan, the noted astronomer, scientist and author, once famously wrote about how the human brain is hard-wired to identify human faces. This phenomenon, known as 'pareidolia', likely developed as an evolutionary survival strategy and is one of the reasons we perceive animal shapes in cloud formations or see a man in the Moon.
The human tendency to recognise patterns and see meaningful connections in apparently random shapes or data is a trait that has been exploited by artists longer than we have had the scientific rationale to explain it. As it turns out, we are predisposed to interpret abstract shapes and formations, to infer scenes and stories from their fragmented clues – something that the fathers of Cubism and Abstraction, such as Duchamp, Picasso and Kandinsky, all knew and understood implicitly.
UK-based creative studio Universal Everything continue to investigate these ideas through works that explore abstraction, anthropomorphism and transfiguration. Taken collectively, their body of work is a study of our most primal emotional triggers – the power of moving images and sound to produce profound synaesthetic experiences; the quest to distil life into its most fundamental, abstract forms; the celebration of gesture, human movement and the beautiful simplicity of the drawn line.
In their desire to uncover new forms and aesthetic ideas, Universal Everything often work with cutting-edge technology such as motion capture, generative software, and large-format screens and projections to experiment with the new creative expressions these tools and techniques allow. The two new large-scale installations commissioned for their inaugural exhibition at Media Space in London are the culmination of nearly a decade's worth of research into and refinement of these processes, and of the studio's continuous work on representation of the human body.
Presence is the result of a collaboration with renowned choreographer Benjamin Millepied and the dancers of his LA Dance Project. Building on the visual vocabulary established by Universal Everything in earlier works such as Tai Chi, Supreme Believers and Transfiguration, the piece investigates the limits of minimalist and maximalist abstraction. Using motion-tracking technology, dancers' movements were captured as they performed choreographed responses to musical works of varying intensity, composed for the installation by Universal Everything's Simon Pyke. Their movements are subsequently manipulated and abstracted into animated sculptural forms that only hint at their origins.
In the gallery space, visitors find themselves surrounded by four large-scale projections displaying life-size moving sculptures – the dancers have been removed from the scene and their presence is implied only through the trails of movement they leave behind. Cycling through a variety of 'digital costumes', as Universal Everything's founder and creative director Matt Pyke terms them, the animated forms are alternately cloaked in designs that range from the utmost simplicity to frenetic, noisy complexity. One moment they are reduced to a series of dots against a black background, the next they are submerged in a cacophony of vigorous scrawls.
'We wanted to see, how far can you abstract things and still see the human presence inside?' explains Matt Pyke. 'When you see the work, it's not always immediately obvious that you're looking at a person. We wanted to have a level of discovery when audiences notice the human form.'
The human is central to Universal Everything's work, and perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in the piece 1000 Hands, a large-scale crowd-sourced installation that sits in the heart of the exhibition. A semi-transparent circular screen located in the centre of the gallery space hums with the activity of hundreds of dancing forms moving in sync with one another in a kind of visual chorus. Visitors are invited to contribute to this collection of animated creatures via a custom mobile application they can download on their own devices or through devices provided by the Museum.
Each visitor lays down a drawn gesture using the mobile touch screen. This drawn line is then animated and extrapolated into a dancing form via custom generative software, which evolves the form based on the viewer's initial input. Operating under a uniform set of artistic constraints and parameters, and unified by a common dancing rhythm, the drawn animations begin to seem as a kind of digital species – possessing similar traits and characteristics they are interconnected, yet each is distinctly different and unique.
The piece builds on the visual ideas set forth in Universal Everything's previous piece, Communion, which debuted at La Gaîté Lyrique in 2011. This time, however, co-creating the work of art in collaboration with the audience initiates a dialogue between the artists, the visitors, and the museum space itself. And since the work exists as a mobile app that can be downloaded by anyone in the world, it also extends the exhibition experience beyond the physical space of the gallery and into the virtual space of the digital realm, allowing remote visitors to contribute to the installation as well.
The use of the drawn line – through the swipe and swirl of a fingertip on a touch screen and rendered with the utmost simplicity in the exhibition space – is another factor contributing to the exaltation of the human in Universal Everything's work.
'By handing the power of creation over to the audience, the work only exists because of them,' explains Matt Pyke. 'Releasing the work "into the wild" causes unpredictable, surprising outcomes. Our role as artists is to define the boundaries within which the work exists. Creating parameters for rhythm, colour, movement and form constructs a narrow playground for the audience. This point of tension between control and freedom is what brings the exhibition to life.'


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Just because you no longer attend Ball State doesn't mean you have to lose touch with the university or old college friends.
Ball State University Alumni Association offers a multitude of ways alumni can stay involved. Whether it be attending Homecoming festivities, participating in our numerous golf and dinner outings (we host over 200 events a year), or by joining us on social media channels: Facebook, LinkedIn, our blog, or Twitter.
Your alumni association also offers many services to alumni, such as Ball State merchandise, our Alumni Travel Program, and our Alumni ID card. To access these services and more, visit our services page.
So whether you live in Indiana or across the country, your alumni association will always be there to advocate for you, enrich your lives, and continue to involve you with the traditions of Ball State University.


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Niki Taylor on Her Decor Style, Downsizing, and Why She's Known as "The Maid" at Home
Supermodel Niki Taylor has teamed up with Nexcare and the American Red Cross to promote World Blood Donor Day on June 14, 2014 and the colorful 2014 Nexcare give Bandage Collection. We got to chat with the mom of four about all things home decor and why this cause is so important to her.
Housebeautiful.com: How did you get involved with the American Red Cross and the Nexcare give program?
In 2001, I was involved in a near-fatal car accident and needed about 100 units of lifesaving blood to survive — American Red Cross blood donors saved my life. This is why I teamed up with the American Red Cross and Nexcare Bandages for the sixth-annual Nexcare give program, which thanks blood donors and inspires others to "give," in celebration of World Blood Donor Day on June 14.
To raise awareness about this important cause, Nexcare Bandages created a limited-edition collection of bandages with the word "give" that are being handed out for free at participating American Red Cross centers nationwide all this week. This year's theme is "The Art of Giving," with designs inspired by 5 artistic movements, including Abstract, Contemporary, Impressionism, Pop Art and Street Art.
You put your four-bedroom house on sale last year because you wanted to downsize. What was that experience like for you and your family?
We finally sold the house last year, and it's been incredible to downsize because there's just less stuff to take care of. There's been a purging of things, and it was great to get rid of and give things away during the downsizing process.
The new house is way easier to take care of, and I'm the maid, so I take care of everything. Now we have cleaner lines, and everything is a lot tidier overall
What's your interior design style like?
In our new house, we have a whole new interior that is a little more modern. We have a lot of blues and grays — just nice, neutral colors. You can actually see my kitchen and dining areas on my new YouTube channel which is on The StyleHaul Network now.
You're a busy mom of four kids. How do you stay organized at home?
Because I'm the maid, I'm always organized. I just pick a day that I'm going to be home and I put my podcast on while the kids are at school, and I get to take care of the house. Believe it or not, it's actually a mind break and relaxing for me, so I enjoy cleaning. It's my little hobby.
What are your kids' rooms like at home? Do their rooms have very different looks?
Ciel has a princess room of course. We have a daybed with a bed that pulls out. There are a lot of grays and pinks and chevron, which are her main colors and designs. It's perfect for an older princess I think, and it will be easy to transition when she gets older because that bed will last her the rest of her life if she chooses to take it with her.
My son Rex still sleeps in our room with me — sometimes everyone ends up in bed with us still!
My bedroom is white, I have a large, white cloth headboard — there are just nice colors that make it very peaceful. I stick to a lot of natural colors and grays.