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Chapter 1 – Conceptual Framework of Research on the Origin of Life on Earth
The book is not what I expected, in entirety. At first, I wasn't sure I liked the direction it was taking. I think I get it now. At the end of each chapter, Luisi asks some questions. These are meant to get us to thinking about life, abiogenesis and just what it all means. I have a surprise for everyone regarding those questions, but I'll save that for a few weeks.
This chapter is something akin to the philosophical underpinnings of the whole abiogenesis concept.
The chapter opens with a discussion of creationism and how Paley invented the entire watchmaker argument which is; if we see something complex, like a watch, then there must have been a watchmaker.
This is, of course, the entire underpinning of modern creationism and the argument by analogy was dismissed well over a hundred years ago for the simple reason that watches don't self reproduce and have changes in their manufacturing instructions with each generation. Not to mention that there are extraordinarily complex systems that result from simple rules.
But does the admission that life is only created from molecules, atoms, and their interactions is all that life is? Is life a 'lucky accident' that just happened to appear when certain chemical systems got close enough to each other or is there some intrinsic ability of life (however you want to define it) that means when you have these chemicals together, it is life? The rest of the book will discuss this issue.
Luisi also talks about determinism and contingency. These appear to be important concepts in the book and, though I'm not a philosophical person, I'll try to describe them here.
In terms of abiogenesis, determinism suggests that life arose from a series of chemical reactions that will happen given certain precursors. For example, if you mix elemental iron with oxygen, you will get rust. It is chemically and thermodynamically going to occur. The deterministic view of abiogenesis is the same. Life will arise because it simply is chemically and physically possible.
The one assumption of this concept is that life is thermodynamically advantageous. What this means is that life is not a 'target', but a highly likely and easy to get to result of basic chemical and physical processes. Luisi notes that this seems to be the thoughts of the majority of scientists and the theistic evolutionists (who may or may not be creationists). That is, if there is a god (of some stripe), then he set the universe and the physical laws and walked away. Everything that has occurred since was not toward a specific goal.
On the other hand, the majority of creationists are highly deterministic and think that humans are the end result of whatever processes and god specifically worked on those processes to result in us.
The deterministic view (not the creationist view) suggests that life is inevitable given the chemical precursors and the physical laws we all know and love. On the other hand is the contingency view. Contingency is not chance. It is the interaction of many factors (which may be deterministic in and of themselves), but the end result is not predictable as it would be with pure determinism.
You can think of contingency in this way. If you were somehow able to start over time beginning with the earliest formation of the solar system (or even galaxy), would you get exactly what we have now? It is… unlikely. Even though the processes involved are deterministic, the interactions are not and it might take 12 billion years to get from prokaryotes to eukaryotes instead of two billion years.
The contingency view suggests that it may be that we are alone in the universe (either as life or as sentience, take your pick). The reason is that life isn't automatic given specific chemical reactions (again, for various meanings of the word 'life'). There was some interaction, some strange thing happened. Much like the strange thing that happened that gave rise to the age of mammals and the strange thing that happened to give rise to what we call intelligence.
Luisi brings up two very important points here. The first is that it may be that these two extreme views (determinism and contingency) are a continuum and the actuality of the situation may lie somewhere between them on a line. As I've said (and most everyone else has too) we will never actually know what happened. However, experiments can, perhaps, show us how likely life arising is.
The other point is that this really is about science (still). It's not ethics or morals or whatever. I find it amusing that creationists claim that atheism results in immorality and yet the atheists don't. Morality and ethics are (as I've said before) society based, not religion based. But I won't go into that now… someone remind me later.
There is something else to consider before we move on to the next chapter. Did life arise on Earth only once or many times?
This is directly related to the contingency discussion. If life is contingent on some highly unlikely combination of events, how unlikely are they really?
Keep in mind that we're talking about molecules interacting here. Keep in mind that in 160 grams of rust (about 1/3 of a pound), there are 602,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules of rust. When you think about the entire planet and all the chemical interactions that are going on daily, we get into some epic numbers. Even if there's only 1 in one hundred billion trillion chance, well we've got a couple of billion years and the volume of the surface of the entire planet to play with. Even something that unlikely can happen several times.*
The views on this topic range from one starting of life to every single individual on the planet was separately created.
Luisi closes this chapter with a short discussion of the anthropic principle, SETI and creationists.
The anthropic principle is a notion that the details of the universe (or the planet or physics) are in place to give rise to human life. The thinking is that if one piece (say the gravitational constant) were even a little bit different (life 1 part in billion different**) then life could not have arisen. The thinking is that, since there are many of these factors that have to be in the Goldilocks Zone (i.e. just right), that something, somehow made these parameters work in just such a way to create humans.
Personally, I find this argument both stupid and arrogant. It is stupid because we're dealing with a sample size of one. We only know of one universe and one kind of life. Drawing conclusions from this miniscule sample size is improper to say the least. It is arrogant because we assume that, somehow, we are important in grand scheme of the universe.
Or universe also allows black holes. What if the black holes are really the 'purpose' of the universe and it just happens that a universe that can have black holes can also have us? Assuming that we are the reason for the entire universe is unbelievable hubris.
SETI is the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence. If the contingency model is correct, then how likely is there to be any intelligent life to find? It is extremely unlikely and many believe that the SETI is a waste of time and effort. I tend to agree. I still wish there was a universe filled with life, but I do find it unlikely that we will even be able to hear them if they exist.
On the other hand, this goes directly to the case between contingency and determinism. If life is deterministic, then our universe should be full of it. If life is more contingent, then it is likely that the universe is mostly empty and we may very well be the only intelligent species in the universe.
As a personal aside, the reading that I have done (click on peer-review or abiogenesis in the right hand column) suggests that life is more deterministic than contingent. I am curious as to how Luisi responds to this research.
Link to the future rest of the articles.
* Please keep in mind that probability is just that a measure of probable. A hundred year flood doesn't happen every 100 years. You might go several hundred years without one or have two hundred year floods in the same year and two more the next year.
** This is equivalent to the difference between 1.000001 and 1.000002.


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I'm a writer. I write m/m erotica. Kind of dark stuff, even though in real life I like rainbows and puppies and kittens. Not all at once though. That would be overwhelming.
Access 32 of the reviews in multiple ways.
I've sent most of the owners screenshots, text and links of their reviews but I was unable to contact Howdy YAL, Mariel, Kris, and Trudi. If you know them, please let them know about this. Thanks.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Emma is from England
|David and Ann have turned into our family away from home. He´s from Quebec and she is from Belgium.
|The top of the jump
|Kayaks are cheap and easy. They can get you to a big cliff jump into the lake.
|MAXIMON--the god of drinking and smoking.
|Maximon and the Whirlind Riders--This is the fruition of an epic search to visit this deity. He is kept in someone´s house and is constantly moved around and you must scavange the city asking many people to track him down.
|Not sure what was going on, there was some very erie chanting coming from this room full of Mayans.
|Our search for Maximon led us first to a Mayan Catholic church where they dress the statues with handmade clothes every month.
|Maximon, finding him became a large part of our Santiago market mission.
|.....this little piggie went to the market .
|The road to santiago is full of bumps and crashes
|The triumphant return.
|Don Rubio with his new hat and blanket. Well earned.
|Our first mission as a gang was to find my sunburn a hat. It turned into a full-on experience.
|Red River Bill immediately became part of the gang.
|You can always trust a man in camo at the grill.
|If I could only explain the BBQ that happens on Sundays here.
|caution the hills are a bit steep !
|A nice roots kitchen.
|Angela sat in for the end of the reading, so did the cat.
|Young Wild West and the Whirlwind Riders, written in 1903. This is the name of the old western book we picked up and found it so good that we read it out loud between a group of us.
|These are not the pictures you´ll find in the souvenier shops.
|At the exhibition, there was an art class held for the kids. What we helped that, and once they got antsy, the handstands came out. It turned into a riot.
|Lake Atitlan
|Jaun Marcos, our spanish teacher. He walked to Phoenix, AZ because when he tried to do it legally, they simply said, ´no´.
|helping fix others motorbikes = a true knuckle buster
|The depths of the spanish headache--making flashcards.
|Manuelito, he´s all over the place, but with style.
|Its always good to see friends from home. It means a lot.
|Our good friend from Tennessee, Bill McGowan stopped in for a visit for his birthday. He has been in Antigua, Guatemala running a bookstore. We´ll see him again if we ever leave here.
|Mike and I´s entrance to our Spanish classes. The entrance to a headache.
|We´ve been at the same hotel for the entire stay. This little one quickly became my best friend here. When I was changing the bike´s oil, she came up and threw her arm as far around my shoulders as she could reach and just hung out.
|The town of San Pedro on a mountain and is filled with tiny streets and even smaller alleyways. They are all filled with life.


text:
About the Program
Biology is the study of living organisms, their relationship to each other and the broader environment.
Studying biology prepares you for careers in the health professions, teaching, forestry, agriculture, environmental protection and conservation, wildlife biology, biotechnology, basic research, and more.
The biology program at Foothill College is truly shaped around the student. Every single instructor in this program is tirelessly dedicated to their students'
An A.S. or A.S.-T degree in Biology prepares you for transfer to a four-year school and a rewarding career in the sciences.
If you are interested in biology but do not intend to transfer to a four-year institution, you are encouraged to look into some of the other career programs offered by our Biological and Health Sciences Division.
A degree in Biology can prepare you for careers in these fields.
- Health professions
- Teaching
- Forestry
- Agriculture
- Environmental protection and conservation
- Wildlife biology
- Biotechnology
- Basic research
Degree & Program Types
Check out this list for a quick view of our biology programs.
Associate in Science Degree
Associate Degree for Transfer
Biology Requirement for Medical School: If you already have a Bachelor's Degree, you can meet the biology requirement for medical school by taking Biology 1A, 1B, and 1C at Foothill College.
Program Application Process
There is no formal application required to begin taking classes for the biology major.
However, please review the program curriculum sheet which details the prerequisites and courses you will need to take to complete the A.S. degree.
We're Here to Help!
Lisa Schultheis, Biology Department Chair
Division Office Contacts
|Ram Subramaniam, Division Dean
|Christine Mangiameli
Division Administrative Assistant
Phone: 650.949.7249
|Jenevieve Alvarez
Health Career Program Coordinator
Phone: 650.949.7538
Office: Room 5224
|Biological & Health Sciences Division
Related Degree Offerings
Visit the BHS website for a full list of Biological & Health Sciences-related programs.


text:
Friday, May 6, 2011
2011 VKC Festival a Success
With bated breath, many of us in the Lower BC Mainland awaited the annual Vancouver Kayak Club Festival held here at my home base, The Chilliwack River Valley. Weather cooperated for the most part as we had no rain, and a beautiful, hot, sunny, bluebird day on Sunday! Raffles and draws were held as well as a silent and loud auction where local paddler Ryan Bayes gathered a paddling trip to Ecuador with http://www.endlessadventure.ca/.
Vendors were out expositioning their goods including www.westerncanoekayak.com and www.glenmoresailboats.com, who's Dagger Agent 6.2 was the grand prize of the raffle that I had the luck to win. Reps were also on hand from Dagger, Wavesport and Jackson kayak.
A race was held in two categories, creekboat and playboat from the top of Tamihi Rapid to the bottom of Campground Rapid. Also a throwdown was held on the Sunday on the best accessible playfeatures we could find, which was a challenge with the low water. From the race I ended up somehow winning a 70 liter drybag/backpack!
Shuttles were provided up and down the valley for runs all over the wide range (class I - IV) Chilliwack River, and on Sunday part of Tamihi Creek was also paddled.
The band 'Switch' performed Saturday night as the entertainment, though much was provided by Team Kootenay Kayak, who were among the groups from outside the area that joined us for the festival.
A big thanks goes out to the organizers at www.vankayak.org for their tireless efforts in making this happen, now we get to go and enjoy everyone else's hard work for the rest of the summer!
Next up on my personal list is The Puntledge River Festival on Vancouver Island May 28-29 here!
Thanks to Darrell and Chilliwack Times for the photos.
...and in other news, I was down at Western Canoe and Kayak this week and picked up a new Pyranha Molan Medium as my playboat of choice (review coming soon!), new fnaheadgear.com helmet, and finally got a drysuit and new gasket for my blown drytop one.
I'm sure there are some details I'm forgetting...but anyway I will see you next year here!
Posted by Adam Frey at 1:06 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Category Archives: SQLEditor
SQLEditor javascript plugins
There is some new sample code for writing javascript plugins on our shiny new organisation github page: https://github.com/malcolmhardie-software/SQLitePluginJavascript
SQLEditor 3.0 release
SQLEditor 3.0 is ready! I've feel like I've been working on this for ages, so I'm really happy that it's now ready. The most visible change is the new user interface, which has been merged into a single window. Single … Continue reading
SVG Explanations
Working on SQLEditor SVG improvements (arriving soon in 3.0), and found this excellent series of articles by Sara Soueidnn on several of the details. So SQLEditor in future will be using the same object icons in SVG as are drawn in the … Continue reading
SQLEditor 2.7 – the customizable object palette
The newest and latest feature to arrive in SQLEditor 2.7 [55MB Zip] is a customizable object palette. For a long time, the object palette in SQLEditor has looked like this: There were three fixed objects, that could be dragged from the … Continue reading
SQLEditor 2.5 – now with native database drivers and process separation
I'm really happy to say that SQLEditor 2.5 [60MB zip] has just been released. This has some interesting new features that have been in development for some time. Native database drivers have been something I've been hoping to support for ages, while … Continue reading
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SQLEditor, SVG and Cocoa
One of the new features in the latest SQLEditor 2.1 beta release (v2.1.0b2, about 5.7MB) is SVG export. This allows you to create a diagram in SQLEditor and then export it to SVG format. SVG format is a vector diagram format … Continue reading
Using NSDockTile for debug info
Often when I'm working on an app or something I end up running several different versions of it in a short period of time. There's usually some bug that I'm trying to fix and I want to make sure that … Continue reading
Versions, validateMenuItem: and NSMenuItem
If you find when developing in 10.7 that you get a versions menu with a NSMenuItem as one of the items, it might be worth checking to see whether you're correctly using validateMenuItem: This problem may happen if you return … Continue reading
SQLEditor upgrades
One of the big questions I've been thinking about recently is how to price upgrades for SQLEditor. So far upgrades have all been free as 1.0 became 1.1 and eventually 1.7. But with the new 2.0 release appearing soon, the … Continue reading
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Lion Released
Lion is released! Things seem to be going well. SQLEditor appears to work correctly. There is one identified issue which means that you cannot register the app for all users of a machine. Each user must register the app separately … Continue reading
SQLEditor and OS X 10.7/Lion
The release of OS X 10.7 Lion is approaching very fast and the question must be: is SQLEditor compatible? The answer is that I expect that SQLEditor will be compatible with OS X 10.7 when it is released in July. … Continue reading
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SQLEditor Diff Support: A Sneak Peak
Development work is continuing on SQLEditor, and I thought I'd post a sneak peak of some features that will be arriving fairly soon. Today the feature is Diff support. Yes, it's something that people have been asking for and something … Continue reading
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SQLEditor now zip file not a dmg
In a change that will probably affect almost nobody at all, SQLEditor is now being distributed with a zip file rather than a dmg as the default download. Why? Zip files are simpler to create It prevents the problem of … Continue reading
Drizzle JDBC supports MySQL
I came across the Drizzle JDBC driver today, which seems very interesting Most interesting though, is that it supports MySQL and it is BSD licensed. This could solve some of the licensing problems that applications like SQLEditor run into. I'm … Continue reading
SQLEditor + Django
Good news everyone… the new Django plugin for SQLEditor is now available. It allows you to import, edit and export Django model classes with SQLEditor. Django Plugin Page There are some limitations still, in particular it doesn't support all of … Continue reading
SQLEditor 1.6 final
So, if you've seen SQLEditor recently, you'll hopefully have seen that there is a new version out: version 1.6. This got released just at the beginning of December 2009 1.6 is something that I've been working on now for a … Continue reading
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SQLEditor 1.6
The SQLEditor 1.6 public beta has been available now for about 3 weeks and I'm getting more hopeful about a final candidate release. SQLEditor 1.6 is required for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard support, but because major sections needed … Continue reading
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SQLEditor 1.4.4 Released
SQLEditor 1.4.4 was just released on Tuesday, the main feature improvement is the support for compound foreign keys. I posted a bit about this before and the final version is pretty much the same as I described. Unfortunately there were … Continue reading
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SQLEditor: Compound Foreign Keys
The newest version of SQLEditor (1.4.4b1) now has support for compound foreign keys. This is something that people have been asking about for a while now, so I'm pleased that it got included. There are some things that may need … Continue reading
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SQLEditor 1.4.3b3
So, it's coming up to the holidays, but there is time for another SQLEditor release. 1.4.3b3 (snappy numbering, yes?) is pretty much a bug fix release. I think that the index creation problems that were happening have now been fixed, … Continue reading
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text:
By On Oct 11, 2018 Coloring Pages
Find your space. Whether you are coloring for relaxation, to de-stress or simply for fun, you need a place where you are comfortable coloring. It doesn't have to be somewhere quiet (although that can certainly help if you want to get lost in your coloring page), there are plenty of coloring groups and meetups where adults who enjoy coloring can go to chatter and color at the same time, the important thing is find your own space, reserve some time, get a comfy seat and give yourself every opportunity to color in comfort.
Sometimes I just feel plain playful! At these times I like a coloring page that is fun, has a bit of humour and offers me the chance to be a bit looser with my coloring. This free tangle of cats coloring page is definitely one of those coloring page designs that I would file under F for fun!
Start your coloring journey in small steps, think about block coloring using pen or pencil. This will give you the basic skills of applying color to the page and get you comfortable with the techniques to control your pen or pencils and stick within the lines. Then treat yourself to a refresher on color palettes, remind yourself about the color wheel and how certain colors work better together than others. Even take a look at how different colors can evoke different moods and feelings when used in a coloring page.
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text: Essentially, Kumihimo is Japanese braiding, and is often combined with beads to make beautiful jewelry. The term Kumihimo in the Japanese language means the gathering of threads. The literal translation of kumihimo means the "coming together (kumi) of threads (himo)". This technique involves using several highly developed looms for specific types of braids.


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Terrorism & Counter-terrorism
Following are all current, recent, and past IFPA projects, publications, conferences, workshops, articles, and presentations that address terrorism and/or counter-terrorism.
- Re-Calibrating Security Force Assistance (SFA) as a Critical Component of Waging Irregular Warfare (IW) within the Context of the Global War on Terror (GWOT)
- Jacquelyn K. Davis and Charles M. Perry
- December 2008
- Rethinking the War on Terror: Developing a Strategy to Counter Extremist Ideologies
- Jacquelyn K. Davis and Charles M. Perry
- March 2007, 32 pp
IFPA completed and distributed this summary report on a January 2007 workshop organized in support of U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM).The focus of the workshop was a discussion of the ideological roots of Islamist extremism as a basis for countering such ideology. In addition, it identified and assessed the elements of a national strategy to defeat radical Islamist threats and addressed measures to promote democratization in the region. Attendees at the workshop ncluded experts and scholars specializing in various aspects of Islamic extremism, as well as USCENTCOM Deputy Commander VADM Dave Nichols, other senior command representatives, and high- ranking U.S. officials.
- report (1.86 MB)
- Radical Islamist Ideologies and the Long War: Implications for U.S. Strategic Planning and U.S. Central Command's Operations
- Jacquelyn K. Davis
- January 2007, 73 pp
IFPA completed this report as part of an ongoing study of radical Islam and its implications for the Long War against terrorism. It provides a comprehensive assessment of the ideological underpinnings of radical Islam and how these ideologies seem to be fueling terrorist and insurgent activities, including suicide bombing operations and other asymmetric strategies. Emphasis is placed on the effect of these activities in U.S. Central Command's (USCENTCOM's) area of responsibility, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. This study also includes updated analyses and recommendations derived from a workshop on suicide bombers held in support of USCENTCOM earlier in 2006.
- report (14.4 MB)
- The Strategic Plan for Safeguarding the Commonwealth of Massachusetts against Terrorist and Related Threats
- Prepared for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by
- January 2003, 43 pp
- report (1.01 MB)
- Counter-Piracy and Counter-Terrorism Planning for Somalia and the Horn of Africa: Implications for NATO and NSHQ Planning
- January 10, 2012, The Hague, the Netherlands
IFPA collaborated with the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies to organize the seventh NATO SOF Coordination Centre (NSCC) Senior Steering Group (SSG) meeting, a workshop on Somalia and future requirements for counter-piracy and counter-terrorism planning. The workshop explored options for dealing with piracy and its potential use by al-Shabab to destabilize Somalia and its regional partners, and to understand more precisely the possibilities for and/or constraints on an expanded use of NATO, the European Union (EU), or national forces to support the African Union mission in Somalia (AUMIS), to shore up the position of the Transnational Federal Government (TFG) in and possibly beyond Mogadishu, and to empower regional forces in their fight against violent extremists on the African continent. A related workshop objective was to explore the possibilities for enhancing and broadening intelligence collaboration on counter-piracy and counter-terrorism planning between NATO and the EU, and how such collaboration could enable NATO SOF to position themselves more effectively should the Alliance's political leaders decide to support a more forward-leaning position on Somalia and the Horn of Africa, either to facilitate World Food Program deliveries or to employ the use of force, under a new UNSC mandate, to target jihadi training camps, pirate bases, or other related logistical infrastructure on the ground in Somalia.
- Terrorists, Drug Traffickers, and Gangs in Latin America: Undermining Democracy
- June 9, 2010, Washington, D.C., in association with the Hudson Institute and part of the Democracy in Latin America seminar series
- Rethinking the War on Terror: Developing a Strategy to Counter Extremist Ideologies: Part 2
- June 17, 2007, Washington, D.C., in support of U.S. Central Command
- Rethinking the War on Terror: Developing a Strategy to Counter Extremist Ideologies: Part 1
- January 10, 2007, Washington, D.C., in support of U.S. Central Command
- report (737 KB)
- Dissuading, Deterring, or Defeating the Suicide Bomber Threat
- June 28, 2006, Washington, D.C., in support of U.S. Central Command
- Catastrophic Terrorist Threat to a Key Mediterranean Port as Part of Exercise Diligent Defender ( part of Athens Olympics security planning)
- June 16 – June 17, 2004, Naples, Italy, Allied Forces Southern Region Headquarters, in support of U.S. European Command and Allied Forces Southern Region
- Planning for and Responding to Bio-terror Threats to the U.S. Homeland: NORTHCOM's Roles, Capabilities, and Requirements
- March 30, 2004, Washington, D.C., in support of U.S. Northern Command


text:
Bear Lake Monster Winterfest Plunge | Bear Lake
Bear Lake Monster Winterfest Plunge | Bear Lake
Are we crazy? Perhaps.
Did we sign up for this willingly? Why, yes, we did.
Was it cold? You. Betcha.
Frozen, even while all bundled up.
For a few brief moments I thought, I don't have to do this, I can just leave.
But nope. Locke and I jumped into Bear Lake as the snow was slowly falling around. It was so cold, I can't say it was refreshing. Right after you jump in, you trudge as fast as you possibly can through the water to the shore and run into the heated trailer. Since I was a first timer, here's some tips I learned.
1. There is paramedics nearby, lest you freeze instantly and can't move. (I did see kids under 10 jumping into the water. Instead of walking out, they were hauled out by volunteers on the dock.)
2. Get your swimsuit on before arriving. It's kind of hard to change into a swimsuit in the car. Just saying.
3. Arrive a wee bit early, so you don't have to change in the car.
4. There are hot showers at the marina. Bring flip flops to wear in the showers. There are hooks to hang things while you shower, but it's all one big room. So my clothing felt a little damp right after the shower.
5. Put the clothing you want to wear immediately after jumping in the Bear Lake in the heated trailer. (I mean, someone could steal your stuff, but this is a chance you might want to take.) I was so consumed with getting into the heat I didn't bother to gather my sweatshirt and boots that I placed on the dock.
6. Jump with friends. Since it was just Locke and I, it was a little awkward. So, Locke and I joined another couple so we wouldn't seem quite such a little group. There were groups of 10+ and they were all dressed up and pumped. I think it would have been slightly more fun to do it with lots of friends and family.
7. Plan on it being really cold. My toes literally could NOT feel anything for a good 20 minutes after.
8. Bring an extra towel. You'd be surprised how much water you soak up from Bear Lake.
9. If you have littles, they might not care about you jumping in and have a hard time standing there while you wait in line to jump. We probably waited 20 minutes before jumping into Bear Lake. My husband sadly did not get to see us jump because my kids were throwing fits about standing so long in the cold. Good thing we got it on camera.
10. Have FUN! It was fun. It was hilarious seeing all the costumes and people all pumped to go jump into the freezing water.
Thanks for having The Salt Project #BearLake! Be sure to check out the website for more info and learn how you can jump into Bear Lake next year!


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By Dustin Rowles | Film | May 13, 2006 |
Technology writer Steven Johnson recently published a book titled Everything Bad is Good for You that is rightfully stirring up a lot of debate, mostly among pop-culture critics who see the book's thesis as some sort of misguided intellectual excuse to justify their otherwise lazy-man's occupation (I make no such excuses: I am not only proudly lazy; I'm decidedly anti-intellectual — a byproduct, perhaps, of not being smart enough to make substantive justifications for my sloth while simultaneously wiping the pizza cheese from my goddamn chin). Johnson's polemic posits that the products of today's pop culture actually make you smarter, an argument that relies heavily on his own observations. For instance, he compares the elaborate multilevel plotlines of current hit shows like "24" and "The Sopranos," and the fact-filled dramas like "West Wing," and "E.R." to the pivotal shows of the 1970s, like "Starsky and Hutch," which was more about huge whiteboy afros and fast cars than rapid-fire dialogue and multifaceted narratives. Johnson reckons that the complexities behind today's video games (which often have instruction manuals that are longer than a number of Dickens' novels) and television shows actually tone and strengthen one's mental mechanisms, providing one with the relevant intellectual skills to deal with the complexities of modern life.
Johnson's thesis makes a lot of sense, especially when one considers the amount of information a teenager has to digest these days to get through a 16-hour video game or even absorb the number of pop culture allusions that "The Simpsons" throws at them in one 22-minute episode. It's not surprising then that the television, publishing, and video game industries would try to serve that need by creating products that satisfy a teenager's intellectual hunger. What I don't understand, however, is why Hollywood hasn't caught up to this trend; why is it that filmmakers still insist on dumbing-down their products, taking often interesting premises and working them down to their lowest common denominator, all the while refusing to stray from tired, mindless Hollywood formulas. Is it too much to believe that a 14-year-old kid ― hopped up on 700 pages of Harry Potter ― could possibly understand the intricacies and motivations behind an Adam Sandler character without having them spelled out in skull-splitting, mundane detail?
The 2005 version of the 1974 prison comedy, The Longest Yard, perfectly illustrates the backwards intellectual momentum that Hollywood seems to foster. The original Burt Reynolds film was dark and slow-paced, punctuated by frequent periods of dead air, allowing the audience to discern the motivations behind the characters without making them explicit. Both films follow the same storyline, but 2005's version fills that dead air with lame jokes, generally premised upon those very racial stereotypes the original version was so careful to discourage. The original version was about racial pride and oppressed prisoners regaining their dignity by rising up against their tormenters, while the updated version seems to exploit cultural bravado, emasculating it with ridiculous stereotypes and sodomy jokes. I'm not saying the 1974 film was a great, intellectual masterpiece; it was, after all, a movie about a football game starring Burt fucking Reynolds. I'm just saying that the periods of silence in the original film says a lot more about the characters and their inner thoughts than does another goddamn joke about how black people don't like to play hockey, and I don't think it's a too much to ask for the intellectually capable younger generation to make that distinction.
The Longest Yard follows Paul Crewe, a has-been quarterback banned from the NFL for a point-shaving scheme six years prior. After a drunken meltdown with his large-chested girlfriend (Courtney Cox, still showing the mammarian effects of pregnancy) that leads to a televised high-speed chase, Crewe is sent to the hoosegow for three years, where he is recruited by the warden (James Cromwell, playing it remarkably straight-faced) to put together a prison football team to face off against the semi-pro team of guards. Charged with the task, Crewe assembles a rag-tag outfit of former NFL players (Michael Irvin, Bill Romanowski), a WWE wrestler (Steve Nash), and a rapper (Nelly), a barefoot running back with the speed "of a runaway slave."
Burt Reynolds — who played the original Paul Crewe — shows up here as the team's coach, Nate Scarborough, injecting a much-needed irascibility and offering the film its only acting ability. Chris Rock plays the team's wise-cracking manager, Caretaker, which, unfortunately, is not the role that Rock has for so long deserved. As in all of his films, Rock is once again saddled with delivering racially-charged jokes pulled out of a bad stand-up routine, which more often than not just sound awkwardly appended into a scene to get Rock some time in the movie's trailer. (I do give props to the director Peter Segal, however, who doesn't cop out on the original film's "Caretaker Incident," even though he unwisely tries to extract some levity out of it.)
And then there is Adam Sandler. Despite his former role as a safety (The Waterboy), Sandler's physique makes him wholly unconvincing as a superstar football player; mostly, he just looks kind of embarrassed to be seen playing Crewe in front of the icon who originated the role. Worse still, he seems to have lost his sole talent for playing himself, never once giving us a trademark Sandler outburst, preferring instead to poorly imitate Reynolds version of Crewe, a mistake for an actor who lacks the charm, swagger, and braggadocio of Burt.
Ironically, in this post-Abu Ghraib world it is the convicted murderers, rapists, and nihilists who are celebrated here, while their abusive, redneck guards are ridiculed, all building up to the final football game, an exercise in hip-hop fueled violence, product placement, and split-screen action scenes. Still, it is on the field where 2005's The Longest Yard actually manages to better the original. As an anti-intellectual, pigskin-lovin' American with a penchant for bone-crunching football, AC/DC anthems, and trick plays, The Longest Yard didn't disappoint me, dragging out everything short of the old hook 'n' ladder, with a final deception worthy of even Peyton Manning's occasional football tomfoolery (fans of the Colts QB may recognize the final play). It doesn't come anywhere near Oliver Stone's depiction of violence in Any Given Sunday or even Peter Berg's stylistic turn in Friday Night Lights, but there is enough in The Longest Yard so that — even if it doesn't exercise your brain cells — it at least raises one's testosterone level a notch above what one could achieve watching an episode of "Starsky and Hutch."
Dustin Rowles is the publisher of Pajiba and managing partner of its parent company, which prefers to remain anonymous for reasons pertaining to public relations. He lives in Ithaca, New York.
The Longest Yard / Dustin Rowles


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O'Donnell & Naccarato Ranks Among "Best Structural Engineering Firms To Work For" Two Years Running
Zweig Group's anonymous employee survey ranks A/E/C firms in North America based on their workplace practices, benefits, retention rates, and more. O'Donnell & Naccarato placed 17th among all structural engineering firms surveyed in 2015 and 2016. Our staff's feedback will empower us to improve as we strive to remain one of the Best Firms To Work For. Here's what they had to say…
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Week 2 2018 Stat Leaders
Updated: September 10, 2018
The stat leaders has been updated.
Wolfforth Frenship QB Austin Phillip is the passing leader with 791 yards
Fort Worth South Hills RB Anthony Watkins is the rushing leader with 570 yards
Pleasanton WR Dalton Hobbs is the receiving leader with 477 yards
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ESSA 2013: 9th Conference of the European Social Simulation Association Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland, September 16-20, 2013
You view your submission using EasyChair for ESSA 2013.
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Our client plans include preventative care, so we hope to prevent any of these issues happening. However, in the case your website gets breaks we will be there right there to restore a backup and get the site live again. We will then investigate why the site broke and if it's a WordPress update u=issue we will quote you for a repair time. If this falls within your plan time then we will use this.
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ig Business started as a two piece band composed of Jared Warren of Karp and The Tight Bros From Way Back When, and Coady Willis of Murder City Devils. Their sound has been characterized as a bombastic and frantic low end attack, marked by Warren's signature vocal delivery. The band released its first album, "Head for the Shallow", on January 25, 2005.
BIG BUSINESS' 5th studio album COMMAND YOUR WEATHER. Recorded in Joshua Tree, CA, Command Your Weather sees Big Business return to its original two-man lineup of Jared Warren and Coady Willis. It's a haunting dream about the struggle for dominance of will over the power and unpredictability of nature. Or it's just a really great rock record, it depends on how weird you're willing to get. But you've never had so much fun being crushed in the cogs of the universe's great machine, that much is for sure! I mean, there's no law against having a couple cold beers while we all burn in the fire of time, am I right?!
Recorded by Dave Curran of UNSANE/PIGS/BIG BUSINESS' LAST RECORD fame.
Founded in 2003 in Seattle, WA., Big Business has spent the last 13 years touring the world and making records. In 2006 Jared and Coady joined forces with the Melvins and moved to Los Angeles. Performing as members of the Melvins and staying autonomous as their own band, they have been there ever since.
released July 8, 2016
Ocean Black
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MEDIA GALLERY : Click a Thumbnail to view an Image
Motorcycles and summer go together like ice cream and apple pie. Vacation time, the long hours of daylight, the warm evenings, the inviting weather—even non-riders pester you to take them out as passengers. And who can blame them?
You don't need special tires or a different bike to ride during the summer, but paying some special attention to what you wear can make a big difference in how much you're going to enjoy every rider's favorite season.
And simply wearing that gear is the most important point. In summer, folks are tempted to jump on their bikes in shorts and a T-shirt. That's a big mistake. Summer riding gear has the same three requirements as the riding gear you wear in any other season: It needs to offer protection in case of a crash; offer protection from the elements; and make your riding experience more comfortable. And of course it can only do that if you're wearing it in the first place.
Here's the good news: In the last 20 years some really excellent summer-riding gear has become available, and it's easier to find than ever. It looks good and offers great comfort and substantial protection. Riders used to spend hours with a leather punch and a hammer perforating their jackets or racing suits to let more air in. With the advent of better textile riding garments using structural armor in key locations, you no longer have to choose between riding cool and riding protected.
Let's start at the top: your helmet. There's no reason why your summer helmet and winter helmet can't be one in the same, especially if you've chosen a good full-face design with adequate venting. That last point is key: better helmets feature venting that really works, channeling air from the front through the helmet to exhaust out the rear, taking heat and sweat with it. The vents close off in winter or on a cool evening with a flick of the finger. They're small, quiet, and unobtrusive. Many full-face helmets also have a faceshield feature that lets you ride with the shield slightly "cracked" open, increasing ventilation and airflow while still offering necessary eye protection.
Open-face helmets are also options, but ironically few of these offer the sophisticated venting of the full-face designs. Still, around town where stop-and-go traffic means there's little air flowing through a vent, many riders pick an open-face design. A good alternative is a modular design—one that allows you to flip-up the mandible section with the face shield when you're stopped in traffic for maximum airflow.
Next, your jacket. The iconic, tight-fitting padded black-leather jacket will have you basting in your own juices like a supermarket rotisserie chicken. Textile jackets with zippered vents in the chest, arms and back area are a much better choice. Another option is a jacket made out of heavy nylon mesh, or a combination of mesh, fabric, and leather. To really offer the protection of a good conventional jacket, these vented mesh jackets need armor in at least the elbows and shoulders, so look for that if you are considering a mesh design. A design with a zip-out liner adds insulation in the evenings or if the weather turns cold, and some even offer zip-in rain liners.
It may be tempting to ride without gloves, but that's another mistake. Abandoning any piece of safety equipment is an unnecessary risk, especially when there are plenty of good options available. Leather gloves with vented backs are an old standby. Hybrid gloves with fabric backs and leather or synthetic leather palms are another choice. And of course, many of the better gloves approach the solution the same way as the jackets do: by using lightweight or mesh construction in non-critical areas and adding hard armor in the knuckles or heel of the palm.
Textile riding pants or jeans with Kevlar-reinforced knees and backside are a popular summer option. Even leather pants have come a long way with the addition of spandex panels behind the knees, inside the thighs, and on the back of the calves, all adding ventilation without compromising protection.
With footwear, you still need a solid sole with good traction, ankle support, and abrasion protection. Leather is still the best choice, although summer riders often chooser shorter six- or eight-inch-high boots. A number of manufacturers make vented boots that offer all the protection of non-perforated boots but much better ventilation. Fabric-and-leather low-cut hiking boots from an outdoor store may not look like they were designed for motorcycle riders, but they offer a high degree of function; many models also have linings that wick away sweat.
Off-road riders have some special needs but, if anything, they have it better in terms of gear selection. First, almost all modern off-road clothing is synthetic and relatively light. Combining a jacket with zip-off sleeves along with a long-sleeved jersey and a chest protector gives you good protection and great airflow.
Some other thoughts: When we talk about protection, motorcyclists are generally talking about abrasion and impact protection. But our clothing needs to provide more. Riding through Death Valley in August or September is like having someone aim a thousand blow driers at you, all set on high. Your clothing needs to protect from sunburn and windburn as well—another reason why the shorts-and-T-shirt ensemble is a bad choice. Old desert rats know that you need to cover up—exposed skin burns, heats you up, and leads to dehydration though excessive evaporation.
While you're at it, there are a few active cooling strategies you can employ. That bandanna? Wet it down with water at gas- or bathroom stops. Some riders in really brutal conditions will even take convenience-store ice and pack it into a couple of jacket pockets—it can keep you cold, and as it melts the water evaporates and carries off even more heat.
A wide-mouth hydration bladder can do the same thing if you fill it with ice and water and wear it next to your spine. And there's the added benefit of being able to stay hydrated without having to stop and take off your helmet to grab a drink. A number of companies also make liquid-cooled undershirts that can be effective in keeping your core temperature from escalating.
Some final thoughts: Sunscreen for your face is needed even behind a faceshield, and especially if you're wearing an open-face helmet. A hat for stops where you remove your helmet also helps camouflage summer helmet hair. When you stop, park in the shade and get out of the sun. And do stop, drink, and scarf down that occasional ice-cream cone. Both extreme heat and cold stress the body, slow reaction time, and make for poor decisions. A hot, tired, stressed rider is a crash waiting to happen. A cool, hydrated, happy rider who's dressed for the weather? That's someone who knows what summertime motorcycling is all about.
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Program Name: Link Popularity Check
License Type: Freeware
Date Released: March 16, 2003
Link Popularity Check Desciption:
Check the link popularity of your web site and compares it to other web sites
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Philippines is among the fastest-growing Asian economies for the first half of the year, so far topped only by China and Indonesia, the country's chief state economist claimed Thursday (August 30, 2012).
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the announced gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 5.9 percent from April to June 2012 showed the Philippines' "continued resurgence in economic activities from a moderate growth of 3.6 percent in the same period in 2011."
With its strong second quarter result, the Philippine economy posted growth of 6.1 percent January to June, outperforming most its neighbors, Balisacan said.
"Within the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the Philippine economic growth performance was above the preliminary average growth (4.7%) of the region..." he noted.
The Philippine economy grew faster compared to Malaysia, which posted an expansion of 5.4 percent in the first half; Thailand, 4.2 percent; Vietnam, 4.4 percent; and Singapore, 2 percent.
However, its GDP growth was lower than that of China at 7.8 percent and Indonesia at 6.4 percent.
Bulk of the country's economic growth in the second quarter was due to expansion in the services sector, including the continuously growing business process outsourcing industry, official data showed.
The sector grew by 7.6 percent from April to June, and contributed 4.3 percentage points to the 5.9-percent total GDP growth.
The top contributors to growth in this sector were increased economic activities in transportation, storage and communication; real estate and renting; as well as trade and financial services, among others.
Industry, meanwhile, contributed 1.5 percentage points to the total, growing by 4.6 percent.
This was due to a boom in construction; electricity, gas and water supply; as well as manufacturing. These offset a contraction in mining and quarrying.
Agriculture posted the slowest growth of 0.7 percent in the three-month period, contributing only 0.1 percentage points to the GDP growth.
Balisacan noted that the government expects the Philippine economy to continue growing over the next two quarters.
"We are optimistic that the resiliency of our economy, as reflected by the strong real GDP performance in the two quarters of 2012, will not dissipate in the succeeding quarters despite the uncertainties," the Cabinet official said.
He added that the government is maintaining its full-year growth target of 5 to 6 percent.
This, as he noted that external and internal risks continue to pose threats to the local economy.
"Further weakness of a struggling global economic recovery will remain a strong challenge in the near-term, with the slowdown of China reining in on global growth," Balisacan said.
He also cited the potential impact of an intensification of the euro area problem.
"Another downside risk is the El Niño phenomenon, which, according to experts, will commence on the third quarter of the current year until the first quarter of 2013," Balisacan said.
He added, however, that its impact onthe GDP will be weak to moderate.
Recent weather disturbances which hit the country will also have very small impact, which Balisacan estimated at only 0.5 percent of GDP.
Yahoo Philippines


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Division Director for Movement Disorders
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Director, Division of Movement Disorders
The Ohio State University College of Medicine's Department of Neurology is seeking an exceptional academic physician-scholar with proven leadership skills to lead the Division of Movement Disorders, an academic unit within The Department of Neurology. This is a full-time position, with rank and salary commensurate with education and experience. The successful candidate will have access to substantive resources to build a research program in Parkinson's disease and related diseases. She or he should be a nationally/internationally respected physician-investigator who has made a substantial impact on the field of Movement Disorders. Demonstrated experience as a clinician and mentor is required.
The Division of Movement Disorders is an integral part of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center's Neurological Institute. Through collaboration with other major departments within the institute – Psychiatry, Neurosurgery, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Neuroscience – patients receive innovative treatment while researchers contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis of Movement Disorders and are developing novel disease modifying and symptomatic treatments.
Our health professionals belong to the Parkinson Study Group and the Huntington Study Group, and national consortiums of academic centers that develop and carry out clinical trials examining new therapies for movement disorders. The medical center is the only central Ohio site that offers DaT scans to aid in diagnosing Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. In close collaboration with colleagues in neurosurgery, more individuals have had DBS treatment and follow up here than at any other center in central Ohio. OSU is the only site in the Midwest that offers HiFu treatment options for those with Essential tremor. For 15 consecutive years, our Huntington's disease program has received Center of Excellence status from the Huntington's Disease Society of America.
The division comprises the Madden Center for Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders, where patients benefit from high-quality treatment for Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia, Huntington's disease and other movement disorders. Interdisciplinary approaches with coordinated teams of highly specialized professionals are the hallmark of patient care. Treatment strategies include pharmaceutical management, deep brain stimulation for patients with Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia, as well as individualized physical therapy and rehabilitation services for mobility issues, and neuropsychiatric care for the cognitive and behavioral complications of movement disorders.
The Ohio State University Department of Neurology:
The Ohio State Department of Neurology, under the new leadership of Benjamin Segal, MD, is composed of seven divisions. We are one of only six medical centers in the nation participating in all three NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke's (NINDS) initiatives, the Network for Excellence in Neuroscience Clinical Trials (NeuroNEXT), the Neurological Emergencies Treatment Trials Network (NeuroNETT), and NIH StrokeNet (Legacy Center). We led the country in recruitment into NeuroNEXT studies and Ohio State led and successfully completed the very first study to be run using the network infrastructure. We offer fellowship training in multiple subspecialties: Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry, Clinical Neurophysiology (three tracks), Geriatric Neurology, Headache, Neuromuscular Medicine, Neuro-Oncology, Neurocritical Care and Vascular Neurology.
The Ohio State University Neurological Institute:
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Qualifications for Director, Division of Movement Disorders:
For consideration, please send CV along with a cover letter to
The Ohio State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status.


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Degree in the Administrative Support Services: General Info
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This wedding was a special one for Anna and I.
Not only was this our first wedding video in the great state of Colorado, but it was also my brother's wedding. As a wedding videographer, you always rely on a great team to get a great product — and that's exactly what happened here.
Not only was I filming the wedding, but I was also IN IT! That's where my wife and sister-in-law stepped up and make it possible to both fulfill the best man duties and film at the same time.
In the end, we delivered a great product and the bride and groom were very happy. The event staff at Hudson Gardens were also fantastic. I would highly recommend their venue.
My new sister-in-law had these kind words to say about us!
They are an amazing couple to work with . Very professional and in tune with the family they work with. Brandon captured every detail and at the same time we didn't even noticed he was there. for your special day if you want a great memory to keep you would def want a video memory from them! – Gaby
If you're looking for a wedding videographer in Colorado, let us know! We'd love to tell your story.


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Newcastle United should cancel their loan arrangements and call back talented young players to give them top-flight experience in the end of season run in.
With the Magpies' Premier League safety secured for another season and only an unwanted – by the board at least – European place to chase, there's a wealth of talent toiling in other leagues who could come on leaps and bounds with some top-flight minutes under their belts.
Promising Northern Ireland left-winger Shane Ferguson's raw talent and lightening pace have seen him make a rapid rise from youth player to a handful of impressive first team performances which he was rewarded for with a five year contact.
Fergie was sent back on loan to Birmingham City for this season; presumably Pardew felt he had enough strength in depth with Sylvain Marveaux and Jonas Gutierrez, as well as Yoan Gouffran, capable of coming in from the left. But things have quickly changed with the Argentine himself on loan at Norwich and Marveaux out of favour.
It's been a frustrating season and a lean loan spell for Ferguson with the Toon man making about as many appearances for Championship side Birmingham City as I would expect him to for Newcastle.
Despite being fit, he hasn't featured for former Magpie Lee Clark's City side, and in recent weeks has got more minutes representing his country than he has for his club.
Hotly-tipped Australian defender Curtis Good's form for loan club Dundee United has earned him an international call-up and a first cap against World Cup bound Ecuador.
With shakey Steven Taylor the first choice behind the Magpie's main centre back pairings why not give the Antipodean a chance now there's precious little to play for?
Yohan Cabaye's departure in January hit the Toon hard and without their main midfield goal scoring threat and creative king-pin they were left struggling to find the net.
In sunnier climates the Toon could have a ready made replacement on their books who could earn his black and white stripes as the season plays out.
Midfielder Mehdi Abeid's last appearance in a Toon shirt came a couple of years ago but the 21-year-old Algerian has been playing out of his skin for Greek club Panathinaikos.
Abeid, who has two years remaining on his Newcastle contract, has scored five goals for the Greek Super League side and is fast becoming the first name on the team sheet.
Finally, injury prone attacking midfielder come striker Haris Vuckic, likened to Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, has had no first time chances with the Magpies in 2013/2014 and the Slovenian is currently on loan at League One club Rotherham.
Big things have been expected of big Haris and he has been amongst the goals at the Millers with two in a recent 6-0 rout.
So, instead of relying on other club's loan players to fire our way to May why not give youth a chance and call back our loan rangers?
MORE: Club Metro


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I'm adding a site-wide form for asking questions on a rails site. The models/views/controllers for the resource question are already created. Going to question/new shows the form as you'd expect. Now I want to display a site-wide question form (the only difference with this one is that it only shows mandatory fields). Question: should I create a new question object in application_controller and pass that to the rails form_for helper, or should I create a new _form2 partial(in the question view) and just include that in my site-wide template?
Thank you.
Create a
question_form partial in the
views/shared folder, and reference that from the site wide template.
Edit: in reply to where to get the @question variable from
You have two options in my mind, you can load the variable in ApplicationController:
class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
before_filter :load_question
def load_question
@question = Question.new
(You should be careful of conflicts with the @question variable in this case)
Or probably better, you can create a method in ApplicationHelper:
module ApplicationHelper
def question_form
question = Question.new
raw render 'shared/question_form', :question => question
Then in your view, instead of referencing the partial, you reference the helper:
<%= question_form %>
In this case you would need to reference the variable in the partial as a local variable, so
question instead of
Hope that helps.


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Happy Friday! I hope you all had a great week and that you'll have a fantastic weekend! I'm linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk like I do every Friday to share my fab five for the week.
1. I visited Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina on Sunday. This is my favorite photo from that day.
2. I discovered a butterfly garden at Brookgreen and snapped this shot.
3. I picked up the the Gap's perfect dot oxford shirt. Totally loving this polka dot trend.
3. This week I've been listening to the new Matchbox Twenty album "North". Love it.
4. It's been a decade since No Doubt's last album. Their new album "Push and Shove"is more grown up and I love it.


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Don't miss the Salvatore Ferragamo women's fall-winter 2012 runway show in Milan! It will probably be live streamed.
It will take place at 12.00 PM EST / 6.00 p.m. Italian time on 26 February 2012. Creative director Massimiliano Giornetti will unveil his latest collection for Salvatore Ferragamo.
For latest fashion news and more information, see the Salvatore Ferragamo Facebook page and the Salvatore Ferragamo official website.


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Cluster of Black Dwellings Grouped Around a Central Courtyard: House in Colbost
Envisioned by Glasgow-based firm Dualchas Architects, House in Colbust is a project located on Waternish, a peninsula on the island of Skye, Scotland. According to the architects, its design is "directly inspired by a black shed on the adjacent croft, simple in form and clearly rooted to its landscape. The form developed out of a desire to lose the bulk of the relatively large building into the shadow of the cliff behind so that the 1 ½ storey element containing all the bedrooms sits behind the main simple communal living space in front." The buildings are grouped around a courtyard, that offers opportunities for spending time outdoors, protected by windy weather.
Aluminum roofs finished in black Plannja Hard Coat surface coating and black rainscreen cladding contribute to the originality of these dwellings. All interiors are connected to the outdoors through generously-sized windows: "The brief was for an open plan living/dining/lounge but also separate games room and study/sitting room and four bedrooms. The main living space can be divided off from the back bedrooms by means of a sliding oak screen. There was to be a separate shed for storage and wood store and heat pump shelter." Enjoy the virtual tour and tell what your thoughts are regarding the overall layout and design of this Scotland residence! [Photos by Andrew Lee Photographer]


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My MobileMe woes didn't end last week when I was quick to praise Apple Discussions for speedy help. You may recall I was getting frequent requests for the MM password and a number of data conflicts, but only on one of my Macs, the 13in MacBook Pro. The 11in Air was working and continues to work as normal.
I did everything suggested in the Discussions thread, and have since repeatedly resynced and replaced all the data on the MacBook Pro with the cloud version stored at MobileMe. For a day or two I've experienced no problems but then, out of the blue, the same errors crop up again. I suspect it is nothing to do with MobileMe but a keychain problem on the MacBook Pro.
However, I've replaced the keychain with the server version (which is synced with the MacBook Air and seems to have no problems) and this doesn't help. This is now a wits' end job and I am seriously considering a reinstallation of OS X, perhaps an archive and restore. The only problem is that restoring the data could trigger the same problems. More on this when I find a solution.


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Christian Articles for All of your Publishing Needs!
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Turning Back the Darkness
by Cate Russell-Cole
11/29/2015 / Christian Living
"You light a lamp for me.
The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness.
In Your strength I can crush an army;
with my God I can scale any wall.
God's way is perfect.
All the LORD's promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection." Psalm 18:28-30
Night is the worst time for any of us who are hurting. It is in the dark and quiet, when you can't sleep and long hours stretch out ahead, that every fear, hurt and discouraging thought you can muster, catches up with you.
I have had insomnia for years and when I am stressed, it becomes uncontrollable. I sometimes get out of bed and try and do something to distract myself; but then I pay in exhaustion the next day. Through most of my time in bed, I simply stew over everything that is wrong.
That is one very bad idea!
When studying the Psalms, I've noticed that David talks a lot about the night time. It's obvious that his troubles have kept him awake through many nights too, but there are a lot of positive Scriptures, which have me looking at the dark hours in a new way.
That time of quiet can be harnessed and used to build our relationship with the Lord. Instead of stewing, turn that rumination into praying. Then add the Word of God, and seek His company as you turn an awful time into fellowship. There is no guarantee this will generate an instant answer, but if it builds your walk with God into one which has some of the quality that David's had, this is time exceedingly well spent, which will bring you joy.
Here is David's approach to facing the night hours.
1. Search for correction, as well as healing, deliverance and direction!
"Tremble and do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent." Psalm 4:4
"You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night.
You have scrutinised me and found nothing wrong.
I am determined not to sin in what I say." Psalm 17:3
2. Reflect on the goodness of the Lord in your life. That can only lead to praise.
"But each day the LORD pours His unfailing love upon me,
and through each night I sing His songs,
praying to God who gives me life." Psalm 42:8
3. Meditate on the Word of God.
"I lie awake thinking of you, meditating onYou through the night." Psalm 63:6
"I will bless the LORD who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me." Psalm 16:7
For more information on King David, please have a meander through the King David Project Facebook page, our web site and our blog, "Masada Rain." The blog houses many useful resources on studying, David plus bits and pieces of information which don't neatly fit into article form. Please ignore dates and use the search feature to find what you want. The web site has resources on David's family tree, life and the Psalms. All content is creative commons and non-profit. Sharing of the project's work would be deeply appreciated.
Masada Rain Blog: https://masadarain.wordpress.com
The project web site: http://cateartios.wix.com/kingdavidproject
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fromdespairtodeliverance
Twitter: @Masada_Rain
"From Despair to Deliverance: the King David Project," is a non-profit ministry, that seeks to make the life of King David easy to understand and relevant, so that believers gain inspiration and comfort from the life of King David. The project is run by Cate Russell-Cole, a Christian writer from Brisbane, Australia.
This article by Cate Russell-Cole is under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Written in Australian English.
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW
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text:
Well part of it anyway. A new set of eight clamping sticks, waxed this time and polished. Major squeeky bum (ass) time. Glue in a dish. Brush at the ready. Quick slurp of tea and there off…...........
Pick up the piece, slap on the glue, position it in the frame. Repeat until you're sure you've done something wrong. Put it right. Continue…...... After 20 minutes—->
The glue was probably OK for another two rows but I bottled it (chickened out). Wasn't used to the clamping system and I noticed that the packing stick end was rising off the board. Thats why the two hastily put together screw downs towards the bottom of the picture (between the clamp heads).
All is now serene. Whilst clamping time for Titebond III is only 1/2 hour it states on the pack that you're not to stress the joints for another 24 hours. Any experience out there as to whether I can chance it and glue up another two rows before bedtime (five hours away)?
-- Martyn -- Boxologist, Pattern Juggler and Candyman of the visually challenging.


text:
L'Abbaye de Beaulieu-en-Rouergue, sits nestled in a secluded, remote valley in the Tarn-et-Garonne. The Abbey was built in 1144, destroyed during the Albigensian crusade in the early 1200's and re-built in 1275. Only to be destroyed again during the Wars of Religion in the 16th century. It began to dwindle in the 17th and was deconsecrated and sold as farm property in 1791 as the French Revolution raged. It's had a hard life!
As is typical of Cistercian monasteries, it does not have a large, impressive entrance. The public was not invited to worship here; services were exclusively for the the ordained monks and lay brothers. And even the lay brothers were kept segregated from the 'real' monks.


text:
I just wanted to put a plug in for a new series on BigWorldNetwork.
Babes in Spyland: The Truth Hurts
In a realm of crime that shouldn't exist, the operatives of the Super Secret Agency fight to keep the world safe from certifiable maniacs.
I can't help wondering, if I was a super secret agent, what would my name be?
Probably Agent Chicken.
What about you?


text:
(This post is part of a series documenting my return to NSW to see a consultant neurologist about debilitating migraines that may be related to a non-cancerous brain tumor; both were diagnosed in WA 12 months ago).
I've thought up witty blog post titles and humorous ways of getting across the information, but either multiply ate the posts (repeatedly – hence the new blog) or I just run out of … impetus. So here's the flat report I gave to the consultant neurologist on Tuesday and his response:
Week 1:
- Dizziness, disorientation, vertigo, bad head pain
- Needed constant supervision (detailed in earlier blog post)
Week 2:
- Above symptoms subsided
- Sleep patterns returned to normal light sleep. It appears to have been the doxepin that was knocking me unconscious for 8 hours was also making it difficult for me to return to full consciousness for another 4 hours after waking.
- I am now alert on waking but this declines during the day. After lunch I cannot remember my phone number or how to perform simple repetitive tasks such as how to log into a website.
- physical fatigue sets in early in the day and I get flashes in the corner of my eyes with the smallest of physical exertions (eg walking through a supermarket)
Week 3:
- Cold/flu symptoms all week masked any improvement on week 2 symptoms.
- Physical fatigue still sets in easily
- Still have migraine upon waking most morning due to head cold and coughing during the night.
- Still have pudding brain most days and get quite confused quite easily over the simplest of matters
In general:
- Migraine triggers all still active.
- Cannot tolerate standard office environment which includes, multiple conversations, ringing phones, and fluorescent lights for more than 20 minutes without needing to be helped out of the building.
- Cannot be near playing children for more than a couple of minutes before migraine pain is debilitating.
Response from Consultant Neurologist:
- Physical fatigue, dizziness, vertigo etc most likely a result from the antidepressant leaving my system. That may still take more time to leave.
- Reduction of mental alertness throughout the day is an effect of the Topomax he has prescribed for the migraine pain. The Topomax usually takes 3 months before it is at optimal effectiveness, so expect these symptoms to continue, but the mental alertness should improve a little as my body becomes used to the drug.
- The flu/cold is masking any improvement, so we continue with the current drug regime for another month so we can obtain some clear data about how effective or not the process is.
So in summary, I keep doing what I'm doing, the physical dizziness etc should go completely, the cold/flu should leave soon, the mental alertness should gradually improve each day and the migraine pain should lessen each day and this will be expected for the next two months at least.
Once we have all of this under control then we look at the pituitary adenoma and the noise-induced triggers for the migraines … it's progress … slow but progress none-the-less.