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Do you have a ton of space in your OneDrive account and don't know what you want to do with it? How about taking the bold step of moving your music collection to OneDrive?
Wait a second, you may say. OneDrive does not "support" music files, you may say. Well, maybe not openly and definitely not as a streaming music service could. However, as I coincidentally found out over the weekend, as long as you have the OneDrive app (I tested on Windows Phone, iPhone and Windows 8), you may at least be able to play your music, one song at a time.
Through a variety of promotions and tie-ins, I have almost 240GB of space on my OneDrive, and very soon, it is going to be 1TB because I have an Office 365 Home subscription.
To The Cloud
First though, moving the collection. If you are like me, and have many ways to listen to your collection, and have multiple forms of backup running, you may be wary of moving things around. I took a deep breath and took the plunge, although I knew what I wanted to achieve: move the music to the cloud but not lose the local files, and still continue to back up to my cloud backup service, Crashplan.
So, on my Windows 8 "home server", I took the music off the data drive and moved it to my OneDrive's sync location under a convenient location like OneDrive\Music. It took a while to move my 120GB to the cloud, but once I copied it to the location, I let it do its thing uploading the music to OneDrive. This step should be identical if you have Windows 7 (or even a Mac) with the OneDrive sync client installed.
The advantage with this approach as opposed to leaving the music on the home server is that I now have the ability to access my music from virtually any device connected to the internet. At the same time, since the music is still on my home server, I did not lose the ability to play the music from devices on the home network like my Apple TV.
Backup vs Sync
One common confusion is mistaking backup for sync, or vice versa. I think of it this way: I want my important data to be backed up without any manual effort, and I want some of the digital memories synced so that I can access them from anywhere, at anytime. The nuance here being, the backup is a one-way data transfer from my home server to the cloud whereas syncing enables me to add to my music collection from anywhere. So the next time I see a great deal on Amazon Music for a $5 album, I can not only purchase it but also download it and make it available to my other devices.
Use the OneDrive apps
Speaking of being able to access from anywhere, what happens when you try to open one of your (DRM-free, of course) audio files? Well, it depends. If you open from a browser, it simply opens the dialog to download the file. This is because the OneDrive web app is not set up for streaming music. It is only meant to interpret documents (Office formats, text and PDF), pictures and video. In the mobile OneDrive apps on the other hand, you can navigate to the folder with the songs, and tap on the actual song and it will start playing the song.
I hadn't noticed this earlier, and while this is good, it by no means makes the OneDrive app a music player like Amazon Music app or Google Play Music app. For example, the app does not play an entire folder. It does not understand playlists. When you skip a song, it simply returns you to the folder instead of playing the next song.
But the fact that it can now stream (not download and then play) is a good sign that perhaps the OneDrive app may unbundle the photos/videos, documents and music features into their own apps just like Google and Amazon have done. I can see a OneDrive app like it is today, for general storage features, an Office app to only surface the files that Office mobile can open, OneDrive Photo app for pictures and videos, and OneDrive Music or Xbox Music app to surface audio files.
Owning music vs renting
I say all of the above but I am one of those who has slowly learned to give up trying to deeply control the music collection. I mostly rent music via one or more of the streaming services like Spotify, Rdio, iHeart, etc. I am also a paying subscriber for Xbox Music Pass which lets me play any song from their catalog on-demand. As a result, the real need to listen to music I "own" (because you know, this collection goes way back to the Napster and Kazaa days), has gone down tremendously. There are still some comedians whose performances I have in my collection which are not available on iTunes or Xbox Music catalog. There are also some Bollywood songs which did not match when I tried iTunes Match and also Xbox Music matching, but those are general the exception rather than the rule.
And then there's services like Apple's iTunes Match. It allows one to "match" their local collection with iTunes' catalog and whenever there is a match, iTunes allows you to listen to the songs from any authorized device. The service is not free, but at $25/year it is a small price to pay for hassle-free management of your music collection. It also allows customers to upload the songs which do not match, although the uploaded songs would count against the iCloud storage quota. Once Apple's newly announced storage plans go in effect, it would be a good idea to let iTunes completely manage the collection, which is taking one more step towards freeing up your collection. Xbox Music advertised long ago that this feature was coming to the service but so far it only does matching but does not allow you to upload unmatched music to the cloud.
Use the cloud, any cloud
To conclude, I recommend that you start thinking about simplifying your data management. Why leave stuff on your hard drive when you can use the cloud? For digital stuff like music and photos, it is better to make the cloud your primary "drive" and sync it to the devices you use. I used OneDrive as an example in this article but feel free to explore the cloud of your choice. It won't harm going instead with Google, Amazon, or coming soon, Apple because all of the big ecosystem providers understand that providing a reliable storage solution is key to keeping customers "sticky". Start planning the move to the cloud, as long as your bandwidth permits.
What's your personal cloud situation? What about owning vs renting music, do you use any of the streaming services? Which ones? Why? Let us know!


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Val Waters necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 208 diseños de 76 diseñadores freelance.
Red Carpet Ready "6 Week Total Body Transformation System" http://www.redcarpetready.com
I'm a personal trainer in Los Angeles, specializing in working with actors/actresses - preparing them for movie roles/photoshoots/red carpet events, etc.
I've worked with some of Hollywood's most beautiful men and women (Cindy Crawford, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner) but as of late, I've been producing more and more fitness products and information products.
I have a piece of exercise equipment called the Valslide.. you can see that at http://www.valslide.com
A couple of my currently available exercise programs are Red Carpet Ready, which is what this contest is for.. (http://www.redcarpetready.com) and I Want My Bikini Body (http://www.iwantmybikinibody.com)
This is a fitness product, targetting women between the ages of 25-50
They're somewhat fit.. wanting to feel more attractive/sexy.
My products are often discovered after TV appearances etc so many of them are interested in what the stars are doing for their fitness and that's what this program is..
The exact same system I use to train my celebrity girls.. but it can be done at home.. in 6 weeks, with minimal equipment
Keywords: movement, sexy, sleek, Simple, clean, modern, current..
Think celebrities, award shows, papparazzi.. and the sexy bodies that walk down the red carpet. This is the look this program is designed to produce.
Possibly images of stars.. like the Hollywood Walk of Fame
I DO NOT want pictures of like the female form though..
I would like there to be an icon (possibly a star) that can stand apart from the name of the product Red Carpet Ready.. and I'd also like the words Red Carpet Ready to be able to stand apart from the icon
I like the colors on my website.. the reds/blacks/grays/etc but feel free to have some fun with it.. I'll be around to give feedback!
You can see the products website at http://www.redcarpetready.com and some promotional videos/materials at http://www.redcarpetready.tv
I'm toying with the idea of using "6 Week Total Body Transformation System" underneath the logo etc.. but again, have some fun!
Thank you so much! I just love this site and appreciate the designers greatly.. this is so much fun!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bugaboo Fox - Mineral Light Grey+ Black
- Available to order
Bugaboo Fox Base - Mineral Light Grey/Black
The smoothest ride, the easiest push and Bugaboo's best driving performance yet.
Parents can easily carry the pushchair into their house or car, and use the super-compact fold for stress-free storage. It's the lightest push – no effort, just go. They can take their pushchair anywhere, from cobbled city streets to snowy trails - the advanced all-wheel suspension and big tires ensure a smooth, stable ride for parent and child no matter the surface.
The Bugaboo Fox is made to last from durable materials and recycled fabrics. Parents can use it for their first child, pass it through their family, and it will still be going strong years later. Plus, its modular design means they can easily update the look of their pushchair for a new season or a new baby. Mix and match from the many colour choices for fabrics, wheel caps and handlebar grips.
- Chassis
- Seat frame
- Accompanying hardware
- Carrycot hardware
- Wheels
- Underseat basket
- Carry handle
- Raincover
- Seat fabric
- Carrycot tailored fabric set
- Extendable Sun Canopy
- Hand grips - cognac
- Wheel caps - white
- 3 year manufacturers warranty (must be registered on bugaboo's website within 3 months of receipt).
- Shoe-friendly clicking brake
- Height adjustable handlebar
- Reclinable & reversible seat
- Two-wheel position pulling through the sand or snow
- One piece fold and self standing chassis
- 5 point comfort harness
- Rotating carry handle
- Lock swivel wheels
- Suitable from birth up to 17 kg / 37.5 lbs
- 3 year manufacturers warranty (must be registered on bugaboo's website within 3 months of receipt).
- Please note that your two year warranty will be be valid if all 6 components of the Fox are purchased, these include: Wheel Caps & Handle Bar Grips
Technical Specifications:
- Chassis width: 60cm
- Weight of pushchair with seat: 9.9 kgs
- Compact fold (2 piece fold without seat) dimensions: L66 x W54 x H19cm
- 1 piece fold with seat dimensions: L46 x 60 x 88cm
- Capacity under-seat basket: 38 litres


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People who visit online news and political sites are more politically extreme. No serious observer of American politics would be surprised if you made two basic claims: (1) Small-circulation media outlets (websites, cable channels, independent newspapers) can be far more ideologically extreme than large-circulation outlets (network news) that need to appeal to a large audience […]
What's this?
My main goal is just to help myself remember what I've read. If somebody happens to stumble upon this site and find it useful, great. You can read more about Abstract Politics here.


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James Johnson Piett digs retail—specifically, food retail. Focusing on things like "
I met Piett in Turin, Italy, at the Slow Food convention in October. "You know in that movie Pulp Fiction, how there's this character named The Wolf who fixes things? That's who I am," he said, explaining his work to a roomful of food advocates. "I'm a fixer for grocery stores. I design, build, attract financing, a full suite of services to help them move from point A to point B."
Piett's company, Urbane Development, works to bring fresh produce and other healthy foods to small stores in underserved communities such as Detroit, Newark and South Philadelphia. He uses the term "bodegas" to describe the kind of integrated stores he aims to create. Bodegas tend to have more meaningful relationships with their customers, he says. One of his priorities while traveling in Europe was to study what makes European bodegas successful, in hopes of importing applicable models to the U.S.
"In the U.S., bodega owners that have good relationships with their customers will sometimes tape pictures of their customers' kids to the Plexiglas by the cash register. In Europe, this kind of relationship translates into purveyors saving the last of the season's peaches for their customers who haven't yet made jam," Piett says.
Grocers who are connected with their clients are more likely to be invested in their health. It's a powerful relationship, considering that poor diet has been linked to diabetes, heart disease and other complications of obesity. In 2007 the American Journal of Epidemiology reported that people with no supermarket near their homes were up to 46 percent less likely to eat a healthy diet than those with more shopping options. Urbane Development contracts with cities, states, municipalities, public health agencies and developers to bring healthy food into neighborhood stores—places that usually specialize chips, soft drinks and candy. Such stores are often the only options for miles, and so they've become the focus of public health advocates.
But in a business with such low profit margins, convincing small grocers to risk stocking perishable produce with no guarantee that customers will buy it is often a losing proposition—
Piett's business offers technical assistance for product sourcing, merchandising and handling. It also connects stores to lines of credit and grants. Operating capital a lifeline to grocers who might dabble in risky, healthy offerings.
"My work is like therapy. You tell me what you want to do and I help you get through the clutter of your own thoughts. I want to help grocers to re-imagine their space to the point they make the most money. My belief is that a lot of those things will be healthy."
James Johnson Piett
"It's easier to finance hard costs, like construction and equipment, rather than perishable inventory or even insurance," Piett says. "Cash flow is king."
His first client store was in Philadelphia. Even though the store added 1,000 square feet to its space, it still managed to lower power bills by 40 percent thanks to new soy-based insulation, recycled sheet rock, low-e windows, and energy-efficient refrigeration and lights.
Each project is unique, and so are the different regions the client stores inhabit. Urban Detroit doesn't have a single chain supermarket, Piett says. The only grocers willing to take a chance on the ailing city are independent operators, and there are hundreds of such neighborhood stores. Many are owned by Chaldeans, a group of Iraqi Christians that migrated here en masse in the early 1900s.
"Chaldean store owners and black customers don't always play well together," Piett says wryly. "But at the same time, they need each other." He says changes to retail space involves a high degree of integration and coordination. "It's always in totality. If I'm going to change a corner store, I have to deal with the owner, the space, the customers, the suppliers, public health agencies, the occasional real estate developer and local economic development nonprofit, and city, state, or municipal governments."
But it's the store owners with whom he has the most direct and intimate contact. He describes trying to help one grocer display apples for sale. "I got them set up in bushel baskets, and he didn't like that. Then we fought about the plantains. He won—he felt like his community prefers things that are packaged, so we went with it. You figure out what makes the most sense for a space, for a community," he says.
"My work is like therapy. You tell me what you want to do and I help you get through the clutter of your own thoughts. I want to help grocers to re-imagine their space to the point they make the most money. My belief is that a lot of those things will be healthy."
Because of Piett's brand of retail therapy, corner stores in poor neighborhoods are now becoming the only source of fresh vegetables in areas otherwise known as "food deserts." He thinks if anyone can bring foliage back to the food deserts, it's the independent grocers. They already have much of the infrastructure they need, and they can be more flexible than the chains, which tend to have higher costs for union labor, security and real estate. President Obama has caught on to the importance of the "healthy bodegas" movement, as some people call Piett's line of work. There's a program initiative in his budget, yet to be funded, that would increase the healthy options available in urban markets.
Piett can talk for a long time about such intricacies with nary a pause for breath. "Yeah, I guess I do dig retail. But mostly I dig the retailers themselves," he admits. "And I like the egalitarianism of retail. You don't have to come from an Ivy League education. You don't have to be big. If I find a really good, honest purveyor, I know that I can get them to good food, and that I can make good food make money for them."


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For some reason i got a bad feeling that Renaldo Balkman could be a player that we package with some other stuff in the offseason in a trade. I dont know why i feel that way but i kinda think Isiah is gonna try to do something to better the roster one way or the other and i could definetly see teams interested in Renaldo. Isiah could figure he has a player like him already in David Lee and could move him. But i really think Renaldo could turn out to be another David Lee. This guy can flat out board. He plays better defense then David Lee and has alot of qualities this team has been missing since the 90's he has heart and hustle like Oakley and i kinda like how he can grab a board and push the ball up the court like Mason. The thing i also like about that is that he is always looking to push the ball up the court but if nothing is there he dont force it, he will pull up and get the ball back to the guards.
I just really feel that this guy is a true knicks type of player. I really cant wait to see how much better he gets next year. I really wouldnt be suprised if he progresses like David Lee did i mean look at his statline last night 17 points 16 boards that is a David Lee statline. I would even rather have Balkman more the Frye or Nate.
In conclusion Isiah please keep the B-Man!!!
Eddie Curry, David Lee, Jamal Crawford, and Renaldo Balkman should be 4 untouchables!!!


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The National Organization for Women has elected 56-year-old Terry O'Neill as its next president. O'Neill defeated 33-year-old Latifa Lyles, who was endorsed by current president, Kim Gandy, in what is being called a "close election."
"NOW is the organization that fights for the rights of all women no matter the circumstances of their birth, their race or sexual orientation, no matter if they live in poverty or are trying to escape violence," says O'Neill, "My experience with domestic violence, as an abused wife left me humiliated and embarrassed. I only began to talk about this publically five years ago as I realized that to keep quiet was to continue the abuse. I want to empower women and telling my story does just that. Women are fed up with persistent inequality and are ready for change. I am honored and eager to lead NOW in making that change."
NOW Elects Maryland Woman Its Next President [AP]
NOW Activists Elect New President Terry O'Neill To Succeed Kim Gandy [NOW]


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Red Oak necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 64 diseños de 27 diseñadores freelance.
Company name: RED OAK NETWORK CABLING & COMMUNICATIONS, LLC.
Abbreviated: RED OAK NETWORK CABLING
Cryptic: ROCC, say 'rock' as in "Our connections are ROCC solid"
Our company is three months old, and currently offers large users cable installation services for voice, data, video and other network systems. We plan to add related services such as design, testing and certification as we grow.
We are a specialty trade in the construction industry. As such, our prime target audience consists of prime general contractors, construction management firms and major electrical subcontractors. End users are groups of businesses and institutional customers in a variety of industries e.g. medical, multifamily residential, education, retail, etc. We desire to have appropriate communication both with direct purchasers and end-users.
We are looking for a relationship with a design source that will start us off with a flexible-use logo, and stay with us to help us develop a brand with immediate presence and sustainable association with current and evolving communications technologies. Copper and optical fiber cables are the media with which we build structured cabling systems, the trunks and branches of the red oak, that transport signals across networks. Awareness of the many curves in the letters ROCC and the representation of branching cables were suggestive in ajith4u's design that we saw in
http://intuit.99designs.com/logo-de…store/5646. We thought a more stylized and techno interpretation of that idea would be interesting. And, we wanted the design itself to convey the idea of unseen infrastructure, a somewhat less than explicit 'Intel Inside' message. Clarity, boldness, modernity and longevity are the qualities we seek.
We require all file formats necessary for print and web applications.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Germany 1-2 Italy
Italy once again proved to be Germany's nemesis after Mario Balotelli struck two first-half goals to set up a UEFA EURO 2012 final against Spain on Sunday.
Joachim Löw's side came into the semi-final full of confidence having swept all before them in Poland and Ukraine, but perhaps lingering at the back of their minds was the fact that Germany had never beaten the Azzurri in seven competitive meetings. That tally is now eight after Italy produced a wonderfully measured performance with Balotelli at its heart.
Cesare Prandelli's side neutralised Germany's dynamic approach, and found their No9 in clinical form. The striker headed his side in front midway through the opening period and doubled the advantage nine minutes before half-time. Germany threw everything at their opponents after the restart, but their breakthrough came too late, Mesut Özil converting an added-time penalty that only offered fleeting hope.
Prandelli has described his side as a work in progress but, after surviving a nervous opening, they were soon looking like the finished article. In the early stages, only Andrea Pirlo's torso stopped Mats Hummels giving Germany the lead, and then Andrea Barzagli watched helplessly as Gianluigi Buffon's parry ricocheted off him and just past the post. Italy soon found their stride, though.
The busy Riccardo Montolivo forced Manuel Neuer to stretch, before Antonio Cassano had the goalkeeper going the other way. Özil and Toni Kroos, on his first start of the tournament, tested Buffon again, but the Azzurri were looking the more dangerous side. In the 20th minute, they made it count. Pirlo, ever the instigator, swung the ball out to left-back Giorgio Chiellini who fed Cassano. The No10 tricked Hummels and delivered an inviting cross. With the door was wide open Balotelli merely needed to put his head on it as it flashed past Neuer. It was Italy's first UEFA European Championship semi-final goal on their fourth appearance.
Germany reacted as expected for a team who had won a world-record 15 straight competitive games. Özil made Buffon work, and Federico Balzaretti just cleared Jérôme Boateng's dangerous centre. Prandelli has urged his team to resist sitting on a lead on all tournament, and the second duly came – although it was a classic Azzurri counterattack.
Buffon had just made a flying save from Sami Khedira, and batted away the resulting corner which Montolivo picked up. The new AC Milan recruit looked for Balotelli straight away, his ball over the top evading Philipp Lahm, and the striker sped away to rifle a shot into the top corner for a finish every bit as emphatic as his first.
Löw had proved in his starting XI he was not scared to tinker with his personnel, and made changes at half-time, Marco Reus and Miroslav Klose coming on. Reus's first involvement was a effort on goal and then Lahm could only lift his shot over when well placed. Özil got to the byline, but Khedira got in a tangle.
Buffon's fingertips just did enough to send a Reus free-kick on to the bar and away to safety, yet Balotelli was still a menace at the other end and Claudio Marchisio nearly made it three on two occasions. As German belief ebbed away, Antonio Di Natale had a clean run on goal only to fire wide.
Balzaretti handled in his own area with time running out and Özil finally beat Buffon, but it merely offered forlorn hope. Löw's side may have been the tournament's great entertainers, but it is Italy who are in Sunday's final after once again being Germany's bogey team.
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Table of Contents
Glucosamine is a natural compound found in the human body, specifically an amino monosaccharide (a nitrogen-containing sugar). It is thought to possibly play a role in cartilage formation and repair and to perhaps have an anti-inflammatory affect within humans.
Glucosamine is also known as 2-amino-2-deoxy-glucose; 2-amino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose; and chitosamine. The chemical symbol for glucosamine is C6H13NO5. It is sold as a nutritional or dietary supplement in three forms: glucosamine hydrochlo-ride (glucosamine HCl), glucosamine sulfate, and N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAG). Within scientific studies, there appears to be no difference between the three forms with regards to their effectiveness.
Glucosamine is found is various forms when it is sold commercially. Some of these forms include capsules (500 milligrams [mg], 550 mg, 750 mg, and 1,000 mg), liquid (500 mg per five milliliters), tablets (340 mg, 500 mg, and 1,000 mg), and powder.
When taken as anoral supplement, glucosamine is sometimes used in the treatment of a type of arthritis called osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is considered the largest and most widely occurring type of arthritis. Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, is caused by deterioration or loss of cartilage at one or more joints of the body. The symptoms range from mild pain and stiffness to complete loss of use of the joint, and may or may not have an identifiable cause. Unlike the less common rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis is not marked by inflammation. While osteoarthritis is commonly associated with overweight, cartilage deterioration can be caused by excessive wear and tear on the joints, which may be due to excessive physical exercise or exertion. People aged 60 years or older often have osteoarthritis. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 21 million people in the United States annually suffer with osteoarthritis.
The use of glucosamine in osteoarthritis therapy seems to be considered generally safe among medical professionals. However, it is not completely accepted within the medical community as being effective for osteoarthritis treatment. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved the use of glucosamine for medical use within humans. It is classified as a dietary supplement
so FDA approval is not needed as long as companies do not advertise it as a treatment for a medical condition. Instead, in the United States, glucosamine is a widely popular alternative medicine for the relief of joint pain. In Europe, however, the glucosamine-form glucosamine sulfate is approved as a medical drug.
Besides osteoarthritis, glucosamine is also used to relieve symptoms of leg pain, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease (such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease), and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. Scientific results show some positive evidence for the effective use of glucosamine with osteoarthritis; however, the scientific evidence is much more unclear for the other diseases.
Glucosamine is taken from animal tissue, specifically from the shells of crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. Within these shellfish, glucosamine is made naturally in the form of glucosamine-6-phosphate, which eventually makes glycosaminoglycans, among other substances. Since glucosamine-6-phosphate helps to regulate the production of joint cartilage and glycosaminoglycans are a major component of cartilage, glucosamine may help to rebuild cartilage and treat arthritis. Whether these glu-cosamine processes could be involved in human arthritis remains undecided in the medical community. Not all medical professional believe glucosamine is effective
A typical dosage of glucosamine is 1,500 milligrams per day. The two most commonly sold forms are glucosamine sulfate and glucosamine hydrochlor-ide. Glucosamine is often sold in combination with other supplements such as chondroitin sulfate(a sul-fated glycosaminoglycan composed of a chain of alternating sugars) and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM, an organic sulfur compound within the chemical class of sulfones).
When glucosamine is taken orally into the body (as a pill), according to conclusions from scientifically based animal studies, it is absorbed into the small intestine. It then travels into the liver where most of it is metabolized. Based on these studies, some of it does apparently go to cartilage; however, it is not known how much is actually transmitted to joints. It is primarily removed from the body through urine.
Clinical studies have consistently showed that glucosamine is safe when used as directed. However, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), side effects may include drowsiness, headache, upset stomach, insomnia, skin reactions, light sensitivity, and nail toughening. Rare symptoms include abdominal pain, appetite loss, vomiting, nausea, intestinal gas, heartburn, and diarrhea.
The National Institutes of Health recently sponsored a large, multi-institutional clinical trial to test the effects of chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine, and the combination of the two on knee osteoarthritis. (Chondroitin is a carbohydrate that is a component of cartilage. It is thought to help promote water retention and elasticity in cartilage and help prevent enzymes from destroying cartilage.) The study is the largest of its kind to date with respect to research into the two substances.
The four-year study, known as Glucosamine/ chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT), involved almost 1,600 participants and 16 research facilities. It was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The lead researcher in the study was Daniel O. Clegg from the University of Utah, School of Medicine (Salt Lake City). Five different treatments were given daily for 24 weeks: glucosamine alone (1,500 mg), chondroitin sulfate alone (1,200 mg), glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate combined (same doses), a placebo, or celecoxib (200 mg) (a FDA-approved drug for osteoarthritis pain, and branded in the United States as Celebrex®).
According to the resulting 2006 article "Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the two in combination for painful knee osteoarthritis" in the New England Journal of Medicine,the six-month trial found that patients taking glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, or a combination of the two had no significant decrease in their major osteoarthritis symptoms compared to patients taking a placebo. Patients who took celecoxib had a significant decrease in the severity of their symptoms. However, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate together seemed to help people with pain classified as moderate-to-severe. With people in the mild pain group, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate together or alone did not provide substantial relief.
For the most part, glucosamine does not show any contraindications with other drugs; that is, medical studies have not shown that it is harmful to users. Scientific studies have shown that the use of glucosamine (as directed) does not produce any serious, permanent problems.
Glucosamine taken above the recommended dosages could decrease the effectiveness of insulin or other such drugs that control blood sugar levels in diabetes. According to the NIH, some studies show a connection while other studies do not; however, the connection has been suggested as possible by the medical community.
Reports from the NIH suggest that glucosamine may also increase the risk of bleeding especially when taking aspirin, blood thinners, anti-platelet drugs, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The use of glucosamine has also been possibly linked to the increase in the frequency and severity of asthma.
Since glucosamine is not approved by the FDA, its safety and formulation is determined solely by the manufacturer. Thus, quality and content may vary among manufacturers. Tests have been performed by ConsumerLab.com, a leading provider of independent tests for nutritional and health products and services. Technicians at the laboratory report that the majority of companies manufacturing glucosamine for consumer use provide at least 90% of the amount of glucosamine stated on the label.
The Arthritis Foundation recommends that, if using glucosamine, consumers should buy from established companies (because they can more easily be held accountable for their products); read the product label carefully (if need be, ask the pharmacist questions); consult with the family doctor before trying new medicines; verify the source of the medical problem before beginning glucosamine; make sure the physician is aware of any future plans to take glucosamine; and do not reduce or eliminate prescription medicines one is already taking.
If deciding to take glucosamine, try it between six to eight weeks. It generally takes this amount of time before any noticeable effects are felt. Sometimes, no effects are felt. If a reduction of symptoms is not noticed at the end of this period of time, the Arthritis Foundation states that glucosamine will probably not help.
The use of alcohol, tranquilizers, sedatives, anti-seizure drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, muscle relaxants, and antihistamine medicines may intensify the drowsiness side effect that is possible with glucosamine. Thus, if taking glucosamine and any of these drugs together, users should be aware (and warned) that it may adversely affect one's concentration. Consumers should talk with a medical professional before taking glucosamine.
People who are overweight, have diabetes, or liver disease should check their blood sugar levels more frequently when taking glucosamine because it is an amino sugar. If taking blood-thinning medication or daily aspirin therapy, blood clotting time should be tested more frequently.
A person can overdose on glucosamine. The amount of glucosamine varies with the supplemental form. Pure glucosamine hydrochloride is at a concentration of about 83% in the glucosamine base; pure glucosamine sulfate is approximately 65%, and pure N-acetyl glucosamine is around 75%.
Parental concerns
According to the NIH, there is no scientific evidence to show that glucosamine should be given to children. Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), which is sometimes packaged with glucosamine, has been shown to have a relationship with autism, but whether that association is good or bad is not currently known.
Osteoarthritis does affect children. Clinical studies have not proven whether or not glocosamine— either in children or adults—should be recommended as a medical therapy for osteoarthritis. Some studies show that glucosamine can help people with mild to moderate osteoarthritis and prevent the deterioration of cartilage. However, other studies do not show these benefits. The majority of studies have been performed with glucosamine hydrochloride and glucosamine sul-fate; but not with N-acetyl-glucosamine.
In any case, the effects of these glucosamine supplements on a growing child or developing baby are not yet known. For that reason, glucosamine is not recommended for, and should not be taken by, children. Because of the lack of long-term effects on a developing fetus and child, women who are pregnant and women who could become pregnant are advised by the Arthritis Foundation not to take glucosamine.
Bartlett, Susan J. Clinical Care in the Rheumatic Diseases. Atlanta, GA: Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals, 2006.
Imboden, John B, David B. Hellmann, and John H. Stone, eds. Current Rheumatology Diagnosis and Treatment. New York: Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill, 2004.
Clegg, D.O, et al. "Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the two in combination for painful knee osteoarthritis" New England Journal of Medicine. 354: 795–808, 2006.
Gray, H., P. Hutcheson, and R. Slavin. "Is glucosamine safe in patients with seafood allergy?" Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 114:459–460, 2004.
Hochberg, M.C. "Nutritional supplements for knee osteoarthritis—Still no resolution" New England Journal of Medicine. 354:848–850, 2006.
Efficacy of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate May Depend on Level of Osteoarthritis Pain. HIH News, National Institutes of Health. February 22, 2006 [Cited March 18, 2007]. <http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2006/nccam-22.htm>.
ConsumerLab.com. Home page of ConsumerLab.com. [Cited March 18, 2007] <http://www.consumerlab.com/>.
William Arthur Atkins.


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According to the Boston Herald, dated May 5th, Boba Fett appears in cameo in Revenge of the Sith. You've heard it here, Boba Fett fans - spread the word... or is the Boston Herald report incorrect?
`Star' gazing: Critics take a Wookiee at Lucas' `Episode III'
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Returning are: Jimmy Smits (``West Wing'') as Senator Bail Organa, who joins the rebels; Chewbacca, the hairy Wookiee who hasn't been in a ``Star Wars'' movie in 20 years, played by original cast member Peter Mayhew; and Boba Fett, in a cameo.


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Sunday, July 30, 2006
Unanswered Questions Fuel the Love of Learning
That's hard for some students, some parents, and even educators themselves to deal with given that teachers should be the ones with the answers. We all want highly qualified educators in our classrooms, but we also want educators who have a love of learning.
Many of my students, as young as they are, comment from time to time concerning the breadth of my knowledge regarding American History and my ability to tie in what they are studying in Language Arts to their Social Studies.
Students say, "Gee, elementaryhistoryteacher, how do you know all this stuff? How do you remember all of those dates? "
Of course, my little dears have no inkling as to the amount of planning and research that go into a unit. They are clueless concerning the fact that I review a unit for several weeks before teaching it, and I constantly add and take away components of a unit depending on the needs of my learners.
One thing my little dears do have knowledge of is their teacher absolutely loves what she teaches. They understand that I have a rabid love of learning for any type of history and that I love a good question to research.
We would quickly loose our love of learning if we knew all the facts or had all the answers. The hunt for answers is my biggest attraction for what I do, and I want to translate that for my students. I want them to know how to search for answers themselves and string together facts to arrive at an answer.
Yesterday I came across a little factoid that caused me to travel down Internet sidestreets attempting to discover the answer to a question that involved a gold ring, strands of hair, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the presidential inauguration of 1905.
The assassination of President Lincoln was a horrible time for the American people. During that time of severe grieving many Americans who were at the President's bedside or at the White House to pay their respects were given or simply took momentos of the occaision that have been handed down to sucessive generations or later donated to various museums and even sold to the highest bidder.
One of the more macabe mementos was locks of Abraham Lincoln's hair. Some sources state that the first lock of hair was removed by Dr. Charles Leale who was the first doctor on the scene. Upon examining President Lincoln Dr. Leale discovered a clump of hair matted with blood. By removing this clump of hair he had easier access to the wound. Another lock of hair was reportedly removed by Mrs. Schuyler Colfax, wife of the Speaker of the House.
Both locks of hair were presented to Mrs. Lincoln and during the month that followed after the death of President Lincoln she distributed mementos to friends and acquaintances. One of the recipients of a few hair strands was Dr. Charles Sabin Taft, who was the second surgeon to be at the President's bedside. Dr. Taft had assisted Dr. Leale with getting the President to breath on his own.Dr. Taft willed his Lincoln hair strands along with other mementos to his son, Charles C. Taft.
One of Lincoln's personal secretaries was John Hay who went on to have a very distinguished career as Secretary of State. In fact Hay was the Secretary of State for President McKinley who himself was assassinated in 1901 thereby bringing Theodore Rooosevelt to the presidency to finish Mckinley's term. Roosevelt was elected to his own term in 1904.
John Hay purchased six strands of President Lincoln's hair from Charles C. Taft and put them inside a ring. Before the 1905 inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt, Secretary of State Hay contacted Roosevelt and presented the ring to him along with a note that is purported to say:
"The hair in this ring is from the head of Abraham Lincoln. Dr. Taft cut it off the night of the assassination…Please wear it tomorrow, you are one of the men who most thoroughly understands and appreciates Lincoln…"
Some of the John Hay sources I read mention the mutual relationship of respect and friendship between President Lincoln and John Hay even though they were far apart in age. It would seem that such a memento of his former employer and mentor would be very precious to him. However, some sources say he presented the ring to Roosevelt. The term presented could mean he only allowed Theodore Roosevelt to see and borrow the ring. I find it difficult to believe that Hay would have given it to Roosevelt.
My love of learning has been sparked. I was hoping to discover what happened to the ring. Where is it? Who has it? Is it in a museum? Is there a picture of Theodore Roosevelt wearing it at his 1905 inauguration?
Here is where elementaryhistoryteacher becomes stumped. The research I've conducted so far has only been on the Internet itself. I have not consulted the biographies or autobiographies of Roosevelt, Hay, or even Lincoln.
So, I'm continuing my love of learning by attempting to discover where this ring is. Shooting off an email to Sagamore Hills (the former home of Theodore Roosevelt) might elicit a favorable response, or to the Hay Library at Brown University.
I just love a good mystery!
Your comments are welcome if you have information concerning John Hay's ring.
information from an ebay auction site
John Hay
2 comments:
- CaliforniaTeacherGuy said...
Sorry, EHT, I have no clues for you as to the whereabouts of John Hay's ring. But your story reminded me of my visit to the Lincoln museum under Ford's Theater, which I visited several years ago. In a glass case in that subterranean chamber is the blood-stained coat that Abraham Lincoln was wearing the night he was assassinated. I stood in awe before the garment, grateful for the opportunity to look at a tangible link to one of history's great men. So, grisly as it may seem, I think I understand why those crowding around Lincoln's deathbed were tempted to snip off a lock or two of his hair: It was their last link to the Great Emancipator. Fingering that hair in the coming decades would remind them that the political and spiritual giant who had walked among them was not a figment of their imaginations.
- EHT said...
I agree CTG. I visited the house where Lincoln was taken after the assassination when I was in the 7th grade. We walked across after our visit to Ford's Theatre. I remember seeing a bloody pillow myself, and I remember a feeling of awe...not being grossed out...simply because to me Lincoln was larger than life.


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Versión en EspañolContentsAlleged DiscrepanciesArticle ReprintsAudio ResourcesBible BulletsDarwin Day DebateDecisive DesignsE-Books"In the News"Reason & RevelationResearch ArticlesScripturally SpeakingSensible ScienceResourcesDiscovery for KidsExamine the EvidenceHome Study CoursesFeedbackEBGlobalA.P. InformationAbout APContact APCopyright StatementHelp APPrivacy StatementSpeaking SchedulesA.P. Scientists and Auxiliary WritersUsage Guidelines
[This is part two of a three-part series. Click here to view Part I.]
One of the laws of thought employed in the field of logic is the law of rationality, which states that one should accept as true only those conclusions for which there is adequate evidence. This is sensible, for accepting as true a conclusion for which there is no evidence, or inadequate evidence, would be irrational. In discussing the prima facie case for Gods existence, theists presentthrough logic, clear reasoning, and factual dataarguments that are adequate to justify the acceptance of the conclusion that God exists. The approach is intended to be positive in nature, and to establish a proposition for which adequate evidence is available.
The evidence used to substantiate the theists proposition concerning Gods existence may take many forms. This should not be surprising since, if He does exist, God would be the greatest of all realities. His existence, therefore, could be extrapolated not from just a single line of reasoning, but from numerous avenues. As one writer of the past suggested:
The reality of such a Being can be firmly established only by concurrent reasons coming from various realms of existence, and approved by various powers of the human spirit. It is a conclusion that cannot be reached without the aid of arguments inadequate by themselves to so great a result, yet valid in their place, proving each some part of the great truth; proofs cumulative and complementary, each requiring others for its completion (Clarke, 1912, p. 104).
The various arguments presented by theists, all combined, make an ironclad case for Gods existence. Where one particular argument fails to impress or convince an inquirer, another will avail. Considered cumulatively, the evidence is adequate to justify the intended conclusion. It is my purpose here to present and discuss additional evidence substantiating the proposition: God exists.
In contending for the existence of God, theists often employ the teleological argument. Teleology has reference to purpose or design. Thus, this approach suggests that where there is purposeful design, there must be a designer. The deduction being made, of course, is that order, planning, and design in a system are indicative of intelligence, purpose, and specific intent on the part of the originating cause. In logical form, the theists argument may be presented as follows:
This correct form of logical reasoning, and the implications that flow from it, have not escaped the attention of those who do not believe in God. Paul Ricci, an atheistic philosopher and university professor, has written that ...its true that everything designed has a designer... (1986, p. 190). In fact, Mr. Ricci even conceded that the statement, Everything designed has a designer, is an analytically true statement and thus requires no formal proof (p. 190). Apparently Mr. Ricci understands that one does not get a poem without a poet, a law without a lawgiver, a painting without a painter, or design without a designer. He is in good company among his disbelieving counterparts. For example, atheistic evolutionist Richard Lewontin made the following admission in an article he authored for Scientific American:
Life forms are more than simply multiple and diverse, however. Organisms fit remarkably well into the external world in which they live. They have morphologies, physiologies and behaviors that appear to have been carefully and artfully designed to enable each organism to appropriate the world around it for its own life. It was the marvelous fit of organisms to the environment, much more than the great diversity of forms, that was the chief evidence of a Supreme Designer (1978, 239[3]:213, emp. added.).
To be fair to both of these authors, and others like them, let me quickly point out that while they agree with the thrust of the theists argument (i.e., that design leads inevitably to a designer), they do not believe that there is evidence warranting the conclusion that a Supreme Designer exists, and they therefore reject any belief in God. Their disagreement with the theist, therefore, would center on statement number two (the minor premise) in the above syllogism. While admitting that design demands a designer, they would deny that there is design in nature providing proof of the existence of a Great Designer.
A good example of such a denial can be found in a book written by British evolutionist, Richard Dawkins. During the 1800s, William Paley employed his now-famous watch argument. Paley argued that if one were to discover a watch lying upon the ground and were to examine it closely, the design inherent in the watch would be enough to force the conclusion that there must have been a watchmaker. Paley continued his line of argumentation to suggest that the design inherent in the Universe should be enough to force the conclusion that there must have been a Great Designer. In 1986, Dawkins published The Blind Watchmaker, which was intended to put to rest once and for all Paleys argument. The dust jacket of Dawkins book made that point clear:
There may be good reasons for belief in God, but the argument from design is not one of them.... [D]espite all appearances to the contrary, there is no watchmaker in nature beyond the blind forces of physics.... Natural selection, the unconscious, automatic, blind yet essentially nonrandom process that Darwin discovered, and that we now understand to be the explanation for the existence and form of all life, has no purpose in mind. It has no mind and no minds eye. It does not plan for the future. It has no vision, no foresight, no sight at all. If it can be said to play the role of watchmaker in nature, it is the blind watchmaker (1986, emp. in orig.).
The disagreement between the theist and atheist is not whether design demands a designer. Rather, the point of contention is whether or not there is design in nature adequate to substantiate the conclusion that a Designer does, in fact, exist. This is where the Teleological Argument is of benefit.
Design of the Universe
Our Universe operates in accordance with exact scientific laws. The precision of the Universe, and the exactness of these laws, allow scientists to launch rockets to the Moon, with the full knowledge that, upon their arrival, they can land within a few feet of their intended target. Such precision and exactness also allow astronomers to predict solar/lunar eclipses years in advance or to determine when Halleys Comet can be seen once again from the Earth. Science writer Lincoln Barnett once observed:
This functional harmony of nature Berkeley, Descartes, and Spinoza attributed to God. Modern physicists who prefer to solve their problems without recourse to God (although this seems to be more difficult all the time) emphasize that nature mysteriously operates on mathematical principles. It is the mathematical orthodoxy of the Universe that enables theorists like Einstein to predict and discover natural laws, simply by the solution of equations (1959, p. 22, parenthetical item in orig.).
The precision, complexity, and orderliness within the Universe are not in dispute; writers such as Ricci, Dawkins, and Lewontin acknowledge as much. But while atheists willingly concede complexity, and even order, they are not prepared to concede design because the implication of such a concession would demand a Designer. Is there evidence of design? The atheist claims that no such evidence exists. The theist, however, affirms that it does, and offers the following information in support of that affirmation.
We live in a tremendously large Universe. While its outer limits have not been measured, it is estimated to be as much as 20 billion light years in diameter. [A light-year is the distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year at a speed of slightly more than 186,000 miles per second. Distances expressed in light-years give the time that light would take to cross that distance.] There are an estimated one billion galaxies in the Universe (Lawton, 1981), and an estimated 25 sextillion stars. The Milky Way galaxy in which we live contains over 100 billion stars, and is so large that even traveling at the speed of light would require 100,000 years to cross its diameter. Light travels approximately 5.88 x 1012 miles in a single year; in 100,000 years, that would be 5.88 x 1017 miles, or 588 quadrillion miles just to cross the diameter of a single galaxy. Without doubt, this is a rather impressive Universe. As the psalmist stated: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament [sky] shows His handiwork (Psalm 19:1). Indeed they do! The writer of the book of Hebrews stated: Every house is builded by some one; but he that built all things is God (3:4). And just one verse prior to that, he wrote: He that built the house hath more honor than the house (3:3). Gods activities of day four of the Creation week show that He certainly is due more honor than the Universe He created!
Yet while the size itself is impressive, the inherent design is even more so. The Sun is like a giant nuclear engine. It gives off more energy in a single second than mankind has produced since the Creation. It converts 8 million tons of matter into energy every single second, and has an interior temperature of more than 20 million degrees Celsius (see Lawton, 1981). The Sun also produces radiation, which, in certain amounts, can be deadly to living things. The Earth, however, is located at exactly the correct distance from the Sun to receive the proper amount of heat and radiation to sustain life as we know it. We should be grateful that we live so far from the Sun, because the 93 million miles of empty space between the Earth and the Sun help stop the destructive pressure waves given off by the Sun as it converts matter to energy. If the Earth were much closer to the Sun, human life could not survive because of the horrible heat and pressure. If the Earth were moved just 10% closer to the Sun (about 10 million miles), far too much radiation (and heat) would be absorbed. If the Earth were moved just 10% farther from the Sun, too little heat would be absorbed. Either scenario would spell doom for life on the Earth. Fortunately, humans receive some protection from the Suns radiation because in one of the layers of the atmosphere (known as the mesosphereabout 12 to 18 miles above the Earth), there is a special form of oxygen known as ozone, which filters out most of the ultraviolet rays from the Sun that would be harmful, or fatal, in larger amounts. In addition, the Sun constantly sends out an invisible wind that is composed of protons and electrons. These particles approach the Earth from outer space at an extremely high speed, and could be very dangerous to humans. Fortunately, most of these protons and electrons are reflected back into space because God created the Earth like a giant magnet that pushes away the solar wind and makes life on Earth both possible and comfortable.
The Earth is rotating on its axis at 1,000 miles per hour at the equator, and moving around the Sun at 70,000 miles per hour (approximately 19 miles per second), while the Sun and its solar system are moving through space at 600,000 miles per hour in an orbit so large it would take over 226 million years just to complete a single orbit. This rotation provides periods of light and darknessa phenomenon necessary for sustaining life as we know it. If the Earth rotated much faster, fierce cyclones would stir over the Earth like a kitchen food-mixer. If the Earth turned significantly slower, the days and nights would be impossibly hot or cold. Venus, for example, turns only once every 243 days, which accounts in part for the fact that daytime temperatures can reach as high as 500 degrees Celsius (remember: water boils at 100 degrees Celsius). The Earths orbital speed and tilt are just right. Just by accident? The Earth completes its orbit once every 365.25 daysthe time period we designate as a year. This, together with the fact that the Earth is tilted on its axis, allows for what we refer to as seasons.
The Earths orbit is not a perfect circle, however, but is elliptical. This means that sometimes the Earth is closer to the Sun than at other times. In January, the Earth is closest to the Sun; in July, it is farthest away. When it is closer, the Earth speeds up to avoid being pulled into the Sun; when it is farther away, it slows down, so that it remains in a position in space that is just right. How does the Earth know to do all of this?
Interestingly, as the Earth moves in its orbit around the Sun, it departs from a straight line by only one-ninth of an inch every eighteen miles. If it departed by one-eighth of an inch, we would come so close to the Sun that we would be incinerated; if it departed by one-tenth of an inch, we would find ourselves so far from the Sun that we would all freeze to death (see Science Digest, 1981). What would happen if the rotation rate of the Earth were cut in half, or doubled? If it were halved, the seasons would be doubled in their length, which would cause such harsh heat and cold over much of the Earth that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to grow enough food to feed the Earths population. If the rotation rate were doubled, the length of each season would be halved, and again it would be difficult or impossible to grow enough food to feed the Earths population.
The Earth is tilted on its axis at exactly 23.5 degrees. If it were not tilted, but sat straight up in its orbit around the Sun, there would be no seasons. The tropics would be hotter, and the deserts would get bigger. If the tilt went all the way over to 90 degrees, much of the Earth would switch between very cold winters and very hot summers.
The Earth is poised some 240,000 miles from the Moon. This, too, is just right. The Moon helps control the movement of the oceans (tides). This movement is very beneficial to the Earth, because it provides a cleansing of shorelines, and helps ocean life to prosper. Tides are an important part of ocean currents. Without these currents, the oceans would stagnate, and the animals and plants living in the oceans and seas soon would perish. Our existence as humans depends upon the Moons tides, which help to balance a delicate food chain in nature. If the Moon were moved closer to the Earth by just a fifth, the tides would be so enormous that twice a day they would reach 35-50 feet high over most of the Earths surface.
The Earths oceans are another good example of perfect design. Water covers about 72% of the Earths surface, which is good because the oceans provide a reservoir of moisture that constantly is evaporating and condensing. Eventually, this causes rain to fall on the Earth. It is a well-known fact that water heats and cools at a much slower rate than a solid land mass, which explains why desert regions can be blistering hot in the daytime and freezing cold at night. Water, however, holds its temperature longer, and provides a sort of natural heating/air-conditioning system for the land areas of the Earth. The Earths annual average temperature (56°F; 13.3°C) is closely maintained by the great reservoir of heat found within the waters of the oceans. Temperature extremes would be much more erratic than they are, were it not for the fact that approximately four-fifths of the Earth is covered with water. In addition, humans and animals inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. On the other hand, plants take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. We depend upon the world of botany for our oxygen supply, yet we often fail to realize that approximately 90% of our oxygen comes from microscopic plants in the seas (see Asimov, 1975, 2:116). If our oceans were appreciably smaller, we soon would be out of air to breathe.
Wrapped around the Earth is a protective blanket we know as the atmosphere. It is composed of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and carbon dioxide (0.03%), in addition to water vapor and small levels of other gases. The proper balance of these gases is essential to life on the Earth. The atmosphere of Venus is too thick to sustain life; that of Mars is too thin. But the Earths atmosphere does several things. It scatters light waves to that you can read the words on this page. It captures solar heat so that it does not escape too rapidly. Without atmosphere, the heat would escape as soon as the Sun set each day, and nights would be unbearably cold. Frequently, meteors fall from space. Were it not for the fact that most of them burn up (from friction) when they strike the atmosphere, the Earth would be pounded almost daily by these unwelcome visitors. And, electronically charged particles called ions in the upper atmosphere (known as the ionosphere) help make radio communications on the Earth possible. The Earth has an atmosphere that is just right. Just by accident?
Can a rational person reasonably be expected to believe that these exacting requirements for life as we know it have been met just by accident? The Earth is exactly the right distance from the Sun; it is exactly the right distance from the Moon; it has exactly the right diameter; it has exactly the right atmospheric pressure; it has exactly the right tilt; it has exactly the right amount of oceanic water; it has exactly the right weight and mass; and so on. Were this many requirements to be met in any other essential area of life, the idea that they had been provided just by accident would be dismissed immediately as ludicrous. Yet atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and infidels suggest that the Universe, the Earth, and life on the Earth are all here as a result of fortuitous accidents. Physicist John Gribbin (1983), writing on the numerous specific requirements necessary for life on our planet, emphasized in great detail both the nature and essentiality of those requirements, then curiously chose to title his article, Earths Lucky Breakas if all of the precision, orderliness, and intricate design in the Universe somehow could be explained by postulating that the Earth simply received, in a roll of the cosmic dice, a lucky break.
For more than a decade-and-a-half, British evolutionist Sir Fred Hoyle has stressed the insurmountable problems with such thinking and has addressed specifically the many problems faced by those who defend the idea of a naturalistic origin of life on Earth. In fact, Dr. Hoyle described the atheistic concept that disorder gives rise to order in a rather picturesque manner when he observed that the chance that higher forms have emerged in this way is comparable with the chance that a tornado sweeping through a junk-yard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein (1981b, 294:105). Hoyle and his colleague, Chandra Wickramasinghe, even went so far as to draw the following conclusion:
Once we see, however, that the probability of life originating at random is so utterly minuscule as to make the random concept absurd, it becomes sensible to think that the favourable properties of physics on which life depends, are in every respect deliberate.... It is therefore almost inevitable that our own measure of intelligence must reflect in a valid way the higher intelligences...even to the extreme idealized limit of God (Hoyle and Wickramasinghe, 1981, pp. 141,144, emp. in orig.).
Yet atheist Richard Dawkins of Oxford University has admitted: The more statistically improbable a thing is, the less we can believe that it just happened by blind chance. Superficially, the obvious alternative to chance is an intelligent Designer (1982, 94:130, emp. added). Except for the fact that they do not believe it to be superficial, that is the very conclusion theists have drawn from the available evidence. The statistical improbability of the Universe just happening by blind chance is staggering. Nobel laureate Arno Penzias put it this way: Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life, and one which has an underlying (one might say supernatural) plan (as quoted in Margenau and Varghese, 1992, p. 83, parenthetical item in orig.). Who designed the Universe with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life? The answer, of course, is the Intelligent Designer described in the BibleGod,
Design of the Human Body
Many years ago, the ancient scholar Augustine observed that Men go abroad to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering. Indeed, while we stand in amazement at so many stunning scenes from our unique Universe, we often fail to stand equally amazed at the marvelous creation of man. According to those who do not believe in God, the human body is little more than the result of a set of fortuitous circumstances credited to that mythical lady, Mother Nature. Yet such a suggestion does not fit the actual facts of the case, as even evolutionists have been forced to recognize from time to time. The late George Gaylord Simpson of Harvard once suggested that in man one finds the most highly endowed organization of matter that has yet appeared on the earth... (1949, p. 293). Another evolutionist observed: When you come right down to it, the most incredible creation in the universe is youwith your fantastic senses and strengths, your ingenious defense systems, and mental capabilities so great you can never use them to the fullest. Your body is a structural masterpiece more amazing than science fiction (Guinness, 1987, p. 5). Can one reasonably be expected to conclude that the structural masterpiece of the human bodywith its ingenious systems and highly endowed organizationis the result of blind chance operating over eons of time in nature as atheism suggests? Or would it be more in keeping with the facts of the matter to suggest that the human body is the result of purposeful design by a Master Designer?
For organizational purposes, the human body may be considered at four different levels (Jackson, 1993, pp. 5-6). First, there are cells, representing the smallest unit of life. Second, there are tissues (muscle tissue, nerve tissue, etc.), which are groups of the same kind of cells carrying on the same kind of activity. Third, there are organs (heart, liver, etc.), which are groups of tissues working together in unison. Fourth, there are systems (reproductive system, circulatory system, etc.), which are composed of groups of organs carrying out specific bodily functions. While I will not have the space here to examine each of them, an investigation of these various levels of organization, and of the human body as a whole, leads inescapably to the conclusion that there is intelligent design at work. As Wayne Jackson noted: It is therefore quite clear...that the physical body has been marvelously designed and intricately organized, for the purpose of facilitating human existence upon the planet Earth (1993, p. 6). In light of the following facts, such a statement certainly is justified.
A human body is composed of over 250 different kinds of cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, muscle cells, fat cells, nerve cells, etc.Baldi, 2001, p. 147), totaling approximately 100 trillion cells in an average adult (Fukuyama, 2002, p. 58). These cells come in a variety of sizes and shapes, with different functions and life expectancies. For example, some cells (e.g., male spermatozoa) are so small that 20,000 would fit inside a capital O from a standard typewriter, each being only 0.05 mm long. Some cells, placed end-to-end, would make only one inch if 6,000 were assembled together. Yet all the cells of the human body, if set end-to-end, would encircle the Earth over 200 times. Even the largest cell of the human body, the female ovum, is unbelievably small, being only 0.01 of an inch in diameter.
Cells have three major components. First, each cell is composed of a cell membrane that encloses the organism. Second, inside the cell is a three-dimensional cytoplasma watery matrix containing specialized organelles. Third, within the cytoplasm is the nucleus, which contains most of the genetic material, and which serves as the control center of the cell.
The lipoprotein cell membrane (lipids/proteins/lipids) is approximately 0.06-0.08 of a micrometer thick, yet allows selective transport into, and out of, the cell. Evolutionist Ernest Borek observed: The membrane recognizes with its uncanny molecular memory the hundreds of compounds swimming around it and permits or denies passage according to the cells requirements (1973, p. 5).
Inside the cytoplasm, there are over 20 different chemical reactions occurring at any one time, with each cell containing five major components for: (1) communication; (2) waste disposal; (3) nutrition; (4) repair; and (5) reproduction. Within this watery matrix there are such organelles as the mitochondria (over 1,000 per cell in many instances) that provide the cell with its energy. The endoplasmic reticulum is believed to be a transport system designed to carry materials from one part of the cell to the other (Pfeiffer, 1964, p. 13). Ribosomes are miniature protein-producing factories. Golgi bodies store the proteins manufactured by the ribosomes. Lysozomes within the cytoplasm function as garbage disposal units.
The nucleus is the control center of the cell, and is separated from the cytoplasm by a nuclear membrane. Within the nucleus is the genetic machinery of the cell (chromosomes and genes containing deoxyribonucleic acidDNA). The DNA is a supermolecule that carries the coded information for the replication of the cell. If the DNA from a single human cell were removed from the nucleus and unraveled (it is found in the cell in a spiral configuration), it would be approximately six feet long, and would contain over a billion biochemical steps. It has been estimated that if all the DNA in an adult human were placed end-to-end, it would reach to the Sun and back (186 million miles) 400 times.
It also should be noted that the DNA molecule does something that we as humans have yet to accomplish: it stores coded information in a chemical format and then uses a biologic agent (RNA) to decode and activate it. As Darrel Kautz put it: Human technology has not yet advanced to the point of storing information chemically as it is in the DNA molecule (1988, p. 45, emp. in orig.; see also Jackson, 1993, pp. 9-12). If transcribed into English, the DNA in a single human cell would fill a 1,000-volume set of encyclopedias approximately 600 pages each (Gore, 1976, 150:357). Yet just as amazing is the fact that all the genetic information needed to reproduce the entire human population (about five billion people) could be placed into a space of about one-eighth of a square inch. In comparing the amount of information contained in the DNA molecule with a much larger computer microchip, evolutionist Irvin Block remarked: We marvel at the feats of memory and transcription accomplished by computer microchips, but these are gargantuan compared to the protein granules of deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA (1980, p. 52). In an article he authored for Encyclopaedia Britannica, Carl Sagan observed that the information content of a simple cell has been estimated as around 1012 bits [i.e., one trillionBT] (1974, 10:894). To emphasize to the reader the enormity of this figure, Dr. Sagan then noted that if one were to count every letter in every word of every book in the worlds largest library (over ten million volumes), the final tally would be approximately a trillion letters. Thus, a single cell contains the equivalent information content of all the books in the worlds largest library of more than ten million volumes! Every rational person recognizes that not one of the books in such a library just happened. Rather, each and every one is the result of intelligence and painstaking design.
What, then, may we say about the infinitely more complex genetic code found within the DNA in each cell? Sir Fred Hoyle concluded that the notion that the codes complexity could be arrived at by chance is nonsense of a high order (1981a, 92:527). In their classic text on the origin of life, Thaxton, Bradley, and Olsen addressed the implications of the genetic code found within the DNA molecule.
We know that in numerous cases certain effects always have intelligent causes, such as dictionaries, sculptures, machines and paintings. We reason by analogy that similar effects have intelligent causes. For example, after looking up to see BUY FORD spelled out in smoke across the sky we infer the presence of a skywriter even if we heard or saw no airplane. We would similarly conclude the presence of intelligent activity were we to come upon an elephant-shaped topiary in a cedar forest.
In like manner an intelligible communication via radio signal from some distant galaxy would be widely hailed as evidence of an intelligent source. Why then doesnt the message sequence on the DNA molecule also constitute prima facie evidence for an intelligent source? After all, DNA information is not just analogous to a message sequence such as Morse code, it is such a message sequence....
We believe that if this question is considered, it will be seen that most often it is answered in the negative simply because it is thought to be inappropriate to bring a Creator into science (1984, pp. 211-212, emp. in orig.).
In like manner an intelligible communication via radio signal from some distant galaxy would be widely hailed as evidence of an intelligent source. Why then doesnt the message sequence on the DNA molecule also constitute prima facie evidence for an intelligent source? After all, DNA information is not just analogous to a message sequence such as Morse code, it is such a message sequence....
We believe that if this question is considered, it will be seen that most often it is answered in the negative simply because it is thought to be inappropriate to bring a Creator into science (1984, pp. 211-212, emp. in orig.).
The complexity and intricacy of the DNA moleculecombined with the staggering amount of chemically coded information it containsspeak unerringly to the fact that this supermolecule simply could not have happened by blind chance. As Andrews has observed:
It is not possible for a code, of any kind, to arise by chance or accident.... A code is the work of an intelligent mind. Even the cleverest dog or chimpanzee could not work out a code of any kind. It is obvious then that chance cannot do it.... This could no more have been the work of chance or accident than could the Moonlight Sonata be played by mice running up and down the keyboard of my piano! Codes do not arise from chaos (1978, pp. 28-29).
Indeed, codes do not arise from chaos. Dawkins correctly remarked: The more statistically improbable a thing is, the less we can believe that it just happened by blind chance. Superficially, the obvious alternative to chance is an intelligent Designer (1982, p. 130, emp. added). That is the exact point the theist is making: an intelligent Designer is demanded by the evidence.
Atheistic philosopher Paul Ricci has suggested that although many have difficulty understanding the tremendous order and complexity of functions of the human body (the eye, for example), there is no obvious designer (1986, p. 191). The only people who have difficulty understanding the tremendous order and complexity found in the Universe are those who have refused to have God in their knowledge (Romans 1:28). Such people can parrot the phrase that there is no obvious designer, but their arguments are not convincing. One does not get a poem without a poet, or a law without a lawgiver. One does not get a painting without a painter, or a musical score without a composer. And just as surely, one does not get purposeful design without a designer. The design inherent in the Universe is evidentfrom the macrocosm to the microcosmand is sufficient to draw the conclusion demanded by the evidence, in keeping with the law of rationality. God does exist.
[to be continued]
Andrews, E.H. (1978), From Nothing to Nature (Welwyn, Hertfordshire, England: Evangelical Press).
Asimov, Isaac (1975), The Intelligent Mans Guide to Science (London: Pelican).
Baldi, Pierre (2001), The Shattered Self: The End of Natural Evolution (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press).
Barnett, Lincoln (1959), The Universe and Dr. Einstein (New York: Mentor).
Block, Irvin (1980), The Worlds Within You, Science Digest, special edition, pp. 49-53,118, September/October.
Borek, Ernest (1973), The Sculpture of Life (New York: Columbia University Press).
Clarke, William N. (1912), An Outline of Christian Theology (New York: Charles Scribners Sons).
Dawkins, Richard (1982), The Necessity of Darwinism, New Scientist, 94:130-132, April 15.
Dawkins, Richard (1986), The Blind Watchmaker (New York: W.W. Norton).
Fukuyama, Francis (2002), Our Posthuman Future (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
Gore, Rick (1976), The Awesome Worlds Within a Cell, National Geographic, 150:355-395, September.
Gribbin, John (1983), Earths Lucky Break, Science Digest, 91[5]:36-37,40,102, May.
Guinness, Alma E., ed. (1987), ABC's of the Human Body (Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest).
Hoyle, Fred (1981a), The Big Bang in Astronomy, New Scientist, 92:521-527, November 19.
Hoyle, Fred (1981b), Hoyle on Evolution, Nature, 294:105, November 12.
Hoyle, Fred and Chandra Wickramasinghe (1981), Evolution from Space (London: J.M. Dent & Sons).
Jackson, Wayne (1993), The Human Body: Accident or Design? (Stockton, CA: Courier Publications).
Kautz, Darrel (1988), The Origin of Living Things (Milwaukee, WI: Privately published by the author).
Lawton, April (1981), From Here to Infinity, Science Digest, 89[1]:98-105, January/February.
Lewontin, Richard (1978), Adaptation, Scientific American, 239[3]:212-218,220, 222,228,230, September.
Margenau, Henry and Abraham Varghese, eds. (1992), Cosmos, Bios, and Theos (La Salle, IL: Open Court Publishers).
Pfeiffer, John (1964), The Cell (New York: Time, Inc.).
Popper, Karl R. and John C. Eccles (1977), The Self and Its Brain (New York: Springer International).
Ricci, Paul (1986), Fundamentals of Critical Thinking (Lexington, MA: Ginn Press).
Sagan, Carl (1974), Life on Earth, Encyclopaedia Britannica (New York: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.), 10:894ff.
Science Digest (1981), 89[1]:124, January/February.
Simpson, George G. (1949), The Meaning of Evolution (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press).
Thaxton, Charles B., Walter L. Bradley, and Roger L. Olsen (1984), The Mystery of Life's Origin (New York: Philosophical Library).
We are happy to grant permission for items in the "Sensible Science" section to be reproduced in their entirety, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) the authors name must remain attached to the materials; (4) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (5) alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, quotations, etc. must be reproduced exactly as they appear in the original); (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken.
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Be prepared for grain quality surprises in your bins
This year's brutal winter was helpful in at least one way. You didn't have to work hard to cool your stored grain. With warmer temperatures on the horizon, it's time to make sure your grain can withstand storage into the summer.
This past year's combination of an extremely wet spring, dry summer and late harvest resulted in inconsistent corn and soybean quality. "That tremendous amount of variability last fall likely hasn't gone away," says Charles Hurburgh, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University.
Variability equals storage problems, as well as unwanted surprises. Based on conversations with elevators and farmers, he says farmers should assume their grain is about 2% wetter than they originally thought. "This is due to the equalization of moisture," he says. "When you dry grain that is a mixed bag it doesn't dry uniformly."
High-moisture grain, combined with increasing temperatures is a situation that must be managed. "If adding 2% to your moisture number takes you into a risky place when the weather warms up, you better plan to do something," Hurburgh says.
Assess your situation. In the spring, farmers should inspect their bins every one to two weeks, advises Ken Hellevang, North Dakota State University Extension engineer.
Factor in solar energy when managing the temperature in your bins. Pay attention to the south wall and near the roof, as grain in those areas might be warmer than the average outdoor air temperature.
Beyond major temperature swings, spoilage and insects are the other main reasons that grain warms up in storage. These are issues that can be maintained but not improved, Hurburgh explains, so monitoring is vital.
Surface examinations won't provide enough intel in large bins. "You can't know what's going on inside a bin without having some form of electronic temperature system," Hurburgh says. These systems range from simple to extremely complex. In the end, he says, the system just has to provide you with a synopsis of the temperature conditions in your bins so you can manage them appropriately.
Run the fans. USDA estimates that as of March 1, there were 3.86 billion bushels of corn and 382 million bushels of soybeans being stored on farms. A lot of 2013 grain will continue to be stored on farms, even into 2015, Hurburgh says.
To prevent spoilage this summer, Hellevang says, farmers might need to run the bin fans more than normal right now to even out moisture and temperature variations.
Corn should be dried to 13% to 14% moisture, soybeans to 11% moisture and wheat to 13% moisture—levels that will increase the grain's allowable storage time.
Cereal grain at 70°F can store for about 30 days at 18% moisture, 45 days at 17% moisture, 70 days at 16% moisture and 200 days at 14% moisture.
Storage time also doubles for each 10° the grain is cooled. For example, cereal grain at 16% moisture can be stored for about 230 days at 50° and 120 days at 60°, but only about 40 days at 80°.
"Keep the grain cool in the summer," Hellevang says. "Cover the aeration fan to limit warm air entering the bin and operate the fan for a few hours during a cool morning to cool grain near the top of the bin."
For more long-term storage advice and marketing strategies for your in-the-bin grain, visit www.FarmJournal.com/storage_tips


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Depending on the profile and the required characteristics of its components, a piston seal can consist of one or several materials. Common materials used for piston seals are thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyamide (PA), and nitrile rubber (NBR). The standard materials used for a specific profile are provided in the Profile overview and in the relevant profile sections below.
For additional information, refer to Materials.


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We carry a wide selection of Thinning Shears made from top quality Stainless steel AISI-440C & AISI-420. Each pair of Thinning Shears cuts with consistency and with a comfortably smooth action. These Scissors are Mirror Polished,Sand Finished and Satin Finished.Hair Thinning Scissors feature superior workmanship and teeth variations that gives you an edge. Try exceptionally crafted Thinning Shears to create a soft cut with rows of well-structured teeth. These instruments are hand-honed and hollow-ground for precision, strength and longevity.We are proud to offer you these high-quality hair grooming tools.We are sure that you will find the ultimate pair of Hair Dressing Scissors to suit your needs.
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Lucy is now 7 months old and we had puppy spa day at our house this afternoon. She didn't like the clippers very much, and really didn't like it when you get close to her face but she was very, very good and doesn't she look like a nice doggie with her 'big girl' cut?
She's a Miniature Schnauzer but we call her our Greyhound on account of she has the longest legs. She's starting to grow into them and doesn't look that awkward anymore.
Gracie is getting a bath and shave tomorrow - I just couldn't face trying to do them both in one day.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Lucy's first haircut......
Lucy is now 7 months old and we had puppy spa day at our house this afternoon. She didn't like the clippers very much, and really didn't like it when you get close to her face but she was very, very good and doesn't she look like a nice doggie with her 'big girl' cut?
Posted by Giggles rule! at 3:17 PM 3 comments
Friday, April 18, 2008
Part 4 HD........
I just finished Part 4 of Papillon Creations 2008 Mystery 'How Does Your Garden Grow'. If you click on the picture to enlarge it you'll notice I downloaded the wrong file option for part3....so no specialty stitches but that's okay, I still think it's lovely.
This is a mystery in 13 parts; 1 each month. You can access the download section by signing up for their newsletter at the above link.
Posted by Giggles rule! at 3:46 PM 3 comments
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Finishing on Truth Storykeep (Sara Butcher)
Wow, 2 post in a single day. I decided to just pick something and work on it. This is Truth Storykeep by Sara Butcher. I finished the stitching last year and it's been laying around while I decided what finishing technique to use.
I decided to lay it on top of a stack of dinner plates in the hutch in the formal dining room.
Posted by Giggles rule! at 12:43 PM 1 comments
Taj Update
This is today's update of my Taj Mahal. If you look really close at the bottom left corner, you'll notice the first 10 or so beads. I just couldn't resist starting the beading!
I'm going through a 'funk' right now. You ever have those days or weeks when everything is okay but your just anxious and unfocused? I pick up a book (a good one too) and I start reading and find myself reading 2 or 3 pages and not digesting what I'm reading - or I want to stitch and find myself staring at the bags of projects and can't decide which one to work on. I've always multi-tasked well and I'm really bothered by this. I have a ton of stuff I would like to do; new projects to start, redesign this blog site, upload all my finishes to the new finishing blog Fantastic Finishes ; and alot of spring projects around the house (fun ones too) but I just don't want to start any of these. I told my husband maybe I'm a little depressed and just don't know it? Maybe I need to find a part-time job, just anything that gets me out of the house for a few days a week; nicely dressed with makeup, etc. Something to do that is concrete then maybe I'll use my 'free' time better. Right now it's like - it's all free time so I can do anything at any time I want; so I find myself sitting there and not doing any of it. Am I making any sense at all?
Posted by Giggles rule! at 9:55 AM 4 comments
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Dreamsleep WIP
I keep forgetting to post this new update picture. It looks a little distorted in the picture - but it's not. It was a dark, yucky day so I draped it over the dining room chair (by the window) to see all of the natural sunlight that I could. The colors are gorgeous in this one!
Dreamsleep by Ian Daniels, Charted by Stab n' Stash.
Posted by Giggles rule! at 9:18 PM 1 comments


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Stick to the basics when deciding on cotton marketing actions.
That's the advice of a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service cotton economist for growers looking ahead to future prices. Dr. John Robinson, College Station, made that recommendation on the recent Ag Market monthly conference call and said despite recent news headlines, the fundamentals of supply and demand is a good compass for forecasting future prices.
"I expect this year's December and next year's (Dec. '14) harvest time futures contracts to continue to trade in their current ranges," Robinson said. "I want to point out the current spread of December 2014 is about a nickel below December 2013, which implies there is already an expectation of a Chinese unwinding some of their stocks."
Learn more about cotton marketing actions.
If you are enjoying reading this article, please check out Southwest Farm Press Daily and receive the latest news right to your inbox
Also of interest on Southwest Farm Press:
Most U.S. cotton production now goes abroad
West Texas production off but some good cotton being made


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Hi, I'm Preston Porter. I'm a writer, a blogger, social media enthusiast, marketer (you can read more about my background in writing and the web here), but my most recent title is Social Media Chef. Over the last year, I've graduated college, (BA in Literature and Creative Writing) interned at a PR firm, and done some freelance work for restaurants. After a few months of great online growth, I was hired as a full time, in-house online marketing/web content/business development manager. This mouthful of a job title eventually was replaced by the much catchier title of "Social Media Chef."
In a nutshell, I create and coordinate all the delicious content surrounding the restaurants and websites I work for, and serve it up to the customers. I shoot/edit video recipes, oversee marketing campaigns, post updates on special offers, write articles on Italian foods and ingredients, post travel videos, and a wide spectrum of things that wine and food lovers enjoy. I'm always looking to connect with other foodies, wine enthusiasts, bloggers, writers, and I'd probably love to hear from you.
I'm not a chef (my cooking ability extends to making a grilled cheese sandwich), or a sommelier (although I am becoming well versed on Italian wine) but I'm using my strong writing background, my lifelong love for new media, and my experience in marketing to work in a field I am passionate about. The web is where people are going for information on restaurants, wine, and food; I'm making sure content they're looking for will be online for them, attractively plated and piping hot. Delicious.
What's on the menu?
The idea behind this blog is for it to become a stew of the content I create and work with. Articles (written by yours truly and a few guest writers), news on upcoming wine and food events I'm involved with in, videos, pictures, and updates as I meet other bloggers, and even a few winemakers. SocialMediaChef.net is a place for me to share my experiences as the Social Media Chef with you, and a starting point for discussions on the ever evolving online world of food and drink.