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Artis Royal Zoo in Amsterdam
Founded in 1838, the Artis Royal Zoo is still as enchanting as it was nearly two centuries ago. Not only is the Amsterdam zoological garden an oasis of peace right at the heart of a fast-paced city, but it is also a haven for some 700 animal species and 200 tree varieties, many on the verge of extinction. Amsterdam Artis is also one of the fewest zoos in Europe to have so many listed buildings within its grounds, namely the Large Museum (1855), the unique Library building (1867) and the Aquarium (1882).
If you want to stay close to Artis Zoo, you can pick from this list of
hotels near Amsterdam Zoo.
If you want to visit it, we recommend to buy your Artis Zoo tickets in advance to avoid waiting lines. Check out this combi offer with the Canal Cruise with 6 euro discount.
Amsterdam Zoo & Aquarium
In the aquarium zone, take a sneaky peek into the contents of Amsterdam's murky canals, or if you're really brave, take a cheeky snap of the crocodiles on your camera!
Botanical Garden
Learn about the diversity of plants, trees and shrubs that form the plant kingdom in the Botanical Gardens. Exotic species can be found in acclimatized greenhouses.
Dedicated to microorganisms, this part of Amsterdam Zoo will show you a totally different world then the one we live in.
In the Planetarium, trace the fascinating evolution of planet from the birth of the universe to the present day, or sit back and take a trip to faraway star systems.
Zoological Museum
The museum houses some of the most interesting scientific collections of the early 19th century, as well as a number of exhibitions.
Opening times
1 March to 31 October : 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
1 November to 29 February : 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
During the summer (June, July and August) on Saturday evenings open till sunset, with a special program called ZOOmeravonden with events for children, music, guided tours and more.
Entry prices
|Normal (10 to 64 years):
|Children (3 to 9 years):
|Children (0 to 2 years):
Artis Royal Zoo in Amsterdam


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Christians "Not Void of Hope" in Israel, Palestine
Carrie DedrickReligious persecution, missions, Christianity around the world
- 2014 Aug 25
The Israel-Gaza conflict has continued for six weeks, resulting in over 2,000 deaths on both sides. As the violence continues, Israeli and Palestinian Christians say that they are holding tightly to their faith.
Yohanna Katanacho, academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College said that the time of suffering is "not void of hope," despite many mourning the losses of family members and homes.
Christians have turned to God in prayer; they have now called on Christians around the world to lift them up in prayer as well.
"We feel strongly that our position is to enlist prayer for all the people on all sides of the conflict," said Jerusalem Prayer Center director Dale Thorne.
"When we replace worry with prayer and anxiety with thankfulness, we experience God's peace, which will control our emotions and thoughts and keep us centered in Jesus the Messiah," Thorne said.
Israel resident Audrey Martin said that Christian and Messianic Jewish congregations in Israel have united to pray for their Palestinian brothers and sisters that are suffering during the time of crisis.
A senior missions strategy leader for the Middle East urged people around the globe to pray that Christians' hope may be translated to those who most need it as the conflict wears on. "Pray that as we weep with those who have lost loved ones on both sides, we would be able to share the hope that we have within us, he said.
Publication date: August 25, 2014

subset: commoncrawl


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Marco Rubio Clears Path for First Black, Openly Gay Federal Judge
Florida judicial nominee Darrin Gayles just inched a little closer to becoming the nation's first black, openly gay man to serve as a federal judge.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has given the green light to the Senate Judiciary Committee to proceed with Gayles' nomination to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, a committee aide confirmed.
Specifically, Rubio has submitted his "blue slip" to the committee, a crucial step in the confirmation process whereby a senator can unilaterally approve or block a judicial nominee from his or her home state.
Now that both of Gayles' senators have submitted their blue slips — Florida Democrat Bill Nelson already turned his in — that signals to committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to move forward with a hearing. Gayles still has to clear the committee and pass the Senate, but Democrats are expected to carry those votes. By turning in his blue slip, Rubio has removed the biggest obstacle to Gayles' confirmation.
Rubio drew the ire of the black community and LGBT rights groups last year after refusing to turn in his blue slip for another Florida judicial nominee, William Thomas, who was also black and openly gay. His opposition to Thomas was especially puzzling, given that Rubio originally recommended him to Obama, only to turn around and oppose Thomas.


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it was greatout thur. morn. i have a lot of photos to put up. hopefully i can get out on the next swell to take some more. remember if i'm out there, i always have free board wax. just a simple way to show sum luve. (i know that sounds stupid)
just another line, i do pray for your saftey when you all are out.
check out myspace i will put some photos up on there too (not yet, later today).
myspace link
Results 1 to 4 of 4
Thread: great morning thur.
great morning thur.
Feb 9, 2008, 01:48 AM #2
you have some really good pics...thanks for the good work i really love the interest lately in local surf photography.
And the wax gift...appreciate it man.
hey man - thanks for the free stuff, and definitely thanks for putting up those pics, nice to see my buddies and i in some pictures! too bad that west wind didn't hold, ah well. still a fun morning sesh
wed maybe
thanks for the props
i may try and get out wed. i have been following the forcast and the stories of the inlet. the inlet is a lot closer for me to get to. if you guys decide to hit the inlet drop me some mail so i can get a heads up on it
Last edited by freewax; Feb 9, 2008 at 03:24 PM.


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A $99 Xbox In Every Home, Microsoft HopesThursday, May 3rd, 2012
An article from The Verge (citing unamed sources) today announced that Microsoft will be offering a new subscription-based Xbox 360 package. For $99 and a two-year, $15 a month, contract, gamers will get a 4GB Xbox console, Kinect sensor, and a Xbox Live Gold subscription. Customer's will also be covered under a 2-year warranty, and from what we see, could have access to exclusive streaming content from cable and sports providers.


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January 20, 2011 BY Aaron Hope
adidas Originals releases new ZX800 colorways fairly regularly but here's one that's unlike all the rest before it. The James Bond for David x Beckham adidas Originals ZX800 DB achieves a unique look by stripping out the signature side panel Three Stripes and going with the same mesh that provides breathability on the toe. The result is a much cleaner overall design that serves to partially offset the high contrast colorway. Better with Stripes or without? Click through to get a better look and expect these at US ObyO distributors soon; VA in Japan just got theirs.
Filed under: Adidas Collaboration Just Released Lifestyle Sneakers


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Fort Hays State University > About FHSU > Academic Divisions > College of Arts and Sciences > Department of Leadership Studies > Academic Programs
Department of Leadership StudiesFort Hays State University600 Park StreetRarick Hall 235Phone: email@example.com Department
The FHSU Department of Leadership Studies offers an array of programs, including on-campus and online Bachelor of Science and Arts degrees, Graduate programs, a minor and certificates. These programs prepare students to take the lead in meeting the ever-shifting challenges faced by businesses, organizations and communities.
Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership (On campus & Online)
This innovative curriculum focuses on the study of leadership in the context of the modern organization. The degree seeks to develop graduates with the characteristics and skills that modern organizations require. The 45 credit hour major is available both on campus and online.
Minor in Leadership Studies (On campus & Online)
Add value to your degree by pursuing this 21 credit hour program that is attachable to any degree/major at FHSU, offered both on campus and online.
Leadership Studies CertificatesThe Department of Leadership Studies offers two cutting edge certificate programs. These certificates seek to provide unique learning opportunities for both on-campus and virtual students.
Master of Professional Studies: Organizational Leadership Concentration (On campus & Online)The MPS in Organizational Leadership is a 30 credit-hour degree which provides you with an innovative curriculum focusing on the study of leadership in the context of modern organizations. This professional studies program consists of a 9 hour core requirement, 12 hours of Organizational Leadership concentration courses, 6 credit hours of electives, and a 3 credit hour culminating experience project.
English Mandarin Chinese Spanish
"The virtual world of learning requires discipline and a great deal of hard work. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have had a conversation about how learning online is just as challenging, if not more challenging, than being in a traditional classroom. With that being said, virtual learning has allowed me the flexibility, as an adult learner, to hold a full-time job and go to school at the same time." -Sophie Wanamaker, Plainfield, IL, virtual major


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SAN FRANCISCO — In the third at-bat of his first big league game, Adam Duvall crushed a two-strike slider through the cold night air and into the left field bleachers. Duvall became the 13th Giant to have his first big league hit also be a homer in his debut, and he was surrounded by a crush of reporters and cameras afterward.
"I'm just one man," Matt Cain said in a singsong voice as he walked past. "Just one man!"
That was the problem for the Giants.
Duvall's homer was their lone run in a 3-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night that was the third in the first four days of this 10-game homestand. The Giants have dropped 12 of 16 overall, and after a win by the Los Angeles Dodgers, their lead in the division is down to just two games for the first time since May 11.
"We're just not swinging the bats very well," manager Bruce Bochy said. "As a group, we're not clicking right now."
The Giants had dropped the first game of a series five consecutive times. Mike Leake had little trouble making it six, striking out a career-high 12 in eight innings. Leake gave up just four hits while improving to 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA in four career starts at AT&T Park.
Through six innings, though, Ryan Vogelsong was just about Leake's equal. A day after Tim Lincecum's no-hitter, Vogelsong gave up five hits and one earned run before a heavy workload ended his night. Vogelsong was predictably hard on himself.
"I rubbed up against him before the game," he said of Lincecum. "It didn't work."
Bochy made a point of shifting the blame elsewhere.
"We got a great start from Vogey," he said. "We've got to get the bats going. We're playing some good teams and facing some great pitching tomorrow (in MLB ERA leader Johnny Cueto), the next series and going forward. It's going to be vital we get going."
After four scoreless innings, the Reds finally did in the fifth. Jay Bruce hit a one-out double, and, after a strikeout of Ryan Ludwick, Vogelsong gave up an RBI double to Zack Cozart.
"I worked my butt off to strike out Ludwick. He's given me trouble in the past," Vogelsong said. "Then you hang a curveball to the eight-hitter and give up a double that scores a run. That chaps my butt a little bit."
The Reds tacked on two runs in the seventh, becoming the second team all season to score off right-hander Jean Machi. Brandon Phillips' solo homer ended Machi's 251/3-inning scoreless streak.
Only strong arms on the infield kept the Reds from adding on. Speedster Billy Hamilton tried to tag up from third on a very shallow pop-up to right in the sixth inning but was thrown out by second baseman Joe Panik. Shortstop Brandon Crawford made a strong throw in the eighth to cut down Phillips at the plate.
The throws wouldn't figure into the result, and neither would Duvall's homer, a shining moment on a night otherwise devoid of them. The 25-year-old was called up Wednesday and was an emergency fill-in for first baseman Michael Morse, who was sick. Duvall struck out in his first career at-bat and popped up in the fifth, but he got all of an 0-2 pitch in the seventh. Still, he thought it might not be enough.
"To be honest, I was just hoping it would go out," he said. "I've heard a lot of talk that it doesn't fly here. It's hard to hit one out."
That's true, especially at night. But Duvall, the Pacific Coast League home run leader (23) at the time of his promotion, might be one of the rare exceptions. His parents watched from seats alongside the home dugout, along with about 10 other friends and members of his family. Duvall wasn't sure if he remembered to look for Mom and Dad after the solo blast.
"It was kind of all a whirlwind," he said. "I'm not sure what I saw. I just made sure to touch all the bases."
"Overall, I was pretty happy with how it went," Belt said. "Physically, I felt good. I'm seeing the ball a little better than I thought I would so I'll just continue to get better.
The Giants appeared to have dodged a much bigger injury in the late innings. Catcher Buster Posey crouched down in the dirt after taking a foul ball off his left toe, but he stayed in the game.
Staff writer Jimmy Durkin contributed to this report.
Cincinnati (Johnny Cueto 7-5) at Giants (Madison Bumgarner 9-4), 7:15 p.m. CSNBA
Lincecum hopes to build on no-hitter. PAGE 5


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Whats does it do for the battery life, though ?
massive battery life was the original advantage of e-paper
Amazon has priced up the Kindle Paperweight - sorry, Paperwhite; Freudian slip there - for the UK. The Paperwhite is Amazon's first e-reader with a backlit E Ink display, the notion being that the illumination doesn't merely make it possible to read books on the gadget in the gloom, but also that it makes for a higher contrast …
Whats does it do for the battery life, though ?
massive battery life was the original advantage of e-paper
It says eight weeks with the backlight on in the article. Less than the 30 you get with the standard Kindle but then who leaves the light on for eight weeks?
I believe the 8 weeks' battery life is based on 30 minutes reading per day.
Oh dear that's so low. That only 28 hours. If I read solid for 8 hours a day I'd be having to charge the damn thing up every 3 and a half days !
I made no comment on whether or not it was low. But wouldn't it be less misleading if Amazon advertised the battery life as 28 hours rather than 8 weeks?
I'm surprised they didn't advertise it as unlimited* battery life.
*Based on 0 hours reading per day
I've pre-ordered one, it looks very nice.
I think you will find that the light is actually in front of the display, otherwise you would not see the light.
Here is a clue in the amazon prodcut description:
"Paperwhite guides light towards the display from above instead of projecting it out at your eyes like back-lit displays".
Absolutely. The Glowlight Nook uses the same approach. But since most folk will still call this a backlight, I think we can afford not to be too pedantic about it.
"I think we can afford not to be too pedantic about it."
You do read the comments forum don't you?
Pedantry is something that us I.T. chaps are quite proud of.
"But since most folk will still call this a backlight, I think we can afford not to be too pedantic about it."
Well it's your party so you can be not too pedantic if you choose. But I have to say that for me, "backlit" = LCD screen - at first glance I assumed this was another tablet-style screen rather than eInk screen. Arguments still rage which is better, but they're clearly different. Of course the article itself makes it clear this is an eInk screen, but first impressions matter a little bit.
One man's pedantry is another man's accuracy.
A better informed man's accuracy.
Looks like an excellent e-reader... Bezos `admits` sold at cost (great advertising) at $119 / £74.5 and £109 in the UK (109-74.5)/74.5
Reckon all purchasers should acquire their ebooks to a value of £34.5 and donate a bit to authors declared favourite charities...
Reckon I feel pissed that yet again the UK is exploited by the lack of equivalency to the US.
The $119 version is without sales tax and is ad-supported. The non-ad-supported version is $139 and is the version we get in the UK.
A £6 difference isn't that bad. Amazon are one of the better companies for price equality between the US and UK.
You are missing out on things like tax and such.
Americans have different sales taxes levied by different states so it is impossible to quote a single price for the whole of the US unless you go excluding tax.We have the luxury of having a national single rate so it can be included in the sticker price. I know that doesn't account for all of the difference, but it does take the edge off it. They would also have to deal with different financial pressures in different markets, shipping and have to price it based on an estimate of what they reckon the exchange rate is going to do over the next year or so.
I persnally do not think it's that bad a differential.
"We have the luxury of having a national single rate"
An alternative use of the word 'luxury'...
Thanks folks - fair point. I'm have one of those days (think Pink)
Have a read of Scott Hanselmans blog review of the Paperwhite. As an existing kindle owner he's not a big fan.
"The display is 6in in size and sports a higher resolution - Amazon didn't say what"
Assuming the screen dimensions remain within a gnat's of the current Kindle, highly advanced arithmetic on my 1977 Casio fx-39 leads me to believe that the screen resolution will be 1024 x 768 pixels.
Aren't these actually out in the States already? If so, perhaps a passing Septic could clue us in?
I don't see why there is such a fad for touchscreens. (I have a kindle keyboard 3G but I would probably get one of these if it didn't have a touchscreen).
The main reason why this is good is negated by scumming up the screen with fingerprints.
If you use a screen protector you remove one of the great properties of eink.
(If the screen stays immaculate for a year for most people perhaps I will reconsider).
It sucks you don't even get a wall charger anymore with kindles as well. (I am glad I have two already one free with a replacement kindle).
I'm drowning in USB mains and car chargers here, and in the very unlikely event that the all go missing overnight, a new one can be purchased for a few pounds, and while I'm waiting for it to arrive I can charge from my PC. I really don't see the point in shipping out a new one with every device.
I was concerned about fingerprints on my Touch, but in practice I have not noticed them on the matt screen and they certainly don't affect reading. This is from someone who hates fingerprints and other marks on screens.
I am hoping that the capacitive touch display will stop the accidental page turns and presses I get with the IR sensors on the Touch if something other than a finger comes into contact with it. Although the buttons on the non-touch models avoid this particular problem, I find the touch interface ideal for publications which require more interaction with the content (such as The Guardian), and find the non-touch Kindles frustrating now.
Agree completely. Would pre-order one of these if there was a non-touch version available.
Nook Glowlight £109, Kindle Paperwhite £109. Nook can take an SD card, Paperwhite fixed memory.
Such a difficult choice.
I'm not a Kindle fan (Sony PRS-T1 here) but it's got 1.3GB of storage onboard.
At 500KB per book (size of the Iain M Banks latest on my desktop), that's 2600+ books. If you read two books a week and never ever delete anything, you'll need memory expansion in 25 years. You need a PC to load up the SD card anyway, so why not just plug the Kindle in and miss out a step.
I'd probably still buy the Nook, but not because of the storage options.
But the Nook has 1GB for storage and wifi - so no need for a PC to load up the SD?
So yeah, I know what you mean about still buying a Nook.
The Paperwhite costs £10 more than the Kobo Glo which has the same screen resolution but doesn't come with adverts.
There are no adverts on the Kindle in the UK, as far as I can tell.
and the kobo glo can also use the local uk library services e-book collections.
My local library has around 3000 - and I've actually used it successfully despite the drm...
I already have an older Kindle, but I shan't be buying a new one as they still don't support ePub format. My local library now has ebooks, but you need a reader that supports ePub to use them, I can't be bothered with having to use a relatively cumbersome process including conversion tools like calibre to enable what should be a quick, simple process.


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Golf-American Walker wins PGA Tour season opener
Oct 13 (Reuters) - American Jimmy Walker took advantage of a late collapse by overnight leader Brooks Koepka to win his first PGA Tour title by two shots at the Frys.com Open in San Martin, California on Sunday.
Three strokes off the pace heading into the final round, Walker coolly birdied two of the last six holes to close with a five-under-par 66 at CordeValle Golf Club.
The 34-year-old seized the outright lead for the first time when he two-putted for birdie at the par-five 15th, then made three consecutive pars to post a 17-under total of 267 in the opening event of the PGA Tour's 2013-14 season.
Koepka, also seeking a maiden victory on the U.S. circuit, briefly led by four shots on the front nine but tumbled backwards with bogeys on four of the last 10 holes on his way to a 72 and a four-way tie for third place.
Former world number one Vijay Singh, bidding for his first win in five years on the PGA Tour where he has triumphed 34 times during a Hall of Fame career, finished alone in second at 15 under after closing with a 68. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Julian Linden)


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Iran Threat Pushing Arabs Closer to Normalization With Israel
Mutual fear of Iran has pushed aside the idea that Israel must leave the territories for normalization.
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert's article in the Washington Post this month in which he assails U.S. President Barack Obama's campaign against the settlements made a lot of noise in Israel. Few noticed that the paper also published a piece by the crown prince of Bahrain.
In his op-ed, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa notes that peace is not a lightbulb easily switched on, but admits that the Arabs have made public-relations blunders. "An Israeli might be forgiven for thinking that every Muslim voice is raised in hatred," he writes, "because that is usually the only one he hears. Just as an Arab might be forgiven for thinking every Israeli wants the destruction of every Palestinian." Khalifa urges the Arabs to communicate directly with the Israelis and tell them their story.
If Olmert's defense of the settlements was grist for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's mill, the Bahraini prince's call for normalization made Obama's weekend. The start of normalization between the nations is a key item on the president's agenda. It's the undertone intended to ease the creation of a blueprint for a final-status agreement.
Having learned the lesson of Annapolis, Washington has concluded that a senior American presence in the negotiating room is needed for talks to succeed. In the first stage, this presence will be a quiet observer, but if the gap between the sides turns out to be too big, the observer will become an active mediator. If all goes according to plan, by the end of the year the international Quartet of Mideast mediators will come out with a detailed road map for regional peace.
In his latest visits to the region, U.S. envoy George Mitchell became even more sure that the mistake of conducting negotiations while disregarding the situation on the ground must not be repeated. He has convinced his superiors to postpone the discussions on a settlement until things are calm and the political process has been protected, as far as possible, from surprises like attacks on Jews or settlements on Palestinian land.
It is Israel that has insisted that the road map's first stage - before solutions are discussed - must be the neutralization of these problems. Ariel Sharon was interested in security problems, while the Palestinians talked about the settlements. Israel cited the Palestinians' difficulty in dismantling "terrorist capabilities and infrastructure," in the language of the road map, as an excuse to put off freezing settlements and evacuating outposts. This chapter ended when Gen. Keith Dayton, responsible for training the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank, began to praise the Palestinians at every turn for their efforts to impose order in every city and on every street the Israeli army restored to their control.
At the same time, semi-official envoys such as Thomas Pickering are trying to allay Hamas' fears. (Pickering's latest meeting with Mahmoud al-Zahar, under Swiss auspices, was not his first with the group's leaders in the recent past.) The quiet on the Gaza front - even though Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are ignoring Obama's demand to ease the siege - is not due to the summer heat.
Obama and his staff reject the criticism that they are excessively preoccupied with the settlements and are diverting attention from the key problems of borders, Jerusalem, refugees and security. In Washington's view, an Israeli suspension of unilateral acts and Arab moves toward normalization are essential stages in the political process. Obama believes that a visit to Saudi Arabia by an Israeli journalist will have a greater influence on Israeli public opinion than a visit to Israel by an American president.
But Arab princes are also subject to public opinion. In a meeting about six months ago in Oxford, with the participation of Israelis and Arabs, Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, who was intelligence minister and his country's ambassador to the United States, asked how an Arab ruler would appear in the eyes of his public if he invited an Israeli leader to visit his country and the next day Al Jazeera reported the establishment of a new Israeli settlement. It goes without saying that from their point of view, as from the American point of view, there is no difference between the expansion of an illegal outpost in the West Bank and the construction of Jewish homes in East Jerusalem.
In fact, creating facts near the holy places is more serious. The Arab leaders' original interpretation of their initiative was that normalization would wait for Israel's withdrawal from the territories. Things changed after the priorities changed: The common Iranian threat pushed aside the common Israeli enemy.
Last month, in an article in The Wall Street Journal, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak promised Israelis to begin normalization measures along with the peace process. The article by the crown prince of Bahrain in The Washington Post is also the product of Obama's effort to enlist the moderate Arab states in a government-bypassing PR campaign to reach Israeli public opinion.
Like Obama, they did not believe that an Israeli leader who likens Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Hitler would declare war on the great American patron. Like Obama, they did not take into account that Israeli leaders' fear of the settlers is greater than all threats.
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text: Hey all i have a 1951 Jeff Nickel that believe is between F12 and VF20. I'm a 19 year old numismatist and i want to try to grade my own coins, and i use pcgs photograde to help. Am i in the ball park? here is a picture of the front, the reverse is the next picture in the album http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt304/2000wj_al/Coins/086.jpg


text:
Get a free shipping quote.
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text:
September 2002
SFRevu: You've had a long time involvement in SF&F fandom from your days with Columbia University Science Fiction Society through your many year membership in the SFABC. Has this experience influenced /inspired your development as a writer? Besides the knowledge and exposure gained in what ways have you been encouraged and assisted by fellow fans?
Pauline Alama: The Columbia Science Fiction
Society (CUSFS) helped me realize that it was OK to write what I
liked rather than trying to write the sort of stories they print in the
New Yorker -- the goal of the creative writing course I dropped out
of in college.
Liz also gave me a lot of encouragement, and once even
submitted one of my poems to a contest on my behalf, because she was
frustrated that I didn't do such things myself. About six years after we
graduated, when I had been drifting apart from my CUSFS friends, Liz died,
still in her 20s. I moped around for a long time, feeling guilty for
having drifted away from her, ranting about the injustice of a world where
the good die young, and generally getting myself into a tragic state. Then
it dawned on me that moping was never Liz's style -- she had long known
she would have a short life, but she was always relentlessly upbeat -- and
that if I wanted to honor her memory, I should get off my butt and submit
some of my writing to magazines.
PA: Paul's specialty is twentieth-century American history & politics, so we're complementary. He sometimes gives me helpful ideas of historical or contemporary political parallels to fictional situations I want to create. But mainly he is a great first audience because he shares my enthusiasm, and helps me feel confident about going on with a story. I'm not one of those writers who thrive on criticism -- I think you need a cast-iron ego for that, and I have an ego of Kleenex -- and it helps to have a first reader who generally looks for the same things I look for in a story, and cheers me on when I produce them.
We both love stories full of passionate idealism;
characters you can really care about; well-written, often witty dialogue;
a good balance of action, character moments, and big ideas; a touch of
humor; and a touch of romance. For example, we both loved Babylon
5 for those qualities. That's the sort of effect I'm aiming for
when I write, and so Paul, sharing my tastes, generally responds well to
my stories. When he doesn't go for something, he doesn't fake it, but he's
not a harsh critic. And when something seems incomplete, he asks great,
thought-provoking questions that help me fill in the gaps.
One of the hard lessons I learned with "Heartless" was that getting your first short story published isn't necessarily the big break you are waiting for. After "Heartless" I went into a flurry of writing and submitting, and got rejection, rejection, rejection. With short stories you don't get positive feedback with an acceptance, either: you just get a contract and, later, a check. The same editor that would go to a lot of trouble to tell you what was wrong with a story they rejected won't say, "I bought this story because I really loved the way you did so-and-so." So your first sale doesn't necessarily give you the little boost that the fragile writerly ego may need. That's what friends -- and writers' group buddies -- are for.
I would also like to say that the editor of my novel
has been very generous with positive feedback, which I truly
I think it's a bit funny that fantasy is
considered a subset of science fiction, when it could well be argued the
other way around: science fiction is a specialized type of fantasy that
uses technological rather than mythological means of creating an alternate
reality. But the real reason is that science fiction has a better
reputation than fantasy, so fantasy authors don't object to be classified
under science fiction, the way I suspect many science fiction authors
would object to being classified under fantasy. Really, I think the bum
rap on fantasy is unfair. Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST and MACBETH were
fantasies -- are those lightweight children's literature?
Science Fiction in general has often been typed as dealing with bug-eyed
monsters and space opera and been relegated to pulp fiction status. Yet there have been numerous examples
of Science Fiction as relevant social commentary, which I understand was
the subject of an undergraduate course you taught while pursuing your doctorate in English
PA: When I'm asked about my influences, I usually think
first of the medieval texts I read in graduate school, or the fantasy
authors I read as an adult. But recently, I re-read Lloyd Alexander's
Prydain Chronicles, the story that first hooked me on fantasy when
I was in fourth grade, and I was stunned to see how much I had been
unconsciously influenced by it after all these years. Not only in certain
details of plot and world-building but in my overall approach --
cultivating a semi-poetic style to evoke the sense of another, older world
without actually using archaic language -- I haven't fallen far from my
first exemplar of fantasy. I sent a copy of the book to Lloyd Alexander
with a letter thanking him for opening the world of fantasy to me. He
wrote back with some very kind words about The Eye of Night, though
I can't help wondering whether, like my favorite Prydain character,
Fflewddur Fflam, he might have been "coloring the facts" a little, just to
be nice to a long-standing fan.
But I
can't claim to be entirely authentic in my portrayal of a quasi-medieval
world. I studied medievalism — the creative and rhetorical use of the
Middle Ages in later periods – and I always have a soft spot for some of
the most ahistorical uses of the Middle Ages. I particularly love the faux
Middle Ages of William Morris, the Victorian poet, fantasist,
When I created the isolated mountain community called
the Folc, I was partly thinking of the quasi-democratic assemblies of
medieval Iceland or Switzerland; but I was more deeply influenced by the
William Morris Middle Ages, a time that never was, when lords were not so
high nor subjects so low but all lived simply and nobly in brotherhood,
enjoying the bounty of nature and the joy of creating beautiful things for
everyday use. I simply cannot resist the William Morris Middle Ages. I
know it's not the real middle ages but simply Morris's reaction against
nasty, polluted, Industrial Age England; but it's a powerful myth, the
Middle Ages as they should have been, and it tells the truth in a
different way, the truth about human longings for a just and humane
society. That's the fun of writing in an imaginary world: you can have the
William Morris Middle Ages if you want to – as long as you can serve it to
your readers with enough reality to make them believe in it, at least for
a while.
I could never have imagined the triumphant Hwyn when I
was sixteen; I daresay Hwyn couldn't have, either.
SFR: Religion and spirituality are major
factors in The Eye of Night.
What mythologies did you draw upon in creating the Wheel of
Gods? In what ways
My parents were anything but revolutionary -- my mother
took 13 years off to raise 2 kids and considered it a moral obligation
never to leave us with a babysitter -- but all the same, they never made
me feel like my aspirations were any less important than my brother's, or
like I existed to take care
of other people. It's almost as if my mother, a very bright and
self-motivated career woman, invested all her taboo ambition in me. She'd
be the caretaker, the homemaker, but I'd be a lawyer or a Nobel Prize
winner or something grand.
PA: Wow. What a grand experience. I met people whose
names have been on my bookshelves for years, and they totally did not act
like they were too important to talk to me. Connie Willis is really nice.
So is Liz Williams, author of Empire of Bones, whom I "met" on BroadUniverse.com before the con. And Rod Garcia y Robertson, who was on
the panel I had to moderate, was very sweet to me -- he even tried to draw
me in from the audience in a panel he was moderating, which I think was a
kind gesture. And it was so much fun to go back to the heady atmosphere of
fandom, the masqueraders wandering around in costume all day, the air of
carnival that pervades a con. I hope to go to many more (and yes, those
readers who are planning cons on the East Coast, here I am, fishing for a
spot on programming! Please! I'll bring bagels!). SFR: You've seen fandom from both sides now. How are
you enjoying the experience? It's a little scary to
have my dream come true. Like Jereth, I'm fundamentally a pessimist, so
it's hard to believe something I've wanted so badly could be
SFR: You've seen fandom from both sides now. How are
you enjoying the experience? It's a little scary to
have my dream come true. Like Jereth, I'm fundamentally a pessimist, so
it's hard to believe something I've wanted so badly could be
It's a little scary to have my dream come true. Like Jereth, I'm fundamentally a pessimist, so it's hard to believe something I've wanted so badly could be true.


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State Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, will be honored at the eighth annual Killeen Area Alliance of Black School Educators Banquet starting at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Killeen.
Aycock, chairman of the House Committee on Public Education, was chosen for his demonstrated dedication to public education with his policies at the state level and for Texas A&M University-Central Texas.
Charles Patterson, former superintendent for Killeen Independent School District, is the guest speaker.
The public is invited.
Tickets are $35 each or $300 for a reserved table.
All proceeds support the Alliance's reading and writing initiatives, vocational, and higher education.
For tickets or more information, call Brockley Moore at 254-247-8183, Ann Farris at 254-616-3230 or retired Command Sgt. Maj. Mark A. Hyde at 254-285-1192.


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Anna Mae Pierre on Thursday, Nov. 6 in Luling. Daughter of the late Joseph and Selina Banks Davis. Beloved wife of Guilliam Pierre, Jr. Mother of Leotha Pollard, Louester Boyd, Guilliam Pierre, III and Gregory Pierre. Sister of Edward and Norman Davis, the late Aldonia Turner, Louis, Clarence, Walter, Fred, Ernestine, Joseph and Evelyn Davis.
Survived by nine grandchildren, six great grandchildren, six god children and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Age 74 years. Native of and resident of Luling. Relatives and friends of the family, also pastors, officers and members of Bell Baptist Church, in Luling and all neighboring churches were invited to attend the funeral services on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. Rev. Rodney Johnson, Pastor officiated. Interment was at St. Mary Cemetery in Boutte. Visitation was at the above named church from 9 a.m. until service time. Serviced by Robottom.


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Did the asteroid hit that killed the dinosaurs blow bacteria to Mars?
|December 12, 2013
|Posted by News under Extraterrestrial life, News
Some are asking. (For how devastating a hit like the dino bye-bye Chicxulub, 66 mya could be, see here.) Meanwhile:
The impact has been blamed for the mass extinction of the dinosaurs, triggering volcanic eruptions and wildfires which choked the planet with smoke and dust.
It also launched about 70 billion kg of rock into space – 20,000kg of which could have reached Europa. And the chances that a rock big enough to harbour life arrived are "better than 50/50", researchers estimate.
But could living organisms actually survive these epic trips?
"I'd be surprised if life hasn't gotten to Mars," Ms Worth told BBC News.
"It's beyond the scope of our study. But it seems reasonable that at some point some Earth organisms have made it over there."
But could life have survived there for any length of time is the next question.
As I noted in a recent article, many hypotheses about life on Mars are currently floating around, in various states of relationship with the evidence at any given time:
There was indeed water on Mars a long time ago there but then, we are told, a 600 million year drought ensued, so some now continue the search underground. Others look for life in the Martian pits. Or Mars' volcanic glass. Still others search asteroid craters on Earth for clues to Mars "hiding life". And some, impatient with Mars perhaps, hope to find life in undersea caves elsewhere in our solar system.
Channels of life-giving Martian water turned out to be frozen lava. Doesn't matter; lava freezes but the dream never dies. Maybe the water, like the life, is underground. More.
The asteroid impact theory has the advantage that we are not expecting bacteria to get started there independently, just survive there for some millions of years.
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Police say a masked person shot and killed a clerk at a Garland 7-Eleven during a robbery early Tuesday morning.
According to police, a call came in at 3:35 a.m. after a delivery man discovered the clerk's body behind the counter of the 7-Eleven location at 2509 Firewheel Parkway.
Police later identified the victim as 31-year-old Yosef Tulu, of Dallas.
As seen on video recovered from store surveillance cameras, the robber was wearing a mask or bag and carrying a rifle with a scope as he or she entered the store.
The person then robbed Tulu before opening fire and fatally shooting the clerk.
Oak Farms Dairy is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and grand jury indictment of the person responsible for Tulu's murder. The reward will remain in place for six months.
On Wednesday, 7-Eleven added a $15,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension, arrest and indictment of the person responsible for Tulu's murder. To qualify, tipsters must provide information through Garland Crime Stoppers at 972-272-8477 or through the website www.garlandcrimestoppers.org.
Anyone with information about the murder or the person in the video is asked to call the Garland Police Department.


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Jeremy Roenick can take a lesson from Steve Yzerman when it comes to growing old gracefully. Stevie Y quietly withdrew his name for Olympic consideration when it became obvious he could no longer summon his A game.
But Roenick, who's averaging fewer points per game than Yzerman, by the way, came across looking selfish when he demanded a free pass to the U.S. Olympic team because of seniority. He has 11 points in 25 games and is one of just three minus players on the high-flying Kings.
Roenick is one of several USA mainstays who might have played his last international major. Chris Chelios, who joked he'd be willing to serve as video coach in Turin if necessary, also looks done. John LeClair is on the bubble.
Team USA general manager Don Waddell says it's time to pass the torch. "I think it's ultimately important for the future of USA Hockey,'' he said. "We had such a good group of American players that were together for eight or 10 years. Now, as some of those guys are getting toward the late years in their careers, we have to start bringing these younger players in.''
If Roenick and Chelios make the team, Team Canada should remember to send Waddell a thank-you card.
- - -
Every time Dany Heatley looks at the standings or the scoring race, he should say a quiet thank you to Waddell.
Heatley was suffocating in Atlanta amidst the constant reminders of the car accident that killed his friend and teammate Dan Snyder. Waddell let the Calder trophy winner go, knowing that if he ever got his head straight it could come back and bite them.
"I will never look at it as a hockey trade," Thrashers coach Bob Hartley told reporters.
"If it was just that, we would have never traded him. The two GMs put their hockey hats aside and did what was right for Dany Heatley. As good as they are, Marian Hossa and Greg de Vries were just involved by association.
"Don Waddell wanted to give Dany a chance to start a new life. That's more important than a hockey career."
- - -
Holy Double standard, Bettman! Wayne Gretzky walks away Scot-free after one of his players instigates a little payback in the final five minutes of a game (which is supposed to be an automatic $10,000 fine for the coach and one game suspension for the player), but Sens coach Bryan Murray and defenceman Zdeno Chara get the book thrown at them. Chara is an everyday player, averaging 27 minutes a game, not a goon, so the Sens should have been entitled to the same exemption Gretz and Shane Doan received.
Nice work, Colin Campbell, the new rule is two cases old and you've already made a mockery of it.
- - -
Keith Tkachuk could have sulked when the Blues sent him home from training camp for reporting 25 pounds overweight. Subsequent groin and rib injuries could have also derailed his head. But in five games back since the rib injury, he has 11 points.
"I wish it didn't happen that way,'' Tkachuk said of his suspension. "But I respect their decision. It changed my attitude. I maybe took things for granted. It was a fresh start for me.''
- - -
In the old days St. Louis would have just pulled out its wallet and thrown money at its problems until they went away. Not now. With Christian Backman joining Eric Brewer on injured-reserve, the Blues' defence is a mess, and there's no buying their way out of it. So three of their six starting blueliners (Dennis Wideman, Kevin Dallman and Matt Walker) have a grand total of 76 NHL games under their belt.
- - -
The Wild were giving the puck away so often against New York last week that coach Jacques Lemaire was scared to pull his goalie until there were just 30 seconds left, even though they had the puck in the New York zone with a minute to go. They gave up the empty netter anyway.
"Next time it'll be 15 seconds,'' snarled Lemaire. "And if they score again, next time it'll be five seconds. And after that, we'll keep him in the net.''
- - -
Avs goalie David Aebischer is always looking over his shoulder. First it was for the ghost of Patrick Roy, now it's Russian rookie Vitaly Kolesnik. Abby, 11-6-1 with a 3.37 goals-against average, wasn't happy to see a third goalie in camp. "I thought I rebounded pretty good the last four games. I thought I played awesome. But I guess I'm the only one thinking that.''
Kolesnik made 20 saves in his NHL debut, a 4-1 win victory over Bruins.
- - -
Sharks rookie forward Grant Stevenson wore 55 to start the season because that's the number trainers gave him in camp. Once he started feeling more comfortable, he asked for the change. He scored seven points in six games wearing 55 and in his first morning skate as 37, he got clipped by the eye with a puck.
The Stars are tied for eighth overall, but don't have a single player in the top 35 in scoring. What they do have is nine guys with 16 points or more (only Colorado and Detroit have as many). Carolina and Nashville are 23rd and 27th in NHL attendance even though both teams are in the top 10 in points.
- - -
Edmonton native Jamie Lundmark, who couldn't realize his potential (selected ninth overall in 1999) in New York, is fitting in in Phoenix. After originally being sent to the minors for conditioning, Lundmark has two goals and five assists in 12 games since being called up. "He's been a completely different player,'' Gretzky said.
- - -
The Red Wings are the last team in the NHL that hasn't been to a shootout yet ... Of the top 10 scorers in the NHL yesterday, nine are from the East. The only Westerner is Joe Thornton, who came over from Boston last week.
- - -
Avs at Penguins: Team Canada's present, Joe Sakic, meets Team Canada's future, Sidney Crosby.
Canucks at Rangers: Two high-flying teams meet for a rematch of their 1994 Stanley Cup final.
Canadiens at Oilers: An Original Six classic that might not be visiting Edmonton again for five years.
Kings at Ducks: Sean Avery should ask Petr Nedved how Todd Fedoruk deals with agitators who don't back it up.


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Klobuchar staff seek local input on Farm Bill provisions
MORRIS, Minn. - Maintaining a strong, locally-administered crop insurance program is important for small farmers and should be maintained in the 2012 Farm Bill, a local farmer told members of Sen. Amy Klobuchar's staff at a regional meeting at the West Central Research and Outreach Center on Wednesday.
Three members of Sen. Amy Klobuchar's staff - Chuck Ackman and Andy Martin, outreach directors for agriculture and rural issues, and Adam Durand, legislative assistant specializing in agriculture and rural issues - stopped in Morris as part of a nine-stop tour to learn more about what constituents want to see in the Farm Bill.
"Ideally by hearing nine different meetings in nine different areas of the state, we're getting a composite feel for what Minnesota thinks of the Farm Bill," said Ackman.
Mike Schneider, a family farmer with MTM Farms and small business owner, said one program he would not change is the crop insurance program.
"As a younger producer, trying to keep the family farm in the family, crop insurance is paramount for us to help give [lenders] a lot more backing," said Schneider. "If that gets minimized or made a less viable backstop, so to speak, it's really going to impede the young producer."
Schneider also said he liked working with a local insurance agent rather than shifting signup to the Farm Service Agency.
"Frankly, we're understaffed the way it is," said Schneider. "It's a very nuanced program that definitely is unique to each individual producer, as far as their needs. ... Having a local agent that understands that, knows our farm, and the ability for those guys to still make a decent living is important too."
Ackman told the group that crop insurance has been a consistent topic at each of the meetings, and that most farmers have echoed Schneider's comments.
Another farmer at the meeting said he would like to see a decoupling of the conservation programs from the subsidy part of the farm programs. As the program is designed, in order to put some land in CRP, a landowner has to be enrolled in farm programs, which he thought would be a deterrent to people who otherwise would like to participate in the conservation programs.
"If I could, I would not even take the subsidy; I don't care for having a direct payment," Dave Jungst said.
The stop in Morris was one of nine regional meetings this week. Other meeting locations included Chatfield, Austin, Mankato, Worthington, Marshall, East Grand Forks, Moorhead and Alexandria.


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North Carolina Barrickwrote a review of The North Face Adrenaline Gore-Tex XCR Mid Hiking Shoe - Men's on April 30, 2007
Don't pass them up if you're cheap
Great deal here folks! At first I was skeptical of the price, but the shoe's overall quality and fit is excellent. However, as others have indicated, tightly lacing to the top of the shoe can cause some discomfort. I wore them right out of the box on a 2-day, 23-mile backpacking trip, and they were great. I will never wear heavy backpacking boots again on a backpacking trip -- these are the way to go!


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William F. Welsh, a professor of astronomy at San Diego State University, and Laurance R. Doyle, an astrophysicist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, write about how astronomers are discovering distant planets that orbit two-star systems, uncovering bizarre and wondrous worlds unlike anything in our solar system.
This article was published in the November 2013 edition of Scientific American.
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Wednesday's Morning Mashup: Dodgers, Diamondbacks brawl after Yasiel Puig hit
|06.12.13 at 8:01 am ET
Welcome to Wednesday's Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.
Stanley Cup finals: Bruins at Blackhawks, 8 p.m. (NBC)
MLB: Red Sox at Rays, 7:10 p.m. (NESN; WEEI-FM)
MLB: Tigers at Royals, 2 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB: Indians at Rangers, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
WNBA: Connecticut Sun at Indiana Fever, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
'¦ The Dodgers and Diamondbacks had a beanball battle Tuesday night, and unlike the Red Sox-Rays a day earlier, this one featured more physical confrontations.
The dispute started when Diamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy hit rookie phenom Yasiel Puig with a fastball that deflected off Puig's shoulder and grazed his nose. It came in the sixth inning and apparently was retribution for Zack Greinke hitting Cody Ross the previous inning. Greinke responded by plunking catcher Miguel Montero in the back in the seventh.
"Puig gets hit in the face, Montero gets hit, it should have been really over at this point," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said, adding: "If you can't pitch inside without hitting someone in the head, you shouldn't pitch inside."
It wasn't over. In the bottom half of the inning, Kennedy hit Greinke high on the left shoulder, with the ball apparently deflecting up into Greinke's helmet, and was immediately ejected.
"That's when it kind of got out of hand," Los Angeles catcher Tim Federowicz said. "You can't do that."
The dugouts and bullpens emptied, and the coaches inflicted and received most of the damage. Mattingly threw down Arizona coach Alan Trammel, Diamondbacks coach Turner Ward was driven into a railing, and Dodgers coach Mark McGwire and Diamondbacks counterpart Matt Williams grabbed and pulled on each other's jerseys while having an angry exchange.
"Everything happened so fast," Mattingly said. "It just gets a little crazy out there."
Said Dodgers reliever Ronald Belisario: "I was out of my mind just trying to protect my teammates. If you want to hit somebody, don't hit a pitcher. Don't hit guys in the head. That's crazy."
Said Montero: "It got pretty ugly. They came out of nowhere, just throwing punches. When everybody was trying to break it up, they just kept coming and throwing punches. It was like 25 against 72, because all the DL guys were out there, too. I guess their arms were feeling pretty good because they were throwing good punches."
Following six ejections, Los Angeles went on to win the game, 5-3.
'¦ Chargers linebacker Manti Te'o met the media Tuesday for the first time in a month and talked about the team keeping him under wraps as he transitions from an eventful senior year at Notre Dame.
"Coach [Mike McCoy] and the organization had a plan for me," Te'o said. "That plan was to prepare me the best way for the season. We're out here for football. I think that's the bottom line. The plan was for me to focus on football, focus on getting my head in the playbook and just trying to make that transition as quickly as possible. I definitely have reaped the benefits of that and am thankful that I've had the time to just focus on the plays and focus on what goes on on the field. That has definitely helped me improve each day."
Te'o insisted he hasn't been distracted after the fallout from his fake girlfriend controversy.
"When we're out on the football field, everything else doesn't matter," he said. "Thankfully for me, I'm surrounded by a bunch of teammates who have really pushed me to be better. All they care about is that No. 50 is working his butt off. I'll take care of the work ethic part and for them, they just make sure that I'm going in the right direction. Personally, that hasn't been difficult at all.
"We have a saying in the defensive room: `Keep the main thing the main thing.' I'm here to play football. I'm here to be the best Charger I can be and I'm not going to let anything get in the way of that. We'll keep the main thing the main thing."
'¦ Sergio Garcia left a note in Tiger Woods' locker Tuesday at the U.S. Open in Ardmore, Pa., after he was unable to set up a face-to-face meeting between the golf stars to address their recent dispute. After the two feuded through the press last month, Garcia made a racially insensitive joke and said he wanted to apologize.
"I did leave him a note — a handwritten note," Garcia said. "And hopefully, he can take a look at it. It's a big week and I understand that it's difficult to meet up and stuff. So hopefully, I'll be able to do it. If not, at least he has read the note and he's happy with that."
The two had a brief exchange Monday, when Garcia approached Woods and shook his hand at the practice range.
"We didn't discuss anything," Woods said. "Just came up and said, 'Hi,' and that was it."
Added Woods when asked if Garcia apologized: "No. It's already done. We've already gone through it all. It's time for the U.S. Open."
ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On June 12, 1984, the Celtics defeated the Lakers in Game 7, 111-102, to win their 15th NBA title. Which Celtic scored a game-high 24 points?
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Guys kept battling back, and every time they did, I gave it right back to them. It's unacceptable. I've got to do a better job." — Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester, after Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Rays
STAT OF THE DAY: 16 — Total 3-pointers by the Spurs in Tuesday's 113-77 victory over the Heat, an NBA Finals record
'NET RESULTS (mobile users, check the website to see the videos): Blue Jays shortstop Munenori Kawasaki continues to shine with his postgame interviews.
And here's Kawasaki making some friends in the stands while signing autographs and singing the Canadian national anthem.
Argentinian soccer player Enzo Jose Jimenez gets a red card after trying to get a dog off the field by grabbing it around the neck and attempting (but failing) to throw it over a fence.
TRIVIA ANSWER: Cedric Maxwell, who also had a team-high eight assists and hauled in eight rebounds
SOOTHING SOUNDS: The late Brad Delp, lead singer of Boston, was born on this day in 1951.
- Robert Allen on Roger Goodell defends Ray Rice suspension, calls it 'consistent' with other punishments by league
- Anthony Munn on Roger Goodell defends Ray Rice suspension, calls it 'consistent' with other punishments by league
- Christopher Kiertz on Roger Goodell defends Ray Rice suspension, calls it 'consistent' with other punishments by league
- Timoneil D Sanchez on Friday's Morning Mashup: Johnny Manziel works to overcome 'mental errors' at Browns training camp
- Patrick Glenn on Wednesday's Morning Mashup: ESPN suspends Stephen A. Smith for comments related to Ray Rice incident
- Scott Irwin on Wednesday's Morning Mashup: ESPN suspends Stephen A. Smith for comments related to Ray Rice incident
- Darren Frigon on Wednesday's Morning Mashup: ESPN suspends Stephen A. Smith for comments related to Ray Rice incident
- Brian Bobadilla on Wednesday's Morning Mashup: ESPN suspends Stephen A. Smith for comments related to Ray Rice incident
- Ricky Davis on Wednesday's Morning Mashup: ESPN suspends Stephen A. Smith for comments related to Ray Rice incident
- Anthony Munn on Tuesday's Morning Mashup: NFL VP defends league's handling of Ray Rice case


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Never the Dane, but Uncle Monty you were still the best
Chin, chin Uncle Monty. You were the best. Your words, phrases and philosophies will live on, repeated by future generations of film fans stumbling across one of the finest British movies ever made.
You will never be forgotten as long as someone, somewhere rejoices in your passionate, forlorn poetic thoughts on lost times and chances. Your weekend in the country with Withnail and I will forever stand as beautiful testimony to that peculiar yet triumphant British cocktail of nihilistic genius and glorious, debauched failure.
A mixture that provides spirit and insight beyond the reach of any god or guru. That you three represent the quintessential British characteristic of the caustically, hedonistically doomed is beyond doubt. A pox on Jane Austen, 007 and Four Weddings; it is you who more accurately depict the kind of people we are on these windswept isles.
That you were gay at a time, the end of the 60s, when society was not quite ready for it paradoxically gave you an emotional depth that allowed the rhetoric to soar. And you were funny, Uncle Monty. Half aware that your pompous, queenly soliloquies lurched from Shakespearean to Kenneth Williamsian.
Let us examine one such example. Take the post Sunday lunch walk with Withnail and I stumbling along after you in the hills above your ramshackle Lake District holiday home. You tell them of your "sensitive crimes" at Oxford with your first love the red-headed Norman clutching his "poetry book stained with the butter drips from crumpets".
"I often wonder where Norman is now," you say. "Probably wintering with his mother in Guildford. A cat, rain, Vim under the sink and both bars on. But old now, there is no beauty without decay."
All spoken in sighing, rolling Received Pronunciation and what a picture you paint. Of dreams turned to suburban tedium, the replacing of promise for the mundane that is Vim under the sink, the need for both bars on the electric fire to ward off the ice-cold grip of disappointment that has Norman now. It is exquisite.
Here again as you scoop up the hands of "my boys, my boys" after too many glasses of the "finest wines known to humanity".
"We are at the end of an age," you tell them. "We live in a land of weather forecasts and breakfasts that set in. Shat on by Tories, shovelled up by Labour and here we are, we three... perhaps the last island of beauty in the world." Delusional, pathetically so perhaps, but also defiant.
You told the boys that you could not touch raw meat while cooking. "As a youth I used to weep in butcher's shops." That you preferred vegetables to flowers. "The carrot has mystery. Flowers are essentially tarts, prostitutes for the bees. There is a certain je ne sais quoi about a firm young carrot."
A failed actor yourself, you urge the boys on to fulfil their dreams. While Withnail is likely to crash and burn like a spectacular Vesuvius of a firework, I just might make it.
Hamming it up for England you tell them: "It is the most shattering experience of a young man's life when one morning he awakes and quite reasonably says to himself, 'I shall never play the Dane'."
Uncle Monty, you may not have made a decent Hamlet but your place in the pantheon of British greats is assured.
• Actor Richard Griffiths who played Uncle Monty in the 1985 film Withnail and I died last week aged 65. The film, written and directed by Bruce Robinson, centred on two dissolute out-of-work actors played by Richard E Grant and Paul McCann who escape London for a weekend in the country. It was a flop on release but has since become a cult classic. Griffiths was asked to shout out Uncle Monty quotes wherever he went. He rarely refused.
Belfast Telegraph


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The best Over the Counter Alternative Pill You Will Find! – Raphael Valencia Addrena Review
Addrena Customer Review
Like many people I need more energy at times, luckily I have found the best over the counter substitute in Addrena. When I saw there was a product like Adderllin/Addrena that is basically an herbal drug like energy pill that was prescription free it caught my interest. In this fast paced world where we have so many things going on at once with technology only making it even harder I can use the added focus for sure. The real reason I was looking to find the best over the counter alternative was a need for more a quality legal stimulant that actually works. I really do my homework when it comes to spending my hard earned money on any product, but especially supplements as there are so many scams out there. Little things like looking at the quality of the label and actually reading the ingredient list go a very long way from my experience.
For one thing I noticed that others give you less than half the total MG's of this energy supplement, that is of course if you can actually find what is in their product, lol. Addrena is the best over the counter supplement because it contains sixty pills per bottle and each one of those pills contain 600mg's of Guarana, 250mg's of bitter orange, 100mg'sd of yohimbe extract, 50mg's of Carnitine, 45mg's of Bacopa, 47mg's of DMAE, 25mg's of Tyrosine, 2.5mg's of Vinpocetine, and 500mcg's of Huperzine among other vitamins and an additional 40mg's of added caffeine on top of the 40mg's naturally found in the Guarana. If you really check these ingredients out quickly through wikipedia or just a regular google search you will see that they are the real deal. This herbal pill is a tremendous energy booster and focus pill because of what it contains. Don't buy something unless you know what is in it and do your homework to make sure it is in the proper dosing as well, that is another trick I have noticed from unscrupulous supplement companies. They will sell you quality supplements at a terribly low dose because in the end they just want your money and don't care if you like the product or not. This product was originally named Adderllin and the name was changed, either way it has the same ingredient list and is no different other than the name from what I have seen. If you think I am crazy to judge a product by the way the label looks by the way, think again. The low cost imitation products have cheap labels from what i have found and it is a sign that the company is cutting corners.
In the end I really just needed more energy, and because of my due diligence I found this over the counter alternative that really does increase my overall energy levels without an annoying crash. I have been using this product on and off now for a couple of years as I felt I needed it and will continue to do so. Taking two pills at once is quite a strong effect that you can work your way up to, but overall one of these OTC pills is enough for me to get through my long work days which is great because the bottle lasts you a long time. I take one pill and suggest you do the same unless you have both tolerance to stimulants and have used this product yourself for awhile. If you are as skeptical as I am of any product and don't like blowing your money I suggest you really look into the specifics of every product, this way you have a better idea of what you're getting. My work was worth it as I found the best over the counter alternative supplement in Addrena, I love it!
Addrena Reviews


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Falcons are the best team in the NFL.
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Point Blank
Superbowl or Bust!
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Maryland
Posts: 277
Re: Falcons are the best team in the NFL.
Originally Posted by
Falcons are the 3rd best team by a distant margin. The 49ers and the Texans are clearly the best teams in the league and they will meet in the super bowl.
The Texans are the most complete team I think I've ever seen.
Elite passing game, elite running game, elite defense. The only weak area is special teams
The Falcons are very fortunate to be 5-0, they've won all 3 games that were decided by a touchdown or less. It's not like they're dominating opponents and they've played trash.
@ 1-4 KC, give me a break
2-3 Denver at home
@ 3-2 SD who just lost to the 0-4 Saints
1-4 Carolina
@ 2-3 Washington who didn't even have their starting QB the majority of the game.
Some juggernaut
You must be young..
Fortunate to be 5-0? Typical "ESPN Highlight NFL fan". You don't need to "dominate" teams every week, good teams find a win to win close games. I can tell you haven't watched football for very long.
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STARmeterSEE RANK
Down 3,361 this week
Harry Jay Knowles
Harry Jay Knowles was born on December 11, 1971 in Austin, Texas, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Faculty (1998), Ain't It Cool News (2001) and Ain't It Cool with Harry Knowles (2012). He has been married to Patricia Cho Jones since July 15, 2007. See full bio »
Born:in Austin, Texas, USA
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OCEAN PINES—The
Ocean Pines association Board of Directors got a bit of a shock during their
Nov. 6 work session—sticker shock, when General Manger Bob Thompson told them
that equipment costs may have to be sharply increased because of the condition
of equipment that was slated to be transferred from the old facility to the new
Yacht Club.
Yacht Club Implementation
Advisory Committee facilitator Ted Moroney attended the work session meeting
via speakerphone. Thompson briefed the board on how kitchen-related costs for
the new Yacht Club could increase from $234,300.00, as projected in the
original contract, to $690,030.70, as recommended by the professional kitchen
design firm Savoy/Brown Consultants of Baltimore.
Dishwashing equipment planned for
the new facility will be leased and therefore was not included in the projected
costs for the new kitchen equipment, according to Thompson. It will be included
in the OPA's operating budget, he said.
Thompson reminded the board that
the redesign was prompted by the board's directive that he hire a professional
kitchen design agency, which he did—Savoy/Brown Consultants, of Baltimore.
As the equipment was being
removed, much of the equipment was determined to be in significant states of
disrepair, Thompson reported. While the items looked salvageable from their
fronts, deterioration was discovered when they were removed from the walls,
such as the walk-freezer, which had deteriorated insulation and a rotted floor.
Over the years the department kept
patching broken items, but never replaced them, he said.
Thompson presented the board with
a list of replacement costs for equipment items deemed no longer functional,
including the old Yacht Club's refrigerators, ice makers, sandwich preparation
coolers, Vulcan stoves, convection ovens, Frymasters, steamers, food slicer,
and three-compartment sinks. The value of the items recommended for discarding
totaled $215,000, according to briefing documents distributed to the board.
To keep the contract on schedule
a decision would be needed from the board no later than the first week of
Former Yacht Club equipment items
that were relocated for use at the OPA Country Club included a reach-in
refrigerator, four glass-door coolers, a large mixer, and two Rinnai hot water
heaters. The value of the repurposed items totaled $47,500.
According to the documents,
$30,200 worth of equipment was removed from the old Yacht Club and is being
held in storage for installation in the new facility. Those items include wire
shelving units, hand sinks, a water filter, ice bins, and work tables.
Thompson said he would wait for
direction from the board on how to resolve the equipment issue.
The kitchen consultant's design
was approved as compatible with the layout specifications done by subcontractor
AWB Engineers, he said.
Thompson said all new furniture would
be used on the first floor and the existing chairs and tables would be
refurbished and repurposed for use on the second floor.


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We're seeing a surge in IM-worm activity today. We've been seeing a higher level of activity for this type of attack for the past couple of weeks now.
If you receive a file over Yahoo! or MSN Live Messenger service that looks like image021.zip, DO NOT download it. It drops what appears to be a keystroke/vpad scraping bot that phones home to an ip address in Turkey. It also downloads more components from servers in Shanghai and New Zealand.
Here is a screenshot of the MSN Live Messenger client handling the incoming message. The incoming message arrives from one of your contacts as image021.zip, or something close to that name. It arrives alongside a cute message listed below. In our lab, the zip file arrived underneath
"hey look @ my cute new puppy "
These lines of text are being changed by the authors/distributors. They maintain a "chat.txt" file that is downloaded by the bot from a server in Austria containing all the comments that the worm may chat. Here are the current cute comments the message might arrive as:
hey look @ this picture of me, when I was a kid
I just took this picture with my webcam, like it?
hey look @ my cute new puppy
hey man, did you take this picture?
holly cow this picture is nasty check it
check it, i shaved my head
have u seen my new hair?
what the ____, did you see this?
hey I'm sending you a profile pic tell me if its nice k?
haha lets hope your parents dont see this picture of you
hey did i ever show you this picture of me?
is it ok if I add this picture of us to my new slideshow?
can i upload some of these pics of you to my myspace profile?
you care if i put this pictuer of you in my new album?
I cant believe they wanted me to upload this picture to facebook lol.
Lmfao hey im sending my new pictures! Check em out!
is it alright if I upload this picture of us to myspace?
is it alright if I upload this picture of us to facebook?
do you see anything strange in this picture about me?
Wanna see my pics before i send em to facebook?
you mind if I upload this pic of us to my online album?
do you think this picture is too kinky for Myspace?
This picture isnt you… right?
Wow i think i found your pic on myspace!
do I look dumb in this picture? I want to put it on myspace.
sry about the messup i fixed the pic! Try it one more time pz
is this pic tooo sexy for photobucket??
my crazy sister wants u to see these pics for some reason… take a look
ohhhh myyy look at this pic haha!
wow! look at this old picture i found….
wanna see this pic of my Boobs?
haha, this guy up my street just slammed his $90k car into a telephone pole! I got a pic of it with my cellphone
dude i just got these pictures off my digital for you! Gimme a moment to find em and send
I think this picture is terrible. but my friends on myspace want to see it. please dont show noone.
Hey just finished new myspace album! theres a few kinky ones in there!
hey you got a myspace album? anyways heres my new myspace album accept k?
Dude i found your picture on hotornot.com! Take a look!
Note- you can observe the struggle that this poor soul went through after downloading, unzipping and running the "album1of42.zip" file they received over MSN Messenger. They unfortunately are seeking out volunteer advice for the time consuming steps of cleaning up a system infected with this worm.
Update: This same sort of IM-worm activity will surge in different parts of the world six months from now.


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Investigating Recalls
Okay with all of the responses to this thread you guys have got me really charged up. I have been burning the midnight oil! With the help of my friend Kim, I put together a survey to better investigate what is going on. So if you get a chance please fill it out at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/recallhelp Even if you have an awesome recall (and maybe especially if you have an awesome recall) I would like to hear from you on this survey. The more input I get the better the data.
Surveys can be a powerful thing. You know we ran the survey a few months ago about the USDAA going to 24″ weave pole bases and just this week the board approved the move! I am not saying it was our input that made it happen but I am sure it gave them all food for thought.
I would love to have just as big a response to this survey. Please if you have some time, fill in the survey. I have this weekend off and will be working on some tools for all of you. Stay tuned, I promise help is on the way, both to fix a broken recall and to improve what ever you got (I am so excited by some of the things I have planned I am going to do them with my own dogs . . . extra reinforcement into a recall is NEVER a bad thing!)
Today I am grateful for the amazing weather we have been having at camp this week. Today I get to be a camper as Greg hangs around for an extra day working threadle drills!
20 Comments
karin says:
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 11:23am
Wow, i trained the recall training like you told us Susan..my dogs loves it and he's very fast.. brilliant..he likes the game and me to 😉
Sharon says:
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 7:17am
Omigosh Dorothy! I have a dog who is also terrified if there is a fly in the house. However in her case, it doesn't cause a recall problem because she comes to me desperately seeking to be saved. LOL! She also settles down once I can show her the dead fly. I have no idea what precipitated this fear in the first place.
She is also afraid of them outside as well which can be a problem at an agility trial outdoors, but if I can keep her focussed and moving during a run, we can get through it.
karen says:
Monday, July 5, 2010 at 12:14am
I will admit that I have terrible recalls on my dogs – I haven't put nearly the time into them as any number of other "tricks" or behaviors. Maybe it is because I didn't think I would be successful, and if I didn't try then I had a reason … afraid to fail I guess, which I know sounds bizarre considering how important this is.
I want to fix this, I want to believe I can do better for my dogs, even tho I am concerned because I don't have a strong Tug / toy drive with them either. It would be immensely helpful if food reward options were presented, too, I think I have exceptional timing with food rewards. Thank you, Susan.
Katie says:
Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 9:34pm
Susan, I really appreciate you doing this, and I can't wait to see the result. One thing that has been a challenge for me is pack dynamics. I have 3 dogs, and I walk them off-leash every day. They're generally pretty good, but if one of them has a sudden impulse to do something unauthorized (chase a bunny, run up to a strange dog, eat horse poop, etc.), the other 2 tend to follow suit. In fact, my oldest dog spends most of the walk on leash now, because she has such a tendency to get the other 2 in trouble. They're much better behaved one-on-one than they are as a group.
Dorothy Jones says:
Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 1:13am
Here is one I have not read anyone speak to. My dog is terrified of flies in the house. If I want to call her in the house and she thinks there is a fly in the house FORGET IT! If I show her the dead fly after I have swatted it, she is fine. But otherwise she is OCD on this one. This is not a self rewarding thing as far as I can make out, but a fear issue… Or is it???
Chris says:
Saturday, July 3, 2010 at 4:40am
Wow. I'm just so glad I found this blog, Susan. I'm amazed at all of the things I'm learning. I have a 2 year old Pug named Charlie. I just love Pugs. He's so adorable. I've been skimming a lot of your posts and must say that you really know your stuff. I will check out the survey as soon as I am educated enought to fill it out knowledgeably.
Val says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 8:56pm
Like Sharon, I had trouble answering the question about playing. My dog who I responded about plays with my other dogs. But in the occasional situations where she is allowed off-leash with other people's dogs, she really doesn't care to play with them.
Amy says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 5:17pm
We did the survey, but I'd forgotten to put in one comment that I'd wanted to:
Layla is my Novice A dog, and I had no real plans of doing any performance work with her. It's just been a wonderful bonus. I had no idea how far behind I was with different techniques. So we're very behind with a lot of things that other people do with their dogs (now that they know better); things like letting them run in the yard with other dogs and discovering that dogs might be more fun than people, etc. I'm not trying to make excuses, but I honestly didn't know any better.
Lesley Bowen says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 4:21pm
My youngest dog is allowed off leash in the backyard to potty and play…and chase squirrels. So now, when I call her, she comes from the back of the yard, zooms past me, and goes to the back door…which is what I want, but…needless, we are both works in progress. At least she knows to go straight to her crate, because SHE has played Crate Games. Maybe there's still hope.
hornblower says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 3:08pm
I filled out your survey. I have a malamute x gsd who only recalls well in low distraction areas; when something interesting catches her eye, she FIRST goes to do what she thinks she needs to do (tell another dog off usually) and then comes. 🙁
Leaves me in the awkward 'do I reward this because you did come but only when you finally felt like it' situation. Obviously, I try very hard to limit her chances to practice this bhvr.
My english setter I adopted from rescue as a 6 yo. He'd been previously trained on an e-collar (which I don't use). He is very birdy & would chase birds across the continent from what I can see so he's not been offleash in an unfenced area in the year I've had him.
I don't walk them on flexi's but I use long lines a lot with both of them.
I've just started working Pam Dennison's whistle recall training with both of them. I look forward to incorporating your tips too!
Naomi says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 1:27pm
Just filled out your survey! Interesting topic that I love to learn more about!
My brilliant recaller (not by your definition- because it has become less )- the major reason is I spent less time with him. Also I saw a big change in him after we took him out of sports to rehabilitate after an injury- we were always the centre of his world but then he started noticing more things- remarkable change. That has gotten better now – valuable lesson: always gotta keep investing in it troughout life:)
I admit I am at loss at teaching my youngest (just 1) to recall away out of play with others (then my own dogs). I just don't know how to get a good setup for practice. Another reason is I feel insecure about is which reward I should use. … learning every day :)))
Kathy says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 1:06pm
I have great recall with my dogs-but I couldn't call it brilliant because I could think of at least one instance where each one MIGHT not come the first (and only) time I call. I only call once and then I go get them. My dogs get a lot of freedom but they still have to come when I call them. I have no problem restricting a dog until they prove they can handle more freedom. I can't wait to see what you are going to come up with…..
Natalie says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 12:36pm
Too funny. Yesterday I commented about my Standard Poodle's recall being spotty around other dogs. While at agility last night, I had her off leash, getting ready to run, and she bounced off toward a Golden Retriever that was maybe 20 feet away. By the time I reacted, I gave her a firm "Addie, Come!" when she had about reached the dog. She turned on a dime and sprinted back to me. I was quite proud of her : ) However we still need work – this is not 100% consistent.
I filled out your survey and at least for us, the thing we need work on most is recalls around other dogs… but I don't know how to proof that well, especially since most of the dogs around us have spotty recalls at best. Are you going to cover this in the tools you're talking about? I can't wait to read what you have for us.
Kim Laird says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 11:37am
I would actually have filled out the survey again for my other dog, now deceased, in case this would be of interest. My current dog is growing up very differently than the first one, because I don't live next to farmland and because I walked my first dog on flexis most of the time. We were in a very rural area. I would also turn her loose in the farm field and on the campus near where we lived. I'm pretty sure that lead to a lot of the recall problems we had, and the slow recalls in the obedience rings. She felt like recalls were punishment, I think. This one does not and returns very cheerfully. Where we have a problem is with distractions like birds, other dogs, etc.
Karissa says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 11:20am
Michelle makes a good point — I didn't choose the dog with the worst call as my choice for which dog I would like to improve. Poor guy gets the short end because he is a breed who *every* breeder says, "Never let these dogs off leash." I do occasionally and he is now 100% at agility trials, even at outdoor unfenced trials — but I rarely let him off leash in an uncontrolled environment because I worry about what might happen to him. He doesn't even care about my other dogs (who tend to be great teachers for keeping new kids around).
Speaking of — I'm quite sure the reason my third dog's recall is not as good as I would like is because of the lack of work I have put into it. I more or less have taken for granted that she generally sticks around my oldest dog and comes when he does. Remove him from the situation and often her ears turn off — go figure! I still carry a treat pouch on me and reward her for almost every recall, but it surely doesn't have high enough value to bring her back to me when she's found something rotting & dead to eat, or a small animal to chase.
Michelle says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 10:56am
I took the survey and I can kind of see what you are getting at with the questions that were asked and how one could respond. One thing I did note was you asked about the dog you wanted a brilliant recall on, but it seemed to assume it was the one with the worst recall. That may not necessarily be the case. That is my situation- my older dog with the terrible recall made me try harder and better with my second dog. My first dog is old and deaf at this point. She is managed with a good recall signal (if she's looking at you), other trained behaviors, leashing, and double door systems. My second dog is 1000 times better than my first in the recall department (and many other behaviors). He's not "brilliant" by your definition, but he's really good. About the only weakness we have is with rabbit/squirrel chasing and quite honestly I do not know how to proof against such a strong instinct- so I don't. I manage it with leashing. With my breed, I don't know if I would ever trust any amount of training I did to withstand such a distraction. It's just not safe. As solid of a relationship I have with my 2nd dog, I'm fighting 100s of years of him being bred to NOT listen to humans when on chase of a prey animal. I continually work on our recalls and try for that ellusive idea of one day allowing him to romp through the woods off leash. Yet, I doubt there will be a day I ever take that step. The risk is just too high if I've missed something. A question though- does your criteria for a brilliant recall translate to other people calling your dogs? I know my recalls errode a bit when other people are calling them. I've tried to work on this in case they get away from someone else and I'm not around (a more likely scenario in my world). Yet, I have less luck here.
Sharon says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 9:57am
I could not answer #5 in the survey because there was an option missing. 🙂
My dog plays with our own dogs frequently but not other dogs. I don't encourage it because for one thing, she is quite small, and I don't feel she needs to interact with other than our own dogs in order to have a good life. In any case, I am happy that she also doesn't seem that interested in other dogs.
Jenny Ruth Yasi says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 9:35am
My almost six year old french waterdog still can have her brain turn off around certain distractions, but she is so much more reliable than she used to be! She'll turn on a dime most of the time, but I still won't entirely trust or test it around any distraction! It was interesting to me that you didn't ask breed questions in your survey, as I see SUCH a difference in "natural" ability to recall. Some dogs have SUCH very intense prey/chase drive! I took her to the beach yesterday, she was great, but I needed fifteen minutes of sitting and waiting for her to settle down and focus on me before I dared let her off leash (for intense fun retrieving training games, not just wandering around). If there had been a flock of geese on the beach, I maybe wouldn't have been able to let her off-leash. When prey-stimulated, she just can't think. We will do field trials this summer, in the hope that doing her "natural" job will help her feel less of a barrier-frustration around birds.
When she was a teeny pup, every time a car or bike or jogger or anything moving passed by, she used to leap at it and land on the end of leash. I had to train her to sit on vehicle cue, and the leaping after cars disappeared 99% of the time, but yesterday, walking to the beach, she was so excited to be going to the beach, that old "jump towards the moving vehicle" behavior recurred! I was very glad she was on leash! So, although she is recalling (ie, thinking) really well around most distractions, I don't trust what would happen if a feral cat stepped into her path. It's just DIFFERENT with a dog like this, who naturally points and quivers, and loads up with chemicals. It's really a different problem than the problem of teaching a recall to a dog who doesn't have that intense genetic hunting instinct. Some dogs naturally follow (even, herd) the owner around, and they learn brilliant recalls pretty quickly and easily. Other dogs require much more training, much more management, more socialization and habituation, more time to develop and mature emotionally, more careful management, more work, and they STILL might not have a brilliant recall around EVERY distraction! Trainers should be honored not for what a brilliant recall their dog has — for some, that's pretty easy! But for knowing their dog, and respecting and accepting where the dog is at, and working from their to improve and develop their recall. When trainers expect their dog to have brilliant recalls around any distraction, they might beat themselves up, or beat their dogs up, hate themselves or their dogs for being imperfect. But for lots of dogs, being imperfect is pretty normal, and that's what we need to expect!
Deanna says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 9:34am
Susan – maybe you can touch on a little bit on this … I know a 6 year old dog that has brilliant recalls. The owner can pull him off of anything…BUT a month ago while in the ocean swimming he spotted a dolphin at that point nothing existed but that dolphin. The dolphin was friendly and after a dolphin sniff the dog came back. Thank God it wasn't a shark! How are you so sure of a dog's brilliant recalls even with a distraction you've never proofed ??
A&J says:
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 6:50am
Thrilled you are doing this. A brilliant, absolute recall ( a BAR? 🙂 have been a thorn in my side for awhile now. I just reworked my PoA, and even though it's trial season and I really want to do sexy sequences, I've put Recalls and Crate Games at the top of the list. Thanks much, can't wait!


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GrainCorp, the crop handler being pursued by Archer Daniels Midland, restated its "strong outlook" despite acknowledging that grain receivals would fall by at least 10%, dented by a weaker Australian harvest.
Don Taylor, chairman of the Sydney-based group, said the GrainCorp board "has great confidence in the strategy and outlook for the business", backed by a "highly valuable storage and handling infrastructure that spans eastern Australia".
Mr Taylor told investors that GrainCorp was "very excited" about its entry into edible oils this year, while seeing is long-term outlook "reinforced by the strong and growing tailwinds provided by rising demand for protein and changing dietary habits through the growing middle class in the Asian region".
"We have the best people, a clearly focussed strategy and uniquely placed assets to continue to deliver solid returns to you, our shareholders," he told the company's annual meeting.
However, the meeting also heard that the group's grain receivals - mainly wheat - from the ongoing harvest were forecast to drop to 10.0m-11.0m tonnes, a reflection of weaker yields following an unduly dry spell.
Indeed, GrainCorp trimmed its estimate for the east coast harvest by 100,000 tonnes to 18.2m tonnes, below the 18.4m tonnes forecast by Abares, Australia's official commodities bureau, but above a 17.9m-tonne estimate from consultancy Australian Crop Forecasters.
GrainCorp's receivals from the last harvest came in at 12.2m tonnes, with the four-year average at 11.0m tonnes.
So far receivals had reached 9.1m tonnes, with "good grain quality across the network", despite harvest rains which have sparked concerns among some commentators.
The group also forecast a decline in bulk grain exports to 8.0m-8.5m tonnes in its 2013 financial year, from 10.6m tonnes in the year to the end of September 2012.
Mr Taylor restated the belief of GrainCorp directors that ADM's revised Aus$12.20-a-share offer "materially undervalues" the grain handler.
However, he also flagged the board's openness to a takeover on the right terms.
"The board remains focused on maximising value for shareholders and will be constructive in any dealings in relation to proposals that may have the potential to maximise shareholder value," he said.
GrainCorp shares closed up 0.2% at Aus$12.34 in Sydney.
By Agrimoney.com


text: Next month Apple is rumored to be launching two different types of the new iPad. DigiTimes reports that Apple is likely to introduce the next-generation at Macworld, but this seems unlikely since Apple withdrew from the trade show in 2009. Instead Apple will probably host a special event sometime around January 26, 2012. According to supply chain sources, one iPad 3 is expected to have a 7.85-inch display and the other is expected to have a 9.7-inch display. Both will have Retina Display and 8-megapixel cameras. The battery life on the new iPad is expected to be longer than the 10-hours that the iPad 2 has. [DigiTimes]


text:
Bonanza Exclusive Fall Collection 2013-2014
Renowned one stop fashion shop for all, Bonanza Garments, introduce the much awaited Designer series Fall/Winter collection for the winters of 2012. Bonanza Garments deals with the quality fabric and they have huge collection of fashion apparel. Such as Lawn, Sweaters, shirts, trousers, shalwar suit, kurta shalwar. The newly launched Bonanza's winter collection includes sultry shawls and intricate designer pieces of linen kameez and trousers. Most stylish and quality winter collection that is available in the market, Bonanza is a hot seller this season especially the warm & appealing shawls.


text:
Beautifully captured!
The last few days of 2010 brought cold, blower pow to the Snoqualmie Pass area and sunshine followed. It was a great end to 2010 with skiing the deeps at Dumpental, then getting many first tracks in the blue sky winter wonderland. NYE brought continued sunshine and cold so a good tour was in order. Touring solo is an exercise in playing it safe so I brought my camera and went into cruise mode.
I found a great new area to explore when we get about 5 more feet of snow. For now, its just big rocks but it will soon be sweet pillows!
I've also included some sunrise photos of Alpental and Gold Creek. It was a balmy 10 degrees so the pastels of winter were especially nice. Tomorrow Seattle returns to the grey blanket and wet so enjoy the sun while it lasts! EE


text:
Lisa Waananen
December 31, 2012 at 2:06PM
Mike Bookey
December 31, 2012 at 12:28PM
The updated college basketball rankings just rolled out and Gonzaga moved up three spots in both the AP and the USA Today/ESPN polls, placing them at the 10 spot. The move comes after dropping 94 points on Baylor Friday night, thanks to an explosion of offense from Kevin "The Calm Canadian" Pangos and solid efforts from Kelly "The Hippie Canadian" Olynyk and Elias "German, Not Canadian" Harris.
Lisa Waananen
December 31, 2012 at 9:02AM
December 29, 2012 at 8:23AM
I have been an avid I Saw You fan since before I could date, with all the
sweet nothings and creepy notes written to the unsuspecting potential
loves. Lately however, the notes have been lackluster or nonexistent.
I saw you Tuesday, December 18th. You were sitting across from me. You were
a curly haired, beautiful blonde.
Thanks to "Celebrations" Bakery for their prize of a dozen cupcakes for
best "Cheers" every week. That is a very generous "thank you" to the most
gracious applauding the quiet good- guys of our town.
I am Bonnie, he is my Clyde. Never a question, always down to ride.
Star Wars Tattooed Buffoon. You know who you are!
I totally love and appreciate/respect the job the Spokane Police do, and
completely understand them wanting to be off their shift before the next
call comes in. My uncle was a police officer for over 30 years.
To the dirtbag who sped off with my faithful companion of nine years. My
dog was not much to look at, yet he was always there for me with a good
attitude when I was down.
© 2017 Inlander