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Over the past decade, Ferrari road cars have experienced enormous growth in build quality, speed, and handling. Two years ago, the 599 GTO showed its taillights to the famed Enzo, beating the supercar around the Fiorano test track by a thick second.
Now, the new F12berlinetta, which replaces the 599, can haul its screaming self from start to finish in one minute, twenty-three seconds — a clock tick faster than the GTO. In other words, a well-equipped, smooth-riding, luxuriously appointed, rather rotund GT beats Ferrari's carbon-tub, world-slaying, named-after-the-man-himself supercar by two long seconds.
Astonishing, yes, but we've come to expect this kind of continual performance evolution at Ferrari and, after all, the Enzo is now ten years old. The last thing we expected to hear straight from the prancing horse's mouth, however, was that one of the primary goals for the F12 was to be more fun to drive under the limit.
Fun? That's something with which Ferrari hasn't seemed to be concerned. Sure, Italian thoroughbred sports cars are fun: by virtue of their looks, their sound, their price, and their speed. But the latest Ferraris have gained more and more capability at the expense of being slightly clinical. Modern Ferraris have slightly anesthetized steering and carbon-ceramic brakes that aren't particularly predictable and automated gearboxes that work well on track but always don't react the way you want.
Not anymore! The F12 might be Ferrari's fastest car ever, but more important, it's the most fun Ferrari in years. Slap on a grin and hop on in; this is a rolling festival of perfection; a glistening red celebration of beauty, performance, and involvement that shames the all-new Porsche 991-chassis 911, the Lamborghini Aventador, and everything between. Imagine supercar performance, luxury-car accoutrements, and driver's-car steering. It is, if you can indulge us in a made-up word that's as silly as the car's official name, F12brilliant. And here it is, broken down into its components:
A gift from the gods of combustion.
The F12 uses a pimped version of the FF's 6262-cc, 65-degree, direct-injected V-12. With a much higher compression ratio (13.5:1 versus 12.3:1), freer-flowing intake and exhaust, and more aggressive cams, it produces 80 additional horsepower for a total of 731 hp at 8250 rpm and 509 lb-ft at 6000 rpm. The massively oversquare (the bore is 94 mm, while the stroke is only 75.2 mm) twelve responds instantly to the throttle, spinning like a cocaine-fueled Tasmanian devil from idle to its 8700-rpm redline and making the best V-12 noises in the business.
For that last part, you can thank 6-to-1 exhaust headers and intake resonance tubes that carry the induction honk straight into the cabin — a guttural, eardrum-punishing delight previously enjoyed exclusively by the petrified occupants in the car you were about to overtake. There isn't a single point on the RPM and load continuum where the V-12 makes noise; it's always music — mechanical music, intake music, and exhaust music.
A true automatic mode short of perfection.
Of course, as is the case with all current Ferrari models, no manual transmission is available — it would be more fun, but it certainly wouldn't be faster. The Ferrari/Getrag seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transaxle is the only available gearbox, and it's gotten better and better with time. Its shift times are, for all intents and purposes, zero. The F12's computers will play tricks to cut power briefly under full-throttle shifts, giving a glorious exhaust bark on upshifts or an extended burp during on-power downshifts. The transmission is programmed not to shift down past fourth gear at highway speeds, so even though it has a perfectly smooth automatic mode, you'll have to grab a paddle if you want full passing power. Speaking of fuel economy, Ferrari claims a 30 percent reduction in fuel consumption, but this wasn't achieved by absurdly long gear ratios. In fact, the F12 has no overdrive, and it reaches its 211-mph top speed in seventh gear.
The F12 is the first V-12 Ferrari to use the E-Diff electronic locking rear differential, and it's nearly magical in its ability to put power to the ground. Of course, mechanical grip is aided by a rear-biased weight distribution (54% of the F12's weight is on the rear axle), a five-link rear axle (the 599 used wishbones) and enormous Michelin Pilot Supersport tires (315/35s at the rear, 255/35s at front, all on twenty-inch wheels.) Still, successfully applying 731 horses to the ground in first gear is no small feat — and it results in a 3.1-second zero-to-62-mph time, according to Ferrari.
With easily the best steering of any Ferrari from the past decade, the F12's superfast rack might just be the best part of the whole car. With an overall ratio of just 11.5:1, the small inputs are met with big steering reactions, and on the road, you almost never need to shuffle-steer. It is, in typical Ferrari style, very light, but the effort builds palpably as cornering forces increase.
Just as so many car companies have begun to embrace electric power steering, Ferrari has reset the steering feel benchmark — and, of course, it's with a hydraulic-assist system. When asked why they've stuck with hydro, Ferrari engineers responded by saying steering feel is too important to the company and no current EPAS solution is good enough. Amen. In fact, even true purists who disapprove of power steering altogether might still be impressed: although the F12's steering is feather-light, it offers the best steering feel this side of an unassisted Lotus Elise.
On-center feel is ever present, with the small wheel telegraphing every relevant bit of information you need. Driving supercars is always stressful, especially on narrow Italian roads, but the F12's talkative steering takes half the stress away. Knowing exactly what the front tires are doing and precisely where they are — even if information on the latter comes from actually feeling the tire roll over the tar strip you saw — makes all the difference in the world. It helps, too, that the front end is high enough that it doesn't scrape.
In the rare event that the F12 should understeer, you'll feel the wheel go limp in your hands. When (not if) the rear end comes around because you've asked for way too much power in a corner, the wheel will dance in the direction of countersteer. This is a car you could drift blindfolded. Porsche's steering engineers should go order an F12 right now.
…where's the carbon fiber?
The F12 is made of aluminum, not carbon fiber like you might have expected. The upcoming Enzo replacement will, of course, be made of carbon — but that ultra-low-volume, ultra-expensive hypercar will use entirely different construction techniques. The F12's price point and production volume require construction techniques that, Ferrari says, would actually add weight. In this case, apparently, aluminum isn't just the better choice, it's the lighter choice.
And we can't argue with the weight figure: Ferrari calls the curb weight 3593.5 lb, and says so without a smile or a wink. Though we've found that Ferrari's scales are liberal, several engineers offered a wager that the F12 is lighter than the Lamborghini Aventador. Lamborghini might claim the carbon-tub bull weighs 3600 lb, but we've seen it on a scale and the real number starts with a four.
Of course, the F12 is a bit smaller than the Aventador (and it doesn't have four-wheel drive). Interestingly, it's also significantly smaller than the 599 it replaces — 2.0 inches shorter and 0.8 inch narrower. But it's the third dimension where the size has shrunk so much: the F12's roof is 2.4 inches lower than the 599's. The engine is mounted 2 inches closer to the tarmac, resulting in a center of gravity now just 18.1 inches high — 1.2 inches lower than the 599's.
The low center of gravity helps reduce body motions. From the driver's seat, you'd swear there's no suspension travel at all — except that the photos show body roll in corners and the F12's ride is appropriately compliant over bumpy pavement. Credit the computer-controlled magnetorheological suspension for all of the above. The F12 is no McLaren MP4-12C magic carpet in the ride department, but it's never harsh, never unduly firm, and always comfortable — unlike a certain bucking bull from Sant'Agata.
Computer, what computer?
Neither midcorner bumps nor straightaway jumps seem to faze the F12. Driven in anger, the newest Ferrari handles like a formula car, almost always perfectly neutral with a slight tendency toward oversteer. Since all of the large masses are well within the wheelbase and since so much of the weight resides in the rear, it rotates more like a mid-engine sports car than a front-engine GT, turning in instantly and rotating on an axis right at the driver's spine.
Even driving the F12 like it begs to be driven, you'll never notice that the whole experience is computer controlled. This is the brilliance of modern Ferrari: the computer is continually adjusting an incomprehensible number of parameters, but from the driver's seat, the F12 feels like there are no computers at all. The stability control doesn't interfere or even intervene, it merely influences. The F12 feels like a race car that always wants to kill you but somehow never does. It's nothing short of unbelievable.
Drive the F12 like a New York cabbie with binary throttle inputs and grand-mal steering spasms, and the stability control warning light will flash continually — but the Ferrari maintains a safe trajectory. With all systems on, it's the most idiot-proof pussycat this side of the cowardly lion — even while it's setting Enzo-beating lap times.
A fistful of air through the fenders.
Looking at the F12's profile, it's hard to imagine a long, tall V-12 engine mounted completely behind the front axle. But that's exactly where it is. (A couple things of note: the front of the engine is right at the front axle centerline, so there's no room for a FF-style four-wheel-drive system — something Ferrari admits it might have considered in retrospect. However, there is room at the rear for a KERS-type hybrid system. Also note that the side sills are extrusions that allow for thicker walls with no external dimensional changes — read: convertible.)
The F12's styling is perhaps the best-yet interpretation of the new swept-back headlights of the 458 Italia and the FF — thankfully without the FF's smiling anime air intake and with none of the California roadster's awkwardness. On the road, it instantly reads as a Ferrari GT: understated, elegant, and timeless. There's no doubt that Ferrari took a purposefully conservative route here — after all, the funky FF is at the opposite end of the spectrum.
That said, the F12 is aerodynamically advanced, with both a low coefficient of drag (0.30) and as much downforce as you're likely to see in a road car (a claimed 271 lb at 124 mph.) Some of the downforce comes from the Air Bridge, a novel aerodynamic device you might not have noticed. Look closely at the photos and you'll see that part of the upper front fenders has been removed, creating a tunnel that allows air to flow across the hood, out to the sides, and along the doors, creating downforce in the process. It's a neat idea to take away part of the body for aero, when, conventionally, designers have added stuff (wings, spoilers, splitters, diffusers). To our eyes, the Air Bridge is more elegant and sophisticated than tack-on appendages, besides.
Inside, the F12 is typically Ferrari gorgeous, with enough controls and buttons on the steering wheel to confuse a C++ programmer. A new infotainment system has been codeveloped with Harman-Becker, but it wasn't finished in time for our drive. We can, however, report that the dash screen is very high-res and sharp, but unfortunately it's only visible to the driver — a significant ergonomic foible on a car meant to take well-heeled (read: well-aged) couples on long trips.
Still, the seats are comfortable, the driving position is natural, and the visibility? Well, you can't see much behind you, but there will be an optional rear-view camera for parking. At least you can see well out the front, where your view is punctuated by the tops of the air bridges.
The F12 is both a ten and a one.
The 599 Fiorano was a perfectly nice car when it debuted, but its evolution models highlighted that it wasn't quite perfect out of the box. Its understeering ways were rectified by the handling-package 599 HGTE. Then, it was finally given the dose of high-rev mania it needed with the 599 GTO. On the other hand, the F12 debuts as a whole; one complete vehicle composed of near-tens in all categories. There is probably no other car on earth that combines this level of performance, elegance, drama, and luxury with this much driver involvement.
Of course, that comes at a price, and the F12berlinetta will cost as much as a beautiful house. But since Ferrari's V-12 sports car has added "driver's car" to its supercar performance, it saves a bit of dough. See, you can sell both your 599 and your Porsche 911 to buy an F12 because it does everything better than either. That's the last thing we expected to say, but it's exactly what we've been wishing for.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Blogging from Pakistan: Fielding questions after public lectures
Couple of quick comments here: A few words about the different settings. Both QAU and AKU lectures were in an academic environment and the audience was drawn mostly from the respective universities. The AKU lecture was part of a new Faculty of Arts and Sciences seminar series aimed at bringing in speakers of diverse academic backgrounds, especially to the AKU medical school. Thus, the settings at both universities were formal and perhaps not much different from a university or a college in the US. T2F, on the other hand, has a very different atmosphere. Unlike a lecture hall, here I was surrounded by people. Plus, one can expect literally any type of question and nothing if off-limits (this was my second Science ka Adda -the last one in 2008 was on Science, religion, and the search for our origins). If you are familiar with tennis tournaments, then you can see the university lectures as a Wimbledon or the French Open (formal and prestigious), and the T2F lectures as the night matches at the US Open in New York (formality is gone, the atmosphere is electric, and any thing can happen).
For my talk I picked three kinds of telescopic discoveries that have influenced the way we think of humanity's place in the universe: a) Imperfections in heavenly bodies, such as the Sun (sunspots) and the Moon, as revealed by Galileo's observations and the resultant demystification of the sky, b) The discovery of Uranus and the subsequent mathematical prediction and discovery of Neptune, solidifying the power of natural science and providing support for a clockwork universe, c) The measurement of distance to Andromeda and the realization that "spiral nebulae" are individual galaxies, and consequently revealing a universe of an enormous scale.
Of course, a number of questions after the talk(s) focused on astronomy and concepts regarding large distances and how can we understand the early universe. Dark matter, dark energy, fate of the universe, prospects for life elsewhere, were the reliable favorites. Some went into subtle details, such as the radius of the observable universe compared to the size of the universe, the shape of the universe, causes for sunspots cycle, etc.
But of course, this is a topic that touches on religion as well. My last year's talk on Origins dealt with religion more directly. But there was an interesting mix of questions this time. Some dealt with the larger science & religion issues: What about the role of God (or some Divine force) in this type (more a clockwork) of universe, what about the fine-tuning argument? etc. Now these are fair and important questions and I am happy to engage on these topics even if I happen to disagree with the person asking the question. However, I also received some odd questions this time: The issue of world coming to an end in 2012 was raised at each of the three venues. Now this is an example of a loony pop-culture import from the US. However, there were also chuckles from the audience each time the 2012 question was asked. May be there is still hope for critical thinking. Perhaps it is good to engage with the topic to dispel at least some of the crazy rumors.
Here is a sampling of some other science & religion questions: One person was of the opinion that there is no point in wasting money and looking for life elsewhere, since the Qur'an doesn't mention any alien beings in the text. Another doubted biological evolution. This topic was brought into the question by talking about the possibility of life on other planets. One person accused me of skipping over Muslims when talking about telescopes. Now this is odd since I especially brought in Al-Haytham (Alhazen) and mentioned that telescopes would not have been possible without his work on optics. Not enough. This person was insistent that Muslims had actually not only invented the telescope centuries before the accepted date of 1608 but that they had also come up with a heliocentric universe much before Copernicus. These views are mistaken but these misconceptions, perhaps, have an interesting reason. Sure enough there were medieval astronomical observatories run by Muslims. In fact, one of the famous ones is the Maragheh Observatory built in the 13th century. However, there were no telescopes in there. Rather, these medieval observatories were built to house instruments that can measure positions (angles) of stars to a high degree of precision. Similarly, there is growing evidence to suggest that medieval Muslim astronomers resolved may of the problems with the Ptolemaic geocentric system and Copernicus borrowed some of these corrections (especially a mathematical solution of al-Tusi). However, at present, there is no evidence that Muslims removed the Earth from the center before Copernicus.
But here are two of the strangest question/comments I received at the lectures: A young (10-11 years old) girl came after the talk and asked me about the fate of "giants" (humans - not animals like dinosaurs) that she claimed are mentioned in the Qur'an. This was a tricky one to respond to. After all she is interested in astronomy and is bold enough to ask a question. Plus, it involves a sensitive topic. I did not challenge her on whether is in the Qur'an or not - because that is not the point - but I did say that there is no evidence of the existence of giant humans. Furthermore, if anything, humans were a bit shorter than today (plus I briefly mentioned other hominid species). Her reaction: she simply dismissed my answer and said that yes, they did indeed exist. Here is a case where I find hard to communicate further. She already knows the answer (her version of the answer) and she is not really asking the question to know any thing new.
But she is young and if she keeps her interest, hopefully she will find out more about human history, etc. However, I also encountered a grown-up who told me that Mars is not really red. Instead, that NASA has been hiding its blue skies from us. Okay....before I bias your general opinion, I should remind you that there were many other fantastic and thought-provoking questions from audience members. But then you get this. How to respond? At first I didn't really understand the question. So I told him that there is nothing special that the sky is blue here on Earth - its simply the way light scatters off our atmosphere (I may have even uttered Rayleigh scattering in there somewhere) - and Martian sky is red because of the color of its dust. But then I realized the tone of his question and asked him - why would NASA change the color of Martian sky in the first place? To hide the presence of an alien civilization, he replied. Ah - but of course. Why didn't I think about it? He claimed that he has a document that shows that NASA is hiding this information along with the fact that Mars has a thick methane atmosphere. Okay - so now again we get to the issue of how to respond to this? There are some interesting elements to talk about. For example, a few years ago some methane was detected in the atmosphere. Initially it wasn't clear if this Martian methane detection was real, but now the detection has been confirmed. But we are still talking about a very small fraction in the atmosphere and there is still much debate about the source of methane: biological (may be from microbial life forms) or from geological processes. So yes, this could have been an interesting conversation. But, no. He was more interested in conspiracy theories and alien civilizations. So I politely turned to another person with a question. But wait: This aliens on Mars person is a CEO of a private "research center"! (it may simply be a home-based operation). In fact, he also offers help on education resources. With educators like this, who needs enemies?
I should be clear that these last few examples were anomalies and over all I had a phenomenal time at all these lectures. For every crank question, there were many that were inspiring and thought-provoking.
P.S. Congratulations Sabeen and others for getting the new location of T2F 2.0 in a fantastic shape in such a short time!
10 comments:
- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Hussain said...
Asking question is the first step towards looking for an answer. Asking a silly question is better than asking none. I am skeptical about the guy who says there is no mention of any extraterrestrial life in Quran. He is only making a false referral to Quran to 'strengthen' his view point. To me, even the first verse of Quran points towards something 'out there' as it introduces God as a lord of the worldS.
About the 10 years old girl, well, I used to ask even sillier questions when I was of her age. Now I am an amateur astronomer (though quite a junky one).
- farzal said...
Great lecture, and an equally nice wrap-up in this post.
I am very glad I came and learned almost a semester's worth of Astronomy in 1 hour.
- Salman Hameed said...
Thank you Farzal.
Akbar: Absolutely, I'm not worried about the 10-year old's question and here opinions are going to change as she will grow up. My concern is not the question (there are no silly questions) but rather her attitude - which was not about inquiry at all but was looking for an affirmation of her own answer (this I found a bit surprising for a kid of her age). But I don't want to dwell on it too much - it was just a quick observation from the talk.
- Atif Khan said...
Nice summary and wrap up. I missed the event due to official business. Would appreciate if I get some of the slides you presented there.
- ali said...
Thanks for stopping by t2f!
I was one of many, i presume, casual listeners at the event. But was blown away by your thoroughly eye opening and inspiring talk!
I have since been scrounging the net for information...and your blogs a great place to get it!!:)
- Asif said...
A very interesting lecture Salman made even more lively that way you deliver. Congrats.
and by the way, i was the one who asked you about life beyond earth and its mention in Quran. However my motive was not how you or some people may perceived.
i did not and cannot dare to make any sort of claim. It was just a point which popped up in my mind which i still think was a valid one so i asked.
Sorry if it caused any inconvenience to you or other audience.
However trust this wont stop me for asking any such type of "skeptical, silly or insane" questions from you :).
I am proud that we have such talented gems like you in our society and i wish you all the best.
Asif Shaikh
- Ramla Akhtar said...
Dear Salman:
I attended but the last bits of your densely-packed lecture at the T2F. Later on, I observed precisely how you 'field the questions' which were interesting to say the least.
Questions are significant, for the answers that we find in our life are shaped by both our questions, and our attitude with which we find answers to our questions.
I want to thank you for this lecture and the follow-up. There is a need for a greater and rigorous critical inquiry, particularly at the grassroots level.
- Salman Hameed said...
Atif, Ali, Asif, and Ramla,
Thank you for your kind words and as you can tell, I immensely enjoy the terrific audience and atmosphere at T2F and hope to visit it again some time in 2010.
No, there was absolutely no inconvenience from your question. And as I have mentioned above, there are no silly questions. My point of bringing up Mars conspiracy question (not from you) was not to highlight the question, but the attitude associated with the question - i.e. he already knew the answer and was not really interested in hearing any other point of views. But questions are always welcome and that usually is the best part of the talk = both for the audience and for the person giving the talk. I think Ramla is making a similar comment above and I agree with her.
- Ali Kazim Gardezi said...
Hmm... it seems like a very interesting lecture/debate. Well done Salman Sb. We need more lectures like these.
"The telescope has made us humble, but it has also made us wonderful,"
says Dr Salman Hameed, Assistant Professor of Integrated Science and Humanities, Schools of Natural Science and Cognitive Sciences, Hampshire College, USA...
AKU - News and Events: Humans in the Cosmos


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Cara Hyatt joined the Lady Bisons basketball staff in September of 2012.
Hyatt joins the Lady Bisons staff after spending her last two seasons at Southern Mississippi as an assistant coach.
Prior to Southern Miss., Hyatt spent three years at Jones County Junior College. Previously, the head coach at Northeast Jones High School, Hyatt compiled a 53-18 record and was a semi-finalist in the 4A State Tournament.
Hyatt played two seasons at Jones County Junior College and completed her eligibility at Mississippi College while earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She earned her master's degree in business management in 2006 from Colorado Technical University graduating magna cum laude.
Hyatt will assist in day-to-day duties while working as the recruiting coordinator for head coach Greg Brown's staff.
Hyatt graduated from Mississippi College in 2002.
Cara Hyatt joined the Lady Bisons basketball staff in September of 2012.


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Welcome to Great Moments in Drunken Hookup Failure, where we showcase three heartwarming true stories of drunken love gone horribly awry. Off we go.
I went on a date with a girl I had seen a couple times. We went to one of the nicest restaurants in town. They even had a foie gras dessert. We were drinking cocktails and wine with dinner. Things were going well so we went to a swanky bar down the street for more drinks and under the table groping. We both got way too drunk to drive so we decided to leave the car there and get a cab home. I'm in.
I pop in some gum for our drunk backseat make out session. We get into the cab and she asks for some gum. I have no idea why I was thinking she wanted *my* gum, but I did.
As I pull my gum out of my mouth and try to put it in her mouth, she turns her head away in disgust, naturally. The gum ends up in her hair. She screams. I tried to pull it out, but my coordination was not in its finest form so I end up just mashing it into her hair. She is livid and screams "WE ARE SOOOOOO NOT HAVING SEX TONIGHT!" The cabbie chuckles. As soon as we get to her house she grabs her clutch and sprints out of the cab towards her house. The cabbie laughs again and take me home, alone.
My buddy, we'll call him Greg, was trying to close on a younger girl (we'll call her Erin) who had been just out of his grasp for weeks. It was her birthday and she invited him to go out drinking with some of her friends. Greg invited me along for the ride, and we played beer pong. We get to the bar and things are going great for both of us. Her friends are trying to do the same thing as me, get them both laid. One girl, we'll call her Caroline, was very cute and had a dancer's body.
We talked all night and realized that we took a class together blah blah blah. Then all of the Natty Light and cheap vodka hits me like a punch from Mike Tyson. The memories start to fade in and out, but I remember making out with her in the back of the bar. Then BAM. It's morning. I'm naked, and still very, very drunk and naked. What happened? Like any smart college, I went to Facebook to see if anyone had posted pics or status updates that may allude to where my night had gone. That's where I got this gem of a Facebook Message.
Click to enlarge
There is a flash of us naked in my bed. Somehow, she figures out that I have no fucking clue what her name is, and mid hookup, asks me. I, like the perfect gentlemen, ask "Well do you know mine?" Yup, she does. I can sense that I'm running out of options and just go for it. With the biggest grin I can muster, I reply with the first name that enters my head – Samantha. crack. CRACK. I feel two slaps in quick succession. The first one was clearly not hard enough, because she turned slightly, and put her entire body into the next one. I tried to apologize (I think, everything was still very hazy) and she hastily left. According to my neighbors, I remembered her name as she was making her way down the stairs, ran out into the hallway (still naked), and let out an emphatic CAROLINEEE!!! FUCK!!! Needless to say she refused to make eye contact with me for the rest of the year in the Women's History class.
I'm visiting some old friends for a weekend after a miserable first semester of law school. While in town, I send a Hail Mary phone call on Saturday night, roughly 2:15 am, to a girl I had hooked up with over the summer a few times (we'll call her Jess). Jess actually answers (pass complete!), but says she's going to a party if I want to meet up either later that night or tomorrow. I tell her to call me after the party. Of course, the second I get off the phone I immediately pass out. When I wake up, I figure I've blown my chance for some tail. Check the phone, no texts or calls. Figure that's the end of it. So a few friends and I start drinking bottomless mimosas and gambling on the NFL games.
At some point during the early games, Jess calls me and apologizes for not calling me back for whatever excuse she used. She has a meeting to go to for work, but after that wants to meet up. My hopes are up, but I'm not holding my breath. As the day continues and we go from one bar to the next, my buddy Steve and I continue to subject girls to our advances. Playing the percentages, eventually we find two chicks that appear like they are ready to party (including new girl Mandy). Of course once Mandy starts giving the signs that she is definitely into me, Jess calls me and says she's on her way. I alert Steve that he may have to juggle both of them. Soon I get the text from Jess that she's at the bar, I give the signal to Steve, and the switch is complete. In my mind, Jess was not only hotter than Mandy, but I figure I'm in town for one last night and will take my guaranteed ass over one that may be false advertising. It is a fairly crowded bar, and Steve pulls it off perfectly, playing dumb for all questions a confused Mandy continues to ask about me. Since the bar is pretty big, I escape from Mandy with no run-ins whatsoever. Jess acts like I she hasn't seen me in years, making out with me, sitting on my lap, etc. She suggests we get some beers, a quick bite to eat and go back to her place.
We grab beers first b/c it's about 11:45 and in this Bible-loving state beer sales stop at midnight. The whole ride Jess is telling me about how she wants me to stay longer, she's going to cook me breakfast, etc. We then head to a 24-hr diner for food. We order, she excuses herself to go to the restroom. Comes back, her eyes are red from crying and declares, "Ryan, I just can't do this. I'm in love with someone else, and I don't think it would be right if you and I slept together tonight." As I'm in Hour 11 of my boozing bender and she's sober, I'm not exactly sure how to out-reason her on this. Being as we're in a public place, I try to keep my cool, telling her it's ok, I understand. I eat the most awkward BLT of my life, and ask if she can drive me back to the bar. She says no problem, and once the car leaves the diner the truth begins to set in. So I begin to tell her about how she has completely dicked me around. The car ride ends at the bar with her hysterically crying and yelling at me, while I slam the door and tell her as a parting gift I will let her keep the 12-pack.
So back I go to the bar. Steve is about to leave, but I intercept him and figure we'll try to rekindle the flame with Mandy and her friend. Oddly, Mandy does not seem too deterred by the fact that I was missing for about two hours. After brushing off her questions about my absence with, "Oh, I had to deal with an ex," she seems ok with that explanation. Steve and I are back in business! The girls are dancing promiscuously with us, and things are looking good. Then for some unknown reason Steve's girl just gets up and leaves. Steve is furious and now has no reason to stick around. Mandy says she can give me a ride home, which of course I will take her up on. I'm crashing at Steve's place and he texts me that he'll leave the door unlocked. My phone dies after receiving this text, which I don't think too much of.
Then my drunkenness begins to take hold. I realize we are going the complete wrong direction. After taking 25 minutes for a 10 minute drive, we get to his apartment complex and then I realize two major problems. First, it's one of those giant complexes where you need a key to get into the apartment areas. Second, even if we somehow get into the complex, I don't have any clue what apartment number he is. I attempt to use the security call box to call his roommate (the only one listed on the box) about 40 times. Of course the intercom doesn't work, and the roommate can't hear me and thinks it is a wrong number. Then he gets irritated by the constant phone calls and says to never call him again. Of course I keep calling, seeing a glimmer of hope, but that would be the last time he answers. All this time, Mandy is sitting there sobering up and clearly annoyed by having to watch this debacle. She was very nice about everything, but eventually I give up and tell her she might as well go home. After a few minutes of "I feel bad, you don't even have a coat, what are you going to do," she takes my number and of course I never heard from her again.
I ended up stumbling around the parking garage for like 20 minutes before finding my friend's car, which I realized I had to be near since all my stuff was at his place and I couldn't contact him b/c of my useless cell phone. Fortunately one of the doors was unlocked. So I slept in the car, and we both managed to scare the shit out of each other in the morning when he was got in the car to go to work. Oh and to top things off, I woke up at some point in the middle of the night and had to leave the car to throw up in the garage.


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I feel like I recovered from religion a long time ago, as I became a nonbeliever many years back, but I've had to hide my light under a HUGE rock for as many years. I live in a small, rural town in the heart of the southern bible belt. There is literally a church on every corner and street in my hometown. The local a.m radio station starts at 7 am on Sunday morning and broadcasts from churches all morning long, and the afternoon is spent playing nothing but gospel music.
I joined Facebook back in June and I"ve enjoyed meeting up with lots of folks I haven't seen in years, including 5 first cousins that I hadn't seen since childhood. The problem is, most all the postings of folks on my friends list are very heavily religious. Everyone is always praying for someone, and asking for, "god's help," etc. etc. Not only does it irratate me, but I just want to go on there and say, I don't believe the way you people do, yet I know I would be shunned and most all those friends and relatives would withdraw their friends requests.
I am lucky that my husband and I believe the same way, and we've raised our daughter free from church and religious doctrine. One of my coworkers is, "holiness,". Anyone that doesn't know what that is, she hasn't cut her hair in 10 years, wears nothing but skirts, isn't allowed to wear makeup, or go to the movies. She is allowed to wear a watch and wedding ring, and that is the extent of her jewelry. She and I get along well, and I"ve pretty much told her I am, "different," in my beliefs. I didn't have the courage to just state plainly, I don't believe in god, jesus, the bible, etc. I don't believe she could stand hearing the all out truth of my beliefs. With me being vague, she and I can have a good and friendly working atmosphere.
I think that I will spend all my life, recovering from religion. I was raised in the church and during my youth bounced between Methodist, Baptist, and holiness churches. My maternal grandparents were devout Jehovah Witness. I began to question the bible when I was in my late teens. I am an only child, therefore, I read a lot. I stumbled upon a book on reincarnation at around 18, and everything started to change for me.
I am now 59 and I see the bible as a book written by men, and is as much a myth as the Greek mythologies. I was interested in Wicca at one time, but drifted away. Anyway, sorry to ramble on, but it feels really, really good to be able to speak my mind without being shunned. I'm so glad to find this board.
PS. sorry for any misspelling. I hate doing that, but I don't have a spell checker.
Views: 125
Anita, what a wonderful website this is. Most of us know exactly what you've been going through because we share similar experiences.
The universe just is. The universe just is. The universe just is. The universe just is.
Why the fuck can't these religious assholes just accept this simple truth.
Anyway, welcome to this great website.
I am new on here too. I found this just a few days ago. It is funny, because I have been atheist longer than I was admitting it to myself. I think a lot of the things I was raised with in Christianity have a lot to do with why I took a long time. I was raised basically baptist, and I married a Catholic who never goes to church. Between my mother telling people who she thinks are people who are going hell, and my mother in law telling me what I would do if I was a good Catholic, I had my fill of it all before I told anyone.
I think for me, the beginning of admitting what I believe, which is there is no proof there is a god, was when my daughter began to tell everyone, including both of her grandmothers, that she was an atheist. The kid has guts, and would not mince words. She is who she is, and had thought it all out carefully. It made me look it all over. I didn't have the nerve she did for a long time.
Anyway, here I am. I still haven't told my mom, or my mother in law, because they won't like or accept that I am, in their eyes, going to hell. Since I don't think there is anything after this, I don't believe in hell. My hubby is just glad that I don't force anything on any one. He still doesn't go to church, but he also still hasn't gotten to the point of not believing in god. Things take time.
Thanks for letting me join, and letting me vent.
Hi Rhonda, nice to meet you. I've been a nonbeliever for many years, but I wasn't able to tell anyone. Here in the heart of the bible belt, you will do well to not let anyone know. I've aluded to friends that I don't exactly believe everything the bible says, and some of them have stated they don't believe everything it says either, but I've never openly said, I'm an atheists. My husband is also an atheists, and we raised our daughter (21) free from church, religion, the bible. We've always encouraged her to think for herself. If she had chosen to become a christian we would have been okay with it. That's how most atheists are, we don't try to shove anything down the throats of others. My daughter is agnostic. I am so glad to be able to come here. It's liberating!!!
A warm welcome Anita. That is why we are here, because many of us are surrounded by religionists and have no one to talk to or share thoughts, ideas and frustrations with. Hope you find some friends here. We are always interested in hearing others stories. Feel free to share as much or little as you like.
Dr. Darrel Ray, author of The God Virus : How religion infects our lives and culture, founder of Recovering from Religion
This is a great testimonial and is easy to relate to, Anita. I've started to call myself a nontheist in only about the last year. I had doubts for a long time, but when my christian faith really started falling apart was when I started to consciously look for the truth. I even prayed for the truth and it seems to have revealed itself to a much better degree than before. One of the first things that's easy to run into is that nobody knows who wrote the book of genesis. to me that ruins its credibility instantly. Another is the commandment "thou shalt not kill" but the rest of the bible sure has a lot of killing for a lot of reasons. There's lots more but I don't have to convince anyone here. So, I started looking at other forms of spirituality, some eastern and other more western occult type disciplines. I actually still enjoy tarot, not that I think there's some ju ju making the cards do things, but it can be a good tool for introspection or looking at issue's from other angles. It's an old world type of psychiatry as far as I can tell. But the more I looked at various spiritual ways of thinking, it all started to seem just flat out false. You can see where one religion became another, the early christian church was saturated with what fundamentalists now would call witchcraft, and on, and on, and on. The last straw was going through some financial and personal crisis, (which I'd like to keep private) and I thought to myself, "Isn't god looking out for me? I've worked hard and saved. Why did this situation happen to me?" The evident truth, that I had been looking for, for a number of years was there isn't a big guy in the clouds to help me or hurt me. I wasn't being punished for being a bad person so being resentful would be useless. I would just have to be a bit sharper about my dealings in life.
This, to me is a really cool discussion group. Thanks, Anita and everyone else for a spot to say what's on my mind.
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A homeless Boulder man faces first-degree assault charges after allegedly striking another man in the face with a skateboard, then fleeing on the board and leading police on a roughly two-mile chase.
According to an arrest report, the incident began when Steven McMillian, 34, a homeless resident of Boulder since 2009, got into a brawl Saturday evening near Boulder High School with Donn Overly, 19, and James Caleb Dacy, 20.
Overly and Dacy told police that McMillian was the primary aggressor in a group of transients who had been harassing them, yelling out, "You socialist Nazis! Get the (expletive) out of Boulder."
Dacy maintains he and Overly were being pushed and punched by the group and attempted to flee east on the path behind Boulder Creek. The transients allegedly circled them and began "chanting and whooping," according to the arrest report. At that point, police say, McMillian used his skateboard to strike Overly's face.
Overly was transported to Boulder Community Health with what was described as serious bodily injury, including severe facial lacerations.
A "shirtless and sweaty" McMillian, meanwhile, fled on his skateboard and was finally arrested near the Bear Creek apartments adjacent to the University of Colorado housing area at Williams Village. Officers used a Taser on McMillian during the arrest, which they said was necessary after the suspect repeatedly resisted arrest by flailing his arms and legs and attempting to pull away.
According to the arrest report, McMillian told officers, "I've had a rib cracked before by being taken down by the police. That's why I didn't want to go down for you."
McMillian now faces assault charges in the first and second degree, as well as counts of felony menacing and obstructing a peace officer.


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Elin Nordegren's new mansion may not be a bachelorette pad for very long!
The New York Daily News reports Tiger Woods' ex-wife enjoyed a dinner date with Swedish hockey player Douglas Murray in Miami on Dec. 7.
Nordegren, 32, was spotted dining with the athlete and two of her siblings at high-end eatery Mr. Chow. After the meal, the former model reportedly headed to Hyde nightclub to keep the evening going.
According to the paper, the single mom also went out in Miami the following night with a group of friends to Casa Tua.
In July, Murray, 32, denied rumors that he was dating Nordegren. The athlete told Swedish tabloid Expressen, "We are not dating and we have never dated."
Indeed, Nordegren seems to be enjoying the single life. After settling her divorce from Woods in 2010 for $100 million, she purchased a North Palm Beach estate for $12.2 million — only to have it demolished to build her dream multi-million-dollar mansion.
The 21,000-square-foot mansion on the Florida beachfront property is still under construction, but will feature an Olympic pool, koi ponds, and a spa. Nordgren, who shares two children, daughter Sam, 5, and son Charlie, 3, with her golf pro ex, is proudly waving a Swedish flag on the property of her new home.
Woods, 36, also seems to be enjoying life post-divorce. The golfer was seen partying the night away with some attractive female partygoers at California's Westlake Village Inn on Dec. 1.
"Tiger was dressed in jeans and a beige sweater as he danced the night away," an eyewitness told Us Weekly. "At one point he was surrounded by a group of six women on the club's dance floor!"
And the witness told Us, "Tiger was the man of the hour. He requested that the DJ play, 'Tonight I'm F—ing You' by Enrique Iglesias."
Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox!
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|Volume 6 Issue 323 Published - 14:00 UTC 08:00 EST 18-Nov-2004 Next Update - 14:00 UTC 08:00 EST 19-Nov-2004
|Editor: Susan K. Boyer, RN
© Vidyya., Inc.
All rights reserved.
Ultrasound-aided therapy better than stroke drug alone, trial finds
Using ultrasound in combination with the drug t-PA can improve response to an ischemic stroke, according to a study involving 126 patients. This first-of-its-kind human trial compared the safety and efficacy of ultrasound and t-PA versus use of t-PA alone. The trial was funded in part by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The finding appears in the November 18, 2004, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Since 1996, the clot-busting drug t-PA (tissue plasminogen activator) has been the only FDA-approved therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Previous studies have shown that t-PA, when administered within 3 hours of onset of ischemic stroke, can greatly improve a patient's chance for a full recovery. t-PA cannot be used to treat the less common hemorrhagic stroke.
Researchers wanted to test the effectiveness of using transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) in combination with t-PA, and to ensure that ultrasound did not cause bleeding into the brain. Utrasound is a safe, non-invasive, FDA-approved diagnostic test that uses sound waves to measure blood flow velocity in large arteries. An international team led by Andrei Alexandrov, M.D., associate professor of neurology at the University of Texas-Houston School of Medicine, examined 126 patients who suffered an ischemic stroke. All patients received intravenous t-PA within 3 hours of stroke onset. The 63 patients in the control group received t-PA alone, while the other 63 patients received t-PA in combination with continuous TCD monitoring that started shortly before the patients received the drug. A small device attached to a head frame was used to deliver the ultrasound.
Results showed that 49 percent of patients who received continuous ultrasound and t-PA showed dramatic clinical improvement and little or no blockage within 2 hours after therapy began compared to 30 percent who received t-PA alone. Notably, 38 percent of the patients who received continuous ultrasound and t-PA showed no blockage within two hours, compared to 13 percent who received t-PA alone. In all, 73 percent of patients who received the combined therapy showed complete or partial clearance of the clot, compared to 50 percent in the control group. Bleeding into the brain was experienced by 4.8 percent of patients in both groups. This early improvement of blood flow to the brain resulted in a trend that 13.5 percent more patients who received continuous ultrasound and t-PA had recovered completely by 3 months after stroke.
The team also found that patients who experienced complete clearance of their clot within 2 hours following treatment had the greatest likelihood of regaining body strength, speech, and other functions affected by stroke. Researchers named the trial CLOTBUST (Combined Lysis Of Thrombus in Brain ischemia Using transcranial ultrasound and Systemic t-PA).
"In the past 30 years, scientists around the world have shown that ultrasound is fast, gentle, and effective in helping t-PA to break up clots. For the first time, we have demonstrated this benefit in patients. This approach enhances flow to the brain and augments clinical recovery within minutes of treatment initiation," said Dr. Alexandrov.
"Stroke can be devastating for patients and their caregivers," said Story C. Landis, Ph.D., NINDS director. "These initial findings suggest that patients who receive the combined therapy are able to leave the hospital with a greater chance for recovery following an ischemic stroke. This is an excellent example of improving on an existing therapy and providing better outcomes."
Ultrasound causes vibrations among the molecules on and within clot structures, which in turn creates more binding sites for t-PA interaction and subsequent clot breakdown. The researchers think that this "jiggle" improves drug transport to and around the clot and helps to open more blocked vessels faster than can be expected with t-PA therapy alone.
The NINDS is funding additional research to standardize the combined therapeutic delivery system and plans to study it in a larger group of patients. Other NINDS-funded research is investigating the basic biology of stroke, use of diagnostics, and treatment.
Stroke is the nation's third leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer. Each year about 700,000 persons in the United States have a stroke, with about 80 percent of them being ischemic strokes.
The NINDS is a component of the NIH within the Department of Health and Human Services and is the nation's primary supporter of biomedical research on the brain and nervous system.
Additional Vidyya Resources:


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Rubio Works Through Frustration In Comeback
MINNEAPOLIS -- Ricky Rubio's left knee has been slow to come around this season. So have the crunch-time minutes and the victories for his Minnesota Timberwolves.
That all adds up to one frustrated point guard.
Rubio didn't hide his disappointment with sitting the entire fourth quarter in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. He wants to be out there and helping his injury-plagued team close out tight games.
Acting head coach Terry Porter says he stuck with J.J. Barea because the Wolves needed more scoring punch.
On Thursday, Rubio said he understood the logic, but still wants to be on the floor more as he continues working his way back from a torn ACL.
The Timberwolves have lost seven of their last eight games.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Student hosting gaming gathering
Student Spotlight Xuan Tran, third-year applied networking and systems administration
Approximately 250 people and their computers will be packed into the Clark Gym this weekend for Fall Frag Fest. Hosted by the Electronic Gaming Society, the event will provide a venue for tournaments in some of today's most popular multiplayer video games. Organizing this event, which is called a LAN party because attendees connect their computers over a local area network, is third-year applied networking and systems administration major Xuan Tran, president of EGS. Fall Frag Fest will run from 10 a.m. Oct. 13 to 3 p.m. Oct. 14.
Question: Where are you from?
Answer: Syracuse, N.Y.
Q: What brought you to RIT?
A: A random, lucky grant that was started my senior year of high school called Say Yes. It's a program that pays for one year of tuition at any SUNY school and four years of tuition at some private schools, RIT being one of them. I tried to get into the game design program, but got into IT instead. I then realized that I can't program and switched to ANSA (applied networking and systems administration).
Q: In your opinion, what is the most interesting or unique thing about yourself?
A: I always hate this question because I never know what to say. I'll state some random facts and let the readers decide. I have two tattoos—the "Spectre" symbol from Mass Effect and the button combination of the "Song of Time" from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. My favorite game is Final Fantasy X. The Scout is my favorite Team Fortress 2 class. I really enjoy cooking. My first co-op was at Cisco. I know people who know random celebrities including Dan Lilker, from the band Anthrax, and Rivington, who works at video game company Riot Games.
Q: What organizations are you a part of at RIT?
A: The only club I'm involved with at the moment is the Electronic Gaming Society. Being president takes a huge commitment and I wouldn't have time to be in other clubs.
Q: What is Fall Frag Fest?
A: Fall Frag Fest is our fall quarter BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) LAN party. It is historically set up to provide room for 250 people. The event runs for 29 hours, starting Saturday morning and going to Sunday afternoon. We do open gaming of a large range of games with Team Fortress 2, StarScraft II and League of Legends being some of the most popular ones. In addition to open gaming, we run tournaments that attendees can enter to compete with each other for prizes. Since not everyone can be a gaming master, we have other ways of giving away prizes including raffles that everyone is entered into, random out-of-game events like MSPaint tournaments, dance contests, and we might even hand out random things to random people, because why not?
Q: How did you get involved with it and what is your role?
A: I got involved with EGS during my freshman year in the fall quarter. I didn't have many gamer friends back in Syracuse, because most of my childhood friends grew up to be jocks. While having my jock friends was cool, I always wanted to have friends that liked to play video games. When I heard about EGS, I immediately wanted to get involved. I ended up befriending the E-board and the next year I was treasurer, the year after that I was vice president, and now I'm president.
Q: What has been your favorite RIT moment?
A: I'm going to say the LAN parties. I've had my hand in the past nine of them, which is one each quarter since my freshman year not including the upcoming one. I take great pride in my involvement. Most people don't realize how much work actually goes into making these events successful. We are all incredibly drained from it and we start working on the next LAN party almost immediately.
Q: Is there anything that you would like the RIT community to know about Fall Frag Fest?
A: If I could say one thing to the RIT community, I would tell them to go to Fall Frag Fest. It's "tons o' fun" and you get to laugh, play, yell and win cool stuff. It is a pretty good way to blow off steam after this long week of midterms.
Q: What advice would you give to other students?
A: While gaming is great, remember that school is extremely important. I've spent my fair share of all-nighters playing League of Legends, but remember to play in moderation and study, study, study. Also, make sure you get out of your rooms and meet new people. College is about learning and making connections to help you succeed in life. Don't waste the opportunity spending all of your time basked in the dim glow of your monitors.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing at this moment. I would like to work in the networking field, preferably working with customers. I'm not an incredibly picky person though, so we'll see.
Matt Gregory compiles "Student Spotlights" for University News. Contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com with suggestions.
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The Russian Rocket (pictured left) celebrates a goal with Fetisov, Kasatonov and Mogilny
The friendly game was played to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Summit Series.
Canucks legend Pavel Bure has recently participated in another friendly game. Last time he put the skates on was in November and he was playing alongside with Russia's prime-minister Vladimir Putin. This time the Russian Rocket played for Team Russia against Team World All-Stars in a game dedicated to the 1972 Summit Series. Russia won 7:5 and Bure scored a hat-trick.
After the game he spoke to Andrey Kuznetsov of Sport-Express. This is a translated version of that conversation.
Kuznetsov: How did you like the game dedicated to the 1972 Summit Series?
I think, most of my emotions concern not as much the game itself, as the opportunity to meet lots of old friends. In Team Russia's dressing-room gathered all of my close friends. I spent my whole life together with them. I grew up with Andrei Kovalenko, I played alongside with Valeri Kamensky, some of these guys coached me. As for those who were stars back in 1972 and now hit the ice again – Tretiak, Yakushev, Lutchenko – I admire them. It's great to be a part of a friendly game like this. Actually, I had a lot of friends on Team World All-Stars too. All in all there were 8 of my former Vancouver Canucks teammates including Alex Mogilny and Greg Adams.
Funny you should bring Vancouver up. When you scored your third goal in that game, the score was 7:3. Did you think about the last Olympics at this moment?
(smiles) That's right. But I didn't think about it. It was very interesting for me even to sit on a bench between the shifts and watch hockey. It was fun to watch my buddies play. They're all a part of my life.
You still scored a hat-trick. Do you feel like a hero of the game?
I'm no hero. Heroes are the ones who played in the 1972 Summit Series. I was just having fun.
It is still uncertain whether or not the NHL is going to allow its players to participate in 2014 Olympics in Sochi. What is your prognosis on that?
I hope that the NHL is going to let its players go to the Olympics. Isn't it going to make it look prestigious when about half of the players that are going to be there will represent NHL teams?
Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk said they would come to Sochi no matter what.
I don't think that's possible. They've got contracts on their hands. How do they think it's even possible? As all the fans out there, I'm waiting for IIHF, NHL and Olympic Committee to come to an agreement, so we would see the NHL players in Sochi.
Phil Esposito said: 'When I was watching highlights of the Russian league, I went like 'Wow!'. Do you have a similar feeling about the KHL?
I'm proud that Russia now has KHL. Actually, I'm very well aware of who was behind its birth – Vladimir Putin. I saw him [recently] and told him: 'A lot of people don't know who came up with an idea to create our league. But now that I know – I'm going to make sure everybody knows about it'.
I've spent a lot of years in North America and the fact that in our country, an alternative to the NHL is being built makes me feel great. Perhaps, it hasn't reached the NHL level just yet, but around the world everybody talks with respect about the KHL. Russia is my homeland so I'm obviously happy to see this happening. I also want to point out that SKA, Ak Bars and Salavat Yulaev have tremendous rosters. They wouldn't be easy to play against even in the NHL. At very least, they would have to be somewhere in the middle of the standings. That's for sure.
What KHL stars do you like the most?
Just as a lot of other people, I'm going to point out Alex Radulov and Evgeny Kuznetsov. They represent 2 different generations, but both are terrific players. They are the key players in the KHL. There's not a doubt in my mind that they are going to be recognized as great players worldwide. Kuznetsov is 100% ready to play in the NHL. Sure, I'm not that familiar with his personal life, but hockey-wise he's NHL-ready.
By the way, does the prime-minister root for any team in the league that he invented? Or is it only the national team that has a special place in his heart?
I know that he loves hockey. That's important. Vladimir Putin had never skated in his life but in the past 8 months he has learned a ton of stuff. Did you see him play in November? He can skate, back-skate, shoot and score goals. It's an incredible progress for such a short period of time. When you're 6 you get a grasp of everything really fast. However, when you're 40 or older it's very hard to learn something new. I can feel it when I practice my ju-jitsu. I can feel that I didn't practice it when I was a kid. We actually joked about it with Putin. You know, we sort of swapped sports – he became a hockey player, and I became a wrestler (laughs).


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Story highlights
- A volcanic eruption in Indonesia is intensifying
- More than 22,000 people have been evacuated from Mount Sinabung area
- No casualties have been reported
- Authorities considering expanding "danger zone" if eruptions get bigger
A volcanic eruption in Indonesia that has displaced more than 22,000 people is intensifying, local authorities say.
Mount Sinabung, which began spewing gas in September after a three-year slumber, has erupted over 220 times this week.
The hot ashes and smoke have caused pyroclastic flows -- a fast-moving mass of gas and rocks -- to stretch to seven kilometers down the southeast slope of the 2,600 meter (8,530 foot) mountain in North Sumatra. Last week, flows reached three kilometers.
The local government is still able to cope with the disaster, and no casualties have been reported according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia's national agency for disaster management.
The government has evacuated more than 22,000 people to 34 temporary camps.
However one area, housing at least 1,000 residents, still lacks necessary provisions and shelter.
The displaced say they have urgent need for baby formula, clean water and gas, said local aid coordinator in Jambur Siabang-abang.
A national emergency hasn't been declared, but the government is prepared for the "worst case scenario."
In case of bigger eruptions, the danger zone would be extended to a radius of 10 kilometers from 5 to 7 kilometers currently.
If the zone is enlarged, Nugroho estimates that 59,000 people would have to be evacuated.


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ASHEVILLE NC – The Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority reported a seven percent increase in passenger traffic for the 2013 calendar year, which was the third highest number of annual passengers reported in the past decade. While traffic each year varied, overall Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) has seen a steady increase in traffic over time.
In 2013, seven consecutive months of increased traffic were reported from June through December, with December 2013 showing a 28% increase in traffic over December 2012. The upswing in traffic in 2013 can be credited to several factors like new routes, added available seats, and this region's strong utilization of services at AVL.
Two new non-stop flights to Florida were added by ultra low-cost carrier Allegiant Travel Company, one of Asheville Regional Airport's (AVL) newest partners. A flight to St. Petersburg, Fla. was added in June and a flight to Ft. Myers, Fla. was added in October, coinciding with the increase in traffic.
Other partner airlines were able to increase the number of seats available on existing flights by more than 15% during some months in summer and fall. Residents in the area choosing to fly local are another contributing factor, keeping planes full.
"Any year where the traffic percentages have increased is positive but to show a trend that we are growing over time is meaningful," said Lew Bleiweis, A.A.E., executive director of Asheville Regional Airport. "Airlines have realized that we have a strong demand for air service in this market and we are seeing full flights."
Looking forward, Bleiweis says, "It is the people of western North Carolina who are driving this positive trend and we look forward to their support of the local airport in 2014."


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Open May 1 - October 31
Reserve: 800-562-2806
Reserve: 800-562-2806
Info: 828-264-7250
Info: 828-264-7250
123 Harmony Mountain Lane
Boone, NC 28607Get Directions
All, Check in 1pm, check out by 11am
Check-in: 1:00 pm, Check-out: 11:00 am
For a real high, stay overnight at the Boone KOA, the highest KOA east of the Mississippi at an altitude of nearly 4,000 feet. Nature and comfort meet here, a spot with long Pull-Thru RV Sites under tall trees, a pool, arcade games and even a farm animal mini zoo, all set atop a scenic mountain just 4 miles from city services. Come experience KOA's peaceful country setting and cool mountain breezes. The average summer temperature is 73 degrees. Hike miles of footpaths on rugged Grandfather Mountain, the highest peak in the Blue Ridge Range. Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, which winds mere minutes from your campsite. About 9 miles from this KOA is the New River, where you can go tubing or canoeing. The topography and scenery will delight even the most intrepid cyclists: Lance Armstrong trained on the back roads of the Boone area. Pool: Memorial Weekend - Labor Day Weekend. Max pull thru: 60 feet. Your hosts: the Harmon family.
KOA's highest service award, presented to KOA owners that achieve world class service scores from their camping guests.
Awarded to KOAs that meet exceptional quality standards and are recognized by their guests for outstanding service.
This badge has been earned by this KOA Campground for compassion and support of KOA Care Camps. It is given out following our Big Weekend, and is in effect for one year.
WHEN: September 13-14, 2019
WHAT: Value Kard Rewards members stay as a paying guest on Friday, September 13 at any participating KOA campground and get Saturday, September 14 for ...More Info
Having cancer shouldn't mean giving up the joys of childhood. That's why the KOA Campground Owners Association created the Care Camps Trust - to help children who have cancer enjoy care-free time focusing on fun, friends and activities at sleep-away camp instead of on their illness.


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The Humane Society of Boulder Valley is offering free cat adoptions at all of its locations the entire month of June. Offer applies to cats age 6 months and older. View adoption cats online at boulderhumane.org/adoptcats .
I enjoy working with and training dogs, and I am absolutely bananas about working with and training cats. Yes it is absolutely true that cats can be trained, and it is one of the most rewarding things I get to do.
Maybe cats are such a fascinating and intriguing animal to work with because they have retained so much of their wild heritage throughout domestication. With dogs, considerable selective breeding has been done to help them perform different jobs. That has made for a considerable difference in the behavior of domestic dogs compared with wild canines.
However, domestic cats have not been through as much rigorous selective pressure on behavior, so they maintain many of the characteristics of wild felines. Our little feline housemates still value territory and space as well as engaging in predatory moves when they play. One of the behaviors our cats share with those lions and tigers is scratching in their environment. This is all fine and good until the scratching happens on our furniture, though. The good news is this is one of the easiest behaviors to manage.
Why cats scratch
Cats maintain one of their primary weapons, their claws, in good shape by sharpening them when scratching. Scratching also allows them to get a good full stretch but most importantly scratching is a form of communication about territory. When a cat scratches, he will do it primarily in high traffic areas of the home like the living room so he can be sure his sign will be seen. He is leaving a visual marker. He is also leaving a scent marker when he scratches because he has scent glands in his paws.
Feline scratching is an innate behavior, so cats are born knowing this behavior pattern. Even cats who have had their claws removed will scratch.
Not all cats scratch the same way, however. Many cats prefer to scratch on vertical surfaces, but others prefer horizontal surfaces. All cats prefer sturdy objects that will not move under the pressure of their scratching.
Managing scratching
If we respect our cats' wild heritage and understand why they scratch, we can easily direct this behavior appropriately and save our furniture. First, we need to provide the right object for cats to scratch on and make sure we are placing their 'sign posts' where they will get the most use.
Scratching surfaces should be located in those high traffic areas of the house like the living room and the bedroom, where they will get more use than if they are not stuck in the back corner. You may have already noticed your cats' preference for vertical or horizontal surfaces or maybe they prefer both. The pet supply industry is now recognizing the specific needs of cats and provides both upright and horizontal scratching surfaces.
Choose a vertical scratching surface that is sturdy and tall enough for your cat to get his full stretch in. Hint: the old standard 11/2 feet tall scratching posts are only tall enough for kittens. Choose a horizontal scratching surface that does not slide or move when scratched on. Cardboard scratchers seem to be used most widely.
Preventing damage
My cats, Nermal and Mowgli, were introduced to their scratching towers from the beginning and use them to for scratching, climbing, play and resting. Like normal cats, they also walk across the furniture and Nermal especially does what I call "making biscuits" or kneading with her paws when she is in my lap. So, I keep their nails short by trimming them about every two weeks.
You can teach your cat to tolerate having his nails trimmed; a good video tutorial may be found at partnersah.vet.cornell.
edu/destructivescratching. Nail trimming is my preferred method for minimizing impact from claws, but plastic nail caps can be used too. The Humane Society Veterinary Clinic has nail caps and can show you how to apply them by appointment. We do not recommend declawing, and I have never had a case of cat scratching behavior that could not be managed without it.
When cats like
You can train your cat to scratch somewhere else. Yes cats can be trained.
Here's how to retrain scratching:
Place the new scratching surface right next to the currently used surface.
Make the currently used surface unpleasant to scratch on by placing an unpleasant texture such as double-sided sticky tape over the scratched area.
Spend some time encouraging your cat to explore and dig into the new object by placing favorite treats on or near it or engaging your cat in play on or near it. Hint: cats do not learn to scratch in a new place by taking their paws and 'helping' him scratch.
Need more help? The Humane Society of Boulder Valley's Training Center offers phone consultation as well as home visits. You may schedule an in-depth consultation by contacting us at boulderhumane.org or 303-442-4030, ext. 4.
Helena Kokes is a Dog/Cat Associate Training and Behavior Consultant for the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. The Training Center is located at 2323 55th Street in Boulder and offers private cat consultations and public classes every day of the week. Info: www.boulderhumane.org


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